OSWEGO Alumni Magazine — Winter 2021

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT OSWEGO n VOL. 47, NO. 1 n WINTER 2021

The Issue

ON OUR CAMPUS “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

— Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet, writer, composer, philosopher and painter Winter campus photo by Rose Gosselin Throop ’95. Submit your own campus photo to: alumni@oswego.edu

OSWEGO Alumni Magazine

Winter 2021: Vol. 47, No. 1 Publisher Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09

Photographer Jim Russell ’83

Editor Margaret D. Spillett

In Memoriam Lisa Potter Diane Schrader

Designer Jennifer Broderick

Contributing Writers Mehdi Manseur (Back Cover) Office of Communication and Marketing Samantha Zerbinos ’20 (48) Contributing Photographers Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (13) Jim Gemza ’70 (32) Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images (36) Stephanie Love Rosenberg (45) Michelle Tackett Spinner ’98 (22) Interns Gabriele Candela ’22 Molly Williamson ’20

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President’s Column

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CAMPUS CURRENTS

5 Dolan Scholarship Supports Children of Police, Firefighters 7 2020 Alumni Award Winners Recognized 8

Noteworthy News

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Creative and Scholarly Activities

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Rankings Round-Up

12 Student Teams Win Cash Prizes for Entrepreneurial Ideas 14 Seven Alumni Set to Join Athletic Hall of Fame

On the cover: Looking to the future, students like Ekta Siwakoti ’21, computer science and cognitive behavior double major, offer hope like the golden sun breaking through the clouds on a cold winter’s day. This Gold Issue focuses on the qualities of the Laker community that shine through even in the most challenging of times.

—Photo by Jim Russell ’83

Office of Development and Alumni Engagement King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126 Phone: 315-312-2258 Email: alumni@oswego.edu Website: alumni.oswego.edu

f facebook.com/oswegoalumni I @oswegoalumni t @oswegoalumni OSWEGO is published two times a year by the Oswego Alumni Association Inc., King Alumni Hall, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, N.Y. 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 February 2021.

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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FEATURES

18 Golden Opportunity New Director Ushers in the Post-Pandemic Recruitment Era

22 Paved in Gold The Path Forward Campaign Provides Need-Based Scholarship Support to Open Possibilities for Students

24 Stay Gold The COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges Oswego Community to Thrive in the Face of Adversity

25 Golden Lining

Alumni Share the Positives They Learned from the

Pandemic

26 Good as Gold Alumni Contribute to the Greater Good

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CLASS NOTES

32 Golden Celebration for Class of 1970

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he Gilded Age: Roger Hancock ’74 T Recalls the ‘Best Four Years’ of His Life

38 Weddings 44

ilding the Lily: Nina House ’17 Climbs G Mountains to Pursue Passion for Botany

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In Memoriam

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The Last Word

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Oswego Object

Back Cover

Faculty Hall of Fame

28 Heart of Gold Alumnus Survives COVID, Donates Plasma for Others

30 Golden Rule Hundreds Assist Via Gifts to Student Emergency Fund

Have news to share?

Send us your news! We want to hear about your new job, promotion, marriage, babies, visits with Oswego alumni or even just a change in your address.

Submissions received between Jan. 1-June 30 will run in our fall issue, and between July 1-Dec. 31 in our spring issue.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES magazine.oswego.edu

See exclusive content, including additional photos, multi-media stories and extended versions of some of the stories in this issue.

To submit your class note, email alumni@oswego.edu, call 315-312-2258 or complete the class note form online at alumni.oswego.edu. You can also mail submissions to the OSWEGO Alumni Magazine, King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

Please note: Class notes included in the magazine come from a variety of sources, such as alumni submissions, news releases, social media posts and news media reports.

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From the President Green and Gold. Those two colors represent our beloved SUNY Oswego.

Green is the color of life, luck, sustainability, nature, wealth and compassion. Our last issue of the OSWEGO Alumni Magazine focused on green and its significance in our community. (For those of you who missed it, you can read it online at magazine.oswego.edu.)

This issue turns to gold. Gold is precious and has been highly prized throughout all societies and all times. It doesn’t corrode or tarnish. Gold, as James Blakeley said, “survives the travails of life and the ravages of time.” It is this quality—its resiliency and its ability to maintain its composure even in the harshest of conditions—that resonates with me—as I have witnessed our Laker community’s ability to do just that.

Since last winter when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread around the world, SUNY Oswego like so many other institutions has been challenged to maintain its mission amid the ever-changing stream of information, guidelines, policies and concerns. Our students, faculty, staff and alumni met each new obstacle with strength of character and an unwavering resolve to persevere.

I had the distinct honor of leading this institution through this historic time. I have seen firsthand the outreach of our alumni to assist in whatever ways they can. I have listened to our students and 2020 graduates grapple with disappointment about lost time with friends and missed on-campus opportunities, and yet they resolved to accept the situation with a greater appreciation for what they have and what they were able to accomplish. I have watched as faculty members assisted their colleagues in transitioning from in-person teaching to online instruction, selflessly sharing best practices and tips for success. In short, I have seen our campus community care for and treat each other as they themselves would hope to be treated— the golden rule.

This issue covers much of the college response, to date, to the COVID-19 pandemic and also provides a sense of how our community continues to thrive by coming together to assist each other and by focusing on our mission—contributing to the common good by lighting the path to wisdom and empowering every person in the college community to pursue a meaningful life as a productive, responsible member of society.

Indeed, knowledge is golden and illuminates the path toward a brighter future. We look to 2021 to find the “golden lining” of every situation. American poet Robert Frost was incorrect in his assessment that “nothing gold can stay.” Everything gold, when paired with Oswego green, can endure. May our graduates carry with them forever the glimmer of hope and optimism gained from their golden Oswego experience as they venture forward.

Stay Gold, Lakers!

Deborah F. Stanley, president

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT OSWEGO Deborah F. Stanley, President Scott R. Furlong, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicholas Lyons, Vice President for Administration and Finance Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement Jerri Howland, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

OSWEGO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dana Segall Murphy ’99, President Kathleen Smits Evans ’84, First Vice President Phillip Grome ’89, Second Vice President Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87, Past President Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09, Executive Director Edgar Ames ’68 Paul Austin ’92 Marc Beck ’93 Paul Brennan ’93* Harry Bronson ’82 Austin Byrd ’10 Michael Byrne ’79* Mary Gibbons Canale ’81** Raelynn Cooter ’77 Emmanuel Cruz ’09 Justin Dobrow ’17 Amy Vanderlyke Dygert ’01* Dresden Engle ’88 Thaina Gonzalez ’92 Howard Gordon ‘74 M’78 Jennifer Warner Janes ’91 Rufaro Matombo ’12 Steve Messina ’91* Sandra Michaca ‘13 Trudy Perkins ’93 Cathleen Richards ’09 Mark Salmon ’93 Dan Scaia ’68 Tucker Sholtes ’15 Jeffrey Sorensen ’92 Yvonne Spicer ’84 M’85 Deborah F. Stanley** Ron Tascarel­la Jr. ’06 Hank Volpe ’73 Sheneya Wilson ’15 M’16 Benita Zahn ’76 * At large

** Ex officio

OSWEGO COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, President Rose Cardamone Crane ’81, Chair Doreen Mochrie ’85, Vice Chair Nicholas Lyons, Treasurer Mark Baum ’81, Secretary Kathy Bower ’85 Bill Burns ’83 Joseph F. Coughlin ’82 Dianora De Marco ’14 M’15 Steve Doran ’82 Michael Durney ’83 Bob Garrett ’83 James F. Holland ’82 Jack James ’62 Matt Jenal ’78 Jeff Knauss ’07 Peter McCarthy ’82 Robert Moritz ’85 Colleen Murphy ’77 Jeff Ragovin ’00 Al Roker ’76 Thomas Schneider Jennifer Shropshire ’86 William Spinelli ’84 Deborah F. Stanley Mark Tryniski ’85 Joe Yacura ’74

Campus Currents

Dolan Scholarship Supports Children of Police, Firefighters Children of Police & Firefighters

Scholarship

For Dan Dolan ’84, establishing a scholarship at SUNY Oswego enabled him to tie together several personally significant ideas.

Through the naming of the Charles P. Dolan Memorial Scholarship, he and his wife, Judith ’86, were able to ensure the memory and name of their infant son who died at birth would live on.

Through the criteria that the scholarship be awarded to the children or grandchildren of police officers or firefighters or who are themselves a police officer or firefighter, he was able to honor his parents, Mary A. Dolan and former New York City police officer Edward Dolan, and also the many first responders who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Lastly, by establishing the scholarship at SUNY Oswego, he could pay tribute to his alma mater, which helped set him on course to rise to his current position as senior vice president of ALPS Fund Services in Garden City, N.Y. “I feel a strong connection to Oswego, and this scholarship kind of pulled together a bunch of things that were personally important to me,” Dolan said. “We want to help some people and make their lives easier, so that they will be able to enjoy the experience of Oswego without having to worry about it as much.

That’s really what it’s about.”

Since its establishment 12 years ago, the scholarship has grown from one recipient a year to eight recipients a year, each receiving $5,000.

“This scholarship has helped support me by providing me financial relief,” said Jillian Dickey ’23, who is a double major in psychology and criminal justice, and hopes to become an officer in the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “It also increased my motivation to push through those busy nights when I have three essays to write.”

Dickey’s grandfather is a retired firefighter, her grandmother and mother serve in the Ladies Auxiliary for the West Seneca Fire Department and her father is a law enforcement officer.

“I want to express how much this scholarship has helped me financially,” she said. “The scholarship has also made me believe in myself a lot more. It truly means the world. I would like to give a huge thank you to SUNY Oswego and the [Dolans] for giving me this opportunity and helping me create my dream.”

Dolan said he is happy to know that the scholarships are helping the children of people whom he cares about and respects.

“As the son of a cop, I was really proud of my dad, and some of my best friends in the world are police and firemen,” said Dolan, who was the third of four children in his family and remembered how challenging it was for his father and mother (a school bus driver) to make ends meet.

“These are good, hard-working people who are trying to help others,” he said. “They certainly don’t go into this work for the money. They need our support, now more than ever. If I can help them by reducing their children’s debt load, then that’s what we wanted. It’s good for the parents and it’s good for the students, and it’s worked well for us, too.”

He encouraged others to consider supporting the scholarship or establishing their own scholarship or fund at Oswego.

“We started small, and we’ve been able to build to this,” Dolan said. “I never thought it would be where it is today—with eight scholarships of $5,000 a year. I would remind people that the matching gift piece from employers can really add up and make a difference quickly. Now, our scholarship will be awarded for years to come and the kids down the road will benefit from it.

Anyone can do it, and you just have to get it going.”

In addition to the scholarship, Dolan is a corporate sponsor of the college Zamboni, which has a custom printed vinyl wrapped of Sector SPDRs (Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipts) created by his marketing agency, DNA Creative run by Mark DiPippa ’83.

Sector SPDRs also has purchased the ads for the ice rink boards.

“Interestingly, we did this at Oswego and liked it so much, we decided to do the same thing at Madison Square Garden,” Dolan said. “But Oswego was first.”

For more information on establishing a scholarship or supporting the Charles P. Dolan Scholarship, visit oswego.edu/pathforward or contact Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, vice president for development and alumni engagement, at 315-312-5558 or mary.canale@oswego.edu.

The Path FORWARD

80% of Scholarship Goal

In Fall 2019, SUNY Oswego set out to double the number of need-based scholarships from 220 to 440 by June 30, 2021. We’re nearly there. Please help us reach our goal of supporting more students.

Learn more about establishing a scholarship at oswego.edu/ pathforward.

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2020 Outstanding Senior Award Recipient Named Kari Henry ’20 of Brooklyn, N.Y., received the Oswego Alumni Association’s 2020 Outstanding Senior Award.

‘Oz Virtual Village’ Highlights Alumni Special Talents, Interests With the dramatic cultural shift stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, the Development and Alumni Engagement Office launched a new initiative to highlight alumni talent while also uniting the community via virtual platforms.

In June, the college shared its first Oz Virtual Village e-newsletter that invited alumni to enroll in free online lifelong learning courses, watch a Facebook live performance of musician Cam Caruso ’17, join in on a free yoga class taught by Becca Howe ’16 (pictured right) or listen to a podcast of first responder Mike Russo ’20 discuss being an EMT during the COVID-19 crisis on Long Island, among many other offerings.

“The idea of the Oz Virtual Village is to celebrate the opportunity to connect online with our Oswego family more readily and in innovative ways,” said Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09, director of alumni engagement.

“Whether you’d like to host an online cooking class, present tips on coping with stress, deliver a formal lecture about optimizing a website for better search engine results, perform a concert or demonstrate tools to organize our digital lives, we’re ready to help you share your passion and your talents with other SUNY Oswego alumni.”

The alumni office will compile and market alumni-led workshops, presentations, workouts, concerts or other virtual offerings monthly through the Oz Virtual Village e-newsletter and other outlets.

Alumni are also invited to connect with students, as mentors, guest speakers or employers. You can even create a microinternship (a paid, project-based work experience) for students. Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/ask.

Check out the archive of past Oz Virtual Village sessions at alumni.oswego.edu/ virtualvillage.

If you have an idea or an interest that you’d like to share with the Oswego community, contact us at alumni@oswego.edu or 315312-2258.

Henry, a meteorology major with a minor in astronomy, was included on the Deans’ and President’s lists nearly every semester at SUNY Oswego. The first in her family to attend college, Henry maintained an average of 3.5 while remaining involved in campus activities, research initiatives and community service projects.

Henry worked several jobs, including as an office assistant in the Atmospheric and Geological Sciences Department, a server and dishwasher with Auxiliary Services, and as a private tutor, while juggling her academic and extracurricular activities.

She is serving for the 2020-21 academic year with City Year, an organization that provides emotional and academic support to students in city schools.

Then she plans to enroll in a graduate program to earn a Ph.D. in planetary science.

The Outstanding Senior Award was established by the 2005 Senior Class Planning Committee and is funded by alumna Alice Massimi Crouch ’02. The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes a graduating senior who has been highly involved on campus while maintaining academic excellence.

The Oswego Alumni Podcast The new monthly Oswego Alumni Podcast, a partnership between the Oswego Alumni Association and WNYO, collects stories and recollections from alumni spanning the decades.

Hosted by former WNYO student manager Carl Neff ’20, the podcast has featured alumni whose stories cover the 1970 campus celebration of the first Earth Day, life as an EMT on Long Island during the pandemic and launching a newscast in Israel for an English-speaking audience. The podcast also covered the history of WNYO in a threepart series with interviews of alumni from the 1970s to the current student manager.

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To subscribe to the podcast or listen to existing episodes, visit: alumni.oswego.edu/podcast.

Campus Currents

2020 Alumni Award Winners Recognized

ALUMNI Awards ★ PROGRAM Physical distance did not diminish the excitement and emotions of the attendees present for two virtual ceremonies honoring the 2020 Oswego Alumni Association (OAA) Award winners. In fact, the virtual format enabled some friends and family members who might not have been able to make the trip for an in-person event to be part of the celebration honoring their loved one.

President Deborah F. Stanley congratulated the award winners and expressed how they serve as role models for others, particularly current students. _____________________________________ The first ceremony, held on Sept. 24, recognized the following alumni: • Bob Garrett ’83, Alumni Impact Award: A leader of one the world’s most successful professional services companies who has opened doors of opportunity for generations of Oswego students; • Linda Townsend ’77, Community Service Award: An all-around doer who has made a tremendous impact as a lawyer, teacher, legislator, musician, veterans advocate and community organizer in Central New York; and • Quindell Williams ’11, Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award: A bright, caring and positive journalistturned-teacher who goes out of his way to support his alma mater and be an inspiration to others.

President of the OAA Board of Directors Dana Segall Murphy ’99 read each winner’s citation and invited attendees to “unmute” themselves to cheer for each recipient before inviting the recipient to deliver acceptance remarks.

Bob Garrett ’83, Linda Townsend ’77 and Quindell Williams ’11 received their alumni awards during a virtual ceremony held on Sept. 24.

r. Frederick Bieber ’72, Barry Gliner ’84 and Tamar Greene ’09 received their alumni awards D during a virtual ceremony held on Sept. 25.

A series of faces flashed into the center of the screen with cheers of “Yay, daddy!” and “Congratulations!” and “Way to go!” as the virtual realm filled with applause icons.

Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement Mary Gibbons Canale ’81 congratulated the winners on behalf of President Deborah F. Stanley and the whole college community.

The second ceremony, held on Sept. 25, honored the following alumni:

“You have all distinguished yourselves for your exceptional accomplishment and service to others,” Canale said. “I commend you for your selflessness, hard work and dedication.”

• Dr. Frederick Bieber ’72, Distinguished Alumnus Award: A medical geneticist with an exceptional expertise in forensics whose work has made an impact both nationally and internationally; • Barry Gliner ’84, Lifetime Award of Merit: A creative producer whose technical skill seamlessly weaves together video and sound for award-winning experiences and whose loyalty to Oswego students and alumni is unwavering; and • Tamar Greene ’09, Distinguished Alumnus Award: An information science professional turned Broadway star who shares his rich voice and commanding performances with audiences, including special sessions for Oswego students.

To hear the reading of their award citations and acceptance remarks, view the recordings of the ceremonies at magazine. oswego.edu.

Jerry Esposito ’70, who was selected to receive the Alumni Impact Award, will receive his award during a ceremony at a later date.

Share Your Congratulatory Messages We invite you to congratulate this year’s winners on a digital message board, which you can find via magazine.oswego.edu.

Learn more about the nomination process and details on submission online at alumni.oswego.edu/alumniawards.

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Noteworthy News Faculty, Staff, Students Recognized with SUNY’s Highest Honor Five employees—Tyrone Johnson-Neuland M’99, Ampalavanar Nanthakumar, Juan Perdiguero, Gerry Roy and Barbara St. Michel ‘17—were recognized with SUNY Chancellor Awards for their exceptional performance in their work at SUNY Oswego.

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are system-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. These programs underscore SUNY’s commitment to sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and serving the public good.

Faculty and Staff:

Tyrone Johnson-Neuland M’99

Ampalavanar Nanthakumar

Juan Perdiguero

New Minor in Sales Will Bolster Students’ In-Demand Skills A recently approved academic minor in sales will help make SUNY Oswego graduates more marketable and better equipped for relationship management and other key professional skills.

The minor, coordinated by marketing faculty member Napatsorn (Pom) Jiraporn, aims to provide knowledge and skills needed for students to perform salesrelated tasks such as customer service, customer relationship management and negotiation. It emphasizes pitches and presentations in many of its classes.

The 18-credit minor encompasses six marketing courses, including three new offerings: “Professional Selling,” “Negotiation” and “Advance Selling.”

For more information, email business@ oswego.edu.

Gerry Roy

• Tyrone Johnson-Neuland M’99, assistant director for technical support in Campus Technology Services—SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service • Ampalavanar Nanthakumar, mathematics professor—SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Barbara St. Michel ‘17

• Gerry Roy, Facilities Services employee—Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service •B arbara St. Michel ‘17, associate director of Campus Life—SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service

• Juan Perdiguero, art professor—SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence • Dylan DiGrazia ’20 of Amesbury, Mass., chemistry major with math and applied statistics minors • Samantha Jenks ’20 of West Islip, N.Y., double major in cognitive science and psychology

From left are Chanel Meyer ’20, Samantha Jenks ’20 and Dylan DiGrazia ’20.

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• Chanel Meyer ’20 of Port Jervis, N.Y., double major in Spanish and adolescent education

New Business Analytics Minor Taps into Rise in Data-Analysis Jobs The need for employees who can really understand data-driven factors led to SUNY Oswego’s new minor in business analytics.

Intended for students in a wide range of majors, the 18-credit minor includes four core courses: “Business Programming and Data Analysis Tools,” “Database Management Systems in Business,” Data Mining and Predictive Analytics” and “Marketing Research.”

“It’s really open to anyone,” said Kristin Sotak, the program’s coordinator and an assistant professor of management in the School of Business. “It’s quantitative, so anywhere you have access to a lot of data that you need to make sense of. It could really be applied anywhere.”

For more information, email business@ oswego.edu.

Creative and Scholarly Activities

Campus Currents

Leigh Wilson Named SUNY Distinguished Service Professor The State University of New York recognized Leigh Wilson as a Distinguished Service Professor, one of the SUNY system’s highest honors.

In addition to being an award-winning fiction writer, highly regarded teacher and chair of Oswego’s English and creative writing department, Wilson also directs the college’s creative writing program, campus-wide Grand Challenge’s Fresh Water for All initiative, the Digital Oz storytelling project and, until recently, the Interdisciplinary Programs and Activities Center.

Wilson began teaching at SUNY Oswego in 1984, and her service bridges her scholarship and teaching, establishing and building connections across disciplines, among students and with the broader community.

Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty Member Earns Prestigious NEH Fellowship

Gonzalo Aguiar Malosetti of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures earned a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar Fellowship for his book project, Tropes of Violent Inequality: Brazilian Crime Fiction in a Post-Neoliberal Age. The award comes with an invitation to a future seminar, “The Making of Modern Brazil,” which will connect top teachers and scholars in this field in an environment to “exchange ideas, readings and research at various stages of completion,” Aguiar Malosetti said.

The seminar includes a variety of readings that connect participants with such avenues as anthropology, cinema studies, cultural studies, gender studies, history, linguistics, literary studies, performing arts, sociology and urban studies.

Leigh Wilson (standing), professor and chair of the English and creative writing department, recently earned one of the top honors in the State University of New York system, the title of Distinguished Service Professor. She is shown in this file photo leading the Digital Oz project, one of many interdisciplinary collaborations she has created and spearheaded.

‘In the Cotton’ Production Uses Innovative Techniques to Tackle Serious Topic

Published Books by Faculty •D arkened Enlightenment: The Deterioration of Democracy, Human Rights and Rational Thought in the Twenty-First Century (Routledge, 2020), the latest book by sociology professor Tim Delaney, describes society at a crossroads, with a choice between rational thought and antiintellectualism.

Clockwise top left are director Steven J. York; Angel Tyler ’21, who plays Meridian; and assistant director Bayana Burnell ’21.

•P olitical science faculty member Helen Knowles published two books— Cascadian Hotel and Free Speech Theory: Understanding the Controversies.

The first covers a historic treasure of a building in the Pacific Northwest and the second addresses hot topics like removing Confederate statues.

Directed by theatre professor Steven J. York, In the Cotton is driven by a racially motivated hate crime on a college campus, and the fallout as students and administrators take sides. The result in the award-winning play written by Morgan McGuire is conversations and explorations on racism, hate, protest and related threads.

•M idwest Gothic (Ashland Poetry Press, 2020), a new award-winning book from English and creative writing faculty member Laura Donnelly, brings together a collection of poems on the themes of family, memory, history and a sense of place.

York said the cast and crew developed some cutting-edge techniques for the production where its participants were never able to gather in one place due to the pandemic. Auditions, rehearsals and performances were held online.

•C ommunication studies faculty member Jason Zenor’s new book, Emerging Media: Legal Principles, Virtual Issues (Cognella Publishing, 2020) takes a different approach to media law—focusing forward instead of back. The book covers issues in the news like regulating tech companies, bots spreading fake news, apps that can track health information, facial recognition technology and hacking of data stored in the cloud.

The resulting “virtual theatre” is similar to traditional theatre in being produced in a single take, “but also very close to the process of creating live television in that there’s no audience present and that live performance is being captured on camera relying heavily on camera and sound feeds,” York said.

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CSTEP to Provide Strong Support to Underrepresented Students in STEM, Professional Fields

Campus App Connects Students to Mental Health Resources SUNY Oswego was an early adopter of the Thriving Campus application, a program that connects students with counseling services and which SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced would be adopted throughout the State University system as part of a comprehensive plan to expand access to mental health services to every student at SUNY’s 64 campuses.

Thriving Campus is a HIPAA-compliant web application that breaks down the barriers to getting help by bridging the gap between campus counseling services and local mental health and wellness service providers.

“The Thriving Campus App will expand the mental health services we offer to students in need during this most difficult time as they navigate living and learning amidst a global pandemic,” said SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley.

When campus counseling centers determine that a student needs more specialized, long-term care, the easy-toaccess, mobile-friendly Thriving Campus

App facilitates the handoff to a licensed local provider. Providers manage their own profiles, posting up-to-date information on their specializations and time availability.

Their profiles are hidden if they are not accepting new patients, breaking down a frequent barrier to services by preventing students from reaching out, being turned down, getting frustrated and ultimately abandoning their search.

The Thriving Campus directories are customized by college. They also include a help guide that provides tips on insurance and choosing a provider, as well as a voicemail script that puts students at ease reaching out. Colleges can also utilize the app to create custom provider lists based on specific treatment needs.

To learn more and view connected mental health providers in the area, visit oswego. thrivingcampus.com.

For more information on SUNY Oswego’s mental health services, visit oswego.edu/ counseling-services.

Federal Grant Supports College’s Mental Health Services A federal grant of nearly $280,000 over the course of three years will strengthen the college’s mental health crisis counseling capabilities.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention program grant in large part supports training campus members how to teach and use QPR—Question, Persuade and Refer.

The goal of QPR is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing

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innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. The program reflects a belief that quality education empowers all people, regardless of background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.

The grant also allows the college to increase coordination between emergency community resources and SUNY Oswego to reduce the stigma and trauma experienced as a result of a mental health emergency.

SUNY Oswego recently secured a five-year grant from the New York State Department of Education to support the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), which offers a range of strong support for underrepresented and/or economically disadvantaged students entering STEM or professional licensure fields.

An annual grant of nearly $200,000 through 2025 will support a range of activities from mentorship to tutoring to assistance preparing for graduate entrance exams to bolster student success in fields that benefit from a well-prepared diverse pool of graduates.

Ultimately, the program also improves the job fields that the students enter by diversifying the professional body.

To qualify, students must be full-time, New York state residents (at least 12 months), either underrepresented minority or economically disadvantaged, and interested in pursuing a career in a STEM field or a licensed profession (like accounting, teaching or counseling).

For more information or to apply for the program, visit oswego.edu/cstep.

Campus Currents

Rankings Round-Up Ongoing Sustainability Work Leads to ‘Green Colleges’ Recognition, Growing Efforts

Community Engagement Leads to National Rank in ‘Public Good’ Index

SUNY Oswego was again recognized among the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges by the Princeton Review. In The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges 2021 Edition, SUNY Oswego was noted as “absolutely overflowing with sustainability.”

SUNY Oswego earned a national ranking among best colleges in their class in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide that measures how institutions benefit the public good through student upward mobility, research and civic engagement.

Permaculture Learning Laboratory, a large community garden between Shineman Center and Lee Hall

The college’s comprehensive approach to sustainability includes incorporating lessons inside and outside classrooms, plans toward increasingly incorporating green energy sources and outreach through efforts like Sustainability Week.

The college was recognized for its biological field station at Rice Creek, Climate Action Plan, use of green cleaning products, sustainability research, multiple student groups working on and advocating for environmental solutions and its policy of LEED Green design for any new construction.

For more information on SUNY Oswego’s leadership in sustainability, visit oswego.edu/sustainability.

Ranking #69 nationally On-campus conference on the bicentenniamong master’s institual of the Erie Canal tions, Oswego as an institution embeds these values into activities inside and outside the classroom.

The central role of community service in SUNY Oswego’s activities is reflected in the college again in 2020 earning the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which honors institutional commitment to community engagement.

The editors of Washington Monthly note that their rankings differ from other services in that, instead of focusing on elite universities and selectivity, their lists look at how colleges support accessibility and strive to make the world a better place.

Election Event Explores U.S. Presidential Landscape THE 2020 ELECTION

Protests, Pandemics and the Presidential Race On Oct. 21—two weeks before the U.S. Presidential Election—SUNY Oswego hosted a virtual panel discussion, “The 2020 Election: Protests, Pandemics and the Presidential Race.”

Lauren Fitzgerald ’21, a student leader involved with Vote Oswego, welcomed the 90 attendees and introduced the event cohosts and members of the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors Mark Baum ’81, senior vice president and CCO for FMI—the Food Industry Association, and Colonel Jack James ’62, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired).

Before the panel got underway, SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley provided a college update, including the campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact on campus life, financials and enrollment; the numerous national college rankings; and campus construction projects.

‘Get Out the Vote Film Festival’ Supports Filmmaking Experience, Civic Engagement Filmmaking classes and around 90 students in all worked together to create 17 public service announcements (PSAs) about the importance of being registered to vote and voting—encouraging civic engagement while honing their craft. Check out the videos at magazine.oswego.edu.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Bruce Altschuler moderated the discussion, which featured the following panelists: • Benedicte Harris Doran ‘91, chair of the Onondaga County Republican Committee, who shared her perspective as a campaign organizer and party chair; • Dr. Thomas Schaller ‘89, professor of political science at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who provided historical context about presidential elections and polling; • Dr. Yvonne Spicer ‘84 M’85, Democratic Mayor of Framingham, Mass., who shared her political views as a sitting elected official about the impact the election will have on her community; • Kevin Torres ‘06, journalist and reporter for the FOX and CW affiliates (KDVR-TV & KWGN-TV) in Denver, Colo., who talked about covering the elections in an age when both parties claim the opposition is generating “fake news.”

Watch a recording of the event at magazine.oswego.edu.

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Student Teams Win Cash Prizes for Entrepreneurial Ideas The ideas ranged from a monthly subscription-based, chocolatesof-the-world box to a coffee shop, to several apps that offered such services as emergency assistance in a car accident, an online community that promotes positive body image for women of color, and a fashion and clothing marketplace.

The winners of the 2020 Launch It competition were: • First-place prize of $2,500, sponsored by Wired, to meteorology major Dan Maslowski ’21 for the start-up “SWTRS” (Severe Weather Threat Ranking System), coached by Mike Colucci ’12

This year’s Launch It business idea competition was the culmination of several months of ideation, exploration and mentorship by alumni with students from a range of majors.

Inspired by the charge from PwC Global Chair Bob Moritz ’85 to students last spring to take advantage of the time and opportunities afforded to upskill during the COVID-19 pandemic, School of Business Dean Dr. Prabakar Kothandaraman developed the Innovation Challenge, a virtual workspace where students, faculty, staff and alumni collaboratively brainstormed ideas to solve business or social programs while building entrepreneurial skills.

The program began with the ideation stage in July, followed by the venture stage in August and the “pitch” stage in September. During this time, students were partnered with alumni mentors who provided guidance and feedback as the students developed their business ideas.

Ed Alberts M’92 M’97, CEO and leader of multiple businesses, including the corporate sponsor of the first-place prize, Wired, served as the main sponsor of the Innovation Challenge as well as a coach and mentor to students in the challenge.

The Innovation Challenge led to the virtual Launch It competition on Oct. 30, in which 13 student teams each had exactly 5 minutes to pitch their ideas before a panel of judges and more than 100 attendees, who were then invited to vote for the “crowd favorite.”

• Second-place prize of $1,500, sponsored by Wegmans, to business administration major Keith Loh ’20 M’21 for the “Composting Initiative,” coached by Tucker Sholtes ’15 • Third-place prize of $1,000, sponsored by Sherwin Williams, to human-computer interaction major Mairna Yousef M’22 for “Audio Guidance for the Blind,” coached by Erin Nelson ’09 • Crowd Favorite prize of $300 to Nicole Noel ’24 for “Networking App,” coached by Jake Berg ’04 A special thank you to the alumni who served as mentors and judges: Ed Alberts M’92 M’97, Phil Alfaro ’85, Paul Austin ’89, Jake Berg ’04, Mike Colucci ’12, Bridget Curran ’92, Mike DeCandido ’87, Jocelyn Egan ’84, Tim Fitzpatrick ’93, Aunree Houston ’00, Ron Klein ’90, Erin Nelson ’09, Paloma Sarkar M’11, Tucker Sholtes ’15, Dennis Shuler ’78, Jordan Shutts ’17 and Bill Testa ’87.

Launch It business idea competition began in 2017 to encourage students interested in entrepreneurship and to nurture the business start-up ecosystem on campus. Often considered to be the college’s own version of Shark Tank, the competition involves mentorship and coaching by alumni before students compete for a chance to win seed money for their idea.

If you would like to get involved in this project, please email LaunchIt@oswego.edu, or download the Innovation Challenge app at engage.oswego.edu.

Find the Founder!

In the Spring 2020 issue, the Sheldon statue can be found in the lower left section of the photo of Carl Chappell ’09 on page 26. Grand prize winner of a College Store gift certificate and a Sheldon Hall print is William Fisher ’71. Winning Sheldon Hall prints are Joanna Colman Fabello ’01, Richard Shaheen ’86 and Joseph White ’79.

A tiny replica of the Sheldon statue, pictured here, is hidden somewhere in this issue. Find the Founder and send us a letter or email 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 College Store and a print of Sheldon Hall. Send your entry by March 15, 2021, to Find the Founder, King Alumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, N.Y., 13126, or email to findthefounder@oswego.edu.

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Campus Currents

The eight-day ALANA Student Leadership Conference featured many speakers, including from left and clockwise: Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Ashleigh Aviles ’13, Reynaldo Osoria ’11, Mandy Gonzalez, Toby Malone, Alaces Sarmiento ’20, Dr. Jerrell Robinson ’94 M’96, Denise Remedios ’13.

College Celebrates the 34th Annual ALANA Leadership Conference For 34 years, SUNY Oswego has hosted the week-long ALANA (African, Latino, Asian and Native American) Student Leadership Conference, and this year, despite the challenges of social distancing, the program continued its long tradition.

A robust calendar of virtual events brought together students, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators as well as community members from throughout the region to participate in a range of programs.

The 8-day conference opened Sept. 23 with a keynote address by Minnijean Brown-Trickey, a lifelong activist and one of the Little Rock Nine who helped desegregate public schools in the 1950s.

Another highlight was a live concert Sept.

29 by Broadway star and recording artist Mandy Gonzalez, including a performance of a duet from the musical, Wicked, with theatre major Rachel Leotta ’21.

The conference also included the ALANA Virtual Alumni Leadership Panel on Sept.

24, and the discussion was moderated by ALANA students Abisola Akinfenwa ’22, Yadira Aranda Burgos ’22 and Jayvana Perez ’22.

The alumni participants included Ashleigh Aviles ’13, senior project manager, Latino Connection; Reynaldo Osoria ’11, tech operator, Fox News Channel; Denise Remedios ’13, leadership coordinator, George Washington University; and Dr. Jerrell Robinson ’94 M’96, EOP director, SUNY College at Old Westbury.

The conversation focused on panelists’ student experiences and how their involvement at Oswego, specifically their involvement in ALANA, prepared them both personally and professionally as graduates and future leaders. The panelists stressed the importance of networking, internships and standing out in the workforce. They also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on their industries and individual careers.

The ALANA Conference also celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Peace Walk, which was created to promote unity and understanding among the campus community and the City of Oswego.

The virtual celebration featured welcoming remarks from President Deborah F. Stanley, followed by remarks by Professor Kenneth Marshall, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Rodmon King, former Associate

Provost for Multicultural Affairs Cathy Santos ’87 M’99, SUNY Oswego Police Chief Kevin Velzy ’83 M’14 and members of the Oswego City Police Department.

The event also featured a performance by student members of the SUNY Oswego Gospel Choir (photo above).

A highlight of the event included a panel discussion of the alumni founders of the Peace Walk, Maricruz Alvarado ’12, Damaris Dunn ’12 and Quindell Williams ’11.

To support important initiatives within SUNY Oswego’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, please consider making a gift to the new Diversity and Inclusion Fund online at alumni.oswego.edu/givenow.

Yusef Salaam, Exonerated Member of ‘Central Park Five,’ Presents to Campus Yusef Salaam, who served nearly seven years for a crime he did not commit as one of the since-exonerated “Central Park Five,” discussed his story and the need for justice reform via Zoom on Oct. 6. His virtual talk was part of the college’s I Am Oz Diversity Speaker Series. Celinet Duran of the criminal justice faculty served as moderator for the talk.

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New Members Named to Alumni Association, College Foundation Boards New Oswego Alumni Association Members The Oswego Alumni Association, the notfor-profit corporation that represents the diverse interests and needs of more than 89,000 alumni, elected five new members to three-year terms, effective July 1.

Joining the board are Howard Gordon ’74 M’78, Sandra Michaca ’13, Ron Tascarella Jr. ’06, Hank Volpe ’73 and Sheneya Wilson ’15 M’16.

•H oward Gordon ’74 M’78, a history major and retired executive assistant to the president, worked in higher education at SUNY Oswego for 42 years. Over those years, he served in a number of positions and is credited for co-founding Oswego’s Return to Oz and ALANA Conference.

He was the lead donor for the Black Student Union Scholarship. Among his recognitions are the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 1991; Oswego Alumni Association’s Lifetime Award of Merit in 2016; and SUNY Oswego Presidential Medal in 2018. He resides in Syracuse, N.Y. •S andra Michaca ’13, a double major in public justice and Spanish, works as an immigration attorney at the Lopez Law Firm. She has participated in the Alumni-In-Residence (AIR) program and was the keynote speaker at the ALANA Conference. As a student, she was involved with Student Association Supreme Court, the Asian Student Association and Alpha Sigma Chi sorority. She resides in Charlotte, N.C. •R on Tascarella Jr. ’06, a business administration major with an economics minor, is first vice president and sales manager at Pathfinder Bank. He has been involved with the AIR program, campus Career Fairs, Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and the Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Leadership Council. He contributes to his family’s scholarship established at SUNY Oswego. He and his alumni family members also served as March Matchness “Matchers” for The Fund for Oswego in 2015. He was named to a Greater Syracuse Area “40 Under 40” list in 2010. He resides in Syracuse, N.Y. •H ank Volpe ’73 worked in the broadcasting and IT engineering field for more than 30 years and retired as vice president/ director of engineering at WPVI-TV in

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Philadelphia, Pa. A frequent Reunion Weekend attendee and a regular attendee at the triennial Communication Studies Alumni Dinner, he has also served as an AIR speaker. As a student, he was involved with WOCR, and maintains connections to WNYO and WTOP activities.

He was also a member of Oswego’s Phi Omicron Xi fraternity. He resides in Glen Mills, Pa. •S heneya Wilson ’15 M’16, who graduated from the five-year BA/MBA public accounting program, is now CEO and founder of Fola Financial LLC. As a student, she co-founded a chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants at Oswego, and was also involved in the African Student Union, Black Alliance, Beta Gamma Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi and Tau Sigma. She has served as a member of the GOLD Leadership Council, an AIR speaker and a participant in the School of Business Alumni Symposium. She resides in Yonkers, N.Y. Additionally, the following members have stepped down from their positions with the board, effective June 30: Kevin Bryans ’89; Amy Vanderlyke Dygert ’01 who will stay on as an at-large member; Lisa Sferrazza Hutchison ’77; La-Dana Jenkins ’94 and Keith Chamberlain ’87, who will not be renewing his at-large member status.

For more information on the board and its members, visit alumni.oswego.edu/ alumniboard. _____________________________________

New Oswego College Foundation Members A not-for-profit organization that raises and manages private support to advance SUNY Oswego, the Oswego College Foundation appoints members for three-year terms, effective July 1.

New members are James F. Holland ’82, Jeff Ragovin ’00 and Al Roker ’76.

• J ames F. Holland ’82 is executive vice president of enterprise services and solutions at SRC Inc., and also serves as an officer of the corporation. He leads a team that provides a full range of human resource, communications, public relations, computer/IT, facilities and security services to SRC’s diverse engineering research and development organization.

He has more than 20 years of experience

in human resource management and labor relations with SRC and several other key Central New York employers. He is chair of the Onondaga Community Foundation board and the SUNY Oswego’s School of Business Advisory Board.

• J eff Ragovin ’00, broadcasting and mass communication major, is chief commercial officer for Fyllo, a pioneering marketing technology platform for the cannabis industry, and is founder of Ragovin Ventures, a strategic advisory group launched to help brands and startups solve problems across a wide range of business needs. Previously, he served as chief growth officer and investor in Social Native, a marketplace and technology platform that helps connect brands with 14 million content creators around the globe. He was also the co-founder and chief strategy officer of Buddy Media, which Salesforce acquired in 2012 for $745 million. He received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from SUNY in 2019.

•A l Roker ’76, a host and weatherman of NBC’s Today show, has earned 13 Emmy awards during his more than 35 years in the field. He is CEO of Al Roker Entertainment, Inc., which produced numerous TV programs for network, cable, digital and streaming channels. He wrote 13 acclaimed books—from cookbooks to historical narratives, and his Morning Show Mysteries series are featured in Hallmark Channel TV movies. He has appeared on Broadway in Waitress, and is an avid social media contributor. An enthusiastic alumni volunteer, he received an honorary degree from SUNY in 1998 and a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997, and has served as a campaign chair and Commencement speaker. He supports the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit and the student-run television studio, WTOP. Thank you to the following board members for their many years of service: Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77, Gordon Lenz ’58 and Suzanne Castrigno Sack ’84.

The board elected the following individuals into officer roles for a two-year term: Rose Cardamone Crane ’81, chair; Doreen Mochrie ’85, vice chair; and Mark Baum ’81, secretary.

Campus Currents SUNY Oswego Wins SUNYCUAD Award for Upskilling Program

New Alumni Business Directory Available

SUNY Oswego won a Judges’ Citation for Excellence in Events (Campus Community) at the recent State University of New York Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD) “Unconference,” held online Sept. 24-25.

Childhood education major Francine Zolkower Wolf ’71 is owner of the entertainment company ZaZu Productions, which specializes in improv workshops, musical entertainment, comedy, voiceover work and more. Although at first glance it may appear that her current career doesn’t align with her degree, Francine’s background in education assists her in the development and teaching of improv workshops and her private coaching of actors.

The college received the recognition for its Upskilling in a Digital World program held on campus on Oct. 30, 2019. The program concept was based Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors member on a suggestion made by sever- Dianora De Marco ‘14 M’15​, a manager at Ernst & Young in New York City, served as the keynote speaker al alumni and Oswego College during the upskilling event.

Foundation board members as a way to offer current students unique career preparation and professional development opportunities.

The primary goal of the upskilling program was to provide current students the opportunities to gain skills that gave them a chance to “Connect, Learn and Level Up” for success in today’s professional world, while engaging a diverse group of successful alumni with the campus community for career mentorship and networking. A secondary goal was to bring greater awareness to the campus community about SUNY Oswego’s subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The event featured seven alumni who served as an emcee, a keynote speaker, presenters and moderators in three breakout sessions that focused on the following topics: Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation and Cybersecurity.

Seen on Social Twitter @OswegoAlumni

@sunyoswego Missing your sensational Oswego sunsets? Be sure to open your August issue of Lake E-ffect, for a link to the new college webcam atop Hart Hall. alumni.oswego.edu/2020AugustLakeE-ffect facebook.com/oswegoalumni

@OswegoAlumni

In addition to teaching improv, Francine is herself an actor, singer and comedienne.

She officially launched ZaZu Productions in 2005, which is based in Tampa Bay, Fla., and recently started Pants Optional Comedy, which offers both public, weekly happy hour shows as well as private interactive events for family celebrations, company parties and more.

Learn more about ZaZu Productions at pantsoptionalcomedy.com or email zazu@ pantsoptionalcomedy.com today! She is one of dozens of alumni whose businesses you can find in the new Oswego Alumni Business Directory.

Oswego Alumni Business Directory

Do you have your own business success story or services you’d like to promote?

We invite all alumni business owners to submit their information on this public, consumer-friendly and searchable website.

To be listed, simply fill out the online form at alumni.oswego.edu/business.

Also, the next time you are in need of a particular service, we encourage you to show your support for businesses created, owned and operated by Lakers. To see the alumni-owned services in your area, visit the Alumni Business Directory at alumni. oswego.edu/businessdirectory.

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Seven Alumni Set to Join Athletic Hall of Fame

HALL OF FAME John “Jack” Michalec ’68

Patrick Wittekind ’85

Jill Reimer Halpin ’97

Jamie Clough Driffill ’00

Men’s Soccer and Baseball

Men’s Wrestling

Swimming and Diving

Women’s Basketball

Derek Popovich ’04

Scott Ferguson ’06

Tenkoran Agyeman ’07

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Lacrosse

Men’s Wrestling

The SUNY Oswego Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is proud to announce the seven-member 2020 Hall of Fame Class. These former Laker student-athletes will be inducted into the hallowed hall: John “Jack” Michalec ’68, Patrick Wittekind ’85, Jill Reimer Halpin ’97, Jamie Clough Driffill ’00, Derek Popovich ’04, Scott Ferguson ’06 and Tenkoran Agyeman ’07.

The inductees will be recognized in a ceremony to be held at a later date.

• John “Jack” Michalec ’68 was a twosport athlete at Oswego State as a member of the men’s soccer and baseball teams. The defenseman was a First Team All-SUNYAC and Second Team All-State selection in soccer during the 1966 season. 1966 was a very good year for Michalec as both men’s soccer and baseball won their respective SUNYAC Championship titles. He became captain of both teams in 1967, finishing his baseball career with 31 hits and 28 RBI in three seasons.

• The first of two wrestlers in this year’s class, Patrick Wittekind ’85 was a three-year member of the SUNY Oswego program, having transferred in from Kalamazoo College. Wittekind amassed an overall record of 49-22 in the green and gold and was a two-time NCAA Division III Championship qualifier. In 1984, he earned All-American honors at the 134-pound weight class with a fifth-place finish nationally. At the New York State Championships, which at the time featured athletes from across all divisions, he earned a third-place finish in 1984. During the SUNYAC Championship competition, he earned three top-five finishes during his three years as a Laker.

• In the pool, Jill Reimer Halpin ’97 was a two-time SUNYAC Diver of the Year, winning the award in both 1996 and 1997.

Overall, she won three individual diving SUNYAC Championships, winning both

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the 1-meter and 3-meter titles in 1996 and repeating on the 3-meter board in 1997. At the time of graduation, she held the diving records for both boards at Oswego. In 1997, her score on the 3-meter board was an NCAA qualifier.

• Jamie Clough Driffill ’00 comes into the ceremony as the all-time leading scorer for the women’s basketball program with 1,718 points. She was a four-time member of the All-SUNYAC teams, with First Team honors in both 1998 and 1999. Her name appears all across the women’s basketball career lists, including scoring average (second – 17.7), rebounds (fourth – 743) and rebound average (ninth – 7.7). Each of her four seasons at Oswego saw her point totals rank on the single-season top-10 lists, and she still holds the top two spots for free throws made in a season. Among single-game highs, Driffill holds four of the top-10 spots for points in a game, all of her marks eclipsing 30 points.

• One of the most prolific scorers in men’s soccer history, Derek Popovich ’04 ranks second in points at Oswego with 92. He sits inside the career top-five in both goals (38) and assists (16), as well as appearing twice on the single-season scoring list. In 2000, he was named Third Team All-State and appeared on the SUNYAC All-Conference Teams three times—once at First Team and twice at Second Team.

• Midfielder Scott Ferguson ’06 was a two-time All-American for the men’s lacrosse program while at Oswego. He is the program’s all-time leader in goals with 147 and sits in third on the career points list with 183. In two separate seasons, he tied the SUNY Oswego single-season points mark by a midfielder with 52 points. At the conference level, Ferguson was named All-Conference three times, earning Second Team in 2002 and First Team in 2003 and 2004.

• The most recent graduate on the list, and arguably the most decorated, is Tenkoran Agyeman ’07 from the wrestling program. He was a three-time All-American, earning podium finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2005 (6th), 2006 (4th) and 2007 (7th).

He earned two of those honors at 133 and one at 141 pounds. In 2004, Agyeman won a New York State Championship after earning a third-place finish in the previous season. He is one of just four Oswego wrestlers to earn All-American honors in three separate seasons and finished his career with a 118-25 record on the mat.

The Oswego Alumni Association established the Hall of Fame in 2001 to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to Oswego State Athletics.

For more information and to view all inductees, visit oswegolakers.com/honors/ oswego-state-athletics-hall-of-fame.

Campus Currents

Annual Media Summit Examines Journalism and the First Amendment

2020

The 16th annual Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit examined the events of 2020 through the lens of this year’s theme, “On the Front Lines with the First Amendment.”

On Oct. 28, an experienced panel of media professionals met on Zoom to discuss such historical moments in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Presidential Election and the COVID-19 pandemic and their coverage by the media.

The discussion focused on the crucial role that journalists play in our society and the power that they hold to inform the nation.

“We really are the land of misfit toys in this profession,” said Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist at Creators Syndicate. “We are not conformists and we don’t tend to do well when people tell us what to believe, what to write or what to report.”

Schultz was one of the panelists for the summit, alongside Steve Brown, an investigative reporter at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, N.Y.; Michelle Garcia ’06, an editor at NBC News overseeing NBCBLK; Bret Jaspers, a politics reporter for KERA-FM; and Ava Lubell, a journalism attorney at Cornell Law School.

The moderator for this year’s summit was Michael Riecke, assistant professor of broadcasting and mass communications in the School of Communication, Media and the Arts.

The idea of journalists being recognized as “soldiers of truth” and the importance of upholding the First Amendment were main discussion points in this year’s summit.

Panelists agreed that journalists hold a high responsibility to use the First Amendment appropriately, and emphasized the range that freedom of speech carries through journalists’ work.

“I would add the First Amendment actually explicitly allows for mistakes and it’s structured in a way to say people are going to make mistakes,” Lubell said. “If we say you can’t make a mistake, we should go home.

The standard of perfection is not one we can attain and it’s not going to allow for the free flow of information that leads to the end goals of having an informed citizenry and participation in government.”

Following the summit, there were Career Connector sessions hosted by SUNY Oswego alumni: •N atalie Brophy ’17, a statewide breaking and trending news reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in Appleton, Wis.; • I mani Cruz ’17, a talent, casting and series development coordinator for MTV Networks in NYC; • J ustin Dobrow ’17, program operations manager at NBCUniversal’s Peacock new streaming platform in NYC; •S tephanie Herbert ’18, marketing and communications coordinator at the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, N.Y.; •A llif Karim ’18, sports director at WDVM-TV in Hagerstown, Md.; and • Omy Melo ’14, an editor at Nickelodeon.

In the sessions, students were able to hear about each alum’s career path and their perspective about career opportunities in the media industry.

Clockwise from top left are: Ava Lubell, a journalism attorney at the Cornell Law School; Bret Jaspers, a politics reporter for KERA-FM; Steve Brown, an inves­tigative reporter at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, N.Y.; moderator Michael Riecke, assistant professor of broadcasting and mass communications; Connie Schultz, a columnist at Creators Syndicate; and Michelle Garcia ’06, an editor at NBC News.

Did you know?

Stay

The Media Summit was founded in 2005

by Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77, and was co-sponsored in 2007 by NBC’s Today weather anchor, Al Roker ’76. It was then renamed in honor of their beloved professor, the late Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell.

Watch a recording of the Media Summit at magazine.oswego.edu.

Connected

By searching the alumni directory at alumni.oswego.edu, you can find fellow friends and classmates: • In your area • By major • By name • By class year Submit a class note to update the alumni Try it today! directory at alumni.oswego.edu.

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Golden Opportunity When Ebony Dixon accepted the new executive director of enrollment management role at SUNY Oswego, her then-boss sent her pictures of snow for several days in a row, asking her if she was sure she wanted to leave her position at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

“I said, ‘Yes, sir. I’m certain,’” Ebony said. “I kept all my winter clothes. They were just in the garage, in the packing boxes, so I was ready. I’ve not had to buy anything new.”

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, who completed her undergraduate degree and two master’s degrees at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., Ebony said a little snow and cold couldn’t scare her away from the opportunities presented in this role at Oswego.

She moved to Syracuse and began her tenure at Oswego in mid-September.

As the college’s chief enrollment officer, Ebony serves as a member of the President’s Council; oversees the Admissions operations of the college; and provides leadership to strategically plan, develop, coordinate and implement SUNY Oswego’s comprehensive enrollment management and retention efforts.

Under the leadership of President Deborah F. Stanley, SUNY Oswego has been adapting its recruitment strategies to respond to a declining number of young people enrolled in elementary, middle and high schools in New York state, particularly in Central and Northern New York, and across the Northeast for decades.

The college hired Admissions counselors specifically to recruit downstate in New York and Long Island and in New Jersey. More recently, the college has developed stronger connections to schools in Washington, D.C., and other regions with higher density of college-bound students. It sought to develop the student pipeline to higher education through programs with high schools and community colleges.

New Director Ushers In Post-Pandemic Recruitment Era

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The college has been successful in recruiting diverse, talented classes to study and live on campus. Despite the uncertainties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Oswego’s enrollment for Fall 2020 was 7,636 students—6,673 undergraduates and 963 graduate students—approximately 200 fewer than in Fall 2019. Data for Spring 2021 total enrollment looks nearly on par with Spring 2020 figures.

A three-year student Admissions representative Gabriele Candela ’22, who is a double major in public relations and graphic design, said with the shift to the virtual realm she has taken on a larger role with managing the Admissions social media accounts, but her goal remains the same.

Rhian­non Bonawitz ’22 (left) and Kaushal Joshi ’21 are among the team of student Admissions representatives who serve as tour guides and panelists on the popular “Ask Me Anything” portion of Admissions events.

Hopeful Prospect Despite the challenges of shrinking college-age students in the Northeast and the strains that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on the state budget and the ability to showcase our stunning lakeside campus via in-person tours, Ebony remains optimistic about recruitment and is motivated to transform the challenges into opportunities.

“This is really an opportunity to have a broader reach with students,” she said.

Among the student populations she hopes to target for recruitment are those seeking to transfer or finish a degree, first-generation students and out-of-state students.

Rather than spending money on airfare, car rentals and per diem, Admissions staff members can be in their offices and meet with students in Chicago at 9 a.m., in Washington, D.C., at 10 a.m., in Texas at 1 p.m. and wherever else at 2 p.m., she said.

“As an example, we hosted our open house for prospective students and their families,” she said. “Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t host them on campus so we pivoted that program to a threeday, virtual open house. We had wonderful results. We had the highest show rate for any open house we’ve had. Several of the students were from out of state.”

The virtual realm is showcasing the college to students and their families who previously wouldn’t have considered spending the money and time to visit the campus. For those who make the effort to tune in to yet another Zoom call, Ebony said she wants to make it worth their time.

“They’re in high school or community college all day at the computer,” she said.

“The last thing they want to experience is one more virtual event. That’s why it has to be a spectacular event. If they have honored us with their presence by logging in, let’s make it a human emotional experience for them—something that they can create a memory with.”

Personal Connections That’s where the student Admissions representatives, faculty and alumni can make a big difference.

“I hope to provide prospective students and their families with a lasting impression of Oswego so that it stands out in their college decision process and they remember it in the best ways possible,” she said. “I want to be as transparent and relatable as possible so that they can really picture themselves as an Oswego student. I get to share a little bit of my story and why I love Oswego and use that to help prospective students navigate their decision. It’s truly the best job!”

Faculty and staff members also assist Admissions staff members in connecting with prospective students and encouraging them to apply and then commit to Oswego.

An increasingly engaged population in Admissions work is the network of 89,000 SUNY Oswego alumni. Last spring, alumni volunteers reached out to admitted, undeclared students and their parents to share their Oswego story and encourage the prospective students to commit to Oswego.

The most popular portions of the Open House events are the “Ask Me Anything” panel with current students and the student-led virtual tour of campus, Ebony said.

“There’s nothing like peer-to-peer engagement,” she said. “That’s why we include our students in everything we do.

They are instrumental in our daily decisions and daily discussions.”

For example, when prospective students were not opening their emails or attending events promoted by emails, Admissions staff turned to their student workers. What would they want to receive—a phone call? A text message?

A hand-written note? A tweet?

“Each of them said, ‘Send me a text message,’” Ebony said. “We have our Admissions students on the line when we do recruitment presentations and open houses. They are essential. We need delightful, exciting, enthusiastic tour guides to share their stories.” (See related story, page 21.)

In summer 2019, alumni, in coordination with Admissions, hosted two Summer Send-Off Receptions for students who were about to begin their college journeys at SUNY Oswego. The first was hosted by Michael ’83 and Joanne Snyder Durney ’84 at their Long Island home (pictured above) for 50 students and their parents as well as two alumni ambassadors, and the second was held in New York City and included 124 students and their parents as well as eight alumni ambassadors.

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“What a warm welcome that is for students to be invited into the home of alumni and listen to alumni talk about their Oswego experiences,” Ebony said.

“That resonates with students and their families, and lets them know that our alumni are people they can call on should they need.”

Ebony hopes to continue the in-person alumni residence receptions once it is safe to do so, but in the meantime, she plans to incorporate alumni volunteers into the virtual events.

“I invite any and all alumni to get involved,” she said. “Talk about the experiences you had here—the projects you worked on, the friendships you made, the special connection you had with a faculty member or advisor. Let them see that you were once in their shoes and that it’s OK if they don’t have all the answers right now.”

An enduring goal, despite the pandemic, is to encourage students to live and study on campus.

A survey of Oswego students in May 2020 about their experience during the shift to remote instruction in March 2020 showed that being on campus could be a great equalizer in removing barriers to learning for students from all socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds.

By living on campus—even if students are taking coursework online—they have equal access to high-speed internet, healthy food, safe housing and appropriate study space, according to a report by SUNY Oswego’s Office for Institutional Research and Assessment.

“While some will argue that the shift to remote instruction nationwide has rung

the death knell of residential college, what COVID-19 has in fact highlighted is the vast disparities in our cities and states which make a residential college experience even more critical in the effort to fully educate all citizens,” the report stated. “The campus may want to consider developing plans to allow as many students from low-income families and communities as possible to remain safely on campus even if in-person instruction must be terminated again in the future.”

In addition to enabling better academic outcomes for students, living on campus also enriches the lives of students on a personal level.

“Students want to be here on campus,” Ebony said. “They really want to connect to campus. They want to meet their future best friends. They want to create

“America’s Best Colleges”

Academic programs

Median class size

“The Best Value Colleges”

Mean SAT/ACT score/high school GPA

Student:Faculty ratio

— U.S. News and World Report

— Princeton Review and USA Today

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A Residential Campus

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GOLDEN TICKET ¢ YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN

that bond with their classmates, but also faculty members. There’s nothing like being on a college campus. There’s a vibe that happens and it keeps you young, it keeps you engaged. It’s just a delightful place to be for learning and living. Think of the interactions that happen in class, on a research project or even in the dining halls.

“You might meet somebody sitting at the lake one day,” she said. “You had no idea who they were but you leave that exchange knowing their name, knowing their Twitter handle. A new relationship is formed.”

Those human connections and relationships are an integral part of the college experience. Ebony said that is why this work energizes her and that she was born to do it.

As a first-generation college graduate herself, she said she recognizes the impact her college experience has made on her life trajectory.

“I see my work as a way to give back,” she said. “I want to set students up for success. I’ve dedicated my life to really helping students who might not have thought that they were capable of doing college coursework and also those who were. I want students to know that they can always come to my office and see me as someone who is willing to help them figure out the answers that they need.

Now I might not know all the answers, but I am willing to help them navigate through the college together. We can do it together.”

Be an ALUMNI Admissions Ambassador!

Are you interested in speaking with prospective students and sharing your Oswego story? Volunteer to be an Alumni Admissions Ambassador by contacting the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@oswego.edu or 315-312-2258.

Student Tour Guides Provide Insider’s View to Prospective Students, Families SUNY Oswego Admissions student representatives—past and present—say there’s no excitement quite like pulling on their green polos, with the Oswego name lying over their hearts, in preparation for an Open House day filled with Laker pride and great memories.

“An infectious energy radiates throughout campus when you have so many prospective students and parents coming on campus, eager to take the first steps towards their future,” Autumn Pollock ’20 reminisced about her time not too long ago as a student tour guide and intern with the Office of Admissions.

Autumn, along with a surprising number of students who worked in the SUNY Oswego Admissions Office, enjoyed her experience as a tour guide so much that she followed the career path in college admissions. Before she had graduated in May 2020, she secured her position as an admissions counselor at New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls.

Several Lakers, including Liz Bridges M’94, Jennifer Carter ’05, Emmanuel “Manny” Cruz ’09 (below), Dan Griffin ’92 M’00, Katherine Knopp ’18 and Jerry Oberst ’77, love Oswego so much that they continue to recruit new members of the Green and Gold family through their work in the SUNY Oswego Admissions Office.

“The rule of thumb in Admissions is if you do it for three years, you’re a lifer,” Manny said of admissions work. He joined his alma mater’s Admissions team in 2014, and the Queens, N.Y., resident recruits prospective Oswego students from the five boroughs of New York.

Congratulations to Ellery Brown ’24, daughter of Melissa Wertman Brown ’96, who is excited to be accepted at SUNY Oswego. We hope you love SUNY Oswego as much as your mom did. We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2024. #WhyIChoseOswego.

In his work, Manny said he “tries to keep it real” by sharing his own experiences at Oswego, like having had the opportunity to study abroad in Rome, serve as a resident assistant and participate in the Latin Student Union. And, of course, he was a student tour guide for Admissions for all four years.

Manny remembered the Admissions Office being located in a much smaller office on the second floor of Culkin Hall, versus now being located in Sheldon Hall. As a student tour guide and intern, he remembered a completely backward tour route for visitors from what is done now, as the starting points are on two different sides of the campus.

Over the years, Manny has had the opportunity to work with so many different people and create strong relationships with students and faculty, both in his career at Oswego and at other schools along the way.

Read more about the dedicated Lakers who help recruit the best and brightest in the full story online at magazine. oswego.edu. l — Gabriele Candela ’22

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Paved in Gold

eventually became one of only a few women executives working on Wall Street at the time.

Growing up as one of five daughters in a blue-collar, working-class family in Johnson City, N.Y., she developed a strong appreciation for what opportunities could be created through hard work and economy.

That’s why she picked up extra coursework over the summer to complete her degree a semester early. As much as it pained her to lose a final semester with friends such as her roommate, Terri Converso Slater ’80, she wanted to save the expense of another semester and room and board.

Many Possibilities on The Path FORWARD When Daniel Garcia ’20 (above) graduated from high school in the Bronx, he had little idea of what to expect from college, nor what he wanted to study when he got there.

Raised by his mother who was unable to work due to medical reasons, he said they were “struggling to make ends meet … living in a deteriorating apartment and only affording other necessities such as food because of governmental assistance programs,” he said. “College seemed impossible. I knew though, that pursuing a higher education would ultimately help me and my family escape our dire economic situation.”

A first-generation college student, Daniel accepted admission at SUNY Oswego—far from home in an unfamiliar setting—mostly because of the generous scholarship package that he received as a Marano Scholar.

“I feel fortunate to have been able to study here and learn about a subject I didn’t even know existed when I was in high school,” said the December 2020 computer science graduate. “I didn’t own or have easy access to a computer before attending SUNY Oswego, so being a computer science major wasn’t something even possible for me four years ago. But being selected as a Marano Scholar, I’ve been able to study whatever interested me. And, now, here I am graduating. I am incredibly grateful.”

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Daniel is one of more than 600 students who receive privately funded scholarships each year at SUNY Oswego. In November 2019, College President Deborah F. Stanley announced the Path Forward campaign to double the number of needbased scholarships available to students at Oswego from 220 to 440 by June 30, 2021. So far, donors have established a total of 180 new need-based scholarships for current Lakers.

Stories like Daniel’s shine a light on the many paths opened to students by attending SUNY Oswego. Their higher education experience expands their confidence, skills, curiosity and willingness to accept a challenge – all of which stay with Lakers throughout their life.

Today, Jeanne has created a scholarship to assist a current SUNY Oswego student who needs financial assistance to remain in college, earn a college degree and hopefully not miss out on the college experience. “[President Stanley] told us about how kids were dropping out of school because they couldn’t come up with less than $1,000,” Jeanne said. “I could totally relate to that. I remember in my family money was tight. I remember at one point not knowing how I was going to come up with money for a car repair and that feeling of needing $500 or whatever it was back then. So when [President Stanley] said there are students who receive financial aid but just can’t quite cover their costs, that just tugged at my heart strings.”

Little did she know that receiving a thankyou letter from Winston White ’23 (pictured left), the first recipient of the Jeanne Jones ’80 Scholarship, would be an even more emotionally charged experience.

“I almost cried,” she said. “I didn’t think it would affect me this way. I feel connected to him. I’m rooting for him.”

Take, for example, Jeanne Drahos Jones ’80 (above left).

The path that she took after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from SUNY Oswego was anything but expected. Instead of accepting a teaching position as she planned, she forged a career as an equity trader and

For Winston, he said receiving the scholarship gets him closer to his dream of becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.

The scholarship also inspires him to pursue his double major in theatre and broadcasting and mass communication with an ultimate goal of becoming a successful actor and performing musical theatre on Broadway.

“I hope I get to see him on Broadway,” Jeanne said. “I’d love to be in the audience, sitting there and saying, ‘I know Winston.’”

And for Winston, he said that he hopes someday his path will cross Jeanne’s. As he said in his thank you note to her: “I can’t thank you enough. I hope I get to meet you in person and embrace you, but with the state of the world, I know that won’t be anytime soon. But please stay safe and thank you once again.”

The 2020 Scholarship Celebration Virtual Scholarship Celebration Check out a website that highlights the impact of philanthropy on our scholarship recipients, and recognizes scholarship donors and student recipients, such as those included on this page. alumni.oswego.edu/scholarship2020

To learn more about supporting needbased scholarships at SUNY Oswego, visit oswego.edu/pathforward.

4 Ways to Support

The Path FORWARD The General Scholarship Fund: Gifts of any size can support the General Scholarship Fund. Your generosity united with others adds up to make a significant difference right now for deserving students who have the greatest financial need.

“I would like to thank the donors for making this scholarship possible for students. As a first-generation college student, this scholarship has helped me so much with my bill and I am greatly appreciative. I am happy I chose Oswego and I am excited to see what the future has in store.”

— Ishmerai Morgan ’24 Festa Path Forward Scholarship

Current-Use Scholarship: A commitment of $5,000 over five years will establish a named scholarship that will provide $1,000 a year to an incoming student with financial need for a five-year term.

Endowed Scholarship: A gift of $30,000 establishes a named endowed scholarship of $25,000 that will live in perpetuity as well as a five-year, current-use scholarship of $1,000 that would be awarded to an incoming student with financial need to use immediately until the endowed gift is fully funded and invested.

Planned Gift Scholarship: You can establish a scholarship fund by naming the Oswego College Foundation Inc. as a beneficiary in your will or estate plans.

You can direct such assets as retirement funds, an insurance policy, charitable trusts or charitable gift annuities to meet your current needs while planting the seeds for future growth at the college. Through your planned gift, you ensure your legacy of supporting Oswego students continues in perpetuity.

For more information, visit oswego.edu/ pathforward or contact Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, vice president for development and alumni engagement, at mary. canale@oswego.edu or 315-312-5558.

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Stay Gold The COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges Oswego Community to Thrive in the Face of Adversity EARLY MARCH 2020, a busy spring semester was well underway. Professors were giving midterms, the Gospel Choir was planning its 40th Anniversary celebration for April, the annual Graduates Of the Last Decade March Matchness Fundraising Challenge had started and students were preparing for spring break.

Political science major Daiana Diaz ’20 had already ordered new clothes and bathing suits for her long-anticipated senior year spring break trip with 12 of her closest friends.

Public relations major Victoria “Tori” Kammer ’20 had applied to several jobs and was lining up in-person interviews for when she was home in Manhattan over spring break.

Broadcasting and mass communication major Rory Parker ’21 was applying for summer internships as he developed his shot reel.

Resident advisor Samantha Zerbinos ’20 was setting decorations and games for Scales Hall residents for an upcoming large-scale program when she started

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to hear rumblings about flights getting cancelled due to some virus.

“I was also busy with group projects and essays, excited to go home for spring break and bond with family for what was expected to be a week,” Samantha recalled. “I remember being annoyed at the virus being brought up in every single class. It hadn’t really hit the USA yet, right?”

As chief of Student Association Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SAVAC), Mike Russo ’20 saw the information coming out of the Department of Health and the regional EMS councils.

“I knew that this was definitely not something to take lightly,” he said. “I remember getting into arguments with roommates in my suite as they attempted to downplay this as just the flu.”

Then on MARCH 11, two days before the college’s spring break, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all SUNY campuses would be suspending all faceto-face academic instruction.

For how long? No one knew.

Should students take all of their belongings home with them at break? Is the campus closing? Could students stay on campus if they wanted to? Will students be able to keep their campus jobs to continue to earn money for their living expenses? What is the college doing to ensure every person’s safety? What supports will faculty receive to convert their courses to an online or distance learning format? Will staff stay on campus or will they have to work from home, too?

THE QUESTIONS CAME FAST AND FROM EVERY DIRECTION. Several weeks prior to this announcement SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley had convened her team of senior college administrators and also established an on-campus COVID-19 task force who were working around the clock to put contingency plans into place and compile answers to these questions, as best they could.

“ I really think this pandemic has given an opportunity for people to be good and do good for others. People check in more, I check in with people more. That type of positivity and social responsibility to do good for each other was long overdue.”

“ I learned I am resilient and adaptable to these crazy times. I have found creative ways to keep myself and others entertained by starting the Positivity Poster Project.”

— Dori Gronich ’17 of East Norwich, N.Y., child care worker at Plainview Old Bethpage School District

— Mike Russo ’20 of Sayville, N.Y., emergency medical technician in Suffolk County, N.Y. “ It takes something massive, like a pandemic, to unleash very creative ideas and problem solutions that would not have seen the light of day under normal conditions.”

“ I’ve learned how to effectively communicate with my partner, and I’ve gained a love for relaxing moments. Everything has been stressful since the pandemic started, taking time to relax and live in the moment has been incredibly helpful.”

— Karol Olson ’65 of East Quogue, N.Y., retired school teacher

“ Something positive that I have gained throughout the pandemic is the opportunity to spend more quality time with my children.”

— Jerrell Robinson ’94 M’96 of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Director, SUNY Old Westbury

“Be assured we will continue to closely monitor and evaluate information and guidance provided by state and federal agencies in order to inform future decisions, and post updates to our COVID-19 website (oswego.edu/covid19), which will feature key resources related to online and distance learning,” President Stanley said in a MARCH 11 statement to the college community. “This is a time of unprecedented circumstances that will no doubt create burdens and challenges for students, faculty and staff.”

The New Vernacular It wasn’t long until the world was saturated with discussions about this “unprecedented time,” “social distancing,” “flattening the curve,” obtaining “PPE” (personal protective equipment), practicing good hygiene, properly wearing and changing of masks, protecting the most vulnerable and securing enough ventilators.

Then came all of the new technology terminology and work-from-home etiquette (a.k.a. Zoometiquette)—“Donald ducking”

— Tyler Doan ’19 of Albany, N.Y., law student at the Vermont Law School

GOLDEN LINING Many in the resilient Laker community looked for the “golden lining” of the pandemic.

on videoconferencing calls (dressed nicely on top with casual or minimal bottoms), swapping in virtual backgrounds on video calls, hosting videoconferencing on secure lines to avoid “Zoombombers” (uninvited attendees who disrupt calls or live online events), and attending virtually everything virtually—from classes to concerts to happy hours.

The novelty of the situation quickly faded as the number of cases and deaths climbed to record levels. Stories emerged of medical professionals holding up phones so loved ones could say goodbye from hospital beds, and funeral parlors quickly adapted to be able to livestream services as social distancing guidelines prevented families and friends to gather en masse.

In turn, SUNY Oswego established a Student Emergency Fund to help direct the generous donations of our college community members to support immediate student needs, such as housing, technology, food and health care. (See related content on page 30.)

Our students had their lives upended in spring, as in-person courses and activities moved to the virtual world. Zoom fatigue and sore eyes after hours in front of a computer screen became the norm.

Students, and particularly our 2020 graduates, continued to work hard to manage the mix of emotions they felt about the unfolding events initiated by the pandemic. Yet, they persisted. (continued on the next page)

What became clear quickly was the resiliency of the Laker community. Our alumni stepped up to help in their communities and reached back to their alma mater, voicing their support and seeking ways in which they can help. (See related story on page 26.)

UNPRECEDENTED TIME PPE SOCIAL DISTANCING FLATTEN THE CURVE OSWEGO

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Good as Gold Alumni Contribute to the Greater Good SUNY Oswego’s alumni community has revealed their resiliency, generosity and resourcefulness in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. All across New York state and the nation, stories of our alumni stepping up to help others have emerged.

From our alumni who are first responders and healthcare workers to our technology education alumni who have retrofitted equipment to develop face shields to protect the frontline in the battle against this virus, our alumni community is serving the greater good.

Faculty launched podcast series from their basements, introduced their pets to their students, interviewed each other online on a range of topics and shared tips on how to make life in the pandemic more bearable. Of course, the pandemic itself presented a timely subject for research from a wide range of academic disciplines, including the sciences. (See related story on page 30.)

Tenacity over Time

Included below are a few snapshots of some of the alumni who are doing what they can to help during this global crisis.

Optimism started to rise in MAY, as the numbers in New York City and Long Island stabilized and warmer weather and outdoor activities were deemed safer.

Caring for the Sick

Following social distancing guidelines and based on the feedback from the graduating class, the college invited members of the Class of 2020 scheduled to graduate in mid-May to a Virtual Torchlight Ceremony and a Virtual Graduation Celebration.

As a physician assistant in the Emergency Department at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, Siobhan McGee ‘13, a health and wellness alumna, has been caring for some of the sickest patients with COVID-19.

Former SAVAC Chief Mike Russo ’20, an EMT in Suffolk County, was often the first on scene in responding to assist people gravely ill with the virus.

Shielding Others from Danger Several alumni put their technical skills to use to create protective facial shields and masks for healthcare workers and first responders. Among them were the following: SUNY Oswego faculty members Daniel Tryon ‘89 and David Dunn with Tracy Fleming ‘87 M’92 of CiTi BOCES; Dave Christopher ’98, manager of the Cascade Maverik Lacrosse plant in Liverpool, N.Y.; technology education teacher in the West Genesee School District Matthew Makowiec ’10; Joseph Brand ’10 and Joseph Carpinone ’05, technology education teachers at William Floyd High School in Suffolk County on Long Island; Morgan Rumpf ’17, the deputy public information officer at Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Medford, Mass.; and Geri Bosco ’79 of Scriba, N.Y.

Offering Expertise and Perspective Since March, dozens of alumni have volunteered their time to share their talents and expertise with students, other alumni and the broader college community. Among those alumni were Bob Moritz ’85 (pictured at right), global chair of the professional services powerhouse PwC, and Dr. Joseph Coughlin ’82, founding director of MIT’s AgeLab, whose insights are sought by business, financial and government leaders worldwide.

Read more about alumni contributions at magazine.oswego.edu.

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Our faculty and staff demonstrated incredible flexibility in their quick response to move in-person classes and work environments into the virtual realm and home offices. They found creative ways to maintain communications and the sense of community. The college initiated programs like Notes from Home and #TogetherOz, which included daily stories of inspiration, videos and bright spots from college community members.

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“We still hope to be able to have you participate in a traditional commencement ceremony on campus sometime in the next year when it becomes safe to do so,” President Stanley said to graduates in a MAY 5 email. “But for now, we don’t want to miss this moment to make sure you know how incredibly proud we are to welcome you as SUNY Oswego alumni!”

On Commencement Eve, the college hosted the traditional candlelight Torchlight Ceremony, the official welcome for graduates into the Oswego Alumni Association. Although it was pre-recorded, the ceremony included the customary fanfare of trumpets, the Lighting of the Torch of Learning, the passing of the flame from faculty to alumni, the singing of the alma mater as well as remarks by Class of 2020 student speaker Tori Kammer ’20 and President Deborah F. Stanley.

“We will go down in history for our tenacious spirit and unmatched work ethic,” Tori said. “We will embrace the world with a renewed perspective and make our families, our school and its alumni tremendously proud. Despite every obstacle in our way, we still did it!

Unfortunately, we missed a lot of ‘lasts,’ but I want to remind you, we have a lifetime of ‘firsts’ still to come.”

The following day, the college shared a webcast for graduates that featured celebratory remarks by President Stanley, Al Roker ’76, Faculty Assembly Chair Lisa Glidden, Student Association President Takeena Strachan ’20 and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.

Ahmonique “Mo” Evans ’20 and Asha Bay ’19 M’20 presented the Class of 2020 banner to the college. Faculty and staff also shared congratulatory messages with the graduates.

“You decided that giving up wasn’t an option—that the only choice was getting to the finish line,” President Stanley said. “There’s victory in the fact that in a moment of complete uncertainty you chose to find clarity and persevered ... We are all living in a grand challenge, and you have demonstrated amazing strength and resilience.”

The college established a Class of 2020 Graduation Celebration website (oswego.edu/class-2020), which featured links to the ceremonies, downloadable signs for graduates to display, congratulatory messages and a slideshow.

Students returning to campus last fall, stand in line socially distant.

As the spring semester wound down, attention focused on the future. What would happen in the fall? Would the college be able to welcome students back to campus? What safeguards could be put in place to enable students’ safe return?

Oswego Forward

BY LATE JUNE, the college leadership had developed a carefully made plan, Oswego Forward, to restart residential campus operations in the fall. The plan ensures that the New York State Phase Four Reopening New York Higher Education Guidelines are met and that the health and safety of all students and employees are protected.

Among the highlights, the plan required students to be tested immediately upon arrival, which was a week to 10 days before the semester began. All breaks and holidays were suspended to encourage students to remain on campus for a condensed fall semester from AUG. 24 through NOV. 25, with the remainder of the semester and finals being completed after Thanksgiving from students’ homes.

SUNY Oswego delivered a full class schedule that was approximately: 1/3 face-to-face; 1/3 online and 1/3 hybrid.

Limiting the fully face-to-face classes reduced classroom density and possible exposure.

In addition, campus facilities staff implemented new cleaning protocols and social distancing demarcations within all of the buildings. In Sheldon Hall, for example, traffic heading upstairs was routed to one stairwell, and traffic descending was routed to another stairwell.

Large arrows were taped to the floors indicating traffic flow, and soft seating had been taped over to prohibit people from

sitting too close to each other. Plastic shields were installed on frontline staff desks to protect staff as well as visitors.

No. 6 globally for detecting the virus in its earliest stages.

OSWEGO PROVIDED MORE TESTS TO ITS CAMPUS COMMUNITY THAN MOST OTHER SUNY SCHOOLS—even those with much larger populations (see related chart below). A public online dashboard tracked daily the number of cases of COVID-19 among the campus community, as well as the numbers of individuals in isolation or quarantine.

Large sandwich boards and posters around campus were displayed to encourage responsible behaviors such as wearing face masks, washing hands regularly and practicing social distancing.

Passing the Test Perhaps one of the most important safeguards the college undertook was extensive testing of all students, faculty and staff.

The effectiveness of the quarantine/isolation protocols and Oswego Forward plan was put to the test by mid-September when the college community approached the infection rate thresholds of 100 individuals or 5% of the total on-campus population specified by the New York State Department of Health in the “Interim Guidance for Higher Education during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.” (continued on the next page)

SUNY Oswego was among the very first colleges to partner with SUNY Upstate Medical University to implement comprehensive saliva testing of all campus members. The test, which was developed

by Upstate and Quadrant Biosciences researchers, was recently deemed the most effective COVID-19 saliva test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and ranked

Campus Administered COVID-19 Pool/Saliva Tests* 25,000

21,700

20,000 15,000

12,920 12,855 11,652 11,021

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Heart of Gold

COVID-19 Positive: Alumnus Shares his Story, Blood Plasma to Help Others On Day 8 after his COVID-19 diagnosis, Jeff Yonkers ’92 ventured out from his home’s basement in Suffolk County on Long Island and set his chair to face the sun and away from the house. That way he could shield his family from the virus and also from seeing the panic that was setting in.

He had been doing everything right since his diagnosis on March 18; he moved himself into the basement away from his wife, their children and the dog. He ate, slept, watched TV and worked down there. And yet, he worried. He knew from other COVID-19 patients’ journeys that Day 7 and 8 seemed to be a turning point—as many people got markedly better or dramatically worse.

“I was so stressed about this day that I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack as my heart was racing and pounding,” he recalled. “I did feel a little congestion in my throat and lungs, and I was thinking, ‘Okay, this is going to be the day where I am going downhill.’”

He managed to keep his composure, and when he woke up the following morning, he had turned the corner.

“No sweats, no drip, no congestion, no fever, no headache and no chills,” Jeff said. “I felt about 98% back to normal. I felt like the 1,000-pound gorilla came off my chest.”

He doesn’t know where he got infected with the virus, which made him feel exhausted, achy, chills, sweats. Plus, he lost his sense of taste and smell for two weeks.

He said he is extremely grateful for his family and friends, who helped carry him through this illness.

Now, he is sharing his story with others to give people hope and for reference to their own experience.

The college also began wastewater testing twice per week of its buildings and 12 residence halls on campus to collect data and identify possible COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Jerri Howland, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, collects saliva tests during Opening Weekend in August.

In consultation with SUNY and health agencies, the college paused face-to-face classes on SEPT. 19 for 14 days to stem the spread of the virus. It worked, and the college was able to resume in-person classes on OCT. 5.

“I credit the SUNY Oswego community, particularly our students, in keeping their campus open by proving that strict compliance to health safety protocols can flatten the curve,” said Chancellor Jim Malatras on OCT. 2. “Today’s progress at SUNY Oswego shows that by regular testing, tracking and acting on new cases, and enforcing health and safety rules, campus life can continue during the coronavirus pandemic. I am proud of our SUNY Oswego students for all of their efforts over the past two weeks.”

Although in-person classes resumed in OCTOBER, the college suspended athletics, Greek Life, in-person dining and residence hall visitation for the remainder of the semester.

“We are returning to the classrooms, but we must not let our guard down,” President Stanley said in OCTOBER. “Our actions are critical to the continued safety of everyone in our community. We have collectively displayed to others that when we pull together, care for one another, and follow the rules and guidelines, WE CAN BRING OUR POSITIVE CASES DOWN AND COME OUT OF A PAUSE STRONGER AND HEALTHIER THAN BEFORE.” As the end of the semester approached, the college again amped up its testing efforts to ensure that every student tested negative for the virus before leaving campus for their homes. It also became clear that resuming normal activities would not be likely any time soon.

Carrying On

“Stay positive, keep in touch with friends, isolate completely, get outside, sit upright and most importantly laugh,” he advised anyone who tests positive.

The college made the difficult decision to hold a virtual Commencement ceremony for all May, August and December 2020 graduates at the end of the Fall 2020 semester.

He has donated his antibody-rich plasma to help critically ill COVID-19 patients three times.

“While we’ve remained cautiously optimistic since the spring, we have resolved to the fact that we still have not reached a point where we can safely hold an in-person celebration,” President Stanley told graduates in NOVEMBER. “However, we don’t want the year to come to an end without properly recognizing you in an official Commencement ceremony.”

“Since I got through this, it’s very important to try to help others who may be worse off,” he said. “I pray we all get through this quickly.”

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As the numbers of on-campus cases rose in EARLY SEPTEMBER, the college announced a new and expanded surveillance testing operation with a dedicated testing center in Lee Hall, and it doubled the number of available quarantine and isolation rooms by re-opening the newly renovated Funnelle Hall and increasing the total quarantine rooms to 208 and isolation rooms to 144 (total of 352 rooms).

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On DEC. 12, the college held five separate ceremonies for approximately 2,000 graduates: four to honor undergraduates who earned their baccalaureate degrees from the School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; School of Education; or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and a separate ceremony for students earning their master’s degrees, post-master’s degree certificates and post-baccalaureate certificates.

“In these unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the years of hard work and dedication our Lakers have shown and to look forward to the bright futures we know they will have,” President Stanley said.

I urge you to carry this perspective forward; approach your future with a greater understanding of what is truly important then choose the paths that lead you to realize your values and allow those values to thrive in our world.”

In LATE NOVEMBER, President Stanley announced the Laker Success Package, which included:

Solid Gold

•G uaranteed Alumni/Career Mentor— for any Oswego student who wants one

Throughout the pandemic, SUNY Oswego has tried to maintain a pulse on the student body—soliciting their feedback and input whenever possible, and incorporating that into future decisions.

A May 2020 survey of 2,427 Oswego students assessed students’ satisfaction about the college’s overall response to the pandemic, the academic instruction they received and the support they received during the transition. The majority of students felt satisfied on all three counts.

ANOTHER KEY TAKE-AWAY WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, especially for those from low-income families or those who do not have access to technology and connectivity.

“A residential campus experience can mitigate against some of those barriers by providing all students equal access to high-speed internet, healthy food, safe housing and appropriate study spaces,” according to the July 2020 report by SUNY Oswego’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

To assist the college with creating a memorable virtual Commencement for all of our graduates, SUNY Oswego hired StageClip—the world’s leading provider of virtual graduations. In addition to the customary pomp and circumstance, including every graduate being individually announced (with the option for student-generated photo and content) during their respective Commencement ceremonies, SUNY Oswego created a Commencement 2020 website (oswego. edu/2020-commencement) that provided graduates with a one-stop source for caps and gowns, cords, hoods, diploma covers, celebration signs, Snapchat and Instagram filters, and more.

The college has worked diligently to provide additional support—including mental health, physical, nutritional, financial, academic and professional development—for students and 2020 graduates. The college created 16 Oz-Spots—designated areas on campus for groups of no more than six students to gather informally in a safe and clean environment.

•$ 150 Cash Award—for returning fulltime, undergraduate students who registered and returned for spring 2021

• Imagine 2021—a free five-week program over Winter recess that brought together SUNY Oswego students with alumni, employers, student leaders and guest speakers for career exploration, skill building, professional networking, brand management, mentorship and guidance.

“We are providing these exceptional benefits to ensure our students are successful upon their return to campus this spring (2021) and throughout their time at Oswego,” President Stanley said. “As always, we are investing in our students and will continue to support them now to an even greater degree. We’re rolling out our own ‘stimulus’ package to provide students with financial, networking and career resources that will prepare them for lifelong success.”

As the spring 2021 semester begins, new COVID-19 vaccines are making their way to the most vulnerable populations.

Meanwhile, the college again prepared for the return of our students, using their feedback from fall 2020 to improve the living and learning experience. That includes offering an enhanced dining experience, more face-to-face classes, small group gatherings of student organizations, strategically scheduled days off for stress-busting breaks and continued rigorous, weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing and screening. (continued on the next page)

“I hope this moment has helped you focus and to see things clearly,” President Stanley told graduates in her Commencement remarks. “Perhaps time apart from friends and loved ones has opened your eyes to what is really important in your lives, and revealed what is most essential.

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More Valuable Than Gold Higher education is a hotbed of innovation, with student and faculty researchers investigating solutions to the grand challenges of our times.

Some SUNY Oswego community members have focused their efforts on the immediate challenge facing the world right now—the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUNY Oswego Biochemistry Professor Kestutis Bendinskas and Chemistry Professor Julia Koeppe lead a student-faculty team that received $10,000 in seed funding from the SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program for research on pandemicrelated solutions.

The Oswego team will explore current reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction-detection methods used in COVID-19 detection and determine if forward and reverse primers are affected by mutations known to date. Ultimately, they hope their work will improve the efficacy of detection.

Another Oswego team participated in a weeklong bootcamp last summer at Rutgers University’s Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine to research the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (an enzyme that breaks down proteins into smaller units), which is essential for viral activity and a promising drug target.

SUNY Oswego researchers Emily Fingar ’21, Michael Kirsch ’21, Charlotte Labrie-Cleary ’21, Ali Khan ’20 and Santiago Soto ’20 joined Professor Koeppe and researchers from across several institutions and disciplines on this project. Their research advances efforts to develop an antiviral medicine for COVID-19 patients.

Read more about SUNY Oswego’s research at magazine.oswego.edu.

Golden Rule:

Alumni, Donors Support Students Hardest Hit

by Economic Hardship Last spring, the college established the Student Emergency Fund to assist students who faced unexpected situations and hardship due to the pandemic.

STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND

Finding the Golden Lining They say, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and THE PANDEMIC WAS THE CATALYST THAT PROPELLED THE COLLEGE INTO NEW REALMS. For example, within the Alumni and Development division, the college found new technologies and tools to engage our 89,000 alumni in a virtual realm.

The division launched a new podcast series, the Virtual 5K, online Scholars Celebration, Alumni Admissions Ambassadors program, and the Oz Virtual Village e-newsletter promoting a range of alumni-led virtual concerts, presentations, financial tutorials, cooking classes, yoga sessions and professional development trainings.

Similarly, other offices across campus shifted their services online, including Career Services whose employer relations, workshops/seminars, student appointments, class presentations and support for enrollment management continued without interruption.

“ ”

This is more than surviving—this is finding the means and the character of thriving through adversity.

—President Stanley

The college’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion created Laker Live, which encourages any campus community member to submit a proposal to virtually host anything from a how-to session or a performance to a fitness class or a painting lesson. Every Laker Live session also serves as a fundraiser for the Student Emergency Fund.

While the long-term impacts of the pandemic are yet to be determined, the SUNY Oswego community has shown its true colors in facing challenges head-on and nimbly changing course as needed to navigate the ever-changing and tumultuous waters heading for our beautiful lakeside college community.

“SUNY Oswego has the record of resilience in the face of great odds, of employing thoughtful study and response, and of the will, strength and endurance to bring our plans to fruition,” President Stanley said. “This is more than surviving—this is finding the means and the character of thriving through adversity.” l

Total Donors: 508 Total Support: $355,316 Student Recipients: (as of 1/20/21) 265 students have received payments for a total of $127,769.69 4,200 face masks were distributed to campus members in the fall.

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Class Notes From The Archives

During the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918, the Red Cross pressed the college’s women’s dormitory, known as the Welland (above), into service as an emergency hospital, and, according to the official history of SUNY Oswego, “faculty volunteers cooked and tended the ill.”

Do you know more about this photo? Or do you have a favorite photo from your college days that you’d like featured in an alumni communication? Send the photo and a description, along with your name and class year, to alumni@oswego. edu; or King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

Note about Reunion 2021 After careful consideration, the decision has been made to celebrate Reunion Weekend 2021 virtually this summer. Though we won’t be physically together this summer…our Oswego memories will always keep us together in spirit. Visit alumni.oswego.edu/reunion for up-todate plans on our Virtual Reunion activities.

SUNY OSWEGO

We hope you continue to share your updates with us, and your classmates, virtually at alumni.oswego.edu/reunionnews21.

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SUBMITTING A CLASS NOTE

Celebrating the Class of 1970

To submit your class note, email alumni@oswego.edu, call 315-3122258 or complete the class note form online at alumni.oswego.edu.

You can also mail submissions to the OSWEGO Alumni Magazine, King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

1960s

Ron Smith ’67 of Sayville, N.Y., is the current statewide political action committee coordinator for New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) after teaching in Sayville Public Schools for 37 years. Ron also serves as an executive vice president for the L.I. Federation of Labor and as a state committee member for the Working Families Party. In his free time, he enjoys sailing both on Long Island and in the Caribbean.

Nicholas Nanos ’69 of Bellmore, N.Y., is the owner of and an oriental medical practitioner at Oriental Martial & Healing Arts, providing acupuncture, Chinese herbology, medical massage and AMMA, an Oriental massage modality of Korean derivation as well as acupressure. He is a licensed massage therapist, a licensed acupuncturist and a lifelong martial artist.

1970s

Kathleen Jantschi Callahan ’70 of Fulton, N.Y., retired from teaching in 2010 and enjoys travelling and reading in her retirement. During her time at Oswego, she enjoyed being a part of Pi Delta Chi, serving as a yearbook editor and taking in the beauty that Lake Ontario provided.

Donna Osterhout Davenport ’71 of Norman, Okla., is a broker associate for Keller Williams Realty Mulinix, in Norman.

William Fisher M’71 is a retired teacher living in Madrid, N.Y. Francine Zolkower Wolf ’71 of Largo, Fla., is a performing artist for ZaZu Productions, LLC. She has been touring the USA with her improv show, “Half-Baked Boomer,” appearing at Fringe Festivals. Currently, she is writing a show that incorporates her life story.

John Condon ’72 of Medford, N.J., works as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at the Henderson Group in Media, Pa. John was a part of the Laker Men’s Basketball team.

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Typically, the Oswego Alumni Association (OAA) holds a Golden Alumni Society Induction Ceremony and Luncheon on campus for members of the SUNY Oswego 50th Anniversary class, during Reunion Weekend in June.

Although the college had to cancel Reunion Weekend 2020, we recognize the 50th Anniversary via the Class of 1970 Virtual Golden Anniversary Celebration website at alumni.oswego.edu/1970.

Let’s journey back to 1970 together:

Remember when ... view photos of Oswego campus life and browse the 1970 Ontarian

Remember lost classmates from the Class of 1970

Dedicated Alumna Receives Syracuse Law Honors Medal M. Catherine Richardson ’63 received the Syracuse Law Honors Medal, a prestigious award presented by the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association, during the college’s 2020 Virtual Law Alumni Weekend.

Catherine was selected for her dedication to the practice of law and to the Central New York community, where she spent her entire legal career specializing in corporate healthcare law and operations. She was recognized for her commitment to the legal profession and efforts to advance leadership opportunities for women, including serving as the first woman president of the Onondaga County Bar Association and second woman president of the New York State Bar Association.

A 2005 recipient of a SUNY honorary doctorate, Catherine is a member of the Sheldon Legacy Society and has also served her alma mater as a member of the College Council, a speaker at Honors Convocation and the chair of the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors.

Class Notes Howard Domeseck ’72 of Waco, Texas, retired in December 2016, relocated to Waco from Delaware and is enjoying a “winter-free” life.

Eric Gottesman ’77 of Oakland Gardens, N.Y., is the president of EMER Partners, an IT project management and telehealth company.

Garrett Evans ’73 is a retired teacher living in Gaffney, S.C.

Kevin Shumelda ’77 of Viera, Fla., now retired, worked in the Washington, D.C., area for U.S. government intelligence agencies and corporate U.S. government contractors, performing technical recruiting and vetting of candidates in the continental United States.

Linda Synakowski Iannone ’73 of New Hartford, N.Y., is director of booking and special events at the Stanley Theatre in Utica.

Marcia Guller Collier ’74 of Lake Placid, Fla., works as a utilities professional for National Grid.

Carol Johnson Castiglione ’75 of Walland, Tenn., works at Coco Belle Ridge Retreat Lodge Inc. Mark Metcalfe ’76 taught science for 40 years, with the last 30 years as a chemistry teacher at Fort Defiance High School in Virginia. Mark was Teacher of the Year during his last year of teaching at FDHS, and also for the state American Chemical Society. He has been retired since 2017 and enjoys traveling and gardening around the yard.

Frank Murray ’76 of Annapolis, Md., works at the Community College of Baltimore County as a VA certifying official, in Catonsville, Md. Frank was a part of the Laker Men’s Lacrosse team and participated in intramural football. He also is a brother of the fraternity Epsilon Pi Tau.

Douglas Williams ’77 of Schenectady, N.Y., is now retired. He was involved with Sigma Gamma during his time at Oswego.

Robert Andrews ’78 of Catonsville, Md., works from home as an IT application administrator for Asurion, a provider of device insurance, warranty and support services for cell phones, consumer electronics and home appliances. Robert and his wife, Lynn, became grandparents for the first time, in March 2016, to their grandson, Henry.

David Lenio ’78 of Elizabeth, Colo., is a regional manager at 3M. Keith Parsons ’78 of Beaverton, Ore., is a senior underwriter at the Standard Insurance Company.

Leanne Shank ’78 relocated to New Hope, Pa., with her husband and two bernedoodles. She is the senior vice president for legal and corporate affairs and general counsel at the Law School Admissions

Counsel in Newton, Pa. She was a member of the Laker Women’s Swimming team.

Michael McCrobie ’79 is a retired English teacher for Oswego City Schools, currently living in Oswego, N.Y., with his wife, Sally.

During his time teaching at Oswego schools, Mike was elected to the New York State High School Softball Hall of Fame. As a 28year varsity coach at Oswego High School, his teams won over 400 games, including three Section III titles and six league championships. He was named league Coach of the Year seven times, and was New York State Coach of the Year in 1993. Three of his four children are SUNY Oswego graduates (Sarah ’06, Brian ’11 and Eric ’11 M’18).

Joseph Priola ’79 of Fairport, N.Y., retired from Brighton Central Schools in Rochester, N.Y., in 2017 after 33 years as a teacher, team leader and department coordinator. He continues to work as an adjunct professor at St. John Fisher, where he has been teaching part time since 1998. He and his wife of 36 years, Theresa, are the proud parents of a son who earned a Ph.D. in biomolecular and chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a daughter who earned her biomedical engineering degree at Syracuse University.

Dale Wolfield ’79 of Port Ewen, N.Y., works as a trustee at Hudson River Maritime Museum. He was honored for his work in art education by Arts Mid Hudson’s 7th Annual Ulster County Art Awards in June 2019.

Al Roker ’76 Cheers Campus Community via Zoom Session More than 140 students and employees joined a live virtual session Oct. 1 with NBC Today show weather anchor and cohost, Al Roker ’76.

College President Deborah F. Stanley moderated the informal question-and-answer session with the popular weatherman and media icon.

Rory Parker ’21, a broadcasting and mass communication major who was enrolled in a broadcasting course Al co-taught last fall, welcomed attendees to the session and introduced President Stanley.

Al fielded questions that covered his time as a student at SUNY Oswego to his advice for students interested in broadcasting careers to his coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A generous supporter of his alma mater, Al provided SUNY Oswego a gift to name the Al Roker Television Studio, which is operated by the student-run television station (WTOP), and helped to name the annual Media Summit in honor of a mentor, Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell. Al also serves as an Oswego College Foundation board member.

His live national broadcasts from campus and his frequent on-air “plugs” for Oswego provide exposure for the college, most notably during Rokerthon3 in March

2017, and last fall when he co-taught a broadcasting course entitled “Camera Ready: Developing Your On-Air Persona.”

He announced on-air in November that he will begin treatments for an aggressive form of prostate cancer that doctors caught in early stages, and he is using his fame to share his experience and raise awareness about early screening and treatments to others.

Watch a recording of the event at magazine.oswego.edu.

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The Gilded Age: Alumnus Recalls ‘Best Four Years’ of his Life

1980s

Joseph Ambrose ’80 of Amityville, N.Y., is a retired IT worker and currently spending time in a local FedEx ship center. At FedEx, Joseph is keeping the center’s computers up-to-date and learning how to safely pack and ship things for the community on the south shore of Long Island. During his time at Oswego, he was fortunate to be a paper grader for the late Professor Weslowski of the Computer Science Department.

Mary “Monica” Bartoszek ‘80 of Ballston Lake, N.Y., had a long career in journalism, but has been working in the academic department of communication at the University of Albany since 2012.

John Fogerty’s song “Centerfield” might well have been describing “Rapid” Roger Hancock ’74 and his desire to play ball, except for Roger it was left field.

After convincing then Laker Coach Walter J. “Doc” Nitardy to play him in his senior year, Roger took advantage of the opportunity to show his exceptional skill in bunting and stealing bases. He could ruin the focus of an opposing pitcher with his large leads off the base. By the end of the season, he led the team in on-base percentage, walks, stolen bases, runs scored and sacrifice bunts.

Roger’s memory of his time on the Laker Baseball team is one of many he shared in an online account of his four years at SUNY Oswego, written while he was home during the pandemic. (Read his full account at magazine.oswego.edu.)

He also pays tribute to the many friends he met and experiences he had, including attending his first rock concert, deepening his love of R&B music, enduring Oswego winters, enjoying the variety of meal options in the dining halls, attending classes and discovering his passion for the brand new computer science major.

“I was really taken with my C.S. classes, and (the college) announced that they were having the first CS degree program … I was all in!” said Roger, who went on to have a 45-year career as a software developer and engineer.

He remains in contact with many of his Oswego pals and tries to come back to campus for the quinquennial Return to Oz, reunion of alumni of color.

“Like many college graduates will agree … these were the BEST four years of my life,” he said. “I started to come ‘of age’ during those years and made lifelong friends.”

Above (front row, far right): Roger Hancock ’74 with the Laker Men’s Baseball team; at left (second from left) at Return to Oz V in October 2018.

Learn more about Roger’s Oswego experience at magazine.oswego.edu.

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Joan Cear ’80 New York, N.Y., is the founder and principal of Grayfin Partner, LLC, a strategic communications consulting firm in New York City. She was previously senior vice president of communications at Kellen Company, a full-service public relations, public affairs, digital and integrated marketing agency, as well as a global leader in association management.

James DiIorio ’80 of Sylvan Beach, N.Y., is a retired artist who worked at MadisonOneida BOCES in Verona, N.Y. To keep himself occupied, he has started doing artwork and sign making for Sylvan Synes,

by Maynard Pynes. At Oswego, he was a part of the wrestling team for all four years.

Lynn Kiyasu Hartwell ’80 of Mahopac, N.Y., is a senior manager in commercialization at PepsiCo in Purchase, N.Y. She enjoys mentoring new hires and building internal talent, while seeking the continued growth of PEP portfolio beverages. One of her current hobbies is repurposing and recycling in creative artistry.

Stuart Allen ’81 of Salida, Colo., works at Lockheed Martin Corporation Foundation.

Susan Baier ’81 is the director of finance at Omega Tool Measuring Machines in Fairport, N.Y. Previously, she served as vice president of finance at Lumetrics Inc. She earned a master’s degree in accounting from George Washington University.

Charles Giacomo ’81 of Harrison, N.Y., retired as a firefighter from the Harrison Fire Department. Charles retired as a commander from the U.S. Navy Reserve, having served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He has accumulated 306 carrier landings on five different aircraft carriers, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, all with Combat designating “V” device.

Class Notes ASK Me!

in Oneida Hall, he thanks the residence directors, professors and alumni for making his four years at Oswego the happiest years of his life.

Joann Avellino Schirripa ’82 of Huntington, N.Y., owns her own accounting firm in Huntington. Joann was a member of the Ski Club during her time at Oswego.

Top 10 Mistakes Made by Nice Girls: 1. Make miracles 2. Don’t take time to network (internally and externally) 3. Fail to set boundaries 4. Strive for perfection 5. I gnore the “look and sound” of success 6. Unclear vision/branding 7. Tolerate inappropriate behavior 8. Don’t ask 9. Use too many words (short sounds confident) 10. Avoid difficult conversation Shared by Dr. Lois Frankel ’73, president of Corporate Coaching International and New York Times best-selling author, during her “Nice Girls Don’t Speak Up or Stand Out: How to Make Your Voice Heard, Your Point Known, Your Presence Felt” webinar to the SUNY Oswego community. Learn more at drloisfrankel.com.

Share a little of yourself with others.

Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Thomas Pragel ’81 of Little River, S.C., is a retired educational technologist at the U.S. Department of Defense - Fort Jackson Schools.

Larry Rubinstein ’81 of North Bellmore, N.Y., is a manager for the engineer remote services department at Metrovision in Carlstadt, N.J. He traveled with Governor Cuomo and worked on the daily press conferences about the COVID-19 pandemic. He is responsible for the production and satellite transmission of the daily broadcasts.

Ron Kurtz ’82 of Boston works in corporate finance. After being a three-year RA

Michelle Klinger Wellner ’82 of Weston, Fla., works at Spohn Global in Tamarac, Fla., where she is a director of product development. She enjoys CycleBar and Pure Barre workouts, and being president of the Phi Lambda Phi Alumni Association.

David Burnett ’83 of Sugar Loaf, N.Y., has worked as a SAP financial accounting and controlling systems analyst at Carl Zeiss Inc. in White Plains, N.Y., for the past 14 years. He enjoys working with the accounting team, SAP users on their business processes and new requirements for SAP. Rob Perillo ’83 is a chief meteorologist at KATC, virtual channel 3, a dual ABC/ CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Lafayette, La. He was the recipient of this year’s John Coleman Broadcast Award from the National Tropical Weather Conference, the nation’s forum for professional training in hurricane preparedness for media and business.

Karen Huebel ’84 of Prospect, Ohio, is the director of theming and interpretive design at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where she has worked for 24 years. She has been involved in designing and building zoos and aquariums for the past 30 years, starting as a volunteer in Syracuse, N.Y. She oversees habitat design, signage and technology and project manages all aspects of design for the zoo’s properties.

She also serves as an associate instructor in Master Planning and Exhibit Design for The Ohio State University’s biology course.

Mark W. Marano ’84 is president and chief executive officer of Structural Integrity Associates Inc. in Charlotte, N.C. Mark rejoined the workforce after a short retirement from Westinghouse Electric Company, where he previously was chief operating officer and oversaw core global products and services. He played a key role in the company’s emergence from bankruptcy. Previously, he served as Westinghouse President, Americas and EMEA sales regions for four years, driving strategic revenue growth in a challenging nuclear market.

Jay Ahuja ’85 (above left) of Charlotte, N.C., was golfing with his father at Sea Pines Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C., in November, when he saw another golfer who was wearing an Oswego sweatshirt.

Although neither recognized each other, it turned out that the fellow alumnus was Psi Phi Gamma brother, Dave D’Arcy ’89 (above right) who lives in Savannah, Ga. Amy Fliegelman Olli ’85, senior vice president and general counsel of VMWare, was appointed to the board of directors at Televerde, an integrated sales and marketing technology organization. Amy is responsible for the global law team and champions the company’s commitment to integrity, ethics, compliance and risk management practices. With more than 25 years of legal experience, she has participated in and led organizations responsible for corporate philanthropy; corporate security and business continuity planning; corporate social responsibility; environmental, health and safety; ethics and compliance; global trade compliance; government affairs; and government solutions.

Rocco Sinisi ’85 of Rockville Centre, N.Y. worked as a police officer with the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island for the past 29 years. He retired in early March. He plans to spend time with family and friends, and hopes to participate in his 13th consecutive Boston Marathon.

Terri Sharpe ’86 of St. Louis, Mo., is a realtor at HSG Realty in St. Louis after working as a business analyst and QA lead for financial services companies throughout much of her career.

Lisa Monahan ’87 of Little Falls, N.Y., is a principal welfare examiner at the Herkimer County Department of Social Services in Herkimer, N.Y. Henry Seymour ’87 ’92 of Cortland, N.Y., works in freelance film, video audio/visual production at Juggling Cats, LLC, in Rochester, N.Y. When Henry attended Oswego, he was involved in WOCR, The Oswegonian, WRVO and Onondaga Hall Council, and was a resident assistant.

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John Sheffield ’87 M’97 of Oswego is a retired teacher, and now serves as the business development manager for the Lake Ontario Event & Conference Center.

Geri Penz Vaeth ’87 of Henrietta, N.Y., works as an administrative office assistant at Caldwell Manufacturing Co. NA LLC in Rochester, N.Y. Mark Warford ’87 is an assistant principal in the Bethlehem Central School District’s middle school in Delmar, N.Y. Mark was selected as a 2020 New York State Assistant Principal of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He earned a master’s degree in administration from the University at Albany.

Melinda Heaney Bienert ’88 of San Clemente, Calif., is a real estate investor at Real Simple Property Solutions, LLC. Jonathan Buhner ’89 M’94 retired as superintendent at South Colonie (N.Y.) Central School District in February after 12 years there and four years as superintendent of the Walton Central School District in Delaware County. He worked for a total of 30 years in public education.

Nancy Merringer Morrison ’89 of Somerset, Pa., works as an elementary art and classroom teacher.

1990s Kathleen Aris ’90 of Hazlet, N.J., is the director of events marketing at Sungard Availability Services in Carlstadt, N.J. Marci Goldman Gower ’90 of Denver, Colo., is a freelance marketing and events specialist. After living in Southern Florida for the past 15 years, Marci and her husband, Nick, decided to relocate to the Denver area. As a student at Oswego, she was involved with The Oswegonian.

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Laker Tapped to Call ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ Games ESPN sportscaster Steve Levy ’87 was named the new play-by-play commentator for Monday Night Football.

A communication studies alumnus, Steve joined ESPN in August 1993 as a SportsCenter anchor and emerged as one of ESPN’s leading play-by-play commentators for his work on college football, NFL, NHL and the XFL. A loyal alumnus, he has frequently returned to campus to speak to students via the Alumni-In-Residence program and as a Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit panelist, the Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony speaker and emcee, and the emcee of the With Passion and Purpose campaign launch, The Tomorrow Show.

Carolina. Previously, he was executive director of Transit Development and Delivery for the Maryland Department of Transportation. A six-year Navy veteran, Charles earned a certificate in Strategic Leadership for State Executives from Duke University. He began his career as a legislative analyst in the Office of the New York State Assembly’s minority leader and also has served as the New York governor’s assistant director of state operations, overseeing the Department of Transportation, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Office of General Services.

Barbara Roland Milano ’90 of Niskayuna, N.Y., works as an assistant to a CEO. She is happily living in the Capital Region of New York and working on her first novel.

Kelly Molesworth Tiscornia ’90 of Salem, Ore., is in her 24th year working in the Salem Keizer School District, most recently as a school counselor.

Sean Green ’90 was named the 20192020 All-Bee Boys Hockey Coach of the Year for Williamsville South’s (N.Y.) Federation hockey team after a small schools championship win. Hockey has played a huge role in Sean’s life after winning multiple national championships through Amherst hockey, playing collegiately at SUNY Oswego and continuing to play professionally after college.

Grace Bottitta Williamson ’90 of Owings, Md., works as a national recreation and tourism coordinator at the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in Silver Spring, Md. In her position she connects the public to their ocean parks through responsible recreation, tourism and stewardship opportunities. Grace said she is excited to see that Lake Ontario has been nominated as a potential new national marine sanctuary.

Charles E. Lattuca ’90 was elected president and CEO of GoTriangle in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel HIll area of North

Wendy Seamon Garcia ’91 of Round Hill, Va., teaches group exercise at Fairfax County Parks and Recreation. Her interest

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He provided the naming gift for the Steve Levy ’87 Press Box in the Marano Campus Center Arena. He also established the Steve Levy ’87 Endowed Broadcasting Internship Fund to offset the cost of tuition credits and living expenses for broadcasting students who demonstrate initiative and interest in the field and who would not otherwise be able to afford to take on an internship. first sparked after she was a group exercise instructor at Cooper-Glimmerglass fitness centers on campus at Oswego. She was also involved in Alpha Phi Omega and the Sailing Club. She has been happily married for 20 years and has two children.

Lee Kaiser ’91 of Centreville, Va., is a counselor working for Fairfax County Public Schools in Centreville.

Joseph J. Manna ’92, a senior partner at the law firm of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, was elected president of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association. With 25 years of experience as a trial attorney, he has tried cases from New York City to Los Angeles, focusing his practice on commercial litigation and plaintiff’s personal injury law, with a particular emphasis on medical malpractice matters. He is consistently recognized by his peers in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, and has earned national and regional recognition, including Lifetime Achievement Membership to America’s Top 100 Attorneys and being named to Buffalo Business First’s Legal Elite.

Natalie McComb ’92 of Virginia Beach, Va., is an associate director of Administration & Strategies at Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters Inc. in Virginia Beach, Va. Julie Weiser Micali ’93 of Rochester, N.Y., is a special education teacher/instructional coach in the Rochester City School District.

When Julie attended Oswego, she was involved in Omega Delta Phi and loved the sunsets on Lake Ontario.

Class Notes ASK Me!

other side of the business. During his time at Oswego, Jeffrey was involved in WTOP, WNYT and The Oswegonian.

Michael Jargo ’96 of Stony Brook, N.Y., is a guidance counselor in Islip Public Schools in Islip, N.Y. Sean Pope ’96 M’99 of Brewster, N.Y., is a high school engineering teacher at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y.

Seven Ways to Feel Happier: 1. Make someone else feel good 2. Smile and laugh 3. Step into the “Stretch Zone” 4. Identify and say positive “I am” statements 5. Before bed, think of three good things or what went well today 6. Strike a power pose for 2 minutes to enhance your confidence/performance 7. Focus on gratitude Shared by Pam Garramone ‘83, positive psychology speaker, life coach and author, during her “Seven Ways to Feel Happier, Instantly!” webinar to the SUNY Oswego community. Learn more at pamgarramone.com.

Share a little of yourself with others.

Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Adam Altman ’94 has written over 100 telecommunications articles published in various technology magazines, and has published a novel, Ridicula (Publish Wholesale, 2018). He has been honored with writing scholarships and is currently working on his doctorate in education leadership after earning a graduate degree in information science from the University at Albany.

Scott Gray ’95 of Oceanside, Calif., is a senior quality manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Carlsbad, Calif.

Jeffrey Wernick ’95 of Latham, N.Y., is an assistant director of public information at NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, after working 20-plus years at WNYT, the NBC affiliate in Albany. Jeffrey left this position before the outbreak of COVID-19, but first helped develop a plan that enabled newscasts to continue while maintaining social distancing and having talent work remotely. He looks forward to helping media across the state from the

Nicole Woodall ’96 joined Fust Charles Chambers LLP in January 2019, after working in tax, accounting and advisory for the past 20 years.

Jennifer DeMayo ’97 is a recruitment and employment specialist at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, N.Y. She is responsible for the coordination and implementation of human resource processes and procedures, including recruitment, employment, civil service processing, and payroll. Previously at MVCC, she held several positions in the college’s Business Office, finally serving as a principal account clerk.

James Rowbottom ’97 of Smyrna, Ga., is a writer and producer for CNN Newsource in Atlanta, Ga. At Oswego, he was involved in the fraternity, Sigma Chi, and was a member of the Laker Cross Country team.

Melissa E. Vincent ’97 lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., while working for Apple Inc. in Cupertino, Calif. She married her partner of five years while aboard S/V Seaheart in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, exchanging vows while headed toward Alcatraz and Angel Island. From working in Inclusion and Diversity with Apple, Melissa has been able to travel to many destinations including India, England, France, China, Singapore and Thailand.

With her new role working for Apple’s Technology Development Group, she focuses on bringing Apple’s core values to life. Melissa is on the Board of Directors for Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies and the Whale Entanglement Team, and has trained extensively on whale disentanglement, including with NOAA experts in Maui.

A Lasting Tribute Via Sheldon Legacy Society “ Our IRA did very well, and we were able to direct part of the required mandatory distribution to the college as a charitable gift. It was easy to do, and financially, we would not have been able to establish an endowed fund without the IRA payout. Plus, this gift helps us avoid paying taxes on the money.”

—Donald Blauvelt ’62

Donald ’62 and Linda Mykland Blauvelt ’61 wanted to honor their late daughter, Debra Lynn Blauvelt M’08, while supporting their shared alma mater.

By gifting part of their IRA’s required minimum distribution to the college, the couple was able to increase their philanthropy to SUNY Oswego and establish an endowed scholarship in memory of their daughter.

Next year, the college will award the first Debra Lynn Blauvelt M’08 Memorial Scholarship to a non-traditional student.

In 2011 in honor of the 50th anniversary of Linda’s graduation and their marriage, the Blauvelts also decided to leave Oswego a bequest in their will to establish the Blauvelt Scholarship Fund. They said it was a way to pass on their great Oswego experience to future generations of students.

If you are interested in learning more about how directing part of your IRA rollover to SUNY Oswego can both support the college and provide you some tax relief, please contact a member of our philanthropic engagement team at sheldonlegacy@oswego.edu or 315-312-3003.

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Weddings

Allison Macey ’13 M’14 and Matthew Berrigan ’13 were married on Sept. 27, 2019, at Bayshore Grove in Oswego, N.Y. They met as tour guides in the Office of Admissions in 2009. In attendance were (front row, from left): Dave Passonno ’13, Robert Sheppard ’12, Sean Sharp ’12 M’13, Allison Macey Berrigan ’13 M’14 and Matthew Berrigan ’13; (second row, from left) Joanne Webster, Morgan Macey ’15, Katherine Webster ’13, Amanda Howe ’13, Kathryn Bartlett McNitt ’12, Liz Hulchanski, Katie Maxwell ’97 M’02, Graduate Admissions Counselor Sharon Griffin and Lauren Polak Kwaczala ’11; (back row, from left) Assistant Director of Admissions Luke Nadzadi, Doug Henderson, Rich Muyle ’04, Sean Stagnari ’13, Director of Admissions Dan Griffin ’92 M’00, Senior Associate Director of Admissions Jerry Oberst ’77, Breanna Smith Griswold ’13, Zach Griswold ’09, Academic Success Advisor Jordan Perry ’14 M’19, Katie Hall ’16, Residence Hall Director Leigh Viscomi and Associate Dean of Students Dan Roberts.

Michael T. Brown ’13 and Allison M. Smith ’13 married Oct. 26, 2019, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Syracuse, N.Y. Among the wedding guests were Gal DiMamabro ’11, Mikey DiMambro ’10, Cait Walker ’12, Ann Schaefer ’78, Vin Fleszar ’13, Kevin Schulrz ’17, Andrew Riley ’16, Marc Marello ’13, Alex Bruhns, Tony Lauto ’10, Maggie Brown ’13, Brooklyn Sterio ’10 M’12, Juliet Andrews ’11, Justin Andrew ’12, Danielle Saturno ’15, Josh Adems ’08, Ashley Griser, Maggie Adems ’10, Lisa Iaccarino ’18, Emily Barbay ’18, Paula Longway ’13, Justin Soule ’12, Mike Lucatuorto and Andrew J. Schuster ’11. Allison is an art teacher at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and a freelance graphic designer, and Michael is a community habitation coordinator for Advocates Inc. The couple lives in Baldwinsville, N.Y.

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Chelsea Cook and David Nye ’12 were married Sept. 29, 2019, in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Kirsten Reimers ’14 M’16 and U.S. Army Capt. Lee Hilpert were married on Nov. 10, 2018. The couple lives in Fayetteville, N.C., where Lee is stationed at Fort Bragg and Kirsten is a fourth grade teacher at St. John Paul II Catholic School.

Stefanie Cornnell ’13 M’14 and Alexander Elkins ’14 were married on Oct. 12, 2019, at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y. Pictured from left to right is Joe Gallina ’02, Molly Doyle VanOrman ’03, Brittany Barrett ’14, Dale Winchell ’14, Christopher McMullen ’15, Stefanie Cornnell ’13 M’14, Alexander Elkins ’14, Johana Lambert ’14, Hannah Smith M’14, Carlene Benson Wager M’16, Andrew Wager ’15 M’16, Brian West ’13, Ariel Powers West ’13, Colin Nobles ’12, Justin Montois ’14, Matthew Smith M’15, Kelly Long M’14 and Cynthia Cornnell M’87. Alex is a technology education teacher at Spencerport (N.Y.) High School, and Stefanie is a 7th grade science teacher at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton, N.Y.

Melissa E. Vincent ’97 and April Silbar were married Sept. 9, 2019, on a sailboat, S/V Seaheart, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Melissa works at Apple Inc.’s Technology Development Group, and April works as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department of Dignity Health Dominican Hospital.

Aimee Hirsch ’14 and Ryan Deffenbaugh ’14 were married on Oct. 12, 2019, in West Point, N.Y. In attendance were (front row, from left): Aimee Hirsch Deffenbaugh ’14, Ryan Deffenbaugh ’14, Peter Hanley ’15, Kimberly Hirsch ’19; (second row, from left): Leigh Rusyn Andrzejewski ’13, Ronel Puello ’15, Amanda Bintz ’15, Gwendolyn Girsdansky Matson ’12, JoAnn DeLauter ’17, Deborah Case Deffenbaugh ’78; (third row, from left): Alain Pierre-Lys ’14, Seamus Lyman ’15, Daniel O’Connor ’14, Travis Clark ’15, George Burke ’17 M’18, Christine Santoro Hirsch ’87.

Paul Mirra ’08 and Nicole Fink ’01 were married on Aug. 18, 2018, at the Renaissance Festival in Sterling, N.Y. From left, with the bride and groom, are Brandi Lee, Abigail Hammond, Stephanie Stevenson, Shannon McCrory-Churchill, Brian Stinson ’09, Dan Shipe ’08 and John Taylor.

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Alumnus Assists Others with Emergency Planning Through his company, Emergency Preparedness Solutions LLC, Tim Riecker ‘00 helps organizations, cities, event venues and other entities create plans to respond to everything from an active shooter to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He and his wife, Dr. Robin Riecker, founded the company in Utica, N.Y., in 2012, to provide assessment, planning, training and hands-on exercises to better prepare a response to emergencies and disasters.

“The work I do is absolutely my passion,” said Tim, a business administration major who served as chief of operations for Student Association Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SAVAC) during his time at SUNY Oswego.

“The depth that can go into this work is endless, from high-level plans to detailed checklists for the people taking action. While there are many standards across emergency management, those standards must be applied thoughtfully to meet the unique needs and circumstances of every client.”

As a small business owner, he is also responsible for day-to-day operations and calls on the business administration knowledge he gained at Oswego.

“It’s an interesting and multifaceted job,” he said. “The fundamental practices and services we provide come from

knowledge and experience of being an emergency manager. My degree in business administration has helped me with all the necessary areas of running my own business: accounting and book keeping, marketing, communications, project management, organizational management, contract law and more.”

His clients span the whole country and multiple time zones, which affects his work schedule as does the nature of the work.

He has been drawn to this high-intensity, high-impact work since he became a volunteer firefighter and EMT even before coming to Oswego and joining SAVAC. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, his company was quick to be called to assist former, current and new clients. Although each kind of emergency—whether that is an infectious disease, weather event, active shooter or nuclear disaster—is unique, he said the fundamentals of planning are the same.

“Just like planning, the fundamentals of response are the same, but then we leverage different tools and resources to the solve the problem we are faced with,” he said.

Tim said that all families and individuals should also have emergency plans for themselves.

To learn more about Tim’s company, visit epsllc.biz. Check out his and other alumni-owned businesses in the Oswego Alumni Business Directory at alumni. oswego.edu/businessdirectory.

Richard (RJ) DeLisle M’99, a director of technology in the Baldwinsville (N.Y.) Central School District, received the 2020 Leader in Digital Education Award by the School Administrators Association of New York State, recognizing his exceptional, creative leadership in harnessing the potential of technology to further teaching and student achievement.

2000s Michael Collins ’00 is commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Syracuse, N.Y. He has been executive director at the Northeast Community Center since 2014. Prior to that he worked in property management for Interfaith Works, ran his own Syracuse construction company and worked as a teacher at Meacham Elementary.

Jeff Ragovin ’00 is the chief commercial officer of Fyllo, a marketing technology company focused on the cannabis industry.

Christopher Anctil ’01 of Plattsburgh, N.Y., is an immigration services officer at U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security in St. Albans, Vt. Michael Kite ’02 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a senior director of business development at Digital Hyve in Syracuse, N.Y. Naomi Pominville ’02 of Stockbridge, Ga., is a business analyst advisor at Cigna.

Kristen Hoyt Vinson ’02 of Elgin, S.C., is married with three children who range in age from 11 to 16. She is the assistant vice president of service operations for Selerix Systems Inc., a software company based in Dallas, Texas. Kristen has worked with the company for 12 years and opened its South Carolina office about six years ago. The office has 17 employees and is growing.

Ali (Allessandra) Messore Skinner ’03 is vice president of communications strategy and leads a team of 15 people for Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, where she has worked since 2011. She previously worked as a Capital Region journalist.

Kelly Crissy Nickerson ’04 of Fulton, N.Y., is a digital coordinator for WRVO Public Media on the SUNY Oswego campus.

Ryan Snyder Sullivan ’04 of Copenhagen, N.Y., is a typist for Student Records at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y.

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Class Notes Julie Barlow ’05 of Rome, N.Y., is a branch supervisor at Community Bank N.A. in Rome.

Jennifer Krusch ’07 of Denver, Colo., is a senior specialist in operational communications for Comcast in Englewood, Colo.

Tom ’06 and Ariana Cuadrado Sylvester ’06 kicked off Genesee Community College’s third annual Pitch Competition with the presentation, “Becoming a Lifestyle Builder: Your Guide to Creating an Aligned and Amazing Life.” The couple covered the first three sections of their book, Life Builders, Build Your Business, Quit Your Job and Live Your Ideal Lifestyle.

Travis Smith ’05 M’06 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., was promoted to audit senior manager at Dermody, Burke & Brown. He is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the notfor-profit section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

ASK Me!

Ingredients: 8 Russet Potatoes 1 Pint Heavy Cream 1 Stick Butter (Unsalted) 1. P eel potatoes and cut each one into 6ths. Place directly in large pot of cold water.

2. Put pot on to boil and cut butter into slices.

3. Place butter and heavy cream in a small pot and simmer until melted.

4. Gently boil potatoes until fork tender, do not over-boil.

5. Strain potatoes and return to hot pot.

6. Crush with whisk (if you have a food mill/ricer or hand mixer use that).

7. Season with salt and pepper, add small amounts of cream mixture until proper texture is achieved. Do not overmix! (It should maintain a peak when dolloped onto a plate.)

Shared by Lee Candela ’08, executive sous chef of North Hempstead Country Club in Port Washington, N.Y., during his virtual cooking session on preparing a Thanksgiving-inspired meal for the SUNY Oswego community.

Share a little of yourself with others.

Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Jill Tompkins ’08 of Oswego graduated in May from Syracuse University College of Law. She was selected to join the Order of Barristers, an honorary society for law graduates excelling in oral advocacy.

Edwin Acevedo M’09 of Nashville, Tenn., is a digital optimization specialist at TruStar Marketing in Nashville.

Caitlin Hafner Grady ’09 of Holly Spring, N.C., is enjoying her time as a stay-athome mom.

Shelby Matthews Mancuso ’07, husband, Mike, and children, Hudson (3), Parry and Finlee (6-month-old twins) were excited to appear on the Today show in September, after making Oswego shirts as Al Roker ’76 wears. They wanted to join the Oswego party! Shelby is a learning and development associate for LIFEPlan CCO, and they live in Frankfort, N.Y. Kelly Bootier Mattice ’07 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a Spanish teacher in North Colonie (N.Y.) Central Schools.

Tip for Tasty (Mashed) Taters

human resources at the Watson School at Binghamton University since July 2018.

Michele Giorlando DeRosa ’08 of Stamford, Conn., is an English teacher at Greenwich (Conn.) Public Schools. During her time at Oswego, she was a member of the Laker Women’s Tennis team.

Brian Hauser ’08 M’10 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a web developer at Dupli Envelope & Graphics in Syracuse, N.Y., where he manages all company websites and digital marketing materials.

Sarah Kane ’08 M’15 of Endicott, N.Y., has been an assistant dean of finance and

Alexander Rufer ’09 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a commodity market analyst at Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford, N.Y. He was a member of the Men’s Rugby team at Oswego.

2010s Benjamin Amey ’10 of Schenectady, N.Y., is a communications and public relations manager at Proctors Collaborative. While a student at Oswego, he was involved in the student media organizations, WTOP10 and WNYO. Austin Byrd ’10 of Lancaster, N.Y., is a senior manager of philanthropy at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation in Staten Island, N.Y. At Oswego, Austin was involved with Phi Beta Lambda and Omicron Delta Kappa, and worked as a resident mentor and with campus recreation.

Courtney Price ’10 of Moore, Okla., is a senior geologist at Chaparral Energy in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Loyal Lakers

“I want to contribute to the opportunities the current and future students have. Scholarships, the best facilities, participation in research and the arts—all of the top tier experiences I had were opportunities made possible by donations.

It’s a pleasure to now contribute to those opportunities for future Lakers.”

– Emily Cantillon ’15 has been donating to The Fund for Oswego for the past five consecutive years—every year since she graduated. An early childhood education major, she went on to earn a master’s in teaching the visually impaired at the University of Northern Colorado and now works as a co-facilitator of Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass.

Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/loyallakers.

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Alumna Innovates Her Career on Her Own Terms Shanna Fuld ’16 is carving out her own path to pursue her passion as a reporter and producer of a daily podcast in Tel Aviv, Israel, that provides a news round-up of the top stories in that country.

Intended for an English-speaking audience, her Israel Daily News Podcast is an independently run, non-affiliated show written, produced, and presented by Shanna. The podcast is free and available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and in every other podcast platform.

She launched the podcast in spring after being laid off from an on-camera reporting position at ILTV Everything Israel as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting the world. In just a few months, she has already picked up listeners from across Israel, the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan and the Philippines. Learn more or subscribe at israeldaily. news. Listen to an interview with Shanna in a recent Oswego Alumni Podcast at alumni.oswego.edu/podcast.

Christina Blanchard ’12 of Philadelphia, Pa., is an integration manager at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York, N.Y. Mayol A. Malak ’12 of Syracuse, N.Y., works as a coordinator for Syracuse Model Neighborhood Face in Syracuse.

Angela Janack ’13 M’14 is an audit senior with over five years of experience providing audits, reviews and compilations for a variety of industries. She concentrates in the industry specialties of nonprofit and architecture and engineering (A/E), and she specializes in providing audits of employee benefit plans and SOC 1 audits.

She is also a member of the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance and Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor organization for financial information students and professionals.

Steven Neuhauser ’13 M’15 is an accountant at D’Arcangelo & Co. LLP, working in the Oneida office.

Brendon Phillips ’13 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a social media specialist at the University of Albany. Brendon was a member of WTOP during his time at Oswego.

Mary Yaeger Sansone ’13 of Somerville, Mass., is the associate director of alumni engagement at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. During her time at Oswego, she was involved in Public Relations Student Society of America, Del Sarte Dance Club, Lambda Pi Eta and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Crystal Walters Braham ’14 was hired by Cayuga Counseling Services as a crime

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victims specialist for the Auburn Police in Auburn, N.Y. Brian Chojnacki ’14 interned with WKBW-TV. After working in several markets, he filled a position in the sports department with WIVB-TV in Buffalo, N.Y. Christianna Miller ’14 of Ballston Spa, N.Y., has embarked on two, 20,000-mile solo road trips around the county (2016 and 2018) since graduation. She is currently planning a third solo road trip to Alaska, “At-last-ka” to complete her goal of setting foot in every state. Starting off a production career on several television shows, she worked her way to being a full-time freelance production coordinator. Some of her past jobs include music videos for Drake, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Dua Lipa, and on commercials for Chanel, Target, ESPN, Disney, Google Apple, Facebook and many other household names.

One of her most recent jobs aired during 2020’s Super Bowl for New York Life.

Z100, and the success of his WNYO radio show 4 Guys in a Booth with helping him obtain a position as a DJ/producer at Cumulus Media’s top station in Syracuse, N.Y., 93Q. He also produced live Syracuse Chiefs baseball broadcasts on its sister station, The Score (AM 1260). In his current role, John edits WWE’s videos for YouTube and the WWE Network. He assists in the live production of a global entertainment program, Monday Night Raw, which airs live every Monday on the USA Network.

Kendra Bowman ’15 of Waterloo, N.Y., is an enrollment coordinator at Keuka College.

Pranay Chapagain M’15 M’20 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a web application developer at SUNY Oswego.

Molly Matott Clock ’15 of North Syracuse, N.Y., is an innovation tech high school math teacher at OCM BOCES. She and Taylor Clock ‘15 were married June 6, 2020. At Oswego, she was involved with WTOP-10, Meteorology Club and Del Sarte Dance Club, and worked as a Laker Leader for New Student Orientation.

Jonathan Krupa ’15 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a paralegal working for the City of Syracuse, handling local laws and bankruptcy cases.

He is in the graduate certificate study program for paralegal studies at Duke University.

EVENTS While planning for these events continues, please check the online events calendar for the most up-to-date information.

March 1

GOLD Giving Challenge Begins**

March 6

Reunion 2021 Engagement and Philanthropy Committee Meeting*

Amanda Millier ’14 of Albany, N.Y., was appointed as an Excelsior Service Fellow in the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations after graduating with her MBA. During the two-year appointment, she is working on a variety of projects pertaining to policy.

April 10

Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting*

May 7

Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors Meeting**

May 14

Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony*

Mohamed Rizly Noor Mohamed ’14 of Matale, Sri Lanka, is working as a recruiter.

June

Reunion Weekend 2021*

June 12

Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting*

John Mongiello ’14 of Stamford, Conn., is a senior production assistant at World Wrestling Entertainment. He attributes his internship experience with Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on New York City’s

* Alumni and Parent Relations, 315-312-2258 ** University Development, 315-312-3003

alumni.oswego.edu

Class Notes

Oswego Matters Unprecedented. Challenging.

Uncertain.

precious and fleeting moments of childhood—for which we’ll be forever grateful.

I would bet good money that those three words ranked near the top of many vocabularies in 2020. They certainly did in mine. Last year was not at all what anyone expected. And while there were many hardships, I still found myself using one more phrase almost as often as the three words above:

In the Alumni and Development Office, we joined higher education institutions across the nation in the scramble to transition longstanding traditions to a virtual realm.

Unprecedented? Absolutely. Challenging? Insert audio of, “You’re on mute!” on repeat here ... enough said. Golden lining? Access to technology that allows us to continue our good work together, even while apart—and which still enables impactful connections to occur among our Laker community.

Silver lining. ... Or, perhaps in this case, I should say golden lining.

This phrase particularly stood out for me during the Thanksgiving season, as I reflected back on the months prior—and I even expressed this in a note to our Alumni Association Board of Directors, whom I am grateful to work beside (albeit virtually!) each day.

On a personal note, my husband and I faced the same scenario that many parents worldwide found themselves in last spring: adjusting to working from home ... with a toddler in the mix. Challenging? Frequently.

Uncertain? I think the word “toddler” speaks for itself. Golden lining? Extra time we would have never been granted with our son during these

Sarah Popovitch Mayrose ’15 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a veterinarian at VCA Animal Hospital in Ballston Spa, N.Y. During her years at Oswego, Sarah ran with the Laker track and cross country teams.

Jeremy Pietruch ’15 works as a math specialist in the Academic Support Center at Herkimer County Community College, where he provides subject-specific tutorial assistance infused with best-practice study strategies instruction, utilizing a range of available learning resources and through a variety of service-delivery modes. He earned a master’s degree in accountancy from SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Previously, he worked in the Utica City School District as a homebound instructor, providing one-on-one tutoring to students, and as a substitute teacher at the middle and high school levels.

As we all continue forward into this new year with refreshed hope, there is still plenty of uncertainty among our penciled-in plans. Golden lining? Knowing you’re part of a Laker family that is certain to re-write their agendas and make the time to support their alma mater, its current students or their alumni family—no matter the circumstances.

So, “un-mute” yourself, if you haven’t already—and be a golden lining for another Laker! Become an Alumni Sharing Knowledge mentor, to connect with current students; share your Oswego story as a guest on our Oswego Alumni Podcast; support need-based scholarships through the Path Forward campaign; host a virtual webinar or presentation for alumni; join

Rebekah Tanner M’15 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a proprietor at Winged Fox Enterprises.

Reid Adler ’16 M’19 of Las Cruces, N.M., is a resident director at New Mexico State University. He has most recently become a university investigator for the Dean of New Students Office. His love of rugby at SUNY Oswego led him to become a D1A Rugby Referee in the Southwest Region under USA Rugby.

Megan Gallagher ’16 of Bay Shore, N.Y., now working as a paralegal, comes from a long line of Oswego alumni in her family; mother, Mary Jane Madden (Holt), father, Daniel Gallagher, cousin, Rachel Jewell ‘09 M’11. Megan was involved with Alpha Sigma Chi at Oswego, and remembers swimming in the lake, reading on the lawn in front of Cayuga and free skating as some of her favorite activities and memories.

the Reunion Committee to help plan our annual tradition (whatever that may look like!); or become an Admissions volunteer, to help recruit the next generation of Oz grads.

And, while we’re still “distancing” for the time being, you can still be “social” with us by following our various social media channels. “Like/Follow” our Oswego Alumni communities for extra content!

Following a year when it was tough to stay positive, I hope you’re able to find joy, rest and peace in 2021.

You, our Oswego alumni, are one of the reasons I find joy in my work from day to day. Perhaps you’ll find that some of your own golden linings have a hint of green, too?

Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09 Executive Director of the Oswego Alumni Association

Katherine Hartig ’16 of Northport, N.Y., is a vertical marketing specialist at Spectronics Corporation in Westbury, N.Y. At Oswego, Katherine was involved with the Newman Center.

Zoe Barnholdt ’17 is an interior designer and founder of Flowers for Zoe in Syracuse, N.Y., area. Previously, she worked as a business advisor at EarQ Group.

Rachel Hartter ’17 of Henrietta, N.Y., is a tax auditor trainee at NYS Department of Tax and Finance.

Joanna McIntyre ’17 of Albany, N.Y., is a program assistant at the University of Albany. She is also pursuing a master’s in social work at SUNY Albany.

Emily Nassir ’17 of Great Neck, N.Y., is an associate customer success manager at Bluecore in New York, N.Y. During Emily’s

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Gilding the Lily: Alumna Climbs Mountains to Pursue Passion for Botany Sierra Nevada mountainside for days at a time. She is doing a floristic inventory—meticulously documenting all of the plants of the Manter and Salmon Creek watersheds in California. It’s part of her research for her master’s in botany at California Botanic Garden, part of Claremont Graduate University. She collects samples of plant species, presses them flat and brings them to an herbarium, where she identifies and deposits them for future reference and study.

A passion for the environment drives Nina House ’17, and that commitment carried her through some challenging times to a life in which she is blossoming.

After earning an associate’s degree, Nina transferred into SUNY Oswego with a very tough semester ahead of her, as she decided to change her major to biology shortly after enrolling.

She was one of two students selected to work on a project with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate microplastics ingestion by forage fish in Lake Ontario.

“We collected fish from Lake Ontario, dissected out their stomachs, dissolved them and then checked the stomach contents for microplastic ingestion,” said the Phoenix, N.Y., native. “This project and the people I worked with during it

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really transformed my last two years at SUNY Oswego. I am confident that this is what set me up for the successes I have had since graduating.”

During her undergraduate work at Oswego, she also traveled to Costa Rica for a summer research experience.

“This trip was my first time outside of the United States (besides Canada), my first time traveling alone and the first time I attended a school-related program where I would know absolutely no one,” Nina said. “It was an amazing experience! I learned so much about sustainability and field work, and met people who I am still good friends with to this day. It really inspired my desire to travel and live in new places.”

Today, Nina regularly packs up some gear and heads out to the southern

“Documenting plant species diversity is of critical importance to establish a baseline that can guide management, inform conservation and facilitate our understanding of landscape scale change that results from a changing climate and other direct human impacts,” she said. “If we do not know what plants are present on the landscape and how disturbances are affecting them – we can’t do anything to mitigate those impacts!”

Ultimately, she hopes her work will inform public policy and science communication, although she said she wants to always be performing some field work.

“We scientists can do research all day, but if we can’t get the general public interested; well, there’s just no point,” she said.

To see more of Nina’s photos and watch a slideshow of her research areas, visit magazine.oswego.edu.

Class Notes ASK Me!

Oswego Alumni Win CNY Short Film Competition Grand Prize Three Oswego graduates—Andrew Nimetz ‘20, Derrick Benton ‘18 and Victoria Diana ‘16—were among the grand prize winners who each received $40,000 to bring their scripts to life through the CNY Short Film Competition. Andrew is pictured on the set of a previous production, Here To Collect. time at Oswego, she was involved in Alpha Epsilon Phi, Student Association, Hillel, Chabad and Mentor Oswego. She worked as a tour guide and Telefund caller on campus.

Jessica Suprise Dorans ’18 M’19 of Greenville, Wis., is currently serving in the U.S. Army. At Oswego, she was involved in Beta Alpha Psi, Accounting Society, Beta Gamma Sigma, Veterans Club and the Non-Traditional Student Organization.

Cameron Guglielmo ’18 of Glen Falls, N.Y., is a sales and services manager at Staples U.S. Retail in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Cameron participated in Mentor-Scholar and Tau Sigma at Oswego.

Joshua T. Jasewicz ’18 M’19 is a staff tax accountant at Dannible & McKee LLP in Syracuse, N.Y. Prior to joining Dannible & McKee, he worked as a tax intern at Burdick & Pearson, CPAs PLLC, where he assisted with income tax compliance for a wide variety of clients including individuals, corporations and partnerships.

Emily Rundle ’18 of Ava, N.Y., graduated from University at Buffalo, with an M.S. in School Librarianship. She spent her summer supporting community literacy at Erwin Library in Boonville, N.Y. She was a member of Tri Beta and Sigma Delta Tau at Oswego.

Corey Slifkin ’18 of Congers, N.Y., is a videographer for LCM247 in Pearl River, N.Y.

At Oswego, Corey was an active member of WTOP-10 and played ultimate frisbee.

Alyshia Hull ’19 of Pulaski, N.Y., is an award-winning journalist who works at Childress Ink. In addition to her own projects, Alyshia works as product developer on works-in-progress, upcoming reading initiatives, literary partnerships and expansion into e-retail. She also is a freelance writer and speaker whose goal is to involve children in reading, writing and storytelling. She has won multiple awards, including the SUNY Oswego Journalism Award for both editorial and opinion writing.

Brandon Macey ’19 of Troy, N.Y., is a studio technician at WTEN-TV. He was a member of WTOP, WNYO, the Blackfriars Theatre Organization, Film Club and Lambda Pi Eta during his time at Oswego. Brandon produced his own show on WTOP and enjoyed being involved with the fitness centers on campus and the Media Summit.

He is currently working on starting an animated web series.

Cherilynn Miller ’19 of Rochester, N.Y., is a customer service representative at Wegmans in Rochester.

Kassadee Paulo ’19 of Oswego is an editor-in-chief at Dot Publishing—Oswego County Today. At Oswego, she was involved in The Oswegonian, Pi Delta Pi, The Odyssey Online, Phi Kappa Phi, and Great Lake Review. In addition, she was a resident assistant.

Cheat Sheet for Financial Success 1. Create a budget and stick to it.

Use technologies like Acorn, Digit and Mint to help you.

2. Save 6 months of living expenses in a high yield savings account.

Anything beyond that should be invested.

3. Don’t save to save. Save to invest.

4. Diversify your revenue streams so you can make money while you sleep. Find nonpassive work (including monetizing your talents or hobbies), and passive income (real estate, royalties,stock market, investments, businesses).

5. Remember: Your biggest investment is yourself!

Shared by Sheneya Wilson ’15 M’16, founder of FOLA Financial LLC, during “The Making of a Billionaire” virtual workshop for the SUNY Oswego community. folafinancial.com Share a little of yourself with others.

Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Alesha Pilon ’19 is participating in a service experience with AmeriCorps at SBP in Brooklyn, N.Y., and also works as a client service coordinator at Friends of Rockaway.

Gregory West ’19 of Huntington, N.Y., is an assistant touring carpenter for NETWorks Touring LLC.

2020s Ryan Green ’20 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is an area manager with Amazon.com Inc. in Bristol, Conn. Ryan served as the Student Association director of finance for the 2019-2020 school year at Oswego.

Autumn Pollock ’20 is an admissions counselor at New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

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In Memoriam

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Harriet Metz Armbruster ’42 of Tavernier, Fla., Dec. 19, 2016.

Nancy A. Feller Carr ’53 of Cary, N.C., April 21, 2020.

Leslie Hastings ’61 of Three Mile Bay, N.Y., April 7, 2018.

Norma Schafer Nash ’43 of Canton, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2020.

Robert DiBello ’53 of Lakewood, N.J., May 3, 2019.

Patricia White Walpole ’62 of Sherrill, N.Y., Feb. 7, 2020.

Norma Sutherland Church ’45 of Oswego, March 29, 2020.

Anne Macdonald Sherman ’53 of Liverpool, N.Y., April 16, 2020.

Robert Rossiter ’63 of Liverpool, N.Y., March 20, 2020.

Dorothy Emmanuel Paul ’45 of East Hartford, Conn., March 19, 2020.

Francis Grimes ’54 of Huntington, N.Y., Feb. 6, 2019.

Marilou Huberth Santoro ’63 of Myrtle Beach, S.C., March 26, 2020.

Phyllis O’Brien Baker Rech ’45 of Granby, Conn., March 26, 2020.

Mary Markovci House ’54 of Jordan, N.Y., March 10, 2020.

Nancy Griffin Bryant ’64 of Elmira, N.Y., March 22, 2020.

Edward Armbruster ’47 of Tavernier, Fla., July 12, 2107.

Douglas Baker ’55 of Hollywood, Fla., Nov. 11, 2019.

Carol A. Pezzulo Sgarlata ’64 of Oswego, June 1, 2020.

William E. Gallik ’47 of Hamilton, N.Y., June 23, 2020.

Helen Schuyler Coty ’55 of Wallingford, Conn., May 14, 2019.

Joanne Galuski Truman ’64 of Poland, N.Y., March 15, 2020.

Barbara Schilling ’47 of Oswego, April 20, 2020.

Elise Aldridge Dargie ’55 of Rome, N.Y., March 15, 2020.

Joseph Dempsey ’65 of Lindenhurst, N.Y., Jan. 20, 2020.

Margery Steiger Anderson ’48 of Herkimer, N.Y., April 11, 2020.

Gerald Fishman ’55 of Stamford, Conn., June 4, 2020.

Constance Shannon Gilbert ’66 of Huntington, W. Va., Feb. 4, 2020.

Mary Lou Davey Hill ’48 of Fulton, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2020.

Robert (Bob) J. Garrand ’57 of Westwood, N.J., May 4, 2020.

Richard Kohler ’66 of Gainesville, Ga., March 18, 2020.

Ruth Sonnichsen Binaco ’50 of Fair Haven, N.J., April 24, 2018.

George Hunt ’57 of South Wales, N.Y., Jan. 15, 2020.

Karen Ann Wengert Boyea ’67 of Slingerlands, N.Y., May 25, 2020.

William Schlageter ’50 of Greece, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2019.

Marlene Lawton McAndrew ’57 of Falmouth, Mass., Oct. 1, 2018.

Lawrence Carpenter ’67 of Dryden, N.Y., Feb. 28, 2020.

Betty Hutchings Steglich ’50 of Boise, Idaho, Aug. 5, 2017.

Charles Walsh ’57 of Minoa, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2020.

John Hergenhan ’67 of Fairhaven, Mass., Feb. 4, 2020.

Gordon Stuart ’50 of Tarrytown, N.Y., May 2, 2018.

Karl Murphy ’58 of Chapel Hill, N.C., Nov. 20, 2019.

Gloria Thompsen Clausen ’69 of Mendham, N.J., Jan. 20, 2020.

Louis Gimelli ’51 of Woodstock, Md., July 2, 2018.

Donna Galusha Allen ’59 of Fulton, N.Y., April 12, 2020.

Dennis J. Fagan ’69 of Middle Island, N.Y., June 18, 2020.

Lila Richter Haut ’51 of Richmond, Va., April 27, 2020.

Thomas LaClair ’59 of LaFayette, N.Y., April 18, 2020.

Cheryl Marie Phillips ’69 of Prompton, Pa., May 12, 2020.

Walter Kluge ’51 of Brevard, N.C., Nov. 14, 2019.

Robert Lang ’59 of Gloversville, N.Y., April 9, 2020.

Arthur C. Adkins ’70 of Fulton, N.Y., June 8, 2020.

Nancy Wilson McDaniel ’51 of Bradenton, Fla., April 5, 2020.

Robert Moore ’59 of Bridgeport, N.Y., Feb. 25, 2020.

Michelle Gifford Cook ’70 of Summerfield, Fla., Jan. 27, 2020.

Herbert Parmet ’51 of Newton, Mass., Jan. 25, 2017.

Louise Illenberg Soper ’59 of Orono, Maine, Dec. 26, 2019.

Mary D’Inzillo ’70 of Yonkers, N.Y., Dec. 1, 2019.

Helen Morland Pease ’51 of New Hartford, N.Y., Feb. 25, 2020.

Robert Caswell ’60 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2020.

David Fogarty ’70 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2020.

Joan Lasola Procopio ’51 of Syracuse, N.Y., Feb. 24, 2020.

Earl “John” Ilnitzi ’60 of Syracuse, N.Y., July 2, 2018.

Betty Haas McMahon ’70 of Johns Island, S.C., Jan. 7, 2020.

Patricia Dight Rill ’51 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., March 5, 2020.

Beverly Kirkpatrick ’60 of Williamson, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2017.

Clarence Musket ’70 of Reading, Pa., April 22, 2018.

Mona Langbart Seidman ’51 of Hollywood, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020.

Robert Larsen ’60 of Whiteville, N.C., Oct. 8, 2019.

Walter Zerrahn ’70 of Naples, N.Y., Jan. 14, 2020.

David Clancy ’52 of Oneida, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2017.

George Matott ’60 of Bryan, Texas, April 24, 2020.

Nancy Turner Caldwell ’71 of Oswego, Dec. 7, 2018.

William Devitt ’52 of Venice, Fla., Jan. 5, 2020.

Frank J. Schmitt ’60 of Troy, N.Y., June 20, 2020.

Rosemary L. Andrews ’72 of Lakewood, N.Y., May 16, 2020.

Audrey Helen Ralph Nagel ’52 of Newton, N.J., May 17, 2020.

David Bundy ’61 of Adams, N.Y., April 18, 2020.

Ronald W. Czyzycki ’72 of Yorkville, N.Y., May 2, 2020.

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Sharon M. Handlin ’72 of Liverpool, N.Y., June 15, 2020.

Sally Fry Cronk ’86 of Oswego, Feb. 15, 2020.

David Kelsey, Emeritus Associate Professor of Technology, Jan. 5, 2020.

Elizabeth H. Procter ’72 of Pulaski, N.Y., June 12, 2020.

Michael J. Miller ’89 of Syosset, N.Y., June 19, 2020.

Rosalind Kimmich, Associate Librarian Emeritus, Dec. 20, 2019.

Lewis Williams ’72 of Canandaigua, N.Y., Jan. 10, 2020.

Marilyn H. MacMaster Austin M’91 of Syracuse, N.Y., June 2, 2020.

John O’Dwyer, Professor Emeritus of Physics, March 10, 2020.

Patricia Hoffman ’74 of New Hyde Park, N.Y., June 6, 2020.

Jeanne McNamara Gensler M’92 of Clay, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2020.

Peter Keegan ’74 of Burlington, Vt., Feb. 1, 2020.

Dr. Gerald T. Simmons ’93 of Oswego, June 28, 2020.

Ronald Scrudato, former director of SUNY Oswego’s Environmental Research Center, Feb. 20, 2020.

Theophilus Lewis ’74 of Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 27, 2019.

Karin Gratzer Simmons M’94 of Lakeland, N.Y., Feb. 18, 2020.

Gerald Primeau ’74 of Oswego, April 8, 2020.

Christine Zsemblye Anderson ’96 of North Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 18, 2020.

Mark J. Freinbert ’75 of White Marsh, N.Y., April 26, 2020.

Frances Marks ’96 of Horseheads, N.Y., April 28, 2020.

Mark Metcalfe ’76 of Mount Sidney, Va., April 22, 2020.

Judy Barham Dougherty M’98 of Fulton, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2020.

Hillary Bilford ’78 of East Syracuse, N.Y., Feb. 2, 2020.

David Brown M’99 of Watertown, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2020.

Gordon R. Groff ’78 of Durham, N.C., April 1, 2020.

Diana Schoff Pilatzke ’99 of Ava, N.Y., March 25, 2020.

John Vincent Barraco ’79 of Santa Fe, N.M., April 2, 2020.

Jonathan David Ulrich ’99 of Newfield, N.Y., May 29, 2020.

Miriam Abbas Engle ’79 of Troy, N.Y., May 15, 2017.

Gabriel Accardi ’00 of Deerfield Beach, Fla., Sept. 4, 2019.

Robert Moore ’79 of Chicago, Ill., Jan. 29, 2020.

Bernice Rosalyn Cassidy ’03 of Syracuse, N.Y., March 27, 2018.

Albert L. Roman Jr. ’79 of Verona, N.Y., May 26, 2020.

Wanda Carrie Miller Jansen ’04 of Williamson, N.Y., June 13, 2020.

Jay Tilin ’79 of Valley Stream, N.Y., Feb. 12, 2020.

Jeffrey Miller Sr. ’09 of Syracuse, N.Y., May 20, 2020.

Keith F. McDermott ’81 of Huntington, N.Y., June 16, 2020.

Harley Redlin ’15 of Albany, N.Y., Feb. 11, 2020.

* Friends and family have established a fund in memory of this SUNY Oswego community member. Gifts can be made at alumni.oswego.edu/give or sent to the Oswego College Foundation, 215 Sheldon Hall, SUNY, Oswego, N.Y. 13126. Please indicate the name of the person you wish to honor.

To read a longer form obituary or to submit a remembrance, please visit magazine.oswego.edu.

SUBMITTING AN OBITUARY We will share the news of a SUNY Oswego community member’s death when we receive the information from a family member, friend or another source in the form of a previously published notice, typically from a newspaper or funeral home. Please send such notices to the Office of Alumni Relations c/o In Memoriam, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, N.Y. 13126; or email alumni@oswego.edu.

Mary “Beth” Sereno Schickling ’81 of Oswego, April 29, 2020.

David Kuchinski ’82 of Owego, N.Y., Jan. 3, 2020.

Kenneth Murray ’82 of Trumansburg, N.Y., Feb. 29, 2020.

Donald Friedel ’83 of McKinney, Texas, Feb. 3, 2020.

Michele Greenia ’83 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., March 20, 2020.

David “Scott” Bassinson ’84 of Delmar, N.Y., April 4, 2020.

Troy Allen Martin ’84 of Oswego, July 16, 2020.

Christopher Nessel ’85 of Liverpool, N.Y., March 3, 2020.

Michael Reidlinger ’85 of Fleischmanns, N.Y., May 7, 2019.

You lived here. You learned here.

Now, leave your legacy here.

By naming the Oswego College Foundation in your estate plans, you will create a meaningful impact that lasts well beyond your lifetime.

Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/ plannedgiving or contact us at sheldonlegacy@oswego.edu or 315-312-3003.

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T H E

L AS T

Word

A ‘Close Reading’ of My COVID-19 College Experience 1. I clearly shouldn’t wait to do things that I know will make me happy.

By making plans and memories now, I can avoid having regrets later.

2. I t’s okay that my senior year feels unfinished. It gives me more reasons to reach out to friends, visit the campus, stay in touch with professors. I don’t want to feel finished with these things that have brought me such joy.

3. W ithout a weekly schedule, I become a creature of the night. Work doesn’t get done during the day. This didn’t get written during the day. I look like a rodent during the day. I need a weekly schedule.

4. T rying to plan every detail of my future is a pointless endeavor.

Obstacles are unavoidable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I shouldn’t compare where I am to where I thought I would be.

I wasn’t walking around thinking “This is my last meal at Cooper. This is the last night I’ll spend in the library. This is the last time I’ll get Oswego Sub Shop.” My senior year was cut short, and I have some regrets.

I put plans on the back burner, saying I’d do them once the school year was finishing up. I could say no to lunch with friends because we could hang out once the semester was ending—and it would be all the more special! There was no problem skipping mug night because it happened every Thursday. I didn’t watch nearly enough sunsets.

SUNY Oswego holds a color run every year. Freshman year, I didn’t know it was happening. Sophomore year, I was out of shape. Junior year, I was busy. This year, I was determined. I was going to the gym regularly, so I was hopeful that I wouldn’t suffer. I convinced friends to run with me, thinking we could take some fun pictures.

I don’t know why it makes me so sad that I never got to run a silly 1.5 miles.

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Part of me says it’s rational to spend time mourning my final semester—to grieve memories never made. All expectations of what my departure from college would look like were ripped from me very suddenly, and that’s along with all the other changes the pandemic brought.

The other part of me doesn’t want to waste time imagining events that don’t exist. It yearns to assign meaning to the mayhem and identify lessons learned from the experience, use them to become a better person and continue living life.

This voice occasionally guilts me because it knows there are those who have it significantly worse than me during the pandemic. Both takes on the situation are valid and they’ve both made me feel better in different ways.

I want to share some of the realizations the second part of me has come to. I was an English major—it’s in my nature to evaluate lessons from the story. Maybe they’ll help you in some way.

5. O ne lost semester shouldn’t make me lose sight of the progress I made over the last four years. Freshman year Sam had a crap work ethic, bad judgment and poor social skills. I’ve worked hard to become the currentday version of myself.

Thanks to the professors and mentors who supported me in what I love to do and made me better at it. Thanks to the co-workers I had as an RA who suffered through many incidents and late nights alongside me. Thanks to the best friends who kept me both sane and insane.

I love you guys. l —Samantha Zerbinos ’20 She puts her English degree to use as a digital marketing specialist for Semify in Rochester, N.Y. Her short nonfiction stories have been featured in the Great Lake Review and Stone Canoe. Her time in self-isolation has largely been spent learning to cook, having writer’s block and bonding with her wonderful siblings.

OSWEGO OBJECT

Snowshoes Students from across all generations have embraced the winter weather on the SUNY Oswego campus. Pictured here are 62 men and women of the Oswego Normal School Snowshoe Club from circa 1915, as well as a modern pair of snowshoes, which are typically available for use by visitors of the nature trails at Oswego’s Rice Creek Field Station.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice Creek has suspended the loaning of snowshoes to visitors this winter. The trails, however, remain open for campus and community use and enjoyment from dawn to dusk.

To see more photos of the Snowshoe Club and winter fun at Fallbrook visit magazine.oswego.edu.

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Nonprofit US Postage PAID Oswego Alumni Association

KING ALUMNI HALL OSWEGO, N.Y. 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, N.Y. 13126, or email the updated address to alumni@oswego.edu

Please recycle this magazine.

Faculty –HALL OF FAME– He was the only person I knew who could write music and poetry, sing, play instruments, paint, sculpt, solve complex physics equations and build a robot in the same day. He routinely won the amateur sand sculpting contest on Pensacola Beach and never failed to medal.

He spoke five languages fluently throughout his life: Berber, Arabic, French, English and Spanish, which he learned just so he could communicate with my wife’s family. He used both halves of his brain and taught his children that the learning process never ends.

Rachid Manseur Feb. 17, 1954 – June 8, 2020 All people are unique—my father more than most. He lived an atypical life and possessed a versatile set of skills that are hard to match.

My dad was born into the wrong side of a colonial apartheid state in Algiers, Algeria, but grew up on the winning side of a revolution. His family did not have great means before or after.

With two older brothers, he wore hand-me-downs and used shoes and never had many material possessions of his own.

Growing up he relied on his mind to keep himself occupied and excelled at school. He told stories from ancient history and mythology, read poetry and learned to play the guitar rather than soccer. When wooing my mother, Zohra Zbiri, the daughter of a rather influential national figure, he could not afford gifts.

Instead, he carved her handmade gifts out of wood. Convincing her to give him a chance may have been his greatest feat.

At university in Algeria, he won a limited chance to go study engineering in the United States. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Florida (UF) before embarking upon a career as a professor at the University of North Florida, the University of West Florida and SUNY Oswego.

What our family would like to convey to SUNY Oswego is that as often as my father was apparently expressing his love for his family to others, he was at the same time endlessly expressing his love and admiration for the administration, faculty and students of SUNY Oswego to his family. My father loved teaching and was incredibly proud of his students’ accomplishments. He often spoke with great admiration about students and colleagues that overcame difficult obstacles to obtain their place in academia and proudly sent videos to the family of his students competing in various competitions.

When SUNY Oswego hired him to help create an undergraduate level electrical engineering program (and then built a fancy building to accommodate it and other sciences), we knew he hit his jackpot. I would occasionally joke to him that Oswego is an awfully small town for such a worldly man, and without fail, he would quickly retort “but it has a great university.”

Over the last few years, I often tried to convince him to retire and move to Miami but he made it clear that he loved SUNY Oswego so much he wanted to work until he died. When he was forced to retire at the end of this academic year due to health issues, I knew he had lost an important part of himself...something irreplaceable.

If there is one thing my family asks be remembered about my father, Professor Rachid Manseur, it is how much he loved SUNY Oswego.

To the administration, faculty and the students, please know that he spoke only glowing words about all of you to those he knew. My family is forever indebted to SUNY Oswego, its administration, faculty and students for the wonderful opportunity provided to him as a Professor of Electrical Engineering and for the friendships made along the way. You gave him purpose and allowed him to live his dream.

—By Mehdi Manseur, on behalf of the Manseur Family