Stones from the River John Felice Ceprano ’71
Alumni Travel 2008 The URI Alumni Association sponsors great travel packages to a number of exciting locations. Expand your horizons and explore new places with old friends. Adventure awaits!
Chianti in a Tuscan Villa
Cruise the Passage of Peter the Great
The Great Journey through Europe
Village Life along the Seine River
April 13-21, 2008
June 26-July 8, 2008
July 4-July 14, 2008
October 10-18, 2008
Discover the rolling hills of Tuscany, blanketed with verdant vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. From the idyllic village of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa in the heart of Chianti Country, travel to Castello di Monsanto, and sip the region’s distinctive and renowned Chianti wine.
Journey through the heart of Russia, beginning in Moscow. Explore the Tretyakov Gallery, and immerse yourself in Russian history at the Kremlin’s Armory Museum, Red Square and iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral.
Join us on a nine-night journey through the heart of the Alps and along the Rhine River via a unique combination of rail and river travel.
An outstanding program and an exceptional value, Village Life along the Seine River provides an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the cradle of French civilization.
For more information, please visit us at advance.uri.edu/alumni/travel Michelle Fontes ’96, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Alumni Center, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 Phone: 401-874-4854 | Fax: 401-874-5957 Email: mfontes@advance.uri.edu
QUADangles FEBRUARY 2008, VOL. 15, NO. 3
DEPARTMENTS
QUAD ANGLES ON THE WEB: advance.uri.edu/quadangles
FEATURES 3
UP FRONT
10 OUR MAN IN MOSCOW
News and views
8
PRESS BOX
13 PHOTO WRAP
Family Weekend Fall 2007
14 AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME
25 LOOKING BACK 26 ALUMNI CHAPTERS
Upcoming Events and Contacts
URI Buildings Named for Women
30 CLASS ACTS
News from Your Classmates and Alumni Profiles
By Jhodi Redlich ’81 When Vanessa Quainoo traveled to Ghana, she had no idea of the lasting effect it would have on her
18 A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE
40 BACK PAGE
By John Pantalone ’71 The number one player on the URI men’s tennis team, senior Henrik Almstrom carries a heavy load on the court and in the classroom
16 CRY ELMINA CAPTURES THE HUMANITY OF SLAVES
29 PHOTO ESSAY
By Todd McLeish Nicolai Petro, a scholar of Russian politics and culture, participated in high level talks with Russian religious and political leaders
Hillel Students Volunteer in New Orleans
By Jan Wenzel ’87 Students not only gain knowledge at the University, they often gain lifelong partners as well. Enjoy just a few of our many Valentine stories.
INSIDE BACK COVER
22 SAFETY—AN ALERT CAMPUS
Profile in Giving Sury and Indu Suryanarayan
BACK COVER
50th Reunion & Golden Grad Weekend
COVER: NORA LEWIS CONTENTS: NORA LEWIS; NICOLAI PETRO; © ISTOCK PHOTOS; URI LIBRARY DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
By Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 URI’s Emergency ALERT to rapidly inform the campus community
29 SWAN SONG
By Vida-Wynne Griffin ’64, M.A. ’67 An appreciation of URI’s departing provost, M. Beverly Swan
ALUMNI online
advance.uri.edu/alumni
It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way we communicate. We’re taking advantage of the latest advances in this technology to stay in touch with alumni and s upporters. STAY CONNECTED, GET INVOLVED Join a committee, help plan a reunion, take in a Rhody basketball game at home or on the road, get together with URI alumni in L.A., D.C., or wherever you call home. Whatever your interests or location, you can always find ways to stay connected with your alma mater. Two new alumni organizations, the Alumni of Color Coalition and the Women’s Council for Development, offer you even more ways to get involved. Find out more by going to advance.uri.edu/alumni/getinvolved. A VERY SPECIAL GUEST No matter where he goes, Rhody the Ram adds plenty of fun. Now you can invite Rhody to your next celebration. Our own Rhody the Ram has cleared his calendar and is eager to appear at your next event. To find out how you can add Rhody to your guest list, go to advance.uri.edu/alumni. GOLFERS GALORE Mark your calendars! Our 2008 Alumni Golf Tournament will be held at Valley Country Club in Warwick on Monday, June 9. Sponsored by the URI Alumni Association, this annual event is a great way to enjoy your favorite game, catch up with fellow alumni and friends, and raise funds to benefit URI students. The URI Alumni Golf Tournament has raised $120,000 for student scholarships and grants since 1995. Go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/ golftournament to learn more. ARE FARAWAY PLACES CALLING YOU? This year, the URI Alumni Association is sponsoring trips with far-reaching possibilities. Travel programs include an adventure under the Tuscan sun, a journey through the heart of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg, a trip across the Alps and along the Rhine, and a special opportunity to experience French village life along the Seine. Here’s your chance to explore the world with old friends and make new ones. Learn more by going to advance.uri.edu/alumni/travel. SPRINGTIME CHATS Thanks to all of you who have been participating in our University Advancement Online Chat Series. On March 11, we are delighted to feature Kristina Ward '94 of URI-ABC 6's Ask the Pharmacist, an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy. On April 15, Rosanne Sherry '77, coordinator, URI Master Gardener Program, will be back by popular demand to answer all your gardening questions. You can enter these chats, submit a question at any time, or read transcripts of previous chats by going to advance.uri.edu/chats.
Give a Special Gift for Graduation Buy a brick on the URI Century Walk, and give a gift that lasts a lifetime. For $150, you can order a 4” x 8” brick for yourself, to honor a friend, a former faculty member, a student, or to recognize your fraternity, sorority, club, reunion class, or alumni chapter. Inscriptions are limited to two lines with a maximum of 14 characters per line. For more information or to order online, visit advance.uri.edu/alumni/centurywalk or contact Jessie Kenyon, URI Alumni Relations, at 401-874-4853. Your brick donation is tax deductible and benefits Alumni Association scholarships and programming.
2 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
STAY IN TOUCH Sign up for one of our online periodicals or email news lists, and stay in touch with your school! n ONLINE PERIODICALS INADVANCE@URI A biweekly electronic newsletter that contains University news, events, and opportunities of interest to URI alumni and friends. InAdvance@URI is currently emailed to more than 54,000 subscribers on alternate Thursdays. QUAD ANGLES Prefer to read the URI alumni magazine online? Sign up for this online subscription, and we’ll notify you by email when the latest issue is posted at advance.uri.edu/quadangles. n To subscribe to one of our online periodicals, go to advance.uri.edu/esubscriptions. n EMAIL NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS News and announcements regarding upcoming alumni programs, such as the Winter Gala, Homecoming, Golf Tournament, chapter events, reunions, cultural events, and member events. RIRAA ONLINE News and announcements about gifts to the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association (RIRAA), as well as information about athletic events, special ticket offers, priority points, and more. SUPPORTING URI News and announcements about gifts to URI, including gifts to endowment, the Fund for URI, planned giving, building initiatives, and more. n To subscribe to one of our email news lists, go to alumniconnections.com/rhodeisland and click on Member Services. Select Email Preferences to opt in or out of our email news lists.
QUAD angles QUAD ANGLES is a publication of the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association, Division of University Advancement, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-2011. Phone: 401-874-2242. Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle Executive Editor Michele Nota ’87, M.S. ’06 Editorial Committee Paula M. Bodah ’78 Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 Mike Laprey Managing Editor Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’72 Associate Editor Jan Wenzel ’87 Interim Director of Publications Russell Kolton Director of Communications Linda Acciardo ’77 Contributing Editors Mary Ann Mazzone, Class Acts Nicki Toler, Alumni Online & Chapters Contributing Designers Johnson Ma Bo Pickard Kim Robertson Verna Thurber Photographer Nora Lewis Alumni Relations Staff Michelle Fontes ’96, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Howard ’96, Associate Director Jessie Kenyon, Assistant Director Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S. ’03, Assistant Director Alumni Association Executive Board Gary W. Kullberg ’63, President Peter J. Miniati III ’85, Past President Victoria H. Wallace, M.S. ’82, Vice President Donald P. Sullivan ’71, Vice President Joseph M. Confessore ’96, Treasurer Councilors-at-Large Ana Barraza ’93, M.S. ’04 Mark A. Davis ’83 Carlos M. Ferreira ’89 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Ronald P. Joseph ’67 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.S. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell-White ’90 Raymond B. Sepe ’62, M.S. ’67 Benjamin W. Tuthill ’04 Representatives Arts & Sciences: Jerome H. Kritz ’76 Business: Henry Nardone ’90 Continuing Education: Edna Poulin ’71 Engineering: Leo Mainelli ’58 Environment & Life Sciences: Wayne K. Durfee ’50 Faculty Senate: Mary C. MacDonald ’82, M.L.S. ’97 Human Science & Services: John Boulmetis ’71, M.S. ’73 Nursing: Deborah D. O’Brien ’85, M.S. ’96 Oceanography: Mary B. Wiley, M.S. ’86 Pharmacy: Lynn M. Pezzullo ’91 Student Alumni Association: Brittany Manseau ’08 Student Senate: Neil Leston ’08 URI Foundation: Mary F. Carmody, M.S. ’82 URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action. The ideas and opinions expressed in QUAD ANGLES do not necessarily reflect those of the Alumni Association, the editor, or the University. QUAD ANGLES is published five times a year for alumni and friends of the University of Rhode Island; standard postage paid at Burlington, Vt. QUAD ANGLES is printed at The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vt., and is recyclable.
UPfront • How to Improve Your Relationship With Food
Since February is the month of relationships, we asked nutritionist Kathleen Melanson, director of URI’s Energy Metabolism Lab, for some tips for improving our all too often love-hate relationship with food. Here’s what her research suggests: Do things together: Eat and exercise. Find activities you enjoy so you will keep doing them. Savor how good food tastes and exercise feels. Embrace your eggplant: Vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, nuts, and seeds provide lots of nutrients with few calories. Take time for each other: Avoid eating directly out of packages. Instead, portion out a single serving and return the package to the shelf. Eat slowly, enjoying the taste, textures, and the experience. Make a commitment: You’re in this for the long term so make friends with your biological cues that tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re full. PHOTOS BY ISTOCKPHOTOS
Take pleasure in the relationship: Avoid guilt or fear regarding food. Relish a balanced diet, valuing foods as a source of nourishment and enjoyment, to fuel your body and keep it healthy.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 3
Added Dimension
PHOTO BY KIM SALERNO
URI art instructor Kim Salerno studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and painting at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. The Newport artist will further fuse her passion for art and design by turning her collages into an installation. She was awarded a $15,000 Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., grant last fall to help her do just that. “Visual art is dominated by developments that alter the way people see. Computer design programs use layering systems to isolate visual elements,” said Salerno. “This fragmentary aspect of graphics is to contemporary art what perspective was to the Renaissance. I envision this 2-D infatuation in three dimensions, integrating graphic work with the deep space of Renaissance perspective and the physical experience of contemporary installations.” Salerno’s collages are filled with domestic images—wallpaper patterns; architectural pieces such as door handles, stairs, lamps; and silhouetted figures. The artist often adds fabric, fake fur, fringe, or tulle. She plans to develop her collages into an installation composed of large patterned panels and other objects suspended in space to create an environment in which the viewer can move through an interrupted, layered two-dimensional space sprinkled with some three-dimensional objects. She expects the completed work will appear to come alive not as a literal representation of a room, but as a dynamic space that alludes to and reflects the contemporary home environment. The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., was established to provide financial assistance to individual visual artists through the generosity of the late Lee Krasner, a leading abstract expressionist painter and widow of Jackson Pollock. Grants are awarded internationally on the basis of recognizable artistic merit and financial need.
4 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
URI Fisheries Nets Top Prize A team of URI Fisheries Center researchers and local fishermen captured the World Wildlife Fund’s International Smart Gear Competition’s $30,000 grand prize last fall for its unique species-separating net for trawlers. The team beat more than 70 other contenders representing 22 countries. The net catches haddock while releasing their swimming companions—cod and flounder. Because cod and flounder are heavily restricted by federal regulations, fishermen have to throw thousands of pounds of them back into the ocean when they are caught with the haddock. The cod and flounder rarely survive. To eliminate the unwanted fish, or bycatch, Jon Knight ’80, ’94, partnered with fellow fishermen Phil Ruhle Sr., Phil Ruhle Jr., and Jim O’Grady to modify a net he designed for the squid industry to see if it could be applied to ground fishing. URI’s Laura Skrobe and David Beutel tested the net—aptly named The Eliminator—and it could. The Eliminator takes advantage of haddock’s tendency to swim up—but not out of—a large mesh net while other fish swim down. The front end of the net has 8-foot mesh on the bottom that allows cod and flounder to easily escape while smaller, 6-inch mesh on the top traps haddock. The international competition was created to make fishing smarter by encouraging scientists, engineers, and fishermen to develop technologies that reduce bycatch, both a critical economic and environmental problem. Great Britain is currently testing The Eliminator in the North Sea, and other countries have expressed interest. Knight and several URI scientists have received additional funding for other versions of the net for use on smaller boats.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL SALERNO
Pharmacy 50th Anniversary Committee: First row from left, Nancy Tortolani ’81; Jane Giorgi, administrative assistant; Kathy Fisher ’71. Second row, Douglas Fisher ’71; Celia MacDonnell ’75; Ronald Jordan ’76, interim dean of the college; Henry Pedro ’76; Timothy Baker ’76.
Party With Pharmacy at 50 Join fellow alumni, friends, and faculty as the College of Pharmacy celebrates its 50th anniversary on Saturday, March 8, at the Newport Marriott. Fine dining, dancing, and fun will highlight the evening. “This will be a celebration of our past and future. We look back at our great history and look ahead to a new building, increased enrollment, and exciting new challenges,” said Ronald P. Jordan, the college’s interim dean. “We have 3,600 graduates of our college and they have had an incredibly positive influence on health care in so many ways in our state, nation, and indeed our world. So come and celebrate the college’s many contributions, each other, and our bright future.” Cocktail hour for the black tie optional event begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and dancing until midnight with the popular band Brass Attack. The Newport Marriott is located at 25 America’s Cup Ave. “This is our biggest event of our anniversary year,” said Celia MacDonnell, clinical associate professor and chair of the anniversary celebration. “Come reconnect with old friends and former professors and meet some of our new professors and staff.” Tickets are $100 per person. Contact Jane Giorgi for ticket information at 401-874-2734 or jgiorgi@uri.edu.
Math Counts
Gerasimos “Gerry” Ladas is one of the most cited mathematicians in the world. The URI professor’s name and biography have been added to Thomson Scientific’s ISIHighlyCited.com, which honors researchers in 21 broad categories whose publications have received the highest number of citations worldwide. His inclusion means that Ladas is among the 337 most cited mathematicians during the past 25 years. When one researcher cites another’s work, it is an acknowledgment of the relevance of the work to other studies. Ladas joined URI’s Department of Mathematics in 1969. He is co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Difference Equations and Applications and the associate editor of 13 other mathematics journals. He co-authored three undergraduate textbooks, six monographs, and more than 240 research papers. He is a referee for numerous journals and mathematics research proposals for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Office, Research Corporation, and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Ladas focuses on the basic theory of difference equations so that other scientists can use his findings in a variety of applications. Difference equations, the professor explains, are about predicting the future state of a system in terms of the present and the past. He is currently on his third sabbatical at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, where he is consulting on biological mathematical models. Ladas joins seven of his URI colleagues on the mostcited list: Psychologists Jim Prochaska, Joe Rossi, and Wayne Velicer; geoscientist Jean-Guy Schilling; plant and animal scientist Jeff Seemann, dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences; the late oceanographer and microbiologist John Sieburth; and electrical engineer Stephen Kay.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 5
National Survey: URI Leader in Learning Experiences New Provost In the Wings
Donald H. DeHayes has been named URI’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs. He starts in April. He succeeds M. Beverly Swan ’63, M.A. ’66, who served in the position for 17 years and who will return to the faculty. DeHayes will serve as the chief academic officer of the University with overall supervisory responsibility for its teaching and scholarly missions. He will advise the president on policies and operations, chair the Council of Deans, and serve on the President’s Team, the Faculty Senate, and the Joint Strategic Planning Committee. He will also oversee special centers and partnerships. “The provost is responsible for the vitality of the University’s academic life and the intellectual well-being of our students, staff, and faculty. I know that Dr. DeHayes will serve that role well and provide outstanding leadership to our innovative community of scholars,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers. DeHayes comes to URI after a 30-year career at the University of Vermont, where he started as an assistant professor straight from graduate school and taught courses in forest biology, natural resource ecology, and conservation biology while conducting research on the genetics and physiology of forest ecosystems. He was promoted to full professor in 1989 and subsequently served as graduate program coordinator, associate dean, and interim dean before being appointed dean of the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources in 2000. As dean, DeHayes led an effort to transform the school by recasting its mission, establishing a completely new curriculum, hiring new faculty, and building a respected interdisciplinary research enterprise that has yielded an average of $350,000 in research grants per faculty member per year. He also achieved tremendous success in fundraising.
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URI students like to live and learn together in learning communities, help others through community service, learn more about their fields and themselves through internships, speak foreign languages, and visit foreign countries. In fact, when compared to students at the 609 other colleges and universities that participated in the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement, URI students led the pack in these four categories. The national survey asks first-year and senior students about the nature and quality of their undergraduate experiences. The results were announced last fall. Some 886 randomly selected students participated in the Webbased survey. Institutions use the information to gauge aspects of the undergraduate experience inside and outside the classroom to see what works and what needs improvement. “We know that students will be more successful and more satisfied with their University experience if they get involved in and out of the classroom. Many times peer support is an important piece of this involvement. When we organize their classes and even their living arrangements as learning communities, students are more likely to get to know each other better, form study groups, and try new challenges,” explains Jayne Richmond, dean of University College, the academic home of first- and second-year students. The college offers students a broad range of services, programs, and opportunities. • Learning Communities: Each learning community consists of 20 first year students who take three or more courses in common organized around a major as well as a URI 101 class that introduces them to the importance of community service, internships, and international
PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS
study as well as diversity, learning strategies, and campus resources. Exposing students to these learning opportunities in their first semester has been proven to encourage their eventual involvement in each. URI began offering Living Learning Communities in residence halls four years ago. Each year, the number of these communities has expanded to include other majors. • Community Service: Community service is an essential component of life at URI beginning with the freshman year. Since 1995, all freshmen (about 3,000 this year) are required to participate in a one-credit URI 101 course with a service-learning component called the Feinstein Enriching America Program. The course gives students a chance to provide help to the larger community and to relate it to their studies. URI seniors have displayed a continuing commitment to community service; in the survey 66 percent of them reported participating in community service compared to 59 percent of seniors from other institutions. • Internships and Practicums: By their senior year, 71 percent of URI students have participated in some form of practicum, internship, field experience, or clinical assignment compared to 53 percent of students in the other schools. • Foreign Language Courses: Seventy-two percent of URI seniors have studied a foreign language compared with 41 percent of students at the other schools. Last fall, 3,109 URI students were enrolled in various language courses, most predominantly in French, German, Italian, or Spanish.
URI Launches Branding Initiative As the pressure to attract new students and enhance their reputations has grown, colleges and universities across the country are facing the challenge of differentiating themselves in the minds of prospective students, alumni, business leaders, and the public. To this end, the University of Rhode Island has launched a branding initiative to begin the renewal of its cherished URI brand. Through this initiative, URI will create a consistent and powerful identity that presents our competitive advantage. Beyond just implementing a new logo or a tagline, effective brand building takes a comprehensive view of the institution and capitalizes on its strengths and unique qualities. “It has become evident that the University needs to approach its brand or reputation in a sophisticated way, and that is why we initiated this serious and thoughtful process,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers. “Through this, we will define our distinctiveness in the marketplace, communicate our value, and tell our story in the most compelling ways possible.” Branding is the process of determining an organization’s core strengths and communicating those strengths to its most important audiences—in URI’s case, faculty, staff, current students, prospective students, parents, alumni, donors, and government officials. During this past year, Linda A. Acciardo, director of communications and marketing, and Ruby Roy Dholakia, professor of marketing, co-chaired a 22-member Branding Steering Committee that has led this process through its organizational, research and exploration, and implementation phases. A Web site was created (www.uri.edu/uribrand) to facilitate the sharing of information and ideas.
Co-chair Ruby Roy Dholakia at a Branding Steering Committee meeting. Groundwork for Renewal Last August, FORGE Worldwide, LLC, of Waltham, Mass., and Jamestown, R.I., was selected to develop the brand strategy. The agency is a strategic brand-building company with a dedicated higher education division, FORGE Academia. The firm has led successful brand campaigns at Northeastern University, Lesley University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, among others. Last September, the firm began to gain greater insight into the URI brand and the challenges facing the institution today. The agency reviewed URI’s institutional information and its recent 10-year accreditation report as well as student, alumni, and donor perception studies and current University Web, print and broadcast communications. The agency has met with more than 50 URI stakeholders, including members of the administration— the president, vice presidents, and deans—faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The firm also considered findings from the brand research conducted last year by Professor Dholakia and Assistant Professor Daniel Sheinin. Through this study more than 1,400 in-state and out-of-state individuals participated in a telephone or online
quantitative survey to understand beliefs about URI and perceptions and awareness of the URI brand. The participants included student applicants, alumni, opinion leaders, job recruiters, current students, faculty and staff. After analyzing all of its research findings, FORGE presented positioning insights, brand messages, suggested theme lines, and brand architecture—how the overall brand will integrate across the institution. Though this analysis, the firm described the University’s challenges, barriers, opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses. As part of that analysis, the firm also shared its audit of six URI core competitors, examining their brands, key messages, and identities in the marketplace. Comprehensive visual identity and creative recommendations are to be made by the firm this month, and creative elements will be tested with target audiences before the official brand launch in late spring. “Articulating our core values, mission, and voice is not a simple exercise. We need the hearts and minds of our audiences, both internal and external, unified with a compelling vision of our University,” said President Carothers.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 7
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Men’s and Women’s Soccer Seniors Geoffrey Cameron and Lukasz Tumicz, a native of Poland, participated in the 2008 Adidas MLS Player Combine, which took place Jan. 11–15 at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The Rhody standouts were two of just 54 Division I college seniors to be invited to the Combine, which was attended by the coaching and management staffs of all 14 major league soccer teams scouting for talent. Cameron also picked up the Atlantic 10’s inaugural Midfielder of the Year award and was named to the A-10 All-Championship squad. Both Rams earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Mid Atlantic Region honors. Women’s soccer senior Deb Nelson and junior Dora Larusdottir, who is from Iceland, were named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-Northeast Region First Team while four student-athletes from the men’s team picked up All-Mid Atlantic Region accolades. Seniors Geoffrey Cameron and Lukasz Tumicz were named to the First Team while senior Callum Bissett, who is from Scotland, and junior Adam Howarth from England earned Second Team honors. Men’s and Women’s Basketball Women’s basketball senior Safi Mojidi, a Nigerian native, and men’s basketball senior Parfait Bitee, who is from the Republic of Cameroon, represented their respective nations at the 2007 FIBA African Championship. The championship teams earned a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Mojidi helped the Nigerian team post victories over DR Congo (69–56) and Kenya (73–70) before the squad was defeated
8 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
by Mozambique (69–61) in the quarterfinals. Bitee and the Cameroonian team took down Tunisia (75–70), Côte d’Ivoire (76–56), and Egypt (58–52), but fell to Angola (86–72) in the championship game. Awards and Honors For the second-consecutive season, football senior Damien Gresko was named to the 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team. Gresko was the only studentathlete from a CAA institution named to the Academic All-America squad. Senior Bryan Giannecchini also was recognized for his academic achievements, earning spots on the 2007 Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team and the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First Team. Additionally, the Rhody punter was selected to the New England Football Writers Championship Subdivision All-Star Team and was a CAA All-Conference First Team selection. Basketball senior Will Daniels is in line for several prominent national awards. The 6 ft. 8 in. forward is one of just 33 players nationally to be named to the Naismith Award Preseason Watch list. The Naismith Award is presented annually to the top collegiate player of the year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Daniels is also among 30 exceptional seniors who were named as official candidates for the 2007-08 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award presented annually to the NCAA Division I StudentAthlete of the Year. The winners will be announced during the men’s and women’s NCAA Final Four weekends.
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SALERNO
Darren Rizzi Returns to Kingston Upon being introduced as URI’s 18th head football coach, Darren Rizzi ’92 recalled his days wearing Keaney blue and white. Twenty years ago Rizzi was a walk-on who became an All-American tight end. “I remember talking to my teammates about getting into coaching, and I remember how passionate we were about it,” said Rizzi, who left his position as associate head coach at D-I powerhouse Rutgers to return to Kingston. “I’ve always dreamt about coming back to URI and building the football program into a championship program.” The story is pure Hollywood—a player comes home to fulfill a lifelong dream of turning his former team around. While some might say that Rizzi is in over his head, he promises to change those perceptions. “Starting today, people’s assumptions about this football program are going to change,” said Rizzi. “There is no such thing as a quick fix; we’re going to lay a foundation for this program to be built on for the future, and when it is built, it will be indestructible.” Rizzi knows what he’s talking about. He leaves behind a Rutgers football program that ranked amongst the worst in Division I prior to his arrival. He joined former University of Miami defensive coordinator Greg Schiano in the task of rebuilding the Scarlet Knights; the Rutgers team played its third consecutive bowl game on January 6. The Rams, meanwhile, stumbled to a 3–8 season while five of their conference foes advanced to the Football Championship Series playoffs.
“I think Rutgers and Rhode Island are a great parallel because of where Rutgers was seven years ago and where Rhode Island is today,” said Rizzi. “It will take a lot of hard work for the staff and I to get guys on campus, but I know I speak for all of the guys I played with when I say that this is a great place to play, a great place to go to school, and a great place to be socially and academically.” The Rams have had just three winning seasons in 22 years, but Rizzi is confident that the enthusiasm and energy that carried him from a graduate assistantship at Rhode Island in 1993 all the way to Rutgers will make Rhode Island the powerhouse program Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn believes it can be. “I remember coming in from the snowstorm after my interview, and my wife [the former Tracey A. Murphy ’92] asked me how it went,” Rizzi explained. “I told her that URI had finally made a step in the right direction. Thorr Bjorn’s energy, his enthusiasm, his vision, his goals, and his passion for the University are probably the No. 1 reason why I’m standing here today. I’ve entered into a partnership with him to turn this football program into a championship level football program.” And then, Rizzi proclaimed to a crowd of URI faculty, staff, players, alumni, boosters, friends and family, “This program will win, will win consistently, and will win championships. I wouldn’t be standing at the podium if I didn’t feel that way.”
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 9
Our Man in Moscow What is Russian President Vladimir Putin like in person? What would surprise Americans to learn about him?
What has the Putin presidency accomplished?
What is Putin’s leadership style?
10 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
President Putin gives the impression of someone who is very selfassured and intensely focused. I sat just three feet away from him for nearly three hours and as he answered our many diverse questions, I was struck, as many observers are, by his mastery of detail. He went on at great length about topics ranging from the biography of his new prime minister, to the latest proposals to resolve the dispute over Kosovo, to the current status of Russia’s oil reserves—all without any notes and hardly pausing between his replies. It was a most impressive performance. The “Putin Plan” rests on two pillars: stable economic growth and a stable legal environment. The task of turning the country around from instability to stability was in turn divided into two phases, consolidation and reconstruction. The consolidation phase is now largely complete, while the reconstruction phase is just beginning. His major accomplishment has been to revive the Russian economy, upon which all else rests. During the past nine years Russia’s GDP has increased nearly seven-fold in dollar terms, and this goes a long way to explaining Putin’s popularity in a country that is notoriously skeptical of its politicians. Looking toward the future, he has set aside 80 percent of the windfall profits from high oil and gas prices for longterm economic reconstruction, creating a “Reserve Fund” and a “Fund for Future Generations” with more than $150 billion in it. This money will be used to leverage government funding, and over the course of the next decade more than $1 trillion will be invested to rebuild the country’s infrastructure. In the legal arena, during the past eight years Russia has introduced a new criminal code, habeas corpus rules, a juvenile justice system, nationwide trial by jury, free legal aid for the indigent, a nationwide system of bailiffs, and a new Special Investigative Committee that has been compared to the FBI—institutions that have taken other countries decades, if not centuries, to put in place. Putin likes to give his closest and most trusted advisors considerable leeway, even to the extent of publicly disagreeing with each other and with the policies of the government. As a result, the Russian press is full of speculation about who is “up” and who is “down” inside the Kremlin. In its fascination with political scandal, the Russian Press now resembles the British tabloid press. The fact that Putin’s style, words, attire, and behavior are the focus of constant media attention has increasingly led his political handlers to borrow media management techniques from the West. As a result, government officials have started to be much more on “message,” even though their natural tendency, like most politicians, would be to avoid the press entirely, if they could. PHOTOS: NORA LEWIS; NICOLAI PETRO
Political Science Professor Nicolai N. Petro, a scholar of Russian politics and culture, was among 40 academics, international political analysts, and foreign journalists invited to participate in a series of high level talks with Russian religious and political leaders, including President Valdimir Putin, last September. He shares his thoughts about the evolving country.
Is Russia becoming a threat to the U.S. again, or is it just flexing its muscles?
What is the business climate like in Russia? In the last decade, news reports have addressed the Russian black market, the Russian mafia, and other challenges to doing business there.
How does the middle class of Russia compare to the middle class American family?
I would not cast the issue in such Cold War terms since no senior American or NATO official regards Russia as a military threat. Quite the opposite in fact. Moreover, even with all the projected increases in defense expenditures, the Russian military will be only half the size it was at the end of the Soviet era, and much of this spending will go to salaries, housing, and basic supplies that the Russian military now has to pay for, just like everybody else. Having said that, the question of what sort of world order Russia would like to see is a very important one. Simply put, Russia seeks a multipolar world in which no one nation or group of nations can run roughshod over national sovereignty. Putin has clarified that he does not mean that the international community should ignore massive human rights violations or imminent threats to global peace, but that any action taken must truly represent a global consensus and not merely the preferences of a small coterie of states, no matter how wealthy or powerful. To promote its vision of multipolarity, Russia is forging strong alliances with India and China, who very much agree with Russia’s views. The bureaucratic and legal difficulties facing businesses have diminished, while the problem of corruption appears as intractable as ever. Many observers link this to the staggering amount of wealth that is now flowing into and through Russia. Overall, Russia’s business environment has become steadily more attractive for foreign investors. In 2006, foreign direct investment totaled more than $26 billion, a figure that more than doubled in 2007. For the first time since the collapse of communism, major western companies are investing in construction in Russia—10 new foreign automobile plants alone are being planned! Unfortunately, American investors have been slower than most to wake up to the reality that Russia is likely to be one of the world’s five largest economies by 2020, and that personal wealth in Russia is projected to grow faster than anywhere else on the planet, save perhaps India. The Russian middle class (with an annual income of $2,000–$5,000) has grown to over 40 percent of the population, while another 20 percent earn more than $10,000 annually (up from 1 percent in 1998). Meanwhile, the percentage of Russians living below the poverty line has fallen below 12 percent, which is below the average for the European Union. These raw income figures may seem low by American standards, but thanks to very low living costs (outside of big cities); a flat tax on income of 13 percent; the persistence of extravagant state subsidies in areas like education, medicine, and housing; and the near total absence of personal debt; many Russians have a disposable income that is actually higher than their middle class American or European counterparts. Increasingly, they use it to travel abroad, send their children to private schools, and for the purchase of cars, computers, and other high-end manufactured products.
Top to bottom: The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, where the delegation met with Patriarch Alexei II. Members of the delegation walking with President Putin back to his residence. The press conference with Putin (photo by Dmitry Azarov of the newspaper Kommersant). Petro being interviewed on Russia Today by news anchor Evgeny Sukhoi.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 11
What is the state of religion in Russia and are there conflicts among the faiths? Is Muslim extremism a concern?
What do you expect will be the results of the Russian election in March, and what role do you expect Putin to play after the election?
Religious communities have grown almost ten-fold since the collapse of communism. Numerically by far the largest traditional religions in Russia are the Russian Orthodox and the Muslim faiths. Although tensions periodically emerge between them (most recently, for example, on the issue of religious instruction in public schools), Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders both agree on the need to promote religious values in what is still a very secular society. Islamic extremism posed a serious threat in the 1990s when, because of the near total absence of religious seminaries after the fall of communism, Muslim communities often sent their young men to the Middle East for instruction. When many of them returned radicalized, the leadership of Tatarstan isolated them and set up local seminaries to counter the appeal of Muslim extremists. This model, a combination of strong nationalism and religious moderation, appears to have kept most Muslims in Tatarstan loyal to Moscow and now seems to be working in Chechnya, where more than 7,500 rebels have laid down their arms and terrorist attacks have fallen to almost nil. After a decade of war in the region, The New York Times recently reported that the Chechen capital is rebuilding “more swiftly than European cities revived by the Marshall Plan.” Given Putin’s enormous popularity, it is logical to assume that favorite Dmitry Medvedev will win the presidency. This is the typical pattern for European parliamentary politics, which we saw again recently in the United Kingdom where Tony Blair anointed Gordon Brown as his successor, albeit without an election. This will be the first time in modern democratic experience, however, that a Russian leader leaves office more popular than when he came in, and it will be interesting to see how this novel situation is dealt with. I suspect that Putin will do his utmost to strengthen the position of prime minister without undermining the new president. Two thousand and eight is a presidential election year in both Russia and America. Let us hope that nearly two decades after the collapse of the USSR, both countries can finally move beyond the rhetoric of “good guys” and “bad guys” and learn to work together on the challenges that face our interdependent world. – By Todd McLeish
12 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Top to bottom: A frieze on the walls of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior depicting Prince Pozharsky and Citizen Minin as they receive the church’s blessing to liberate Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612. The Cathedral of the Mother of God of Georgia, at Raifa Monastery in Tatarstan. Monument in Moscow to Tsar Alexander II, “Liberator of the Serfs.”
Family Weekend Family Weekend, held Nov. 2–4, brought comedian Bill Cosby to the Kingston Campus in a performance at the Ryan Center. In addition, families of undergraduate students also had the chance to attend classes, tour area hot spots, learn about programs on the Kingston and Narragansett Bay Campuses, and attend a football game. Legacy families—parents who graduated from URI and their students—were also invited to a special dessert reception at the Alumni Center.
PHOTOS: NORA LEWIS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13
At the Top of His Game Strangers who catch a glimpse of Henrik Almstrom striding across the Quadrangle on his way to class probably make one assumption about him: he’s on the basketball team. Standing at a robust 6’ 9” tall, the native of Sweden looks every bit the power forward. But basketball isn’t his game.
14 QUAD QUADANGLES ANGLES FEBRUARY FEBRUARY2008 2008 14
The number one player on the URI men’s tennis team, Almstrom carries a heavy load on the court and in the classroom. He transferred from High Point University in North Carolina in his sophomore year, and he has managed to hold just shy of a 3.0 GPA at URI despite taking six courses a semester so he can graduate in December 2008. The spring tennis season will be his last at URI, and he hopes to improve on his 15-15 singles record of last season as well as his 21-13 record in doubles. “My game has improved a lot since I’ve come to URI,” Almstrom says. “I have aspirations to play professionally, but it is very difficult. I would need a sponsor to invest in me, and the competition is great. I also need security, so I haven’t really decided if I want a pro career.” Some of his hesitation stems from his interest in his major field of international business. A German minor at URI, Almstrom speaks some Spanish, is fluent in both Swedish and English, and has studied French as well. “I have always been interested in languages,” he says. “I see the way the world economy is going, and I want to be involved in working with people in many countries. “I have been affected by people from other cultures all my life. In Europe, when I was growing up, everything was changing, from German reunification to the European Community. I’m very interested in tying languages in with international business.” As a freshman at High Point, Almstrom received an award for achieving the highest GPA among athletes. He was named Player of the Year at his high school in Sweden in 2004 and received two other awards for Good Comradeship and for Diligence and Progress in Studies. “I haven’t done as well with my grades at URI as I had hoped, but it’s difficult to hold 18 credits and play
PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS
tennis,” he says. “I think I’ve done better this semester.” Raised in Hollviken, a village of roughly 7,000 on the southwest coast of Sweden, Almstrom never gravitated towards basketball despite his height. Soccer, ice hockey, track, and tennis hold premiere standing in Sweden, and his town had soccer and tennis clubs. Tennis, it turns out, took him into the international arena. “I started playing when I was 10 and competing when I was 12, and I loved it,” he says. “I was good at it and moved up quickly.” Recruited for the Peter Burwash International Tennis Academy in Georgia as a 16-year-old, Almstrom came into contact with players from all over, including college athletes. That’s partly how he chose High Point. His high school coach in Hollviken also brought American college players to the town, including some from High Point, and they impressed Almstrom with the idea of getting a higher education in the United States while being able to play tennis at school. While things didn’t work out at High Point because of Almstrom’s discomfort with the style of the coach there, a series of coincidences led him to URI. He had been dating a Rhode Islander who attended High Point, and during a holiday visit to the state in 2005, as part of his search for a new school, he decided to narrow things down to New England and New York. They narrowed even more once he met URI tennis coach Val Villucci. “He found me,” Villucci said. “It was sort of fate. He was looking to transfer and checking out different schools. When I met him he offered to set up a match so I could watch him play. NCAA rules prohibit you from giving a tryout to a player, so he kind of took things into his own hands.
“Henrik said later that he was nervous that day, but I knew within the first minute that he was an exceptional player. He had #1 singles ability, and I could see that right off. He’s a hard worker and easy to coach. It’s a treat to have him on the team.” With a strong serve and an aggressive game, Almstrom gives URI a lift at #1.“My footwork is my weakness,” he says. “I don’t want to have to run around on the court, but I’m working on it.” Villucci, pleased with her top player’s work ethic, says, “He has had some significant wins for us, and I don’t think he has reached his potential yet. People don’t realize that tennis is not an easy sport to learn. You can have talent and ability, but so much of the game is mental. Henrik has to be 100 percent focused, and he probably wasn’t before he came here. He’s definitely more comfortable here; not as tense or tentative.” Almstrom credits Villucci’s style for helping him improve. “She’s very understanding, and if you have a bad day she doesn’t get on you but helps you figure it out. She doesn’t judge you that day, and that gives you room to figure things out.” Next fall, in his final semester at URI, Almstrom hopes to serve as an assistant coach so he can be around the team. Chances are it won’t be long before he is off to a distant locale. His girlfriend, volleyball player Ivy Zuidhof, a 2007 URI graduate, lives in Alberta, Canada. Beyond a desire to be with her, Almstrom sees himself traveling and working for a multinational business. “I want to be part of globalization in the business world,” he says. “I have experience in Europe and in the United States, where things are very different. I think I can help people understand one another better.” —John Pantalone ’71 UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLAND 15 15
W
Cry Elmina Captures Humanity of Slaves
16 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
hen Vanessa Quainoo traveled to Ghana, West Africa, two years ago with her husband, Joseph, and their three sons, the communication studies professor had no idea the lasting effect a one-day tourist excursion to the ancient castle of Elmina would have on her. While Joseph, a native of Ghana, traveled there for his work as bishop of the New Covenant Church International, Quainoo planned to research communication patterns of indigenous women and African women in leadership positions and do some sightseeing. The family trip to the castle from which many Africans were shipped off into slavery reshaped some of her personal and professional focus. Quainoo, who has studied African-American history and specializes in African-American rhetoric, said she heard the calls not just of her children as they braced against the wind outside of the castle, but she also heard the history and pain of oppression inside the hallways as she brushed her fingers against the prison bars, “I imagined and heard an entire story of two young people, a man and woman, who could not speak to one another because they did not share a common language and because the guards and structures in place would not permit them to speak. Yet, they had fallen in love, and that love had inspired their hope and endurance.” Back home in Rhode Island, she felt she had never left the castle—or the castle had never left her. She wrote feverishly to share the story. “I couldn’t stop writing and writing. It just poured out of me, as though I was the only one to bring a voice, to share the passion and the pain of the experience. The walls of Elmina were weeping.” The result is a book-length poem called Cry Elmina. Written for performance in a readers’ theater format, the poem tells a story of two main characters, Kwame, a young male captive from a village south of Elmina, and Ama, a young woman from a village north of the town. They spot one another amid all of the chaos and form an immediate bond that grows in spite of not being able to speak one another’s language or to be together. Through the use of flashbacks, Quainoo reconstructs their individual histories, showing the reservoir from which they drew strength and courage. Cry Elmina explores the socio-psychological stresses that likely would have been experienced by West African captives
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS, COURTESY OF VANESSA QUAINOO, BARRY WILLIAMS, AND ISTOCKPHOTOS
From Movement IV
who were held before being sold into slavery and shipped across the Atlantic to Europe and the West Indies. Last spring, Quainoo was invited to present her poem at a conference hosted by the University of Cape Coast as part of the 50th year anniversary of Ghanian independence and rule over the castle. Her presentation was held in the castle with five graduate students from the host university. Quainoo brought her story to life for an audience of Elmina Castle curators, students, and guests. With student actors and with the participation of her sons, the audience saw, felt, and heard the sounds that Quainoo had sensed. It was a strikingly visual experience, with the black cast against the starkly white castle. “Those who had passed through this castle were people we don’t know anything about. They were not the historic figures we may have read about. They were just the pawns, caught and destined for slavery,” said Quainoo. “But these people were mothers having babies, they were children torn from their parents, kids who had been taken midstream from their ‘Mana,’ an African word that means Mother.” Keenly aware of American and African-American history, Quainoo said historians, poets, and even filmmakers have reconstructed the transatlantic journey of the Africans, known as the Middle Passage. Yet, there has been little, if any, attention given to the lives of the captives before the passage. “As an African-American scholar and teacher, I had often felt a need to apologize for privileging the oral-based focus of my rhetorical research. My experience with Cry Elmina has changed that. It has been a liberating affirmation of oral-based cultural history and communication. The process allowed me to merge my academic and creative expertise for the purpose of telling the story and contributing to the AfricanAmerican narrative. “So much of this history is untold. While I know this is fiction, it is rooted in the facts of the past that are not really discussed or described in American history books. This is the root of the African-American experience. It is from Elmina that so many of our forbearers became enslaved and were shipped to the Americas and other countries. This history is fundamental to all of our cultures. While Elmina represents the suffering of African slaves, it is a symbol for all oppression and suffering.” By Jhodi Redlich ’81
Cry Elmina We will cry Cry Elmina We will cry Shout Elmina We will shout Shout Elmina We will shout Sing Elmina How can we sing? In a strange land How can we sing? Sing the Lord’s song Yes, we will sing. Kwame sat against the wall Lizards ran along the stone border Chasing away dreams Pausing and suspending hopes For tomorrow It was the time of the evening he imagined Right before sunset The soldiers ate His brothers languished in the No light of a captive’s afternoon He moved quietly to the gated doorway. At precisely this hour Ama was sure to walk by As the women were moved to their sleeping dungeon. Ama had made it a point to walk as close to the wall as possible Seeing Kwame was her delight. Slowly she turned her head toward his quarters Not to alarm the soldier Softly, she let her arm and hand brush against the gate For seconds, their eyes locked Ama’s soul smiled Kwame’s danced He followed her with his eyes until she disappeared Then, with ritual grace, Reached his hands to caress the place where she had laid hers Silence consoled his ache Silent weeping, hers. Both drifted along the river of sleep The sounds of labored breathing all around.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17
A Groovy Kind of Love Students not only gain knowledge at the University, they often gain lifelong partners as well. Here are just a few of our many Valentine stories. – By Jan Wenzel ’87
18 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Getting a Kick Out of Each Other Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Just ask
arrows eventually hit its intended target. The
Joyce Levine ’79 who met her best friend
couple dated throughout college.Bob was a
and future husband, Bob Diamond ’79, when
starter on the soccer team for all four years,
both were freshmen. Joyce hailed from Upper
and Joyce was a loyal fan.
Montclair, N. J., Bob from Great Neck, N.Y.
The couple married in 1980. Today, Bob is
lingerie straps and jewelry she designs. The Diamonds live on Long Island with their two sons, Scott, 20, and Adam, 18. “We maintain contact with many of our dear friends from URI. Some of our favorite
Bob’s high school friend, Robin Feldberg
group president and C.O.O. of the MID-SHIP
memories come from those years when
Wildman, lived across from Joyce in Weldin
Group, an international shipping and logistics
we were students. We both still remember
Hall and introduced them.
company headquartered in Port Washington,
Saturday night soccer parties down the
N.Y., with 17 offices around the world. While
line and dancing to Bruce Springsteen
Havens concert in Edwards Auditorium. While
Joyce doesn’t sell diamonds, she founded
tunes at the Beachcomber in Scarborough,”
it wasn’t love at first sight, one of Cupid’s
Dazzle Straps, LLC, which sells beaded
Joyce says.
The couple’s first date? Attending a Richie
Crossing Paths After Blanca Perdomo ’86 took Spanish class in Independence Hall, she walked across the Quad and down the hill. Invariably, Frank Xavier ’84 would be walking up the hill. Their paths crossed in front of the former Hope Dining Hall around 1 p.m. Although they were only nodding Talent Development acquaintances, they decided to lunch together. Both were children of immigrants. Blanca’s family came from the Dominican Republic, Frank’s family from Cape Verde. Blanca, a vegetarian, would eat Frank’s ice cream and he would eat her hamburgers and fries. They would part after lunch. After all, she had her friends and he had his. Nearly two semesters after eating together nearly every day, Blanca, who was in the
After the ball, he kissed her good night.
the Town of South Kingstown and Blanca is
explains. “It was a platonic relationship.”
a mental health case manager for the Kent
“It was a sobering awakening,” Frank
R.O.T.C. program, asked Frank to the military
says, rubbing his cheek. “But I respected her
ball. Frank happily accepted, driving Blanca in
for that.”
his old AMC Hornet. “She wore a knockout dress,” he recalls. NORA LEWIS; © ISTOCK; COURTESY DIAMOND AND XAVIER
Today, Frank is the financial controller for
She slapped him. “He was my friend,” Blanca
After Frank graduated, the couple started to date and married in 1986.
Center. They have two boys, Joshua, 19, and Jeremiah, 17. Obviously sharing meals at Hope Dining proved to be the right ingredient for wedded bliss. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19
A Highlighted Romance Donna Arnold ’76, M.B.A. ’78, met Tom
Donna drove a red Karmann Ghia that
Although Tom says it was love at first sight,
Cerio ’76 the day the residence halls opened.
would have died a thousand times if Tom
Donna is skeptical. It was a matter of timing.
They studied on their first “date.”
hadn’t been a superb auto mechanic. When
It was seven years before they married and
he finally got a car in his senior year , he kept
another seven before they had their first child,
I noticed that he was highlighting almost
saying how great it was to be in his own car
Dominic Cerio, now 20 and a URI junior. They
everything on every page,” recalls Donna,
for a change. “On our return, the car ran out
also have a younger son, Victor, 16.
who helped him focus on key points. Three or
of gas, and we had to walk two miles to get
four “study dates” followed before they kissed.
home,” says Donna.
“Tommy was studying for an exam, and
They kept their relationship casual and dated others. Since both worked their way through school, they went Dutch whenever they went out. They danced at the Ocean View until their feet hurt and loved the beach and ocean.
20 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Tom’s career took the family from one coast to another. Today he is executive vice president of program distribution at HBO in New York City. The couple’s commitment is carved in stone. Their bricks on the Quad read: MET HERE IN ’72, IN LOVE 4EVER.
Match Made In Heaven During the first week of his junior year,
Laurie, who never dated someone she
bear with a red ribbon around its neck. A
Rich Santello ’85, a chemical engineering
had met for the first time, agreed to Rich’s
diamond ring was attached to the ribbon.
major, served as a Eucharistic minister at
invitation to dinner without hesitation. They
nearby Christ the King Church.
hung out at local beaches and danced at
proposed,” says Laurie. ”People walking by
Caesar’s and The Club in Newport.
witnessed the whole thing and clapped.”
Laurie Graves ’85 noticed him. “He had a suit on and I thought, “Wow—cute guy!’” Rich was giving out communion when he spotted Laurie. “Either the match was made
“Then he got down on one knee and
“It was like I knew her forever,” Rich says of
They married in 1986. Rich’s career as
their dinner at Spain restaurant in Narragansett.
an executive in the environmental industry
He “pinned” Laurie at the end of their junior
required several moves but the couple now
in heaven or I am going straight to hell for
year. After graduation, Laurie took a job in
lives in Barrington with their children:
checking her out in church,” he jokes.
New York City. Rich faithfully visited each
Amanda, 17, Matthew, 16, and Kathryn, 12.
Two days later the couple met at the Willows, an off-campus hangout.
weekend. On her birthday in October, he sur-
The couple attributes their marital bliss
prised Laurie with a horse and buggy ride in
to love, faith, and communication and
Central Park and handed her a gift: a teddy
surviving two home renovations.
nameless to protect his pension) pretended to be a scout for the ABA Kentucky Colonels,” Kent recalls. “Diane played his wife. It was very funny and some listeners actually believed it was legit.” The couple
Broadcasting Love
married in 1976 after Kent graduated from
Diane Chace ’74 and Kent Fannon ’74 met
date and stayed at Kent’s parents’ house so
the University of Chicago Graduate School
as sophomores when both were disc jockeys
he could interview for a summer intern job at
of Business. He went to work for American
at WRIU. Kent was also general director for
American Airlines.
Airlines, which relocated to Texas in 1979. The
the campus radio station and the voice of the URI Rams.
The couple were pretty much inseparable
Fannons followed suit. Today, Kent is a partner
during their last two years at URI. They trav-
in D’Antoni Partners, Inc., an executive search
eled to basketball
firm, and Diane is a principal of the Richards
For Kent, it was crush at first sight. “I lost more
and football games Kent was broadcasting.
Group, a national advertising agency.
than 10 pounds during the first few weeks. I
“During a game at Holy Cross, I didn’t have
couldn’t eat,” he admits.
time to line up a halftime guest. As a joke,
“I was smitten at first sight,” Diane recalls.
The couple drove to New York on their first NORA LEWIS; COURTESY FANNON, SANTELLO, AND CERIO
my WRIU faculty advisor (who shall remain
“Our love story hasn’t ended,” Kent says. “How can you not love a guy like that?” Diane asks. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21
SAFETY –An ALERT Campus
The EmergencyALERT system was the result of work by J. Vernon Wyman, left, assistant vice president of business services; Robert Drapeau, right, director of Public Safety; and personnel in Information Technology Services.
22 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
On cold, snowy mornings of the past, students would hunker down next to their radios to listen to Salty Brine announce school cancellations. If URI was on the list, it meant a day of campus snowball fights, sliding down hills on dining hall trays, and maybe even catching up on studies. However, commuters and those who lived down-the-line worried about missing the announcements. As the decades passed, TV, improved telephone software, and the Internet provided additional ways to communicate to campus members. Then, within the last year, college administrators across the country confronted a brutal reality—outbreaks of campus violence made it essential to reach people in the quickest, most direct manner. Enter the URI EmergencyALERT system, which allows news and instructions to be broadcast to personal cell phones, work and home phone lines, as well as to personal and URI emails of students, faculty, and staff in the order that they choose. And yes, it will even be used to send class cancellation announcements in the event of snowstorms. Launched last November, URI EmergencyALERT followed five months of work by campus leaders to assess the University’s emergency response and communications programs and equipment. The effort began three days after the shootings last spring at Virginia Tech when President Robert L. Carothers convened a meeting of campus leaders involved with safety, security, and communications. At the meeting, Carothers established subcommittees to determine if additional systems were needed. “As we know from the events at Virginia Tech, time is of the essence when a threat exists on campus,” Carothers said. “That horrible day in Virginia, and more recent shootings at Delaware State University and the University of Memphis, have only underscored our need to use methods and equipment that will allow us to communicate to our community in the quickest, most efficient means possible.”
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 23
Comprehensive Approach As University officials conducted their evaluation, they confirmed that URI already had a comprehensive emergency response program with various overlapping systems. Personnel upgrades, expansion, and communications improvements were made in the campus Police Department. About 50 security cameras had been installed in major parking and pedestrian areas, and mutual aid agreements set up with the State Police and Narragansett and South Kingstown Police Departments. In addition, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides safe travel with a comprehensive transit system on campus and in surrounding local communities. The University’s campus Safe Ride Program provides late-night transportation for students, Parking Services offers a motorist assist line titled Call MA, and safety and security education programs are held regularly in the residence halls. The Department of Communications & Marketing manages a multi-layered communications system, including the University Web site; email notification, campus voicemail system, call-in lines with recorded messages that can be accessed simultaneously by multiple callers, and media broadcasts. The University is in the process of augmenting its blue light emergency phone system by installing an audio broadcasting capability and flashing
URI Emergency ALERT lights. The flashing lights would be activated and a brief message would be broadcast in the event of an immediate threat. Before the system is operational, campus community members will be informed about what sites and resources would provide additional information. There are 68 exterior blue light stanchions on the Kingston Campus, five at the Narragansett Bay Campus, and five at the W. Alton Jones Campus. In addition, URI has 28 exterior wall and building mounted call boxes. The Division of Student Affairs, which for years has paid close attention to and intervened on behalf of students facing major crises, has established a new Critical Response Intervention Team that meets once every three weeks to discuss students who are dealing with difficult issues. “We discuss individuals and their needs as well as incidents, what we did, and what other steps we might have taken. We also look ahead to any big public events that pose potential security and safety risks,” said Thomas R. Dougan, vice president for Student Affairs. In addition to Dougan and Fran Cohen, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, the team is made up of representatives from Health Services, the Counseling Office, Campus Police, Housing and Residential Life, and Academic Affairs.
The EmergencyALERT system was the result of work by J. Vernon Wyman, assistant vice president of business services; and Robert Drapeau, director of Public Safety; and personnel in Information Technology Services. The system uses services by MIR3, a San Diego company that provides dissemination of urgent information to and from any communication devices. Leading universities, businesses, and government agencies—including the Pentagon— employ MIR3 for emergency communication systems. ”Who wouldn’t want the convenience of learning from your cell phone while snug in bed that classes are canceled?” Wyman asked. “We’ve seen over the last decade the exponential growth in cell phone use and accompanying text messaging features, and now we can get information directly to people and get responses from them.” But first the University had to entice people to register for the program. “We knew the system would only be effective if all segments of the University community provided their current and accurate emergency contact information,” said Linda A. Acciardo, director of communications and marketing. “So we are running an awareness campaign encouraging individuals to provide their information through eCampus, URI’s online record-keeping system. As an incentive students who registered before Nov. 21, 2007, were eligible to win one of three Ipods.” “We have looked closely at our personnel and our systems that respond to community members who are in crisis to make sure they get the help they need,” Carothers said. “Our first responders, police, security and ambulance service, have examined and updated their procedures to address these critical issues. But most importantly, we have come together as a community to address violence and its devastating consequences on college campuses and beyond.” For a complete description of University emergency notification policies and procedures click on uri.edu/emergency.
By David Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 24 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
LOOKING back
Numbers indicate the class pictures from The Grist 1949; the group photo shows, left to right, Winifred Kelley, No.1; Elaine Barry Chabot, No. 2; Sue Browning Babcock; Virginia Berndt Bescherer, No. 3; Betty Connaughton Slocum, No. 4; Marilyn Coyle Kennedy, No.5; Shirley Maccue; Barbara Joyce Kudlacik, No. 6; and Phyllis Sodergren Huston, No. 7.
5 4
1 2
8
6
7
9
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
What a Wonderful Gift! It was the ultimate birthday celebration. Nine members of the Class of ’49, friends since their undergraduate days, gathered to celebrate their 80th birthdays together. No, they were not all born on the same day, but they were all born in the same year—1927. In the words of Betty Connaughton Slocum (Oct. 7, 1927): “As freshmen in 1945, six of us lived in the Theta Chi Fraternity House on Upper College Road. At that time, most of the men were still in the service. When the men entered, or reentered, the college in 1946, the women were moved to the main campus—most of us to Eleanor Roosevelt Hall. There we became friends with Winnie Kelley, Elaine Barry, and Ginny Berndt. We have continued our friendship over all these years. What a wonderful gift!’
No Class Photo
No Class Photo
Sue Browning Babcock
Shirley Maccue
PHOTO COURTESY OF BETTY CONNAUGHTON SLOCUM
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 25
ALUMNIchapters
advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/chapters
FUN WITH ALUMS Chapter events are open to all alumni, family, and friends of the University. Contact your local chapter rep and join the fun!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Upcoming events
Events Gone By
March 7 The Phi Kappa Psi annual Founders’ Day Dinner will be held at The Firehouse, located at 90 Printery Street in Providence. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Dinner is at 7 p.m., which will be followed at 8 p.m. by the meeting and AHC board elections. Cost is $30. Profits will go to Phi Kappa Psi National for the RI Beta Scholarship Fund. RSVP to Joe Hart ’85 at 121 Francis Horn Drive, Kingston, RI 02881, or jphart@cox.net.
The Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter celebrated its annual Mardi Gras party on January 27 at the home of Phyllis Del Fiore '68 in Slidell, La.
March 8 Vice President of University Advancement Robert M. Beagle will join the Southwest Florida Gators at their steakout at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex. For more information, please contact Gerry Leonard at 941-475-3529. September 20 The Northern California Chapter has already planned its 13th annual alumni clambake in San Mateo. Mark your calendars now and contact Rayna Lazaroff at 415-927-1087 or rbl1234@sbcglobal.net for more information.
Members of the Southern California Chapter got together on January 27 at Pinz in Studio City for an evening of bowling, food, and fun for a good cause. The event was hosted by Animal Planet's Matt Gallant '86, Hon. '04, to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. The Southwest Florida Gators enjoyed lunch at the Fort Myers Golf Club on January 26. Special guest was Fred DiNapoli, who was on hand to talk with the group about his Antarctic adventures. Alumni in the Los Angeles area got together at Hollywood’s Tangier Restaurant on Jan. 25. On January 17, Missouri alumni got together for a reception at Companion Bakery & Cafe prior to the URI vs. St. Louis men's basketball game. More than 100 alumni, family, and friends enjoyed the fourth annual Alumni Ski Trip to West Dover, Vt., on Jan. 11–13. The trip, which was co-sponsored by Ski Market of Warwick, R.I., drew skiers from the New England area, New Jersey, and Maryland. Ohio Chapter members held a reception at Gambits before the URI–Dayton men’s basketball game on Jan. 9. On December 28 and 29, Texas alumni got together in Corpus Christi to watch the Ram's big win in the Island Invitational. Men’s Soccer Coach John O’Connor joined the Southeast Florida Gators for their annual holiday party at the Boca Royale Golf & Country Club. On December 2, members of Lambda Delta Phi, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Beta Epsilon sororities gathered for a brunch and informal reunion at the Tavern from Tower Square in Plainville, Mass.
LOTSA LOBSTA Members of the Minnesota Chapter and their families enjoyed an old-fashioned New England lobster bake in October.
More than 55 members of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity gathered at Beaver River Golf Club on August 4 for the annual Pop Top Open Golf Tournament, scholarship auction, and dinner. This was the largest crowd yet for the annual event, which raised more than $3,000 for the R.I. Beta scholarship fund. For more information about the chapter and upcoming events, go to www.ribeta.com
SNOWTIME The Murphy family, Matthew, Maggie, Terry’ 87, and her husband, Kevin, took part in the 4th annual Mount Snow Alumni Ski Trip in January.
STRIKE UP THE BAND Texas Chapter leader Jeff Ross ‘75 and Rhody cheered on the men’s basketball Rams at the Island Invitational in Corpus Christi in December.
26 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Phi Gamma Delta
A FESTIVE OCCASION
Richard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI 401-874-6693 (w) Email: kingsley@gso.uri.edu
As usual, the sun was shining on the Southwest Florida Gators for their annual Oktoberfest celebration, held this year in Port Charlotte.
Phi Kappa Psi Joe Hart ’85, Kingston, RI Phone: 401-783-4852 Email: jphart@cox.net Web site: www.ribeta.com
Phi Mu Delta Jim DeNuccio, East Greenwich, RI Phone: 401-884-2993 (w) Fax: 401-885-2228 (w)
Phi Sigma Kappa Kenneth Gambone, New York, NY Phone: 212-996-2277 Email: Kgambone@lehman.com
Political Science Al Killilea, Kingston, RI Phone: 401-874-2183 (w)
CHAPTERS
New Hampshire
AFFINITY CHAPTERS
Arizona Rhode Runners
Rob Constantine ’95, Plainfield Phone: 603-469-3012 (h) Email: rconstantine@unity.edu
Alpha Phi
Art Levin ’51, Sun City West Phone: 623-584-9410 (h) Christopher ’93 & Lisa O'Connell ’94 Goodyear, AZ Phone: 623-476-7303 (h) Email: lisa.oconnell@cox.net
California Northern Pat Ludes ’79 & Greg Passant ’78, Pleasanton Phone: 925-227-1878 Mel Rodinsky ’63, San Jose Phone: 408-857-7269
New Jersey Lauri Pietruszka ’84, West Paterson Phone: 973-890-1623 (h)
New York: Metro Debbie McGowan ’99,
New York Phone: 646-295-5320 Email: debbie.mcgowan@gmail.com Janet Irlander ’78, Phone: 917-612-7276 Email: jirlander@paramount-group.com
North Carolina
Joyce Dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RI Phone: 401-766-2209 (h)
Mark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RI Phone: 401-782-0064 (h) Email: mtrovato@riag.state.ri.us Web site: www.rhodysig.com
Delta Zeta
Theta Chi
Ohio
E. Gale Eaton ’74, Kingston, RI Phone: 401-874-4651 Email: geaton@mail.uri.edu
Michelle Odai ’99, Miami Email: odaim@fiu.edu
Southwest Gators
Rhode Island
Southeast
Gerry Leonard ’63, Englewood, FL Phone: 941-475-3529 Email: samlen381@aol.com
Louisiana/Mississippi Phyllis DelFiore ’68, Slidell, LA Phone: 985-847-1609 (h) Email: feliciadf@hotmail.com Dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LA Phone: 985-643-8801 (h) Email: delinac@charter.net
Massachusetts Anne-Marie Enderby ’76, Attleboro Phone: 508-226-6239 (h) Email: teamenderby@verizon.net
Minnesota John ’92 & Kristen Turcotte ’95, Saint Louis Park Phone: 952-285-1148 Email: jfturcotte@mindspring.com keturcotte@mindspring.com
Mary-Lyn Siderski ’96, West Warwick Phone: 401-615-2326 (h) Email: mary-lyn@cox.net Allison Field ’95, Providence, RI Phone: 401-632-4905 Email: allisonefield@aol.com
Texas Rhode Horns Jeffrey A. Ross ’75, Houston Phone: 713-668-3746 (h) 713-791-9521 (w) Email: jross67785@aol.com
Washington, D.C. Hank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MD Phone: 301-803-2910 (w) 301-482-1062 (h) Email: henryjn@us.ibm.com
Sigma Chi
Continuing Education
Colorado Mile High Rams
Florida
J. Richard Rose M.S. ’60 Phone: 401-461-2786 (h) Email: rrose@mail.uri.edu
Mike DeLuca ’80, M.C.P. ’88, Narragansett, RI Phone: 401-789-6888 (h) 401-461-1000, ext. 3137 (w)
Jeff Bolognese ’02 Phone: 760-945-4560 Email: jeff@richmondfinancial.net
Tom Noyes ’67, Wooster Phone: 330-345-6516 (h) 330-264-8722 (w) Betty ’74 & Bill Sepe ’74, Hudson Phone: 330-650-6715 Email: OHRhody@hotmail.com Danielle Pray ’88, Cincinnati Phone: 859-485-6790 Email: d@prayzpaws.com
Schmidt Labor Research Center
Community Planning
Nancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RI Phone: 401-624-6364 (h)
Rich Guckel ’86 & Jen Reis ’94, Denver Phone: 303-722-1566 Email: rguckel@nwrgi.com
John Breguet ’70, Smithfield, RI Phone: 401-232-2097 (h) Email: jbreguet@cox.net Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RI Email: urirotcalumni@cox.net Web site: www.uri-rotc-alum.org
Laura McMahon Kovacs ’01, Charlotte, NC Phone: 617-285-4021 Email: lauralaylin@gmail.com
Ed Doughty ’93, Charlotte Phone: 704-995-9300 (h) 704-331-2219 (w) Email: edoughty@carolina.rr.com
Southern
ROTC
John Eastman ’62, North Kingstown, RI Phone: 401-295-1956 (h) Email: joneastman@aol.com Mike Testa ’63, Jamestown, RI Phone: 401-423-8918 Email: jtown@cox.net
Graduate School of Library and Information Studies
Theta Delta Chi Eric Lalime ’95 Phone: 201-962-2001 (h) 347-739-7345 (cell) Email: eric.lalime@morganstanley.com
Hasbro Mary Laurence ’80 Phone: 401-431-8434 (w)
Italian Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RI Phone: 401-783-3081 Email: acwvmhs@rinet35.org
Lambda Chi Alpha Jeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PA Phone: 717-530-0188 Email: firemarshal70@hotmail.com
Lambda Delta Phi Linda F. Desmond ’68, North Andover, MA Phone: 978-687-7443 (h) 978-794-3896 (w) Email: lfdesmond@comcast.net Martha Smith Patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI Phone: 401-539-2180 Email: mpatnoad@uri.edu
Would you like to START A CHAPTER in your region or for your group? We’d love to hear from you. To learn more, contact Michele Nota at mnota@advance.uri.edu or 401-874-2242.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 27
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
Noted On Campus In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we pose this question: How many buildings on the Kingston Campus are named for women? Give up? The answer is nine.
Here are the details: Fayerweather Hall, dedicated 1970: Named for Sarah Harris Fayerweather (1812–1878), the first black student admitted to a Connecticut girl’s school and an anti-slavery activist. The mother of six children, Sarah married George Fayerweather, a South County blacksmith for whom Kingston’s historic Fayerweather House is named.
Roosevelt Hall, dedicated in Oct. 1, 1938: Named for former first lady and political activist Eleanor Roosevelt, who attended the dedication and lit a fire in the Great Room fireplace in honor of the occasion. Originally a residence hall, Roosevelt now houses administrative offices.
Gilbreth Hall, dedicated May 26, 1962: Named for Frank B. & Lillian M. Gilbreth, pioneers in industrial engineering, also known for their large family of Cheaper By The Dozen fame. Lillian, by then a widow, attended the dedication of this industrial engineering laboratory and classroom building. The Heidi Kirk Duffy Center for International Engineering Education, dedicated Sept. 28, 2007: Two former fraternity houses on Upper College Road have been renovated and turned into living and learning centers for students enrolled in URI’s prestigious International Engineering Program (IEP). The complex is named for Heidi Kirk Duffy, Hon ’95, a native of Germany and, with her late husband Chester Kirk ’40, Hon. ’81, a longtime supporter of engineering and international education at URI. Hutchinson Hall, dedicated Oct. 18, 1958: Named for Anne Marbury Hutchinson (1591–1643), a religious leader who, after being banished from Massachusetts as a heretic, helped found the Town of Portsmouth, R.I. Merrow Hall, dedicated 1961: Named for Rhode Island State College Botany Department chair and professor Harriet Lathrop Merrow, a Wellesley graduate who was the first women to serve on the Rhode Island State College’s faculty (1894–1919). Peck Hall, dedicated Oct. 18, 1958: Named for Helen E. Peck, who served Rhode Island State College as librarian (1915–1919), professor of English (1915–1941), English Department chair (1932–1938), and dean of women (1926–1941).
White Hall, dedicated Sept. 23, 1977: Named for Louisa White, the founder (1945) and first director of the College of Nursing, this is the only academic building named solely for a woman. With the exception of Gilbreth, Roosevelt, and the Heidi Kirk Duffy Center, all other buildings mentioned here are residence halls.
28 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Tucker Hall, dedicated 1961: Named for Lucy Comins Tucker, personal secretary to presidents John Washburn (1892-–1902), Kenyon Butterfield (1903–1906), and Howard Edwards (1906–1930; and registrar and admissions officer for presidents Raymond Bressler (1931–1940) and Carl Woodward (1941–1958). She retired on July 1, 1946, after serving Rhode Island State College for almost 50 years.
O
n Jan. 28, the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education approved the renaming of Independence Hall, the University’s main classroom building, as Swan Hall in honor of retiring Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs M. Beverly Swan ’63, M.A. ’66. “Pending final approval by the General Assembly, we hope to re-dedicate the building around this year’s commencement ceremonies,” said President Robert Carothers.
Soon there will be a tenth building on the Kingston Campus named for a woman.
“As a student, Dr. Swan was here at URI when Independence Hall opened and took many of her classes there,” Carothers continued. “Later, as a member of the English Department faculty, she maintained her office in the building and taught most of her courses in writing and linguistics there. As she has remarked, she watched the building deteriorate over the years, and then last year saw it regain its original luster —and then some. “Now, after nine years as assistant vice president for academic affairs and seventeen years as provost and vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Swan will return to the faculty as the Justin Smith Morrill Distinguished University Professor. During all of those years, Dr. Swan has also been an important donor to her alma mater, creating several scholarships herself and supporting many others.”
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
When Beverly Swan entered URI as a scholarship student in the fall of 1959, there were few women among either the faculty or in the administration.
Her choice of English as a major was the result of an 8 a.m. literature class with Nancy Potter, emerita professor of English, who recalled that Swan “was an honors student from the start.” Swan loved English literature so much that she went on to complete a master’s degree at URI and a Ph.D. at Boston University in the subject. In 1972, while still working on her Ph.D., she returned to URI as an English instructor and head of the SCRATCH writing program. Swan’s strong connections with the faculty have served her well as provost. “As a provost, Beverly is an excellent listener,” said her friend Agnes Doody, professor emerita of communications studies. “She is someone you could disagree with, and she wouldn’t hold a grudge.” As the most highly placed woman administrator in URI history, Swan has been an inspiration and mentor to numerous young women on the faculty and in the administration. “I would not be dean of the College of Arts and Sciences if it were not for her guidance and support,” said Dean Winifred Brownell. “I will miss her wisdom, her wit, and her warmth.” Provost Swan will remain on the job until the arrival of her successor, Donald H. DeHayes, in April. Until then, she can still be found in her office in Green Hall, the one with the swan—a gift from President Carothers—outside the door. By Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’73 UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLAND 29 29
Why Become a Dues Paying Member of the Alumni Association? To Save Money At the Same Time You’re Showing Your Rhody Pride All URI graduates are automatically members of your alumni association, but only dues paying members can also save money with discounts on: n Annual Golf Tournament n Winter Gala n Young Alumni Weekend n Ski and travel programs n Hotels and car rentals n Movie and theater tickets n Theme parks and museums n Ryan Center, Boss Arena & Alumni Association events n URI merchandise/bookstore n University Club n Kaplan Test Prep n And more! The membership card carried by dues paying members (individuals $35, couples $50) announces your pride in URI, while your dues help your Association create and support over 65 programs for students, alumni and the University itself. And you save money at the same time. Find out more at advance.uri.edu/alumni/membership. 30 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
CLASSacts ’58
’63
Arthur Nathan Gilbert, A&S, of Denver, Colo., a professor of international studies at the University of Denver, was surprised and honored when one of his former students, Steve Wallace, a former officer with the U.S. Foreign Service, decided to leave $50,000 in his will for the Arthur N. Gilbert Fellowship. The gift was made in honor of Arthur’s parents, Louis and Anne Gilbert. Wallace envisions the fund helping studens who would otherwise be unable to attend the University of Denver.
’59 L. Donald Uphold, ENG, of Simpsonville, S.C., writes: “Rhonda and I welcomed our great-granddaughter, Jolie Claire Johnson, on 8-29-07. Granddaughter Hillary (her mother) is a 2004 Clemson grad here in South Carolina. I am retired a second time from G.E. I was called back on a special project for 3 1/2 years. We expect to visit our daughter Gwen in Florida this winter She lives in Coconut Grove.”
ALUMNI
Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotes Submit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservice
Anthony R. Masso, PHM, of Royal Oak, Md., one of the nation’s most experienced healthcare executives and current president and CEO of Consortium Health Plans, has joined Prematics’ board of directors. Prematics has developed and is delivering Script TOne (SM), the nation’s first fully-managed electronic prescribing service that promises to transform the $250 billion prescription drug supply chain.
’65 Alden Lewis Wilson, CBA, of Boothbay, Maine, writes: “It’s always nice to receive QUAD ANGLES. I enjoy reading about URI and it’s alumni. I have retired to Boothbay, Maine, after 30 plus years in the insurance field in Providence and Newport. I am now enjoying retirement spending time golfing, skiing, and volunteering at the Boothbay Railway Village and Museum.”
’68 Raymond V. Marotto, of Cranston, R.I., is senior accountant manager
for D3Logic/DocTech. Ray works from the company’s Cranston facility, where he is responsible for client relations and business development. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the digital print and media industry.
’71 Janis Weinstein Dietz, A&S, of Upland, Calif., has just published The 3 Simple Secrets of Success After the Diploma: Integrity,Persistence, and Discipline. The book is available through the publisher, iUniverse. com, by emailing Janice at dietzj@ ulv.edu, or at Amazon.com. Adele M. Langevin, HS&S, of Wellesley, Mass., is vice president of human resources at Simmons College in Boston. Adele has been a top human resources officer in educational institututions, professional services, and in corporate, technology, and financial services.
’72 Robert A. Anderson, HS&S, of Bluffton, S.C., is the principal at Bluffton High School in Hilton Head, S.C. Robert has 21 years of teaching
ALUMNI DIRECTORY
STAY
CONNECTED
and administrative experience in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
’73 Diane R. Lapkin, NUR, of Beverly Farms, Mass., is vice president for academic affairs at Salem State College. She began her tenure at Salem State in 1988 when she was hired as dean of the School of Nursing. In 1990, she was appointed dean of the School of Human Services, a position she held until 2002, when she was made academic vice president.
’74 Jean P. Harrington, HS&S, of Naples, Fla., is author of The Barefoot Queen, a historical romance that was released in October 2007 by the Highland Press.
’79 Wesley B. Anderson, ENG, of Madison, Wis., is the director of public works in the village of Lombard, Ill. Wesley is a registered professional engineer with a master’s degree from Southern University.
OF THE GAME
The Alumnus of the Game award is presented at each home men’s basketball game to a URI graduate with a distinguished career and outstanding community involvement, including service to the University. The first two honorees were William Guglietta ’82, left, seen here with Athletics Director Thorr Bjorn on the court at half-time of the Nov. 28 men’s basketball game against New Hampshire, and Emerson Foster ’90, second left, at
the Duquesne game on Feb. 13 with, left to right, Vice President Robert M. Beagle of the Division of University Advancement, President Robert L. Carothers, and Deputy Director of Athletics Gregg Burke. Guglietta is the chief legal council for the State of Rhode Island and Foster is the director of talent acquisition for Stop & Shop. Both men are outstanding volunteers for many community groups. PHOTOS COURTESY URI ATHLETICS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 31
2008 SPRING CHAT SERIES Join our online chats with URI alumni, faculty, and key administrators at advance.uri.edu/chats. Online chats make it easy for alumni and friends, particularly those out of state, to reconnect with URI. No log in is required. Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 1 p.m. EST Tom Silvia ‘83, vice president, Bond Group leader, Fidelity Investments Sub-prime Mortgages and the Effect on the Economy Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 1 p.m. EST Kristina Ward, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy Ask the Pharmacist (will coincide with Pharmacy’s 50th anniversary celebration) Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 1 p.m. EST Rosanne Sherry ‘77, coordinator, URI Master Gardener program Ask the Master Gardener Missed a chat? Transcripts are available at advance.uri.edu/ chats or you can contact us at eservices@advance.uri.edu. Online chats are managed by the URI Division of University Advancement and made possible through the cooperation of URI Athletics and College Sports Online, hosts of the GoRhody.com Web site.
Douglas W. Marcille, CBA, of Miami, Fla., is director, CEO, and president of U.S. Gas & Electric, Inc., an energy production and marketing company with operations in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida.The company recently was recognized by The South Florida Business Journal as the 9th fastest growing private company in South Florida. USG&E was recently acquired by MVC Capital in a $43 million refinancing. Citizens Bank’s Boston office participated in the debt structure.
’80 Patricia M. Culver, NUR, of Portsmouth, R.I., has retired with the rank of commander from the U.S. Navy after 22 years as a Nurse Corps officer. She is now working as a staff development coordinator and infection control nurse at the Grand Islander Center (Genesis Health Care) in Middletown, R.I.
’83 Todd S. Cumming, A&S, of Middletown, Del., is the site manager at Physical Therapy PLUS, for the Middletown office. Todd has been a physical therapist for more than 14 years and is board-certified in orthopedic physical therapy. Carolyn L. Mason, A&S, of Wakefield, R.I., is a realtor at Randall Realtors GMAC in the firm’s South Kingstown office.
’84
PHOTOS BY MIKE SALERNO
Joseph Carvalho, A&S, of Springfield, Mass., president and executive director of the Springfield Museum, completed the Achieving Excellence Executive Leadership Program for Non-profit Cultual Organizations in Massachusetts. Joe has been with the museum for more than 30 years.
’85 Brenda D. Farrell, A&S, of North Kingstown, R.I., has earned an M.A. in journalism from Regent University. Currently assistant vice president, public affairs for Webster Bank, Brenda is also a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines and in online media.
’86 AT THE STATE HOUSE: The URI Alumni Association hosted a gathering at the State House on the evening of Jan. 15 to give members of the legislature a chance to chat with URI officials. Among those attending were, top photo, left to right, Michele Nota ’87, M.S. ’06, executive director of Alumni Relations; Andrea Hopkins ’68, assistant vice president of public affairs; and Rep. Donna Walsh ’71, M.A. ’76. Bottom photo, left to right, Rep. Amy Rice ’87, President Carothers, House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, and Rep. Ken Carter.
32 32 QUAD QUADANGLES ANGLESFEBRUARY FEBRUARY2008 2008
Linda C. Lyons, A&S, of West Warwick, R.I., was appointed to the board of directors at the Pawtucket Credit Union. Linda has been with the credit union since 2001, serving on the supervisory committee and as chair since 2004.
’87 J. Michael Squatrito, A&S, of Tiverton, R.I., writes: “I wanted to pass
along the news that my second fantasy novel, The Talisman of Unification, is the second novel of The Overlords series and the sequel to Legend of the Treasure. You can purchase a copy through iUniverse. com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble. com, and BooksAMillion.com. You can also get a signed copy directly from me by visiting my Web site, the-overlords.com. My Web site also contains character biographies, storylines, a photo gallery, and links to my blog. My books are also available at A Novel Idea in Bristol, at Barrington Books, and at the Borders Bookstore in the Swansea Mall.”
’89 Timothy J. Gray, A&S, of Providence, R.I., is a filmmaker whose documentary, D-Day+62 Years: Rhode Island Veterans Return to Normandy, recently won two Emmy Awards.The film was shown on over 125 PBS television stations around the country in the summer of 2007. For more information, go to the Web site timgraymedia.com. Danielle H. Soldo, A&S, of Hightstown, N.J., is superintendent at Olde York Country Club in Chesterfield, N.J. Danielle is only the fifth female superintendent in the state. She had previously been the assistant superintendent at prestigious Forsgate Country Club in Monroe.
’90 Matthew R. Gilson, CBA, of Cumberland, R.I., is a property casualty specialist at MetLife’s Cumberland office. Jonathan D. Stevens, CELS, of Cranston, R.I., is the first director of economic development for the City of Newport.
’92 Christopher J. Pollart, A&S, of Foxborough, Mass., became a partner at Rubin and Rudman, a Boston-based 85 attorney law firm, in 2006. Chris continues to maintain a busy energy law practice.
’93 Allison P. Weinbaum Cohen, HS&S, of Westport, Conn., and four others recently launched a new company called Sporty Minds that creates educational DVDs for preschoolers; the DVDs teach through the medium of sports. The initial DVD, “The Alphabet Games,” can be purchased online at sportyminds.com. Allison lives in Westport, Conn., with her husband and two children, Casey, 6, and Kylie, 5. Alexandra N. Buczek, A&S, of Philadelphia, Pa., writes: “I am excited to share that I recently joined the National Adoption Center. NAC
Larry Mouradjian ’79
Michelle Dally ’83
Fight Master
Environmental Steward
A Highly Placed Source
At the beginning of 2007, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management promoted Larry Mouradjian to associate director for natural resources management, one of the agency’s top posts. Hard working, articulate, and talented, Mouradjian arrived at the position the old fashioned way, by earning it. “I vividly remember during my undergraduate education a professor asking my class how many of us wanted a job in an enviPHOTO BY NORA LEWIS ronmental capacity, and we all raised our hands. He told us, ‘two of you will get one.’” Mouradjian was one of the lucky ones. He began his career at DEM as a laborer cleaning toilets and emptying trash, became a forest ranger, then ascended the ranks of the Parks and Forest Divisions. To date, he has been serving in the DEM for three decades and has become one of the state’s top environmental stewards. He has overseen projects as diverse as the renovation of Fort Adams in Newport, the protection of nature preserves, and the management of Rhode Island’s growing deer population. “It’s been a gift, working in this position,” he admits. “For me and for many people I work with there’s passion beyond the paycheck. There are a whole lot of dedicated people who care about what they do. I appreciate being part of this team.” Mouradjian’s staff oversees some of DEM’s most visible aspects: coastal resources, fish and wildlife, forest environment, parks and recreation. On his watch, Rhode Island signed the National Geographic Geotourism Charter, a document that makes explicit the state’s continuing commitment to preservation and conservation. Rhode Island was only the second U.S. state to sign. Having reached a peak in his field, Mouradjian offers advice to would be environmental workers. “If you have sincere appreciation of this work, I recommend educational and life experience to get your foot in the door. There are limited opportunities, but it’s amazing work— you’ll often find yourself saying, ‘I can’t believe I get paid to do this!’” —Bob Gulla
Michelle Dally is a lawyer, a former political aide, an award-winning journalist and the cofounder of a successful media relations firm. Now she can add “novelist” to her already impressive résumé with the publication of her debut novel, A Highly Placed Source, released last fall by Ghost Road Press. It may look like Dally has embarked on a new career. But when you consider that her novel’s main characters include a journalist, a lawyer, and a political aide, you can see that her tales come—as good ones so often do—from exploring her own experiences. Even the book’s protagonist, 12-year-old Peter Banks, draws life from Dally’s role as a parent to four boys with her husband, Brian Schupbach. In a well-rounded career, Dally, who earned a degree in political science from URI and a law degree from Georgetown University, worked as an aide to U.S. Senator John Chafee, as a lobbyist for Bradley Hospital, and as a political columnist for Rhode Island Monthly. In 1993, she moved to Denver, eventually working as a reporter for The Denver Post, where she shared a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for the paper’s team coverage of the Columbine High School tragedy. Politicians, journalists, and the religious right are fair game in Dally’s satirical novel about a young boy who receives a message from God, setting off a nationwide round-the-clock media firestorm. “My whole career I’ve been inside either politics or the media, and I know what a circus they can be,” the author says. “One thing I wanted to do was tell people they shouldn’t take them so seriously.” With sharp humor and deep sensitivity, Dally skewers arrogant politicians, misguided religious leaders, and self-important media stars while exploring the destructive nature of power and the mysterious quality of faith and miracles in the modern age. She’s not yet sure what her next book will be about, and, she says, “I’m not the kind of writer who churns out a book a year.” Judging by her first effort, her second will be worth the wait. —Paula M. Bodah ’78
Normand Beauregard has an occupation that gets him lots of attention at cocktail parties. He’s a “fight master,” that is, someone who choreographs staged combat for theater: “You could say it’s an interesting job, yes!” Beauregard’s been staging fisticuffs for 30 years and has worked on 1,000 different productions; he’s choreographed everything from rapier and dagger melees (Shakespearean fights) to commedia-style (clubs, poison) and broadsword (Medieval) bouts. He’s also taught slapstick comedy, clowning, and dangerous stunts like fire-eating. “I spend a lot of time teaching actors how to execute all the physical demands of the stage,” he says. Beauregard, now 56 and the father of five, hasn’t always taught the physical arts; he began his career performing them. As a theatre major PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS at URI, he prided himself on his athleticism. “I was one of the most physical actors in the department,” he says. “I took fencing, ballet, gymnastics, and mime classes with master Michael Grando.” His athletic gift gave Beauregard an edge for certain roles, Laertes in Hamlet and Tibalt in Romeo and Juliet, for example: “I was always second banana because those characters got in all the scrapes!” Beauregard’s affinity for staged violence morphed into choreography, and soon he was one of the theatrical world’s most in-demand fight masters. These days, he’s also added script writing and college teaching to his résumé. “I teach a kind of Swashbuckling 101,” he says, “but I also talk about other physical issues that actors face.” Of course, when you’re playing with weapons like broadswords, safety becomes a huge factor: “In a stage fight if something goes wrong with a blade, the audience knows real quick! There’s no hiding.” Today, with his children now grown, Beauregard eyes a return to performing: “There’s a real demand for physical actors of my age because not many guys can pull it off. But I may be getting a little old to go back to swinging from chandeliers!” —Bob Gulla
UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLAND 33 33
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE DALLY
Normand Beauregard ’73
is guided by the statement, ‘There are no unwanted children, just unfound families.’ As project manager of e-Learning and Web sites, I will be able to assist these families and children in finding each other. The families will further be supported by a series of 30 online courses in development to help them through the adoption process. I am thrilled to take all the URI family taught me before and after graduation. I’m also an Alumni Admission representative and apply that experience to my work at NAC.” Wendy L. Carr, A&S, of Westerly, R.I., the owner of Prime Time Café in Pawcatuck, has graduated from the University of Connecticut with an M.A. in international studies with a Latin American studies concentration.
’94 Kristina Bradner, CELS, of Baltimore, Md., is a landscape architect on the design staff at Gates, Leighton & Associates, an international landscape architecture and planning firm headquartered in East Providence. Andrew J. Kassick, CBA, of Washington, D.C., has been promoted to the position of IT Manager for the 19th Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. Andrew started with the court 12 years ago as an entry level systems analyst and worked his way up to
his present position. He currently is responsible for all of the information technology used within the Circuit Court.
’95 M i c h a e l J. B o o n e , C BA , o f Alpharetta, Ga., is vice-president of PossibleNOW, a technology company located in suburban Atlanta. For more information, check the Web site possiblenow.com. Arthur J. Eddy, A&S, of Coventry, R.I., is vice president of administration and a landscape architect at Gates, Leighton & Associates.
’96 Greg M. Silva, CBA, of Providence, R.I., was appointed officer and financial consultant in Citizens Investment Services at Citizens Bank. He received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institue. He is a member of the Small Business Advisory Committee of the Cranston Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association Finance Committee and is an alumni career mentor.
experience in managing audit and review engagements for entities in manufacturing, distribution, service, real estate, nonprofit, and employee benefit plans.
’98 Laura J. Burrill, CELS, of Suffolk, Va., is a customer service supervisor at Cox Communications. Laura joined Cox five years ago. Richard J. Feldman, CBA, of Miami, Fla., was promoted to partner at Investor Solutions, Inc., an independent, fee-only investment management firm. He is a senior financial advisor and a member of Investor Solutions’ Investment Committee. He is also a certified financial planner and an accredited investment fiduciary practitioner whose role includes advising clients on portfolio construction, risk management strategies, and retirement planning. Christine J. Nevers, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., is general manager at Hotel Providence, a European style boutique hotel that was rated the best place to work in the small/ medium-size business category in 2006 and 2007.
’99
’97 Leif N. Anderson, CBA, of Warwick, R.I., is manager in the accounting and auditing department of Restivo Monacelli, LLP. Leif has extensive
Elizabeth R. Napier, CBA, of West Warwick, R.I., was promoted to vice president and accounting manager in corporate finance at Citizens Bank.
Keith Remillard, A&S, of East Greenwich, R.I., is the prinicipal at the Maisie E. Quinn School in West Warwick. Keith has an advanced degree in education administration. James R. Robison, CBA, of Providence, R.I., is supervisor in the accounting and auditing department of Restivo Monacelli, LLP. James has more than eight years’ experience in auditing and financial accounting.
’00 Justin M. Bartinoski, A&S, of Boston, Mass., was recognized in Boston Business Journal’s 10th annual 40 and Under 40 special edition, which recognizes Boston’s best and brightest young professionals. Honorees are chosen by a panel of editors for their influence on local business and industry as well as their contributions to the civic health of Greater Boston through volunteer work and other forms of philanthropy. Justin works as manager of EMC Select, a new business unit that he helped build at EMC Corporation, a leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology in Hopkinton, Mass. Laura N. Hubbard, A&S, of West Chesterfield, N.H., is a fourth grade teacher at Applewild School in Fitchburg, Mass. Laura will receive her master’s degree in elementary education from Keene State College.
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The Tolani family, left to right, Raj Tolani, his daughter Aishya, his son Vijay, and his wife Alka. PHOTO COURTESY OF RAJKUMAR TOLANI
Rajkumar Tolani, M.S. ’84
A Master of Startups
Raj Tolani is living the good life. The resident of southern California has spent the past 18 months or so as a stay-at-home dad to his teenaged son and daughter. He’s hardly shirking, though. His breather from the workforce came after more than 20 years on the cutting edge of technology, often as an entrepreneur heading up his own companies. After earning his master’s from URI, Tolani worked for a startup tech company in Boston. “I was fortunate to get into a startup and learn just what it takes to start a company. It was a very good learning ground for me,” he says. The temperate climate of California beckoned, and he headed west, working for a high-tech company in San Diego until 1996, when he decided it was time to start his own firm. ObjectLogic, specializing in developing view-of-access software for the manufacturing industry, grew quickly. By 1999 it had been acquired by Parametric Technology Corporation. “I worked with them for a year,” Tolani says, “but PTC is a very large corporation. I felt that small companies are really my calling.” Off he went on his own again, starting InfoPrise, a company that provided data applications for mobile phones. Within a couple of years, his new company, too, was acquired, and Tolani once again found himself working for a larger corporation. “I worked with them for a couple of years,” he says, “then I took some time off to spend with my kids.” While he’s been tending to the hearth, his wife, Alka, has started her own company, designing and selling clothing and accessories based on traditional designs from India. Now that his younger child is just two years away from college, Tolani is once again thinking of starting a new company. “The ideas are starting to come to me,” he says. “After a year and a half of leisure, it’s time to get going again.”
Debra Frey Fadool, M.S. ’87
Reza Corrine Clifton ’03
The Role Model
A Fast Paced Life
Debra Frey Fadool credits graduate school at URI with providing her with the perfect role model for her life and career. That role model was Chemistry Professor Phyllis Brown, who was both a successful research scientist, a respected teacher, and a mother of four. “She was a really wonderful lady,” Fadool says. “And a terrific role model for me at a time when there weren’t that many female professors in science.” Fadool herself is now an award winning scientist, a popular professor, a community volunteer, and a mother of three who has also managed to find balance between her family life and her academic PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBRA FADOOL career. As a professor of neuroscience and molecular biophysics at Florida State University since 1999, Fadool splits her professional time between teaching and research on the neuropathology of diabetes and nerve damage through disease or injury. On the home front, Fadool and her husband, James, also a professor at Florida State, alternate early morning and late night shifts at FSU to make sure one of them is always home with the children. “It takes a lot of coordination,” Fadool admits, “but my husband and I split duties really well.” Fadool leads her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, and on weekends once a month, she and her younger son sell succulents plants they have grown at a local farmer’s market. The Fadool family also volunteers for an inner-city church program one afternoon a week. The Fadools’ oldest son is a freshman in Florida State’s engineering program. A former cross-country runner at her alma mater, Albion College in Michigan, Fadool continues to run. She has competed in triathlons and has run the Boston Marathon. In an academic world where women make up only a small percentage of tenured science professors, Fadool’s well-rounded life is an inspiration for the next generation of young women entering the sciences.
Initially Reza Corrine Clifton’s working life appears to consist of a complex jumble of responsibilities that the ambitious 2003 grad gets done seatof–the-pants style. But after speaking with her, the picture emerges of a multi-talented and energetic individual with a wide range of interests. She’s moved from working at the Rhode Island Children’s Crusade (now called The College Crusade of Rhode Island), to writing and lobbying with the Urban League of Rhode Island, to her position today as a workforce development consultant PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS for YWCA Northern Rhode Island. She also spent 2007 serving as vice president of the Rhode Island Young Professionals (an auxiliary of the Urban League). Since graduating magna cum laude, Clifton has become a Renaissance woman. In addition to her job, she is a community advocate and activist, deejay, and speaker on international, community, and women’s topics. “I love music, theater, history, and current affairs,” she says. “I want to make a difference. All I can hope is that what I’m doing today is related to the issues of tomorrow.” Clifton maintains an extensive Web site and freelances as a photographer and journalist. “It might seem like I’m zig-zagging through my career, but actually I’m going back to my studies in all that I do, especially in terms of race and class issues and in terms of my multidisciplinary approach. All my work is associated with my major in African and African American studies and my minor in international development. Human rights and dignity are my biggest guiding principles.” If, given her fast-paced life, catching up with Clifton proves tricky, her Web site, RezaRitesRi.com, provides an overview of her activities and work. The site has many monthly readers and fans as far away as Spain and California. “I’m dedicated to finding a way for my life and career to mix,” Clifton says. “Maybe it’s naïve, but I guess I’m kind of a free spirit.”
—Sharon DeLuca ’85
—Bob Gulla
—Paula M. Bodah ’78
UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLAND 35 35
Scott P. McDonnell, A&S, of Upton, Mass., former disc jockey at the local 98Q radio station in Danbury, Conn., was named one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s 50 hottest bachelors in the country. The staff at SportsPlex in Bethel, where Scott works out, convinced him to apply.He was very surprised to receive a phone call from Cosmopolitan informing him that he was chosen to represent Connecticut.
’01 Michael J. Gertrudes, ENG, of Cumberland, R.I., and Courtney Edge ’03 were inspired by a ghost tour in Newport to turn their love of the paranormal into a business. Two years ago they started Providence Ghost Tours on Providence’s East side. They spent hundreds of hours researching stories about unusual deaths on the East Side and interviewing people who lived and worked in the area, especially in buildings owned by RISD and Brown. Information can be found on line at providenceghosttour.com.
’03 Mark J. Butler, CELS, of Wakefield, R.I., is a landscape designer at Gates, Leighton & Associates in East Providence. Mark is responsible for landscape concept and design development, plan presentations, and construction documentation and specifications. Catherine M. Ganim, A&S, of Providence, R.I., has accepted a position as senior producer at BzzAgent, Inc., of Boston.
Sean M. Harrington, A&S, of Newport, R.I., writes: “I graduated from Southern New England School of Law in May 2007 with a J.D. I was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar as an attorney in November 2007.” Christopher P. Hubbard, A&S, of North Kingstown, R.I., a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was promoted to captain in October 2007.
’04 Sarah E. Geremia, A&S, of Kingston, R.I., is the band director for the Jamestown Community Band. Sarah has been studying music for many years and is currently a music teacher in the Newport school system. Heidi J. Westerling, HS&S, of Acworth, N.H., has qualified for the Womenís Olympic Team Marathon Trials to be held in Boston in April. Heidi ran a B Olympic qualifiying time of 2:44:02 in her 2006 performance at the Vermont City Marathon, beating the 75 degree heat and winning the race. A year later, Heidi came back to Vermont and defended her crown, winning the marathon again. Her name joins a roster of 154 elite female athletes vying for a place on the marathon team heading to Beijing. Heidi ran track and cross country at URI and graduated magna cum laude. In all she has run five marathons and has won four of them.
’05 Zack F. Bloom, A&S, of Wilton, Conn., is advertising account executive for the Hour Newspapers group,
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which consist of The Hour, The Wilton Villager, and The Stamford Times. His territories include Wesport, Weston, and Fairfield. Zack is experienced in sales, promotions, and marketing. Sean S. Coen, CBA, of West Greenwich, R.I., was promoted from staff accountant to senior client advisor, business outsourcing solutions at Restivo, Monacelli, LLP. Sean is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and has held a number of sales, management, accounting, and operations positions. Kristin L. Kaczmarek, CELS, of Cranston, R.I., is a landscape architect on the design staff at Gates, Leighton & Associates, an international landscape architecture and planning firm in East Providence.
’07 Adam L. Perkins, HS&S, of Hudson, N.H., is a fourth grade teacher at Hills Garrison School in Hudson. Kirsten A. Rundquist, M.L.S., of Raymond, N.H., is the young adult librarian at Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, N.H. Kirsten’s mission is “to imbue teens with a love of books and reading, as well as to provide a fun and safe environment for them.”
WEDDINGS Michael P. Evan ’84 to Gayle Birckhead, on October 6, 2007. Edward F. Parker II ’91 to Bethany L. Higgins, on March 31, 2007. Julie L. Moore ’93 to Robert G. Dunn III, on June 2, 2007. Michael J. Boone ’95 to Kisha Robinson, on September 22, 2007. Michael J. Needham ’96 to Christina A. Pratt, on May 19, 2007. Cindy E. Straus ’96 to Jason A. Weiss, on June 23, 2007. Salinda S. Daley ’98 to Nathan M. Bacheler, on July 21, 2007. Benjamin L. Jordan ’98 to Alicia E. Marques, on July 21, 2007. David E. Della Bitta ’99 to Caitlin C. Sweeney, on July 21, 2007. Scott Gullett ’99 to Sarah Clark ’00, on October 13, 2007. Johnna T. Narciso ’99 to John Buckley Jr., on May 25, 2007. Sarah A. Dean ’00 to Paul E. Goozey, on July 8, 2007. Jenny M. Di Salvo ’01 to Jeremy Force, on June 30, 2007. Jessica L. Rockwell ’01 to Jonathan D. Lane, on June 23, 2007. Kristy M. Thistle ’01 to Scott Yankee, on August 4, 2007. Jillian Mackin ’02 to Ryan S. Betters, on September 2, 2007. Rayna Lee Paola ’02 to Michael R. Grenon, on May 27, 2007.
Jennifer E. Schwind ’02 to Michael Purpi, on October 20, 2007. Brooke A. Spencer ’02 to Kevin T. Brooks ’03, on September 8, 2007. Steven A. Strattman ’02 to Kristin M. Janson ’04, on May 26, 2007. Lisa M. Mello ’02 to Cory J. Wattington, on April 14, 2007. Sara L. Carnevale ’03 to Matthew M. Fearon, on October 6, 2007. Nicole D. Musacchio ’04 to John Doyle ’03, on August 18, 2007. Nancy E. Fair ’03 to Stephen C. Lydon ’06, on July 20, 2007. Paul S. Hall ’03 to Colleen A. Dalton, on October 14, 2006. Catherine L. Monahan ’03 to Robert C. Lagueux, on July 13, 2007. Laura M. Neveu ’03 to Jon C. Erickson, on May 19, 2007. Christy Peters ’03 to Joe Gallese ’03, on October 20, 2007. Kevin R. Ryan ’03 to Patricia N. Conn ’05, on August 25, 2007. Bryan C. Forbes ’04 to Carla M. VilasBoas, on October 6, 2007. Shelley M. Laroche ’04 to David Annaldo, on May 19, 2007. Brian D. Plouffe ’04 to Aimee A. Martel ’04, on October 27, 2007. Diana R. Truesdale ’04 to Gary W. Comtois ’05, on July 28, 2007. Jerry P. Bonner ’05 to Alyssa M. Dube, on September 2, 2007. Andrew P. Howell ’05 to Emily J. McCormack, on June 2, 2007. Elizabeth A. Lykken ’05 to Michael DeMaria ’08, on September 2, 2007. Michaela M. McGuire ’05 to Jacob L. Lamb, on August 4, 2007. Kristen M. Hopkins ’06 to Michael C. Drowne, on August 4, 2007.
BIRTHS Correction: The name of Paul and Natalie Kolos Erickson’s daughter is Anna Elizabeth. Anna Elizabeth’s birthday is May 12, 2006. Jason and Patricia Maiolo Hinkley ’89, a daughter, Sophia, on February 27, 2007. Bruce W. and Ellen Rocchio Warila ’89, a son, Joseph Peter, on September 11, 2007. Stacy B. Haines-Mayne ’90 and Robert Mayne ’96, a daughter, Paige, on March 30, 2006; and a son, Nathaniel, on August 2, 2007. Beth and Richard A. Mondillo ’93, a daughter, Isabella Grace, on March 26, 2007. Brian S. and Dana M. Bessette Horton ’94, a son, Matthew Vincent, on September 29, 2006.
Guy B. ’94 and Kimberly Collins ’94, a daughter, Cora Kimberly, on September 10, 2007. Emily J. and Eric S. Sheff ’94, a son, Jacob Austin, on August 16, 2007. Jeffrey Snyder and Lorna M. BreaultSnyder ’96, a daughter, Rowan Claire, on September 21, 2007. Sean J. ’96 and Kerrie C. Giguere DeFusco ’96, a daughter, Kiley Elisabeth, on May 9, 2007. Joshua ’96 and Eleesa Smith Noyes ’96, a son, Kellen Steven, on May 21, 2007. Mitchell ’00 and Jessica Halloran Cohn ’00, a daughter, Julia Mae, on April 26, 2007.
IN MEMORIAM Alida Birch Walsh ’31 of Providence, R.I., on November 12, 2007. Paul Hopkins ’36 of Hockessin, Del., on September 26, 2007. Ellen Pendleton Storm ’36 of Lombard, Ill., on May 22, 2007. Charles Henry ’38 of Crystal River, Fla., on April 23, 2007. Walter Machala ’38 of Oklahoma City, Okla., on November 1, 2007. Dorothy Winsor Wilbur ’39 of Brewer, Maine, on November 1, 2007. Edward Fogg ’40 of Sarasota, Fla., on October 14, 2007. Richard Gigger ’41 of East Dennis, Mass., on October 2, 2007. William Forsstrom ’42 of North Kingstown, R.I., on October 28, 2007. Harry Hedison ’42 of East Greenwich, R.I., on September 15, 2007. Joseph Marino ’47 of Lincoln, R.I., on August 22, 2007. John Layshock ’50 of Walnut Creek, Calif., on September 30, 2007. W. Fred Mitchell ’50 of Dundee, N.Y., on November 4, 2007. Eugene Bell ’51 of Boston, Mass., on June 22, 2007. George Pinheiro ’51 of Ballston Lake, N.Y., on September 25, 2007. Rudolf Bentlage ’52 of Milton, Pa., on October 26, 2007. Edward Goldin ’52 of Providence, R.I., on October 2, 2007. George Decker ’53 of Orange, Conn., on October 11, 2007. Robert Gilmore ’55 of Simsbury, Conn., on October 4, 2007. Frederick Stein ’55 of Groton, Conn., on July 12, 2007. Michael Palumbo ’59 of Cranston, R.I., on October 28, 2007. Eugene Peck ’60 of Burlington, Vt., on September 8, 2007.
John Tibbitts ’60 of East Greenwich, R.I., on October 4, 2007. Edward Sanders ’61 of Plymouth, Mass., on October 27, 2007. Elin Hannigan Crowley ’62 of Wakfield, R.I., on August 21, 2007. John Foster ’64 of Saint Albans, Vt., on September 7, 2007. David Balkcom ’66 of East Greenwich, R.I., on November 6, 2007. David Zeilstra ’66 of Barrington, R.I., on October 6, 2007. Charles Aube ’67 of East Greenwich, R.I., on November 11, 2007. Genevieve Durfee ’67 of Westerly, R.I., on September 2, 2007. Arthur Silvia ’67 of Tiverton, R.I., on October 22, 2007.
Gail Marchant Birch ’68 of Townsend, Mass., on October 3, 2007. Marion Barnes ’69 of Little Compton, R.I., on October 22, 2007. Carolee Washburn Mcnamara ’69 of Providence, R.I., on August 24, 2007. Trudell Green Brown ’70 of Tiverton, R.I., on September 27, 2007. Paul Crowley ’73 of Newport, R.I., on September 24, 2007. Roberta Lipet Datz ’73 of North Providence, R.I., on October 10, 2007. R. Michael Grady ’73 of Mount Airy, Md., on September 18, 2007. Debbie Hazebrook ’75 of West Warwick, R.I., on November 7, 2007. Denis St. Amand ’75 of Coventry, R.I., on October 20, 2007.
William Crossen ’76 of Gloucester, Mass., on September 23, 2007. Rhys Williams ’76 of Wayne, Pa., on October 31, 2007. Philip Barry ’77 of Bandera, Texas, on September 28, 2007. Lizabeth Cheshire ’77 of League City, Texas, on October 31, 2007. Virginia Ward ’77 of Westborough, Mass., on November 4, 2007. Robert McGovern ’78 of Warwick, R.I., on November 12, 2007. Elizabeth Healy Shulver ’79 of Cranston, R.I., on October 26, 2007. Robert Low ’79 of Johnston, R.I., on September 21, 2007. Arthur Messier ’79 of Northampton, Mass., on September 13, 2007.
URI FOUNDATION
PLANNED GIVING NEWS Donna-Jean Rainville, a URI graduate with years of experience in endowment building and philanthropy, was recently named director of gift planning for the URI Foundation. Her appointment brings a sense of energy and vitality to the important segment of gift planning and puts to use her vast knowledge of estate planning, charitable gift annuities, retained life estates, trusts, and life insurance options for the benefit of the Foundation and the University’s Making a Difference capital campaign. Donna-Jean demonstrated her commitment to the campaign by establishing her own deferred gift annuity last year. In addition to her B.A. in journalism, Donna-Jean received an M.A. in political science from URI as well as an M.B.A. from Bryant University. She is already hard at work implementing her vision and utilizing her enthusiasm to make tax-advantaged gift giving and estate planning accessible to the thousands of alumni and friends looking for a customized way to give back to the University. Her roots run deep at URI. Donna-Jean’s late brother-in-law, Bob Rainville, served as vice president of student affairs from 1980–1986, and all four of his children are also URI graduates. Donna-Jean’s husband, Ray, who died in 2005, received both his undergraduate and master’s degree from URI. Along with Donna-Jean, all the Rainvilles have been deeply involved with the University community with a special interest in developing and encouraging leadership activities among students. The A. Robert Rainville Memorial Scholarship for Leadership Awards Endowment was established for the purpose of recognizing and encouraging leadership talent and has made awards to a number of deserving students over the years. Donna-Jean has a proven record of commitment to URI and looks forward to working with alumni to create “win-win” ways to give. For more information on gift planning, call Donna-Jean at 401-874-2296 or email her at djrainville@Foundation.uri.edu. OFFICE OF PLANNED GIVING, URI FOUNDATION, 79 UPPER COLLEGE ROAD, KINGSTON, RI 02881-2004 DONNA-JEAN RAINVILLE: 401.874.2296 DJRAINVILLE@FOUNDATION.URI.EDU
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Stay Connected With Your Classmates Have you registered for the URI Alumni Online Directory yet? Just go to advance.uri.edu/eservices, and register today. It’s easy, and best of all, it’s FREE! Search for friends and former classmates using a v ariety of criteria, such as class year and geographic area. The URI Alumni Online Directory is a secure, p assword-protected database. For your own privacy, you can access, modify, or hide all or part of your data at any time. Go to advance.uri.edu/eservices and stay connected!
David Sutcliffe ’81 of Warwick, R.I., on October 12, 2007. Sandra Hope Wexler ’83 of Boynton Beach, Fla., on June 12, 2007. Janice Holley DiMasi ’89 of West Kingston, R.I., on October 14, 2007. David Alling ’97 of North Kingstown, R.I., on September 22, 2007. Elijah Barrett ’98 of Keene, N.H., on August 26, 2007. Jacqueline Dyer ’98 of Bridgeport, Conn., on August 16, 2007. David Braun-Friedma ’04 of New York, N.Y., on July 15, 2007.
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Harold W. Fisher, professor emeritus of chemistry and microbiology, died on Nov. 16, 2007, at West Jersey Hospital. He was a Kingston, R.I. resident. He taught biochemistry, biophysics, chemistry, and electron microscopy for 40 years before retiring in 2003. He served as department chair and conducted extensive scientific research, receiving numerous grants for cancer research. Additionally, he consulted at the U.S. Naval Underwater Station in Groton, Conn., concerning the use of the hyperbaric pressure chamber and its effect on skin cell growth. Early in his career, he co-authored An Electron Microscopic Atlas of Viruses, which is still used as a textbook today. His interests included gardening, oil painting, marquetry, stereography, and antiques collecting. He is survived by his wife, Lynda Fischer, and three daughters: Sandra Fisher ’75, M.S. ’89, Deborah Fisher, and Abiah Fisher; two stepchildren; and six grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Blvd., Suite 3004, Warwick, RI 02886. Bernard Schurman, 91, professor emeritus of economics, died at his Kingston, R.I., home on January 7, 2008. He was a popular and respected professor of economics at URI for 35 years Dr. Schurman served in the U.S. Army counter intelligence unit, European Theatre, during World War II, and subsequently earned his doctorate from Columbia University. He was an avid classical music and ballet enthusiast, an eloquent speaker, and an astute observer of history and politics. He is survived by his wife, Bertha, M.L.S. ’71; two sons, Paul and Josh; a daughter, Rachel; and four grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island, South Team; 143 Main Street, Wakefield, RI 02879 or to the American Civil Libeties Union, 128 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903.
Help Us Find Your Missing Classmates We’re searching for URI alumni we’ve lost contact with over the years. Sometimes alumni move and forget to send us their current mailing address. Now you can help us find our lost alumni through Eservices. A convenient look-up table lets you search for lost alumni by class year or college. Log in at advance.uri.edu/ eservices and help us find your missing classmates. We’ll put them on our QUAD ANGLES mailing list so they can stay in touch with URI.
ESERVICES Your online resource for information exchange.
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Winter Break in New Orleans Two groups of URI students, one from Hillel and the other from the Newman Club, celebrated the new year by heading down to New Orleans to rip out moldy siding, replace shingles, and paint. “We worked in the Broardmoor parish of New Orleans,” wrote Lisa Friedman, Jewish student life coordinator for Hillel, “which wasn’t as hard hit as the Lower 9th Ward, but had sustained a considerable amount of flooding and devastation.” The Hillel students were part of a national organization, Rebuilding Together, that was restoring homes for people who were disabled or elderly. The Newman students, representing URI’s Roman Catholic Center, divided up into three groups and donned green T-shirts and working jeans to rip, paint and spackle as part of Camp Restore, which worked in the hard hit 9th Ward. Both groups returned to Kingston with feelings of solid accomplishment and a real emotional connection to New Orleans and its citizens. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA FRIEDMAN FOR HILLEL & CHRISTINA NEIL FOR THE NEWMAN CLUB
40 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
A Gift for the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Profile in Giving
There’s a simple reason why retired URI math professor E. R. “Sury” Suryanarayan and his wife, Indu, made a gift last September of $100,000 to the University’s Making a Difference campaign dedicated specifically to the Center for Non violence and Peace Studies: They had been planning it for quite some time. Now they are making this contribution to URI, where Sury taught math for over 40 years until retiring in 2001 and Indu earned three advanced degrees in English and library science. When they learned about URI’s plans to raise $5 million for the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, they knew what to do. “In this century there is an urgent need for nonviolence to enter the lives of people all over the world,” Sury wrote recently. Both he and Indu believe nonviolence to be the highest form of “self-reverence, self-knowledge, and self-control.” Having grown up in Mahatma Gandhi’s India, the Suryanarayans knew well the powerful effects of nonviolence before they came to the United States 50 years ago. They also admired Martin Luther King’s commitment to nonviolence and recognized its power to create change. A 21st century renewal of that commitment, they insist, would cure many of the ills we face today, from environmental degradation to international wars. Seeing global pollution and the exhaustion of non-renewable resources as a form of violence, Indu and Sury say a movement of nonviolence would encompass proper treatment of the planet. “With proper education, we can abolish even poverty and hunger and remove grave disparities that exist and that can easily become a source of conflict and tension,” Sury says. Their decision to make a large gift to URI is a natural element of their cultural background. “In India, everyone gives, even the poor,” Indu says. “People give mostly to charity, but everyone believes they should give.” As Sury explains, there is an aphorism in India that says: “You must earn to give. Collect money as if you were never going to die. When the time comes, think about how you want to give that money; once you decide, give it away as if you are going to die tomorrow.” In India, as well, there is great emphasis on higher education, Indu says, which makes their gift to URI quite appropriate and relevant.
PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS
Indu and E. R. Suryanarayan
“ Education is the key,” Sury says. “This is Darwin’s idea that there is always hope for us. We can and should continuously improve. We are still climbing the ladder of evolution in civilization.” On the same theme, Sury writes, “We are imperfect human beings living in an imperfect world. When nonviolence becomes a guiding philosophy in our lives, then we may all live in a world of peace, appreciating one another for what we are.” By John Pantalone ’71
For more information on the many giving opportunities at the University of Rhode Island, please visit our Web site at urifoundation.org, or contact the vice president for development, URI Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-2023. Phone: 401-874-5836.
Class of 1958 50th Reunion
MAY 16, 17, & 18, 2008 Come back to Kingston and enjoy a full weekend of gatherings and opportunities to get together with classmates, including: a campus tour, a reunion dinner dance at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, and brunch at the President’s house.
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
On Sunday, May 18, members of the Class of 1958 will lead URI’s 122nd Commencement march.
Golden Grad Weekend FRIDAY, MAY 30 & SATURDAY, MAY 31
All Golden Graduates are invited to join us for this social and educational two-day event. Highlights include a morning (and lunch) at the Whispering Pines Conference Center on the W. Alton Jones campus, the Golden Graduate reception at the President’s house, and a luncheon at the Dunes Club in Narragansett. The following reunion years will be celebrated during the Golden Grad luncheon: Class of 1953 – 55th reunion Class of 1948 – 60th reunion Class of 1943 – 65th reunion Class of 1938 – 70th reunion Class of 1933 – 75th reunion Class of 1928 – 80th reunion
If you need disability assistance, please call 401-874-2242 at least three days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the Rhode Island Relay Service at 1-800-745-5555. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE AT 401-874-2242.
Read about both events at advance.uri.edu/alumni/reunions Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Permit No. 28 Burl., VT 05401