URI QuadAngles Winter 2010-2011

QUADANGLES

ALUMNI MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010–2011 VOLUME 19, NO.2

Diversity in the Field Tracking Birds on Block Island

Thank You Rhode Island!

Voters say ‘Yes’ to Question 2 With the support of Rhode Island voters, a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences will come to the University of Rhode Island.

According to projo. com, 55 percent of voters were in favor of Question 2. Statewide, 175,730 people voted in favor of the bond, while 142,451 voted against it. ”The Chemistry Department is pleased and grateful to the voters of Rhode Island for supporting the passage of Question 2 to allow construction of a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at URI,” said Bill Euler, chair of URI’s Department of Chemistry. “The new facility will allow the University to go forward in providing state-of-the-art training for more students in disciplines essential to the 21st century economy in Rhode Island.”

By passing Question 2, voters approved a $78 million bond that includes $61 million to finance a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at URI and $17 million for the renovation of and an addition to the Rhode Island College Art Center.

BIG IDEAS NEED ROOM TO GROW.

The referendum is expected to create approximately 1,200 jobs over the next five years in construction, trades, architecture, engineering, management, teaching and research. When completed, the new chemistry center will allow faculty to compete more effectively for research grants and move scientific discoveries into the marketplace more rapidly. As Rhode Island seeks to generate business and jobs, an educated workforce in these disciplines is vital.

essential2ri.org JOE GIBLIN

QUADANGLES

ALUMNI MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010–11 VOLUME 18, NO. 2

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

PRESIDENT’S VIEW 3

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JOURNEY’S END

By Sam Perkins In March 1998, Antonio Reynolds-Dean led the eighth-seeded Rams to a stunning upset over top-ranked Kansas and an appearance in the Elite Eight; where has life taken him since?

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THE FIFTH ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Held on Saturday evening, Oct. 23, at the Westin Hotel, Providence, the event celebrated the achievements of four President’s Award winners and 23 Dean’s List recipients

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MISSION POSSIBLE

By Maria Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92 For 25 years engineering graduate Dorothy Rasco has shared the triumphs and challenges of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program; now she is in charge of shutting it down

UP FRONT 4 News and views PRESS BOX 8 ALUMNI CHAPTERS 28 Upcoming events and contacts CLASS ACTS 30 News from your classmates, photo wrap-ups, and alumni profiles BACK PAGE 40 Agnes Doody—One of a Kind INSIDE BACK COVER $120 Million Thanks!

BACK COVER Where Are URI Alumni?

WEB EXTRAS URI.EDU/QUADANGLES • RHODY INK WHO’S WEARING RHODY INK? FIND OUT, SEE MORE, AND TELL US ABOUT YOURS. • RHODY POSTCARD: GREETINGS FROM THE NORTH POLE • THE INVESTED LIFE COVER: NORA LEWIS CONTENTS: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, COURTESY URI ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, JOE GIBLIN, SCOTT ANDREWS, NORA LEWIS

18 CELEBRATING HUMAN AND

WILDLIFE DIVERSITY

By Todd McLeish

Senior Christina Knoll, who spent the fall semester serving a full-time internship

conducting ornithological research on Block

Island, is also a campus diversity champion

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THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

By Bethany Vaccaro ’06 Many students come to URI hoping to be prepared for the “real world”; those who find their way to the Office of Internships and Experiential Education don’t just prepare for it—they live in it

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WHAT EVERYBODY ISN’T TALKING ABOUT: RACE AND RACISM ON CAMPUS

By John Pantalone ‘71 How committed is URI to true diversity and unity, to creating a community where everyone’s background is acknowledged and respected, to embracing a safe place where these critical issues can be aired out honestly?

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QUADANGLES ALUMNIONLINE

QUADANGLESONLINE

No matter where you live, you can stay connected to URI. Take a look at these upcoming events, and register online.

What could be easier?

Take a look at great photos and videos included in QuadAngles Online. You can sign up for a subscription to QuadAngles Online by going to advance.uri.edu/subscriptions.

advance.uri.edu/alumni

uri.edu/quadangles

DON’T MISS BIG CHILL WEEKEND 2011—it’s just around the

corner, January 21–23!

We are definitely turning up the volume on Big Chill Weekend, which includes the amazing NYC show band Eturnity, great auction items, dining at Rosecliff, and much more. It’s all about scholarships—and fun! Register

by January 7 at uri.edu/bigchill.

YOUNG ALUMNI, mark your calendars for March 4 and the Blue Man Group at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The Young Alumni Council will offer discounted tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance— and host a pre-show event. To learn more about this and other activities planned for graduates of the past decade, go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/newgrads.

PLAN AHEAD! Take a look at the

alumni calendar, which features upcoming chapter events around the country, in addition to info about all kinds of great events, including reunions, the popular annual Alumni Golf Tournament on June 6, and an Alumni Association-sponsored trip to Tuscany September 27–October 6. Go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/calendar.

WATCH A VIDEO OF CHRISTINA KNOLL ’11 and

a team of students and biologists on Block Island studying bird migration.

Group members—and the Block Island birds—are all aflutter with this exciting project, which involves the humans weighing, measuring, and assessing the birds before releasing them.

IF YOU LOVE PURPLE— AND AGNES DOODY—

see a slideshow from the dedication of the Agnes Doody Auditorium in Swan Hall, which was held on October 29. You can also watch a video of the legendary professor’s “First Lecture” in the auditorium named in her honor.

IN HONOR OF THE SEASON, MEET A REAL-LIFE SANTA,

who just so happens to be a URI alumnus. In spite of his busy schedule, he penned a Rhody Postcard from the North Pole.

ALUMNICONNECTIONS

alumniconnections.com/rhodeisland To subscribe to our email news lists, go to Member Services at alumniconnections. com/rhodeisland. Select Email Preferences to opt in or out of our email news lists.

ALUMNI NEWS AND EVENTS Upcoming alumni programs, such as Homecoming, chapter events, reunions, cultural events, and member events.

RIRAA ONLINE Information about athletic events, special ticket offers, priority points, gifts to RIRAA, and more.

SUPPORTING URI Giving news and announcements about gifts to URI, including gifts to the endowment, the Fund for URI, planned giving, and more.

The ideas and opinions expressed in QUADANGLES do not necessarily reflect those of the Alumni Association, the editor, or the University. QUAD ANGLES is published four 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.

URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action.

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QUADANGLES is a publication of the University of Rhode ­Island Alumni Association, Division of University Advancement, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881. p: 401.874.2242.

Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle Executive Editor Michele A. Nota ’87, M.S. ’06 Editorial Committee Jodi Hawkins Mike Laprey Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 Liz Prager O'Brien ’83 Managing Editor Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’72 Associate Editor Barbara Caron, Online Edition Jan Wenzel ’87 Art Director Kim Robertson Interim Director of Publications Russell Kolton Director of Communications Linda Acciardo ’77 Contributing Editors Gigi Edwards, Online Edition Mary Ann Mazzone, Class Acts Nicki Toler, Alumni Online & Chapters Contributing Designers Johnson Ma Bo Pickard Verna Thurber Photographer Nora Lewis Alumni Relations Staff Robert Ferrell ’07, Program Assistant Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, Assistant Director Kathleen Gianquitti ’71, M.S. ’82, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Lobdell ’96, Associate Director Brittany Manseau ’08, Specialist Jess Raffaele ’04, M.S. ’09, Program Assistant Kate Serafini ’08, Specialist Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S. ’03, Assistant Director Alumni Association Executive Board Donald P. Sullivan ’71, President Joseph M. Confessore ’96, President Elect Gary W. Kullberg ’63, Past President Louise H. Thorson, M.B.A. ’85, Vice President Raymond L. Watson M.C.P. ’05, Vice President Ronald P. Joseph ’67, Treasurer Councilors-at-Large Brandon F. Brown ’10 William M. Dolan III ’81 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.S. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell-White ’90 Edwin R. Pacheco ’05 Gregory S. Perry ’88 Benjamin W. Tuthill ’04 Christos S. Xenophontos ’84, M.S. ’85 Representatives Arts and Sciences: Jerome H. Kritz ’76 Business Administration: Laurel L. Bowerman ’77, M.B.A. ’84 Continuing Education: Edward Bozzi Jr. ’68 Engineering: Leo Mainelli ’58 Environment and Life Sciences: Wayne K. Durfee ’50 Human Science and Services: John Boulmetis ’71, M.S. ’73 Nursing: Denise A. Coppa ’72, Ph.D. ’02 SAA President: Chris Aiudi ’14 Student Senate: David Coates ’11 URI Foundation: George Graboys, Hon. ’99

NORA LEWIS; ISTOCKPHOTOS.COM; ©WIKIPEDIA.COM; DENNIS COWLEY

A Victory for All of Rhode Island This past Tuesday, November 2, Rhode Islanders approved an important new investment in a better future: The new building for the Chemical and Forensic Sciences, part of Question 2 on the ballot, passed handily. We here at the University of Rhode Island appreciate this vote of confidence in our students, our faculty, and our efforts to achieve an even higher level of excellence. The new $61-million building will provide state-of-the-art facilities for research and education that will play an important role in creating a vibrant and sustainable economy in Rhode Island and in keeping our nation competitive.

A lot of people contributed their time, creativity, and dedicated hard work to make this possible. The effort was led

by Vice President for Advancement Bob Beagle. His team in the Advancement Division did outstanding work in support of our efforts, as did the Office of Higher Education, members of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Chemistry (particularly Dean Winnie Brownell, Chemistry Department Chair Bill Euler, and our chemistry graduate students). Others at URI (such as AAUP, our campus faculty organization, and the Student Senate) also made important contributions to our success.

An especially noteworthy aspect of the campaign for Question 2 was the broad and enthusiastic coalition that supported URI’s efforts. Labor and business interests both saw the tremendous economic development potential of this project and worked very hard to promote it. A high point was the editorial in The Providence Journal co-authored by Laurie White ’81 (president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce) and Michael Sabitoni (president of the Building and Construction Trades Council). Question 2 was also endorsed by many other groups plus many of the state’s leading media. A complete list of our supporters and those who endorsed our project may be found at uri.edu/news/releases/?id=5564.

I also extend my congratulations to our colleagues and the students at Rhode Island College. Question 2 included $17 million for a desperately needed renovation and modernization of an arts facility at RIC. The college, its students, and its alumni were excellent partners with us in promoting both projects across the state.

Conversation with the President To celebrate the opening of the new academic year, on October 7 President Dooley met with members of the URI community in the Memorial Union Ballroom for a conversation and question and answer session.

The event was well attended by students, faculty, and staff eager to exchange ideas with the president.

JOE GIBLIN

Most importantly, for all of you who voted “Yes on 2”—thank you. You demonstrated that even in difficult times, Rhode Islanders can come together to take the steps needed to build a better future. In the current political and economic climate, perhaps such a courageous and confident step would be possible “only in Rhode Island.”

—David M. Dooley

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 3

NEWS&VIEWS All in the University Family Electrical Engineering Professor Leland Jackson is known for his research and teaching in digital signal processing, which is the basis of many modern devices from cell phones to modems, radar, and sonar. He built the first digital filter in hardware at Bell Labs, and his two textbooks are still in use. He retired last spring after 36 years at URI and 10 years in industry.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the last the University would see of a Jackson. Just as Leland Jackson was exiting, his daughter Anita Jackson Derreza joined our College of Pharmacy as a clinical assistant professor in pharmacy practice.

In her role as an instructor in the Professional Pharmacy Practice Laboratory, she teaches students about patient counseling, cultural competence, medication reconciliation, interprofessional health care teams, and the prevention of adverse medication events.

“I grew up on South Road in Kingston,” Derreza recalled. “I learned to throw and hit a softball on the Quad and took many after-

Goodbye Terrace Apartments, Hello Hillside Hall dinner walks through the URI gardens. I remember spending lots of time at the Fine Arts Building where my mother accompanied opera students on the piano and in Kelly Hall with my father, drawing on the board and reading.

“It has always been my dream to be at URI. I hope I can be even a shadow of the professor, teacher, and mentor that my father was for so many students.”

Sick From Watching Medical Shows?

Millions watch medical shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, House, and E.R. each week. Yet watching a heavy dose of medical news and drama on television can lead to hypochondria and can reduce people’s satisfaction with life, according to a study by Yinjiao Ye, assistant professor of communication studies, Harrington School of Communication and Media.

In the study, Ye surveyed 274 students in the College of Communications at the University of Alabama about their TV viewing and life satisfaction. They were not told the purpose of the survey.

The study, published in the September issue of the journal Mass Communication and Society,

found TV viewing led the students to believe they had a greater likelihood of being victimized by health risks and that the risks were severe.

Since most people learn important information about health risks from the mass media, there is clearly a double-edged-sword effect at work here. As people become more knowledgeable, they enjoy life less. But ignorance, at least of TV’s presentations of medical information, is closer to bliss.

These findings extend previous research that TV viewing can cause people to be less satisfied with their lives because it makes them more materialistic and causes them to overestimate other people’s possessions compared to their own. Now getting sick and not being able to do much about it can be added as a second cause of life dissatisfaction.

College students are generally associated with good health and vitality. “While this surveyed group shows dissatisfaction, I suspect that if I surveyed a more general population the dissatisfaction would be even higher,” says the researcher.

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MICHAEL SALERNO, COURTESY OF LERNER LADDS + BARTELS

An excavator made short work of demolishing the aging fourbuilding, 54-bed Terrace Apartments on Baird Hill Road this past fall to make way for a new 429-bed residence, Hillside Hill, which will be the most energy efficient residence on campus. The $42 million facility is expected to open in fall 2012.

“This represents another major step in the University’s efforts to modernize and expand its on-campus housing,” said Chip Yensan, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and director of Housing and Residential Life. “Three years ago, we opened three

Charles Wasn’t the Only Interesting Darwin

new residences to address the needs of upperclassmen, and now we are embarking on a new facility that will enhance the freshman and sophomore experience. The goal in all of these projects is to create a more vital campus community through the development of energetic and connected neighborhoods.”

The Kingston Campus is no longer a ghost town on weekends, thanks to more than $225 million in construction and renovations of residential residences and amenities during the last decade. Students have increasingly flocked back to campus living. Ten years ago, about 39 percent of students lived on campus. Today that figure has risen to 49 percent.

Most people know Charles Darwin was the father of evolution, but few know about the famous English naturalist’s wife, Emma Darwin.

That is all about to change, thanks to James Loy, professor emeritus of anthropology, and his wife, Kent Loy, M.S. ’79, a freelance writer.

The result of their 12-year labor of love, Emma Darwin: A Victorian Life, was published by the University Press of Florida this fall.

The bulk of the couple’s research was done in England during a semester-long sabbatical at Cambridge University where the URI anthropologist was a visiting scholar. The Loys read most of Emma’s letters housed at the Cambridge University Library and spent time at Keele University reading portions of the Wedgwood papers. Returning home, they pored over reels of microfilmed letters for the next four years.

The letters and other correspondence reveal a bright, talented, and religious woman who served as Darwin’s editor, nurse, confidante, and companion.

As first cousins, Emma and Charles grew up together, saw each other frequently, and were fond of each other.

“There is some evidence that she secretly loved him before he worked up the courage to express his love for her. For both of them, their marriage was an exercise in comfortable familiarity,” report the authors, who relocated to North Carolina after Jim retired last spring.

“Charles Darwin wasn’t skeptical about marriage; indeed he wanted very much to get married in the late 1830s, but he did make a famous list of the pros-and-cons of marriage just before he proposed to Emma.

“Emma was no wallflower, although at the time of Darwin’s proposal in 1838, she apparently had no other suitors. She had received two or three proposals just a few years earlier, however, but for reasons that are not clear had not accepted any of them.”

Emma aided Charles in his scientific correspondence, proofread portions of his most important manuscripts, including On the Origin of Species, and gave him her opinion on scientific points. Still, science was most definitely not her thing, and as a Christian, she worried that Darwin’s decreasing religious beliefs might result in the two of them being separated in the afterlife.

COURTESY OF JASMES AND KENT LOY

She willingly nursed Charles through many years of episodic illnesses. Darwin, in turn, came to depend on her care. His list of symptoms is long and complicated and the etiology of his ill health is still controversial.

The Loys find the theory that he had Chagas Disease t o be the most convincing of many possibilities.

A talented pianist, Emma played for Charles and their 10 children (three of whom died at an early age) during the evenings at Down House. Family legend suggests she studied with Chopin, but the Loys did not find any proof of that.

Emma was passionate about the abolition of slavery, animal welfare, Irish nationalism (she would have none of it), and British and international politics.

The Loys were charmed by her dry, quiet sense of humor (she had been described as almost dour), her sometimes unorthodox childrearing practices (the Darwin children had the run of Down House and Emma favored bribery to get a child to mind), and her maternal devotion to all her children.

For more about Emma, visit upf.com/book. asp?id=LOYXX001.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 5

Ocean Scientist Awarded Equivalent of Nobel for Sustainable Development

In Memoriam

Ken Sherman, M.S. ’59, URI and NOAA researcher, shared the Göteberg Award for Sustainable Development this fall. The international award is considered the environmental equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Sherman, director of the Narragansett Laboratory and the Office of Marine Ecosystems Studies in NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and adjunct professor of oceanography at URI, pioneered the concept of large marine ecosystems with URI’s Lewis Alexander and others during the 1980s.

The scientist and his colleagues recognized that large areas of the oceans function as ecosystems and that pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, habitat degradation, toxic pollution, aerosol contamination, and over-exploration of living resources, along with natural factors, influenced the varying productivity of these ecosystems.

That knowledge has led to a growing recognition that actions on the part of governments and society are required to address the degradation.

Sherman shared the prize, one million Swedish crowns or about $148,000, with conservationist Randall Arauz of Costa Rica.

Grad Student’s Concrete Idea Wins Kudos Efforts to extend the life of structures and reduce repair costs have led engineers to develop “smart materials” that have self-healing properties, but many of these new materials are difficult to commercialize. A new self-healing concrete developed and tested by a URI graduate student may prove to be cost-effective.

Michelle Pelletier, while a master’s degree candidate, embedded a microencapsulated sodium silicate healing agent directly into a concrete matrix.

When tiny stress cracks begin to form in the concrete, the capsules rupture and release the healing agent into the adjacent areas.

The sodium silicate reacts with the calcium hydroxide naturally present in the concrete to form a calcium-silica-hydrate product to heal the cracks and block the pores in the concrete. The chemical reaction creates a gel-like material that hardens in about one week.

“Smart materials usually have an environmental trigger that causes the healing to occur,” explained Pelletier, who collaborated on the project with URI Chemical Engineering Professor Arijit Bose. “What’s special about our material is that it can have a localized and targeted release of the healing agent only in the areas that really need it.”

Pelletier’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Public Works magazine named Pelletier, who graduated last summer with a master’s in chemical engineering, a 2010 Public Works Trendsetter whose research could extend the life of roads, bridges, foundations, and sidewalks. She was featured in more than two dozen trade publications in the transportation, construction, engineering, and chemical industries this past fall.

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MICHAEL SALERNO, NORA LEWIS

The URI community offers its condolences to the family and friends of Enrollment Services Director Horace J. “Harry” Amaral Jr., M.A. ’80, who died suddenly on Sunday, October 17, 2010, at his home in Narragansett. He was 64. For 36 years, first as a financial aid official and then as director of enrollment services, Harry put his “URI kids” first. He was among the University’s most ardent alumni, cheering on the basketball and golf teams and serving as an executive board member of the URI Alumni Association. He was the recipient of a URI Alumni Excellence Award and a proud member of the URI Rams Den Round Table. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Margaret “Peggy” Amaral; two daughters, Nina M. Amaral ’95 of Narragansett and Megan A. Fusco ’96 and her husband, Jason ’96, and their daughter, Margaret Rose, of South Kingstown; and a son, Nicholas J. Amaral ’02 of Warwick.

Memorial contributions may be made to the URI Foundation, Amaral Family Fund, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, R.I. 02881.

Janett Trubatch, who served as vice provost for Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach from 2000–2005, died on October 26, 2010, at her home in Chicago.

She was a dynamic leader who increased research funding from $47 million to over $60 million during her tenure at URI. She initiated and served as principal investigator to a National Science Foundation grant to hire, retain, and advance women in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This resulted in 10 major hires at URI and development of family leave and dual career guidelines to improve recruitment and retention of all URI faculty. She subsequently served as graduate dean and vice provost for research at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She is survived by her four children: David, Joel, and Anna Trubatch, and Beth Trubatch Schlicting.

COMMENTARY This new section of QUAD ANGLES features feedback from readers of both the print and online magazine. The following comments, all posted online, relate to stories in the Fall 2010 issue. Thank you to our correspondents for sharing your thoughts with us.

“The Simple Joy of Life Continued” Bethany, Robert, and Professor Vaccaro: My name is Jamie, and I am a health teacher at a school in Worcester, Mass. My son Sean is a freshman at URI, and I receive QUAD ANGLES. I shared this article with my classes (grades 7–12) this week, and we were moved by your family’s resolve. The courage of Robert and your family is inspiring to all of us. In the article war is talked about in not only life or death circumstances but in having to deal with a family member’s struggle with disability. Some of the students in the school aspire to go in the military, and sharing your anguish with us through your essay has opened some of their eyes to the reality of war. Thank you for your willingness to share this information and your strength as a family to work as a unit to help Robert succeed in his quest for independence.

Regards, Jamie Sullivan —Posted October 20, 2010, at 9:55 a.m.

I don’t know how to begin this comment, so I think I will just dive right in. The strength of the Vaccaro family is so evident through Rob’s story. Not only the strength of Rob, but of all of you. When one family member is affected, it affects you all, good or bad. God must have found favor in the Vaccaro family, because he promised in his word that he would never give us more than we can bear, and you all have had to bear so much. But speaking for myself, and my family as well (my father coached the church softball team) we are so grateful for your love and support of Rob, because without it we would not know him. We love him very much, and I personally am very blessed to call him a friend.

Seeing him every week is such a joy!

Marjorie Harrison —Posted October 20, 2010 at 4:31 p.m.

“Working the Room: Move-in Day, September 2010” Looks a tad crowded! I remember Weldin being a building of double rooms. Did renovation enlarge the living spaces?

Catherine Becker-Lanni —Posted October 14, 2010, at 6:08 p.m.

I knew that photo looked familiar! They’re still tripling in Weldin Hall?! How I remember squeezing into one dorm room with my two new roommates freshman year. Fortunately for us in the class of 1977, we were probably far more used to sharing rooms than this generation is!

Patty Boyd ­—Posted October 15, 2010, at 2:07 p.m.

Many years ago I lived in a double at Bressler Hall. It was about the time bunk beds were introduced. What a change 25 years makes!

Charlene —Posted October 19, 2010, at 6:08 p.m.

I had the BEST ROOMMATE in the world. She was rock ’n roll and I was preppy. We met in ’81 and graduated in ’85. ’Til this day she is the “sister of my heart” 25 years after graduation. That means we’ve know one another 29 years—WOW! And to think it all began at URI—three years living in Browning and senior year “down the line”!!

Linda Duros —Posted October 22, 2010, at 1:59 p.m.

I’ve got you all beat. We were told that our freshman year, 1967, was the first time for triples in Weldin.

Pam Abbott —Posted: October 23, 2010, at 5:16 p.m.

“Celebrating a Legacy: John Grandin’s Legacy Made URI a Leader in International Engineering Education” Dr. Grandin is a gifted visionary with unique talents. I benefited enormously from his enthusiastic approach and love of teaching. His inspiration sparked a strong interest in learning German, and as a U.S. Army foreign area officer I used those language skills and cultural awareness initially obtained at URI to serve 17 years in Germany, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation.

Congratulations on retirement!

Tim Shea ’80, colonel (retired), U.S. Army —Posted October 15, 2010, at 8:58 a.m.

“Chemistry—Essential 2 Rhode Island’s Future” I came to URI as a chem major in 1956 when Pastore Hall was a very new, modern facility. It’s hard to believe it’s still the center for chemistry at the University. Have there been any major renovations to the building since then? There must have been, or else how could chemistry be as good as I know it currently is there? I wish I were still a Rhode Islander, so that I could vote Yes on the bond referendum (#2). Good luck on the referendum.

Dick Durst —Posted October 23, 2010 at 9:49 p.m.

If you have comments that you would like to share, please email vwgriffin@advance.uri.edu or write to Vida-Wynne Griffin, Managing editor, QUAD ANGLES, URI Publications Office, Alumni Center, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 7

PRESSBOX Athletics Hall of Fame The newest class of inductees for the Athletics Hall of Fame includes Ed Bradley ’68, men’s soccer, both as player and coach; Julia Chilicki-Beasley ’94, women’s crew, both as rower and as coach; Tyson Wheeler ’98, men’s basketball; and Bob White, football.

“It’s an honor to induct four of the finest student-athletes in URI history into our Athletics Hall of Fame,” Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn said. ”It will be a special weekend for Ed, Julia, Tyson, and Bob; I congratulate their many athletic achievements. It will also be special for our fans to welcome them home and celebrate their induction into the Hall of Fame.”

The full slate of Hall of Fame events kicks off on Friday, Jan. 21, with an induction ceremony and dinner at Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown, R.I. The following afternoon, the Hall of Fame class will be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game versus La Salle.

URI Athletics Launches ExperienceRhody.com The Athletics Department is proud to announce the launch of ExperienceRhody. com. The interactive Web site allows fans to purchase Rhody men’s basketball tickets on a comprehensive interactive platform. Fans are able to view information on season tickets, mini plans, group tickets, suites, and individual game tickets on the site.

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COURTESY OF URI ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT, NCAA

In Memoriam: Maurice “Mo” “Zarch” Zarchen ’49 Mo Zarchen, 90, of Kingston, R.I., died peacefully at home on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010. He was director of athletics at URI for 19 years, following six successful years as head coach of basketball at Pratt Institute. He was chairman of the URI Department of Physical Education for 13 years, and is credited with much of the growth of the Department of Athletics and its teams during his administrative tenure.

He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1942 and served in the infantry for three years during World War II. He received several commendations, including two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. As a member of the infantry, he participated in the landing at Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine River at Remagen.

After his military service, he graduated from Rhode Island State College in 1949 and received his master’s degree from Columbia University.

He was the beloved husband of Barbara Tresler Zarchen, M.L.S. ’70.

They were married for 56 years. Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Jane Vachon of Wilmington, N.C.; and Ann Knoblock and her husband, Henry, of Sudbury, Mass.; and three grandchildren, Christopher, Caroline, and Sophia Knoblock.

He was a member of the URI University Club, the Dunes Club, and Point Judith Country Club.

Memorial contributions may be made to the URI Foundation in support of The Maurice Zarchen Endowment Fund in Hockey, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-2023.

URI to Host 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional On Nov. 1 the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee announced that URI has been named one of four regional sites for the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. This will be the first NCAA Championship event to take place at the Ryan Center. ”We are very excited and honored to host the regionals of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at the Thomas M. Ryan Center,” said Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn. “It’s a chance for us to showcase the University, our Athletics Department, our women’s basketball program, and the Ryan Center to a national audience.”

“We are committed to providing a first-class experience for our fans, the participating student-athletes, and women’s college basketball fans as a whole,” added Bjorn.

URI was the lone Atlantic 10 institution selected to host NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament games in 2012.

“This is fantastic news not only for our players, our team, and our University but for the state of Rhode Island as a whole,” said

Rhody women’s basketball head coach Cathy Inglese. “It will be a great opportunity for our fans to see some of the nation’s elite programs play right here in the Ryan Center.”

In addition to Rhode Island, Fresno State, North Carolina State, and Northern Iowa will also serve as host institutions for regional competition in 2012. Games will take place either Saturday, March 24, and Monday, March 26, or Sunday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 27, 2012 (exact dates to be determined in June 2011).

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 9

Journey’s END “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

-Don Williams Jr.

10 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

When Antonio Reynolds-Dean ’99 left the court in March 2008, the sports world didn’t skip a beat. Reynolds-Dean never made it to the NBA; he spent his entire career toiling far from the limelight and played out his final game in a mid-level league 5,000 miles from home.

But he never became a statistic—he became a man.

Antonio de Andre Reynolds-Dean was born and raised on the west side of Atlanta and bore the scars of the city that bred him.

Decades after the civil rights movement, the city was still reeling from the effects of slavery, reconstruction, and the Jim Crow south.

The west side is the most downtrodden section of a city that boasts one of the nation’s highest murder rates. As a youth, boarded up and burned out buildings, vacant lots, corner hangouts, and drive-bys were all Reynolds-Dean knew: “I knew nothing of the outside world; I thought I was going to live and die in Atlanta.”

Many of Reynolds-Dean’s childhood friends never made it out, but basketball served as his lifeline. After starring for Douglas High he accepted a scholarship from the University of Rhode Island: “When you’re 16, 17 years old, you don’t understand the magnitude of the decisions you make. I didn’t know it at the time, but going to URI was the biggest and best decision of my life.

I don’t know what would have happened to me if I had stayed in Atlanta, but I know I would never have had a chance at the life I’ve lived if I hadn’t gone to Rhode Island.”

The story goes that Reynolds-Dean arrived in Kingston without a jacket to his name, unprepared for the harsh New England winters. After living in a segregated community his entire life, he found himself surrounded by people with backgrounds very different from his own. “It was a definite shock to my system,” he says.

While Reynolds-Dean struggled to adjust socially off the court, he hit the ground running on the hardwood.

Generously listed at 6’7”, he relied on an unmatched work ethic and a big heart to get the job done in the low post for the Rams. “He was a very undersized guy, but

COURTESY OF URI ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

his mental toughness and his heart were as big as anyone’s that I’ve ever coached,” says former URI head coach Al Skinner.

Although he spent his entire career playing in the shadows of future NBA stars Cuttino Mobley ’98 and Lamar Odom, it was Reynolds-Dean—whom Odom refers to as a father figure—who was the heart and soul of the team. “Antonio gave every ounce he had every time he set foot on the floor,” remembers former teammate Preston Murphy ’99, now director of basketball operations at URI.

And for one magical month in March 1998, Reynolds-Dean shone on college basketball’s biggest stage, leading the eighth-seeded Rams to a stunning upset over top-ranked Kansas and an appearance in the Elite Eight.

Reynolds-Dean set school records for games played and games started (131), finished second in school history in blocks (235) and third in rebounds (1,028), to go along with 1,576 career points scored.

Arriving at URI as an unknown high-school player, Reynolds-Dean graduated as a professional prospect.

But his real transformation took place off court: “I was forced to come out of my comfort zone. Back in Atlanta, it was easy to just stay in your community and avoid everyone different. At URI, I couldn’t just go home and hide—I was forced to adapt. URI gave me the forum to really interact with different people for the first time in my life. It changed my life.”

Reynolds-Dean credits Skinner and his coaching staff with helping him navigate unfamiliar territory: “I can’t fully put into words the impact my coaches had on my life. Al Skinner, Ed Cooley, and Bill Coen (Skinner’s assistants) were really father figures; they helped me become a man.”

Reynolds-Dean met his future wife at URI and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies: “I came to Rhode Island with all these notions of how people were and what the world was, and I left with an entirely new outlook on life.”

When his college career ended, Reynolds-Dean attended the Chicago

pre-draft camp, where he competed against numerous future NBA players, more than holding his own. But NBA scouts couldn’t see past his camp measurement of 6’5”.

“His physical size prevented him from playing in the league, but it didn’t detract from the size of his heart and the effort that he gave every night,” Skinner reflects.

Reynolds-Dean’s name wasn’t called on draft night in 1999, but his NBA dreams lived on. Symbolically wearing his NBA shorts from the Chicago pre-draft camp underneath the uniforms of the Idaho Stampede, Dakota Wizards, Florida Sea Dragons, and Brooklyn Kings, he chased his dreams through the dark gyms and empty arenas of the minor leagues.

“For a year I gave my dream everything I had,” he says of his time in the International Basketball Association, Continental Basketball Association, and United States Basketball League (all have since folded).

Reynolds-Dean led the IBA in rebounding, averaged a double-double, was selected to the All-IBA first team, and was named league Rookie of the Year, but the NBA still wasn’t calling. So in 2000 he signed to play professionally in Spain.

In March 2008 Reynolds-Dean stepped off the hardwood for the last time in an aging arena in Argentina. For eight years he had traveled the globe. Along the way he married, had two daughters, and made a very nice living playing the game he loved while competing against some of the world’s best players: “Basketball took me around the world and allowed me to see things and experience a life that I never could have had without it.”

Weeks after his final game, ReynoldsDean joined the staff of Fairfield University’s head coach Ed Cooley. The following season he was hired as an assistant coach at Northeastern University, joining the staff of Coach Bill Coen.

Reynolds-Dean’s journey officially came full circle in December 2009 when he stepped onto URI’s Ryan Center’s floor as an opposing coach: “My time in college made me into the man I am today.”

By Sam Perkins

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 11

The Fifth Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards URI’s fifth annual Distinguished Achievement Awards, held on Saturday evening, Oct. 23, at the Westin Hotel, Providence, celebrated the achievements of four President’s Award winners and 23 Dean’s List recipients.

During Homecoming Weekend each year, the University recognizes four distinguished alumni and/or friends with the President’s Award. At the same time, the deans of each of the University’s colleges name honorees to receive Dean’s List Awards.

President’s Award Recipients

Martha E. Banks, M.A. ’79, Ph.D. ’81, renowned for her expertise on issues involving women, trauma, and health care, is a research neuropsychologist at the Research and Development Division of ABackans DCP, Inc. in Akron, Ohio, and a former professor at The College of Wooster.

Franklin W. Simon ’50, owner and president of The Simon Companies. A highly decorated World War II hero and engineering entrepreneur, he has been instrumental in providing housing for the elderly and low-to-moderate income individuals and families over the past 50 years.

Video | uri.edu/quadangles

12 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

Kwok K. Yeung, Ph.D. ’79, vice-president of research and development at IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook, Maine. The company sells a variety of products worldwide to veterinarians, including in-clinic diagnostic tests and instrumentation, laboratory services, and practice management software. Yeung holds 10 U.S. patents.

Richard J. Harrington ’73, Hon. ’02, chairman and general partner of The Cue Ball Group, is the former CEO of the world’s largest information services firm, The Thomson Corporation, now The Thomson Reuters Corporation.

College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List Recipients

Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education From left to right: Front: Laurie White ’81, Dean Winnie Brownell.

Back: Thomas J. Silvia ’83 and his wife, Shannon E. Chandley ’83.

College of Business Administration

From left to right: Mary A. Parella, M.C.P. ’89, Vice Provost John McCray, Paul Fioravanti ’88, M.P.A. ’95, M.B.A. ’99.

From left to right: Alan R. Spachman ’69, M.B.A. ’71, Wesley R. Card ’70, Dean Mark Higgins, Jay A. Kaiser ’68.

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13

College of Engineering

Dean’s List Recipients

College of the Environment and Life Sciences

From left to right: Rear: Dean Raymond Wright, Richard R. Scholesser, friend.

Front: Dorothy S. Rasco ’81, Jay William Harford, M.S. ’62.

College of Human Science and Services

From left to right: Frances W. Ingersoll ’74, Dean John Kirby, Rear Admiral Mary E. Landry, M.M.A. ’95.

From left to right: Kevin J. Pelton ’84, Christine L. (Scott) Pelton ’84, Diane Chace Fannon ’74, Dean Lynn McKinney.

14 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS.

College of Pharmacy College of Nursing

From left to right: Rear: Lois Vers Mason ’62, ean Ronald Jordan ’76.

Front: William H. Lang ’49, Capt. Justina A. Molzon ’73.

From left to right: Rear: Ken Owens, friend; Terri L. Maxwell ’82; Michael A. Waldman ’71, widower of honoree Ruth Waldman, M.S. ’75, professor emerita of nursing.

Front: Dean Dayle Joseph, M.S. ’75; Karin Robison ’87, daughter of Ruth Waldman.

Graduate School of Oceanography

From left to right: Dean David Farmer, Peter Betzer, Ph.D. ’72.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 15

Mission Possible For three decades, NASA’s Space Shuttle Program (SSP) has been a source of pride for the United States. From 1981 when Columbia became the first reusable space shuttle to more recent trips that delivered the final U.S. segments to the International Space Station, Americans have marveled at the scientific genius at the core of each flight. And even though as a nation, we mourned the losses of the Challenger and Columbia crews, we kept faith that NASA would learn from these tragedies and move forward.

During the SSP’s storied history, civil engineering graduate Dorothy Rasco ’81 has participated in its triumphs and challenges. A 25-year NASA employee, Rasco joined the agency as an engineer, designing facilities such as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory used to train astronauts in a weightless environment and upgrading Mission Control Center’s flight control rooms, where flight controllers simulate future missions.

Throughout her tenure, Rasco has accepted positions of increasing responsibility: “As my career progressed, I looked at opportunities that challenged me and not glamorous roles, necessarily.” Each new assignment was critical to safe and successful flights. As a contracting officer technical representative, she served as technical liaison between the contractor and the government’s contract organization, monitoring contractor performance and ensuring that products and services were delivered according to terms. In her role as manager of the Flight Crew Equipment Management Office, she was responsible for designing, building, or purchasing all of the hardware like laptop computers, cameras, clothing, and food that is flown in the space shuttle’s middeck.

Rasco’s achievements in these varied positions caught the attention of executive management, and her career gained added

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SCOTT ANDREWS; NORA LEWIS

momentum when she was chosen to participate in the Johnson Space Center’s Leadership Development Program. She was also awarded NASA fellowships to the Smith College Management Program and the Harvard Business School Leadership for Senior Executives—both designed to support the agency’s succession strategy: “NASA invests a lot in its employees. Like URI, we ‘Think Big’ and always try to make the program and the employees better.”

Her drive, coupled with these professional development opportunities, propelled Rasco to a senior management position within SSP. In 2006, she was named business office manager, overseeing an annual budget of more than $3.2 billion and a multidisciplinary workforce of more than 11,000 civil servants and contractors across the country. She referred to her team and her business partners in other support functions as “unsung heroes.”

While the astronauts are the program’s public face, the administrative staff keeps the shuttle program flying, securing funding from headquarters, managing budgets, and assessing contracts: “We analyze contracts to determine if they’ll deliver the necessary technical content, and every six months, a Performance Evaluation Board measures contract performance, makes recommendations for improvements, and determines the value of the award fee the contractor will receive.”

Interestingly, Rasco and her team that has been keeping the shuttles airborne are also responsible for managing the SSP retirement that President Bush announced in 2004. The last launch is scheduled for February 26, 2011, when the space shuttle

Endeavor will deliver spare parts to the International Space Station. Although the National Aeronautics and Space Authorization Act of 2010 allows for one extra shuttle flight in 2011, Congress will have to approve the $450 million price tag, so there is no guarantee that a shuttle will launch again after February 26.

The responsibilities of managing the transition are similar to those involved in administering an active program. Chief among them are budget processes and assessments. Rasco’s analyses are now focused on redeploying the nationwide workforce. Human capital planning activities include mapping SSP government employee and contractor skills to future programs. In addition, the SSP Business Office is working with economic development agencies in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas—home states of major SSP contractors and NASA Human Space Flight Centers.

Adding to the complexity of the SSP retirement is the task of disposing of all property and assets—1.2 million equipment line items—valued at $18 billion: “There’s immense pressure to make the right decision regarding each of these pieces. All property must be demilitarized so that it cannot be used against us, and we have to be environmentally sensitive. Donating assets comes with its own set of challenges. To transport an orbiter to a museum, an airport close to the venue must have a runway with a concrete apron long enough and strong enough to withstand the landing.”

As SSP winds down, Rasco is looking ahead and upward. A member of the

Human Exploration Framework Team, she is committed to maintaining sustainable and affordable human space flight: “We can send robots into space, but the human presence adds the fireworks. The human side touches the younger generation.”

For her extraordinary efforts in support of the SSP transition and retirement planning, NASA recognized Rasco with a 2010 Stellar Award, the latest in a long list of awards that includes the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Though proud of these accomplishments, Rasco cited receiving URI’s Distinguished Achievement Award as a highlight of her career (see page 14).

Rasco was thrilled to be lauded by the University that allowed her “to be able to become what I am” and to have her parents, Pei Wen Chang, M.S. ‘60, professor emeritus of fisheries, animal and veterinary science, and Lucy Chang, M.S. ’68, who taught business statistics, in attendance at the ceremony: “URI gave me the opportunity to learn through experience.

Whether I was in a soil lab or an environmental engineering lab, I enjoyed hands-on practice that has been so instrumental in my career. I also developed leadership skills by serving as vice president of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. Sixty girls lived in the house, and it was great fun.”

Whereas Rasco is working to ground the space shuttles and prepare for future stages of human space exploration, it is clear that the College of Engineering launched an extraordinarily accomplished professional. All systems are go for her continued success.

By Maria V. Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 00

Diversity in the Field Christina Knoll ’11 18 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010 –2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

T

wo dozen small satchels in bright colors and patterns were hung on a fence at the entrance to an undeveloped property at the north end of Block Island, where narrow trails traverse dense thickets of berryproducing shrubs. When one of the satchels twitched, its neighboring bag followed suit until all were aflutter. Inside each was a tiny bird—most named for colorful body parts like yellow-rumped warbler, ruby-crowned kinglet, blueheaded vireo, or red-breasted nuthatch—and all had been captured in a nearby mist net during their southbound migration.

NORA LEWIS

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19

0

of her own. She’s exceeded our mighty high ne by one, the birds were removed expectations every time.” from their satchels by a team of Knoll decided to study wildlife and conseven students and recently graduated servation biology because of a childhood biologists, who weighed and measured the passion for birds, bugs, and other wildlife. birds, assessed their age and fat levels, She chose URI in part because it is one of and attached tiny aluminum bands to their the few universities she found where the legs before releasing them. Occasionally, coursework meets the requirements to birds would fly right back into the nets, become a Certified Associate Wildlife where they would dangle awkwardly before being removed and released again. ­Biologist recognized by an international “It’s sort of like Christmas every time professional organization. you open one of the bags to see what kind of bird is inside,” said Christina Knoll, a senior from New Jersey and the only undergraduate working on the project.

The work is at times fast and furious, with measurements, codes, and species names being called out in rapid succession as one of the team tries to record the data.

But it is also a fun working environment, with all of them making jokes, sharing the excitement of a new species, and reveling in their teamwork.

For Knoll, this full-time internship was the culmination of four years of working on ornithological research with Professor Scott McWilliams and his doctoral student Adam Smith. As a freshman and sophomore, Knoll took care of temporarily ­captive birds, feeding them special diets, weighing them daily, and cleaning up after them. The fieldwork this year was the reward for the earlier dirty work.

“This island is a stopover point for Once on campus, she quickly immersed young birds,” Knoll explained. “We’re herself in campus activities. She became a examining bird migration—how long they resident assistant, joined the Electronic stay here, their movements while they’re Music Association, and served as a DJ on here, how their body condition affects how WRIU, another passion that she can’t help long they stay. For some of them, we track sharing enthusiastically with everyone their movements around around her. She the island after we calls being a DJ release them.” “a true art form.

“It’s sort of like Christmas It’s not only about every time you open one of I’ve been into it the birds, though. Knoll since I was 15. the bags to see what kind also counts and sorts It allows me to bugs and berries as a speak through of bird is inside.” measure of food the music. It’s a spiritual ­availability. release, the best feeling in the world.”

“Even as a freshman, Christina quickly Knoll also became president of the URI emerged as an impressively responsible, chapter of the Wildlife Society, obtained smart, and talented student,” said funding for the group from the Student Sen­McWilliams. “So we kept giving her more ate for the first time, and launched Talons: and more responsibility each year until A Bird of Prey Experience, which brought now, in her senior year, she’s one of the live hawks, owls, and falcons to the Quad first undergraduates that we’ve invited to for a falconry demonstration. She demonwork full-time on a field research project

20 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011

strates her recent enthusiasm for insects, sparked by Professor Roger LeBrun, by traveling everywhere she goes with her pet praying mantises, Beyoncé and G-Unit.

But wildlife and electronic music aren’t the only items on her personal agenda.

“I also see myself as one who stands for equal rights for everyone,” Knoll said.

“I care about people getting treated the way they should.”

She put that stance to the test last year when she became aware of increasing numbers of what she called hate crimes occurring on campus, including racial ­epithets, swastikas, and anti-gay insults. It inspired her to organize a “Stop the Hate” rally on the Quad in November 2009.

“The simplest, truest, most honest thing is that it came from me wanting to do something, to say something, to give the students a voice collectively,” she explained.

“I felt passionate about the things that were happening on campus. It upset me a lot.”

NORA LEWIS

What started out as a Facebook group featuring a picture of Rhody Ram with a peace sign between his horns grew into an event that brought out more than 1,000 people who share her concerns about the increasing lack of civility among people and groups, not just at the University but around the world.

The event made her a leading voice for diversity and harmony on campus. It got her and other students a place at the table when the University Equity Council discusses these issues, and it helped to establish a student equity group, I am U – URI Unity in Difference. As a result, Knoll was the 2010 recipient of the MLK Peacemaker Award from the University chaplains, and she received the New England regional Diversity Award from Students Organized Against Racism.

It also got her thinking more about her future. On one hand, she wants to follow her first passion—wildlife—go to graduate

school and ultimately work in Africa to help resolve conflicts between farmers and elephants. But she also wants to enter the Peace Corps to assist people in undeveloped countries.

She said of the latter idea, “I really want to step out of the American mindset. I want to have experiences elsewhere. It comes from caring about people around the world.

“What I’ve learned about myself and my personality, though, is that I don’t know if I can be a person who can stay in one spot and do one job. I really want to be involved in so many things. I’ve even thought about working for the U.N. As long as I’m feeling like I’m contributing to society, I think I’ll be satisfied.”

By Todd McLeish

Video | uri.edu/quadangles

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21

A competitive edge in the Many students come to URI hoping to be prepared for the “real world.” Those who find their way to the Office of Internships and Experiential Education (OIEE) don’t just get to prepare for it—they get to live in it.

An internship led Elizabeth Berman ’09 to her current job with the South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce.

Q & A for job seekers | uri.edu/quadangles

PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS

22 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

REAL I

t’s not a secret that the job market has been tough on graduates in recent years. According to the National Association of Colleges & Employers 2010 Job Outlook, 76.6 percent of employers prefer to hire candidates with work experience relevant to the position.

URI offers its students a prime opportunity to develop this competitive edge by doing a semester-long internship designed specifically with future career goals in mind.

From learning to read X-rays and observing surgeries, to developing an individualized plan of care for a child with a language disorder, to writing player bios for the ­Providence Bruins, URI students get to learn the tricks of their trade first-hand. OIEE has recently had students creating criminal files for pre-trial conferences at the office of the Rhode Island Attorney General and writing, producing, and editing an online segment of The Rhode Show.

During the Fall 2010 semester, senior Peter Conn, a film media major, had an internship greeting audience members as they arrived for taping of The Martha ­Stewart Show, interacting with them during the filming, and working with the postproduction manager to select video samples from the footage.

Senior Ryan Alexander, a psychology major, created and edited an anonymous database of measures of child anxiety for youth ages 5–16 in the URI-affiliated Child Anxiety Program. This anonymous database is used to examine treatment outcomes and allows refinement of current treatment procedures within the Child Anxiety Program. Alexander became familiar with different methods to measure anxiety and scoring programs used to document data and outcomes: “The experience absolutely informed my professional development,” he said. “I now know that I do want to go into this field.”

WORLD

URI INTERNSHIP PROGRAM BENEFITS Allows students to earn between 6–15 elective credits Enables students to put academic theory into real-world practice

“Usually the first question we ask students is, ‘what’s your dream job?’” explains Kim Washor ’96, M.S. ’02, coordinator for OIEE. “We work backwards from there. You can go anywhere and do anything.” Over the course of the Fall 2009, Spring 2010, and Summer 2010 semesters, 348 students participated in an internship, providing 97,736 service hours in a variety of agencies across the nation.

“Because our seminars include academic credit, we focus on helping students figure out how to connect the experience in internships with their academic curricula to help them reach their ultimate career goals,” says Washor. She sees each internship as an opportunity not only to apply what has been learned in the classroom, but to allow the experiences and insight gained on the job to influence the rest of the academic journey as well. Experiences like this are often career-defining for students at the beginning of their professional journeys, she observes.

URI’s internship program is distinct from others across the country, offering elective credit for part time and full time opportunities with a professionaldevelopment seminar that accompanies the field experience.

The seminars are offered both in class and online and are grouped by topic or major, making discussions rich for the ­students. Seminars include projects such as interviewing someone who has a dream job, developing interviewing skills, and examining the dynamics behind a chosen profession, such as necessary educational background and salary range. Detailed ­discussions of field experiences help the students integrate their work experiences with their academic backgrounds while supporting each other through the process.

Ryan Alexander found the seminar ­invaluable: “You do a lot of work in

­ rofessional development—creating a p network, building a Web site, understanding your values, identifying your strengths.

It’s been an amazing supplement to my internship experience that actually makes it more meaningful.”

“During the seminar, students create their own Web sites to showcase their learning goals and accomplishments,” Washor explains. “This is a great talking piece for an interview that gives our students an advantage over other students.”

The OIEE has been successful in pre­ paring students to enter the job market equipped with that increasingly valuable commodity, relevant work experience. ­Currently, 39 percent of URI’s interns are offered full-time jobs upon graduation, either at their placement site or from ­connections made directly through their internships. “Prior to the recession,” Washor says, “75 percent of our interns were offered full-time positions.”

URI students who’ve completed a ­successful internship and moved into fulltime employment found the opportunity provided by OIEE made all the difference.

Elizabeth Berman ’09, who interned during the summer of 2009 at the South Kingstown ­Chamber of Commerce, now works as the chamber’s events coordinator, manages the Web site, and is launching an email marketing campaign. “I started doing all of this during my internship,” she says. “I wouldn’t really have been ready for the job market without that experience. It’s so much more than you can get just out of the classroom.

Being able to network yourself is a big part of the job market. It’s tough to teach that.”

Intern advisors at OIEE love to connect students with URI alumni, particularly those who’ve come through the internship office themselves. “Alumni are often the best supervisors,” Washor says, “because they can relate to what the students ­experience at URI.”

Provides students with a supportive environment to explore career opportunities and to test career goals Enhances students’ professional skills and abilities Develops students’ self-reliance, selfesteem, and responsibility Facilitates networking professional contacts and references Gives students increased marketability and a competitive edge for employment after graduation and for graduate studies Office of Internships and Experiential Education (OIEE), Roosevelt Hall uri.edu/internships

Susanne Day ’06, a sales manager at Newport Life magazine, has just such a story, completing an internship and then going on to offer successful placements to URI students. “Our interns may be asked to research or write an editorial piece, or construct an email marketing campaign to our wide audience,” she explains. “We like to find out exactly what students want to accomplish after graduation and then tailor the internship to provide the skills needed for their résumés.”

Other alumni who’ve recently partnered with OIEE to offer internships are Jesse Friedman, M.A. ’09, of Rhode Island-based Triskallian Tours, and Nicole Roussell ’06, formerly at Rhode Island Monthly magazine.

OIEE helps URI students begin their professional lives by providing learning opportunities through partnerships with agencies that develop skill sets and instill confidence. “I see such a significant, lifechanging difference in these students over the course of the semester,” says Washor.

By Bethany Vaccaro ’06

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 23

What Everybody Isn’t Talking About …

24 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

D

oes the University of Rhode Island have reason to believe that its racial climate is any better or worse than climates at most other institutions? Is the racial atmosphere at URI reflective of the country’s racial climate? How committed is the University to true diversity and unity, to creating a community where everyone’s background is acknowledged and respected, to embracing a safe place where these critical issues can be aired out honestly?

These and other related questions have been asked of dozens of administrators, faculty, students, and staff over the past

encouraged all levels of the University to do so. Referring to a report submitted to him last summer by a coalition of students including racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities as well as disabled students, Dooley said they “have reminded us that the Obama era is not post-racial; all the problems are not solved.”

The students cited incidents of overt bias and harassment, mistreatment by some faculty, and a general sense of not feeling welcome at URI. Provost Donald DeHayes described the students’ individual stories about harassment and mistreatment as “real and moving.” Vice President

the country, and it is often cast in a polarizing national conversation that impedes progress. So, what can be done about problems highlighted by students?

“Change begins at a university with the faculty and with curriculum,” says Jason Pina, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “URI is no different than other colleges, and I don’t know of a college that has this figured out.

But faculty and staff have to be committed to improving the climate.”

Dooley and Dougan point to the creation of diversity task forces in each administrative department on campus. They note

(Race and Racism on Campus)

four months. Some answers emerge: URI is no different from other colleges and probably reflects the general national racial climate; the University seems more committed to diversity and unity than in years past; many people on campus are working to make it a safe place for racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities to have conversation with the majority to improve the atmosphere.

Other answers emerge: Non-white students, in particular black and Hispanic students, say they don’t always feel welcome or appreciated; administrators and staff acknowledge that the University has made little progress in hiring nonwhite faculty; some faculty believe black students sometimes respond defensively when faulted for inadequate work or for problematic classroom behavior; honest dialogue about race relations hasn’t happened much at the University.

President David Dooley has confronted these issues in a direct way and has

for Student Affairs Thomas Dougan has maintained contact with the student group, known as I Am U-URI-Unity in Diversity, to discuss their concerns and plans to address them.

It has set the stage for a new conversation about race relations at URI, one punctuated by Dooley’s assertion that it is necessary and practical, not just morally right, to prepare students to work in a multicultural, global environment. “This is the place to have these conversations,” Dooley said. “We are supposed to be preparing students to understand different cultures and to interact in a positive way.”

The students’ report highlighted, among other things, that many issues that black students raised in the 1970s and subsequent decades are still with us.

While enrollment of non-white students since the ’70s has increased significantly, and other improvements have been made, in the simplest terms, the racial climate at URI reflects the general racial climate of

that URI’s Equity Council is examining the climate and recommending improvements.

DeHayes said the provost’s Task Force has developed a set of multicultural competencies for students, and he wants to offer workshops to consider implementing these in the General Education curriculum.

President Dooley has recommended hiring an administrator for community equity and diversity to coordinate efforts to improve the climate. In another initial step, DeHayes has arranged for campus-wide posting of URI Cornerstones, a philosophical statement proclaiming the University’s values and emphasizing respect across cultures. The Alumni Relations office is reaching out directly to alumni of color through Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, the assistant director who has created an Alumni of Color Network that supports a new mentoring program for students, and the Division of University Advancement has made a concerted effort to diversify images used in promoting the University to

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 25

Stop the Hate Rally (video at www.uri. edu/quadangles/web/web-extra/ stop-the-hate/): Held on the Quad in fall 2009 and organized by Christina Knoll ’11, second from left, the rally sparked a subsequent Leadership Conference led by Provost Donald DeHayes and Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Dougan that brought together students, faculty, and staff to discuss responses to episodes of intolerance on campus. reflect a more welcoming atmosphere for people of color. Fontes-Barros, who was part of a black student protest in 1992 as an undergraduate, said she considers it her job to encourage diversity in her own division, and Pina notes that leaders in other areas of the University must do so as well.

The Equity Council, a group of more than 40 faculty, staff, and students that examines equity issues on campus and makes recommendations to the president, generally agreed at a recent meeting that their existence is evidence of change.

The group agreed that attitudes opposing diversity still exist and incidents of bias have occurred, but the University is working to change this. The University has also created a bias response team to look into specific student complaints and to recommend disciplinary and corrective action.

“There’s a long way to go,” says Equity Council Co-chair Gerald Williams ’92, M.A. ’00, who is director of Special Programs for Talent Development. “There aren’t enough non-white faculty. The African-American Studies program is nearly extinct. But the Equity Council is a sign of progress.”

The 2010 Honors Colloquium, entitled simply “Race,” was designed to encourage dialogue about these difficult issues. “I became involved in this because I wanted to open a can of worms,” said Gail Faris, director of URI’s Women’s Center and one of the faculty coordinators of the colloquium. “There are numerous offenses all the time on campus, whether they are naïve or not.”

Faris, a member of the Equity Council, and her colleagues Kyle Kusz and Lynne Derbyshire, who all taught a course on race in the fall semester, said they were encouraged by students’ willingness to

discuss the tough issues. In another class in the fall semester on Mass Media and Race Relations, students were asked to identify one thing they had learned about themselves from reading, watching films, and class discussions. Overwhelmingly the white students acknowledged that they were unaware of how prevalent racial stereotyping has been in the media or how significantly they were influenced by it.

Veteran URI History Professor Robert Weisbord, who has taught African-American history since the mid-1960s, said white students seemed more aware of issues and problems in the ’60s and ’70s than they do now. “What happens here is a reflection of society as a whole,” Weisbord said.

Marc Hardge ’03, an assistant director of Talent Development, which enrolls many students of color each year, says faculty are critical to improving the racial atmosphere for everyone. “Faculty have to make an effort to understand students of color and the differences among them,” said Hardge, who was involved in student protests in the ’90s that targeted mistreatment, lack of black faculty, and other issues. “Too often we hear from students that faculty are treating them the way I was treated as an undergraduate.”

That treatment, according to students interviewed for this article, includes assumptions that if they are black or Hispanic, they must be Talent Development students, and if they are in Talent Development, they are not properly prepared for college or capable of college work. Senior biology and French major Max Edmonds, who is not in Talent Development, recalled a class he took as a freshman where the professor ignored him for the first month, deliberately looking away from him during class, but that changed when he scored an A on the first test. “After that, he paid a lot

26 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010–2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

of attention to me,” said Edmonds, who is bi-racial. “I know a lot of students who have had that kind of experience where teachers assume they will fail.”

Rhode Laurent, a senior nursing major and a Talent Development student, said a professor once remarked to her, “Your grades are pretty good for a Talent Development kid.” Laurent, who is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and URI’s student chapter of the NAACP, said she takes such experiences as incentive to work harder to counteract that attitude.

In Hardge’s opinion, only students with Laurent’s personality and confidence will fight back in that manner. “Most students of color on a predominantly white campus are going to withdraw if they are treated that way,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to change the atmosphere, to get faculty to develop the kind of empathy they should have. It’s not easy, but it has to be done.”

The associate director of Talent Development, Sharon Forleo ’72, M.A. ’94, who has worked in the program since the early 1970s, said communication to faculty and students about the program could encourage greater understanding. Forleo notes that 10 percent of Talent Development students make the dean’s list every semester, and the program has produced doctors, lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. But she and others in Talent Development insist that only a small number of faculty seem interested to learn about the program.

“People don’t ask why so many students of color who are not in TD gravitate here,” said Assistant Director Edward Givens ’88. “It’s because it’s the one place where they feel comfortable and safe.”

Jason Pina points to the College of Engineering as a model for diversity PHOTO BY MICHAEL SALERNO

Students at the rally sign a banner promoting "COMMUNITY IN DIVERSITY.”

efforts. The college recruits women and students of color through the work of Charles Watson ’93, who serves as coordinator of minority recruitment and retention. He has created programs that identify students in middle school and high school and that encourages them to pursue engineering. Once at URI, the students are linked to internships, mentoring programs with professional engineers, and laboratory research with professors. Watson says there are at least 50 students of color who have graduated in recent years who are working as professional engineers in corporations and in government.

“We still have some faculty who expect students of color to fail,” Watson said.

“We’re working together to provide the support the students need to succeed. It’s the same we do for all our students.”

Dayle Joseph, M.S. ’75, dean of the College of Nursing, has established a summer program offering additional instruction to students of color: “We have students of color that we know would make great nurses, but some of them struggle because they face daunting personal circumstances. We want to do whatever we can to help them achieve their goals.”

Some might see such efforts as preferential treatment, but that is exactly why the I Am U-URI student leaders insist the climate should be addressed, including black students who say they have had positive experiences at URI. Tyrene Jones, a 2010 graduate in political science and English, said she often saw restrained conversation in class. “White students didn’t want to say the wrong thing, and black students didn’t want to always be the voice for all black students,” she said.

Creating greater opportunities for students of color is one thing; altering the climate of interaction is another.

Douglas Tondreau, another of the student leaders, says it’s natural for students to gravitate towards others like themselves, but that shouldn’t excuse hurtful or hostile behavior. “It is possible to unite and still be different,” said Tondreau, a triple major preparing for law school. “The entire campus has to be sensitized to this.”

Some students are trying to improve the situation. Gianna Prata, vice president of the Student Senate, opened a dialogue with students of color last year as chair of the Senate’s cultural affairs committee.

“We had received a lot of complaints that we did not understand the value of certain cultural organizations,” she said.

“I reached out to multicultural groups and told them I wanted to listen. We created a cultural fair, and we now are funding more multicultural groups. It’s all about promoting unity.”

No aspect of this article aroused more sensitivity than the number of black and Hispanic faculty. Most students of color interviewed said they either never had a black teacher or no more than one or two. The University has never had a high number of black faculty; the figure is currently somewhere around 16. Jody Lisberger, director of the Women’s Studies program, says “it’s a disgrace” that there are so few black faculty: “Students need to be exposed to a wide range of faculty; it just takes a committed effort to hire non-white faculty. We’ve done it in our program.”

Donald Cunnigen, professor of sociology, says the atmosphere for black faculty is often unsupportive and sometimes hostile. He co-authored a report with Library Sciences Professor Donna Gilton in 2007 as part of a University commission on the status of women, faculty of color, and students of color, that listed incidents where PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

black faculty felt abused by colleagues or department chairs to the point where they left the University for other jobs. Cunnigen notes that black faculty see almost no persons of color in administrative positions, which makes it difficult to feel confident that their issues will be dealt with fairly.

Similarly, the lack of black faculty means fewer mentors for black students.

Incidents of overt bigotry or racial hatred that have occurred from time to time on campus, as happened in the fall 2009 semester, tend to bring out the underlying resentments that instigate protests. But Pina doesn’t see those incidents as a barometer of the racial climate or a springboard for changing the climate. Instead, he says, without commitment from the top, including curricular change, the University will not become truly diverse.

President Dooley has set a tone of commitment. Who will join?

By John Pantalone ’71

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 27

ALUMNICHAPTERS

advance.uri.edu/alumni/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

January 9 The RIDOT Alumni Chapter is taking in the Rams–Xavier men’s basketball game at the Ryan Center.

Discounted group tickets at $12 per person are available in section 215. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. For questions, contact Chapter Leaders Christos Xenophontos ’84 M’85 at Xenophon@dot.ri.gov or Charles St. Martin ’92 at cstmartin@dot.ri.gov.

The Massachusetts Chapter and Young Alumni Council hosted a Rhody Rush Hour at the Back Bay Social Club in Boston on October 21.

January 22 The Southwest Florida Gators are gathering for lunch at the Royal Palm Yacht Club. For more information, contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401-874-4854 or mfontes-barros@advance.uri.edu.

February 11 The Phi Kappa Psi Chapter is holding its annual Founder’s Day and Rhode Island Beta Alumni House Corporation meeting at Spirito’s Restaurant in Providence.

Cocktail hour is at 6 p.m., followed by an Italian buffet.

For details or to RSVP (by February 4), contact Joe Hart at jphart@cox.net.

March 4 The Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapters are getting together to watch the Celtics take on the Golden State Warriors at the TD Garden. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

Alumni can choose from loge seating for $98 per ticket (court level) or promenade seating for $48 per ticket.

Register online today! For more information, contact Mike Sams ’90 at mpsams@KandSlegal.com or Nicholas G. Chigas '03 at Nicholas.G.Chigas@mssb.com.

On October 22, Theta Chi Chapter held its annual Homecoming dinner at the University Club.

The New Hampshire Chapter hosted a beer tasting at the Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth on October 27.

On October 30, the Music Department Chapter assisted with the URI Symphony Orchestra in Dracula’s Party.

The Villages (Florida) Chapter hosted dinner at Vic’s Embers Supper Club on November 10.

The Ohio and Michigan Chapters cheered on the URI men’s basketball team during the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in Toledo, November 19–21.

The Southwest Florida Gators hosted a luncheon on December 4 at the Boca Royale Country Club in Englewood.

On December 4, the Rhode Island Chapter hosted a URI–PC game watch at the Mews Tavern in Wakefield.

April 2 The Dallas/Fort Worth Alumni Chapter is hosting a wine tasting at Wine Styles in Fort Worth.

Enjoy a tasting of wines with food samplings, a souvenir wine glass, and the chance to gather with fellow URI alumni, family, and friends. Register online today!

For further details, contact David Nicolato ‘98 at rhodygrad@gmail.com or 214-341-6369.

April 5 Join the Massachusetts Chapter Professionals Club at the TD Garden for “Professional Connections” with special guest Boston Celtics President Rich Gotham, and take in the Celtics–76ers from a private Promenade Suite with a cash bar ($48 per person). Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Register online today! For more information, contact Mike Sams ’90 at mpsams@KandSlegal.com or Nicholas G. Chigas '03 at Nicholas.G.Chigas@mssb.com.

CALIFORNIA TRADITION The Northern California Chapter celebrated its 15th annual clambake on September 25 in San Mateo. President Dooley and Rev. Lynn Baker-Dooley were special guests.

28 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

A TOAST! Members of the New Jersey Chapter got together for a winemaker’s tour and tasting in Milford on October 2.

REGIONAL CHAPTERS

Minnesota

Arizona Rhode Runners

John ’92 & Kristen Turcotte ’95, Saint Louis Park, MN p: 952.285.1148 e: jfturcotte@mindspring.com keturcotte@mindspring.com New Hampshire White Mountain Rams

Julie Griffin ’99 Scottsdale, AZ p: 480.634.1950 (h) 480.754.6147 (w) e: Julez99@aol.com California LA Rams Craig Weiss ‘89, Valley Glen, CA p: 661.713.2492 e: diego.studiocity@gmail.com Northern Greg Passant ’80, Pleasanton, CA p: 925.227.1878 Southern Jeff Bolognese ’02, Oceanside, CA p: 760.945.4560 e: jeff@richmondfinancial.net Colorado Mile High Rams Christy L. Gallese '03 Denver, CO p: 717.856.8525 e: christygallese@gmail.com Connecticut Tara Blumenstock ’96, Wallingford, CT p: 203.294.0246 e: tarabarbara@hotmail.com Janet Sisson ’87, Middletown, CT p: 860.214.7998 e: sissonj@independentdayschool.org Florida Southeast Riki Greenbaum ’01, Homestead, FL p: 305.978.2023 e: rhgreenbaum@yahoo.com Southwest Gators

Clarissa M. Uttley ’04, M.S. ’06, Ph.D. ’08, Rumney, NH p: 603.786.5035 (h) 603.535.2915 (w) e: cmuttley@plymouth.edu New Jersey Lauri Pietruszka ’84, West Paterson, NJ p: 973.890.1623 (h) e: lauriann_p@yahoo.com New York: Albany Cindy Ladd Anderson ‘80, Clifton Park, NY p: 518.373.9440 (h) 518.527.4195 (c) e: rhodymom3@gmail.com New York: Metro John Companario ’93, New York, NY e: john.campanario@gmail.com North Carolina Ed Doughty ’93, Charlotte, NC p: 704.995.9300 (h) 704.552.5200 (w) e: eddoughty@gmail.com Ohio Tom Noyes ’67, Wooster, OH p: 330.345.6516 (h) 330.264.8722 (w) e: noyes.1@osu.edu

Brooke Bondur ’93, Baltimore, MD p: 443.756.3977 (h) 410.527.9328 (w) e: bbondur@aol.com

Italian

Brina Masi '01, Baltimore, MD p: 401.261.5416 e: brimasi16@gmail.com

Remo Trivelli, Kingston, RI p: 401.874.2383

INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS If you attended URI as an international student, please contact the Alumni Office and let us know your current address. If you're traveling abroad,feel free to contact one of our alumni to say hello.

GERMANY Robert John Ellwood ‘06, Braunschweig, Germany p: +49 17676311971 e: Ellwood@mail.uri.edu GREECE Irene Kesse Theodoropoulou '69 44 Achileos Pal Faleron 17562, Athens, Greece p: 011.30.1.981.3559 (h)

AFFINITY CHAPTERS Alpha Chi Omega Gamma Sigma Shanon Whitt Horridge '86 Cranston, RI p: 401.383.4657 e: shannyh40@aol.com alpha phi Alpha Phi Laura McMahon Kovacs ’01, Waxhaw, NC p: 704.843.6977 e: lauralaylin@gmail.com Chi Phi

Douglas Bennet ’77, Providence, RI p: 401.351.3522 (h) Richard Boldt ’64, Naples, FL e: dbennet@aol.com p: 239.417.0375 e: rboldt854@aol.com Bill ’74 & Betty ’74 Sepe, Hudson, OH Community Planning Mike DeLuca ’80, M.C.P. ’88, p: 330.650.6715 The Villages Narragansett, RI e: OHRhody@hotmail.com Al Bateman ’59, The Villages, FL p: 401.789.6888 (h) Rhode Island e: acbnaples@aol.com 401.461.1000, ext. 3137 (w) Allison Field ’95, Providence, RI Illinois: Chicago Continuing Education p: 401.808.9463 Jimmy De La Zerda ’04, Orland Park e: allison@conderi.com Joyce Dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RI e: jimmydlz401@gmail.com p: 401.766.2209 (h) Kelley Warner ’02, Scituate, RI Louisiana/Mississippi Delta Zeta p: 401.528.2622 e: Kwisdom3@cox.net Dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LA Nancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RI p: 985.643.8801 (h) p: 401.624.6364 (h) Texas e: delinac@charter.net Dallas/Ft. Worth Graduate School of Library Phyllis DelFiore ’68, Slidell, LA Cortney ’01 and David Nicolato ‘98, and Information Studies p: 985.847.1609 (h) Dallas, TX Sybil Akins '08 e: feliciadf@hotmail.com p: 401.255.5127 Wakefield, RI e: rhodygrad@gmail.com Massachusetts p: 401.783.0953 e: sma718@gmail.com Nicholas G. Chigas ’03, Waltham, MA Texas Rhode Horns p: 978.505.7161 (h) Jenna Hecker '09 Jeffrey A. Ross ’75, Houston 781.672.5170 (w) Providence, RI p: 713.668.3746 (h) e: nicholas.g.chigas@mssb.com p: 518.542.7654 (h) 713.791.9521 (w) 781.769.0200 (w) e: jross67785@aol.com Michael P. Sams ’90, e: jennahecker@gmail.com Westborough, MA Washington, D.C./ Baltimore p: 508.665.4299 (w) Hasbro Hank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MD e: mpsams@kandSlegal.com We are seeking chapter leadership p: 301.803.2910 (w) Michigan in this area. If you are interested in 301.482.1062 (h) learning more, please contact Gina e: henryjn@us.ibm.com David Diana ’84, Warren, MI Simonelli at 401.874.5808. p: 586.268.0048 e: dianad@flash.net Danielle Pray ’88, Walton, KY p: 859.485.6790 e: d@prayzpaws.com

Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RI p: 401.783.3081 e: acwvmhs@rinet35.org

Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RI e: urirotcalumni@cox.net www.uri.rotc.alum.org Schmidt Labor Research Center J. Richard Rose M.S. ’06 p: 401.461.2786 (h) e: rrose@mail.uri.edu Sigma Chi

Lucia Vescera ’96, Lincoln, RI e: lvescera@hotmail.com Lambda Chi Alpha Jeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PA p: 717.530.0188 e: firemarshal70@hotmail.com Lambda Delta Phi Linda F. Desmond ’68, North Andover, MA p: 978.687.7443 (h) 978.794.3896 (w) e: lfdesmond@comcast.net

Mark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RI p: 401.782.0064 (h) e: mtrovato@riag.state.ri.us www.rhodysig.com Sigma Pi George B. Smith ‘66, Venice, FL p: 941-408-9786 e: drgeorgebsmith@verizon.net Theta Chi John Eastman ’62, North Kingstown, RI p: 401.295.1956 (h) e: joneastman@aol.com

Martha Smith Patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI p: 401.539.2180 e: mpatnoad@uri.edu Music Department Alumni Allison Lacasse ’07, Boston, MA p: 508.971.3527 (h) 978.251.5177 (w) e: allisonlacasse@gmail.com

Mike Testa ‘63, Jamestown, RI p: 401.423.8918 e: jtown@cox.net Theta Delta Chi

Nicholas Zammarelli Jr. '97 Coventry, RI p: 401-828-5823 (h) e: nzamm1@verizon.net Phi Gamma Delta

Eric Lalime ’95 p: 201.962.2001 (h) 347.739.7345 (cell) e: eric_lalime@ml.com URI Difference Equations Association

Richard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI p: 401.874.6693 (w) e: kingsley@gso.uri.edu Phi Kappa Psi

Michael A. Radin ‘01, Rochester, NY p: 585.461.4002 (h) 585.475.7681 (w) e: michael.radin@rit.edu

Joe Hart ’85, Kingston, RI p: 401.783.4852 e: pkpribeta@cox.net www.ribeta.com Phi Mu Delta

Jan Wenzel '87, Tiverton, RI p: 401-714-6595 (c) 401-874-5190 (w) e: wenzel@ds.uri.edu

Writers Affinity Group

Jim DeNuccio ‘75, East Greenwich, RI p: 401.884.2993 (w) f: 401.885.2228 (w) Phi Sigma Kappa Kenneth Gambone ‘88, New York, NY p: 917.701.4631 e: Kenneth.gambone@barclayscapital.com Political Science Al Killilea, Kingston, RI p: 401.874.2183 (w) Physical Therapy Program Alumni John McLinden ’93, Wakefield, RI p: 401.783.7179 (h) 401.874.5001 (w) e: Elvis1122@aol.com RIDOT Christos Xenophontos ’84, Exeter, RI e: xenophon@dot.ri.gov Charles St. Martin ’92, Coventry, RI e: cstm@cox.net; cstmartin@dot.ri.gov ROTC John Breguet ‘70, Smithfield, RI p: 401.232.2097 (h) e: jbreguet@cox.net

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 29

CLASSACTS

Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotes Submit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservices

Robert Franklin Gammons, ENG, of Southport, Conn., called to say: “I am 90 years old, and I remember the days way back when at URI. I had a great time!”

`57 Kenneth N. Wheeler, CBA, of Tappan, N.Y., writes: “Hello to my ’57 classmates & Phi Mu brothers. My wife and I just returned from a 12-night Seabourn Cruise (Bangkok-Shanghai) that we won plus 8 days in Shanghai, Beijing, & Xian. Off to southwest Florida (Manisota Key) January-March. If anyone is in the Venice/Englewood area, call us on our cell at 845.661.4257. We frequently see Don ’58 & Doris Daugney ’58 socially and for golf.”

`60 William R. Holland, HS&S, of Narragansett, R.I., former Rhode Island Commissioner of Higher Education, recently published a book about serv-

READ LISTEN WATCH

STAY

CONNECTED

Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular: An Alumni Association sponsored family friendly event on Friday evening, Oct. 29, brought URI families to Roger Williams Park for a private viewing of the famed Jack O’ Lantern trail. For more photos of the pumpkins and their fans, go to advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/­ specialevents/JOLspectacular2010/

`42

ALUMNI DIRECTORY

ing as interim superintendent of the Central Falls school district. The title is School in Trouble, A Personal Story of Central Falls High School.

`63 Nancy J. Coggeshall, A&S, of Reserve, N.M., author of Gila Country Legend, reports that the book won the New Mexico Book Co-op’s First Book Award and was a finalist for the award for biography. Nancy attended a banquet honoring the winners where “only the three special awards-winners spoke, so no speeches followed winning. Just as well, as there were 39 categories. I couldn’t publicly acknowledge the roles of 50 of my closest personal friends who had known me forever, believed in me, and supported me every step of the way, including the family dogs: Yook, K. C., Biff, Sam, and Harry. Typically for Nancy Joyce Coggeshall, the impact has not yet registered.“

QUAD ANGLES ONLINE advance.uri.edu/quadangles

30 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-11 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

`64 James R. McKenna, CELS, of Blacksburg, Va., writes: “I am retiring after 32 years in the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science at Viriginia Tech after serving as department head for the last three years. I will begin working in the Office of International Research, Education and Development at Tech after January 2, 2011, as professor emeritus of agronomy. We currently have projects in Haiti, Senegal, and southern Sudan. My wife, Deb, and I will continue to live in Blacksburg on our small farm, Ripplmead at Whitehorn on Tom’s Creek where it enters the New RIver, raising Katahdin hair sheep and grandchildren.”

`65 Marilyn Raptakis Swierk, HS&S, of Oldsmar, Fla., a past president of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, launched a Taking It to the Streets campaign that has helped prevent H1N1 and obesity across the U.S. She has also written a companion piece titled Life Is The Final Exam that supports inclusion and proper funding for family and consumer sciences classes.

`66 Frances M. Labossiere, CELS, of Green Valley, Ariz., and her husband retired in 2007. They summer in Maine and live in Arizona in the

winter. Both are looking forward to the reunion where Frances hopes to see her classmates.

`67 Robert Neil Perlow, CBA, of Narragansett, R.I., has lived in Los Angeles for the past 35 years as a writer, actor, and producer for shows including: Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, Newhart, Full House, Will & Grace, Friends. He was the warm-up comic for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show for the past 15 years. He recently moved back to Rhode Island for a one man show about his years in Hollywood.

`69 Stephen M. Boyle, A&S, of Blacksburg, Va., professor of biomedical sciences and director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has been named professor emeritus.

David A. Bradley, A&S, of Stonington, Conn., now retired, is a cellist with the Shoreline Chamber Ensemble.

Donald R. Nitsche, A&S, of Canton, Conn., writes: “After a career as a pension actuary, I retired from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in May 2009. Nancy and I have been married 40 years having met my junior year at WPI in Worcester, Mass. Our son Matt lives in Las Vegas, and we visit our three

NORA LEWIS

grandchildren out there as much as possible. Our daughter Sarah teaches mathematics in a public school system near Boston. I grew up in Newport and traveled across the bay by ferry on my way to URI. I have great memories of a nostalgic time in my life.“

`70 William T. Curcio, CBA, of Montville, N.J., will soon be opening his dream of a pub with a menu influenced by his world travels. The restaurant, Jeffersons, is located in Newark, N.J.

`71 Sheila Hoffman, HS&S, of Seattle, Wash., went to Korea and Germany for eight years to run recreation centers for the U.S. Army. She settled in Seattle, has been happily married since 1983, and has had her own business since 1988, first as an event producer, then as a graphic designer.

`72 Edward L. Cronan, HS&S, of East Providence, R.I., and wife, MaryEllen, ’73, write: “Our oldest son Patrick ’01 and his wife, Kristy Faiola Cronan ’01, are the proud parents of Grace Elizabeth, born March 20, 2010. Her big sister Ava will be 4 on January 1, 2011. Our younger son Jarrett ’03 established Cronan Painting Company in 2007, specializing in residential and commercail properties. His wife, Vanessa, was appointed to a teaching position in the Bristol/ Warren system this past summer.”

`73 Mary Ellen H. MacDowell, A&S, of Robbinsville, N.J., writes: “I have remained in retailing since graduation. I have been with Charming Shoppes, Inc. (Speciality Store Corporation) for the past eight years.

I was formerly president of Lane Bryant Outlets and moved to my current position of president of Fashion Bug (another division) in July 2010.

My husband, Dave, and I have been marrried for 19 years.”

`74 Elizabeth M. Dalton, A&S, of Hope Valley, R.I., writes: “I still live in beautiful Hope Valley. I’m in a postdoctoral program in education, studying universal design for learning at Boston College and CAST, Inc. I’m on leave from my position as assistant professor of special education at Rhode Island College.

Enjoying life!”

Maurice E. Guernon, A&S, of North Scituate, R.I., writes: “I recently retired from teaching at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass. I have since launched Quest Writing Solutions, a consulting firm serving corporate entities, non-profits, government agencies,

executives, and political leaders with an assortment of writing services. I also instruct high school and college seniors in writing college and graduate school admission essays. For job applicants, I create résumés and draft letters of applications.”

Paul A. Roselli, CELS, of Maple­ ville, R.I., president of the Burrillville Land Trust, helped conduct dedication ceremonies for the Edward D. Vock Conservation area in Pascoag, R.I., on June 12, 2010. Paul helped coordinate purchase efforts for the 86 acre property, which took nearly nine years to complete. Vock was a pioneer in forest management, and the land was designated as one of the original five tree farms in Rhode Island. The purchase was facilitated by a grant from the RI DEM Open Space program. Paul has also helped start four farmers’ markets in Rhode Island, including one in Burrillville, has helped with land deals, and works to boost land trusts in Rhode Island. The Vock property is one of four properties owned by the Burrillville Land Trust.

`75 Linda M. Cifelli, A&S, of Williamsburg, Va., helped plan a four day Earth Day celebration entitled “Mercury Expo” at the College of William and Mary. She is a plaintiff in the national class action lawsuits against dental mercury use and was interviewed recently on a college radio station about her case.

Dennis R. Eckloff, A&S, of Cranston, R.I., is the controller at Cranston based Primary Flow Signal, Inc. He brings 30 years of experience to his position.

`77 Kati C. Machtley, NUR, of Smithfield, R.I., and her husband, Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley, were honored when the Bryant Board of Trustees dedicated Bryant’s award winning Interfaith Center in their names. The building is now known as the Ronald K. and Kati C. Machtley Interfaith Center.

Brian J. McCartin, A&S, of Flint, Mich., has received both the 2010 Educational Scholar Award and the 2010 Distinguished Researcher Award from Kettering University.

`78 Sharon A. Rekos Levine, NUR, of Newton, Mass., writes: “I have worked in the ICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for 29 years. During that time, I have served on the hospital’s Ethics Committee and Nurse Practice Committee as well as other committees. I precept new RNs to ICU nursing and teach an advanced Intra-aortic Balloon Pump class. In 2009, I was awarded BWH’s Essence of Nursing Award. I live in

COLLEGE OF NURSING WHITE HALL 2 HEATHMAN ROAD KINGSTON, RI 02881

College of Nursing 65th Anniversary Gala

DENIM ’N’ DIAMONDS

Save the Date!

Marriott Newport Newport, Rhode Island March 19, 2011 6-11 p.m.

Gather with friends for an evening of exuberant good cheer to celebrate the URI College of Nursing

`79

To learn about becoming a sponsor, please contact Ellen Cuomo Denim 'n Diamond Postcard 10.indd 401.874.5304 or ellenm@uri.edu Proceeds provide scholarships for URI College of Nursing Students Look for your invitation in January 2011 Preparing Nursing Leaders for 65 years

Newton with my husband and two sons, Evan and Jonathan, who are college students.

Paul J. Evans, HS&S, of Warwick, R.I., writes: “I retired from the Warwick Fire Department with the rank of lieutenant and am enjoying my new passion—being a professional Santa Claus (real bearded, of course). I am a graduate of the International University of Santa Claus and recently attended the Northeast Santa Claus Convention where I took the official Santa Claus oath. Last year Santa Paul was the official Santa for Picture People, Inc., at the Silver City Galleria Mall in Taunton, Mass., and made official stops at Garden City Shopping Center, Warwick Country Club, Tiogue Elementary School, Citizens Bank, Applebee’s, and Cumberland Farms to name a few. I keep busy all year by being a baseball umpire, Hospice volunteer, and physical education teacher at St. Peter’s School in Warwick (30 years). My wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on November 16 with family and friends.“ Gregory Martin, A&S, of Centreville, Va., writes: “After five years with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, I recently assumed a very different role as professor of financial management at the Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir Campus, in Northern Virginia.”

Carl D. Swanson, A&S, of Wareham, Mass., is associate editor of The Journal of Singing, the national publication of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He teaches third grade in Duxbury, Mass., and at Northeastern University. His article, “This is Your Brain on Song,” was first published in The Journal of Singing in 2008. It was also translated and published in Vox Humana, the journal of the European Voice Teachers’ Association.

Denim 'n Diamond Postcard 10.indd 2

DENIM ’N DIAMOND

David C. Baud, CELS, of Wakefield, SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2011 R.I., president of Baud Builders in Wakefield, recently went to Atlanta, Ga., for a meeting of the National Association of Home Builders.

Robert A. Desharnais, A&S, of Tujunga, Calif., is the recipient of Cal State’s President’s Distinguished Professor Award.

Michael A. Zustra, CELS, of Pickerington, Ohio, has been named vice president of environmental, safety & health for Shaw Areva MOX Services, LLC, at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s MOX project at the Savannah River site. The MOX facility, when complete, will be capable of converting 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium into fuel assemblies for use in commercial nuclear power plants.

1

`80 Donna Russo Morin, A&S, o f Saunderstown, R.I., is pleased to announce the upcoming release of her third novel, To Serve a King, in February 2011 wherein a young woman is raised to be a spy for Henry VIII at the court of François I. Donna’s first novel,The Courtier’s Secret (Feb. 2009), placed as a finalist in this year’s National Readers’ Choice award, and her most recent release,The Secret of the Glass (March 2010), was chosen as an Outstanding Pick of 2010. She is currently penning her next novel, The King’s Agent, an Italian Renaissance thriller, scheduled for release in early 2012.

Excerpts of her work can be found at donnnarussomorin.com.

`81 Frances A. Brown, A&S, of Narragansett, R.I., teaches at the J.H. Gaudent Middle School in Middletown and at Salve Regina University. She spent 20 years as band director of the Middletown High School Band and is currently marching assistant for the URI Band.

Scott H. Stritzinger, A&S, of Orlando, Fla., has studied graduate conducting at Rollins College and the University of South Florida. He performs in Voices of Liberty and Dickens Carolers at Walt Disney World and is a frequent soloist with the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park, Fla. Kathleen J. Vallee, A&S, of Chepachet, R.I., teaches privately in the UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 31

ad campaign, both print and TV, for Yoplait Yogurt and in The Invested Life, which follows the fortunes of seven new investors across the country.

Check it out on theinvestedlife. msnbc.msn.com.

`93

PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS

Dracula’s Party: An original children’s musical in two acts by Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Gibbs with book and lyrics by Robert L. Tyler was presented at the Fine Arts Center on Oct. 30. The concert featured the URI Symphony Orchestra, Ann Danis conducting, with faculty artist Rene de la Garza as Dracula and support by the URI Concert Choir. Afternoon activities before the concert included pumpkin decorating, puppet-making, face-painting, the Haunted Hall, and a costume extravaganza in the Haunted Hall judged by Karen Adams of WPRI Eyewitness News, URI’s First Lady Lynn Baker Dooley, and even Dracula himself.

Chepachet area and is principal clarinetist in the American Band and in the Ocean State Summer Pops Orchestra.

`84 Michael C. Prokop, A&S, of Richmond, Texas, is managing director, energy products at CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. He has 25 years of global energy financial services experience.

`86

`88

Sheila M. Gallogly, CBA, of Lexington, Ky., has received Marriott International’s 2010 Leadership Excellence Special Award for her outstanding contributions to the Memphis, Tenn., Revenue Management office. Sheila has worked in revenue management for 11 years and for Marriott for over 20 years. She recently relocated to Lexington, Ky., with her husband, Brad, and works remotely for eight Marriott hotels in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Nancy E. Hiltbrand, A&S, of Bristol, Conn., is currently marketing director for Physical Therapy Center of Bristol and Southington-Cheshire.

With her two sons, she enjoys golfing, snowmobiling, quadding, hiking, and camping.

Kevin J. Horgan, A&S, of Hanalei, Hawaii, is spearheading the expansion of Jones Trading Institutional Services, LLC, a leading agency brokerage, to Japan.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Presents:

OLLI WINTERIM LECTURES January–March 2011

Senior Safety and Home Security Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. Presented by Frank Sullivan Special Status Senior Investors: Beware of the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. Presented by Frank Sullivan The Hidden History of Rhode Island, Part II Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. Presented by Scott Molloy Canonchet, The Narragansetts, and Canonchet Farm Feb 23 at 10:30 a.m. Presented by Richard Vangermeersch Reconstructing the Past Through Memoir March 10 at 6 p.m. Presented by Michael C. Keith An Introduction to Labyrinths March 23 at 1 p.m. Presented by Helen Rowe-Drake Winter Tree Tour and Photography TBA. Presented by Jan Armor All classes meet at 210 Flagg Road in Room 212. Lectures are free for members, $5 for non-members. To register, call 401.874.4197 or 401.874.4194 or email olli@etal.uri.edu Be sure and check the OLLI Web site at uri.edu/ olli/ for our spring schedule, including a special six-week course on The Craft of Writing Memoir and Creative Nonfiction presented by Jody Lisberger.

32 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-11 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

`89 Richard S. Finkelstein, ENG, of East Hampton, Conn., a patent attorney, recently started his own firm, the Law Office of Richard S. Finkelstein, LLC, in Glastonbury, Conn. “I have opened up my own firm to provide patent procurement for solo inventors and small businesses, a group that often has difficulty in finding representation.”

Timothy J. Gray, A&S, of Kingston, R.I., recently won his second New England Emmy Award for documentary film writing. Navy Heroes of Normandy, which is currently being shown on select PBS HD stations around the country, is the follow up to his first film, D-Day: The Price of Freedom, which aired nationally and for which he also won an Emmy for writing. Tim Gray Media is currently producing five additional documentaries, two of which focus on the famous Band of Brothers from WWII. Gray’s Web site is timgraymedia.com.

Jennifer Griffin Sherwood, A&S, and her fiancé, Woody Gaul, have left New York City, where she was director of the Turtle Bay Music School, for Wellesley, Mass, where Jennifer has a new position as director of the Music School at Dana Hall, a private school for girls. Jennifer, who appeared in an episode of TLC’s What Not to Wear in 2009, is currently featured in an

Tracy Leeann Jackson, A&S, of Norfolk, Va., was elected as the school counselor supervisor elect for the Virginia School Counselor Association for 2010-2011. She will take over as school counselor supervisor for 2011-2012.

Danielle B. Viets Leighton, PHM, is living with her husband, Michael, and son Sam in Saint Cloud, Minn.

She has been working as an interventional radiologist after completing a residency and fellowship at Brown University in 2003.

Thomas A. Mullen, A&S, of Coventry, R.I., is the compliance officer/ assistant vice president at St. Anne’s Credit Union. He has over 10 years compliance and risk management experience.

Jayme L. Zamarro, A&S, of Shrewsbury, Mass., writes that she “married Rob Gangi on a beautiful, hot July 10, 2010, at 10 a.m. in Shrewsbury with the reception nearby in Worcester. Fellow URI alumnae and dear friends Courtney Jones Davis ’93 and Stacey Sivo Rowe ’94 were there to celebrate the day with us! We are expecting our first child at the end of April/beginning of May 2011 and couldn’t be any more excited or happier!

`95 Aileene M. Palm, A&S, of Shannock, R.I., is the creator of Kettle Yoga, a fitness workout that combines Yoga with kettlebells. Her program was featured in Shape magazine’s September 2010 issue and in the “Thrive“ section of The Providence Journal on Octobe 18, 2010. She holds many certifications including Yoga Teacher, Kettlebell Trainer, Thai Yoga Massage Practitioner, Health Fitness Specialist (through the American College of Sports Medicine), and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (through the National Strength and Conditioning Association). She also has a book in the works on her KettleYoga workout.

`96 Glenn H. Basser, A&S, writes: “I was promoted to national sales manager at Grgich Hills Estate winery.

Located at 1829 St. Helena Highway in Rutherford, Grgich Hills Estate was founded in 1977 by Mike Grgich and Austin Hills and today owns 366 acres of estate vineyards that are certified organic and biodynamic in Napa Valley, Calif.”

MICHAEL SALERNO

Max Lechtman ’57

Carolyn Viens ’81

“I opened the door with my key, stepped into Nina’s living room, closed the door, turned toward her bedroom and froze. My breath caught in my throat. I stared at her bloody body and began to hyperventilate.”

These chilling lines are an excerpt from Max D. Lechtman’s novel, A Sense of Rumor. Published in June 2010, the novel tells the story of a reporter forced to prove his innocence when he becomes the prime suspect in a murder.

Lechtman graduated from URI with a major in biology and a minor in English.

He became particularly interested in microorganisms in his senior year so went on to earn his M.S. in Bacteriology at the University of Massachusetts.

His studies led him to Los Angeles to a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Southern California followed by Army, Airforce, and NASA work with aerospace industries concerning biological warfare and America’s concerns about the “race to the moon.”

Lechtman followed his time in aerospace by working in disease management at a hospital in Long Beach, Calif., and later co-founding a company specializing in microbiology lab supplies. When business circumstances changed, Lechtman taught microbiology at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, Calif.

After 25 years, Lechtman retired from teaching and became a student again taking classes in sculpting and mystery writing. “I started thinking about writing a novel as a child, since I enjoyed reading,” Lechtman explains. Influenced by his favorite genre, mystery, he knew he would write a novel based on his scientific background: “Microbiology gave me the flexibility to get a variety of jobs that enabled me to contribute a wide base of knowledge to my teaching and my writing.”

A bio-terrorism plot touched upon in the first novel will be further developed in Lechtman’s second novel, which is already underway. For information and to contact Lechtman, go to outskirtspress. com/asenseofrumor.

Have you ever wished there was an instruction manual for communicating with your teenagers?

Unfortunately, there are no manuals, but Carolyn Viens’ book, Leave Your Footprints Along the Way, is the next best thing.

Leave Your Footprints Along the Way is designed as a workbook to help mothers communicate all the things they want to share with their daughters. Viens was inspired to write the book while living in Singapore and traveling throughout Asia surrounding the events of 9/11: “I was worried that if anything happened to me, I wouldn’t be there to share my priorities, values, goals, and hopes with my children.”

Viens and her husband, Erik, are both URI The Viens; Erik, Carolyn, Taylor, Jacqueline, and Bobby. graduates; she was a marketing management major and French minor. After a successful career with IBM that took her around the globe, she left the business world to raise her three children. In addition to focusing on her family life, Viens also spent time developing her passion for writing and photography.

She began writing her book as a general guide to parenting but decided to narrow in to the mother-daughter relationship. Viens, who is the mother of two sons and a daughter, explains that the book emphasizes the motherdaughter relationship because “the challenges facing girls through each phase of their lives are quite different than the challenges facing boys.”

Because of her experiences traveling abroad, Viens became acutely aware of the challenges facing women. Wanting to get involved, she partnered with the Girl Effect, an organization created by the Nike Foundation that focuses on helping girls in poverty around the world.

“Every day, in every interaction, you make an impact on someone else,” says Viens. “Make it a positive one.” Committed to leaving her own “footprints along the way” by helping women fight poverty around the world, Viens is donating the profits of her book to Girl Effect.

For more information about the book, the author, and the Girl Effect, go to carolynviens.com —Robin Deal

A Sense of Rumor

—Robin Deal

Leave Your Footprints Along the Way

Michelle Vale ’97

Keeping Fashion Local in NYC Michelle Vale, who graduated with a degree in human development and family studies, became a handbag designer to satisfy her creative side.

Vale is ahead of the curve when it comes to style, and Michelle Vale handbags embody that same fashion-forward idea.

In 2007, Lucky magazine recognized Vale’s handbag designs in a Best New Designer editorial. With a handbag featured in a fashion magazine and her name in the public eye, Vale launched her company, established a Web site, and got her sample handbags into production.

Shortly after the company was established, an economic recession hit.

The company survived by expanding only when the business was ready.

“We have focused on growing organically and trying to work in a socially responsible way,” says Vale. Today, Michelle Vale handbags are available through vendors nationwide and have been spotted on the arm of fashion icons like Sarah Jessica Parker.

All Michelle Vale handbags are made in New York City. Whenever possible, the materials used in her designs are manufactured locally. Vale works with other designers and Save the Garment Center trade association, to keep production in the Garment Center of New York City, where retail businesses are slowly taking over what was formerly a manufacturing district.

“We are working hard to educate our customers on the importance of local manufacturing,” says Vale. “If we do not start to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., we are headed for much bigger issues. New York is the only city in the world where you can have a pattern created, cut, and sewn all within a few blocks.”

Out of 800 worldwide competitors, Vale was recently honored with the Independent Handbag Designer Award: “The most rewarding thing about being a designer is seeing people appreciate your designs. The road as a designer is far from easy, and this award validated all the hard work I have put forward.”

To learn more about Vale’s line of handbags and customized removable hardware (sold separately), go to michellevale.com —Robin Deal

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAX LECHTMAN, CAROLYN VIENS, AND MICHELLE VALE

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 33

`97 Mary Ellen Lynch, A&S, of Newport, R.I., of the International Institute of Rhode Island recruits and trains volunteers to work with refugees and generates donations to provide refugees with the basic necessities to start their new lives in Rhode Island.

`98 Joshua L. Celeste, CELS, of Cranston, R.I., was named a partner in the firm of Duffy & Sweeney, LTD, business law litigation. He joined the firm in June 2008.

`99 Ibrahim S. Abdul-Matin, A&S, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is happy to announce that his new book, Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet, is published. The book was a true labor of love.

Jessica M. Caparco, A&S, of Rumford, R.I., was promoted to the position of director of marketing for the Providence/Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau. She will be responsible for production of “Destination Providence“ and supervision of special events.

Kenneth C. Jeremiah, A&S, of Narragansett, R.I., has written a book called Living Buddhas: The SelfMummified Monks of Yamagata, Japan.

Justin D. Katz, A&S, of Tiverton, R.I., writes: “I have remained in Rhode Island, mainly as a carpenter but also as a writer. I’ve just had an essay published in Proud to Be Right, a book published by HarperCollins and edited by National Review’s Jonah Goldberg. The unifying theme of the essays is that they’re by and about young conservatives.”

Christopher Matthew Lee, of Hamden, Conn., who teaches music theory and electronic music at Newton (Conn.) High School, is in the middle of a major expansion of his

electronic music lab. As a composer, he has just completed a commission from the Syracuse Children’s Chorus.

Chris and Nora Spencer Lee ’99 are expecting their second child. Nora, a freelance viola player, directs the orchestra and coaches a string trio at the Foote School in New Haven.

`00 Erica L. Martineau, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., was named to a regional management position at Bank Rhode Island. She will be responsible for overseeing sales, service, and operations for half of BankRI’s 16 branch locations.

`02 Jennifer E. Dennett, A&S, of Beverly, Mass., is in her fourth year in Danvers, Mass., teaching pre-K through 5th grade general music and 4th and 5th grade chorus. She completed Level III Orff training at Villanova University last summer.

`03 Tsukasa K. Cherkaoui, M.L.S., of Boynton Beach, Fla., is a music librarian at Lynn University.

David B. Rodrigues, A&S, of Johnston, R.I., has been appointed vice president and branch manager of Citizens Bank’s East Greenwich office. He serves as the treasurer of the Portuguese American Citizens Committee.

`04 Mitchell A. Kaplan, A&S, of Providence, R.I., writes: “I am excited to announce that my new book has come out. It is called Jazz Flute and is published through Mel Bay. It can be bought through Amazon.com.“

`05 Robert T. Gordon, CBA, of Pawtucket, R.I., head examiner for Citizens Bank

Commercial Field Exams Department, has been promoted to vice president.

Jaime J. Rodrigues, A&S, of Cumberland, R.I., director of the Lusitana Band of Cumberland, a Portuguese Community Band playing throughout New England, recently took two trips to Portugal.

`06 Chelsea M. La Rosa, A&S, of Rutherford, N.J., is in her second year of teaching general music to grades 1-5 as well as 5th grade chorus and 4th and 5th grade show choir at a school district on Long Island.

She says it’s an amazing job, and she loves it! She’s working on her master’s at SUNY Stony Brook and playing the bassoon in a really active community band.

Lori L. McDowell, A&S, of Middletown, R.I., opened her own private studio and is enjoying teaching 28 students who range in age from five-year-olds to adults. Her students are not only diverse in age but some have special needs. She will always cherish her days in the hallways of the Music Department and the good friends she made at URI.

`07 Shannon M. Booth, HS&S, is a social studies teacher in the Block Island School Department. She teaches civics, U.S. history, and western civilization.

Morgan K. Crossman, A&S, completed her master’s in early childhood development at Boston College and worked at Children’s Hospital Boston as data coordinator of three research projects for the past 15 months. Recently, she began her Ph.D. studies in social policy at Brandeis University while continuing her research in children with disabilities and special healthcare

Reunite with Your Friends and Classmates

34

When was the last time you made plans to get together with your URI friends?

Has it been too long? NOW is the time to start planning for a 2011 class or affinity reunion.

You will need volunteers from your class or group who are willing to help plan, promote,and attend the reunion gathering. The Alumni Relations Office will help you plan and promote your event with a listing on the Alumni Web site and in QUAD ANGLES, with electronic notices, and with the printing and mailing of your reunion invitations.

If you are interested in working on an event for your class or affinity group and would like to find out more about getting started, please visit the Alumni Web site at advance.uri.edu/alumni/reunions QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-11 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES or call the Alumni Relations Office at 401.874.2242.

needs. She has two children, Karen and Randy Levins Crossman.

John C. Diomede, A&S, of Park Ridge, N.J., received an M.M. in composition from Catholic University. He replaced a retired music teacher in Glen Rock, N.J., teaching grades K-5 general music, grades 4-5 band, and middle school strings. Last summer was his third with the Clarkstown Summer Theatre Festival as assistant musical director.

`08 Jennifer L. Baker, A&S, of Salem, Mass., writes: “I have been volunteering at the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem since Summer 2009 and was offered a part time position as an adoption counselor. We are one of New England’s largest no-kill animal shelters and place more than 3,000 cats and dogs a year into proper homes. Salem isn’t just home to witches but cute puppies and kitties too! My full time job is at the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine working as a licensing analyst. We are responsible for licensing all of the medical doctors in the state, and I help ensure they are qualified.

Although I enjoy my work at the board, my goal is to transition over to full time with the shelter because my passion lies with helping animals.“ Patrick P. Dougherty, PHM, of Salisbury, Md., writes: “I completed a two-year clinical toxicology fellowship at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and the Maryland Poison Center. I am an assistant professor of pharmacy practice/ emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.”

Byron Yount, A&S, of Tucson, Ariz., is in his second year studying for a doctorate in music and subbing with the Tucson Symphony. He is also playing with the faculty brass quintet.

`09 Colleen M. Finn, A&S, of Pembroke, Mass., works in the Jett Foundation Office in Kingston. She will soon be leaving to join the Jett Foundation’s JettRide to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She will bike 700 miles from Kansas City, Missouri, to Cinncinnati, Ohio. Her goal is to raise $10,000.

Elizabeth Lombardo, A&S, of Warren, R.I., is teaching K-3 general music in New Jersey. She also teaches voice and French horn privately.

Eric E. Wojtowicz, HS&S, of Westfield, Mass., recently obtained a graduate assistantship at Salisbury University in Maryland. He is taking classes for a master’s degree in applied physiology of strength and conditioning. For his assistantship he will be working in recreation, specifically Intramurals and sports clubs.

HOMECOMING 2010

See more photos from Homecoming online: advance.uri.edu/photo­ albums/homecoming/2010

NORA LEWIS, MICHAEL SALERNO

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 35 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 35

WEDDINGS Charles Brian Kernick ’68 to Stevie Souter Hughes ’67, on October 23, 2010.

Anthony A. Lucci ’87 to Julie Zawacki, on June 19, 2010.

Jennifer Griffin Sherwood ’89 to Woodruff A. Gaul, on November 27, 2010.

Peter E. Dahl ’95 to Trish Hukill, on May 30, 2010.

Amy M. Rotondo ’98 to Kevin Schleicher Jr., on July 9, 2010.

Warren E. Gorodess ’99 to Candice Vaknin, on December 9, 2006.

Jamie L. Schoeninger ’00 to Joseph L. Fatus IV, on April 24, 2010.

Diana C. Walton ’00 to Raymond Lindquist, on March 19, 2010.

Jean-Paul G. Dujardin ’01 to Stacy L. Rosseau, on October 10, 2009.

Kristen A. Perkins ’02 to Timothy Finnegan, on May 1, 2010.

James S. Vergari ’02 to Rachel Goodwin ’02, on June 16, 2006.

Nicole J. Dulude ’03 to Keith J. Benjamin, on October 16, 2010.

Loriann E. Facer ’03 to Joseph Nold, on August 14, 2010.

Ryan A. Liese ’03 to Bethany E. Anderson ’06, on October 17, 2009.

Patricia A. Lotas ’03 to Sean McCarthy, on May 6, 2007.

Antranig A. Megerdichian ’03 to Melineh Sona Ounanian, on September 18, 2010.

Brian Shalvey ’03 to Cami Gilman, on September 6, 2010.

Lindsay M. Redfern ’04 to Jeffery Lazzeri, on September 26, 2009.

Ryan P. Zilly ’04 to Emily A. Winsor, on December 31, 2009.

Sara E. Bailey ’05 to Christopher Gaulin, on June 19, 2010.

Bryan W. Ferguson ’05 to Meghan E. Mollohan ’06, on September 5, 2009.

Dean T. Hantzopoulos ’05 to Gregory Sims, on July 15, 2010.

Sarah B. Warren ’05 to John L. Morin, on October 9, 2010.

Leah A. Morelle ’06 to Joseph W. Mack Jr., on July 3, 2010.

Becky A. Bindrim ’07 to Matthew Haddad, on May 24, 2010.

Hayley L. Plowman ’07 to Aaron Reynolds ’07, on April 25, 2010.

BIRTHS Michael and Danielle B. Viets Leighton ’93, a son, Samuel Spencer, on January 23, 2010.

Maryellen M. ’93 and Robert M. Salter ’93, a daughter, Scarlett Rose, on October 18, 2009.

James Lee and Robin K. Bunch ’95, twins, Caitlin and Conor, on September 12, 2010.

Thanasis Diamandis and Roula Benekos ’96, a daughter, Gianna, on August 20, 2010.

Lauren Denise ’98 and Joshua Feinstein ’98, a son, Andrew Hal, on January 2, 2010.

Glenn and Katie R. Walsh Holterman ’99, a son, Jason Richard, on June 30, 2010.

Shane P. ’99 and Kate Mavracic Donaldson ’99, a son, Patrick James, on August 19, 2010.

Candice V. and Warren E. Gorodess ’99, a son, Justin Ryan, on December 20, 2009.

Melissa Petrocelli Macedo ’02 and Peter J. Macedo ’99, a daughter, Olivia Elizabeth, on February 20, 2010.

Joshua ’99 and Whitney Noel Abato Martin ’99, a daughter, Adysen Noel, on April 5, 2010.

Christopher ’00 and Jayne Coyle ’02, a son, Nicholas Patrick, on November 15, 2009.

Jerry and Alexandra Vicchio Kulpa ’00, a daughter, Charlotte Angelina, on September 30, 2010.

Kristy L. Faiola Cronan ’01 and Patrick Cronan ’01, a daughter, Grace Elizabeth, on March 20, 2010.

Ryan and Jillian F. Mackin Betters ’02, a son, Jameson Flynn, on January 29, 2010.

Michael and Lianne Skitt Denham ’02, a daughter, Danika Elizabeth, on January 16, 2009.

Christopher ’03 and Heidi Porrazzo Fisher ’02, a daughter, Allison Elizabeth, on October 16, 2010.

Kelly Octeau Martin ’02 and John Martin ’02, a daughter, Molly Kate, on August 10, 2010.

Rachel Goodwin Vergari ’02 and Shane Vergari ’02, a daughter, Sophia Marie, on June 2, 2010.

Robert Dollard and Christine Corbett-Dollard ’03, a daughter, Aisling Mary, on March 3, 2010.

Patricia A. Lotas ’03, a daughter, Olivia Grace McCarthy, on March 15, 2010.

Nicholas ’05 and Lisa Nightingale ’05, a daughter, Sophia Victoria, on May 11, 2010.

IN MEMORIAM Jean Keenan Haines ’32 of Portsmouth, R.I., on September 30, 2010.

Florence Manning Cowles-Covington ’34 of Anchorage, Alaska, on September 16, 2010.

Joseph Howland ’40 of Reno, Nev., on June 25, 2010.

Gustavas Ide ’40 of Westborough, Mass., on September 24, 2010.

Albert Buonanno ’41 of Cranston, R.I., on September 12, 2010.

Keran Chobanian ’42 of Boston, Mass., on August 14, 2010.

Irene Vock Gillis ’44 of Brookline, Mass., on September 23, 2010.

Natalie Luther Kennedy ’46 of Fullerton, Calif., on June 20, 2010.

Stanley Arnold ’48 of Indianapolis, Ind., on August 4, 2010.

Joyce Dawley Corner ’48 of Naples, Fla., on August 30, 2010.

Edward Tomaszek ’48 of Shelton, Conn., on September 27, 2010.

Irwin Galkin ’49 of Boynton Beach, Fla., on July 17, 2010.

Maurice Zarchen ’49 of Kingston, R.I., on October 9, 2010.

Bertrand Audette ’50 of Lansing, Mich., on July 2, 2010.

Andrew Demaine ’50 of Harmony, R.I., on August 12, 2010.

URI Alumni Association ­ Membership Application Form

Name _______________________________________________________________________

Indicate type of membership:

Spouse’s Email _____________________________________ Class ______________________

Individual @ $35 per year

Home Address ______________________________________ City ______________________

Couple @ $50 per year

State_______________________________________________ Zip ______________________

Golden Grad @ $15 per year

Home Phone__________________________________________________________________

Golden Grad Couple @ $30 per year

Make checks payable to URI Alumni Association, or charge to:

Check here if you’d like information on ­regional or affinity chapters.

Email_____________________________________________ Class ______________________ Spouse’s Name ________________________________________________________________

MasterCard VISA AMEX DISCOVER Acct No._____________________________ Exp.Date____________________ Signature________________________________________ Mail to: Membership Program, P.O. Box 1820, Kingston, Rl 02881-2011

36 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-11 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

Brian Doyle ’06

Jonathan “John” Shadeck ’06

World-Class Rhody Rugger Not quite five years ago, Brian Doyle was representing URI on the rugby field.

These days, he’s representing the United States in that rough and tumble game. Doyle recently returned from Argentina, where he played for the U.S. “Select” squad—a team of elite players shooting for a spot on the national team—against teams representing Canada, Argentina, and Tonga.

Doyle, 26, played for the U.S. national team, the Eagles, on three occasions in 2008. He says pulling on the U.S. jersey never gets old: “You don’t know when you’ll get the chance again. I get pretty worked up when I hear the national anthem.”

Doyle, 6’ 7” and 250 pounds, plays “lock” in the heaving heart of the eight-man scrum.

After leaving Kingston, the Rockland, N.Y., native emerged as a world-class rugby player both in the U.S. and overseas.

He joined the New York Athletic Club in the U.S. “Super League,” and helped NYAC to national championships in 2008 and 2010. This past season, NYAC went undefeated before stunning San Francisco Golden Gate in front of a Bay Area crowd in a 28-25 nailbiter, with Doyle putting forth a “monstrous” game, in the words of Rugby magazine.

In 2009, Doyle spent a season in Sydney, Australia, playing professionally for Northern Suburbs and learning the nuances of the game in that rugby hotbed.

NYAC coach Mike Tolkin says Doyle, formerly URI’s rugby captain, has come a long way since first turning up as athletic but raw rugby talent. “Brian has emerged as one of the leaders of NYAC,” says Tolkin, “and one of the best rugby players in the country.”

Doyle, who is working in sales in Manhattan, hopes to add to his impressive rugby scrapbook by earning a spot in the U.S. Eagles squad when it treks to New Zealand for the 2011 World Cup. “Those are the moments you know you’ll live with,” he says, “for the rest of your life.”

—Michael Malone ’91

Graffiti to Rock ’n’ Roll, Green Art to Tattoo Culture When Fulbright scholar John Shadeck finishes his yearlong program in Hungary, he’ll leave his students with a better understanding of the English language and the American tattoo.

Shadeck, who holds a bachelor’s in art studio from URI, received his Fulbright award in April 2010 while finishing a master’s thesis in art education at the University of Arizona. He is presently an English teaching assistant living in Veszprem, western Hungary.

At the University of Pannonia, Shadeck teaches English improvement and a course of his own design called Alternative Contemporary American Art Practice, “a survey of underJohn Shadeck on the Hungarian/Slovakian border. ground and non-fine arts in the United States during the past 20 years. We discuss everything from graffiti to rock ’n’ roll, green art to tattoo culture.”

Shadeck volunteers at the American Corner, a program housed in the town library. He participates in English book and conversation clubs, while also assisting Hungarian students interested in studying in America complete the application process. And he teaches beginner English to a women’s group.

There are high school outreach engagements and weekly cultural programs. For Halloween, Shadeck gave a lecture on Arizona’s Dia De Lose Muertos celebrations.

Shadeck’s interest in studying abroad was piqued at URI: “I remember attending a study abroad fair and thinking how great it would be to travel around the world,” he recalls. “That’s when I was first inspired to travel. I ended up studying film the next year in Brisbane, Australia.”

Shadeck says he is considering staying in Eastern Europe after his program ends. “Perhaps I will move to Budapest and teach for another year in the capital city. I have a lot of Hungarian and American friends who live there, so it is close to my heart,” he says. “Teaching in Rhode Island is also an option, considering it’s my home and where my family and friends reside.”

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

Carol Liu ’90 & Marybeth Caldarone ’90

Roommates

While she was a student at URI, Carol Liu took on the care of a disabled classmate, Marybeth Caldarone, in return for financial aid. The two became lifelong friends.

Caldarone, who uses a wheelchair, has a mysterious nerve disease that has left her in need of assistance in accomplishing simple tasks, like getting dressed or taking notes. While Liu’s ministrations certainly made her friend’s life at URI easier, Liu says she was the chief beneficiary in the relationship: “It was a completely lifechanging opportunity. A number of huge events in my life connect to her.”

Caldarone’s example taught Liu to “put your head down, press forward, and make a difference.

Marybeth brought out the potential in me.”

Liu says Caldarone inspired her to go to law

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN DOYLE, JOHN SHADECK, AND CAROL LIU

Marybeth Caldarone, left, and Carol Liu.

school and to write her first book, Arlene on the Scene, a children’s chapter book whose lead character has Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), the debilitating nerve condition that Caldarone and her nine-year-old daughter Grace both have. Caldarone only learned the name of her illness when her daughter received the identical diagnosis.

Proceeds from the book, which was released on Sept. 1, 2010, and is available on Amazon.com, are being donated to the Hereditary Neuropathy Foun-

dation. According to Liu, more than 500 copies of the book have already been sold.

The story centers on title character Arlene and her campaign to be class secretary at her Rhode Island school. Liu also wrote a teacher’s guide to the book with the goal of raising awareness about CMT. The main goal of the book, say Liu and Calderone, is to educate people about CMT. There is as yet no cure for the 2.6 million people afflicted with CMT. The book is also a tribute: “Hanging out with Marybeth has provided me with a teeny window into her world, and it certainly makes me feel that I want to do something—anything—to help,” Liu says. “Marybeth doesn’t ever let anything stop her.”

For more information, check ArleneOnTheScene.com —Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 37

Are you an alum searching for a job or looking to change your career path?

Contact Karen Rubano or Marie Geary at URI Alumni Career Services.

Karen Rubano

Marie Geary

Alumni Career Services has terrific news for the New Year! We now have two staff members dedicated to the exclusive needs of URI alumni. Welcome aboard to Marie Geary! Marie brings years of experience in higher education—most recently at Boston College Career Center—to her role as associate director. Marie and Karen Rubano will provide customized alumni online toolkits, quarterly Webinars, attendance at alumni events, and continued career coaching on campus, by phone, and through email.

We hope you enjoy the holidays and approaching New Year! We often use the New Year as a time to renew commitments to health, family, and friends. Why not include a review of your career needs? Below are a few career tips.

First and foremost, create an inventory of new career experiences from 2010. A new role, unique or significant project work, a volunteer initiative—all need to be considered. You should save your inventory of experiences on a Microsoft Word document. This will enhance your ability to quickly put relevant experiences onto your résumé when needed. If you have never created an experience inventory, it is a terrific New Year career investment!

What about former colleagues you haven’t connected with in awhile? This is a great time of year to send an email or make a call to extend New Year greetings and run through a career status check. Make sure to share any new career interests you may be exploring in 2011.

The more information you provide to your network, the better your chances of obtaining contact names as well as helpful industry and company information.

Invest an evening navigating through on-line career resources available to you. URI’s Career Services Web site contains a wealth of information at career@etal. uri.edu. Don’t assume you know what’s on the Web site! Take time to navigate through every category found within the left hand column of our home page.

You will be surprised at the depth of information

38 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010-11 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

provided to you. Always explore RhodyNet for new job postings and upcoming career fairs. Alumni can obtain a free RhodyNet account by visiting career.uri. edu/alumni.shtml for detailed information. Investigate all the capabilities offered on LinkedIn, a reputable, informative, high growth professional networking Web site.

We are always ready to help you. Contact your URI alumni career advisors by calling 401.874.9404 or by email: Karen Rubano Alumni Career Services 228 Roosevelt Hall 90 Lower College Road Kingston, RI 02881 p. 401.874.9404 f. 401.874.5525 e. krubano@uri.edu w. advance.uri.edu/alumni/careerservices/advisor.htm Marie Geary Alumni Career Services 228 Roosevelt Hall 90 Lower College Road Kingston, RI 02881 p. 401.874.9404 f. 401.874.5525 e. mrgeary@uri.edu w. advance.uri.edu/alumni/careerservices/advisor.htm

William Shepley ’50 of Jamestown, R.I., on July 5, 2010.

Leo Sullivan ’50 of Bristol, R.I., on July 20, 2010.

Muriel Dame Wheatley ’50 of West Greenwich, R.I., on September 12, 2010.

Normand Bombardier ’51 of Warren, R.I., on August 19, 2010.

Frank Harrington ’51 of Southbury, Conn., on September 22, 2010.

Robert Hodnett ’51 of Wakefield, R.I., on October 3, 2009.

Jane Tomellini Capalbo ’52 of Greenville, R.I., on August 5, 2010.

Sheldon Hochman ’52 of Shrewsbury, Mass., on September 1, 2010.

Edwin Merrell ’52 of West Point, Va., on September 11, 2010.

Frank Schora ’52 of Chatham, Mass., on November 9, 2009.

John Sullivan ’52 of Portsmouth, R.I., on August 18, 2010.

Isabelle Goddard Aquino ’53 of Coventry, R.I., on October 27, 2010.

Noah Temkin ’53 of Waban, Mass., on October 29, 2010.

Charles Mason ’54 of Saint Peter, Minn., on May 10, 2010.

Ernest Niles ’54 of Towaco, N.J., on August 22, 2010.

Sidney Hassenfeld ’56 of East Hampton, N.Y., on May 9, 2010.

Richard Vagnini ’56 of Punta Gorda, Fla., on July 6, 2010.

Louis Ferando ’57 of Orange, Conn., on August 30, 2010.

Judith Neal Gifford ’57 of Mystic, Conn., on August 9, 2010.

Ralph Perrotta ’57 of San Antonio, Texas, on October 31, 2010.

Francis Dowiot ’58 of Cranston, R.I., on August 25, 2010.

Robert Carlson ’59 of East Greenwich, R.I., on October 10, 2010.

Lawrence Sullivan ’59 of Commerce, Texas, on June 5, 2010.

Robert Sweeney ’59 of Attleboro, Mass., on August 1, 2010.

Michael Crowley ’61 of Darnestown, Md., on August 29, 2010.

Rene Bollengier ’62 of Boscawen, N.H., on August 30, 2010.

Janet Oberndorfer ’63 of New Hyde Park, N.Y., on September 29, 2010.

Caryl Reimer Gopfert ’64 of Palo Alto, Calif., on May 8, 2009.

Ronald Kart ’65 of Warwick, R.I., on October 4, 2010.

Christine Carlen Miller ’65 of Wake Forest, N.C., on September 26, 2010.

John Peters ’65 of Tiverton, R.I., on July 29, 2010.

Charles Pichette ’67 of Nobleboro, Maine, on July 14, 2010.

CLASSnote

READ & WRITE CLASS NOTES ONLINE!

note to: your life. Send your class Let us know what’s new in Center, i mn mni Association, Alu Class Acts Editor, URI Alu 11 200 Kingston, RI 0288173 Upper College Road, u classacts@advance.uri.ed ail: Fax: 401.874.5957, Em

line at: Enter your class note on services/classnotes u/e www.advance.uri.ed

___ Class ______

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Address________________

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Email Address _________

n Check here if new address

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Judith Boyle Flynn ’68 of Norton, Mass., on October 7, 2010.

Virginia McElroy ’68 of Providence, R.I., on October 26, 2010.

Roland Palmatier ’68 of Durham, N.H., on September 14, 2010.

Frank Vollaro ’68 of Barrington, R.I., on September 30, 2010.

Gloria Howard ’69 of Providence, R.I., on August 2, 2010.

Joseph Malaga ’69 of Herndon, Va., on August 6, 2010.

Sanford Cutler ’70 of Johnston, R.I., on October 23, 2010.

Grace Finn Fiore ’70 of Albion, R.I., on September 9, 2010.

Dennis Giammarco ’70 of Sugar Land, Texas, on October 25, 2010.

Lois Bowers ’71 of Bonita Springs, Fla., on May 18, 2009.

William Donnelly ’71 of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on May 24, 2010.

Frederick Higgins ’71 of Wakefield, R.I., on September 24, 2010.

Martha Wayne ’71 of Palmetto, Fla., on October 4, 2010.

Claire Angeloni Campbell ’72 of Pasadena, Calif., on July 14, 2010.

Joann Newmyer ’75 of Mansfield Center, Conn., on March 9, 2010.

Susan Westberg Dydowicz ’76 of Providence, R.I., on October 5, 2010.

Kathleen Baron Petrone ’77 of Wilbraham, Mass., on July 15, 2010.

Gordon Wallace ’77 of Hopkinton, Mass., on August 7, 2010.

Thomas Loughlin ’78 of Longboat Key, Fla., on April 9, 2010.

Gary Thomas ’78 of Metuchen, N.J., on July 24, 2010.

Deforest Baker ’79 of Newport, R.I., on July 22, 2010.

Ruth Brief Yeitz ’79 of Jensen Beach, Fla., on August 23, 2010.

Harry Amaral ’80 of Narragansett, R.I., on October 17, 2010.

Michael Tierney ’80 of Wakefield, R.I., on October 26, 2010.

Lynne DiMaria Kashmanian ’83 of North Providence, R.I., on September 12, 2010.

Lisa Berard Cummings ’88 of Cumberland, R.I., on October 24, 2010.

David Ostrander ’88 of Hope, R.I., on August 13, 2010.

Denise Giaccone O’Neil ’89 of Old Lyme, Conn., on November 14, 2008.

James Donovan ’90 of San Francisco, Calif., on October 27, 2010.

Claudia Lowe Bailey ’92 of Peoria, Ariz., on August 5, 2010.

Naomi Bojar Carr ’92 of Portales, N.M., on August 25, 2010.

Josephine Lauro ’96 of West Warwick, R.I., on January 12, 2010.

Susan McMaster Bosman ’99 of Springfield, Mass., on July 13, 2010.

Steven Erni ’99 of West Kingston, R.I., on February 7, 2010.

Brian Grare ’03 of Glen Gardner, N.J., on September 6, 2010.

Ryan Batalon ’08 of Cumberland, R.I., on September 9, 2010.

IN MEMORIAM: FACULTY Stephen David Grubman-Black, professor emeritus of women’s studies and communication studies, died at his North Kingstown home on Nov. 21, 2010. He began his career in the Department of Speech Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences where he served as director of graduate programs. He KATHY BORCHERS then moved to the College of Human Science and Services when his program became the Department of Communicative Disorders. From 1978 to 1984, he served as associate dean of the Graduate School. From 1993 to 1999, he was coordinator of the Bachelor of General Studies Program at the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education. For most of his career he held a joint appointment with the Program in Women’s Studies teaching Introduction to Women’s Studies, Feminist Methods, Sexual Victimization, and Men and Masculinity; he also served as director of Women’s Studies. He held a joint appointment with the Department of Communication Studies where he taught Interpersonal Communication. Among his many publications is his acclaimed book Broken Boys/Mending Men. He served both as a volunteer and on many boards of nonprofit organizations, including Temple Sinai, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center, Brother to Brother, the Wiley Center, Washington County Mental Health, and the Women’s Resource Center. He received his B.S. and M.A. from Temple University and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sheila Black-Grubman, coordinator of URI’s Faculty Senate; a daughter, Davi Kaldakis; and two grandchildren, Angelina and Elijah. Memorial contributions may be made to the Stephen Grubman-Black Memorial Fund, c/o URI Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 or to Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920-2697.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 39

BACKPAGE One of a Kind Who wears the color purple, coils her hair in a gold crown, and drives a pair of Mercedes-Benzes with license plates TALK and TALK2?

It’s Agnes G. Doody, 80, professor emerita of communication studies, who recently delivered the first lecture at dedication ceremonies of the newlynamed Agnes G. Doody Auditorium in Swan Hall. “I’m absolutely overwhelmed by this,” Doody said of the celebration in her honor. “I didn’t see it coming, and I’m very humbled by it all. It really blew me away!”

Former students, faculty and fans of the legendary professor attended the Oct. 29 dedication: “Agnes Doody has the unique ability to make you reach higher than you ever imagined you could,” said her former student D ­ oug Rubinstein ’68.

Born in 1930, Doody grew up on a 400-acre farm in North Branford, Conn. She milked cows, was a crackerjack rifle shot, and in 1946 became the first female to win the State Meat Animal Fair when exhibiting her cattle. During World War II, she was an airplane-spotter until officials discovered she was only 15 and had lied about her age.

Doody admits that she was expelled from ­Central Connecticut State College for hitchhiking. She then enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, where she was a self-described underachiever placed on academic probation. Nonetheless, she graduated and ultimately received a doctorate from Penn State.

Doody began her URI teaching career in 1958 as director of Forensics, Department of Speech and Theatre—one of only 61 women in a faculty of 400.

She quickly earned notice for a uniquely effective teaching style, along with an ability to ride a bicycle in high heels.

When denied a raise because she was married, she threatened URI President Fran Horn that she would have her marriage annulled and take out a newspaper ad explaining why.

She is currently a speech and communication consultant at Arthur Associates in Wakefield, R.I., a company she founded in 1988.

Contributions to the Agnes G. Doody Scholarship support student scholarships in the Harrington School of Communication and Media. For more information, contact Thomas Zorabedian at 401.874.2853 or zman@ui.edu

By Marcia Grann O’Brien

Agnes poses outside of Swan Hall during festivities for the dedication of the Agnes G. Doody Auditorium.

MIKE SALERNO

40 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2010 –2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

Photo gallery | uri.edu/quadangles

Your generosity has made all the difference.

More than 35,000 loyal donors dared to think big during URI’s Making a Difference campaign.

Already, their impact can be seen across campus—helping more students pay for college, attracting the most talented students and faculty members, building cutting-edge learning facilities, and supporting innovative programs, initiatives and experiences that truly distinguish URI from other schools.

! s k n a h T n o i l l i M 6 $12 Frankly, our success is only as good as the commitment of our alumni and friends who donated well beyond our $100 million goal.

We honor your role in the transformation of the University of Rhode Island. Thank you!

MICHAEL SALERNO

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advance.uri.edu/alumnimap

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