Saint Michael's College Magazine, Winter 2016 by Saint Michael's College Magazine

Saint Michael’s SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2016

What Role Does LOVE Play in LEADERSHIP?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental

and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its

best is power correcting everything that stands against love.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Martin Luther King, Jr.

FOUNDERS HALL 2 Leadership From the Heart A Letter from President John J. Neuhauser STORIES 3 In Memoriam: Father Mike Cronogue 4 Faith and Leadership: Kathy Stubbing ’87 by Susan Salter Reynolds 5 Integrity in Leadership: Jamila Headley ’06 by Susan Salter Reynolds 6 Summer Research 8 Real Life Leadership by Susan Salter Reynolds 14 Courage and Leadership: Shannon Parker ’93 by Susan Salter Reynolds

16 Sustaining Leadership: Growing a Vibrant Military Community by Mark Tarnacki

38 Richard Daniel Opening Doors for Others by Mark Tarnacki

20 Head, Hands, and Heart M.O.V.E. at Saint Michael’s by Susan Salter Reynolds

39 The Round-Up: Fall Athletics at Saint Michael’s by Josh Kessler ’04, Director of Athletic Communications

21 Spiritual Leadership: Fr. Ray Doherty, SSE ’51 by Susan Salter Reynolds

40 The Alpine Ski Team: All in the Family by Lauren Friedgen ’16

22 Leadership and Love: Teaching About Teaching Learning About Learning by Susan Salter Reynolds

42 Books 44 Gallup Summary

CLASS NOTES 28 Who Paved the Way? Coming Into Their Own: Women 45 Message from the Alumni Leading Change at St. Mike’s Association President by Madeline F. Hughes ’17 Annie Rosello ’94 34 Leadership Perspectives 46 Class Notes 36 When the Going Gets Tough: 57 In Memoriam Leadership Opportunities in Higher Education 37 Every-Day Leadership: Len Whitehouse by Susan Salter Reynolds

SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE MAGAZINE Fall/Winter 2016 Volume 16, No. 3 www.smcvt.edu

DESIGN Harp and Company Graphic Design Douglas G. Harp Jennifer Fisher

EDITOR Susan Salter Reynolds

MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Angela Armour ’99 M’09 Alessandro Bertoni Rev. Raymond Doherty, S.S.E. Sarah M. Kelly Josh Kessler ’04 Brian MacDonald Jerald Swope Mark Tarnacki

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mark Tarnacki Lauren Friedgen ’16 Madeline F. Hughes ’17 Josh Kessler ‘04 PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER Brian MacDonald

Saint Michael’s College Magazine (ISSN 0279-3016) is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications two times a year. The views expressed in the Saint Michael’s College Magazine do not necessarily represent the official policies and views of Saint Michael’s College. POSTMASTER Please send address changes to: Saint Michael’s College One Winooski Park. Box 6 Colchester, VT 05439

FOUNDERS HALL 2

Father Mike Cronogue: Leadership from the Heart

“H

ey, Jackson, how are you. Got a second?” That’s how Mike would enter my office many times a week, mostly just checking in, often with a jibe directed at any of Boston’s teams, but never at the wife of the quarterback. We would chat for a while, there would be asides directed at “T,” with whom I share an office, and then he would say,

“Can you come to dinner tonight?” I never had the heart to say that your dinnertime is close to my lunchtime and I need to be at my desk a little longer. I now wish I had said yes more often than I did. I have come to understand that this walking around was just Mike’s way of checking up

on each of us. He was a gentle man, the most uncritical person I have ever met. It really didn’t make any difference who you were, what you did, what you thought. On more than one occasion I heard him say to some miscreant, “That’s OK, God loves you.” And so did Mike. That’s the thing we didn’t quite understand when he was here. Mike had no agenda other than wanting us to love each other and hoping we would include his God. But Mike didn’t judge. I once heard him say, “Did you kill anybody? No, then you’re OK.” I will miss his faithful notes sent on any occasion, our trips to the Bobcat Café, watching those damnable Jets with Tom and Joseph, his teasing of everyone, especially the “Frenchman,” the way this 12-year-old man-boy would talk with the women he loved, his homilies (did anyone ever know where he was going with a thought?), the way he greeted everyone before Mass (even once recently giving me some mustard seeds on the way into Mass), the frou-frou cocktails he would have on occasion when we were at dinner, the way in which

we would meet to discuss how some trust funds were to be distributed only to find he had already typed the final distribution list, the gentle way he had of thanking each of us for whatever small contribution we made. Mike led by simply serving everyone. He was a bighearted man who left us too soon, no doubt because he was needed elsewhere. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said (see the full quote on the back page of this issue), let us not fill the hole he has left so that ache will remind us of what a good man he was for each of us.

John J. Neuhauser President

“F

ather Mike was a beautiful soul, because perhaps he was such a unique one. To watch him work a room was a sight to behold. To see the genuine kindness and compassion that he had for each and every person he met beggared belief. When Father Mike told you he was there for you, that was not just lip service. That was not just somebody delivering an empty platitude because it sounded like the right thing to do — that was real, that was authentic, that was genuine, and you could feel it.

“That compassion was matched by a strong intellect, and a sharp wit. Mike’s humor always bordered on the bizarre, which is why I loved it so, and there were so many inside jokes, so many catchphrases, so much laughter that we shared. Mike’s humor and commitment to community was my door into religious life, my door into the Society of Saint Edmund. As I walk shyly around the halls of Alliot 3 Student Center still trying to find my footing as a Campus Ministry staff member, I will never forget how he pushed me continually to meet as many members of campus as I could, to overcome my fear and my reserved nature. I think back to how he was always on the front lines of campus culture, seemingly at every meeting. He knew everyone, he loved everyone, and that love was infectious. It’s hard to imagine campus life without him. Mike gave his life, his love, his soul for this campus, which was his deepest and most abiding love. “For how can we talk about Mike without talking about love? You felt his love. When I think about the intensity of love that God has for humanity — that is the love that Mike had for each and every one of us. The core and source of his love was always in his faith in the Scriptures, in the Gospel. … I think for many in this room, we might not have found our way to Jesus if not for Mike’s honest example. … Few men modeled the life and witness of Christ like Michael Cronogue did. Michael spent his life preparing a place for us all, because he knew and loved Christ, who has prepared a place for him today. Michael had faith that, as Jesus says, ‘I will come back again and take you to myself.’ “Mike’s faith in the resurrection was not a joke, was not an academic exercise, and it could be witnessed every single day of his life by how he lived his life. He lived his life for this College. And for his work at this College, he takes his place in the house of our Lord. “For those of us that are left behind, as we think of Mike, and the ways that he touched and enriched and enhanced our lives, we can come to understand that as Christ prepared a way for Michael, Michael in his inimitable fashion prepared the way for each and every one of us. We mourn his loss, but keep within our hearts the lessons that he taught us all, through just being who he was, which was at its deepest core Love. Help me prepare the way, Michael, as you committed so much of your time to helping me. I yearn for the time when we will be reunited. I miss you my brother, and I love you.”

IN MEMORIAM

— The Words of Brother Michael Carter ’11 from the Vigil for the Deceased Prayer Service for Fr. Michael Cronogue, SSE, on Thursday, October 13, 2016 Father Mike blessing the new permaculture site, summer 2016.

FAITH AND LEADERSHIP

Kathy Stubbing ’87

Leading by example was an integral part of being a police officer. by Susan Salter Reynolds

aint Michael’s was one of the best experiences of my life,” says Kathy Stubbing, an investigator for the State of Vermont with the Division of Licensing and Protection. After 24 years with the Burlington Police Department, Stubbing retired three years ago. In her current position she investigates reports alleging abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Stubbing made a core group of close friends in her college years. She was an English major and fondly remembers classes with Professor Carey Kaplan. She was also a member of the Purple Knights Women’s Basketball team and has great respect and admiration for Coach Sue Duprat. The priests at St. Mike’s were instrumental in the growth of her faith. Experiences at St. Mike’s provided the foundation that prepared her for life after college; for becoming a police officer and a leader in her community. After graduation, Stubbing wanted to find a profession in which she could help people and make a difference. She found her niche helping people as a police officer with the Burlington Police Department in Vermont. Stubbing knew, after making her first physical arrest, that she could de-escalate a heated scenario. After the arrest, she says, you have to be able to explain why you did what you did. This is where her writing skills became very important. Effective communication is a critical skill in law enforcement. Officers must be able to speak with members of the public as well as document events. St. Mike’s helped Stubbing develop and fine-tune both of these skills.

Stubbing held many positions within the department and learned that leadership, especially leading by example, was an integral part of being a police officer. This included leadership within the department as well as in the community. She often found herself in the role of mentor for female officers. Sometimes the issues they needed help with were simple: how to make the duty belt, with all its attachments, fit a female body. Sometimes, they were not so simple: how to physically stop someone twice your size. All had confidence-boosting or -busting potential. “When you show up on a scene, all eyes are on you,” she says. Stubbing explains that police officers often have to take charge of situations, resolve conflicts, and manage crises. “Being a police officer can take a toll on you. My faith helped me to always remember that everyone I encountered was a child of God, no matter the circumstances.”

Jamila Headley ’07

by Susan Salter Reynolds

hen Jamila Headley was asked to lead the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), she had her doubts. Not about the mission — changing policies affecting access to lifesaving treatment and care for people living with HIV around the globe — but about her ability to do the job of leading the organization through a difficult funding and political context.

Health GAP, an international advocacy organization started in 1998, when almost no one living with HIV/AIDS in poor countries had access to lifesaving medicines. Within just a few years, the organization had helped to catalyze a major turning point in the global response to HIV, with funding and political will for the response growing exponentially in the 15 years that followed. But in the past three years, leaders in the United States and around the world seem to have begun to shift their attention away from this still very important issue, and funding for important treatment and prevention programs, and for organizations like Health GAP, has been harder to come by. It was against this backdrop that Headley was asked to help define a new strategy going forward. Headley grew up in Barbados. When she was young, it was a country with one of the highest HIV rates in the Caribbean. AIDS was still considered a “gay disease,” and treatment could cost $20,000 per person. Headley wanted to be a doctor, but she soon realized that doctors could only do so much. Economic barriers were preventing real progress in the fight against HIV.

Headley applied to Saint Michael’s because of a class on the politics of the global AIDS epidemic taught by Professor of Political Science Patricia Siplon. Siplon also introduced Headley to Health GAP and in 2005, while she was a sophomore at Saint Michael’s College, the organization invited her to join its steering committee. “I was the youngest person in the group at the time,” she recalls. “But they saw something in me and helped to nurture that.” Headley won a Rhodes scholarship and went to the University of Oxford in 2007–08 to further her studies in global health. She went on to get her Ph.D. in Public Health in 2012. In 2014, after working for two years with George Soros’ private foundation (the Open Society Foundation), Health GAP asked her to join their leadership team as managing director.

According to Headley, leadership, like politics, involves power. “It’s about being mindful of power dynamics at every level. It’s about giving power, not just taking it.” Good leadership, she says, is also grounded in integrity. “What you say must match up with what you do.”

INTEGRITY IN LEADERSHIP

Leadership is about giving power, not just taking it.

T Y LE R LUCEY ’ 17 Music

Have you ever heard the sweet sounds of the oud playing music in the Turkish maqam style? Lucey is studying the music of Syrian composer Anwar Agha, now living in Burlington. How has Vermont affected Agha’s music?

SUMMER LINDSEY ROGERS ’18 Psychology

Getting enough sleep? Eating right? No? Shape up! Stress affects your heart and your immune system! Stress leads to disease. Rogers is testing 30 healthy people ages 18 to 35. Her data will inform healthy behavior modification suggestions.

M Y R A ALVAR EZ ’ 1 7 Computer Science and Psychology

Do you have BOI (Body Ownership Illusion)? Can sensory cues from the brain be short-circuited? Watch out! Is that virtual hand with the virtual knife yours, or someone else’s? Alvarez envisions many ways her data can help people with prosthetic limbs.

RESEARCH J AM ES R O SS H EN RY ’ 1 7 Environmental Studies

Did you know that there are “at-risk locations” (ARLs), that will be severely altered or destroyed by climate change? Henry is creating a database of these unique places called Totem.

To read more about Summer Research projects, go to: smcvt.edu/magazine

REAL LIFE LEADERSHIP by Susan Salter Reynolds

There’s a lot going on beneath the surface at the Saint Michael’s College Adventure Sports Center. And, not to be a downer, but it’s not all fun and games. Turns out, the Adventure Sports Center is ground zero for real-life leadership, training for split-second decision making, and a proving ground for ultimate teamwork.

Courtesy of the Adventure Sports Center

Todd Wright ’96, M ’11, is the director of the center. This is a guy who looks like he could actually save your life in a pinch, and he’s got ideas about leadership. Mostly, he wants his interviewer to know, he does not want to be the focus of this story. (Spoiler alert: humility is one of the raw ingredients of leadership.)

“It’s transformational, it happens episodically, it’s non-coercive, and it’s intended for real-life situations.” What does he think of when he hears the word leadership? “Doing the right thing when no one is watching.” He says, “Our students work in really authentic situations with potentially high-consequence outcomes.” In other words, my notes read in bold face, you could die. This is authentic learning. Students

employable and it makes them happier. Usually, in higher ed, we prepare them but we never really test them.” Wright does not believe in intuition. “Why would I trust my gut, an organ responsible for elimination?” he is famous for saying. Students work within a framework called “naturalistic decision making.” These decisions are made in situ, where students have to assess the environment, changes in the weather, and

and looming consequences. “You don’t always have time,” Wright laughs, “to go through a cognitive process. You have to make a rapid assessment based on the experience you do have. As you gain confidence, this process accelerates. We call this naturalistic decision making.” Wright is proud of the fact that students in the program say they make better decisions on the weekends after their experiences outdoors. They drink less, they go to bed earlier, and they even listen better.

“There’s no such thing as a natural-born leader. It is a process, an evolution.”

The Adventure Sports Center is a kind of lab where experiments are done in the outdoor world, all in the context of students’ liberal arts education. “We practice a post-industrial leadership model,” Wright explains.

learn many of the skills they need to be successful in life — “that’s what our vision is,” says Wright. “This is a program that allows them to put all their skills in context. It makes them more

the group profile. Who is experienced? Who isn’t? Is anyone dehydrated? The best decisions are based on experience, but often there is limited time to make the decision, limited information,

Wright enlisted in the Army and served in the Desert Storm years, then came to Saint Michael’s College. During college he worked as a rock-climbing and ice-climbing guide and, after graduating in 1996, was offered a job leading what was then called the Saint Michael’s Wilderness Program.

Reflection is a big part of the decision-making process. Failure is OK, also an important part of the process. Sometimes you plan well, but the results aren’t good. Some of the skills students learn — whitewater paddling, hiking, and climbing, for example, are more fraught with anxiety than others. Mountaineering, Wright reports, is a high-anxiety activity. Student leaders learn to talk their peers through their fear of heights. Leadership happens, he reports, when there is potential for real change. “There is a moment, a fluid state, when you have one of our instructors with tons of training, experience, reflection get to a point where they are operational — we have become peers in the kayak, on the ropes. The lines are blurred between leader and follower, teacher and learner, boss and worker. There’s no such thing as a natural-born leader. It is a process, an evolution.” Wright believes that leadership is episodic—students learn, practice, and often surpass their teachers/leaders. In the Adventure Sports Center, students can apply to become instructors in either land-based or water-based sports. By the time these students are seniors, Wright reports, they have become peers. Often, they are calling the shots. As they take on more and more responsibility, he says, they change emotionally and physically. Their confidence grows.

Is gender a leadership issue? Not so much anymore, Wright says. In the 1990s, the wilderness program was

composed of mostly of men. Today, the center’s instructors are 55 percent male and 45 percent female, which is closer to the College’s current enrollment: 60 percent female and 40 percent male. The center works to draw students from multicultural backgrounds — especially those with little outdoor experience. It offers Wilderness First Aid and several beginning courses in various sports. Students from urban backgrounds are often new to these sports. The center provides gear and equipment — whether warm socks or kayaks.

Courtesy of the Adventure Sports Center

REAL LIFE LEADERSHIP 12

Even with a growth in confidence, humility remains a key ingredient of leadership. Wright is wary of the students who come in with a lot of prior experience, thinking they can start teaching on Day One. There’s a great difference, he says, between doing, teaching, and being responsible for others. “This is a job that requires you to do everything right. I should be able, I tell them, to send my 11-year-old son out with you.”

The Adventure Sports Center grew out of the Wilderness Program. “We’ve grown into a guide service with less focus on camping and overnight trips and more focus on technical sports and instructor development,” says Wright.

In the Instructor Training Program (which starts with between 20 and 25 students per year, then narrows to a core team of 10 to 12 by November), students talk about values, beliefs, leadership, ownership, oversight, mentoring, and responsibility, to name a few of the core concepts. They learn new skills and learn how to teach those skills effectively. They learn how to differentiate between the things they can control (being prepared, having a route) and the things they can’t control (weather). “There’s more emphasis on mentoring,” says Wright, “which connotes a more robust and complex relationship than teacher–student. It involves feedback, task setting, goal setting, and ongoing assessment. Mentors are charged with the development of another individual—a huge responsibility.” What is the goal? Autonomous decision making — another key ingredient of leadership. There are clouds on the ridgeline; you have

30 minutes to get down. Are you looking out for the people around you? “Most of these students are not going into adventure sports [as a career]. The skills they learn here will be useful in other professions. I consider my job to be development of the whole person.”

Experiences outdoors All report that the lessons translate almost immediately they learn in the Adventure to everyday life. “First-year Sports Center are carried students have a lot of fear into their classes and their coming in,” says Adams. lives. Adams is the Student “There are so many unknowns. Association president. “My confidence in that context The Adventure Sports Center is a place they can confront comes directly from what and conquer fears. Once they I’ve learned in the Adventure know they can do it, the Sports program,” she says. cafeteria seems easy.” McElroy says that decisions she had to make as an intern in an entirely different context — How does a leader deal with other people’s fears? Garland an insurance company — were inspired by her training as has been a climbing instructor for several years. She gets a a wilderness first responder; bit nervous in deep water, so not only calculations of risk, but also how to handle “crises” when a student confesses a fear in office situations. Computers of heights, she can relate. “We want to help people step shutting down, she says, may outside their comfort zones,” seem mild compared to galesays McElroy, “but not put force winds, but you still have themselves in danger. A good to figure out what to do next.

All agree that good leaders often work in the realm of the subconscious, helping people better understand themselves and dispel unnecessary fears that might be holding them back. Addressing and admitting vulnerability, as Powell found in the classroom and on the mountain, invites trust. You start by being open. It’s easier to step into a leadership role once you have established a trusting, give-and-take relationship.

Student instructors consider the word leadership: For Bridget McElroy ’17, it means having more experience than others, and a measure of “gumption, and the confidence to know you can handle situations.” For Lindsey Garland ’17, who lives with five other women, it’s all about the relationships and the communication skills (particularly listening); for Sophie Adams ’18, leadership is a process of discovery that requires inclusion — you leader can help people to feel Garland reports that her have to make the people you safe, to work past their fears. listening skills have improved lead feel safe. If they trust But also to know their limits.” and she finds that the program you, they will listen to you in has made her more observant. an emergency. McElroy Leadership at the Adventure “I came with a lot of preconremembers a sea kayaking trip: “I notice how much the Sports Center, it turns out, people I am responsible for eat ceived ideas about leadership,” is a two-way street. “It has “I wasn’t in a protected area, and it got windy. Someone fell and whether they are hydrated. says Jasmine Powell ’18. nothing to do with ego and “Often it is a role you are forced everything to do with I listen more carefully to the out of their boat while playing stories they tell me about their to step into. You give helpful a game — this is often when responsibility,” says Powell. feedback. You empathize — lives, which will help me to leadership is required,” she “On any given day, we might ‘I got stuck here, too,’ you understand how they might says, “when things are going save each other’s lives.” might say. I’m studying react in a crisis.” wrong. I try to connect with elementary education and it’s students, even if it’s just on the very similar. You use a lot way to the site. I find they of the same language and tone. listen more carefully if we have You realize leadership is established some trust.” not the same as dictatorship.”

“On any given day, we might save each other’s lives.”

Shannon Parker â&#x20AC;&#x2122;93 14

Photo: Tayler Warren

Leadership Starts with Making People Feel Safe

by Susan Salter Reynolds

“Y

ou know what really takes courage?” Shannon Parker laughs. “Going from high school to college — such a huge leap! But the fabric of the Saint Michael’s community was so familial,” she recalls. “Arriving at the College felt a lot like coming home.” Parker works as an administrator in her school system in Maine, writing grants and implementing programs to help at-risk individuals. Her students include adults learning to read, high school students pursuing an alternative path toward their credential, and middle school youth needing a positive, safe after-school environment. “In the educational context, I think leadership starts with helping students recognize their existing strengths. Many of our students are often scarred, disenfranchised. Walking through our door to get help is a leap of courage. My job is to make them feel safe. And worthy,” she says. Parker is also the author of The Girl Who Fell (Simon and Schuster, 2016), which has been appearing on many of the industry’s “Best Of” lists since its release in March. In addition, she has penned the forthcoming The Rattled Bones (Simon and Schuster, August 2017). Both books are aimed at a young adult readership, ages 14 to 19. She credits Saint Michael’s English professor Lorrie Smith with helping her believe in her own unique literary voice. In The Girl Who Fell, a strong young protagonist undergoes the intoxication of first love, and must learn how to regain her voice after the relationship turns toxic. The forthcoming The Rattled Bones is a ghost story in which Parker keenly explores gender dynamics in the male-dominated fisheries, grief, forced institutionalization, first-generation college access, eugenics, and the idea that buried secrets will never stay buried.

Over the past decade, Parker has mothered many foster children. Her home has served as a safe harbor for several children in need. “I think leadership means making people — like the most vulnerable child — feel safe,” she says. “So many people have experienced too much trauma. The effects are layered over their behavior. You have to be willing to scrape it away to see who they really are.” Leadership is a fluid pursuit, Parker says. “Despite all the noise of a very busy life, I try to stay focused on what’s most important. To me, that has always meant working to protect our most susceptible citizens.” Parker is the mother of two adopted boys. “When a child can retain a magical, open heart, even in the aftermath of suffering horrific neglect and abuse. … well, that to me is courage. My sons have taught me so much about the capacity of the human heart. To forgive. To love. To endure.” Parker’s dedication to humanity shows in her religious choices as well. “When I attended college I was curious about religion, morality, duty — all those good things — but I was stepping away from Catholicism. Saint Michael’s allowed me to explore other religions, to find what worked best for me.” Parker is now a practicing Quaker. “I was looking for a way to make sense of all the hate in the world. I wanted to find a way that I, as an individual, could effect positive change in some small way. Quakers lead by example. We don’t believe in war, we don’t put much stock in material possessions. In most churches,” Parker says, “there is someone in front, in a pulpit or at a lectern. Quakers sit together, engaging in communal meditation and prayer. There is no formal ‘leader.’ Leadership comes from within. It is not bestowed by others or taken.”

COURAGE AND LEADERSHIP

Courage is a word that comes to mind when considering the leadership choices Shannon M. Parker has made.

SUSTAINING GROWING A VIBRANT by Mark Tarnacki

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Drake Rivas â&#x20AC;&#x2122;18 bumps fists with a local Afghan boy during a reconnaissance mission in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, 2013. Photo: Sgt. Margaret Taylor

The military veterans, dependents of veterans, and National Guard members flowing in and out of Klein Hall on the Saint Michael’s College campus as students this semester are kindred spirits with the building’s earliest occupants. Right after World War II, married student–veterans made onetime surplus barracks like Klein their family living quarters, library, classrooms, and commissary. Klein Hall, once the College library, is the last vestige of this fondly remembered settlement. “Miketown” was those WWII vets’ affectionate name for primitive Fort Ethan Allen buildings that the College bought and brought down the road directly after the war to accommodate an influx of new collegians making use of GI Bill benefits. While Saint Michael’s College has a long and storied history of serving and educating veterans, tangibly honoring and advancing that history in the modern era took a core group of 28 generous alumni donors who in recent decades answered a call for the “30 x 15” targeted campaign to fill a new position to recruit and retain veteran students. (The campaign’s name was created from the goal to recruit 30 students by the year 2015).

LEADERSHIP:

MILITARY COMMUNITY The arrival in spring 2016 of U.S. Army veteran Ken O’Connell, the College’s new full-time coordinator of veteran services, ensured that the College’s veteran students are receiving the necessary support services to enable them to be successful in and outside the classroom. This office and position is standing on the shoulders of Saint Michael’s veterans who have had a strong influence upon, and dedication to, the College and the nation.

S U S TA I N I N G L E A D E R S H I P 18

The Air Force ROTC program, launched in 1951 with mandatory participation in the two-year basic course through 1964 and optional participation through 1995, allowed more than 450 students to complete training with commissions. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden once was an instructor in the program, and off-campus ROTC options remain today. In 2001, the Class of 1956 decided to honor their Medal of Honor recipient and classmate Donald Cook ’56. This bold idea led to extensive fundraising efforts over several years as part of the Visions Campaign. In 2007, a Military Heritage Memorial was dedicated in Merrill Cemetery anchored by a statue of Colonel Cook, and the Military Heritage Endowed Scholarship was established. This scholarship continues to benefit students today.

Ken O’Connell, Coordinator of Veteran Services, SMC

Today’s military students say their generous alumni benefactors — many veterans themselves — clearly “get it” when it comes to military culture and the loyal lifelong camaraderie and commitment it represents. Military-affiliated students at Saint Michael’s are vocal and grateful in recognizing that the valuable services of Ken O’Connell’s office come courtesy of alumni donors.

The New Position and Office Emerges

O’Connell and the College’s new Institutional Advancement Vice President Richard Daniel say they consider it their obligation to see that resources from these supporters’ gifts

are optimally directed to honor Saint Michael’s military heritage and to help veterans and their families. “Everything we’re doing for these students or their families, who have given so much, would not be possible without our alumni veterans and supporters — it’s that simple,” O’Connell adds.

Military-affiliated students say they feel a new momentum on campus. O’Connell already has a reputation among these clients as a hardworking, good-natured, and level-headed advocate offering far-reaching, personalized, and indispensable services. O’Connell is a Vermont native, family man, and former Army communications specialist who served in Germany in the 1980s before stints as an elementary educator and photographer while volunteering extensively in his Essex Junction community. O’Connell has helped run several programs on campus — a military appreciation reception for alumni veterans on Reunion Weekend, a military community gallery reception for Veterans Day focused on the College’s present and historical military highlights, and informational programs for the wider college military community, in solidarity with a Saint Michael’s Student Veterans of America chapter that he advises. He is plugged into local Veterans Affairs leaders and Guard bases. He also has been on the road visiting military bases, college fairs, and leadership conferences, putting the Saint Michael’s name “out there” strategically to recruit those entitled to military education benefits who seem suited to the College.

Victoria Smith ’18 and her father, Col. Andrew H. Smith, USMC at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, VA.

Victoria Smith ’18 is happy to have landed at Saint Michael’s: “I moved 11 times growing up, and I’m 20 years old,” says this president of the Student Veterans of America chapter on campus, the daughter of a Marine Corps colonel. “I want to be able to be there for someone else coming in with a military experience, just as others were for me,” she says. “I’m very

protective—that’s another military trait.” She adds, “My definition of love has been enriched by being at Saint Michael’s.” The College deliberated carefully before choosing the name for O’Connell’s office, the Office of Military Community Services.” O’Connell agrees with his counterparts at other institutions who say that their shifting focus — serving not only veteran–students, but also their family members — meets the most pressing present needs while sustaining a full-time military-dedicated campus position. “When you help the family member of a veteran, you help a veteran,” says O’Connell. “That’s often how we can help most.” Daniel and O’Connell say that as Saint Michael’s looks to the future of the program, a significant motivator is remembering alumni who have left a legacy and continue to serve our nation and community, including: Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford ’77, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest military post in the land); the Vietnam-era Medal of Honor winner, Marine Col. Donald Cook ’56; and a beloved resident priest from the College’s founding order, the Society of Saint Edmund, Fr. Ray Doherty ’51, who is a Marine veteran.

week as well at the University of Vermont, training among 80 ROTC cadets in a challenging program with which Saint Michael’s affiliates, doing extensive physical fitness training and taking classes on tactics, leadership, and Army protocols. “I’ve always felt with the Army style of life, it’s a community, a brotherhood, a family,” he says. “And that’s one thing that I think is extremely parallel with St. Mike’s.” 19

Drake Revis ’18, from Texas, is using his post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to train as a high school history teacher at Saint Michael’s. He re-enlisted several times in a 10-year Army career and was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times, coming through with relatively few emotional scars, he says. A platoon leader from Vermont urged him to “check out” Saint Michael’s since it was on an Army “military-friendly schools” list, so he did, and now loves it. “The instructors are all helpful and understanding about me coming back into school,” says Revis. “I would recommend Saint Michael’s for guys who were in the Army like me—it’s a perfect opportunity and they’re not going to feel overwhelmed.”

Helping Veterans Feel at Home O’Connell wants his comfortably furnished and computerequipped office space to be well used by the tight-knit Saint Michael’s military cohort as they study or just hang out together for mutual support. Chris Boutin ’18 is a Marine and Army Guard combat veteran with multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, who spends a lot of time these days in O’Connell’s Klein office as his work-study student, doing the legwork for events like a Veterans Day presentation in the student center, or programs that encourage veterans at colleges to bond over fly-fishing or gardening. Boutin says that in his experience, effective leadership, whether on the battlefield, in a classroom, or among supporters of a college, is about “earning and showing respect.” Lance Jandreau ’18 is humbled and grateful that a highly competitive ROTC scholarship is paying for most of his Saint Michael’s College experience. The son of a veteran Maine National Guardsman who was a state trooper, Jandreau says he and two others from Saint Michael’s get up before sunrise three mornings a week and spend one full afternoon each

Lance Jandreau ’18, left O’Connell says part of his role as a leader with this group “is to make those connections for transitioning students with the people who are going to help them succeed here, and getting that trust — that’s really big, because you’re not going to follow somebody you don’t trust. “Trying to find your place in the community — that’s the beginning of leadership,” he says. Read more profiles of our veteran and military family: smcvt.edu/magazine

Head, Hands, and Heart by Susan Salter Reynolds

O.V.E (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) is a Saint Michael’s organization that engages more than 70 percent of the students on the Saint Michael’s campus in service activities. Lara Scott, M.O.V.E.’s director, is often struck by how students take on leadership roles. “The motivation seems to come straight from the heart,” she says. “The changes they make in the world are driven by passion, but also by what Father Mike Cronogue always called ‘head, heart, and hands.’ The head is the source of thought about social justice. The heart is where the passion lives. And the hands make action possible. Some students choose several of these, but most, Scott says, choose the heart as their driver. “Leadership at M.O.V.E. means shifting the language one uses to talk about injustice from us/them to we. Leadership is also all about encouraging and inspiring growth. Student leaders have a lot of responsibility — making connections with community partners, marketing the program, helping to raise money, facilitating reflection, gathering data, seeing new perspectives, and challenging themselves.

“‘Step up,’ we say. ‘And step in.’ ”

Step up. And step in. Lara Scott, Director of M.O.V.E.

Fr. Ray Doherty, SSE ’51

by Susan Salter Reynolds

ather Ray Doherty, SSE, served as a staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean conflict, and has been an Edmundite priest in the campus ministry and on the Board of Trustees at Saint Michael’s for half a century. He is, by all accounts, a much-loved and admired presence on the campus.

“What I look for in leadership is a good example,” he says, paraphrasing St. Francis: “It’s not so much what you say as what you do.” Father Ray can’t help but point out that in this election season these words took on special meaning.

“Great leaders think of the common good,” he says. “They aren’t in it just for themselves.” Here at Saint Michael’s, he says, “We are blessed with the opportunity to lead by example.” Father Ray believes that making people feel safe is an important part of good leadership. He admires the leadership of Pope Francis. “He is a man of action,” Father Ray says, recalling a time when Pope Francis embraced a man with a very disfigured face. “He didn’t hesitate. This is an example of actions being more important than words.” Humility is another raw ingredient of leadership, and Father Ray sees this quality on campus in many places, including the leadership of President Jack Neuhauser. “He is extremely humble — always stands in the back for group photographs!”

Was the leadership Father Ray saw in the Marines different from the leadership he has experienced in civilian life? “The training was strict,” he says, “but I might never have become a priest if I hadn’t had that opportunity to think about things. There’s a lot of love in military life. Many talk about love for their fellow Marines, about fighting maybe not for a cause or a country but in the moment for the guy next to you. You develop these bonds, this loyalty.”

“Leadership can also mean listening to the call. When I look back on my life I see so many surprising moments when I made decisions on my own or with God’s help. As a Christian and a believer, I do believe that there is some guidance out there if we are open to it. We must be open to inspiration in order to be good leaders.”

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

Great leaders think of the common good.

Teaching About Teaching

Learning About Learning

Illustration: Jingyao Guo

by Susan Salter Reynolds

LEADERSHIP AND LOVE 24

icture yourself in front of a classroom full of students, any age. You are responsible, not just for imparting information, but for cultivating curiosity for learning. You’ve been given the opportunity to lead students into new understandings of themselves and their world. Where do you begin? Mary Beth Doyle, professor of education, begins with accepting the responsibilities associated with servant leadership. A servant leader is one who, according to Robert K. Greenleaf, founder of the Servant Leadership movement and the Center

her early experiences teaching students with severe disabilities, where she had the opportunity to focus on the growth and well-being of each student. “At the time, I measured ‘student growth’ as whether or not I could teach Nathaniel to swallow, or the first time Mitchell used a new sign to ask for something. In my work now, the principles are the same, namely, ‘What is it that I need to do that will facilitate students’ taking a step closer to their goals?’” As a servant leader, she has always had a sense that she wanted to serve in a manner that

“My role as a teacher is to encourage and inspire my students to do and be more than they imagined.” for Servant Leadership in Atlanta, “focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong… The servant leader shares power/responsibility… and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.” Professor Doyle believes that her commitment to servant leadership is rooted in

elevated her students’ contributions and growth. During the early years in her teaching career, Doyle served out of love, with little notion of the connections between service, love, and leadership. Over the past 35 years, she has specialized in creating inclusive school communities in which students with special needs are active and

welcome members of general education classrooms. She has supported students with disabilities in the public schools (K-12) and in higher education at the former Trinity College of Vermont. Her current role as a member of the Education Department, she reflects, is very similar to her early teaching experiences, “encouraging and inspiring my students to do and be more than they imagined.” In order to guide/lead students in this self-discovery, Professor Doyle believes in creating a classroom environment that is safe and free of undue stressors. “I begin by telling my students, ‘You are good enough just as you are and together we’re all going to take responsibility to grow and learn new things this term.’ ” She firmly believes that removing stress is part of her leadership role, and an important part of becoming a good teacher. Students will become better teachers if they first do the work necessary to become their best possible selves. “Then you can really have an impact,” says Doyle. Encouraging responsible risk taking and allowing students to explore the boundaries means that failure is a big part of the process. Doyle encourages students to build on prior knowledge and “extend to the end of their comfort zones.” The closer students get to being

Professor Mary Beth Doyle and Daniel Mallory ’19. responsible for classrooms of children and youth, the greater the risks associated with failure. This is where the skills come in: leading a classroom requires thoughtful preparation. “Good leaders get out of their own way. I put out the challenge to my students. I say ‘I believe you can do this’. And then I make it safe for them to lean into failure, to learn from their failures.” When Jonathan Silverman, Department Chair and Professor of Education, thinks of leadership, the words that come to mind are perception, humility, vision, collaboration, resilience, contemplation, curiosity, and inclusiveness. A few years ago the Education Department at Saint Michael’s took some time to reflect on the mission of its programs.

“What kind of teachers did we want our students to become? We decided we wanted them to be creative, integrative, reflective, contemplative, and collaborative. We wanted them to be change agents for sustainability and social justice. We wanted them to be leaders in the field of education, recognized for their ability to look at education from many perspectives,” Silverman says. After all, “there are so many shifts in our world, you can’t hold on to a pedagogy that existed a long time ago.” A good leader is able to distinguish between goals and activities. Being clear about the ultimate purpose or goal allows the teacher the flexibility to get there in a

variety of ways. For example, in a recent assignment, Doyle had students in her First Year Seminar class use a laser cutter to make a box. It was, in many ways, an exercise in creative persistence. Students were not being assessed on their box-making skills, but rather on their ability to process and write about the experience. The goal was a writing goal, the activity was box-making. “Throughout our education program,” Doyle explains, “students gain considerable experience in the public schools. They move fluidly between theory and practice. None of us has all the skills. This is where the humility comes into leadership. We learn to seek out

help and find what we need to know.” This, too, involves self-direction and leadership. Doyle often encourages her students to “go ahead and try that.” They get used to failing (not literally, but in various bold experiments). Are teachers leaders and change agents? “I don’t want my undergraduate students to be burdened with the responsibility of changing the world!” she laughs. “I just want them to be the best version of themselves that they can be. Learning to be their best selves will inspire others. This is how change happens. This is how the world becomes a better place.”

LEADERSHIP AND LOVE 26

“We provide them with tools Lead with Love Leadership is a process, not a goal. Doyle remembers one middle school student, 12 years old, no longer verbal, unable to walk without support. She remembers what an important part of the class he was. When he began making sounds in the class, the teachers announced that it was time for him to leave and pursue his education at home. Doyle decided to ask his classmates how they felt about not having him learn alongside them. The response was universal — keep him in the class. The lesson? He was good enough, just being himself, just the way he was. “This student,” she says, “without

they can use to change the world.” knowing it, led an entire class to be their best selves. “I learned this lesson when I was 21,” Doyle says. “There are so many things you can’t anticipate in a classroom. When you don’t know what to do, ask yourself, ‘what’s the most loving thing to do?’ We have some rigorous standards (including licensure standards), guidelines, and assessment procedures. We have high expectations. “We have some amazing, creative, quiet leaders among

our students.” Doyle mentions Kelsey Buchanan, an Art and Education major. “Kelsey is always saying, ‘wouldn’t it be interesting if …?” Buchanan was inspired to join a movement of college students across the country engaged in printing hands for children using the resources at their colleges. She wrote a grant to make a prosthetic hand using the 3-D printer in the Makers’ Space at Saint Michael’s. “It was a little daunting, as you can imagine,” Buchanan told a recent VPR interviewer. “However, I just jumped in and poured my heart and soul into it and I was able to figure out how everything worked.” These kinds of leaders, says Doyle, lead from within. Teaching is work that takes humility and skill. It allows for flexible thinking , problem solving, and collaboration. Doyle described her many collaborations with the Instructional Technology (IT) staff at Saint Michael’s as being integral to her teaching. “Unlike in many schools,” she says proudly, “our IT staff is an integral part of our program. They watch how we teach and they suggest ways of using technology to enhance our teaching. They don’t try to say, ‘change everything,’ instead they say, ‘try this.’ ” The

Professor Jonathan Silverman

collaboration with members of the IT Department models for students some of the skills that they will need in the professional world. “It’s important that students not only hear about collaborating with colleagues with different skill sets and expertise, but witness that collaboration and have conversations about it.”

Getting the Experience They Need to Lead The education programs, undergraduate and graduate, are some of the most popular at Saint Michael’s. At the undergraduate level, students can choose to major in Art Education (grades PK-6, 7-12, PK-12), Elementary Education (grades K-6), Middle Level Education (grades 5-9), or Secondary Education (grades 7-12). At the graduate level, students can obtain a license to teach elementary, middle, or high school, as well as special education, or pursue a master of education (M.Ed.) degree. Saint Michael’s students are involved in many leadership positions; as student teachers, in the M.O.V.E. Program, as students instructors in the Adventure Sports Center

program, in their internships, and as mentors for new students. By the fall or spring of their senior year, students in the education program have worked in diverse educational environments. As Professor Silverman suggests, they are asking themselves questions such as, ‘what kind of teacher do I want to be?’ and ‘what kind of community leader do I want to be?’ “An education leader typically is someone who gathers information, and, based on that information and some intuition, takes a stance and makes a decision. It may not be what everyone wants to hear. But his or her credibility comes from taking into consideration multiple perspectives. All wise leaders need to continuously reflect on their stance and decisions.” One of the biggest challenges, Professor Silverman says, is helping students enter environments and institutions that are not always receptive to their ideas. “How can our students hold on to their ideals in these situations? Hopefully, we fortify them with a willingness to compromise yet not let go of their

ideals; change doesn’t always happen as quickly as you might like. We teach them to be resilient. There are ways to network, collaborate with others, plant seeds, and make change happen, sometimes one student at a time.” The first challenge for a student teacher is often how to manage a class.

Does leadership in a classroom setting necessarily involve control? And if so, how do empathy and control work together? It’s important, Professor Silverman reminds his students, “to believe in their own integrity, to be firm and kind and be patient!”

Of course, there are tools that new teachers can use to slide into their leadership roles: where they place themselves in the class; what consistent language they use to calm a class, for example. “We talk in education about students assuming responsibility in their own learning,” Professor Silverman explains, “in which teachers model an activity

or behavior and students do it. There is a lot of ‘scaffolding’ of expectations for student engagement. A good classroom leader learns to scaffold engagement, one step at a time.”

So how do we help our students become leaders? Professor Silverman recalls a class he taught called Heroes, Art, and Social Justice, which he began by asking who students considered their heroes. “We should aspire to the characteristics we admire,” he says. But how does this jibe with Professor Doyle’s desire to let students (in her classes and in their own classes) know that they are good enough just the way they are? “I think it’s important to find ways to strive for a greater goodness, beyond oneself,” Professor Silverman says. “In other words, we ask our students to do both. We want them to be teachers and leaders. We want them to be thoughtful curriculum designers. We flood them with sustainability and social justice as core values. We provide them with tools they can use to change the world.” As Doyle explains, “The knowledge and belief that one is ‘good enough’ to their core is the starting place for learning which additional skills and dispositions one needs in order to become a teacher leader. We [members of the Education Department] teach the pedagogical content from that foundation of self.”

Who Pa Coming Into Their Own: Women Leading Change at St. Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Illustration: Douglas G. Harp

by Madeline F. Hughes â&#x20AC;&#x2122;17

ved the Way? When English Professor Joan Wry ’79 showed up on campus as Joan Reiss in the fall of 1975, just five years after women had been allowed on campus as students for the first time, she had no idea what Saint Michael’s had in store for her. Reiss grew up with Saint Michael’s (her father was a professor), so she was familiar with the campus. She applied, was accepted, and had received a small, private scholarship at her high school graduation that was based on her academics and on her crosscountry running record. “I didn’t want to make any emphatic statement; I just wanted to run,”Wry recalls. But when she got to Saint Michael’s there was no women’s cross-country team.

“The Women and Society Symposium

“Academically I didn’t perceive any gender division that needed to be overcome. I felt very supported and valued,” Wry says. “With sports that was a little different, the irony being that Title IX had come along in the early ’70s. The sports teams here were very male oriented, understandably so.” No luck creating a women’s team, but Wry worked with the athletic director and

was a groundbreaking initiative for all the young women here.” had women’s teams for her to compete against. “By my senior year there were other women that wanted to run, and we had the foundation of the first varsity team,” Wry says. “This was a college that gave me a lot of opportunities in a lot of ways.”

“We were all good friends. It was an idyllic time.” The ratio of male to female students in these years was about 3:1, she recalls, “but when you were here it didn’t feel that way.”

Change Was in the Air “It was a way to introduce In Wry’s senior spring, Saint Michael’s hosted the “Women and Society” three-day symposium, which examined the liberal arts curriculum in the context of the changing roles of women in society through topics such as religion, education, philosophy, English and more.

The Women and Society Symposium, 1979. male cross-country runners to become part of the team. She competed with the College on the men’s team for many races and competed as an individual when colleges

Chair of the Saint Michael’s Board of Trustees Mary Kate McKenna ’80 did not feel disenfranchised by a gender divide in her years at Saint Michael’s. Instead, she thrived.

behind the symposium. They reached out to academic speakers across the country and to students on campus to help with the organizing and participating during the symposium.

“It was a groundbreaking initiative for all the young women here. I don’t think any of us realized its impact till it was under way,” Wry says. “It was much larger than we ever anticipated. The symposium had tremendous publicity, and there were amazing speakers. We had no sense of the magnitude of this enormous contribution for young women going to college here in the ’70s. It was an eye-opener.” Carey Kaplan, a recently retired English professor, and Buff Lindau, the recently retired director of marketing and communications, were two of the major catalysts

women’s studies as a serious academic pursuit,” Lindau explains. “It was a real way to show young women that St. Mike’s was embracing them as students, as well as scholars.”

Scholars from around the country congregated at Saint Michael’s for the conference. The New York Times reported that “the 36 panel discussions attracted almost 200 participants from around the country, and an audience that ranged between 1,500 and 2,000 young men and women.” Dr. Rosalyn Yalow, the 1977 Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine, gave the keynote address. “The president at the time, Edward Henry, endorsed it,” Lindau says. “He gave funding for it. That was the key to legitimacy, that it had his approval.” Jacqueline Murphy ’74, was among the first class of women graduating as four-year students. She transferred to Saint Michael’s her junior year and later

Coordinators of the 1979 Women and Society Symposium, Carey Kaplan and Buff Lindau. worked for the College in varying roles. “I was here during the women’s conference,” Murphy says. “Carey Kaplan and Buff Lindau really organized the conference and it was a big deal.” She remembers the camaraderie among the women on staff and the faculty working at the College at the time. There were still far fewer women working at Saint Michael’s. “There was a faculty/staff dining room, and it was more of a male faculty place. So, every once in a while a group of us women would go in there to eat, just to prove that we could eat there too,” Murphy says. “There were so few women faculty and staff that we tried to get together once in a while.” Murphy worked her way up to Admissions Director. Along the way she gained insight into the gender dynamics at Saint Michael’s. After the first few years, she reports, of coeducation in the ’70s the

gender balance started to even out. It hovered around 50/50 for many years, even as dynamics were shifting nationally. Only recently has the number of female students exceeded that of male students. “When the College first went coed, I didn’t work here, but I know about the history; it was a move that a lot of single-sex private schools were making at the time,” Murphy says. “You had to look at the fact that 50 percent of the population were possible customers; they were people who hadn’t been given the opportunity, so that’s where the enrollment growth was.”

New Generations of Leaders Now, 46 years after young women first came to this campus as students, the

traditional roles inside and outside the classroom have forged several generations of leaders for the campus and beyond.

McKenna says, “the world is changing at a rapid pace. The liberal arts are incredibly important going forward. These are the curricula in which we learn how to deal with information.” This is where, McKenna believes, “Students are prepped for jobs in the economy they will be inheriting.”

Students like McKenna have fond memories of their close relationships with professors who guided them through changing times. “The liberal arts education,” “There are so many opporshe says, “gives you the ability to deal with ambiguity.” tunities for leadership development and potential at After college McKenna this college,” says Professor became a trader and salesperWry. “The young women, in son on Wall Street. Landing many cases, are the shining the job required quite a bit of homework. No problem. stars in the classroom, and it’s a pleasure to see. There is a “As an English major, I kind of confidence here and a was able,” she recalls, “to real sense of openness to assimilate a large quantity opportunities that present of information.” themselves. The cultural climate has evolved, allowing Today, McKenna serves these young women to come on the Saint Michael’s Board into their own.” of Trustees with two other classmates. “Our job is taking care of the College. We do it because of our love for the College.” As it was in the 1970s and ’80s,

“You cannot do anything truly worthwhile unless it is supported by love, principally your own and hopefully that of others too.” — Donna Bozzone, Professor of Biology

Saint Michael’s students Ashlee Hauble ’18 (left) and Lindsey Rogers ’18 (right) on the south rim of the Grand Canyon with the Adventure Sports Center’s Backpacking Expedition, March of 2015. Photo: Miriam Pritschet ’17

“Leadership is about recognizing the gifts and privileges you’ve been handed and using them in the service of others. It’s not about personal gain or fame or wealth, but what kind of impact you can have on improving the lives around you.” — Sarah Kenney ’94, Deputy Director, Let’s Grow Kids, Burlington

“The idea of leadership has changed dramatically over my lifetime. I grew up reading books and watching movies in which the leader is the person giving the dramatic, overthe-top speech before the big event or the smooth talker surrounded by a large group of people. It took me a long time to realize that I am not that person. Being introverted, I have learned to value my well-thought-out perspective and have realized that others value this too. I can influence others by making insights into situations that others may miss and by avoiding following the crowd.” — Tim Sharek ’11, Audit Manager, Crowe Horwath LLP

“I’ve learned that leadership isn’t expertise, it isn’t task management, it isn’t achievement, and it isn’t heroic effort to overcome obstacles. Yes, all of that is part of leadership, but leadership is more the ability to stand on your own and stand for something. Leadership is about lifelong learning. Leadership is about growth, maturity, and curiosity.” — Jeff Govoni ’87, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching

We asked a few of our alumni the following questions, in an effort to unpack the L word: “The greatest quality I learned from the professors and the type of education St. Mike’s provides has been empathy, which, in today’s world, I think may be the one quality most needed if we are to truly listen to others and find ways to solve the world’s problems.” — John Hannan ’80, Executive Director, Bridges to Community

“I believe the gifts of leadership are present in all of us. The successful leader has the innate sense as to when to invoke the tools, when to step to the front, and when to push from behind, always with humility and compassion.” — Michael Laine ’75, Director of Consumer Products, Boston Engineering Corporation

What does the word leadership mean to you? What are the specific character traits you associate with leadership? In your time at Saint Michael’s, what are some of the ways that you took on leadership roles? Who are some of the leaders — faculty, students, administrators, peers — you recall from your time at Saint Michael’s? Did the Edmundite ministers fill leadership roles in your life at Saint Michael’s? Is there a particular leadership quality you may have learned at Saint Michael’s that has served you well throughout your life? Has the idea of leadership changed for you over the course of your lifetime? Can you recount a particular example that illustrates the kind of leadership you admire, past or present?

Their answers surprised and delighted us.

“Leadership is inspiring and empowering others, driving actions by making others want to follow, being authentic and impactful. Being a leader takes confidence and a certain level of “swagger.” Great leaders do not let this confidence turn into arrogance or greed. They have empathy and compassion for others, place focus on the greater good, and lead by example. My years at Saint Michael’s, specifically the personalized attention in my classes and the personal relationships I developed with my peers and professors, helped me to develop the confidence I needed to become a leader. Because I grew up in a very small town in Vermont, my liberal arts education broaden-ed my perspective and greatly influenced the way I see the world.”

— Monica Meunier ’03, Assurance Senior Manager, RSM US

“I view the ability to connect with others as a strong leadership quality. We gravitate to those types of people who make us feel valuable, and in turn, tend to try to work harder and go out of way for those people as well. Leaders get things done, and the good ones do it through charisma and collaboration, as opposed to force.” — John Vallely ’14, Global Relationship Management, State Street To see answers from a few more alumni, visit smcvt.edu/magazine

When the Going Gets Tough: Leadership Opportunities in Higher Education

t’s no secret that the challenges facing colleges and universities in recent years have created a perfect storm that affects students, parents, faculty, staff, and everyone else in higher education. Challenges include:

• • •

The shrinking number of high school graduates in the College’s primary market Price competition with other institutions for desired students (the resulting discounted tuition impacts the net revenue of the College) Unsustainable and undesirable student and family debt

KNOW SOMEONE IN COLLEGE? Tell him or her about Accelerated Summer College at Saint Michael’s. Students can complete up to an entire semester in a summer!

These challenges are not only immediate, but also likely to continue for some time. In other words, long-term strategic solutions are required.

Institutions that recognize the challenges and take • Flexible: on-campus and/or online action will be well • Affordable: significant tuition savings positioned to • Fun: enjoy the summer beauty weather the storm. of campus and vibe of Burlington Saint Michael’s • Smart: get ahead, graduate on-time, College prepared and save money early by convening a Strategic Assessment Learn more — sign up for an online Taskforce (SAT) in information session at smcvt.edu/asc 2012. The taskforce was chartered to Or contact us at study emerging 802.654.2878 or asc@smcvt.edu paradigm shifts and their potential impact on residential liberal arts colleges. The SAT presented its findings to the Board of Trustees in June 2013. Its work has been highly influential in the strategic planning of the College. For instance, the Accelerated Summer College (ASC) and the strategic rightsizing of the College were implemented based on the conclusions of the SAT study. This past summer, the SAT was asked to reconvene in order to review and update its findings and report them to President Neuhauser.

Many of the original cautions have proven to be prophetic: demographic declines in the Northeast combined with increasing price competition (tuition discounting) have led to declining net student revenue for a period of three years; families have increased their reliance on student debt to finance the cost of a college education; economic recovery at the national level has been slow, while the dollar has remained very strong — depressing the international student market; and various forms of e-learning have accelerated but the initial enthusiasm for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has slowed. A SILVER LINING IN THE STORM CLOUDS

The SAT also found many reasons to be optimistic about the future of Saint Michael’s College: The decline in high school graduates in the Northeast is projected to slow soon, and an improving economy with rising home values can provide borrowers a greater sense of security. Proactive steps taken by the College, such as the creation and continued success of the ASC, are giving students a way to reduce the cost of their tuition and ensure they graduate on time. (This was one of the first programs of its kind to offer a blended learning model of professor-led discussions and online learning platforms in a six-week summer residential program.) Conceivably, the ASC could soon provide motivated students a path toward a three-year degree, helping to mitigate cost concerns and making a Saint Michael’s College education a possibility for more students. The College also continues to take strategic steps to become slightly smaller by carefully reducing expenses and the size of its workforce to match a smaller student body. Sarah Kelly, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, put it this way: “Leadership has to contribute to a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities. The work of the SAT in 2013 did just that. And now, the SAT’s updated review takes that idea of good leadership another step by demonstrating that you can’t just be one and done — you have to evaluate, reevaluate, and communicate.” Despite the pressures, the College in recent years has been able to increase the quality of incoming students, maintain control of its discount rate, and be ranked once again among the U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 National Liberal Arts institutions. That’s leadership.

Len Whitehouse

by Susan Salter Reynolds

en Whitehouse has pictures of the leaders he admires on the walls of his office. “I like to surround myself with good people,” the former Major League pitcher and Purple Knights coach likes to say. Today, Whitehouse serves as the assistant coach for the Saint Michael’s Baseball team; he also works in Operations. Whitehouse was signed by the Texas Rangers in 1976 and traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1982. He retired from professional baseball in the late 1980s; coached the Purple Knights from 1990 to 1996 and from 2001 (off and on) to the present (2016). He also works in the physical plant, keeping the upholstery and drapes on campus in good shape.

“You have to take pride in what you do,” says Whitehouse, “or you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Coach Whitehouse thinks a lot about leadership. “First, you have to make people feel like they are worth something,” he says. “Like they are an important part of whatever team they’re on.” He remembers Major League coach Dick Such pulling him aside. “I was stuck,” he recalls. “Just out of high school. I’d thrown more snowballs than baseballs. Such said, ‘you can’t make the jump to AAA. You’ve gone flat.’ He told me what I needed to hear. Then he asked, ‘OK, what do you think of me?’ I told him he was a half-assed pitching coach,” Whitehouse laughs. “That’s another important leadership quality: honesty!” Three weeks later, Whitehouse was in AAA. “I’ve had to be honest many times as a coach. Honesty forges great friendships,” he says. Vulnerability is also an important part of leadership. You have to understand where people are coming from, he explains. “Baseball used to be all about stats. You do or you don’t. But it has changed. Empathy is more important than it used to be in forging a real team.”

“You have to make people feel like they are worth something.”

LEADERSHIP AND HONESTY

Everyday Leadership

SER VANT LEADER 38

Opening Doors for Others by Mark Tarnacki

“S

aint Michael’s has all of the things that are important to me,” says Richard Daniel, Saint Michael’s new vice president for Institutional Advancement. “It’s about trying to make a difference in people’s lives — it’s about civil rights issues, social justice issues, the education of young people to be successful, and the ability to do it in a Catholic environment.”

Starting in admissions, Daniel worked in academic affairs and advancement for several years at ASU, familiarizing himself with every stage of the college experience. Subsequently, he widened his resume with postings at the University of Nevada, Reno, in alumni relations; as an independent consultant for a national student lender; and in enrollment management at a community college in Phoenix.

Daniel recognized that his own personal commitment to Catholic education, hard work, and community service — developed through 28 years of increasing responsibilities in admissions, student affairs, fundraising, and alumni relations — aligned authentically with the mission and history of Saint Michael’s. Once he visited campus and met the people, he was sold.

Most recently, Daniel was the associate vice president for university advancement and special projects/executive director for alumni relations at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he helped develop a comprehensive campaign to raise $226 million, well beyond a $200 million goal.

Daniel grew up in the small Arizona copper mining town of Superior among hardworking people, including his father, who worked in a mine for 36 years. As a result, he says, he’s a person who “likes to work hard and get things done.” At Arizona State University (ASU), Daniel earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, launching his career in higher education along the way.

“My intent in this job is to connect meaningfully with those closest to us” — alumni, donors, students, parents — helping all Saint Michael’s constituents “figure out how they can best help us,” he says, whether by mentoring recent graduates, supporting scholarships, or convincing corporations to invest in the institution. “We have to tell the story of why the investment in

Richard Daniel, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Saint Michael’s moving forward is critical. After my first few months in the position I have found the Saint Michael’s community to be passionately committed to ensuring that the College continues to prosper.” “The beauty of this work has been that I’ve been able to meet new students by recruiting them … then, through my Student Affairs work, watch them succeed in academics and ultimately graduate … and then in advancement work, recruit them back as volunteers, donors, or contributors as they figure out how to make a difference — which to me is the biggest opportunity we have.”

Daniel adds, “As a firstgeneration Latino student who now has a Ph.D., I understand firsthand the importance of an education and the opportunity that it can provide. I also understand the value of giving back, and have done that ever since I graduated. That’s why I’ve always been a servant leader.”

THE ROUND-UP

Photo: James Buck

Kopacz ’19, and Riley Mitiguy ’19 set 6K PRs during the regional championship.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY The Purple Knights capped the fall by placing 14th at the NCAA East Regional Championship, earning top-15 showings in back-toback seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011. Ross Henry ’17 and Kevin Jeter ’20 were their team’s top two finishers at all six meets, with Jeter a squad-best 53rd at regionals. Henry led the Purple Knights with a 55th-place showing at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. Torin La Liberte ’17 competed at the regional championship for the fourth time.

FIELD HOCKEY The Purple Knights’ (6-12, 3-9 NE-10) school-record seven overtime contests were among their 10 one-goal games in 2016, as they twice downed American International College by a lone goal, including on Carolyn Avery ’17’s overtime strike on October 26. Jenna Deschaine ’18 earned the assist after scoring an overtime tally of her own at Franklin Pierce University on September 27. Deschaine, Abby Dusha ’17, and Maddy Dobecki ’19 each earned NE-10 All-Conference honors, and Abigail Bowie ’17 set a school record for consecutive minutes played by a goalkeeper (2,604:27).

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

After opening the season by winning Saint Anselm College’s Shacklette Invitational, the Purple and Gold capped the fall by taking 17th at the NCAA East Regional Championship, improving six positions over its 2015 finish. Abby French ’20 finished in the top seven three times while pacing Saint Michael’s at all six races, taking 36th at regionals, and Molly Roush ’17 capped her career in 90th. Alison Bourgeois ’17, Emily

MEN’S GOLF A strong start to the fall included the team’s lowest tournament score in 11 years and the best single-round figure in six seasons at the mid-September Franklin Pierce Fall Invitational. After no Purple Knight first-year had shot 71 or better in 11 seasons, Matt Johnson ’20 did so twice, with his season-low 70 three shots off a 27-year-old school record. It was the best score ever by a member of his program at

the NE-10 Championship, where he ultimately tied for 18th. Captain Tucker Buteau ’19 was the Purple Knights’ low scorer at the season-ending New England Intercollegiate Golf Championship (NEIGA). MEN’S SOCCER A young team (5-10-1, 3-9-1 NE-10) narrowly missed the postseason, as each loss came by two goals or less, including four by a single tally. Aaron DaCosta ’17 was the top offensive catalyst, landing his second career NE-10 All-Conference honor behind eight goals and 19 points. For his career, DaCosta is fourth in program history in both goals (21) and points (52). Newcomers combined to make 118 appearances, including 60 starts, and Andres Rivas ’20 earned an NE-10 All-Rookie Team selection. WOMEN’S SOCCER Each of the Purple Knights’ (4-13, 3-11 NE-10) wins came by one goal, with two victories over regionally ranked opponents. On October 4, Michaela Horne ’17 scored in overtime against one such team, American International College, during a 1-0 upset of a squad that later advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round. Alyssa Keeler

’17 and Sara Rooke ’19 scored in the final 46 seconds during a 2-1 stunner versus regionally ranked Merrimack on September 10.

WOMEN’S TENNIS Under first-year head coach Mark Ellingson, the Purple and Gold (6-8, 5-7 NE-10) posted their highest win totals in two years while challenging all season for a position in the NE-10 Championship. Nicole Kellogg ’17 and Abby Ramsay ’20 led the squad with 11 victories apiece, as Kellogg finished her career 57-50 between singles and doubles. Riley Kruger ’17 and Amelia Weeks ’18 both notched 10 wins.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Natalie Moore ’17 became the third Purple Knight (3-16, 1-13) to be named NE-10 All-Conference twice in a career, and she finished up as the program’s all-time leader with 1,873 digs. Moore was the NE-10 leader in digs per set for the second time in her career. Newcomer Gabby Ratte ’19 led the team with 149 kills, and Megan Priester ’18 became the 15th Purple Knight with 500 for a career by totaling 127. McKenzie McNamara ’18 led the way with 36 blocks.

FALL ATHLETICS AT SAINT MICHAEL’S

by Josh Kessler ’04, Director of Athletic Communications

“WE PUSH EACH OTHER IN OUR SKIING; WE REALLY TRY TO GET THE OTHER TO PERFORM AT THEIR BEST.”

Photo: SMC Athletic Communications

THE ALPINE SKI TEAM: ALL IN THE FAMILY by Lauren Friedgen ’16

eggane and Guillaume Grand have been skiing since they were able to walk. Their father was on France’s national ski team and their mother was on Spain’s national ski team, so it was only natural for the siblings to start skiing at an early age, but they’ve continued because of their love for it. Both Grands competed in France before joining the Saint Michael’s College Alpine Skiing team; Meggane ’18 came to the U.S. last year, and Guillaume ’19 joined her this year after competing in the European Cup.

Last year, the siblings, along with Torjus Grimsrud ’19, qualified for the NCAA National Championship in Steamboat Springs, CO, which they attended March 9-12. The three students are among just 13 Saint Michael’s College students to ever compete at an NCAA Championship. They received a 15th-place finish overall. “It was a lot of fun,” says Meggane. “It was great to be out West and see something different, and it was a great experience because the best college skiers in the U.S. were competing.”

Guillaume agrees that the NCAA competition was fun, but added: “We also were staying focused on the goal, which was to do pretty well in the races.” Guillaume placed ninth for giant slalom on March 9, giving him the top finish ever by a Saint Michael’s skier at the NCAAs and making him the first to earn an All-America honor. Meggane says the snow is different in Vermont from what she was used to. In Europe it’s warmer and the snow is a little softer than Vermont’s icy snow. “Last year I kind of struggled,” she says, “because it’s so different. It’s pretty hard physically to be on the ice all the time, but it’s great for training and for racing. For us, it’s like the perfect setting, so it was great.” She says the skiing culture is different as well. “Back home there’s a lot of pressure. People are really pushing you to give your best. Here they kind of tell you if you do great, that’s awesome, if you don’t, it’s fine. This pushes you in a different way — you aren’t thinking that if you fail everybody’s going to look down on you.”

Meggane and Guillaume say studying in a different language can be difficult at times. Guillaume didn’t speak English before coming to the U.S., so having his sister around was helpful with this transition. “It’s fun,” Meggane comments on attending the same school as her brother. “We get along really well — we always have. There’s obviously fighting sometimes because we’re siblings and that happens, but we push each other in our skiing; we really try to get the other to perform at their best.” “She sets an example for studying,” Guillaume chimes in, “and I try to set an example for skiing because I’m not as good as her at studying.” “And he’s better than me at skiing,” Meggane adds. After graduation, Guillaume hopes to compete in the North American Cup, and if all is going well, ski in the European Cup again. Meggane doesn’t see herself competing after Saint Michael’s, but will always continue to ski for fun. For now, Guillaume and Meggane look forward to seeing what this coming season holds for them and the rest of the Alpine Ski team.

BOOKS

Chasing Summits by Garry Harrington ‘82 (Appalachian Mountain Club Books).

Garry Harrington hardly recognizes himself in photos anymore. Staring down his 40th birthday, he no longer looks like the collegiate athlete who once loved hiking and running. His dream job as a sports writer no longer holds the same thrill. As his marriage crumbles, he comes to the uncomfortable realization that something has to change before he loses himself entirely. … On the trails of New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock, he begins to feel it. Every heart-pounding slog up gets easier; every break on the summit feels freer, until he racks up 1,000 ascents and summits all 66 of the accepted 14,000-footers in the Lower 48.

Boom-shacka-lacka by William Marquess, Saint Michael’s Instructor of English (Fomite Press). Boom-shacka-lacka is a collection of stories that includes a fictional interview with an aging snow sculptor, poetic meditations on Harold and the Purple Crayon, and the drama of the night the Harlem Globetrotters actually lost a game. “Writing fiction makes me pay attention to everything — the eye color of the person I’m listening to, the quality of the light, the timbre of a voice. Paying attention to students is crucial in teaching, and teaching keeps me in touch with youth, which is part of the world I want to write about.”

An Extraordinary Ordinary Woman: The Journal of Phebe Orvis, 1820-1830 by Susan Ouellette, Saint Michael’s Professor of History (SUNY Press, forthcoming in June 2017). In 1820, Phebe Orvis began a journal that she faithfully kept for a decade. Richly detailed, her diary captures not only the everyday life of an ordinary woman in early 19th-century Vermont and New York, but also the unusual happenings of her family, neighborhood, and beyond. The journal entries trace Orvis’s transition from single life to marriage and motherhood, including her time at the Middlebury Female Seminary and her observations about the changing social and economic environment of the period. Ouellette’s combination of analytical essays and primary source material offers readers a unique perspective of domestic life in northern New England as well as upstate New York in the early 19th century.

A L U M N I A N D F A C U L T Y

Irish immigrant Florence Burke has lived in Massachusetts for more than a decade, but he’s still a tenant farmer and his family lives in near-poverty. He came to America for a better life, but finds his adoptive country less than hospitable. He recalls the gamble he took when he fled the Potato Famine in Ireland, and wonders if he could make a gamble on his life one more time. “Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke” is based on 19 original letters from the author’s great-great-grandfather to his wife and children. It is a story of one Irish immigrant in a million struggling to make it in America at a time when the nation was divided.

More Than a Memory by Peter Cross, Senior Systems Analyst on Saint Michael’s Information Technology staff (available on Amazon).

A romance that incorporates Vermont, Burlington, and a college setting! How does one summer change your life? For Devin West, it gave him Sera Sunfield, a college professor 10 years his senior, wife of Vermont governor Michael Sunfield. Devin’s days working at the local library are overcome with a heady blend of romance and danger that promises to stay with him for the rest of his life, even if she cannot. Thirty years later, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Devin clings to what is more than a memory: his unwavering and impassioned love for one woman, no matter how much the world got in the way.

The Rattled Bones by Shannon Parker ’93 (Simon & Schuster, forthcoming in August 2017) The Rattled Bones is a young adult (YA) ghost story already being compared to Stephen King’s Bag of Bones. In her narrative, Parker keenly explores gender dynamics in the male-dominated fisheries, grief, forced institutionalization, firstgeneration college access, eugenics, and the idea that buried secrets will never stay buried.

BOOKS

OOK

Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke: An Irish Immigrant Story by Ellen B. Alden ’89 (available on Amazon).

GREAT

A SAINT MICHAEL’S EDUCATION LASTS A LIFETIME (BUT DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT….)

We get it. Education is an investment in the future. So we asked the professionals at Gallup to measure the return on a Saint Michael’s education. Not only in dollars. In happiness, fulfillment, and well-being. They asked our alumni questions about their lives and came back to us with the results.

LIVES

The Gallup report found that Saint Michael’s graduates are “living great lives.” In fact, they are more likely to “thrive” than their peers.

“Saint Michael’s College alumni are far more likely to be thriving in four of five elements of well-being compared with all comparison groups and college graduates nationally …” — The Gallup Report on Saint Michael’s Alumni Outcomes

JOBS

82 percent of our alumni who obtained their degree between 2000 and 2015 are employed full-time (that’s 10 percent-plus more than the national average for baccalaureate colleges).

EXPERIENCES

We believe a superior liberal arts education must be grounded in real work and real-world experience. Our students are required to gain authentic work experience; to pursue internship opportunities with our network of leading companies, or conduct real research with their professors and publish their findings, or go on academic trips to far-flung corners of the world to seek further understanding. To find out how we do it, go to smcvt.edu/gallup.

Message from the Alumni Association President

his past summer, the Alumni Board of Directors had an assignment — to join the incoming first-year students in reading First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, a powerful memoir by our own Loung Ung, Class of 1993. The first-year students had a videoconference discussion with Loung on the first night of the fall semester. In mid-September, the Alumni Board was joined by the director of the FirstYear Seminar, Professor Peter Vantine, who led us in a discussion of this remarkable and haunting text. Loung and I were in political science classes together. I knew she was smart and driven, but I had no inkling of her harrowing childhood in Cambodia, her brave journey to Vermont, or the miraculous courage she possesses. It made me stop and think: What do we really know of our classmates when we’re in college? Do we follow their achievements once we’ve graduated?

There are over 20,000 Saint Michael’s alumni around the world. I would love to recognize more alumni and share their accomplishments; please feel free to contact me with your story or that of a friend. Thank you, Loung, for your bravery and for sharing your memoir with all of us. We’re extremely proud to count you as one of our own.

First They Killed My Father is presented as the Saint Michael’s College Book Award to high school juniors in recognition of their “academic achievement with a social conscience.” If you’d like to volunteer to present the book award at a high school near you, feel free to e-mail khackett@smcvt.edu. The Alumni Board recently hosted the Eighth Annual Career Symposium, which brought over 50 alumni to campus to share their professional experiences and network with more than 125 students as they begin to choose their career paths. Many thanks to all who attended! We are calling on all of our graduates to help provide internships and job shadow opportunities to students.

There are numerous opportunities to engage with students and the life of the College. All of our alumni who volunteer become members of the Purple and Gold Society — we’d love for you to get involved. As always, we thank our donors for their continued financial generosity. It’s the percentage of alumni giving that matters most, so if you haven’t given this year, please consider a donation before year-end, during our giving challenge in the spring — or any time.

Lastly, I cannot close without mentioning the passing of Father Mike Cronogue. His gentle voice, kind words, twinkling eyes, generous hugs, and mischievous laughter will be dearly missed. Everyone admired and loved him — students, faculty, staff, and thousands of alumni — and he loved us right back. Please keep him in your prayers. Annie Rosello ’94 smcalumnipres@smcvt.edu

1964 46

MICHAEL W. BURNS, Carlsbad, CA, received the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) 2016 Speedy Award at the Annual PVA Convention in Jacksonville, FL, in June. According to a PVA press release, Michael “helped lay the groundwork for legislation that has shaped [PVA]. Burns served as a naval aviator, retiring in 1968 with a service-connected condition while awaiting re-deployment to Vietnam aboard the USS Coral Sea. He served as president of the PVA California chapter until becoming executive director of PVA in Washington, D.C. While Burns held that position, he successfully lobbied Congress for the organization’s federal charter, which enables PVA to

represent veterans in claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs and subsequently the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. On Capitol Hill, Burns became the first disabled Vietnam combat veteran to be employed at the U.S. Senate. He worked on a number of Senate committees as a professional staff member and legislative draftsman. Burns helped draft significant legislative initiatives including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which became the federal statue on which the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is based. In the 12 years he worked for the late Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), Burns served on a variety of committees but worked longest for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. He drafted many significant

pieces of legislation that directly affect the members of PVA. After serving as the program director of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee from 1980 to 1982, he continued in various staff positions in the Senate. In 1985, he joined the VA San Diego Healthcare System as the first administrative officer of the Spinal Cord Injury Service and helped facilitate its building and dedication in 1988. Subsequently, he was the administrative assistant to the associate director, the director, and for the last 10 years, assistant for administration to the chief medical officer. Burns has written four books, the first about traveling solo for more than 5,000 miles in his wheelchair-adapted RV, and has written travel articles for PN [Paraplegia News] and

The Class of 1967 rallies on Martha’s Vineyard this summer to get started on planning the June 2017 50th Reunion. Guess the attendees in this photo!

other magazines. He logged more than 250,000 miles in the United States and Canada before giving up his van in 2011. His wife is Joanne.”

1965 WILFRED TURGEON, Winslow, ME, recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Charlene, by taking a seven-day cruise from Montreal to Boston. Upon their return, their daughter threw a surprise party in Waterville, ME, on June 18. Many friends and family enjoyed a light lunch, cake, and 1960s music. After Saint Michael’s, Wilfred taught mathematics at Thomas College from 1967 to 1974 before the couple moved to Portland (ME), then

Paul Galbraith ’78 writes, “I recently did some filming at Yankee Stadium for the film Leavey. I played a MLB Umpire … I also will be seen in the movie The Girl on the Train opening in theaters October 7, 2016.

Scarborough, where Wilfred worked for 37 years as a software engineer for the Foundation for Blood Research until his 2009 retirement. His wife had a long secretarial/medical career, working many years in the Multilingual Office of the Portland school system, where she helped refugees learn English and U.S. history and become citizens. After disability retirement, she continued working with refugees from home and won a Congressional public service award. The couple, married June 18, 1966, have a son, Eric, a daughter, Kathryn Connolly, and two grandchildren.

1972 DONALD KLINKO, Malta, MT, who was an English major at Saint Michael’s and went on to earn his doctorate, recently contributed to Montana State University– Northern Chancellor’s Lecture Series, delivering an invitational lecture titled “Before the Homesteaders: The Northern Montana Buffalo Slaughter.” He detailed the historical confluence of technology, necessity, and a vastly improved transportation network, all of which appeared in the two-year period of 1869 to 1871, resulting in the methodical

slaughter of most of the North American bison population of the Great Plains during the period 1871 to 1884. He also described the effect on the Native American populations in the region and the American cattle industry.

1977 DAVID ONDRUSEK, Lancaster, PA, has completed his first year at Palmyra High School as head boys’ lacrosse coach after serving at another school previously. Under David’s guidance, the team had the best record in its history and reached the district playoffs for the first time ever; David was named Mid-Penn Conference Coach of the Year and U.S. Lacrosse Central Pennsylvania Coach of the Year.

1978

Jack Russell ’70, owner of Century 21 Jack Associates and a member of the Saint Michael’s College Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball, was honored on September 11, 2016, by the 158th Fighter Wing (FW), Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG), during its Honorary Commanders’ Induction Ceremony that followed a Flag Retreat Ceremony recognizing the 15th Anniversary of September 11, 2001. Jack and four other community leaders joined two existing honorary commanders as they were inducted into the VTANG Honorary Commander Program (HCCP). The other new honorary commanders along with Jack are Lisa Ventriss — Vermont Business Roundtable; Win Smith — Sugarbush Resort; Kevin Owens — Owner at Select Design, Ltd.; and Tommy Harmon — Sonnax Industries. Through the HCCP community outreach program, civilian leaders are paired with specific units on base and encouraged to exchange ideas and experiences and build/nurture friendships. The purpose of the program is twofold: It allows community participants to become more aware of the important VTANG, USAF, and Department of Defense military mission. It also allows military commanders and their units to learn more about the community in which they live. According to VTANG, “Public trust and community support are keys to a strong military structure. 158th Fighter Wing commanders and personnel benefit tremendously through increased association with the community and its leaders. This is the Wing Commander’s public relations tool, which offers access and firsthand experience that is unavailable to the general public.”

PAUL GALBRAITH, Highland Falls, NY, is an actor who recently did some filming at Yankee Stadium for the film Leavey, playing an MLB umpire (see photo). Paul can also be seen in the hit movie The Girl on the Train.

1983 MARY HIGLEY HITTMEIER, Mansfield, IL, recently retired as a U.S. Air Force brigadier

1970s birthday bash — This photo was taken on Cape Cod in June at a birthday celebration for Jayne Speechley Boyle, Class of 1978. Pictured from left: Jill Hanlon Holland ’78, Kelly Diamond ’77, Patty Morrissey Hearns ’78, Jayne Speechley Boyle ’78, Sue Ann Corrigan ’78, and Martha Dame ’78.

CLASS NOTES 48

general after her tour as the IMA (individual mobilization augmentee) to the USAFA superintendent. This news comes from Air Force Lt. Col. Michele Johnson ’95, who was stationed with Mary in Colorado for a time.

1984 BRIAN SMITH, Oak Bluff, MA, has joined Point B Realty in Edgartown, MA, as a sales consultant. Point B is a full-service boutique real estate brokerage specializing in residential, commercial, and luxury properties across the island of Martha’s Vineyard.

1987 MARTIN MORGADO, Southbury, CT, was appointed president and chief executive officer of Savings Bank of Danbury, CT. Martin joined the bank in July 2001 as vice president of retail

lending, and in 2007 assumed management responsibility for the mortgage banking division. He played a key role in the bank’s acquisition of Stamford Mortgage Company in 2010, and was promoted to senior vice president the same year. He became executive vice president in 2012. He was named a “New Leader in Banking” by the Connecticut Bankers Association (CBA) and Connecticut Banking Magazine in 2015. Martin attended the Connecticut School of Management after concentrating in finance at Saint Michael’s. In his new role, he will lead the executive management team. He is chairman of the Connecticut Bankers’ Association Mortgage Committee, a member of the Danbury Housing Partnership Board, an Advisory Board member of Catholic Charities’ “Ways to Work” Loan Program and a member of the Housing Development Fund Loan Committee; he also serves on the board of the Palace

The Saint Michael’s College Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed its newest class on September 17, as, left to right, Brian Mullahy ’90 (ice hockey), Kelly Sharenko Ward ’00 (lacrosse), John Barbati ’54 (baseball, football), Jennifer Gray Noyes ’04 (field hockey) and Brian Miles ’01 (basketball) were inducted during a ceremony in the Dion Family Student Center’s Roy Room.

Theatre in Waterbury, and was recently elected to the board of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce.

1989 ELLEN BAKER ALDEN, Andover, MA, has written and published a historical fiction novel entitled Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke. It is presently sold on Amazon, iTunes, barnesandnoble.com, and Goodreads, as well as in the Andover Bookstore in Andover, MA. Ellen also appeared at an Irish Festival in Canton on June 4 and 5 to perform a reading and sign books. She writes, “My novel is based on the 19 Civil War letters I found in my attic. They were written by my Irish immigrant great- great-grandfather to his wife and children. To learn more about my book you can go to ellenalden.com. I’ve named several of the characters in my book after friends from St. Mike’s, including Patrick Gallivan

and Father Steven Hornat— and I included Saint Michael’s church. My book is about the struggles of an Irish family coming to America at a time of national strife. It is also about the sacrifices a father makes to support his impoverished family.”

1990 KATHRYN PHELANBROWN, Lynn, MA, was

nominated by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to serve as an associate justice on the Massachusetts Juvenile Court. After earning her Saint Michael’s English degree, she graduated in 1994 from the New England School of Law. Her career has focused on juvenile and family law. In addition to representing low-income/indigent clients, she has served as a guardian ad litem and court investigator in the juvenile courts. In 2015 she was recognized by the North Shore Women’s Lawyers Association as the

Members of the Class of 1994 gathered for a backyard cookout in Dracut, MA. Front L to R: Chris & Jenn (Willis) Cavaliere, Karen (Smaha) Lindquist, Jenny (Kay) Berger and daughter, Mary (Stahl) & Brian Kelly, Julie (DeLucia) Buchanan, Trish (Petrozzo) Wehrum, Barb Cipriano, Robyn (Cipriano) Patterson, Katy Downey; Back L to R: Alison (Bolton) & Ken Kiefer, Brian Lindquist, Chris Berger, Katie (Irish) & Scott Ketelaar, Glen Buchanan & Trey Wehrum. Missing from photo: Sarah (Palmer) & Andy Daigneault.

LEAVING A LEGACY GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE Saint Michael’s College Heritage Circle was created to recognize and thank alumni, parents, and friends who are ensuring the future success of Saint Michael’s by including the College in their estate plans. For Jerry ’69 and Pat McKenna, it was a matter of giving back. Jerry said, “Saint Michael’s is where I learned how to think. As a needy student myself, I wanted to help other students have the same opportunities I had. It is why Pat and I decided during our estate planning to make a substantial gift and fund a scholarship for needy students. Please consider joining us by increasing your support this year to Saint Michael’s College.” There are many ways to make a difference. To learn more about the Heritage Circle and other opportunities, please contact Kathie Berard M’96 at 802-654-2576 or kberard@smcvt.edu.

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS.

North Shore Lawyer of the Year, in honor of both her excellent legal work and her community contributions. She is a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, and serves on the City of Lynn’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

1994 DEREK PRATT had his

daughter baptized on campus last year (see 1995 notes).

1995 MICHELE ANDERSON JOHNSON, Montgomery, AL,

is a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and professor of strategy and strategic studies at the USAF School of Advanced Air & Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama — the Air Force’s graduate school for strategists. Michele and her husband, Dan Johnson ’95, have three boys. She writes, “Over the past 21

years, the Air Force has given my family and me the opportunity to live in several different areas of the U.S., to include California, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Texas, and Alabama (in that order). Since graduating from SMC, I have earned an MS in information resource management from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio, and an MA in counseling and leadership from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Most recently, I earned my Ph.D. in educational leadership, research, and policy from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. My research interests include leadership development, character development, coaching, and mentoring. The math program at SMC prepared me well for each of my graduate programs, as well as enhanced my analytical skills.” HEATHER HUFFMAN PRATT, Pembroke, MA, and her husband, DEREK PRATT ’94, had their daughter Chloe

baptized on September 12, 2015, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE. Chloe was born November 7, 2014.

1996 MANDY MLADENOFF HEADRICK, South Hampton,

NH, recently was named president of Matter Communications, a national public relations, social media, and creative services firm in Newburyport, MA, that employs more than 125 people.

1998 CAROLINE RIEHL SMITH, Winooski, VT, and her husband, Ryan, welcomed another son, Charlie John, on September 15, 2015. Charlie was baptized on December 27, 2015, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE. Father Mike

also baptized Charlie’s older brother, Winston Reilly (born November 29, 2011), on December 27, 2011. AMY WILSON DONEHOWER, Coventry, RI, and her husband, TIMOTHY DONEHOWER ’00, had their

son, Cody, baptized on July 26, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE. Cody was born September 5, 2014.

1999 KAREN PALMER ROBINSON and Amos

Robinson, Williston, VT, welcomed a son, Benjamin, on June 26, 2015. Benjamin was baptized in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus on November 1, 2015. CHRIS DAVIDSON, Saxtons River, VT, and his wife, AURELIA SIMMONS DAVIDSON ’00, had their daughter, Auvi Antoinette,

CLASS NOTES 50

Roommates reunite in Hawaii — Mary (Dunleavy) Murdough ’03, her husband Robert, and sons Alexander, 5, James, 3, and Nathaniel, 1, currently of Kapolei, Oahu, welcomed friends Kate (McShane) Whitmore ’03, her husband Jeremiah, and sons Rory, 6, and Clark, 2, of Wilton, ME, for a fun-filled week in the sun and sand last April. Karyn Sporer ’05 completed her doctoral degree in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska in May 2016. Here she is with her mother at graduation. She writes that she is excited to return to New England as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Maine, beginning in the fall 2016 semester.

Molly Cole and John Herman, both class of 2008, got married at The Wauwinet Hotel on Nantucket on May 14, 2016, with just 26 guests. Molly writes, “We then celebrated with our friends and family June 4 in Canton, MA — lots of SMC alumni were in attendance (see attached photo!), classes of ’83, ’08, and ’09!” On May 15, 2016, exactly eight years to the day from the day she graduated from Saint Michael’s, Rachel Morton ’08 received her master’s of Library Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Mary-Alice Ruggiero’ 04 married Brian Conner on August 6, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus with Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE, presiding. The reception was in the Mansfield Barn in Jericho, VT. Photo: In front are the bride and groom; Saint Michael’s people from left behind them: Missie Thurston ’03, Will Marquess — English professor, Claire Monachino ’97, Becca McCray ’02, Christina (Reider) Kasprisin ’04, Erin (Zehnacker) Guzowski ’03, Jerome Monachino ’91, Donna Walter ’93. Michael Kelley ’06 and Kimberly Rush were married on September 24, 2016, at Spring Meadows Golf Club in Gray, ME.

Michael DeGrandpre ’07 married Richard Pezzillo on November 14, 2015, in Providence, RI. Top, L to R: Ashley Fitzpatrick ’07, Richard Pezzillo, Michael DeGrandpre ’07, Lauren (Remmes) Delaney ’07, Christine Hultgren ’07; Bottom, L to R: Tierney Carey ’09, Sarah (DeGrandpre) Shinkman ’08, Arly Scully ’07. John Kunkel ’08 graduated from the University of New England College of Medicine this May. This photo is from the graduation ceremony. See his class note for full information.

2000 AURELIA SIMMONS DAVIDSON had her daughter

baptized on campus last year (see 1999 notes). TIMOTHY DONEHOWER

had his son baptized on campus last year (see 1998 notes).

2001 MICHAEL TOOHEY, Denmark, ME, and his wife, Jessie, welcomed a son, Peter, on April 27, 2016. Peter joins his sisters, Ruth and Lily. BENJAMIN PARKER,

Washington, D.C., and Elizabeth Parker ’06 welcomed their second son, William Stone Parker, on April 8, 2016. NICOLE CHOQUETTE JUIFFRE, Williston, VT, and

her husband, Thomas, welcomed a son, Dylan Isaac, on December 6, 2015. Dylan was baptized in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus on March 27, 2016, by Rev. Brian Cummings, SSE ’86.

2002 NORA CONLON, South Burlington, VT, and her husband, Evan Pemberton,

had their son, Conlon Isaiah Pemberton, baptized on June 7, 2015, at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Brian Cummings, SSE ’86. Conlon was born January 14, 2015.

2003 RICHARD LAND, Ridgefield, CT, writes, “In 2015, I married my beautiful wife, Marianna Hyk, and on April 13, 2016, we experienced the joy of becoming parents. Our daughter Eva Charlotte Land is marvelous…” He continues, “I joined Fieldpoint Private in Greenwich, CT, as a managing director in September following 12 fulfilling and enlightening years with Citi. Most recently I was with Citi Private Bank in Greenwich, CT, and prior to that I was a commercial/business banker with Citibank in Greenwich, CT.”

2004 MARY-ALICE RUGGIERO, Woodbury, CT, married Brian Patrick Conner on August 6, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus. Fr. Michael Cronogue, SSE, was celebrant (see photo). LOGAN RICHARD ST. PETER, Williston, VT, and his

wife, Kelly Marie, welcomed a son, Julian John, on July 17, 2016. On October 1, 2016, Julian was baptized at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Ray Doherty, SSE ’51.

2005 TRACEY SULLIVAN, White

River Junction, VT, married Chris Corley on July 19, 2014.

KRISTIE HAMBRECHT, Boston, MA, married Jeff Avallon on September 17, 2016, in Boston. A large group of friends, mostly from the Class of 2005, attended. KARYN SPORER, Omaha, NE, successfully completed her doctoral degree in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska in May 2016 (see photo). COURTNEY RAINS, New York, NY, married Josh Vogel on Saturday, October 1, 2016, at New Seabury Country Club in Mashpee, MA.

2006 JESSI SHUTTLEWORTH,

Los Angeles, CA, writes, “I have been accepted into the American Film Institute (AFI), the number one film program in the U.S., for my MFA in film with an emphasis on screenwriting.” Jessi moved from New York City to Los Angeles at the end of July. ELIZABETH PARKER had a

baby; see 2001 notes.

JEFF BAKER II, Essex

Junction, VT, writes, “I recently started as the host of a craft beer podcast called “It’s the Beer Talking.” This is a new venture in collaboration with my employer, Farrell Distributing, and Free Press Media.

As the craft beer and cider education and training manager at Farrell Distributing, I get to travel all over Vermont and share what I’ve learned with the staffs of the best bars, restaurants, and bottle shops. This new podcast provides me with the opportunity to chat with Vermont’s best brewers and brewers from around the globe! Each episode my co-host, Jason Strempek, and I try some new beers for our segment, ‘What’s in the Fridge?’ Then we have a casual and fun interview with a brewer, a chef, a festival organizer, or another interesting member of the beer community. Then Jason and I wrap up with our segment ‘The Last Sip,’ where we discuss industry news and upcoming events. Our podcast is available free on iTunes, Soundcloud, and TuneIn. And we’re on most social media platforms with the handle @TheBeerTalkin. MICHAEL KELLEY, Westbrook, ME, and Kimberly Rush were married on September 24, 2016, at Spring Meadows Golf Club in Gray, ME. CHRISTINE MARTELLE THOMPSON, South Burling-

ton, VT, and her husband, Benjamin, welcomed a son, Edward Magnus Thompson, on October 30, 2015. Edward was baptized in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus on April 24, 2016, by Rev. Marcel Rainville, SSE ’67.

CLASS NOTES

baptized on April 19, 2015, at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Fr. Marcel Rainville, SSE ’67. Auvi was born October 25, 2014.

2007 CLASS NOTES

MICHAEL DEGRANDPRE, Providence, RI, married Richard Pezzillo on November 14, 2015, in Providence, RI (see photo). SHAWNA WAKEHAM SMITH and THOMAS SMITH,

Amdework Assefa ’09 and Hannah Crary ’13 were married on June 25, 2016, at Kingsland Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh, VT. Alumni or faculty/staff in attendance included: Nicholas Hunter ’09, Julio Patrone ’09, Kimoi Seale ’06, Michael Hill ’07, Almin Piric M’09, Eddison Santana ’10, Rick Leggett (faculty), Jerome Allen ’09, Andres Camilo ’09, Erik Lightbody ’08, Alazar Assefa ’09, Linda Tran ’09, Lucia Suarez Sang ’10, Erika Ahbel ’10, Ashley Cota (’09 MEd Program), and Hailey Kimball ’09. Not in photograph: Kellie Campbell ’08, David Crary M’76, and Ariana Wammer ’08.

Jericho, VT, welcomed a son, Asa Thomas Wakeham-Smith, on July 22, 2015. Thomas was baptized on November 21, 2015, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE. RYAN DULUDE and MEGGAN ROBERGE DULUDE, Milton, MA,

welcomed a son, Zachary Ryan Dulude, on October 9, 2016. Meggan is associate athletic director for the College.

2008 JOHN KUNKEL, Philadelphia,

Claire McQuillen’11 married John Contrada ’09 on July 23, 2016, at St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge, VT, with a reception at the Barn at Boyden Farm. Alumni in attendance: Christian Bilger ’09, Matt Foley ’12, Mike McDonough ’11, Connor Stewart ’11, Mairead Moore ’09, Marisa Cardin (Mulligan) ’09, Kyle Murphy ’10, LeeAnn Murphy (Mello) ’10, Eliza McDonough (Young) ’11, Meagan Sanko (Barber) ’09, Matt Sanko ’09, Mia Weber ’11, Josh Dixon ’09, Siobhan Lavery ’11, Emma Stenberg ’10, Amalia Zychowicz ’09, Ashley Brumby (Kaminski) ’09, Corey Mozisek ’09, Molly Moore ’11, Brendan Schultz ’10, Kerrie Weir ’11, Morgan Knapton ’09, Christian D’Amour ’11, Ashley Marlow (Laurent) ’11, Kyle Marlow ’10, Kalin Stewart (Burkhardt) ’11, Sarah Cuce (Manty) ’11, Olivia D’Amour (Hoeppner) ’11, Montana Palmer ’11, Kristina Iennaco ’11, Melanie George ’19. Writes Claire, “Not pictured but present was John’s younger sister Melanie George who is a sophomore right now at SMC! We had seven St. Mike’s married couples (not including us) AND two other couples that all met at SMC as well ...”

PA, graduated from the University of New England College of Medicine this May. He was accepted into his top-ranked residency program in Philadelphia, where he will begin his training as an orthopedic surgeon, working under the former team surgeon for the Philadelphia 76ers. John’s alumna wife, NOELLE GUARNIERI KUNKEL ’10, shared the news and adds “Go Purple Knights!” (See photo.) MOLLY COLE and JOHN HERMAN, Needham, MA,

got married at the Wauwinet Hotel on Nantucket on May 14, 2016, with just 26 guests.

Molly writes, “We then celebrated with our friends and family June 4 in Canton, MA — lots of SMC alumni were in attendance (see attached photo!), classes of ’83, ’08, and ’09!” (See photo.) MARIBETH FONDA, Brattleboro, VT, graduated from Antioch University New England with an MS in applied behavior analysis in December 2015. She became a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) in June 2016. This will be her third year as a co-coordinator of a behavior program in an elementary school. RACHEL MORTON, Winooski, VT, received her master’s degree in library science (MLS) from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (see photo). AMELIA HOLSTON HOLSTROM, West Spring-

field, MA, received the Massachusetts Bar Association Community Service Award on June 22, 2016, at the Hampden County Bar Association’s annual meeting. The award is presented to an attorney who “has performed an act or acts of outstanding public service within the community.” Amelia is a member of the board of directors and Executive Committee for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, an ad hoc member of the Personnel Committee for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and the clerk of the board for Friends of the

JUSTIN VEIGA got married

(see 2009 notes).

JAMES FRASER and KATIE HERBERT FRASER,

Charlotte, VT, welcomed a son, Ronan Herbert, on March 11, 2016. Ronan was baptized in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Marcel Rainville, SSE ’67.

PATRICK WASILUNAS, Foxboro, MA, and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed a son, John David, on October 11, 2015. John was baptized on July 23, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Marcel Rainville, SSE ’67. KELLIE TAPLIN CAMPBELL, Saint Albans, VT, and her husband, Anthony, had their daughter, Zoe Monique, baptized on July 19, 2015, at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus by Rev. Ray Doherty, SSE ’51. Zoe was born on January 14, 2015.

ANNE GLEBA, Quincy, MA,

married Billy Blake in Schenectady, NY, on October 25, 2015.

2009 AMDEWORK ASSEFA, Essex Junction, VT, and HANNAH CRARY ’13 were married on

Molly Canfield ’10 completed her first Pan-Mass Challenge, a 111-mile bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown benefiting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Molly was joined by 12 colleagues to ride as part of the Wise Construction team, a Winchester, MA based construction firm. Together Molly and her team were able to raise $64,000 for cancer research.

June 25, 2016, at Kingsland Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh, VT (see photo).

TIFFANIE CALISTO and JUSTIN VEIGA ’08, Andover,

MA, were married on September 24, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus. Rev. Marcel Rainville, SSE, was the celebrant.

JOHN CONTRADA got

married (see 2011 notes).

JULIA PORTER MCGRATH

and Patrick McGrath, Jericho, VT, welcomed a daughter, Eleanor Winifred, on May 12, 2016.

Kaleigh Ferrari ’11 married Kyle Brownell ’11 on October 24, 2015, at Mallard Island Yacht Club in Manahawkin, NJ. Pictured (from left): Front row: Erik Haversang ’11, Kathryn Bangs ’11, Matthew Ferrari ’14, Groom: Kyle Brownell ’11, Bride: Kaleigh Brownell ’11, Heidi Allen ’11, Elizabeth Haversang ’11. Second row: Nicholas Anti ’11, Brian Collins ’11, Hannah Archibald ’11, Robert Pierce ’11, Nicholas Fioretti ’11, Margaret Adams ’11, Abby Middleton ’11, Mary Diebold ’11, Emily Paquin ’11, Kelsey Redden ’13. Third row: Josh Gessler ’11, Jerome Cifarelli ’11, Matthew Rigtrup ’11, Matthew Geary ’11, PJ Mondani ’11, Benjamin Pullar ’11, Nicholas Romano ’11, Blake Schill ’11, Robert Irving ’11. Not pictured: Justin DiMatteo ’11, Olivia Springer ’11.

2010 MOLLY CANFIELD, Woburn, MA, completed her first Pan-Mass Challenge, a 111-mile bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown benefiting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (see photo). JULIA RITA MAZUREK,

Jericho, VT, married Justin Robert Hunter on July 30, 2016, at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus, with Rev. Michael Cronogue, SSE, presiding.

CLASS NOTES

Homeless. She is an attorney at Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. in Springfield, MA, where she exclusively represents management in labor and employment matters. Since joining the firm in 2012, she has organized firm-wide participation in a number of volunteer efforts, including Rebuilding Springfield. Holstrom is a 2015 recipient of the “40 Under Forty” award from BusinessWest, which honors young individuals who have achieved professional success and are active at the board level in civic organizations.

Jessica Leary and Seth Metayer, both of the Class of 2011, were married on July 16, 2016, in Hingham, MA. Alumni present included: Front from left: Claire Contrada ’11, Siobhan Lavery ’11, Sarah Cuce ’11, Kristina Iennaco ’11; Row 2 from left: John Contrada ’09, Ashley Marlow ’11, Kalin Stewart ’11, Trevin Schmidt ’11: Row 3 from left: Kyle Marlow ’12, Connor Stewart ’11, Ryan Clunan ’11; Row 4 from left: Nicholas Anti ’11, Eric Piatelli ’10, Matt Falcone ’11; back row from left: Jack Dowd ’11, Josh Gessler ’11, Ryan Socha ’11, Dave Mitiguy 2011.

CLASS NOTES 54

Joany Simonds ’11 and Alex Higgins ’11 were married on Saturday, June 25, 2016, at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT. Saint Michael’s College Professor David Landers officiated the ceremony. Alumni in attendance: Front row, L to R: Catherine Dipesa ’11, Maggie Ecker ’11, Joany and Alex, David Landers, Ryan Nest ’10, Pat Mcguirk ’10. Back row, L to R: Ronny DiMasi ’12, Tony Bonvechio ’11, Ben Yodzio ’11, Tyler Gillingham ’11, Kristin Suchowiecki ’11, Emily Bonvechio ’11, Maura Baxter ’11, Erica Birr ’11, Dave Vorozilchak ’10, Bryan Brunton ’10, Brendan Rimmer ’11, Tully Labelle-Hamer ’11, Nick Sheehan ’11, Chris Healey ’09, Eric Caron ’08, Christian Zizza ’11, Fran Briand ’11, Josh Geary ’12, Jon Elechko ’10, Nate Bir ’11, Tim O’Connor ’10, Kyle Marquis ’10, Logan Pintka ’11, Glenn Belmore ’11.

Natalie Watson’12 married Alexander Lodge M’19 on July 16, 2016, at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, VT. Saint Michael’s people in attendance, from left: Heather Trembley ’09, Brendan Merryman ’12, Brandi Guthrie ’09, Peter Harrigan, professor in the Theater Department, Katherine Hacket ’11, Justin Poulin ’12, Kevin Hunt ’12, Maegan Gorton ’12, Eleni Kustas Zimoulis ’12, Laura Backman Landshof ’12, the bride and groom Natalie and Alexander, Emily Arturi ’12, Caleb Hall-Potvin ’12, Lauren Ozzella ’12, Cheyne Samuel ’12. Laura Backman ’12 married Michael Landshof on April 30, 2016, in Hopatcong, NJ, with a reception in Randolph, NJ. Alumni in attendance: Lauren Ozzella ’12, Natalie Watson Lodge ’12, MA ’19 (Maid of Honor), Eleni Kustas Zimoulis ’12, Emily Arturi ’12, Nick Franks ’12, and Xander Lodge MA ’19.

Bridget Levine ’12 and Matt Phillips were married on Friday, September 23, 2016, at Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topfield, MA.

Bryan Geary ’12 and Amanda Willette ’11 were married June 17, 2016, at Dell-Lea in Chichester, NH. Saint Michael’s graduates in attendance and in this photo were: Jesse Sullivan ’12, Lucas Wickles ’12, Austin Ziskie ’12, Kendra Ziskie ’12, Chadwick Estey ’12, Meghan O’Brien ’12, Tim McDonnell ’12, Kaiti Tuthill ’11, Nick Barton ’14, Kaitlin Geary ’14, Emme Hughes ’11, Jason Berglund ’11, Megan Vandenburg ’11, Kristen Cowens ’12, Alex Stott ’11, Matt Jordan ’11, Bridie Mager ’10, Patrick Mager ’08, Montana Palmer ’11, Caroline Ward ’13, Christine Amoresano ’11, Erick Gallager ’10, Kate Bailey ’11, Hilary Carter ’11, Jerry Carter ’13, Ben Taylor ’11, Bryan Geary ’12, Amanda Geary ’11.

On July 17, 2015, Michael Crowell ’12 married Renee Gauthier at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH. Pictured: Kevin Hunt ’12, Andrea Park ’12, Michael Crowell ’12, and Mathew Goulet ’12 (“all Ryan Hall freshman year!” writes Andrea, who shared the photo).

KORINNE BACCALI and IAN NEVINS, Burlington, VT,

were married September 24, 2016, at the Alerin Barn in St. Johnsbury. She is changing her name to Korinne Nevins.

LAURA HARTMAN FRIZZELL, Essex Junction, VT, and

her husband, Timothy, welcomed a daughter, Gianna Pauline, on March 25, 2016. Gianna was baptized at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus on April 3, 2016, by Rev. Brian Cummings, SSE ’86.

2011 AMANDA WILLETTE,

Waltham, MA, got married (see 2012 note and photo). KALEIGH FERRARI and KYLE BROWNELL, Fort

Myers, FL, were married on October 24, 2015, at Mallard Island Yacht Club in Manahawkin, NJ (see photo). JESSICA LEARY and SETH METAYER, Watertown, MA,

were married on July 16, 2016, in Hingham, MA (see photo).

JOANY SIMONDS and ALEX HIGGINS, Flagstaff, AZ,

were married on Saturday, June 25, 2016, at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. Saint Michael’s College Professor David Landers officiated at the ceremony (see photo).

CLAIRE MCQUILLEN and JOHN CONTRADA ’09,

New York, NY, were married on July 23, 2016, in Cambridge, VT (see photo).

2012 BRYAN GEARY, Waltham, MA, married AMANDA WILLETTE ’11 on June 17, 2016, at Dell-Lea in Chichester, NH (see photo).

Then. Now. Forever St. Mike’s

JORDAN KILTY got married

(see 2013 notes).

MICHAEL CROWELL, Merrimack, NH, on July 17, 2015, married Renee Gauthier at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH. BRIDGET LEVINE and MATT PHILLIPS, Brighton,

MA, were married on September 23, 2016, at Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park, Topfield, MA (see photo). KIMBERLY ANN MARCHETTI and JUSTIN OMER GAUTHIER,

Hudson, MA, were married on September 17, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus. Rev. Marcel Rainville, SSE, was the celebrant. LAURA BACKMAN,

Hackettstown, NJ, married Michael Landshof on April 30, 2016, in Hopatcong, NJ, with a reception in Randolph, NJ (see photo). NATALIE WATSON, Burlington, VT, married ALEXANDER LODGE, a Saint Michael’s master’s degree student, on July 16, 2016, at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, VT (see photo). Natalie also is completing her master’s degree program at Saint Michael’s.

SAVE THE DATE! Reunion 2017 • June 1 – 4

The place where you grew, learned, and loved is still the place you remember. Mark your calendar, e-mail your friends, spread the word on social media, and come home to Saint Michael’s for Reunion 2017. Want to help plan a great weekend for yourself and your friends? E-mail events@smcvt.edu and let us know.

2013

2015

HANNAH CRARY, Essex Junction, VT, got married (see 2009 note and photo).

JESSICA ADAMS got

JOHN WALL, Morrisville, NC, married JORDAN KILTY ’12 at Jay Peak in Jay,

VT, on July 30, 2016.

MICHAEL KRETOVIC, Cambridge, MA, married JESSICA ADAMS ’15 on August 20, 2016, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on campus. Rev. Francis R. Prive was the celebrant.

married (see 2013 notes).

M1998 ROBERT HODGDON, Richmond Hill, GA, reports that after receiving his education master’s degree in the Klein Program, he spent 13 years working with students/youth with emotional or behavioral problems. In 2004 he returned to the regular classroom and has been teaching life science since then. In 2013, Robert

developed an ecological field studies program for his school, providing opportunities for students in grades 6 to 12, parent volunteers, and staff to participate in realworld ecological surveys, monitoring, and research by partnering with federal and state wildlife agencies and environmental organizations, two Georgia universities, and philanthropic organizations. The program has won two state-level awards. Robert also has received individual awards for this work: In 2015 he was named Richmond Hill Middle School Teacher of the Year, Georgia Science Teacher Association Middle Grades Science Teacher of the Year, and Sea World Busch Gardens Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year. He received the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators from the EPA and White House Council on the Environment. He also recently completed a book titled Christ in My Classroom. Writes Robert, “It is a book I developed to assist teachers in modeling Christ in a secular classroom where we are forbidden to mention His name. I hope to raise the funds to self-publish through Thomas Nelson in the next couple of years. With God’s blessing, it will become a

valuable resource for teachers and for education students at colleges like Saint Michael’s.”

starters from the Saint Michael’s basketball team autograph the picture as well. Dick Zeitler, Drew Denmead, and Tony Nicodemo are the others that signed the photo. A player with the first name of Jimmy also signed. His last name was smeared and is illegible.

The story doesn’t end there. About 45–50 years later, while tailgating after a Michigan– Notre Dame football game in Ann Arbor, I saw a man LE TTE R TO T HE wearing a sweatshirt with E DITOR: “Saint Michael’s College” written on it. I asked him if Hello! that was the “Saint Michael’s College” in Vermont, suspectMy name is Jim Rothwell, ing that there were others and as eighth graders at in other states. He said that it St. Thomas the Apostle grade was, indeed, located in school in Grand Rapids, MI, Vermont. I then proceeded to in 1958, a friend and I tell him the autograph story. decided to collect pictures He looked at me with a and autographs of professionlook that I can’t describe and al and college athletes. After said: “I am in that picture!” receiving responses from I mentioned Hank Ted Williams, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Oscar Robertson, Gretkowski’s name and he recited some of the other Elgin Baylor, and others, we names. I couldn’t believe what carried our hobby a step I had just heard, and I’m sure further. We decided to write he felt the same way. He to some out-of-the-way, shouted at his wife, who was small-college athletes. After a short distance away, and searching through the then told her the story. I’m sorry current issue of Street & that I didn’t ask his name, Smith’s College basketball magazine, I selected Hank Gretkowski from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Attached are images of the picture and kind note that he sent me, dated March 25, 1958. He had the other

but he said he lived in the Detroit area, and if I remember correctly, either worked at or was retired from one of the automobile companies. He said that most of the team was from New Jersey and that they got together every year at Saint Michael’s. I wonder if they still get together or if all of them are still living. I’m 72 and was a 13-year-old at the time. Every time I told the story to someone, they told me to pass the story on through the alumni association in hopes of reaching anyone who might be in the picture. So, after all these years, the story has been passed on. I still marvel at the one in many million chances I would one day cross paths with one of the men in that picture. It boggles the mind. Please give my best and my thanks to the guys who made my day back in 1958 and again in Ann Arbor, MI, 45–50 years later. Regards, Jim Rothwell Plymouth, MI

In Memoriam GASTON A. “MIKE” TESSIER, Burlington, VT,

died May 28, 2016. A generous benefactor of the College, he established two legacy scholarships and served as an associate trustee. He finished his Saint Michael’s chemical engineering program in three years and went to work at General Foods Corporation, while also beginning a master’s program in the same field at Stevens Institute of Technology. He was called for service during World War II, but the Defense Department granted him an exemption to continue his work developing survival and K-rations for the military. In three decades with General Foods and Basic Vegetable Products, Inc., Mike was an executive across the U.S., including serving as the youngest plant manager ever appointed by Maxwell House Coffee. While working in the San Leandro, CA, plant, he also built the first Kool-Aid production facility on the West Coast. Later he became plant manager for the Maxwell House plant in Hoboken, NJ, largest in the U.S. From there he transferred to the Bird’s Eye division of General Foods

and was instrumental in the development of frozen food products. At Basic Vegetable he worked on the creation of new technology for the dehydration of vegetables. His work involved travel to Europe, the Middle East, South America, and North Africa. Upon retirement from corporate life he returned to Burlington, where he was CEO of the University Health Center and associate professor at the University of Vermont’s School of Medicine. Later he started his own company, Ventess, Inc., which developed South Square, a housing community serving Burlington’s elderly and disabled. He also served on Boston University’s Board of Visitors and established a legacy scholarship at Ecole Nazareth. Mike was an avid reader and sailor. He was predeceased by his first wife of 49 years, Gloria, and his alumni brother, Louis Tessier ’59. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Stella; two sons; two daughters; two brothers, Alain Tessier ’55 and Timothee Tessier ’64; and extended family, including brother-in-law James Consedine ’53.

1947 FRANK J. DENE, Palo Alto, CA, died in 1998, the College learned recently.

GEORGE P. PASSABET, Naugatuck, CT, died July 11, 2016. George was a Navy veteran of World War II, commissioned an ensign in 1944 from Cornell University. He played minor league baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies organization and for semi-pro and amateur teams. He retired after 32 years from Uniroyal, where he worked primarily as the superintendent of the fabric shoe mill and as the industrial relations manager. He also worked at American Chemical and Refining and Century Brass. He went to work for Buckmiller Brothers Funeral Home for 23 years after his retirement. George served on the Boards of Directors for the Naugatuck Babe Ruth League, YMCA, and American Red Cross. He also was the blood services coordinator for Red Cross and was a 22-gallon blood donor. He served on the Board of Corporators of Naugatuck Savings Bank. He was a leader of his parish council for many years and a volunteer CCD teacher. George’s wife of 64 years, Rosemary, died in 2012. He is survived by two daughters, including Jacqueline Shields ’75, two sons, a brother, and extended family.

1950 DANIEL S. MUIRHEAD, Newington, CT, died June 15, 2016. Before Saint Michael’s, Dan served during World War II with the Army 491st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion. He started his career with the Connecticut State Highway Department in 1950 and worked for many years as director of personnel. He was appointed Department of Transportation deputy commissioner of administration in 1983, serving eight years until his retirement. An avid golfer, he scored four holes-in-one. He loved the Red Sox and football Giants and was a Hartford Whalers hockey season-ticket holder. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Alice, two daughters, a brother, and extended family. RODRIC L. “DICK” VILLEMAIRE, Winooski,

VT, died August 8, 2016. Dick joined the military at age 18 after graduating from Burlington’s Cathedral High School and was a waist-gunner on a B24 Liberator bomber in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war he attended Saint Michael’s on the GI Bill and graduated with a business degree. He worked as manager in procurement records and systems at IBM until retirement. He served on

IN MEMORIAM

1943

IN MEMORIAM 58

his Winooski parish council, was a Eucharistic minister and lector, and was active in the Knights of Columbus (third degree). He and his wife spent his last six years in Keene, NH, at Bentley Commons, and he became active in his Keene parish. He organized a Cub Scout program when his children were young and served on the Scouting Committee. He also was Little League Baseball president, and treasurer of the Burlington Area Hockey Association program. He received a community award from Winooski for long and varied service. He loved nature, camping, hikes up Mount Mansfield, and tandem bike rides with his wife in the Champlain Islands. He also enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing well into his 70s, and was known for his vegetable and flower gardens and manicured lawns. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lorraine; two sons; two daughters; and extended family.

1951 DR. RAMON DE JESUS, Manila, Philippines, died August 16, 2016. After graduating from St. James High School in Malabon, Philippines, in 1947, he attended Saint Michael’s on a scholarship and was one of two students to graduate summa cum laude in 1951. He was then awarded another scholarship to study medicine at the University

of Vermont, where he graduated with honors in 1955. He went on to do his internship and surgical residency at Columbia University. After completing his training, he was appointed to the faculty of Columbia’s Department of Surgery. In November 1963, at the age of 36 and after 16 years in the U.S., he took a two-year leave of absence from the Columbia faculty and returned home to try practicing medicine in the Philippines, where he remained for the rest of his career. He practiced and held office at both Makati Medical Center and Medical Center Manila. He also taught surgery at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and was involved in the surgical residency programs at both Makati and at Philippine General Hospital. His wife, Carmelita, died in 2007. He is survived by five children. JAMES H. BARRY, JR.,

Fitchburg, MA, died September 30, 2016. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and served in combat in the South Pacific in World War II as a quartermaster on the USS Panda. He returned home to finish prep school in Danvers, MA, before coming to Saint Michael’s, where he was class president and a Golden Gloves boxer. He went on to earn a master’s degree in labor relations at Cornell and worked 37 years for Foster Grant Company, where he was director of purchasing. He founded International Products Group, Inc., in 1991

and operated it for 15 years, making more than 70 sourcing trips to China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. He enjoyed tennis and golf, coaching youth sports, and beach time with family. Jim lived in Lunenburg, MA, for 37 years. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kathleen, three sons, a daughter, a sister, and extended family. CHARLES F. GUILL, JR., Francestown, NH, died July 22, 2016. Charlie was a pharmaceutical salesman for W.H. Rorer (Maalox) and covered New Hampshire, Vermont, and parts of Massachusetts, retiring in 1986. He lived many years in Hudson and Nashua, NH. He loved to hunt and fish, and enjoyed learning about and debating current affairs. He was predeceased by his wife, Jeannette, and is survived by two sons, four daughters, a sister, and extended family. REGINALD MUIR, Fullerton, CA, died May 13, 2016. A Burlington, VT, native, he pursued pre-med studies at the University of Vermont and editorial studies at New York University. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and was initially stationed at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, CA, before going on to serve overseas during World War II and receiving two medals.

He was the founder of the Grinder House in the 1950s and an instructor at IBM and at BFA Fairfax High School. He also was the founder of the Personal Associates employment agency, where he secured a job for Bernie Sanders with the Burlington Mayor’s Office in the 1960s. Reg established Christmas Tree Land Inc., where he sold freshly cut Christmas trees through the 1960s and ’70s, and went on to become chief executive of Mapletown Inc., Mapleville USA, Maison de Muir Inc., and Sweet Calm Foods (all-natural products). He wrote several books — two cookbooks and two books offering advice for life. He loved music (playing piano and singing), ocean sailing, gardening, tennis, golf, cooking, and yoga. He was predeceased by his wife, Joyce, and a son. He is survived by four sons, two daughters, a sister, and extended family, including Sabrina Matteson ’05.

1952 DR. JOSEPH A. AMATO, West Hartford, CT, died April 14, 2016. After graduating from Georgetown University Medical School, he served as an Army medical doctor. He then joined St. Francis Hospital, where he worked for over 50 years and founded its dialysis unit. He was predeceased by three sons, a daughter, and his grandson. Joe is survived by his wife, Veronica, three sons, four daughters, a sister, and extended family.

1953

1954 WILLIAM J. HAYNES, Bennington, VT, died May 16, 2016. He was an Army veteran during the Korean War era and worked for nearly five decades with the family business, the former Haynes & Kane Furniture store, which for many years was on Main Street in Bennington before moving to the intersection of Route 7A and Route 67A. His

REYNALD A. MOREAU, Lewiston, ME, died July 6, 2016. He was a retired Air Force major with 20 years of service. He was involved in the Military Order of the World Wars, where he was a recent commander, and also served as general service officer at the national level for the entire New England region for the Joshua Chamberlain chapter for two years. Rey also was involved with the Military Officers Association of America. Rey was a President’s Medallion supporter of the College. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, two stepsons, a stepdaughter, and extended family.

1955 FRANK P. CORICA, Ramsey, NJ, died September 9, 2016. An Army veteran, he served in the 45th Infantry Division (“the Thunderbirds”) during the Korean War in 1953 before serving in the Vermont National Guard until his honorable discharge as a sergeant in 1961. After earning a master’s degree from SUNY New Paltz and doing graduate work at Columbia University, Frank spent 32 years working in the Pearl River school district at several schools, first as a fifth-grade teacher and later as a principal and assistant superintendent. He was

active in the Jaycees and Knights of Columbus, and an advocate for the hearing impaired. His wife of 61 years, Elaine, died in 2014. Frank is survived by seven daughters, two sisters, and extended family. PETER J. BONGIORNI, East Greenwich, CT, died August 5, 2016. He was a past president of the Saint Michael’s College Alumni Association, was the College’s 1983 Alumnus of the Year, and had served on the Board of Trustees, staying involved in alumni activities until his death. After Saint Michael’s, Peter earned a degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York City. He also served as an officer in the Navy and practiced as a certified public accountant. Peter spent 34 years on the faculty of Providence College as an associate professor of accounting, serving many boards and committees at the Dominican college in Rhode Island, and retiring in 2008. He was a longtime leader in the Lions Club, earning many of the international organization’s top awards. Peter also was active with his parish as a trustee, Eucharistic minister, lector, and member of the finance council and school board. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary, two daughters, and extended family. ROBERT E. MARTINEAU, Lawton, OK, died June 30, 2016. Bob received many awards and decorations

during his 30-year career with the Army and held a variety of positions of great responsibility, including command sergeant major, Computer Systems Command, Fort Belvoir, VA. He was a founding member and the current chief of the Wichita Mountain’s Estates Volunteer Fire Department. He was active in his Catholic parish, and in the Sergeant Majors Association, Kiwanis, Elks, NCO Club, VFW, and American Legion. His wife predeceased him. He is survived by a stepson, a stepdaughter, and extended family.

1956 JOHN E. SHEA, Amherst,

MA, died July 30, 2016. After Saint Michael’s, he served in the Army for two years before working construction on the missile bases in the Adirondacks, and later for Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks, VT. After retirement he worked in the Amherst Golf Club Pro Shop. Jack split his time between the Adirondacks in Au Sable Forks, NY, and Amherst, and loved winter sports, particularly bobsledding at the Olympic run in Lake Placid. He was an accomplished golfer, winning many trophies, and as a hobby he wrote the histories of his golf clubs, of Adirondack bobsledders, and of a local softball league. He was a President’s Medallion supporter of the College. He is survived by two sisters and extended family.

IN MEMORIAM

RUDOLPH T. MEOLA, Hague, NY, died September 26, 2016. Born in Italy, he was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He earned a master’s degree in education from SUNY Albany before a long career as a science teacher in Fonda-Fultonville, NY. In 1969 he became superintendent of Hague Central Schools, and later served as assistant superintendent of Ticonderoga Central Schools after a 1979 consolidation. He retired in 1991. Rudy served as deputy supervisor for the town of Hague and was a councilman in the town for 18 years, also serving many town committees. Other community service included serving on the local Youth Board and as Democratic Committee chair (1993–2015). He loved to garden and grew vegetables, grapes, and dahlias. He also was a great cook and enjoyed music by Pavarotti. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, his former wife, and extended family.

wife of 60-plus years, Kathleen, died in 2015, and a daughter also predeceased him. He is survived by three daughters, three sons, and extended family.

1957 IN MEMORIAM

JAMES S. DAILEY, West

Hartford, CT, died July 5, 2016, nine years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Long a generous benefactor of the College, Jim received an honorary Saint Michael’s doctorate in 1996 after serving three terms on the Board of Trustees and chairing a comprehensive campaign for the College. Following graduation, he served two years in the U.S. Army before settling in the Hartford area. He began his business career at Aetna Life & Casualty in the late 1950s and landed in the real estate investment department, where he flourished for over a decade. He left Aetna in 1970 for a six-year stint as executive vice president of the First National Bank of Chicago and chief executive officer of First Chicago Realty Services, after which he rejoined Aetna to lead the multibilliondollar real estate investment group. He was later promoted to treasurer of Aetna and also headed Aetna’s diversified business unit. He relocated to Newport Beach, CA, during the 1980s and served as president of Ponderosa Homes, which he acquired from Aetna and sold. He managed his own private investment company before returning to Connecticut during the early 1990s as vice chairman of Shawmut Bank. During his real estate career, Jim served as a trustee of the Urban Land Institute for seven years. He also attended the Aspen Institute for Humanistic

Studies and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (class of 1981). Always active in philanthropic and community affairs, Jim served on the Greater Hartford Arts Council and Hartford Stage Company boards. He was also president of the Board of Trustees of South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, CA. He was founder and chairman of Capital Housing Corporation, and developer of low-income housing in Hartford, and was named Person of the Year by the Greater Hartford Board of Realtors. He also served as director at Church Homes, and was active in his parish. He enjoyed travel, golf and spending winters in Palm Desert, CA. A son predeceased him. Jim is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lois, three sons, and extended family.

1958 JOHN F. ZEMANICK,

Severna Park, MD, died in July 2016. After earning his Saint Michael’s philosophy degree, Jack was ordained an Edmundite priest, serving as assistant vocation director at Enders Island in Connecticut for a time. Jack attended graduate school at Catholic University of America, earning a JCL degree (canon law) in 1966. After leaving the priesthood and marrying, he worked for 18 years in Washington, D.C., as a program analyst for the U.S. Coast Guard specializing in planning, programming,

budgeting, and general administration, and later did some work in retail customer service. He is survived by his wife, Eileen Zemanick M’72, and was father to one son. Further word on survivors was unavailable.

1959 CORNELIUS J. SHEA, Wethersfield, CT, died August 13, 2016. An accomplished high school athlete, he also played sports at Saint Michael’s. After service in the Air Force, Neal earned his law degree from the University of Connecticut and entered the practice of law in 1962 with his father. He served as assistant corporation counsel for the City of Hartford, assistant state’s attorney for Connecticut, and chief prosecutor of the Connecticut Circuit Courts. He lectured at many high schools, colleges, and police academies on criminal law, served on the board of the Hartford Police Athletic League, and was a corporator of St. Francis Hospital while serving on committees of charitable fundraising golf tournaments. In 1989 he won a legislative citation for his long professional dedication to justice. In 2001 he was grand marshal of Hartford’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Neal enjoyed golf, taking many golf trips with friends. A son predeceased him. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary, two daughters, and extended family.

1961 EARL A. CORRIVEAU, Litchfield, NH, died August 6, 2016. After Saint Michael’s he earned a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He worked for several years for Raytheon and Wang Laboratories before becoming vice president of finance/ chief financial officer for the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and Eastern PVA until his retirement 12 years ago. He lived for many years in Florida before moving to Litchfield in 2010. He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Margaret, a son, a daughter, a brother, and extended family.

1964 RICHARD F. DERMODY, Royalton, VT, died August 15, 2016. Dick had a long military career that began when he was an ROTC cadet at Saint Michael’s. In 1960 he entered active Air Force duty in Texas. While most of his Air Force career was in intelligence (formerly Security Service), he was assigned to the 554th Reconnaissance Squadron, Korat Air Base, Thailand, during the Vietnam War, completing 100 airborne missions by 1968. He was commander of the 6985th Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, AR, in the mid-1970s and later was assigned to the Air Force inspector general’s team. He retired from active duty in 1987 with the rank of major,

EDWARD M. GOUTAS, Westminster, VT, died June 19, 2016. Ed was a fourletter athlete in high school in Bellows Falls and set many diving and swimming records there. After Saint Michael’s, he graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in New York City and worked as a New York State parole officer before coming home to Vermont to practice law, first in Brattleboro with the Cersosimo company and then with Luke Crisp and Tim O’Connor. In 1973 he opened his own law practice on The Square in Bellows Falls, and shortly afterward was appointed and then elected probate judge, a position he held until the Westminster District Probate Court was closed. He was a life master in duplicate bridge, enjoyed golf, and

finally hit a hole-in-one — a life goal — on May 27, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, two sisters, and extended family.

1965 ROBERT L. LIGUORI, Wakefield, RI, died August 9, 2016. He was a sales manager and financial advisor for MetLife for 35 years. He was a member of the Tavern Hall Preservation Society and the Narragansett Lions Club and was active with the Boy Scouts. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, two sons, two sisters, and extended family.

1968 BRIAN COSGROVE, Montpelier, VT, died September 25, 2016, of cancer. In 1969 he entered the Army and served with the 4th Infantry in Vietnam. He was evacuated due to combat injuries and finished his service in Virginia as a public affairs officer, writing for the 3rd Division newspaper. After the service he moved with his family to Florida, then back to New Hampshire as he worked as a reporter for the JournalOpinion and Vermont’s Caledonian Record. In 1971 he moved to the Boston area and pursued a master’s degree in education at Boston University and worked as a teacher for Massachusetts Youth Services in maximum security institutions. In 1977 he moved back to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, then

to the Montpelier area, working for the Department of Corrections, developing juvenile group homes and assisting with the closing of the Weeks School. In 1984 he entered politics during the Vermont gubernatorial primary as Hilton Wick’s campaign manager. He worked for International Coins & Currency in the mid-1980s. In 1988 he became executive director of the Vermont Republican Party, a position he remained in for seven years, and was well-known in the Statehouse and Vermont politics. In 1997 he took a position at Entergy Vermont Yankee as manager of government affairs, from which he retired in 2012. He was active in AA and enjoyed 28 years of sobriety. His interests included Civil War history, rare coins, Middle East cultures, energy politics, and travel. In 1983 he married Susan Crampton and lived in Middlesex; they later divorced. He is survived by a son, a brother, a sister, and extended family. DAVID J. GLEASON, Franklin, TN, died September 4, 2014, the College learned recently. After earning a master’s degree in child development at the University of Chicago and a doctorate in the same field from the University of Maryland, Dave started his career as a teacher; in the 1980s, he was executive director of the Child

Development Associate Program at Bank Street College of Education in Washington, D.C., and went on to build a company and foundation, Corporate Family Solutions and Corporate Child Care in Nashville, TN, dedicated to improving the lives of families with children. He was survived in 2014 by his wife of 44 years, Corinne, two sons, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, and extended family.

1969 PAUL JOPPE-MERCURE, South Burlington, VT, died August 26, 2016. After Saint Michael’s he earned a master’s degree in education and worked as a biology and physics teacher at Burlington High School for 33 years, retiring in 2002. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Ann M’93, two daughters, two brothers, and extended family.

1972 MICHAEL W. CRONAN, Leonardtown, MD, died July 11, 2016. A longtime resident of Waldorf, MD, he spent his work career as sales manager for Michelin Tires and regional salesman for Somerset Homes. He was a supporter of youth baseball and softball. Michael is survived by his wife of 45 years, Julie; a son; a daughter; three brothers, including Philip Cronan ’64; and extended family.

IN MEMORIAM

earning many prominent medals for his long service. Upon Air Force retirement he moved to the Royalton area, working in computer technology until his “official” retirement in 2008, and serving Royalton on the planning commission, the select board, and a local utility governing board. He loved travel, military history, reading, and computers, and was an avid model railroader — particularly re-creating Vermont’s steam-rail era. He was long active in the College’s Alumni Association. Dick is survived by his wife of 42 years, Carole, three brothers, and extended family.

IN MEMORIAM

1974

RONALD R. BRUNELLE, Norwalk, CT, died September 30. A Burlington, VT, native, Ron served in the Navy and had lived in Connecticut for almost 40 years. He was an avid Yankees and football Giants fan. A son predeceased him. He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Diane, a son, a daughter, a brother, two sisters, and extended family.

1983 JOHN P. KARLE, Milton,

MA, died May 27, 2016. After Saint Michael’s he earned his MBA at Babson College in 1986. John combined his love of travel, skiing, and finance by spending the following year in Switzerland. He was long employed by Bank of America, most recently as senior vice president in the global banking division. He was a gourmet cook and enjoyed entertaining. John stayed connected to his alma mater throughout his life and was a longtime leadership supporter of Saint Michael’s. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Deirdre; a son; his father; three sisters, including Susan Ferguson ’81; and extended family.

1984 DAVID GALLAGHER,

Watertown, MA, died July 24, 2016, of leukemia. He was the chief of conservation at

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Previously he worked for Webb Architectural Preservation, where he specialized in the preservation of 18th- and early 19th-century homes and timber-framed barns. After two years as sole proprietor of Gallagher Historical Restoration, he joined Mount Auburn in 2001. He was a 2002 Quinque Fellow, studying stone conservation practices in Scotland. He practiced preservation craftsmanship for more than 20 years, and for 14 years focused on conservation of stone monuments and sculpture. He was active in many regional professional societies in his field, and loved travel, swimming, old movies, the Patriots, and working with his hands. He graduated from the Preservation Carpentry Program at North Bennet Street School in Boston after studying business at Saint Michael’s. He is survived by two brothers, two sisters, and extended family.

1992 KATHERINE “KATIE” L. CONLEY, San Francisco, CA,

died September 25, 2016. After earning her Saint Michael’s English degree, she pursued her passion for editorial work in the Boston area, at Harvard University Press and Perkins School of the Blind. In 1991 she moved to San Francisco to work in publishing at McGraw-Hill and Pearson Education. She loved food, travel, the

outdoors, hiking, skiing, art, literature, and music. She is survived by her mother, three sisters, and extended family.

1995 CARI R. WIDMYER, Hicksville, NY, died June 29, 2016, when she was hit by a vehicle while bicycling with her father on Long Island. Her father survived with injuries. A onetime member of the College’s Career Advisory Network, Cari had worked in advertising sales for Turner broadcasting as an analyst-researcher, after doing similar work for E! Entertainment, and was a senior research manager at Crown Media/Hallmark Channel in New York City after that; she lived in Manhattan in the early 2000s. She is survived by her parents and a sister.

2000 GREGORY T. MARION, Minneapolis, MN, died May 19, 2016. A New Jersey native, he most recently worked for Wells Fargo in Minneapolis. He loved to ski, snowboard, and skateboard. Greg is survived by his parents, a twin brother, his grandmother, and extended family.

2006 SARAH E. GRAHAM ADDY,

Wallingford, CT, died June 14, 2016 after being hit by a train in Stony Creek, CT,

during a hike near her home. A scholar-athlete who played both soccer and lacrosse at Branford High School before college, Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Saint Michael’s and had been a supporter of the College. She loved baking, music, arts and crafts — especially painting — nature, the ocean, hiking, and biking. She is survived by her husband, David, her parents, a brother, grandparents and extended family.

2017 JEREMIAH J. COLLINS,

Bridgewater, MA, died September 14, 2016. He was a graduate of Bridgewater-Raynham High School, Class of 2013, and a senior at Saint Michael’s College. Jerry enjoyed sports, music, playing the guitar, and above all, spending time with family and friends. Jerry lit up every room he entered and shared his love and laughter with everyone. He had empathy and compassion for all and was passionate about helping anyone in need. Jeremiah is survived by his parents, a brother, a sister, his grandparents, and extended family.

MAS T ER ’S DEGREE GRADUATE S

M1975 SISTER MARGUERITE BLACKBURN, SSJ, Rutland,

VT, died July 23, 2016. She entered the Sisters of St.

M1 9 9 0 ALEXA RIEGELS RICHMOND, Medford Lakes,

NJ, died May 23, 2016. After splitting her young adult years between her native California and Vermont, she settled for many years in East Calais and Hardwick, VT. After years of working to support her family, she returned to college for a teaching degree from Johnson State followed by a master’s degree from Saint Michael’s in special education. She worked at Hardwick Elementary School. Alexa was an avid gardener and loved animals. Her son died in a car accident in 2014. She is survived by a daughter, Maya Coolidge-Richmond M’09, a sister, and extended family.

M1993 ROBERT E. RAISER — on the road in his RV throughout the U.S. for the past five years with his wife — died July 30, 2016. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in history, he earned a master’s degree in plant and soil science from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in education from Saint Michael’s. His professional career spanned four decades, three states, and a variety of fields and interests, including landscaping, teaching, and 15 years as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the State of Vermont. He and his wife spent the last five years of his life biking and hiking while traveling in their RV. He enjoyed playing at the park, swimming, and art projects with family. He is survived by his wife, Judith Brantner, a daughter, and extended family.

FA CU LTY, S TAF F, A N D FRIENDS REV. MICHAEL P. CRONOGUE, S.S.E.,

South Burlington, VT, died on October 13, 2016 at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington where he was transported after a sudden medical event on campus. Fr. Cronogue, son of George and Mary Cronogue, was born on November 08, 1947 in West Hartford, CT. He was a professed member of the Society of Saint Edmund for 43 years and

an Edmundite priest for 39 years. Fr. Cronogue received a bachelor’s of science degree in engineering from Northeastern University in 1970. He completed his master’s degree in theology at the University of Saint Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada in 1976. In 2009 he was awarded a doctor of education from the University of Vermont. Bishop John Marshall ordained Fr. Cronogue to the priesthood on May 7, 1977, at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel at the College. Following ordination he served as parochial vicar at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Selma, AL, from 1977-80, and the next 30 years of his priesthood at Saint Michael’s College as campus minister and director of the Center of Peace and Justice. In 1990, Fr. Cronogue founded the Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (M.O.V.E). His commitment to the students at Saint Michael’s is acknowledged by numerous awards, including the yearbook dedication from the Class of 2000, the Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Award in recognition of his tireless championing of service, ethics, and rights at the College, and most recently, the Rev. Gerald Dupont Award, presented by the Saint Michael’s Student Association. Fr. Cronogue served the Edmundite Community in several leadership positions from 1991-2014 as local superior of the Society of St. Edmund

at St. Michael’s, general councilor of the Edmundite community, and as superior general. He also served as director of formation and vocation director of the Edmundite community and as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. Prior to Father Cronogue’s well-attended October 20 funeral, viewing was held the morning of Thursday, October 20 in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel at St. Michael’s College, followed by a 1 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial. Along with his Edmundite brothers, Fr. Cronogue is survived by his brother Mark from Jersey City, NJ, and his brother Ronald from North Carolina and Ronald’s wife, Tina, and sons, Graham and Ian from Washington, D.C.; and by his dear friends Art and Jennifer Cernosia and their sons, Mark and Peter from Williston, VT. MARION M. MUNSELL, Williston, VT, died July 4, 2016, of cancer. Even after regular retirement age, Marion worked for years with Sodexo at Saint Michael’s, greeting and swiping ID cards of students entering Alliot cafeteria and greatly enjoying those interactions. Her long and varied work career included serving as a dental assistant in the U.S. Army, and later in Plattsburgh, NY. She was active with Cub Scout/Boy Scout events for her sons and also supported PTA and youth sports. After Army service, she and her husband owned the Village Cobbler and Depaul’s shoe stores.

IN MEMORIAM

Joseph of Rutland from St. Albans in 1948 and became a member of the SSJ Springfield community in 2001 when the congregations merged. She earned her bachelor’s degree at College of St. Joseph the Provider in Rutland before coming to Saint Michael’s for her master’s degree. Sister served in the ministry of education at Catholic schools in Rutland, Bennington, White River Junction, Brattleboro, and Fair Haven. She also ministered in the Appalachia Child Development Program in Lancaster, KY. Most recently she served in the Foster Grandparent Program and as a library coordinator at Rutland’s Christ the King School.

IN MEMORIAM 64

They also enjoyed travel, particularly to Australia and Myrtle Beach. Marion was active in the American Legion and VFW Ladies Auxiliary. Marion’s husband, Richard, predeceased her. She is survived by three sons, a brother, a sister, and extended family. DAVID P. LAWRENCE, Barton, VT, died May 21, 2016. Long a resident of Essex Junction, David worked as a custodian for the College and for the Essex Junction Fire Department for 30 years, often walking in Memorial Day parades alongside the firefighters. He enjoyed driving his pickup around Essex Junction, offering frequent kindnesses throughout the community. Youngest of nine siblings, he is survived by two brothers, four sisters, and extended family. KATHLEEN RUPRIGHT, Underhill, VT, died June 28, 2016. Kathleen had been a member of the faculty for the past 46 years, as a member and three-term chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature. She became professor emerita of Spanish in 2010. She had also been the founding director of the Global Studies Program and the first residence director for women students in 1970.

PATRICIA P. ALLARD, Fairfax, VT, died September 18, 2016. She spent most of her career as the administrative assistant to the academic dean at Saint Michael’s, for 25 years. She was a graduate of the Champlain College secretarial program. Her husband, Arthur, and a daughter predeceased her. Patricia is survived by a daughter, a son, a sister, and extended family.

H1999 MOST REV. KENNETH A. ANGELL, Burlington,

VT, died October 4, 2016. He was the eighth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. He began seminary studies at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick, RI, and for theological studies attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, MD. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence by the Most Rev. Russell J. McVinney on May 26, 1956, in Providence, RI. He began his priestly ministry in 1956 at parishes in Jamestown and Pawtucket, RI, before he was assistant pastor in Newport, RI. In 1968 he became assistant chancellor and secretary to Bishop McVinney, and in 1972 he was appointed chancellor and secretary to the Most Rev. Louis E. Gelineau, Bishop McVinney’s successor. He was named a prelate of honor with the title monsignor by Pope Paul VI in December 1972. In 1974 Pope Paul appointed

him titular bishop of Settimunicia and auxiliary bishop of Providence, and he was ordained to the episcopate by Bishop Gelineau in October 1974. He then served as vicar general of the Diocese of Providence until 1992 when Pope St. John Paul II appointed him eighth bishop of Burlington. He served in that position through the 1990s into the new millennium. He lost his brother and sister-in-law in the events of September 11, 2001, exhibiting leadership in calling for forgiveness, mercy, peace, and reconciliation. While Burlington’s bishop, he was trustee for Wadhams Hall Seminary and Champlain College, and was active in the Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society. In addition to his Saint Michael’s honorary degree, he was so honored by Providence College, Our Lady of Providence Seminary, and Salve Regina College. Pope Benedict XVI accepted Bishop Angell’s resignation from office in November 2005, and during his retirement he resided in

Burlington, Stowe, and Winooski — most recently at Our Lady of Providence Home in Winooski. Bishop Angell is survived by a sister and extended family.

E RRAT U M The photographs used in the “Finding Hope in the Journey” in the summer 2016 issue of the magazine were taken by Gregory Baker ’16. We regret to have neglected to explain and credit the photo on the inside back cover of the summer 2016 issue of the magazine. The photo is of a stained glass window in the chapel of the College St-Michel in Chateau-Gontier, France, which the Edmundites founded in 1893. The photo was taken by Dana vanderHayden on a Heritage trip.

Twenty-seven ways to have an epic first year at St. Mike’s: (Advice given freely at the New Students’ Convocation, September, 2016 by Sophia Adams ’18)

Pursue your passions. • Sleep outside. • Fall in love. • Change your major. • Ask for advice. • Learn the difference between risk and recklessness. • Try not to wear your new lanyard around your neck, it’s kind of a give-away you’re a first-year. • Watch a sunrise at the view. • Call a loved one more than you think you should. • Hike. • Ski (or snowboard). • Climb rocks or ice. • Dance. • Question everything. • Study abroad. • Take a lot of pictures and then join photo club. • Jump into a swimming hole. • Volunteer with M.O.V.E. • Go on a trip with the Adventure Sports Center. • Look around and remember where you are and how lucky you are to be here. • Tell your own story. • Do the readings. It’s worth it. • Go to as much live music as you can. • Remember your GPA doesn’t always represent what you actually learn. • Look up and have a dance party to “Winooski My Town” because one of our staff members recorded it and it is a JAM. It’s on Spotify. • Don’t be afraid. • And finally, overcome society’s complacency with injustice.

No n-Pro f i t O rg. US Po s t age PAI D Per mi t No . 154 B ur l ., VT 05401

Saint Michael’s College One Winooski Park, Box 6 Colchester, VT 05439 Change Service Requested

“THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN REPLACE THE ABSENCE OF SOMEONE DEAR TO US, AND ONE SHOULD NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO DO SO. ONE MUST SIMPLY HOLD OUT AND ENDURE IT. AT FIRST THAT SOUNDS VERY HARD, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT IS ALSO A GREAT COMFORT. FOR TO THE EXTENT THE EMPTINESS TRULY REMAINS UNFILLED ONE REMAINS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER PERSON THROUGH IT. … ONE BEARS WHAT WAS LOVELY IN THE PAST NOT AS A THORN BUT AS A PRECIOUS GIFT DEEP WITHIN, A HIDDEN TREASURE OF WHICH ONE CAN ALWAYS BE CERTAIN.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: THE POWER OF PLACE