Siena SIENA NEWS • A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS • FALL 2006
Contents FEATURES The Transformation Of Siena College............................................4 Luce Foundation Grant.....................9 Walking Where History Happened...10 Summer Legal Fellow: Samantha Reid ..............................12 Kashmir’s Dr. Sobia........................14 Siena’s Patriot: Patrick Henry..........15 Athletic Achievements....................17
4
The Transformation Of Siena College
Nurture Potential..............................18 Building Fences To Bring People Together.........................................28 My Summer In Bolivia.....................31 Extreme Makeover: Serra Hall Edition............................32 Support and Stewardship.................34 It’s In Giving Selflessly That We Receive....................................35 The Great Ball Drop.........Back Cover
28
12
Legal Fellow Samantha Reid
Emergency Management Research 18
Nurture Potential Joyce Barlin ’02 (left) celebrates her graduation from Albany Medical College with Dr. Ed Larow (center) and her father Dr. Barlin (right)
Building Fences To Bring People Together
DEPARTMENTS Short Takes................................8, 30 Alumni: Fall Class Notes............20-27 Planned Giving...............................33
The Siena News - Spring 2007 Published by • Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211-1462 • Email: sienanews@siena.edu • Publisher Pub lisher : Noel Hogan • Editor : Ned Jones • Contrib Contributing uting Editors: James Eaton, Janet Gianapolous, Allison Maloney ’06, Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., Alfredo Medina, Jason Rich ’98, John Sise ’75 • Dir Director ector of Ar t & Design: Sergio Sericolo • Alumni Class Notes Editor: Ashley Boland ’06, Nathan Maloney ’00 • Photography: Sergio Sericolo, Jim Eaton, Aidan Sericolo, Janet
Siena students worked over the course of three months to produce Tee O’Neill’s Best Possible World. They also had the rare opportunity to work directly with the playwright to create her vision and learn about an often neglected global issue.
From Script to Stage
Siena News • 35
The play, the winner of Siena’s International Playwright’s Competition, was inspired by the 32 asylum seekers that O’Neill lived with in an Irish hostel, and the characters are based on real people. In fact, the character of Bendrini was based on Zhao Liu Tao, a 29 year old Chinese student who was brutally murdered in Dublin while walking h o m e in 2002. “The play was an absolute eye opener and raises many questions about the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers all over the world,” Gina Graziano ’09 said. Before reading the script, Gina who plays the lead, Catherine “Bride” Kelly, had little knowledge on this topic.This painful knowledge gave the students a moral purpose in their performances; in fact, it threw Laura Darling ’07, who plays the villain owner of the hostel, into a personal struggle. Darling explained, “I never thought it would be so difficult to play a villain. She takes advantage of these people looking for freedom. She is abusive and cruel, cold and calculating. And Tee told us that my character was based on a real hostel owner, and the character is only one tenth as cruel as the real woman.” Perhaps the student that was most involved in developing new knowledge was Stacey Tuttle ’07. She took her research responsibilities seriously; spending countless hours in the library and on the computer expanding her knowledge of refugees, asylum seekers and immigration laws, and the quest for freedom. The combination of her research with O’Neill’s firsthand accounts of hostel life allowed the cast to immerse themselves in their roles, and succeed at bringing awareness to these injustices. For the students, this learning process began as early as the auditions where they were asked to immediately immerse themselves in a character, accent and all. The auditions were taped and sent via the
Internet to O’Neill, and she was able to decide, along with director Gary Maciag, O.F.M., who would be cast. From here the play began to develop, along with the characters and the students behind them. The group started by returning from winter break early to do three-a-day sessions, rehearsing 12 hours a day, not including memorization and accent development. Meaghan Young ’10, who plays Biljana, is a freshman in the theatre program. For her part, she had to learn three accents and two languages and “the faulting American accent was surprisingly hard to accomplish,” she said. “It’s a team effort, constantly changing and working off one another so that collaboratively, it is an amazing play,” explained Gina. Although this takes work to make it happen, it is also the best part of the experience. “It’s great to work alongside such talented people, especially Tee and Br. Gary,” she said. “Having Tee on campus was
invaluable. While most actors are forced to speculate on what a line means, Tee was right there to explain.” For Laura, the show’s only senior, it was an especially important experience because it was her last in Siena’s theatre, which has become a second home. “The countless theatre experiences have helped me to learn, to think, and to grow throughout my years here,” said Laura, who will put her self-confidence and speaking skills to work in law school, where she hopes to learn more about international law. “I want a chance to help change the very problems that the characters in the play face.”
Siena Students Work With NYFA Fellow Biology majors Catherine Cagino ’09 and Michelle Flores ’07, along with Emily McHugh ’09, an English education major, developed and presented their original art work at an opening reception on campus. The reception was part of an exhibit titled New Visions NYFA at Siena. “Art is another creative outlet for me,” Emily said. “This was a great opportunity for me to take my interest in art to another level.” The program came to Siena thanks to Sergio Sericolo, creative designer/instructor at the College. He was awarded a $7,000 grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts this past fall to do an artistaudience exchange. “I immediately thought of the students at Siena,” Sericolo said. “This project was about giving Siena students the opportunity to develop and present their art work to the outside community.” The project required the students to think in a different way, apply their knowledge, and defend it during the opening reception.
Over the course of two semesters Sericolo mentored the students as they developed their pastels and charcoal drawings. “Their works incorporated who they are and where they came from, and through the presentations they were able to delve deeper into what they were trying to say with their work,” Sericolo explained. The exhibit was designed like a graduate school thesis. “In graduate school, an artist is asked to discuss and defend their work in front of their peers and the community,” Sericolo explained. “These students took on this challenge, without receiving college credit, and with great enthusiasm” “This was a nice complement to my academic experience here,” Michelle, who aspires to be a dentist, said. “This project allowed me to use my creative abilities and forced me to think like an artist instead of a scientist.”
Top: NYFA Fellow Sergio Sericolo works with Catherine Cagino ’09. Left to Right: Detail from Catherine’s “Prom Series”, Detail from Michelle’s “Mexican Memories” Series, Detail form Emily’s “Exchanges - A Family Portrait” Series. Emily McHugh ’09, Michelle Flores’07, and Catherine showcased their pastels and charcoal drawings at the New Visions NYFA at Siena Exhibit.
Short ytakes
Road to the White House Colloquium Held at Siena The Center for the Study of Government and Politics invited Dr. Stephen Wayne, a professor at Georgetown University and a well known author and lecturer on American presidents, to serve as the keynote speaker for the Road to the White House Colloquium. “Our students approached me about him so I reached out on their behalf and asked him to come to campus,” said Dr. Len Cutler, director, center for the study of government and politics. “Dr. Wayne is an author of one of the books that our political science students have been studying so this was a wonderful opportunity for our students to dialogue with him.” The colloquium examined the United States’ presidential nomination process and took a closer look at what the polls are telling us about the 2008 presidential election. Siena students served as moderators and discussants with Dr. Wayne and Siena College faculty members. “It was a little intimidating discussing politics with experts on the topic like Dr. Wayne and my mentors here at Siena,” Gregory Albert ’08 said. “This experience was valuable as I now feel confident that I can do something like this again in the future.” Gregory served as a student discussant on a roundtable titled “The Nomination Process: Do We Get the Best Presidential Nominees?” He discussed the dominance fundraising and early name recognition play in the race for the White House and raised the question, “Is the media hurting the nomination process?” Dr. Wayne and Dr. Halpert, professor of political science at Siena College, thought Gregory brought up valid points and agreed that the media was hurting the nomination process. Dr. Cutler summed it up, “This was a nice opportunity for our students to interact with scholars outside of the classroom. I also hope this conference helps increase our students’ awareness of the importance to get out and vote next year.”
Left to Right: Dr. Leon Halpert Professot of Political Science, Gregory Albert’08, Dr. Stephen Wayne, Professor of Government at Georgetown University, Dr. Len Cutler, Director of The Center for the Study of Government and Politics, Kyle Christiansen ’08, Joy Landis ’09 and Dr. Salvatore Lombardo, Assistant Porfessor of Political Science at The Road to the White House Colloquium.
Editor in Chief Before dawn every other Wednesday morning, the cleaning staff is never surprised to find Chris Hannmann ’08, editor in chief of The Promethean working on the student newspaper. It is the newspaper’s production day, and he has been up all night perfecting the layout of the next issue, which debuts every other Thursday. Chris puts the finishing touches on it, waves goodbye to the cleaning staff, and heads to class. With just six issues under his belt, Chris is already learning lessons he would never find in a textbook. As an English major and staff writer, Chris has been developing his writing ability since his freshman year, but his time as editor is offering a whole new experience and skill set. “This is a managerial position, and I have found that I am making business decisions,” he explained.
Lesson #1: No Editor is an Island.
“You need mentors like former editor Jacqueline Shelburne ’07 and faculty advisor, Br. Brian Belanger, O.F.M. You have to rely on your staff to produce all of the content,” explained Chris. His biggest challenge has been acting as a motivator for the all-student, all-volunteer staff. “It’s not enough to have the staff just do their jobs. I have to motivate them to do it to the best of their ability and on time. This means I spend a lot of time on the phone and emailing; if I can personally connect with them, I have a chance at getting their best material.”
Lesson #2: Think Outside the Box.
Chris must be resourceful when it comes to covering important news and making sure the stories will catch the students’ attention. For instance, he recently asked students that volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the St. Francis Inn during spring break to write firsthand accounts of their experience for The Promethean, which resulted in, interesting in-depth stories. He has even added newspaper bins to the residence hall entrances to make the paper more accessible to the audience.
Lesson #3: Take Care of Business. Chris has also discovered the difficulty of making executive decisions when it comes to content. Since the only way to relieve his budget is to include advertising, Chris has stressed an increase in ads and it has bumped the newspaper from an eight page layout to twelve. First he must lay out the ads, and then place the text around them. “Just like in the real paper business, you have to pay the bills,” he said. From there, he must judge the pertinence of each article in order to position them. Sometimes this means dropping articles, at least for the current issue, because they simply can’t fit. For Chris, it’s well worth the effort. He wants to break into the ultra competitive communications field after graduation. While many people say the only way to accomplish this is pure luck, Chris believes in making his own luck. His experience as editor, a rarity as an undergraduate student, has endowed him with a working knowledge of the news business and placed him securely on the path to a rewarding career in this demanding field.
Past editors of the student-run newspaper are using the leadership, organizational, and communication skills they developed in this position to achieve extraordinary success in a variety of career fields. These past editors include: William Kennedy, Jr. ’49, Pulitzer prize winner, Ironweed and executive director, New York State Writers Institute Dr. David Fahey ’59, professor of history, Miami University of Ohio J. Vincent Chesterfield ’58, retired high school teacher Anthony Farina ’61, owner/marketing director, Vital Bottom Line Marketing Consulting Ed Henninger ’65, consultant, Henninger Consulting Bill McGoldrick ’68, partner, Washburn and McGoldrick Carmen Cognetta ’68, attorney, New York City Council Dom Yezzi ’69, president, Insurance Services Office Al Petrillo ’70, author of Full Moon and freelance writer in Tuscon, Arizona Bob Stronach ’72, partner, Stronach Associates and former director of public relations, St. Elizabeth Medical Center Peter Harrigan ’72, vice president of communications, Lockheed Martin Paul Smith ’73, copy editor, Poughkeepsie Journal John Szypulski ’75, accountant, JFS Accounting E d Fleming ’85, therapist, South Shore Mental Health of Quincy, MA Tom McBride ’85, copy editor/designer, The Daily Gazette Patrick Chaisson ’86, major, U.S. Army Richard Jacobson ’86, counsel, Arnold & Porter LLP Pat Gillespie ’88, appointed Smart Growth Ombudsman by New Jersey Governor Richard Codey Kristine Lombardi ’92, senior editor, Readers Digest Children’s Publishing Kevin Wheatley ’94, attorney, Rivertown Financial Jennie Errickson ’96, consumer marketing, U.S. News and World Report Dr. Ingrid Bedinotti ’96, pediatric surgeon, Albany Medical Center Langdon White ’97, director of engineering, Netnumina Solutions
Taking Care of Business Ryan Watroba ’07 has a habit of setting goals and constantly surpassing his own expectations. He started out working at WVCR as a moonlighter. Three years later, his dedication has paid off; you can hear DJ Trobes on the popular nine-noon timeslot. When he’s not on the radio, Ryan is working to get as much real-world business experience as possible by interning at the Times Union’s marketing department, MapInfo, and Schuyler Commercial Real Estate. It is not surprising that his biggest challenge yet, an independent study, has grown from a research paper into a full blown study.
dhf akjsh fkjash fkjha sfjha‘ksjh fytutakjshfkajshjfgjkajsfhakjshfak jshffgdfhdfhdkajshfajhfashfkjah sfskfjhask dlfajhf kjah sfkjh kjsaf asfjh kajshf kjh akjshf kjh ak asjfh asjfh akjshf kjahs fkjh akjsf kdsd
In the fall of 2005, Dr. Raj Devasagayam, associate professor of marketing and management, approached Ryan with the idea of conducting an independent study and he responded enthusiastically, ready to test himself in a new way. Dr. Devasagayam guided him to the hot topic of laptop use in the classroom, and Ryan’s new adventure was put into motion. “After my internship experiences, I was eager to apply the same technology found in the business world to the classroom,” said Ryan.After reading all of the prior research on the topic, Ryan developed a survey from scratch and offered it to the Siena community through an online surveyhosting website. Using techniques he learned in his research methods class, he was able to contribute new findings related to laptop integration. Ryan explained, “Rather than simply identifying that students and faculty feel differently, the study has gone one step further and explained the specific variables that attribute to the differences.” While 65% of students believe that laptops develop a more interactive learning environment, only 34% of faculty share this view; this correlates to the view that laptops make learning easier, which 61% of students believe, but only 31% of faculty agree. Thus, most faculty members perceive that an increase in laptop use will be a distraction rather than a learning tool. Ryan’s second finding is counterintuitive to the common position that laptops would be used to facilitate note taking. “My results indicate that laptops are desired by students for developing a more interactive learning environment and enhancing classroom discussion, and lastly for note taking”. The findings of Ryan’s independent study gained national recognition at the Marketing and Management Associations Spring 2007 Conference held in Chicago March 28-30. Ryan presented to members of MMA in a 25 minute session. Although he was an undergraduate student exhibiting to business professionals, graduate students, and professors, he was ready. “I am used to having my voice heard from working at WVCR and the
countless presentations I have done in my business courses gave me the confidence I needed,” said Ryan. Yet, it didn’t end in Chicago. Ryan and Dr. Devasagayam have already begun collecting data for a national sample in order to publish findings that go beyond the scope of the first paper. He plans to stick with it although he will be moving on to an internship with GE this summer and to Union College’s M.B.A. program this fall. “There is so much more to find out and the topic will only grow to include PDAs, podcasts, and even cell phones. I may have reached my initial goal, but it’s worth continuing,” he said.
Results Laptops develop a more interactive learning environment Laptops make learning easier Laptops enhance discussion Laptops improve academic performance
Students
Faculty
65% 61% 40% 40%
34% 31% 25% 25%
When the Siena team arrived in Boston on February 15 for the Harvard National Model United Nations competition, they were ready to do more than sit back and observe how the United Nations works. Their months of preparation and professional development made certain that they were ready to make an impact throughout the mock event as they stood in as Iran, an important Middle Eastern representative to the United Nations.
dhf akjsh fkjash fkjha sfjha ksjhf akjshf kajshf kajkjfha sjha skjh aksjch artyrty herger ryrtytyjch askjhayrurtururtuksj hdfhd fhdh duggj rtyrt dfkhj djfhg khdf kjdhf kjhdf gjhdf rtyrtykjhd fjhdkjfhgtgh ert er ery er er yery ery er yer y ery ery er ye ry er ye ye ry rey ery
This learning began long before the competition, in Siena’s classrooms and during countless meetings led by head delegate Amanda Kuryluk ’07. Using Model UN study guides, conducting primary research, meeting with the Iranian United Nations delegation, and studying the work of faculty scholars, each student worked to develop an expertise on specific topics. They taught each other UN rules and procedures, Iran’s history and global positions, resolution drafting, and United Nations functions and diplomacy. In January, the team had the extraordinary opportunity to meet Honorable Mansour Sadeghi, delegate to the UN, and other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in New York City. The experience was an eye-opener. As Michael McLaughlin ’07 described, “Meeting people from one of our country’s greatest international foes is a life changing experience. They were surprisingly moderate in their views, relatively understanding, as well as seemingly willing to cooperate with the U.S.” Samantha Tymchyn ’09 added, “The delegate was really nice to us, and answered every question we had. After the meeting I felt more ready to put on the shoes of this country that is often held by the news in a negative light.” After their months of research and practice, and their newfound personal understanding of Iran’s positions, team Siena arrived at Model UN with confidence, a solid knowledge of the issues, and Iran’s position on them. Each student was involved in vital decisions that paralleled those made by diplomats and world leaders daily. On the special political and decolonization committee, Kristi Fanelli ’07, and Craig Page ’08, worked hard to have their Iranian voices heard concerning Iraq, and were instrumental in passing a resolution that reflected the wishes of Middle Eastern countries. “This was important for Iran because it called for one unified Iraq, which is essential to creating a stable society, and Iran pre-
fers to engage in a stable and peaceful relationship with Iraq,” explained Kristi. Meanwhile, Samantha was representing Iran on the International Monetary Fund Committee, where the developed and the developing worlds collided. After a day and a half of roundabout discussions with seemingly no end, a simulated crisis hit the committee: a terrorist attack in Nigeria that created major economic problems for its citizens and surrounding areas. Harvard gave the IMF students “updates” in a variety of sources: news reports, newspaper articles, memos, and even a personal visit. “As soon as we came up with temporary solutions, the problem worsened. It was a stressful two days, but we all learned first hand that one of IMF’s weaknesses is responding to a crisis, a lesson that made it into our resolution,” explained Samantha. Despite the taxing environment, the delegates were able to work together and draft four working papers that led to a successful resolution in the eyes of Iran. In addition to an outlined crisis protocol, they passed a voting quota system which was more favorable to the developing nations and improving working relations with world trade organizations, non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations. The impressive work of Craig, Kristi, and Samantha are just one aspect of Siena’s success at the conference. Megan Sweeney ’09 overcame her discomfort with speaking sternly as an Iranian and became a major leader of the Middle Eastern/African Bloc on the Legal Committee. “By the end of the conference, other delegates were coming to us for advice. It was invigorating,” she described. From its initial research to the conference’s award ceremony, the Harvard National Model United Nations provided the delegates with an unforgettable experience that the seniors will keep with them long after graduation. As for the underclassmen, in the words of Megan Sweeney, “We can’t wait until next year.”
Chair of NAACP Visits Siena Dr. Julian Bond, chair of NAACP, visited campus and spoke about his passion for civil rights.
Dr. Julian Bond delivered the keynote address at the annual 20 th Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King Lecture Series on Race and Nonviolent Social Change at Siena College. From his student days at Morehouse College to his current chairmanship of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Dr. Bond has been a leader in the movements for civil rights and economic justice in the United States. “Tonight is a celebration of the America that Martin Luther King, Jr. worked for and died for,” Bond told the Siena audience during his address. His speech, “Crossing the Color Line: From Rhythm ‘n’ Blues to Rock ‘n’ Roll,” focused on how music has brought people together to form a racial cultural unity in America. Dr. Bond’s lecture used song clips and slides to show how music rose from black communities through white teenagers to the mainstream, culminating with a sampling of Elvis Presley’s performance.
“I have been advocating for civil rights, economic justice, and peace since my college days,” he remarked to the Siena students in attendance. “While we have made some progress there is still a long way to go. It will be up to our current generation of college students to continue moving ahead with these efforts,” he said. Dr. Bond’s passion for civil rights has been evident over the years as an activist who has faced jail time for his convictions, as a veteran with more than 20 years experience in the Georgia General Assembly, as a university professor, and as a writer who has been on the cutting edge of social change since 1960. While a student at Morehouse College, he founded the Atlanta student sit-in and anti-segregation organization, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). As SNCC’s communications director, Bond was active in protests and registration campaigns throughout the South during one of this nation’s most difficult times. “Julian Bond is a courageous person who has made a difference,” Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M. said. “His presentation at Siena College – and also as a guest on my News & Views radio program — point to the innovative ways we can bring leadership alive for today’s students.”
President of Hershey North America Visits Campus Chris Baldwin ’85 followed his brothers’ footsteps to Siena College and remembers it as one of the best decisions he ever made. “Siena College provided me with every single college experience I could have ever wanted,” he said. “The people I interacted with at Siena encouraged me to explore my interests, get involved, and helped me grow into the person I am today.” Chris delivered this message in March when he served as the keynote speaker at the Presidential Scholars program. He recalled his days on campus where he developed his leadership skills as captain of the lacrosse team, learned about the importance of giving back by volunteering with the Franciscan Friars, developed his knowledge of economic theory and methodology as an economics major, and became a well-rounded individual through the liberal arts course work he completed. “I really enjoyed my days at Siena. I was encouraged to take the skills that I was acquiring in the classroom and put them to use in the marketplace,” he said. Upon graduation, Chris, an economics major, began his career with Proctor and Gamble. He then moved on to Nabisco, where he held the position of national vice president for sales and logistics. He joined Hershey three years ago as the global chief customer officer. He then became president of the U.S. commercial group where he was responsible for sales, marketing, and strategy for the company’s U.S. business before being promoted to his current position.
When Chris was hired, Richard Lenny, chairman, president and CEO of Hershey said, “Throughout his career, he has excelled in all essential areas, including field sales, customer marketing, logistics and organizational development. Chris’ vast experience and energetic, focused leadership will be invaluable as we continue to build Hershey’s superior selling capabilities.” For Chris, this extraordinary business career began right here at Siena. “I will always be grateful for what Siena gave me,” he told the audience of prospective students. “Take the opportunities this College gives you and run with them. Thanks to Siena, that is what I continue to do today.”
For Siena students, the world is becoming their classroom thanks to the courses being offered with an international travel experience imbedded into them. Recent trips have taken our students to Nicaragua and Costa Rica and trips to China, Greece, and India will take place in the next couple of months. “These courses allow our students to explore different cultures, bringing what they are studying in the classroom to life,” said Deborah Kelly, J.D., assistant professor of marketing mangagement, who guided 15 students to Costa Rica. “They also challenge our students’ comfort zones, create emotional turmoil, and create a jolt that allows them to learn in ways not ordinarily available to them,” said Dr. Vera Eccarius-Kelly, associate professor of political science. Dr. Eccarius-Kelly has guided trips abroad where her students visited traditional women’s cooperatives, climbed ancient archeological sites, visited rural health clinics and primary schools, toured maquila textile sweatshops, and interviewed former guerrilla leaders about their lives. “Students return from their experiences abroad with a more worldly perspective and begin to appreciate the advantages they enjoy in their own lives,” she said. “For instance, poverty is no longer an abstract concept to them.”
The World is our Classroom
Siena students spent part of their trip working with children in Nicaragua.
During spring break Eccarius-Kelly guided her Women and Revolution in Nicaragua class to Nicaragua. Highlights of the trip included an interview with Dora Marie Tellez, Nicaraguan minister of health and leader of the feminist revolution, lodging with local families, and tours of a sweatshop, coffee plantation, and local market areas. “It isn’t often that you study historical figures like Dora Marie Tellez in the classroom and then get to meet them in person,” Kim Vassilatos ’09 said. “We were in awe and inspired by the stories she told us.” The trips to Costa Rica and Nicaragua gave the students an insider’s view of industries such as real estate, sugar cane, pottery, fair trade markets, and coffee. “Observing the work ethic of the potters in Massaya, Nicaragua inspired me because of their dedication to the betterment of their own people,” Larissa Walker ’09 said. The students also experienced the local cuisine which featured rice, beans, and meat on most days while immersing themselves into the Spanish speaking culture. “The people I met were extremely generous and very understanding of my awkward attempts to communicate with them,” Jacqueline Shelburne ’07 said. She spent part of her trip teaching and learning new card games with the children she met in Nicaragua. The students who visited Costa Rica had the opportunity to study ecotourism first hand. “To see Costa Rica’s natural beauty, learn more about the importance of ecotourism, and interact with the locals was an amazing experience,” Perla Terrero ’07, a marketing and management major said. Perla and Sara Tantillo ’07, an English major, are using their experience abroad to complete an independent study project titled, “Managing Cross Cultures,” where they are examining the pros and cons of ecotourism in Costa Rica. These trips also exposed Siena students to levels of poverty that they never witnessed before. “I was amazed at how the locals we stayed with in Nicaragua lived with such dignity and pride considering the conditions they lived in,” Jacqueline said. “This experience was an eye opener for me.” These courses seem to be a perfect complement to what the faculty are attempting to create in their classrooms. “As an educator I encourage my students to become responsible and empathetic global citizens,” Eccarius-Kelly said. “When you get a chance to see the world and the needs it has, it can be a powerful experience for them.” This is another reason the travel study courses have become so popular on campus.
Top left: Perla Terrero ’07 and guide zip-lining in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Top to bottom: Siena students learning about Ecotourism from their tour guide in Costa Rica. Students touring a sweat shop in Nicaragua.Marina Kinner ’07 and Lindsey Speech ’07 at Rincon de la Vieja National Park in Costa Rica. Larissa Walker ‘09 with the family she stayed with in Nicaragua. Bottom: Students learn how coffee is
In Giving We Receive
Dr. Shannon O’Neill, director of the women’s center, and Br.Brian Belanger, O.F.M., director of international programs, led a group of Siena students to the Dominican Republic to serve with the people of Santo Domingo. Their work focused on the local children, a population that needed their help the most. The group worked in a poverty-stricken part of the city with scant electricity or adequate sanitation. “Upon our arrival we were a little nervous but just went with the flow,” John Zampella ’08 said. Though the neighborhood did suffer from instances of crime, the people were incredibly welcoming and the students were safely housed in a convent with Franciscan sisters. The Siena group assisted four sisters in running an after-school program for children in the community, ages 5 to 11. The goal of the program is to keep the children off the street and help them realize the importance of living a good life. “We taught English and computer classes to the older children and in between the classes we had some time to visit with the families and see the neighborhood,” Holly Holleran’08 said. Many of the children came from broken homes and they lacked basic necessities. “We played with the children every day and tried to give them what they were deprived of at home,” Holly said. Prior to the trip, the group collected school supplies, medical supplies, and clothing from the Siena community. “Our suitcases were filled to capacity on the way down with all of the donations we had. The Franciscan sisters were very thankful when they saw what we had for their community,” Katie Hamilton ’08 said. The trip marked the beginning of what the Women’s Center hopes to be a long term relationship with the Franciscan sisters and the people in Santo Domingo. “When you help some of the people in the world that need help the most, you truly understand the phrase ‘it is in giving that we receive,’” John said. “This was an amazing spring break.”
Top: Dr. Shannon O’Neill with children in the Dominican Republic. Group shot: John Zampella’08, Sister Valdair, Br. Brian Belanger O.F.M., Dr. O’Neill, Dana Jimenez ’07, Melissa Cappy ’07, Sister Genilse, Jennifer Stacey ’08, Holly Holleran ’08, Katie Hamilton ’08, Diane Matori ’08, and Meg Whitton ’10 in the Dominican Republic. Middle:Jennifer Stacey, Holly Holleran and Diane Martori play games with the children . Bottom: Jennifer and Diane paintedtheir faces for the Dominican Independence Day parade
Opportunity to Touch Someone’s Life Instead of packing swimsuits and sunscreen, 73 Siena community members picked up hammers and tool belts this spring break to participate in Habitat for Humanity. On February 17, 15 vans headed to Crystal Coast, North Carolina, and Sea Island, Georgetown, and Hilton Head South Carolina. The Siena students, along with Residence Life staff members Derek Dunbar, Brian Bennici and Deanna Rella, and Major Kim Nash of Army ROTC, worked all week to build homes for less fortunate families. Habitat club president Allison D’Antonio ’07 and vice president Carly James, ‘08 led the club in raising funds from a number of activities, like the popular Mr. Siena contest and selling tee-shirts. The club’s efforts enabled them to add a fourth location to this year’s effort. Each participant also contributed $250 from their own pocket to help cover the cost of travel, building supplies, and meals for the workers. The groups went to work insulating, installing windows, framing, putting in bathtubs, dry walling, nailing down shingles and siding, and weatherproofing, especially important in the South. Through their labor, they quickly discovered that one person can make a tremendous impact and change the world, and they did – one family at a time. The seniors now call themselves lifetime advocates of this international, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. The underclassmen can’t wait to participate again next year. Carly, a social work major who has gone on this trip for the past three years said, “The experience was amazing, both because we were offered the unique opportunity to build a house with our own two hands, something that we never imagined doing, and because we had the opportunity to touch someone’s life in a way that was real and special.” As part of the program, Siena students had the opportunity to meet the families they were building homes for, which really gave them a sense of purpose. Carly explained, “You realize you are building a home, not just a house”.
Extreme Gift “Extreme Makeover, Home Edition,” the popular ABC reality show, paid a visit to the Capital Region during the last week of March. In a demonstration of extraordinary generosity and service, volunteers from the region built a new home for Debbie Oatman and her four sons in just 96 hours. Including the new home, the Oatman family received nearly $1 million in donations, including four tuition scholarships, donated by Siena College, for the Oatman boys. As the exciting news about “Extreme Makeover, Home Edition” spread through the local community, three Siena students, Elizabeth Braunscheidel ’08, Jeannette Ogren ’07, and Ryan Watroba ’07, found themselves asking what they could do for this family. At lunch with Heather Renault, director for admissions, they proposed their plan: scholarship donations for the four boys. The idea was then brought to President Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., who immediately approved the scholarships. “Siena was founded to provide a quality education to students who could not otherwise afford it. That mission is as important today as it was in 1937,” Fr. Mackin said. “We are proud to join the local community in building a better future for this family that exemplifies the Franciscan values on which we are built.” Oatman: a single parent, adopted her oldest son D.J., now 20, as a baby. DJ was born HIVpositive with fetal alcohol syndrome and damage from his biological mother’s cocaine use. She also adopted sons Kevin, 16, and Brian, 15 who is also HIV – positive and has Asperger’s syndrome and has a 10-year-old biological son, Scout. On Friday, Fr. Kevin presented the four boys with scholarships to which Scout exclaimed, “I am ten years old and have a college scholarship!” The boys chatted excitedly about the possibility of majoring in computer science at Siena. Debbie Oatman hugged Fr. Kevin and thanked him profusely as she was overwhelmed by the support of the people of the Capital Region. The episode will air on ABC Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m. as the two-hour season finale.
Not Just Another Beauty Contest! • The contestants practiced for months. • One student created a YouTube video to teach the finalists a group dance. • A “Mr. Siena” calendar was produced to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The 12 finalists for Mr. Siena took to the Maloney Great Room stage in front of 500+ members of the Siena community and were judged on habitat-wear, talent, and formal wear. They also participated in a group opening and closing dance, which were audience favorites. Though the competition was fierce, senior Adam Mastroianni’s crowd-involving rendition of N’Syncs “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” and dancing skills wowed the judges into giving him the official “Mr. Siena” title. Sean Figy ’08 and Tim Hannigan ’08 were the runners-up. For Adam, a Marketing and Management major who is already involved with Students in Free Enterprise, S.C. Bhangra Team, ASA, and the St. Mary of the Angels Chapel Choir, this has been a humbling experience. “I wasn’t even going to audition but Fr. Bill Beaudin, college chaplain, and other friends encouraged me to do so. They told me I would add to the show and aid in raising money for such a great cause”—he said. Adam will be traveling to Italy next year, and will use the $500 cash prize to assist in expenses. Serving Habitat for Humanity is truly what the competition was all about for these twelve students who lent their time, energy, talent, and leadership to the cause. “No one was there just to win, but to have a good time and raise as much money as possible. Anything else was a bonus.” remarked Adam. The hard work of the 12 finalists and Habitat for Humanity Vice President Carly James ’08 raised $2,500 for the chapter, nearly doubling last years profits.
Intramural Champions by Jason Rich Siena has over 1,000 students who participate in the intramural program and for these students the fun of the game is only the beginning. Today’s participants, along with generations before them, have acquired skills that have helped them beyond their days at Siena. “Intramurals helped me to multi-task, remain organized, learn how to deal with different types of people and improve my communication skills,” Fausto Franco ’02 said. “When you are dealing with so many people and trying to reach similar objectives, you learn how to work together as a team.” Today, Fausto works at the New York State Office for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD). He credits intramurals with teaching him valuable life skills that he has taken into the work place. As student supervisor, Fausto was responsible for setting intramural schedules, overseeing student officials, scheduling captain meetings and making sure everything was ready for competition each day. “There is a lot that goes into running a successful intramural program and the numerous student workers help keep everything running smoothly,” Intramural Director Greg Brown said. “We had over 800 students compete in our three fall sports, with a high of 444 students playing basketball alone.” Over 30 students are involved in helping manage the intramural program. Current intramural sport offerings at Siena include floor hockey (men’s, women’s and co-ed), volleyball (men’s and co-ed), basketball (men’s, women’s and co-ed), indoor soccer (men’s and women’s), flag football, softball (co-ed) and squash. One of the most popular sports, flag football, was moved to the spring this year so students could play games on the new turf field behind the Marcelle Athletic Complex. “We want the new turf field to serve as a home for not only our field hockey and lacrosse teams, but also several intramural and club sports,” Athletic Director John D’Argenio said. “It’s important that all students have the opportunity to enjoy this first-class facility and continue to experience all the benefits intramural participation provides.” Freshman Marnie Maciariello played intramural basketball this fall and is playing soccer and co-ed volleyball this spring. “I got involved in intramurals because I love basketball, and I had played since I was six,” Maciariello said. “It’s also a great time. I missed playing the games just for the fun of it – and intramurals has helped recapture the essence of what is important in sports.” Chad Chafee ’07 has been an active participant in intramurals for the past four years. He said he wouldn’t have enjoyed the college experience as much without intramurals. “In addition to helping me remain active and meet new friends, intramurals helps teach important life skills,” Chad said. “I feel like I gained leadership qualities and intramurals also allows me to work on my decision making, teamwork and commitment.” These skills are the ingredients of an intramural champion and what employers look for in a Siena graduate.
Creating Your Legacy with Real Estate During the last three decades, two phenomena have happened causing real estate to become a popular option for philanthropic gifts: first, our adult children have become financially independent and often, their means exceed ours; and, second, our adult children have become far more mobile and now are living in other areas of the state and country. As a result, many donors have utilized their real estate to create a legacy at Siena College which will last forever.
Here’s how three donors used real estate to benefit Siena College during this past year:
1. Make a gift….retain the use of the property
A friend of the College owned a residence and wanted to make a gift to the College to endow a scholarship in her late husband’s name. All three of her children were financially independant and reside out of state. After discussions with the donor and her financial advisor, she transferred the residence to the College and retained the right to live in the house for the rest of her life. As directed by the donor, the College will sell the property upon her death and use the proceeds to permanently endow a scholarship in her late husband’s name. In addition to creating this legacy, our donor receives a large income tax deduction in the year of the gift; the real estate is removed from her estate; and her children do not have to worry about administering the real estate.
2. Make a gift….create a stream of income.
An alumnus owned a piece of rental real estate which he was interested in selling. He was interested in making a gift to Siena College, but also wanted to supplement his retirement income from the proceeds of the sale. The real estate, which was purchased years earlier for $50,000 was appraised for $250,000. If he sold the property, he would have to pay capital gains taxes of $30,000. After consulting with his financial advisors, he placed the real estate into a charitable remainder trust, which was able to sell the ee property tax-fr tax-free ee. As a result, the donor was able to earn income from the entir entiree asset placed in the trust. The donor set a trust payout rate of 6% and enjoys a fixed annual income of $15,000 a year for the rest of his and his wife’s lives. Upon their deaths, the trustee distributes the balance on hand in the trust to Siena College. Like the first donor, this donor creates a legacy at Siena; receives a large income tax deduction in the year he creates the trust; avoids the capital gains taxes on the sale; and the real estate is removed from his estate for both tax and administrative purposes.
3. Outright gift.
Our third donor wanted to make a large gift to the College, but wasn’t interested in making a gift of this size during his lifetime. As a result, he made a provision in his will leaving the real estate to Siena College. Shortly after his death, the real estate was transferred to the College and was sold by the College with the proceeds used to create an endowed scholarship in his and his wife’s names for future generations of students attending Siena College. Like the first two donors, our third donor was able to create his legacy at Siena. In addition, the real estate was not subject to an estate tax and the family did not have to worry about caring for and selling the real estate. All three of these donors shared a desire to create a legacy at Siena College. Each of them used real estate in a different way to create their legacy. If you would like to explore how you might use real estate or some other asset to create your legacy at Siena College, please feel free to contact Jack Sise, Esq;. ’75, Director of Planned Giving at jsise@siena.edu or by phone at (518) 7832432. All conversations are confidential. Siena News • 26
ALUMNI ○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
CLASS NOTES
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
Class Notes Editor eterson ’08 & Catherine Sok ol ’08 Please submit all of your Class Notes information to your Editor:: Erin P Peterson Sokol Class Coordinator, if there is no Coordinator listed, please send information to alumni@siena.edu. 1950 Mario M. Albanese recently celebrated his 50th anniversary practicing law. Following Siena, he sold life insurance before enrolling at Fordham Law School, where he is a 1955 graduate. After passing the Bar Exam on the first try, he began practicing law in Gloversville, NY and has ever since. Lawrence Mahar has just published his second book Living with the Enemy. The book is a compilation of the remembrance and experiences of former U.S. military who served in the Army of Occupation in Germany and Japan following World War II. 1955 William H. Copeland and Ter esa Mor one/Copeland eresa Morone/Copeland ’56 will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in April 2007. Their three children, (one of which is a Siena grad, Cynthia Copeland/Sturges ’84) had a 75th birthday celebration for them in August 2006. The party was attended by over 100 family and friends at the Italian American Community Center pavilion. 1959 Frank Martin (Francis, Fran) ftmartin@earthlink.net 3 Newburry Court Clifton Park, NY 12065 One of the last appointments that former New York State Governor George Pataki made in 2006 was atric to appoint J. P Patric atrickk Bar Barrr ett chairman of the NYS Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA.) ORDA was created by the State to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface and Gore Mountain ski areas, the
Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg (Lake Placid), and the Olympic ice and jumping complexes. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes and spectators to New York State. 1961 John Moor Mooree , Captain, USN (Ret.) and his wife, Peggy, were in Barcelona for three weeks in January visiting their son, Joe, and his family. John and Peggy celebrated their 40th anniversary in September 2006. They also have another son and two daughters and live near Seattle. 1962 Reunion JJune une 1-3 Ken Deitcher dukaytravel@att.net chemroche@aol.com 1964 Nicholas Mastracchio has been appointed to the Auditing Standards Board of the America Institute of CPA’s. The board sets standards for audits of companies throughout the US and coordinates standards internationally. 1967 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Frank Gorke was recently made President Elect of Greater Naples Leadership (www.gnlwebsite.org). This organization has nearly 300 alumni who have gone through a year long educational program, and then get involved in non profit organizations throughout the Naples. Frank is still very involved with the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County (www.bgccc.org), and his version of the “Dave Smith” golf outing raised $200,000 this year for the 1100 at risk children in Collier County. Professionally, Frank is still plugging along with
Lighthouse Asset Management (www.lighthouseasset.com), and he now has offices in Boston, Naples, and Center Lovell, ME. 1968 Bill McGoldrick bmcgoldrick@wash-mcg.com I love that each time the Alumni Magazine comes out, several classmates check in who haven’t before. If you have not sent a note about yourself, your career, etc., do it today! Don McCormick (who just missed the last deadline) wrote that even his mother couldn’t figure out what he did professionally. Don was an entrepreneur before I knew what the word meant. “I identified a niche where many publications wanted advertising to help defray their printing costs, but had no in-house sales staff. I contacted chambers of commerce, trade groups, sports teams, entertainment venues, etc. and found many people interested in my services, especially because I was willing to work on a straight commission basis. “Because of a good reputation and a history of producing results, many more publications are now asking for my help. It’s an interesting business and, somehow, there have always been new projects waiting to replace ones that we no longer do for whatever reason. I guess it’s a good example of making something from nothing, working for yourself and constantly working with deadlines and uncertainty, but I have enjoyed it and don’t see the end in sight.” Pete Lattimore and Debbi live in Albuquerque, NM. Pete says he’s “been here since the weekend after the NCAA basketball finals were at The Pit in 1983 - answer to a trivia question: the last time the final four was held on a college campus.” After seven years active duty in the army (Germany, Panama Canal Zone, Viet Nam,
Ft. Bliss, Ft. Belvoir) in air defense artillery, he was inducted into Sigma Xi, the national professional scientific honor society in 1981. He may be the only Siena graduate in Sigma Xi. Since 1987, Pete has served as chief scientist for several companies and is presently working for Rhinocorps Ltd., a leading edge high technology firm, that was listed among Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing small companies last fall. Pete designs computer simulations used by the Dept. of Defense, State, Energy, Homeland Security, Transportation; and NASA and some other independent federal agencies. Pete has served on the Albuquerque City Council ’91-’95 and ran for Mayor in ’93. He says he’s “not planning on retiring for a long time, maybe never, having too much fun working!” Walter Chur Churcch writes that he ‘officially’ retired in 2002, following the sale of his businesses. ”My wife, Dr. Nancy, is still teaching @ SUNY-Plattsburgh School of Business & Economics, and our daughter, Marietta, (Captain USAF) was married in 2006 in the Seychelles Islands. Bob Britton and I still get together when we can and cars are always a topic of conversation. We were the only roommates with Corvettes, and I still have mine!” 1971 Tom Killeen has received a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and is currently an assistant principal with the Hudson County Schools of Technology in New Jersey. 1975 The Siena College Board of Trustees elected Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F .M., to be the 10th President .F.M., Siena News • 27
our lives. Here are updates on a couple of our former classmates. It was great to hear from Gwenn B a n a c h / Judge Judge, who as of August 1, 2007, Dan DiLasica ‘99 and Bridg et Maguir Bridget Maguiree ‘99 ‘99Back will become the nd Row: B. Conneally ’99; 2 Row: D. Corbett ’99, V. new Director of Fink/Long ’99, J. Gerbes/Conneally, B. Maguire Budget and Plan(bride), D. DiLascia (groom), C. Richardson ’99, P. ning at Syracuse Crowe ’99, J. Burke ’99; Front Row: M. Wright ‘99 U n i v e r s i t y. Gwenn has of Siena College, effective June 1, served on a number of committees 2007. Congratulations Fr. Kevin since joining Syracuse University or ni/Da Mullen!!! Jayne L. FFor orni/Da ni/Dayy in 1980, and has held the position was just named one of five Genof Associate Director of Budget eral Electric Company Officers, the and Planning since 1999. We wish highest corporate designation Gwenn all the best in her new venwithin the corporation. She curture and expect great things! Rev. rently serves as Vice President and Daniel P P.. Liston was named Chief Risk Officer of GE Real monsignor by Pope Benedict XVI. Estate. Since joining GE in 1991, Stephen Badger Badger, CEO of the she has grown the risk management George Washington University function at GE Real Estate from 6 Medical Faculty Associates repeople in one office to over 400 ceived the Medical Practice Execuprofessionals in 24 locations across tive of the Year Award from MediNorth America, Europe, and Asia. cal Group Management Association and American College of 1976 Medical Practice Executives at ph In November 2006, Jose oseph their national meeting on October Sawicki Jr. was re-elected as Suf24th in Las Vegas, which had an folk County Comptroller, and is attendance of over 5,000. He was now serving in his second four year featured in the February 2007 isterm as Suffolk County’s Chief sue of Health Leaders magazine in Fiscal Officer. Suffolk’s populaan article entitled, “The Big Bang.” tion is 1.45 million and its annual budget is $2.8 billion. Prior to 1979 this, Joseph served 6 terms in the Sue R eill y/ Ha Hayyes Reill eilly/ New York State Assembly from CLIFTON522@aol.com 1983 to 1993. 522 Chili-Riga Town Line Road Churchville, NY 14428 1977 Reunion JJune une 1-3 (585) 889-2072 Linda Fitzsimmons Greetings! Let me start by wishing lfitzsimmons@hvc.rr.com all of you a Happy 50th Birthday This year in the northeast, we had since, unbelievably, many of us will to wait until February for any sign be hitting that milestone this year! of winter. I had the opportunity I would love to feature news on to visit the campus in mid-Februbirthday bashes, wacky group celary and was reminded of the diffiebrations, surprise parties, and vaculties we were faced with as colcations in honor of turning 50 in a lege students with a car on camfuture column, so drop me an epus. Where can we put the car? mail or send me a photo or two! Where do we put the snow? But Cath esca and her husCathyy Della P Pesca like all things, this too shall pass band, Angelo Tamburri, were deand it won’t be long until spring lighted to see their oldest daughwill be upon us. Make plans to ter, Emily Tamburri, enter Siena as attend our 30th reunion this coma freshman last fall. Cathy writes ing June- you won’t be disapthat Emily looked at a million pointed. Our class dinner on Satschools and found the atmosphere urday evening of reunion weekend to be very friendly at Siena from will be great! Reunion weekend is her very first visit. She started as a a time to renew old friendships and business major, but is contemplatreconnect with the Siena College ing switching her focus to English/ community that has had influenced Journalism/Advertising/Market-
ing. (Remember those days of switching majors?!) Cathy resides in Hawthorne, New Jersey and has been married for 20 years. She and Angelo have four children (two boys and two girls) ranging in age from 18 to 12. My call for information on military reservists was heeded by Dan T homas homas, who decided to join the military a bit later and was commissioned in 1981. He’s been active in the reserves for over 12 years and is assigned to the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia. Dan is deploying to Kuwait with some time in Iraq for a six-month assignment, scheduled to begin in June. We’ll be thinking of you, Dan—stay safe, and drop us an e-mail from Kuwait. Bill Ramsey sent a long, newsy e-mail with an update on his life. I’ll let him share the news in his own words: “Greetings from sunny (most of the time) Florida! This is Bill Ramsey, ’79, saying hi to you & all of my classmates. I’ve been meaning to write, but time has a way of slipping by. Here’s a brief update on my life: I’m an insurance agent in Winter Springs, Florida, which is about a half hour from downtown Orlando. I’ve remarried and my wife, Mary, is from Amherst, NY (can’t stay away from New York!) I have two children: Kelly is a senior at the University of Florida, studying Agricultural & Biological Engineering. Erin is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, with a double major in Psychology & Theology. Also, two step-children: Angela will enter Auburn University in August, and Lee is a freshman at Winter Springs HS. In the great Franciscan tradition of volunteering, I am President of my church’s Men’s Club, sit on the Board of Directors for the Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando, and announce the lacrosse games for the Winter Springs High School ladies varsity & JV teams. I visited Siena in September ’06 and then spent some time with Tim O’Brien ‘78 and his wife, Melanie, in Schuylerville. The campus looks great! Tim and Mel haven’t changed a bit. Well, that’s enough about me. I’d love to hear from some old friends- I’m registered on the alumni web site.” Thanks to all for keeping in touch…and keep those e-mails coming! 1980 Excelsior College has named Thomas J. Dalton to the position of
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. In his new position, Dalton will be responsible for the operations of the college’s Office of Financial Aid. Heartfelt congratulations to Bryan Coakley and his wife, Ann Marie. They sent out a very special holiday card this year which read, “No more silent nights at the Coakley household!” and featured an adorable photo of their new bundle of joy, Brianna Marie. Best wishes, much happiness, and good luck with the transition to parenthood! 1982 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Becky Simbari/Almstead PO Box 496 Newtonville, NY 12128 almstead@msn.com Are you ready to return to campus in June for our 25th Class Reunion! The Class of 1982 is going to have one great party Saturday Night, June 2! The committee has been hard at work planning and now they are focused on raise $82,000 to support the restoration of Siena Hall’s Gold Dome. So for, about $10,000 has been committed and an anonymous classmate has stepped up to the plated with a generous challenge - - for every classmate who donates $1,000 this classmate will match it up to $25,000! Wow! All gifts can be paid over a five year period; no gift is too big or small. Make your commitment today and keep an eye on the mail for the Reunion Registration Brochure! Margaret Krill Hondr os and F r . K en P aulli Hondros Ken Paulli attended Fr. Peter Donohue’s inauguration as the 32nd President at Villanova University’s on September 8, 2006. 1983 Elvira Altimari-J ae Altimari-Jae aegg er 60 Wyatt Rd Garden City, NY 11530 eaj6@optonline.net Happy Spring to the Class of 83’ I was excited to get my first shout out response and it was a Two-fer. osatoThank you Linda R RosatoPrice!!!!! After many long years and countless hours in public accounting and JP Morgan’s finance department, Linda has been working part-time as CFO and Bookkeeper at a small business near her home in Floral Park, LI (what’s better than walking to work???). Her husband and fellow 83’er Chuck Price recently left EAB/
Christine Maccarrone’97 & Lewis Leoce Citibank after over 20 years to be the VP of Strategic Initiatives at American Home Mortgage in Melville. Of course, that is when he is not working at his true passion - coaching basketball baseball and softball. Linda and Chuck have a son Danny, 14 and a daughter Amanda, 12. Linda says that spending a spring night at the Floral Park Rec Center is akin to “hangin in the Quad at Siena!” We hope to be hanging with Linda and Chuck at the 25th. I got an email d Finc war from Ho How ard Finchh from his laptop at the airport in Dallas. He is living in Skaneateles, NY (which is in the Finger Lakes region) with his wife of 20 years, Diane and his two children. Kristopher is a freshman at Mercyhurst College and
Mar et Krill Hondr os ‘82 Margg ar aret Hondros en P aulli ’82 attended Ken Paulli and FFrr. K Fr. Peter Donohue’s inauguration Kara is a sophomore in High School. Shortly after graduating Siena, Howard joined Hand Held Products where he has worked for the last 23 years. He is currently Director of Channel Development and travels a lot domestically. He is looking forward to seeing everyone at the 25 year reunion next year. The winter issue of the Alumni News also inspired Wade Cross to get in touch. Lucky for us it is another two-fer. Wade’s email, like many others stared off with “I don’t know if you remember me but…” I remember mostly everyone, but sometimes I cheat and email one of my roommates to help to refresh my memory.
Sorry for my digression. Wade, an alumnus of 2S, Ryan Hall, is married to Cher yl Langis-Cr oss Cheryl Langis-Cross oss. They were married at Siena in 1984 and spent the first 15 years of marriage on Long Island where they worked at Grumman. Both Wade and Cheryl went on to earn Masters Degrees in Computer Science from NYIT. In 1998 Wade left Grumman for Lockheed Martin in Atlanta and about two years ago was transferred to Dallas-Ft. Worth where he is now the Director of F-35 Simulation Laboratory Development and Operations. Cheryl left Grumman after the birth of their second child and now enjoys the challenging job of stay at home mom to their three 3 children, Kevin 17, Laura 13 and Emily 9. Wade says “some of their happiest memories are of Siena” and hopes one of their children attends their alma mater. The Office of Alumni Relations is putting together a reunion committee for the 25th in June of 08 and are looking for volunteers. If you have any interest in being involved in the decision making process for our 25th please email me. The more the merrier. I already have a list started. It will be a minimal time commitment, I promise. Thanks to everyone who has sent me email updates. This issue I would like to send a “shout out” to Tom Bonomo and Mar Maryy Lou Corsi Corsi. Where are you and what are you up to. 1984 Lisa San Fratello/ McCutc heon 305 The McCutcheon Parkway Ithaca, New York 1485 mclisa@twcny.rr.com Elaine Heiskell is alive and well and living on the west coast! She sends a big “hello” to everyone and would love to hear news from old friends. She can be reached at elaineheiskell@aol.com. Jeanne Gillen has been teaching Spanish language and culture at the high school level since 1989, starting at St. John the Baptist DHS in West Islip, Long Island and continuing currently at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC where she teaches Advanced Placement Language and levels III/IV, is the Department Chair for Second Languages, and
the Girls’Varsity Tennis Coach. This past year, she earned National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ( nbpts.org). She has been living and working in Raleigh since 1993 and has a five year old son, Ian. 1985 Catherine & R on Bjorklund Ron bjork90@comcast.net 14 Stevens Lane Tabernacle, NJ 08088-9744 WE PLEADED AND YOU ANSWERED! Thanks for the updates! Keep them coming! It doesn’t have to be new news, just what you have been up to over the years. Belated congratulations to Steve Dempsey and his wife, Debbie, on the birth of their third child, Lily Eve, born on May 26, 2006. Lily joins big brothers, Lucas and Aiden. Congratulations also to Kevin Gibson and his wife, Patty, on the arrival of baby #4! James Walter Gibson who was born on February 22, 2007 and joins brothers and sister, Maggie, Michael and Thomas. Those Troy boys are busy! When you were growing up, didn’t you always want to be a vet and work in a zoo? Mary Den Denvver has done just that to the envy of my 9 year old daughter. Mary lives with her husband, John, her daughter, Alex (6), and son, Josh (4), in Maryland. Mary went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University in the field of human genetics, and decided she wasn’t happy doing lab work all the time. Once she decided what she really wanted to do, she became a zoo veterinarian and works in the conservation field, she went to veterinary school at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. Mary did one year of private practice, then an internship at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and then a residency in Zoo Medicine at the University of California-Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital (which covered three zoos and a raptor rehabilitation center). She met her husband, John Trupkiewicz, at Davis. He is a zoo veterinary pathologist. After finishing her residency, she worked at the El Paso Zoo in TX. When a job opened up at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Mary and John jumped at the opportunity to be back east near family. Mary started as associate veterinarian, became head veterinarian, and is now the Veterinary Operations Manager
SIEN A P ARENTS SIENA PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Siena parents are some of the most generous people around. Their strong support of the Parent Fund strengthens the college and supports their sons’ & daughters’ Siena Experience. Contribute to the Parent Fund online: wwwsiena.edu/ annualfund, or by phone: 1-888-SIENA-4U. at the MZIB, and also the President-Elect of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Siena ohn Nania prodigy, JJohn Nania, wrote to tell us about an exciting adventure involving his 8 year old son, Max. Max received a book deal with Five Star Publications. They are going to publish and distribute his book called Cooking with Max. The book’s website is: www.cookingwithmax.com. The book is scheduled to be released in late April/early May and is already on Amazon.com, as well as other specialty internet sites. It is currently being reviewed by one of the head chefs at Wolfgang Puck’s Orlando restaurant as well as some other chefs around the country. The book is fun, educational, and great for family interaction. A book tour is planned that will be like a mini Emeril Live (dates and locations on website). John is a musician with a well-known blues band in the Atlanta area, and they are going to be Max’s show band. For anyone interested in purchasing a signed copy directly from Max, they can e-mail him at: cookingwithmax@bellsouth.net. Once the book arrives in late April/early May, he’ll personalize and ship. 1986 Susan Zemgulis, OP has become the Administrator of the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna, NY. Congratulations to John J. Bellardini who on February 19, 2007 was named partner at JC Jones
Chris Wojeski ’02 to JJennif ennif er Bacon ennifer Bacon. Back row: S. Zimmerman ’02, K. Bohrman ’03, C. Wojeski ’02, D. Taylor ’02, M. DesJardins ’02, J. Dalmata ’03. Front Row: J. Bacon Wojeski, A. Bodette DeMagistris ’03, C. DeMagistris ‘02 & Associates, LLC, an award-winning profit improvement and turnaround consulting firm. Kar Karll JJaay Sleight has announced that he will be leaving his position as Executive Director of the New York State Ethics Commission, a position he’s held since March 2001, to join the law firm of Harris Beach as a Member of the firm working out of the Albany and NYC offices (effective March 12th). He will be co-leading the Government Investigations and Defense Team and be a member of the Business and Commercial Litigation Practice Group. He writes, “I have enjoyed my 6 years at the Commission and the 10 years prior to that as a prosecutor, but I am very excited about the future.” 1987 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Geraldine “Ger “Gerrr y” McAndrew Geraldine.mcandrew@verizon.net Class of 1987 - spring is here! Some of us have experienced colder weather than others, but I wish you a warm and wonderful spring (For those who live in or near Oswego, we hope to hear from you by August). I heard from a few of our classmates since the last edition of Siena News, but I know there are more of you with exciting and noteworthy events going on in your life, and it is time to share. Janice Hagadorn/Foley was recently named the seventh president of Boston Women Communicators, a 250-member professional association dedicated to advancing the careers of women in communications. Janice is also the principal owner of Jani Communications, a strategic communications consultancy specializing in communications strategy, PR, and marketing communications. She resides in Franklin, MA with her
husband, Bill, and their two daughters. After 17 years in the insuran ance industry, Sean Hallig Halligan opened his own business, Halligan Claims Investigations, providing independent investigations to insurance carriers and attorneys. Sean recently retired from the New York National Guard at the rank of Major, 20 years after being commissioned through the Siena ROTC program. He resides in Wilton, NY with his wife, Kristin Roy ’88, and their two sons. R. War d Duf fy had a wonderful run ard Duffy playing Iago in director, Gavin Cameron-Webb’s adaptation of Othello at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre. Critics called his performance “exceptional,” saying that “the show truly belongs to Duffy.” Congratulations! Reserve the date – our 20th reunion will be June 1-3. Look forward to seeing you and reconnecting. 1988 Paula Cacossa Paula.g ymbor ee@sbcg lobal.net aula.gymbor ymboree@sbcg ee@sbcglobal.net Victoria Bouf d wrote to say Boufffar ard that she is in Schenectady working with Fortitech as a buyer of vitamins and minerals. She is proud to say that she is still in music as a singer/songwriter/guitarist. She said, “After years of people asking me why I don’t have a CD, now I do. “All the Reasons”, recorded in August with producer David Goodrich was resleased in December. I even pulled out the flute for the first time in 20 years for this! I’ve had some airplay on WEQX in Vermont and will be playing everywhere in 2007.” You can find Victoria at: myspace.com/ victoriabouffard and victoriabouffard.com. Laura McF all is living in Rochester, NY McFall with her husband, Lee, and two children. Sammy (8) and Mary
(6) are their # 1 source of joy. Last year, Laura lived through and survived a corporate merger. What an experience. She continues to prosper in sales at Empire Corp. Joe Inzerillo has been living in the Washington, DC area for the past 12 years and loves living in DC. Joe has been with BB&T Bank as Vice President of Sales for about 4 years and been in the payroll industry for about 13 years. Joe and his wife of five years, Tracy, had their first child this year. Their baby girl, Mia Inzerillo, was born in January. He writes, “Just getting older, but still young at heart.” Eileen Guiney is helping to battle breast cancer and save woman’s lives. Eileen enjoys her work as a controller at Avon Foundation and fighting for a good cause. So, if you are walking and/or donating to fight breast cancer in the Avon Walks, remember Eileen is behind the scenes making sure all those donations are being put to best use. Eileen lives in Carmel, NY along with her husband, Eric Berglunde, and their beautiful daughter, Meghan. Lori Glassbr ook/T ra Glassbrook/T ook/Tra rayy er er, her husband, Phil, and 3 kids now live right outside the Blue Ridge Mountains in Berryville, VA. Over the years, they have lived in New York, Chicago, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia. Now, she says her moving days are over. Her life is too hectic to move. Her days are busy with volunteer work and chaperoning her teenage boys, Matthew and Stephen, and daughter, Rachel, to their different activities. Lori also enjoys working in the local school district. 1989 Mike Carbonaro sienanews.1989@yahoo.com 3140 10th Street Bethlehem, PA 18020 Class of ’89 are you still there? My inbox is empty and I am not feeling the love! I have heard from a couple of you but I know there are some 800+ of us out there living our lives, so let’s start sharing. The winners for this column are Heidi L. Grimm Grimm, Guy Maddalone Maddalone, and Nick Scattareggia who all wrote in with their information. The next column is due for submission by the end of May, so please send me some information so I can broadcast your news to our extended family. Lt. Colonel Heidi L. Grimm was busy; she
won the women’s division in the 2006 Best of the U.S. Triathlon Championships held on Sept. 16. A month later Heidi, and her team, participated in the World Triathlon championships held in Kona Hawaii in October 2006. Heidi and her team of 3 military men facing insurmountable odds, won the Military division of the triathlon for the second year in the row. To finish 2006 and begin 2007, Heidi was named the 2006 Amateur Female Triathlete of the Year by “Triathlete” magazine. Guy T. Maddalone, Founder/CEO of the nanny payroll provider, GTM Household Employment Experts in Clifton Park, NY has a new book in print. The book, “How to Hire a Nanny” released on October 15, 2006. It is the second book from the author in his area of expertise Household employment and the payroll responsibilities when you hire household help. Guys’ first book, “How to Hire & Retain Your Household Help: A Household HR Handbook,” published in 2004 set the standard for hiring and keeping household employees. Guy and his wife Diane Shea/Maddalone live in Clifton Park with their three children. Nicholas Scattareggia wrote in to let us know that he joined Legacy Banks of Pittsfield, Mass as a Senior Mortgage specialist in the Colonie. Nick resides in Latham with his wife and three ner/ children. Christine War arner/ Bonanno and her three kids wrote in to report on Phil Bonanno Bonanno, thanks Christine, Michael, Katie and John. Phil, a Director for Buck Consultants in NYC, recently became an Associate in the Society of Actuaries. 1990 Stephen Leavenworth stephen.leavenworth@cit.com (212) 382-6975 I was happy to see that so many people responded to an e-mail that I sent in December. Here is some of the good news: Patric atrickk and Rachelle Kohoe had their fourth child, Jacqueline Ann Cathleen Kehoe on July 17, 2006. Steve Pinto opened Pro Prospects Training Center, a baseball and softball instruction facility, in 1998 and just added an 8,000 square foot facility this year. After a one year tour in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Patric atrickk Maloney returned to his
Jill W hite/Giar dino ‘96 to Mike Giardino hite/Giardino
Center, a NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, where she has worked for the past 14 years. She is coauthor of a recent textbook entitled “Fundamentals of Cancer PrevenDawn Marie Iannaco/Hahn ’97 ’97. L to R: R. tion.” Her research Noeth/Tiley ’97, C. Frasier ’97, E. Cornwell/ is focused in ovaFrasier ’97, D. Iannaco/Hahn ’97, B. Corey ’97, rian cancer, and Mary Jane Netter/Bueti ’97, N. Bueti ’94, C. she has authored Nigro/Nirebct ’08, M. Morency ’80 or co-authored more than 10 articles in the field family in Charlton, NY. Pat earned helle over the past few years. Mic Michelle the Bronze Star for his service. Cancilla)/Ho w e Cancilla)/How and her husJeanae Washington checked in band, Matthew, have three chilto say that she recently took a podren: Jacob (7 years old), Justin (6 sition as Business Development years old), and Jillian (4 years old). Manager for CotyInc after 8 years The Howe family lives in with L’Oreal. Joe Gauta and Sue Brewerton, NY where Michelle is Jensen/Gauta ‘91 reported in to self-employed doing consulting and say that they have three children, business plans for medium sized Spencer, Stephen, and Samantha. businesses. Here is a story that is In addition to being an avid fishertruly uplifting. As you may know, man with his children, Joe was just on 9/11/01 we lost a fellow 1990 nominated to the Board of Govergraduate, Richard Fraser Fraser. Rich nors of the Florida Medical Assowas survived by his wife, Suzanne, ciation. Joe Shaf Shafffer eryy is in the and his young son, Aidan. Rich middle of his 11th year as a school and Sue had been confronted early psychologist in New Hyde Parkon with the fact that Aidan had a Garden City Park USFD. With rare disorder called neurofibromahis wife Monica, Joe is the proud tosis. This disorder results in the parent of 4 year old twin daughdangerous growth of tumors ters, Nicole and Caroline. Tim throughout his body. Aidan is now Carfi and his wife, Melissa, live in six years old. Since Rich’s death, Connecticut with their three boys Aidan has been battling this disZachary, Austin, and Lucas. Tim ease with his courageous mom and is the CFO of the direct US and their family by his side. He reLatin America leasing business at cently underwent two very intense, GE Commercial Finance. Lisa rare, and high risk procedures to Hess/Kr ein lives in Tucson, AriHess/Krein stabilize and relieve pressure on his zona with her 12-year old daughspinal cord caused by a large tuter, Rachael. Since Siena, she has mor that had formed there. Aidan completed two master’s degrees was at serious risk and in serious (one in Latin American Studies and pain due to the tumor. The operaone in Pharmaceutical Sciences) tions, performed in November, and is currently completing a docwere a success! Many challenges toral degree in Pharmaceutical Ecostill lie ahead for this brave little nomics, Policy and Health Outboy. He will continue to battle comes (’07). She is the Science neurofibromatosis, but his spirit Officer for the Arizona Cancer and will are something for all of us
to admire. Brian Stimpfl recently reconnected with Rich’s sister and the Fraser’s are very upbeat and positive about the future, and their spirit reminds me of the all too familiar qualities of our friend, Rich. Aidan, Sue, and their entire family have undergone tremendous hardship and challenge. No one can even begin to comprehend what they have been through, or how they continue to persevere through it. Please include the Fraser family in your prayers. 1991 Frank LaForce wrote in to say that his wife Mary Kay Brewer/ LaForce LaForce, has been enjoying life to the fullest in East Aurora, NY. The couple has two daughters, Kaley and Maggie, and their son, Casey. Mary has since finished law school, and in 1998 she became an associate with Hamberger & Weiss Law Firm of Buffalo, NY. Mary Kay joined the Run for Roswell Team in Training and completed the San Francisco Marathon in July 2006. In December 2006, Mary Kay was named a Partner in the Hamberger & Weiss Law Firm. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments!! The Nielsen Company has a new CFO, Brian J. West est. Brian has spent the last sixteen years in senior financial management positions within the global GE organization, most recently as CFO at GE Aviation, Infrastructure. Brian joins Nielsen at a time of significant opportunity and challenge as they transition into a single, integrated company with consolidated global business services and functions.. Caroline Ihlenburg/Merkelz and husband, Peter, along with children, Ryan and Samantha, proudly announce the birth of Cody Alexander Merkelz, born on February 2, 2007 in Lake Forest, IL. “It’s a little hectic these days with a 4 year old, 14 month old, and a newborn, but we certainly feel very blessed!” 1992 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Mar y P at McLoughlin/ Pat Holler jmpholler@optonline.net Thank you to those who sent me updates on what has been happening in their lives since we graduated. Congratulations to Darin Cardin and his wife Amy on the arrival of their beautiful baby daughter. Lilly Maureen arrived on
Class Gifts Energize Reunion Gi ving Giving Reunion is a chance to celebrate achievements! Join your classmates in contributing to your Class Gift to honor the year of your graduation. Give online: www.siena.edu/annualfund, or by phone: 1-888-SIENA4U. If you have pledged but not paid, payment is required to count toward the Class Gift. Join us today! March 23, 2006. Congratulations also and a great big WOW to Kristine Lombardi who summited Mount Kilimanjaro on June 26, 2006. Kristine is currently working for Reader’s Digest Children’s Books as a Senior Editor. One last note - I hope many of you are planning to attend our reunion this year! It’s an anniversary year for us so we would love to see as many people as possible on campus the weekend of June 1-3. 1993 Susan Hannon shannon@ryeneck.k12.ny.us 213 W. 252nd Street Riverdale, NY 10471 917-796-2085 Class of 1993 quiz: What color did we call the room that was added to the cafeteria? Who was the best pool player in the RAT? Where was the annual keg race held? Who won the PowderPuff football game in 1992? Know the answers? Have other good Siena ’93 trivia? E-mail me and give me an update as well. So, I’ve got lots to report this time around. Thanks to all who contributed and make me look good with a long column! ob Special thanks to Chris R Rob obbb , Scott P ark er and Colleen Park arker Longobardi for answering my call out! Chris moved back to Syracuse about 2 1/2 years ago after living in Boston and New Hampshire for several years. He is married to Kathy and has three kids (Cailey 7, Liam 5 and Ava 3). He has worked for Medtronic in medical device sales focusing on diabetes for the past 5 1/2 years. He also filled me in on his old roommates: Jef efff LaCourse is moving
Har tmann passed away recently. Hartmann He will be missed by all.
Brian Ne vin ’00 to R onda Nevin Ronda onda. First Row: M. Farrow ’00, T. Obrien/ Trietiak ’00, A. Karoly ’00, R. Nevin, B. Nevin ’00, B. Sherman, B. Klim ’68. Second Row: T. Ragazzo ’00, K. Golden ’99, J. Powers ’00, M. McElhatton/Powers ’00, Fr. Dan Dwyer to Charlotte, NC at the end of the month. He is a doctor and is married to his high school sweetheart, Alecia. They have 3 kids. Paul Praylo is married with 1 child, while Brett Bushnell is married with 2 kids.. Bill Linden is single yler and lives in NYC. John Bo Boyler is single and after receiving yet another master’s degree, he is looking to get a job with homeland security. Thanks Chris for the info. In his own words, the artist formerly known as Keghead, Scott Park er recently got engaged and arker lives in Long Beach, NY with his fiancée, Kate, and their two children, Bella and Bocephus – which just happens to be Hank Williams Colleen Jr.’s nickname. Longobardi is indeed still in NYC. Former ROTC man,
finish his deployment this summer and resume his Deputy Counsel duties at The Research Foundation of the State University of New York. Financial advisor John “P “Pee pe” Alessandr Alessandroo and wife, Leslie, welcomed their new baby, Edward John on December 19, 2006. Knick-named Teddy (like Edward “Ted” Kennedy), he joins his big brother, Henry, who is 2 years old. Lori Bubb Bubb, a primary care doctor in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, currently lives with her 3 dogs in Charlottesville but is moving shortly to Chattanooga, TN to reunite with her husband, Dan Mackey, who recently took on a new job there. She also coaches a summer softball team of 11-13 year olds who seem to have more talent than our
Tom Vetter ’98 to JJennif ennif er ennifer er. J. Garofalo ’98, D. Fortier ’98, P Cote ’98, A. Hanson/Garofalo ’97, J. Mangino ’98, D. Aronowitz ’98, Fr. D. Tamburello ’75, H. O’Brien/Mauro ’99, V. Mauro ’98, T. Vetter ’98, J. Vetter, M. Rubies ’98, Br. M. Harlan, K. Rostkowski ’98, C. Ovedovitz/Rostkowski ’98, S. Christian ’98, S. Cannata ‘98 Christopher Hanifin Hanifin, currently in the reserves, has been promoted to the rank of Major in the US Army. He was deployed in January 2006 to Afghanistan and Kuwait and was recently redeployed to Wurzburg, Germany. Here, he joined his wife, Kristen, (whom he met at a Model UN conference while attending Siena) and his two children, Grace and Liam. He will
team did at Siena back in the day! er married Emil Barker Emilyy John Bark Ar gis (’95) last August. Whew! – Argis that was a lot – but there are still a few hundred of you to go! Keep the news coming and I promise to get it in the column! This month I’d love to hear from one of my neighbors from TH#32 or from Chris Cassalia or Tom Fleming or Lori Kovacs. Finally, Sean
1994 Glenn Hofsess gh@endcap.com 83 Kellogg Street Brookfield, CT 06804 I have not received much e-mail this quarter from my fellow graduates. Therefore, I am hoping the spring season will get some of you motivated to write that e-mail you’ve been meaning write, and tell us what is going on in your lives. My first column was printed in the winter issue, and was jam- packed with information. I fear the stigma of being labeled a one hit wonder, so please keep the e-mail coming with any kind of news or announcement. I will start contacting you if necessary (are you reading this Andrew M. Martin Martin?). I hope you are all enjoying the renewal that spring brings us and wish you a “Happy Spring Weekend” as they existed in about 1992. Then again, at this age that might be just too much of a good thing. The only news I have to report comes Sue Kleinheidt from Kleinheidt/ Rissmeyer, who with her husband, Brian, would like to announce the birth of their beautiful daughter, Kathryn Olivia on September 10, 2006. All the best to Sue and Brian as they share in the joy the gift of a baby brings. 1995 Neil Wilco ilcovv e nwilcove@fmglaw.com (770) 818-1430 Heather Mac ys/ P etrie and Macys/ Petrie Jim Petrie’91 gave birth to their third child, Julia Mae. Julia was born on November 16, 2006; she joins brothers Tyler and Dean. Emil gis married John Barker Emilyy Ar Argis ’93 on August 26, 2006 and many Siena alumni were in attendance. Scott Sheldon has moved from NYC to Hollywood where he’s landed an appearance role in The Young & Restless. Scott will also be appearing in a nationwide commercial for PODS, beginning March 8th. 1996 Brian Murray murray21@hotmail.com bmurray@betterbackschiropractic.com 7387 Balfoure Circle Dublin, Ohio 43017 Phone: (614) 270-6003
Congratulations to Jill White/ Giardino who was married to husband, Mike, on September 10, 2005. Congratulations are also in order to the following alumni already hard at work raising baby number two: Stephen Babcock and Tara O’Callaghan/ Babcock welcomed their second child, Quinn Delaney, on July 23, ding 2006. Jeanine Bula/Har Bula/Harding and her husband, T imoth imothyy Harding Harding, just recently had a son, Thomas Patrick, on Dec 26, 2006. Thomas is addition number two to the family. His older sister, Alyson Elizabeth, was born on June 18, 2004. Stephen Amadon also checked in and wanted to announce the birth of his second child, Stephen, who was born June oper 6, 2006. Finally, Justin Pr Proper and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child into the world on November 1, 2006. Julianna Elizabeth joins her big sister, Isabella Rose. First time parents Molly Lupica/Feeley and her husband, Dan, welcomed a baby girl, Maeve Carole Feeley, on August 5, 2006. In her own words, “She’s really changed our lives and we’re having so much fun with her!” Congratulations to all of our new parents. No advanced degrees, promotions, or drastic life changes to report this issue, but our class sure is good at making babies! 1997 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Selena Dutcher selena.dutcher@regentcomm.com bronx_bombers25@yahoo.com (518) 265-2127 Congratulations to Dawn Iannaco-Hahn and her new husband, David. They were married in Baltimore, Maryland on August 18, 2006! The birds are singing and the snow is melting away. I hope that everyone survived the winter and that you are ready to enjoy the spring weather. Our 10 year reunion is right around the corner… 10 years!! I hope that I get to see everyone in June! Here is an update on some of our classmate: Eli Manning has been very busy! He graduated from Northwestern with a Master’s Degree in Journalism and worked at The Daily Gazette out of Schenectady, NY until 2006. During that time, Eli married Molly Hull and now lives just down the road from Dapps! Christine Maccarrone/Leoce married her husband, Lewis, on
leen Bays/ Merays and her husband, John, welcomed their first child, Shawn Ryan, on November 28, 2006. Lynn Voe gel ’04 to P aul Hef Paul Hefffer ernn . Top Row: R. DeLaurentis, M. Termine-Goetz, B. Kennedy, R. Britt, S. Goetz. Second Row: K. O’Hagen, D. Holmes, M. O’Connor, K. Spino, C. Dacey. Third Row: E. DeVanzo. M. Malone September 5, 2004. On December 28, 2006 they welcomed their first daughter, Brianna Marie, into the world! William Maina and his wife, Jill Morrison/Maina ’98, had a delivery of “double trouble” on October 27, 2006—twin daughters named Madelyn and Isabelle. Congratulations to Melissa P atrizio/MacLaughlin Patrizio/MacLaughlin and her husband, Tom MacLaughlin MacLaughlin, on the arrival of their third child, Olivia Rose on February 1, 2007! She joins her big brother, Tommy, and sister, Kate. Steve Lopez has joined a mid-sized real estate company, Benjamin James Realty, in Union Square (NYC.) He began 2007 off to a great start with two sales closing in January. In addition to sales, Steve hosts home buying seminars and still owns the bar, Tavaru. Steve can be reached at slopez@benjaminjames.com! Where does the time go? I had the opportunity to relive some memories with Amy Goldfuss/ Kleva Kleva—emails back and forth just catching up on “the girls” and talking about dorm and townhouse stories…it was great! If you have a memory that you want to share with everyone just shoot me an email! Remember…you don’t need to be engaged, planning a wedding or be having a baby to update everyone! See you in June at the reunion! 1998 Tom Vetter married Jennifer Vetter on June 5, 2004 in Spring Lake, NY. There were many Siena alums in attendance. Tom and Jennifer have since given birth to a baby girl, Abigail Catherine Vetter, on June 9, 2006. Congratulations! Sean Murphy and his wife, Angela, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Erin Elizabeth, on January 30, 2007. Col-
1999 Brendan Fitzgerald nyfitzgerald@yahoo.com fitzgeb@assembly.state.ny.us 518-258-9272 Hey Class of ’99! Spring is in the air. Did you get your Siena Annual Fund contributions in? How about those loan checks? As I’m writing this, the Siena men’s basketball team is prepping up for the MAAC Championship game tonight in Bridgeport, CT. Good luck men! It reminds me of making those freezing cold, snowy treks to the Pepsi Arena, throwing on the occasional face paint and having an excuse to wear sweats out drinking. Actually, during senior year, I did a stint as the Saint Bernard mascot. It was the 1998-99 season when Coach Hewitt brought home the MAAC Title, and the Saints held a rally at the ARC awaiting to find out who and where they’d be playing in the NCAA. I was running around in that unruly getup, cautioned at the start never to talk or reveal myself. Of course, midway through the rally as I did running dives onto the floor, sliding on the comfy chest protector, the head flew off and went rolling down the baseline. I was outed – to no shortage of boos, cat calls, and laughs from my friends. Oh the memories… On to the good n/Gar stuff ! Denise Aher Ahern/Gar n/Garrrett wrote me with great news. She and her husband of four-and-a-half years, Bill, welcomed with open arms their son. William Garrett III born on February 3, 2007, was tipping the scales at a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz, and measuring 19 inches. Congratulations Denise and Bill! February was busy. Cristina DeMarco/Wheeler and her husband, Michael Wheeler ’98, gave birth to a baby girl, Sienna Camille, on February 10, 2007. Cristina teaches 5th grade and Michael is a self-employed computer consultant. They are living in Colonie, NY. A toast to Dan DiLascia and Bridget Maguire who were married on October 14,
2006. Hope you guys had a great honeymoon! The couple now resides in Bradenton, Florida. I heard from Bonnie Dunlop who’s leading an incredibly interesting life. After passing the bar, she was accepted into the Army JAG Corps as an attorney. On May 3, 2006 she was promoted to Captain! Bonnie has been a JAG for four years. In June, she’s headed to Iraq for a second time, where she’ll be headquartered in Baghdad as an adviser with the 18th Military Police Brigade. Congratulations and thank you, Bonnie, for you distinguished service and dedication to our country. The Class of ’99 is proud to boast of you among our ranks! We wish you a safe and secure tour of duty. God bless! If you know of any other soldiers out there from our class, both overseas or at home, please give them a shout out. I’m sure they’d be glad to see it! Alas, that brings us to the end of this update. Of course I am happy to get any and all updates so please keep ‘em coming. Happy spring! 2000 Shaymus R. Schweitzer SienaSaints2000@hotmail.com 103 Sherman Ave. Troy, New York 12180 518-727-3392 I want to mention how lucky I feel to contribute to this column. As I receive e-mails from many of you and take a few moments to read and recollect, I feel as if our time at Siena was just yesterday. I have to actually stop and do the math, REPEATEDLY, to come to the conclusion that we are about seven years removed from our Siena days now. Absolutely hard for me to believe! Anyway, for the few moments I read your updates, and for the time that I do spend with the alumni I regularly keep in touch with – I like to feel it’s still, just yesterday. One such person I heard from recently was Brian Nevin Nevin. Brian recently got married to Ronda Gallegos on September 3, 2006 at the Siena College Chapel. Brian and Ronda met on Long Island about four years ago. Their reception was held at the Franklin Plaza Ballroom in Troy. Brian still works for the New York State Assembly, now as Deputy Chief of Staff for Assembly Republican Leader, Jim Tedisco. I also emailed back-and-forth with Matt Woodard. I could tell by the “Esq.”
at the end of his name that he was now a lawyer, and he filled me in d on the rest. Matthew Woodar oodard olf/W oodar d and Denise Eg Egolf/W olf/Woodar oodard were married at St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford, New York on September 24, 2006. The reception was held at Land’s End in Sayville. The happy couple celebrated their nuptials with family and friends, including several Siena graduates, and honeymooned in Hawaii. Matt and Denise live in White Plains, New York, where Matt is an attorney associated with Jackson Lewis LLP. Matt focuses his practice on representing management in employment law and related litigation. Denise works for George Weston Bakeries in Greenwich, Connecticut. Also checking d/W ilson in was Kell ellyy Clif Clifffor ord/W d/Wilson ilson. Kelly and her husband, Kevin Wilson ilson, are happy to announce the birth of their first child, a girl, on October 23, 2006. Her name is Reese Susan. Congratulations to both of you! While we are on the baby front, Lara Gennari/ Lilly and her husband, Michael Lilly ’99, are proud parents of a baby boy, Owen Michael, born on January 7, 2007. Lara said that Owen is doing really well, and seems to enjoy his daily routine of “eating, sleeping, and pooping.” Owen can’t wait to meet all of Mom and Dad’s alumni friends! In February, Nate Maloney presented a workshop titled Innovative and Successful Programming for Current Students and Young Alumni at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s Annual District I & II conference in New York City. Please keep the news coming so you can help us all feel like it’s yesterday again! 2001 Maura Mack mmack@hbs.edu 340 California St. Newton, MA 02458 As always, the class of 2001 has some exciting updates: Luke Ch yla ‘01 & Megan Callopy/ Chyla Chyla ’00 were married July 29, 2006. Luke is a sales manager at ADP in Parsippany, NJ and Meghann is a high school English teacher in Cornwall, NY. The Chylas reside in Suffern, NY. Ron Var ric hio and his wife, Danielle, arric richio were married August 2006 with Siena alumni well represented, (see photo). Ron is a physical educa-
Ron Var ric hio ’01 to Danielle arric richio tion teacher in Manhattan, and the Varrichios reside in Brooklyn. Amanda Norton has had incredible journey since graduation. She married her husband, Don Nowlin, in October 2002 and was then deployed to Afghanistan in January 2003 and returned that July. Amanda gave birth to her daughter, Piper, in January 2005 and is currently pursuing her teaching degree at Western Kentucky University. In her spare time. She is training for her first marathon! Congrats & good luck. Ian Hunt is also on the marathon trek, as he completed the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon on December 9, 2006. Mark Smith and Vanessa Desmarais ’02 welcomed Donovan Jackson into their lives on January 27, 2007. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who submitted this editions. Just a reminder that the Siena Reunion will take place June 1-3, and on Saturday, June 2 at 9pm, the All Alumni Bash will take place in the ARC. If you’re in the area, please stop in! 2002 R eunion JJune une 1-3 Reunion Cinnamond Christine christine.cinnamond@gmail.com (646) 942-0970 Congratulations to Victoria Huneau Huneau! On May 6, 2006 Victoria married Thomas Downes. Congratulations to Christopher G. Wojeski who married Jennifer Bacon Wojeski on August 19, 2006. 2003 Gina Gizzi nyginamarie52@yahoo.com P.O. Box 5133 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518) 421-4316 First of all, thank you to the Class of 2003 for your continued cooperation and contributions to the Class News and Notes publications. Everyone is doing a great job helping to make our column interesting and exciting! Now, for the latest news: Congratulations to Andrew Nikola Nikola, who completed
his Master of Science in both Childhood and Special Education at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, NY. This degree was finished in December 2006, and since then he has also begun to work a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Administration. Keep up the good work! We have two engagements to report: Kevin Kraus to Mary Katherine Joyce ’01, and Re becca Aney to Casey McCanta. Best wishes in planning your weddings! Kelly Welc hons elchons hons, Jamie Considine Considine, Jessica FFraioli raioli Jillian raioli, Milewski J acqueline Milewski, Barratto Barratto, Brendan Hayden Hayden, Erin Matier arik Matier, Josh Mag Magarik arik, and many others from class of 2003, had an informal reunion in the Albany area during a late weekend in January. They revisited old spots that held many memories from their college years: Siena campus (ate in Saga & drove around the townhouse area), had breakfast at Breuggers, ordered lunch from Genoas, revisited downtown hotspots that have been renamed in the past couple years, and of course Dapps! The reunion was so much fun as per everyone who attended, and they cannot wait for our 5 year reunion next year! Don’t we all miss those good old days? 2004 Jolleen Wagner jwagner@sanmiguelchicago.org L ynn Hef Hefff er n/V n/Voo e g ele ele, her new husband, and their wedding party: Congrats Lynn and Paul! On July 8th Monica Prinzivalli married Chris Acker ‘03. The two met at Siena and even embarked on a friendly competition regarding who would be able to make the announcement. It looks like Monica won! Congratulations and good luck, Chris and Monica! Congratulations to Brian Auerbach who has joined Smith Barney as a Financial Advisor. Hey, Class of ’04! What’s doin’? Hopefully this edition of the Siena News finds you all well with some accomplishment to SHARE! For a while there, my inbox was overflowing, but recently there has barely been a trickle. So c’mon, let us know what’s happenin’? Huge congratulations to Mark Armstrong and Megan O’Connor who will be married this coming September in Long Island. Mark and Megan
represent one of many happy couples that have met at Siena. Jolleen Wagner is wrapping up her third year of service to innercity students through the Lasallian Volunteer Program and has recently been accepted into the Manhattan College Master of Arts in School Counseling program. 2005 Sabra-joi Dingman Dingman@bard.edu 2006 Chris Elsesser celsesser@mail.fairfield.edu Box CC 1073 North Benson Rd. Fairfield, CT 06824 Ashley Boland aboland@siena.edu With the days getting longer and the aroma of the sweet spring air coming through our windows distracting us from work, it is hard to believe that we are coming up on the one-year anniversary of our memorable commencement. With a little help from Facebook, we are happy that we have been able to connect with so many of your over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully all of the following updates will inspire you to reconnect with us and let everyone else know what you have been up to over the ubin is curlast year! Jessica A Aubin rently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of California, Riverside, and will be graduating with a MA in Political Science this coming summer. Rebecca Hancoc Hancockk is one of the many alumni working for Nestle USA in Miami FL and is also very happy to announce that she is enjoying life with no marriage or banell bies to worry about! Ver ernell Mitchell is currently enrolled in the Computer Science Master’s Program at Clark Atlanta Univerwczak did not sity. Christine Ka Kaw go to far away and is currently earning her Master’s degree in Adolescent Special Education at the College of Saint Rose. Gina DeMarco has uprooted and moved to Charlotte, NC, where she is the Area Marketing Director for Prodigy Conceptz, Inc. She works with her surrounding communities to create revenue and awareness for non-profit ad charities for children. Stephanie Fazio has taken her charming personality and is now a teacher of all sorts! She is in the New York City
Teaching Fellowship program, taking graduate classes in secondary education at Queens College; while teaching Regents Living Environment/Biology to gifted 7th grade students. Additionally, she is also teaching a 7th grade dance class and works with the dance and step teams at the Scholars’ Academy in Far Rockaway (Queens). Sean Kelly wants to give a big shout-out to everyone from Osaka, Japan. That’s where he and Dtraecelle Carter is currently living and teaching English to Japanese students. The boys are thrilled to be experiencing many new things, as they are constantly making adjustments from the American culture. Sean spends some of his spare time working as a bartender in a Japanese Bar and maintaining a blog on his website. If you’re curious about these experiences, Sean encourages you to contact him via Facebook, e-mail, or on his website at: http:// web.mac.com/skellyslife. Great job this quarter ’06, let’s keep the gossip coming! Lastly, we would like to send “Best of Luck” wishes and early congratulations out to all of our Class of 2007 friends! In Memory of: Honorable John W. Rehfuss ’42 Warren S. Brundige ’49 J. Donald O’Hare ’49 Dr. Richard Weiner ’49 Raymond F. Wolfe ’49 John F. Duffey ’50 Bruno J. Lentlie ’50 William V. Byrne, Jr. ’51 Anthony J. Ricci, Sr. ’51 Francis Q. Bethel ‘ 52 Donald W. Radz ’52 John Finn ’53 Dr. Dominick Eannello ’54 Guyton Morone ’55 Harold Twiss, Jr. ’57 William R. Van Slyke ’58 Morris G. Vogel ’60 Peter T. Bennett ’65 John P. Nash ‘66
Siena News • 34
Siena Alumnus Fr. Kevin J. Mullen ‘75, O.F.M. Elected 10th President of Siena College The Board of Trustees at Siena College announced that it has selected an alumnus, Fr. Kevin J. Mullen ’75, O.F.M., to serve as the 10th president of Siena College. Fr. Kevin, our first president to earn his bachelor’s degree from Siena, will take office June 1, 2007. “I’m excited to give back to the College that helped shape who I am today,” Fr. Kevin said. “Siena College is a place that helps students become responsible citizens and I look forward to building upon the growth that the College has enjoyed over the years.” Fr. Kevin currently serves as the director of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy, teaches Siena’s Foundations course for first-year students, taught Religious Studies, and has been the guardian of the Franciscan Friary at the College since 2005. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Siena College from 19871996, and from 1999–2005. The presidential search committee,
“I’m excited to give back to the College that helped shape who I am today,” - Fr. Kevin Mullen
comprised of 17 men and women from the Board of Trustees, associate trustees, alumni association, faculty, administrative staff and students, began the search process last summer and considered a range of candidates from throughout the United States. “After months of interviews, campus visits, and, ultimately, two College-wide forums in consideration of two excellent finalists, the College concluded that Fr. Kevin is the best candidate to ensure that both Siena traditions and ambitions for continued growth and academic excellence will be served,” Dr. Joseph M. Pastore, Jr., chair of Siena’s Board of Trustees said. Fr. Kevin, who thanked the search committee said “I am honored and look forward to working with the Siena community as we move ahead with the College’s strategic plan. This is an exciting new chapter in my life and I am looking forward to it.”
515 Loudon Road Loudonville, NY 12211-1462 ADDRESS SER VICE REQ UESTED SERVICE REQUESTED