Connections Fall 2014

Connections Fall 2014

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ALSO in this issue: 4 Inside the Sage Archives 8 Alumnae Network at IBM 14 Class Notes

Volume 17 • Number 2

from dean donna heald, ph.d.

Connections

Dear Alumnae,

director of communications

I write to you on a gorgeous August afternoon with the sound of music from a dance class just below my office in Vanderheyden Hall. Over the past week, we welcomed 255 new students with a busy, four-day orientation that introduced students to campus, the city of Troy, RSC traditions, academic expectations, and the resources available to assure their success. Classes began a few days ago and the walkways, corridors and classrooms are once again filled with students and conversation.

Just yesterday, I met with first-year students to discuss the Dean’s Summer Reading assignment: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, by Julia Alvarez. This novel depicts a family that immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic and the challenges they experienced living in a new community and a different culture. Knowing that first-year students are undergoing a great transition as they adjust to college, I hope that the experiences of the characters will be helpful to students during this time of personal growth and change.

Sage is also undergoing growth and change. We have begun a process to enable development of the Sage for the Second Century plan, which is designed to ensure that Sage will survive and thrive in the years to come. We remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving and strengthening Russell Sage as a women’s college, while also increasing opportunities for all students as a means of building both recruitment and retention. Among the goals is to make all majors available to students on either campus. As you know, classes on both the Albany and Troy campuses have been open to crossenrollment for years, and if majors are open to students from both colleges, only women will enroll and graduate from Russell Sage College. We are pleased that several of our students have already decided to pursue minors or majors in business, computer science, and graphic and media design in Albany, taking advantage of the shuttles between our campuses.

As you may know, several of the most renowned women’s colleges nationwide

— Barnard, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Hobart and William Smith, Bryn Mawr, Scripps — have partnered with coed colleges and universities to permit cross-enrollment of courses, as well as academic programs.

Like Sage, these women’s colleges are working to create more opportunities for their students while realizing increased efficiencies in delivering their academic programs.

While we are anticipating new opportunities for students, rest assured that the time-honored traditions of class colors, Big and Little Sisters, class dinners, and Rally will continue to complement the campus life experience. The Sage for the Second Century plan will continue to evolve and will be shaped by campuswide discussion with students, faculty and alumnae. We are also planning to engage with leaders from other women’s colleges to learn from their experiences with cross-enrolled programs. Please turn to the inside back cover for more details and visit sage.edu/second-century for opportunities and updates.

In my meetings with you, both on and off campus, I am impressed and so grateful for your commitment to Russell Sage, especially your passion for the education and experience you gained during your time here. I have the great privilege of learning from you about the impact Sage had on the path of your life, while also working to assure that today’s students have a similar transformative experience. Without question, Russell Sage is a very special place. We are excited about the future and the new opportunities we are providing for our students and we hope that you will be as well. As we plan for Russell Sage College’s second century, I welcome your participation in the conversation and ask for your support as we seek to strengthen and preserve the women’s college.

Kind regards,

Donna Heald

Published by The Sage Colleges Office of Communications & PR

& marketing

Shannon Ballard Gorman SGS ’13 editor

Elizabeth Gallagher art director & Assistant Director of Marketing

Sarah Statham SGS ’08 contributing writers

Deanna Cohen Duncan Crary Elizabeth Gallagher contributing photographers

Tamara Hansen Joanne Hoose Matt Milless Kris Qua Susan Scrimshaw Allan Stern the sage colleges office of communications & pr

65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180 Tel: (518) 244-2246 Fax: (518) 244-2398

“To Be, To Know, To Do” our motto for nearly 100 years

Russell Sage College was featured in US Airways Magazine, fall 2014

Mission Statement The mission and purpose of The Sage Colleges is to provide the individual student with the opportunity and means to develop and advance personally and professionally, and thus to be successful in achieving life goals; to contribute to the larger society a group of diverse, thoughtful and competent citizen-leaders who continue to be engaged in the pursuit of lifelong learning; and to translate learning into action and application, recognizing the obligation of educated persons to lead and to serve their communities.

president’s page

Susan Scrimshaw, Ph.D.

AT COMMENCEMENT

President Scrimshaw with Chet Opalka, founder of Albany Molecular Research, member of The Sage Colleges Board of Trustees and benefactor of the Opalka Gallery at Sage College of Albany; Donna Esteves ’70, immediate past chair of the board of trustees; and commencement speaker John Bennett, M.D., president and CEO of Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan. Sage awarded degrees to 837 graduates and honorary degrees to Bennett and Opalka at its 97th commencement on May 17. View photos and watch the archived webcast at sage.edu/commencement.

IN THE NEWS President Scrimshaw was featured in an Albany Business Review cover story on women leaders in higher education.

According to the article, women lead 13 of the 25 higher education institutions in New York’s Capital Region, while nationally female college presidents are outnumbered by men three to one. “Behind the scenes with women college presidents” is available at bizjournals.com/Albany.

IN THE COMMUNITY

President Scrimshaw and her husband, Allan Stern, portrayed Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage and Russell Sage at a fundraiser for Troy’s historic Oakwood Cemetery in June.

AT REUNION

President Scrimshaw joined members of the Class of 1964 at a gala 50th Reunion dinner at the Schuyler Meadows Club. More Reunion photos on page 12.

Sage for the Second Century In an earlier issue of Connections, I shared with you the story of how Russell Sage College is the wellspring for what is now a university with two undergraduate colleges, three graduate schools (Education, Health Sciences and Management) and the School of Professional & Continuing Education. In these challenging times for private colleges, we are taking advantage of our family of colleges and schools to maximize opportunities for students by offering a wider range of majors to all students while ensuring that Russell Sage is strengthened as a leader and model for women’s colleges.

Academic year 2014-2015 is a year for hearing from you, from our students, and from our faculty and staff as we develop the plans for our second century.

As I have the pleasure of meeting you during my travels and your visits to campus, I am struck by how each class, and each of you, has unique memories of RSC depending on when you were here. Your cherished memories reveal many different Russell Sages, but each is a beloved memory. Russell Sage has changed in many ways since 1916 and it will continue to change, but the love and passion each generation of graduates feels for their alma mater remains strong.

Please turn to the inside back cover for more details and visit sage.edu/second-century for opportunities and updates.

Fall 2014 | Connections 1

faculty accolades

“The Influence of Target Group Status on the Perception of the Offensiveness of Group-Based Slurs” by Sarah Butler, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and colleagues at NYU Abu Dhabi and Tillburg University, appeared in the July edition of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

More at sage.edu/spotlight.

Butler

Tracey Continelli, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing, presented “Racial/Ethnic Pay Disparities in Registered Nursing: Who Makes Less?” and “Imputing an Entire Variable Using Secondary Data Sources” at AcademyHealth’s annual research meeting in San Diego.

Continelli

Professor of Modern International History & Politics Steven Leibo, Ph.D., appeared on a panel, “Terrorism: A Global Menace,” that aired on TIMES NOW, India’s leading English news network. The broadcast took place during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States and the United Nations Leibo General Assembly debate in New York City in September. In July, Leibo spoke on climate change and global leadership during the U.S. Foreign Policy Summer Institute at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. Shealeen Meaney, Ph.D., associate professor of English, reviewed Karen L. Kilcup’s Fallen Forests: Emotion, Embodiment and Ethics in American Women’s Environmental Writing, 1781-1924 and Brian Musil’s Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment in the Women’s Review of Books this fall.

Meaney

Sage President Susan C. Scrimshaw, Ph.D., is one of the authors of the report “Investing in Global Health Systems: Sustaining Gains, Transforming Lives,” published in September by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She also recently co-chaired an IOM workshop, “Building Health Workforce Capacity Through Community-Based Health Professional Education.” An IOM report by the same name summarizes the presentations and discussions of this event.

Andor Skotnes, Ph.D., professor of history, presented “The Baltimore Borderland and Social Struggle, 1930-1945” at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians in Atlanta and “Polarities of Social History Praxis: Edward Thompson, Louis Althusser...and Mao” at the European Social Science History Conference at the University of Vienna in Austria in April. He presented “The Baltimore NAACP, the Workers Movement and Radicalism,” at Morgan State University in Baltimore in May and “Theory and Experience, Class and Racial Ethnicity, and the Mid-Twentieth Century Workers and Freedom Movements,” at the University at Stony Brook in June.

Salomon

Scrimshaw

Skotnes

Barbara Thompson, OTD, LCSW, OTR/L, professor of occupational therapy, presented “Grieving Artistically: A Panel for Therapists” at the Association for Death Education and Counseling’s annual conference in April in Baltimore.

Tonya Moutray, Ph.D., assistant professor of English literature, presented research from her book, Refugee Nuns and the French Revolution in British Literature and Culture at the History of Women Religious in Great Britain and Ireland conference at the University of Glasgow.

Moutray

2 Connections | Fall 2014

In June, David Salomon, Ph.D., associate professor of English, presented “Open and Intellectual Dialogue: Teaching the Bible as Literature in the 21st Century” at The Teaching Professor conference in Boston and “Academic Collaboration in the Digital Age” at the New American Colleges & Universities Summer Institute at University of Redlands in California.

Thompson

athletics

Visit sagegators.com for the latest news, scores and schedules.

Allison Coleman Named Basketball Coach; Tom Fashouer Named Tennis Coach Allison Coleman has been named head women’s basketball coach. Coleman replaces Jackie Craft, who became the head women’s basketball coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. Coleman previously served as assistant women’s basketball coach and game operations supervisor at her alma mater, Eastern Connecticut State University, for four seasons. She brings playing and coaching experience, as well as dedication to Division III athletics, said Director of Athletics and Recreation Dani Drews.

Last season, Sage’s women’s basketball team won the program’s first Skyline Conference Championship and a bid to the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Gators posted the best finish in school history with a 17-10 record. One member of the championship team — a member of the Class of 2014 — graduated; the rest of the team is expected to return.

Tom Fashouer has been named tennis coach. Fashouer replaces Bruce Perry, who directed tennis programs at Sage for four seasons.

Fashouer previously served as athletic trainer at Union College and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He owns Albany Physical Therapy, which has provided rehabilitation and athletic training services to area high schools and colleges for over 20 years.

Sage’s women’s tennis team garnered a spot in the Skyline Conference tournament last season. The 2014 lineup includes two-time Skyline Conference Player of the Year Kirsten Ackerman ’15 and conference honoree Erin Duffy ’17.

Volleyball Players Compete in Italy

Volleyball players Micaela Mango ’16, left, and Katelyn Drollette ’15, right, participated on an 11-person team of women from Division III colleges and universities within the NCAA that competed throughout Italy in June. The tour was part of USA Athletes International, which organizes all-star teams that compete all over the world in 15 different sports. Drollette and Mango were nominated to the team by volleyball coach Sandy Augstein-Collins ’87. The Americans won four out of their six games, which Drollette and Mango said was especially rewarding considering the Americans had not played together as a team prior to arriving in Italy, and competed under Italian rules, which are slightly different than American rules.

retiring faculty honored

Sage saluted retiring members of the faculty and administration at a recognition dinner in May. Retiring faculty and administrators included: Robert Bradley, Ed.D.

Ann Myers, Ed.D.

Terry Weiner, Ph.D.

Chair and Associate Professor, Educational Leadership Four years

Associate Professor, Educational Leadership 10 years

Provost Four years

John Heimke, Ph.D.

Linda Peterson, Ed.D.

Associate Professor, Biology 36 years

Professor, Nursing 35 years

Fall 2014 | Connections 3

Inside The Sage Colleges

Archives & Special Collections “My current favorite part of our collection was a surprise find,” says Abby Stambach, The Sage Colleges archivist, casually, as she removes a manila folder from a file cabinet.

Later, she’ll explain that what looks like a nondescript storage space in the Shea Learning Center is actually a highly-specialized environment — the temperature, humidity and light in the room are vigilantly monitored and documents are stored within buffered, acid- and lignin-free file folders, which are then kept in chemically stable storage boxes or fireproof cabinets — but early in our meeting, the familiar setting belies the extraordinary items she is about to share.

She opens the folder and produces three letters — one in response to an issue of The Russell Sage Quarterly; one acknowledging the appointment of Lewis Froman as president of Sage; and one responding to a letter from Helen McKinstry — each bearing what appears to be the original signature of Eleanor Roosevelt.

“I was flabbergasted,” says Stambach, who came across the letters last summer, as she researched Roosevelt’s connections to Russell Sage College in preparation for a campus visit from C-SPAN, which was promoting its First Ladies: Image and Influence series.

Stambach moves to an adjacent cabinet, to share some recently-acquired items that she is excited about. “I am especially interested in the college’s experience during World War II,” she says. “It was an interesting time for the college and the country. The college’s War Relief Defense Program included classes in subjects like engine repair, first aid and other skills to aid the war effort. At Russell Sage, President Meader left to join the U.S. Army and that’s when Helen McKinstry stepped in.”

She opens a drawer and takes out papers that belonged to Margaret J. Dolph Thompson ’43; Thompson’s daughter, Margaret Jean Thompson Fedak ’74 donated the papers this year during Reunion weekend. They include notes from “chapel talks” held on campus after Germany invaded Poland. “Things like this give personal perspective to bigger events,” says Stambach.

The Sage Colleges Archives & Special Collections preserves most documents related to college operations and/or college history — think yearbooks, meeting minutes, committee reports and special event

ask abby The Sage Colleges Archives & Special Collections is more than a repository; it is an active research center and archivist Abby Stambach regularly fields questions from around the world.

She recently helped a scholar in Germany, who was researching people whose education was interrupted during World War II; he traced a particular professor to Troy, and

Two of the three letters signed by Eleanor Roosevelt, found by archivist Abby Stambach.

Russell Sage College awarded Roosevelt its, and her, first honorary degree. She visited campus several times as First Lady of New York and of the U.S. and briefly served on the board of trustees.

4 Connections | Fall 2014

Stambach was able to find a yearbook picture and the person’s name in a Quill article welcoming new faculty. She receives regular inquiries from Scotland, related to the Scottish poet

MEET ABBY

collection. Inside the case is an programs — that are originals. Stobject — it could be a necklace or ambach says that space constraints, and in some cases, legal or confiden- headpiece — that appears to be made out of shells. tiality concerns, preThe case has a small vent her from saving plaque, inscribed “A everything “but I’ll gift from Dr. Lois keep duplicate items Smith to student if they are annotated, government 1974.” like a course catalog “That’s the nature of with a professor’s archives,” says Stamhandwritten notes.” bach, adding that she The Carol Ann would love to hear from alumnae Donahue poetry collection is partly who can tell her the story behind under the purview of the Archives this item. & Special Collections, and includes the correspondence of several poets as well as rare books and signed first editions.

Every item in the collection tells part of Russell Sage ColThe Archives has a robust photo collection lege’s nearly 100-year-old story and Abby Stambach has made several — but some parts of that story historical photos available through New need to be filled in. Stambach York Heritage’s digital collections. removes a Plexiglas case from Visit nyheritage.nnyln.net/cdm/ a shelf in order to share “the landingpage/collection/tsc. most mysterious object” in the

Virtual Visit

Ian Hamilton Finlay, whose correspondence is part of the poetry collection.

Of course, the Archives are a vital on-campus resource as well. This past spring, Stambach spoke to Professor Sybillyn Jennings’ Psychology classes on the history of Russell Sage’s Psychology Department and assisted Daniele Lyman ’14 with an independent study in conjunction with the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Lyman’s project about commencements was on display at the Shea Learning Center throughout the summer.

Do you have a question about Russell Sage College’s history?

Send it to archives@sage.edu. Questions may be answered in

Abby Stambach was named The Sage Colleges archivist in 2012, the first person to hold the position full time since 2008, when Aggie Stillman passed away after a nearly 40-year career at Sage, including 14 years as archivist.

Stambach’s first task as RSC’s archivist was preparing thousands of artifacts and documents spanning nearly 100 years of college history for safekeeping during the library’s renovation, and then reinstalling the collection in its upgraded accommodations in Shea Learning Center.

“It’s been a lot of packing and unpacking, getting an idea of what we have and where it is so it can be easily accessed,” she said. She anticipates even more queries than usual as the college’s centennial approaches, and she’ll be ready.

Stambach earned a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in German at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in Information Science at the University at Albany.

She has worked in the archives and special collections at Gettysburg College and at Union College; in special collections and manuscripts at the New York State Library; and as a docent at the Schuyler Mansion, a New York State Historic Site in Albany. Her writings about historic houses and architecture are available at nookstowersandturrets. blogspot.com.

future Connections columns by Abby Stambach.

Fall 2014 | Connections 5

A Symbol of Urban Renaissance Spend time in Troy and you’ll start to spot it everywhere. A cheerful oval, with a simple statement in happy lowercase letters: enjoy troy.

“Somebody once told me he felt there should be an ellipses at the end, and I said ‘Absolutely not,’” says creator Linda Passaretti, with mock sternness. “It is a mandate. It’s an order: Enjoy Troy, period.”

Today, the ubiquitous Trojan slogan is sported on T-shirts, emblazoned on windows, and flies high on large vinyl banners. But in spite of its prevalence, the symbol is not the product of a PR firm enlisted by city government or the chamber of commerce to “brand” the place. It does not owe its popularity to professional marketing. It is, instead, a project that’s about as grassroots as you can get. Even now, in spite of its popularity, few people know where the “enjoy troy.” symbol comes from or who makes the items it appears on.

The result, Passaretti notes, is something that feels authentic and that belongs to the people. “Enjoy Troy is sort of a counterculture response to branding,” she says. “It resonates.”

She calls it a “meme,” which is a term coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins to describe “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” And like most memes, this one took off by surprise.

In 2003, Passaretti wanted to host

a theme party for her friends in Troy’s Washington Park neighborhood but she had no money for decorations. So she printed sheets of “enjoy troy.” address labels and stuck them on plastic cups and other items around her house.

“People took sheets of these labels and stuck them all over my house. So ‘enjoy troy.’ was all over my house, literally and figuratively,” she says. “The idea grew from there.”

After that, she designed a more professional-looking oval decal, which she passed out to friends and business owners — some of those can still be found stuck on the draft beer towers at bars, or on utility poles around town. Next, she had shirts and hats made when people started asking for them.

Then something strange started happening. Wooden oval plaques, customized with the “enjoy troy.” symbol and local business logos started to crop up at bars, shops and offices around the city. But Passaretti didn’t know who was making them. Even the people who had them didn’t know where they came from because they arrived mysteriously, either by mail or hand-delivered by a girl who quickly retreated. The only message accompanying the gift was “Compliments of Poppi Bidodio,” a name no local had ever heard.

“Who is this mysterious elf making ‘enjoy troy.’ plaques?” Passaretti wondered along with others.

By Duncan Crary

The secret mirth-maker was a commercial lending officer named Tom Reynolds.

Originally from Utica, N.Y., Reynolds lived in Troy from 1994 to 1998 then returned in 2003 because he “enjoyed the place so much.” He didn’t know Passaretti when he first spotted the stickers, but he wanted to help spread the meme by making and gifting the plaques.

Finally he met Passaretti to confess.

“I hope you don’t mind what I’ve been up to,” he told her. She didn’t. But there was still one matter to clear up: who was Poppi Bidodio? That, Reynolds explained, was the name of the imaginary friend of his daughter, the delivery girl.

From then on, Reynolds and Passaretti teamed up as “The Enjoy Troy Company.” But, while the design is officially trademarked and the company’s array of merchandise is available at Artcentric Gallery at 266 River Street and online at enjoytroy.us, the partnership isn’t motivated by money.

“This has always been about making something to bind and build the community,” Passaretti says. “When all these people start to see this community as worthy, that is my payment.”

It’s impossible to know what effect “enjoy troy.” has had on Troy’s rebirth, but perceptions of the city have certainly changed since Passaretti first arrived in 1980 as a student at Emma Willard School.

“People were down on Troy when

“I enjoy walking around the neighborhood and going to shops and restaurants where people get to know each other’s names. We have that nice small-town feel and the community is very supportive.”

6 Connections | Fall 2014

MaryJane Hopeck SGS ’91

| Co-Owner, MarEle Boutique | 427 River Street, Troy | mareleboutique.com

“I especially enjoy being in the company of so many women-owned businesses in Troy . . . As the owner of a custom software development company here in downtown Troy, I enjoy knowing the other women tech-business owners here.”

Annmarie Lanesey | President, Greane Tree Technology: Custom Software Developers 359 Broadway, Troy | alanesey@greanetree.com | greanetree.com

I was a kid,” she said. “Everybody at school would say Troy was the armpit of the world.”

Now the city’s renaissance-in-progress is the talk of the region and was even reported by the New York Daily News in 2013. Young professionals are moving to Troy, attracted to its walkability, affordability and historic architecture.

RPI and Sage students are staying — and alumni are returning — after graduation to join the workforce or establish their own businesses: Jessica Garrity SGS ’09, who earned her master’s degree in School Counseling at the Esteves School of Education opened Collar City Hard Pressed juice and smoothie stand on Broadway in August; MaryJane Hopeck SGS ’91, who earned her master’s degree in Reading, opened MarEle Boutique on River Street in June; and when Greane Tree Technology “graduated” from Russell Sage’s INVEST incubator, founder Annmarie Lanesey was committed to continuing to build her business, now located on Broadway, in downtown Troy.

According to City Economic Development Coordinator Monica Kurzejeski, 35 new businesses opened in Troy in 2013 with similar numbers shaping up for 2014. During the past two years, almost $100 million has been invested in construction within the city borders, from a diverse number of developers. But Passaretti, who works in development and who returned to Troy to purchase a home near Russell Sage in 2000, said the momentum didn’t happen overnight.

“Ten years ago, Troy didn’t have the same offerings if you were really trying to attract someone with bars and boutiques and farmers markets,” she said. “But in terms of the quality of the people who are trying to make the city go, it’s been there all along. Folks like Lynn Kopka [’74], these are people who’ve committed their lives to making the city work in a positive way.”

“I was raised in the suburbs, and in my case as a Northern Californian, in an area where, because of the fear of earthquakes, almost all of the older buildings had been torn down, which makes my experience living here in downtown Troy, in a city full of classically beautiful buildings that is itself going through a cultural Renaissance, especially delightful.”

Steven A. Leibo, Ph.D. Professor of International History & Politics

Duncan Crary is the host of A Small American City, a podcast featuring the characters who enliven the city of Troy. Listen at asmallamericancity.com.

Gretchen’s Garden Beautifies Downtown

Thanks to a gift from Harold Schindler, the widower of Gretchen Alberty Schindler ’55, the area between Ackerman Hall and the Troy Public Library has been transformed into an attractive courtyard known as Gretchen’s Garden. The Schindlers met while she was a student at Russell Sage and he was a student at RPI. Because of her love for Sage, and given that their relationship began in Troy, the garden is a fitting memorial and will welcome residents of and visitors to campus and downtown Troy.

Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia and Troy Public Library Director Paul Hicok attended the dedication in September, as did several alumnae, on campus to participate in Leadership Day activities and plan for the upcoming Reunion. In an especially moving tribute, the alumnae spontaneously sang the alma mater at the close of the ceremony.

Fall 2014 | Connections 7

alumnae profiles

RSC Degrees Lead to Success at IBM Erika Brosch Dawson ’87 and Bonnie Varin Pulver ’88 joined IBM Tucson immediately after graduating from Russell Sage with degrees in Computer Science. While they’ve followed distinct careers paths — Dawson on the technical staff and Pulver in management — they both influence research, development and strategy at the global technology company’s data storage headquarters.

Technical Leader: Erika Dawson ’87

Tape Still Vital to Saving Data IBM began using magnetic tape for data storage in 1952 and according to a November 2013 article in The Economist — “Magnetic Tape to the Rescue” — it is the oldest computer storage medium still in use: The “60-yearold technology offers a solution to a modern problem — how to store all those bits and bytes cheaply and reliably.”

“My career with IBM has been somewhat unique,” said Erika Dawson, explaining that while some of her technical colleagues have sought out diverse projects, she’s concentrated her work on the storage management component of IBM’s mainframe — known as System Z — and its operating system, z/OS. She joined IBM Tucson as an intern during her junior year at Russell Sage and was offered a permanent position by graduation. “Working with IBM’s mainframe is a specialized skill,” said Dawson, who started building her expertise with her first assignment, working on a product that could store a large amount of large data — like image files. The product was intended to replace microfiche, with data stored on disk and tape. She ultimately worked on a project that spanned IBM locations and countries, to integrate IBM’s automated tape library into the mainframe. The z/OS feature known as system managed tape support grew out of this work.

Opportunities in other IBM divisions beckoned, but Dawson was focused on a technical career: “I was fortunate to have good mentors including two longtime IBMers who were product architects. I wanted to follow in their footsteps. When one of them retired in the mid-1990s, I was promoted to this role and responsible for the product that I had worked on as a programmer.”

In the mid-2000s, there was an increased need for data saved on tape to be encrypted and Dawson holds several patents — and received an IBM corpo-

8 Connections | Fall 2014

rate award — for her work on IBM’s first tape encryption drive.

It was an accelerated and visible project, she said. “I was able to architect what was needed on the software side and collaborate with the hardware team on the interface.

I also got to work with the customer who was involved in a beta test.”

Nearly one in 10 IBM patents originates in Tucson, where today, Dawson is considered a master inventor of IBM’s data storage and management products. In her current leadership position, she is responsible for the integration of IBM’s tape hardware products on System Z, both daily operations and strategy for the future. “It’s the best of both worlds,” she said. “The challenges are also what I like — the ability to take a complex problem and divide it into solvable pieces.”

Project Leader: Bonnie Pulver ’88

“I only wanted to work for IBM,” said Bonnie Pulver, of her post-graduation goals. And while she’s worked for just one company for 26 years and counting, she’s been successful in several careers: “I enjoy change and having new experiences and I have been able to do that without leaving IBM,” she said.

She joined IBM Tucson as a software tester, a position she said was great preparation for her next goal: coding.

“I spent 17 months as a tester before going into software development. This experience helped me to produce higherquality code. My goal was to develop code that test could not break.”

After several years in technical positions, Pulver earned a master’s degree in Organizational Management and has pursued opportunities in program management ever since, changing positions every two to three years. This could entail new responsibilities in the same role, or working on a completely different project in a different division of IBM, she explained.

Pulver said that being explicit about her career goals with her supervisors helped her transition to a management role and land ideal projects. A manager for nine years now, Pulver said she has noticed that men tend to ask for opportunities, while women wait for an opportunity to be offered. “You need to discuss your aspirations with your management team,” she said. “My style is to ask what it will take to be on the fast path and get promotions, and then work to get there.”

For the last two years, she has managed a software product for clustered file systems. She is involved in the product’s development, branding, budget, timeline, customer support and quality assurance.

“I also present status to our IBM executives,” she said. “Multiple IBM products depend on this product and I am responsible for making sure they work well together.”

Alumnae Network at IBM “I have worked with several women at IBM who attended Sage,” said Senior Program Manager Bonnie Pulver, acknowledging executive Kim Fountain ’86 and manager Kim Ewing ’88, as well as Senior Technical Staff Member Erika Dawson, with whom she speaks frequently. “We all have a tie back to the person who recruited us [William “Bill” Woodward, married to Marcie Schukoske Woodward ’63]” said Dawson.

Fall 2014 | Connections 9

Alumnae Association Happy fall, everyone! The summer went by so very quickly, and many of us are knee-deep in the academic year, living our lives working and raising our families.

For me, it begins another cycle of implementing activities to benefit alumnae. First, a look back on what has occurred since the last time I wrote you.

In May, we welcomed members of the Purple Cows Class of 2014 into the association. If you happen to meet them in your travels, say hello and welcome! At the end of the month, we celebrated Reunion for classes ending in “4” and “9.” The weekend was amazing! While it tried to rain on our parade, the weather cooperated so that class colors could shine in Troy. The Class of 1964 celebrated its 50th Reunion, and the Class of 1989 celebrated its 25th. The association’s highest award, the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association Doris L. Crockett Medal was presented to Ronnye Berg Shamam ’64, and our Woman of Influence Award was presented to Jennifer Culkin ’79. We had fun sharing memories, reconnecting with classmates and making new friends.

Consistent with our mission to support the value of a women’s college educational experience and foster connections among alumnae, students and the college, we developed outreach activities that promote RSC as a premier college for women. We held programs at alumnae clusters in upstate New York, New York City, northern and southern Connecticut, Washington, D.C., northern California, Boston and Maine. We are creating new alumnae groups in central and western Massachusetts, Florida and Pennsylvania, using the resource tools developed last year.

We continue to grow our presence on social media, with an alumnae and individual class pages on Facebook.

Alumnae exchange information and connect daily. It was through social media that some of you learned of the Sage for the Second Century plan, designed to preserve RSC as a college for women, improve recruitment and retention, and strengthen the college’s financial position.

The Alumnae Association learned of this plan over the summer, and rest assured, we are working with college administration to represent you and ensure that our alma mater remains strong.

This year, we made the second installment of our pledge to the college’s annual fund, and provided scholarships to students through the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association Endowed Scholarship Fund. Using funds from the Slingerland House endowment, we completed renovations to the kitchen in Alumnae House. Income

10 Connections | Fall 2014

to support our programs is derived in large part through our affinity partnerHelen Rodriguez Burmaster ’78 ships. This past year, we renegotiated and extended our agreement with Liberty Mutual to offer insurance products to alumnae at discounted rates. Our partnership with Liberty allows us to provide programs, such as defensive driving, to alumnae. We also developed new affinity partnerships with UMB Bank and we participate in the AmazonSmile program.

In partnership with the Office of Institutional Advancement, we revamped our class leadership training. A brand new version of Leadership Day on September 20 provided class leaders with techniques to improve communication and Reunion planning and ultimately bolster the effectiveness of our outreach, which is particularly important as we approach the college’s centennial in 2016. Leaders also heard a bit more about college plans for today’s students and a sneak peek of activities to celebrate the centennial.

The association elected a new president-elect, Ann Marie Paulhaus Iwanicki ’86, and a new secretary, Linda Rimkunos ’75. I look forward to working with them and the returning board over the next year. As we work with the college to plan ahead, it is important to thank Deborah Foley ’95, Ronnye Berg Shamam ’64, Jean Radtke ’73, and Grace Collett ’13 who completed their terms on the association board. Thank you to also to the family of Amy Gilbert Wolfson ’68. Amy passed away toward the end of her term after a valiant fight with cancer. These women, along with our other board members, volunteer countless hours each year. We are not able to do the work we do without a cadre of dedicated alumnae.

This past year was outstanding and the coming year will be even better! I hope more of you will join alumnae at the events and activities across the country. Reunion 2015 for classes ending in “5” and “0” will be held May 29-31, 2014, and we are planning activities celebrating the college’s centennial in 2016, so stay tuned; I hope you can all be there!

Please contact the Alumnae Relations Office at (518) 244-2242 or email rscalum@sage.edu with your updates, to request information on upcoming events or to become more involved.

Helen Rodriguez Burmaster ’78 President, Russell Sage College Alumnae Association

Ronnye Berg Shamam ’64 Receives Crockett Medal, Alumnae Association’s Highest Honor The Russell Sage College Alumnae Association bestowed its highest honor, the Doris L. Crockett Medal, on Ronnye Berg Shamam during Reunion weekend.

The award’s namesake, Doris Crockett, joined Russell Sage College at its founding in 1916 as secretary to the president. She remained part of the administration for 43 years, serving as director of admission, registrar and dean. The Alumnae Association established the medal upon her retirement in 1959, to recognize alumnae who demonstrate the same level of commitment to the college, as well as professional achievement or community service.

“My Russell Sage experience prepared me for all things that came my way,” said Shamam. The Troy, N.Y., native graduated with degrees in Spanish, French and Education and taught in upstate New York and Puerto Rico before she designed a new career in Manhattan’s Garment District.

Today, Shamam is president of Shamron Mills, the business she founded in 1983, which manufactures garments and textiles for linen supply companies, health care and other institutional settings, and heavy industry. The textile business was a man’s world in the early 80s, said Shamam, and Shamron Mills became successful as “the place to go when the big guys can’t help.”

“We never say ‘no’ or ‘can’t’” she said. “We do what others don’t want to do — small orders, special orders and quick turnarounds, and that builds loyal clients.” For example, Shamron Mills just partnered with Seriously Funny Gowns, a woman-owned small business that offers lighthearted hospital gowns and treatment tops (e.g., with a military uniform or business suit printed on the front).

Shamam and Seriously Funny founder Jody Barrett are committed to using the partnership to provide jobs for disabled workers and the underemployed and to using American manufacturing.

While Seriously Funny Gowns is based in New York state, Shamron Mills’ other clients span the globe, from Canada to the United Arab Emirates. Shamam’s career takes her around the world, but she frequently returns to her beloved hometown and alma mater.

She is a trustee of The Sage Colleges; served on the RSCAA board of directors; chaired the Sage Fund for Excellence; regularly hosts gatherings for alumnae and current and prospective students; and endowed a scholarship for Troy residents. An arts lover, she regularly attends performances at The Theatre Institute at Sage on campus and visits the Opalka Gallery and Little Gallery at Sage College of Albany.

Russell Sage College “put me on the course of my life,” said Shamam as she accepted the Crockett Medal during the Alumnae Association’s Annual Gathering and Gift Celebration on Reunion weekend. “To receive an award for involvement in RSC is astounding because it has given me so much.”

Jennifer Convy Culkin ’79 to Receive Woman of Influence Award Jennifer Culkin was announced as the recipient of the RSCAA’s Woman of Influence Award during Reunion weekend. The award will be presented to her at an event in the greater Seattle area, where she lives, at a later date.

Culkin is a neonatal, pediatric and adult critical care nurse whose career has included emergency helicopter and fixed-wing transport, and an award-winning writer whose work has been honored

by The Atlantic and published in The Georgia Review and Utne Reader. She received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for nonfiction in 2008, and her book, A Final Arc of Sky: A Memoir of Critical Care, was published in 2009. She is currently at work on a novel.

In a profile that appeared in Connections in 2007, Culkin said that her writing captures “the physical and technical realities of, say, my RN partner and I resuscitating a 46-year-old father of four in a helicopter at 1500 feet of altitude, 40 minutes out from the receiving hospital. But it also explores what I think of as understory — how I think about what I do, how my patients infiltrate and affect me, often many years after I care for them.”

“I was attracted to clinical nursing because the ‘people factor’ makes it unpredictable. I have to adapt and apply science minute by minute, to each unique situation,” said Culkin, adding that the adrenaline rush of emergency nursing is also present for her in the act of writing. “In writing, the exhilaration comes from nailing it on the page.”

Fall 2014 | Connections 11

reunion

Edna Wells ’39 with Russell Sage College Dean Donna Heald.

ey th Beardsl 4, Elizabe nings ’69. ’6 r e ll a W n nsen eed Je Sandra Je d Nancy R adt ’64 an Schoenst

e march in th Class of 1999 e th of rs Membe asses.

Parade of Cl

Linda Ulmer ’79 and Virginia Hole ’79.

Carol Lohnes MacDonald ’8 9, Jane E. Perry Elizabeth Ge hring Gruber Meyers ’89, ’89 and Cath Gould ’89. erine Hunter Joanne Borman Duncan ’69, Roberta Thompson Bray ’69, Judith Blair Douglas ’69, Pamela Fairfield Ziser ’69 and Betsy Markle Gardner ’69.

Pamela Noe ’69, Ter ry Wolgang Ragazzi ni ’69 and RSCAA Board Me mber Carrie Coke ly ’97 at Vail Hous e.

rto ’09,

il Wojcio ’09, Daniela Puo Ashley Feldman ’09, Syb a Baldwin ’09.

Angela Puorto ’07, Tabath

Terry Wolgang Ragazzini ’69 and Paula Harris ’69.

Marjorie “Jackie” Naylon Constantine ’49 and her daughters.

12 Connections | Fall 2014

Members of the Class of 20 04 at the Reunion luncheon.

eth Lukasik is ’84, Elizab ller Panayotid 4. ’8 ue M al rn ia ic Ya tr Pa Bilger and Brenda Omasta ’84

Beverly Komlosi King ’84, Barbara White Burgess ’84 and Mindy Fialkoff Fricke ’84.

Julia Hillje Dardia ’04 and Lindsey Clarke ’04.

Denise O’Connell Lipkvich ’74 with Stephen Besecker.

Besecker’s book, The Samaritan, was the 2014 Reunion Book Club pick.

Purple Cows from 1974 experienced “Deja Moo” on campus during Reunion.

Members of the Class of 1994 in the

Parade of Classes.

Dora Metrelis and Leila Berkowitz Schwartz lead the Class of 1954 in the Parade of Classes.

Reunion Weekend Gatherings Celebrate Alumnae Giving

President Scrimshaw and Donna Esteves ’70, immediately after a ceremony that dedicated benches in the Tribute Garden in honor of Virginia Diehl ’44 and Lois Bennett ’51 during Reunion weekend. Gifts to the garden help maintain areas of natural beauty on campus and support the educational mission of The Sage Colleges. For more information, visit sage.edu/ giving/tribute-gardens.

Ronnye Berg Shamam ’64, chair of the Sage Fund for Excellence, presents President Scrimshaw with a check for $1,914,365 from the 2014 Reunion classes at the annual gathering and gift celebration during Reunion weekend.

Fall 2014 | Connections 13

Class Notes

1936: Marion Van Kleek Larson and Jane Littel House ’67.

1936

1942: President Scrimshaw in Vail House with View of Storm King by Thomas Chambers. Marion Wright Raymond ’42 donated the painting to Russell Sage in 2013.

Edna Wells attended Reunion in May, participating in many activities on Friday and Saturday. She spent some time with the student workers at Reunion, sharing stories about what Russell Sage was like during her time on campus. Edna made several new friends over the weekend!

Please send your news to: Polly “Pauline” Soper Minehan, 671 Lakeside Circle #323, Pompano Beach, FL 33060; 954783-7733; polly@mycelery.com

and on many Bethlehem Central School District committees. She and her late husband moved to Ithaca in 1997, where they were enthusiastic gardeners and enjoyed walking and snowshoeing in Ithaca’s parks. Last year, Marion donated View of Storm King by Thomas Chambers, an artist known for his paintings of New York’s Hudson Valley, to Sage. Marion wanted this piece of art to stay in the region where it was painted; the historically-relevant piece hangs in the lobby of Vail House, the president’s residence. Marion made the gift in honor of Ruth Walker, the physical education teacher at Horace Greeley School in Chappaqua, NY, who encouraged Marion to attend Russell Sage, and also in honor her parents, who encouraged her to pursue nursing.

Please send your news to: Eleanor Jordan Mason, 6 Sunrise Drive, Morris Plains, NJ 07950; 973-538-7626; eleanormason@optimum.net

1940

1943

Jane Littel House ’67 visited Marion Van Kleek Larson at her home in Orono, ME. “She is an amazing lady and will be 99 in July!” said Jane. Marion would love to hear from alumnae. Her email address is mernvan@gmail.com.

Please send your news to: connections@ sage.edu

1939

Please send your news to: Elizabeth “Betty” Cummings, 6 Church Street, West Boylston, MA 01583-1603; 508-8353774; beamancummings@charter.net

1941

Please send your news to: connections@ sage.edu

1942

Marion Wright Raymond passed away in August in Ithaca, NY. During her career, she worked as a nurse at Albany Hospital and with the Visiting Nurse Association, and served on the boards of Albany Planned Parenthood, the New Scotland Historical Society, the Dana Natural History Society, the Friends of Schuyler Mansion

14 Connections | Fall 2014

Please send your news to: Muriel L. Wilhelm, 78 Sproul Hill Road, Bristol, ME 04539-3211; 207-563-3122

1944

Please send your news to: Muriel Van Zandt Lichtenwalner, 101 W 2nd Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073; muriel@netcarrier.com

1945

Please send your news to: connections@ sage.edu

1946

I am sad to report the passing of Dorothy Jones Lewis on December 15, 2013, as

well as another sorrow in the death of Ruth Oppenheim Goldman on March 8 of this year.

Please send your news to: Ann Heddens Kingston, 645 Ridge View Drive, Louisville, CO 80027-3295; 303-604-6408; ignatz1130@gmail.com

1947

Please send your news to: Sylvia Saarnijoki, 24 Holly House Court #4A, Litchfield, CT 06759-3640; 860-567-5271; ssaarnijoki@webtv.net

1948

Please send your news to: Suzanne Freedman Juster, 7510 Granville Drive, Tamarac, FL 33321-8710; 954-722-5567; isjuster@aol.com

1949

Marjorie “Midge” Schwartz Lewis and Marjorie “Jackie” Naylon Constantine attended our 65th Reunion and I’ve asked Midge to share her impressions. Thanks to both of them for representing us.

Midge wrote, “Jackie attended for the weekend and I attended only on Friday for President Scrimshaw’s Vail House luncheon. Gorgeous table setting — elegant — delicious food — beautifully presented.

It was a small, select, gathering of the two of us, the President, her husband, and four or five officers of the college. It was a chance to talk informally about the college, changes since our day, improvements and innovations…Before lunch, we went to a ceremony in the garden behind Spanish House, attended by students, staff and visitors. There, in full glory, was Meek’s garden: a stone bench, a memorial plaque, a flowing fountain, flowers bloom-

Class Notes ing on a green grass carpet all meticulously manicured and cared for by a charming landscaper whom I met and thanked for all of us — the Class of 1949. Best of all is the legacy of our gift: The college was so touched by it that they have taken over the rest of the garden to make a Tribute Garden to honor other alumnae. That day, a lovely wrought iron bench was presented with two plaques entwined in honor of two other alumnae. The sun shone brightly on memories and a few tears. The students, too, are to be thanked for their thoughtfulness — golf cart transportation and lively conversation for their campus guests.”

I’m very sad to report the passing of two classmates, Margery Schreeder Short on February 16, and Roberta “Bobbie” Yarrington Quay on December 4, 2013.

Bobbie’s daughter, Nancy, wrote, “I inherited her Sage class ring which she always wore. I treasure it.”

I am also sad to tell you of the death of

my beloved husband, Bill, on April 14. We met on a blind date at the beginning of our sophomore year and saw a great deal of Gale House and Chi Phi at RPI until our marriage right after graduation. Many of you knew him well and we both treasured those years and warm friendships.

Please send your news to: Elizabeth “Jay” Lee Warren, 1116 East 30th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99203; 509-838-2769; billandjay@hotmail.com

1950

Please send your news to: Jane Wardwell Roberts, 197 Water Street Apt 206, Keene, NH 03431; 603-354-3440; jwroberts1776@aol.com

1951

Please send your news to: connections@ sage.edu

Barbara Tyrell Kelly ’49 Publishes Memoir Barbara Kelly’s rich memories of Lake Placid — its skating community, landmarks like the St. Moritz Hotel and the Lake Placid Club, two Olympic Games and annual winter carnivals — informed the weekly column she wrote in the Lake Placid News for five years. Her fond recollections about Russell Sage also appeared in several columns. She has now compiled her columns into a book, Growing Up in Lake Placid, which contains chapters about Russell Sage College during the four years after World War II ended.

Among her reminiscences about meeting classmates in Slocum House for the first time, the Men’s Division, Tea Dances with the RPI Serenaders and phys-ed camp at Lake Luzerne is a relatable experience about getting “college credit.”

“Most of the money I was able to earn in high school I soon got rid of at an upscale clothing store in downtown Troy,” writes Barbara in a chapter called “What I Really Learned in College.”

“I had been looking at an angora sweater. Those sweaters were coveted by all the girls in 1945.

I asked the store clerk if there was a layaway plan. ‘No,’ she said, ‘but we can set up a credit account for Sage girls if you show me your ID.’ I set up an account and took home the sweater that later shed angora fibers all over my dates’ good clothes. I continued to purchase (on credit) a few more choice items. I thought it a great system, until a bill arrived at my parents’ post office box.

It arrived about the same time as my first report card. I did not know that either of these reports would be sent home to Lake Placid.”

Barbara shared memories of Wool House in 1948, where she met lifelong friend, Emily Hodges Chaison (now deceased), on her Reunion Survey. Barbara’s son, Douglas, is now married to Emily’s daughter, Deborah.

Barbara is included in the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to the community and to figure skating — which Barbara first learned as a child on Mirror Lake and at the great indoor rink that hosted the 1932 Olympics. Nearly 40 years passed before she began skating again in her 50s. She went on to compete in France, Hong Kong, and several of US Figure Skating’s Adult Nationals as a senior citizen, challenging skaters 30 years her junior and winning several medals. Now in her mid-80s, she continues to figure skate regularly.

To purchase Growing Up in Lake Placid, visit thebookstoreplus.com or contact Barbara at lpskater@roadrunner.com.

1952

At last, some news for and about our Class, although most of it not the best kind.

Sage notified me of the passing of Barbara Segall Levine on February 23. Nancy Schaefer Murto informed me of the passing of her dear husband, Pete, in 2013, and Betty Christenson Jolly wrote me of the passing of Florence Haspel Zeve’s husband, Harvey, which was also reported in the RPI alumni magazine. I also heard from the family of Dorothy Hane Palmer that she passed away around the new year.

On a happier note, the Rochester, NY, chapter of the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association enjoyed a wonderful luncheon in early May with almost 40 attending, including Russell Sage College staff members. However, I was the only attendee from the Class of 1952! I knew many people there from when we had monthly meetings. Those closest to our class (and age) at the lunch included Joan Mende Reineke ’51, Carolyn Welcher Van Ness ’53, and Rachel Ann Downey Bennett ’54. Honored guests were Hal Schindler and the daughters of Gretchen Alberty Schindler ’55, who have funded a garden at Sage in her memory.

Dick and I are now great-grandparents of Ronan Hurley, and expecting to do a repeat in August!

Keep thinking of Sage and our years there, and keep in touch!

Please send your news to: Mary Ellen Falter Davie, 119 Thorncliff Road Spencerport, NY 14559-2129; 585-352-3923 rpdavie@rochester.rr.com

1953

I wear my Sage ring because I am proud to have graduated from Russell Sage and because it is an attractive ring. The other night at dinner, a resident in our retirement community stopped by our table to introduce us to his son and daughter-in-law.

His daughter-in-law noticed my ring and said, “That is a lovely ring, my mother has a similar ring. Do you mind telling me what college you attended?” Now in the Midwest, no one has heard of Russell Sage, but I answered her question. She replied, “I thought so. My mother graduated from Sage in 1938. She grew up in Glens Falls, NY. I am going to go home and take out my mother’s ring and just hold it.” Isn’t that a nice story?

That is not all! Our marketing manager recognized the ring because he earned his MBA at Sage College of Albany. Of course

Fall 2014 | Connections 15

Class Notes it was years after we graduated, but nevertheless it is a small world. How many of you know where your ring is today?

Jean Twiss Riley-Harris, Judy Spain Taber and I met for our annual lunch in Fort Myers on March 7. It was a beautiful day. We missed Charlotte Silver Leary and Audrey DeSmidt Bensen who have joined us in the past, but were not in Florida in March.

Charlotte wrote that she was envious of those of her classmates who were in Florida. This is the third winter that she has not gone to Florida, and both she and her husband miss it. Maybe next year. Ray still suffers from shortness of breath, but now a new cardiologist and a pulmonary doctor are together on his problems.

Audrey keeps on the move. She spent September 2013 near the Stockbridge Bowl where the weather was beautiful. One of the highlights each year in the town of Lenox is the tub parade. In the 1800s, at the end of the season, vacationers would decorate their carriages and horses with flowers and form a parade to the train station. The tub parade is the modern version of this tradition. Audrey also noted that they celebrated her great-granddaughter’s first birthday in November. The reason Audrey didn’t join us for lunch in Fort Myers was because she only spent February in Siesta Key. Liz Greene Hafler wrote that during the winter she worked on a new program for her chorus’ spring concert with the theme Guys ’n Gals. When she wrote, they were still having very cold temperatures and snow showers. Liz lives in the country with a long driveway that had to be plowed out numerous times last winter. Besides working on her program, she spent winter reading and knitting sweaters for the Bear Hugs Project. She participated again in the annual Backyard Bird Watch in February and counted more species than usual at her feeder. A more recent message from Liz was sent after she returned from a sojourn in the north and west of Ireland. She was working on a scrapbook to keep the memories alive. She highly recommends the new Titanic museum in Belfast.

Sandy Light Cohn wrote that all was well on the east coast of Florida until Jerry, her husband, decided to play pingpong and broke his hip. He had a partial hip replacement and was in rehab when she wrote.

Jerry is doing well, but it isn’t much fun.

Sandy’s children and grandchildren are all thriving.

Congratulations, Joan Crummey Firra,

16 Connections | Fall 2014

on having your article, “The Benefits of Electrical Stimulation in Re-educating the Pelvic Floor Muscles” published in the December issue of Women’s Health Physical Therapy. Joan was going skiing at Taos Ski Valley with her grandchildren and then traveling to Ireland in March to see if she could trace her family history.

From Ancestry.com, she was only getting back to the Civil War time when her greatgrandfather ran the Crummey Bakery in Albany. She hopes to find more clues in Ireland. She is also venturing into square foot gardening in her backyard. I am not quite sure what that is or does; nor do I know whether the lettuce and hardy seeds she planted survived the sudden blast of 13 degree weather that Dallas got last winter!

“March in the desert is wonderful,” writes Rosemarie Adinolfi Hamilton.

They had non-stop company all winter as family and friends escaped the cold and snow. Their daughter and grandchildren were visiting when Rosemarie wrote. The Hamiltons were looking forward to going to Saratoga in July for their grandson’s wedding. They planned to visit Jean Harris before returning to Palm Springs. They were also planning a trip to Europe: two weeks on a river cruise through Austria and Germany, then Paris and Provence to meet their oldest daughter, who will be celebrating her big 60! Where does the time go?

Nan Schmalz Nelson has a second greatgranddaughter. Her name is Clara Jean and she lives in Wilsonville, OR, which is near Nan. This spring Nan flew to Baton Rouge, LA to visit her son Keith and his family.

I received word from the alumnae office that Margit Wolf Lowenstein passed away on January 12. Margit lived in California.

The last time I talked to her she was upset because she no longer had a driver’s license and was sad because one of her sons had moved to Israel. Does anyone remember a good Sage story to share about Margit?

The class sends their deepest sympathy to Elsie Hayner Shudt whose husband, Wyn, passed away recently.

In response to a question Nancy Phillips Wood had about our Rally Day skit in our senior year, Judy Spain Taber not only remembers the date — March 7, 1953 — but our theme: “A Trolley Called Graduation,” an obvious takeoff on A Streetcar Named Desire. One of the songs was to the melody of Ravel’s Bolero with half the class chanting “We’re the Class of 1953.”

Judy said it is funny she can remember that, but she can’t remember anything else

these days. As an aside, I wonder if we are still the only class that has the distinction of never winning a Rally Day competition?

I called Betty Field DelTufo and discovered that her husband had passed away in 2013 from a blood infection. Betty keeps busy during the day, but finds the dinner hour difficult. She is president of the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary, works at the Hospice thrift shop and goes to aerobics. In July, Betty went to Connecticut to visit her son and her daughter who lives in New York. Betty sounds as energetic and positive as she did 60 years ago. Her enthusiasm is contagious.

When I chatted with Janet Gage Perry, I found out her husband died a year and a half ago, but she has continued to live in her home. They downsized several years ago and the house she lives in is on one floor. Janet has two sons and a daughter nearby. Last summer she and her daughter took a cruise to the Baltic states. This year she is taking the whole family to the New Jersey shore. Janet has four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Two of her grandchildren were adopted from China. She has had a hip and a knee replacement, but is in general good health.

I caught up with Jane Day Lingle at her summer home in western North Carolina. It is a log cabin and she spends July through early October there. Jane still plays golf and when I asked if she had any hobbies, she said she digs ginseng roots in the fall. That triggered my interest. It seems you can purchase a license for $10 in North Carolina that entitles you to dig one pound of ginseng roots that you can sell on the market for around $100.

Sounds like a good return! One other thing Jane shared with me is that she once shot and killed an alligator that was dangerously near some children swimming in a pond.

Her husband laughed when she told him and said you can’t kill an alligator with a .22 unless you shoot it right between the eyes. Well it washed up on the shore the next day and when they looked at it, it had been shot right between its eyes.

Please send your news to: Patricia Walker Mulholland, 1013 Sassafrass Circle, Bloomington, IN 47408; 812-334-2457; jmulholl@indiana.edu

1954

So there we were: eight loyal, spirited and young at heart women, who came to share thoughts and ideas with each other for our joyous 60th Reunion. The weather cooperated and our days were filled with sunshine

Class Notes

1954: Leila Berkowitz Schwartz and Director of Alumnae Relations Joan Schrader Clifford ’82 at Reunion.

and camaraderie. Those attending were: Mary Alice Healy Smith, Barbara Pease, Elizabeth Andrews Ryan, Helen Hulot Woods, Dora Metrelis, Louise “Lee” House Kaestle, Althea Quinn Meade and me, Leila Berkowitz Schwartz.

Dora arrived on Friday and roamed Sage Hall looking for the rest of the class. The rest of us arrived on Saturday.

Our first activity together was listening to a very informative speech by President Scrimshaw at Bush Memorial. She updated us on all the new additions to the campus and the courses. We then shared a wonderful lunch and were honored by President Scrimshaw, seated at our table. Class Agent Althea Quinn Meade and Class Correspondent Leila Berkowitz Schwartz were honored with small gifts for their volunteer activities.

After lunch, proudly wearing our Barbara Pease-designed and handmade scarves, we marched toward Bush Memorial for the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association Annual Gathering and Gift Celebration, where the Class of 1954 was honored as the class “small in number, but large in spirit.” Barbara Pease announced our gift of $52,193 with 58 percent participation.

We then had our class meeting in the Sage Hall lounge. We named our class officers for the next five years: President Dora Metrelis, Reunion Chairpersons Louise House Kaestle and Mary Alice Healy O’Brien Smith, Class Agents Althea Quinn Meade and Louise House Kaestle and Class Correspondent Leila Berkowitz Schwartz.

Dora announced that we had $600 in the treasury and we voted to donate $400 for a Russell Sage College Troy scholar-

ship. The rest will be held in our treasury.

We enjoyed a lovely cocktail hour at Bush Memorial. Leila’s husband, Lenny, joined us for the first time and enjoyed conversing with the women in our class.

Len went to Union College (Class of 1953) and they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this spring. A lovely moment at the dinner was when we personally met the delightful Joan Schrader Clifford ’82, director of alumnae relations; she is truly an asset to the college and a joy to anyone who knows her.

Following dinner there was demitasse, dessert and dancing, but we decided it was the bewitching hour and we called it a day.

Mary Alice Healy O’Brien Smith was escorted by her husband, Owen, and it was difficult for her to walk due to a recent knee replacement. She looked wonderful and we hope she is on her two feet soon doing all her special things. Three cheers to you, Mary Alice!

Helen Hulet Wood has difficulty seeing, but there she was enjoying the company of good friends and all the activities. Helen, you are wonderful and we admire your energy.

Dora Metrelis was cheerful, except for when she had to move her artificial knees and frozen shoulders. But three cheers to her! She is the same friendly, warm and interesting person she was in her younger days.

Sweet, gentle and soft-spoken Althea Quinn Meade has been our class agent for many years and volunteered to do it again.

Her thank you notes are lovely to read.

You are a joy, Althea! By the way, she brought love and kisses from Mary Camerata De Crescente, who unfortunately could not be with us.

Louise “Lee” House Kaestle has all the traits of the intelligent, soft-spoken, delightful “ladies” that was Russell Sage College’s goal in the 1900s. My husband fell in love with her, as we all did.

Liz Andrews Ryan, statuesque, bubbly and delightful, shared stories with us all.

She is so much to be with.

Barbara Pease told me that she is so busy that she is going in circles deciding what to do first. She looked truly beautiful and her friendly spirit engulfed us all.

After Reunion, I received a newsy letter from Daphne Williams Robinson. It was just too difficult for her to travel from Cinncinnati, OH, but she was thinking of us all. She is active in writing, and singing in church and the Martin Luther King

choir. She joined a college sorority called Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1976 for African American students. Thank you, Daphne, for getting in touch.

Sadly, we lost 27 members of our class, and that is what made it so special to be together for this 60th Reunion. It was a joyful and meaningful time!

Please send your news to: Leila Berkowitz Schwartz, 1504 Daibes Court, Edgewater, NJ 07020;201-917-3835; leilen1@me.com

1955

Please mark your calendar! Our 60th Reunion is scheduled for May 29-31, 2015. Wear your red and white on Saturday! Hope to see you there!

Please send your news to: Kay Brooks Blick, 40D Forest Drive, Springfield, NJ 07081-1126; 973-376-6091; kblickkidzpax@comcast.net Vee McEvoy Lindberg, 5100 Highbridge Street Apt. 22C, Fayetteville, NY 13066; 315-632-6133; pvlindberg@twcny.rr.com

1956

Please send your news to: Carol Davis Winston, 35 Dunbar Road,Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418; 561-625-5910; carwins@comcast.net

1957

I had a recent sad call from Nancy Moseson Towbin. Nancy’s husband, Albert, passed away in February. They were married for 46 years and have one daughter.

Please send your news to: Irma Wilhelm, 43 Young Road; Augusta, ME 04330; 207-622-9344; ijwilhelm@aol.com

1958

Please send your news to: Millicent Clayton Hull, 1332 Atterberry Road, Sequim, WA 98382; 360-504-1149; MMCH21@juno.com Dorothy Muller Frost, 230 Lake Drive, North Bennington, VT 05257; 802-4422997; dotsyfrost@yahoo.com Diann Allan Billing, 46 Mallard Drive, Hackettstown, NJ 07840-2836; 973-9624648; dbilling@verizon.net

1959

The Contra Costa, California, Water District recently dedicated its conservation garden in honor of Bette Boatmun, an advocate for water issues who has served

Fall 2014 | Connections 17

Class Notes on the water district’s elected board for 40 years. The Bette Boatmun Conservation Garden in Concord, CA, showcases the landscape styles and drought-resistant plants suitable for California’s climate.

Please send your news to: Karolyn Wentzel Nealon, 3310 Longbow Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-5135; 412-8242558; jhnealon@verizon.net

1960

Please send your news to: Peggy Crosby Stotz,1006 Kimberwicke Road, McLean, VA 22102; 703-734-8932; pstotz@aol.com

1961

Please send your news to: Linda Nee, 10201 Grosvenor Place Apt. 1413, North Bethesda, MD 20852; 301-493-6533; Nee.linda@aol.com Sandra Houck Tiedemann, 272 Patrice Terrace, Williamsville, NY 14221-3922; 716-632-6756; sjtstitches@aol.com

1962

Please send your news to: Elaine Cohen Freedman, 96 Brookline Avenue, Albany, NY 12203; elainefreedman@verizon.net Carolyn Cogan Garter, 13657 Whippet Way West, Delray Beach, FL 33484-1569; 561-498-3093; ccggrandma@yahoo.com

1963

Anne Stammel Bowman went to Olympia, WA, for her son Peter’s graduation with an MBA from Saint Martin’s University.

He is a United States Air Force pilot who will retire in two years and plans to buy a 10-acre place in the area with a “motherin-law” apartment for her. Anne said that she’s “not even close to ready” for that… she’s still teaching 30 piano students near Dallas!

Ginger McCann Giammattei sent an update from Cornwall Manor. Between the grandchildren’s graduations, sports and treks to college, they are very busy, with “never a dull moment!”

Marcie Schukoske Woodward (that’s me!) arrived on Cape Cod for the summer on May 31, flying here for the first time in years, as we no longer have any Great Danes to transport by car. In June we squared away the house, its landscaping, and our boat, Le Grand Bleu, anticipating the arrival of family and friends throughout the beach season. We love spending summers here; it is a perfect counterpoint to the Tucson desert in the winter.

18 Connections | Fall 2014

1963 and 1964: Marcie Schukoske Woodward ’63 (left), Heather Burger Greenbaum ’63 (center) and Arlene Vogel Mirer ’64 (right) at an alumnae reception in Scottsdale, AZ, in February.

I called Carol Carpenter Michels, who lives nearby. She kindly responded with this newsy note, which I share here: “We moved permanently to our summer place on Cape Cod three years ago from Wilmington, DE. It is a wonderful life here...busier, if possible, during the winter than summer! Dean Harvey lived here for years after retiring from Sage. I have been working at a great art gallery for three years and have written several pieces for a Cape magazine as I wait for inspiration for the great novel which I will finish... someday. I have two children who are teachers in city schools, Bill in Baltimore and Mandy in Boston, and a son Scott who is a motivational speaker. They have given us three terrific grandchildren. The good thing about living in a beach town is that the family visits willingly, and often!

When I lived in Delaware, I saw Gretchen Sickles Trafficanti frequently after she moved to nearby Pennsylvania. I miss seeing her. I also had a lovely catch-up lunch with Judy Wallace Sanders several years ago when she swung through the Cape.

I am still missing my darling roommate, Edith Schiffer Stevens Bradley, who left us much too early. I would love to hear from so many great gals who made my college years so wonderful — and who haven’t changed a bit, I am sure!”

Sara Norberg wrote that instead of their usual two months in Florida after Christmas, they stayed in beautiful snowy, cold New Hampshire...not by choice, however.

Her husband, Mike, had a cardiac event on Christmas Day, and ended up in the hospital for an aortic valve replacement.

“How fortunate we were to be here, and not in Florida for such a procedure.

His recovery went very well, thankfully, although we certainly missed our Florida friends and warm weather…Other than

that little wrinkle, we are doing well... enjoying time with family and friends and the lovely New Hampshire summer.”

Eve Bruskin Kaufman wrote, “On Friday, June 20, I was having lunch at the Lake Ridge Restaurant in Round Lake, NY, with Bill and Betsy Tuel. There were three women sitting at the table next to us. When they got up to leave, one of the women stopped at our table and told me that she recognized me from last year’s Reunion dinner at the club in Loudonville. I thought she looked familiar but I wasn’t sure. She then introduced herself as Susan Scrimshaw, our President of Russell Sage College! I was totally shocked — she recognized me! Wow — we talked for a few minutes and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation…Otherwise, nothing new with me. I love where I’ve been living for three years — Coburg Village Independent Living for Seniors — lots to do and many wonderful people. It is just off Interstate 87 between Albany and Saratoga. My children and grandchildren are all doing well, but I wish I were able to see them more often.

Pat Gillen Doane celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in August and celebrated with some of her Sage friends who were in her wedding: Joan Horton Ford, Jean Hunt Evoy and Carol Hanney Hofsted. She still works as a mental health counselor and Joe does consulting in structural engineering. They travel and spend time with children and grandchildren in Wisconsin and Virginia. Pat does sprint triathlons and some 5k runs. This is probably a ditto for most of us at this stage in our lives with a few adjustments on the particulars. While at Sage, people who were in this category were old, yet we’re not old on most days, only some days.

Please send your news to: Mary “Marcie” Schukoske Woodward, 10505 E

Class Notes

1964: Ronnye Berg Shamam received the Doris Crockett Medal at this year’s Reunion.

1965: Mimi Buchakjian Sobo, Pat Rozelle Haggenmiller and Pat Kennedy Gordon and their husbands had a reunion at Pat Haggenmiller’s home in Venice, FL, earlier this year.

Sky High Drive, Tucson, AZ 85730; 520-722-0980; zmme1@cox.net

1964

Ronnye Berg Shamam received the Doris Crockett Medal at this year’s Reunion.

This award is the highest honor the Alumnae Association bestows upon a Russell Sage graduate. The award recognizes an alumna’s lifetime of commitment to Russell Sage; her achievements in career, community and family; and her personal qualities of integrity and loyalty. The presentation took place during the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association. Read a profile of Ronnye on page 11.

Please send your news to: Shari Taylor Grove, 32 Shepard Street #31, Cambridge, MA 02138-1518; 617-576-1302; sharigrove@gmail.com

1965

The Class of 1965 will celebrate its 50th Reunion, May 29-31, 2015!

Lenore Petrillo Rainey and her husband Jerry Darsie traveled from their home in Massachusetts to Salt Lake City, UT, to see Jerry’s daughter and grandchildren. While there, they had dinner with Ann Turnbull Charat and her husband Michel (RPI ’66).

Lenore and Ann were roommates for all four years at Russell Sage.

Ann had her second one-woman photography exhibit at a Salt Lake City library in July. One of her photographs, taken in Montana last year, was accepted into an art show held at the University of Utah in August.

Martha West Shur moved from Cape Elizabeth, ME, to DeKalb, IL, when her husband George became legal counsel for Northern Illinois University. He held that position for 20 years.

Doris Fischman Roth wrote from Pompano Beach, FL, that she enjoyed a three week boat trip from Amsterdam to Vienna in May. She cruised almost 1000 miles and went through 66 locks, then traveled to Prague for four days. She looked forward to visiting her sister Elin Fischman Lawrence ’69 at her cottage in Charlestown, RI, in August.

Barbara Schwartz Onish recently visited Warsaw, Cracow, Budapest, Vienna and Prague. “It was a great trip, with not a vineyard in sight so truly a vacation from our usual trips,” she said. “It was even nicer to be traveling with my childhood friend of 68 years and her husband. We celebrated my 70th birthday with dinner and a concert in a castle — not bad!

Soon after our return, we left to spend an extended weekend with our children and grandchildren. The birthday celebration goes on. This will be more relaxed with golf, tennis, biking and swimming on the agenda. So nice that the grandkids are old enough to partake of all activities. I am hoping for some whitewater rafting, which we added to our activities last summer.”

Grace Hilt Mack spent the spring at their Yarmouth, MA, house to re-do the kitchen counters and lighting to get ready for the summer and fall, when they rent the house to Sage alumni, family, friends, etc. This was the fourth year that she worked during the summer in the lawn and garden section of Lowe’s, which she enjoys. She traveled to Portugal in April and loved it. “The country is truly unspoiled and it was wonderful seeing the North Atlantic. I’d go back again.”

Rosemarie DeGregorio Symula and her husband enjoy trips from their home in Voorheesville, NY, to Richmond, VA, to visit their son and his family. This fall they are taking a trip to Oxford, MS, for an

1965: Ellen Bongard, A.C. Riley and Heather Frazier Tooker.

Ole Miss football game. Their daughter is on the faculty at the University of Mississippi and gave them tickets. They take an annual trip to visit friends in Florida. She wrote, “When I go somewhere out of the Capital District, I wear my Sage class ring.

It is fun to see how many recognize it — and it still fits!” Rosemarie is planning her 55th high school reunion where she will see high school classmate Judy Gorsky Van Campen ’64.

Sheila “Jean” Koechlein Schmitz and Fred enjoyed an 11-day Inside Passage of Alaska Princess Cruise in June as soon as she finished teaching this year. “My favorite excursion was the helicopter ride in Skagway to the Denver glacier where we visited a ‘summer camp for sled dogs’ and took a ride on a sled pulled by 10 of the most sweet, affectionate and energetic dogs ever! Lots of fun; however, we got socked in by foggy weather and were at camp a little longer than expected. Fred, who has his own helicopter license, would not recommend the flight; although we returned safely after a fun adventure, he said it really was not a safe flight! The cruise went to four ports: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria, Canada…We enjoyed kayaking in Juneau with a view in the distance of Mendenhall glacier and of course the cruise on the big ship of Glacier Bay was beautiful, but cold! I guess it is Alaska, after all, but we could have wished for less rain and fewer overcast skies.

Butchart Gardens, in Victoria, if you have never visited there, are amazing!”

Peg Holmes had a full knee replacement in May. Her recovery is going well. She is anxious to get back to work at Biltmore Estate where she works as an audio host.

In March she was elected vice president of the American Association of University Women — North Carolina.

Fall 2014 | Connections 19

Class Notes I, Bonita Maxon, took our annual trip to Rhode Island to dig clams in June. My husband and I dug 906 quahaug clams. He was busy making clam sauce, clam cakes and steaming clams and opening clams to enjoy raw. My roommate from college has a sister — Elin Fischman Lawrence ’69 — who has a summer cottage in Rhode Island and we visited her.

Please send your news to: Bonita Maxon,110 East Shore Drive, Petersburg, NY 12138; 518-658-2873; bamrdk@aol.com

1966

Pat Tinkham Batten writes “It’s hard to believe but my husband, Ed, and I have been living on Hilton Head Island for more than 15 years now. I am now fully retired but have found it difficult to say ‘no’ so I’m on four volunteer boards and busy with activities. We did have a colder than usual winter this year in the South but we’re far enough South (almost in Georgia) so there’s no snow or ice! We keep busy with family — our mothers turn 95 this year and our grandson, Nate, turned 4. We’re truly the sandwich generation.”

Alicia Brady Sarles, Linda Boswell DeWitt and Linda’s husband, Ken, traveled to Ireland in May. They drove from the southwest to the southeast coasts, finding time to explore some middle counties.

Alicia discovered the burial site of her great-great-grandparents in Waterford.

They finished with three wonderful days in Dublin.

Lynne Bennett Crimi and her husband, Dennis, celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary this summer! They have two grown sons, a 4-year-old granddaughter and a 1-year-old grandson. Sadly, their daughter died 10 years ago, after skiing into a tree. Lynne received a master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers in 1989 and worked in a cancer center until 1999 when she retired to care for her daughter, who lived for seven years with a traumatic brain injury after her accident. In 2005, Lynne was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Albany.

She lives in Saratoga, NY, and is very busy with clergy work. She stays in touch with Pam Beaton Graves and is looking forward to our 50th Reunion in 2016.

Gail Ericson Barton and her husband, Bruce, returned from wintering in the Bahamas, where they picked up some beautiful sea glass for their sea glass design business. While they were busy getting

20 Connections | Fall 2014

1969: Members of the class pose in the photo booth at Reunion.

their boat ready to be put away for the summer in Green Turtle Cay, they found time to enjoy the Island Roots Heritage Festival.

Annette Lipstein Friedman continues to travel and kayaks on the Passaic River in New Jersey, photographing wildlife. Annette spent some time this spring in New Orleans, attending a crawfish fest and jazz fest, bicycling and kayaking.

Judy Shor Kronick has retired as reference librarian at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Joanna Phinney Wallis visited Joyce Hartman Diaz in Arizona. They visited the Desert Botanical Garden to see the temporary Chihuly exhibit, then took a short hike in the Superstition Mountains. They enjoyed a paddle boat ride on Canyon Lake and visited a ‘wild west’ hamburger place, with saddles for bar stools and dollar bills on the walls and ceiling. They drove back through the Superstition Mountains to Joyce’s place to enjoy good food, wine and conversation. Judy Galza DiMattia also visited Joyce in April. They traveled with the Arizona State University Retirees group up twisting mountain roads to the mining town of Jerome. After a Jerome historical museum visit, the group met for cocktails, then a great dinner at the Asylum Restaurant and an overnight in the ‘haunted’ Grand Hotel. They traveled to Verde Valley and took a train ride through this very green, yet desert valley.

The end of April found Joyce on a short visit with her son and his wife in Hermosa Beach, CA. Joyce said “It is always great to visit family and to get these Arizona feet into some sand and ocean!” This summer, Joyce, Judy, Joanna, and her sister Helen plan on a New York state road trip. Joyce is looking forward to 2016 and our Purple

Cow 50th and Sage’s 100th celebration and hopes to see lots of Purple Cows there.

I am sad to report that Beth Goldsmith Zinman passed away on February 14.

I’m nagging again about making sure you all start thinking about our upcoming 50th in 2016. If any of you have photos — from our dorm days or from any alumnae or Reunion activities, please send them to me, Barb Towne Patterson. I’ll digitize them, and return them to you. I would like to put together a memory digital frame for our 50th. It’s not too soon to get this started!

Please continue to keep us updated with your news!

Please send your news to: Judy Shor Kronick,158 Brewster Road, Windsor, CT 06095-2624; 860-688-6356; judykron2@comcast.net Barbara Towne Patterson, 1 Ralsey Road South Stamford, CT 06902; 203324-7259; b.patterson66@yahoo.com

1967

Please send your news to: Judith Prest Bowden, 518-441-5012; judithbowden@yahoo.com Rona McNabola Miller, 30 Spottswood Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452; 201-444-8950; ronamc@verizon.net

1968

I have the unfortunate task of reporting the deaths of two classmates. Amy Gilbert Wolfson died on May 31, almost a year to the day those of us who attended the 45th Reunion saw her. She was then in treatment for cancer but was optimistic. Amy, a member of the Alumnae Association board, was an attorney with a family law practice in Nashua, NH. She left three children. Amy’s husband died in 2007.

Class Notes

1969: Members of the class show off their blue during the Parade of Classes at Reunion.

Julie Millington emailed that her dear friend and roommate, Pamela Grathwohl Seh, died in January of a sudden illness, leaving her husband, two children and two grandchildren. Pamela, a Psychology major at Sage, was a retired teacher living in Voorhesville, NY. Julie has lived in Anchorage, AK, since 1970. She is vice president of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and volunteers with the Hospice of Anchorage, the YWCA, the Alaska Lung Council, and the Alaska Botanical Garden.

Katherine Rhodes Kay retired in 2013 from a long career teaching, concentrating in History and Drama. She most recently taught AP US History and was the principal of the middle and upper schools at The Masters School in West Simsbury, CT. Her son Justin is an actor who does commercials. We’ve all likely seen him.

Her daughter Rebecca works in the financial industry. Like the rest of us, Kathy wonders where the time has gone.

Please send your news to: Susan Wolfe Herron, 408 S Croskey Street Unit F, Philadelphia, PA 19146; 215-735-1088; swherron@verizon.net

1969

We had a ball! Our thanks to Cathy Whitmore Svenson and Judy Dasch Lang for chairing the Reunion committee, Linda Stevenson Kimball for the goody bags, Sally Wyrick Anderson for the Sagette CD and Judy Borini Hyde for helping me with the class bead necklaces.

Friday began with a warm welcome from Sage students and staff, accommodations at gorgeous Wool House, pizza at the Red Front for about 50 people, a surprise serenade by our Little Sisters Class of

1971: Members from the Class of 1971 came out to honor their Big Sisters in the Class of 1969 at their 45th Reunion in 2014.

1971, and a memorial slide show by Sarah Johnson Marsh.

Saturday the skies were bright and clear and the campus looked beautiful with perennials and balloons. Highlights included a speech by President Scrimshaw who is doing amazing things at Sage; a luncheon on campus followed by the Parade of Classes; and the Alumnae Association’s annual gathering and gift celebration, where we presented our class gift of $29,871 with 34 percent participation and were recognized as the Reunion class with the most attendees. The afternoon was free to visit campus sites and enjoy the city.

We had a class meeting led by Barb Fass Wood, our class president for the past five years. New officers were elected: Ruthanne Mills Brod, president; Elin Fischman Lawrence, corresponding secretary; Cathy Whitmore Svenson, Judy Dasch Lang, Paula Harris and Joette Braunstein Krupa, Reunion chairs; Terry Wolgang Ragazinni, Reunion class book editor; Betsy Markle Gardner, Kathy Taylor Brown, Roberta Thompson Bray, Nancy Edwards Casteras, Pam Noe Janney, Dani Jones Fofanah, Judy Dasch Lang, Christine Ristow Pirrong, Sally Wyrick Anderson, Liz Otis, Debbie Duncan Hartline and Dana Sochin Kramer, class agents; and Sarah Marsh Johnston, class webmaster.

On Saturday evening we attended our

class dinner with our sparkly Blue Angels looking quite festive, followed by desserts and then dancing the night away in Bush.

We arrived back at the dorm tired and partially deaf from the loud music!

On Sunday we had a large gathering at breakfast in the dining hall, and goodbyes with promises to return in five years.

Sarah Johnson Marsh, our techie extraordinaire, set up an exclusive 1969 Facebook page. Log on and enjoy pictures from the Reunion and other noteworthy events.

I want to acknowledge the three husbands who I hope had as much fun as their wives: Harold Krupa, Steve Joliffe and Rich Mohrmann. They were good sports, took lots of pictures and had smiles on their faces the entire weekend.

Please send your news to: Elin Fischman Lawrence, 139 Wyneding Hill Road, Manchester, CT 06040; 860-643-4560; elawrlaw@sbcglobal.net

1970

Please send your news to: Beverly Miller Sigg, 15 Vinson Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822; 772-539-0120; b2zig@yahoo.com

1971

Our Big Sisters Class of 1969 celebrated their 45th Reunion this year and Maggie Bodkin, Gail Slater Brownell, Donna Hes-

Fall 2014 | Connections 21

Class Notes

1974: Members of the class march down RSC’s main street for Reunion’s Parade of Classes.

kett, Nancy Meyer, Susan Moyle Lynch, Linda Brennan Novak, Sonia Soanes Chesbro and Donna Rose Hall French were there to honor them on this milestone.

Wearing red and blue leis, carrying signs, and handing out buttons that read ’71 and ’69 — Sisters Forever, we surprised a group of ’69ers in the dining hall on Friday night, as we sang our sister song, our alma mater, and more as Maggie led us on her guitar. We then took our show on the road to the Red Front where a large contingent of their class was having dinner. They were so appreciative of our appearance — they sang along and shared their pizzas and brews with us! We joined them in Wool House to see a beautiful tribute that had been prepared to their deceased classmates and pictures from past Reunions. It was a special night of reconnecting with our Sister Class and special thanks to Nancy for her planning and work to make it a reality!

It also made all of us very anxious for our 45th Reunion in 2016!

Please send your news to: Mary Mulvihill Pecoraro, 5 Walsh Avenue, Stoneham, MA 02180;781-662-8648; mmpec@aol.com

1972

Please send your news to: Rosemary Crowley Buja, 19 Greenvalley Road, Medway, MA 02053-1933; 508-533-6120; rbuja@comcast.net Patricia Maiorano Johnson, 2433 220th Place, NE, Sammamish, WA 98074; 425868-0139; pj2433@comcast.net Susan Ackerman Hillman, 29428 Arlington Way, Farmington Hills, MI 48331; 248-489-8062; suehillman@aol.com

1973

Please send your news to: Deborah Tuma, PO Box 2163, Sag Harbor, NY 119630110; 631-338-5421; dstuma@yahoo.com

22 Connections | Fall 2014

1974 and 1975: Barbara Chapman Dworkin ’74 and Amy Silverman Berkowitz ’75 with Barbara’s husband, Paul, at Amy’s son’s wedding in Los Angeles in July. Amy writes, “We love the story of how our friendship began at Sage.

When we were Kellas freshman, we were eating dinner together the first week of college, when we realized that our grandmothers had played cards together in Albany for years. That was 43 years ago!”

Clarissa Robaczynski Alimena, 47 Mulberry Lane, Shelton, CT 06484 cvalimena@hotmail.com

1974

What an incredible 40th Reunion! Our alma mater made us feel right at home after all these years. For those of you that were able to attend, it was great seeing all of you! For those that couldn’t make it, we missed you! Hopefully we’ll all meet again for our (gulp) 45th but ... 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of Russell Sage and maybe, just maybe, we can celebrate that milestone together!

Janet Tammany John and Denise O’Connell Lipkvich, had the most delightful time at Reunion, starting with the book club discussion of The Samaritan. Meeting author Stephen Besecker was fascinating.

Hollis Dorman, Christine Palmer, JoAnn SchoenGood, Patricia Bayly, Diane Gladden Howard, Debra Zawalich Joy, Debra Jaskowiak Lusiak, Sue Rapp Peterson and MaryAnn Kinnard were also at Reunion. We had meals with each other and shared the accomplishments, joys, travels, and ups and downs in our lives.

On Saturday morning, Janet, Sue, Debra and Denise took a stroll down to the river and found a farmers market! We circumnavigated the campus before breakfast and felt pretty good about putting a few miles on our Fitbits.

Janet and Denise attended a session about Russell Sage’s WORLD general education program. WORLD is an acronym for Women Owning Responsibility for Learning and Doing. Denise could not stop taking notes; she wanted to take the class and read every book mentioned. Janet and Denise then visited the nutrition lab for a demonstration and discussion of the scientific approach to our food and our senses.

Of course, at the Parade of Classes, we all lost about 40 years off our collective ages! We loved wearing our Purple Cow blazers and T-shirts, holding our purple balloons and marching down RSC’s main street. Janet and Denise then toured Alumnae House, with the tour guides playing the roles of Russell Sage’s early college presidents. The evening’s events were capped by a great dinner and dancing. I believe Janet and I only missed three dances all night. My Fitbit registered close to 19,000 steps! We closed the dancing with laughter and love and memories to share with our families. Or maybe not.

Just kidding. Hey, we need to keep some RSC secrets!

Anne Novick Branan’s daughter Stephanie Elizabeth graduated from high school in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and will attend The University of Alabama.

Now, I have a little message that only The Class of 1974 will understand (Sing it to the tune of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”)

Had 300 classmates long ago E-I-E-I-O, Where they went I do not know E-I-E-I-O, With a move here and a marriage there, Here a kid, there a ‘grand,’ My how family takes a stand, But before ’74 turned that page, There was Russell Sage!

(I wasn’t the song leader for nothing, ya know!)

This is a call to action! We need to Rally to the column and catch up on a few years!

Please send us any and all news. We’re counting on you…send us news, even old news...we won’t tell!

Please send your news to: Jo SchoenGood, 47 Dowitcher Court, Wayne, NJ 07470; Cbyh2@aol.com Denise Lipkvich, 5 Tanglewood Drive, Brandford, CT 06405; dlipkvich@yahoo.com

Class Notes

1984: Members of the class march in the Parade of Classes at Reunion.

1975

Barbara Chapman Dworkin ’74 attended Amy Silverman Berkowitz’s son’s wedding in July [see photo on page 22.]

Please send your news to: Melanie Punte Puorto-Conte, 2000 Van Antwerp Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309; 518-842-0602; mpuortoconte@nycap.rr.com

1976

Please send your news to: Marie Nangeroni, 2031 Nott Street, Niskayuna, NY 12309; 518-669-9937; mnangeroni@hotmail.com Vilma Zaracostas Russ, 41 Ridge Road, Cornwall, NY 12518; 845-534-2325; vilmaruss@yahoo.com Elizabeth Sciurba, 27 Ingersol Road, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; 518-6956405; esciurba@nycap.rr.com Wendy Symmes Mayer, 57 Linden Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907; 781-581-6235; sage6235@aol.com

1977

Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN will be inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing during the Academy’s 2014 Transforming Health, Driving Policy conference this fall.

Please send your news to: Lois Cloud Malenczak,102 Edwards Avenue, Sayville, NY 11782; 631-563-1966; lcloudpt@aol.com Jill Hastings Mack, 39 Rocky Point Drive, Bow, NH 03304-4115; 603-6635710; cyberjill@comcast.net Joanne Salvador, 301 South Ocean Blue #1, Pompano Beach FL 33062; j.m.salvador@att.net

1978

Please send your news to: Laura Haid Laffond, 3580 Loftlands Drive, Earlysville, VA 22936-2452; 434-465-1350; llaffond@comcast.net

1984: Amy Young and Wendy Carvalho Krauss in their ’Shoe Specs at Reunion.

Mary Beth Ford Karam, 204 Greenwood Drive, Schenectady, NY 12303; 518-355-9713; bkaram56@gmail.com Sharon Barber Wall, 58 Bloomingdale Avenue, East Greenbush, NY 12061; 518-479-4226; sbwall@nycap.rr.com

1979

Please send your news to: Linda CowellJay, 3 Crossbow Road, Norfolk, MA 02056; 508-520-8735; lcowellmd@aol.com

1980

Please send your news to: Therese Sutherland Geraci, 2439 Crescent Lake Place, Johnson City, Tennessee 37615; tsgeraci@aol.com Maxine Goldsmith, 32 Foothills Way, Bloomfield, CT 06002; 860-242-3862; geemax@comcast.net

1981

Please send your news to: Deborah Browne, 60 North Maple Street, Warsaw, NY 14569-1215;585-786-3490; dlbrowne@frontiernet.net Jill Periard, 1425 Broadway Apt. 5, Watervliet, NY 12189-2836; peanutsmom380@aol.com Suzanne Candee Tartaglia, 21 Mount Nebo Road, Newtown, CT 06470; 203-270-6880; suzanne@candee.org

1982

Please send your news to: Lisa Abatemarco, 8371 Tamar Drive Apt 728, Columbia, MD 21045; Lmra323@comcast.net Marcy Anderson, 70 County Road 84C, Santa Fe, NM 87506; 505-455-2067; marcyanderson@gmail.com Joan Traver, 1 Downey Road, Troy, NY 12180-9527; 518-279-9946; joanietr@earthlink.net

1986: Jennifer Flather and Pearl Jones in San Antonio, TX.

1983

Please send your news to: Sharon Spicer, 10 Laurel Glen Drive, Shelton, CT 06484; 203-929-6706; smwspicer@gmail.com

1984

Thirty years since graduation? Yikes, time flies. It was a wonderful 30th Reunion for the Class of 1984. Many thanks to Betsy Lukasik Omasta and Patty Mueller Panayotidis for their great job decorating Spanish House, which won us the Best Decorations award. They also managed to find the ultimate Reunion fashion accessory: ’Shoe Specs. The Class of 1984 definitely stood out from the crowd with these stylish glasses. A special shout out to Patricia Remsen who traveled the farthest for Reunion, arriving in Troy from Portland, OR. A heads up that we’ll get the chance to meet again in two years — 2016 — when Russell Sage College celebrates its 100th anniversary. It’ll be a great opportunity to meet up with your Big Sister, your Little Sister, your Secret Sophomore and the other Cows, Devils and Angels who were at Sage with us. Hope to see you in 2016!

Please send your news to: Amy Young, 29 Howes Street, Springfield, MA 01118; 413-747-8965; aeyoung84@gmail.com

1985

Please send your news to: Deborah Webster McMaster, 77 Hollis Street, Pepperell, MA 01463; 978-433-1947; dwmcmaster77@aol.com

1986

On this end, we just had a high school graduation party for my oldest child. He is planning to take a gap year, hopefully doing an internship overseas.

Jennifer Flather and Pearl Morales Jones got together in San Antonio, TX. Jennifer was in San Antonio with her golf friends,

Fall 2014 | Connections 23

Class Notes

1988: Alumnae gathered at Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse in New York City to celebrate Joyce Isabelle’s birthday. Back row: Kathryn Saulsbery ’11, Joyce Isabelle, and Ronnye Shamam ’64. Front row: Jill Fox Ostaszewski and Lynn Abraham ’73.

and since San Antonio is only an hour and a half from Pearl in Austin, she decided to meet Jennifer for dinner. Pearl’s son, who attends the University of Texas in San Antonio, also joined them. Imagine that!

Now we have college kids! It was great to catch up.

Please send me, Esther, more emails so we have more news to pass on.

Please send your news to: Esther Denham, 616 Ridge Road, Scotia NY 123026720; larrydenham@juno.com Alison Wolf, 5 Queens Peak Road, Canton, CT 06019; 860-693-1180; alisonbarn@yahoo.com

1987

We have some incredible accomplishments to report from our very own Red Devils!

Michele Iracondo McMurray passed her ANCC National Nurse Practitioner certi-

1989: Members of the class joined President Scrimshaw for a reception at Vail House during Reunion weekend.

fication exam. Congratulations to Michele McMurray AGPCNP-BC! Gretchen Meyer O’Connor and Karen Wheat spent time together on Lake Erie enjoying the beach, margaritas and good times. Gretchen has a lot to celebrate.

Her son, Ian, accepted his appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He reported and took his oath on July 2. He is now an active duty member whose status is “nondeployable student.” He received his appointment from his lacrosse coach (a USMA graduate) and local USMA admissions officer at his Honors Convocation before graduation and received a standing ovation. Ian only gets to call home three times through this summer’s Cadet Basic Training. He is not allowed to use a cell phone and has very limited time to write home. They will see him for Acceptance Day in August, then not again until Thanksgiving. This is a very

proud and emotional time for Gretchen, please send supportive thoughts and prayers to her at oconnr6@comcast.net.

Deborah Haizen Karpinos’s son Marc graduated from the University of Michigan and Rebecca Thav Klasfeld’s daughter Samantha graduated from Cornell University this May. Dawn Cope Barilli’s daughter Kaileigh completed her master’s degree from Sotheby’s University of Art. We wish all of the new graduates much success and happiness.

Please send your news to: Dawn Cope Barilli, 239 Old Orange Avenue, Walden, NY 12586; 845-778-1630; dawnbarilli@gmail.com Terry Allen, 6550 Number 4 Road, Lowville, NY 13367-9104; 315-376-1906; tballen@twcny.rr.com

1988

Please send your news to: Kristine Menihan Taylor, 375 East Second Street, Corning, NY 14830; 607-339-6743; ktaylor@cppmail.com

1989

1987: Gretchen Meyer O’Connor with her son, Ian, and husband, Tim.

24 Connections | Fall 2014

Our 25th Reunion was terrific! Maureen Gorman Blazejeski, Michelle Gill French, Joann Grottoli Hartmann, Tasha Torr Hubicki, Catherine Hunter-Gould, Carol Lohnes MacDonald, Geeta Malik, Melissa Roberts Mathurin, Jane Perry Meyers, Sharon Vladyka Shoemaker, BarbaranNare Smith, Nicole Torrance Smith and Christopher Smith attended the festivities.

Since it was our 25th Reunion, we had a cocktail reception at Vail House with President Scrimshaw and her husband. We

Class Notes

1990: Darleen Morgan (pictured, far left) with the East Greenbush Columbia High School Science Olympiad team, which was second place in New York state in 2014.

had a great tour of the house. Kris Gleason joined Cathy, Jane, Mo and I for drinks on Friday night, with an appearance by Collette Lozoff ’90, my old MSG roomie.

Here is news that was reported in our Reunion booklet provided by Alumnae House: Catherine Hunter-Gould lives in Hopkinton, MA. She is a voice-over artist and active with her son Hunter’s school.

She and Dan have been married for 22 years.

Amelia “Amy” Moochler Komanecky lives in Auburn, NY. She is a nurse practitioner for Eastern Lakes Emergency Medicine. She is married to Stephen who is the branch director of the Auburn YMCA. She has two sons. Stephen is a senior at SUNY Cortland and Casey attends Auburn High School. Amy keeps in touch with Nanette Monaghan Foster, Michele Horning Cooney, Donna Goodermote Ramstead and Tina Prock Gauthier.

Melissa Roberts Mathurin is married and lives in Lewis, NY. She is a women’s health nurse practitioner. Her husband, Matt, is a federal law enforcement officer with the Department of Homeland Security.

Carol Lohnes MacDonald lives in Hoosick Falls, NY. She and Joe will celebrate their 22nd anniversary in August. Her

children, Collin and Faye, are 12 years old.

Bethany Ronk Harrington is married and lives in Wellesley, MA. She is a physical therapist at New England Baptist Hospital. She is married to John and has two children — Andrew and Elizabeth.

Mary Beth Schubauer is a physical therapist with the Albuquerque Public Schools and working on her doctorate.

Her son Zack is 16 years old.

Kelly Sweet Alvey lives in Wylie, TX. She is the brain building director for The Coventry House, a day program for adults with disabilities. Kelly is married to Benjamin and has two children, Emmaline and Samuel.

Tasha Torr Hubicki lives in Contoocook, NH. She is a nurse manager of the orthopedic unit at Concord Hospital.

She is married to Bill and has two daughters, Cydonia and Sage. She has been married for 20 years. Tasha, Nicky, Christopher and Joann had a visit from Ann Salvagni on Friday, who was unable to attend Reunion due to a prior commitment. Next time, Swami, you better be there!

Nicole Torrance Smith lives in Pequea, PA. She is the risk management manager at Lancaster General Health. She is married to Christopher Smith. Chris is a CRNA. They have three children.

Lorie Lund Wallace lives in Colchester, CT. She is an RNC at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. She is married to Bruce and they have seven children. Her daughter, Allison, is starting her senior year at Russell Sage College in the fall.

It was great to see everyone at Reunion and it felt good to be back on campus.

It reinforced for me that the decision to attend Russell Sage was a good one! We hope to see a much larger crew at our 30th and everyone that was there committed

Danielle Lee Greaves ’88 Stars on Porgy and Bess National Tour Danielle Lee Greaves has performed on stage on Broadway and across the county, as well as in Europe and Asia. She had a recurring role on the NBC series Whoopi and was the voice of Barbara Schternvart in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

“I love transforming into a character,” she said. “I love the give and take with the audience which is different every single performance. And the applause is pretty nice too!”

She spent this spring and summer playing the role of Mariah on the first national tour of the The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, The Broadway Musical. “Mariah is the matriarch of Catfish Row, a real community in Charleston, SC,” said Greaves. “She is nurturing, but also no nonsense. Mariah is the glue which holds the community together. I adore her!”

In New York City, where she lives, Greaves studies American Sign Language and is a liturgical signer with Broadway Inspirational Voices, a gospel choir comprised of Broadway performers.

to do some heavy recruiting for our next Reunion!

Please send your news to: Beth Gehring Gruber, 4437 SW 14th Avenue, Cape Coral, FL 33914; 973-632-3423; beth_gehring@hotmail.com

1990

The Class of 1990 will celebrate its 25th Reunion, May 29-31, 2015!

Darleen Morgan has taught in the East Greenbush Central School district for 12 years, and has coached the East Greenbush Columbia High School Science Olympiad team for nine years. This year, the team won second place in the New York state competition and headed to the national finals in Orlando, FL. Darleen, who is also a special education teacher at Columbia, working as a consultant teacher with ninth grade students, said that working with the Science Olympiad team is extremely rewarding, “because it involves working with students in an environment that encourages learning and inquiry without the pressure of mandated testing and curriculum.”

Please send your news to: Maria Biernacki-Halse, 826 Williams Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201; 413-445-6230; mjhalse@yahoo.com Ann McDonald, 124 Orton Street Extension, Worcester, MA 01604; 508-7548682; ac_mcdonald@hotmail.com

1991

Please send your news to: Elizabeth Bartolomeo Edwards, 472 East K Street, Benicia, CA 94510; mlredwards@sbcglobal.net Valerie Priolo McKee, 3663 Hosiers Oaks Drive, Portsmouth, VA 23703-3470; 757-638-3243; bryantvaleriemckee@hotmail.com

1992

Please send your news to: Cynthia Bacon Woellmer, 10 McChesney Court, Troy, NY 12180; 518-274-4004; cwoellmer@gmail. com Nicole Grotolli, 277 Shufelt Road, Nassau, NY 12123; 518-598-7781; ngrottoli@gmail.com

1993

If you haven’t joined our class Facebook page yet, please visit to keep in touch: Facebook.com/groups/RSCclassof93.

After nearly a decade as director of public communications at Planned Parenthood in Binghamton, NY, Ingrid Eisinger

Fall 2014 | Connections 25

Class Notes

1994: Michelle George-Effatt, Timesha Martinez-Ferguson, Yolanda Henderson ’92 and Michelle Wise-Ingram ’93 at a gala in Washington, DC, in April.

Husisian has landed a great job as the director of marketing and public relations at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, PA. Congratulations Ingrid!

Check out this video if you haven’t seen the amazing work Amy Willey has been doing with the organization “Don’t Throw Us Away.” The organization partners inmates with rescued dogs from kill shelters.

The inmates care for and train the dogs to prepare them for adoption. It’s a win for everyone involved: Dogsontheinside.com.

Please send your news to: Elizabeth Krizar, 933 Route 9, Hudson NY 12534; 518-441-9008; ekriz@hotmail.com

1994

Please send your news to: Lori McCarthy; lormccarthy@yahoo.com Michela Moore; michelamoore@comcast.net

1995

Please send your news to: Linda Stroka Riemer, 2325 Harrow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241; the_riemers@yahoo.com Kate Siegmann Robertson, 126 Bushendorf Road, Ravena, NY 12143-2212; 518-756-2388; rarksr@gmail.com

1996

Please send your news to: Elizabeth Leuci Keogh, 88-12 151st Avenue Apt 5L, Howard Beach, NY 11414; 718-843-3910; JohnLiz529@aol.com Michaelynn McClenahan, 3012 Wellington Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12306; 518-469-2788; mikemcc213@aol.com Michelle Lessard Tanguay, 48 Chandler St., Loudon, NH 03308; 603-753-9897; chellenbillt@hotmail.com

26 Connections | Fall 2014

1994: Southern Connecticut alumnae at the annual barbecue hosted by Karin Williams LaBanca ’94 (pictured, front row, right).

1997

Courtney Wilson Hendrickson married James Hendrickson in October 2013. He is an engineer for Canadian Pacific. They purchased their first home together in January and are busy doing yard work and indoor projects. They also have two pugs.

Please send your news to: Belinda Hilton, 12 Grant Court, Guilderland, NY 12084; 518-456-5036; bhilton@att.net Jennifer Sennett Glenn, 16 Sargent Street, Queensbury, NY 12804; 518-793-8308; je.glenn@roadrunner.com Kasia Prybylo Noblett, 2417 Deerfield Court SE, Roanoke, VA 24014; kasiaprybylo@yahoo.com

1998

Please send your news to: Catrina McKissick Truesdell, 28 West End Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820; 607-433-9810; catrinapt1@hotmail.com Angela Porter Gordon, 34 Arcadia Court, Albany, NY 12205; 518-729-5532; angela.gordon@gmail.com

1999

Please send your news to: Amy Carlotto Zuckett, 515 Hunters Path Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017; amy.carlotto2@gmail.com Melissa Fields Roller, 700 West Road, Richmond, MA 01254; 413-698-8078; mjroller@earthlink.net

2000

Please send your news to: Sarah Carroll Aluck, 41 Chatsworth Way, Clifton Park, NY 12065-7257; 518-399-8499; sarahliz0410@yahoo.com Cara Desautels Beyor, 2145 Plains Road, Milton, VT 05468-4378; 802-527-

1360; desauc16@aol.com Christina Grab Kirkwood, 3 Brandon Court, Woburn, MA 01801-4167; 781454-9890; grabskifast@yahoo.com

2001

Please send your news to: Michelle Fage, PO Box 37, St. John, VI 00831; 310-9683789; michelle.m.fage@gmail.com

2002

Brittini Baur Harris and her husband added Genevieve to their family in September 2013, joining older siblings Amelia (8) and Benjamin (7).

Amanda Fosmire Corbett married Michael Corbett in 2012. They welcomed their son Gavin in October 2013 and live in Medford, MA. I, Melissa Callaghan Rice was married in August 2013 in Dennis, MA. I was so lucky to have Katie DeGoosh, Rebekah Lancto Near, Kristen Mitchell and Katie McDermott attend! My husband, Tom, and I live in Framingham, MA. Please send your news to: Melissa Callaghan, 110A Derby Street, Newton, MA 02452, 508-735-0344; coachcallaghan@yahoo.com

2003

It’s been a busy spring for the Class of 2003: several new babies, a couple of new houses and some exciting new beginnings.

Michelle Mackness bought a new house.

Her address is 12588 Streamdale Drive Tampa, FL 33626. Sarah Pratt Ciuryla and her husband and daughter, Sage, also have a new home at 16234 S. Petrified Forest Drive, Sahuarita, AZ 85629.

Jessica Howard Walker is excited to

Class Notes

2002: Rebekah Lancto Near, Katie McDermott, Melissa Callaghan Rice, Kristen Mitchell and Katie DeGoosh at Melissa’s wedding.

2002: Lowella Ouellette Caparas and her husband, Reuben, welcomed their daughter Leilani Elizabeth Ouellette on March 21.

2003: Members of the Class of 2013 welcomed new babies this spring. Pictured, clockwise from top left: Beth Stilan’s son Fredrick; Sarah Baumgartner Gault’s son Jacob; Heather Howard Smith’s son Matthew; and SarahBeth Douglass Votra’s son Desmond.

start nursing school in the fall.

Beth Stilan and family welcomed a little boy, Fredrick, to their family on May 13.

He arrived on his sister’s second birthday.

Everyone is adjusting to the bundle of joy and looking forward to lots of adventures.

Sarah Baumgartner Gault and her husband welcomed their second son, Jacob Thomas, on May 7 in Nantucket. He was 7.8lbs and 18 inches. Heather Howard Smith and her husband, Geoff, also have a new son, Matthew Rhys, born April 4.

I, SarahBeth Douglass Votra, and my husband Pat have also welcomed a son who joins big sister Evangeline. Desmond Michael Votra was born on May 19!

All of our good wishes and congratulations to everyone!

Please send your news to: Kendra Wray Pulsifer-Griep, 5 Marion Road, North Billerica, MA 01862; 303-524-5709; Kendra@griep.us SarahBeth Douglas Votra; PO Box 222, Tully, NY 13159; 315-882-7617; sarahbethvotra@gmail.com

2004: Members of the class march in the Parade of Classes during their 10th Reunion.

2004

Please send your news to: Julia Hillje Dardia, 87 Poplar Road, Wayne, NJ 07470; 518-527-3314; juliahilljedardia@gmail.com Julia Stevens Bogardus, 45 State Street, Oxford, NY 13830, 518-257-2407; julia.bogardus@gmail.com

2005

The Class of 2015 will celebrate its tenth Reunion, May 29-31, 2015!

Please send your news to: Lauren Ross Collins, 227 Valley View Dr., Wallkill, NY 12589; 845-851-8311; rossboss23@yahoo.com Rebecca Mazurowski Hammond, 37 Apogee Circle, San Pedro, CA 90732; 413335-4643; beckymazo2001@yahoo.com Kerianne Clark Silver, 20 Ivy Court, Clifton Park, NY 12065; 518-280-6509; kerianne.silver@gmail.com

2006

Please send your news to: Christina Powers, 47 Carmel Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314; 718-494-9389; christina.g.powers@gmail.com

2007

Please send your news to: Jennifer Harris, 12 Francis Drive, Wynantskill, NY 12198; 518-275-2263; jenniferdabeyharris@gmail.com Angela Puorto, 164 River Street Apt A, Troy, NY 12180; 518-842-0602; apuorto@gmail.com

2008

Briana Dolan Tracy SGS ’10 married Matthew Tracy (RPI ’08) on June 28!

Trista Deame, Jessica Trong, Jenna Cuilla ’06, Carly Jean Colbert ’07 and Joan Clifford ’82 attended the ceremony in Bri’s hometown church in Grafton, NY, and a beautiful reception at The Old Daley Inn on Crooked Lake in Averill Park, NY.

Fall 2014 | Connections 27

Class Notes Jessica Trong, 10 Farm Street, Troy, NY 12180; 518-928-2303; jtmarie0922@gmail.com

2009

Please send your news to: Danielle Drahos Basore, 59 Brunswick Avenue 2nd Floor, Troy, NY 12180; 610-334-6976; danielleabasore@gmail.com Daniela Puorto, 2000 Van Antwerp Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309; 518-842-0602; daniela.puorto@gmail.com

2010 2008: Briana Dolan Tracy married Matthew Tracy on June 28.

Bri and Matt were looking forward to an August honeymoon in St. Lucia. They live in White Plains, NY. Please send your news to: Amy Witterschein, 100 Stone Hill Road Apt E12, Springfield, NJ 07081; 845-649-2491; meself@angelfire.com Briana Dolan, 25 Rockledge Avenue; Apt 301 West Tower, White Plains, NY 10601; 518-421-5913; brianadolan1@gmail.com

The Class of 2010 will celebrate its fifth Reunion, May 29-31, 2015!

Please send your news to: Erin Menzer, 34 S Main Street Apt 1, Auburn, ME 04210; erin.menzer@gmail.com Veronica Nunes, 21 Lochview Drive, Windsor, CT 06095; 860-977-3397; roniev4@yahoo.com Brittany Wood, 306 Sunset Avenue, Rensselaer, NY 12144; 518-322-6634; brittanywood06@gmail.com

2011

Amanda Spring, PO Box 292, Ravena, NY 12143; 518-756-8255; sprina@sage.edu

2012

Please send your news to: Hillary Brown, 110 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; brown.hillaryc@ gmail.com

2009: Heather Allen married Jeffrey Ricks in January.

2013

Please send your news to: Meghan Whipple, 25 Wakefield Street, Lewiston, ME 04240; bass_slayer91@hotmail.com Courtney Reed, PO Box 262, Mechanicville, NY 12118; creed1391@yahoo.com Ginamarie Garabedian, 39 Forest Street, East Hartford, CT 06118; ginamarie_helene@hotmail.com

Please send your news to: Ivanna Ramos, ivannar@gmail.com

In Memoriam 1933

1941

Beatrice Fox Peterson 3/3/2014

1947

1959

1968

Olive Nichols Bump 12/27/2013

Mary Mahoney Seaver 7/5/2009

Paula Crooks Ciesinski 2/3/2014

Pamela Grathwohl-Seh 1/10/2014

Rita Lyons 6/23/2004

Marian Van Woert 5/26/2014

Elaine Jaskol Harris 4/25/2001

1948

Carol Quackenbush McCarthy 5/31/2014

Amy Gilbert Wolfson 5/30/2014

1937

1943

1949

Dorothy Palmer 3/10/2014

1934

1961

Elizabeth Bennett Clark 4/16/2014

Ruth Cagney Mample 12/28/2012

Roberta Yarrington Quay 12/4/2012

1938

1944

1951

Kathleen D’Ambola 2/3/2006

1962

Janice Diamond Orloff 3/2/2014

Marion Armstrong O’Brien 3/30/2012

Alice Dimon Harris 1/10/2014

1939

Patricia Girdwood Cyphers 4/15/2013

1952

Gail Voegele Webster 6/30/2013

1954

Caroline Epstein 11/30/2012

1956

C. Lynn Donaldson 2/25/2012

1958

Joyce Cicchetti Miglietta 4/22/2014

Eleanor Mills Tabacco 4/21/2014

Sally Rice Worden 6/8/2014

Emma Harrison Francis 6/9/2009

1945

Patricia Schott Curtiss 2/20/2014

Irma Kaufman Green 12/24/2012

Virginia Smith Walthers 6/12/2009

1946

Ruth Oppenheim Goldman 3/8/2014 Wanda Blake Anderson 8/18/2012

Dorothy Hane Palmer 12/27/2013 Joyce Feay Mack 3/7/2013 Margaret Reynolds 6/14/2014 Mary Doyle Hunt 3/4/2014 Ellen Lyons Neville 5/20/2013

28 Connections | Fall 2014

1964

1965

1966

1967

Beth Zabrosky Cesare 5/19/2014

1970

Deborah Kinney 4/28/2014

1972

Patricia Madden Keough 3/12/2014

1975

Marcia Hatfield Murray 6/1/2014

1982

Denise Keinath 4/4/2014

1983

Margaret Lindsay Wolfe 2/27/2014

1985

Barbara Burg Schieffelin 4/29/2014

2000

Barbara Dyer-Staton 5/17/2014

Russell Sage College and Sage for the Second Century Goals of the Second Century plan To strengthen and preserve Russell Sage as a women’s college, while making all majors available to students on both campuses • Each campus will maintain its traditions as living and learning communities • Only women will enroll in and graduate from Russell Sage College • Only women will participate in Russell Sage College’s WORLD general education curriculum To improve student recruitment and retention • Allowing students to participate in all majors offered on both campuses increases opportunities to attract and retain students

• To improve the financial position of Sage • By reducing redundancies, creating new efficiencies and increasing collaboration – especially in academic areas – we can more effectively use resources and reduce costs

We are fortunate that Russell Sage College has grown into a university (in all but name) including a coed college and graduate schools, and can remain a women’s college within the university model.

Definition of a Women’s College: “A college whose primary mission is the education and advancement of women.” Source: Women’s College Coalition

Fast Facts: • Within the Women’s College Coalition, male enrollment has ranged from 0 to 17 percent.

Wellesley and Sweet Briar list 2 percent male enrollment. Russell Sage is less than 1 percent men.

Timeline 2009-2014 Undergraduate tuition remained stable

out of commitment to affordability

• Surviving women’s colleges have formed partnerships with other colleges: Smith and Mount Holyoke in a consortium with UMass Amherst, Amherst and Hampshire; Bryn Mawr with UPenn and Haverford; Barnard and Columbia; Hobart and William Smith; Wellesley with Babson and Olin.

Fall 2013

A budget deficit due to declining

enrollments – a national trend – and

the cost of financial aid made significant

budget cuts necessary. The Board of

• Women’s colleges that are part of coalitions with coed colleges are more likely to be 100 percent women.

Trustees mandated an innovative

Planning Process Elements

sustainability

• In the 1970s, there were more than 200 women’s colleges in the U.S. Today there are 42.

• Individual and group discussions with key constituents including Russell Sage College alumnae • Open forum meetings and workshops that address and invite feedback on core issues • Record input and feedback from all meetings; compile a report of findings • Hold a workshop/regional seminar

Guiding Principles • Honor the legacy and traditions of The Sage Colleges while exploring new opportunities to ensure long-term fiscal health and continued academic excellence • Position the college as a thought leader on maintaining a women’s college in the context of a university • Continue to be a leader in combining liberal arts and professional education

For more information see the Dean’s Letter on the inside front cover, the President’s Letter on page 1, and visit sage.edu/second-century.

proposal to ensure long-term

April 2014 Then-Provost drafted a proposal for

academic reorganization to alleviate

redundancies and limitations while

ensuring that Russell Sage remains a

women’s college

May 2014

Faculty voted to accept the principles of

the proposal

June 2014

Board of Trustees voted to approve the

plan “in concept”

2014-2015

Planning year of discussions with

students, faculty, staff and alumnae

about how to implement the plan and

strengthen Russell Sage as a model

women’s college

Fall 2014 | Connections 29

Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID

65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180

Permit No. 314 Albany, NY

Please help Russell Sage continue to invest in excellence.

For nearly 100 years, Russell Sage students have benefited from the generosity of alumnae. It’s a tradition upon which all other traditions at Sage depend. Gifts from grateful alumnae enable Sage to remain excellent, relevant and engaged.

Office of Institutional Advancement 65 1st Street, Troy, N.Y. 12180 (800) 898-8452

Sage.edu/giving