UAlbany Magazine - Fall 2021 by ualbany

BIG PICTURE

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

Sara Lance, a research associate with the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC), and fourth-year PhD student Christopher Lawrence collect samples at the ASRC’s Whiteface Mountain Summit Weather Station perched nearly 5000 feet above sea level in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Lance and her team study aerosol-cloud interactions and the related chemical compositions to better understand their environmental impacts. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

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CONTENTS

Fall 2021, Volume 30, Number 2 UAlbany Magazine is published twice a year for alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the University at Albany, State University of New York. Our objective is to produce a lively, informative publication that stimulates pride and interest in UAlbany.

FEATURES

14 Icon of Style Lyn Slater wants us to think of ourselves aging like a good pair of denim jeans.

Vice President for University Advancement Fardin Sanai Associate Vice President for Advancement Larry Lichtenstein

20 Resolve of a Revolutionary

Editorial Staff Editor Paul A. Miller, MA ’21

From campus controversies to presidential politics to Oscar-winning films, Rosa Clemente has led a life filled with epic moments.

The Carillon Editor Stephanie Snyder ssnyder2@albany.edu Writers Donna Liquori ’88; Paul A. Miller, MA ’21 Photographers Brian Busher; Patrick Dodson, BA ’12; Kris Qua; Paul A. Miller, MA ’21 Web Editor Melissa Fry, MBA ’12

24 Dwayne’s World Get inside the mind of UAlbany’s new men’s basketball head coach Dwayne Killings and glimpse his vision for a winning future. Kris Qua

Associate Creative Director Agostino Futia, BA ’01, MA ’08

Patrick Dodson ’12

Creative Director Mary Sciancalepore

Digital Editor Stuart Seidel Researchers Benjamin Brunjes, BS ’12; Deborah Forand; Amy Johnston; Micaela Kayser Business Manager Lillian Lee UAlbany Magazine is available online at www.albany.edu/ualbanymagazine The University at Albany’s broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages more than 17,000 diverse students in eleven schools and colleges. For more information about this internationally ranked institution, visit www.albany.edu.

ON THE COVER

This photo was taken during fashion week in Feb, 2021. The shows were virtual and Lyn was able to reflect on the slower process of dressing at home. And she notes “there’s something to be said for having the clothes be the real stars of the fashion shows and not the people who attend them.” Cover photo: Calvin Lom 2

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

DEPARTMENTS 3

Around Campus

8 Field of View 13 Gifts at Work

Featuring America’s Test Kitchen’s Julia Collin Davison ’94

32 The Carillon (Alumni News and Notes) 48 The Last Word

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AROUND CAMPUS

Raising Awareness of Myotonic Dystrophy

Brian Busher

The Campus Center Fountain was illuminated green on Wednesday, Sept. 15, in honor of International Myotonic Dystrophy (DM) Awareness Day and the research being done at UAlbany’s RNA Institute to combat the devastating neuromuscular disorder. DM is the most common form of adult muscular dystrophy, affecting as many as 1 in 2,100 people.

On-Campus 5K Race Highlights Social Justice and Equity Patrick Dodson ’12

Participants gathered on Bob Ford Field at Casey Stadium for the Race For Equity 5K event that featured 30 “social justice stations” along the route to educate and inspire. Proceeds from the event will go towards scholarships for students who demonstrate a passion for social justice issues.

University Honors Fallen Alumni on 9/11

Alumni who lead the memorial bench effort, pictured left to right: Conner Dunleavy ’17, Edward McGlone ’11, MS ’12, Michael Longo ’15, Lee Stanton ’14. www.albany.edu

Patrick Dodson ’12

Paul A. Miller ’21

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Havidán Rodríguez led a remembrance ceremony to honor the lives lost, including those of 19 UAlbany alumni. The event included alumni remarks, the unveiling of the Class of 2017’s memorial bench (pictured) and a moment of silence. The memorial bench is located near the Boor Sculpture, along a path between the University’s newest building, ETEC, and the Uptown Campus.

AROUND CAMPUS

UAlbany, HVCC, Albany Law Launch Legal Studies Pathway Program

Third Fulbright Award for Psychology Professor

The University at Albany, Hudson Valley Community College and Albany Law School are launching a Legal Studies Pathway Program that creates an innovative program drawing on the academic strengths of each institution. The program enables HVCC students to earn an associate’s degree from Hudson Valley, transfer to UAlbany to earn a baccalaureate degree, and then enroll at Albany Law to pursue a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the nation’s oldest independent school of law.

Neuroscientist and Professor Bruce Svare was recognized with a third Fulbright Senior Scholar award, given through the organization’s Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) research program. The award enables Svare to travel to Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia to assess mental health care systems and ASEAN’s critical need to train more professional psychologists.

Designation Places UAlbany Among Pioneering Health Promoting Universities

Patrick Dodson ’12

At a ceremony on Aug. 31, President Havidán Rodríguez signed the Okanagan Charter, making the University a Health Promoting University (HPU) and a member of the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network. HPUs are institutions working to develop, lead, and embed health and well-being into all aspects of their campus communities.

Campus Welcomes Its Largest Incoming Class In the fall, more than 3,000 first-year students, from 21,000-plus applicants, joined the campus community as UAlbany’s Class of 2025 when they gathered for the traditional Opening Convocation and Candlelighting ceremonies. The Class of 2025 is the University’s most diverse, hailing from 28 states and 31 countries and with 58 percent identifying as coming from an ethnically diverse background and 43.2 percent from underrepresented groups.

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

New Harvey House Offers Welcoming Living Space for LGBTQ+ Students A new housing option opened on Dutch Quad to intentionally support and affirm the cultural experiences of queer and transgender students. While the University already has gender inclusive housing options in most residential living spaces, Harvey House –– named after renowned UAlbany alumnus Harvey Milk ’51 who was the first openly gay elected official in California –– offers events and programming, and brings people together in a multi-floor residential community.

University Partners on $208 Million NOAA Severe Weather Research Institute NOAA’s new Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CISHIWRO) will be led by the University of Oklahoma and includes UAlbany, Howard University, Penn State and Texas Tech. Its focus will be on weather radar and observations research and development, mesoscale and stormscale modeling research and development, forecast applications improvements research and development, subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction for extreme weather events, and social and socioeconomic impacts of high impact weather systems.

ICYMI

Bookstore Redesigned and Reopened as AcaDamien’s The bookstore on the Uptown Campus was renovated over the summer and reopened under the new name, AcaDamien’s, which was the winning entry in a naming contest for the new store. The renovation features the University’s signature branding and a sprawling open floor space to enhance the shopping experience and better facilitate customer traffic.

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UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

BROOKE DAVID ROSENBAUM, ’91 MICHAEL T. WHOLEY, ’88 ELIZABETH DARLING, ’96 KAREN H. SCHMIDT ’80 JEFFREY L. FOX, ’82 Remember JOHN A. REO, ’00 MARK A. BRISMAN, ’89 TAIMOUR KHAN, ’94 JAMES G. SMITH ’79 JON L. ALBERT, ’77 MICHAEL WITTENSTEIN, ’89 MICHAEL LYNCH, ’90 JOHN P. LOZOWSKY, ’86-’87 CLYDE FRAZIER, ’88 JOSEPH MAFFEO, ’94 EPHEN VINCENT MULDERRY, ’92 SHAWN BOWMAN, ’94 & ’96 SEE-WONG SHUM, ’90 SCOTT M. MCGOVERN, ’87 www.albany.edu

Field of View

A lens on alumni professions

A day in the life of Julia Collin Davison ’94.

When filming “America’s Test Kitchen” or “Cooks Country” on the set (located in the seaport district of Boston) the days start early…well before the sun is up. I often don’t have time to let the coffee steep before I drive in, so I bring the pot with me in the car and strap it into the front seat. 8

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

The first thing I do when I get to the studio, besides drink some coffee, is sit in a chair for two hours getting my hair and make-up done by professionals. We film in 4K under very bright lights, which means that the make-up must be done a particular way or else you’ll look like a ghost on screen. As I sit in the chair, I often rehearse the recipes I’m filming that day in my head.

Julia Collin Davison ’94 makes people drool for a living. It’s an occupational hazard for the UAlbany alumna who majored in psychology and philosophy and who is now the co-host of the popular cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen,” as well as executive editor of their book division. Whether she’s perfecting a peach tarte tatin or unlocking the secrets to a great grilled cheese, Julia is on a mission to make sure every home cook is successful. Here’s a behind-the-scenes taste of what it’s like to be television personality, author and award-winning chef Julia Collin Davison.

Created by Denis from the Noun Project

When filming a recipe, all of the ingredients are measured out into small glass bowls (known as ‘mise en place’, or just ‘mise’ for short). The cook and director then discuss where all the ingredients should go on the counter, so that they’re within easy reach for both the cook and the camera.

Just off set, there are a few people who we call ‘runners’. They are responsible for making sure we have whatever equipment and food we need on set. www.albany.edu

FIELD OF VIEW

The food and equipment is organized on trays and labeled well in advance. This helps us be as efficient as possible when the cameras are rolling. There is also a huge rack of extra equipment (such as spoons, spatulas, and so on) nearby, just in case. The runners also watch us cook on camera and make sure we get the recipe details right, like the cooking times and heat levels.

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

To keep the pace moving, we don’t cook food through completely on camera. In fact, if anything takes longer than 5 or 6 minutes, we swap out the food on-set for a version that is cooked further along. These swap-outs are called ‘twins’, and the average recipe has around 15 twins. To make all of this additional food, we have a number of chefs working in a separate kitchen. They cook the same recipe that we are cooking on set, but simply cook it ahead of us. They watch us on a monitor to gauge their timing.

In addition to filming the two PBS cooking shows in the studio (“America’s Test Kitchen” and “Cooks Country”), I film a third cooking show for Pluto at my house, called “Julia at Home.” Filming at the house is very similar to filming in the studio, just on a smaller, more casual scale.

My show is a family affair, with my husband Ian, my 12-yr old daughter, and my dear friend helping me out behind the scenes. My two dogs, Ziggy and Hazel, also hang around the set waiting for scraps to hit the floor; they even make it into the show every once and a while. When I film “Julia at Home,” I usually cook a few recipes outside on the grill, which is super fun. We clean off the patio and place the grill smack in the middle, so that the cameras have plenty of room. We also set up a small tent nearby for some of the equipment and make sure there are plenty of cold drinks and cooling towels for the crew when it’s hot out.

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FIELD OF VIEW

ted by Denis the Noun 1 Project 3

7 9 8 10

Photos with other chefs: I travel a lot for work and appear regularly on several other national TV shows, including “Good Morning America,” “Dr Oz,” “QVC,” “Kelly & Ryan,” “Hallmark Home & Family,” “The Doctors,” and “Fox and Friends.” I often run into other chefs when I travel, which is a blast. And sometimes, I even get to go to the Emmy’s! Photos: 1. Pati Junich & Bridget Lancaster 2. Rocco DiSpirito 3. Nigella Lawson 4. Geoffrey Zakarian 5. Lidia Bastianich 6. Jacques Pépin 7. Dr. Oz 8. Bridget Lancaster & Masaharu Morimoto 9. Richard Blais 10. Christina Tosi 11. Ludo Lefebvre & Daniel Boulud 12. Marcus Samuelsson 13. Emeril Lagasse

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

GIFTS AT WORK

Business Leader Lifts Community and Local Commerce with Generosity On a hot day in August, the hallway in UAlbany’s Child and Family Therapy Clinic brimmed with so many colorful toys, books and art supplies that it felt as though the holiday shopping season had arrived early. The treasure trove was, in fact, thanks to the generosity of Stuyvesant Plaza and its president and CEO, Ed Swyer. As part of an effort to counter last fall’s economic impacts of COVID-19, Swyer and his company donated $100,000, in the form of gift cards, to support students, provide resources for UAlbany offices serving the community, and to help bolster local businesses impacted by the pandemic. “We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Swyer and Stuyvesant Plaza for this generous donation of toys, books, and supplies and to the staffs of the many stores we worked with to acquire these vital new resources,” said Jenny Weil Malatras, clinical assistant professor and associate director for child services at the clinic which is part of UAlbany’s Psychological Services Center. “This donation directly and appreciably impacts the children and families we serve, and greatly enhances doctoral training in child and adolescent intervention. We would not have been able to make these purchases without the support of this donation.” In addition to the clinic, other University recipients of the gift cards included the Honors College, EOP, the Living-

Learning Communities, and the Purple Pantry and Purple Threads programs, which provide free professional clothing and food staples to students. “It is so gratifying to be able to support our community and see the direct impact we can achieve in these most challenging of times,” said Swyer, a longtime supporter of the University and active community leader. “This is a testament to what we can do when we all join together in common cause to lift each other up.” Stuyvesant Plaza has a longstanding relationship with the University and Great Danes Athletics and, in 2017, donated $1 million to the school to support the purchase of a new, state-of-the-art scoreboard at SEFCU Arena. Swyer serves on the board of The University at Albany Foundation and is also president of the University at Albany Bio Development Corporation. Through the Lewis A. Swyer Foundation, named after his late father, Swyer has supported wide-ranging private initiatives at UAlbany and area colleges, including major gifts for the Second Chance Scholarships, Presidential Scholarships, the Campaign for the Libraries, and the University Art Museum. In 2008, he received The University at Albany Foundation’s Community Laureate award, and in 1996, the University’s Alumni Association named him Citizen of the Year.

Pictured left to right, Stuyvesant Plaza President and CEO Edward Swyer, Psychological Services Center (PSC) Associate Director for Child Services Jennifer Weil Malatras, PhD, UAlbany Vice President for Advancement Fardin Sanai, PSC Director George Litchford, PhD and PSC graduate assistants Shannon Underwood and Laura Welch.

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e I m i t e h t from e v a h I be,” t u o t B d e . t s n d a n I w d tre e o w h o l w l o , f s I a r w e n v e e h n I o I W h “ . w n . o oun ty onvey fashi c C o t r s e e t s h e t h o like. l c t c s e d l d u e s o W u w n i d l erry cter I l chi a F r s a b h b c o s i and h D t s t n e e i s b o p l d u c l u e in th re wo o grew e h d t n u d o of n r a a t r k o k s o o o o l b d l — t u a t wo re ou a u h g t i f t uld read i o f t t u y o ys r t a n s a w i l a r o e d h d t n e d a life put tog y m d l g I woul t u o u o c h g for I u o o r s w o h t h d n y e a e a s at w g in n h i t v i s l s e tever—and r m ’ d I to thes t o x l e d t e c n u o n g i c n t i n s e o u h c is t out b s i a h e r T o I really . m w never much am no I y l I l . a n e o o i r h h s s w wa d fa t e I w res sing o l . l n o o o thes f i l h c s r e a f v d e e s n t u u o I d b a chil as.”“ l w l a I m s o never was y h l w l obb s a e t r u D o b a n a i s a p k l u ta ew r e I w g m i o t h e w h o sor t of t , and ter om a k l r f o o e b S v a a d h i I read ,” sa e b d l o u t o w d e ds. But t I ry to t an , e w s l i t t i I o l d o s h a d , w I w woul n e I h g n ld i W u h ho I was “ o t c . t y s t r I n i f u o w e Th ee’88ho s er C . t e s e k d i h n l c a t By Donna Liquori s — d e l r e u ss o W ev e t w r a d h I w o t r d e d t n e c ks a ara n tinu n h o u c c r t s y i l d h l t n a e a e r his ets s I d b T o l . . c m w e o e h n h t t am ulate d in I n m e u o o h f r o a w t k g r o n sodidn’t start out looking was si a fashion Lyn Slater ’89 toexbecome s e t —lo d r l I p u o . n w o h i t c muthe power of clothes. fash t yknew it tha influencer, butlwsheayalways u r f e o t v u b o a s s n a a w ”“I . a s r a e her d v w e n n a I y e l f i l o three advanced my lThe professorfwith t wh t rea degrees – including i u t o , u e b o a m h g k r u l o o a t Albany, as a o thr w f s o an MA in criminal justice from the University at d I t n r e a o s m i n to Hunter College –fset the t ing ia PhD from CUNY ool from v t i l m a o r m s and a MSW ’ a I e v s e t a h aid h t s o l on tex ” I c , e t b g u n i o s t girls and s. Bthrough the criminal dwomen n ted n a bout uout helping young e a w r t e r I d o e o m w o h was oll and training others justice system, towdo so.wShe’s an , f I s a much r n e e v h e n I ho . “W n. Iauthority on child y o t i y n e h u abuse, aw noted scholar and sheC also v s o n a o f c d e o The t r e t . s s e e e k h h i ollow t l c o t l s e c d l loves clothes. u wo in W d used I y l i r r h r e e t c c nd l a F a l r s a s a b k h n b c o u s r ly sm t i D h in and be t p s t u d e l s o u w l o e c w r g e e h t em. er h h n t t i e d t d n a n l a u u ater, who o k r m boo of e ok a a o t l r — d o t s a u e o r d l e u d r uch at wo o figu m h t t y y , I woul t r i r e t f v t u s s i o an lway a d do r l e u d h o t n e a w g lly o t e a e f I i t r l u t p y i m , d e thing l t u m for I co ughou FE ATURE

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UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

Calvin Lom

cl estc d l l d e u s W o u “I neve w n i d l I i y h r Fer racter s a m all c s b ks h n b c y o u l s r l t i a D h e t d r n n e i a a b w up losets ould e c w r g e e h r t o e h h n t w i and ulate ound k r m e o a o Slater, f b k o o a o t l r — d o rea e out uld s d r o l u u w g o i f t w u a o m h t t I y y t r i r e t f v t u s s i o little, y an alwa d do r l e u d h o t n e a w g o t e f I i t l u my e, it t m u o r h o first thing see how I could p g f u o o s r y th and a n w i d t n g a a n h i — t v i r e l s s a es a r m ’ d s I e o whatev h t t t x o e l d t e c n sing he co u t con tinu t s y i u l o l s b i a e a h r e wed T r o I o l . l m w o f o n h c r e u v m e I a I n lly m a o . e n h r o i w s h a s g a w n f i s t onv d c e I w o . o t expres n l o l s i e o f h h s t a o r neve out f ed cl s b I a u “ s ” d a . l s i w a h w er c r l F I l neve a s o b m h s b w o y l t l in D abou a rea p k u l s a a t w w e f r o g I t e o her t h m sor i t w d n , e a r h e t t k a o l bo S from a e d i v d a a a s e h r ” , e I d b l ur u g o i to f w But d o e t t I n , y a e r l w t I s litt o is a d w d l I u o n w was, who e d put “W h ng I l i . u h y t o t c n t s u o r I i f he how er C t T s e e e s . h e c k d t i s th n l e a s s — d W e l r r e u v d o e t w a o t h inued cter I t and w a n o s r c k a n h y u c l r l t s a i T e d r . th n w a o I n s t . e s m o m e l a h the c ate t o I l h u n i w m e d g f n n i o u s o s e t ar sor expr on. I i d l h h s c u a o u f w m t t u y o a r s ab y s ve a a w w outfit th l r a e v e d n n I a y l o l e f h a i e l w r t y t i u m o , b e t lk a a for m t o f s o throughou t d n r o a ime t o s in t e g l h o t n i o t v i m l a o s ave fr h I con text I’m out using clo thes a t u be,” B o t . s d d e t n b e n a r a t e I w wed o o l l h o f w , much mor s r e a v e w n I n e h I I o . W n h “ o i w . h y as oun t onvey c C o t r s e e t s followed f h e t h o c ike l t l c s e d d l e s W u u o n w i d l erry er I t c F a s r sm all chi b a b h o c un s i D r t h t n i d e n b p a u s d t l e clos e re wou h e t h who grew t n i d n d a n ul u m o k e o r o a f b o k t a o o r l o d uld s e out— o r w u g t i would rea a f h t o t try ry m utfit e o v s i s n y o a a d r w e l d l a h toget and t I wou e u f p i l d y l u m o c it re t u , o e I h m g w u r o o o r h f h ay t d so n w a and see t a n i h t g s n s i e v ool i r t l d a o m t ’ s a I d e s t e u x con te clo th con tin e g h n t i s s u i t s u i e abo . Th r w o o m n h m c a u I lly m a e r s a w t fashion. I www.albany.edu

Calvin Lom

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UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

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This is the s thetryAccidental sort of the i r o s o d d l as father of residential d u o u r Coun ty Slater, wo t w now I m a g Icon, has more than 750,000 followers ontha alternative to locking kids up.” I She then worked t n i i f t h t u o o t h s Instagram, has modeled using n brands as at the Saint w r i t f u g for asuch Anne Institute in Albany, running a r o n e e i b s h h s a t e e T r e g p o r x and becoming a supervisor. . t Spade, and has become mo h eunit Valentino anucliving puandt Kate h c d u m l u m y o r c y e l v l I inspiration to olderd women s everywhere who ea she found herself in trends. But y r a w o s w l a h Later, as ta social worker, a w e e s n don’t wantifto invisible, often a consequence on. I d e bearise wed owore i l l courtrooms noticing that what women l h o s y f a f m r e t of aging. Her to Instagram influencer t v u u e o o n bnoticed her influencedshtheir be,” h status began after ephotographers a g outcome. “One of the things I I o u s t o a . r n d w h e o t t i n r y a fa at that time, maybe aswa hsociologist, wa did y nevCenter during fashion Ithew edobserve l l w o o a e l outside Lincoln week l r o f t , i s was that clothing had so much power in r a , e wou ev in the system,” shewsaidhoin aIphonew interview. me and mistook her forassomeone n I important r , o I e f “ l t ” t o . i s l wThe friend she was meeting nd was onvey fashion industry. I c o I o t h n w e s e h t h t u o o joked that Slater wasdan accidental “I’ve been interested in clothes and what I w icon. W l b c “ a g n . d i k y e t s l h t n u a t u t o s f happens we wear them. I already knew o Cwhenin criminal chilaccidental, as she says e fir er being h l longer t She isano in s l e T h m c . s t e s from justice, the first thing e k y i l l l W d see she’s ld n rea her updated profile,erand u o n a i w they do is they take away your atever—a s y a r w definitely not invisible. I wh F s d b clothes. That’s k kind ofntaking b a o s D n u n tin in H o w e v e r, d e s p itteer hIe r tr o c p d your individuality. They do u n y “I never l a l w a e e r r g o fashionista appearance, the same thing when em you’re arac it’s not . I h c h s t i h e t t a e l that admitted b so much a love of fashion uto a psychiatric who I am followed m d e l s u f t o o e s w o l e c propels her. the hospital. And for all of the many ther sing s e n r i p x e d n years I spent in court rooms, h u o c r u fashion. ion a “I never followed fashion. m I h s k a y o f r o t e l t v r what people wore was actually u — o s t o u b ld But never followed trends. re o outime as a w w t very significant. People would r a e v h e t n I never I have from the I was a t i y l really serious bout who I tf really small child used wclothes l u a o e make judgments, r n s t a y i a r e al who I followed judgments often tcolored bylk a dI was, ogeth n a t a f e to convey who o f i l r y o t s how a person was appearing.” mwanted to be,” said Slater,mwhoe, e o t t h u t o l o h o m g t o u r o f She began coaching her clients. ave y thr so forFerry in grew upnd in Dobbs trends.” I toh a t The lawyers B wanted them u n i g Westchester County. “When . n s i v I was little, I would d but that made them later, who i n l e a r wear suits, t m s ’ a I s read a e t x te id S uncomfortable, so they appeared shifty, she clo th asaid. s g n ” i , s book and there would be this character I would e u b t o the t u Instead, she askednthem to think about what d bo like. The first thingfoIlwould d e n a t d a e e a do is try to figure w r k o o w o l o m b I they wanted to see. For example, o tothebejudge ch ver in the closets and trunks d ifa earound whwanted a out—look and n e , r s a I d w . l they seen as a really good mom, n u o o I i w would wear and —look aroun h whatever—and see ohow s o I could put together an a h f I w , d e e y l e t she asked them what they w t v i o n l l ut csort of emulate them. I really s show up in a freshly ironed o outfit thats would fol a o e t w r u e I g they would blouse h i t f n o e l to dress that way throughout life WI amhmynow. ry to f em sed ccontinued t o “ u s and pants. . t i y d r t l o o i n s d h u and always very much expressing who o c d d l ll wou r CI’m living in and sohforingme,I“When wouIlturned 60, I kind oftconfronted econtext t t s e a h This ishthe getting t c t s t e i f t Wit really never was abouthefashion. oua problem solver, a es sing who I t s n i r n i a f It was really older. But I had become y r r r e e h t T clothes as a tool to sort F togeperson who learned yfrommumychmanyexpr ke. using t much more resilient liabout u p d l d u l o u o w ly l of talk about who I was.” w I c clients,” she said. ay s ver I a e r r e t s o w c a l a h a w r e se she took a seminaryin liAfedevotee It cha and of lifelong learning, fSlater’s dat UAlbany, . n n a o When she was always i — r h e s v a e t m a t t h delinquency with Fritz hRedl, u taking classes in on. I never uprofessor turned to creative o w o b h a visiting pursuits, a d g n u s o a a r s w k t er yCriminal Justice. “He rwasealltheater, v run a e at the School of photography and writing. “I think itashi f n w y d t e a w h o t foll it res s d r , e e v as, w o e m t n w r d e o I I f u “ n o i o ” t s . h s n a o w d c I w nvey in an o o c g h n o w t i v li i t s l e u s h o a t b m o ’ w a l I c k I t l d x a e e hen of t con t d us l t i W r h “ o c s . y l o t l t n a u l o C ly sm a too l r a e s e t s a r e s h e a c t h s t s e o a cl in W e I w y m r i t r e e h F t Dobb s ve from www.albany.edu

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r follow edhelped remain in this kind of work as people send me clothes and gifts and all these fa Imedidhtoand long as s lose my mind.” things. And my little New York City apartment ionot clo the n. I nev was so full of excess stuff.” s to Atcone point, Slater began takinge classes at r f o o l n l o v weherd Instagram stches the Fashion e Institute in New While account shows her y wofhTechnology t r o I students e ter CYorkou City. Many of the fellow and confidently wearing designer clothing, Lynn is n wastart dsustainable s . Bufashion, s , w professors, all younger, said she should a now veering toward more n t I have h o like. Th blog becausetofyher. style. I “ w W like a flowered Emeka suit using upcycled a h n from e t ed to b n I wasfabric. e first she did. Shei began exploring her favorite e,” said th littl revolves r—and Sodesigners ng Ivintage , I and was wearing finds. Her life nowe around being more in tune w w Slat o see ho uld do with her environment, o u l d exploring the Hudson r e w Ishecwears is andrytrying ad a bo In many photos, because at way Valley t to buy used goods, rather ousunglasses, t o l an introvert. But putting herself out there ok an d throshe’s f igutorrehabbing pinvisibility, u than new things. She’s turned the t t e o isu ag statement against ageism and o h g ut—lo ehouse old with her partner, Calvin thesherbought nd so f something osheusayst wemshould be confronting y a ok aro l n ife and Lom, and she’s exploringou the Hudson Valley, or m within ourselves. t f e i t , casually, but still stylish. tha it realtolthat self-acceptance, aperhaps lwamore sor t of t would y s “When you do come y v n e talkthenayou e Her clothing choices in her Instagram posts r y mutoccomfy vofefling so can do what I do and just kind r wahaves also bo evolved from high fashion h ut whando say I belong time I w yourself e a p x into Instagram here boown res sing u jeans with her flourishes. And it’s caused t I f w as and a I’m not going to smile and I’m going to a s s h a rmyedark .” her to, once again, contemplate itheopower n. Ioft wa alglasses because I hate having my “I nev l o grew wear y e clothes. s r s reall follow taken, but here Im am. a Forlme, that’s the l uppicture c h i i e n l d d ageism project.” Dobb s used c fashion ere wo F “I find it so interesting that l o e . I nev thethesidea is now retired from two of rrdecades uldSlater y i n b t while we endorse e o W During her tathFordham convey esthattcourhe is hUniversity. e close teaching denim jeans have a social work career,cshe created a resource a s who I rac on rthe unique abilityttoegain ts aguidebook r Ccharacter for family court judgeste n o I d u w n t ty. “W h ulvalue m. I rea assessment randutreatment nks aof nchild sex abuse oand d as they get older, l i k e en I d . Twehresist lly andcoalsondeveloped a handbook forwclients, fade and get used, h e a f t i e r tinparents st thin foster and foster care agency vapplying s is the parents, er—thean utoewrite same logic to d t g I wo staff. She’s hoping another book about o d ofshuman conagingtesoxtshe’s taking yet another class, drthisetime the aging process e s e s h t hbeings,” I’m livi about at wshe wrote in a recentow I co writing. a uld pu n y usinfor g thdorwe i blog post. “Why allow n o g a u n c g d l Since the pandemic, Slater’s made some o th inanimate objects, hout m d trend changes. She’s e fromasNewaYork City to ssoomany f o r moveds y life a e,furniture s. BPeekskill like denimm jeans, or t i o t to be closer to her daughter ando her r u e l t t a o sjewelry, I have freedom to age lly ne n ted to granddaughter. or t the ver wa o f r f o t m over time, increase their worth a be,“Once l k t h ” about to stop and slow down because e of ti sIahadid m and become valued for their would e S who I w I the pandemic, I had time to think and recover l a w t a e readmyself. s narrative stamina rather than r , a w as traveling all over,” she said. reapeople ho“I grefall out of favor as older abeen l bI otowaso l y s Paris so much w kandaInwasdcreating y to fig had m all chil i seem u to p do?” n t I was working a ton. And really life had h urecontent. D e o d r b e ouatlittle b s Fer become of control,” she said. “Thesewou —outlo an out l d ry in W be this ok arou fit that es c n haract d in the would ay s ve er I wo closet sor t of ry muc uld s emula a n h expre d t was ab r unks a te them s sing w out fas nd . I h r e o a h I lly con ion. It w am now ”“I nev tinu as er .T 18

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

sm all chi ld “I neve b s Ferry r follow ed fash I was a character ion. I n really s ever fo m t a o l l b llowed child u e,” said runks and tren sed clo Slater, “ W t h h w es to c en I wa ho gre on tinued to onve s w l i u t p t l e i I n , would Dobb s on text I’m like. Th I would read Ferry a e the Accidental Icon, has more than 750,000 followers on Instagram i b f n irst thi ook an the clo lo thes as ng I wo d there sets an u o l d d do is utfit th trunks I have try to f at wou a nd wha ig l d t h sor t of rougho tever—a ” said nd see emulat ut my l h e them the con ife and ead a . I reall alway s text I’m y co very m was re living i u n a ut—look ch exp lly muc and so res s h more for me I was.” , “ a i I t really bout u or t of never f s nev i o n the tim llowed g clo th e fashion es as a who . I neve too I wan te I was a really r s d f m all ch ollowe to be,” eally d tre ild use said Sl Coun ty d a . t c “W hen er, who lo thes I I was li charac to c g rew up t t t e l r I wou e, I wou in Dobb I ld like. around l s Fe d r e a d T i n h a e first book a en thing I an outf the closets a nd th nd trun would it that do is tr would ks and throug y s whatev or t of e hout m er—and s mulate y life a the con ee t nd alw hem. I tex www.albany.edu

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RESOLVE OF A

REVOLUTI

Being Rosa Clemente ’95 is not for the faint of heart. The longtime activist has led a life filled with all the twists and turns of a Hollywood blockbuster. In fact, recently, she’s even helped produce an Academy Award-winning film. UAlbany Magazine caught up with Rosa on a recent visit to campus to recall some of her memorable moments. 20

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

Patrick Dodson ’12

ONARY www.albany.edu

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Patrick Dodson ’12

On sneaking civil rights leader Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) onto campus:

While visiting campus, Rosa caught up with friend and mentor Ekow King ’90, ’95. Below: They enjoyed memories from the memorabilia Rosa has kept from her time at the University.

On becoming a student/activist and embracing her identity at UAlbany: When I entered in 1990, my major was political science. I was put into an Africana Studies class [by mistake] but it was my first Black studies class ever. Dr. Vivian Gordon was the chair of the Africana Studies department and I just switched majors! She began to mentor me and I became involved with ASUBA [Albany State University Black Alliance] and anything around student activities. At that same time, I was taking Civil Rights, Intro to Puerto Rican history. I was taking Africana Studies classes, so I was becoming more aware of racial and social justice issues.

At that time, I began to realize I was a person of African descent. I really had never been told that. As a Puerto Rican, you just grow up and that’s always what I was. I was being called a ‘sellout’ [by other Latino students]. So, my home was ASUBA where I was completely embraced and welcomed. What I started to do as [ASUBA] president, everything was Black and Hispanic to show that unity. I would not be who I am without it.”

Kwame Ture had come and spoken here before, but this time the University said, ‘No.’ So, we said, ‘We’re bringing him, but we’re not telling anybody.’ So, we snuck him in. We went through the underground tunnels to LC7. The Brothers (Albany civil rights activists) were doing security. The janitors opened the door and I’m in LC7 and there are about 500 to 600 people. [It] was packed. And then I introduced him by saying, ‘We’re ASUBA, so welcome, Kwame Ture!’ That room went…I mean you could, literally, feel the electricity.” By the time he starts speaking, the whole campus is on alert. [The administration] suspended me right there. They moved to expel me from campus. All the students rallied and surrounded the building where I was having the judicial hearing. Dr. Gordon was in the meeting because we were not allowed to bring lawyers as an advocate. And Dr. Gordon [said]: ‘You don’t want to do this. If you do this, we’re going on strike.’” In 1994, Dr. Gordon had become really sick and by 1995, she had passed away. I went to the funeral with some other students she had chosen.

She put us in her will and testament and left us last instructions of what to do with our lives. Mine was, specifically, to organize and research for [my] people. On running for Vice President in 2008: In 2004, I got pregnant with my daughter and I was very, very sick. I almost died. I met Cynthia McKinney the year before at a conference. She was a Congresswoman [from Georgia]. She would bring us out to speaking gigs. Then I get a call and it’s Cynthia McKinney [who asked]: ‘Do you want to be my vicepresidential running mate?’ I knew people who were running in the Green Party. I had joined the Green Party after I had heard Ralph Nader speak. He was the first politician that I had ever seen address mass incarceration in the Clinton era and what that meant. I said, ‘Sure, I’ll run.’ And then, on I think it was, July 12th, 2008 — we got the nomination in Chicago.

It was crazy. I was thinking, “I don’t have a job. I’ll run for Vice President.”

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

On being an associate producer on the multiple Academy Award-winning film, “Judas and the Black Messiah”: I’m part of this collective called Blackout for Human Rights that [director and Academy Award nominee] Ava Duvernay, [“Black Panther” director] Ryan Coogler, and [film producer] Charles King are a part of. I’ve been in the collective for a while. I got a call from one of the members in Blackout. His name is [film director] Shaka King and he says, “Rosa, do you know how to get in contact with Fred Hampton Jr.?” [son of slain civil rights activist/ Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton] And I said, “Yes, and why?” and he says, “I have a script.” So, I got Ryan and Charles. I called Fred. It took a month. We go to Chicago, 8-hour meeting. And that’s how it began. So, my involvement was literally getting Fred to have the meeting and being at all of the tables. I was one of the first people who said ‘Daniel [Kaluuya who an Oscar for portraying Hampton] is going to get the nomination.’

I was there, on set, in the church scene. That was the most powerful scene in the movie and when Daniel first did [that scene], I was like, “Oh my God! Fred Hampton is here.” We need more movies on all the Panthers. Every one of them has a story. Every Weather Underground person has a story. If we can watch 105 million movies on World War II, can we have a movie on [Puerto Rican civil rights and community organization] the Young Lords?

Clockwise from top: Rosa, at far right, at the first meeting with Fred Hampton Jr., at far left, in the home of his father; movie poster; Rosa on set; Rosa and Fred Hampton, Jr.

On the Rosa most people don’t know: I’m serious about my work but then, I’m also very funny! I could be a comedian on the side. I make my friends laugh. I love to have fun. I’m serious, but I have levity in everything I do.

[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed]

Rosa as running mate to the Green Party’s 2008 presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney. www.albany.edu

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Dwayne s ’ WORLD By Paul A. Miller, MA ’21

The first-time head coach opens up on life, leadership, and getting your mind right.

Photo: Kris Qua

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

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Dwayne Killings has an attitude. That word — “ATTITUDE” — is imprinted on a black rubber band he wears on his right wrist. It’s a memento from his first collegiate coaching job at Boston University where the men’s basketball head coach, Pat Chambers, gave them to players and staff. Ten years later, Killings still dons it — replacing it as it wears out or breaks.

he rubber bracelet isn’t simply a piece of nostalgia, nor is it a motivational cliché adopted to burnish his image as a fount of inspiration. Attitude, it turns out, is a cornerstone in the foundation of Dwayne Killings, the new head coach of UAlbany’s men’s basketball team. In his 1999 high school yearbook, an 18-year-old Killings recapped the tone of his basketball team’s regular season: “But when we came to play we proved we were one of the best. And that is the attitude we will take to the playoffs.” It was that same brand of positive thinking that set him apart as a walk-on player at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A 2001 article in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, quoted then basketball Head Coach Steve Lappas when he praised Killings as a player who ‘”works hard in practice, and is such a positive for [the team] because of his attitude.”’ So, it was no surprise to those who know him, that upon arrival at UAlbany, Dwayne Killings introduced himself by Paul A. Miller ’21

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

handing out hundreds of purple T-shirts emblazoned with the University’s mascot and one word: “MENTALITY.” “I think that your attitude is everything,” Killings, 40, said during an interview alongside his wife, Ana. “I truly believe the more positive we put into the world, the more you’re going to get back.” When asked about the old sports adage that “attitude can’t be coached,” Killings immediately disagreed. “No, you can definitely coach it. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it work,” he said referring, in part, to the America East conference tournament championship that he helped win as an assistant coach at BU in 2011. Killings takes over the head coaching reins at UAlbany from Will Brown who, over a 20-year run, led the Great Danes into five America East championships and NCAA tournament appearances. Signed to a five-year contract with a salary reported to be more than $300,000 per year, the new head coach recognized that the expectations of him and the program are high.

Patrick Dodson ’12

Paul A. Miller ’21

“This is probably the most pressure-intense moment in my life,” he said.

and that’s he motivated by all those who have helped him and put their reputations on the line for him.

It’s not just the normal pressure of being a first-time head coach that Killings feels; it’s also the weighty responsibility of being an African American head coach in NCAA Division I basketball, where people of color have been historically underrepresented at the top coaching position. According to a recent Sports Illustrated article, the 2021 recruiting cycle has seen a sharp rise in the hiring of Black head coaches in D1 basketball and, in particular, first-time Black head coaches — like Killings. It’s an uptick being felt even at powerhouse basketball programs like North Carolina, which in April hired Hubert Davis as the first African American head coach in its program’s history.

“Now we have to win to make sure that, one: we validate the hire; and two: we create more opportunities,” Killings said. “If the guys at our level are successful, well, then it creates an abundance of opportunities for other people. We have to get it right.”

“He stepped out with the other assistant coaches in the Big East with Coaches for Action,” said UAlbany Athletic Director Mark Benson, speaking on the “Hoop Heads” podcast series that is following Dwayne’s journey as a first-year head coach at the University. “I was really, really impressed.” Benson added that on the strength of his experience, leadership, attitude and vision, Killings beat out more than a dozen other candidates for the job. Killings shared that he’s aware of the opportunity he and others like him have earned,

On a hot July afternoon, 30 minutes before the start of practice, more than a half dozen players in skintight purple jerseys warmed up as hip-hop filled SEFCU Arena. A coterie of new assistant coaches doled out fistbumps and greeted each player personally.

Patrick Dodson ’12

Demonstrating leadership in issues of representation and equity, however, is a through line in Killings’s life. It’s something he’s worked on since his high school days as a member of the student group People of Color United and continued as a founding member of Coaches for Action, a working group of 21 minority assistant basketball coaches in the Big East Conference who work collectively to address social injustice.

INTENTION & INTENSITY

A palpable energy rippled from the group. Rather than lazily going through their pre-practice routine, the players were attacking it: muscular dunks, quick layups, sharp dribble drives. On just this second day of full practice, it seemed each player was trying to make his presence felt, as though each had something to prove. At precisely 2 p.m., the head coach stepped onto the court.

Standing 6’3” tall, Dwayne Killings — “DK” as he is often called — retains the lean physique of a college athlete. With his youthful looks, he could easily be mistaken for one of his players. His manner was warm and casual, and he locked eyes as he greeted me. It wasn’t an intimidation tactic; he wanted to show that he was present, in the moment. Killings blew his whistle to start practice and the gym exploded with energy. www.albany.edu

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At the Alumni Association’s annual Day at the Races event on July 16 in Saratoga Springs, Killings shares a laugh with Arleny Alvarez-Peña ’04 MS ’06 and Phil Burse ’04. Paul A. Miller ’21

Paul A. Miller ’21

Renowned author/motivational speaker Kevin Carroll addresses the team on July 27 in the PE building as part of the Leadership Academy established by Coach Killings.

“Everything we do is intentional and has intensity,” he bellowed. A torrent of affirmations echoed throughout the gym: “Let’s go.....I got you...Yes, sir!” And these positive reinforcements weren’t coming only from the coaches: they were coming from the players themselves. The Killings mentality was at work. For more than two hours, the coaches ran the team through a series of physically demanding drills designed to amp up their aggressiveness, including one fiercely competitive exercise called the “alley drill.” Two players battled, oneon-one, down a narrow corridor of their peers who roared encouragement. Bodies collided and players dived for loose balls. There was no hiding any mistakes. After one offensive player faked out his opponent for an easy layup, a watchful Killings intervened: “Can you dunk? If you drop somebody, finish it! We’re going to punch people in the mouth. We have to be elite finishers!” Killings’s coaching style runs the gamut from boisterous swagger to self-effacing. While instructing players on the specifics of a defensive crouch, he joked about his age and the tightness of his hips, but added that he could still “get long” as he spread out his arms and impressive wingspan. It’s an approach that many of the players seemed to appreciate.

UAlbany Magazine Spring 2021

A PLAYER’S COACH “The first time I talked with DK, he was straightforward with me,” said Paul Newman, a 6’9” transfer from Bucknell, who plays the center position. “He said, ‘Listen, I’m going to push you. I’m going to test you. I’m going to make you a better player as long as you want to work hard.’ And I was all for it.” Returning player Chuck Champion, a 6’4” guard, noted the level of autonomy and trust that Killings expects of his players. “DK lays it out clear and straight up. If you can shoot, shoot the ball. If you can create plays, create plays,” said Champion, who added that Killings is instilling the notion that players control their own destinies. “He’s giving you the opportunity to make what you want to make for yourself … whatever you want to do, off the court, on the court.” Off-the-court success is key to Killings’s brand of “mentality,” which is focused on community service and setting up players for life, long after the fleeting spotlight of collegiate basketball. To facilitate this, he started a leadership academy for the players.

“I want everybody to feel like they have a piece of this program.”

Paul A. Miller ’21

“I feel like there’s a major need for leadership in the world. And I want to make sure that the 15 kids that we influence, we can grow their leadership abilities,” said Killings. He’s enlisted the help of his extensive professional contacts — from his previous college teams, the NBA and, also, UAlbany administrators — to provide guidance and act as mentors. At an academy event over the summer, Killings surprised the team with leather-bound notebooks and recommended they get into the habit of writing. “Success leaves clues,” he said. “Take [the notebook] on the journey we’re on. These people are here for you. This moment you have right now, you’ll never get it again.” To inspire his players, Killings brought in renowned speaker and performance coach Kevin Carroll and the former Charlotte Bobcats assistant general manager Karl Hicks, who now serves as a managing director of the NCAA. Hicks, who has been a longtime personal mentor to Killings, had nothing but high praise for his protégé: “Albany did a really fine job in identifying him because there will never be anyone here who’ll say he was a bad hire, based on who Dwayne Killings is. He’s going to make the place proud.”

FAMILY TIES Born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts, a young Dwayne Killings reveled in the lively atmosphere and diverse population provided by UMass Amherst, where his father, Sam, spent more than four decades working as a system controller. The father and son would often shoot baskets on campus late into the warm summer nights, and the younger Killings participated in the team’s summer basketball camps. At 8-years- old, he became the ballboy for the men’s basketball team led by then Head Coach John Calipari, now the legendary coach at Kentucky. Killings, and his father, would sometimes imagine him out there on the court as a player wearing a Minutemen’s jersey. Ten years later, it came true. Naturally, the university and the team became even more integral in the family’s life. Killings often brought his teammates home for dinner, where they became part of the warm and welcoming family environment. Now, as parents of two (Alecia, 7 and Tristan, 4), Killings and wife, Ana, want to recreate that same sense of family at UAlbany. “This is a family. We want it to be connected. We want to be part of each other’s lives. It makes it more fun and authentic,” Ana, 41, said during an interview in the Campus Center.

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FE ATURE “And it’s not just the players and coaches,” added her husband. “It has to be people in the community and the administration. I want everybody to feel like they have a piece of this program.”

“It’s been a joy and an honor to represent our program. It’s our players’ program. It’s your program,” said Killings before, jokingly, pleading for help in picking a winning horse for the day.

The importance of family is not just a public relations talking point for the Killings. For Ana Killings, it is deeply personal, poignant and the polar opposite of her husband’s experience. She was raised by her maternal grandparents, after her mother gave birth to her. “She wasn’t in the space to be a mother,” Ms. Killings shared while adding that she never harbored any ill feelings to her mother. “I was never upset, it was just …‘It is what it is.’”

At ease with diverse audiences, (something he credited to his upbringing and hometown), Killings spent the next hour or so shaking hands and speaking with alumni and their spouses. He displayed the proverbial “people’s touch.” He bent down so he could lean in close, locked eyes, laughed easily and occasionally placed his hand on an elbow or shoulder to signal that he was present. For many, Killings made a strong impression.

Her family experience, however, fostered tremendous gratitude and love for her “old-school” Dominican grandparents who worked hard and sacrificed to ensure she would be the first in their family to graduate from high school and college. She graduated from UMass Amherst with an undergraduate degree in accounting and earned a master’s degree in education from UMass Boston.

“He’s very relatable, welcoming and engaging,” said Arleny Alvarez-Peña ’04, MA ’06 after Killings spoke with her and fellow alumnus Phil Burse ’04. “He seems very humble, but also like he knows what he wants and expects,” added Burse.

“I’m super thankful,” she says with quiet pride. “My life could have turned out differently. I don’t know where I would have been had they not raised me.” On the second episode of the podcast series, the couple talks about the way the University embraced the entire family. “When we arrived, it was about our kids and it was about Ana,” remarked Coach Killings. “It reassured us that this is perfect.” For Ms. Killings, coming to UAlbany simply reinforced a strong sense of family. “It just felt like it was home.”

CONNECTING SUCCESS Under a giant white tent at the Saratoga Race Course, Dwayne Killings climbed atop a red picnic table and spoke to a crowd of around 400 at the Alumni Association’s annual Day at the Races event. As the guest of honor, it was his first large UAlbany community event. “One of our goals, since we arrived at UAlbany, has been to forge a connection with the people [in the community].

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

As Killings floated through the crowd, one alumnus told Killings that he’s looking forward to finally being able to sit in the arena and see the team in person. Bill Robelee ’64, shared somewhat higher hopes with the new coach: “I told him I’m ready to buy my tickets to the NCAAs,” said Robelee, who pointed out that he’s attended all of the men’s basketball March Madness tournament appearances. For a coach who told his players that “success leaves clues,” it was fitting that in conversation with successful businessman Premal Shah ’71, MBA ’72, Killings would seek advice. “Why are you successful?” he asked the Dubai-based executive. Shah smiled: “That’s the million- dollar question. It’s a whole package. If you check enough of the boxes in the package, your chances for success go up.” Shah shared with Killings a slate of ambitious new projects and visions for successful ventures he has planned. At the end of the conversation, Dwayne Killings stood up, extended a handshake and thanked Shah for his time. As he walked away, the new head coach turned back to the businessman and said, “Good luck! I’ll be rooting for you.” Judging by the warm embrace of alumni and the campus community so far, the feeling is very much mutual.

LOVE & BASKETBALL When Dwayne Killings proposed to Ana Polanco on a winter’s day in Toronto, she couldn’t stop laughing. It wasn’t because she couldn’t believe the moment was happening; it was because he had verbally bumbled the once-in-alifetime romantic moment. “He got down on his knee and the first thing he says is, ‘Will me marry me?’ And I just started laughing,” she recalled. By her estimate, it took a full minute to recover while he waited, on bended knee, for her answer. Dwayne jokes that freezing cold and nerves are a bad combination. Ana gives him credit though. “He’s very romantic, which I am the total opposite. He did an excellent job. It was great, but it was freezing!” UAlbany Magazine visited with the couple to consider some entertaining questions. UAlbany: In a movie about your life, which celebrity would you pick to play your spouse?

UAlbany: What’s your irrational fear?

Dwayne: J-Lo. (Ana shoots him bewildered look.)

Dwayne: I’m not scared of heights, but I’m scared of heights. It’s weird.

Ana: I’m surprised he didn’t pick Alicia Keyes. (There is a resemblance.) I’d say Denzel Washington. I’ve always been a Denzel fan. UAlbany: Who would win at Trivial Pursuit? Ana: Oh, definitely not me. He would. Dwayne: She would pick a game that she’d be good at!

Ana: I hate insects. I mean, they’re everywhere.

UAlbany: Best book you’ve ever read? Ana: Oh, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo Dwayne: “The Legacy Builder” by Rod Olson.

UAlbany: If money is no object, what’s your ultimate family vacation? Dwayne: The Maldives, but I don’t know if I have it in me to [endure the flights]. Ana: We’ve been to Paris but our daughter asks for us to go as a family. So to appease her, I’ll say Paris. UAlbany: If you can only listen to one musician the rest of your lives, who is it? Both: Jay-Z! (They’ve been to more than 10 concerts collectively)

Ana: I am a Jay-Z head! Dwayne: His daughter has some of our money! UAlbany: One word to describe your spouse? Ana: Innovator. He’s very innovative with everything. Dwayne: “Point guard” is two words, right? She’s the point guard of our family. That gets lost in the shuffle of all this. [Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for space and clarity]

www.albany.edu

THE CARILLON ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

1947 Jacqueline Smead Alexander

passed away Feb. 10, 2021 at the age of 95. She was a retired language teacher. Her three children attended UAlbany.

1949 Bob Kloepfel passed away

Feb.1, 2021. He was a member of the Potter Club and a returning veteran when he enrolled as a freshman. Champion golfer, CBS Sports reporter and author Dottie Pepper published Letters to a Future Champion: My Time with Mr. Pulver, a tribute to Jean Pulver Hague’s father George. Jean shared that reading all the compliments about her dad was a very emotional experience. There is no stopping Bob Kittredge, who has an event on his calendar every day! Bob books guest speakers and serves as moderator of a residents’ group discussion on current events.

Elfrieda Laemmerzahl Miller of

Delaware visited her grandson in Tampa, and her son Dave in Jupiter, Fla. Ursula Neuhaus Schiff’s

granddaughter got married in California. All of Ursula’s children and grandchildren live in California. Ursula resides in Sarasota, Fla. Gloria Maistelman Herkowitz

celebrated several family events. Two grandsons got married and a great granddaughter had a bat mitzvah. Jerry Dunn resides in an

independent living facility in East Greenbush, N.Y. His wife Shirley Wiltse Dunn ’50 was hospitalized briefly following a fall on New Year’s Eve. Shirley lives in a geriatric unit in Troy where she has been diagnosed with dementia. Jerry plays bridge online three times a week. He reminisced about living in Sayles Annex with friends Bob Kaiser and Bob Baker. Joe Zanchelli and Joyce ’52

celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in June. They downsized to a senior living

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

facility in Saratoga Springs in May. Class Co-Councilors: Joe Zanchelli, jjzanch@yahoo.com; Jean Pulver Hague, jeanhague@aol.com.

1950 Shirley Wiltsie Dunn is living in

a geriatric unit in Troy. She was editor of State College News. Shirley and Jerry Dunn ’49 married a few days after Shirley graduated from NYSCT. She taught for four years, raised their four children, then returned to the workforce in the 1980’s. Shirley spent nearly a decade in the Department of Parks and Recreation and founded the Dutch Barn Preservation Society. In recognition of her research on Dutch farm locations, she was honored as a Fellow by the Holland Society of New York. A scholar of the Mohicans and early Dutch, she is the author of The Mohicans and Their Land, 1609-1730 (1994), The Mohican World, 1680-1750 (2000) and co-author of Dutch Architecture Near Albany: The Polgreen Photographs (1996), and The Mohicans (2008). Three of Shirley and Jerry’s four children

are retired; one is still teaching. They have nine grandchildren and two great-granddaughters living in California, Virginia and New York. Harold Sparky Vaughn is

in great health which he contributes to heredity and a healthy lifestyle. An active member of the Rotary Club of Washington D.C., he is involved in anti-human trafficking work in cooperation with a club in Bangkok. As of this printing, Harold is still seeking a publisher for Bacco’s Song, set in Western Europe and Thailand. In the meantime, he is writing a historical novel. Lila Lee Charmaine lives at the

Ranch Estates in Scottsdale, Ariz. She enjoys yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba and mobility classes and daily walks. Lila became a great grandmother. Her granddaughter Emily of Raleigh, N.C. gave birth to twins and all are doing well. Lila was able to attend Emily’s wedding in February 2020. Class councilor: Harold “Sparky” Vaughn, vaughnha@aol.com

A Message from Lee Serravillo Executive Director, UAlbany Alumni Association

I’m thrilled to share a message during a time when the University at Albany campuses are alive with thousands of excited students attending classes and activities. The return of in-person alumni events like Day at the Races at Saratoga Race Track and Nights at the Washington Nationals and New York Mets in the summer, as well as volunteer opportunities throughout UAlbany’s welcome week, have served as refreshing reminders that staying connected is rewarding in many ways. With preventative safety measures in place, we anticipate hosting many in-person events throughout the fall and look forward to seeing you soon. In addition, we are planning virtual events throughout the year so that we can continue to engage Great Danes everywhere. Visit www.alumni.albany.edu/events to see what’s happening next. As in the past, we’re teaming up with the Undergraduate Admissions Office to recruit future Great Danes, and we need your help! Volunteer as an Alumni Admissions Ambassador and represent UAlbany at a college fair near you at www. alumni.albany.edu/admissions. You can

also participate in the “Nominate a Future Great Dane” referral program –you nominate a prospective student and we’ll cover that student’s application fee –by visiting admissions.albany.edu/register/alum By assisting in admissions efforts, you’re giving back to your alma mater and building the next generation of Great Danes! On Saturday, Oct. 16, we’ll host Homecoming on the Uptown Campus and look forward to welcoming members of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, EOP, Five Quad, former student-athletes from track and field and cross country, baseball and many more. Several affinity group leaders have committed to participating in Homecoming, allowing us to plan for and provide designated group gathering areas right in the middle of all the excitement at Casey Stadium. The Great Dane Pregame starts at 1 p.m. The Great Danes take on the Villanova Wildcats in the Homecoming football game at 3:30. We’ll see you there! Stay safe and healthy, Great Danes!

WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT UALBANY

Recruit Future Great Danes · alumni.albany.edu/admissions Give Career Advice to Alumni & Students · ualbany.firsthand.co Give to the Student Scholarship Fund · albany.edu/give

CONNECT WITH YOUR MOST VALUABLE NETWORK

Don’t miss alumni news or event invitations –visit alumni.albany.edu/update.

www.albany.edu

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

1952

Shirley’s grandson was accepted at Columbia and will join the Columbia Symphony Orchestra.

Marilyn VanDyke moved

into the Terrace at the Glen in Queensbury, N.Y. She celebrated Mother’s Day by visiting her daughter in Clifton Park. Marilyn is proud of all of her grandchildren, who earned college degrees.

Vickie Eade Eddy of Olean,

N.Y. enjoys her grandchildren although distance keeps them far away. Two of her grandchildren attend colleges in New York State. Nancy Pettinelli’s oldest

Shirley Rosenbaum is still

granddaughter graduated from Ringling Art School and then left immediately for a job in Vancouver, Canada.

involved with the League of Women Voters. Her children and grandchildren are following in her footsteps: her son operates a non-profit bicycle shop and her daughter, a Julliard graduate, teaches piano.

Tom Holman enjoyed time in

Naples.

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2022 Excellence Awards CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Recognize alumni and friends of the University for their outstanding achievements and service. We’ll celebrate the honorees at the 2022 Excellence Awards Gala on April 30, 2022. More details and nomination forms are available at www.alumni.albany.edu/awards.

Nomination deadline is Oct. 13

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli and Joe

’49 moved to a lovely senior residence, and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in June. Dr. Gerald R. Firth passed away

June 7, 2021 at the age of 90. He was Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at the University of Georgia. George’s great-niece, Kathryn Agan, started at UAlbany in Fall 2018. Class councilor: Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli, jjzanch@yahoo.com

1953 Hello Red Devils of 1953! A beautiful note was sent by Barbara Van Horne Smith, wife of our classmate Hal “Smitty” Smith. Smitty retired from serving as a Director of Guidance at Starpoint Central School after 33 years. The year after, Barbara retired from an elementary education position. They had three children, five grandchildren, and 11 greatgrandchildren. Barbara and Smitty visited two former exchange students while touring Europe. They spent winters at Jekyll Island in Georgia. Smitty was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that has progressed to Alzheimer’s. They have a supportive family, but Covid-19 has kept them apart. Hal and Barbara, you are in our thoughts. Louise Petfield Burn’s middle

daughter visited for two weeks. Since vaccines were not yet available, they wore masks everywhere – including in the house – and instead of going out for an occasional meal they enjoyed pickup meals from local restaurants. This July, Louise and her eldest flew out to help Lousie celebrate another one of those birthdays that end in a zero! Louise resumed playing piano once a week for a small

group of seniors at church who love to sing the old hymns. Louise’s congregation is getting younger, so she prefers the newer praise songs complete with drums and guitars. Louise attended church virtually for several months, but is going back in person again. She became a great-grandmother to a baby girl in February, and is anticipating traveling back east this fall to meet her. The Covid-19 restrictions kept Louise from her yearly visit back home with her family. Fortunately, she had a delightful visit from one of her granddaughters, an archivist, before the pandemic. The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society featured Joyce Dawn Turner Ogden

in the Spring 2021 issue of New York Researcher. The full-page article entitled “In Other Lines” detailed Joyce’s genealogical discoveries of New York ancestors. Joyce said, “I think they found my Olympia Washington address in their list of members and wondered why somebody so far away bothered with a membership to a New York-based organization.” Congratulations, Joyce! Doing genealogical research is time consuming and requires lots of dedication! Millie Foote Sheerin talked with Ruth Dunn Benishin

recently. Ruth is still writing but is hampered by her poor eyesight. She hasn’t lost her chutzpah! though and is fun to talk with. Joan Allen Balfe and Millie talk frequently and do their best to visit one another at least once a year. Both manage to live fairly active lives. Millie walks 2½ miles each day and volunteers as a docent at the Town of Brewster’s Museum. She has six

children, 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. After getting fully vaccinated, Millie and husband Jim completed a 2K-mile road trip to visit five of their children, some cousins and best friends. Millie sent out a “Best to all!” message to her former classmates. Betty Hart-Coykendall loves

being 89. “It is a Fibonacci prime as well as the sum of the square of two Fibonacci numbers (5 and 8).” Betty reflected on the pandemic, saying: “It has been an interesting and challenging year but haven’t they all been that? We deep Depression babies have been through many worldshattering events. Our numbers are down to about 37% of those of us born at that time. The

health care givers, I believe, have had the most challenging situations.” Betty’s daughter works in the Newborn Nursery at Strong Beginnings Birth Center, University of Rochester Medical Center. Betty repeats the following mantra to herself when she gets anxious: BT, BAP, BITM (B = Be Thankful; BAP = Be At Peace; and BITM = Be In The Moment). Each day, Betty swims a kilometer at the Webster Aquatic Center, does two miles on an elliptical machine and weekly yoga. Betty taught virtual math labs on Google. Just like so many of you, Rose Mary (Rosie) Hughes struggled with the loneliness of the quarantine. She felt lucky that her apartment had a balcony

on which she could go and feel she was part of the world around her. Rosie continues to read jokes on Facebook each day in her attempt to bring some laughter into the lives of friends who are feeling depressed. Before lockdown, Rosie was in an exercise class. When it closed, Rosie and two friends in her building decided to do their own classes in the hallway, with adequate space for social distancing. Rosie has since returned to the normal class. Rosie is now the great grandmother of two darling little fellows. She loves being a grandparent! Like a good number of you, Rosie turned 90 this year. It just doesn’t seem possible! “I can remember when we were still at State and there were alums celebrating

their 50th reunion.” Rosie was stunned that people could still walk at that age! As class councilor, her hardest part of the job is to hear about the passing of another classmate – people like J. Paul Ward, Jordine Skoff VonWantoch, and Louie Vion. We are only two years away from a 70th reunion. Joe Lombardi has asked who will attend. Rosie hopes she can make it! She and Betty Hart Coykendall attended their 70th high school reunion. Stay well dear classmates! Keep moving. And laugh – it’s the best medicine! Share any news with Rosie (please note her new email address). Class Councilor: Rose Mary Keller Hughes, rosemaryk.hughes@gmail.com

The men’s basketball team had a chance meeting with Chi Sigma Theta sorority sisters at the Alumni House in July. www.albany.edu

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

1957 It’s time to think about how to celebrate the 65th anniversary of our graduation. One classmate suggested a luncheon in Albany.

Please share your thoughts, as well as class notes, with your class councilor. Sheila Lister Bamberger connected with Janice Champagne McGrath through

Alumni board member Nic Rangel’s nephew is all smiles in his new UAlbany gear.

email. Janice mostly taught in Newburgh with a one-year sabbatical in Nairobi in 1970. She attended a couple of reunions in Albany including our 25th while living in Maine, and attended another of our reunions after she moved to Hawaii. Janice retired in 1992 and moved to Windward Oahu to be near her son and grandkids, both of whom flourished. Janice worked part time training tutors for Hawaii Pacific University before “re-retiring” three years ago. She still enjoys acting and playwriting. Her plays have been read and produced in Honolulu’s theatres and some were published in a collection entitled Home: Four Plays, available on Amazon. Janice hopes all of her classmates are doing well, and she loves reading everyone’s news in the UAlbany magazine.

Brossy are sorry that our 60-

year reunion did not happen last October. We are thinking about a future event, likely in conjunction with the other classes of our era. Class co-councilors: Joan Cali Pecore, cueville@comcast.net; Doris Hische Brossy, dbrossy@aol.com

1962 Bob Sweeney is dividing

time between Hawaii and the mainland while his new home is being built in Florida. He is near completion of writing two books. Sheril McCormack is happy for

the return of Red Hat Society activities. Class councilor: Sheril McCormack, vanillastar202@yahoo.com

1964 Julia Imbo ’21 is the second recipient of the Class of 1964 Scholarship, established during our 55th reunion year. Julia earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and will enter the School of Education’s Special Education and Literacy master’s program this fall. Best wishes, Julia!

Class councilor: Sheila Lister Bamberger, hsbamb@verizon.net

1960 As our alma mater opens up this fall, let us give thanks that it and the world is returning to good health and peace of mind. So many lives have been lost in the past year including members and family of our class. Joan Cali Pecore and Doris Hische

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UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

D A

Pat Jewell McAlexander has

spent part of her retirement writing novels. Her first

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

HOMECOMING

GOLD BASKETBALL NIGHT

novel, Stranger in the Storm, is a romantic thriller set in the Adirondacks of her childhood and was released as an e-book in 2020. Her second novel, Shadows of Doubt, is a suspenseful novel set in Athens, Ga., where Pat lives. It is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes Apple books in both print and e-book. We hope that your life is starting to get back to “normal” after the COVID-19 pandemic. Please keep us informed of your activities and changes in your contact information. Stay safe and healthy. “Time marches on…and on… and on…” – From the 1964 Torch yearbook Class co-councilors: Bill Robelee, wmrobelee31@gmail.com; Columba DeFrancesco Heinzelman, heinzel779@aol.com.

1965

Kappa Beta brothers Bill Robelee and Premal Shah ’71 attended UAlbany Day at the Races, an annual event hosted by the Alumni Association at Saratoga Race Course. Premal traveled from Dubai to join fellow Great Danes on July 16. Both Bill and Premal serve on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and have established scholarships for UAlbany students.

The Class of ’65 Red Devil’s 55th-Year Reunion was delayed but not forgotten. We were reminded of the profound musings of the great Muppet Show philosophers, Statler and Waldorf: Why do we always come here?/ I guess we’ll never know./ It’s like a kind of torture/ To have to watch the show. But it was far from torture. In fact, the 19 Red Devils who got together via Zoom Feb. 11, 2021, had fun! Classmates from all over the U.S. gathered for an imaginary view of the campus, enjoyed phantom fish or chicken dinners, imbibed at the virtual open bar and shared lots of good memories. Judy Koblintz Madnick kept

control of the festivities and Ira Rubtchinsky tried to moderate, but once things got going, there was no holding back. The liveliest discussion came

School of Social Welfare alumni gathered under the festival tent for lunch and networking. Pictured: Doris Ramirez-Romero ’85, ’87, Yvette Milillo ’82, ’84, Sheena MacGregor-Pilz ’07, ’08, Alyssa Lotmore ’07, ’08 and Kathleen McLean ’92. www.albany.edu

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

when Jeanne Bollt Krips Tobin remembered going to Europe during her junior-year summer and discovering in her Paris hotel room what she thought looked like a second toilet, or perhaps a foot bath for weary tourists. Fortunately, her travel companion and classmate, Roselle Warshaw Mironer, was more cosmopolitan. Roselle explained that the French all have “bidets” in their bathrooms. Kate Harvey Jacobs recalled that “My fear of attending Harvard University disappeared when I discovered that I was as well-prepared as those who came from Ivy League undergraduate colleges. After I had two master’s degrees and a doctorate, I had a fellowship at Harvard in 2001 and wondered if I had

the background to be there. But once there, I felt totally equipped for my goal of investigating the connection between quantum theory and theology.” We became reacquainted with classmates we hadn’t seen for a half-century, and, as promised, there was a prize for the most profound thoughts submitted in advance of the reunion. Kate Harvey Jacobs and Ruth Siegel Baker won UAlbany t-shirts. With apologies to Dan Fogelberg: We drank a toast to innocence, We drank a toast to now, We reached beyond the many years, A healthy future for us we did vow! With that in mind, we are looking forward to our in-person 60th-year reunion!

Roselle Warshaw Mironer is

excited to report that she has decided to tear herself away from teaching and retire. She is looking forward to seeing friends, traveling, reading, attending classes, dancing, enjoying her synagogue and the work that she is doing with AIPAC. Linda Delfs retired in 2015.

“My colleagues at State Ed. kept telling me I’d be better off financially retired than I was working. They were right,” she said. “It’s been Saturday ever since, with plenty to do and I’m doing as much of it as I can before the arthritis and joint problems get to be too much.” Linda enjoys volunteering, mostly for the Shaker Heritage Society in Colonie, N.Y. She

plays with a fife and drug corps near Albany as well as one in Massachusetts, and is involved with a reenacting group – an artillery unit in the 18th century. Linda’s daughter is a lawyer for a non-profit in D.C. and has been working long distance from western Massachusetts, hoping to find work in New England. Linda’s other daughter lives outside Palmyra, working from home for the University of Rochester while homeschooling two kids. Her husband, who does quality control for a Clifton Parkbased company, is the only one who got COVID. “So far he seems to have gotten through it unscathed.” Class councilor: Judy Madnick, jmadnick@gmail.com

The Alumni Association welcomed incoming EOP students to UAlbany in August. The annual EOP Ice Cream Social provides a valuable opportunity for students to connect with staff and alumni volunteers before the semester begins. 38

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

1967 Greetings Beloved ’67 Classmates. The organizing committee for our next reunion promises to go all-out for a grand celebration of our 55th Reunion in 2022. Over the coming year, a major goal is to connect with as many of our classmates as possible. Let us hear from you. Stay connected! Sandra Rudy Interdonato provided

an update on her wonderful group of five former college roommates. “Although the pandemic was hard on everyone, I was fortunate to be able to Zoom weekly with Rosina

Class of ’93 alumni David Goldin, Andrew Altshuler, Matt Kutin and Jerrah Lieberman grabbed a slice at their old Albany hang out, Sovrana Pizza & Deli.

Schneider Mulligan, Vicki Fox Friedman, Bonnie Tomaszewski Kisiel and Mary Santay Shevis.

The five of us formed a very strong bond at UAlbany and that bond has strengthened throughout the years. Before the pandemic we got together twice a year and hope to resume that tradition shortly, but we all agree that for us, Zooming once a week will go on indefinitely.” After graduating from UAlbany, Sandy moved to an apartment on the exciting East Side of Manhattan where she met her future husband, Bob, owner and trainer-driver of Standardbred (sulky) racehorses. Sandy then completed graduate studies in speech pathology at California State University Long Beach, returned to New York and got married. Four years later she had a son, Michael, and raised him on their 10-acre horse farm in central New Jersey. In 2005, Sandy retired from her 33-year career as a speech and language therapist, which included 24 years in the Toms River Regional School District in New Jersey. She and Bob have lived in The Villages in Florida for the past 16 years. Despite the pandemic, they’ve been able to enjoy Florida’s warm climate and participate in golf and other outdoor activities that allow for social distancing. After teaching for many years, Bonnie Tomaszewski Kisiel and

University at Albany

Class of 1971

50-Year

Reunion

ntil 2022 u d e n o p t s Po

The Class will still gather for the Great Dane Pregame and Sorority & Fraternity Coffee hour during Homecoming, Saturday, Oct. 16 starting at 1:00 p.m. Connect with classmates in the official Class of 1971 Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/ualbany71. Bookmark the Class of 1971 news website for updates and to view a list of missing classmates: www.alumni.albany.edu/71reunion www.albany.edu

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

husband Don ’66 are enjoying the more relaxing pace of retirement. They still live in the big house with the big yard because it’s hard to downsize, but it does require a lot of time for upkeep. Bonnie and Don spent time at a nearby beach this summer. They’re thankful that loved ones have remained healthly amid the pandemic.

1978

1984

Kim Chatani serves on the

James Hayes’ daughter carried

Association of Certified Fruad Examiners (ACFE) board of directors, and is the audit committee chair. He is an assistant professor of accounting at Concordia University Irvine.

on the family tradition when she began her studies as a freshman at UAlbany this fall. Welcome to the Great Dane family, Cecilia!

Class councilor: Canon Kay Carol Hotaling, FHC, aspenpaepke@msn.com

Ted Anderson was named

1971 Michael Blum invented the

Earthquake Emergency Pod for school children in developing countries using component material developed by SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Funds raised through Michael’s Kickstarter campaign will go toward product development and testing.

1982

1985 Bill McCann and Cheryl Couser

director of North Sea Maritime Center at Conscience Point in Southampton, N.Y. Ted chairs the development committee and raises funding for children’s and senior citizens’ programming at the Tupper Boat House. Frank Hoare was appointed

general counsel for the New York State Thruway Authority. He retired from the United States Army Reserve in December 2019 after 28 years of combined active and reserve service.

’02 were appointed co-directors of the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board. Bill is a former president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the host of the Saturday Morning Edition of Jazz on WCDB, 90.9 FM, Albany.

1995 Victoria Lane was appointed

chief special counsel for Ethics, Risk and Compliance, New York State Governor’s office.

She previously served as a partner at Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP. She holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

1998 Jason Irizarry was named dean

of the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education. He is the first Latino dean to lead the Neag school.

2004 Virginia Rawlins is the founder

of Building Blocks Together, an advocacy organization that helps people buy houses. She is a licensed real estate agent and economic development program assistant at the Capitalize Albany Corporation.

Great Dane Weddings

JOHN KNIGHT ’09 AND KATE CORKERY ’04, DEC. 31, 2020 40

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

SARAH KRAFT ’11, ’12 AND JORDAN PEREIRA, JULY 1, 2020

COLIN COOPER ’16 AND MARLI GRINGERI, JULY 2, 2021

Arleny Alvarez-Peña

participated in the 7th annual Great Cycle Challenge USA to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. She met her goal of 200+ miles and raised over $2,500.

2005

of policy for the State Senate Republican

named a “City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star”. She is an associate attorney at Greenberg Traurig. Timothy H. Raab/Northern Photo

director of Workforce Development, Columbia-Greene Workforce New York Career Center, Columbia-Greene Community College.

Kyle Ketcham, director

2008 Katie Birchenough was

Jeanette O’Neil was appointed assistant

2007

Conference and Brittany Vogel, government analyst at Albany-based law firm Hinman Straub, were named “City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Stars”.

Thomas Briggs was named

a “City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star”. He serves as manager at KPMG.

Karina Vartanyan ’13 and Kevin Estrada ’12 celebrated their recent engagement.

Alumni and friends in the D.C. area attended UAlbany Night at the Nationals in June. www.albany.edu

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

Are you a current student who: has questions about your major/career path? wonders what it’s like to work for a specific company? needs advice on working and living in a specific city?

Are you an alum who:

recently graduated and would like to build your network? wants to change career paths or industries? enjoys providing career advice to others?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, UCAN is for you. Learn more: alumni.albany.edu/ucan

Admissions Volunteer Opportunities Refer a prospective student to UAlbany and the application fee is on us! With an alumni referral, UAlbany degree-seeking, undergraduate applicants can receive an application waiver courtesy of the Alumni Association. Contribute to UAlbany’s admissions efforts by referring a prospective student interested in pursuing an undergraduate degree at UAlbany.

Nominate a student and help us grow the Great Dane family: admissions.albany.edu/register/alum Learn more about alumni admissions volunteer opportunities: alumni.albany.edu/admissions 42

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

2009

is a forensic accounting and fraud examination expert at Guidehouse.

director of the newly established Contemplative Studies Centre in the University of Melbourne’s School of Psychological Sciences.

2011 Raymond Blanchard is

president-elect of the American Counseling Association of New York State. named a “City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star”. He

Sylvester Finch

Marlon Balogh was

2016

2018

Mike Avella Jr. was named a

“City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star”. He serves as government affairs associate at Dickinson & Avella, PLLC in Albany.

2017 Iris White was

named a “City & State 40 Under 40

Haley Viccaro was Hanna Rosie

Nicholas Van Dam is the

Rising Star”. She serves as chief of staff at Bolton-St. Johns, a government relations and public affairs firm in Albany.

appointed senior advisor for communications for NYS Governor Kathy Hochul. She previously served as communications director for Governor Hochul. Jackie Silvestri opened

Downtown Dough in Albany and Farmhouse Tap + Tavern in Altamont. She is the creator 518 Foodies, a Facebook Group with over 41,000 members.

2021 Elizabeth McCormick is part of the American Association of People with Disabilities Summer Internship Program Class of 2021. At UAlbany, Elizabeth advocated for disabled students and was president of Delta Alpha Pi, the honor society for disabled students. She participated in Rockefeller College’s Semester in Washington program and interned for the D.C. Office of Disability Rights.

In August, 17 former rugby players and their families enjoyed a weekend gathering at Dippikill. The annual Rugby alumni tradition has been going on for 22 years. Photo submitted by John Durant. www.albany.edu

AUTHORS & EDITORS

Bookmark

with James Stellar, Beny Poy ’17, Chrisel Martinez ’16, Marc Cohen ’16, Brandy Eggan, Chloé Skye Weisser, Rachel Eager, Agata Buras Diversity, equity and inclusion issues are at the center of today’s societal conversations. A new book by Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience James Stellar and co-authors explores the “lived experiences” of college students who grappled with the topics on their campuses. In Diversity at College: Real Stories of Students Conquering Bias and Making Higher Education More Inclusive, Stellar, a former provost at the University, co-authored the book on bias at college with three UAlbany alums and a former research fellow/post-doctoral candidate. “This book offers the student stories in a context of social neuroscience to illustrate how they successfully navigated their college experience as students who found themselves in a minority,” Stellar said. A range of complex issues, including implicit bias, selfhandicapping, and low socioeconomic status and peer support, are viewed through the lenses of the students themselves, offering personal and poignant narratives. “These are stories, anecdotes and truths of individuals who were once in their same seats, balancing classes, leadership roles, family and personal obligations,” said Chrisel Martinez ’16, who is now an equity strategist and creative consultant. “This book can support many students in identifying their life passions and understanding that the past is who they are but they get to decide who they become, based in large part on their college choices.”

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

James Stellar

Richard Beck ’78, MPA ’81, published Engaging the Organization in Effective Performance Management -Turning Vision Into Results, an instructional guide for government agency leaders and managers to use a holistic approach in realizing their vision for an organization.

Ann Blando Pinna ’66 published Quarantined!, a children’s picture book for ages 4-8 that helps spur discussion about coping with COVID-19 in optimistic and creative ways. Profits from the book will be donated to food banks and other food insecurity organizations.

Eva Lesko Natiello ’86 is the New York Times bestselling author of two thriller novels, The Memory Box and Following You. Natiello is the founder of Authors Against Hunger and is a member of The Authors Guild and International Thriller Writers.

Edward Mikulcik ’72 published The Lost and Forbidden Love under the pen name Peter Edwards. Part of the story is set at UAlbany in the early 1970’s.

Richard Morgan ’69 is the author of Poems of Your Own, a guide to writing personal poetry. Morgan lives with his wife in Hendersonville, N.C. His books are available on Amazon.com.

Brian Phillip Whalen, PhD ’15, published Semiotic Love [Stories], his debut story collection. Whalen lives with his wife and daughter in Tuscaloosa where he teaches creative and firstyear writing at the University of Alabama.

Denise Russo, MS ’19 and UAlbany CEHC professor Abebe Rorissa, PhD are the authors of “The Need for Addressing Multilingualism, Ambiguity and Interoperability for Visual Resources Management Across Metadata Platforms,” a scholarly manuscript published in First Monday journal, a Great Cities Initiative of the University of Illinois at Chicago University Library.

Fanta Ballo ’21 published For All the Things I Never Got to Say, a collection of poetry. Ballo performed her work during UAlbany’s 2021 Commencement Ceremony. Arthur Vidro ’84 published the fictional essay “EQMM Goes to College” in the May/ June 2021 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

www.albany.edu

IN MEMORIAM

1940s Elizabeth Wheeler Hughes ’40, Feb. 8, 2021 Donald F. Green ’42, June 3, 2012 John R. Hammond ’43, June 21, 2014 Paul J. O’Leary ’44, Jan. 6, 2018 Harry Wurtz ’44, Sept. 25, 2016 Susan Yager Cook ’45, March 14, 2021 Suzanne Montgomery Jackson ’46, Nov. 13, 2019 Jacqueline J. Smead Alexander ’47, Feb. 10, 2021 Anne C. Pascuzzi Royce ’48, Oct. 5, 2012 Donald J. Sayles ’48, July 5, 2021 Robert E. Kloepfel ’49, Feb. 11, 2021 June Olson ’49, Jan. 31, 2021 M. C. Pangburn ’49, June 2, 2017

1950s Lucian Bernard ’50, Nov. 3, 2020 Daniel A. Briggs, Ph.D.’50, July 8, 2021 Stuart S. Royce ’50, Dec. 9, 2020 Ann Bierly Elliott ’51, Jan. 19, 2021 John J. Lehr ’51, May 25, 2020 Helmuth Schultze, Ph.D. ’51, March 24, 2021 Albert W. Zimmermann ’51, Feb. 21, 2021 John H. Bowker ’52, Oct. 28, 2020 Gerald R. Firth ’52, June 7, 2021 Miriam Carter Lyon ’52, Feb. 15, 2021 David E. Manly ’52, March 30, 2021 David M. Shepard ’52, May 10, 2020 Richard C. Adach ’53, May 2, 2021 Marion H. Horn Doody ’53, Feb. 14, 2021 Marion Bon Howard ’53, Dec. 22, 2019 Robert D. Keel ’53, Jan. 29, 2015 Owen E. Smith ’53, May 10, 2021 Frank A. Stevens, Sr. ’53, Dec. 26, 2020 Shirley M. Wagner Trayner ’53, June 29, 2017 Louis F. Vion ’53, Jan. 25, 2021 46

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

Raymond H. Call ’54, April 26, 2021 John R. Cooper, Ph.D. ’54, March 29, 2021 Frances H. Hopkins Freeman ’54, Oct. 24, 2020 Edith Titterton McMullin ’54, Oct. 13, 2020 Joseph Colpoys ’55, Dec. 15, 2017 Dorothy Peregrim Tarasevich ’55, June 4, 2021 Thomas O’Loughlin, Ph.D. ’56, June 11, 2016 Philip L. Schatzle ’56, Oct. 18, 2020 Carole Hughes Summer ’56, June 21, 2018 Joan Mooney Teal ’56, Feb. 3, 2021 Emil J. Polak, Ph.D. ’57, April 8, 2021 Henry Aceto, Jr. ’58, June 28, 2018 Hollis Tibbetts ’58, Sept. 14, 2020 Douglas W. Jessup ’59, June 10, 2021 S. G. Samuelsen ’59, April 13, 2021 Janice Bennett Sanders ’59, Feb. 17, 2021

1960s Teresa M. Kerwin Lehr ’60, Jan. 3, 2021 Frances Abele Schmitt ’60, Feb. 22, 2021 Louellen Jones ’61, April 19, 2021 Hanna L. Strong ’62, April 7, 2021 Susan Ryan Hawks ’63, May 26, 2021 Linda Hammon Tharp ’63, June 12, 2021 William C. Bailey, Ph.D. ’66, July 3, 2021 Ellen M. Benkin, Ph.D. ’66, June 25, 2021 Mary A. Buwalda Jewett ’66, March 18, 2021 Frederick Pheiffer ’66, June 4, 2021 Henry Bochner ’67, May 2, 2021 Teddar Brooks ’67, April 13, 2021 John A. Labombard ’67, Feb. 26, 2021 Sunny Levitt Schriver ’67, Oct. 30, 2020 Richard N. Mack ’68, Feb. 19, 2021 Eugene T. Reohr ’68, March 29, 2021 Raymond S. Zielinski ’68, Feb. 10, 2021 Dorrine Cieri Bergjans ’69, May 21, 2021 Marjorie Gent Kotmel ’69, Feb. 27, 2021

1970s Richard A. Burns ’70, Dec. 10, 2020 John D. Burrows ’70, Nov. 17, 2012 Diane G. Christianson ’70, July 29, 2021 William G. Crawshaw ’70, March 14, 2021 Ruth C. Dowd ’70, March 24, 2021 Gilbert Fairholm ’70, June 9, 2021 John J. Ganong ’70, Dec. 4, 2020 Celia P. Pamintuen ’70, July 17, 2018 James J. Yonkers ’70, April 2, 2021 Frank A. Desorbo ’71, May 6, 2021 Joan W. Ipsen ’71, Feb. 8, 2021 Gerald A. Miller ’71, May 13, 2021 Bonnie A. Norton ’71, April 5, 2021 Thomas A. O’Connor, Ph.D. ’71, June 19, 2020 Stephen R. Rumsey, Ed.D. ’71, April 26, 2019 Paul M. Spannbauer ’71, Sept. 18, 2017 Richard J. Beaton, Ph.D. ’72, April 27, 2019 Patrick A. Foti ’72, Feb. 15, 2021 John V. Heher ’72, March 8, 2013 Richard J. Walsh ’72, April 12, 2021 Evalyn H. Gurney ’73, April 18, 2021 Alan I. Sirvint ’73, Jan. 5, 2021 Linda G. McGlynn, Ph.D. ’74, August 05, 2021 Peter P. Prince ’74, June 27, 2021 Wayne F. Sivaslian ’74, Feb. 24, 2021 Carol L. Bevilacqua ’75, Oct. 21, 2016 Marilyn P. Bauer ’76, March 12, 2021 Margery A. McGowan Chapman ’76, May 29, 2015 Linda S. Dickert ’76, May 20, 2021 William E. Jonat ’76, July 7, 2020 Douglas M. Lewanda ’76, Feb. 22, 2021 Craig P. Millnamow ’76, June 28, 2021 Elizabeth Atkinson ’77, Feb. 18, 2021 Susan B. Conley ’77, August 12, 2018 John G. Dussault ’77, March 13, 2021 Susan Sherwin Cohen ’78, August 29, 2020 Mary R. Flanagan ’78, March 21, 2021

Patricia Frederick ’78, Feb. 13, 2021 William D. Gaitor ’78, Feb. 6, 2021 Joseph J. Guastella, Sr. ’78, May 13, 2021 Moira J. McGrane, Ph.D. ’78, March 23, 2021 Sandra C. Delis Vincent ’78, June 12, 2021 Susan K. Simovich ’79, Jan. 15, 2021

1980s Mark A. Tarr ’83, June 3, 2021 Bettina H. Wolff ’83, Oct. 28, 2016 Dennis M. Loudon ’84, Jan. 10, 2021 Alan B. Ginsburg, Esq. ’85, Jan. 18, 2021 David P. Przybyla, Ph.D. ’85, April 12, 2021 Carol M. Zabielski ’85, Feb. 20, 2021 Bill W. Ziskin ’85, Feb. 22, 2021 Sheryl Y. Sheraw ’86, Feb. 24, 2021 Trudy D. Daileader ’88, Feb. 25, 2021 Florentino Hernandez ’88, March 10, 2020 Cathy C. Powers Vanina ’88, Feb. 11, 2021 Rosemary N. Gearwar ’89, June 25, 2021

Christopher Hintz ’89, April 2, 2021 Laura M. McKinley ’89, May 8, 2021 Margaret K. Mouawad ’89, Feb. 16, 2021

1990s Jeffrey T. Froio ’91, June 3, 2020 Elizabeth J. Lafera ’91, Feb. 10, 2021 Diane L. Warshaw ’91, April 9, 2021 Lauretta A. McGuirk, Ph.D. ’93, June 20, 2021 Gail Cozza ’96, Nov. 14, 2010 Marcia R. Gross ’97, June 16, 2021 Katy B. Leonard ’99, Feb. 15, 2021

2010s Gariba B. Al-Abdul Korah, Ph.D. ’10, Feb. 16, 2021 Jasmine S. Millner ’18, March 19, 2021

Faculty/Staff Joel A. Chadabe, May 2, 2021, 32 years Robert Donovan, Ph.D., March 6, 2021, Accounting and Law, 28 years Alice J. Fuller, April 23, 2021 Thomas J. Kilcullen, June 5, 2021, University Police Department, 31 years Albert Massoni, Feb. 23, 2021 Joseph W. Montesano, March 5, 2021, Carpentry Shop, 32 years Hans Pohlsander, June 26, 2021, Languages, Literatures & Cultures Glenn Sanders, Ph.D., Feb. 2, 2021, School of Social Welfare, 29 years

Monika Sobolewski, May 1, 2021 John M. Spalek, Ph.D., June 5, 2021, School of Criminal Justice, 26 years Mary E. Mangeot Stewart, Feb. 13, 2021, Economics, 44 years Harry Taber, Ph.D., Feb. 7, 2021, School of Public Health Richard L. Tastor, Aug. 5, 2021, Financial Aid, 38 years Hans H. Toch, Ph.D., June 18, 2021, School of Criminal Justice Stephen L. Wasby, Ph.D., Aug. 2, 2021, Sociology, 20 years

Here are the best ways to reach us! Address. E-mail, Phone or Job Changes E-mail: daneinfo@albany.edu Mail: Benjamin Brunjes University Advancement UAB 209 University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222

Alumni News and Notes E-mail: alumniassociation@albany.edu Lee Serravillo, Executive Director Mail: Alumni Association Alumni House University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 Ph: (518) 442-3080 Fax: (518) 442-3207

Letters to the Editor E-mail: magazine@albany.edu Mail: Editor, UAlbany Magazine University Development, UAB 209 University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 Ph: (518) 437-4778 Fax: (518) 437-4957

www.albany.edu

THE LAST WORD

By Terri Tobin Chief of Interagency Operations, NYPD

Twenty years. Two decades. In police parlance, it is an entire career.

2,442 U.S. troops have been killed along with 3,800 U.S. private security contractors.

In some ways Sept. 11, 2001, feels like it was just yesterday and, in other ways, it feels like a long time ago. There are, however, reminders every day.

Some 20,666 Americans have been wounded.

In the New York City Police Department, in addition to the 23 members who were killed responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, we have lost an additional 269 members who succumbed to 9/11 health-related illnesses, with 82 cases ongoing. Among their illnesses are cancer, rare blood diseases and dementia. Their families have suffered along with them. At the University at Albany, we lost 19 alumni. Now, as the University begins Fall 2021 semester, the majority of incoming freshmen were not even born yet. As the United States exits Afghanistan, we are reminded of the toll it has taken. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University: At almost 20 years, the military mission in Afghanistan is America’s longest war.

At least 47,245 Afghan civilians had been killed as of mid-April. As much evil there was on 9/11, there was so much good seen in the aftermath. People arrived in New York City, not only from across the state and the nation, but from all over the world. We could not have recovered as well as we did without that support. And the support came in all different forms: from those who worked the “pile,” to those who stood for hours along the West Side Highway to cheer and clap as first responders headed down to the site. We came together globally and we found that what makes us human is that people hurt the same way; not one of us suffers without all of us suffering. On this Sept. 11, as with almost everyone before it, I will be standing at the World Trade Center site when the bell rings and the first of 2,977 names is read aloud. They are the names of the people killed in the terrorist attack and of the six killed in the bombing of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993. I will join the throngs of people holding photos of someone who was so dear to them and, in many cases, so young, and just know their life was never the same after that day. We will be standing there when the bell rings five more times: at 9:03, when a plane struck the south tower; at 9:37, when a plane hit the Pentagon; at 9:59, when the south tower collapsed; at 10:03, when a hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers staged a revolt; and at 10:28, when the north tower fell. I will then travel to FDNY Ladder 20 and lay flowers at the base of the 9/11 memorial, where the photo of my cousin Robert Linnane hangs. He was only 33 years old. I think about the ending of the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” in which Tom Hank’s character says to Private Ryan, for whom several troops died trying to save him, “Now earn it.” Twenty years later, I hope and pray I have earned it. Chief Theresa Tobin is a 38-year veteran of the New York Police department and was critically injured as a 9/11 first responder. She earned her PhD in criminal justice from UAlbany in 2011.

UAlbany Magazine Fall 2021

How Will You Plan For Your Future? Protect your loved ones and create your legacy. Are your plans up to date? A current estate plan is vital to making sure your wishes are carried out and can help you leave a lasting personal legacy. To assist you with making or updating your future plans, we can provide you with our FREE Planning Your Legacy wills guide. Many of our supporters have found this guide useful in helping them think through their goals.

To obtain a copy, please contact: Lori Matt-Murphy Office of Gift Planning University at Albany, UAB 226 1400 Washington Ave., Albany N.Y. 12222 uagiftplanning@albany.edu 1-800-577-7869

www.albany.edu

1400 Washington Avenue Division of University Advancement UAB 209 Albany, NY 12222

Celebrate Homecoming this fall! Join us at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Saturday, Oct. 16.

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or age ps of 20 u o r g ay pack y d e m a Affinit ted g des a discoun lso inclu a h ic enjoy a h w in person location at $10/ eeting m a d e e r t a designa me/tailgating a g ts e a r e p s e / s th e ticket m a g . d r n a he d toget groupe

Great Dane Pre-Game General Package - $20 12 and under - $5 Affinity Groups - $10 Faculty/Staff - $10 Current students - $10 Great Dane Pre-Game Package includes: • Food • Football Game Ticket (UAlbany vs. Villanova) • T-Shirt featuring the new Damien logo We can’t wait to welcome you back to campus, Great Danes! Get the latest updates at alumni.albany.edu/ homecoming or follow @UAlbanyAlumni on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.