Union College Magazine Fall 2011

Union College A Magazine for Alumni and Friends | Fall 2011

UNIONCOLLEGE Fall 2011

In service to their country: Alumni find challenges, rewards in today’s military Meet the new Chairman of the Board | 3

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Fiftieth ReUnion medals await recipients during ReUnion Weekend in May. For more details on the celebration, see p. 22. (Photo by Eric Seplowitz ’96)

Fall

2011

Volume 104 • Number 1

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On the Cover

Union salutes its veterans and active duty service members.

Vice President for College Relations

Stephen A. Dare SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Jill Hungsberg EDITOR

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Charlie Casey caseyc@union.edu ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Erin DeMuth Judd demuthje@union.edu CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Christen Gowan Tina Lincer Phillip Wajda

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Matt Milless Eric Seplowitz ’96 Mark McCarty Timothy Raab DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

2k Design UNION COLLEGE (USPS 648-020) is published quarterly by the Union College Office of Communications, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308. The telephone is (518) 388-6131.

Periodicals postage is paid at Schenectady, N.Y., and an additional mailing office.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Office of Communications, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308-3169.

Alumni who want to inform the College about changes of address should contact the Alumni Office at (518) 388-6168 or via e-mail at alumni@union. edu. The same phone number and e-mail address should be used to correspond about ReUnion, Homecoming, alumni club events, and other activities.

3 Meet Mark Walsh ’76, Union’s new chairman of the board Get to know Mark Walsh as he takes the reins from outgoing Board of Trustees Chairman Frank Messa ’73. What are his priorities? Hear how Union changed him, and find out who he thinks is the best rock musician of all time.

6 In service to their country: Alumni find challenges, rewards in today’s military Union graduates are among the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving the United States. In the pages that follow, these patriotic, highly trained, proud and hard-working alumni share their inspiring stories.

14 Understanding a killer: Mystery disease focus of alumna’s research To the growing alarm of scientists like Kate Langwing ’08, bats throughout the Northeast are being felled by white-nose syndrome.

As a doctoral student at Boston University, she’s working hard to unravel the mystery and save these winged mammals.

Departments 2 President’s Message 16 Profiles 19 Across Campus 27 Bookshelf 28 focUs 30 Campaign Trail 32 Alumni Clubs 33 The Classes 43 Unions 44 Arrivals 45 In Memoriam 48 Look Back

Starting with this issue, Union College will be published in the spring, fall and winter. Also in the fall, alumni will receive the President’s Report about achievements of the previous year.

president’s message S t e p h e n C . A i n l ay, P h . D .

Gratitude

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his issue of the magazine reminds us that we have much for which we can be grateful.

We can certainly be thankful for the remarkable alumni who have given so much through their military service. Union’s record of military service is deep and the contributions of our graduates have been impressive.

When Pulitzer Prize winning historian James McPherson spoke of Union’s record at Founder’s Day in 2009, he noted, “It’s a record of which this institution may be justly proud.”

The stories you will read in this issue make clear that our alumni continue to serve across the branches of the military with characteristic distinction. We are justly proud and salute them for their service. We are indeed grateful.

You will read about other forms of service in this issue. Dr. Peter Jatlow ’57 has made notable contributions in the area of clinical pathology. He and fellow Union alumni on the Yale University School of Medicine faculty have rendered distinguished service and advanced our understanding regarding a range of health issues. And through their work with McCord Hospital in South Africa, Gary and Lauren Cohen, both Class of 1978, have brought help and hope to HIV/AIDS patients. Their newly established Minerva Fellowship at McCord will enable a recent Union graduate to make a difference as well.

Making a difference—that is a hallmark of Union and the world is better for it. We are indeed grateful.

We can also be grateful for the generosity of alumni and friends of the College who

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continue to make possible the education that helps shape the students who come to Union.

The dedication of our newest building, the Peter Irving Wold Center, truly represented an important moment in our history. The new facility has already become a major hub of activity on our campus. The MacLean Family Atrium was filled with students presenting their research to fellow students, faculty, staff, and family members during the Steinmetz Symposium last spring. Over the course of the summer months, the building remained active as student-researchers worked with faculty mentors. The new cluster computer, donated by IBM, has now been installed and we expect it to offer more opportunities for Union to define new standards in computing at liberal arts colleges. The state-of-the-art facility will catapult the College forward in so many important ways. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many individuals, families, and foundations for making the building possible through their generosity. Again, we are indeed grateful.

As we begin our year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Union Annual Fund, we know full well that all that we do at Union is made possible by people who believe in the College and who are convinced that their investment in Union pays dividends.

Even in the face of a difficult economic environment, our supporters have increased their support of the College. This is remarkable but not surprising. It is yet one more way that they make a difference. And, we are indeed grateful.

A co n v e r s a t i o n w i t h

Mark Walsh ’76, Union’s new chairman of the board What is your top priority as the new chairman?

First, I am honored to have this opportunity. Serving is a huge priority for me. Union is an extraordinary place with a bright, bright future. I want to thank Frank Messa ’73 and Steve Ciesinski ’70, (our two most recent chairs) for their leadership and commitment to the job. I have big shoes to fill and am lucky to follow these two.

When President Stephen Ainlay came to Union, the Board led the creation of a Strategic Plan. Guided by new Vice Chair John Kelly ’76, it is a blueprint for how we go forward. I invite you to read it at www.union.edu/strategic.

My job is to continue to execute this plan at the highest level, and to provide President Ainlay and his team with support to grow the school.

Like any plan, though, it needs to be re-visited constantly. We plan to meet this fall to add new initiatives and review our progress.

What is your assessment of the financial state of Union? The endowment?

Our financial health is strong. However, Union was not immune to the recent market disruptions. Our endowment lost value, but we actually faired better than many of our

peers because of prudent and savvy management from our Board’s ranks. It is stable and recovering nicely.

More important, we were able to tighten our cost structure and not take on any new debt, contrary to some of our peers. And, in an amazingly counter-cyclical way, we actually increased our Annual Fund and endowment giving by a huge amount during these tough times. We don’t know of any institution that did that over the last three years. The Annual Fund is an important indicator of how our community feels about Union. We are deeply grateful for the support.

The Administration deserves a huge amount of credit for navigating its way through these tough years. Union is a transparent institution. We show our financials in the annual President’s Report. I encourage everyone to read it.

What do you see as Union’s strength(s) as a player in the regional/ national scene?

The new Peter Irving Wold center is a perfect example of Union’s strengths. A beacon for our unique pedagogy, it has come together with the support of the whole community. The knowledge economy we are working in requires individuals to think and work

across disciplines. Union has always provided this kind of synthesis and with the Wold Center it, has stepped-up its commitment.

Stephen Ainlay “nails it” on this question. He says that there has never been a better time for Union, and I agree.

Union is a unique place and presents the dichotomies of higher education in their most productive and appealing form. We are: • A liberal arts college, but with amazing historical and current leadership in sciences and technology; • A small school with intimate educational and social experiences, but with big-school facilities, faculty expertise and ambition; • A college in a beautiful semi-rural region, but with easy access to bustling urban areas and transportation hubs; • A place with all the classic “rah-rah” college experiences, but with impressive global and aspirational breadth; • An unpretentious school with a can-do attitude that has graduated a stupendous

Mark Walsh ’76 and daughter Melissa, Class of 2011.

We actually increased our Annual Fund and endowment giving by a huge amount during these tough times. We don’t know of any institution that did that over the last three years.

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I was at a gathering in New York and a person said, “Union is the best-kept secret in higher education.” Then and there, I pledged to myself that I would try to help change that. I wanted Union to be the best-known thing in higher education.

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number of leaders in many fields; and • A school where the faculty is tightly aligned with the undergraduate experience, but are also globally recognized leaders in research and pedagogy.

This is our time.

You’ve started, owned, operated and sold a number of successful businesses. How will you use this entrepreneurial approach in your leadership role at Union?

I’ve been lucky to have been in on the ground floor of a number of transformational businesses as they hit their growth spurt—HBO in the early 1980s; America Online in the early 1990s; VerticalNet in the late 90s to 2002 during the “tech-bubble.” Besides that, I have been able to invest in a number of start-ups and other fast-growth entities over the last decade and served on their boards.

I have seen a lot of things go right in these situations, and I have seen a lot of things go wrong. As trite as it may sound, the common thread among all the successes and failures has been people.

At HBO we had an inspirational programming visionary named Michael Fuchs ’67 (a Union grad) who truly redefined television.

We knew we were part of a disruptive moment in entertainment, and the enthusiasm was contagious. At AOL, I worked with Steve Case, who redefined how people interacted and learned. We had a feeling we were on a mission to change the world.

In my most successful venture investments the

founders/growers have been people who were believers.

They would not take no for an answer, they knew their product was right for the time, and they committed themselves to building a great organization.

One of my favorite examples is BlackBoard, where I invested early and served on their board.

I’ll bet virtually everyone reading this has interacted with that software in some fashion over the last 10 years.

When I met the founders, there were only 20 employees and a tiny amount of revenue.

Still, we all knew we were on a journey to build a big, profitable, sustainable enterprise that would offer quality products and services to the higher-ed community.

When I joined the Union board, I had to recalibrate one element of my entrepreneurial nature—time-frame. Academia works at a different pace than high-growth tech companies, as it should. The process of educating talented young men and women is a blend of innovation and tradition.

Traditions change at a deliberate pace, and I often have to remind myself that our actions at Union will be judged in the short term, but also in “Our Fourth Century,” to misquote the words in the Nott Memorial.

Again, it boils down to people. The best organizations have zeal in their day-to-day behavior. We have that at Union. As an investor and board member of high-growth start-ups, I tried to stay out of the way of the motivated entrepreneurs, and support them when times got tough. I hope to do the same thing at Union with this administration and leadership.

What’s inspired you to become more involved with your alma mater and its future over the years?

I had kept in close contact with my friends from Union over the years, but had not stayed directly connected with the College. I was at a gathering in New York and a person said “Union is the best-kept secret in higher education.” Then and there, I pledged to myself that I would try to help change that.

I wanted Union to be the best-known institution in higher education.

Since then, I have become increasingly involved. Each time I agree to help, serve on a committee, find a new president—you name it—I have been more and more impressed with the talent and commitment of the men and women at Union who give, care, and produce.

Tell us about your time as a student. Do any particular experiences standout as the most formative or memorable?

I participated in practically every single facet of the Union experience. I was a varsity athlete (lacrosse) playing for our newly minted National Hall of Fame member, Coach Bruce Allison. I was a member of the Union Glee Club, singing under the baton of a true legend, Hugh Wilson. I acted in a number of stage productions under the direction of the incredible Barry Smith (then in the Nott Memorial’s theater-in-the-round). I was an officer of my fraternity, the Kappa Alpha Society, the first chapter of the first fraternity

in America. I was a guest DJ on WRUC many times, was on the social committee, worked as a night guard for Union Security, etc. etc. etc.

I was an American Studies major. I joked at the time that it was the “last bastion of the undecided.” But it has served me well.

What did you write your thesis on?

I wrote my thesis on the Black Panther Party. In 1976 they were still a great force in the American political, racial, institutional and educational experience. They were migrating from an “in your face” agent of change to a more mainstream social-service organization. I have been fascinated with the breadth and depth of the thesis topics that emerged from the Class of 2011. It is clear that professors and students still really engage in the process and the result is a rich output of original research.

Tell us about one of Union’s most recent grads, your daughter, Melissa.

How does her experience compare to yours.

Melissa chose Union for the same reasons all our students choose Union. She wanted a close community on a beautiful campus, a serious learning environment with room for exploration and a college with great school spirit and a rich history with opportunities for cross-cultural experiences. She looked closely at our peer schools (14 of them!) and chose Union.

Melissa was an interdisciplinary major, (political science and sociology) and

her thesis was on the origins, impact and implementation of Title IX. During her junior year, she went with five other Union students to the West Indies to teach and study.

Her work in the classroom and her term abroad inspired her to apply to Teach for America where she is now.

Union celebrated 40 years of co-education this year, so the school is visibly different from when I went here in the mid 1970s.

What has been great about these past four years for my wife, Polly, and me has been getting to know wonderful families and future lawyers, doctors, engineers, bankers, teachers, change agents, etc.

Throughout graduation weekend, we heard over and over again from the Class of 2011 and their parents how proud they are of Union.

It’s great to be the parent of a recent Union grad. I encourage all Union alumni to put our campus on the college tour and to have your kids talk to recent alumni.

You will be impressed.

Do you have a favorite Union hero?

Did you know that in the last 35 years Union has produced a Nobel Prize winner (the late Baruch Blumberg ’46), an Olympic gold medalist (Nikki Stone ’95), an Oscar nominee (screenwriter and director Phil Alden Robinson ’71 for Field of Dreams) and an Emmy winner (Eileen Landress ’83, producer of The Sopranos).

As for my Union hero: Charles Proteus Steinmetz.

He was a visionary. Want proof? The electric car.

What have you read lately?

I am a big John le Carre and William Gibson fan. So, political/spy thrillers and science fiction. It is high quality escapism. I read a lot of other fiction, usually in those genres, though I branch out to some historical fiction as well (1890’s London, etc.).

I am a huge consumer of “the Blogosphere,” as it calls itself. I read a wide variety of issue/political/economic sites regularly. I am very, very engaged in the political process in Washington at the national, state and local level.

I serve on a number of boards of political/issue/think-tank organizations, some tilted to one party, some non-partisan.

I often appear on television networks to comment on issues and races, so I need to be up on all issue-oriented news and commentary.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do?

Polly and I enjoy family and friends, and I have been lucky enough to be able to combine a lot of things I love to do with my work. I love software and interactive devices, so I invest in companies and get to play and work with them at the same time.

I love politics, and get to meet with politicians and policy wonks through my board work. I love lacrosse, and I have the time to coach it down here in D.C. at the high school level, and watch my son and daughter play in high school and college. I love the education field, and through my connection to Union and other schools and companies, I get to play and work there at the same time.

What is the best rock band of all time? Best rock band of last decade?

I was lucky to see a lot of legends live during my concert days: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Crosby Stills and Nash, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Lenny Kravitz, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, and many more (some, like Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman and Taj Mahal at Union!).

Greatest rock musician of all time, hands down, Jimi Hendrix.

Greatest rock band of all time, hands down, The Who. Greatest single performance I attended, hands down, Bruce Springsteen, Madison Square Garden, 1981.

Absolutely electric.

Last decade? Ouch.

Stretching a bit, but I was honored to work with Chuck D from Public Enemy a few years ago on a company we started together, and I love his stuff. I like the Black Eyed Peas. Other than that, ask Melissa what she plays for me.

As a Washington-area sports fan, do you follow the Orioles or Nationals?

Oh, come on. I am from Baltimore. God gives you one baseball team in your life. To this day, I remember seeing the field for the first time when my father took me to my first Oriole game. Speaking of the Orioles, it was my pleasure to hand Frank Messa a signed Cal Ripken jersey when we honored him as outgoing chair.

I dubbed him the Iron Man of Union College, and the Cal jersey cements that title.

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In service to their country: Alumni find challenges, rewards in today’s military

By Charlie Casey

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hey are patriotic, dedicated, brave, hard-working, highly trained, confident and proud. They are Union alumni serving in the modern military during an uneasy era marked by acts of terrorism, uprisings in the Middle East and wars on multiple fronts.

They have a front-row seat on world events and a conviction that their work makes a difference for others.

Many credit an experience at Union— a class, a professor, an organization, a team—for pushing them toward military service or for making them better in service to their country. All share an intense camaraderie with colleagues in whom they entrust their lives.

Herewith, we salute some of the alumni who are serving their country and we proudly share their inspiring stories.

Over the past year, we have collected dozens of responses from alumni in the modern military.

More profiles of veteran-alumni can be found at the magazine web site: www.union.edu/magazine

Navy Commander Linda Seymour ’96 was eating breakfast in the ward room of the USS Carl Vinson on May 1, 2011. She was about to start a second long day as a member of a visiting propulsion plant examination team when she caught the news on CNN: Osama Bin Laden was dead.

Several hours later, the ship’s captain announced that the super carrier would be “recovering a high interest aircraft.” Nothing too unusual, Seymour thought, until she noticed the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel was dead in the water in middle of the Arabian Sea. Seymour, with 15 years of Navy experience, knew the routine for burial at sea. But she continued her work, waiting until the end of the day to confirm her suspicion that Bin Laden’s body had been buried at sea from the Vinson. Like all but a handful of the 5,500 sailors aboard, she got the news from CNN. Linda Seymour loves endurance sports. She is an accomplished distance runner who, as a track and cross country athlete at Union, preferred the longer races of 5 and 10K. She has run a number of marathons and recently rode a 200-mile day on her bike. All of which may help explain how she mustered the stamina to turn a five-year stint in a male-dominated Navy into a

Navy Commander Linda Seymour ’96

two-decade career, rising steadily to the rank of commander.

In 1998, she earned her designation as a surface warfare officer. She attended Nuclear Power School in 1999 and received her certification as Naval Nuclear Engineer in 2001. In 2003, during a stint as a ROTC trainer at Cornell, she earned a master’s in English literature, not a typical degree for a Navy officer.

In 2009, she began an 18-month assignment as speechwriter for Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The job, she said, “appealed to my engineering and detailed sensibility but also to my Fall 2011 Union College

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The USS Momsen, a guided-missile destroyer where Navy Commander Linda Seymour ’96 served as operations officer

creative side.” It also required her to draw on what she learned from her Union professors—among them, Jim McCord, Hugh Jenkins, Adrian Frazier and Bonney MacDonald—who “taught me how to think critically and to read and dissect texts and the world around me,” she said.

She wrote the chairman’s speech for the 2009 retirement of Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, as he was named U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan.

She reviewed a draft of President Obama’s speech on troop levels in Afghanistan.

She also wrote the chairman’s less dramatic material— ranging from personal letters to thank elderly veterans or

Aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, where Navy Commander Linda Seymour ’96 served as main propulsion assistant

praise Eagle scouts—always mindful that “every piece of correspondence means something to somebody.” She enjoyed the research to get personal information about people and then craft material in Mullen’s style. When she finished the assignment, Mullen presented her with an autographed Louisville Slugger.

At Union, she was an English major who took a number of courses in physics and math. She credits her math and science background for her success in the Navy’s Nuclear Power School, but adds, “Union’s broad yet liberal arts-based foundation helped me learn how to think and enjoy how all facets of my

Michael Dana ’82 Brig. Gen., U.S. Marines

Brig. Gen. Mike Dana ’82, right, thanks two Afghan soldiers for their service at a checkpoint in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where his unit had just completed a road improvement project.

To Dana’s left is his Afghan interpreter.

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Dana, a political science major at Union, is in a 29-year career with the Marines and now deployed in Afghanistan. He credits Profs. James Underwood and Joseph Board who “gave superb lectures and were always receptive to contrarian viewpoints.”

A member of Union’s football team all four years, he recalled coach Joe Wirth as a “tremen-

studies, from anthropology to classics to physics, inter-relate.”

Now, she is about to reach the pinnacle of surface warfare officer service: command of the USS Russell, a guidedmissile destroyer based in Pearl Harbor. “I see it as the best way I can directly impact the most young sailors and junior officers and execute the mission of the U.S. Navy,” she said.

Surreal 9-11 Flight Greg Clark ’87 describes his experience on September 11 with one word: surreal.

That morning, the Air Force pilot was in Lima, Peru, looking forward to a rest day after bringing Secretary of State Colin Powell and other

dous coach, leader and mentor.”

The most rewarding aspect of his service, he said, is “working with the finest young men and women this nation has to offer.

Marines are selfless, hard-working and goal-oriented. That has made the last 29 years extremely rewarding and enjoyable.”

He also met his wife through his military service, in San Diego 20 years ago. “It was the most important event of my life,” he said.

Greg Clark ’89 at the controls of the C-32, the Air Force Two plane in which he flew VIPs including First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush

Greg Clark ’89 on deployment in Afghanistan

David Vandigrifft ’90 officials to meetings aimed at building relations between Peru and Colombia.

When a terrorist attack was obvious, he got a call from one of Powell’s aides: “We’re on our way to the plane. Are you guys ready?”

Just after the second plane hit the World Trade Center, Clark had the Boeing 757 topped off with fuel, gathered his 30 crew and passengers and took off for a seven-hour flight back to Washington.

But like other flights that day, getting home would take a while. After 11 hours, much of it circling the mid-Atlantic while controllers cleared air space, they were joined by F16 fighter escorts for their

Of Union, he recalls, “[it] was a tough academic school with a struggling football program; therefore tenacity and teamwork were important in order to succeed. I was fortunate to have great friends and teammates who helped me academically and on the football field. College football helped prepare me to lead men in combat in Desert Storm, Somalia, Iraq and now, Afghanistan.”

approach to Andrews Air Force Base.

With the sun setting in a deep azure sky, Powell was on the flight deck looking over Clark’s shoulder as plumes of smoke rose from the crippled Pentagon.

Clark had been considering leaving the Air Force. He decided the next day to stay on for another eight years.

In his 22 years of service, Lt. Col. Gregory Clark, now retired, has flown virtually every kind of VIP airplane in the Air Force inventory and landed in more than 120 countries. He is a rated instructor pilot in the DC-10 and Boeing 757, 767, 737. As a command pilot in the 1st

Kevin F. Frederick ’80 Col., U.S. Marines Among his assignments over a 32-year career with the Marines, Col. Frederick has been Squadron Director of Safety with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit enforcing the Desert Storm ceasefire in the Arabian Gulf (1991); Marine Corps Senior Liaison Officer to Multinational Corps— Iraq in Baghdad (2005); and Chief of Staff for NATO

Airlift Squadron at Andrews known as Air Force Two, he has flown Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Al Gore; First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush; and Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Madeline Albright and Condoleezza Rice. He has flown numerous generals and Joint Chiefs of Staff … “pretty much everyone but the president, who flies on Air Force One.” Among his assignments with the Air Force, he was director of operations for the 76th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, responsible for VIP airlift in Europe. During this last tour he flew NATO generals to Afghanistan and Iraq until

Regional Command Southwest in Helmand Province, Afghanistan (2010–2011).

Besides his Union degree in political science, he studied Naval Flight Training at the the Amphibious Warfare School at Air and Command Staff College. He holds an M.S. in management from Troy State University and an M.S. in Strategic Studies from Marine Corps University.

A member of Union’s

Lt., U.S. Navy From 1990 to 1995, Vandigrifft served aboard the submarine USS Chicago in the Pacific Fleet.

An electrical engineering major who went on to the Navy’s Nuclear Power School, Vandigrifft credits his experience as a member of Beta Theta Pi. “I learned that it’s not names of organizations or affiliations that matter—it’s the people nearest to you,” he said.

“The same translated to submarine service. Once onboard, the prime motivation to work hard is simple: nobody wants to make life any harder than it already is for their shipmates.”

football and baseball teams, he credits Athletic Director Dick Sakala and football coach Tom Cahill for their “excellent lessons in leadership.” He was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.

Of Union, he says, “Small classes and quality professors helped me develop my critical thinking and writing skills.”

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Drew Moyer ’06 Lt., U.S. Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps Moyer serves in Kenya as the officer in charge of a Maritime Civil Affairs Team, partnered with military, local government and other organizations throughout the Coast Province of Kenya to address challenges to security and stability.

“The most rewarding aspect of civil affairs,” he said, “is working daily with people who are dedicated to their fellow citizens and their country, and developing lasting relationships with those people.”

Moyer credits his success to Union engineering’s emphasis on teamwork. “You can succeed by yourself, but you will go further and faster if you’re willing to share the work, and the credit,” he said.

deciding to retire in 2009 to spend more time with his wife, Mina (Martin) ’89 (see sidebar, page 13) and their three children. For the last two years, he has been teaching physics at River Hill High School in Clarksville, Md. At Union, he was an electrical engineering major who was active in Sigma Chi and WRUC. He was on the football team that went to the Stagg Bowl in 1983. He was a founding member of the revived Union crew program, and after graduation joined a Union team at the renowned Henley Regatta in England.

Game Theory James Bascom II ’96, a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, has made a career out of predicting the moves of his opponent, a skill he honed as a political science major with an interest in game theory.

During his five deployments in the last 14 years, he headed an interagency group that developed a security plan for the trial of Saddam

James Bascom II ’96 joins Marcia Bernicat, U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, at a graduation ceremony in Senegal where he was deputy director of the Trans-Sahara Security Symposium, which taught civil military relations and counter terrorism to West African colonels and generals.

Hussein. “It was extremely important that Saddam remain safe while undergoing his trial by the emerging Iraqi justice system,” he said. The work involved anticipating every possible way in which insurgents could disrupt the trial or harm the defendant.

Charles S. Waters ’09 2nd Lt., U.S. Army

Charles S. Waters ’09 with father and fellow Army Ranger Col. Sumner H. Waters at Fort Benning, Ga.

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Water is assigned to Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., and awaiting his next assignment.

He recently graduated from the Army’s Ranger School in Fort Benning, Ga., a grueling 60-day course that tests infantry skills, fitness and the ability to perform with little food or sleep. The course starts with 450 candidates and ends with 70 graduates. “I was always interested in attending Ranger School from all the

“I would commend Professor Alan Taylor and the two game theory courses I took in the Mathematics Department. I wrote my political science thesis on the practical utility of game theory.

As a military intelligence officer, I spent my career

stories my father (Col. Sumner H. Waters) told me when he was at Army Ranger School in 1971. It is the toughest leadership school in the world and he was awarded the coveted Ranger tab, so I was determined to earn it too.

“You learn a great deal about yourself and others and most importantly you learn how to lead others when you are pushed to the absolute limit and held there,” Waters said.

designing and rehearsing ‘games’ in an effort to understand and predict what enemy forces would do in opposition to U.S. missions.”

His other deployments include civil affairs officer on a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai in Egypt, and principal intelligence officer for a group responsible for the international zone in Baghdad. In 2008, he was redeployed to Iraq as information operations planner for the 18th Airborne Corps. In 2010 he was information operations planner for the Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans-Sahara, serving in Ghana, Senegal and Germany.

Bascom also found value in his Union extracurriculars: “Managing the Dutch Pipers and creating a Bridge Club were excellent developmental opportunities for me, but just being in an environment where I was surrounded by exceptional talent was edifying.”

Dr. David Sachar ’92

Wayne Tunick ’80

Kevin P. Dwyer ’07

Lt. Col., U.S. Army (ret.)

Capt., U.S. Navy (ret.)

1st Lt., U.S. Marine Corps

Accepted to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., he completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington.

Sachar was stationed for 10 months at the Army’s 121st General Hospital in Yongsan, Korea, then to the Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, N.C., rising to chief of gastroenterology and the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, serving as battalion surgeon for the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

He was awarded a Bronze Star and the Combat Medic Badge after his convoy came under attack in Wardak Province.

In 2008, he was deployed to Iraq as field surgeon for the 581st and 601st Area Support Medical Companies in Tikrit.

In June 2010, he completed active duty and resigned his commission. He is a gastroenterologist in Charlotte, N.C.

During his nearly 27-year career, Tunick has served as helicopter pilot and commanding officer of two squadrons, and has been deployed around the world chasing Soviet ships and drug runners.

“My most important event was crashing a helicopter with a mechanical malfunction and getting my crew out alive,” he said. “From that day forward, I was the most cautious pilot that ever lived.”

“My education at Union got me the degree to get a commission. My experience playing football and in Delta Upsilon taught me how to deal with adversity and lead people.

“Serving in the Navy was the best choice I ever made.

I’m proud of all the DU’s who served as well, especially Brig. Gen. Mike Dana and Col. Kevin Frederick (both USMC) who recently served together in Afghanistan.”

He met his wife, Rose, at Union. They are celebrating their 29th anniversary this year. The couple has four children.

Dwyer is on his second overseas deployment, serving as executive officer of Fox Battery Battalion Landing Team in Africa. He was previously with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit throughout the Southern Pacific.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working in conjunction with foreign militaries in their host nations, not only learning about the way they conduct their training, but also learning about their culture,” he said.

A political science major, he credits his classes in political science and anthropology for helping him to appreciate that “different cultures and people value things that we as Americans and westerners may not.”

Prof. Robert Hislope “demanded an analytical approach to positions and opinions and always fostered healthy debate in his classes.

He taught me the importance of viewing an argument from all sides and understanding the opposition’s opinion.”

Dr. Arnold Brender ’77 Col., U.S. Army (ret.)

A 20-year veteran, Brender did two tours in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. He joined the California National Guard in 1987 and became a flight surgeon in 1995. “My deployments were as a flight surgeon for General Aviation and Med Evac,” he recalls. “I

saw everything from minor clinic wounds, multiple illnesses, usual and unusual.

We dealt with lots of trauma and limb destruction. We flew all over Iraq but never had a problem we didn’t walk away from.” His friend, Col. Paul Kelly, lost his life in January 2007, a month after Brender left Iraq.

Arnold Brender ’77 on a Med Evac mission in Iraq in 2006.

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John Balzano ’88 Col., U.S. Air Force Over a 23-year career, Balzano’s deployments have included Oman and Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990 to 1991); San Vito Air Station, Italy, in support of NATO operations in Bosnia (1992 to 1993); Iraq as Deputy Commander, Gulf Region South District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Camp Adder (2006); and Iraq as Bases, Facilities, & Environmental Division Chief, Engineering Directorate, HQ U.S. Forces–Iraq, Camp Victory (2010 to 2011). After assignment at the Pentagon he will be moving to a new post at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

“The experience of constructing two expeditionary air bases had a lot to do with

my decision to make the Air Force a career,” he said. “My more recent experience of guiding the drawdown of U.S. bases in Iraq was perhaps the most challenging job of my career and has in a sense brought me full circle in my connection to Iraq.”

Of Union, he says, “My degree in mechanical engineering led to my assignment as a facilities engineer in the Air Force. Perhaps more significantly the broad range of classes I took outside of engineering enhanced my capabilities as a manager and leader and gave me a perspective beyond the technical aspects of my job.”

He credits professors William Aubrey, Richard Shanebrook and Frank Milillo, “who prepared me for those early years in the Air Force as a mechanical design engineer.”

John Balzano ’88 at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad. Built by Saddam Hussein, the palace is now headquarters for U.S. Forces Iraq in the complex known as Camp Victory.

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Marine Major Mark Reid ’96 near Souda Bay, Greece en route to the Suez Canal

Mark Reid ’96 Major, U.S. Marines Reid is executive officer, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines.

In 15 years with the infantry, Reid remembers incredible locations (Panama Canal, Straits of Megellan, Afghanistan, Cape Town), incredible people (his first gunnery sergeant and other mentors, the Marine who married the mother of the girl he’d been dating) and challenging times (Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan and Quantico, Va.).

“In every billet I’ve held and almost everywhere I’ve gone I’ve experienced something great, something frustrating, and something inspiring.”

An anthropology major, he credits the challenge and encouragement of his mentor, Prof. Steve Leavitt. “Anthropology in general was a great major,” he said. “It taught me how to conduct research, it improved my writing ability, and it conditioned me to keep an open mind to digest as much information as possible

before coming to a reasoned conclusion.”

Out of the classroom, Reid was active in Chi Psi fraternity, a member of the hockey team his freshman year, and a coach for the women’s ice hockey team his junior and senior years.

“A liberal arts degree is somewhat like serving in the infantry: you have to know a little bit about everything and be willing to consider unconventional options,” he said.

“I strongly encourage Union graduates to consider service overseas in some capacity—military, State Department or USAID. I found that serving others and your country is a rewarding experience, and that challenging yourself by serving in difficult physical and political environments (e.g., Djibouti, Ecuador, Haiti, Iraq, Ivory Coast) increased my appreciation of how fortunate we are as Americans and informed my experiences later in life.”

Joseph Clearfield ’93 Lt. Col., U.S. Marines Clearfield was featured in the magazine’s Winter 2010 issue after he commanded the rescue of the Magellan Star from Somali pirates off the coast of Yemen.

He earned his Union degree in history and is also a graduate of Command and Staff College, Amphibious Warfare School and a number of Marine certifications courses.

After deployments in Haiti, Iraq, and Liberia, he most recently was a commanding officer in the

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducting exercises in Indonesia, Maldives, Kuwait and Jordan.

His decorations include two Bronze Stars with Combat “V” Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three gold stars, and the Combat Action Ribbon with one star. In 1996, he won the Tarawa Award for outstanding platoon commander in 2nd Marine Division.

(To read more, see http:// union.edu/News/Magazine/ Winter_2011/profiles.pdf) Lt. Col. Joseph Clearfield, center, aboard the Magellan Star.

Kevin Cortes ’94

Mina (Martin) Clark ’89

Major, U.S. Marines

Capt., U.S. Air Force (ret.)

Cortes, with 16 years of service, is pilot of a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter and executive officer of a unit with 17 aircraft and 300 Marines that specializes in inserting Marines into areas of operation.

He holds a Union degree in applied mathematics with a minor in physics and a masters in management and leadership from Webster University.

Among his mentors, Seyfollah Maleki of physics was “the most down-to-earth professor. He told me there’s nothing in life hard work can’t accomplish.”

“Union taught me to be disciplined, to study without supervision. There is a time to work and a time to relax.”

Search “Major Kevin Cortes” on YouTube to see him in a Marine recruiting video.

A mechanical engineering major at Union, she served a total of six years at Columbus (Miss.) Air Force Base and March Air Force Base east of Los Angeles in posts including mechanical engineer, chief of requirements and logistics, chief of engineering design, chief of engineering flight, chief of environmental compliance and member of a Base Engineer Emergency Force.

She recalls Frank Milillo, her advisor and materials science professor. “He told me to do the hardest things first and to ask for help. This was not only great advice for college, but life.” She also recalls then-new electrical engineering Prof. Cherrice Traver: “There were only about three women in my ME classes and she was a good role model.”

“Union helped me communicate and be better organized with my time,” she said. “I learned to ask ‘what?’ and ‘what next?’ A common problem among engineers is a lack of ability to communicate.

I got a very well-rounded education and balancing two or three days a week at RPI on top of a 10-week trimester with three engineering classes forced me to learn good efficiency and organizational skills.”

Of her experiences in the service a few stand out: commanding an honor guard for funeral services. “I felt we were performing a duty that, while not easy, gave dignity and respect to those who had served.” On the job for two weeks at March AFB, her department received 21 notices of violation for environmental compliance. “We fixed the problems and I

learned a great deal.”

Clark met her husband, Greg ’87, her element leader, when they were both ROTC cadets training at RPI. Married 22 years, they have three children. “Our USAF adventures took us through six moves, including four years at United States Armed Forces in Europe, before Greg retired in 2009 and we moved back to Maryland.

She earned a professional master of engineering degree from the University of Maryland. She is division manager for Greenhorn & O’Mara, a Washington engineering firm.

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Photograph by Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Understanding a killer: Mystery disease focus of alumna’s research

By Erin DeMuth Judd

W

hen a Sigma Delta Tau sister was bitten by a bat she found in the house radiator a few years back, the ensuing pandemonium was something straight out of a comically-bad horror film.

“There was this mad bat fear,” Kate Langwig ’08 recalled with amusement. “Everybody in the house panicked and wanted rabies shots. They were convinced they were being bitten in their sleep.”

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Bats, though, are really no laughing matter. The winged mammals are dying at rates shocking to self-described bathuggers like Langwig—at rates that should startle even ardent bat-haters. According to an August 2010 Science study co-authored by Langwig, the little brown myotis, one of several species at risk, could vanish from eastern North American in just 16 years if nothing changes.

But the disease that’s killing

these creatures is baffling scientists around the world. No one knows exactly how or why white-nose syndrome is felling bats from Canada to Virginia, but Langwig is determined to find answers. In March, she won a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship to further her work on white-nose syndrome at Boston University, where she’s a doctoral student.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) White-nose syndrome first appeared in February 2006 in a non-commercial section of the famous Howe Caverns, just 45 minutes west of Schenectady.

Scientists believe it’s possible a tourist unknowingly brought the sickness into the area from Europe. They think this because a newly described fungus associated with the disease—a fungus that grows in white puffs on the noses and skin of ill bats—appears to be European in origin.

“This fungus has never been documented before, and we have several reports from European researchers about a fungus there that resembles the one here genetically and morphologically,” Langwig said.

“So we have this fungus that we think is the same as that on European bats, but there’s been no mortality there.”

Reasons for this aren’t completely clear, but American bat behavior likely makes them more susceptible. Unlike the European animals, bats on this side of the pond tend to form large colonies and cluster together, especially during certain times of the year.

“Right now, mass mortality occurs during the winter, when bats are hibernating together,” said Langwig, who studied neuroscience at Union. “The

fungus is cold-growing, so it only appears on them during this time.”

“It’s unclear how or if the fungus causes death directly, but affected bats seem to be depleting fat stores prematurely,” she continued. “They’re also flying around cave entrances as early as January and February, emerging months before they can survive. And emerging during the day, which is abnormal. We don’t yet know why they’re going out, it may be they’re looking for food or they’re thirsty.”

Whatever the reason, it’s fatal.

Over 1 million bats have died so far, with all six species of hibernating bats in New York affected, in addition to another three that live further south. The little brown myotis, previously the most common bat in eastern North America, has been hardest hit.

Langwig’s August 2010 Science study predicts that even if WNS abates, the regional population is expected to collapse from an estimated 6.5 million individuals (pre-WNS) to fewer than 65,000 in less than 20 years.

The little brown (and other similar species) would be unable to recover quickly, even if infection rates decline, in part because of breeding habits.

“Bats are social and they form maternity colonies each spring, relying on the warmth of each other to help raise young,” Langwig explained.

“Females give birth to one pup each year, depending on the species, and they’re very long-lived—the little brown myotis can live over 30 years.

“With slow reproduction and the massive loss of bats needed to make a successful maternity colony, what happens during the winter could have

serious consequences beyond that one season.”

What’s being done?

the active season. When extrapolated to the 1 million bats killed by WNS, that’s 660-1320 metric tons of insects no longer being eaten each year.

Monetarily, the article estimated the economic value of bats to agricultural pest suppression at roughly $22.9 billion a year.

“This is an important lesson in the fragility of our ecosystems,” Langwig said.

“The Indiana bat, listed as an endangered species in 1968, was rebounding and flourishing in the North East before WNS. Even when we think we’re doing well, we need to be careful.”

Langwig first learned this at Union, on a caving trip with associate biology professor Kathleen LoGiudice.

“We went to this cave about a mile from where I grew up and the bats were just gone, their numbers down from 1,000 to 30,” recalled Langwig, who is from Schoharie, N.Y. “It brought to bear a serious wildlife issue in my own backyard.”

“Bats have fascinated me since that trip,” she continued.

“I know lots of people don’t share my interest, and hate bats, but their dislike only makes me want to help bats more. It only makes me want to teach people how wonderful and important they are.”

Left: Northern long-eared myotis infected with white-nose syndrome Below: Little brown myotis with white-nose syndrome Photograph by Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Langwig, like many scientists, is involved in research she hopes will lead to greater understanding of WNS, and consequently, help bats recover. She’s focusing her work on disease-susceptibility across species and transmission across landscapes.

“Not all species are declining equally, which could be really good news. If we figure out what’s unique about the behavior and immune systems of less-affected bats, we could help those that are declining more rapidly,” Langwig said.

“I’m also investigating transmission—studying sociality, roost humidity and temperature, and broader ecologic factors—to see what impact these have.”

“I felt these were critical questions we have to answer before we can act,” she continued. “It’s very hard to manage populations when you don’t understand the basics of the disease. I’m hoping my research will identify factors that will allow for targeted disease management to ameliorate the consequences of white-nose syndrome.”

And ameliorating these consequences is important.

Bats are incredible bug-eaters and their absence could make summer outings decidedly more itchy, and agriculture decidedly more pesticidedependent.

An article in the April 2011 edition of Science, co-authored

by Thomas Kunz (Langwig’s mentor at BU), estimated that a single colony of 150 big brown bats in Indiana eats 1.3 million insects each year. A single little brown myotis can consume 4 to 8 grams each night during

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profiles D r . P e t e r I . J at l o w ’ 5 7

A pioneering career in clinical pathology

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clinical pathologist who conducted pioneering studies on the clinical pharmacology of cocaine in humans. A past leader of Yale University School of Medicine.

An emeritus professor still very much engaged in researching drugs of abuse.

Dr. Peter I. Jatlow ’57 is all of this, and a humble man besides. He credits his colleagues, education and employers with his success—starting with that fateful job in Alaska.

If it weren’t for Alaska, he might not be a clinical pathologist (a physician who helps diagnose and manage disease through laboratory testing).

At 75, an age by which most people have developed a serious passion for golf, he might not be studying the metabolism of alcohol in humans.

“I was a pathology research fellow at Yale committed to spending two years in the U.S. Public Health Service, when the Alaska Native Medical Center requested me in 1966,” Jatlow said.

“Lung disease was prevalent amongst Alaskan natives then, and knowing that the chief of pathology at Yale was a lung expert, they correctly assumed I was knowledgeable in that area too.”

At the time, he was leaning toward surgical pathology rather than clinical pathology. But the position he was being offered, as chief of pathology in Alaska, required expertise in the latter as well.

“I consequently undertook training in clinical pathology, and it was one of best decisions I ever made. I liked the immediacy of laboratory testing, which kept me involved in a day-to-day way with patient outcomes,” Jatlow said. “I was nervous about going, as I had two young children—one only six weeks old.

But they insisted, even inviting me up for a visit and feeding me moose steak.”

He enjoyed Alaska so much he was “tempted to stay,” but in July 1968 he returned to Yale.

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During the next two decades, Jatlow’s research focused on the clinical pharmacology and toxicology of drugs of abuse.

His research on cocaine included studies on coca leaf chewing in the highlands of Peru, and the consequences of concurrent cocaine and alcohol abuse.

While he taught and conducted this work, Jatlow rose through the ranks to become chief of laboratory medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital and chairman of the department of laboratory medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in 1984.

He held these posts for 22-and-a-half years, during which time extramural grant dollars increased from half a million to $6 million for the department.

He also received numerous awards for his research and teaching, and was instrumental in recruiting top-notch faculty. His tenure saw the addition of a National Institute of Health training program to ensure continued growth of young physician-scientists as well.

After stepping down in 2006, Jatlow assumed he would retire in a few years.

Colleagues encouraged him to do otherwise, however, and so he applied for a research grant—which he got.

“We’re investigating alcohol metabolites, which might be useful in better understanding alcohol use and facilitate treatments for alcoholism,” Jatlow said.

“While I fully expected to retire at 71, I really enjoy remaining intellectually active and productive.”

“I suspect my wife does too,” he added, laughing. “Having me occupied allows her better flexibility to pursue her many leadership activities in our community.”

As important as his work is, though, Jatlow considers his biggest achievement to be the development of young physicianscientists within his department.

“It’s one of the best things you can do—multiplying your contributions through the students you teach and the young faculty that you nurture,” he said.

“It’s the faculty who really deserve credit for increasing grant dollars when I was chair.”

Much credit indirectly belongs to Union too.

“My Union education was really a highlight of my life. I learned to function independently, to create my own goals and be responsible for my own mistakes and accomplishments,” Jatlow said. “And the writing skills I acquired as copy editor for the Concordiensis have been an invaluable asset throughout my career.”

Union, it turns out, is also something he has in common with several colleagues at Yale.

“There are at least six other full-time faculty here. I suspect that Union graduates are probably more highly represented on the Yale senior medical school faculty than any other institution of comparable size.” Jatlow said. “Their accomplishments are extensive and easily equal or exceed my own.”

Other Yale Medical School faculty include: Gustave Davis ’59, clinical professor of pathology; Fred Kantor ’52, Paul B. Beeson Professor of Internal Medicine; Bruce McClennan ’63, professor and former chair of diagnostic radiology; Patrick O’Connor ’78, professor and section chief of general medicine; Peter Schwartz ’62, John Slade Ely Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Robert Sherwin ’63, Long Professor of Internal Medicine and section chief of endocrinology.

Marcia Kenny Keegan ’80

ESPN and back again

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ome things are just difficult to resist. Like gourmet chocolate, you just can’t get enough. You could say ESPN has been like gourmet chocolate for Marcia Kenny Keegan.

She got her first “real” job at the network after graduating from Union in 1980, left a few years later, went back to school and did something else for two decades—until that seemingly inescapable sports world drew her back.

“After a couple of short-term jobs, I took a temporary secretarial position at ESPN in 1982 because it was available and helped pay the bills,” said Keegan, now the company’s vice president of production. “ESPN was just a few years old then. It was one network and two buildings instead of the multiple domestic and international networks it is now.”

“But it was fast-growing and there was so much opportunity I was hired full-time and went through a series of quick promotions,” Keegan said. “I loved it for a while, but I was working nights, weekends and holidays while making very little money.”

So she decided to shift gears and do something totally different.

“ESPN was still operating in the red then, so I decided I would pursue a law degree—something that had been in the back of my mind since Union,” Keegan said. “I figured it was ‘now or never,’ so I went for it.”

She entered Cornell University in 1986, and by 1989, she got her first gig as a lawyer with the firm of Wiggin and Dana in Hartford, Conn. There, she gravitated toward employment law.

But, perhaps naturally (given her legal interests and areas of expertise), she just couldn’t escape ESPN. “During my law career, I served as outside counsel for ESPN, advising and representing the company on a wide spectrum of employment issues,” Keegan said. “I very much enjoyed

that work. ESPN was growing by leaps and bounds and I was fascinated by it.”

She also enjoyed reconnecting with old friends she’d met at ESPN in the 80s, many of whom had become senior executives there. These relationships proved helpful when Keegan looked at her law career and decided it might be time for a change.

“My firm was very, very good to me when I was having children and trying to raise a family, but as a result, I had gone off the partnership track,” she explained.

“I often say my resume at the time had ‘mommy track’ stamped all over it. I either wanted to commit to the law or find something else I was passionate about.”

As it turns out, she found ESPN—again.

Having worked with the company’s human resources department a lot as a lawyer, she immediately applied when a position opened up. The department vice president, a former employment attorney himself, hired her as senior director of human resources in 2005. She held the position until 2007, when she moved into her current role as vice president of production.

The job has been an excellent fit for Keegan, whose initial background at ESPN in the 80s was production. She oversees about 500 hours of programming produced by outside vendors that airs on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. She also has responsibility for shows that include Mike and Mike, First Take, Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, Jim Rome is Burning, Outside the Lines, SportsNation, Winners Bracket, Homecoming and First and Ten. In addition, Keegan has oversight of ESPN’s strategy for migrating studio brands to new platforms, like incorporating the SportsCenter brand within local ESPN.com sites.

It’s a lot to be accountable for, but she has a very supportive boss—one who gave her the opportunity to work in production when he saw her getting restless in human resources. She also learned a few

skills early on that have been invaluable as she’s transitioned from sports broadcasting to law and back.

“Union gave me the tools to constantly learn and the inquisitiveness to want to do new things,” said Keegan, who studied political science. “Professor Byron Nichols really helped me learn how to think, to approach challenges analytically.

“I’m a strong believer that a liberal arts degree will always give you an edge in the working world, that it’s an enormous help in making any job into a satisfying and successful career.”

Co-workers are also important to satisfaction, and to success. Without hers, Keegan knows she wouldn’t be as happy as she is.

“I consider myself a sports fan, but it wasn’t sports so much that drove me back to ESPN, it was the environment,” she said. “I’ve had jobs where people spent most of the day complaining—that’s never going to happen here. The people I work for and with love their jobs, are creative, smart and funny. They’re the best.”

And perhaps the best of the best, though he no longer works there, is her husband.

“I met my husband at ESPN in 1984; we’ve been married 24 years. Meeting him was my most memorable ESPN moment, though an experience in New York City four years ago is a close second,” Keegan said. “The conference room was nothing fancy, but it had all these Wide World of Sports pictures on the wall.

“And that’s when it hit me. I put sports on the same network my family and I watched as a kid. It made me wish my father, who had died recently, was alive so I could tell him where I’ve been. It’s a moment I remember vividly.”

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p ro f i l e s

J ak e W o l f f ’ 0 4

A real game-changer for name-changing

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or Jake Wolff ’04 and Josh Gelb, a little incongruity has proved both fruitful and amusing.

“Josh and I are both recently married and neither one of us had much to do with planning our weddings. We left that to our beautiful wives,” Wolff said, laughing. “It’s pretty ironic, then, that we now own and operate a business catering to newlyweds.”

In June, the pair launched a website called Hitchswitch.com. It’s a one-stop shop for name-changing, a process that’s a guaranteed headache for many recently married people.

“This all started in law school at Fordham University when a friend asked us if we knew how to change a name,” said Wolff, who graduated from Fordham with Gelb in 2010. “We went to the library, researched everything that needed to be changed, found all the forms online and assisted our friend.”

“Before we knew it, she’d recommended us to a friend, who recommended us to someone else,” he added. “It wasn’t long before we were full-time students helping newlyweds change their names.”

At this point, in 2009, they offered their services and expertise for free, asking only that clients make donations to charities of their choice. Some did. Some didn’t. And as more people started knocking on their door, Gelb and Wolff began to see an entrepreneurial opportunity.

“Approximately 4 million couples wed in the United States annually, and of those, about 80 percent change their name,” Gelb said. “As the calls kept coming, we realized there was a real chance here to turn our side project into a business— and donate to charity each time a client paid for our help.”

So on June 1 of this year, after being incorporated in 2010, Hitchswitch was

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officially launched. It charges a flat fee of $39.99 to supply newlyweds with everything they need to change their names. A portion of the proceeds go to ovarian and breast cancer research.

“We provide clients with all necessary forms, both governmental and non-governmental—Social Security, DMV, voter registration, credit card and bank information, IRS forms and so on,” Gelb said. “All they have to do is fill out a simple, quick form on our site and then, in three to five business days, we’ll mail them a personalized packet with the paperwork and instructions.”

With the packet in hand, clients simply complete the forms and mail or deliver them to the appropriate agency office.

Hitchswitch even provides envelopes, already stamped and addressed, and indicates where signatures are needed.

As an all-inclusive service, it’s saved a lot of people a lot of time.

“Until we started our business, we had no idea that changing your name was so difficult. For example, some forms require the use of black ink, and if the applicant mistakenly uses blue, the form will be returned unprocessed,” Wolff said.

“Before clients came to us, they said they’d spend as many as 30 hours locating and completing paperwork. Now it takes them minutes with Hitchswitch.”

Since 2009, when Wolff and Gelb helped that first friend, they’ve assisted numerous brides solely through wordof-mouth referrals. And the first day Hitchswitch.com was available, they received orders that had them working through the day and night.

As the business continues to grow, Wolff’s found himself calling on lessons learned at Union from time to time.

“Today, in our Hitchswitch office, we

Jake Wolff ’04 and Josh Gelb.

have a monthly calendar on which staff members write various goals,” said Wolff, who majored in political science. “This was something I started at Union when I was writing my thesis—a requirement that taught me how to manage time and showed me that having clearly written goals keeps you on task.

“Especially at a start-up company, where things move at such a fast pace and change regularly, never losing track of your overall goal and purpose is very important.”

His membership on Union’s Conduct Committee has also been particularly useful, as it prepared him for law school by teaching him how to ask hard and uncomfortable questions of his peers.

“Being part of the committee that evaluated student misconduct, I learned how to evaluate all sides of an issue,” Wolff said. “It’s a skill that undoubtedly trained me for my career as an attorney.”

Until Hitchswitch was launched, Wolff worked at Riverbay Corporation in Bronx, N.Y. Gelb, who earned his undergraduate degree from Brooklyn College in 2006, is an attorney for Manhattan Children’s Center in New York City.

As they move forward in their careers, the duo hopes to someday make Hitchswitch available internationally. Until then, they plan to launch Ditch-switch. com in the near future to assist those who are recently divorced.

“At Hitchswitch,” Wolff said, “we seek to the change the newlywed world one name at a time.”

across campus

Journalist Judy Woodruff gives graduates hope for the future

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s the country continues to be tested by a weak economic recovery, award–winning broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff advised graduates challenging times are still ahead. But, overall, she said, the future is bright for those who know the value of overcoming the inevitable difficulties everyone faces as they grow and build careers.

“What matters is not that you fail, but how you respond,” said Woodruff, who received an honorary doctor of humane letters when she spoke to the Class of 2011 during Commencement Sunday, June 12. “Hate failure, and then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go on your journey to making a difference.”

The College also awarded an honorary doctor of letters to poet Marvin Bell. He was nominated by Jordan Smith, professor of English. Bell was Smith’s thesis adviser at the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, where Bell was the Flannery O’Connor Professor of Letters until his retirement in 2005.

In his charge to the graduates, President Stephen C. Ainlay enumerated an impressive list of academic, athletic and service accomplishments achieved by members of the class. He cited winners of Fulbright Fellowships and other prestigious awards, as well as students

who traveled to Ghana to build libraries and to Ethiopia to bring clean water. He also celebrated the senior members of the men’s hockey and lacrosse teams who qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school’s history.

“Because of all this, in you I have great faith; in you I have great hope,” Ainlay told the new alumni.

Class valedictorian was Caroline M. Tulp, a political science major from Acton, Mass. Andrew Churchill, student speaker and political

science and French major from Oceanside, N.Y., was salutatorian.

For more on Commencement, a video of the ceremony, or the full text of speeches by Woodruff, Ainlay and Churchill, visit www.union.edu/news

Union’s 217th Commencement, June 12, 2011

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a c ro s s c a m p u s

Students receive

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John S. Wold ‘38 and Jane Wold dedicate the new Peter Irving Wold Center with President Stephen C. Ainlay.

Wold Center dedication highlights ReUnion

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vents ranged from the fun—the 100th Alumni parade and a family picnic—to the serious—a presentation on the 40th anniversary of co-education at Union—when thousands of alumni and their families returned for ReUnion in May. The highlight of the annual celebration of the College’s graduates was the dedication of the Peter Irving Wold Center, a $22 million, three-story, 35,000-square-foot research and education facility.

The center features state-ofthe-art laboratories, electronic classrooms, an advanced computing lab, study spaces and faculty offices. The latest milestone in Union’s long history of integrating engineering with the traditional liberal arts and sciences, the center’s public spaces are designed to facilitate the free flow of people and ideas, to promote

20 | Union College Fall 2011

collaboration among disciplines and to blur distinctions between teaching and research.

The center was made possible in large part by a lead gift from John S. Wold ’38 and his wife, Jane. The Wolds have directed more than $14 million of their original $20 million You are Union Campaign commitment to be a catalyst for the project, which is named after John Wold’s father, Peter, who chaired Union’s Physics Department from 1920 to 1945.

In thanking the Wold family and a host of other donors for their generosity and commitment to the project, President Stephen C. Ainlay said the College would use the gravitational pull of the Wold Center to “move Union to new heights.”

John Wold, a geologist and president of Wold Minerals Company in Casper, Wyo., said the opening of the Wold Center signified a new era at

Union. He spent several minutes reflecting on his father’s life and the number of students he inspired while at Union. He recalled the words of one, Lee Davenport ’37, an accomplished physicist.

“Peter Wold was a remarkable man,” Davenport said of his mentor. “He was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and very inspirational.”

ReUnion weekend also featured many other exciting activities, from fireworks over the Nott to the Minerva Race to great food and camaraderie.

“We were honored to welcome more than 2,000 alumni home to Union this weekend to celebrate many milestones in Union history,” said Rhonda Engvold, assistant director of alumni relations.

To learn more about the Wold Center, visit www.union. edu/wold

hree Union students will spend their summers abroad after earning internships with IBM that will provide hands-on experience in solving real world problems.

The internships are part of IBM’s Smarter Planet Initiative, a program in which experts from different backgrounds— commerce, governments and academic institutions—tackle critical world issues (such as river flow, traffic congestion and medical birth defects) using technology.

Alethea Schepperly ’12 and Matthew Graveley ’12 will work in the IBM China Research Lab in Beijing, while Matthew Manning ’12 will be based at IBM Zurich.

Schepperly, a Chinese and East Asian studies interdisciplinary major from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., will specialize in social media and communications. In the fall, she spent a term abroad in China.

Graveley, a biomedical engineering major from Lowville, N.Y., will test pipe integrity in waste water management systems. And Manning, an electrical engineering major from

Sup e r compu t e r s tat s 88 nodes Each node contains multiple processors

IBM internships Syracuse, N.Y., will be employed as a general research intern in science and technology.

“Research internships require a lot of abilities and skills that you learn in the classroom,” Manning said. “I think these internships show a lot of confidence in Union’s curriculum.”

The internships mark a deepening of the partnership between Union and IBM. Not only has the company hired many Union graduates, it also recently donated one of its Intelligent Cluster computing solutions to the College.

The collaboration demonstrates the value IBM places on Union’s interdisciplinary approach to liberal arts education, which emphasizes both breadth and depth.

“These opportunities will help us immensely as we continue to build our international presence,” said College President Stephen C. Ainlay. “It gives our students hands-on experience and enhances their cultural awareness while providing a world-class company like IBM with access to some of our best and brightest students.”

Matthew Manning ’12, Matthew Graveley ‘12 and Alethea Schepperly ’12

176 Hexacore Intel Xeons Standard high-performance server processors (CPUs) John Kelly III ’76, senior vice president of IBM

IBM donates supercomputer

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BM has donated one of its Intelligent Cluster computing solutions to Union, providing the school with one of the greatest computing capabilities of any undergraduate liberal arts college in the nation.

The announcement was made by John Kelly III ’76, IBM senior vice president and director of research, during the ReUnion dedication of the new Peter Irving Wold Center.

“Union College is a leader in educating students—and performing research—at the intersection of liberal arts, science and engineering,” said Bernie Meyerson, IBM Fellow and vice president of innovation. “That’s one of the reasons we’re so excited about our collaboration with Union, which is focused on expanding the use of deep analytics and computer-driven discovery and helping drive successful education and research projects over several years.”

The high-performance computing cluster, which consists of 88 servers and more than 1,000 individual processors, will be housed in the College’s data center. The College installed the computing system this summer.

Initial users of the computing cluster are expected to include faculty and students in biology, chemistry, classics, engineering, geosciences and

physics. Areas of study will include three Smarter Planet courses focused on energy, sustainability and buildings, analytics, and open building environments. Joint research projects between IBM and the college will focus on neuroscience imaging, as well as installing sensors and collecting environmental data along the Mohawk River.

“We always envisioned the Wold Center as a catalyst for innovation, creativity and the integration of disciplines,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay.

“The computing cluster not only complements the exciting work going on at the Wold Center, it advances our role as a pioneer in liberal education.

Partnerships with global leaders such as IBM give Union students access to the kinds of hands-on opportunities

140 Gigaflops per Xeon Your laptop probably does about 40 to 50 30–60 Kilowatts Power draw under full load.

Relatively low, as far as supercomputers go.

1–3 Gigaflops per watt Basic metric of efficiency.

Your laptop likely runs between .5 to .75.

that prepare them to tackle real-world problems.”

“This gift will provide a robust infrastructure to support and enhance current faculty research, enabling faculty to ask broader or deeper questions and work with larger amounts of information,” said Ellen Yu Borkowski, Union’s chief information officer. “It also supports Union’s efforts to integrate computation in creative ways throughout our curriculum.”

Students work with Professor Valerie Barr, chair of Computer Science, in the Wold Center’s Kelly Advanced Computing Lab.

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ReUnion 2011: A great time was had by all

The Alumni Parade

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captured three awards: The Anable Cup for the greatest number of classmates in the parade; The Van Voast/Class of 1941 Cup for best costume and The Class of 1943 ReUnion Award for overall effort.

Also during the weekend, Engineering Alumni Awards were presented to alumni leaders who are committed to their profession and their community. Recipients were: • William B. Marx, Jr. ’61, of Village of Golf, Fla. (Dean’s Award) • Dr. R. Allen Miller ’66, of Columbus, Ohio (Dean’s Award) • Mark A. Skolnik ’76 of Great Falls, Va. (Gold Award— Electrical Engineering) • Robin N. Stevenson ’06, of Jersey City, N.J. (Silver Award—Electrical Engineering) • Charles Becht, Ph.D. ’76, of Morristown, N.J. (Gold Award—Civil Engineering) • Jason R. Allen ’01, of Niskayuna, N.Y., (Gold Award—Mechanical Engineering) • David C. Korim ’06, of Albany, N.Y. (Silver Award— Mechanical Engineering)

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ine members of the Class of 2011 were recently chosen to represent the College’s next Minerva Fellows program. They will travel the globe, working in developing countries with social entrepreneurial organizations.

The alumni will live abroad for 11 months before returning to the College to participate in a social entrepreneurial course and educate current students about their experiences.

The Minerva Fellows program is like the College’s own version of the Peace Corps. It offers new graduates the chance to travel abroad their first year out of college and engage in meaningful service opportunities for those in need throughout the world. The first group of Minerva Fellows was selected in 2008.

The latest fellows, organizations and locations are: • Alex Brockwehl and Shelby Cutter: Yanapuma, Ecuador • Eliza Duquette and Carolyn Canetti: The Global Child, Cambodia • Brendan Kinnane and Mark O’Shea: Engeye, Uganda • Emily LaCroix: Bagru Block Printing, India • Amanda Wald: ProWorld, Ghana • Malebogo “Lebby” Tlhajoane: The McCord Hospital, South Africa

Late-night breakfast with the president

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t least 100 students gathered in Upper Class Dining Hall one night in early June to be served a late-night breakfast by President Stephen C. Ainlay and faculty and staff. The event featured balloons, music, eggs, bacon, pancakes, strawberry and pineapple smoothies, a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit, pastries and a fried food bar. “It was terrific,” Ainlay said. “The food was spectacular. The students had been working so hard, and I’m glad they were able to come out to get a break from all their studying.”

Photograph by Elizabeth Lehmann ’12

eUnion Weekend this May saw the return of more than 2,000 alumni and friends to campus to enjoy a number of events including the dedication of the new Peter Irving Wold Center, spectacular fireworks courtesy of Steve Ente ’75, and the 100th Alumni Parade.

“Whether alumni had returned to campus often or had not returned in many years, we hope they rekindled friendships and rediscovered the beauty and growth of Union,” said Rhonda Engvold, assistant director of alumni relations.

At Alumni Convocation, Alumni Gold Medals were presented to Donald S. Feigenbaum, Ph.D. ’46, Stuart E. Cohen ’61 and John E. Kelly III, Ph.D. ’76. Carol S. Weisse, professor of psychology and director of health professions, received the Faculty Meritorious Service Award.

The McClellan Cup for the highest percentage of class attendees went to the Class of 1951. John Wold ’38 was honored for representing the oldest class year to appear in the parade. The Class of 1961

Union’s next Minerva Fellows

Meet Union’s newest Trustees

Estelle Cooke Sampson ’74

Ellen Sheehan Smith ’80, PE

Roy C. Jackson ’82

John Sciortino ’81

Education: Union College, B.S. in biology (1974) Georgetown University Medical School, M.D. (1978)

Education: Union College, B.S. in mechanical engineering (1980) Union College, M.S.E. in power systems engineering (1982)

Education: Union College, B.A. in political science (1982) Columbia University, School of International Affairs, M.P.A. (1990)

Education: Union College, B.A. in political science (1981) Albany Law School, J.D. (1986)

Career: In 2009, Ellen became executive vice president and chief operations officer for gas, electric and generation operations of National Grid U.S.A. She has more than 30 years experience in the energy industry, gained through leadership roles at Hess Corporation, Pratt & Whitney and GE Energy. She and her husband also own The Forerunner Ski Shop in Killington, Vt.

Career: Roy is central zone vice president for Coca-Cola Refreshments, and general manager for Coca-Cola’s foodservice business across 21 states in the central United States. Roy joined Coca-Cola in 1997 and has held numerous executive positions in sales and operations, and previously with PepsiCo and Yum! Brands. Roy is also board chairman for the Multi-Cultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance, an organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of diversity and inclusion to the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Career: Estelle is a full partner with Radiology Associates in Baltimore, Md. and is affiliated with many hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area. She is also a full colonel and state surgeon for the District of Columbia Army National Guard, where she has served for more than 25 years. In addition, Estelle serves on the board of Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care in Washington, D.C. Union involvement: Trustee (1996-2008), elected board secretary in 2007, Kresge Challenge committee, admissions volunteer, Alumni Physicians Advisory Council.

Estelle is also a recipient of Union’s Eliphalet Nott Medal, Alumni Gold Medal and Unitas Diversity Award.

Family: Estelle has two daughters, Stacie Sampson and Simone Sampson ’10.

She lives in Washington, D.C.

Union involvement: President’s Council, Career Center Volunteer, Alumni Office volunteer Family: Ellen is married to Peter F. Smith ’88. They have two children, Elizabeth Smith ’13 and Brian Smith.

The family splits its time between Putnam Station, N.Y., Killington, Vt. and Lexington, Mass.

Union Involvement: Annual Fund participant, Ramée Circle, admissions representative Family: Roy and his wife, Suzanne, have two sons, Brian and Kyle. They live in Marietta, Ga.

Career: John is a founding partner of Segar & Sciortino, a law firm specializing in representing injured workers and their families. He is president of the New York State Injured Workers’ Bar Association, a founding member and former co-chair of the State Workers’ Compensation Alliance, and a member of the board of directors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial.

In 2008, he received the Clara Lemlich Public Service Award for his efforts on behalf of injured workers in the state.

Union Involvement: Admissions volunteer, Union Fund head agent for the Class of 1981, Alumni Council representative, Alumni Council vice president (2007–2011), Alumni Council president, Terrace Council Society, Ramée Circle, Union College Club of Rochester volunteer, Phi Delta Theta member Family: John and Michele (Hudson) Sciortino ‘84 reside in Rochester, N.Y. with their daughter, Andrea.

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Students give thanks

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nion celebrated its first-ever Fortunate Students Day this past spring.

Fortunate Students Day represents the time when tuition dollars run out and gifts from alumni and friends kick in to finance the rest of every student’s education for the year.

Students learned about the impact of Annual Fund contributions to the College, as tuition roughly covers 70 percent of a Union education.

They realized how important donors are to Union and how they directly benefit from the generosity of others. To show their gratitude, over 200 students signed a banner to thank donors for supporting their undergraduate experience.

College acquires home of noted conservationist

College receives $500,000 gift from Goldman Sachs Gives

U

U

nion has purchased a building in nearby Niskayuna that includes the former home of noted Adirondack conservationist Paul Schaefer (19081996) and a modern addition that houses the Adirondack Research Library. The property,

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the former home of the conservation group Protect the Adirondacks, is on a two-acre parcel of land, three miles from the Union campus, adjacent to the 111-acre H.G. Reist Wildlife Sanctuary. An anonymous donor has made the purchase possible.

nion College has received a $500,000 gift from Goldman Sachs Gives, which when combined with a previous gift of $1 million, brings total support by Goldman Sachs Gives for need-based scholarships to $1.5 million over the past 12 months.

The donation was made at the recommendation of David Viniar ’76 and his wife, Susan.

David is the chief financial officer of Goldman Sachs and a member of the College’s Board of Trustees.

“I am very appreciative of the opportunities my education at Union provided me,” said Viniar. “I hope this gift will offer deserving students access to the same excellent education.”

The latest “Goldman Scholars” gift will allow the College to award up to $125,000 in need-based scholarships to members of the Class of 2015 for each of the four years they are at Union.

“We are grateful to Goldman Sachs Gives, and David Viniar in particular, for their continued support in helping to make a Union College education affordable for talented students,” said Matt Malatesta, vice president for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment.

Goldman Sachs Gives is a donor-advised fund. The firm’s partners make recommendations to Goldman Sachs Gives that support non-profit and charitable organizations around the world.

Oil the focus of Minerva Course, lecture series

Union receives $1 million bequest for international study

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ach year Union offers an interdisciplinary course open to all students that focuses on a single topic and is taught by a variety of professors. Known as the Minerva Course, this spring’s course was entitled “Oil: A World in Short Supply.”

The 10-week course also included guest lectures by historian Robin Blackburn, professor of sociology at the University of Essex in the U.K. and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Historical Studies at the New School in New York; Riki Ott, marine biologist, author and former commercial fisherwoman; Michael Klare, journalist and political science professor; Tariq Ali, British writer, filmmaker, political analyst and historian; and Mia Birk, urban planner.

The class was organized by Teresa Meade, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of History and Culture. Other professors

British writer, filmmaker, political analyst and historian Tariq Ali gives a guest lecture.

who participated included John Garver (Geology), Ashraf Ghaly (Engineering and Computer Science), Brad Lewis and Eshi Motahar (Economics), Jeff Corbin (Biology and Environmental Studies), Elana Shever (Anthropology), and Mark Dallas, Tom Lobe and Philip Nicholas (Political Science).

he “father of Terms Abroad,” professor emeritus of German Frederick Klemm, and his wife have left a $1 million endowed gift to Union.

The Professor Frederick A. Klemm and Eleanor G. Klemm Fund for International Study and Service will help develop programs that prepare students for international careers in government service, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The gift will also support service aspects of the Terms Abroad program.

Klemm, of Niskayuna, was 97 when he died on Nov. 29, 2010.

He taught at Union from 1947 to 1978, launching the Terms Abroad program when he accompanied 28 students to Vienna, Austria, in the spring of 1969. He traveled

Frederick Klemm

widely with his wife, who was the inspiration for what he dubbed “Union’s first organized invasion into classrooms abroad.” Eleanor Klemm died in 2004.

Today, more than 60 percent of Union students study abroad.

Union receives national community service award

U A Union student volunteers in the community.

nion has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to the local community.

This marks the third straight year the College has earned this honor, the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement. Honorees were chosen based on a series of factors, including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

The awards were announced in Washington, D.C. recently by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers the program in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

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A new kind of tutoring

Jaclyn Mandart ’12, Daniel Nault ’12 and Clarissa Odence ’11

The SAA: Building studentalumni connections

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nion recently unveiled a new academic support program called Supplemental Instruction (SI), which aims to improve student learning in some of the College’s most challenging courses.

During the winter 2011 pilot, SI was offered in biology 101, psychology 100 and 200, economics 101 and political science 113. For each of these classes, a student who previously excelled in the course led weekly study sessions. Session leaders, who attended all meetings for the class, based their discussions on lessons by the professor.

“The hope is that by targeting courses rather than individual students, it will remove the stigma often associated with tutoring. All students enrolled in the

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courses are encouraged to participate in SI to improve their understanding of course material,” said Maggie Tongue, director of Union Scholars and Postgraduate Fellowships. “In addition, this model coaches students to be better learners, which benefits not only the work they do in the target course, but also in other classes.”

Tongue leads SI, based on a program model founded at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, with Gale Keraga, director of Peer Mentoring.

SI will continue in the fall and winter of 2011–12, with funding from the Biology Department, the Dean of Studies and other academic affairs programs. To learn more about SI, contact Tongue at tonguem@union.edu or Keraga at keragag@union.edu.

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larissa Odence ’11 won’t forget ReUnion 2010, when she carried the Garnet Guard banner in the Alumni Parade.

“In the excitement of lining up, no one picked up the banner. So I grabbed it, put on a Garnet Guard cap and followed Dusty Rhodes ’35,” said Odence, senior chair of the Student Alumni Association and neuroscience major.

“When the parade was over, one Garnet Guarder said he was honored to be in a group with me. I was touched—this was my first ReUnion, and there are no women in the Guard,” she added. “That experience will stick with me.”

And experiences that bring multiple Union generations together is what the Student Alumni Association is all about. As a result, the organization’s main mission is to support the Office of Alumni Relations in building lasting relationships with graduates. Their presence at alumni club functions and at ReUnion and Homecoming, where they do everything from drive golf carts to staff the face-painting booth, help them do this.

While these roles might seem minor, nothing could be farther from the truth. Connecting alumni with students is critically important to Union, and SAA members like Jaclyn Mandart ’12 know it.

“I think alumni know they’ll always have a home at Union, and getting to know students, they see that the bond created by a Union education spans generations,” said Mandart, a neuroscience major who co-chairs SAA with history student Daniel Nault ’12. “And when alumni feel more in touch with the College, they’re more willing to visit, get involved or give back in other ways.”

The Student Alumni Association has 30 members who are selected through an application and interview process.

To learn more, contact Leah VanDerhoof Bertinetti at vanderhl@union.edu.

bookshelf Bookshelf features new books written by or about alumni and other members of the Union community. We also highlight books edited by Union alumni, faculty or administrators. To be included in Bookshelf, send the book and the publisher’s press release to: Office of Communications Union College Schenectady, NY 12308 or send publisher’s press release and a high-resolution book cover image to magazine@union.edu.

James Baar ’49

The Real Thing & Other Tales Omegacom Inc.

A mosaic of short narrative fiction,these 28 tales probe the ancient dilemmas of free will, corruption, perversion of truth, God and chance, honor and risk. Art and fakery emerge as a major leitmotif, and all of these stories live in the context of human history and confront the challenges of evil, cultural relativism, hope and faith. With a broad cast of players—old warriors and new, politically correct academics, princes, saints, thieves and nukey-boat commanders—scenes shift across the last two millennia from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to Manhattan.

Kate White ’72

The Sixes HarperCollins Publishers

With prose evocative of Laura Lippman’s Life Sentences and Dennis Lehane’s Moonlight Mile, Kate White paints a sinister picture of a quiet Pennsylvania college town left shaken after a mysterious death precipitates a cascade of evil events on campus.

When new teacher Phoebe Hall undertakes the dangerous quest of uncovering the truth, her investigation will send her

into the clutches of a deadly secret society—the Sixes— and unearth the dark relics of her own long-buried past.

White is the New York Times bestselling author of Hush, and the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Anthony J. Beninati ‘71

Death Book Whiskey Creek Press

Archaeologists working at Copán, Honduras recover a rare Maya Codex, a book buried for over a millennium in the ruins.

The researcher responsible for for finding the Death Book perishes in an air crash and unknown intruders subsequently murder his wife. The Death Book is lost to history once again. Or is it? A professor stumbles across clues leading him on an adventure of self-discovery, romance, and intrigue. Will the book reveal the key to saving humankind from its ultimate demise? Can the journey help Dr. Vinny Alfano salvage some respectability? This adventure novel blends mystery, romance, and history as Dr. Alfano travels through Honduras to find the lost manuscript—and another chance for love.

Hershel Raff ’75

Medical Physiology: A Systems Approach McGraw-Hill

This textbook offers a succinct overview of physiology, along

with an introduction to basic science principles and their relevance to the clinical expression of disease. Each chapter begins with a list of objectives, includes key concepts, and ends with study questions designed to test knowledge of major concepts.

The book, of which Raff is the lead author, reflects medical education’s increased emphasis on providing students with more clinically oriented content. It also underscores the importance of the essential concepts of pathophysiology, and details the major physiological processes involved in both health and disease. Raff is a professor of medicine, surgery and physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

John Swift ’87

ASHRAE GreenGuide: The Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable Buildings American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

The third edition of this easy-to-use reference guide includes information essential to anyone involved with constructing a green building, from the architect and HVAC&R system designer to the contractor. Using an integrated, building systems perspective, it provides advice about what to do, where to turn and how to interact with other members of your design

team. GreenTips, found throughout the book, highlight techniques, processes, measures, and special systems in a concise, often bulleted, format. John Swift is co-author and co-editor.

George Gmelch, Roger Thayer

Stone Professor of Anthropology Sharon Gmelch, professor of

anthropology

Tasting the Good Life: Wine Tourism in the Napa Valley Indiana University Press

Five million visitors a year travel to California’s Napa Valley to experience the good life: to taste fine wines, eat fine food, and immerse themselves in other sophisticated pleasures while surrounded by bucolic beauty.

Tourism is the world’s largest employer, and tourists today want to experience the world through all five senses. Tasting the Good Life tells the story of Napa tourism through the words of the tourists who visit and the men and women who provide the products and services they rely on. The stories of 17 people—from winemaker to vineyard manager, from celebrity chef to waiting staff, from hot air balloonist to masseuse— provide extraordinary insight into this new form of tourism and its impact on an iconic American place.

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focUs

By Erin DeMuth Judd

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ver wonder what Union professors are up to when they aren’t teaching? Just about everything, as it turns out. Nothing is beyond their collective reach or curious minds. Here’s just a glimpse of the diverse and intriguing work they do.

Super sight Leo Fleishman, professor of biology The Augrabies flat lizard of South Africa has superhero sight. Well, almost. Platysaurus broadleyi doesn’t have x-ray vision, but it sure sees more than humans.

“The lizards have photoreceptor cells (or cones) in their eyes that detect ultraviolet light,” said Leo Fleishman, co-author of a recent study that discovered this fact. “Humans have three kinds of cones that respond to blue, green and red light. The lizards have these too, plus the fourth for ultraviolet.”

This adaptation is extremely useful to the five-inch reptiles—it prevents them from picking fights they can’t win.

“They rely on color assessment to avoid conflict with superior rivals,” Fleishman said.

“For reasons we don’t know, differences in the color of skin patches in the ultraviolet-blue range indicate how strong a male rival is, and whether he can be beaten in a fight.”

Since many other lizards—and birds as well—can also see ultraviolet light, the study has implications beyond the biology of Platysaurus broadleyi.

“This shared characteristic suggests that dinosaurs, which are the ancestors of modern birds and related to modern reptiles, had well-developed vision and probably used colorful skin and ornamentations in their social behavior too,” Fleishman said.

The article was published in the scientific journal, The Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. The study was co-authored

by Ellis Loew of Cornell University and Martin Whiting of Macquarie University.

Photo by Martin Whiting, Macquarie University

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The Middle East Michele Penner Angrist, associate professor of political science When Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January, ending 23 years of tyrannical rule, Michele Penner Angrist wrote an analysis of the revolution for Foreign Affairs.com. As a scholar who studies the dynamics of regimeopposition relations in the Middle East, she knows a great deal about Tunisia’s history, culture, government and politics. What she and her fellow experts aren’t certain of is the role social media played in the rebellion.

“It’s a main area of academic debate today,” Angrist said. “Activists across the Middle East are using social networking to publicize regime abuses, organize dissent and communicate with the outside world to aid their cause. Yet, in 1989, citizens in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia nonviolently ended communism without social media.”

Violence, however, is a factor in the Libyan fight for democracy.

“A key difference between Tunisia and Libya is that Tunisian army refused from the outset to back Ben Ali. Qaddafi’s dictatorship is structured differently, and his core military defended his rule for much longer,” Angrist said. “What’s comparable is citizens unwilling to suffer quietly under stifling rulers who have oppressed them for decades.”

Angrist spent much of her childhood in the Middle East with her father, a Foreign Service Officer.

“Growing up, my U.S. friends had no idea what life was like in the Middle East. I wanted to bridge gaps between the two cultures and educate young Americans about a region crucial to our national interests.”

Existential anxiety Joshua Hart, assistant professor of psychology Anxious about death? According to a study published recently in PLoS ONE, this could make you more likely to reject the theory of evolution in favor of intelligent design.

Co-authored by Joshua Hart, University of British Columbia psychology professor Jessica Tracy and UBC doctorate student Jason Martens, it’s the first paper to examine psychological motives underlying this fiercely contested issue.

With 1,674 participants from diverse backgrounds, the researchers conducted five studies. Participants contemplated their own deaths or an aversive control topic, dental pain.

They also read excerpts from intelligent design proponent Michael Behe and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.

Those who thought about death supported intelligent design and Behe more than those who thought about dental pain.

“When you bring up death, you create a need for existential comfort, which if not satisfied, can lead to anxiety,” Hart said.

“Intelligent design is existentially satisfying. It implies a creator is in control, which comforts some people.”

These effects were reversed in the fourth study, when cosmologist/science writer Carl Sagan was added. His excerpt encouraged people to find their own meaning in the pursuit of truth through science.

“Sagan caused people to favor evolution, even in the face of death,” Hart said. “Presumably, he showed science doesn’t necessarily undermine—and may even contribute to—a sense of purpose or meaning in life.”

Similar results emerged in the fifth study, carried out entirely with natural science students.

Play-Doh population dynamics Fernando Orellana, assistant professor of visual arts A couple years back, Fernando Orellana read that for every 11 people in the word, there’s one automobile. That’s 615,930,522 cars. The figure astounded him, and inspired him.

Using an extruder of his own design that can push 20 pounds of Play-Doh through a carshaped hole, Orellana makes 700 to 800 vehicles at a time. His goal is 429,674, and as of July, he’d produced about 10,000. It’s an artistic effort that’s been highlighted online in Wired Magazine and featured at Texas A&M University.

“I hope to illustrate just how much the automobile has taken over our world,” Orellana said.

“I’m fascinated by how completely dependent we are on an invention that’s only 150 years old.”

Orellana has also developed an extruder that makes people for his new series, Population, and soon he’ll be churning out cows and houses too. Why? Cars get lonely without drivers. But then having people around complicates things more.

“If you have Play-Doh people, they’re bound to get hungry. So poof! Here come cows—PlayDoh beef is super-delicious,” Orellana said, laughing. “And all those people need somewhere to sleep too. In the end, every car will have a driver, and every driver will have food and a roof over his or her head.”

Play-Doh photos

by Fernando Orellana

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campaign trail

You are Union

Doing good: A Cohen family mission

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he Cohen family of Goldens Bridge, N.Y. is a family with a mission to do good—on this side of the planet and the other.

“Our reasons for giving back really aren’t that different from anyone else’s,” Lauren Cohen ’78 said. “We’ve been lucky to have good fortune, good health, careers and education. We see it as our responsibility to give others the same chances we had.

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“In South Africa, we help provide quality health care. At Union, we’re involved so we can give back to a place that’s been instrumental in shaping who we are today.”

And to the delight of Lauren and her husband, Gary Cohen ’78, these two philanthropic efforts are not always separate.

Recently, they combined them—to the benefit of Union students and HIV/AIDS patients in South Africa.

“During our first meeting as members of the President’s Council, we met with Minerva Fellows and were incredibly impressed with both them and the program,” Lauren said.

“Being exposed to different cultures and challenges in the developing world is a wonderful and invaluable thing.”

“We thought funding a Minerva Fellowship at McCord Hospital in South Africa, the country with the highest burden of HIV/AIDS in the world, would be the perfect way to marry our support of these two great institutions.”

Malebogo “Lebby” Tlhajoane ’11, the first fellow to work at McCord, will spend 11-months there. Her arrival, early this summer, corresponded with that of Lauren, who spends five to six weeks in South Africa for The Gift of Hope each year.

The Gift of Hope is a program run and founded by Lauren that provides financial support to HIV-infected women and children, giving them access to care and treatment at McCord. Approximately 110 children are sponsored through the program by American donors, and during her yearly stays, Lauren compiles updates for these

donors on the youngsters’ progress. She hoped, when she spoke with Union College in May, that Tlhajoane would be able to help with this effort.

Tlhajoane is also at McCord, where she supports staff in all departments of the hospital, to pursue her own mission.

“Lebby is from Botswana and she’s passionate about returning to her home to solve public health issues there,” said Gary, who is general manager, global communications sector, at IBM in Somers, N.Y. “It’s often said that African solutions are needed for African problems—that it isn’t enough for people to assist and then leave. We’re thrilled to be helping empower an African woman who will bring back solutions to Botswana.”

They’re also thrilled that this fellowship enhances one of the College’s primary academic pillars.

“We always talk about Union’s strength being interdisciplinary learning,” Lauren said. “I can’t think of an issue that’s more interdisciplinary than the AIDS epidemic. It’s political, social, economic, medical and humanitarian. It touches every area of learning and thought. The fellowship is a fantastic way to tie the

Building our Third Century

Planned gifts:

An additional distribution was received from the estate of Edward J. Gramse, Class of 1943. Dr. Gramse’s generosity was acknowledged by naming the courtyard in front of the Peter Irving Wold Center in his memory and in honor of his family.

Lauren Cohen ’78 with children at the Sinikithemba Clinic of McCord Hospital in 2007. The children’s HIV/AIDS care and treatment is sponsored through The Gift of Hope program.

interdisciplinary learning Union’s so proud of to actual experiences.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, Union experiences abroad— in Florence for Lauren and England for Gary—were formative. So were the two years they spent working and living in Japan with their children.

“These trips really gave us a more global perspective,” Gary said. “They inspired what’s become a lifelong passion for seeing the world, getting engaged and understanding other cultures.”

Professors also played a role, and both Cohens credit their teachers with making them critical thinkers who strive to do their best.

“Byron Nichols pushed me to think beyond the simple explanation, and with his high standards, he taught me the value of working toward excellence,” said Lauren, who majored in political science.

“He, and others like Fred Hartwig, treated me with respect and did their best to cultivate meaningful relationships with students.”

“Those kind of special relationships built between

students and faculty, they’re part of Union’s unique character,” added Gary, who studied economics and psychology. “I remember Ted Schwartz used to get together with us on Fridays. We’d have a drink, talk about the week at Union and the week in the world. It was something we always looked forward to.”

It’s something the Cohens hope to preserve and strengthen through their involvement with the College today.

“Fundamentally, as alumni, it’s our responsibility to make sure Union is as vital academically and experientially for students now as it was for us,” Gary said. “We’re really focused on ensuring the experience is even more global and interdisciplinary; on ensuring close facultystudent bonds are made.

“We’re focused on continuing the great tradition of Union.”

For more information on the President’s Council or Minerva Fellows program, visit www.union.edu. To learn more about The Gift of Hope, visit www.friendsofmccord. org/giftofhope

A bequest was received from the estate of Harriet DeWitt and established the Harry K. DeWitt Scholarship. Mrs. DeWitt was the widow of Harry K. DeWitt, Class of 1928.

Additional proceeds were received from the estate of Samson O.A. Ullmann, professor emeritus of English. Along with earlier gifts, this will be added to the Samson O.A. Ullmann Endowed Scholarship and the Samson O.A. Ullmann Endowed Fund supporting the purchase of plays and related materials.

A bequest was received from the estate of John P. Lewis, Class of 1941, in support of scholarships. Dr. Lewis had a distinguished teaching career, including a position at Union as an assistant professor of economics and government from 1946 to 1950. He was professor emeritus at Princeton University.

An additional distribution was received from the estate of Muriel K. Dean. Along with an earlier bequest, these proceeds will be used at the discretion of the Trustees. Mrs. Dean was the widow of Willard W. Dean, Class of 1938.

C h a r i t ab l e Gift Annuities:

A bequest was received from the estate of John A. Kilcoin Jr., Class of 1940, in support of the Annual Fund.

A life-long supporter of the Union College Annual Fund, Mr. Kilcoin was a retired project engineer at General Electric.

A Charitable Gift Annuity was established by Paul ’56 and Margaret Castrucci.

Paul retired as an IBM senior executive and fellow, working there from 1956 until 1988. He continues to help Union make valuable contacts in industry.

A trust distribution was received from the estate of Dante Venditti. Mr. Venditti established this trust to ultimately support the College by designating the remainder to establish the Luciano & Pasqua Venditti Scholarship in memory of his parents.

A charitable gift annuity distribution was received from the estate of Rachel Watson. This gift established the J. Herbert Watson ’40 Scholarship in memory of her late husband, J. Herbert Watson, a member of the Class of 1940.

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alumni clubs

s

s

Alumni at the Union College Club of Boston board meeting

Alumni attend the Union College Club of Washington, D.C. terms abroad reception

Events Upcoming Alumni Club

S e p t. 1 6 N e w Y o r k C i t y

President’s Reception, The Waldorf-Astoria S e p t. 1 7

C a p i ta l R e g i o n

Tailgate, Union vs. Ithaca football S e p t. 2 2 L o n d o n , E n g l a n d

Reception with President Stephen Ainlay & Matthew Malatesta

s

S e p t. 2 6 – Oc t. 4 G r e e c e / T u r k e y

Alumni enjoy the Texas Rangers vs. Mets game in June

Union College Travel Program S e p t. 2 8 U n i o n C o l l e g e

ABC Breakfast Oc t. 2 6 - 2 8 U n i o n C o l l e g e

Alumni Symposium Oc t. 2 8 - 3 0 U n i o n C o l l e g e

Homecoming & Family Weekend N o v. 5 - 6

S t. A u g u s t i n e , F l a .

Sigma Chi Golf Outing D e c . 3 P r i n c e t o n , N . J .

Union vs. Princeton hockey D e c . 1 4 Was h i n g t o n , D . C .

Annual Holiday Party Jan. 13

C amb r i d g e , M ass .

Union vs. Harvard hockey J a n . 1 4 U n i o n C o l l e g e

s

Union vs. RPI hockey

Young alumni attend a Gen U event in Boston.

For more, visit www.union.edu/alumni

32 | Union College Fall 2011

the classes

S av e t h e D at e

Garnet Guard

ReUnion

Alumni who have celebrated their 50th ReUnion.

2012

May 17–20, 2012 www.union.edu/reunion

Garnet Guard Class Correspondent

Richard J. Killeen ’51 3 Emerald Lane Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866-9100 pmrjk@nycap.rr.com

1934

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (required by 39 U.S.C.3685) Title of Publication: Union College.

Publication Number: 648020.

Frequency of Issue: Quarterly.

Location of known office of publications: 807 Union Street, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308.

Owner: Same. Bondholder:None.

Average number of copies of each issue during the preceding 12 months: A) Total number of copies printed: 29,539 B1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions: 27,656 B4) Paid Distribution by Other Class of Mail: 406 C) Total paid circulation: 28,062 D4) Free distribution outside the mail: 920 E) Total free distribution: 920 F) Total distribution: 28,982 G) Copies not distributed: 558 H) Total: 29,540 Actual number of copies of single issue printed nearest to the filing date (Sept. 30): A) Total number of copies printed: 29,855 B1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions: 27,732 B4) Paid Distribution by Other Class of Mail: 414 C) Total paid circulation: 28,146 D4) Free distribution outside the mail: 920 E) Total free distribution: 920 F) Total distribution: 29,066 F) Copies not distributed: 789 H) Total: 29,855

Milton Schwebel had a guest editorial printed in the Newark Star Ledger June 22.

The column, “Race to the top will never reach finish line,” discussed President Obama’s methods for improving the quality of low-performing schools. Milton is a dean and professor emeritus in the graduate School of Education and professor emeritus in the graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology, both at Rutgers University.

1941 1942

Z

ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

1943 1944 1945 Inspired by their grandfather, H.W. Smith, Nick and Billy Smith have patented the Sporting-Sail. The parachutelike invention is based heavily on something similar H.W. designed—the Ski-Klipper decelerator—decades earlier.

Their story was featured in the May 14, 2011 edition of The New York Times, in an article

The Class of 1941 celebrated their 70th ReUnion in May. In celebration, they raised funds for an Annual Scholarship, which was awarded to Michael Clarke ’11. For their 60th ReUnion, the Class of 1941 dedicated the den in Sorem House.

The Hoffman family celebrates their donation of a bench, which now sits in front of Steinmetz Hall, in honor of Thomas and Barbara Hoffman. Thomas, Class of 1945, taught in the Electrical Engineering Department and is credited with helping start the Computer Engineering Department.

titled “Innovation, Gliding Across Generations.”

visiting a number of national parks. Another time we did the Golden Circle starting at Zion National Park, proceeding to Bryce Canyon (in a snow storm), then on to Mesa Verde, the Arches, Canyonland, Monument Valley, and finally the Grand Canyon—first the south rim, then a long way around to the north rim. At our age, we were proud and grateful to be able to scamper up and down the ladders at Mesa Verde. August of ’07 we took a plane to Fairbanks.

From there our cruise/tour took us to Denali National Park. Then south to Wittier to board the Island Princess and cruise the Inland Waterway to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Stops were made at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.

Congratulations to Bob Ketchum and his wonderful trek. I’ve enjoyed hiking also and am Adirondack 46-er #1125. We have been retired, living on Cape Cod 16 years now and enjoying year-round golf. Visited the campus last summer and enjoyed seeing all the changes that have been made.”

1946 1947

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

1949 Dr. H.S. Wisoff writes, “Two sons and my granddaughter are on the Alumni Council— Jeffrey H. Wisoff, M.D. and Andrew E., and Jessica L.(Jessi), who is Jeffrey’s daughter. I have completed a paper about my neurosurgical mentor, Dr. Leo M. Davidoff, from 1898– 1927. It included related historic events in the 1920s and was submitted to Journal of Neurosurgery. I am collecting material for the second half of his life in N.Y., until death in 1975.”

1950 Don Boink writes, “Of recent years my wife, Lynn, and I have taken extensive trips out West to travel the length of California up into Oregon,

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the classes

The Annual Fund Turns 100!

Celebrate a century of annual giving— put your gift into action and carry on the tradition today!

Your Annual Fund gift at any level is: • a powerful vote of confidence • a positive contribution • a cornerstone of our strong, connected community • an enduring legacy

founded 1795

The Annual Fund Office Union College 807 Union Street Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 (518) 388-6175 www.union.edu/give

Dorin Seymour performed the one-man show he wrote, “Unconquerable Heart: A Life of Jefferson Davis” at the Barter Theatre in Abbingdon, Va. in August. The show was part of the Virginia Highlands Festival. For more on the play, visit http://jeffersondavistheplay.com/.

Cliff Hayes writes, “In May of 2009, I attended a conference meeting of the Regional Coordinators of the Library of Congress Talking Books members. Darrel Teske, the 34 | Union College Fall 2011

member from Kansas, told me that he has a group that makes Beep Eggs for the blind. These are given to Light-Houses for the Blind so that they can hold Easter egg hunts for blind children. I was interested in the effort, and when I located the Texas Division of Rehabilitative and Assistive Services, I found they would like some 900 of the eggs. The Texas Club of the Telecom Pioneers funded me in the summer of 2010 with money to produce these eggs. Each egg consists of an intermittent buzzer

connected to a battery and a switch fastened to the shell of the egg. When turned on for the children to ‘find,’ the egg beeps. Most eggs’ beeps are distinctive. I have had volunteers working on these eggs in a modified manufacturing form and we have mailed about half of the eggs to the various offices of the DARS within Texas. We have had many responses thanking us. One response that particularly impressed on me the value of our volunteer work: ‘My daughter participated in her first ever Easter egg hunt this year. She is eleven years old.’”

1951 Class Correspondent

Richard J. Killeen 3 Emerald Lane Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866-9100

Edward Clark writes, “I have moved from Knoxville to the Meadowood Retirement Community next to Indiana University in Bloomington. It is a lovely place for active seniors.”

1952

Z

ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Dr. Arthur Stockman 7124 Switchgrass Trail Bradenton, Fla. 34202-4177 (941) 907-8064 astockman@jcaho.org

1953 Class Correspondent

Garrett Murphy 7 Maxwell Street Albany, N.Y. 12208-1607 gmurphy6@nycap.rr.com (518) 438-7319

1954 Class Correspondent

Avrom J. Gold 549 Colonial Drive Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29926

1955 Class Correspondent

Ken Haefner 1346 Waverly Pl. Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 haefnerkb@juno.com

1956 Class Correspondent

Dr. Alan Greene 241 Perkins St. H401 Boston, Mass. 02130

1957

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

James R. Fisher 172 Patriot’s Crook Martinsville, Va. 24112 fisherstwo@gmail.com

John I. Van Voris is among 52 GrayRobinson attorneys recently designated as Florida super lawyers in Super Lawyers magazine. John works in the firm’s Tampa office and is an experienced government, banking, securities, M&A and bond lawyer. He has handled numerous IPOs and private placement of securities. John also has served as bond counsel to the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County.

1958 Class Correspondent

Richard T. Steinbrenner 9 Hunters Trail Warren, N.J. 07059-7105 r.steinbrenner@att.net

James Hamann writes, “Retired after 50 years of teaching, now volunteering for sheriff’s office with ‘voice’ patrol in Fort Myers, Fla.” Bob Howe writes, “On June 12, my wife, Sondra (Wellesley ’60), and I were honored to attend the Memorial Service for Prof. Ray Rappaport, my Union advisor, in Bar Harbor, Maine. There was a dual piano recital by two of their Maine friends at College of the

Atlantic. We stayed at their lovely house, built by their son, Peter, and spent three days with Barbara and their three children. We followed that with a celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary in Portland. All of our children and grandchildren and much of our wedding party, including Dave Horton ’58, were there.”

1959 Class Correspondent

William D. “Dal” Trader 5361 Santa Catalina Avenue Garden Grove, Calif. 92845 daltrader@earthlink.net dalt@wbct.us

Ed Schwan writes, “This winter I again volunteered as assistant basketball coach for the Lake Pleasant Central School junior varsity boys’ team. The team, which lost only one starter from a 13–1 season, had speed, height, discipline and the rare ability at this age to improvise. As hoped, they went undefeated.

It brought excitement to our cold winter.”

1960 Class Correspondent

John H. Nickles 1303 River Road West Coxsackie, N.Y. 12192

1961 Tom Stanwood writes, “I continue to be active with my church ( Episcopal ) as an ordained deacon—seven years now—and with ministries as a chaplain in the county jail and as a volunteer with the Washington State prison in the Olympia area through the Kairos program.

There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of spare time these days and I am as active as I have ever been.”

1962

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Ollie R. Bunch 441 Stub Hollow Road New Hartford, Conn. 06057-2513

1963 Class Correspondent

George Ball 6929 Country Line Road Wayland, N.Y. 14572-9553 gball@frontiernet.net

1964 Class Correspondent

Anton Warde 36 Two Lights Rd. Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107 wardea@union.edu

1965 Class Correspondent

Jon Lechevet, Ph.D. 206 Cross Road Edmeston, N.Y. 13335-2610 jnlechevet@verizon.net

1966 Class Correspondent

Antonio F. Vianna 7152 Tanager Drive Carlsbad, Calif. 92011-5033 simpatico1@juno.com

Robert S. “Bob” Dickman, Maj. Gen., U.S. Air Force (retired) and executive director, and fellow, of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was inducted into the International Academy of Astronautics as a corresponding member in March. His military career has ranged from performing basic research in particle physics to being commander of the 45th Space Wing and director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. He served as the director of space programs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Department of Defense Space Architect, and the senior

military officer at the National Reconnaissance Organization.

From 2002 to 2005, Bob served as the Under Secretary of the Air Force’s Deputy for Military Space.

S av e t h e D at e

ReUnion

www.union.edu/reunion

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., which develops, manufactures, markets and licenses point-ofcare diagnostic tests, recently appointed Peter Kissinger to its Board of Directors. Peter is a scientist, entrepreneur and academic, with a multi-faceted career in biotechnology and biomedical technologies. He is the founder and chairman emeritus of Bioanalytical Systems, Inc., served as its chairman and CEO from 1974–2007, and is professor of chemistry and associate department head at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Dick Powell writes, “Sorry I missed our 45th ReUnion, but I was running a barbershop harmony convention and will have to console myself by looking forward to our 50th in 2016! I have now been fully retired for two years and am busier than ever. I serve on the board of the Linwood Center that provides treatment and services for autistic children and adults, sing in a male barbershop chorus, sing in a mixed-voice chorus with my wife, serve as president of the largest district of the Barbershop Harmony Society and fill my days (and nights!) doing things I love for people I love to be with—including my seven children and five grandchildren.”

Antonio F. Vianna writes, “As a 1966 graduate, I attended my first Union College ReUnion in May 2011. It surpassed my expectations. I reconnected with classmates, checked out the campus improvements, and enjoyed the old charm.

Thanks.”

2012

May 17–20, 2012

New online resources Union alumni are now able to access premium Schaffer Library resources through EBSCOHOST, which offers the latest scholarly, full-text studies and other information in many areas of business and academic study.

More information is available through the online community at www.union.edu/ alumni

1967

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Joseph Smaldino 720 Cameron St. Sycamore, Ill. 60178

Jeffrey Hedquist, president and creative director of Hedquist Productions, contributed to three chapters of a new book, Beyond Powerful Radio, by Valerie Geller. The chapters are: Becoming a Powerful Storyteller, Sales & Commercials, and Fundraising & Giving. Hedquist said, “I’m honored that Valerie chose to include these excerpts from my upcoming book, The Ultimate Radio Commercial.”

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the classes

Patrick Guida ’73

Bill Peck ’76

Jeffrey C. Scheininger ’78

1968

Dr. Lawrence Schek has been named chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine and medical director of the Regional Heart & Vascular Center at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn. He comes to St. Vincent’s from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he was managing physician of the Hudson Valley Heart Center.

Lawrence was chairman of the division of cardiology at Vassar Brothers, and later served in the positions of secretary, president and trustee for Vassar Brothers Medical Center board and as a trustee for the Health Quest Medical System.

1973

1969 Class Correspondents

Ray Pike Salisbury, Mass. rnwpike@comcast.net George Cushing Delanson, N.Y. gcushing@nycap.rr.com

Dick Tito writes, “I received an M.A. degree in counseling from Waynesburg University on May 15, 2011, and am now working part-time as a drug and alcohol recovery therapist for Gateway Rehab in Pittsburgh. My LinkedIn account reads ‘Reinvention is better than retirement.’ So my advice to my classmates is get out there and find yet another purpose in life.”

1970 Class Correspondent

Frank Donnini 239 Rushlake Ct. Newport News, Va. 23602-6348 fpdonnini@aol.com

New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that Bennett Liebman will be appointed to serve as the deputy secretary for Gaming and Racing. Prior to joining the Cuomo administration, Bennett was the executive director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.

1972

Z

1971

Class Correspondent

Class Correspondent

Henry Fein, M.D. 1106 Cedrus Way Rockville, Md. 20854 hgfein@aol.com

Frederick A. Levy LCSW 732 Thimble Shoals Blvd.

Suite 702 Newport News, Va. 23606-4256 glida1@verizon.net

36 | Union College Fall 2011

ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

George C. Schwab 1710 Broadway, Apt. B Schenectady, N.Y. 12306 (518) 372-6507

The Rhode Island law firm of Duffy & Sweeney recently announced that partner Patrick Guida was elected as a fellow to the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers. Over the last two decades, Guida has served as chair and a principal speaker for both the American Law Institute - American Bar Association course of study on commercial lending and the Rhode Island Bar Association course of study on commercial and real estate lending.

He has also been engaged in private practice providing legal services to institutional banking clients and his firm’s business clients throughout New England for close to 30 years.

Maestro Bob Bernhardt conducted the Tornado Relief Benefit Concert in Chattanooga, Tenn. in May. The event, featured in The Chattanoogan, benefited storm victims across southeastern Tennessee.

Thomas Rohback has been named one of the country’s top “winning” litigators by The National Law Journal. Tom is

co-Chair of Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP’s Complex Litigation Group, and was among 14 litigators to receive the annual honor in June. He was chosen from hundreds of attorneys at firms across the U.S. with recent success in at least one major bench or jury trial verdict and a proven track record for many years.

Recently, he defended The Hartford Insurance Company in one of the only class action lawsuits to reach a jury verdict. After a two-month trial, the jury rejected almost all of the plaintiff’s claims.

1974 Class Correspondent

Gerald A. Dwyer geraldadwyer@gmail.com

Tyhee Gold Corp., a late stage development company, recently announced that Dr. Hans Black joined its board of directors. In the mid 1970s, he organized Interinvest in Montreal as a global money management firm affiliated with his family’s investment business in Zurich. Today, Interinvest manages accounts for private and institutional clients who are serviced through offices in Boston and Montreal, and its affiliated offices in Bermuda, London and Zurich.

Peggy A. Miller is now senior counsel, intellectual property and internet and technology law, at Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP. The company is the largest minority-owned law firm in the country.

Dave White has retired after completing 35 years of public service in rehabilitation counseling and education in Boston. He’s developing a small consulting practice and, believe it or not, trying to use Dr. Graves’ work in some of it.

After more than 35 years, in March 2010, six Delta Phi brothers— Dick Samuels ’74, Dave Hochschartner ’74, Dave VanArnam ’74, Harry Hansen ’74, Bob Stegemann ’75 and John Murphy ’73—embarked on a backcountry ski adventure in the Alps near Chamonix, France.

The trip included alpine ski touring across glaciers and high Alps ski-traverses on portions of the renowned Haute Route, and other alpine touring classics near Chamonix.

Members of the Class of 1976 celebrate the wedding of Eric Rimsky, son of Cathy and Lee Rimsky, in Washington, D.C. in April 2011.

From left in front row: Lee Rimsky, Cathy Cummins Rimsky, Karen Sokoloff, Naomi Robbins, Carol Behrendt Meola, Ronna Feldman Coppola. Second row: Alan Schifman, Peter Meola, Andrew Messinger (Karen’s husband), Mark Gross ’75 and Jennefer Schifman (Alan’s wife).

1975

beginning of 2010 after most of our 401Ks and IRAs bounced back, and am now happily retired. I don’t miss working at all! I managed to spend my entire career working on Unisys mainframe computers, but it was clear that Lockheed and other companies want to move away from mainframes despite the fact that they never fail. It seems like I’m busier than ever now, however—projects at home and at my daughters’ homes to keep me busy. We split our time between a home in the Twin Cites and a lake home in Northwestern Wisconsin, and leisure time is spent traveling, golfing, bowling or boating.”

Michael H. Roberts was recently appointed vice president for Research & Emerging Initiatives at Coastal Carolina University.

The appointment will be in addition to his continuing position as dean of the College of Science. Before his arrival at Coastal Carolina University, Michael served as associate dean and acting dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University in New York, N.Y.

David Viniar, chief financial officer for Goldman Sachs, was recently featured in a Bloomberg news report published July 7, 2011. The story focused on David’s value as a leader of the major Wall Street firm.

Jeffrey C. Scheininger was recently named chairman of the board of the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce.

Jeffrey is president of Flexline/ U.S. Brass & Copper Corporation, which makes industrial hose products, and has been a member of the chamber’s board of directors since 1999.

Class Correspondent

Chris Fink 420 Marshall View Ct. Winston Salem, N.C. 27101 cfink@finkworks.com

1976 Class Correspondent

Leslie Steinecker-McHugh 17 Virginia Place Patchogue, N.Y. 11772 lesmch2@aol.com

Louise Dunn has been awarded the 2011 Daniel Mahoney Memorial Award by the Capital District Trial Attorneys Bar Association of Albany, N.Y. The award is given annually to the trial attorney from the plaintiff or defense bar for demonstrating outstanding commitment and service to clients, the bar and the profession. Louise has been a trial lawyer for the staff counsel office of Allstate Insurance Company in Albany for the past 25 years.

Bill Peck recently retired from a position at Lockheed Martin as senior consultant. He writes, “I took an early retirement offer from Lockheed at the

1977

Z

ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Tony Romanazzi 73 Bay St. Glens Falls, N.Y. 12801 romanquatro@gmail.com

1978 Class Correspondent

Jeff Laniewski Jlaniew1@maine.rr.com

Stewart E. Lauer has been a missionary to Japan for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for 26 years. He’s also an evangelist in Numazu City and

an adjunct faculty member at Kobe Reformed Theological Seminary (Old Testament) and Kobe Theological Hall (New Testament). Stewart, who received his Ph.D. at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, this year, is married and has seven children.

1979 Class Correspondent

Christine Cameron wildponies@earthlink.net

Neil Johnson has been named head of global clients and marketing for Zurichbased Sustainable Asset Management. A globally recognized investment boutique, SAM’s asset management capabilities include a range of global equity strategies like singletheme, multi-theme and core sustainability investment strategies catering to institutional asset owners and financial intermediaries in the United States, Europe, AsiaPacific and the Middle East.

Andrew Niesen has joined national accounting firm Clifton Gunderson as regional Fall 2011 Union College

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Howard J. Goldsmith ’83

Amy Walsh ’87, Nora Tuthill-Glueck ’87 and Gretchen Becker-Cox ’87 at the Title 9 Women’s Triathlon

director of business development in the company’s Philadelphia offices. Prior to joining the firm, he was a team leader in the commercial lending division for Beneficial Bank in Philadelphia.

crisis, the firm continues to thrive, with a sharp increase in German-to-English and German-to-Slovak work in the past six months. PENN TRANSL8, our firm, continues to translate written documents from Slovak (our chief language), Czech, German and Hungarian to English, as well as from English and German to Slovak. Our clients primarily come from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, though we are certainly interested in cooperating with businesses and translation agencies in the USA, too.”

Dr. Bruce Levin, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., recently received the Edith Sabshin Training Award from the American Psychoanalytic Association. The award recognizes APsaA members for outstanding contributions to education. A training psychoanalyst, Dr. Levin was cited for his role as creator and chair for 16 years of the highly selective psychoanalytic fellowship program at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. (A class notes entry in the Summer 2011 issue contained incorrect information.)

1980 Class Correspondent

Richard Budd Stefan Zavodnika 25 971 01 Prievidza, Slovak Republic buddwick@hotmail.com

Richard Budd writes, “The translating agency my wife, Monika, and I founded celebrated its second anniversary on Easter Sunday. Despite the continuing economic 38 | Union College Fall 2011

After 20 years surviving together as partners in their law office in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Richard DeVall and his brother Dave ’74 decided to make a lifetime dream come true, constructing a whiskey distillery on Dave’s farm in nearby Galway. As legal experts with over 50 years combined experience in all areas of New York State and U.S. law, they were able to navigate the maze of federal and state regulatory approvals to open and operate a distillery.

Having become licensed, they will be making whiskey soon.

Their company, Saratoga Distilleries, Inc., is the sixteenth farm distillery in the state and it may qualify as Union’s first (legal) distiller.

The distillery is unique, not modeled on any others, and is still quite small. Hopefully, they will soon have some delicious, aged and potent corn and rye whiskey to toast fellow Union grads. For more information, visit http:// saratogadistilleries.com/.

Last year, David Dunham released his first iPhone application, Jigami, combining elements of the reversi (Othello) board game and jigsaw puzzles into something entirely new. In this application, you can either play against your iPhone or another person, taking turns to place tiles that must fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Matching the symbols allows you to capture the other player’s tiles. The winner has the most captured tiles when the board is full. Games are short, to accommodate busy schedules, yet are challenging and can be unpredictable.

The application is produced

by David’s company, A-Sharp, LLC, based in Seattle. More information can be found at http://a-sharp.com/jigami/ The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently appointed Bret Edwards director of the Division of Resolutions and Receiverships. Bret served as acting director for DRR since January of this year and has

A bench in memory of Jeniffer Kim ’91

permanently served as the director for the Division of Finance since 2007. Prior to 2007, he served in senior management positions in the FDIC’s executive office and DOF, and in DRR’s predecessor organization, the Division of Liquidation. Before joining the FDIC, he worked as a management and benefits consultant with leading accounting firms.

1981 Class Correspondent

Alan Saler 17040 Magnolia Boulevard Encino, Calif. 91316 alan@alansaler.com

Thomas C. Sheahan has been named senior associate dean for Academic Affairs at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering. Tom has been on the faculty at Northeastern since 1991 and previously served as acting chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. In his new role, Tom is responsible for a broad range of academic operational activities linking the college’s strategic plan, programmatic initiatives, faculty hiring, university academic policies, and budget/space planning.

John and Stacie Brenkovich ’93 with son, Matthew

1982

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Thomas Reynolds 3440 Powells Crossing Ct. Woodbridge, Va. 22193

Access to Money, Inc., one of the largest providers and non-bank operators of ATMs in the United States, recently hired Joseph Maneen Jr. as a senior level management and sales professional. He will be responsible for generating new bank and credit union customers and establishing branding partnerships for its off-premise portfolio.

The Center for Medical Weight Loss, the largest network of non-surgical medical weight loss providers in the U.S., has made Carl J. Seiden an inaugural member of its new scientific advisory board. Carl is founder and president of Seiden Pharmaceutical Strategies, LLC, which provides strategic consulting services to biopharmaceutical companies and institutional investors.

1983 Class Correspondent

Cory Lewkowicz 74 Taylor St. Needham, Mass. 02494 lewkowicz@aol.com

The law firm Harris Beach recently announced that

Howard J. Goldsmith, former executive coordinator and assistant counsel of the New York State Education Department’s Adult Education Programs and Policy in the Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education, joined the firm as counsel in its Capital District offices (Albany and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.).

He serves as a member of the Harris Beach statewide Educational Institution’s Industry Team, bringing more than 20 consecutive years’ experience in educational law, policy and operations.

1984 Class Correspondent

Kathleen Kozera Rowe 33 Fairway Ave. Delmar, N.Y. 12054-3332

Aqua Pharmaceuticals, based in West Chester, Pa., recently named Kimberley ForbesMcKean vice president of research and development.

She is responsible for oversight of research and development, including project management, discovery, preclinical and clinical development, CMC, toxicology, regulatory affairs and quality assurance.

Kimberley has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical development. Fifteen of those years have been in the area of dermatological drug and device development. Most recently, she was executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Cutanea Life Sciences, Inc.

1985 Class Correspondent

Jon Mathewson PO Box 1262 Middletown Springs, Vt. 05757-1262

The Weather Channel Companies recently named George Callard senior vice

president of legal and business affairs. He will be based in the company’s Atlanta headquarters.

Teladoc Medical Services, the nation’s leading telehealth company, recently appointed Jeff Nadler chief technology officer. Formerly CTO at Aetna’s ActiveHealth Management, Jeff has over 20 years of experience managing the architecture, design and delivery of information technology projects.

Larry Yumkas was recently appointed to the board of directors at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, Md. He is a managing member of the law firm Logan, Yumkas, Vidmar & Sweeney.

1986 Class Correspondent

Phil Bean pbean@haverford.edu

1987

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Paul Malatesta 148 Washington Avenue Chatham, N.J. 07928 paul.malatesta@gmail.com

Amy Walsh writes, “Last September, Nora TuthillGlueck, Gretchen Becker-Cox and I competed in the Title 9 Women’s Triathlon in Hopkinton, Mass. Georgia Sullivan Wasley could not join us, but was with us in spirit as the ladies from 853 Nott Street swam, biked and ran. We are old, but we are still kicking!”

1988 Class Correspondent

Dana Rosen Isbitts 480 Alexandra Circle Weston, Fla. 33326 danaisbitts@myacc.net (954) 385-9827

1989 Class Correspondent

Stephanie Spencer Wiggs 72 Shelterwood Drive Danville, Calif. 94506 swfcorg@aol.com

John Walser recently joined Island Associates Real Estate in Smithtown, N.Y. He spent 15 years as an equity trader at Quick & Reilly, Fleet Bank, and Bank of America. More recently, he has been involved in the loan settlement and title industry.

1990 Class Correspondent

Mary Jo Burke 532 Whitcover Circle Charlottesville, Va. 22901 mjcburke@earthlink.net

Adam Perlow writes, “I moved to Orange County, Calif. two years ago for a promotion as the national director of sales with Kia Motors America.

If anyone from my days at Union is out this way, feel free to drop me an email at aperlow@kiausa.com.”

1991 Class Correspondent

Karen Valyou Zador 313 Stonehurst Parkway St. Augustine, Fla. 32092 karenzador@gmail.com

CIBER, Inc. recently made Tim Montgomery senior vice president for delivery. Tim will be responsible for the global delivery, business consulting and technology practices, and sales support in North America. Prior to joining CIBER, he held senior leadership positions at GE, Stanley Works and Cigna.

Leigh (Stallings) Curnett writes, “ReUnion was a spectacular weekend full of reconnections and memories with those in attendance as Fall 2011 Union College

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Bar in downtown Troy. The location would also be his first Bombers franchise. The franchisees, two local siblings, are working with him to open the restaurant on King Street in Troy’s emerging marina district.

1996 Class Correspondent

George Tiggle ’98 writes, “The boys in Baltimore, kicking it at all-youcan-eat oyster and crab restaurant, Ryleigh’s.” Adam Mckinstrie ’01, George Tiggle ’98, Carey Miller ’98, Corlie McCormick ’00, Shuron Morton ’98, Darryl Tiggle ’90 and Jermel Royal ’99.

Joel Cooper ’99 with wife, Elissa, and son, Reid.

Betsy Phelps Seplowitz 104 Tompion Way Ballston Spa, N.Y. 12020 phelpsb16@yahoo.com

1997

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

well as those who were not with us. We were able to dedicate a bench in memory of Jeniffer Kim, placed with a stunning view of the Nott. A scholarship fund has been established in Jen’s memory at Union, and those wishing to contribute can do so by Dec. 31, 2011 by visiting www. union.edu/give or calling (518) 388-6175. Many thanks to those who have already contributed.”

1992

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Stephanie Fray Apartment 7 D 10 West End Avenue New York, N.Y. 10023-7828 sfray1@gmail.com

Sharon (Dixon) Bostwick writes, “Currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a military intelligence officer. Looking forward to returning home in the fall.”

1993 Class Correspondent

Jill Bernstein 170 E. 83rd St., #3K New York, N.Y. 10028 jilldbernstein@yahoo.com

Stacie (Jordan) Brenkovich writes, “My husband John and 40 | Union College Fall 2011

I celebrated our son Matthew’s first birthday in June. Everyone is right when they tell you the time goes by fast. We are enjoying parenthood. I am still working for Accenture and living in Mamaroneck, N.Y. I also celebrated my 40th birthday in June and feel great!”

1994 Class Correspondent

Kristi Campbell & Kurt Venator 7322 Cornell Avenue St. Louis, Mo. 63130 kvenator@purina.com Kristi cell (314) 304-2323 Kurt cell (314) 982-2671

Upsite Technologies recently hired Jim Fink as the company’s new chief technology officer. Jim has 17 years of experience in many areas of the mission critical facilities industry. He most recently served as director of MEP design engineering at Thielsch Company in Rhode Island.

1995 Class Correspondent

Caroline Paine Pannhorst 32 Nottingham Way North Clifton Park, N.Y. 12065 cpannhorst@msn.com

Mark A. Coughlin, P.E. writes, “On May 16, I started a new position at Washington

Suburban Sanitary Commission, as a contract manager.

WSSC is the eighth largest water and wastewater utility in the nation, serving nearly 1.8 million residents and approximately 460,000 customer accounts in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties over an area of nearly 1,000 square miles. It operates and maintains eight water and wastewater plants, more than 5,500 miles of fresh water pipeline and nearly 5,400 miles of sewer pipeline.

On June 18, I married the lovely Kimberly Harves (Georgetown University) at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Severna Park, Md. Kim and I reside in Millersville, Md. and are located near Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis. In September, I will start the MBA program at Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. As you can see, 2011 will be a busy year for us here in Maryland. Hopefully, before I start at Carey, I will have had the chance to drive up to Schenectady to visit Union.”

Matt Baumgartner was featured in The Business Review in late June. The story explained that Matt intends to open a third Bombers Burrito

Sara Amann Garrand 367 Schauber Road Ballston Lake, N.Y. 12019 sgarrand1@nycap.rr.com

Alana Cooper recently accepted a position at Young Judaea, located in New York City, as manager of alumni relations.

1998 Class Correspondent

Ryan T. Smith, MBA ’00 284 Sussex Circle Jupiter, Fla. 33458 rsmith@thebenjaminschool.org

Joanna Rudolph recently produced Summer with Mrs. Von Mausch, which was shown at the world’s largest international short film festival—the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival—in July. The piece was written and directed by award-winning film-maker David Pomes.

1999 Class Correspondent

Kellie Forrestall 360 First St. Lowell, Mass. 01850 forrestkj@hotmail.com

The Wilder Companies, a national retail real estate development, management

and leasing firm, recently promoted Alison Galgay to senior leasing representative.

Formerly a landlord leasing representative at the Dartmouth Company, Alison joined the Wilder Companies in early 2008.

Heather Forgione writes, “My husband, Joe Forgione ’98, and I moved to Raleigh, N.C. in March 2010, after 11 years in South Florida. Joe and his father opened Paparazzi Italian Restaurant in North Raleigh in November 2010.

We are very proud of him for his dedication to this new project and we are happily eating the pizza. We are adjusting to a new city, and keeping busy with our two children, Joey, 4, and Sofia, 2.

I have had success in restarting my test prep company here, and I am teaching test prep classes and doing private tutoring. I really enjoy my work and my students. We look forward to connecting with any alumni in N.C. E-mail us at heatherforgione@ yahoo.com” Michalena Sukenik is a principal of Novogradac & Company LLP, a national CPA and consulting firm. Michalena oversees the government consulting and valuation advisory services group in Novogradac’s Atlanta, Ga. office.

Joel Cooper writes, “After my B.S. in biology (1999) and geology (2000) at Union, I worked from 2000 to 2002 as both a CNA in the ER at a UMass Medical School teaching hospital and, oddly enough, as a carpenter. In the fall 2002, I entered Rutgers University/UMDNJ, where I received a Ph.D. in toxicologyneuroscience in the fall 2007.

My thesis work at Rutgers served to elucidate how methyl-mercury (the form

found in many fish species) affects central stress circuitry in the brain and peripheral inflammatory cytokine levels, with concomitant effects on behavior. After my thesis defense, I began work as a drug-development toxicologist/safety pharmacologist at Wyeth Research in upstate N.Y. In May 2011, I accepted a position as a drug safety toxicologist/study director with Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Mass. In fall 2011, I will be taking the American Board of Toxicology exam to become a boardcertified DABT toxicologist.

On a more personal level, I married Elissa (Rosen) Cooper at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Mass. in March 2011 and we welcomed into the world a wonderful son, Reid William Cooper, on July 29, 2010. I maintain contact with many of my Union classmates, with professors John Garver and Hugh Jenkins and with men’s soccer coach Jeff Guinn.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my new family, reading, cycling, skiing, and cheering on Union soccer and hockey. I make at least one trip to Schenectady per year! GO U!”

2000 Class Correspondent

Erika Newell 546 Pacific St. #2 Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217 erika_newell@hotmail.com

Shana Dangelo-Perrucci writes, “Last spring, I graduated with my Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and am now working as a psychologist for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Steve Perrucci and I live in Newburyport, Mass. and are expecting our first child this June.”

2001 Class Correspondent

Erin (Aloan) Grogan 126 Adams Street Keene, N.H. 03431 erinlgrogan@gmail.com

2002

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Gina L. Campanella campanella.gina@gmail.com

Jennifer (Whittemore) Klemanski has accepted a position at Campus Bound, located in Boston, as associate director of College Counseling.

Jennifer recently was employed at UMass Lowell as senior assistant director of Admissions. She writes, “I am thrilled to announce that the part-time work I had been doing with Campus Bound led to a full-time opportunity this past June. Working side-by-side with a fellow Union alum, Gregg Cohen ’91, president of Campus Bound, has been a challenging and rewarding experience thus far. Surrounded by a highly knowledgeable and supportive staff, we hope to keep growing by assisting many more students in finding a college they can grow and flourish at.”

2003 Class Correspondent

Katrina (Tentor) Lallier 19 Park St., Apt. 3 Charlestown, Mass. 02129 tentork@yahoo.com

A Q&A with Ben Schwartz recently appeared on splitsider.com. Ben, who won an Emmy Award in 2009, discussed his role on the show Parks and Recreation as Jean-Ralphio.

2004 Class Correspondent

Jeremy B. Dibbell (518) 810-2246 jbdibbell@gmail.com

Join Union’s Online Community You can do all this and more through the free, passwordprotected Online Community.

• Search for classmates • Job/career networking • Read/post class notes • Register for events • Promote your business • Use library services/ research resources • Visit class and club pages To join or login, visit www.union.edu/alumni

Sky Harvest Windpower Corp. recently hired Kyle Loney as its project acquisition consultant. He will be responsible for analyzing potential project acquisitions in the renewable energy sector and providing recommendations to the Board of Directors based on his capital budgeting assessments.

2005 Class Correspondent

Andrea Doenges andrea.doenges@gmail.com

Adam Grode has received a five-year fellowship from Georgetown University to pursue a Ph.D. in history, with emphasis on East and Central Asia. His secondary specializations include Eastern Fall 2011 Union College

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the classes

Who bailed you out?

Europe, Russia and Eurasia, as well as ethnomusicology and cultural policy. Adam’s research languages will include Mandarin, Russian, Turkic and Hindi or Persian. He will be working under Jim Millward, a Xinjiang historian.

2006 Plumley Engineering P.C., of Utica, N.Y., has hired Elizabeth McCormick as an environmental analyst in the environmental division of the Baldwinsville office. She is a 2010 graduate of Pace University School of Law, where she focused on environmental and energy law.

R

oommate trouble, a lost term paper, a social transgression … the college years can present some challenges, most of which we face with some help from a professor, classmate or staffer.

We’d like to collect stories about who bailed you out (and how) and tell them in a future issue of the magazine.

Amelia Harrington Martland and Kevin Michael O’Connor ’05 recently became engaged.

Amelia received her MBA from Boston University in May and is employed as a data quality manager in the Market Insights Group at Forrester Research in Cambridge. Kevin is a manager in the consulting practice at Accenture Ltd. The couple resides in Brighton, Mass., and their wedding is took place in August 2011.

Abby Arceneaux was featured in an article in the June 10 issue of the Albany Times Union newspaper. The story focused on the softball-playing legacy of her family. Abby, who had a record-breaking career at Union, is assistant coach at Siena College.

Please share at :

magazine@union.edu Union College magazine Office of Communications 807 Union Street Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 (518) 388-6090

Daniel Leavitt and Rachel Beckman are happy to announce their engagement.

They reside in Marblehead, Mass. and will be married November 12, 2011.

2007

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ReUnion ’11 May 17–20

Class Correspondent

Nick Salvatoriello njs@garnetriver.com

Elizabeth A. Gustafson has been named secretary to recently elected Oneida County (N.Y.) Sheriff Robert Maciol. Elizabeth, of New Hartford, holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She previously served as the staff assistant to Congressman Michael A. Arcuri.

Seeking Class Officers for all classes ending in 2 or 7 Responsibilities of the posts listed below are available at www.union.edu/reunion.

Voting will take place during ReUnion 2012.

President:______________________________________________________________________ Class Correspondent: ____________________________________________________________ Alumni Council Rep. (1): __________________________________________________________ Alumni Council Rep. (2): __________________________________________________________ E-mail your nominations to alumni@union.edu no later than March 1, 2012. Or mail them to: Alumni Relations Office, Union College, 807 Union Street, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 42 | Union College Fall 2011

2008 Class Correspondent

Dana Cohen 480 Second Avenue, Apartment 25D New York, NY 10016 dana.lynn.cohen@gmail.com

Barbara Gaffuri recently joined the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (Albany BID) as program assistant. Prior to this, she worked at Community Care Physicians in medical administration support, and Prime Care Physicians, where she was a credentialing assistant.

2009 Class Correspondents

Gabe Kramer 123 North Arden Blvd.

Los Angeles, Cali. 90004 kramerg3@gmail.com Carl Winkler 2232 S. Gayoso St. New Orleans, La. 70125 carl.s.winkler@gmail.com

Alexandra Gallagher received a master’s of social work in clinical social work from Virginia Commonwealth University on May 20, 2011.

Alexandra writes, “This past year, I had a field placement at Charterhouse Therapeutic Day School in Richmond, Va., where I conducted individual and group therapy with adolescents. I loved it. I am excited to achieve my master’s degree and move on to the next phase of my life!”

2010 2011 Daniel Kason published his short story, “Dark Creation,” in Indigo Rising Magazine in October 2010. The story is available at www.indigorisingmagazine.com. Daniel began pursing an M.A./Ph.D. at the University of Maryland this fall.

unions

Sarah (Barreca) Seifert ’06 and Daniel Seifert with their wedding party

David Ward ’02 and Stacey Boyce with their wedding party

Carrie Majsak ’07 and Greg Eichmann

2001

2002

Bridget Colleen Fallon and Brian Roger Charville were married recently by the Rev. Nancy Charville Goulet, a United Methodist minister and an aunt of the bridegroom, at the Church of the Covenant in Boston. Bridget is the director of protocol and special events for Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, and works in Washington. Brian is an assistant county attorney for Arlington County, Va. He works in Arlington as in-house general counsel.

David Ward married Stacey Boyce on Feb. 12, 2011 at the Lilac Inn in Brandon, Vt. Alumni in attendance included best man Jonathan Tapper ’01, groomsman Mike Heekin ’04, Keri Boedigheimer ’01, Derek Mebus and Brian Epstein ’88.

David writes, “We honeymooned in the Cayman Islands for 17 days after and had a great time.”

2004

2005

Gabrielle Murray Adler married Adam Benjamin Weiss May 30, 2011. Rabbi David Eshel officiated in the garden of the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. The bride is communications director in Washington for the Democratic staff of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and for Representative Howard L. Berman of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee. The groom is the assistant director of political affairs in Alexandria, Va., for the American Optometric Association. He works with optometrists in an effort to communicate their issues and concerns to Congress.

On July 16, 2011, Aaron Ginsberg married Jill Safinski at the Trump Soho in New York City. Alumni in attendance included Aaron’s father, Harris Ginsberg ’72, Marc Freiman, Matthew Greene, Michael Silvestro, Dylan Wilks, Bill Silver ’72, Gary Starr ’72, Steve Karotkin ’73 and Nancy Kessler Karotkin ’74.

2006 Sarah (Barreca) Seifert and Daniel Seifert announce their marriage on June 5, 2010 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Sarah works for a non-profit housing provider and Dan is a technology journalist. The couple reside in Poughkeepsie.

Alumni in attendance included Rachel Koblenz, Ruth Fasoldt, Angela Morse, Kate (Cassella) Kirk, Anique Lebel and Adrian Christie.

Fall 2011 Union College

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arrivals S av e t h e D at e

ReUnion

2012

May 17–20, 2012 www.union.edu/reunion

2007 Carrie Majsak and Greg Eichmann (United States Naval Academy, 2005) announce their marriage on April 30, 2011 at Leonesse Cellars in Temecula, Calif. The couple currently resides in San Diego. Other alumni in attendance included Elizabeth Henry, who served as a bridesmaid, Colleen Donlan, Nathaniel Standish, Lindsay Quereau, Kate Isler, Lauren Foye, Elisabeth Sartori, Stephanie Cronan, Hillary Benoit, Oriana Montani and James Montani ’06. Hadley Planting, Margaret Southwell and Craig Williams were sorely missed.

Spencer Maxwell Oransky (Oransky ’95)

Julia and Caroline Familant (Familant ’96)

Bennett Zalinski (Zalinski ’02)

Preston Walter Lippmann (Lippmann ’03)

Sumner Zev Stiles (Stiles ’03)

Andrew Peter Creticos (Creticos ’03)

Dec. 2, 2009. She joins big sister Caroline. The family lives in Bucks County, Pa.

Rebecca (Wolfe) Stiles and Paul Stiles announce the birth of a baby boy, Sumner Zev Stiles. He was born on April 21, 2011 and weighed 9 lbs., 3 oz.

Becky, Paul and Sumner live in Chicago and are enjoying their new family of three.

2000

2008 Anna Sergeevna Kuschpel and David Merkel IV ’06 were married Oct. 9, 2010 in an outdoor ceremony on the shore of Lake Champlain by the Hon. Anne Dorwaldt. The ceremony was followed by a reception at Shore Acres Inn and Restaurant, North Hero Island, Vt. Silva Kantareva ’05 was maid of honor and Paul Fathallah ’06 was best man, while Ryan McMartin ’05 was an usher. Anna is a research technician with Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga. David is an engineer with Gulfstream Aeronautical Corporation, also in Savannah.

44 | Union College Fall 2011

Caden Patrick Orion with big sister Madeline (Clifford ’05)

1995 Elissa (Mirkin) Oransky and Andrew Oransky announce the birth of a baby boy, Spencer Maxwell. He was born on December 14, 2010 in Mission Viejo, Calif., and weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz. They write, “Davia enjoys making her brother smile and nothing makes us happier than hearing them laugh together.”

1996 Susan Kratky Familant and Glenn Familant announce the birth of Julia Reece, born

Kerry (Librandi) Hunt and Alex Hunt ’01 announce the birth of a baby girl, Paige Katherine Hunt, born March 23, 2011 in New Hampshire. She weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz. Big brother Drew loves her!

2002 Leah (Baker) Zalinski and Peter Zalinski recently welcomed a son, Bennett, born in Chicago on April 8, 2011.

2003 Jenny (Moon) Lippmann and Walter Lippmann announce the birth of a baby boy, Preston Walter Lippmann. He was born on Sept. 3, 2010 in Niskayuna, N.Y. and weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz.

Jennifer (Martin) Creticos and Justin Creticos announce the birth of a baby boy, Andrew Peter. He was born on Feb. 27, 2011 in Lowell, Mass., and weighed 8 lbs., 9 oz. Big sister Hannah, 2, is excited to have an addition to the family.

2005 Sean Clifford and Brandy Clifford announce the birth of a baby boy, Caden Patrick Orion. He was born on May 24, 2011 in Cumming, Ga. and weighed 7 lbs., 8 oz. Our 3-year-old daughter, Madeline, is super excited about having a baby brother and has already asked for another.

in memoriam

1930s

worked in defense plants during World War II, was 91.

Ellis W. Trombley ’34, of Schenectady, N.Y., who owned and operated a Standard Oil gas station for 20 years and later served as the Medicaid officer of Montgomery County until he retired in 1974, April 21, 2011. Ellis, a proud member of Union’s Ramee Society, was 97.

John L. Clowe ’44, of Englewood, Fla., who practiced family medicine in Schenectady for 36 years and served as chief school physician for Schenectady City School District and health officer for the town of Niskayuna, May 25, 2011. John, who spent 27 years on the Board of Directors of the Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company in New York, was 89.

Charles H. House ’38, of East Greenbush, N.Y., a U.S. Army veteran who worked in the freight department of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad and retired as assistant general freight agent in 1977, May 4, 2011. Charles learned to ride a motor scooter after retirement and was a member of a public speaking club, book discussion group, and the Episcopal Church. He was 94.

1940s Frank X. Hasselbacher ’42, of Louisville, Ky., a former Army captain and board certified psychiatrist who worked for state mental hospital systems in Pennsylvania and Connecticut and was director of State Mental Health Services in the former, April 6, 2011.

Frank, who also had a private psychiatry practice in Camp Hill, Pa., was 91.

Kendrick W. Ralph Sr. ’42, of Wallingford, Conn., Jan. 17, 2011. He was 92.

Charles R. Wilson ’43, of Bedford, Mass., employed by the Courier Citizen Company as a sales manager, general manager of the uniform division, vice president and Board of Directors member, May 29, 2011. Charles, who

Richard M. Tyndall ’44, of Franklin, Mich., employed by Unisys as an electrical engineer, June 3, 2011. He was 88.

Judd D. Grey ’44, of Brighton, Mass., a World War II veteran, Village of Corinth attorney, president of the Elixman Paper Core Factory, and member of the Corinth Central School Board, April 9, 2011.

Judd, also appointed deputy industrial commissioner for legal and legislative affairs for the State of New York in 1967

by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, was 88.

Arthur N. Yeates ’44, of Andover, Mass., a retired insurance property specialist who served in World War II and the Korean Conflict, June 26, 2010. Arthur, who was a member of Union’s Ramée Circle, was 88.

Benjamin P. Barnet ’45, of Roswell, Ga., Sept. 17, 2001.

He was 79.

Robert E. Albright ’46, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., a World War II Army veteran who retired after 35 years as engineering supervisor at Jersey Central Power and Light Company, and who held

R e m e m b e rin g Barry B l um b e r g

B

aruch S. “Barry” Blumberg ’46, who died April 5, was undoubtedly best known for creating the Hepatitis B vaccine that would earn him the Nobel Prize in Medicine (see In Memoriam, Spring 2011).

A eulogy by Mark Thompson, Blumberg’s son-in-law and director-general of the BBC, related the scientist’s many passions, in particular his love of walking. Thompson described a favorite hike with Blumberg, up Dent Hill in northwest England, and used it as a metaphor for the Nobelist’s approach to life.

“The whole point of climbing Dent is so that you can see the next hill. You climb one steep hill so that you contemplate the even steeper one you have to climb next. Most people would find that daunting. For Barry, that challenge was the point of life and the point of science. The answer to one question provokes another, often deeper question. The solution to that provokes another.

“He called it ‘The Daedalus Effect’ and wrote a paper about it with Renée Fox. For Barry, the myth of the trials and inventions of Daedalus could be used, in his words, as ‘a metaphor for the problem-solving-problem-creating character of science.’ Each breakthrough raises new problems, opens up new avenues of research.

“He loved the stories of the great explorers and his and Jean’s bookshelves are full of them—Scott’s Last Expedition, Travels amongst the Great Andes of the Equator, Hell on Ice—one splendid title after another. But Barry’s own story of exploration is as epic and exciting as any of them. It’s a joyous story, not just a story of a man who loved what he did, but of someone who—unlike an explorer who sets his heart on reaching a geographical landmark—knows that his adventure will never end. That the more you discover about nature the more there is to discover. That the richness, the strangeness, the wonder never give out. They grow.”

To read the full text of the eulogy, please visit www.union.edu/magazine

leadership positions in the Asbury Park Kiwanis Club for more than 25 years, April 8, 2011. He was 86.

Dr. Raymond H. Russell ’46, of Ilion, N.Y., who earned a doctorate in dentistry from Columbia University, was a U.S. Air Force veteran and practiced in Ilion until his

retirement in 1998, April 25, 2011. Raymond, who was a member of the Church of Annunciation and served on the Ilion Planning Commission, was 86.

Howard D. Hinkle ’46, of Jensen Beach, Fla., a secondgeneration operator of his family’s business, Adirondack Fall 2011 Union College

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in memoriam

Electronics, World War II veteran, 50-year member of Artisan Lodge 84, and past president of the Amsterdam Rotary Club, May 13, 2011.

He was 86.

Robert W. Niehaus ’47, of Southern Pines, N.C., who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, April 24, 2011.

Robert, who ran a medical practice in Hyde Park, Ohio and was a member of the attending staff at Cincinnati Children/Es Hospital Medical Center until his retirement in 1997, was 85.

Jacob I. Hotchkiss ’48, of Agawam, Mass., who taught English and social studies at East Greenbush and Niskayuna schools, and coached their debate teams, April 3, 2011. He was 84.

Irving Horowitz ’48, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., who earned an M.S. from Seton Hall University and spent his life fighting for peace, justice, civil, human, and women’s rights, May 3, 2011.

Sam F. Seymour ’48, of Denver, Colo., who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II aboard the USS Indian Island and spent 28 years teaching at Northern Illinois University, where he was also chair of the Sociology Department, June 9, 2011.

He was 88.

James E. Landry ’49, of Falls Church, Va., who served in the U.S. Army’s counterintelligence unit in Germany from 1951 to 1954 and spent most of his 40-year career with the Air Transport Association, fulfilling positions of senior attorney, vice president, general counsel and president, May 26, 2011. James was instru-

46 | Union College Fall 2011

mental in the formation of the Montreal Protocol. He was 82.

1950s

Douglas C. Hebb ’49, of Worcester, Mass., April 11, 2011. He was 90.

John L. Beattie ’50, of Sewall’s Point, Fla., who owned Southern Home Inspectors in Florida for 23 years, and Conductron in Rochester, N.Y., April 3, 2011. John, a substitute teacher at Martin County Boot Camp and licensed pilot who served in the Navy during World War II, was 84.

David Lennek ’49, of Bluffton, S.C., who earned a doctorate in science education from Columbia University and taught in Wantaugh School District and Northport Middle School on Long Island, April 23, 2011. David also served in the U.S. Army and managed the Boys of Summer softball team in Miller Place, N.Y. for years. He was 83.

Dan Baskous ’49, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., who served in World War II as a motor machinist’s mate first class aboard PT-boats in the Pacific and ran Daniel A. Baskous Insurance from 1959 to 1986, April 22, 2011. Dan, honored multiple times as club champion at Montecito Country Club and La Cumbre Country Club, was 86.

James P. McAllister ’49, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who served aboard USS LST 1041 in the Pacific as an engineer and navigator, and stayed in the Naval Reserve until 1960 when he was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant JG, May 9, 2011.

James, whose family established McAllister Brothers Towing and Transportation, was the youngest Docking Pilot in the Port of New York in 1956 and served as the president of the Montreal division of McAllister Brothers Towing and Salvage and vice president of McAllister Brothers. He was 85.

Hartley W. Vesty ’50, of Sarasota, Fla., March 9, 2011.

He was 90.

George A. Hawk ’50, of Bullhead City, Ariz., April 8, 2011. He was 82.

Franklin P. Glockner ’53, of Hinsdale, Mass., March 23, 2011. He was 79.

Keith Q. Smith ’53, of Deming, N.M., who served in the United States Army and received his master’s of civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, April 23, 2011. Keith also enjoyed touring the countryside on his bicycle and received medals in the Senior Olympics for table tennis. He was 79.

Gerald G. Foster ’53, of Cazenovia, N.Y., who served in the U.S. Air Force as a nuclear physicist and later spent 23 years with Kodak, April 27, 2011. Gerald, who converted a pickup truck to battery-electric power after retiring and went on archeological and paleontological digs, was 79.

Richard D. Strickland ’55, of Florence, Ky., a retired ITT manager and U.S. Army veteran who attended his 50th ReUnion, March 19, 2011. He was 77.

Dr. Arthur Feldman ’55, of Chapel Hill, N.C., a graduate of Albert Einstein Medical School and captain in the U.S. Air Force, who enjoyed a

36-year career in psychiatry and was head of mental health services at Rutgers University from 1972 to 1986, March 9, 2011. He was 77.

Joseph H. Brubaker Jr. ’57, of East Hampton, N.Y., a U.S. Navy veteran who was an internal auditor for Aetna Casualty and Surety and also worked for Saint Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company, May 15, 2011. He was 76.

Peter A. Cassileth ’58, of Coral Gables, Fla., a professor of medicine, division of hematology-oncology, at the University of Pennsylvania who helped create and lead the bone marrow transplant unit, June 6, 2011. Peter, who was also professor and division chief of hematologyoncology at the University of Miami and was instrumental in developing the bone marrow transplant unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, was 73.

Peter Frosch ’59, of Schenectady, N.Y., a chemistry professor at the University of California, Berkeley and Union College who conducted research in the fields of molecular spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance, May 15, 2011.

Peter, who retired from Vorhees Computing Center as a consultant, loved to garden and grew 48 varieties of vegetables.

1960s Robert T. Miller ’60, of Gloversville, N.Y., employed by the New York State Department of Conservation until his retirement in 1995, July 24, 2010. He was 71.

Seward Bartley ’61, of Portland, Ore., a U.S. Air Force captain who was awarded a Bronze Star and was employed by the Hollister Evening Freelance in California as a sports editor and photographer, April 7, 2011. Seward, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2002, was 71.

Claude M. Pry ’62, of Great Falls, Va., who received her M.A. in French literature from SUNY Albany and taught French in Schenectady, N.Y., April 21, 2011. She was 88.

Robert E. Howland ’63, of Leominster, Mass., who served in the U.S. Air Force, was a member of IEEE/EMC Society and the Woodturners of Central New England, and worked as an electrical engineer for Digital Corporation, April 21, 2011. He was 72.

Clarence Brisee ’64, of Glenmont, N.Y., who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier but also ran his own engineering firm briefly and worked for GE, MTI and American Locomotive, May 8, 2011. Clarence had a passion for genealogy. He was 81.

1970s Paul R. Jacobson ’70, of Cheshire, Conn., a disc jockey at WDRC in Hartford and other radio stations in Connecticut and New York who operated a commercial recording studio in Cheshire, May 5, 2011. He was 62.

Mark Krejci ’71, of Schenectady, N.Y., a licensed professional engineer who retired from the New York State Department of Transportation in 2008 after 35 years, April 6, 2011. He was 61.

1980s

P r o f e ss o r Nadja J e r n ak o f f

Kathleen M. Beausoleil ’87, of Dunwoody Ga., who was employed at Turner Construction for 20 years before becoming regional director of design management at Skanska USA Building Inc., Sept. 19, 2008.

Jeffrey W. Collins ’88, of Westhampton, Mass., who worked for Genesys Telecommunications as a senior sales director, June 22, 2011. He was 47.

1990s Sheila A. Humiston ’90, of Akeley, Minn., who cared for her family while running a small upholstering business and working for the Badoura Nursery, Dec. 7, 2010. A Sunday school teacher and long-time member of White Oak Bible Chapel, she was 75.

2000s Katharine L. Beck ’04, of Jackson, Mo., a bookkeeper and member of the Jackson Church of Christ, Feb. 1, 2008.

She was 67.

Friends of Union College Gertrude W. Antemann, of Johnstown, Pa., a member of the Johnstown Symphony Auxiliary who served as a Union College librarian from 1959 to 1979, retiring as the head of circulation, June 11, 2011. She was 93.

N

adja Jernakoff, of Loudonville, N.Y., who loved to garden, had a sincere passion for the arts and taught Russian at Union, died April 3, 2011.

A native of Belgium and past president of the Association of Russian American Scholars, she was 80.

Nadja, born in Brussels June 3, 1930, immigrated to the United States with her parents at a young age. After graduating from George Washington High School in 1948, she married George Jernakoff in 1951.

She earned a master’s degree in Russian language from SUNY Albany, joining the Union faculty in 1975 as a visiting instructor in Modern Languages. In 1995, she retired as a visiting assistant professor of Russian.

During those 20 years, Nadja touched the lives of hundreds of students, many of whom assessed her positively in class evaluations. A 1976 review stated that 86 percent of students found her to be an excellent or good teacher, who was “enthusiastic, knowledge-

able, well-organized and stimulating.”

A Modern Languages departmental evaluation from the same year called Nadja “a valuable member of the department, respected and appreciated by her colleagues and students …

Her course in Russian literature of dissent was one of the most successful courses in literature in translation that we have given.”

Nadja also enjoyed the opera, classical music and concerts in New York City and Europe. She was a past treasurer of St. Olga’s Sisterhood at the Nativity of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church, and a member of the local Bridge Club. She loved spending time with her Siberian husky, the late Keemo.

She was predeceased by her husband in 1995.

Survivors include her children, Irene Mazzucco and her husband Bill, of Scotia, N.Y., and Peter Jernakoff and his wife Dr. Katheryn Warren, of Wilmington, Del.

Fall 2011 Union College

| 47

look back

‘Scoundrels and tosspots’

S

ome may recall the Hale House Coffee Club (or simply Hale Club), pictured here in a 1950 photo supplied by Vincent DeBaun ’47, who was a faculty member at the time.

“The group photo shows members of an unofficial and unauthorized bunch of independents and ironists, a nice mix of scoundrels and tosspots,” said DeBaun.

“There were no rules of entry, no rules of behavior and no specified meeting times,”

48 | Union College Fall 2011

DeBaun recalls. “To that degree it was an anti-fraternity organization, made up almost entirely, I think, of what used to be called ‘Bailey Hall Commandoes’ in the post-war era. Bailey Hall in those days was the home of the departments of English, Foreign Languages, History, Philosophy and other humanities. So we had few if any engineers or scientists among us.”

H. Alan Nelson, professor emeritus of English, in Encyclopedia of Union College History,

traces the Hale Club to 1932, when the English Club was renamed to honor the memory of its late founder, Prof. Edward Everett Hale. The group, comprised of students and faculty, had customs that “often served as gentle mockery of fraternal pomposities,” Nelson writes. The club continued until 1970 and, after a two-year restart in 1976, faded away.

DeBaun has identified most members in the 1950 photo, but a few are unknown. We welcome your contributions.

Unless otherwise indicated, students are from the Class of 1950.

Front row: Bernie Leason, ??, Dave Markson, James McCourt, Peter Fyfe ’51 Second row: Allen Knight ’51, Gerry Coonan, ??, Vincent DeBaun (faculty), George Orick, Bob Burner, ??, ??, Arthur Kean Third row, standing: Ed Muir (faculty), Carl Niemeyer (faculty), Howard Simons, Scott Anderson (St. Andrews Exchange Scholar)

Left: Harriet and Paul Rosen in Jackson’s Garden

The Rosens fund research opportunities for “leaders of tomorrow”

D

r. Paul R. Rosen ’58 and his wife, Harriet, believe an understanding of the scientific method is an important component of being a contributing member of society.

They have funded The Harriet and Paul Rosen ’58 Endowed Summer Research Fellowship, to begin in summer 2012. The stipends will allow underrepresented and/or first-generation college students to work with a mentor in science, chemistry, engineering, biology or math.

“We are really interested in science education,” said Harriet, a retired healthcare administrator who met Paul when both were students at the Bronx High School of Science. “Not enough people know about science today, or the discipline that goes with research.”

Paul, a retired military physician, said the fellowship is similar to a teen science scholars program he and his wife seeded at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The initiative provides scholarships for high school students, who work with staff on museum research and participate in paleontology digs and other fieldwork.

Since that program began in 2007, “all the kids have graduated from college and some have gone on to graduate

school,” he said. “They have become knowledgeable citizens and the leaders of tomorrow. We’re hoping to have similar results with the fellowship at Union.”

The Rosens were the first in their families to attend college (Union, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Columbia for Paul, Columbia and Trinity University for Harriet).

“I was surprised that Union’s liberal arts atmosphere was more influential for me in the long run than the pre-med courses,” Paul said. Biology, history, philosophy, art and music courses “all made a tremendous impression on me.”

“His interest in history and art has followed him since Union,” Harriet added.

The Rosens, who have two children and six grandchildren, funded The Harriet and Paul Rosen ’58 Endowed Summer Research Fellowship with IRA distributions. A federal law allows gifts of traditional or Roth IRA assets to be transferred directly to a charity such as Union, free of federal income tax and withdrawal penalties.

“It was a win-win for us,” Paul said. “If people don’t need the money but are forced to take their IRA distributions because of their age, as we were, they should consider gifting them to Union instead.”

T o L e a r n m o r e , p l e as e c o n t ac t :

Jacqueline Cavalier, Director, Gift Planning (518) 388-6156 (direct) (888) 843-4365 ext. 6156 (toll free) cavaliej@union.edu www.union.plannedgifts.org

Periodicals postage paid at Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 and an additional mailing office.

Please recycle

Homecoming 2011: Celebrating the Tradition.

Building the Future.

October 28-30, 2011

Weekend Highlights

• It’s the 125th anniversary of football at Union

&

• Union vs. RPI football— Come cheer us on as we take back the Dutch Shoes!

• The 50th anniversary of Schaffer Library • Lippman Hall dedication • Alumni Symposium on the Arts • The 100th anniversary of the Annual Fund—helping to make a Union College education possible for many students

Register online at

www.union.edu/hfw