Set Our Feet on Lofty Places 88 Days A Writer and His Image - Alumni

scene 

Summer 2009 

News and views for the Colgate community 

<strong>Set</strong> <strong>Our</strong> <strong>Feet</strong> on Lofty Places 

88 Days 

A Writer and His Image

scene Summer 

2009 

DEPARTMENTS 

26 <strong>Set</strong> <strong>Our</strong> <strong>Feet</strong> on Lofty Places 

President Rebecca S. Chopp led Colgate to new heights 

32 88 Days 

The harrowing at-sea tale of Paul Ridley ’05, who rowed 

solo across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for cancer 

research 

38 A Writer and His Image 

Exhibition showcases Colgate’s extensive George Bernard 

Shaw collection — and reveals some interesting Colgate 

connections with the playwright 

3 Message from Interim President Lyle D. Roelofs 

4 Letters 

6 Work & Play 

13 Colgate history, tradition, and spirit 

14 Life of the Mind 

18 Arts & Culture 

22 Go ’gate 

24 New, Noted & Quoted 

42 The Big Picture 

44 Stay Connected 

Call for nominations: Alumni Council candidates 

and awards 

45 Class News 

56 2009 Reunion awards 

77 Marriages & Unions 

77 Births & Adoptions 

77 In Memoriam 

80 Salmagundi 

On the cover: Won’t you be my baby? Gordon Granger ’59 gets a kick out of a Swinging 

’Gates serenade at Reunion 2009. Photo and chapel photo by Andrew Daddio 


1

scene online 

Colgate Ladies in Moroccan Dress, Atlas Mountains, 

Morocco, by Evan Kramer ’09 

Global Colgate 

Alumni often say that taking advantage of Colgate’s 

study-abroad or extended-study programs provided 

them with some of their best experiences and 

memories. 

Go to www.colgate.edu/photos to see images 

taken by students who studied abroad this past 

semester. You’ll see photos from around the world. 

You also can see what students had to say about 

their trips on the Global Colgate blog: http://colgate. 

blogs.com/globalcolgate/. 

Want to share your favorite study-abroad experience? 

Go to the message board at colgatealumni.org. 

Listen 

Colgate Conversations: www.colgate.edu/podcasts 

Colgate parent Harold Ramis, whose film credits 

include Ghostbusters, Year One, and Groundhog Day, 

offers a funny and insightful look at making movies 

in Hollywood. 

Watch 

Success After Colgate: www.colgate.edu/success 

Eight members of the Class of 2009 talk about 

their Colgate experiences and share their plans for 

the future in these unique video profiles. You also 

can track many other recent graduates on a Google 

“mashup” that shows what they are doing and where. 

Get connected 

Online Community: www.colgatealumni.org 

Your class page has the latest news and an RSS feed 

highlighting classmates who are mentioned in the 

media. Log on and learn about your class! 

8 

Texting Along the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy, by Christie 

Lebano ’09 

Long Road Home, Hampi, India, by Sarah MacKenzie ’09 

Look 

Photo Galleries: www.colgate.edu/photos 

See photographs from former President Rebecca 

Chopp’s last month on campus as she said goodbye 

to colleagues, students, and friends, and took part in 

her final commencement exercise. 

Talk 

Feedback form: http://www.colgate.edu/eeg 

The Economic Environment Working Group is 

charged with identifying scenarios for the strategic 

realignment of Colgate’s operating budget as 

a result of the economic downturn and investment 

losses sustained by the university’s endowment 

since the summer of 2008. Colgate alumni, faculty, 

staff, students, and community members are invited 

to offer suggestions. 

Volume XXXVIII Number 4 

The Scene is published by Colgate 

University four times a year — in autumn, 

winter, spring, and summer. The Scene 

is circulated without charge to alumni, 

parents, friends, and students. 

Vice President for Public Relations 

and Communications 

Charles Melichar 

Managing Editor 

Rebecca Costello 

Associate Editor 

Aleta Mayne 

Director of Publications 

Gerald Gall 

Coordinator of Photographic Services 

Andrew Daddio 

Production Assistant 

Kathy Bridge 

Contributing writers and designers: 

Director of Web Content 

Timothy O’Keeffe 

Art Director 

Karen Luciani 

Designer 

Jennifer Kirsteins 

Assistant Director of Athletic Communications 

John Gilger 

Director of Marketing and Public Relations 

Barbara Brooks 

Senior Advancement Writer 

Mark Walden 

Manager of Media Communications 

Anthony Adornato 

Contact: 

scene@colgate.edu 

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www.colgatealumni.org/scene 

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scene team 

If you’re moving... Please clip the address label and send 

with your new address to: Alumni Records Clerk, Colgate 

University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346-1398, call 

315-228-7453, or e-mail alumnirecords@colgate.edu. 

Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the 

university, the publishers, or the editors. 

Notice of Non-Discrimination: Colgate University does not 

discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, citizenship status, sex, pregnancy, 

religion, creed, physical or mental disability (including AIDS), 

age, marital status, sexual orientation, status as a disabled 

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under applicable law. The following person has been designated 

to handle inquiries regarding the university’s nondiscrimination 

policies: Keenan Grenell, Vice President 

and Dean for Diversity, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346; 

315-228-6161. 

Message from Interim President Lyle D. Roelofs 

It has been a few engrossing months since the 

Colgate Board of Trustees asked me to serve as interim president. While the 18-member presidential search 

committee, ably led by Peg Flanagan ’80, vice chair of the board, has been gathering feedback on what skills 

and qualities will be most important in our next leader, we also have reflected on what made President 

Rebecca Chopp so remarkably effective. 

In addition to confidence, determination, vision, and skill as manager 

of our complex and particular community, President Chopp had an admirable 

and certain generosity of spirit. She recognized and valued the contributions 

of everyone to the resultant good works. Lao-Tzu, the founder 

of Taoism who lived sometime around 600 years before the Christian era 

in China, said, “To lead people, walk beside them … When the best leader’s 

work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’” Indeed, under President 

Chopp’s leadership, we all celebrated — and took personal pride in — our 

very transformation. 

In this issue of the Scene, we are pleased to share a retrospective and a 

tribute to President Chopp’s very memorable seven-year tenure. Thanks 

in large part to President Chopp, I will preside in the coming year over an 

institution that is in a solid position despite uncertain economic times. 

We are secure in our status as a top liberal arts academic institution 

whose can-do character and larger size set us apart from even our most 

impressive peer institutions. Is this perhaps the Colgate DNA? 

2 scene: Summer 2009 

News and views for the Colgate community 3 

Andrew Daddio 

Being a scientist, I am tempted to play with the metaphor a bit, as the 

double-stranded DNA molecule has such an interesting structure and 

function. In much the same way that pairs of genes, intertwined after reproduction 

in side-by-side strands, determine qualities such as the color 

of our eyes, consider what characterizes the uniqueness of Colgate. Here 

we are combining the best of the liberal arts model with its close facultystudent 

relationships, and the research university with its interest in 

generating new knowledge and providing a broad array of areas of study. 

This unique genetic combination of the liberal arts college and research 

university strands — the liberal arts university — is surely a fortuitous 

one, dedicated as it is to fostering the development of liberally educated, 

adventuresome, and achievement-oriented students and alumni. 

Alas, as adventuresome and achievement-oriented as we are, the coming 

year will challenge us to stay our course. Passion for the Climb: The 

Campaign for Colgate is well on its way to completion. We will continue 

to tackle issues of affordability and access. Following our governing strategic 

plan, diversity initiatives will continue to be important, as will continued 

innovation in the areas of student-faculty engagement beyond 

the classroom. 

As I move down the hill from McGregory Hall to the stately James B. 

Colgate administration building, I am grateful to the senior staff assembled 

by President Chopp who bring incredible strength and expertise 

to their positions. In the coming year, I will rely on them for their wisdom 

and skill. In addition, I am delighted that history professor Jill Harsin, a 

long-time member of the Core 152 staff and, until called to step up, the 

director of the Division of Social Sciences, has agreed to serve as interim 

provost and dean of the faculty. 

I am honored to serve as Colgate’s interim president for 2009–2010, 

following President Chopp, a leader whose impact on Colgate has been 

immeasurable and whose accomplishments will be celebrated for a long 

time. It promises to be a most interesting year, as together we sustain 

Colgate’s incredible momentum while shoring up resources in an adverse 

economic environment and awaiting the exciting outcome of the search 

for Colgate’s 16th president. 

Since joining Colgate in 2004 as provost and dean of the faculty and professor of physics, 

Lyle Roelofs has been responsible for faculty personnel, curriculum, information technology, 

athletics, and overseeing instructional budgets. As interim president during the 

2009–2010 academic year, he will focus on budgetary impact of the economic downturn; 

strategic planning for residential education; diversity issues; bolstering Colgate’s relationship 

with the village of Hamilton and the region; and sustainability and energy efficiency.

scene 

Spring 2009 

Letters 


Democracy Without Politics 

Retired? 

Critical Conversations 

The Scene welcomes letters. We reserve 

the right to decide whether a letter is 

acceptable for publication and to edit 

for accuracy, clarity, and length. Letters 

deemed potentially libelous or that malign 

a person or group will not be published. 

Letters should not exceed 250 words. You 

can reach us by mail, or e-mail sceneletters 

@colgate.edu. Please include your full 

name, class year if applicable, address, 

phone number, and/or e-mail address. If we 

receive many letters on a given topic, we 

will print a representative sample of the 

opinions expressed. On occasion, we may 

run additional letters online. 

Bravos for new Scene 

You have done such amazing things to 

this publication. I will admit, at first I 

wondered why we needed to upgrade. 

<strong>Our</strong> simple newsprint seemed just 

fine. But this latest issue (Spring 2009) 

fairly leaped off the pages. It was so 

vibrant, energetic, and engaging. My 

intention was to merely flip through 

while I waited for my computer to 

load, but 15 minutes later I found 

myself completely engrossed. And the 

creative use of graphics, particularly 

on that “Retired” story was wonderful. 

I could go on and on … but I can’t wait 

to get back to my reading! 

It is inspiring to witness the 

creative juices flowing up there in 

Hamilton, N.Y. Keep up the good work, 

and thank you! 

Elizabeth Stookey Sunde ’87 

Wilder, Vt. 

I thank You for the Spring 2009 edition 

of the Scene. It is an utterly superb 

production. Very inviting and exciting! 

I can’t get over how the format 

has changed (and improved) over the 

years. Applause is deserved for you 

folks and those many others who 

work on the magazine. 

Joy, health, spare change. 

Allan Moore ’52 

Rochester, N.Y. 

I’m the wIfe of one Colgate alum, Tim 

Reed ’71, and the mother of another, 

Carly Reed ’03. I agree that the Colgate 

Scene is quite a nice publication. Perhaps 

one day it will rival Pitt Magazine. 

Trinka Reed 

University of Pittsburgh CAS ’71, Law ’74, 

Library Science ’75 

Page 13’s a hit 

thank You for Page 13 of the Scene! I am 

a history buff, and my family has a 

long tradition at Colgate. My grandfather, 

uncle, and cousin all graduated 

from Colgate, my grandparents were 

married in the chapel in 1928, and my 

dad actually has a photo from 1939 of 

his mother, himself (age 6), and my 

mother (age 5) by Taylor Lake! 

I had the wonderful experience of 

working in the Case Library archives 

while I was a student. Ten hours each 

week, and boy, what a 10 hours they 

could be! Reorganizing the Rare Book 

Room and discovering the bejeweled 

tomes that lay within, meticulously 

cleaning a collection of World War II 

posters with a huge gum eraser, and 

cataloging hundreds upon hundreds 

of letters, photographs, and other 

miscellaneous pieces of information. 

The latter took most of my time, and I 

could not catalogue without stopping 

to read and examine just about everything 

that passed through my fingers. 

Colgate is the place it is because of 

the students, faculty, and staff who 

have put their stamp on the Hill over 

each passing generation. Keep showing 

us those glimpses back in time. 

Perhaps one day I’ll spot one of my 

relatives! 

Patricia Simmonds Azriel ’88 

York, Pa. 

On the race and diversity dialogue 

I read wIth great Interest the article 

on diversity and race (Scene, Spring 

2009). In fact, so great was my interest 

that it prompted me to write my first 

letter to the campus since writing to 

the Maroon as a senior in 1969. About 

what? Race and diversity. In those 

days, we expressed ourselves first by 

taking over the Administration Building, 

deactivating from fraternities, 

and then talking about the issues. It’s 

heartening to see talk came first 40 

years later. Unfortunately, racism and 

other intolerance is not an intellectual 

pursuit, but a poison that suffuses the 

heart. It would be instructive if those 

who shouted and painted epithets in 

anonymity could come forth and explain 

themselves. Not as an opportunity 

for the self-righteous to castigate 

or wag fingers, but to know how and 

why such septicemia gained footing 

in the first place. 

In an academic environment such 

as Colgate, it’s unfathomable that 

such behavior persists, even if in one 

or a handful of students. Mission 

statements, creeds, and other efforts 

at governing civilized behavior are 

all good exercises, but everyone must 

continue to search their hearts for any 

pernicious symptoms and be their 

own healers. In the meantime, talk is 

good. 

Steven Paul Mark ’69 

New York, N.Y. 

Retired but not retiring 

how wonderful It was to see Carol Kinne 

in “Retired?” (Scene, Spring 2009). My 

very first class at Colgate was her 8:00 

a.m. Basic Studio — that is where my 

art career really began! 

She helped me build not only my 

skills as an artist, but also the confidence 

to express myself through my 

work and believe in what I was doing. 

Hers is a wonderful story, and I am 

deeply appreciative of her efforts as 

well as those of John Knecht, Lynn 

Schwarzer, and Jim Loveless. Congratulations 

on a happy retirement, Carol! 

R. Vincent Lunato ’91 

San Francisco, Calif. 

A tradition to continue 

when I receIved the last edition of the 

Scene, I was thrilled to see the photo of 

the orchestra in the chapel. It brought 

back many wonderful memories. Of 

course, almost all alumni recall Freshman 

Convocation, Baccalaureate, and 

concerts in that setting. Others have 

additional memories of performing 

there, whether in the orchestra or another 

campus musical group, as well 

as attending religious services and/ 

or a marriage there. But it would be a 

select group who would recall a bit of 

activism relevant to the chapel. 

When I arrived on campus in 1974, 

the chapel did not house the beautiful 

organ or extensive stage it now does. 

It was soon proposed that in order to 

make the chapel a “true performance 

venue,” the pews should be removed 

and replaced with theater seating. A 

group of students who felt a strong 

connection to the chapel initiated a 

campaign — a protest of sorts. <strong>Our</strong> 

voices were, gratefully, heard. 

Flash forward 30-plus years, and 

the Colgate community continues to 

appreciate the unique blend of the 

historical with the modern that is our 

chapel. I do not know the names of the 

decision makers of the past who made 

this possible. But I thank them. And I 

encourage the current and future decision 

makers to look to the chapel as a 

physical example of Colgate’s continued 

ability to keep the best of the past 

traditions, while adding the best of 

the present innovations. 

Clare Kilpatrick Benz ’78 

Wyomissing, Pa. 

Alumni governance 

lawrence scharbach ’56 claims [Letters, 

Spring 2009] that A Better Colgate 

favors a Board of Trustees predominantly 

elected by the alumni. While 

I do not speak for this organization, 

even a cursory perusal of their website 

would show this is not correct. A 

Better Colgate supports having some 

significant alumni representation on 

the board, as many fine colleges and 

universities such as Amherst, Hamilton, 

and Dartmouth do. Scharbach 

further opines, “God help Colgate” if 

we ever really did have a majority of 

the trustees elected by the alumni, 

without offering any factual basis for 

this. Unsupported statements such as 

his do the many alumni who support 

A Better Colgate a serious disservice. 

Dr. Scott H. Stoller ’85 

Pittsburgh, Pa. 

much has been saId about the dissenting 

group “ABC,” most of it negative. 

While a loyal Colgate alumnus, and 

not agreeing with everything on both 

sides of the debate, I do support some 

of ABC’s aims. Colgate never was a 

democratic institution; its leadership 

and policies have always been decided 

by a self-perpetuating cadre of — up 

to the present — competent leaders. 

Peer institutions are not necessarily 

democratic, either. 

What irritated this writer is the 

way that the Alumni Council has used 

the “party machine” of direct mailing 

and publications to propagate its 

views and quash opposition by stating 

in effect that it is all “lies and more 

lies.” They then showcase the many 

wonderful (and carefully chosen) 

alumni who have helped Colgate (the 

implication being that things are just 

fine the way they are, thank you). 

Perhaps it is time for Colgate to become 

a leader in the field of university 

self-governance, allowing alumni to 

participate more fully in choosing 

members of the Alumni Council. 

It could even help to improve the 

poor standing Colgate holds among 

its peers in terms of the size of our 

endowment, through more alumni 

participation. One thing is crystal 

clear: the council’s strategies only foment 

more — and ever more radical 

— opposition. 

Yes, I did sign the ABC petition, not 

because I believe in every platform 

of ABC. I most emphatically do not, 

and I revile any attempt to bring back 

the so-called “good old days” as being 

retrograde and damaging to our commonly 

held beliefs of inclusion and 

progress. I signed because I believe 

that a healthy dissenting voice is a 

good thing, and a governing institution 

that believes otherwise is deeply 

flawed. 

Bruce A. Healey ’84 

Cincinnati, Ohio 

I read ron JoYce’s commentary regarding 

A Better Colgate (ABC) in the 

March 26 Maroon-News. I know Ron 

both as a classmate and fraternity 

brother, and have the highest respect 

for him. While Ron’s position is clear, I 

do not believe he addresses the simple 

message that ABC proposes: alumni 

electing alumni to Colgate’s Board of 

Trustees. 

Elections should be seriously 

considered. First and foremost, they 

would engage all interested alumni in 

the selection process. I believe more 

alumni will donate to the university if 

their engagement increases. 

Cornell elects 8 alumni trustees 

out of a total 64 trustees and also has 

student- and faculty-elected trustees. 

Other schools like Amherst and Dartmouth 

also permit alumni to elect 

alumni trustees. At Colgate, only a few 

“select” people control the selections. 

While it may be argued that this process 

is time honored and has resulted 

in excellent members, this is done at 

the price of leaving most alumni out 

of the process. 

Some might argue that elections 

would be expensive in these current 

economic times. I expect the Alumni 

Council would efficiently organize 

the process. Voting could take place 

over the Internet. Others might argue 

that elections would enable a group 

like ABC to elect its own members; 

however, the right to elect trustees 

does not give ABC any real advantage. 

While ABC could petition for a nomination 

slot, that nominee must still be 

elected by the alumni. 

Voting for alumni trustees would 

give me and other Colgate “outsiders” 

(the true majority of alumni) a 

stake in Colgate’s future. I believe 

that would make Colgate a better and 

more inclusive university. 

Michael S. Walsh ’73 

Winnetka, Ill. 

Gus Coldebella ’91, president of the 

Alumni Council, adds: A central part 

of the Alumni Council’s mission is 

to promote dialogue among alumni, 

students, faculty, administration, 

and the Board of Trustees on issues 

of importance to the welfare of the 

university. Rather than quashing 

opposition or propagating views, the 

council is working on new ways to 

foster alumni engagement, so we can 

communicate to all alumni what’s going 

on at Colgate, and hear (and communicate 

back) your views. Bottom 

line: Open, factual discussion on topics 

such as governance — the subject of 

the letters above — is key to alumni 

involvement, and the council plans 

to expand the forums to do so. For 

additional information on the Alumni 

Council and the Board of Trustees 

selection processes, you can visit 

www.colgate.edu/trustees and www. 

colgatealumni.org/alumnicouncil. 

Coach Bob 

wow! talk about coIncIdence! A few 

months ago, I did a project with my 

4th grade gifted students that focused 

on intergenerational learning and 

emphasized the wisdom that we 

can acquire when we listen to older 

generations. My students each had 

to pick a “grandfriend” and co-author 

an essay with that person for “The 

Listen to a Life” essay contest. My 

kids were amazed at some of the life 

experiences that their grandfriends 

shared (war experiences, the Depression, 

inventions, landing on the moon, 

Elvis, etc.), and it made them understand 

how much they can learn when 

they are willing to really listen. The 

grandfriends loved having the opportunity 

to pass on their experiences, 

and it was a magical morning for all 

involved. 

One of my students was so moved 

by the experience that he wanted to 

find other older people to engage in 

conversation. One day at swim practice, 

Tyler started talking to “Coach 

Bob.” Tyler came to school the next 

day so excited to share all of these 

great details about Coach Bob’s life. 

They had spoken for more than an 

hour! Just tonight I opened up the 

Scene (Spring, pg. 46) to see the article 

about the very same Coach Bob, never 

knowing he was a Colgate alum. He 

really must be one remarkable man, 

and his impact on the lives of children 

is immeasurable! I can’t wait to show 

Tyler this article. 

Amanda Travis Simon ’93 

4th Grade Math/Language Arts 

Pine View School for the Gifted 

Osprey, Fla. 

Spoonful of memories 

I was at the lovIn’ sPoonful concert 

(Slices, Scene, Spring 2009) along with 

my good friend Wick O’Brien ’73. His 

father, Kenneth, was on the Colgate 

staff, so we both were faculty brats. As 

I remember it, Wick’s date was Mary 

Barnett, daughter of Colgate President 

Vincent Barnett. My date was Nancy 

Migonis, whose family still lives in 

Hamilton. It was our first rock concert. 

My parents made me dress up, which 

probably meant good school clothes. 

I do not remember if this was spring 

or fall of 1968; we would have been 

either juniors or seniors in high school. 

Enjoyable issue of the Scene. I 

especially liked the picture of Vet Ville 

(Page 13). When my parents moved to 

Hamilton in the summer of 1952, they 

lived there along with many other 

young faculty members and their new 

families. 



Kevin Sio ’73 

Skaneateles, N.Y. 

Editor’s note: A number of alumni 

responded to the spring 2009 Slices 

photo contest (see pg. 80 in this issue 

for answer and winner) with fun 

reminiscences; we’ve posted them 

at www.colgatealumni.org/lovin 

spoonful. Check them out, and submit 

your own campus concert memory 

at www.colgatealumni.org/message 

boards or to scene@colgate.edu.

work & play 

A 

Campus scrapbook 

A Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs. Students celebrate 

Earth Day in the Ho Science Center atrium. Photo by Andrew 

Daddio 

B So you think you can dance? More than 10 Colgate dance 

groups, from the Ballet Company to the Belly Dancing Club, 

cut loose at the spring 2009 Dancefest. Photo by Brooke 

Ousterhout ’10 

C Vising artist Zhang Minjie, chairman of fine arts at the 

China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, explains his mastery of 

multi-color reduction woodblock in a workshop at Little Hall. 

Photo by Luke Connolly ’09 

D Diplomas and hugs are handed out during Commencement 

2009. Photo by Andrew Daddio 

E Despite an April snowfall, students enjoyed Holi, the Hindu 

celebration of colors welcoming the spring season. Photo by 

Luke Connolly ’09 

F Reconnecting with old friends was enough to lift alumni off 

their feet during Reunion 2009. Photo by Andrew Daddio 

G This student must have felt like a “superstar” while crowd 

surfing during a Spring Party Weekend performance by 

Grammy Award–winning rapper Lupe Fiasco. Photo by Luke 

Connolly ’09 

C 

B 



E 

D 

F 

G

work & play 

Buddhist monks receive 

an offering of food during 

the Dana ceremony 

held at the ALANA 

Cultural Center. 

Powell meets with students, 

delivers public lecture 

Ret. Gen. Colin Powell — former U.S. 

secretary of state and one-time leader 

of 350,000 troops — knows how to 

make an entrance. “Sit down, you’re 

making me nervous,” barked the general 

in a good-natured tone perfected 

over five decades of Army leadership, 

politics, and diplomacy. Having stared 

down world leaders and having stood 

up to the four American presidents he 

served, Powell could hardly have been 

intimidated by the 50 students who 

rose in unison as he entered Golden 

Auditorium. 

Prior to Powell’s Global Leaders 

Lecture Series appearance in Sanford 

Field House, the students — who were 

chosen because of their interests in 

political science, international relations, 

and peace and conflict studies 

— participated in a 30-minute 

question-and-answer session. Among 

them were 18 first-year Benton Scholars, 

whose coursework has focused on 

global leadership. 

Fred Chernoff, Harvey Picker 

Professor of international relations 

and director of Colgate’s international 

relations program, moderated 

the discussion. Chernoff called on 

Andrew Daddio 

Andrew Daddio 

students whose prepared questions 

addressed issues spanning the globe, 

such as: whether combining military 

and development forces in Afghanistan 

will jeopardize the development 

community there, how seriously to 

take North Korea’s nuclear threat, and 

whether success in Iraq means Jeffersonian 

democracy. 

“The Iraqis want us to leave,” 

Powell said, “but not until they can do 

the job [of governing] themselves.” He 

cautioned that every nation’s government 

must suit its culture and people. 

“Some will remain totalitarian and 

cruel,” he said, “but most are modulating 

their policies. We’ve been a little 

too cavalier about lecturing other 

countries that our form of democracy 

is the best kind.” 

Then Powell, eager for spontaneity, 

barked again: “Now — who doesn’t 

have a written note?” 

“What is your greatest failure?” 

asked Conor Tucker ’10. 

After total recall and certainty on 

every other subject, Powell admitted 

to a bit of a hedge. “I have a lot of failures 

and a lot of successes,” he said. 

“Rather than try to single one out, 

I just accept it all as a total body of 

experience. When I have a failure, I go 

into a funk, think about it, analyze it, 

and then roll it up in a ball and throw 

it over my shoulder. So to answer that 

question, I’d have to think about it, 

and I don’t like to do that.” 

Buddhist ceremony marks 

Chapel House milestone 

According to Buddhist teaching, 

giving is an act that can transform 

and purify the mind. On a Tuesday 

afternoon at the ALANA Cultural 

Center, approximately 30 members of 

the Colgate community participated 

in a 2,500-year-old Sri Lankan Buddhist 

ceremony of alms giving called 

a Dana. One by one, participants lined 

up to scoop a bit of basmati rice or 

raita, some lentil pilaf, or a piece of 

flatbread onto a plate and present it 

to one of five monks seated at a table. 

Dressed in yellow, orange, or 

maroon robes, the monks, who had 

come from the New York Buddhist 

Vihara, silently ate their food while 

the participants sat quietly in front of 

them. When the monks had finished 

their meal, the ceremony continued 

with unison and call-and-response 

chanting, and a presentation of gifts 

to the monks. The chief monk, Venerable 

Kurunaegoda Piyatissa, delivered 

Brown bag 

Emotional response to wrongful 

conviction stories 

Tissues were being passed around the 

women’s studies center lounge as the audience 

reacted to panelists’ personal stories 

during the Exoneration and Wrongful 

Convictions Brown Bag. “I couldn’t believe 

that they took my son away,” said Sylvia 

Barnes, the mother of a local man who was 

recently exonerated after DNA testing 

proved he was innocent. 

Barnes’s story particularly touched 

panelist Kirk Bloodsworth, whose mother 

passed away three months before he was 

exonerated. In June 1993, Bloodsworth’s 

case became the first capital conviction 

in the United States to be overturned as 

a result of DNA testing. He remembers 

returning to jail after seeing his mother’s 

body and hearing her voice telling him to 

“Stand up.” 

Criminal defense attorney Mark Rabil 

pointed out that it wasn’t only DNA testing 

that freed these men from prison; it was 

also how hard they fought to see justice 

prevail. Rabil defended Darryl Hunt, who 

spent 19 years in prison and also was on 

the panel. 

“You recognize that you can’t get those 

years spent in prison back,” said Hunt. “I’ve 

learned that with the time I have left, I 

want to enjoy it. To carry anger or bitterness 

is going to shorten whatever life God 

gives me from now on, and I don’t want it to 

be short because I’ve been short nineteen 

years.” 

The luncheon was part of a three-day 

symposium sponsored by the Department 

of Sociology and Anthropology that also 

included a lecture about race and wrongful 

convictions as well as a film screening of 

The Trials of Darryl Hunt, an HBO documentary 

chronicling Hunt’s story. 

Also recently discussed… 

Joseph ole Tipanko, a Maasai 

warrior from Maasailand, Kenya, 

shared information about his culture and 

traditions during a Brown Bag luncheon 

at COVE. 

a brief homily, bestowing blessings on 

all in attendance. 

The rest of those gathered then 

partook of the South Asian repast. “We 

offer food to the monks as an expression 

of our gratitude for their coming 

to Colgate and in respect to the manner 

in which, through their teaching 

and example, they bring blessings to 

others,” explained John Ross Carter, 

who is the Robert Ho Professor of 

Asian studies and director of Chapel 

House and the Fund for the Study of 

the Great Religions. 

The monks’ visit was the second in 

a yearlong set of events celebrating 

the 50th anniversary of Chapel House, 

the spiritual sanctuary and retreat 

house on campus. In 1959, the first 

guests at Chapel House were Buddhist 

monks from Myanmar (Burma). 

Earlier in the day, the monks 

discussed monastic life with students 

in Carter’s course The Path of the Buddha: 

Mahayana. In the evening, they 

conducted a Pirit ceremony of protection 

and blessings, chanting discourses 

from the ancient Pali canon while 

guests listened quietly, in a lounge at 

the O’Connor Campus Center. 

Graduates: Become 

‘warriors of justice’ 

With the same conviction that characterizes 

his work as an advocate for 

education and social services reform, 

Geoffrey Canada urged members of 

Colgate’s Class of 2009 to continue 

the “pursuit of truth and enlightenment 

for the betterment of society 

and not solely for the betterment of 

yourselves. 

“I believe in you. You are about to 

join a select group who must be un- 

afraid to take on the toughest issues,” 

said Canada during his address in Sanford 

Field House for the university’s 

188th commencement ceremony. 

As graduates embark on their 

future endeavors and join what he 

called the game of life, Canada challenged 

them: become “warriors of 

justice” by joining the team fighting 

poverty. “Do you care about those who 

won’t make it without your help? I 

offer you the wondrous opportunity 

to join the losing side,” Canada said, to 

laughter. “We may not win the fight, 

but as long as you are here, we will 

never stop fighting.” 

He told the graduates it was becoming 

more difficult to triumph over 

the economic and political forces that 

condemn American children to spend 

their lives sick and impoverished. And 

he recalled his own experiences as a 

child raised by a single mother in the 

South Bronx and now as a crusader 

helping children who are growing up 

in conditions similar to those faced 

by his own family. He is nationally 

recognized for his work as CEO and 

president of Harlem Children’s Zone, a 

nonprofit that offers educational and 

social services to low-income families 

in Harlem, N.Y., with the aim of guiding 

poor children from birth to college. 

Prior to Canada’s address, President 

Rebecca S. Chopp told graduates that 

their education is truly just beginning. 

“Your education is not something 

behind you but something in front of 

you, something you will live forward 

for yourself and with others,” she said. 

Chopp went on to highlight the 

many ways this year’s graduates left 

their mark, noting that class members 

helped Colgate make real strides 

Commencement speaker Geoffrey Canada, CEO and president of Harlem Children’s Zone 

Back on campus 

Reunion College 

Approximately 2,000 alumni filled 

Whitnall Field and Colgate’s classrooms 

during the late-May weekend 

for Reunion 2009. Alumni and their 

families participated in dozens of 

Reunion College sessions. Here is a 

sampling: 

Julian Padowicz ’54 read from his 

memoir, My Mother and Me: Escape 

from Warsaw 1939. At the age of 8, 

Padowicz and his mother escaped on 

foot from Soviet-occupied Poland 

through the Carpathian Mountains. 

Humorously reflecting on his perspective 

as a child, Padowicz described 

the eventful journey with his mother, 

whom he barely knew, having been 

raised by a governess until that point. 

Audience members got an inside 

look into a sports director’s studio 

with Drew Esocoff ’79, who directs 

NBC’s Sunday Night Football and has 

25 years of experience in the sports 

television business. Using a Denver 

vs. San Diego football game as an example, 

Esocoff showed the audience 

a version of what he looks at when 

directing: 20 cameras simultaneously 

broadcasting different views of the 

game, among which he chooses and 

directs the technician to telecast. 

A native of Littleton, Colo., where 

the 1999 shootings at Columbine High 

School occurred, Stephanie Stillman 

’99 presented her research on how the 

shootings have affected the community 

in her talk, “The Making of Martyrs 

and Monsters: The Politics of Memory 

in the Aftermath of the Shootings at 

Columbine High School.” Stillman 

found that the community was 

searching for quick solutions, which 

manifested into some people using 

the events to advance their religious 

and political agendas. Stillman plans 

to publish her results in a forthcoming 

book, Remembering the Cruelest 

Month. 

For more information on these 

sessions and to see a reunion photo 

gallery, visit www.colgatealumni.org/ 

reunion. 



Andrew Daddio 

to become a more environmentally 

sound campus and invested in the 

university’s future by contributing to 

the senior class gift, an endowment to 

support programming in the recently 

renovated Donovan’s Pub. 

Chopp, who was to leave the university 

at the end of May to become 

president of Swarthmore College, 

received an honorary degree during 

the commencement ceremony. Honorary 

degrees were also awarded to 

Canada, Melvyn Klein ’63, and Lonnie 

Thompson and his wife, Ellen Mosley- 

Thompson. 

Klein, a member of the Horatio 

Alger Association of Distinguished 

Americans, is an entrepreneur, attorney, 

philanthropist, investor, and writer. 

Thompson and Mosley-Thompson 

are among the world’s leading 

researchers on climate change. 

Andrew Daddio 

Moody’s issues positive report 

on Colgate finances 

Colgate received positive economic 

news at the end of May when Moody’s 

Investors Service affirmed the university’s 

Aa3 debt rating and reported 

that the university has a “stable 

outlook.” Administrators welcomed 

the important evaluation, especially 

in light of a Moody’s report issued in 

January that downgraded the overall 

higher education sector from stable to 

negative. 

The rating applies to the university’s 

$163 million of outstanding 

tax-exempt bonds. The bonds were 

issued through the Madison County 

Industrial Development Agency and 

the Dormitory Authority of the State 

of New York and have supported a 

wide range of university capital projects, 

including construction of the Ho 

Science Center and student residential

work & play 

Ofelia Martinez ’09 and 

Javier Diaz ’10 perform 

at the Refugee Benefit 

Banquet held at the Hall 

of Presidents. 

townhouses, and the major expansion 

of the Case Library and Geyer Center 

for Information Technology. 

Analysts from Moody’s said that 

Colgate’s stable outlook reflected their 

expectations for continued positive 

operating performance. They cited 

several factors, including Colgate’s: 

• Strong market position as a liberal 

arts university with an emphasis 

on undergraduate education and 

research and a national student 

draw 

• Healthy financial resources, with 

an expendable financial resource 

base of $490 million as of fiscal 

year 2008 

• Prudent financial practices and 

careful management oversight 

that yield a consistent record of 

breakeven–to–positive operating 

results 

• Solid fundraising base as evidenced 

by the $340 million raised to date 

toward its $400 million capital 

campaign goal 

Carolee E. White, associate vice 

president for finance, pointed out that 

Moody’s analyzed not only Colgate’s 

financial statement from the latest 

fiscal year, which ended May 31, 2008, 

but also data from more recent 

months. That current information 

included the impact of the economic 

crisis on the university’s endowment, 

the budget for 2009–2010, application 

numbers, and the university’s strategic 

review of its operating budget. 

“It is a very thorough and real-time 

review that takes many factors into 

consideration,” said White, adding 

that the last review was in 2005, 

when the university’s rating and 

stable outlook were also affirmed. 

Brooke Ousterhout ’10 

Collaborative event provides 

help to two area centers 

A collaborative student initiative 

turned into a vehicle of support for 

the region and a timely response to 

a tragedy that struck an immigration 

services center in Binghamton, N.Y. 

The Latin American Student Organization, 

Korean American Student Association, 

Kappa Kappa Gamma, and 

the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, 

and Education co-sponsored the Refugee 

Benefit Banquet to raise money 

and awareness for Utica’s Mohawk 

Valley Resource Center for Refugees 

(MVRCR). 

The center has resettled refugees 

in the Utica, N.Y., area, arranging 

housing, education, employment, and 

social services. The new residents 

come from 22 countries, with about 

40 percent from Bosnia, 21 percent 

from the former Soviet Union, and 

14 percent from Vietnam. 

The event was originally planned 

to solely benefit the MVRCR. But after 

the 13 shooting deaths at the American 

Civic Association in Binghamton 

in early April, the MVRCR generously 

offered the organization 50 percent of 

the donations. 

“Everyone was thinking the same 

thing — How can we support Binghamton? 

No one hesitated,” said Ellen 

Kraly, the geography professor who 

has taken many student volunteers to 

work at the Utica refugee center. 

So on a Friday night in mid-April, 

the Hall of Presidents was filled with 

the spirit of sharing as people from 

across campus came together to support 

the hard work of their friends and 

the two centers. Ofelia Martinez ’09 

and Javier Diaz ’10 performed, providing 

a tribute to their Latin American 

heritage. KASA members put on a skit 

about interracial relationships. And 

Colgate Groove awed the crowd with 

their dance moves. All in all, the event 

raised more than $1,300. 

“The whole environment came 

together with such beauty and good 

will,” said Kraly, who delivered the 

keynote address. “It was a metaphor 

for what needs to be done in the 

world, in our country, and on our 

campus.” 

— Brittany Messenger ’10 

‘Narnia’ producer discusses gay 

rights issues 

In early April, Colgate hosted its fourth 

annual Big Gay Weekend, a threeday 

event that provides LGBTQ and 

Talking points 

“The personal passway to spirit is through 

song.” 

— Margot Adler, National Public Radio 

broadcast journalist, talking about Pagan 

rituals in her lecture “Contemporary 

Nature Religions in the U.S.” 

“If this were a quantum 

system, we would 

describe [Schrödinger’s 

cat] as being in 

a superposition of 

being dead and alive 

at the same time. This 

is the big leap you 

have to take when you 

are trying to understand quantum reality … 

There’s a lot of debate that goes on today 

where people talk about the quantum state 

as not being something real. That upsets 

a lot of physicists who I work with — there 

are experiments that prove otherwise.” 

— Mehul Malik ’06, PhD student, Boyd 

Research Group, Institute of Optics, 

University of Rochester, explaining a basic 

principle of quantum physics in his Physics 

& Astronomy Seminar talk 

“In the purest sense, as a collagist, I’m 

borrowing images from the public domain 

that are out there to make new images, 

new meanings, new connections between 

images, or to use sound to change the way 

images mean.” 

— Independent filmmaker Alan Berliner, 

Colgate’s Artist in Residence from March 

30 to April 3, 2009 

“If you told Laddie Milmoe thirty years ago 

that there would be a new technology that 

would enable him to eliminate the cost of 

paper, printing, and distribution, he would 

have been thrilled. He would not have 

thought that such a technology would also 

end up threatening to bankrupt his industry. 

There is only one way for newspapers 

to survive: they must figure out what they 

can offer that online publishers cannot.” 

— G. Bruce Knecht ’80, Wall Street Journal 

reporter, in his “Journalism in the New 

Millennium” talk, sponsored by the Cornelius 

‘Laddie’ Milmoe ’30 Foundation 

allied sudents with the opportunity 

to socialize and network with peers. 

The keynote speaker was bestselling 

author, film producer, and gay rights 

activist Perry Moore, who is best 

known as executive producer of The 

Chronicles of Narnia film franchise 

and author of the book Hero, which 

won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award. 

Moore talked with students about 

his experience growing up as a young 

gay man and his career in the entertainment 

field. 

“Perry Moore had a great time 

connecting with students and felt it 

was the best group of students he’s 

had the opportunity to work with,” 

said Emily Blake, assistant director 

for student life and academic LGBTQ 

initiatives. 

The weekend’s events also included 

workshops and various social events. 

— Megan Foley ’09 

Student-athlete wins 1819 Award 

When Mark Anderson ’09 wasn’t 

passing the puck or delivering a hit 

along the boards in Starr Rink, he 

was pursuing a neuroscience major 

and conducting complex research in 

Olin Hall. The Hastings, Neb., native 

excelled in both settings, and his passion, 

dedication, and work ethic were 

recognized by the university when he 

was named the 1819 Award winner. 

The award is the most selective and 

prestigious the university gives to a 

graduating senior. All the academic 

awards going to seniors were presented 

during commencement weekend. 

Anderson earned a 3.84 grade point 

average, and this year he was one of 

three finalists for the ECAC Hockey 

Scholar Athlete of the Year. His junior 

year, he was the first Raiders hockey 

player since 1984, and just the second 

in program history, to be named an 

Academic All-American. 

Anderson has been accepted 

into George Washington Medical 

School. First, though, he will pursue 

an opportunity to play professional 

hockey for a year. 

“Colgate was the perfect fit for 

me because I was able to compete in 

Division I ice hockey and compete for 

a national title every year, while at 

the same time go through a rigorous 

neuroscience curriculum in small 

class settings,” he said. 

A four-year letterman, Anderson 

played in 128 games as a defenseman 

during his career. This past season, 

he was named an assistant captain. 

He earned numerous academic and 

athletic awards during his time at 

Colgate. 

A moving mural 

A mural painted by students, faculty, 

and staff that depicts inspirational 

black Americans has become a traveling 

work of art that will be showcased 

around campus and at other venues in 

Hamilton. The project was envisioned 

by ALANA Cultural Center staff members 

in honor of Black History Month. 

Participants from around campus 

volunteered their time on a Saturday 

morning to complete the mural. 

A professional muralist and designer 

from Allentown, Pa., Matt Halm, 

was instrumental in designing the 

painting with Juls Buehrer of Colgate’s 

Center for Career Services. 

Pictured are Congresswoman 

Shirley Chisholm, President Barack 

Obama, civil rights activist Martin 

Luther King Jr., and author Zora Neale 

Hurston. 

Get to know: Carl Peterson 

Head of Special Collections and 

University Archivist 

Tell us about your work. 

I started in acquisitions in 1980, and then I became assistant to the special collections 

librarian. I took over in 1994. It’s a collections management thing: to make the rare book 

collection available to students, faculty, and staff, and to protect the irreplaceable material. 

For the archives, to help the college collect and preserve its records, and to help people 

with questions about Colgate history. 

You know so much about Colgate. Do you have a photographic memory? 

No, but I have a memory for trivia. A lot of it is just what I’ve been asked for. But mostly it’s 

because I indexed the Colgate Maroons up to 1990. I started with the first student newspaper 

in 1847. I did all of the Madisonensis. I did things like group the football games, so if 

someone were interested in all the games at Dartmouth, we could find it. 

How did you get interested in this field? 

I came in from the rare book side. I was a history minor, and I have an MFA in creative 

writing. As I went along, I got interested in other things, like Colgate photographs. 

Name some intriguing or surprising things in Colgate’s archives. 

Someone just found really nice copies of the first two U.S. postage stamps, on old Colgate 

correspondence. I found the first map of Hamilton Township, from 1797, folded in a book. 

My personal favorite is the Gould Hummingbirds, 25 volumes of all the hummingbirds of the 

world. If you put them under the light, the colors shimmer. I did a display once, and bird guys 

from all over the state came to see it. It was a gift from the Colgate family. 

What would people be surprised to learn about you? 

Probably that I have 50 aquariums in my basement. I breed tropical fish. They’re West 

African, all quite colorful, but they’re shy. There’s an international club, and I belong to a 

local one — basically friends who get together once a month and swap fish, and eat and 

drink beer. The usual stuff. 

You and Margaret [Maurer, professor of English] have been married for 30 years. Have you 

ever tapped her to help in documenting the university’s more recent history? 

Oh, all the time. She’s identified dozens of photographs, especially of faculty. I’ll call 7219 

and say, ‘Who was the guy with funny hair? I know he was from philosophy, but I can’t 

remember his name,’ and she’ll say, ‘Roland Blum.’ 

What would you like alumni to know? 

Don’t throw out Colgate stuff! It’s the ephemera they’re more likely to throw out that we’re 

more likely to not have. They’ll think, why would they want this ratty old football program 

from 1938, and in fact, I’d walk 10 miles to get one! One nice woman’s husband, who died, 

had a complete set of Colgate drinking glasses. We didn’t have any examples of them. She 

was going to put them in a yard sale, and then she thought to call us. 



Andrew Daddio 

Andrew Daddio

work & play 

12 

scene: Summer 2009 

Passion for the Climb 

The greatest part 

of your heart is the 

piece you give away 

By Taylor Buonocore ’08 

Before graduating, Taylor Buonocore 

’08 was offered a management 

consulting job. She turned it down. 

Instead, using her own earnings and a 

grant from her sorority, Kappa Alpha 

Theta, Buonocore traveled to the 

Ecuadorian Amazon and Galapagos 

Islands, to do volunteer conservation 

work for a nongovernmental 

organization, and then to Tanzania to 

help improve the lives of orphans as a 

volunteer at the Rift Valley Children’s 

Village and teacher at a neighboring 

primary school. “I was really ready 

to be a part of a cause that’s bigger 

than me,” she said. She documented 

her experiences on her blog, http:// 

taylorbuonocore.blogspot.com. 

The sun sets in three places over the 

Rift Valley Children’s Village in northern 

Tanzania. It dips below the rolling 

hills of Oldeani in the west, as expected. 

But each evening, it also casts 

glowing evening light on the clouds in 

the north and southeast. The hues are 

so brilliant that I find it nearly impossible 

to tell where the first light radiates 

from. It’s spectacularly beautiful, 

and here, it happens every night. 

I still haven’t figured out what it is 

about this place that makes a triple 

sunset possible. Curiosity would 

normally motivate me to do a little 

research: is it the altitude, the atmosphere? 

But in this case, I’ d rather 

not know. It’s just another thing that 

makes this place special. 

As the sun sets, the 55 children at 

the Rift Valley Children’s Village are 

just getting ready for dinner. They live 

in five houses, each named after a 

national park. Serengeti House is 

most special to me; that’s where I live. 

In Serengeti House, the Mamas 

announce “saa ya kula!” and 12 kids 

come running in what seems like a 

scramble, although their places at the 

long white table are the same from 

night to night. Christopher and Joshua 

sit at the ends, with Happy, Paulo, 

Isaka, and Vicent along one side, and 

Mole, Christina, Janie, Eva, and Simon 

along the other. Three kerosene lamps 

light their way through chapati with 

cabbage and beans, pilau, ugali, or 

a similar Tanzanian dish. “Welcome, 

Taylor,” they say every night before 

they begin to eat. 

After dinner, the bedtime routine 

begins. First, we read a story. In my 

early weeks, story time was crazy. The 

kids would argue over story choices, 

then jump all over each other, jockeying 

for a good spot to see the book 

we’d chosen. This quickly spurred me 

to learn to awkwardly read upside 

down, with the book perpetually 

facing my audience. Once I started 

reading, though, I’d have their full 

attention, and at least four of them 

were always in the mood to snuggle. 

I love it. And I see it as one of the most 

important parts of the day to make 

them feel safe and loved. 

When we finish the story, I tuck 

them in. In my first weeks, that’s 

when the mayhem would really start, 

especially with the boys. I would be 

carrying each of the eight boys to his 

bed, launching every other one up to 

the top bunk (the logistics of which 

required strength I never knew I had!). 

But within a few seconds, I’d turn my 

back to find the recent bed deliveries 

anxiously awaiting a re-do drop-off. 

“Yeah, riiiiight!” I’d say, and they’d 

giggle and affix themselves to my legs 

like superglue. When they finally all 

got into bed, I would begin the hugs 

and kisses. 

On my first night, I didn’t anticipate 

the excitement with which my 

little boys would approach goodnight 

kisses. But it didn’t take long to figure 

out that they had a plan: work togeth- 

er as a team; if one of us can get her 

on the lips, we all win. Christopher was 

the winner the first time. As I leaned in 

to give this cute 9-year-old a hug and 

a kiss, he swooped in without warning 

and planted one straight on my lips. 

The entire boys’ room erupted in 

laughter as my jaw nearly hit the floor 

from a combination of embarrassment 

and total delight in the scene that 

made them laugh so hard. Needless to 

say, I have yet to be tricked again. 

In the weeks that followed, each of 

the boys developed his own hug-andkiss 

tuck-in routine. Vicenti, who is 7, 

has me lift him into bed every night. 

He gives me the tightest hugs of all. 

Paulo and Isaka both sleep on the 

top bunks. Their beds form an L; I fit 

right between where the beds meet. 

Each night I stand between the two 

and receive simultaneous pecks on 

my cheeks. This has become the “cool” 

way for the oldest boys in the house 

to say goodnight. No matter the night, 

Boazi, who is also 7, is always the last 

to be tucked in. “Wait!” he says as he 

tugs on my arms for another hug. I 

lean down and kiss him on the cheek. 

“How much do I love you?” I whisper. 

“This much,” he says as he holds out 

his arms as far as he can reach. These 

are the moments that make my heart 

most full every day. 

Only eight sunsets remain for me 

here at the Rift Valley Children’s Village. 

Eight more sunsets; eight more 

nights of stories and tuck-ins; eight 

more days to spend with these kids, 

opening their eyes to the world around 

them and being part of the potential 

that lies within them. It’s been absolutely 

incredible to watch them learn 

and grow, even for the short three 

months that I’ve been here. My only 

consolation in leaving is the unbelievable 

will I feel to come back someday 

soon. 

Just before I close the boys’ door 

each night, I blow eight kisses into 

my hands and throw them out to the 

room. In the shadows I see eight hands 

reach up to catch them. “Lala salama, 

nawapenda sana,” I say in Swahili, 

wishing them sweet dreams. I tell 

them I love them, and I really mean it. 

8 

Read more essays from our 

Passion for the Climb series, or see 

how you can submit your own essay, at 

www.colgate.edu/scene/pfcessays 

Commencement 

yesterday and today 

While some things have changed, much remains 

the same in Colgate commencement traditions. 

Early commencements were week-long affairs, 

complete with oral public examinations, student 

orations, and peddlers touting provisions. The 

ceremonies were first held in the Baptist Meeting 

House, later in Alumni Hall auditorium, then 

outdoors for the first time in 1955 on the quad, and 

then near Taylor Lake, until several consecutive 

years of inclement weather brought them into the 

field house this past May. 

At the first commencement in 1822, Professor 

Kendrick addressed the class; 100 years ago, the 

Commencement 1909 speaker was alumnus Charles 

Evans Hughes 1880, New York State Governor and 

future Secretary of State and 

U.S. Chief Justice (bottom stereoview 

photo, second from right.) 

Traditions of yore include Pipe 

Day (bottom right), started by the 

Class of 1887, where seniors gathered 

on the quad to smoke pipes, 

thumbing their noses at faculty and 

administrators who prohibited smoking, 

and Class Day, inaugurated in 1865, 

which featured oration, history, poems, 

prophecy, farewells from the three lower 

classes, and planting of a class tree. Programs 

highlighting the week’s events were, 

for a time, leather-bound and stamped with 

the chapel dome and Colgate seal. 

The beloved Torchlight procession was started 

in 1930 by Frank M. Williams 1895, alumni 

corporation president, and Bernard P. Taylor ’24, 

secretary of the college. 

University marshals typically lead the 

commencement procession, but no one carried 

a ceremonial mace until then-biology professor 

and university marshal Bill Oostenink commissioned 

one, first used in 1991. The mace features 

the chapel dome at its apex; a 13-segmented staff; 

a solid gold university seal; and a carved oak leaf 

and acorn theme. 

Page 13 is the showplace for Colgate tradition, 

13 

history, and school spirit. What are you interested 

in learning about? The Scene wants to know. 

Write to us at scene@colgate.edu.

life of the mind 

Gingrich spurs lively dialogue 

in jam-packed Chapel 

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the 

U.S. House of Representatives, easily 

moved from lecturer to town hall host 

as he initiated a rigorous dialogue 

with students and community 

members who filled every available 

seat and lined the aisles of Memorial 

Chapel in late March. 

Gingrich spoke without notes 

during his lecture, in which he said 

America is in a dangerous place with 

an economic situation not seen in 

80 years. No one has a clue about how 

to address the crisis, he said, including 

members of Congress who are 

“culpable, not capable.” 

Striking a populist tone at times, 

Gingrich advised audience members 

to view the recovery efforts with 

caution. “Over the next three, four, or 

five months, read, watch, think,” he 

said. “Don’t assume that the lessons 

learned in the last forty years apply. 

We’re in the early stages of fundamental 

change. You have to go back to 

first principles because you don’t have 

a road map to help you.” 

Gingrich, who served for 20 years 

in Congress and won widespread recognition 

for developing the Republican 

Party’s “Contract with America” in 

1994, lambasted the CEOs of Citigroup 

and other struggling financial institutions. 

But throwing taxpayer money 

at failing banks is not the way to go, 

he said, because it doesn’t create the 

momentum needed to enact meaningful 

change. 

“I hope people do listen to him and 

work to make changes,” Sarah Demaree 

’09 said after listening to Gingrich. 

She is working as an intern this summer 

in the Washington, D.C., office of 

Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican from 

Oregon. 

Andrew Daddio 

Gingrich took numerous questions 

from audience members, ranging 

from the economy, AIG bonuses, and 

church-state issues to gay marriage. 

“People react to him strongly, and 

the question-and-answer session gave 

it that vitality,” said Robert Kraynak, 

professor of political science and 

director of the Center for Freedom 

& Western Civilization, which cosponsored 

the event with the College 

Republicans. “Because we have begun 

a new era in American politics with 

the Obama administration, I believe 

we need to begin a respectful but 

critical discussion about whether that 

administration is leading us in the 

right direction or the wrong direction 

and whether America is heading for 

prosperity or decline,” Kraynak added. 

“Newt Gingrich is the best person 

in America today to lead us in this 

discussion.” 

— Brittany Messenger ’10 

Kevorkian named Schupf Fellow 

In April, Colgate named Theresa 

Kevorkian ’09 to the Paul J. Schupf Fellowship, 

which funds two years’ study 

at Oxford. Having spent the last four 

years studying Arabic and Islamic history, 

serving as event director for the 

Student Lecture Forum, coordinating 

a Middle Eastern film series, and discovering 

a love for original research, 

Kevorkian took it all in stride. 

“She is an organizer by nature, 

someone who takes on multiple tasks 

and sees them through,” said Alan 

Cooper, associate professor of history. 

“She represents the ideal product of a 

liberal arts education.” 

Kevorkian originally intended to 

earn a law degree, but she changed 

her career path after studying abroad 

in London and digging in the British 

National Archives. “My time in London 

showed me two things,” she said. 

“First, I enjoyed historical research … 

Second, I loved traveling and really 

enjoyed living in England.” 

Thanks to the Schupf Fellowship, 

Kevorkian will be back on the other 

side of the pond this fall, reading for 

an MPhil in Islamic studies and history. 

She hopes that the knowledge 

she gains will allow her to take part 

in Middle Eastern diplomacy after 

graduation. 

To be eligible for the fellowship, 

Kevorkian applied for the nationally 

competitive Rhodes Scholarship 

through the Colgate Committee on 

Graduate Fellowships. She was invited 

Corruption Jerk of the Year 

Bernie Madoff is the poster child for bad 

behavior. This, according to an informal 

survey of Colgate Scene readers. 

In my research on corruption, I often 

survey members of the public to determine 

current social standards of right and 

wrong. So when I wrote “Democracy Without 

Politics” for the last issue of the Scene 

(Spring 2009), the staff and I thought it 

would be a good time to find out what 

Scene readers think about those standards. 

We posted “How Corrupt Is That?” at 

the Scene online, and 66 readers responded 

to our informal survey. They judged 22 

hypothetical actions on a scale ranging 

from “Not at all wrong” to “Seriously 

wrong,” offered comments, and nominated 

a “Corruption Jerk of the Year” (with credit 

to Bill Hinds and Jeff Millar, whose Tank 

McNamara comic strip features a “Sports 

Jerk of the Year”). 

Closely following Madoff, former 

Governor Rod Blagojevich placed second, 

putting on (in true Illinois fashion?) an 

impressive surge among later voters. The 

rest of the votes were widely scattered, 

with former Vice President Dick Cheney 

and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi receiving 

nominations, and miscreants ranging from 

Rush Limbaugh and Tim Geithner, to A-Rod 

and “half the British House of Commons” all 

receiving mention. 

You can see the survey and read my 

analysis of the responses and comments 

on this issue’s Life of the Mind webpage 

at www.colgatealumni.org/scene. To all 

respondents and readers, sincere thanks. 

— Michael Johnston, Charles A. Dana 

Professor of political science 

Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images 

to stand as a candidate for the Schupf 

Fellowship and then applied for admission 

to Oxford. 

Trustee emeritus Paul J. Schupf 

’58 endowed the Schupf Fellowship 

in 2000, providing select Colgate 

students with the rare opportunity to 

continue their studies for two years at 

St. Anne’s College, one of Oxford’s 39 

core institutions. Future funding has 

been augmented thanks to a special 

friendship that Schupf developed 

with current Colgate student Evan 

Lorey ’10. Schupf and Lorey formed 

an investment partnership, and their 

success as investors has led to an additional 

gift to sustain the Schupf Fellowship 

for academic year 2010–2011. 

Through his participation, Lorey 

has provided the largest gift ever 

made by a Colgate student. While 

helping a classmate succeed, he absorbed 

a few lessons for himself: “I’ve 

learned the value of giving back,” said 

Lorey. “I realized that I don’t have to 

wait to give back, to be involved.” 

Kevorkian and other top graduates 

reap the benefits according to 

Interim President Lyle Roelofs. “Placing 

them in preeminent postgraduate 

programs around the world advances 

their careers, enhances their potential 

for future impact, and expands our 

reputation.” 

Schupf, who has also endowed a 

chair in his father’s name, the W.S. 

Schupf Professorship in Far Eastern 

Studies, and funded the creation of 

the Paul J. Schupf Studio Arts Center 

along with many other gifts to Colgate, 

has two fundamental hopes 

for recipients of his fellowship. “All 

I expect is that they benefit to the 

greatest possible extent from the 

experience,” he said. “And that they 

keep in touch.” 

Instrument pushes Colgate to 

new level of research 

A sophisticated instrument tucked in 

a Wynn Hall laboratory is providing 

Colgate researchers with critical information 

about the structure of small 

molecules and proteins, data that 

support the most advanced research 

practices in chemistry and biochemistry. 

The instrument, a dual-source 

X-ray diffractometer, was commissioned 

in December after the university 

was awarded a highly competitive 

grant of $410,000 from the National 

Science Foundation (NSF). 

Chemistry professor Roger Rowlett 

said Colgate is the first undergraduate 

institution in the nation to acquire 

such an instrument. “It provides our 

undergraduates with direct exposure 

and training to research methodologies 

that are essential to protein 

chemistry,” he said. “We can now 

more easily tackle complex problems 

that our peer institutions would find 

impractical or impossible.” 

Rowlett and his research assistant, 

Katherine van den Heever ’09, recently 

demonstrated how the diffractometer 

works. A crystal, composed 

of a highly ordered array of protein 

Katherine van den Heever ’09, a biochemistry major, works with the dual source X-ray 

diffractometer at Wynn Hall. 

molecules, is viewed on the instrument’s 

video camera. It is roughly the 

size of a pinhead, or about 100 microns 

in diameter. The crystal is shot 

through with an X-ray beam, scattering 

it in many directions. By looking 

at the many diffraction patterns and 

running them through a series of 

computational models, Rowlett and 

van den Heever can turn what appears 

like spots on a computer screen 

into a picture of the protein’s atomic 

structure. Determining the molecular 

structure of proteins is critical to 

understanding how they operate, and 

that knowledge is vital in the study 

of diseases and for developing new 

pharmaceuticals. 

“Proteins are the molecules that do 

the dirty work in all living organisms, 

so understanding how they work is 

fundamental to many things we’re 

interested in,” said Rowlett. 

Before Colgate acquired the diffractometer, 

researchers would have 

to travel to Brookhaven National 

Laboratory in Stony Brook, N.Y., or a 

similar lab to conduct tests on crystal 

samples. “It’s been great to have this 

instrument here so we have access to 

it all the time,” said van den Heever, a 

biochemistry major. “I’ve gained a lot 

of good experience working on a difficult 

technique.” 

Rowlett was the lead investigator 

on the NSF proposal, working with 

fellow chemistry professors Anthony 

Chianese and Rick Geier, who will be 

able to use the instrument for their 

research of smaller molecules. Rowlett 

is excited by the research conducted 

so far and the potential for further 

collaborative studies. In fact, he led a 

“crystallography camp,” or training 

program, in July for about a dozen 

visiting professors and students who 

were eager to utilize the power of the 

diffractometer. 

“This instrument puts Colgate on 

the leading edge of undergraduate 

research capability,” said Rowlett. 

“We’re excited about the possibilities 

it provides us.” 

Seniors, alumna awarded 

prestigious fellowships 

Several graduating seniors and a recent 

alumna have been awarded prestigious 

fellowships that will take them 

around the world to explore their 

interests, ranging from documentary 

filmmaking to sustainability-related 

issues. 

“I ultimately hope to learn more 

Live and learn 

During spring break, eight students from 

WRCU radio and the Colgate Activities 

Board (CAB) traveled to the South by 

Southwest Music and Media Conference 

(SXSW) in Austin, Texas, and applied what 

they learned to their organizations. James 

Gerken ’11 reports: 

The conference is actually a triad of three 

separate festivals: music, film, and interactive. 

The trip was a culmination of several 

months of preparation that resulted 

in a unique experience. 

We learned that SXSW is a digitalminded 

festival, from the mobile Wi-Fi 

hotspots all over downtown to the afternoon 

panels about blogging and social 

networking. We fit right in with our own 

blog, Flickr photo galleries, and Twitter 

page. Even with the ubiquitous technology, 

the power of human connections was 

apparent. 

“I found it surprisingly easy to approach 

band members, venue managers, 

and agents, which I know will be invaluable 

for CAB and for booking shows at Colgate,” 

said Ceci Menchetti ’11. 

The presence of thousands of people 

with a similar passion for music provided 

us with some memorable encounters. Liz 

Le ’09, who met the manager of a small 

southern California jazz-metal band, said, 

“Just talking to her about her experience 

was one of the most helpful things I did.” 

David Ryan Pokorny ’10 spoke with 

representatives of other college radio stations 

and sought inspiration for WRCU. He 

also attended meetings regarding Internet 

marketing and promotion and plans to use 

information from those sessions to start 

a new student group on campus aimed at 

promoting Colgate artists. 

Moving from one venue to another, it 

was clear that SXSW was a unique festival. 

Bands with little touring experience were 

performing alongside some of today’s 

big names, such as Kanye West, and even 

some seasoned veterans, like two of the 

biggest headliners, Devo and Metallica. 



Andrew Daddio

life of the mind 

Students in Professor 

Krisjon Olson’s Core 

182 class on Guatemala 

participate in a roleplaying 

exercise about 

the plight of immigrants. 

about myself and the world as I 

embark on this once-in-a-lifetime 

journey,” said Sachi Schuricht ’09, 

recipient of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship 

for a year of independent 

exploration outside the United States. 

With the $28,000 prize, Schuricht 

plans to make a documentary film 

about the international subculture of 

“speedcubing,” the 

sport of competitive 

Rubik’s 

Cube solving. 

She will visit 

speedcubing 

communities in 

Japan, China, Indonesia, 

France, Belgium, 

the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, 

and Hungary. 

Sarah MacKenzie ’09 and Jacquelyn 

Harris ’08 were accepted into 

the U.S. Student Fulbright Program, 

which provides scholarships to foster 

mutual understanding among nations 

through educational and cultural 

exchanges. 

MacKenzie will teach conversational 

English to high school students at 

public and private schools as well as 

Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. 

Harris will be working as an 

English teaching assistant in German 

schools. She looks forward to acting 

as a resource for German students to 

not only further their understanding 

of English, but also in obtaining 

a perspective of American culture. 

As a recipient of the St. Andrew’s 

Society of the State of New York 

Scholarship, Kelly Henderson ’09 will 

pursue a graduate degree in sustainable 

energy systems at the University 

of Edinburgh. “While conducting 

research in Colgate’s physics department, 

I discovered my interest in the 

technology behind alternative energies,” 

said Henderson. “This scholarship 

will help me take my passion for 

sustainability to the next level.” 

Victoria Martucci ’10 received an 

honorable mention for her Barry M. 

Goldwater Scholarship application. 

At press time, decisions were still 

pending for several other Fulbright 

applicants as well as nominees for the 

Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship 

and the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. 

Governor appoints Moore to 

state commission 

Colgate professor Nina M. Moore, associate 

professor of political science, 

has been appointed by Gov. David 

A. Paterson to a four-year term on 

the New York State Commission on 

Judicial Conduct. The commission is 

the state agency responsible for investigating 

complaints of misconduct 

against judges of the state unified 

court system and, where appropriate, 

determining to admonish, censure, 

or remove from office those judges 

found to have engaged in unethical 

behavior. Composed of 11 members, all 

of whom serve without pay, the com- 

Andrew Daddio 

mission has a full-time staff operating 

from offices in Albany, Rochester, and 

New York. 

“I’m honored to have been selected 

by the governor for this commission, 

which I believe provides important 

oversight of our state’s judicial system,” 

said Moore. “My hope is to add 

as much to the commission’s deliberations 

and investigations as I am sure 

I will learn from being part of the 

process and interacting with the finest 

jurists and attorneys from across 

the state.” 

Moore has been at Colgate since 

1998. She is author of Governing Race: 

Politics, Policy and the Politics of Race 

(Praeger 2000) and various articles 

and papers on the Supreme Court and 

Congress. She received her BA from 

Knox College and her MA and PhD in 

political science from the University of 

Chicago. Prior to Colgate, Moore held 

teaching positions at DePaul University, 

the University of Minnesota, and 

Loyola University of Chicago. 

Faculty promotions 

Congratulations are in order for a few 

professors for whom the Board of 

Trustees approved promotion to full 

professor: Evelyn Hart, mathematics; 

Damhnait McHugh, biology; and Ann 

Jane Tierney, psychology. 

Debate Society wins award and 

ranks 16th in the world 

Capping off a triumphant year, the 

Colgate Debate Society received the 

Debate Program of the Year award 

from the Society Advocating More 

and Better Argumentation. The 

award is given annually to the college 

debate team that “best illustrates the 

qualities associated with the founding 

ideals of the organization”: winning 

with grace, losing with class, and 

demonstrating concern for bringing 

the community together, even under 

the pressure of competition. 

Following the 2009 World Universities 

Debate Championships in 

Cork, Ireland, the Colgate team was 

ranked 16th in the world, up from 

63rd last year. Beating out teams such 

as Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, 

Colgate is ranked third among U.S. 

colleges. The rankings are based on 

total point accumulations for the past 

five years of competition in the world 

championships. 

As a conclusion to the academic 

year, society members gathered in 

Donovan’s Pub for the championship 

James H. Cone, widely credited with founding the black theology movement, spoke in 

Memorial Chapel about racism in America. 

round of their annual intramural 

debate tournament called the Class of 

1884 President’s Cup. Austin Schwartz 

’11 and Henrik Temp ’11 came in first 

place and split the $500 prize. Coming 

in third, Steve West ’09 won the tournament’s 

Top Speaker Award and the 

Class of 1884 Award, which honors the 

top senior debater for excellence in 

debate, judging, and mentoring during 

the course of his or her participation 

in the society. 

“I’m already looking forward to fall 

and our continuing adventures,” said 

team coordinator John Adams. “Their 

dedication to the pursuit of debate is 

inspiring.” 

Prestigious fellowships awarded 

to professors 

What do neorealist films from Italy 

and the effects of climate change in 

the Russian far east have in common? 

Two Colgate professors were recently 

awarded fellowships to continue their 

research in these areas beginning in 

the early fall. 

Luca Caminati, associate professor 

of Italian and film and media studies, 

is the recipient of a Paul Mellon/National 

Endowment for the Humanities 

Post-Doctoral Rome Prize, a residential 

fellowship at the American Academy 

in Rome. During his 11-month fellowship, 

he will explore the origin of the 

neorealist movement that began in 

Italy in 1945 and compare the films 

from that time with pre–World War 

II documentaries. Referred to as 

“springtime in Italy,” neorealism was 

born when the fascist regime ended, 

leading to an explosion of artistic 

freedom, particularly among filmmak- 

ers. The American Academy in Rome 

awards the fellowships to 30 artists 

and scholars to create an interactive 

community. Caminati said he hopes 

to collaborate with a scholar of Italian 

culture who will “help me define this 

issue of documentary and realist cinema 

during the fascist period.” He will 

be writing a book based on his project, 

which is provisionally titled The Real 

Realist: Rossellini, Documentary, and 

the Formation of Italian Neorealism. 

Jessica Graybill, assistant professor 

of geography, will be expanding on 

her previous research when she travels 

to the Russian far east in August 

to begin a six-month exploration of 

“Climate Change, Oil, and Salmon in a 

Globalizing Resource Periphery: Narratives 

of Vulnerability Around the Sea 

of Okhotsk.” Graybill is the recipient 

of an American Council of Learned 

Societies Fellowship. Graybill will develop 

her findings through interviews 

with residents of three communities 

around the Sea of Okhotsk, participant 

observation, and reading the current 

research by Russian scientists. “The 

Arctic and sub-Arctic areas are some 

of the first to experience climate 

shifts, and people who live in these 

regions and depend on the land for 

survival are feeling those effects first,” 

she explained. “Research into how 

people are dealing with these changes 

and will be dealing with them in 

the future can lend greater insight 

into what’s going to be happening 

with our environment due to climate 

change,” she said. “And that’s what 

motivates me — understanding the 

human side.” 

Faculty retirements 

Four members of the faculty — two from the same department 

— were recognized at commencement for achieving emeritus 

status upon their retirements. 

As a member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy 

since 1984, Joseph Amato “is known to his students and fellow 

faculty as a demanding professor who always seems to find the 

time to help others understand the intricacies and beauty of 

physics,” said longtime colleague Tom Balonek, who is also chair 

of the department. Amato has served the university in many 

capacities, including twice as department chair, chair of the 

Scientific Perspectives Core, director of the natural sciences 

and mathematics division, and most recently as co-author of 

the Middle States Review. With research interests including the 

properties of materials and devices at very low temperatures, 

superconductivity, the physics of impact cratering, and physics 

education, he has been a major innovator of the physics curriculum 

both at Colgate and nationwide. Co-author of the textbook 

Modern Introductory Physics, he developed several novel 

laboratory apparati and experiments that have received national 

awards. He received his PhD in experimental solid state physics 

from Rutgers University. 

As a member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy 

since 1968, Shimon Malin has taught popular courses on the 

physics of space-time, relativity, and physics and philosophy. 

“Shimon is known as a patient, gentle, thoughtful teacher, who 

has challenged science and non-science students alike as they 

studied to understand and appreciate our place in the universe,” 

said Balonek. Malin holds a PhD in theoretical quantum mechanics 

from the University of Colorado. He has authored dozens of 

papers and a textbook in his research specialties, which include 

the foundations of quantum mechanics, general relativity, and 

cosmology. His recent book Nature Loves to Hide: Quantum 

Mechanics and Reality, a Western Perspective, aimed at a 

general audience, probes the relationship between science and 

philosophy. 

Dierk O. Hoffmann joined the Colgate faculty in 1977 after 

completing a PhD at the University of Basel, Switzerland, in 

1973. He had also done postdoctoral work funded by the German 

National Research Funds, and worked in educational publishing. 

His scholarly work has focused on methods and theory of critical 

text editions, German literary life in early 20th-century Prague, 

and second-language acquisition. In recent years, his passion 

shifted somewhat toward technology and the classroom, an 

area where he has been one of the pioneers at Colgate. His work 

brought living German authors and contemporary German theater 

into the Colgate classroom — not only via electronic media, 

but also in person — and in turn took Colgate out into the world 

through his many collaborations, both at home and abroad. “All 

of his work — as a scholar and as a teacher — has been marked 

by a tremendous enthusiasm for the unconventional,” said Alan 

Swensen, chair of the Department of German. “Dierk inspired 

generation after generation of our students with this same 

enthusiasm.” 

Ibrahim A. Ahmad joined the Department of Mathematics in 

2005 as Neil R. Grabois Professor of mathematics. His career as 

a respected expert in nonparametric statistics, life testing and 

reliability, actuarial science, and applied probability included 

various administrative posts both in academia and in industry. 

He also served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nonparametric 

Statistics. Among his honors, Ahmad, who holds a PhD in 

statistics from Florida State University, is a fellow of the American 

Association for the Advancement of Sciences, American Statistical 

Association, International Statistical Institute, and the 

Royal Statistical Society. “While at Colgate, Professor Ahmad 

has shared his enthusiasm for his field with many students at the 

introductory and the advanced level,” said Evelyn Hart, chair of 

the department. 



Andrew Daddio 

Joseph Amato 

Shimon Malin 

Dierk O. Hoffmann 

Ibrahim A. Ahmad

arts & culture 

Charles Simic, the 2007 

poet laureate, speaks 

about his work at the 

Ho Lecture Room. 

Visiting poet laureate infuses 

readings with humor 

Charles Simic, 2007 poet laureate, 

delighted an intent audience with 

his dark humor on an April night in 

the Ho Lecture Room. “The corpses 

like cigarette butts. In a dinner plate 

overflowing with ashes,” he read from 

the title poem of his latest book, That 

Little Something. Author of more than 

60 books, Simic has won numerous 

literary awards, including the 1990 Pulitzer 

Prize for Poetry for his collection 

of prose poems The World Doesn’t End. 

In between reading his work, Simic 

told personal stories that offered a 

glimpse into each poem’s background. 

“At one point, I could beat every 

grown-up in my neighborhood at 

chess,” he revealed before reading a 

poem about the game that brought 

him some peace during wartime. 

Simic was first exposed to war at the 

age of 3 when Nazis attacked Yugoslavia 

and bombed Belgrade, where 

he was born in 1938. “I’ve written so 

many poems about war because I’ve 

lived through so many — little did 

I know there would be more of the 

same in the new century,” he said. 

Explaining that English words had 

“been in his head” since childhood 

because he had grown up watching 

Westerns, Simic developed his fluency 

when he emigrated from Yugoslavia 

to Chicago as a teenager. At that 

point, he hadn’t yet discovered his 

love of language through poetry — he 

wanted to be a painter. 

Both the public lecture and a 

noontime discussion in which Simic 

discussed his book about artist Joseph 

Andrew Daddio 

Cornell were part of the ArtsMix 

forum, sponsored by the Institute for 

the Creative and Performing Arts. 

Professor Peter Balakian introduced 

the poet laureate at the public lecture. 

“The poems are inflected by apocalyptic 

images, burning cities, the nameless 

something lurking out there,” 

Balakian said. “Simic’s persona is a 

Houdini artist, finding ways to keep 

navigating the mad world.” 

Despite the gravity of the topics 

Simic explores, he let it be known that 

he does not take himself too seriously. 

He spent much of his talk reading poems 

from his early work rather than 

his most recent book because, “When 

a new book comes out, you keep 

reading it over and over again and get 

really tired of the poems,” he joked. 

“Nobody loves themselves that much. 

At least, I don’t.” 

Simic’s sense of humor also came 

through when he discussed the difficulty 

of writing love poems. “What 

a hassle it is to find new ways to 

describe her hair and eyes and chin, 

because the whole point is you’re supposed 

to say she’s the most beautiful 

creature, but anything that comes to 

mind is really a cliché,” he said. His 

answer to that dilemma was in his 

poem “My Beloved”: “Her eyes are flies 

in milk, her eyes are baby Draculas, to 

hell with her eyes.” 

Colgate awards Schupf Art Prize 

Amy Elizabeth Long has received the 

2009 Schupf Senior Art Prize for her 

installation Bricks. 

On display in Little Hall as part of 

the senior art show, Bricks resembles 

a wall, approximately 20' x 12', lying 

horizontally on the floor. It is formed 

from 1,600 hand-made paper pulp 

blocks. All are white and rectangular; 

each has its own texture, personality, 

and elevation off the concrete. Looking 

down, the viewer is gripped by an ambitious 

sense of scale and entrancing 

rhythm. “It’s a very mature work,” said 

Picker Art Gallery Director Scott Habes 

— mature of its conceptual nature 

and the deep meaning it obviously 

holds for Long, he explained. 

“I think it’s a very subtle, very powerful 

work of art,” added the prize’s 

creator, Trustee Emeritus Paul Schupf 

’58, who, along with Habes and art 

professor Bob McVaugh, helped select 

the winner. “It’s very hard to scale up 

a work of art like that and have it hold 

together.” 

The Schupf Prize brings an award 

Go figure – Art 

40 art and art history majors in the 2009 

graduating class 

11,000+ works in the Picker Art 

Gallery collections 

62 video display screens in film and 

media studies professor John Knecht’s 

studio and storage areas 

90,000+ images in the 35 mm slide 

collection in the Visual Resources Library 

108 tape recorders in individual file 

cabinet drawers in artist-in-residence Alan 

Berliner’s interactive sculpture, Audiofile 

1 ton of hand-laid stone stacked into 

a beat-up car in Amputechture by John 

Emison ’09 

2,268 movie minutes played in the past 

academic year’s Friday Night Film Series in 

Golden Auditorium 

of $500 and places Bricks in the 

Picker’s public art collection. It will be 

one of many pieces used in spaces up 

and down the hill to beautify campus 

and edify the community. 

Author who has taught, read at 

Colgate wins Pulitzer 

Author Elizabeth Strout, who taught 

creative writing at Colgate in the fall 

of 2007 and will return to campus 

this fall, has won the 2009 Pulitzer 

Prize for fiction. 

Strout won for her book Olive 

Kitteridge, a series of 13 connected 

short stories centered on a school 

teacher living in a hardscrabble town 

in coastal Maine. The Pulitzer citation 

says her collection of stories “packs a 

cumulative emotional wallop, bound 

together by polished prose and by 

Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed, 

and fascinating.” 

Strout returned to campus last 

spring for a reading of Olive Kitteridge, 

and she is scheduled to come 

to campus again Oct. 22 as part of 

the Living Writers course taught by 

professors Jane Pinchin and Jennifer 

Brice. 

“Liz is a generous writer,” said 

Pinchin, chair of the English department. 

“There’s real joy here for all who 

know her. And we look forward to 

having students read her work this 

fall, and get the chance to discuss it 

with her.” 

Strout is the author of Amy and 

Harold Ramis meets with students in Ryan Studio in Little Hall. 

Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles 

Times Art Seidenbaum Award for 

First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune 

Heartland Prize, and Abide with Me, 

a national bestseller and Book Sense 

pick. She has also been a finalist for 

the PEN/Faulkner Award and the 

Orange Prize in England. Her short 

stories have been published in a number 

of magazines, including The New 

Yorker and O: The Oprah Magazine. 

Harold Ramis talks 

moviemaking with students 

Colgate students had a chance to 

meet with director, actor, writer, and 

producer Harold Ramis, who spent 

two days on campus talking shop 

and showing special previews of his 

upcoming movie. 

Ramis, whose son is a rising 

sophomore at Colgate, is a veritable 

Hollywood heavyweight, with many 

Liana Hadarean ’09 explores “the proliferation of images” in her senior art project, 1st sentence — analytical proposition. 

Open mic 

Students in Peter Balakian’s spring 2009 

advanced poetry workshop presented 

a reading of their work at the Colgate 

Bookstore to celebrate National Poetry 

Month. Here is a taste — the first stanza — 

of three. 



Andrew Daddio 

popular movies under his belt such 

as Caddyshack, Analyze This, Animal 

House, and Ghostbusters. 

Ramis met with students in a 

film history course and two theater 

classes, and had lunch with Colgate’s 

improvisational group, Charred 

Goosebeak, and with the Student 

Lecture Forum. 

Students responded to Ramis’s 

down-to-earth nature and quick 

humor as they quizzed him about his 

career. One student elicited a roar of 

laughter from classmates and Ramis 

himself when he asked: “I saw one 

of the movies you were in, and the 

character really spoke to me. So I just 

wanted to know, what was the profound 

meaning of Knocked Up?” 

“It was so interesting to have a 

man with such diverse talents in 

class. He was so funny!” said Arianne 

Templeton ’10. “I was surprised at 

how many great anecdotes he had 

about these huge stars like Robert 

De Niro.” 

Ramis was asked what advice he 

would give to someone looking to 

enter the entertainment world. “I 

never want to discourage anyone. You 

don’t need me to tell you the odds are 

against you. Be as good as you can be. 

If you’re gonna do it, don’t hold back,” 

Warren Wheeler 

Kunks 

By Jihan Jude ’09 

After a roaming dog marked its territory 

in airy petals of azure plumbagoes 

cousin Nickesha dared me eat, 

rank odor among Grandma’s bushes, 

Bentleyville, PA 

By Danielle Lanzet ’11 

Static as the gray of the old man’s head, 

I see him stationary like the chair beneath 

him. 

Stubborn from overcooked steak and 

potato hash, 

He sits with perfect posture on his 

recliner, 

And mines for fuel over the depreciated 

hill 

with John the Bottomer, though 

Bentleyville, PA, shut down long ago. 

Mangoes 

By Erin Fenn ’09 

The air is soft this afternoon, 

I lick the juice from the side of my mouth, 

the tough mango skin stuck in my teeth. 

Kingfishers hum and images start to form 

as I look beyond my picnic blanket to the 

easel on the grass. 

8 

Read the full poems, and watch a video of 

the reading, at www.colgate.edu/scene.

arts & culture 

Placebo director Henry Prince ’07 (right) offers direction to actor Jon Prescott. 

he said. He also shared one of his special 

talents with the class — his ability 

to do accents. He performed his lines 

from the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey 

Cox Story in which he was required to 

speak in Yiddish. 

At a screening of Groundhog Day 

in Golden Auditorium, Ramis talked 

about how the film, which he directed 

and co-wrote, was not fully appreciated 

at first, although the reviews 

were good and the audience was 

solid. What really struck Ramis about 

the movie was the overwhelming 

response from different communities. 

He said everyone from Hasidic Jews to 

Buddhists to psychoanalysts all cham- 

Performed by Margareth Kammerer, All Good Everything Good is director 

Jay Scheib’s choreographic work based on Shakespeare’s All’s Well 

That Ends Well. Kammerer was the sole performer in this “minimal study 

on the unrequited love disguised as unreasonable revenge” in Clifford 

Art Gallery, sponsored by Colgate’s Institute for the Creative and 

Performing Arts. 


pioned the film because they identified 

with some part of its message. 

At the screening, the audience was 

treated to a preview of Ramis’s newest 

comedy, Year One, which was released 

June 19. Film students in one of the 

earlier classes saw 36 minutes of the 

“biblical comedy,” which stars Jack 

Black and Michael Cera and is directed 

by Ramis and produced by Judd Apatow. 

Ramis also showed a preview to 

Hamilton Central School students, 

who were thrilled to have a chance to 

spend an afternoon with him. He told 

them that plans are progressing for 

Ghostbusters III, in which he expects 

to have a cameo role along with Bill 

Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Rick Moranis. 

— Megan Foley ’09 

‘Placebo’ takes effect on Colgate 

community 

Students, faculty, and Hamilton residents 

packed into the Hamilton Movie 

Theater at the end of April to see 

some familiar sights on the big screen. 

Placebo, a new short film directed by 

Henry Prince ’07 and produced by 

Jacob Lindauer ’08, was filmed on and 

around Colgate’s campus last October. 

Placebo was a work in progress for 

10 months, and the weekend before 

the showing in Hamilton, it premiered 

at the Palm Beach International Film 

Festival in Florida. It was also chosen 

to be part of the Los Angeles United 

Film Festival in May. 

The story line follows a cool con 

man who travels from one college 

town to the next selling “drugs.” But 

he’s not selling the uppers and downers 

he claims to have; he’s really peddling 

cold medicine and sugar pills. 

In the narrative, the main character, 

Derek, explains that he’s selling the 

“experience of buying drugs.” His 

Derek Soter 

scheme is threatened when he crosses 

a campus safety officer. 

As Derek’s 1969 purple Plymouth 

Road Runner drives through Hamilton 

and nearby Earlville, you see 

Broad Street fraternity and college 

houses, Andy Kerr Stadium, and Case 

Library and Geyer Center for Information 

Technology, where some scenes 

were shot. “We wanted a picturesque 

college campus for our location,” explained 

Lindauer. 

Some familiar faces are in the 

movie, too. Patrick Slevin ’09 and 

Matthew LaTronica ’09 had larger 

roles, while a number of students 

played extras and were production 

assistants. Area resident Greg Hilcox 

appears in a scene at the Hourglass 

tavern, where he is a bartender in the 

movie and in real life. 

They acted alongside professional 

actors Jon Prescott (Derek), who has 

been on As the World Turns and Law & 

Order, and Jamie Benge (Officer Bain), 

who has been in a number of short 

films and commercials. 

“I nervously accepted, knowing 

that I would be on camera with professionals,” 

admitted Slevin. “Filming 

was actually much more relaxed than 

I thought it would be. The experience 

was surreal, but fun.” 

Prince and Lindauer’s former film 

professor, John Knecht, helped them 

get the word out to involve students 

with the making of the film. And 

Hamilton Movie Theater manager 

Chuck Fox ’70 was kind enough to 

leave the marquee on when the film 

was being shot at night, in addition 

to agreeing to host the Hamilton 

premiere. 

Returning to Hamilton for the 

screening was the filmmakers’ way 

of thanking those in the community 

who participated. “We think it’s so 

important for people who work on 

films to see the finished product and 

be proud of the work they did,” said 

Prince. “This movie could not have 

been made without Hamilton, without 

the Colgate students.” 

Senior art project: Amputechture 

John Emison ’09 explained that his 

senior art project, Amputechture, is a 

“portmanteau of amputate, technology, 

and architecture.” 

The idea for Emison’s project was 

sparked on a trip with his senior studio 

seminar to the Chelsea galleries 

in New York City. Between two of the 

many galleries the class visited that 

day, he saw a van with its back doors 

Amputechture by John Emison ’09 

open and full of cement bricks, “as 

if the cargo space had been filled up 

with stone,” he described. “I joked that 

it was the most interesting thing that 

I saw all day, until I realized that it 

really was the most interesting thing 

that I saw,” Emison said. The image 

stuck with him until he decided to 

begin executing an art piece. 

“The final realization of that idea 

came across very strongly as a tomblike 

structure within the car, which 

made sense because of my interest in 

anthropology and minor in sociology 

and anthropology. Along with the 

prehistoric context, there is a material 

comparison that I find interesting 

— the stone and the decaying metal, 

paint, plastic, and glass,” he explained. 

Emison hopes to leave the piece 

in a space for several years “where 

the local vegetation can grow over 

and around it, allowing the earth to 

reclaim it, and periodically revisit the 

piece to see how the car continues 

to decompose while the stone stays 

rather unaltered.” 

To see more senior art projects, visit 

Arts & Culture at www.colgatealumni. 

org/scene. 

In the spring University Theater production of The Lady’s Not for Burning, Ela Dugan ’12 

(left) played the character Jennet Jourdemayne, who, at the end of the play, has been 

cleared of charges of witchcraft and convinces Thomas Mendip (played by Alexander 

Korman ’09, right) to run away with her. 

Get to know: Mark Williams 





Studio Technician, Department of 

Art and Art History 

What was your background before coming to Colgate in 2002? 

I was a Macintosh support technician for a consulting company in the Utica area. I did 

photography and drafting in high school, and graphic design in college. I worked in the 

printing field for quite a few years, which led back into graphic design as we got into 

computer-based design and typesetting. 

Tell us about your job. 

I help students with their projects in Video Art, Digital Studio, and studio arts classes, such 

as with scanning and Photoshop for printmaking. I give demonstrations such as how to use 

InDesign and our large-format printer to make posters for art history thesis presentations. 

I do technical and software support for the department — we have an ITS technical support 

assistant, but they come to me first because I’m right here. I design postcards and brochures. 

Working with the students is the fun part. I can help them, and it gives me a little bit 

of a creative outlet. 

What’s the neatest project with which you’ve ever helped a student? 

This year, Amanda Katz [’10] has been sculpting a big ship out of welded metal. As part of 

it, she was working with an outside vendor to rout words into wood. I helped her determine 

how she could set it up on a computer program for him to create what she wanted. 

What’s this giant ampersand doing on your table? 

Lynnette Stephenson [art professor] just gave me that. She had one like it in her office. 

I was joking with her one day. I told her if she keeps bugging me, I’ll take her ampersand. 

So she bought me one! I’m kind of an amateur typographer. 

What do you do when you’re not working? 

Last year, I started the Kirkland Cyclocross Race (the cycling equivalent to cross country) in 

Clinton, where I live with my wife, Janice. I’d been involved with cycling for quite a few years. 

I’ve been a runner even longer — I’ve run four marathons. I just got involved with the Colgate 

photo club; we’re doing an exhibition in the Barge. 

What are your go-to websites? 

Because I’m such a Mac head, MacDailyNews. For cycling information, VeloNews. 

What three things would you want to have if you were stranded on a desert island? 

I guess a computer wouldn’t be much good! A bike could serve a dual purpose of transportation 

and entertainment. A survival manual. Some kind of hunting weapon. I guess I think 

functionally. 

Andrew Daddio

go ’gate 

Meghan Lawler ’10 

(#12) catches a pass 

in the offensive zone 

during the Raiders’ 

17-4 romp over Navy 

in the Patriot League 

Women’s Lacrosse 

Tournament. 

End-of-season Colgate awards 

Nine student-athletes were honored 

with awards at the second annual 

Colgate All-Sports Banquet on April 

30. Brandon Corp ’09 (men’s lacrosse) 

and Emily Murphy ’09 (women’s 

swimming) were respectively named 

Colgate’s Male and Female Athlete of 

the Year; Nate Eachus ’11 (football) and 

Kimberly Sass ’11 (women’s hockey) 

were honored as the Male and Female 

Rookies of the Year; Dan Kerley ’09 

(men’s soccer) and Mark Anderson ’09 

(men’s hockey) shared the Male Scholar 

Athlete award; and Meredith Remmer 

’09 (rowing) and Jessica Kielty ’09 

(cross country/track and field) shared 

the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year 

honors. Jim Nagle (men’s lacrosse) and 

Heather Bliss (women’s lacrosse) were 

named the 2009 recipients of the 

Howard N. Hartman Coach of the Year 

Award. Kiki Koroshetz ’09 of women’s 

soccer was the first recipient of a new 

award named for her. The award will 

be presented on occasion by the head 

coaches to an individual who has 

exemplified unwavering strength and 

remarkable courage. 

Opportunity knocks 

Offensive linemen Nick Hennessey 

’09 and Steve Jonas ’09 each signed 

free agent contracts following the 

2009 NFL Draft. Hennessey, a 2008 

first team all-American for the Raiders, 

inked a contract with the Buffalo 

Bills, while Jonas, a 2008 first team 

all-Patriot League honoree, joined the 

Detroit Lions. 

Big Mac 

At the conclusion of the hockey season, 

the honors and awards started 

to pile up for David McIntyre ’10. The 

junior was not only named a first 

team all-ECAC Hockey honoree, but 

also garnered first team AHCA/Reebok 

Men’s East All-American honors. Mc- 

Intyre became the 14th All-American 

in the Raiders’ storied hockey program 

and first since Andy McDonald ’00 

accomplished the honor in 2000. The 

native of Pefferlaw, Ontario, also was 

a national finalist for the prestigious 

2009 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, 

and received all-College Hockey News 

and first team all-Inside College 

Hockey All-American recognition. 

Sloane makes pro debut 

David Sloane ’09, who signed an amateur 

free agent tryout agreement with 

his hometown Philadelphia Phantoms 

of the AHL in mid-March, made his 

NHL debut on April 9 in Madison 

Square Garden as the Philadelphia 

Flyers played the New York Rangers. 


Raider asks 

Just before retiring on June 30, Bob Cornell, 

director of athletic communications, 

let Raider ask him about sports trivia he’s 

stored in his memory over 33 years. 

You’ve worked every football 

game since 1976. What fun 

Colgate-NFL connections have 

you seen? 

For a school our size, we’ve been well 

represented in the Super Bowl: Mark Van 

Eeghen ’74, twice with the [Oakland] Raiders, 

Mark Murphy ’77, twice with the Redskins, 

and Eugene Robinson ’85, twice with 

the Packers and once with the Falcons. 

How have some of the facilities 

changed since you arrived in 1976? 

The first major building that went up was 

the field house. Where it stands used to 

be an old wooden-board track. They would 

shovel it off in the winter. And the ski slope 

was still open. When I first came, there 

were just two sets of rickety bleachers at 

Andy Kerr Stadium, so the Dunlap Stands 

were a major addition, as was the creation 

of Tyler’s field. Originally, there was an 

eight-lane bowling alley in Reid Athletic 

Center — they took four lanes out to create 

locker room space for women. 

Beyond the countless athletes 

whose stories you’ve told, what 

other students made an impression 

on you? 

The kids who’ve worked in the sports 

information office. They were all smart, 

and many went on to related fields. My 

very first student worker, Craig Neff ’79, 

is an assistant managing editor for Sports 

Illustrated. 

Didn’t they ask you to change your 

name when they offered you the 

job? (Don’t even answer that.) 

Do you have a Colgate sports trivia topic 

suggestion or question for Raider? Send 

an e-mail to scene@colgate.edu and put 

Ask Raider in the subject line. 

Sloane saw 6:44 of action in a 2-1 

loss. Two other former Raiders signed 

amateur tryout agreements with the 

AHL: Jason Fredricks ’09 joined the 

Providence Bruins and Nick St. Pierre 

’09 signed with the Syracuse Crunch. 

Hunt wins national skills 

competition 

Samantha Hunt ’09 ended her collegiate 

hockey career by capturing the 

Top Female Performer in the NCAA 

Frozen Four Skills Competition in 

Washington, D.C. The senior helped 

the East squad double up the West 

16-8 overall. Hunt posted the event’s 

hardest shot of the evening, registering 

75.3 on the meter. 

Women’s lacrosse nets second 

Patriot League win 

For the second consecutive season, 

the Colgate women’s lacrosse team 

captured the Patriot League title. 

The Raiders blasted Navy 17-4 in 

the finale to earn their second berth 

into the NCAA Tournament and 

fourth bid in the program’s history. 

Colleen Bubnack ’11 was named the 

tournament MVP, while Molly Carroll 

’09, Maddie Kearns ’09, Sara Drexler 

’09, and Meghan Lawler ’10 were 

named to the all-tournament team. 

Colgate, which finished with a 14-5 

record, fell to second-ranked Maryland 

20-4 in the opening round match-up 

in College Park, Md., on May 10. 

Kearns also received the league’s 

defensive player of the year honor. It 

marked the sixth time a Raider has 

received the award and first since 

current assistant coach Heidi Ross ’06 

captured the honor in 2005. 

All-Patriot League accolades 

Colgate placed 30 student-athletes 

on all-Patriot League teams during 

the spring semester — 16 on the first 

team and 19 on the second team. 

Women’s lacrosse and women’s track 

and field led the way with five first 

team selections. 

Representing women’s lacrosse 

were Brie Moran ’10, Meghan Lawler 

’10, Colleen Bubnack ’11, Courtney 

Miller ’12, and Maddie Kearns ’09, 

while Curry Knox ’09, Ashley Mecone 

’09, Michelle Miller ’11, Ashley Niness 

’10, and Julie Tarallo ’11 garnered first 

team recognition from the women’s 

track and field team. Brandon Corp ’09 

(men’s lacrosse), Martin MacIntyre ’09 

(men’s tennis), Calla Yee ’09 (softball), 

Erin Gomez ’09 (softball), Elise DeRose 

’10 (women’s tennis), and Meredith 

Remmer ’09 (women’s rowing) 

rounded out the first team selections. 

Second team honorees included 

Ashley Didio ’09 (women’s lacrosse), 

Kevin Collelouri ’09 (men’s lacrosse), 

Nick Montastero ’09 (men’s lacrosse), 

Mike Crown ’10 (men’s lacrosse), 

Greg Perkins ’11 (men’s lacrosse), John 

Nogueras ’10 (men’s tennis), Jesse 

McCarrick ’10 (softball), Tiana Tyeskey 

’09 (softball), Stephanie Hartquist 

’12 (softball), Amanda Eccleston ’10 

(softball), Phil Natoli ’10 (men’s track 

and field), Alex Atkinson ’12 (women’s 

track and field), Sarah Chabal ’10 

(women’s track and field), and Andrea 

Fugazot ’09 (women’s track and field). 

League players of the year 

Three Colgate seniors were honored 

as Patriot League players of the year in 

their respective sports. Brandon Corp 

’09 was named the Offensive Player 

of the Year for men’s lacrosse for the 

third-straight season. The senior, 

who was a finalist for the prestigious 

Tewaaraton Trophy, led the nation in 

scoring for a great portion of the season. 

Curry Knox ’09 was named the 

2009 Most Outstanding Female Track 

Athlete of the Meet. She captured 

league titles in the 100-meter dash 

and 100-meter hurdles, and was part 

of Colgate’s winning 4 X 100-meter relay 

squad. Knox also gathered second 

team all-league honors in the 200 

meters. Her 100-meter time of 11.70 

met NCAA Regional qualifying standards 

and broke Colgate and Patriot 

League records. 

Spring league coaches of the year 

Heather Bliss (women’s lacrosse), 

Laura Nardelli (women’s track & field), 

and Vickie Sax (softball) were chosen 

as Patriot League Coaches of the Year 

in their respective sports. 

Bliss led Colgate to a 14-5 record, its 

second-straight Patriot League title, 

and second-consecutive trip to the 

NCAA Tournament. This marked the 

sixth time a Raiders’ women’s lacrosse 

coach has received the honor. Nardelli 

concluded the season by leading the 

Raiders to a third-place effort at the 

2009 Track and Field Championships. 

Colgate was chosen to finish seventh 

in the preseason league poll. Sax guided 

the Raiders to a 25-18 overall record 

and second place in the Patriot League 

regular season. It was the second time 

that she has garnered the honor. 

Get to know: Heather Bliss 

Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse 

– Hometown: Manlius, N.Y. 

– College lacrosse experience: University of Connecticut, starter at 

midfield, four years 

– Previous lacrosse coaching experience: Head coach, Davidson College, 

2004–2006 

In your first season coaching here in 2007, Colgate had a 6-12 record after the Patriot 

League Tournament. This year, your team won 14 of 18 games and defeated Navy 17-4 in 

the Patriot League Tournament finals. What led to the amazing two-year turnaround? 

[Part of] it had to do with the trust the girls had in our coaching staff, but a lot of it had to do 

with the leadership of the senior class. 

Did you always know that you wanted to be a women’s lacrosse coach? 

I did. I always wanted to give back to the sport that had given me so much. My mother had 

started the lacrosse program in my town, and she and all of my coaches on my high school, 

Empire, and college teams showed me that if I was able to pass this sport down to others, 

then I should. 

How did you find yourself at Colgate? 

They called me, and I was flattered. I was successful at Davidson (Bliss led Davidson to its 

highest single-season win total in school history), so they brought me up for an interview. 

I liked the staff, the athletic director, and the facilities here. 

What do you do when you’re not coaching? 

I’m always hanging out with my family (Bliss married Colgate football wide receivers coach 

Chris Young on July 4, 2009). I love snowboarding, skiing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, and 

hiking. I basically like anything that doesn’t keep me inside. 

What has been your most challenging moment both as a player and a coach? 

As a player, it was being able to understand the concepts the coach was teaching and to do 

the things she was expecting. As a coach, it’s learning how each player works and getting the 

most out of each player. I think part of our success is that our staff has been able to figure 

out what buttons to push in order to motivate players and bring out the best in them. 

On the flip side, what has been your favorite moment? 

As a player, it was when I got to compete in the Carrier Dome [at Syracuse University]. I had 

played some high school games there [Bliss attended nearby Fayetteville-Manlius High 

School], but it was great when I went in there as a first-year for a Big East game. We were 

undefeated going in and tied at halftime, and it was awesome that UConn’s side of the field 

had more people than Syracuse’s side. As a coach, it was definitely the back-to-back Patriot 

League Championships. I’ll always remember both of those teams. 

What is your favorite place to eat in town? 

I’m going to have to say [my house] when I’m in season, so I can eat Coach Young’s cooking 

and I have don’t have to do anything. 

— Paul Kasabian ’10 



Andrew Daddio

new, noted , 

& quoted 

Books, music & 

film 

Information is provided by publishers, 

authors, and artists. 

Armenian Golgotha 

Professor Peter Balakian, co-translator 

(written by Grigoris Balakian) 

(Knopf) 

Peter Balakian, 

Donald M. and 

Constance H. 

Rebar Professor 

in the humanities, 

co-translated 

(with Aris Sevag) 

Armenian Golgotha: 

A Memoir 

of the Armenian Genocide, 1915–1918, 

written by his great uncle. Grigoris 

Balakian was a priest in the Armenian 

Apostolic Church at the time of the 

genocide and later became a bishop. 

He wrote about his arrest in 1915 with 

some 250 other intellectuals and 

leaders of Constantinople’s Armenian 

community. It was the beginning of 

the Ottoman Turkish government’s 

systematic attempt to eliminate the 

Armenian people from Turkey, a campaign 

that continued through World 

War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. 

For Grigoris, it was the beginning 

of a four-year ordeal during which he 

would bear witness to a seemingly 

endless caravan of blood. 

A Pint of Plain 

Bill Barich ’65 

(Walker & Company) 

After Bill Barich 

moved to Dublin, 

he found himself 

looking for an 

Irish pub like the 

one in John Ford’s 

classic movie 

The Quiet Man, 

offering talk and 

drink with no 

distractions. But such pubs are now 

scarce, and for Barich, this signaled 

something deeper at play — an erosion 

of the essence of Ireland. Blending 

history and reportage, Barich 

offers an homage to the traditional 

Irish pub, and to the central piece of 

Irish culture disappearing along with 

it. From famed watering holes to the 

tiny village pubs, Barich introduces an 

array of characters and engages in a 

discussion about what it means to be 

Irish today. 

Crude 

Joe Berlinger ’83 

(First Run Features) 

Three years in 

the making, this 

cinéma-vérité 

documentary 

from filmmaker 

Joe Berlinger ’83 

(Brother’s Keeper, 

Paradise Lost, Metallica: 

Some Kind 

of Monster) is the epic story of one 

of the largest and most controversial 

legal cases in the world. An inside look 

at the infamous $27 billion “Amazon 

Chernobyl” case, Crude is a real-life, 

high-stakes legal drama set against 

a backdrop of the environmental 

movement, global politics, celebrity 

activism, human rights advocacy, the 

media, multinational corporate power, 

and rapidly disappearing indigenous 

cultures. Presented from multiple 

viewpoints, the film subverts the 

conventions of advocacy filmmaking 

as it examines a complicated situation 

from all angles while bringing a story 

of environmental peril and human 

suffering into focus. Crude premiered 

in January to critical acclaim at the 

2009 Sundance Film Festival and has 

picked up numerous awards on the 

international film festival circuit. The 

film will be released to theaters nationwide 

in September, followed by a 

DVD release and television broadcast 

on the Sundance Channel in 2010. 

Notes on Cooking 

Lauren Braun Costello ’98 and Russell 

Reich ’85 

(RCR Creative Press) 

Notes on Cooking: 

A Short Guide to 

an Essential Craft 

is a primer that 

can help anyone 

become a better 

cook — without a 

single recipe. The 

book’s 217 “notes” 

deliver culinary 

truths, standards of conduct, and 

gems of cooking wisdom that have 

been taught and passed down by top 

chefs for generations. Lauren Braun 

Costello is a private chef, instructor, 

and food stylist for national television 

broadcasts. Russell Reich is a writer 

and creative director. 

Ananios of Kleitor 

George Economou ’56 

(Shearsman Books) 

Ananios of Kleitor 

introduces this 

ancient Greek poet’s 

extant poems 

and fragments, as 

well as the record 

of their reception 

and preservation. 

Ananios and his 

scholars perform 

their work at the edge of the real 

world and the margins of a thoroughly 

historicized and critically acute context, 

George Economou asserts. The 

book is a medley of verse and prose as 

well as a diversity of genres, ranging 

from the epistolary novel to scholarly 

annotations and an Index Nominum. 

Something Out There 

Chi McClean ’98 

(Independently released) 

Something Out 

There is the debut 

album by William 

“Chi” McClean, 

who writes 

acoustic rock 

songs marked by a “haunting Southern 

style.” Many of his songs take a 

straightforward look at love, loss, and, 

in the end, opportunity. The album is 

often described as melodic and soulful, 

drawing on complex guitar riffs, 

solid drum beats, upright bass playing, 

gritty B-3 organ, and vintage electric 

pianos. It was recorded in San Francisco 

at Flying Kitchen and Studio D 

by Boone Spooner, mixed in Los Angeles 

by Kevin Shirley at the Document 

Room, and mastered in New York by 

Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. 

You Are Here 

Jennifer Smith ’03 

(Simon & Schuster) 

In Jennifer Smith’s second novel for 

young adults, main character Emma 

Healy never fit in with the rest of her 

family and has grown used to being 

the only ordinary one among her extraordinary 

parents and siblings. But 

when she finds a birth certificate for 

a twin brother whom she never knew 

she had, along 

with a death certificate 

dated just 

two days later, she 

feels like a part 

of her has been 

justified in never 

feeling whole. 

Suddenly, it seems 

important to visit 

his grave, to set off in search of her 

missing half. She and her next-door 

neighbor head from upstate New 

York toward North Carolina, finding 

out more about each other and what 

they’re looking for along the way. 

The Adirondack Book 

Annie Stoltie ’96 (co-authored with 

Elizabeth Folwell) 

(The Countryman Press) 

The Adirondack Book is an updated 

handbook to the historic, cultural, 

geographic, and recreational opportunities 

that abound in the park and its 

BookCase 

A selection from the new 

titles shelf at Case Library 

• American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of 

New Poetry 

Edited by David St. John and Cole 

Swensen 

• The Book of Night Women 

Marlon James 

• The Charged Void: Architecture 

Alison Smithson and Peter Smithson 

• Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global 

Warming 

Anthony D. Barnosky 

• Johnny Cash: The Biography 

Michael Streissguth 

• The Kindly Ones 

Jonathan Littell and Charlotte Mandell 

• Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail From 

Istanbul to India 

Rory MacLean 

• Overcoming Katrina: African American 

Voices from the Crescent City and 

Beyond 

D’Ann R. Penner, Keith C. Ferdinand, and 

Jimmy Carter 

• The Presidents We Imagine: Two Centuries 

of White House Fictions on the Page, 

on the Stage, Onscreen, and Online 

Jeff Smith 

• Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive 

Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel 

Dave Gibbons, Chip Kidd, and Mike Essl 

gateway cities, including 

Saratoga 

Springs and Glens 

Falls. As editors 

of Adirondack 

Life magazine, 

Annie Stoltie and 

Elizabeth Folwell 

provide candid 

reviews of the 

area in which they are immersed. The 

book includes more than 100 up-todate 

detailed maps and photos to use 

as a guide. 

Perfectly Imperfect 

Lee McConaughy Woodruff ’82 

(Random House) 

Lee McConaughy 

Woodruff chronicles 

her life as 

wife, mother, 

daughter, sister, 

and friend in Perfectly 

Imperfect: 

A Life in Progress. 

Bob Woodruff ’83 

writes the introduction 

to his wife’s deeply personal 

and, at times, humorous stories that 

highlight universal topics and how 

life never seems to go as planned. This 

book is the testimonial of a woman 

who embraces the chaos of her surroundings, 

discovers the splendor of 

life’s flaws, and accepts that perfection 

is as impossible to achieve as a spotless 

kitchen floor. 

Also of Note: 

Encountering Disgrace: Reading and 

Teaching Coetzee’s Novel (Camden 

House), edited by Bill McDonald ’61, 

is a book of essays devoted to Nobel 

Laureate J.M. Coetzee’s controversial 

novel set in post-apartheid South 

Africa. The 10 critical essays and 8 

essays on teaching the novel grapple 

with the ethical issues Disgrace raises: 

rape, gender, race, and animal rights. 

The 18 contributors to the collection 

are all faculty members or graduates 

of the Johnston Center for Integrative 

Studies at the University of Redlands, 

where McDonald is emeritus professor 

of English. 

In the media 

“It’s similar to the debate over whether you want to arm 

airline crews.” 

— Douglas Macdonald, associate professor of political science and an 

anti-piracy expert, offering analysis to MSNBC.com for a report about 

efforts to thwart pirate attacks on shipping vessels 

“College is when I first got struck by the notion that using 

video to tell a story could possibly change the outcome of 

human-rights situations.” 

— Filmmaker Sandy Cioffi ’84 speaking to the Sun Gazette (Springfield, 

V.A.) about what sparked her interest in producing documentaries 

“It’s important to see that the world is bigger than the place 



you live.” 

— Maria Marinucci ’09 describing to the Sun Journal (New Bern, N.C.) her 

experience building homes as part of an alternative spring break trip 

“That was the most important thing to me: to tell that story 

as richly as I could in the best language that I could.” 

— Peter Balakian, Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor in the 

humanities and professor of English, in an Armenian-Mirror Spectator 

article about his recently re-published memoir, Black Dog of Fate 

“Academics played a big part of it. Colgate is a prestigious 

school.” 

— Brandon James, an incoming first-year and soon-to-be Raiders basketball 

player, talking to his hometown newspaper, the Poughkeepsie Journal (N.Y.) 

about his decision to attend Colgate 

“It’s not just reaching out to two or three contacts. They 

[students] have to keep coming back.” 

— Teresa Olsen, associate director of career services, explaining graduating 

seniors’ job-hunting strategies to the Associated Press 

“To have that energy back in the space, and to hear the old 

names that came up … It’s just great to get a picture of the 

station through the years.” 

— Bill Gabler ’07, assistant director of the Center for Leadership and 

Student Involvement and adviser to WRCU, remarking to The Chronicle 

of Higher Education about the history of the campus radio station and 

recent dedication ceremony of its new home in the Blackmore Media Center 

“They [printmakers] drew people into the political process. 

They wanted to energize the people.” 

— Joachim Homann, Picker Art Gallery curator, talking to The Post- 

Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) about the Chinese woodblock print exhibition at 

the gallery 

“When people are nervous about the economy, they’re not 

going to take on a large new loan.” 

— Nicole Simpson, associate professor of economics, speaking about the 

downturn in the housing market to The Observer-Dispatch (Utica, N.Y.)

<strong>Set</strong> our feet on lofty places 

President Rebecca S. Chopp 

led Colgate to new heights 

In her Colgate University inaugural address, Rebecca 

Chopp quoted a phrase spoken by one of her predecessors 

that would become a theme, a mantra, 

an ethic, if you will, for her presidency. In calling 

upon the community to “work together, to continue 

our traditions revised, renewed, reclaimed for the 

twenty-first century,” she also proposed the manner 

in which we should proceed, in words first stated 

by Colgate’s sixth president, George Merrill, at his 

own installation 103 years before: “Always straight, 

onward and upward.” 

How fitting now to look back and see that, with a 

sense of spirit, elevation — dare we say levitation — 

this is what she did, from day one. As Colgate’s first 

woman president, said then–Provost and Dean of 

the Faculty Jack Dovidio that September day in 2002, 

“Rebecca Chopp has already taken us places we have 

never been before.” And for the next seven years, she 

led Colgate on an unprecedented climb. 

Members of the community responded in force 

when asked to comment on the ways in which a 

leader led, and a university flourished. 

– Rebecca Costello, Managing Editor 

“Rebecca saw immediately that debate was not only 

something that Colgate could do, but something 

without which Colgate could not do. That was thrilling 

for those of us who wanted to debate, but had 

nowhere to do it. She also threw her support behind 

what began as a wing of the Debate Society and 

took on a life of its own, the Student Lecture Forum. 

It was a chance to create a community where we 

Chopp and her husband, Fred Thibodeau, celebrate together 

during her inaugural celebration. (September 2002) 

President Rebecca Chopp with her dog, Lady 

could investigate interesting ideas socially through 

enlightened conversation, part of her expansive 

vision for debate: a culture of communication fully 

integrated with the Colgate landscape. What did 

this mean for me? It allowed me fully to engage at 

Colgate.” 

– Pat Kabat ’06, former president, Harry C. Behler 

Debate Society 

“Rebecca made Colgate a better place in so many 

ways. One for which I am most grateful is that she 

built much stronger connections, and even points of 

Chopp became known for her dedicated engagement with 

alumni at events on and off campus. 

trust, between the faculty and the Board of Trustees. 

Rebecca could explain us to each other; she had insight 

and compassion for both groups, and she used 

those to teach us. She was a really patient teacher.” 

– Padma Kaimal, Associate Professor of Art and 

Art History; member, Strategic Planning 

Committee 

“Working with Rebecca is a lot of fun, and never 

dull. In good situations and challenging times, she 

bolsters morale when the chips are down, maintains 

focus when everyone else is flagging, persists when 

it would have been easy to fold. She built a strong 

team and constantly worked with us to solidify our 

strengths as individuals and as a group. I learned 

an enormous amount from Rebecca about effective 

leadership. She embodies patience and grace under 

pressure, humility and courage, intelligence and 

compassion, determination and foresight. Colgate 

has taken giant strides forward, in ways that retain 

the best of its identity.” 

– Kim Waldron ’81, Secretary of the College 

“Rebecca’s positive mindset transformed every 

challenge into an opportunity for advancement. She 

focused her attention on amplifying the board’s aspirations 

to underscore our academic excellence. She 

Civil — but lively — discourse at a practice of the Harry C. 

Behler Debate Society 

articulated this in the strategic plan and captured 

its essence with the phrase, ‘The leading liberal arts 

university.’ Her real genius, however, has been in her 

execution of that plan — her ability to get different 

groups of people to share a common vision, understand 

its positive consequences, and appreciate that 

its success depends upon each individual’s commitment 

and contribution to it. Colgate has moved from 

strength to strength under her leadership. We are in 

her debt.” 

– Christopher Clifford ’67, Chair, Board of Trustees 

“While she cared deeply for all our constituents, her 

unshakable commitment to students was evident in 

the classes she taught, by standing in a snowstorm 

at Andy Kerr Stadium for a playoff football game, in 

her passion for the Debate Society, in her promotion 

of the arts, to attending dinners at Delta Upsilon and 

other Greek-letter organizations, and events with 

the ALANA Cultural Center, COVE, Upstate Institute, 

and more. She seemed to be everywhere at the same 

time; our ever-present president.” 

– Robert Tyburski ’74, Vice President and Senior 

Philanthropic Advisor 

Cultivator 

Colgate’s Division 1-AA playoff win over the University 

of Massachusetts during the most successful season in 

Raider football history (November 2003) 

“Rebecca’s positive mindset transformed every challenge 

into an opportunity for advancement.” — Christopher Clifford ’67 

“One of the things I admire most about Rebecca is 

how she related to everyone on the same level. No 

matter who came into the office, they felt comfortable 

sticking their head in the door to say hello.” 

– Deb Barnes, Assistant to the Secretary of the 

College 

“I first met Rebecca Chopp on the cross country 

trails at Colgate as we walked our dogs together. She 

remained interested in our municipality and its inhabitants. 

Rebecca understood the seriousness with 

which we govern our small village, and was careful 

never to let Colgate be overpowering. Then, there 

is the Fourth of July parade, when the crowd in the 

village swells to as many as ten thousand people. 

She joined the village board members at the front of 

the parade, year after year. We’d chat and distribute 

candy, and then she’d go off to cook chickens at the 

Chopp was a regular participant in the Village of Hamilton’s 

Fourth of July parade. 

Methodist Church barbecue. President of Colgate she 

may be, but for that day she was one of us. 

“Rebecca’s departure is bittersweet for my husband 

and me, as we are Swarthmore alumni. She 

will dazzle them, as she did us. I’ve written to the 

mayor of the Borough of Swarthmore so they’ll be 

prepared!” 

– Sue McVaugh, Mayor of Hamilton 

“As a member of the committee that developed 

the strategic plan, I know how much all of us were 

encouraged and inspired — and, truth be told, 

often firmly prodded! — by Rebecca to think in the 

broadest and most ambitious terms about ways to 

enhance every aspect of Colgate’s academic, cultural, 

residential, and social life. The plan, and Rebecca’s 

eloquent championing of it, has also helped Colgate 

achieve a clear sense of its distinctive identity as 

The Outdoor Education Program’s first climbing competition 

at the Angert Family Climbing Wall (March 2007) 


News and views for the Colgate community 27

Innovator 

what we now aptly call a liberal arts university. 

Indeed, although there are no doubt more tangible 

signs of her impact, I suspect that its full implementation 

may well prove to be one of the most notable 

parts of her vital legacy to Colgate.” 

– Linck Johnson, Professor of English, member, 

Strategic Planning Committee 

“Rebecca’s management style is one to emulate. I 

never left a meeting with her that I did not feel was 

run perfectly, that much was accomplished, and that 

I learned something. She never shied away from 

tough questions or issues, but was ready to take 

anything head on.” 

– RuthAnn Loveless MA’72, Vice President of 

Alumni Affairs 

“As a religion major and budding women’s rights 

activist, I discovered the possibilities for reconciliation 

in the feminist theology created by Rebecca and 

her contemporaries when she co-taught Women In 

Religious Thought. We all know Rebecca the administrator, 

but I got to understand her as the forwardthinking, 

relevant academic that she is.” 

– Sarah Compter ’04 

“For almost 10 years, I had the privilege of serving 

with Rebecca Chopp on the Board of the Carnegie 

Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. All of 

our endeavors benefitted immensely from Rebecca’s 

deep understanding of Carnegie and its educational 

priorities. She played a particularly insightful role in 

our search for a new president. Her incisive questions 

always cut to the core of the difficult quanda- 

The annual student-organized Colgate Arts! Initiative 

Festival 

ries we faced. Rebecca’s solid advice, wisdom, vast 

experience in searches, and quiet sense of humor 

inspired us throughout.” 

– David Tatel, former chair, Carnegie Foundation 

for the Advancement of Teaching; Judge, U.S. 

Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit 

“I am pleased to see the arts today stronger and 

better integrated into the fabric of the university. 

This required more than simply encouraging support 

of the arts. In Rebecca, we have had a president 

who simply could not imagine how a university can 

flourish without a dynamic arts scene.” 

– Mary Ann Calo, Director of the Institute for the 

Creative and Performing Arts (2006–2008), 

Professor of Art and Art History 

“Rebecca has a commitment to look at any issue or 

situation and have as her sole focus to ‘do the right 

thing.’ Nowhere has this been more evident than in 

her commitment to making a Colgate education 

Women’s soccer players celebrate their Patriot League 

Championship. (November 2004) 

accessible and affordable to the very best and 

brightest young women and men from all backgrounds 

and traditions. So many outstanding 

students would not be here today were it not for the 

fact that she made financial aid a top priority in her 

administration.” 

– Gary Ross ’77, Vice President and Dean of 

Admission 

“Rebecca’s seven years of steadfast and relentless 

work helped us rethink diversity and inclusivity on 

campus. Her — at times — soft and quiet ways of 

effecting change have impacted the status of students 

and faculty of color. She made all of us part 

of her triumphs without taking any credit for it.” 

– Lourdes Rojas, Professor of Spanish 

“When Rebecca agreed to teach a first-year seminar 

with me, I have to admit that I assumed that she 

would be a kind of honorary professor rather than 

a full-time participant in the class. It became clear 

at the very beginning of that fall 2008 semester, 

however, that she intended to be my co-professor in 

every sense of the word. Rebecca was not only an incisive 

discussion leader in our seminar, Political Theology, 

she also enthusiastically embraced the other 

role of an FSEM professor: introducing students to 

academic life at Colgate, and to the rigor and excitement 

of research and learning. We covered a lot of 

ground on the relationship between politics and 

theology, but we also learned a great deal about how 

administrators, faculty, and students experience life 

at Colgate, and about how we can better interact 

with each other across what can sometimes be 

fairly wide institutional divisions. I can’t count the 

Global Leaders Lecture Series hosts His Holiness the Dalai 

Lama. (April 2008) 

Chopp listens to a Benton Scholar’s perspective during a Political Theology FSEM discussion. (October 2008) 

number of times that the students (and I) turned to 

Professor Chopp in order to gain greater insight into 

the decisions and challenges that were being faced 

every day by President Chopp. I will miss sitting at 

the seminar table with her and our eager students, 

and hearing her say: ‘So, what did you think in response 

to the reading that was assigned for today?’” 

– Tim Byrnes, Professor of Political Science 

“Rebecca Chopp was the reason I came to Colgate. 

I first became acquainted with her when I attended 

the Frye Leadership Institute in information technology 

at Emory University in 2000. Rebecca was on 

its faculty, and her vision of what was needed by 

library and technology leaders in higher education 

was impressive. By the time I arrived here in 2005, 

one of Rebecca’s top objectives was to build the 

state-of-the-art Case Library and Geyer Center for 

Information Technology. I quickly benefited directly 

from Rebecca’s facilitative leadership. I have been 

With the transfer of house ownership to Colgate, fraternities 

and sororities moved forward as members of the 

Broad Street Community. 

able to help guide the Colgate libraries forward to 

realize their mission to support the curriculum and 

scholarship.” 

– Joanne Schneider, University Librarian 

“I met President Chopp during our daughter Luisa’s 

first year. I wanted to learn her plans regarding 

diversity — an issue dear to my heart. She immediately 

replied that bringing in students from different 

countries and different colors was at the top of 

her list. We spoke about economic diversity as well. 

Chopp (left) and Professor Ellen Kraly train for their Mount 

Baker climb for breast cancer research with a snowshoe 

outing on campus. (February 2004) 

I knew right then that we had a jewel as president 

of Colgate. Rebecca made profound changes. She 

established transparency from her first day on the 

post, had a vision, and shared it. She is like a comet 

that swooshed past us, lighting our path. Now she 

continues her journey to light the way for others. 

I will miss her.” 

– Rosalia Miller P’06, Board of Trustees 

“Rebecca’s drive and spirit make you want to be a 

part of her team. In seven years, there was never 

a bad day at the office! I feel blessed by the opportunity 

to work with such a talented, remarkable 

person. And you’ve got to love a boss who enjoys 

Gilligan’s ice cream, chocolates, and chicken wings!” 

– Claudia Caraher, Assistant to the President 

“I was the first chair of the $400 million Passion 

for the Climb campaign. President Chopp was an 

amazingly passionate and effective fundraiser for 

Colgate. Even in these challenging times, I am confident 

that the goal will be reached and exceeded. For 

that, Colgate will be forever thankful to her. Rebecca 

has the courage of a lion, the decisiveness of a top 

chief executive, and boundless energy. Colgate is so 

fortunate to have had her lead us for seven wonderful 

years of growth in academic excellence and 

significant improvement in the student experience 

(I have my son Denis ’09 and daughter Megan ’10 

at Colgate). She has earned a little vacation time at 

Swarthmore!” 

– Denis Cronin ’69, Trustee Emeritus 

“Rebecca did not tell the Alumni Council what to 

do, but she made it clear she was counting on us to 

do great things. She sought differing perspectives, 

“She made all of us part of her triumphs without taking any 

credit for it.” — Lourdes Rojas 

The largest grant ever received by Colgate, nearly $1 million 

from the NSF, supported a four-year investigation into 

the effects of acid rain on the Adirondacks. 


News and views for the Colgate community 29 29

listening for nuances to help her see issues from all 

sides. She earned the respect, support, and friendship 

of alumni across generations. At a football game a 

few years ago, I overheard a group of alumni arguing 

about a recent decision by the administration. When 

their talk turned to President Chopp, however, they 

reached quick consensus and expressed what I’ve 

heard from many alumni. Colgate, they enthusiastically 

agreed, was very lucky to have her.” 

– Joanne Spigner ’76, Board of Trustees and 

former president, Colgate Alumni Council 

“Like a breath of fresh air, Rebecca Chopp arrives at 

Colgate, sweeps away the cobwebs of uncertainty 

and indecision, and forges an immediate action plan 

to move Colgate to the forefront of the very best 

liberal arts institutions in the country. The beautiful, 

new Robert H.N. Ho Science Center — a magnificent 

facility, dedicated to interdisciplinary science and to 

the relevance and value of a liberal arts education — 

is just one tangible result. I will always be indebted 

to Rebecca, and to Mr. Ho, for their gracious support 

in making a dream come true.” 

– Richard April, Dunham Beldon Jr. Professor of 

Geology 

“I have been the treasurer of the Delta Upsilon 

Alumni Corporation for nearly 40 years. Back in 

2003, I had questions about Colgate’s plan to buy 

the fraternity and sorority houses. Several meetings 

with President Chopp convinced me that the plan 

was sound, and in the best interest of the chapters. 

Judging by alumni giving, which is at an all-time 

high, and the tone on campus at graduation and 

reunion, it is clear that most alumni, students, and 

parents recognize that the move was good for the 

The new townhouses offer expanded opportunities through 

the residential education program. (August 2005) 

The Robert H.N. Ho Science Center, a new home for collaborative, multidisciplinary learning 

university. The Greek System is thriving as part of 

the Broad Street Community. On behalf of Delta 

Upsilon, thank you very much.” 

– Lee Woltman ’65 

“I was personally inspired by Rebecca to stretch for 

Colgate, think imaginatively, and to never forget 

cherished traditions. She spoke often of Colgate’s 

“I was personally inspired by Rebecca to stretch for Colgate, 

think imaginatively, and to never forget cherished traditions.” 

— Ron Joyce ’73 

The Case Library and Geyer Center for Information 

Technology — beyond stacks and study carrols, a hub of 

collaborative learning and scholarship 

unique DNA, which she not only respected but also 

integrated personally. She will leave our alma mater 

a measurably improved place. I can’t say I ever saw 

her sweat, but she had the energy and drive of an 

eight-oar crew. She graduates summa cum laude! 

I wish she’d stay on here for a graduate degree.” 

– Ron Joyce ’73, former president, Colgate Alumni 

Council 

“Rebecca Chopp taught me how to work with 

people, handle conflict, navigate tough real-world 

politics, and get things done. When I stumbled, she 

used it as a learning experience for me. 

“When our football team reached the national 

championship, she was our ‘Cheerleader-in-Chief.’ 

The SGA wanted to find a way for students to attend. 

She helped make sure we had the resources to get 

Robert H.N. Ho ’56 signs a beam before it is set into the 

framing of the science center named in his honor (June 2006). 

A happy Chopp looks on. 

Builder 

everyone possible in attendance. I had so much fun 

cosponsoring a pep rally at the Palace Theater with 

her. We celebrated the football team’s brilliant season 

in front of a packed crowd of students, families, 

and townspeople. The Colgate energy was incredible.” 

– Bart Hale ’04, Student Government Association 

President, 2003–2004 

“Rebecca was always present, even during her painful 

recovery from extensive foot surgery, offering 

advice, making tough decisions, and encouraging 

everyone to do what is right for Colgate and its 

students. What I will miss most about Rebecca is not 

the way in which she galvanized the Colgate community 

with her extraordinary charm and leadership 

capabilities, but the boss, colleague, and friend 

whose commitment to excellence for Colgate was 

genuine morning, noon, and night, from the very 

first day she and Fred arrived in Hamilton.” 

– David Hale ’84, Vice President for Finance and 

Administration 

“President Chopp has been a strong role model for 

me. She has always been receptive to student issues, 

and a constructive and knowledgeable adviser and 

supporter, from the SGA, our athletic teams, Coop 

renovations, and the new Donovan’s Pub, to the 

linkage between residential life and our academic 

experience, and engaging students with the community, 

to her Colgate spirit. She will always be a 

Colgate Raider in our hearts.” 

– Melissa Madaio ’09, Vice President, Student 

Government Association, 2008–2009 

The Glendening Boat House on Lake Moraine, built to meet 

the needs of Colgate’s NCAA Division I rowing program, 

and offer recreational boating 

“Rebecca strongly supported getting the Upstate 

Institute up and running, which was the most 

rewarding work of my career at Colgate. The Upstate 

Institute, Hamilton Initiative, and continuing commitment 

to the village, town, schools, and day care 

are evidence that she understands that Colgate’s 

success is tied to the success of its community! She 

pushed both the global and the local, knowing that 

students and faculty would grow with new opportunities 

in the world and right at home.” 

– Jill Tiefenthaler, former Colgate economics 

professor and Director of the Upstate Institute; 

now Provost, Wake Forest University 

“Rebecca has become the face of Colgate. Certainly, 

Colgate athletics has benefited from her presence at 

games, as well as her support and thorough understanding 

of having a Division I athletics program. 

For me, she has been the quintessential role model 

and mentor. I will miss her smile, her snappy outfits, 

Colgate’s vision of global education is duly represented 

in the O’Connor Campus Center’s transformation into a 

campus “village green.” 

and her ebullient spirit and character. Best of luck at 

Swarthmore, Rebecca!” 

– Vicky Chun ’91, Senior Associate Athletic 

Director/Senior Woman Administrator 

“Rebecca Chopp was the right president for Colgate 

at a crucial juncture in our history. She brought both 

the skill sets — honed at a leading university — and 

temperament to help Colgate not only regain its forward 

momentum, but also to dramatically enhance 

our prominence and position as a leading liberal 

arts university. She was able to meet the imposing 

challenges of appealing to Colgate’s many constituencies 

while making difficult decisions that she and 

the Board of Trustees concluded were in the best 

long-term interests of the university. She has accomplished 

in seven years what many of her peers fail 

to achieve in fifteen. My deepest gratitude, and my 

best wishes to Rebecca and to Fred as they explore 

a new challenge. Colgate is truly the better place 

for Rebecca Chopp having served as its fifteenth 

president.” 

– John Golden, Chair, Colgate Board of Trustees 

2001–2007; Trustee 1994–2007 

8 

Rebecca Chopp discusses her presidency and hopes 

for Colgate with her friend Professor Ellen Kraly at 

www.colgate.edu/video 

Editor’s note: The headline for this article is a line 

from the university hymn, “God of Grace and God of 

Glory,” by Harry Emerson Fosdick, Class of 1900. 

The Hamilton Movie Theater, one of several historic properties 

revitalized by Colgate’s Hamilton Initiative that are 

now populated by viable businesses 



88 Days By 

Aleta Mayne 

On January 1, 2009, Paul ridley ’05 

set Out tO crOss the atlantic Ocean. 

his missiOn: tO hOnOr his mOther’s memOry 

by raising $500,000 fOr cancer research. 

his challenge: he wOuld be gOing it alOne 

the whOle way. in a 19-fOOt rOwbOat. 


Joy Ridley 

Standing in front of the congregation at Christ 

the King Lutheran Church, wearing a button-down 

shirt, jeans, and flip flops, Paul Ridley ’05 looked 

relaxed. But the topic of his talk — his 88 days 

rowing solo and unsupported across the Atlantic 

Ocean — had the parishioners on the edges of their 

pews. Having completed the row on March 29, Paul 

was spending an April weekend in his hometown 

of Binghamton, N.Y., addressing the community that 

had been praying for him throughout his journey. 

His father, Pastor Mark Ridley ’72, stepmother, Pastor 

Nadine Ridley, and sister, Joy, sat in the front row. 

During the next hour, Paul would admit things 

like the fact that he doesn’t enjoy swimming and 

gets seasick easily. He described how the Milky Way 

would illuminate the sky at night and how he’d 

make faces at himself in the reflection of the boat 

hatch for entertainment. As the sun shone through 

the church windows, the rapt audience listened to 

the young man who has grown up in front of their 

eyes and, at age 25, became the youngest — and 

only the third — American to successfully complete 

the expedition. 

Paul’s row was motivated by a cause important to 

his family. After seeing both of their parents battle 

cancer, he and Joy founded the nonprofit organization 

Row for Hope. Their mom, Katherine Ridley, 

died of malignant melanoma in 2001. A few months 

later, their dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

Fortunately, Mark was successfully treated and is 

cancer free today. 

“We had a dramatic example of what the two 

different outcomes are when someone is diagnosed 

with cancer: my mom’s case, which doesn’t have 

effective treatments available and doesn’t get the 

research dollars that the other cancers get, versus 

my dad’s case,” Paul explained. “We want to have 

more cases like my dad’s and fewer like my mom’s.” 

Paul had been introduced to the idea of ocean 

rowing through a colleague at his workplace, Greenwich 

Associates. He said it started out as a joke, but 

he soon realized that this was how he could “do 

his part” for cancer research. Paul had been in the 

rowing seat before, having rowed for the Raiders 

and after graduation with the Norwalk River Rowing 

Association. His discomfort with the ocean only 

added to the appeal of the challenge. “I knew it was 

something outside of my comfort zone, and part 

of what attracted me to the ocean in the first place 

was the fact that it was so far beyond what I was 

accustomed to,” he explained. 

When Paul started planning for the approximately 

2,950-mile journey from the Canary Islands to 

Antigua, he informed the partners at Greenwich 

“I knew it was 

something outside 

of my comfort zone, 

and part of what 

attracted me to the 

ocean in the first 

place was the fact 

that it was so far 

beyond what I was 

accustomed to.” 

Associates and told his dad of his ambition. They 

all agreed to support him, but no one quite believed 

that three years down the road they would be 

praying for him to make it across the ocean safely. 

“I’m a great believer in denial, and so I said, ‘That’s 

fine,’ and just assumed it would never happen,” 

Mark said. Through the years of preparation, he 

added, it started to become a reality. “But he 

convinced me from a safety point of view that he 

wasn’t taking a big risk,” Mark explained. “I think 

he was as prepared as anybody could be for the 

expedition that he undertook.” 

The birth of Liv 

Preparation began with the craft that would carry 

Paul across the ocean. He collaborated with British 

boat designer Phil Morrison for eight months to 

design a boat with minimal accommodation for a 

single rower; at 19 feet, the yellow rowboat would 

end up 5 feet shorter and significantly lighter than 

most ocean rowing boats. The aft cabin had just 

he named the bOat liv, which means “life” in nOrwegian and translates in Old nOrse dialects tO “PrOtectiOn” and “defense.” 

Erik Olsen 


enough room for Paul to lie flat to sleep — with 

a half inch of clearance — and sit up. The fore cabin 

stored 95 days’ worth of 8,000 calorie-per-day 

meals as well as his sea anchor. Although he had no 

chase boat or means of resupply, Liv was equipped 

with the technology of an ocean racing yacht. A 

solar-power system provided electricity for an 

expedition-style PDA, an Automatic Identification 

System transponder (radar that sends data through 

radio signals to other ships), a satellite phone, and 

a position indicating beacon. The solar-powered 

system also juiced up Paul’s Panasonic Toughbook 

laptop — on which he would post daily updates on 

his blog at Rowforhope.com — and his 160-gigabyte 

iPod filled with music and a number of books on 

tape, from Shakespeare classics to Into the Wild. He 

named the boat Liv, which means “life” in Norwegian 

and translates in old Norse dialects to “protection” 

and “defense.” 

The second important part of the equation was 

Paul’s physical stamina, which he built through 

training with a rowing coach, weight lifting, cardiovascular 

work, and even Bikram yoga. “It’s a great 

way to relax, work on flexibility and core strength, 

and do some different mental exercises,” Paul said 

of yoga. After all, he knew that his mental strength 

would be the biggest challenge. Consulting with 

numerous ocean rowers, he was told many times 

that “you can train all you want, but if you can’t get 

your head on straight to get into that rowing seat, it 

will never matter.” 

Shoving off 

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, Paul said goodbye 

to Liv as she got her first taste of the open ocean 

when he sent her to the Canary Islands in the belly 

of a cargo ship. A month later, Paul and his family 

followed her, to the departure point of the island 

La Gomera. 

blOg entry, december 12, 2008: “i made 

it safely tO the canary islands and gOt 

my first glimPse Of the atlantic Ocean 

that i’ll be living On fOr the next three 

mOnths. my first reactiOn — let me at it!” 

The Ridleys spent the first few days on La Gomera 

wiring Liv’s electronics and packing her cabins. For 

safekeeping, Paul mailed a box of his personal 

possessions, including his wallet and Blackberry, to 

34 

Paul asked him for northeast winds 

at 10 to 15 knots... 

his home in Greenwich, Conn. Then came the waiting 

game. Although Paul had planned to depart on 

December 16, he spent the next couple of weeks biding 

his time until the Spanish government issued his 

port clearance and the weather forecast predicted 

enough northeasterly wind to help him progress 

west. The rest of the Ridley family eventually had 

to return home, so Paul was left alone to wait. 

On Christmas Day, he climbed to the top of a cliff 

overlooking La Gomera where a giant statue of Jesus 

watches over the town. Paul asked him for northeast 

winds at 10 to 15 knots, and then returned to his 

rental apartment to listen to Christmas carols. 

On December 30, Paul’s Christmas wish came 

true. He received his port clearance and the forecast 

looked favorable. Paul’s odyssey began on New Year’s 

Day. Departing simultaneously was another rower, 

58-year-old Leo Rosette, who was attempting to 

break a different age record, the oldest American to 

cross any ocean. There to see both of them off was 

experienced ocean rower Simon Chalk of Woodvale 

Challenge, an organization that supports ocean 

rowing races. 

blOg entry, december 31, 2008: “in 

cOllege i went On a shOrt cruise frOm 

miami tO mexicO and back. i was seasick 

the entire time and swOre that i’d never 

gO On any mOre silly Ocean triPs. OOPs!” 

As anticipated, seasickness struck Paul for the 

first few days, preventing him from eating as much 

as he needed to maintain his energy. An inability 

to sleep through the night didn’t help. During his 

first night at sea, he was repeatedly awakened by 

the sound of his collision-avoidance alarm. Meant to 

detect the proximity of other boats, it was instead 

warning him that Liv was near herself. Until he 

figured out a way around the alarm glitch, Paul 

turned it off and set a timer to wake himself every 

20 minutes so that he could visually scan the ocean 

for approaching boats. 

With no choice but to row through the queasiness 

and exhaustion, Paul began adjusting to life at 

sea. In this early part of his voyage, a few daunting 

events would mark certain days. Approaching the 

second week, just as Paul was feeling like he had his 

sea legs and that the “warm-up” was over, the wind 

and seas started building. After a particularly rough 

day of rowing and getting soaked by the crashing 

waves that were growing increasingly larger, cold 

and drenched, Paul crawled into his cabin to try to 

sleep. The next morning (day 13), he climbed out 

of the cabin and was aghast to see dark skies and 

25-foot waves. “It was a scary time,” he said. As the 

day progressed, Paul watched the waves continue to 

grow. “When it got dark, although I had incredible 

faith in the boat and my rowing ability, I had the 

strong sense that I was going to need help,” Paul 

recalled. He saw the first star and started wishing, 

“Star light, star bright,” but couldn’t remember the 

rest of the rhyme. So he abandoned that plan and 

said a prayer, something he then did twice a day 

for the rest of the row. Within 24 hours, the winds 

calmed down and Paul was able to continue making 

progress westward. “I asked for help, and I got it,” 

he said. 

Two days later, another challenge would arrive 

when a high-pressure hose ripped out of the main 

water desalinator — a dangerous type of equipment 

failure that has forced the premature end of several 

past expeditions. Paul managed to fix his drinkingwater 

maker temporarily so that he could again 

settle into his daily routine. But it would continue to 

present problems and he would often have to spend 

time away from rowing to fiddle with it. 

Rough waters ahead 

Throughout the frustrating episodes, Paul’s blog 

entries would stay positive, but also hint at his 

challenges. The monotony of eating freeze-dried 

variations of chicken and rice soon became evident. 

His third week of blog entries focused on the foods 

he was missing from home — Dinosaur Barbecue 

chicken wings, pizza from Ye Olde Pizza Pub, and 

Binghamton’s famous spiedies. 

antigua 

2,950 miles 

“When it got dark, 

although I had 

incredible faith in 

the boat and my 

rowing ability, I had 

the strong sense 

that I was going to 

need help.” 

As the weeks passed, Paul’s craving for human 

interaction also started to kick into high gear. 

Daily phone calls with his dad helped. Keeping in 

line with Paul’s one-day-at-a-time strategy, Mark 

learned to focus the conversation on what Paul had 

accomplished that day. News from land was kept to 

a minimum — Paul had given specific instructions 

to his team to not give him any bad news from 

home. “There was enough time out there to eat at 

my brain,” he explained. 

blOg entry, day 24: “fOr the first 

cOuPle weeks my first thOught after 

OPening my eyes was always, ‘where am i? 

wait … dOn’t tell me i’m in a rOwbOat in 

the middle Of the Ocean … nO, nO, nO…’” 

As he had been forewarned by experienced 

ocean rowers, one of his biggest hurdles became 

getting out of the cabin and into the rowing seat 

to begin his morning shift. He began using candies 

that his stepmother Nadine had given him in 

La Gomera as bait. From the cabin, Paul would take 

a Lifesaver — a delicacy in the middle of the ocean 

— and toss it into the seat. “I knew that if it sat 

there, it would wash away, so I had to get into the 

rowing seat to save the Lifesaver,” Paul said. 

But instead of popping it right into his mouth, he 

would stash it in a safe place and treat himself at 

the end of the four-hour shift. 

Other motivational tools Paul used while at sea 

were his iPod — he jokes that he’s now an expert 

on the American Revolution after listening to 1776 

numerous times — and the daily blog comments 

from his supporters who were writing from all over 

la gOmera 

the world. “I’d read them about four or five times a 

day,” he said. “They kept my mind occupied for hours 

while I was rowing. That took the oars out of my 

hands physically and kept my mind in a completely 

different place.” Paul’s supporters could also follow 

his progress on a Google map that was updated 

every day through his tracking beacon. Everyone 

from K-Rock radio fans in Binghamton to elementary 

school kids around the country wrote in with 

inspirational words, philosophical quandaries to 

contemplate, and questions about what he was 

experiencing. 

Wildlife became a main topic on the message 

boards, especially after Paul began describing the 

petrel birds and flying fish that he was seeing. The 

young son of a coworker sparked a lively discussion 

about sharks and what Paul should be on the lookout 

for. When Paul did finally report on a shark sighting, 

he had to admit it didn’t quite live up to the Jaws 

hype that had built online. As the shark swam near 

his boat, Paul went into the cabin to get his camera 

and came back just in time to take a picture of its 

dorsal fin moving away. 

Keeping a careful eye out for fins was a necessity 

several times throughout the row. Periodically, Liv 

needed some housekeeping that required Paul to 

jump into the water. Using a rope, he would tie 

himself to Liv and jump into the 14,000-foot–deep 

ocean, plastic cement spreader in hand, to scrape 

the barnacles that would build up and slow down 

the boat. “I’d spend the morning looking around for 

sharks, and then in the afternoon when the sun was 

out, sit on the gunwale for 5 minutes, giving myself 

a little pep talk before actually going in,” he said. 

A picture of a Portuguese man-of-war, which 

Paul named Benny, also gained blog notoriety and 

even led to a joking comment about Paul sounding 

dangerously like Tom Hanks’s stranded character 

in Castaway. 

blOg entry, day 37: “the Petrel is still 

here, and the seagull stOPs by Once Or 

twice every day. neither are big talkers, 

thOugh … yet.” 

Of course, the loneliness did engulf Paul at times. 

Breaking a 29-day streak without his seeing any 

sign of human life, a plane flying overhead brought 

tears to his eyes. “The thought of all these people 

in such a high-tech, human environment, sitting 

in perfectly straight rows, sipping drinks, was 

incredible,” he explained. 

Overall, his positive attitude and sense of humor 

helped Paul through the difficult times. And all the 

while, his true cause was never far from his heart. 

On February 5, the eighth anniversary of his mom’s 

death, he wrote: “I witnessed her struggle unfold at 

a particularly formative point in my life when, as 

a senior in high school, I was beginning to realize 

that the decisions I made in the next several years 

would go a long way toward determining who I’d 

be as an adult. The impact my mom’s death had on 

me was profound, and is single-handedly responsible 

for where I am at this very moment — 31 

degrees 35 minutes West, 18 degrees 20 minutes 

North — in a 19-foot boat 359 nautical miles from 

the nearest land (Cape Verde) and 1,736 nautical 

miles from the end of my journey.” 

Almost to the halfway point, physical challenges 

began to test his resolve. Salt sores had developed 

on his legs and backside, making it difficult for him 

to sit comfortably. 

blOg entry, day 46: “i’m running Out Of 

ways tO sit where i’m nOt directly On tOP 

Of, Or rOlling Over, a Painful sOre every 

time i take a strOke… tOnight i had the 

fOllOwing arrangement as far as seat 

Padding gOes: wheelchair Pad, mini-cell 

fOam Pad, gel Pad, then twO layers Of 

sheePskin.” 

Luckily, he had managed to avoid the claw grip 

that inflicts many ocean rowers, but it did become a 

struggle to close his hands. 

On February 18, Paul crossed the east-to-west 

midpoint. The champagne he’d been saving for the 

scene: Summer 2009 News and views for the Colgate community 35

occasion turned into a disappointment 

when Paul tasted the 

warm liquid that had suffered from 49 

days in a hot boat. 

The next 34 days would prove to become more 

difficult mentally, something Paul didn’t expect. “It 

got harder as I got closer to land,” he explained. “I felt 

less connected to everyone back on land. For them, 

the anticipation of my arrival was building. But for 

me, every day was exactly the same.” Accepting that 

he would have to adjust his outlook and not think 

about Antigua until the very end, Paul stayed focused 

on the task at hand. He also took the time to be 

grateful for his experience, writing about the blanket 

of stars he slept under, and showing his sense of 

humor with “beard watch” postings to his blog — 

photos showing his facial hair growth over the trip. 

The final strokes 

In the last quarter of the expedition, just as Paul 

planned to start adding night shifts to shave off a 

few days, the weather dealt him another blow. 

On day 66, after spending four hours rowing and 

making no progress in the right direction, Paul lowered 

his sea anchor — an underwater parachute 

that filled with water to slow his negative progress 

while sleeping and in times like this. For three days, 

while he waited for the winds to change direction, 

Paul was unable to row. 

blOg entry, day 70: “i’m exhausted 

Physically and, after all this weather 

nOnsense, nearing the end Of my rOPe 

mentally.” 

Following the 72-hour delay, Mother Nature 

started sending signs of land Paul’s way. Increasing 

numbers of seagulls hovered and attempted to land 

on deck, and Paul spotted a bug on board for the first 

time since leaving the Canaries. Signs of the human 

world gave him hope as well; in one day, seven 

airplanes flew overhead. But with just 130 nautical 

miles between the young rower and his destination 

of Antigua, the sea wasn’t ready to give him up 

yet. As the sun beat down on Paul daily, he became 

locked in a combination of winds and currents 

that were pushing him south in the direction of 

Guadeloupe, where he feared he might have to land. 

Adding to his frustration, the main water desalinator 

was on the fritz again. “It was the classic story of 

the fifty-cent part taking down the five thousand– 

dollar water maker,” he said. Not wanting to sacrifice 

time away from rowing to fix the desalinator, 

Paul relied on his backup water supply and a manual 

pump he brought with him. He had also run out 

of his favorite rowing foods of Ramen noodles, 

army biscuits, and chocolate bars. “At the end of an 

expedition that long, it’s not a deal breaker, but it 

didn’t help morale,” he said of his significantly 

decreased meal options. 

Feeling glum and defeated, Paul gritted his teeth 

and battled his way north, adding hours to his rowing 

shifts so that he was rowing 12 to 14 hours a day. 

“I had to deal with real questions about whether or 

not I’d actually be able to make it to Antigua, where 

friends and family and everything I’d been dreaming 

about for the whole trip were waiting for me,” he 

recalled. “The idea that I could potentially miss them 

was crushing.” 

Meanwhile, his family had arrived in Antigua. 

They enlisted the help of Antigua Barbuda Search 

and Rescue, which had advanced software to track 

the wind and weather patterns. “I felt like I was the 

most closely watched person on earth for the last 

few days,” Paul said. The search and rescue authorities 

predicted that Liv would hit a north-tending 

current, which Paul could use to overcome the winds 

from the northeast and make a turn to the northwest 

toward Antigua. They were right, and like the wind, 

Paul’s luck was turning around. That same day, he 

crossed the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Crossing Line 

— the official measure of a completed ocean row — 

which he hadn’t realized was so close until the previous 

day. His spirits lifted, and Paul concentrated on 

getting himself safely to Antigua. On the morning of 

day 87, just 49 miles away from Antigua, Paul came 

out of his cabin and saw a welcome sight — his first 

glimpse of land. 

Paul decided that he would accept a tow into 

English Harbour, so the next day Mark and Nadine, 

a few family friends, and two representatives from 

the company that built Liv chartered a catamaran to 

go out and bring Paul in. The rest of the 19-member 

welcoming party abandoned their poolside stations 

to get a glimpse of the yellow boat from the cliffs at 

the mouth of the harbor and then ran to the dock. 

Paul’s friends from Binghamton and Connecticut 

had traveled to Antigua, as well as six of his Colgate 

cronies: Sheila Chun ’05, Allison Kelley ’05, Anna 

Kolich ’05, Keely Lowe ’05, Katy Romano ’05, and 

Dan Solomon ’05. 

An immediate feeling of relief swept over Paul 

when he saw people waving to him from the 

catamaran, he said. They towed him in and cut him 

loose at the mouth of the harbor so he could row the 

last leg into the dock. As he rowed into the harbor, 

photographers on dinghies swarmed around him. 

The search and rescue boat was spraying a fire-hose 

rainbow. People out on their sailboats waiting for his 

arrival and at the waterfront restaurants applauded. 

The Queen song “We Are the Champions” was being 

piped over a sound system, and he heard his Colgate 

classmates yelling coordinated cheers. Only expecting 

to see his friends and family there, Paul said “It 

seemed like the whole island had come out to see 

me.” Pulling into the dock, Joy was there waiting to 

grab his hand and guide Liv to the wall. A TV news 

crew was on hand with a bottle of champagne. It 

felt so cold to Paul when he grabbed it, he said, that 

it chilled him to the bone. Overcome by emotion, 

he sputtered out a few words, greeted friends and 

family with hugs, took “the longest shower of my 

life,” and within an hour was on the phone being 

interviewed by CNN. The “after” party began at a 

bar and grill fittingly called Life. 

Land legs 

A cheeseburger, a cold drink, and a soft bed gave 

Paul immediate satisfaction, but it took some time 

for him to readjust to land. For days, he would still 

wake up 15 minutes before sunrise. Having lost 

strength in the muscles that hold the body upright 

and provide balance, Paul had to get used to walking 

again. Another pace he had difficulty keeping up 

with was the quickness of conversations. 

blOg entry, aPril 3: “On the bOat i had 

all the time in the wOrld tO fOrmulate 

my thOughts in great detail and in a 

very Organized, but nOt exactly lightning-fast, 

way. after arriving, i cOuldn’t 

believe hOw quickly cOnversatiOns 

wOuld switch frOm One tOPic tO anOther, 

leaving me struggling tO keeP my brain 

mOving fast enOugh tO keeP uP.” 

Social situations in general felt different, he said. 

Returning to affluent Greenwich, Paul felt uncomfortable 

amidst the expensive SUVs and material 

excesses. At sea, his most prized commodities had 

been Ramen noodles and army biscuits. “The most 

valuable things had to do with my sustenance, 

keeping myself alive,” he said. Back on land, with the 

ability to buy as many Ramen noodles as he desires, 

Paul said, he has developed a great sense of gratitude 

for his life — and for his changed viewpoint. “My 

perspective on this culture, this society, all this 

stuff we have, it’s a little different, and I’ll always 

continue to feel lucky for what I have, which is a 

great outcome.” 

Waiting in line at the DMV to get his new driver’s 

license (his wallet never made it back in the mail 

from La Gomera), Paul contemplated how much he 

missed the freedom of the ocean. “It sounds really 

strange because I was in a boat, getting thrown 

around by the weather, and if I wanted to get to 

land, I had to row,” he said. “But there, I at least had 

the sense that I was the captain and the final decision 

maker on what happened in the boat — I had 

my own little sphere.” 

He also missed Liv. Watching a truck carry her 

away to a container port in Antigua was an emotional 

moment for Paul. “She kept me alive for 88 

days going through one of the harshest environments 

on earth,” he said. Liv will be back on the 

Atlantic Ocean next year, but without Paul. He sold 

her to 22-year-old Katie Spotz, who will try to break 

his record as the youngest American, and if so, could 

also become the youngest person in the world to 

row an ocean solo. “It would’ve been great to keep Liv 

and have my grandkids paddling her around a lake, 

but at this point, I can’t afford to have a $60,000 

boat sitting around,” said Paul, who spent his life 

savings and took out a loan to fund the expedition. 

He’s still not entirely comfortable with certain 

“Having been out 

there and back, I think 

that it’s going to be 

much harder to resist 

the urge to do something 

else.” 

aspects of life on land — like sticking to such a busy 

schedule — but Paul has become more accustomed 

to life before Liv. After he was interviewed by everyone 

from Fox News to the Bonnie Hunt Show, graced 

the 25 fittest list in Men’s Fitness, and was used as an 

example of extreme fundraising methods by Forbes, 

the media frenzy has since died down. Greenwich 

Associates has given him leeway to continue his 

speaking tour, visiting classrooms, churches, and 

various organizations including Colgate alumni 

clubs. And, with all the work dedicated to building 

the nonprofit, Row for Hope is still a priority for the 

Ridley family. Paul raised more than $100,000 of his 

$500,000 goal. The organization will continue to 

fundraise for cancer research at the Yale Cancer 

Center by supporting regattas, and even athletes 

outside of the rowing world. 

Back in Binghamton, Pastor Mark delivers a Bible 

reading about Jonah, who discovers that even in the 

belly of a whale, he can talk to God, and God will 

listen. As the story goes, Jonah lives to perform the 

mission that God has in mind for him. Like Jonah, 

Paul learned that he could talk to God in the middle 

of the ocean, and he’s waiting to learn his life’s mission. 

He admitted that another expedition is likely 

— although it will be a different format than a solo 

ocean row. “Having been out there and back, I think 

that it’s going to be much harder to resist the urge 

to do something else,” he said. Paul added that he 

would consider rowing in a larger boat with a team 

of people. And he’s open to other ideas. “There are a 

lot of great expeditions that you can do to help advance 

science,” he explained. “People carry weather 

stations to the top of mountains and bring samples 

back from the jungle. I think there are a lot of ways 

to get out there and do some good, and that’s something 

I want to do.” 

The congregation joined in singing, “If the Lord 

had not been on our side, all the raging waters 

and the mighty flood would have swept over us.” 

And Mark closed by telling his son, “You were the 

youngest and the third American to row across the 

Atlantic solo and unsupported, but you were not 

unsupported and you were not alone.” 

88 

Paul’s 88 days by the numbers 

Boat measurements: 19 feet, 4 inches; 400 pounds 

Times listened to Dreams from My Father by 

Barack Obama: 5 

Most hours rowed in one day: 15 

Total pounds lost: more than 30 

Amount of freeze-dried food stored in Liv: 

276 pounds; 76 cases 

Average calories eaten per day: 5,500 

Most daunting day at sea: Day 13 

Total miles rowed by Paul across the Atlantic: 3,500 

Rowers who have attempted an east-to-west 

transatlantic crossing in the last 40 years: 85 

Percentage of those attempts that have succeeded: 

60 percent 

Official Atlantic Ocean Rowing Crossing Line: 

longitude 59°37W 

Times he washed his hair during first shower 

back on land: 4 

Funds raised by Theta Chi brothers at their semi-formal 

dedicated to Row for Hope: more than $2,300 

Donations matched by Bob Glendening ’71: 

more than $9,000 

Total money raised to date by Row for Hope to support 

cancer research: more than $100,000 



This portrait, a prime 

example of Yousuf 

Karsh’s masterful lighting 

techniques, was taken 

in Karsh’s Ottawa studio 

during Shaw’s 1933 visit 

to Canada. 

A Writer and His Image 

©Yousuf Karsh 

By Rebecca Costello 

While George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) may be 

best known as a prolific Irish playwright, novelist, 

and music critic, there are other aspects of the man 

with which fans of his literary works may not be 

familiar: photographer, cartoonist, socialist, provacateur, 

and, one might say, egotist. 

H.G. Wells once joked that a person could travel 

to the most remote island in the Pacific Ocean, and, 

within three-quarters of an hour, could come upon 

a photograph of Shaw. Not surprising, for Shaw 

never once refused to have his photograph taken, 

according to Dan Laurence, editor of Shaw’s letters. 

He estimated that there were “tens of thousands” of 

Shaw photographs in existence. Shaw was the only 

person ever to win both the Nobel Prize in literature 

and an Oscar, for Pygmalion — upon which the 

musical My Fair Lady is based. He was also one of 

the founders of London School of Economics, as well 

as a charter member of the peaceful middle-class 

socialist Fabian Society. 

An upcoming exhibition at Colgate, A Writer 

and His Image, reveals much about both the wellknown 

and the lesser-known Shaw. Curated by Carl 

Peterson, head of special collections and university 

archivist, the exhibition is drawn from Colgate’s significant 

holdings of Shaw items, given by alumnus 

Richard S. Weiner ’68. 

Weiner first fell in love with Shaw while on 

Colgate’s French Study Group. Upon graduation, he 

began collecting Shaw letters, books, and artifacts. 

“I was intrigued by his philosophy. He made me 

laugh,” Weiner told the Scene in 1998. “The very first 

thing I bought was a small photograph signed on the 

back. I thought it was very exciting that this original 

photo had passed through Shaw’s hands.” 

Over the years, Weiner amassed more than 1,500 

An avid photographer, Shaw recorded the photographs he made while visiting 

Italy in 1904 in his tiny, precise script in his Wellcome’s Photographic Exposure 

Record and Diary. Reproduced here approximately actual size. 



letters, manuscripts and proof copies, virtually every 

book Shaw published, as well as playbills, photographs 

— his own, as well as portraits by several of 

the most famous photographers of his day — cartoons, 

paintings, drawings, caricatures, and other 

renditions of Shaw, ephemera such as his gardening 

gloves, and even a few items with a Colgate connection. 

Beginning in the 1980s, Weiner, who owned 

and operated the rare book store Escargot Books in 

Brielle, N.J., began donating his collection to Colgate 

in installments. He died in 2002. 

The images presented here are just a few of those 

included in the exhibition, which will open October 

15 at Case Library and Geyer Center for Information 

Technology. 

Thanks to exhibition curator Carl Peterson for his 

contributions to this article and to Warren Wheeler 

for his photographic assistance. 

8 

The exhibition of George Bernard Shaw items, A 

Writer and His Image, will be on view at Case Library 

and Geyer Center for Information Technology from 

Oct. 15 until Dec. 1, 2009. For information, call 

315-228-7305. For information on other arts events, 

visit www.colgate.edu/arts 

Alvin Langdon Coburn’s photogravure of Shaw appeared in the April 1908 

issue of Alfred Stieglitz’s well-known photographic journal Camera Work. 

©George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film 

This mixed-media drawing 

of Shaw, with cloth and 

wood by someone named 

O.P., was autographed by 

Shaw with a touching note 

in 1948. 

George Bernard Shaw plays produced at Colgate 

November 1951 Androcles and the Lion, Russell Speirs, director 

April 1954 Candida, Russell Speirs, director 

November 1960 The Shewing Up of Blanco Posnet, Russell Speirs, director 

November 1961 The Devil’s Disciple, Russell Speirs, director 

October 1964 Arms and the Man, Russell Speirs, director 

July 1975 Candida, Jerome Kilty, director (Colgate Summer Theater) 

July 1977 Heartbreak House, Atlee Sproul, director (Colgate Summer Theater) 

July 1979 Major Barbara, Euan Smith, director (Colgate Summer Theater) 

March 1991 Misalliance, Jerome Kilty, director 

February 1992 Candida, Dean Keppler, director 

Eduard Steichen’s four-color halftone portrait of Shaw appeared in the 

same Camera Work issue as the Coburn (facing page). 

Shaw liked to divide his time between 

London and his country house at 

Ayot St. Lawrence (Shaw’s Corner). 

Wartime rationing made this 

impossible; hence, he announced 

his confinement in London with a 

caricature of himself, circa 1941. 

Colgate Connections 

This 1929 photo, taken at a London hotel, depicts Shaw with Colgate’s academic dean 

at the time, William Crawshaw (pictured to the right of Shaw), and several students. 

Crawshaw, who was the acting dean of “The Floating University,” which sailed around 

the world with students from various colleges, describes the meeting in his memoir, 

My Colgate Years (1937). 

Sir Robert Ho Tung (right), the Hong Kong industrialist and philanthropist, and father 

of Colgate alumnus and benefactor Robert H.N. Ho ’56, inspired, in part, Shaw’s play 

Buoyant Billions. L.F.H. Beard took this photograph on July 4, 1949, just before Shaw’s 

93rd birthday, and 16 months before his death, on the back porch of his home, Shaw’s 

Corner. Sir Robert was repaying an earlier visit by Shaw to Hong Kong. He also brought 

the colorful Chinese robe that Shaw is wearing, which later became part of the permanent 

display at Shaw’s Corner. 



Permission of Joanna T. Steichen



Andrew Daddio

stay connected 

44 


Get to know: Know: Jung Name Pak Here ’96 

– Alumni Council member since 2006; co-president, 

Alumni of Color; class president 

– 5th and 10th Reunion program chair; career 

services and admission volunteer 

– Former professor and consultant, Roosevelt House 

Public Policy Institute 

– PhD in U.S. history, Columbia University 

What professors 

were strong mentors 

for you? 

Pete Banner-Haley, 

who said I should go 

to graduate school 

for my PhD, and 

Andy Rotter, who 

helped facilitate 

that process. 

What’s your 

fondest Colgate 

memory? 

My mother passed 

away in my junior 

year. The following 

fall, my friends 

went to Gary 

Ross [admission 

dean], Nan DeVries 

[chaplain], and Ernie 

Cross [administrative services VP] and said, ‘How can we help Jung?’ 

The university allowed us to plant a tree on the old golf course. I will 

forever be grateful for that — that the institution itself could care 

about one person. 

Diversity is an important issue to you as an Alumni Council 

member. Why is that, and what would you like to see happen? 

We have to work at making sure that everybody is included. Alumni 

of color who don’t participate often have reasons that are different 

from the majority population. What inspires me is alumni who did 

experience nasty things at Colgate but come back and volunteer 

anyway. I hope that more will volunteer — hosting a student for 

Career Services’ A Day in the Life, for example — because it’s 

important for students to see alumni of color in positions of influence 

and power and realize that diversity is a lived reality, not just a 

slogan for four years at Colgate. 

As the Alumni of Color (AOC) group has increased its activities, 

what’s been the most interesting? 

We’ve joined the communications revolution, which has been particularly 

effective in drawing in younger alumni and students. Loncey 

Mills ’02 and Pablo Gonzalez ’01 have done amazing things. They’ve 

set us up on Facebook, created online surveys, and redesigned the 

AOC web page on colgatealumni.org. 

What figures in history would you like to have dinner with? 

It would be great to talk to Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther 

King Jr. about the dynamic between policy making and community 

activism. They were transformative figures who worked together 

to make civil rights a legal, institutional, and social reality. And 

Eleanor Roosevelt, who reminds me that you don’t have to be in an 

established position of power to influence international — never 

mind domestic — policy. 

Do you have any hobbies? 

I’m taking a basic drawing class at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, 

Va., and I’m hoping to move up to painting, eventually! 

Andrew Daddio 

Alumni bulletin board 

Questions? Contact the alumni office 

at 315-228-7433 or alumni@colgate. 

edu 

Alumni Council Notes 

Call for nominations 

The nominations committee of 

the Alumni Council seeks recommendations 

for candidates for this 

55-member volunteer board. From 

unique perspectives and diverse 

backgrounds, the council advises the 

university; opens lines of communication 

between Colgate and its alumni; 

mentors the next generation of graduates; 

and proudly tells Colgate’s story 

to the world. 

Each year, 11 to 13 new members 

are selected to represent specific 

eras and geographic areas as well as 

at-large positions. Candidates, initially 

identified through the nominations 

committee, are ultimately ratified by 

the full council. Ideal candidates exhibit 

several of the following qualities: 

• Varied Colgate volunteer service 

• A demonstrated commitment to 

Colgate over time 

• Meaningful personal or professional 

accomplishments or 

contributions to the greater 

community 

• Readiness and willingness to 

become more involved on behalf 

of the university 

• A consistent history of giving 

financial support to Colgate 

The awards committee of the Alumni 

Council seeks nominations from the 

classes ending in 5 and 0 for awards 

to be presented at Reunion 2010. 

Categories include: 

• Ann Yao Young Alumni Award 

(Class of 2005) 

• Maroon Citations 

• Humanitarian Award 

• Wm. Brian Little ’64 Alumni 

Award for Distinguished Service* 

*All candidates having previously 

received the Maroon Citation will be 

considered. 

Send nominations for alumni awards 

and Alumni Council candidates by 

Sept. 1 to: RuthAnn Loveless MA’72, 

Executive Secretary, Colgate University, 

13 Oak Dr., Hamilton, NY 13346. 

Please include a supporting statement 

for each person you nominate. For 

more information, visit www.colgate 

alumni.org. 

Alumni Club Awards 

With more than 300 events, Colgate’s 

district alumni clubs had a banner year 

thanks to terrific volunteer leadership. 

We are pleased to recognize this 

year’s club award winners, as well as 

our volunteer of the year. Congratulations 

to all! 

Gateway Clubs: Most Outstanding: 

St. Louis. Most Improved: Saratoga. 

Sustained Excellence: London. 

Small Clubs: Most Outstanding: 

Portland, Ore. Most Improved: Rhode 

Island. Leadership in Community 

Service: Chenango Valley. 

Medium Clubs: Most Outstanding: the 

Rockies. Most Improved: Puget Sound. 

Revitalization Efforts: Rochester, N.Y. 

Large Clubs: Most Outstanding: 

Northern California. Most Improved: 

Chicago. Sustained Excellence: Philadelphia. 

Metro Clubs: Most Outstanding: NYC 

(48 events this year!). Most Improved: 

Washington, D.C. Sustained Excellence: 

Boston. 

Alumni Volunteer of the Year: Steve 

Solomon ’76, London 

Navi’Gate with Colgatealumni.org 

Link your colgatealumni.org and 

Facebook accounts with Facebook 

Connect! Simply click the icon on our 

login page and follow the directions. 

Then, your Facebook password will access 

colgatealumni.org. You’ll be able 

to alert your Facebook friends when 

you RSVP for a Colgate event or support 

the university through our online 

giving page. 

Questions? Visit www.colgate 

alumni.org/faq. 

class class class news 

Alumni news and deadlines 

Class news: Class editors will be 

submitting their columns on Oct. 9, 

2009, Jan. 8, 2010, and April 9, 2010. 

Please keep those deadlines in mind 

when sending information to your 

correspondents, and understand that 

your news may take a while to appear 

in print. For updates in between, 

check out your class page at www. 

colgatealumni.org. 

Marriage and birth listings: Please 

mail information to the Scene,attn: 

Births/Marriages, 13 Oak Dr., Hamilton, 

NY 13346; fax 315-228-7699; or 

e-mail scene@colgate.edu. 

For address changes, or to report the 

death of a Colgate graduate, please 

notify alumni records. If possible, 

please identify surviving kin and an 

address for condolences to be sent. 

If a newspaper obituary is available, 

we would appreciate receiving a copy: 

315-228-7453 (tel.); 315-228-7699 

(fax); alumnirecords@colgate.edu. 

Should anyone up through the Class of 1934 have 

news to share, please contact Aleta Mayne: 315- 

228-6669; amayne@colgate.edu. 

1933 

Marian E Strobel wrote in on behalf of her father, 

Charles E Strobel: “My father is alive and well 

and living independently in his home in Rochester. 

Dad (Cornell Law ’36) retired from his legal 

practice in 2000; he practiced real estate and 

small corp law. Dad celebrated his 100th bday 

this past July at a party at the Rochester Yacht 

Club, where he has been a member for many 

years and where he was an avid sailor. PS: Dad’s 

granddaughter, Jane Hartung, was accepted to 

the Class of 2011 but decided to attend Furman 

instead.” 

1935 

George Carmichael 

930 Regency Square 110 

Vero Beach, FL 32967 

<strong>Our</strong> class has again been reduced (only 7 still 

hanging in there) by the deaths of Carl E McAllister 

and Moses D Stivers. McAllister was 96 

and leaves his widow in Reynoldsburg, OH. Carl, 

an Austen Colgate Scholar, was with the concert 

orchestra and marching band while at Colgate. 

Moe is best described in this letter from close 

friend Jim Tarvin ’60: “Moe Stivers, a delightful 

soul, passed away Jan 12 at 94. We met at Orange 

CC when I began teaching there in 1970. Moe 

loved teaching and his students loved him. We 

were surprised to learn we had both been in ATO, 

and despite my graduation being 25 years after 

his, we had the same house mother — Aggie Snyder. 

Moe, a member of the Colgate Thirteen, and 

wife Pat (who is well and sharp as a tack) and my 

wife Liz and I enjoyed returning to Hamilton for 

fall football games. He always found a few fellow 

Thirteeners to join in and sing beloved Colgate 

songs. He and Pat have 10 children and scads of 

grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His passing 

is a great loss.” 

George: 772-569-6951; 

hoagiec93@pavlovpost.com 

1936 

Elizabeth Gallagher-Saward 

Apartment 513 

505 N Lakeshore Dr 

Chicago, IL 60611 

Jerry Howland, your former scribe, wrote from 

Laguna Woods, CA. He and wife Agnes just celebrated 

70 years together. He also recollected the 

days when Colgate had a baseball team of note. 

The class is down to 7 survivors! 

Elizabeth: 312-527-1492 

1937 

Gerald A Vernon 

23 Lighthouse Way 

Darien, CT 06820-5612 

The so-called census reveals 12 “reachable” classmates 

living in widely separated states: OR, CA, 

FL, KY, SC, MI, ME, NY, NJ, and CT. It reminds one 

of our Alma Mater: “Far from thy valley yearly 

rove thy loving ones…” There are also 4 where I 

get disconnects. 

I talked to King Davis, whose implant helps 

his hearing. It’s really working. He told of conversations 

with Pres Chopp at our Reunion and was 

sorry to hear of her resignation. 

Ed Hornung says that he is slowing down 

a bit, but it doesn’t sound serious with all the 

walking he does at the gym and other places! 

Roger Van Der Kar in Grosse Point, MI, is really 

active, driving to visit friends for one reason or 

another. Roger spent his 1st year at Colgate with 

our class. 

Jim Sprague, the dolphin rider and squirrel 

tamer, said that he had nothing new to report, 

but for him that’s news! Actually, a few months 

ago, I was unable to include his trip to TN to 

bring his friend Shirley back to Miami. He flew 

to TN in his friend’s private plane and they drove 

back together. 

Charles Harris survived a fierce storm in 

Berea, KY, last Jan. People were without power 

for days, but Chuck had a wood burning stove, so 

was able to help people. 

I must report the death of Wilber Campbell, 

who lived in FL. As you may recall, he had a 

100-year-old friend who still flew his own plane 

but could not get a driver’s license to go to the 

airport! 

Jerry: 203-655-4592; gav10999@sbcglobal.net 

1938 

Don Foley 

1050 Mariposa Ave 

Berkeley, CA 94707-2444 

Ev Hanke lives in Brunswick, ME, about 25 miles 

from Portland. On March 25 he was driving 

alone to the Portland airport when he sensed 

something was wrong, particularly with his 

chest. Here’s his account: “Fortunately, I knew 

there was a travel rest stop ahead and I pulled in, 

parked, and told the attendant I was in trouble, 

call me an ambulance. Also gave him my son’s 

cell number so he could call him. The ambulance 

took me directly to the ME Medical Hospital 

in Portland. They unblocked a coronary artery 

and inserted a stent. I’m at home after a 5-day 

hospital stay and doing well. No major damage 

done and my cardiologist suggested that I should 

be able to resume an active lifestyle.” But Ev 

admitted that it was time to reduce some of his 

activities and obligations and fully retire. 

I had some pleasant e-mail exchanges with 

Ev, John Merrick, Dan Miller, Irv Ryerson, and 

Lloyd Tuttle (the only classmates for whom I 

had e-mail addresses). This included reminiscing 

about our experiences at Colgate and what 

Colgate meant to us. And we discussed the many 

changes at Colgate since our day. 

Two e-mails from Bob Glendening ’71 (John’s 

son). Bob and wife Beverly, while on a cruise, 

met a retired Berkeley prof who told Bob that he 

thought I had passed away. Bob seemed relieved 

to find out that I was still perking. He also alerted 

me (and others) to Paul Ridley ’05, who completed 

his solo Row for Hope across the Atlantic 

to raise money for cancer research. 

Robert B Lyon died Jan 18 in Tulsa. He served 

in the Army during WWII, was wounded, decorated, 

and ended as a major. In Tulsa, he served 

as pres and later chair of the Link Oil Co. We offer 

our condolences to wife Patsy and to other family 

members. 

Dorothy McCormick died Dec 3 in Columbus, 

GA. She was the widow of James McCormick, 

who died in 2004. Jim and I were local Hamilton 

HS graduates. 

Don: 510-525-6983; dfoley@berkeley.edu 

1939 

sed ligula sed ligula condimentum 

bibendum. Sed mattis enim feugiat 

Gus Nasmith 

felis. Quisque venenatis lobortis dolor. 

16003 W Falcon Ridge Dr 

Pellentesque Sun City West, AZ consequat. 85375-6689Nam 

nisi. 

Praesent feugiat fringilla nunc. Nulla 

placerat <strong>Our</strong> 70th Reunion est in was arcu. May Nam 28–31. id In velit the autumn eget 

leo issue convallis of the Scene, congue. you will learn the names of 

those who were in Hamilton. 

Gus: 623-546-9487; BGNasmith@cox.net 

Donec non elit et ligula ultrices adipiscing. 

Etiam quis nisl. Suspendisse 

1940 

potenti. Maecenas egestas libero eget 

lectus. Fred Tedeschi Ut et eros. Quisque est orci, 

PO Box 321 

sagittis vitae, lacinia nec, bibendum a, 

Greenport, NY 11944 

dolor. Proin tempor convallis leo. In mi 

felis, Sad to pellentesque report that Morris quis, Midkiff scelerisque died on Nov aliquet, 

30, just volutpat 8 days after non, his 90th dui. bday. Nullam A memorial urna. 

Donec service was venenatis held in Santa tellus Barbara, quis where libero. he 

lived the last 2 years. Morris was a member of 

Cum sociis natoque penatibus et mag- 

ATO and majored in English. He also was active 

nis dis parturient montes, nascetur 

in baseball, basketball, football, and was on the 

ridiculus Dean’s List. mus. Aliquam pharetra. Aenean 

Also, eget John Morrell dui. Proin passed quis away felis on Jan sit 28, amet at 

mi the age suscipit of 90. John fermentum. 

majored in econ, was a member 

of Phi Delta Theta, and involved in boxing, 

golf, Maroon Key Club, and Masque & Triangle. 

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consect- 

Heard from Bob Finlay, who tells me he is 91 

etuer and happily adipiscing still doing elit. well, Morbi even with dignissim a walker. 

elit Bob exclaims sit amet he massa. has 9 grandchildren Morbi elemen- and 2 greattumgrandchildren 

purus non and is tortor. a Boston In Red urna Sox justo, fan. 

Tom Williams writes in that he has no real 

dapibus sit amet, mollis eget, dictum 

news but did say that at 91 he is still in good 

et, ligula. Aenean posuere, sem quis 

health. Tom says he still gets around and visits 

scelerisque his daughter and sagittis, son-in-law pede in MD. augue Keep luctus up the 

lacus, good work, nec Tom. varius Maybe risus I will odio catch sit up amet to you. I’m 

ante. only 89. Duis vulputate tellus ac justo. 

Mort Stevenson reports he just returned 

Duis est turpis, aliquam non, hendrerit 

home after spending 9 weeks in the hospital and 

vel, fermentum eget, ipsum. Sed con- 

8 days in rehab and now uses a walker. Keep up 

sectetuer the fight, Mort. dolor ut lacus. Sed vulputate 

Clifford tincidunt ‘Lud’ Miller quam. reports Cras he dignissim 

is now in 

magna Northern vel Woods orci. Retirement Praesent Community nec libero. in 

Bloomington, IN. He reports they keep him busy 

Nullam egestas nisl. Vestibulum tem- 

and well fed. (Was it Herbert Hoover who said 2 

pus fermentum urna. 

chickens in every pot?) 

Received word from Judy Stowell that hus- 

Sed band feugiat Ken Stowell, dolor due sed to declining velit. Nullam health, is now 

quis in the neque Hillsboro a House arcu Nursing consequat Home ullam- in NH. 

George Fisk asked his wife, Dottie, to pass 

corper. Nulla facilisi. Vestibulum ante 

along the message re: John Morrell. Also, George 

ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et 

and Dottie’s granddaughter, Margaret Gennert, is 

ultrices a soph at Colgate. posuere cubilia Curae; Nulla 

ultricies Received porta a note massa. from Polly, Nullam wife of Bob ac diam. 

Duis Rubendall, rhoncus, that Bob augue reached quis 90 years bibendum of age Feb 

19. A big party was held with family from all over 

dapibus, quam magna porttitor 

the USA attending. She reports that except for 

nisi, id sollicitudin nulla nisl a nisi. 

Parkinson’s, Bob is doing well. 

Maecenas Word has been justo received elit, tincidunt of the demise a, com- of Tom 

modo Kennedy vitae, at 91. Tom rutrum was an ut, English felis. major Phasellus and 

rhoncus member of magna DKE. He resided eu nibh. in Winter Nulla Park, odio FL. 

Like most of us in the Class of ’40, Tom served 

metus, sodales ac, iaculis non, sagittis 

in the Navy with distinction as a flight officer 

sit amet, est. Aliquam neque. Fusce 

receiving several honors. For the last 2 1/2 years 

blandit Tom was bedridden sollicitudin but always mauris. loved Aliquam news of 

sodales. Colgate. Maecenas adipiscing rhoncus 

libero. Quisque tellus leo, rutrum ac, 

fermentum 1941 eu, euismod tincidunt, 

neque. Morbi faucibus. Aliquam sit 

Ted Clapp 

amet PO Box elit. 579 Cras euismod. 

Damariscotta, ME 04543-0579 

Chuck Williams, a remarkable survivor of WWII, 

reports, “The autumn of 2008 was a doozey for 

me, due to a fractured femur on my right leg. No 

fall! It’s been surgery, rehab, nursing home, fall 

down, and back to hospital, rehab, and nursing 

home, then another nursing home. Progress, but 


45

Get to know: Javier Diaz ’10 

As he has done every summer, Javier Diaz ’10 is in Puerto Rico working on his grandparents’ 

farm. While picking avocados, oranges, and lemons, he might reflect on what a memorable 

academic year this has been. Diaz authored the Colgate Creed, a statement that reinforces 

the university’s commitment to respecting diversity, and he campaigned for president of 

the Student Government Association (SGA). 

Through both of these initiatives, he has knocked on doors all over campus and talked to 

as many students as he could. Diaz is a proponent of change on campus and a believer that 

it can happen. “This year, I really tried to increase my level of activity,” said the SGA senator, 

chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, member of the Committee on Admission and 

Financial Aid, and chamber music player. While he is heavily involved with several committees, 

Diaz believes that any student can make a difference. “You don’t need to be involved 

in student government,” he said. “You can accomplish anything you set your mind to, if you’re 

persistent enough and go about it the right way.” 

The idea for the Colgate Creed came to him in a senate meeting shortly after last fall’s 

racist incidents on campus (see spring Scene, p. 34 for more information). “It popped into 

my head that we should put together a pledge to symbolize our desire to work toward the 

common goal of unity,” Diaz explained. He then met with various administrators and deans 

as well as hundreds of students to gain support. The creed, which states, in part, “I pledge to 

treat those who are different from me with the same respect and dignity with which I wish 

to be treated,” has since become school policy, and there will be a “Creed Day” in the fall as 

part of Diversity Week. 

Although Diaz was unsuccessful at winning the SGA presidency, he hasn’t given up on 

parts of his platform, such as developing a mentoring program for first-years who don’t feel 

like they fit in. The concept stemmed from his personal experience as a first-generation 

college student whose parents weren’t able to fully prepare him for the transition into 

college, he said. Friends who had similar experiences reinforced his idea to organize open 

office hours for students to talk informally with volunteer students. As with the creed, Diaz 

said he plans to meet with the appropriate people on campus to make his plan a reality. 

Given his motivation to help others, it’s not surprising that the peace and conflict studies 

major hopes to attend law school after Colgate. “I’ve always been the kind of person who 

likes fighting for what I believe in,” he said. 

Last spring, Diaz even used his musical talent to support a worthy cause when he played 

his guitar at a banquet to raise money and awareness for local refugees. The song Diaz 

performed was a tribute to his Latin American heritage, which he believes has strongly 

influenced his desire to help others. “Talking to my grandfather about his struggles against 

prejudice when he first moved to New York from Puerto Rico planted a seed in me at a 

young age that intolerance toward people because of their background is unacceptable,” 

Diaz explained. “It has motivated me to help people in all different ways — I like to think 

that I am working to fill in the needs I see in my communities.” 

— Aleta Mayne 

Andrew Daddio 

slow process.” 

Army Caseria writes that wife Carol died in 

March. They had been married for 65 years! His 

letter describes how she “took care of everything 

relating to the house: maintenance, bills, all the 

yard work, etc, as well as being a member of 4 

different women’s clubs. Meanwhile, I’m trying 

to figure out how to carry on.” At our age, we all 

empathize entirely. 

John LeFevre is our keep-in-touch classmate. 

In March he and Mary visited Joe Laforte in Juno 

Beach, FL. Joe is now fully retired from his real 

estate business and is recovering from a tough 

ankle break. In nearby Vero Beach, John had 

lunch with Bob Platt, finding him “healthy and 

in good spirits.” 

For many of us, life is an uphill climb now. 

Ted Mulford is recovering from an illness that 

hospitalized him this winter. 

In Jan, Tom Liversidge died at age 92. As an 

undergrad, Tom was a cheerleader and in the 

marching band, among other activities. 

Classmate Lawrence ‘Bud’ Gerson died at his 

hometown in Chagrin Falls, OH, in Feb. 

On Jan 24 there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony 

for the Robert L Blackmore Media Ctr on 

the Colgate campus. Remarks included this one: 

“Bob’s passion for teaching, deep love of jazz, and 

dedication to Colgate radio enriched the lives of 

many.” 

On St Patrick’s Day our classmate Andy Ryan 

raised the Irish flag at city hall in Rome, NY. Andy 

is a past pres of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce 

in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Ted: 207-563-8369; tlcbwk@tidewater.net 

1942 

Robert C. Smith 

Apt. 329 

3804 Brandon Avenue 

Roanoke, VA 24018-7004 

Two more of our classmates have passed away 

this year. Lincoln Hascall in ME and Don C Adams 

in FL. As the search for a new university pres 

proceeds, I have thought about what memories 

of the Class of ’42 we have. We are aware that the 

college was started with $13 to train ministers. As 

underclassmen, we were required to attend chapel 

several days a week. As upperclassmen, we 

attended. The programs were varied, religious, 

political, and informative. We sometimes startled 

the speaker by snapping our fingers when we 

agreed heartily with their comments. In the 

spring of 1942, with WWII under way, several 

faculty members decided to have a semester 

class, possibly America 101, to present their views 

on what it meant to be an American. It met Tues 

evenings. One evening we walked up the hill 

through a blizzard. Opinions differed then, just as 

they do today, as they covered religion, politics, 

and responsibility. The role of the university 

remains important. 

Bob: 540-776-2329; rcs2@cox.net 

1943 

Joseph W. DeBragga 

51 Wavecrest Dr 

Islip, NY 11751-4015 

Don McCluskey recalls our senior summer of ’42 

when Andrews Hall was closed and he relocated 

to East Hall and thumbtacked mosquito netting 

around the windows. He frequently heard yelling 

and banging because other residents of East 

Hall who did not have screening would be using 

brooms to rid their rooms from mosquitoes as 

well as bats, which were attracted by their lights. 

1944 

Ellsworth Johnson 

1309 Meadow Ridge 

Redding, CT 06896-3224 

As I write this, our 65th Reunion is coming up 

in May! Thirteen of us attended the 60th. Hope 

that traditional number will have been at least 

equaled by the time you read this. 

Bill Eckerson reports from MA that he will not 

be able to make Reunion because a grandson in 

VA is graduating the same weekend. Bill remains 

active, golfing 2–3 times a week and supporting 

the Boxford American Legion. Betty does 

painting and serves on numerous community 

committees. This, plus a family of 4 children, 8 

grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren, keeps 

them young and active. 

Rick Yarnall sends word that a family wedding 

will keep him from making the 65th. He 

hopes to make our class mini-reunion in the 

fall. At this point, Clem Furey, Hank Towers, Jim 

Denton, and I have reservations and will be there 

in May. Denton will have further info on the fall 

planning (football games and date). Suggestions: 

call him (I will give you his number). Possibilities 

are Oct 3 Cornell at Hamilton, Oct 17 at Princeton, 

and Oct 24 at Holy Cross. 

Sad notes: Hank Towers’s wife, Shavaun, 

passed away March 13. A memorial service 

was held in Essex, CT, March 18 with lunch at 

the Essex Yacht Club. Bob Bentley died Feb 5 

in Canandaigua, NY. He served in WWII as a 

Marine F4W fighter pilot. One mission was for 40 

fighters to fly protective cover for a PBM whose 

assignment was to provide air/sea relief for the 

B-29 that dropped the atom bomb on Nagasaki 

if necessary. One of many of our class members’ 

war experiences. 

Ellsworth: 203-544-8168; 1200 (fax) 

1945 

Bob Husselrath 

Apt 1217 

18755 West Bernardo Dr 

San Diego, CA 92127-3013 

Betsy and Jack Miller did China last fall while 

the world was falling apart. Jack has given up on 

skiing but still rides his bike. Says balance is a 

problem. Join the crowd, Jack. 

Jim Schuster is still doing some doctoring for 

insurance companies. Gets to stop by Hamilton 

from time to time. Jim took an enjoyable cruise 

from Rome to London. Jim says his kids are all 

working — 2 dentists and 1 harpist. 

In the last issue, I credited Bette and Art Ross 

with 9 grandchildren. The number is now 10 and 

they’re great-grandchildren. All over the world, 

Art says, from China to Italy to Saudi Arabia and 

Katmandu. 

M Roy London, Sigma Chi, Austen Colgate 

Scholar, pres of the student council, passed away 

March 20. Roy was active on campus: senior play, 

athletic assoc, Student Activities Key, Maroon 

board. Roy continued his community activities in 

his hometown of Westwood, MA. 

James T Squires, Alpha Tau Omega, Konosioni, 

Maroon Key, passed away Jan 27. Jim was on 

the track team and participated in Masque & 

Triangle, chorus, and marching band. 

Hal Heim is packing for our 65th next year. He 

needs help. <strong>Our</strong> parties are always great largely 

due to Hal’s efforts. What can you do to help? Hal 

is looking for a theme. He suggests ’45 Still Going 

Strong: Lead on ’45ers. 

The Colgate Snow Birds lit at the Forrest CC in 

Ft Myers in Jan for their annual mini-reunion. At- 

tendees were M&M Clem Furey ’44, George Tifft 

’44 and friend, M&M Ted Heidenreich, M&M 

Perry Thompson, M&M Al Cameron, and Chuck 

Wittig. Thanks to Chuck for the report. (Editor’s 

note: I have used M&M in place of the “and 

lovely wife,” which is clichéd and sometimes a 

little stretched.) 

Bob: 858-395-3213; husselrath@me.com 

1946 

Don Schaefer 

45 Lydecker St 

Englewood, NJ 07631-3008 

When you read this it will be summer, but now 

in early April, it’s snowing here in NJ. It’s also 

snowing in Hamilton, and Blair Vedder says they 

had 3" of snow yesterday in Glenview, IL. 

Buzz Schwenk, ‘Pug’ Tuma, and Phil Ingle are 

complaining about the long winter and cold 

weather on LI. Phil and wife Phyllis are into playing 

bridge these days. Phil loved tennis, but he 

has difficulty running, so his days on the court 

are over. He is about to be 87. He worked for 2 

years after HS to make some money so he could 

go to Colgate. Phil and I waited tables at the 

student union for our board during our freshman 

year. 

Walt Ford was another excellent tennis player. 

He had to give it up because of asthma, but he 

still skied this winter. He and Doris have a place 

in NH. Walt says the snow was the best ever this 

winter. They had 3' of snow when they arrived 

Jan 1 and there was still plenty on the ground 

when they left March 1. He did cross-country and 

some downhill skiing. They also like to snowshoe 

and hike the back roads. Their 2 sons went to 

Colgate. The Fords are in excellent spirits. 

Mac MacEwan lives in Montgomery, NY, in the 

Hudson Valley. He was a skier but now limits 

his sporting activity mainly to golf. I was sad to 

hear he lost his wife last year. Fortunately, his 2 

sons live nearby. He has dinner with one of them 

twice a week. Mac also has 2 daughters who live 

out of state. 

Another golfer is Jim Fee. He has a foursome 

that he has played with for some time. Jim and 

wife Joan live in Manchester Ctr, VT. They are doing 

well — healthy and in good spirits. I hope to 

play some golf with Jim at Seven Oaks. It’s been a 

while since we have been in Hamilton. 

I just talked with 2 of my Colgate roommates: 

Blair Vedder and Al Norman. We are all from 

the North Shore of Chicago. Al is doing well for 

someone who had colon cancer 3 years ago. He 

lives in Boca Raton; his 5 children live around 

Cincinnati. Al has 14 grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren. 

That makes for many bdays to remember. 

And Blair is hanging in there. He beats 

me when it comes to taking pills every day — his 

14 to my 6. Wife Mary is a wonderful companion. 

Blair, Mary, and I were in the same class at New 

Trier HS in Winnetka, IL. They live in Glenview, IL. 

Sherb Hart called to say all is well in St Augustine, 

FL. He has just returned from a family reunion 

in Cancun; they had a marvelous time. He 

and Hatsy have 4 children (3 boys and 1 girl), and 

5 grandchildren. Sherb spends his winters in FL, 

they recently moved from the beach to an independent 

living facility, and summers are spent in 

NH. Eight years ago, he and a small group built a 

golf course — Baker Hill GC in New London, NH. 

A grad of Harvard Law, Sherb practiced law in NJ 

and was asst US atty gen ’54–’56. He later joined 

Union Carbide, where he spent 30 years finishing 

a great career as corp VP for public affairs. His 

daughter Cynthia ’83 and her husband Bill Montgomery 

’81 are Colgate grads. Sherb mentioned 

he had recently visited Bob Fischbeck. 

There are 73 of us remaining from the Class of 

’46. They tell you that you lose your mind when 

you grow older. What they don’t tell you is that 

you won’t miss it much. Stay well. 

Don: 201-568-0309; 

donald.a.schaefer@verizon.net 

1947 

Jack Scollay 

Apt. 315 

95 Elizabeth St 

Delaware, OH 43015-4312 

Ann and I spent about 24 hours in Hamilton 

a few days ago, most of them catching some 

overnight z’s at the University Inn. We did have 

dinner with men’s track coach Art McKinnon and 

wife Maureen at the Landmark. I thought back 

to Jack Rourke; there must be something about 

track coaches because of the personal interest in 

working with the students. We also spent some 

time in the bookstore; the choice of things Colgate 

is huge. Surely some of you old coots have 

something more interesting. How about it? 

Jack: 740-362-4035; afscollay@aol.com 

1948 

George F Greene Jr 

36096 N Newbridge Ct 

Gurnee, IL 60031-4511 

The Gomar portrayed John Adams at the annual 

meeting of the Lake County, IL, Council of the 

Navy League of the US. John was the original 

founder of the US Navy, a fact that he was proudest 

of for the rest of his life. He follows Teddy 

Roosevelt, 2008, and Commodore Oliver Hazard 

Perry of The War of 1812. Next year maybe Ben 

Franklin. 

I received the following note from Russell 

Taylor: “First, I want to thank you for the many 

years of service as our class editor. I often think 

of the many (V-5) guys such as G Treichler, T 

Turley, W Peck, G Wells (I didn’t know about Gin 

Mills), G Wetherell, T Yeoman, P Redfield (I did 

not know road signs were beverage targets), and 

on and on. 

“Joe Turdo introduced me to handball and 

we were invited to play in the adjoining court 

against the exe Clark and the old man. I told Joe, 

let’s play it smart, we don’t want to win, but that 

Italian from Brooklyn wouldn’t listen. Oh well, 

that’s another story, but it was a lot of fun. 

“I still have my oil and gas exploration and 

production company that’s now 52 years of 

age and I’m active, but slowing down. Lost my 

daughter at age 42 to cancer, but still have the 3 

boys. Ginger and I celebrated our 18th anniversary 

on April 16. Best to everyone.” 

George: 847-856-0704; thegomar@sbcglobal.net 

1949 

David S. Davies 

109 Barker Street 

Wellington, OH 44090-1132 

This is being written on the 64th anniversary 

of the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one 

of those events that some Colgate classmates 

may hardly recall and others remember with 

the vividness of yesterday’s headline. I’m of the 

latter group. On that April afternoon, we were 

practicing starts on the track at Rocky River 

(OH) HS when the manager of the track team 

came bounding out of the locker room yelling in 

jubilation, “Roosevelt’s dead, Roosevelt’s dead,” 

a grin on his puss that would have shamed the 

Cheshire cat. I don’t remember how I felt. I was a 

callow HS senior who didn’t know that my life at 

Colgate was just 4 months off. Colgate was hardly 

in my consciousness. It was one of several college 

applications my dad had browbeaten me into submitting, 

and I didn’t even know where Colgate was, 

or that I would be admitted and invited to attend 

a special start-up summer semester. As Roosevelt 

died, dozens of servicemen who would graduate 

in the Colgate Class of 1949 were fighting in Asia 

and mopping up in Europe. When I got home from 

track practice, my mother was collapsed on the 

living room couch, something I’d never seen before. 

Her face was red and mottled and tear stained, and 

she gave strange moans of anguish when I walked 

into the room. Until that moment, Roosevelt had 

been someone about whom I chided my Republican 

friends in our Republican town, and teased my 

dad’s Republican clan. Now, all of a sudden, Roosevelt 

was a person who caused my mother grief. 

My political world changed its reality that day. And 

servicemen who would be Colgate classmates lost 

their commander in chief. 

Ernie Vandeweghe called recently from his home 

in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, to say that he’d found an 

old ’49er reminder card and wanted to touch base. 

Ernie told of how he had thought he would play 

football at Colgate, but got switched to concentrating 

on basketball by ‘Cagey’ Karl Lawrence. He’d excelled 

in the 2 sports and baseball at Oceanside HS, 

LI. He was All-American in basketball at Colgate, 

and played 6 years for the NY Knicks while studying 

medicine and obtaining his MD. Fans would 

often see him dashing into Madison Square Garden 

from a class at Columbia Med School, practically 

changing his clothes as he ran and dashing to the 

scorer’s table to report for his standard backup role 

as the Knicks’ 6th man. He became known as the 

1st important “6th man” in NBA history. Ernie says 

that he was disappointed that Colgate never tried 

to recruit any of his 3 children: Kiki, who became 

an NBA star with Denver, Portland, NY, and LA 

before becoming a general manager and, most 

recently, special assistant at NJ; daughter Tauna, 

who won a US natl swimming championship in 

the backstroke; and son Bruk, who medaled in 

beach volleyball in the 1994 Goodwill Olympics. 

Ernie says that he and wife Colleen, Miss America 

in 1952, do not travel much anymore and were last 

at Colgate 30 years ago. He has kept busy. He served 

as chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness 

and Sports and member of the Olympic Sports 

Commission under Pres Ford. He helped develop 2 

key pieces of sports legislation, Title IX and the 1976 

Amateur Athletic Act. He is presently a consultant 

with the US Golf and Fitness Assn. Observers say 

that his accomplishment of playing pro basketball 

while obtaining an MD is not likely to be matched. 

“My mother ruled the roost, and although I had 

2 close Colgate relatives (father Ernie ’26 and uncle 

Kenneth Smith ’30), it was mother who decided 

that I would go to Colgate,” Ernie says. “I’m glad she 

did.” 

Alvin Goldstein called from San Rafael, CA, 

and we laughed about memories of his Colgate 

caper when he, Ted Powell ’48, and Don Keefe ’50 

thumbed their noses at Colgate’s fraternity culture 

by founding the Assoc of Colgate Independents, a 

move that enraged Lloyd Huntley, then director of 

student activities and a strong fraternity supporter 

who didn’t look kindly upon “independents.” Al 

went to Harvard Law and then to CA, where he 

worked as a special asst to atty gen Robert Kennedy. 

Subsequently he served as a consultant to 

CA atty gen Pat Brown and then helped in Brown’s 

successful campaign for CA governor. He became 

a member of the CA Superior Court, the state’s trial 

court, and after retiring in 1971 had a private legal 

practice. In 2003 he was enlisted by the US State 

Dept to make a judicial assessment in Iraq. Al had 

3 daughters in his 1st marriage, 2 of whom are 

teachers and 1 an occupational therapist who 

has given him 2 granddaughters. He says he 

feels good and may get back to Colgate some 

day in the future. 

Jack Babeuf, who wrote these notes for 8 

years, has been struggling with spinal stenosis, 

working out 3 times a week, and swinging a 

golf club in his home in Fair Haven, NJ, with an 

eye to getting out on the links again one day. 

Wife Jane died in July 2008, of lung cancer. 

From Millis, MA, Ray Otis writes that he has 

been enlisted to get in touch with guys who 

were members of the Thirteen in the 1940s. It’s 

a long stretch from then until now, and Ray 

says he’d welcome help from singers of that 

period who haven’t heard from him. 

Richard Simons served 34 years as a 

NY state judge, the last 14 on NY’s highest, 

the Court of Appeals. Since retiring, he has 

practiced law p/t with McMahon and Grow in 

Rome, NY, testifying as an expert on NY law 

in various state courts and in Europe and Australia. 

He says his health is “reasonably good 

for an 82-year-old man,” and that he and wife 

Esi enjoy golf, skiing, and traveling, sometimes 

taking vacations in FL and Mexico with Bob 

Magee and wife Marjorie, who live in Marietta, 

GA. 

M Richard Andrews, who has suffered 

from Alzheimer’s for many years, died March 

26 in Denver. He is survived by wife Barbara, 

son Miles B ’76, daughter Barrie C ’83, and 

daughter-in-law JoMarie Theve Andrews ’76. 

Andy was a DKE, recipient of an Alumni Maroon 

Citation ’89, reunion gift committee ’83, 

Colgate campaign volunteer ’72–’77, and, as an 

undergrad, business manager of the Maroon. 

Annette Smith writes that her husband, 

Robert L Smith, died at the age of 84 on Feb 

26 in Redding, CT. Bob was legally blind for 

the last 10 years and almost completely blind 

at the time of his death. Annette reports that 

his life was made unhappy by heart failure 

and malfunctioning kidney and diabetes, but 

he still managed to write a series of essays 

for young people titled “Closing the Gap,” 

which was published in a local newspaper. A 

Sigma Nu, Bob gave strong support to Colgate, 

endowing a scholarship in honor of his 

father, Gilbert BL Smith ’15. Bob had a Colgate 

son, Bob Jr ’75, as well as a daughter and 4 

grandchildren, whom he called “God’s gift to 

grandparents.” 

“Like Jim Anderson and Al Sproul,” writes 

Richard Sheirich from Claremont, CA, “I also 

will be at our 60th, with my wife of 47 years, 

Perdita, and I’m looking forward to seeing all 

those ’49ers who show up as well as those I 

knew from other classes who were out of sync 

because of military service.” Dick says their 

health is good and that they have spent the 

month of Aug for more than 20 years in the 

same house in Vienna because he needs the 

libraries there for his research. “We are near 

the northern edge of the city, with the Vienna 

Woods to the east and vineyards to the north, 

and all within walking distance.” Last Christmas, 

Dick reports, they went to Waikiki for the 

1st time, to be with his son and family, then 

back to Vienna in Feb to visit friends amidst 

snow and chilling winds whistling through 

the streets. “That’s OK,” he writes. “I remember 

one morning at Colgate with a temp of 41° below 

zero and not a breath of air stirring. When 

I stepped out of our place in Vet Village, the 

Hamilton air seemed to suck the breath right 

out of me.” 

Walt Griffith writes from Scottsville, NY, 

that he’s “still going strong” at 88, and will be 



“This is being written on the 64th anniversary of the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of those 

events that some Colgate classmates may hardly recall and others remember with the vividness of 

yesterday’s headline. I’m of the latter group. As Roosevelt died, dozens of servicemen who would 

graduate in the Colgate Class of 1949 were fighting in Asia. And servicemen who would be Colgate 

classmates lost their commander in chief.” — David S. Davies ’49 

thinking of classmates at Reunion time. Says 

he has 4 children and 8 grandchildren in good 

health. Ray Krehel, who served Colgate well for 

many years, writes from Marcellus, NY, that he 

and Anita have had 52 good years together and 

are “hanging in there” despite aches and pains 

and joint replacements that seem to be working 

well. From Pasadena, CA, Gordon Fish writes that 

he’s still “reasonably healthy” after 10 years as a 

banker, 28 as a rancher, and 26 years retired. He 

and Constance just celebrated 55 years of marriage 

“and enjoy doing whatever comes to mind.” 

Says he hears from Jay Goerk in Manasquan, 

NJ, but no one else. Three thousand miles to 

Reunion? “No thanks. Out of the question.” 

Parker Lille, who retired as a major from the 

Marines and lives with wife Mary, p/t in Cincinnati 

and p/t out on Lake Moraine Rd in Hamilton, 

writes that he has survived heart failure and 

stroke and is glad to be alive. He and Mary 

celebrated 61 years of marriage Feb 1. Paul B Van 

Nostrand writes from Tallahassee that his traveling 

is limited and he won’t be getting to Colgate 

for the 60th. Dr Robert Fischer writes that “all 

of Colgate was great and will be cherished,” but 

that he and wife Pat spend their time in the far 

reaches of ME with family and won’t be getting 

to Colgate for Reunion, though they did make the 

50th. Bob was a doughty quarter-mile competitor. 

Cee Mills writes from Bluffton, SC, that her 

husband, Robert Mills, died last Nov. 

Jerry Palatini says that after spending 40 

years in FL, at Plantation just west of Ft Lauderdale, 

he and Ellie have joined 2 daughters, a son, 

and 6 grandchildren in Rome, GA, “to run out the 

clock.” He sends best wishes “to our great Class of 

’49.” Tom Pearsall writes from Skidaway Island, 

near Savannah, that he and Anne, who came 

with him to Colgate as an 18-year-old bride, have 

4 children and 7 grandchildren, 1 of whom graduated 

from Colgate last year. After Colgate, Tom 

had a 20-year career as an Air Force officer and 

then 20 years as a prof at the U of MN. 

The alumni office has provided me with a list 

of the slightly more than 200 ’49er classmates 

who have died, and I will send that list to anyone 

who wants it. So write, call, e-mail, or whatever. 

It will be good to hear from you, and I’ll send you 

the list. 

David: 440-647-5306; davidsdavies@verizon.net 

1950 

Bunn Rhea 

383 Clearbrook Dr 

Avon Lake, OH 44012-3117 

Dear classmates: It’s understandable that 

Colgate’s pres Rebecca Chopp would want to 

squeeze in another college presidency before 

she retires. Fortunately, she was able to answer 

Swarthmore’s call just at the right time. It was, 

indeed, an offer she could not refuse. Her leadership 

has added immeasurably to Colgate’s rising 

stature among liberal arts colleges. We will miss 

her, and we certainly wish her well. 

Lyle Roelofs, dean of the faculty, will serve as 

interim pres during the search process, and Jill 

Harsin, prof of history and director of the Div of 

Social Sciences, will become interim provost and 

dean of the faculty next year. The search committee 

will be headed by Peg Flanagan ’80, VP of 

the Bd of Trustees. 

Phil Sanford, pres of the Class of 1949, passed 

along a postcard he received: “A Christmas greeting 

from CT,” from the Hyatts in Avon. We were 

pleased to learn that Bob Hyatt is doing well 

after open-heart surgery. Phil, who lives in Bluffton, 

SC, and Bob were “battery mates” on some of 

Colgate’s fine baseball teams way back when. A 

Lambda Chi at Colgate, Bob worked in the insurance 

business for CT General and MI Reinsurance 

for more than 40 years before fully retiring in 

1984. Robert Hyatt Jr ’84 is also a Colgate grad. 

Joe Flatley (Rochester, NY) and a group of 

alums and parents met with Rebecca Chopp and 

others from Hamilton at Loblolly Pines in Hobe 

Sound, FL, in late Jan. He and his fellow guests 

were brought up to date by Pres Chopp concerning 

the many challenges facing Colgate. 

Joe has maintained a close relationship with 

Colgate over the years. After leaving the campus 

in 1950, he graduated from the U of Rochester 

School of Med and Dentistry in 1954, spent 2 

years at OH State U Med Ctr, 2+ years in service 

at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 

and 2 years back at the URSMD in a medicine 

and cardio/pulmonary fellowship. He then 

practiced medicine and taught at URMC (Strong 

Memorial Hospital) for more than 36 years. In 

1996, he retired from practice, but he is still active 

teaching med students, interviewing/evaluating 

prospective med students, and serving on committees 

of the URMC Board. 

In the winter, he and wife Mary spend about 

3 months in FL, where they occasionally run into 

Howie Sutliff. Mary is an avid gardener, which 

keeps them busy at their home of 47 years in 

Brighton on the outskirts of Rochester. They are 

also involved in several volunteer and family 

activities (3 daughters, 6 grandchildren), play lots 

of golf, and make short trips to their farm on the 

Hudson River 35 miles north of Albany. The farm 

has been in their family since 1862. It is where 

Joe grew up; the daughters/families love to go 

there. 

Also in the Rochester picture were Dave Kluge 

and Bob Dickerson. Joe, Dave, and Bob graduated 

together from URSMD in 1954. Dave practiced 

genl surgery and Bob orthopedics. Both are 

now retired. These 3 remain close friends and 

enjoy being together. Dave was instrumental 

in starting a class scholarship fund at URSMD 

and Colgate. Both funds are substantial and are 

of immense help to students of limited means. 

This is extremely important to Joe because he 

received scholarships/job opportunities from 

Colgate and URSMD, without which, he says, he 

would never have been able to experience higher 

ed at any level. 

For many years, Joe has assumed that he was 

the youngest (DOB 12/27/29) in the Class of 1950. 

But he has seen the identical claim made by Alan 

Jolly (Bowling Green, KY) or by others on Alan’s 

behalf. It has turned out that Alan’s DOB was 

9/8/30. Well, OK, nothing wrong with being the 

2nd youngest, I guess. 

Paul ‘Moon’ Mulligan and yours truly squeezed 

in a nice lunch here in Avon Lake in late March. 

For one more time we shared the memories 

sparked by many football trips in the ’40s. Moon 

looks great, better than his 81 years should allow. 

We said good-bye to Norman W Keller, who 

died “peacefully at home” Oct 30, in Greenwich, 

CT. A Sigma Nu at Colgate, he received his MD 

from Cornell Med School in 1954. He retired in 

1992 from his internal medicine practice of 35 

yrs in Greenwich, and volunteered with the 

America Cares Foundation with 3 clinics in 

Norwalk, Groton, and Danbury. William C Helms 

succumbed to cancer May 2, 2008, in NYC. Bill 

was a member of Phi Kappa Tau and majored 

in sociology/anthropology. And Earl Abell died 

Nov 15. He was a WWII vet, and had a wonderful 

story about landing in the Philippines, only to sit 

on the beach for 2 days waiting for MacArthur 

to arrive for a photo op, which required several 

takes, to which Earl had a ringside seat. Earl was 

a DKE and was predeceased by 2 brothers, John 

’44 and Edward ’46 — both DKEs. Earl’s dad, BTW, 

was Earl C Abell, one of Colgate’s greatest linemen 

and on Walter Camp’s 1915 All-American 

team. 

Stu Miller wrote us with the latest on Jerry 

Shively, “the successful businessman, pilot, 

balloonist, scuba diver, and restorer of antique 

cars and vintage French farm houses,” who also 

squeezed in an MBA from Harvard in 1952 and 

retired in 1990 to live in the UK and France. Jerry 

has written his 1st novel, and Stu says Jerry is 

“one hell of a good writer.” His book is about an 

RAF test pilot and British commando stealing 

the latest Nazi fighter (that threatened to turn 

the tide against the vaunted Spitfire) from a 

German field near Cherbourg. Stu calls it “a wonderful 

page turner” and a “fun read” with movie 

potential. 

Stu goes on, “I need to correct Cheever’s report 

in the last Scene: I never got schistosomiasis or 

raced feluccas on the Nile. A small group of us 

hired a Nubian crew in Aswan to take us down 

the Nile, stopping at all the famous archeological 

sites. We camped at night on small islands along 

the way, and used the Nile to bathe. On a bet, I 

swam across the Nile, but landed so far down 

stream on the other side that the Nubians had to 

come and get me, and then pull the damned felucca 

up stream from the shoreline.” Apparently, 

one does not have to worry about schistosomiasis 

in a fast-moving body of water like the Nile. 

Nancy and Dick Yale tried to escape the 

sub-zero of Binghamton and spent a month in 

Naples, where it was, unfortunately, cold. Both 

of them have gone for repeated tests, Nancy for 

MRIs and CT scans to look for causes of pain, 

Dick for a 2nd bone scan to weigh his continual 

risk for fractures. He says he must continue 

Fosomax and Calcium +D, 1,000 g daily. “On Fri, 

April 3, around 10:30 AM and unbeknownst to 

us, the Binghamton Massacre of 13 began as we 

were heading to Colgate for the Colin Powell 

lecture that night. We stayed with Prof Emeritus 

Bob Elgie and wife Polly, who drove us to lunch 

at Symeon’s, near Utica. As we were leaving, 

they introduced us, being from Binghamton, to 

the owner. He told us the massacre news, which 

was shocking. Despite the news we did enjoy the 

Powell lecture about leadership and community 

involvement, which was aimed at the students. 

As we returned home on Sat, we followed the 

news on XM-CNN. Then, on Mon, at the museum 

where we are members, a memorial was held for 

a docent who was killed in the massacre, as she 

was teaching English to a class of immigrants. 

Binghamton is devastated, but is healing as you 

read this. Best wishes.” 

Odds and ends: The Colgate football team has 

joined Villanova and the Natl Marrow Donor Program 

(NMDP) in their effort to recruit 5,000 new 

members to the registry. On April 18, the Colgate 

players were in Cotterell Court to assist members 

of the Colgate community and area residents 

interested in joining the registry. Thousands of 

patients with leukemia depend on the NMDP 

registry to find a match. 

Something new on the campus for most of 

you would be the Blackmore Media Ctr, located 

on the lower level of the Coop. It is the “state-ofthe-art” 

home of the student-run radio station 

(WRCU 90.1), which is attracting increased usage 

and relevance. 

And, for the 3rd time, Donovan’s Pub has been 

redone. Ribbon cutting for the newly remodeled 

pub was held Feb 17. 

Keep the news coming, please. I’d really appreciate 

it. 

Thanks, and go, ’Gate! 

Bunn: 440-933-4137; b.rhea@oh.rr.com; 

b.rhea@50news.com 

1951 

Nels MacCallum 

1915 Clark Rd 

Rochester, NY 14625-1830 

Jack Filler opens with an update from Sandwich, 

MA: “I remember you fondly and appreciate the 

linkage you provide to Colgate, where in June we 

became a 3-generation family thanks partly to 

generous alumni support.” (Congrats on that fine 

accomplishment, Jack. I remember you fondly, 

too — starting from those freshman baseball 

days.) “In 2001 I retired from the nation’s oldest 

congregational church after 20 years of ministry 

and bought an 80-acre horse farm in NC, where 

our youngest son taught equine science at the 

university. When he moved on, we sold out and 

returned home to Cape Cod, where I practiced 

as a clinical therapist for 20 years. Now we 

are learning the art of retirement, somewhat 

reluctantly. But, like our classmates, we recognize 

the necessity. Hope you remain well and active 

and can still chase a grounder to shortstop.” (I 

can, Jack, but the ball has to bounce at least waist 

high and there has to be a designated thrower to 

get the ball to 1st base.) 

Chuck Harff writes from Sewickley, PA: “<strong>Our</strong> 

past year has been one of great joy and of great 

sorrow! The joy was celebrating our 50th anniversary 

with a month-long trip to Australia, followed 

immediately by meeting our son Todd ’88 

and family for a 3-week tour of S Africa, visiting 

game parks and driving the garden route from 

Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Sadly, on our return 

we found that our son Blair ’84 died in a farm 

accident on his farm in Watertown, NY, where 

he was a vet. Simultaneously we learned that 

my wife, Marion, has cancer, for which she has 

had a number of rounds of radiation and chemo. 

Happily, Blair’s 3 children are doing well, with the 

oldest graduating this year from St Paul’s, where 

he is captain of the hockey team. Best regards 

to all. PS: Please say ‘hi’ to Joe Flatley ’50 MD 

and Bob Reiners.” I will. We see Joe and Mary at 

Colgate and U of Rochester functions and at their 

club, Oak Hill, where I believe he is still a singledigit 

golfer on their championship course (US 

Opens, PGA, Ryder Cup, etc). Bob and Margie are 

our closest friends and we get together often; in 

addition to our Colgate connection, Margie and 

Audrey have been best friends since jr high days. 

Bob is a 14 handicap at his club and Margie plays 

a fine game. Chuck and Marion, we are all deeply 

saddened by your sorrows in the past year and 

send our sincerest condolences. <strong>Our</strong> son Kyle 

has been a resident of the Watertown/Alex Bay 

area for more than 20 years; still playing senior 

hockey at 48 and coaching his 14-year-old son’s 

hockey team. He didn’t know Blair well personally, 

but as did the whole community, he says 

he admired Blair tremendously, liked him, and 

appreciated his accomplishments for the area, 

and particularly for its hockey world. He says the 

entire community has felt a great loss. Audrey is 

a survivor of 2 breast cancer episodes — 1997 and 

2004 — both diagnosed early and successfully 

treated; she is cancer free. We hope Marion’s 

treatments will be as successful. 

Rich Heath sends a note from his winter 

home in Amelia Island, FL. “We have the honor of 

being the tennis family of the year of the NE Section 

of the US Tennis Assoc.” Rich and daughter 

Susan play (and are successful) in some natl father/daughter 

tourneys. And he and his sons — 

Tim, the new pres of the NE Tennis Assoc, Steve 

’80, Jeff, Scott, and James — compete in and help 

promote and manage association tourneys. Keep 

being and doing well, Rich! 

Jay Hodes writes: “After 50 yrs in LA, 30 in 

the same house, we have moved and are now 

settled in Santa Rosa, CA, 60 miles north of San 

Fran. Despite the stress of moving and leaving 

old friends, we never imagined how wonderful 

this new life could be. The transition from a 

city of millions to this community of 160K has 

been easy, thanks to the help of our children and 

grandchildren who live nearby. We are grateful 

that we are both healthy and still able to enjoy 

the wide range of activities available to us here, 

intellectual as well as physical. Life is good. One 

day at a time.” 

Don Smith reports from New Castle, PA, on 

a Colgate day in FL: “Nice to talk with you on 

March 17. My notes of the March 16 lunch: an 

informal but wonderful Naples alumni club 

meeting was held at Erin’s Isle Irish Pub. In attendance 

from ’51 were Pat and Austin Murphy, 

Peg and class pres Tom Walbridge, and Nancy 

and I. Other classes were represented by Shirley 

and Bob Preston ’50, Herb Dietzel ’52, and Eileen 

and Jim Robertson ’67. I had called Tom DeLessio 

but Marion said they had a long-planned trip 

with 30 church friends and couldn’t make it. 

They were missed. The good Lord willing and the 

crick don’t rise, we hope to make it again next 

year. Prexy Tom also sowed the 1st seeds for our 

60th in 2011. In general, health level was good, 

all things considered. Lots of aches but nothing 

unexpected at our age. Long-time friends from 

New Castle, Bob Reed (Grove City ’50) and wife 

Lynn (Carnegie Mellon ’53) also joined us. Pres 

Tom offered to make Bob an honorary member 

of our class if he would pick up the tab for lunch. 

Bob allowed as now he already had too many of 

his own college obligations. The joke of the day 

came from Jim Robertson ’67. I asked him how a 

grad of a liberal arts Colgate could get to be the 

captain of a US Navy nuclear attack sub and he 

responded ‘It’s a liberal US Navy.’ Closing comments: 

New friends are like silver, old friends are 

like gold. Never miss a chance to polish old gold. 

Start thinking about 2011! Go, ’Gate! Go ’51ers!” 

Sad news: Zack (Ernest L) Taylor passed away 

on Jan 17 in Easton, MD, after a long illness. Next 

of kin is his widow, Melissa. 

Writing this column in mid-April, and you’ll 

be reading it in late July. Maybe it’s the reaction 

to the economy blues — or some other malady, or 

whatever — but we’ve had a dearth of classmate 

responses. When you get your response request 

(or anytime you feel like it), please take time to 

drop a note. Or a phone call. We want to stay in 

touch. 

Nels: 585-381-5352; nelsaud@webtv.net 

1952 

Jackson T King 

476 Grace Tr 

Orange, CT 06477-2619 

I had a nice call from Ted Stratton, former QB 

and fraternity brother, who spends half the year 

in PA and half the year in FL. He is giving serious 

consideration to spending the entire year in FL. 

He is retired, plays a lot of golf, and is in generally 

good health. 

I had a 2nd discussion with Dick Merrill 

concerning his interests in attracting military 

service vets to Colgate. Dick and his wife stay in 

the Hobe Sound area of FL from Oct to April. He 

just performed in a play in Hobe Sound that had 

3 full-house performances. Dick acted as a “tin 

man” with a funnel on his head. Dick is planning 

on returning to the Rochester area before May 

1. Apparently Art Thompson had a greater part 

in the play as he sang “Did you Ever” from High 

Society and “Thank Heavens for Little Girls,” a 

Maurice Chevalier tune. 

Donald Veit, 80, passed away Dec 7 in Calverton, 

NY. He is survived by his daughters Victoria 

and Nancy. He was predeceased by his wife, 

Jean, in 2005. At Colgate, he majored in history 

and was a member of Phi Delta Theta, econ club, 

psych club, football, and student govt. 

Thomas M Ohlweiler Jr, 80, died on Jan 20 in 

Jacksonville. He is survived by his widow, Carol. 

While at Colgate he was a member of ATO, chorus, 

class gift committee, econ club, hockey, Konosioni, 

Maroon Key, and Masque & Triangle. 

William R Kern Jr, 79, died on Feb 9 in New 

Castle, NH. He is survived by his widow, Anne. 

While at Colgate he majored in poli sci and was 

a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, football, lax, 

and sailing. His sons, John S Kern ’76 and David S 

Kern ’83, both graduated from Colgate. 

I would certainly appreciate hearing from you 

by phone, mail, or e-mail. 

Jack: 203-795-9111; jtking@kingandshaw.com 

1953 

Lou Wilcox 

20727 Cove Rd 

Bivalve, MD 21814-2004 

I write this in April to bring you all summer 

greetings! I sure hope that you are having a good 

summer, and that the economic world is looking 

down upon you with favor. 

My winter included a trip to FL to bring Jane’s 

mother back north for the summer, but alas, 

mother decided it was too cold to go north and 

stayed in FL until it warmed up here in MD. But, 

the highlight of the trip was a visit with Cathy 

and Ted von Glahn. Ted and I roomed together 

in our sr year and had not seen each other since 

graduation save for an all-too-brief visit at the 

50th Reunion. I am pleased to report that Ted 

and Cathy are living happily in a golf community 

in Osprey, FL, a town that, as Ted says, does not 

exist. We talked of a million happenings both at 

Colgate and after Colgate. The most interesting 

thing Ted said to me went as follows. He said 

that when he started out on Wall St, a man’s 

word was as good as gold. But, he said all this 

changed toward the end of his career when 

morality went down the drain. In fact, he said 

he wished he had retired earlier because his last 

5 years on the job were no fun at all. I saw the 

same thing in academia. 

Gene Schulze and I e-mail back and forth 

frequently, and he usually includes some gem 

from the world of finance with a quote. His 

most recent quote, in Shakespeare’s words: 

“I’ll give you such an aigue!” (Old English for 

ache). Gene’s worldly piece to me was titled, 

“AIG suing taxpayers for its own Panama tax 

dodging.” And then leaping from the worldly to 

the daily mundane, Gene wrote: “I’m impressed 

with your garden plantings. I think of myself as 

a gardener, and I’ve only gotten to plant peas 

outside and spinach and tomatoes inside. Have 

leeks still growing in the garden from last year 

and a few strawberry plants survived, and my 

blueberry bush started last year. I go back to FL 

for a week soon to pick up my wife and dog, and 

there I have a container inside a pen (to keep the 

animals out and the plants in during hurricanes), 

which has beans, broccoli, and tomato plants 

starting. My wife is getting addicted to orchids. 

A friend gave us a desert rose plant that started 

off well but is looking a little sickly now, even 

though the FL growing conditions should be 

ideal.” Gene virtually commutes back and forth 

between FL, where he winters, and CT, where he 

summers. 

Yes, your ole scribe does a bit of gardening, 

though not as much as he did in ME, where I 

had an acre under cultivation and here I have 2 

plots 20 x 30 and 5 raised beds. Asparagus is up 

early this year, and the strawberries are in flower, 

again early. Shallots, garlic, and onions I planted 

last fall are off to the races and I will harvest 

them in July. Tomato and pepper seedlings are 

happily growing in my shop and will move to 

cold frames soon. Robin Jaycox is also an avid 

gardener and grows a prime crop of tomatoes 

each summer in Hamilton. He also has many 

lovely flower gardens. So, yes, I understand we 

should really turn this column into a gardening 

column in the summer … but you all will have to 

send me notes of what you are gardening! 

Bernie Siegel checked in with word of 

another book, Faith, Hope, and Healing: Inspiring 

Lessons from People Living with Cancer. He says, 

“I am doing much caregiving and still lecturing 

and getting invited all over the world but do not 

choose to travel at this time in my life. Prefer being 

home with the love of my wife and houseful 

of animals. Peace.” 

Bob Troup wrote: “Gen and I left grand old 

NY for southern FL several years ago and have 

seen a lot of school activity. Football against 

FAU (we won), basketball, tennis, and a yearly 

luncheon with the president. It’s quiet time now. 

Golf, those books I always meant to read, and my 

grandkids — they came down with my daughter 

a few years ago and they’re still here — are fun. 

If anyone comes down, please call and say hello. 

We are 15 miles south of West Palm airport in the 

village of Golf. God bless.” If anyone would like 

Bob’s number, please contact me. 

Two class members have passed on since I last 

wrote. James Beverley, who spent 44 years as a 

stockbroker with Salomon, Smith and Barney, 

and Charles W Green, who earned his master’s 

degree at Colgate. My apologies, I have no more 

info on either James or Charles, but when I get 

it, I will pass it on. In the meantime, I send condolences 

to their respective families and friends on 

behalf of the Class of 1953. 

That’s all for this round-up. Sure could use 

more news from each and every one of you lest I 

have to bring back for exhibition some of Bernie’s 

invented characters. Have a good summer! And, 

if traveling this way, do stop in here at Bivalve. 

Lou: 410-873-2944; bylou13@comcast.net 

Maroon’d… 

in Adirondack Park, N.Y. 

Annie Stoltie ’96 lives in Jay, N.Y., with 

her husband, Drew Sprague, and their 

son, Asa. She’s the editor of Adirondack 

Life. Stoltie is also the co-author of The 

Adirondack Book, a guidebook to the 

region. Here are her tips: 

Hike… the park’s hundreds of state 

trails. For a high-altitude experience, 

head to the High Peaks Wilderness Area, 

where you can scale the state’s loftiest 

peak, Mount Marcy. Hard-core hikers 

should try the 132-mile Northville- 

Placid Trail, an epic route that runs from 

one end of the region to the other. 

Paddle… the St. Regis Canoe Area, the 

Saranacs, or the coastline along Lake 

Champlain. For a wilder ride, raft the 

white water on the Hudson, Moose, or 

Sacandaga Rivers. 

Learn… about the Adirondacks’ cultural 

history at Blue Mountain Lake’s Adirondack 

Museum. The Natural History 

Museum in Tupper Lake has cool exhibits, 

live critters, and outdoor trails. Fort 

Ticonderoga showcases the Adirondacks’ 

role in American history. 

Experience… Whiteface Mountain in 

summer and fall, when its trails are open 

to mountain bikers and its gondola is 

open to leaf-peepers. Drive the Whiteface 

Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, 

then take an elevator to the summit 

for a 360-degree view of the park. 

Stay… at the elegant Mirror Lake Inn, 

in Lake Placid, the luxurious Lake Placid 

Lodge, or, for hikers who want proximity 

to High Peaks trailheads, the rustic 

Adirondak Loj, also in Lake Placid. The 

Hedges, in Blue Mountain Lake, has 

lakeside cabins perfect for families; the 

Point, built by the Rockefellers, is an exclusive 

getaway on Upper Saranac Lake. 

Have tips for people who might be 

maroon’d in your area? Write us at 

scene@colgate.edu and put Maroon’d in 

the subject line. 



V. James Garofalo MAT’62 (right) with colleagues from the American University of Nigeria 

and a community leader in Nigeria. 

Breaking ground in Nigeria 

Forty-six years after finishing his Peace Corps work in Nigeria, V. James Garofalo MAT’62 

returned to help create an entire university. Garofalo recently finished his four-year contract 

as the founding academic vice president of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), 

which is now educating the children and grandchildren of the secondary students whom he 

taught in the 1960s. 

Having opened its doors in September 2005, the AUN is a private university based on an 

American university model. Garofalo and the other founding leaders hope that the university 

will be a new beginning for the area, by helping the community prosper and emphasizing 

the value of education. In a poverty-stricken nation where child labor is prevalent and young 

women are typically married off at the age of 13, education is not a priority for certain 

classes. “There are a lot of social issues that need to be addressed,” he said. 

Garofalo was involved from the start, beginning with the challenge of establishing reliable 

electricity and Internet access on the “semi-desert stretch of land” in northern Nigeria. 

Because the university was built in a rural area, the founders essentially had to develop an 

entire community, including a medical facility and an elementary school. 

As the overseer of the university’s three academic schools, Garofalo was ultimately 

responsible for accreditation, recruiting faculty, and the logistical details of classrooms 

and housing. One of the mandates that Garofalo accomplished was hiring a 50-percent 

Nigerian staff and faculty. Although it was originally planned that the Nigerians hired would 

be recruited from within the country, many of them had to come from abroad because the 

university standards required experience in American education. Garofalo explained that 

an American university operates differently from African institutions, and they wanted to 

incorporate aspects of U.S. education such as continuous assessment of learning, student 

governance, course evaluation, and the collegial student-professor relationship. “Over time, 

they will have established their culture of how the university is run so it won’t be as necessary 

for people to have an American background, but initially, it’s important,” Garofalo said. 

The university’s leaders anticipate that its presence will improve the area by enabling 

students who desire a Western-style education to continue their studies, and ultimately 

work, in Nigeria. “If a student studies outside of Nigeria, they generally stay in that country 

and get employed there,” Garofalo explained. “This keeps them close to the family and to the 

community they identify with.” 

Garofalo, who has 47 years of experience as a professor, dean, and educational consultant, 

is no stranger to starting from scratch and employing new learning techniques. Under 

his 25-year leadership as the dean of the School of Education at Aquinas College in Grand 

Rapids, Mich., the school grew from 25 students to more than 800 each semester. 

Now living in Michigan, Garofalo is writing, consulting, and speaking publicly. He recently 

flew to Nigeria for the AUN’s first commencement ceremony, at which Reverend Desmond 

Tutu was the keynote speaker. With 80 students graduating out of 126 in the first class, 

Garofalo is proud of what they’ve achieved. “That’s high by American standards for students, 

particularly under the conditions we had in Nigeria,” he said. 

Upon completing the “Herculean task” of what he accomplished at the university, Garofalo 

learned that he not only had an influence on this new generation, but also is remembered 

by his students from almost five decades ago. Some of them doctors, politicians, and 

college presidents, they sought him out after learning that he was returning to Nigeria. 

“I hadn’t anticipated that,” he said. “It brings tears to my eyes thinking that what I did in a 

two-year period of time as a teacher would influence people throughout their whole lives.” 


1954 

Peter W Rakov 

159 Edgewood Ave 

Hurley, NY 12443-5406 

Happy to receive word that 1954’s gifts to the 

“21st century library fund” now totals $455,171.32! 

Jack Wait hopes that our social security checks 

will continue “before the (SS) fund runs dry.” Jack 

is a CPA in Andover, MA. TJ and Curt Taylor have 

moved to new digs in San Fran. “The Towers is 

a most attractive life-care retirement complex,” 

said Curt. “We are excited and energized as 

we confront the challenges of moving, and 

anticipate the opportunities and adventures that 

lie ahead.” Three Colgate brothers have passed 

on since last we met: Pete Edmonds, Jim Voss, 

and Pete Van Wyck. As our numbers dwindle, 

the fond memories linger o’er. Mike Cassell has 

celebrated 50 years as an Episcopal priest in 

Boynton Beach, FL, now. He works for Food for 

the Poor, the largest US agency for world relief. 

He travels nationwide fundraising ($2 million so 

far), plus working in the nations they serve. He 

and Sharon planned to visit Spain and Portugal 

this past spring. 

Julian Padowicz will be publishing a sequel to 

his WWII memoir, Mother and Me: Escape from 

Warsaw 1939. It will probably be titled A Ship 

in the Harbor. It deals with their escape from 

Poland into Nazi-sympathizing Hungary. 

Wishing you all a merry summer. 

Peter: 845-340-0659; therakovs@aol.com 

1955 

Bruce Burke 

4661 Sweetmeadow Cir 

Sarasota, FL 34238-4334 

Let’s celebrate the good news first: we have notice 

that Louis Frey has been selected by The Best 

Lawyers in America, 2009, in the area of internatl 

trade and finance law. This publication has the 

reputation of being the most respected referral 

list of attys in practice. Good for you, Louis! Now 

the sad news: J Thomas Hossley passed away 

last fall in CO Springs, CO. A member of Sigma 

Nu, Thomas is missed by his 3 children and their 

families. 

Heard from Dick Johnson that he continues 

to substitute teach in Spanish, some French, and 

American history. Keep up the good work, Dick! 

Most of us who know French, only know “some 

French” anyway. 

Tim Gomez volunteers at his local hospital. 

Wednesdays he works in the ER with patients 

and families, while on Thursdays he is in orthopedic 

post-OP, where he assists the nurses and 

their patients. He continues to promise that as 

soon as he sells his WV house, he will move to FL 

and take up fishing in warm waters again. 

Bob Victorin sent a message about Al Antinelli’s 

surgery, from wife Eleanor: Al had extensive 

back surgery, but all is well now. Al did just fine, 

says Eleanor, even though he had severe headaches 

after the surgery. His prognosis is good, 

and he would be happy to hear from any of his 

classmates. We all remember what a remarkable 

athlete Al was, so send him greetings. 

Bill Boyle writes that this winter he was back 

in Hilton Head Island for a week and stayed with 

friends and visited Jo (Wellesley ’55) and Paul 

Stillman in their lovely Sea Pines home. While 

there he saw our former class scribe John Moynahan 

and wife Pat of Pittsfield, MA. He reports that 

all is fine with them. 

Also heard from Pete Foster, who has been 

in touch with Peter VanAmburgh, Dick Johnson, 

and Bill Beyea. Pete says he continues to “plod 

along in the lackluster real estate world.” You 

are right, Pete, it is tough to make a buck in this 

recession in practically any field. 

Talked with Bob Quitzau, our class pres, about 

many things. He is doing well in Houston and 

continues to enjoy an active life. Most of all, Bob 

is concerned about getting ready for Reunion. He 

reminds us all to reserve June 3-6, 2010, for the 

big event. <strong>Our</strong> Reunion reps are Bill Beyea and 

Dick Colwell. Dick would like us to help him create 

a list of class members who intend to return 

to the 55th for the Class of ’55. At least he would 

like to hear from those who think they are probably 

going to make it to the Chenango Valley in 

2010. So, e-mail Dick and tell him of your plans. 

His contact information is on our class page at 

Colgatealumni.org, or you can ask me for it. 

We received a note from Pete Watts: “Sorry to 

say it, but I guess my news is mostly about my 

health. I was diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 a 

few months ago. Have been managing pretty 

well with good diet, exercise, and daily glucose 

testing. On another subject, if I can sell my place 

in the Berkshires, I’ll move to Cape Cod where 

my son, Matthew, and his family live. Bad time 

to find buyers. Also, I plan to attend our next 

Reunion. In the past, I roomed with Bob Asip. It 

is sad to think he won’t be there for the next one. 

I miss him very much. I am impressed with the 

Colgate lax team — I watch them on ESPN.” 

Use my new e-mail address below to send me 

news. Keep in touch. 

Bruce: 941-926-3244; johnbburke@comcast.net 

1956 

Jerry Rhodes 

101 Magerton Ct 

Cary, NC 27511-7303 

Before I begin with my “news and views,” I want 

to make sure all of you take note that my e-mail 

has changed. Please note the new one at the end 

of this column so you may inundate me with all 

your goings-on! First of all, back in mid-March, 

Carole and I spent an enjoyable week in Santa 

Fe, a place I recommend if you haven’t visited 

yet. While there, we met up with Ed Jaqua and 

son David, who came up from Albuquerque to 

have dinner with us. We last saw Ed at our 50th, 

but before that, we hadn’t met up since ’56. 

David and Carole managed to chat while Ed and 

I caught up with things and reminisced. We even 

attempted to sing the old Thirteen song “Ballin’ 

the Jack,” with little success! By the way, how 

many of you have had your autobiography published? 

Well, Ed has. It is called A Stroll Through 

a Good Life and put out by ESJ, Esq (ie, self 

published). I read the parts referring to 1952–56 

to see if I could get any “old dirt” on any of you, 

but he was kind to us all! Thanks, Ed, for sending 

me a copy and, once again, it was great to be able 

to get together again. (Check out the photo on 

our class page!) 

I had a phone chat with Jack Goodreds down 

in FL and we discussed what we should do with 

our GE stock! Jack said he went to an Orchid Society 

gathering with Alan Goldman and his wife 

and also saw Chuck Berky ’59. He also played a 

round of golf with Ed Blohm while the latter was 

vacationing in FL. And he went over to Ft Lauderdale 

to have lunch with Len Dennick. So you 

see, Jack isn’t letting grass grow under his feet! 

Jack lives in FL across the street from Ed Janos 

’49, a fact he discovered when they were both in 

Hamilton a while back. Thanks for the call, Jack. 

It’s always good to talk with you and relive our 

glorious GE days! 

I received a letter from Pierre Laurent, who 

said he hadn’t seen any notice in the Scene of Tad 

Alwyn’s death last year. Tad was a 1st-year with 

us, pledged Phi Delt, and then left for the military 

in ’53. If any of you know of Tad and his family, 

please express our sympathies. Pierre said he and 

Ginny celebrated their 50th last Aug with friends 

and family. He still teaches a course a year at 

Tufts, but retirement has been almost 6 years of 

grandparenting and volunteer work. They do get 

away and have made trips to the Galapagos, E 

Europe, and Spain. Thanks for your note, Pierre. 

Some time ago, I sent out a list of those I 

thought I had “lost.” Well, it turned out, as usual, 

it was my fault and several were not “lost.” I 

heard from Axel Krause that he is still doing well 

and going strong in Paris. I also heard from Harris 

Barer, who is still practicing law in NYC, although 

not as fully engaged as before. He divides 

time between Manhattan and Bridgehampton, 

LI. He serves on some nonprofit boards, including 

serving as chair of a natl health fdn. His wife had 

her novel published last year to good notices, 

although Harris says sales haven’t justified seeking 

a villa in the south of France. Their daughter 

is a literary agent in Manhattan, so if any of you 

have a novel burning to get out, call him! Howard 

Moskof joined the Barers in Longboat Key for a 

pleasant weekend in Feb and they fished up a 

storm. Ben Patt wrote that he bumped into Dave 

Peterson ’54, who was to be representing the 

Treasure Coast Alumni Club at his 55th Reunion 

in June. Bob Vint wrote in Jan, saying they are all 

OK in AZ, enjoying temps in the low 70s while 

our eastern friends and relatives were freezing 

their tails off! I received a note from Brad Tufts 

’59 (who retired from my 2nd favorite school, 

Bucknell) saying that one of his favorite Colgate 

people, Marty Erb, has relocated near us in NC. 

Marty graduated from Bucknell in ’72 (where he 

played golf when Brad was coaching), and was 

at Colgate from 1973 until he retired last summer. 

In all but the 1st year there, he was the head 

athletic trainer. He is now living in Holly Springs, 

NC. 

Bill Riedell writes that he enjoyed a great 

summer on LI shared with ex-roomie Bill Baxter, 

Pete Todebush, and Chuck Mueller. Mr Baxter 

provided the sea stories (he managed to win 

the prestigious Whitehead Regatta in a fleet of 

100+ boats to wrap up his sailing season), Pete 

the current events, and Chuck the wine, all accompanied 

by their partners for life, Pat, Mary, 

Susan, and Judy, Bill’s wife of 50 years. He is 

still selling educationally focused furniture and 

equipment in the NYC area while Judy is a TA in 

several schools on E LI. They also took in a Swinging 

’Gates concert hosted by the LI Alumni Club. 

Thanks for your note, Bill, and your kind words. 

Bill Everts writes that he has started training 

to become an enumerator for the 2010 census 

project. He is looking forward to making himself 

useful outside their home and yard. Ed Johnston 

sent word that Nikki and John Wise hosted a 

party in Orlando with Ed and Bernie and Corky 

Steneri at his home, which included a cruise 

on his pontoon boat and a bit of wine and 

reminiscing about the good old days. Ed says it’s 

amazing how strong the Colgate connections 

remain. At an earlier date in Feb, Ed and June 

and Ron Schaupp met for lunch in Orlando on 

the Schaupps’ vacation and they relived events 

of more than 50 years ago. Fun was had by all. 

Frank Proietti said he was hoping to finish the 

ski season but his shoulder didn’t cooperate so 

he had surgery in early March to repair a tear 

in his rotator cuff. Frank says it’s not the worse 

thing that can happen but the rehab is not fun. 

He hopes to start hitting tennis balls mid-summer. 

George Economou reports that he has had 

2 books published since the last Scene: Half 

an Hour, a book of translations of poems by C. 

Cavafy, with fine illustrations by 4 young Greek 

women artists (London: Stop Press, 2008), and 

Ananios of Kleitor (Exeter: Shearsman, 2009). 

Travel plans include a river-boat cruise up the 

Rhone through Provence to Lyon in mid-May. 

George sent me a publisher’s blurb on the latter 

and, if I may quote, it says “George Economou, 

famed translator and poet, has here produced his 

magnum opus…” That’s exciting, George, and you 

are to be congratulated. 

Gordie Miller writes that it’s been a hectic 

year! He and Heide attended the inauguration, 

which was, as the grandkids would say, awesome! 

Fortunately, Colgate winters prepared 

them for the cold temps. On March 25, the Millers 

celebrated their 50th in London. He suspects a lot 

of classmates have reached that magic number 

and muses “where does time go?” One of the 

Millers’ grandsons will be in the Class of 2013 

and Gordie already has his hat! He also says that 

some classmates have been talking about a ’56 

gathering either summer or fall, at Colgate, NYC, 

or whatever. If any of you are interested, please 

contact either Jack Goodreds or Gordie as to 

interest and/or locale suggestions. 

I received word from the family of Jack Rust 

that he died on Jan 26 in Scottsdale, AZ. He had 

been suffering with pancreatic cancer. The note 

said, “He will be dearly missed, gone but not 

forgotten. Thank you all for being so supportive 

during his rapid — but thankfully painless — 

passing.” We send out sympathies to all of the 

Rust family: Pat, Jeff, John, Amy, and Mercedes. 

He indeed will be missed. Through the alumni 

office, I also learned that Phil Paris died on Jan 21 

in Phoenix of throat cancer. <strong>Our</strong> sympathies go 

out to his children, Nick, Phil Jr, Dean, and Lucy. 

Phil’s wife died in 2006. Both these gentlemen 

will be missed by us all, but we will retain our 

memories of them as well as our other deceased 

classmates. 

Dick Martin wrote after I had sent out my 

original e-mail change. At the time, he and Anne 

were in Eleuthera. They went to the inauguration, 

but like 500,000 others, they never got to 

see anything. They were invited to a party at a 

law firm on PA Ave, but the Secret Service was 

so slow at letting people through the gates that 

after 2 1/2 hours they decided to leave. The Martins 

went to NM in March for an Elderhostel in 

conjunction with Ghost Ranch near Sante Fe. The 

course was “Mind Training,” and Dick says, “at 

this age, we hope it will assist us in keeping our 

memories alert and our minds receptive!” (We 

also visited Ghost Ranch in March on our trip to 

NM. Very interesting.) The Martins were away 

for a month and managed visits to Santa Fe, OK 

City, Lexington, KY, and other locales. Sounds like 

a great trip. Thanks for writing, Dick. 

One of my other “lost” classmates was Victor 

Newton, who wrote back to inform me that he 

was still “living” at the same e-mail address. How 

I got so messed up with my addresses is beyond 

me. Once again, I apologize to the “un-lost”! 

When Carole and I had planned our Santa Fe 

trip, I got word from Larry Martin that he had 

thought of coming down from Prescott, AZ, to 

visit but then got an invitation from a friend to 

go to Cabo San Lucas. Larry said it was a “tough 

decision,” but Mexico won! After we got home, I 

got another note from him saying he and Jorette 

were off to Boston for a visit and that they had 

enjoyed their trip to Cabo San Lucas. He says 

it was great to be on the beach, and relaxation 

and good food were the operative words. I still 

can’t understand giving up a short visit with 2 

classmates just to loll on the beach. Whatever! 

That’s all I have for now. Please keep those 

notes and calls coming in and, please tell me of 

new e-mail addresses. My “good” list keeps getting 

shorter. Until next time… 

Jerry: 919-363-1980; rhodes_j_c@att.net 

1957 

Ev Smethurst 

6 Son Bon 

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-8601 

Springtime in So CA. Weather is the same as the 

winter: cool nights and mornings, warms up to 

60s and 70s in the day. Editor writes e-mails to 

his swimming friends in the Midwest and East 

complaining of the glare as he walks from locker 

room to outdoor pool every day. Some of us never 

grow up. I went to La Jolla a few weeks ago to 

hear a wonderful French pianist named Grimaud 

play Bach. It reminded me of the chapel at Colgate 

on Tuesdays. Do you remember the Tuesday 

chapel? There were never many of us there. 

There were no announcements and no programs. 

It was usually Ford Saunders playing Bach. Talk 

about a peaceful moment in the middle of complicated 

days, listening to Doug Reading. Here is 

one last personal note. Ford Saunders played for 

my parents’ wedding on University Ave in Aug 

of 1930. He also played for the wedding of Arlene 

and Ev at Chapel House in June of 1963. Now that 

is truly interesting! 

Most of the news concerns our fellows who 

have passed on. I received a great note from 

Norm Noble about Ed Curtis. You may remember 

that Norm spent his freshman year with us. He 

writes, “I was grieved to learn of Ed’s passing. I 

remember him fondly. Only he and I knew about 

our 1st meeting. It was at the All-NYS HS Swimming 

Championships. He and I competed against 

each other in the 100-free. I was in the lead when 

he swam into my lane. I ended up finishing 

3rd. He was disqualified. I met him again at the 

Colgate pool when Mark Randall gathered all the 

incoming freshmen swimmers. I was appreciative 

of better lane markers. And by the way, I 

never had to worry about Ed again. I never saw 

more than his heels in the pool.” Thanks so much, 

Norm. I may travel to Pinewood Lake in CT this 

summer to swim in a lake that Ed worked on and 

swam in for many years. It would be a fitting 

tribute, but my poor stroke and old age may work 

against me. 

I recently heard from the Alumni Office of the 

passing of Donald H Barker. He died in Chelsea, 

VT, on Feb 3. He was a Lambda Chi Alpha. There 

is no info on cause of death or next of kin. <strong>Our</strong> 

sympathies. Perhaps someone in the class could 

give me some further feedback. 

Finally, I received an e-mail from Craig Kuglen 

informing me of the passing of Frank Solana on 

March 5 in Austin. Later, Craig sent me a copy of 

the obit from the Austin newspaper. Frank came 

from White Plains, NY. He was a Phi Delt and 

a football player. He had an illustrious 20-year 

career in the Air Force, serving as a criminal 

investigator. He is survived by his widow, Mercedes, 

children Frank, Pete, Jennifer, and Glenn, 

and beloved grandchildren Makenna, Heston, 

Kaden, Peter, Christine, Kyle, Kasey, Angela, and 

Lindsey. It sounds like Frank lived a rich and full 

life. We send our sympathies to his family. 

That’s it. I am off for a 12-day visit to the Big 

Apple. I have graduated from babysitting to cat 

care. I will be at son Mark’s apt on 9th Street — a 

6-floor walk-up. Let’s hope I can make it. More 

later. 

Ev: 949-495-4862; mrews@cox.net 



1958 

Arthur W. Rashap 

4341 Trestle Lake Road 

Munnsville, NY 13409 

Ah, the flowers that bloom in the spring, tra, la! 

The sun is shining, Seven Oaks has just opened, 

the snow is almost melted, and there were a couple 

of days when I saw students actually lying on 

blankets and playing ball. It has been a long, long 

winter, at least for those of us who haven’t had 

the privilege, luck, opportunity, foresight, (fill in 

the blank) to have some time in a warm clime. 

Be that as it may, hope (along with the flowers, 

grass, and bugs) springs eternal. I join with 

all in wishing Rebecca Chopp the best in her 

new position and lament her departure. It will 

be a tough act to follow, particularly in difficult 

economic times. Of course, we get a choice in 

life as to how we can “hold” things. Perhaps this 

economic downturn and the lessons it contains 

can be an opportunity to survey what truly is 

important in life, education, and community and 

fine tune our goals and raisons d’etre. 

The news I have received relates to the passing 

of 3 of our classmates: Herb Tasker, Ken 

Avanzino, and Stacy Campbell. <strong>Our</strong> compassion 

and good memories go to their families and 

friends. I’d be happy to pass on any comments 

and memories in our next column. 

The Lifelong Learning Seminar that Dick 

Cheshire and I have put together looking at happiness, 

quantum physics, and consciousness is 

now in play. He is mentoring from FL while I play 

pinball bouncing off the 4 jobs I now have, the 

sum of which may allow some bread and beans 

to reach the dining room table. And, the thrust 

of the 1st session relates to materialism and 

how “stuff” — in the end — isn’t what makes 

us happy. From putting together the Reunion 

Yearbook, my reading of the members of the 

Class of ’58 is that y’all “get” that. It’s the family, 

the grandkids, the loves in and of your lives that 

rise to the top of priorities — and, OK, having the 

wherewithal at this time in our lives to be able to 

help others and to choose what’s next does help. 

Now to quantum physics, the zero point field, 

and how consciousness creates it all. Hmmm, 

guess I’ll wait for the next column … unless some 

of you send in some news. That should be a good 

incentive, no? 

Best to all for a great summer! 

Arthur: 315-495-2708; Arthur.rashap@gmail.com 

1959 

Paul W Beardslee 

Tunnel Mt B&B 

Rt 1 Box 59-1 

Elkins, WV 26241-9711 

Here’s the dilemma: What is written now does 

not appear before your eyes until after our gala 

get-together in May. Hence what you are reading 

will be “after the fact”! We can only hope that 

what is said here will be collaborated and not negated 

by what we learn and discuss while in the 

Chenango. In all honesty, the new news I have 

available is so sparse that my chance of providing 

disinformation is slim indeed. Your imagination 

and mine will be severely challenged this 

round. We are hopeful that everyone remained 

mum, storing up fodder to be distributed in May. 

And, just in case the timetable is confusin’, what 

we garner in May cannot be shared until fall! 

As we mentioned last round, the potential 

for Reunion attendance was slightly in excess 

of 250 mates. When you read this, we will know 

how well we did! We do know the efforts of Dick

Lowenberg, Bill Williams, ‘Scoop’ Seibert, and 

several others were “over the top,” so we hope 

the return made it all worthwhile. Please watch 

for the autumn issue to review all the appropriate 

acknowledgments! 

In our last missive we mentioned the Jim 

Madura quiz item regarding fraternities when 

we were undergrads. Well, as expected, Brad 

Tufts came through with the correct listing 

south to north. If Brad is (was) in Hamilton in 

May, he will have reiterated his response to all 

who would listen. Ted Kendall also responded 

but he was confused as to which was north 

and south! We now know Ted did not major in 

geography! Oh, by the by, Ted, you missed 2. Just 

so everyone knows, Ted was “kept” after class in 

the Whitnall tent for a brush-up lesson! 

Ted spends most of his time down south 

(Naples), although maybe he doesn’t know it! 

He does lunch with Bill Morog on occasion, so 

we’ll get Bill to point him in the right direction. 

Thanks, Ted and Brad; without your input and responses, 

we would be hanging out to dry already. 

Oh, and another by the way, we are supposed 

to ask Brad about his travels with Mert Hersh. 

Hopefully, we will have done so in Hamilton in 

May. 

Presupposing that some of us will have 

missed the gathering in Hamilton and/or some 

may have been in other conversations, we will 

have reports, in the fall, from the following: Dave 

Ramsay (a long-lost mate), Bill Williams (a report 

on his travels to the Far East), Lew Thurston 

(reporting on retirement activities and heart bypasses), 

and yours truly (our “over-the-top” safari 

in Kenya). Of course we welcome other mates 

to chime in at any time! Meanwhile, please pull 

out the winter ’09 Scene and turn to page 76. We 

need your help in identifying the participants. 

The same picture appears in your ’59 yearbook 

should you prefer consulting same! 

And so it goes. We look forward to having lots 

of news for our next issue with lots of memories 

to share. So, gear up for some distractions from 

the gridiron battles of the fall. We’ll be on the offense! 

Be well, communicate freely, and use one 

of the following contact points. Cheers. 

Paul: 304-636-1684; beardslee@meer.net 

1960 

Stephen Greenbaum 

4242 Stansbury Ave, PH6 

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-4265 

Listening to a university president playing a 

harpsichord on a Sunday morning was a culture 

shock for freshman Larry Badendyck and roommates 

Jack Blanchard and Dave Maxfield — 

fortunate kids who were the 3 selected to receive 

the President’s Scholarship and lodge with Pres 

and Mrs Case in the President’s House. As Larry 

said in a phone conversation, his days at Colgate 

were appreciated, from the close connection and 

support from the Cases to the inspiration of the 

profs, esp Dr Hartshorne. After Colgate, Larry was 

schooled by the military to be an Arabic transla- 

tor, and after his service, he earned his PhD at 

CCNY. He and his wife of 40 years, Cynthia, a 

noted scholar and author in Renaissance drama, 

live in a beautiful home in the mtns 120 miles 

from Nassau CC, where Larry has been teaching 

for many years. An English comp prof by label, 

Larry is more concerned about encouraging his 

students to live the life of the mind, to explore all 

ideas. Essentially, Larry works to taste revolutionary 

politics and anarchy — Cuba, Latin America, 

human rights. His large class enrollments 

indicate that his students want to be on the ride. 

He is working on a sabbatical dealing with the 

politics of literacy. While he puts his passion into 

teaching, his other passion deals with their son, 

Thor. In 2000, Thor was in a car accident that has 

left him a quadriplegic, requiring 24-hour care 

and enduring intense pain. A cartoon artist, Thor 

has not let his disabilities stop him from his art, 

working as a mouth artist. The Badendycks are 

encouraged by the renewed programs for stem 

cell research and hope that the need brought to 

the forefront by Christopher Reeve will result 

in more progress. Larry would like to hear from 

any classmates and any who can share ideas and 

experiences with spinal cord injuries. Please contact 

me and I can put you in contact with Larry. 

Jack Blanchard has been devotedly caring for 

wife Chris with help from daughter Laura, who 

moved down to FL a couple of years ago. Jack and 

Chris are about to celebrate their 50th in June, 

and Jack and Laura work to make every day as 

bountiful as it can be. As Jack says, “Family matters.” 

Further, Jack reports: “Daughter Suzanne 

’84 and her family have moved off the mtn in 

Westford, VT, down onto the lake in Colchester. 

They hosted Chris and me as we celebrated the 

final adoption of our beautiful new grandchildren, 

Tyler, 2+, and Sarah, who will be celebrating 

her 1st bday next month. They kept all of us more 

than busy for 5 days and we loved every bit of it.” 

Jack has always been a leader and cheerleader 

for Colgate, so you should read his Class of ’60 

Invitation to Return at www.colgatealumni. 

org/1960invite. I will never forget our 25th, when 

in the Hall of Presidents, former Pres Case drove 

here to address the class. He was there, thanks to 

the invitation from Jack. And now, 25 years later, 

our class can accept another invitation from him. 

Jim Tarvin writes of a graduate who “represented 

the Colgate spirit we all hold dear”: “Moe 

Stivers ’35, a delightful soul, passed away on 

Jan 12 at the age of 94. We met at Orange CC, 

when I began teaching there in 1970. Moe loved 

teaching and his students loved him. We were 

surprised to learn that we had both been in ATO 

and in spite of my graduation being 25 years 

after his, we had the same house mother, Aggie 

Snyder. Moe, a member of the Thirteen, and wife 

Pat (who is well and sharp as a tack) and my wife 

Liz and I enjoyed returning to Hamilton in the 

fall for football games. He always found a few 

fellow Thirteeners to join in and sing beloved 

Colgate songs. He and Pat have 10 children and 

scads of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

His passing is a great loss.” 

Frank Crane writes: “Peggy and Frank Gund- 

lach and their 2 grandchildren joined us for a 

wonderful evening of dinner and catching up. 

We learned that Frank and Peggy are definitely 

thinking of joining all of us for our 50th Reunion. 

Frank and I hope to see a great turnout of our 

fellow Sigma Chi’s that weekend. We also had a 

chance to speak with Don Gordon that evening 

and we’re hoping the Gordons will also join us.” 

Bruce Barth reports that he is still in NE and 

his job as dir of prison ministry for the Lutheran 

Church has been extended until June 2010. It 

seems that age 70 is the signal to go a year at a 

time! He and wife Barbara will use the year to 

scope out a final move to slip into the retirement 

years. Any nominations and suggestions should 

be sent to me and I’ll get them to Bruce. 

Roger Dordick retired from Met Life as AVPmarketing 

in the Group Division in 1996 (early 

retirement). He has run an antique business for 

the past 30 years, selling antique paintings and 

Nantucket baskets. He’s active in the Suncoast FL 

Porsche Club, and has raced at Sebring Raceway 

in a 1990 Porsche 944Sz. For a pleasure car, it’s a 

911 Carrera. When not racing, he’s golfing, lifting, 

hiking, and traveling — and studying German 

prior to a 4-month trip to Austria. 

Charlie Ehin has a new book, called The Organizational 

Sweet Spot: Engaging the Innovative 

Dynamics of Your Social Networks. 

Peter Johnson’s running days are over 

because of shin splints, but he’s still backpacking, 

doing 31 miles in the Sierras in Sept. In 1999 

he and his younger son climbed Mt Whitney 

(14,491'). He’s completed 99% of the John Muir 

Trail. 

Pete Berrall writes: “I just returned from a 

quick jaunt to FL. Took in GA’s whipping of MI 

State in the Capitol 1 Bowl. I stopped off in the 

Jacksonville area and looked up fellow Phi Gamm 

Ray Boushie ’61. We had a great time telling 

lies, playing golf, etc. Ray was the perfect host 

and has a beautiful place at Ponte Verda Beach. 

With winter break ending, I’m back to teaching 

gangsters at the Detention Ctr. See you in 2010!” 

Thanks for the calls, e-mails, and double postcards. 

Keep me in business for the next issue. 

Steve: 818-999-2777; 788-2557 (fax); 

stevegreenbaum@sbcglobal.net 

1961 

John Kirkman 

60 Coxton Lake Road 

Thompson, PA 18465 

This time we are not at a loss for words. What follows 

is chronological and much of it in response 

to classmates learning about friends who have 

passed on. Try to keep this issue in your reading 

room where it will get the attention it deserves. 

It was mid-Jan. Over 12' of snow drove Tom 

Musson from his ID retreat by boat. The preferred 

alternative was by snowmobile, which 

was not possible. His exit was delayed briefly 

by a distress call from some good old boys on 

Whiskey Pt (ah-ha!) who had run out of beer. It 

was further delayed by a frozen clutch on his 

“Steve Mark remembers taking Doc’s [Reading] World History 101 via speakerphone while recuperating 

from his football injury in a Syracuse hospital. It was the first time Bell Labs tried it out in an educational 

application — maybe the first “distant learning” course. He would lie in bed listening to Doc’s lecture 

through earphones and the nurses always wanted to know why he was laughing. Finally, he had the 

speaker function activated so the nurses could hear Dr Reading themselves. So, on Tuesdays and 

Thursdays at 9 am in Steve Mark’s hospital room, Dr Reading had his first nonparty weekend coed 

lectures.” — Jim Milmoe ’69 

motorboat. Tom’s pioneer and survival training 

kicked in, and after relieving the tensions in ID, 

our Class of ’61 satellite scanner next picked him 

up in his trawler navigating the fog in WA as he 

returned from AK. Tom claims that he can navigate 

fine with just a sextet but has succumbed to 

Intel chips and some software written by a guy 

named Ahab. He says that a humpback whale 

came right at his boat and then dove at the last 

moment near Prince of Wales (Yup!) Island. There 

is a small town on this island called Craig, which 

is “just a little drinking village with a fishing 

problem.” He once ran into Ray Baker there. 

It seems that there are 2 Indian tribes in the 

vicinity that have been thoroughly inbred with 

Scandinavian whalers over the years (they’re 

big). These 2 tribes do not like each other and 

occasionally visit Craig for white lightning. After 

a few flagons they, without provocation, attack 

each other and try to carry off the other tribe’s 

women. How wonderfully barbaric! Travel’n 

Tom’s plans after docking in WA were to spend 

the next 6 weeks driving the coast to southern 

Mexico. Somehow he planned to meet his wife 

Ketty in Phoenix. I’ve pre-notified the Mexican 

authorities (cartels?) to be on the lookout. This 

man is on a mission. Thanks for checking in, Tom. 

Hope your next contact is not from an isolated 

cell in a Spanish speaking country … por favor. 

Next to check in was Mark ‘Bud’ Sales, whose 

walking odometer reads 3,000 miles since 

recovering from back surgery in ’06. He’s been 

commissioned to do some more paintings and 

is on his 4th version of a famous lighthouse — a 

big talent. Bud ran into Carl Luecke and Jack 

Homestead at the away games against East 

Carolina and expressed extreme disgust at Jack’s 

failure to visibly age since 1961. He and Liz took 

a major tour of Russia and several Eastern Bloc 

countries. He has a grandson who, reported on 

years ago, shines on the football field in CT, Dodd 

country. This youngster is now the male athlete 

of the year in his age group. As Bud says, “What is 

left?” Possibly a Heisman trophy for 12 year olds? 

Bud visited his Beta roommate, Pete Johnson 

’60, in Auburn, NY, and who should drop by but 

Bill Whiting (a new name in the column; thanks, 

Bud). Bud’s daughter managed to sell her condo 

in Chicago (how?) and now lives closer to him 

and Liz, which is always nice. He ended the call 

with, “Say hello to all the ’61ers for me.” Consider 

it done, Bud. Great to hear from you. 

In early Feb the phone rang more frequently 

and mail even arrived. Most of it was triggered 

by the last Scene (including praises for the new 

format) and my paragraph about Fran Morelli. 

First was Bill ‘the Barber’ Morog ’59, who was 

Fran’s DU pledge father and who enjoyed hearing 

pledges rev up their vocal cords in song. Franny 

was a little difficult to control, though, and 

Bill resorted to a little tug of war that involved 

a string with a ring on it that had to be visible 

outside Fran’s shirt. This worked! He asked about 

Richard Reilly (deceased) and Anthony Ruotolo 

and got what info I had. This may be a good time 

to stop and consider the potential dilemmas 

of 2 former GM employees, Bill and Andrew 

Dooley. Hang in there, guys. Tough sledding. 

Then Bill Burkhardt checked in and, after much 

reminiscing, reminded me that Bill Morog had a 

brother, Mike ’55, who also played some football 

for Colgate. He then promised to mail me some 

Morelli stories for the column. You will find them 

a little farther in. The next call was from Peter 

Testa ’62, my roommate 1960–61. Peter offered 

the following explanation of how Fran picked up 

the handle Mucca Fagnotti. It seems that a new 

asst coach, not knowing the players by name yet, 

asked them (in practice) to write their names on 

tape and stick the tape on the backs of their hel- 

mets. As usual, boys will be boys, and names like 

Lucca Brocci, Vito Corleone, Frank Nitty, Mucca 

Fagnotti, etc took the field. Only one of them 

stuck and appropriately so. Peter was recovering 

from long overdue hernia surgery (“it was my 

own fault”) but seemed chipper. He works a little 

p/t as an assessor in Cortland, NY. Thanks, Pete! 

Next, I answered the mail call and found 3 

pages of barely decipherable scribbling from 

John ‘Barry’ Fornuto, who thinks his classmates 

will not remember him as ‘Barry.’ OK, John, you 

win. No more Barrys. John enclosed a belated 

Christmas card with a photo of him and Marie 

on their honeymoon in 1960. This is not a “Jack 

Homestead experience.” Did you really look that 

good back then, John? John is now successfully 

recovering from shoulder replacement surgery 

and is looking for 2 more linemen and a back 

to join him, Herm Brauch, and John Da Grosa 

on a new 6-man football team of rehabilitated 

cripples. The beginning of his letter seemed to 

imply that Dakota (his wild live-at-home animal) 

is refusing to communicate with me. Whoof! 

Whoof! He praised the new Scene, apologized for 

his penmanship, and reminisced about life in 

Vetville and Marie’s nursing responsibilities at 

the infirmary in Hamilton. Do they still give back 

rubs there with oil and baby powder? He also 

mentioned that the CFO of the Lamba Chi house 

charged him 75¢ for each meal he ate at the 

house after moving out. That would be Ken Gale, 

who, given current conditions and his history of 

never cheating on his taxes, should probably be 

our country’s secy of the Treasury. Read my lips! 

Perhaps I can wrangle my way out of this one! 

What do you say, Ken? Thanks, Barry! I always 

love trying to read (right spelling this time) your 

handwriting. 

When I was notified of Mike Saltzman’s death, 

I rang up Mike Klopfer to get some good words. 

In the process I found out that the Klopfers have 

been following the Burkhardts from village to 

village since graduation. In fact, when Bill’s wife 

Shirley got pregnant with their 1st, Mike’s wife 

Fredda took her teaching job at Manorhaven 

School in Pt Washington, NY. Mike remembers 

Fran Morelli coming to each table in the student 

union building and asking other diners, “Are you 

sure you are going to eat the rest of that pie?” If 

the editor remembers correctly, most of us were 

quick to be generous. Mike’s brother Ed ’65 met 

an old timer named Hardin Davis ’37, a fellow 

Theta Chi, and went to see him near Savannah 

where Hardin lives. Amazing! Is there a direct 

correlation between a BA from Colgate and 

longevity? Here’s Mike on our fallen classmate 

Michael Saltzman: “Mike is survived by Sandra, 

his wife of 34 years. Mike was an active member 

of Theta Chi, where he served as pres for 2 years. 

After graduating, he attended Columbia Law. 

More recently he was a partner with the NY firm 

of White and Case, where he headed up its tax 

litigation and IRS procedure practice. He also 

taught at NYU and wrote several books on tax 

law. Paul Katabian and Mike Klopfer remember 

Mike as a great roommate.” Well said, Mike. Additions 

are welcome in the future. 

Well, Bill Burkhardt did come through with 2 

“Mucca Fagnotti” stories as promised. Here they 

are, word for word. “Fran ‘Mo’ Morelli — what 

a great sense of humor and clever entertainer 

at parties and more informal get-togethers. 

Two of my memories: 1) On the field, serious 

situation. <strong>Our</strong> ball, 3rd and goal trailing Cornell 

by 6. The play to run, off tackle over big strong 

Mo. Approaching the line of scrimmage, I said 

to Mo and the nearest Cornell lineman ‘Double 

Team?’ He scowled back like ‘Shut up. Tackles call 

the blocks, not ends.’ But just before the snap, 

he responded, ‘Yeah, double.’ The duped Cornell 

linebackers and linemen slanted right to stop 

the run — away from the real play called by QB 

Bob Paske, who faked the off tackle handoff, 

rolled to the other side, and hit Ed Ramm with a 

touchdown pass. Mo was ecstatic. 2) Off the field, 

serious situation. Just before final exams, Mo was 

having a terrible time with 1 of his classes. His 

DU brothers who were trying to help him were 

not optimistic. Sensing the gloomy situation, 

Mo challenged them, yelling, ‘You guys think 

I’m stupid, don’t you?’ Silence — no one wanted 

to say anything. More silence! Then, he burst 

out laughing. ‘You think I’m stupid? You should 

see my cousin. He was really stupid … And he 

went to Harvard.’” Thanks for the memories, Bill. 

Franny was unique, and wonderfully so. 

George Davis wrote in that he left Rutgers 

U as professor emeritus in creative writing and 

started working full time on his own writing. He 

has an espionage thriller coming out this year 

called The Melting Points. Also, he’s working with 

a number of people, some from Colgate, to create 

an online “textbook” for teaching courses in gender 

and racial and ethnic diversity. Finally, he has 

a nonfiction book that’s a work in progress titled, 

Until We Got Here: From “We Shall Overcome” to 

“Yes We Can.” 

In late March Mike Durkee returned from 15 

months in Israel working for Condoleezza Rice 

and Gen Jones as a peace negotiator between the 

Israelis and Hamas. He now plans to assist Gen 

Jones in his new position in the Obama admin. 

More on that in the future. I’ll be in PA when 

you read this. Prepare for the E-Nancy-pation of 

America and may God bless. 

John: 570-727-3361 

1962 

Stuart Angert 

179 Greenaway Road 

Amherst, NY 14226-4165 

The always active Ted Vaill was recently elected 

to a 2-year term as the 41st Assembly District 

Dem Party Delegate to the State Convention on 

the Progressive Dem slate. He was also elected 

a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, an 

org formed in 1783 by George Washington and 

comprised of descendants of officers who served 

under Washington in the Revolutionary War. 

Ted’s ancestor, Lt Pelatiah Everett of MA, served 

1775–1783 and was an original member of the 

society. Ted visited the society HQs in DC while 

there for the inauguration in Jan with his girlfriend 

Joan Yang. Joan and he traveled to Taiwan 

and Yunnan and Guilin in China for 3 weeks, 

which included attending Joan’s college class 

reunion. Ted hosted the Thirteen for breakfast on 

their Christmas 2008 tour of the west and took 

them to El Matador Beach, the most beautiful 

beach in CA. Almost half of the Thirteen 

members were Phi Tau, who now occupy the 

old ATO house on campus. “I have recently seen 

Steve Greenbaum ’60, a fellow Obama campaign 

worker, and Chuck Foster ’56, with whom I have 

worked as a lawyer for about 15 of my 40 years 

as a lawyer. Both of us are now largely retired, although 

Chuck stays busy doing arbitration work. 

My mother is 97, and my stepfather nearly 100. 

Going to Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA, every other 

day, so by our next Reunion that tall, skinny kid 

you knew at Colgate will be long gone. 

“I have been in contact with Arnold Chamove, 

who attended the U of WI after Colgate, studying 

psych, especially primate behavior. He then 

received a grad degree in London and was asked 

to go to Scotland to start a primate lab at the U 

of Stirling. He remained there 20 years and fixed 

up a few old (400 years) Scottish cottages in the 

Bringing 

peace to 

victims 

of war 

Nightmares are the souvenirs 

that John Van Eenwyk 

’67 brings back from his trips 

abroad to places like Gaza, 

Sri Lanka, and Uganda. A clinical 

psychologist who works 

with torture victims and 

those traumatized by war, 

Van Eenwyk has come face to 

face with evil, embodied by 

torturers and the stories told 

by those who have suffered 

at their hands. As founder 

of the International Trauma 

Treatment Program (ITTP), he works collaboratively with others who counsel survivors of 

complex trauma. 

A sailing trip in the 1980s forever changed Van Eenwyk’s course. Taking a spontaneous 

jaunt to Guatemala from where they were vacationing in Belize, he, his wife, and friends 

witnessed a scene they would never forget. “We saw the Guatemalan military do a number 

with its Mack truck and M16s on a peasant family,” he recalled. Upon returning to Chicago, 

Van Eenwyk related his angst over the experience to a colleague, who suggested he set up 

a program for area refugees who had been tortured before coming to the United States. 

Joining colleagues from the Illinois Psychological Association, he co-founded the Marjorie 

Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture in 1987. At the time, little research 

existed on how to treat torture survivors, so the Kovler Center was shaped through experimentation 

and comparing notes with international counselors. 

Soon, Van Eenwyk was invited to train the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme 

staff. It was the first time he worked in a war zone where the trauma was constantly recurring. 

“I had no idea what Gazans were facing, and the emerging theories on post-traumatic 

stress disorder didn’t hold because there was no ‘post,’” he said. “You could not treat the 

trauma that was over because it was never over.” 

The most important lesson Van Eenwyk said he learned from the Kovler Center’s early 

days was that their work must be collaborative with practitioners from the groups they 

were trying to serve. “We are rabidly opposed to going into a country and imposing a program 

on them,” he said. “They know the culture, so we compare what we do with what’s going 

on in the culture … and we come up with some mutual discoveries.” 

After Van Eenwyk had spent several years working abroad with international colleagues, 

the constant disruption of war pushed him back to American soil, specifically Washington 

state, where he started the nonprofit organization ITTP in 1998. “We decided it would be 

much better to pull practitioners out of the war zones and bring them to Olympia to collaborate 

here,” he explained. They work together for three months, and then the practitioners 

return to their countries to use what they’ve learned. 

Van Eenwyk still goes into war-torn countries to do trauma counseling and training 

during an annual trip, which he said always affects him. “When I come back from these trips, 

I have nightmares and my wife has to wake me up pretty regularly.” 

Nightmares are what Van Eenwyk shares with his clients. One Gazan child and family 

whom he helped were suffering from the 10-year-old’s nightly screaming fits from 

frightening dreams about Israeli soldiers breaking in and killing everyone. Using his training 

in Jungian analysis, Van Eenwyk and a Palestinian psychologist taught the family to sit 

together when the nightmares woke them and imagine another ending to the dream. The 

family worked through the problems with this approach, and it lessened their fear of leaving 

the house. “The kids weren’t going to school and the parents hadn’t gone out to shop, but 

afterward they were much more confident to go out and weren’t afraid of the soldiers,” Van 

Eenwyk said. 

In addition to running a private practice based on Jungian analysis and clinical psychology, 

Van Eenwyk is an ordained priest in the Episcopalian Church. He considers his volunteer 

service through the ITTP “all part of his priestly work.” Although he’s met some “real psychopaths 

who are torturers” and is fascinated by evil, he does believe in the power of redemption. 

“I’ve seen it over and over again,” he said. “As we say in Christianity, they turn from their 

wickedness and they live.” In the meantime, he’s trying to help the victims learn to live. 

For his work, Van Eenwyk is the recipient of this year’s Colgate Alumni Corporation 

Humanitarian Award, which recognizes alumni who have devoted themselves to improving 

the lives of individuals and communities. 



— Aleta Mayne

The long run 

By Kathryn (Kate) Bertine ’97 

At first glance, Stu Mittleman’s race results 

could easily be confused with a used car advertisement. 

1994, 536 miles. 1983, 571 miles. 

It takes a minute for most people to realize 

Mittleman’s mileage is clocked not by odometer, 

but by human stride. Those 500-plus-mile race 

results? That isn’t a year’s tally of workouts and 

races, but the distance of one event. Mittleman 

is an ultrarunner — a person who does marathons 

. . . as a warm-up. While it’s not uncommon 

for Colgate alumni to be of an ambitious, 

motivated nature, Mittleman, a member of the 

Class of 1973, puts a physical spin on going the 

distance. 

To put Mittleman’s accomplishments into a Colgate perspective, the majority of his 

races are the equivalent of running from 13 Oak Drive to Syracuse. And back. Yet these 

distances are small potatoes compared to the events that landed Mittleman induction 

into the Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in December 2008. In a career spanning nearly 30 years, 

Mittleman holds some unfathomable records. From 1980 through 1982, he won three 

national championships in the 100-mile event. Finding the 100-mile barrier not quite challenging 

enough, Mittleman decided to tack on an extra zero. In 1986, he claimed the 1,000mile 

world championship by completing this distance in 11 days, 20 hours, and 36 minutes. 

Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Mittleman covered new distances and grabbed almost every 

title in ultrarunning’s repertoire as well as serving as Gatorade’s spokesperson. As the millennium 

loomed, so did a new challenge. In 2000, Mittleman used his endurance talents to 

raise money for children’s charities. 

“I wasn’t incredibly wealthy, and I couldn’t donate stuff, but I could fundraise around 

my running and try to make a difference in the health and wellness of kids,” Mittleman 

explained. The best way to get America’s attention? Run across it. From San Diego to New 

York City, Mittleman averaged 52 miles a day (equivalent to more than two marathons) for 

56 days and raised more than $175,000 for the Sloan-Kettering Pediatric Cancer Center 

and The Anthony Robbins Foundation. That same year, Harper Collins published Mittleman’s 

book, Slow Burn, which successfully introduced ultrarunning to the masses. 

Although Mittleman was a wrestler at Colgate, his time as a sociology and religious 

studies major shaped a new athletic path as a soon-to-be distance runner. “The Vietnam War 

was raging, and we were all questioning our values and beliefs,” he said. “Colgate gave me 

the opportunity to explore so many perspectives. I studied the anthropology behind Native 

American migrations and Army expeditions, and the capabilities of the human body fascinated 

me.” Mittleman acknowledges that while ultrarunning isn’t for everyone, he believes 

that running is a core part of our genetic disposition. “Running is what we were designed to 

do. It doesn’t mean everyone has to be a recreational or competitive runner, but it is what 

our bodies were built for.” 

Today, Mittleman lives in Palm Desert, Calif., where he is the director of fitness at the 

renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden. He continues to coach and inspire athletes across the 

world, while keeping tabs on his own fitness. 

“I still run twelve to fifteen miles a day,” Mittleman said. Many alumni can associate that 

distance with an ice cream trip from campus to Gilligan’s Island in Sherburne (by car). Luckily, 

Mittleman’s inspiring running career can help us put “driven” in a whole new perspective. 

Kathryn Bertine ’97 is a sports journalist and professional cyclist. Her second book, As Good 

As Gold (ESPN/RandomHouse), will be released in January 2010. 

process. He then moved to NZ and now lives on 

a 1,000-acre farm 2 hours north of Wellington 

on the North Island. He married a NZ woman, 

and spent 15 years doing research and teaching 

at Massey U in Palmerston, NZ. He has had more 

than 100 research papers published. He retired 4 

years ago, and now he and his wife consult with 

large businesses that have problems with staff, 

by using knowledge gained from primates and 

psychology in the business world.” Arnold, please 

provide us with additional details. I just received 

an inquiry from Guilin, China. “Can anyone provide 

an update on our classmate Tommy Hynes?” 

Ted’s personal commentary on the state of the 

union can be viewed on YouTube. 

Martha and Ian Volner recently took a 2-week 

trek in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. “It is 

something that we should all undertake while 

we are still more or less ambulatory; and yes, I 

know that our fearless scribe, one Stuart Angert, 

has been there and done that. But that was long 

ago and the only thing that came of his trip was 

a stuffed armadillo. The scenery — the Andes, 

the glaciers, the Magellan Channel — was spectacular, 

the hikes were vigorous but still manageable, 

more or less, and I can finally say that I 

have been to the end of the earth and returned.” 

Rick Riccardi reports that he and Susan celebrated 

their 1st year of marriage on Jan 26. “We 

live in her condo in Dania Beach, FL, a couple of 

days a week and at our facility in Margate, FL, the 

rest of the time. We now have 80 men residing 

in our 2 sober-living facilities — Ft Lauderdale 

and Margate — and the halfway house business 

keeps me busy. Although I have a small staff 

including a certified addiction counselor, I work 

directly with the men on a daily basis. My oldest 

grandson is a senior at Drew U and his sister is 

a soph at U Mass; 4 other grandchildren are in 

HS, one at Delbarton in NJ, and 2 are still in grade 

school. I visited Colgate 2 weeks ago, stayed at 

the inn, and watched Colgate beat Army in lax, 

double OT.” Rick, you are truly saving lives; there 

is no greater mission. 

Another heartwarming story comes from Dan 

Adams. “On June 13 I will finally marry Suzanne, 

the amazing woman I loved and was pinned to 

soph year when she was a Mt Holyoke 1st-year. 

It is a wondrous gift for us both. We met June 

of ’59 and were pinned through that year but 

unpinned in spring of ’60. Then all those years 

passed without hearing from or even seeing one 

another. In May ’07 while I was in the midst of 

a divorce, my dad died at 97, and the following 

week I received a condolence letter from Suzanne. 

It took us about 30 days to rediscover our 

magic. We’ll marry just about 50 years to the day 

from the dance at which we met. Yes, some of the 

Thirteen gang I sang with will be on hand to sing 

at the wedding.” It speaks to poetic justice when 

good things happen to and for great people. 

On occasion I receive one-liners from our 

classmates. I received word from Jay McGiveran 

that he recently moved from Toledo to a new 

home in FL. Jay, please provide a few more details 

of the last 50 years! I received an inquiry from 

Ned Eliason. Ned, I hope that my response was 

comprehensive. I encourage you to send any 

updates that you wish to share with our 1962 

family. I also heard from Ted Whittier, (ret) major 

USAF. I can guarantee that there are stories that 

would be of great interest to our class. Ed Konikowski 

sent a welcomed note. Ed, more details! 

Rob Sullivan, on the faculty of Duke U Med 

Ctr, adds, “Just to let you know, we love you! No 

news is good news. All is the same in Chapel Hill, 

so nothing much to say.” Rob, I recognize that the 

Blue Devils will never acknowledge the existence 

of the Tar Heels. 

Congratulations to Clint Rappole, prof emeritus 

at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and 

Restaurant Mgmt at the U of Houston. Clint’s 

legacy at the university has been sealed with the 

Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair. He has been 

with the college since 1972, and in addition to 

teaching and mentoring students at the Hilton 

College, he served 11 years as dean and associate 

dean. His interest and research in food service 

systems in remote and inhospitable locations 

(including space and offshore oil rigs), food 

safety management, and sanitation led to lecturing 

and consulting experience worldwide. 

Joyce and I spent 3 great days with Barbara 

and Carl Langbert ’63 in their new home in 

Princeton, NJ. During our stay, we spent a 

day at the Philly Flower Show. If you have not 

experienced this weeklong event, which attracts 

250K visitors each March, I highly recommend it. 

This year’s theme was Italy. A whole city is built 

within the convention ctr. It was fabulous. 

We were saddened to receive notice that 

Francis ‘Frank’ Morgillo passed away in Jan. 

Frank was a fraternity brother. I remember 

him as a gentle human being and a person of 

goodwill. We extend our sympathy to wife Eileen 

and his cousin, Anthony ‘Tony’ Routolo ’61, also a 

fraternity brother. 

Also, David Eastlake passed away on April 12. 

We send our condolences to his wife, Ann, and 

their 2 sons. 

We need the new e-mail addresses for Ted 

Cushmore and Dave Zatko. 

Correction to the last column: Michael 

Saltzman graduated with the Class of 1961. 

Thanks for all that you continue to do on 

behalf of Colgate, and for this column. 

Stuart: 716-913-7772; 

stuart.angert@roadrunner.com 

1963 

Carl G Langbert 

Princeton Manor 

46 Edgemere Dr 

Kendall Park, NJ 08824-7000 

Back in Feb Bert Levine and I headed to NYC to 

listen to comments by Mark Murphy ’77 in the 

CEO lecture series at the Harvard Club. Mark 

had recently become the pres and CEO of the 

Green Bay Packers and had many interesting 

comments to tell us. Also in attendance were 

Kathy and Art Irwin, and it’s always good to see 

both of them. 

Received an e-mail from Jim Deegan, who just 

had another book published in the “Little Guy” 

series. These stories are true and autobiographical. 

Jim has spent most of his working life as a 

teacher and coach and has always had an interest 

in writing. His list of writing credits includes 

a collection of short stories and a volume of 

poetry. Jim also mentioned that he has restored 

contact with many of his Phi Gam brothers, eg, 

Tom McManamy, Mike Batza, Chi McClean, Roger 

Busch, Pete Browning, Art Irwin, Res Roy, Fred 

Lafferty, and John Cushman. 

Barbara and I had fun spending an evening 

with Barbara and Doug Riley. It was good to see 

them and, as always, we had a lot of catching 

up to do. Doug continues to work hard in the 

mortgage market through his own company. 

At the time of this writing, I was informed 

that Mel Klein will be receiving an honorary 

degree from Colgate at the 2009 commencement 

ceremony. Congrats to Mel on an honor well 

deserved. Barbara and I will be attending the 

commencement ceremony and look forward to 

seeing Mel so justly honored. 

Last summer Don Bergmann and Carl Blackman 

and their respective wives, Sheila and Carolyn, 

traveled to Denver where they met Rhoda 

and Norman Singer. They then drove to Vail, 

where they had a pleasant stay at Norman’s chalet 

before leaving the Singers for a drive to Jenny 

Lake Lodge in the Tetons. Outdoor activities 

included horseback rides, biking, and many hikes. 

On one hike, Don decided to climb above 9,000' 

to a lake at 10,000' that was surrounded by snow. 

On the way back, he claims to have encountered 

a black bear, but was not able to document the 

occasion because he was not carrying one of the 

many cameras he had. He was given a “pass” this 

time, but warned that future stories had to be 

accompanied by photos, or other more graphic 

evidence. While in the Tetons, they visited with 

Jinny and Mark Ewald ’61, who have a vacation 

home in neighboring ID. This kind of travel could 

be addictive. 

Ambassador Peter Burleigh assumed duties 

as the Charge d’Affaires of the US mission in 

India. According to the US embassy statement in 

April, “Ambassador Burleigh’s interim appointment 

by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 

Clinton reflects the US govt’s emphasis on 

assuring the highest level of representation and 

continuity in US-India relations.” Before retiring 

in 2000 after 33 years of service, Peter had a 

distinguished career as a US FSO who served as 

ambassador and deputy representative of the 

US to the UN. He held a number of sr positions at 

the State Dept and served in the US embassies in 

Nepal, Bahrain, India, and Sri Lanka. A seasoned 

South Asian expert, he speaks fluent Bengali, 

Hindi, Nepali, and Sinhalese. Since January 

2004, he has been living in Ft Lauderdale, FL, and 

serving as a distinguished visiting prof at the U of 

Miami. 

Please continue sending news items. Have a 

great summer. 

Carl: 732-422-0556 (H); 247-0630 (O); 545-1934 (fax); 

barbaralangbert@aol.com 

1964 

Richard J Johnson 

22 Goose Point Ln 

Box 1825 

Duxbury, MA 02331-5120 

Baseball started in Boston yesterday with a Sox 

win over Tampa Bay, but the Hub is finally ready 

to revisit the Days of Orr, and win the Stanley 

Cup this year. You all remember Alfred, Lord 

Tennyson’s famous line, “In the spring a young 

man’s fancy turns lightly toward thoughts of … 

the Stanley Cup.” Well, that’s where my fancy is 

turning as well. 

The Phi Delts have done a great job of staying 

in touch over the Internet and I have been 

included in some of these e-mails over the years, 

so through osmosis, I pick up lots of tidbits about 

lots of different people. The problem is that I may 

not see all the responses or even the e-mail that 

originated the discussion, so following exactly 

what is going on in an 8-to-10 way free-for-all can 

be difficult. If you read info that seems incomplete, 

it may be that was all that I received. Sorry 

for the potential confusion. 

Kurt Brown passed on an e-mail from Bill 

Terry. Apparently, Bill has been rehabbing his 

shoulder, which he broke in 3 places while training 

for the “longest downhill race in the world” in 

Austria [22 km with 5,500 vertical meters drop]. 

Bill competed in the race last year and finished 

despite getting bounced so high in the air that 

he was inverted and saw someone ski under him. 

He thinks his racing career may be over, at least 

for the downhill races. Why quit so early in your 

career, Bill? Give it a little thought at least. 

Bob Negley sent me a wonderful letter alluding 

to the story in the winter Scene about his adoption 

of 2 Mexican students. Bob wanted to update 

the story, Paul Harvey style, and what an update 

it was. Bob told me about receiving a call from Jim 

Yanni saying that he was flying into San Antonio 

and of their subsequent dinner together. As they 

talked about the 44 years since they had left 

Colgate, it seemed like they had not missed a beat. 

During that dinner, Bob told Jim that he and wife 

Barb had adopted the 2 children from Mexico. 

Later that night, out of the blue, Jim offered to 

finance the education of the 2 children. Understandably, 

Bob was surprised (shocked, actually, 

he said) at such a gracious and generous offer. Bob 

said that he was grateful, but mostly humbled to 

know that there are still people in the world who 

are totally selfless. Bob’s children, Maria and Jorge, 

are amazed that someone they don’t even know 

could help them so much. They are convinced 

that they are truly living the American dream. 

Bob feels that in this age of negative news in our 

country we should be made aware of the type of 

kindness, benevolence, and philanthropy that still 

exists. Thank you, Bob, for the rest of the story, 

and, thank you, Jim, for your kind generosity. Paul 

Harvey would have loved to tell the story of you 2 

old fraternity brothers, going through life, doing 

some good for your fellow man. 

Jim Yanni also e-mailed me on several other 

occasions. In one he had found out about the 

passing of Jeff Timmons and was understandably 

upset upon hearing of the death of his old 

friend. In another he forwarded me an exchange 

between himself, Wayne Rich, and Kurt Brown. 

Wayne told part of his history through the 

e-mails, so here some of it is … I hope. Wayne 

was sent from the US Dept of Justice to Iraq in 

2004 to train their judges for 4 months. He had 

retired from the US Atty’s Office in Jan 2005 

after 33+ years of DOJ service and subsequent 

to retiring from the US Marine Corps after 30 

years in May 1998. He then returned to Iraq in 

Dec 2007 as a temporarily employed US Dept of 

State employee, went home in Jan to get a hernia 

fixed, and then went to Forward Operating Base 

Delta, Al Kut, Wasit Province, Iraq, to serve as the 

Rule of Law coordinator on the Wasit Province 

Reconstruction Team. Wayne works with Iraqi 

judges, court houses, and police to assist in moving 

the norm in Wasit Province from a state of 

oppression to one of due process in which Iraqi 

citizens can utilize the human rights guaranteed 

by their new constitution. Wayne was due to 

return to the US as of March 13, so he plans to 

be at our Reunion. Wayne and wife Cheryl live 

north of Chattanooga, TN, on a piece of land he 

loves with a farmhouse and a barn, and no snow. 

Cheryl worked as a bank officer at 1st Natl Bank 

of Boston and then at the 1st Natl Bank of Minneapolis 

before finishing up at American Express in 

Brighton, England, and finally NYC. Great work, 

Wayne. 

Soon I will see Dave Metzler and will catch 

you all up on what is going on in his life. Dave 

was pres of Colgate Palmolive and is now retired 

and living in Harwich Port, MA, on the Cape. Ah, 

life is good… Dave and I spoke recently, and hopefully 

we will be able to get together the next 

time he crosses the bridge and comes to Boston. 

That is tougher than it sounds, by the way, those 

Cape people hate to cross the canal. 

Kurt Brown gets to all the free alumni 

luncheons and recently went to the Southcoast 

Colgate Club, where he sat next to Ole Kollevoll 

’45. Kurt says Ole is fine except for a bothersome 

left knee and hip. Kurt himself is thinking of 

ways to increase his giving to Colgate, what with 

the difficult economy and all. Someone has to 

step up, right, Tonto? 

Ken Kerr ’62 was inducted into the Archbishop 

Williams HS Hall of Fame recently. This news 

came from some hockey players in my Mon 

night hockey group. Way to go, Ken, congrats. 

Gary Ripple sent 2 pictures of himself and 

Mike Tomlin shaking hands, which can be seen 

on our class page at Colgatealumni.org. Rip 

obviously was pointing out the part he played 

in the Steelers’ success and may very well have 

been suggesting that he was the catalyst that led 

to their Super Bowl win. Is it true, Rip? It won’t 

matter anyway next year. Brady’s back … so start 

to pray, Pittsburgh; you’ll need all the mojo that 

Rip can muster … and a lot more. 

Sadly, I heard from Rich Lisella ’63, who lives 

in Nashville, that another of our classmates, 

William L Kline, died recently. Bill died Feb 1 in 

Nashville, unexpectedly, following surgery. He 

was a financial consultant and a Chartered Life 

underwriter. Bill was a bio major at Colgate, a 

member of Phi Kappa Psi, track, soccer, Outing 

Club, Religious Group, and WRCU. He is survived 

by his widow, Elizabeth, of Nashville. 

Other classmates and fellow Raiders whom 

I have heard from through personal contact, 

e-mail joke, or serious comment include Mike 

Foley, Ralph Kelley, Steve Steele, Dan Baird, 

Norm Platt, Mike Jukoski, Blake Smith, Wes Oliver, 

Biff Atwater ’63, Gary Ripple, Priit Vesilind, 

Mike Heffernan, Pete Halstead, Al Chagan, Biff 

Jones, Peter Nichols ’65, Bob Meehan ’65, Don 

Wilmot ’66, Phil Howlett ’66, Steve Howlett ’66, 

Doug Stay ’67, Terry MacLaughlin ’68, and Rob 

Littlehale ’70. To anyone whom I forgot, I apologize. 

This will reach you in the summer and we are 

hoping in Boston that the weather will finally be 

warm, the Sox will be in 1st, and the Stanley Cup 

will reside in the Hub. Oh, and we hope that you 

will all have a wonderful summer as well. 

Dick: 800-829-9199 x5148; 

dick.johnson@morganstanley.com 

1965 

Garner Simmons 

22126 Providencia St 

Woodland Hills, CA 91364-4133 

The number of e-newsletter recipients has risen 

to 124 including Michael Arvystas, who was 

recently added. If you run into anyone who’s not 

receiving it and would like to, just tell him to 

e-mail me. 

Heard from Jim Stanek: “For the past 3 years 

I have worked at a local psych clinic performing 

neuro-psychological testing. The staff members 

complete a multifaceted assessment and create 

a treatment plan for patients who have had 

some kind of head trauma, dementia, or possible 

Alzheimer’s. It is quite a change in client population 

after working with public school students 

for 32 years. I find the work challenging, at times 

frustrating, but rewarding when you can help 

another person progress in some of the basic 

skills of living. Ruth has retired and is now our 

family travel consultant. Recent trips include a 

wonderful cruise to the Mediterranean last fall, 

a Disney cruise with family, and a ski trip to Park 

City, UT.” 

From VA Beach, Rick Woolard writes: “Sandy 

and I are happy that our son JP, a Navy SEAL, returned 

from Afghanistan in Feb with 10, 5, and 1 

of all his important body parts. He also had some 

powerful stories of combat near the Pakistan 

border. Daughter Jen and her family are well. We 

plan to visit her in-laws in Portugal this summer 

for a week or 2. I’m still pres of the Special Ops 

Fund and having success raising money to help 

educate children whose fathers have been killed 

in the line of duty. On the aging infrastructure 

front, saw an ankle specialist recently; he turns 

out to be Dr Mike Graham ’73. We shared a few 

memories of life in the Chenango Valley.” 

Connected with Bill Barich, who was in LA 

collaborating on a TV pilot on Thoroughbred 

horse racing with David Milch (Hill St Blues, 

Deadwood, etc). Met in Santa Monica and caught 

up. Bill then headed to NY as part of his book tour 

for his newest, A Pint of Plain: How the Irish Pub 

Lost Its Magic but Conquered the World (Walker 

& Co). It shot up to #265 on Amazon’s list of the 

10,000 best-selling books in print. NY Times 

excerpted chap 4 in its entirety along with an A+ 

review. Six weeks later, back in LA on the final leg 

of the book tour, Bill and his lovely wife Imelda 

stopped out to see us before heading up to SF 

and then back to Dublin. While he was in NYC he 

heard from Bruce Denike, who lives in the city. If 

the Milch TV pilot gets a green light from HBO, 

we’re looking forward to seeing a lot more of the 

Barichs on this side of the Continental Divide. 

A longtime yacht broker down in Stuart, FL, 

George Johnson writes: “A former yacht client 

and now friend who is a Saudi natl living in the 

Bahamas has asked me to get involved in some 

work for the Saudi Navy. I seem to remember 

Doug Quelch spent a lot of time there. I thought 

I’d be retired by now, but with the ‘new world 

order’ and much change, I guess I’ll just saddle 

up and keep riding.” In putting him in touch 

with Doug, I also mentioned Barich, only to 

receive George’s reply: “I just started reading [Bill 

Barich’s] novel Carson Valley a couple of days 

ago. Have always enjoyed his work.” As for Doug 

Colgate seen 

The spirit of alumni sporting their Colgate 

gear is seen here, there, and everywhere 

around the globe. Where was your latest 

spotting? On a Machu Picchu trek? At a 

mini-reunion in Pocatello? An election 

polling site in Houston? We’re collecting 

photos of Colgate sightings around the 

world. Send them to scene@colgate.edu. 

Andrew Oladipo ’04 at the Great Wall of 

China in November 2008. Oladipo went to 

China with the University of Connecticut 

MBA program, through which he took the 

courses Marketing in China and Supply 

Chain Management. 

Representatives from the Class of 2007 

cheered on Tim Powell ’07 and Mandie 

Samuels ’07, who ran the Marine Corps 

Marathon in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 26, 

2008. L to R: Emily Burton, Meg Reed, Pat 

Sabol, Mandie Samuels, Tim Powell, Bob 

Fitchette, Ben Suarato, and Jane Phelan. 



2009 Reunion awards: Recognizing dedication and service 

Thomas W. Tucker, Charles G. Hetherington 

Professor of mathematics, and Jane 

Pinchin (not pictured), Thomas A. Bartlett 

Chair and professor of English, received 

the Alumni Corporation Distinguished 

Teaching Award. 

A clinical psychologist and Episcopalian 

priest who has dedicated his career to 

helping victims of war-torn countries, John 

Van Eenwyk ’67 was awarded this year’s 

Humanitarian Award. 

Andrew Daddio (5) 

In addition to President Rebecca 

Chopp, 16 alumni and staff members 

received Maroon Citations. Front 

row, from left: Alumni Council Vice 

President Gus Coldebella ’91, Robert 

Fox ’59, Rebecca Chopp, Patricia 

O’Brien Donovan, Kathleen Dill ’89, 

Kelly Lehman Johnson ’94. Middle, 

from left: Alison King Haley ’84, 

Sally Sinardo, senior administrative 

assistant to the vice president and 

senior philanthropic advisor, Robert 

L. Lowenberg ’59, Paul Lobo Jr. ’89, 

Alumni Council President Ron Joyce 

’73. Top, from left: John Heldrich ’74, 

David Hale ’84, vice president for 

finance and administration, Thomas 

McGarrity ’79, Bruce Crowley ’79, 

Robert Seaberg ’69. Awardees not 

pictured: J. Curtiss Taylor ’54, Daniel 

Derman ’94, Andrew Rome ’99. 

Sarah Compter ’04, Alumni Council 

mid-Atlantic regional vice president, 

was the recipient of this year’s Ann 

Yao ’80 Memorial Young Alumni 

Award. 

For the first time, all of the Wm. Brian 

Little ’64 Alumni Award for Distinguished 

Service winners were from 

the same class. Left to right: Richard 

W. Herbst ’69, Denis F. Cronin ’69, and 

Michael S. Martin ’69. 

8 For more coverage of Reunion 

2009, from complete award citations 

to photos and video, visit 

www.colgatealumni.org/reunion. 

Quelch, he called a couple of days ago to say that 

he’d spoken to George and hopefully helped him 

assess the situation. He’d also heard from Ken 

Roffe, who was in St Louis for Easter with Val’s 

mom. Recently Doug’s been in touch with Craig 

Bell, former airline pilot and published author 

(Comprehending Coincidence) who now lives in 

Sherman, CT. Craig’s been taking advantage of 

Doug’s skills as a proofreader, something I can 

attest to doing as well. Doug reports that his 

daughter Janice Quelch Whiting ’88 is expanding 

her culinary empire founded as Gourmet Dreams 

to include a unique coffeehouse in Saratoga, CA, 

called the Big Word. 

Speaking of Ken Roffe, he wrote asking for 

David Rosenbloom’s contact info along with this: 

“Had a wonderful experience Feb 7: my nephew 

Matt, son of my brother Andy ’68, had his bar 

mitzvah, which included a surprise performance 

by the Thirteen. Matt’s older brother, Michael ’02, 

was there, as well as Nancy and Marty Polevoy 

’64, my old roommate at TKE — great reminiscing. 

Also spent time with Alan Frumin ’68, who is 

Parliamentarian of the US Senate.” Mike Greene 

writes: “Went to an alumni gathering at the 

home of John Robinson ’60 to hear Colgate VP 

Bob Tyburski ’74 speak about what’s new on 

campus. John ‘Mac’ McComish was there and 

we had a great time catching up on the last 40+ 

years. He’s now majority leader of the AZ State 

House of Reps. Of considerably lesser note, I’ve 

just been re-elected to a 2nd term as pres of the 

board of our golf club and am hoping the honor 

will improve my game. Anyone passing this way, 

please give a call.” Also heard from Bud Eisberg 

who asked for Keehn Gray’s address in the hope 

of stopping down to visit him in Lafayette, CA. 

Bud and Lynn have had a busy year, including a 

trip to HI and sailing down to Catalina. 

Heard from Bob Marengo: “As you may know, 

I dropped out shortly before graduation, then got 

drafted in Nov ’65. Served 2 years in the Army (15 

months in Germany). Returned to Colgate and 

finally got my degree in ’69. After various moves, 

I ended up in Jamestown, TN, with my wife, 

Fran. We started a chimney sweep business in 

’81, expanded to a small retail store in ’86. Moved 

to Cookeville, TN, in ’89 and built a store, which 

has been quite successful. We are now nearing 

completion on an addition, at which point, we 

will be the largest fireplace and stove shop in the 

state and possibility the entire SE. We will soon 

complete our new home on 55 acres about 16 

rural miles from the store. We’ve been attempting 

to find and train a store manager to take over 

some of our duties, but so far no luck. Given the 

times, this might be just the change someone’s 

looking for… it’s been great to us.” 

Jharry Breed wrote to ask for Peter Clark’s 

e-mail address: “Friends of ours have a son who 

has Down Syndrome but has still managed to 

co-author a wonderful book called America According 

to Connor Gifford. They are joining the 

NY Gov at Cooperstown for awards and recognition 

for people with developmental disabilities. 

Wanted to alert Peter and catch up at the same 

time.” Since he lives just over the hill from Hamilton, 

Peter also keeps tabs on Colgate: “Got over 

to ’Gate for a few hockey games this year. We had 

an All-American in David MacIntyre. He’s really 

something to watch. Looking forward to football 

even though baseball is in the air. Why, oh why, 

did Colgate ever give up baseball? Red Ohara is 

still spinning in his grave.” 

Rick Moore writes: “Sue (my 1st and only wife 

of 38 years) and I live in Wickford, RI. I retired 

from BankNewport last March. My wife has 

merged her real estate business with another 

agency. <strong>Our</strong> son, Caleb, now practices internal 

medicine in Darien, CT, and lives with his wife 

and 2 daughters in Greenwich. <strong>Our</strong> daughter, 

Whitney, teaches math at a local private school. 

She and her husband live about a mile from 

us with their 3 children, whom we see all the 

time. Sue and I are looking forward to a 2-week 

cruise to So America going around Cape Horn in 

March.” Ever the man in motion, Dick Rawdon 

writes: “In Feb I ran a marathon in Birmingham, 

AL, and plan to run Boston on April 20. Daughter 

Alison ’10 continues to do well at the ’Gate and is 

involved in many activities including dance.” 

Peter Vogel returned from Australia and NZ, 

where he was able to spend time with his son 

Brett ’01, who’s been working Down Under for 

the past year. Spent time in Melbourne and Sydney, 

went snorkeling off Great Barrier Reef, and 

hiked NZ’s Franz Joseph Glacier. Bob Baughman 

writes from Pacific NW: “Saw John Gannon in 

Portland on his skiing holiday. He mentioned the 

poignant moment at the recent off-year reunion 

at Sue and Jim Himoff’s when the list of those in 

our class who have passed on was read. I heard 

from Steve Riggs Jr, who continues to do well in 

CO Springs.” I also heard from Steve, who now 

works as a career counselor in the Army Career 

& Alumni Program: “Things are busy here at Ft 

Carson. Lots of soldiers coming back. Can’t help 

but admire these guys and all they’ve done.” 

In March, Sheila and I joined Joan and Lee 

Woodward in attending a dinner in honor of 

Rebecca Chopp. Among those attending was 

Peter Desnoes, who’d driven up from Indian 

Wells. Since then I’ve also heard from others, 

including Peter Kellner, who wrote from London 

to say how disappointed he was that she was 

leaving but understood why. Having served on 

the Alumni Council for 4 years, there are a couple 

of points I feel are worth mentioning: First, as 

Colgate’s 15th pres and 1st woman to hold the job, 

she leaves Colgate better than she found it. In addition 

to her energetic leadership and impressive 

fundraising, she has overseen incredible growth 

on campus. And her strong support has been 

essential in reaffirming the true meaning of 

diversity. By setting the bar high, she has made 

it clear that Colgate’s 16th has a lot to live up to. 

As interim pres, Lyle Roelofs, current provost and 

dean of the faculty, will do an equally 1st-rate job. 

Susan and Geoff Egginton ’63 came to dinner 

in March. An architect, Geoff continues his work 

overseeing the remodeling of the Bradley Internatl 

Terminal at LAX. The same evening, Geoff’s 

brother Ev and wife Wynn were having dinner 

with Christine and Riall Nolan in Las Cruces, NM, 

so Geoff set up a conf call. Riall and Ev continue 

to co-chair the US Commission for Cross-Border 

Relations. Ev and Wynn were heading back to 

visit Louisville, where Ev taught for 20+ years. 

On a historical note, Riall sent a copy of an 

article from the Chronicle of Higher Education 

on WRCU in the 1960s. Written by Brock Read, 

son of Don Read ’66, it recounts the influence of 

Bob Blackmore ’41, who taught English and was 

advisor to the radio station back when the world 

was young (his son Jim was in our class). In 1961, 

WRCU was in the basement of Spear House. I 

joined the staff that 1st fall, along with John Morrison 

and Jeff Klein. The saddest note in Read’s 

article is the fact that a couple of years ago the 

station sold off its entire vinyl collection to help 

pay for an upgrade of the facility. Turns out, most 

student DJs didn’t know how to use a turntable 

(they use their computers or iPods). 

So, to all those who remember what it was 

like to slip a 33 1/3 onto a turntable and point 

your speakers out the window at the first sign 

of spring in the Chenango, I offer Casey Knobel: 

“<strong>Our</strong> men’s sr hockey team, the ‘MN Old Timers,’ 

is playing in a tourney in Vancouver, BC, in Sept 

in the 65+ category. There will be more than 80 

“I will finally marry the amazing woman I loved and was pinned to soph year when she was a 

Mt Holyoke 1st-year. We met June of ’59 and were pinned through that year but unpinned in spring 

of ’60. Then all those years passed without hearing from or even seeing one another. In May ’07 

I received a condolence letter from Suzanne. It took us about 30 days to rediscover our magic. We’ll 

marry just about 50 years to the day from the dance at which we met.” — Dan Adams ’62 

teams in the 45-, 55-, 65-, and 70-year-old categories.” 

And so I say to one and all: iPods? We don’t 

need no stinkin’ iPods! 

In friendship, Gar 

Garner: 818-713-1353; 1392 (fax); runnrit@aol.com 

1966 

Robert Malley 

322 Shore Rd 

Westerly, RI 02891-3904 

In my last column I reported the passing of 

Bob Murphy on Feb 1. On Feb 14, I attended the 

celebration of Bob’s life in Manchester, VT, where 

I was joined by his ATO classmates Pete McHugh 

(who had a singing role) and Tom Platt, as well 

as Colgate alumni from the Colgate Club of So 

VT. It was well attended and a special tribute to 

‘Murph.’ 

I regret to pass along the sad news that we 

have lost 2 more members of our great class. 

John ‘Jack’ Wright passed away in late Jan after a 

courageous battle with cancer. I got to know Jack 

pretty well in our 1st year as we lived on the 3rd 

floor of East Hall. He had a quiet sense of humor 

and a ready smile. Jack majored in physical sci 

and was a member of ATO. After Colgate he 

received his Dr of vet medicine from Cornell. He 

practiced for most of his career at the Phelps Vet 

Hospital in upstate NY, which he purchased in 

1976. Vincent ‘Skip’ Scamell Jr passed away on 

Feb 9 in Hawley, PA. Skip was a member of Phi 

Kappa Psi and an officer, sang in the glee club, 

and was a cheerleader. A history major, he received 

a law degree from U of Toledo and served 

in the US Army JAG Corps during the Vietnam 

War. Skip was in private practice in PA until he 

retired and was active in local theater groups. 

(See In Memoriam for complete obits.) On behalf 

of our class, I send our deepest sympathies to 

their families. 

Tom Tobey e-mailed me in mid-Jan that he 

and Karen attended the No CA “tunk” in SF, 

where they caught up with Sanna and John 

Thomas from Mill Valley, CA, and Cindy and Fred 

Riebe and daughter Ilsa from SF. Fred and Cindy’s 

son Uli graduated in the Class of 2002. Tom also 

enjoyed seeing Mike Hayes ’65 and Bud Eisberg 

’65: “Mike and wife Pat live nearby in Sebastapol. 

Bud lives in Portola Valley with his wife, Lynn. 

The Thirteen was great as usual.” 

In early Feb I received an e-mail from Lou 

Buttino in Wilmington, NC. He was getting 

ready for the opening of his 2nd play, Gepetto’s 

House, which is about 3 Vietnam vets who have 

returned to the US. Lou said: “It’s our era, and 

many real people are recreated in the story, such 

as Colgate roommate Brian O’Donnell” and also 

specifically mentioned is the late John Painter. 

I was in Wilmington later in Feb and attended 

Lou’s play with him. The play received a favorable 

review in the local press, and it certainly 

brought back memories of that era as well as 

comparisons to our current situation. Lou and I 

had dinner and drinks after the play, and he told 

me that he is also completing the 1st half hour 

of a TV series titled The Wounded Come Home, 

dealing with the Iraq and Afghan wars. As Lou 

said, “Though the survival rates are higher in the 

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the nature of the 

injuries are sometimes different (traumatic brain 

injury), sometimes the same as Vietnam (PTSD), 

but a proportionally higher number of severe 

burn victims and amputees. There are also many 

individuals and groups stepping up to help all 

across the country and I’m interviewing them. 

I keep getting the feeling that in helping the 

Iraqi and Afghan veteran, underneath they are 

welcoming home the Vietnam veteran. The next 

in the series, for which I have received partial 

funding, is From Combat to the Classroom. My 

greatest fear is that with the current economic 

crisis, the new era of vets will be forgotten in 

their needs and challenges.” Lou is also kept busy 

as the chair of the Film Studies Dept at U of NC- 

Wilmington. It was great to spend that time with 

you, Lou. Best wishes for all of your current and 

future endeavors. 

<strong>Our</strong> own Don Read was featured in an article 

written by his son, Brock, in the March 20 issue 

of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Brock related 

his experience when he accompanied Don 

to the dedication of the Robert Blackmore ’41 

Media Ctr at Colgate, the new home of WRCU, in 

Jan. Don was WRCU’s news director and then its 

genl mgr during our years on campus. Don was 

invited to host an hour-long radio show during 

his visit and he invited his son, a DJ during his 

college days, to sit in with him. In Brock’s own 

words: “During my visit I caught a glimpse of a 

distant era in campus radio, and I looked in on a 

part of student culture that has changed a great 

deal. Once we got situated in the studio, the 1st 

tune Dad had me cue up was ‘Ballin’ the Jack’ as 

recorded in 1962 by the Thirteen. He was a fan of 

the group and especially this song, which called 

on the bass singer to stretch almost impossibly 

low on the chorus. He’d managed to keep the 

record in virtually pristine condition since he 

bought it in the campus bookstore more than 4 

decades ago. It seemed fitting to pay tribute to 

Mr Blackmore and his epic jazz record collection 

by devoting most of the hour on the air to 

jazz and by opening the show with my father’s 

vintage vinyl. Spinning vinyl and sifting through 

towering stacks of dinged-up LPs had always 

struck me as the college DJ’s defining activities.” 

Don also shared with Brock his experience sitting 

in WRCU’s auxiliary studio the day JFK was 

shot when the alarm bell on the teletype machine 

went off, bringing the news of this tragedy. 

In Don’s own words, “I can remember hearing 

the closing theme (Aaron Copeland’s ‘Fanfare 

for the Common Man’) and just sitting back in 

my chair and thinking ‘Oh my God, what’s happened? 

Is this real?’” Does this article bring back 

some memories, fellows? Don, thanks for sharing 

that weekend with Brock, and Brock, thank you 

for writing about it and sharing it with us. 

I visited with Alan Posner in Boston in Feb. 

Alan and his wife are new grandparents and 

loving this role. Alan is still practicing law. 

Finally, in early April, I received an e-mail 

from Frank Concilus, who is still in the Far East. 

He wrote, “I retired from Hankuk U of Foreign 

Affairs in Korea, where I taught linguistics, North 

American sociology, and English for 20 years, 

and have rejoined the U of MD’s Asian Division 

on a f/t basis. I’m currently teaching on a Marine 

base south of Hiroshima in Iwakuni, a beautiful 

part of Japan that is full of cherry blossoms in 

the spring. I’d love to hear from some of our 

classmates!” Please let me know if you would like 

to get in touch with Frank and I’ll send you his 

contact information. 

I’m writing this column on the day after Easter. 

I’ll be in NYC April 23–24 for the Colgate Pres 

Club reception and auction, and I look forward to 

catching up with John Golden and Terry Shea. 

That’s all the news I have for this column. 

Thanks to all of you who have been in touch. I’d 

love to hear from more of you guys. All the best. 

Bob: 401-322-0908; 322-7411 (fax); 

BMalley@colgate.edu 

1967 

Edward A. Ryan 

69 Portland Road 

Summit, NJ 07901 

Terry Persily, one of my former W Stillman 

roomies, sent news (as well as a photo — see 

class pages on the alumni web site) about the 

travels of Ann and Hank Evans. Terry, who sailed 

the FL keys last winter, reports: “The Evanses sold 

their business, house, cars, et al, in IA, changed 

their home address to Ann’s native TN, bought 

a boat, and moved aboard. By the time they got 

here, they had been down the rivers, through 

Mobile, AL, around Key West, and up to Delray 

where Queen Ann’s Revenge spent the night 

in my little guest dock. From here they head 

north, eventually up to the Great Lakes. [Per Phil 

Marshall: “Hank should be in Youngstown, NY, 

around the 4th of July.”] The whole trip is called 

the ‘Great American Loop,’ making them official 

loopers I suspect. The cruising lifestyle is suiting 

them both well. They’re happy and healthy. Hank 

has lost his desk sitting pounds and Ann calls 

Queen Ann’s Revenge home. We toured Delray 

Beach where Hank used to visit his grandfather 

many years ago and discovered the rebirth the 

town has undergone. We stopped at one of the 

many places for a happy hour that not only had 

us talking about the old days and trips to FL for 

spring break, but also drinking like we were still 

kids. After breakfast the next morning they were 

headed north under a beautiful sunrise. It was 

truly wonderful to see them again and we will 

probably see them again soon, because as of now, 

they plan to come back to FL next winter, spend 

time in Key West (military marinas provide good 

and affordable docking for retired Navy guys like 

Hank) and the Bahamas.” Thanks, Terry! 

The recently retired Alan Brown is also keeping 

busy. In Feb, Alan returned to Hamilton for 

the annual alumni basketball weekend and 

spent time with Larry Kenna ’68. Alan also attended 

this year’s CEO Conversations luncheon 

with Mark Murphy ’77, pres and CEO of the Green 

Bay Packers. Per Alan: “The event at the Harvard 

Club was well attended. I sat at a table with Bob 

Raiber ’68, Denis Cronin ’69, Ted Sattler ’66, and 

Pete O’Brien. Pres Rebecca Chopp introduced 

Mark and pointed out that Neil Grabois was 

in the audience. Mark related some amusing 

anecdotes and discussed the challenges he faces 

in running a pro football team. There was much 

discussion of the ‘retirement’ of Brett Favre, as 

well as the decision to release him.” 

We are saddened by the news that President 



Road taken 

Daria Simon Devlin ’99 

Grant writer, The Ophelia Project 

Erie, Pa. 

Aside from 

marrying 

my husband, 

Neal ’99, 

whom I met 

at first-year 

orientation, 

almost none 

of the plans 

I made at 

Colgate ended up being part of my path. 

After graduating with a degree in history 

and Russian studies, I planned to attend 

law school with Neal at the University 

of Pittsburgh, where we had both been 

accepted and received scholarships. 

A month before classes began, I had second 

thoughts and deferred my enrollment. 

I took a job as a paralegal for an immigration 

attorney in Pittsburgh, while I sorted 

out my career and personal goals. 

After Neal graduated in May 2002, we 

decided to return to my hometown of Erie, 

Pa., and start a family. I taught Russian 

language at Mercyhurst College, where 

my father, Rev. Steven Simon ’69, is chair 

of the Russian Department. I also became 

active in our church, particularly with fundraising 

and Russian cultural events. 

Once our three boys, Nicholas (6), Nathaniel 

(4), and Alexander (2), were out of 

diapers, I knew it was time to head back 

into the workforce. I was hired as a grant 

writer for The Ophelia Project, a national 

nonprofit organization whose mission is 

to raise awareness about youth bullying. 

In keeping with my commitment to the 

community, I am active in Nicholas’s 

elementary school and serve as a coordinator 

for Nathaniel’s preschool. 

My experiences at Colgate — studying 

under Professors Tony and Martha Olcott, 

meeting Mikhail Gorbachev, and the 

Moscow Study Group — created a lifelong 

passion for Russian culture. In a way, my 

four years in Hamilton started me on a long 

path that brought me right back to where I 

started: at home with the community I love 

in Erie, Pa. 

Rebecca Chopp left to become pres of Swarthmore 

College. As a member of the Alumni Council, 

I have seen Pres Chopp in action and greatly 

admire her leadership and communications 

skills. She has contributed immensely to Colgate 

during her term. As Richard Schaper observed, 

Pres Chopp’s leadership has brought Colgate to 

a whole new level of excellence. Richard noted 

that he shares 4 institutions with Rebecca: U of 

Chicago (MTh), Emory (he was chaplain at Emory 

Hospital), Yale (doctoral study), and Colgate. 

Rebecca was also theology prof at Candler School 

of Theology and taught a class attended by Richard’s 

wife. 

Dr Jay Menitove recently became president of 

the American Blood Bank Assn. Congrats, Jay! 

Alden Joe Doolittle sent news about one of 

his storytelling events in Schenectady. The audience, 

which included Linda and Paul Bradley, 

were treated to stories of Alexander Lindsay Glen 

and Lawrence the Mohawk Chief, as well as some 

wonderful classical guitar and piano. 

Ed: 908-277-4128; eandryan@comcast.net 

1968 

Peter M O’Neill 

10 Nassau St 

Princeton, NJ 08542 

It seems as if the ATOs are using all their 

frequent-flyer miles traveling to Colgate athletic 

events. I heard from Fred Meyland-Smith, Jay 

Benedict, and Larry Kenna about their participation 

in a Colgate sports emersion weekend, attending 

2 hockey games and a basketball game. 

Larry also played in the alumni basketball game. 

The 3 of them spent time with Coaches Ronning, 

Jungbluth, Vaughn, and Davis and were significantly 

impressed with the coaches’ abilities in 

attracting talented athletes. 

Jim Quick wrote after reading the last Scene 

about his memories of Ron Staurovsky. He mentioned 

John Sloan recently had hip replacement 

and had decided to visit the Middle East. Jim said 

that the scholarship fund that he and wife Sheri 

had endowed is now vested and available to support 

students in need starting in 2010. Jim also 

was honored with UT Arlington’s Award for Distinguished 

Record of Research. The 3 points on 

which his recommendation was based were: the 

Successful Executive Series of the 1980s through 

the past decade of research in executive health 

and within the Goolsby Leadership Academy; 

the impact of preventive stress management 

through work with the American Psych Assoc, 

particularly the launch of the Journal of Occupational 

Health Psychology, and within the US Air 

Force/Dept of Defense; and his career launching 

research in demanding, challenging goals. Jim 

said, “To keep things in perspective, my good 

friend in the Provost’s office explained the award 

to one of our junior colleagues by simply telling 

her that ‘this means he’s old and gray now.’ The 

caveat is that I am not done yet.” 

Hal Becker also reminisced about Ron and 

recalled playing hallway soccer games in East 

Hall with Ron, Jack Battaglia, Mark Kurtz, and 

Frank Pordum. Hal says “Hello” to Chands, JD, and 

Bear and the Phi Psis from 1968. 

Tom Dalton continues to write for the Salem 

News, and in a recent exchange of e-mails with 

Larry Kenna, Larry told Tom that his wife was 

reading an article while Larry was driving the 

car, started laughing out loud, and when asked 

what was so funny, she read the article to Larry 

who laughed as well. It turns out that the article 

on birdfeeders was written by Tom. 

John ‘Biff’ Darrin writes to say he is in regular 

communication with Phil Goetz, but will be 

seeing less of him because John, after the death 

of his wife in 2007, purchased a big RV that is 

now his f/t home as he travels the country. Biff is 

blogging his experiences (contact me for the site 

address). Biff, I hope this Scene catches up with 

you. 

Andrew Weiss is being honored by the NY 

Social Security Bar Assoc with an award for his 

lifetime of litigating and adjudicating disability 

cases. He recently attended the opening of the 

new Yankee Stadium with Mel Damski. 

Finally, I heard from Alan Frumin, who joined 

John Gee at the semifinals of the Frozen Four in 

Washington, DC. Alan is a long-time presence 

in the DC area, but may be more under the 

spotlight than normal since a NY Times editorial 

on April 12 indicated that Alan may play a role 

in the expected partisan debate on health care. 

The editorial stated, “Nobody is quite sure how 

the Senate parliamentarian would rule on such 

items as tighter regulations of private insurers 

or creation of a new public plan or incentives 

to improve coordination of care.” Alan finds it 

curious that he has suddenly been imbued with 

such knowledge and power and advises all of us 

to “stay tuned.” 

Peter: 609-924-0700; pmoneill@earthlink.net 

1969 

C James Milmoe 

1700 Verrazzano Pl 

Wilmington, NC 28405-4040 

By the time this is published in the summer 

issue of the Scene, our 40th will be a memory. 

As this is written and e-mailed to classmates in 

mid-April, the sense of anticipation and excitement 

is still building. 

<strong>Our</strong> reunion actually began on March 7 with a 

class dinner at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana 

in New Haven, just before Colgate hockey’s OT 

victory over Quinnipiac in the ECAC playoffs. 

New Haven’s own Ricky Ross, a regular at the 

pizzeria, missed the dinner because he was in 

sunny FL. But Deb and Peter Lewine, Lynne and 

Art Clark, Allan Dodds Frank (who took time off 

from covering the Madoff scandal to attend), 

Claudia and Frank Gasparini, and Ross and 

John Higgins were there to kick off our reunion 

festivities. In April, this crew tried to promote the 

candidacy of David McIntyre, a jr on the Colgate 

hockey team and one of the 10 finalists for the 

Hobey Baker Award, by encouraging all ’69ers 

to vote for Dave. The effort failed as Matt Gilroy 

from BU was the winner. 

Looking back to 1969, our last semester at 

Colgate you may remember… Work on the 

Olin Life Sci building began in Jan. There were 

lectures by Gov Nelson Rockefeller (our honorary 

’69 classmate), conservatives like Sen Strom 

Thurmond and CA School Superintendent Max 

Rafferty plus liberals like graduation speaker 

Arthur Goldberg, Dick Gregory, Saul Alinsky, 

and Michael Harrington. At the time, I thought 

Goldberg, who was running for gov of NY against 

Nelson Rockefeller, gave an awful, forgettable 

speech. However, since I remember it was about 

gun control and violence on college campuses 

(there had been an armed occupation of the 

Cornell Ad building a few weeks before), I guess I 

have to say it was a memorable speech. 

Tom Bartlett, pres of American U, Cairo, Egypt, 

was announced as the board’s choice to be the 

next Colgate pres. The appointment would 

begin after our graduation so our diplomas were 

signed by president pro Tem Franklin Wallin. 

In sports news, legendary football Coach Andy 

Kerr died in Feb, the hockey team upset BU, Rick 

Caputo became Colgate’s #4 all-time scorer, a 

shoulder injury kept top-seeded wrestler Gene 

Detwiler out of the Eastern championship, and 

the lax team, led by Capt Bill Holbrook, had a 

great season. Other ’69 notables that spring were 

Bob Seaberg, who resigned as pres of Student 

Senate due to the senate’s inability to achieve 

such goals as open housing, local autonomy, 

revisions of athletic policies, and “elimination 

of institutional racism.” On the racism front, the 

Assoc of Black Collegians occupied Merrill House 

in a 69-hour sit-in. John Zarecki, Student Senate 

VP, became pres pro tem when Seaberg resigned. 

<strong>Our</strong> scholars were honored. Barnet Kellman was 

awarded the Danforth fellowship, and Gil Joseph 

was awarded both Fulbright and Woodrow 

Wilson fellowships. In the arts, Cinematheque 

showed 17 foreign films, and there were performances 

by Laura Nyro and Sly and the Family 

Stone. 

The feedback from classmates on direct e-mail 

of these class notes has been positive. John Mc- 

Caleb wrote, “Thanks for including me on this 

list. I have not been back through the Chenango 

Valley since we graduated, but am always interested 

to read about what members of the class 

— many of whom I don’t recognize anymore 

— are up to. Thanks for all the effort you put 

into making the Class of ’69 news happen.” Bob 

Helliesen wrote that he took his family to see the 

Colgate basketball team play at Cal Berkeley. He 

also took his wife Kathy to hear the Thirteen in 

SF. He saw Tom Tobey ’66 who spoke to us as new 

freshmen in the fall of 1965. We should all thank 

Jim Eppolito ’66 and university communications 

for arranging for the timely direct e-mail delivery 

service. 

Two classmates have been working hard to 

develop a Reunion program that will highlight 

teaching at Colgate. Woody Swain is putting 

together a video of the great teachers of our 

era (think Reading, Balmuth, Kistler). Nick Brill 

is spearheading a rededication of the plaque 

honoring recipients of the Alumni Corp’s Award 

for Distinguished Teaching Award. The award is 

named for Prof David Stern. We expect David’s 

widow, Bonnie, will be joining us for dinner. 

Steve Mark wrote that Steve Waters’s description 

of Doc Reading (published in the Jan Scene) 

was right on. Steve Mark remembers taking 

Doc’s World History 101 via speakerphone while 

recuperating from his football injury in a Syracuse 

hospital. It was the first time Bell Labs tried 

it out in an educational application — maybe 

the first “distant learning” course. He remembers 

he would lie in bed listening to Doc’s lecture 

through earphones and the nurses always 

wanted to know why he was laughing. Finally, 

he had the speaker function activated so the 

nurses could hear Dr Reading themselves. So, on 

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 am in Steve Mark’s 

hospital room, Dr Reading had his first nonparty 

weekend coed lectures. 

Steve Waters himself sent the following dialogues 

to supplement his Reading reminiscences: 

Poli sci prof Mark Franda: We professors know 

you call us names like “Harry the Hook [Behler].” 

Student: Mr Franda, do you know they call you 

“Franda, the flunk”? 

History Prof Willie Askew: “Thay-ah ah seven 

reasons fo-ah the staht of Wo-old Wo-ah One…” 

In a different vein, investment adviser and 

pro tem golf pro John Rice recommends that I 

sell my GE when it gets to $50, but I think I will 

sell it if it gets to $15. Former pres pro tem John 

Zarecki wrote that his wife read Waiting for 

Godot as part of a course she is taking at U Mass- 

Dartmouth for her MAT. He remembers how 

much he was moved by seeing that performance 

our freshman year, and how proud he was that 

a freshman, Barnet Kellman, was involved in its 

production. John says he could barely figure out 

what the play was about, and here was one of 

our own bringing the play to life. 

Unfortunately, Barnet Kellman, who has 

been helping with Reunion planning and was 

counting on attending, had to cancel his plans. 

His responsibilities as director of TV shows 

(My Boys and Monk) and his pro tem teaching 

assignments at both USC and The American 

Film Institute prevented him from attending. He 

loves teaching and wrote, “<strong>Our</strong> profs set a high 

standard and good examples indeed.” 

Retiree Dave Knauer wrote that wintering 

on the Cape this year has been “no fun.” All the 

golf courses are under snow and ice, unlike last 

year, and the temps and bay ice have prevented 

“clamming” for more than a month. To adapt, 

Dave joined the Cape Cod Ski Club and rides 

the club bus up to ski areas at Waterville Valley, 

Wildcat, and Sunday River. Dave is excited because 

the bus has something the Colgate Outing 

Club van never had — a toilet. Dave planned to 

visit Africa including Kilimanjaro and across 

the Serengeti this spring. He expected to take 

an airliner with a toilet, rather than the ski club 

bus. While Knauer schussed the slopes, I got my 

sports thrills by contributing to the John Gillick 

’67 retirement fund via his Road to the Final Four 

NCAA basketball pool. As far as I can tell, the pool 

is mostly various Gillicks and a few outsiders like 

me, Vaughn Carney ’68, and Al Frumin ’68. 

There was a long message from Bill Berry, 

who is roaming the country in an RV. His vagabond 

retirement has taken him and Jane over 

much of the lower 48 during the past year and a 

half. Bill’s son Will married Erin Palmisano ’99, 

who has given Bill a 2-year-old granddaughter. 

Son Cooper and wife live in Missoula, MT, and 

have a 1-year-old boy. Son #3, Jamie, and wife 

Misty Blue now live in CO Springs. Bill wrote 

from Big Bend Natl Park in SW TX, “the most 

fantastic and interesting of all the places we 

have visited.” Bill and Jane have taken pro tem 

volunteer jobs as camp hosts through April. Bill 

wrote, “The park has areas strewn with petrified 

wood, dinosaur fossils, petroglyphs, the site of 

the Glen Springs massacre of 1916 when Poncho 

Villa’s boys crossed the river and wiped out the 

settlement, flora, and fauna, including bears 

and mtn lions, oh my.” The only downside [?] is 

that they are 120 miles away from the nearest 

large shopping area. Berry’s brother-in-law, Dr 

Rick Dalton ’71 wrote that he is CEO and pres 

of College for Every Student, a nonprofit org 

committed to raising the academic aspirations 

and performance of underserved youth so that 

they can prepare for, gain access to, and succeed 

in college. Rick’s daughter is an All-American lax 

player at BU, and his son is a scout for the WA 

Natls baseball team. 

Nobody asked me to say this, but Bob Seaberg, 

our class agents, and all of us have done a superb 

job on the class gift. We have $1.2M in pledges, 

and are within spittin’ distance of our $1.35M 

goal. Congrats to all who have contributed in this 

tough environment. 

By the time you see this, there will be a “classmate 

locator system” website up and running, so 

check out everyone at www.mapme.com/map/ 

colgate69 for contact info/map to reach out to a 

friend. 

Bill Miles discovered an interesting trend. 

Several classmates had their firstborns, all girls, 

go to Colgate. They include Bill’s daughter in 

’92, Larry Blake’s in ’91, Frank Gomer’s in ’97, 

Dom Romeo’s in’96, and Jim Milmoe’s in ’97. This 

seems appropriate. I believe our Class of ’69 had 

the 1st 2 women to receive Colgate BAs, Michela 

Gallagher and Elaine Matczak. Elaine is a fine-art 

photographer with the School of Visual Arts in 

NYC. She got her MFA from RIT and has had numerous 

exhibitions and publications of her work. 

Gallagher, whose portrayal of Charlotte Corday 

in Marat/Sade got some pulses racing in our sr 

year, got a PhD in psych from the UVM, and is 

now vice provost for academic affairs at Johns 

Hopkins. 

I got an informative note from Tom Lamme, 

a retired sci teacher who stays busy with 

grandchildren duty, exam writing (NYS Regents 

physics and earth sci), some pro tem subbing 

in and around the city of Rochester, and doing 

some teaching at SUNY Brockport. A longtime 

runner, he recently took a silver in the 

US Masters (age group 60–64) with a 1:29:00 

half-marathon championship in Melbourne, 

FL. Fourth place went to former Olympian Bill 

Rogers. The Reunion was on his agenda and he 

planned to look for Robin Koskinen, Don Smith, 

and Bud Hanscom. I hope those 3 and everyone 

else (except maybe Jim Andrews) decided to pass 

if Tom challenged them to a competition in the 

Alumni Reunion run. 

Sad news of Barry Rosen’s death came from 

the alumni office in April. Barry was a member 

of TKE and majored in philosophy and religion. 

A specialist in alcohol and drug addiction, 

he trained at Chicago Med School, the DC VA 

Hospital, and GWU Hospital. He died after a 

long illness on March 20 in Woodside, CA, and is 

survived by wife Linda. Barry’s roommates in the 

TKE Annex, Gil Joseph and Bob Seaberg, remember 

a young man with a great sense of humor, 

intelligence, and passion about ideas, a big car 

and a big motorcycle, and an ever-present drum 

pad so that he could keep his fingers nimble for 

playing his beloved drum set. As Gil recalled, 

Barry kept his roommates up long into the nights 

with his earthy sense of humor. Bob recalls Barry 

changing direction his sr year toward med school 

and loading himself with tough sci courses while 

completing his P&R major: no small task at ’Gate. 

Matt Zetumer and Barnet Kellman also shared 

fond memories of Barry. 

In my never-ending quest for more class 

news, I have joined the 21st century and Facebook. 

So far I have added Warren Waldow, Charlie 

Seyffer, Tom Orsi, Kelly Adams, Bill Berry, Biff 

Darrin ’68, Gary Richards, David White, Jim Molt, 

Robin Koskinen, Nick Brill, and Tom McTaggart as 

Facebook friends. 

Jim: 910-262-3512; smilmoe@aol.com 

1970 

George Murphy Jr 

1510 Ocean Ave 

Mantoloking, NJ 08738-1516 

As a follow-up to his note in our last issue, 

Richard Kessler writes: “I started a new job in 

Nov as staff dir for the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, US House of Reps. An exciting time to be 

in DC working on foreign policy and natl security 

issues and am enjoying every minute. Just had 

a nice visit with a mentor for many generations 

of Colgate poli sci majors, Charlie Naef, and his 

delightful wife, Susan, who stopped briefly in DC 

on their way back to Hamilton. Without his mentorship, 

many of us would have been lost, and it 

was great to see them both hale and hearty.” 

John Kihlstrom e-mailed: “Last Nov I took a 

break from my regular teaching duties at UC 

Berkeley to give a series of lectures on consciousness 

as part of the Budapest semester in Cognitive 

Sci at Eotvos U (ELTE) in Hungary. I direct the 

undergrad Cognitive Science program here. Most 

of the students were Americans on a sort of jryear 

abroad, and most of them were from liberalarts 

colleges like Colgate, but there was also a 

A token of community support 

Ted Bergh ’75 believes in the power of transformation through transportation. As the CFO 

of southwest Ohio’s Metro bus service, Bergh developed an independent charitable foundation 

that provides transportation to the economically disadvantaged of Cincinnati. The 

Everybody Rides Metro (ERM) foundation has been called 2008’s “greatest innovation in 

public transportation in the nation” by the American Public 

Transit Association (APTA), which awarded Metro its 

national Innovation Award last October. 

With increasing fuel prices leading to higher 

fares, Bergh didn’t want the 33 percent of Metro 

customers who are below the federal poverty 

line to be left without a ride. The first foundation 

of its kind in the country, ERM ensures access 

to vital services by providing Metro tokens to 

low-income individuals. 

“Rising fuel costs are pushing transportation 

beyond the reach of the poorest members of our 

community, blocking access to jobs, education, 

health care, and other services that are generally 

taken for granted,” said Bergh. “We needed a way to sustain 

the most vulnerable members of our community.” 

ERM partners with more than 60 social service agencies that work with the economically 

disadvantaged. Those nonprofit organizations were already buying tokens to provide 

transportation to low-income riders, but limited budgets put a strain on how many people 

they could support and for how long. The collaborative partnership through ERM has raised 

$1.25 million from governments, charitable foundations, and individual contributions. 

The program has grown from providing 2,000 rides per month in 2007 to 45,000 currently, 

according to Bergh. He anticipates that ERM will provide a total of 500,000 rides 

this year. 

The partnership is mutually beneficial. “By seeking alternative funding sources, ERM is 

able to increase riders and revenue to Metro as well as provide a social return on investment,” 

Bergh explained. He added that the resulting ripple effect leads to keeping individuals 

in jobs, thereby saving employers turnover costs and reducing the cost of unemployment 

insurance. Additionally, transporting people to appropriate health care prevents unnecessary 

ambulance and emergency room trips. “ERM calculates that its $900,000 2009 budget 

will have a social return of $17 million to the community,” Bergh said. 




healthy sprinkling of students from ELTE itself 

and elsewhere in Europe, some auditing just to 

practice their English! It was quite interesting 

to see how a major research university operates 

in one of the new European democracies, and, 

of course, Budapest is a wonderful city to visit 

under any circumstances. As part of my regular 

course on consciousness, I have occasion to refer 

to Shibayama Roshi, the abbot of Nanzenji Monastery 

in Kyoto, Japan, who visited Colgate in the 

late 1960s, stayed at Chapel House, and taught 

a seminar on Zen Buddhism. If anyone has any 

memories of Shibayama and his visit that they’d 

like to share, please write me.” 

On a personal note, I enjoyed my 1st-ever 

Colgate lax game at Lehigh in early April with 

former captain of Colgate lax, Ray Masterson ’74, 

wife Peggy, and Paula and Bob Planer ’74. I was 

impressed not only by the outstanding Colgate 

team, ranked #15 in the nation at this writing, 

but also by the enthusiastic crowd of Raiders 

fans. After the exciting 10-8 win, the Colgate parents 

put on a finely orchestrated tailgate party 

(aka tunk) for the players, families, and friends. 

It was obviously not the 1st tailgate thrown by 

this Colgate group. Bob Planer’s son, Will ’09, and 

son of Linda Havlin ’72, Todd Boulis ’10, were 2 of 

the hungry lax team members who attacked the 

buffet after finishing off the Mountain Hawks. 

During the party I learned that Linda spent her 

middle and HS years in Wellesley, MA, following 

Colgate football while living next door to 

legendary Raiders fullback/linebacker Ray Ilg ’67. 

You may recall that Ray went on to play profes- 

sionally with the Boston Patriots. I also enjoyed 

speaking with Chris Durik ’12 and his parents 

Karen and Mike. Chris is the great-nephew of my 

good buddy Richard Durik, our law firm’s court 

reporter for more than 30 years. 

Pres Obama was right. Change is here. Hope 

you are all enjoying the new Scene format. Don’t 

be afraid to drop us a note in these difficult 

economic times to keep us current and lighten 

our load, if not our 401K. Finally, as one of my 

nongraduating fraternity brothers once said 

after failing out, but neglecting to advise his 

parents while continuing to live in the chapter 

house: “Whoever plays in Hamilton, stays in 

Hamilton.” 

Murph: 732-892-0217; 7806 (fax); 

gfmdmw@aol.com 

1971 

Richard C Beck 

4290 SE Augusta Loop 

Gresham, OR 97080-8435 

I hope you had a great winter and that you 

are surviving this recession. Spring is a time of 

renewal, so let’s start by updating you on news 

about your classmates. 

I learned that the Fame Games recently honored 

Marc Black for Best Artist in the Folk Category 

and for Best Song in the Folk Category. The 

title of the winning tune is “Ooh I Love My Coffee.” 

Fame Games is an internatl radio program 

focused on the best undiscovered indie music. It’s

Get to know: Peg Flanagan ’80, Colgate Trustee 

– Vice Chair, Colgate Board of Trustees; member since 2001; chair, 

planning and governance committee 

– Chair, Colgate’s presidential search committee 

– Alumnae Leadership Council chair 

– Former litigation partner, Testa, Hurwitz, Thibeault, Boston, Mass. 

Tell us about your family. 

My husband, Tim Barrows, and I have 

two daughters. Kate just graduated 

from high school and Haley is a rising 

junior. Tim works for a venture capital 

firm. He grew up in Cazenovia, N.Y., 

and is an avid hockey fan, so he gets 

a kick out of hearing how Colgate’s 

hockey team is doing. 

What is the first thing you notice 

when you meet somebody? 

Whether they look me in the eye. It is 

such a noticeable thing if they don’t 

do it. Unless they have one of those 

killer handshakes! 

What professors at Colgate were big 

influences on you? 

I was an English literature major, and 

Margaret Maurer was terrific; she 

was the most approachable, and had 

such energy. And the Dijon Study 

Group was the first time I’d been to a 

different country. Jim Nichols didn’t 

mollycoddle us; he expected us to manage, but he was there if we needed him. 

What initiative is most dear to you in serving on the board? 

I feel strongly about the fact that we’ve made financial aid a priority, to make Colgate 

accessible. What’s great about that is we can actually measure the impact we’re having by 

seeing what the students bring to the community. 

We hear you have been committed to helping the board to “bond” during on-campus 

meetings. 

I believe that you’re a tighter group if you know more about each other than just a job title. 

I’m all for downtime. Part of our bonding is taking time to get to know each other, and the 

students and faculty. Those are the most valuable and interesting collisions we can have 

here. The students, faculty, and administration are the heart of Colgate, and the better we 

can understand all that they do, the more effective the board can be. 

As chair of the presidential search committee, what kind of feedback have you been 

getting from alumni? 

Being involved with the presidential search has provided a unique window into just how 

thoughtful and dedicated our alumni are. We have received input from a wide ranging group 

of alumni — across many classes, interests, and professions. Most comments have been 

forward looking and focus on the challenges Colgate will face in the coming years. Several 

have addressed the process itself. It is clear that all of the individuals who have taken the 

time to communicate are genuinely concerned that Colgate secure the best leader possible 

to continue our forward momentum. 

Do you have any hobbies or special activities? 

I love to garden — I’ll grow anything — and photography. The next thing I want to learn how to 

do is video. It drives me crazy that my kids just figured it out on their computer. 

Andrew Daddio 

the world’s most listened to Webcast, with a total 

audience in excess of 2.5 million listeners and 

still growing! Visit his website to follow what 

Marc is up to or to listen to his award-winning 

song. Earlier this winter Mitch Ruda attended 

the 81st Scientific and Technical Oscar Awards 

Ceremony sponsored by the Academy of Motion 

Picture Arts and Sciences. Unlike the televised 

Oscars, this formal dinner ceremony is held 2 

weeks earlier, with the winners announced in 

advance. One of Mitch’s clients, cinematographer 

and tech wiz Steve Hylen, received an Oscar for 

the Hylen System, an on-camera special-effects 

device that permits optical manipulation of the 

photographic image as it is being shot in real 

time. Several years earlier Mr Hylen approached 

Mitch’s company, Ruda & Assoc, with an idea 

for the device. Mitch’s group worked with the 

inventor to bring the idea to fruition. Today 

the Hylen System is part of Panavision’s suite 

of camera equipment leased out to the motion 

picture industry. In his acceptance remarks, Mr 

Hylen graciously thanked his wife, notables in 

the movie making business, and Mitch. Visit our 

class page at Colgatealumni.org to see a picture 

of Mitch, in his tux, with the award recipient. 

I just received word from Bruce Glendening 

’77, who is in Europe. He wanted to make the 

Colgate community aware of the amazing accomplishment 

of Paul Ridley ’05, who completed 

a successful row across the Atlantic Ocean 

from the Canary Is to Antigua in a 19' rowboat. 

Bruce has set up a Glendening Challenge/Match 

program to help Paul’s cause. Bruce notes that 

he and wife Beverly are settling into their new 

home in the Lakes Region of NH. Fellow classmates 

are always welcome and they are not too 

hard to find since they are the only Glendenings 

in the state. 

As I write this column, a last-minute e-mail 

came in from Dr Ken R Amann. When we last 

left Ken he was doing clinical and admin work 

in the addictions treatment ctr at the LI Jewish 

Med Ctr. His daughters were in college, and he 

and wife Kate put money down on a place in VT. 

Moving on, Ken left the medical center for Molloy 

C, where he spent 11 years as a college prof in 

Rockville Centre. 

Last Aug the Amanns felt it was time to head 

north and moved into their home in Waitsfield, 

VT. The Colgate alumni group in VT has made 

the transition easier, reaching out to Ken and Pat. 

This past winter the group enjoyed a VT-Colgate 

hockey game in Burlington. Ken notes that 

through the move he realized a lifelong dream 

of pursuing leather craft f/t. While at Colgate, 

during a Jan plan project that took him to CA, the 

craft rage caught his eye and it cultivated his interest 

in leather craft. This year he is celebrating 

his 41st year refining his technique. He has been 

entering pieces at the Artisan’s Gallery in Waitsfield, 

and starting this May you can catch him 

as a regular artisan at the Waitsfield Farmer’s 

Market. His website will be up and running this 

spring. He invites all classmates and friends to 

visit the beautiful Mad River Valley. 

We received news that Anthony Rusciano 

has been re-elected to chairman of the Board of 

Directors of Plunkett Cooney, the law firm he’s 

been with since 1980. Working in the Bloomfield 

Hills, MI, office, Anthony is a senior member of 

the firm’s commercial litigation practice group 

and healthcare industry group. Congratulations, 

Anthony! 

Finally, I am saddened to report the passing 

of Edward R McMahon in March after a yearlong 

battle with cancer. He was a life-long resident 

of Chatham, NJ. After Colgate, Skip earned his 

JD, cum laude, from <strong>Set</strong>on Hall Law in 1975 and 

went on to become a partner in the Roseland, NJ, 

law firm of Lum, Drasco & Positan, LLC, where he 

practiced for 25 years. Skip was a highly respected 

civil trial lawyer and banking law expert. He 

served on the NJ Supreme Court District Ethics 

Committee and he was repeatedly recognized in 

Super Lawyers published by New Jersey Monthly, 

Best Lawyers in America, and in “NY Area’s Top 

Lawyers” published by NY Magazine. Inclined 

toward community service, Skip was a trustee 

to the Richard T Hughes Fndn and dir of the 

Madison Area YMCA. He also served as pres of 

the Chatham Jaycees and a trustee for Chatham 

Fish and Game. Active in Republican politics, 

Skip served as a member of the NJS Republican 

Committee, the Morris County Republican Committee, 

and the Chatham Borough Republican 

Committee. Skip leaves behind wife Ellen and 

their 3 children — Meghan, Kerry, and Ryan ’09. 

His mother, Jean, brother, Brian ’74, and Judith 

McMahon Bane, also survive him. On behalf of 

the class, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies 

to Ellen and her family. Until next time… 

Richard: 503-512-8085 (H); 986-3375 (W); 

richardcbec@msn.com 

1972 

David M Brockway 

201 Lincoln Rd 

Horseheads, NY 14845-2267 

Hope you are all enjoying a decent summer. As 

I write this, spring has finally started to show 

her face in the NE, even in the Binghamton 

area, which is home to Rev Mark Ridley. Mark 

had written to remind us that he’s been there 

some 20 years. He and wife Nadine are currently 

co-pastors of Christ the King Lutheran Church 

in Vestal, near the campus of Binghamton U. 

Their son, Paul ’05, got the rowing bug while on 

the crew team at ’Gate. In March, Paul became 

the youngest (and only 3rd) American to have 

successfully rowed solo across the Atlantic. Paul 

rowed in the name of his nonprofit organization, 

Row for Hope, which he and his sister founded 

to raise money for cancer. To Mark’s delight, the 

Colgate community has unofficially adopted 

Row for Hope, and alums and students have 

shown support in the wake of Paul’s row. For 

example, the brothers at Theta Chi raised more 

than $2,300 at an event where people challenged 

each other to races on rowing machines. Also, 

Bob Glendening ’71, motivated by his family’s devotion 

to rowing and their personal experience 

with cancer, generously offered to match up to 

$5,000 in new donations to Row for Hope from 

members of the rowing community. You may 

recall that the Glendening Boat House at Lake 

Moraine was given by Bob and his family (father 

John ’38, and brothers John III ’60 and Bruce ’77) 

in 2004 in memory of Bob’s mother, Catherine, 

who lost her own battle with cancer in 2000. 

News regarding yet another pastor has 

reached me in the last few months. From the 

NYC area, Rick Lewis wrote to say that he had a 

chance to catch up with 1st-year roommate Rev 

Mark Littleton during lunch in April. Mark was 

in town to be interviewed on Fox and Friends 

about his newest book, Big Bad God of the Bible. 

Mark is a prolific Christian author, having previously 

been a pastor of a church. 

A bit farther west came a few notes from PA. 

Mark Tunnell, who is with the West Chester law 

firm of Gawthrop Greenwood, has been named 

a “Super Lawyer” for the 3rd consecutive year. 

Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers 

from more than 70 practice areas who have attained 

a high degree of peer recognition and professional 

achievement and is published as a special 

supplement in leading newspapers and in 

city and regional mags across the country. Mark 

has been practicing trial law for some 33 years. 

Also at home in PA is DU alum Tom Dempsey. 

I hadn’t heard from Tom in a while, and it was 

good to get an update. He and wife Bekki are 

currently living in Hanover. Their 2 daughters 

will both have graduated college this spring. Tom 

is pres of regional snack food manufacturer UTZ 

Quality Foods. Just so he knows, we go through 

UTZ pretzels by the plastic jugful at the office. 

Tom has remained active with Colgate, serving 

on the president’s Fraternity Sorority Alumni Advisory 

committee and has been working with DU 

in the transition from being an alumni-owned 

house to full university ownership. Tom says the 

source of one of his most fun, and biggest, claims 

to fame is hanging in his backyard: the original 

neon sign that hung in front of Hickey’s Tavern 

on Lebanon St when we all were at ’Gate. He’s 

had a number of Hickey’s alumni reunion parties 

these past 10 years, including ’71ers Dave Conte, 

John Lennon, Pat Causgrove, Al MacKinnon, Ed 

Madden, and John Madia and ’72ers Tom Oliver, 

Alex Maslanka, Mike Harlow, and John Clauson. 

[See a picture of a recent reunion on our class 

page at Colgatealumni.org.] 

From “way out west” comes word from Dr 

Mark Bronstein. Mark, an ophthalmologist and 

prof at UC-Irvine, has received an MBA from the 

Marshall School of Business at USC. He made 

the dean’s list and was elected into Beta Gamma 

Sigma, the honor society for business grads. I 

wrote Mark that this sure sounded impressive 

for someone our age! Mark is also medical dir 

for the natl VSP Eyecare system. He said that 

he would be consulting with Congress and the 

Obama admin to pitch VSP’s health care program 

and its application to a new natl delivery system. 

Finally, I end on a sad note. Classmates James 

E Bleuer and Stewart F Hancock III both passed 

away in Jan. Jim, who lived in Mount Kisco, NY, is 

survived by wife Lisa Yokana and children, Nicole 

LeBlanc, Stefanie Picard, James C Bleuer, and Julia 

Bleuer. Stew is survived by his widow, Kimberly 

Cramer Hancock ’82, of Fayetteville, NY, and 5 

children: Kolbe, who has graduated from Barnard 

and plans on attending med school; Annie, who 

plays tennis on the Williams C NCAA Div III 

championship team; Tori, who is interning with 

Nicole Miller in NYC; and Stew IV and Mary, who 

live with Kimberly and her mother in Manlius. 

Stew, a member of KDR, was former CEO and 

publisher of Eagle Newspapers, the publishing 

parent of numerous upstate NY newspapers. 

Most recently, he had started Hancock PR and 

was a registered lobbyist. Jay Goerk let me know 

that Kimberly has set up The Hancock Children 

Edu Fund c/o Key Bank. <strong>Our</strong> condolences to both 

the Bleuer and Hancock families. 

I guess that does it. As always, we could always 

use more updates from people. Drop a line 

and enjoy the rest of the summer! 

David: 607-739-0267 (H); 737-2901 (O); 737-2961 

(fax); dbcolgate@gmail.com 

1973 

Marc Gettis 

43 Summit Avenue 

Gillette, NJ 07933 

Steve Glassman reports that he keeps busy running 

a small business, refereeing HS basketball 

and football, and umpiring baseball and softball. 

I didn’t get the chance to ask Steve if he’s calling 

a lot of personal fouls, but I suspect he might 

be. Steve recently got back into playing bridge 

after 30 years. While in the DC area last New 

Year’s (his daughter is a personal trainer, living in 

Silver Spring, MD), Steve visited with Craig ‘Doc’ 

Hensle, who lives in VA and is an ophthalmologist. 

Steve reports that all 3 of Craig’s kids are 

doing well. 

Gabe Schechter and his wife attended the 

dedication of the Robert Blackmore ’41 Media 

Ctr at the O’Connor Campus Ctr in January. Since 

Gabe is an accomplished author, we’ll let him tell 

the story: “It was a terrific event, partly because 

the new facility is so impressive, and mostly 

because it was a testimonial to a great man who 

had so much influence over several decades’ 

worth of students. I knew Blackmore from WRCU 

and the Maroon even before I took a class from 

him, and as you know, he saw something in me 

(despite a so-so performance in that 1st class 

soph year) that made him include me in the London 

Study Group. He was my adviser and friend. 

I not only corresponded with him steadily over 

the years, but also visited him often at his home, 

especially when I lived in the area in 1991-92. He 

was a wonderful conversationalist and an even 

better listener.” 

Also in attendance at the event was Tom 

Seligson, another WRCU and Maroon guy and 

member of the Colgate 1971 London Study Group 

headed by Prof Blackmore. Tom got in the mood 

for the event approaching Hamilton from a few 

miles out late Fri evening by tuning his rental 

car radio to 90.1 and hearing alumni “guest” DJs 

talking about how it was great to be back at 

WRCU in connection with the dedication of the 

new studio in the Blackmore Ctr. Tom noted that 

the new facility was quite a change from what 

he dimly remembered of the old WRCU space in 

the basement of Spear House and concluded that 

“it was nice to be a part of this event honoring a 

man who had faith in me.” 

Gabe and Tom both mentioned (independently) 

that they enjoyed talking with Lance 

Morgan ’72 and Gloria Borger ’74, their illustrious 

former cohorts at the Maroon, at the event. 

For Tom, this brought back some memories 

of his time as a photographer for the Maroon. 

Both mentioned how great it was seeing Bob’s 

widow, Lucia, again, as well as his son John ’68. 

In summary, Gabe found it “wonderful to listen 

to a series of speeches that did justice to Bob’s 

character, legacy, and influence and had a great 

time sharing memories of a remarkable man.” 

Tom also noted that many people at the event 

commented on Blackmore’s extensive knowledge 

of jazz, his long-time radio show on WRCU, his 

amazing record collection, and that he donated 

the collection to Colgate (although he could have 

sold it for substantial money as there apparently 

are many thousands of albums, some unique). 

Since I was unable to attend the dedication, 

I’m relying on the reporting of Gabe and Tom, as 

well as “official sources.” I understand the new 

facility is state of the art and beyond, but permit 

me to throw in my 2 cents and make a suggestion. 

In the lead-up to the event, the new facility 

was described as being capable of playing music 

directly from the station’s computer or a DJ’s 

laptop and in any format (presumably LP, cassette, 

CD, MP3, and similar formats, flash drives, 

smart chips, and probably other technologies 

of which I’m not even aware) except 8-tracks. 

This is an omission that should be corrected. I 

recently came across my 1970s Hitachi 8-track 

recorder, which not only recorded in stereo but 

purportedly had playback capability in quadraphonic. 

I hereby offer to donate this great piece 

of anachronistic technology to the Blackmore 

Media Ctr (in “as is” condition) to correct this 

injustice. Of course, good luck finding 8-tracks 

that will actually still play, assuming they played 

properly in the 1st place. On a more serious note, 

I didn’t experience Prof Blackmore to the extent 

that Gabe, Tom, and some of you did, but did 

have the pleasure of taking a class with him, 

being in another London Study Group simultaneously 

with his group, and interacting with him 

at WRCU. I found him to be a terrific teacher 

and adviser and an open and down-to-earth 

individual. While people at the dedication commented 

on his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, 

his knowledge and familiarity with other forms 

of music was just as impressive. I can’t think of a 

better tribute than the Blackmore Media Ctr. 

When Marty Madeira checked in, he had 

just skied with Terry Haas at Gore Mtn. Terry 

has a townhouse there and hosted Marty for 3 

days of incredible skiing at the “hidden gem of 

the East Coast.” Terry and Marty see each other 

fairly often with their wives, usually attending 

jazz concerts at the Philly Art Museum. Marty 

regretted being unable to join Blair McCaw, 

Steve Parrish, and Doug Weddell in their annual 

ski trip to Steamboat. However, he did manage 

to host his old track teammates, Scott ‘Scooter’ 

Anderson ’74 and Stan ‘Steamer’ Dickson ’75, 

at his house in the Poconos for skiing. Marty 

has stayed in contact with these two and Mark 

Clearihue ’74 for years, including golf at Seven 

Oaks every summer and a fall or winter weekend 

together. Sean Hallahan was supposed to join 

in the Poconos ski trip, but had to cancel. Sean 

did attend Colgate’s first ever Community Summit 

Mar 27–29 (more details will appear in the 

autumn 2009 column). Sean and Marty try to attend 

a football game in the fall or a hockey game 

when Colgate is at Princeton. Marty also spends 

a fair amount of time with Bob O’Shea. Bob and 

his family live less than 1/2 mile from Marty and 

wife Pat. Bob’s daughter Grace just completed 

her soph year at Colgate. Marty would like to 

hear from other alums in the Philly area. 

Jim Sowers (our class program chair and 

major player in the success of the 35th Reunion) 

provided the following news about some TXbased 

class members: Jerry Jasko got married to 

the beautiful Melinda on Jan 14 in Austin. Jerry’s 

older daughter, Marla (Vanderbilt 2002; Rice 

MBA 2008), was married May 2 in Houston. John 

Bloom lives in Houston and is VP of corp development 

and country economist for CEMEX USA. 

Jim, Jerry, and John play golf regularly in Houston. 

Jim’s older daughter, Stefanie (Brown 2004; 

NYU Law 2007), was married in Rhinecliff, NY, 

on June 6. In attendance were Jerry Jasko, Donna 

and Rick Stickle, Dan Trunfio ’83, Rob Grossman 

’96, Jessica Sowers ’09 (Jim’s daughter; I guess 

it was a busy few weeks for Jim in May and 

June), and Todd Goldman ’09. Stefanie is being 

mentored in her law career by our classmate Tim 

Stanceu, who is a judge at the Internatl Court of 

Trade in NYC. 

Bruce Milligan (our class secy and 1-time 

editor of this column) is living in Savage, MD, 

with wife Maripaz, and their cat Ceilidh in a 

townhouse that was built in 1819. They thought 

they might encounter ghosts, but instead were 

invaded by a 3' black rat snake, forcing Bruce to 

use some of his fencing skills. Bruce holds dual 

roles as project mgr, both with the Washington 

Hospital Ctr’s Simulation and Training Environment 

Lab and with the Federation of American 

Scientists, both in DC. He designs and oversees 

the development of so-called serious games, 

ie, games intended to teach physicians, first 

responders, homeland security professionals, 

and military personnel how to do their jobs 

a bit better. He also teaches a fencing class in 

Columbia, MD, and is still fencing. His outdoor 

hobby is Civil War reenacting, which usually 

means doing living history events with the Natl 

Park Service at various historic locations. Bruce 

finds this hobby that is more than a hobby to be 

compelling, especially at this time in our history. 

He has also become a fan of the Colgate men’s 

lax team, of which he was a member for a brief 

time during 1st year. Bruce hopes Steve Parrish 

no longer drinks Cold Duck. 

If you’ve been hearing and reading the accolades 

for Pete Stassa’s video work that was 

so warmly and enthusiastically received at last 

year’s reunion class banquet but don’t have 

your own copy, help may be on the way. Pete’s 

DVD offer also promised a copy to anyone who 

contributed, by May 31, 2008, to the Class of ’73 

gift that was presented at Reunion. If you made 

such a gift and have not received the DVD, send 

a note to the alumni office and they’ll let Pete 

know who else qualified. Since it has been more 

than a year since the 35th Reunion, this column 

will contain the final mentions of same. And 

who better to make the final comments than 

Pete himself: “Maybe the biggest highlight of the 

Reunion happened at the Class of ’73 tent after 

the banquet. Reunion chair Jim Sowers secured 

the services of a talented troubadour James 

Patrick from Wappingers Falls, NY, who came on 

to entertain us after an insane round of karaoke, 

video of which may soon find its way to YouTube. 

He played request after request as we drank beer 

after beer, and we were all having ourselves one 

fine time when a delegation from the alumni 

office entered the tent and told us that we had to 

shut it down because we had gone past the curfew 

agreed to by university and town officials. A 

glance at my watch confirmed that it was indeed 

2:10 AM. Every other tent was dark, silent, and 

empty. Sure enough, the greybeards of ’73 had 

outlasted every other class, most of whom were 

far younger and clearly less experienced in matters 

of serious celebration. Not wanting the night 

to end, Jim and I negotiated for several minutes 

while our vocalist ad-libbed some pleas of his 

own (“C’mon, just one more song, c’mon, it won’t 

take long…”). Realizing that the staff, who had 

been scrambling for days to make our weekend 

a success, could not finally get to bed until we 

were done, we agreed to close up shop … and 

bless their hearts, they did let us finish that 1 last 

song. We then retired for the night knowing that 

we were the last ones staggering … uh, standing 

on Whitnall on Saturday night of Reunion weekend.” 

Do you remember the slogan, “If we are not 

part of the solution, we are part of the problem”? 

I’m not sure who should be rightly credited, but 

it applies here. The problem is getting news 

for the column; the solution is sending news. If 

you’re reading this column for the 1st time in the 

print edition of the Scene, why not be the 1st to 

read the next column online on our class web 

page at www.colgatealumni.org/clubsandclasses 

(select “Class of 1973” on the pull-down menu). 

You’ll also see photos that do not appear in the 

print edition. Please make sure the alumni office 

has your current e-mail address by clicking on 

“edit my account” or “first-time login.” While 

you’re visiting the class page, also check the message 

board, where, from time to time, I will be 

asking for input on certain issues. 

Marc: 908-580-1414, 580-1946(f); 

marcgettis@comcast.net 

1974 

Gregg McAllister 

21 Ross St 

Batavia, NY 14020-2307 

Summer greetings. We will have celebrated 

Reunion by the time you read this. Hope I had 

a chance to talk to you there! In the meantime, 

here is a brief update from a few of our mates. 

California Dreamin’: Scott Plakun became 



“As Colgate’s 15th pres and 1st woman to hold the job, [Rebecca Chopp] leaves Colgate better than 

she found it. In addition to her energetic leadership and impressive fundraising, she has overseen 

incredible growth on campus. And her strong support has been essential in reaffirming the true 

meaning of diversity. By setting the bar high, she has made it clear that Colgate’s 16th has a lot to live 

up to.” — Garner Simmons ’65 

pres of the Rotary Club of SF July 1, so was at the 

Rotary Internatl Convention in Birmingham, 

England, rather than at Reunion. As a Rotarian, 

I know what a big job a club presidency is. For a 

large club like SF, it must be even bigger than I 

can imagine. Scott is an independent consultant 

helping nonprofit orgs with strategic IT issues 

like planning, governance, and major project 

design. 

Also checking in from the West Coast is 

another Californian who couldn’t make Reunion. 

David Pion-Berlin was celebrating his daughter 

Emma’s bat mitzvah instead. David is enjoying 

his 18th year at the U of CA-Riverside, where 

he is a prof of poli sci specializing in Latin Am 

politics. He was chosen to write the Organization 

of American State’s official report on the 

military and democracy for its upcoming report, 

La Agenda Informe para la Democracia de 

Bienestar en América Latina. In addition to his 

daughter, he has a son, Jeremy, who graduated 

this spring from San Diego State U as a film major, 

with several of his own films under his belt. 

David sends greetings to all his friends from the 

Ralphe Bunche House (1972–75). 

Couldn’t wait for Reunion: Jim Ryan stopped 

in to Hamilton for the Colin Powell visit and saw 

Andy Greenfield, his wife, Ann Zeller ’76, and 

their 2 beautiful daughters. He had also seen 

them in Cabo San Lucas last year. Hamilton was 

more fun, Jim says. Jim’s oldest son is a 1st-year 

at Princeton and the youngest is a junior at Rye 

Country Day, looking at colleges and considering 

Colgate. Jim, of course, hopes he will choose 

the ’Gate so he will have an excuse to visit more 

often. It is amazing how much building has gone 

on since my last visit. 

And checking in from the South: Paul ’72 and 

Susan Kornfeld Kennedy downsized from a 

house to a condo, directly relating to their twin 

sons graduating from NC State this spring. Susan 

was voted Best of Greensboro 2008 among 

Marriage & Family Counselors by the US Local 

Business Assoc and loves her psychotherapy 

business, working mostly with couples and families. 

She splits her time with minister-related 

duties like custom weddings. She doesn’t say if 

she will perform the wedding for her son Logan, 

who became engaged to Caroline. (Yes, Susan 

says, she will become Caroline Kennedy!) The 

couple will move to Huntsville, AL, where Logan 

will continue working for NASA as an aerospace 

engineer. Lee has been interning for a marketing 

company in Raleigh, but loves the outdoors, so 

may be headed to CO. 

If you were unable to attend Reunion, send 

me a quick e-mail with an update. We’d especially 

like to hear from the folks we haven’t had a 

chance to visit with in person. 

Gregg: 585-345-6154 (O); 343-9796 (H); 

greggmca@verizon.net 

1975 

Carolyn Swift 

2022 Columbia Rd NW, #514 

Washington, DC 20009-1316 

Reunion season greetings to one and all! Only 1 

more year until it’s our turn again, so start making 

your plans for the 35th Reunion now! The 

past few years have reinforced for me how much 

our Colgate roots and ties can help and sustain 

us in the hard times and deepen our joy and our 

contentment in the good times, so I’m hoping 

to see everyone there next June! Meanwhile, 

use this column to get in touch with those you 

would like to see and be with in 2009 by sending 

in news or just a greeting to classmates and 

fellow alums. Please keep the news and info 

coming! 

I must start the news with a sad item: I 

recently learned about the death of Vincent 

Kommer on Feb 6, in Middletown, RI. Vinnie had 

worked for Northrup Grumman on LI and in 

Melbourne, FL, for 28 years but he had recently 

relocated to Portsmouth, RI, to take a position of 

subcontract mgr at Raytheon. He is survived by 

wife Patricia; 3 sons, James, Jake, and Christopher; 

3 brothers; a sister; and several nieces and 

nephews. I know we will miss him at our 35th 

next year, and on behalf of the Class of 1975, I 

extend condolences to his family. 

Good to know that people are reading the 

Scene! After I threatened to track him down in 

the winter column, I heard from Frank DeLaurentis, 

who says he got in touch because he’s 

already on too many lists and didn’t want me 

to put him on another! Frank is still at Peddie 

School in Hightstown, NJ, where he is an asst 

athletic dir responsible for all athletic facilities. 

He stepped down as the head football coach 3 

years ago, but continued to stay on as the defensive 

coordinator. He notes that he had the opportunity 

to coach the eldest son of Rick Meyer ’76, 

and recently had a shot at Jim Detmer’s son Jack, 

but Jack decided to attend another prep school. 

He noted that it was great having the Detmers 

there for a visit, though. Frank has also visited 

with John Drummond, Steve Ernst ’76, and Dave 

Ceponis ’76, which was great. (Frank says lots of 

stories were told. Hope some of us get to hear 

some of them next June!) Frank’s wife, Betty, 

works at Peddie as well in the tech office and at 

the health ctr. Son Mike is working p/t and pursuing 

an acting career, and daughter Julie is in 

her final semester at Muhlenberg C. Frank says, 

“Time sure flies. I am not sure what else to say 

other than I hope to see a lot of familiar faces at 

our next Reunion in 2010. Imagine 35 years! God, 

are we getting old!” 

I was glad to hear from Steve Burns, who has 

been living a most peripatetic (good word for all 

us P&R types, right?) life this past year. As deputy 

gen counsel of the NRC, he has been doing lots of 

foreign travel, mainly doing workshops to support 

US policy on nonproliferation and nuclear 

safety. When I heard from him in early April, he 

had just returned from a trip to Jordan (and, he 

adds, he even squeezed in a day to travel to Petra, 

where he saw the famous Treasury where they 

filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and 

in the previous 6 months, he took trips to Argentina, 

Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which, as 

he points out, will always be of interest for all of 

us who were in college during the Vietnam War 

era. Steve’s really big news, however, is that he 

has been appointed to become the genl counsel 

of the NRC in early May. Steve’s career at the NRC 

has included positions as exec asst to Chair Kenneth 

M Carr and dir of the Office of Commission 

Appellate Adjudication, and he received the NRC 

Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and the 

Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award 

in 1998 and 2008. Congrats, Steve! 

As mentioned in the spring issue, I planned to 

follow up with Allan Bombard to hear about the 

new job at Sequenom, but I’m still trying to catch 

up with him, so more about him in the fall issue. 

I also hope to have an update then on Deborah 

Smith Lewis, who called from Buffalo (my longago 

stompin’ ground) to ask about Kelly Zanders 

and Cheryl Lane Miller. I owe Debbie a call, so 

more next time… Meanwhile, as promised, I do 

have an update on Scott Dittman. Scott and wife 

Susan are doing well and are in the stage of life 

where children really begin making their own 

way. He says daughter Sarah Anne is an events 

coordinator in Lynchburg, VA, where she lives 

with her husband; daughter Griffin Hope is now 

in the Dallas area working for the Emergency 

Medical Residents Assoc while her husband 

teaches junior high science and they are about 

to become 1st-time home owners; and son Clay 

was looking for work when we last e-mailed. We 

commiserated about this economy and all its ill 

effects on job seekers, and he mentioned that he 

and Susan have learned way too much about the 

medical, political, and economic dimensions of 

chronic illness because of Susan’s fight against 

Lyme Borelliosis Complex (“neuro Lyme”); 23 

years and counting but making progress. Scott 

sees Colgate people occasionally in “the Great 

Valley” (western VA) including faculty Sascha 

Goluboff ’92 and HR director Amy Barnes, who 

left Colgate to work there. Scott asked about Bill 

Duesler and Dan Stuart. Haven’t heard anything 

lately, but I’ll give a shout-out and hope to hear 

from them in time to plan Reunion 2010! Scott 

also asked whether I’d gotten in touch with 

Frankie D, and now you know, Scott. He’ll be 

there next June and I hope you will be, too! 

Until the next issue, enjoy and take care. 

Carolyn: 202-483-0809 (H); 752-7169 (O); 752-6158 

(fax); cs14105@yahoo.com 

1976 

Valerie Avedon Gardiner 

40 St Andrews Rd 

Severna Park, MD 21146-1439 

Your class editor remains undaunted by this 

now-limited number of class communications 

and has taken the advice of fellow classmate 

Jon Goldstein and joined Facebook. Much to the 

chagrin of her 16-year-old son but to the delight 

of her 20-year-old daughter — there is a fine line 

there — she has already accumulated more than 

100 friends and family members, including longlost 

cousins and Skidmore and Colgate pals from 

the past. You, too, can get in on the fun, friend 

me, and join the group cleverly dubbed Colgate 

University Class of ’76 Cream of the Crop. Check 

it out so you don’t miss a beat! It’s free. It’s hip. 

It’s easy. It’s irresistible. You’ll see. Reconnect with 

Joe Shapiro, Ann Zeller, Missy O’Shea Miller, Lili 

Caesar, Rico Rodriguez, and Ginger Kraus. Stay 

in the loop more often than 4X a year. Check 

out photos, upload your own. And be sure to see 

the ones I then send on to Colgate for our class 

web page, too. There are so many ways to stay in 

touch now. Don’t miss any of them. 

On to business: Harold Roberts manages to 

stay on top of the telecom world, switching over 

after 25 years with ADC to Calix’s MN offices. His 

competitive world has seen many jobs come and 

go but Harold has been through several eliminations 

and Seacrest has declared him safe and 

then some. Barbara Startz has happily ended her 

career and is loving retirement despite starting 

it out with several family funerals. She and husband 

Bob live in Seattle and enjoy the outdoors 

with gardening, hiking, and taking terrific trips. 

Barb is still grateful for her Kendrick friendship 

with Linda Morris, who remains a dear friend. 

Another ’76er mentioning Linda (“She’s an atty 

and MBA and lives near me, working way too 

many hours”) was Kyle Schmeer, who wrote 

some really nice remembrances of people like 

Russ Allen and Marcia Grimm as well. Kyle is doing 

some ultra-cool things with his life: building 

custom bikes to sell worldwide, working with 

Italian bike builders and racing there, partnering 

to build custom trumpets, playing jazz gigs, etc. 

Kool is not a kool enough word for Kyle! Kontact 

me for his website info. Kyle’s kids? Son Tyler 

spent a year at Lehigh but is now a 2nd-year 

engineering and design student at U of London, 

and daughter Lauren just finished HS. 

I get to enjoy Verne Shortell via Facebook. She 

and her clan spent 3 weeks in Australia this past 

year and she seems to always be having fun. As 

for fun, leave it to Gail Cohen Zamri to torture 

us with pictures from the French Alps where 

she was skiing this winter: “I skied with a group 

every day for a week until I couldn’t feel my legs 

anymore. Drank lots of beer, wine, cappuccinos, 

and ate great French food. What could be bad?!” 

Actually, I think she wanted me to share the following 

news, but I couldn’t resist that part, too. 

Gail said: “My son Elan is graduating from Northwestern 

in mechanical engineering in June, and 

a week later Adam graduates HS, then in mid- 

July reports for combat in the Israeli army. I think 

I will go crazy! I am proud of my boys — got 

Yossi’s brains — both graduating with honors, 

but most important really nice sweet kids. The 

girls are studying at the U Sivan and enjoying 

flying for El Al…” Quite a different life there in 

Israel, eh? More cool kids? Pat Apelian Aitken’s 

daughter Kate is a senior reporter for the Yale 

Daily News, and her proud mom has been sharing 

her top stories with some of us the last few 

months. Wow, can that kid write! Congrats! And 

more tongue-in-cheek humor has appeared in 

my inbox lately. No surprise that it is from Mark 

Klein, currently entertaining a “captive” audience 

on a cruise to somewhere warm and sunny but 

due home in time to give me his Kentucky Derby 

picks that never cease to … well, let’s just say they 

never cease to empty my pockets. Love ya’, Boss. 

Before I forget, and not that he would let me, I 

also heard from Tom Dempsey ’72 via Facebook. 

Gotta love this mode of communication. He 

claims to have the old Hickey’s signage gracing a 

bar in his humble abode. I may just drive up to PA 

one day and visit. And another terrific Hickey’s 

connection out of the Facebook blue?! My 

favorite Hickey’s BARtender BAR none, George 

Hitchcock, son of Colgate’s longtime comptroller 

of the same name. George has been in MA since 

1976 and has now retired from captaining his 

own swordfish boat (a la Perfect Storm, thankfully 

without the storm), still owns several boats, 

and is on the board of the Provincetown Pier 

Commission. Sends a shout-out to anyone who 

remembers him and wants to come out for a ride 

this summer. Sounds good to me! The ocean blue 

— really blue — called out from a beautiful après 

Christmas photo card from Rob ’75 and Cindy 

Young ’78 Spencer, with scenes from their son 

Patrick’s Dec ’08 wedding on the USV island of St 

John. I just know my invitation must have been 

lost in the mail. Good luck to the newlyweds and 

to the newly knee-replaced Spence. 

Another DKE update: Dorn Leckenby’s son 

Bill graduated from U of KY, where daughter 

Annie attends. Daughter Kate is a PE teacher in 

the suburbs of Chicago and wife Cindy owns an 

upholstery business in the tony Pitt neighborhood 

of Lawrenceville. In a small world story: Sue 

and Dave Beddow were spending a weekend at 

Princeton to watch their son Jamie ’11 and Colgate 

squash play in the NCAA tourney. As it turns 

out, Chase Carey and his wife were there to see 

their son Steve ’12, and the couples enjoyed some 

quality time together despite the team not faring 

as well as they had hoped. Madeline Bayliss continues 

to be my backup QB, throwing all kinds of 

good stuff my way: Joanne Spigner, Jane Coviello, 

and Madeline’s guy, Tom Healey (Holy Cross ’76), 

were this year’s ’76 team cheerleaders at the CU- 

Princeton women’s ice hockey game in NJ. 

More on Gail Budrejko, whom I mentioned 

moved back to Hartford last time. She is caring 

for her mom and, unable to transfer with the 

Peace Corps, she took an assignment with the 

Census Bureau here in the US. Joni Emery is in 

private law practice in the Chi-town area with 

son Bryan in college and daughter Erin in middle. 

Sue Dickhaus Wallace has 2 daughters in NYC 

after graduating from Harvard and Brown and 

a son who’s loving U of Scranton. Sue works p/t 

with her hubby, Mike, at his insurance business. 

Carol Auster has 1 daughter at Juniata and a 

2nd daughter about to decide as we speak. And 

inquiring minds want to know where Barry Stanton 

hangs his hat these days. Thanks, Madeline, 

for all the scoopage! As for hats, Tom Horan hangs 

his across the pond, though a year ago Jan he was 

at CU to participate in the Real World discussion 

on campus. Tom has lived in London since 1982. 

See our class photos online for a shot of him 

sharing a stogie with Jeff Heaslip ’77 (hadn’t seen 

each other in 30 years!) along the banks of the 

River Thames in Battersea Park. Tom’s daughter 

Tessa, 20, studies art history at U of Nottingham; 

daughter Daisy is in London but on exchange in 

France at the moment. He and wife Karen take 

summer holidays on one of my favorite islands 

— Barbados. For more class pics on the website, 

check out Tom McGillicuddy’s “proof” that he 

was there at the last Homecoming, along with 

Jim Finley and family, Dan Scola and family, and 

Glenn Monk. Wow, how did I miss all of you? 

Tom has Megan ’08 and Tim ’11 to be proud of! 

Good for you. From Rome, NY, to Hamilton, Joelle 

Procopio Taylor took a quick trip at the (free) invitation 

of Colgate to hear Colin Powell speak: quite 

the enjoyable evening! Joelle’s kids are doing 

really well out in the real world. Son Jake found 

out on Match Day — the day med students learn 

where they will go for their residencies — that 

he will be off to Harvard and the psych residency 

program at Mass Genl and McLean Hospitals. His 

1st choice. Wow! Daughter Rachel was in Laos 

headed for Vietnam on her way home for Jake’s 

graduation, so lots of excitement there. 

Always “tremendo” to hear from David 

Traverzo. He writes that he is super-immersed 

in leading a basic Spanish immersion course 

at The Open Center in NYC, a holistic learning/ 

educational institution, and has also been asked 

to teach several Spanish courses at The Omega 

Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, this summer. He will 

repeat the teachings he led at Suen-o-Azul on the 

rainforest borders at Las Horquetas de Sarapiqui 

in Costa Rica and continues his work teaching 

p/t with the Universidad Cristiana in Paterson, 

NJ, where he also serves on the board of trustees. 

David’s eager to hear from ’76ers in the NY, NJ, or 

CT area, so contact me for his address info. 

There is just no other way to say this. My 

heart is still aching. As our class column dives 

deeper into the Scene, it seems the dreaded F 

word will be making more and more appearances. 

So sadly, this time it was the funeral of 

one of our own beautiful children: Alex Carsky 

Bush, 19, son of my dearest friends Mike Bush 

and Chris Carsky of Saratoga Springs. Sandee 

Luccock Kush and I (along with what seemed to 

be half of upstate NY) attended the services and 

farewell March 7. A truly remarkable boy loved 

by so many will be forever missed for his engaging 

wit, humor, and smile. All of your Colgate 

friends (a good F word) send big hugs to all of 

you — Chris, Mike, Drew, and Cece. We love you 

and hope your hearts can find some peace again 

some day. 

Valerie: 410-987-8808; valgate76@aol.com 

1977 

Carl P Barone 

176 Reilly Rd 

LaGrangeville, NY 12540-9530 

Taking advantage of leisure time during spring 

break in the “low country” of SC with the family 

to meet deadline for the column! Heard from 

some classmates over the holidays. Gary and 

Kathy Voorhees Shure are doing great as Kathy 

has begun a new job as sr VP at the Greater NY 

Hospital Assoc. Kathy is enjoying the position 

and happy to not be commuting to Albany 

anymore. Tom Robinson joined Joel Adler, Rusty 

Taragan, Bruce Glendening, David Kutik, and 

Michael Ahearn on their annual sojourn to Vegas. 

Their golf outing didn’t turn out as planned, but 

the gang had a great time hanging out together 

for a few days. Anne and Chip Steppacher are 

now living outside London with their children, 

Sarah and Paul. Chip has joined JPMorgan after 

the implosion at Bear Stearns and is based in 

London as CFO of the European commodities 

business. The kids have adjusted well to their 

new school, TASIS, the American School in 

England. 

Carolyn and Ladd Connell are still living 

in Arlington, VA, where Ladd embarked on a 

new career in Dec after retiring from the State 

Dept after 22 years of service. He is now dir of 

multilateral relations for Conservation Internatl, 

a 1,000-person nonprofit working in 35 countries 

to improve human well-being by preserving 

biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and 

supporting sustainable development. Wade and 

Nancy Murdock Vanlandingham had another 

event-filled year to report in their annual update. 

Daughter Sarah graduated from Barnard C of 

Columbia with a degree in philosophy and son 

David will be entering Penn State this summer. 

Ed Wallack inquires why we keep hearing about 

Mark Murphy when his Packers have no QB! He 

also reminds Murph who was king on the Theta 

Chi Ping-Pong table! Ed and wife Margo Haist 

’78 enjoyed a Mediterranean cruise last summer, 

taking in the pyramids. Their son Zach is a sr 

at Syracuse and daughter Courtney a soph at 

Hobart & William Smith C. Ed is pres of Sapers & 

Wallack, a regional fully integrated benefits and 

asset mgmt firm. Margo, retired from the practice 

of law, is thoroughly enjoying her position 

as a literacy aid in the Newton public schools 

system. 

I connected with Rob White and Marji Lipshez-Shapiro 

on Facebook and await many class 

notes from all the new ways to stay connected. 

Rob is affiliated with Williams C and promised to 

keep in touch now that I’ve tracked him down! 

On a sad note, I received notice of the passing 

of classmate Suzanne Husted from breast cancer 

Man on a mission 

Stephen Redmon ’80 is the kind of guy who makes you wonder when he sleeps. He holds 

three jobs, is working toward a PhD (adding to his five other degrees), and is a committed 

family man. What’s even more impressive about Redmon, who is an Army veteran, is how he 

manages to tie all of his pursuits together and relate them back to his military interests. 

Redmon’s full-time job is senior investigator for the Department of Defense’s Office of 

the Inspector General Investigations of Senior Officials Directorate. Basically, he works 

with a team that investigates allegations of fraud, misconduct, and ethical violations by 

senior officials. He also runs his own business called NOMDER, LLC, which he started after 

participating in the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities at Syracuse 

University. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland and has 

been teaching classes on homeland security, infrastructure protection, and strategic 

planning. 

Redmon started NOMDER (Need, Optimism, Management, Development, Ethics, and 

Realization) based on a business plan for which he won the Burton Blatt Institute Dream and 

Innovation Award. NOMDER takes a holistic approach to people with disabilities in providing 

them with customized assistive technology and treatment. An unexpected result of 

starting NOMDER was that people began approaching Redmon for business advice — so, he 

has created a branch to offer consulting to local companies. “There are a lot of businesses 

in northern Virginia that are distressed, so I work with them on areas like customer service 

and trying to build strategic alliances with other companies,” Redmon said of the increased 

interest in his services. Through the business, he even started a certificate program in 

leadership and organizational development, which relates to his PhD studies at Fielding 

Graduate University. 

Describing the doctorate he is pursuing as the “capstone of his lifelong learning process,” 

Redmon has also earned a JD, two LLMs in military law and environmental law, and an MS in 

strategic intelligence. “When I look back, I see human and organizational development as a 

catchall, from working on community development programs in Harlem [where he was born 

and raised], to the things I did at Colgate, to going into the Peace Corps in Africa,” he said. 

In conjunction with his PhD studies, Redmon reconnected with his contacts at the U.S. 

Military Academy at West Point, where he taught law several years ago. He plans to be a 

research assistant at West Point’s Center for Enhanced Performance on a project related 

to disabled veterans, which will also coincide with his work at NOMDER. 

“You jump out there and you see connections between all of the different areas that 

you’re working on,” Redmon said. “The more you research and start connecting, the more 

you start to see the synergy and how others are working in line with the projects you’re 

launching.” 

And although it sounds like Redmon couldn’t fit another activity into his day, he is 

assistant scout master in his youngest son’s Boy Scout troop. “I spend a lot of time with 

my family, believe it or not,” said the father of four, including Tene Redmon ’06. His other 

involvement with children is working with an Army-sponsored program called eCybermission, 

which is a science, math, and technology competition for sixth through ninth graders. 

“There’s never any idle time other than when I’m going to run or doing yoga,” Redmon 

said. “I love helping people and trying to be the best for my community.” 



— Aleta Mayne

Pet projects 

With a bright green stethoscope hooked in his ears, Dr. John Reynolds ’85 gently wraps his 

arms around Ozzie, the four-legged patient standing nervously on the metal table. After 

placing the round chest piece on Ozzie’s rib cage, Reynolds listens carefully to his heartbeat. 

He pats Ozzie affectionately. “You get the good dog of the day award,” Reynolds says 

to the boxer in the same hearty tone that marked his opening conversation with Ozzie’s 

owner. 

Reynolds, a veterinarian, is the owner of Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital, a thriving business 

in the Berkshires that is comfortably ensconced in the community. The hospital is 

nearly a half-century old, but in the past 12 years, under Reynolds’s leadership, the business 

has soared into impressive new realms and revenues have increased tenfold. 

He purchased the practice in 1996 when he learned about the opportunity from an industry 

broker; neither he nor his wife, Valeri, had any ties to the Berkshire region. But there 

were two things of which Reynolds was certain: he wanted his own business, and he wanted 

to work in a place with a strong sense of community. 

Reynolds grew up in Wayne, N.J., about 20 miles from Manhattan, in what he calls the 

“classic suburbs.” His family never had any domestic pets; his brother and sister were highly 

allergic to dogs, cats, and farm animals. “I played with the neighbors’ dogs and had pocket 

pets,” he said. One day, as a junior in high school, Reynolds picked up All Creatures Great and 

Small, the autobiographical novel by British veterinarian James Herriot, and began to read. 

“When I finished it, I said, ‘That is the coolest job I ever heard of,’” he remembered with 

a smile. 

When he arrived at Colgate, he was awed by his new locale. “I just loved being in this 

rural setting, being around cows and being in town,” he recalled. “It was so new to me.” After 

securing a degree in biology, he landed at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell 

University, where he met his soon-to-be wife. 

After graduating and working for a few years at veterinary practices in the Syracuse 

and Buffalo areas, Reynolds was ready for a change. He’d always been haunted by a desire 

to land in a community (similar to, say, Herriot’s fictional Darrowby in Yorkshire) where 

he could find ample professional satisfaction as well as strong personal connections. The 

Berkshires came calling in the form of a practice for sale in Pittsfield. 

After their first visit, he and Valeri were hooked. He’d wanted a small business he could 

mold and develop, and the rural character of the region suited him just fine. 

Reynolds has succeeded in molding that small business into the Pittsfield Hospital and 

Shaker Hill Pet Resort, a 10,000-square-foot facility that includes a full-service hospital 

and boarding facility. He also opened and owns the Animal ER of the Berkshires as well 

as the North County Veterinary Hospital in North Adams, Mass. 

And Reynolds has kept giving back to the community as a priority. He donates time 

and services to the Berkshire Humane Society and an animal shelter, and he sits on the 

Pittsfield Animal Control Commission. 

“He always comes through for us,” said John Perreault, executive director of the Berkshire 

Humane Society. “He’s taken his profession, and how he helps animals in his business, 

and has broadened it to help animals outside of his business.” 

— Adapted from an article by Christine Hensel Triantos originally published in the Berkshire 

Business Quarterly 

Photo courtesy of Jane Feldman 

in late Feb. Suzanne lived in West Hall 1st year, if 

I remember correctly, and majored in French. She 

resided in Dallas, GA, at the time of her death. 

<strong>Our</strong> condolences to her family. Jeffrey and Kristi 

Greenberg Leswing suffered the loss of their son, 

Kurt, last fall while Kurt was participating in the 

Semester at Sea program. Kurt was tragically 

struck and killed by a motor vehicle driven by an 

intoxicated individual while traveling in Hong 

Kong. <strong>Our</strong> thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff 

and Kristi on this tragic and painful loss. 

Carl: 845-227-1854; marooncarl@aol.com 

1978 

Linda Pattillo 

291 King’s Highway 

Kennebunkport, ME 04046-7275 

Linda: 207-967-1350; colgate78@gmail.com 

1979 

Kimi de Murga 

227 E 66th St, #1A 

New York, NY 10021-6413 

By the time this column is published, our 30th 

Class Reunion will have already occurred. I’m 

sure I will have lots of news to report from everyone 

who attended, and I can guarantee that we 

all had a wonderful time! 

Last Oct Don Crittenden merged his residential 

and commercial real estate law practice with 

the Ithaca office of Harris Beach. 

Bill Crothers has joined Resolve Marine Group 

of Ft Lauderdale as CFO. Resolve specializes in 

marine emergency response ops, contingency 

training, and project mgmt support to the marine 

shipping, offshore oil industries, the global 

marine insurance community, and the US Coast 

Guard and Navy. 

In 2007, Ruth Smith Wuzniak’s 3 grandchildren 

were born. Kai, her 1st grandson, was born 

in LA, where his father is lead conceptual artist 

for EA. The 2nd grandson lives in NH, where his 

father is doing his residency in anesthesia at 

Dartmouth, and her 1st granddaughter lives near 

her in NJ, where her father is an ops and site supervisor 

for Allied Barton/Shearing Plough. Ruth 

has cut back her family practice/pediatrics work 

to spend more time with her grandchildren. 

She wasn’t able to be at Reunion, but wanted 

to say hello to Barbara Ledwin Constantz, Brian 

Carb, Susan Burdett Preston, Lynne Healy Toy, 

Catherine Flannery, Nancy Buran, Peter Cohn, 

and Victoria and Don Williams. To date, the best 

vacation that Ruth has taken is a cruise and 

land trip in AK — she highly recommends it to 

all. Next year she is going to Thailand with her 

daughter-in-law and family. 

Come this fall, Mike Koplinka-Loehr’s 4 children 

will all be in either college or grad school. 

His youngest finished HS early and has been 

hiking the Appalachian Trail, so they are already 

empty-nesters. Mike, chair of the Tompkin 

County Legislature District 11, and wife Carrie are 

building a fully off-the-grid solar home with 72 

PV panels, 72 batteries, and 48 evacuated tubes 

for hot water. 

Kimi: 212-517-6776; Gate79@aol.com 

1980 

David H Alvord 

424 Washington Ave 

Oneida, NY 13421-1906 

It’s Easter as your editor writes, and signs of 

spring are finally coming to CNY. This morning 

I heard an inspirational holiday sermon 

from Stuart Wattles ’72, who recently received 

a permanent appointment as pastor of the 1st 

Presbyterian Church in Oneida. 

For those of you who didn’t get the memo, 

Margaret A Flanagan is chairing the university’s 

presidential search committee. I’m sure Peg 

would appreciate any advice or recommendations 

classmates could give her. 

Sandi Stewart has been appointed adjunct 

faculty at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, 

U of MD. She will teach Leadership Development 

this summer at their downtown DC location. She 

said, “I am amazed how much time and energy 

goes into teaching a class — far more than taking 

it! But I am loving it and it builds on my 15 

years’ executive coaching and consulting.” 

I called Dan Kobrin for his bday in March. 

Danny mentioned that he and his family visited 

Maya sites in Cancun during the kids’ winter 

break. 

On a sadder note, I saw Mark Angelino’78 

and Tony Feenick’79 at a reception held at the 

Oneida Public Library following funeral services 

for Mark’s mother, who was a former dir of the 

library and much loved in the community. 

Also, Rick Swanson’s wife, Karen Farber- 

Swanson ’79, passed away on April 19. I’m sure 

all our classmates and his fellow Fijis join me in 

extending our deepest sympathies to Swanee 

and their son Cameron. 

Marc Fertik reports that son Sam received his 

AOS from the Culinary Institute of America in 

April. I guess we know who to go to for the class 

banquet at next year’s Reunion. 

Speaking of which, if you haven’t received 

your 1st reminder yet, I’m sure you will shortly. 

It’s not too early to start planning. 

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a happy, 

healthy, and newsworthy summer. 

David: 315-363-2117; jalvord@cnyconnect.net 

1981 

Nancy Horwitz 

77 Islington Rd 

Auburndale, MA 02466-1009 

Greetings from Boston, where the baseball and 

beach season are in full swing. Seems strange to 

be writing those words given that this column 

was written in April for publication at the end 

of July. Such is our new Scene quarterly format, 

which I hope you are enjoying. With this new 

format, you have more ways to submit news for 

publication, including through our class page 

or, of course, directly to me via e-mail. To get to 

our page, go to: www.colgatealumni.org, click on 

“clubs, classes, and groups,” and then drop down 

to Class of 1981. If you have photos to submit, this 

is where you will find them. 

I’d written in a prior column about the many 

stages of work and life we hit at our age. One of 

them is becoming a grandparent. Sandy Ross 

wrote: “Last Aug I became a 1st-time grandfather 

when my oldest daughter gave birth to Jackson 

Ace Hill. Referring to myself as a ‘grandpa’ still 

seems really weird to me. In Jan I opened my 

own investment advisory office, creatively 

named Ross Financial Advisors. As a result I have 

worked harder and longer in the 1st quarter of 

2009 than I have in many years. Here all these 

years I thought I would be slowing down once I 

hit the ripe age of 50. I still coach youth hockey 

and I still play gentleman’s hockey with a bunch 

of other old guys. Overall, health and happiness 

have been in plentiful supply for myself, my wife 

of 28 years, my 5 children (ages ranging 12–27), 

and now my grandson.” Congrats, Sandy! 

Linda Besse, a wildlife artist, has also recently 

hit a major milestone, having now traveled to all 

of the world’s continents. She recently sent me 

the following: “My trip to Antarctica in Nov/Dec 

2008 completed my list of continents. I have now 

visited all 7, researching the flora and fauna for 

my oil paintings. Crossing the notorious Drake 

Passage was, shall we say, interesting. Wind 

gusts up to 112 mph and seas to 48' made the 

passage quite memorable. However, once we arrived 

on the frozen continent, skies were crystal 

clear and the visibility astounding. To celebrate 

landing on my final continent, I did what any 

temporarily insane person would do, the Antarctic 

Polar Plunge. I arrived home from the trip 

to begin Spokane’s snowiest winter. More than 

97" at last count.” Linda’s shows take her around 

the country and she’d love to see Colgate alums 

when she’s in your neck of the woods. Check out 

her website for her schedule. Linda’s adventures 

are truly inspirational! 

Nancy Coughlin Weida, Carol Spiak Vari, and 

I continued what is becoming our annual tradition 

of getting together in Boston to see Hall and 

Oates in concert. Nancy has returned to Bucknell 

to teach after her sabbatical spent at her Cape 

Cod home. Carol’s work as a guidance counselor 

and her life on Cape Cod with her husband, Jaan, 

continues to be fulfilling. In April, I joined with 

other Colgate alums at Boston’s Table for 13, 

which featured a special guest from Colgate — 

Alison King ’84, reporter for NECN in this case. It 

was terrific to reconnect with Todd Estabrook, 

Jim Cohen ’82, Ellen Rosen Keller ’84, Alison, and 

meet some more recent Colgate alums at this 

event. 

<strong>Our</strong> hearts go out to the family and friends of 

Dan Streeter, who lost a valiant fight with lung 

cancer March 29. Dan, a member of Alpha Tau 

Omega at Colgate, was also a grad of the Yale 

School of Mgmt and was a managing partner 

at SPP Capital Partners. Dan leaves behind wife 

Jennifer and daughters Sarah, Claire, and Annie. 

There were close to 30 Colgate friends who 

attended the memorial service at the packed 

church to say good-bye and to support his family. 

Ushers included Dave Rentschler, Ron Kim, and 

Chris Hurley. Thanks to Nancy Campbell Herling 

who attended the funeral and shared some of 

her thoughts with me. 

<strong>Our</strong> lives move in many different directions, 

yet one thing that keeps us connected and 

grounded is the bond we have with Colgate as 

well as the many relationships we made during 

our time there that sustain us as the years go by. 

Enjoy the remainder of your summer and drop 

me a line when you get a moment. 

Nancy: 617-558-9781; nhorwitz@nlhcoaching.com 

1982 

Margie Jiampietro Palladino 

37 Boulder Rd 

Wellesley, MA 02481-1502 

The news this month runs the full spectrum of 

emotions. First, some happy news: Abbie Fuller 

writes, “My husband, Neil Wollman, and I have 

adopted John Patrick (‘Jack’), born in Jan. He joins 

siblings Scout (in our hearts) and Leo, 7.” A playground 

in memory of Abbie’s daughter, Scout, is 

being erected on Star Island, NH. It’s a beautiful 

place to visit if you find yourself in or around the 

Granite State. 

Next, some exciting news: our prolific classmate 

Lee McConaughy Woodruff wrote a new 

book, Perfectly Imperfect. It’s a memoir-style book 

with chapters about life as mother, daughter, 

wife, sister, friend, and even an aging gal. (She 

must be writing about an older relative!) According 

to Lee, there is something for everyone (yes, 

even men). An excerpt of her book was printed in 

the May issue of Ladies Home Journal and can be 

found online. And remember, as Lee says, “Books 

are an inexpensive gift and a cheap thrill!” 

Here’s some adventurous news: in response 

to my request for family adventure recommendations, 

Ann Werges Wall shared her incredible 

experiences to Botswana and Namibia to view 

life in the bush, and Churchill, Manitoba, to 

photograph polar bears. She is headed to the 

amazing Galapagos and Macchu Pichu this summer. 

It was great to hear from Ann, who traveled 

with me 31 years ago (!) to Colgate as HS seniors 

to check it out. Ann has lived in Phoenix for the 

last 12 years with her 2 boys, 14 and 16, and husband 

of 22 years (they met when she worked at 

IBM in Manhattan). In addition to photography, 

she volunteers as a docent at the Phoenix Art 

Museum, and recently earned her Series 3 license 

and works for a commodity futures trader. She is 

chair of Colgate’s AAP in AZ, doing college fairs 

and talking to HS kids about Colgate, which helps 

her keep in touch with the university. Ann was 

disappointed to miss our 25th, but hopes to make 

our 30th. Thanks, Ann, for bringing us up to date 

with your life since Colgate. 

Now for some sad news: classmate Jim Tedesco, 

of Sherborn, MA, died unexpectedly in March. 

Jim’s old roommate Dave Scheiber sent me a 

warm tribute to Jim. He wrote, “Though he had 

already given more to those around him than 

most would in an entire lifetime, Jimbo still had 

much more to give.” Dave reminisced about Jim’s 

boundless energy and enthusiasm, his steady 

stream of advice and observations (often with 

complete accuracy), his tuna noodle surprise 

(emphasis on surprise), his alacrity in dodging a 

shower of snowballs on the field during Colgate 

football games (courtesy of his roommates), and 

his childish streak and fun-loving attitude. “He 

fit in quite well with us (Dave Allen, Pete Hartman, 

Mike Sullivan, and Dave) in the Birch Apts, 

as we spent our entire sr year together playing 

countless hours of music, outdoor sports, and 

Hearts.” After his days at Colgate, Jim attended 

Northeastern, where he obtained his MBA and 

more importantly met and married the love 

of his life, Maria. He continued on to his career 

as an IT consultant, an author, and a trainer of 

world-class dachshunds, a bond that he shared 

with his 2 teenage daughters — Leah, 18, and 

Olivia, 14, whom he adored. Dave’s final thoughts 

on Jim: “Great roommate. Great friend. Great 

family man. Just a great guy. And though he is 

gone, he still makes us smile.” 

Margie: 781-235-9386; mjpalladino@comcast.net 

1983 

Gwen Tutun Campbell 

22 Old Hill Road 

Westport, CT 06880 

I was so happy to hear from so many classmates 

recently! Paul Astin has finished his doctorate 

in education, followed by 6 months in Greece 

with his family writing a book on adolescent 

development. He is currently asst dir of a private 

nontraditional middle school where he also 

teaches. Still a jazz pianist, Paul has a new album 

Live in Greece available on CD Baby. 

Kim Lake Driscoll writes that she recently 

hosted a small dinner party with husband Matt 

’82. Dave ’79 and Lynne Healy ’79 Toy, Joe Reilly 

’80, Dick ’81 and Hilary Kopp-Trisman, Neal 

Granoff ’81, and Ken’82 and Mary Ellsworth ’84 

Lownie all gathered for laughs and memories 

of Phi Delt, and the semester that Mary, Hilary, 

Amy Sutnick, and Kim lived in the broken-down 

red house on the edge of downtown Hamilton. 

Dick and Dave each brought CDs of their music, 

and for those of you traveling to Hamilton for 

Reunion, they will be performing there. 

Tony Gray is well and writes that he started a 

systems development company about a year ago 

with Mark DeRevere, fittingly named DeGray 

Systems! He’s busy with kids’ hockey, lax, and 

soccer and frequently sees Jeff Addison. 

Steve Boulay is living in Salt Lake City, enjoying 

skiing and biking and running his producing 

and promoting business. His shows have included 

Lord of the Dance, Mannheim Steamroller 

Christmas, and the Magic of David Copperfield. 

He’s hoping to bring his 16-year-old daughter for 

a tour of the fair Chenango on a college trip! 

Joe Berlinger has a new documentary coming 

out in theaters this Sept called Crude. It 

premiered in Jan at the Sundance Film Fest with 

great press and reviews. It sounds fascinating: 

30,000 plaintiffs from 5 indigenous tribes sued 

Chevron for massive contamination of their 

rivers and streams and groundwater, creating a 

massive cancer “death zone” the size of RI. 

Michael Gedigk continues to live in Larchmont 

Westchester, NY, working for Deutsche Bank. He 

wrote, “The big news is that my daughter Isabelle 

got accepted to the ’Gate but I think she is not so 

much into the rural thing and might end up at 

NYU.” Anyone interested in getting in touch with 

Michael can contact me for his e-mail address or 

check the alumni directory on colgatealumni.org. 

On a sad note, we received word that Mary 

Shellabarger passed away in April. She is survived 

by her husband, Kapiamba Muteba, and 

their 3 children. (See In Memoriam for a complete 

obit.) 

That’s all for now. Enjoy the spring, and keep 

in touch! 

Gwen: 203-226-2608; gwentcamp@optonline.net 

1984 

Diane Munzer Fisher 

4356 Stilson Cir 

Norcross, GA 30092-1648 

I’m writing this column some 7 weeks before our 

25th Reunion in Hamilton, but you are not reading 

it until weeks after it has passed. The next 

column will be filled with info I gathered at the 

big event. Even without Reunion weekend happening 

yet, I’m confident that it’s safe to say that 

a good time was had by all, old friendships were 

strengthened, new friendships were made, and 

those who attended have a new appreciation for 

the role that Colgate played in our lives. 

In a pre-Reunion e-mail, Jill Hauser Greenberg 

expressed both happiness and sadness at prospects 

of our Reunion. Says Jill, “It’s hard to believe 

that people and events that helped shaped 

my life so completely are from 25 years ago. I 

know it sounds trite, but it really does seem like 

yesterday.” There are definitely reminders that 

college was a long time ago, particularly when 

so many classmates are sending their kids off to 

college themselves — Penny Kirkwood Lacroix, 

Ellen Rosen Keller, and Heather Lubking Brown 

among them. Heather and daughter Chelsea 

stayed with us in April when they were doing 

a final visit to Emory U. I suspect many of the 

Class of ’84 have been through the college search 

process or are getting ready to do so. 

As a reminder that we are never too old to 

start something new, Jack Pless just completed a 

master’s in liberal studies at Duke. Jack worked in 

corp communications for almost 15 years and left 

a few years ago because he wanted to go to Iraq. 

The retired Army genl he worked for had different 

ideas and wouldn’t send him. So he tried his 

hand at modern homesteading, at which he left 

much to be desired. He did, however, convert an 

old barn into his home, which was very satisfying. 

He earned his master’s as a segue to other 

opportunities and has been in touch with Joe 

Berlinger ’83, who is helping Jack in his transition 

from corp storyteller to just plain storyteller. 

He’s looking for stories worth telling. Anyone 

with any ideas? While Jack was not able to be at 

Reunion, he was in Hamilton a year and a half 

ago for soccer alumni weekend to honor Coach 

John Beyer. 

Corinne Costanzo Wickel is still in Cape 

Cod after 22 years. Between May and July she 

celebrated a graduation, our Reunion, and her 

25th wedding anniversary. Daughter Lauren just 

graduated from Notre Dame with a double major 

in IT mgmt and psych. She is working in Chicago 

as an IT analyst/consultant with Pricewaterhouse 

Coopers. Her son is pursing a career with 

the PGA as a golf pro having passed the player 

ability test this past fall on his 1st attempt. She 

continues to run Starboard Real Estate and works 

p/t as an employment counselor for learning 

disabled adults for a local org. Husband Al retired 

last summer from the Air Force after 30 years 

of service in active duty, guard, and reserves. He 

is still employed with Delta. Like many of us, 

Corrine keeps in touch with quite a few fellow 

alums thanks to the Internet and text messaging. 

Facebook continues to be a great source of 

info for this column. Joe Kozak is an Internet 

marketing coach in PA. John McCormack is COO 

of Transamerica Retirement Mgmt and lives in 

MN. His son Braden is a competitive swimmer 

who made it to States. Becky Rawson Cavazuti’s 

daughter Emily played in a natl ice hockey 

tourney. James Campbell is the pres and chief 

development officer for Black Cat Web. They provide 

Web solutions and software development 

for small businesses. Rob Firpo-Cappiello wrote 

and performed a 1-man show at the 13th Street 

Repertory Co in Greenwich Village. Beggar’s Rain 

is a whiskey-fueled, guitar-driven odyssey across 

Depression-era America featuring a guitarpicking 

hobo who hops trains across the blasted 

landscape of the 1930s and discovers the hero in 

himself when he saves the life of a mysterious 

runaway. Audiences have compared Beggar’s 

Rain to the works of Tom Waits and Cormac Mc- 

Carthy. 

One of the great things about my role as 

class editor is being able to connect classmates. 

Recently, I got an e-mail from Bruce Fein. He 

was attending Beta Theta Pi Keystone Regional 

Leadership Conf for Beta’s undergrad officers 

and advisers in Valley Forge, PA. He knew that 

it was not too far from Greg Chapis, but didn’t 

have his contact info. I was able to send Bruce 

Greg’s address, and I expect that they were able 

to get together. For anyone looking to contact a 

classmate, be sure to go to the Colgate Alumni 

Website; the alumni directory is only one of the 

great features on this site. 

Looking forward to reporting on Reunion next 

time around! 

Diane: 770-209-9341 (h); 

diane_fisher@post.harvard.edu 

1985 

Michael Yardley 

18806 North 95th St 

Scottsdale, AZ 85255-5562 

Thanks so much to all of you who sent news 

along. As the country sputters through the Great 

Depression Part II, it’s always good to hear positive 

things happening among our classmates. 

For starters, there are babies and marriages (not 

necessarily in that order, of course), which are 

always happy news. Diana Steele sent along 



news of the arrival of Eliza Jane, born Jan 12, 

joining Mariana, 4. In Nov, Ed Gomez married 

Amy Thurness (OH State U ’95), with some 

alums in attendance. Andy Tsao was best man 

and John Seggerman was a groomsman. Also 

in attendance were Patricia Teck ’98 and Eliza 

Gomez ’12. Stacy Hall tied the knot in May 2008 

after moving back home to the Jersey Shore. He 

married Toni Clay-Hall, described by Stacy as his 

“hometown girl.” They have been “traveling and 

enjoying life ever since. I am struggling to keep 

my computer support business afloat during 

these bad economic times, and she is a VP at a 

local community college. We went to a Colgate 

football alumni event (Dartmouth game) last Oct 

and had a good time; the campus looks great, and 

we ran into some old faces from the past.” 

The other wedding notice I received was a bit 

different, and came in the form of a touching 

e-mail from Greg Cohen. Greg writes that “after 

2 1/2 years of being a widower and single dad 

to my 5 children, I’m getting married again on 

April 16. My late wife, Marilisa, passed away after 

a horrifying 6-year battle with breast cancer. 

For those who knew me in school, Marilisa and 

I eloped in Nov of our jr year and then we lived 

apart until after graduation. We were happily 

married for 23 years and had 5 wonderful 

children. I’ve spent the past 2 1/2 years trying to 

mend my children and myself. I’ve taught my 

children how to shop for a family, how to cook 

family meals, and tried to make new family traditions 

while preserving the past as best I could. I 

met my fiancée, Suze, online 17 months ago after 

some comical attempts at dating (I hadn’t dated 

since I was 18). I am a small town family Dr in S 

IO.” Good for you, Greg, and congrats! 

Congrats are also in order for Denise Battles, 

who was elected pres of the Council of Colleges 

of Arts and Sciences (CCAS). The council, founded 

in 1965, is a natl assoc of baccalaureate degree– 

granting colleges whose purpose is to sustain 

the arts and sciences as a leading influence in 

American higher ed. CCAS, a network of deans, 

serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and 

info among deans representing the member 

colleges and as a representative of the liberal arts 

and sciences at a natl policy-making level. Taken 

together, CCAS member institutions educate 

more than 4 million students. The org is hosted 

by the C of William and Mary in Williamsburg, 

VA. After Colgate, Denise went on to grad school 

at UCLA, where she obtained her PhD in geology. 

She served on the faculty of GA Southern U 

1990–2005, and assumed several administrative 

roles in that institution’s Allen E Paulson C of 

Science and Technology 1994–2005. In 2005, she 

was recruited to serve as the 1st (founding) dean 

of the C of Natural and Health Sciences at the U 

of Northern CO and has held that position since. 

In local news, I saw Jeanine Nizza Burke at 

a recent Colgate club gathering at the home of 

Lynn and John Robinson ’60 right here in the 

Valley of the Sun. Jeanine and I were able to 

catch up on memories of Center Stillman while 

pretending to listen to a report from campus 

delivered by Bob Tyburski ’74 (in hindsight, he 

should have spoken before the wine was served). 

And for yet another Center Stillman connection, 

my old hallway neighbor Steve Rock checked 

in with news that not only did Joe DeBragga ’43 

help Jeff Goldstein get into Colgate, he must be 

some kind of lucky charm because he also wrote 

a recommendation for Steve’s daughter Merideth, 

who was accepted early decision into the 

Class of ’13. She will be finishing her 1st year right 

in time for our 25th! Now I really feel old. One 

final, random note: Susan Manly Pelosi claimed a 

few months back that she sent me a photo of the 

Old Stone Jug on Facebook, but when I looked, it 

wasn’t there. She claims that it was somehow 

“quarantined” by the narrow-minded cyber censors 

at Facebook. Which begs the question: how 

did they know what evil lurked at the Jug? Now 

I feel even older. 

John Seggerman sent along this update: “I 

began 2009 by launching a new brand and website. 

It’s a refinement and enhancement of my 

existing business, begun some 4 years ago. The 

website features a lot of good info and resources 

about the DC area residential real estate market. 

After working in the US House and Senate for 

many years, I went in a different direction 4 

years ago and am enjoying the adventure. I was 

fortunate enough to have Joel Bernstein and his 

daughter visit an open house I held recently in 

Arlington, VA.” Contact me if you’re interested in 

the web address for John’s new site. 

We received word that Jeff Goldstein was chosen 

as a Super Doctor. He is a surgeon with the 

Division of Spine Surgery at the NYU Hospital for 

Joint Diseases. 

Michael: 480-301-4459; 

Yardley.Michael@mayo.edu 

1986 

Michele Radin 

681 Indian Ridge Drive 

Palm Desert, CA 92211-7485 

With all the bad news out there, let’s start out 

with some good news: congrats to Charles 

Rosenstein on his Christmas Eve marriage to 

Michelle. Charles has a long-running law practice 

in Albany specializing in residential and commercial 

real estate and title insurance services. 

As impressive are the 10 marathons Chuck has 

completed in the past few years! He invites any 

other ’86 marathoners to join him in the Oct 

2009 Marine Corp and Jan 2010 Disney Marathons 

— and “that means you, Alan Valenca.” 

Back to that bad news. Every media outlet in 

the world is focused on 1 topic: the US financial 

crisis. So, rather than fight the tide, let’s take 

advantage of that Colgate network and check in 

with some ’86ers for our own little “state of the 

union.” I contacted DC area alumni for news from 

those with the closest seats to the new admin. 

Then I reached out to our expat alumni for the 

internatl view: what has it been like to live outside 

of the US during these political and financial 

upheavals? 

<strong>Our</strong> report from DC comes from a woman 

truly in the know — so in the know she is bound 

by confidentiality laws — Maryblair Noah 

Svarverud, sr consultant for sales force effectiveness 

at Sallie Mae. Working smack in the middle 

of history in the making has left Maryblair a tad 

“schizophrenic”: enjoying the challenge (like any 

good Colgate alum), not so much the extra hours 

and stress. Here’s hoping you had a little time to 

enjoy the DC spring, Maryblair, and thanks for 

working so hard to get our nation back on track. 

Another long-time DC-area resident is Peter 

Covitz, former COO at the Natl Cancer Institute 

Ctr for Biomedical Informatics. Witness to the 

“spectacle-debacle that was the Bush admin,” 

Peter and his family have since moved to Canada 

in time to be our 1st voice from abroad. Still making 

good use of his Colgate bio major, Peter now 

works as sr VP of innovation at MDS Nordion, a 

nuclear medicine and sterilization company in 

Ottawa, where he is in charge of R&D and the 

company’s expansion strategy. Peter reports 

that his new neighbors eagerly watched the US 

elections and celebrated our choice of Obama. 

In particular, “Canada is proud of its record in 

Afghanistan, and they are glad that Obama has 

signaled a refocusing on that mission.” As for the 

economic situation, Peter notes the irony that the 

formerly admired innovation of the US financial 

industry has suddenly made the conservative, 

highly regulated Canadian banking industry look 

good. Happily, he states that Canadians “really 

like America,” so at least we have 1 friend still on 

our side. 

Next we go to Europe, both East and West, 

for a report from Scott Sloan. Until recently, 

Scott lived in London, where he found British 

sentiment similar to Peter’s Canadians: tired of 

Bush, ready for Obama, still friends with the US 

despite some disillusionment. This year Scott 

moved to Moscow to become CFO of BP Russia 

(congrats, Scott!) and has encountered a different 

view of America. Anti-US opinion remains strong 

in Russia. Not only is the US still a military and 

foreign policy enemy, but also the US is blamed 

for Russia’s enormous economic woes, Scott 

reports. Nevertheless, although the govt did not 

throw any parties for Obama, it has cautiously 

welcomed the possibility of a new direction. And, 

says Scott, the Russian people “seem to separate 

how they feel about America and how they feel 

about (and treat) an American in their city. Moscow 

remains one of the most fascinating places 

to do business.” 

Meanwhile, Brian Drier sums up the US- 

Japanese relationship with the saying: “When 

America sneezes, Japan catches a cold.” Like our 

other ’86er expats, Brian sees the effect of the US 

financial crisis reflected locally, but in his case 

he is lucky to find himself fairly insulated in his 

“recession-proof” tenured teaching position. 

And Japan sounds like the most pro-Obama nation, 

at least on a superficial level (no doubt the 

existence of Japanese town called “Obama” had 

helped fuel the love). Brian is even incorporating 

the elections into his lesson plans, not only 

as part of the English instruction, but also as 

a gateway to discussions on race and other 

cultural issues. Of particular note for Brian is the 

opportunity “to have students reflect on how 

children of mixed parentage are viewed. There 

is considerable discussion now and again about 

the language used to describe foreigners and 

children born to 1 Japanese parent and 1 non- 

Japanese parent — a group that now includes 

my own child — in Japan.” 

Despite this worldwide financial mire, I’m 

glad to bring you some good news about a couple 

of our classmates on the rise. Nancy Kaplan recently 

mounted her 1st political campaign — and 

“Apparently, Bill Terry has been rehabbing his shoulder, which he broke in 3 places while training for 

the ‘longest downhill race in the world’ in Austria (22 km with 5,500 vertical meters drop). Bill competed 

in the race last year and finished despite getting bounced so high in the air that he was inverted and 

saw someone ski under him.” — Richard Johnson ’64 

won! Burlington, VT, her home for the past 

11 years, welcomed Nancy to the city council for 

a 2-year term. 

Janine Daniels Rivera has been promoted to 

genl counsel of the NY Office of the Medicaid 

Inspector General (OMIG) in Albany. With her 

Albany Law JD, Janine has practiced public law 

for almost 20 years (whew, we are old!), most 

recently as the OMIG’s asst Medicaid inspector 

genl for Intergovernmental Affairs within the 

exec office. An expert on Medicaid law, Janine 

also exemplifies the role of lawyer as community 

advocate, serving as a prisoner advocate for the 

Institutional Review Board at Albany Medical 

C and promoting her local Black and Hispanic 

Bar Assoc, local NAACP, and her law school’s programs 

for students of color. She also teaches law 

courses in the Bryant and Stratton C Paralegal 

Program. 

I wish a Colgate education were enough to 

shelter us all from the financial storm, but… 

Please remember your old Colgate friends are 

an e-mail away. For evidence of the readiness 

of our class to serve as resource and comfort, 

just check out the online Scene forum for Vikki 

Anderson Patacca’s response to this column’s 

mention of Tom Moran’s relocation to Cleveland. 

Vikki provided a list of the Cleveland-area 

’86ers — Dan Hurwitz, Lisa Johnson Oliver, Jane 

Johnson Anagnostos, Adam Bujoll, Marc Karyo, 

and Dave Hart — and a hearty recommendation 

for the Colgate Club of Cleveland. Thanks for the 

assistance, Vikki, and for reminding us how easy 

it is to ask for help from our fellow alums — and 

to give it. 

And don’t forget to leave your own responses, 

questions, and comments at the Scene online 

community at www.colgatealumni.org. 

Michele: 706-641-6357; mlledaffodil@aol.com 

1987 

Adam Weiss 

54 Alan Lane 

New Canaan, CT 06840 

I hope this column finds all of you in good spirits 

in spite of these tough economic times. 

I read with great envy a letter from Ron ’80 

and Lisa Robinson Locklin. She writes that they 

“have been hooked on the French language and 

culture” ever since they spent 4 years in Paris 

following their wedding in 1991. Lisa is an instructor 

of French at a small private school called 

French in Acton in the town of Acton, MA. They 

spent this past summer in France for an assignment 

for Ron’s job. Lisa and Ron have taken their 

boys — Matthew, 13, and Benjamin, 11 — back to 

Colgate several times and fully expect to receive 

admission letters for each of them when the 

time comes. 

Jenny Marshall Strong, another Dijon Study 

Group alum, and husband Doug ’86 live in the 

Rochester area. Doug just got back from a college 

hunting trip with their son Marshall, a jr in HS. 

(<strong>Our</strong> classmates now have children old enough 

to be applying to college!) Doug and Jenny also 

have 2 daughters — Meghan, 14, and Sarah, 11. 

Doug works at Kodak and Jenny teaches middle 

school enrichment as well as Le Francais p/t. 

Madame Murphy will be proud. 

Some pleasant news from Moira Trachtenberg 

Thielking. Moira lives in Katonah, NY, with 

husband Mark and their 2 daughters, Esther 

and Acadia. Moira has been quietly honing her 

skills as an artist. Her mixed-media art piece 

“American Dreamcatcher” was accepted as part 

of the Tri-State Juried Exhibition at The Katonah 

Museum of Art, which takes place once every 3 

years. Moira’s artwork “explores the ideals of the 

American Dream versus its corruption through 

materialism, militarism, and sensationalism.” 

Talk about the benefits of a liberal arts education! 

Bill Rindfuss checked in from SF. Bill may be 

the only classmate I know who has worked for 

the same company (JP Morgan) since college. Although, 

technically, Bill started at Manny Hanny 

(as did I), which then merged with Chemical, 

then merged with Chase, and then merged with 

JP Morgan. Bill’s a survivor. 

Congrats to Dr Glenn Egelman, who wrote 

that he has joined the Peace Corps as dir of the 

Office of Medical Services. Glenn previously 

held several positions at Bowling Green U in OH, 

including adjunct assoc prof in public health and 

physician-in-chief of student health services. 

Glenn was also courtesy staff physician at Wood 

County Hospital in Bowling Green. 

This March, I received news of the unfortunate 

passing of Timothy Ronan. The obit from 

Tim’s hometown (Larchmont, NY) paper mentioned 

that Tim had brain cancer. When Tim was 

1st diagnosed in 1994, he left his law career and 

decided to actively pursue his love of yacht racing 

and design. He was accepted into the marine 

carpentry program at the Landing School in Kennebunk, 

ME, when his illness reappeared. Tim 

also devoted much of his time to volunteer work, 

including Habitat for Humanity and coaching 

a hockey team for developmentally disabled 

children. <strong>Our</strong> condolences go out to his family. 

It didn’t take long for me to have to issue my 

1st retraction. Contrary to what was previously 

reported, Mike Namian is living happily in Silver 

Spring, MD, with wife Tina (U of KY ’89). Courtesy 

of Victor Lago, I committed the journalistic 

blunder of not checking my sources. Mike says, 

“Good one, Vic! It only took you 18 years to get 

me back.” 

Again, you can see the class notes online at 

our class page at www.colgatealumni.org. If 

you’d like photos posted on the website, send 

them either to me or the alumni office (alumni@ 

colgate.edu). 

Have a great summer! 

Adam: akweiss65@yahoo.com 

1988 

Jack Kearney 

Sarah Bowen Shea 

2508 NE 24th Ave 

Portland, OR 97212-4830 

Greetings from Portland. Maybe it’s the new 

quarterly format, but this year seems to be going 

by in a blur. We’re starting to feel the pinch of 

the economy in Portland. Real estate is starting 

to tighten, as are the budgets at Sarah’s most 

dependable mags. As for blurs, Phoebe is heading 

to 2nd grade and John and Daphne are starting 

their last year of preschool. On to the news. 

Book ’em, Dano: Harry Dolan e-mails that his 

debut mystery novel, Bad Things Happen, was 

picked up by Putnam and is available in hardcover 

and audiotape. Sarah’s book, The Essential 

Breastfeeding Log, came out in Feb. A perfect 

baby shower gift, it provides insight on breastfeeding 

and allows parents to track feeding, 

sleeping, diaper changes, and a new mother’s 

weight loss. 

The Jimmy Fund: Jeannette Merrick Green 

writes: “In late 2007 my husband Rodney was 

diagnosed with leukemia. After a difficult series 

of chemo treatments he reached his goal of clinical 

remission. We continue to pray that he will 

stay cancer free for a long time. Thanks to cancer 

research, this is all possible. 

“I will be bicycling in my 2nd Pan-Mass Chal- 

lenge Aug 1–2, a 160-mile ride from Wellesley 

to the tip of Cape Cod. More than 5,000 cyclists, 

including Rodney’s father, have committed to the 

challenge and to collectively raising $35 million 

for cancer research. 

“Rodney’s diagnosis changed how I see our 

world. I am now working at an oncology clinic 

at a Boston-area hospital. If I can provide even a 

small amount of comfort to these many cancer 

patients through my experiences or my smile 

then I have made a difference.” Info on how to assist 

Jeannette can be found through The Jimmy 

Fund. 

Facebook Family: Colgate 1988 now has 

60+ members ranging from 1985-1990. Many 

members are active on FB, so it’s a good place to 

reconnect. I found my 1st-year roommate Bryan 

Fair (now doing real estate in Atlanta), heard 

that Danny Baker hit a hole in one at the Olympic 

Club, and get daily reminders that Donna Armata 

Sanford is a whiz at FB quizzes. Sarah notes that 

Andrew Flannery hyped her book during his 

recent visit to a Seattle maternity shop. Yeah, it’s 

random, but it’s part of what’s making time fly 

this year. 

Congrats: Bridget Welsh earned teacher of 

the year honors from Johns Hopkins School of 

Advanced International Studies. 

Correction: Bryan Keyt writes that he’s in the 

Chicago office of Bryan Cave LLP, an internatl law 

firm with 1,200 attys/26 offices worldwide. His 

office has grown from 4-65 attys in last 5 years. 

That’s all for now. Until next time, go, ’Gate. 

Jack and Sarah: 503-288-7874; 

kearndog1@yahoo.com 

1989 

Brent Goldstein 

13709 Lakewood Ct 

Rockville, MD 20850-3649 

So the new Scene schedule has created a time 

warp. For those of you reading this column 

online, I hope to see you at Reunion. For those 

reading in print, I hope you had a great time at 

Reunion 2 months ago! For those neither reading 

online nor in print, if a tree falls in the forest… 

Some quick news: Eric ’88 and Stephanie 

Johnson Stiles welcomed daughter Allison on 

New Year’s Eve 2008, joining 6-year-old brother 

Nicholas. Allison looks forward to celebrating her 

bday with the whole world every year. Stephanie 

is still chair of the English dept at Dominican 

C, but is taking a year-long maternity leave. 

Stephanie also said: “I still keep in touch with 

Susanne Connolly, who’s an atty and lives in 

NYC in a fabulous apt with her husband (whom 

my husband and I introduced her to, for real); 

Ria Piesner Rochvarg, also an atty, who lives in 

Baltimore with her husband and 2 daughters, 1 of 

whom was bat mitzvahed last summer; Kirsten 

Neumaier Shelly, who recently returned to work 

in environmental engineering and lives near 

Buffalo with her husband (best English accent 

ever) and 2 sons; and Julie Silver Rubin, also an 

atty who lives outside Chicago with her husband, 

son, and daughter.” 

By the way, if you haven’t joined Facebook yet, 

what are you waiting for? It’s been a great way 

to reconnect with fellow classmates. By my last 

count, there were about 110 signed up from our 

class. 

Brent: 240-838-6170; skibrent@comcast.net 

In the know: car buying tips 

Tom McLean ’91 is 

senior director of web 

products for Consumer 

Reports, and 

general manager of 

ConsumerReports.org. 

Here he offers triedand-true 

tips to buying 

a car, even in a crazy 

economy. 

One of the joys of 

Colgate when I started 

in 1987 was not just 

the beauty and peacefulness 

of the setting, 

but the inaccessibility 

of it. With no easy 

public transportation, 

convincing my parents 

that I needed my own 

car wasn’t too hard… 

“Think about it, Mom, 

you won’t have to pick 

me up for Christmas 

break.” I ended up 

cruising up 12B in my 

spanking new black 

Ford Escort GT (hey, it was kinda cool at the time) stuffed to the roof with stereo equipment 

and milk crates. 

Today, the car market is in turmoil, but with sales down roughly 40 percent as of April 

2009, now, more than ever, is the best time to get a good deal on a new car. Here’s advice 

from my friends at the auto test track at Consumer Reports on how to get a good price. 

1. Do your homework. No sleeping on the library couches! Before setting foot in a dealership, 

go online and compare cars, cost of ownership, reliability, and pricing. Reliability is key 

— I ended up spending too much time at the Ford dealership in Hamilton getting my Escort 

fixed. Do not go into a dealer cold without knowing what you want and what you can afford. 

It’s too easy for them to point you to a car that’s right for their bottom line, not for yours. 

2. Don’t assume the sticker price, or even the invoice price, is the purchase price. Most 

people know they will have to haggle, and though you may dread it, going in prepared with 

the right data can save you thousands. Make sure you know the “Consumer Reports Bottom 

Line Price” (OK, shameless plug), which tells you how much the dealer paid for the car, and 

where you should start negotiating. Customer rebates are not the only way to save. There 

are frequently dealer holdbacks and unadvertised dealer incentives that you should negotiate 

for as well. The key is to negotiate up from what the dealer paid, not down from MSRP. 

3. Negotiate one thing at a time. The dealer will likely start by asking “How much do you 

want to pay a month?” No, he’s not making it easy, he’s baking in his profit. Make sure you 

negotiate the price of the new car first, then talk financing, leasing, and trade-ins. Know 

your car’s worth before talking trade-ins, too, because they often lowball. 

4. Arrange financing in advance. Especially today, with the credit markets frozen and 

interest rates at an all-time low, take the time to shop around. Getting financing in advance 

will improve your negotiating position. You may also want to consider certified used cars 

because there are frequently good deals to be had on low mileage, off-lease cars that are 

backed by a warranty. 

5. Watch out for the extras. Most dealers will tell you that the car with the options you want 

is not available, but they just happen to have the “limited” version on the lot. Or, they try to 

sell you extended warranties or VIN etching. Don’t fall for it. Playing some hardball can get 

you what you want, while skipping the pricey extras. And always be ready to walk. 

What do you know? If you’re an expert in an area of your field or avocation and would like 

to share your sage advice, e-mail scene@colgate.edu, or write to the Colgate Scene, 

13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346. 



He’s with the band 

Rod Blackhurst ’02 has run from a mob of crazed fans, found notes on his car outside of 

concerts, and been stalked on MySpace. He’s not in a band, but as documentarian of The 

Fray, he has experienced a taste of their fame. Blackhurst spent the last three years touring 

with the Denver-based band, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2007 and has 

an ardent fan base. The Fray are perhaps best known for their hit song “How to Save a Life,” 

which is frequently featured on TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs. 

What started out as a “street team” gig putting up band posters around campus his first 

year at Colgate grew into a career in the music industry as a photographer and cinematographer. 

After summer internships with MTV and Atlantic Records, a connection at the street 

team company landed Blackhurst 

a summer job working with singer 

John Mayer before he became well 

known. 

Following graduation, Blackhurst 

had an idea of where he wanted to 

end up — making narrative film — 

but “had no clue how to get there,” 

he said. “I was in love with the music 

world, I was a skier … all this stuff 

was running around in my head and 

I didn’t really know what to do with 

it.” 

Two of his Colgate buddies 

convinced him to move with them 

to Lake Tahoe, Calif., where he 

began making action sports films. 

“I just started buying equipment,” 

Blackhurst said. He made X Games– 

style ski films and started his own 

company, called Ominous. 

Becoming frustrated with how 

little creativity the ski industry allowed him in filmmaking, Blackhurst decided to apply to 

graduate school. Again, music came knocking on the door. Out of the blue, after mailing 

his applications to New York University and Columbia University film schools, Blackhurst 

received a phone call from his friend at the street team company. The friend asked if 

Blackhurst wanted to go on the road with a little-known band (at the time) The Fray, and sell 

T-shirts for three weeks. With a few weeks to spare until he heard about his applications, 

Blackhurst jumped at the opportunity, only hesitating long enough to ask if he could bring 

his camera. 

When not peddling T-shirts, he filmed everything he could. Halfway through the tour, 

someone in the band’s management looked at the footage and liked what they saw. Meanwhile, 

graduate school did not pan out, and his career was set in motion. 

He began with co-directing a life-on-the-road documentary for The Fray, shooting for 

the band’s record label, and making music videos for VH1. Knowing he wouldn’t be allowed 

to shoot video of the band at events like the Billboard Music Awards, Blackhurst asked to 

be their photographer. He recently turned those photos into a coffee table book, The Fray: 

There and Back. 

Filming the band on their European and North American tours, Blackhurst was present 

for the fun times, like meeting Bruce Springsteen backstage, as well as the tense moments, 

like when their record label’s president arrived as the band was struggling with writer’s 

block on their second album. Blackhurst’s feature-length documentary, Fair Fight, begins 

during this time. The band had just wrapped up their European tour and was having difficulty 

making lightning strike twice. The band did finish their second album, with which 

the documentary is being distributed in a special-edition package. 

In addition to building his career and amassing colorful stories, Blackhurst also gained 

four new friends through the experience. “We were so comfortable with each other as 

creative entities, it was only natural that we would become close friends,” he said of the 

band. With this friendship comes an assumption from fans that he can introduce them to 

the members (hence the messages from groupies on MySpace and Facebook). 

While his mom is hoping that someday he’ll be able to introduce her to American Idol 

Kelly Clarkson, Blackhurst has found his niche working with indie bands such as Kaiser 

Chiefs, Bloc Party, and Jack’s Mannequin. He said he doesn’t get star struck by the big 

names, but feels fortunate to meet some of his “man crushes” on lesser known artists. 

Next up, Blackhurst will be exploring a much different music scene as the director of 

photography on a National Geographic pilot TV show. Beginning in India, the show follows 

an ethnomusicologist as he explores the roots of traditional music and its influence on 

modern-day world music and cultures. 


1990 

Julie O’Leary Muir 

48 Barr Farm Rd 

Bedford, NH 03110-5221 

Greetings, Class of ’90! As I sit in front of my 

computer contemplating this latest column, I 

am forced to (yet again) press upon your refined 

sensibilities and mold the tidbits of info I have 

about our fellow classmates into an unnatural 

yet strangely satisfying pate of info. Think of 

this summertime column as a rustic charcuterie 

board, crafted lovingly by moi for your grazing 

and consumption. I suggest a bottle or 2 of wine 

as necessary accompaniment for the following. 

The big cheese section finds our beloved Greg 

Blatt has been named CEO of Match.com. “Greg 

is a superbly smart exec whose been part of our 

sr mgmt at IAC for the last 5 years,” said Barry 

Diller, chair and CEO of IAC, who notes that Greg 

“has demonstrated keen insights into the Match 

business and real ambition for all its possibilities.” 

Oh, Greg, I will restrain myself. Congrats. 

The tiny pickles/cornichons section finds 

a number of adorable babies born to ’90 

classmates. Eric and Julie Rosenbaum Skolnick 

welcomed their 3rd child on March 3. Eitan Lev 

(meaning Strong Heart) joins sister Dalia, 8, and 

brother Avi, 6. Wendy Knudsen Farrell ’89 was 

in attendance at Eitan’s bris and was one of his 

1st babysitters. Jon and Alexis Mokotoff Shapiro 

welcomed Lily Jayne on April 6. She joins twin 

sisters Kayla and Amanda, 7. Alexis and her family 

live in Needham, MA, and she is a partner at 

the law firm Goodwin Procter. Welcome sweet 

little future ’Gate babies! 

The sausage selection features Marty Johnson 

checking in with tales of sporting events. I love 

ya, Marty J! He met up with Marty and Meg 

Murphy Nagle ’91 in Boston before the Pitt-’Nova 

game. He had time to enjoy a few pints of Guinness 

at the Black Rose before the Eastern Regional 

Final. Good times were had by all! Marty also 

attended the Masters Golf Tourney in Augusta. It 

has “nothing really to do with Colgate, but it was 

a great time!” Way to flex the sausage, my friend. 

The pate and final selection finds me relying 

on my hazy memories of a Colgate girl trip 

to Miami this past Jan with beloved friends 

Jennifer Zachar Boone, Dana Lee Gould, Nancy 

Epstein Schnure, Jeanine Rossi Borthwick, Dr 

Kristin Smith, Deirdre Ryan Costikyan, Christina 

Lyndrup Farrell, and Tammy Eunice Hopper 

Cushman. The highlights of the trip, which I will 

smash together for this pate, included laughter 

on the beach, mojitos the size of my head, lots of 

eating, salsa dancing by our favorite hip shakers 

Jen and Deirdre, flaming shot drinkers Christina 

and Deirdre, and the quirky and wonderful 

sights that only South Beach can provide. <strong>Our</strong> 

friendships have spanned nearly 24 years, and 

still when we come together for our annual 

reunions, we pick up right where we left off. I 

haven’t laughed so much in months! While 4 of 

our group were missing, I still marvel how lucky 

we are to enjoy the ride through life with each 

other. Cue the wine, please. 

Well, my (hopefully) sated friends, our picnic 

is over for now. I encourage you to write with 

your own news for our column, or join me on 

Facebook, that great time suck, where I enjoy 

daily dalliances with the likes of Dave Storms, 

Dave Friedman, Nicole Wetzold (who is particularly 

witty), Nikki Truman Harding, Heidi Bulow 

Parsont, Mark Sackoor (who enjoys karaoke), and 

the fetching Lara Ulrich Lighthouse, to name a 

few. 

Come on, reach out. I’ll be waiting. 

Julie: 603-488-5454; nhmuirs@comcast.net 

1991 

Kathryn Dillon Marcotte 

45 Ridgewood Lane 

Wakefield, RI 02879 

It is an exciting time for Colgate with its search 

for a new pres and all of the wonderful and 

difficult challenges we all face in this economy. 

The one constant is the ingenuity and spirit 

of its alumni body. I am pleased to share some 

wonderful news about a few of our classmates 

this month. 

Melissa MacGill Graham has been in Chicago 

since 1994. She was an atty for 10 yrs with 

McDermott Will & Emery. Leaving there in 2005, 

Melissa started her own green/sustainable catering 

company, Monogramme Events & Catering. 

In addition, she started Purple Asparagus, a nonprofit 

company dedicated to bringing families 

back to the table and teaching families about 

sustainability. She and husband Michael (U of IL 

’92) have a 5-year-old son, Thor. They live a few 

blocks west of Wrigley Field but admit to being 

die-hard White Sox fans. 

Jim Barr and his lovely wife Dana are busy 

with 3 kids, ages 11, 10, and 8, and all of their 

activities. Jim has recently run a couple of marathons 

and finds that life seems to be consisting 

of work, family, and running. The Barrs have 2 

dealerships that have weathered this uncertain 

economy well and they have managed to maintain 

profitability when doing so is not so easy. 

Their Acura dealership achieved the prestigious 

Precision Team Award for 2008, a significant 

accomplishment for their team. Dana and Jim 

will be spending the 1st week of June in Newport 

Beach, CA, compliments of the Acura Motor Division. 

Enjoy! 

I was pleased to hear from Vienna, VA, where 

Steven Tepp and his wonderful wife, Ronnie, 

welcomed their 3rd child (and 1st son), Toby 

Nathan on Sept 16, 2008. Sasha, 4, and Rachel, 

3, are delighted to have a new playmate and 

they are all keeping mom and dad busy. Steve 

is sr counsel for policy and internatl affairs 

at the US Copyright Office. He claims that he 

does not arrest people for uploading songs to 

Limewire, but he does write court briefs arguing 

its illegality. He also travels around the world 

negotiating treaties on copyright. He enjoys his 

travels to faraway locales like China, Japan, and 

Australia, but with the 3 little ones, he does try 

to limit it at this stage of the game. Steve’s wife 

served as a top lobbyist for the Juvenile Diabetes 

Research Fndn, which made her a leading force 

in shaping federal policy on stem cell research 

and securing hundreds of millions of dollars for 

diabetes research. She has recently started up her 

own health care govt relations firm, Navigator 

Consulting. 

I received another great update, this one 

from Vince Lunato. Vince is engaged to Marissa 

Lussier (SF State U) and has been living in SF for 

almost 3 years now. He is in the Outer Sunset/ 

Ocean Beach area of town so he still remains a 

bit of a beach bum, having previously lived in 

Venice, CA. I assured him that his location sounds 

like nirvana to any New England or upstate NY 

folks. At the end of 2008, Vincent decided to 

change course and left his graphic design business 

in an effort to get out of advertising. In the 

spirit of starting over, he went back to school and 

will be starting a new job as a hair-color asst at 

the diPietro Todd Salon. The asst program lasts 2 

years, after which he will either sign on or go his 

own way. Spending time with Marissa and body 

boarding at Ocean Beach or Linda Mar/Pacifica 

are how he enjoys his time. By the time you read 

this, he may very well have caught the Dead at 

the Shoreline Amphitheatre (old habits die hard 

as he says). Vince does keep in touch with Chris 

Hoskins and Dave Friedman and reports that 

they seem to be doing well. Maybe we can get 

those updates into the next Scene. 

Eric Scheffler has been commuting into NYC 

after moving up to Scarsdale in Westchester 

County with wife Karen (UCLA) and 3 beautiful 

little girls (6, 4, and 1). Eric has been working as 

genl counsel for a real estate fund. He says he is 

still keeping active, as he has indoctrinated his 2 

oldest into skiing this winter and he finished his 

4th Ironman and ran an ultramarathon in the 

Grand Canyon during the year. Amazing! 

Jeff and Karen Scott Hearn are here in RI 

with me. They have had an exciting winter in 

anticipation of a new arrival. On March 11, 2009, 

they along with Maddie, 13, and brother Gus, 

9, welcomed Calixto (Cal) into the Ocean State. 

They are enjoying every minute of babyhood 

(again)! Steve Melito is one of my fave Facebook 

cronies and he has launched CR4. He blogs 

regularly about the history of technology and 

recently forged a content partnership with Doug 

Hirschhorn ’94 of CNBC fame. 

I want to thank everyone for getting in touch, 

and if we haven’t connected yet, we will. I look 

forward to hearing from you. 

Kathy: 401-783-3897; dkmarcotte@cox.net 

1992 

Crissy Singer Shropshire 

66 Indian Hill Rd 

Mt Kisco, NY 10549-3827 

Nineteen years ago on spring break in the Bahamas, 

I met my future husband, Camp ’91. We 1st 

spoke at a high-class establishment called Club 

Waterloo. He wondered why I frequented the 

beach in an oversized polo shirt instead of the 

ever-popular bikini, and in turn I wondered why 

he sported particularly loud, aesthetically challenged 

swim trunks. More curious was the fact 

that his friend Steve Feinstein ’91 wore the same 

ones. This year I thought I’d give spring break 

another go. My 2 kids and I packed up the minivan 

and headed to sunny Boston, leaving Camp 

behind to work. The temp never broke 40 and our 

substitute for Club Waterloo was the Children’s 

Museum, but I still wore an oversized polo shirt. 

We stayed with Jean-Marie Lovett Huff and visited 

with Alix Reiskind. Jean has 2 children of her 

own: Sarah, 3, and maybe the most mellow baby 

ever, Charlie, 6 months. Jean is starting her own 

company with some former co-workers. Alix is a 

librarian at the design school of Harvard. Prior to 

going to Boston, I had the chance to see 2 other 

Colgate gals in NYC. Amy Forsythe came in for 

a day with her job at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

She is engaged to Jim Rice and a Sept wedding 

is planned in her hometown of Cleveland. Lily 

Cabezon is training for a half marathon walk for 

the Crohn’s & Colitis Fndn in HI this summer. She 

continues to do well as a physician’s asst. 

PJ Piper is also among the newly engaged. 

In June he and Samantha Kantor (St Lawrence 

U ’97) were to be wed in Bretton Woods, NH. 

There was sure to be singing in those hills as 

most of the Thirteen were invited, including Vic 

Victoriano, Damian Anderson, Geoff Headington, 

Fitz De Smet, Marc Glogoff ’93, Wyman Chu ’91, 

and David Bergerson ’93. Afterward PJ and his 

bride honeymooned in Italy and Greece. In other 

news, PJ left Aspen Aerogels (the last company 

he founded) in Nov 2006 to start a new company, 

QM Power, a clean technology company with 

the highest efficiency and lowest cost electric 

motors, generators, and actuators. PJ’s company 

is based in Boston. 

“Nineteen years ago on spring break in the Bahamas, I met my future husband [Donald Camp Shropshire 

’91]. We first spoke at a high-class establishment called Club Waterloo. He wondered why I frequented 

the beach in an oversized polo shirt instead of the ever-popular bikini, and in turn I wondered why he 

sported particularly loud, aesthetically challenged swim trunks. More curious was the fact that his friend 

Steve Feinstein ’91 wore the same ones.” — Crissy Singer Shropshire ’92 

Alison Bryant Ludden has received tenure at 

the C of Holy Cross, where she has taught since 

2004. After Colgate, she received her MA and PhD 

from the U of MI. A former Peace Corps volunteer, 

she taught previously at the U of MO-Columbia. 

Her dissertation on substance use and academic 

experiences during adolescence received the 

2002 Outstanding Dissertation award from 

the American Psychological Assoc (Division 15). 

Alison is also the co-author of The Decline of Substance 

Use in Young Adulthood: Changes in Social 

Activities, Roles, and Beliefs (Lawrence Erlbaum 

Associates, 2002). Congrats, prof! 

Sharon Feeney dropped me a line even 

though she didn’t have much news to share 

(hint, hint). She has been on the move. Last 

summer Sharon moved her office from one side 

of the street to the other and moved residences 

within Morris Plains, NJ. But she can “vouch for 

how ridiculously expensive it is to move your 

stuff a mere mile.” She keeps in touch with Jamie 

Cooke ’93. He and wife Elizabeth Dobies ’90 

are living in Bakersfield, CA. Jamie retired from 

hockey a few years ago and is now teaching science 

and coaching hockey. Sharon would really 

like to reconnect with Laura Trickett, who she 

says is “impossible to find.” 

And on 1 final note, last Nov while I was working 

at a post-house in NYC, I was introduced to 

a fellow Colgate alumnus. Young James Martin 

’03 is a sound engineer at Bionic. I thank him for 

sparing me the Geritol jokes. 

That’s all for this edition. Looking forward 

to hearing from some more of you in the next 

Scene. 

Crissy: 914-864-1387; cshrop@optonline.net 

1993 

Kaori Nakamura DiChiara 

61 Mustato Road 

Katonah, NY 10536-3725 

Happy summer, everybody. It has been wonderful 

hearing from so many of you. Some have 

come out of hiding and there are many births to 

announce! 

I recently reconnected with John Less, who 

provided me with a short version of his life after 

Colgate: “From Colgate to Capitol Hill, followed 

by grad school, Indonesia, then SF dotcoming, 

then post 9/11 TSA consulting, then sustainability 

consulting, and lastly with the Clinton Climate 

Initiative as the city dir for Johannesburg.” He is 

enjoying life abroad with wife Laurie Schowater, 

and based on the amazing pics I have seen, they 

travel quite a bit. 

Rabbi Matt Berkowitz also decided to live 

abroad. For the past 10 years, Matt worked in the 

Jewish Theological Seminary of America’s (JTSA) 

FL regional office in Boca Raton. Earlier in the 

year, he decided to take a 1-year leave of absence 

so that he and wife Rabbi Miriam and their 3 

children could experience living in Jerusalem. 

After a few months of living in Jerusalem, where 

his work consisted of continuing his studies, 

teaching 2 classes at the Conservative Yeshiva, 

working on a number of projects for JTSA, and 

continuing his artwork, he and his wife decided 

to live there permanently. Matt plans on continuing 

his work with JTSA, working on a series of oil 

paintings of Israeli people, and is focusing on a 

project that explores the intersection of the arts 

and Jewish education. I was impressed when he 

informed me of his limited edition artist portfolio 

titled Passover Landscapes, which was exhibited 

in a Madison Ave gallery 2 years ago (see 

Arts & Culture in the spring Colgate Scene). Matt 

sends out an open invitation to his new home to 

any ’93s interested in visiting Jerusalem! 

Amy Satin Spinelli, who temporarily moved to 

Singapore last summer (with 3 kids in tow) to be 

with husband Alex who was sent there for work, 

recently informed me that they have all officially 

moved from NJ to Hong Kong. Amy reconnected 

with Craig Dana ’91 and Sarah Dyer ’91, who also 

live in Hong Kong. Amy and Sarah plan on starting 

a Hong Kong chapter of Women at Colgate. 

After living abroad for years after Colgate, 

Dave Gustitus moved back to the US with wife 

Bea. Dave received his DC from the Palmer C of 

Chiropractic in ’03 and works at a practice called 

Rhythm of Life Chiropractic. He and Bea live in 

the Milwaukee area with their 2 adorable girls, 

Mikeala, 7, and Isabella, 4. 

Although a local move, Parul Nanarati was 

happy to share that she and her husband have 

moved out of their small midtown apt in NYC to 

a bigger place downtown “with a window in the 

apt!” When reading the excitement in her e-mail 

to me, the theme song for The Jeffersons came 

to mind. Parul continues to work for the Ctr for 

Disease Control, so once a month she is traveling 

to its office in Atlanta. 

Jordan LaVine wrote in to say that along 

with Craig Hempstead, John Crumbliss ’94, and 

Peter Lee ’94, he planned a send-off party for 

Brett Gerry at the end of March. After serving 

as former atty gen Michael Mukasey’s chief of 

staff and then gen counsel of Boeing div in the 

DC area, Brett accepted a position as gen counsel 

of Boeing’s commercial airlines div in Seattle. 

For someone who has lived his entire life in the 

NE, moving his family to the West Coast was a 

big decision. The men started their evening off 

at the Grooming Lounge, where Brett and Peter 

were treated with haircuts and hot lather shaves, 

and then proceeded to the Hay-Adams Hotel 

for drinks, then a steak dinner at Bobby Vans, 

followed by more drinks (of course) at Town & 

Country, which is a bar within the Mayflower 

Hotel. Jordan stated that “the night was filled 

with much reminiscing, spirited political debates, 

and general good times.” Craig is a VP at 

JPMorgan Chase in NY and recently moved into a 

2 bedroom on 57th and 6th, and Jordan continues 

to live with his wife and 3 children (Nicholas, 

5, Mia, 3 and Anna, 1) in Villanova and is a 

shareholder in the Flaster/Greenberg PC law firm 

in Philly. Jordan heads the TM and CR practice 

group. 

Sarah Lane Sproha informed me that she and 

husband Jeff are heading to Vegas to celebrate 

their 15th anniversary in July and may “retie the 

knot at the Elvis Wedding Chapel.” They continue 

to enjoy life in NJ with their girls: Amanda, 9, 

and Tara, 5. The Sprohas regularly keep in touch 

with Erinn Haswell, Ian Laird, Mike ’94 and Jen 

Gardner Mason ’94, Stacey Phelps Pederson, Jeff 

Swanson, Robert ’94 and Kelly Lehmann Johnson 

’94, and Michael Abood. 

I was so proud when Boris Zelkin informed 

me that he and wife Deeji are Emmy nominees. 

On April 2, the 30th Annual Sports Emmys announced 

the nominees, and Boris and Deeji’s 

nominations were in the Outstanding Music 

Composition category. The 1st was for the music 

for the opening tease of the 2008 Masters 

and the 2nd was for the music featured in the 

segment preceding the final game at Yankee 

Stadium titled, “Yogi’s Bronx.” Congrats! 

After being mentioned in previous columns, 

Amy Hayes and Kim Meltzer Aseltine reached 

out to me and provided correct updates on their 

lives. Amy is still in Los Angeles — the move to 

ME is in the works but has not yet happened. She 

continues to work on construction mgmt, which 

she studied while attending UCLA after leaving 

the acting and TV/movie industry. Early in the 

year, Amy was the project engineer on a $10 million 

apt bldg in Venice. She hopes to move back 

to the NE soon, and she will keep me up to date 

via FB (she’s finally joining!). Kim and husband 

Steve live in Littleton, CO, with daughter Mia, 

5. Living in CO and with Steve being Canadian, 

Mia is already a great skier and loves playing ice 

hockey. Kim is a physical therapist and works p/t 

at Cactus Sport & Spine, and she is really enjoying 

raising her daughter. 

It was wonderful hearing from Danie Caro. 

She has been coaching women’s lax since graduation 

and is currently the women’s lax coach at 

Quinnipiac U in Hamden, CT. Danie has been 

with her partner, Jen, since 1998 and they have a 

civil union. Since Aug ’07 they became “accidental 

parents” and are raising her nephew Tyler, 6. 

Although busy as a new parent, Danie keeps in 

touch with Elizabeth Lewis Perkins, Liz Hewson 

Blankstein, Carrie Clifford, Shari Krasnoo ’91, 

Janice Leadbetter Bennett ’94, Kim Standish 

Reohr ’95, and Angela Chongris ’98. 

And while on the subject of parenthood, love 

was definitely in the air last year. I’ll start with 

the newbie parents: Thayer Jacques Lavielle 

wrote in about Kerin Coyle McCarthy and husband’s 

daughter Grace, who was born in Sept ’08. 

Yuki and Mark Swingle welcomed daughter Mia 

on Oct 27. After many years in Japan (Yuki used 

to work at Scott Barger’s company), the Swingles 

moved to the US. Mark owns a company that exports/imports 

social stationary between the US 

and Japan. He continues his training in martial 

arts and received his 2nd-degree black belt last 

summer. The Swingles live in NJ, are enjoying 

parenthood, and manage to get out to Colgate 

vs Princeton sporting events on occasion. He 

mentioned how odd/amusing it was that there 

were more ’Gate fans in Princeton at the Colgate/ 

Princeton ice hockey game last fall. Chrissy Tulin 

Myerson e-mailed me about the birth of her 

daughter Alexandra Leigh in Nov ’08. She and 

husband Ted reside in NYC and have become 

members of the “East Side stroller set.” Adrienne 

Darcey and husband Eric Smith welcomed Lillian 

on March 22, and “sister” Ginger Snap Cookie 

(their 3-year-old dog) is reported to be taking the 

competition well! 

Now for some veteran parents: On Nov 

28 John and Elizabeth Wort Clyde welcomed 

daughter Cameron Paley, who joins brother 

Miles, 3; earlier in the year Anne and Brett Gerry 

welcomed son Elbridge, who joins sister Leila, 

4; and Katharine and Chris Henkels welcomed 



Evelyn Rachel on Feb 8 at 8:04 am. She weighed 

7 lbs, 2 oz and measured 20". Chris is so proud 

of her and daughter Elizabeth, 2.5. Amber and 

Rusty Heffner are now parents to son Reed, who 

was born at the end of March. Sister Evelyn, 3, is 

thrilled and the Heffners are enjoying the chaos! 

And now for the brave people who have decided 

to parent via “zone” vs “man-to-man” (as PJ 

Kavanagh and I jokingly refer): Thayer Jacques 

Lavielle and husband David welcomed daughter 

Cosette (“Coco”) on July 28, 2008. After 2 boys, 

they are really enjoying having a girl. Since 

moving to Charlotte, Thayer reconnected with 

Kerin Coyle McCarthy and Brian Roelke. They 

often get together with families in tow. Heather 

and John Zuzenak, along with their boys Aidan, 

6, and Sawyer, 4, welcomed son Kellen on Dec 31. 

PJ and wife Liz welcomed 3rd son Ryan Kelly on 

Jan 31, weighing 8 lbs, 8 oz. PJ described “crazy 

times” at their house while also lovingly stating 

that his son looks like “a cute ‘Gollum’ from Lord 

of the Rings.” Having seen the pics, I can say that 

this adorable child definitely does not resemble 

anything from Lord of the Rings! Erin and David 

Bergerson welcomed 2nd daughter Eileen, who 

was born on March 21 weighing 8 lbs, 2 oz. Sister 

Brett, 3.5, and brother Liam, 2, are excited about 

their new sibling. Two months prior to Eileen’s 

birth, my husband and I ran into the Bergersons 

at a CT mall. If it weren’t for Brett, I would not 

have recognized Bergie because he was 35 lbs 

lighter (and looking 10 years younger). They continue 

to reside in Mahopac, NY, and a Bergerson- 

DiChiara play date is in the works. 

Kim Russo Rutenberg made a solo weekend 

trip into NYC in early Feb (a wonderful bday gift 

from her husband), and for 24 hours I was able to 

pretend with her that we only had the responsibilities 

of a single person. Dan Glusker joined 

us for dinner in the W Village. We lucked out on 

a 5–7 pm happy hour deal on margaritas. We 

laughed, we were loud, and we showered each 

other with compliments. We were feeling pretty 

good about ourselves until the reality of our life 

stage set in as a slew of 20-somethings (who all 

looked like Sex in the City characters dressed in 

tiny tank tops) came flooding in to have dinner 

after 9 pm, unlike us old people who need to eat 

dinner by 7 pm at the latest. We laughed some 

more. Who cares. It was mentioned on the news 

recently that “40 is the new 20” … if I can be 

considered looking 20 years younger but still eat 

dinner early, that’s fine by me! 

As for me, a lot has occurred since the writing 

of the spring column. I can no longer spell expletives 

out loud as my daughter Mia (5.5 going 

on 15), whose memory continues to grow more 

enhanced, can now spell/sound-out words/read. 

This clearly puts me in a spot as she is always 

excited to pass on newfound info to brother 

Christopher, 4. The most requested iPod music 

from my kids are songs by Taylor Swift, Katy 

Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, and 

Beyonce. When they sing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed 

a Girl” while in the grocery store, I pretend not 

to notice (does this make me a bad mom?). In 

March I cut off 8+" of my hair and donated it to 

Pantene’s fndn, which makes wigs for women 

battling cancer (by the time you are reading this, 

it will most likely be the same length that it was). 

My kids practically cried when they saw me with 

the new do (“Why did you do that!?”), but now 

they will proudly tell every stranger on the street 

about it, almost as if an explanation for their 

mom’s mediocre haircut is necessary. 

Well, it is the year of 20th HS Reunions for us 

all. I’m sure as many of you plan on attending 

or have already attended your 20-year HS 

Reunion, I can tell you I attended mine on the 

Sat evening of Easter weekend. It took place in a 

trendy NYC bar/restaurant. The party continued 

on at another bar and at 2:30 am I found myself 

running into a McDonald’s with a buddy and we 

surprised the rest of our friends upon our return 

with complimentary cheeseburgers and fries. 

Did I mention that this column’s deadline was 

the day after Easter? Although I am still recovering, 

I managed to complete this one! I hope you 

found the column entertaining! 

Hope to hear from you all! 

Kaori: 914-232-0549; kaoriotrl@optonline.net 

1994 

Allison Good 

#8 

319 West 88th Street 

New York, NY 10024-2271 

As I am writing this, we are still a few months 

away from our 15th Reunion, but when it arrives, 

it will have already passed. I am hoping I have 

tons of news to share in the next issue, complete 

with all of the hijinx from the tents. 

For this issue, 4 new babies. Donny and Peggy 

Krahnke Enright had a baby, James Wilson, born 

on Election Day. He joins his almost 5-year-old 

sister, Heather. This winter was a great time to 

put her business on hold, but Peggy went back to 

work as a real estate agent as the spring arrived. 

I learned through the student fundraisers that 

Janice Brown Ryan had a baby, but details got 

lost in translation! Janice, let us know the story 

with the newest member of your family! 

Angela and Tom Muddell welcomed son Reece 

Dobson on Jan 26. Reece weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz and 

measured 20.5" long. Reece joins brother Brant, 6. 

The Muddells live in Louisville, KY. 

Brent and Tamara Eischen Tasker welcomed 

their 1st child last year, a daughter named Sasha, 

born Jan 18, 2008. They are living in Portland, 

OR, and Tamara is teaching at Pacific U. She 

received her PsyD from Pacific in 2005 and began 

teaching after she completed her post-doc work 

in Pittsburgh. Tamara still keeps in touch with 

Kristin Lantz and Melissa Morra Ferrara ’95, talking 

mostly about family fun. 

Next time, news from Reunion! 

Allison: 212-875-0751; agood@email.com 

1995 

David A. Schreiber 

1717 West Schubert Avenue 


Happy summer! I hope you’re all doing well and 

enjoying a festive and relaxing summer season. 

Those of us in Chicago are particularly pleased 

after having only just recently bid farewell to yet 

another near-apocalyptic winter. It is the price 

we pay (or so I’m told). Please drop me a note if 

you haven’t done so in a while. Your classmates 

will appreciate it — me too, I might add! So 

without further ado, here is the latest news on 

our fellow classmates. 

Eric and Stacey May Wierzba welcomed their 

2nd child, Katherine May, on Nov 5. Katherine 

joins brother Hayden, 2 1/2. The family continues 

to live in Alexandria, VA, where Stacey recently 

returned to her position (since 2002) as dir 

of public outreach at the American Assoc of 

Pharma Scientists. 

Joel and Ania Cybulski Cramer had their 3rd 

child, son Cooper, on Dec 6. He joins Conrad, 3 

1/2, and Claudia, 2. The family is doing great and 

continues to live in the Bucktown neighborhood 

of Chicago, where the kids have regular play 

dates with Hilary Poticha Kurinsky and her 2 

daughters. Ania is just enjoying being a mom of 

3 kids under the age of 4, though not so thrilled 

about having 2 still in diapers! 

Kristi and Spencer Sloe welcomed their 2nd 

child, Cooper James, on Jan 25. He joins sister 

Sienna, 3. The family continues to live in Brooklyn, 

and work in NYC, where Spencer is a sr dir 

at Radio 1 and Kristi is a global marketing dir at 

Kiehl’s. 

Taragh (St Lawrence ’94) and Babbie Clopper 

Mulvany had their 1st child, John Elliott, on 

March 18. The happy couple is adjusting to John’s 

arrival and enjoying each new day’s surprises. 

Beth and Pete Greiner welcomed a son, 

Andrew Thomas, into their family on Feb 2. The 

family is just thrilled and both Beth and Andrew 

are doing great: Pete, too! 

Amy Palmer married Douglas Ellis (Williams) 

last May during a beautiful spring weekend in 

Manchester, VT. Guests were treated to New 

England hospitality, from an 18th-century menu 

at the rehearsal dinner to the big band sounds of 

the Beantown Swing Orchestra at the wedding. 

Colgate bridesmaids included Kathleen Galligan, 

Bridget Klein Curry, Danielle Hill, Sue Monajati 

Reno, and Denise Torres Wiggins. Rounding out 

the ’Gate crew were Heidi Cuthbertson, Paige 

Jones Stoecker, and Jennifer Moore. A great time 

(and major outlet shopping) was had by all. Amy 

and Doug live in Williamstown, MA, where Amy 

is a partner at a VT law firm while Doug manages 

investments for private clients. 

Amy, Danielle, and Kathleen convened in 

Manhattan last summer for Bridget’s baby shower 

(she had a baby girl, Caroline, in Nov), and 

Amy, Bridget, Danielle, Kathleen, and Sue spent 

a beautiful fall weekend together at Bridget’s 

house in CT in celebration of fall bdays. In Nov, 

Amy made a trip to Atlanta to visit Denise and 

Paige, who had a daughter, Keely, in Oct (joining 

sister Rachael). In other news, Danielle recently 

began a new job as a sr integrated marketing 

manager at Time Inc in the Fortune/Money 

Group, which includes Fortune, Fortune Small 

Business, and MONEY mags, and Kathleen continues 

in her role as an asst VP at Bank of America 

in Boston, where she lives with husband Doug. 

Bridget has returned to Edelman from maternity 

leave and is slowly learning how to balance a 

career with motherhood. 

Finally, it is with great sadness that I report 

the passing of our classmate Shawn McGregor on 

Oct 11 at a hospital in Gainesville, FL. We extend 

our heartfelt condolences to his parents, Ray 

McGregor and Victoria Coiet, and wish them well 

during this difficult time. 

That’s a wrap. Take care and stay well. 

David: 773-281-8152; d 

schreiber2004@kellogg.northwestern.edu 

1996 

Kelly Connolly 

12701 Found Stone Road, #303 

Germantown, MD 20876-6932 

Hi, ’Gaters! Right to the news. Keith and Kelly 

Rodden ’01 DiBlasi had a baby girl, Alexandra 

Violet, on Nov 18, 2008. Sandra Bontemps Hodgman 

and her husband, Todd, also had a baby girl, 

Ava Jane Duncan Hodgman, on Nov 2. Stacey 

Honstedt Polanskjy and hubby, Pete, had their 

3rd child in June: Damian John, joining big sisters 

Cassie and Maddie. All the families are doing 

well and are happy, though a bit busy as you can 

imagine. 

Cory Frederick Goriup writes: “My husband 

(Gus, VA Tech ’96) and I welcomed our 2nd child, 

a son, Devin Michael, on Sept 24, 2008. He is a 

wonderful, happy, smiley baby. His big sister, 

Lexi, who is 3, just loves him! I am continuing 

to work full time at my law firm where I am a 

partner, practicing mainly in the area of family 

law. I recently reconnected with Catherine Olson 

Schirmeier through Facebook. She has 2 sons and 

is living in Chevy Chase, MD. I was able to see Jen 

Wiler, her husband, Dave, and son, Blake, when 

they were in DC for a conference that Jen was 

presenting at this past year. They are in St Louis, 

but moving to Denver at the end of the summer.” 

Elisa Hoffman wrote in: “My husband, Sean 

Suder (UVA ’00), and I had twins on Jan 23! Lily 

Hope Hoffman Suder was 5 1/2 lbs and 19" and 

Abbott Gabriel Hoffman Suder was 6 lbs and 

20". Lily is named after Leslie Ebert, one of my 

best friends from Colgate who passed away in 

Nov 2001. Alyssa Gibney Ashley, my Colgate 

roommate, drove up from Louisville to meet Lily 

and Abbott the day after they were born. Back in 

Nov, Alyssa drove up from Louisville and Christine 

Pan Bassett drove in from Chicago for our 

shower, so Colgate was definitely represented!” 

Elisa is still working for Teach for America, and 

she and her husband live in Cincinnati. 

Molly Foran Yurchak and husband Mike 

Yurchak ’94 had their 2nd son, Sascha Peter, on 

September 12. He joins Luca Michael, who is now 

3 1/2. 

That’s all the news that’s latest and greatest. 

Be sure to write me if you have more. 

Kelly: 240-686-1538; kelbethconnolly@yahoo.com 

1997 

Amy McKnight Fazen 

38 Woodward Street 

Newton Highlands, MA 02461-1512 

Hi, everyone! 

Sandi Hemmerlein writes, “I recently left my 

post as head of marketing for KIDZ BOP to make 

a career change and figure out what my next 

move is. In the meantime, I am doing some consulting 

work (mostly still in children’s music) as 

well as freelance writing. I also have continued 

making TV appearances, including shooting the 

pilot for the new version of The Dating Game 

for GSN (now the 2nd game show I’ve won), and 

as an on-air guest on QVC selling a CD box set 

called The Easy Rock Collection. You can watch 1 

of my recent appearances on YouTube. I continue 

to travel a lot, though most of my trips end up 

in the desert now, including this past summer’s 

10-day adventure in Morocco with Michelle Cahr 

’98.” 

Heather Hendry received her PhD in foreign 

language education from the U of Pitt in 

April. 

The baby boom in our class continues. 

Danielle Schwartz Goldsmith writes, “Adam 

and I are happy to announce the birth of Robert 

‘Gray,’ born Dec 9. His sister Tess, 3, thinks he’s 

rather cute but boring so far and is excited for 

the day she can start bossing him around. We’re 

still in NYC, trying to maximize our time here 

until we give in and move to the ’burbs.” Sonia 

Zywotchenko Robinson writes, “My husband, 

Nick, and I welcomed our daughter, Eve Isla, on 

Dec 19, joining her 3 1/2-year-old brother Alex. 

We’re all doing great!” On Jan 26 Rhett and 

Andrea Montano Speros welcomed son Winston. 

Charlotte Chamberlain, daughter of Bill and 

Courtney Conant Maunsell, arrived on March 

9. On March 27, Kaylin Ruth joined Doug and 

Julina Henderson Ogilvie. Since Julina, Ando, and 

Courtney used to share a house together up at 

Okemo for many ski seasons, we have to wonder 

what was in the water up there! 

Congrats to all! 

Amy: colgate1997news@hotmail.com 



1998 

Carmella Alvaro 

2517 S Walter Reed Drive, #A 

Arlington, VA 22206-1212 

Hello, everyone. Thanks for the updates. There 

are 21 new babies scattered throughout this 

issue. I wanted to keep it at 13 for the symbolic 

value but you all were too, er, busy. Charles and 

Carrie Ciaccia Mathews are the proud parents of 

Mirabella Ann, born on Nov 14, joining Avery. 

Adonal Foyle, in addition to his day job of 

playing against Yao in the NBA, has a fndn called 

the Kerosene Lamp fndn that empowers kids 

to grow into healthy and well-educated adults 

through free basketball camps, building/refurbishing 

basketball courts in poor communities. 

The name “Kerosene Lamp” refers to the lighting 

used by Adonal to study when he was growing 

up on an island without electricity and symbolizes 

his mission to brighten the futures of today’s 

youth. 

Kyle and Rebecca Ahouse Patterson had baby 

boy #2, Miles Robert, born Jan 11 and joining 

brother Eli. Jamie Kohn Gersch writes, “Jordan 

and I welcomed our 2nd son, Noah Jacob, on Feb 

20, joining brother Sam. We were surrounded by 

many Colgate friends at the bris, including Emily 

Peters Johnson Newhouse, Betsy Doepke Mc- 

Dermott, Amanda Rabinovitch Corzine, Kirsten 

Letsinger Edwards, and a special surprise from 

NY, Erica Goodstadt Schiff. Henry ’01 and Rachel 

Kohn ’01 Sztul and Jonathan Gersch ’03 also 

came out to SF from NY to celebrate their newest 

nephew.” Erica writes in about that trip, too, 

with some more news: “On July 5, 2008, Jeffrey 

and I had our 2nd child, Benjamin Myles, joining 

his sister Isabella Brooke, who is 3. I still work 2 

days a week in NYC and Jeffrey is finishing his 

3rd year of his urology residency. I recently took 

a kids-free trip to SF to meet Jordan and Jamie’s 

2nd son, Noah Jacob. It was so great to see Emily 

Peters Johnson Newhouse and meet Betsy 

Doepke McDermott’s twin girls, Jane and Ann. 

Everyone seems to be doing great!” 

Bryan Carnahan completed the Chamonix 

(Argentière)-Zermatt Haute Route ski tour in the 

Alps in late March/early April and is spending at 

least a part of this summer recovering from surgery 

on a knee that was injured last Aug while 

skiing off-piste near Nevados de Chillan, Chile. 

Teresa Matazzoni writes, “I went to Robin 

Bellizzi’s gorgeous wedding to Titus Queen on 

Jan 31 in Tallahassee. Both the lovebirds work at 

FSU and the reception was appropriately held 

in the FL State football stadium. Shareen Ismail, 

who is completing her pediatric residency in Chicago, 

also attended the wedding, as did Gary and 

Alison Newman Stallings. Ali recently completed 

a residency in dermatology and has relocated 

from New Orleans back to NY. Monica Arreola 

Holland was in the wedding party and we sat 

(at a table appropriately numbered 13) with her 

hubby, Chuck Holland, who shared anecdotes of 

their sweet children. Tannia Cavajani was unable 

to attend the wedding due in part to her adorable 

new twins, Ethan and Samantha, who just 

get cuter with each picture she shares. Speaking 

of new babies, I just chatted with Krescent Hancock 

Telleen, who had a baby girl, Darcy Shea, on 

April 5, 2008. She and her husband are quite busy 

with their 4 kids and all the new experiences this 

adventuresome brood keeps bringing their way. 

I see Sarah Lusardi frequently and we spend our 

time walking her dog, Maddox, around Lake Merritt, 

adventuring down the slopes in Tahoe, and 

house hunting. Someday soon we both hope to 

report that we have purchased homes in the Bay 

area. Stay tuned!” 

Ella Esente and Gian Luca Montenuovo 

welcomed baby Elisa born Dec 15, joining Luca. 

Daria Baron-Hall Eriksson reports for her and 

Ella: “We both had the pleasure of being comatrons-of-honor 

in Kristina Sumption’s March 

28 nuptials to James Bell (Princeton ’97) in NYC. 

Kristina looked absolutely stunning as Steve 

Sumption ’63 walked her down the aisle. The 

bride and groom danced the night away in the 

Prince George ballroom and friends joined in for 

a memorable evening. Kristina and Jamie jetted 

off shortly after for a 2-week honeymoon of skiing 

in Whistler and then off to HI for some sun!” 

Carol Walter writes, “I launched Solace Essentials 

in Jan and 10 Seattle stores already carry it. 

I make the products by hand in my workshop 

in W Seattle with all organic ingredients and 

will be applying for USDA Organic status later 

this year. The 7 Solace Essentials scents that I 

designed are based on Chakra healing principles 

(roots in East Indian yoga).” 

Jessica Deckard reports, “I’m still teaching 

English at a private HS in New Orleans. I’m completing 

my 5th year, and I’m starting to have that 

‘itch’ all 5th-year teachers have. I’m doing a lot of 

creative writing. I’m a fellow of the Natl Writing 

Project and will be teaching an advanced writing 

seminar this summer. The seminar is part of 

the Greater New Orleans Writing Project and is 

offered through the U of New Orleans. I recently 

moved out of uptown New Orleans to Gentilly. 

I’m living in a house that was completely destroyed 

by Katrina and has just finished being 

rebuilt. It’s weird living in a totally decimated 

neighborhood (again). My part of Gentilly is 

really spotty. Every other house on each block 

is either gutted and empty or in the process of 

being rebuilt.” 

Jen Schiffer writes, “I’m opening a new 

club in Williamsburg and in Manhattan this 

summer.” Kevin Galligan is also starting a new 

company, “Pinpointpost.com is a direct mail 

marketing website targeted at small businesses.” 

Matt and Johanna Ames Coats welcomed a new 

baby, Mason Ames, on Feb 21: “He decided to 

arrive 4 weeks early, on the same day as our baby 

shower! So, our family and friends enjoyed a 

great brunch without us. All is well.” Chi McClean 

just released a new CD and reports, “The release 

for my new album, Something Out There, went 

well! We played to a packed house on a rainy 

Wed night in March at SF’s Cafe du Nord and 

have been playing several gigs around the Bay 

area since. I’m starting to get a little college radio 

play here in CA and back at Colgate on WRCU. 

My summer tour will be from SF down to San 

Diego. (Of course, there will be a little surfing 

in between shows!) The reviews are starting to 

trickle in, the CD sales are slowly climbing, and 

I just got my 1st check from iTunes for a few 

months worth of downloads. I also just found out 

that Pandora.com and Last.fm recently uploaded 

my music to their streaming radio services (both 

of which are cool if you haven’t checked them 

out). While I may soon be joining the ranks of the 

starving artists, I’m having a lot of fun and am 

making some good progress along the way.” 

Dawn McVey Cohen reports some good news: 

“Dan and I just had a baby. Her name is Evelyn. 

She joins brother Jacob, 3. All is well with us here 

in VA.” Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Kennedy Bliss, long-time 

reader, 1st-time updating, also has baby news: 

“My husband, Richard (Hamilton ’99), and I welcomed 

our 1st child, Edward ‘Teddy’ Cunningham, 

on Nov 11. He’s such a little love and we couldn’t 

be happier. All is well in NYC!” Anna Davis writes, 

“I’m still consulting as a disaster/emergency 

mgmt analyst for the fed govt. My last 3 projects 

have taken me to out to Guam (typhoon), NY 

(potential hurricane), and AK (flooding) while 

Supporting Africa by summiting its 

big three 

Before coming to Colgate from her hometown of Dover, Mass., and joining the Outdoor 

Education Program, Katherine Lynn ’04 had no mountain climbing experience. Now, five 

years post-graduation, she has logged many miles trekking through Colorado and recently 

summited the three highest peaks in Africa. Lynn was a member of the 13-woman 

group who finished the 3 Peaks 3 Weeks Challenge Africa this past January. The challenge 

involved climbing Mount Kenya, Mount Meru, and Mount Kilimanjaro, in that order, within 

three weeks. 

First accomplished in 2007, the 3 Peaks 3 Weeks Challenge Africa involves a team of 

women who are dedicated to the causes of the environment, education, and health in Africa. 

Each team member spends the year prior to the trip raising money for nonprofit organizations 

in Africa that address these issues. 

Lynn raised just under $6,000, with some help from Tisza Bell ’06. Lynn and Bell, who 

became friends through the Outdoor Education Program, were hoping to take the challenge 

together until Bell had to undergo knee surgery. 

The total distance covered by the group in the course of their three mountain climbs is 

estimated to be 140 miles. Although Lynn lives in Denver, Colo., and has a lot of climbing 

experience, she admitted that she had some doubt in her ability to finish when summiting 

the “roof of Africa,” Mount Kilimanjaro. Lynn said that witnessing altitude sickness get the 

better of one teammate, who was guided down the mountain “with drool dripping down her 

mouth,” and seeing another climber being carried down on piggyback was “disheartening.” 

But she overcame the mental as well as the physical battles — numbness in her fingers and 

toes; nausea — and when Lynn reached the glacier-like top, “the view was like nothing I’ve 

ever seen before,” she said. 

In addition to the sights, Lynn was in awe of the close proximity of wildlife that they 

encountered while hiking through the mountains. Giraffes were within a few steps, monkeys 

were as common as squirrels are back home, and the presence of water buffalo required the 

group to be protected by an armed ranger for several days. 

In between climbs, the team visited the organizations for which they raised money: the 

Laikipia Wildlife Forum, the School of St. Jude in Tanzania, and Support for International 

Change, committed to limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. For Lynn, having the 

chance to meet the people whom her fundraising efforts are helping was a privilege. “It let 

me see exactly where the money I raised was going, and that’s been really effective to share 

with people who donated — just to tell them, ‘I saw these people, I saw how much they’re 

hurting, and your money is already helping them.’” 

Seeing their way of life was also an eye-opening experience, Lynn explained. “It really put 

things in perspective,” she said. “People are saying the economy is so bad over here, but we 

obviously have it very good. They are struggling so much and there is incredible poverty … 

but although they’re living in mud huts and sick, they have high spirits.” 

— Aleta Mayne

eing based in SF. In my spare time I’ve been 

skiing (I even hit up Alyeska) and training for a 

marathon.” 

Michael and Amy Zarych Elliott moved from 

DC to Bethesda last year with their 2 kids — 

Thomas, 3 and Julia, 4 1/2. Michael is still an assoc 

at Paul Weiss Rifkind. Amy is home with the 

kids. Christina Pavlak writes, “After spending 

10 years in Santa Fe, NM, working at a homeless 

shelter and then teaching a bilingual 6th-grade 

class, I moved back to NY this past summer to 

attend a grad program in sociology and education 

at Teachers C. While in NM, I developed a 

love of motorcycles and have traveled much of 

the country on a Harley. In the summer I will be 

entering a doctoral program in the field of curriculum 

and instruction at BC.” New daddy Matt 

Shaw reports, “Well, 2009 has been a busy year 

for us. On Jan 8 my wife and I welcomed our son 

Blake into the world. He was 4 weeks early, so we 

didn’t quite have everything ready to go, but all 

of that chaos is a distant memory now and we’re 

settling into daily life as parents. Blake is doing 

great and growing like a weed. Unfortunately, 

his arrival meant we missed a visit from Aaron 

Pattillo, who was in town from China, where he 

continues his work as a consultant and entrepreneur. 

Meanwhile, still see plenty of Preston Walls 

and Chip Brackett, both of whom live in Seattle 

as well. Preston is helping run his family’s real 

estate business. Chip is responsible for Kimberly 

Clark’s environmental program at its pulp mill in 

Everett. I’m also working on a summertime kayaking 

reunion with some of my Colgate camping 

buddies. We’re hoping to meet in ME, where Jeff 

Holmes now lives and works as an ER doctor in 

Reasons to give 

“Thank you for taking our calls!” 

– Kristie Migliori ’11 

Portland. Jeff and his wife had a son, Jackson, 

who was born just a few weeks after Blake. We’re 

hoping to score a visit from 2 Atlanta-ites: John 

Weaver, who is doing a year-long surgery fellowship 

at Emory U, and Jay Won, who is practicing 

hotel mgmt there. We might also get to see Brian 

Flynn, who is doing consulting work on LI, and 

Vin Randazzo, who is the resident man about 

town in his hometown in NJ.” 

Angela Chongris writes, “Life in NH is great. 

I am still saving lives in the ER at Portsmouth 

Regional Hospital. Still have Rosie and Wally, my 

black labs. I am looking forward to spring and 

summer hiking and paddling!” Lisen Connery 

Syp writes, “I am thrilled to announce the birth 

of my daughter Filippa Ruth, born on Jan 13. 

Pippa is amazing and my husband Mitch and 

I love being parents. We are still in Boston and 

I am still working in PR, though on a p/t basis 

now.” Jana Robinson writes, “I’m headed to 

William & Mary Law in Aug. Did the psych and 

teaching thing for a while, now I’m going to try 

law. Hopefully, the economy will bounce back in 

3 years when I need a real job. Anyone interested 

in a ‘historically educational vacation’ or visiting 

the VA coast, look me up!” 

Cara Mastropietro Dowden welcomed baby 

#2: “Bill and I just had a baby girl! Elise Michelle 

was born March 27 at 6 lbs, 9 oz and 20", joining 

brother Jackson. We are living in Westfield, NJ, 

after spending 6+ years in Atlanta. It’s nice to 

be back in the NE!” Danielle Jackson updates: 

“Christopher and Susannah Tripi Torpey welcomed 

a beautiful baby boy into the world on 

March 18. In awesome NYC fashion, Sue sent us 

text from her BlackBerry throughout her labor. 

Student callers raised 

$574,178 during 2008– 

2009 from 4,916 alumni, 

parents, and friends. 

The Colgate Annual Fund offers hundreds of reasons to give. 

It’s the lifeblood of the university, supporting everything 

from financial aid and career programs to study groups and 

athletics. By investing in the annual fund, you help every single 

student on campus. 

Plan ahead to support Colgate again this year. 

The sooner you make your gift, the sooner students will benefit. 

Online at www.colgatealumni.org/make_a_gift 

Or call 800-668-4428 

Kieran Christopher is about the cutest little guy 

I’ve ever seen, complete with a full head of spiky, 

punk-rocker hair. The whole family is doing 

great and very happy!” Stephanie Rooks Stern 

announces the arrival of 2 babies: “My husband, 

Jared, and I welcomed our twins, Lucy and Max, 

on Jan 23. Two at once has been interesting, but 

we’re having a blast with them. We’re still living 

in NYC and I’ll be heading back to work at Newsweek 

in early May.” 

As for me, I was the victim of the economy 

and was laid off in Jan. I was fortunate to find 

a new job quickly and am now a regional sales 

mgr for a company where I get to work with 

Colgate people, so it worked out well. During 

my severance time (which I refer to as “Spring 

Break 2009”) I went to Aruba for a week, sunned 

myself, and drank florescent blue tropical drinks 

to recover from the shock of losing my job. It 

worked. I went to the DC Improv with Nicki 

Crane, Michelle Warmus, Garine Serengulian 

Magary, and Flory Wilson for a comedy show. 

Garine reports, “We welcomed baby #2, Toby, on 

Inauguration Day. He is an easygoing baby, just 

like his dad! Mike and Amber Bryant DiCoccio 

welcomed Ava Marion on Feb 5. They live in SF. 

Lindsay and Kat Ordway Reishman welcomed 

Thomas Gordon, born April 3 in DC.” Michelle 

is in MD having moved from Buffalo about a 

year ago and works at M&T Bank. Nicki had a 

group of us over for a fun brunch where we had 

an accessory swap. Good idea in this economy. 

By the time you read this Flory will have taken 

a trip to Iraq for her work with OPIC. Allison 

Gleason Besch visited me in March and we had 

a good time going out to a great dinner, slothing, 

and falling asleep on the couch by 11 pm on a 

Fri night. I only check the Scene gmail every few 

months now that the Scene is quarterly, so don’t 

think I am ignoring you, and keep sending in 

updates. 

Carm: colgate1998@gmail.com 

1999 

Samantha Kohn 

Apartado 1187-1000 

San Jose, Costa Rica 

Hi, everyone! Thanks to those who wrote in! 

Some exciting baby news from fellow ’99ers: 

Heather Ferina Hendrick writes, “Chris and I 

moved last summer to Sturbridge, MA, to enjoy 

the country as we found out we were welcoming 

another addition to our family. She was just born, 

a little girl named Caleigh Ferina on March 2. She 

joins brother Cole. Chris also got a promotion last 

month to assoc dir at Genzyme Corp, a biotech 

company. I’m still enjoying being a stay-at-home 

mom.” 

Megan Hamlin Jeffers also reports on an exciting 

new addition to her family: “My husband and 

I welcomed a baby girl, Scarlett Delia, on Sept 19. 

She’s been so much fun and I love being a mom. 

Other than that, I keep up with fellow ’99ers 

Sarah Kelly, Sara Gansheimer, Melissa Faulkner, 

Erin Smith Grable, Kristen Dougherty Henderson, 

and Lony-Ann Spelman at a book club we’ve 

formed here in Boston, which, of course, involves 

more wine and dinner than book, but it’s a good 

excuse to get together every month.” 

Good news travels fast. On the professional 

front: “After 5 years in the Manhattan office of 

Davis Polk & Wardwell, Katy Carney Cole has 

changed law firms. Effective March 9, Katy 

became part of the commercial litigation dept of 

Farrell Fritz, PC. Her new firm has her focusing 

on all aspects of complex commercial litigation 

involving businesses, hedge funds, financial 

institutions, not-for-profits, and individuals.” 

And finally, weddings! Kate Foster Lengyel 

reports: “Devon Slauenwhite got married to 

Jamey Wishner on April 4 in beautiful Costa Rica. 

Several Colgaters couldn’t pass up the opportunity 

for a little sun (and to celebrate with Devon, 

of course!), including me, Roger Lengyel, Erin 

Matts, Kellyn Smith, Laura Wright, Steve Close, 

Allison Kern, and Samantha Kohn (wedding planner!).The 

wedding was incredible, high atop a 

cliff as the sun set over the lush mtns and crystal 

blue ocean. Devon was even more gorgeous than 

the breathtaking view, and we had an amazing 

time! Congrats, Devon!” 

Samantha: 414-241-9738; 

samantha_kohn@yahoo.com 

2000 

Katey Tone 

411 Sloan Road 

Nashville, TN 37209-4654 

Greetings, all! I hope everyone is well and 

enjoying time with your friends and family this 

summer. I can hardly believe that we are moving 

into the 10th academic year since we graduated 

from Colgate. It’s not too early to start planning 

for your trip back to Hamilton next June. I hope 

to see everyone there celebrating our 10th! 

Let’s get to the news: John and Brooke Bucklin 

D’Entremont welcomed their daughter Grace 

Elizabeth on Oct 13. Grace has already been introduced 

to many Colgate friends, most recently 

Brent and Jennie Wilson Krasner, who came to 

see them in NH with their son Micah. 

Brent also writes: “Jennie and I are doing well. 

We still live in Princeton and are enjoying trying 

to keep up with our 16-month-old son, Micah 

Ryan. After visiting the D’Entremonts in NH, we 

attended Josh Krellenstein’s wedding in Boston. 

Many Class of 2000 alumni were in attendance, 

including Chad and Valerie Place ’99 Cooley, 

Kevin Kaczmarek, Dave and Julie Dubitsky 

Lazarus, Brendan Donahue, Ryan Meliker, Jarett 

Landman, David Mehlman, Mark Astrachan, Allison 

McGrath, Jeremy Brewer, Jess Masters, and 

Rachel Owens, and perhaps some others whom I 

am leaving out. A fun time was had by all.” 

Jonathan Lee sent in an update with great 

news of marriages and more: “I’m a PhD student 

in music history at UC Berkeley, after having 

‘done time’ at the SF Conservatory of Music and 

at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the Hague, 

Netherlands. Jesse Greenstein graduated with 

a law degree from Vanderbilt in ’03, and is now 

an atty in DC. Nick Keiser is a PhD in molecular 

bio, and is soon to be married to another PhD this 

May; they both are doing post-docs in IO. Jaime 

Schwarz is an advertising copyrighter in NY and 

is married to a talented filmmaker. 

“This year, we continued our annual New 

Year’s to-do in DC, hosted by Jesse. Nick didn’t 

make it this year because he’s in the midst of 

planning his wedding to Jenn Levy, PhD (U of PA 

’08), which will take place in May in FL. Nick is, 

naturally, having the regular gang as groomsmen. 

“Of course, Nick is a bit late in this whole 

marriage game. I was married to Sara Goldberg 

on the banks of Oakland, CA’s Lake Merritt in Aug 

’07. Jesse served as best man, and another friend 

served as my 2nd groomsman. Jaime and Nick 

were given equal pride of place as ‘bridesmen,’ 

Jaime serving as ‘bridesman of honor.’ (Yes, weddings 

in CA are often a bit different…) 

“<strong>Our</strong> wedding proved remarkably inspirational 

for Jaime because he asked Jessica Daniels 

(WA U ’99) to marry him shortly thereafter. Their 

beautiful wedding took place on the banks of 

the Hudson River in Oct. The groomsmen were 

the usual suspects, with a few additions. Most 

notable among them, from a Colgate-centric 

point of view, was best man Noah Schwarz ’02, 

who distinguished himself by throwing the most 

elegant bachelor party of all time in June. 

“I made it to the bachelor party chiefly 

because Noah was a good man and organized 

the date around my trip to NY for even more 

Colgate-related events. In June, I was an alumni 

guest artist and harpsichordist at the 2008 

Chenango Summer MusicFest in Hamilton, 

directed by music prof Laura Klugherz. I had the 

great pleasure of making new friends, such as 

John Biatowas ’04 (who was the head intern at 

this year’s fest), and also seeing many old Colgate 

friends. I had a wonderful dinner with German 

prof Juergen Meyer-Wendt, who has basically 

moved to CO, but who returns every summer to 

Colgate to maintain the homestead and attend 

the music fest. I also recorded a CD in the lobby 

of the Dana Arts Ctr over 2 frantic evenings, with 

the indispensable help of music prof Jay Swain 

and local guitar hero (and recording engineer) Ed 

Vollmer. 

“Finally, my biggest news must be the birth of 

our 1st child, Ethan Louis (Colgate Class of 2030) 

in Dec ’07.” 

Leigh-Anne Bennett Redfern also recently 

welcomed a little one: “My husband and I 

welcomed our daughter, Kaitlyn Anne, on Feb 

17. Life has certainly been busy keeping up with 

our 2-year-old son, Paul, and a new little one, but 

we’re doing well. I’m still working in the admissions 

office at Gettysburg C and will be back to 

work in June after some time at home with the 

little gal.” 

A voice new to the column, Judd Rothstein 

sent in an update: “Long-time listener, 1st-time 

caller. I’ve been teaching HS history in Westchester, 

NY, for the past 5 years after earning my 

MA from Columbia’s Teachers C. I met my wife, 

English teacher Brit Foster (UNC ’01), at Rye HS 

and we got married at the Country Music Hall 

of Fame in Nashville on Aug 30 of last year. We 

had a blast down South and had an amazing 

time celebrating with our officiate, Greg Allen, 

and Colgaters Bill Austin, Chris Boucher, Finley 

Brown ’01, Ben Daverman, Shane Emmett, Kara 

Simonetti, Parker Gibson ’01, Dan Gluck, Brian 

Haas, Dave Heyward, Jocelyn Maron ’03, Harold 

Leslie Kendig III, Tom Krajan, Alec Matt, Kevin 

and Courtney Jaski McCarthy, Kate McCarthy ’02 

Dowling, Mike and Brittany Trevenen O’Neill, Ted 

Pease, Mason Ross, Matt and Meghan Berger ’02 

Rovelli, Kevin Smith, Ben Sprayregen, Andy Stahl 

’99, Chloe Witmer, and Chris Sugahara. I look 

forward to seeing everybody next June at the 

’Gate!” 

That’s it for this round, folks; many thanks 

to everyone who contributed. Until next time, 

enjoy the rest of the long summer days and sun. 

Continue to send your updates and start making 

your plans for next June! Take care and be well. 

Katey: 615-417-9727; kptone@gmail.com 

2001 

Jane Seney 

17 Greenway Rd #4 

New London, CT 06320-2940 

There’s lot of news from the Class of 2001! Katie 

Roberts writes, “I was accepted into Duke’s Environmental 

Leadership Master’s of Environmental 

Mgmt Program. They have a cutting-edge online 

program and I begin classes in Aug.” 

She adds, “On a different note, a few of the 

girls from the soccer team recently got engaged. 

Lauren Esposito is engaged to Derek Cummings 

(Fairfield U ’96), Sarah Mirza is engaged to Mat- 

thew Kehrt (U of KY ’93), and Sena Maziarz is engaged 

to Matthew Bigelow (St Michael’s College 

’99). They all got engaged in February. Congrats 

to them and their lucky guys!” 

Anthony Panebianco also has some wedding 

news: “I was married this past March to Nili 

Yavin (Concordia ’02). I’m currently an atty in 

Boston. We met at work, though we are both 

now at different firms. We were married in 

Woodstock, VT, in a rustic old barn. In attendance 

were Joshua Hayden Kolenik and Geoff Koo, 

who are doing well in NYC as musician and chef, 

respectively. Also there were William B Plunkett 

IV ’02 and my sister, Sara Panebianco ’99 Bell. 

We honeymooned in Japan and several islands in 

Indonesia.” 

From Meghan Cooper: “First and foremost, I 

suppose I should mention that I’m engaged! The 

date is set for 2010, so still a ways to go, but very 

excited. Otherwise, things in Boston are pretty 

status quo for me. Far as my friends go, I’ll try 

to include everything. To start, Dana Snyde was 

married to Jon Hammack last June in Newport, 

RI, at a beautiful place right on the water. I was 

honored to be one of her attendants along with 

Ashley Heller Johns and Carolyn Carbone. From 

start to finish it was a fantastic affair with no 

detail left unattended. The weather was ideal for 

our rehearsal sailboat cruise in Newport Harbor 

and the outdoor ceremony by the water! It was 

a wonderful celebration with friends Kathryn 

Brown, Stacey Margolis, Becky Gennaro, Kristin 

Olson Kilgallen, Amanda Countner Brown, 

Brooke Hill Ooten, Pete and Katie Grinnell Daunis, 

Sloane Pharr, Sara Haggerty, Kevin Johns, 

Dane Fraser, and Oren Rahmanan, and significant 

others. On top of that, by the time this prints 

Dana will have obtained her exec MBA from 

Columbia in May! Quite an accomplishment 

and I know she’s looking forward to having her 

weekends back! I also attended Pete and Katie 

Grinnell Daunis’s wedding on the Vineyard in 

Edgartown last Aug. The Colgate contingency 

was dominant and too numerous to list but to 

name just a few present: Liz Scattarella, Emily 

Hoyne (who was also recently married in St Louis 

in March!), Charles ’02 and Brooke Fetzer ’03 Macon, 

Kevin and Ashley Heller Johns, Dana Snyde 

Hammack, Agatha Capacchione, Joanna Sieghart 

’02, and Julia Casparriello. But as mentioned, 

there were many more Colgaters in attendance 

spanning multiple classes. Katie and Peter lucked 

out with a gorgeous late-summer day that made 

for the perfect tented reception. Also, Amanda 

Counter Brown was married to Sam in Oct in Sun 

Valley, ID. I was unable to attend, sadly, but many 

of the aforementioned girls were present as well 

as Erin Gould ’00. Nonetheless, I did see pictures 

and heard many stories, and the word on the 

street was that an awesome ’80s cover band kept 

everyone dancing all night long and that it was a 

fun, activity-filled weekend! A few more notes… 

Liz Scattarella will be completing her MBA from 

Darden School of Business at UVA this spring. 

Stacey Margolis is engaged to Jim Gomez and 

will be married this fall. Kristin Olson Kilgallen 

and Brooke Hill Ooten both had their 2nd children 

(joy!). There has been and remains much to 

be celebrated and thankful for with everyone! To 

that end, I hope I haven’t left anything or anyone 

out (my apologies if I have). I hope the rest of our 

class is doing well and look forward to run-ins 

here and there and our next Reunion!” 

Jillian Joseph wrote: “I have a lot to share. 

It’s been amazing catching up with many of my 

classmates as we all share in celebrating our 

30th birthdays this year! My cousin Keisa Caesar 

started off the celebrations with her New Year 

30th celebration in January. Phinel and Yaruby 

Brenes ’02 Petit-Frere, Danielle Bardwell, Felicia 

White-collar fullback 

By day, Dorothy Donaldson ’05 can be found behind a desk crunching numbers. On nights 

and weekends, she’s crunching skulls on the gridiron. Donaldson, a Boston Investment 

Services account administrator, moonlights as a starting fullback for the Boston Militia 

in the Independent Women’s Football League, a professional women’s league. 

Now in her second season with the Militia, Donaldson has endured a plethora of bruises, 

sprained ankles, and pulled muscles. Those injuries didn’t prevent Donaldson from being 

named an alternate on last year’s All-Star team and leading the Militia to first place in the 

North Atlantic Division this season. 

“It gets pretty physical,” she said. “I have bruises everywhere from our last game; there 

are hard hits out there. It’s mentally intense as well, but it’s really exciting.” 

Although the Militia’s season started in mid-April, practices have been running since 

January. The team practices inside a protective bubble above Harvard’s football field during 

the harsh Boston winters, but that does not keep out the cold entirely. “It just feels like 

forty degrees when it’s twenty degrees outside,” Donaldson said, adding, “it’s still pretty 

cold.” 

Donaldson is used to the cold temperatures, having played softball in central New York 

for four seasons. She is the Patriot League’s all-time leader in home runs (39) and walks 

(81). Donaldson is also second in school history with a .386 batting average, and she is in the 

top 10 in runs, hits, RBIs, doubles, and total bases. Colgate made the Patriot League Tournament 

during all four of Donaldson’s seasons, and the Raiders won the conference in 2002, 

Donaldson’s first year. 

That year also marked Donaldson’s favorite on-field moment, when Colgate clinched the 

win with the final out at the Patriot League Tournament. “I still talk about that,” she said. 

“Everyone ran to the pitching mound, and it was just euphoria everywhere,” Donaldson said. 

Once Donaldson’s Colgate career ended, she needed another sports outlet. Soon she 

found the Boston Militia, which gave her the competition she craved. Donaldson’s expectations 

for the Militia’s current season are sky high. “We’re right there with everyone else,” 

Donaldson said. “The team is great and everyone is excelling right now. We have a chance 

of going all the way and making it through the playoffs.” 

When Donaldson isn’t sporting a red jersey with the number 39, her job entails accounting 

work, monthly and quarterly reporting, and working with individual accounts and money 

managers. 

Having been a psychology major at Colgate with the hope of becoming a sports psychologist, 

she is grateful for the liberal arts education that gave her the tools for a backup plan. 

“The path I was going on was not leading me to that direction,” she said. “Going to Colgate 

and having the opportunity to learn a lot of different subjects let me do what I needed to 

do.” 

Whether handling a calculator or a pigskin, Donaldson’s ability to strike a happy balance 

in her life is surely a touchdown. 



Photo by Barry Millman, Threepairs Photography 

— Paul Kasabian ’10

Ekejiuba, Ericka Garay, Ana Garcia, Pablo Gonzalez, 

and Jean Antoine were in attendance as we 

partied the night away. 

“Yvonne Gyimah had an amazing 30th bash 

at the Gin Mill on the Upper West Side.” Many 

of the attendees from Jillian’s party were there, 

in addition to: Sarah Mirza, Jess Prata, Lauren 

Esposito, Justin Myers, Nicole Kirkland, Iman 

Aswad, Marsha Murray ’95, Jung Pak ’96, Molly 

Ryan ’00, Sarah Lohr ’00, Steven Little ’00, 

Tommy Campbell ’00, Loncey Mills ’02, Tene Redmon 

’06, and Cassie Quirindongo ’06. “Everyone 

reminisced on her wonderful 30 years through 

a great slide show, which included pictures of 

our lives on 13 Oak Dr. It was good to share such 

memories. 

“I cannot forget Iman Aswad’s intimate party 

at Picante in Harlem with his close family and 

friends, which included me, Victor Perkins, and 

Justin Myers. Iman had the best red velvet cake 

for his 30th shindig. 

“It’s been great catching up with Iman and 

Justin (still roommates, just as they were at Colgate). 

I was so happy to be there to congratulate 

Justin on his new position as regional coordinator 

of the NY State Senate-Conference Majority 

Information Services/Democratic State Party. He 

is thrilled about his new position and is making 

our Washington Study Group (2001) and the Bert 

Levine Fan Club really proud! 

“I’ve also been catching up with Trecilla Watson 

and her boyfriend, Lawrence, Victor Perkins 

and his wife, Lakisha Brooks Perkins, and other 

Colgate friends and their mates. They, along 

with me and my husband, Randall Joseph, truly 

enjoyed the competitive Colgate spirit as we engaged 

in our own couples bowling competition. 

Needless to say, the Josephs were not victorious. 

Congrats to the Perkinses, not only on their bowling 

victory, but also on their MBAs from Fordham 

University. What a way to finish out the year. 

“Speaking of MBAs, I had the pleasure of 

having lunch with Thomas Campbell as we discussed 

real estate development ideas he and his 

fellow Columbia Business School students were 

wrestling with. I look forward to collaborating 

with more bright, driven Colgate alums.” 

Jane: janeseney@gmail.com 

2002 

Rachel Deblinger 

1428 Kelton Ave #305 

Los Angeles, CA 90024-7826 

Hello, Class of 2002. Happy summer! I hope everyone 

has vacations, bbqs, and Nantucket reds 

on the agenda. I imagine there might even be a 

Colgate belt being worn somewhere… 

First, a quick note about the LA 2002 contingent. 

I had no idea there were so many of us out 

here, but luckily we all met up at a recent Colgate 

Town Hall meeting. I got to catch up with Gina 

Manziello, Emily Raiber, Dave Targan ’03, and 

Rico Cabrera. Have you all checked out Rico’s Get 

Better Fndn? He’s working to create better opportunities 

for inner-city student-athletes through 

sports, education, and innovative technology. 

He’s doing lots of good work. Learn more about it 

on Facebook. 

And now, on to all the good news to share. 

Melissa Roberts sent in an update that she is 

living and working in NYC. She is currently running 

the Quant Research group at Keefe, Bruyette 

& Woods, a boutique investment bank. Also, she 

celebrated Colgate Day on Feb 13 with the other 

Colgate alums who work with her. The Colgate 

contingent includes Russell Gunther ’04, Grady 

O’Gara ’07, and Conor Fitzgerald ’08. Bob Planer 

’74 retired from there in Dec. Melissa also met up 

with Kristine Thomas and Chris Johnson, who 

are doing well in the world of finance. Kristine 

came to town from Charlotte and she says it was 

just like old times at Colgate. 

Arnoldas Pranckevicius wrote in about some 

changes coming up in his life. He will be moving 

to a new position at the Foreign Affairs Committee 

of the European Parliament and was recently 

elected pres of the Lithuanian Community in 

Belgium. He seems excited about all the new 

challenges and wrote, “That means even more 

sleepless nights and busy weekends, but I am 

looking forward to this new community experience, 

and I hope it will help me maintain close 

ties to my native Lithuania!” 

Josh Strom wrote in about Stephanie 

Schraeter’s wedding to Mike Lindy on June 14, 

2008, at Brooklake CC in Florham Park, NJ. Josh 

wrote: “As procession time neared, a rainstorm 

was imminent, and the debate went back 

and forth over whether to keep the original 

plan to have the ceremony outside. In the end, 

the decision was made to hold the ceremony 

outside, with the gorgeous rolling hills of the 

golf course behind the canopy and lightning of 

the approaching storm visible on the horizon. 

At exactly the moment when the last guest 

made it inside, the skies opened up and it poured 

like nobody’s business. Clearly we made the 

right choice.” Among the attendees were Geoff 

Kravitz, Melissa Andrews Stumpf, Emily Stein, 

Kim Meyers, and Cat Hasman. Josh was the officiating 

rabbi and it was his 1st wedding as such, 

so congrats all around. 

In more wedding news, Alex Nagy sent in 

some details about his wedding to Carolyn 

Bedrosian in Philly on Oct 4. Alex said the wedding 

went smoothly and everyone had lots of 

fun, including the 2 wedding crashers (always 

the sign of a good party!). There were tons of 

Colgate people at the wedding, including Justin 

Casazza, Nate and Eileen Kisilis ’04 Plotkin, Jessica 

Dickerman Greenberger, Stacey Peterson, 

Sean Ryan, Andy Bechtel, Ryan Murphy, Nick 

Polowchena, Thad Stringer and Kim Wolf, Ben 

and Susan Rosenthal Maisel, Nick Thompson, 

Alex Rice, Kate Jordan, Kay Whitchurch, Scott 

Johnson, Meredith Miller, Liz Watson, Chauncey 

Herman, Dan and Jena Nodelman Cohen, Rachel 

Abramovitz, Blair ’01 and Karen Mitchell Ridder, 

Josh ’05 and Beth ’04 Kimmell Snyder, and Shaan 

Chima. Carolyn and Alex are living in Philly, 

where he’s a lawyer and she works for Sotheby’s. 

Catherine Winner also sent in some Colgate 

wedding news: “On Oct 11 Saya Otsubo and Dana 

Bliss officially tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony 

overlooking the water in E Hampton, NY. 

They both wrote their own vows, leaving not a 

dry eye in the place! Saya looked absolutely stunning 

and Dana couldn’t stop smiling throughout 

the weekend’s festivities. To help Saya and Dana 

celebrate were bridesmaids Caroline Chin, Bahar 

Cankurt, Rachel Marliave, and Katie Schor 

and groomsmen Kevin Arias, Nick Thompson, 

Matt Ouderkirk, and Mark Rosen. Also in 

attendance were Michelle Morrone, Caroline 

Katz, Erica Beck Bley, Samantha Schmitt, Alex 

Rice, Dave Coxson, Sam Cohen, Matt Fox, Dan 

Jacobs, Oakley Dyer, Charles Kuller, Eric Morse, 

Matt Schibanoff, Jerry Ouderkirk ’98, and Rick 

Grassey ’77. It was quite a Colgate reunion, complete 

with Dana serenading Saya with the Beta 

Sweetheart song during the reception!” 

Nehal Beltangady sent even more wedding 

news. Alyson Loria and Greg Geller (WI ’02) were 

married on July 26, 2008, at the Royal Sonesta in 

Cambridge, MA. Marisa Loria ’06 was maid of 

honor, and Mary Mitchell, Alison Croessmann, 

and Nehal were bridesmaids. Other Colgate attendees 

included Heidi Gerken, Nancy Krikawa, 

Alexandra Rice, Nick Thompson, and Ben Schrag. 

Nehal wrote, “The bride and groom followed 

up their great wedding with a trip to Italy and 

Greece. Alyson and Greg first met 1st year of college 

and were blissfully reunited on a cold New 

Year’s Eve in NY in 2004. They moved from NYC 

to Boston right before the wedding and are now 

both in grad school. We miss them!” 

Nehal also included some info about Alison 

Croesmann’s wedding to Ben Schrag. “A few 

months later on Sept 27, 2008, Alison and Ben 

got married at Monteverde at Oldstone Manor in 

Cortland Manor, NY. They met on a Wilderness 

Adventure trip the summer before 1st year at 

Colgate, and appropriately got married outside, 

overlooking the Hudson River. Not fans of the 

traditional, the bride and groom’s memorable 1st 

dance was a choreographed routine to the theme 

song from Mannequin. A lot of Colgate alumni 

were in attendance, including Alison’s 22 12B 

roommates Heidi Gerken, Nancy Krikawa, Alyson 

Loria, Mary Mitchell, and myself. Many of Ben’s 

ATO brothers were there, including Eric Fornari, 

Sam Pitman, Rich Levine, Kyle Chepla, Dave Welsch, 

Mike Reuten, Tyler Fonda ’01, Chris Sugahara 

’00, Mike O’Neill ’00, Judd Rothstein ’00, and 

Kevin Smith ’00. Other attendees included 

Alexandra Rice, Nick Thompson, Shelby Hudson, 

Whitney Morris, Gretchen Tucker Fonda ’01, and 

Brittany Trevenen ’00 O’Neill. Alison and Ben live 

in the West Village and are both lawyers.” 

Finally, some exciting baby news. Anthony 

Curro wrote in that Mauro Tucci and wife 

Angelica are the parents of a healthy boy named 

Thomas. And Sol Kuckelman updated that he and 

wife Linda had their 1st child, Harlan Edmund on 

Oct 11. Congrats to the new parents. 

Please keep sending in any updates and exciting 

news. 

Editor’s note: If anyone from the Class of 2002 

would like to volunteer to take over the class 

news column for Rachel, please e-mail associate 

editor Aleta Mayne at amayne@colgate.edu. 

Rachel: rdeblinger@gmail.com 

2003 

Melanie Kiechle 

Apt 1 

74 Raritan Avenue 

Highland Park, NJ 08904-2453 

Ah, summer: bbqs, baseball, and busy, busy 

days. I haven’t heard from too many of you, no 

doubt because you’re rushing from wedding to 

wedding and trying to fit a little vacation in too, 

if possible. Enjoy, and be sure to write next time. 

For now, you’ll have to be happy with these few 

tidbits and that tall glass of lemonade in front 

of you. 

Leading off, a hearty congrats to new father 

Soorena Khojasteh! He and wife Raena Khorram 

(Johns Hopkins ’03) are happy to announce the 

birth of their daughter Nava, who arrived on 

Feb 26. Soorena says the happy family has been 

overwhelmed by the outpouring of support 

from friends and family, especially Sarmad 

Khojasteh, who is doing a federal clerkship in 

NC; Michael Costa, who recently moved back to 

NYC; Sasha Willimann, who left to practice law 

in Brazil; Doug Troutman, who is doing a surgical 

residency in Philly; Johnny Gnall, who is in culinary 

school in SF; Eli Rubin ’05, who is studying 

law in Philly; Abby Spiegel and Heath Sroka, 

who are living in NYC; and Nate ’02 and Eileen 

’04 Plotkin, who are in med school and practicing 

law in NY respectively. They were also surprised 

to run into Aryn Fleegler in Philly, who is 

studying education before returning to Africa. 

They want to thank everyone for their calls and 

thoughts during this joyous and busy time! 

Another fatherhood entry came from Amir 

Mohammed: “Been really busy at my new job at 

The Bank of NY Mellon, though I’ve been here 

for 8 months. I had a baby boy on July 1, 2008. 

His name is Alexander Amir and hopefully he’s 

a future Colgater. He just turned 6 months old in 

Jan. He’s very smart, only wants to walk, and has 

4 teeth already. In Nov ’08, I closed on my brandnew 

condo right next to the Bronx Zoo and both 

my son and soon-to-be fiancée, Stephanie Brown 

(RIT ’02), live with me. I am just trying to find 

the right ring, but by the time everyone reads 

this, we should be engaged.” Hopefully he found 

that ring so I’m not letting the cat out of the bag. 

Amir’s summer plans include the Aug wedding 

of Jeremy Ballard and Khatera Abdulwali, so I’m 

sure he and Stephanie will be taking notes and 

making plans. 

Andy ’02 and Emily Marcellus Freeth have a 

growing family since they welcomed daughter 

Eloise Jane on Dec 30. Eloise joined 2-year-old 

Teddy, and I’m sure that will make for many fun 

summers to come. 

Ruth Stothers and Michael Francis Dolan 

were married on Sept 20, 2008, and just welcomed 

daughter Gweneth Marguerite on Jan 13. 

The Dolan family is doing well and residing in 

Copiague, NY, out on LI. Ruth recently had dinner 

with Lacy Cohen and Liz McKeveny. Lacy is living 

in NYC and recently enjoyed a trip through 

Ireland, and Liz is still working and living with 

her bf in NYC. Ruth, Chrissy Demart, Tess Horsky, 

Caitlin Ostrow, and Kate Sibel all met up for a 

mini-reunion in the Adirondack park in late Aug 

for those who couldn’t make it to Reunion at Colgate. 

Tess works as an import/export compliance 

analyst for SCA in NYC and is living in the vicinity 

(she was moving the last time I spoke with 

her). Chrissy got married to Andrew Woodring 

and they have bought a house in Wilmington, 

DE. She lives only 30 minutes from Kate Sibel, 

who is an atty at O’Neill Properties Group/Macartney, 

Mitchell & Campbell, LLC in Philly. And 

Caitlin is getting her master’s at the School of the 

Art Institute of Chicago. She and her bf live in the 

Chicago area. The girls had a fabulous weekend 

upstate, drinking beer on the lake and remem- 

Info, please: 

If you know of the whereabouts – home 

address, phone, fax, or e-mail – of anyone 

on this list, please contact alumni 

records: 315-228-7435; 315-228-7699 

(fax); alumnirecords@colgate.edu. 

Thanks for your help! 

Benjamin R. Katz ’73 

Frances M. Lynch ’78 

Daniel P. Hagerman ’85 

James S. Green ’91 

Shasheen P. Shah ’92 

Lovelace H. Cann ’95 

Craig H. Drummond ’96 

Elizabeth J. Tenney ’98 

Monte L. Wilson ’98 

Eric M. Zagorsky ’02 

Maurice J. Bowers ’03 

Aaron C.S. Sheldon ’04 

Moon Sup Kim ’05 

Arrien Drake Aehegma ’06 

bering the good ole days at ’Gate! 

And now, on to the weddings. Scott Herbst 

wrote to say, “Been an exciting year, got married 

this fall to Suzi Raftery (Marist ’99) on Sept 13, 

2008, in Nantucket, MA, at the Sconset Chapel. 

We headed over to the Nantucket GC for the reception 

and had a blast with a great group of 

Colgate alumni in attendance, including Peter 

Madsen ’69, Tom McCune, Steve Dolan, Steve 

Newhouse, Oliver Wight ’04, Tripp Madsen ’04, 

Brendan Sandel ’02, Peter Watts, Emily Sheridan, 

Jon Anderson, Morgan Houchin, John Golden ’66, 

Collis Klarberg, Leila Balsley, Nick Gerken, Alex 

Collins ’04, Obie and Conway Walthew Bate, Katie 

Herbst Machir’99, and Dick Herbst ’69.” Now 

that’s a Colgate crew! Scott and Suzi are enjoying 

married life and living in NYC. 

Leila has been making the wedding circuit 

and has a big one coming up this summer, but I’ll 

let her tell you about that: “In March I attended 

Conway and Obie’s wedding in Palm Beach, FL. 

Many other Colgate alums were in attendance, 

including Oliver Wight ’04, Alex Collins ’04, 

Scott Herbst, Collis Klarberg, Jon Anderson, Rich 

Gillis, Liz Hoffman, Heather Lambert (who is also 

getting married this summer in ME!), and many 

others. The wedding was beautiful and it was 

so fun to see everyone! I can’t wait to celebrate 

with Colgate friends even more this summer at 

my wedding to Steve Newhouse in Nantucket, 

and am looking forward to the other summer 

weddings coming up!” It definitely sounds like a 

fantastic summer is in the works — enjoy! 

I heard from Rinad Beidas about her recent 

nuptials, and they sound picture perfect. Actually, 

I got to see a picture, too, so I can tell you that 

they were that perfect! “I wed Karl Schweitzer 

(Skidmore ’03) in a beautiful beach ceremony in 

Siesta Key, FL, on March 7. Three Colgate alumni 

(Stephen Brown, Larry Schweitzer ’09, and Britta 

von Oesen) were in the wedding, and many more 

’03 alumni made it down for the celebration: 

Katy McLaughlin, Kristen Coleman, Joe Gabriele, 

Meg Hengerer, Matt Lambert, Lauren Gary Neaman, 

and Trish Pomeroy.” 

Remember, you can check out our class page 

on the alumni website to look at the great pics 

that people send me — and to add some of your 

own! Just a few more details for this column, 

including a great Colgate sighting. Angela Brandt 

wrote from OR, where she’s in the 4th year of her 

PhD program in zoology/ecology, and recently 

won a small grant from The Nature Conservancy 

to do an additional experiment at one of her CA 

field sites. This means Angela will be studying 

hard until summer 2011, but don’t feel bad for 

her — she said she’s “excited to have the chance 

to see whether competition from invasive plant 

species is causing declines I’ve observed in native 

plant abundance at my site.” Her random sighting 

came not in the field, but in Portland, OR, at 

the annual lindy exchange there (a jam-packed 

weekend of swing dancing with many live 

bands), where Angela ran into Eva Robinson ’05, 

who is now in grad school at U of WA. 

Also from CA, Rick Shoemaker-Moyle took 

some time out from his legal studies to share 

these fun facts: “I am currently in my 3rd year at 

McGeorge School of Law and just had my first 

jury trial. I served as lead counsel for the govt in 

a trial that involved the US charging a defendant 

with assault on a federal officer. My co-counsel 

and I got a guilty conviction and sentencing is 

coming up in May.” In case you’re in the area, 

Rick highly recommends Sacramento, or “Sactown” 

as a great place to be, especially when you 

don’t have to study for the Bar. 

We have another published author in our 

midst. I just heard from Carissa Dull Swiatek 

that, without even trying, she has a poem pub- 

“Julia Gilbert, Alissa Valiante, and I made good on a pact to all return to Venice, where we studied abroad 

with Colgate in the fall of 2003. We rented an apt not far from St Mark’s Square for a week and enjoyed 

reliving our study abroad experience. We caught up with an old professoressa and met the current group 

of 20+ Colgate students studying there. It was fun to swap stories about our experiences. It was a wonderful 

trip, and we are very lucky to have experienced Venice together twice!” — Joanna Allegretti ’05 

lished in A Call to Nursing: Nurses’ Stories about 

Challenge and Commitment. That’s right, Carissa 

has found a way to combine her longtime passion 

for poetry with her newer calling, nursing. 

She’ll be starting a grad program in the fall to become 

a certified nurse midwife and, in Carissa’s 

own words “things have been scarily good.” I 

don’t think I’d complain about that — congrats! 

Kelli Wong has been making the rounds yet 

again. She just got back from a service trip to 

Vietnam, where she put all that medical schooling 

to work in a hospital. Then Kelli found out 

that she’ll be doing her residency in Charleston, 

SC, for the next few years, so she spent some 

time looking for new digs before jetting off to 

Europe for 10 days, which will include a visit to 

Volker Tuettenberg’s family in Germany. 

And finally, here’s a little inspiration for us all. 

Tim Shea quit his NYC job at the end of Jan and 

hit the road. I heard from him while in Mumbai, 

but he’s probably moved on to another place by 

now — since he did write me while waiting for a 

plane to Nepal and Tibet. Tim had already been 

to Egypt, UAE, and “all over India,” with plans to 

continue backpacking across Asia until Aug and 

then meet up with his old roomie Tim Favorite 

’02 in NZ. How fantastic! So, if you happen to 

be in Australia, NZ, Hong Kong, China, or Japan 

between now and Aug, let Tim know — he’d love 

to meet up! 

Melanie: 315-778-0497; mkiechle@gmail.com 

2004 

Moira Gillick 

Tottering Hall 

2501 Calvert Street NW 

No. 705 

Washington, DC 20008 

Hello, all you beautiful people. 

As I write, the news is light but I hope you 

won’t mind me taking this space to share a few 

thoughts with you, my fellow 2004s. So first with 

the news and then, story time! 

After I saw Russell Gunther at the Barge 

Canal while I was on campus for the Colin Powell 

lecture, I prodded him for more details. He hit me 

back with, “I was in the Resolutions and came 

back up for Akapellafest with my girlfriend, Meg 

Lyons ’06 (non-Reso), and a bunch of other Reso 

alums older and younger (though depressingly 

mostly younger). Another ’04, Hayley Ostrager, 

was with me as well. Finally got to check out the 

library and science center — both of which are 

amazing.” 

Without prompting, Sarah Compter wrote in. 

She left M&T Bank at the end of 2008 to pursue 

more entrepreneurial ventures. Now the director 

of sales effectiveness for SYNACT, Inc, Sarah’s 

working for her father and the firm’s president, 

Ken Compter ’75, to develop new business opportunities 

in the metro-DC marketplace. She 

caught up with Nicole Flint ’03 in DC recently, 

sees Kate Connors ’01 Michael frequently, and 

never misses a chance to head to Boston for a visit 

with Lauren Schiffer ’02, Erik Asmussen, Emily 

Roper-Doten ’02, Lindsey Slenger, and Whitney 

Baer. She’s also fortunate enough to spend lots 

of time with Nancy Miller ’05, who lives in Rochester. 

As an Alumni Council member, Sarah still 

gets to campus four times a year for meetings 

and welcomes any feedback about Colgate from 

the Class of 2004. 

And in the world of making the new big move 

in life, there are 2 reports. Rosie Bancroft wrote 

in on behalf of Katie Konrad to say, “Katie is engaged! 

Her fiancé proposed in March, his name is 

Richard Moore, and they are planning to wed in 

spring 2010.” 

And Norah Freeston Fallat wrote, “We have 

some great news — arriving 2 weeks early, Kelsey 

Ruth Fallat was born on March 21! At 6 lb, 13 oz, 

she’s a little peanut and we are just so in love 

with her. I am loving my stay-at-home mom 

status, and Jeff is now carrier qualified in the 

E-2C Hawkeye. We recently found out that we’ll 

be here in VA for the next few years and look forward 

to several more summers near the beach!” 

So those are the news headlines for this 

column. Now, an in-depth report from your class 

columnist. 

As I write, it is the season for April Visit Days 

and by the time you are reading this, our Reunion 

will have come and gone, so consider this 

story a reflection (that’s what you do at Reunion!) 

on our younger days (as high school seniors and 

college first-years). 

So this is really how Colgate happens to me: 

last November, I went to the NCAA football 

playoff game at Villanova in Philadelphia. I saw 

Dan Malessa ’05 (who lives here in DC also, but 

he had gone home to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving) 

and I was asking him about the Facebook 

pictures I saw of him and Mike McCarthy ’05 

at the DNC in Denver in August. He was saying 

that they got to volunteer at the DNC via Kim 

Peyser ’05. He asked, “Do you know Kim Peyser?” 

And I said, “Do I ever! She was my prospect for 

April Visit Days!” Now, don’t tell my father or 

any football players but I left the game early, 

and made a break for the main line so that I 

could make it back to DC for a party that night. 

I splurged and booked myself on the next Acela, 

which of course pulled in to Philadelphia 2 hours 

behind schedule, as it goes. Antsy as ever, as we 

were finally pulling into Union Station in DC, 

I made an aggressive move to the front of the 

train to hop off and head out to start the night 

and who do I run into between cars (doing the 

exact same thing) but Kim Peyser. Seriously! 

This is how my life happens to me. She and her 

dad were coming back from NYC where she 

visited her grandparents for the weekend and 

she asked, “Do you remember my father?” And I 

said, “Of course I do!” But it was so strange — in 

shaking his hand, I flashed back to a springtime 

afternoon in the Hall of Presidents when I, some 

19-year-old (child), first met him, having cut out 

of McVaugh’s art history class early (Little had 

just opened that semester) for the closing AVD 

luncheon. 

So whilst that was spooky, here is the part 

that killed me: after I got home and I was peeling 

off my warm layers to put on my party clothes, I 

realized that my long-sleeved t-shirt was NONE 

OTHER THAN, “I came, I saw, I stayed, WILL YOU? 

AVD 2001.” Yes, this is really how Colgate happens 

to me. 

By the time you are reading this in July, we 

will have had our regression weekend together 

and remember why we chose Colgate, which is 

the exact same thing kids (yes, mere children) 

are doing right now. And while our 4 years at 

Colgate have gone, will you stay with Colgate? 

We, the alumni admissions volunteers of DC, 

are hosting the yield party for accepted students 

next week and in the summer time we will host 

the send-off party for those who actually decide 

on Colgate. And while I am sure that I will meet 

some lovely future students, I can decidedly say 

that I have already met my favorite member of 

the Class of 2013 — his name is Patrick, he is tall 

with red hair, he is from Buffalo, and he is my 

cousin. Everyone in the fam is really excited, and 

I think that we are rapidly approaching mafia 

status under NY state law. 

But enough — please send me 2004 news so I 

do not write Gillick news! I realize the publishing 

deadline is few and infrequent, but lay down 

your love and it will make its way to print. I look 

forward to hearing from you and if not, hearing 

about you. As always. And as ever. Best, MG 

Moira: moirag@gmail.com 

2005 

Amy Griffin 

1461 W. Walton St. Apt. 2 


This issue marks our official entry into maturity. 

I figure this because we have now spent as much 

time out of college as we did in college. I also 

figure this because everyone is getting married. 

For example, Casey McCormack and John Angliss 

became engaged, although not to each other. 

Jess Dustman and John Fuller also got engaged 

(in their case, yes, to each other). They will be 

moving from Philly to Amsterdam together this 

Aug to study. John will be pursuing an LLM in 

internatl and European Law at the U of Amsterdam, 

and Jess, her master’s in heath economics, 

policy, and law at Erasmus U in Rotterdam. The 

wedding is slated for fall 2010. 

I just returned from the Hollywood home of 

Carly Kiel, who will have finished her master’s in 

professional writing from USC by the time this is 

published, and whose blog is quickly becoming 

an Internet sensation. As you would expect, 

the visit included beautiful weather, shopping, 

picnicking, and Pirate’s Dinner Adventure. 

Answer key to the puzzle on p. 80 

The bonus message appears 

across the third row. 



Back in Chicago, there has been a lot of 

Colgate activity. I ran into Andrew May, who goes 

to Northwestern Law with a friend of mine. He 

directed and starred in this spring’s Northwestern 

Wigmore Follies, which parody life in law 

school. I’ve seen pictures and it looked like quite 

the show. 

The Chicago alumni club had a Colgate Day 

party in the Lakeview neighborhood, orchestrated 

by Dan Solomon. Other folks from our class 

were Anna Kolich, Katy Romano, Mike Gentithes, 

Rob Van Brunt, Lauren Healy, who is doing her 

pharmacist’s residency at Northwestern Memorial 

Hospital, and Gretchen Weiss, who works for 

the Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative. 

Heather Clark dropped me a line. She lives 

here in Chicago and says she regularly runs into 

Colgate alumni on the street. 

Gabrielle Provencal, who works in admissions 

at a private HS, was in Chicago for a conference, 

and in a rare alignment of the planets, so was 

Cara Angelopulos to surprise her brother John 

’01 the same weekend. The Angelopuloses (or 

Angelopuloi, if you prefer) took us all out to a 

lovely dinner in Greektown. 

Joanna Allegretti wrote me about a Colgatedoes-Europe 

trip: “In Nov, Julia Gilbert, Alissa 

Valiante, and I made good on a pact to all return 

to Venice, where we studied abroad with Colgate 

in the fall of 2003. We rented an apt not far from 

St Mark’s Square for a week and enjoyed reliving 

our study abroad experience, visiting our favorite 

sights, eating at our favorite restaurants, and 

even paying a visit to the school where classes 

were held. We caught up with an old professoressa 

and met the current group of 20+ Colgate 

students studying there. They were impressed 

that we returned to Venice, and it was fun to 

swap stories about our experiences. Before heading 

back to the US, we traveled to Vienna for a 

few days, where we met up with Ellen Frank, 

who lives and works in Kosovo. It was a wonderful 

trip, and we are lucky to have experienced 

Venice together twice!” 

Business school at Duke sounds tough: Katie 

Finnegan tells me that she’s been toiling away 

at sunny lax games with Lindsey Ingerman, who 

is at UNC for another year. Katie’s taking a break 

from this busy schedule to travel to South Africa 

before interning at AT Kearney in NYC this summer. 

She is looking forward to catching up with 

all of the alumni who live there! 

Sean Devlin, who is studying for his JD at Suffolk 

Law, co-hosted a dinner party with Chandler 

Bewkes ’04 in MA with John Mooradian, Sarah 

Fitzgerald, Katie Holbrook, Cara Angelopulos, 

Jen Busby, Sasha Barausky ’04, Abigal O’Connell 

’04, Elke Wagle ’04, and Martha Cook ’04. Also at 

Suffolk Law with Sean are Colgate alums Matt 

Fox ’02, Matt Kobelski ’04, John Mooradian, 

Bill Tone ’03, and Katie Powell ’06. Sean will be 

returning to Amsterdam to work with Baker & 

McKenzie as a summer assoc in their Internatl 

M&A and Internatl Corp Tax Depts. 

Megan Lamb recently received a Gulfstream 

Barbaro Award from Gulfstream Park to further 

her equine studies at the U of FL College of 

Veterinary Medicine. Megan grew up on her 

parents’ Thoroughbred farm in FL and started 

riding at an early age. While at Colgate, she participated 

in animal behavior research projects in 

both Thailand and Belize. After graduating from 

UF, she plans to complete an internship at the NJ 

Equine Clinic in the interest of working toward 

board certification in either equine surgery or 

medicine. Congrats, Megan! 

Thanks for reading to the bottom. Go, ’Gate. 

Amy: amyegriffin@gmail.com 

2006 

Bob Fenity 

1420 A 17th St NW 

Washington, DC 20036 

I hope everyone had a great spring and has been 

able to enjoy the summer months. Two of our 

classmates have recently continued giving back 

to Colgate in unique ways. Matt McDonell writes, 

“For the last year and a half I have been working 

for the SC Maritime Fndn, which operates the 

140' wooden schooner, The Spirit of SC. We have 

been offering educational programs to students 

in grades 5–12, and programs range 1–14 days in 

length; 54% of the students we have served are 

from disadvantaged families, receiving free or 

reduced school lunches. <strong>Our</strong> programming has 

gone in many directions, but one of the most 

exciting is adding a 5-day Wilderness Adventure 

Program for incoming Colgate first-years. The 

program will operate during WA Session I Aug 

11–15 this summer and will give 18 incoming 

students the opportunity to develop robust 

leadership skills in an extremely challenging environment. 

By the end of the program, students 

with no prior sailing experience will be able to 

successfully operate the ship without assistance 

from the professional crew. The program was an 

outgrowth of a friendship and productive relationship 

between Abby Rowe and myself during 

my time as a staff member for Colgate Outdoor 

Ed and the Outward Bound Sea Program. The 

program has just opened enrollment and is in its 

1st year.” 

Mehul Malik recently gave a talk at Colgate 

on April 7 at the physics and astronomy dept’s 

colloquium series on his research in quantum 

imaging at the U of Rochester. The talk was titled 

“Single Photon Ghost Imaging.” Mehul is doing 

great in Rochester with his dog, Miro, and occasionally 

hangs out with Krystle Williams, who 

is getting married in the summer. 

Derek Johnson just finished his Peace Corps 

service in Cambodia teaching English and coaching 

girls basketball at a rural HS. He is starting 

his grad studies at U of Chicago Harris School of 

Public Policy in Sept. Welcome back, Derek. 

Sian-Pierre Regis and Bennett Richardson 

were able to celebrate Colgate Day in Paris. Bennett 

was abroad for a visit, and Sian-Pierre has 

relocated to Paris for 6 months to work on a style 

site that he started on BET.com called Swagger. 

He now can be found on the streets of Paris 

taking pictures of the “coolest and most stylish 

people” in the city for Swagger Paris and writing 

about why they’re cool, what music they’re 

listening to, and where to buy their clothes. SP 

writes, “I hope to make it global soon (with some 

investment) so that any young person in the 

world can link into what’s hot on the streets of 

NYC, Paris, Tokyo, or London at any time!” 

Ariel Falconer is currently on the job hunt in 

Boston (and NYC as a backup) in the nonprofit 

sector and communications. She’d love to hear 

from anyone who has any leads or Colgate connections. 

Adam Weber writes, “It’s been an interesting 

couple of months for me. Like a lot of people, I’ve 

had to keep my head down and my desk full in 

hopes that my boss will look elsewhere when 

she needs to ‘streamline’ the budget some more. 

That aside, I’ve shared some great times recently 

with a ton of ’Gaters. The weekend before St 

Patrick’s Day, I went down to NY for the Alumni 

Club’s pub crawl and Alex Varjan’s bday party. 

My girlfriend and I stayed with Matt Feldman 

and Troy Somero on the Upper East Side (they’re 

excellent hosts). As you might imagine, the pub 

crawl was a fantastic time, and we crowded 

each location with a ton of Colgate people from 

all of the recent classes, as well as some older 

alums. There are far too many names to list here, 

but the group included Nicolo Giorgi, in from 

WI, Gavin Gregory, in from OR, Scott Coope, in 

from London, and Dave Altieri, who took the 

PATH in from Hoboken. Alex’s party was a lot of 

fun as well and gave me the chance to hang out 

with Frank Badalato and Bobby Mendelson, of 

suiGeneris fame. A week after that, I did some 

traveling in Europe, including a week in Vienna 

to visit my sister, and a weekend in London. 

While in London, I stayed with Scott Coope, and 

met up with Orion Ganase ’07, who also lives in 

London, and Melinda Chau ’09, who was visiting. 

It was a fun-filled weekend (so fun, in fact, that I 

almost missed my ride to the airport), and I have 

to recommend London to anyone who hasn’t 

been.” 

Ben Evans has founded and is now the editor 

of the Arts Review, Fogged Clarity. The debut 

issue is available online and will be going into 

print this summer. Features include the work of a 

Guggenheim fellow, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and 

a poet laureate. 

We’ve had a boom in weddings and engagements. 

Here’s a quick rundown of some recent 

nuptials: 

Nils Homer and Victoria Theisen were married 

July 26, 2008, at the Colgate Chapel. 

Jayna Richardson and Joe Kurstin were 

married this past Dec and are living in DC. Their 

wedding was attended by close family as well as 

Nicole Kinsman. 

Ryan Martin and Lauren Pallone will be getting 

married this Dec. 

Craig Cerone and Emily Colahan have recently 

gotten engaged. Congrats to all of you! 

As for me, I’m still living in DC and survived 

the craziness that was inauguration. I headed 

back to Colgate in Jan with Amy Dudley for the 

Real World program. It was great to be back, but 

definitely a little strange to be up there in an 

official alumni capacity. There are a couple new 

bars and restaurants in Hamilton including a 

Mexican place that I’ve heard has good margaritas. 

It was still too soon for me to be at a Colgate 

Mexican restaurant not named Chili Willy’s. 

Mary and JoAnn at the Bacon as well as John Jug 

send their best to the Class of 2006. What’s going 

on with you? I hope all is well. Please send me an 

update today. 

Bob: 585-506-5981; rfenity@gmail.com 

2007 

Allie Grimes 

Apt 2B 

120 East 11th St 

New York, NY 10003-5311 

First, thank you to everyone who e-mailed me! 

Jeff Smidt sent me a message to let me know 

that he’s been working with Henry Prince and 

Jake Lindauer ’08 on their project Placebo, a short 

indie film shot entirely on the Colgate campus 

last fall. The duo is already demonstrating 

their talent as writers and filmmakers; in fact, 

Placebo won entry into the Palm Beach Internatl 

Film Fest. Congrats to Henry and Jake. We look 

forward to hearing about your next project and 

good luck! [Editor’s note: See Arts & Culture for 

more on Placebo.] 

I briefly mentioned this in my last column, 

but I heard from Alexandra Dean Hinrichs, who 

married Brian on Oct 12, 2008, in Barre, MA, with 

many Colgate friends there to celebrate the day. 

Be sure to send your congrats to Madison, WI, 

where the couple is currently living. 

Ian Maron-Kolitch also e-mailed to let me 

know about a recent celebration for Dara Mitchell’s 

bday, at which many ’07ers were present. For 

her 24th on April 4, Dara hosted a bday party/ 

scavenger hunt in Central Park. Maddie Adams, 

Charley Burkley, Cori Schattner, Evan Sherwood, 

Leah Susser, Christine Susienka, Laura Wolff, 

and Ian joined Dara for lunch followed by 

exploration and frolicking in the park. Afterward, 

the crew headed to Christine’s Upper East Side 

apt for some pizza, cake, beer, and laughs. Both 

Christine and Ian are finishing up their 2nd year 

of teaching with Teach for America and will 

both be in the classroom for at least another 

year. I also celebrated the big 2-4 this past March 

with many Colgate friends. Talia Kasher baked 

cupcakes and Nell Kelleher made a guest appearance 

all the way from Boston. I celebrated 

with Sara Duffy, Cailyn Reilly, Erin Lyons, Emily 

Crantz, Ashley Olentine, and Becky Calman 

(whose bday is just 2 days before mine, on March 

14!), just to name a few. 

Other members of our class got together for 

Spring Party Weekend in DC since they couldn’t 

make it back to Hamilton for the real thing. Allie 

Frumin sent in a photo that’s now on our class 

page at colgatealumni.org that pictures some of 

the attendees: Meg Reed, Jane Phelan, Dani Nolan 

(hostess), and Natalie Breitbach (who came 

down from NYC for the event). 

Recently I received some exciting news about 

Chad Conti, who’s working for GEI Consultants in 

MA. Chad has earned a LEED Professional Accreditation 

for his study of green building practices 

and principles. “Chad Conti, LEED AP is a geologist 

with experience in subsurface investigations 

and environmental sampling. Mr Conti received 

his BA in geology from Colgate, where he focused 

on traditional geology as well as environmental 

geology. His current work includes nuclear power 

plant site characterization and permitting applications, 

environmental sampling, and subsurface 

investigations involving soil and bedrock drilling, 

groundwater monitoring well installation, 

surface soil and water sampling, and test pit 

excavations. He is located in the firm’s Woburn, 

MA, office.” 

Even though you’ll hopefully be busy having 

fun in the sun, don’t forget to send me updates 

this summer. 

Allie: Alexandra.grimes@gmail.com 

2008 

Sarah Greenswag 

2124 Birchwood Lane 

Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 

As summer approaches, we are finally seeing 

glimpses of spring up here in Hamilton. I cannot 

complain about the weather though because 

despite the cold, the month of April has been a 

great one! The 1st 2 weekends were packed with 

more than 50 alumni from our class (and more 

from others) visiting for the weekend. When I 

looked around the Jug, I actually saw familiar 

faces. 

I have to congratulate my best friends on pulling 

off the biggest surprise of my life early this 

month. I turned 23 on April 3 and was literally 

floored when Victoria Shepard, Jill Blinderman, 

and Erica Leffler stormed into the Tap Room. 

They had told me they were visiting the weekend 

of the 10th when for weeks they had been 

secretly plotting to come celebrate with me the 

actual weekend of my bday. The next night I was 

again shocked by another round of surprise visitors, 

including Magdalena Mango, Julie Geifman, 

Mara Kaufman, and Courtney Dunlaevy. And as if 

this wasn’t overwhelming enough, more than 15 

other alumni from our class came up that weekend. 

Nikki Shribman, Brett Fleisher, Jess Laufer, 

Eileen Kelly, Tori Filler, Julia Heymans, Kathryn 

Everett, Taylor Daly, Kinnon McCall, Lauren Sher, 

Lauren Mangione, Andrew Bevan, Sagiv Edelman, 

Ari Hershey, Susan Parsons, and Maggie Porter 

(were there more!?) all spent the weekend catching 

up and reminiscing. 

The 1st weekend in April witnessed another 

big event: the Global Leaders Lecture Series welcomed 

Gen Colin Powell to Colgate on April 3. He 

spoke candidly about his transition from public 

to private life as well as his vision of America as 

the country all others will continue to look up to 

despite the global econ crisis. This was a great 

opportunity, though did not draw quite the reaction 

as the Dalai Lama (when protesters chanted 

“stop lying!”). 

Ian Elliott, Brendan Clegg, Bill Kindler, Steve 

Harlor, Evan Xenopoulos, Osato Ukponmwan, 

Andrew Kreidman, Cole Aaronson, Kevin Tarrant, 

Chris Hines, Dave Greene, Mike Shea, and Ted 

Lehman were all back the next weekend for a Phi 

Kappa Tau mini-reunion. The guys were able to 

meet the soph brothers who joined in the fall for 

the 1st time and to tour the house once occupied 

by ATO at 92 Broad now owned by Phi Tau. 

(Thanks, Clegg!) 

Lax alumni Trevor Marticke, Matt Lalli, 

Brian Lombardo, Chris Eck ’07, Jon Freeberg, EJ 

Atamian, and Scott Gourlay came to show their 

support when the men’s lax team played Bucknell 

for the title of 2009 Patriot League Regular 

Season Champs. They also planned to fit in some 

golf on Fri with the parents of past and current 

lax players. 

In news outside of Hamilton, Tanya Lubicznawrocka 

spent the summer traveling in 

Ecuador learning Spanish and is now working at 

Facing History and <strong>Our</strong>selves in Boston. Taylor 

Buonocore sent the following update: “I’ve been 

in Tanzania since mid-Feb, volunteering with an 

orphanage called the Rift Valley Children’s Fund. 

I keep busy with playtime (hide and seek, wheelbarrow 

races, reading Dr Seuss, etc), making 

dozens of PB&J sandwiches every other day for 

breakfast, and I co-teach kindergarten in the primary 

school everyday. Every day is a great day; 

the kids are awesome. They even participated 

in Colgate Day last month! Anyone who wants 

to know more can check out my blog.” Jackie 

Harris recently received exciting news as well. 

She earned a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship 

to Germany. Until she leaves, she will finish up 

at her current position working at the Bennington 

Museum in Bennington, VT, and will leave 

for Germany in Sept. Jackie will be in Germany 

through next June serving as an English and 

America Studies teaching asst at a German HS. 

Matt Jandreau has also been quite busy since 

graduation. He is currently teaching chem at the 

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, 

MA, and has committed to a 2nd year. He is 

making his mark there and will be teaching a 

chemistry elective course for the 1st time in the 

school’s history! In other chemistry-related news, 

Doug Collins has been living in southern NH 

while attending U of NH for a PhD in chem. He 

has decided to transfer to UC San Diego, where 

he will focus on the chemistry of air quality and 

climate change. Doug will be taking a road trip in 

June with his girlfriend, Laura Coyle ’09, including 

a stop in IO to meet up with Barnes Kelley. 

Other exciting events this summer include 

the hockey team’s annual golf tourney. Ben 

Camper, Jesse Winchester, and Tyler Burton 

planned to be back in Hamilton in early July for 

the Terry Slater Memorial Golf Tourney to support 

Colgate hockey. All 3 are currently playing 

pro hockey after 4 years at Colgate. The Class of 

2008 hockey-golf team is always a favorite for 

the Slater low-score trophy! Good luck! 

It has been a great semester up at Colgate and 

I am sad to say that this will be my last column 

written in Case-Geyer Library. Thanks for all the 

exciting news this season and keep the updates 

coming! 

Sarah: sarah.greenswag@gmail.com 

2009 

Samantha Gillis 

3 Juniper Lane 

Falmouth, ME 04105 

We welcome the 2009 class editor, Samantha 

Gillis. Please contact her with all of your exciting 

news! 

Samantha: Shgillis@gmail.com 

Masters 

Tracy Messer MA’83 of Peterborough, NH, has 

been named web development and communications 

mgr for the Defense and Veterans Brain 

Injury Center. He will support service members 

and veterans with traumatic brain injuries 

and their families by developing internal and 

external web-based resources. Previously, he 

served as marketing mgr for Crotched Mtn Fndn 

in Greenfield, NH. 

Marriages & Unions 

(2009 unless otherwise noted) 

Gordon Tapper ’83 and Aviva Weintraub 

(Cornell), Aug. 20, 2008 

Charles Rosenstein ’86 and Michelle Duncan, 

Dec. 24, 2008. 

Paul Lobo ’89 and Kinga Krisko, Nov. 15, 2008 

Jeffrey Sharp ’89 and Douglas Steinbrech (Univ. 

of Iowa), Aug. 19, 2008 

Amy Palmer ’95 and Douglas Ellis (Williams 

College), May 10, 2008 

Robin Bellizzi ’98 and Titus Queen (Ole Miss), 

Jan. 31 

Harper Fertig ’98 and James Robinson, Jan. 24 

Kristina Bomberger ’00 and Blake Mumby (Univ. 

of VT), April 11 

Hayden Condon ’00 and Julie Doherty (Providence 

College), Sept. 27, 2008 

Judd Rothstein ’00 and Britany Foster (Univ. of 

NC), Aug. 30, 2008 

Nicole Rudolph ’00 and Clifford Katz, June 14, 

2008 

David Dobbins ’01 and Erin McAfee, June 14, 

2008 

Dana Snyde ’01 and Jon Hammack (Univ. of WA), 

June 14, 2008 

Dana Bliss ’02 and Saya Otsubo ’02, Oct. 11, 2008 

Michael Martocci ’02 and Nicole Flowers ’02, 

Sept. 6, 2008 

Phill Ramey ’02 and Yaeka Katsuta ’02, Aug. 9, 

2008 

Obie Bate ’03 and Conway Walthew ’03, March 14 

Christie Philbrick-Wheaton ’04 and Andrew 

Galvin, Sept. 6, 2008 

Adam Rubinstein ’04 and Anne Holzberg (Univ. 

of MD), Dec. 28, 2008 

Robert (Will) Cathcart ’05 and Christine 

Aguinaldo ’05, Aug. 16, 2008 

Bianca Verrilli ’05 and Gustavo Valdiviezo, March 

19, 2008 

Births & Adoptions 

(2009 unless otherwise noted) 

To Robert McMahon ’81 and Fenton: Robert 

William III ‘Liam,’ Aug. 25, 2008 

To Jean-Pierre Conte ’85 and Martha: Sophie 

Isabella, Jan. 17 

To Dale Bryk ’87 and Jonathan Weidlinger: Julian, 

May 20, 2008 

To Andrew Gatt ’90 and Julia Tarasova: Gregory 

William, Sept. 13, 2008, joining Daniel 

To Tim and Christina Lyndrup ’90 Farrell: 

Brenden Mark, Aug. 1, 2008 

To Gus Coldebella ’91 and Heather: Tenley, Feb. 2 

To Edward and Stacy Veitch ’91 Wright: Sadie 

Maeve, April 9, joining Norah 

To Richard Burke ’92 and Jacqueline: Christian 

Karol, Nov. 10, 2008, joining Auggie, Cal, and Reid 

To Steve ’92 and Tiffany Ullrich ’94 McLaud: 

Theodore Charles ‘Teddy,’ Dec. 1, 2008, joining 

James and Collyer 

To Douglas Barnes ’93 and Katrina: Robert 

Douglas, April 21 

To W. Price Roe ’93 and Peg: William Rush, Sept. 

26, 2008 

To Andy Antrobus ’94 and Nancy: Grant 

Hamilton, Feb. 16, joining Ellie 

To Chris Snow ’94 and Rachel: Emma and 

Hannah, March 31, joining Connor 

To Tim and Carlie Wakeman ’94 Hornbrook: 

Gordon Burr, July 18, 2008, joining Alistair 

To Evan ’94 and Sarah Todd ’96 Weinstein: 

Alexandra Ryan, Dec. 31, 2008, joining Natalie 

To Michael ’94 and Molly Foran ’96 Yurchak: 

Sascha Peter, Sept. 12, 2008 

To Taragh and Barbara Clopper ’95 Mulvany: 

John Elliott, March 18 

To Jeffrey Fivecoat ’95 and Laura: Luke, June 7, 

2008 

To William ’95 and Elizabeth Voneiff Paternotte: 

Jack, Aug. 19, 2008 

To Mark ’95 and Lorna Gordon ’95 Zajack: Hazel 

Cameron, June 4, 2008 

To Ryan Brown ’96 and Amy: Charlotte Cassidy, 

April 7 

To Jodi Cohen ’96 and Jennifer Raymond: Beatrix 

Eileen, Nov. 8, 2008 

To Keith ’96 and Kelly Rodden ’01 DiBlasi: 

Alexandra Violet, Nov. 18, 2008 

To Christopher Johnson ’96 and Amy: Lorelei, 

Sept. 11, 2008 

To Joshua Liberman ’96 and Lindy: Leah Maeve, 

June 21, 2008, joining Hannah 

To Rose Stanzione ’96 and Vincent Milano: Layla 

Rose, Sept. 2008 

To Heather DiGiacomo ’97 and Jamie Trueblood: 

Nathan Emerson, Oct. 17, 2008 

To Mark and Kate Johnston ’97 Reed: Margaret 

Hope, Sept. 12, 2008 

To Curtis and Amy McKnight ’97 Fazen: Madeline, 

Sept. 29, 2008 

To John and Megan Ochampaugh ’97 Frank: 

Hutchinson James, Aug. 5, 2008 

To Mitch and Lisen Connery ’98 Syp: Filippa Ruth, 

Jan. 13 

To Ella Esente ’98 and Gian Luca Montenuovo: 

Elisa, Dec. 15, 2008, joining Luca 

To Jordan ’98 and Jamie Kohn ’98 Gersch: Noah 

Jacob, Feb. 20, joining Sam 

To Michael Remey ’98 and Aimee: Greyson Pryce, 

Nov. 30, 2008 

To Jeffrey and Pamela Weiss ’98 Caldara: Nealie 

Bess, Feb. 27, joining Parker 

To Nick ’99 and Katie Raisio ’99 Abstoss: 

Archibald Friedrich ‘Archie,’ Jan. 8, joining Lisl 

and Adelaide 

To Jeff ’99 and Ashley Haines ’01 Bastow: 

Hannah Lynn, Oct. 13, 2008 

To Michael Evans ’99 and Manjiri: Nareen 

Michael, Dec. 11, 2008 

To Christopher ’99 and Heather Ferina ’99 

Hendrick: Caleigh Ferina, March 2, joining Cole 

To Eric ’99 and Emily Martin ’99 Potts: Violet 

Elizabeth, Dec. 9, 2008 

To Andrew ’00 and Jennifer Lemanski ’00 

Monaco: Katherine, Jan. 16 

To Matt Price ’01 and Adrienne: Anna Virginia, 

Nov. 30, 2008 

To Terence ’02 and Kristin VanValkenburg ’02 

Sullivan: Eamon Timothy, March 13 

In Memoriam 

The Scene runs deceased notices on all alumni, 

current and former faculty members, honorary 

degree recipients, and staff members and others 

whom the editors determine would be well 

known to alumni. 

Raymond F. Spanjer ’32, February 11, 2009. 

Sigma Nu, Maroon Key, cross country, track. DO, 

Philadelphia College of Osteopathy, 1936; MD, 

New York Medical College, 1940. He practiced 

medicine for 33 years until retirement. He was 

predeceased by his wife, Grace, and cousin Carl 



Bjorncrantz ’29. He is survived by 4 sons, grandchildren, 

and a sister. 

Carl E. McAllister ’35, February 15, 2009. Austen 

Colgate Scholar, marching band, concert 

orchestra. US Army, 1944-1946. As a pastor with 

the American Baptist Church, his pastorates 

included Chicago; Janesville, Wis.; Whitefish Bay, 

Wis.; Lewiston, Maine; and Newark, Ohio. He was 

pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, Newark. 

Following retirement in 1978, he filled 14 interim 

pastorates in Ohio, Illinois, and Idaho. He is 

survived by his wife, Hazel, 2 sons, a daughter, 4 

grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. 

James K. Dittrich ’36, March 28, 2009. Sigma 

Nu. After graduation, he became treasurer of his 

family’s motion picture business in Endicott, N.Y., 

and managed The Cinema. He was predeceased 

by his wife, Helen, brothers Franklin ’31 and B. 

Worth ’34, and a son. He is survived by his son J. 

Kimm ’69, brother Robert ’48, 3 grandchildren, 

2 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and 

nephews. 

Thomas W. Kennedy ’40, February 14, 2009. 

Delta Kappa Epsilon. US Navy. MEd, American 

University. After 27 years in the Navy, he retired 

from Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, 

D.C., as a commander. In 1968, he moved his 

family to Winter Park, Fla., to teach high school 

American/English literature until he retired in 

1977. He is survived by his wife, Mary, 4 sons, and 

6 granddaughters. 

John P. Morrell ’40, January 21, 2009. Phi Delta 

Theta, Maroon Key, Masque and Triangle, boxing, 

debate, golf, marching band, swimming. 

US Army, WWII. He was the owner and general 

manager of dry cleaning plants as well as president 

of Morrell Manufacturing, which made fork 

lifts. From 1960-1963, he worked for New England 

Mutual Life. He then founded Executive Financial 

Planning, and finally, was owner and general 

manager of Charlotte Tennis Club before retiring. 

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Margaret, 

a son and daughter-in-law, and 2 grandchildren. 

Paul B. White ’40, February 11, 2009. Beta Theta 

Pi, Salmagundi, football, track. After graduating, 

he was drafted by local industrialists to 

run a shell factory for the war effort. Following 

the war, he and a business partner opened a 

hardware store, which expanded into sports 

equipment. Later, he was a representative for a 

ski equipment importer and supplied ski shops 

in northern New York. He was predeceased by 

his wife, Linda. He is survived by a daughter, 2 

sons, a stepson, his sister, and numerous nieces 

and nephews. 

Lawrence H. Gerson Jr. ’41, February 16, 2009. Phi 

Kappa Psi, golf. US Navy, 1943-1945. Before retirement, 

he was a personnel administrator at Case- 

Western Reserve University. He is survived by his 

wife, Diane, a daughter, a son, 3 stepchildren, and 

9 nieces and nephews. 

Ralph G. Robison ’41, March 17, 2009. Phi Gamma 

Delta, Konosioni, football, outing club. US Army, 

WWII. He was a longtime sales executive in the 

automotive supply industry. He was predeceased 

by his wife, Amy. He is survived by 4 daughters 

and sons-in-law, 4 grandchildren, and nieces and 

nephews. 

Donald C. Adams ’42, February 19, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega, Phi Beta Kappa, Konosioni, chorus, 

soccer, tennis. US Navy, 1942-1945. He had a 

33-year career in advertising with Proctor & 

Gamble. He is survived by his wife, Louise, 3 

daughters, 5 sons, a sister and her 3 children, 20 

grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. 

Lincoln H. Hascall Jr. ’42, February 1, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega, track, cross country. US Coast Guard, 

WWII. He worked for the family tire business 

for 13 years. He then taught science at South 

Portland (Maine) High School for 25 years as 

well as coached its track team. His great-greatgreat-grandfather 

was Daniel Hascall, a founder 

of Colgate. He was predeceased by his wife, 

Florence. He is survived by 3 sons, a daughter, 6 

grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

Stuart S. Lister ’42, June 23, 2005. Phi Delta 

Theta, hockey. US Military. He was president of 

Starkweather & Williams, Inc. and then became 

a salesman for Bancroft Sporting Goods Co. 

He was predeceased by his wife, Martha, and 

brother Robert ’39. He is survived by nephew 

Stephen ’68. 

Robert Warren Beitz ’43, February 5, 2009. Phi 

Beta Kappa, Commons Club, Maroon, Austen Colgate 

Scholar, President’s Scholar, Washington, DC, 

Study Group, Christian Association, international 

relations club, glee club, debate club, student 

government, track. US Navy, WWII. He began his 

career with National Gypsum Co., and worked 

there in sales until retirement. He was predeceased 

by his uncle Lester ’17, and brothers Richard 

’38 and Donald ’39. He is survived by his wife 

of 50 years, Althea, 5 daughters, 13 grandchildren, 

and nephews Kenneth ’75 and Charles R. II ’70. 

Charles F. Feuerbach ’43, December 28, 2008. Alpha 

Tau Omega, chorus, golf, outing club, ski club, 

soccer. US Army. He spent several years as an 

agent with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance 

and then started his own financial planning 

company. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, a 

daughter, and 2 sons. 

Harry G. Huberth Jr. ’43, March 22, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega, soccer, tennis. US Army, WWII; Silver 

Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, and the 

Croix de Guerre. Ending his lengthy career in 

real estate, he retired in 1989 as chairman of the 

firm Huberth and Peters, Inc. He is survived by 

his wife of 30 years, Susan, a son, 2 daughters, 2 

stepdaughters, and 5 grandchildren. 

Robert H. Bentley ’44, February 5, 2009. Delta 

Kappa Epsilon, track, cross country. US Army; 

Purple Heart. MS, SUNY College Brockport, 1970. 

After more than 20 years with the US military, 

he retired as a major. He then became a teacher 

and counselor at the Youth Center School at 

Rochester State Hospital. He was predeceased by 

his first wife and a sister. He is survived by his 

wife, Virginia, a daughter, a son, 3 stepchildren, 6 

grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, a brother, a 

sister, and several nieces and nephews. 

M. Roy London Jr. ’45, March 20, 2009. Sigma Chi, 

Maroon, Austen Colgate Scholar, Pan-Hellenic 

Council, basketball, student government, international 

relations club. He worked for Fairfield & 

Ellis Marine Insurance in Boston for 25 years. He 

then was president of Customhouse Marine in 

Boston. Additionally, he taught at Northeastern 

University. He was predeceased by his wife of 50 

years, Eleanor. He is survived by a cousin, a sisterin-law, 

a brother-in-law, a niece, and 2 nephews. 

Joseph F. Roller ’45, January 29, 2009. Delta 

Kappa Epsilon. US Army Air Corps, WWII. He 

was the owner of Joseph Roller Leather Co. until 

retirement. He was predeceased by his wife, 

Elsie, and a daughter. He is survived by his son 

and daughter-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, 

his brother, and many cousins. 

James T. Squires ’45, January 27, 2009. Alpha Tau 

Omega, Konosioni, Masque & Triangle, Maroon 

Key, chorus, marching band, track. US Army. He 

was a retired salesman, having worked for several 

airlines. He is survived by 7 cousins. 

Alexander C. Vehring Jr. ’45, February 25, 2009. 

Phi Delta Theta. US Navy, 1942-1946. He worked 

in sales for several companies including Southeastern 

Cottons Inc., Woodward Baldwin & Co. 

Inc., and Merrill Lynch. He is survived by his wife, 

Elizabeth, 2 daughters, and a son. 

Cecil C. Gamwell III ’46, April 7, 2009. US Navy, 

WWII. He had a more than 50-year career with 

American International Group, retiring as director 

of group insurance. He is survived by his wife, 

Patricia, 5 children including sons C. Calvert IV ’71 

and Peter ’76, 13 grandchildren, and 2 sisters. 

Richard M. Hannah ’46, June 5, 2008. Beta Theta 

Pi. US Military, Korean War. Yale University: BS, 

1945; MD, 1948. He spent most of his career in 

internal medicine at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, 

Calif. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, 

Alice, 6 children, 5 grandchildren, and a greatgrandchild. 

Andrew V. Marusak Jr. ’46, January 10, 2009. Phi 

Delta Theta, Dean’s List, Banter, soccer, swimming. 

US Marine Corps, WWII, Korea, Vietnam; 

Bronze Star, Gold Star. MA, Stanford University. 

After retiring from the military, he worked for 

the University of Oklahoma for 20 years. He was 

predeceased by his first wife, a daughter, 2 brothers, 

and 3 sisters. He is survived by his wife Barbara, 

a son, 2 stepdaughters, 2 stepsons, a sister, 

14 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

Abbott Phillips ’46, January 20, 2009. US Army, 

WWII; Bronze Star. Upon returning from the war, 

he was on the Olympic Ski Squad and established 

ski resorts in CO and VT. He also was head of 

Bud Phillips Ski School at Mad River Glen, and 

instructed skiing at Sugarbush Glen Elen. Additionally, 

he owned Dipsy Doodle nightclub and 

Captain Bud Phillips Charter Fishing Boats. He 

was predeceased by 2 sons. He is survived by his 

wife, Andrea, 4 children, 4 grandchildren, a greatgranddaughter, 

nieces, nephews, and a brother. 

James L. Wiswall ’48, March 24, 2009. Theta Chi, 

Banter, football. US Merchant Marine, 1945-1946; 

US Army, 1950-1952. He was a sales representative 

and then sales manager at Union Carbide 

Corp. until retiring. He was predeceased by his 

wife, Margaret, father Charles L. 1915, and brother 

Charles G. ’46. He is survived by 3 daughters, 2 

sons, and nephews C. Gilbert ’73 and J. Stuart ’78. 

M. Richard Andrews ’49, March 26, 2009. Delta 

Kappa Epsilon, Maroon, Alumni Corporation 

Board of Directors 1985-1988, Maroon Citation 

1989. US Army, WWII. After graduation, he moved 

to Denver and began his real estate career with 

the Frederick Ross Co. He then started Andrews 

& Co., through which he developed several 

notable communities. He was predeceased by his 

father, M. Morris 1917, and uncle George ’25. He 

is survived by his wife, Barbara, 3 sons including 

Miles ’76, daughter Barrie ’83, daughter-in-law 

Jomarie ’76, a sister, and 10 grandchildren. 

Robert L. Smith ’49, February 26, 2009. Sigma 

Nu. US Army, 1943-1945; Bronze Star. Before retiring, 

he was the owner and operator of Robert L. 

Smith Co., a personnel consulting business. He 

was predeceased by his father, Gilbert ’15. He is 

survived by his wife, Annette, son Robert Jr. ’75, 

and a daughter. 

William C. Helms ’50, May 2, 2008. Phi Kappa Tau. 

US Naval Reserves, 1943-1945. BPA, Art Center 

School, 1949. A photographer, he owned a photographic 

illustration business in New York City for 

many years. He is survived by his wife, Carol, and 

their children. 

Norman W. Keller ’50, October 30, 2008. Sigma 

Nu, Chi Pi Mu, Dean’s List, Newman Club, tennis. 

US Merchant Marines. MD, Cornell University, 

1954. He was a retired physician. He is survived 

by his wife, Helen, 9 children, and 26 grandchildren. 

Zack Taylor Jr. ’51, January 17, 2009. Beta Theta 

Pi, Masque and Triangle, chorus, soccer, band. 

US Army. In addition to his 30-year career as the 

boats and travel editor of Sports Afield magazine, 

he authored several books on waterfowling and 

boating. The former director of the Outdoor 

Writers’ Association, he also received numerous 

awards for excellence in outdoor journalism. He 

is survived by his wife, Melissa, 2 daughters, a 

son, and 5 grandchildren. 

Donald E. Williams ’51, December 18, 2008. Delta 

Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Kappa, Maroon, Austen 

Colgate Scholar, Lawrence Chemistry Prize, German 

club, chess club, astronomy club. Princeton 

University: MA, 1954; PhD, 1957. His career in 

pharmaceutical management including working 

at Merck Research Laboratories, Bristol Laboratories, 

and Technicon Corp. He was predeceased 

by his uncles William Magavern ’18, Willard 

Magavern ’24, and R. Dunbar Hausauer ’25. He is 

survived by his wife, Sarah, son Donald Jr. ’79, 2 

daughters including Mary Gospe ’77, daughterin-law 

Victoria Williams ’79, and cousin William 

Magavern ’48. 

W. Richard Kern ’52, February 9, 2009. Delta 

Kappa Epsilon, football, lacrosse, sailing. US 

Army. He was honorably discharged as a first 

lieutenant while working in Washington, D.C., for 

the National Security Agency. He then took over 

his father’s food brokerage company in Philadelphia. 

After selling his interest in that company, 

he was president of several other companies, 

including Mead Johnson Nutritionals and ECKO, 

until retiring in 1994. He is survived by his wife, 

Anne, 3 sons including John ’76 and David ’83, 2 

brothers, and 8 grandchildren. 

Thomas H. Ohlweiler Jr. ’52, January 20, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega, Konosioni, Maroon Key, Masque 

and Triangle, chorus, economics club, hockey. US 

Army, 1946-1948. In his early career, he worked 

in investment banking for Kidder, Peabody & Co. 

He then joined the computer division of Florida 

National Group of Banks, from which he later retired. 

He is survived by his wife, Carol, and a son. 

Donald W. Veit ’52, December 7, 2008. Phi Delta 

Theta, student government, economics club, 

psychology club, football. US Marine Corps, 

1946-1948. He worked for many years at Hoppin, 

Watson, Inc., first as an account representative 

and later as senior vice president. He was 

predeceased by his wife, Jean. He is survived by 2 

daughters and their families. 

James M. Beverley Jr. ’53, March 3, 2009. Kappa 

Delta Rho, Salmagundi. His career in the brokerage 

business lasted 44 years. In 1955, he joined 

Foster and Adams in Troy, N.Y., later becoming 

partner. He was then associated with G.A. Saxton 

and E.F. Hutton, and retired in 1999 from Smith 

Barney. He is survived by his wife, Agnes, a son, a 

daughter, and many nieces and nephews. 

Edward P. Dugan MA’53, February 8, 2009. US 

Army, WWII. BA, Holy Cross, 1950. He began 

teaching social studies at Martin H. Glynn School 

in Valatie, NY, for a year and then returned to 

his hometown school, Gloversville High, to 

teach American history. In 1962, he became a 

stock broker and sales representative. He then 

returned to education, becoming a junior high 

guidance counselor in 1969 until retirement in 

1987. He also owned and operated an advertising 

sales distribution business. He was predeceased 

by a brother. He is survived by his wife, Sieglinde, 

4 sons, 5 daughters, 12 grandchildren, a greatgranddaughter, 

2 sisters, nieces, and nephews. 

Seymour L. Ellison ’53, January 17, 2009. Kappa 

Delta Rho, Pi Delta Epsilon, Konosioni, Maroon 

Key, Hillel, Salmagundi, FOCUS, Bridge Club, student 

government. US Army JAG Corps, 1957-1960. 

JD, Boston University, 1956. A retired attorney, 

he was a partner in the San Francisco law firm 

of Melvin Belli. He was predeceased by his wife, 

Suzanne. He is survived by a son, daughter, and 

granddaughter. 

Frank W. Getman ’53, April 8, 2009. Delta Upsilon, 

baseball, hockey, outing club, Maroon Council 

2001. US Marine Corps. LLB, Albany Law School, 

1958. After earning his law degree, he returned to 

his hometown of Oneonta, NY, where he served 

as assistant district attorney and then court 

judge for 20 years. He then maintained a law 

practice with his eldest son. He was predeceased 

by his wife, Maggie, and a brother. He is survived 

by a daughter, 3 sons including Michael ’80, 3 

daughters-in-law, 11 grandchildren, a sister-inlaw, 

2 nephews, and a niece. 

Charles W. Green MA’53, April 12, 2008. BA, Clarion 

State Teachers College, 1948. Retired, he was a 

senior counselor at Guilford (Ill.) High School and 

had previously taught at East Rockford Senior 

High School. He is survived by his wife, Mabel, 2 

daughters, and a son. 

Peter B. Edmonds ’54, November 19, 2008. Phi 

Kappa Psi, Pi Delta Epsilon, Banter, student government, 

hockey, sailing, soccer. MA, Princeton 

University, 1957. He spent many years working 

for the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce 

in the Middle East, where he served in Afghanistan, 

Iran, Lebanon, and Egypt. Afterward, he continued 

working in the Middle East, mainly in the 

medical services field. He is survived by his wife, 

Nancy, 4 daughters including Deborah Edmonds 

’84 Carrier, and son-in-law James W. Carrier ’84. 

Peter VanWyck ’54, February 26, 2009. Tau Kappa 

Epsilon, WRCU, Banter, chorus, outing club, sailing 

club. US Air National Guard. He was a real 

estate developer with long-term projects in New 

England. He is survived by 3 sons, 2 sisters, and 

a brother. 

James V. Voss ’54, July 9, 2008. Sigma Chi, Pi 

Delta Epsilon, Maroon Key, Banter, student government, 

golf. LLB, University of Pittsburgh, 1957. 

He worked as an attorney for many years. He is 

survived by his wife, Susan, and 3 children. 

J. Thomas Hossley Jr. ’55, October 8, 2008. Sigma 

Nu, ROTC, student government, baseball, football, 

track, outing club, sailing. US Air Force, 1955-1958. 

He spent many years as a salesman for Jabel 

Inc. until retirement. He then was the innkeeper 

of a bed and breakfast. He was predeceased by 

his wife, Bethanne. He is survived by 2 sons, a 

daughter, and their families. 

Philip T. Paris ’56, January 21, 2009. Phi Delta 

Theta, basketball, soccer. JD, Syracuse University, 

1961. During his 47 years of living in Phoenix, he 

maintained a law practice, representing insurance 

companies and working with the Arizona 

Departments of Insurance. He was predeceased 

by his wife, Lois, a brother, and a sister. He is 

survived by 3 sons, a daughter, 6 grandchildren, 

and a brother. 

John M. Rust ’56, January 26, 2009. Phi Kappa 

Tau, Delta Sigma Rho, Mu Pi Delta, National 

Alumni Memorial Scholar, Maroon Key, Konosioni, 

Economics Study Group, Young Republican 

Club, student government, marching and pep 

band, glee club, debate, economics club. US Army, 

1957-1959. MS, Columbia University, 1960. He 

worked for Mobil Oil Corp. for many years and 

then was president of JMR Enterprises Inc. He is 

survived by his wife, Pat, and 2 sons. 

Donald H. Barker ’57, February 3, 2009. Lambda 

Chi Alpha, Maroon, Banter, wrestling, football, 

boxing, chorus. US Marine Corps. He worked 

as a project manager and also was a published 

author of children’s stories. 

Frank J. Solana ’57, March 5, 2009. Phi Delta 

Theta, ROTC, football, wrestling. US Air Force. He 

had a 20-year career in the Air Force as a criminal 

investigator, serving all over the world. As a lt. 

colonel, he received his fourth Meritorious Service 

Medal as commander of the Office of Special 

Investigations from 1974-1978. He then retired 

and dedicated himself to volunteer work. He is 

survived by his wife, Mercedes, 3 sons, a daughter, 

a brother, 2 sisters, and 9 grandchildren. 

Stacy C. Campbell ’58, April 2, 2009. Delta Upsilon, 

Maroon, basketball, student government, 

economics club. MBA, Northwestern University. 

He had a long career in banking, becoming an 

investment advisor in later years. He was predeceased 

by his father, Stacy ’35. He is survived 

by his wife, Judith, 4 sons including Clint ’83, 2 

daughters, and 10 grandchildren. 

Charles I. Norris ’60, September 25, 2008. US 

Navy. MAT, Reed College, 1971. He worked in education 

and research at the University of Rhode 

Island. He was predeceased by his brother, James 

’61. He is survived by his wife, Susan, a daughter, 

and a son. 

David B. Eastlake ’62, April 12, 2009. Phi Kappa 

Tau, freshman council. US Army Intelligence 

Corps. He had a career in hotel management but 

expressed himself artistically as a photographer 

and wood craftsman. He is survived by his wife, 

Ann, 2 sons, a sister, his mother-in-law, a brotherin-law, 

4 nieces, and a nephew. 

William L. Kline ’64, February 1, 2009. Phi Kappa 

Psi, WRCU, track, soccer, outing club. He maintained 

a financial planning and asset management 

business in Nashville for 40 years. Involved 

with several charities and organizations, he recently 

launched The Living Waters for the World 

mission, having made 2 trips to Peru in the last 

year. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, a son, a 

daughter, 3 stepchildren, and 9 grandchildren. 

Thomas S. Crary ’65, January 12, 2009. Phi Gamma 

Delta, football, lacrosse. BS, Menlo College, 

1965; JD, Golden Gate University, 1971. In 1971, he 

was appointed assistant district attorney for the 

city and county of San Francisco and served for 

10 years. During this time, he was recognized 

for his efforts in obtaining release from prison 

of a San Francisco man who had been mistakenly 

convicted of murder. In 1981, he went into 

private practice doing civil and criminal trials 

and appeals. He is survived by his wife, Paula, 

2 daughters, a grandson, a stepdaughter, and 2 

stepgrandchildren. 

Robert G. Murphy ’66, February 1, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega, student government, outing club, 

lacrosse. US Army. He worked for Abercrombie 

and Fitch in New York City and San Francisco, 

then Eddie Bauer in Seattle, and finally, Orvis in 

Manchester, VT. He is survived by his wife, Susan, 

a son, a daughter, 2 sisters, 2 aunts, an uncle, a 

niece, 2 nephews, and many cousins including 

Alan Williams ’59, Bruce Williams ’69, and Allison 

Williams ’94. 

Vincent A. Scamell Jr. ’66, February 9, 2009. Phi 

Kappa Psi, glee club, outing club, cheerleader, 

student government. US Army, Vietnam War. JD, 

University of Toledo. He retired as clerk of Fine, 

Wyatt & Cary in Honesdale, Pa. He is survived by 

2 sons, his brother, and his former wife. 

John J. Wright ’66, January 30, 2009. Alpha Tau 

Omega, Salmagundi, outing club. VMD, Cornell 

University, 1973. After working for 3 years at the 

Cheshire Veterinary Hospital in CT, he moved to 

NY in 1976 and purchased the Phelps Veterinary 

Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Janice, 2 

sons and daughters-in-law, 5 grandchildren, 

his mother, 2 sisters, 2 brothers, and nieces and 

nephews. 

Barry M. Rosen ’69, March 20, 2009. Tau Kappa 

Epsilon, Dean’s Award. MD, University of Chicago, 

1973. As the medical director of the Sequoia 

Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center since 1983, he 

was recognized internationally for his expertise 

on addiction. He also maintained a private 

practice at the Behavioral Medicine Clinic of the 

Peninsula, dealing with all aspects of addiction 

medicine. Additionally, he pioneered a pain clinic 

at San Mateo General Hospital that has been rededicated 

in his name. He is survived by his wife, 

Linda, 2 sisters, 2 stepsons, a nephew, and a niece. 

Edward R. McMahon ’71, March 18, 2009. Delta 

Upsilon, Dean’s List. JD, <strong>Set</strong>on Hall Law School, 

1975. He was a civil trial lawyer and banking 

law expert who was a partner in the Lum firm 

for 25 years. He also served on the N.J. Supreme 

Court District Ethics Committee. He is survived 

by his wife, Ellen, brother Brian ’74, son Ryan ’09, 

2 daughters, his mother, and many nieces and 

nephews including Katharine ’03. 

James E. Bleuer ’72, January 18, 2009. India Study 

Group. After graduating, he started a career as 

a successful furniture designer; his pieces were 

featured in popular publications, such as the 

cover of Better Homes and Gardens. He founded 

Casa Verde Gardens in Southport, CT, where 

his love of architecture and landscape design 

resulted in a number of award-winning gardens 

over the 22 years that he ran the business. He 

was also a published photographer and writer 

for Gardening Magazine. He is survived by his 

wife, Lisa, 3 daughters, a son, a granddaughter, 2 

brothers, and a sister. 

Stewart F. Hancock III ’72, January 15, 2009. Delta 

Kappa Epsilon, Maroon. After working as an 

advertising executive in the Syracuse area, he 

became publisher of Manlius Publishing Corp 

in 1986. In 1992, he led the merger of Brown 

Newspapers and Manlius Publishing to form 

Eagle Newspapers, which grew during his 11-year 

tenure as publisher. He then started Hancock 

Public Relations, which specialized in renewable 

and alternative energy sources. He is survived 

by his wife, Kimberly ’82, 4 daughters, a son, his 

parents, 4 brothers, a sister, and several nephews 

and nieces including Michael Fish ’05, Jeffrey 

Fish ’07, and Ruth Fish ’09. 

Michael A. Koenig ’74, January 27, 2009. University 

of Michigan: MA, 1976; PhD, 1981. He was 

an international expert in partner violence and 

child abuse in developing countries. He also 

was a professor at Johns Hopkins University 

Bloomberg School of Public Health in the dept of 

population, family, and reproductive health. He 

is survived by his wife of 25 years, Gillian, a son, 

a daughter, his parents, a brother, a sister, and 

several nieces and nephews. 

Vincent E. Kommer Jr. ’75, February 6, 2009. 

Phi Gamma Delta, soccer. He was employed by 

Northrup Grumman Foundation for 28 years and 

recently became a subcontract manager at Raytheon. 

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, 3 sons, 

3 brothers, a sister, 8 nephews, and 6 nieces. 

Suzanne Husted ’77, February 10, 2009. MBA, 

Columbia University, 1985. She was a controller 

for Caraustar Industries in Georgia. Her previous 

work as a controller was at Container Corporation 

of America, Newark Atlantic Paperboard, 

and Sprague Paperboard. She was predeceased 

by her father. She is survived by her mother, 2 

brothers, 2 nephews, a niece, and her grandmother. 

Karen L. Farber-Swanson ’79, April 19, 2009. 

Crew. She is survived by her husband, Richard 

’80, and their daughter. 

E. Daniel Streeter ’81, March 29, 2009. Alpha 

Tau Omega. MBA, Yale University, 1988. He was a 

managing partner at SPP Capital Partners in New 

York City. He was predeceased by his mother. He 

is survived by his wife, Jennifer, 3 daughters, a 

sister, and his father. 

James B. Tedesco ’82, March 12, 2009. Basel Study 

Group, crew, squash club, cheerleading. MBA, 

Northeastern University, 1984. He had worked in 

marketing, was an author and a self-publisher, 

and owner of Olee Enterprises. He is survived 

by his wife, Maria, 2 daughters, a brother, and a 

sister. 

Mary A. Shellabarger ’83, November 1, 2008. 

Big Sister, Take Two, resident advisor, dorm 

president. After spending time in Zaire as a Peace 

Corps volunteer, she was an environmental 

protection specialist for the US Environmental 

Protection Agency. She is survived by her husband, 

Kapiamba Muteba, 3 children, a brother, 

and a sister. 

Timothy C. Ronan ’87, March 9, 2009. Alpha Tau 

Omega, sailing club. He turned his enthusiasm 

for yacht racing to studying yacht design with 

the Westlawn program and then building small 

water crafts. His extensive volunteer work involved 

Habitat for Humanity and helping coach 

a hockey team for developmentally disabled 

children. He is survived by his parents, a sister, a 

brother, aunts and uncles, nieces, and a nephew. 

Shawn M. McGregor ’95, October 11, 2008. Alpha 

Tau Omega, Maroon-News. He was an operations 

analyst with the International Paper Co. He is 

survived by his parents and a sister. 



salmagundi 

80 


Varsity Letters 

As in sudoku, use logic to fill each of the eight squares in each row, column, and two-byfour 

box of this grid with a different letter in COLGATEU. When you’re done, one row or 

column will contain a bonus message. See page 75 for the answer key. 

Servin’ up Slices 

Matty Goldberg, father of Alexander Goldberg 

’12, won a Slices T-shirt for his correct entry in 

the drawing for the Spring 2009 photo ID contest. 

His caption read: What’s Shakin’?: John 

Sebastian and Joe Butler from the Lovin’ Spoonful 

perform at Colgate. 

A number of alumni sent fun reminiscences along 

with their entries; we’ve posted them at www. 

colgatealumni.org/lovinspoonful. Check them 

out, and submit your own campus concert memory 

at www.colgatealumni.org/messageboards or 

to scene@colgate.edu. 

Puzzle by Puzzability 

Stay tuned for another Slices contest next time! 

Rewind 

Persistent Dream 

At college again seated in Russian 

Revolution 

With Doc Perry who stowed away on a 

tramp 

In Odessa in 1918 escaping both Reds and 

Whites 

It comes to me the class has been 

underway 

For five weeks and I have none of the texts 

No notes and Perry his eyes pushed into 

slits 

By high fat Tatar cheeks and gleaming 

malice 

Asks me what Kerensky was doing 

When the Winter Palace was stormed 

At college again where I stagger from the 

Coop 

Off to my first class after buying all the 

texts 

Anticipating a great year learning and 

learning 

Chaucer under Earl Daniels scholar and 

man of the world 

Sitting at attention waiting for his first 

words 

Ready to listen ready to take part ready 

ready 

When he says we will begin by dissecting 

A pickerel frog found in ponds and bogs 

with plant life 

Now Potter please expose the spinal cord 

At college again where I was recently 

graduated 

But am going around again attending 

classes 

I already passed with younger people I do 

not know 

But who defer to me granting some 

ambiguous status 

And when I am seated in Hartshorne’s 

Greek Philosophy 

He asks me why the Pythagorean theorem 

Was guarded as a religious mystery and I 

reply 

I don’t have to do this I’ve done this before 

If you think so he said pityingly you must 

be dreaming 

– Royal F. Potter ’52 

Do you have a reminiscence for Rewind? 

Send your submission of short prose, 

poetry, or a photograph with a description 

to scene@colgate.edu. 

Above: Hammer time. Ryan Nelson ’12, David Ko ’11, and 

Mohammed Rahman ’12 (L to R) put the finishing touches on 

the porch decking at a Habitat for Humanity volunteer building 

project. Their alternative spring break trip to New Bern, N.C., was 

organized by the COVE (Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and 

Education). Photo by Luke Connolly ’09 — check out his narrated 

slide show about the trip at www.colgatealumni.org/habitat. 

Back cover: The greenhouse at Robert H.N. Ho Science 

Center. Take a tour of this state-of-the-art facility at 

colgate.edu/video. 

News and views for the Colgate community

scene: 

Colgate University 

13 Oak Drive 

Hamilton, NY 

13346-1398 


ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 

colgate 

Nonprofit Organization 

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PAID 

Colgate University

Set Our Feet on Lofty Places 88 Days A Writer and His Image - Alumni

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