Fall 2013 Issue of Potsdam People

PreParing to Launch Potsdam’s third century

The Campaign for poTsdam

the

Fall 2013 Vol. 8 | No.1

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of The State University of New York at Potsdam

P E O P L E

snapshot

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher was on hand to congratulate Potsdam on being the first SUNY institution to launch its third campaign. Along with Chancellor Zimpher at the New York City event was scholarship recipient and 2013 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence winner Tanasia Betts ‘13 who performed her original spoken word composition for guests.

I aspire to be an impactful person wherever I go.Helping others see light in their darkest hoursdrives me to my profession in social work and counseling…At Potsdam, I have gained leadership, experience and advocacy.I work hard to give back to my campus what has been given to me –an opportunity that I couldn’t afford to see. -Tanasia Betts scholarship recipient and winner of the 2013 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence

w w w . p o t s d a m . e d u / p e o p l e 1

Profiles

Bob Fabbio ’79Combining Chemistry and Computer Science for a life of entrepreneurship.

Dr. Michael J. ’80 &Mrs. Jill (King) Komar ’80 Welcoming new generations into a larger world.

Dr. Elliot A. Del Borgo ’60Mourning the loss of friend and mentor.

Marilyn Clouden ’75Living a life of service and independence.

DepartmentsNews & Notes 3Class Notes 18In Their Own Words 27Alumni: Save The Date 28 Reunion Wrap Up 29

On the cover:Sophomore Theatre Major Alexa Alfonsi helps us repre-sent Potsdam’s launch into the third century through Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam. Alexa and classmates in Theatre and Dance will be preparing to move into the new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center scheduled to open in January 2014 with classes and performances for the Spring semester including hosting artists from around the world for the Lougheed Festival of the Arts in late April. For a complete list of performances and events on campus visit: www.potsdam.edu/newsandevents/.

fall

Preparing to Launch Potsdam’s Third CenturyTaking the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam

1429

Reunion Wrap UpRecord breaking construction

couldn’t stop record breaking

reunion attendance…read

more on p. 29

Potsdam People is printed using VOC free inks, 100% Certified Renewable Energy and paper that is certified by the RainforestAlliance to the FSC® standards.

2 P O T S D A M P E O P L E F A L L 2 0 1 3

LETTER FROM the president

I’m told that my first few weeks in Potsdam were typical….running into campus faculty and staff at the market, talking to a bank employee who recently graduated, attending a jazz concert in Hosmer Hall along with 400+ Crane Youth Music

participants, enjoying a production of the CPS musical “Hairspray” performed in Snell Hall, and even visiting with a SUNY Potsdam student who has a summer internship with the state park service, at the top of Mt. Azure! I knew this campus was interwoven into the fabric of the North Country, but it has been something to experience first-hand.

It’s a real pleasure to join the SUNY Potsdam family as your interim President. Having served for 16 years as President of SUNY Fredonia, I am well aware of the extraordinary reputation this college enjoys as a dynamic liberal arts campus. The quality of this institution was one of the reasons I willingly came out of retirement to help lead this campus at this pivotal time.

The pending opening of the new Performing Arts Center, the summer renovation of the Maxcy Hall Ice Arena and numerous science laboratories, the many new scholarships and program endowments resulting from the recently launched Take the Lead Campaign, the attendance of 775 alumni (a record!) at the 2013 Reunion Weekend and the ongoing planning for a 2016 Bicentennial celebration all make this an exciting time to be on the SUNY Postdam campus.

My academic discipline is economics, and in addition to serving 16 years as a SUNY president, I have held a number of administrative and faculty positions in Minnesota, California, Maryland and Washington, as well as serving as a researcher in both industry and government. This background has allowed me to focus on how to expand and effectively steward resources to ensure the best learning environment for students. In addition to serving the needs of students, I also believe public universities have an obligation to provide both cultural programming and economic development support to the region.

Over the coming months, I plan to build upon our academic and cultural strengths, expand student enrollment, initiate partnerships to support regional economic development and help lead a Presidential search process to secure a person worthy of being the next leader of SUNY Potsdam.

I have had the privilege of already meeting several of the College’s generous alumni and friends, and have been impressed with the deep love they have for Potsdam. I look forward to getting to know more of you during the coming year.

Sincerely,

Dennis L. Hefner Interim President

EditorS

Deborah Dudley, Director of Marketing and Communications

Emily Hutchison, Director of Development

Mona Ouimet Vroman ’85, Director of Alumni Relations

WRiTERS

Sarah Carr ‘08, Public Affairs Assistant

Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, Communications & Government Relations

Deidre Kelly, Writer

WEB MANAGER

Mindy Thompson, Director of Web Communications

CONTRiBUTORS

David T. Britt ‘73, Director of Business Planning and Analysis

Dan Bronson ‘03, Sports information Director

Christa Carroll, Director of Annual Giving

Nancy Griffin (Hon. ‘08), Development Officer

Jason Ladouceur ’94, Director of Planned Giving

Sarah Henderson Maneely ’07, Assistant Director of Research and Donor Relations

Ellen Nesbitt, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

Donna Planty, Project Manager/Production Artist

Sherry Allen Paradis ’00, Director of Donor Relations

Laura Stevenson (Hon. ’07), Alumni & Donor Relations

Vicki Templeton-Cornell, Vice President for College Advancement

DESiGN & ART DiRECTiON

J. P. Manke, Graphic Designer/Production Artist

PHOTOGRAPHY

Kathryn Deuel, Principal Photograper

POTSDAM PEOPLE STAFF AND CONTRiBUTORS

FALL 2013 Vol . 8 | No. 1


CAMPUS news & notes

POTSDAM PEOPLE STAFF AND CONTRiBUTORSCAMPAiGN NEWS

SUNY Potsdam Launches Take the Lead CampaignIn April, SUNY Potsdam celebrated the launch of Take the Lead: The Cam-paign for Potsdam. On April 17, festivities began in New York City, where Honorary Campaign Co-Chair Stephanie Blythe ’92 hosted and honored some of the Campaign’s most generous donors during an evening of celebra-tion and music. Joined by National Campaign Co-Chairs Lisa Vroman ’79 and Michael Galane ’74, members of the Crane Opera Ensemble and other students, the evening was a reminder of the immense passion and talent that is developed and nurtured at SUNY Potsdam.

A large campus celebration officially kicked off the campaign on April 26. Hundreds of Potsdam family members were joined by Honorary Cam-paign Co-Chair T.C. Boyle ’68 and National Campaign Co-Chair Michael Galane ’74. Guests enjoyed performances by the Crane Latin Ensemble, the Potsdam Pitches and a phenomenal group of student dancers. Faculty and students were on hand to entertain guests with demonstrations and exhibits showcasing their programs. Double Axel also performed for the group. The campaign goal is to raise $27 million by 2016.

Visit www.potsdam.edu/campaign to see photos, videos, progress and priorities.

Campaign Steering Committee members celebrate in New York City. Pictured are Michael Galane ’74, VP for Advancement Vicki Templeton-Cornell, Lynne Boles ’74, Deborah Diefendorf Hind ’75, Gary Hind ’77, Lisa Vroman ’79 and Stephanie Blythe ’92.

Joining the Campaign celebration on campus are members of the Campaign Steering Committee: William Flynn ’70, Lynne Boles ’74, T.C. Boyle ’68, Michael Galane ’74, Gary Hind ’77 and Deborah Diefendorf Hind ’75.

CAMPAiGN NEWS

Employee Donors Compete in Support of the CollegeDuring the 2012-13 academic year, the campus Annual Giv-ing Group was formed, comprised of campus volunteers from all areas of the College. The Group planned Team Challenge 2013, a new, fun competition encouraging employee giving. The campus was divided into nine “teams” based upon broad program areas. Winners in the categories of highest percentage of giving, as well as the most improved giving participation over the previous year were recognized. Team Libraries (representatives pictured above) won in both catego-ries for 2013! In total, 280 employees made gifts during the 2012-13 fiscal year. All funds raised support the Take the Lead Campaign.

CAMPAiGN NEWS

Walker Family Endows Scholarship for Native American Students

Mr. and Mrs. T. Urling Walker have touched the lives of many people in Northern New York. Since moving to Watertown as a young couple in 1951, they have given generously and worked tirelessly to make the North Country a better place to live, work, attend college, raise a family, or just to visit and enjoy the beauty and culture of the region.

In establishing the T. Urling Walker and Mabel B. Walker Family Fund for Native American Students at SUNY Potsdam, former Foun-dation Trustee Tom and Mabel wish to help Native people achieve the goal of a college education, particularly Native Americans living in the Northern New York/Southern Ontario region.

Mr. T. Urling and Mrs. Mabel B. Walker are pictured with Sheila Marshall, director of SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Diversity, and the Walkers’ daugh-ter, Laurel W. Pike.


CAMPUS news & notes

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

SUNY Potsdam Students Partake in Habitat Management ProjectThe New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation completed a number of environmental stewardship projects to prevent the spread of invasive species, protect rare plants and animals, and improve natural habitat at parks across the state. SUNY Potsdam faculty member Dr. Glenn Johnson’s habitat management project for rare turtles at Wellesley Island State Park in Jefferson County received $10,000. The area is home to several turtle species deemed to be “species of greatest conservation need,” including one that is listed as threatened in New York and Ontario. This project expanded an open, sparsely vegetated area with good sun exposure and relatively loose soils, tripling the size of the ideal nesting habitat in the park. SUNY Potsdam students will monitor the impact of these changes and determine the success of this nesting habitat creation. “This is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and cooperate with agencies that are responsible for the management of these rare species and to engage students in work that is directly related to their future careers,” Johnson said.

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

SUNY Potsdam Students Uncover Mathematics of Ancient CulturesUnder the instruction of Dr. Blair Madore and Dr. Cheryl Miller from SUNY Potsdam and Dr. Jeanna Matthews from Clarkson University, eight students traveled to Mexico in January 2013 to participate in hands-on learning experiences involving Meso-American culture and mathematics through a SUNY Potsdam study abroad course. SUNY Potsdam has a partnership with The Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Mexico, but this was the first time that students were able to travel there. The math component of the trip made this one of the most unique study abroad programs Potsdam has offered to date. The students had several chances to interact and explore with students from UAEH. Class work included scavenger hunts, tours of museums and math puzzles and projects, to teach students about ancient mathematics. DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS

Three SUNY Potsdam Alumni Take HomeGrammy Awards

Three SUNY Potsdam alumni took home Grammys at the 55th annual awards show. The graduates included superstar soprano Renée Fleming ’81, internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe ’92 and accomplished recording engineer Pete Reiniger ’72.

Fleming earned her fourth Grammy, taking home the award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album “Poèmes.”

Blythe earned her first Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, as part of the cast of the “Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen” album.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Sound Production Supervisor Pete Reiniger won his third Grammy for his work on the album “Imaginaries” by Quetzal, in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album category.

Renée Fleming ’81

Stephanie Blythe ’92

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

SUNY Potsdam Softball Team Participates in Adopt-A-Bear-Cub Program The SUNY Potsdam softball team is a participant in Potsdam Central School’s Adopt-A-Bear-Cub program at the Lawrence Avenue Elemen-tary School. This program pairs elementary school children one-on-one with college students who help them with homework and other school projects. After receiving a grant from the New York State Department of Health, the Adopt-A-Bear-Cub program was able to expand and offer more support to the 60 program participants.

ATTENTION:This fall, a new SUNY Potsdam alumni onlinedirectory will be available to all of our alumni. Many options will be available for you to access classmates and friends. This will be an “opt-out system,” but you will be able to select information that you want to make viewable on your profile.

You will be able to access the directory at the Alumni Relations homepage: www.potsdam.edu/alumni

More information on this exciting project will be made available via social media and email, stay tuned!

Pete Reiniger ’72(Photo Credit: Grammy365.com)


CAMPUS news & notes

Show your pridewith a

SUNY Potsdam

Visitwww.potsdam.edu/alumni

or call1 (800) 853-5576 ext. 8723

to learn more.

START EARNINGREWARDS TODAY!

COLLEGE NEWS

Longtime NYS Education Curriculum Director Edward Marschilok ‘74 Addresses SUNY Potsdam Master’s Graduates

Dr. Edward S. Marschilok ’74, respected music educa-tor and retired supervisor of the New York State De-partment of Education’s Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Tech-nology Team, was the keynote speaker at this year’s Master’s Commencement Ceremony.

He was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at the ceremony, before addressing approximately 140 master’s graduates, along with their

families and friends.Dr. Marschilok choked up as he remembered his close relationship with faculty such as Professor C. Robert Reinert and Elizabeth Baritaud.

“They were the first in a long line of Potsdam people who played important roles in supporting my personal and professional development. You see, Potsdam people are very special people, who have real expertise and genuinely care about the people with whom they meet and work,” he said. “With-out the kindness and care extended to me by many Potsdam people, I would not be here today. I hope I have honored them by carrying on the tradition of expertise in the field and care for our fellow humans in my work—and that you will as well.”

COLLEGE NEWS

Thomas Palmatier ’75 Addresses Graduates at Commencement

On May 19, U.S. Army Band Leader and Commander Colonel Thomas H. Palmatier ’75 addressed approxi-mately 750 bachelor’s graduates, along with hundreds of their family members and friends. The Crane School of Music alumnus offered the keynote address to the SUNY Potsdam Class of 2013, whom he joined as the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Music degree. “Don’t make this an ending, make it a beginning,” he encouraged students. Palmatier, who is the ninth commander of the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” is currently the senior military musician in the Department of Defense.

Originally from Ballston Spa, N.Y., Col. Palmatier earned his Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, in applied music from SUNY Potsdam in 1975, and went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree in music from Truman State University in Kirksville. He also later completed a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the

U.S. Army War College. Col. Palmatier was honored with the 2010 Minerva Award by the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association.

He and his wife, Shirley, are leadership donors to the Take the Lead Campaign, having endowed the Band Guest Artist Fund for Crane’s major wind and percussion ensembles.

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

Students Volunteer for Martin Luther King Service DayMore than 100 SUNY Potsdam students piled into

buses and vans and set off to volunteer their time, helping the Salvation Army, Helping Hands and other groups for the College’s first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. They were split into groups and dispatched to five locations. Some stayed close to campus, cleaning out kennels at the Potsdam

Humane Society, while others took a longer trip to the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club. Sheila M. Marshall, director of SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Diversity, organized the event.

Photos by Jason Hunter, Watertown Daily Times


CAMPUS news & notes

gifts to the annual Fund for Potsdam are a wonderful

way to help the college’s greatest needs. they allow Potsdam flexibility to seize compelling opportunities for our students. They can be made in memory or honor of someone special.

https://secure.potsdam.edu/giving

COLLEGE NEWS

Major Maxcy Hall Ice Arena Renovation Nearly Complete

Forty years after the Maxcy Hall Ice Arena was constructed, SUNY Potsdam is nearing completion on major renovations to the facility. This $8.7 million project features several new amenities and a larger ice surface. Maxcy Hall will continue to be one of the leadingathletics venues in the North Country and

in Division III. Join the campus and community at the Ice Arena Grand Opening ceremonies on October 19 and November 2, 2013. For a com-plete schedule of events, to view photos and videos of the project, and to learn more about permanent naming opportunities (large and small), visit: www.potsdambears.com/maxcyrenovations.

COLLEGE NEWS

PACES Receives Highest Marks on Food Service in Student SurveyThe National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) survey analyzes customer opinions about everything from the taste of campus food to the cleanliness of the dining rooms. PACES Dining Services scored higher than the national average in every single category, including general satisfaction, food quality, value, service, nutritional content, healthy choices, vegetarian choices, variety and freshness. PACES was also awarded the No. 1 ranking in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey project in September 2012, which collected information and opinions to assess and study quality of life issues on SUNY campuses. PACES Dining Services offers more on-campus dining options than any other campus of its size in the SUNY system, working with local farmers to purchase as many local and regional products as possible.

COLLEGE NEWS

Performing Arts Center Set to OpenThe faculty and staff from the Department of Theatre and Dance are scheduled to move into the newly constructed Performing Arts Center in December 2013. Classes and performances will begin in January 2014. The building features 97,000 square feet of state-of-the-art learn-ing and performance space, including a 350-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat black box theater, a 200-seat dance performance hall, a video and recording studio and an education lab.

COLLEGE NEWS

Princeton Review Names SUNY Potsdam Among Most Environmentally Responsible CollegesSUNY Potsdam has been selected as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition.” SUNY Potsdam has established a sustainability and operations coordinator position, installed a new co-generation plant and is building the LEED-certified Performing Arts Center. The College’s Dining Services also has taken several steps, including eliminating some plastic items, working to get more local crops in dining halls, and composting waste. The College has installed 150 high-efficiency washers and dryers, and an assortment of other energy-saving efforts.

The BesT gifT To PoTsdam

NEW iNiTiATiVES

NYSERDA Announces Energy-Efficient Projects at SUNY PotsdamThe New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded a total of $386,000 in incentives for two energy efficiency projects at SUNY Potsdam, which will save the College an estimated $130,000 and result in the avoidance of more than 692 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The projects, at Potsdam’s new Performing Arts Center and at its central chiller plant, support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s initiative to reduce energy consumption in state build-ings by 20 percent in seven years.

“These energy efficiency projects signify SUNY Potsdam’s firm commit-ment to reducing its environmental footprint in an effort to create a more sustainable New York,” said Governor Cuomo. “We are committed to supporting efforts like these through our Build Smart NY initiative, which will not only create jobs and reduce costs, but increase New York’s energy security.”

In addition, NYSERDA’s New Construction Program awarded $109,000 to help SUNY Potsdam offset the incremental cost of measures that enable the Performing Arts Center to operate at higher efficiency levels than New York State energy code.


CAMPUS news & notes

COLLEGE NEWS

SUNY Potsdam Holds Mock Interviews forBusiness StudentsSeveral members of the Business Administration Advisory Council met on campus in April to conduct mock interviews with Business Administration and Music Business students preparing for internships and employment after graduation. Council members participating in the program were (front row from left): Debra Catlin Copeletti ’76, retired project manager for printed packaging, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals/NYC; Jarrett Felton ’04, financial services representative, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, Rochester; Duane Pelkey ’89, vice president and commercial banking team leader, Community Bank, Northern New York; Achille Cavatassi ’04, relationship manager for JP Morgan Chase Bank, Rochester; and (back row from left): Michael Beacham ’79, assistant vice president for sales and marketing support, Columbian Financial Group, Syracuse; James Wilkes ’10, global business consulting, IBM; Sarah Parker Ward ’09, marketing and media relations specialist, Bid for Your Benefit New York, Saratoga Springs; Dr. Joe Timmerman, chair of SUNY Potsdam’s Department of Business Administration; Pamela Griffin ’11, account executive, United Communications Corp., Watertown; Mark Has-senplug ’83, president, Maetrics, LLC, Malvern, PA; Joseph DeMart, retired executive director, St. Lawrence County Housing Council. Not pictured: Joshua LaFave ’03, SUNY Potsdam’s director of graduate studies and Rob Zol-ner, co-founder and sales associate, Northern Music & Video, Potsdam, and adjunct professor with SUNY Potsdam’s Crane Institute for Music Business.

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

Inaugural Mr. SUNY Potsdam Crowned“May I have the envelope, please? The winner of the first Mr./Ms. Universe-ity Contest at SUNY Potsdam is … Jeffrey Kerr ’13, representing the Potsdam PointerCounts!” The student group Emerging Leaders took to the Barrington Multi-Purpose Room last spring, to crown one student worthy of the title “Mr. SUNY Potsdam” or “Ms. SUNY Potsdam.” The competition hosted contestants from 10 different student organizations vying for the inaugural individual title, and also a prize of $250 to be awarded to their club or group. The contestants competed in three categories: Potsdam pride, academic knowledge in their field of study and talent. Students raised $755 from sales of admission tickets for the 2012-13 Student Gift, benefiting the Annual Fund for Potsdam.

COLLEGE NEWS

KeyBank Donates to SUNY Potsdam’s “Branching Out With Books”KeyBank’s Key Foundation recently awarded a $9,000 grant to “Branching Out With Books,” a collaborative literacy program between SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University that provides college students with an important hands-on learning experience working with approximately 400 high-need children throughout the school year at Jefferson Elementary School in Massena, Herman-DeKalb Central School, Madrid-Waddington Elementary School and the Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. In addition to the grant, KeyBank employees will also serve as volunteers for the program in the coming year. Accepting the donation from Craig Chevalier, branch manager for KeyBank in Potsdam, were SUNY Potsdam representatives Nancy Griffin (Hon. ’08) (left) and Tina Wilson Bush ’89, director of the College’s Sheard Literacy Center, along with Carol Smith, Corporate and Foundation Relations, St. Lawrence University, and Dr. Marta Albert of SUNY Potsdam’s Department of Literacy Education.

interim President Dennis Hefner discusses SUNY Potsdam with Governor Cuomo during a recent visit to the North Country.

President’s Clubmembers are leading by example! Thank you to those who have joined the President’s Club this year. You are, quite literally, changing lives at SUNY Potsdam and for that we are most grateful.

The President’s Club is a distinctive giving society that recognizes alumni and friends who give $1,000 or more during

the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Learn more and/or join today, by contacting the Donor Relations Office at (315)

267-2855 or by emailing [email protected].

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

SUNY Potsdam Business Students Take First Place inInternational CompetitionIn April, a team of SUNY Potsdam business administration students won first place with their presentation, “Ethical Issues in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Generic Drug Compounding Cri-sis,” in the International Business Ethics Case Competition in San Diego, CA. The IBECC is the old-est and most-recognized business ethics competition of its kind.

The students’ faculty adviser was Dr. Edwin Portugal, professor of strategic and global management in the Department of Business Administration, who accompanied the students to the competition.

STUDENT SPOTLiGHT

Order of OMEGA Inducts First MembersThe Chi Psi Chapter, Order of Omega, the national honor society for Greek students, held its installation for their charter members and Beta class in April in the Fireside Lounge at SUNY Potsdam. Chartered in 2012 as an initiative of the All-Greek Council and as a part of the Greek Life Strategic Plan, the organization welcomed 18 members at its first induction ceremony.

Order of Omega is a leadership honor society for members of Greek organizations, recognizing juniors and seniors who have exemplified high standards in the areas of scholarship, leadership and involvement within their respective organization and within the Greek, campus and local communities. Members are selected from the top three percent of students at each institution.

Members of the charter Potsdam class include Marielle Araujo (Omega Delta Phi), Sara Behuniak ’14 (Sigma Gamma Phi), Katie Binder ’15 (Sigma Gamma Phi),

Stephanie Codd ’13 (Zeta Gamma Sigma), Tyler Gar-diner ’14 (Delta Lambda Nu), Diana Gugino ’14 (Alpha Sigma Tau), Kellsie Jensen ’13 (Zeta Gamma Sigma), Chris-topher Knight ’13 (Phi Mu Alpha), Amber Perkins ’13 (Omega Delta Phi) and Jana Prager ’13 (Omega Delta Phi).

The Beta class members are Nickisha Dustin ’14 (Delta Lambda Nu), Taylor Faiella ’15 (Omega Delta Phi), Megan Fritzching ’15 (Omega Delta Phi), Gabrielle Gapezynski (Omega Delta Phi), Asia Godzwon ’14 (Zeta Gamma Sigma), Raychel Rider (Omega Delta Phi) and Marianne Schumacher (Omega Delta Phi).

Front row (L to R): Perkins, Faiella, Gapezynski and Schumacher. Back row (L to R): Binder, Dustin, Godzwon, Jensen, Codd, Gardiner, Fritzching, Araujo and Prager.

CAMPUS news & notes

CAMPAiGN NEWS

Endowment Provides for Live Streaming of Crane PerformancesThrough a generous gift from Gail Haynes Stradling ’64 and her husband, Richard Stradling, performances at The Crane School of Music, of-fered in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater and the Hosmer M. Hosmer Concert Hall can now be enjoyed live via the Internet. The Stradlings have also established the Gail and Richard Stradling Technology Endowment for The Crane School of Music, which will provide ongoing support for the technology infrastructure needed to offer live streaming into the future.

Streamed events will begin with the Crane Candlelight Concert on Sunday, December 8, 2013, followed by the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra performance of “Carmina Burana” on Saturday, May 3, 2014. Visit www.potsdam.edu/crane for a full list of performances and streamed events.

SUNY Potsdam’s winning team consisted of (pictured from left): Rakshitha Purushotham ’13 of Rexford, NY; Monica Schulz ’13 of Malone, NY; and Lauren Caiazza ’16 of Gansevoort, NY. The women won over teams from Dartmouth College, the College of the Holy Cross, the University of Navarra in Barcelona, Spain, and the University of St. Thomas.

ALUMNi NEWS

SUNY Potsdam Grads Part of InaugurationSUNY Potsdam was well represented during President Barack Obama’s second inauguration on January 21, 2013. The direc-tors of two military bands regaling the President have roots at The Crane School of Music. The U.S. Army Band, directed by Col. Thomas H. Palmatier ’75, led the President’s parade as it worked its way from the Capitol to the White House. The U.S. Marine Band, also known as “The President’s Own,” led by Col. Michael J. Colburn (Hon. ’12), also performed during the inaugural ceremonies.

Col. Thomas H. Palmatier ’75 Col. Michael J. Colburn (Hon. ’12)

Check out the new SUNY Potsdam alumni Facebook page.Be sure to “like” us at: https://www.facebook.com/Bearalumni The SUNY Potsdam alumni group will be discontinued in a few months, solike us now so that you don’t miss out!

facebook.com/


Bears Student-AthletesRecognized for Academics SUNY Potsdam student-athletes competing in fall sports were recognized by the State Universi-ty of New York Athletic Conference for academic success during Fall 2012. A total of 38 student-athletes were named to the All-Academic List, which includes players maintaining a minimum 3.3 grade point average for the semester. Twenty-three of the 38 were also given Commissioner’s List accolades for having carried a minimum 3.3 GPA over three consecutive semesters at Pots-dam. Nineteen Bears were named to both the All-Academic List and the Commissioner’s List.

Women’s Volleyball Team Supports CPH and Humane SocietyThe SUNY Potsdam volleyball team recently raised money during the Section X Basketball Tournament for Canton-Potsdam Hospital and the Potsdam Humane Society. The Bears sold concessions throughout the 2013 high school playoffs at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium. The team raised $2,600 during the course of the event. The team donated $1,300 to the Pediatrics Divi-sion of the hospital and then visited the Humane Society to present them with a check for $1,300.

Front row from left: Alexandra Romaniello ’16, Gabriele Arana ’15 and Cassandra Chase ’16. Back row from left: Tia Wright ’15, Jenna Blujus ’14, Aliza Fields ’15 and Sharon Ofori ’16.

Swimmers Taylor and Ringer Claim 2012-13 Maxcy/Molnar AwardsSenior swimmers Alexander Taylor and Liz Ringer were named Maxcy/Molnar Award winners for the 2012-13 season at the annual Maxcy Awards Banquet. The Maxcy/Molnar Award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete who best combine the qualities of sportsmanship, leadership, scholarship and athletic achievement.

Weigel Earns All-Conference HonorThe State University of New York Athletic Conference named SUNY Potsdam sophomore lacrosse player Bailey Weigel to its All-Confer-ence second team. She led SUNYAC and was 14th in the nation with a Potsdam single-season record 96 draw controls, placing her fifth on the school’s all-time list after just one season.

Fremont Named Men’sLacrosse All-AmericanMen’s lacrosse senior Brady Fremont earned a spot on the 2013 United States In-tercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III All-America third team, the organization announced in May. Fremont, a captain from Syracuse, NY, is the Bears’ second All-American in the last three years and is the seventh in Potsdam lacrosse history. He joins the company of current assis-tant coach Rashaun Durden ’12, Ryan Hanretty ’05, Brian Austin ’01, John Ivery ’95, Chris Mele ’87 and Joseph Schoener ’84. This season, Fre-mont was named to the State University of New York Athletic Conference first team and helped the Bears earn a bid to the SUNYAC playoffs.

Thayer Named to All-SUNYAC TeamSoftball player Ashley Thayer ’14 has been named to the All-State University of New York Athletic Conference’s second team for the 2013 season. Thayer, a junior pitcher and designated player, played in all 32 of the Bears’ games this season and made 30 starts. Thayer is one of the top pitchers in Bears history.

Men’s Hockey Holds Cystic Fibrosis Awareness WeekendThe SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team raised awareness for cystic fibrosis during its final home weekend of the 2012-13 season. The Bears host-ed two local children who are afflicted with the disease during their games against Oswego and Cortland. Joining Potsdam for the two contests were 10-year-old Hunter Cooke of Hogansburg and two-and-a-half-year-old Claire Nezezon of Norwood. Cooke, the son of Marla and Chris Jacobs, joined the team as an honorary Bear through the Team Impact organization back in October. Claire is the daughter of Chris and Jessica Nezezon and granddaughter of Dayna Cole, who works in SUNY Potsdam’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction.

Taylor Repeats as 200 Breaststroke Champ with SUNYAC RecordSenior Alexander Taylor ’13 repeated asSUNYAC Champion in the 200 breaststroke with a conference record time of 2:05.48. Taylor finished first in the 200 breaststroke preliminary, breaking his own SUNYAC meet record with a time of 2:06.48 and then was a second faster to top Geneseo’s Ken Pink’s 2010 mark in the final.

Pierce Named to Third Straight All-SUNYAC TeamSUNY Potsdam senior captain Curtis Pierce ’13 was named to the 2012-13 All-SUNYAC Men’s Basketball third team. A forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., Pierce concluded a spectacular career at Potsdam. The senior finished seventh in scoring (17.3 ppg), fifth in rebounding (7.0 rpg), fourth in three-point percentage (.400) and third in steals (53) in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. He concludes his career tied for sixth place on Potsdam’s all-time scoring list with 1,447 points and claims sole possession of the sixth spot on the all-time rebounding list with 725 boards.

Stokes Named Bears Volleyball CoachSUNY Potsdam Athletic Director James Zalacca announced Josh Stokes ’09 as the Bears’ new head volleyball coach. Stokes leaves Southern Vermont College to return to Potsdam, where he served as an assistant under departing head coach Steve Pike ’97.

Five Bears Named to All-SUNYAC TeamFive SUNY Potsdam men’s lacrosse players re-ceived All-State University of New York Athletic Conference honors. Senior midfielder Brady Fre-mont was named to the first team, while senior midfielder Derek Frost and senior goalie Stefan Sloma were both named to the second team. In addition, juniors Rob Kunz and Jeff Love both were awarded honorable mention status.

Eight Women’s Hockey Players Named to ECAC West All-Academic TeamEight members of the SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team have been named to the ECAC Women’s West All-Academic team for the 2012-2013 season. Seniors Nadine Cunningham, Jen Conophy and Katie Komsa, juniors Brittany Lucky and Dawna Salvarinas, and sophomores Izzy Fayerman, Emilee Hazelden and Alexandra Holowka each represent the Bears on the team.

Bears Hall of Fame Class of 2013Three former SUNY Potsdam student-athletes and two Potsdam championship teams were selected for induction into the Bears Hall of Fame in 2013. Edane Barton ’06, Chris Lee ’04, Chris Mele ’87, the 1972-73 Wrestling Team and the 1995-96 Men’s Ice Hockey Team are the Class of 2013. Barton, Lee, Mele and the wrestlers were inducted during a ceremony in July as part of Reunion Weekend. The hockey team will be inducted during the Grand Opening of the renovated Maxcy Hall Ice Arena on November 2, 2013.

CAMPUS news & notes

www.potsdam.edu/athletics/bearpride w w w . p o t s d a m . e d u / p e o p l e 9

1 0 P O T S D A M P E O P L E F A L L 2 0 1 3

’79Bob Fabbio POTSDAM profile

By Deidre Kelly

Almost 35 years after graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and computer science, award-

winning entrepreneur Bob Fabbio ’79 got a call he did not quite expect from a fellow alumnus, SUNY Potsdam Director of Planned Giving, Jason Ladouceur ’94. The conversation led to a visit with Fabbio that vividly brought him back to the two years he attended Potsdam in the late 70s. Until that meeting, Fabbio had spent a lot of his life as an entrepreneur as well as an avid ballroom dancer but had not spent much time contemplating Potsdam’s impact on him, but the result was profound and gave Fabbio a new appreciation for what his short time at Potsdam taught him and h ow much it continues to influence his life today.

A self-described “nerd,” Fabbio spent the majority of his time working hard to double major by taking 19 to 21 credits per semes-ter, which didn’t leave much time for social activities. When he wasn’t hitting the books, Fabbio was interning in the chemistry lab where he assisted other students in getting the supplies they needed.

“Potsdam has been so beneficial to me. I learned to work hard; I worked my fanny off,” he recalled. “I was there to get a good education. I remember my father said to me just before starting college, ‘The next four years or your life are the most important. You can go and get the education you need

to be successful or you can screw around and have

fun.’ I listened to him.”

Fabbio initially earned an Associ-ate of Applied Science degree in Chemistry

from Mohawk Valley Commu-

nity College as a pre-med student

thinking he wanted to be-

come a doctor. However, one summer class he took in computer programming changed his entire plan.

“I fell in love with computers, but I didn’t want to abandon my chemistry courses. I looked at what colleges I could attend and do both. Potsdam had a great reputation in science but an even better one in computer science,” he said. “My education was rigor-ous, and it taught me to be mature, work hard and think critically.”

In the end, in just two short years he completed 53 hours of chemistry work and all but one computer science course that would have allowed him to earn an indepen-dent four-year computer science degree.

“I had to work my rear end off in chem-istry to get A’s and B’s. Then I would do my computer science work, and it was like play-ing a game; it was fun,” he said. “I do regret that I didn’t finish that one class.”

Fabbio remembered Potsdam as being a wonderfully nurturing environment. “Any-time I needed help on academics, professors were available to help,” he said. “We learned tremendous things there that were really cutting-edge. At my first job, I used some of the education I learned at Potsdam. My bosses and peers were very impressed that I knew certain computer science algorithms that others did not.”

But more important than the chemis-try formulas and programming language, Potsdam taught Fabbio the value of thinking outside the box.

“It was the place that started helping me to critically think. That is so important in business; you have to pay attention and think deeply and critically. The academic experience really began to teach to me do that,” he recalled.

Now with more than 25 years of dis-tinguished experience launching, funding, growing, and managing innovative compa-nies under his belt, Fabbio has exhibited a transformational impact on the software, systems technology and healthcare industries resulting in the creation of more than $1.5 billion of shareholder value at time of exit.

Fabbio recently stepped down as the CEO and Chairman of WhiteGlove Health, an at-home and at-work healthcare provid-ing company he created in 2006 where he drove triple-digit growth year after year and “excellent” customer satisfaction ratings of 97 percent.

Now as a partner in Capital Factory, he is focusing on giving back to those who are

looking for their own path to entrepreneur-ship. The company identifies and nurtures capital efficient technology startups in Austin, Texas.

“I haven’t decided if I’m going to start another company or not, so in the meantime I’m helping young entrepreneurs be suc-cessful. I mentor those who are trying to do it for the first time and need help,” Fabbio said. “The Capital Factory workspace is so dynamic. I told my wife [Monica] it is like walking into a young Google. It is eclectic with young, vibrant talent who bring their ideas into a free-flowing environment.”

He credits a portion of his success to the critical thinking skills he learned at Potsdam, which allow him to visualize beyond the typical paradigm. “I can look at something and see things differently,” he said.

“Nothing is more gratifying than being in a room with a small group of three or four people and having this very rough idea that you gradually grow into a company. Then at the first holiday party you have a group of 10 or 12 people, and at the next party you have 40 people, and at the next party you have 80 people,” he said. “It is gratifying to see these things take shape, solve real problems for people and create wealth for the investors.”

In recognition of his success in building world-class businesses, Fabbio was awarded the Ernst & Young (E&Y) Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1997. He has subse-quently served as a chairperson and a judge for the Austin E&Y awards and the national E&Y awards. He was recognized in the 1999 Digital South Magazine list of “Most Influ-ential People in the South’s New Economy,” in the 2002 Forbes Magazine “Midas List of the Top 100 Technology Venture Investors” (technology’s top 100 dealmakers), and was inducted into the 2013 Innovation Hall of Fame at the Rochester Institute of Technolo-gy, from which he holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science.

“Someone was recently writing about whether you are born an entrepreneur or you become one. I believe it is something that is just part of your DNA. You don’t wake up one day and decide to be an entrepreneur. You just have these innate abilities and desires to change the world in some way,” he said. “Don’t be afraid if the little voice inside you is telling you need to start something or change the world. You need to listen to it and go do it.”


POTSDAM profile

By Deidre Kelly

The grandson of Eastern Euro-pean immigrants and the son of a tool and die maker, Dr. Mi-chael J. Komar ’80 is in the first

generation of his family to attend a univer-sity. He was raised to apply himself and work hard, but the importance of education and its role in making your life better was also stressed. Mike and his wife, Jill (King) Ko-mar ’80, see the Komar Family Scholarship, which they established in 2013, as a way to honor their larger family and their heritage.

“The Komar family story is the story of America’s potential for people,” he said. “My grandparents lived in a very meager fashion. My grandfather worked in a shoe factory. Each generation has grown up in a much, much larger world. To see where they came from, and now to have a scholarship bear their name, it’s just a hoot.”

The couple is very humble and did not create the scholarship for recognition. In fact, they were reluctant to be profiled for “Potsdam People,” but they realized the im-portance of “taking the lead” to show others the importance of giving back to the place that shaped them so much.

“This isn’t something we would naturally do,” Mike noted. “It is all part of developing momentum and buzz for the Take the Lead Campaign. People who graduated in the late ’70s and early ’80s are starting to step for-ward to give back. With their kids out of the house, they are in their prime years to give. Today’s youth are more in tune with what it means to give back. Giving back in my day was when you bought someone a beer. There wasn’t a lot of it back then.”

Mike contends the urge to create the scholarship came as part of what he calls his “mid-life crisis.”

“I felt I had to settle my debts,” he said. “Our kids are out of the house, and we are in a fortunate place. I’ve been able to do some things professionally, and now I want to give back personally. For Potsdam, we needed to start to repay the debt for the time we were there. Because of the great start Potsdam gave us, we decided to settle up now, instead of waiting until later in life.”

While at Potsdam, Jill studied math-ematics and computer science while playing varsity volleyball all four years. She previ-ously was employed by PAR Technology,

General Electric and Houghton-Mifflin. She is currently the program coordinator for the Gastroenterology, Advanced Endoscopy and Nutrition/Bariatric Medicine fellowship programs at Geisinger Health System, based in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Mike studied chemistry and biology at Potsdam and then went on to SUNY Upstate Medical University and com-pleted his fellowship in Gastroenterology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH. He is currently the director of gastroenterology for Geisinger, and volun-teers as an admission liaison officer for the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Today, they literally work side-by-side, with their offices sharing a wall, but their paths may not have crossed at all if it weren’t for a very competitive “battle of the sexes” pickup softball game involving the residents of Bowman South. The couple recalls the men not want-ing the women to play, so they suggested that the members of the winning team could take out the members of the losing team. The women agreed, and the men batted opposite-handed. As fate would have it, Jill and Mike ended up being matched up.

They remained a couple, despite it being near the end of the spring semester. “I tried to get rid of her for the

summer, but she never let go of me,” Mike recalled with a chuckle.

Mike and Jill remember their time in the classroom fondly as well. Jill selected Potsdam for its cutting-edge programs in her areas of interest. Mike chose it because his brother went to Clarkson and suggested it.

“Back then was a great era,” Mike re-called. “The faculty I had were quite good. I think I was inspired to learn by the faculty I interacted with; I looked up to them. They were good people in and out of the class-room. It goes back to if you are thought of as a name or a number. It was a comfortable place where you could know your professors.

“I had good grades and went to medi-cal school. Jill had great jobs coming out of school and supported me through medical school,” he said. “I was taught how to apply my courses and enjoyed a meaningful career.

Medicine has changed dramatically over the years, but I developed skills that

served me well in life. Potsdam was where the foundation was laid that led to a lot of good things.”

’80’80Dr. Michael J. & Mrs. Jill (King) Komar

w w w . p o t s d a m . e d u / p e o p l e 1 1

By Alexandra Jacobs Wilke

SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music is mourning the passing of Professor Emeritus Dr. Elliot A. Del Borgo ’60, whose composi-

tions and dedication to music education leave a long legacy.

Dr. Del Borgo passed away suddenly in May, at the age of 74.

“Elliot Del Borgo is remembered on this sad occasion with deep admiration by many at Crane—those who knew him as a student, as a teacher and as a colleague,” The Crane School of Music Dean Dr. Michael Sitton said. “His contributions to the School were very significant, and his influence as a brilliant composer and dedicated music educator have extended throughout the pro-fession. He will be long celebrated as a very special member of the Crane family.”

Born in Port Chester, N.Y., Del Borgo earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY

Potsdam in 1960, before going on to receive a Master of Education degree from

Temple University and a Master of

Music degree from the Phila-delphia Conser-

vatory of Music, where he studied

theory and composition

with Vincent Persichetti and

trumpet with Gilbert John-

son. On

June 20, 1970, he married fellow Crane graduate

Nancy Withington Del Borgo ’68. In 1973, he was granted the doctoral

equivalency by SUNY, and he was elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association in 1993.

Del Borgo taught instrumental music in the Philadelphia public schools and was professor of music at The Crane School of Music, where he held teaching and administra-tive positions from 1966 to 1995. He was the first chair of the Department of Music Theory, History and Composition. While at Crane, he directed the Crane Wind Ensemble.

His energetic and firm, but humorous, style was well loved by his students and fel-low musicians.

“Of all the outstanding classroom teachers and conductors I experienced as an undergraduate, Elliot was the most influential. His mastery of his subject mat-ter, combined with boundless enthusiasm, energy and his unique sense of humor, were infectious,” said Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo ’73. “During my long tenure on the Crane faculty, he was a wonderful, sup-portive colleague and friend.”

An award-winning member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, he was a frequent consultant, clinician, lecturer and adjudicator in the United States and abroad. Del Borgo was an internationally known conductor of bands and orchestras.

In addition to his music for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, he pub-lished more than 600 compositions for a variety of media, including two volumes entitled “Foundations for Strings.” His music reflects the aesthetics of 20th-century musical ideals through its eclectic nature and

vigorous harmonic and rhythmic style.Del Borgo described his work as “music

you will want to play again and again … and music that will enable your ensemble to improve.”

Del Borgo was a member of both St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cape Vincent,

N.Y., and St. Na-thaniel’s Church, North Port, Florida. He enjoyed gourmet cooking, visiting art museums and traveling to Europe. In addition, he was a volunteer ambulance driver for the Cape Vincent Ambulance Squad.

Just weeks before his unexpected passing, Del Borgo was sharing wisdom with young musicians. He visited West Rocks Middle School in Connecticut, to instruct the West Rocks Orchestra and hear the students play his “Hungarian Air and Dance.” He scurried up and down from the stage, asking the students to play the accents “with bite.”

“My theory has always been this: It doesn’t matter how old the kids are with musical instruments. If you write effectively and clearly, and there’s musical value there, the kid can make substantial music, what I call the ‘wow factor,’” Del Borgo told the Hour newspaper.

Besides his wife, Nancy, he is survived by his two daughters, Anne K. Del Borgo and her husband, Robert Norwood of Orr’s Island, Maine, and Laura D. Houk and her husband, Justin, of Lexington, Massachu-setts, as well as two grandchildren, Jonathan E. and Rowan A. Houk.

POTSDAM profile

’60Dr. Elliot A. Del Borgo

“His mastery of his subject matter, combined with boundless enthusiasm, energy, and his unique sense of humor, were infectious.” - Gary Galo ’73 Audio Engineer Emeritus


’75Major Marilyn Clouden By Deidre Kelly

Giving back is the only way I can see to pay it forward.” That about sums it up for Major (Ret.) Marilyn

Clouden ’75, a 20-year United States Air Force veteran, who recently established The Laurie Augustus and Annella Clouden Endowed Scholarship for Business or Politics in honor of her parents.

Clouden, formerly of Brooklyn, N.Y., attended SUNY Potsdam through the Equal Opportunity Program, which awarded her a full scholarship and opened the door for the biology major to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary science.

“In early August 1971, to my great surprise, I received a call that I was ac-cepted to SUNY Potsdam,” Clouden recalled. “I was elated and sad at the same time because I knew I couldn’t go away to college because I couldn’t afford it. The next week, I received a second call, and this time I was told not only that I was ac-cepted, but I was offered a full scholarship under the Equal Opportunity Program. The decision was easy; my financial worries were put to rest.”

As a Caribbean-American and as a minority on campus, Clouden’s experience at Potsdam was a bit different from most. Her parents emigrated separately from Trinidad, West Indies, and settled in the United States in late 1950s and 1960s.

“I had to step outside my comfort zone and allow myself to learn new things, be open to new ideas and possibilities. I learned to embrace that which was differ-ent and not isolate myself. I learned how to adapt but still be me,” she said. “My career path (whether in the military or in civilian life) has been a mirror of SUNY Potsdam. In many work situations, I found myself as the only minority on staff, but the experiences I gained from Potsdam

allowed me to be me and let my work speak for itself. The most important lesson I took away from my Potsdam education is don’t let the label ‘minority’ define you or define what you can or cannot do.”

When she wasn’t hitting the books, she participated in the Afro-American Society and played on the Women’s Basketball Team from 1971 to 1975. Clouden was a starter all four years and the team’s co-captain in her senior year. Her impressive skills were recognized again in 1991 when she was inducted into the SUNY Potsdam Sports Hall of Fame.

“If anything, being on the women’s basketball team had the most impact. It was about teamwork, discipline and inclu-siveness,” she said. “Coach Jan Reetz was a mentor to her girls. She was supportive and she nurtured us.”

This nurtur-ing also came from Clouden’s parents, who dared to dream of a better life for themselves and their seven children, despite their very hum-ble beginnings. She wanted to

establish a scholarship in their names to recognize their dedication to education and for their love, support and encourage-ment. Their strong work ethic served as a motivator for Clouden to pursue her dreams and aspirations, as is evident by her successful career both in and out of Federal Government Service.

After graduating from Potsdam, Cloud-en joined the military and had a successful career as a meteorologist in the U.S. Air Force, where she became a decorated of-ficer. She served as a medical technician, staff weather officer, and a military politi-cal officer at a variety of military bases, both domestically and internationally, and also commanded units in the U.S. and European theater.

She is proud of the integral role she played in the President’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) Military-Military (Mil-Mil) Program, a major NATO program estab-

lished in 1994 to enhance cooperation and stability in central and eastern European countries while increasing interoperability between partner nations and NATO. As a leader of her team, Clouden was instru-mental in assisting aspirant countries such as Hungary and others to gain NATO membership. She retired as a Major from the military after 20 years of dedicated ser-vice, and along the way, earned a Master of Science in International Relations at Troy State (European Division) in 1985.

She now works as a Systems Engineer for Lockheed Martin in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and volunteers with the USO, helping to prepare pack-ages for servicemen and women in war zones.

Clouden hopes that the future recipi-ents of her scholarship will lead the way in building bridges to a better and brighter future for the next generation through public service.

“I believe that there is someone out there just like I was years ago, in need of financial support, who has no idea how they are going to pay for a college educa-tion. Over the years I thought about what a difference the Equal Opportunity Pro-gram made and how it changed my life,” she recalled. “It is that old saying, ‘give someone a hand, not handout.’ I’m hoping this will allow students to focus primarily on why they are there (to get an educa-tion), rather than being distracted by how they’ll pay for books or meals. I’m hoping that they will seize every opportunity Pots-dam has to offer, so that they can achieve their full potential.”

The first $1,000 Laurie Augustus and Annella Clouden Endowed Scholar-ship for Business or Politics will be awarded for the 2013-14 academic year to an incoming freshman.

“

“SUNY Potsdam is that little-known secret, way up there in the Adirondacks, which offers a first-class education and can stand toe-to-toe with the best colleges in the nation. i brag about Potsdam, every chance i get.”

POTSDAM profile



preparing to Launch potsdam’s Third Centuryby sherry paradis and deborah dudley

Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam is the story of leadership, of the people who care so much about their institu-tion that they reject the idea that forces outside their control will ultimately determine their success. SUNY Potsdam accepted full responsibility for her own fate, and through fanatic discipline, research, planning and an unwavering faith in alumni and friends, the College managed to shatter all fundraising goals, even in the midst of a recession, embarking on a $27 million campaign journey to the College’s Bicentennial.

This crucial road doesn’t end at our historic celebration of 200 years; it continues on, leading to the campus’s third century. We call it the Take the Lead Campaign.

Let’s go back to the beginning: In December 2007, the U.S. economy officially entered into recession. From January to August 2008, the financial crisis escalated, with the collapse of major lenders and inves-tors. As the crisis was spreading globally, the stock market experienced a major downturn, and many of SUNY Potsdam’s alumni and friends were watching the bottoms fall out of their portfolios. With financial markets melting down, the housing sector on the brink of total col-lapse and huge taxpayer bailouts being proposed, the fundraising efforts in all sectors of philanthropy were thrown into turmoil.

By December 22, 2008, the latest edition of the Philanthropic Giving Index from Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy found that nonprofit professionals reported the lowest level of confidence in the fundraising climate since 1998.

In the midst of this financial chaos, the Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees was considering launching the most ambitious com-prehensive campaign in SUNY Potsdam’s history, making the College the first campus in SUNY to embark on its third campaign.

To outsiders, this bold step may have seemed foolish, but to Potsdam, this was an opportunity to showcase a long history of exceptional leadership. Amidst an uncertain economy, Potsdam recognized that it couldn’t wait for certainty—it had to create certainty.

The Campaign for poTsdam

the


“It all comes down to doing your homework,” says Michael Galane ’74, national co-chair of the campaign.

In order to answer the question of whether or not to gamble on the ability of alumni and friends to take the lead in a time when everyone else was running for shelter, it really does come down to research, plan-ning and preparation.

Two years prior to the financial turmoil of 2008, the College was working on a Bicentennial Plan. Immediate Past President John F. Schwaller held a series of meetings with various cam-pus leaders to bring together several previous planning initiatives into one cohesive, strategic plan for the College. This visioning process resulted in a set of campus goals and initiatives. As this planning effort was revealed to the Foundation and Alumni Board leadership, priorities for the campaign emerged clearly and a preliminary goal of $25 million was established to support the following:

• The Annual Fund for Potsdam: Providing flexibility and diverse and unique opportunities for students and faculty through unrestricted giving.

• Academic Excellence: Enhancing and expanding programs by providing the richest, most diverse learning environments through curricula, state-of-the-art technologies and facilities.

• Scholarships: Increasing the number and size of scholarships making a college education accessible to all.

• Transformational Student Experiences: Preparing students for real-world success through high-impact, out-of-classroom learning experiences, such as undergraduate research, study abroad, internships and leadership opportunities.

• Investment in the Arts: Weaving creativity into the fabric of life and learning to foster the entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders of the future.

A campaign planning committee was formed, and a case statement was prepared, highlighting the priorities. A rigorous feasibility study determined awareness, attitudes, perceptions and confidence in SUNY Potsdam, while assessing the strength of the case statement, inclinations for support and participation and proposing a preliminary timeline for success.

In early 2009, 45 alumni and friends of the College were interviewed as part of a feasibility study. Some serious concerns emerged. Major volunteers, leadership and donors began to doubt Potsdam’s ability to reach $25 million.

After all, the goal was more than twice that of the last campaign. Although the global financial crisis had spread and interviewees ex-pressed concerns about the economy and their personal circumstances,

an outpouring of love and confidence in Potsdam also emerged.

In the end, the study found that the case was credible and the priorities were the right ones for Potsdam—but 2009 was not the right year to begin the campaign. A recommendation was approved by the Foundation Board to extend the planning period (Ramp-Up Phase) to allow time for economic jitters to normalize, while answering the following questions:

1) Does SUNY Potsdam have a sufficient prospective donor base to support a $25 million goal? 2) Does the College have the staff capacity to raise $25 million?

The answer to this round of homework was a resounding and confident “yes,” to both questions.

By May 2010, the early campaign conversations had resulted in early commitments and a seed fund of nearly $3.3 million, including the campaign’s first $1 million gift, which came from an anonymous donor. This gift provided support for scholarships, student-faculty research, student activities and the Annual Fund for Potsdam.

“I come from a family of seven Potsdam alumni. I’m addicted to this place. Potsdam is like home to me every time I come back.”

- Lisa Vroman ’79 National Co-Chair

Exceeding

Expectations

A few in the feasibility study doubted that SUNY

Potsdam could raise gifts at the million-dollar

level. So far in this campaign, SUNY

Potsdam has booked five

$1 million+ gifts.


Then, in July 2010, Potsdam kicked off the Leadership Phase of the then $25 million campaign.

The Campaign Steering Committee was ap-pointed to oversee campaign work. • Stephanie Blythe ’92 and T. C. Boyle ’68 accepted invitations to serve as honorary campaign co-chairs.• Lisa Vroman ’79 and Foundation Board Trustee Michael Galane ’74 accepted the roles of national campaign co-chairs and began working closely with the committee.

By July 2011, the Leadership Phase of the campaign was in full swing, with a tagline appropriately mirroring the

actions of the campaign and the College. “Take the Lead” was adopted as the cam-paign tagline, and supporting materials were created for use in Leadership Phase conversations.

Year one of the Leadership Phase surpassed all expectations and benchmarks. $4.8 mil-lion was raised in gifts and commitments. The campaign had now raised $8,088,284. N. Brock (Hon. ’84) and Janie (Hon. ’88) McElheran became the second million-dollar donors to the campaign, through realized planned gifts totaling more than $1.6 million.

Then, the following year, another $6.25 mil-lion was raised, which brought the campaign total to $14,341,138.

Two more million-dollar gift commitments were received:• Dr. Gary C. Jaquay ’67 created the Adeline Maltzan Crane Chorus Tour Fund and the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize Fund. • Donald (Hon. ’54) & Kathy ’54 (Kofoed) Lougheed established the Lougheed Festival of the Arts.Several other notable gifts are received: • Dorothy (Albrecht) Gregory ’61 es-

tablished the Dorothy Gregory Visiting Conductor Fund, which partners with the Adeline Maltzan Crane Chorus Tour Fund to bring distinguished conductors to The Crane School of Music for festival perfor-mances by the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra, and to fund travel for major Crane Chorus performances to venues outside Potsdam.• Jerry ’68 and Carolyn Zwaga established the Jerry & Carolyn Zwaga Study Abroad Fund.• Dr. G. Michael and Barbara Maresca established the Community Performance Series Guest Artist Fund.

By July 2012, the College was planning for the Public Phase of the Campaign. A final goal had yet to be confirmed, but the fundraising achievements continued to be unprecedented. The Foundation Board established the Third Century Endowment, the first-ever unrestricted endowment for the College’s greatest needs, after receiving an inaugural gift from the Linden Family. And in September of that same year, PACES joined the million-dollar campaign donor rolls, also in support of the Annual Fund for Potsdam. Campaign goals were being consistently broken.

As Galane recalled, “There are always fears or concerns whenever any goal is set. There was much discussion and consideration, given the financial uncertainty of the time. Our initial goal of $25 million was debated and seen as aggressive for our third campaign; however, we set specific thresholds to review before setting the final goal, and the trustees agreed in the end that we could support an increased goal of $27 million, given the results of the campaign to date and external benchmarks.”

Why the tree?The common graphic element that runs through the campaign is a stylized illustration of a maple tree. There were a couple of reasons that this was consis-tent with the campaign messaging:1. The maple tree is representational of our geographic region, it’s a nod to our Canadian family, and North Country maple syrup is world class.2. More importantly, trees often represent families. The word “family” is the most beloved term used by alumni when describing the Potsdam experi-ence. Therefore, as we begin Potsdam’s third century, we do so recognizing that our greatest strength is the family members from our past, our present and our future.

What’s in a tagline?A tagline captures the essence of a cam-paign in just a simple phrase.

Other taglines that were considered:“A Natural Ascent”“Preserving the Legacy: Ensuring the Future”“The Nature of Giving”“Beyond the Boundaries”“Building on Strength”


$18.4 M

“My confidence comes from knowing what I can and cannot control, and developing plans to deal with both. I knew that this is our third campaign, and we had staff and board experi-ence upon which we could build. Our plan is well thought out and we have award-winning marketing, along with great execution,” Galane said. “Most of all, I could always see the passion and connection whenever we talked about Potsdam and the campaign to our supporters—it is the ‘X-factor’!”

As Stephanie Blythe ’92, honorary co-chair of the campaign, pointed out, “Once you get past the perceived insanity of the goal and you look at the evidence, it all starts to make sense.”

In April 2013, SUNY Potsdam marked the completion of the Lead-ership Phase with a special event in New York City, where SUNY Chan-

cellor Nancy L. Zimpher thanked donors and inducted Potsdam benefactors into the newly-created Chancellor’s Circle. (The Chancellor’s Circle recognizes $100,000+ donors to the campaign.) The College

launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam with a big campus celebration at home in Potsdam the following week. The campaign momentum was steady, with $17.4 million already raised in gifts and commitments. As of August, it stands at $18.4 million and continues to rise. Since the campaign’s inception, 57 new en-dowed scholarships have been created, along with 29 program funds to date. These new funds are already impacting Potsdam and its students in a significant way.For the past decade, SUNY Potsdam’s alumni participation rate (the percentage of alumni who give) has been among the top three for the SUNY comprehensive masters-granting colleges. But in 2012, for the first time in SUNY history, Potsdam claimed the No. 1 spot in all alumni participation in giving, beating out rivals Geneseo and Oneonta. Not bad for one of the smallest colleges within the system.

As throughout Potsdam’s 200-year history, the environment does not determine why the institution thrives—people do. From its days

as the St. Lawrence Academy, the institution has thrived because alumni are the heart and soul of the College’s success. Dr. Thomas B. Stowell, principal of Potsdam Normal School from 1889 to 1909, pointed this out in an address: “I want you alumni to recognize my appreciation of what you have done to make this school great. Our greatness is your great-ness.”

That sentiment is echoed in our campaign leaders more than a century later.

“We are all part of the Potsdam success story,” Galane said. “My job is to invite everyone to think back to the time that they were ‘led’ to Potsdam, and now ask them to ‘take the lead’ as part of our campaign, to ensure the success we all enjoy will continue and grow for oth-ers, as we approach our Bicentennial.”

September 1, 2013$18.4M

June 30, 2013: End of Year 3$17.8M

April 17, 2013: Launch of Public Phase $17.4M raised

June 30, 2012: End of Year 2$14.3M raised

June 30, 2011: End of Year 1 $8.1M raised

July 1, 2010: Launch of Leadership Phase$3.3M seed fund raised CAMPAIG

N MILESTONES


CLASS notes

1950sAnn Phillips Barnes ’51 and her husband, Philip, have moved from their home in Florida to Wil-liamsburg, VA, to be closer to their family.

Nina Tepedino ’54 pub-lished her first children’s book, “if You Lived in Sam’s Neck,” a back to nature memoir for children and their families. Her next book, “Never Too Tired for Singing,” incorporates music for early childhood and will include a CD.

Dorothea “Dottie” Watkins Clark ’55 has End Stage Renal Disease, has dialysis three days a week, and is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. She and her hus-band, Bob, attend concerts and host music evenings in their home, inviting their professional music friends.

Lois Smith Herold ’55 has been in NYC for nearly five years, where she works with a Christian ministry and is also a minister to NYPD officers. “i loved my time at Potsdam and appreciate all i learned.”

Gloria Baz Misnick ’55 and her husband, Bill, members of the Corning Area Tea Party, presented a check for $1,520 to the Wounded War-rior Project, which was raised at the April 15, 2013, Tax Day Rally in Watkins Glen, NY.

in May 2012, Martha Wil-liams Cloer ’58 retired from teaching first grade at Tulsa Public Schools. “i think of the tremendous fun i had living in Potsdam, and in the Ago Sorority house. Pots-dam was a huge growing experience for me!”

1960sJohn Dudley ’60 writes occasional commentaries for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. His residence in Delaware was struck by a tornado on Labor Day 2012, but has since been restored. He spends summers at a cabin near Paul Smiths, NY.

in October 2012, bassoonist Chris Weait ’61 and percus-sionist James Petercsak ’05 performed with Keith Brion and his New Sousa Band in a program commemorating the life and times of John Philip Sousa.

John Reed ’63 and Karen Peterson Reed ’62 met in a practice room at The Crane School of Music, when John needed a piano accom-panist for his major class recital, and 51 years later they are still making beauti-ful music together.

Ann Nichols Arnold ’64 be-came a great-grandmother to a handsome baby boy in November 2012.

Ann Ackerman Avery ’66 has been working as a

docent at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, for several years.

Karen Rudikoff ’66 retired after 36 years of teaching. She had a heart transplant in 2004 and everything is going well. Rudikoff enjoys volunteer work and knits caps for cancer patients, as well as helping the Donate Life Organization.

Beth Ann Lambein Hooker ’67 has worked on 19 pro-ductions with the Batavia NY Rotary. She has acted in several shows, and is the costume designer/coordi-nator for this year’s Rotary production.

Jay Nagel ’67 & ’68 spent his career as the Potsdam Central School middle school band director, until

retiring in 2001. in his spare time, he began repair-ing orches-

tral string instruments for students, instructors and rentals at Northern Music & Video in Potsdam. He worked part-time at Whiteface Mountain and at the Potsdam Town &

Country Club pro shop. He and his wife, Barbara ’66, have been married for 45 years and have two children. (Photo Credit: Watertown Daily Times)

in March, a group of Class of 1958 grads got together for a mini Potsdam Ago reunion. Pictured from front to back are Gail Roach Davi, Betty Duffy Charles, Sue Conant Young, Mary Carey Munhall, Sue Lester Ford and Dotty Runkel Dronker in Cocoa Beach, FL, where the photo was taken.

Irving and Shirley (Wolf) Crane ’62 Establish Endowed Scholarship For Math and Science EducationThe Crane Family Endowed Scholarship for Math and Science Education was established in 2012 by Shir-ley (Wolf) Crane ’62 and her husband, irving Crane, during Shirley’s 50th reunion year at SUNY Potsdam. The donors’ intention is that their scholarship, which is aug-mented by a corporate con-tribution from the ExxonMo-bil Foundation Educational Matching Gift Program, will serve as a strong motiva-tor for students to become outstanding math and science teachers, who will, in turn, prepare outstanding students for the engineering and scientific workforce of tomorrow.

irv and Shirley (Wolf ) Crane ’62 with scholarship recipient Samantha Long.

’61Barbara CervenkaHer Lasting Gift“As I recently revised my will, I realized that I have benefited a great deal from my years at SUNY Potsdam and in particular, The Crane School of Music. Potsdam/Crane gave me all I needed and more to succeed in my chosen career - music education. They provided me with a strong academic and musical background and a deeper love and understand-ing of all types of music and the other arts. I also matured a great deal during my years at Potsdam.”

As i grow “richer in years” and spend time reminiscing, i remember some of the wonderful experiences i had at Crane. Among them are:

What better way to say “thank you” than to give something back? in leaving an endow-ment to The Crane School of Music to use where the need is greatest, it is my hope that others may reap the benefits of what Potsdam and Crane have to offer.

For more information on how to include Potsdam in your es-tate plans or for more information, visit the College’s free estate planning website at www.potsdam.edu/advance/giftplan or contact Jason N. Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, at (315) 267-2123 or [email protected]

• May Festivals and singing and working under Robert Shaw and Nadia Bolanger and others, thanks to Helen Hosmer. At the time, we took all of this for granted and didn’t realize what a privilege it was to enjoy these experiences.• I learned so much from many excellent professors/teachers, but some who stand out are Marion Carter, Brock McElheran, Mary English and Arthur Frackenpohl.• The friendliness of everyone on campus. It really was a “home away from home.” When i have visited there since graduation, i have been pleased to see that that atmosphere still exists. This was especially true during my class’s (1961) 50 Year Reunion. We all agreed that we were treated like royalty that weekend.


CLASS notes

Carolyn Jenner Swafford ’67 was named the 2012 Library Director of the Year by the North Country Library System, in recogni-tion of her leadership, dedication and commitment to service dur-ing her tenure as director of the Canton Free Library.

Rosemary Callard-Szulgit ’68 is happy to announce that her first children’s book, “Molly Rose Baxter,” is now published on lulu.com. “This delightful story will be ideal for perfectionist children and can be easily used in homes and schools. Happy reading!”

Tom Cook ’69 taught high school English at Ogdensburg Free Academy for one year and then at Chateaugay Central School for 32 years. His wife, Betty Boyea Cook ’70, taught various elementary grades at Chateaugay Central School for 33 years. They were married in 1970 and have two children and five grandchildren. They enjoy

retirement and volunteer, travel and spend time with their grandchildren.

1970sDiane Day ’70 worked 17 years for the Professional Picture Framers Associa-tion. After being laid off, she obtained a position with a retirement community and has worked there for three years. Day retired in April 2013 and will volunteer at the local SPCA. Being a multiple cancer survivor, she also plans to volunteer at a local hospital working with cancer patients.

Retired Newark Valley High School librarian Ed Nizalowski ’70 is the local historian for Owego, NY. He enjoys playing flute and saxophone, and especially improvising with either instrument.

Glenn Drewes ’71 and Margo Bossert Zusman ’71 caught up onstage at New York City Center following an Encores! performance of “Fiorello!,” in which Drewes

played lead trum-pet. Zus-man, a retired band

director at Port Jefferson High School, recently stepped down from the Smithtown Community Band, which she conducted for 17 seasons.

William “Bucky” Nickau ’71 completed his 50th Westfield High School Reunion, where he spoke in front of about 300 guests about the last 50 years, and especially about his Potsdam memories.

After relocating to Arizona, Norman Perras ’71 and his wife, Maria, have returned to Washington state.

in 2003, Nancy Simmons Crossman ’72 retired from Verizon after 31 years. She is in her third year as an elected official on the school committee in Sand-wich, MA, and has coached a developmental swim team for four years.

Todd Hobin ’72 and the Todd Hobin Band have re-leased their first

studio album in about 25 years. Todd launched the band in 1974, and they have performed more than 3,000 concerts since.

After 41 years with the Cor-tland Enlarged City School District, Lynn Aslanian New ’72 has retired. Although she started with the Class of 1972, she finished with the Class of 1971. She received her master’s in reading edu-cation from UAlbany, started as a reading specialist with Randall Elementary School in Cortland in 1972, and in 1980, became the principal of the Virgil Elementary School. She is completing her time with Cortland as the principal of the Barry Elementary School.

Ann Gibney Straub ’72 and her husband, Peter, joined Susie Snyder Jorgensen ’72 and her husband, Rob,

for a visit to the Grand Pal-ace in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tim ’73 and Sally Alex-ander Acomb ’73 live on Keuka Lake in Dundee, NY. Tim retired from BP and Kuwait Oil Company in March 2010. They lived in the Middle East for nearly 18 years and have travelled extensively. They enjoy their retirement traveling around the USA—especially Reunion Weekend 2013.

Jerry Ghidiu ’73 retired from Rutgers University, in September 2012, after 33 years as extension ento-mologist with the Depart-ment of Entomology, and

is currently a professor emeritus. He also received the Distinguished Service to New Jersey Agriculture Award in May 2012.

Barry Kolman ’73 and his wife, Grace, a counselor, co-authored an op-ed article, “Mano’s Story: Girl with Autism Fights Bullying with Music,” which was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. WVTF, an NPR affiliate, interviewed the couple and their story was published in the Staunton News Leader. They made a presentation for the Virginia Counselors Association re-garding the effects of giving clarinet lessons to a child with autism.

New York State 117th District Assemblyman Marc Butler ’74 is the minority joint con-ference chair and a 17-year veteran of the Assembly. in the recent redistricting, his district expanded to include parts of St. Lawrence County.

After receiving her master’s of divinity in 2005 from United Theological Semi-nary, Penni Todeschini Far-rington ’74 was ordained an elder in full connection in the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. Her most recent appointment is to Manchester and Palmyra United Methodist Churches in the Finger Lakes near Rochester, NY.

Michael Axel ’75 accepted a new position as a software engineer on the MOX Proj-ect at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and is living just across the river in the Augusta, GA, area. Once his family gets settled in their new home, Axel will start looking for opportuni-ties to play his trumpet.

Jeff Robinson ’75 received his Ph.D. in 2011 and is employed as a lecturer in music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. He plans to re-tire at the end of 2013, and is contemplating a move to Botswana. “Africa has been good to me since i came as a Peace Corps volunteer to Kenya in 1975.”

Lynne Boles ’74 was a guest speaker in Carol “Kickie” (Holloway) Britt’s ’69 Essential Practices in Music Business class in April. Boles shared her marketing and presenta-tion experiences as former vice president of marketing at Procter & Gamble and in her current work as a consultant.

Before it’s too late, use your IRA to support PotsdamIf you’re age 70 1/2 or older, you can use your IRA to make a charitable gift to

Potsdam. To learn how, visit www.potsdam.edu/advance/giftplan

or contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, directly at

(315) 267-2123 or [email protected] you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s


Carole Walsh Melchior ’75 retired from SUNY Canton, where she was employed as a counselor. She now lives in Albany, NY, where she is close to her children and grandchildren.

Kathleen Farrell Kane ’76 was promoted to the senior human resources manager role at GE Power and Water in Schenectady, NY. The posi-tion includes direct respon-sibility for finance headquar-ters and acting as a strategic business partner for the CFO and finance executives. Her husband, Mike Kane ’75, is the co-author of “150 Years of Racing in Saratoga: Little-Known Stories & Facts from America’s Most Historic Racing City,” published by the History Press.

Kristian Truelsen ’76 has performed in “The Sound of Music” (Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, Alberta), “The Light in the Piazza” (Perse-phone Theatre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), “A Christmas Carol—the Musical” (Rose Theatre, Brampton, Ontario) and a national U.S. commer-cial in 2012.

Photographer Kevin Yatarola ’76 photographed opera star Stephanie Blythe ’92 as she per-formed a tribute to Kate Smith for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series.

Jacqui Sparks Biernat ’77 was presented with an award from the Professional

Women of the Fin-ger Lakes Organi-zation in the “Women Helping

Women” category, at their annual awards dinner held in Canandaigua, NY. She has also self-published a new book, entitled “Your God Given Dignity.”

Michael Frahme ’77 is enjoying his third year of retirement, after 33 years of teaching music. While he misses teaching, Frahme is looking forward to traveling with his wife, Cathy, when she retires from teaching high school English.

Michael Bubniak’s ’78 son, Brian, graduated from Albany Law School, and was sworn in to practice law in January 2013. His daughter, Danielle, is considering studying psychology.

Self-employed physician Martin Girling ’78 is the medical director of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at South Florida Baptist Hospital.

Dr. Mike Loso ’78 will be joining the faculty of James Madison University as an associate professor in technology, learning and educational leadership. He has been the assistant superintendent of Har-risonburg City Schools in Harrisonburg, VA.

Maureen McCormick ’78 stepped down from her position as chief registrar at the Princeton University Art Museum, where she worked for 28 years, in order to devote herself full-time to painting icons (in the Byzantine style of medieval Russia) and teaching others this centuries-old sacred art. McCormick studied with the Prosopon School of iconol-ogy for more than 15 years, and was invited to teach on its behalf.

The Council for Art Educa-tion recognized Donnalyn Eaton Shuster ’78 with an Award of Excellence at the National Art Education Association Convention in March. She has served as a co-chairperson for Youth Art Month in New York State for the last four years. Shuster teaches K-7 art at Frankfort-Schuyler Central School, and serves as the Region 3 representative to the New York State Art Teacher’s As-sociation Board of Trustees. in July she received the St. Lawrence Academy Medal from the School of Educa-tion Alumni Association.

James Spencer ’78 was awarded the 2013 Chancel-lor’s Citation for Excellence, one of the highest recogni-tions for Syracuse University faculty and staff.

The latest CD from Michael Benedict’s ’79 jazz band, Michael Benedict & Boptitude, “Five and One,” received a four-star review from Downbeat Magazine.

John Hart ’79 recently relocated to Chicago to lead the Credit Markets Legal Team for Chase’s Commer-cial Banking Group, after 30 years practicing law in Rochester, NY, 23 of them with Chase.

Pianist, composer and Steven Moskowitz ’79 was awarded a doctorate in edu-cational administration from Manhattanville College. He is currently an assistant superintendent of human resources and technology for the Brewster Central School District.

Jill Gibbs Prelosky ’79 resides in Round Rock, TX, with her husband, who is a CPA and is employed by Dell, inc. She retired in 2009 from a long career in cor-porate recruiting. Prelosky enjoys golfing, tennis, swim-ming and volunteering.

After 20 years at PepsiCo, inc., Michael Rosenberg ’79 retired, and is now the director of risk management at the University of Kansas.

Ron Samulka ’79 recently celebrated his 30-year ser-vice anniversary with iBM, having worked in several fi-nance, planning, accounting and management positions over the years. He is now

participating in the new iBM “Transition to Retirement” program, allowing him to work a reduced schedule through 2013 while making plans for retirement with his wife, Jina.

1980sPat Donnelly ’80 was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. He has been the boys varsity basketball coach at Bishop Ludden for over 25 years, during which time he has racked up over 450 wins, 2 New

CLASS notes

Dr. Mary Helander ’83 Named 2013 Minerva Award Recipientin July, the Alumni Association bestowed upon Dr. Helander its highest award for professional achievement, the Minerva Award.

After earning her B.A. in computer science and mathematics at SUNY Potsdam in 1983, she earned an M.S. in industrial engineering/operations research from Syracuse University, a Ph.D. in operations research from the University at Buffalo, and was named a Docent in quality technology and software engineering at Linköping University in Sweden.

Today, Dr. Helander is a Math Research Scientist with the Mathematical Sciences Department at iBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center. Dr. Helander works with teams of researchers at several sites in the U.S. and worldwide. She and her teammates are credited with 15 U.S. patents, and Dr. Helander was one of only 38 iBM employees worldwide (out of 368,000!) to receive the prestigious honor of being named an iBM Master inventor.

Dr. Helander is also incredibly generous to her alma mater and was among the first donors to commit a leadership gift to the Take the Lead Campaign. Her gift supports the Annual Fund for Potsdam. Dr. Helander has been a trustee on the Potsdam College Foundation Board since 2007. She was an important member of the Board’s Campaign Planning Committee, which oversaw the feasibility study process and development of the initial case statement, both of which were critical to the current success of the Campaign.

Plan Your Future TodayVisit our redesigned estate and gift planning website today for the essential tools you need to ensure your

future and that of your loved ones. Go to www.potsdam.edu/advance/giftplan

to start planning.


CLASS notes

York State championships, 10 sectional championships and 17 league champion-ships. Donnelly has been employed by National Grid for 31 years in iT and commercial and industrial energy efficiency. He and his wife, Laureen, reside in Camillus, NY.

Jim Serach ’80 received a M.S. in biology from the University of New Mexico. He has been a high school science teacher for 27 years and presently holds an en-dowed chair, the Aldo Leo-pold Chair for Distinguished Teaching of Environmental Science and Ethics, at the Lawrenceville School.

Claudia Tower Andres ’81 was chosen as the recipient of the 2013 Youngstown Citi-zen of the Year Award. She is a choral instructor at Wilson High School, where she has taught for the past eight years. She and her husband, Jerome, have six children and two grandchildren.

Jeffrey ’81 and Martha Hulslander Dixon ’80 enjoyed the Double Axel re-union at Turning Stone Re-sort & Casino. They have one grandson and welcomed their first granddaughter in August. They are hoping to spend time with the new baby in Okinawa, Japan. Their youngest child, Alissa, keeps them busy at home.

Mezzo-soprano Metropoli-tan Opera superstar Renée Fleming ’81 was selected as a 2013 fellow by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Diane Moonan Taverni ’81 and Sara Jones Moran ’81 sang in a 200-member community chorus with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at the Eastman Theater in Rochester, NY, in May to commemorate the RPO’s 90th anniversary season. Diane’s husband, Ed, sang as well. Diane is an elementary vocal music teacher in the Oswego City School District, and Sara is an elementary instrumental music teacher in the Wayne Central School District.

AiRmedia’s Executive Direc-tor Sue Schardt ’81 marked 2012 with the launch of Localore, an ambitious,

producer-led national initiative designed to take public media beyond its core audience

to more Americans. She also serves as director on the Distribution and intercon-nection Committee of the National Public Radio board, sits on the advisory board of Native Voice One and is the artistic advisor to NPR’s “From the Top.”

Jeffrey Arnold ’82 received the 2013 Telly Award for the musical score for the film ‘“A” Means Amazing,” which he also directed. “There were nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, so this is truly an honor.”

John Murray ’82 recently sang the tenor solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Brooklyn, NY. He has also sung with the Metro-politan Opera in Germany and Sweden.

in November 2012, Ron Isaacson ’83 conducted the Potomac Theatre Co. production of “My Fair Lady,” which received many ac-colades. He currently serves as choir director at Gunston Middle School, in Arlington, VA, and at Congregation Or Chadash in Damascus, MD. He has a tutoring firm, teaching trombone, eupho-nium, tuba and Hebrew.

Peter Nelson ’83 was promoted to director of product development at informz in Saratoga Springs, NY, where he has been employed since 2006. Peter also recently served as an interim organist for his church in Saratoga Springs. His wife, Judith Boyd Nelson ’84, received her nursing degree from SUNY Adirondack in 2011 and has joined Saratoga Cardiology Associates in the position of clinical research coordinator.

Captain David Schnell ’83 retired from the U.S. Navy in September 2012. During his 28-year career, Schnell flew helicop-ters, com-manded the Navy’s fourth-largest base and a helicopter squadron, worked in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill and lived in italy and Guam. He and his wife, Gina, and their sons, Eric and Evan, have relocated to Coronado, CA, where he is pursuing his “next” career.

One of the first blind students in New York to complete a K-12 education in public school, Mike Tyo ’83 began TYO Productions in 1985, where he created musical compositions for radio, TV and other custom venues for businesses seek-ing to enhance advertis-ing. Currently, Tyo serves as co-chairman on the Community Council on Vision impairment issues, and is on the board for the Association for the Blind and Visually impaired of Jefferson County. He resides in Adams, NY, with his two children.

Maureen Medakovich ’84 has changed careers, and is now a professional math and science tutor.

Ben Rudnick ’84 released his tenth recording, entitled “Love is a Superpower,” for which he received his sev-enth Parents’ Choice Award.

Laurie Williams ’84 is per-forming with Serendipity, an English country dance band in the Rochester, NY, area. She has partaken in a dance ball at Hobart & William Smith Colleges and the Jane Austen Ball in Rochester. She toured Boston and Vermont this summer.

Just as they became empty nesters, Karen Regan Sat-terlee ’84 started with a new firm in January 2012, and in September 2012, Lee Satterlee ’83 moved to Mont Pleasant Middle School in the Schenectady

district, after Oneida Middle School closed.

Donald F. Schmidt ’84 completed his Master of Publishing Science degree online from Pace Univer-sity. in summer 2011, he was invited to lecture at the Denver Publishing institute. Schmidt has been a member of the Publish-ers Association of the West Board of Directors since 2009. He is the production/manufacturing manager for ABC-CLiO, a niche history and social sciences pub-lisher in Broomfield, CO.

Bryan Jenner ’85 received his Master of Education degree in curriculum studies from Monmouth University, and has begun his Ph.D. in higher education at Walden University. Jenner completed 27 years as a music educator and is cur-rently the elementary music teacher at South Amboy Elementary School in South Amboy, NJ, as well as the director of the pep band and instrumental ensembles at Monmouth University.

Frank Calvelli ’86 was appointed principal deputy director of the National Recon-naissance Office in July 2012. He pro-vides overall day-to-day management of the NRO,

with decision responsibility as delegated by the office’s director. Calvelli has held a variety of senior positions, including satellite and ground system acquisition, systems engineering and mission operations. After earning his bachelor’s de-gree in computer science at SUNY Potsdam, he went on to earn his MBA from Loyola College.

Lisa Passonno Franklin ’87 has toured in Germany

with many orchestras in both concert and opera settings. She has been

on the faculty of the New York State Theatre institute, where she taught voice classes, and now teaches voice at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, NY.

Allison Armstrong Keef ’87 of Hermon, ME, is a member of the board of Bangor Theo-logical Seminary, a seminary in the UCC tradition, which in July became the BTS Center, headquartered in South-ern Maine. Grandchildren, gardening and her husband, who enjoys Atlantic salmon fishing, occupy her days. “As a mature/non-traditional student, i benefitted from Potsdam’s willingness to grant credits for life experi-ence.”

Kevin Caraccioli ’86 and his son, Matthew, were cast in the Oswego Players’ production of “it’s a Wonderful Life.” Kevin played the lead role of George Bailey, and his son, age nine, portrayed a younger George Bailey. Outside of acting, Caraccioli runs a successful law practice and does non-profit organizational work. (Photo Credit: Tobie Mcintosh)


CLASS notes

Denise Howe Luka ’87 was appointed head of school by the Community Charter Board of Trustees in Buffalo, NY. She has 25 years of experi-ence in education, having taught English for 18 years and previously worked as an instructional staff developer and school administrator.

State Senator David Valesky ’88 was this year’s commencement speaker at SUNY Morrisville. A longtime supporter of New York’s agricultural business and longtime advocate for Morrisville, Valesky helped secure state funding for the college’s aquaponics greenhouse and the equine rehabilitation center.

Jay Posteraro ’89 was named the 2013-14 Poway Unified School District Teacher of the Year.

1990sDr. Kurt Reymers ’90, as-sociate professor of science,

technol-ogy and society at SUNY Mor-risville, has received the SUNY Chancel-

lor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Bill Ryan ’90 is a director, composer and producer and an associate professor at Grand Valley State Uni-versity, Mi. His band, Billband, released its second album, “Towards Daybreak,” which they recorded at Sear Sound Recording in Times Square.

Rob Smith ’90 is a professor of composition at the Uni-versity of Houston’s Moores School of Music and directs UH’s AURA Contemporary Ensemble. He is also hard at work on his own composi-tions.

Kristina Howland ’91 was hired as a substitute teacher for her local school district in Hiram, ME. “i sub for kin-dergarten through eighth grade. i think i have found my calling!”

George Arnold ’92 is the 2013 recipient of the Potsdam Alumni Associa-tion Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves as the PACES executive director of dining services.

Aaron Brownell ’92 recently released his third

novel, “The Long Path,” an epic tale that follows a college professor’s quest to

find the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. He splits his time between his home in Potsdam, NY, and loca-tions around the U.S., where he works as an engineer for Sevenson Environmental Services, inc.

Cheryl Steckly ’92 has been named the superintendent of Lowville Academy and Central School District. She and her husband, Edward, live in the Croghan, NY, area.

Mark Haven ’93 was the East Muskingum Schools orchestra director from 1993 to 1999, before holding the same position at Zanesville City Schools from 1999 to present. He is also active as a freelance violinist within the area.

Regina Rybka-Lagattuta ’93 was named vice presi-dent of human resources at Faxton St. Luke’s Health-care in Utica, NY.

Timothy Mody ’93 was promoted to Royal Canin national account manager in the Phoenix, AZ, corpo-rate office.

Jon Betrus ’97 takes his Naples High School biology students to see the DEC’s “shocking day,” where the “current crew” passes an electrified wand into the deepest pools to tempo-rarily stun the fish to the surface, where they are netted for data collection and released unharmed. “The first-hand experience is very cool and some of these kids may head into fishery technicians and biologist positions.”

CNY Arts Center added Douglas McCall ’97 as

pianist/accompa-nist to the line-up for its cabaret, “Songs of the Sea-

sons.” Proceeds will benefit the center, which promotes the arts throughout Central New York. McCall has been a middle and high school choral teacher for the past 15 years.

Rebekah Race ’97 was appointed executive director of Westmin-ster Manor, an adult home in Auburn,

NY, where she plans to make life at the care center better for the adults who call it home.

The Massena Artist As-sociation selected Rebecca Shampine-Rowley ’97 and Lindsay Turnbull ’07 as judges for its 28th annual juried art exhibit held in February. Shampine-Rowley has been employed as a fine arts instructor at indian River Central School since 1997, where she has taught studio art, printmaking, drawing and painting. Turnbull has been a photog-raphy instructor at indian River since 2009. She also does freelance work.

Tucker Biddlecombe ’98 was hired as an associ-ate professor and direc-tor of choral activities at Vanderbilt University. He is a composer and arranger, whose article on specific-ity of conductor feedback was recently published in the international Journal of Research in Choral Singing.

Brian Moore ’98 and Tricia Dillenback Moore ’98 have been working in the indian River Central School District since graduation. Tricia is a reading teacher in the middle school, and Brian was appointed principal of the intermediate school in 2012. They reside in Dexter, NY, with their two children, Mackenzie and Brodie.

Robert Polan ’98 com-pleted his MBA degree this March at Bingham-ton University’s program in New York City. He is currently working as the Rico Reeds product manager for D’Addario in Farmingdale, NY.

Tony Dumas ’99 has com-pleted his Ph.D. at the Uni-versity of California and has been hired as assistant pro-fessor of ethnomusicology at SUNY Brockport.

Jason Emerson ’99 is now the editor of the Cazenovia Republican. An avid historian, he has written and published history articles in numer-ous academic journals

Deadline for class notes submissionfor Spring 2014 issue is:

October 31, 2013

Founding members of the a cappella group the Potsdam Pointercounts returned to campus for the 20th invitational in April. Original members Brian Hough ’95, Aaron Zipp ’97, Ben Rudd ’97, Phil Henry ’97, Steve Zumchak ’96, Brian Meyer ’97 and Dennis Creighton ’98 were joined by David Yonteff ’98 to perform three songs from the first Pointercounts album, including “The Lumberjack Song,” “How High the Moon” and “Zombie Jamboree.” “it was great being on the Hosmer stage again. it’s surreal that this group is such a huge part of campus life now,” said Creighton.


CLASS notes

and magazines including American Heritage, American History and Civil War Times. He has also written three books and edited two. Em-erson has spoken to groups all over the country and has been on the History Chan-nel, Book TV and American History TV.

2000sCraig Garaas-Johnson ’00 was promoted to director of advancement for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Dakota. For the past three years he served as an editor for the UND website.

Army Major Joel Gleason ’00 graduated from the 10-month Command and General Staff Officers Course at the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS. He has served in the military for 12 years.

Retired U.S. Army Major Adrian Vielhauer Jr. ’00 was appointed assistant professor of military science at Clarkson University. During his 22-year military career he has deployed four times and has received numerous awards and decorations, including a Purple Heart.

David Bresnahan ’01 & ’02 currently teaches middle school band and coaches varsity tennis in East Greenbush, NY, and Alexis Clements Bresnahan ’06 & ’07 teaches middle and high school choirs in Millbrook, NY.

Adam Williamson ’01 is the chief musician tenor saxo-phonist in the U.S. Coast Guard Saxophone Quartet, one of the five premier U.S. military bands. The quartet performs regularly in coun-tries like Taiwan and venues like Carnegie Hall.

After 24 years with the agency, Ginger Hall ’02 is now the director of the Jefferson County Public Health Services. She was previously the director of

patient services since 2002. Hall expects to obtain her master’s degree in public health from the University of New England in Decem-ber 2014.

Andrew Mitchell ’02 has been employed with the Social Security Administra-tion since 2003, and is the president of the Ogdens-burg, NY, Kiwanis Club.

Scott Bailey ’03 is a staff accompanist for West-field State University and previously served as a staff accompanist at UMass and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He was also the music director at the First Congressional Church of North Adams, where he helped found the North County Music Series and the North Country Ecumenical Choir.

Sandra Bosher Thornton ’03 is a recipient of the Potsdam Alumni Association 2013 Rising Star Award.

Stephanie Tooke Baran ’03 and her husband, Harry, completed the 15-mile Tour de Cure bike race in June at Verona Beach State Park in Verona, NY. They joined the ride to raise money for the American Diabetes As-sociation in honor of Harry’s late father and Stephanie’s late mother. Stephanie also participated in the Walk Out Against Diabetes 10-mile walk at Green Lakes State Park in Syracuse, NY. Stepha-nie recently joined Ulster Savings Bank as branch manager/officer.

Lindsay Burwell ’03 is a researcher at Cornell Univer-sity, and her husband, Jason LaCombe ’04 is a researcher for Nature Source Genetics, a computational genom-ics company dedicated to the development and ap-plication of new algorithms designed to harness natural genetic variation in the improvement of plant and animal species for agricul-ture and industry, located in ithaca, NY.

Nicole Lashomb ’03 is the co-owner, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Rain-bow Times. She has been

a journalist and graphic designer for over 10 years, focusing her reporting on under-represented

communities. Lashomb was also one of two co-founders of the LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts. She has performed in several off-Broadway shows and has won accolades from the National Association of Teachers of Singing com-petition.

Melissa Wegner ’03 is the associate director of the Metropoli-tan Opera National Council Auditions. She resides in Harlem, NY, but travels extensively, scouting talent for produc-tions.

Brian Carter ’04 received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UNC-Greens-boro. His dissertation was a critical edition of a Boccheri-ni Quintet that has not been published since the 1800s. He and his wife, Hannah ’02, reside in Greensboro, NC, with their two children, Clark and Owen.

David Cotter ’04 was appointed middle school choir director at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse, NY.

Jarrett Felton ’04 is a recipient of the Potsdam Alumni Associa-tion 2013 Rising Star Award.

Sarah Bodner Leahy ’04 is the new youth min-istry coordinator for the diocesan Department of Youth and Young

Adult Ministry. She is deter-mined to help grow these programs with a specific plan designed for Catholic individual parishes.

Christopher Lee ’04 is “extremely honored” to have been selected for the SUNY Potsdam Bears Hall of Fame.

Pinckey Hugo Group hired Tracy Nhek ’04 of Liverpool,

NY, as an ac-count man-ager. She has previous experience in account manage-ment in NYC

at Grey Worldwide and in San Francisco at Venables Bell & Partners.

Farren Davis ’05 is the well-ness coordinator at SUNY Canton.

Matt Sorensen ’05 is in his fifth year as box office manager at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. He has been a company member of Pendragon Theatre since 2000, appearing in and directing numerous productions.

U.S. Representative Dan Maffei hired Becky Cornell ’06 as the legislative direc-tor for his new Congressio-nal office. She has six years

of legislative experience on Capitol Hill, focusing on education and other policy areas. Cornell has also served as an aide to several members of Congress.

Dan Graser ’06 was part of the winning group, the Donald Sinta Quartet, in this year’s Coleman Chamber Music Competition. He com-pleted his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.

Fallon O’Neil Maroun ’06 is married and has a son. For the past few years, she has been using her teaching degree to educate students in the Malone Correctional Facility.

Lexy Nistico ’06 has signed on to work with a close friend in expanding her theatre company, Unboxed Voices, which produces a variety of events, from poetry nights and “Mono-logue Mondays” to short play festivals. One of Nistico’s short stories will be featured in the newly released book, “Unboxed Voices Anthology.”

Renee Aqulina Petitto ’06, a recent graduate of New York Chiropractic College, established her own practice, Better Health Chiropractic, in Watertown, NY.

Join the BFR – it’s the easiest gift you will ever make! It’s simple to do. Just name the Potsdam College Foundation as beneficiary in your will, trust, IRA, life insurance or other asset.

For more information visit the College’s estateand gift planning website at

www.potsdam.edu/advance/giftplan or contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of gift planning, directly at

(315) 267-2123 or [email protected]

As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s


CLASS notes

Laura Ramirez-Mann ’06 graduated from Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in recreation, parks and tourism sciences, with an emphasis in youth devel-opment. She also received a master’s in health education from Texas A&M. Her hus-band, Timothy Mann ’07, earned a Ph.D. in computer science, with an emphasis in machine learning, also from Texas A&M. The couple is currently living in israel, where Timothy is pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at israel institute of Technology.

Chris Jay ’07 took top prize at the 28th annual juried art show for his acrylic painting “The Frog Prince.” His work was recently featured in a solo art show at the St. Law-rence County Arts Council in Potsdam, NY.

Chris Lynn ’07 spends much of his time working as a history interpreter at the Genesee County Village and Museum in Mumford, NY. He also participates in a num-ber of area music groups, including the Hornell Area Wind Ensemble, where he is the associate conductor.

Cara Tromans ’07 is a program analyst with the Conservation Services Group in Albany, NY. She recently purchased her first house, a historic three-story brownstone, in Troy, NY.

Zachariah Galatis ’08 is working on a doctorate under the tutelage of world-renowned soloist Marina Pic-cinini at Peabody institute.

Erika Tazawa ’08 received a great review for her per-formance of Shostakovich Concerto No. 2. She was invited as part of the Cham-ber Ensemble in Residence to the Hot Springs Music Festival in the summer of 2013. Tazawa resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Brandon Scharf ’09 was chosen by Chapman Filmed Entertainment to be the assistant editor of the film “Trigger,” which follows two men fixated on what trig-gers the enormity of evil.

Isaac Snell ’09 was one of five artists to receive funding from the Village of Potsdam as part of an ongo-ing effort to turn Potsdam into a regional hub for the arts. He will use the grant money to start a ceramics production studio and it will allow him to double his rate of production, start a website and purchase more equipment. Snell hopes to open a Potsdam storefront within the new few years.

2010sAlyssa Frainier ’10 has joined the staff at South-west Skin and Cancer institute in Prescott, AZ. She co-authored a manuscript, entitled “identification of Novel Lipin Homologue from the Parasitic Protozoan Trypanosoma Brucei,” which was published in the journal BMC Microbiology in 2013.

Last year, Brittany Mruczek ’11 released her second CD, “A Christmas Song for You,”

includ-ing more than 12 traditional carols and holiday songs. She has performed numerous Christmas

concerts at various Western New York churches.

Rashaun Durden ’12 serves as assistant coach for the SUNY Potsdam men’s lacrosse team. He is pursing a master’s degree in organizational performance, leadership and technology at SUNY Potsdam.

Robert Leabo Jr. ’12 is working on his MST in Child-hood Education at SUNY Potsdam.

Former men’s hockey goaltender Kevin McFar-land ’12 spent the National Hockey League pre-season in St. Louis Blues camp. The St. Louis native was afforded

the opportunity due to the NHL lockout, which created a need for an additional goaltender spot in the shortened training camp last season.

Amanda Yeoman ’12 teach-es vocal and instrumental music at St. Patrick’s El-ementary School in Oneida, NY, and maintains a private studio. She is currently pur-suing a master’s degree in music education at Syracuse University.

Nicole Osgood ’13 started in the Literacy Specialist 7-12 program during the summer of 2013.

Melonie Joy Cutler’s ’76 first grandchild, Lily Jamesyn Cole, was born in October 2012.

Phi Kappa Sigma member Frank Caruso ’89 and Patricia Foris announce

the birth of their daughter, Brianna Carolyn Caruso, on September 27, 2012, weigh-ing 5 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 19 inches.

Paul Kelly ’90 and his wife, Karen, announce the birth

of their daughter, Dagny Bridget, on November 21, 2012, at a “wonderfully loud” 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and measuring 19 inches.

Kenny Quagliarello ’92 and his wife, Kristi, as well as their 2-year-old daughter, Kayla, welcomed a beautiful son, Kaden, who was born March 15, 2013.

Angela DiVita Frommert ’96 & ’12 and her husband, Derek, announce the birth of their son, Elliot Mason, on January 3, 2013.

On August 16, 2012, Col-leen Conerty Christiansen ’97 and her husband, Scott, welcomed their first daugh-ter, Kaitlyn Quinn, into the world. She was born at St. Francis Medical Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

Timothy ’97 and Jen-nifer Rohner Groth ’99 celebrated the birth of their daughter, Cecilia, on June 28, 2012. She joins big brother, Timothy Jr., 4.

Andrew ’98 and Jamie Luce Bentley ’01 welcomed

their daughter, Ember Primrose, on Sep-tember 17, 2012.

Scott ’99 and Marlys Mas-saro Cooper ’99 welcomed their second child, Brooke Jacqueline, on November 20, 2012.

Lisa Manchester ’99 and Owen Herne ’99 welcomed a son, Archer Herne, on July 26, 2012.

Christina Carlisle Trot-tier ’99 and her husband, Thomas, welcomed twin boys, Jameson Thomas William and Greyson Ronald John, on April 12, 2012.

Bill ’01 and Leslie Stockton Ambler ’01 welcomed their third child, Abigail Marie, on November 6, 2012. She shows her Potsdam pride by wearing SUNY Potsdam gear.

Kelly Mailler ’02 welcomed her first child, Gabriella Tait, on June 15, 2012.

Heidi Donabar Mickey ’02 and her husband, Michael, welcomed their first child, Joseph, on October 18, 2012.

George Sanders ’71 and Janet Campbell Rosen were married on August 12, 2012, in New Haven, CT. Potsdam graduates Allen Schoer ’71 and Maryjane Lisi Peluso ’70 were in attendance. The couple reside in Milford, CT.

After four years together, Kristina Howland ’91 married her partner, Heather Ricker, in a private ceremony surrounded by family and treasured friends in Maine.

Kelly Allen ’95 married Rich-ard Shaw on September 15, 2012, in St. Anthony Church in Groton, NY. Following a reception, the couple de-parted on a honeymoon trip to St. Lucia. The Shaws reside in Liverpool, NY.

TELL US YOUR STORY!Do you have a funny or significant story to share about your time at Potsdam? What is it about your Potsdam experience that made it memorable or special? E-mail us at [email protected].

POTSDAM PEOPLE Births

POTSDAM PEOPLE Marriages


Christopher J. Kenny ’99 and Rose-mary Jurkows-ki ex-changed vows on June 16, 2012 at Cardigan Moun-tain

School, Chapel, NH. The couple spent their honey-moon in Puerto Rico.

Cassandra Murphy ’02 was united in marriage to Dr. Adam Cloud on August 31, 2012. The cer-emony took place aboard the Hartford Belle on the Con-necticut River in Hartford, CT. The couple took a wedding trip to Cat island in the Bahamas and resides in Cromwell, CT.

Katie Hampton ’03 wed Justin Salter on September 1, 2012, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Gou-verneur, NY. The couple hon-eymooned in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and resides in Gouverneur, NY.

Heather Berkey ’08 & ’09 and Joseph Miner ’10 were married on October 13, 2012, at the Watertown Elks Lodge in Watertown, NY. The couple spent a weekend at the Riveredge Resort in Alexandria Bay, NY.

Nikki Castleman ’08 mar-ried Christopher Jordan in an outdoor wedding on August 18, 2012, at the Massena Country Club. The couple resides in Massena, NY.

Alicia Jacks ’08 and Virgil Love ii were married August 11, 2012, in front of the St. Lawrence River at the Massena Country Club. The couple enjoyed a honey-moon in Las Vegas, NV, and currently resides in Mas-sena, NY.

Brenda Remington ’09 wed Matthew Bailey at Trinity Episcopal Church on August 18, 2012, with a reception following at the Potsdam Town and Country Club. The couple took a wedding trip to Seattle.

On August 11, 2012, James Blunden ’10 married Dani-elle Donie at St. Mary’s Ca-thedral. The couple resides in Watertown, NY.

Bridgett Condon ’10 mar-ried Benjamin Osypiewski on September 28, 2012.

Kate-Lynn Manson ’10 and Matthew Woodhouse ’10 were married on May 12, 2012, at the home of her parents in Constable, NY.

Laurna Millard Hoffman ’50 and her husband, Merrill (Clarkson ’50), celebrated their 60th wedding anniver-sary on January 31, 2013. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Paul J. Kelly ’90, a Phi Kappa Sigma member, and his wife, Karen, celebrated

their 15th wedding anniver-sary on May 16, 2013.

Phyllis Milvo Zando ’35 December 2011

Eula Dodds Colby ’36 November 9, 2012

Dorothy M. Joy ’36

Martha Bockenheim Campany ’37 November 19, 2012

Beatrice Frank Kelly ’37 January 16, 2013

Zelda M. Thomas ’37 January 13, 2013

Virginia Welch Flanders ’39 April 5, 2010

Eleanor Nelson Clark ’40 December 12, 2012

Harriet Plume Renison ’40 July 25, 2012

Norma Berry Weirich ’41 November 6, 2012

Mary Rogene Henrie ’43 January 26, 2013

Lewis A. Travis ’43 November 30, 2011

Catherine A. Duffy ’46 December 10, 2009

Mary Klein Maples ’46 November 23, 2012

Marion Loomis Burnor ’47 January 21, 2013

Wilma Townsend Champlin ’47 February 29, 2012

James F. Collins ’49

November 12, 2012

Pauline House Lenhart ’51 June 24, 2012

Robert J. Francis ’52 March 7, 2013

Henry F. Sullivan ’52 February 12, 2010

Mary Dullea Ward ’52 September 9, 2012

John F. Fabrizio Sr. ’55 July 28, 2011

Nancy Leonhardt McLennan ’56 April 11, 2013

Norman R. Allen ’57 February 23, 2013

Lynne Rice Getman ’57 October 26, 2012

Barbara Guepe Gray ’58 December 30, 2012

Joyce Steinhorst Rucker ’58 August 2, 2012

Philip H. Bunting ’59 December 31, 2012

Jane K. Vanderhoof LeBlanc ’61 November 23, 2009

Carolyn H. Langtry ’63 March 13, 2013

Barbara A. Laino Kozak ’63 August 22, 2012

Rosemary Ellis Marino ’63 April 6, 2013

Frances Santillo Rouse ’63 January 27, 2010 Andrew Housholder ’64 September 8, 2011

Sal J. Piccolo ’64 February 5, 2013

Edmund F. Rouse ’64 December 23, 2009

Ronald R. Stroh ’64 September 11, 2012

Carol Cassens Fairbanks ’66 November 4, 2012

Kathleen Traver Bruhns ’67

January 1, 2013

Terri Hunt Petruska ’68 July 18, 2011

Corinne Cahoon Rice ’70 November 16, 2012

Susan Smith McKee ’70 October 15, 2012

Felipe Tanglao ’70 February 11, 2013

Steven L. Dean ’71 November 23, 2012

Carol McAvoy Hunter ’71 December 29, 2012

Barbara Brady Orr ’71 October 31, 2012

James B. Sullivan ’71 August 8, 2011

Barbara Cattrall Wallace ’73

March 16, 2013

CLASS notes

David Bresnahan ’01 & ’02 and Alexis Clements ’06 & ’07 were married on April 14, 2012, at the Oneida Community Mansion House in Vernon, NY.

POTSDAM PEOPLE Anniversaries

POTSDAM PEOPLE Memoriam


CLASS notes

Elizabeth J. Randall ’74

March 18, 2013

Jean M. Smith ’74 December 18, 2012

Thomas F. Wilder ’74 February 16, 2013

Antonette Fiacco-Price ’75 March 24, 2013

Cindy Perault Flint ’76

February 17, 2013

Rosanna A. Quinn ’76 February 14, 2006

Debra A. Felix Melligan ’77 December 21, 2012

Margaret E. Miller ’78 May 4, 2013

Martin R. Seitz ’79 February 18, 2013

William C. Severance ’82

March 5, 2013

Lisa A. Davis ’85 January 25, 2013

Susan L. Cushman ’91

February 20, 2013

David L. Jones ’93 May 3, 2013

David W. Vondell ’94 December 12, 2012

Edwin A. Trathen ’96 February 1, 2013

Grenda M. Czuryla Chapin ’98 March 29, 2013

Marshall Pharoah ’04 January 9, 2013

Courtney D. McLamb ’11

January 30, 2013

Chelsea L. Tobin ’12

May 19, 2012

Christopher C. Layo (Expected ’13) May 16, 2013

Gary N. Bartow taught in the School of Education & Professional Studies for 39 years. May 2, 2013

Nazarine J. Bellardini began work-ing in the mailroom and worked his way up to plant superin-tendent for

the heating, ventilation and refrigeration department, retiring in 1980. April 20, 2013

Illene I. Chudzinski worked for PACES food service for 22 years, retiring in 1992. March 2, 2013

Dorothy Codkind, faculty emeritus of the Department of Psychology. June 11, 2013

Barbara Conroe January 14, 2013

Violette Cotellessa was a former librarian. February 5, 2013

Sharon M. Farns retired from the Bursar’s Office in 2008. December 18, 2012

Cynthia J. Francis worked as a cleaner at the College since 2008.

March 23, 2013

Agatha M. “Gay” Hanson worked as a cleaner prior to her retirement. February 12, 2013

Ramona A. Robidoux was a former secretary for the Department of Alumni Relations and Department of Human Resources for many years. January 13, 2013

Cheryl L. Sabin, a former employee. November 8, 2012

Ronald Scott was a director of Physical Plant, retiring in 1991 after 25 years of service. May 3, 2013

Eileen M. Sullivan retired from custodial services in 2011. February 14, 2013

King T. Wilcox

retired as maintenance department supervisor after 35 years of employment. January 13, 2013

THE ANNUAL FUND FOR POTSDAMDid you know that your gift makes a handcrafted college education possible for the world’s next great scholar, educator or artist? When joined with the contributions of others who give each year to the Annual Fund for Potsdam, your un-restricted gift helps support the College’s greatest priorities, meet immediate needs and respond to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities here at Potsdam. And through this, you are changing a student’s life. Thank you!

POTSDAM PEOPLE Emeriti & Friends

SUNY Potsdam Student AffairsSymposiumAll SUNY Potsdam alumni working in student affairs and interested in sharing ideas with fellow Potsdam alumni also working in student affairsWhen & Where: Reunion Weekend July 10-13, 2014, SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam has a long and rich history of inspiring its students to enter student affairs as a career. As a result of their strong careers in student affairs, several have become college presidents. In addition we have a significant number of current senior student affairs officers and educators serving at a wide variety of colleges and universities nationwide.

As an outcome of our alumni’s professional acumen, there is interest in having a professional conference immediately preceding the 2014 Reunion Weekend. It is our intent to have an informal welcome back and networking reception and casual dinner on Thursday night, followed by concurrent programming sessions on Friday. These sessions would feature SUNY Potsdam alumni as presenters, offering a unique opportunity to gain professional knowledge from fellow members of the Potsdam family.

Should you have interest in being part of the Symposium Planning Committee, have interest in attending or have questions, please contact Chip Morris ’78, dean of students at SUNY Potsdam, at [email protected] or (315) 267-2117.

IN theIr own words

A Frostian Sense of Shared PossessionWhy Potsdam? Why are we all so committed to preserving educational opportunity not just in general, but at Potsdam? After all, it’s just a faraway town in a remote part of this state in one of the most impoverished counties in the country. So why did we go there and, much more importantly, what keeps drawing so many of us back?

In his poem “The Gift Outright,” Robert Frost wrote, “The land was ours before we were the land’s.” Potsdam was the first and maybe only place that I’ve been where I immediately felt that Frostian sense of shared possession, that feeling that I was a part of the place and the place would forever be a part of me.

New York City is without a doubt my favorite city in the world, and I’ve visited just about all of them. But let’s face it, New York, like London or Paris or Hong Kong, belongs to the world, and no matter how much I love those places, they will never feel like they’re mine or that I truly belong there.

But it’s more than that. Near the end of that same poem, Frost wrote: “Such as we were, we gave ourselves outright.”

I think that’s what so many of us did when we got to Potsdam. We discovered a place that was so much more than a degree-granting institution; it was a place that we could dive into and discover ourselves and form ourselves into the people that we would become.

It was the endlessly fascinating North Country. Potsdam, both the College and the town were central to the North Country’s economy, its culture and its ethos—and we as students were an important part of all of that. Not always a beloved part, perhaps, but there we were, giving ourselves outright.

I desperately want future generations of kids not just to get a quality education, which they can get from many, many places; I want them to come to Potsdam, to the North Country and to become part of that wonderful place and to give themselves to it outright.

I’ve always felt that you should never do anything halfway. Well, Potsdam’s not a halfway kind of place, is it? Honestly, it’s too damn cold. You either stay in, or step out, but don’t stand in the doorway. I want those young men and women to be able to come here and dive in headfirst and walk away not just with a degree, but with an experience and an affinity to a place that will never leave them and which they will never leave, because it will not just stay in their heads, but in their hearts, just as it did with me and my wife, Claudia Thomas ’75, and perhaps for you too.

So no matter where you are, let’s all enjoy our time in our corner of the world, but let’s never forget that lovely campus in that lovely little town that draws us together.

Charles Ayer ’75w w w . p o t s d a m . e d u / p e o p l e 2 7

p27.indd 1 9/24/13 5:40 PM

IN theIr own words

A Frostian Sense of Shared PossessionWhy Potsdam? Why are we all so committed to preserving educational opportunity not just in general, but at Potsdam? After all, it’s just a faraway town in a remote part of this state in one of the most impoverished counties in the country. So why did we go there and, much more importantly, what keeps drawing so many of us back?

In his poem “The Gift Outright,” Robert Frost wrote, “The land was ours before we were the land’s.” Potsdam was the first and maybe only place that I’ve been where I immediately felt that Frostian sense of shared possession, that feeling that I was a part of the place and the place would forever be a part of me.

New York City is without a doubt my favorite city in the world, and I’ve visited just about all of them. But let’s face it, New York, like London or Paris or Hong Kong, belongs to the world, and no matter how much I love those places, they will never feel like they’re mine or that I truly belong there.

But it’s more than that. Near the end of that same poem, Frost wrote: “Such as we were, we gave ourselves outright.”

I think that’s what so many of us did when we got to Potsdam. We discovered a place that was so much more than a degree-granting institution; it was a place that we could dive into and discover ourselves and form ourselves into the people that we would become.

It was the endlessly fascinating North Country. Potsdam, both the College and the town were central to the North Country’s economy, its culture and its ethos—and we as students were an important part of all of that. Not always a beloved part, perhaps, but there we were, giving ourselves outright.

I desperately want future generations of kids not just to get a quality education, which they can get from many, many places; I want them to come to Potsdam, to the North Country and to become part of that wonderful place and to give themselves to it outright.

I’ve always felt that you should never do anything halfway. Well, Potsdam’s not a halfway kind of place, is it? Honestly, it’s too damn cold. You either stay in, or step out, but don’t stand in the doorway. I want those young men and women to be able to come here and dive in headfirst and walk away not just with a degree, but with an experience and an affinity to a place that will never leave them and which they will never leave, because it will not just stay in their heads, but in their hearts, just as it did with me and my wife, Claudia Thomas ’75, and perhaps for you too.

So no matter where you are, let’s all enjoy our time in our corner of the world, but let’s never forget that lovely campus in that lovely little town that draws us together.

Charles Ayer ’75w w w . p o t s d a m . e d u / p e o p l e 2 7

p27.indd 1 9/24/13 5:40 PM


ALUMNI opportunities

FALL 2013

DoubLe AxeL At the DinosAur bbQ(Sept. 28, Syracuse)Enjoy a great meal, and then dance the night away with Double Axel! To register, visit www.potsdam.edu/alumni or call Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120.

CrAne FACuLty reCitAL At steinWAy hALL (Oct. 3, New York City) Experience a slice of Potsdam right in the big city. Join us for a recital and reception with Crane faculty performers. Tickets are available by calling Crane at (315) 267-2812.

boston ALumni regionAL event(October 30, 2013)Malt and Mingle with SUNY Potsdam Alumni & Friends at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston. After a long day of work, come unwind with other SUNY Potsdam alumni and friends and join us for an evening of mingling and networking. Don’t forget to wear your maroon & gray! To register, visit www.potsdam.edu/alumni or call Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120.

mAxCy hALL iCe ArenA grAnD opening & DeDiCAtion (Nov. 1-3, Maxcy Hall)Dedication Events, Hall of Fame Induction, Alumni Hockey Games, Tours.Join us to celebrate the re-opening of the newly renovated Maxcy Ice Arena. For a full schedule of events and activities visit: www.potsdambears.com/maxcyrenovations or call (315) 267-3484.

‘rAgtime’ (Nov. 14-Nov. 17, Sara M. Snell Music Theater)You won’t want to miss the triennial collaborative musical between the Crane Opera Ensemble and the Department of Theatre and Dance, the Tony Award-winning “Ragtime”! For tickets, visit www.cpspotsdam.org or call the box office at (315) 267-2277.

nyssmA ALumni reCeption (Dec. 6, Rochester, NY)Attending the 2013 New York State School Music Associa-tion conference? Don’t forget to visit The Crane School of Music booth and join us for the alumni reception at the Hyatt Regency.

CAnDLeLight ConCert(Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall)One of the College’s most popular musical performances, this free concert will certainly put you in the mood for the holiday season! No tickets required. Watch a live stream of this and many other Crane performances at www.potsdam.edu/crane.

spring 2014

beAr priDe night (January 31, 2014, in Maxcy Hall) Cheer on your Potsdam Bears basketball teams! The women’s game is at 6 p.m. and the men’s game is at 8 p.m. (both vs. New Paltz). If you are a Potsdam alum or a donor to the athletics program, join us for a special reception in Maxcy Hall Room 220 (across from the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium).

FLoriDA ALumni event – the viLLAges: pALmer LegenDs Counrty CLub (March 6) FLoriDA ALumni event – the poLo griLL & bAr, LAkeWooD rAnCh, FL (March 8) Live in Florida or visiting in March? Join us for an alumni gathering, catch up with College friends, and hear about the exciting things going on at SUNY Potsdam.

teACher eDuCAtion stuDent AssoCiAtion (tesA) ConFerenCe (March 8, SUNY Potsdam)Calling all alumni who are school superintendents and principals: You are invited to reconnect with fellow alumni and participate in a variety of sessions providing advice and encouragement to today’s students (tomorrow’s teachers!). To register or for more information on presenting, contact: Nancy Griffin at [email protected] or (315) 267-2112.

LougheeD FestivAL oF the Arts (April 25 – May 4, SUNY Potsdam) Join us on campus for a week of free arts events covering all disciplines, including music, theatre, dance, creative writing and the visual arts. The Festival concludes with a Crane School of Music performance (May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall) of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” along with other works, in a concert conducted by Larry Rachelff, the 2014 Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor. Check for updated event information at www.potsdam.edu/artsfestival.

reunion WeekenD(July 10-13, SUNY Potsdam)

A Message from Liberty Mutual

Help others enjoy the advantages of a SUNY Potsdam education. As a SUNY Potsdam alum, you know the value of a good education. Now you can help sup-port other students’ goals through Liberty Mutual’s partnership with your alma mater. Simply get a free quote on Liberty Mutual auto, home or renters insurance between September 1st and November 30th.1 For each individual quote, we will donate $5 directly into the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Scholarship Fund. Through this partnership you could also receive exclusive savings on quality coverage and exceptional service.

Visit Liberty Mutual at www.libertymutual.com/qfs-potsdam or call (855) 323-2150 today for a free, no-obligation quote.

1. No purchase of a policy is required. Limit one quote per policy type per person. Not available to residents in CT, FL, iA, MA, ME, MO, ND, NM, PA or to existing Liberty Mutual insurance customers.2. Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. Certain discounts apply to specific coverages only. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. © 2012 Liberty Mutual insurance

Save the DateSUNY Potsdam invites everyone to participate in these upcoming activities, all of which are on campus unless otherwise noted. For a complete listing of

more than 350 on-campus activities, including specific dates, locations, and registration/ticketing information (when applicable), visit the Campus News & Events tab on the SUNY Potsdam website at www.potsdam.edu.

general alumni questions can be directed to the office of Alumni relations at (315) 267-2120.


REUNION special

Visiting campus? Check out the complete

campus calendar to see

what’s happening.

Visit www.potsdam.edu/

newsandevents to see a full

listing of athletic events,

concerts and more!

Reunion Weekend Huge Success! Many thanks to all our alumni and friends who returned for Reunion Weekend 2013 and set a record for attendance! With over 775 registrations and beautiful Potsdam summer weather, what a wonderful weekend it was. in addition to class reunions, the following celebrations took place over the weekend: men’swrestling team’s 50th anniversary of 1st season and 40th anniversary of 1972-73 SUNYAC championship, 45th anniversary of the Prometheus fraternity, 40th anniversary of Crane Youth Music (CYM), men’s swim team’s 30th anniversary of the 1982 & 1983 SUNYAC championships, 30th anniversary of Omega Delta Phi’s Alumni Association, 25th anniversary of SUNY Potsdam’s General Education program, and Louise Tyo’s 10th anniversary in the Orientation program. From celebrating our Alumni Award recipients, Hall of Fame inductees, Greek life, to past and present members of student activity groups, we were reminded of the liberal-arts diversity that makes SUNY Potsdam great. A heartfelt “thank you” to all our volunteers, who helped keep everything running smoothly all weekend. A very special thank you to all our class volunteers, who together raised an incredible $2,532,161 in class giving. A special shout out to the 50-Year Club (all classes from 1963 and earlier) who raised a whopping $1,900,103. SUNY Potsdam has incredible and generous alumni!

Reunion 2013 Feedback?We welcome your Reunion feedback! What did you like? What did you not like? What suggestions do you have for future Reunion celebrations? Feel free to e-mail the Alumni Office at [email protected].

Event Photos Available OnlinePhotos from Reunion Weekend 2013 are available to view and purchase through SUNY Potsdam’s Flickr account at www.flickr.com/photos/sunypotsdam/sets/72157634677738385/ More photos will be added, so check back regularly. (Flickr is an online photo sharing site.)

Wrestling reunion 2013

Class Chair(s) Reunion 2013 Giving Totals2008 5th Reunion

2003 10th Reunion*Julie Sharlow DoldHannah Gruber CrevistonMelissa Wegner1998 15th Reunion

1993 20th ReunionDaniel Stoker 1988 25th Reunion*Don Straight1983 30th Reunion 1978 35th Reunion

1973 40th Reunion***Doreen Boone LaVineKatharine Unger1968 45th ReunionDale Zurbrick1963 50th Reunion*Liz Lyons BrownElaine Book HalpernSusan Wood LanceCarol Brombacker Smiglin50 Year Club**Class of 1958 55th ReunionDavid ConnerToby Cerasoli ConnerRita itkin SchwartzBarbara Seaman Taranto

TOTAL $2,532,161

*The 10th, 25th and 50th Reunion classes are recognized as celebrating a “milestone” Reunion year.**The 50 Year Club includes all classes prior to the one celebrating their 50th Reunion.***The Class of 1973 has set a giving record among the classes that have celebrated a 40th Reunion. The previous record was $58,592, set by the Class of 1967 in 2007.

$8,787$12,326 Exceeded Goal!

$1,036$5,447 Exceeded Goal!

$18,393 Exceeded Goal!



$270,240 Exceeded Goal! Reunion Record!



$1,900,103 Exceeded Goal!

2013 Reunion Class GiftsAt Reunion each year, classes celebrating significant anniversaries present Class Gifts to the College. Thank you to 2013 Reunion committee members, who made lots of phone calls, sent emails and letters and used social media to reach classmates and encourage them to show their support!

Many alumni honor their Reunion celebration by going above and beyond their typical annual giving. All gifts from each class, regardless of designation, are counted in each class’s Reunion total. Gifts to the College’s greatest needs support a variety of vital resources and financial support for research, student travel, equipment, technology, scholarships and so much more. As reported at Reunion 2013 in July, $2,532,161 was given by alumni. A special thanks to our generous Potsdam alums!

Mark Your Calendars Now to Join us for Reunion

7.10.14 - 7.13.14For more information visit

www.potsdam.edu/alumni

44 Pierrepont Avenue Potsdam, NY 13676www.potsdam.edu/people

class of 1963

It’s Not Too Soon to Plan For Reunion

2014!

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDVILLANTI

MAILED FROM 05401

Fall 2013 Issue of Potsdam People

Documents

Transcript of Fall 2013 Issue of Potsdam People