Oswego - Spring 2004
-
Upload
oswego-alumni-association -
Category
Documents
-
view
248 -
download
4
description
Transcript of Oswego - Spring 2004
OSWEGOOSWEGOWRVO Turns 35!
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT OSWEGO � VOL. 30, NO. 1 � SPRING 2004
PLUS� Snowed In!
� TroubleshootingOur Schools
or more like this,
Whether your graduation looked like this
2004 Reunion Classes1929 • 1934 • 1939 • 1944 • 1949 • 1959 • 19641954 • 50th
1979 • 25th
1994 • 10th
Plus35th Cluster Classes1968 • 1969 • 1970
15th Cluster Classes1988 • 1989 • 1990
Mini-ReunionsZeta Chi Zeta 35th Anniversary CelebrationPsi PhiDelta Chi Omega 35th ClusterTheta Chi Rho 35th Cluster
For the most up-to-date information or to register online,visit http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/reunion2004.Registration Deadline: May 17Reunion Hotline: 315-312-5559
you can relive the happy day by returning to Oswego for
JUNE 3–6
Don’t miss out — Come back and join the fun!
S P R I N G 2 0 0 4
Alumni Association of the State University of New York at OswegoVol. 30, No. 1
OSWEGOOSWEGO
7
16
Troubleshooting Our Schools 14Joe Farmer ’60 comes out of retirement to share his school leadership skills.
It’s Good Company 16WRVO celebrates 35 years on the air from Lanigan Hall on campus.
Snowed In! 22Oswego’s famous snow strikes again — and students get a rare two-day break from classes.
P L U S
Campus Currents 3Club News 12Class Notes 25Weddings 42The Last Word 48
O N T H E C O V E R :
John Krauss ’71 (left) and John Hurlbutt ’71 prepare for another day in the WRVO studios.
Cover photography by Robert Mescavage Photography
27
14
OSWEGO � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 2
When our kids were little, we had the
“idea bag.” A plastic briefcase, with
“The Idea Bag”painted on its side, it began life
as a salesman’s kit for an advertising novelty
company.When the ad agency where I worked
at the time was clearing out the clutter in a
back closet, the bag was destined for the
dump. I rescued it and filled it with activities
for the long car trips we’d take on family vaca-
tions.At first, I’m sure my little ones thought it
was a magic sack that produced goodies on
demand, like one of their favorite Disney
books, The Magic Grinder. “Mom, I need an-
other idea!” they’d shout when the long ride
made them restless. As the kids grew, so did
the idea bag’s contents, from coloring books
and crayons to comics, handheld electronic
games and audio books. Our nest is empty
now and the idea bag, no longer needed, went
to Goodwill. I hope another family found its
enchantment. But sometimes, as I sit staring at
the computer screen, trying to envision the
next Oswego magazine, I wish I had a magic
idea bag, where stories and pictures would
appear without the sweat of creative labor.
This issue, we’re calling on you for help in
filling the idea bag. Our next issues will feature
stories on alumni involved in politics, success-
ful alumni under age 40 and — my personal
favorite — all sorts of things related to food.
And, we’re asking you to get creative in 17 syl-
lables. Yes, it’s Hideo Haiku time again. Look
for the notes scattered throughout Campus
Currents and send us your ideas. Make that
bag overflow!
Michele A. Reed
Oswego editorOswego is published three times a year by theOswego Alumni Association, Inc., King Alumni Hall,State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY13126. It is distributed free of charge to alumni,friends, faculty, staff and families of current students.Printed April 2004.
Elizabeth Locke OberstPublisher
Michele ReedEditor
Jim Russell ’83Staff Photographer
Kiefer CreativeGraphic Design
Lisa Potter Memorials
Emily King ’05Class Notes
Janel Armstrong ’03Bookshelf, Weddings
Shannon Mahar ’04Emily King ’05 Editorial Assistants
Janel Armstrong ’03Julie Harrison BlissertLyle FultonEmily King ’05 Linda Morley
Loomis ’90, M ’97Shannon Mahar ’04Tim NekritzRandi WeinerContributing Writers
Lyle FultonBob MescavageContributingPhotographers
Lori Golden Kiewe ’84President
Mark Tryniski ’85First Vice President
Jennifer Shropshire ’86Second Vice President
*Dr. David Cristantello ’74
Past President
Elizabeth OberstExecutive Director
Debbie Adams-Kaden ’78William Bacon ’59Elizabeth Nichols
Bates ’68 Mary Beth Beaton ’05Connie Holmes Bond ’51 Tomasina Boyd Boone ’93Norman Brust ’49*Maurice Bullard ’80 Saleem Cheeks ’01Sherman Cowan ’91,
M ’94
John Daken ’66Sylvia Muncey Gaines ’76*Lester Gosier ’37Elizabeth Gura ’84 *Tracy Chamberlain
Higginbotham ’86 Lyndsay Jenks
Hanchett ’92David Kidd ’49*Edith Maloney
Knight ’50Patrick Magin ’91Alice Massimi ’02*Carol McLaughlin ’45 Davis Parker ’47*Joseph Savage ’77 *Herbert Siegel ’40 Olive Brannan Spargo ’31Molly Casey St. John ’99*Barry Thompson ’77 Jon Vermilye ’66Cheryl Webster
Crounse ’98* At large
Deborah F. StanleyPresident
Dr. David KingInterim Provost
Nicholas LyonsVice President forAdministration andFinance
Dr. Joseph GrantVice President forStudent Affairs and EnrollmentManagement
Kevin MahaneyVice President forDevelopment and Public Affairs
Two occasions this January
gave me cause to be thank-
ful for people not normally in
the spotlight. Mother Nature
dumped over four and a half
feet of snow on Oswego in a
few days. Our cleanup crews
worked incredibly hard to clear
roads and walkways for our
students and staff, especially
given the size and duration of
the storms they faced this year.
All the people who work so
hard to make the college acces-
sible deserve our thanks and
praise for succeeding in a task many people
may take for granted. We had to cancel classes
for two days in a row — something not seen
here in generations — but without the dedica-
tion and commitment of our maintenance
employees, it no doubt would have been even
longer.
The second group I am thankful for falls
into the “heard but not seen”category.The cre-
ative and dedicated men and women of
WRVO, the public radio station in Lanigan
Hall,celebrated 35 years on the air this January.
Over the decades we have come to rely on this
committed crew to bring us many of the
events that have shaped our lives — the Chal-
lenger and World Trade Center disasters, the
Gulf wars, elections and yes, even Oswego’s
legendary weather. WRVO gives our students
opportunities to learn and stretch their wings
in a professional, yet supportive, environment.
And it makes SUNY Oswego’s name known to
nearly a million potential listeners.
So many people contribute to making
our campus community a worthwhile place,
a haven for learning and growing. After you
read about the work of these two groups in
this issue, I’m sure you will be as thankful as I
am for their dedication.
Deborah F. Stanley
President
FROM THE
PresidentDeborah F.Stanley
President’s Desks
F R O M
Oswego Alumni Magazine
The Oswego Alumni Association, Inc. Board of Directors
State University of New York at Oswego
Office of Alumni and Parent Relations
King Alumni HallSUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126Phone: 315-312-2258 Fax: 315-312-5570E-mail: [email protected] site: http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 43
Thanks to a Fulbright study
abroad grant, Nicole Darcan-gelo ’03 of Vestal is spending her
first postgraduate year working on
a research project and taking classes
at the University of Waterloo in
Ontario, Canada. She is one of four
Fulbright Program winners this
year at Oswego — a college record.
A Presidential Scholar at
Oswego, Darcangelo planned to
conduct a comparative study on child poverty
issues between the United States and Canada
for her Fulbright work. She credited psychol-
ogy Professor Virginia Gregg for pointing her
toward the program.
Distinguished Teaching Professor of
History Dr. Geraldine Forbes is in India right
now researching the historical value of late
19th- and early 20th-century photographs of
Indian women.
Dr. Alfred Frederick, professor of cur-
riculum and instruction, spent his winter
break at the Universite d’Abomey-Calavi in
Benin, conducting workshops for faculty at
the West African university on curriculum
design in a culturally pluralistic society.
Dr. John F. Lalande II ’71, professor and
chair of modern languages and lit-
eratures, spent three weeks in June
traveling to Berlin, Rostock, Frank-
furt and Mainz. His Fulbright
studies resulted in a new course at
Oswego in German culture and
civilization.
The Fulbright program is
sponsored by the U. S. Department
of State. �
Oswego scholars garner record number of Fulbright awards
Dr. Al Frederick, right, discusses with grad-uate assistant Don Waddell preparations for his Curriculum Reform Seminar at theUniversite d’Abomey-Calavi in the Republic of Benin, West Africa.
College to offerrare semester-longstudy in Cuba
When a dozen students started a study
abroad experience in Cuba in early
February, SUNY Oswego established one
of only three comprehensive college-run
semester-long programs in that country.
Participants in Oswego’s first-ever Cuban
semester exchange program from Feb. 12 to
June 12 at the Universidad de la Habana had
to be academic achievers fluent in Spanish
because of the rigorous demands of the
university there, said Dr. Walter Opello, direc-
tor of international education at Oswego.
Students will take mainly social science
courses and will learn more about the culture
from out-of-classroom experiences. Plans are
to pair a Cuban student with each incoming
student to serve as a guide and cultural
mentor throughout the semester.
The program’s seeds were planted when
Eugenio Basualdo, an associate professor of
vocational teacher preparation, asked to bring
two Cuban professors to speak on campus.
After speaking and meeting with members of
the college community, they proposed an
exchange program. �
Nicole Darcangelo ’03
OVER 250 STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS SIGNEDa Letter to the Academic Community during a two-day campaign in Hewitt Union in December, affirming the college’s commitment to diversity. “The diversity of the ethnic heritage that exists among ourmembers enriches the quality and breadth of our learning,” read the letter in part. “Native Americans have a rich culture and sacred tradi-tions . . . This culture, along with many other cultures present in our academic community, should be respected and celebrated here.” The letter was in response to an incident on Halloween, when a student ranthrough a classroom taught by a Native American instructor, aiming a toy bow and arrow at him and making racist remarks. “The campustakes a position on this type of behavior, that it’s not acceptable,” saidCathy Santos ’87, assistant dean of students for judicial affairs. “This is a living and learning environment.” She added that the campusresponded under the Code of Student Rights, Responsibility and Conduct. Pictured at left, Beisan Hamdan ’05, an international relations major, signs the unity letter. Looking on, from left, are Tara Blunt ’06, a political science major; Beth LeBeau ’04, a marketing major; andTravis Stafford ’06, a math major.
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O ● S p r i n g 2004 4
Acollection of short stories by Sherman
Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fistfight in Heaven, is the Oswego Reading
Initiative choice for the campus community
to read next summer. It is the third annual
choice, and the first fiction book selected.
ORI book selections each year inspire events
programming, from films
and speakers to in-class
projects.
A highlight of next
year’s activities will be a visit
by the author. Alexie will be
on campus Oct. 5 to read
from his book and speak to
campus audiences.
Alexie’s tales of charac-
ters struggling on a modern
Spokane Indian reservation
were an overwhelming
favorite of campus voters, one of the factors
considered by the ORI committee. Votes in
favor of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in
Heaven ran at about a 20-to-1 ratio to the
next runner-up of six choices in the largest
electronic voting turnout for the
program to date, according to
Associate Provost Rhonda Mandel.
The book served as the foundation for
the critically acclaimed movie “Smoke Sig-
nals,” which earned two Sundance Film Festi-
val awards and a deal with Miramax Films. ●
ORI author to visit
Sherman Alexie
NSF continues scholarships The National Science Foundation
found SUNY Oswego’s first ef-
fort through their scholarship pro-
gram so successful that it has funded a
second four-year version.
Oswego’s computer science and
mathematics scholarship program
was awarded a $396,000 grant. It was
among only 65 approved out of 220
applications.
Approximately 30 juniors and
seniors majoring in mathematics,
computer science, information science
or education with a math concentrate
will receive $3,000 scholarships each
year during the program.
For more information go online
to www.oswego.edu/CSEM. ●
© R
EX R
YSTEDT
Alumni return to stage for opera’s 25thWHEN INEZ PARKER TOOK her curtain callat the Oswego Opera Theater’s 25th anniver-sary production of “A Little Night Music,” shedid something she has never done in hermany years as a performer — she cried.
“It was just so emotional for me,”Parker said. “It was so thrilling to be a part
of a company I love, a company I’ve been a part of for so many years.”
Parker, also the show’s producer, wasan employee of the Penfield Library for 41 years, and the only member of thenight’s cast to have performed in “H.M.S.Pinafore,” the premier performance of theOswego Opera Theater. To take the stage25 years later, Parker said, was an excitingthing. “It was overwhelming,” she said. “Ifelt as though there were ghosts in the theater, all of the people who I haveworked with, who have died, who havegraduated and moved on. I felt as thoughthey were all there.”
In fact, many of them were. Karin “Pinky” Franklin-King ’71 had
never sung opera before, but that didn’tkeep her from tackling the role of Desireein the production.
“It was a dream come true,” Franklin-King said. “I love having the opportunity to
go to Oswego and see performances, or bein performances. It felt good getting backon campus again.”
Dr. James Soluri, one of the foundersof the Oswego Opera Theater and profes-sor emeritus of music, was glad to attend.
“I return as often as I can,” he said. “I have not missed a performance since I moved to Massachusetts.
“The existence and survival of a profes-sional opera company in a small town likeOswego is remarkable, and due largely to the support of the community and thededication of many board members overthe years,” he said.
Also performing in last November’s production were Dani Gottuso-Boudov ’98,Rebecca Sutter ’03 and Michael “Clem”Climek ’05. Rick Sivers ’70, is president ofthe board of directors and members includeKristine Hyovalti Bushey ’72. ●
— Shannon Mahar ’04Karin “Pinky” Franklin-King ’71 as Desiree
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 45
Write to Oswego and send your best poetry — Hideo Haiku
IT’S TIME FOR THE SECOND HIDEO Haiku
contest, honoring Hideo Takamine 1877, a
young man who graduated from Oswego over
125 years ago and went on to found a teacher’s
college in Japan. The rules are simple:
Haiku is the traditional Japanese poetry
form written in 17 syllables, usually three lines
of five, seven and five syllables each. Often
haiku will incorporate a theme from nature or
a seasonal reference, but this is not necessary.
For the Hideo Haiku contest, poems should
make some reference to Oswego State.
You may enter as many poems as you like.
Simply type or print the haiku on an 8 1/2 x 11
sheet of paper, no more than five poems on
a sheet. Please include your name, address,
telephone number and e-mail address on each
sheet. Also state your relationship to the
college: alumnus/alumna (include class year),
faculty, staff, emeritus/emerita or student. Em-
ployees of the Office of Alumni and University
Development are not eligible to win.
Prizes will include Oswego State memora-
bilia, provided by the Oswego Alumni Associa-
tion. Winning haiku will be published in a future
issue of the magazine.
Mail entries must be postmarked by Sept.
1, 2004. Send entries to Hideo Haiku Contest,
King Alumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Os-
wego, NY 13126. Or enter online at www.oswe-
goalumni.oswego.edu/haiku by Sept. 1.
So have some fun, honor a fellow alumnus
and celebrate Oswego’s enduring connection
with Japan. Write and submit some haiku
today! �
T he generosity of one alumnus and the
talents of another came full circle this
semester. The first Ernst and Young Visiting
Lecturers in Women’s Studies were named,
thanks to a donation by Robert Feinberg ’78
matched by his employer, Ernst and Young.
One of the two visiting scholars is Melina
Dello Stritto Carnicelli ’70, lecturing on
“Women in the Workplace.”
“I’m thrilled to be doing it,” says Carni-
celli. “I’ve always considered the role of
instructor to be so deeply rich: Not only is
there the teaching component, but there’s
also the learning component.”
She’s no stranger to the classroom. Before
founding her 10-year-old consulting firm,
Treble Associates, which provides leadership
training and professional staff development,
she was a school administrator and teacher.
For the past four years, she’s also been Mayor
of Auburn and previously served on the city
council there.
In addition to her new course, Carnicelli
began a new job: working as a project associ-
ate in the college’s Center for Business and
Community Development.
It’s a homecoming in more ways than
one for Melina. This year her daughter,
Regina Carnicelli ’06, is new on campus too,
having transferred from SUNY Albany.
Melina’s son, Luke Carnicelli ’96, M ’00
CAS ’04 teaches locally and her daughter-in-
law, Lisa Festa Carnicelli ’98, is working on
her master’s at Oswego. Melina’s sister, Maria
Dello Stritto ’73, is also a graduate.
Also lecturing under the new program
is Rosemary Hartigan, an attorney from
Syracuse, who is teaching “Employment
Equity and the Law.” She has most recently
been program director and associate profes-
sor of MBA and executive programs at the
University of Maryland University College.
She also has taught at Antioch University,
Babson College and the Rochester Institute
of Technology, and has practiced law in
Wisconsin and Massachusetts. �
First Women’s Studies lectures begin
Melina Dello Stritto Carnicelli ’70 lectureson “Women in the Workplace.” Class mem-bers include, front row from left, childhoodeducation major Chris Saunders ’05 andAmerican studies major Pearl Gardner ’04and, in the back row, elementary educationmajor Jessica Koopman ’05.
Oswego alumni magazine was awarded
a silver award as part of the Accolades
Program at the Council for the Advancement
and Support of Education’s District II
conference this spring. CASE is the interna-
tional professional organization for advance-
ment professionals at all levels who work in
alumni relations, communications and devel-
opment. District II has the largest CASE
membership, including more than 660
institutions and 4,800 individual members.
Oswego was recognized in the category for
one- to three-color magazines with a budget
of over $20,000, for the Fall 2002 and
Spring and Summer 2003 issues. Last fall,
the magazine was honored by the Oswego
County Press Club in two categories: Best
Article: Government for “Homeland Security
101” in the Spring 2003 issue, about
Jerome DuVal ’92; and Best Editorial,
for that issue’s “From the Editor’s Pen,”
memorializing Theresa Greco ’73. �
You’re holding silver in your hands!
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2004 6
A NATIONAL PROGRAM THAT AIMSto boost the number of Ph.D.s amongmembers of underrepresented groups isgetting under way at SUNY Oswego.
The McNair program, which is offer-ed to students through a new grant fromthe Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureateAchievement Award Program, is designedto promote diversity among the nation’scollege professors. Its goal is to providefinancial assistance and practical learningexperience to African Americans,Hispanic Americans, American Indians,
economically disadvantaged first-genera-tion college students, and — in math-and science-related fields — women.
The U.S Department of Educationprovided Oswego with $190,216 for this academic year, with more fundingexpected through 2006-07, totaling$760,864.
The number of students participat-ing in the program is expected to growfrom 10 to 15 this spring, to approxi-mately 20 juniors and seniors a year. �
Program to generate Ph.D.s
A1975 alumnus of the college, who
parlayed his work ethic and business
sense into a successful commercial real estate
enterprise in Florida, has remembered SUNY
Oswego in a foundation set up as part of his
estate.
Maurice R. Gelina ’75 named Oswego as
one of the beneficiaries of the Maurice R.
Gelina and Barbara McCleese Foundation.
As one of the 10 beneficiaries of the trust
fund, Oswego will receive a disbursement
each year in perpetuity, or until the fund is
depleted. As of Dec. 31, 2003, the fund con-
tained over $950,000 and was not yet fully
funded.
He named Oswego as a beneficiary
“only because he thought so much of the
college,” said his former wife, Judith FarwellGelina ’75, co-trustee. “It really gave him his
foothold in education and gave him what he
needed.”
Maurice loved Oswego so much he re-
turned to it despite adversity and convinced
Judy to finish her degree here, too.
He started at Farmingdale Community
College and came to Oswego to study indus-
trial arts education. When his mother be-
came ill, he had to leave Oswego and return
home to run the family business. He returned
to school at Suffolk Community College,
where Judy was a student, and convinced her
to come to Oswego with him to finish their
degrees. They came to Oswego in 1973 and
did their student teaching, Maurice in Syra-
cuse and Judy in Fulton.
After graduation in 1975, the couple
moved to Florida and married. Maurice
landed a job teaching the arts in a middle
school, but school budgets were tight and
Judy could only get subbing jobs. So the
couple took courses in real estate and got
their licenses. Judy favored residential sales,
but Maurice gravitated toward commercial
real estate.
At the time, Miami was just becoming a
large metro area. Maurice worked for Merrill
Lynch and Studly International, and over the
years he closed several large commercial
deals in Miami. He opened his own agency,
Maurice Gelina and Associates, and had been
in business about 16 years when he passed
away in December 2002 of a heart attack.
Maurice Gelina was noted for his deals
on large commercial buildings, such as
Carnival Cruise Line’s move into their new
building, Judy said.
“He was a very talented man,” she said.
“He was brilliant in putting some of these
deals together.
“When he started, Miami was a very
small big town. Now it has grown by leaps
and bounds. He was really instrumental in
that.”
A real-estate genius and savvy business-
man, Maurice Gelina did more than help
Miami’s commercial entities cement their
presence in the city. Through his generosity,
he has ensured that generations of Oswego
students will be able to build a firm founda-
tion for their dreams. �
Real estate magnate donates to Oswego
Maurice R. Gelina ’75
Poleto to chair College CouncilDavid M. Poleto ’79, a member of theOswego College Council since 1997, wasappointed chair of that body in January by Gov. George Pataki. A political sciencemajor at Oswego, Poleto is vice president of Park Strategies, LLC.
He previously was the director of the New York State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform, before that serving as Pataki’s director of regional affairs anddirector of scheduling.
Poleto was former U.S. Sen. AlfonseD’Amato’s director of state operations from1991 to 1998 after working as D’Amato’scapital region coordinator/director of casework. �
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 47
CorrectionsIn a story in the Fall/Winter 2003 issueabout the scholarship she named for herparents, Oswego reported Jean Pietroski’smaster’s degree incorrectly. She earned herbachelor’s degree in 1971 and her master ofscience in education in 1974.
Robin VanLoan Jones ’70 and John Jones ’73 were incorrectly listed in the2003 Honor Roll of Appreciation asSheldon Associates. They should have been listed among members of the SheldonLoyalty Society.
Maria Correa Gonzalez ’03 presentedthe Oswego Alumni AssociationDecember Class of 2003 banner andsome words of wisdom at the Dec. 20graduation ceremony. “To Oswego, ourAlma Mater, the memories and lessonswill live on forever, and as we leave thegrounds of the Oswego State campus,it is with great pride and admirationthat we will hold our heads high andcontinue to give back,” Gonzalez toldher classmates. “Go and take the worldby storm — the Oswego way.”
The Laker Days 5K walk/run gave students a chance to relieve their cabin fever outdoors. “I came outbecause my friend works at the school, and I thought it was for a good cause,” Tracy Searle ’02, said.“I wanted to get out into the air and get some exercise. It was fun.”
“Pursue what you love. That is the most
important thing.”
This is the message that Travis Cook ’78
sent faculty and students during the panel
discussion “Sports: Past, Present and Future”
as part of Laker Days in early February.
Cook, the director of recreation for the
Oneida Indian Nation and a charter member
of the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame, was
among five speakers to address students on
issues such as job placement in professional
and amateur sports, women and minorities
in sports, and the athletic tradition at SUNY
Oswego.
A lacrosse standout at Oswego and a
torchbearer at the Winter Olympics in 2002,
Cook said he was excited about the opportu-
nity to visit Oswego and share his experiences
with students.
“I love coming to Oswego,” he said.
“Things were right for me when I was here.
I love the enthusiasm of the students, and I
wanted to be a part of it.”
Michele Tackett–Spinner ’98, co-director
of the panel along with Jean Conway M’95,
said that it’s helpful for students to hear from
alumni in their prospective professions.
“It’s good for them to see others who have
made it within their field,” Tackett-Spinner
said. “It gives them hope that they can be
successful, too.”
The panel discussion was one of many
events in the college’s first-ever Laker Days,
a new campus tradition that featured a
weekend of activities to promote institutional
pride through strengthening active participa-
tion of the student body in intercollegiate
athletic contests and other alcohol-free,
campus-sponsored events.
“It’s really a celebration of what the cam-
pus has to offer,”Sonia Robinson, coordinator
of the event, said. “It’s about sports and
athletics, and about making healthier choices.”
Laker Days, which was made possible
through an NCAA Choices grant, featured
a bonfire, pep rally, human dog sled race,
band and banner competitions, and a 5K
walk/run. �
— Shannon Mahar ’04
Travis Cook ’78 (right) speaks as part of theLaker Days sports panel.
Laker Days celebrate sports, school pride
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 8
Dr. Frances Moroney Whited ’44 comes
from a long line of educators — she
can count five generations of teachers
among her ancestors, stretching back to
Ireland. So, when she wanted to set up a
memorial to her parents and siblings, she
chose to endow a scholarship for Oswego
students majoring in elementary education.
She has endowed the John P. Moroney
and Frances Murphy Moroney Merit Schol-
arship with $35,000 in memory of her par-
ents, John and Frances Murphy Moroney;
her sister, Marie Moroney Fox ’40; and her
brothers John P. Moroney and William J.
Moroney.
“I wanted to honor our parents because of
their dedication and commitment to educa-
tion,” she said. “They had a love of learning
and valued education highly, instilling these
values in their family, all of whom were gradu-
ates of schools of higher education. Their 12
grandchildren are college graduates and sever-
al have two, three and four advanced degrees.”
The Moroney family comes from Mon-
tezuma, where their father was on the Board
of Education of Port Byron Central Schools.
“He and my mother were very community-
oriented,” said Moroney Whited. “My father
was very civic-minded, interested in politics,
and served in many capacities in the commu-
nity.” His sisters were all educated, during an
era in which many women weren’t, she said.
Two of her aunts, Helen Moroney Mullin ’13and Regina Moroney Greiner, graduated
from Oswego Normal School.
Frances’ sister, Marie, also attended
Oswego and became a teacher. She later mar-
ried and raised seven children. Brother Jack
graduated from Georgetown University and
went on to a career in government, spending
many years at NASA. William was a graduate
of Niagara University, Syracuse University and
Northeastern University, and became an engi-
neer noted for his work in semi-conductors.
A professor emerita of education and
human development at SUNY Brockport,
where her husband, Dr. Clark V. Whited, is a
professor emeritus of physical education and
sport, Frances was drawn to support students
with a scholarship, giving them the opportu-
nity to enter college and succeed once they
are enrolled.“It’s support; it’s encouragement
and also I view it as a recognition of their
potential and what they have accomplished,”
she says.
Believing in young people and their
potential is key for her.“If they make a start in
college, they can succeed,” she said. During a
visit to Oswego, she met with many Presiden-
tial Scholars and was impressed with them,
their program and staff.
She sees herself as an investor in the
future for students who will become leaders.
“If one looks back at the history of the alumni
from Oswego State Teachers College, its grad-
uates were leaders in their field — outstand-
ing teachers, principals and superintendents.
When Oswego became a comprehensive
college, its graduates continued in leadership
roles throughout the state,” she said.
“Thanks to Frances Moroney Whited’s
generosity, countless Oswego students will
have the opportunity to receive a strong liberal
arts and professional education, enabling
them to become exemplary elementary teach-
ers of the future,” said Kevin Mahaney, vice
president for development and public affairs.
“This scholarship is a perfect way to remem-
ber her parents, her siblings, and those genera-
tions of Irish teachers who preceded them.” �
Scholarship is teaching family’s legacy
Food, glorious food!SOME PEOPLE EAT TO LIVE, OTHERS live to eat. Whatever category you fallinto, we’re sure you’ll gobble up an issuewe’re planning next year to celebratefood and alumni connections with it.Send us your memories and currentstories. We want to hear about:
� your favorite dining hall foods
� your favorite hangouts and placesto eat on or near campus
� your favorite dining hall workers
� any Oswego food memories
� alumni food businesses: If you run a restaurant; make wine, chocolateor other yummy food; write cook-books or have another food-relatedinterest, we want to hear from you.
And don’t forget to vote for “The Best Foods in Oswego” at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/foodpoll. If you don’t have Internet access andwant to vote, call or write us for a copyof the survey.
Send your ideas to Oswego alumnimagazine, King Alumni Hall, 300 Wash-ington Blvd., Oswego, NY 13126, call315-312-2258 or send us an e-mail [email protected] (put Food in thesubject line.) You can also submit storiesonline at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/magazine. �
Dr. Frances Moroney Whited ’44 visits with students.
John P. Moroney Frances M. Moroney
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 49
Under 40? Doing fine?If you’re one of Oswego’s young alumni and are doing somethinggreat, unique or interesting, we want to hear from you! Oswego isplanning an issue next spring on alumni under 40. So if you are anunder-40 success story, or know of someone who is, please write to Oswego alumni magazine, KingAlumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, NY 13126, call 315-312-2258, or e-mail us at [email protected] (put Under 40 in the subject line.) You can also submit stories online at http:// oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/magazine. Submissions will beselected based on interest and space available. �
Former Oswego student David Levy will beamong those returning for “Don’t Forget toRemember!” Safe Haven’s 60th anniversarycelebration, set for Aug. 6 to 8. Residents ofthe Fort Ontario Refugee Shelter and commu-nity members will gather to reminisce aboutthe days in World War II when Oswegohoused the only refugee camp on Americansoil. Events will include a synagogue service,Safe Haven museum tours, video stories ofshelter and community residents, and ananniversary dinner. For more information,contact Mary Vanouse at 315-342-3582 [email protected], or Judy CoeRapaport at 315-342-4265 [email protected]
“ALL MY LIFE I HAD MY HEART IN preserving nature,” Dr. Anthony “Tony” VanGeet, professor emeritus of chemistry, used to say. So when Johanna Van Geet wanted to honor the memory of her husband after his death in 2002, the choice was obvious: ascholarship for an Oswego chemistry studentinterested in environmental science and a tree in Tony’s memory near Snygg Hall, where he taught.
“He was very interested and very involv-ed in preserving nature and was a chartermember of several environmental organiza-tions,” she said.
He was president of Save Oswego Coun-ty, which eventually combined with Save theCounty in Onondaga County. A counselor forthe Nature Conservancy, he was active as aleader for outings sponsored by the group.
“He was involved in the Audubon Society,Rails to Trails, anything that had to do withnature,” Johanna said.
The Van Geets came to America fromtheir native Netherlands as a young marriedcouple. Tony was an engineer at Proctor andGamble and was one of the original “CrestKids,” when he helped to test the new tooth-paste. The couple moved to Los Angeles,where he earned his doctorate in chemistryat the University of Southern California.
After post-doctoral work at Massachu-setts Institute of Technology and a teachingjob at SUNY Buffalo, the Van Geets settled inOswego, where Tony taught in the chemistrydepartment from 1970 to 1998. “Tony wasvery involved in his work,” Johanna remem-bered. The couple raised three children, allgrown.
“Dr. Van Geet loved the land and spent hislife fighting to preserve it for future genera-tions,” according to the chemistry departmentnewsletter.
“It is inspiring to consider the concentricwaves of influence that this man, with his intelligence, expertise, energy and moral com-mitments, has had and will continue to have,”said Dean of Arts and Sciences Sara Varhusat the tree-planting ceremony. “The tree thatwe are planting here today will remind me, atany rate, of this continuing influence here atOswego and out in the world, where his 5,919environmental science students are, in theirturn, passing along his influence.”
Through her generous scholarship, Johanna Van Geet has insured that her husband’s passions will continue to live on in generations of Oswego students. �
Scholarship, tree to honor Van Geet
Dr. Anthony “Tony” Van Geet, shown in this2000 photo, advocated turning abandonedrailroad tracks into biking and hiking trails.
DIC
K B
LUM
E, SYRA
CU
SE POST-STA
ND
AR
D
Election 2004We’re working right now on a story for the summer issue about alumni involved in the 2004 elections. If you’re a candidate, campaign worker, analyst or poll watcher, let your
alma mater know. Please write to Oswego alumni magazine, King Alumni
Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, NY 13126, call 315-312-2258, or e-mail us at [email protected] (putElection in the subject line.) You can also submit storyideas online at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/magazine.We may not be able to use all story ideas, due to spaceavailable and deadlines. �
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
O S W E G O � Sp r i n g 2004 10
Women’s Soccer
The Lakers continued their long string of
playoff appearances as they advanced to
the finals of the New York State Women’s
Collegiate Athletic Association
Tournament. It marked the 15th
consecutive year the team has
qualified for post-season play.
The team finished the season
with nine victories and also won
the season-opening Hartwick
Tournament.
Maureen Kasperek ’06 (Ful-
ton/G. Ray Bodley) had a huge
season for Oswego State, setting a
school record for goals in a sea-
son with 27. She also added four
assists, giving her another school
record with 58 points. She not
only led the Lakers in scoring,
but she led the SUNY Athletic
Conference and was named
Second Team All-SUNYAC.Kas-
perek was joined on that team by
senior defender Dara Lisiecki ’04(Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius).
Earning Honorable Mention All-
SUNYAC were Laura Feeley ’04 (Syracuse/
Westhill) and Ashley Maltagliati ’07 (East
Islip). Maltagliati was second on the team in
scoring, with 19 points on seven goals and five
assists, while Feeley was third with 15 points
with four goals and team-high seven assists.
In goal, Alecia Scorsone ’04 (Geneseo)
made 151 saves and recorded five shutouts.
Men’s Soccer
Despite coming up
short in their bid to
qualify for the conference
tournament for the second
straight year, several Laker
players were recognized for
their efforts both on and off
the field. Goalie JohnSpuhler ’05 (Fulton/G. Ray
Bodley) was named Second
Team All-SUNYAC, mark-
ing the third straight season he has earned a
conference honor. Spuhler was also cited for
his effort in the classroom, as he was the
recipient of the prestigious Fred Holloway
Award presented by the SUNYAC to the
Academic Player of the Year. The keeper fin-
ished the year with 95 saves and one shutout.
Chet Lunt ’05 (East Moriches/Center
Moriches) and Paul Palucci ’06 (Syracuse/
Liverpool) both received Honorable Mention
All-SUNYAC. Lunt earned the honor as a
defender and Palucci at midfield.
Danny Hammer ’05 (Syracuse/Not-
tingham) led the team in scoring with four
goals and one assist for nine points.
Volleyball
It was another record-
setting season for the
Lakers, as the team broke
several individual season
and career marks. Hitter
Erin Hanlon ’04 (Ful-
ton/G. Ray Bodley)
became the first Laker to
earn AVCA All-Ameri-
can honors, earning
First Team All-Region
and Honorable Mention
All-American status.
Hanlon led the state and
SUNYAC with kills per
game en route to her
second year on their
respective First Teams.
The talented outside hitter established Laker
records in career kills (1,168), kills in a season
(612), career hitting percentage (.346) and
digs in a season (505).
Assisting her was record-breaking
co-captain and setter Jenn Prievo ’05 (Carth-
age), who established a new career assist
mark of 2,792.
They had a strong showing in the
opening weekend at Ithaca, toppling NCAA
qualifier Skidmore in five games, and went
on to post wins over Geneseo and Buffalo
State as well as St. Lawrence and Hamilton.
Other outstanding efforts fell shy in tough
losses to St. John Fisher (2-3), RIT (1-3),
Union (1-3, 2-3) and Nazareth (1-3, 2-3).
The team finished the year with 14 victories.
SPORTSSPORTS
Chet Lunt ’05, center, received HonorableMention All-SUNYAC for his defensive play.
Maureen Kasperek ’06, (No. 15), set twoschool records this season and was namedSecond Team All-SUNYAC.
Hitter Kelly Vescio ’05 serves theball.
Kristin Sterling ’05 was the top of the teamthis season with five individual wins.
C U R R E N T SC A M P U S
11
Women’s Tennis
The young Oswego State
squad was paced by Kristin
Sterling ’05 (Oneida), as she led
the Lakers on the court this
season from the second singles
spot. She topped the team in
individual wins with five. Sarah
Hobart ’07 (Walworth/ Wayne
Central) was second on the team
in wins with four, competing at
sixth singles. In doubles action,
the top team for the Lakers was
Sterling and Theresa Ruane ’07
(Cortland), as the duo finished
the year with a record of 2-2.
Men’s Golf
The Lakers had a strong fall campaign on
the links, winning a pair of invitationals,
including one on their home course. Oswego
State opened the season by taking top honors
at the Elmira College Invitational with a
team score of 310 — 13 strokes better than
the second-place team. Ryan Hawkins ’06
(Amherst/Clarence) was the medallist, firing a
two-under-par 70.
Oswego State reclaimed its own invita-
tional, topping the 12-team field in the
event held at the Oswego Country Club.
Hawkins was second overall, shooting a 77
as the Lakers boasted four of the top seven
finishers. Paul Harvey ’06 (Weedsport) and
Evan Figiel ’07 (Trumansburg/Dickinson)
were tied for fifth, finishing with a 78, while
J.P. Myers ’04 (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) was
seventh, with a 78.
The success in the fall season carried
over into the spring as the Lakers entered
the second semester ranked 13th in the
Atlantic Region.
Field Hockey
Oswego State took on many of the state’s
best teams playing many close contests,
including seven that were decided by one goal.
A pair of freshmen stepped right in and
contributed for the Lakers with their efforts
being recognized by the SUNYAC. Midfielder
Hayley Schmitz ’07 (Sag Harbor/Pierson)
and defender Eileen Smith ’07 (Cicero/
Cicero-North Syracuse) both earned Second
Team All-SUNYAC. Schmitz led the team in
scoring with eight points on three goals and
two assists, while Lauren Gallinger ’04
(Auburn) was second, with three goals and
one assist.
Another freshman, Kaitlin Daniels ’07
(Sag Harbor/ Pierson), came within one save
of tying a school record as she stopped 31
shots in a game at Houghton College. She
finished the year with 129 saves.
Cross Country
Susan McWilliams ’04 (Central Square/
Mexico Academy) became the first Laker
woman to earn All-American honors in cross
country as she placed 30th at the NCAA
Division III Cross Country Championships
hosted by Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.
McWilliams, making her fourth straight
appearance at nationals, finished the 6K race
with a time of 22:52.2.
McWilliams also won the Geneseo
Invitational and the Ronald C. Hoffman
Invitational hosted by St. Lawrence during
the season, in addition to strong performances
at the SUNYAC, where she placed second,
and the Atlantic Regional Championship,
where she was fourth.
Maureen Stellrecht ’06 (West
Falls/Iroquois) added to the
team’s fourth-place finish at the
conference championships,
placing 20th.
The men’s team had sever-
al solid outings during the
fall campaign, including
a fifth-place finish at
the SUNYAC Champi-
onships. Ade Ellis ’04
(Nyack/ Nanuet) led
the charge, placing
13th with Weston Fellows ’06
(Morris/Gilbertsville Mount
Upton) placing 30th.
Fellows followed that per-
formance up by placing 13th at
the NYSCTC Cross Country
Championships, where he was
named conference Rookie of the Year.
Oswego State also hosted the
Pat Peterson Invitational with the
men’s team placing fourth out of 11
institutions and the women placing
seventh out of 12 teams.
Ryan Hawthorne ’07 prepares to putt.
Ade Ellis ’04 led the Lakers to a fifth-placefinish at the SUNYAC Championships.
Mid-fielder Bethany Patterson ’07 goes for the ball.
Susan McWilliams ’04earned All-American Status.
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
O S W E G O ● Sp r i n g 2004 12
Atlanta
The Atlanta Club is collaborating with other
SUNY alumni groups to expand networking
possibilities and event offerings. On Feb. 6,
over 120 alumni from 19 different SUNY
schools gathered for the third annual Business
Card Exchange. Special guests at this event
included SUNY Chancellor Robert King and
SUNY Research Foundation Vice President
for Philanthropy and Alumni Affairs Dr.
Michael Luck. Alumni volunteered to help
Georgia Public Television March 13 and
cheered on Oswego’s own Charlie Leitner at a
New Jersey Devils versus Atlanta Thrashers
hockey game Friday, March 26. During
intermission Charlie competed in the finals of
an on-ice golf tournament to win a BMW
two-year lease. For the latest information
about upcoming events in the Atlanta area,
check out the club’s Web site located at
www.geocities.com/sunyalumniofatlanta or
contact Jeffrey Travis ’89.
Boston
Join area alumni July 10 for a day of fun and
frivolity at Fenway Park for a Red Sox baseball
game and pre-game get-together. The alumni
office is currently looking for volunteers in
the Boston area. If you would be interested in
coordinating alumni activities, please contact
Associate Alumni Director Jeff Pratt ’94,
M’97 at [email protected] or 315-312-2258.
Buffalo
The Buffalo Club gathered in November to
watch the Oswego Lakers hockey team beat
Buffalo State and for a post-game reception.
During the reception, alumni and parents
were able to hear from new head coach
Ed Gosek ’83 and see architectural drawings
of the first new building to be erected on the
Oswego State campus in over 30 years, the
Campus Center, which will include a new
convocation center and hockey rink. Larry
Coon ’83 asks Buffalo area alumni to contact
him with future event ideas.
California
Receptions were held in California with Presi-
dent Deborah Stanley: March 23 in San Fran-
cisco at The University Club, March 24 in Los
Angeles at the W Hotel and March 25 at the
home of Ed ’58 and Laura Kelly Scarpelli ’59.
Capital District (Albany)
Tammy Secord Friend ’98 and Melissa Guz-
man Mazurak ’97 have agreed to coordinate
alumni activity in the Capital District area.
A planning meeting was held with area volun-
teers Feb. 24. Numerous event ideas were
discussed, so if you live in the Albany area,
watch your mail and e-mail for upcoming
details. If you have club event ideas, please fill
out the club survey at http://oswegoalumni.
oswego.edu/albany
Florida
President Deborah Stanley was greeted
warmly by Oswego alumni in Florida as she
shared successes and excitement for the
future of Oswego State. She met with alumni
in Tampa March 10, in Boynton Beach
March 12 and in Naples March 13, hosted by
Bill Spinelli ’84.
Long Island
Jessica Pristupa Hillery ’95 is interested in
helping to coordinate alumni club events on
Long Island, but would like the assistance of
other area alumni in the form of volunteers
and event ideas.A meeting to gather all volun-
teers is being planned for April, so if you
live on Long Island or would attend events
there, please fill out the survey at http://
oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/longisland
New York City
The alumni office is looking for volunteers to
help rejuvenate activities in the New York City
area. A meeting to gather all volunteers is
being planned for April. If you live in New
York City or would attend events there, please
fill out the survey at http://oswegoalumni.
oswego.edu/nyc
North Carolina
A group of area alumni are trying to get activi-
ties going in North Carolina. If you live in the
Club NewsAlumni Club ContactsNEW YORK CLUBSBinghamton – Margaret Clancy Darling ’82, 607-748-5125 (H)Buffalo – Larry Coon ’83, 716-852-1321 (O), 716-873-2695 (H)Capital District – Tammy Secord Friend ’98, 518-454-5197 (O),
518-226-0147 (H), e-mail: [email protected] Guzman Mazurak ’97, 518-339-4819 (cell), e-mail: [email protected]
Long Island – Jessica Pristupa Hillery ’95, 631-842-8844 (H),e-mail: [email protected]
Mohawk Valley – Liz Fowler ’68, 315-337-9895 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
New York City – Volunteers needed, please contact thealumni office.
Oswego – Sylvia Gaines ’76, 315-342-2662 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Rochester – Penny Koch ’95, 585-899-9716 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Syracuse – Kitty Sherlock Houghtaling ’87, 315-656-2457 (H),e-mail: [email protected] Paul Susco ’70, 315-656-3180 (H)
OTHER AREASAtlanta – Jeffrey Travis ’89, 770-926-7580 (H),
e-mail: [email protected] Boston – Volunteers needed, please contact the alumni office.Dallas – Kelly Russell ’98, 214-621-6473 (cell),
e-mail: [email protected] – Tammy Moffitt Komatinsky ’97, 832-928-4108 (cell),
e-mail: [email protected] Carolina – Eric Setzer ’91, 919-786-4269 (H),
e-mail: [email protected] P. Jones ’92, 919-245-3620 (H), e-mail: [email protected] Applegate ’87, 704-658-0727 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Northern New Jersey – Fran Lapinski ’72, MS ’74, 973-763-8788 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Philadelphia – Jennifer Shropshire ’86, 215-842-1748 (O), e-mail: [email protected]
Phoenix, AZ – Andrew Brown ’94, 480-705-9096 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
South Carolina – Sonya Nordquist Altenbach ’91, 843-881-9503 (H), e-mail: [email protected] Karen Parker ’91, 843-873-1548 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Southern California – Julie Joseph Greenberg ’92, 909-787-0480 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Washington, D.C. – Kim Brooke ’87, 703-845-0788 (H), e-mail: [email protected]
Oswego Alumni Association, Inc., King Alumni Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126Phone: 315-312-2258Fax: 315-312-5570E-mail: [email protected]://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu
Club Event Notices Using E-mail
Club events are publicized through
the alumni magazine, on the Os-
wego Alumni Web site, and through
mailings and e-mails. If your e-mail ad-
dress has changed for any reason, or if
you haven’t given us your e-mail address
yet, please update your current informa-
tion at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.
edu/alumni/where.html You may also
notify our office by completing and
mailing us the “Tell Us About Yourself”
form on page 47. We thank you in
advance for your help.
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 413
May 14 Commencement Eve Dinner andTorchlight Ceremony
May 15 CommencementJune 3 - 6 Reunion 2004June 12 Annual Business Meeting, Oswego
Alumni Association, Inc.July 22 - 25 The City of Oswego’s fantastic
Harborfest! On-campus housing availableto alumni, friends and family.
August 2 Emeriti LuncheonSeptember 9-10 15th Annual Oswego State
Fall ClassicOctober 9 Athletic Hall of Fame InductionOctober 23 Communication Studies Dinner
Plan ahead forReunion 2005!JUNE 3 - 5, 2005
Classes of 1935, 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001
area or know any alumni who do, please
have them fill out the online survey at
http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/north-
carolina
Phoenix, Ariz.
Phoenix area alumni gathered in November
for a day of family fun and games at “The
Monastery,” and at the third annual alumni
luncheon March 27 with special guest speak-
er, Kevin Mahaney, SUNY Oswego vice
president for development and public affairs.
To inquire about future events, contact
Andrew Brown ’94.
Rochester
Area alumni gathered in November for the
comedy of EstroFest, which includes alumna
Dresden Engle Olcott ’88. In January, alumni
braved the weather to cheer on the Oswego
Lakers men’s hockey team as they battled RIT.
During a post-game reception, everyone
enjoyed hearing from new head coach Ed
Gosek ’83 and seeing architectural drawings of
the first new building to be erected on the
Oswego State campus in over 30 years, the
Campus Center, which will include a new
convocation center and hockey rink. Penny
Koch ’95 has agreed to coordinate activities in
the Rochester area, so if you have event ideas,
contact the alumni office or Penny.
South Carolina
In October alumni gathered in Columbia for a
trip to the zoo as well as brunch at the home of
Bob Sparks ’90. In November a get-together
was held in Hilton Head, and in January
Oswego alumni joined alumni from other
SUNY schools to attend the 21st annual Low-
country Oyster Festival in Charleston. If you
have ideas for future events, please contact
Sonya Nordquist Altenbach ’91 or Karen
Parker ’91.
Syracuse/Oswego
In December over 100 alumni from the 1960s
through 2000s gathered at Coleman’s of
Syracuse for a Holiday Social. Upcoming
events include a Finger Lakes winery tour and
a May 8 production of “The Dragonslayers”
by Oswego’s own Bruce Coville ’73, followed
by a reception at the OnCenter. If you have
other event ideas for the Oswego/Syracuse
area, please contact the alumni office.
Washington, D.C.
Recent events included a Holiday Social in
December, Ice-Skating in February, and a
SUNY Alumni reception on March 30 with
President Deborah Stanley, SUNY Chancellor
Robert King and NYS Congressional staff.
Other upcoming events include a Flag Day
social June 13, a canoe outing July 17, the
annual picnic Aug. 14, the King Street Krawl
Sept. 25, a reception with President Deborah
F. Stanley and Dr. Thomas Schaller ’89, an
expert on presidential politics, at the Tower
Club in Virginia Sept. 28, and the annual
Holiday Social Dec. 7. If you have any
questions about future events, please contact
Kim Brooke ’87.
Alumni at a November reception in Hilton Head, S.C., included from left, Karen Parker ’91, MaryAnn Burke Kaufman ’64, Clif George, Josephine Parkhurst George ’45, Elsie Schulz Tietjen ’57,Kim McGuire and Sonya Nordquist Altenbach ’91.
Events
Save the DateJoin President Deborah F. Stanley
for a Special Oswego Event for
Alumni and Friends
Oswego at Carnegie Hall
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
June 15, 2004
Featuring:
SUNY Oswego Music Faculty
Seung hee Yang - Violin
Robert Auler - Piano
(Tickets will be available exclusively
through the Oswego Alumni Association,
not Carnegie Hall.)
O S W E G O � Sp r i n g 2004 14
JOE L. FARMER BELIEVES THAT IT’S A
leader’s job to make the tough decisions. The
new interim principal at Ramapo High
School said he sees his job as a long-range
project, one he plans to work on as if he were
hired to be there for the next 10 years.
“This school is close to where it needs to
be in management, in deportment and how
we feel about one another,” the 65-year-old
educator said. “Where it’s lacking is in the
academic achievement level not being where
it ought to be.There’s a sense of complacency
on the part of the students that the criteria
for high school is ‘passing.’ That has to be
eliminated. I want every child to go on to an
institution of higher learning. We need to
work on expectations.
“Our goal is to blast ourselves out of that
complacency and have every child raise their
grade average 10 or 15 percent,”he said.
Farmer is used to challenges. Much of
his administrative career has been spent
fixing what’s wrong within the schools he’s
been assigned.
He helped Yonkers schools and city deal
with a federal desegregation order; he raised
scores and expectations at schools on Long
Island and in Yonkers; and he took the school
superintendent’s job in Yonkers after the dis-
trict went through a teachers strike that was
instrumental in driving his predecessor out.
“He was the healing calm that our
school district needed,” said Mary Ellen
Winnicki, who was Yonkers Council PTA
president at the time. He helped unify
parents, teachers and staff, she said.
Farmer said he has a knack for working
with people and helping them reach
consensus.
Farmer was born in North Carolina in
1938, the day that boxer Joe Louis knocked
out Max Schmeling. Family tradition said
that that’s how he got his name: Joe Louis
Farmer.
Farmer said he wasn’t a brilliant
student, but he found something that
interested him: mechanics. While in high
school, he created a modification for an
Elizabethan style crossbow — a way of
loading the arrows and pulling back the
spring — that earned him a cover story on
the magazine Popular Mechanics.He was a football player and wrestler.
With a view toward becoming a mechanical
engineer, he accepted a wrestling scholarship
to Syracuse University that was replaced by a
full football scholarship based on his high
school career.
However, Farmer didn’t attend Syra-
cuse. When he got to school for summer
training, he found that the school had
chosen a major for him: physical education
and recreation. It was explained to him that
he needed to concentrate on football.
“Even at 18, I was appalled and insulted
by that,” Farmer said. “Fortunately, one of
my former high school coaches worked at
Oswego, and he asked me if I wanted to go
there.”
TroubleshootingOur SchoolsJoe Farmer ’60 takes on one more challenge in his educational careerWhen he was growing up down South, Joe Farmer’s mother cared so
much about education, she started a school in a log cabin for local
black children. Her passion instilled Joe with a desire to make sure
every kid got the best education possible. And he’s parlayed that drive
and his Oswego education into a string of successes in educational
administration that even retirement can’t stop. This winter he came
back to take on one more challenge.
By Randi Weiner, The Journal News
Although a star athlete at Oswego, Joe Farmer ’60 wants young people toknow that sports is not the way to success — education is.
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 415
SUNY Oswego, Farmer said, was a
teachers college. Even though it had no foot-
ball team, he made the switch to Oswego,
joined the wrestling team and became an
industrial arts teacher.
His first job out of college was teaching
at a junior high in his home district in Bay
Shore, Long Island. When his draft number
came up, he joined the National Guard,
training as a tank driver, then he returned to
teaching. He is a captain in the New York
Guard.
Farmer spent six years in the Valley
Stream Central district, teaching architectur-
al drafting. For the first two years there, he
moonlighted as a tight end with the Titans —
who became the New York Jets in 1963 —
until a knee injury ended his pro football
career.
After Valley Stream, he received his
master’s degree from Hofstra University in
guidance and became a guidance counselor.
“I loved being a counselor,” he said.
“Then, during the late ’60s, early ’70s . . .
there were a lot of disruptions in the schools,
especially those with significant minority
populations.
“I was trained as an administrator —
I had gotten my certification, took a course
or two — and there were about four, five
districts after me to become an administrator
because there were very few administrators
of color. I was living in Roosevelt, and the
superintendent there made me an offer I re-
ally couldn’t refuse,” he said. He became
principal of Roosevelt High School in 1969.
He was worried at first, how he could be
a disciplinarian with a background in guid-
ance. But his skills as a guidance counselor
were what helped him become an effective
administrator, he said.
In 1973,Farmer went to Yonkers schools
as an administrator, retiring in 1995.He then
spent four years working as a special assis-
tant for housing and redevelopment in
Yonkers. He played a major role in the city’s
attempts to comply with a federal desegrega-
tion order. In 2000, he was asked by the
Yonkers mayor to take over as superintend-
ent of Yonkers schools, a job he held until
he resigned in March of [last] year to run,
unsuccessfully, for mayor.
Three days after his defeat, he got a call
from East Ramapo Schools Superintendent
Jason Friedman, who was looking for an
interim leader for Ramapo High School.
Farmer was chosen from among five finalists
and took over Dec. 1.
Among the projects he expects to begin
are requiring all 11th- and 12th-graders
to apply to at least one college and adding
a military-aero-space component to the
school’s career academies.
He is a strong believer in the state’s high
educational standards, although not a fan of
the federal No Child Left Behind legislation,
which he said is too generic. National educa-
tion policy ought to take into account state
education policy,he said,or it becomes more
of a burden than a help in raising standards
for all children.
Farmer is a committee member of the
Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the organization
that successfully sued the state on behalf
of New York City schools to get the state
funding formula changed.
Yesterday [Dec. 21], the Alliance of
African-American Educators — an organi-
zation he founded in Westchester — held
its Kwanzaa celebration, and named the
group’s annual scholarship in his honor. It
was just another in a string of local, state and
national honors — including a Congres-
sional Citation for Excellence in Educational
Reform and Leadership — that has marked
Farmer’s career.
Being asked to lead Ramapo High
School was an unexpected and welcome
return to his education roots, he said. He is
ready to dig in.
“I would like to see this school with that
wonderful richness and diversity, pave the
way as a school that went over the top
academically,”he said.“We can’t slow down.”
Editor’s note: The preceeding story, first
published Dec. 22, 2003, in The Journal
News is reprinted with permission of the
author.
“There’s a sense of complacency on the part of the students that the criteria for
high school is ‘passing.’ That has to be eliminated. I want every child to go on to
an institution of higher learning. We need to work on expectations.”
John Krauss ’71 isn’t sure
just how many radios were
tuned into WRVO when he
began broadcasting at a
mere 10 watts at 11:58:13
a.m. Jan. 6, 1969. He only knows for sure
that there were two: one in the station
manager’s office and the other in town,
recording the big moment.
This Jan. 6, now the station manager
himself, Krauss replayed that tape, made
when he was just an undergraduate at
Oswego, for a potential audience of
nearly a million.
For Krauss and fellow WRVO staffer
John Hurlbutt ’71, it’s been an incredible
journey. They’ve been on the air at
Oswego’s only public radio station since
Day One. They’ve seen hundreds of fellow
broadcasters come and go, and brought
world events into homes and vehicles
throughout Central New York. Watergate,
the first Gulf War, the Challenger disaster,
impeachment hearings — all came to life
for listeners to FM 89.9.
For the two veteran broadcasters, the
journey began even before that “cold and
dreary” January day. They auditioned in
the winter of 1968 before the late Bill
Shigley, WRVO’s legendary first manager,
who was recruited from Purdue University
to build an educational radio station in
Oswego. Dave Nellis, a professor with a
background in commercial radio and later
Oswego’s public affairs director, then-
President James Perdue and Professor Lew
O’Donnell hoped to make Oswego’s non-
commercial radio station a reality. Shigley
had would-be broadcasters read a script
that included news and classical music
references. “It scared the daylights out of
me,” admits Krauss. He looked up from
the script and all he could see was Shigley,
WRVOIt’s Good Company:
O S W E G O � Sp r i n g 2004 16
CELEBRATES 35 YEARS ON THE AIRBy Michele Reed
in a lit-up room, assessing his perform-
ance. “Luckily I grew up in a household
where my father played classical music. I
could pronounce the composers’ names!”
Hurlbutt, too, survived the “fairly
stressful” audition, but the beginnings of
WRVO had to wait while Shigley built his
staff and awaited approval of the license
application.
Borrowed equipment . . . and showers
The new station needed somewhere to
set up shop. Lanigan Hall had been built
with three television studios, but nothing
for radio, so WRVO got an unused TV stu-
dio. “The control room was a converted
TV dressing room,” Hurlbutt remembers.
“We had men’s and women’s showers.
They’re now since gone down the drain.”
Actually, the space occupied by the
station now isn’t much different from the
original studio. “Only now, 18 of us are
working in space three of us worked in
back then,”Krauss says. The former control
room has become a production studio.
The fledgling station ran on loaned
equipment. “We had two tape machines
borrowed in 1969 from the music depart-
ment. They only had room for so many in
the listening library, we got the extras,”
Krauss recalls.
‘Eclectic’ programming“We had very limited hours of opera-
tion at first,” remembers Hurlbutt. They
broadcast weekdays only, while school was
in session, from noon to 10 p.m. Even now,
he and Krauss can recite the sequence of
shows by memory. There was the “Reader’s
Corner,” where Shigley read from classics
of humorous writing, followed by public
affairs programming on reel-to-reel tapes
and classical music on vinyl LPs. “Platters
and Placards” mixed popular music with
community calendar notices.
17
Balloons, cake and silly hats were the order of the day Jan. 6 as WRVO’s staffers celebratedthe station’s 35th birthday. In the front are Matt Seubert ’97 and Kate DeForest Percival ’96 (holding the birthday cake) and Deanne Ross. Standing from left are (secondrow), Pam Allen ’92, Kathy Gurney ’02 and Skye Rohde; (third row) Rick Annal ’03, Bob Hanson ’00, John Krauss ’71, Jeff Windsor ’96 and Jonathan Peck ’03; and (back row) Fred Vigeant ’02, John Hurlbutt ’71, Chris Ulanowski, Bill Gowan and TomHerbert. Missing from the photo are Elizabeth Christensen ’98 and Mark Lavonier.
JIM R
USSELL ’83
A MentorRecalledBy John Krauss ’71
I n a cozy corner in the studio at WRVO
a lamp has been burning, the reading
glasses poised near a stack of well-read
books. The worn chair sits waiting for its
owner’s return. June 3rd (2000), the lamp
was extinguished, but the memory of the
man, William “Bill” Shigley, will burn brightly
in the hearts, minds and ears of all who were
blessed with his friendship . . .
WRVO and Bill Shigley — just like
Castor & Pollux, Amos & Andy, Fibber McGee
& Molly, George Burns & Gracie Allen, and
Romulus & Remus — these two names have
been interlocked for 30 years. From the day I
watched as Bill Shigley and Dr. James Perdue
signed WRVO on that wintery day in January
1969 until his untimely
retirement a few years
ago, Bill led the WRVO
staff though lean times
and growing times . . .
Bill Shigley’s legacy
is the nearly 1,000
professional and part-
time employees and
students who have
worked for WRVO in
many capacities. Each
has been challenged to
perform to the best of
their ability. They have moved on to impor-
tant positions throughout the broadcast
arena. Seventy-five percent of WRVO’s
current staff trained as students under Bill,
and the rest have grown with their experi-
ences at WRVO . . .
Radio waves never end. They just drift
off into space. Somewhere on a distant
planet or aboard some future space mission,
someone may tune to 89.9 and hear, “That’s
all for today. I’m Bill Shigley in the Reader’s
Corner . . .”
William “Bill” Shigley1937-2000
WR
VO
AR
CH
IVES
T o Elizabeth Christensen ’98 it doesn’t seem that long ago that she
wandered into the WRVO offices, a political science major looking for an
internship. Little did she know that she would be launching a career in
radio, or that, as assistant news director and a supervisor of interns now herself,
she would be helping a new generation of Oswego students embark on their own
broadcasting futures.
Her face lights up as she recites the names of recent WRVO interns who have
been successful in broadcasting: Joelle Myszka ’02, who works at “NBC Nightly
News,” just down the hall from Tom Brokaw; Maria Leaf ’00, news director at
WGY in Schenectady; Kevin Mooney ’00, a producer at Syracuse’s WSYR.
“People we’ve had work here have gone on to bigger markets . . . It’s nice to know
that people you helped to learn to write, etc., have moved on,” Christensen says.
“The unique thing about having an internship here, is that in Syracuse,
you might get people coffee. Here we take the best and the brightest and
we let them do things: do long form stories, call Congressmen, listen in on
conference calls with [U.S. Senators] Hillary Clinton or Chuck Schumer.”
WRVO gives its interns a more professional experience, teaching them
not only how to show up on time and dress properly (“You never know when
you will go out into the field”), but also to talk with senators. “You learn how
to treat them with respect, but learn to question them, in a nice way.”
It’s that type of experience that appealed to the young Christensen, and
helped her decide on a career on the airwaves. And the experience started
early. “[News Director] Chris [Ulanowski] gave me a writing test. I started
working that very same day,” she recalls. After working as an unpaid intern, she
came back after summer break and was a paid student employee, working 20 to
30 hours a week while she was in school. After graduation, she was hired as a
reporter/producer, and took on her current role when the former assistant news
director, Eugene Sonn, moved on to NPR’s WHYY in Philadelphia.
Now she gets to work alongside one of the icons of her childhood. Her father
listened to WRVO all the while she was growing up. The 5-year-old Elizabeth used
to wake up to the voice of John Hurlbutt ’71. “I would yell at him when the
schools didn’t close,” she says with a grin.
But to her that’s part of what makes WRVO so special, and makes her want to
stay. “There’s such an institutional memory. Everyone went to school here. They are
more loyal and more willing to stay the extra couple of hours to get it done or
come in on the weekend for fundraising.”
— by Michele Reed
Former Intern Now Trains Student Helpers
January 6, 1969WRVO signs on
1971WRVO goes to
1,000 watts
WRVO joins NPR
197624,000-watt transmitter on Fallbrook Hill erected
1979WRVN 91.9FM Utica goes on air
1981WRVJ 91.7 FM Watertown added
1995WRVD 90.3FM Syracuse begins broadcasting
WRVO begins broadcasting with WSUC
Cortland
2005 50,000-watt transmitter (projected)
RO
BERT M
ESCAVA
GE PH
OTO
GRA
PHY
Elizabeth Christensen ’98conducts a news interviewat WRVO
Audience1972 1,1002003 100,000
Coverage area1969 Part of City of Oswego2004 15 counties and two
provinces
Employees1969 32004 18
Watts of power1971 1,0001976 24,0002005 50,000
10,700 Programs in the Old Time Radio library
145 Awards on WRVO’s wall7 Rank in Syracuse market
Fundraising1978 $1,8002003 $462,000
Budget1969 $180,0002004 $1.9 million **nearly $1 million from listenersand business sponsors
O S W E G O ● S p r i n g 2004 18
The 5 o’clock hour was “Newscope,”
devoted to wire news copy and features
from agencies like the U.S. Agriculture
Department. Classical music played
evenings from 6 to 10, with orchestral con-
certs featured at 8 p.m.
The late night programming was de-
voted to a mixed bag.
“If you looked up ‘eclectic’ in the dic-
tionary, that would be us,” Hurlbutt says
with a wry chuckle. Because WRVO used
volunteer student broadcasters, the pro-
gramming was as diverse as the staff.“Classi-
cal, folk, jazz, all mixed in together,”he says.
Fritz Messere ’71 was one of those
volunteers. The current chair of the com-
munication studies department worked
mostly in TV, but in his senior year he
hosted a late-night folk program.
Messere remembers WRVO as a
“grassroots” operation.
“As humongous as it is now, it was
different then,” Krauss agrees. Non-
commercial radio was just in its infancy,
and Oswego was in on the first wave.
In 1971, WRVO obtained a 1,000-watt
license and joined the National Public
Radio network. The students went home
for the summer break, and when they
returned, the station was an NPR affiliate.
It continued to run with limited hours
until 1973. The Watergate hearings were
holding America in thrall, and WRVO
stayed on all summer to broadcast them live.
“Watergate put NPR on the map,”
Hurlbutt remembers. “The feed was over
telephone lines, pretty miserable quality.”
“The Vietnam news, too,” adds
Krauss. “Reporting was done over poor
telephone circuits. It could be days before
we had stories on the news.”
Year-round soundIn 1976, WRVO began broadcasting
year-round, and reached a larger audience,
thanks to a new 24,000-watt capability.
It increased its hours of broadcast, too,
with a new slate of programming before
noon. “Here Comes the Sun,” a morning
news show, was followed by “Hurlbutt’s
Department Store,” a music program.
National Public Radio was growing,
too, and in 1979, WRVO got a satellite dish
so it could tap into the programming
choices made possible by the emerging
technology.
With those new choices came a major
shift for Oswego’s station. “We started
switching to all news, as we could afford
the programs,” explains Hurlbutt.
“We wanted to get our own place in the
Syracuse market,” Krauss says. They knew
19
Grant to Help UpdateEquipment
Many staff members at WRVO toil
on broadcasting and production
equipment that is older than they
are. But that is scheduled to change, thanks
to a $139,593 matching grant through the
U.S. Department of Commerce’s Public
Telecommunications Facilities Program.
WRVO must match that money, through
fund-raisers “over and above” existing efforts,
to ultimately purchase the $279,186 worth of
equipment replacing outdated technology that
is no longer serviced or even built, said General
Manager John Krauss ’71.
The mixing console in WRVO’s main control
room, where staffers do on-air work and fade in
NPR programming, is around two decades old.
Such vital pieces as production room equip-
ment exceed the quarter-century mark. Fred
Vigeant ’02, WRVO’s operations director, often
trains workers on equipment older than he is.
The goal is “to put in place current tech-
nology able to restore our ability to do local
programming such as ‘Talk of the Region,’’’
Krauss said. That award-winning show was
shelved because of technical limitations at the
station’s patchwork studio, he said.
“We have a lot of 1970s and ’80s techno-
logy tied to newer technologies and comput-
ers,” said Jeff Windsor ’96, the station’s chief
assistant engineer. “Modern technology will
integrate more smoothly into our operating
system.”
New equipment will include a studio-
transmitter link. “It should improve our signal
quality,” Windsor noted. “That will be one of
the things listeners will hear.”
The grant also will provide equipment to
preserve the old-time radio collection.
—by Tim Nekritz
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
To donate to the New Sound for a New Century Project, send a check made payable to WRVO (put New Sound for a New Century in the memo section) to: The WRVOStations, 7060 State Route 104,Oswego, NY 13126, or make a secure credit card donation online at www.wrvo.fm or by calling 1-800-341-3690.
WRVO Traffic Manager Kate DeForest Percival ’96 works in a production room in theWRVO studios in Lanigan Hall. The console in front of her dates to 1976, and much of theequipment around her is more than 20 years old. The outdated technology is due to bereplaced as part of a federal grant that the National Public Radio affiliate recently received.
JIM R
USSELL ’83
O S W E G O ● S p r i n g 2004 20
Al Roker ’76Co-host, NBC “Today Show”
It made me realizehow much fun youcould have at workwith friends. WRVOtaught me live radioand taped mayhem.
Special memories of WRVO: Bill Shigley calling me “Tubby.”
ChristopherMaloney ’91Self-employed Musician
Special memories ofWRVO:Waking up at 7 a.m. ona Sunday after sleeping
two hours and trying to function like a normalhuman being. Having the general manager fromthe station hear me while he was washing hiscar and asking my supervisor why I would pos-sibly be employed by the station.
I actually think WRVO is a great station,and the people who worked there were veryprofessional and cool. I appreciated the oppor-tunity to be a small part of everything there.
Dave Eichorn ’79WIXT-TV, Syracuse,Chief Meteorologist
I did weather forWRVO from ’76 to ’79.I actually started theweather program they
have there, in 1976. WRVO and I kind of wentthrough some of the great winters of 76–77and 78–79 together. The snow and the cold,you name it. We started this whole thing fromscratch, the weather, I mean. People probablythought I was a little crazy, chasing after lakeeffect snow. I think everyone at WRVO prettywell knew I was going to be a meteorologist.
It was a good experience to learn how togo out and sell my own program. The format Iworked in was great, because it was non-com-mercial. I could get up there and talk weather,and cover some subjects in depth, and I lovedthat. I would talk about things like the jetstream and big weather fronts. . . It helped meto develop conversation skills in speaking aboutthe weather. I’d like to do the weather for themagain sometime.
Special memories of WRVO:I remember joking around with Bill Shigley, whorecently passed away. I have fond memories ofhis sense of humor, and having fun at the radiostation with him, and of his support for theweather (program) and for me.
Linda Cohn ’80 ESPN SportsCenterAnchor
First off, WRVO gaveme a vehicle, an oppor-tunity, a chance to kindof dip into the field and
get firsthand experiences in using my voice andhaving people hear me in Hewitt Union.
What was so wonderful was you didn’thave to be a superstar. You did not have to begreat. There was always that opportunity if youhad the passion. WRVO gave me that earlyopportunity and gave me a start to figure out ifthis was something I really wanted to do.
Special memories of WRVO:I remember the camaraderie when you walkedinto that office or the little studio. Everyonesort of knew each other, they were on the samepage, had similar interests. There was always asmile or laugh or two. You could go in at anytime of day and you would feel at home.
That’s what I’ve had wherever I’ve workedin this field. That’s what I’ve had at ESPN forthe last 11-plus years. It’s very tight, almost likeanother family. When you’re away from homeat college, you’re young, you appreciate that.The camaraderie I had with my colleaguesthere, it was special.
Ed Garsten ’73The Detroit NewsAutomotive Reporter,Former CNN BureauChief
At the most rudimen-tary, WRVO taught me how to operate a
transmitter and take the readings, but it was awonderful, practical experience that gave methe opportunities and responsibilities that made
that WCNY was noted for its classical pro-
gramming, and WAER, which started life as
Syracuse University’s student-run station,
was making a name for itself in jazz. “We
wanted to find our niche,”Krauss says.
“This was very gradual,” explains
Hurlbutt. “We didn’t sit down in 1980 and
plan a switch to news.”
But it was a natural fit for FM 89.9.
Shigley came from an educational back-
ground and loved the spoken word.
“I grew up in the New York market where
all-news stations had been pioneered,” says
Krauss.“I was a news jockey to begin with.
There weren’t news services.”
“Morning Edition” started in 1979
and WRVO picked it up in January 1980.
The first Gulf War in 1990 saw NPR
include news-related programming across
the noon hour. “Talk of the Nation” was
born in the coverage of that conflict, and
WRVO was one of the first to carry the
call-in show.
“The Gulf War started the trend to talk
radio,” Krauss says. “We were one of the
leaders in going to talk, although we didn’t
get national notice.”
The Gulf War was a watershed for
WRVO’s listenership as well. Before that,
35,000 or 40,000 people listened in,
according to a count known as the “weekly
cume,” which counts once each week every
listener who tunes in for at least five
minutes. After the war, the audience was in
the 60,000-listener range. And they’ve had
a steady growth ever since.
Last spring, the station saw a loyal
listenership of 100,000 during coverage of
the war in Iraq. “People were hungry for
information,” says Krauss.
An expanded signal also helped boost
the numbers of those tuning in.
Regional nicheIn addition to the syndicated news
shows, WRVO quickly became known for
its locally produced news. From remote
broadcasts at the New York State Fair and
WRVO Alumni Open MicMany WRVO alumni have gone on to successful careers
in the communications industry. Oswego contacted a few
of these familiar faces and voices, and asked them, “How
did working at WRVO affect your career?”
it possible to begin my professional broadcastcareer immediately after graduating.
Special memories of WRVO: I first became aware of WRVO as a listener toMike Lazar’s “Night Sounds,” a fabulous pro-gram. As a staffer there, I have very warmmemories of pulling the 10 p.m. to midnightshift directly after Mike, doing a folk-rock pro-gram which pulled in listeners as far away asSyracuse University who would call in requestsor just make comments.
Other memories: Trying to cue up the 7-inch reel with “All Things Considered” duringa break, and running down the janitor afterreturning from the men’s room during a recordonly to have the door lock behind you. Of course,no WRVO memory would be complete withouta mention of Bill Shigley, who winced everytime we butchered the name of a classicalmusic composer. Together with WOCR, WRVOwas just a great place to get real world broad-cast experience in a totally professional andinstructive atmosphere.
Benita Zahn ’76WNYT, Albany,Anchor/HealthReporter
WRVO gave me thefoundation for being a reporter, i.e.: the
courage to ask questions — to organize mythoughts quickly — to write “news.”
Special memories of WRVO:Working the midnight to 3 a.m. shift and “hear-ing the ghosts.” Honestly, word is that buildingis haunted. I once had to call security to get mehome after hearing footsteps in the buildingand no one was there. Also, great camaraderiewith the staff and the students working there,and the phone calls from “the guys working at
the water treatment plant” during those latenight hours. What a world! Working at WRVOwas among the best times I spent in college!!!!
Mike Lazar ’70President and GeneralManager, CapitalPublic Radio,Sacramento, Calif.NPR Board of Directors
The experience I got atWRVO helped define my whole career. Wewere in on the ground floor, almost inventingpublic radio as we went along. As one of theoriginal staff starting a brand new radio sta-tion, I got to do everything: news, classicalmusic, production. If I had gone to a factory-type school with a large broadcasting program,I would have been a little fish in a big pond.
Special memories of WRVO:I enjoyed working with Bill Shigley. As a youngbroadcaster I tried things and took chances thatI would think twice about if someone did thatnow. Like one night, when I had so many requestsand was having such a good time, I kept the station on half the night. Bill handled that in aprofessional way. He let us grow into the job,spread our wings and take some chances, yetpulled us into the professional atmosphere hewas trying to create.
I didn’t sign on the station the first day,but I did sign it off the first day and thenext two years after that, with my rockshow, “Night Sounds.” I wound up interview-ing most of the top rock groups in theworld: the Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, TheAssociation, Deep Purple. When you’re sit-ting in a room by yourself in front of a mic,you have no idea who’s listening. The lastnight I got so many calls from people whorelated what they were doing while listening
to my show. It’s really neat to get that kindof feedback and know you were importantin their lives.
Steve Levy ’87 ESPN SportsCenterAnchor
Working at WRVOwas great practicalexperience. While Iwas always thrilled
to work at the college radio station (WOCR),WRVO had a much more professional feel —where I was surrounded by professional adultsin the industry rather than college broadcasters.I also felt like I had to be more buttoned-up,more professional. I respected those who werecritiquing me and doing it constructively. Forexample, they told me I was a mispronouncingthe words “tournament” and “Orangemen,” (in the Downstate way). So now I never mis-pronounce those words!
I always attributed a great deal of my success to Oswego for having the facilities tohave a real professional radio station on ourcampus. It’s one big perk of Oswego.
Special memories of WRVO:I worked there for three years. I rememberdoing the very early morning weekend sports-cast. After a rock-n-roll Friday and Saturday inOswego, you had to be really dedicated to getup and do that. It was a long walk from NewCampus in the cold. Even though you didn’thave to look good, you had to sound good! So,it helped me prepare for some early morningsthat are so vital in broadcasting.
— Compiled by Shannon Mahar ’04 and Michele Reed
Read more alumni memories online athttp://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/magazine
21 O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
Oswego’s Harborfest to veteran News
Director Chris Ulanowski’s “Talk of the
Region” and award-winning election night
coverage, the station built up a loyal base
of news-hungry listeners.
“People found us,” says Hurlbutt.
“What a jolt it is to have people from 50
miles away saying they heard your station
and it was the best!
“We have people who really work to
hear us. They even get upset if they can’t
hear us on their Walkman.®”
The listenership has built up over the
years, as WRVO covered the significant
events of the last quarter of the 20th
century. Anwar Al-Saddat’s assassination in
1981, John Hinckley’s attempted shooting
of President Ronald Reagan that year, the
Challenger disaster Jan. 28, 1986 — these
are the kinds of moments that drew people
to WRVO’s coverage.
In the days before C-Span, concerned
citizens heard the Senate hearings on the
Panama Canal treaties and the Clarence
Thomas nomination, and other important
debates, carried live throughout the day on
WRVO.
Eventually, the station evolved to its
current format, 20 hours of news and infor-
mation followed by Old Time Radio. What
started as a half-hour program on Sunday
nights has grown into a popular feature for
WRVO listeners, who tune in to hear “The
Shadow,” “Fibber McGee’s Closet” and
other entries from over 10,700 shows in the
station’s reel-to-reel tape library.
It seems a far cry from that converted
TV dressing room filled with borrowed
equipment, and the handful of listeners to a
10-watt station, but the spirit of WRVO
hasn’t changed much over 35 years. �
Listen to WRVO
Even if you’re outside ofWRVO’s broadcasting range,you can lisen to the Webcast atwww.WRVO.fm
O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 22O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2004
There was 1958, 1966, 1978,
1993 . . . and now 2004. Fu-
ture alumni will talk about
the winter just ended with
memories to rival those of
earlier classes who lived through Oswego’s
notorious “big snows.” They’ll even have
something more to brag about — for the
first time in nearly 40 years, the college
cancelled classes for two days in a row.
A huge snowstorm buried Oswego
with nearly 54 inches of snow during the
last week of January. Bitter cold and harsh
winds buffeted the city and campus. Classes
were cancelled from Wednesday evening,
Jan. 28, through Friday, Jan. 30, something
that hasn’t happened “since at least 1969,”
according to Bernie Henderson, retired vice
president for administration. He joined the
college that year and used to be the person
responsible for deciding to cancel classes.
“It definitely ranks up there with the
top snowstorms in Oswego’s history,” says
Scott Steiger ’99 of the meteorology faculty.
He got to experience the effects of lake ef-
fect first-hand, as he was “literally trapped,”
with all roads leading from his Oswego
home impassable. Meteorology Professor
Robert Ballentine was stuck along with
Steiger, unable to return to his home in
Syracuse for three days.
Ballentine called the January storm “a
once-in-a-50-year-event,”and said the near-
est equivalent would be the Blizzard of 1966.
Snow actually started falling on the
26th, when a general snowstorm deposited
a modest 7.2 inches on the city by the 28th,
said Oswego weather watcher Bill Gregway.
On that Wednesday afternoon an Arctic
cold front swept through and changed the
general snowfall to lake effect.
“We saw this one coming,” Steiger said.
“It was just the way the wind flow was —
the wind direction wasn’t changing.”
Very cold air — temperatures at a
kilometer high were at negative 20 degrees
Celsius — wrapped around moisture in
Maine and the system stayed put, dumping
snow on Oswego County, Steiger
explained. “The big thing meteorologically
was the wind did not change much and it
just sat over the county,” he said. “Cold air,
the persistence of the wind direction, and
moisture wrapping around that low really
made this event significant.”
The 113-hour snowfall dropped 53.7
inches of snow on Oswego, said Gregway.
The entire county was socked in, and
the weather made the national news.Parish,
to the east of Oswego, recorded 86 inches,
the single greatest amount recorded by a
snow spotter from Western or Central New
York, according to the National Weather
Service Web site.
“Other places may get more snow, but
the wind literally blows it off campus,”
Steiger explained.“We had a six-foot drift in
front of Piez Hall when I came in on Friday,
just to check on things. It was the strongest
snow storm I’ve ever experienced.”
Future alumni from the classes of 2004,
2005, 2006 and 2007 will echo his words in
years to come as they recall the history-
making snow event that cancelled a pair of
class days. �
Snowed
23 O S W E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
By Michele Reed
2004 Photos by Jim Russell ’83
Remembrances of Snows PastDuring the winter of ’77-’78, we lived in a house off the railroad tracks on West
Fifth Street. The plow went down the railroad tracks and threw up snow that totally
blocked the side entrance to our house. It took us two days to tunnel out. Across the
street from our house on Fifth Street there was a bar made out of a snow bank. A
picture of it made national news. We were in that bar when the famous picture was
taken. So that’s my claim to fame.
—BILL PRECHT ’78
I always loved the first big snow (usually before Thanksgiving) and the old campus v.
new campus snowball fight — all out to defend the bridge!! (New campus all the way!)
—JOAN PACE ’87
DO
N K
R AN
Z, P ALLA
DIU
M-TIM
ES
In!Singin’ in the SnowOswego’s “Big Snow” of 1958 inspired the late Dr. Maurice O. Boyd, who directed the
Symphonic Choir, to pen a song now famous among alumni. In 1966, it was updated
to reflect that year’s historic blizzard.
Oswego Is Famous For Its SnowWords and Music by Dr. Maurice O. Boyd
Softly and gently and peacefully,White as fleece and silently,It started to snow so beautifullyAnd then it snowed and snowed and snowed AND SNOWED!
Oswego is famous for its snowWe hear it wherever we goOn December 7th in ’fifty eightIt started to snow at a terrific rate,It snowed so much it was hard to appreciate.Oswego is famous for its snowIt snowed and snowed for seven days in a row,The snow plows came and dug us out,Yes there was much to shout about,Oswego is famous for its snow!
Read all the lyrics or download an MP3 of the Symphonic Choir
singing this song in 1967 at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/magazine
(Special thanks to Mrs. Eleanor “Fergie”Boyd, for sharing the recording.)
AR
CH
IVAL PH
OTO
YO S W E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 24
Campus snow-removal staff cleared:
4 miles of roads
25 miles of sidewalks
26 acres of parking lots
January 2004
9 days with temps below zero
105 inches
2nd snowiest January since 1900
7th coldest January since 1844
January 26-30: 113 hours53.7 inches966 classes cancelled
Snow Stats
Two days off! We werejumping into the snowbanks at Onondaga. Weplayed football in it.Snow’s great!Justin Ortega ’07BaldwinsvilleMajor: Art
For three days I couldn’tsee the sun. I stayedindoors and refused to go outside, even whenthe dining hall closed. I’drather starve than freeze!Therisa Samuels ’03New York CityMajor: Graduate student inEnglish and Public Relations
It was movie days — too dangerous to go out on the roads.Kim Schiefer ’07LiverpoolMajor: ElementaryEducation
I spent time online talking to people. I didn’t leave fromWednesday night toMonday morning.Bonita Biyson ’05EndwellMajor: Math and Art
Wednesday night, whenit was all coming down,my housemates and Idecided to get on top ofthe snow mounds anddive for catches in thesnow banks. We madesome fun of it — wewere out for an hour, allbundled up.Lemarr Young ’04Hudson FallsMajor: Broadcasting
On the (Snow-Covered) StreetAt the end of the storm, students reflected on their first brush with Oswego’s legendary snow.
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 425
1 9 4 0 S
Call us at: 315/312-2258
E-mail us at: [email protected]
Fax us at: 315/312-5570
Visit our Web site at:
http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu
C L A S S N O T E S
JUNE 4–6
1939 65th1934 70th
JUNE 4–6
1944 60th
JUNE 4–6
1949 55th
JUNE 4–6
1929 75th
DOROTHY DALEY MIZEN ’18celebrated her 105th birthdayJuly 7 at Pontiac Care andRehabilitation Center in Oswego.She was born July 7, 1898, andreceived her teaching degree at Oswego Normal School. Shetaught in North Rose and inNew Jersey. She marriedEdward Mizen in 1929. After his death in 1945, she returned
to the classroom, this time in the Oswego City School District.Dorothy was very active in civic affairs, having served on OswegoHospital’s board of trustees, and was active in the hospital auxil-iary, Twigs, reports longtime friend Rosemary Skillen. A worldtraveler who visited Spain, Italy and France, Dorothy kept a jour-nal of her travels. She always enjoyed keeping up with the newsand used to be an avid bridge player.
MARY APPLETON BIRD ’29is 95 years of age and ties to Oswego run strong in herfamily. She met her late husband, Howard Bird ’28,at Oswego, where they were“constantly seen together,”writes her son A. David Bird ’62. She was a memberof AGO sorority and Howardwas a brother of Psi Phi.Mary is the mother of twochildren, six grandchildren
and six great-grandchildren. David’s father-in-law, the lateCarlton D. Durfey ’28, was director of vocational education inPoughkeepsie, where Howard Bird taught industrial arts. Davidspent five summers over his career taking graduate courses atOswego. During the 1990s his son, Thomas, spent a year atOswego before finishing his college work at Marist College.David and his wife try to visit Oswego every other year duringHarborfest. He has great memories of Oswego, especially hisfreshman year in Hillcrest in 1958-59, the year of the “BigSnow.” David and Janet have two other children, Howard andCarlton, and enjoy visiting with their grandchildren.
Mary Appleton Bird ’29 and herson A. David Bird ’62 reminisceabout Oswego.
Class Notes
C L A S S N O T E S
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 26
JUNE 4–6
1954 50th
JUNE 4–6
1964 40th
JUNE 4–6
’68, ’69, ’70 35th Cluster Reunion
When Albert W. Hawk ’51retired from school boardservice after 31 total years onlocal and BOCES boards, hewas called upon to presentthe first Albert W. HawkAward for DistinguishedSchool Board Service — tohimself.
The Genesee Valley SchoolBoards Association createdthe award to honor Hawk, andthen kept the first recipient’sname secret from him until the Sept. 15 awards ceremony.
Hawk was cited for his 13 years on the Dansville Board of Education, 25 years on Board of Cooperative EducationalServices, and 23 with the Rural Schools Program Board andexecutive committee. In addition, he served four terms on the board of directors of the New York State School BoardsAssociation, representing the 64 school districts in Area 2, andserved two years as president of the NYSSBA board.
On Board, the NYSSBA publication, wrote, “Over the years,Al Hawk’s contributions on a local, regional, statewide andnational level have helped to shape the educational experiencesof countless children.”
Hawk retired in 1990 after 32 years with the New YorkState Office of Mental Retardation — Developmental Disabilities.In addition to his work and volunteering, he is also passionateabout antique toy trains, and is a founding member and presi-dent of the Toy Trains Collectors Society with 700 members inWestern New York. He has a 1937 DeSoto sedan and is a mem-ber and president of the Dansville Area Historical Society. Heand his wife, Janice, have two children and five grandchildren.
RO
GER
DEPU
IS III LIVIN
GSTO
N C
OU
NTY
NEW
S
Hawk Recognized for Service
Albert W. Hawk ’51
C L A S S N O T E S
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
Dr. Colleen Enwright O’Leary ’74, an associateprofessor of anesthesiology at SUNY UpstateMedical University and a past president of theOnondaga County Medical Society, has beennominated for a prestigious national distinctionby Congressman James T. Walsh. Walsh nomi-nated O’Leary for the “Changing the Face ofMedicine: Local Legends” exhibition adminis-tered by the American Medical Women’sAssociation. The nomination letter from Walshreads, in part, “Dr. O’Leary is a friend and some-one I hold in the highest esteem. Throughoutmy tenure in Congress, I have repeatedlyremarked at her tremendous personal qualities
and amazing professional abilities. Simply put, she is a pillar ofour community and a lead contributor to the success our regionhas achieved in providing the very highest quality of healthcare.” O’Leary is part of an exhibit on Local Legends which willbe on display at the National Library of Medicine campus inBethesda, Md. She is featured, along with nominees from allover the country, on the Web site at www.locallegends.org. Baltus Honored by
Women Engineers Dr. Ruth E. Baltus ’77, ClarksonUniversity professor of chemicalengineering, was the recipient ofthe 2003 Society of WomenEngineers Distinguished Engineer-ing Educator Award at SWE’snational conference in October.
Baltus was honored for excel-lence in teaching and dedicationto her students, leadership ofundergraduate students throughthe SWE student section, mentor-ship of strong graduate engineers,and her contributions to mem-brane science and engineeringresearch.
“Women bring a unique sensibility and set of interper-sonal skills and talents to theengineering profession and the importance of these skills is
being increasingly recognized by industry and academia,” saidBaltus. “But girls and young women need to feel there is a placefor them in engineering.”
She earned her doctorate at Carnegie-Mellon University in1982 and joined the Clarkson faculty in 1983. Baltus receivedthe Student Life Award from Clarkson University in 1999 inrecognition of her superior efforts as a faculty advisor. She hasbeen chosen to receive the Oswego Alumni Association’s 2004Lifetime Award of Merit.
Dr. Ruth E. Baltus ’77(center) discusses chemicalengineering thermodynamicswith Clarkson University stu-dents Charlotte Okwudi (left)and Tru Trinh Tran.
CLA
RK
SON
UN
IVER
SITY PH
OTO
BY
CH
RISTO
PHER
LENN
EY
Alumna a ‘Local Legend’
WILLIA
M M
UELLER
, MED
ICAL PH
OTO
GRA
PHER
SUN
Y U
PSTATE M
EDICA
L UN
IVER
SITY
ColleenEnwrightO’Leary ’74
27
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 28
C L A S S N O T E S
JUNE 4–6
1979 25th
A research trip to Jamaica as part of an undergraduate geologycourse over a quarter century ago set Bill Precht ’78 on the path to his professional career. This fall viewers around the world will see him back at the very same research site,Discovery Bay in Jamaica, sharing his expertise as a coral reefexpert on a National Geographic special. “The Living Machine”will be aired on the Public Broadcasting System. Precht’s seg-ment on coral reefs will be a 10-minute feature in a show devot-ed to the removal of top predators from the ecosystem, one ofthree programs in the series.
Precht is an ecological science program manager at PBS & J,a company devoted to engineering, planning and science inMiami, Fla. After Oswego, Bill earned a master’s degree in earthand environmental sciences at Adelphi and a doctorate at theUniversity of Miami. In addition to his work at PBS & J, he holdsan adjunct faculty position at Northeastern University, where heconducts a winter program at Discovery Bay’s marine lab. Lately,
he jokes, some of the stu-dents weren’t even bornwhen he and his Oswegoclassmates went on the tripin 1978!
He also holds a visitingscientist position with theSmithsonian and travels toBelize regularly to doresearch.
With his life come fullcircle from that Oswegogeology course, he oftenthinks of the impact the triphad on him. “Without the
marine science program at Oswego and our trip to Jamaica in 1978, none of this would have been possible,” says Precht.“Also without the interest and guidance provided by Dr. David J.Thomas of earth sciences, it’s hard to know what professionalpath I would have chosen. The only thing about which I am certain, I owe Dave Thomas a lot! I only hope that I can pass on similar integrity, values, enthusiasm and scholarship to mystudents and employees.”
Oswego students and faculty on the 1978 trip to Discovery Bay, Jamaica,included (not all are identified) in the back row, Teri Moresco ’78, BrucePierce ’78, Bill Precht ’78, Earth Sciences Professor Dr. AnthonyDelPrete, Biology Teaching Assistant Bill Baxter ’77, Jim Denier ’78,Steve Strategis, Earth Sciences Professor Dr. David Thomas, MikeParker ’78 and Matt Hoag ’78; in the middle row: Jim Cooper ’78,Barbara Maswick Grimes ’79, Marisa Comple ’78 and DawnHolsapple ’79; and sitting in the front row, Robin Wylie Weaver ’79and Biology Professor Dr. Tony Nappi (at far right).
Oswego Trip Leads to Lifelong Career
Bill Precht ’78 (right)
C L A S S N O T E S
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 429
IN THE GOSIER FAMILY, LOVE FOR OSWEGO TRANSCENDS
generations. The family reunited on campus last fall for the grand
opening of the Penfield Library café, to which Les Gosier ’37donated $75,000 in memory of his late wife, Carolyn Heath Gosier,
as part of his $100,000 pledge. Seated are Les Gosier ’37,
and Meg Gosier Hauptfleisch ’78, his daughter; and standing,
from left, are Jim Hauptfleisch ’77, Colleen Beylo and Greg
Hauptfleisch, Jim and Meg’s son. Meg has spent her entire career
in the classroom, except for time off when Greg was young.
Currently, she has been a first-grade teacher at Chenango Forks
School District for the past eight years. At Oswego, Jim was a
Scholastic All-American, lettering in track and wrestling, in which
he was a two-time state champ at heavyweight and in his senior
year placed sixth in the nationals. A technology education teacher
throughout his career, he has been Region 43 Teacher of the Year.
For the past 23 years he has had a Technology Student
Association at his schools, and often brings his students to the
fall technology department conference at Oswego, as well as to
regional and national competitions, where they have placed well.
He has held leadership posts at the regional and statewide level in
the TSA. A teacher at Maine-Endwell High School, he is making
his 1941 Chrysler into a street rod.
Larry Rubinstein ’81 (left), technical director and senior editor atMagno Sound and Video in New York City, returned to campus toshare his expertise with students at Oswego’s student-run televisionstation, WTOP, this fall, sponsored by the Oswego Alumni Association’sAlumni-in-Residence Program. Here he looks over some of the studioequipment with Matt Romano ’05, a broadcasting major, and WTOPgeneral manager; and Philip Rankin ’05, a journalism major and chiefnews producer.
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 30
C L A S S N O T E S
Alumni BookshelfThis column celebrates the
publishing success of Oswego
alumni authors, illustrators and
recording artists. Please keep us
informed about new books and
CDs by requesting that your
publisher or distributor send a
copy for the Oswego Alumni
Bookshelf at King Alumni Hall.
Virtual Life by David Hitchcock ’79 is the
story of John Clayton, a teenager in rural New
York who stumbles across a virtual reality hel-
met that is part of a classified virtual reality sim-
ulator lost in a traffic accident. John uses the
helmet to run combat situations, and to sit at the
feet of history’s greatest thinkers. John’s expand-
ing intellect puts him in direct conflict with his
parents, church and community. “Virtual Lifeportrays the best and worst of humanity as all
the passions and longings; love and hate, courage
and fear, ambition and apathy, erupt while John
struggles to understand what he’s learned,”
writes Hitchcock. David has degrees in physics
and engineering and has worked as a computer
consultant on the MX missile, the Milstar satel-
lite program, and advanced
capability torpedoes. He
currently resides with his
family in Twinsburg, Ohio.
iUniverse, 2003.
A Taste for Blood, is a
vampire epic by Diana Lee’83. Ryan was born when
Vikings raided the British
coast and the highland clans
of Scotland feuded with blood-
lust and vigor. Killed and
reborn as a vampire at 16, she
is now over 800 years old. Over
the centuries, Ryan has ravaged
the lives of many helpless victims. Now as
Lord Wolf — for few mortals know she is a
woman — Ryan has risen to a position of
power and influence in Victorian-era
Scotland. “A rich and intricate tapestry of
characters. Lee takes you on a night ride
through an eerie forest of dark desires,
charging headlong toward the cliffs of
immortal rage and eternal desire,” writes
Roselle Graskey, author of OctoberEchoes. Alice Street Editions, Harrington
Park Press, 2003.
Sanford Sternlicht ’53 has published the
Student Companion to Elie Wiesel, part of the
Student Companions to Classic Writers series.
The book offers a critical analysis of all of Wiesel’s
major writings, with full chapters on Night, Dawnand The Oath as well as commentary on his other
works, including his five most recent novels. Plot,
character development, thematic concerns and
style are discussed, as are the historical context
and alternate critical perspectives. The Student
Companion to Elie Wieselincludes a biographical sec-
tion and a chapter on his
nonfiction writings.
Sternlicht is the author
or editor of over 30
books. At Oswego he
was professor of
English, director of
graduate studies in
English and chair of
the theatre depart-
ment, until his retire-
ment in 1986. He
now teaches at
Syracuse University.
Greenwood Press, 2003.
Al Roker’s Hassle Free Holiday Cookbook:125 recipes for Family Celebrations All YearLong, by well-known weatherman and foodie
Al Roker ’76 came out just in time for the 2003
holiday season. Featuring recipes like hot crab
dip, blueberry coffee cake and Buffalo wings, the
book includes tips on stocking a pantry and mak-
ing holiday food preparations run smoothly. In a
Dec. 16 Woman’s Day article promoting the new
volume, Roker once again hearkened back to his
college days. “I went to school at the State
University of New York at Oswego, just up the
road from Buffalo,” he is quoted as saying. “For
the longest time I thought Buffalo was named
after the wings. My college roommate took me
home to North Tonawanda, New York, and it was
there that I had my first taste of Buffalo wings.
Nirvana!” Scribner, 2003.
In Services Blueprint: Roadmap for Execution,
Marcia Robinson ’86 and Dr. Ravi Kalakota,
authors of the best-selling e-Business: Roadmapfor Success, aim to present “a balanced perspec-
tive of what managers need to know to make
effective technology decisions.” The book covers
topics like the need for digitization, examples of
services blueprints and case studies of AT & T
and IBM. The authors note: “We are writing both
to challenge the dominant orthodoxy of current
piecemeal strategies and to address three critical
issues: How to plan in an economy where differ-
entiation is achieved not through products but
through technology-enabled services; how to
translate business imperatives into better tech-
nology execution; how to organize the changes
Web Services have wrought on the business
landscape.” Addison-Wesley, 2003.
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 431
Donald D. Cox, professor emeritus, is the author of ANaturalist’s Guide to Forest Plants and A Naturalist’sGuide to Seashore Plants. The books include a wide range
of information about the forest and seashore plants of
Eastern North America, including the origins, methods of
naming, and climate factors. Throughout the guides, Cox pro-
vides complete and accurate details for readers interested in
collecting plants and preserving plant collections. Also
included in the series is A Naturalist’s Guide to WetlandPlants, which was released in 2002 (see Oswego Fall/Winter
2002). Syracuse University Press, 2003.
In Backstory: Inside theBusiness of News, KenAuletta ’63, turns a critical
eye on the state of journal-
ism and the media today.
This compilation of his
“Annals of Communication”
columns for The NewYorker shows a troubled
industry, one that often
doesn’t live up to its ideal
as a public service. With
the keen eye of a prac-
ticed observer and the
skill of a master story-
teller, Auletta gives the reader a glimpse into the trou-
bled New York Times newsroom under Howell Raines, and
the rise of new media stars like Roger Ailes and Fox News.
He explores the conflicts between profit-driven media giants
and their own news divisions, New York City’s tabloid wars,
“gotcha” journalism and right-wing commentators spouting
the words “fair and balanced” about their partisan diatribes.
Auletta is the author of eight previous books, including four
national bestsellers. In a review of Backstory, BusinessWeek wrote, “Ken Auletta is the James Bond of the media
world, a man who combines the probing mind and easy
charm of a top intelligence agent with the glamour that
befits the holder of a high-profile job.” The Penguin Press,
2003. (See page 48 for an except from Backstory.)
C L A S S N O T E S
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 32
Shaw’s Career Takes OffWilliam C. Shaw III ’89 has been involved inorganizing the logistics for the rebuilding ofIraq. As executive vice president of World ClassShipping, his family’s business, he organized oneof the first humanitarian flights to reachBaghdad airport. Shaw’s company flew in mate-rials to build a new intensive care unit at themain hospital in Iraq, for Franklin Graham, sonof the famous evangelist Billy Graham, and hisSamaritan’s Purse organization. He also didwork in Iran for the earthquake and flew ship-ments to Afghanistan for the Central Intelli-gence Agency and Department of Defense. Hehas organized efforts in Kosovo, Angola andevery major problem area of the world.
World Class Shipping’s main business is providing international logistics solutions forcorporations looking to import, export and customs clear their products from around theworld. Over the years the company has evolved to specialize in dealing with troubled regions of the world and handling valuable, difficult and hard-to-handle shipments.
It’s a global enterprise and Shaw deals with agents all overthe world. A typical day sees him on the phone to 10 or 12countries and e-mailing to 10 times that. In Bangkok he meetsonce a year with all his global agents — 500 in one place fromall different countries.
While the work is “stressful — everybody wants everythingyesterday,” Shaw adds, “If you are educated and can think onyour feet you can do well.” He credits Oswego with some of hissuccess, especially in teaching him “social skills and adapting tocold weather conditions.”
JUNE 4–6
’88, ’89, ’90 15th Cluster Reunion
William C. Shaw III ’89 flew to Afghanistan and Iraq.
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
C L A S S N O T E S
33
Alumna’s Work is Picture Perfect“Chimpanzee Stripping a Vine” by Kristin J. Mosher ’89 hasbeen highly commended in the Animal Behavior: Mammals category of the 2003 Wildlife Photographer of the YearCompetition, organized by London’s Natural History Museumand BBC Wildlife Magazine. Mosher’s image was among morethan 20,500 entries, from over 60 countries, in the world’sbiggest and most prestigious wildlife photographic competition.
“I had been following the chimpanzees, Freud and Gimble,since dawn, in Gombe National Park, Tanzania,” said Mosher.“The two males spent their morning grooming and eating inMkenke, one of Gombe’s main river valleys, then disappearedinto a thicket of leafy vines. When Gimble reappeared, he was‘vine-stripping’: selecting sections of a vine and using his teethto strip off and eat the cambium and pith.”
“Chimpanzee Stripping a Vine” is on display with other win-ning images in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibitionat the London Natural History Museum’s Jerwood Gallery untilApril 18. The photo and 2004 competition information can befound at www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto/
Mosher has been working since 1997 as a photographer inTanzania, where she takes photos for renowned primate author-ity Jane Goodall. Oswego featured her African landscape as thecover of our spring 2001 issue.
PHO
TO C
RED
IT: KR
ISTIN M
OSH
ER ’8
9
Democrats seeking to win in 2004have to think of a strategy that doesnot necessarily rely on victory in theSouth, Thomas F. Schaller ’89 wrotein a think piece for The WashingtonPost Nov. 16. In “A Route for 2004That Doesn’t Go Through Dixie,” theassistant professor of political scienceat the University of Maryland,Baltimore County, analyzed recentraces and how they might impact the
upcoming election. “A non-Southern strategy isn’t the only pathback to the Oval Office,” he wrote. “But it may be the shortest.”He was featured on CNN Saturday, Jan. 31. Schaller was thekeynote speaker at the 2003 Communication Studies AlumniDinner in November, co-sponsored by the Oswego AlumniAssociation. He will receive the Oswego Alumni Association’s2004 Anniversary Class Award.
N E W S M A K E R
Thomas F. Schaller ’89
UM
BC
PHO
TO B
Y H
OW
AR
D KO
RN
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
C L A S S N O T E S
34
They shared a house together at Oswego and in July they shared the Waldron family camp on Panther Lake in Constantia. Gettingtogether were 1992 alumnae, from left, Bethann Talty, Katie Collins Krawcyk, Lynda Aylward Gerst, Jeanie FinocchiaroKinahan, Jennifer Waldron Whitley and Laura Ciccone Smith. Also present was Mike Kinahan ’93. “We really missed Donna FarryMorse, Joe Manna and Amy Placzkowski Manna (all ’92!),” theywrote. A yearly reunion for the ex-housemates has been planned.
Honoring the Athletes Five alumni athletes and a former coach were inducted into theOswego State Athletic Hall of Fame in October. They are, front rowfrom left, Francis Verdoliva ’74, honored for his achievements in crosscountry and track and field; Fernando Suarez ’74, honored for hisachievements in cross country and track and field; and Linda DeRykeEakin ’86, honored for her achievements in basketball and softball;and back row from left, Dr. John Glinski, former athletic director andcoach of basketball, baseball and tennis; Armond Magnarelli ’50, a starin basketball, baseball and soccer; and Peter Low ’63, a basketball, base-ball and soccer standout. Also honored but unable to attend the dinnerwas David Lair, recognized for his achievements in ice hockey. Friends ofVerdoliva made donations in Fran’s honor to help current students.
If you would like to nominate an alumni athlete or former coach (living or deceased) for future consideration to the Hall of Fame,please call the Alumni Office at 315-312-2258 for a nomination formor submit online at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/halloffame. This year’s dinner and induction ceremony will be Oct. 9.
In recent months, my personal
life has come “full circle” in
many ways in relation to my
“Oswego Family.” Many people
are surprised that I did not
graduate from Oswego, but
rather from another college
(though I did earn my teaching
certification from Oswego in
1984). Through my husband,
Jerome ’77, however, I feel as
if I have many of those same
Oswego connections and feelings
of family that so many of our
alumni do, since we dated
throughout his years at Oswego.
That feeling of Oswego family is an intangible that so many of us talk
about and, more importantly, feel. It is about our bonds and our memo-
ries — my personal opinion is that surviving the weather (snow, wind
and more!) somehow binds us all together in some inexplicable way!
My Oswego Family Circle widened this summer to include my
parents, Jean and Bill Locke. When my father became ill in early summer,
we made a decision to move my parents, lifelong residents of Rochester,
to Springside at Seneca Hill, a senior retirement community near my
home in Oswego. And thus began the widening of the Oswego circle for
me and my parents — who knew no one in Oswego other than me! The
staff and fellow residents at Springside embraced my parents into their
Springside Family — which is in many ways an extended Oswego family!
And so, the circle widens…
Teresa Ferlito ’76 manages the retirement community. Many
alumni and faculty emeriti and their spouses reside there, including
Eleanor “Fergie” Boyd, wife of the late Dr. Maurice O. Boyd, beloved
music professor who wrote “Oswego is Famous for Its Snow.” Dr. Ralph
Spencer, who served in many positions including professor, dean, provost
and interim president, and his wife Marian; Dr. Sherwood Dunham, who
served as principal of the Campus School, vice president, interim president
and professor, among other positions; Dr. Harold “Hop” Powers, retired
zoology professor, and his wife, Georgiana; Dr. Harold Nash, retired educa-
tion professor, and his wife, Lorraine; and Charles “Bud” Coward ’49,
emeritus industrial arts professor, campus construction planning coordi-
nator and assistant to the president, and his late wife, Ann; are just a
few of the many residents who have been added to my and my parents’
Oswego Family Circle.
It seems so true that our lives come full circle as we travel through
life. The most important part, I think, is to make the most of the journey.
A favorite saying of a dear friend, Tom Jacobsen ’77, who died suddenly
a few years ago, was “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”
From the executive director
OswegoMatters
C L A S S N O T E S
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 435
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 36
C L A S S N O T E S
JUNE 4–6
1994 10th
Love Rings TrueAn alumni couple’s love storyinspired the readers of News-day last October. Bill ’96 andLara Jacobs McKenna ’95met at Oswego, where, Laratold Newsday, it was “love atfirst sight.” When Bill pro-posed in 1999, he gave Larathe traditional ring, a perfect-ly round diamond in anantique setting with heartsfastening the stone to thering. Fast forward to Jan. 2,
2001. Six weeks before the Feb. 10 wedding, Lara lost the ring.She had cut her finger in the morning making lunch and put thering on her pinky, since her ring finger was bandaged. After herworkday she headed to a crowded, post-holiday Penn Stationto take the train home. She waited in a long ticket line andwalked around much of the station, then boarded the train,only to notice her ring was gone. Panicked, she called Bill, whoworked at 11 Penn Plaza, across from Madison Square Garden.He told her he would find the ring and not to worry, then head-ed to the station. After looking in all the places Lara describedand then some, he checked at the police station. “Good luck,”the cop on duty told him. Then he checked the lost and founddesk, waiting for clerk Selina Pride to return from her break.When Bill described the ring, she reached into a Ziploc bagfilled with assorted jewelry. “I just found this old ring on myway to … my break,” she told him. She hadn’t even had time tolog it in. He headed home where he told a worried Lara,Newsday reported, “There’s only one person in the world luckierthan me, and that’s you.”
Their love still rings true, as Lara (sister of Laker lacrossecaptain Adam Jacobs ’04) and Bill recently celebrated theirthird wedding anniversary, along with their son, Liam, born inJanuary 2003.
N E W S M A K E R
Bill ’96 and Lara JacobsMcKenna ’95
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
C L A S S N O T E S
37
IN NOVEMBER OF 2002, A FORMER OSWEGOState student, who goes by the pseudonym HeruPtah ’01, finished his first novel, A Hip-Hop Story.But instead of taking it to the publishers, he took tothe streets, peddling his work on New York Citysubways and at readings.
Ptah, along with fellow alumnus and businesspartner, Steve McAlpine ’97, who goes by thename Tehut-Nine, sold over 10,000 copies of thebook before landing a publishingdeal with MTV Pocket Books inFebruary 2003.
“We were selling books topeople that probably hardly everwent to bookstores,” Tehut-Ninesaid. “I think they were intriguedby two young people doing whatseemed like an impossible thing.We got a lot of support from people.”
Since its debut, A Hip-HopStory has enjoyed great success,and is hailed by USA Today “as the beginningof a new subgenre of the urban or street novel: thehip-hop novel.” According to The New York Timesthe book, which tells the story of two feuding rap-pers, Hannibal and Flawless, combines a hefty doseof love, sex, ambition and corruption, with all thetrappings of the hip-hop lifestyle.
But Ptah said he hadn’t always planned onbeing a writer. Although the Jamaican-born authorsaid he has been a fan of Shakespeare since child-hood, when he attended Oswego State he studiedhistory and Spanish. It was there, Ptah said, that hebecame interested in poetry.
“I was inspired by the different talent shows andso on that would take place on campus,” he said.
“My love for writing and words in generalwould lead me into writing prose.”
Ptah said he also found support for hiswriting from faculty and staff. So much infact, that he fashioned one of the charac-ters in A Hip-Hop Story after friend andadviser, Roosevelt Muhammad, assistantdean of students.
“I wrote him in the book: name, body and man-nerisms,” Ptah said. “Muhammad was for me, as he was and is for a lot of students, a mentor, and I will always love and admire him for his years ofcounsel.”
Ptah and Tehut-Nine are currently the CEOs of their self-formed publishing company, SunRaSonProductions, which has published 10 books by various poets and authors.
Ptah is also the author of a book of poetry,Love, God and Revolution, which first appeared in2000. Tehut-Nine has written several poetry booksincluding The Fire in Me and Mental Eye-roglyphics.
— Shannon Mahar ’04
A Hip-Hop Success Story
Heru Ptah ’01
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 38
C L A S S N O T E S
Elliot T. Boyce ’94 is an investigator with the NewYork State Police in Pulaski. He earned a master’s incriminal justice from SUNY Albany and master’s in pub-lic administration from Marist College. Contact him [email protected].
Q. Tell us a bit about your current job.
A. My major function is to assist troopers with felonylevel criminal investigations — from child abuse, homi-cides and robbery investigations, to things like creditcard fraud and identify fraud. A lot of my functions areadministrative in the sense of preparing cases for crimi-nal prosecution in the district attorney’s office.
Q. How did you get where you are today?
A. I was recruited by the New York State Police when Iwas at Onondaga Community College.
After I had taken the test and passed it, I had alreadyentered Oswego. In 1987, I withdrew from school andwent to the State Police Academy. From there I was stationed in Oneida, troop headquarters, then transferredto the Syracuse area where I worked and returned to col-lege, and completed my bachelor’s degree at Oswego.
Q. What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
A. The most satisfying is being able to help someone.It’s not the big crime — a lot of times those affect thebig businessmen. It’s when you get the old lady or oldgentlemen who’ve had their lawnmower stolen or housebroken into. We do a lot more community-orientedwork: explaining to people their rights and how toreport a crime. It’s not the glamour people see on TV —running down the bad guys and throwing them in jail. A lot is community service and sharing information.
Q. What’s the toughest part of your job?
A. It is by far notifications, where you have to tell aloved one that a spouse, or especially a child, is nolonger with them. That is probably the toughest part of the job. It’s not often, but it’s always a challenge.
Q. A typical day?
A. In law enforcement no day is the same. No crime isthe same. It’s always evolving and we, as police officers,have to get better as crimes change.
Q. Sounds like you love your job.
A. It’s the best job ever! It’s a great experience andgreat opportunity financially, benefits, opportunities toexpand. I have two master’s degrees and a lot of thefinancial burden has been paid by the State Police.
Q. Any special influences at Oswego?
A. Three come to mind: Dr. Bernard Boozer. His style of teaching in some cases goes against the grain of tradi-tional teaching. For me to be able to discuss freely thingsthat were going on in the world was beneficial — and I was a police officer, so everyone benefited. That’s why I come back every semester to teach in his class. Dr. (Celia) Sgroi ’70, who was head of Public Justice.
She was always very positive, always opened doors to theState Police for recruitment, to give students in publicjustice a fair chance to not only get an education, but alsoto get a good job when they’ve completed their educa-tion. Also Roosevelt Muhammad. He continues to makesure that if there is an issue in the community he willreach out for help and say, “I need a class taught. Canyou teach about this issue or recommend someone?”
Q. Have a message for your fellow alumni?
A. It’s very important for alumni — from whateverwalks of life — to come back and help out in whateverway you can. Alumni should be giving back: If notmoney, time; if not money or time at least information,even if it’s in the form of a letter.
Q. And your advice for students?
A. Volunteering, volunteering, volunteering. It’s becominga major requirement on job applications. What have youdone besides sit in a classroom? Who have you benefitedbesides yourself?
Q. So giving back is important to you?
A. I am affiliated with a variety of national organizations:National Organization of Black Law EnforcementExecutives, Guardian Association of NYS Troopers,National Black State Troopers Coalition and the NationalAssociation of Black Law Enforcement Officers . . . Theseorganizations are dedicated to education, recruitment,scholarships. We have the Elliott T. Boyce Superior WorkEthic Scholarship given by NOBLE CNY Chapter. We give$1,000 each year to a high school senior who demon-strates a commitment to bettering their communitythrough hard work and diligence. Members in the organi-zation are police chiefs, lieutenants and colonels. As aninvestigator it was an honor for them to highlight me inthis particular way.
Q. Why is involvement so important to you?
A. My main goal is to see that Elliot T. Boyce Jr. makesit to the next level in life. I am a single parent. For me,being able to raise my child was important. As role models,men should always contribute to the lives of our children,and not our children only, but our children’s friends.
I try to stay active in the community, in theAfrican-American and Latino communities. I taughtSunday school for five years at the Abundant LifeChristian Center. I do a lot of volunteer work in commu-nities I visit around the country. As national vice president of the National Association of Black LawEnforcement Officers, I do a lot of training for minorityofficers to keep them informed and involved. I am aproduct of an urban environment; I grew up in the project setting in Brooklyn. I experienced bussing,where they bussed black students to white schools. Oneof the things I learned from a stable single-parent homeis: You don’t have to treat people the way they treatyou. You have to be better and treat them the way youwant to be treated.
Elliot T. Boyce ’94
Elliot T. Boyce Values Involvement
G R A D U A T E O F T H E L A S T D E C A D E
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
C L A S S N O T E S
She’s One in a MillionMillions of New Yorkers watch Michelle Fortino ’97 with batedbreath. They’re hoping the New York Lottery Draw Team mem-ber will call out the numbers that will transform them intoinstant millionaires. The former Funnelle Hall resident assistanthas been a member of the draw team for three years, hostinglive lottery drawings on a rotating schedule with three othermembers, including Yolanda Vega , who is “every bit as wonder-ful as she seems,” says Michelle. “She’s a fantastic woman and avery good friend.”
Michelle applied for the job after hearing on the radio thatthere would be a statewide talent search. The former radio pro-ducer went up against 500 to 600 people, auditioning in a sim-ulated lottery draw. Of that huge pool, only three people werechosen, with Michelle representing the Central New Yorkregion.
Even though each draw takes only a few minutes, it’s a fulleight-hour day, as the crew runs through pre- and post-testsand examines everything to be sure there is no tampering ormalfunction with the machines for the three daily shows. Herfavorite part of the job is participating in the many promotions,including one where a lucky New Yorker sank a basket fromhalf court at Madison Square Garden to win a million dollars.
Michelle travels throughout the state, doing promotions andvisiting stores that sell lottery tickets. That means time awayfrom her new husband, Keith Calveric ’91, who owns KCNYDesign in Syracuse. The couple was wed in November. But thelottery is “home away from home” and she has many friends inthe organization.
If Michelle’s picked a millionaire, she’s never met the per-son, but she has plenty of fans who approach her — one evenplayed her license plate number.
39
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 40
C L A S S N O T E S
Neil Schreiner ’02 has a job many wouldenvy — he is the gaming manager at GameOn! in Boston’s Financial District, one of anew breed of gaming centers springing uparound the country. Patrons gather to playgames like “Counterstrike” or “Call of Duty”with each other over the LAN (local areanetwork). Seated at cutting-edge AlienwareArea-51 PCs in their state-of-the-art Aeronchairs, players can compete with each otherin the same room or with opponents world-wide over the Internet. “It’s like going to seea movie,” Schreiner told the Boston Herald.“You could do it by yourself, but it’s more fun
to do it with other people. You call your bud-dies together and come down.” The information science major,who found his job through monster.com, updates the games,brings in new titles, and organizes tournaments for Game On!patrons. As a student, Neil made several dedicated servers forpeople on campus to play each other and other people or clanson the Internet. Asked whether he avoided homework to playgames with his Hart Hall friends and coworkers from the net-working department, Neil replied: “Who doesn’t?”
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
C L A S S N O T E S
41
Correction
Bakers Doesn’t Two unrelated Bakers shared more than a name in the lastissue of Oswego — information about the women got blendedinto two mixed-up Class Notes. Here are the correct versions:
Nancy Baker Kellar ’63 received her master’s degree fromSyracuse University in special education. She is now a retiredteacher from Baldwinsville schools and lives with her husband,Roderick, in Baldwinsville.
Cammie Baker Clancy ’83 received her master’s degree in edu-cational administration and policy studies from the University ofAlbany. She is the assistant director of graduate studies at EmpireState College. She lives in Saratoga Springs with her husband,Shaughn. Cammie is active in SUNYCAP (State University of NewYork College Admissions Professionals)and Saratoga PreservationFoundation, and she owns an online store specializing inChristmas and holiday collectibles (holidayshopsaratoga.com).
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 42
Jessica Pristupa Hillery ’95 and Darryl Hillery ’94 weremarried April 26, 2003. They had an intimate gathering offamily and friends in Key West to celebrate their nuptials.Pictured from left are; the bridegroom, the bride, DaniellePristupa ’98 (maid of honor) and Johnny Garcia ’94 (bestman).
Sheri Kerness Krugman ’98 (DphiE) and Matt Krugman ’98 (DeltaSig) were married Oct. 19, 2002. Oswego alumni in attendance were, top row from left, Jason Martin ’98 (Zeta),Jim Parise ’00, Mark Silverio ’00, Todd Parks ’00, Pete Calabro ’02, Jeff Mischler ’00, FrankieFernandez, Nick Renaud ’00, Mike Doody ’97, and Matt Bartley ’98 all members of theDeltaSig fraternity. Bottom row from left, Allison Eades Sutton ’98, Karen Israel ’99, DianePray Nolan ’98, and Maeghan O’Keefe ’99 all sisters of DphiE sorority, Dana Segall ’99, Karmin Valerio ’03 and Rachel Stewart ’00; and front, Capt. Richard McGahhey USMC ’96 (DeltaSig).
AlbumW E D D I N G
]
Kris Graham ’99 and Jill Hutchins ’00 were married Aug.23, 2003, in Liverpool. Oswego alumni present at the weddingwere, from left, Rachel Roman ’00, Kristin Bannon ’01,Jeremy Mikels ’02, the bride, bridegroom, Jaime Nagy ’00,Chris Leece ’01, Kirsten Bauroth ’00 and Cory Fitzgerald ’01.
Elia Canalda Imler ’94 andJohn Imler were married July 12, 2003. Bridesmaidsincluded Bonnie McCarthyHogan ’94 and Ivy Diorio ’94,Sharlene Mitrione Cito ’95,Jacki LaFache ’96 and Gail E. McCarthy ’68 (sincedeceased). Elia completed hermaster’s degree in communi-cations from Ithaca College in 2002. She invites her HartHall friends to email her at [email protected].
Lauren Elbaum Duran ’95 (Phi Sig) and Julian Duran, Jr. ’96(TKE) were married Sept. 21, 2003, at the Whitby Castle in Rye.Oswego alumni attending the wedding included, back row fromleft, Ronald Dinger ’96, Thomas J. Reilly ’95, middle row fromleft, Neeraj Sharma, Robert Collado, Richard Rivera, and CesarMurillo ’94 all brothers of TKE, the bride, bridegroom, TinaSkurpski Krupa ’95, Deborah Ptalis ’95, Christine Amodeo ’95(Phi Sig), Jodi Kessler Jeran ’94 (Phi Sig). Missing from picture,but in attendance, was Christopher Cunneen (TKE). The couplehoneymooned for two weeks in Hawaii. They currently reside inthe Upper West Side of New York City. Lauren is a communica-tions associate for the National Center on Addiction andSubstance Abuse at Columbia University and Julian is a winesand spirits consultant for Peerless Importers, a major distribu-tor in New York City.
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 443
Christine Storie Winston ’03and Richard Winston weremarried Aug. 23, 2003, inCanton. Oswego alumni inattendance were KimberlyAlarcon ’03, Deb Robertson’00, Ellen Diament ’02, JenProulx and Ken Proulx ’01.The couple honeymooned inthe Poconos. They currentlylive in Canton.
Jaime Palzer Antifonario ’99 and Carl Antifonario ’00were married July 18, 2003, in West Orange, N.J. Oswegoalumni in attendance, top row from left, were KathleenMcKenna ’98, Becky Love Picarillo ’98, Dara Bartick Solan ’95,M ’97, Katie Hilton Halecki ’95, second row from left, LaraSchukman, Kate Stout ’98, Kelly Kinirons ’98, the bride, bridegroom, Caroline Hemstreet Cascella ’97, Gina GometzJuneau ’96, Matt Juneau ’96, Brian Defeo ’98, JP Prevost ’99,third row from left, Marc Scher ’98, Bob Picarillo ’97, JeffSolan ’95, Scott Halecki ’97, Anthony Cascella ’97, MarkDiCintio ’97, Mark Mackisoc ’99. The couple currently lives inFort Lee, N.J. Jaime is a third-grade teacher in Fort Lee andCarl works for a stockbroker in New York City.
Thomas Woodruff ’88 and Julie Loomis Woodruff were married Aug. 2, 2003. Oswego alumniin attendance included, front row from left, Christopher Stephens ’87, Judi Woodruff Stephens’89, the bridegroom, the bride, Kimberly Ungleich Rice ’01, M ’02, Faith Rogers Berretta ’90,Susan Monz Pompo ’90. Middle row from left, Gretchen Stoltz Fronk ’99, Maura Caughey ’76,Geri Klingler Bosco ’80, Lisa Vinciguerra ’00, Dr. Jodi Weinstein Mullen ’92, M ’94, MarkBerretta ’88 and Anthony Pompo ’89. Back row from left, Kirk Coates ’94, M ’03, Sean Walsh ’95, Shawn Yandon, Michael Mullen ’94, and Mark McClave ’91.
Debra Vuoso Pasho ’98 (Alpha Delta Eta) and Patrick Pasho Jr. ’99 (Psi Phi Gamma) were married April 26, 2003, in LongIsland. Best men included Michael Wing ’99 and Gregory Kipp ’00. Grooms men in attendance were Michael Woodworth ’94,Andrew Ayres, Erik Hansen ’00, Andrew Marcik ’98, and Tom Squires ’90, all brothers of the Psi Phi Gamma fraternity.Bridesmaids included Liesel Kipp ’97 (Alpha Sigma Chi), Nicole Kooney ’99 (Alpha Delta Eta), Stephanie Crudo ’01 (Alpha Delta Eta), Dena Hansen (Alpha Delta Eta), and Colleen Casey ’97 (Phi Lamda Phi). Debra teaches for Syracuse City Schools and Patrick works for LaMarsh Associates as a claims adjuster.
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 44
AlbumW E D D I N G
]
Michelle Neish Brown ’99 and Sean Brown ’00 were married July 19, 2003, in Syracuse.Oswego graduates at the wedding included, top row from left, Tyler Naselli ’99, Ted Hartman,Vinny Pietrafesa ’00, JP Prevost ’99, Josh Zweben ’00, Jahid Mirza ’00, My Amthap; front rowfrom left, Robyn Hindmarch-Carlson ’98, Jen McCullough ’99, Brittany Moth ’01, the bride,bridegroom, Mary-Kay Bateman ’99, Ryan Ewanow ’99 and Mindy Constance ’01. The coupleresides in Syracuse.
Mandy Morrell Dedrick ’98, M ’02 and Robert Dedrick weremarried Aug. 2, 2003. Oswego alumni in attendance included,top row from left, Wendy Mitchell-Titus, Meredith Ambrose M’02, Mara Bryden M ’02, Jack Hassall ’99, Erin Cooper-Hassall’99, Davina Young M ’02, Tedra Gaun-Gerstner ’95, bottom rowfrom left, Joanne Tomi ’00, the bride, bridegroom and DeborahMorrell-Kirkendall ’99 M ’01.
Kirsten Riley Pantalena ’95 and Peter Pantalena were married Sept. 2, 2001, in StatenIsland. Oswego alumni in attendance at the wedding were, left to right, Brian VanZandt ’97,Julie Hidalgo ’97, Eric Ellison ’95, Kimberly Heimiller ’95, the bride, bridegroom, Lianne Nestler ’95, Jill Tobin ’96, Penelope Koch ’95, Sergio Sardera ’96, Keith Vanlderstine ’03 and Paul Pennock ’95. The couple resides in Cranford, N.J.
Jeanna Walters Hilton ’00 and Kevin Hilton ’99 were married Aug. 16, 2003. Oswego alumni attending the wedding included, front
row from left, Desiree Lobianco ’00, Thomas Trinchitella ’01, Jennifer Andolina ’00, bridegroom, second row from left,
Brian Sheehan, Andrea Walters ’01 (maid of honor), Leslie Marie Ruiz,Laurie Barnet Radman, the bride, Christine Coriale ’01,
Paul Van Luven, Sabrina Rossi ’98, Terence Watkins ’98, Devon Eisenberg ’01, Monica Ruiz ’00, Andrew Berlin ’98, Jennifer
McCullough ’99, Alyson Levine ’00, Jill Priano ’00, Melissa Mettler ’99, Jill Britton ’97, Edward Classen ’99,
third row from left, Timothy Norton and Justin Hawkins ’97.
O SW E G O ● S p r i n g 2 0 0 445
Sarah Stark Vakkas ’99 and Thomas Vakkas ’98 weremarried July 4, 2003, in Island Park. Oswego alumni in atten-dance included, back row from left, Scott Dawson ’02, ReggieHouston, Mia Houston ’02, the bride, bridegroom, PatrickLadd ’98, Larry Rowe ’98, Jason Brennan ’98, bottom rowfrom left, Amanda Dawson, Pamela Nolasco ’99, Ian Kelly ’98,Zoraida Aguirre ’99 and Andrew Swayne ’96. Tom and Sarahcurrently live in Ithaca. Tom is a fourth-grade teacher andSarah works as a guidance counselor.
Caroline Hemstreet Cascella ’97 and Anthony Cascella ’97 were married Aug. 2, 2003, inChester. Oswego alumni in attendance from left to right were, Brooke Ricci ’97, Liz Thornton-Heffner ’96, Sarah O’Neil-Sirgany ’97, Scott Halecki ’97, Mike Cascella, Renee Fanning ’96,Melissa Cooper-Pollina ’97, Jeff Solan ’95, Dara Bartick-Solan ’97, the bridegroom, the bride,Jaime Palzer-Antifonario ’99, Katie Hilton-Halecki ’95, Pete Migneault ’95, Mark Mackisoc ’99,Carl Antifonario ’00, Frank Smith, and Mark DiCintio ’97. The couple currently resides inManalapan, N.J.
Kari Walsh Reed ’93 and David Reed were married Jan. 17,2003. Oswego alumni present were, standing left to right, JohnCarpinello ’91, Gary Nestler ’93, Yaa Adjei, the bride, KellyNestler ’93 and Erin Carter Procopio ’93; and, front, BradAnderson. The couple resides in Cohoes.
I N M E M O R I A M
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
Eileen Schaffer Pierson ’27 ofOswego died Oct. 21. She taught atOak Hill School in Oswego and in the Endicott School District. She issurvived by a son, two grandsons,a great-grandson and her sister,Cathleen Schaffer ’40.
Olympia Mariani Bartholo-mew ’32 of Rome died Nov. 10. She was a substitute teacher in Rome’sCatholic schools for many years.Surviving are her husband, Germo“Red”; two sons; and three grand-children.
Agnes Kraft ’33 of Oswego diedSept. 3. Prior to her retirement shetaught kindergarten for 35 years inthe Auburn and Oswego school dis-tricts.
D. Mary Crisafulli ’34 of Fultondied Oct. 7. She did graduate work atOswego State and Syracuse Universi-ty, and attended Otis School of Art inLos Angeles. Mary taught at the LoveSchool, a one-room school house, inPhoenix for nine years, then taught atPhoenix Junior High and HighSchool for 29 years. She is survived bya sister and a brother.
Arlene Truax Bock ’38 of Fultonpassed away Feb. 28, 2003.
William Clemens ’38 of Colum-bus passed away Feb. 28, 2003. Heearned his bachelor’s degree fromOhio State University. William is sur-vived by his wife of 60 years, Frances;a daughter, two sons; a granddaugh-ter and a great-granddaughter.
F. William Cunningham ’38 ofFredonia passed away Jan. 3, 2003.
Edwyn E. Mason ’38 of Zephyr-hills, Fla., passed away July 9. He issurvived by his daughter, Martha; ason, Richard; and his wife, Eileen; agrandson, Shawn, serving in Iraqwith the U.S. Marine Corps; a grand-daughter, Heather; and close friends,Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spurling ofZephyrhills. Edwyn was a veteran ofthe U.S. Army serving in World WarII, a graduate of Albany Law Schooland former New York state senator.He was active in veteran’s affairs andwas past commander of the StamfordAmerican Legion Post. He was a for-mer justice of the peace and a mem-ber of the National Historical Societyand the American Bar Association.
Helen Weston Nostrant ’38 ofPort Byron passed away Nov. 2. Shetaught in one-room school housesand elementary schools for manyyears. Helen is survived by her hus-band, Earl; a daughter; four grand-children and three great-grand-daughters.
Clarabell Chatterton Nash ’39 ofHubbardsville died Oct. 15. Shetaught for over 30 years in the upstateNew York area. Clarabell is survivedby a sister and a brother.
Charles Lower ’46 of Pulaski diedNov. 23. He earned his master’s de-gree at Oswego. Charles served in theU.S. Army Air Force during WorldWar II. He taught in Phoenix, Pulaskiand Oswego high schools for 35years. Surviving are three step-chil-dren, 10 grandchildren and fourgreat-grandchildren.
Helen Patricia Sherwood Webb ’47 passed away Dec. 13. Shetaught in the Marcellus CentralSchool District and at St. Cecilia’sSchool. Pat is survived by her hus-band, James; a son,Paul; three daugh-ters, Nancy Hefti ’77, Martha Taylorand Mary Beth Warner; and eightgrandchildren.
Jane Zurek Trepacz ’49 of Fayet-teville died Aug. 27. She earned amaster’s degree at Columbia Univer-sity. Jane taught in Oriskany and De-Witt. Surviving are her husband, Ed-mund; a son and a granddaughter.
Bernard Black ’50 of SilverSpring, Md., died Sept. 27. He is sur-vived by his wife, Jean.
Andrew Harris ’50 of Bingham-ton passed away Aug. 17.
June Kallio Laakkonen ’51 ofNorth Babylon died Aug. 22. Shetaught in the North Babylon schooldistrict from 1951 until her retire-ment in 1988. June is survived by twosons and two daughters.
Doris Hitzelberger Caldwell ’54of Potsdam and Oswego passed awayNov. 19. Prior to her retirement in1975, Doris taught for 20 years. She issurvived by a son, a daughter, fourgrandsons and two great-grandchil-dren.
Kathryn Smith McGregor ’54 ofRome died Nov. 9. She taught in theWhitesboro school district for 40years until her retirement in 1992.Kay is survived by her husband,Wayne; her mother, Helen Smith; adaughter; four sons and 12 grand-children.
Irene Pryor ’55 of Dansvillepassed away Feb. 14, 2003.
Charles Sweeting ’56 of Oswegodied Nov. 29. He earned his master’sdegree at Oswego and did post grad-uate work at the University of Mis-souri. Prior to coming to OswegoState, Charles taught technology at Il-lion High School, Trenton State Col-lege and McGill University. He was anassociate professor of technology atOswego State prior to his retirement.He was the Minetto town historian.
Charles is survived by his wife, BetsyGriswold ’54; daughters HeatherSweeting and Pam Kuczawa ’91; andtwo grandchildren.
Susan Cooper Fassler-BabcockMA ’57 of Utica died Dec. 10. Sheearned her bachelor’s degree fromSyracuse University. She taught formany years at Altmar-Parish-Wi-lliamstown High School for manyyears, where she also directed playsand developed a curriculum in jour-nalism. Susan is survived by a daugh-ter, a son and four grandchildren.
Amber Greggains Palmer ’61 ofTaberg died Sept. 4. She taught inCamden and Rome until her retire-ment in 1974. Amber is survived by adaughter, six sons, 16 grandchildrenand 24 great-grandchildren.
Robert Rupracht ’61 of Bald-winsville died Dec. 5. Robert taughtin the Baldwinsville Central SchoolDistrict for 33 years before his retire-ment. He is survived by his wife, Jane;a son; three daughters and eightgrandchildren.
Karen Johnson Dudeck ’62 ofUnion Springs passed away Nov. 28.She is survived by three children andtwo grandchildren.
Gail Egan McCarthy ’68 of Romedied Oct. 18. She is survived by herhusband, Michael; a daughter; twosons and three grandchildren.
Jeanne Egan ’72 of Little River,S.C., and formerly of Oswego andBaldwinsville, passed away Aug. 17.She taught in the Fulton school dis-trict for 24 years before retiring in1996. She is survived by her husband,Larry.
Elizabeth Kaplenk Owens ’73 ofAlbany passed away March 24, 2003.
Dennis Adamy ’74 of Hamiltonpassed away Aug. 21. He earned hismaster’s degree in social work fromWest Virginia University. Dennis issurvived by his son, John.
Patricia Hines ’69 of Brick, N.J.,passed away April 28.
Gary Cole ’80 of Memphis diedOct. 13. He was employed at NewVenture Gear. Gary is survived by hiswife, Nadine; and two children.
Patricia Green ’85 of Oswegopassed away Dec. 3. Pat earned an as-sociate’s degree from University Col-lege of Syracuse University beforecoming to Oswego, and was workingon a master’s degree in health servicesmanagement at New School for So-cial Research. She is survived by herpartner, Stephanie Davis, a sister anda brother.
Thomas Hester ’92 of NorthSyracuse passed away Jan. 1. He was adetective with the Syracuse Police De-
partment. Tom is survived by hiswife, Suzanne; daughter, Abby; andsister, Karen ’90.
Kym Bisnett ’93 of Canastota andDunnellon, Fla., died Oct. 17 after along illness. She was a sister of ADHsorority. She is survived by her hus-band, Sean Denmark; a son, ConnorDenmark; her mother, Judy Bisnett; atwin sister and three brothers.
James Clarke III ’98 of Smyrnadied July 9. Surviving are his father,James; a brother and three sisters.
Aaron Gordon ’99 of Oswegopassed away Oct. 30. He was theowner of Freelance Graphic Design.Aaron is survived by his wife, ErinFoley ’98; his parents, Norman,emeritus professor of psychology,and Diana ’85; three brothers andtwo sisters.
J. Robert Harrison, emeritus pro-fessor of zoology, of Oswego diedNov. 20. He served with Patton’sThird Army in the European Theaterof Operations during World War II.Bob earned his bachelor’s degreefrom American University, then laterstudied at Johns Hopkins Universityand the University of Minnesotawhere he received his doctorate in bi-ology. Prior to coming to OswegoState, he taught at Miami of Ohio,and Washington and Jefferson Col-lege in Pennsylvania. At Oswego, Bobwas department chair for 17 years be-fore retiring in 1986. Surviving are hiswife, Muriel; a son; a daughter andtwo grandchildren.
46
In Memoriam Policy Printing notices of alumnideaths is an importantservice of Oswego alumnimagazine. In order toinsure the accuracy of our reports, we require verification before we can publish a deathnotice—an obituary or a letter signed by a familymember. Because the magazine is published only three times a year and we are working on an issue months inadvance, there may be a delay of several monthsbetween the time wereceive notification and the news is printed in themagazine. Thank you foryour patience!
C L A S S N O T E S
47 O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
Tell Us About Yourself Share your information in the Class Notes section of an upcoming Oswego magazine.
Full Legal Name Class year
Preferred Name
Last Name as a Student Major
Address City State Zip
Home Phone Business Phone E-mail
Employer and Position
Employer’s Address
Spouse/Life Partner’s Full Name SUNY Oswego Class Year
Employer and Position
Here’s my news (attach separate sheet if needed.)
Please send admissions information to: Name
Address City State Zip
I would like to make a gift to Oswego State. Enclosed is my check made payable to Oswego College Foundation for $_____. For credit card gifts,gifts of stock, or information on other forms of giving, call 315-312-3003 or go online to http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/development.
Clip and mail to The Office of Alumni Relations, King Alumni Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126 or respond electronically on our Web site at http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/alumni/where.html
irreplaceable tools: the curiosity to ask questions
and the ability to listen to the answers. Each
requires modesty because each requires us to
assume we don’t already know the answers. Ask-
ing and listening assume an ability to understand
someone’s position, to empathize. Sources talk to
journalists for many reasons — because they
have something to say; because they are vain and
believe in themselves; because they wish to pro-
tect themselves should we be talking to adver-
saries; because they honestly believe they have
something to sell; because the publication, or the
journalist, carries some weight. But sources also
talk if they sense that a reporter genuinely seeks
understanding (and not just a headline). Sensing
this, they are more likely to open up and to help a
journalist to better sort truth from fiction.
There are varied reasons to fret about where
journalism is going. If I made a list — giant
media companies that keep score by profit
margins and stock price, not the content of their
journalism; “gotcha” and horse-race journalism;
Matt Drudge’s rumor-mongering; Jayson Blair’s
fictitious stories — it would be hard to climb out
of bed each morning. But there is another list
worth keeping: of the daily miracle that is the
New York Times; the weekly miracle that is The
New Yorker or Economist magazines; the Internet
and how it grants readers access to almost any
newspaper or periodical in the world, and how it
will allow authors to self-publish and citizens to
defy their government censors. Or as Albert
Camus said when he battled the Nazis, “A good
hope is better than a bad holding.”
Editor’s Note: This excerpt is reprinted from
Backstory: Inside the Business of News,
published in January 2004 by Penguin Press,
with permission of the author.
Oswego alumni magazine celebrates the significant moments in the lives of our alumni through our Class Notes,Bookshelf, Weddings and In Memoriamsections. We do not discriminate on thebasis of race, creed, gender or sexualpreference. We reserve the right to editsubmissions for length and to make edito-rial decisions about stories and photosbased on space available and the qualityof the image. Please send submissions toOswego Alumni Magazine, King AlumniHall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, NY13126 or [email protected], or visitwww.oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/ magazine.
The Last Wordcontinued from page 48
I WAS FIRST INFECTED WITH THE IDEA OF
becoming a journalist while studying political
science in graduate school. The bylines I re-
member belonged to Murray Kempton, David
Halberstam, Homer Bigart, Gay Talese, I. F.
Stone, Lillian Ross, among others. Why not, I
thought, extend school through my life and get
paid to learn, travel, and meet people? Journal-
ism also held some allure as a profession where
independence was prized. Didn’t reporters
brave Bull Connor’s dogs to report on the strug-
gle for Civil Rights? Didn’t the New York Times
face down President Kennedy when he wanted
Halberstam yanked from Vietnam? Didn’t the
Washington Post back two cub reporters over an
incident known as Watergate? I saw how Lillian
Ross — and then years later, Gay Talese, Nor-
man Mailer, and Tom Wolfe — perfected some-
thing called the New Journalism, a way to marry
narrative fiction techniques to nonfiction. This
was a profession that could educate and enter-
tain. It could inspire change. True, it conferred
power without responsibility, and thus was a
wonderful way to prolong adolescence. But it
was also a noble calling, a vital public service in a
democracy where citizens rely on information
to vote and to form and freely express opinions.
I’m still a sucker for the romance of journal-
ism, but I’m also a realist. My adult lifetime
graduate course has taught me that my métier’s
virtues, like those of the Greek heroes, often
become its vices. Its very successes — illumi-
nating the civil rights revolution, helping open
America’s eyes to Vietnam or Nixon’s depreda-
tions or financial mismanagement — induced
excess. Reporters wanted to be famous, rich,
influential. As a media writer, I’ve reported on a
new generation of windbags, of callow people
who think they become investigative reporters
by adopting a belligerent pose without doing the
hard digging, of bloviators so infatuated with
their own voice that they have forgotten how
to listen, of news presidents who are slaves to
ratings, and of editors terrified they may bore
readers. As in any profession, some folks take
shortcuts.
The shortcut I worry most about today falls
under the rubric of “business pressures.” I worry
about the owners of journalistic properties
making business decisions that harm journal-
ism. Recall the oft-told story of the wasp with a
crippled wing that pleads with a frog to carry
him across a pond. After promising not to sting
him, the wasp finally induces the frog to lug him
across. Arriving on the other shore, alas, the
wasp stings him. As the frog is expiring, he
plaintively asks,“Why’d you sting me?”
“What can I tell you? I’m a wasp. It’s my
nature.”
As a reporter, I’ve learned it’s the nature
of corporate executives to extol the virtues of
synergy, profit margins, the stock price, cost
cutting, extending the brand, demographics,
ratings, and getting on the team. Journalists
rarely share these concerns, so we often de-
nounce what we see as dumb corporate deci-
sions that do violence to journalism. We would
do better to recognize that this is the nature
of the business culture and figure out how to
translate our journalistic concerns into language
corporate executives can understand. Since they
write the checks, somehow journalists must
persuade our corporate chiefs to broaden their
too narrow definition of success.
The cultural gap between the business and
news divisions at media companies is as wide as
the gap between scientists and government that
C.P. Snow wrote about nearly a half century ago.
Media corporations prize teamwork to create a
“borderless” company that eliminates defensive
interior barriers among divisions, strive to use
leverage to boost sales, and push synergy. But
journalists are meant to prize independence, not
teamwork, and to value distance from advertis-
ers or sources, not synergies with them.We jour-
nalists need borders — that is to say, a degree of
independence — to do our jobs. We don’t aspire
to a “borderless” company because we want the
advertising department to stay the hell out
of the newsroom. The “leverage” journalists
seek is the kind that pries loose the story, not the
kind that boosts the parent company’s other
“products.”
The public is no mere spectator to this
dialogue. If readers don’t trust journalists, if they
cynically believe we’re all in the tank, or make
things up, or push our own political agendas,
politics will become more shrill and uncivil with
no trusted referee to sort out the facts.We would
be perceived as partisans, the way too many
European journalists are. If journalism was not
about more than profits, we would not receive
special protections under the First Amendment.
We receive such sanction because in a democracy
voters get much of their information from the
press. While journalism is about concrete things
like reporting facts, it’s really about fulfilling a
public trust. That trust can’t be synergized or
quantified, but you know it when you lose it.
The acorn of good journalism is humility.
Humility is more essential than good writing or
hard work — though these are obviously vital.
Humility is required to use two of a journalist’s
O SW E G O � S p r i n g 2 0 0 4 48
Ken Auletta ’63
While journalism is about concrete things like reporting
facts, it’s really about fulfilling a public trust. That trust
can’t be synergized or quantified, but you know it
when you lose it.
continued on page 47
Profit-Maker or Public Trust?by Ken Auletta ’63
WordT H E L A S T
If you work for a matching gift employer, every
dollar you contribute to Oswego State could
become two dollars! So your donation to quality
public education is doubled. That means scholarships
for twice as many students, two times the equipment
for academic departments, or double the impact
on a capital project. Check with your employer’s
human resources department or call Oswego’s
Office of University Development today, to see
how you, too, can win at the match game!
University Development ◆ 100 Sheldon Hall ◆ Oswego, NY 13126 ◆ [email protected] ◆ Phone: 315-312-3003 ◆ Fax: 315-312-6389