Potsdam People - Spring 2015

Spring 2015 Vol. 9 | No. 2

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

P E O P L E

NavigatiNg the future of applied learNiNg

potsdam aNNouNces third ceNtury challeNge

register for reuNioN ’15

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Momentum Continues to Grow as Potsdam Enters the Final Phase of CampaignAs SUNY Potsdam begins the Third Century Challenge, the final phase of Take the Lead: the Campaign for Potsdam, alumni support shows no sign of slowing. Thanks to the generosity of Joy (MacDonald) ’58 and Richard Dorf, SUNY Potsdam will establish an Office of Applied Learning, which will bring together existing programs in internships, study abroad, student research and service learning making high-impact experiences possible for more students. This gift will include the first-ever endowed position on SUNY Potsdam’s campus, the Joy (MacDonald) ’58 and Richard Dorf Endowed Director for Applied Learning, as well as critical sup-port for reimagining learning environments.

Ultimately, this gift will help to ensure that all SUNY Potsdam graduates have the opportunity to engage in one or more intensive educational experiences that connect classroom learning with hands-on practice—experiences like the one pictured here.

Through a January 2015 travel course to Mexico, SUNY Potsdam students and faculty collaborated with peers at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo to explore ancient mathematics. During the trip, students and professors from both colleges traveled together, worked on team projects and visited the U.S. Embassy.

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Profiles

Robert Gaudin ’71Esther (Tedeschi) Fusco, Ph.D. ’63Trinna Tressler ’77Robert Wagner ’75

DepartmentsNews & Notes 3Mini Reunions 12Reunion Announcements 14Class Notes 20In Their Own Words 29

Navigating the Future of Applied Learning16

On the cover:Members of the Wilderness Education Leadership II course traverse mountains and desert in their two week trek across the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico.

12 Reunion 2015Registration information and complete schedule of events.

www.potsdam.edu/alumni/reunion

We’re Social

Potsdam Announces the

Th ird Century Challenge

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

Lo

oking to the Future

1816 2016

Creativity defines the SUNY Potsdam experience. Our creative spirit has not only established us as one of SUNY’s premier arts campuses, but more broadly, has allowed the College to navi-gate the changing landscapes of higher education across all disciplines.

We are resilient, with a pioneering spirit that thrives on diversity in thought and culture, as we rise to each new opportunity and challenge, to ensure the best learning and working environment possible.

Because of this tenacity, our Potsdam family (both on and off campus) has risen to the challenge of the Take the Lead Campaign, pushing us over our $27 million goal ahead of schedule. So thank you for your generosity, which is ensuring extraordinary new and expanded experiences in and out of the classroom for our students.

But the Campaign, with its focus on the student experience, is not finished!

I am proud to announce the Third Century Challenge, which will be the final phase of the Take the Lead Campaign, giving everyone an opportunity to participate as we celebrate the College’s 200th anni-versary in 2016. With a new goal of raising $32 million by June 30, 2016, I am confident that together, we will build a strong foundation for Potsdam’s third century of educational excellence.

From math and science, to education and the performing arts, our creativity sets us apart in higher education. Your gifts are transforming the student experience across campus, and I can’t think of a better and more exciting time to be leading SUNY Potsdam.

P.S. Be sure to check out the many campus events planned for this

spring and summer, including the Inauguration Celebration, LoKo Fest and Reunion Weekend 2015. It’s a great year to visit Potsdam!

PRESIDENT’S letter

EditorS

Deborah Dudley, Director of Marketing and Communications

Mona Ouimet Vroman ’85, Director of Alumni Relations

Emily Hutchison, Director of Development

WritErS

Sarah Carr ‘08, Public Affairs Assistant

Deidre Kelly, Writer

Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, Communications & Government Relations

WEb ManagEr

Mindy Thompson, Director of Web Communications

ContributorS

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

Dan Bronson ‘03, Sports Information Director

Christa Carroll, Director of Annual Giving

Kathryn Deuel, Associate Director of Regional Alumni Relations and Engagement

Nancy Griffin (Hon. ‘08), Development Officer

Jason Ladouceur ’94, Director of Planned Giving

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

Ellen Nesbitt, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

Donna Planty, Project Manager/Production Artist

Sherry Allen Paradis ’00, Director of Donor Relations & the Campaign

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

Vicki Templeton-Cornell, Vice President for College Advancement

dESign & art dirECtion

J. P. Manke, Graphic Designer/Production Artist

PotSdaM PEoPlE Staff and ContributorS

SPRINg 2015 Vol . 9 | No. 2

Alumni Relations44 Pierrepont Ave. | Potsdam, NY 13676(315) [email protected]

Creativity (n.): the ability to generate or transcend traditional ideas, and to generate new ideas and new connections between ideas in order to solve problems in any field or realm of our lives.

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CAMPUS news & notes

PotSdaM PEoPlE Staff and ContributorS

Third Century Challenge!SUNY Potsdam has managed to shatter all fundraising goals on its campaign journey to the College’s Bicenten-nial. To many, launching a campaign in the midst of a recession felt very bold. Still others questioned whether Potsdam had enough donors and support to achieve such an ambitious goal. As the Campaign continues to move forward, our alumni, donors and volunteers have risen to the challenge in true Potsdam fashion.

Now, one year away from our Bicentennial in 2016, the Campaign has exceeded its $27 million goal. But we’re not done! We are now proud to announce the Third Century Challenge!

The Third Century Challenge leaves plenty of time for alumni and friends to participate in this final stretch of the Campaign which ends on June 30, 2016.

Challenge Goal #1: Raise $32 million.Help us meet our new goal! With five priorities focused squarely on students, gifts to any area of the campus count in the Campaign totals.

Challenge Goal #2: Gain 2,016 NEW donors.Give if you’ve never given! More than 11,500 donors have made at least one gift to the Campaign already.

Challenge Goal #3: Increase unrestricted giving.Make an unrestricted gift! With a gift of $2,016 to the College’s only unrestricted endowment, the Third Century Fund, you become a charter member of the 2016 Club.

There’s still

time to be a part of

Take the Lead:

the Campaign for Potsdam.

Join the Third Century

Challenge and make your

gift today!

www.potsdam.

edu/giving

Lo

oking to the Future

1816 2016

CAMPUS news & notesVisit

us online at www.potsdam.edu/campaign and

• Meet our donors• See the difference they are making• Make your gift today

The arts are a part of everything we do. 41% of all Campaign

gifts are for the arts!

CampaignProgress$4.1 million for Student Experiences$6.4 million for Scholarships$6.7 million for the Annual Fund for Potsdam$10.8 million for Academic Excellence$300,000 for other various campus needs

Join the 11,500 donors who have taken the lead during the Campaign!

70 Leadership Donors ($20,000+)24 Chancellor’s Circle Donors ($100,000+)And 7 have given more than $1 million!

$28.3 M

GOAL

$27 M

Third Century Challenge:$32 Million

4 P O T S D A M P E O P L E S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Campaign MomentumJuly 2010 – Launch of Leadership Phase $3.3 million seed fund raised

April 2013 – Launch of Public Phase $17.4 million raised

March 2015 – Launch of Third Century Challenge (Final Phase)$28.3 million raised

… with no signs of slowing down! There’s still time to be a part of the Campaign. Take the Challenge and Take the Lead!


DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS

SUNY Potsdam Celebrates Area Business Partners

In the fall, President Kristin Esterberg welcomed area business and com-munity leaders and donors to campus, in celebration of their partnerships with the College. Following a tour of the new Performing Arts Center, business donors and supporters were offered messages of heartfelt thanks from Dr. Esterberg, Vice President for Advancement Vicki Templeton-Cornell and student scholarship recipients. Leadership donors to the Take the Lead Campaign were also recognized.

COLLEGE NEWS

Blueline Magazine Celebrates 35th YearThe editors of Blueline Magazine have released the 35th annual edition, published by the Department of English and Communication at SUNY Potsdam. Blueline celebrates the Adirondacks by featuring quality poetry, fiction and nonfiction from regional and national writers. This year’s is-sue includes new fiction by Mason Smith ’66, poetry by Maurice Kenny, and nonfiction by Eileen Brunetto. Painter Tim Fortune is guest artist this year. Blueline 35 can be purchased at the SUNY Potsdam College Store or by contacting [email protected].

COLLEGE NEWS

Professor Emeritus Publishes MemoirProfessor Emeritus Ram L. Chugh published a memoir, titled “Against All Odds: How an Indian Airman’s Extraordinary Resolve Altered the Course of His Life,” available through Amazon. Chugh, who received SUNY’s highest honor by being named a Distinguished Service Professor, retired from SUNY Potsdam in 2002 after a long career as an econom-ics professor and the founding director of the Merwin Rural Services Institute. He went on to establish and lead the SUNY Retirees Service Corps. He and his wife, Seema, have endowed the Chugh/University Faculty Senate Outstanding Service Award and the Ram L. Chugh North Country Research and Public Service Award at SUNY Potsdam.


SUNY Potsdam Food Ranked #1 by StudentsSUNY Potsdam is proud to be num-ber one for dining services, accord-ing to the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. Potsdam Auxiliary and Col-lege Educational Services (PACES) was honored for offering campus food with a focus on healthy, seasonal and diet-sensitive options for students.


The Crane School of Music Ranks in Top 10 for Music Education in the U.S.SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music has been ranked among the top 10 colleges for music education in the United States by Music School Central. Author Bill Zuckerman praised Crane’s long history of excellence in music education and noted that its job placement rate for graduates is nearly 100 percent. “The Crane School of Music’s greatest legacy hinges on the strength of its superior music education department,” Zuckerman wrote. To see the full list, visit http://music-schoolcentral.com/top-10-colleges-music-education-majors-us.


Billboard Magazine Ranks Crane’s Music Business Program One of the Best in the U.S. and CanadaBillboard magazine has recognized SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music as one of the top 35 music business programs in North America. The best music business program list includes colleges from across the U.S. and Canada. Crane is one of only six programs listed in New York State.

COLLEGE NEWS

Crane Librarian Authors Guide to Blues Crane School of Music Librarian Ed Komara recently co-authored “100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own,” published by Rowman & Littlefield. Komara, who is the director of the Julia Crane Me-morial Library, wrote the book with greg Johnson, who succeeded him as the blues archivist at the Uni-versity of Mississippi. The guide is available in the College Store at SUNY Potsdam and on Amazon.

CAMPUS news & notes

Check out the SUNY Potsdam alumni Facebook page.Be sure to “like” us at:www.facebook.com/BearAlumni

We also have the following alumni related pages for you to “like”: • The Crane School of Music Alumni Group • SUNY Potsdam Albany Region Alumni Chapter • SUNY Potsdam Boston Regional Alumni Chapter • SUNY Potsdam Syracuse Alumni Chapter

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PACES Corporate Executive Chef Amy Conger

COLLEGE NEWS

Emerging Leaders Continue PAW TraditionLast fall, Potsdam Appreciation Week (PAW) raised more than $1,300 for the Annual Fund for Potsdam. This specially designated week, spon-sored and organized by the student group Emerging Leaders, celebrates different groups of campus citizens each day and highlights giving to the College. Emerging Leaders supports the Annual Fund for Potsdam, through unrestricted gifts to the College, as their permanent philanthropy.

6 P O T S D A M P E O P L E S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

CAMPUS news & notes


SUNY Potsdam is Awarded National Indian Education Professional Development GrantSUNY Potsdam has been awarded an $878,000 grant from the U.S. De-partment of Education through the 2014 Indian Education Professional Development program. The College will prepare and train qualified Native American students to become teachers and school administrators over four years through the program, which is coordinated through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education.


History Professor Receives Faculty Distance Education AwardDr. geoffrey W. Clark of SUNY Potsdam’s Department of History has been named the recipient of the 2014 Thomas L. and Jane D. Rus-sell Distance Education Faculty Excellence Award. Clark received the $1,000 award for his course titled “Europe Since 1500.” Thomas, a 1957 alumnus of The Crane School of Music, and Jane Russell (Hon. ’09) endowed the award to encourage excellence in SUNY Potsdam’s distance education program.

COLLEGE NEWS

Crane School of Music Honors Dean Emeritus Robert Washburn

The Crane School of Music presented a tribute to Dean Emeritus Dr. Robert B. Washburn ’49 with a special memorial concert in September 2014. In addition to being an alumnus, Washburn was a longtime faculty member and dean at The Crane School of Music. He passed away in 2013. The remembrance con-cert included compositions performed by Crane ensembles, as well as archival recordings.

COLLEGE NEWS

New Book Features Works of Several Crane Faculty and AlumniSeveral Crane School of Music faculty members and alumni contributed to a new publication titled “Promising Practices in 21st Century Music Teacher Education,” published by Oxford University Press. Professor of Music Education Dr. Mark Robin Campbell penned a chapter in the book that features innovative curricular and instructional practices found within the music education program at Crane. The chapter highlights work by fellow Crane faculty members, as well as three recent alumni, Kathryn Hess ’13, Will Sutton ’13 and Matthew Wurtzel ’13.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Crane Students Perform at Guitar Symposium in NYC The Crane School of Music was one of only four music schools from New York State to be invited to perform at the College guitar Ensemble Showcase at the 2014 gui-tar Foundation of America Regional Symposium in New York City. Professor of Classical guitar Dr. Douglas Rubio accompanied Crane graduate student Benjamin Rybolt ’13 and undergraduate Brendon grabowski ’16, who performed as a duo in the concert. In addition, Rubio was a judge for the auditions competi-tion. Crane was in good company at the symposium: The event’s director, Lynn Mcgrath ’97, is an alumna, and three other alumni also attended, including Christopher gotzen-Berg ’01, Andrew Marino ’12 and Jordan Romanacce ’11.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SUNY Potsdam Student Helps Fight Invasive SpeciesKathleen Pearson ’16 of Potsdam, N.Y., helped guard the Adirondack Park against the spread of invasive species this past summer as a steward for the Adirondack Watershed Institute. The initiative protects rivers, lakes and other waterways against invasives and teaches boaters how to keep an eye out for problems on their own. Pearson was one of 34 other watershed stewards who conducted voluntary inspections of boats enter-ing and leaving the water, removing invasives and educating visitors to the waterways.

COLLEGE NEWS

SUNY Potsdam English Professors Co-Edit Book of EssaysAssociate Professors Dr. Derek C. Maus and Dr. James J. Donahue from SUNY Pots-dam’s Department of English and Communication teamed up to edit a collection of 21 essays, titled “Post-Soul Satire: Black Identity After Civil Rights,” which was recently published by the University Press of Mississippi. The essays in “Post-Soul Satire” take an interdisciplinary look at the flowering of satire and its influ-ence in defining new roles of black identity.

From left to right: Brendon Grabowski ’16, Benjamin Rybolt ’13, Andrew Marino ’12, Christopher Gotzen-Berg ’01, Lynn McGrath ’97, Professor Douglas Rubio and Jordan Romanacce ’11.

Send A STudenT!

do you know someone who’d make a good Potsdam Bear?Contact Tom Nesbitt, director of Undergraduate Admissions, at (315) 267-2361 or [email protected]

www.potsdam.edu/admissions


SUNY Potsdam Athletes Earn SUNYAC Academic Accolades The State University of New York Athletic Conference announced that 94 SUNY Potsdam student athletes competing during the winter and spring sports seasons were recognized for their academic success during the Spring 2014 semester. A total of 55 student athletes were named to the All-Academic List, which includes players maintaining a minimum 3.3 gPA for the semester. Potsdam also had 39 student athletes receive Commissioner’s List accolades. Play-ers named to the list have carried a minimum 3.3 gPA over three consecutive semesters at the College. Thirty-eight Bears made it onto both the All-Academic team and the Commissioner’s List.

Hay, Morr Earn All-SUNYAC RecognitionSUNY Potsdam women’s soccer players Chloe Hay ’16 of Burnt Hills, N.Y., and Jaci Morr ’18 of Monroe ’18, MI, were named to the All-SUNYAC third team. This is the second straight all-conference selection for Hay. The junior defender started in all 18 games for the Bears this season. The anchor of the Bears defense helped her squad to limit oppo-nents to just 26 goals, the fourth fewest in program history. Hay has started in 50 games for Potsdam over her three-year career. Morr, a freshman for-ward, appeared in all 18 games, while starting in 14. She had a strong debut season for the Bears and led the offense with nine goals for 18 points, including three game-winning goals. Her standout moment of the season was recording a hat trick against Route 11 rival SUNY Canton in September 2014.

Trio of Bears Men’s Soccer Players Named to All-SUNYAC TeamsThree SUNY Potsdam men’s soccer players earned All-SUNYAC recognition. Junior Alex griffith ’16 of Henrietta, N.Y., was named to the all-confer-ence first team, senior captain Alex Minsker ’14 of Brewster, N.Y., earned a spot on the second team and senior Eduardo Figueroa ’15 of Rochester, N.Y., collected his fourth all-conference honor with a place on the third team.

SUNY Potsdam Basketball and Hockey Returns to the Airwaves SUNY Potsdam basketball and hockey fans can listen to the Bears on the radio or online on My Mix 96.1 FM (WVLF) again this year. The Stephens Media group station in Massena carried a combina-tion of 37 men’s and women’s basketball and hockey contests during the 2014-15 winter season. Out-of-the-area fans, parents and alums can listen to the station’s audio streamed over the Internet via the Bearcast or accompanying live videostream on potsdambears.com. Check out potsdambears.com for the complete broadcast schedule.

CAMPUS news & notes

potsdam.edu/athletics

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SUNY Potsdam Students Help Maintain Adirondack TrailsIn October, several SUNY Potsdam students aided the Laurentian Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club in building and maintaining local trails at a rock climbing site in South Colton, N.Y. Projects included building a new section of trail, building a timber frame bridge, cutting new benches along side slopes, clearing brush, picking up litter, and installing trail mark-ers.

From left: Lucas Canino ’16, Alex Frame ’16, Kevin Valentine ’16, Kaleb Stores, Clark Soulia ’99, Richard Romero ’16, Ivana De La Cruz, Julia Zakaryan ’18, Matthew Cameron ’18 and Charlie Kalet ’17.

COLLEGE NEWS

Three Named to Potsdam College Foundation Board of TrusteesThe Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees elected three new members at its fall meet-ing. Emily Lauzon ’96 and Wayne Zanetti ’72 will serve as trustees, while Dr. Tesfa Alexander ’02 was named as the Foundation Board’s first-ever associate trustee. Lauzon is the assistant general manager of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg, N.Y. Zanetti is the president and chief execu-tive officer of Jeff Bank, an independent community bank with 12 locations in the Catskills. Alexander is currently the director of research and evalu-ation in the Office of Health Communication and Education at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products. These accom-plished SUNY Potsdam graduates will help steward their alma mater, as the Foundation works to secure financial resources to build a bright future for the College.

The BeST GifT TO POTSdAM

Gifts to the Annual Fund for Potsdam are a wonderful way to help the College’s greatest needs. They allow Potsdam flexibility to seize compelling opportunities for our students. They can be made in memory or honor of someone special.

potsdam.edu/giving

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ATHLETICS news & notes

Lauzon Alexander Zanetti

Griffith Minsker Figueroa

Hay

Morr

’71By Alexandra Jacobs Wilke

When opportunity comes knocking, Robert gaudin ’71 has learned to always answer the call.

As a high school senior in Old Forge, N.Y., gaudin began to look for a college where he could pursue his two passions—soccer and playing the drums. At SUNY Potsdam, he’d be able to start as a midfielder with the Bears Men’s Soccer team as a freshman, unlike in other conferences. And The Crane School of Music offered opportunities to continue his studies in percussion. So off he went.

“Like most freshmen, I was sort of wander-ing in the desert, wondering where the water was,” gaudin recalls.

He finally found his oasis and his safe ha-ven, through his newfound interest in the field of geography.

“Most people think about geography from a physical standpoint, but it’s really the needle that weaves the thread connecting the dots of all of the ‘-ologies,’” gaudin said.

Intrigued by physical environments, gaudin undertook a study of the geography of Lake Champlain. At the time, he had no idea that this research would lay the groundwork for the rest of his career.

gaudin vividly remembers standing outside a fraternity house on Elm Street when a brother yelled out the door. There was an urgent phone call for him—from the assistant attorney gen-eral for the State of New York.

It turns out gaudin’s knowledge of Lake Champlain made him uniquely qualified to assist the office in its research for a joint lawsuit between the states of New York and Vermont, against the International Paper Company in Ticonderoga, N.Y., which was accused of pol-lution.

There was just one problem with the job offer: gaudin hadn’t graduated yet. To speed things up, he stayed for summer session classes and ended up earning his degree in December 1971, a semester early.

“The job offer was too good to pass up … straight out of college, I was working on a case headed for the Supreme Court,” he said. “Of-tentimes, I had to pinch myself to prove that I was really involved in this.”

Following the completion of the case, gaudin stayed on with the attorney general’s office, working on environmental litigation. Meanwhile, the New York State Legislature was debating a bill to oversee conservation and development in the Adirondacks, through a new entity called the Adirondack Park Agency. gaudin was a fitting choice for a new senior planning position in land use management for the new agency.

“The APA was pretty controversial at the time, and to be honest, it still is. It was very challenging, to say the least,” gaudin said. “But at the end of the day, it was a great experience for me.”

Another kind of offer would soon take gaudin away from home. While he was in New York City, he had met a young woman

and they struck up a long-distance rela-tionship. Eventually, he proposed

marriage.“Linda said she would

[marry me] if I considered moving to Indiana, and I said I would if she told me how to get there,” he said, chuckling.

By now, gaudin knew not to pass up an oppor-tunity, so he packed up and moved to Indiana,

with a fiancée but no job on the other side. Soon, he met a person who advised him to look into the oil and gas and land services industry. With his background in geography, environ-mental regulation, land ownership issues and litigation, gaudin was a quick study.

“It was very easy for me to grasp the con-cept of the role that a landman, as we called ourselves, offered to the energy industry,” he said. “At that point in time, to me and anyone else with an entrepreneurial spirit, it was like the last frontier.”

In 1985, he and a partner founded Holland Services, originally to lease land for a client. When oil prices plummeted a year later, they put the company on the backburner. But as the market began to pick back up, Holland Services was front and center, working on unconven-tional oil and gas lease source opportunities.

“Because of technology, which was the key, the industry was finding ways to produce higher carbons from source rocks. That opened up opportunities throughout the world, and the U.S. has been the leader,” gaudin said.

In his 35 years at the helm of Holland Services, where he is the chief executive officer, gaudin has overseen a period of remarkable growth. The company now has offices in five states, and its clients have ranged from Fortune 100 companies to small independent firms.

Now, gaudin has spearheaded a unique project to give back to his alma mater, by creating opportunities for undergraduates to work directly with Holland Services on applied research. The Department of geology offered the first section of a new environmental geol-ogy problems course in Fall 2014, under the supervision of Dr. Dylan Blumentritt and Dr. Michael Rygel.

Combining topics from hydrology and geographical Information Systems, the class offered students the opportunity to create a spatial database on water resources and quality. Holland Services provided funding to support research and equipment needs, and is also creat-ing paid internship opportunities for SUNY Potsdam students.

gaudin feels that giving back to the people and organizations who have helped him along the way is just the right thing to do.

“I couldn’t have accomplished what I have without the relationships I have established and the folks who have believed in my vision and supported my efforts,” he said. “I have to always try to find the right balance between faith, family and friends, with business coming in a strong fourth.”

Robert GaudinPOTSDAM profile

8 P O T S D A M P E O P L E s p r i n g 2 0 1 5

’63Esther (Tedeschi) Fusco, Ph.D.

By Heather Long ’14

Esther (Tedeschi) Fusco ’63 believes that educat-ing America’s youth is one of the most important jobs a person can have. Fittingly, she has held just about every educational role possible—teacher, school administrator and now professor—but always remains a student at heart.

“It’s interesting, my mother always wanted me to be a teacher, and so I never thought about anything else,” Fusco said. “And I have to say, my mother was right!”

Fusco grew up on Long Island, where she currently resides, and came to SUNY Potsdam as a result of a chance encounter. A keynote speaker from Potsdam visiting her high school sparked her interest in finding out more about the seemingly distant campus, just outside the Adirondack Park.

At SUNY Potsdam, the College’s elementary education department offered her a solid foun-dation in educational theory and pedagogy. The liberal arts and sciences core also allowed Fusco to branch out beyond her passion for education to discover new interests. For instance, Fusco developed an unexpected interest in geology, after enrolling in a class she originally thought she would dislike. Pleasantly surprised, she ended up developing a lifelong passion. To this day, Fusco still visits volcanoes and enjoys rock hunting.

During her time at Potsdam, she also found a sisterhood that has stayed with her long past Commencement. As a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, greek life was one of the most influ-ential experiences she had. “During my four years, I met and became friends with a lot of young women. At the time, when you’re so far away from home, that structure is very, very supportive.”

Fusco still is astounded at the strength of the bonds she formed with her sisters during those years here. More than 50 years later, she keeps in touch with her fellow Alpha sisters.

That special bond of friendship, combined with her love of literacy, inspired Fusco to join her Alpha sisters in contributing to a special Alpha and Friends Endowment Fund, in sup-port of the College’s Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center (see page 21). The fund will provide annual support for the center’s programs, which enhance SUNY Potsdam students’ learning experience, as they mentor more than 200 local

school children each year. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam

in 1963, Fusco was hired for a third-grade teaching position at Jericho, one of the premier school districts on Long Island. She was absolutely amazed at the strong academic background with which her time in Potsdam had supplied her.

“I feel that when I went into teaching my first year, I was better prepared than my peers,” Fusco reflected. “I was a star because of my strong academic background from Potsdam.”

Fusco was a different type of teacher from those around her. She used literature that students felt connected with to teach them skills that they would take with them for years to come. She knew that creating lessons that were about the individual was the key to making a difference.

As she moved on to Shoreham-Wading River School District in 1974, Fusco took her natural talent, strong insights and work ethic with her. She went on to coordinate the middle school reading program and the elementary gifted and talented program, along with serving as the funding and federal proj-ects officer. Soon, Fusco took her abilities to a position as an elemen-tary principal, first at Babylon School District and then at Port Jefferson School District, where she remained until 2001.

In her administra-tive positions, Fusco encouraged teachers to reach their potential on a daily basis. Meanwhile, she pursued her graduate studies, earning first her master’s degree and finally her Doctor of Philosophy degree in reading, both at Hofstra University. Believing that communication, listen-ing and collaboration are the cornerstones to a successful relationship between administra-tors and educators, she had a positive impact

everywhere she went.But Fusco missed the classroom. So she

decided to step away from the administrative side of things and journey back to Hofstra Uni-versity—this time as an instructor, rather than a student. At Hofstra, Fusco began as an adjunct, before being named an associate professor in the curriculum and teaching department in 2002. She served as the graduate director for the mas-ter elementary education program for two years, and is now the chair of Hofstra’s Department of Teaching, Literacy and Leadership.

Her academic research focuses on cognition and developmentally appropriate education. She wants children to have the opportunity to learn in a way that advances, rather than hinders, their confidence.

When asked where her drive stems from, Fusco points to an unwavering belief that every child not only deserves, but has the right, to learn. A mother, wife and grandmother, Fusco said that spending time with her family under-scores that every day is a blessing—and we must make the most of it.

POTSDAM profile


POTSDAM profile ’77By Deidre Kelly

Sometimes the smallest, most random decisions we make without much thought can be the ones that are the most life altering.

Trinna Tressler ’77, a biology and chemistry graduate from SUNY Potsdam, had some elec-tive credits to fill her senior year, so she signed up for computer courses.

“That was probably the springboard for what I was going to do for the rest of my life,” Tressler said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it set my trajectory toward things business and technology related.”

After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she went on to study biomedical engineering at The University of Connecticut. However, the interests that those computer courses sparked in her pulled her in

another direction. She switched

programs and gradu-

ated with an MBA.

“I figured out a way to take computer courses. At that time, MBAs were considered the best thing in the world to have,” she said.

These experiences laid the groundwork for this first-generation college student from humble beginnings in Kirkville, N.Y., a small town located about 10 miles east of Syracuse, to end up a senior partner at Deloitte Consult-ing, a global management consulting firm, where she focused on the delivery and man-agement of technology that enables business process transformation and enterprise resource planning implementations.

“Making partner at Deloitte Consulting was a huge deal. It is something I never would have dreamed of in a million years,” Tressler recalled. “growing up in a family where neither parent had gone to college, it was just something you didn’t think about. I didn’t even know about it when in high school.”

Along the way, Tressler worked for DuPont from 1980 to 1984, holding positions as a systems analyst and financial analyst. She then began her 25-year tenure at Deloitte Con-sulting, where she filled roles as an associate, consultant, manager and senior manager from 1984 to 1995, before being named partner, a role that she filled until 2010. In 2011, she was employed at Molson Coors as the director of IT project services until her retirement in 2012.

Tressler, who now resides in Denver with her husband, Ted Eckles, was a trailblazer of sorts in the IT consulting field, given that there is a shortage of women in STEM fields today.

“I’m very supportive of females in STEM fields,” she said. “The stats tell you women don’t get paid as much as men and don’t prog-ress up the ranks as fast as men, but I still think that people orient women toward lower-paying professions that more easily accommodate the ability to have a family. You can make it a manageable and lucrative career in STEM professions if that is what you’re looking for.”

Now in her retirement from the private sec-tor, Tressler has taken an interest in non-profit work, something she couldn’t do while travel-ing 90 percent of the time with her previous positions. She sees this time in her life as an opportunity to give back while also continu-ing to be professionally challenged.

Since 2011, Tressler has served as chairman of the board for Dress for Suc-cess Denver.

Dress for Success provides profes-sional clothing at no cost for women who cannot afford a professional wardrobe for a job interview. It also offers other professional services, such as coaching for interviewing,

resume writing and job-readiness training.“Dress for Success is a worldwide organiza-

tion, which many people don’t realize. It helps women who are getting ready to go into the work community,” she said. “These are women who are down on their luck in different ways. They come to Dress for Success through refer-rals from different agencies. It takes women from not even looking for a job, to discovering their skill set, to creating a resume, to a job search, to an interview and to getting the job. People think of it as only clothes, but it is so much more than that.”

The organization recently lost its executive director, so Tressler has taken on a number of those duties as well. She uses her connections and previous business and technology experi-ence, in addition to doing everything from fundraising mailings, to dropping off clothing donations, to providing food for events.

Additionally, she has been on the board of the Women’s College at Denver University since 2010. The Women’s College provides night and weekend classes for women who can’t attend during normal daytime hours. The stu-dents must complete a capstone project in their senior year, and Tressler found a way to connect them with Dress for Success.

“Two of the women in the program are going to help pick out a scheduling system for Dress for Success,” she noted. “I’m good at con-necting the dots and solving problems.”

Since March 2014, she has served as a mem-ber of the board for the grand Foundation, a philanthropic organization serving all of grand County, Colorado. The Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life in grand County by proactively addressing current and future needs in the areas of health and human services, arts and culture, education, amateur sports and the environment.

When she gets a bit of free time, Tressler enjoys traveling, downhill and cross-country skiing, gourmet cooking and entertaining.

In the future, she plans to explore working in the non-profit community. “I love learning and using my brain,” she said. “I get new op-portunities to see things I have not seen before and make a difference in those things.”

Seemingly random experiences are the beauty of a liberal arts education even when majoring in the sciences. Without Tressler’s curiosity for computers as an undergrad, her career path may have landed her in a biomedi-cal lab. Instead, she has found a passion that has extended even into her retirement and has resulted in making her community a better place.

Trinna Tressler

1 0 P O T S D A M P E O P L E S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

POTSDAM profile ’75Robert Wagner By Alexandra Jacobs Wilke

Unlike most, Robert Wagner ’75 has spent much of his life and career trying to leave less of an impact on the world.

As the founder of a successful environmen-tal laboratory, Wagner has dedicated years to refining tests and analyzing results for cleanup projects, including for one of the biggest Super-fund sites in the United States. Sharing a love of the outdoors and a concern for the climate, he and his wife Wendy are also constantly striv-ing to shrink their collective carbon footprint.

Yet through giving back to Bob’s alma ma-ter, the Wagners will leave a long-lasting legacy for students in the sciences here at SUNY Pots-dam—proving that sometimes, less is more.

Originally from Cheektowaga, N.Y., Wag-ner followed his passion for science at SUNY Potsdam, where he double-majored in biology and chemistry, and threw in physics minor for good measure.

“I just fell in love with Potsdam once I got up there,” he said.

At first, Wagner’s main interest lay with research. But Professor of Biology Dr. Robert Cerwonka encouraged the undergraduate to develop his leadership skills as well, serving as president of the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society and helping to organize a regional sci-ence conference.

“Not only did I learn a lot about the sciences, but I also learned about my own capabilities. I was thinking, ‘I’ll be a scientist and everyone will leave me alone in my lab,’” Wagner said. “I thought I wouldn’t have to do public speaking or run organizations—but lo and behold, I actually ended up enjoying that part of my work.”

After graduation, Wagner was hired as a research technician in a lab at the University at Albany. He ended up holding two differ-ent research placements there, and began to develop an interest in analytical chemistry and instrumentation.

When he heard about an opening for an associate staff chemist position for the general Electric Research and Development Center, Wagner jumped at the opportunity.

Meanwhile, gE had undertaken an enor-mous remediation program near its capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, N.Y. For 30 years, the plants had legally discharged polychlorinated biphenyls into the Hudson, before research began to show that PCBs were associated with health risks for both wildlife and people. In 1984, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared 200 miles of the Hudson River as a Superfund site.

Wagner worked on PCB research for gE, helping to create the analytical protocols and a sophisticated methodology for testing. He also worked with a biological research group look-ing at ways of breaking down PCBs through environmental degradation. As the cleanup continued, a coworker suggested that Wagner consider starting his own laboratory, given his expertise.

In 1989, Wagner launched his business, Northeast Analytical, in a business incubator building in Schenectady. The company bid for and won numerous competitive contracts for PCB testing on the Hudson River for Wagner’s former employer, general Electric, as well as with other companies such as Alcoa.

By 1999, the growing company was moving into brand-new headquarters, with 30 em-ployees on the payroll. By the end of that year, NEA had a staff of 40.

“We were working seven days a week, with two or more shifts, every day. Northeast Analytical had the advantage over larger labs, because we had the ability to do anything, day or night, at the drop of a hat,” Wagner said. “Our relationship with gE was one of mutual respect.”

His firm was the main contract lab when dredging finally began in 2009. The next year, Wagner and his partner sold the business to Pace Analytical Services.

While Wagner’s business was growing, his wife Wendy decided to leave her job in the mental health field and go back to school, studying horticultural science at SUNY Cobleskill. She worked on garden design, and raised and sold plants. Together, they share a passion for the outdoors, frequently hiking in the Adirondacks.

The Wagners’ home in Clifton Park, N.Y., reflects their passion for sustainability. Nine years ago, they began to retrofit their house, first by installing 27 solar panels on the roof. Recently, they added a geothermal hybrid heat-ing and cooling system. In their driveway sits an all-electric Tesla vehicle.

“It’s our small effort to try to preserve the planet,” Wagner said. “It takes work to remove oil from your lifestyle.”

At SUNY Potsdam, the College is preparing to break ground on a new research-grade green-house addition for the Department of Biology. Thanks to the Wagners’ generosity, science students will be able to work alongside faculty in a state-of-the-art greenhouse with four grow-ing zones. They will also create a dynamic new study space for the department.

The newly formed Wagner Institute for Sus-tainability and Ecological Research (WISER) begins with the new facility, but it doesn’t stop there. The couple hopes to create new oppor-tunities for students and faculty to engage in research and entrepreneurial activities—espe-cially as they relate to the environment.

“We are very excited. Everything that is going to hinge off of this is really going to change the biology department going forward. It’s just a great vehicle to be able to drive these programs,” Wagner said.

Looking back, Wagner’s biggest piece of advice for SUNY Potsdam students is pretty simple.

“Do what you like,” he said. “If you’re go-ing to work hard, it might as well be for something that you love.”

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

Friday, July 10

2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Registration4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Meet fellow alumni at the Reunion Weekend Welcome Reception5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Dinner on your own, or register for the Southern Style BBQ7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Rehearsal

Saturday, July 118:30 a.m. Bear 5K Walk/Run 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Rehearsal1 p.m. Lunch 3 p.m. Softball game8 p.m. Group picture on Hosmer stage8:30 p.m. Crane Alumni TromboneS (CATS) Ensemble Reunion ConcertPost-Concert “Sectionals” at Between the Buns

Polo Shirts with “Crane Alumni TromboneS” must be pre-ordered and should be worn at Saturday night’s concert. A directory of participants with contact information will be available post-Reunion.

Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority (ADK)will be celebrating its 86th reunion during Reunion Weekend 2015. Members will receive the weekend’s itinerary via email. If you are not on the alumnae mailing list, please contact Lauren Sheldon (alumnae president) at [email protected].

Omega Delta Phi Alumni Association (ΩΔΦ)Tentative Schedule – Watch for com-plete details starting in March on our website and Facebook page.

Thursday, July 9 Early bird arrivals all day/evening.

Friday, July 10 Noon - 9 p.m. Welcome home! Come to the house, get registered, meet your sisters old and new, begin weekend-long events, etc. We hope to schedule time on this day to record more of our songs in Phase II of the song project. Our annual association meeting will be scheduled for early evening, followed by dinner and then free time.

Saturday, July 11Registration continues at the house. New this year is the “Omega Delta Phive K” fun walk/run. No fee, no sponsors, no pressure, no judgment – just a time to be together as we share a commitment to improved health and increased activity. Also, we will build in time for our annual philanthropy project, have our usual unity time at the house and our an-nual banquet. Plenty of free time will be allotted throughout the day and in the evening to share with your sisters as you wish.

Sunday, July 12Farewell Breakfast: Relax and enjoy a hearty homemade breakfast to sustain you on your way home. Bring your cameras and your stories from the weekend...you’ll never want to say goodbye! Begin your plans for 2016.

Sigma Tau Psi (ΣΤΨ) was a fraternity at SUNY Potsdam from 1965 to 1974 and had a house at 59 Elm St. from 1967 to 1972. Brothers from ΣΤΨ have been reconvening at Reunion Weekend for the past several years, and 2015 marks the 50th anni-versary of our charter year. We would like to invite all friends, new and old, to join us Saturday morning in the Townhouse Quad to reminisce about good times. Everyone is invited, espe-cially our Potsdam classmates. We will meet in front of our townhouse row displaying our fraternity banner.

Save the date, and let’s celebrate!

�eunion Wee�end 2015JULY 9–12


Mini-Reunions and Highlights• Potsdam Academy: Relive your academic experience• Second Quinquennial Crane Alumni TromboneS (CATS) Ensemble Re- union, which will be featured at Saturday night’s concert• Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority’s 86th Reunion• Omega Delta Phi Annual Reunion• Sigma Tau Psi (ΣΤΨ) fraternity’s 50th anniversary of their charter year • 2015 is the Eve of the College’s bicentennial. Join us for a sneak peek of our 200th anniversary celebration. Come back to campus to meet President Kristin Esterberg and learn about her vision for SUNY Potsdam’s third century of excellence.

We will be celebrating the bicentennial of the College in 2016. The Alumni Board will be working on two special projects to celebrate the launch of the bicentennial. Be on the lookout for more information, as the projects will involve input from our alumni and friends. 2016 is a year you will not want to miss!

Attention Class of 1960The Class of 1960 invites classmates to Reunion Weekend 2015 to celebrate their 55th Reunion! Come Thursday night to meet at the Early Bird Gather-ing, attend a special gathering just for us on Friday afternoon, enjoy Friday nights BBQ - (tables will be reserved for the class) and join Saturday’s 50-Year Club Luncheon. We hope to see you this summer!

REUNION WEEKEND 2015

Important Phone NumbersRegistration Desk: (315) 267-2968 (on-campus, dial x2968)University Police: (315) 267-2222 (on-campus, dial x2222)Housing: (315) 212-1652

On-Campus Dining Location HoursThursdayBecky’s Place: 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.Lehman Hall: 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (Breakfast Buffet $7.50)

FridayBecky’s Place: 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.Lehman Hall: 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (Breakfast Buffet $7.50)

SaturdayBecky’s Place: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.Lehman Hall: 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (Breakfast Buffet $7.50)

SundayDexter’s Café, Thatcher Hall: 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m., Farewell Breakfast only, must register in advance

Potsdam Summer FestivalVisit www.potsdamchamber.com for the schedule of events.

ATMs are located in the Barrington Student Union lobby, the Car-son Hall lobby (next to the vending machines) and Crumb Library.

ATTENTION EDUCATION ALUMNIThe Literacy Education Department invites education alumni of all ages to join them during Reunion Weekend for a program titled “What’s the Story? Potsdam Reads Children’s Literature from 1816 to 2016.” Alumni are invited to share their stories about the literature and reading curriculum they were trained to use at Potsdam and have used in their classrooms through the years. Stay tuned for details – and look for us at Reunion in the yellow school bus parked on campus.



�eunion Wee�end 2015REUNION WEEKEND 2015

Alumni AwardsSUNY Potsdam is proud to ac-knowledge the achievements, dedication and service of this year’s alumni awards recipients.

Alumni Association Award RecipientsMinerva awardJonathan Ring ’80

distinguished Service awardLance ’83 and Cheryl (Cummings) Evans ’83Jane Morale ’80 and Glen Zagorski ’87

rising Star awardJustin Moniz ’11Jamie Szafran ’08

Honorary lifetime awardRebekah CovellRobert Badger

St. lawrence academy MedalDuane Richards ‘90

Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music teaching awardMarion L. Gordon Akpata ‘61

Hall of FameInducteesMark NorseChristian Turner ’05Alisha (Schaad) Waite ’08

Congratulations to the 2014-15 Hall of Fame Inductees! Please note that the 2015 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will NOT occur during Reunion Weekend this year. Instead, it will be held on campus the weekend of October 3, 2015. Keep watch for more details on this program.

Newly AppointedAlumni BoardMember

The SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association welcomes the following new trustee:

Kathryn Gigliotti ’09

Reunion Committees

Reunion committees are hard at work encouraging classmates to attend Reunion Weekend this summer. Committee members want to remind everyone that there is still time to make plans to return and to contribute to your class gift.

Join your class in celebrating your time at Potsdam and your successes that followed.For committee lists and your class’s fundraising progress, visit potsdam.edu/alumni/reunion.

ALUMNICAN SAVE!Liberty Mutual is a proud partner of the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association!

For additional information about Liberty Mutual and our car and home insurance, please contact us at 1-844-653-9688 or visit us at libertymutual.com/potsdam.

*Discount and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten. Not all appli-cants may qualify.

What is Sustainable Agriculture...Exactly?Most people have heard about sustain-ability and sustainable agriculture, but how do scholars define it? We will discuss sustainability and how you can incorporate sustainable practices in your own life by starting to grow your own food from window sills to backyard gardens.Raymond Bowdish, Biology Department

Chemistry Hacks In and Around the KitchenWould you like to enrich your life with chemistry? Learn about the science within your home kitchen and around the household to master some clever daily “life hacks.”John Proetta, Chemistry Department

The Origin of LifeLiving organisms existed on Earth at least 3.55 billion years ago. Although scant fossil evidence survives from these early life forms, much scientific work has been dedicated to under-standing how life may have arisen on our planet. Explore how life may have arisen from non-life. Dr. Gordon Plague, Biology Department

Making Music Mobile: Exploring Apps for Phones and TabletsDiscover fun and useful apps that turn your mobile device into a music production studio. Examine a variety of software for music notation, sequenc-ing, sharing and inspiration. Dr. Peter McCoy, Crane School of Music

Watercolor PaintingExplore the fun of painting during this tutorial. Paint outside (weather permit-ting) and create your own watercolor landscape to take home. All supplies provided. Joe Hildreth, Art Department

On Stage: Acting in a Short PlayThe course will introduce basic prin-ciples of acting for the stage. Using a simple script, participants will be paired and will create characters and a scene that will be performed at the end of the session. No prior experience necessary. Please wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move in.Kimberley Bouchard, Theatre and Dance Department

8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Check-in, Raymond Hall Lobby

9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - (Choose one class)

10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - (Choose one class)

Noon - 1 p.m. - Lunch on campus (included with registration) or lunch on your own.

1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - (Choose one class)

Potsdam academyRelive the student experience at Potsdam Academy during a full day of exciting, hands-on arts and sciences classes taught by SUNY Potsdam professors.

The Potsdam Academy will kick off the festivities on Thursday, July 9. The registra-tion fee of $30 includes breakfast, a full day of classes, materials and lunch. You don’t need to attend the full Reunion Weekend to enroll in Potsdam Academy.

For more information or to register, contact Laura Stevenson at [email protected] or (315) 267-2120 or visit www.potsdam.edu/academy.

Potsdam Academy Schedule • Thursday, July 9, 2015

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.Yoga: It’s Not Just About Pretzels!Yoga has a rich and ancient history rooted in Eastern philosophies leading to multiple philosophical approaches and physical practices. We may be familiar with the physical practice, or “what” of hatha yoga, but don’t necessarily hear about the “why” or “wherefore” of the practice. Learn a little about these aspects and through a little guided practice, relax at the end of the day. Yoga mats provided.Donald Borsh, Theatre and Dance Department

What is the World Really Like?Join a discussion about sensation and perception. How many senses do we have? Is there overlap among what appear to be separate sensory capa-bilities? Determine whether you are a supertaster, whether your perception of taste may be altered, and we will discuss visual sensory memory as well as some disorders that allow us to reexamine our abilities we may not realize we possess.Heather Beauchamp, Psychology Department

4 p.m. - 6 p.m.Graduation and Happy Hour in Becky’s Place with live music, appetizers and cash bar.This is also the Reunion Weekend “Early Bird” Gathering.


�eunion Wee�end 2015

Thursday, July 98 a.m. - 4 p.m.Potsdam Academy(see page 13 for more information)

4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.“Early Bird” Gathering In Becky’s Place adjacent to Raymond Hall (cash bar). Entertainment provided by Alex Vangellow (Hon. ’14)

7:00 p.m.Crane Youth Music Camper Honors Recital

***7:30 p.m.Community Performance Series summer musical production of “Into The Woods” Call the CPS Box Office for tickets and informa-tion at (315) 267-2277 or purchase tickets online at cpspotsdam.org.

Friday, July 109 a.m.Cupid Breakfast - For All Potsdam-Potsdam & Potsdam-Clarkson CouplesJoin us for this fun-filled breakfast for all of our couples, on the SUNY Pots-dam campus.

9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.Photograms: Cameraless PhotographyA photogram is the making of a photographic image, without the use of a camera, by placing objects onto light sensitive paper, exposing it to light, and then developing it in chemistry. The resulting im-age shows variation of tones based on the transparency of the objects used. Some of the first photographs ever made were photograms. This class is a hands-on workshop in a traditional film darkroom making photograms. Partici-pants will be able to take their creations home. Presentedby Iggy Beerbower, assistant professor of photography.

9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.Campus Walking TourThe tour will conclude in the Performing Arts Center Lobby. You can also take our virtual tour at www.potsdam.edu/about/visit.

***9 a.m. - 1 p.m.Hike Mt. Arab, Piercefield, NYLed by Alumni Board Trustees Robert Gray ’87, Mike Lahendro ’77 and Jef-fery Washburn ’79. Meet in the lobby of Raymond Hall by 8:45 a.m. Car-pooling required.

10 a.m.Making Music Mobile: Exploring Apps for Phones and TabletsDiscover fun and useful apps that turn your mobile device into a music production studio. Examine a variety of software for music notation, sequencing, sharing and in-spiration. Presented by Peter McCoy, associate professor of music education and coordi-nator of music technology.

10 a.m. Tour of the Performing Arts CenterTake this guided walking tour of our new academic building, the first one in over 40 years! You will not want to miss seeing this incredible new space and all it has to offer. The tour will conclude in the Snell Theater lobby.

***11 a.m.Tour of Maxcy Hall FacilitiesSee all of the new and exciting changes in Maxcy Hall, including the newly renovated Field House and Ice Arena. Meet at the bear statue on the 2nd floor in Maxcy Hall.

11 a.m. Tour of The Crane School of MusicMeet in the Snell Theater lobby.

***11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Planetarium ShowPresented by Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Geology Dr. Frank Revetta (Hon. ’05).

Noon - 2 p.m.Emeriti LuncheonAlumni and friends are in-vited to attend and visit with some of their favorite retired professors.

1 p.m.Adventures in Excavation: SUNY Potsdam’s Archaeol-ogy Field SchoolFrom deep in the Adirondack wilderness to the shores of the Raquette River, Potsdam’s archaeology students have travelled back in time to discover new details about our recent and ancient past. Hear archaeologist and SUNY Potsdam Professor Hadley Kruczek-Aaron describe some of the recent fieldwork carried out by faculty and students and what has been learned from their work. Artifacts will be on display.

2 p.m.BluelineNow in its 36th year of pub-lication, “Blueline: A Literary Magazine Dedicated to the Spirit of the Adirondacks” features quality poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art and photography every spring. This session explains the magazine’s history and mis-sion, as well its contributions to literary communities on campus, in the Adirondacks and beyond. A short reading from “Blueline” volume 36 will conclude the session. Presented by Donald McNutt, editor-in-chief and associate professor of English.

2 p.m. - 3 p.m.The Potsdam Seismic Net-work and Earthquakes in New York State SeminarPresented by Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Geology Dr. Frank Revetta (Hon. ’05).

3 p.m.Voices of the PastFor over 30 years, Tom French ’88 has been recording “Old Timers” from the along the St. Lawrence River and their stories of life in the early 20th Century. He will present a number of these stories along with historic photographs and vintage home video from the 1930s - ’50s, topics ranging from filling the ice house and sturgeon fishing to bootlegging and tall tales based on actual events. He will also instruct techniques so you can begin record-ing your own oral histories. French is the author of the award-winning book, “River Views: A History of the 1000 Islands in 3-D,” a collection of 19th century stereoviews.

3 p.m. - 4 pmThinking Outside the Box to Help SUNY Potsdam StudentsLearn how our alumni and friends can help give back to our students in a variety of ways, including intern-ships, mentoring and resume critiquing, just to name a few. Presented by Toby White ’89, director of experiential education.

***3 p.m. - 4 p.m.Fun Science Crafts in the Home for Kids of ALL AgesJoin chemistry Instruc-tor John Proetta ’09 for a fun-filled, hands-on science session. Learn to make Flub-ber and other great projects right in your own home! This is a great family event.

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Center for Graduate Studies Reception: A Commitment to Graduate EducationA reception for master’s pro-gram alumni. Hosted by Josh LaFave ’03, director of the Center for Graduate Studies.

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Class of 1960 Informal Gathering Please bring your memora-bilia to share (cash bar).

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Class of 1965 Informal Gathering Please bring your memora-bilia to share (cash bar).

***4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.Welcome Reception for All Alumni and Friends Catch up with old friends and make new ones (cash bar).

Schedule of EventsJULY 9-12

Registration & InformationRegistration Hours in Raymond Hall Lobby (adjacent to Becky’s Place in Pratt Commons)

Thursday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.Friday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

SPECIAL INFORMATION***Community Performance Series summer musical production of “Into The Woods”: The show will run Monday, July 6 through Saturday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m. There will be two matinees at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, and Saturday, July 11. Call the CPS Box Office for tickets and information at (315) 267-2277 or purchase tickets online at cpspotsdam.org.

Mary E. English Commons:Enjoy a self-guided tour of the photos and displays from our College’s history in the Mary E. English Commons, 1st floor, Satterlee Hall.

College Archives at Crumb Library:Thursday and Friday, July 9 and 10: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Saturday, July 11: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

College Store Hours: 50% discount off one item (coupon will be included in registration packets) and 20% off each additional item will be available to all alumni on most College Store items.Friday, July 10: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday, July 11: 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Double Axel Performance at Maxfields: downtown PotsdamFriday, July 10: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.Saturday, July 11: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Maxcy Hall: (free of charge to registered Reunion attendees)Shane T. Shaul Fitness Center (3rd floor) Thursday, July 9: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, July 10: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Maxcy Hall Field House: (must bring your own equipment)Thursday, July 9: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, July 10: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.Saturday, July 11: 8 a.m. - Noon

Maxcy Hall Swimming Pool:Friday, July 10: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, July 11: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. The tennis, racquetball and basketball courts and the soccer fields are available for use during the weekend as well.




�eunion Wee�end 2015 6 p.m.Class of 1965 DinnerGather for great food, spirits and most especially, great company! Dessert will follow at the home of President Kristin Esterberg.

***6 p.m. - 8 p.m.Southern Style BBQ Join us for this popular event, which has a new, exciting menu this year! Catch up with friends, enjoy beverages, great food and make your own sundae bar. BBQ will be served until 7:30 p.m. Enjoy wine and beer from our local establishments. Wear your Potsdam gear to show your Potsdam pride!

***7 p.m.Crane Youth Music (CYM) ConcertFeaturing Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble and Choirs.

***7:30 p.m.Community Performance Series summer musical production of “Into The Woods”Call the CPS Box Office for tickets and information ay (315) 267-2277 or purchase tickets online at cpspotsdam.org.

10 p.m. - 2 a.m.Double Axel (Maxfields, downtown Potsdam)

Saturday, July 11***8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Bear Walk/RunStart off the day by joining friends at the annual alumni 5K walk/run. This is a great event for all ages!

9 a.m. Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra: Historic Recordings by the Class of 1965Gary Galo continues his survey of Crane Chorus per-formances given by the class celebrating its 50th reunion. Recordings will include Vaughan-Williams’ “Hodie” conducted by Helen Hosmer at her final public concert with the Crane Chorus (Fall 1961), Nadia Boulanger’s final appearance in Potsdam, con-ducting the world premiere of Leo Preger’s “Cantate” (Spring 1962), Robert Shaw conducting Hindemith’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” (Spring 1963), Verdi’s “Requiem” con-ducted by Stanley Chapple (Spring 1964) and Lukas Foss conducting his “Fragments of Archilochos” (Spring 1965). Other fall concerts will include performances con-ducted by Brock McElheran (Hon. ’84) and Carl Druba ’48. Presented by Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo ’73.

9 a.m. - 10 a.m.Estate and Will Planning Seminar and Continental BreakfastLearn helpful tips for estate planning, how to best plan for the future and how to cre-ate a better will. Presented by Roger Linden, Esq. ’74.

***9:30 a.m.Tour of Maxcy Hall FacilitiesSee all of the new and exciting changes in Maxcy Hall, including the newly renovated Field House and Ice Arena. Meet at the rear entrance of Maxcy Hall. Tour will follow the completion of the Bear Walk/Run.

9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.Walking Tour of Bayside Cemetery and Its LegendsDale Zurbrick ’68 returns to conduct this popular tour and lead us down memory lane at the local historical site. (Meet at 9:15 a.m. in front of Raymond Hall to car-pool or meet at the cemetery entrance at Outer Clarkson Avenue, County Rt. 59, Potsdam).

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Phi Kappa Pi Alumnae As-sociation Annual Meeting

10 a.m.The Unknown Nadia Boulanger: Recordings from The Crane School of Music Archives, Part 1Nadia Boulanger had a long and special relationship with Helen Hosmer and conducted the Crane Chorus five times between 1939 and 1962. Part 1 of this two-part presentation will feature recorded excerpts from her performance of Brahms’ “Requiem” in 1939, as well as highlights from the Benefit Concert for the Polish Relief given in Carnegie Hall in 1941. That concert featured Heinrich Schutz’s “History of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” the 13th century Polish chant Bogurodzica Dziewica, “Fac me tecum pie flere” from Szymanowski’s “Stabat Mater,” and the “Requiem” by Faure. Presented by Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo ’73.

10 a.m.Crane Youth Music (CYM) Piano & Harp Recital

10 a.m.Start-Up NY – The SUNY Potsdam InitiativeJohn Wicke, director of strategic alliances at SUNY Potsdam, will present on the Start-Up NY economic devel-opment initiative and SUNY Potsdam’s campus plan.

***10 a.m. - 11 a.m.Planetarium ShowPresented by Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Geology Dr. Frank Revetta (Hon. ’05).

10 a.m. - 11 a.m.Campus Walking TourThe tour will conclude in the Snell Theater lobby. You can also take our virtual tour at www.potsdam.edu/about/visit.

11 a.m.The Unknown Nadia Boulanger: Recordings from The Crane School of Music Archives, Part 2The second part of the survey of Nadia Boulanger’s performances with the Crane Chorus will feature recorded excerpts from the 1958 and 1962 Spring Festivals (the 1945 concert was not record-ed). Highlights from the 1958 performances will include Spisak’s “Hymne Olympique” and Lili Boulanger’s “Vieille Prière Bouddique.” The 1962 concerts will include Markev-itch’s “Cantate,” Preger’s “Cantate,” Lajtha’s “Hymnes pour la Sainte Vierge” and Poulenc’s “Gloria.” Presented by Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo ’73.

11 a.m. - NoonCats and Dogs: The Art of RelationshipsAre you a “cat” or a “dog”? Knowing how to recognize the basis from which one operates allows us to select the appropriate strategies to foster and maintain positive and successful relationships with team members. Using the research of Michael Grinder, as found in “Cats and Dogs: The Art of Relation-ships,” attendees will learn strategies to communicate more effectively with others. Presented by Kim P. Loucks ’77 and Carolyn Hirst-Loucks.

11 a.m. - NoonTour of The Crane School of MusicThe tour will conclude in the Performing Arts Center lobby.

***11 a.m. - 2 p.m.Kayaking Family Outing at Lehman ParkCome enjoy the great out-doors! Free kayaks, frisbees, badminton, volleyball nets, etc., will be provided for all to enjoy. Bring a blanket for your picnic and don’t forget sunblock. Shuttle service will be available throughout from Raymond Hall. First come, first served for kayaks. Stop at Becky’s Place first if you wish to purchase lunch to bring along with you.

11:15 a.m.Class of 1965 Photo Photo will be taken in Minerva Plaza.

11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.50-Year Club Luncheon (Classes of 1965 and earlier)All alumni from 1964 and earlier are invited to a lun-cheon hosted by the Golden Year Class of 1965. The Class of 1965 will be officially in-ducted into the 50-Year Club during a diploma ceremony.

NoonTour of the Performing Arts CenterTake this guided walking tour of our new academic build-ing, the first one in 40 years! You will not want to miss this incredible new space and all it has to offer.

NoonGreek Alumni Informal Lunch and Update Join your fraternity brothers and sorority sisters for lunch and an update on Greek Life at the College. Pre-registra-tion for lunch is required.

***1 p.m.Crane Youth Music (CYM) Final Concert

1 p.m.Greek Alumni Council MeetingContact GAC President Don-nalyn Eaton Shuster ’78 at [email protected] if you plan to attend.

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.Trombone Alumni LuncheonUnder the tent in the Townhouse Quad.

1:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.Choral ReadingThis popular Crane alumni event will feature the Brahms “Liebeslieder Waltzes op. 52” and Poulenc’s “Gloria,” conducted by Kathleen Keenan-Takagi ’65. Accom-panists will be Carol (Erardi) Murphy ’65 and Judy Kuba-siak Yauckoes ’65.

***2 p.m.Chocolate Dessert DemonstrationPresented by Amy Conger, corporate executive chef, PACES.

***2 p.m.Community Performance Series summer musical production of “Into The Woods”Call the CPS Box Office for tickets and information at (315) 267-2277 or purchase tickets online at cpspotsdam.org.

4 p.m. Gala Reception, Donor Rec-ognition and Silent AuctionPresident Kristin Esterberg invites all alumni and friends to celebrate their return to Potsdam with a gala recep-tion and silent auction. As we enter the final year of the Take the Lead Campaign, we also wish to thank our donors for their generosity and cel-ebrate the impact that their gifts have made. All Reunion attendees are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the Campaign’s Third Century Challenge.

6 p.m.Class Dinner and Alumni Award PresentationJoin us at the biggest event of the weekend, where alumni, faculty, emeriti and friends of the College come together to celebrate Potsdam. Tables will be reserved for classes and mini-reunions.

***7:30 p.m.Community Performance Series summer musical production of “Into The Woods”Call the CPS Box Office for tickets and information at (315) 267-2277 or purchase tickets online at cpspotsdam.org.

8:30 p.m.Second Quinquennial Crane Alumni TromboneS (CATS) Ensemble Reunion Concert

10 p.m. - 2 a.m.Double Axel (Maxfields, downtown Potsdam)

Sunday, July 128:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.Farewell Breakfast (featuring an omelet station)

9:15 a.m.Annual Alumni Association MeetingAnnual Alumni Association business will be conducted, including approval of 2015-16 trustees and proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws.


SUNY POTSDAM IS NOW A TOBACCO RESTRICTED CAMPUS

Tobacco use in any form, including chew and e-cigarettes, can only be used in designated tobacco use areas. More information can be found at: www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/healthservices/tobaccoresolution.cfm.

***indicates family activities

navigating the future of applied

learningBy Alexandra Jacobs Wilke


“...Instead, it was the Presidential Range Traverse’s infamous claim to fame that sparked my interest: it boasted

‘the world’s worst weather.’ The range is at the intersection of several storm tracks causing rapidly changing,

extremely cold weather, and they are amplified by the surrounding, converging valleys that create a natural wind tunnel which generates hurricane-force winds an average

of 110 days of the year. Winter temperatures average well below zero. No one should be in these conditions.I wanted this.” -Jonathan Ryan ’15


As the director of the Wilderness Educa-tion Program at SUNY Potsdam, Mark Simon has seen many students find their place in the great outdoors. Now nearing its twentieth year, the minor attracts students of all backgrounds. Some have extensive outdoor experience. Oth-ers have never set foot in the woods—unless you count Central Park.

“Our students come from all different aca-demic backgrounds, and it’s always interesting to see what they will bring to the table and how they will utilize it,” Simon said.

The program is unique for its focus on lead-ership, training senior students to plan and lead expeditions with their peers. The minor has two tracks for students to choose from. The wilder-

ness leadership track prepares field instructors capable of leading extended backpacking trips, while the adventure education track trains stu-dents to become instructors in rock-climbing, ice-climbing and ropes course facilitation.

“What we do is real simple,” Simon said. “We maximize leadership skills. Wilderness education doesn’t work unless you are effective at working with people. That’s the only way to hold a group together in stressful situations. So our graduates are good at dealing with group dynamics and inspiring others.”

It is in this wilderness training that SUNY Potsdam students are pushing boundaries of interdisciplinary leadership.

ou’ve spent weeks planning your route, gathering your supplies and honing your strength. But now that you’re surrounded by nothing by

trees and snow (or hillsides and mud, or canyons and sunshine), you realize that nothing can prepare you for the mental journey.

In the wilderness, you have to face, and be, yourself. No distractions. No filters. It’s just you, your team and the world—as you’ve never seen it before.

y


Pushing BoundariesBut before one can lead, one must learn. Cindy Humphrey ’16 remembers how difficult her first field course was. The Angelica, N.Y., native had just returned from spending an exchange year in Brazil, and was having a hard time adjusting to college life. Then she found herself roughing it in the woods in the middle of winter.

“It was really uncomfortable at first. I was learning my mental boundaries,” she said. “I was always a super control freak. The Leader-ship I class taught me to relax and let others take over. Later, when I began to teach rock climbing, I learned to listen. Everyone needs to learn at their own pace.”

Coming from Yonkers, N.Y., gene gaffney ’14 had grown up going on hiking trips to Vermont with his parents, a rarity in his neighborhood. After discovering the Wilder-ness Education Program, he discovered the important role each member of the team played on an expedition.

“You get thrown right into leadership and safety situations,” gaffney said. “Very quickly, you learn the real importance of going outside your comfort zone.”

Signing up for a backpacking class was a no-brainer for Kirk Peter Sweet ’16 of Buffalo, N.Y.

“You get to keep going outside as a course?” he said, smiling. “Yeah, I can do that!”

Coming from a family that enjoyed annual camping trips, he already had a passion for the outdoors, which only grew in his time at SUNY Potsdam.

“I’m not very religious, but it is a real blessing to have the Adirondacks so close,” said Sweet, who has made it a habit to go hiking just about every weekend.

“The wilderness establishes a sense of community,” gaffney said. “You have to work together and share meals. There’s just a sense of belonging.”

All three students said they made lifelong friendships on their trips, bonding over com-mon experiences and goals.

Theatre in the WildA theatre major, gaffney also completed minors in both wilderness leadership and adventure education, culminating in his Leadership II trip to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.

gaffney combined both of his fields of study to recruit fellow theatre majors for a unique five-day backpacking trip, during which they experimented with different types of performance—in the woods.

“I wanted to try something new in the per-forming arts, devising ‘make your own theatre’ and blurring the line between audience and performer. Being away from everything allowed the students to talk about taboo subjects and issues important to them,” he said.

Seeing DoubleSweet is double majoring in both environ-

mental studies and art studio, along with his minor in wilderness leadership. An accom-plished photographer, he has been able to document his journeys in film as well, includ-ing on his Lead II trip to the gila Wilderness in New Mexico.

Sweet had the opportunity to put his skills to the test when he was recruited for an intern-ship with St. Elias Alpine guides in McCarthy, Alaska last summer. He led backpacking tours and kayaking trips around the toe of the Ken-

nicott glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

SUNY Potsdam alumnus Bennett LaValley ’11 has connected several students from the Wilderness Education Program with St. Elias, where he works as a guide.

“Without those leadership and organiza-tional skills, I would never have been able to complete this internship,” Sweet said. “I can’t wait to return this summer.”

For her part, Humphrey is completing her major in anthropology along with both tracks of the Wilderness Education Program and a minor in community health, to boot. She will be joining an expedition to gila Wilderness in New Mexico this summer.

Serving Our Veteransgrowing up in a military family, Humphrey

wanted to bring her studies to bear on a topic close to her heart.

“I thought about the veteran population I grew up around, and the post-traumatic stress disorders and traumatic brain injuries that many live with,” she said. “I am interesting in whether therapeutic recreation can ameliorate social reintegration issues for combat veter-ans—medicate using the natural environment, rather than pharmacotherapy.”

She is currently completing a Presidential Scholars research project in partnership with nearby Fort Drum, shadowing staff at a health clinic and working with an Outward Bound program.

“I have learned a lot of technical skills, all of which I can use tomorrow,” Humphrey said. “But most important is the sense of self-reliance. It inspires you to think bigger, not just about school. You learn not to restrict yourself.”


From Internship to Career

Originally from Nigeria, Adeola Awomolo, MD, ’10 (third from left) studied biochemistry at SUNY Potsdam, and was honored with the 2010 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. The undergraduate ferritin research that she conducted in the lab of Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah was recently published in the journal Biochemistry. As an undergradu-ate, she was a peer tutor, took part in Relay for Life and was the vice president of the Pre-Health Club. After graduation, Awomolo pursued a career in medicine, earning her degree at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. She is currently in her first year of residency at the Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in the Department of Obstetrics, gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

Tyler French ’12 managed to graduate early from SUNY Potsdam while juggling a job as an assistant manager for Stewart’s Shops. After completing his bachelor’s degree in biology, he took a long-term sci-ence substituting position at his former high school. Inspired to teach, he returned to Potsdam for his Master of Science in Teaching degree, earning his 7 to 12 certification. Bringing his tireless work ethic into the

classroom, French is now a secondary science teacher for Jones County Schools in Maysville, N.C. Shortly after making the move south, he was asked to help coordinate the New generation Leaders program, get-ting area youth involved in community planning. In recognition of his achievements, French was nominated by his school district and chosen to receive the 2014-15 Promise of Leadership Award from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

For Erin Wagner ’13, her first fieldwork experience as a geology student was life changing. The Bears volleyball player traveled to Montana for a field course through the Indiana University geologic Field Station, thanks to a scholarship she received from ConocoPhillips. After gradua-tion, she applied for a competitive weeklong field seminar in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin, and participated in an internship with ExxonMobil. Following the program, Wagner’s internship turned into a job. Now a geoscientist for ExxonMobil, she recently became the youngest SUNY Potsdam graduate to establish an endowed scholarship at the College, creating a new field camp experience scholarship for geology students.

These recent SUNY Potsdam graduates honed their skills through internships as students, and are now leveraging that expertise in the workforce, along with the resilience, creativity and appreciation for diversity that their a liberal arts education can provide.

Laura Nicoletti ’13 (left)graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in business administration and economics. With the founda-tional skills from her majors, she excelled in a summer internship with the New York Yankees in her junior year. Her great potential did not go unnoticed, and following the program, Nicoletti was the only one of three interns who was offered a job. After graduation, she accepted a position working for the New York Yankees’ Events division, coordinating and executing both internal and external events, large and small. From weddings and bar mitzvahs, to conferences, trade shows, galas and major sporting pro-ductions, Nicoletti provides logistical support for every detail. When asked about her favorite aspect of the job, she said, “I’m always doing something different.”


CLASS notes

1940sBetty (Wareing) Jeffers ’43, Catherine (O’Brien) Schwalenstocker ’43 and Jessie (Rodee) Manitta ’44 are all residents of Partridge Knoll, an independent living facility for seniors in Canton, NY.

1950s The immediate fam-ily of Mildred (Davey) Eldridge ’51 consists of five SUNY Potsdam grad-uates: a daughter, a son, and three grandsons.

In May 2014, Marion (Parker) Mancini ’51 traveled to England with her granddaughter.

Elaine (Rodee) Nelson ’51 had a joyful reunion this year with close friend and classmate Cecile (Chatelain) Hosmer ’51, after a 62-year hiatus.

Winifred (Toelke) Peer ’51 got a taste of Buf-falo’s cultural life when she visited former Ago roommate Norma Jean Lamb ’51 in October 2014.

While summering in the

North Country, Mildred (Armet) Wiedmann ’51 paid a surprise visit to Bette (Maguire) May ’51 in Lake Placid, NY.

Shirley (Russell) Smith ’54 enjoys member-ships in the Norfolk Fort Nightly Club and the Classy Lassy Red Hat So-ciety. She has completed 23 years in the Lambda chapter of DKG.

Gloria (Baz) Misnick ’55 was awarded first place in a national competi-tion for Americanism and Civics at the Catholic War Veterans Auxiliary Convention in Cincinnati, OH, and was also recog-nized for volunteering at the veterans hospital in Bath, NY.

1960s In November 2014, Ma-ria (Conte) Murray ’60 retired as the organist at St. Patrick’s Church in Chittenango, NY, after more than 40 years.

Elizabeth (Gibson) Venator ’61 has been retired from teaching public school for 15 years, but coordinating Elderhostels and regu-larly substituting on pipe

organs alongside choirs has kept her going. Every summer, she attends the reunion week at the Chautauqua Institution. “My friends and I never tire of reminiscing about Crane and Potsdam—the valuable training and glorious musical experiences. It shaped our futures and we are grateful.”

Retired music educators and former colleagues William Martin ’62 and Brian Clancy ’85 & ’87 recently met for a won-derful reunion break-

fast in Charleston, SC. They worked together for many years in the Hauppauge School Dis-trict in Hauppuage, NY. Martin was the director of fine and performing arts, and also a former president of the Suffolk County Music Educator’s Association. Clancy was the high school band director for many years, and currently performs with the Palmetto Con-cert Band, a nationally recognized ensemble that is affiliated with the University of South Carolina.

Roger Dusharm ’64 has lived in Colton, NY, since retiring from his long-time job as a science teacher and soccer and basketball coach at Can-ton Central School.

Rick Bunting ’66, former chair of music education for The Crane School of Music, is one of the three members that com-

prise the Susquehanna String Band. The group performs and teaches at schools, concert halls, festivals and dance venues throughout the Northeast region. In December 2014, Ronald Tancredi ’66 per-formed with the Seaford Jazz and Concert Bands of Long Island. Thomas Perrin ’68 and his wife, Janice, enjoy doing yoga on Venice Beach. Judith (Fagan) Sutton ’68 is currently teaching art at East End Art School in Riverhead, NY.

Mary Ann Luciano ’69 retired as director of the Catskill Regional Teacher Center and is now ful-filling her professional learning goal at Syracuse University.

Cynthia (Minerd) Moringiello ’69 is very busy playing the wood-winds and bassoon in a Glenn Miller Dance Band called The Santones, in any pit she can, as well as three community bands. She and her husband, Dan, celebrated their 30th anniversary in October 2014, and have retired to Pennsylvania.

1970s After 33 years of teach-ing percussion, Murray Houlif ’70 retired from the University of North Texas. He has published more than 250 items (?) and still performs. Pianist and professor Anthony LoBalbo ’71 retired from St. John’s University after 38 years. He remains the director

of music and organist at St. Patrick’s Church in Bedford Village, NY, and is also a sergeant in the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Squad, in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Rose O’Keefe ’71 pub-lished two new books, “Frederick and Anna Douglass in Rochester, NY: Their Home Was Open to All” (History Press) and “Special De-livery: From One Stop to Another on the Under-ground Railroad” (Pyra-mid Publishing).

Bob Christianson ’72 is the composer, ar-ranger and executive producer of the WTTW-PBS Special, “A Christmas Carol: The Concert,” and received an Emmy Award nomination for the show’s signature song, “No Trouble.” The dra-matic concert version of the beloved Dickens tale premiered on PBS nation-wide in December 2013, and has been syndicated nationwide since.

Neal Tepper ’72 came out of retirement as a school counselor to be an estate conservator for the Shakopee Mde-wakanton Sioux Com-munity in Minnesota.

In December 2014, Mary (Gillard) Schapley ’73 retired from the Ononda-ga County Department of Children and Family Services, where she was the deputy commis-sioner of child welfare. She was employed by the department for over 40 years, having worked her way up from caseworker. Schapley resides in

Rita (Itkin) Schwartz ’58 visited Toby (Cerasoli) Con-ner ’58 and her husband, David ’58, at their home in New City, NY, over the summer.


CLASS notes

Liverpool, NY, with her husband, Wayne, and her son, Lee.

Kim Battaglini ’74, a Houston attorney, received an LLM in en-ergy, environmental and natural resources law from the University of Houston in May 2014.

Linda Beaupré ’74 is the artistic director of the Bach Children’s Chorus and Bach Chamber Youth Choir, in Toronto, Canada. She is also the co-author of “A Young Singer’s Journey.”

Bob (R.J.) Mitchell ’74 recently released two original classical music

albums of music for weddings, called “A Wedding By The Lake” and “White Lace.” He has also published numer-ous choral pieces with major publishers. He and wife, Mary (O’Donnell) Mitchell ’75, taught music and played gigs in the Glens Falls, NY, area for 30 years and now live near Minneapolis, MN.

Dennis Gill Booth ’75 and his wife, Colleen, welcomed their second granddaughter, Eralai Booth, in June 2014.

SUNY Potsdam fac-ulty emeritus Dr. Gary Krolikowski ’75 is busy maintaining his work with McGraw-Hill Pub-lishers. He coauthored a text in social psychol-ogy, has authored study

guides for a variety of texts, serves on their editorial review board and reviews new text editions.

After 25 years, Glenn Ol-son ’75 retired from Intel Corp. as a communica-tions manager. He is now writing, recording and playing music, as well as traveling and managing properties.

Composer Steven Bach ’76 was nominated for a 2014 APRA Award, (Australia’s version of a Grammy) for dance song of the year, for his work on “Alive” by Empire of the Sun.

Glenn McRae ’77, as-sociate director of the University of Vermont Transportation Research

Center, has taken on the directorship of the new Northeastern Regional Surface Transportation Workforce Center, under a four-year grant from the Federal Highway Ad-ministration. He contin-ues to teach in the public administration program and coordinate graduate students in sustainable transportation systems.

June Tyler ’77 is the proprietor of a studio, Pondside Pulp & Paper, where she has offered workshops in papermak-ing, book arts and non-toxic printmaking since 1995. Tyler has received many awards for her work in handmade paper and sculptural lamps. Amati USA, maker of world-class wind instru-ments, announced that industry veteran Jay Wa-namaker ’77 was named President and CEO. He will oversee all Amati U.S.

operations, includ-ing Amati Woodwind & Brass Instruments and V.F. Cer-veny Brass Instruments, as well as overseeing the Strunal String Instru-ment brand. Wanamaker has served as a senior executive with Yamaha Band & Orchestral Divi-sion, Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division, Guitar Center, Music & Arts, Fender’s KMC Music and Alfred Publishing. He has been a member of the music faculty at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he authored numerous educational publications, composed music for the motion picture “Drum-line” and instructed mass bands for many major events, including the Olympics.

Don Tompkins ’68 Don Tompkins, a 1968 graduate who majored in mathematics and secondary education, recently made provisions to name SUNY Potsdam a beneficiary in his Will. His gift will establish the Don Tompkins ’68 Endowment for Applied Learning and Student Teaching.

A career-long high school math teacher retiring from Colton-Pierrepont, and an ever-present alumni volunteer, Don can be seen each year welcoming Potsdam alumni and friends back for Reunion Weekend.

Don said “From the very first moment I came to Potsdam, I felt a connection. I was extremely involved in all aspects of college life – sports, classes, social and my fraternity. I took advantage of all that was offered, and I believe those four years made me the person I am today.”

“I knew I wanted to be a math teacher since the 8th grade and Potsdam helped me to affirm I was most comfortable standing in front of a classroom.”

“I have chosen to include SUNY Potsdam in my Will, not because I feel obligated, but because I feel like I need to give back to the College. No one ever told me I had to. As a teacher in a small school in Northern New York, I wasn’t able to give a monetary gift to the College, so I sought other ways to give back. Now I am in the position to do both – volunteer and give financial support. I know there are many Potsdam alumni in a situation similar to my own, and I hope that they too reach a point in their lives where they are able to make the decision I have, and include Potsdam in their own estate plans.”

For more information on how to include Potsdam in your estate plans or for more information, visit the College’s free estate planning website at

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan or contact Jason N. Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, at

(315) 267-2123 or [email protected]

As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s.

Newest Member of theBenjamin F. Raymond Society

A group of Alpha Delta Kappa alumnae recently gathered at the home of Kathy Benson Elliott ’73 on Wellesley Island to launch the Alpha and Friends Chal-lenge, a fundraiser in support of the College’s Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center. An anonymous Alpha alum-na made a lead gift and also offered to match gifts to the fund, with the goal of raising a total of $120,000 for the Alpha and Friends Endowment Fund.Clockwise, from top left: Sandy Lawrence Tomalty ’64, Ellen Davey Burns ’59, Kathy Benson Elliott ’73, Joyce Barnholt Yianoukos ’71, Barre Hobkirk Hall ’65, Kathy Jordan Londraville ’75 and Jackie Tantillo Aab ’71.


CLASS notes

Two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Robin (Dow) Hopper ’78 & ’83 has

been a classroom music specialist in the Anchor-age School District since 1984 and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Alaska in the music education department. She travels around the state per-forming songs from her six albums.

SunFeather Natural Soap founder Sandy (Smithoover) Maine ’78 launched a new company, Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm. Her line of natural cologne, room spray, body washes and lotions features the aromas of plants and animals found exclusively in the North Country.

Beth (Schneider) Rem-ming ’78 is a former mu-sic teacher with the Cath-olic Diocese of Rochester, and is currently a string teacher with the Brigh-ton School District. She is a member of the faculty at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance, where she received the Faculty Service Award in 2012 and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Music Educators Award in 2013.

John Hart ’79, who resides in Chicago, IL, heads the Credit Markets section for the Commer-cial Banking Legal Group of JPMorgan Chase, and was recently named a managing director/se-nior vice president.

Peter Malinverni ’79 was honored as a Distin-guished Alumni for 2014 by the Lewiston-Porter Alumni Association inYoungstown, NY, at their sixth annual induction ceremony in October 2014.

1980s

Beth Custer ’80 and her

band, the Beth Custer Ensemble, performed her live score of the 1929 silent film, “My Grand-mother,” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in November 2014, as part of their Georgian Retrospective.

Reno’s Nevada Museum of Arts recently displayed an exhibit by Phyllis Shafer ’80 titled “I only went for a walk…,” which spanned some 100 paint-ings created over her 30-year career. She has lived in Lake Tahoe for the past 20 years and is the art department chair at Lake Tahoe Commu-nity College.

Jeff Sube ’81 is the vice president of T. Rowe

Price As-sociates’ Global Human Resources Division. He previously

served on the board and executive committee at the Saint Agnes Founda-tion in Baltimore, MD, and recently joined the board for Saint Agnes Healthcare.

After earning a master’s degree in educational psychology from the Uni-versity at Albany, Andy Doetsch ’82 taught special needs children at the elementary level for 14 years, and now at the high school level for

the past 11 years. He and his wife, Jan, celebrated a big anniversary by spending a couple weeks touring Alaska.

After 30 years of working for the village, Potsdam Village Administrator David Fenton ’82 retired in January 2015.

Since 2010, Margaret McKinley ’82 has been acting as secretary of the board of directors for the Association of the Precious Blood, an international Christian devotional organization.

Kathryn (Horvath) Del Guidice ’83 was named the executive director of the Orchestra of North-ern New York in Septem-ber 2014. She was previ-ously the development associate for American Stage Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL. She and her husband, Richard Del Guidice (Hon. ’92), reside in Colton, NY.

Dr. F. Richard Ferraro ’83 currently serves as the editor-in-chief for Current Pyschology, having previously served as editor for both the Journal of General Psy-chology and the Journal of Psychology. He is an endowed professor of experimental psychology at the University of North Dakota.

The State University of New York awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Haden A. Land ’84 in a

special ceremony held in the Hall of the States in Washington, DC in November 2014. Land is Lockheed Martin’s vice president for research and technology.

Jamie Luckie ’84, who has been calling NCAA major conference games since being hired by the Atlantic Coast Confer-ence in 1996, directed the first Take Charge Officiating Camp at St. Lawrence University in July 2014.

Richard Paolillo ’84 & ’92 and his partner, Vanessa Bittner, run Old Market Farm. His nursery offers over 200 varieties of both modern and old garden cold-hardy roses, hops and currants online. He has served on the board of the Potsdam Food Co-op.

Kelly Ellis-Foster ’85, who has served as the communications director at Honeywell Interna-tional since 1987, was elected to the Old Bridge (NJ) Township Public Schools Board of Educa-tion in November 2014.

John Phelan ’85 is the head of research and development at Clearlab in Singapore, which develops and manufac-tures contact lenses and contact lens products. He and his wife, Kath-leen, have two children and reside in Georgia.

Larry Baycura ’86 & ’90 serves as the music department chairman for Canton Central School in Canton, NY. He performs with Northbound, which plays a mix of rock styles, as well as the Chamber Orchestra of Northern New York, the Commu-

In June 2014, three SUNY Potsdam alumni met at the 35th Annual Conference on New York State History, hosted by Marist College. Pictured from left are: Rand Scholet ’79 (representing the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society), Ashley Hopkins-Benton ’06 (representing the New York State Museum) and her husband, Geoff Benton ’05 (representing the Crailo State Historic Site).

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CLASS notes

nity Performance Series Orchestra, the Northern Wind Ensemble and the All-Star Big Band, among others.

Michele Bombard ’86 was named the 2014 Outstanding Catholic School Teacher for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. She has served as as-sistant principal at Trinity Catholic School in Mas-sena, NY, since 2012 and has taught for 27 years.

Steven DeLaroche ’86 of Ormond Beach, FL, has been in private practice since 2007. He had previ-ously served as a county court judge and the chief

administrative county judge in Volusia, FL.

Nancy Ericsson’s ’87 new film, “Seven in Marin,” brings together seven-year-olds from the San Francisco, CA, area and asks who they are and who they see them-selves becoming.

Mary Peck ’87 is a reflexologist at the Cold Spring Healing Arts Center in Cold Spring, NY. A lyric soprano, she performs with the An-gelica Women’s Chamber Singers and Collegium Westchester.

In June 2014, composer/arranger John Angier ’88 won a Daytime Emmy Award for Out-

standing Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. He has composed music for more than 30 television series and movies. He and his wife, Jacqueline (Bozza) Angier ’90, reside in New York City.

Rebecca (Cormier) Jef-freys ’89 was recently hired as an adjunct flute professor at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH. Her husband, John Jeffreys ’88, is a project manager at Raytheon, a major American defense and industrial contract-ing corporation.

1990s

In September 2014, Julie (Breen) Madlin ’90 was named the new City of Ogdensburg Historian. She began her career at the Ogdensburg Public Library as a genealogist and archivist and has taught for 24 years. Vanessa (Breault) Mulvey ’90 taught at the 2014 British Isles Music Festival in West Sussex, England, where she led daily body mapping workshops for festival participants. Mulvey also taught at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in June 2014.

In August 2014, Cathleen Anderson ’91 joined Niagara University in Lewiston, NY, as the as-sistant vice president for enrollment management. She previously worked in admissions at LeMoyne College.

Richard Regan ’91 made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in June 2014, leading the New York Wind Sym-phony in a thrilling performance to a packed Isaac Stern Auditorium. Now in his tenth season as music director and principal conductor for the wind symphony, Regan also maintains conduct-ing positions with the Greater Newburgh Sym-phony Orchestra and the Hudson Valley Honors Youth Wind Ensemble. He is a multiple winner of the Revelli Award and is the youngest recipient of the prestigious Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award.

11:30 a.m.Installation CeremonyHelen M. Hosmer Concert Hall

1 p.m.Installation ReceptionPerforming Arts Center Lobby

3 to 9 p.m.Lougheed-Kofoed (LoKo)Festival of the Arts PerformancesCampuswide events, including:• Latin Ensemble Performance• Poetry Reading: Martin Espada• Student One-Act Plays• Chinese Children’s Theatre: “Amazing Adventures of the Marvelous Monkey King”

For a full schedule of LoKo activities, visit potsdam.edu/loko

9 p.m.Evening Dessert Party & FireworksKnowles Hall Multipurpose Room

Information regarding accommodations, directions and campus maps can be found at potsdam.edu/inauguration, or by calling Diane Brown at (315) 267-2100

The SUNY Potsdam College Council requests the honor of your presence

at theInauguration of

Dr. Kristin G. Esterbergas the 16th President of

The State University of New Yorkat Potsdam

Inaugural EventsFriday, April 24, 2015

Inauguration Email Invite for Print.indd 1 3/5/15 3:50 PM

Lisa Vastola Damiani ’90 (second from left) was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Dr. Millard and Ruth Harmon Student Leader Conference. She is the vice president for external affairs for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. As part of the Take the Lead Campaign, she is endowing the Lisa A. Dami-ani Scholarship for Student Leaders. Pictured with Damiani from left are President Kristin G. Esterberg, Student Government Association Vice President Scott Turner ’16 and Assistant Director of Campus Life Julie (Sharlow) Dold ’03.


Kevin Scully ’91 was recently appointed director of creative arts for the Port Washington (NY) School District, and continues to perform as a freelance trumpet player in the New York City metropolitan region.

Kim (Brown) Cabrera ’92 is in her fifth year of ministry as an ordained pastor at Harvey Browne Memorial PresbyterianChurch in Louisville, KY. She and her husband, Hondro, have two teen-age sons.

For the past four years, Michael Chapman ’92

& ’94 has been the principal at Richmond Early Col-lege High School in

Hamlet, NC.

Deborah (Ingersoll) Kiskiel ’92 was recently chosen as a New York State Master Teacher. She is a seventh grade science teacher at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School. She and her husband, George, have two children, Evan and Jenna. In January 2015, Stephan Vigliotti ’92 began his duties as the new superintendent of North Rose-Wolcott (NY) Central School District.

Mark Bunce ’93 was re-cently named the musicdepartment chairpersonfor the newly merged Central Valley Central School District in Ilion, NY. He was the first fac-ulty member of the new district to receive the Faculty Outstanding Positive Contribution to Central Valley Academy Award.

Eric Kelley ’93 is current-ly working to obtain a Master of Science degree in cybersecurity at the University of Maryland University College.

Beth (Snyder) Sheehan ’93 is excited to start her eighteenth year of teaching mathematics in the Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson, AZ. “I am grateful for the high level of education that I received at both SUNY Potsdam and the University at Albany, and in turn I have been well-prepared to instruct my students in both North Carolina and Arizona,” she said.

Trumpeter Vito Speranza ’93 performs with the Jazz Knight en-semble in the West Point Jazz Band at the U.S. Military Acad-emy, where he is a staff sergeant. He has recorded with Suzie Thorne, Tom Larson and the Echo Park Project.

Dean Vallas ’93, the

music department coordinator for the North Tonawanda (NY) School District, has been awarded the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/Niagara County Music Educators Association Award for Excellence in Music Education.

In July 2014, Stacey (Greene) Wicksall ’93 became the director of

the Macedon (NY) Public Library.

Bingham McCutchen LLP added Mark Hayman ’94 as a partner in its Boston office, leading the life sciences patent prosecution and coun-seling team.

The Lake Placid Public Library Board of Trustees named Bambi (Reid) Pedu ’94 the institu-tion’s new provisional director in September 2014.

In May 2014, Andrew Hurd ’95 & ’96 received his Ph.D. in information science from the Univer-sity of Albany. His wife, Jennifer (Newell) Hurd ’95, is the director of the Round Lake Library. The couple has two children and resides in Clifton Park, NY.

Rebecca Petruck ’95 has re-

leased her first novel, “Steering Toward Normal,” published by Abrams/Amulet. The book was named an Ameri-can Booksellers Association New Voices Title, and on the Kids’ Indie Next List. It has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair and the Christian Science Monitor, among others.

Michelle (Stephan) Mc-Conkey ’96 received her doctorate, and teaches music education at Chico State University in Chico, CA.

Mike Stead ’96 was named Teacher of the Week by Channel 10 News in Albany, NY. He has been a fourth grade teacher at Chatham Cen-tral School for the past ten years.

This year marks the ninth consecutive year that Jeremy Corcoran ’97, Timothy “TJ” Adams ’97 and Nicholas Shmorhun ’98 ran the Utica Boiler-maker 15K Road Race. They formed a running club called Go-CART (Crane Alumni Run-ning Team), which has been immortalized on a personalized brick in the walkway of Boilermaker Square at Butler Park. Jeremy and TJ also ran the New York City Mara-

thon in 2013, finishing in the top 25 percent.

Richard Johnson ’97 has been back working at the Albany Academies for the past two years. Formerly head of the music program, he now teaches theatre and filmmaking. Last year, Johnson was awarded the school’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition, he has published four concert band works, including “In Lincoln’s Shadow,” which was commissioned to be performed in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Caliber Imaging and Diagnostics named Daniel Koon ’98 director of global sales support. He most recently served as Caliber’s research sales manager.

CLASS notes

How to include us in your will (sample bequest language)“I give, devise and bequeath (specific dollar amount, percentageof estate, and/or residual beneficiary) to the Potsdam College Foundation, Inc., federal tax ID#23-7088021, for its general purposes.”

* Specific named endowments; schools; departments, etc. may also be listed as designations.

For more information visit the College’sestate and gift planning page at

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan or contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving,

directly at (315) 267-2123 or [email protected]

As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s


2000s

Stephanie Widrick ’00

launched an education-oriented business called Bricks 4 Kidz in Water-town, NY, in which chil-dren use the principles of STEM to complete Lego projects.

Gregory Walton ’01

(right) was honored with the 2014 Excellence in Teaching Award dur-ing the Massachusetts Association of 766 Ap-proved Private Schools’ annual conference. He has been a teacher for nearly 10 years at the Crossroads School in Natick, MA, which offers an educational program

for children with autism or “challenging behav-iors.” Walton has three children with his wife, Cynthia.

Phil Malone ’02 went back to school to learn solar installa-tion and has since partnered to establish EPC Solar, which installs solar pan-els on sales contracts or power purchase agree-ments.

The St. Lawrence County Arts Council named Suzy (Swift) McBroom ’02 & ’03 the new executive director. She has worked for SLC Arts for the past six years, and was previously the grants and education coordinator.

Staff Sgt. George Father ’03 performs on trombone in the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, which presents more than 150 performances each year throughout Nebraska and surrounding states.

The Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce promoted Denise (Ashley) Furnace ’03 to associate director in October 2014.

Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service market-ing communications firm, promoted Tracy (Gardner) Nhek ’03 of Liverpool, NY, to senior account manager.

In May 2014, Desiree LeBoeuf-Davis ’04 earned her doctorate in counseling psychology from the LouisianaTech University Col-lege of Education. She is currently an assistant professor of psychology at SUNY Canton.

John Peck ’04 received the Jeffersonian Award from Jefferson Commu-nity College, Watertown, NY, in August 2014. He serves as a Jefferson County legislator and is an eighth generation dairy farmer.

Patrick Farrand ’05 is the new grade 5-12 principal at Lisbon (NY) Central School, and was previously Massena Cen-tral School’s high school principal.

Sophia Hsia ’05 works as a teacher at Tech Valley High School in Rensselaer, NY, and plays piano at the Chinese Christian Church of Greater Albany.

Bradford Novak ’05 has self-published a new po-litical novel, “Appeal to a Higher Father,” available online.

Erin Cartwright ’06 was named the new direc-tor of the Patterson Library in Westfield, NY.

Alexander Lombard ’06 was featured in the Musi-

cal America 30 Profiles in Courage series for his work as the executive director and co-founder of the Lake George (NY) Music Festival.

In October 2014, James Murray ’06 displayed his sculptures at a solo art show at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. In October 2014, Jodie (Schoppmann) Rob-ertson ’06 celebrated her first marathon win in the women’s division at the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon, with an Olym-pic trial qualifying time of 2:34.21. The music teacher from Melville, NY, ran with her husband, Aaron ’02, throughout the race and finished sixth overall in just her third career marathon.

The Brantford Blast added Ryan McCarthy ’07 to their roster for the upcoming Ontario Hockey Association’s Senior League. He most recently played for the Mississippi Surge in the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Jessie Vallejo ’07 is an ethnomusicology graduate student at the University of California Los Angeles, where she received a grant to study the native Kichwa language in Ecuador. Jill Deno ’08 has been working for Hospice & Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley since 2010 and loves helping people.

Justin Glodich ’08 was accepted to present “Vocal Percussion in Contemporary Choral Music” at the 2015 Na-tional American Choral Directors Association Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.

In May 2014, Erica Sharpe ’08 graduated from Clarkson University with a Ph.D. in chemistry. In the fall she joined SUNY Canton as an assistant professor of chemistry.

CLASS notes

deadline for class notes

submissionsfor the fall 2015

issue is:May 11, 2015

Submit to:[email protected]

TELL US YOUR STORY!

Do you have a funny or significant story to share about your time at Potsdam? What is it about your Potsdam experience that made it memorable or special? Email us at [email protected]

Chris Lee ’04 plays professional hockey for the Metal-lurg Magnitogorsk’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia, where he spends up to 10 months of the year. He and his wife, Eileen, reside in Nashville, TN, with their son, Carter.


Clarkson University named Maureen (Cur-ley) Webster ’09 & ’13 as the new head coach for women’s basketball. Last year, she was the head coach at SUNY Delhi, and prior to that, served as an assistant coach at SUNY Potsdam for three years.

2010s

Laura Doe ’11 was named the director of the music school at Dutchess Commu-nity College. She has performed in more than 30 theatrical and operatic productions, and directed the school’s Summer Music Institutes for the past two years.

The Frederic Remington Art Muse-um added Kayli Harradine ’11 to its staff as a part-time

museum educational specialist.

In July 2014, Col. Michael Colburn (Hon. ’12) retired as the direc-tor of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band,and is now the direc-tor of bands at Butler University in Indianapo-lis, IN, where he will also provide instruction in conducting and eupho-nium.

Matthew Delaney ’12, owner of C-Clear Win-dow Cleaning in Clayton, NY, released his first book, “The Warrior Code,” and is a coach through his fitness brand, Warrior Within Fitness.

Scarborough, Ontario, native Todd Hosmer ’12 signed with the Wichita Thunder hockey team in August 2014, after spending the last two seasons with the Missis-sippi RiverKings.

In October 2014, the Bismarck Tribune added Karee Magee ’12 to its staff as a general as-signment reporter.

In November 2014, the Greenville Road Warriors professional hockey team, ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford WolfPack, announced that center Sy Nutkevitch ’12 signed a contract.

Caitlin Titus ’12 was awarded the Paceset-ter 40 award during the 134th annual meeting of financial representatives of Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, WI, in July 2014.

Becki (Ronen) Walenz ’12 was selected as the

winner of the national “I’m Miss Incredible” contest and was

featured in a music video with Mark Ballas, of “Dancing with the Stars.” Walenz is currently an instructor of trumpet at Kansas Sate University in Manhattan, KS, and works as an adjunct trumpet instructor at Kansas Wesleyan Univer-sity. She is the principal trumpet player with the Salina Symphony Orchestra.

The University of Scranton in Scranton, PA, appointed Whitney Boshart ’13 the women’s lacrosse assistant coach. She was previously the assistant coach at SUNY Oneonta.

Chris Chandler ’13 is an assistant director at Youth Advocate Pro-grams. “I would not have known the company even existed had it not been for my time at Potsdam,” he said. Yamaha Corporation of America Band & Orches-tral Division appointed Hallie Hugues ’14 as a marketing specialist. She joined Yamaha as an intern, where she conducted market and campaign research and supported digital mar-keting initiatives.

Dakota Pruiss ’14 joined the SUNY New Paltz women’s volleyball staff as an assistant coach.

Michael Vaughn ’14 graduated from the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Knox, KY. Upon successful completion of the course, ROTC program, and graduation from college, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve.

MARRIAGES

Pamela Ouimet ’88 mar-ried Mark Klosowski on September 20, 2014, in

Massena, NY. Pam is a copy-writer for the Oneida Indian

Nation and Mark is a lieutenant with the New

York State Police based out of North Syracuse. They currently reside in Liverpool, NY.

On May 31, 2014, Brenda Larkin ’91 married Pat-rick Cuty.

On October 4, 2014, Jacqueline Danis ’05 wed Casey Bill at the Bella-Brooke Vine-yard and Winery in Ham-mond, NY. The couple resides in Rensselaer Falls, NY.

Cara Tromans ’07 mar-ried Geoff Sherwood on May 24, 2014.

Jackie Bintz ’08 and Ian Shantie declared their

vows in a small cer-emony before a judge in Washington State Court on May 22, 2014.

Michael Niles ’09 and Kathryn Nawrot ’12 were mar-ried on July 12, 2014, at the Clar-ence Presbyterian Church. The couple took a honeymoon cruise and resides in Lowville, NY.

ANNIVERSARIES

Susan (San-ford) Kitto ’59 observed her 55th wedding

anniversary with her husband, Floyd (Clark-son ’59), on June 22, 2014. To celebrate, the couple took a trip to New Orleans and a 20-day trip to visit several national parks in the west in July, and visited friends in California in August.

Sandra (Williams) Dodge ’71 celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary with her husband, Richard, on April 19, 2014, with a family dinner at the Edgewood Resort in Alexandria Bay, NY, and then took a 12-day Mediterranean cruise in August. The couple has two children and one grandson.

Dale ’72 and Marie (No-wicki) Watkins ’87 cel-

ebrated their 50th wedding anniver-sary on June 27, 2014. The couple

has a daughter and two granddaughters.

Nancy (Kline) Mossing ’88 and her husband, John, noted their 50th wedding anniversary on August 8, 2014, and celebrated in July with a week-long trip to Topsail Island, NC, where the couple rented a beach house with children and grandchildren.

On August 27, 2014, Debra Widman-Daly ’91 and her husband, Larry, celebrated their 20th wedding anniver-sary. The couple has four children and resides in Cobleskill, NY.

CLASS notes


BIRTHS

Donald Grooms ’98 and his wife, Jennifer, are proud to an-nounce the birth of their daughter, Charlotte Evelyn, on July 6, 2014. She weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long.

Tesfa Alexander ’02 and

his wife, Teri, welcomed a son, Nour, on Septem-ber 5, 2014. He joins big brother, Nathaniel.

Hannah (Gruber) Creviston ’03 and

her husband, Chris, welcomed a daugh-ter, Tabitha Jolene, on September 23, 2014. She weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 19.25 inches long.

IN MEMORIAM

Virginia (Bennett) Waldron ’38

Thelma M. (Brown) Thomas ’39October 14, 2014

Jane (Mayo) Hughes ’40February 27, 2014

Susan “Bid” E. (Evans) Mashaw ’40July 2, 2014

Harry I. Phillips ’40 October 23, 2014

Evelyn (Dickie) Riehl ’42December 29, 2014

Robert “Bob” Van Valkenburgh ’42June 15, 2014

Pauline “Polly” (Jenkins) Harris ’44June 14, 2014

Bettye L. (Williams) Green ’46September 22, 2014 Joyce W. (Wright) Notter ’47May 19, 2014

Charles S. Barone ’51October 15, 2014

Eileen M. Chambers ’51October 22, 2014

Theresa (Vairo) Vosburgh ’52July 2014

Thomas H. Lonergan ’53February 18, 2013

Arnold M. Dunn ’56August 27, 2014

Rita M. (Galu) Bough ’58May 25, 2014

Marilee K. (Jones) Hickman ’59August 7, 2014

Burton E. Phillips ’59August 23, 2014

Betty J. (Ellis) Mallott ’61June 14, 2014

Mary Ann (Miller) Valaitis Whaley ’61July 29, 2014

Richard J. Schuyler Sr. ’62October 29, 2013

Priscilla (Vennard) Decker ’64April 2, 2010

Michael B. McDade ’64April 15, 2014

Alvin E. Watson ’64May 15, 2014

Frances “Hope” H. (Carey) Nejako ’65September 21, 2014

Frank J. Sacci ’66 June 10, 2014

Paul F. Manke ’68November 27, 2014

Lois E. Smith ’68May 23, 2014

Kathryn E. (Valachovic) Van Arnam ’69April 27, 2014

Fleur (Griffith) Miller ’70January 19, 2013 Michael G. Williams ’71January 13, 2014

Brenda L. (Wait) White ’73July 4, 2014

Timothy M. Long ’74May 14, 2014

Karen L. (Reeves) Sager ’74May 18, 2014

Sharon A. (Bresee) Foster ’75February 6, 2014

Randall “Randy” Lewis ’76June 18, 2014

Lawrence F. Anderson ’80 October 27, 2014

Diane J. Auretta ’81May 19, 2013

Andrew C. Hering ’85September 14, 2014

Cathy A. (Kyer) Hance ’86August 17, 2014

Darlene V. (Cullen) Amyot ’88October 25, 2014

Andrew J. Cowen ’93 August 18, 2014

Samantha J. Pickering ’09May 23, 2014

EMERITI & FRIENDS

Jane McAllister BoucheyJuly 27, 2014

Aletha M. Green, a cleaner, who retired in 1983.June 18, 2014

Jean (DeLand) HardyMay 27, 2014

Ruth H. Iogha, faculty emerita at The Crane School of Music, who retired in 1997. May 6, 2014

Elsie (Donnelly) Kristiansen, a longtime faculty member for the Department of English and Communications.

Mary Ellen (Greene) Reed, ac-companied on piano for Crane School of Music vocal

teachers and students. October 10, 2014

CLASS notes

President’s Clubdonors gave more than $2.8 million in gifts to the College last year! This small but mighty group of donors is taking the lead for Potsdam in a big way. Thank you for your loyal and generous support that provides life-changingopportunities for our students.

The President’s Club is a distinctive giving society that recognizes alumni and friends who give $1,000 or more during the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Learn more and join today by contacting the Donor Relations Office at (315) 267-2855 or [email protected].


ALUMNI opportunities

SavE tHE datESUNY Potsdam invites everyone to participate in the upcoming activities, all of which are on campus unless otherwise noted. For a complete listing of more than 350 on-campus activities, including specific dates, locations and registration/ticketing information (when applicable), visit potsdam.edu/events. General alumni questions may be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120 or [email protected].

SPRinG feSTivALMarch 27 to March 28This annual festival coordinated by student groups for the benefit of both students and the community, includes a week of events that culminates in a “block party.” Bring the family and enjoy the carnival of games, food, entertainment and giveaways. 21st Annual Pointercounts Invitational (April 10, 7:30 p.m., The Crane School of Music, Snell Music Theater)You won’t want to miss this fun-filled evening with Potsdam’s award-winning a cappella groups, including the Potsdam Pointercounts, Potsdam Pitches and A Sharp Arrangements, as well as a cappella groups from other colleges.

ROCk And fOSSiL fAiRApril 18, 9 a.m. to NoonJoin us at this annual family favorite for hands-on activities with rocks, minerals and fossils, as well as face painting, crafts, games and delicious homemade foods.

SuiCide AwAReneSS wALk May 2In collaboration with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, SUNY Pots-dam will host the fourth annual Suicide Awareness Walk. The community is invited to participate. For more information, call the College Counseling Center at (315) 267-2330 or email Gena Nelson at [email protected].

PReSidenTiAL inAuGuRATiOn Of dR. kRiSTin G. eSTeRBeRG April 24, 11:30 a.m., Hosmer HallJoin us for the Installation Ceremony of Dr. Esterberg as the 16th President of SUNY Potsdam. The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the lobby of the new Performing Arts Center. For a full schedule of inauguration activities, please visit www.potsdam.edu/inauguration.

LOuGheed-kOfOed (LOkO) feSTivAL Of The ARTS April 24 to May 3For ten days, the campus and community will experience a diverse array of both traditional and contemporary visual, written, musical, dance and theatrical per-formances and exhibitions. At SUNY Potsdam, we are not “loco” for the arts; we are LoKo for the arts! Don’t miss these exciting events:

• Hands-on workshops: aluminum casting, photograms and special effects make-up.• Performances: contemporary musical excerpts, senior choreography concert, children’s theatre and many more.• Artist lectures: sculptor John Van Alstine, Todd McGrain ’83 and ceramicist Margie Hughto.• Crane School of Music performance (May 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall): Featuring the Crane Symphony Orchestra and Crane Chorus, performing “A German Requiem” by Johannes Brahms, conducted by Joseph Flummerfelt, the 2015 Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor.

The full schedule and list of visiting artists can be found online at www.potsdam.edu/loko. “Like” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lokofestival.

COMMenCeMenT CeLeBRATiOnS May 15 to 17Graduation celebrations will begin with Party in the Plaza for the Class of 2015 on Friday, followed by the Master’s Commencement Ceremony on Saturday and the Bachelor’s Commencement Ceremony on Sunday.

new YORk CiTY ALuMni evenT May 21, 7 - 9 p.m., Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd St, NY, NY Performance by Crane School of Music Latin Ensemble, co-directed by Dr. Marsha Baxter and Dr. Peter McCoy, both associate professors of Music Education. Spoken word performance by Dr. Oscar Sarmiento, professor of Modern Languages. The Crane Latin Ensemble will also be performing from 9:30 p.m. to midnight and all are invited to stay.

ReuniOn weekend/POTSdAM ACAdeMY July 9 to 12Visit the center section of this magazine for a full schedule of events and registra-tion information.

2014 ALBAnY ALuMni evenT“dAY AT The RACeS”

SPRinG/SuMMeR 2015

SunY POTSdAM OnLine ALuMni diReCTORY iS AvAiLABLe!The Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer its online Alumni Directory via BearPaws.

The online directory is available for your use. Alumni must have a potsdam.edu email account to access the directory. If you do not have one, you may request an email account at www.potsdam.edu/alumni/services/email.cfm or by calling the Alumni Office at (315) 267-2120. Once you have your potsdam.edu email address, go to bearpaws.potsdam.edu and select “Alumni Services.” Tab through the various options to update your profile, find a classmate, make a gift or explore career opportunities. Questions about the directory may be directed to [email protected].


IN THEIR own words

“It is a prize that is hon-oring our memories. I

have to say that it is very exciting for me, being a

gay man of a certain age, to have these students understand what went

on during those years and start to investigate and

research it so that it is not forgotten. This is a tremen-

dous privilege that we’ve been given. Bless the

Pellicciotti Award and also The Crane School of Music for allowing us to do this.”

Pictured are SUNY Potsdam students Cameron Brownell ’16 as Rick Driscoll and Heather Ferlo ’16 as Susan Bollinger. a letter to east 11th street is an intimate opera that affirms, with wit and pathos, the enduring bonds of love as it charts the impact of the AIDS epidemic on two best friends—first in the early years of the disease and then ten years later. For more information about the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/events/pellicciotti.

Mark Campbell Pulitzer Prize Winning Librettist, Lyricist

Inaugural Pellicciotti Award Recipient 2014

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

to register and for more information, visit

www.potsdam.edu/alumni(315) 267-2120

7.9.15 - 7.12.15�eunion Wee�end 2015

�eunion Wee�end 2015Potsdam academy is in its second year as a part of reunion Weekend and will kick off the festivities.relive the student experience during a full day of exciting, hands-on arts and sciences classes

taught by suNy potsdam professors.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDVILLANTI

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Potsdam People - Spring 2015

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