THE MAGAZINE FOR SUNY FREDONIA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Transcription

SPRING 2011
THE MAGA ZINE FOR SUNY FREDONIA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
CHANGE
AGENT
Jeff Kelly, ’82, discovered chemistry at Fredonia.
Today, he’s discovering life-saving cures. See
how he is helping those with neurodegenerative
diseases – and how he’s giving back to the
campus which gave him his start.
CURTAIN CALL
Helen (Tinch) Williams, ’60, was honored by the
Hillman Memorial Music Association, while her
children – entertainment superstars Vanessa
Williams and Chris Williams – got a close-up look
at where their parents first met.
TRAIL BLAZER
Holly Koester, ’81, lost the use of her legs. But
she never lost her love of sports. Meet the first
person to complete a marathon in all 50 states
using a wheelchair.
GIVING…FOR GOODNESS SAKE
Jim and Yvonne Kaminski’s generosity results
in the largest endowed science scholarship fund
in the foundation’s history.
alumni.fredonia.edu
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We are pleased to announce that ALL SUNY Fredonia graduates can
now access their very own FREE fredonia.edu e-mail account. With
7 GB of storage, it’s a valuable new resource that will allow you to
stay better connected with alumni and friends, help set you apart
in your business communications, and show the pride you hold for your alma mater. To gain access
and get started, simply visit www.fredonia.edu/helpdesk/googleapps, and contact the Department of
Information Technology Services at (716) 673-3150 with any questions.
COLLEGE BEATS
9 | BUSINESS
Incubator clients beginning to tap into
student and faculty resources
10 | EDUCATION
College of Education is retooling teachers
to better serve English Language Learners
11 | ARTS AND SCIENCES
Physics Professor Erica Snow (left) lands
$200,000 grant from National Science Foundation
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16 | TRAIL BLAZER
In 1990, Holly Koester, ’81, lost the use of her legs. But she
never lost her passion for sports. See how this Blue Devil
became a Road Warrior – literally – as the first person
to complete a marathon in all 50 states using a wheelchair.
Brown Bag Lunch Series offers smorgasbord
to those thirsting for knowledge
3
20 | SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Dr. Ted Steinberg passes the Honors Program torch
after 22 years as its leader.
3 | CHANGE AGENT
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As an undergraduate, Jeff Kelly, ’82, discovered chemistry.
Today he’s discovering life-saving drug treatments. See
how he and his research team are helping those with
neurodegenerative diseases – and how he’s giving back
to the campus which gave him his start.
22 | GOING GREEN WITH GREATER GUESTS
Five guest speakers highlight a spring semester filled
with substantial sustainable initiatives
14 | STELLAR STUDENTS
26 | BROTHERS IN ARMS
Nick Gunner and Jud Heussler (right)
take Fredonia Radio Systems to whole
new frequency.
6 | CURTAIN CALL
Helen (Tinch) Williams, ’60, was honored by the Hillman Memorial
Music Association in November, while her children – entertainment
superstars Vanessa Williams and Chris Williams – watched
proudly, and got their first-ever look at their parents’ alma mater.
Col. Philip Smith (ret.), ’85, gave the keynote address at the
annual campus Veterans Day Ceremony, while brothers and
fellow alums David, ’74, and Glen, ’89, proudly looked on.
Dance team provides outlet for
students to lead and let loose.
33 | GIVING…FOR GOODNESS SAKE
Jim and Yvonne Kaminski wanted to one day help future
Fredonia scientists. That day came sooner than anyone
expected. Their generosity exceeded expectations as well.
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FREDONIA ALUMNI AND CAMPUS EVENTS CALENDAR
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Buffalo Young
Professional Reunion
(2000-10 grads)
Thursday, Jan. 20, 6 - 8 p.m.
(Cash bar)
Pearl Street Grill & Brewery
76 Pearl St., Buffalo, NY
$5/person
Register at alumni.fredonia.edu
Alumni Board Meeting
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 3:15 p.m.
Alumni House, 286 Central Ave.
Florida Reunion,
St. Augustine
Thursday, March 3
5 - 7 p.m. (Cash bar)
Location TBA
New York City Reunion
Thursday, April 7, 6 - 8 p.m.
Heartland Brewery
Times Square
127 W. 43rd St., New York, NY
$20/person
Fredonia College Foundation
Distinguished Service
Awards Dinner
Saturday, May 7, 6 p.m.
Williams Center
Class of 1961 Reunion
Saturday, June 11
Campus
Cleveland, Ohio Reunion
Date and Location, TBA
Wednesday, Aug. 10, 3:15 p.m.
Family Weekend
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Campus
Scholars Breakfast
(By Invitation)
Saturday, October 1, 9 a.m.
Steele Hall Arena
First Day of Classes
Monday, Jan. 24
Campus
ii
Los Angeles
Reunion Luncheon
Saturday, Feb. 19, noon
Sunset Tower Hotel
Tower Bar
8358 Sunset Blvd.,
W. Hollywood, CA
$25/person
Statement Fall 2010
Florida Reunion,
St. Petersburg
Saturday, March 5
5 - 7 p.m. (Cash bar)
Treasure Island Yacht Club,
Tiki Bar - poolside
400 Treasure Island Causeway,
Treasure Island, FL 33706
Educational Development
Program Reunion
April 29 - May 1
Campus
3rd Annual Albert A. Dunn
Day of Poetry and Prose
April 26, 2 - 5 p.m.
S104 Williams Center
Wednesday, May 11, 3:15 p.m.
Commencement
Saturday, May 14
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Campus
ADMISSIONS EVENTS
MONDAY, FEB. 21
Presidents’ Day Open House
To learn more about any of
SATURDAY, MARCH 5
Saturday Visit
these programs, please visit:
SATURDAY, APRIL 2
Admitted Student Reception
fredonia.edu/admissions/
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Freshmen and Transfer Saturday Visit
visiting.asp or call
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
June Preview Day
1-800-252-1212.
Homecoming 2011
October 21 - 23
Campus
Please check our Alumni
Portal regularly to learn
more as details are
confirmed and added!
alumni.fredonia.edu
alumni.fredonia.edu
1
COVER STORY
Dear Alumni and Friends,
We’re halfway through the 2010-11 academic year,
and things are as exciting as ever on campus, as students,
faculty and staff continue to make substantial differences
at every opportunity.
Construction initiatives continue to provide the most
visible signs of progress. Two new projects will begin
later this spring that will have a profound impact on the
campus community.
The first will be our $60 million Science Center, set to
break ground in May. This state-of-the art building is being
designed with input from some very successful alumni
(such as Dr. Jeffery Kelly, the subject of this issue’s cover
story). This new facility will not just improve the capacity
and aesthetics of our natural science departments; it will
markedly change the way science is taught at Fredonia,
with a cross-disciplinary, collaborative approach driving
everything we do, from faculty instruction and laboratory
research to field experiences and corporate/institutional
partnerships. Construction should be completed within
two years.
The long-awaited renovation of the Williams Center
will follow. The ground and second floors of the student union will be closed during the
2011-12 academic year, with temporary overflow space occurring in Dods Hall and in
modular units located in adjacent parking lots. However, the result will be a wonderfully
enhanced facility – with such new features as an outdoor patio and barbecue pavilion.
These projects continue the momentum we generated last year, which saw the opening
of the Technology Incubator in downtown Dunkirk (p. 9), the completion of the new
Campus and Community Children’s Center in August (p. 24), and the dedication of two
new Mason Hall rehearsal rooms – thanks to the generosity of Robert and Marilyn
Maytum – in October (back cover).
In addition, the Fredonia College Foundation’s Capital Campaign continues toward its
$15 million goal, with more than $13 million generated as of the close of 2010, and one
year left for the campaign. The generosity of alumni and friends allows us to attract higher
quality students and faculty, and enables more students to afford a Fredonia education.
Ironically, this fund-raising success and our strong construction program come at a
time of increasing financial difficulty for SUNY campuses. The repeated cuts in state
funding for day-to-day operations, coupled with the refusal by Albany lawmakers to
allow modest tuition increases or eliminate unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, has created
a very challenging operating environment. Some short-term relief was generated through
the SUNY-wide retirement incentive program, which on our campus resulted in 53
employees opting to bid us farewell. And while we wish them the best in their wellearned retirements, the resultant loss of “institutional memory” and the reduction in
our workforce create new and separate challenges. So far, a total of 41 full-time permanent
positions have been eliminated.
We are hopeful that a new Governor marks a new day for SUNY. We believe the state’s
current budgetary crisis will serve as an opportunity for SUNY to rise up and be the
economic development engine that will allow New York State to shine once again. Our
campus, and all of SUNY, will again be calling on Albany lawmakers to approve a nonpolitical approach to tuition, and will be requesting elimination of the many unnecessary
layers of bureaucracy that hinder and delay normal campus operations.
Your efforts are critical in the continuing health and progress of this campus. We
encourage you to contact state lawmakers, no matter where you live, and let them know
how critical it is to have a public higher education system that is properly funded and
capable of creating sustainable, well-paying jobs that will halt the outflow of residents
to other states. We ask for your help as SUNY Fredonia’s strongest ambassadors and
its most evident examples of success. Together, we can make a difference.
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Statement Spring 2011
Greg K. Gibbs, Ph.D.
President, Fredonia Alumni Association
ALUMNUS
EDITOR
Michael Barone
ASSISTANT EDITOR
KELLY
Lisa Eikenburg, APR
DESIGNER
Patty Herkey
PHOTOGR APHERS/CONTRIBUTING W RITERS
Roger Coda, Lori Deemer
CONTRIBUTING W RITERS
AMONG
FREDONIA’S TOP
Olivia Civiletto, Tracy Collingwood, Christine Davis
Mantai, Patricia Feraldi, Dr. Virginia Horvath, Victoria
Kazz, Jerry Reilly, Dr. David Tiffany
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Paula Warren
CLASS NOTES
Donna Venn
COLLEGE COUNCIL
CATALYSTS
Frank Pagano (Chair), Cynthia Ahlstrom, Michael Baker
(student member), Angelo Bennice, Michael Cerrie,
Russell Diethrick Jr., Dr. Robert Heichberger, JoAnn
Niebel and Carla Westerlund
FREDONIA COLLEGE FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Schiavone (Chair), Phillip Belena, Carol Boltz,
David Carnahan, Terry Clifton, Robert Coon, Shirley
Erbsmehl, Carla Giambrone, Dr. Greg Gibbs, Amos
Goodwine, Jr., Betty Catania Gossett, Walter Gotowka,
Brian Gusmano (student member), Dr. Dennis Hefner,
Richard Johnson, CPA; Deborah Kathman, Dr. Jeffery
Kelly, Jean Malinoski, David Mancuso, Cathy Marion,
Kurt Maytum, Judy Metzger, Michael Petsky, Daniel
Reininga, Dr. Susan Schall, Debra Horn Stachura, James
Stroud, Dr. David Tiffany, Dr. Jeffrey Wallace Sr.,
Thomas Waring Jr. and Henry (Mike) Williams IV.
Honorary Members: Dr. Rocco Doino, Gileen French,
Dr. Richard Gilman, Stan Lundine, Douglas Manly,
Robert Maytum, James Mintun Jr., Dr. J. Brien Murphy,
Edward Steele, Kenneth Strickler and Nancy Yocum.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Greg Gibbs (President), Eileen Star Batrouny, Jean
Blackmore, William Patrick Carlson, Diane Rzepkowski
Chodan, Betsy Dixon-Lang, Dr. David Fountaine, Dr.
Dennis Hefner, Debra Joy, Alexsandra Lopez, Emma Sharp
McFayden, Dennis McGrath, Esq.; Patrick Newell, Daniel
Parker, Kevin Porteus, Tammy Wilson Pryor, Robert J.
Smith, James Sturm, Dr. David Tiffany, Clifton Turner,
Dr. Sherryl Weems and Laura Bonomo Wrubel.
Published biannually by the Office of Public Relations at the State
University of New York at Fredonia, 272 Central Ave., Fredonia, NY
14063, (716) 673-3323. Periodical postage paid at Fredonia, NY and
at additional mailing offices. The Statement is mailed to alumni,
parents, graduate students, faculty and staff, and friends of the university.
Articles may be reprinted without permission.
Best regards,
Dennis L. Hefner, Ph.D.
President, SUNY Fredonia
CHEMISTRY
VOLUME 40, NO. 2, SPRING 2011
MANY TIMES IN SCIENCE, YOU START OUT LOOKING FOR “ A,” BUT YOU END UP FINDING “X.”
That’s the advice Dr. Jeffery Kelly gave to a young biochemistry
student during his Homecoming Weekend visit to campus this
past fall. He said this not only because it’s what he’s personally
experienced throughout his career – it’s how he found himself in
that career in the first place.
Jeff Kelly came to SUNY Fredonia as an aspiring engineer from
his home town of Medina, N.Y., in the fall of 1978, intending to
be a part of a “3-2 program” that would afford him three years at
SUNY Fredonia and another two at a partner institution. Like many
students, however, his plans changed after he gained some new
experiences and was influenced by some key faculty along the way.
“I wound up working with [Chemistry] Professor Tom Harris,”
Dr. Kelly recalls, “and I began to realize that my research was really
what I was drawn to, where I was developing a passion.”
The word “passion” is an understatement – if that’s possible –
for this Class of 1982 alumnus whose career reached a new high
in recent years. Kelly led a team in the discovery of a drug that
cures a rare amyloid disease, within a class of diseases that includes
Alzheimer’s. The drug is so full of potential that, in 2010, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer acquired FoldRx, the company Kelly cofounded. This new drug, Tafamidis, is the culmination of a series
of investigations that began in 1987, when Kelly was a postdoctoral
fellow at The Rockefeller University. It is the result of decades
of observations, trials and errors, frustrations and jubilations.
And for the 8,000 individuals worldwide who are afflicted with
Transthyretin Amyloidosis (TTR), an organ-debilitating disease
that eventually proves fatal, it is the miracle they have been waiting
for, and a second chance at life.
Clearly, Kelly’s path has seen many turns as he’s gone from a
young Western New Yorker hoping to find his calling to the Vice
President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies of the
Kellogg School of Science and Technology at The Scripps Research
Institute in La Jolla, Calif. His journey, however, has been as
satisfying for him as the actual results he’s produced along the way.
“That’s been a theme of my life. That’s come up again and again,”
Kelly agrees. “I think it’s one of the most amazing things about
science. If you are really good at making observations, you can
often turn lemons into lemonade.”
The “lemons” in Jeff’s case was a general interest in how beta
sheet proteins fold. As he was reading some literature, he came
across transthyretin, a protein which caused a mysterious disease,
and he realized that the studies he was involved in had revealed an
idea about how this disease might occur. He later would “accidentally
observe,” while pursuing a different series of experiments, that in
order for the proteins to aggregate (cause the disease), they would
have to surmount a very high activation barrier.
Where Success is a Tradition
alumni.fredonia.edu
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COVER STORY
“We realized there was a small molecule binding site that wasn’t
utilized, and so we took advantage of that and made a drug
(Tafamidis) that increases the activation barrier,” Kelly says. “We
made a series of observations that took us light years beyond what
we originally envisioned the answer would be.”
Best of all, this discovery has the potential to be the proverbial
tip of the iceberg, due to the similarities between TTR and many
other more prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, which means this
research could possibly benefit the lives of millions.
“We’re really passionate about trying to understand diseases
like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s,” Kelly says,
“but in order to accomplish that, we have to understand more
about those diseases, so our research has both a biological and
a chemical component.”
Jeff and his team are now focused on developing a few smallmolecule drugs which activate specific pathways that protect
against many neurodegenerative diseases, and they’re starting by
looking at the mechanisms that protect people while they’re young.
“The biggest risk factor for these diseases is aging,” Kelly explains.
“We now know something about the genetics of aging and the
pathways that change. There is reason to believe that we can not
only make people live longer, but make their so-called health
span longer as well, so that people could live to, say, 95 without
developing dementia.”
This new approach represents somewhat of a shift in the scientific
approach he and his colleagues at Scripps and FoldRx have taken
historically. “Heretofore, we’ve made small molecules that target
COVER STORY
a specific protein and prevent their aggregation,” he adds. “There
are over 100 proteins whose aggregation leads to neurodegeneration,
and I don’t have enough time left in my life to go after all of those.
So we’re taking a more generic strategy. It’s a bit of a gamble, but
I think it’s going to work.”
Despite his demanding career – and that he now lives on the
opposite side of the country – Jeff has maintained a very strong
bond with his alma mater. He comes back regularly to speak with
students, visit with faculty, and assist in the growth of the campus.
He has been a member of the board of the Fredonia College
Foundation since 2008. More recently he was named to the Natural
Sciences Advisory Council, a select group of alumni who are
providing valuable insights in the planning and design of SUNY
Fredonia’s new Science Center, set to break ground in May.
“Fundamentally, I enjoy it. I enjoy being here,” Jeff admits.
“I guess it’s also a sense of obligation. A couple of people here made
a huge difference in my life and enabled my career – and I would
say enabled the discovery of Tafamidis and the training of almost
100 graduate students now. So I guess if I can impart a little bit of
wisdom on aspiring students and motivate them to do things they
might not think about, then maybe that will do some good.”
The two people Kelly credits are Dr. Philip Kumler, whom
Jeff says taught him organic chemistry “in such a way as to make
it really interesting,” and Dr. Harris, his undergraduate research
advisor, who helped Kelly understand the practical aspects of science
observation and the exciting parts about discovery.
But Jeff is imparting more than just wisdom to his alma mater.
In addition to providing guidance for the new $60 million Science
Center, he’s given the college a substantial financial gift as well.
His generosity will help the Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry fund new scholarships and equipment to complement
the state-of-the-art facility set to open in two years.
“My motivation for making a gift to Fredonia was two-fold: to
honor my family, who made my education possible, and to provide
a yearly scholarship for a chemistry or biology student who is
passionate about making the world a better place to live in the
future,” he said.
Upon reflection, Kelly has seen just how perfect a fit Fredonia was
for him to launch his career. Although he went on to earn his doctoral
degree at the University of North Carolina, and was a faculty
member at Texas A&M University – institutions much larger than
Fredonia – he believes the smaller size and more personal approach
he found in Houghton Hall was the difference maker in his life.
“For me, it was invaluable that I started learning about science
here,” he says. “There are a lot more one-on-one interactions.
I didn’t have a particularly strong training in science as a high
school student, so I had a lot of catching up to do. The dedication
of the faculty here enabled me to [learn more].”
He also recognizes that Fredonia is special, in terms of the
significant research opportunities for undergraduates; at many
schools, those are reserved for graduate students.
“Fredonia…gives you the opportunity to work with people in
their labs, trying to solve real problems,” he explains. “That’s how you
ultimately learn real science, by innovating and being creative and
understanding that what you were taught yesterday isn’t really true.
It’s mostly true, but science is never absolute. I thought Fredonia
was particularly good at that, preparing you to solve real-world
problems as opposed to an education that is largely philosophical.”
Fredonia also instilled in Kelly how important teaching is to
science research, a tenet which some larger research institutions
don’t always follow.
“I view teaching and research as inextricably linked,” Kelly
advises. “If you’re going to have a robust and scholarly research
activity, you have to take teaching seriously. You need to know the
background material to realize that, if your experiment doesn’t go
as intended, you may have actually discovered something far more
interesting than what you had envisioned.”
Despite the demanding lifestyle he has chosen, Kelly is quick to
point out the importance of achieving balance in one’s life. He tells
students that they can be serious scientists and still have time for
outside activities and family.
“People who are good at time management can have it all,” he
assures. “People who aren’t so good at it…their vocation tends to
dominate their life. I personally like to have a little diversity in my
life, so I try to get better at it all the time.”
And what does he do with his free time? Don’t let the white lab
coat fool you.
“I enjoy racing Porsches,” he admits with a grin. “It’s completely
the opposite of what I do every day.”
Then again, in the race to find treatments for devastating
neurodegenerative diseases, a little speed is surely an asset.
“My motivation for making a gift
to Fredonia was two-fold: to honor
my family, who made my education
possible, and to provide a yearly
scholarship for a chemistry or biology
student who is passionate about
making the world a better place to
live in the future.”
TRANSTHYRETIN PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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alumni.fredonia.edu
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HELEN (TINCH) WILLIAMS
Helen (Tinch) Williams, Hillman Opera pioneer, honored
Once she arrived, she wasted no time before getting involved and
making the most of her education, becoming the only freshman
accepted into the College Choir.
“I eventually was president of almost everything, it seemed,” she
laughed. “The opera – which then was called, ‘Words and Music;’
the College Choir; the Festival Chorus; and I had the lead role in
“Amahl and the Night Visitors.”
Her decision to audition for the College Choir as a freshman
would prove most significant, because she was introduced to the
professor who would make the biggest impact upon her.
“That’s where I first encountered Dr. Richard Sheil,” she
explained. “He was very influential. Just by observing him,
I learned so many teaching skills, especially choral skills, which
I used throughout my career.”
Vanessa became the first African American to be crowned
Miss America. Since then she has continued to reinvent and
broaden her talents, going from a chart-topping singer, to
starring on Broadway, to becoming an accomplished actress.
Recently, she has starred in such hit TV series as “Ugly Betty”
and, currently, “Desperate Housewives.” She has won or been
nominated for Grammy, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
In 2007, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In short, she is one of the most sought-after and multifaceted
performers in the entertainment business today.
Chris, an actor and comedian, has had a very successful career
in his own right. A quick rundown of his credits include roles in
such hit TV shows as “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “CSI Miami,”
“Californication,” and “Weeds.” He has also been in movies like
the hit comedy “Dodgeball,” “The Joneses” and “World’s Fastest
JOINING HELEN FOR THIS MEMORABLE EVENING WERE, FROM
LEFT, ACTRESS AND SINGER VANESSA WILLIAMS, HER DAUGHTER;
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN CHRIS WILLIAMS, HER SON; AND IRIS
WILLIAMS, HER NIECE.
SUNY Fredonia and the Hillman Memorial Music
Association honored retired music teacher Helen
(Tinch) Williams,’60, on Nov. 12, prior to the
performance of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” This year’s
Hillman Opera – a Fredonia tradition which
began during Mrs.Williams’ freshman year in
1956 – featured more than 140 of the campus’
top performing arts students.
In 1956, Helen Williams came to what was known as Fredonia
State Teachers College…back when she was known as Helen
Tinch. She would soon become one of the campus’ most visible
and impactful student leaders by a variety of measures. Among
those are the roles she held in the college’s famous Hillman
Opera, which has run continuously at Fredonia since 1956 –
Mrs. Williams’ freshman year.
In November, the now-retired elementary music teacher and
mother of Vanessa and Chris Williams – two of the nation’s
most successful entertainers – found herself in the pioneer’s role
once again. She was honored by the Hillman Memorial Music
Association and SUNY Fredonia in King Concert Hall – with
both of her children present, as well as her niece, Iris – before a
performance of the “The Tales of Hoffmann,” this year’s Hillman
Opera. Mrs. Williams was given the Jessie Hillman Award for
Excellence, the latest in a lifetime of distinctions for her and her
family that have often defied obstacles and distinguished them
from the pack.
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Statement Spring
Fall 2010
2011
Having excelled academically as a child, she was able to skip
seventh grade. That led Miss Tinch to arrive on campus as a
16-year-old freshman. She was not only the youngest person
at Fredonia that year, she was also one of a very few African
Americans during the early days of the civil rights movement.
Not that any of that mattered to her.
“From the first day that I got here, I felt very comfortable,”
Mrs. Williams recalled. “I found that the teachers didn’t treat me
any differently because of my race or age. I didn’t feel as though
any of that was a handicap. I didn’t even think of it.”
What she did think about was becoming a music teacher, a
goal she had set long before she stepped foot into Mason Hall.
That, together with the college’s strong reputation in music,
made Fredonia the right choice.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and [Fredonia’s] location was
certainly convenient,” the Buffalo, N.Y., native said. “I had also
earned some scholarships, and Fredonia had an excellent music
program, which made it very attractive.”
Dr. Sheil, now 92 years old, was among the
guests during a lunch held for Mrs. Williams during
her visit.
She also fondly remembers Dr. Lawrence Seigel,
her vocal instructor who taught her a great many
vocal techniques. However, as important as these two
professors were, another man would soon make an
even bigger impression.
Milton A. Williams Jr. was an instrumental major,
whom she recalls meeting on campus one day as they
were passing by each other down a hallway.
“We just sort of made eye contact,” she said, but
there was clearly something about him that she
liked. There were a couple of intimidating things
about him too, including the fact that he was a
senior, and that his Long Island home “seemed like it was on the
other end of the world” from the Hickory Street neighborhood in
downtown Buffalo where she was raised. Nonetheless, they began
to date, seeing a fair amount of each other that first year.
“We married after I graduated, Aug. 20, 1960,” said Helen,
rattling off the date without a moment’s hesitation. “In the
meantime, he did his military service and got his master’s degree
while he was waiting for me to finish at Fredonia.”
After she graduated, they moved downstate to Westchester County
and each began lifelong careers as elementary music teachers, albeit
in different districts, which Helen believes strengthened both their
own relationship as well as their skills as parents.
“We each had very separate interests, musically, and that continued
through our marriage,” she said. “I think that translated through
to our kids, who were exposed to a lot of musical diversity – jazz,
Broadway, theater, pop, as well as the classics – in our household.”
Apparently that worked out pretty well, given the careers her
children have developed.
Indian.” He also has voice credits in numerous video games and
commercials, and has had a recurring role on “The Late Show with
David Letterman,” including an appearance the Monday following
his visit to campus – during which he wore a Fredonia t-shirt.
How is it that two elementary school music teachers who got
their start in Fredonia, N.Y., would produce two children that
could go on to have such successful, high-profile careers?
“They just followed their dreams, and we supported them,”
Helen explained. “We did require them in fourth grade to select
an instrument. Vanessa picked the French horn, and Chris, with a
little nudging from his dad, chose the oboe.” He eventually added
the sax. Both children had to play their instruments until high
school graduation, a family tradition that Vanessa has continued
with all four of her children.
Vanessa and Chris were also involved in high school theater
productions as well as summer community theaters, but that was
pretty much it. Nothing fancy. No big plan. Just a home filled
with love and discipline, responsibility and respect.
alumni.fredonia.edu
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COLLEGE BEATS | SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Vanessa agreed, as she said during a press conference held on
campus prior to the opera, “Work is one thing, but when you’re
confident and know that you’re…valuable as a person, that’s 90% of
living and feeling satisfied. We have a great foundation because our
parents made us feel that we were worth something. I’m proud to
be a part of the legacy that they created and we continue to create.”
“They are both talented, hard-workers, and focused, and –
together with some lucky breaks – they have developed very
successful careers,” Helen added. “Talent can be fostered, but you
have to couple that with discipline and focus. It’s something that
you can’t really teach, but you can encourage it when you recognize
it within someone.”
She believes that both she and Milton instilled a strong work
ethic in their children, which the two Fredonians developed in
themselves while they were students.
“My husband had many jobs on campus, and I was a house mother
[a resident hall assistant],” Williams said. “You learn how to interact
MRS. WILLIAMS WAS
JOINED FOR LUNCH BY
DR. RICHARD SHEIL –
NOW 92 – HER FORMER
VOCAL PROFESSOR
WHOM SHE CREDITS
AS HAVING THE GREATEST
PROFESSIONAL INFLUENCE
ON HER CAREER.
with people [when you work], what their needs are, how to be
sensitive to things that were affecting them, and that really helped
us in preparing how to deal with our kids and our students.”
They also prepared them for disappointment, which is an
especially good skill for actors who often find that the parts they
do not get far outnumber the ones they do.
“You have to help them be satisfied in knowing that they have
done their best – even if their best doesn’t get them to where they
want to be at that time,” she instructed.
The visit to his parents’ alma mater helped Chris even better
understand how much of an impact his mother had on him and his
sister. “I can definitely see where it all comes from,” he said. “To see
her in her element, where she formed herself as a young educator, it
really gives me a sense – another dimension – of who she is and how
much this place has influenced her, and in turn, influenced us.”
Despite all of the success her children have found, Helen insists
that she and her husband enjoyed, and were every bit as proud of,
their own lives’ work as they are of their children’s.
“We both loved our jobs,” Helen regaled. “We loved teaching and
have no regrets. The things I enjoy hearing the most are when our
former students tell us they really appreciate the discipline that we
taught them. The kids knew we were tough, but fair, and they knew
that we respected them.”
8
“They taught so many kids,” Vanessa marveled. “To this day,
their students come up to me and say my parents not only taught
them, but changed their lives.”
Sadly, the Williams family lost their beloved Milton in early
2006, at age 70, when he was inflicted with a sudden pancreatic
infection while he and Helen were vacationing in the Bahamas.
He died just two days later, with his wife, children and grandchildren
by his side. Milton weighed heavily on Helen’s mind as she returned
to campus, but she knew he was there in spirit.
“I know my husband would be delighted and proud to know that
I received this award,” Helen said fondly. “After a 45-year marriage,
parenting two great kids who have remarkable careers in the arts,
and the nearly four decades through which we shared our rewarding
teaching careers, it’s hard to believe it all began when I met this cute
guy my freshman year at Fredonia.”
Since Milton’s death, Helen’s involvement on campus has
steadily grown. She came back in 2008 to see firsthand the many
enhancements made to the School of Music in recent years, and
visit with Dr. Sheil and friends from the Class of 1960. She also met
that year’s recipient of a scholarship established by Gileen Widmer
French in memory of her mother, Francella Pattyson Widmer, a
Hillman Memorial Music Association board member and longstanding treasurer of the volunteer organization. Mrs. French knew
of her mother’s admiration for Helen’s talent and determination as a
young student and used Helen as a model in developing the criteria
for the recipients of her mother’s memorial scholarship.
“It really gives you pause and reminds you that you always want to
put your best foot forward, because you never know who is watching,”
Helen said. “I am very grateful to be involved and to have been
asked to play a role in establishing the criteria for this scholarship.”
Her selection by the Hillman Opera board for the Jessie
Hillman Award is no coincidence, as Mrs. Widmer happened to
be the sister-in-law to Robert Coon, ’50, Fredonia’s one-time
Vice President for Student Affairs and now President of the
Hillman board.
“This award honors a dedicated and respected musician or educator
who has demonstrated a passion for teaching or performance,”
Mr. Coon explained. “The Hillman board views Helen as a person
who is serving as a community force in the advancement and
appreciation of music. Francella recognized all of these qualities
in Helen. We are honored to be able to present Helen with this
prestigious recognition.”
Helen also returned last June to celebrate her 50-year reunion as
a member of the Class of 1960. She enjoyed a wonderful weekend
with many of her closest friends and classmates. Having also taught
as an adjunct professor for three years at Manhattanville College in
Purchase, N.Y., Helen admits she really enjoys the feeling she gets
on a college campus.
“You know, I love the spirit I feel on campus,” she said. “When I
taught at Manhattanville after I retired, just walking on a campus,
there is a certain surge of energy you experience as the students
focus on their careers, and I find that very stimulating.”
Considering she spent more than 40 years stimulating the artistic
minds of thousands, the Hillman Memorial Music Association and
SUNY Fredonia were more than happy to return the favor.
Incubator tenants finding students lead to success
SELLINGHIVE CO-FOUNDER BOB RICHARDSON, A TENANT IN THE SUNY FREDONIA
TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR, ADDRESSES A ROOM FULL OF POTENTIAL STUDENT
INTERNS AT A RECENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE EVENT. THE COMPANY
PLANS TO HIRE NUMEROUS INTERNS IN THE SPRING SEMESTER AND AS MANY
AS EIGHT FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES – MANY OF WHOM MIGHT BE RECENT FREDONIA
GRADUATES – WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR.
SellingHive is a start-up social networking company that provides
custom-designed toolsets for businesses to increase sales. TexTivia
is a young company that uses text messaging to connect businesses
with small marketing budgets to current and potential customers.
The two companies have a great deal in common. For starters,
both are using the Internet and its relationship-building powers to
create networks that extend far beyond their Western New York
headquarters. Both are also among the now 11 tenants that have
signed on with the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator less than
one year after it opened its doors. And both chose to launch their
businesses in Northern Chautauqua County because of one key
reason: SUNY Fredonia.
“The companies are recognizing what the campus has to offer,”
said School of Business Dean Russell Boisjoly. “They are seeing
that not only do our faculty members offer valuable knowledge
and research avenues, but our students offer tremendous potential
to them as interns and potential new hires.”
That potential is rapidly becoming a reality as students have
begun interning for many incubator clients. SellingHive worked
with three student interns during the fall semester, a number which
is increasing to as many as 10 in the spring. TexTivia will be adding
12 new interns, including seven for sales positions, two in product
development, and one each in public relations, graphic design, and
accounting. Another nine will be working with other incubator
clients or the facility itself. The vast majority of these will come
from majors or minors within the School of Business.
At present, SellingHive offers three internships. Those in website
development and project management assist in creating and testing
new web applications; research interns focus on the international
front by gathering information on foreign countries and writing
business plans; and “evangelist” interns (using Silicon Valley lingo)
give presentations about the company to the community and
potential clients.
In fact, SellingHive’s founders chose SUNY Fredonia over Silicon
Valley, home of many of the world’s largest high-tech companies,
because of the advantages of working closely with Fredonia’s faculty,
administration and students.
“We felt like we needed to cultivate students who we could hire
and employ in our business who were both intimately familiar
with social networking and had grown up with social networking,
text messaging and smart phones,” SellingHive Co-founder Bob
Richardson explained. “We are going to really work with them to
teach them our business while they are still students. Then, once
they graduate, they can potentially become employees and be
further integrated into the way we grow our company.”
SUNY Fredonia’s commitment to SellingHive was far greater
than what was offered by other educational institutions connected
to incubators, according to Richardson. The firm’s ability to meet
significant research challenges will be enhanced by the university
affiliation, while some data collected may also prove beneficial to
SUNY Fredonia faculty and programs.
“We’ve gotten a very high level of support from the campus
community for what we’re trying to do,” Richardson added.
Being situated in a building comprised solely of start-ups positions
SellingHive and TexTivia shoulder-to-shoulder with other young
businesses that could readily benefit from the services each provides.
Likewise, the companies can tweak their own business models based
on experiences with fellow incubator startups.
“We absolutely love what these guys are planning,” Incubator
Director Bob Fritzinger said of both SellingHive and TexTivia.
“Right now they appear to be among the most aggressive companies
in the incubator, and it’s up to us as a facility, a university and
a business region to support them. The opportunities for our
students, in particular, are remarkable.”
“The anticipation throughout the School of Business is very
high,” Dr. Boisjoly added, regarding the developing relationships.
“These real-world, hands-on opportunities are giving current
students and faculty extremely worthwhile experiences. Plus, they’re
positioning Fredonia very nicely in the minds of potential new
student and faculty recruits.”
THE 34TH ANNUAL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD DINNER AND PRESENTATION IS SLATED FOR TUESDAY,
MARCH 29, AT 6:30 P.M., IN THE WILLIAMS CENTER MULTIPURPOSE ROOM.
The tradition was started by the Business Club of SUNY Fredonia to recognize an outstanding member of the Dunkirk and Fredonia business community.
Recipients are chosen based on their community involvement, business ethics, innovations in business, concern for employees, contribution to the growth of
business and other personal attributes that set them apart. SUNY Fredonia Vice President for Administration Tracy Bennett was the 2010 award recipient.
For more information, contact Matthew Reiners at rein5372@fredonia.edu or by phone at (716) 673-3402.
alumni.fredonia.edu
9
COLLEGE BEATS | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
COLLEGE BEATS | ARTS AND SCIENCES
Intensive Teacher Institute re-tools teachers for fastest-growing
segment of public schools: English Language Learners
Children who come to America without
knowing English are the fastest-growing segment
of the public school population, and the College
of Education at SUNY Fredonia is preparing
teachers who can meet their unique needs.
The need to make sure these children become
literate and lingual in English, yet still learn
math and science on pace with their peers, has
caused educators and policy makers to come
up with a variety of strategies for teaching
this population, known as English Language
Learners (ELLs).
At SUNY Fredonia, the Intensive Teacher
Institute (ITI) is designed to enable certified
classroom teachers to increase their skills so
they can serve the growing number of ELLs,
DR. KATE MAHONEY
who will comprise about 25% of the classroom
population in the U.S. by 2025.
The major peril facing these children is that of failure over
the long term, e.g., poor academic achievement, dropping out
of school, low-paying jobs and low self esteem. All of that can
be avoided if teachers and classrooms take the right approach to
the problem, Kate Mahoney, program coordinator for Fredonia’s
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and
ITI programs, said.
“Research shows that it takes four to eight years to learn a second
language at an academic level,” she explained. “So kids who are
learning content only in English can go for years without fully
participating in what’s going on in math and science.” To avoid that,
the teacher needs to use, or enable the use of, the student’s primary
language as a support.
Research by Dr. Mahoney and colleagues has shown that children
do better at learning English if their primary language is also used
to teach other subjects. “For example, children who enter school
speaking Spanish learn English and other subjects better if they are
taught bilingually. This may seem counterintuitive, but there is a lot
of empirical evidence to support it,” she said.
Immersing children into a strict, English-only classroom may
have dire results. Thus, Mahoney advises teachers and administrators
to use the child’s primary language as a helper.
“A lot of people think English-only means no
other language, but it doesn’t,” she explained.
“Students should be supported in their
English-only classrooms by their primary
language. It’s a good strategy.” This can
come in the form of help from parents,
other bilingual students, translators, and a
general welcoming approach to the child’s
primary language.
Mahoney’s research and that of many others
has sought to determine the best way to teach
ELLs. “We pulled together studies from 15
years and showed that the best success stories
came from the bilingual education programs,”
she said. In bilingual (or dual language)
programs, children are taught literacy and
content in two languages — usually English
and their primary language. In the end, they are bilingual.
“The students who achieved the least were those who went into
programs that were English only,” Mahoney said. “These often had
minimal, if any, primary language support.”
Besides the academic boost, the bilingual approach brings huge
benefits to the child in other ways. “They feel more welcomed and
valued, and there’s a self esteem or self efficacy factor that directly
correlates to academic achievement,” Mahoney added.
The College of Education created the ITI program several years
ago in the Department of Language, Learning and Leadership, but
the Bilingual Extension track is new this year. It prepares teachers
who can speak two languages to teach content and literacy. The
bilingual teacher is proficient in the target language and in English,
and uses both in the classroom.
The other two ITI programs are designed for teaching ELLs with
and without special needs. Fredonia’s ITI students – in this case, all
practicing teachers who are New York State certified, and most of
whom already have a master’s degree – attend classes once a week and
take two courses in the summer, to finish the program in a year.
The program is a collaborative effort with the New York State
Education Department. Tuition assistance is provided through a state
grant. Go to www.fredonia.edu/coe or contact Dr. Mahoney at
(716) 673-4653 or Mahoney@fredonia.edu to learn how to apply.
Physics Professor Snow wins $200K NSF grant
to study hydrogen, involve students
Dr. Erica L. Snow of the SUNY Fredonia Department of Physics
was awarded a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
(NSF) to support her research in studying basic properties of the
hydrogen molecule.
The grant will fund equipment purchases and salaries for undergraduate research students for three years. Dr. Snow’s proposal was
one of 24 selected for funding out of approximately 100 submitted
to the Atomic and Molecular Division of the NSF for consideration.
Students working with Dr. Snow this year include Cody Chambers,
a Physics major from Hector, N.Y., and Jarod Grosso, a Geophysics/
Cooperative Engineering major from Endwell, N.Y.
According to Snow, the grant “recognizes the excellent potential of
both the faculty and the undergraduate students’ ability to perform
relevant and interesting research at a high level.”
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences John Kijinski noted,
“Dr. Snow’s NFS grant is great news for a number of reasons.
Of course, the fact that it will contribute to an important field of
knowledge is wonderful. But along with that, it will allow Fredonia
students to engage in high-power, original research. This is a great
example of how research endeavors on the part of faculty can lead to
unique and rich educational opportunities for our students.”
Snow noted that precise measurements obtained in the research
program will provide additional information to test the current
theories and expand knowledge of the hydrogen molecule, one of
the simplest systems and therefore an excellent test ground and
springboard to larger and more complicated systems.
The study will test current quantum mechanical theories of
molecules which reach into several areas of physics and chemistry.
Snow added that hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe,
has a lot of relevance in astrophysical studies, and that it is important
to have precise information obtained in ground-based experiments
in order to correctly analyze astrophysical data.
GUANGYU TAN, PH.D.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
SUNY Fredonia’s College of Education welcomed Dr. Guangyu Tan to its faculty ranks this past fall. Dr. Tan holds a Ph.D.
in Cultural Foundations of Education from Kent State University. She has taught as a Diversity Teaching Fellow in the
Department of Adolescence Education at Canisius College, and her primary research interest is equity in education,
including the study of migrant children’s education and the education of young girls in China. As a first generation Chinese
American, Dr. Tan is also interested in ethnic identity formation among immigrant children; international/intercultural
education; and comparative education. Her doctoral dissertation explored the role an ethnic Chinese community plays in
explaining academic achievement and identity formation among first and second generation Chinese American youths.
10
DR. SNOW WITH (FROM LEFT) JEROD GROSSO AND CODY CHAMBERS ASSEMBLING
A NEW DETECTOR. THE LARGE CYLINDER IS THE HIGH VACUUM CHAMBER THAT
THE DETECTOR IS HOUSED IN. DR. SNOW IS HOLDING THE PIECE OF THE DETECTOR
SET-UP THAT RIPS AN ELECTRON OFF A SIGNAL BEAM.
For the molecules in the
research study, one of the electrons
is in its ground state and best
pictured as zipping around in
somewhat of a figure eight form
around the two protons. However,
a second electron will be in
a high-angular momentum
“Rydberg state,” a highly excited
energy state of an electron attached
to an atom or molecule. The
study involve finding just how
much energy is needed to shift
the highly excited nearly circular
path of the outer electron to an
DR. ERICA L. SNOW
even more excited state.
Snow noted that energy can be added (or removed) from an atom
or molecule in a variety of ways. One way is by using laser light,
where the frequency, or color, of the light depends on its energy. Her
research will use both a carbon dioxide (CO2 ) laser and microwave
energy to cause transitions between excited states. The laser light is
intersected with a beam of extremely fast moving hydrogen molecules,
all of which must take place under high vacuum, where the atmosphere
is pumped out so that the molecules do not collide with anything else.
Several transitions between excited states can be caused by using
different frequencies of a CO2 laser and different intersection angles
between the laser and the fast molecular beam. The different intersection angles take advantage of the Doppler Effect. A common
example of this effect occurs when one hears a higher pitched sound
from a fire truck siren that is approaching, compared to when it is
stationary. Similarly, the beam of molecules experiences a higher
frequency (or energy) when the laser is coming in, and they “collide”
more head on than from the side or behind. A special detection
system is used to decipher when a transition occurred.
Once a fine structure pattern is obtained through measurements,
Snow noted, the information can tell quite a bit about how the parts
making up the molecule interact with each other.
Department Chair Michael Grady noted, “Dr. Snow’s grant will
allow her to perform sophisticated experiments which are truly
cutting edge. Her research provides an almost perfect training
ground for students, in that it involves a lot of different fields of
physics and various technologies – lasers, optics, vacuum techniques,
high-voltage electronics, particle accelerators and detectors, and
quantum theory.”
Snow said that the scope of the funding goes beyond scientific
research, providing opportunities for students and community
members to be exposed to and excited about physics research.
Contact Snow via e-mail at Erica.Snow@fredonia.edu to learn more
about her research.
alumni.fredonia.edu
11
COLLEGE BEATS | ARTS AND SCIENCES
SPRING PREVIEW | EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES
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With the delectable theme, “Cultivating Creativity, Embracing
Innovation,” this year’s College of Arts and Humanities Brown Bag
Lectures – served every month – is prompting more students to
pack one of these fascinating lunchtime presentations into their
busy schedules.
“This year we’ve worked very hard to incorporate students;
there have been students and alumni at every single event featured
as presenters,” said English Professor Natalie Gerber, who directs
the series with Communication’s Dr. Laura Johnson and Visual
Arts and New Media’s Dr. Michele Bernatz.
Over 50 students attended each of the three fall presentations
and nearly 70 gathered at Bartlett Theatre to learn how social
media can create new bonds with audiences.
The 2010-11 Brown Bag series was aligned with the
Convocation theme, “Faces and Phases of Creativity,” Gerber
said. “We’ve been able to shine the spotlight on how SUNY
Fredonia, both faculty and students, are engaged not only
in creative activities, but are also engaged in the different
elements that comprise creativity.”
This year’s series began in late September with an indepth look at Fredonia Radio Systems, which coincided with
Homecoming week and the 40th anniversary of the radio
station. Dan Berggren, professor emeritus of Communication,
was joined by Jim Ranney, ’80, station manager and director
of news and public affairs at WNED-AM in Buffalo; Katie
Fuchs, ’10, last year’s Fredonia Radio Systems general manager;
and Gregory Snow, the campus’ audio specialist with
Academic Instructional Technology.
In early November, Tom Loughlin, chair of the Department
of Theatre and Dance, was joined by cast and crew members
of, The Altruists, a play which the department performed this
fall. The presenters demonstrated how social media can draw
attention to live theatre, and “tweet seats” create buzz.
December’s program featured music professors Dr. Rob
Deemer and Gregory Seigel, who explained how one core
idea or concept can be crafted into a creative work and then
taken to the market.
Another step in the program’s evolution takes place next
year when departments are reorganized to create a College
of Visual and Performing Arts. It’s a step that all three
co-directors embrace. There are splits in how the world is
viewed, Johnson explained, and future Brown Bag talks will create
a new opportunity to bring these views together in one venue.
“The strength of the program is the strength of the college,”
Gerber added.
To purchase tickets for all events, contact the
SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501
(1-866-441-4928), www.fredonia.edu/tickets, or
in person in the Williams Center. For a full list of
all campus events, visit department websites at
www.fredonia.edu.
ROCKEFELLER ARTS CENTER / THEATRE,
DANCE AND ART GALLERY EVENTS
The Western New York Chamber Orchestra
King Concert Hall, Tickets $20 (Students $8;
SUNY Fredonia Students, Free)
*Vestiges
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THE BROWN BAG SERIES IS SPONSORED BY
THE FREDONIA COLLEGE FOUNDATION’S
CARNAHAN-JACKSON HUMANITIES FUND.
Sunday, Feb. 6, 4 p.m.
Haydn’s “lost” concerto featuring cellist
Dr. Natasha Farny, a young Mozart’s
symphony thought to be composed by his father,
and Ernest Bloch’s famous Concerto Grosso.
*Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte
Sunday, March 27, 4 p.m.
WNYCO led by Maestro Glen Cortese and
the SUNY Fredonia voice department join
forces in this lighthearted production, directed
by Assistant Professor Angela Haas.
Edges by Performing Arts Company/
Experimental
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 and 8 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre, Free
Masterworks Scholarship Benefit Concert
Mr. Marmalade by the
Performing Arts Company
Featuring Hector Berlioz’s “Overture to Benvenuto
Cellini,” Claude Debussy’s Three Nocturnes with
off-stage women’s chorus, and Maurice Duruflé’s
beautiful Requiem featuring Visiting Assistant
Professor Lynne McMurtry as mezzo soprano
soloist. The concert brings together the College
Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dr. David
Rudge, and the Masterworks Chorus, coordinated
by Dr. Gerald Gray.
March 25 and 26, 8 p.m.; March 27, 2 p.m.
King Concert Hall, Tickets: $7 (Students $4)
March 31, April 1 and 2, 8 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre, Free
The Sound of Music
April 1, 2 and 7, 8 p.m.; April 3, 2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre, Tickets: $22 (Students $20)
A Walter Gloor Mainstage Series Event. Maria,
a young woman set on becoming a nun, is put to
the test when she is assigned to be the governess
of the seven mischievous Von Trapp children in
this musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
“Ghost Towns of the Wild West”
with Gray Warriner
Saturday, April 2, 7:30 p.m.
King Concert Hall, Tickets: $7.50
A World Travel Series Event. Visit real ghost
towns of the American West – and those that
have been reborn, such as Jerome, Ariz. and
Bannock, Mont. – in this high-definition film.
Avner the Eccentric: Exceptions to Gravity
Friday, April 15, 7 p.m.
Marvel Theatre, Tickets: $12
Sunday, April 17, 4 p.m.
King Concert Hall, Tickets: $20* General,
$10 Students
*Ticket fee less $10 is tax-deductible and will
be added to the School of Music endowment.
Additional ticket levels are available with added
benefits at VIP and Patron levels. For more
information, call (716) 673-3686.
FACULTY/GUEST ARTISTS
Rosch Recital Hall
FREE and open to the public
Saturday, Jan. 29, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Jeremy Sagala
and Paul Coleman, electronic music
Sunday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.
A Kaleidoscope Family Series Event. A recent
inductee of the International Clown Hall of
Fame, Avner Eisenberg has toured extensively,
leaving a trail of laughter in his wake.
Faculty: Joe Dan Harper, tenor,
and Dr. Anne Kissel, piano
Fredonia Dance Ensemble Major Concert
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 8 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
Rockefeller Arts Center Gallery (Gallery hours
2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and
Sunday, and 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday)
A Walter Gloor Mainstage Series Event.
The best student dancers at SUNY Fredonia
perform pieces choreographed by faculty members
and guest flamenco dance artists Paco Antonio
and Lucilene de Geus.
Peter Pan by DuffleBag Theatre
Dov and Ali by the Performing Arts Company
A musical about four young adults facing
the classic questions of “Who am I? And
“Who do I want to be?”
Notations 21: Exploring Visual Music
and Creativity
Opening reception Feb. 4, 6 p.m.;
runs through Feb. 27, Free
Friday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m.
Marvel Theatre, Tickets: $12
A Kaleidoscope Family Series Event. Travel
to the legendary Neverland in this beloved tale
of pirates, swordfights, fairies and pixie dust.
This journey will be an interactive one – random
audience members will be brought on stage to
play pivotal roles in this classic adventure.
The Venetian Twins
Feb. 25, 26 and March 3, 8 p.m.; Feb. 27, 2 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre, Tickets: $16 (Students $14)
A Walter Gloor Mainstage Series Event.
Identical twins, separated at birth and unlike
each other in every way, arrive in the same
town on the same day. Ronjit Bolt’s translation
updates this commedia dell’arte style for
contemporary audiences.
Vestment Series: Judith Gregory
Opening reception March 4, 7 p.m.; runs
through April 3 (gallery closed March 13
through 21 for spring break), Free
Rockefeller Arts Center Gallery (Gallery hours
2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and
Sunday, and 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday)
12
Orchesis Dance Company
April 29 and 30, 8 p.m.; May 1, 2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre, Tickets: $16 (Students $14)
April 29, 8 p.m.; April 30, 2 and 8 p.m.;
May 1, 2 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre, Tickets: $5 (Students $3)
Sunday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Wildy Zumwalt, saxophone
Faculty: The Silverwind Duo
with Dr. Jonathan Mann, piano
Faculty Showcase Recital
Sunday, March. 6, 3 p.m.
Guest Artist: Roman Mekinulov,
cello (master class and recital)
Monday, March 7, 8 p.m.
Guest Artist: Air Force Band
of Liberty Clarinet Quartet
A young man’s struggles with his beliefs ignite
his English teacher’s own insecurities.
Wednesday, March 9, 8 p.m.
Big Band Song and Dance:
Commencement Eve Pops
Thursday, March 10, 8 p.m.
Friday, May 13, 8 p.m.
King Concert Hall, Tickets: $25, $22.50 and $20
Featuring eight of SUNY Fredonia’s most
talented student vocalists, four amazing dancers
and the 17-piece “Little Apple Big Band.”
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
SPECIAL EVENTS
Faculty: Dr. Cyrus Beroukhim, violin
Guest Artist: Dr. David Cartledge, piano
Friday, March 11, 4 p.m.
Guest Artist Master Class:
Dr. David Cartledge, piano
Tuesday, March 22, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Fredonia Wind Quintet
Friday, March 25, 8 p.m.
Guest Artist: Buffalo Chamber Players
Muse of Fire featuring David Katz
Saturday, March 26, 8 p.m.
The artist’s acclaimed one-man play about classical
music and the secrets of the conductor’s art.
Thursday, March 31, 8 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall, Free
Guest Artist: Dr. Lin He, violin,
with Fredonia string and piano faculty
Faculty: David Rose, viola
alumni.fredonia.edu
13
STELL AR STUDENTS
STELL AR STUDENTS
Fredonia radio duo takes campus to whole new frequency By Olivia Civiletto, Class of 2012
Dance team allows students to lead and let loose By Victoria Kazz, Class of 2012
Heussler began helping with the talk show as a weekly guest,
but soon became a regular. The two collaborate to create an
interesting combination of news, contests and segments to
broadcast across campus.
“Over the years, Jud and I have consistently gotten more
comfortable with the show, and with each other,” Gunner said.
The syndication has been an exciting opportunity. Not only does
it broadcast their show’s content to a much larger audience, but
Gunner has found that it also adds a lot of energy.
“We have been getting a lot more guests, call-ins, bands and
politicians (since the syndication),” he said.
Fredonia Radio Systems provides a living laboratory for students
who are interested in radio and the world of electronic media. It is a
community in which students both manage and create programming
for terrestrial and Internet radio, podcasting, converged media
For the first time in SUNY Fredonia’s history, a radio show created
and produced completely by Fredonia Radio Systems students is
being syndicated in the Buffalo market. “The Morning Inferno”
can now be heard every weekday morning on WBNY-FM (91.3),
Buffalo State College’s campus radio station.
Nicholas Gunner (above, left) and Jud Heussler have been heavily
involved with Fredonia Radio since they stepped foot on campus.
Mr. Gunner, a senior TV/Film and Audio/Radio major from
Holland, N.Y., began by teaming up with the station’s news
director his freshman year, writing the news and participating in
a morning talk show. Today, he’s the station’s general manager.
Mr. Heussler, a junior TV/Film and Audio/Radio major from
Amherst, N.Y., also began at the station as a freshman. He started
as assistant news director but eventually shifted from news to music.
Heussler is now program director of Fredonia’s WCVF-FM,
where he oversees the operations of the Top-40 station that is now
on iTunes and rates as a top station on live365.com.
During Gunner’s tenure, one of his biggest contributions has
been, “The Morning Inferno.” The daily show brings content
ranging from international and local news, traffic, weather, sports
and comical daily segments to students every weekday from 9 to
10 a.m. Since its birth in 2007, the show has grown each semester.
It started as “Gunner and Mack in the Morning,” centering on
political and social commentary. Since Nick was given the reins,
it has evolved into a more entertaining format.
14
events and live performances. Completely managed by students,
it operates two separate FM stations: WCVF and WDVL. The
oldest is WCVF, which is an independent, FCC-regulated station. WDVL 89.5, aka “The Inferno,” is a purely web-casted station
that caters to the Top-40 charts and campus sports.
“I really dig Fredonia Radio Systems because I was able, as a
freshman, to come in and get a show,” said Heussler. “You’re able
to shine, even as an underclassman.”
Both Gunner and Heussler have accomplished great things
outside of Fredonia radio as well. Last year Gunner launched
Atmotag.com, a social networking website that offers people the
ability to contribute to user-generated weather maps. He began
to work on the site in August 2009, with the official launch in
Spring 2010. Heussler has been featured on Entercom Radio’s
“WGR 550” (WGR-AM), Buffalo’s number-one sports radio
station. He now works at its Buffalo sister station, “Kiss 98.5”
(WKSE-FM), where he is a weekend DJ playing the hits of the week.
Nick and Jud’s accomplishments at the station, along with the
syndication of their morning show, have opened many doors for
their future in radio.
“Other professionally run stations on college campuses don’t
give you experience like this,” Gunner insisted.
“We’ll definitely be using this experience as a platform after
college,” agreed Heussler.
High school seniors look for a variety of things when deciding
where they want to get their higher education. Academic programs,
cost and location of the campus are usually among their top
priorities. However, Michelle Hempel was looking for one more
thing: a dance team, which she found at SUNY Fredonia.
“Before I made my final decision to go to Fredonia, I looked into
their clubs to make sure they had a dance team. Then I went to
Activities Night to find out more,” Hempel said. “I was welcomed to
the table by a few of the team members, and although I was nervous,
I was so excited, because the team was everything I was looking for.”
The Dance Team is a purely student-run group that intertwines
the dedication and hard work of dancing with the enjoyment and
fun of performing. The team is most notably associated with Blue
Devil men’s basketball, for whose fans it performs throughout the
season. The team also appears at the Homecoming Pep Rally and
other special events.
Alumna Jenna Regan, ’08, who was on the team for four years and
still keeps in frequent contact with many of her former teammates,
describes the team perfectly: “They work hard. They play hard. But
mostly, they have fun.”
The hard work comes first. At the beginning of each academic
year, following Activities Night, three days of tryouts are held for
new and returning members. The executive board selects between
15 and 20 women for the team.
“When we hold tryouts, we look for a lot more than just dance
skill and technique in potential team members,” says Hempel, now
a senior and the team’s president. “We look for people with lots of
energy, a great attitude, and who just love to have fun and entertain
the crowd.”
After the new team has been selected, the next two months consist
of practices in which the team develops its choreography and chooses
its music. Unlike a sports team, there is no coach to create the
routines; the students must work together to come up with dances that
they will enjoy and are capable of performing throughout the year.
The team spends practices developing the choreography –
sometimes in small groups or even as individuals. They come up
with certain moves on their own and teach them to the rest of the
members. Then the team will perfect each move, coordinate it with
music, and anxiously await the time when they will get to perform
it to an audience for the first time. It is after those months of
rehearsals that the team, which has worked hard, can finally play hard.
During halftime at the men’s basketball games, the team performs
the dances they have worked so hard to perfect. Members of the
team say that performing at games is their favorite part of the
year, and to them the first performance will be a celebration of
their efforts. Months of practices and teamwork will be shown
off in a matter of minutes in front of students, employees and
community members.
“It is great to see our vision of the team actually come to life,”
Hempel adds.
The pride and accomplishment of the routine can be seen in the
smile on every team member’s face as she dances. The team
exemplifies so many parts of SUNY Fredonia: student collaboration,
challenges and success. The dance team has been in existence for
over 10 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Its presence
and recognition make it a respected and vivacious student group,
enabling it to stand out and continue showcasing the talents of new
generations of Fredonians. It remains as popular as ever among fans
and participants.
alumni.fredonia.edu
15
ATHLETICS
ATHLETICS
“There’s always a way around an
obstacle,” says Holly Koester, ’81,
the first wheelchair racer to
complete a marathon in all 50 states.
in Maintenance, Joy in Supply – soldiers in their respective battalions had difficulty
telling them apart whenever they were seen together. Holly returned stateside in
1985 and became a commander of the Heavy Maintenance Company in the 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Even in the service, athletics was a major part of their lives. Both girls played
on many softball and co-ed volleyball teams and also tried out for the All-Army
Volleyball team.
Holly was assigned to Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Ala., where she was in a
motor vehicle accident on Aug. 10, 1990, that injured her spinal chord and left her
without the use of her legs.
“We were on alert, as (Iraq President) Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait,”
she remembers. The vehicle, which is no longer made, flipped over on a temporary
roadway that’s no longer used.
Of course, Holly didn’t believe doctors when they told her she would never walk
again. “You never think you’re going to hear that. I was kind of in denial, and when
my colonel came in to see me, I said I’d be back.” Reality set in, though, and Holly
became depressed, thinking that she wouldn’t be able to compete anymore.
SPRING SEASON LINEUP
Select home and road dates are listed below.
Come on out and cheer your alma mater!
Visit www.fredonia.edu/athetics for full
schedules and results.
SWIMMING AND DIVING – Sophomore Sarah Ficarro (Owego),
an All-American last year, was named SUNYAC Diver of the
Week for four straight periods at the start of this season.
Fredonia hosted the annual Blue Devil Invitational in December,
drawing eight teams. The women won the event for the second
straight year, while the men finished third. The team has three
road meets to start the spring semester prior to the SUNYAC
Championships Feb. 9 to 12 in Buffalo.
MEN’S HOCKEY – Six home games highlight the second
semester, plus road dates at Buffalo State (Jan. 28), Geneseo
(Feb. 4) and Brockport (Feb. 5). Feb. 12 vs. Plattsburgh is this
year’s Pink the Rink night. Players will again wear pink jerseys
with the names of donors’ loved-ones on the back. Last year’s
event raised nearly $9,000 for the American Cancer Society.
MEN’S BASKETBALL – The team heads into January having
won four of their last five. Sixteen regular-season games remain,
with five of the last six at Steele Hall and late-season road dates
at Cortland and Oswego (Jan. 28 and 29), Brockport (Feb. 1)
and Geneseo (Feb. 15). The annual alumni game is Feb. 5 at
Dods Hall, before the Devils take on New Paltz. To learn more,
contact Coach Kevin Moore at (716) 673-3108 or Kevin.Moore@
fredonia.edu.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – The women also play seven home
games in the spring, and key road games Jan. 28 and 29 at
Cortland and Oswego. The women’s alumni game is Feb. 5
as well, prior to the team’s contest against Oneonta. Contact
Coach Donna Wise at (716) 673-3120 or donna.wise@fredonia.
edu to learn more.
“Middle-of-the-Road” alumna blazes inspiring trail
Holly Koester says she “practically lived in Dods Hall.” She played
volleyball for the Blue Devils. She kept score for both the men’s and
women’s basketball teams. She competed on countless recreational
sports teams. Even today – nearly 30 years after graduating from
SUNY Fredonia – Ms. Koester hasn’t lost her passion for sports.
What makes her so remarkable is that she lost something far
more valuable: the use of her legs.
Yet even the spinal chord injury she suffered 20 years ago which
confined this 1981 alumna and U.S. Army veteran to a wheelchair
couldn’t squelch her insatiable love of athletics.
Today, Holly is a true pioneer in wheelchair racing. She’s the firstever “wheeler” to complete marathons in all 50 states and, on a local
level, the first to participate in SUNY Fredonia’s Ruterbusch Run.
The opportunity to see former coaches Dr. Everett Phillips (cross
country, 1971 to 1995) and James Ulrich (track and field, 1974 to
1998) enticed Holly back to campus for the 2010 Homecoming.
She just missed seeing her former volleyball coach, Elizabeth
Darling (“Miss D”), who was on campus only a week earlier.
Gliding along the 5K Ruterbusch course gave Holly a grand
opportunity to view a campus that’s grown considerably since she
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and her twin sister, Joy, graduated. “It’s changed so much. I can’t
really believe it,” she beamed. “I come back 30 years later and see
this wonderful sports complex that they’ve got. It’s just awesome.
It was great to see the old sites.”
The Koester twins, 1977 graduates of Frontier High School
in Hamburg, N.Y., were attracted to SUNY Fredonia by its justright distance from home. “The thing that probably attracted us
most to Fredonia was, number one, we really liked that it was far
enough away from home that we didn’t have to worry about Mom
and Dad bothering us, and yet it was close enough that if we needed
something, we could give them a call.”
A compelling impression left by Coach Darling during a campus
visit sealed the deal that brought the Koester sisters into the Blue
Devils fold. They had different majors – Holly studied Political
Science, while Joy chose Accounting – but both had insatiable
appetites for athletics.
Following graduation, both sisters, who had enrolled in the ROTC
program, were commissioned second Lieutenants in the army and
served together in their first overseas tour, 1982 to 1985. Though
assigned to different companies in Nuremburg, Germany – Holly
Such a devastating injury, of course, alarmed the entire Koester family. Joy,
then a reservist, had been called back to active duty and her unit was gearing up
for deployment to Iraq when she heard the devastating news. “I was pretty much
shocked, and very scared,” Joy recalled. Within 12 hours, Joy was on a flight to
Alabama to comfort her sister.
Both girls were now facing major challenges, yet each was constrained in what
one could do to support the other. “I know she really felt bad that she couldn’t
participate more in my recuperation, and I felt bad not being able to help her
more,” Holly said. Joy’s unit was about to enter a war zone; Holly had to learn
to forge a new life without use of her legs.
Holly was placed under the care of the Veterans Medical Center’s top spinal
cord physicians in Cleveland, Ohio. Her first major physical challenge was to
develop upper body strength so she could perform “transfer skills” that would
allow Holly to shift her body into a chair, a bed, a shower stall or a car seat. Her
recreational therapist, knowing of Holly’s athletic prowess, wanted to engage her
in sports again, so he took her to the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in
Miami, Fla., to see 500 wheelchair athletes engaged in various competitive events.
That’s all it took to re-ignite Holly’s passion for athletics.
The entire Koester family saw Holly struggle mightily, but ultimately complete
the obstacle course at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. “She wouldn’t
give up. The time had passed that everyone else had finished, but they let her
stay on the course and finish it, and you could tell she wasn’t going to get off
the course until she did,” Joy recalled.
TRACK AND FIELD – Senior Nick Guarino (Bergen) returns with
two NCAA national titles to his name (the indoor mile and the
outdoor 1,500 meters). Guarino, seniors Greg Craft (Cheektowaga) and Kate Brett (Webster), and sophomore Spencer Lefort
(Java Center) were All-SUNYAC last season. Brett also made it
to the 2010 D-III NCAA outdoor championships. The team has
seven indoor meets during the spring, including the SUNYAC
Indoor Championship Feb. 26. The outdoor season kicks off with
a meet March 18 and 19 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The SUNYAC
Outdoor Championship is May 6 and 7 at Geneseo.
BASEBALL – The Blue Devils are coming off their second
straight 20-win season. Despite losing eight players to graduation,
a solid corps of pitchers return, led by seniors Andy Dlugosz
(Lackawanna), Matt Sullivan (Buffalo), Brian Lansing (East
Syracuse), and Jordan Hibbard (Waterford, Pa.). That foursome
combined to go 17-6 last season. After returning from this year’s
annual Florida trip, the first pitch up north comes on March 26
as part of a doubleheader at SUNY Oneonta.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE – Coming off five straight winning
seasons, Coach Chris Case will field a young team this spring.
Junior attacker Amy Simon (Amherst) returns after being
a First Team All-SUNYAC selection in 2010, when she set
single-season team records with 66 goals and 74 points.
Junior Megan Mietelski (Fairport) also made 2010 First Team
All-SUNYAC. The Devils open their season at Allegheny on
March 5 before traveling to West Palm Beach, Fla., for three
“Spring Fling” games. The first of six home games is March 19
vs. The College at Wooster.
SOFTBALL – Lorrie Corsi begins his 16th season as head coach.
Katie Bartkowiak (Fredonia), the reigning Rookie of the Year in
both the SUNYAC and ECAC D-III, leads the team. She batted
.451 with a school-record 46 hits as a freshman. The Devils
also return three other .300+ batters in juniors Brittany Lis
(Lancaster), .333, and Michelle Lattner (Cheektowaga), .311,
along with sophomore Tina Schwartzmeyer (Orchard Park), .330.
The women have six home doubleheaders this spring.
alumni.fredonia.edu
17
ATHLETICS
ATHLETICS
FALL SEASON RESULTS
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL hosted the
SUNYAC championships by sweeping
all eight West Division matches during the
regular season. It was the fourth straight year the
Blue Devils earned the West’s No. 1 seed. This year,
the team fell to New Paltz in the semifinals. Senior Kaitlin
Erdmann (Randolph) made the SUNYAC All-Tournament
Team. She also was one of four Blue Devils chosen AllSUNYAC during the regular season. Erdmann and junior
Brittany Lis (Lancaster) made the First Team. Senior Jenna
Tatu (Tonawanda) and junior Chelsea Senn (Hamburg) were
Second Team picks. It was Erdmann’s fourth straight AllSUNYAC year, three times on the First Team. Coach Geoff
Braun’s career record improved to 265-157. At age 34, he
is among the top five NCAA Division III women’s volleyball
coaches to attain at least 200 wins before age 40.
CROSS COUNTRY – The men were ranked in the Top 10 in
the Atlantic Region all season. They finished ninth in the
regional meet. Senior twin brothers Nick and Josh Guarino
(Bergen) made the all-regional team after finishing 23rd
and 35th, respectively. Nick missed qualifying for the NCAA
championships by three seconds. At SUNYACs, the men
finished third for the second straight year. Nick also made
post-season news when SUNYAC named him the Dr. Sam
Molnar Award winner. He became the eighth Blue Devil
to win the honor, given annually to SUNYAC’s top male
student-athlete. Nick and sophomore Jake Krautwurst (LeRoy)
finished eighth and 13th, respectively, to make the AllSUNYAC team. The women moved up two spots at SUNYACs
and six spots at regionals under first-year head coach Mike
Garger. The top four finishers at the SUNYACs were freshmen,
led by season-long No. 1 Becca List (Hilton).
MEN’S SOCCER earned the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC
Tournament. A 1-0 semifinal loss to Brockport in doubleovertime ended 2010 with a 10-9 record, highlighted by
a 7-2 SUNYAC mark. Head coach P.J. Gondek’s lineup
consisted of six All-SUNYAC selections. Senior Ryan
O’Donnell (Orchard Park) made the First Team. A four-time
All-SUNYAC choice, he earned 29 goals and 77 points as
a Blue Devil. Both totals rank fifth all-time at Fredonia.
Four other seniors made the Second Team: Eli Lubberts
(Ontario), John Grabowski (Middleport/Roy-Hart), Peter
Dagel (Rochester), and Stephen Ahern (Nottingham, U.K.).
Junior David Thoin (Buffalo) made the Third Team. Junior
Bobby McGinnis (Elmira) and sophomore Ryan Smith
(Fairport) made the SUNYAC All-Tournament team.
WOMEN’S SOCCER honored its 25th season at Fredonia
with a Homecoming reunion of close to 40 alumnae
spanning three decades. This year’s team finished 8-10
overall and 3-6 in the SUNYAC. Freshman Taylor Wingerden
(Macedon) made Second Team All-SUNYAC. She tied
teammate Reilly Condidorio’s 2008 school-record for goals
by a freshman (10) and fell one shy of Condidorio’s 23
points. Coach Chris Case is looking forward to having both
players on the field together next fall. Condidorio (LeRoy),
a junior, missed 2010 due to injury. Senior Julie LaPolla
(Penfield) finished tied for 10th on the all-time Fredonia
goals list with 17. She earned SUNYAC Player of the Week
honors after scoring back-to-back game-winning goals vs.
Elmira and Cortland.
WOMEN’S TENNIS – Head coach Joe Calarco’s team worked
its way to a .500 record and a 2-1 finish in the SUNYAC. Two
players won singles matches at the SUNYACs: senior Anna
Norris (Binghamton) and freshman Alison Phillips (Orchard
Park), the team’s No. 1 and No. 5 players, respectively.
18
“I was so proud of her. I ran up and gave her a big hug. We were both crying; my
mom was crying, (my sister) KC was crying. We were just so proud that she didn’t
give up.” The Koester family knew then that Holly still had that desire to compete,
and she wasn’t going to let a physical limitation get in the way.
Holly quickly climbed the road racing ladder, going from 5Ks to 10Ks to halfmarathons before embarking on her first full marathon in Columbus, Ohio, in
1995. And what an exhilarating experience it was for Holly. “My sister, KC, was
running along the sidelines near the end, screaming, ‘Come on, Holly! You can
finish in under four hours if you hurry up!’”
While at the Houston Marathon expo, Holly learned about the 50 State
Marathon Club and discovered that its roster had no wheelers. A veteran of
marathons in seven states by now, Holly had a new athletic challenge. “I never
thought I’d really get to all the states, but I figured – what a goal!”
For the next three years Holly completed 16 or 17 marathons a year; in many
cases, she was the lone wheeler. Holly has two racing wheelchairs, one that’s
pedal-driven with 21 speeds, which she used at the Ruterbusch Run, the other a
sleek push-rim model.
Her 50-state journey ended in August 2008 in Juneau, Alaska. It was also her
102nd overall marathon.
A longtime friend, Dave Ludlow, ’73, was at the Ruterbusch Run to see her and isn’t
at all stunned by her success as a wheelchair athlete. “Nothing surprises me that she
does because she has always been aggressive. Just don’t get in her way,” he cautioned.
Holly had always enjoyed running and was a member of the SUNY Fredonia
track team, where she usually finished in the back of the pack. “I’m more of a
‘middle-of-the-road’ athlete. I’m not fast in my marathons, but I figure it’s better
to be out there competing. I’ve been a competitor all my life.”
Her modesty is genuine, but it considerably understates just how inspiring Holly
has been to countless individuals across the U.S. She was one of 11 gold medalists –
and the only female athlete – from the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in
2007 to appear on the front of Cheerios cereal boxes sold in military outlets. Holly
has also become a board member and sports director of the Buckeye chapter of the
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Ohio.
Having a twin who rose to the rank of colonel created a unique link for Holly
to still experience military life, though vicariously, from a wheelchair. Back in
2005, Joy was involved in final training that troops undergo before being sent to
Iraq, and Holly was able to join her in the line of officers who wished them a safe
return as they boarded their planes.
“I was able to sit in on a couple of briefings she gave,” she added. “She was
always telling me what was going on in the military, keeping me up to date with
different things she was doing.”
The twins, whose last race together was the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon in
1990, hit the pavement together at the Air Force Marathon, in Dayton, Ohio,
in 2010. And this time both were in wheelchairs. Joy had been diagnosed with
multiple myeloma two years earlier. Fortunately, she’s in remission, thanks to
chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She can no longer run long distances,
but now has a pedal-driven wheelchair – the kind that propelled Holly at the
Ruterbusch Run.
Holly left the service in 1991 with the rank of captain and today lives in
Cleveland, where she is a substitute teacher in two suburban school districts.
“I explain to [the students] that there are going to be a lot of challenges that
they meet in life,” she says. “The challenge that I met was being in a wheelchair.
They’re going to find challenges: they might want to ask someone out, they may
want to go to college, or they need to pass a test. Everybody is going to have
their own challenges.
“If you look at this as just an obstacle, rather than a roadblock, there’s always
a way around an obstacle. That’s how I let them know about my racing, and I try
to get them motivated,” she said.
The power of pink
“Once we got the pink jerseys, the whole thing just took off!”
That’s how SUNY Fredonia hockey coach Jeff Meredith
describes the rapid success of the Blue Devils’ annual Pink the Rink
fundraiser that raises money for the American Cancer Society. And
come Saturday, Feb. 12, in the final regular-season game, all 30
players will show that real men – including rugged hockey players –
do wear pink, especially to support a worthy cause.
This novel breast cancer awareness promotion started in 2007
with a modest beginning and just a handful of flyers posted around
campus – but no pink jerseys. Since then it has garnered a fervent
regional following, plus a dose of nationwide acclaim. Pink the Rink
has indeed had a heart-felt impact on players and fans alike.
“It’s an incredible night. It’s just amazing and it’s emotional. A lot
of things get really packed into one night,” Coach Meredith said.
“I think our players absolutely love it, and the reaction from our
opponents is they think the atmosphere is amazing.”
For the second year in a row, the name of someone stricken by
cancer – instead of the player’s name – is placed on the back of the
jersey, so it’s seen by everyone in Steele Hall Ice Arena.
“When you put somebody’s name on the back of a jersey as a
tribute, as a way to honor them, it just raises the emotional level
on the ice and in the crowd to heights I’ve never seen,” the veteran
(FROM LEFT) MARC DEELEY, ANDREW CHRIST, MEN’S HOCKEY COACH JEFF MEREDITH,
DOM MARKAJANI, DAVID CULVER, ’02; CANCER SURVIVOR SALLIE (SHAPLEY) PULLANO,
’58; ALEX PERKINS, GREG WOLLASTON, ’96; ALEX MORTON AND CHRIS DE BRUYN.
coach said. “There was a feeling last year in that rink – and I’ve been
doing this for 23 years – that I’ve never experienced before. It was
really amazing.”
Pre-sale of pink jerseys has been a boon for the campaign, not
only doubling bids that shirts generated in the early years of the
program (when bids were actually placed in jars during the game
itself), but also providing valuable lead time so the names of loved
ones’ cancer survivors and victims can be mounted on the jerseys
before the game.
“You rarely got a $250 bid during those years when they were just
bid on, when the average jersey went for $125. Now, we’ve basically
doubled that,” Meredith said. “As far as I know, we are the only
ones that have put this new kind of twist to it.”
Last year’s game raised more than $9,400, which doubled the
prior year’s proceeds and is nearly half of the $20,000 which the
fundraiser has generated in its first four years.
College hockey teams in Rochester, Syracuse and Albany have
picked up, well, the puck, and launched their own Pink the Rink
fundraisers, but SUNY Fredonia’s is the only one with such a
fundraiser in the seven counties that comprise the American Cancer
Society’s Western New York region, according to Stacie Waddell,
the western region’s special events director, based in Buffalo.
“Coach Meredith’s idea last year to pre-sell the jerseys in honor/
memory of someone is unique to our region, and was a smashing
success last year,” Waddell said. “This…gives participants an
opportunity to remember those they love that have had to face cancer,
and while we ‘pink’ the rink for breast cancer awareness, last year there
were several people on jerseys that battled other forms of cancer.”
The Blue Devils received a “tip of the helmet” last year from
RIT’s hockey coach, who acknowledged Fredonia as the school
that launched Pink the Rink, Meredith added.
While pink jersey pre-sales generate most of the event’s proceeds,
the coffers get an additional boost from ancillary promotions,
such as a Tau Sigma raffle and sales of shirts and hats, and pink
drinks served by Buster Brown Bean Co., along with additional
contributions. All proceeds are given to the Buffalo chapter of
the American Cancer Society to fund research, patient services
programs and educational efforts. More than 200,000 new cases
of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2010.
As of Nov. 5 – 100 days before this season’s game – half of the
available 30 pink jerseys had already been sold, with players and
members of their families being among the first to snatch up a jersey.
Three players, Tyler Palmerton, Brett Mueller and Dave Ridos,
will wear jerseys purchased by their families in honor of family
members, two great-grandmothers and an uncle, who passed away
due to cancer.
Jessica Webber, a SUNY Fredonia student whose seven-year
battle with cancer ended Jan. 6, 2010, was honored last year with her
name on a jersey worn by Bryan Ross, donated to the Sigma Kappa
sorority and Delta Chi fraternity, and purchased by professors
Alberto and Janeil Rey.
A video presenting highlights of last year’s event was produced
by students Jake Nowak, Chris DiCesare and Collin Hopkins and
placed on YouTube, where it’s been an inspiration and comfort to
those who continue to battle the disease, including Elle Woloszuk.
The Rochester, N.Y., woman lost her father to cancer and was
stricken by the disease in 2007 when she was pregnant with her
fourth child. Continued viewings of the video, forwarded to her
by SUNY Fredonia IT employee Janet Mayer, have given her
new courage to fight the disease when she’s tempted to give up.
Woloszuk’s family honored her with a jersey, worn by Brett Mueller,
that Mayer, her cousin and childhood friend, purchased.
“Coach Meredith has been incredible, and I appreciate his
commitment to hosting this event each year and for choosing the
American Cancer Society to be the recipients,” Waddell said.
alumni.fredonia.edu
19
SPRING 2011 PREVIEW
SPRING 2011 PREVIEW
Campus icon Steinberg passes the Honors torch
Admission into the Honors Program by incoming freshmen is
by invitation only, based on high school academic achievement and
SAT scores, while acceptance – which carries the designation of
Honors student for the successful applicant – is determined by a
1,000-word essay written by the candidate on a book or article he or
she found most stimulating.
“All Honors seminars fulfill CCC (College Core Curriculum)
requirements, but these are specially chosen topics and, I think,
students bring a different level of commitment into the classes,”
Steinberg explained. “We’re getting more good students and they
are interested in these challenges.”
Students applaud these seminars for their depth of discussion
and exploration into subject areas outside of their academic
majors. In fact, once completing four consecutive semesters that is
“The program has grown from 100 students when I took it over to almost 400 students.”
After directing the Honors Program for more than two decades,
Dr. Ted Steinberg is stepping down from that leadership role,
acknowledging that he’s not able devote the time necessary to lead
the thriving program and still remain fully engaged in his true
passion of teaching.
Steinberg will be succeeded by David Kinkela, assistant professor
of History, in January.
“The program has grown from 100 students when I took it over to
almost 400 students, and I recommended that the director be made
a half-time position, and I didn’t want to give up teaching,” said Dr.
Steinberg, a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor. “I just love
teaching, and besides, who would I tell my jokes to?” the affable
English professor, now in his 40th year at SUNY Fredonia, laughed.
Founded nearly 30 years ago by Dr. Minda Rae Amiran, former
Dean of Special Studies, the Honors Program provides demanding
courses taught by outstanding scholars and teachers. “She sort of
handed it off to me, and I’ve loved it, truly,” said Steinberg, who was
Associate Dean of Special Studies as well as an English department
faculty member when he took the helm of the program 22 years ago.
Popularity of Honors programs is growing at colleges nationwide
as students increasingly recognize the enrichment these intensive
seminars add to their academic development. “It offers students a
little something extra in their education,” Steinberg explained.
20
the standard practice, students often want to take another seminar
in their junior year.
Seminars can address unique or highly specialized topics. Among
the seven seminars to be taught in the Spring 2011 semester are:
Photographic Explorations, Civil War Music and Community
Identity, and Hot Topics: Writing the Political. On several
occasions, Honors topics were later incorporated into the regular
curriculum. Seminars are most often taught by faculty in different
academic disciplines, but several high-level administrators –
including President Dennis Hefner, Vice President for Academic
Affairs Virginia Horvath and Dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences John Kijinski – have also led these classes.
“It was pretty cool for a student to say, ‘I’ve got the President
for a class,’” Steinberg added.
“Ted Steinberg has contributed so much to the Honors Program
over the decades,” Dr. Horvath said. “He has respect for students
and their intellect, and in his own teaching and his leading the Honors
Program. He challenges students to think beyond their usual
perspectives and to learn from one another. He promotes and models
an attitude toward scholarship that inspires students. He has taught the
Honors Colloquium with openness to student ideas, and that weekly
conversation has been an important place for Honors students to
talk with one another and share their thoughts and concerns.”
Many alumni have reported back that Honors seminars proved
invaluable to them in their careers or in graduate school.
A reception will be held in the beginning of the spring semester
to acknowledge Steinberg for his long service to the program and
to welcome Dr. Kinkela to his new position. In addition, a new
endowment has been created in Steinberg’s name which will fund
enrichment activities for Honors students. To give to this new
endowment, please call the Fredonia College Foundation at (716)
673-3321 or give online at www.fredonia.edu/foundation.
The Power of Fredonia: Strategic Plan 2011 By Virginia Horvath, Vice President for Academic Affairs
What might SUNY Fredonia be doing to make
a strong institution even better?
How can we position ourselves to build on our
strengths and focus our efforts on important priorities?
These are the questions guiding the next strategic
POWER OF university-wide planning process, The Power of
FREDONIA Fredonia. President Dennis Hefner appointed a
14-person steering committee in Fall 2010 to
lead this effort, chaired by Vice President for Academic Affairs
Virginia Horvath and Associate Professor of Mathematical
Sciences Keary Howard.
In 2006, the campus launched The Fredonia Plan, a strategic
plan that identified 21 action items designed
to further improve campus performance in five areas: student
learning, scholarship and
creative activities, campus
diversity, technology,
and image. That plan
led to a number of
positive changes on
campus, including
the creation of the
Professional Development Center,
attention to first-year
programs and capstone
courses, increased support
for research efforts, more
diversity among students and
faculty, support for technology in the
classroom, and revisions in marketing and
publications. The award-winning Statement you’re reading
is an example of the kind of effort that arose from the last planning
process, and President Hefner and the steering committee hope for
another good process that leads to positive change.
This year, the steering committee has an innovative, inclusive
approach – one that invites everyone who is associated with SUNY
Fredonia to give ideas about where we should be in five years and
how our campus might coordinate
efforts with the Six Big Ideas
of the state-wide strategic plan,
The Power of SUNY.
The committee has developed a toolkit of activities that any
group can use to stimulate discussion and submit ideas. These
activities are varied so that participants can choose the approach
that appeals most to them: a discussion of campus traditions and
change, a gallery walk, a survey, a campus walkabout, a discussion
based on readings, a “game show,” and several other options.
The toolkits look like Chinese take-out boxes, encouraging people
to help determine the “fortune” of SUNY Fredonia in the next five
years. The kits will be sent to student, faculty,
and staff leaders on campus at the end
of January, with the expectation
that they will all engage
their constituents at some
point in February. The
electronic toolkit is
also available on the
Power of Fredonia
website, www.fredonia.edu/president/
strategicplan2011, so
that any individual
or group could
engage in one of the
activities and send ideas
to the steering committee.
All members of the community
and Fredonia alumni family are
welcome to be part of this initiative. By going
to the website, you can complete a survey as an individual
or engage a group of people who share your interest in SUNY
Fredonia. You can send an e-mail with ideas to strategicplan2011@
fredonia.edu. And if you’re in the area, please check the website for
updates about campus planning activities you can join. Your ideas
matter in this process, and the campus is eager to hear what you
have to say!
10 -YEAR CAPITAL MASTER PLAN EXERCISE
The campus is also in the final steps of a Capital Master Plan Exercise, a process SUNY Fredonia undergoes roughly every 10 years. It involves looking at some of the
most pressing needs of the university regarding its facilities, be they major or minor renovations, or potential new structures, over a horizon of a decade or more. The
last report was issued in 2001 and included such recommendations as a new Science Center, an addition to the Rockefeller Arts Center, the replacement of the campus
boiler to a more efficient satellite heating system, and the addition of a University Stadium complex – all of which either have become or will become a reality in the near
future. Of course, just because a recommendation is included in the plan does not necessarily mean it will become a reality, as the plan does not address any details
regarding funding solutions. However, it certainly drives a good deal of the thinking and planning, as resources allow, to make SUNY Fredonia an even more attractive
and valuable institution for all of its constituencies. To view a recent presentation given to the campus by an architectural consultant from Boston-based Chan Krieger
Sieniewicz, visit: www.fredonia.edu/fredoniaplan/2010.
alumni.fredonia.edu
21
SPRING 2011 PREVIEW
FALL WRAP UP
Sustainable series reminds us that Earth Day issues last all year
It all comes down to achieving balance.
That multi-faceted principle guided SUNY Fredonia’s Sustainability
Committee in crafting a series of speakers, each set to convey a
vital message throughout the spring semester, and arranging the
event-filled Earth Week in April. It seemed only natural, then,
that “Finding Balance” should be the theme of Fredonia’s fourth
annual Earth Week.
“The earth works in cycles, and within life you have to find balance.
If you take out more than you put back in, that’s not sustainable,”
said Chemistry Professor Sherri Mason, the coordinator of Earth
Week. The earth, she said, works by finding these balance points.
JAIMIE CLOUD
TIFFANY VANDERWERF
ANNIE LEONARD
“Environmental issues are often put in opposition to economic
issues; that is, doing something environmentally friendly can’t be
good for business,” Mason explained.
“However, we’re reaching a new point in our socio-economic
system where, because of the costs of energy, that way of thinking
has changed,” Mason said. Now, companies that are green follow
environmentally sensitive practices not just to be earth-friendly,
but because it saves them money. An economy, she contends, can
be prosperous and environmentally friendly.
The series will begin before classes
resume. Jaimie Cloud, a pioneer in the
field of education for sustainability,
will lead campus and community leaders
in a two-day General Education review
in mid-January. The founder and
president of the Cloud Institute, she
provides professional development
programs that incorporate a
sustainable perspective into
learning and teaching across
multiple disciplines.
Also in January, SUNY
Fredonia will submit its
first Sustainability Tracking
Assessment & Rating System
report. The STARS program
is a transparent, self-reporting
framework for colleges to
gauge their own progress toward
Homecoming Highlights
sustainability. Bronze, silver or gold ratings are assigned based
on performance.
Insight into one of the more emotionally charged impacts of
climate change will be offered Feb. 9 by Tiffany Vanderwerf, the
Buffalo Zoo’s curator of education. A witness to devastating effects
that climate change has on polar bear habitats in northern Canada,
Vanderwerf will explain how human activity has damaged fragile
ecosystems and also suggest changes each of us can make that can
help alleviate the problem.
Annie Leonard, creator of the revealing “Story of Stuff” series of
documentaries (www.storyofstuff.com) that scrutinizes cosmetics,
DR. DEBRA ROWE
FOUR BLUE DEVILS WERE INDUCTED INTO THIS YEAR’S
THREE ALUMNI WERE HONORED AS THE 2010
DR. DANA ABENDSCHEIN, ‘74, A FACULTY MEMBER AT WASHINGTON
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME. STANDING FROM LEFT ARE
RECIPIENTS OF THE ANNUAL OUTSTANDING
UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, RETURNED TO GIVE A BIOLOGY
JONATHAN PAYNE, ’01, AND THOMAS CORDARO, ’97 (SOCCER).
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. FROM LEFT ARE JACQUELYN
SEMINAR, “ON THE ROAD TO DEVELOPING TARGETED AND SAFE ANTI-
SEATED ARE JAMESON RICIGLIANO, ’01 (BASEBALL),
(DEAN) CHEEK, ’76; TONY CARAMIA, ’73; CAROL
THROMBOTIC DRUGS.” HIS LAB IS DEVELOPING THERAPEUTICS DERIVED
AND FORMER MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH BILL HUGHES.
STANLEY, ’71; AND PRESIDENT DENNIS HEFNER.
FROM NATURALLY OCCURRING ANIMAL OR PLANT PROTEINS.
DR. ELIZABETH DODD
electronics, bottled water, and cap and trade legislation, will speak
March 8 on how consumer culture negatively affects the environment.
Dr. Debra Rowe, a member of the Association for the Advancement
of Sustainability in Higher Education, will speak March 29 in
large and small settings to outline the role higher education can
have to advance sustainability.
Dr. Elizabeth Dodd, a poet of national prominence, delivers
the final program April 21. A professor of English and
director of Creative Writing at Kansas State
University, her published commentaries
address ecological issues.
Lastly, Earth Week returns once
again, beginning April 15. This
year includes an electronics
recycling day, a green expo
boasting 50 local or green
vendors, a duathalon (a
biking and running race
throughout the Dunkirk/
Fredonia community),
an eco-fair featuring
vendors which have green
initiatives, a presentation
on environmental writing,
and the second annual
“Shake the Habit” plastic
bag-free retail initiative which
last year drew roughly 60 area
business participants.
PRESIDENT HEFNER JOINS THE FAMILY OF THE FIRST NABTA SCHOLARSHIP
ALUMNI RECIPIENTS OF THE LANFORD PRESIDENTIAL PRIZE GATHERED TO VISIT WITH MRS. ESTHER LANFORD,
RECIPIENT, KANACIA JAMES. FROM LEFT ARE DR. HEFNER, TERRY JAMES,
WHO, WITH HER LATE HUSBAND, FORMER SUNY FREDONIA PRESIDENT OSCAR LANFORD, ESTABLISHED THE
JARRED JAMES, DENNIS JAMES, KANACIA, AND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
PRESTIGIOUS HONOR FOR EACH CLASS’ TOP ALL-AROUND GRADUATING SENIOR. FROM LEFT: PRESIDENT
BOARD MEMBER ALEXSANDRA LOPEZ, ’99, ALONG WITH SCHOLARSHIP
HEFNER, CHRISTOPHER REYBROUCK, ’08; STEPHANIE ZAJAC, ’05; JOHN GRADEL, ’10; RACHEL (KING) GIBSON,
ORGANIZERS ZOEY BOGAN, ’01; SAMARTH JOSEPH, ’01, AND ASSISTANT
’07; VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT EMERITUS JEAN MALINOSKI, ‘68, ‘81; MRS. LANFORD,
VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS MONICA WHITE, ’94.
ERIN (BAUER) FIERLE, ’04; KERRY WAGNER, ’00; KATHLEEN HITE, ’09, AND KERI (SPRANDEL ) FADDEN, ’98.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY CREATED A SOCCER PROGRAM ENDOWMENT IN MEMORY
ALUMNI OF FREDONIA RADIO SYSTEMS GATHERED AT
LASHERI MAYES AND JUSTIN MOORE
OF TWIN BROTHERS JAMES LAWLOR, ’73, AND DR. MICHAEL R. LAWLOR, ’74. BOTH
41 WEST IN DOWNTOWN FREDONIA TO SEE OLD FRIENDS
WERE ELECTED THE 2010 HOMECOMING
PLAYED FOR THE BLUE DEVILS AND ARE MEMBERS OF ITS ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME.
AND MENTORS, INCLUDING PROFESSOR EMERITUS DAN
KING AND QUEEN. JUSTIN IS A SENIOR
FROM LEFT: DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS GREG PRECHTL, ’69; JIM LAWLOR’S WIDOW,
BERGGREN (FAR LEFT).
AND VOICE PERFORMANCE MAJOR; AND
MARCIA (SHEPHARD) LAWLOR, ’73; MIKE LAWLOR’S SON, MATT; JIM AND MIKE’S
LASHERI IS A JUNIOR BIOLOGY MAJOR.
MOTHER, MECHALINA LAWLOR; THEIR BROTHER, DAN; AND DR. THOMAS PREVET
BOTH ARE FROM BUFFALO.
(EMERITUS PROFESSOR/COACH/ATHLETIC DIRECTOR).
22
alumni.fredonia.edu
23
FALL WRAP-UP
Chancellor and alumni highlight 25th annual Scholars Breakfast
Twenty-five years ago, SUNY Fredonia and the Fredonia College
Foundation held its first Scholars Breakfast, with the notion of
introducing scholarship recipients to the very donors who had made
their educational dreams a reality. The organizers hoped it would
strengthen the bond between donors and the university if they
met and bonded with the students who their gifts were helping.
Perhaps, they surmised, they’d continue giving, or even increase
the size or frequency of those gifts. They also thought it might
instill a sense of commitment in the students, encouraging them to
remember how important scholarships were to them, and become
donors after they graduated.
Mission accomplished. That first event in 1985 had just 87
students in attendance, who together received a mere $17,000.
On Oct. 23, during Family Weekend, over a thousand students,
planning sessions involving government officials, SUNY employees,
students and community members held across the state.
“We recognized that no single person could articulate a vision for
SUNY and its full potential by him or herself, so we instead decided
to bring everyone together,” Chancellor Zimpher explained. “We
figured – with our nearly half a million students and 2.4 million
alumni – if we can’t lead the State of New York forward, who can?”
Dr. Zimpher learned of the Scholars Breakfast during her first
visit to campus in 2009 and was so impressed with the idea that, on
the spot, she committed to returning in 2010 to attend this unique
Fredonia tradition.
The audience also heard from Dr. Michael Marletta, a member
of Fredonia’s Class of 1973. Dr. Marletta, a Rochester native who
is now a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the
DR. MICHAEL MARLETTA,
’73, ENCOURAGED
PEOPLE TO ESTABLISH
SCHOLARSHIPS IN
MEMORY OF THEIR
LOVED ONES.
YOUNGSTERS GET THE JOB DONE AT THE RIBBON-CUTTING FOR THE NEW CHILD CARE CENTER ON CAMPUS.
SUNY FREDONIA PRESIDENT DENNIS HEFNER (LEFT) AND
SUNY CHANCELLOR NANCY ZIMPHER (RIGHT) JOIN SUNY
FREDONIA’S KEEPER OF THE DREAM SCHOLARS AND
ADMINISTRATORS AS THEY ARE RECOGNIZED AT THE 25TH
ANNUAL SCHOLARS BREAKFAST IN STEELE HALL ARENA.
It’s all child’s play at new $4.6 million center
When touring the new Campus and Community Children’s
Center at SUNY Fredonia, one thing is immediately clear: this
beautiful facility was designed with children’s needs at the forefront.
From small square windows one foot off the ground overlooking
colorful gardens to miniature toilets and sinks, there’s no question
that kids come first around here.
As campus, community and government officials gathered in
August to celebrate the dedication of the new center, it was only
fitting that a handful of preschoolers took the lead in the ribbon
cutting – with child-sized safety scissors, of course.
“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new era in child
care here in our community,” said SUNY Fredonia President
Dennis Hefner, who led a group of dignitaries in a larger ribboncutting behind the younger stars of the show. “This wonderful
structure finally gives our community’s families and children
the innovative facilities and valuable added space they have long
deserved, to go along with the high-quality personal care they
have been receiving for decades.”
24
The new center also meets requirements for a “Silver” rating
from the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Green Building Rating System for environmentally sustainable
construction. Buffalo-based Flynn Battaglia Architects, PC,
designed the facility, and in November was recognized by SUNY
Fredonia as its 2010 Contractor of the Year. Patrick Development
Company of East Amherst was the general contractor for the project.
The new center allows for infant care – a long sought-after goal –
in addition to the toddler and pre-school care it has provided to
children of student parents, community members, and campus
employees since it began operating in Thompson Hall in 1974.
Located at the western edge of campus at the corner of Temple
Street and Brigham Road, the terra cotta and cream-colored building,
with lots of glass to capture sunlight, is surrounded by play areas.
Observation rooms in the center are also a valuable educational
resource for SUNY Fredonia students enrolled in education,
sociology and psychology programs to accomplish required field
experience and other research. Similarly, faculty research will be
enhanced due to the added capabilities these rooms will offer.
parents, benefactors, faculty and staff were in attendance to be
recognized among the more than 800 students who in 2010
received more than $1 million in scholarship support.
“It was 14 years ago that I attended my very first Scholars Breakfast,”
President Hefner shared with the audience. “We held that event in
the Cranston Dining Center – with plenty of elbow room. Today’s
event marks the third year that we have had to hold it in Steele Hall
Arena, and by the looks of things, we may have to start looking
for a bigger facility in a couple of years! And isn’t that a wonderful
problem to have?”
President Hefner thanked those who had made a gift to Fredonia
through the annual phonathon, parents appeal or a planned gift.
He also encouraged the students to remember this event long after
they’ve graduated, so that future students might sit where they did.
“While SUNY Fredonia continues to face challenging fiscal times,
with less than 16% of our consolidated budget now provided by the
state, it is heartening that gifts have helped us to maintain a margin
of academic excellence and reward outstanding students,” he added.
SUNY Fredonia welcomed a special guest to this year’s event,
as SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher spoke to attendees about the
new strategic plan SUNY has launched at the system level in Albany.
It was borne from her initial 64-campus tour shortly after her
appointment in mid-2009, as well as a subsequent series of strategic
University of California at Berkeley and a member of the prestigious
National Academy of Sciences, spoke of how he chose Fredonia and
all that he learned here.
“My time at Fredonia was an incredibly special personal and
professional experience,” Dr. Marletta recalled. “At Fredonia, I
really learned how to think. Students, you are going to be challenged
[in your careers after you graduate], but if your teachers have come
even close to preparing you as well as they prepared me, you’re
going to be fine.”
He also shared why he elected to establish a scholarship in
memory of his mother, who passed away at the young age of 50 –
just three days before his Fredonia Commencement.
“I can tell you that the single-most satisfying thing I have done
is to honor her in establishing a scholarship in her memory. I
encourage you to consider doing something similar in your lives.
I promise that you’ll like it; better yet, I think that you’ll love it.”
In addition, Jacob Kahn, a junior Musical Theatre major and
a Keeper of the Dream Scholar, expressed his thanks.
“I have carried as many as 24 credits a semester,” Mr. Kahn said
to an amazed audience. “I have utilized almost every academic
building on campus and all of the resources, books, faculty and
staff within. Scholarship is a unique gift. Thank you for allowing
us to be scholars.”
alumni.fredonia.edu
25
FALL WRAP-UP
CL ASS NOTES
Alumnus and veteran Smith delivers keynote at Veterans Day ceremony
U.S. Army Col. Philip Smith (ret.), ’85,
whose military career spanned more
than 20 years, was the keynote speaker
for the Veterans Day observance held
on campus in the Williams Center. The
event provided a forum through which
university and surrounding community
members gathered to remember, honor,
and show their gratitude to the men
and women who have served the U.S.
through the Armed Forces.
During the observance, the second
annual SUNY Fredonia Veterans
Scholarship award was presented to
student Daniel E. Morton, a former
U.S. Marine who received a Purple
Heart for injuries sustained from an
IED (Improvised Explosive Device)
while serving in Iraq. He hails from
Ashville, N.Y., and is a senior Social Studies Adolescence
Education major.
After graduating from Fredonia with a bachelor’s degree in
History, Col. Smith worked for seven years in both junior
and mid-level executive positions in Fort Lee, Va., as well as
Mannheim, Germany. He then served three years as an assistant
professor and recruitment officer at the University of Illinois
at Chicago, and later was appointed Operations Training and
Staff Officer at Fort Monroe, Va., where he was recognized for
developing innovative concepts that were implemented Army-
wide. He also served as Lead Planner
for the 21st Theater Support Command
in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 1998-99,
Executive Officer for the Kaiserslautern
Industrial Center from 1999-2000, and
Inspector General of the 21st Theater
Support Command. In 2003, Col.
Smith was named chair and professor of
Military Science at Syracuse University,
where he commanded its ROTC and
turned around a program that ranked in
the bottom 38 percent in the U.S. to a
top 15 percent status. He is currently
director of Organizational Development
at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse and
holds a master’s degree in Public
Administration from Troy University.
Mary Hangley, a junior Music
Education/Voice major from Long
Beach, N.Y., performed the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the
Dunkirk High School Junior ROTC cadets presented and retired
the colors. A ceremonial table was reserved at the event to formally
recognize prisoners of war and service members missing in
action (POW/MIA).
At SUNY Fredonia, 26 student veterans are currently enrolled
who together have provided 129 years of cumulative military
service. In addition, SUNY Fredonia, together with the Faculty
Student Association, employs 69 veterans who have given 985
years of service to the university.
Robert Jordan
CELEBR ATING
PROFESSOR EMERITUS JORDAN ACKNOWLEDGES HIS AUDIENCE.
MR. GIDWITZ (LEFT), A FORMER STUDENT OF PROFESSOR JORDAN,
IS PICTURED WITH MR. JORDAN AND ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT
FOR UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT BETTY (CATANIA) GOSSETT, ’76.
26
Professor Emeritus Robert Jordan returned to campus in September
to perform a piano recital in Rosch Recital Hall in celebration
of his 70th birthday. The recital featured works by Bach-Busoni,
D. Scarlatti, Chopin, Debussy and Liszt. Following a reception
and dinner in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room, former
colleagues and students of Mr. Jordan’s shared stories and memories.
The event was attended by over 90 friends, former piano students,
colleagues and family members. Benefactor John Gidwitz of New
York City led an effort to establish an endowment fund through
the Fredonia College Foundation. Today, gifts and pledges exceed
$208,000, in recognition of Mr. Jordan’s talent and influence. The
endowment will be used to provide recruitment scholarships for
piano students, assist with student enrichment
efforts, and to promote diversity. If you’d like
to contribute to this endowment, contact the
foundation’s Betty Gossett at (716) 673-3321 or
gossett@fredonia.edu. Or you can give online at
www.fredonia.edu/giveonline.
1940s
Donna (Cooper) Dort Miller,
’44, (elem ed.) is still the proprietor
of The Cooper, a guest house in
Chautauqua. Her daughter,
Shirley Dort, is the manager.
1950s
Jane (Provick) Jacob, ’53,
(music ed.) has written a story,
“Thanksgiving Secret,”
published in Holiday Helpings.
All profits from the book go
to Adventures in Movement
(A.I.M.) for the handicapped.
Richard Glenzer, ’55, (early
child. ed.) has been married
for 55 years. Both of his sons
attended Fredonia, one for four
years (Mark, ’78) the other for
one year (Kent).
Joy (Stowell) Hamilton, ’58,
(music ed.) has been playing on
her recently-purchased Steinway
Jean (Carere) Kuehn, ’65,
(elem. ed.) is still teaching private
piano lessons and has been a
church organist for 33 years.
1970s
Dr. Harvey Stedman, ’65,
(history) has been serving New
York University (NYU) in a
consulting role since his retirement
as vice chancellor in 2003. The
university recently expanded
Harvey’s involvement, focusing
his energies on NYU’s Global
Network University and the new
NYU campus in Abu Dhabi.
Harvey and Joann, his wife of 40
years, will be living in Abu Dhabi
for several month-long visits
from November through May.
John Dahlberg, ’72, (English/
sec. ed.) has been named a
Senior Administrative Fellow at
Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y.
Nancy (Hall) Picart, ’66, (music
ed.) received a master’s degree
from Long Island University in
2001. She is a full-time director
of a child care center and an
adjunct professor at Long Island
Fred Guerriero, ’71, (biology)
retired after 37½ years at
GlaxoSmithKline.
John Maguda, ’72, (English)
has been teaching instrumental
conducting at SUNY Fredonia
since 2005.
Marianne (Connolly) Sargent,
’72, (elem. ed.) retired from
Greece (N.Y.) Central Schools
after 30 years of teaching.
Dorothy Umans, ’72, (art)
was appointed to Instructional
Dean, Community Education
and Extended Learning Services,
Workforce Development and
Continuing Education, at Montgomery College in Maryland.
MORE THAN 50 ALUMNI GATHERED ON
NOV. 10 AT THE OLD EBBITT GRILL IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., TO MEET OLD FRIENDS,
MAKE NEW BUSINESS CONNECTIONS AND
CHAT WITH CAMPUS LEADERS. ALUMS
FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE CLASS OF
1950 ATTENDED. ALSO, DISTINGUISHED
TEACHING PROFESSOR JIM HURTGEN,
A LONG-TIME STUDENT FAVORITE WHOSE
TIME AT FREDONIA HAS SPANNED FOUR
DECADES, AND SUNY FREDONIA PRESIDENT
DENNIS HEFNER, MADE THE TRIP.
M and just loves being involved
in a little performing. She would
like to hear from classmates.
Robert Willover, ’58, (music
ed.) is an organist in a church on
Sanibel Island in Florida. He
and his wife, Marge, are docents
at the Ford-Edison Estates in
Fort Myers, Fla.
1960s
Norman Isaacson, ’61, (speech
and hearing hand.) has had his
novel, Leo Flower, published. It is
available at booksellers and qualifies for winter or summer reading.
JoAnn (Iuliano) Masterson, ’62,
(speech and hearing hand.) was
elected to the Phi Delta Kappa
International Board of Directors.
She would love to hear from
classmates at jmaster@nycap.rr.com.
University and Empire State
College. Additionally, she is a
community counselor with Au
Pair in America. She has been
teaching piano privately for the
past 40 years, and one of her former piano/cello students is currently attending SUNY Fredonia.
Nancy is married with four
children and three grandchildren.
Greg Prechtl, ’69, (English)
received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in
Professional Service. Greg has
compiled almost four decades
of service at SUNY Fredonia –
including the last 12 years as
Director of Athletics, along with
22 seasons as head men’s basketball
coach. He holds the school record
for the most career victories
by a coach, 262, and directed
Fredonia to its only SUNYAC
championship in basketball.
Norwich, N.Y. Tom’s Christmas
cantata, “The Child,” was
premiered by the church’s music
department in December 2009.
To learn more, visit rasely.com.
Dr. Dana Abendschein, ’74,
(biology) is founder and director
of the StoryLink Program, a
non-profit organization dedicated
to improving literacy among
inmates. The program has joined
forces with the Chautauqua
County Sheriff’s Office to provide
services to inmates. Dana has
been affiliated with Washington
University School of Medicine
in St. Louis, Mo., in research
or teaching capacities for more
than two decades. He returned
to SUNY Fredonia this past
Homecoming to conduct the
seminar, “On the Road to
Developing Targeted and Safe
Antithrombotic Drugs.”
ALUMNI AND FRIENDS GATHERED AT THE SARATOGA CITY TAVERN IN
SARATOGA, N.Y., IN SEPTEMBER TO RECONNECT AND HEAR THE LATEST
NEWS ABOUT THEIR ALMA MATER.
Maxine Davis, ’73, (music ed.)
taught an introduction to The
Feldenkrais Method through
the Special Studies Program at
Chautauqua Institution.
Irene (Reynolds) Guerriero,
’73, (music ed.) is still teaching
high school orchestra at Plymouth
Whitemarsh High School in
Pennsylvania and has three
grown children.
Merry Jeffers, ’73, (music ed.)
retired from Eden (N.Y.) High
School in 2007. She is a contemporary music leader for Trinity
Episcopal Church in Hamburg,
N.Y., and performs in the Orchard
Park Symphony, Southern Tier
Symphony, and Four Centuries
and Amherst Chamber String
orchestras.
Tom Rasely, ’73, (music ed.) was
recently named composer-in-residence by the United Church of
Christ, First Congregational in
Donald Damick, ’74, (music ed.)
was elected president of the New
York State Association of Insurance
and Financial Advisors in May 2010.
Sharon (Greenstein) Green,
’74, (elem. ed.) received a
Distinguished Alumna Award
from Mount Mercy Academy
in Buffalo, N.Y.
Jeffrey Meltzer, ’74, (social
studies) retired from teaching
and coaching basketball at
James Madison High School in
Brooklyn, N.Y., after 30 years.
He coached the girl’s softball
team at Madison in 2010 to the
N.Y.C. championship.
David Smith, ’74, (pol. sci.)
President of National Fuel Gas
Co., rang the closing bell at
the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE), recognizing the 55th
anniversary of the Amherst,
N.Y.-based energy company’s
stock listing on the NYSE.
alumni.fredonia.edu
27
CL ASS NOTES
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM ALUMNI AND
FRIENDS REUNION
Alumni and friends of the Educational Development Program will
return to campus April 29 to May 1.
“We had such a wonderful time at
the 2008 reunion, we wanted to keep
that momentum going and hold another reunion in 2011,” said Co-chair
Audrey Pitts, ’82. “Alumni will have
the chance to interact with current
students, visit the campus, and renew
old friendships. We’ll also be raising
funds for the EDP Scholarship Fund
and Wallace Scholarship Endowment.”
“After getting reacquainted at the
welcome reception Friday night,
attendees can take a walking tour of
the campus on Saturday morning,”
added Co-chair Louis Coplin, ’82.
The first Jeffrey J. Wallace
Scholarship will be presented at the
luncheon on Saturday, where the EDP
Alumni Mentoring Project will have its
kickoff. Then a reunion dinner will be
held that evening. During breakfast
on Sunday, alumni will share thoughts
about fund raising to strengthen the
Wallace endowment and make plans
for the next reunion.
The Educational Development
Program on Fredonia’s campus, known
as Educational Opportunity Program
SUNY-wide, started its 40th year
last fall. It is a state-funded, special
admissions program which provides
academic and financial support services for students who show promise
for mastering college-level work but
may otherwise not be admitted under
regular college criteria.
CL ASS NOTES
James L. Collymore, ’75,
recently published his first book
of poetry last summer, Wind &
Autumn Leaves, a selection of
poetry, prose and haiku from his
larger work: Heart, Mind & Soul.
It includes the Internet favorite:
“Perfect Woman.” Learn more
at Lulu.com or Amazon.com.
William Pylypciw, ’75, (social
studies/sec. ed.) retired from
teaching and has moved to the
Finger Lakes. He will spend the
next year traveling to see old
college friends and kayaking on
Seneca Lake.
Bruce Bonhoff, ’76, (bus. admin.)
was appointed Vice President on
Evans Bank’s Commercial
Lending Team.
Robert Szymanski, ’76, (math./
sec. ed.) retired from teaching
mathematics for 31 years at
Clymer Central School.
For information or to sign up for
the reunion, contact the EDP Office
at (716) 673-3317.
28
Stuart Gardner, ’79, (bus.
admin./market.) launched a new
company, Charlotte Wealth
Management.
Mary Anne Turiano, ’79,
(speech and hearing hand.) is
working full-time with children
in kindergarten through 12th
grade and is a mother of two
boys, 11 and 12 years old.
1980s
James Knapp, ’80, (music ed.)
is the new Artistic Director for
Encore Performance Tours, a
division of the American Institute
for Foreign Study. He arranges
David Sluberski, ’81, (special
studies) was promoted to lecturer
at Rochester Institute of
Technology’s School of Film
and Animation.
Pamela (Krna) Barry, ’82,
(chem.) has worked in the
pharmaceutical industry, first for
19 years for Proctor & Gamble
and for the past four years for
Biotech Cephalo, Inc. She
currently lives in Wilmington, Del.
Daniel Briceno, ’82, (physics/
coop. eng.) represented SUNY
Fredonia and President Dennis
Hefner at the inauguration of
Suffolk County Community
College’s sixth President, Dr.
Shaun L. McKay.
Michael Patrick, ’82, (bus.
admin.) was named the topproducing individual real estate
agent for RE/MAX for the state
of Maryland.
Cindy Mantai, ’84, (English)
is the owner of Cindy Mantai
Writing & Editing Services in
Buffalo, N.Y., specializing in
writing for the life sciences. For
more, visit cindymantai.com.
Scott Martelle, ’84, (pol. sci.)
has two books in the works, The
Fear Within: Spies, Commies and
American Democracy on Trial, to be
published most likely in March by
Rutgers University Press, and an
upcoming book with the working
title, Detroit: A Biography, to be
published by Chicago Review
Press. He moderated a panel on
the Detroit Newspaper Strike as
part of the annual North American
Labor History Conference.
Marjorie (Maloney) Plaister, ’84,
(psych.) received an Excellence
in Programming Award for SUNY
Fredonia’s online credentials
requests via ‘Ustore’ (TouchNet)
at the SUNY Career Development
Officers’ annual meeting.
MEMBERS OF THE 1980S FREDONIA JAZZ ENSEMBLE MET AND
PERFORMED ON SATURDAY, NOV. 13, AT A REUNION/CONCERT HELD
AT THE HILTON GARDEN INN IN EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. PICTURED ARE
(FROM LEFT, FRONT) TOM MACHUGA, JEFF MARSHA, JOHN EBERT,
JOHN COGGIOLA, SHAYNE KNIGHT, DAN SKIDMORE, AND STUDENT
MIKE LAMARDO; (MIDDLE) RUSSELL PARTRICK, WAYNE DAVISON, KIM
HARTQUIST; AND (BACK) STUDENT BRENT KELLY, TERRY CAVINESS,
PAT PATTERSON, DAVE FORTINO, DAN WOOD, JIM BOHM, MATT
TRITTO, MARTY HOLLISTER, T.J. BANDLA, AND DAVID LOBENSTEIN.
THE GROUP HAS ALREADY SCHEDULED NEXT YEAR’S REUNION
PERFORMANCE AS WELL: NOV. 12, 2011!
Suzanne (Dowd) Zeller, ’76,
(psych., sociology) has joined
Allianz Life Company of North
America as its Vice President of
Human Resources.
EDP REUNION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
(FROM LEFT) LOUIS COPLIN, CO-CHAIR,
’82; DINECIA PIERRE-LOUIS, ’05; EMMA
MCFAYDEN, ’76; KATHLEEN BONDS,
FORMER EDP DIRECTOR; AUDREY
PITTS, CO-CHAIR, ’82; BARBARA
YOCHYM, CURRENT EDP SECRETARY;
DAVID WHITE, CURRENT EDP DIRECTOR;
AND DR. JEFFREY J. WALLACE, ’68,
FORMER EDP DIRECTOR. MISSING
IS DR. SHERRYL WEEMS, ’76.
Louis A. Deppas, ’78, (music ed.)
conducted, “Battle Hymn of the
Republic,” for the Chautauqua
County Music Teachers’ Association’s annual spring music festival
at Chautauqua Institution. He
is a retired music teacher from
Jamestown Public Schools.
Marilyn Terranova-Miller,
’77, (elem. ed.) is Superintendent
of Schools for the Eastchester
School District in Westchester
County, N.Y. She is also an
adjunct professor at Fordham
University and SUNY Stony
Brook in their educational
administration departments.
Dr. David Banach, ’78, (chem.)
is the Chief Financial Officer for
Dunkirk Flavors (formerly Nog,
Inc.) in Dunkirk, N.Y.
Dr. Luanne (Clarke) Crosby,’78,
(music ed.) performed as a
soprano in the program, “Three
Sopranos and a Pianist,” at
SUNY Fredonia.
international concert tours,
collaborations and festivals for
choirs, bands and orchestras all
over the world.
Paul Lehmann, ’80, (psych.)
represented SUNY Fredonia
and President Dennis Hefner at
the inauguration of Dr. Jeffrey
Herbst, the 16th President of
Colgate University.
Ellen S. Leibowitz, ’80, (music
ed.) was appointed Coordinator of
Undergraduate Studies at Rutgers
University’s Mason Gross School
of the Arts’ Department of Music.
Robert Nimmo, ’80, (bus.
admin.) completed a Master of
Arts in Teaching degree at the
University of Tampa (Fla.) in
August and is currently looking
for a teaching position.
Josie DiVincenzo, ’81, (theatre)
played Lady Macbeth in
Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s
summer production of
“Macbeth” in Buffalo, N.Y.
Laurie (Lasher) Tramuta, ’82,
(music ed.) performed as a
mezzo-soprano in the production
of, “Three Sopranos and a
Pianist,” at SUNY Fredonia.
Jeff Daniels, ’83, (psych.) and
Janine (Fabino) Daniels, ’84,
(elem. ed.) are empty nesters
having a ball! They are catching
up with old friends and traveling.
William E. Finn, ’83, (bus.
admin.) has been named CEO
of Hospice of the Western
Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.
He is former President and CEO
of The Center for Hospice and
Palliative Care in Buffalo, N.Y.
Gwen M. Collier-DeForte, ’84,
(sociology) and her husband,
James, have adopted four children,
three of whom are siblings, and
they also have one birth child.
She is a homemaker at the present
time and loving every minute of it.
Jeff Nelson, ’85, (music perf. ,
sound rec. technology) recently
played on Sting’s new CD,
“Symphonicities;” played
pre-recorded music for the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade broadcast, and just
finished performing for the
Broadway productions of,
“Come Fly Away,” and “Elf.”
Ralph Serpe, ’85, (econ.) was
recently named Vice President,
Development, at the Baltimore
Community Foundation.
Lisa Brigantino, ’86, (music
theory) was named a “2010 Artist
to Watch Out For” by The
Examiner and released her latest
solo CD, “Wonder Wheel,” an
eclectic collection of original
songs ranging from rock to
folk, pop to blues, plus oldtime, Americana and more. The
album is getting international
airplay and great reviews. She
Rory B. Pollaro, ’88, (English)
is the outdoors columnist for
The Chautauqua Star, a weekly
newspaper circulated throughout
Chautauqua County. He has over
15 years of professional writing
and newspaper experience and
is also employed with Frontier
Financial of Jamestown, N.Y.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Trini
Ross, ’88, (sociology) will receive
the Federal Law Enforcement
Foundation award for her work on
a civil rights case that resulted in
the conviction of a former City of
Tonawanda, N.Y., police captain.
Janet Goodfriend, ’89, (English)
published a novel, For the Love of
Art, and the publishing company
will donate 25 percent of sales
to schools chosen by its readers.
THOMAS J. DEMMER, ’10
1990s
Marnie Kozielski, ’90, (special
studies) sang “The Star Spangled
Banner,” and, “God Bless America,” for minor league baseball’s
Batavia Muckdogs at Dwyer
Stadium in Batavia, N.Y.
Dr. Dean M. Amadio, ’91,
(psych.) received tenure and was
promoted to Associate Professor
of psychology at Siena College in
Loundonville, N.Y.
Mike Baschnagel, ’91, (account.)
accepted a position as Associate
Vice President of Finance-Non
Gaming with Galaxy Entertainment. Galaxy is opening a new
hotel/casino in Macau, China, to
be called Galaxy Macau.
JOSEPH FLAXMAN, ’06
WENDI (RICE) KINNEY, ’97
SUNY FREDONIA GRADUATES
LIVING IN AND AROUND
THE PHILADELPHIA REGION
GATHERED AT THE COURTYARD
PHILADELPHIA IN OCTOBER,
A WEEK AFTER HOMECOMING
WEEKEND, TO HAVE THEIR
OWN REUNION – WITHOUT THE
EIGHT-HOUR DRIVE.
Kelley Briggs, ’85, (art/graphic
design) received nine awards from
the Advertising Club of Westchester (N.Y.), won the Norman Liss
Award for Public Service, and was
a guest on “Westchester Means
Business,” hosted by the Business
Council of Westchester.
David Ezzo, ’85, (anthro.)
had an article published in the
August issue of Whispering
Wind Magazine, “Montagnais
and Southern New England
Religion.” David is currently
working as an adjunct professor
of sociology and anthropology at
Genesee Community College.
Cynthia Long, ’85, (special
studies) recently founded a real
estate company, Investor
Properties, which specializes in
rehabilitating real estate, and
owns and manages many
residential real estate properties.
co-produced it with her husband,
Dr. Thomas Millioto, ’88,
(music perf.). Other contributing
alums include: Andy Van Dette,
’85 (sound rec. technology); Lori
Brigantino, ’87 (special stds.);
Susan Haefner, ’88 (musical
theatre); and Jerry Snee, ’88
(musical theatre).
Erica (Rayman) Denler, ’86,
(music ed.) led the All-County
Senior High Chorus for the
Chautauqua County Music
Teachers’ Association’s annual
spring music festival at Chautauqua Institution. She is the director of choral music at Hendrick
Hudson High School in Westchester County, N.Y.
Janis (Alm) Bowman, ’88,
(biology) was recognized by
Jamestown Community College
at an alumni banquet as distinguished in the field of education.
She is an Associate Professor of
biology at the college.
LISA BRIGANTINO, ’86
More information is available at
www.janetgoodfriend.com.
Dr. Michael June, ’89, (biology)
completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering at
North Carolina State University.
Sean Patick McGraw, ’89,
(applied music) performed, “The
Star-Spangled Banner,” at U.S.
Cellular Field for a Chicago
White Sox baseball game.
He also performed an acoustic
set prior to game.
Douglas Metcalfe, ’89, (bus.
admin.) works as the house
manager at the Philadelphia
Ronald McDonald House.
SARAH CRISMAN, ’10
Shawn Goodman, ’92, (psych.)
is working as a school psychologist
and a fiction writer. His first
novel, Something Like Hope,
recently won the 2009 Delacorte
Prize and is published by Random
House. The book is based on his
experiences as a faculty psychologist in New York’s juvenile
justice system.
Steve Wechsler, ’92, (psych.)
moved to the Washington,
D.C., area last year and would
be interested in connecting with
professional alumni in the area.
alumni.fredonia.edu
29
CL ASS NOTES
CL ASS NOTES
SUNY FREDONIA MOURNS THE LOSS OF ANN JAMES MANLY OF FREDONIA, A MEMBER OF THE FREDONIA
COLLEGE COUNCIL FOR 17 YEARS AND A TRUE FRIEND OF THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS STUDENTS. MRS. MANLY
WAS WIDELY KNOWN FOR HER COMPASSION, LEADERSHIP, GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT AND FRIENDSHIP TO
MEMBERS OF THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY. SHE PASSED AWAY NOV. 7 AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS.
MRS. MANLY WAS FIRST APPOINTED TO THE FREDONIA COLLEGE COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER 1993 AND
IN 2005 WAS RE-APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI FOR A TERM TO END IN JUNE 2012. SHE WAS
ALSO A COLLEGE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE ON THE SUNY FREDONIA PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
AND GAVE THE WELCOME AND SALUTATION ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL AT THE 1997 INAUGURATION OF
PRESIDENT DENNIS HEFNER.
“ANN MANLY WAS A VALUED AND TRUSTED MEMBER OF THE COLLEGE COUNCIL FOR NEARLY TWO
DECADES,” PRESIDENT HEFNER SAID. “HER SERVICE TO THIS UNIVERSITY AND HER COMMITMENT TO OUR
STUDENTS ARE LEGENDARY. SHE WAS A WONDERFUL FRIEND, AND HER PRESENCE AND WISE COUNSEL
WILL BE SORELY MISSED.”
MRS. MANLY AND HER HUSBAND, DOUGLAS, WHO SURVIVES, HAVE ASSISTED MANY STUDENTS AS
BENEFACTORS OF SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENTS ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE FREDONIA COLLEGE FOUNDATION.
SEVERAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS HAVE DEVELOPED DEEP FRIENDSHIPS WITH THE MANLYS WHICH
REMAIN TO THIS DAY.
Jen Fitzery, ’93, (theatre) played
Menteith in a summer production
of “Macbeth” in Shakespeare in
Delaware Park in Buffalo, N.Y.
(pol. sci.) of Philadelphia, Pa.,
as Secretary on the national
board, of the Northeast Greek
Leadership Association.
Judith Haley, ’93, (elem. ed.) was
honored by Jamestown Community
College as an alumna who has
distinguished herself in the field
of education. She is an elementary
teacher at Cattaraugus-Little
Valley Central School.
Jennifer (Swanson) Peters, ’97,
(sociology) was named Associate
Director of Admissions at
Jamestown Business College.
Tracy Collingwood, ’94,
(psych.) received an Excellence
in Programming Award in Recruitment Programs at the SUNY
Career Development Officers’
annual meeting, for the SUNY
Fredonia internship program.
Brian McDowell, ’94, (geology)
completed his National Teaching
Certification and finished the
Ironman Lake Placid competition.
Jill Russell, ’94, (elem. ed.) was
honored by Jamestown Community
College at an alumni banquet as
someone who has distinguished
herself in the field of education.
She is an elementary teacher at
Springville-Griffith Institute.
Kristen “Katie” Evans, ’96,
(biology) works as a hospice social
worker after graduating from
SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s
degree in Psychology and from
Bryn Mawr College with a master’s
degree in Social Service.
Tom Cordaro, ’97, (speech
path.) was inducted into the
Fredonia State Athletic Hall
of Fame (soccer).
Wendi (Rice) Kinney, ’97,
(med. technology) of Avon, N.Y.,
was appointed as Executive
Director, and Stacy Kraus, ’97,
30
Amanda Janisch, ’98, (sociology)
was honored by Jamestown
Community College at an alumni
banquet as distinguished in the
field of education. She is a special
education teacher at Silver Creek
Central School.
Justin Pomietlarz, ’98, (music
perf.) directed the All-County
Junior High Chorus for the
Chautauqua County Music
Teachers’ Association’s annual
spring music festival at
Chautauqua Institution. He
teaches at Amherst High School.
Tim Zulawski, ’98, (bus.
admin.) was promoted to Vice
President of Sponsorship Sales
and Service for the Atlanta
Falcons of the NFL.
Laurie (Volkmar) Cooklis, ’99,
(music perf.) received a Master
of Science in Management
Information Systems from the
University of Alabama Huntsville
in May 2010 and is now a Business
Analyst with Accenture. She was
recently inducted into the Phi
Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma
Sigma honor societies. Classmates
can find her on LinkedIn.
John Tiranno, ’99, (music perf.)
performed as a guest artist tenor
in the Hillman Opera, “The
Tales of Hoffmann,” in the title
role at SUNY Fredonia.
2000s
Robert M. Egan, ’00, (commun.)
represented SUNY Fredonia and
President Dennis Hefner at the
inauguration of Canisius College’s
24th President, John J. Hurley.
Rebecca Glogowski, ’00,
(psych.) received her master’s
degree in education in May 2010
from Nazareth College. She is
certified in special and general
education, birth to grade 2.
James V. Maiello, ’00, (music ed.)
has been appointed Assistant Professor of musicology at Vanderbilt
University’s Blair School of Music.
He was also awarded a stipend for
research at the Hill Museum and
Manuscript Library in Collegeville,
Minn. His study, “On the Manufacture and Dating of the Pistoia
Choirbooks,” recently appeared
in the Journal of the Plainsong &
Medieval Music Society.
Jonathan Payne, ’01, (commun./
audio and radio) was inducted
into the Fredonia State Athletic
Hall of Fame (soccer).
Cathy Pitts, ’01, (elem. ed.)
was honored by Jamestown
Community College at an
alumni banquet as distinguished
in the field of education. She is
a computer teacher at George
Washington Middle School.
Jameson Ricigliano, Sr., ’01,
(elem. ed.) was inducted into
the Fredonia State Athletic
Hall of Fame (baseball).
Adam Sarata, ’01, (music perf.)
was recently hired as a guitar
instructor for the University of
Mount Union. He has released
his second full-length classical
guitar recording, “Cavata;”
adjudicated and performed for
the Rantucci International Guitar
Festival at Daemen College, and
is currently a guitar instructor for
Ashland University.
Erin (Hotchkin) Boylan, ’02,
(bus. admin./market.) was
formally recognized for her
many efforts by SUNY Cortland
with its Award for Excellence in
Professional Service to students.
Dr. Brian Green, ’02, (sound
rec. technology) earned his
Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems
Engineering specializing in
Human Factors. Brian works
for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.
Heather Delcamp, ’03, (social
work) was named Employee of
the Month at the Cassadaga
Job Corps Center. She is a
career counselor.
Dr. Brian Moskalik, ’03, (biology)
was hired by the College of
Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.,
as a postdoctoral teaching fellow
in biology.
Jan Tonon, ’03, (music bus.)
started a new position in Patron
Services at the Kimmel Center
for the Performing Arts in
Philadelphia, Pa., and loves it.
Lauren Ulatowski, ’03, (psych.)
represented SUNY Fredonia and
President Dennis Hefner at the
inauguration of Nassau Community College’s fifth President, Dr.
Donald P. Astrab.
Career Corner: So what’s your career strategy? by Tracy Collingwood,’94
“Things are different this time.” These words have
been used in many contexts, including the ever-changing
employment market and current economy. In the case
of career planning, this saying seems to be true as well.
The notion of holding a job for life no longer exists.
Organizations need to be flexible and nimble, employees
are expected to change along with the organization and
its operating environment, job security is ambiguous,
and companies are no longer stable entities due to
increasing mergers and acquisitions resulting from
increased global competition.
In this environment, employees need to be better
prepared for change. Creating an effective strategy
for your job search or career management involves
following a logical process.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Whether you are seeking a job or changing careers,
research is critical. One must figure out where the jobs
are, who is hiring, and what the prospects are for the
future of that job/company.
CONDUCT A SELF ASSESSMENT
Since low job satisfaction levels typically involve a mismatch between the person and the position, it is essential
that you conduct an honest self assessment. Be sure to
consider your interests, abilities, values and personality.
You need to figure out what you are good at and what is
stopping you from enhancing your current position.
Michelle Cinque, ’04, (sociology)
was hired as a social worker for
Steuben County and its Board
of Cooperative Educational
Services, working with middle
school-aged children.
sang the role of Guglielmo in
Cosi fan tutte with Tri-Cities
Opera of Binghamton, N.Y. this
past fall, and music directed at
Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston, N.Y., for High Holidays.
Clare Crowley, ’04, (child. ed./
English) was chosen to carry the
torch during the summer Empire
State Games’ opening ceremonies
at the University at Buffalo.
Abigail Gray, ’06, (child. ed./
English) was recently named
Employee of the Year at the
Cassadaga Job Corps Center. She
serves as the center’s mathematics
instructor and recently assumed
the role of Advanced College
Training (ACT) Coordinator.
Ashley Skinner, ’05, (pol. sci.)
was hired as a respiratory
therapist at Griffin Home
Health Care in Charlotte, N.C.
Joseph Flaxman, ’06, (music
perf.) performed on WQXR’s
Robert Sherman program, “The
McGraw Hill Companies Young
Artists Showcase;” performed
in a recital with the MacDowell
Club of N.J., and with BARD
summerscape in The Chocolate
Soldier. He also received an
encouragement award from the
Career Bridges grant program,
Christina (Castro) Kensy,
’06, (psych.) has been hired as a
school counselor at Grand Island
(N.Y.) High School.
Jeff Levine, ’06, (English)
received his Master of Arts degree
from Carnegie Mellon University
as a scholarship recipient and
started working with the Frank
Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy on its magazine, writing
web content and other pieces.
GENERATE LEADS AND NETWORK
Next in line would be to develop a plan to market your skill set
and generate leads. The most commonly perceived way of marketing
yourself is the résumé, but other tactics such as writing a persuasive
cover letter, building a contact base and networking are also effective.
PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW
The interview is the last step of the hiring process and the most
important. It offers you and the employer the opportunity to meet
one another, exchange ideas and information, and come to tentative
conclusions about “hiring” one another.
As more people enter the job search market and do so with more
frequency, it is essential for job seekers to circumvent the traditional
search avenues in order to gain an edge. The person who can network
their way to a decision maker has the best chances of landing even
the most highly sought after position. Once in the job, you must start
the cycle once again of adapting to your new environment and
continually improving yourself by adding new skills and qualifications.
If you need assistance developing your career strategy, contact the
Career Development Office at (716) 673-3327 or schedule an
appointment at www.fredonia.edu/cdo/alumniappt.asp. We start with
an in-depth conversation with you, either in person or by phone,
arranged by appointment. Remember, our relationship with all of
our alumni continues as long as you need it – and at no cost – no
matter what stage of your career.
Tracy Collingwood is the Interim Director of the Career
Development Office.
Vincent F. Welch, ’06, (comm./
TV and digital film) moved to
New York City to pursue a career
in television and film editing.
He participated in the editing of
various advertisements and was
involved in the intense postproduction process for three
linked films which were screened
worldwide and accepted to the
Sundance Film Festival (www.The
AmericanaProject.com). He worked
on Season 1 of the Jerry Seinfeldproduced NBC show, “The
Marriage Ref,” as the sole postproduction assistant, and will be
working for Comedy Central on
a new show airing in the spring,
“Onion Sports Network.”
Molly McKinney, ’08, (commun.)
completed her last “Aqua Kids”
film shoot and officially resigned
as the conservation-themed
TV show’s host and part-time
producer. In August she moved
to New York City to work behind
the camera as a producer for the
broadcast PR firm, DS Simon
Productions. After just three
months, she was named senior
producer and is enjoying her
new responsibilities.
Neal Sheehan, ’08, (account.)
has passed all four parts of the
Uniform Certified Public
Accounting exam, as announced
by Lumsden & McCormick.
Andrew Abrams, ’08, (commun./ Jared Scott Tesler, ’08, (commun./
TV and digital film) was hired by pub. rel.) was awarded a Dr. Keith
the National Hockey League’s St. Davis Graduate Scholarship with
Louis Blues as its lead video/editor/ Honorable Mention designation
by the National Office of Sigma
video director. He previously
worked for the Manchester Mon- Iota Epsilon National Honorary
and Professional Management
archs of the American Hockey
Fraternity for his scholarly paper,
League (an affiliate to the L.A.
Kings) as a video coordinator.
“Organizational Theories:
alumni.fredonia.edu
31
CL ASS NOTES
CL ASS NOTES
Your memory is longer than ours. Please help us record Fulbright history!
A commitment to the next generation of scientists By David Tiffany, Vice President for University Advancement
We received calls asking us to clarify our Fulbright award story from the August 2010 Statement and we’re glad to. Professor Emeritus
Phyllis East of the School of Music reported that Maxine Davis, who received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 1973 and
Master of Music degree in 1974 as a vocal major, received a Fulbright award and traveled shortly after graduating to study in Munich,
Germany, at the Hochschule für Musik.
The first SUNY Fredonia undergraduate to receive a Fulbright award was reported by Professor Emeritus Richard Sheil to be
his former student, Clark Dunbar, ’61, a Music Education/voice major who studied in Vienna, Austria, at the Akademic für darstellenda
Kunst. Dr. Sheil notes that Clark continues to reside and sing in Europe.
Any alumni who received a Fulbright award during or shortly after receiving bachelor’s or master’s degrees from SUNY Fredonia are
asked to please contact Associate Director of Public Relations Lisa Eikenburg at lisa.eikenburg@fredonia.edu or (716) 673-4754.
He was a science education major
at SUNY Fredonia. She was an
education major at Buffalo State.
They met one summer while
both were working at Sears. Their
friendship grew into marriage, and
from this beginning sprang the
largest endowment fund dedicated to
science scholarships in the history of
the Fredonia College Foundation.
James Kaminski graduated from
Fredonia in 1969 and completed his
Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University
of New Hampshire in 1972. Yvonne
Kaminski completed her teaching
degree, taught home economics for
several years, and then went back
to school and became a nurse. After
a few years in Kansas, they moved
to New Jersey in 1978. There,
Jim started a lifelong career as a
researcher with the pharmaceutical
giant Schering-Plough.
Yvonne spent her entire nursing career with the Hackettstown
Regional Medical Center in northern New Jersey. She continued
her nursing career after Jim’s untimely death in 2003, and was still
working in the intensive care unit every weekend until last fall
when she died suddenly from pneumonia.
Jim’s research at Schering-Plough specialized in developing
cancer-treating drugs. He had his name on several dozen patents,
and was a founding member of the International Advisory Board
for the Retrometabolism-based Drug Design and Targeting
Conference, a group that honored his work upon his death.
Yvonne decided in 2008 to establish a scholarship endowment
Classical, Contemporary, and
Critical Perspectives.” Jared
graduated in December 2009
with a Master of Science in
Communications from the Roy
H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.
Chris Thielking, ’08, (theatre
prod. and design) worked as an
assistant lighting designer with
an off-Broadway show, Bloody
Bloody Andrew Jackson.
Michael A. Venti, ’08, (music
ed.) was hired by the Maine
School Administrative District
#41 of Milo, Maine, and is teaching instrumental and vocal music
for grades seven through 12 at
Penquis Valley High School.
Remi Adelaiye, ’09, (biochemistry) is a Research Laboratory
Technician in the Department of
Medicine, Heath Research Inc.
(HRI), at Roswell Park Cancer
Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
Faculty Notes
Dr. Robert Dahlgren, (Curr.
and Instruct.) has published a
book, Teaching in Minefields: The
Experiences of Secondary Social
Studies Teachers with Teaching
Controversial Issues in the Classroom.
For more, go to Amazon.com.
Emeritus Notes
Dr. Walter Hartley, (School of
Music) was guest composer at the
Grenadier Saxophone Workshop
at Indiana University Southeast.
He lives in Charlotte, N.C., and
is the unofficial Composer-inResidence at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte.
Births
A son, James Douglas, to
Martha and Kevin O’Keefe, ’92
(bus. admin., psych.).
A daughter, Elise Irene, to
Jessica H. Monaco, ’99.
Melissa Follett, ’09, (sociology)
was named as Employee of the
Month at the Cassadaga Job
Corps Center. She is a Residential
Advisor in the women’s dormitory.
A daughter, Lily Catherine,
to Robert, ’00, (bus. admin./
M.I.S.) and Mary Catherine
(Stark) Finger, ’01, (commun.)
of Amherst, N.Y.
Sarah Crisman, ’10, (public
account.) has been hired as a staff
accountant for Brock, Schechter
& Polakoff, LLP.
Marriages
Thomas J. Demmer, ’10, (bus.
admin./finance) has joined the
firm of Tronconi Segarra &
Associates in Williamsville, N.Y.,
as a staff accountant.
Jamie Hullings, ’10, (bus.
admin./mgmt.) has been hired
as an administrative assistant by
Synacor in Buffalo, N.Y.
32
Donald Nyquist, ’62, (music
ed.) to Neleta Clarkson of
Pleasant Hill, Tenn.
Christina Castro, ’06, (psych.)
to Christopher Kensy, ’06,
(math.-middle child. cert.).
Tammy Wilson, ’00 (reading)
to Douglas Prior.
Deaths
A LU M N I
Elizabeth (Casler) Andersen,
Class of 1934
Margaret (Kasbohm) Gloor,
Class of 1939
Esther L. (Schosek) Huestis,
Class of 1939
Kathleen E. Wambold,
Class of 1942
Josephine R. “Jay” (Bellitto)
Frushone, Class of 1945
Marion J. Erickson,
Class of 1946
Juliette “Julie” P. Espersen,
Class of 1948
Russell L. Johnson,
Class of 1950
Dr. Carol (Transom)
McDonnell, Class of 1950
Betty (Newcomb) Poole
Mumm, Class of 1950
Richard H. Sward,
Class of 1950
Virginia Mary (Miller)
Pawlak, Class of 1951
Allan Dean, Class of 1952
Catherine (Walker) Reynolds,
Class of 1953
Phyllis N. (McGruder) Chase,
Class of 1954
Mary Ann (Allenza) Linberg,
Class of 1954
Barbara A. (Ruper) Tomerlin,
Class of 1957
Linda (Balash) Riedel,
Class of 1960
Dr. David J. Weber,
Class of 1962
Susan (Huff) Von Galambos,
Class of 1969
William M. Roosa III,
Class of 1971
Dr. Michael R. Lawlor,
Class of 1974
Barbara J. Loiocano,
Class of 1975
Deborah A. Yerico-Nunley,
Classes of 1980 and 1994
John Cavalier, Class of 1985
David M. Neveu,
Classes of 1990 and 1999
Julie R. (Garance) Vick,
Class of 1991
Gary M. Tripp, Class of 2002
Nicholas J. Andolina,
Class of 2004
Christal Jackson, Class of 2008
C U R R EN T STU D EN TS
Alfred Davis
Jordan D. Ondus
Nicholas N. Spawn
FA C U LT Y/ STA FF
Rodney Ackroyd, Facilities
Management, 1963-1983
for students majoring in Chemistry
at SUNY Fredonia as a way to
remember her husband while
helping college students. She made
the Fredonia College Foundation
the beneficiary for an individual
retirement account (IRA). Her plan
was to use the income during her
retirement years, with any residual
then establishing a scholarship
endowment at SUNY Fredonia.
She developed her plan with the
help of her financial advisor and
good friend Marylou Reeves, her
attorney, and the SUNY Fredonia
Development Office. They worked
cooperatively and developed a
Memorandum of Understanding that
governs the bequest. The agreement
establishes the Kaminski Scholars
program, which provides funds
for scholarships as well as support
for summer research fellowships.
The summer program supports students so that they, working
cooperatively with faculty, can devote a concentrated period of
time to research projects.
The Kaminski Scholars endowment will initially support two
renewable scholarships worth $8,000 per year for entering
Chemistry majors. The principal is more than $860,000, and
will provide over $34,000 annually for scholarships and summer
research fellowships.
To learn more, please contact Vice President for University
Advancement David Tiffany (716) 673-3321 or david.tiffany@
fredonia.edu.
Marlene B. Chizmadia,
Sponsored Research, 1977-2000
Dick S. Lord, Director of
Physical Facilities, 1968-1990
Ann J. Manly,
College Council, 1993-2010
Dr. David Orvos,
Biology, 1997-2000
Guy Kenyon Sievert,
Facilities Services, 1979-1989
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN | GOAL $15M BY 12/31/11
EM ER ITU S
Dr. Willard Gaeddert,
Department of Physics, 1962-1982
Theodore “Ted” F. Petersen Sr.,
Music, 1948-1982
Dr. Lonie Rudd, Education,
1968-1987
Joanne L. (Lovell) Schewik,
Reed Library, 1974-1985
ALUMNI AND FRIENDS GATHERED AT THE CAPITAL ALE HOUSE IN RICHMOND, VA.,
LAST MARCH TO RECONNECT, NETWORK AND SHARE OLD MEMORIES. ANOTHER
VIRGINIA EVENT WILL BE HELD THIS APRIL IN CHARLOTTESVILLE. DETAILS ARE
COMING SOON! CHECK OUT ALUMNI.FREDONIA.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION.
PROGRESS AS OF 12/31/10
$13.2 M
BE A PART OF OUR SUCCESS. GIVE ONLINE AT WWW.FREDONIA.EDU/GIVEONLINE.
alumni.fredonia.edu
33
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
BUFFALO, N.Y.
PERMIT NO. 367
OFFICE OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS
286 CENTRAL AVENUE
FREDONIA, NY 14063
Robert and Marilyn Maytum Music Rehearsal Halls dedicated
DIRECTOR OF BANDS PAULA HOLCOMB LEADS THE SUNY FREDONIA
WIND ENSEMBLE AT THE DEDICATION OF THE REHEARSAL HALLS.
MAYTUM FAMILY MEMBERS AT THE EVENT.
Campus and regional officials gathered Oct. 12 with dozens of students and faculty from the
School of Music to usher in the latest addition on campus: the Robert and Marilyn Maytum Music
Rehearsal Halls.
The $3 million expansion to the north end of Mason Hall includes two rooms which are two to three
times the size of any existing rehearsal space. They were designed specifically to accommodate large
band and orchestral groups which have grown to as many as 120 members. Among those at the
ceremony were Assemblymen William Parment (150th District) and Joseph Giglio (149th District), and
Robert and Marilyn Maytum, a couple known for their considerable business and philanthropic efforts
throughout the region.
“It is wonderful to welcome such a beautiful and highly functional space to our campus,” SUNY
Fredonia President Dennis Hefner remarked. “These new facilities give our students unprecedented
resources from which they will learn and develop into high-quality musicians. These rooms will also
allow our faculty even greater flexibility and creativity as they approach their instructional roles.”
The new halls not only meet modern-day occupancy codes, but special engineering was also
implemented to address sound volume and quality issues to ensure hearing safety for students and
faculty, as well as musical authenticity. “Our School of Music has grown enrollment considerably in the
last decade,” Dr. Hefner added. “We needed to make sure our ensembles had space large enough to
not only contain their numbers, but just as importantly, do so in a manner that ensured the safety
of the students and the quality of the instruction they receive.”
The Maytum family has been staunch supporters of SUNY Fredonia for decades. This is most
evident in the form of Maytum Hall – the tallest building in Chautauqua County – which historically
houses most of the university’s administration. This latest project, however, had special meaning to
Mr. and Mrs. Maytum.
“My mother was always very fond of music and a strong supporter of the Hillman Opera from its
beginnings, so the School of Music has always held a special place for us,” said Robert Maytum.
“SUNY Fredonia has one of the best music schools in the country, and we wanted to support it and
continue our family’s tradition of providing scholarships and other forms of financial assistance,
which help the university attract top-notch students.”
Designer/architect Foit-Albert Associates and SLR Contracting & Service Co., Inc., both of Buffalo,
N.Y., were joined by acoustical consultant AVL Designs, Inc., of Penfield, N.Y., as the construction
team, guided by the SUNY Fredonia Facilities Planning Department.
The addition will also serve as an enabling project to the upcoming addition to the Rockefeller
Arts Center, providing “surge space” for rehearsals for the Department of Theatre and Dance.

THE MAGAZINE FOR SUNY FREDONIA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

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