LETTERS
Letters to the Editor We want to hear from you! The Scene welcomes feedback and encourages discussion of higher-education issues, content and your thoughts about Geneseo. Send letters, which may be edited for space, to scene@geneseo.edu or to the Scene editor, SUNY Geneseo, Roemer House, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454.
Professor inspired alumnus I enjoy reading accounts of how Geneseo professors help shape the future of their students. I owe a lot of thanks to business Lecturer Paul Scipione. I arrived for my senior year with no professional experience and very little idea of where I was headed. That fall, I took Dr. S.’s market research course and got involved with his projects at the Survey Research Center. Knowing I had found what I wanted to do, I interned at a research firm under a former student of Dr. S. With some experience and a reference from Dr. S., I got a job with a nationally recognized market research firm. After a few years there, I called Dr. S. and told him I was applying to the master of marketing research program at the University of Georgia. Without my asking, he was on the phone the following morning with a professor there that he knew. As I made the drive to Georgia to begin classes this June, I thought of where I might be if it were not for Dr. S. — Jason Hoskins ’09 Big Tree article is rooted in memories The article on the Big Tree Inn brought back old memories. I transferred to Geneseo in 1970 to finish my degree in business administration. I worked for Joe Vitale and his daughter at the Vital Spot and later for
John Lockhart at the Whale’s Tale. Shortly after arriving in town, I became fast friends with John, and his then wife, Sharon, who are both wonderful people. When the Big Tree Inn went bust in 1971, John bought at auction the contents of its wine cellar and we spent the next semester drinking our way through the cellar. The friends I made while at school are friends today. — Mike Hanley ’72 I really enjoyed reading about the Big Tree Inn’s history, and Barry Kaplan’s letter about his 50-year reunion was a neat trip down memory lane. Next year will be my 50th year of living in paradise (Hawaii) and playing softball competitively. Lucky me. My Geneseo coaches — Mort Akers and Vic Rashi — would be proud. Fond memories and warm alohas. — Jim “Sparky” Reed ’61 Life lessons at WGSU The “Dusk to Dawn” photo essay brought me back more than 35 years to closing up WGSU at 2 a.m. after the last show of the day. After starting my radio days as a freshman, I moved up to “supervisor” as a junior. That meant training new members, doing recording work and overseeing the station late at night. While I learned a lot from wonderful professors, my education outside the classroom was as valuable as any I received. WGSU
is one of the main reasons I am where I am today. I am an associate professor of communication studies and coordinator of the master’s program at Morgan State. I helped create the FM radio station at my former college, College of Staten Island/CUNY. I was general manager of the station for 22 years. I was also a faculty advisor for the FM station at Richard Stockton College. WGSU made me a strong adherent to experiential learning. I learned to work in groups, how to supervise people, and received the first inkling that I might want to teach. It opened up a whole world to me. It is nice to see WGSU is an important part of the Geneseo community today. — Gregory Adamo ’76 Discipline and ethics buoyed police chief I’m proud to say that many of the qualities that I learned as a Geneseo student have served me extremely well. Upon graduating in 1995 as a poli sci major, I was hired as a police officer for the City of Oneonta (N.Y.) Police Department. In my 17-year career, I’ve served as a patrol officer, DARE officer, sergeant, detective and lieutenant, and now am chief of police. As a result of my work ethic, I’ve been sent to many amazing and advanced schools, including the FBI
National Academy. I’ve been very fortunate to do all that I set out to do and I feel that the educational background and discipline that I learned at Geneseo played a huge part in my success. — Dennis Nayor ’95 Sorority sister is an inspiration in the wake of Superstorm Sandy When my friend and sorority sister, Lauren Redmond Rafferty ’01, and her family evacuated her home in Breezy Point, Queens, she could have never predicted how Hurricane Sandy would forever change her. Hours later, Breezy Point was under 4 feet of water and a massive fire raged through the community. Almost instantly, she utilized her leadership skills to support others, quickly providing information about how to help salvage photos, family heirlooms and how to file claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Her husband helped with clean-up efforts. Both helped their neighbors while, in their own lives, they endured profound devastation. Her active and alumni sisters responded just as swiftly. More than $5,000 was raised for victims of Hurricane Sandy by more than 100 individuals with ties to Sigma Delta Tau’s Gamma Chi Chapter at Geneseo. — Jill Bryson ’00 Winter 2013
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