Fall 2014 Potsdam People

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

Fall 2014 Vol. 9 | No.1

P E O P L E

AT SUNY POTSDAM, THE SCIENCES SOAR

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SUNY Potsdam recently completed a $10 million renovation of Stowell Hall, which houses the biology and chemistry departments.

The building received an all-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and the College replaced 57 outdated exhaust fans with five variable-frequency drives and new fume hoods — resulting in a much more energy-efficient facility. The laboratories were all completely renovated, windows were replaced and the building received modern interior finishes, including smart lighting.

Pictured in a new chemistry lab are chemistry majors Chris Li ’15 (left) and Ross Hisert ’15.

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KATHRYN DEUEL PHOTO

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Profiles

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Mark Monasky ’78 Jan Harting-McChesney ’74 Daniel Krysak ’08 Contents News & Notes Class Notes In Their Own Words Save the Date Reunion Wrap Up

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On the cover Cooper Sheldon ’16, a double major in anthropology and archaeological studies from Mexico, N.Y., bags and labels samples from the Lehman Park dig. Months of field work reveal what might be a 1,000-year-old camp site with possible evidence indicating that for at least the last 5,000 years, people have been coming to the Lehman Park landform. See more about the dig on page 17.

13 At SUNY Potsdam, the Sciences Soar

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

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29 Reunion Wrap Up

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s a social scientist, I’ve always been fascinated by how people from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences can all work together to create vibrant communities – communities that make room for and value different perspectives, ultimately resulting in a rich and complex social life.

FA L L 2014

Vol. 9 | No. 1

POTSDAM PEOPLE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS

So it is with great appreciation that I begin my journey here at SUNY Potsdam, having already been welcomed into and embraced by this very special community of faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

What an exciting time it is to join an institution that is on the brink of its third century of educating tomorrow’s teachers, scholars, artists and leaders.

One of the things that most drew me to SUNY Potsdam was its multidisciplinary approach to education – its foundational belief that a broad liberal arts education that truly embraces the value of both arts and sciences is the best way to prepare students to inform humanity and change the world.

This, coupled with the warm and inviting nature of people in Northern New York, makes this College truly a unique place.

Having heard of the “Potsdam experience” before my arrival, now that I am here, I can say without a doubt that this “experience” is alive and well today, just as it has been for almost 200 years! And together we will take it to the third century.

I joined the Potsdam family around the time of Reunion Weekend, which gave me an opportunity to meet just a few (hundred) of the wonderful alumni and friends that are the backbone of this College. I was amazed by the stories shared of lives transformed by a Potsdam education, and was humbled by the exceptional level of giving to the Take the Lead Campaign.

The love that you, the alumni and friends, hold for the College, along with your incredible generosity, says in a very tangible way that we are a family and we take care of each other.

I look forward with true anticipation to getting to know more of you. How fortunate I am to now be part of this family!

EDITORS Deborah Dudley, Director of Marketing and Communications Mona Ouimet Vroman ’85, Director of Alumni Relations Emily Hutchison, Director of Development WRITERS Sarah Carr ‘08, Public Affairs Assistant Deidre Kelly, Writer Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, Communications & Government Relations WEB MANAGER Mindy Thompson, Director of Web Communications CONTRIBUTORS David T. Britt ‘73, Director of Business Planning and Analysis Dan Bronson ‘03, Sports Information Director Christa Carroll, Director of Annual Giving Kathryn Deuel, Manager of Special Projects Nancy Griffin (Hon. ‘08), Development Officer Jason Ladouceur ’94, Director of Planned Giving

Kristin Esterberg, Ph.D. President

Sarah Maneely ’07, Assistant Director of Research and Donor Relations Ellen Nesbitt, Assistant Director of Annual Giving Donna Planty, Project Manager/Production Artist Sherry Allen Paradis ’00, Director of Donor Relations & the Campaign Laura Stevenson (Hon. ’07), Alumni & Donor Relations

Vicki Templeton-Cornell, Vice President for College Advancement DESIGN & ART DIRECTION

CHRISTOPHER LENNEY PHOTO

J. P. Manke, Graphic Designer/Production Artist

Alumni Relations 44 Pierrepont Ave. | Potsdam, NY 13676 (315) 267-2120 www.potsdam.edu

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Honoring Friends, Supporting Students: SUNY Potsdam Celebrates Mary and Morse Dial

Song filled the air, and boats idly cruised by, as friends toasted to honor two dedicated philanthropists on Aug. 18. With the St. Lawrence River as a postcard-worthy backdrop, SUNY Potsdam celebrated the many contributions that Mary and Morse Dial have made to the North Country and SUNY Potsdam Students.

Mary and Morse Dial have devoted time and resources to many causes, but above all, the couple shared a passion for the arts. So in their honor, friends gathered to establish the Dial Scholarship Endowment, which will offer a scholarship annually for students from Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence County to study the arts at SUNY Potsdam. In a unique partnership, the Northern New York Community Foundation created a match to assist in clearing nearly $40,000 to endow the scholarship fund.

MARY AND MORSE DIAL

Ninety guests gathered at Bella’s Restaurant in Clayton, N.Y., to remember Morse Dial, who passed away in 2010, and honor his wife, Mary, in the place they both loved. In her first visit to the Thousand Islands, President Kristin Esterberg welcomed and thanked the guests. Broadway star Lisa Vroman ’79 also made a special appearance, to perform some of her recital repertoire, alongside Crane School of Music Dean Michael Sitton on piano.

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Campaign Progress Former Student Leaders Establish Hurley Fund

Total raised - $24,327,368 (90% of goal at time of printing) Academic Excellence $8,692,683 (109%) Scholarships $5,762,437 (82%) M 4.3 $2

Annual Fund $6,417,738 (92%) Transformational Student Experiences $3,023,481 (60%) 39% of all giving was raised for the arts

Alumni Plan for Scholarship Gifts Lynne Boles hosted alumni and friends to recognize the profound influence that former Dean Dan Hurley has had on SUNY Potsdam student leaders over the years. The committee, comprised of Lynne Boles ’74, Christine Haile ’74, Paul Berry ’73 and Ann Keenan (Hon. ’97), raised more than $20,000 to endow the Dan Hurley Student Leadership Fund in support of scholarships for student leaders. In July, Dan and his wife, Jane, were joined by family and friends for a celebration during Reunion Weekend.

Trustee Believes in Unrestricted Giving

Foundation Trustee Dr. Mary Helander ’83 has made her second leadership campaign commitment in support of the Annual Fund for Potsdam. Mary was among the first donors to the Take the Lead Campaign and upon fulfilling her first pledge, decided to continue her unrestricted support to SUNY Potsdam, understanding the flexibility these gifts provide the College.

Two Crane alumni made provisions in their estate that will establish scholarships at Crane in support of future students. Dr. Chris Reynolds ’53 will honor one of his “childhood heroes,” Dr. Arthur Frackenpohl, with the creation of the Reynolds/Frackenpohl Jazz Scholarship.

Cynthia Lehmkuhl ’63 made provisions to establish the Cynthia Thisse Lehmkuhl ’63 Scholarship, which will support students studying at The Crane School of Music. To find out if your deferred gift can be counted in the Take the Lead Campaign, contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, at jason@potsdam.edu. By notifying the College of your gift intentions, we can work with you now to determine what impact you would like your gift to have, once realized.

Giroux Family Establishes Scholarship

Alumnus Remembered Through Scholarship

Mark Armstrong ’91, who sadly passed away December 3, 2013, will be remembered at Potsdam through the Mark Armstrong ’91 Piano Scholarship with lead gifts from Rebecca Armstrong and Stephanie Blythe ’92. Mark was the product of a liberal arts education, receiving two math degrees at Potsdam, while taking advantage of the music offerings at Crane. He later went on to receive his graduate degree in music and had a successful career as a principal pianist and vocal coach.

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At the 2014 Commencement ceremonies, the Giroux family celebrated the addition of two more SUNY Potsdam graduates, bringing their family total to nine. Pictured are (L to R) Laurie Giroux Williams ’84 and her daughter, Paige Williams ’14; George ’54 and Mary Ellen (Jumps) Giroux ’53; Tyler Giroux ’14 and his parents, Deborah (Lepine) ’86 and Peter Giroux ’87. Missing from the photo are Mark ’77 and Paula (Warvel) Giroux ’76. In honor of the impact Potsdam has had on their family, George and Mary Ellen recently established the Giroux Honors Jazz Combo scholarship fund at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

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Leadership Donors

The Potsdam College Foundation, Inc. wishes to acknowledge the following leadership donors who have committed gifts of $20,000 or more to the campaign (as of June 30, 2014). Thank you for “taking the lead” for Potsdam.

CHANCELLOR’S CIRCLE Gifts and Pledges of $100,000 or more $1,000,000 to $2,499,999 Anonymous Anonymous Gary C Jaquay ’67 Donald (Hon. ’54) & Kathryn Lougheed ’54 N Brock* (Hon. ’84) & Jane McElheran (Hon. ’88)* PACES $500,000 to $999,999 Anna Collins ’67 & Sue Morrison Dorothy Albrecht Gregory ’61 St Lawrence Radiology Associates, PC G Michael (Hon. ’14) & Barbara Maresca (Hon. ’14) Robert ’75 & Wendy Wagner Gerald ’68 & Carolyn Zwaga

$250,000 to $499,999 Anonymous The John & Joan D’Addario, Jr. Family Edward John Noble Foundation, Inc. Jessie Manitta ’44 Richard & Gail Stradling ’64 TAI Group, Inc. Allen Schoer ’71 & Diane Seymour $100,000 to $249,999 Anonymous Charles ’75 & Claudia Ayer ’75 Stephanie Blythe ’92 Lynne Boles ’74 & John Priest Michael Bryner Dorothy Carpenter ’34* Virginia ’60 & James Cayey Alan (Hon. ’10) & Kathryn Davino (Hon. ’10) Diane Day ’70

Chester & Joy Douglass ’56 Michael ’74 & Bridget Galane George ’54 & Mary Ellen Giroux ’53 Mary Helander ’83 Gary ’77 & Deborah Diefendorf Hind ’75 Robert ’41 & Margaret Hubbell Mary Maples ’46* James ’59 & Shirley McNally ’62 Michael Messitt ’73 Ross & Catharine Pfeiffer Christopher Reynolds ’53 John (Hon. ’07) & Judith Ranlett (Hon. ’07) Ricoh USA John (Hon ’13) & Anne Schwaller Magill Shipman ’49 Sandra Shusda ’71 Student Government Association William ’74 & Annette Thornton ’75* Lucille Waterson ’63

Gifts and Pledges of $20,000 or more $50,000 to $99,999 Anonymous Michael Cooper (Hon. ’00) Alexander Dashnaw ’56 & Doug Marche Michele Delperuto ’71 Morse G Dial Foundation Krista Fordham ’94 Donald Eaton ’71 Millard Harmon (Hon. ’08) Paul Hunt ’50 Karleen Jones ’56* Haden ’84 & Cathy Jo Land Amy Kellogg ’99 The Linden Family Judith Lowell Anita Mance ’69 Gordon Mathie (Hon. ’82) Marcia Murphy ’61 Angelo & Diana Nole ’86 Northland Associates, Inc. James & Charlene Tyler John & Susan Omohundro Pace Analytical Services, Inc. Jana ’76 & Frederic Pratt III ’75 Jeanne Kimmich Roberts ’80 Larry & Elaine Seberg ’65 John Shattuck

Arlene L Sturm ’62 SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association $20,000 to $49,999 Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Alan Adams ’61 Robert Allin Paul ’73 & Elizabeth Berry ’73 Gary Reed & Bonita Betters-Reed ’73 The Bicknell Corporation David ’73 & Carol Britt ’69 Robert Christiansen Marilyn Clouden ’75 Community Bank, N.A. Bruce Conroe Corning Incorporated Foundation Rebekah Covell Irving & Shirley Crane ’62 Crane Youth Music Camp David Cummings Lisa Damiani ’90 David Dik ’82 & Jill E Simmons Enbridge St. Lawrence Gas Allen Fales ’44 Curtis Finney ’57 Ronald ’80 & Teresa Fishbeck

William Flynn ’70 Arthur (Hon. ’04) & MaryEllen Frackenpohl ’54 Christina Frazier Anne Marie Freitas ’79 William Ritter & Kathleen Friery ’84 Elsa Grant ’39* Family of Michael Craig Handley Christine Haile ’74 Mark Hassenplug ’83 Hewlett-Packard Company Honeywell Building Solutions Mary Lee Hubbard Institute for Ethical Behavior, Inc. Arthur and Anne Johnson William Kirchgasser Michael ’80 & Jill Komar ’80 Donald & Susan Larson ’56 Cynthia Lehmkuhl ’63 Sean Leous ’86 J Timothy Lindemuth ’72 Lockheed Martin Corporation Long Island Community Foundation Margaret Madden & Thomas Sokol Constance Murray Lytle ’61 David & Bonnie McCall William ’59 & Evelyn Mercer ’57 North Country Savings Bank

Thomas ’75 & Shirley Palmatier Edwin & Susan Portugal Renzi Foodservice Ruth Richmond ’31* Thomas ’57 & Jane Russell (Hon. ’09) D Jean Schauffler ’57 John & Ann Schorge ’64 Rita Itkin Schwartz ’58 SeaComm Federal Credit Union Christopher ’88 & Julie Slocum Michael Sitton & Mark Martin Stewart’s Shops Justin ’92 & Amy Sipher ’94 David Swanson Sweetgrass Foundation, Inc. TJ Toyota Eleanor Uffer* Beverly VanDiver ’72 Lisa Vroman ’79 T Urling & Mabel Walker Donald & Eileen Whelley ’76 Christel Woodward ’61 Glen Zagorski ’87 & Jane Morale ’80 Wayne ’72 & Mary Zanetti ’73 *deceased

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ALUMNI NE WS

Alumni Superintendents and Principals Speak at TESA Conference

SUNY Potsdam’s School of Education Alumni Board recently hosted 11 alumni superintendents and principals for a career advice session aimed at students who aspire to become teachers. The session was part of the College’s Teacher Education Student Association conference in March 2014.

Pictured (front row from left) are presenters Jerry Griffin ’94, Malone Central School District superintendent; Charity Zawatski ’02, principal of West Side Elementary School in Gouverneur; Joann Chambers ’87, Potsdam High School principal, and David Vroman ’83, president of the School of Education Alumni Board.

Also pictured (back row from left) are Nicole Feml ’08, TESA adviser and assistant director of school partnerships and teacher certification; Mark Bennett ’00, principal of Potsdam’s A.A. Kingston Middle School; Lawrence Wink ’94, principal of the Hastings-Mallory Elementary School in Central Square; Matt Breitenbach ’72, retired superintendent of Corinth Schools and Green Island Union Free Schools; Travis Hoover ’00, superintendent of LaFargeville Central School District; Robert Stewart ’96, principal of Parishville-Hopkinton Senior High School; William Congdon ’72, retired superintendent of Horseheads Central School District; Peter Brouwer ’79, dean of SUNY Potsdam’s School of Education and Professional Studies; Ben Vallati ’93, principal of the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School; Frederick Hall, Jr. ’84, superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central Schools, and former SUNY Potsdam Interim President Dennis Hefner.

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Emerging Leaders Give Back: Second Ms. SUNY Potsdam Crowned

Shaina Stroh ’16 from Central Islip, N.Y., was crowned the second annual winner of SUNY Potsdam’s 2014 Mr./Ms. UNIVERSE-ity competition. In its second year, the event raised a total of $943 for the Annual Fund for Potsdam, representing a 24 percent increase in student support over last year. Emerging Leaders has designated the College’s Annual Fund as their chosen philanthropy for the annual student gift, to benefit from their fundraising outreach throughout the year. Annual Fund gifts offer the College the utmost flexibility to benefit the students and the campus, and are used to support student opportunities in all departments and areas of campus, Max C. Bear honors the winners of the 2014 Mr./Ms. UNIVERSE-ity Contest (from left): First runner-up Alec Sisco ’15, winner Shaina Stroh from student research, equipment and travel, to guest lecturers and performers. ’16 and second runner-up Alex Tishler ’17.

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PACES Appoints New Executive Chef

CONGER

Potsdam Auxiliary College and Educational Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Conger as the new corporate executive chef for dining services at SUNY Potsdam. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Conger has more than 20 years of experience in the food service industry. Her culinary achievements will bring a new dimension to the No. 1 studentrated dining service in the SUNY system.

THE BEST GIFT TO POTSDAM Gifts to the Annual Fund for Potsdam are a wonderful way to help the College’s greatest needs. They allow Potsdam flexibility to seize compelling opportunities for our students.

They can be made in memory or honor of someone special.

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SUNY Potsdam Alumnus Speaks to Congressional STEAM Caucus Members at Conference

Haden Land ’84, vice president of research and technology for Lockheed Martin and Foundation Board trustee, was one of three industry panelists invited to speak at a briefing for Congressional STEAM Caucus members and staff in Washington, D.C. STEAM infuses the arts into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Land, who was joined by representatives from Intel and Boeing, spoke on the topic of creativity in the workforce and the problemsolving and critical thinking skills required for success in a changing global economy. His remarks focused on Lockheed Martin’s STEAM initiatives, as well as SUNY Potsdam’s new STEAM curriculum. Pictured with Land are Dr. Rosanne Somerson, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, which hosted the briefing, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, cochair of the STEAM Caucus, with Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois.

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SUNY Potsdam Instructor First Female Japanese-American Promoted to General

In December 2013, Army Reserve Officer Miyako Schanely was promoted to general at a ceremony in Vicksburg, Miss.

The SUNY Potsdam instructor is the first female JapaneseAmerican in the U.S. Army to ascend to the rank, and is only the second Japanese-American woman in the entire military to reach a flag rank. She is also the first female engineer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and second Army Reserve Brigade General in the entire Army to reach the Miyako Schanely of Black River, N.Y., is milestone. General Schanely pinned for the rank of general by her now serves as deputy comhusband, Steve. mander of the 412th Theater Engineer Command, and in addition to her reserve service, she serves as the executive director of the SUNY North Country Consortium.

She teaches graduate-level Information and Communication Technology courses for SUNY Potsdam at Jefferson Community College in Watertown.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SUNY Potsdam Graduate Students Design and Give Away Family Literacy Kits

Graduate students in Associate Professor Dr. Lynn A. Hall’s course, “Literacy: Family, School, Community Collaborations,” recently got some hands-on experience helping local elementary students and their parents. The class designed and implemented a family literacy event as part of a curriculum night held at Jefferson Elementary School in Massena, N.Y. The program was a huge hit, with games and activities, and the SUNY Potsdam students handed out 200 family literacy kits they had created. Support for this program comes from Branching Out With Books, a collaborative literacy program between SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University.

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SUNY Potsdam Anthropology Professor Releases Open Access Textbook

The State University of New York recently announced that the system’s first two Open SUNY Textbooks hit the virtual bookshelves, and are now available for free. SUNY Potsdam Professor of Anthropology Dr. Susan Stebbins is one of the first two faculty members in the system to publish a book through the Open SUNY platform. Her textbook, “Native Peoples of North America,” is an introduction to the Native peoples of what are now the United States and Canada, focusing on presenting both historical and contemporary information from anthropological categories such as language, kinship, economic and political organization, religion, spirituality and art.

Clockwise, from top left: Jenna Landon, Nicole Osgood, Carly Walbridge, Katherine Denny, Kelly Snyder, Morgan McGrath, Colleen Cotey, Faith Bish, Lynn Hall, Mary Russell, Maggie Stasko, Olivia Parker and Elizabeth Ringer.

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SUNY Potsdam Music Students and Alumni Attend NAMM Conference

Lougheed Festival of the Arts Huge Success

SUNY Potsdam students and alumni attended the 2014 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show held in Anaheim, Calif., in January 2014. Pictured from left to right are Derek Yukna ’16, Scott Yousey ’10 and Hallie Hugues ’16. Derek is a guitar major from Utica, N.Y., and Hallie is a business administration major from Fort Salonga, N.Y. They interned for Yamaha during the show. Hallie went on to be hired by Yamaha’s Customer Experience Group as a paid intern. Scott is now a product specialist for Yamaha Corporation of America in the band and orchestra division.

The third annual Lougheed Festival of the Arts took place this spring and was a huge success. More than 5,000 students, faculty, staff and community members attended arts-related events during the 10-day festival. This year, Festival benefactors Kathy ’54 and Don Lougheed (Hon. ’54) attended the Festival to see students perform in the One Act Plays, dance in masterclasses and work with visiting artists. FuturPointe Dance kicked off the Lougheed Festival with the inaugural performance in the new Performing Arts Center’s Dance Theater. Artist-in-residence Lars Fisk also collaborated with students in the art department to create and install a permanent outdoor sculpture. The festival culminated with the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” under the baton of Maestro Larry Rachleff. To keep track of all the guest artists and arts events planned for next year’s Lougheed Festival of the Arts, visit www.potsdam.edu/artsfestival.

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‘Ruby Red Slippers’ Walks at SUNY Potsdam’s Relay for Life

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

All-Greek Council Dance-a-Thon Benefits Potsdam Holiday Fund

The SUNY Potsdam 2013-14 All-Greek Council, advised by Julie Dold ’03 of Campus Life, presented a $2,300 check to the Potsdam Holiday Fund. The funds were raised through a dance-a-thon held on campus last year, with more than 200 students dancing from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

In April 2014, the first-ever Omega Delta Phi alumni and active member team participated in the SUNY Potsdam Relay for Life event, along with 66 other teams and 953 registered participants. Omega sisters of all ages took pride in establishing the intergenerational team. The 31-member team was led by co-captains Mary Landry Jones ’79 and Sherry Johnson Sharlow ’79, with Alaina Campolieta ’16 representing the active Omega members. Team members also included Donnalyn Shuster ’78, Lois Little ’84, Katie Africano ’15 and Gabbie Gapzynski ’14. The group raised a grand total of $3,052, placing them third out of 66 teams, and the top fundraising sorority.

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Fun Competition Spurs Generosity Among Employee Donors

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Crane Instructor Honored for Community Service

L to R: Wendy Horton of Team Physical Plant, Director of Annual Giving Christa Carroll and Larry Leashomb of the Physical Plant.

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LaFave Receives National Award for Graduate Accessibility

The National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals awarded the 2014 Building Bridges Award to SUNY Potsdam Director of Graduate Studies Joshua LaFave ’03 in May 2014. This award is presented to an organization or individual who champions the issues of access and equity in making graduate education available. Through LaFave’s leadership, the SUNY Potsdam Center for Graduate Studies has transformed into a true one-stop shop, with support “from awareness to alumnus,” with a cross-trained team equipped to support students at any place in their graduate student lifecycle.

He also serves the College as an adjunct instructor in organizational leadership and is the chair of the Business Administration Advisory Council.

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Crane School of Music Visiting Instructor Tracy Wanamaker ’08 was honored with the 2014 Arts Recognition Award at Art Jam Up North in February 2014. The St. Lawrence County Arts Council Board of Directors bestows the award annually to artists who have made a significant contribution to the arts and cultural life in the North Country.

Wanamaker is a board-certified music therapist with 20 years of experience and currently coordinates the Music in Special Education concentration at Crane. Wanamaker is the founding director of Northern Notes Chorus, a choir for teenagers and adults with developmental disabilities.

WANAMAKER

In Spring 2014, SUNY Potsdam employees and campus volunteers from all areas of the College joined together to increase their private giving to the College. Team Challenge 2014 inspired nine campus “teams” to compete for two honors: the highest percentage of team members giving and the highest percentage of team members increasing their giving. In total, more than 300 employees made gifts totaling more than $90,000 in 2013-14.

Team Libraries won in the first challenge category. Team Physical Plant won in the second challenge category. All employees’ gifts support the Take the Lead Campaign.

Presenting the check to Holiday Fund board member Eric Jesner were: Robert Barber ’16 of Phi Mu Alpha (center), who was co-chair of the event, along with Aubrie Harmon ’16 (front left) of Alpha Sigma Tau. Also pictured are All-Greek Council members Hallie Hugues ’16 of Alpha Sigma Tau, Jack Senese ’15 of Delta Kappa Theta, Asia Godzwon ’14 of Zeta Gamma Sigma, Stephanie Hall ’16 and Katie Binder ’14 of Sigma Gamma Phi, and Melissa Bannon ’16 of Omega Delta Phi, along with Holiday Fund board members Nancy Griffin (Hon. ’08), Maureen Farina and Karen Ham. The Potsdam Holiday Fund is an all-volunteer program that provides new toys, winter clothing and food baskets to families in need in the Potsdam area.

Check out the SUNY Potsdam alumni Facebook page.

Be sure to “like” us at:

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

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ATHLETICS

news & notes

Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Cohen Inducted into NYS Hoops Hall of Fame

Three Inducted into Bears Hall of Fame

Longtime SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton basketball coach Stan Cohen was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in March 2014. Cohen, an assistant coach for the Bears, worked on the sidelines at Potsdam during its greatest successes. He was a member of the coaching staff for the 1981 and 1986 NCAA Division III championship teams, as well as the 1979, 1982 and 1985 runners-up teams.

From left, Cohen is pictured with Assistant Coach Jon Tanous ’06, SUNY Potsdam Bears Men’s Basketball Head Coach Sherry Dobbs and Assistant Coach Tim Helms ’13.

SUNY Potsdam Holds Swim-a-Thon to Benefit Soldiers

In March 2014, the Bears men’s and women’s swim teams hosted the “Swimming for Soldiers” Swim-a-Thon at Maxcy Hall pool to raise money for the SUNY Potsdam Operation Military Support Group. The event was non-competitive, where the athletes swam relay-style for varying times, based on the dollar amount raised. The Operation Military Support Group creates care packages for troops overseas, specifically for military personnel who have a connection to the area, including hygiene products, magazines and keepsakes.

SUNY Potsdam is recognized nationally as a “military friendly” school.

SUNY POTSDAM ONLINE ALUMNI DIRECTORY IS AVAILABLE! The Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer the online Alumni Directory via BearPaws.

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

Questions about the directory may be directed to alumni@potsdam.edu.

Jodi Ziemba ’07 (women’s soccer), Ryan Hanretty ’05 (men’s lacrosse) and Tom Hutchinson ’77 (men’s basketball) were inducted into the Bears Hall of Fame Class of 2014 at the College’s annual Reunion Weekend in July.

Ziemba, a native of Russell, N.Y., was an offensive dynamo, playing in 66 career games and recording 45 goals and 12 assists for 102 points. No Bear has recorded more points. She was the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2001 after tying the conference record for most goals in a single season with 13, which still stands today, and was a three-time All-SUNYAC selection. Ziemba received the honor of being the first women’s soccer player selected to join the prestigious Hall of Fame.

Hanretty, a native of Williamsville, N.Y., was a 2005 All-American goalie and a member of the SUNYAC AllTournament Team in 2004 and 2005. A member of the All-SUNYAC first team in 2005 and second team in 2004, he ranks first on the men’s lacrosse program’s all-time saves list and is Potsdam’s all-time wins leader. He is first on Potsdam’s saves-per-game list and ranks tenth all-time in save percentage.

Hutchinson, of Camillus, N.Y., ranks third in Potsdam men’s basketball program history for rebounding and fifth in rebounding average. In 107 games played, he recorded 637 points and 253 assists. Hutchinson was a three-year captain who helped the Bears make two NCAA Tournament appearances, helped Potsdam to two SUNYAC Co-Championship teams and was a member of the ECAC Upstate Championship team that was named the team of the year.

Women’s Soccer Team Wins Ethics Award

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) awarded SUNY Potsdam’s women’s soccer team a Gold Team Ethics Award for the 2013 season. The honor was bestowed upon the Bears for playing the entire season without accumulating a single yellow or red card and exhibiting fair play, sporting behavior and adherence to the law of the game.

SUNY Potsdam was one of two SUNYAC teams to earn the Gold Award. The Lady Bears completed the 2013 season with a 5-11 record, allowing 1.59 goals-per-game and recorded five shutouts, the most since 2010.

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ATHLETICS

news & notes

Ott Named Division III Rookie of the Year

SUNY Potsdam Softball Team Reaches Out Again to Lawrence Avenue Elementary Kids

Three Records Broken at SUNYAC Swimming & Diving Championships

Fifteen members of the SUNY Potsdam softball team participated in the Adopt-ABear program at Lawrence Avenue Elementary School. The Bears, who have made this a reoccurring event, took time again to volunteer this past spring. As part of their community outreach, the girls play games, have relay races, play basketball, take part in arts and crafts and teach elementary children.

In April 2014, U.S. College Hockey Online named SUNY Potsdam’s Jordan Ott ’16 of Hilton, N.Y., its Division III Women’s Hockey Rookie of the Year. She is the first Bear to receive the honor. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, Ott was chosen as the ECAC West’s Rookie of the Year and a member of the all-conference second team. During the 15week regular season, she garnered eight ECAC West Rookie of the Week awards. She finished the season with a school record 22 goals and a program-best 36 points, tying her for the team lead. Ott’s average of 1.44 points-per-game placed her seventh in the nation in scoring and second among NCAA rookies. Her 0.88 goals-per-game and nine power-play goals were third best in the nation. She was fourth in scoring on 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points.

ZIMMERMAN

SUNY Potsdam Volleyball Coach Rides in Tour de Cure

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Bears women’s soccer player Kate Clauss ’16 of Bloomfield, N.Y., was named a 2014 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Accompanied by her parents, women’s soccer coach Mark Misiak ’12 and SUNY Potsdam Dean of Students Chip Morris ’78, Clauss was recognized in April at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. The honor marks the second consecutive year in which a Potsdam student athlete has received the award.

Potsdam’s Lucky Named Second Team All-USCHO

SUNY Potsdam senior women’s hockey player Brittany Lucky ’14 of Kanata, Ontario was named second team All-USCHO by U.S. College Hockey Online. Lucky, who has been a Potsdam captain since she was a sophomore, had a career year in 2013-14 and was named honorable mention All-ECAC West. She scored four goals and assisted on 22 others for 26 points, good for fourth on the team in scoring. In her four seasons, the defenseman placed fourth on Potsdam’s all-time scoring list.

This season, Lucky tied for ninth in the nation with 0.85 assists-per-game and her 1.00 points-per-game was third best in the NCAA among defenseman.

Berkman Named Coach of the Year

BERKMAN

SUNY Potsdam volleyball coach Josh Stokes ’09 carried the torch of Bear Pride to one of the largest bike riding events in the United States, to raise awareness and fundraise for the American Diabetes Association. The 50-mile Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure took place in June 2014 at the Saratoga Springs High School. Having a family member with diabetes, Stokes said the least that he could do was get behind the ride by actually being a participant himself and attempt to raise as much money and awareness that he could to help stomp out the disease for good. Using the slogan “Let’s dia-beat this,” Stokes donned Potsdam lettering up his pant leg to represent SUNY Potsdam. “Anytime it comes down to people having to deal with these awful diseases, I want to give my support any way that I can,” said Stokes. “Typically, people could use the help financially, so I just try to get as much as I can.”

Women’s Soccer Player Receives Chancellor’s Award

CLAUSS

ZAPISEK

Three SUNY Potsdam swimming records were broken at the 2014 SUNYAC Swimming and Diving Championships at Erie Community College’s Burt Flickinger Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Senior Ghena Binzer broke her own record when she finished in 1:09.75 in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke.

Sophomore Tyler Zapisek, who was named to the All-SUNYAC first swim team, set a new school record in the men’s 100 butterfly (51.19), beating his own previous record of 51.65. The men’s relay team consisting of Dan Costa, Richie Zimmerman, Ricky Blackburn and Zapisek broke their third school record during the championships by clocking the 200-medley relay in 1:36.77.

The team also set new benchmarks in the men’s 200-free relay and the 400-medley relay. Zimmerman was named to the AllSUNYAC second swim team.

Men’s lacrosse coach Rick Berkman was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, having previously received the honor in 2007 and 2011. In his twentieth season as head coach, Berkman guided the Bears to a 10-6 overall record in the regular season and a 4-2 mark in SUNYAC play, to finish as the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs. The 10 victories are one shy of the team record, and match Berkman’s best mark since 2000.

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’78

Mark Monasky, M.D., J.D. POTSDAM

profile

By Deidre Kelly Aiming low was never an option for Dr. Mark Monasky ’78, who is both a practicing neurosurgeon and an attorney.

In fact, he remembers hearing someone saying at a graduation ceremony that “most people are where they are in life, not because they aim high and miss, but because instead, they aim low and hit.”

Monasky never forgot that observation— and took it as a challenge.

The third of eight children, he graduated high school in Binghamton, N.Y., at age 16. He attended SUNY Potsdam with majors in mathematics and chemistry, and graduated in only three years, by taking heavy course loads each semester. Dr. Monasky attended Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, then went on to train in neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic, the University of Maryland and the University of Texas.

Dr. Monasky eventually returned to college once again, but instead of studying medicine, he pursued a law degree at the University of North Dakota Law School.

So, in addition to being a board-certified neurosurgeon who has performed more than 3,000 surgeries at St. Alexis Medical Center in Bismarck, N.D., Dr. Monasky is also a partner in the Bormann, Myerchin, Monasky & Espeseth, LLP law firm.

“Most people grossly underachieve what they are capable of,” he said. “The only difference between me and most people is that I put in more time. Most people are just as smart as me. I just work very hard, and when I set a goal, I don’t let anything get in the way.”

Perhaps even more surprising than his long list of accomplishments, though, is what motivated Dr. Monasky to make a mark in his early years.

“With seven other kids at home, I didn’t have a lot of support. I was picked on by my brothers a lot, and I wanted to show them. They told me I would be home from college in three months after flunking out. It was a big motivating factor for me,” he said. “I wanted to work hard and prove everyone wrong.”

Lacking a strong support system at

home, Dr. Monasky looked to some of his professors at SUNY Potsdam to find the reassurance he needed to be successful.

Echoing the sentiments of so many other alumni, he noted, “My Potsdam experience was critical, as these were my early formative years, and adequately prepared me for transition to my future endeavors. The two professors who were most critical, and they probably never realized it, were Dr. Charles Smith in mathematics and Dr. Kenneth Coskran in chemistry. They were very encouraging at a time when I needed encouragement.

Their support was really pivotal. I was motivated, but I needed my self-confidence boosted. They were there when I needed someone.”

It’s not uncommon for undergraduate students to say they want to be a doctor or lawyer, but it is almost unheard of to hear students say their goal is to be a doctor and a lawyer.

“I’ve always been interested in both,” Dr. Monasky said.

Once he was done with all the medical training, Dr. Monasky still longed to pursue law, but at that point he had a family to consider. After years of being a physician, he decided it was finally time to pursue his other passion, and entered law school. He passed the bar in 2002.

“I put in tremendous amounts of time,” he recalled. “It is very hard to learn a new career when you are in your forties.

I would read and study everything I could get my hands on, and go to conferences around the country. I gave up a lot of things to do both.”

Though he went back to working fulltime as a physician after passing the bar, he has spent the last six years devoting nearly equal time between his two careers.

As an attorney, Dr. Monasky specializes in estate planning, asset protection, business formation and succession planning.

His clientele consists largely of physicians and others in health care professions, which allows him to utilize his medical knowledge.

“Now, I can balance it well, but it was hard the first years,”

Dr. Monasky said. “Neurosurgery is hard to do full-time, because it is so exhausting.”

He says the ultimate compliment in his career is having multiple patients who have now become his clients, and clients who have become his patients. Dr. Monasky has even had some fill both roles simultaneously.

And Dr. Monasky doesn’t have plans to slow down anytime soon. His newest project is to form a national organization to work with physicians on financial planning and protecting their assets, because none of the current professional organizations have services in those areas.

“I’m so happy with what I’m doing because I’m just having fun. I can’t believe I get paid to have fun. I hope to work right into my eighties,” he said. “I rarely take a day off, but have been very blessed.

My wife and I just had our 33-year anniversary, and I have two children who have done very well.”

Ultimately, Dr. Monasky encourages everyone to take the negative experiences they have in life and use them to their advantage.

“Let them motivate you instead of discourage you,” he said. “Life is not a dress rehearsal.

You basically get one chance, and I intend to make the most of it.”

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profile

’74

Jan Harting-McChesney, Ph.D.

POTSDAM

By Deidre Kelly Reading is something most of us take for granted, because we cannot remember a time when we were unable to experience the world through the written word. When you picked up this issue of Potsdam People, reading the stories was as natural and instantaneous as breathing. No thought was required. It is in this vein that Dr. Jan Harting-McChesney ’74, a veteran elementary school teacher and literacy professor, likens reading to survival skills.

“The ability to read and write, to comprehend and communicate with others, is basic to survival in our world,” she said. “I also think that these abilities open up the possibility to find or create joy in life.”

Harting-McChesney enjoyed her days at Potsdam, and from Greek Life to being iced in during the winter, she tried to make the most of every minute.

“College is about pushing edges, and I felt compelled to push – hard,” she recalled.

“I loved being a student, I was (and remain) a geek.

I love to read, to learn new things, to travel and learn about different places and people. I was fortunate that I didn’t work during the semester. I went to class, studied and played as hard as I could.”

12

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree in special education from Adelphi University, a master’s degree in education from SUNY Oneonta and a doctorate in reading, language and cognition from Hofstra University, Harting-McChesney has spent a number of years honing her communications skills and bringing them to others in the classroom.

She initially taught elementary school in the South Country Central Schools in East Patchogue, N.Y., and then moved on to higher education, where she has been teaching child study at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, N.Y., since 1991. Her experience at the primary levels taught her a great deal about working at the college level.

“I learned to be patient, and how to be a benevolent dictator in the classroom,” she said. “I also learned not to acknowledge that I hear and see everything. Pick your fights: They don’t all matter, and you are not going to win them all, anyway.

Respect each student; treat them as you would have them treat you.”

Though many of her counterparts have already entered retirement, HartingMcChesney keeps going strong. She continues to learn “amazing things” from her students all the time, including lessons about life, culture and technology.

“I love what I do, and I think teachers make a difference like no other profession in the world. If we do our job well, each child we work with sees themselves as bright and uniquely capable of making a difference in the world,” she said. “While many of the people I graduated with have retired, I am still intrigued with figuring out how to ‘flip my classroom,’ using my iPad with the young children in clinic, doing research on a smart phone or sending pictures of what we did in class on the SmartBoard to a research colleague, so she can see the integration of Common Core standards with content area literacy and technology, based on the latest Newbery Award-winning book,” she said.

Harting-McChesney points out she still believes she can make a difference in children’s lives.

“I was fortunate to have wonderful teachers in my life, but I also had remarkably bad teachers,” she recalled. “I use the memories of both to influence who I try to be in the classroom. Learning is a lifelong pursuit.”

To help support future generations of learners and teachers, she established the Harting-McChesney Endowment Fund at SUNY Potsdam to provide financial support each year for the Branching Out With Books program, administered

by SUNY Potsdam’s Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center. Her gift will help to cover transportation costs for SUNY Potsdam students to travel to schools in the area to help at-risk children develop strong literacy skills. In addition, she has also included SUNY Potsdam in her will, designating her bequest for the greatest needs of the Literacy Center.

“I grew up as an avid reader. I could read and write by the time I went to kindergarten,” she recalled. “The literacy center provides what I had growing up.

I want children to love reading and love learning. Access to books is very important.

I taught in districts where there weren’t books at home. The center can provide that for children. This support allows SUNY Potsdam students to go into local schools and work with kids to provide tutoring.

We need to bring access to them. It comes down to the old adage, ‘Put your money where your mouth is.’ I value a literate life, so what better way to be true to my belief than to support the center’s mission?”

In addition to her work, HartingMcChesney serves as a trustee for the Bellport Bay Yacht Club, as a trustee and past president of the Bellport Brookhaven Historical Society and a tutor for the Literacy Volunteers of America. Her scholarly work has been published in numerous education journals, and she is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. Harting-McChesney contends reading will always be part of her life until the very end.

“I will probably be in the stacks of some library, curled up with a book, when they find my body,” she joked.

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’08

Daniel Krysak POTSDAM

profile

By Deidre Kelly Most of us have gazed up at the stars on a clear night, wondering what secrets the universe might hold and how we fit into the larger picture. As a child, Daniel Krysak ’08 was no different. What makes his story unique is that he has never stopped searching the sky, and has made exploring other planets his occupation.

Krysak serves as a mission operations specialist with Malin Space Science Systems in Sorrento Valley, Calif. The company designs, builds and operates space camera systems for government and commercial aerospace customers. He is currently working with NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars, to control and assess the health of the four main science cameras.

“Being able to work directly on a mission that is commanding a rover to explore the surface of another planet is a dream come true,” he said. “I typically work on downlink assessment. My day usually starts with looking at the previous day’s activities on Mars to make sure that our cameras were functioning properly and that everything worked as expected. We check to make sure the cameras acquired the images we were planning, as well as review their general health, such as temperatures and properly powering on and off. The great part of this is that I get to be one of the first people looking at the images as they are transmitted back to Earth.”

In his line of work, Krysak’s undergraduate majors in speech communications and archaeology, along with his geology minor, have come in very handy, coupled with the master’s degree in planetary geoscience that he earned from the University at Buffalo. He does a number of public outreach talks and volunteers at the Open House event for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he has to explain very technical information and ideas to people who don’t have science backgrounds.

He even spoke at SUNY Potsdam’s most recent Academic Festival in April 2013.

“Communication is very important in the science field, and I have always enjoyed speaking to large groups. Archaeology and geology also interested me from a young

age, because of what we can discover by studying the past,” Krysak said. “When I was hired at the company I am working at now, they said specifically that they liked that I had a technology background, but really liked that I was a geologist, first and foremost.”

His work has allowed him to combine his interest in computers and technology with his love of geology. It also enables him to satisfy his adventurous spirit and love for exploring.

“Potsdam definitely taught me a lot, and I learned much from different professors over the years. For example, my speech communication courses greatly improved my overall communication skills,” he said. “I have also been interested in computers my entire life, and my computer science classes expanded my knowledge of how they work and how to program. I use all of these skills on a daily basis both at work and in everyday life.”

In Krysak’s short but accomplished career thus far, there has been one highlight that stands above all others: the landing of Curiosity on Mars on August 6, 2012.

“When I was 11 years old, the Sojourner rover landed on Mars,” Krysak recalled. “I watched the live coverage on TV that day and thought, ‘Wow, how awesome would that be, to actually stand in the room with the other scientists and engineers after a successful landing?’ Since that day, the thought has always been in the back of my mind. Once Curiosity landed and I was in that room with the rest of the team, it felt like the circle was finally complete.”

The first image Krysak saw from Curiosity came through shortly after the small SUV-sized vehicle landed. It was an image of the ground with Mount Sharp in the distance.

“It was a black and white image and wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but to me it was so interesting, to get to see the surface of Mars in an area that hadn’t been explored,” he said. “We’ve seen it before in satellite imagery, but never anything that was mere inches off the ground. Getting to see an image of an area that has yet to be seen by human eyes was very impressive.”

With technology constantly advancing at a rapid rate, Krysak spends some of his free time reading up on new products and ideas that are developing and evolving.

“Staying in tune with technology is very important, since it allows me to understand what to expect in the future,” he said. “Having that knowledge makes it easier to adapt to the changes, as well as incorporate new ideas and advancements into what I’m doing.”

Though Krysak hasn’t seen any proof from the rover that life ever existed on Mars, he feels it is important to keep searching.

“There hasn’t been any conclusive evidence so far, but that’s why we continue to send spacecraft to Mars and throughout the solar system. The only way we will ever know for sure is if we continue to explore and always ask questions,” he said.

So, the next time you look up into the night sky and wonder about what might be out there, you can rest assured that a SUNY Potsdam graduate is working hard to find out.

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At SUNY Potsdam, the Sciences Soar

By Alexandra Jacobs Wilke

The pursuit of knowledge through scientific inquiry is thriving at SUNY Potsdam—both for students and faculty.

Deena Cole in her natural habitat—the laboratory.

Q&A: Deena Cole ’14 Just two days before Commencement, Deena Cole looked both excited and relieved as she surveyed the Stowell Hall chemistry labs where she had worked so hard. For her, graduation was 11 years in the making. A St. Regis Mohawk, Cole started her college career at New York University—but after her freshman year in Manhattan, the culture shock of both the big city and the big classes was too much for her. She returned home, where she worked and began to take courses at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, N.Y., and started to take an interest in science. After earning her associate degree, Cole transferred to SUNY Potsdam in 2007, majoring in biochemistry and minoring in biology. In recognition of her achievements as an undergraduate, she was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society, and was featured in the fall issue of Winds of Change magazine, published by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Tell us about your educational journey here at SUNY Potsdam. I am the first person in my family to attend college. I’ve started and stopped so many times. EOP (the Educational Opportunity Program) really helped. I would take a few classes a semester, and work at the (Akwesasne Mohawk) casino in between. I had to take some time off for family reasons, but I always came back. I’ve been at this for 11 years now—so this is a long time coming!

How did you get involved with research projects here? Dr. (Fadi) Bou-Abdallah gave a presentation on the importance of 14

research. So I joined a lab. The year after, I got a (Frederick B.) Kilmer (Undergraduate Research) Apprenticeship. I got so much help with funding from the chemistry department, the Center for Diversity and the tribe. I was able to go to conferences and study at Northeastern (University) in Boston for a summer.

What did you like about studying at SUNY Potsdam?

How available the professors were. The department is so small, it’s easy for them to be available for students. Dr. (Maria) Hepel was always there for me just to talk to. She told me, “You’ve got to fight.” She and Fadi wrote recommendation letters for my graduate school applications.

Where are you headed next? I have been accepted to George Washington University, my top choice for graduate school. I’ve always wanted to live in Washington, D.C. I have a Dean’s Fellowship in the Ph.D. program at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences. The biggest thing is that they offer rotations through different laboratories, so I will be able to get a feel for different kinds of research, before I pick a lab. Ultimately, I’d like to work for the government or for industry. I want to find the one project that I can claim as my own.

4 Deena Cole ’1

Are you excited to walk the stage and receive your baccalaureate degree? Yes. My mom, my brother, my sister and my friends will all be there. I’ve got my cap and gown, and all my cords. I just know I’ll be crying.

My grandmother told me she was so proud.

She said, “You’ve never given up.” * Editor’s note: Deena did indeed matriculate at the May 2014 Commencement ceremony.

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Research in progress.

Left to right: Caroline Rivellini, Katie Metz, Shelby Kibler, Sarah Parks, Roberta Greene, Dr. Sullivan-Catlin, Liz Walker, Megan Johnson and Erin Johanns visited the EcoVillage in Ithaca, N.Y., before traveling on to Scotland.

Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Heather Sullivan-Catlin studies how people around the globe are creating sustainable communities. Her passion for teaching has also inspired her to improve experiential education opportunities at SUNY Potsdam, through her role as the College’s service-learning faculty liaison. SullivanCatlin’s interdisciplinary research focuses on ecovillages and food security. Last summer, she and a group of students visited two sustainable communities—one in Ithaca, N.Y., and the other in Findhorn, Scotland. “I believe these experiences provide students with important opportunities to develop, as our campus mission states, into ‘engaged global citizens,’” she said.

Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Jan Trybula studies the genetics of dragonflies, including the identification and classification of species. He and his students have discovered and tracked rare species on the Raquette River, including the horned clubtail dragonfly, which had never previously been found in New York State, and the skillet clubtail dragonfly, which hadn’t been seen for more than 80 years. Their findings have contributed to the New York State Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey, published by the Department of Environmental Conservation. This summer, Trybula once again worked with undergraduates to capture and study these incredible inspect species.

earch and academic opportunities. res fic nti scie in nt me est inv ze aly An Research awards 2013-14 Cyberlearning STEM+ Academy Management

34 $89,6 National Education Foundation from the

Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program

$222,959 from the NYS Education Department

North Country Science and Technology Entry Program

$270,254 from the NYS Education Department

Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates

$314,604 from the National Science Foundation 0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

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Enrollment trends in the sciences at SUNY Potsdam.

Percentage of undergraduates studying the sciences

41% 40% First Major

Minor

44% 47% First Major

Minor

Digging deep for Potsdam history At a quiet corner along the Raquette River, sundappled water ripples past a steep shady bank, where mosquitoes nip and birds chirp. Julia Andryuk calls out to her professor, Dr. Timothy Messner. The field school teaching assistant has just found an object. She’s kneeling over a large hole in the ground, bracing herself against a tree and pointing with her trowel.

To the uninitiated, it looks as if someone has taken a generous bite out of the riverbank, with perfectly straight lines, like cutting off a piece of sheet cake. Layers of sand and soil are delineated with little orange markers. To Dr. Messner and his students, this slice of earth is a window into the past, going back thousands of years.

Julia’s find turns out to be the detritus leftover from chipping away at rocks to create stone tools. Along with a number of other discoveries that she and her fellow undergraduates have made, it points to a long history of human activity in Potsdam, N.Y.—thousands of years before someone pointed at a map and renamed the area after a city in Germany.

An assistant professor of anthropology, Messner first became interested in organizing an archaeological dig in Potsdam while taking a walk in Lehman Park, the 42-acre College-owned recreational area located across from campus on Pierrepont Avenue.

2013 Percentage of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the sciences

40% Sciences

2010-2013

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“The landscape itself speaks to being a high probability area for archaeological finds. It’s elevated, with soils that are well drained. It’s close to water, but not too close,” he said. “A lot of parks have been disturbed by historic land use processes. I think what we’ve encountered is one of the few spots that have not been disturbed— and it just so happens it has evidence for human use in the ancient past.”

In June and July, Messner brought a crew of 13 archaeological studies majors to spend a month digging and analyzing sites in Lehman Park. The field school gives students the opportunity to get their hands dirty and practice the techniques they have learned firsthand.

“It’s one thing to sit in a classroom and learn about history. It’s another thing to actually excavate, see how things come together and understand what’s an anomaly,” said senior archaeological studies major Heather Little.

TIM MESSNER

2009

SUNY Potsdam research in action.

After a month’s work of clearing brush, digging trenches and test pits, sifting soil, studying objects, and meticulously labeling and categorizing each item, the students have all gained stronger arm muscles, suntans, mosquito bites—and a deeper understanding of archaeology.

Along the way, the team has uncovered what might prove to be a 1,000-year-old camp site, with thermally altered soil, wood charcoal, a ring of fire-cracked rock, a large piece of partially burned wood, burnt animal bone fragments, lithic flakes and ancient ceramic potshards.

“For us to actually get to go into the ground and look through time, and be the first person to lay your hands and your eyes on something that hasn’t been seen in a thousand years is an absolutely overwhelming experience,” Faith Jacobson told visiting North Country Public Radio reporter Todd Moe. Elsewhere, in an area of old farmland, where the top foot of soil had been churned up over the years from plowing, students located an intact 5,000-year-old triangle point that could have been from a spear, a knife blade or an atlatl (an ancient spear-throwing tool).

“We’ve been able to determine that for at least 5,000 years, people have been coming to the Lehman Park landform, which is pretty exciting,” Messner said. “We want to go back and learn more about the deep history of Potsdam, and how it fits into the larger picture of settlement

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and subsistence in the North Country. The Raquette River would have provided a nice corridor from the St. Lawrence River Valley to the heart of the Adirondacks.”

from leading scholars in the field. Our undergraduates are given opportunities to work directly with faculty that you would only get as a grad student at bigger schools,” Messner said.

Following the completion of the field season in Lehman Park, Messner is analyzing all of the artifacts in a laboratory techniques course this fall. In accordance with state law, all of the items will be sent to the New York State Museum in Albany, which will curate them as part of its collection. The tribal historic preservation officer from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe has also been kept informed about the research and the findings so far.

Julia is a great example. She is already a teaching assistant as an undergraduate, and has been selected for one of the College’s competitive Kilmer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeships next year.

“I would put the SUNY Potsdam archaeological studies program up to bat against any Ivy League or Tier I school. Our students get a full exposure to archaeology, both the theory and the methods,

“It’s a pretty neat opportunity,” she said, of her role as the senior student at the site. “I really enjoy teaching people about the things I love.” * News excerpt courtesy of North Country Public Radio.

To hear the piece, visit http://bit.ly/1jl7NFj.

At SUNY Potsdam, the sciences encompass all physical, life, social, applied and interdisciplinary sciences.

FINDINGS: The breadth of the scientific offerings at SUNY Potsdam continues to grow, as does interest from students and investment from granting agencies and generous donors. Graduates distinguish themselves in a variety of fields, while research remains robust—all to the incredible benefit of the student experience.

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CLASS

notes

1930s

1940s

1960s

Bertha (Bouvier) Donnelly ’33 celebrated her 105th birthday in

Peg (Scanlon) Minotti ’46 has 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Jen Ochsner ’60 is an active musician for two Eastern Star chapters in the Syracuse, NY, area.

She is the past president of the Civic Social Club of Greater Syracuse and loves to travel with Untours, especially to Germany and Austria.

1950s

April 2014. She earned her degree in education and began her career in a one-room schoolhouse and went on to teach fifth grade from 1923 to 1970. She now spends a significant time reading religious books and the Bible.

Mildred Hazen ’34 celebrated her 100th birthday in June 2014.

She taught for more than two decades after graduating from the Potsdam Normal School in only three years. Hazen has six children and her daughter, Gina, graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 2000.

Robert Arnold ’53 lives in Willsboro, NY, and is a professor emeritus of education at SUNY Plattsburgh. He is the creator of the constructive assessment, recordkeeping and evaluation system (CARES), described in his book, “Remaking our Schools for the TwentyFirst Century: A Blueprint for Change/Improvement in our Educational Systems.”

John ’53 and Joan (Ten Eyck) LaFalce ’53 met Lisa Vroman ’79 after her performance in a

Holiday Pops concert with the Phoenix Orchestra in November 2013.

Lynne (DeHollander) Noel ’63 released a book, “The Grammie Guide: Activities and Answers for Grandparenting Today,” which won

BFR Welcomes New Member Dr. Christopher Reynolds ’53

the Gold Award in the Mom’s Choice Awards.

Priscilla (Smith) Awsumb ’64 is a proud board member for the Memphis PREP Program, the Midtown Memphis Rotary Club and Park Friends, and has also been a team leader for Ildewild Presbyterian Church’s water mission work in Mexico.

Dr. Chris Reynolds, a 1953 graduate of The Crane School of Music, recently established the Reynolds/ Frackenpohl Jazz Scholarship in honor of his major professor at Crane, pianist and composer Dr. Arthur Frackenpohl (Hon. ’04), who celebrated his 90th birthday in April.

“Dr. Frackenpohl is one of my childhood heroes. I chose to create this scholarship to express gratitude for his uncommonly fine tutelage, and for the outstanding music education I received as a student at Crane. This new scholarship, which will be established upon my death, will be used to encourage outstanding jazz musicians to pursue their education at The Crane School of Music.”

Reynolds currently works as a bandleader, pianist and jazz singer in Chapel Hill, NC, following a stint of eight years as a jazz band leader in Miami, where he worked with trumpeter Pete Minger, a star of the Count Basie Orchestra. Prior to his jazz bandleader work, Reynolds received a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and was a professor of theatre at Winthrop University and other institutions in South Carolina.

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

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan This spring, a group of Agonian alumnae from the Class of 1964 gathered in Potsdam to reminisce and share some laughs. Gathering before their tour of campus are Marilyn (Davies) Clary, JoAnn (Haley) Maguire, Barbara (Stonham) Law, Judy (Goble) Darrer, Sandy (D’Arienzo) Geagan, Shirley (Kincaid) Eagan and Lorraine (Gringer) Gluck.

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or contact Jason N. Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, at (315) 267-2123 or

giftplan@potsdam.edu

As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s

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Dorothey Bodner ’64 sang two of faculty emeritus Dr. Art Frackenpohl’s selections in a June 2014, recital at a workshop where she teaches voice, and performed a Frackenpohl song cycle a the Crane Alumni Concert during Reunion Weekend in July. She will resume her church job as alto section leader in September, and is contracted to sing Dialogues of the Carmelites in the chorus of Washington National Opera in February and March of 2015.

Judy (Halpern) Coniglio ’64 retired for the second time, this time for good, and is relocating to Music City—Nashville, TN. Roger Ames ’67 has created oratorios and choral music, as well as operas and musical theatre pieces.

His oratorio, “A Requiem for Our Time,” which uses the poetry of Anne Sexton and texts from the Latin Mass, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music. Ames and his wife, Elizabeth Bassine, recently wrote an opera adapted from the novel “How Green Was My Valley,” by Richard Llewellyn.

The opera, for which Ames composed the music and Bassine the libretto, premiered in Colorado in August 2014.

They are also collaborating on “No Parking,” which is designed for an actingsinging ensemble of seven with music accompaniment.

In July 2014, Rosemary Callard-Szugit ’68 presented “Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted” at the SENG National Conference in San Jose, CA. Her topic was perfectionism and how it adversely affects gifted children. She has seven textbook publications and two children’s books, all dealing with gifted children, their education, parenting and emotions.

William “Bill” Boyd ’69 helps organizations raise money in Central New York, and is still actively performing with professional and amateur musical theatre productions, symphonies and touring musical artists. He and his wife, Audrey, are the parents of Marty, 17.

Mary Ann Luciano ’69 retired as the director of Catskill Regional Teacher Center and became a senior associate. She is enjoying life on Chenango and Osset Lakes in the Adirondacks.

Central Education Center music teacher Dr. Rosalyn “Lyn” (Paul) Schenbeck ’69 was named the Coweta County 2013 Teacher of the Year.

The 40-year educator and lifelong musician founded and continues to conduct the all-ages Centre Strings community orchestra.

1970s Sarafina Bongo ’70 has had two string orchestra pieces published

by Alfred Music, along with her partner, Robert Moore, and will have her own piece published

by Alfred in the 2014 catalog.

Ralph Hastings’ ’70 work, “Gloria,” was featured at the 29th annual Ecumenical Christmas Concert to benefit Hospice of the North Country, held at St. Joseph’s Church in Malone, NY. The choir was prepared and conducted by Dale Breault ’94.

Christine Klik-Zalewski ’70 has been retired from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry since 2005, where she worked as an office manager. She was previously a French/English teacher.

After 30 years, Elaine (Thayer) Stewart ’70 retired as dean of workforce development at Massasoit Community College.

After 35 years as a music teacher in Syracuse, NY, Francine (Cohen) Berg ’71 retired in 2007. She also retired as the Cantor of Temple Concord in 2013. She now works as a specialist in music for people with dementia, and is developing a chorus for caregivers and their loved ones.

Pianist Kevin Moore ’71 is a professor of music at Onondaga Community College, where he has taught piano performance since 1975, and is also a studio associate at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music, where he teaches music industry law and ethics.

After 38 years in the New York radio industry, William “Bucky” Nickau ’71 retired in March 2014. His stops included WNEWAM, ABC, LTW and K Rock with Howard Stern for 18 years, and ended at ESPN

with the Knicks, Rangers and Jets. He looks forward to spending summers at White Lake, NY, and working on a 150-year-old house in Upper Saddle River, NJ. Susan (MacQuivey) Pfeffer ’71 retired from the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection in 2013 after 32 years.

She and her husband, Mark, recently relocated to coastal North Carolina.

Joyce (Barnholt) Yianoukos ’71 received SUNY Potsdam’s Leadership Through Service Award during Commencement weekend, in recognition of her dedication to helping others as a volunteer leader in our community for educational and healthcare organizations. She is an alumna mentor in the College’s Women and Leadership Program, and organized a successful book drive for the Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center. Yianoukos is co-president of the Potsdam Hospital Guild, which donated more than $174,000 to the Canton-Potsdam Hospital during the three years she was at the helm.

Todd Hobin ’72 has been in the music business for nearly 50 years and has been a faculty member at Le Moyne University for seven years, sharing his knowledge of the industry with the next generation of musicians. Hobin is also a board member and

teacher with Signature Music, a program that provides music lessons and instruments to underprivileged youth.

He and his wife, Joann, reside in Syracuse, NY, and have six children.

After retirement, J. Timothy Lindemuth ’72 opened Moore House B&B at his home in Kansas. He toured China in 2013.

David Paciencia ’72 is currently an educational consultant. He was formerly a school superintendent, with a 22-year career, spanning four districts. He and his wife, Nancy, recently relocated to Maine and have three children.

Neal Tepper ’72 and his wife, Nadine, moved to Minnesota in April 2014, where he is a conservator for Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux County.

Cynthia (Norderhus) Page ’73, owner of the Page Wildlife Center in Manlius, NY, has been

helping rehabilitate animals for 40 years, and has been running educational programs for students for 20 years.

Simmons College Professor Emerita Bonita Betters-Reed ’73 was inducted into the OakfieldAlabama Central School Hall of Fame in 2013. She w w w.potsdam.edu/people

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notes is in her thirtieth year of teaching, 26 of which have been at Southern Cayuga Central School.

Karen “Kari” Tieger ’76 released a new album, “Illumination,” on which she sings and plays piano.

Celebrating 40 years of Camp Sisson (Sisson Hall 1973-74), alumni gathered once again at the home of Mat “Leo” Hastings ’74 in Isle au Haut, ME. First row: Jerry Newberry, Walter Cogswell ’75, Emily Cogswell, Sarah “Una” Hartman and Liza Ambrosini. Second row: Mat “Leo” Hastings ’74, Krystyna Dabrowska and Gogo Machaj from Poland, Molly “Dewey” Hartman and Donna (Leadley) Milazzo ’74.

Third row: Ryan Cogswell, John Newberry, Jon Hartman ’74, Joe Ambrosini ’75, Fran (Dombeck) Ambrosini ’75 and Mike “Moose” Hartman. has received numerous honors and awards for teaching excellence and leadership, has released several publications, is deeply involved in her community and serves on the Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees.

Peter Mahigian ’73 has been a chorister at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix, AZ, since 2012, and has been an organ and piano instructor for the past 40 years.

In 2013, Larinda (Lincoln) Meade ’73, Aileen Fortune ’74 and Matthew “Leo” Hastings ’74 posed for a picture at

Aileen’s son’s wedding in Kennebunkport, ME.

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In 2013, Ed Gauthier ’74 retired as director of the St. Lawrence County Probation Department, after more than 35 years.

After 10 years as South Jefferson Central School District’s Superintendent, Jamie (Giangobbe) Moesel ’75 retired in June 2014. She and her husband, John, have two adult daughters.

Deirdre (Pollera) Tunney ’75 joined the Bank of New York Mellon, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, in 1983 and is currently the head of BNY Mellon’s companywide compliance programs and practices.

Tom Yates ’75 received the 2014 Capital Pride Heroes Award in Arlington, VA. The award is given to individuals who have helped to further the cause of LGBTA rights.

Deborah (Sutin) Fitts ’76 has been with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta since 1997, and is now the executive director.

In 2009, Susan Mendelson ’76 became a missionary for Jews for Jesus, a Christian evangelical organization, in New York City. She created many of the team’s vocal arrangements for their 1994 album “David’s Hope.” Mendelson also released an album of her own, called “Jewish Gospel Favorites.”

Cathy (Irwin) Mullarney ’76 directed a performance of the “Peace Cantata” by Baruch Whitehead in 2013, featuring K-12 students. She

The Penn State School of Music honored Brent Wissick ’76 with the 2014 Alumni Award. He is also the Zachary Taylor Smith Distinguished Term Professor in the music department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he has taught cello, viola da gamba and chamber music since 1982.

Dr. Frank Lamas ’77 was appointed the new vice president for student affairs at Fresno State University in February 2014. He has more than 30 years of administrative experience in higher education and has been the vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Texas at Arlington for nearly nine years.

The School Administrators Association of New York State and the National Association of Elementary School

Principals selected Dr. Richard Wiesenthal ’77, as a 2014 New York State Middle School Principal of the Year. Wiesenthal has been an administrator at New Paltz Middle School for the past 26 years, in which time he has been credited for creating an environment emphasizing collaboration, communication and cooperation.

In August 2014, Barbara Segura ’78 retired after 20 years of hazardous duty service at the Connecticut Department of Correction in the Addiction Services Unit.

Donnalyn (Eaton) Shuster ’78 received the 2013 Award of Merit for New York State as cochairperson of Frankfort-Schuyler Central School’s Youth Art Month Program, marking her fifth national award in five years for outstanding documentation of art advocacy programs in New York State schools. She also served as a Women and Leadership mentor at SUNY Potsdam this year and recently participated in a Greek Alumni Panel discussion with members of the All Greek Council on the benefits of sorority and fraternity life after graduation.

Plan Your Future

Visit Potsdam’s totally redesigned estate and gift planning website. Sign up for free e-newsletters; download our mobile app and access information on your mobile devices; prepare for your future and explore how you can support Potsdam.

Visit www.potsdam.edu/giftplan today and bookmark it!

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Michael Benedict ’79 is proud to announce that Michael Benedict & BOPITUDE’s album, “Five and One,” featuring Gary Smulyan, was listed as one of the Best CDs of 2013 by DownBeat Magazine.

In 1981, Kathleen Schnaars’ ’81 goal to pursue a Ph.D. in biology was delayed by marriage, family and an alternate profitable career, but was realized in 2013 when she completed her dissertation.

John Hart ’79 was promoted to managing director/senior vice president at JPMorgan Chase.

Keith Shult ’82, a 30year veteran of public and private school teaching, is an avid singer and actor, and fronts his own small jazz combo. He and his wife, Sara, operate K&S Music Studio in Canton, NY.

Robert Thayer (Hon. ’82) retired in 2012, after a career of more than 50 years in music teaching and administration. He has filled post-retirement engagements as an interim music administrator at DePauw University, the University of Connecticut, Lawrence University and Florida Gulf Coast University.

Thayer was awarded honorary membership in the National Association of Schools of Music.

Gregg Schwartzkopf ’79 is a vocational rehabilitation specialist for a disability insurance carrier and lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, Carol.

He recently published his first novella, “Judgment of the Elders.”

1980s Ray Agnew ’80 performed songs from his latest album, “Faith, Love, Kids and Other Mysteries,” during a songwriters showcase at Paul Smith’s College.

Claudia (Tower) Andres ’81 was named the 2012 Youngstown Citizen of the Year and the 2013 Lew-Port Distinguished Alumni. She has six children and three grandchildren.

Leslie Rowland ’81 is the executive director of the Thousand Islands Arts Center. She was previously the principal of an independent consulting firm advising clients on marketing communications and event planning. She and her husband, Frederick, split their time between Wellesley Island and Clayton.

Scott Walroth ’82 was recognized as the Art Educator of the Year for Region 6, The Capital Region, in New York State.

Former music teacher in the Queensbury and Ticonderoga Schools, Margaret “Peg” (Donohue) Brady ’83, was selected as superintendent for the North Warren Central School District.

She resides with her husband in South Glens Falls, NY.

president of information technology. Most recently, he served as vice president for Assurant Employee Benefits and has held leadership positions with Sprint, Lucent Technologies and Eastman Kodak.

Valerie Patterson’s ’85 latest art exhibit, “Ghosts in My Machine,” was showcased at the Pouring Light Studios and Gallery in Malone, NY, in 2013. She teaches at Petrova Middle School in Saranac Lake.

Having travelled the “seven seas,” Brent Griffin ’85 retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain in naval intelligence.

He was then hired as an In 2012, Patricia DeHond ’84 was associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College in honored by her peers Newport, RI. He resides with the Achievement in New England with his Award from the National wife, Karen, and their Association of County two children.

Agricultural Agents.

In January 2014, Robyn Patrick Pomerville ’84 LaVoie ’85 gave her was selected as the new husband, Dana ’84, who superintendent for the has had kidney disease Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District, where he has served as principal since 1999. He is a member of the board of trustees for Queensbury Senior Citizens and the Warren County Head Start Health and Nutrition since the early 1990s, Advisory Board. one of her kidneys. Dana currently works in sales, Anne (Fuller) Richey and Robyn is a teacher in ’84 & the Fayetteville-Manlius ’89 was school district. The named couple, who met and fell the exin love at SUNY Potsdam, ecutive has been married for director 27 years and has three of the grown children.

Cerebral Palsy Association of the North After 13 years working Country. in the pharmaceutical industry for GlaxoSmithSandra Vigliotti ’84 Kline, Jeffrey Manke was nominated for a ’85 accepted a position Broadway World.com back at Bryant & Stratton Award for best musical director, for a production College in Syracuse, NY, as director of high school of “Jerry’s Girls,” the Jerry admissions. He is also Herman review. responsible for the colThe Kansas City Southlege’s Division I NJCAA athletic program. ern Railway Company appointed Wayne Godlewski ’85 vice

Moira, NY, resident Burton Peck IV ’85 was appointed principal of J.W. Leary Junior High School in Massena, NY. He previously served as a business and English teacher at the school.

Suzanne (Smith) Kenney ’83 was named the DennisYarmouth Regional School District’s adult education director. She now serves as a full-time consultant at Career Opportunities in Hyannis, MA.

David Wojciechowski ’85 was appointed vice president of salesAmericas for Maxwell Technologies.

The Arbella Insurance Group appointed Joseph Salerno II ’86 vice president of claims in February 2014.

Nicole Duvé ’87 of Potsdam, NY, joined the Carlisle Law Firm PC in Ogdensburg, NY. Pegeen (Halloran) Jensen ’87, a graduate of the University at Albany and an adjunct faculty member in their department of reading, was named the 2013 New York State Reading Association’s Literacy Educator of the Year.

Robert Ludlam ’87 and his wife, Jill, now have 10 children, with the most recent addition, Sadie, being born in 2013. Their oldest daughter, Sarah, was married in January 2014.

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Ted Berndt ’88 is developing New York State’s second largest Agri-Business Park and the Capital Region Food Hub in Cambridge, NY. The 12acre campus currently has 28 buildings, and is part of a 110-acre farm.

Christopher Rivers ’88 received an Honorary Conductor tribute from the Central Vermont Friends of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, in recognition of his numerous contributions to music and music education.

U.S. Air Force General Barre Seguin ’88 took over the Aviano wing, and is currently inspector general for Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virgina.

Correction: Dominick Giaquinto ’82 is the director of music ministries at the First United Methodist Church in Schenectady, NY.

1990s Thomas Burns ’92 has been the district superintendent at St. LawrenceLewis BOCES for the last five years. He and his wife, Sheila, reside in Norwood, NY, with their two daughters.

Molly Clough ’92 and Rebecca (Button) Simser ’07 are lawyers in a newly opened law firm, Carrothers & Clough PLLC, which has offices in Ogdensburg and Watertown, NY. Timothy LePage ’92 took over the post of St.

Lawrence County probation director in 2013.

Danny “Lee” Scaggs ’92, a school psychologist employed by St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, was selected for the 2012-13 School Psychologist Practitioner of the Year award by Chapter ‘A’ of the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP).

Beth (Loveday) MacDonald ’93 recently obtained her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in curriculum and instruction. She is currently an assistant professor in Mathematics Education and Leadership at Utah State University. She and her husband, Mark MacDonald ’93, reside in Logan, UT, with their two children.

After a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, two Crane School of Music graduates from different eras had the chance to meet for the first time. Christopher Still ’93, who plays trumpet with the LA Phil, and

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

For more information, visit the College’s estate and gift planning page at

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan or contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of planned giving, directly at (315) 267-2123 or

giftplan@potsdam.edu As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s

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worked for more than 18 years in student affairs at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and the University of Indianapolis.

Professional musician and educator Papadon “Don” Washington ’93 teaches vocal and instrumental music at Colton-

Pierrepont Central School. His newest album, “The Blues in Me,” celebrates his 40 years at the keyboard.

How to include us in your will:

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

Burt Mason ’97 recently played in a special concert at Carnegie Hall, in which members of several orchestras collaborated. Mason (left) is pictured with Joe Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic.

Faye (Cohen) Jeser ’66, a local music education specialist, reminisced about their Crane experiences.

Indiana Tech selected Dr. Daniel Stoker ’93 for their newly created position of vice president for student affairs in January 2014. He will oversee athletics, student life, residence life and all other areas of student affairs. He has previously

Robert Brown ’94 is an adjunct instructor at SUNY Cortland in the African studies department. He teaches music at Blodgett Elementary School in Syracuse, NY, and also serves as music director at the New Life Community Church.

Jennifer (Genest) Cline ’94 joined ABC Creative Group as part of the sales and marketing strategist team.

Since 2010, Stephen Todd ’94 has served as the assistant superintendent for instruction at St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES in Canton, NY. JeanMarie Martello ’95 is the archives manager for the St. Lawrence County Historical Association and has been with the organization since 2002.

John Middleton-Cox ’95, the head of the music department for Burlington Public Schools, took his Select Singers to perform at Carnegie Hall this spring.

In February 2014, Tennessee Tech University honored Assistant Chemical Engineering Professor Cynthia Rice ’95 with the annual Kinslow Award.

Adrien Gleason ’97, a music teacher at Ardenwood Elementary School in Fremont, CA, and his music students were recently featured on CBS News. The school was named a distinguished school, due in part to an excellent music program.

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TELL US YOUR STORY! Do you have a funny or significant story to share about your time at Potsdam? What is it about your Potsdam experience that made it memorable or special?

Email us at alumni@potsdam.edu Michelle Bresett ’98, who is in her tenth year of teaching earth science and physics at MadridWaddington Central School, was recently named a New York State Master Teacher and was the only St. Lawrence County educator out of 215 teachers statewide to receive the honor.

Jeff Falareau ’98 was hired as the associate athletics director for external operations at Colgate University.

Caliber Imaging & Diagnostics named Daniel Koon ’98 director of global sales support.

Tenor Angelo Mazzone ’98 has performed in Italy, the United Kingdom and other locales, singing in Upper West Side Opera Productions of “La Traviata” and “Rigoletto.”

Deadline for class notes submissions for the Spring 2015 issue is: October 31, 2014 Submit to: alumni@potsdam.edu

2000s In 2013, Scott Gleason ’00 graduated with a Ph.D. in music theory from Columbia University.

Kyle Reeb ’00 was one of five attorneys who were elected to Hodgson Russ law firm’s partnership.

He is a member of the firm’s torts, insurance and products liability practice group.

Andrew Mangano ’01 of Fulton, NY, joined Community Bank Wealth Management as a financial consultant.

Clark Porter ’01 recently opened Junction Building Supply in Dekalb, NY, and is significantly expanding the store.

In 2013, Travis Glazier ’02 completed a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University through the Executive MPA program.

He and his wife, Christa, had their first child in March 2014.

Kristen Rozelle ’03 displayed an exhibit called “Bridges Built Through Past and Present” at the Norwood Public Library Art Gallery in Norwood, NY. Shannon Demers ’04 took over as president and co-owner of Kimro’s Medicine Place in Ogdensburg, NY. Douglas Duprey ’03 serves as a pharmacy technician at the company.

Matthew Jones ’04 was ordained as a transitional deacon on the path to priesthood in June 2014.

He is currently serving at Greece’s Our Mother of Sorrows Parish and this summer, returned to St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, to begin his final year of theology.

Sarah (Benway) Kijowski ’04 took over as interim director at the Slate Valley Museum in 2013.

Dan Graser ’06 is a visiting assistant professor at Grand Valley State University. In 2013, his saxophone quartet, the Donald Sinta Quartet, won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition.

Ashley Hopkins-Benton ’06 is a research and collections technician at the New York State Museum.

The New York State Historical Association published her book, “Breathing Life Into Stone: The Sculpture of Henry DiSpirito,” in June 2014. Her husband, Geoffrey Benton ’05, is an assistant site manager at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic

Preservation. The couple resides in Kinderhook, NY, with their daughter, Katherine.

Daniel Kelly ’06 published his first book, “Falling Down: A Teenager’s True Story of Redemption,” in January 2014, and all proceeds are donated to organizations that provide support for at-risk youth. He is currently a middle school technology teacher and resides in Durham, NC. McGlinchey Stafford expanded its Jacksonville, FL, office by adding attorney Wesley Ridout ’06 to the firm. He holds an MBA from Clarkson University and earned his law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law. Karie (Barr) Doelger ’08 is in the Educational Leadership Program at Canisius College.

A solo exhibition called “In Memory,” featuring paintings by Tanya Gadbaw-Neitzke ’08, was displayed at Sauk Valley Community College’s art gallery in Dixon, IL.

Patti Laird ’08 has spent the last few years traveling the United States producing hundreds of shows as a stage

manager with the theatre company Troupe America.

Darryl Kniffen ’09 started Sunday Morning Jazz at the South Street Café in Bennington, VT. He currently runs the music program at the Twin Valley Elementary School in Wilmington.

Andrea Long ’09, an honor graduate of Albany Law School, resides in Astoria, NY, and is employed as an assistant corporation counsel with the New York City Law Department.

Aaron Witek ’08, instructor of trumpet at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, published “Gordon Mathie: The Treasured Legacy of a Master Teacher and Performer.” The book details SUNY Potsdam faculty emeritus, Gordon Mathie’s (Hon. ’82) power and influence as a leading trumpet teacher/performer and his contributions to the trumpet world.

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notes Vanessa Rodriguez ’10 was accepted at Roger Williams University School of Law. Matthew Smithers ’10 earned his doctorate degree in chiropractic medicine from New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, NY. He is currently working in a chiropractic office in Ogdensburg, NY.

In March 2014, (from left) Crane School of Music Dean Emeritus James Stoltie (Hon. ’01), Evelyn (Marks) Miller ’65, Justin Moniz ’11, Roberta (Reed) Hamilton ’60 and her husband, Edward Hamilton, gathered at the Florida Chapter Annual Alumni Luncheon at the Polo Grill and Bar. From 2010 to 2013, Ruth (Samuels) Sylvester ’09 taught elementary music in the Camden Central School District. She now teaches private instrument lessons at Route 66 Music in Waynesville, MO. In February 2014, fellow alumni U.S. Army Captain David Tiedeman ’09 and Dan Adams ’86 posed

Ben Firer ’10 was appointed assistant conductor of L’Orchestre de la Francophonie. He is currently music director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and orchestra director at Juniata College. Firer plays bass trombone in the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, and is in the process of obtaining a second master’s degree in conducting from Penn State.

2010s for a photo while in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Amanda (Hayden) Franco ’10 is an elementary music teacher and program leader at Union Springs Middle School.

Under her direction, the Choral Aire, a specialty choir comprised of 24 fifth and sixth graders, won the top prize in a statewide singing competition.

Kristen Reed ’10 was named to the “20 Under 40” list of emerging leaders by NNY Business magazine. She is employed as a vocational/rehabilitation counselor at the Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions and is heavily involved with community service.

Kimberly O’Hara ’11 earned her master’s degree in English from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

Tenor Justin Moniz ’11 began the 2013-14 season as an apprentice artist with Sarasota Opera, where he covered Ruiz in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” and sang selections from Puccini’s “La Bohème” in the Stars of Tomorrow Gala.

He then traveled to Suzhou, China, to cover the tenor soloist in Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.”

While there, Moniz also spent a portion of his residency focusing on ancient Chinese song after having been selected as one of eight vocal fellows worldwide.

In addition to his active performing career, Moniz serves on the voice faculty of the University of Florida’s New World School of the Arts and the Miami Conservatory of Music.

President’s Club

members are leading by example! Thank you to those who have joined the President’s Club this year.

You are having a big impact on our Take the Lead Campaign and, most importantly, our students.

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

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Alice Sorensen ’11 finished her master’s degree in music therapy at Molloy College in 2013, and is now employed as a music therapist working with geriatric short-term rehabilitation patients at Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Adam Houmiel ’12 completed basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, TX. The Peoria Rivermen men’s hockey team added goaltender Kevin McFarland ’12 to their roster in 2013.

Alexa Basile ’13 wrote an essay about her SUNY Potsdam study abroad

experience in Australia, for a CNN series led by Michelle Obama. Basile plans to be a literacy specialist.

Leacy DuPre ’13 is the new director of the Canton Neighborhood Center.

Morgan Knipe ’13 is a Red Rockers cheerleader for the Washington Capitals hockey team.

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POTSDAM PEOPLE

Births

Jimmy ’07 and Rachel (Neway) Nagal ’06 cel-

Mike ’98 and Kathleen (Lucey) D’Amour ’99 welcomed their third

where they met as members of the choir. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and resides in Buffalo, NY. Erin Upson ’05 and Ryan Cioffi, who attended SUNY Potsdam through

ebrated the birth of their son, Andrew Michael, on October 8, 2013. son, Patrick, on January 15, 2014.

Andrea (Rizzo) Umbenhower ’99 and her husband, Matt,

Megan (Green) St. Thomas ’09 and her husband, Micah, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Mason Michael, on April 29, 2014.

POTSDAM PEOPLE

Marriages

Matthew Ploof ’95 married LaTasha Ploof on July 27, 2013, in Savannah, GA.

welcomed their second addition, daughter Raelyn Jacy, on November 14, 2013, at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. She joins big brother, Matthew Jonah, 5.

Speros ’02 and Justine (Herman) Pascalides ’02 celebrated the birth of their second child, Lucas Speros, on November 25, 2013. He weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 18.25 inches in length, and joins threeyear-old sister, Bella.

John ’06 and Jill (DiPaola) Czarnecki ’06 welcomed their second child, Jenna, on January 13, 2014. They also have a three-year-old son named Jason.

Todd Wojtalewski ’98 and Lauren Mills were

united in marriage on November 16, 2013, at the Arrowhead Lodge in Oneida Shores County Park in Brewerton, NY. The couple honeymooned in the Pocono Mountains and resides in Fayetteville, NY. On September 1, 2013, Leah Schneider ’05 married Christopher Wietig in Westminster Presbyterian Church,

2006, were united in marriage July 13, 2013, at the Inn at Erlowest in Lake George, NY. The couple honeymooned in Cancun, Mexico, and resides in Albany, NY. On March 29, 2014, Megan Green ’09 and Micah St. Thomas exchanged vows at the Village Inn in Massena, NY.

Kira Joanette ’09 and Michael Hammond ’12 were married October 13, 2013, at St. Mary’s Church in Ogdensburg, NY. A reception was held at the Oddfellows in Ogdensburg, and the couple took a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls.

Sarah Paddock ’09 married Bryan Smith on August 31, 2013, in a garden wedding at GranView Restaurant.

Their son, Henry, served as the ring bearer.

James Jones ’86 and Christy Collins were married in Vernazza, Italy, in May 2013. They plan to move to San Diego, CA, in 2014.

On December 21, 2013, Ruth Samuels ’09 married Cpt. Scott Sylvester of the U.S. Army in Vernon, NY. They are currently stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

Isaac Snell ’09 exchanged vows with Hilary Lay on December 14, 2013, at The Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA. The couple resides in Northampton.

Brendan Graney ’10 and Cortney Poirier ’11 were married August 31, 2013, at St. Mary’s Church in Brushton, NY. After a honeymoon in St. Lucia, the couple resides in Latham, NY. Kristen Reed ’10 married Grant Dietert on April 19, 2014, in the Wells College

Chapel in Aurora, NY, with a reception following at Dorie’s Bakery. The couple resides in Watertown, NY. Rebecca Court ’12 and Eric MacVean were united in marriage on November 9, 2013, at King’s Chapel in Glenmont, NY. A reception followed at the Evergreen Country Club.

On September 8, 2013, Kyle Rizzo ’12 married Kathleen Trottier at The Red Lion Inn in Cohassett, MA. The couple took a honeymoon trip to Aruba and resides in Weymouth, MA.

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CLASS

notes

Memoriam Katherine H. Closson ’30 April 1, 2014

Carl H. Evans ’38 April 9, 2014 Mary E. Logan ’38 March 7, 2014 Dorothy (Plank) Coates ’39 January 28, 2014 Franklyn H. Rollins ’41 December 2, 2013 Eleanor (Emerson Safford) Rees ’42 December 21, 2013 Hilda (Chase) Philips ’44 November 23, 2013 Doris R. (Longfritz) Mehne ’45 March 13, 2014 Pernal “Penny” (Young) Brant ’47 March 14, 2014 Ruth (Berry) Colvin ’47 October 20, 2013 Irene M. (Perkins) Murphy ’48 December 1, 2013 Christine (Riedler) Soltz ’49 October 5, 2012

Ronald H. Partch ’52 January 8, 2014

Joan A. (Walker) Keefe ’51 November 14, 2013

Michael B. McDade ’64 April 15, 2014

William Lattimer ’54 August 28, 2011

Karen J. (Shepard) Retchless ’65 March 9, 2014

Anne M. (Snell) Sullivan ’55 April 5, 2014 Harriett (Lamb) Swan ’55 February 12, 2014 Marylou (Trask) Scott ’57 March 22, 2014 Martha (Plumpton) Smith ’57 December 3, 2013

Gail (Colman) Hanington ’59 December 2013 Burke A. Galer ’60 & ’67 August 29, 2013 Richard “Richy” A. Barz ’61 December 25, 2013

Arthur K. Nielsen ’61 January 10, 2014

Patricia “Patti” E. (Chappell) WicksCampfield ’67 March 7, 2014 Donna E. (Truax) Madara ’69 January 9, 2014

Kathryn E. (Valachovic) Van Arnam ’69 April 27, 2014 Robert J. Brock ’70 January 11, 2013 Yvonne R. (Lalonde) Johnston ’70 April 20, 2014

John J. Lettis Jr. ’61 December 22, 2013

Cynthia C. (Kaine) Bell ’71 December 10, 2013 George H. Nugent ’71 October 15, 2013 Linda A. (Erhardt) Yousey ’71 April 28, 2014 June (Bingle) Haugen ’72 February 18, 2014 Wayne F. Meister ’72 March 16, 2014

26

Carol (Larouech) Roney ’73 January 21, 2014 Gary D. Stacy ’73 October 8, 2013 Michael G. Backus ’74 November 10, 2013 Annette (Gagnier) Thornton ’75 February 11, 2014

Jane E. (Hobkirk) Batchelder ’65 April 1, 2014

Norman L. Brooks ’54 January 10, 2014

William A. Colwell ’51 September 24, 2013 A. John Calhoun ’51 April 17, 2014

Judith (Rouse) Harris ’64 June 7, 2010

Theodore “Ted” Ronsvalle ’51 November 26, 2013

POTSDAM PEOPLE

Paul T. Bevins ’99 January 17, 2014 Mary E. Conners ’01 April 15, 2009

Robert S. Kucko ’01 January 13, 2014 Adrienne E. BernardWhitford ’06 March 10, 2014

Gary J. Wallace ’76 March 2, 2014 John Panaro ‘81, former SUNY Postdam Alumni Board Trustee.

August 10, 2014

EMERITI & FRIENDS

Robert B. Allin February 3, 2014

Lori (Vernon) Rossi ’82 December 15, 2013 Cornelius V. Robbins (Hon. ’84) December 1, 2013 Jeanetta L. (Abram) Mieth ’85 June 25, 2013 Thomas P. North (Hon. ’85) August 10, 2013 Gary P. Ashley ’86 March 18, 2014 Perry C. Steria ’88 February 19, 2014 Richard F. Morrow ’90 December 23, 2013 Julianne M. (Noviczski) Carnevale ’92 November 3, 2013

K. Larmar Alsop, former faculty member at The Crane School of Music.

February 3, 2014 Gloria L. Bradley, a former secretary at SUNY Potsdam.

December 26, 2013 Mildred L. Hubbard worked in food services for 25 years.

February 17, 2014 Richard E. Hutcheson, former provost and dean of The School of Arts and Sciences.

February 5, 2014 Mary J. Lenney, former textbook buyer at the College Store, retiring in 1992.

March 9, 2014 Evelyn Wright worked in food services, retiring in 2001.

January 17, 2014

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ALUMNI

opportunities

Save the Date

SUNY Potsdam invites everyone to participate in the upcoming activities, all of which are on campus unless otherwise noted. For a complete listing of more than 350 on-campus activities, including specific dates, locations, and registration/ticketing information (when applicable), visit the Campus News & Events tab on the SUNY Potsdam website, potsdam.edu.

Questions can be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120.

FALL 2014 CANDLELIGHT CONCERT

DOUBLE AXEL AT THE DINOSAUR BBQ (Sept. 27, Syracuse) Enjoy a great meal, and then dance the night away with Double Axel! To register, visit www.potsdam.edu/alumni or call Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120.

BOSTON ALUMNI EVENT (October 23, The Yard House Boston-Fenway) Socialize, network and catch up with fellow alumni.

To register, visit www.potsdam.edu/alumni or call Alumni Relations at (315) 267-2120.

2014 DOMENIC J. PELLICCIOTTI OPERA COMPOSITION PRIZE WINNING PRODUCTIONS (Nov. 13, 14 and 15, Sarah M. Snell Music Theater) Each evening, selections from the following performances will be offered: “A Letter to East 11th Street,” music by Martin Hennessy/ libretto by Mark Campbell “In a Mirror, Darkly,” music by Christopher Weiss/ libretto by S. O’Duinn Magee “The Fox & the Pomegranate,” music by Matt Frey/ libretto by Daniel J. Kushner To purchase tickets, or for more information, call the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or visit cpspotsdam.org.

NYSSMA ALUMNI RECEPTION (Dec. 5, Rochester, NY) Attending the 2014 New York State School Music Association Conference? Don’t forget to visit The Crane School of Music booth, and join us for the alumni reception at the Hyatt Regency.

Special thanks to Sean Leous ’86 and Dr. Susan Perkins ’93 for their sponsorship of the NYC Alumni Event on May 22, 2014. Susan is an associate curator and professor, at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, at the American Museum of Natural History, and provided behind-the-scenes tours for alumni. Sean is a SUNY Potsdam Foundation Board trustee and sponsored the reception at Citrus Restaurant. Over 40 alumni and friends attended the event and the SUNY Potsdam Latin Ensemble provided entrainment for the evening.

(Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall) One of the College’s most popular musical performances, this free concert will certainly put you in the mood for the holiday season! The Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra will perform a commissioned work by composer William Averitt and will also be joined by the Children’s Chorus of the Holy Name of Jesus Academy in Massena, NY. No tickets required.

(Satterlee Hall) Calling all alumni who are school superintendents and principals: You are invited to reconnect with fellow alumni and participate in a variety of sessions providing advice and encouragement to today’s students (tomorrow’s teachers!).

To register or for more information on presenting, contact Nancy Griffin at (315) 267-2112 or griffine@potsdam.edu.

‘DIE FLEDERMAUS’

WINTER/SPRING 2015 BEAR PRIDE NIGHT (Jan. 30, 2015, Maxcy Hall) Cheer on your Potsdam Bears basketball teams as they take on SUNY Fredonia – the men’s game is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the women’s game at 7:30 p.m. Men’s hockey vs.

SUNY Geneseo will be at 7 p.m. If you are a Potsdam alum or a donor to the athletics program, join us for a special reception in Maxcy Hall Room 220 (across from the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium).

FLORIDA ALUMNI EVENT - THE VILLAGES (March 5) FLORIDA ALUMNI EVENT - LAUREL OAK COUNTRY CLUB, SARASOTA (March 7) Live in Florida or visiting in March? Join us for an alumni gathering, catch up with College friends, and hear about the exciting things going on at SUNY Potsdam.

CHARTER DAY BICENTENNIAL KICKOFF

TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENT ASSOCIATION (TESA) CONFERENCE

(April 17 and 18, 2015 at 7:30 p.m., Sarah M. Snell Music Theater) Presented by the Crane Opera Ensemble, with music by Johann Strauss. Tickets will be available through the Community Performance Series Box Office in mid-February, and can be purchased by calling (315) 267-2277 or visiting cpspotsdam.org.

INAUGURATION OF SUNY POTSDAM’S 16TH PRESIDENT, DR. KRISTIN ESTERBERG (April 24, 2015)

LOUGHEED FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (April 24 to May 3, 2015) Join us for 10 days of free arts events including exhibitions, public readings and theatre, music and dance performances.

Visiting artists will be on campus offering workshops, readings and masterclasses. The festival will have a variety of student performances, including the ever-popular One Act Plays, and culminating with a Crane School of Music performance (May 2, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.). Check regularly for updated event information, at www.potsdam.edu/ artsfestival.

A Message from Liberty Mutual Help others enjoy the advantages of a SUNY Potsdam education.

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

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

1. No purchase of a policy is required. Limit one quote per policy type per person. Not available to residents in CT, FL, IA, MA, ME, MO, ND, NM, PA or to existing Liberty Mutual Insurance customers.

2. Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. Certain discounts apply to specific coverages only. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.

This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. © 2014 Liberty Mutual Insurance

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REUNION

special

Reunion Weekend Huge Success!

Many thanks to all our alumni and friends who returned for Reunion Weekend 2014, we hosted 760 attendees this year! With so many alumni returning to campus and the beautiful Potsdam summer weather, what a wonderful weekend it was. In addition to class reunions, the following celebrations took place over the weekend: Delta Lambda Nu Sorority’s 20th anniversary, Phi Kappa Pi Alumnae Association’s 20th anniversary, Crane Institute of Music Business alumni gathering and The Crane School of Music alumni & faculty concert in honor of Art Frackenpohl’s (Honorary Class of 2004) 90th birthday. From celebrating our Alumni Award recipients, Hall of Fame Inductees and Greek Life, to mingling with past and present members of student activity groups, we were reminded of the liberal arts diversity that makes SUNY Potsdam great. A heartfelt “thank you” to all of our volunteers who helped keep everything running smoothly all weekend. SUNY Potsdam has incredible alumni!

Reunion 2014 Feedback?

We welcome your Reunion feedback! What did you like? What did you not like? What suggestions do you have for future Reunion celebrations? Feel free to email the Alumni Office at alumni@potsdam.edu or complete the Reunion 2014 survey at iesurveys.potsdam.edu/reunion_2014_alumni_survey.htm.

Reunion Photos Available Online

Photos from Reunion Weekend 2014 are available to view and purchase through SUNY Potsdam’s Flickr account at, www.flickr.com/photos/sunypotsdam/sets. More photos will be added, so check back regularly. (Flickr is an online photosharing site.)

Welcome New Alumni Board Members

Six new Alumni Board members were appointed in July 2014, during Reunion Weekend.

2014 Reunion Class Gifts At Reunion each year, classes celebrating significant anniversaries present Class Gifts to the College. Thank you to 2014 Reunion committee members, who made lots of phone calls, sent emails and letters and used social media to reach classmates and encourage them to show their support!

Many alumni honor their Reunion celebration by going above and beyond their typical annual giving. All gifts from each class, regardless of designation, are counted in each class’s Reunion total.

Gifts to the College’s Annual Fund for Potsdam support a variety of vital resources and financial support for research, student travel, equipment, technology, scholarships and so much more.

As reported at Reunion Weekend 2014 in July, $4,172,209 was given by alumni. A special thanks to our generous Potsdam alums!

Class Chair(s) 2009 5th Reunion 2004 10th Reunion*

Alicia (DeTraglia) Nace Dorothea Nixon

1999 15th Reunion 1994 20th Reunion***

Amy (Leonard) Sipher Jason Ladouceur

1989 25th Reunion*

Katie (Damp) Klossner Tina (Wilson) Bush

1984 30th Reunion 1979 35th Reunion 1974 40th Reunion*** 1969 45th Reunion Anita Mance Paul Kealy

1964 50th Reunion*

Brian McDowell ’82

Colleen McAllister Cicotta ’07

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Leah Everhart ’00

Kaitlyn Beachner ’08

Jessica Moquin ’00

Tanasia Betts ’13

Reunion 2014 Giving Totals $1,428 $9,636 $6,010 $42,744 $9,928 $26,267 $26,244 $2,105,443 $23,628 $403,770

Rita Stoneman-Norton Ann (Gatta) Beaucage Frances (Coan) Roberts Cindy (Wood) Hunt Catherine (Averill) Shepard Eleanor (Newton) Loughlin 50 Year Club**

$1,484,395

Grand total including the 50 Year Club

$4,172,209

* The 10th, 25th and 50th Reunion classes are recognized as celebrating a “milestone” Reunion year. ** The 50 Year Club includes all classes prior to the one celebrating their 50th Reunion. *** Class of 1974 set a giving record for 40th reunion classes, as did the class of 1994 for 20th reunion classes.

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IN THEIR

own words

Art Frackenpohl Celebrates 90!

“Every detail of Art Frackenpohl’s music encompasses his unique blend of brilliant wit and lush harmony. I particularly love the way he sets vocal texts. It’s not every day that you get to sing about the fact that peanuts are actually not nuts (they’re legumes!). When I first found the 1965 ‘Recent Rulings’ set, I was in the library looking for something, but happened to see the name Frackenpohl and had to take a peek; I immediately fell in love! His work challenges the singer to not only sing well and attend to musical detail, but to also have a sense of humor and be willing to have fun with the audience. It has been an honor to not just sing the music of a living composer, but to do so with him in the room—twice! The Crane School of Music and many decades worth of its students have been so fortunate to be associated with the bright, fascinating music of Art Frackenpohl.”

Brianne A. (Wicks) Sterling ’10 Alumni Board Member, Crane School of Music

“Art and Mary Ellen’s generous contribution to establish the Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet has proven to be a truly wonderful way for talented students to not only have a special musical experience but for them to interact and connect with the Frackenpohls. The brass faculty and students continue to be grateful for this amazing gift.

Personally, Art is an inspiration to me not only as a musician but also as a role model for living life. He continues to be active in his church, community and of course The Crane School of Music and SUNY Potsdam. I can’t think of better of example of how to live one’s life. Thank you Art for all that you do!”

Mark S. Hartman, Crane School of Music Professor of Trombone w w w.potsdam.edu/people

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID VILLANTI

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

MAILED FROM 05401

Class of 1964

It’s Not Too Soon to Plan for Reunion 2015!

Mark Your Calendar Now to Join Us for Reunion

7.9.15 - 7.12.15 For more information, visit

www.potsdam.edu/alumni

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Potsdam’s planned gift donor recognition society is named for Benjamin F. Raymond, who made the first planned gift in the College’s history. Individuals who have made provisions for Potsdam in their estate plans qualify for proud membership.

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

Shawn Hebert ‘94

Joy Anthony Douglass ‘56 “The intention of our gift was to bring teachers to campus who were music education role models. In addition to established clinicians, we wanted to include recent graduates from Crane, who were already showing excellence in teaching.

I observed the first visiting master teacher, a recent graduate, and was impressed with the skills and enthusiasm she brought to the students. This past year’s master teacher was Shawn Hebert, a Crane graduate and now a high school music teacher. He said, ‘I wish that such a fund had existed when I was in school. I would have loved to be able to pick the brain of someone currently working with high school students.’ Shawn also got to conduct Crane Chorus. Can you imagine the effect on him?

My husband, Chet, and I are pleased that this has become a reciprocal growth experience for both the students and the master teachers.”

2014 Joy Anthony Douglass ‘56 Visiting Master Teacher “As a proud alumnus of The Crane School of Music, it was incredibly rewarding for me to serve as a guest clinician this past February. When planning the sessions, my main focus was to help developing music educators think about the way we develop musicianship, music literacy, and vocal technique in students. As I planned and worked up the five different sessions, I realized that having to articulate my philosophies really helped me to clarify some principles in my own mind. It has helped me to continue to grow as a teacher.

The two days I spent working with the Crane students were among the most rewarding of my professional life. The students were incredibly receptive and the faculty was very supportive. Joy and Chet Douglass have done a great service to the music education community.”

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan

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9/19/14 12:29 PM

A Conversation with Mike Rygel, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Geology Benjamin F. Raymond Society Member How did you decide to come and teach at Potsdam?

I earned a B.S. in geology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ), a primarily undergraduate public institution that is very much like SUNY Potsdam. I went on to earn a Ph.D. from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2005. During my time at Dalhousie, my adviser was kind enough to give me time off to “try out” some career choices. I worked as an adjunct instructor to help cover a sabbatical at UPJ and as an intern for ChevronTexaco in their San Ramon, Calif., office. Both experiences were great, but I felt that my classical training (very focused on basic, field-based research) would make me successful at a small college. During my time as a post-doc at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I applied only to primarily undergraduate schools.

I got the offer from SUNY Potsdam and the rest is history.

How many years have you been on faculty at Potsdam?

The 2014-15 academic year will be my ninth year at SUNY Potsdam.

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What do you enjoy the most about teaching?

It gives me the chance to help a young person toward a meaningful career. Students show up at college as 18 year olds and generally don’t have a realistic plan for what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Through my role as teacher, academic adviser and research supervisor, I am able to help students realize their full potential.

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a former student go on to be successful and knowing that I helped give them the foundation that their success is built upon.

What has been the highlight of your career at Potsdam?

Probably field work with undergraduate research students during the summer of 2009. I was fully funded through a grant from the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund and was able to hire three students (Emily Stephan ’11, Erin Sheldon ’11 and Ryan Brink ’11) with that grant and a fourth (Dan Slane ’11) through our RSPO office. The students were a joy to be in the field with (eager, motivated, responsible, etc.) and were very good at collecting the data.

They were able to present the results of their work at a Geological Society of America Meeting in Portland, Oregon that fall, partially via funding through the Title III grant.

Where was the best place you’ve ever taken our students for a field experience?

Although not the most exotic destination, one of the best field trips that I led was in advance of the 2010 Northeast Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America in Baltimore, MD. Through a combination of student government funding to the Geology Club and the geology department’s endowed funds, we were able to leave two days early and take a field trip through the Valley and Ridge Province of Pennsylvania to see spectacular exposures of folded rocks, view the consequences of a runaway underground coal mine fire, and visit the Calvert Cliffs of Maryland to collect Miocene shark teeth. This trip stands out in my mind because a) so many students were shocked to learn that there was so much geologic diversity within a day’s drive of Potsdam and b) that the “theoretical” things that they learned in the classroom were directly relevant to what they saw in the field.

How have donor gifts impacted you and what you are able to do at Potsdam?

Donor gifts have impacted me in several very important ways. Perhaps the most significant way is the Neil O’Brien Fund, which is an endowed account set up by Don ’66 & Janet (Harris)

9/19/14 12:30 PM

’67 Fiesinger to support undergraduate research.

This endowment helps to make student research possible by covering some of the basics like gas money, food, sample analyses, etc.

Donor gifts also profoundly impact our ability to take students to conferences and field trips.

Students who do a research project and develop it to the point where it can be presented are able travel and present their findings at the Northeastern Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America. This incredible opportunity is possible only because of our generous alumni.

Thank you for choosing to make your own gift. What led you to name the College as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy?

With two kids in daycare, my budget is stretched a bit too thin to give anything significant right now! But really, when my wife became pregnant with our first child we decided that it was time to start putting our financial affairs in order. Given that I spend 2-3 months every year doing field work in remote areas, I felt that it was important to make sure that my family would be taken care of if something happened to me. So, we each took

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out a universal life policy that was a bit larger than what we needed and decided to give 25% of that amount back to schools that we had some affiliation with. When they effectively closed the geology department at UPJ a few years back, I decided that I would split funding equally between the geology departments at Dalhousie University and SUNY Potsdam.

My wife and I both went to primarily undergraduate institutions and value the quality educations that we got there. I came from a very modest background and put myself through college. I would not have been able to do this without affordable public education. I believe that these types of schools can provide an undergraduate education that is comparable or superior to private institutions and certainly superior to what you would get at a big, Ph.D.-granting institution.

Growing the endowed funds at SUNY Potsdam will help us achieve this goal despite reductions in funding from the state.

How old were you at the time you made this decision?

I was 32. It was during my third year on faculty at Potsdam. Although that was not much time on

the job, it became clear to me (and hopefully to others!) that SUNY Potsdam was a good fit for me.

This was one of those decisions that I just decided to make right then and there, rather than falling into the “I will do it next year” trap.

I made the decision to include SUNY Potsdam because I am willing to gamble that I will spend my career here. If that holds true, I will be able to spend my working years doing a job that I love. Beyond being intellectually and personally satisfying, my job provides me with a modest, but comfortable, income and allows me to live in a friendly and welcoming small town. This type of idyllic situation is only possible because of my job at SUNY Potsdam; it is only appropriate that I give back to the school when I have the means to.

What are you hoping your gift will accomplish someday?

I would like the funds to go toward field trips, whether they are in association with a class, a summer trip, or a conference. Seeing as much geology as you can in as many places as you can is an important part of one’s undergraduate training. Having endowed funds to support this is important.

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The Gift That Pays You!

Who Should Receive Your IRA?

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and the Potsdam College Foundation that may offer a tax-wise way to diversify your portfolio.

If you are considering a gift to Potsdam, you may want to list the College as the beneficiary of your Individual Retirement Account (IRA), or at least a portion of it.

*Please note that some state regulations may prevent the Potsdam College Foundation from offering gift annuities to residents of certain states.

For additional information or gift illustration, please contact Jason N. Ladouceur ’94, Director of Planned Giving at (315) 267-2123 or jason@potsdam.edu.

Potsdam Gift Annuity Rates* Payment rates are based upon your age or the age(s) of your beneficiary(ies) at the start of quarterly payments.

Established at age(s) Rate of annuity 60

4.4% 60/60 (two beneficiaries) 3.9% 65 4.7% 65/65 (two beneficiaries) 4.2% 70 5.1% 70/70 (two beneficiaries) 4.6% 75 5.8% 75/75 (two beneficiaries) 5.0% 80 6.8% 80/80 (two beneficiaries) 5.7% *Subject to change and Potsdam College Foundation Board approval

Important to Note: Your IRA is not governed by your Last Will and Testament. It is a separate asset that passes outside of probate. You must review your beneficiary designation form obtained from your IRA administrator.

Three ways to donate your retirement account to Potsdam: 1. List us as beneficiary and have your spouse sign a written waiver, if necessary.

2. Name us contingent beneficiary to your spouse.

3. Designate a specific amount for Potsdam and designate the remainder to your children.

Easiest Gift You Will Ever Make (sample bequest language) “I give, devise and bequeath (specific dollar amount, percentage of estate, and/or residual beneficiary) to the Potsdam College Foundation, Inc., Federal Tax ID #23-7088021, for its general purposes.” *Specific named endowments, schools, departments, etc. may also be listed as gift designations.

SPECIFIC ASSETS TO CONSIDER: • Retirement plan assets (often heavily taxed when passed on to individuals) • Cash • Securities • Real estate • Percentage of estate • Residuary of estate PROPER BENEFICIARY FOR ALL GIFTS: Potsdam College Foundation, Inc. 44 Pierrepont Avenue Potsdam, NY 13676 (315) 267-3053 Federal Tax ID #23-7088021 For gift projections, additional information or to notify us that you have already included Potsdam in your estate plans, please contact: Jason N. Ladouceur ’94 Director of Planned Giving (315) 267-2123 or jason@potsdam.edu

For more on the Benjamin F. Raymond Society or information featured in this issue please visit us at:

www.potsdam.edu/giftplan

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Illustration by J. P. Manke

CRITERIA: • Must be 60 years of age or older to receive payments • Minimum gift of $10,000 cash, securities or other property • Subject to approval by Potsdam College Foundation

If charitably inclined, the best assets to pass along to individuals are income tax-free assets such as cash, stocks and real estate.

BENJAMIN F. RAYMOND

BENEFITS: • Make a gift in support of Potsdam, plus . . .

• Receive guaranteed, quarterly lifetime payments for you, your spouse or other named individual backed by the assets of the Potsdam College Foundation • Diversity in a portion of your portfolio with fixed income • Potential increase in income you currently receive from select investments • Immediate tax deduction for a portion of your gift • Potential tax-free income • Potential reduction or elimination of estate taxes

IRA’s are highly taxable (potentially over 60%) when passed to individuals upon your death. Your heirs may face double taxation on IRA assets due to both federal estate and income taxes. Rather than the federal government taking more than half of your IRA (designated to individuals), you can designate Potsdam as the beneficiary and 100% will be used as you direct to benefit the College.

9/19/14 12:30 PM

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9/17/14 6:50 PM

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9/17/14 6:50 PM

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9/17/14 6:50 PM