class
notes
Terri Cromer Schwab ’86 has been teaching middle school social studies for 20 years at Canajoharie Central School. Mary Rose Giruzzi-Green ’87 recently moved to the Cincinnati area with her husband, Darryl ’86, and two daughters.
Diana Zinnecker Nole ’87 (second from right) and her husband, Angelo, hosted President John F. Schwaller and his wife, Anne, at a small gathering of Rochester-area alumni at the Noles’ home in Pittsford. She is president of the Digital Capture Solutions business for Carestream Health, Inc., a former subsidiary of Kodak, Inc. She was a mathematics and CIS major. Also attending the reception at the Noles’ home in October were Jerry McCue ’78 and his wife, Diane; Andrew Rawdon, Esq. ’77; Dianne Reed Strauf ’87 and Eric Strauf ’87; and Laura Hirschey Villanti ’87 and her husband, Sam. Class of 1988 20th Reunion in 2008
Steven Blusk ’88 has been promoted to associate professor of physics and awarded tenure at Syracuse University. The work that Karen A. Weisbeck Glass ’88 did as set designer for Potsdam’s world-premiere of The Sailor-Boy and the Falcon was on display in an exhibit titled Theatre by Design: From Sketches to Stage in Pittsburgh, PA in November and December 2007. Laura Zinngrabe Meikle ’88 is teaching art and pre24
school for the Iditarod Area School District in Alaska. This has fulfilled her lifelong dream, and she is having the adventure of a lifetime. Brenda Vorhauer Thornton ’88 and her husband, Chris ’88, own and operate a software company, Thornsoft Development, Inc. They recently won the 17th Annual Shareware Industry Foundation Award for “Best Application.” Cheryl Cirrito Parisi ’89 has been teaching music for 17 years and is currently directing band at St. Michael the Archangel School and teaching general music pre-K through grade 5 at St. Thomas More Catholic School. Joseph Parisi ’89 recently returned from England, where he conducted the Fountain City Brass Band as the principal conductor and music director. The group won the 2007 North American Brass Band Championship and finished ninth in the All-England Masters International Brass Band Competition, the highest an American group has ever placed in an international brass band competition. Catherine Jenks Whalen ’89 has been promoted to company vice president of SunFeather Natural Soap Company, where she has been employed since 1999. She was previously the vice president of graphic design and IT management at the company, which is owned by fellow Potsdam alumna Sandy Smithoover Maine ’78.
1990s Chris Hemedinger ’90 is the coauthor of SAS for Dummies published in June 2007 by Wiley and Sons, Inc.
POTSDAM PEOPLE SPR I NG 2008
JoAnn Paolantonio ’91 co-starred on this year’s season premiere episode of the hit TV sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.
Cheryl Lovelace ’94 recently opened an eco-friendly business called Footprint that sells clothing items made from bamboo fiber.
Stephanie Blythe ’92 received the Opera News Award for Distinguished Achievement in January.
Scott Hogan ’96 has spent three years running his organic pesticide- and insecticide-free landscaping company, GOGU Organic Lawn and Garden Service, in Saratoga, NY.
Mary Procopio ’92 was appointed assistant professor of music and director of instrumental studies at Mott College, where she directs the band and teaches classes in ethnomusicology and musicology. She presented a recital of Haitian music at the 2007 International Colloquium of KOSANBA in Boston. SUNY Upstate Medical University Director of Admissions Jennifer Cox Welch ’92 is the author of 101 Tips on Getting into Medical School. This new, easy-to-read guide provides practical advice on how to navigate the often overwhelming medical school admissions process. Class of 1993 15th Reunion in 2008
Ellen Bartel ’93, artistic director of Spank Dance Company in Austin, TX, returned to Potsdam this fall. During her weeklong residency, she worked closely with students, sharing aspects of her life in the world of professional dance. Jan Fredrickson Thome ’93 teaches group fitness at Bally’s Total Fitness in Amherst, NY, where she resides. She has taught French and Spanish at Clarence High School for 12 years. She has three children: Cassandra Alison, 5; Cynthia Nicole, 4; and Justin Evan, 1. Peter Conners’ ’94 collection of poetry, Of Whiskey & Winter, has been published by Marick Press and his novella, Emily Ate the Wind, will be published in April 2008.
Makaylia Roberts Binkley ’97 received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in May 2003 and is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She has worked with Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP in Philadelphia since 2006. She is the firm-wide conflicts manager providing risk management support to offices nationwide. Class of 1998 10th Reunion in 2008
Amelia Casselman Ahart ’98, a former fifth grade teacher, has been interning as principal of Durham Public School. She is completing her Master of School Administration degree at North Carolina Central University.
2000s Geoffrey Mackey ’00 has been promoted to the position of academic resources coordination at the Nyack College School of Adult and Distance Education. He and his wife, Erin Goodwin Mackey ’00, reside in Nyack, NY. James Lane ’01 is working as a technology transfer agent at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cambridge, MA. Mary Jo Lightfoot ’01 has started medical school at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Class of 2003 5th Reunion in 2008
Maureen Colson ’04 is the recipient of the Music Education Scholarship for Graduate Students sponsored by the Oak Park Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. She teaches middle school music while working on her master’s degree at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City.
Mary Rotando Bauer ’98 is happily married with two children living in Vermont. She loves her job at Mount Mansfield Union High School as the instrumental/strings teacher. Jason Emerson ’99 is a freelance writer and independent historian writing from Fredericksburg, VA. He recently published The Madness of Mary Lincoln, which is for sale in the alumni author section at Potsdam’s College Store. Kevin Kendall ’99 earned the position of assistant principal of Ogdensburg Free Academy.
Capt. Ryan Hunt ’04 proudly displays his Potsdam banner alongside an Iraqi soldier. Hunt is currently stationed in Baghdad. Gregory Weissman ’06 has enrolled at the Mannes College The New School for Music.
Class Notes include those submissions received as of Jan. 11, 2008. Those received after that date will be included in the fall 2008 issue due June 30, 2008.