The Alumni Magazine of American International College
LUCENT
Bill Condon ’77 Vice President of Payroll Services CBS Corporation
Fall 2017
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Access. Opportunity. Diversity. These are the guiding principles at American International College, the values that represent our mission, who we are as a college and as a community. In fact, we consider ourselves an institution of higher dedication to these ideals, as evidenced by our passionate commitment to our students and our unwavering focus on their academic and professional success. With that in mind, as 2017 draws to a close I want to briefly reflect on how far we have come and where we are headed as one of the top 10 small colleges in the state. That is right. American International College has been named one of the best small colleges in Massachusetts in a ranking by Zippia.com, a platform designed to help individuals search for the right career. When all the factors are evaluated, from cost of attendance to academic rigor to real-world career results for graduates, AIC makes top marks. The Chronicle of Higher Education also has recognized AIC as one of the fastest growing colleges in the country for the sixth time. AIC placed fourth among private, nonprofit doctoral institutions. It should come as no surprise, then, that we have surpassed our enrollment goals this fall and admitted the second largest and most academically competitive freshman class in a decade, many of its members first-generation college students. In this issue you will read about a groundbreaking development at 1020 State Street, the site of our soon-to-be-built state-of-the-art School of Health Sciences facility, plus profiles of our students, alumni, faculty and staff, highlighting their amazing accomplishments, plans for the future, and how AIC has played a pivotal role in making their dreams come true. Access. Opportunity. Diversity. They are not just words at AIC. They are what we do, who we are, and what sets us apart. I am proud to say that at American International College some things will never change: our mission, our passion, our priorities. But everything else? It just keeps getting better. On behalf of the entire AIC community, I wish you and yours a happy holiday season and a healthy, hopeful New Year. Sincerely,
Vince Maniaci President
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES LUCENT Magazine Fall 2017 Editor
Bob Cole Art Director
6 BREAKING NEW GROUND
AIC held a red carpet groundbreaking at its new Health Sciences educational facility at 1020 State Street.
12 IN HIS ELEMENT
Dr. Néstor Chévere-Trinidad, assistant professor of chemistry, left the corporate world looking to teach. AIC offered just the solution.
Mike Eriquezzo Garry Brown '55 Eugene Deykin Ellen Dooley Heather Gawron Seth Kaye Sarah Kirkpatrick Lani Kretschmar ’77 Candy Lash Justin Lewis Leon Nguyen '16 Michael Reid Dan Surdyka ON THE COVER Bill Condon '77, vice president of payroll services at CBS Corporation Photo credit: Michele Crowe/CBS and Jeffrey R. Stabb/CBS
Join AIC's Alumni Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Email us at alumni@aic.edu or give us a call at 413.205.3520.
Please send any comments or suggestions about this publication to editor@aic. edu.
American International College 1000 State Street Springfield, MA 01109 www.aic.edu
16 THE STORY OF THE SEAL
Since its creation more than 100 years ago, the AIC seal's meanings and origins have remained to many a mystery—until now.
18 EYE ON THE MONEY From city kid to AIC standout to corporate executive, Bill Condon ’77, vice president of payroll services at CBS Corporation, is the type of person you always want on your team.
26 GOING THE DISTANCE
Adjusting to college life can be difficult. So can moving to a new country, learning a new language, or running 50 miles a week. But if there’s one thing Ivan Chepyegon likes, it’s a challenge.
32 NOT SO BIG MAN ON CAMPUS...ANYMORE
AIC Assistant Director of Student Activities Collin McQuade loses 102 pounds and gains national attention.
34 GENTLE STRENGTH
Her name, Mildred, literally means "gentle strength," and that quality perfectly describes what Milly Velazquez brings to her work as the Dexter Health Services office manager and medical assistant.
42 THE RIGHT CALL A 28-year veteran linesman and 2017 NHL Hall of Fame inductee, Kevin Collins '72, offers highlights on a career spanning more than 2,400 games and 12 Stanley Cup finals.
52 PUCK DYNASTY The Christian family has a long legacy of excellence in hockey. From the 1960 "Miracle on Ice" victory to today's AIC Ice Hockey team captain, there's a reason AIC's head men's ice hockey coach calls this family "USA Hockey Royalty."
2 CAMPUS UPDATE 48 GO YELLOW JACKETS! 60 CLASS NOTES
Photo credit: Seth Kaye
Contributors
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 1
AIC CAMPUS UPDATE
AIC ANNOUNCES SECOND LARGEST FRESHMAN ENROLLMENT IN A DECADE In September 2017, AIC announced its second largest freshman class since 2007 with a total enrollment of 504 new students, surpassing admissions goals and bringing in one of the most academically competitive classes in recent years. As has been the case for much of AIC’s history, the members of this incoming class come from richly diverse backgrounds, and many are first-generation college students. According to AIC President Vince Maniaci, “We are extremely pleased to welcome such a robust class of freshmen. Considerable credit goes to the dedicated undergraduate admissions team who go the extra mile to assist students. Staff members will drive to some students’ homes over the summer to help with paperwork or simply reinforce the message that they have made the right choice by coming to college. Collaboration across campus contributes to this success. AIC’s program offerings provide a foundation on which students can build to reach their full potential and are taught by faculty who strive to provide a student-centered learning environment that fosters intellectual growth and personal development. AIC athletics’ staff and coaches work diligently to recruit students both nationally and internationally while fostering the “student” in student-athlete. Student affairs is committed to helping students learn about living through organizations, clubs, leadership programs on campus and a commitment to community involvement off campus. Our administrative departments, such as marketing and communications, assist in outreach and are instrumental to our collective success.”
AIC RANKED IN TOP 10 SMALL COLLEGES IN STATE
Zippia.com, a website dedicated to helping people find and pursue the right career, has named American International College (AIC) one of the top 10 small colleges in Massachusetts. Zippia sorted schools in the Bay State by enrollment, limiting their report to institutions with fewer than 2,000 students. They assessed data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and college scorecard data from ED.gov to determine which small schools offer the best career opportunities and school performance. Career considerations included mean earnings after six years and 10 years, and the ratio of people working to not working after 10 years. School performance was measured in terms of admissions rate (the more selective, the better), graduation rate, average cost of attendance (lower is better), and debt upon graduation. 2 :: HIGHER DEDICATION
AIC NAMED AMONG FASTEST GROWING COLLEGES The Chronicle of Higher Education has named American International College one of the fastest growing colleges in the United States for the sixth time. Among private, nonprofit doctoral institutions, AIC placed fourth among the top 20 colleges and universities in the country with a 95% growth rate. AIC nearly doubled its enrollment over a 10 year span from 2005-2015. In a categorical comparison to other colleges and universities in Massachusetts, AIC surpassed ninthrated Worcester Polytechnic Institute as the only other college or university in the Commonwealth that placed in the private, nonprofit doctoral category.
Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16
REMEMBERING 9.11.01
Volunteers from AIC student organizations on campus began placing 2,996 flags on the quad in memory of each person who perished on September 11, 2001 at the exact time the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Campus Ministry Outreach and Professor of English and Religion Fr. John McDonagh, STL, JCL, MBA, spoke at 10:10 a.m., the precise time that Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania with passengers trying to overtake the hijackers. While many of the students were too young to remember the event, they reflected upon the magnitude of the loss that still affects so many today, with a hope for unity and peace in the world tomorrow.
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Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16
AIC CAMPUS UPDATE
TOP MARKS
AIC is proud to recognize Ellen Furman, PhD, RN and John Rogers, PhD as its President’s Faculty Excellence Award recipients for 2017. The awards, given annually for overall excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service, exemplify AIC’s standing as a leader in higher education in the Springfield, Massachusetts area. Dr. Furman is an assistant professor of nursing and associate director for graduate nursing programs at AIC whose practice and scholarly interests focus on gerontology. She is also a board-certified clinical nurse specialist in gerontological nursing. Dr. Rogers is a professor of economics and former dean of the AIC School of Business Administration. He teaches economics, finance, and healthcare management, and is a frequent spokesperson for the College on matters as diverse as trade, market trends, and the retail economy.
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CONVOCATION Photos by Leon Nguyen '16
On Tuesday, September 12, 2017, AIC celebrated shared learning, purpose, and academic excellence through the convocation ceremony, a ritual with origins dating back centuries in the history of academia. A gathering focused on community, AIC’s 2017 convocation brought together students, faculty and administrators in a common purpose. The ceremony began with the benediction by Fr. John McDonagh, STL, JCL, MBA, coordinator of campus ministry and outreach, Diocese of Springfield. Speakers included President Vince Maniaci, Susanne Swanker, dean of the School of Business, Arts and Sciences; Thomas Maulucci, chair of the Faculty Senate and professor of history; and Dante Raggio, Student Government Association president.
Upper left: Zachary Bednarczyk '18 Lower left: Thomas Maulucci, PhD Above: Dante Raggio '18, Student Government Association President and April Kearse, EdD, Dean of Academic Success
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 5
DANTE RAGGIO '18 President, AIC Student Government Association BSN Candidate
FRANK COLACCINO ’73, HON ’12 Chair, AIC Board of Trustees
THE HONORABLE DOMENIC J. SARNO, HON' 16 Mayor, City of Springfield
BREAKING 6 :: HIGHER DEDICATION
NEW
THE HONORABLE RICHARD E. NEAL '72, HON '90 U.S. House of Representatives
VINCE MANIACI President, AIC
KAREN ROUSSEAU Program Director Division of Nursing, AIC
GROUND PHOTOS BY LEON NGUYEN '16 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 7
Above: Architect's rendering of AIC's state-of-the-art School of Health Sciences learning facility, opening Fall 2018.
AIC HELD A RED CARPET GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
for its new exercise science, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and athletic training (beginning in 2021) educational facility on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. Guests and speakers included United States Congressman Richard E. Neal ’72, Hon ’90; Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Hon ’16; AIC President Vincent Maniaci; AIC Board of Trustees Chair Frank Colaccino ’73, Hon ’12; AIC Nursing Program Director Karen Rousseau; and AIC Student Government Association President Dante Raggio ’18, along with a standingroom-only crowd of administrators, faculty, and students. The state-of-the-art School of Health Sciences facility will boast a variety of labs, rehabilitation and humanperformance spaces, and will allow for clinical simulations.
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Front row, from left: Frank Colaccino, '73, Hon '12, Chair, AIC Board of Trustees; The Honorable Domenic J. Sarno, Hon ’16, Mayor, City of Springfield; The Honorable Richard E. Neal ’72, Hon ’90, U.S. House of Representatives.
THE FUTURE OF HEALTH SCIENCES ARRIVES AT AIC FALL 2018 To learn more, visit: aic.edu/1020future AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 9
OPENING FALL
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Photo credit: Seth Kaye
2018
ATHLETIC TRAINING EXERCISE SCIENCE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT) PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) aic.edu/1020future
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 11
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BY ELLEN DOOLEY
W
hen famous physicist Michio Kaku talks about string theory, he describes chemistry as “the melodies you can play on vibrating strings.” When Dr. Néstor Chévere-Trinidad, assistant professor of chemistry at AIC, talks about helping students master the subject matter (and energy), he, too, refers to music. “I always compare chemistry to playing an instrument,” said Chévere. “I tell students, if you want to play the guitar, you need a guitar and you need to practice. If you want to learn chemistry, you need a book and you practice by doing the problems. That's the best way to develop the skill you need.” Chévere should know: in addition to being a scientist, he is also a self-taught musician. “Someone gave me a guitar about 11 years ago and I taught myself to play. Then I organized a choir for the Spanish Mass at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish. I've also been trying to teach myself piano, but it's time consuming.” Time may be in short supply for a busy professor, but Chévere manages to find multiple ways to serve. He is a member of his parish council, the Hispanic Ministry music director, diocesan choir director, a retreat leader, and diocesan vice president of the Movement of Parochial Retreats, John XXIII, for the diocese of Springfield, MA. “God gives me the time to do everything,” he said.
Composited photo by Seth Kaye, Leon Nguyen '16
Chévere “grew up in the faith” in Puerto Rico and, as a youngster, dreamed of becoming an astronaut. “I always had an interest in the sciences,” he said. “I was always doing experiments when I was a kid, but when I took chemistry in 12th grade, I fell more in love with it. I realized that everything in life is chemistry. Our bodies are humongous chemical reactors with thousands upon thousands of chemical reactions occurring every second. You can name anything, and I can tell you how chemistry is involved.” Chévere went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, as a first-generation college student. “No one in my family had gone to college, so it was challenging in the sense that I felt some of that weight on my shoulders, that I had been chosen to represent my family.” AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 13
After applying to several universities for his doctoral studies, Chévere accepted a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and moved to Springfield in 2002 to live with his sister. He remembers it as a time of radical adjustment. “I found it difficult at first to adapt. My sister had been living here for seven years before I arrived, and even she had changed. For the first time, I had to deal with people from different countries and learn about many different cultures. Now I have friends from all over the world. In fact, I recently visited a friend in Thailand and I can't wait to go back.” Chévere may have experienced some mainland culture shock when he first arrived, but he threw himself into his research at UMass, and his doctoral dissertation has been included in the Handbook of Nanoelectrochemistry from Springer Internation-
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al Publishing. He has published and presented numerous papers, worked as a chief research scientist in the pharmaceutical and product development industries, and taught at several colleges and universities, but what intrigues Chévere now is the possibility of developing an undergraduate research project at AIC. “I started here in 2011 as an adjunct, and then became an assistant professor in 2012, and what's so fascinating about teaching at AIC is that I have the opportunity to teach almost any course in the chemistry curriculum—general, organic, inorganic, physical, instrumental analysis—and this prepares me to start a research project in any of the chemistry fields. I have some students right now who would be great to work with in that capacity. I am actually learning from them.”
“
Each student is his or her own world. Each generation is new. Every semester I have new people to work with, and they all bring me a new experience of the world.
”
Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16
For Chévere, who left the corporate environment for the college classroom, it's all about the students. “At AIC, because it is a small school I have the opportunity to interact more with the students. They're not just numbers. Each student is his or her own world. Each generation is new. Every semester I have new people to work with, and they all bring me a new experience of the world.” “Teaching is a calling for me,” he said. “That's why I'm here. I love being in the classroom with the students. They bring a good energy and youth to my life.” One might even say, for Chévere, the chemistry at AIC is just right.
Photo credit: Seth Kaye
AMERICAN INTERNAT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 15
The of the BY ELLEN DOOLEY
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A N AT O M Y O F T H E A I C S E A L
More than 130 years ago,
American International College was established as a French Protestant College on July 18, 1885 by founder the Reverend Calvin E. Amaron. His vision and purpose was to aid the French Canadian Protestant minority in the region by granting them access to higher education and, in so doing, helping them to achieve social, cultural, and economic success. In 1892, Rev. Amaron, by then the second president of the College after the Reverend John Morton Greene, opened the school to women, making AIC the first coeducational college in the region. The college also expanded its admission policies to include all of the minority immigrant population of Western Massachusetts, and AIC continues to this day to serve a highly diverse student body from around the world. Just after the turn of the 20th century, faculty member and dean, George Chase, husband of Annabelle Auger (’02), the first female graduate of the “French American College,” designed the school's official seal. It features 14 stars, representing the 13 original colonies and Canada; a fleur-de-lis and a maple leaf, both French Canadian symbols; and the Latin motto, Post Tenebras Lux, which translates to “After Darkness, Light,” referring to the enlightenment of higher education and its ability to help students achieve a brighter future. The name of AIC's yearbook, The Taper, also reflects this theme of the light of knowledge dispelling darkness. Over the past century, updates, redesigns and digital modernizations of AIC's seal have been attempted, but the original design has stood the test of time. In fact, the College's seal inspired the one used by Model Congress, and AIC's Model Congress program is the longest-running program of its kind in the United States. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 17
KEEPING AN
EYE ON THE MONEY FROM CITY KID TO AIC MEN'S HOCKEY STANDOUT TO CORPORATE EXECUTIVE, BILL CONDON '77 IS THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT YOU ALWAYS WANT ON YOUR TEAM BY MICHAEL REID :: PHOTOS BY MICHELE CROWE/CBS AND JEFFREY R. STABB/CBS
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AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 19
MAKING YOUR WAY TO AN INTERVIEW WITH BILL CONDON ’77, VICE PRESIDENT OF PAYROLL SERVICES AT CBS CORPORATION, IS AN EXHILARATING EXPERIENCE. First, you arrive in midtown Manhattan at Pennsylvania Station, the busiest passenger transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, and head up 7th Avenue. You wind your way through the throngs of tourists filling Times Square, past towering video screens advertising the latest movies and fashions, and continue up Broadway toward Central Park. Finally, you arrive at a gleaming, 42-story glass skyscraper across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater, home to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and take an elevator up to an office that looks down on the swirling chaos of a summer day in New York City. Then you sit down to speak with a man who’s every bit as entertaining as the streets you walked through to get to him. “Come here. Want to see something cool?” Condon asks before the interview begins. He leans against his window and points to the upper-left
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corner of the building across West 53rd Street. “That’s where my daughter works, right up there.” He laughs. “She’s always looking down and telling me to clean all the papers off my radiator.” Condon is a New Yorker through and through— funny, outgoing, affable, and filled with stories that he loves to share. He has an infectious laugh and never seems to stop smiling. He’s also remarkably relaxed for a person who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that 26,000 people get their paychecks on time. To better understand how Condon makes that look so easy, you simply need to sit back and listen to a tale about a kid from Manhattan who had a dream of playing ice hockey, and the series of fortunate events that led him first to American International College and eventually to an executive position with one of the largest entertainment companies in the world.
MADE IN MANHATTAN His story begins in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a diverse, close-knit section of the city that sits between the halfway point of Central Park and the East River. Condon describes his childhood fondly: close friends, sociable neighbors, and playing roller hockey with steelwheeled roller skates. (“Not those in-line plastic things they wear today!”) Most of those games took place while Condon was attending Catholic grammar school at Our Lady of Good Counsel, which meant playing against rival school Sacred Heart as part of the area’s CYO program. “That,” Condon says emphatically, “is where I first met and played sports with Tommy Mullen and Edgar Alejandro.” Anyone with even a passing interest in American International College men’s ice hockey knows that those early friendships would eventually, years later, help put the program on the map. But before that could happen, they had to make the move onto the ice, a tricky thing to pull off in the middle of a city. “It all sort of starts at a place called Sky Rink,” explains Condon. “It was an actual ice skating rink on the sixteenth floor of an office building on 450 West 33rd Street at 10th Avenue, down near Chelsea Park. It was one of the only places to play in the city, so all of the kids from the East Side and the West Side played bantam hockey and junior hockey together from the sixth grade on. “So the guy who ran this rink was friends with Pete Esdale, who AIC had just hired as their men’s head hockey coach. Pete calls down and asks him if there were any good hockey players in the city, and he tells him to come see this kid named Edgar Alejandro. Esdale comes down, gets on the ice, plays on the same line as Edgar, and sees that he can really play. Today that would probably violate every NCAA recruiting rule in the book, but in those days it was fine. And that’s how Edgar got up to AIC.”
Condon attended Cardinal Hayes High School on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, a 10-minute walk from Yankee Stadium. The school, Condon jokes, has a few other famous alumni besides him, including Regis Philbin, Martin Scorsese, George Carlin, and Don DeLillo.
Esdale, who was head coach at AIC for only two seasons (1972–1974), inherited a team with 12 seniors. When those players graduated, he was faced with a significant recruitment challenge, and turned to Alejandro for help filling the vacancies. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 21
“So Edgar calls me up and says, ‘Hey, Billy, you want to play hockey? It’s great up here, you’ll love it.’ Because you have to realize that by that point, in order to find enough ice time, I was traveling as far as Commack, Long Island to the east and Norwalk, Connecticut to the north. If I came up to AIC, I could be on the ice six days a week. So I jumped at the chance.” Condon was also being pursued by Yale and Brown at the time after coaches from both universities saw him play in an all-star game, but a requirement for each university would be a year of prep school without a guaranteed acceptance after he finished. “I’m a city kid,” Condon laughs. “What do I know about prep schools? I wanted to go play hockey, so it was AIC for me.” Alejandro’s seal of approval was especially important given the fact that Esdale had never seen Condon play due to a broken arm that sidelined him for his high school senior season. The leap of faith paid off, though, and after a successful freshman campaign, both Condon and Alejandro persuaded Esdale to recruit Tommy Mullen, who was the same age as Condon but was still undecided on college.
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“It was funny because Edgar had gone to Coach Esdale about me and told him, ‘Hey, Coach, there’s this guy down in the city that we have to get. He’s even better than me.’ So we go back to the coach’s office after my first year and we tell him, “Hey, Coach, there’s another guy down in the city and he’s even better than both of us.’ Esdale knew we could play so he completely trusted our opinion. And that’s how the three of us got up to AIC.”
THE NEW YORK CONNECTION Numbers are the easiest and most convincing way to prove a point when talking about sports. Which is why, when it comes to determining the best line in AIC’s men’s ice hockey history, it’s hard to argue against “The New York Connection” line that consisted of Condon, Mullen, and Alejandro. You simply have to take a look at the statistics. At the time he graduated in 1977, Condon, a right winger who played on the first line all four seasons of his college career, left AIC as the third highest scorer in
the program’s history with 62 goals and 114 assists for 176 points in 102 games. The two players ahead of him? Edgar Alejandro at number two with 64 goals and 136 assists for 200 points, and Tom Mullen at number one with 134 goals and 114 assists for 248 points. After 40 years, Mullen is still at the top spot, Alejandro has dropped from two to three, and Condon has dropped from three to seven, a testament to their truly remarkable play. “I loved it up at AIC,” Condon says. “Everyone says Springfield is a city, but we thought of it as being up in the country. We were like, ‘Springfield’s no city, you can actually see grass!’ We just had the best time playing hockey, getting a great education, and making friends that have lasted a lifetime.” In addition to being team captain his junior and senior year, Condon made his mark off the ice, as well, both socially and academically. As the conversation drifts away from hockey, he tells me he was a resident advisor for three years starting as a sophomore— and, as luck would have it, a very effective one. “After my freshman year, I wanted to be an RA because I would get my room paid for and I would get a single. I thought that was a pretty good deal. Sophomores usually can’t be RAs, but the former hockey coach, Mr. Turner, ran housing, so there you go. But because I was only a sophomore, they put me in charge of what was called a “quiet floor,” for kids who wanted to really concentrate on their studies. That was over in Magna Hall, and it was the easiest job in the world. “After one semester, though, I get a call from Mr. Turner who wants to move me over to Hines Hall because he says there’s this floor that is absolutely out of control and he wants me to calm things down. I come up onto the floor and it’s all athletes, mostly football players, and when they see me, they scream, ‘Billy!’ They were all my friends so it was easy to work with them. But I got this reputation for being able to calm down a floor. So it happens again my junior year—I have to go settle down another floor in Hines, only this time it was all hockey players. I had this amazing, huge room that I had to give up because my teammates were going crazy.” He laughs. “I know you’re not supposed to hit your teammates in practice, but believe me, every chance I got to take a shot at one of those guys, I took it!”
Mr. Turner wasn’t the only one to take notice of Condon over his four years at AIC, evidenced by the flood of awards that came to him as a senior. In that year, just before receiving his bachelor of science in business administration degree in accounting, he was awarded the F.J. Maloney Award (presented to the individual who had the most outstanding fouryear athletic career at AIC); the William Conniff Award (presented to the varsity hockey player who best displays ability and loyalty); the Henry Butova Leadership Award (presented to the varsity hockey player who best displays outstanding leadership ability); the Citation of Merit (presented by thenDean Conrad for service to AIC); and selection to be in the 1977 Who’s Who In American Colleges and Universities. To top all of that off and to bring things full circle, Condon was inducted into the AIC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017, reuniting with Alejandro, who was inducted in 2007, and Mullen, who was inducted in 2006. “I really am proud of what I accomplished at AIC,” he says. Then he pauses before adding, “And some of the things I got away with, too.”
THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME Just as coming to AIC was a matter of fortunate circumstances, Condon’s career after leaving the College took a particularly serendipitous route. During his freshman year, he was persuaded to join a business fraternity and attended an end-of-the-year dinner dance party. While there, he met Manny Winick, an alumnus working for Avon Products in Brooklyn who persuaded Condon to come down for an interview for a summer internship position. Condon would intern for the company for three summers, but didn’t go back right away after graduation due to an invitation to tryout with the Springfield Indians, the city’s former American Hockey League franchise. Unfortunately, his dreams of playing professional hockey were quickly dashed. “I go to training camp and there was supposed to be 35 guys trying out for 25 positions, but one of the other minor league teams had folded that year so when I got to camp there were actually 70 guys going for those 25 positions, and a lot of them were really exceptional with a lot of experience.” He shrugs. “As AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 23
I expected, I got let go on the first round of cuts, so I figured I might as well fall back on that college education I just got.” Condon wouldn’t have to wait long to begin his post-hockey career. Returning home to New York, he visited Avon the day after he was let go from the Indians. While he only walked in for a friendly visit, a previous supervisor told him to go down to human resources to fill out an application. Not properly dressed he was a bit apprehensive but figured he had nothing to lose. As usual, his instincts were spot on—before he was even done filling out the paperwork, he was offered a position and told to show up the next day. He would work for Avon Products for twelve years, moving his way up from accounts payable clerk to manager, a process that Condon says helped immensely throughout his career. “I had all sorts of different jobs at Avon,” he explains. “I started as an accounts payable clerk, then I was in payroll, then general ledger, then accounting systems. And all these jobs were entry-level positions, but it was like going around the horn—I did a turn at each position, then came back around as a supervisor for each of them. Then I came back around as a manager for each of them. That was such a valuable experience. I’m sort of old school in that I feel a manager should know how to do the jobs of each person he or she is managing. That opportunity really prepared me for what was to come.” The work ethic that Condon had learned on the ice proved invaluable as he took on greater responsibilities. His first move after Avon was to Volt Information Sciences, a firm providing staffing and information technology infrastructure services, where he became manager of financial reporting and a regional assistant controller. But similar to other moments in his life, Condon would recognize an opportunity when he saw it—his wife, Mary Ellen, was friends with a man whose fiancé was head of human resources at the media conglomerate Viacom, and as fortune would have it, Viacom was looking for a person with Condon’s exact skill set. This was in February 1994, and while fate was smiling upon Condon once again, little did he know that circumstances were about to test his true mettle as he navigated one of the most tumultuous stretches in corporate entertainment history.
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CORPORATE MERGERS AND NEW RESPONSIBILITIES To truly understand the scope of his work, one has to appreciate the extraordinary events surrounding Viacom throughout the 1990s. Hired as the manager of corporate payroll, Condon suddenly found himself responsible for the payroll services for all of Viacom and the newly acquired divisions of Paramount Communications—which weren’t centralized at the time. Over the next six years, he would lead efforts to bring all of these disparate entities (some on completely different systems) under the umbrella of Viacom’s corporate payroll. As a result, he would be promoted from manager to director and finally to vice president once he took over the payroll responsibilities for MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom. It didn’t end there. Viacom’s next merger with CBS in 2000 would be its biggest yet, creating the second largest entertainment company in the world. For Condon, this meant taking on an even greater role in the company. With the combined responsibilities of Viacom, MTV and CBS, he was now in charge of payroll for 35,000 employees, as well as processing 50,000 W-2s at the end of the year.
“ We never missed a payday throughout Hurricane Sandy and its
aftermath. I’m particularly proud of that. We were a good day ahead of schedule before the storm hit because we knew it was going to be bad and that people couldn’t be without money. ”
As is the norm, however, things wouldn’t stay the same for long. After only five years, Viacom and CBS split into two separate companies. Both Viacom and CBS offered Condon an opportunity to head their payroll departments, but since most of his direct line of support was going to CBS his decision was easy. Condon officially became vice president of payroll services for CBS Corporation in January 2006, a position he holds to this day.
THE STEADY HAND While tales of powerful billionaires outbidding other powerful billionaires for the right to create increasingly gargantuan multinational corporations make for interesting headlines, at the end of the day people need to know that their paychecks will come when they expect them to arrive. Without that assurance the entire system falls apart which, in many ways, makes Condon and his employees the cog that keeps the wheels of CBS Corporation moving. Condon is quick to give the lion’s share of credit to his team, who he says “are the ones that really get the work done day in and day out,” but as with his hockey statistics, the numbers go a long way towards demonstrating his abilities as a leader. With only 15 people under him (12 in New York and three in Santa Monica, California), CBS Corporate’s payroll department pays 26,000 employees from 20 separate legal entities (totaling 790,000 payments by either direct deposit or check annually), issues 30,000 W-2 forms at the end of each year, and files 532 state and local payroll tax returns quarterly. The end result is $2.5 billion in compensation and $800 million in federal taxes paid per year.
“Once,” he says. “It was just one of those things. The payroll ran but someone on my team forgot to send the direct deposit file to the bank, so that morning the phone calls started at eight and we knew right away there was a big problem. That’s something you never want to happen because people have automatic bill paying setup around their checks, and it can really be bad for them.” He then quickly adds, “But we never missed a payday throughout Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. I’m particularly proud of that. We were a good day ahead of schedule before the storm hit because we knew it was going to be bad and that people couldn’t be without money.” When asked how he handles the enormity of that responsibility, Condon turns and points to a picture on the wall of four smiling young women. “See them?” he asks with grin. “That’s Lauren, Meghan, Maureen, and Shannon. Believe me, after raising them, this job is a piece of cake.” As the interview breaks up, we make our way out of Condon’s office and take the elevator back down to the street, but the conversation continues. “I really am a fortunate person,” he says. “I have a wonderful wife, four amazing daughters, a great career, and got to play hockey with some of the best friends I ever had. I don’t know what to say other than I really am one lucky guy.” We exit into the sweltering heat of mid-July in Manhattan and say our goodbyes. Condon strolls away down Broadway with the easy, content manner of someone who knows that he is home and living exactly the life he was meant to live.
Given all of that, one question naturally comes to mind: Has his department ever missed a payday?
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BY MICHAEL REID Given the average American lifespan of almost 80 years, and further given the fact that most of us interact with at least three new individuals every day, you could very well meet at least 80,000 people over the course of your life. If you spend any amount of time on a college campus, however, that number will most likely be far greater. Working with students is very much a transitory experience. As the years pass, the sheer number of young men and women who flow in and out of your life makes it almost impossible to keep track of them all—regardless of how kind, funny, and hard-working they are, most of the students you meet will recede into the haze of memory as succeeding waves descend onto campus each autumn. Every so often, though, you happen upon someone who, for one reason or another, stands apart from the rest, a person who so epitomizes an institution’s ethos and mission that you want to share his or her story with as many people as possible. American International College’s Ivan Chepyegon is one such individual.
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Photo credit: Seth Kaye
GOING the DISTANCE
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A WORLD AWAY Her story begins almost 7,100 miles from AIC’s campus in Kabarnet, Kenya, or, to be more precise, a small village 15 miles outside the city. That’s where Chepyegon, who runs for AIC’s women’s cross country and track and field teams under the name “Ivy,” was born and grew up. The second youngest of 11 children, she describes her younger years as peaceful and lovingly structured by her parents, Shadrack Chepyegon Amday and Grace Chepyegon, and stresses how much that influence has helped shape her journey. “All of my family is still in Kenya,” she says with a trace of sadness. “I’m the only one who has left my country, and I miss them all. But I understand the opportunity I have been given. I always try to remember how proud my parents are of me and the sacrifices they had to make to help get me here, so I want to do everything I can to improve my life, and to improve theirs, as well.” While that may sound like a lot to live up to, Chepyegon seems to welcome challenges with a quiet, easy determination. The story of the first time she tried running is a good example. Chepyegon was just 12 years old, and it was an inauspicious beginning to an athletic career that would eventually lead to a college scholarship. “The first time I ran, I almost didn’t make it,” she says, laughing. “I fell down at the last stretch and I pretty much had to be hauled across the finish line. It was not easy. But I always watched my older sister run, so I wanted to be like her and I wanted to see how good I could become. Also, my running coach, who I still talk to, saw something in me when I ran. He kept encouraging me to push myself and told me that I would go far with my running.” Before long, Chepyegon was attending the Pamwai Girls High School where she was named Athlete of the Year in track and field for all four of her years. It was an accomplishment that soon attracted attention—a teacher in a neighboring school who had seen her race visited her home after graduation to ask her parents if she would be willing to attend a running training camp in
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Kapsabet, a town over three hours to the west of her home. While there, she could continue her training and start applying for scholarships to colleges in America. For a person who had grown up in such a close family it was a difficult decision, but one that Chepyegon knew was the opportunity of a lifetime. The process, however, would prove to be an even greater challenge than any she had faced in her running competition—over the course of the next three years she would be denied a United States visa three times. Undeterred, Chepyegon continued a strict running program and began volunteering as a teacher at the local Namgoi Primary School, instructing 11- and 13-year-old students in math, science, and physical education. It was a situation that proved advantageous given that she was required to deliver all lessons in English. “With my family I speak Kalenjin, which is my first language and the dialect of my community,” Chepyegon explains. “The national language of Kenya, though, is Swahili, so I had to learn to speak and write that in school. I picked up some English while in high school, but I really started to learn more when I was teaching. That helped give me a good foundation for what I would have to learn when I came to America.” She would get that chance in early 2015 when the U.S. Department of State finally approved her visa application, allowing her to come to AIC for the spring semester. Chepyegon’s running academy coach was instrumental in determining her next step due to his friendship with Leo Mayo, AIC’s head cross country and track and field coach. When he told Chepyegon about the school’s athletic tradition, small size, plentiful scholarships, and diverse student body—including other Kenyan runners—it felt like the perfect fit. Yet while her decision to come to AIC was an easy one, adjusting to life in America would be more difficult than she ever could have imagined.
“ All of my family is still in Kenya.
I’m the only one who has left my country, and I miss them all. But I understand the opportunity I have been given. ”
Photo credit: Michael Reid
MANAGING CULTURE SHOCK
ered a success. But again, Chepyegon isn’t your typical student-athlete.
“It began the moment I stepped off the plane,” says Chepyegon. “I arrived in winter and it was the first time I had ever seen snow. I could not run outside because I just wasn’t used to the cold, and my English still wasn’t as strong as it needed to be so it took a lot of adjusting. Everything was so new and there was so much culture shock. I felt like I needed to change so much to keep up.”
The results certainly speak for themselves. Through her first two years, Chepyegon has maintained a 3.84 GPA, received straight As in her English courses, was selected to the Northeast-10 Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice, earned a spot on the Northeast-10 All-Conference second team for cross country twice, and was named to the NCAA Division II All-East Region team for cross country in 2015.
To help with the adjustment, Chepyegon was redshirted as a freshman for indoor track and ran outdoors extensively to help her get acclimated to the New England weather. She also began an intensive English immersion program while both starting classes (first as a sports management major before moving to economics/finance) and picking up a work study job in the AIC mailroom, the latter of which she admits was difficult due to its heavy reliance on precision communication. For many, just surviving that type of workload would be consid-
She’s also shown marked improvement on the track, posting her personal best times in the 800 meter (2:20.81), the 1500 meter (4:48.33), the indoor mile (5:15.00) and the 5000 meter (18:10.23), all in 2017. She also placed ninth at the Northeast-10 Cross Country Championships with a 6K time of 22:46.2 in her sophomore year, almost a minute better than her freshman time.
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“ Everything was so new and there was so
much culture shock. I felt like I needed to change so much to keep up. ”
Despite the overwhelming success, life in America remains a balancing act. While her English has improved and most of the disorientation she felt after first arriving in America has faded, the differences between cultures remain substantial. There is also the fact that it will be three years before Chepyegon will have a chance to see her family, with her first trip back to Kenya scheduled for sometime in 2018. “I do miss my friends, the food I grew up with, and even doing simple things like going to the river with my friends and my sisters to get our water,” she explains. “You do not realize what you will miss when you leave your home. That has not been easy. “But I do love AIC, and I love the diversity, not only on campus but also in America. Everything here is so open—the way people talk and dress and share their ideas. In Kenya, there is a lot of culture, which is good, but it means that there are some restrictions, so I could not dress in shorts or in tight clothes, like my track uniform. But here, there is so much freedom, so many opportunities available to everyone.” That presents another balancing act for Chepyegon—keeping her attention focused on her academics and running while also considering what her future holds.
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“Whatever I am doing, I try to focus everything on that thing,” she says. “If I am running, I forget everything else but my running, which is difficult when you’re training at least 50 miles a week. When I am in class, I only concentrate on my work. I do feel that I need to go to graduate school and I would love to do that here at AIC, but I try to live in the present moment as much as possible. That is the only way I can do my best and improve my life. I owe that to myself and to my family.” When asked whether her future plans include staying in America or going back home to Kenya, Chepyegon is somewhat hesitant but thoroughly optimistic. “In Kenya, families live in the same area. So my brother got married, but he still had to build a home near our house because you need a connection to your ancestral land. That is how close families are in Kenya. Also, I am studying economics because that is a career needed everywhere so it would be easy to go back. But I do love my life in America, so I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m just so grateful that there are so many options available to me.” She smiles before she adds, “Besides, I’m even getting used to running outside in the cold.”
Photo credit: Michael Reid
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NOT-SO-BIG MAN ON CAMPUS ...ANYMORE
AIC ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES COLLIN MCQUADE LOSES 102 POUNDS AND GAINS NATIONAL ATTENTION
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Collin McQuade, a Springfield native and administrator at American International College, is a lot lighter these days from losing 102 pounds.
“But as we continued to work together, it became more and more real. I got to the point where I said, 'I will lose 100 pounds!' and I did,” said McQuade.
In November of 2014, when McQuade was 23 years old and in graduate school, he received a phone call that would change his life. At the age of 53 his dad had passed away from a diabetic heart attack. The younger McQuade, who weighed around 336 pounds, said that was the wake-up call he needed to change his own lifestyle around.
The contest, which ended in June, is about total transformation. After losing 100 pounds the contestants must provide videos, pictures and an interview about how Beachbody and the programs have changed their lives. McQuade's fate sat in the hands of a panel of judges and public online voting.
“I had always been an athlete like my dad, but when the sports stopped I was out of shape and didn't feel good,” said McQuade. McQuade, now 25, is AIC's assistant director of student activities. In that role he supervises the college's organizations and clubs, advises the activities board and also works with The Stinger Pub committee. Soon after he started the job in July 2015, McQuade met then AIC Director of Campus Recreation Christopher Mercurio at orientation. Mercurio suggested that they work out together using a program called Insanity Max 30. Shortly after that Mercurio became McQuade's official coach. By the end of the summer in 2015, McQuade had lost 35 pounds through exercise and a diet that included healthy food choices and portion control. Noticing McQuade's determination to get in shape, Mercurio told him about a contest he could enter to win $25,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to New Orleans through Beachbody, a website that promotes moving more and adopting healthy habits. The trick was that people had to lose more than 100 pounds. McQuade thought Mercurio was crazy. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE REPUBLICAN BY ANGELICA J. CORE, THE REPUBLICAN PHOTO BY SETH KAYE
Although McQuade did not win the overall contest, he was still able to be in the final four out of thousands of participants who submitted results. “'The prize is the process' was a big quote I've always said to myself, so really I've already won by changing my life and having the ability to help others,” said McQuade. McQuade had ongoing transformations and accomplishments that gave him the confidence to enter weekly and quarterly contests through the Beachbody Challenge. On top of working to losing 102 pounds, he had non-scale gains where he participated in competitive races such as the Fenway Spartan race. There has been an outpouring of support from people who said they're inspired by his transformation, McQuade said. For now, he's working to be a supporter and guide for other people who are looking to get healthier and lose weight. McQuade said his father was always his biggest supporter in everything he did, so he feels he couldn't have done it without that motivation. “When I saw what poor lifestyle choices could do, I knew I needed to do something now. A bad lifestyle had taken away Superman,” said McQuade of his father.
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BY ELLEN DOOLEY :: PHOTOS BY LEON NGUYEN '16
S
ome people can make you feel better just being around them. Fortunately for the AIC community, someone with that very gift works for the campus's Dexter Health Services. Her name, Mildred, literally means “gentle strength,� and that quality perfectly describes what Milly Velazquez brings to her work as the clinic's office manager and medical assistant.
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Vivacious and energetic with a warm, welcoming smile, it's easy to see how Velazquez could be a sight for sore eyes...or a sore throat or sore back. “I enjoy everything about my job,” she said, “but my favorite part is patient care. It starts the minute those doors open at 8:30 a.m. I know many of the people coming in don't feel well and I want to make them feel comfortable. I want to reassure them and let them know we will take care of them.” Velazquez came to AIC in 2013 with several years of experience in urogynecology, internal medicine and urgent care. “The provider I was working for was relocating, so I was looking for another position. When I heard about the opening at AIC, I looked at the job description, the responsibilities and requirements, and I knew this was where I wanted to be.” Velazquez also knew she could bring more than just professional experience to AIC. “Being a person who treats everyone with the love and care they deserve was something I felt college students would appreciate, especially with many of them being away from home. Providing patients with genuine care and understanding was one of the many things I knew would be important at AIC.” One of the reasons Velazquez is so attuned and attentive to the needs of the student population is that she is the mother of a 17-year-old, soon-to-be college student, Isaiah Morales. When she speaks about him, it's clear her son is the light of her life. A straight-A student and three-star athlete in cross county, basketball, and track, Isaiah is as high-energy as his mom, and Velazquez describes the bond they share as “amazing.”
“We talk about everything, and we're very open with each other. As a single parent, I have to play both mom and dad, so I give him lots of love and also put my foot down when necessary. I am very grateful for the relationship we have.” Another reason Velazquez can relate so well to the students she serves is that she is one of them. As a liberal studies major, Velazquez works full-time days at the clinic and takes classes in the evenings. “Having the opportunity to work for AIC was a wish come true,” she said. “But knowing that I was able to further my education at AIC was a blessing. As a single parent, I have always believed in leadership by example, and AIC is helping me grow personally as well as professionally. “I enjoy having the ability to be on both sides of the fence. Working in health services during the day allows me to provide comfort and care to the students, while attending classes in the evenings allows me to be a part of the AIC community and bond with the students that way.” As a working professional with a busy home life, Velazquez has to juggle multiple demands on her time, but she takes the inevitable challenges in stride. “Balancing can sometimes be difficult and I can overfill my plate, but I have a lot of energy to burn and I just run with it. I am so determined to grow. “I don't even have a favorite subject yet. Because I'm an older student, I enjoy all the classes—it's like starting all over again! And I'm grateful to have such great professors who are willing to take a few extra minutes of their time to explain something to me, without hesitation.”
“ You will have days when you want to quit,
when you want to cry, but if you're working hard, you have to have determination. ”
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Though Velazquez has worked for years in the medical field, she is also a trained tax preparer and has been known to work seven days a week with a second job during tax season. But her greatest passion is travel and her ultimate dream is to become a flight attendant. “When I had my son, he was my priority and I had to make decisions that were best for him. But ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a flight attendant. I love to travel, see new places and meet new people. I'm a people person, that's just who I am. It's why I love working with patients.” Velazquez also loves the outdoors, biking, hiking and kayaking, and recently conquered the White Mountains in New Hampshire with her unsuspecting boyfriend. “I love to hike, but he had never been before and this was a 5,000-foot hike to
the top. It took us three hours up and three hours down. We were sore for two days!” Single parenting, grueling schedules, new adventures—none of it discourages her. In fact, for Velazquez, it's more like rocket fuel propelling her forward. “Looking at my son, motivating him, having him watching me—as parents, we teach our kids it can be done. You will have days when you want to quit, when you want to cry, but if you're working hard, you have to have determination. “Having my son know everything I go through and still see me get up with a smile, that's worth everything. I don't care if it takes me 15 years to reach my goals. I'm going to show my son it can be done, so one day he can say, ‘my mom did it.’”
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THE STINGER PUB
WHERE EVERYBODY 38 :: HIGHER DEDICATION
KNOWS YOUR NAME PHOTOS BY SETH KAYE
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The Stinger Pub's pool table was generously sponsored by the AIC Alumni Varsity Club.
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THERE'S NO PLACE AT AIC LIKE THE STINGER PUB. Opened in 2007, the Stinger has been AIC's premier student and faculty entertainment spot on campus, hosting everything from comedy nights and trivia to receptions and Super Bowl parties. After a brief hiatus in 2015, the space re-opened in 2016 with a new look that left students missing the ambiance of the old Stinger. As of fall 2017, the Stinger is back— renovated, rebranded, and 100% Yellow Jackets approved!
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Photo credit: Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
BY ELLEN DOOLEY
ANY FAN OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE 1994 STANLEY CUP FINALS WILL REMEMBER THE FINAL FEW NAIL-BITING SECONDS OF GAME 7, WHEN THE NEW YORK RANGERS WERE FINALLY, AFTER 54 YEARS, ABOUT TO DEFEAT THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS AND CAPTURE THE COVETED CUP. IT WAS THE KIND OF UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT THAT HAD SPECTATORS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS, PLAYERS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SKATES, AND THE FATE OF A HIGHLY-CHARGED CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HANGING IN THE BALANCE. KEVIN COLLINS ’72 REMEMBERS THAT MOMENT, TOO. VIVIDLY. HE WAS THE LINESMAN WHO MADE THE LAST CRITICAL CALL HEARD 'ROUND THE SPORTS WORLD THAT DELAYED, AT LEAST FOR A FEW EXCRUCIATING SECONDS, THAT LONG-AWAITED VICTORY FOR THE RANGERS. Collins laughs as he tells the story now, and about some of the fallout afterwards. “I got a call from one of my cousins in New York who said to me, 'Do you know how many people would have killed you if the Rangers had lost?' I even received a four-page letter from a guy telling me how I blew that call.” Collins, however, knows that he made the right call, as nerve-wracking as it might have been for Rangers’ fans. His 37-year outstanding career—28 of those spent on the ice—and recent induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, are testaments to his impeccable professionalism and unmatched expertise. “For an official, to work a seventh game is like winning the championship for a player,” said Collins. “The importance of the game is huge. There is no
tomorrow. The Stanley Cup is the top tier, the pinnacle of officiating, and it's extraordinarily competitive to get to that point, it's all based on your work.” Collins has based his life on his work and is recognized as one of the most highly-respected officials in the sport, and only the second official ever to be named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. In addition to handling more than 2,000 regular season and playoff games, Collins worked 32 games in 12 Stanley Cup Finals, officiated two All-Star Games, the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and four Canada Cup tournaments. In 2004, he came off the ice and took a management position overseeing the linesman staff, and fully retired in 2013 to enter the private business sector. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 43
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 2: Mario Lemieux #66 of the Pittsburgh Penguins waits for linesman Kevin Collins to drop the puck for the faceoff during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 2, 1989 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by B. Bennett/ Getty Images) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 45
From left: Vince Maniaci, AIC President; Frank Colaccino, '73, Hon '12, Chair, AIC Board of Trustees; Kevin Collins '72; Matthew Johnson, Athletic Director; Eric Lang '98, '08 MS, Head Men's Ice Hockey Coach; Matthew C. Schimenti ’87, AIC Board of Trustees. Photo by RJB Sports.
It's the kind of career that might make a lesser man smug, but Collins is greater than the sum of his stats. He also spent decades negotiating contract agreements as the longest-serving member of the NHL Officials' Association (NHLOA) and the first linesman to serve as its president. One of the greatest compliments he ever received came from high-powered attorneys out of Toronto who knew him from those negotiating days. “My name came up in a conversation,” Collins said, “and apparently these guys said that in all their years of negotiating contracts, they'd never known anyone who cared as much about everybody he represented, no one who had worked harder to make sure everyone got a piece of the pie. “You know, stats are impressive but, at the end of the day, all they show is that I worked hard and did it for a long time. More importantly, I'm very proud of running a referee school for 23 years, and starting the U.S. Hockey Officiating Development Program that has seen hundreds of officials progress through the system, with a number of them making it to the
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NHL. The things that touch my heart and bring tears to my eyes are all these officials who contacted me and said I played a part in making their career better-- 'the way you taught, the way you were always there to help, how you were like a big brother to me'-those are the things that matter most.” Collins grew up knowing what matters, and his north star was his father. After his freshman and sophomore years on the ice at AIC, he realized he would need some scholarship assistance if he was going to be able to continue to play. “I went to the coach in September of my junior year and he told me all the scholarship funds had been given out, but if I wanted to talk to the athletic director I could, though he warned me the AD would tell me the same thing.” Collins went to his father, as he usually did for help with the tough questions, and his father advised him from his own experience. “My father was a brick-layer,” said Collins, “and he explained to me how, in order to get new work, he would submit a low bid, do an excellent job, and then if the client wanted to
“ I got up and walked to the door of his office,
which was about 10 feet away but it felt like 10 miles. With every step I was thinking, am I crazy? I'm walking away from my entire hockey career. ”
hire him again, he would ask for his true price. 'If he wants me because I do great work, he'll pay me what I'm worth.' My father told me to know my value and approach it that way.”
“Forbes was probably the best player of that era,” said Collins, “and the craziest thing was a couple of years after we graduated, he was playing for the Boston Bruins and I was calling him offsides.”
Collins met with the AD for what would turn out to be the first lesson and excellent preparation for a lifetime's worth of tough career negotiations. “The AD told me the same thing the coach had, that they loved me and were counting on me, but all the scholarship money had been allocated. So I told him that I paid my own tuition and I had to work and, if I had to work, I couldn't play that year. He seemed shocked and disappointed, but that was the end of the conversation.
It wasn’t all ice all the time at AIC, though. Collins credits one of his professors, Henry Benjamin, with having had a lasting influence. “He taught natural history, and everyone said it was such a tough course and it was all facts. But I had no choice, it was a requirement, so I took it and it wasn’t all facts. Professor Benjamin taught it at the big-picture level, and he was way ahead of his time being an environmentalist. He opened my eyes to seeing things from more than one perspective, and I've carried that with me all my life.
“I got up and walked to the door of his office, which was about 10 feet away but it felt like 10 miles. With every step I was thinking, am I crazy? I'm walking away from my entire hockey career. But I kept going. I remembered what my father had said and I put my hand on the door knob, began turning it, and all of a sudden the AD yells, 'Kevin! Get back here! If I get you a partial scholarship for this year, can you play? And I'll get you a full scholarship for next year.' And that's exactly what happened.” Dave Forbes, Collins' AIC teammate and fraternity “Big Brother,” also was instrumental in shaping Collins' destiny. “One day the rink manager where we used to practice announced they were starting a kids’ league and they needed refs. They would pay $2 a game—which was pretty good back then—and Forbes said he would do it, and so would I! Of course, because I was a commuter and could use my parents' car, I could be the driver, so it worked out for both of us. And that was the start of my officiating career.
“He was also very involved with the sports teams, and that also affected me. He demonstrated how if you get involved in something, if you go all in, good results happen. He’s very involved in the school and with the alumni, and when AIC inducted me into their Hall of Fame, he said some kind things about me. He’s a great ambassador for the school, and he showed me a lot about life.” These days, life for Collins and his wife of 43 years, Mary, involves enjoying their four grandchildren: Ella, 8; Tyler, 2; Alexandra, 7 months; and Caydance, 4 months. “I look back,” said Collins, “and I wouldn't change anything. Every person who ever gave advice or guided me led me to where I am today. I'm starting a business now, and everything I do I have a passion for my father always said, if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. It all goes back to my upbringing. If you have basics like that and you believe in them, you'll find the right path to success.”
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GO YELLOW JACKETS!
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF ’17 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017
BIDEMI BALOGUN ‘12 TRACK AND FIELD
WILLIAM M. CONDON '77 ICE HOCKEY
GARY J. GRODZICKI, '74 BASEBALL BASKETBALL
WILLIAM J. CONNOLLY '70 FOOTBALL 48 :: HIGHER DEDICATION
LARRY A. FREED '68 BASEBALL BASKETBALL
The Class of 2017 is the eighth to be inducted into the American International College Athletic Hall of Fame, which was first established in 2005, and brings the total number of honorees to 89. Membership in the Hall of Fame will be granted to those AIC graduates and others who have distinguished themselves through outstanding participation in the AIC athletic program, or have been instrumental in contributing to the development of student-athletes, or have made a major contribution to intercollegiate athletics. All nominees should also serve as outstanding examples of the type of character, courage, leadership and well-rounded individuals that American International College seeks to develop through its athletic program.
Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16
ALFRED J. LAUDE '54 FOOTBALL
AMBER L. RADOMSKI '03 '06 BASKETBALL SOFTBALL TENNIS
JOSEPH C. PISTONE '00 WRESTLING
NICOLE R. SULLIVAN '01 '02 LACROSSE SOCCER
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GO YELLOW JACKETS!
LEADER OF THE PACK BY SARAH KIRKPATRICK
AIC JUNIOR LEAKEY KIPKOSGEI,
who hails from Kapsabet, Kenya, earned his third career All-American honor for cross country as he led the American International College men's cross country team to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday, November 18, 2017 in Evansville, Indiana. Kipkosgei posted a time of 31:10.3 on the 10-kilometer course for an eighth-place finish, the best placement of his career at nationals after he placed 17th his freshman year and 14th his sophomore year. Between cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, Kipkosgei has already earned seven
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First Team All-American titles just a few months into his junior year. Kipkosgei's eighth-place finish is also the fifth top-10 result at nationals for an AIC men's cross country runner in program history. Additionally, AIC’s 19th-place result improves upon a 22nd-place finish a year ago, and is the third-best team showing in program history. “During the summer and throughout the season, Leakey had made it clear that his first goal was to help the team improve our position from last year’s national championship position," said AIC cross country coach Leo Mayo.
Photo credit: University of Southern Indiana Athletics
"His secondary and individual goal was to be in the top 10. I can say now, after assessing this season’s team and path to our 19th place finish and Leakey’s eighth-place finish, that Leakey has established himself as a leader of our team, and has been able to dedicate himself to his training. After talking with Leakey after the national championship this weekend, he indicated that he was hungrier now more than ever to help our team have the best finish ever going into next year’s national championship, and he personally wants to do everything possible to compete for an individual national title.”
“The national championship was a great experience,” Kipkosgei said. “I’m most excited because of our improvement as a team from last year. It also has been a great season for me because I have been able to increase my mileage and run faster in workouts. I was also happy to complete my goal of being top 10 at the national championship.”
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PUCK DYNASTY
Right: Bryant Christian, AIC Senior and Ice Hockey Team Captain
AIC'S HOCKEY CAPTAIN, SENIOR BRYANT CHRISTIAN, COMES FROM A FAMILY WITH A REMARKABLE HISTORY IN THE SPORT. HIS MINNESOTA HOCKEY HERITAGE INCLUDES A GRANDFATHER AND GRAND-UNCLE WHO WON OLYMPIC GOLD IN 1960, AN UNCLE WHO SKATED WITH THE "MIRACLE ON ICE" OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS OF 1980, AND A COUSIN NOW PLAYING IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. OH, YES, ANOTHER GRAND-UNCLE PLAYED ON AN OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL TEAM IN 1956. BY GARRY BROWN '55
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Photo credit: Seth Kaye
Three members of his family—Grandpa Bill, Grand-Uncle Roger and Uncle Dave—have been elected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Bill was enshrined in 1984, Roger in 1989, Dave in 2001. Bill and Dave form one of the few father-son combinations to be so honored. Wait, there's more. Bryant's father, Edward, played on an NCAA Division 1 hockey championship team at the University of North Dakota in 1982. The Fighting Sioux beat Wisconsin 5-2 in the Frozen Four final at Providence, Rhode Island. “Yeah, our family has just about done it all in hockey,” Bryant said. “All we need now is for my cousin (Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders) to win a Stanley Cup.”
Bryant's family hockey history also includes his maternal grandfather, Duane Glass, who grew up in Thief River Falls, a northwestern Minnesota hamlet 70 miles from the Canadian border. He played on an underdog team of buddies who had skated together since age four. As high school seniors, they performed their own version of a miracle on ice, marching through four favored foes to win the Minnesota state championship. Glass, a burly defenseman, gave an all-out performance in the state final as Thief River Falls beat International Falls 3-2. He was one of the holdovers from a team that had lost a grinding 11-overtimes semifinal to Minneapolis South in the 1955 tournament. They vowed “next year,” and kept that vow.
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“In my home state the high school tournament is huge,” said Bryant, a native of Moorhead, Minnesota. “Entire towns shut down and everybody goes to the games. The semifinals and finals will draw 20,000 people—there's just nothing like it. So, for a team from a little place like Thief River Falls to win it all—hey, they were the "Hoosiers" of hockey. Walking into St. Paul and coming away with the state title? Fantastic, really.” In 1995, Mary Halverson Schofield told the Thief River Falls story in her book, River of Champions. Her first interview was with Duane Glass, who told her, “That was a very special experience, almost spiritual.” In hockey-hungry Minnesota, having a state champion in the family would be glory enough, but in Bryant Christian's family that wondrous 1955-56 season merely served as prelude to even greater accomplishments on the ice. The rest of the story shifts farther north in Minnesota to Warroad, a town of 1,700 just five miles from the Canadian border. Located along the shoreline of the Lake of the Woods, Warroad is known as “Hockeytown USA”—in large part because of the Christian family's accomplishments. In 1956, the year that Thief River Falls was winning the state high school crown, Bryant Christian's Great-Uncle Gordon—a native of Warroad—skated for his Uncle Sam's silver medal team in the Winter Olympics at Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy. The Soviet Union took gold with a 4-0 victory. Four years later at Squaw Valley, California, Bryant Christian's other grandfather—Bill Christian — teamed with his brother Roger to lead an underdog Team USA to its first gold medal in hockey. Those victorious 1960 Olympians had West Point's Jack Riley as their coach and a roster consisting of nine players from Minnesota and eight from Massachusetts. The Bay State contingent included Gene Grazia of West Springfield, the only Western Massachusetts player ever to win Olympic hockey gold. In a preliminary round 6-3 victory over Sweden, Roger Christian had three goals and brother Bill three assists. In the semifinal round against a highly-favored Soviet squad, Bill Christian took over the game in the second period with Team USA down 2-1. Af-
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From left: Bill Christian, father Edward Christian, Roger Christian and brother Gordon Christian. Photos courtesy of Bryant Christian.
ter scoring the game-tying goal late in the second, Bill teamed with his wing-mates, Roger and Tommy Williams of Duluth, Minnesota, to beat Russian goalie Nikolai Puchkov on a breakaway wrist shot at 14:59 of the third period. Team USA stood strong the rest of the game to advance to the gold medal round against Czechoslovakia. “In my room at home I have a big photograph—maybe 24 inches by 12—of my grandfather scoring that winning goal against the Soviets. It's one of my most prized possessions,” Bryant Christian said. In the 1960 gold medal game, the fatigued Americans fell behind 4-3 after two periods, but then Roger Christian went on a three-goal spree, leading to a decisive 9-4 victory. Bill Cleary of Harvard led Team USA in Olympic scoring with 12 points and his brother Bob added eight. Roger and Bill Christian had nine points each.
“I think it's kind of cool that the 1960 team had two sets of brothers, the Clearys and the Christians,” Bryant said. “When my grandfather talks about that team, most of his stories have to do with the camaraderie they achieved during their training camp at West Point. He also talks about how the Clearys were added to the roster at the last minute, and how important they turned out to be.” In 1980, Warroad's Dave Christian became one of 12 Minnesotans to play for Herb Brooks, a St. Paul native who was coaching at the University of Minnesota when he got the call to lead Team USA into the Olympics at Lake Placid, New York. His roster also had five Massachusetts players, including goaltender Jim Craig and winger Mike Eruzione, whose two third-period goals gave Team USA a stunning 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union. With that, the Americans advanced to the gold medal game. They won it 4-2 over Finland to complete their “Miracle on Ice.” The Soviets had won seven straight Olympic hockey golds since 1960. That alone made the U.S. victory a huge upset, but it became magnified because it happened at the height of Cold War tensions between the two nations. Coach Riley of the ’60 team did not appreciate all the attention given to the ’80 victory, commenting that, “We performed the first miracle 20 years ago.” Meanwhile, in Warroad, townsfolk reveled, pointing out that “Hockeytown USA” had representation on both gold medal teams. Like several of his teammates, Dave Christian went straight from the Olympics into the NHL. He signed with the Winnipeg Jets, who had selected him in the second round of the 1979 draft. It didn't take long for him to make NHL history. He scored seven seconds into his first shift—still the record for fastest goal for a player in his first NHL game. Dave went on to a 16-year career, skating for Winnipeg, Washington, Boston, Chicago and St. Louis. In 1,009 games, he posted 340 goals and 773 points. He had his most productive season in 1985-86 when he had 41 goals for Washington. Bill Christian (right) and his brother Roger skated together on the 1960 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympics Team. Photos courtesy of Bryant Christian. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 55
Brock Nelson (left), centerman for the New York Islanders, carries on the traditions set by his grandfather, Bill Christian and uncle Dave Christian (right), 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic athlete. Photos courtesy of Bryant Christian.
With the 1989-90 Bruins, he reached the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, won by Edmonton in five games.
“The whole town follows Brock's career closely,” Cousin Bryant said. “My grandfather texts him before every game.”
“My uncle Dave is like my grandfather when it comes to talking about his Olympic experience,” Bryant Christian said. “He'd rather talk about what happened with the team leading up to the Olympics. He seems to miss that camaraderie with his teammates more than the actual games.”
Nelson is the fifth NHL player to come out of Warroad, a town whose slogan is “Skate every day.” Henry Boucha, an Olympic silver medalist in 1972, was the town's first player to reach the NHL. Then came Dave Christian, Alan Hangsleben, Nelson and T.J. Oshie, who is currently with the Washington Caps. Oshie led Warroad High School to state titles in 2003 and ’05.
The next generation of the Christian clan has produced another NHL player in Brock Nelson, a smooth centerman. His mother, Jeri, is Bill Christian's daughter. Brock, now 26 years old, had a starry career at Warroad High School, then played for the University of North Dakota. In 2010, the Islanders drafted him in the first round. Fans who attended American Hockey League games in 2012-13 at Springfield's MassMutual Center had the opportunity to see Brock in action as he skated for the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Over the last three seasons with the Islanders, he played 243 of a possible 246 regular-season games.
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In addition to the five NHLers, Warroad has produced seven Olympians and 80-plus Division I college players. To follow the family tree to its next branch, however, we have to travel about 200 miles south to Moorhead, Minnesota, hometown of Bryant Christian. “After high school, I played junior hockey for the British Columbia Spruce Kings for two years. My coach there knew about AIC and told me I should take a look at it,” he said. “I liked what I saw—a small campus and a hockey program that was growing. It turned out to be a good fit for me.”
Christian Brothers Hockey Stick Manufacturing, formed by Bill and Roger Christian (above) after their landmark 1960 Olympic victory. Photos courtesy of Bryant Christian.
“ THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY IS USA
HOCKEY ROYALTY. THEY HAVE AN AMAZING PEDIGREE OF WINNING AND LEADERSHIP. ” ERIC LANG '98, '08 MS, HEAD MEN'S ICE HOCKEY COACH
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Second-year coach Eric Lang sees AIC ultimately committed to the process of becoming an Atlantic Hockey championship contender. “We have to continue to be process driven,” he said. “We can’t allow ourselves to get near-sighted in our pursuit of excellence. We are playing 14 to 15 underclassmen, which is a prime example of our commitment. AIC will be a better program for investing in the development of our younger players.” Bryant Christian lauds an AIC decision to make the MassMutual Center its home rink, a change which took place in the 2016-17 season.
As a schoolboy, Bryant played for Moorhead High. In his senior year, his team lost an overtime semifinal in the state tournament—a night he will never forget. “That's how it is when you play high school hockey in Minnesota. The state tournament is so big, there's a waiting list for tickets. That game we lost? We played before a crowd of 19,700—amazing,” he said. One of Minnesota's major high school rivalries pits Warroad against Roseau, a neighboring town. Roseau's most famous hockey son is Neal Broten, who played with Dave Christian on the 1980 Olympic team. As for the older generation of the Christian family, they kept right on skating. Bill and Roger played for two decades with the Warroad Lakers, a successful senior hockey team operated by another local legend, Cal Marvin, known as “the godfather of Warroad hockey.” (His granddaughter, Gigi Marvin, plays for Team USA and has Westfield's Kacey Bellamy as one of her teammates.) When the Christian brothers were kids, they played with second-hand hockey sticks refurbished by their dad, a carpenter by trade. Soon after the ’60 Olym-
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Photos courtesy of Bryant Christian.
“I think the move downtown means a lot for our team. It's as good a college hockey arena as you'll find, and it should help AIC's program to continue to grow. For me personally, I love the group of guys we have, and I enjoy the unique challenge that comes with being team captain.”
pics made the Christian family name very big in the hockey world, Bill and Roger were encouraged by their brother-in-law, Hal Bakke, to open a hockey stick manufacturing plant. Bakke's slogan—“Hockey sticks by hockey players”—was a winner from the start. Christian Brothers sticks, made in Hockeytown USA, became a thriving business, leading to expansion into a new plant only five years after the first one opened. Olympic gold in 1980—this time with Dave Christian part of the cast and playing with a Christian Brothers stick—brought another spike in sales. By the mid’80s, the company's sales of its “made in America”
sticks had gone from 350,000 a year to 500,000. The business later declined as Canadian competition and an inflated U.S. dollar became too much, causing the brothers to make a decision to sell in 2002. The story of Christian Brothers wooden sticks only adds to the immense sweep of hockey history in the family.
According to Coach Lang, “The Christian family is USA hockey royalty. They have an amazing pedigree of winning and leadership. We are extremely lucky to have Bryant Christian as an integral part of our program. His level of commitment and leadership is evidence of him growing up with an outstanding hockey background.”
“There's so much of that to look back on. I love being part of it and talking about it with my dad and my grandfather. Minnesota is the best hockey state, but Massachusetts is pretty darn good, too, and I'm happy to be here at AIC,” Bryant Christian said.
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AIC CLASS NOTES
FIELD OF DREAMS Casey Hines '14 proposed to longtime girlfriend Belky RodriguezOtero '14 on the 50 yard line during the AIC 2017 Homecoming football game. The couple met at AIC in 2010. Belky was a cheerleader and Casey a football player and wrestler.
She said yes!
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Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 61
AIC CLASS NOTES 1960s
BRIAN L. WALLIN '68 MA is the co-author of a new book published by The History Press titled World War Two Rhode Island. It takes a comprehensive look at the military and civilian involvement in the Ocean State during the war.
1970s
HENRY M. THOMAS, III ’71, ’73 MA has been named to the Cannabis Advisory Board by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. He has been the president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Springfield, Inc. since 1974, and the chief executive officer of historic Camp Atwater, the oldest African American summer youth residential camp in the nation, in North Brookfield since 1980. Thomas is the past VP of the National Urban League in NYC, a board member of the United Service Organizations (USO), a member of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education since 2007, past chair of UMass System Board of Trustees, past chair of the Springfield Police Commission, and past chair of the Springfield Fire Commission. TIMOTHY CHIPMAN '72,'76 MEd hosted the 40th Annual Chipman Golf Tournament at Crestview Country Club this past May. Tim has been running the tournament for 40 years in honor of his brother ROBERT CHIPMAN ’71. The tournament raises funds for the Chipman Scholarship. DAVID CLARK ’72 emerged as the big winner in the Tri-County Baseball League. Clark, a former American International College standout from West Springfield, won the batting title with a .472 average, and the Most Valuable Player Award as PeoplesBank of Holyoke took the pennant and a fourth straight playoff crown. DANIEL FAIRCLOTH ‘73 has been appointed as assistant principal at Wilmington Middle School. Faircloth has an extensive background in special education, serving 12 years as a special education teacher at Haverhill Middle School. Throughout his career, he excelled in a variety of different roles while working with the students of Haverhill, including as a special education teacher, a program director, and most recently as an assistant principal overseeing the freshman class at Haverhill High School.
1980s
JAY P. DORMAN ’81 was appointed global director of sign and graphics of Gerber Technology (based in Tolland, CT) to help lead the sign and graphics division and focus on technology advancement. COLLEEN WHITE HOLMES ’84 MBA has been appointed president and CEO of Berkshire Children and Families by the organization's board of directors. A leader of mission-driven work for children for much of her career, she has experience in many areas of nonprofit management, including strategic planning and development, human resources, marketing communications, programming, and volunteerism. Holmes currently serves on the board of trustees of Baystate Health Systems and on the steering committee of the Women's Leadership Council of United Way of Pioneer Valley.
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1990s
SUSANNE DEVILLIER ’93 has been promoted to branch officer of bankESB. She has 22 years of banking experience and has been instrumental in leading the successful bankwide checking account acquisition program. After being at the helm of the Pope Francis and Cathedral High School baseball program for 12 years, PAT MORIARTY ’95 has accepted the head coach position at Deerfield Academy, a preparatory school that competes in the New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournament. GREGORY SHEA ’98, ’99 MPT of Grantham has joined BE Fit Physical Therapy. Shea is a doctor of physical therapy and an osteopractor specializing in the evaluation and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal pain and orthopedic and sports medicine conditions.
2000s
EVA SHERIDAN ‘02, former senior human resources officer at Mountain One Financial, has been appointed vice president of people and human development with Main Street Hospitality Group in Stockbridge, MA. CARRIE SIBILIA ’08, a crisis clinician at Behavioral Health Network (BHN), was recently chosen as a Home Care Hero by Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc. (GSSSI). The GSSSI Home Care Hero Award is presented to individuals "who have gone above and beyond the call of duty" to provide care for GSSSI clients. GSSSI was founded in 1972 as a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining a quality of life for older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities. Services offered by GSSSI and the agencies they contract with include home care, money management, adult day care, and case management.
2010s
DAVID J. BABINE ’13 is now the guidance counselor for the sophomore class at Ludlow High School. Babine received a degree in advanced school counseling at AIC and has experience counseling with the Monson public schools and Lunenburg High School. DR. ROBERT SKAZA ’14 MEd was appointed principal of Richer Elementary School in Marlborough, MA beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. AUSTIN ORSZULAK ‘17 was signed by the Adirondack Thunder for the 2017-18 season. Orszulak amassed seven points (3 goals and 4 assists) in 14 games played with Adirondack last season after he made his professional debut on March 10 in Manchester. The Springfield native made his Kelly Cup playoffs debut in Game 3 against Manchester and skated in two playoff games overall.
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AIC CLASS NOTES
MAKING THE CUT
"MAKING THE CUT" TOOK ON NEW MEANING FOR COREY MOMSEN THIS YEAR WHEN THE 2017 GRADUATE DONATED HIS SIGNATURE LONG BLOND HAIR TO WIGS FOR KIDS, AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES FREE HAIR PROSTHETICS TO CHILDREN FACING CANCER AND OTHER SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES. Inspired by teammates from the Austin Huns, Momsen decided it was time for a change, and his “loss” would be a child's gain. “I'm transitioning from playing rugby to coaching and developing the sport from an administrative perspective, so I needed a more businesslike look. Two of my Texas teammates had donated their hair to Wigs For Kids, and I decided it was the right thing for me to do, too.” Momsen let his hair grow for about four years in college and took some heat as an athlete for his style. “I remember one of my first coaches at AIC calling me out for it,” said Momsen. “He had video clips of me constantly adjusting my hair during a game. So, yeah, it was challenging playing rugby with long hair.” Keeping his locks in shape to donate also took some care and maintenance, but Momsen said knowing they would go to a good cause made the effort worthwhile. And Momsen is no stranger to charitable causes. On July 24, when he went under the scissors, it was his mother, Lyn Momsen, who did the honors. “My mom is a school teacher, but she's also a hair stylist on the side, so I grew up watching her cut hair for donations like this.” Even rugby’s infamous tagline has taken on new meaning. Give blood—play rugby, which most people associate with the toughness of the sport, originally referred to players who sold blood to raise money for team expenses. Today, according to Momsen, “Rugby clubs host blood drives to recruit players and give back to the community. My local club, Oconomowoc RFC, would sponsor drives with The Red Cross and The Blood Center of Wisconsin, and I tried to donate a pint every time.” Momsen played with the Austin Huns from January to June of this year before changing his game plan. He recently received his 200-level USA rugby coaching certification and is interning with Woodside Sports in Wisconsin Dells where he coordinates special events and schedules local rugby tournaments for youth. “I love what I’m doing,” said Momsen, “and my hope is to ultimately advance my career into intercollegiate athletics.”
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2017 JOHN PETRIE MEMORIAL HOCKEY SCHOLARSHIP The John Petrie Memorial Scholarship provides financial assistance to qualified student-athletes, specifically a varsity hockey player with demonstrated financial need. This award will allow the student to pursue the passion of playing competitive Division I hockey while developing life skills such as teamwork, commitment, and sportsmanship. It was established to honor the memory of John Petrie who played hockey for AIC in the early 1960s. The scholarship was established in 2013 by John’s family and friends in his memory. AIC congratulates the 2017 Scholarship recipient, AIC Hockey Team Captain Bryant Christian.
Bryant Christian, with Director of Alumni Relations Heather Gawron (left) and Head Men's Ice Hockey Coach Eric Lang '98, '08 MS (right) Photo credit: Seth Kaye
WHAT’S IN A NAME? Campus Naming Opportunities Since 1885, American International College (AIC) has served the educational needs of a growing student population. With a commitment to access, diversity and opportunity, AIC keeps a firm grasp on institutional traditions while looking forward to the future of higher education. Now more than ever, your support of American International College is vital as AIC takes the next steps in meeting the educational needs of both students and faculty. In order to grow, the College must upgrade and expand existing facilities while planning for the construction of others. The College is embarking on a facilities naming campaign that will allow donors to select from a variety of campus buildings and areas that may be named in honor of your family, a beloved or special individual, foundation or company. All named spaces and structures will be designated with the appropriate signage or plaque.
1020 State Street construction due for completion Fall 2018
For more information, please contact Director of Alumni Relations and Programs Heather Gawron at 413.205.3004 or heather.gawron@aic.edu or Director of Grants Marian Kent at 413.654.1448 or marian.kent@aic.edu.
aic.edu/whats-in-a-name HIGHER DEDICATION TO OPPORTUNITY
1000 STATE STREET SPRINGFIELD, MA 01109 www.aic.edu
Pursuing an advanced degree makes sense. Advanced degrees open the door to additional opportunities and help to accelerate your progress up the ladder of success. It's an investment in your future with a promising return. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms what common sense already tells you: the more education you have, the better your odds of being employed, and the more money you will earn. For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 413.205.3700 or graduate.admissions@aic.edu