PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11
nearly 450 alumni reflected on the impact Geneseo has had on their lives at the new York city event. pictured from left are Jeffrey Burkard ’89, co-chair of the chicago regional alumni committee, Jim leary ’75, vice chair of the Geneseo foundation Board, and John shutowick ’90.
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geneseo scene
Edward Pettinella ’73, made just hours before the New York event. “It is a testament to the belief that we all have in Geneseo,” said Frank Vafier ’74, campaign chair and Geneseo Foundation board member. “Tonight, we all experienced that passion and enthusiasm for what Geneseo has been in the past, is today and will be in the future. There is a collective sense that this is a truly amazing place and what we are doing will continue our legacy.” It’s forward thinking and imperative for Geneseo to create its own future, according to Distinguished Teaching Professor Bill Cook, due to ever dwindling state funding, which has fallen from 80 percent of the college’s operating funds in the 1970s to less than 20 percent today. “If we’re to be Geneseo in the future, we’re going to have to decide for ourselves what we’re going to be,” he said. “We’re going to be the outstanding liberal arts college. We’re going to give students an unprecedented list of opportunities … and we’re going to have to do it ourselves.” Cook and Distinguished Teaching Professor Ronald Herzman spoke about the rewards of teaching during the special program, which also featured tributes
by several alumni and students, who shared how hands-on learning, internships, relationships and self-discovery were an integral part of their own Geneseo experience. The acclaimed Chamber Singers led the program, filling the hall with the opening chorus of Handel’s “Messiah” and two other pieces, directed by director Gerard Floriano ’84, who was inspired to pursue a career in music while he himself was in the group as a Geneseo student. Hearing their soulful notes, Turner felt the same rush he did 40 years ago, when being a Chamber Singer was his portal to the world — and a community where he found kindred spirits and the exhilaration and reward of hard work. “It taught all of us how to work together, how to set a common goal and how to strive for excellence,” says Turner. Those experiences of transformation were shared by three other alumni who found themselves at Geneseo. Diane Willkens ’75 developed her love of international relations studying in the nation’s capital. Today she is president and CEO of Development Finance International Inc., sharing financial consulting expertise