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notes nate to hear Renée Fleming sing with the Portland, OR Symphony in March. What a treat!”
Recent graduates from SUNY Potsdam’s music business program met in May with Provost Margaret Madden, Crane School of Music Dean Michael Sitton and Coordinator of Music Business Carol “Kickie” Britt ’69 for a social and networking event in Manhattan, the night before the Crane Chorus and Orchestra performance at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. Past Alumni Board President, Dale Zurbrick ’68, was also in attendance. First Row: Jill Falcone Vedric ‘06, Provost Madden, Kickie Holloway Britt ‘69, Dean Sitton; Second Row: Brigid Villareale ‘09, Lauren Tesoriero ‘09, Susan Cody ‘10, Cara Dworkin, “Simon” Zhang ’11, Josh Redman ‘11, Dale Zurbrick ‘68; Third Row: Mary Ann Vervaet ‘78, Dana (Cavooris) Hilsenrath ‘06, Christen Edwards, Sergio Bonsignore ‘10, Clark Gale, Violetta Kajtazi ‘05, Carine Kowalik ‘10, Chris Brickley ‘09, Max Sholl ‘09, Mark Verity ‘10, Matt Royal ‘08.
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1950s
Evelyn Dickie Riehl ’42, in honor of its 20th anniversary, revived her original “Sunday Rock: The Folk Musical,” based upon the lives of lumberjacks and communities along the Raquette River during the early 20th Century. The musical was presented from July 18 to 22, 2012 at ColtonPierrepont Central School in Colton, NY, and coincided with the first anniversary of Sunday Rock, being named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sylvia Decker Quackenbush ’50 has ‘re-retired’ from Campton, NH, to Grantham, NH, to a smaller house in a lakeside community with a lot of amenities, a little closer to their nine children and their grandchildren. She and her husband, H. Clinton, still ski and play golf. Doc Murphy and his wife, Nancy, and Wilbur Raville and his wife, Phyllis, got
Ruth Bitz Dettbarn ’46 is still teaching private piano lessons. Beryl (Schuttler) Marshall ’48 continues to perform with the Island Symphony Orchestra, along with fellow Potsdam graduates Jane (Berlin) Rittman ’46, Reynard Burns ’68, Jamie Scotto ’10, and Karen (Singer) Miller ’64. Marshall also enjoys performing in her church choir on Long Island with fellow Crane grad Gretchen (Simonetti) Schaentzler ’97.
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together at the home of Sue and George Cuppernull in Georgetown, SC, in January 2012. The Class of 1952 Crane alums celebrated their 60th reunion in July. John ’53 and Joan (TenEyck) LaFalce ’53 have been volunteers at the Mesa Arts Center for seven years, which hosts stars such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Lily Tomlin, and Bill Cosby. They celebrated their 58th anniversary on April 24 and now have their first greatgrandchild. “We were fortu-
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Peter De Luke ’55 was honored as the Founder of the Jazz Association of Greater San Diego (JAG) in April. His band, the Mellotones, continues to perform throughout southern California. Since graduating, Dorothea “Dottie” Watkins Clark ’55 has been active in many music activities, but a recent twist in her health has caused her to be less involved. She has end stage renal disease and is hoping for a kidney transplant and encourages everyone to consider organ donation. Though they were quite comfortable in their home of 40 years, Stanley ’56 and Marlene King Towne ’56 moved to Middleburgh in January. They tragically lost their home and its contents on Aug. 28, 2011, in tropical storm Irene. “We are well and moving forward.” Dorothy “Dotty” Runkel Dronkers, Bev Mikel Kneessy, Gail Roach Davi, Sue Conant Young and Mary Carey Munhall, all Class of ’58 had a girls’ getaway weekend in San Antonio, FL. They laughed, ate, shopped and reminisced about their college days. Rita Itkin Schwartz ’58, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, President John F. Schwaller and Anne Schwaller, attended a perfor-
Infantine ’58 in attending the Crane Chorus and Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Avery Fisher Hall on May 1. Gordon Hill ’59 left the North Country in 1960 with his late wife, Nazaly Dershian Hill ’59, because of their son’s asthma condition. Nazaly taught second grade for 30 years, retiring in 1990. She passed away from breast cancer in 2011. Gordon taught elementary and high school for 33 years before being ordained in the Episcopal Church. After nine years in church service, Gordon retired. They have one son and daughter-in-law and two marvelous grandchildren.
1960s Alan Adams ’61 has been named classical music reviewer for Nevada’s largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He has also been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Latin Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation and will serve as chairman of its fundraising committee. Barbara Kusher Kahan ’62 is happily retired and enjoying life. She traveled to Europe in July and missed attending her 50th Reunion, but sends congratulations and greetings to all of her former classmates. Amy D’Lag Fagans ’63 has worked at Eastern Carolina University for the past six years and loves the South – no more blizzards or slush. Martha Trembley Hammill ’63 and Terry Hammill ’63 visited Carol Guarnieri
mance of “Rodelinda” at the Metropolitan Opera starring Stephanie Blythe ’92 and Renée Fleming ’81. Rita was also joined by Sylvia Amarel
Johnson ’63 at her home on St. Simons Island, GA. Carol and Martha were four-year
roommates at Potsdam, and Carol was Martha’s maid of honor in 1963. After Martha’s successful open heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in 2011, the visit was very therapeutic. Joe Procopio ’63 is listed in the Saxophone Encyclopedia of Music, entitled “150 Years of Music for the Saxophone” by Londeix and published by Roncorp. He also recently published two music ebooks, “Basic Music Theory” and “Making Sense with Music.” Procopio was the first to hold the Miles Clark Endowed Chair for Music at the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC. Wilma Reynolds Willson ’64 is still working in real estate, loves to travel and spending time with her grandchildren, children and friends. Sam Cooper ’65 taught high school geography, political science and psychology for eight years; was a high school administrator at Dryden Central School for 12 years, high school principal of Morrisville-Easton for five years; district administrator at Cobleskill-Richmondville for 10 years, and founder of the school safety training group. Joseph D. Fondacaro ’65 retired from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in January 2010 and is an emeritus professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He has lectured in Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Chile, Central Europe and China. He is a Trustee of the Cincinnati Foundation for Biomedical Research and Education and enjoys playing golf, fly-fishing for trout and attending his grandchildren’s activities. “To my fellow students between 1961-65, especially my Psi Phi Fraternity brothers and my baseball teammates, my very best to all of you.” Elaine (Minskey) Potoker ’65 of Maritime Academy