UMass Dartmouth Fall 05 magazine

Inside Designing the big picture Melville & Douglass, a chance encounter

A n d re w M a y d o n e y ’ 9 1

Fall Festival pictures & awards

Transforming

A magazine for alumni & friends of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

communities through

DESIGN

MESSAGE FROM

J ea n F . Ma c C ormack Dear friends:

O

n October 11, 2005, I had the privilege of testifying before the state legislature’s new Joint Committee on Higher Education. This was an opportunity to tell the UMass Dartmouth story of opportunity and innovation that the readers of this magazine know so well.

The committee is drafting legislation that is focused on restoring $150 million in annual operating resources to the five-campus UMass system and investing in UMass facilities facing a $2 billion maintenance and modernization backlog.

Horseneck Beach, Westport

I spoke to the committee of our growth over the last five years, from 6,500 to 8,500 students and from $6 million in annual research activity to $17 million. This growth parallels the increasing demand for higher education and the quest to expand cultural and economic opportunity throughout our region.

The photos of southeastern Massachusetts on these pages (and back cover) were taken

Joining with UMass President Jack Wilson, Chairman James Karam, and my fellow UMass chancellors, I asked the citizens of the Commonwealth— through the committee— to send a clear signal that Massachusetts is committed to building the best public higher education system in the nation.

by Dr. Alexey Sergeev, native

A strong public investment will allow us to attract and retain faculty talent that is fundamental to having a world class university. A strong public investment will allow us to continue the modernization of our science labs, library and academic buildings so that our students can acquire the skills and knowledge required to be good citizens and compete in the innovation economy. A strong public investment will help the university provide enough financial aid so that no deserving student is left behind. And a strong public investment will convince our partners in the private sector that our students are worthy of their investment.

doctoral researcher at UMass

As you read this issue of UMass Dartmouth, consider the transformative effects that our faculty, alumni, and students have had on individuals, communities, and organizations.

Consider the effect our university has had on you.

of Russia, graduate of the physics department of Leningrad State University, and until recently a postAlexey Sergeev, Vyborg, Russia, 2004

Dartmouth. Now continuing his work at Cornell University, Sergeev, as an academic, studies theoretical atomic and molecular physics.

And, as these striking photographs demonstrate, he is also very much an artist. To view some of his thousands of meticulously catalogued images, visit asergeev.com

Sincerely,

Jean F. MacCormack, Chancellor Dunes

Saprophyte mushrooms

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Feature stories Designing the big picture

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Chicken of the woods mushrooms

Spotted wintergreen

n this issue of the UMass Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, you’ll find articles on individuals — graduates and faculty — engaged in endeavors that are both interesting and impressive in their benefits for others. We interview an alumnus whose design talents have changed communities for the better, and a professor who writes of a hypothetical— yet certainly possible — encounter between two of this region’s historical greats. Other articles bring you news of graduates who are distinguishing themselves in notable ways, and there’s also a look at this fall’s homecoming events.

We look forward to hearing from you, with news about yourself as well as letters about the university and the magazine. Please send comments and letters to: Alumni Affairs Office, UMass Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Rd., North Dartmouth, ma 02747, or email them to ntooley@umassd.edu

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Did Melville meet Douglass?

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Randall Pollard’s history mission

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The hearty quahog

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Opportunities for marine science

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University & alumni news Around the Campanile

12 Athletics: Hall of Fame highlights 16

Alumni award recipients 18

Fall Festival photos 20

Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement

Jeffrey A. Wolfman Managing Editor

John T. Hoey ’00 (Boston) Assistant to the Chancellor Rusty iron

Class notes 22

Donation benefits College of Nursing inside back cover

Designer

Rachel Cocroft Writer/Editor

Diane H. Hartnett Photographers

D. Confar, Dr. Alexey Sergeev Alumni administrative assistant/Class Notes

Nancy J. Tooley ‘99

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (USPS #015-139) Volume 9, Number 8, November 2005 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is published once in February, once in March, once in May, twice in June, once in July, once in August, twice in November by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, ma 02747-2300 Periodicals postage paid at New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740. postmaster: Send address corrections to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, ma 02747-2300

Cover photos: provided by Andrew Maydoney ’91, vice president of research and strategy, Sametz Blackstone Associates

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Transforming

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D ESIG N communities through

By Diane Hartnett

Y

ou can be a graphic designer, and use your talent to sell more beer or toasters or cars. Or you can go broader and deeper, develop a conscience, and use your ability to transform society for the better.

Like Andrew Maydoney ’91 does.

Maydoney is vice president of research and strategy at Boston’s Sametz Blackstone Associates, a communications consulting firm highly regarded for telling the stories of notably diverse clients — the Boston Symphony, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Scudder Investments, the Mayor’s Cultural Affairs Office, Boston .

It is Maydoney’s approach to this storytelling, his convictions about the power and potential of design, that makes conversation with him so provocative and compelling.

Consider his comment about designing brochures to broaden support for the American Cancer Society: “I can do work that will inspire a donor

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to give money to make life more liveable for persons with cancer. I think that’s important. That’s not just ‘graphic design.’

That’s designing for a better world.”

From the perspective of Harvey Goldman, his former design professor, Maydoney takes the field of design beyond its traditional sphere, “a purely visual and aesthetic response.

“Andrew considers a broader definition, (one that) includes the design of social, cultural, health care and economic conditions necessary to build a healthier, more sustainable world.” And he does it, says Goldman, via “breakthrough, innovative ideas for practical problem-solving.”

“I’ve discovered that in this career, it’s all about story-telling,” says Maydoney. “You do that using all kinds of media. I love it.”

Clients come to Sametz Blackstone, headed by Roger Sametz, because they have a story they want to tell to certain audiences. The challenge to the firm is getting the client to see all of that story’s dimensions and ramifications —then trust the direction Sametz Blackstone suggests.

“One of our prerequisites,” says Maydoney, “in taking on projects is the client’s willingness to embrace change. Where we are most successful are those instances where a client says ‘we know change is coming, but we don’t know what to do with it.’

“Well, we do know what to do with it.”

The transformation of the Fuller Museum of Art in Brockton best illustrates the Maydoney approach.

Three years ago, the small art museum was struggling, financially and otherwise; not ready to give up on the institution, trustees approached Sametz Blackstone.

The firm not only took on the project, but Maydoney joined the museum board, attracted by issues and obstacles beyond designing catchy brochures and posters.

Obstacles such as Brockton’s reputation as a community with little other than one-time boxing champs to brag about. A newspaper article that took a snide shot at the city incensed Maydoney, and it struck a nerve. “Basically, the kids in Brockton have been told over and over to be ashamed of their city.

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The transformation of Conway Park in Somerville was the result of a special public-private collaboration, with design firm Sametz Blackstone Associates taking a lead role. One of the chief architects of change on this and other community projects is the firm’s vice president, Andrew Maydoney ‘91 (at left, kneeling).

“That’s like Mattapan,” where Maydoney grew up, one of eight children.

He’s accustomed to varying, yet essentially negative, reactions when people learn where he spent his childhood. “But you know, it wasn’t horrible at all. I had a great childhood and have good memories.”

Negative stereotypes, carried in subtle messages, can be insidious and selffulfilling, especially with young people, Maydoney argues. Over time, “young minds become manipulated and affected,” and young people see themselves as their hometowns are perceived — having minimal potential for growth and success.

So Maydoney embraced the Fuller undertaking believing his company could revive both the museum and, to some extent, Brockton’s self-image.

“The city has an incredible history of people working with their hands, and not just Rocky Marciano. There is an incredible history of craft.” Thus was born the Fuller Craft Museum; the institution had found the niche the trustees wanted, and, in the bargain, could celebrate its home community.

“It’s a case of letting people know that, Here is a venue where you can pause for a yes, every place has its problems. But there minute and celebrate those instances where are also great things happening, and great an artist’s hand actually touches the materials. That’s a good thing in this day and age. things happened there in the past.”

“People think of design as graphic Fuller literature once focused on the museum “being 20 miles south of Boston.” design. We think of design as trying to tell the story.”

Maydoney convinced the The Fuller board to think of Boston I came across a lot Craft story has “as being north of you.… been one of sucIt’s all about re-setting of people at UMass cess. This past your own compass point.”

June, the musePlaying up rather than Dartmouth who were um reported downplaying the Brockton that: memberaddress was a way to set it truly amazing. And ship has risen apart from other museums, by 44 percent; making even more distincI was given a lot of openings now tive the singular emphasis draw 1,000 peoon contemporary craft. room to be creative. ple, as opposed “My feeling is, what to the 50 of the makes the world so propast; donations found is that you’re not me, and I’m not you, and that’s a good for one major event were nearly double the amount projected; and loans from private thing.

“We also said, let’s bring the Brockton collections have become so generous that kids into the museum and let them see they separate shows are being mounted. come from a community that is really cool.

(Continued on page 4)

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Telling stories, creating change Maydoney won his first award for his art at age eight — a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts for his entry in a poster contest. There have been numerous honors since, including the first Terra Nova award from the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Given during last spring’s “Breaking New Ground” program, the award recognizes ground-breaking artistic works and services. In nominating him for the honor, Harvey Goldman zeroed in on Maydoney’s impressive use of his talent for a range of people and groups.

“Consider that the work he and his team do every day sustains the only profitable major orchestra in America, sends more at-risk urban youth to college than national statistics bear, builds sustainable value and relevance in communities…from Somerville to Brockton to Fitchburg, (and) helps support individual artists and professional trade organizations through complex economic times….”

Goldman met Maydoney when the latter enrolled at UMass Dartmouth (transferring from Syracuse), and remembers him as “unusually intelligent and socially aware,” whose great sense of humor complemented his story-telling skills.

Goldman was an enthusiastic, approachable professor, says Maydoney, who gave him the chance to help develop a multimedia curriculum. “My experience at the university was a really good one. There was Harvey and also (former professor) Dietmar Winkler, who had amazing vision.

Lasse Antonsen (art history professor and gallery director) has been bringing things to the campus that are truly windows to the world.

“I came across a lot of people there

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who were truly amazing. And I was given a lot of room to be creative.”

Post-graduation, Maydoney worked with a computer services company in Boston, through which he started his own multi-media practice. That led to freelance work for Roger Sametz and in ’96 a fulltime job with Sametz Blackstone, which employs 20 people. He is primarily responsible for communicating with clients and mapping strategies for their goals.

These clients are truly diverse: banks and real estate developers; colleges, hospitals, and professional organizations; civic, cultural, and neighborhood groups.

“What is particularly gratifying is that I have a lot of autonomy, a lot of room to move about and define how I want something to be.

“And there is a great degree of social responsibility that I’m allowed to exercise.

That is not the case everywhere, believe me. We have been able to be selective about clients.

“I think that the for-profit groups we work with really appreciate the nonprofit work we do — a sort of ‘you’re known by the company you keep’ experience.” Its reputation enables the firm to show companies that they can make a profit and be socially responsible. For example, when a religion-based travel service needed to regroup after 9/11, Sametz Blackstone had it re-think its purpose, and, thus, its message — focus less on security concerns, and more on its “global” role to bring people together, and, in Maydoney’s words, ‘break down a lot of barriers.”

Sametz Blackstone projects are often noteworthy for their ability to speak to varied constituencies and accomplish several goals—visually appealing and compelling, but also educational and motivating.

And the company does so by using vehicles other than merely a poster or brochure.

There’s Conway Park in Somerville, sited on land once used for a lead smelting operation. Those spearheading the park proposal turned for help to Sametz Blackstone, which initially responded with “Well, we don’t know anything about parks,” recalls Maydoney.

“And they said, ‘yes, but you do know about telling a story.’”

As was the case with Brockton’s Fuller Museum, Maydoney’s research indicated

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Andrew Maydoney ‘91 and Sametz Blackstone Associates came up with an innovative— and ultimately successful — campaign to bring new life and an altered purpose to the Fuller Museum in Brockton. In the process, Maydoney and team helped raise the city’s self-image.

that the project had potential to transform a self-image as well as a piece of land: “I hear that term, ‘Slummerville,’ and it makes my heart drop.”

So Sametz Blackstone and Somerville officials created an urban park/playground that honors local history in an innovative, yet instructive fashion. A series of “lollipop” structures tell the stories of individuals — past and present — of whom Somerville can be proud.

For example, one lollipop notes that the title character of “Mary had a Little Lamb” was actually a local resident. On another lollipop is a shot of a youngster blowing out birthday cake candles; the reverse pictures that youngster grown up, the city’s first fire chief. Another structure tells the story of the Somerville police officer who received a Medal of Honor for single-handedly disarming three bank robbers.

It was critical, Maydoney says, that the signs feature not only famous people with a Somerville connection, but socalled average residents leading rewarding, worthwhile lives.

“The park is designed to let people, especially youngsters, know that Somerville has a great history,” Maydoney explains.

Giving back, doing good In 2002, Maydoney was named one of

Boston Business Journal’s “40 under 40,” a group of the city’s brightest young business or civic persons.

The selection was based in large part on Maydoney’s involvement with Greater Boston social service groups, and his generosity in “giving back.” He works extensively with disadvantaged and at-risk youth through organizations such as Just a Start’s Youth Building and the Bottom Line, which connect urban youngsters with higher education.

The involvement reflects values and beliefs that were reinforced when he considered enrolling at the University of Southern California as a film student.

“And that was culture shock.” He was unnerved by the walls surrounding the campus, walls that served to insulate the school from the people living near-by.

“You know the people cleaning the floors there had to walk through those walls and then back through every day. I came from a neighborhood much like that, not from privilege, and it felt all wrong.”

In his life, personal and professional, Maydoney chooses to see the proverbial glass as ‘half-full.’ He lives in Jamaica Plain, where demographic change has not been without tensions, “but I like it…. I like going into a market and hearing five different languages.” He sees all the blem-

ishes in the U.S., but, on the other hand, believes “what is so great about America is its capacity for compassion.”

His attitude stems to some extent from “a big transformative moment in my life.”

Living in Providence after graduation, Maydoney was beaten severely one night by a group of youths. He spent weeks in the hospital, his face so badly damaged that the staff kept mirrors from him.

“I was really moved by how angry everyone was at what had been done to me. But I saw all that anger around me and thought, what a rathole. This isn’t going anywhere. It was a life-changing experience,” one that drives his pro bono contributions to organizations like Boston’s Root Cause Institute, which helps social service agencies broaden their impact by showing them to be innovative and accountable.

“You can’t fight anger with anger. I wanted people to turn their anger around, use it to find out what caused this. Why did this happen?”

The incident served to solidify his philosophy of life and guide his career: “I have this job because it’s the way I can influence the world and support things that can make a difference.”

Diane H. Hartnett is the Publications Department writer.

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www.photolib.noaa.gov/

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www.photolib.noaa.gov/

www.archives.gov/research/c

What they might have said Poems from Professor Laurie Robertson-Lorant explore and imagine a Frederick Douglass and Herman Melville encounter

H

erman Melville. Frederick Douglass.

One celebrated for his crusade for equality, the other as author of a great American epic. Their connecting thread? The city of New Bedford— where Melville set his Moby-Dick, and where Douglass, in his first free home, crusaded against slavery.

Did the two men, who also shared the same beliefs and values, ever meet in their travels through New Bedford during the 1840s? Perhaps, suggests Dr. Laurie Robertson-Lorant, Education Department instructor, veteran educator, writer, and author of the much-praised Melville: A Biography.

And poet. In The Man Who Lived Among the Cannibals: Poems in the Voice of Herman Melville, Robertson-Lorant imagines the pair encountering one another, briefly yet dramatically.

Published by Spinner this past June, the work is a collection of 37 “persona poems,” presented as if Melville were writer/speaker.

Combining fact and fiction, Robertson-Lorant has Melville describing actual and imagined happenings in his life: “Cabin boy Melville Strolls through Liverpool;” “Melville in the Holy Land;” and “Melville and George Orwell take Refuge Inside the Whale.”

The hypothetical Melville-Douglass encounter is the subject of

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“Melville Meets a Stranger on New Bedford’s Waterfront:” “I saw a man with the powerful physique of a lion lately sprung from Africa….”

‘Melville,’ I offered, holding out my hand. The deep voice answered, ‘Douglass.’”

This meeting on the waterfront follows an episode detailed in the poem “Melville Stumbles into an African Meeting House in New Bedford, Massachusetts.” Here, Melville recalls his entry into what he assumed was a tavern or inn, but was actually a church. Therein, he saw that a “tall young man with curly hair and copper skin was describing slavery….”

The poem’s final lines give the reader an indication of Robertson-Lorant’s judgment about Melville the man: “I fled down the cobbled streets wishing I could slough off whiteness as easily as a snake can shed its skin.”

Researching his body of work, Robertson-Lorant sees Melville as a man angered by the colonialism of his day. Through the characters he creates and the experiences he provides for them, she explains, “he expresses revulsion at slavery and imperialism and disregard for human life.” Thus Melville shares with

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Douglass a fundamental hatred of racism and bigotry.

Conference of the Melville Society, held in New Bedford in conThere is a distinctive contemporary relevance and impact in junction with the Whaling Museum. For both Robertson-Lorant Melville’s work, says Robertson-Lorant; readers should see parand the area, the event held a special significance, given its theme: allels between the crises and issues that he lamented in his writ“Frederick Douglass and Herman Melville: A Sesquicentennial ings, and those now facing America and the world.

Celebration.”

Robertson-Lorant has explored Melville in-depth, examining This year marks the 150th anniversary of Douglass’ stirring autoboth his writings and his life. Both academic and popular critics biography, My Bondage and My Freedom, and of “Benito Cereno,” praised her Melville: A Biography (first published in 1996) for its Melville’s story about race and slavery. In observance, Melville insights into the personal, political, and social forces that shaped scholars and devotees from throughout the world spent five days in the man and the writer. The New York Times said RobertsonNew Bedford for a variety of events and scholarly presentations. At Lorant “brings to life the Melville who wrote like an angel one their center was Robertson-Lorant: Spinner released her The Man day and a madman the next,” while the New York Observer said Who Lived Among the Cannibals; she chaired a panel on teaching she depicts “a flesh-and-blood family man…critical of his culand poetry reading; and she was a key figure in the Culture Park tural milieu but not exempt from its foibles.” group’s production of “Benito Cereno.”

As a literature major at Radcliffe, For generations, Robertson-Lorant acknowRobertson-Lorant concentrated on British ledges, Moby-Dick has been required reading writers. It was during graduate study at New for virtually all high school students. But she York University that her interest swung to wonders “just what does that mean?” She worAmerican writers and American history, disries that students lack the opportunity to read covering “in Moby-Dick this most wonderful Moby-Dick slowly and carefully, with time to language and cosmic imagery…as well as the grasp its layers of meanings, its metaphors and political and social criticism — and humor.” language, and its contemporary relevance.

Robertson-Lorant taught for many years at She recalls the panic of a UMass Dartmouth schools and colleges, completed the Melville student in a Moby-Dick seminar, when asked her biography, and also began writing poetry. Her opinion about a passage. “The student said, ‘No affinity for that genre and for Melville conone has ever asked me what I thought. Teachers verged during a seminar she took at Radcliffe. always told me what something meant, and Embarking on a persona poetry project, it expected me to remember it for tests.’ seemed appropriate that she use the historical “That’s not how it should work. You want persona she knew best, Melville. students to read aloud, and stop, and talk — Poems in the Voice of “I guess I started out as most people do, about the words, and why Melville chose Herman Mellville writing poetry as therapy. I took the seminar to those particular words —how his language see how serious and how good I could be.” makes them feel and imagine new worlds.

Persona poetry remains an interest, and she has written a number That young woman was a very insightful reader and ended up of poems in the voice of women, from Clytemnestra to opera loving Moby-Dick.” singer Beverly Sills.

Melville’s and Douglass’ writings —as well as those of Lydia Robertson-Lorant’s work as a Melville scholar ultimately led Maria Child and Harriet Jacobs —captivated the 20 area teachher to New Bedford and UMass Dartmouth. She visited the area ers enrolled in last year’s Faculty Humanities Workshops on several years ago for the Whaling Museum’s annual, increasingly “Visions of Slavery and Freedom,” funded through a National popular, Moby-Dick reading marathon. She designed the curEndowment for the Humanities grant and held at the university. riculum and was project director/resident scholar for the 2001 Robertson-Lorant designed that project in collaboration with National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on the university’s Center for University, School, and Community “Melville and Multiculturalism,” held at UMass Dartmouth.

Partnerships. This month the center received a second grant from “That brought 25 teachers to New Bedford, and we were all the National Endowment for the Humanities for 2005-2006, taken by the city. I love the ocean, and I fell in love with the area. enabling another group of teachers the opportunity to study So many people here are so interested in history, in genealogy. antebellum American attitudes about slavery, justice, race and There is such a very strong sense of history and so much potential citizenship in a democracy. here for cultural and artistic excellence.”

While she looks forward to writing more poetry, RobertsonBy 2002, she was ready for a new career direction. Leaving Lorant is particularly excited about the workshops: “Douglass, her teaching job in Southborough, Robertson-Lorant accepted Jacobs, and Child deserve to be better known, and I can never escape instructor posts at MIT and UMass Dartmouth. Last fall, she Melville. He keeps drawing me back, like the White Whale.” became a full-time Education Department visiting lecturer, superDiane H. Hartnett vising student teachers and teaching Foundations of Education.

She was also a driving force behind last June’s fifth International

“ I fled down the

cobbled streets

wishing I could

slough off whiteness as easily as

a snake can shed its skin.”

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preserving and passing on a family

history

By Mark Berger

1953 alumnus and New Bedford resident Randall Pollard considers chronicling his family history a passion as well as an obligation to fulfill for future generations.

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tanding in the living room of Randall Pollard’s New Bedford home, one understands why history means so much to this 1953 graduate, and sees how his family has shaped African-American and Native American history.

There is a small black-and-white photo of Pollard’s grandfather, noted photographer James E. Reed. Native American items used in purification rituals hang over the fireplace. A Hornblower chair given in honor of Pollard’s late son faces the room. There is a “mandella,” a circular shield of feathers that is to bring good luck to newlyweds. Gifts from other tribal members are in the corner, complementing works of art on the wall.

Pollard can trace his family roots to the 1600s, yet connects primarily with his African-American and Native American heritages. A self-described “Heinz product—57 Varieties,” the 78-year-old Pollard hopes to publish eventually his family’s history and legacy.

“Education and the history of my family are very important.

It’s a proud thing in my family,” said Pollard.

One look into his upstairs study demonstrates that commitment. There are numerous books on African-American and Native American history from 1792 to 1870, when Pollard’s ancestors lived on Martha’s Vineyard. A family tree outlined on white paper traces the family back to the 1600s and the CuffeAuchoouch family.

One relative, Edwin Bush Jourdain, the older brother of Anna Jourdain Reed, graduated from Boston University Law School in 1888, and he became a noted criminal lawyer. Author W.E.B. DuBois recruited Jourdain as he formed the Niagara Movement (precursor to the NAACP).

“My job now is to preserve the legacy,” Pollard said.

“Children don’t appreciate their past until they get older. By then, the (elders) are gone.”

One of his sons bucked this trend by embracing his Native American heritage. Anthony Edward Pollard graduated from Bishop Stang High School in 1972, then attended Brooklyn

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College and Southeastern Massachusetts University. Randall said his son was disheartened by the lack of a proper education on Native American culture and left school.

Anthony assumed the Indian name Nanepashemet— “one who walks at night.” He became an interpreter in the Wampanoag Native American program at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, then director of the Wampanoag Native American program.

Nanepashemet died in December 1995, after a long battle with diabetes and renal failure.

A picture of him in full Native American regalia hangs on Pollard’s living room wall. His passionate son, he says, “did more in his 40 years than most people do in their entire lives. One of his professors wrote me a letter saying that Nanepashemet knew his culture so well that (the professor) became the student and Nanepashemet became the teacher.”

Plimoth Plantation posthumously honored Nanepashemet by presenting his son, Chipinin, and the elder Pollard with its highest honor, the Hornblower Award.

Chronicling history runs in the family. Pollard’s grandfather was the first person hired as an archivist/photographer by the state of Massachusetts in 1917. James Reed duplicated more than 200,000 pages of historical documents on Massachusetts Bay from 1625 through the inception of the United States. Reed held his position until reaching mandatory retirement at 70, in 1934.

Many of his works — portraits, whaling scenes, and landscapes— are at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Prior to working in Boston, he had a photography studio in New Bedford for more than three decades. His wife, Anna Hepsabeth, studied art at the Swain School of Design, worked at the former PairPoint company, and did touch-ups on Reed’s works — hand coloring and tinting his portraits, thus giving an impression of color well before the debut of color photography.

Another historical figure in Pollard’s life is Lewis Temple, the blacksmith who invented the whaling harpoon, the Temple toggle, which revolutionized the whaling industry. It was Temple’s wife, Mary, who is the blood relative; her sister Lucinda married William Bush, and they were Pollard’s great-great-grandparents.

In 1987, New Bedford Mayor John Bullard proclaimed July 5 “Lewis Temple Day.” Pollard’s great-grandfather, John Reed, moved from North Carolina to New Bedford in 1876. The Reid vs. Reed spelling has been long debated, says Pollard.

“When he came north in 1878, my grandfather once said that he didn’t have time to dot the ‘i’s.’ I don’t know if that was an anecdote or an old wife’s tale. You see both spellings (Reid and Reed) in records throughout eastern North Carolina and Massachusetts.”

Randall Bush Pollard was born on July 6, 1927 in New Bedford. He enlisted in the Army in 1945, serving in Germany until his honorable discharge on July 14, 1948.

Pollard planned to attend Los Angeles City College in California to study architecture. However, he recalls, “A friend of the family and a counselor at New Bedford High School, Susan E. Sheehan, said that the New Bedford Textile Institute was offering a degree program in machine design.

That was the furthest thing from my mind.

“At her suggestion, I went down there and met with John Foster. It turned out that John Foster and his brother grew up with my father in New Bedford. That meeting was in April 1949, and it was the first time I met him.”

So Pollard stayed in Massachusetts. He cited Foster, who headed the Engineering Department, and instructor Howard Tinkham as major influences. “I had good experiences in the shops and in my interactions with the teachers. It was a close-knit group and we were the first four-year class. We started with 21 students but by graduation, there were only 11 of us left.”

He also stayed because his grandmother, Anna (Jourdain) Reed, had been unable to attend any of her children’s graduations. But because she lived near the Technical Institute, accommodations could be made for her to attend Pollard’s graduation.

Sadly, poor health prevented her from attending Pollard’s commencement in 1953.

Nanepashemet Nanepashemet (1954-1995), Randall Pollard’s son, was the former Director of the Wampanoag Indian Program at Plimoth Plantation.

Ted Curtin Photo, 1989

In June 1951, Pollard married Gwendolyn Elaine Slyfield of Brooklyn. After graduating with a bachelor’s in machine design in 1953, Pollard was a mechanical electronic engineer with the Navy until retiring in 1982. His commander would joke about his Army years, saying Pollard “started out wrong but ended up right.”

Gwendolyn died in 1998. The couple had four other sons, Brant Charles, who died in 1996; Randall Dean, who died in infancy in 1956; Gregory Henry, now a groundskeeper for the New Bedford High School Department; and Jon David, a New Bedford Police Department sergeant. Pollard has one daughter, Carol Elaine, a horticulturist, and five grandchildren. His mother, Anna Bush (Reed) Montgomery, who will turn 104 in January, lives in a nursing home in California.

Mark Berger is a freelance writer.

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Quahogs—

The

antidote to terror ?

Dr. Bal Ram Singh and his students have found a surprising new use for the tasty quahog.

By Paul Kandarian

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ne of New England’s most prolific shellfish just might be the source for a botulism antidote, a possibility now being researched in the laboratory of Chemistry Professor Bal Ram Singh.

The quahog, a large hard-shelled clam abundant in area waters, is amazingly resistant to botulism poisoning, even in doses lethal to humans thousands of times over.

That the clam could hold the key to fighting botulism is not lost on the federal powers that fight terrorism: Dr. Singh’s research is being funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Defense to possibly find an antidote for botulism, one of the world’s most lethal potential bioterrorism threats.

The research has huge implications, Singh said, beyond botulism. As goes the quahog’s resistance to that paralytic illness, so lies the chance to find antidotes for other conditions.

“This was a big, big surprise,” Singh said. “That much of a dose of anything isn’t good. If you eat 10 grams of sugar, and I then gave you 1,000 times that, I don’t think your body could tolerate it.

But the botulism we’ve given the quahogs is a million lethal doses and they live with it. It’s amazing.”

About six years ago, a biochemistry student in Singh’s class said her fisherman brother told her how quahogs were resistant to PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)

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in New Bedford harbor. The class investigated and found it to indeed be true.

More recently, Singh got the idea to test the hearty bivalve for botulism resistance, but needed help in figuring out the best way to go about it. He enlisted the aid of one of his former undergraduate teachers from his native India, Dr. Vijay Krishna Das, a zoologist and shellfish expert. He and his wife, Dr. Shobha Das, also a zoologist, spent the last six months of 2004 in Singh’s lab. Vijay Das taught the class how to look for nerves in the quahog muscles while his wife set up the lab to make tissue slides.

“Dr. Das changed the topography of our lab,” Singh said. “He taught us how to dissect the nerves in whole quahogs so we can study the effect of the toxin on their nervous systems. He has made an important contribution to our work.”

As the quahogs were exposed to botulism, Singh and his students were stunned by the results. No matter the paralyzing dose injected into a clam, it never lost its ability to keep itself tightly closed. The toxin had obviously not paralyzed the muscles the quahog uses to snap shut.

“We were looking for an animal assay model and didn’t have mice or rats on campus,” he said. “We thought if we could paralyze the quahog, we could use it as a bioassay. But nothing happened to them. We injected them and they were, forgive the pun, happy as a clam.”

They increased the dosage. A micro-

gram of the toxin will kill a human; a milligram will kill 1,000. They injected a quahog with a milligram.

“Nothing happened,” Singh said, short of turning the clam’s meat a tannish color as it fought the poison but remained resistant to its paralytic effects. “It opened a bit, but when we touched it, it snapped back shut as it does normally.”

The hunt continues and has narrowed to components in the shellfish’s blood, Singh said, where researchers hope to find valuable clues as to how the quahog fights the poison so effectively There is no timetable for finding an antidote, Singh said, but he hopes to have at least some solid leads within a year or two.

Botulism is a protein produced by bacteria some four billion years old that slams the most advanced system in humans— the nervous system —and paralyzes it. The lab at UMass produces its own botulism toxin, and meets federal safety and security measures required for research involving deadly toxins.

“Botulism has a connection of the ancient past to modern times that itself is fascinating,” Singh said of the lethal toxin. “There is a lot of very interesting chemistry involved.”

A far less deadly derivative of botulism is Botox. The toxin is also used to treat more than 100 neuromuscular disorders, Singh said, making it a $1 billion-plus industry.

But it is the bad side of the botulism toxin that Singh and his students are studying, using the quahog to investigate a threat that could be used as a weapon of mass biological destruction.

“The hope is we’re a few steps ahead of them, so perhaps they’d have no interest (in using botulism as a means of destruction) if there’s that deterrence,” he said. “Our research here is very important for that.”

Paul Kandarian is a freelance writer whose work appears in, among other publications, the Boston Globe and Rhode Island Monthly.

In the future, Dr. Singh and his team will be carrying out their research in the new twostory, $9 million research facility slated to open in 2006. Ground-breaking for the structure, at the rear of the Violette Building, took place on September 13.

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Is Southeastern Massachusetts

By Robert Lovinger Bob Anderson, (at left) OceanServer Technologies president, looks on as John Crowell, engineering director, and Brian Crispim (now with PDI Technologies) test OceanServers battery.

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hen it comes to the marine science industry, Southeastern Massachusetts has an enormous opportunity and an equally large challenge.

That’s the essence of a study released by the UMass Donahue Institute and coauthored by UMass Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis director Clyde Barrow.

“This study has generated more excitement, more interest than any industry study I’ve been associated with,” Barrow says. That stems in part from industry representatives feeling the report provides data to back up beliefs they’ve held for some time.

The most significant finding? Barrow says, “We were not entirely convinced that there was something that actually hangs together as a marine science cluster.

Documenting its existence was important—and surprising to some people.”

Now, he and others agree, private and public interests must collaborate on policies that encourage the industry to reach its potential.

The report states that the New England marine science industry now supports 481 companies employing nearly 40,000 people in five states. Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island account for 178 of those firms.

Among other findings: The Massachusetts marine science and technology sector is well-positioned because it focuses on instrumentation, research, and services rather than shipbuilding.

The shift in US homeland security priorities to coastal defense means that products sold by local manu facturers — electronics, underwater vehicles, etc.—are in greater demand.

A growing number of foreign countries are viewing their water- ways as valuable resources, and are looking to Massachusetts firms for products to protect those assets.

New England has remarkable advantages — most notably, the region’s long economic and cultural ties to the ocean — when it comes to competing for private and government dollars in areas such as homeland security, and oceanic or atmosphere monitoring. “The study clearly demonstrates that Massachusetts and southeastern New England have one of the richest concentrations of marine science institutes anywhere in the world,” notes Paul Vigeant ’74, assistant chancellor for economic development. Marine science “could be a driver for the entire economy of the region.”

Barrow argues that while this corner of Massachusetts has not benefitted proportionately up until now from the state’s technology boom, marine science could correct that. “The marine science and technology industry offers one of the best opportunities for these regions to find a niche in the state’s high technology sector and to build a competitive position in an emerging world market,” he said.

But the industry must overcome some obstacles if it is to expand. Chief among the challenges, according to the study, are a scarcity of highly trained workers and the need for research support.

Academics, industry folks and others offered recommendations on how to boost the regional business. Among them: Grants to support “proof of concept” research.

A forum for alliances to secure research & development funds.

A center for product development.

“The idea of developing cross-boundary collaborations between Rhode Island and Cape Cod, for example, is very exciting. The innovation economy is a key to global competitiveness,” says Vigeant.

To that end, the legislature is looking to teacher training and curriculum development at the middle and high school levels in science and engineering, to encourage young people to envision career paths into those fields.

“The study says… ‘here’s a wake-up call,’” he says. The region must have “a long-term, steady output of knowledge workers to keep the industry afloat.”

Industry executives said that engineers and technicians are the positions most difficult to fill. Bill Walsh is vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Sippican, whose clients are typically navies seeking defense-related instrumentation, vehicles, and ocean-going electronic systems. His firm, Walsh says, has problems finding engineering talent for mid-career and senior slots, but not entrylevel persons.

Barrow co-authored the study with David Terkla of UMass Boston and Rebecca Loveland of the Donahue Institute.

Robert Lovinger is senior writer in Lifespan’s Marketing & Communications Department.

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Insights from Robert F. Leduc ’78, president, Hamilton Sundstrand’s Flight Systems

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all River native Robert Leduc ’78 became president of Hamilton Sundstrand’s Flight Systems business in December 2004 after serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer of United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney division Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Corporation whollyowned subsidiary, is a market leader in the design, manufacture, and service of military, commercial, and business aircraft systems.

The engineering grad has climbed to the top ranks of UTC since beginning his career in 1978 as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney. He was named executive vice president in 1999 and he improved the organization’s performance through lean manufacturing techniques and business process changes. In 2000, he became president, Commercial Engines, Pratt’s largest business segment.

Leduc lives in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, with his wife and two daughters. He recently answered a series of questions about his career.

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What are the secrets to your success?

I don’t know if there are any secrets per se—as with anything in life, (it’s) a combination of skill and good fortune.

From the skill perspective—good educational foundation, strong work ethic, and leadership—(you have) the ability to lead people to go somewhere different from where they are today…convincing them that change is good for them, if you will. Combine that with luck, being in the right place at the right time, and being noticed by the right people. Many won’t admit it, but it is clearly a contributor.

What is it about your company that

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Q

has kept you employed there for most of your adult life?

UTC is one of the few companies that have a set of values that aren’t just words on a page. They are: Employee development UTC is committed to both career and educational advancement. UTC’s employee scholar program pays for books and tuition, and offers stock awards once an advanced degree is earned. Since its inception, over $500 million has been invested as we strive to have the best educated workforce on the planet.

Performance culture Simply put—promises made, promises kept, whether it is with customers, shareholders or employees. Since 1992, this attitude has allowed the stock to appreciate over 1000 percent.

Innovation Our intellectual property is what separates us from our competition. Virtually every industry we participate in, we founded. With Hamilton Sundstrand, it was propellers; Pratt & Whitney, aircraft engines; Otis, elevators; Carrier, HVAC systems; and Chubb, fire and security.

We invented the industry and spend billions in research and development annually to maintain our market positions.

Social responsibility We have an obligation to the communities where we work and live. We typically are the largest corporate contributors to United Way. We donate generously to the arts and for those less fortunate in our communities. We are sensitive to the planet as we reduce our energy consumption, waste and air emissions.

Finally, our business and ethics pro-

grams are considered among the best in the country. When you can find a company that shares your values, it is easy to commit a lifetime to it.

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What do you predict will be the career opportunities in the global economy?

Engineering and manufacturing will remain the most sought after opportunities. When you look to China and India, they represent only six percent of the world’s gross domestic product. By 2050, most estimates assume they will be 25 percent of the world’s GDP, on a par with that of the United States. It makes them ideal trading partners. To do business there, localization of manufacture and design will be a requirement. It bodes well for anyone in those disciplines and in particular makes schools such as UMass Dartmouth ideal suppliers of that talent pool.

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When you review a resume, what gets someone an interview?

Typically, prior experience helps.

That being said, in any organization, you need a blend of experienced talent and new graduates.

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What do you look for in the interview which persuades you to hire that candidate?

Drive, a “roll up your sleeves” attitude, and humility. Anyone who gets an interview is technically qualified. That being said, it is the intangibles. Does the candidate fit culturally? Can they work in a big organization whose decision-making

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Robert Leduc: UMass Dartmouth “clearly prepared me for what it took in the business world.”

might be slower than in a smaller company? Are they willing to earn their stripes or do they have an attitude of entitlement? All these things are taken into consideration. Managers need to remember they aren’t always going to be right for all the care they take in hiring outside candidates. You can’t be discouraged.

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Describe your college experience at UMass Dartmouth (SMU).

I was awarded a mechanical engineering degree with what I will say was a strong emphasis on real-world experiences.

I think many other schools were more focused on the theoretical at the time, whereas SMU was focused on the practical application. I was a commuter so my

experiences were largely classroom/laboratory. The school was and is clearly a melting pot—people from all races, religions, socio-economic backgrounds.

Though I was a good student, I had to work hard for my grades. Reflecting back, it clearly prepared me for what it took in the business world. I really do believe it was a turning point for which I will be forever grateful.

Dan Bogan ’59 has a vision for Fall River

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est assured that at this very moment, Dan Bogan ’59 is doing something. It could be something big or something small. Or maybe both.

But he’s always up to something, and it usually involves advancing the cause of his hometown, Fall River.

The latest venture for this Fall River businessman, politician, philanthropist and civic leader is the redevelopment of a complex of Fall River buildings he purchased in February—29 acres alongside the water at Battleship Cove. He envisions the property becoming an active incubator of small manufacturers that will form the foundation of his city’s future economy.

One hundred people are working there now and Bogan wants to double that number in the next year and a half.

The goal, he says, “is to make it go, and put some more jobs in Fall River.”

So far, the facility is home to a handful of companies. One makes adhesives; another, novelty footballs. The emphasis will be on manufacturing, Bogan says, “because that’s where the jobs are.” Bogan has been prospecting for new tenants and leased 70,000 square feet to what he describes as “a major company.”

His own firm, Borden & Remington

Corp., is one of Fall River’s oldest companies and the oldest active chemical distributor in the nation. It was established in 1837. Bogan bought it in 1972.

A Korean War veteran, Bogan graduated from Bradford Durfee College of Technology in 1959 with a degree in mechanical engineering. More than anything, community service is what motivates the life-long Fall River resident. He has served both in the public and private sectors, including generously supporting scholarships at UMass Dartmouth. “Dan is a business leader who fully understands the importance of civic engagement,” says Paul Vigeant ’74, assistant chancellor for economic development.

For his part, Bogan considers himself a fortunate man with an obligation “to give something back to the community.”

He sat on the Fall River City Council for 22 years and served a short stint as mayor, after Carlton Viveiros stepped down to take a magistrate’s job. Bogan accepted many posts on the boards of local banks and other organizations, plus those of statewide civic and business bodies. He served as a trustee for the fivecampus UMass system and is currently on the board of the university’s Advanced

Technology Manufacturing Center.

He was a founding member and president of the Fall River Carousel, Inc., the organization that bought and restored the carousel on the city’s waterfront. In 1988, the Small Business Development Center named him “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Robert Lovinger

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Master of Public Policy degree created Starting nest year, the university will offer a master of public policy degree program, through a new Department of Public Policy.

This will become one of the UMass Dartmouth’s “signature academic programs, built around an outstanding faculty,” said Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack.

“It will expand on the applied research capabilities of the Center for Policy Analysis by bringing policy skills and knowledge back into the classroom.”

Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, director of the Center For Policy Analysis, is the new department’s chair. Students will work over two years for their degree (part-time enrollment is an option), completing courses in topics such as public management, policy analysis, and applied research. There are also areas of specialization — social policy and criminal justice policy among them — available.

Professor, former student earn prestigious national engineering award Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Branislav Notaros and his former doctoral student Milan Ilic have won the prestigious 2005 Microwave Prize.

Dr. Notaros and Dr. Ilic, now assistant professor at the University of Belgrade in Yugoslavia, co-authored the paper, “Higher Order Hierarchical Curved Hexahedral Vector Finite Elements for Electromagnetic Modeling.”

Notaros said the paper—one of approximately 400 featured in the publication that year—represents the culmination of three years of work on a new problemsolving simulation method. The Microwave Prize is considered the highest, most competitive scientific/technical award in the microwave area worldwide.

“I was very surprised and excited to hear about the award. I’m totally, totally happy about it,” Dr. Notaros said.

The Microwave Theory and Techniques Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which selects the top paper in any of its publications from the preceding year, announced the award. The winning document was published in the March 2003 edition of “IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.”

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Contact the alumni office at 508.999.8031 or umassd.edu/alumni

CEO Jack Welch featured at conference on competitiveness Former General Electric CEO, best-selling author, and UMass Amherst grad Jack Welch was to be the featured speaker November 16 at the Manufacturing Competitiveness Conference hosted by the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center. Lt. Gov. Kerry Healy was among the other scheduled speakers.

Welch’s appearance was the first in a new series of Chancellor Leadership Forums.

The conference was expected to attract 300 executives and policymakers to the ATMC to consider 21st century manufacturing amidst global competition, and Governor Mitt Romney’s vision of Massachusetts’ place in that competition.

Alumni, tourism bureau team up

Dr. Branislav Notaros in Telcom Lab’s anechoic chamber at the ATMC.

UMass Dartmouth and our region,’’ said Association Pres. Michael J. Rodrigues.

“As a 1977 graduate of the university, and an active alumni member, I take special satisfaction in seeing this program come to fruition,’’ said Bureau Executive Director Sheila Martines Pina. “I encourage all alumni to take some time and discover what’s in their own backyard.”

The Alumni Association and the Bristol County Convention and Visitors Bureau have teamed up to support area businesses and cultural organizations, and link them to thousands of UMass Dartmouth alums.

All dues-paying members of the Alumni Association will receive an “Alumni Passport,’’ offering discounts at three dozen southeastern Massachusetts establishments, from museums to restaurants. The annual membership fee is $25.

“The Alumni Passport is yet another example of the strong public/private partnership between the 35,000-plus alumni of

Alexey Sergeev photo

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Study focuses on working conditions of New Bedford fishermen Due to changes in federal regulations, fishermen in New Bedford are working longer hours per trip, with far fewer trips per year. So says a study done by a UMass Dartmouth economist in collaboration with the fishermen advocacy organization “Shore Support.”

The study also found that, as the fishery workforce declined significantly over the last decade, the individual income of fishermen increased.

“Employment, Income and Working Conditions in New Bedford’s Offshore Fisheries” was written by Professor Daniel Georgianna of the School for Marine Science and Technology and Shore Support Director Debra Shrader.

The report compares data from 1993 and 2002.

“This is one of the first in-depth stud-

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ies to consider the real human impact of fishery regulations,’’ said Dr. Georgianna.

“It is important, going forward, that the day-to-day economic and social effects that federal rules have on fishermen and their families are better understood.’’

Dr. John Buck (right) helps grad student with his thesis project.

Professor receives national teaching award Dr. John Buck, associate electrical/ computer engineering professor at UMass Dartmouth and the School for Marine Science and Technology, is the recipient of the 2005 Mac Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Education Society presents the honor to educators who have made outstanding contributions to the field early in their professional careers.

“I’m honored and humbled to receive this award from the major international professional organization for electrical engineers. I’m pleased that the award spotlights the electrical and computer engineering department as a place that encourages and supports excellent teaching and pedagogical research by its faculty,” Buck said.

Dr. Kathleen Wage of George Mason University, who nominated Buck, said, “John is by far one of the most creative, dedicated educators I know. I’ve always admired his drive to continually improve his teaching.”

Professor’s research targets cranberries’ cancer-fighting properties Research underway by Dr. Catherine Neto, chemistry/biochemistry professor, is looking at the possibility that the cranberry may block the development of cancer.

While compounds in cranberries have long been thought to help prevent urinary infections, Neto and colleagues have been exploring the even more significant, anti-cancer prospective properties.

Neto described her work in a recent article of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, and her findings have been reported in a variety of media.

Her team’s work indicated that certain chemicals inhibited the growth of human lung, colon, and leukemia cells in culture without affecting healthy cells. Neto said more research is critical to pinpoint the mechanisms for the anti-cancer action.

WGBH selects film professor as artist in residence English professor and filmmaker Mwalim (Morgan James Peters I) has been chosen by WGBH television, the Boston PBS station, as a filmmaker in residence.

The designation gives Mwalim access to WGBH facilities for development, production, and post-production of projects.

Mwalim has been working on a film adaptation of his short play collection, which centers on a Black Indian storyteller whose tales focus on the experiences of Black and Native American peoples in modern-day Massachusetts. Mwalim’s students will be involved in the project, as well as persons from the various theater companies he has long worked with.

Mwalim received considerable acclaim for his play, “Working Things Out,” at the 2005 National Black Theatre Festival last summer. That romantic comedy also launched this fall’s English Department Colloquium Series. “Brother Mwalim is a talent in the tradition of Ben Caldwell and Ishmael Reed… humorist and social commentator,” said Larry Leon Hamlin, North Carolina Black Repertory Theatre artistic director.

Mwalim gives students some backstage direction in the auditorium theater.

No stopping for these sharks A four-member research team, headed by Biology Professor Diego Bernal, has found that salmon sharks— considered the fastest predators on earth—must keep swimming in the cold Alaskan waters or risk paralysis.

The team’s findings were published in the October issue of the prestigious science journal, Nature. Bernal worked with scholars from MiraCosta College, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the University of Calgary on the research project. The group traveled to the University of Alaska Marine Center in Seward to work with the warm-bodied shark. There the researchers found the salmon shark are susceptible to “muscle freeze” should they cease swimming.

Bernal has spent years researching warm-bodied fish, and said his interest began while he was in high school.

Salmon spotted belly shark

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England Division III championships.

A four-year competitor in both indoor and outdoor track at UMass Dartmouth, Lincoln-Gauthier received several athletic achievement awards during her career, and served as track team captain in her senior season.

Following her graduation from UMass Dartmouth with a biology/marine biology double major, she earned a masters degree in biology from the university in 1998. She earned a second masters degree in physical therapy in 2001, and three years later was awarded a doctoral degree in physical therapy from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. She is a physical therapist and a part-time environmental consultant.

Lincoln-Gauthier came to UMass Dartmouth from Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech High School, where she was also an outstanding athlete; she was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

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Mark C.W. Montigny ‘84 UMass Dartmouth Hall of Fame inductees (from left) Mark Montigny ‘84 and Dr. Jean LincolnGauthier ‘94 and members of the New Bedford Textile Institutes 1953-54 men’s basketball team Joe Barbero, Ron Nichols, John Foster, Ron Moniz, George Wright. Also inducted into the Corsair Hall of Fame was the late Sports Information Director Bill Gathright.

Inductions into 2005 Corsair Hall of Fame highlight the Fall Festival weekend

by Jim Mullins

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wo former Corsair track athletes— Jean Lincoln Gauthier ’94 and Mark Montigny ’84 — along with the late Bill Gathright, UMass Dartmouth’s long-time sports information director, were the 2005 inductees into the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Hall of Fame during this year’s Fall Festival.

Also inducted into the 18th annual Hall of Fame ceremony was one of the more successful basketball teams at New Bedford Textile Institute, the 1953-54 men’s squad, which posted a 21-2 record under legendary coach Fran Tripp.

The ceremony and dinner were held this year in the new Woodland Commons Community Center.

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Jean Lincoln-Gauthier ‘94

Jean Lincoln-Gauthier ’94 was the first female sprinter from UMass Dartmouth to qualify for the NCAA Division III national championship meet.

Her school record 100 meter time of :12.31 in 1994 was the sixth fastest time in the NCAA Division III competition at that time. Although she qualified for and competed in the preliminary competition at the NCAA championships despite a hamstring injury, she missed All-America status by a tenth of a second. Her 100-meter time also broke a nine-year old UMass Dartmouth record and ranked her first in New England.

She placed second in the 1994 New

A 1984 graduate of Southeastern Massachusetts University, Mark Montigny is best-known by many for his accomplishments within the area of Massachusetts politics. As a student, Montigny served a one-year term as student trustee on the SMU Board.

Following his graduation, he continued his political career, entering the legislative arena. The New Bedford Democrat has served as state senator from the Second Bristol and Plymouth District since 1993.

In addition to his political activity on campus, Montigny had an outstanding career as a student-athlete under the direction of former track coach Bob Dowd. Montigny competed in track for the Corsairs for four seasons, twice winning the New England Division III championship in the 400 meter hurdles, and twice qualifying for and competing in the NCAA Division III National Championships. He holds the UMass Dartmouth 400 meter hurdle record of :53.8 set in 1981.

As a freshman in 1980, he was the top point-scorer on the track team, capping his first season with a first-place finish in the Division III New England

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championships. He was third in the Eastern Championships and sixth in the All Division New Englands, running :54.46, the top Division III time in the meet. In his sophomore season, he was a perfect 7-0 in competition, capturing a second consecutive New England Division III championship with a time of :54.16. He earned a second sixth place in the Open New England’s, qualifying for NCAA Division III Nationals for a second consecutive season.

After taking a year off from competition, Montigny returned to track and placed fourth in the New England Division III in 1983. One year later, he completed his career, winning three straight dual and invitational meets during the regular season, and qualifying for a fourth consecutive New England Division III championship.

William E. Gathright, Jr.

Long-time UMass Dartmouth Sports Information Director Bill Gathright was inducted posthumously into the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Hall of Fame following his death last November at the age of 54. A renowned figure on campus and throughout the New England collegiate athletic community, Gathright worked in the Athletic Department at then-Southeastern Massachusetts University and later

at UMass Dartmouth for 31 years. One of his most enduring contributions to the Athletic Department was serving as founder of the Corsair Hall of Fame.

A 1973 graduate of Boston University, Gathright was an All-New England First Team All-Star in football as a senior after earning three varsity letters. Team co-captain, he received the Harry Agganis Most Valuable Player award winner during his senior season, and was also an All-East Second Team selection as an offensive tackle.

Following his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health education, Gathright was hired as Intramural Director in the fall of ’73. During his career at the university, Gathright made several contributions to the development of athletics. He was the department’s first Sports Information Director and one of the athletic administrators who organized the Little East Conference. He was a member of the Council of Sports Information Directors, and a beloved, colorful personality within New England intercollegiate athletics.

In addition to his work at UMass Dartmouth, Gathright was very active as a local basketball and softball official. He was a long-time member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Board of Officials, serving as rules interpreter for

women’s basketball. He worked as a woman’s basketball official in the Big East for several seasons.

1953-54 Men’s Basketball Team, New Bedford Textile Institute

The men’s basketball team at New Bedford Textile Institute was 21-2 during the 1953-54 season under the direction of Coach Fran Tripp, compiling the best winning percentage of any team he coached. The NBTI men finished the season with an undefeated league record to clinch the Southern New England Coastal Conference championship.

The season was highlighted by wins over Assumption, Central Connecticut, Southern Connecticut, Lowell Tech, and Quinnipiac College. In the season’s final game, Richard Julio, a 1993 Corsair Hall of Fame inductee, scored 31 points to lead his team to an 86-72 win over Philadelphia Textile. Julio was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 26.8 points per game, while Don Thatcher averaged 17.1 points per game, and Ray Barbero was the third team member to hit double figures with 13.2 points per game. The 1953-54 team capped a very successful three-year run for the men’s basketball team, which included a combined wonloss record of 55-11.

New sports info director hired; Coach Baptiste promoted Dave Geringer has been hired as new sports information director, and longtime men’s basketball coach Brian Baptiste has been promoted to the position of assistant athletic director.

Geringer, who replaces the late Bill Gathright, spent the past year at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working with a 10-sport NCAA Division II program that included Division I hockey.

He had previously served as sports info director at the University of Texas-Pan American, an NCAA Division I independent university with 14 sports.

Geringer also held sports information positions at Florida International University, Idaho State University, Lynn

University, Bemidji State University, Alfred State College and the New York Institute of Technology. He is a native of New York City, and a graduate of the University at Buffalo.

A 22-year veteran head coach, Baptiste “brings a strong local reputation to this position of assistant athletic director and basketball coach,” said Athletics Director Robert Mullen. “His links to the area will be a great aid in the task of seeking active support for the program.

He has proven himself during his long tenure at the university.”

Baptiste came to the university in 1981-82 as an assistant basketball coach, and two seasons later became head

coach. With Baptiste’s career record of 423-182, his teams have earned a reputation as among the best Division III teams in the New England. Baptiste reached the 400-career victory milestone during the 2003-04 season and his teams have qualified for post-season play in 15 seasons, including 11 NCAA Division III tournament invitations.

Baptiste is a graduate of New Bedford High School and American International College. He and his wife Kathryn have four daughters, and live in Dartmouth.

Jim Mullins is the Athletics Department administrative assistant for promotion/information.

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Honored for service and achievement University service: Dr. James Kaput (posthumously)

Reaction to news of last summer’s death of veteran mathematics professor James J. Kaput demonstrated the widespread degree of respect and fondness for him.

Praise for his scholarship, his dedica-

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tion to improve math instruction, and his kindness came from international mathematics experts as well as teachers from the public schools. Professor Kaput, who taught at UMass Dartmouth since 1968, was committed to bettering math education through innovative, affordable methods available to youngsters in all schools.

While the SimCalc project was perhaps his best-known undertaking, Kaput also initiated the START program to steer more minority students to math and sciences majors. His projects won millions of dollars in public and private grants, and he undertook research in collaboration with colleagues throughout the country.

A graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University, Dr. Kaput was also known as a mentor to younger

faculty. “He always had a helping hand,” recalled Prof. Maria Blanton.

Alumni service Norma (Eddy) Markey ’54 & William Markey ’55 Both Norma and William Markey were involved, active students when they were at New Bedford Textile Institute during the 1950s. Their activism has continued over the years as alumni, especially when it comes to rejuvenating the Pioneers Society.

“During the time we grew up, we felt very fortunate to be able to go to college,” says Norma, one of the few females at New Bedford Textile.

“We went to UMass when it was a very

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small school and there was a real sense of community with the professors.”

Norma and William met at the school, married, and had four children, all of whom attended UMass Dartmouth and “are doing very well,” in his words. “We think the university’s growth is great, because it gives more students the opportunity to go to school.

Norma taught for many years in New Bedford, and William is a retired school principal. Staying active through membership on the association board, and keeping the Pioneers alive, represents a continuing connection to the school that has meant so much to them.

“Both have contributed greatly in one way or another to the alumni association,” said former Alumni Relations Director Don Berube. “They have been immensely supportive. If you look at their combined service, it would exceed three decades’ worth.”

University service Senator Joan Menard, D. Somerset Before she entered politics, Joan Menard was an educator, teaching elementary and special education children.

Her commitment to education has carried over into her work as a legislator, first as a representative and continuing as a state senator.

“She has been stalwart in her support of the university and of education in her years on Beacon Hill,” said Berube. “She was an early and strong supporter of the university’s plan to merge with Southern New England Law School. She recognized immediately how important that merger would be, and fought for it to the very end.”

Menard’s career on Beacon Hill has been distinguished by her assumption of roles once off-limits to women. She became the first female to hold a leadership post in the House when named majority whip in 1984. In 1993, she was elected as chairperson of the state’s Democratic Committee, the first women in that position. She has also served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack is flanked by this year’s honorees, (left to right) Robert Leduc, Senator Joan Menard, Norma and William Markey, and Lee Blake.

Personal achievement Robert Leduc ’78 Fall River native Robert F. Leduc has had an impressive career with United Technologies, and today is president of its subsidiary, Hamilton Sundstrand’s Flight Systems.

The mechanical engineering alumnus “is truly an outstanding example of the high-quality caliber of our graduates,” said Berube, who recalled Leduc’s generosity during a visit last year to campus. “He spoke at length about his industry, and he provided wise counsel about career development in a global economy.”

Leduc began his career as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney in ’78, and has risen through the ranks to the top post he now holds. He also sits on the boards of Ratier-Figeac of France; Microtecnica of Italy; and Claverham, United Kingdom.

See page 12 for an interview with Leduc.

Alumni employee Lee Blake ’75

improving the area’s educational achievement levels. In her job, she brings the university together with the region’s business leaders, educators, legislators, and citizens. They work collaboratively on expanding educational opportunities and resources in a campaign to brighten the economic picture.

Blake has focused on education since receiving her sociology degree from UMass Dartmouth. Through the ’80s and ’90s, she held a series of posts in New York City, including overseeing education issues for former Mayor David N. Dinkins.

“She is hard-working, dedicated, and beloved in the community,” said Berube.

“The university has an important obligation to assist school children throughout the community. She has been an outstanding conduit for that.

“She is also the role model we think of in terms of giving back to the community.” Blake is vice president of the New Bedford Historical Society, now completing a $250,000 restoration of the first free home of Frederick Douglass; and president of the Martha Briggs Educational Club, whose scholarships this year sent nine young women to college.

Since becoming assistant director of the UMass Dartmouth-based Education Compact in 2001, Lee Blake has been

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2005 Alumni Fall A look at 2005 Fall Festival fun This year’s Fall Fest activities drew plenty of alums and others back to campus for a variety of activities. Among the highlights: at left, the Corsairs played a spirited, albeit unsuccessful, game against Endicott College, as fans, young and old, enjoyed the view from the stands or Dad’s head. Among the high points was the donation of bicycles to the Pedals for Progress group headed by David Schweidenback ’76. On facing page: representatives from campus fraternities and sororities, as well as several student organizations, comprised the Homecoming Court, while Emmanuel Lyte sports a custom-made balloon cap. The swim and dive teams enjoyed a reunion in the pool, and young alums, from the classes of ’01 through ’04, posed for the photographer. Parents, many of them alums, gathered for the Parent Association brunch. At right, Dr. Susan Costa ’72, vice chancellor of student affairs, enjoyed playtime with her grandchild, and an alumni lacrosse team competed with the current women’s lacrosse squad. And alums generously contributed their bikes to Pedals for Progress.

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Festival Week

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Clas Cla ss Nos t eNs o t e s

’30s

Barney Cohen ’33, cotton manufacturing, New Bedford Textile School, of Providence, writes he is 93 years old, still has “all his marbles,” and would like to contact any ’33 classmates.

Peter H. Sylvain ’55, mechanical engineering/ machine design, of Farmington, Michigan, has retired from Simpson Industries where he was the account manager. He enjoys golf in summer; has a home-based picture framing business; has a number of grandchildren, scattered coast to coast; is a struggling artist; and particularly enjoys going “home” to Westport for three weeks at a cottage near Horseneck Beach, as well as sailing on old schooners out of Camden, ME. “Thank you NBITT for opening the door to a wonderful, fulfilling, adventurous life.” His email is seabreeze34@ sbcglobal.net

William Ross ’63, textile technology, of Mooresville, NC, is vice president of sales for Davis Taylor Forster Co. He has three grandchildren in Atlanta, GA. Bill is organizing a “Tall Ships” race during the July 4th, 2006 visit to Moorehead City, NC, and will be the race officer. Leonaud G. Boutin ’68, textile technology, of Wareham, has retired after 36 years at the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility, Natick.

Joseph W. Augustyn ’69, history, retired from the Central Intelligence Agency after a career of 28 years, 25 of them as an operations officer. His last assignment was deputy associate director of Central Intelligence for Homeland Security. In February, he received the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.

Augustyn is now with Booz Allen Hamilton, consulting on homeland security and counterterrorism issues. He lives in Virginia with his wife Michelle Mathews Augustyn ’73, and has two grown children.

’60s

’70s

’50s

Stan Popielarz ’66, electrical engineering, writes: “I lost my wonderful wife of 37 years, Elena, in August 2003 to cancer.

She was the light of my life and mother of my two wonderful children. I retired…as technical director at a defense company, BAE SYSTEMS in Nashua, NH, in February, 2004, completing a long career at one location.”

The original company was Sanders Associates, purchased

by Lockheed in the mid-1980s and by BAE in the early 2000s.

Popielarz designed, tested, and developed equipment to protect US aircraft in Vietnam through the Gulf Wars, and “worked for a company that offered tremendous opportunity with a very challenging work environment.

I finished my engineering career with the team that developed the electronic warfare equipment for the Air Force F-22 Raptor, and led the team for the multiservice and multi-national F-35 aircraft (Joint Strike Fighter).”

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Jeanne Farrell ’70, biology, and husband Bruce K. Lenhart ‘73, electrical engineering, have their first grandchild, Viola Irene Economos. Jeanne, a biology and environmental science teacher, and Bruce, who works for Siemens, send greetings from Pennsylvania to all former classmates. David Mello ’70, management, says hi to his Delta Kappa Phi brothers.

He and his wife Diane live in Austin, TX, where he is employed

by SBC Communications. He loves gardening and writing poetry. Daniel Beasley ’71, civil engineering, of Lynn, is facility engineer at Salem Hospital and would like to hear from former friends. His email is pantheraleo@ netzero.net Brenda Figuerido ’71, painting/2D studies, Westport, is owner/operator of the bed-andbreakfast Paquachuck Inn, on Westport Point. www.paquachuck .com Rachelle Charest Caspe ’73, art education, is in her 10th year as lead teacher at UMass Dartmouth’s Children’s Center for

1993 grad oversees the retail face of New England Patriots

M

ichael Perriello ’93 can still remember football seasons when he sold New England Patriots hats, t-shirts, and the like in less than lavish surroundings.

“A construction trailer…two of us in a construction trailer.

People came in and there’d be basically just a long counter, with the merchandise on the side.”

That was of course before the Kraft family became team owners, and brought the entire operation up to new levels. And before the Pats won three Super Bowls in four years, meaning those hats, t-shirts, jackets, mugs, and wall prints of famed game scenes needed a lot more counter space.

Perriello’s fortunes have paralleled those of the Patriots. In place of the construction trailer, there is now a modern, attractive, 7,200 square foot shop at Gillette Stadium. Perriello not only manages the store, but is also involved with overall retailing operations, from gift cards to e-commerce issues.

“It’s great,” says Perriello, sitting in his office. On a shelf above his desk are two helmets, one with the “old” Pat the Patriot logo and the other with the newer, “Elvis” one. There are samples of new Pats apparel and photography on the desk and chair. Also nearby is an imposing Super Bowl ring which the Krafts gave to Perriello.

Learning. She and her husband of 30 years, Ken, live in Somerset, and have two sons, Kevin and Kyle. She has taken courses at the university Art Institute, and “found them personally as well as professionally gratifying.”

Sandra Ann Gracia Jones ’74, nursing, Fort Lauderdale, received the 2004 HIV Prevention Award from the Association of Nursing

in AIDS Care, and the 2004 Nursing Excellence Award for HIV Prevention from the Florida Nurses Association. Lucille Rosa ’75, visual design, was elected to a three-year term as Armed Forces Director of the Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table of the American Library Association. She is head of technical services at the Naval

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“This is like running your own business within a business.

You learn how to run things and see the operation grow.

Before a home game, you look out and there is just a sea of people in the store.”

Patriots’ retail sales generally rank first, second, or third within the NFL. The Pats, says Perriello, are one of the few teams that manage all aspects of the operation in house.

Perriello, a Foxboro native, started out with the team as do hundreds of others— parking cars at the stadium to earn spending money. He moved into the sales slot while at the university, and remembers Jonathan Kraft “coming into the trailer one day, checking things out, saying that they wanted to make this grow.

“That summer, we built up to a double trailer.”

Perriello graduated from UMass Dartmouth in ’93 with a psychology major. While he was interested in either clinical or sports psychology, Perriello wasn’t interested in going to graduate school at that point. So he stayed with the Pats and in ’95 became manager of the store, the new version of which opened in 2002. A number of the store’s employees are UMass Dartmouth students, some of them completing internships.

With another season underway — and the Pats the reigning champs — retail sales continue strong and “there’s no sign of it letting up.” Despite the fact that people can buy team apparel in lots of places, the Gillette store is always busy: not only does it stock some exclusive items, says Perriello, but “people come here just to say they got it here.”

With the number of female football fans on the increase, there’s been a corresponding expansion of Patriots merchandise for women: “the (interest in) pink Pats hats is unbelievable.” Hats overall are generally the best-selling items, Perriello says. The most popular ‘name’ clothes are “probably Bruschi and Brady… and Vinatieri is right there too.” And many fans are drawn to what’s called the “throwback” line—apparel with the names of players such as Andre Tippett, Steve Grogan, and Steve Nelson.

(The store also sells New England Revolution merchandise.)

Perriello’s psychology major has been invaluable in his work, “in dealing with people in general, dealing with my staff and the players and owners. In this business, you interact with a wide range of people.”

Perriello selected UMass Dartmouth after coming for a visit. “I looked around and said, ‘I like it.’ It was a great experience. We have a lot of high school students come in here, and I’ve found more and more that it’s on their list of schools they’re looking at.” ­— Diane Hartnett

War College Library in Newport.

Barbara J. Fitzgerald ’76, marine environment, of Page, AZ, is a school administrator with the Shonto Governing Board of Education, and has received her doctorate in educational technology. “Thanks to Dean Howard for being a continued inspiration!”

Kevin LeBlanc ’76, civil engineering technology, of Londonderry,

NH, is a senior project control engineer for Bechtel Corp., Boston. Jerome C. Rosperich ’76, management, Charles Town, WV, is an assistant principal with the Warren County Public Schools. He has a horse farm in West Virginia. Suzette M. Almeida-Louro ’77, French, chairs the Department of Modern World Languages at Portsmouth

(RI) High School, and teaches French and Portuguese as second languages. She also teaches Portuguese for area health care professionals. Teresa “Terri” Cabral ’77, history, of North Myrtle Beach, NC, has published, in conjunction with life partner Sean Poole, Gattorno — A Cuban Painter For The World, a fine arts book on her uncle, the Cuban artist Antonio Gattorno. Cabral did the layout and design, and helped with the research, while Poole wrote the main essay.

Cabral is also a freelance artist who has exhibited in Greece and in Italy. VIew her work on www. artbyterri.com. Richard P. Farias ’77, mathematics, Somerset, is now executive vice president at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, where he was most recently vice president of its Health & Wellness division.

An executive management team member, he oversees decisionmaking and oversight in a number of areas. His involvement in the community includes a seat on the board of IN-SIGHT (formerly R. I. Association of the Blind).

He has his master’s in health care management from Bryant College and is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island. Edward Hill ’77, multidisciplinary studies, works as a development specialist for People, Inc. He received the 2004 All-State Award from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees for his service on the School Committee for Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. Michael Vieira ’77, political science, is chairperson of the history department at Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River. Wayne J. Camara ’78, psychology, is vice president for research and development at the College Boards in Princeton, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates has published Choosing Students: Higher Education Admissions Tools for the 21st Century, by Dr. Camara and Ernie Kimmel. Camara wrote on, among other things, alternative measures for predicting

college success beyond grades and SAT tests. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, and lives in Princeton Junction with his wife Bonnie and children Allison and Kevin. Robert Canuel ’78, psychology, ’83, MBA, was named president and CEO of People Incorporated, in Fall River.

He has also been an adjunct psychology faculty member at Bristol Community College for 12 years. He lives in Swansea with wife Susan and their two children, Ryan and Sara. Eric Miller ’78, accounting, of Florida is the executive owner of Globalogix, Inc. in Ponte Vedra Beach. Janet Morris ’78, textile design/hand weaving, is the design director of Tradewinds Imports in Westport, CT. Steven Alves ’79, accounting, Rochester, is the president and owner of Stevens Home Improvement Co, Inc. Joseph M. Bilodeau ’79, electrical engineering technology, of St. Peters, MO, has been named team leader, Instrumentation and Data Processing, Level 2 Integrated Product Team for the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft program for the Boeing Co. Integrated Defense Systems. Ruth Lima ’79, sociology/anthropology, lived in Exmouth, Australia, for three years, working as a child care director/social worker for the Americans assigned to the Harold E. Holt Communications Base.

She resides now in San Diego and is a senior social work counselor for the developmentally disabled at the San Diego/Imperial Counties Regional Center.

’80s

Sally Darlington ’80, marketing, of Eagle, Colorado, is the owner and president of Colorado Mountain Home Properties.

Jeannie Cafarelli ’81, marketing, East Falmouth, has her own freelance agency, Ocean Promotions, specializing in graphic design, media placement, promotions, writing/editing, and photography. Web site is www. oceanpromotions.net. Kathy Dooley ’81, human resource man-

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Cla ss No t e s agement, is marketing manager for TAC Worldwide Companies in Dedham. Janet Clifford Kawa ’82, MBA, of Dartmouth, reports that after 24 years of teaching, she has opened her own business, a franchise, CLUB Z, which provides in-home tutoring service.

William C. McGowan ’82, sociology, of Taunton married Tami Rae in September 2004. He is a probation officer for the trial court of Massachusetts. Suzanne Fleming Owens ’82, textile chemistry, Branford, CT, is the vice president of sales & marketing for Kenyon International, Inc. Sandra Schutt ’82, nursing, is a nurse at Wareham High School and an associate member of the Board of Health. She and her husband David have three children, Anya, Robert and Phillip, and four grandchildren, Hannah, McKenna, Tyler and Ryan.

Debi Verseckes ’82, marketing, is the business manager of A&C Associates, Inc. a commercial real estate company in Framingham.

Donna L. Caisse ’83, medical technology, Fall River, received her law degree from Roger Williams University’s Ralph R. Papitto School of Law this past May. Regina Gardner Milan ’83, visual design & illustration, received a certificate of merit in the juried National Exhibition of “Native Flora: Botanical Treasures of the Northeastern Seaboard.” She was accepted to the Botanical Illustration Certificate program through the Society of Botanical Artists in London.

Stephen Beale ’84, chemistry, has been named senior vice president of marketing and sales and chief scientific officer for Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories, Inc.

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He will relocate from Groton, CT, to ABC headquarters in Columbia, MO. Beale has more than 15 years experience in varied positions in pharmaceuticals and academe in the U.S. and Europe. He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry with G.D. Searle and Company; prior to that, he was associate professor of chemistry at the University of Alabama/Birmingham. Beale earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Indiana University/ Bloomington, and was a postdoctorate fellow at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Gena P. Rumbel ’84, mechanical engineering technology, of Colchester, CT writes “we would love to hear from our old friends” at rumbles@adelphia.net. Jay Gillis ’84, marketing, his wife, Debbie, and their four children live in Stafford, VA. He is employed by the US Army. John Pinto, Jr. ’84, textile design, of Norton, is working as a nurse. Married for more than 19 years, he and his wife have two very artistic children. Adam J. Carriuolo ’85, visual design, of Rehoboth is the senior artist for Tilted Mill Entertainment.

Sandra Paiva-Silva ’86, marketing, has been promoted to vice president/team leader of financial administrative support at Citizens Bank. Maria Pinto Fitzgerald ’87, management, is a department manager for Geo Centers, Inc. at the Naval Submarine Base in New London, CT. Kevin Craig ’88, English literature, has been living and working in New York City as an actor and a member of both Actors Equity Union and the Screen Actors Guild.

“Most recently I appeared in the Broadway productions of “The Boy From Oz” and “Chicago”,

Your letters The following is a letter to English Professor Jerry Blitefield Dear Mr. Blitefield, It’s been over 2 years since we spoke last.

I wanted to write you this short note, to let you know that I am truly thankful for all that you taught me during my time at UMass. It was really the toughest period of my life so far. The challenges of working over 40 hours a week, being a full-time student, a full-time dad, and a writer for the Standard-Times weren’t easy to juggle.

You may remember how obsessed I was with the entertainment industry and with New York. After graduation, I moved to NYC with nothing more than $1,000, (and) the determination to follow my dreams and to become an example to my daughter Hailey. I wanted to, and still want to, show her that doing what you want in life is possible if you just get out there and make it happen. It sounds corny, but it’s so true.

I worked in various industries when I first got here. I waited tables, gave tours at a day spa, retailed at a Sears store, etc. I finally answered an ad in the NY Times. An old-time and famous Broadway press agent named Max Eisen was looking for an assistant. He didn’t have time to look at my resume or see me when I came to his office, but I waited for him in the lobby of his 44th Street office all afternoon, until he came down and had time to speak to me. That little stunt alone got me the job and since then I’ve been working out here as a press agent myself.

I’ve had the opportunity to put my writing to use for the publicity of people like Julius Nasso (was producer for many a Steven Segal flick) Christian Slater, Kathleen Turner, Deborah Cox, and many other great names on Broadway. I’ve also done publicity for people like Dale Wasserman, who wrote “Man of La Mancha.”

It’s been a dream come true. I’m making okay money (enough for my own three-bedroom in Queens) and working right in the heart of Times Square.

For my clients, I’ve been able to get them exposure in some of the world’s best known publications like the New York Times, The Post, NY Daily News and the New Yorker, (and on) the “Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” etc.

I really must thank you, because you were the only professor and teacher I had who actually instilled a certain confidence into myself and my writing. You challenged the way I thought. You challenged me as a writer. I thank you for that.

In any case, I didn’t come here EXPECTING the world to see me as a great writer, but I did come here WILLING to prove it. I’m working on it slowly and working on

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Alumni Profile Karen A. Medeiros ’88, marketing, was

moving into broadcast journalism.

It’s been a full two years of nothing but opportunity for me, and I don’t want to celebrate the anniversary without thanking someone who played an instrumental role in helping me to feel confident as a writer. It was in there somewhere, but you really helped to bring it out.

I was never so proud, ever in my life, as when my daughter told me what she had told her teacher one day in class.

“My daddy is a writer in New York!” she said proudly. At that exact moment, every 7 am class, 20-page paper and sleepless night paid off.

THANKS A MILLION!!!! You are an incredible person and teacher and I will not forget it.

I hope the administration at UMass Dartmouth knows how lucky they are to have you as part of their faculty. I know I am not alone in feeling this way. Many people I talk to from my days there feel the same. Consider this a thank you from them as well.

Daniel Demello ’03 39-49 57th St. Lower level, Woodside, NY 11377 Campus growth continues to impress After reading through the spring edition of the Alumni Magazine, I’m impressed with the continued growth of the UMass Dartmouth campus, its academic programs, and faculty. As an alum (Medical Laboratory Science ’99), I now have even more pride in UMass Dartmouth than I did when giving campus tours almost five years ago (and I was quite the cheerleader at the time). My personal and professional life were well-supported by the university, and the undergraduate education and career experience I received have proven to be invaluable in such a short time.

I’m not sure if you’re still in need of Alumni Ambassadors. However, I would be interested in additional information and offer my time to assist in any way possible.

Kind regards, Ian R. Lemieux ’99, MPH, CLS(NCA) Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge

named business development manager of Gilbane Building Co. and Gilbane Properties, Inc. in Needham. She leads sales and marketing activities in Massachusetts for the Special Projects Group, encompassing the private higher education market as well as public K-12 projects in Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties. She assists clients in planning and implementing projects. She lives in Somerset with her husband John and children Courtney & Ryan, and chairs the Somerset School Committee, on which she has served since 2002. and was in the closing Broadway cast of “Les Miserables.” I was also in the national tours of “Les Miserables” and “Annie Get Your Gun.” Craig has done numerous Off-Broadway productions as well as television commercial work (both local and national), and extra and guest roles on several television shows filmed on location in New York City. He lives with his partner and cat Remy.

Michelle C. LeBlanc-Murray ’88, political science, and her husband, Attorney Michael J. Murray, announce the adoption of their first child, Matthew James, born in December 2004, in Springfield, Missouri. Steven J. Baden ’89, history, Fairhaven, has graduated from the University of Iowa with a Ph.D. in history.

He received his master’s degree in history from the University of Connecticut, and teaches history part-time at UMass Dartmouth.

Please tell us your news— and visit us online at: www.umassd.edu/alumni Please tell us about yourselves — your families, your careers, your hobbies, what you’re doing.

Send news to UMass Dartmouth, Alumni Office Foster Administration Building 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, ma 02747-2300.

Or email Nancy Tooley at ntooley@umassd.edu.

Angeline Lopes Ellison ’89, political science, writes: “If you don’t already know, Mike and I are excited to announce the birth of our daughter Casey Layla Ellison.

She weighed 7 lbs, 8 ozs., and measured 20 inches. She is definitely more boisterous than her sibling Nina; by the way, they are getting along wonderfully.” A for-

mer UMass Dartmouth employee, Ellison is interim dean of student affairs at UMass Boston.

’90s

Anne Dellacona Chambers ’90, accounting, is the owner of Soup Works restaurant in North Attleboro. Rick Schraub ’90, economics, of Reno, NV, works as the branch manager of Robert Half International, and is married with a daughter and twin sons. Paul Rauker ’92, accounting, has a son, Samuel, and daughter, Grace. The Rauker family lives in Woodbury, MN, where he is the director of e-business for 3M. Thom W. Rawson ’91, computer information science, of Nagasaki-Ken, Japan, writes: “I’ve been living in Japan since August 2001. I’m teaching English in a commercial technical senior high school to Japanese students. Prior to that, I worked in the IT field in and around Boston for about 10 years including a stint in Montreal, Canada and Dublin, Ireland.” Traci DiGiorgio Robie ’92, mechanical engineering, and her husband had a daughter, Sienna, this past February. She is the operations manager at Wellesley College.

Ana E. Marques ’93, humanities and social services, of New Bedford, is director of admissions and marketing at Sacred Heart Home. She previously was director of admissions at Brandon Woods in Dartmouth, and admissions director and social worker at Blaire House in New Bedford.

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From our man in Afghanistan Just got back from two months in the Middle East and Central Asia. I made it back to northern Afghanistan to visit the warlord Dostum (above left) and gave him a copy of the UMass Dartmouth (December 2003) Alumni Magazine. He loved it! He showed off to all of his commanders (each of whom must lead 1,000 troops to be in his inner council) and I got it all on film.

This guy is Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Army, the warlord who brought down the Communist regime in Afghanistan in 1992, and a man whose own private militia has 50,000 fighters (he also has a ‘hit’ out on Bin Laden). What does he do in his spare time ….He checks up on his UMass Dartmouth alumni news!

Prof. Brian Glyn Williams, history University professors leave lasting mark After being in the Washington, DC area for over 10 years, I moved to Richmond in August 2005 to accept the job of senior risk assessor for the Commonwealth of Virginia. I am still amazed at how UMass professors, such as Dr. (Chang-Ning) Wu, Dr. (Alan) Bates, Dr. (Geraldine) Gamburd, and Dr. (Jack) Stauder, still have an impact on my professional life. UMass Dartmouth was great in the ’80s. And when there was nothing on campus, you could drive for less than an hour and be in Newport, Boston, Providence, or Mattapoisett, or catching the ferry to the Vineyard.

Carlos (Barbosa) A. Martins ’87 Richmond, VA Martins, a multidisciplinary studies major, is environmental risk assessor for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

We welcome your letters. Please send them to: Alumni Office, 285 Old Westport Rd., North Dartmouth MA 02747; email: umassd.alumni@umassd.edu

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Linnea Hultgren Sciarappa ’93, mathematics, is a production manager for Eastern Acoustic Works in Whitinsville. She and her husband Jason have two daughters, Sophia and Olivia, and live in Charlton. Brian Dailey ’94, English, of Woodstock, GA, is athletics director and dean of students at St. Francis School in Roswell, north of Atlanta. He is engaged to Robyn Michelle Lince, of Marietta, and plans to marry next June. Andrew P. Flanagan ’94, business information systems, has proposed to Susan Sheehan, with a North Conway, NH, mountain-top wedding planned for October. The couple lives on Mt. Desert Island, Bar Harbor, ME. James Nissen ’94, electrical engineering, is an engineer at EMC Corporation in Franklin. Robert Perry ’94, civil engineering, of North Easton has joined Corporate Environmental Advisors Inc. as regional manager of its Plymouth office. Previously, Perry was manager of environmental services for the Boston regional office of Clayton Group Services Inc. Mike St. Onge ’94, finance, is corporate controller for accounting and administration for Cirelli Foods, the largest family-owned broadline food service distributor in New England. He has an MBA from Bryant University, and most recently was assistant controller at Agar Foods, Taunton.

He lives with his wife Stephanie and daughter in Acushnet.

John R. Guarino ’95, mechanical engineering, began work for Raytheon in June 1995, the day after earning his degree.

He received the Raytheon Aldo Miccioli Scholarship and enrolled at Tufts University to earn his masters degree. He returned to Raytheon in September 2000, and manages the Underwater Systems and Analysis Section in the Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Mechanical Engineering Directorate. Leonard Mello ’95, and Lisa Camara ‘95, both accounting, are married and live in East Freetown. He is the CFO of CHILD, Inc. in Warwick,

RI, and she is a senior financial analyst with Invensys of Foxboro.

Stephanie Sears ’94, multidisciplinary studies, of Merrimac, married Kristofer Smith in November 2004. She works in marketing and sales for a Woburn company, and he works for a commercial plumbing company. Christina Morgano Braga ’95, accounting, married Kevin L. Parker at Las Vegas Garden of Love Chapel this past January. She is finance director for Standing Together Against Rape in Anchorage, AL. Tara L. Davis ’95, biology, Worcester, instructs developmental courses at Quinsigamond Community College. Catherine Yates ’95, textile design, works as a teacher in Vermont. Aaron D. Fox ’96, electronic imagery/photography, married Shari L. Fried in September 2004. He is art director of Basement Club Studios. Sheila Johnson ’96, English, Marshfield, teaches English and social studies at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston. Stephen Millar ’96, finance, is an analyst for the private equity division of Bank of America. He lives in Somerset with his wife, Melissa, and their dog Bear. They were to have their first child this fall.

Joseph M. Vieira Jr. ’96, mechanical engineering, of Suffolk, VA, works as the senior engineer for

Deaths Harvey Crook Jr. NBTS Albert A. Silva NBTI Chris Warrington NBIT Stephen J. Spulock ‘67 Wayne J. Leshyk ’68 Frances Lussier ‘70 John R. Violette ‘71 William “Bill” C. Mills ’72 Ann Marie “Annie” Barrow ’74 Charles Rose ’75 Michael W. Florek ‘76 Raymond Belli ’76 Bernie Baker ‘88 Arlene Mello ‘89 Jean Ann Muldoon Mastey ’95 Racolle L. Thomas ‘97

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Electric Boat Corporation. Jennifer L McCarthy ’96, English, is the assistant registrar for scheduling at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Philip Lavoie ’97, business information systems/marketing, Chicago, works in sales for Cyber-Ark Software. June A. Voisine ’97, sociology, is a selfemployed paralegal and substitute teacher. Jocelyn A. Messie ’98, business management and business information systems, married Scott J. Perry in July 2004. She works as an IT assistant for a local credit union.

Tanya Quinlan ’98, management, is married, lives in Westport, and has two daughters, Brianna and Marissa. She works for Coyne Insurance of Westport.

Matthew Schafman ’99 of Tempe, AZ, who is a web designer for Appolo Group, Inc., wed Garnet Doerrmann ’99, business information systems. Jami Shamberge ’99, psychology, of Dedham works as an admission counselor at Lasell College in Newton.

’00-04

Amy DonovanGordon ’00, art education, has taught art at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School since graduation. She married Scott Gordon, the science department head and chemistry teacher at the same high school, in July 2004 on the beach in Venice, FL. They have a home in Dover, NH, and she is pursuing a master’s degree in art education. Jennifer M. Dufresne ’01, accounting, and Craig Burnes were married in 2003. The couple resides in East Wareham. Rosalind Goodrich ’01, Spanish, is an account service consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts in Boston. Carolyn Elizabeth Howcroft ’01, sociology/criminal justice, New Bedford, and Carl John Colangelo were married last June and honeymooned in Hawaii. Howcroft is a children’s advocate for a domestic violence agency. Jason M. Karaffa ’01, political science, is a student at the University of Virginia School

of Law in Charlottesville. This summer, he worked as a summer associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP. Meghan E. Kelley ’01, textile sciences, married Alex H. Bruce ’00, mechanical engineering, last October. She is a credentialing specialist for Carondelet Health Network. The couple lives in Vail, CO. Jessica N. Pabo ’01, sculpture/3D studies, works as a student life specialist at Austin Community College in Texas. David Pike ’01, management, Fall River, is married, and has a daughter and son. He works as a home-based independent distributor, and enjoys watching the Patriots and Red Sox. Jessica Sylvia ’01, nursing, and Nathan Sorelle ’03, marine biology, were married in August 2004. She works as a registered nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital, while he is a water chemist at Groundwater Analytical Buzzards Bay. Jennifer Branco-Caton ’02 married Timothy Gaspar ’03 this past June. Stephanie O’Brien ’02, marketing, and James ‘Jamie’ Carroll ’03, had a son, Cameron Dennis Carroll, in March. He is a former UMass Dartmouth hockey player, and she is a former university cheerleader. They planned to wed in October. Courtney Flynn ’03, electronic Imaging/photography, Brighton, works as a project manager for Euro RSCG 4D in Boston. Eric Koehle ’03, marketing, Boston, works at State Street Bank. Inês da Silva Paulino ’03, political science and Portuguese, married Paul Leite ’03, mechanical engineering, in November 2004. They honeymooned in Aruba, Curacao, St. Marten, and St. Thomas on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and live in Mystic, CT. Beth Ann Varone O’Brien ’04, sociology, Stoughton, is a project assistant for the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators in Braintree. Phoebe S. Potte ’04, nursing, is a cardiac/telemetry nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and is studying for her master’s degree at UMass Dartmouth. She intends to pursue a doctorate in nursing.

The UMass Dartmouth campus is continually changing, with new academic and residential buildings. Come visit the campus and see all that has been built and what’s under construction.

Students living in the Woodlands residence halls have easy access to the main campus.

The Woodlands Community Center houses performance areas and meeting rooms.

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From the President

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everal weeks ago the university said good bye to its Alumni Relations Director, Don Berube, who served the institution and its 40,000 alumni with distinction for nearly four years. He becomes executive director of the Association of New England Title Agents. Although he will certainly be missed, his new position presents a wonderful opportunity for him to grow personally and professionally.

Joining UMass Dartmouth in January 2002, Don quickly reinvigorated the alumni association. His commitment to a focused mission, efficient meetings, and providing timely information about campus events enabled the board to breathe new life into a dynamic alumni network.

Finances have experienced a dramatic turnaround.

Despite a decrease in university funding in the first two years of Don’s tenure, last year the association realized its first surplus in over seven years. Don has engineered several affinity initiatives to bring in guaranteed revenue for the association. His fiscal management has ensured sound financial ground, with only a small sum owed to the university.

Don’s tremendous leadership is further evidenced by a

Support your Alumni Association

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with the UMass Dartmouth Alumni Association Visa© Platinum card.

Apply today by calling 1.800.853.5576 extension 8356. Visit www.umassd.edu/ alumni/member/affinity.cfm for more Umass Dartmouth alumni membership benefits.

U.S. Bank National Association ND, is creditor and issuer of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Alumni Association Visa Platinum Card. ©2004 U.S. Bank

UMass

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D a r t m o u t h

revamped membership program. Working with the board, he aggressively pursued a strategy aimed at increasing association membership. His efforts paid off as membership has more than tripled under his tenure. As a result of this impressive membership campaign, more money has been raised through alumni dues this year than in the previous two years combined.

Most importantly, Don has significantly improved communications with alumni. Through his steadfast determination, he successfully secured funding to produce the university’s first true alumni magazine, the first of which was under budget and distributed a week earlier than projected.

This is the magazine’s sixth issue, and each continues to improve upon the previous. Don has utilized a number of university resources for the alumni web site, which provides an effective way for alumni to connect with the university.

Don’s accomplishments and his legacy have created an environment in which the university system now views the alumni operation with more respect and influence. There was no greater display of the association’s newfound stature than when UMass President Jack Wilson attended the alumni board’s retreat last summer at Don’s request.

Don represents the high caliber of UMass Dartmouth alums. I wish Don success in his future endeavors, and look forward to working with his successor to ensure that the foundation he leaves behind is built upon.

Michael Rodrigues ’83 Alumni Association President

stop worrying about your student loans We can help Call us at 1.800.961.6937 to get a loan with a great fixed rate for the life of the loan. Visit www.umassd.edu/ alumni/studentloans

Pilgrim Foundation’s Dr. Richard Gross with College of Nursing faculty (l-r) Janet Kenty, Jeanne Leffers, Gina Anker, Sonja Peterson, Susan Hunter, Barbara Weatherford, and Gail Russell at last spring’s Gala.

To learn more about opportunities to give to UMass Dartmouth, call 508.999.8011, or go online: www.umassd.edu/ alumni/donate.cfm

Pilgrim Foundation offers a legacy of care

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Since many persons are managing fficially, the Pilgrim Foundation dissolved last sumtheir own illnesses, Dluhy believes nurses mer. But it found a novel, notable way to continue must be trained to assist these individuals. its support for improved health care, with the Through the fellowship program, the College of Nursing as the beneficiary.

College of Nursing wants also to address illThe Foundation, an insurance and non-profit outreach nesses, such as asthma, that affect children, as organization comprising physicians from Plymouth, Bristol well as mental health issues that impact the lives of and Norfolk counties, presented its assets to the College in people of all ages. the form of a $500,000 donation. That means expanded The Pilgrim contribution will support a cause that opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate with will benefit students, faculty, and ultimately, patients. leaders in the critical field of chronic illness.

Given the goals of both the university and the Pilgrim The Foundation has provided educational programs Foundation, “it seemed like a natural fit,” says Dluhy. She and scholarships for students and professionals in nursing also finds exciting the prospect of a variety of and pharmacology. “It was natural for us to specialists coming to campus, thus increasing continue supporting education for nurses,” says “ We felt the best the diversity of the curriculum.

Dr. Richard Gross, Foundation president and Gross says the Foundation’s choice of a use of the funds Middleboro physician. beneficiary was not hard to make. Members are “We felt the best use of the funds was to supwas to support the impressed with the university’s commitment port the nursing school right here in southeast Massachusetts.” nursing school right and service to geriatrics through its gerontology programs.

The state matched the Foundation’s sizeable here in southeast “I’ve seen several of the UMass courses gift, bringing the endowment to $750,000. from the eyes of a parent,” adds Gross. His Since the Nursing College has a strong emphaMassachusetts.” daughter Sarah is a 2004 graduate, with sis on the study of chronic illness, administrators a degree in biology, and her experiences and faculty worked with the Foundation to demonstrated the outstanding quality of a UMass establish the Pilgrim Foundation Chronic Illness Fellowship, Dartmouth education. says Chancellor Professor of Nursing Nancy Dluhy.

“I’ve been impressed with the high quality of the “We will be able to invite a renowned faculty member teaching, the caliber of the program, the rigor of from somewhere else to come to the university—major the courses,” he says, especially in the areas of names in the area of chronic illness, such as a lead person anatomy and physiology, biology, and pharin diabetes or cancer management.” Each semester, starting macology. The university “is accomplishnext fall, a new fellow will teach and do research. ing a lot every day, so it was an ideal The fellowship is both timely and relevant. The Centers choice.” for Disease Control report that chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, are the leading causes of death

By Dana Gierdowski, UMass and disability in America.

Dartmouth graduate writing Dr. Gross knows that the treatment and management of student chronic illnesses are among the most pressing health issues facing our aging population. “Nurses are taking on a progressively greater role, and managing care for the elderly in nursing homes and assisted living homes,” says Gross, who has been practicing medicine for 28 years.

Adds Dluhy, “Chronic illness is now the bulk of management for people in health care, where years ago it was acute infections. That brings up a whole new set of issues for nurses to address.”

Alexey Sergeev photo

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