Protecting Green: Lisa Smith ’87 Volunteers as

Protecting Green

O S W E G O ★ ★ ★ 10 0 % O R G A N I C GREEN

Lisa Smith ’87 is making the most of her retirement. After 27 years of service, she retired from the Colorado Springs Fire Department as a firefighter and a paramedic after a distinguished career, which included being part of the team that fought the largest fire in Colorado’s history and helping to set the world record for the fastest women’s relay in the Firefighter Combat Challenge in 2009. She is the first African American woman to achieve a standard retirement with that department. But before retiring from firefighting, the U.S. Army veteran started working toward a new goal—a second career as an outdoor enthusiast. The Oswego zoology major enrolled in an associate’s degree in both outdoor education and park ranger technology—which she is now putting to good use as a volunteer outdoor educator and park patroller. She is also using the extra time that comes with retirement to hike, backpack, camp (even in winter), rock climb and snowshoe in the Rocky Mountains. “You can take the girl out of the Upstate New York snow belt, but snow and winter sports are in her blood,” she said.

REUNION 2020 UPDATE

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, we regret to inform you that Reunion Weekend 2020 was canceled. A special website was created in honor of the Class of 1970, whose members are inducted into the Golden Anniversary Society, marking 50 years since their college graduation. Check out a slideshow of photos, and updates from classmates at alumni.oswego.edu/1970. Please visit the Reunion website to get the latest updates on how we will be celebrating with all of you—in particular our milestone anniversary classes and groups: alumni.oswego.edu/ reunion.

In the meantime, please share your updates with us virtually at: alumni.oswego.edu/classnote.

SUNY OSWEGO

Class Notes

From The Archive This photo was submitted by Ken Stone ’74 and was taken in September 1972 from atop of the newly installed 700-foot-tall smokestack at the energy plant looking west toward campus. Stone said that at the time Niagara Mohawk and Stone & Webster Engineering were converting the steam station from coal to oil.

See more photos at magazine.oswego.edu.

Ken and his industrial arts classmates took a class field trip to the power station to learn about the plant’s operation and “how the smokestack was constructed using a continuously poured concrete form process.” Ken rode in a metal cage elevator to the top of the smokestack. He said: “I found the cage cramped with three aboard. The swaying ride up inside this huge concrete tube was eerily quiet but exhilarating. It was a crisp, clear, sunny fall day. On top you stood on wooden planks battling a stiff breeze. The view was breathtaking. You could see 35 miles to the horizon.”

Do you have a favorite photo from your college days that you’d like featured in an alumni communication? Send the photo and a description, along with your name and class year, to alumni@oswego.edu; or King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

SUBMITTING A CLASS NOTE To submit your class note, email alumni@oswego.edu, call 315-312-2258 or complete the class note form online at alumni.oswego.edu. You can also mail submissions to the OSWEGO Alumni Magazine, King Alumni Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

1950s Doreen Henley Manning ’51 lives in Rush, N.Y. In 1950, she married Harold Manning ’51, who is a World War II veteran and U.S.

Navy Seabee. She shared that the couple loved their campus housing in Splinter Village during their time in Oswego. 1960s Margaret (Peg) Garno McKinstry ’65 of Oswego is the office manager for the Oswego County Republican Committee. She is active in Leadership Oswego County and the Oswego County Historical Society. Daniel Teed ’68 of Watkins Glen, N.Y., is a retired industrial arts teacher for Watkins Glen Central School. He is chairman of Schuyler County Farm Protection Committee. John Burke ’69 of Clayton, N.Y., is Chancellor Emeritus for Penn State Behrend College in Erie, Pa. Sharon Lyons Santoro ’69 of Fulton, N.Y., is active in community organizations and enjoys traveling throughout the United States.

Build Your Legacy

“When I entered the 500-student

Oswego Normal School in fall 1941,

I had no idea of the impact it would make on my life. “Our support of Oswego is dedicated to student scholarships .

We are interested in helping kids get through school and acquire lifetime skills, particularly in light of higher cost of education.” – Dave Parker ’47 1970s Georgene “Georgie” Megas Bramley ’70 of Wilmington, N.C., has been teaching education classes and supervising student teachers part-time at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for the last 13 years. She met her husband, Dave Bramley ’70, her freshman year at Oswego. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 15, 2020. Richard Melzer ’71 retired after 40 years teaching history at the University of New Mexico-Valencia campus. Ellen Hughes ’72 is the president of the Waterloo (N.Y.) Board of Education. She was first elected to the nine-member board in 2015 and re-elected in 2018. Bill Roberts ’72 was identified by the compensation, culture and career monitoring website Comparably, as among the top-ranked CEOs for diversity, based on ratings from a pool of ethnically diverse employees. He is president and chief executive officer and serves as vice chair of the

Dave Parker ’47, and his wife, Jane, are members of the Sheldon Legacy Society, in recognition of their commitment to leave SUNY Oswego in their estate plans.

Become a member of the Sheldon Legacy Society by including Oswego in your will and help strengthen the perpetual bridge from the past to the future.

Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/plannedgiving, or email sheldonlegacy@oswego.edu.

board for GEICO in Chevy Chase, Md. In December 2019, he announced his intentions to retire in December 2020 after 35 years of service with the insurer. Richard Cobello ’73 of Greenfield Center, N.Y., is chief information security officer for Schenectady County. Charles “Chuck” Durante ’73 of The Villages, Fla., and Fayetteville, N.Y., received the 2019 Distinguished Part-Time Faculty Award at Lake Sumter State College in Leesburg, Fla., where he teaches courses on business computer applications. He holds an MBA from Syracuse University. Don Purce ’73 of Cutler Bay, Fla., recalls living in Oswego, N.Y., as a child and attending kindergarten in the Campus School while his father, Charles “Chuck” Purce ’56, was taking classes toward his bachelor’s degree. Don notes that he graduated twice from Oswego—once in 1956 from kindergarten and then again with his bachelor’s in history in 1973. His father became a teacher in Hornell, N.Y. Today Don is chief executive officer of PsychSolutions Inc., a children’s mental health and substance abuse agency, in Miami, Fla. Arthur Salisch ’74 of Princeton Junction, N.J., is an account director for The Nielsen Company in New York City. John Piper ’75 of Charlottesville, Va., is president and managing partner for Mutual Choices Consulting. Renée L. Kavanagh Susman ’75 is 2019’s Nassau BOCES School Librarian of the Year. She met her husband, Harvey ’76, at Oswego; they have been married for 43 years. Ken Allis ’77 of Pelham, N.H., is president of Resource Office Furniture in Salem, N.H.

Steve Chirello ’77 (above right) received a Melvin Jones Fellowship, the highest form of Lions International’s recognition to acknowledge an individual’s dedication to humanitarian service. In 2017, Steve, who is the past president and a member of the Fulton Lions for more than 35 years, received the Lions’ prestigious Robert J. Uplinger Award, which honors outstanding Lions who perform exemplary service to the club, district or community. He owns Steve Chirello Advertising in Fulton, N.Y.

Brian Moran ’77 (above) of Ashburn, Va., retired from 40 years of public service with the federal government. He served overseas on three continents and visited dozens of countries. His hobbies include historical research and presentations, writing, travel and photography. Sharon Kelly ’78 of Lowville, N.Y., retired from her position as a special education teacher for the South Lewis School District in Turin, N.Y. Peter VanWart ’78 moved to Stanley, N.C., in 2019. David Braun ’79 of Gilbert, Ariz., is an attorney. David Griswold ’79 of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a shipping manager for Q Link Wireless in Dania, Fla.

1980s Philip Catalano ’80 of Manlius, N.Y., is controller for Keuka College in Keuka Park, N.Y. Betty Meyer Fuller ’80 of Schenectady, N.Y., is an investigator for the New York Justice Center. Steven Hastings ’81 of Columbia, S.C., is vice president of claims for Seibels. Steven was previously senior vice president of claims at Sedgwick in Orlando and claims director at Fireman’s Fund Insurance. He also has experience working at Nationwide Insurance and Aetna Life and Casualty. Robin Dworkin Yenk ’81 of Morganville, N.J., is chief executive officer of RMJ Benefits Group, which specializes in employee benefits, health insurance and Medicare supplements. She spent 27 years as vice president of finance with Lehman Brothers and Oppenheimer Management. David Allen ’82 of Highland Falls, N.Y., is an athletic trainer for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has been selected as an athletic trainer and massage therapist to Team USA’s Track & Field Team at the XVIII Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Andrew Chiappinelli ’82, Ph.D., of Easton, Pa., retired after a 33-year career as an elementary school guidance counselor in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. In retirement, he works in the maintenance and groundskeeping department for St. Francis Retreat House in Easton. Dave Parisi ’82 of Harrisburg, N.C., received the Robotics Educations Competition Foundations 2019 Inspiration All Star Award and was inducted into its STEM Hall of Fame at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, Ky., in 2019. Dave has entered his 18th year teaching technology education and coaching (Wrestling/Robotics) for Jay M. Robinson High School in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. His VEX Robotics team, 5139 A-E, has represented North Carolina at the World Championships for the past six years. Dave initiated the VEX competitive platform in North Carolina six years ago and currently oversees five high school teams and four elementary and middle school VEX IQ community teams. He is also the co-director of Cabarrus County Schools VEX program. Dave sought and received a district-wide grant from the REC Foundation and implemented competitive robotics in all 35 (elementary through high) schools throughout the county. Michelle Klinger Wellner ’82 of Weston, Fla., is director of product development and category management for Spohn Global in Tamarac, Fla. Randy Zeigler ’82 of Oswego is a private wealth advisor for Ameriprise Financial Services. Mary Claire Helmer ’83 is a board member for the Morrisville (N.Y.) College Foundation. She is a reading teacher in the Troy (N.Y.) City School District, where she has served for more than 20 years.