NEWBUILDING T

IN 2007

WAYNE MORGAN, '70, NAMED HEAD

BASKETBALL COACH AT IOWA STATEWayne Morgan, '70, a member of the WCC men's bas-

ketball team from 1968-1970, has been named Iowa StateUniversity’s 17th men’s basketball coach. The announce-ment was made in May by ISU athletics director Bruce VanDe Velde. “Wayne is a person of outstanding integrity andwill represent the University in a first-class manner at alltimes,” said Van De Velde. “He is a player’s coach and willbring to the program a sense of unity and teamwork. Waynehas enjoyed success as both an assistant and head coachat the highest levels. He's the right person at the right timeto lead Iowa State University’s men’s basketball program.”

Morgan, with over 30 years of coaching experience,spent last season as an assistant at Iowa State, joining theCyclones' basketball staff in July 2002. Before that he wasthe 2000 NABC District 15 Coach of the Year, head coach atLong Beach State and long-time assistant at Syracuse.

Morgan also had a solid playing career, beginning withhis two years at Westchester Community College, duringwhich he helped the team to 54 wins.

"Wayne was the first kid I ever recruited to play basket-

ball," said retired WCCcoach Ralph Arietta,who still keeps in touchwith Morgan regularly.

"I got him fromWingate High School inBrooklyn," said Arietta,who started coaching atWCC in 1967. "Heturned out to be an out-standing player and aperfect gentleman, andI'm really proud that hegot his start atWestchester."

As a member of the2002-03 Cyclone staff,Morgan helped ISU to its 13th postseason appearance inthe last 19 seasons. A top-notch recruiter, he was instru-mental in helping the Cyclones sign a nationally rankedrecruiting class in 2003. The 52-year-old Morgan has beeninvolved in 12 NCAA Tournaments, seven regular-seasonconference titles, three NIT appearances and has tutorednumerous players who have gone on to NBA careers.“Wayne has shown the talent, energy, skill and characterneeded to lead our men’s basketball program,” said IowaState President Gregory Geoffroy.

After leaving WCC, Morgan went on to St. LawrenceUniversity in Canton, New York where he began his coach-ing career as an assistant and earned a Bachelor's degree inPhysical Education. He then went to Ithaca College wherehe assisted with the basketball team and received hisMaster’s degree in 1974. The following year he got his firsthead coaching job at Dutchess Community College inPoughkeepsie.

Morgan spent nine years coaching at Dartmouth andXavier before landing a job at Syracuse, where he gainedrespect as one of the best assistant coaches in the nationfrom 1984-96. Morgan’s work as a recruiter helped Syra-cuse land some of the nation’s best prospects. From 1996to 2002 Morgan spent six years as head coach at Long BeachState, where he compiled a 91-84 overall mark and a 55-39record in the Big West Conference.

Morgan, who was born in Brooklyn in 1950, lives inAmes, Iowa with his wife, Maribeth, and their three chil-dren: Jerusha (20), Shayne (6) and Ciara (4).

Eugene F. ("Buzz") Keefe, former Westchester Com-munity College athletic director, Physical Education chair-man, teacher, men’s basketball coach, track coach, crosscountry coach and golf coach, passed away on June 18,2004. He was 92 years old.

The legendary "Buzz" Keefe began his 30-year ca-reer at WCC in 1948. Over the next three decades hebecame the "soul" of the college's Physical EducationDepartment: he knew every student and was a teacher, acoach, an adviser and a friend to each one.

The Keefe family has requested that donations in hismemory be made to St. Bernard's Church in White Plainsor to the Westchester Community College Foundation.

In Memoriam

WCC CLASS HELPS RETIREES MASTER eBayMainstream, WCC's Institute for Mature Adults, is of-

fering a class entitled "Buying and Selling on eBay." Thepoint of the class, which is taught by Howard Millman ofCroton, is to master the complexities of online auctioning--and to have fun doing it.

The dozen or so retirees enrolled at any one time arethere for various reasons. Some of them are looking for away to get rid of decades of items that have accumulated intheir garage or attic over the years. They hate to throw thethings out, and selling on eBay is less strenuous than hav-ing a garage sale. Others are there because they are lookingfor an extra source of income. Still others are anxious to getin on some of those fantastic bargains they've been hearingabout, but they just don't know how to get started.

The first part of the course consists of learning the ba-sics, such as registering, browsing and reading feedbackfrom other eBay users. Subsequent lessons walk studentsthrough the process of listing and selling an item, settingprices and establishing accounts for handling payments.

Learn how to find things you want quickly, compete forthe best price, and protect yourself against fraud. Becomea savvy seller by learning to protect your price with reserveand minimum prices, take and upload digital images anduse escrow services to be sure you get paid!

Instructor Howard Millman says his own success usingeBay to sell antiques, computer software, jewelry and otheritems inspired him to start the class and says that's also thetop reason students sign up.

Many seniors know how to buy on eBay but need tolearn how to sell. One of Millman's recent students wantedto sell off 40 years worth of "wonderful stuff" so that shecould move to a smaller house. Another woman, an admit-ted eBay addict, had bought so many items from the onlineauction that she had no more room in her house and nowneeded to learn how to re-sell her acquisitions.

The course consists of three 3-hour sessions and costs$60. To register for the fall, or to find out about other Main-stream course offerings, call 785-6793.

Believing that the family that learns together earns to-gether, two generations of one family donned caps andgowns on May 20th to graduate with more than 1,200 otherstudents from Westchester Community College.

Deana Shields, 49, will now return to her job atWestchester Medical Center with a two-year nursing de-gree. Larry Shields, 50, will seek employment with his de-gree in computer networking, and Carl Evans Shields, 23,will use his degree in culinary arts to earn his way towardowning a restaurant.

“This was my brainstorm,” Deana Shields said. “Now,my whole family has a degree and a piece of paper.” TheShields' other son, Larry Jr., is also a college graduate.

Larry Sr. lost hisbusiness to Sept. 11-related problems, thenunderwent surgery.Searching for work, hefound he needed anew degree to find em-ployment in the pri-vate sector. “The techdegree I had justwasn’t enough,” hesaid.

Four days a week,the Mount Vernonfamily went to schooltogether.

“I loved my expe-rience here,” Carl said.

“It made me a better person overall.”Fifty years after his own graduation from WCC, Robert

Weiss said nearly the same thing. “It allowed me to get astart,” he said. Weiss was on hand to celebrate the enor-mous changes the college has undergone since he attendedWCC classes in a converted public school in White Plains.From the college, he made his way to the Army Corps ofEngineers, continued his education and spent a lifetime inengineering, working on major transportation facilities in-cluding airports, the interstate highway and railroads.

“I hope these kids go on to a four-year college andcontinue the good work,” he said.

Weiss, a member of the WCC graduating class of 1954,was on hand for his class' 50th reunion. The "Golden Anni-versary" alumni spent the day celebrating on campus be-fore it came time to put on academic robes and lead theprocession of graduates and faculty into the ceremony.

The class of 1954 was the first to receive diplomas fromWestchester Community College. Prior to that the schoolwas called the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and

COMMENCEMENT 2004: REUNION AND RENEWAL

Members of the class of 1954 leave stage with new "diplomas"

Science, known to students simply as "State Tech."Class members attending the reunion were Patricia

Fennessey Amoon, Patrick Beldotti, Olive Britton Bennett,Marion D'Andrea Callo, Vincent Canale, James H. Connelly,Dr. Iris M. Cook, Agnes English, Joseph G. Fastiggi, Jean

The Shields family, l. to r. Carl,Larry Sr., and Deana

Continued on page 4

Wayne Morgan

Saturday, October 16Register Now for Alumni Day!

For Schedule and Registration Form, see back page.

WCCalumnews

Published by the Westchester Community College FoundationValhalla, New York

SEPTEMBER, 2004

RACHAEL FIELD, a former biology professor at WCC, isliving in a nursing home in Delmar, New York and wouldlove to hear from her old students. Her address is:

Ms. Rachael Fieldc/o Hungerford33 Montrose DriveDelmar, New York 12054

ThePresident'sCornerActor John Treacy Egan

Makes Audiences Howlin 'The Producers'

WCC ALUMNI MAKE THELIGHTS SHINE BRIGHTER ON BROADWAY

August 25, 2004

Wayne Cilento, Tony-Winning Choreographer,

Adds 'Wicked' to List of Hits

Wayne Cilento (class of 1970) has been part of the Broad-way musical scene for more than three decades. The Tony-Award-winning choreographer and musical director pres-ently has the distinction of having two hit shows--Aida andWicked--running on Broadway at the same time.

Cilento began his phenomenal Broadway career in 1973as a performer in the musical Seesaw. Over the next fiveyears he appeared in several shows including A ChorusLine, in which he played ‘Mike' and introduced “I Can DoThat”. Then in 1978 he received his first Tony nominationfor Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance inBob Fosse's Dancin'.

His career as a choreographer was launched by hisfeatured work in over 100 national TV commercials, includ-ing high profile spots for Visa, Dr. Pepper, Burger King,McDonalds, K-Mart, and Dairy Queen. But Broadway washis first love, and in 1984 he received a Tony nominationfor his choreography in Baby. His moment of triumph camein 1993 when he won the Tony Award for Best Choreogra-phy for The Who's Tommy, as well as the Drama Desk Awardand Fred Astaire Award.

One hit followed another. Cilento was honored with hisfourth Tony nomination for the hit revival of How to Suc-ceed in Business Without Really Trying starring MatthewBroderick, his fifth forDream: The Johnny Mer-cer Musical, which healso directed, and hissixth for the new hitWicked. He also choreo-graphed the long-runningmusical, Aida , and di-rected and choreographedthe critically acclaimedSpirit , a contemporaryNative American spec-tacle and award-winningPBS special.

Cilento will direct andchoreograph the Broad-way-bound musical WhyDo Fools Fall in Love?,which will play the Pasa-dena Playhouse this fall. He then turns his attention to theBroadway revival of Sweet Charity, set to premiere in Feb-ruary 2005 in Minneapolis.

“It’s going to be a challenge," said Cilento. "It’s basi-cally marked with Bob Fosse’s stuff, which is not a badthing. I feel like I’ll be true to him without copying him. Itwill be the flavor, but hopefully I’ll add a new thing to it.We’ll see. It’s going to be a challenge.”

In 1997 Wayne received the Westchester CommunityCollege Foundation's annual Alumni Voyager Award foroutstanding career achievement. He lives in Mamaroneckwith his wife Cathy and sons Brian, Keith, and Doug.

In Broadway’s “The Producers,” John Treacy Egan (classof 1983) is the larger-than-life Franz Liebkind, who can stillshed a tear for his lost Fuhrer. Wearing a Nazi helmet, bootsand a slightly weary uniform, Franz is the author of “Spring-time for Hitler,” perhaps the worst musical ever written. Heeven gets the title role.

But offstage, Egan is a cheerful, red-headed 41-year-oldactor who grew up in Larchmont and still lives there. WhereLiebkind might harbor a Doberman pinscher or at least aGerman shepherd, Egan’s live-in companion in his one-bed-room apartment is a very small 4-year-old Yorkshire terriernamed Maizie. “She’s got a big-dog mentality,” he notes.

Egan gives his all in a performance that comes roaringover the footlights, from Liebkind’s first appearance late inAct 1, when Max and Leo find him in the Village tending aflock of pigeons wearing Nazi armbands. Although he is atenor with a bachelor of fine arts degree in music, his songsas Liebkind (“In Old Bavaria”, “Der Guten Tag Hop Clop")don’t exactly reveal that. He tends to bark them out in aguttural snarl.

Egan, a genteel opposite of Liebkind, can't rememberever wanting to be anything but an actor. He started actingas a teenager at Sts. John and Paul School in Larchmont,then spent two years at Westchester Community Collegeand his final two years at Purchase. During his years atWCC, he became involved with the community-theater sceneand has never lost his love for it, taking occasional shortbreaks from his Broadway role to play in some local theaterproduction. He has even returned to direct a show at WCC.

In 1988 he got his Actors’ Equity card while appearingin the musical “Big River" at the Westchester BroadwayTheatre. His first big off-Broadway break came in “WhenPigs Fly!", after which he was picked for the original cast of“Jekyll and Hyde", his first Broadway role. He toured with“Cats”, “Kiss Me Kate” and “Batboy: The Musical.”

Even though he has been in Broadway’s biggest hit forseveral years, Egan has never cut off his Larchmont roots.He was appearing in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at theWestchester Broadway Theatre when he auditioned for“The Producers.” After two callbacks, Egan got the role ofunderstudy for Bialystock and Liebkind, and less than amonth later, in April 2000, he was given the role of Liebkind.

He has substituted in both leading roles-- Roger DeBrisand Max Bialystock-- for weeks or even months at a time.“For a while I was doing the matinees as Max and the eve-nings as Roger,” he says. "I believe I’m the only person tohave played all three roles--Max, Roger and Franz--in anycompany of ‘The Producers.’" He knows the whole showand can switch roles at a moment’s notice.

When he’s not acting, Egan enjoys the more laid-backlife of Larchmont, and tends to his sizable collection of “StarWars” memorabilia. He knows his luck as an actor in a hugehit, though. “People say to me, ‘You’re perfect for that show.’And I say, ‘You know what? A lot of people are perfect forthat show, but they’re not going to get the opportunity.’ Ithink it’s totally my bag. But it may happen and it may not.So the fact that it happened is just unbelievable."

JOHN AHERN, Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages,was named "Volunteer of the Year" for 2004 by the WCCFoundation's Volunteer Corps. Professor Ahern retired in2000 after more than thirty years at WCC, and has remainedactive on campus ever since. He has been especially busyhelping foreign-born students learn English, and trainingthe other volunteers who work with these students.

FARHAD AMEEN recently presented a paper, “Loan Re-payment in the Grameen Bank: The Importance of Bor-rower Opportunity Cost and Gender” at the 75 Years of

D e v e l o p -ment Re-s e a r c hConferenceat CornellUniversity,organizedby Cornell’sProgram onC o m p a r a -tive Eco-nomic De-

velopment. This paper is forthcoming in “Bank and Finan-cial Market Efficiency: Global Perspectives,” Volume 5 ofResearch in Banking and Finance, published by Elsevier.

FRANK FATO debated Prof. Ameen last semester on thetopic of “Globalization: Is It Really A Universal Panacea?”The debate was presented by the Honors Program underthe auspices of the annual Abeles Honors Dialogue. Theenthusiastic audience agreed that the debate was a tie.

HUGH MCCABE recently accepted the Trade Partneraward at the 9 th Annual Averell Harriman International TradeAwards Dinner held at the Tarrytown Hilton. WCC wonthis award in recognition of our International Business cur-

Dear Alum:Each year at Commencement time we hear dozens upon

dozens of "success stories" about the members of our gradu-ating class. I'd like to share one of these stories with you.

Sherice Hughey, a 35-year-old single mom, is no longerworried about how she will pay for her studies at a four yearcollege. Sherice was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Founda-tion Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, one of thecountry’s most prestigious scholarships, which will pro-vide her with up to $30,000 per year to continue her educa-tion and obtain a Bachelors degree.

Sherice knew that she wasan outstanding student, butshe never imagined for a mo-ment that she would have anychance of winning a CookeScholarship. These are the larg-est, and among the most com-petitive, scholarships ever of-fered in the United States.Sherice was selected fromamong 863 nominees from 559community colleges in 47states. She is one of only 27 recipients nationwide!

Jack Kent Cooke was a businessman and philanthropistwho left most of his fortune to establish a Foundation “tohelp young people of exceptional promise reach their fullpotential through education”. To fulfill its mission, the Foun-dation identifies and supports young people of special in-telligence, application, deportment, and character who haveserious financial need and have demonstrated excellence inacademic endeavors and extracurricular activities.

Sherice, whose GPA was 3.84, received her Associate’sdegree in Communications and Media Arts from WCC thispast May. Earlier this year she wasn’t sure what she wouldbe doing after graduation, but the Cooke scholarship haschanged all that. Sherice is now set to begin classes at NYUin the fall, where she will work toward a Bachelor’s degree inCommunications. She is actually considering a double majorthat would include vocal music, because she is passionateabout singing and has performed in various choral groupson and off campus.

Sherice has a lot to be happy about these days, and onething in particular has her walking on Cloud Nine: Her 18-year old son has been so inspired by her achievements thathe has decided to follow her example and enroll atWestchester Community College.

We are all happy for Sherice--and very proud. We areproud of her great personal accomplishment, and we areproud to be part of an institution that recognizes, nurturesand develops the potential for learning that exists insideeach and every student.

To all our new graduates we send our best wishes for afuture filled with success, self-fulfillment, and fond memo-ries of your years at WCC.

Joseph N. Hankin, President

Sherice Hughey

News from the Faculty (and Staff)

Wayne Cilento celebrates openingnight of "Wicked" at Tavern onthe Green on October 30, 2003

SPECIAL FOR WCC ALUMNI --AN

EVENING WITH "THE PRODUCERS"Come with us to see The Producers on

Wednesday evening, November 10th. The incred-ibly low price of $80 includes orchestra ticket(regularly $100) and round-trip transportationfrom WCC. And after the show, WCC alum JohnTreacy Egan ("Franz Liebkind") has arranged forus to meet and chat with the cast members. Thisis an opportunity not to be missed!

The bus will leave WCC at 5 p.m. and get usdown to 44th Street around 6:00. There will betime to have dinner on your own before the show.

For reservations call Janice at 785-6716.Payment must be received by October 25th.

John Treacy Egan as Franz Liebkind

Adapted from an article in The Journal News

riculum. Prof. McCabe was also recently awarded an Inter-national Leadership citation by the Chair Academy of Mesa,AZ, and has been invited to participate in a roundtable dis-cussion on global banking at Oxford University in August.

HARRIET PFEIFER, secretary to President Hankin for thepast ten years, retired on August 1st. A 1982 graduate ofWCC, Harriet came to work in the President's office inSeptember 1988.She became Dr.Hankin's secre-tary in 1993when his formersecretary, RoseRuvo, retired.

"I've reallyloved workinghere", she said."It was a toughdecision to re-tire. The staffhere is GREATand I will missthem as much as I will miss the college....but I have lots andlots of plans and great things I want to do. I'll be aroundcampus from time to time, sitting in on some classes, I hope."

Harriet, we will all miss you! Maybe you should con-sider getting an unlisted phone number.....

Profs. Frank Fato (l.) and Farhad Ameen

Harriet Pfeifer with her husband, Joe,at her retirement party in Hartford Hall

AlumNotesFifties

Sixties

Seventies

Nineties

Eighties

2000's

ROSEMARIE GUSTAFSON, '91 earned her Bach-elor of Science in Nursing at the College of New Rochellein 1996. She presently works as a staff nurse in the ambu-latory surgery department at Albert Einstein Hospital.

DAVID A. TETRO, '91 graduated with honors fromWCC's Civil Technology program and went on to studyarchitecture at the New York Institute of Technology inOld Westbury. He has been a licensed architect since1996 and has worked on many local projects, includingthe NYU Medical Center, the New York City PublicSchools, the City School District of New Rochelle, andnew buildings for Iona College in New Rochelle. In arecent letter to Dr. Hankin, David wrote, "Your collegehas provided me with the firm education foundation onwhich my career in architecture was built. I attribute mysuccess to the instructors and programs offered by thecollege that gave me my Associates Degree in Civil Tech-nology. Westchester Community College has always of-fered an affordable starting point for students through-out the area. To this day, I still associate with fellowclassmates who have successful careers and businesses."

JAMES R. CUMMING, '94 received his Associate'sdegree in Human Services from WCC and has been work-ing in the field of child care ever since. "My time here atWCC was something I would not equate with any otherinstitution," said Jim. "The relationships I had here wereinvaluable."

KIM MICHELLE EDWARDS, '96 recently recoveredfrom major surgery with the help of excellent therapy--hernew nephew, Zachary. Kim has resumed her volunteeractivities, which include the Mount Vernon Women's Ser-vice League.

KEITH HERNANDEZ, '96 is a Multimedia Designerfor Logic Springs Technologies in Florida. Keith earned aDigital Media degree from Full Sail College in Winter Park,Florida.

FLAVIE BAGNOL, '98 works at CBS News. She is aproducer for NNS, which is a cooperation with CBS, ABCand Fox News.

KACEY CHAZEN LLANO, '99 went on to ColumbiaUniversity and graduated this past February with a B.A.in Psychology.

CHRISTINA BARTMANN, '00 received herBachelor's degree in Accounting at SUNY New Paltz andis currently enjoying her job with an accounting firm inWhite Plains. She is planning to take her CPA exam inNovember.

MICHAEL EUGENE MALARA, '00 is the generalmanager of Millwood Supply, a lumber company inMillwood, New York. Michael recently married KathleenLetizia at a quiet ceremony on Sugarbush Mountain inVermont.

GREGORY MAIDA, '02 has been a Senior MedicalTechnologist at Westchester Medical Center for the past20 years. He is working toward a certificate in Web De-sign for E-Commerce at WCC.

KATHY DALEY TOBIN, '66 is happy to announce thatshe has been married for 36 years and has three daughtersand two granddaughters.

JOHN E. BENNETT, '69 was recently elected Treasurerof the Marble Masonic Historical Society in Tuckahoe.

MARY T. HICK, '58 fulfilled her lifelong dream whenshe graduated from Boston's Suffolk University in January,2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.Mary graduated summa cum laude, exactly 45 years after hergraduation from WCC, and is justly proud of reaching herlong-cherished goal. We are proud of her as well!

JIM MORETTI, '83 is Manager of Corporate Financeand Planning at Cendant Mobility. He earned hisBachelor's in Accounting/IS at Pace University in 1985and returned to receive an MBA in Management IS in1993. Jim and his wife Laurie live in Danbury with theirdaughters, Samantha, 12 and Hayley, 8.

CHRIS MULIOS, '85 received his B.E. degree fromManhattan College in 1989 and is now Associate Directorof Technology at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School inthe Bronx. He is also an Emergency Medical Technicianand was a communications specialist for the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency (FEMA). Chris and his wife,Donna, live in Carmel, New York with their children--ShaylaCatherine, 2 1/2 and Elias Paul, 5 months.

MICHAEL FLEMING, '88 graduated from FordhamUniversity with a B.S. in Marketing. He is currently work-ing at Park Avenue Securities (Guardian Life Company)as Director, Vice President of Operations. Michael methis wife Kathy at the WCC Bookstore in 1980.

JOHN SEEKIRCHER, '73 has been restoring steel case-ment windows for more than 25 years. He is, in fact, one ofthe country's foremost experts on the repair of old steel-casement window frames. In addition to doing work onwindows in the neighborhood of his Scarsdale-based busi-ness, Seekircher frequently works on homes in other states,including Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater, inPennsylvania.

John and his wife, Penny, live in Garrison, New York.They met while they were both students at WCC and gradu-ated together in 1973. Penny Seekircher worked at WCC forseveral years as Dr. Hankin's secretary.

John's company, Seekircher Steel Window Repair, wasone of the exhibitors at Restoration '04, a new Manhattandecorators' show designed for those who are restoring olderhomes, and also those who want to add an old-time feel to amore contemporary dwelling.

"We only do restoration and renovation shows," saidSeekircher. "The difference is so amazing. You're dealingwith people who are really into their homes. They love ar-chitecture. They love renovation."

And that's what his company is all about, helping clientsmaintain the architectural integrity of their homes by restor-ing their steel-casement windows.

"We've gotten into this 'new, new, new'", said Seekircher."And people see that this new stuff falls apart."

Seekircher's repair work is done completely on-site, andhe boasts of never having had to replace a window in 27years. "We're kind of like a traveling chiropractor," he says."We really are tuning them up."

STEPHEN JOHNSON, M.D. , '76 is a neurosurgeonspecializing in spinal cord injury, cranial vascular diseaseand brain tumors, and a clinical professor of Neurosurgeryat Tufts University Medical School in Boston. Dr. Johnsongraduated from WCC as a Dean's List student and receiveda full scholarship to Columbia University. After earning hisBachelor's in cell biology he went on to study medicine atthe University of Pennsyl-vania, where he received hisM.D. in 1982. During thenext six years he was a resi-dent in surgery at GeorgeWashington University anda Research Fellow at WalterReed Army Institute of Re-search. In 1988 he was com-missioned as a Captain inthe U.S. Naval ReserveMedical Corps; that sameyear he began a six-year resi-dency in neurosurgery atthe University of VermontMedical Center Hospital inBurlington and received hisBoard certification in neuro-surgery. He has written numerous articles for medical jour-nals and has been board-certified in a number of medicalfields including Advanced Trauma Life Support and Mi-crovascular Surgery.

Dr. Johnson lives in Scituate, Massachusetts with hiswife Pamela and their children, Geoffrey and Stephanie. Heis active in community affairs and serves on the Board of thelocal council of the Boy Scouts of America. Stephen givesfull credit to Westchester Community College for startinghim on his way to success. Although he still answers invi-tations to speak and lecture at Columbia and UPenn, hesays that his heart is still at WCC and that he never couldhave achieved what he has without the foundation he gothere in Valhalla.

MULTICULTURALISMCELEBRATED AT

MEDALLION DINNER“Heritage, Promise and Achievement” was the theme of

the Westchester Community College Foundation’s 30th an-nual Medallion Awards Dinner on May 19th. The dinner hada festive international flair as it celebrated the diversity of thecollege's student body and recognized outstanding commu-nity leaders whose multicultural backgrounds have enrichedand enhanced the life of Westchester County.

In addition, this year’s Medallion Dinner heralded the for-mal announcement of a planned addition to the college’sValhalla campus, a new Multinational Education Center thatwill greatly expand the college’s commitment to educatingforeign-born men and women. The college anticipates mak-ing a public announcement this fall of a multi-million dollarcampaign to raisefunds for construc-tion of the newGateway Center.

The theme ofmulticulturalismwas reflected in thechoices for thisyear’s MedallionAward recipientsand for the event'skeynote speaker.Robin A. Bikkal, animmigration attor-ney who worksclosely with West-chester's Hispaniccommunity, re-ceived the awardfor Community Service. Dr. Mira Sakrajda, a native of Polandand Professor of English at Westchester Community College,was the recipient of the Education award. The corporateMedallion was presented to Armonk-based IBM Corporationfor its Global Workforce Diversity Program. And the keynotespeaker was alumna Millie Johnson, a native of the Caribbeanisland of Montserrat, who attended WCC and went on tograduate with honors from Vassar College.

Attorney Robin Bikkal, of Peruvian heritage, has special-ized in immigration law for over 20 years. She chairs thecounty’s Hispanic Advisory Board, the board of El CentroHispano, and the Hispanic Advisory Council of MarymountInstitute. Bikkal is founding chairperson of the Hispanic Demo-crats of Westchester and a past president of the WestchesterHispanic Coalition.

Dr. Mira Sakrajda joined the faculty of Westchester Com-munity College in 1990 and is now a full professor. Dr. Sakrajdais co-director of the college’s Honors Program and co-holderof the Abeles Endowed Chair for that program. She is facultyeditor of the literary magazines International Voices andVerdandi, liaison to the summer study program at CambridgeUniversity, England, and has co-directed the Beacon Confer-ence for Student Scholars at Two-Year Colleges.

In 1953, IBM chairman Thomas J. Watson wrote a memoencouraging his staff to “hire people who have the personal-ity, talent and background necessary to fill a given job, re-gardless of race, color or creed.” The now-famous “IBM E.O.letter” was written 11 years before the Civil Rights Act of1964. For more than half a century, IBM has remained com-mitted to an inclusive work environment. Its diversity pro-grams have redefined the workplace around the world.

Keynote speaker Mildred Johnson left Montserrat in1983, at the age of twenty-one, to find opportunity and edu-cation in the United States. What she found, for the nexteight years, was a life of hard work at menial jobs, deplorableliving conditions, and a string of bitter disappointments. Shefinally obtained a certificate as a Certified Nursing Assistant,and was able to save enough money in the next seven yearsto pursue her dream of an education at last.

Millie enrolled at WCC in Sep-tember 1998 with no idea of whatshe wanted to do, except that shewanted to help others. She at-tracted the attention of the Honorsfaculty, and the following summerwas recommended for VassarCollege's "Exploring Transfer" Pro-gram. She was awarded a full schol-arship to Vassar, transferred therein the spring of 2000, and earnedher B.S. in Geography-Anthropology.

Last fall Millie was featured in Essence Magazine's Top 10College Women of 2003. Inclusion in this select group wasbased on academic excellence and a desire to demonstratesocial responsibility through community activism. This fallMillie is headed to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore fora Master's in Public Policy and a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropol-ogy. One day she hopes to work for a global organizationsuch as the U.N. in the field of women's health issues.

The Medallion Awards, one of the longest-running con-tinuous awards for public service in the county, were firstpresented in 1973. The annual Awards Dinner is a majorfundraising event for the WCC Foundation’s scholarship fund.Last year the Foundation awarded more than $700,000 in schol-arships, bringing to $5,500,000 the total it has awarded sinceits establishment in 1969.

Dr. Mira Sakrajda (r.), co-chair of theHonors Program, accepts the MedallionAward for Education from Foundation

President Betsy Stern

Dr. Stephen H. Johnson

MISSED AN ISSUE?You can read past issues of the

Alumnews online at

www.sunywcc.edu/alumni

John Seekircher working on a window restoration

STEVEN MARELLO, '76 is a police sergeant for theTown of Mount Pleasant. His wife Debra is a partner inthe accounting firm of D'Arcangelo and Company. Theyhave two children ages 15 and 19. The oldest is studyingcriminal justice at the University of New Haven and theyoungest is a high honors student in the 10th grade atValhalla High School.

Millie Johnson

ALUMNEWS IS PUBLISHED BY

WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION

HARTFORD HALL

75 GRASSLANDS ROAD

VALHALLA, NY 10595E-MAIL: wcc.alumni@sunywcc.eduBARBARA CHRISTESEN, ALUMNEWS EDITOR

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDWhite Plains, NYPermit No. 9519

ALUMNI DAY SCHEDULESaturday, October 16, 2004

9-10 a.m. Student Center Registration and Continental Breakfast Silent Auction opens

10:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks Presentation of Anniversary Certificates (classes of '49, '54, '59, '64, '69, '74, '79, '84, '89, '94, '99)

10:45-12:15 p.m. Funshops: (A partial list) a) Colorful Moments in Campaign History by Dr.

Gary Klein b) Book Discussion: "The Secret Life of Bees" led

by Dr. Elizabeth Gaffney c) Cooking Class: "Fabulous Fall Food Fiesta" by

cookbook author Arlen Gargagliano Guided Tour of Kensico Cemetery, Prof. John Ahern Campus Walkabout Do a little shopping while visiting our beautiful

new WCC Bookstore Art Gallery Show: "Mothing Digital Prints".

Open 10-3. Visit our new, state-of-the-art Library/Resource

Center 50-50 Raffle tickets will be sold Silent Auction bidding continues

12:30-2 p.m. Luncheon Presentation of Voyager Award Silent Auction bidding continues Visit the WCC Bookstore

2:15-3:15 p.m. Guided Tours: Native Plant Center, Hartford Hall,

Kensico Cemetery Campus Walkabout Visit the new WCC Bookstore Art Gallery Show: "Mothing Digital Prints" Games, 50-50 Raffle Silent Auction Closes 3 p.m.

3:15 p.m. Student Center Wine, Cheese, Dessert & Coffee Silent Auction Winners Announced Drawing for 50-50 Raffle

Name:_____________________________Class_____

Address:____________________________________

City _____________________State ___ Zip________

Phone (Day) ______________(Eve.) ______________

E-mail _____________________________

____ Enclosed is my registration fee of $35.

____Guests at $35 each

Guest's name: ____________________

TOTAL ENCLOSED $__________

I wish to pay by: Master Card ___ Visa ___

Cardholder's name (please print):

______________________________________

Address: _______________________________

______________________________________

Card Number: ___________________________

Exp. Date _____ Day Phone: ________________

Signature: _____________________________

Credit card registrations may be faxed to: 914-785-6515

Please register by October 7th! Clip the formbelow and return with your check for $35 to

“WCC Foundation”, or charge Visa orMasterCard. Mail to:

WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION

75 GRASSLANDS ROAD

VALHALLA, NY 10595

2004 WCC ALUMNI REUNIONREGISTRATION FORM

Registration fee $35

The Native Plant Center at Westchester CommunityCollege has completed the installation of its second demon-stration garden with the help of teens from Children’s Vil-lage in Dobbs Ferry. It was one of several Native PlantCenter projects in which volunteers from the Village’s green-house program have helped out this year.

More than 60 native plants were installed in the newStone Cottage Demonstration Garden by participants in theVillage’s award-winning Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY)program, which has been called “one of the most promisingand effective youth employment programs in the nation.”

The Native Plant Center opened in 1998 with a singlelarge demonstration garden containing trees and shrubs thatare native to this region, and a meadow filled with dozens ofvarieties of flowers that bloom from early spring until frost.Since the Center receives no funds from the College it hasrelied on membership dues and fundraising events for moneyto install additional demonstration gardens on the campus.

“We go slowly but surely as we get funding,” said BrookeBeebe, the director of the Center since its inception. “Wejust can’t do it all at once.”

The now-complete Stone Cottage Garden consists offour small areas which demonstrate the different uses ofnative plants—for example, around foundations, or to pro-vide fall and winter interest. The four fledgling gardenerswho installed the 60-plus new plants did so with great careand lots of enthusiasm, and celebrated the completion ofthe garden with punch and cookies.

“They planted well and worked hard,” said Ms. Beebe.“They were also a pleasure to be with. We enjoyed havingthem here, and we truly appreciated this help.”

The collaboration between The Native Plant Center andChildren’s Village began last fall when Ms. Fischer, a mem-ber of the NPC Steering Committee, suggested that her stu-dents in the Village’s greenhouse program might be inter-ested in helping with some special projects. The boys weremore than willing and potted over 100 ferns, put them out-side for the winter, and then brought them into the green-house to sprout and grow. The plants were ready for TheNative Plant Center’s spring plant sale in May, and the Vil-lage teens were on hand to help out with the sale, as well.

If you would like information about membership in TheNative Plant Center, please call Nancy Inzinna at 785-7870.

NATIVE PLANT CENTER

GETS HELP FROM

CHILDREN’S VILLAGE TEENS

Vallarelli Gasparini, Barbara Stumpfel Gardineer, CatherineSmyth Kloppenburg, Bernard C. Lucchese, Maureen WalshLucchese, Dorothy Tashjian Papazian, Richard Roberts,Joan Marie Setchko, Robert G. Weiss, and Edward Weston.

Another new graduate was John Kaufman, who sat inthe front row with his wife, Ann, a member of the WCCFoundation Board. Kaufman — who acquired a paralegaldegree — already holds one degree from the University ofMassachusetts at Amherst and two from the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology.

“Of all the schools I’ve gone to, these are the bestteachers," said Kaufman.

Continued from page 1

SEPTEMBER 17-21GREAT NATIVE PRAIRIES OF THE MIDWEST

The Native Plant Center is sponsoring a 5-day trip toChicago to view prairies, gardens, architecture. For de-tails call 1-888-580-9255.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16ALUMNI DAY Student Center, 9 am to 4 pmOur Eighth Annual Alumni Reunion!. Recognition certifi-cates will be presented to the classes of 1949, '54, '59, '64,'69, '74, '79, '84, '89, '94, and '99. For more information call785-6559. (See schedule and registration form on this page.)

Registration fee $35

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 Room C-100, 2 pm“CHINA ON FILM AND ON FOOT"Prof. Bill Costanzo, who is spending this summer in China,will look at what happens when an ancient culture likeChina, with its deep-rooted artistic traditions, encountersnew media like photography and cinema. Free

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 AAB Theatre, 8 pmFRULA! (Balkan Folk & Gypsy Dance)Folk dances from many regions of former Yugoslavia, Hun-gary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. Call 785-6262.

Tickets $20 • $18 for children/students/seniors

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28“KLEZMER NUTCRACKER” AAB Theatre, 3 pmAMY MARSHALL DANCE COMPANY .....Celebrate the holidays as former members of Paul Taylor’sand David Parsons’ modern dance companies combinebreathtaking performances and brilliant choreography.Their modern dance repertoire of Biblical themes includeKlezmer Nutcracker, Winter Solstice and Gustav’s Wed-ding. Call 785-6262.

Tickets$17 • $13 for children/students/seniors

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13 AAB Theatre, 3 pmCHINESE GOLDEN DRAGON ACROBATSAward-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacularcostumes combined with ancient and contemporary theat-rical techniques. Call 785-6262.

Tickets$17 • $13 for children/students/seniors

Upcoming Eventsat Westchester Community College

FRULA's breathtaking technique, athletic prowess andcultural pride transform Balkan folk and gypsy

traditions into a dazzling theatrical show.

Your old classmates are looking for you, and we'dlove to help them out! With the 2004 Reunioncoming up, alumni from the anniversary years--allyears ending with 4 or 9--are especially anxious tolocate their friends from WCC. Please send us newsabout yourself, including the best way to contactyou. Call the Alumni Office at (914) 785-6559 , ore-mail us at:

wcc.alumni@sunywcc.edu

Commencement 2004

Native plants are the "stars" of the new Stone CottageDemonstration Garden on WCC's Valhalla campus

Photo by Cece Fabbro