geneseoA magazine for alumni, parents and friends of SUNY Geneseo

sceneFall2009

Freshmen take on adventure in

HigherEducation

Freshmen take on adventure in

HigherEducation

An Extraordinary Life, An Extraordinary GiftAn Extraordinary Life, An Extraordinary Gift

FamilyTiesGeneseo Tradition

FEATURES8 An Extraordinary Life, An

Extraordinary GiftAmerica was built on the entrepreneurial spirit.The largest gift in the college’s history will inspirestudents to set their own dreams and provide thefoundation to get them started.

12 Family TiesGenerations of Geneseo students have cherished thecollege’s small-town feel and cutting-edge thinking.Families who have made the Geneseo experience atradition reflect on how it has shaped their lives.

18 Higher EducationSome of the best lessons are learned through struggle and solitude. In the First-Year Institute,Geneseo’s newest students take their first stepstoward success in Mother Nature's classroom.

DEPARTMENTS3 One College Circle

29 Alumni News

34 Class Notes

COLUMNS2 President’s Message

7 Letters to the Editor

22 Perspective

24 Sports

28 Mission Driven

32 Random Profile: One Cup

40 Memory Lane

ON THE COVER: Afternoon sun streams onto the Seuss tree and SturgesHall, the oldest building on campus. More than 50,000 alums have walkedpast Sturges Hall.

AT RIGHT: Assistant Professor Gary “Griz” Caudle ’70 leads incomingfreshmen in the First-Year Institute in a high-five after they make it to thesummit of St. Regis mountain in the Adirondacks.

Cover photography: Joe Keller

Table of contents photography: Kris Dreessen

geneseosceneFall 2009

CONTENTS

2 geneseo scene

Vol. 35, No. 1; Fall 2009

The Geneseo Sceneis published bySUNY Geneseo, Division of CollegeAdvance ment, Office of CollegeCommunications.

Christopher C. Dahl, PresidentMichael J. Catillaz, Vice President for College AdvancementAnthony T. Hoppa, Assistant VicePresident for College Communications

Kris Dreessen, EditorCarole Smith Volpe ’91,Art Director

Contributing writers: Lisa M. FeinsteinDavid IrwinKenneth H. Levison

Alumni Relations OfficeRose G. Anderson,Assistant Vice President ofAlumni Relations

Michelle Walton Worden ’92,Associate Director of AlumniRelations

Tracy Young Gagnier ’93,Assistant Director of AlumniRelations

Alumni Relations Office at Collins Alumni Center McClellan House SUNY Geneseo 1 College Circle Geneseo, NY 14454-1484 Phone: (585) 245-5506 Fax: (585) 245-5505 alumni@geneseo.edu

Parent Relations OfficeTammy Ingram ’88,Director of Parent RelationsErwin 202Phone: (585) 245-5570

Contact the Sceneat scene@geneseo.eduVisit the Web site at scene.geneseo.edu

very day, good people do good works at Geneseo. Students, faculty, staff.Alumni and parents. Donors and friends. Through their time, talent andresources, they change lives and help build community — continuing a

tradition of service now in its 138th year. This spirit of helping others marks ourcampus culture. It is at the core of our liberal arts mission: to foster skills andvalues that enrich lives.

Many of these people work behind the scenes inways that quietly shape the nature of the college andits connection to the region. Their contributions affectthe lives of many, including the alumni who reminiscein this issue about their Geneseo experiences and theway seemingly little things helped them succeed.Their stories call to mind the words of the BritishRomantic essayistCharles Lamb: “Thegreatest pleasure I know is to do a goodaction by stealth, and tohave it found out byaccident.”Certainly, that obser-

vation applies to longtime benefactor Charles L.“Bud” VanArsdale. For more than 40 years, Budgenerously served the college as well as citizensand businesses close to home and around theworld. He sought nothing in return, motivated onlyby the strong desire to make communities a better place.Bud’s gift of $2.5 million — the largest ever at Geneseo — will create The Charles

L. VanArsdale Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship and Small Business. In light ofhis accomplishments as a businessman and entrepreneur, I can think of no field of

study better suited to honor Bud’s lega-cy. Fresh knowledge and creativity are critical to business, and small businessesare vital to our economic recovery andprosperity. His foresight will pay divi-dends in ways we cannot yet imagine. As you’ll read in this issue, there is no

questioning Bud’s allegiance to our college and western New York. For that,we are truly grateful. Likewise, there is no mistaking Geneseo’s commitment toserve this region by providing the highestquality of liberal education to foster leadership, creativity and an entrepre-neurial spirit. We have seen those

qualities take root in western New York, and we are delighted to learn that they flourish in distant places as well. The stories and pictures in this issue reflect our rich legacy of service and the

lifelong impact our actions have on others. I hope you enjoy discovering thisfacet of Geneseo again — and feel inspired to help carry on the tradition.

Cordially,

Continuing the Tradition

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEgeneseoscene

Christopher C. Dahl

“The greatestpleasure Iknow is to doa good actionby stealth, and to have it foundout by accident.”

— Charles Lamb

EPHOTO BY RANDALL TAGG

A transformational gift: Celebrating with “Bud”VanArsdale after the Sept. 25 announcement.

Fall 2009 3

4 Bright lights of Brodie

5 Investing in science

5 International exposure

6 News in brief

CAMPUS NEWS

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE CUSANO

One College Circle

4 geneseo scene

CAMPUS NEWS

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

As a freshman, Joe Langworth’88 was cast in the lead role inGeneseo’s production of“Joseph and the AmazingTechnicolor Dreamcoat.” Theperformance included a littledance as Joseph. Professor of Dance Jonette

Lancos saw his potential. OnMonday, she posted a note:“Joe Langworth, see me in myoffice.”“She said, ‘You’re going to

take my ballet class nextsemester,’” remembersLangworth. “I had never puton a pair of tights in my life. Itrusted her and I went with it.”Her instincts were right.

Dance was a good fit for hisathleticism and creativity. Heperformed many times atGeneseo; the experience wonhim roles on Broadway.“When it came time for me

to audition, I wasn’t scared,”says Langworth. “I was actuallykind of fearless.”He debuted in the original

production of “A Chorus Line”one year after graduation. Sincethen he has performed innumerous Broadway shows, onBroadway tours, on “The TonyAwards” and in many other ven-ues. He also is a casting directorand choreographer.Last spring, Langworth

returned to Geneseo — as adance instructor. Back inBrodie Hall, he taught tap,musical theater dance and jazzand collaborated with studentsand staff for the DanceEnsemble spring performance.Lancos has invited alumni

to teach master dance classes,perform and teach full semes-ters since 1995.“It’s really important that

current students know what is

possible,” she says. Budding performers like

MaryElisabeth Kimbark ’10are inspired by successfulgrads with whom they haveshared the same stage.“He really wanted to make

us better dancers, better peo-ple,” says Kimbark, a musicaltheater major who will audi-tion in New York City as soonas she graduates. “… Seeingwhere he is as a dancer and asa performer makes me feel

like, ‘Okay, if I keep workingon it, then I can make it thatfar. I can do it.’”Langworth also mentored

students about the business —resumé-building, self-promo-tion and the passion castingdirectors seek. “Don’t be theversion of you that you thinksomeone else wants you tobe,” he told them. “Who youare is the one thing no oneelse can compete with.”Kimbark relished those

nuggets of life experienceLangworth shared from 20years in showbiz.At a final Dance Ensemble

rehearsal, Langworth stoodstage front, arms stretchedtoward the lights, guiding stu-dents in perfect form. Curtaincall was closing in. “Bring yourA-game, no matter how youfeel on performance day,” hehollered. “This has been justgreat. The level is high here.I’ve been impressed.”Langworth found himself

inspired by the experience.“I’ve worn a few hats in my

life. Teaching here, at thislevel, it feels like I’m usingeverything I’ve ever done professionally in my life,” hesaid. “I’m almost paying it forward. It’s an opportunity togive back to a place that gaveme so much.“I am most surprised by how

charmed, challenged and ulti-mately changed I have beenby the students,” he said.Teaching is a new pursuit: “I

see it in my future now.”— Kris Dreessen

Alum brings bright lights of Broadway to Brodie

“It’s anopportunityto give backto a place that gave me so much.”

— Joe Langworth ’88

Giving back to Geneseo as adance instructor used all of theskills he’s learned in his career,says Joe Langworth ’88. Here, he leads student performers in a Dance Ensemble rehearsal.

Fall 2009 5

There comes a time — many in fact —says Mark Simeone ’10, while you’re liv-ing in another culture that you realizeyour bias was wrong. There’s so muchmore to the ornate altars in the mosqueand the woeful twangs of your neigh-bor’s folk music.“You come to enjoy your new lifestyle

and this idea pops into your head: ‘If I likethis, then what else could I try? There areso many other cultures and places,” saysSimeone (pictured, in Russia). “That’s theeye-opening moment.” Such everydayepiphanies, he says, “enrich your ownsense of understanding of the worldaround you.”Simeone had plenty of mind-opening

opportunities during his summer-long staywith a family while studying in southwest

Russia. He is one of two Geneseo studentswho earned prestigious Critical LanguagesScholarships from the U.S. Department ofState for summer 2009. Jim Kuras ’09, ageography major, dove into life in Istanbul,Turkey.They are the first Geneseo students to

earn the grants. The Department of Stateoffers all-expenses-paid intensive trainingin 11 foreign countries whose languages,such as Arabic and Azerbaijani, aredeemed critical for defense, business andother world issues.The two lived with host families, spoke

only in their adopted tongue, studied 30 hours a week at local universities and explored culture and traditions,immersed in the minutiae of daily life.After a while, says Kuras, you have

experiencedmany “a-ha”moments, andlife in your newcountry feelsjust like that —daily life. Youstudy, take thebus and strollalong the Volga River talking politics, saysSimeone.“You learn so much more about the

daily life of another people when you’redoing it every day, too,” says Simeone. “ …Living with my host family and doing thethings I’ve done have made me moreopen to other possibilities, and I’m notafraid to strive for them as hard as I can.”

Ñ Kris Dreessen

Students win prestigious State Department grants

Greene Hall transformed into science goldTucked away in a chemistrylab, Scott Eron ’10 is creatingquantum dots. He’s discover-ing how to make them absorbas much light as possible andattract titanium dioxide. Oneday, the resulting compoundcould be used in solar cells toimprove energy efficiency. Life in the lab at Geneseo is

state of the art for Eron sinceGreene Hall reopened thisfall, concluding Phase II ofthe Integrated Science Center. The college invested $15.6

million to overhaul the 42-year-old building. The grand open-ing was the final step in the $53million Integrated ScienceCenter — the largest single capi-tal project in the college’s histo-ry. The first phase cost $37.5 mil-lion and includes the new build-ing at the top of the CollegeGreen and a $1.2 million parti-cle accelerator laboratory.Now, all science disciplines

are under one roof, facilitat-ing collaboration amongdepartments, providing moreundergraduate researchopportunities and encourag-

ing faculty-student interaction. “That tells me the college

takes academics and scienceseriously,” says Eron, whospent the summer as a paidresearcher in chemistry. “Theyare investing in the studentsand their future.”“This is really state of the

art,” says David Geiger, profes-sor and chemistry chair. “It’scomparable to the best facilitiesyou would find in any liberal

arts teaching environment.”The 60,000-square-foot lay-

out of former Greene Hallprovides eight physics class-rooms and labs, four chem-istry labs, and conferencerooms. Each professor has anoffice and research lab space.In the new rooftop astronomyobservatory, students willexplore the galaxy with a 20-inch reflecting telescope.Updated precision equip-

ment allows additional opportu-nity for student research, too.Geiger more than doubled thenumber of students who helpconduct photochemical studies. Among the new research

spaces and tools are a surfacescience laboratory and a spe-cial microscope that can pro-duce images of individualatoms. “It’s pretty unique for an

undergraduate institution,”says Geiger.The project was a necessary

investment, says KennethLevison, vice president foradministration and finance,given that the number of sci-ence majors has doubled from575 in 1984 to 1,100 in 2008.As of 2008, more than 20 per-cent of all undergraduateswere science majors. “Our mission is to give our

students the best possible pub-lic liberal-arts education thatthey can find anywhere in thecountry,” says Levison. “Youcan’t do that with outdatedfacilities.”

— Kris Dreessen

Chemistry Assistant Professor James McGarrah, left, helps position the NMRspectrometer in its new lab space in the Integrated Science Center.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

6 geneseo scene

Geneseo wins top rankings again Geneseo has again made astrong showing in the recentrankings of two respectedcollege guides. U.S. News &World Reportmagazinenamed Geneseo among 80colleges and universities inthe country with a strongcommitment to undergradu-ate teaching. “These 80 colleges and

universities were singled outmost often when expertswere asked to identifyschools where the faculty hasan unusual commitment toundergraduate teaching,”notes the magazine. Geneseois tied for fourth on the list of“Universities — Master’s” forthe North Region.The list is contained in the

magazine’s 2010 rankings ofthe country’s top collegesand universities. Geneseoalso made another strongshowing this year in themagazine’s general rankings,where it is second among the“Top Public Universities —Master’s” list for the NorthRegion. The college alsoranks 12th among the “BestUniversities — Master’s” listfor the same region. An idyllic campus, the feel

of a private college and anaffordable price helped earnGeneseo more praise from the“Fiske Guide to Colleges,”which named the collegeamong the country’s 44 “BestBuy” schools in its 2010 edi-tion, based on quality of aca-demic offerings in relation tothe cost of attendance.“Indeed, this public institu-

tion attracts high achieversfrom around the nation,” theguide notes, citing attentiveprofessors and excellent pre-professional programs in dis-ciplines such as educationand business.

Biologists show impact agriculture has on water qualityBiology Professor Isidro Bosch and students were part of ateam that recently published 14 papers documenting for thefirst time that sound agricultural management techniques benefit farmers by reducing soil loss and fertilizer costs, whilepreserving the environment and water quality.The papers are in a special supplement to The Journal of Great

Lakes Research. It was a joint initiative with project directorJoseph Makarewicz, professor of biology and environmentalscience at SUNY Brockport. The work was funded by $1.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, theLivingston Planning Department and the Altria Corporation.

$10,000 minimum savings achieved each year by reducing landfill costs

pairs of jeans donated by students in 2009. Unsold denims were donatedto Hearthside Cats pet shelter.

NEWS IN BRIEF

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

During a campus visit in July, SUNY’s first female chancellor, Nancy Zimpher,watches as Marcus Cook, left, 14, and Antwuan Strozier, 13, experiment mak-ing solar power in the Young Scholars Academy at Geneseo, run by theXerox Center for Multicultural Teacher Education at Geneseo.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

SNAPSHOT: Geneseo Gives Back

$6,692 total proceeds raised since Geneseo Gives Back was started.

clients served through the ARC of Livingston-Wyoming social servicesagency after unsold sale items were given to its second-hand store800

2005 tons of trash saved from the landfill during the 2009 Geneseo Gives Back drive

3 car loads of nonperishable food items donated to the Geneseo-Groveland Food Pantry

1 more way Geneseo students, faculty and staff help Mother Earth and the community

4

$10,000$6,6928002005

31

4 organizations helped through Geneseo Gives Back this year (Geneseo InterFaith Center,Hearthside Cats, Geneseo-Groveland Food Pantry, the ARC of Livingston-Wyoming)

For four years, students have donated clothing and household items to the Geneseo Gives Back programwhen they move out for the summer. The InterFaith Center of Geneseo, Inc., sells the items on move-inweekend. Profits go to the 40-year-old center’s operating fund, which provides space for diverse worship,gatherings and programming, featuring discussions by faculty. Students save money to outfit their roomsand preserve the environment. Unsold items are donated to organizations that help local residents.

Faculty earn statewide honors The State University of New York recently honoredGeneseo faculty members asDistinguished Professors. Theprofessorships are amongthe highest system tributesconferred upon SUNYinstructional faculty. Olympia Nicodemi, professor

of mathematics,was named aDistinguishedTeaching Professorfor her quality ofinstruction andcommitment toongoing intellectual and profes-sional growth and scholarship.Mary Ellen Zuckerman, a

professor in theSchool of Business,was named aDistinguishedService Professorfor her extraordi-nary service tothe college, SUNY and thegreater community.

Fall 2009 7

Hot shots“The Demand for Geneseo”and “Shot of a Lifetime” caughtmy eye. It’s always nice to seehow Geneseo is doing com-pared with other colleges. TheScott Morton story was funbecause I ended up watchingthe play on the Internet withmy 9-year-old son. It was greatseeing Geneseo on ESPN, too.My husband is a Penn Stater soit was nice to see my school onTV instead of his for a change. — Jennifer Briganti Costello ’94

A downside todemand?I always look forward to read-ing about what's happeningat Geneseo. I graduated in1986 as a geography majorand I found “The Demandfor Geneseo” kind of sad.My 12-year-old just complet-

ed seventh grade and tookaccelerated math and science.He got averages of high 80sand low 90s in all of his classesand received special awards forhis art and trumpet playing. Ihave to wonder if he, or his sis-ter, will follow the footsteps ofme and my grandmother andattend Geneseo. With the sta-tistics given in the story, anaverage SAT score of 1325seems very high.I loved Geneseo. In fact,

when visiting colleges in mysenior year, it turned out to be

feeling for the community. Thehorseback ride through themountains of Ocotal took usback 150 years to a life that wasmuch simpler, where coffee isharvested by hand and sugar ispressed out of cane and cookedover a wood-fired “horno.”Words don’t fully express the

warmth exhibited by all thepeople that we met on ouradventure. Geneseo is helpingto make a unique experiencefor the adventurous tourist toexperience life Nica style. Iwish you luck with the future ofthis endeavor.

— David Browne Morristown, N.J.

A tradition of serviceI recently attended an alumnigathering in Denver. We talkedabout the Peace Corps and theproportionately large numberof Geneseo graduates who jointhe Corps and serve overseas. Igraduated in 1967 and served inthe Peace Corps with my hus-band from 2006 through 2008in Vanuatu. I am proud to findthat my two alma maters,Geneseo and SyracuseUniversity, are well-representedin the Peace Corps. I amimpressed with Geneseo’sphilosophies, programs andactivities, and appreciate theopportunity to have attendedthe reception.

— Nancy Cole ’67

the only one I really liked. Iwonder if I was applying nowif my first-choice school wouldbe out of my reach, because ofsuch stiff competition. I suppose it is in the

college’s best interest to get”the best and the brightest”so Geneseo can “deliver onthe promise of selectivity,”but I hope you are not turn-ing away average and above-average students who havemuch more to offer but onlycome with a good, but notgreat, GPA. There is a lotmore to students than aver-ages and test scores.

—Tammy Porter ’86

Geneseo’s globalimpactKaren Parkhurst is a RotaryInternational member whoseVictor-Farmington, N.Y, clubstarted a solar-oven project in ElSauce, Nicaragua. She has visitedEl Sauce twice and is familiarwith Geneseo’s projects and 4Walls, which Adam Davis ’09participated in last January.I was delighted to read the

details of some very importantprojects in El Sauce. Thankyou for the wonderful articleabout all the efforts to changethe economic circumstancesof a very poor area of a verypoor country. I have come tolove El Sauce and Nicaraguaand the people I have met,

both here and in CentralAmerica. By publishing thedetails, you are getting theword out to more and morepeople, hopefully creatingmore interest in boosting thisdifficult economy in a “devel-oping” nation.

— Karen Parkhurst

Last May, I visited El Saucefor the first time. For weeks Iresearched where I could visitthat would allow me to experi-ence the country’s true flavor.I was excited when I cameacross the Scene editor’sreporting blog, “On Scene,”describing El Sauce andGeneseo’s efforts to build eco-nomic development, and I wasinspired to go. ResidentDirector Kellan Morgan ’06planned accommodations witha local family, meals and daytrips, including an overnightin Ocotal with members of theeco-tourism cooperative.When you visit a hotel you are

offered a luxurious room, tiledpools and luxurious restaurantsand candy stores with fine foodand sweets. Thankfully, we hadnone of this in El Sauce. We didget lovely accommodations withwarm people that treated us asvisiting family. Kellan andGeneseo have taken greatefforts to work with the localyouth to establish a wonderfullocal tour program, providing a

LETTERS

Letters to the EditorThe Scenewelcomes feedback and encourages discussion ofhigher-education issues and content. Send letters, which maybe edited for space, to scene@geneseo.edu or to the Sceneeditor, SUNY Geneseo, Roemer House, 1 College Circle,Geneseo, NY 14454

8 geneseo scene

An Extraordinary Life, An Extraordinary Gift After a lifetime of service, one of western New York’s most influential businessmen has given Geneseo its largest donation in history.

An Extraordinary Life, An Extraordinary Gift After a lifetime of service, one of western New York’s most influential businessmen has given Geneseo its largest donation in history.

Fall 2009 9

10 geneseo scene

Community has always beenpriority one for Charles L.“Bud” VanArsdale, whoearned a college degree butinstead of going straight into

business, volunteered to serve his countryduring World War II in Germany.When he returned to tiny Castile, N.Y.

in 1947, he took the thrill-less job oforganizing the Bank of Castile’s supplyroom. He worked his way up to teller,loan officer and finally president in 1979.His family started the bank; he alwayswanted to be a part of it.He and his late wife, Marjorie, whom

everyone knew as “Mardi,” celebratedevery holiday and birthday with family,most of whom lived in Castile. His bankcustomers were his neighbors; through thebank he helped them buy their homesand launch businesses.“He was the ultimate community banker

in the old-fashioned sense of the word,”says his daughter Marritje Greene.“Everything he did was to benefit the resi-dents of the town in which he lived.”One Sunday night phone call has

become historic in the Genesee Valley.Bud remembers well that call from his

friend Joe Bucci ’67. A former schoolteacher and real-estate agent, Joe wanted tobuild a new mine in Hampton Corners andreplace the flooded rock salt mine in Retsof,near Geneseo. The Dutch companyAkzoNobel closed it after a roof failurecaused flooding. Joe knew many of the 350 people who

would lose their jobs. Years ago, Joe’sgrandfather had ridden a mule into themine to support his family. His dad was anengineer there.“He said, ‘Is there anything we can do to

get these miners back to work?’” Bud sawpotential and helped secure investment anda plan. With a few partners, they launchedAmerican Rock Salt. It is now the largestrock salt producer in the United States; sec-

ond in the world. It employs nearly 300 peo-ple. Bucci is vice chairman of productionand general operations.“It’s a great American story,” says Bud.

“That’s what I liked best about banking —helping people. Anything you can do to getbusiness in your community is a good thing.”The salt mine and so many other suc-

cesses like it illustrate the economicimpact Bud has had across western NewYork. Bud, in fact, spearheaded creation ofthe Livingston County Office of EconomicDevelopment, personally recruiting its firstand only director.“It was a phenomenal achievement,” says

Patrick Rountree, director since 1988.“Everything that has been accomplished inthis county in one way or another goesback to the work Bud started.” Bud carried that entrepreneurial and

generous spirit to other areas of his life,including SUNY Geneseo, providing schol-arships to students and sharing businessexpertise with members of the local com-munity and businesses abroad.At the recent Geneseo Foundation

board of directors meeting, PresidentChristopher C. Dahl announced that Bud has committed a gift of $2.5 millionto the college. The largest gift ever made to SUNY Geneseo will fund TheCharles L. VanArsdale Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship and Small Business.The gift’s annual interest will support a

professor in the School of Business. It isan investment in students and the region,says Bud: Maybe a student who takesthose courses will do “something we havenot seen.”“Most innovation started with someone

who had a bright idea,” says Bud. “You don’thave to work for General Motors or Texacoto come up with a bright idea. Get thesekids enthused to work in small business.That’s where the future of the country is.”Geneseo will be one of just two SUNY

four-year colleges with an endowed chairat this level. For scores of undergraduates,

the endowment will bring into focus theimportance of entrepreneurial thinkingand creative problem-solving, and fosteran appreciation of small business as thebuilding blocks of the nation’s economy.“Bud’s gift is transformational for the

college,” says Dahl. “This is the first fullyendowed professorship in our 138-year history. It will greatly enhance our abilityto attract world-class faculty and buildGeneseo’s stature as a nationally recog-nized public liberal arts college.”"It’s a pivotal moment for Geneseo, to

receive a gift of this level and of this signif-icance,” agrees Jeff Clarke ’83, presidentand CEO of Travelport and a GeneseoFoundation board member. “An endowedchair is in perpetuity. It sets an examplefor our alumni around generosity. It's anextraordinary, extraordinary gift by Mr.VanArsdale. Gifts like these put Geneseoon a different stage."Bud’s work as a distinguished business-

man and community servant lives onthrough the chair, says Dahl, and will con-tinue to help the greater community: It’s aperfect fit for Geneseo’s mission and com-munity values.Bud originally thought he would make

the gift anonymously, but changed histhinking: “If I give my name, maybe some-one else will step up to the plate.”The endowment is the latest in a long

history of support by Bud and Mardi for Geneseo. By directing $1 million of hisgift to Geneseo through his will, Bud is amember of the MacVittie Society. TheVanArsdales also established the Charles andMarjorie VanArsdale Scholarship forInternational Studies. The annual awardhelps international students study atGeneseo and is a nod to Bud’s volunteerwork with the International ExecutiveService Corps in former Eastern bloc coun-tries, helping residents take their first stepsin capitalism by making successful loans.In 2008, the college awarded him an

honorary doctorate of humane letters for

“This is the first fully endowed professorship in our 138-year history. Itwill greatly enhance our ability to attract world-class faculty and build

Geneseo’s stature as a nationally recognized public liberal arts college.” — President Christopher C. Dahl

BY KRIS DREESSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WHITE

Fall 2009 11

his life’s work in service to others.Bud’s alma mater is elsewhere; he

earned a bachelor’s degree in businessfrom Cornell University. He chose to sup-port Geneseo because of the college’smany contributions to the region. It is oneof the area’s largest employers, has out-standing academics and produces greatalumni, Bud points out.“Geneseo has done so much for the

community,” he says. “I’m so impressed byGeneseo. If I can help it, I want to do it.”Bud developed an intimate relationship

with the college as a founder and the firstdirector of the Small Business DevelopmentCenter. Since 1992, center staff have coun-seled aspiring and small-business owners,who have created and saved more than1,700 jobs and invested more than $160million in Livingston County and the sur-rounding area. Bud’s experience as bothentrepreneur and banking expert wasinvaluable in that regard. As president until1990, Bud grew the Bank of Castile fromone branch and $800,000 in assets to sixbranches and more than a $100 million inassets. “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been very for-

tunate,” says Bud. ”I’ve had some amazingexperiences in my life.” It all inspires him to give back. Bud says

that being a soldier in war was ultimatelygood for him, because he witnessed whathardship and suffering Europeans had togo through, and their resilience. Bud alsosaw how good deeds made a difference,growing up and raising a family in close-knit Castile and Geneseo.Through his acts, note Joe, Marritje and

others, Bud reminds them of the impor-tance of generosity and compassion. Hisgenerosity was always under the radar.There was no horn tooting. If anything,he’d rather no one mention his name at all.“He’s just always been behind the scenes

to get things done,” says longtime friendJim Fulmer, president of the Bank ofCastile since 1997.

Bud will tell you he served in World WarII and tried to provide good service all thoseyears at the bank. He won’t tell you — butothers will — that he earned the rank of anArmy lieutenant and tank commander. Orthat when a young couple’s loan officer hadto cancel an appointment, Bud met them atthe bank after 8 o’clock on a weeknight sothey wouldn’t miss a deadline for theirmortgage. Or, that he helped a colleague hemet in Kazakhstan arrange medical care inthe United States. “It’s part of being a citizen,” says Bud. “If

you can’t leave the world a little betterthan when you entered, I don’t thinkyou’ve had a successful life.”

“It’s a pivotal momentfor Geneseo, to receivea gift of this level andof this significance.” — Jeff Clarke ’83, president and CEO

of Travelport and GeneseoFoundation board member

Charles L. “Bud” VanArsdale’s gift to fund Geneseo’s first endowed chair — in the School of Business — is transformational for the college and will allow students to focus on entrepreneurship and small business.

12 geneseo scene

The Emery FamilyAshley Coakley ’09, center, celebrates being the newest Geneseoalum in the Emery family. Cheering her on is Suzanne Emery ’82,left, Roma Emery ’56, MA ’60 and Richard Emery ’58.

Most aspiring students evaluate several schoolsto find the very best fit. Chris Hayden ’83 onlyconsidered one.

The contentment and success his brothers found atGeneseo meant more than any survey, facility tour orbrochure could convey. “It was very much a community,” says John Hayden

’68 — one that allowed him to make lifelong friends,share lunch with professors and experience opportuni-ties not found in large institutions. His professorsinspired him and set him on his path to a law career.Two generations of Haydens followed in his footsteps. Families with such legacies of choosing Geneseo, says

President Christopher C. Dahl, “speak to us about loyal-ty and a community of people who have shared inter-ests, shared values and common contributions to theworld. We believe that everyone who has ever attendedthis college since 1871 is part of the Geneseo family.”The Hayden, Wight and Emery families have tradi-

tions at Geneseo that span generations, entire house-holds and extended families. Many of them met theirfuture spouses on campus.They discovered similar experiences at Geneseo —

community spirit, committed faculty and challengingcourses punctuated by personal epiphanies.“It shows that over decades of their experience here,

people feel Geneseo has led them to success in theircareers as well as having shaped them in other areas,like leadership and character,” says Kristine Shay ’88,director of admissions.Families often explain, notes Shay, that they cherish

the value and pride of a Geneseo education and a feel-ing that Geneseo is a second home. “It truly becomes a family affair,” says Shay, “and a

matter of the heart.”

Family TiesPhotographs and story by Kris Dreessen

The Geneseo experience has become atradition among loved ones who takepride in the legacy of becoming alumni.

Geneseo Tradition

Family Ties

14 geneseo scene

There were no male dormitorieswhen Richard Emery came to cam-pus in 1953, so he rented a room

in a family’s home for the great sum of adollar a day.Roma Colburn enjoyed studying amidst

the hustle and bustle of the studentunion, and often shared lunch withProfessor Emeritus Ira Wilson. Richardtaught his favorite teacher, Lucy Harmon,how to drive. When Lucy drove cross-country, she sent him postcards, sayingthank you for helping her get there.Sweethearts in high school, Richard

and Roma found true love with eachother at Geneseo, where they made dearfriends for life. Just last year, Roma —who became Mrs. Emery in 1957 —cruised the waterways of Russia withGerry Deane, her college roommate.“Geneseo. It has remained in our

lives,” says Roma, a member of the alum-ni association board of directors from1991 to 1994.Now retired and living less than 10

miles from the college, the Emerys start-ed their careers as educators at Geneseo,beginning a family tradition that has last-ed three generations.Roma earned her bachelor’s degree in

1956, Richard in 1958. He had a two-yearstint in the Army as an assistant to a WestPoint professor. Roma earned her mas-ter’s in education at Geneseo in 1960.Suzanne, their eldest of three daughters,turned her tassel with an expertise in eco-nomics in 1982. Last May, the Emerys’granddaughter, Ashley Coakley, walkedacross the stage, bachelor’s degree in

hand, at the Wilson Ice Arena as herproud family cheered.“I could hardly hold back the tears,”

says Roma.The moment got to Richard, too. He

took dozens of keepsake photos that day,including one of her receiving her diplo-ma. “I must have been shaking a bitbecause of all the pictures I took, theonly one that was blurry was that one,” hesays.The Emerys are proud that they have

the shared experience of going toGeneseo, but it wasn’t planned. Nonechose it because their loved ones attend-ed; it was just the best choice for themindividually.That is, except for Richard, maybe, who

followed Roma to Geneseo and walkedRoma down the aisle before he even walkedin commencement. “Yes, that was probablypart of it,” he jokes of his decision.Richard started out as a physical edu-

cation major at another SUNY school.He says he received good advice thatgym teachers were a dime a dozen then,so he should explore other careers. Heopted for education. Geneseo wasknown, he says, as “an excellentteacher’s college.” Roma always knewshe wanted to be a teacher. Geneseo’sreputation drew her in, too.When Richard and Roma strolled onto

the College Green in the 1950s, it wasn’tthere. Erwin, even Bailey, had not beenbuilt. The college community was smaller,too — 800 students, tops.“It was small,” remembers Roma, who

spent more than 20 years as a fifth-grade

teacher. “You knew everybody. Many ofthe professors were friends of ours.”Richard, who went on to be a math

teacher and assistant district superintend-ent for Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming Boardof Cooperative Educational Services, playedbasketball and soccer and was captain ofthe baseball team his senior year. He hadthe same coach for all three sports. As for Suzanne, she left her friends

back at SUNY Potsdam and transferred tobecome part of Geneseo’s new School ofBusiness. She owned her own cateringbusiness and now raises funds for charities.Ashley’s dream career is to help strug-

gling students as a school psychologist.She transferred to Geneseo after earningan associate’s degree in Rochester andhas applied to master’s programs. Therehave been many changes in the last 55years, since the Emery family first signedtheir Geneseo applications. One thinghas stayed the same for half a century.“The reputation has been constant for

all three generations,” says Richard. “Itwas good in the fifties, it had a strongreputation in the eighties and it’s just asgood in the 2000s.”Seeing the family gathered together at

commencement has inspired Ashley.“It definitely makes it more of a special

place,” she says. “I’m glad I’m part of afamily that was able to have generationscome here. Now, I want one of my kids togo here, too.”

“It definitely makes it more of a special place, I’m glad I’m part of a family that wasable to have generations come here. Now, I want one of my kids to go here, too.”

— Ashley Coakley ’09

The Emery Family

Fall 2009 15

Come 2013, the Hayden clan will addanother alum to their merit sash — Chrisand Anne Marie’s son, Timothy, a fresh-man and aspiring lawyer.“There will be a Hayden at Geneseo for

the last six decades,” says Chris, who ownshis own insurance agency. It’s a point of pride among the Haydens

— an achievement.“The education we got was terrific,” says

John. “It’s been something that wasimportant for us and we want to pass on.”They suggested their son Patrick choose

Geneseo for the academics as well as therolling countryside and close-knit commu-nity. Geneseo was cozy, rooted in stellarcourses and professors who cared. Theymight even loan you a car, like former

C hris Hayden ’83 didn’t even lookat other colleges. He wantedGeneseo.

He had been on campus once, for hisbrother Donald’s graduation in 1976. Itwas enough. Chris saw how much Donaldand their older brother John ’68 lovedtheir experiences and how successful theywere. Don found his calling as a priest atGeneseo; John became a senior partnerin one of Baltimore’s largest law firms.“I thought, this might be a good spot

for me, too,” remembers Chris.Chris started in the fall of 1979, study-

ing political science. He joined the DeltaKappa Tau fraternity, buckled down incomputer science class and watched manysunsets in the gazebo with aspiring

teacher Anne Marie Scotto.They exchanged vows in 1984. Like

most of the Hayden men, he met his wifeat Geneseo.“If you’re a Hayden male, you end up

getting married or becoming a priest atGeneseo,” jokes Chris. “That’s what hap-pens there.”The Hayden extended family has a

rich history of choosing Geneseo —seven so far.John Hayden ’68 married Eleanor

Davidson Hayden ’71. Their son PatrickHayden ’99, a police officer, met his wife,Noelle Hayden ’99, on campus. FatherDonald Hayden earned his degree in 1976.Chris graduated in 1983; Anne Marie in1982. All the women were or are teachers.

The Hayden FamilyLike many of the Hayden boys who attended Geneseo, John Hayden ’68 met his wife, Eleanor Davidson Hayden ’71, on campus.

The Hayden Family

16 geneseo scene

ohn and Carol Wight grew up insmall towns in upstate New York —the kind of villages in which you runinto a store for a jug of milk and

don’t hit the check-out line until you’vechatted with four of your neighbors.They sought that kinship for their col-

lege experience and found it at Geneseo,complemented by challenging courses,opportunities for research and hands-ontraining, and guiding faculty who helpedshape their careers.Geneseo functions as its own small

community, says Dr. John Wight ’77,founder of Tri Valley Family Practice inVernon, N.Y. All these years later, “It feelslike home.”Since 1975, the college has been a sec-

ond home to nine members of the Wightextended families. Their Geneseo tradi-tion spans two generations and threefamilies.

Bob Wight ’75 was the first. A longtimescience teacher in Scio, N.Y., he marrieda Geneseo alumna, Valerie HollisterWight ’90, who also teaches in theirhometown. Bob’s daughter, ElizabethWight ’01, was offered scholarships toseveral universities but chose Geneseo.John then followed. Somewhere

between the squash court and class, he dis-covered he wanted Carol Pounds ’78 to behis bride. She crafted their wedding bandsin the Brodie Hall jewelry studio.In time, all three of John and Carol’s

children chose Geneseo, too. Erin gradu-ated in 2005 and Brian in 2007. Andrewearns his diploma in June.Like father, like son, Brian also met his

new wife, Spanish teacher Mary CaitlinScanlen ’08, on campus.John and Carol actually have a three-fer

tradition in their family. John and all of hischildren are doctors or aspiring doctors

and chose the same medical college.Erin graduated from SUNY Upstate

Medical College and is now a doctor.Brian is in his third year. Andrew wasaccepted through early admission andstarts in fall 2010. Growing up, they allknew they wanted to become doctors.Ironically, their father didn’t. Guidance

from faculty, especially Coach Paul Rose,steered John to medical school, and hiscollege roommate, Dr. John Sorge ’77,pushed him to do his best.“When I arrived at Geneseo I had a

mountain of potential, but had no clue thatI did,” says John. “Geneseo presented mewith many opportunities that I took fulladvantage of … I was pushed to bring outthe maximum of my ability and was givenopportunities to do more than just go toclasses.”John cut his teeth as a caregiver, tend-

ing to and preventing injuries as a stu-

Geneseo President Robert W. MacVittiedid when he gave John his station wagonto explore the 1967 Canadian Expo withKenyan international students.When Chris was ill his senior year with

a rare muscle syndrome, professorsbrought his assignments bedside. Hedoesn’t remember names, but cherishestheir actions.“I cannot express a more sincere level of

gratitude than I felt for the professors,”says Chris. “I was not the best student.They just saw that I was doing the best thatI could and met me every step of the wayto get me through my senior year ofGeneseo, and I will never forget it.”The overall experience of coursework

and life on campus prepared theHaydens for life and more learning asthey advanced in their careers: “It wasvery much a community,” says John.Faculty also opened their eyes. Eleanor

discovered there were more career optionsfor women beyond secretary and nurse.She earned a master’s degree concentrat-ing in special education at CanisiusCollege. Since then, she has taught deafchildren and adults, been an interpreter,served as an adjunct faculty member atLoyola College and is now an editor.“It’s because I had the exposure of

that career path at Geneseo,” she says.“It’s amazing. The seeds were there and I didn’t even realize it.”And John, who was so sure he’d never be

able to attend law school, changed his mind. Political science Professor Phil

Hassman “convinced me that I could doit,” says John, and even suggested hisniche — business and tax law. He earnedhis law degree at the University ofBuffalo. His first job was at Whiteford,Taylor & Preston, LLP in Baltimore,where he was one of 18 lawyers. He’s

stayed 36 years and now is a senior part-ner among 160 lawyers. A photo with for-mer Supreme Court Justice William O.Douglas, taken on a Hassman-led fieldtrip to the Capitol, hangs in his office. Memories of Geneseo — seeing the last

rays of the day on the hill, all-night studysessions, those cravings for uptown toastedsubs — are savored at family gatherings.Anne Marie made new ones with Timothyat orientation last summer, escorting himon a personal tour of campus. “We had lunch at Aunt Cookie’s … He

stayed in my old dorm, Onondaga. I wentto the gazebo and took pictures. I saw asunset.”She could still picture Chris walking

her to class across Sturges Quad, bundledup in a blistery snow.Geneseo, says Anne Marie, “feels like a

part of us.”

The Wight FamilyJ

“I cannot express a more sincere level of gratitude than I felt for the professors. I was not the beststudent. They just saw that I was doing the best that I could and met me every step of the way to get me through my senior year of Geneseo, and I will never forget it.”

— Chris Hayden ’83

Fall 2009 17

dent athletic-trainer. He says it was key tohis acceptance to medical school and hispractice, because he already had experi-ence interacting with patients.Throughout the years, Wight family

members have had the opportunity toplay field hockey, volunteer on campusand join Geneseo First Response, the onlystudent emergency-medical services sys-tem in New York state that is linked to acounty 911 system. Brian and Andrew alsocollaborated with faculty members as paidundergraduate researchers. Last summer,Andrew helped biology AssociateProfessor Ming-mei Chang study resist-ance genes in grape plants to makeheartier strains of wine grapes.

Though they may not realize it, profes-sors inspired John and others to becomewhat they are today. For example, Valeriedebated a career in pharmacy versusteaching; great professors erased anydoubts. Teachers steered John to pre-med. And

Elizabeth, who originally wanted thesame, realized her personal goals didn’tquite match time demands of residenciesand med school. Sociology AssociateProfessor Elaine Cleeton and biologyAssociate Professor Susan BandoniMuench recommended another option— nursing. On their suggestion, sheearned a second bachelor’s degreethrough another SUNY school and now

helps patients recover in the cardiac careunit at Strong Memorial Hospital inRochester, N.Y.“It was good advice,” Elizabeth says. “I

don’t regret for a minute that I did it.”Over the years, says John, “there’s

pride” in his family’s Geneseo legacy andthe success they have found.Some of the family’s most beloved

experiences may be those at Geneseo,made more special because they didthem together.“When you talk about it, it seems kind

of ordinary,” says Erin, “but it’s extraordi-nary really. It’s nice that we have com-mon experiences to share. At one point,it was home to each of us.”

The Wight FamilyNine members of the extended Wight family have chosen Geneseo’s small-town feel, including Dr. John Wight ’77 and Carol Wight ’78and their family, Andrew ’10, left, Erin ’05 and Brian ’07. Erin is also a physician.

22 geneseo scene

Business as Usual in NewYork? Not at Geneseo

The college cuts freefrom government

red tape to be efficient stewards of

and for resources.

By Kenneth H. Levison, vice president for administration

and finance

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHEN AXEL ANDERSON

Asteward is defined as a person whomanages another’s property orfinancial affairs; one who adminis-

ters anything as the agent of another or oth-ers. We at Geneseo, then, are stewards of awide range of campus assets — from tuitionand fees and state tax dollars to private con-tributions to 48 buildings and 224 acres thatmust be physically maintained year-round.It’s a tall order. Geneseo’s all-funds

budget is $108 million. The college hasmore than 2.3 million square feet of building space with a replacement value of more than $485 million.Even though Geneseo is a part of the

State University of New York and consid-ered a state entity, rest assured that we donot run the college like the Empire Stategovernment, which is notorious for miringitself in red tape and unfunded mandates,

passing late budgets and creating headlinesthat become fodder for late-show hosts onboth coasts. Witness the recently enduredcoup in the Senate by a political party thathalted work for more than three weeks atthe end of the legislative session.With 800 dedicated employees all focused

on providing the best possible experiencefor our students, we work hard to makeGeneseo the premier public liberal arts col-lege in the nation. By all external standards,the college does an exemplary job of stew-ardship in terms of money, the environmentand facilities operation and maintenance.Take our financial management. For the

past decade, Geneseo’s Office of StudentAccounts has achieved a collection ratethat exceeds 99 percent. In fact, for the2008-09 year, we collected an astounding99.88 percent of tuition and fees owed.

PERSPECTIVE

Fall 2009 23

active in energy conservation for morethan 25 years. Geneseo was the first stateentity to install an energy management sys-tem. As a signatory of the PresidentsClimate Commitment, we calculated ourcarbon footprint and are making a dedicat-ed effort to reduce it. Recent constructionprojects at Seneca Hall and Doty Hall uti-lized geothermal technology for heatingand cooling. We also have replaced manyof our service vehicles with electric cartsand are modernizing our automobile fleetwith hybrid and dual fuel vehicles.Furthermore, to save money and ensure

necessary preventative maintenance on ouraging buildings and related systems, we re-engineered the way we provide such serv-ice to the campus. The I-3 Program —Integrity, Innovation, Information — creat-ed service-level agreements for all majorparts of the campus, as well as workplaceprotocols for how our employees shouldoperate and interact. Since the I-3 incep-tion, we have increased the number of

work orders completed each year by up to20 percent. We also have seen a dramaticincrease in customer satisfaction.Finally, in the last decade, we have con-

structed wonderful new buildings thatbespeak a vitality and sense of renewal forthe college: South Hall, the IntegratedScience Center (ISC), Putnam and Senecaresidence halls and Saratoga Terrace.Renovation of Greene Hall into part of the$53 million Integrated Science Center is thecollege’s largest capital project to date, andimperative to provide the best educationalexperience we can for students and keepGeneseo competitive.Of our total annual budget of approxi-

mately $108 million, only 33 percent actu-ally comes from the state; the remaindercomes from our students, our donors andrevenue-producing operations such as theHealth Center and residence halls.As illustrated by these examples, Geneseo

makes every effort to use the funds itreceives in a wise and strategic manner,whether they are tuition and fee revenues,capital funds, or very important donor dol-lars. We take our charge very seriously to begood stewards of this wonderful institution.

About the author

“Knowing is not enough; we mustapply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” The career of VicePresident for Administration andFinance Kenneth H. Levison mirrors the truth in a quote fromGerman writerJohannWolfgang vonGoethe.A Harvard

scholar, Levisonearned a master’s degreeand a doctoratein Germanic languages andliteratures fromthe university.He has served higher education inmultiple capacities for more than35 years, earning recognition forhis work on many levels.Levison taught German and lec-

tured in the humanities atHarvard University, Baldwin-Wallace College, St. John FisherCollege and Geneseo. When hemoved into higher-educationfinance, he worked in the NewYork State Executive Departmentas a budget examiner for 7 yearsbefore joining Geneseo in 1985.Today, he has administrative

responsibility for all of the col-lege’s financial operations, andalso oversees human resourcesand campus facilities. A Fulbright Scholar as a stu-

dent, Levison in 2004 was namedSUNY’s Robert J. Wagner BusinessOfficer of the Year. Last May, the Rochester

chapter of Financial ExecutivesInternational and the RochesterBusiness Journal honored Levisonas the 2009 Financial Executive ofthe Year in the nonprofit category.

Our financial aid office provides defaultmanagement workshops for graduatingstudents with student loans. As a result, ourdefault rate is 1.5 percent against a nation-al average of 6.9 percent.Also, as a way of improving collections

and cash management, we implementede-billing for semester bills. No paper billsare sent. This saves money as well as natural resources, as more than 65 percent of our tuition and fee paymentsare now paid online. We also use e-refunds for financial aid refunds. In similar fashion, we created an e-mall

last year where alumni, students and parentscan make payments or donations, or add toa meal plan by filling a virtual shopping cartand making one credit-card payment. It’smore efficient and easier for everyone.In addition, Geneseo has consistently

developed and refined robust internal con-trols designed to minimize the possibilityof operational failure, overspending orother actions inconsistent with policy or in

violation of law. Our Internal ControlCommittee reviews annual vulnerabilityassessments, considers where improve-ments can be made and authorizes internalcontrol audits by outside auditors eachyear. Recognized as a best practice bySUNY, this program ensures that propercontrols are in place in high-risk and finan-cial areas to protect our assets.In another move designed to ensure

responsible fiscal stewardship, we trans-ferred responsibility for accounting andoversight of the endowment from TheGeneseo Foundation back to the college.We converted the foundation’s accountingfrom an in-house spreadsheet program tocommercial accounting software and creat-ed a rational chart of accounts and pro-duced timely financial reports. It was partof a concerted effort to assume many of thefoundation’s overhead costs so that moremoney donated can be directed to donor-requested ends such as scholarships and fellowships.As visitors will attest, we take great pride

in our campus and the way it looks andoperates. As good stewards, we have been

Of our total annual budget of approximately $108million, only 33 percent actually comes from the state;the remainder comes from our students, our donorsand revenue-producing operations ...

24 geneseo scene

trackBack ontrack

SPORTS

The new college facility revives opportunities to host NCAA meets.

Fall 2009 25

Running, jumping and throwing arefundamental to nearly every sport.Speed, height and accuracy often

make the difference between a win and aloss. For those passionate about track and

field, running, jumping and throwing arethe sport. Runners like two-time U.S.Olympic Trials participant and SUNYGeneseo Sports Hall of Famer MelissaWhite ’03 are drawn to the pureness ofcompeting on the most fundamental levelof physical activity.“Running is so simple but it takes a lot of

mental and physical strength to be success-ful at it,” says White. “You are in total con-trol of your race and can’t blame anythingon anyone else. Your biggest competitor isyourself … There are always more chal-lenges, always more goals to achieve.”More than 100 men and women student-

athletes at Geneseo share that passion.They comprise the indoor and outdoortrack teams and the cross-country teams,and all are benefiting from the openinglast spring of the college’s new $1.1 milliontrack and field complex. The eight-lanetrack and field facilities meet NationalCollegiate Athletic Association competitionstandards, ushering in a new era of NCAAopportunities at Geneseo.At the dedication, White led several cur-

rent student-athletes in an inaugural lapfollowing the ribbon cutting by PresidentChristopher C. Dahl, Roundtable AthleticAssociation Board Chair Dan Loughran ’86and Athletic Director Marilyn Moore.“Geneseo has a long tradition of run-

ning,” says White. “Our cross-country andtrack teams have been proving they cancompete among the best athletes for years.Now we finally have a facility that canmatch their caliber. Geneseo is a wonder-ful academic school and I think this newfacility shows that great students can alsobe great athletes.”The eight-lane track features a steeple-

chase pit at the south end and jumpingareas within the infield. The facility alsohas a throwing cage with areas for thejavelin, shot put, hammer and discusthrows.“We are thrilled to provide this outstand-

ing venue to showcase the talents of ourtrack and field athletes,” says Moore. “Wecan host meets and championships againand our students now have a wonderful

area for training, which was lacking in theprevious track facility.”In fact, the day after the ribbon cutting,

the college hosted the SUNY GeneseoOpen. It was the first meet Geneseo hadhosted since the State University of NewYork Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)Outdoor Championships in 1998.David Prevosti, head coach of men’s and

women’s indoor and outdoor track andfield, praised the complex, saying it is “a fit-ting facility for our student-athletes, espe-cially given their phenomenal success incompetition. Student-athletes consideringGeneseo have been impressed with whatthey see, and it also has been great seeingalumni who were involved in track and fieldvisit the new facility. They are treating it astheir own and display a great deal of pride.”The students “love it because the track is

new and they are yielding better timesthan in the past,” says Mike Woods ’69, MA’82, men’s and women’s head cross-countrycoach and assistant track and field coach atGeneseo. “The new track means everythingto these athletes and the response hasbeen 100 percent positive.” Woods has coached at Geneseo for 17

years. At one time, he coached both men’sand women’s track and field and cross-country. He hired Prevosti as his assistantcoach in 2001, who took over as headcoach for the track and field programs fiveyears ago. Woods kept the cross-countrycoaching duties and the two now serve as

each other’s assistant coach.Geneseo’s running teams — and coaches

— have a long history of success. Prevostihas led Geneseo to multiple SUNYAC titlesin his five seasons as a head coach. He alsoreceived 2008-09 SUNYAC Coach of theYear honors in men’s track and field.Woods also has multiple championships tohis credit, including a Division III NCAAnational championship in women’s cross-country in 2005. He was named nationalcoach of the year for women’s cross-coun-try that same year. In Moore’s eyes this is the beginning of

something larg-er. “We’re notdone,” she says.“Next is specta-tor seating, con-venient rest-rooms, storageand a concessionarea.”White looks

forward towatching thenew band of run-ners compete; she knows how rewardingbeing a part of the tradition can be.“I was part of a wonderful group of peo-

ple who taught me to push myself, workhard and be successful,” says White. “Ibecame a well-rounded athlete and personbecause of the team I had around me.”

SUNY Geneseo and other runners sprint toward the finish at the college's first invitational held on thenew track last April. The $1.1 million track and field facility provides an opportunity for Geneseo to hostNational Collegiate Athletic Association events.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE CUSANO

By David Irwin

Melissa White ’03

November 5Rochester, NY. — Networking Social

November 6-7Geneseo campus —Geneseo Hockey AlumniWeekend

November 12Syracuse, N.Y. — Networking Social

December 3 New York City — Networking Social

A sincere thanks to our generous alumni and parents who graciously sponsored regionalevents in their homes or other venues. If you are interested in sponsoring an alumnievent, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (585) 245-5506 or e-mailalumni@geneseo.edu. We would like to have events in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago,Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa and in northern New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut andThe Villages, Fla., but are certainly not limited to these cities.

VisitEvents are added continuously. Please check theWeb site for updates at http://alumni.geneseo.edu.

Upcoming

Alumni Events

26 geneseo scene

GENESEO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

At left, Domenic “Pony”Polzella ’86, left, Dawn EassaBosse ’87, Deborah Majewski’87, Dan Ward ’87 and TonyDeSain ’86

RALEIGH, N.C.

Above, Russ Fleishman ’98, left, Thomas VanDermark ’92 and Brian Matyko ’98

NYC

Above, Dawn Liseno Palazzo ’83, Mark Cronin ’89

ROCHESTERRED WINGSEVENT

Fall 2009 27

December 6Geneseo, N.Y. —Geneseo ChamberSingers Concert Event

January 8, 2010Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Hosted by John ’90 andJonna VanwagenenShutowick ’88

January 9, 2010West Palm Beach,Fla. — Hosted by JohnCarroll ’75

January 28, 2010New York City — Hosted by Frank Vafier’74

February 2010Buffalo, N.Y. — An Evening at theBuffalo Sabres hockeygame

February 13, 2010Buffalo, N.Y. — Geneseo Swim &Diving Alumni Event

March 18, 2010Washington, D.C. —StudentExternship/AlumniReception

March 25, 2010Albany, N.Y. — Networking Social

April 30 & May 1, 2010Geneseo Campus —Spring Weekend/Greekfest

May 27, 2010Long Island, N.Y. —Networking Social

July 9-10, 2010Geneseo Campus — Summer Reunion

September 24-25,2010Geneseo Campus —Homecoming

At left, seated: Sonnia Arranz Ferb ’66,left, and Nancy Ward Sullivan ’65.Standing: Charles Ferb, left, NinaLevine ’75, Elaine Desimone ’66, andVincent Gong ’97

HYDE PARK

SUMMER REUNION

At right, Mike ’69 and JanetGoette Nelson ’69 and

C. Michael ’69 and MarilynO’Connor Kinney ’68

Above, Dawn Liseno Palazzo ’83, Mark Cronin ’89

28 geneseo scene

everything to the forefront, from environ-mental issues to political and legal andsocial issues,” says DeZarn, who hastaught sculpture, 3-D design and seniorseminar at Geneseo for six years. “It wasput in one giant pressure cooker and puton TV for everyone to watch. As the yearsunfolded, I thought, ‘As an artist and pro-fessor, what’s my response to this?’”DeZarn and Sturgill, of Tennessee, cut

the ruined wood from the home into smallsections and rejoined it to resemble floor-ing and stilts — the “bare minimum” some-one would need to escape the water, saysDeZarn. Grouping them represented peo-ple who banded together to survive. Four feet of water from the storm surge

and resulting rains had flooded the origi-nal home later salvaged by DeZarn. Heplaced the stilts’ foot pegs that high andran a chalk water line around the campusgallery, so visitors could imagine howdeep the water was.“I wanted people to think about it a lit-

tle more,” he says. “… Most of my artworkis less to make a specific point, but to cre-ate discussion.”Conservation and human impact carry

over into DeZarn’s other work.“I’ve taken what I’ve learned and imple-

mented it into every other project I workon,” he says. He has since taught othershow to deconstruct buildings in westernNew York.His biggest artistic undertaking?

Building a yurt almost completely out ofrecycled materials that he’s hand-cut,hand-milled or scavenged with his part-ner, Kim Keil ’06. It’s the ultimate recy-cling project.DeZarn and Keil cut just one living

tree on a 3-acre, wooded plot. Theymilled the lumber and used it to build anart workshop.In class, he compels students to consid-

er how much they consume in creatingtheir own art, and shares what he learnsabout conserving resources. Buddingartists are encouraged to buy second-hand steel and supplies, and to mill theirown wood from downed trees. It’s foodfor thought, for a lifetime.“It’s about making decisions that are the

best decisions you can make in terms of liv-ing a sustainable existence,” says DeZarn.

Hurricane Katrina slammed thecoast, leaving 1,800 people dead,$75 billion in damages and hun-

dreds of thousands of residents jobless.The tragedy posed another problem —mountains of waste from three states.“What happens to that material that is

not rescued? Can there be somethingdone?” asked art Associate Professor DanDeZarn. “I wanted to give physical energyto the problem.”DeZarn and collaborator Thomas

Sturgill, who work together as PulledResources, spent 10 days learning to“deconstruct” a home in Mississippi, 18months after Katrina. Instead of trashingit, DeZarn and other volunteers disman-tled and saved materials. They squirreledaway joists, flooring and other things toodamaged for reuse, drove them homeand transformed the materials into art.The resulting sculpture exhibition,

“Bootstraps,” premiered on campus lastspring and sparked discussion of the crisis— how America handled it, how desper-ate people coped, and ultimately, howsociety accepted or rejected conservation.“(Hurricane Katrina) threw absolutely

MISSION DRIVEN

Associate Professor Dan DeZarn, with his sculpture exhibition of art made from a home destroyed by HurricaneKatrina, which encouraged students to discuss the crisis and consider human consumption.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

A Fresh StartA professor creates an exhibition from crisis — and conversations about conservation

By Kris Dreessen

FALL 2009 29

30 Striking a chord

31 3, 2, 1 ... Blast off!

31 Paradise found

34 Class Notes

ALUMNI NEWS

ABOUT THE ALUMNI ARTIST:Piano player, jazz aficionado and artist Vincenzo DelPlato ’83, transfershis love of music to paintings that feature Dizzy Gillespie (shown), LouisArmstrong, Billie Holiday and other legends. He earned a bachelor’sdegree in studio arts at Geneseo in 1983 and his master of arts andhumanities and master of painting at the University of Buffalo. His workhas been exhibited nationally. His murals depict remembrance of the ter-rorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an Italian village, a gathering of musiciansand other scenes that can be enjoyed on the sides of buildings in hishometown of Wolfeboro, N.H. and other venues. Find out more aboutthe artist at vincenzojazzart.com

Alumni News

30 geneseo scene

The smell of the alder wood ashe gently sands the body. Thefeel of the finished guitar cra-dled in his lap. The tight,punchy twang when he plucksthe low-B string.Roger Sadowsky ’70 loves it

all. He is the man behind themusic of legends like BruceSpringsteen, Prince andGilberto Gil. Famous artistsand aficionados seek him outfor handcrafted guitars, 80hours in the making. As ownerand founder of SadowskyGuitars, he has created outletsfor their musical muse formore than three decades.Oddly enough for a guitar

man, Sadowsky couldn’t struma note until he was in his 20s. A folk festival his junior yearchanged all that. There were alot of hippies and macraméand wonderful music madewith banjos and acoustic gui-tars, he remembers.“I felt at home there,” he says.He bought a $40 guitar the

next day and taught himselfthe chords. He played on cam-pus with former AssistantProfessor and former InterimProvost Frederick Fidura, a 30-year veteran of theDepartment of Psychology,who was a mentor. He stillconsiders the retired professorone of the most influentialpeople in his life. It was because of Fidura,

Sadowsky says, that “I reallybecame committed to doingthings the best that I could.That is a feeling and a lifeexperience that has alwaysstayed with me. I’ve applied itto everything in my life.”After earning his bachelor

of science at Geneseo, focus-ing on psychology, Sadowsky

landed a primo spot inRutgers University’s renownedgraduate program. Two yearsin, he knew it wasn’t his call-ing. Instead, he followed hisdream of becoming a masterguitar-maker.“I thought, ‘If I can implant

an electrode in a rat’s brain, Icould build a guitar,’” he says.Renowned craftsman Augie

LoPrinzi offered him anapprenticeship in 1972.“ … I woke up thinking

about guitars. I went to sleepthinking about guitars,” saysSadowsky. “No matter how dif-

ficult something was, I lovedevery bit of it.” Seven years later, he

launched Sadowsky Guitars inNew York City. The first fewyears, he worked seven days aweek, 12 hours a day in a stu-dio that doubled as an apart-ment — with a hot plate and atoilet in one closet and a show-er in the other. His big breakcame in 1982, when PaulSimon’s guitar broke as he andArt Garfunkel rehearsed theirreunion tour. They came toSadowsky, who later built a cus-tom guitar for Simon.

Sadowsky has kept his shopsmall but his list of clientssteadily grows, including U2and Prince. Many clients arechurch or part-time musicianswho want a quality instrument.Sadowsky completes the deli-

cate neck work and inspectseach of the 25 or so guitars

produced each month in hisBrooklyn shop. His instru-ments are sold in 23 countries.Former mentor Fidura is

proud that Sadowsky discov-ered his calling, inside the labor out.“I think of that as part of

being one of my very best stu-dents,” says Fidura. “I feel it’sexciting that he found some-thing very unique at which heexcels.”Fidura, in fact, has a Sadowsky

original acoustic. And, he stillplays the old Martin he jammedon with Sadowsky at Geneseodecades ago. Sadowsky addedan intricate inlay to the guitar,of which there are only two inthe world.Sadowsky has the other.

— Kris Dreessen

Alum’s passion strikes the right chord

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI PROFILE

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Roger Sadowsky ’70 found his muse creating handmade guitars.

class of

’70Roger

Sadowsky

Above, Frederick Fidura playsthe guitar Roger Sadowsky’70 built for him.

classof’94KathrynDruryWagner

Roger Smith ’88 knew some-thing was wrong when heentered Stephen Padalino’sphysics class the morning ofJan. 28, 1986.“I’ll never forget the solemn

expression on Dr. Padalino’sface when he told us that thespace shuttle Challenger hadexploded shortly after launchthat morning,” says Smith. That moment at Geneseo

helps Smith remember hisweighty responsibilities as akey member of NASA’s spaceshuttle team at the JohnsonSpace Center in Houston. For21 years, he has worked forNASA’s primary contractor forhuman space operations —first, Rockwell Internationaland now United SpaceAlliance. He quickly became alead timeline developer forspace shuttle missions andthen was certified as a flightactivities officer (FAO), whoplans and controls crew activi-ties. He became manager of

the Space Shuttle FlightPlanning Group in 2003 andoversees 20 people.“I have been in the Mission

Control Center front room aslead FAO for seven shuttlemissions now,” says Smith, whoalso is the lead trainer for thatposition.

Paradise found: an alumna in Hawaii

Kathyrn Drury Wagner ’94 is executive editor of Honolulu Magazineand the first female writer for one of its columns. Continued on page 33

Continued on page 33

PHOTO BY DAVID CROXFORD

Fall 2009 31

Not in her wildest dreams as a Geneseo student did KathrynDrury Wagner ’94 imagine herself in an office with a view ofHonolulu Harbor, a stone’s throw from famous WaikikiBeach. That’s where she spends much of her professionallife, however, as executive editor of Honolulu Magazine. “Being here reminds me that you never know where life

will take you,” says Wagner, a Rochester native who majoredin English. Wagner’s journey to the Aloha State started in New York

City, where she covered the magazine industry as a writer andeditor.“It was a great stepping-stone job,” Wagner says. “I got

acquainted with high-profile editors at magazines such asGlamour and Vanity Fair. That kind of exposure was my gradu-ate school.”She moved to a couple of specialty magazines focused on

boating and gardening. When her then-boyfriend and futurehusband, film and television director Brett Wagner, took a jobin Honolulu, she joined him and landed a job with PacificBasin Communications, which owns Honolulu Magazine. She

Roger Smith ’88 works as the lead flight activities officer in NASA’sMission Control Center in Houston during a space shuttle mission.

classof’88RogerSmith

PHOTO PROVIDED

Smith and his colleaguesbegin working on a missionmore than a year beforelaunch. “We plan everythingfor the astronauts and theshuttle and develop the mis-sion timeline,” he says. “Wealso do planning for theInternational Space Station

assembly.”Smith received bachelor

degrees in physics fromGeneseo and in engineeringfrom the University at Buffalovia Geneseo’s five-year, 3-2 pro-gram in which students spendthree years at Geneseo, thentransfer. He later earned anMBA from the University ofHouston at Clear Lake. Hewas recruited for the spacecenter position while atBuffalo, which included aninterview with Tracy Calhoun,then a flight training officer.She and Smith had the sameduties in the space programfor several years and they mar-ried in 1995.Geneseo provided a vital

foundation for working in thespace program, says Smith.“Just the basic understand-

ing of physics has made a bigdifference in my work,” hesays, “and the planninginvolved in physics lab experi-

Science that’s out of this world

32 geneseo scene

Jody Swilky ’73 recently reinvented himself from collegeprofessor to award-winning documentary filmmaker,exploring the cultural changes Latino immigrants have had

on a small rural city in Iowa.The town reflects a demographic shift that is happening

throughout the rural Midwest, says Swilky. The full-length docu-mentary, “A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Characterof Perry, Iowa,” examines the issue.Last fall, Swilky screened the film on the Geneseo campus.

Returning to his alma mater for the first time in 20 years broughtback memories of a time in which he first truly found himself.“I saw ghosts,” says Swilky.Coming from the Student Union, he envisioned his longtime

friend Gerald McCarthy ’73 in his green veteran’s jacket, saunter-ing into the autumn breeze. He saw himself outside Sturges, lis-tening to readings by passionate anti-war poets.Swilky came to Geneseo from Long Island, a Big Apple kid

ready for change. His closest high school friends had graduatedearly or gone to Europe; he felt a bit lost in the shuffle. “I knew nothing, really, about what it was like to be in a small

upstate town. It was much about the unknown,” says Swilky. “Itseemed like it was a good place for me to assert myself.”Soon Swilky identified himself with other students who

were interested in writing, discussing literature at The IdleHour and exploring life questions with English ProfessorEmeritus David Kelly.“There would be as much going on outside of the classroom

as inside the classroom,” remembers Swilky. “The world wasopening up.”Swilky and McCarthy created their own poetry magazine and

persuaded well-known poets and writers to submit work. LaHuerta boasted creations of Allen Ginsberg, a poem translatedby future Pulitzer Prize-winner W.S. Merwin and short fiction byacclaimed novelist Russell Banks.“We were shocked,” says Swilky, “but little magazines got

support from poets across the country in those days.” Today,all three editions of La Huerta still adorn Swilky’s shelf.Swilky has remained friends with Kelly; he stayed with him

after the screening last fall. It was Kelly, too, who proddedhim to apply for a spot in the University of Iowa’s Writers’Workshop. He earned his master’s degree there in 1975. Swilky went on to work as a successful editor at publishing

houses in New York City. When it lost its luster, he earned hisdoctorate in English with a specialty in writing studies at SUNYAlbany. He accepted a faculty job at Drake University in DesMoines, Iowa. Swilky has been an English professor there for 21years, publishing academic and creative work, lecturing andachieving awards for his teaching and scholarly endeavors,including Teacher of the Year in the College of Arts & Sciences.In 2000, he discovered Perry, Iowa, while doing research for a

piece that focused on Midwest towns that counter stereotypes.

Inspired by the idea that

everyone has a story

to share, we offer

the “random profile.”

Each issue, we don

a blindfold and throw a

dart at a map of the

United States to choose

our state, then take aim

again to choose a lucky

alum. We catch up, relive

memories and share life

insight, like we are talking

over coffee.

Up next ... Pennsylvania.

Could it be you?

with Jody Swilky, Class of 1973

Home: Des Moines, IowaGraduation year: 1973Degrees: Bachelor of artsfrom Geneseo, master offine arts from the Universityof Iowa and a doctorate inarts from SUNY Albany.

How you describe Geneseo:A good place to reinventone’s self.

Favorite campus hangout:Professor David Kelly’soffice discussing work andlife, and The Idle Hour.

Best Geneseo memory:The day Gerry McCarthydelivered boxes of our poetrymagazine, La Huerta. “It justseemed like what we weredoing was special.”

Most important life lessonyou learned at Geneseo:“Reinvention and change iswhat is wonderful aboutlife. It allows your imagina-tion to work.”

What you would tell fresh-men or graduating seniors:To the freshmen: “Collegeshould be about productivediscomfort. That’s whatlearning should be about —challenging yourself.”

To the seniors: “Don’t beafraid to change … Don’t beafraid to recognize that ‘WhatI’m doing now, I may not bedoing in a year or two.’”

Favorite saying: The line“Don’t go changing,” fromthe Billy Joel song, becauseI believe the opposite.“Don’t fear change, or your changing.”

One Cup

ONE CUP

Continued on page 33

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE CUSANO

ILLUSTRATION ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

RANDOM PROFILE

By Kris Dreessen

QUICK FACTS

Fall 2009 33

ALUMNI NEWS

Paradise found ... continued from page 31

Science ... continued from page 31

One Cup ... continued from page 32

Jody Swilky ’73, left, with the Golden Eddy award for his documentary.

A popular tourist destination because of its opulent MainStreet hotel, Perry also is home to nearly 2,000 Latinoimmigrants. No one talked about the town’s Latino commu-nity, which skyrocketed from 47 in 1990 to 1,800 in 2000.Swilky wrote the documentary and collaborated with a co-

producer and a filmmaker, spending almost two years inter-viewing residents and filming. They received more than$80,000 in grants and private donations to complete the film.Since its release in 2007, the movie has been shown at

national and state film festivals and on Iowa PublicTelevision. It took the Gold Eddy, the highest award forProfessional Documentary, at the 2007 Cedar RapidsIndependent Film Festival.“The most important function of it is that it has stirred

conversation about our immigration policy and our attitudetoward new immigrants in our communities,” says Swilky.He is now working on a book about the subject, examining cul-

tural changes on the national level. Swilky learned to reinventhimself at Geneseo and has embraced the concept ever since. Now, he says, “This seems like the natural extension for

me. I feel this is work that needs to be done.”

started at the magazine six years ago as an associate editor,advanced to managing editor and then to executive editor ayear ago. Founded in 1888 as Paradise of the Pacific, the maga-zine is the oldest publication west of the Mississippi River andhas a readership of 126,000.“It’s an owner’s manual to the city for those who live and

work in Honolulu,” says Wagner. “We focus on such things asdining, things to do and interesting profiles.” (See the onlineversion at Honolulumagazine.com)In addition to her managerial responsibilities, Wagner also

writes a column called “Afterthoughts,” which she cites as oneof her greatest honors because she is the column’s firstfemale writer and has won several awards for it.“Writing a column is a very interesting but challenging

experience. It takes a tough skin. I wrote a column last fallabout how annoying leaf blowers can be and it really hit anerve. I became known here as the ‘leaf blower avenger,’” shesays with a laugh.Wagner says her time at Geneseo definitely advanced her

writing, editing and interviewing skills. She was editor of theLamron and credits her liberal arts background for helpingher engage the world with enthusiasm and curiosity.“I stay in touch with a couple of my memorable English profes-

sors, such as Laura Doan and Julia Walker,” she says.Hawaii is sometimes not the easiest place to live because of

the isolation, time zone differences and expense, says Wagner,but she emphasizes the upside of living there with Brett andtheir 9-month-old daughter, Zoë.“The clean air and spectacular weather are wonderful,” she

says. “Honolulu is a healthy place to live and very family ori-ented. It has a small-town feel.”Wagner often has to dispel a misperception on the mainland,

however, that the atmosphere in Hawaii is totally laid-back.“The professional world here is as demanding as anywhere,”

she says. “There is this idea that we are drinking mai tais onthe beach, but I have a demanding and stressful professionaljob like many people. I stay very busy.”

— David Irwin

ments stuck with me. I alsoremember writing a paper onthe space shuttle at Geneseo.”All missions are “super

interesting,” says Smith, buthe particularly remembers hisinvolvement with the flightthat docked with the Russianspace station Mir because hespent time in Moscow coordi-nating with the Russian spaceteam. He also was the leadflight activities officer on a1998 shuttle mission with pio-

neer astronaut Sen. JohnGlenn aboard. Though Smithwas not at the console duringthe Columbia space shuttleaccident in 2003, he workedthe mission. “The tragedy made us a bet-

ter organization,” he says. “Weare encouraged more to saywhat we are thinking.”The shuttle program is to

be phased out soon but Smithalready is involved with theemerging Constellation

Program, which focuses ondeveloping spacecraft to trans-port humans to theInternational Space Station,the moon and perhaps Mars.“We have a lot of work to do

but I think we will land ahuman on Mars,” says Smith.“It’s important to continueour exploration of space andto expand our knowledge ofthe universe.”Roger that.

— David Irwin

“We have a lot of

work to do but I think

we will land a human on Mars.”

— Roger Smith ’88

PHOTO PROVIDED

1960sRichard Kellogg ’66 is theauthor of “Philip Wylie’s Final Dream,” an article thatappeared in Paperback Parade, aquarterly magazine published byGryphon Books of Brooklyn.

1970Celebrating their 40th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Linda Bickford McCracken isa publisher at Spiritual WebCommunications, LLC, inMarlow, N.H. Edward McKeeis president of Ed McKeeAdvertising in Liverpool, N.Y.

1971Denise Decker was named tothe Washington, D.C.Commission for People withDisabilities. Sandra WrightSawyer is a teacher atFriendship Central School inFriendship, N.Y. Judith Miller isthe community affairs directorfor Kids Incorporated of theBig Bend in Tallahassee, Fla.

1972Nancy Bartleson Mervar isretired from the BoulderValley School District inBoulder, Colo.

1973Carolyn Kidd Steere is theCEO and owner of DestinationMedia LLC in Montecito, Calif.

1974Barbara Combes Ingrassia isthe associate director for strate-gic initiatives and workforcedevelopment at the Universityof Massachusetts MedicalSchool in Worcester. Mitchell

Robinson was recently promot-ed to the position of commis-sioned vessels/repair adminis-trative contracting officer at theSupervisor of Shipbuilding,Conversion and Repair, USN(SUPSHIP) in Groton, Conn.

1975Celebrating their 35th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Jacquelyn Bauer Chechak is arehabilitation certified codingspecialist for Enable in Syracuse,N.Y. James Pierson is a depart-ment chair for Forsyth Tech inWinston-Salem, N.C.

1976John Thornton retired fromOnondaga Central Schools.Keith Roberts is a technicalfellow for FedEx Services inColorado.

1977Barbara Porter O’Flynn is anadministrator at Mid AtlanticRetina in Wyndmoor, Pa. ScottSilverman is the regional direc-tor of Asia-Pacific for GodfreyQ and Partners technical adver-tising in San Francisco.

1978Ian Merklein is an environ-mental specialist for the stateof Florida. Christine Gilbrideis a senior accountant atInfotonics Technology Centerin Canandaigua, N.Y.

1979Carol Nersinger is executivedirector of the Albany (N.Y.)Public Library.

1981John Csapo is a finance man-

ager at Hughes NetworkSystems GmbH. MaryannLopus Decent is a special edu-cation teacher at HillsboroughCounty Schools in Tampa, Fla.Sharon Diamond Hill wasnamed senior director ofdevelopment at the LindnerCenter of HOPE in Mason,Ohio. Michelle Williams-Allenis a senior project manager atSunGard Higher Education inMalvern, Pa.

1982Irene Brussel-Smith Penney isan information technologyarchitect for IBM.

1983Gretchen Eshleman Burrutois an assistant director for Webservices at Rochester Institute

of Technology in Henrietta,N.Y. Steven Wachter is thesenior vice president and man-ager for Integra Telecom.Deborah Carter Guagliardo isa production operations man-ager for Lockheed Martin inOswego, N.Y.

1985Celebrating their 25th reunionJuly 9 and 10, 2010.Paula Calvelli is an operationsdirector at Citizens Bank inRochester, N.Y. DonaldDuggan-Haas is an educationresearch associate for ThePaleontological ResearchInstitution and its Museum ofthe Earth in Ithaca, N.Y. PaulFusco is the executive vicepresident of corporate devel-opment at Rocket Racing, Inc.in New York City. Deborah

ClassNotesALUMNI NEWS

34 geneseo scene

Send your class note or notice to alumni@geneseo.edu.

Fall 2009 35

Orzell Pulver is a regionalsales and marketing managerfor Sovereign Bank/Santanderin Villanova, Pa. MargaretSchick Luke is the associatedirector of stewardship pro-grams at Bowdoin College inBrunswick, Maine.

1986Kathleen Faraoni Barnes hasbeen promoted to assistantvice president for The FirstNational Bank of Groton inIthaca, N.Y. Jeffrey Dobbs isvice president of human

resources for EMCOR FacilityServices. Matthew Folina isthe director of shared servicesfor Sony Corporation ofAmerica in Montvale, N.J.Tracy Bennett Smith is ahuman resources manager atTwang Partners LTD in SanAntonio.

1987Kwadjo Boaitey is a freelancewriter in Little Rock, Ark.Coleen Burke is a senior tech-nical specialist at DiosynthBiotechnology in Morrisville,

N.C. Edward Jones wasnamed vice president forenrollment management atSiena College in Loudonville,N.Y. Valerie Carlson is a the-ater teacher/director in Troy,N.Y. Samuel Cuccia is thepresident/founder of NewWorld Communications.

1988Jennifer Juzwick Lauria is aliteracy advocate at West SideRead & Play in Buffalo, N.Y.Corri Halpern Wilson wasinducted as a member of the

Delta Mu Delta Honor Societyand is completing her masterof science degree in sportsmanagement at Southern NewHampshire University.

1989Kathleen Donnelly Jacobs isthe owner and president ofCreators of Time, Inc. inPhelps, N.Y. Lisa MillerdChapin is the director of busi-ness process for PAETEC.Amy Falwell Githmark is aspecial needs administratorfor Union County Schools in

Scene around the worldAre you packing to cruise the Nile or adventure in theAmazon? Rediscovering America on a cross-countrydrive? Reuniting with a Geneseo friend or seeing thesights in a new place?

Take a photo of yourself with the Sceneon vacation,business or other trips and submit them for our newfeature. Include your T-shirt size; we’ll send a Geneseoshirt in thanks if we use your image.

Send your images to scene@geneseo.edu with a subject line of “Scene Around the World.”

At left, father-and-daughteralums Andrew Gray ’72 and Heather Gray ’97,brought their Sceneon aFourth of July road tripfrom Rochester, N.Y. to see family in Cuckoo —yes, Cuckoo, Va. They didn’t want to miss outhaving a part of belovedGeneseo represented atthe Cuckoo sign.

At right, hear the rattle? Better skidaddle. Debra EnrightMoyer ’73 pauses to read about

her alma mater with the rattlesnakes at YellowstoneNational Park last summer.

Above, Ariane Baer Harper MS ’08 spent six years inSenegal, Africa at an international school in Dakar, as anEnglish and philosophy teacher and vice principal. Shereturned to visit friends and see her one-time seventh-graders graduate in July. She also visited the Slave House,which remembers the Senegalese who were taken fromtheir homeland. She is a visiting lecturer of French atGeneseo.

Matthews, N.C. Jeffrey Milleris an organizational designleader for HoneywellAerospace in Danielson,Conn. John Peter is a vicepresident for M&T Bank.

1990Celebrating their 20th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Lou Ann Aepelbacher is aneducator at Fairfax CountySchools in Alexandria, Va.Deborah Doll is an engage-ment manager for CGI, aninformation technology serv-ice company. Bradley Eaton isa senior vice president andregional trust executive forChemung Canal TrustCompany in New York state.

1991Suzanne Gooler-Polizzano ispresident of Suzanne GoolerConsulting in Jackson, N.J.Michael Guche is the chieffinancial officer for the com-mercial printer Canfield &Tack, Inc. in Rochester, N.Y.Brenda Ockun recentlylaunched the online maga-zine, StepMoms, which isdesigned for step mothers.Ockun, the publisher, also par-ticipated in a “Good MorningAmerica” television segmentabout stepparents.

1992Stephen Bucci is a senior sup-port engineer at Microsoft inCharlotte, N.C. ChristinaZuch de Zafra was promotedto senior scientist in the safetyassessment department atGenentech, Inc. in SanFrancisco. Theresa NortonHahn is an assistant professorat Roswell Park CancerInstitute in Buffalo, N.Y.Colleen Prosser Leonard isthe owner of TLC Builders,

LLC, in Pagosa Springs, Colo.Julie Tong Arduini has pub-lished a story in a collectioncalled “Run Like a Girl” byKathy Vick, published byHoward/Simon and Schuster.

1993Brian Buchanan was namedprincipal at G. Ray BodleyHigh School in Fulton, N.Y.Andrew Fendinger is a seniorscientist for Rich Products inBuffalo, N.Y. Kenneth Fosteris a system engineer at SystechInternational in Cranbury, N.J.Tanya Woldbeck Gesek is a vis-iting professor teaching in thepsychology doctoral program atSyracuse University in Syracuse,N.Y. Theodore Huffman is asales director for ADP inRaleigh, N.C. David Schmidt isa senior research engineer for ExxonMobil UpstreamResearch in Houston. RobertWalker is the business develop-ment manager for UMTConsulting Group in New YorkCity. Rebecca DePra recentlywrote a book, “Hospitality in aNut Roll,” a guide to being hospitable in different situa-tions and to different people.Danielle Ratowski Petersen isa special education teacher forthe Syracuse (N.Y.) City SchoolDistrict.

1994Aimee Cescon is a learning support teacher at MecklenbergArea Catholic Schools inCharlotte, N.C. ColleenDobbins Murphy is the humanresources director for SantanderConsumer Finance USA Inc. inDallas. James Heffron is a principal for Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central SchoolDistrict in Parish, N.Y.

1995Celebrating their 15th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Kevin Bozza is the vice presi-

dent of clinical resource man-agement at the Long IslandHealth Network in Melville,N.Y. Christopher Morrissey isthe executive vice president ofsales and marketing for VoicePrint International. ElizabethPinto is a national accountmanager for LexisNexis.Christine Guglielmo receivedthe Outstanding ProfessionalAward from Kennedy HighSchool in Bellmore, N.Y.Christian Valentino is a lawyerwith Woods Oviatt GilmanLLP in Rochester, N.Y., andwas recently named a “2009Up & Coming Attorney” bythe Daily Record Newspaper.Recipients of the award havebeen practicing law for lessthan 10 years and show excep-tional career success.

1996Lee Vento Hamilton is anaudiologist for RochesterHearing & Speech in Webster,N.Y. Leslie Jansen is anEnglish teacher at The BrynMawr School in Baltimore,Md. Frank Nardelli, principalof Dove Academy in Detroit,Mich., was recently recognizedas an Emerging Leader byPDK International, a globalassociation of education pro-fessionals. Michele CashmanPeykar is an account managerfor Appellate Innovations,LLC in Woodbury, N.Y.Juliana Rossbach was named2007-2008 Teacher of the Yearat Pond Hill ElementarySchool in Wallingford, Conn.Traci Tomaselli is counsel forLowenstein Sandler PC inNew York City. Kevin Zeman isa project manager/lab manag-er for Xerox Corp. inRochester, N.Y.

1997Andrew Berkowitz receivedthe first-runner-up award atthe Radio & ProductionAwards for the best small-mar-

ket commercial of the year.Candice Sterckx Jones is atechnical support engineer atWolters Kluwer Health inNorwood, Mass. MichelleSchaefer Prichard is an infor-mation technology audit man-ager at Eastman Kodak Co. inRochester, N.Y. Douglas Smithis an associate at Kloss,Stenger & LoTempio inBuffalo, N.Y.

1998Cristy Collins Carey is a read-ing teacher at Holland PatentCentral School District inHolland Patent, N.Y. SaraMagill Dayton was elected tothe board of directors of theSociety For The Prevention ofCruelty to Animals serving ErieCounty, N.Y. She also serves as amember of the SPCA FinanceCommittee. Janelle Joyce is asales consultant for JoyceConsulting in Phoenix, Ariz.Patricia Mastellon Marra wasselected for the 2009 YoungProfessionals Award for heroutstanding leadership andefforts in promoting the artsand culture in Watertown, N.Y.

1999Maureen Diehl is a teacher forBaker Victory Services inLackawanna, N.Y. AlanMalzewski is an audit manag-er at Hudson, Cisne & Co. inLittle Rock, Ark. ToyyaMeyers is a human resourcesmanagement systems specialistfor Proskauer Rose LLP inNew York City. TheresaShinners Miller is a regionalcoordinator for the MuscularDystrophy Association.Heather Shaughnessy is adirector of development at theUniversity of North Carolinaat Charlotte. Elizabeth Shopeis a Web design specialist atPLS, Inc. in Rochester, N.Y.Cristina Kaecker Zencuch waspromoted to assistant princi-pal at Collier County Public

ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES

36 geneseo scene

Fall 2009 37

At left, Sue Callaghan ’73 shows theSceneto a resident swan at the RiverShannon, which flows through hervillage of Athlone, Ireland, where shelives with her family and is an assis-tant professor of drama and creativearts in social care at the AthloneInstitute of Technology.

Below, Kat Foster ’02 visited the Great Wall of China with middle school students from northern Virginia.

Above, Will Irwin ’03 and Kristin PelleriteIrwin ’04 relax on the beach of Mexico’sMayan Riviera, south of Cancun, wherethey went for their honeymoon after getting married July 25.

Above, Jessica Sutherland Ellsworth ’02 and her husband, Scott Ellsworth, of Webster, N.Y., brought the Scenewith them on a cruise to sunny Ft.Lauderdale, Key West and Cozumel.

At left, ErickaUtegg ’00, ofCorning, N.Y.,had a date tosee the queen,sightseeing atBuckinghamPalace inLondon.

Scene around the world

38 geneseo scene

Schools in Naples, Fla. ArleneBish is an inpatient psychiatricsocial worker for the VeteransAdministration in Buffalo, N.Y.Cory Soper Jacobs is thedirector of development forBinghamton University inBinghamton, N.Y. JenniferNowak Fiegel is a lead trainerfor Frontier Science andTechnology ResearchFoundation in Amherst, N.Y.

2000Celebrating their 10th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Elizabeth Henry Campbellworks in talent acquisition forThe Hartford in Clinton, N.Y.Daniel Gorayeb is a corpora-tion counsel for the city of NewYork. John Gullo is an invest-ment consultant at Sanderson& Company InvestmentConsultants in Buffalo, N.Y.Kristi Kral Humphrey is aninternal audit manager forDelaware North Companies,Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y. MichaelKotary is a remarketing salesmanager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Las Vegas, Nev. RaquelBaronas Laude is an attorneyfor McConville ConsidineCooman & Morin in Rochester,N.Y. Gail Lovette is an assistantprincipal at Mary EllenHenderson Middle School inFalls Church, Va. Dyami Plotkeis a repair and maintenancedivision manager for RoofServices in Deer Park, N.Y.Edward Puerta is an associatewith the law firm NixonPeabody LLP in Jericho, N.Y.Marcia Ranieri is an assistantprincipal at West GeneseeSchools in Camillus, N.Y. AmySmith is an information tech-nology analyst for the AmericanPlanning Association inWashington, D.C. JuliaO’Keefe is a staff financial ana-lyst for Allstate InsuranceCompany in Northbrook, Ill.

2001Darci Contri Bacigalupi is thespecial events coordinator forthe president’s office at SUNYCortland. ChristopherChaffee is a contract managerfor Alston Power, Inc. ValerieLubkowski Knoll received herdoctoral degree in counselingpsychology with a concentra-tion in school psychology fromthe University at Buffalo inJune 2008. Kate MrozakLague is a human resourcesmanager at Hill-Rom in Cary,N.C. Lynda Minbiole is a resi-dential leasing agent at FirstAmherst Development GroupLLC in Amherst, N.Y. SarahNagle Slosek is a speech lan-guage pathologist for SaratogaCounty Early Intervention inSaratoga County, N.Y. MichaelWallace is a senior analystequity administrator forUnilever in Englewood Cliffs,N.J. Janet Whelan is a senioraccount executive at CrowleyWebb and Associates advertis-ing in Buffalo, N.Y.

2002Daniel Barnwell is a controllerfor Compass Group, Inc. inNew York City. John Black is ahead trader at Prentice CapitalManagement, L.P., in New YorkCity. Julie Ellis is a recruitmentspecialist for JamestownCommunity College inJamestown, N.J. ToddMcCarthy was recently promot-ed from financial analyst toteam leader at POMCO Groupin Syracuse, N.Y. ElizabethStiles is a speech pathologistspecializing in autism and feed-ing disorders at the Center forAutism and Related Disordersat Kennedy Krieger Institute inBaltimore. Danielle Tylenda isa sales and support regionalmanager for Acosta Sales andMarketing in Minnesota.Sueann Hockenberry Wellsrecently published the book,“Mother Muse: A collection of

poetry and prose celebratingthe joys and challenges ofmotherhood.” Cory Myers isthe associate director of admis-sions at The New School inNew York City.

2003Craig Collins is in his thirdyear of general surgery resi-dency at the University atBuffalo. Noah Passer is anattorney at Severance, Burko& Spalter in Brooklyn, N.Y.Rizwan Qureshi is an associ-ate for Reed Smith LLP inNew York City. Steven Smithis a recruiter for Robert HalfInternational in Baltimore.Mark Stevens is a seniorattorney for the New YorkState Office of the StateComptroller in Albany, N.Y.Lisa Wielunski is an officemanager for the School ofMusic & Dance at SanFrancisco State University.

Melissa Pytlak Tomney is ateacher support supervisorfor PASCO Scientific inCalifornia.

2004Halina Lotyczewski is an assis-tant director of career servicesat Utica College in New York.Danielle Pacella received theOutstanding Dietetic StudentCoordinated Program Awardfor 2009 from the New YorkState Dietetic Association. Sheis a dietetic major atD’Youville College in Buffalo,N.Y. Meghan Vooris, alicensed social worker, recent-ly accepted a four-month vol-unteer position working withfoster-care children in residen-tial homes, schools and thecommunity in Santiago, Chile.Jeffrey Mastrodonato is aninsurance agent for AAA inRochester, N.Y.

ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES

We invite you to join more than 170 alumni and friendswho have made bequests and other planned gifts to The Geneseo Foundation. For 10 years, through theRobert W. MacVittie Society, Geneseo has recognized

the importance of estate gifts of all sizes.

Many generous benefactors have endowed scholarships,internships and student-faculty research; expanded

Geneseo’s library and galleries; and have helped to ini-tiate and sustain innovative campus programs.

To learn how you can provide for future generations of Geneseo students, contact the Office of Planned Giving

at 585-245-5519 or e-mail hilld@geneseo.edu.

The Robert W. MacVittie Society

10-Year Anniversary

Fall 2009 39

2005Celebrating their 5th reunion July 9 and 10, 2010.Catherine Richter Casey is ateacher in the BethlehemCentral School District inDelmar, N.Y. RachelChrostowski is a planner forthe Erie County Department ofEnvironment and Planning inBuffalo, N.Y. Clay Cooper is afinancial analyst forExxonMobil in Irving, Texas.Kaitlyn Roth DiLaura is anagency supervisor at PaychexAgency Inc. Christine Joyce iscompleting her pediatric resi-dency at Weill CornellPresbyterian Hospital in NewYork City. Mark Melcher is aderivatives specialist for theBlackRock investment firm inNew York City. SamanthaBissell Moss is a property man-ager for Fisher Realty inBrevard, N.C. Abigail Widmerreceived tenure as a high schoolEnglish teacher at FrontierHigh School in Lakeview, N.Y.Christopher Larsen works forthe University of RochesterMedical Center in Rochester,N.Y. Eric Schillinger is a busi-ness development officer forXceed Financial Credit Unionin Rochester, N.Y. Erin Martin isa legal assistant in Syracuse, N.Y.

2006Kristin Walker Boyd is a busi-ness analyst for M&T Bank.Emily Howland is a biologistat the National Institutes ofHealth in Bethesda, Md.Lucas Meyers is a communica-tions specialist for McMurryMarketing Communications inSaratoga Springs, N.Y.

2007Erin Cunningham is a mentalhealth counselor at St. Joseph’sHospital Center in Syracuse,N.Y. Kyle Dembrow is anaccountant at Medaille Collegein Buffalo, N.Y. Matthew

Hoffman is an associate pro-ducer at News 10NBC inRochester, N.Y. KathleenO’Connell is an admissionscounselor for SIT StudyAbroad, a program of WorldLearning in Brattleboro, Vt.Justin Silvia is an accountexecutive for TravelersInsurance in Syracuse, N.Y.Katelyn Schreiber works inmarketing for KideneyArchitects in Buffalo, N.Y. JohnDisarro is the assistant directorof fraternity and sorority affairsat the University of Rochesterin Rochester, N.Y. AngelaMancini is a teacher at MaryCariola Children’s Center inRochester, N.Y. Kari George isthe coordinator of studentdevelopment at Cal Poly SanLuis Obispo in California.Kevin Leisten is a social studiesteacher at Penfield CentralSchool District in Penfield, N.Y.

2008Katherine Biamonte is a fieldeconomist for the U.S.Department of Labor, Bureauof Labor Statistics, in New YorkCity. Michael Caputo is a Webauthor for Intel Corporation.Tracey Piccola is a registerednurse at Rome (N.Y.) MemorialHospital. Christopher Tripodiis a freelance writer forTFYDraft.com. MelissaWaterman is a zookeeper forDisney’s Animal Kingdom inLake Buena Vista, Fla.

2009David Murphy is serving as aPeace Corps volunteer inArmenia, helping residentswith economic development.

MarriagesStephen Jakuc ’93 & SaraBarber, Oct. 4, 2008.Anne Irwin Tillinghast ’96 &

Peter Tillinghast, May 24, 2009.Kelly Brown ’04 & NathanKester ’05, April 25, 2009.Jillian Robinson Morris ’05 &Charles D. Morris ’05, April24, 2009.Kristin Walker Boyd ’06 &Robert Boyd ’06, July 5, 2008.Sara Manly Brognano ’07 &Joseph Brognano ’07, Aug.23, 2008.Anne Pienno Romano ’03 &Michael Romano, June 20,2009.Kristin Pellerite ’04 & WillIrwin ’03, July 25, 2009Christopher Marrin ’06 & LisaNachriner Marrin, July 11,2009.Katherine Hinman Guignon’07 & Andrew Guignon ’06,July 5, 2009.Michelle Williams Hildreth ’07& Kyle Hildreth, June 28, 2009.

Births &AdoptionsCathryn Wong Nevin ’92 &Kyle, Carrigan Lailen, Dec. 8,2008.Sara Scholomiti Rook ’95 &Gerald ’95, Brendan Louis,April 18, 2009.Alyssa Bomze Saffer ’96 &Jack, Mitchell Spencer, March27, 2009.Lisa Decker Schneider ’97 &Joseph ’97, Kathleen Rose,Oct. 17, 2008JoAnne Kukoda Elnicky ’99& John ’98, Aidan Joseph,March 3, 2009.Cara McKay Barnwell ’99 &Daniel ’02, Daniel Richard,March 17, 2009.Jennifer Napuli Fraidstern’99 & Daniel, Max Samuel,March 9, 2009.Jacqueline HolowkaJohnston ’99 & Christopher’99, Riley Jade, April 27, 2009.Theresa Shinners Mille ’99 &Michael ’99, Avery Grace, Feb.26, 2009.Cristina Kaecker Zencuch ’99& Adam, Christopher

Anthony, Jan. 28, 2009.Sarah Millis Kujawa ’02 &Jeffrey ’02, Benjamin DavidPaul, Feb. 4, 2009.Kathryn Richards Franks ’03& Mike, Ethan Michael, Dec.16, 2008.Carrie Emery O’Leary ’03 &Jonathan, Chloe Lynne, Dec.19, 2008.Kimberlee Ostrander Scott’04 & Michael, Jacob Michael,April 9, 2009.Jessica Russo Wartinger ’05& Daniel, Adalyn Grace,March 28, 2009.Amy Oldis Cusumano ’96 &Nicolas, Garrett Nicolas, Oct.22, 2008.

In MemoriamAlumniTheodore Henry ’36, Nov. 3,2008Sally Jacuzzo Favier ’37,June 12, 2009Olga Hopkins McCallum ’37,Nov. 24, 2008Dorothy Resch ’38, June 23, 2009Thalia Scondras ’38, June 24, 2009Bernice Hartigan ’39, May 8, 2009Virginia York ’40, June 22, 2009Helen Bly Tobey ’39, June 23, 2009Ann Sheehe Correnti ’45,Oct. 10, 2007Phyllis Carey Alessio ’49,April 23, 2008Caroline Rhea Camp ’56,April 18, 2009Wallace Monsell ’58, May 8, 2007Barbara Percy ’61, June 13, 2009Leora McElroy ’63, Nov. 22, 2008Lynn R. Williamson ’70, July 28, 2008Kathleen Kammer Farese ’84,July 5, 2008Sunny MacBlane English ’93,July 20, 2009.Laura Wetherell Wade ’95,May 23, 2009

Send your class note or notice to alumni@geneseo.edu.

40 geneseo scene

Just what are these alumni, who were featured in the 1940 Normalian yearbook,daydreaming about?

Share your photo caption at scene@geneseo.edu. Look for results in the next issue.

MEMORY LANE

Rewind: Caption contest

GIVING BACK

Bob McDonald knows that Geneseo changes young people’s lives.

A tail gunner with the Air Force Flying Tigers in World War II, Bob

tried college before the war, but never took it seriously.

“I don’t think I really appreciated going to college,” he says. “I

wasn’t interested — but then after the war, when I got to Geneseo,

I buckled down.” While earning his degree, he developed a

passion for education and making a difference in students’ lives.

Bob believes alumni who don’t stay connected to Geneseo are

missing out. A basketball and lacrosse fan, Bob can often be

found at games cheering on the Blue Knights. “Even my

wife, Jean (Dorsey ’48), who was suffering from

Parkinson’s at the end, would always look forward to

climbing those old bleachers at the college to see

the ball games. When I go to games now, it

brings back memories.”

Bob knows that gifts of all sizes shape

each student’s educational experience,

supporting scholarships, athletics, under-

graduate research and leadership train-

ing. “I was always interested in helping

young people. That’s one reason I

support Geneseo and stay involved

with the college.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

My Geneseo ... My StoryAny given morning, Bob McDonald ’50 can be found at the Bank StreetCafé off campus with his Geneseo coffee club friends, many of whom areretired faculty, staff and alumni. An elementary education major, Bob hasserved as president of the Alumni Association and is a member of theRoundtable Athletic Association. He has been a donor to The Fund forGeneseo for more than 25 years.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

:Good people do good deeds for Geneseo every day. Tell us about them at scene@geneseo.edu

Summer Reunion 2010

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT GENESEO

Division of College Advancement

1 College Circle

Geneseo, NY 14454

NonProfit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDRochester, NYPermit No. ???

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

Sam Dioguardi ’59 of Mt. Morris, N.Y. celebrates as he’sinducted into the 50-Year-Club at Summer Reunion 2009.

Summer Reunion 2010

Don’t miss out on any

alumni events.

Update your e-mail and information at

go.geneseo.edu/alumniemail

is coming ...is coming ...