Commencement 2005

Exorcising the Ghosts

of Mississippi

FA L L 2 0 0 5

QAlice Artzt ’68 (front row, fourth from left) celebrates with students from her TIME 2000 project at the June 2 Q Gala. Artzt (SecondaryEducation) received the Q Award for her innovative program that is increasing the number of highly qualified math teachers in New York’sschools. Also receiving the award was renowned businessman and philanthropist Lewis Cullman, who is chairman of the Chess-in-the-Schools program. The gala raised $820,000 for scholarships and academic and research initiatives at the college.

QUEENS COLLEGE

CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

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Commencement 2005

Exorcising the Ghosts

of Mississippi

Q

QUEENS COLLEGE IS

THE MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

Your invitation to Homecoming is inside!

INSIDE: Your invitation to OCTOBER 1 HOMECOMING

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 3

ANOTHER ALUM AT LOS ALAMOS

Reading the two letters in the spring issue of Q about fellow alumni on the ManhattanProject and about retirement has inspired meto pick up the keyboard and pass on somethoughts from an old but grateful QueensCollege graduate. Two days after graduating in 1943, I was off to basic training. My time in the army was a great learning experiencefor me in that I shortly found myself at LosAlamos working on the “gadget,” as it wasreferred to then. Here I was with my fresh,untried BS degree working in a group underProfessor Kistiakowsi and sitting in on semi-nars with people right out of the textbook . . .Nick Baker (better known as Neils Bohr),Enrico Fermi, Edward Teller, etc. I will alwaysremember my introduction to Fermi, so tospeak. This fellow in the leather jacket wascleaning the blackboard that evening at theTech Center. He then turns around and

starts talking . . . and me, wishing I could follow it all . . . it was Fermi!

My chemistry degree stood me in goodstead for my two+ years at Los Alamos. Mydegree and time at Los Alamos led me on tothe University of Minnesota where I got myMS in physical chemistry. From there aftershort spells at NACA (now Lewis Laboratory)and Brookhaven, I settled down to 34 years atBattelle Memorial Institute focusing most ofmy attention on combustion and atmosphericchemistry. Since retiring in 1985 I have spentmost of my “retirement” consulting with theOhio Coal Development Office. The point is:after 65, let the brain move into a lower gear,but don’t put it in Park. And for this, I haveto thank Queens College, with special thanksto the late Professor Max Eidinoff, who was aspecial inspiration to me.

Arthur Levy ’43, Worthington, OH

Maria TerroneEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

John CassidyEDITOR

Dyanne MaueCREATIVE DIRECTOR

Bob SuterWRITER

Georgine IngberDESIGNER

COVER: Jerry Mitchell (far left) and Leroy Clemonsafter receiving the President’s Medal atCommencement. Story p. 4 © 2005 Newsday, Inc. Photo by Audrey C.Tiernan.

PHOTOS: Nancy Bareis pp. 2, 4, 5 (Ungar), 6-9, 16, 21 (top), 22, 23; Silhouette yearbooks pp. 3 (1970), 15 (1976, background); George Tsourovakas p. 5(Svoboda); ECPAD/France p. 19 (Franco); Katherine McGlynn p. 24.

THE MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

Vol. XI, No. 1, Fall 2005

mailBAG

We welcome letters about your memories of the college, what you are doing now, oranything else you would like to write about. Send your letters to Q magazine, QueensCollege, CUNY, Kiely Hall 1307, Flushing, NY 11367.

Q2

Your Invitation toHomecoming

4Q News Bites

6 Six Queens College

Success StoriesBY BOB SUTER

11Fall Festival of the Arts

15Alumni Spotlight:

Donna Orender ’78BY LESLIE JAY

16Rabassa Remembers

BY BOB SUTER

18Alumni Notes

Use Enclosed Envelope to Reserve Today!

FOR ALL ALUMNI

Come Back for the Day – Catch Up on a Lifetime

Homecoming DaySATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2005 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM

The day begins with registration and continental breakfast at 9:30 am in the Music Building and continues with lectures, exhibits, campus films, lunch with classmates, and campus tours. President Jim Muyskens will present 50th Anniversary Medals to the Class of ’55. There will

be special hospitality for the classes of ’45, ’55, and the Silver Jubilee Class of ’80, and a closingreception for everyone at 4:30 pm. Dress is casual, so wear comfortable shoes and

bring your yearbook, photos, and camera!

Due to planning requirements (catering, seating, etc.), you must register by Monday, September 12,and early replies are greatly appreciated. (Sorry, we will be unable to accommodate walk-ins.)

Do you know graduates not in our database? Invite them to Homecoming and enjoy the day together.

For latest Homecoming details, visit www.qc.cuny.edu/alumni_affairs

FREE ON-CAMPUS PARKING

SEE YOU OCTOBER 1!

Every now and then a picture from an old Silhouette grabs our attention. In

this mirror-image photo from the 1970 yearbook, it appears that students have

climbed Persia Campbell Dome for the purpose of planting a photo of W. C.

Fields on top. Were you part of this expedition party? Did your parents know

that this was how you spent your time on campus? We would love to hear

from you if you know what is going on or can identify someone in the photo.

Claiming Persia Campbell Domein the Name of W. C. Fields:

WERE YOU THERE?

struggle continues, and you are at its heart.”

A lifelong social activist, Goodman has

remained involved in civil rights work since

her son’s death.

A witness to another troubled period of

the 20th century was honored at

Commencement when the degree of Doctor

of Humane Letters was conferred upon

William Ungar in recognition of his

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 54 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

QnewsBITES

The Princeton Review has designatedQueens College as one of the “Top 10Best Value Colleges” in the 2006 editionof America’s Best Value Colleges.

“With the best reputation of all the CUNYundergraduate institutions, QueensCollege provides a top-rate education at a bargain-basement price,” states thePrinceton Review.

America’s Best Value Colleges alsodescribes Queens College’s “attractive”campus, with its “tremendous view of theManhattan skyline.” In addition, “the stu-dent body, like the borough that it callshome, is extremely diverse.”

The Princeton Review compiled the rank-ing list and chose the colleges for thebook based on data obtained from admin-istrators at over 350 colleges and surveysof students attending them. Says RobertFranek, VP-Publishing at the PrincetonReview, “We used over 30 factors to ratethe colleges in four categories: Aca-demics, ‘Tuition GPA’ (the sticker priceminus average amount students receive in scholarships and grants), Financial Aid(how well colleges meet students’ finan-cial need), and Student Borrowing.Bottom line: the 81 schools that met ourcriteria for this book are all great collegeeducation deals.”

Blogs, those online sources of information andcommentary on current events, have come ofage. Just ask CBS anchorman Dan Rather, whose celebrated careerfoundered when a Web log charged that he used fabricated evidence for a reportalleging President George W. Bush hadshirked military service.

For Wayne Svoboda, director of the col-lege’s journalism program, the so-calledMemogate affair was proof that blogs wereworthy of serious examination. So this fall“Blogs, Bias, and the Mainstream Media” willbe one of two new journalism offerings; theother is “The History of War Reporting: FromVietnam to Iraq.”

Both seminars bespeak a relevance thathas become the hallmark of Svoboda’s tenureas director. Since fall 2003, he has presidedover major advances in both the scope andsize of the journalism program. He can proudly

point to a 50 percent increase in enrollmentand, for the first time, journalism classes atnight.

Having worked for the Economist, Timemagazine, and the Des Moines Register,Svoboda brings the kind of real-world experi-ence and access that provides students withknowledge of the profession that is both well-informed and current. Whenever possible, hearranges to have students meet with peoplewho regularly ply the craft. His ethics classvisited the national desk at the New York DailyNews, and last spring a group met with DanielOkrent, the public editor at the New York Times.Meetings were also arranged with the city hallreporter for the New York Post, USA Today’sNew York correspondent, and representativesfrom local weeklies. Students also visitedCNN’s studios.

Guest speakers for last spring’s course inspecialized reporting included Richard

Journalism Program Staying on Top of the News

WE’RE #8!

Nearly 41 years to the day that her son

Andrew and two fellow civil rights workers

were murdered, Dr. Carolyn Goodman hung

a medal around the neck of journalist

Jerry Mitchell at the college’s June 2

Commencement. Three weeks later, thanks

in great part to Mitchell’s investigative

reporting, a jury found Edgar Ray Killen

guilty of manslaughter in the deaths of

Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and

Michael Schwerner.

“I can think of no greater honor,”

Mitchell told the huge Commencement

audience, “than to receive a medal from

Queens College, for this is where Andy was

a student. And to receive this medal from

Dr. Goodman is overwhelming.”

Mitchell was barely five years old on

the day in June 1964 when the bodies of

Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner were

uncovered in an earthen dam near

Philadelphia, Mississippi. A quarter century

later, Mitchell’s investigative stories for the

Jackson, MS, Clarion Ledger have led to

convictions in the murders of civil rights

leaders Medgar Evers and Vernon Dahmer,

and four girls killed in the 1963 firebombing

of a Birmingham church.

Mitchell was honored with the President’s

Medal along with Leroy Clemons, who repre-

sented the Philadelphia Coalition, a multira-

cial organization that has agitated for justice

for the murders and construction of a memo-

rial to assure they are properly remembered.

An African American, Clemons told the

gathering, “I stand today as proof that those

three young men did not die in vain.”

Describing herself as “a woman approach-

ing her ninth decade,” Goodman told the

graduates, “The future lies in your hands. Do

your best not to be overwhelmed. . . . The

Jerry Mitchell

Carolyn Goodman with a photo of her son Andrew

Wayne Svoboda (holding coat) and studentslisten to an editor at the New York Daily News.

Sandomir of the New York Times sports deskand Marine Captain Alison Salerno, who dis-cussed the process of embedding journalistsin Iraq. The real nitty-gritty of putting out adaily paper was the topic when Newsdayeditor John Mancini addressed students at anevening event.

The program remains current through its use of a journalist-in-residence—currentlyGerald Solomon, who arrived this year fromCNN, where he was a writer for “AndersonCooper 360.” “Broadcasting in particularchanges its technology very quickly,”Svoboda observes. “So we bring in someonefrom the broadcast world every two years.”

Svoboda also serves as an ambassador forthe program. He’s conducted a tutorial forstaff of the Queens Tribune, and this summerventured to Moscow under the auspices of aFulbright Senior Fellowship to teach a seminarfor journalists from former Soviet republics.

Svoboda is also involved in developingthe curriculum for CUNY’s new graduatejournalism school, which will begin offeringclasses in fall 2006. “This is the perfecttime to get into the grad school businessbecause there are a lot of people who wantto study journalism,” he says. “New YorkCity is a wonderful laboratory to do a lot ofdifferent kinds of journalism.”

Who Sought Justice for Civil Rights Workers“wholehearted commitment to Holocaust

memory, higher education, and the foster-

ing of tolerance and understanding among

people of all backgrounds.”

A Holocaust survivor who lost more

than 60 members of his family—including

his wife and son—to the Nazis, Ungar

arrived penniless on American shores in

1946. Taking night classes at CCNY, he

earned a degree in mechanical engineering.

In 1952 he founded the National Envelope

Corporation, which is now the largest privately

owned envelope producer in North America.

His remarkable story of survival and success was

chronicled in his 2000 book Destined to Live.

“Today, I have come from depths to

heights,” said Ungar in heartfelt acceptance

remarks witnessed by his wife, Jerry, a gradu-

ate of the college’s Adult Collegiate Education

program, and many family members. “It was

my education that played a great role in sav-

ing my life through the darkest time in

mankind,” he declared, reminding the audi-

ence, “Knowledge is the greatest weapon we

can muster against prejudice, ignorance, and

fear.” Today, Ungar is a member of the

Advisory Board of the Center for Jewish

Studies and widely known for his philan-

thropic largesse. He is a principal founder of

the United States Holocaust Museum in

Washington, D.C., as well as a founder of the

New York Museum of Jewish Heritage and

Yad Layeled Children’s Museum in Israel.

Graduates from September 2004 and

February 2005 joined the June class in the

ceremony in which 2,760 bachelor’s degrees

and 1,500 master’s degrees were awarded.

The event, broadcast live over the Internet,

can be seen in its entirety at www.qc.cuny.

edu/video_archives/commencement05.php.

Pulitzers Prizes? QC Grads Have Three of ThemConsidered the most prestigious award in journalism, the Pulitzer Prizes annually honor excellence in American journalism, literature, drama, andmusic. Three Queens College graduates have received this accolade: RICHARD OFSHE ’63 shared the Pulitzer for public service in 1979 for report-ing in the California weekly Point Reyes Light about the controversial drug rehab group Synanon. Lloyd Schwartz ’62 won the Pulitzer for criti-cism in 1994 for his columns on classical music in the Boston Phoenix. DOROTHY RABINOWITZ ’56 won the Pulitzer for commentary in 2001 forher articles in the Wall Street Journal on American society and culture.

William Ungar

Commencement Honors Those

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 7

September 2001 was not an auspicious timein New York. Yet, amid that gnawingatmosphere of grief and terror, a group of stu-dents embarked on an audacious experiment asmembers of the first CUNY Honors College class.

Nearly four years later, they are older,wiser, and privileged to be among the 189members of the first graduating class (45 arefrom Queens). They are also cashing in on agreat deal: purchasing for $1 the AppleiBook laptop computer that was on loan tothem throughout those four years. The com-puter was one of a number of enticements—including free tuition and free access tomany of New York City’s top cultural insti-tutions—that induced some of the area’sbrightest students to forego generous schol-arships from other colleges and take achance on Chancellor Matthew Goldstein’sambitious goal “in raising standards andshifting the conversation from CUNY’sweakest students to its strongest.”

The conversation is now about a programthat has won great praise and the attentionof the media. That praise reverberatedthroughout the historic Great Hall atCooper Union on May 31, when SenatorHillary Rodham Clinton addressed theCUNY Honors College’s first graduatingclass. She told them that like so many beforethem who set out in pursuit of opportunityin New York City, “You are pioneers.”

Yosef Ibrahimi is one of those pioneers.As one of two student speakers at theevent, Ibrahimi offered his classmates anunusual exhortation: to be subversives. “Ashard as it might be to imagine,” he toldthem, “the people who created this programwere subversives . . . they dared to put for-ward a different idea.”

The CUNY Honors College program is adifferent idea, offering a rigorous curriculumdesigned around the combined resources ofthe country’s largest urban university and theworld’s leading center of finance, culture,and information. The program, which hasmore than 1,000 students on seven campus-es, has attracted over $20 million in privatedonations. With many graduates expected toremain in the New York City area, the com-munity will undoubtedly reap substantialrewards for its investment in their future.

Below are six students New Yorkers canexpect to hear from in the future:

Yosef IbrahimiYosef Ibrahimi eagerly anticipated his roleas one of the speakers at the CUNYHonors College Commencement at CooperUnion. “The podium at which I will bestanding,” he noted beforehand, “is thesame one where Abraham Lincoln stoodwhen he spoke there.”

Ibrahimi, who would like to study law,confesses to an admiration for “the life ofthe mind” many of his professors lead. Hisown mind, he recalls, initially wasn’t quiteset on joining the CUNY Honors College.

“The economic package was quiteappealing, but I wasn’t completely sold on

sixQueens College Success Stories

When 189 students from seven CUNY campuses crossed the stage of the Great Hall at Cooper Union

to receive their degrees as members of the first CUNY Honors College graduating class,

nearly a quarter were from Queens College. Meet six of them.

By BOB SUTER

Bottom right photo, clockwise from top left: Michael Schwemmer, Priya Suryanarayanan,Russel Neiss, Christine Whited, Yosef Ibrahimi, and Adina Leon.

8 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 9

the program. But about a month prior todecision time the university held a recep-tion for admitted students. The hard sellwas very convincing. The chancellor andother CUNY officials were committed tochanging things and bringing back the stel-lar reputation CUNY used to enjoy.”

Ibrahimi also had an interest “in doingsomething different. I had attendedStuyvesant, and everyone there goes on tomajor research universities where studentstend to get lost in the shuffle. I knew that if I came here, I wouldn’t be just anotherfaceless number.”

A political science and philosophymajor, Ibrahimi feels he had plenty ofopportunities to indulge his different inter-ests in the last four years “because the facul-ty here are so supportive.” During this timehe was an intern in the office of Assembly-man Barry S. Grodenchik and served as acommunity representative for City Councilmember John C. Liu. He also managed towork as an instructor for Kaplan Test Prep.This past summer he was a Charles G. KochFellow at the Goldwater Institute inPhoenix, AZ.

As a winner of several academic awards,it’s no surprise that Ibrahimi says his favoriteleisure time activity is reading. He alsopaints and writes short stories and poetry.

Christine WhitedFor Silhouette yearbook editor ChristineWhited, attending Queens College was inevitable.

“I had two older sisters and they bothcame here. And, yes, they were both year-book editors,” says Whited. “I enjoyed beingeditor. It’s like looking through a cameralens and thinking ‘How do I get people tosee the college the way I see it?’”

A Long Islander, Whited says attendingQueens offered her a city experience with-out really being in the city. “It allowed me toget more experience than if I had to com-mute to Manhattan. I got so much done yetstill was home at a decent hour.”

Upon the recommendation ofAdmissions Director Vincent Angrisani,Whited applied to the CUNY HonorsCollege. It’s a decision she does not regret.“It was a great education,” she says enthusi-astically. “I’m graduating school with noloans and a high GPA.”

A Media Studies major, Whited cites herinternships as contributing to her prepara-tion for life after graduation. These includedoing research for RoperASW, a globalresearch and marketing firm servicingclients such as AOL, and an ongoinginternship with the entertainment divisionof Hallmark Cards that is responsible forthe “Hallmark Hall of Fame” televisionseries. She also spent a semester as ateaching assistant and another as layouteditor for the Business and Liberal Artsprogram’s newsletter.

Whited particularly lauds the CUNYHonors College’s efforts in preparing her totake on future challenges. “You learn howthe world works; things are expected of you;you have to do the work. And you learnfrom mentors and faculty members.Everyone’s graduating and looking for jobs. I feel more prepared and confidentthanks to the Honors College.”

Whited plans to continue working atHallmark for a year before going for an MBA.

Michael SchwemmerMusic first brought Michael Schwemmer toQueens College. While a student at nearbySt. Francis Prep, he attended Saturday classes at the Center for Preparatory Studiesin Music and fell in love with the campus.When he was accepted into Queens, he wasinvited to apply to the CUNY HonorsCollege. “It sounded like a great program.” herecalls, “I didn’t think I was going to get in.”

But he did get in, and this fall Schwemmerwill begin the doctoral program in appliedmathematics at the University of California,Davis. As a researcher in an area of mathbiology called computational neuroscience,he’ll be trying to learn more about how thebrain works.

Schwemmer came to this mostly bychance. “One of my friends was working inthe psych lab of Dr. Joshua Blumberg,” herecalls. “I asked if I could work there too,and Dr. Blumberg said since I’m a mathmajor, I might want to look into this field.”

Schwemmer’s focus has largely been onan area of brain activity that may contributeto the brain’s cognitive abilities. Working ina program called Neuron, he has been creat-ing models of brain cells and running simu-lations on them. “These are mathematicalequations that mimic and predict how cellsfire in the brain. It’s basically using math tomimic biology and predict it.”

Schwemmer pursued his interests in bothmusic and math, but “I ultimately decidedmath is what I wanted to go to grad schoolfor.” However, with some prodding fromHonors College adviser Pamela Degotardiand the program’s study grant, Schwemmer,who has played rock and jazz guitar forabout 12 years, was able to spend one sum-mer taking his music interest in an entirelynew direction: “I was able to go to Spain tostudy Flamenco guitar.”

Schwemmer is considering workingafter graduate school for a pharmaceuticalcompany, where he could put his trainingin computational neuroscience to gooduse. “Ultimately,” he says, “I would like tobe a professor at a university, but I wouldlike to try out the business world first, justto see how the other half lives, so to speak.”

Adina LeonFew would even consider taking on anotherproject while carrying a 20-credit courseload in one of CUNY’s most demandingacademic programs. But Adina Leon, thestudent speaker at this year’s collegeCommencement, thought nothing of alsostudying to be an Emergency MedicalTechnician twice a week. “You’ve got to dowhat you’ve got to do,” she says.

Leon can’t seem to do enough. “I always

in the back of my mind considered being adoctor. So I figured if I could see what it’slike to treat people, then I could figure out ifit’s something I really want to do. The moreI learn, I find, the more I want to learn.”

To date, Leon has learned to be a NewYork State Certified Emergency MedicalTechnician-Critical Care and a Class ‘A’Interior Firefighter. She’s also certified inHazardous Materials Operations. Withplans to go to medical school in fall 2006,she has already taken the MCATs.Characteristically, though, she intends todo a little preparatory exploration. “I’mlooking for a job in the medical field. Iwant to try research to see if I would like todo it professionally.”

In the Honors College, Leon found botha suitable outlet for her enormous energy

and curiosity and a solution for a more prac-tical matter: The free tuition was a majorenticement, her parents having already paidconsiderable tuition for her high school edu-cation at Hebrew Academy of NassauCounty. “Plus,” she says, “my sister had goneto Queens and my mother graduated fromhere, so it’s in the family.” (Her sisterreturned to Queens for her master’s in libraryscience and also graduated this June.)

“I loved it,” she says of the honors program, “and it gave me so many otheropportunities as well.” She cites the $7500study grant: “I’m an art major, so I got asewing machine to study another form ofart. I studied abroad last summer inFlorence. I was also able to take an unpaidinternship at the Cooper-Hewitt NationalDesign Museum.”

Amazingly, Leon finds time for other

pursuits: “I’m on the fencing team. I go tothe gym, hang out with friends, and play gui-tar.” She also started a club called Knitting ItTogether. “We make things for the homelessand other less fortunate people.” This summershe’ll continue taking a scuba diving courseinitiated at Queens that will enhance her life-saving skills.

Russel Neiss“I came to the Honors College because ofthe perks, and to Queens College especiallybecause of its academic record and thebroad-based liberal arts education I couldget there,” declares Russel Neiss.

“I chose to major in religious studiesand Jewish studies, two interdisciplinarymajors. So I’ve taken courses in a varietyof disciplines—anthropology, history, soci-ology, literature. I wanted an institutionthat had all these resources and where allthe departments were strong. At QueensCollege I was able to pick and choose thebest of everything.”

The interdisciplinary approach alsobrought Neiss into contact with the teacherwho has most influenced him, Thomas Bird(European Languages). “I stumbled uponProf. Bird’s Yiddish class in my freshmanyear. Then I took him for the second semes-ter and again for Independent Study.”

Bird became Neiss’s mentor for his seniorthesis, “Nu? What’s the Good News? AnAnalysis of Henry Einspruch’s YiddishTranslation of the New Testament Book ofMatthew.” “It’s the capstone of my entireundergraduate program,” says Neiss. “It’susing Yiddish, which is Jewish Studies; it’sexamining a Christian group and theChristian text; it’s pulling from anthropolo-gy and sociology, from history, from basical-ly every course I’ve taken. If anything cap-tures the essence of my stay here, it’s thispaper.” The paper was also recognized at theCUNY Honors College Commencement asthe outstanding senior thesis.

Neiss has accepted a two-year fellowshipto study with the Institute for SouthernJewish Life. “I’m moving down to Jackson,Mississippi,” he explains, “to be responsiblefor overseeing the regional Hebrew schooleducation curriculum for Alabama,Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana.”

Thinking back on the last four years,he says, “At Queens we formed a tightbond early on. We started with 40 of us inthis small program. And now, with fourdifferent classes here, the Honors Collegehas more than 150 students. To watch itgrow and see all of us moving on to ourvarious places is very exciting. I know thatwe’ll all keep in touch.”

Priya SuryanarayananHaving considered generous offers fromother schools, including NYU and Fordham,Priya Suryanarayanan nevertheless wasintrigued enough by the concept of the newCUNY Honors College to decide, “I’ll takethe plunge and see how this goes.” Fouryears later she graduated from a program shesays was “really amazing.”

Born in a small town near Madras, India,Suryanarayanan arrived in the U.S. at age 11.A graduate of Richmond Hill High School,she came to Queens with a strong interest inhistory and government. “I imagined a posi-tion in the foreign service as my future. I hadan international focus,” she says, mentioning atrip she made to China at age 16 under theauspices of the American Forum for GlobalEducation.

“A course I took with Prof. WilliamTabb in economics was life-changing,” shesays. “Finally, I could understand things. Ireally liked the perspective that economicsgave to the social sciences. I decided tobecome an economics major.” Suryana-rayanan was able to further her interest ineconomics and international affairs via paidsummer internships afforded by a JeannetteK. Watson Fellowship, which providedopportunities to work at the U.N. Popula-tion Fund and the Asian University forWomen Support Foundation in Bangladesh.

The summer after her junior year shealso won a Public Policy and InternationalAffairs Fellowship for study in Washington,D.C. “It’s kind of like a monastery whereyou study public policy, economics, statis-tics, and international affairs,” she says.

An enthusiastic traveler, Suryanarayananused a semester break to explore theGalapagos Islands. “It taught me so muchabout science and environmental issues.”After graduating, she completed her thirdinternship for the Watson Fellowship, work-ing for the World Bank in Nairobi, Kenya.She plans to apply for the George SorosFellowship for New Americans for graduateschool funding.

“If that works out, I’ll apply to a programon international development. My top picksare Princeton and Hopkins.” She says she’llalways remember the Honors Collegelounge for its “great conversations” andoccasional “enraging debates. These kids areamazing,” she observes of her peers.

She’s also grateful for the direction pro-vided by the program’s director, JanicePeritz, and advisor, Pamela Degotardi.“They both helped keep me grounded,” sheremarks. Q

10 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

QUEENS COLLEGEFALL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

Your guide to the best of the arts in Queens

SPECIAL PULL-OUT CALENDAR

Clockwise from top left: Louis and Lucille Armstrong; a dancer from The Nutcracker; the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; “We Will DevourOur Young” (acrylic on canvas) by Roberta Crown; author Salman Rushdie; the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Concert Hall.

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Celebrate a graduation, highlight a special occasion, or remember a parent or loved one with a truly unique gift: a commemorative brick. Queens College will be setting aside areas along its beautifully landscaped quadrangle, as well as in the newly designated Alumni Plazain front of Jefferson Hall, where your thoughtful gift will be seen daily by thousands of students, alumni, and friends who visit the cam-pus. Your contribution will also support scholarships for the next generation of Queens College students.

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SEPTEMBER

Louis Armstrong House MuseumThe Louis Armstrong House Museum offershourly tours, interpretive exhibits, a gift shop,and special events in the Armstrong garden. 34-56 107th Street, Corona, NY 11368 Hours: Tues–Fri, 10 am–5pm; Sat–Sun,noon–5 pm; closed on some holidays. Group tours are available. For information, call 718-478-8274.

SEPTEMBER 8–OCTOBER 27, 2005Wiggle & Wave: Paintings by Roberta Crown & Sculpture by Barbara LublinerCrown’s highly coloristic, powerful paintings indialogue with Lubliner’s playful sculptures madeof found metal, allow the artists to explore tensions and resolutions, harmony and discord,the seen and the imagined, form, and motion.Queens College Art Center Rosenthal Library, 6th floorGallery Talk: Thursday, September 22, 5–6 pm.Reception immediately follows, 6–8 pm.Illustrated Lecture: Wednesday, October 19,12:15–1:30 pm.Gallery Hours: Mon–Thurs, 9 am–8 pm; Fri, 9 am–5 pm. Closed weekends and holidays.

SEPTEMBER 20–DECEMBER 15, 2005This Land to Me: Some Call It Palestine, Others IsraelPhotojournalist Barbara Grover has traveledthroughout the land to interview and photo-graph people for this project. Life-size photo-graphs and first-person narratives in text andaudio format offer an alternative approach tothe most important global issue of our times,using visual art as an educational medium toeffect and transform social and politicalconsciousness. The photos and narratives, print-ed on large canvas panels side by side with thetexts, represent Israelis and Palestinians from allwalks of life and perspectives. Their storiesanswer the question of what the land means tothem in candid, intimate terms. The Museumwill host lectures, films, and open forums led bynational figures of Israeli and Palestinian security,diplomacy, public policy, and religion, engagingindividuals throughout Queens and metropoli-tan NY. This Land to Me is a not-for-profit project supported by The Nathan CummingsFoundation and the Middle East Peace Network.All programs have been organized by MarkRosenblum, History Professor in the MichaelHarrington Center, Queens College, in conjunc-tion with the Godwin-Ternbach Museum.Godwin-Ternbach Museum405 Klapper Hall, 4th floor Hours: Mon–Thurs, 11 am–7 pm; Sat, 11 am–5 pm. For program information andschedules call 718-997-4724.

21WEDQueen College Orchestra Maurice Peress, conductor. LeFrak Concert Hall, 12:15 pm.

23FRIQueens PhilharmoniaDong-Hyun Kim, conductor; Daniel Phillips, violin and Hui-Ping Lee, viola; Mozart: Sinfoniaconcertante for violin, viola and orchestra andSymphony No. 41 (Jupiter) LeFrak Concert Hall, 8 pm. For information, call 718-997-3800.

24SATAmerican Guild of Organists,Queens ChapterVincent Alukonis, Dean: Church MusicRepertory Workshop, 11:30 am. Dr.Stephen Hamilton playing the Maynard-Walker Memorial Organ, 1 pm; Dr. JamesJohn conducting readings of new choralmusic.LeFrak Concert Hall

OCTOBER

17MONFaculty Chamber Music ConcertUrana Mogi, violin; Haim Avitsur, trombone; KyleAdams, piano; Brahms, Horn Trio and other worksLeFrak Concert Hall, 12:15 pm.

19WEDQueens College OrchestraMaurice Peress, Music Director; with QueensCollege Choir, Dr. James John, conductor andQueens College Chorus, Dr. Cindy Bell, conductor.Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and other works.LeFrak Concert Hall, 12:15 pm.

20-23 & 27-30THURS–SUNFall Play “The Mandrake”By Niccolo Machiavelli, directed by Stephen Row. The Performance Space, Rathaus Hall M11. Thurs, 7 pm; Fri & Sat, 8 pm; Sun, 3 pm.$14/$11 QCID, seniors, alumni. For ticket information, call 718-997-2788.Tickets also available one hour before each performance.

27THURSSpecial Concert “A Life in Music:Remembering Ruth Laredo”Queens Philharmonia, Dong Hyun Kim, musicdirector; Daniel Phillips, violin; Hui-Ping Lee, viola,Gerald Robbins, piano. All-Mozart program.LeFrak Concert Hall, 7:30 pm. Tickets at door:$20; students, $5.

NOVEMBER

1TUESQueens College Evening ReadingsSalman RushdieSalman Rushdie is the Booker Prize-winningauthor of the novels Midnight’s Children, TheSatanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, TheMoor’s Last Sigh, and Shalimar the Clown, whichis forthcoming this fall. The New Yorker has said:

“In Salman Rushdie, India hasproduced a glittering novelist—one with startling imaginativeand intellectual resources, amaster of perpetual story-telling.” The Boston Globe hassaid: “Salman Rushdie’s greatgrasp of the human tragicome-

dy—its dimensions, its absurditiesand horrors—has made him one of the most intelli-gent fiction writers in the English language.”In addition to reading from his work, Mr. Rushdiewill also be interviewed by Leonard Lopate. Music Building, 7 pm. $10. For ticket information, call 718-793-8080.

NOVEMBER 3–DECEMBER 23, 2005Mono.Logue: Works on Paper by Seongmin AhnCerebral shadowy drawings with a strong sculp-tural presence transform space, suggest calmand invite contemplation. Based on Buddhistmeditation techniques of philosophical delibera-tion and ritual practice that the artist employs in her struggle with chronic physical pain, andreferring to minimalist abstract idiom, theysearch for inner value. In silent peace, theyreveal life’s endurance and beauty.Queens College Art CenterRosenthal Library, 6th FloorGallery Talk: Thursday, November 3, 5–6 pm.Reception immediately follows, 6–8 pm. Gallery Hours: Mon–Thurs, 9 am–8 pm; Fri, 9 am–5 pm. Closed weekends and holidays.

4-5FRI–SATJennifer Muller/The WorksArtistic Director Jennifer Muller is known forher expressive movement style, unusual stageenvironments and the radical incorporation ofspoken dialogue in modern dance performance.Her dancers are renowned for both their techni-cal virtuosity and impassioned energy. “A tour de force.” Anna Kisselgoff, The New York TimesColden Center, Goldstein Theatre, Fri, 8 pm;Sat, 2 pm. $14 adults/$12 QCID, seniors,alumni; $7 children 12 and under. For tickets or information, call 718-793-8080.

13SUNChamber Music Society of Lincoln CenterAnne Marie McDermott, pianoIda & Ani Kavafian, violinsPaul Newbauer, violaFred Sherry, celloAs resident company at Lincoln Center, theChamber Music Society’s pioneering structure—acore of distinguished Artist Members augmented byinvited guests—allows CMS to present concerts ofevery instrumentation, style, and historical period.

“Great music making always balances passionand precision, instinct and intellect. In the cham-ber music arena, only a few ensembles maintainsuch balances consistently. The Chamber MusicSociety of Lincoln Center is a member of thatelite.” The Los Angeles Times

“A jewel in this nation’s musical crown”Lawrence Journal-World

“Fresh, versatile . . . radiant.” The New YorkTimesColden Center, LeFrak Concert Hall, 2 pm. $34/$32 seniors, students, QC alumni, and staff.For tickets or information, call 718-793-8080.

16WEDQueens College OrchestraMaurice Peress, music director. Mahler,Symphony No. 4.LeFrak Concert Hall, 12:15 pm.

22TUESQueens College Evening ReadingsGlyn Maxwell & Derek Walcott Glyn Maxwell is the author of the volumes ofpoetry The Boys at Twilight, The Breakage, Time’sFool, The Nerve, and The Sugar Mile. TheObserver has said: “[Glyn Maxwell’s work] isastonishing in the consistency of control of sub-ject matter and form, and the subtle manipula-tion of voice. Maxwell has that rare knack ofunsettling the givens.” The New Republic hassaid: “Beautiful and moving and authentic poetrycan be written today; and we know this notleast because Glyn Maxwell is writing it.”

Derek Walcott is the NobelPrize-winning author of thevolumes of poetry, CollectedPoems 1948–1984, Omeros,The Bounty, and The Prodigal.The New York Times BookReview has said: “DerekWalcott’s virtues as a poetare extraordinary. . . . He

could turn his attention on anything at all andmake it live with a reality beyond its own. . . .”The New Republic has said: “There is no onewriting in English at present who can join powerwith delicacy the way Walcott can.” Music Building, 7 pm. $10. For ticket information, call 718-793-8080.

DECEMBER

1THURAllen Cohen Memorial Scholarship ConcertMichael Lipsey, coordinator. LeFrak Concert Hall, 8 pm.

7WEDQueens College OrchestraMaurice Peress, music director; Morey Ritt,piano. Schumann Piano Concerto, Respighi,Pines of Rome.LeFrak Concert Hall, 12:15 pm.

8THURStudent Chamber Music ConcertMorey Ritt and Marcy Rosen, coordinators;“Highlights of the Semester.”LeFrak Concert Hall, 7:30 pm.For information, call 718-997-3800.

8-11THUR–SUN Faculty Dance ConcertDirected by Susan Mathews. Goldstein Theatre. Thurs, 7 pm; Fri, 8 pm; Sat 2 & 8 pm; Sun, 3 pm. $14/$11 QCID,seniors, alumni. For information, please call 718-997-2788. Tickets also available one hourbefore each performance.

11SUNNewsday Family Theatre: The NutcrackerSaint Petersburg Classic BalletSince its founding in 1996 under the artisticdirection of prima ballerina Marina Medvetskaya,St. PetersburgClassic Ballet hasperformed tomuch acclaimthroughout Russia,England, andScandinavia. Thisfull-length world-premiere produc-tion of TheNutcracker—withthe belovedTchaikovskyscore—incorpo-rates newlydesigned sets, gor-geous costumes,and brilliant chore-ography per-formed by thetroupe’s leading soloists and principle dancersfrom Russia. Call early for the best seats to thisperennial Colden Center holiday favorite! Colden Center, Colden Auditorium, 3 pm. Adults$15; children 12 & under$12. For information,call 718-793-8080.

Derek Walcott

The Nutcracker

This Land to Me

Salman Rushdie

Barbara Lubliner, Bell Chamber, 2005. Weldedmetal, 41⁄2 in. diameter x 61⁄2 in.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 15FALL 2005

17SATQueens College Choral SocietyJames John, conductor; “An American Holiday”:Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, LeonardBernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Bruce Saylor’sWith Anthems Sweet and Star of Wonder.LeFrak Concert Hall, 8 pm. Tickets $18, $2alumni discount, $5 for students with validQCID; call 718-793-8080 to order.

Aaron Copland School of MusicThe Aaron Copland School of Music presents an exciting series of mostly freeevents featuring faculty, students, alumni,and distinguished guests. To receive a com-plete Music Calendar, send your name andaddress to the School of Music office (Music Building, Room 203A). For information, call 718-997-3800 or go to the Events Calendar at www.qc.cuny.edu

Colden Center for the Performing ArtsColden Center for the Performing Arts has been offering a sophisticated range of classical music, jazz, contemporary enter-tainment, and children’s events since 1961.Colden Center is comprised of the 2,127-seatColden Auditorium and the 489-seat LeFrakConcert Hall, a recital hall boasting state-of-the-art acoustics and recording facilities. Bothvenues are available for rental year-round.Box Office Hours: Mon, 10 am–4 pm; Wed, 12 noon–8 pm; Fri, 12–4 pm; Sat, 10 am–2 pm. Discounts are available for groups,seniors, students, and alumni. For information, toreceive a season brochure, or to be placed on ouremail list, please call 718-793-8080, or visit www.coldencenter.org

Drama, Theatre & DanceThe Drama, Theatre & Dance Department produces four mainstage productions each season: a musical or opera(co-produced with the School of Music), a classical play, a contemporary or worldpremiere production, and a dance concert.These are directed by our faculty and guest artists.For information, call the Arts Hotline at 718-997-3075.

Godwin-Ternbach MuseumKlapper Hall, Room 405The Godwin-Ternbach Museum is a profes-sional not-for-profit art museum unique inQueens with a comprehensive permanentcollection of 3,500 objects, ranging from theancient world to the present day, serving theQueens community and the New York met-ropolitan area. To make a donation, pleasecall 718-997-4724.Hours: Mon–Thurs, 11 am–7 pm; Sat, 11 am–5 pm.For information, call 718-997-4724 or visitwww.qc.cuny.edu/godwin_ternbach

Louis Armstrong HouseMuseum34-56 107th Street, CoronaLouis Armstrong was an internationalcelebrity who chose to settle with his wife in a modest house in Corona, Queens. This haven from the road is where Louisentertained friends and neighbors, and created a remarkable record of his lifethrough his writings, collages, and homerecordings. The Louis Armstrong HouseMuseum offers hourly tours, interpretiveexhibits, a gift shop, and special events in the Armstrong garden. Hours: Tues–Fri, 10 am–5 pm; Sat & Sun, 12 noon–5 pm; closed on some holidays. Admission: adults: $8; seniors, students, and children: $6; group rate: $6; current members: Free. Group tours are available. For information, call 718-478-8274, or visitwww.louisarmstronghouse.org

Queens College Art CenterRosenthal Library, 6th FloorThe Queens College Art Centerwelcomes you to its eighteenth season in the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library. The program features a variety of exhibi-tions of modern and contemporary art, presenting the works of both emerging and established artists in diverse media.Hours: Mon–Thurs, 9 am–8 pm; Fri, 9 am–5 pm. Closed weekends and holidays. After May 30, call for summer hours. For information, please call 718-997-3770, or visitwww.qc.cuny.edu/Library/art/artcenter.html

Queens College Evening ReadingsQueens College Evening Readings celebratesits 30th Anniversary Season of readings and interviews with some of the greatest living writers in the world.For information, call 718-997-4646, or visit www.qc.cuny.edu/readings. To order Season Tickets, call the Colden Center Box Office at 718-793-8080.

From Whispering Raindrops, presented at lastyear’s Choreographers’ Showcase.

The generosity of alumni and friendskeeps the arts alive at Queens

College. Be a patron of the arts bymaking a tax-deductible gift to anyof the departments listed below:

Aaron Copland School of Music718-997-3800

Colden Center for the Performing Arts718-544-2996

Department of Drama, Theatre & Dance 718-997-3090

Godwin-Ternbach Museum 718-997-4724

Louis Armstrong House Museum718-478-8274

Queens College Art Center718-997-3770

Queens College Evening Readings718-997-4646

And when making a donation, ask your company if they have a

matching-gift program or are interested in a corporate sponsorship.

This calendar is only a partial list of fall events. For complete listings, see individual department contact information or visitwww.qc.cuny.edu. For directions visit www.qc.cuny.edu/directions

Programs are subject to change. Call ahead for confirmation of artists, dates, and times.

’78DONNAOrender

By LESLIE JAY

for the sport of basketball with a record ofdemonstrated expertise and success in everyaspect of the business of sports: television,marketing, sponsorship and new media,”says NBA Commissioner David Stern. Forher part, Orender simply says, “When DavidStern knocks on your door, you listen.”

Married since 1994 to M.G. Orender—honorary president of the PGA of Americaand a principal in Hampton Golf Inc.,which operates seven golf courses inFlorida—the new WNBA president is accu-mulating lots of frequent flyer miles. Herhusband and twin eight-year-old sons,Zachary and Jacob, are staying in Jackson-ville Beach, Florida, while she works out ofthe league’s New York City offices. She callsher family daily and flies home whenevershe can.

As a working mom, Orender takes pridein the positive values promoted by theWNBA, which supports overall physical fit-ness, breast health awareness, and Read toAchieve, a national literacy program. “If Icould, I’d fill up every single arena with kidsand families, so they can see what we pro-vide,” she says. “I see a group of athletesthat not only deliver a great entertainmentvalue, but also life values for young women,young girls, young boys, and families allover the world.”

Orender is especially interested in reach-ing out to her alma mater, so sports fansshould stay tuned. “In the future, we wouldlove to be able to bring alumni and studentsout to a Liberty game for a Queens Collegenight,” she says. Q

always striving. She’s tenacious and savvy, awonderful person to have on a team.”

After completing a bachelor’s degree inpsychology—“I thought I wanted to save theworld,” Orender says—she enrolled in a mas-ter’s program in social work at AdelphiUniversity. But when she was given theopportunity to join the fledgling Women’sBasketball League, she dropped out of gradschool, finding another use for her academicbackground. “When you’re playing on ateam, it doesn’t hurt to understand thedynamics of people interacting,” she muses.She played for three teams in three seasons,averaging 13 points per game and winning aberth on the all-star team her second year.As a groundbreaker, she had an annual salaryof $5,500, a fraction of the NBA’s pay scales.

Nonetheless, Orender was thrilled. “Itwas fantastic playing in the WBL,” she says.“Being able to compete at the highest levelin a professional league at that point was adream I never dreamed to have.” The dreamproved short-lived, however; the leaguefolded in 1981 and Orender moved over tobroadcasting. She held television produc-tion jobs at ABC Sports and SportsChannelbefore being hired by the PGA Tour, whereshe would remain for more than 17 years,rising to the title of senior vice president ofstrategic development in the office of thecommissioner.

Orender’s blend of sports experience andbusiness savvy made her a natural candidatewhen founding WNBA President ValAckerman retired in February. “Donna com-bines a background, knowledge, and passion

“I am thrilled to return to the sport of bas-ketball, which has taught me so much,” saysOrender, who hopes to expand the nine-year-old league, develop its fan base, andbring in more corporate sponsors.

Orender has spent most of her lifepreparing for the challenges of her new job.Reared in Elmont, Long Island, with twosisters, Donna was the family jock. She hastold reporters that she took up sports toengage her father. Regardless of her motiva-tion, by the time she entered high schoolshe had turned herself into a versatile ath-lete. She sampled almost every squad thatwas open to girls—including field hockey,softball, volleyball, and track—and refinedher basketball moves in pickup games inHarlem. Her only option in tennis was tocompete for a slot on the boys’ roster. “I hadto beat one of the boys,” she recalls ruefully.“It was a boy I really liked, too.”

Today’s female athletes have wideroptions. Thanks to Title IX, Orenderobserves, “the sports environment haschanged dramatically. Now, one out of everythree girls plays sports, and they won’t haveto do what I did. I had trouble findingsneakers that fit.”

Finding a college that fit was less of aproblem. Her favorite sport was basketball,so she matriculated at Queens (where hermother Sherry received a degree in 1977).Under the direction of celebrated women’scoach Lucille Kyvallos, Orender became anationally ranked athlete. “We set newtrends in the women’s sports world,” saysKyvallos. “Donna was always reaching,

alumniSPOTLIGHT

Nearly a quarter-century after she left professionalbasketball, Donna (Chait) Orender ’78 is finallymaking a living from the game. In April, the for-mer Lady Knight and All-American guard becamepresident of the WNBA—the second person tohold that position.

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 17 16 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

A recent visitor to Distinguished ProfessorGregory Rabassa’s small corner office in the Hispanic Languages & LiteraturesDepartment is struck by two things: theabsence of a computer, and a pair of world-weary eyes that peer out from a small postcard propped up on his desk.

“Here is my computer,” Rabassa says, ashe holds up a yellow writing pad. Noticingthe visitor’s interest in the postcard, hesays, “This fellow is my patron saint.” Thesomewhat surreal visage on the postcard isof Marcel Proust, the great French writerbest known for his seven-volume autobio-graphical novel Remembrance of Things Past.

Now in his 83rd year, Rabassa recentlyoffered an account of his past with the publication of a memoir, If This Be Treason:Translation and Its Dyscontents (NewDirections). A collector of proverbs asmuch as he is a collector of languages,sounds, and expressions, Rabassa begins his book by quoting an Italian cliché:Traduttore, traditore (Translator, traitor). He follows this with another quote fromPatrick Henry: “If this be treason, make the most of it.” Rabassa has obviously madethe most of his years as a translator, as he is responsible for introducing the English-speaking world to the works of the greatestLatin American writers of the 20th century.

If This Be Treason has been extremelywell received. The New York Timesdescribed it as a “playful reflection on his life’s work” by a translator who has “produced brilliant translations.” TheWashington Post Book World called it “aneasygoing ramble through a distinguishedcareer,” written in a style that is “loose andconversational, utterly without airs.”

The latter observation describes Rabassahimself as he sits in his office respondingin a soft voice to questions about his life,career, and new book. The first part of hismemoir relates the events and circum-stances of his life, along with his thoughtsabout the process of translation. The sec-ond part offers 30 short essays on the greatwriters he’s worked with, including JorgeAmado, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa,José Lezama Lima, and Gabriel GarcíaMárquez. The brief final section finds

Rabassa characteristically offering a sum-mation of what his career has all beenabout by quoting Sydney Greenstreet’s villainous character in the classic film The Maltese Falcon (“I like a man who cango in either direction or none at all. Youcan’t trust a man who’s sure of himself.He’s hard and brittle and runs the risk offalling apart on you.”).

“I’ve said quite often,” he remarks, “I’m atemporal immigrant from the 20th century. As a translator, I’ll translate Elvis into FrankSinatra and I’ll translate the Beatles intoCount Basie and get along very fine that way.”

It comes as no surprise to find that thislover of old films and character actors oncepretended to be an Englishman in the classof a student teacher. “I managed to keep thecharade going for about a week. He seemedsort of puzzled as to what I was doing there,”he says, relishing the recollection.

A CAPRA-ESQUE CHILDHOOD“My family was a very mischievous family,always making jokes about people, butalways in gentle fun, nicknames, thingslike that.”

“Good word people” is how Rabassadescribes his parents in his memoir. Hismother was of Scottish and English ancestryand “brought with her the lingo of Hell’sKitchen New York and also her mother’scolorful parlance, partly from Manchesterbut mainly from an older New York.” Hisfather was Cuban and “not only hadbecome fluent in English, but could foolaround with it as only someone with an outside vantage could.”

Born in 1922 in Yonkers, NY, Rabassaspent his childhood years on a large farmoutside Hanover, NH, that seems to havebeen populated with enough eccentric rela-tives to fill a Frank Capra film. “With allthe diverse mannerisms of speech I heardaround me, including the various differentNew England ones, I developed what mightbe called an ear for sounds,” he recounts inhis memoir.

Rabassa studied French and Latin in highschool, not learning his father’s tongue untilattending Dartmouth, where he also studiedPortuguese, French, and German. Collegewas interrupted by the Second World War,in which, after about a year in the infantry,

his talent for languages earned him anassignment as a cryptographer in NorthAfrica and Italy for the Office of StrategicServices, the precursor of the CIA.

Following wartime service, Rabassa wentto Columbia University, where he receiveda master’s in Spanish literature and a doc-torate in Portuguese. He stayed on atColumbia teaching the two languages.

During this period, translations he did asan editor for the literary magazine Odysseyled to an opportunity to translate an experi-mental novel by Argentine writer JulioCortázar. Rayuela became Hopscotch inRabassa’s English translation and earnedhim the first National Book Award fortranslation in 1967. The following year hejoined the faculty of Queens College.

In the decades ahead came translationsof 50 books by that generation of LatinAmerican writers who are sometimes col-lectively referred to as “the Boom.” So,too, came recognition of Rabassa’s pivotalcontribution in making their works andculture available to a wider English-speaking audience.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILSTranslation is an enterprise inherently ripefor controversy, given the potential forimprecision, cultural bias, and the occasion-al absence in one culture of a concept com-mon to another. Then there is the problemof the translator with a personal agenda.Asked about the recent controversy over W. H. Auden’s alleged insertion of his ownthoughts and inclinations into his 1964translation of former U.N. SecretaryGeneral Dag Hammarskjold’s biographicalmanuscript Markings, Rabassa observes, “Iexpected no less from Auden. It’s not aproblem of translation; it’s a problem of

Auden. He and [Ezra] Pound, they alwaysthought: ‘I can make it better.’”

Rabassa has never been the object ofsuch controversy. Perhaps it’s a reflectionof his New England upbringing, his reti-cence to personally embellish the work ofanother. If anything, he has set a standardfor the profession perhaps best observed byGarcía Márquez, who famously calledRabassa “the best Latin American writer inthe English language.”

In his memoir Rabassa states, “The pri-vate sphere we inhabit is largely secret, elsewe would reveal it more often. My feeling isthat this may hold the deepest instincts weput to use when we translate, before we lardit over with reason and its concomitantrational attributes. These latter, of course,are absolutely essential to our craft, yet, asin life itself, a balance must be maintained.”

Rabassa believes the translator must notuse his own experience to color what isbeing translated so much as to help explainit to the members of his own languagegroup. It’s a process he refuses to dress up inscholarly terms. He once told the New YorkTimes that the true spirit of translation“comes out in curses.” “Curses are nevertranslated literally,” he said. “You find outwhat is the spirit of the curse, what direc-tion the curse is going. Then you try to findthe English. The ultimate is to take out ahammer and hit your own thumb.”

When it comes to language, he prefersto distance himself from the purists and lin-guists in favor of “the other side of lan-guage: creativity.” A fan of jazz, Rabassaacknowledges similarities in the translationprocess and the jazz musician’s ability toimprovise. “It’s instinctive, if one can usethat word. The right expression comes toyou. But, of course, it doesn’t just come toyou; you have to have picked it up some-where along the line. And putting ittogether is something that’s unconscious,subconscious, proto-conscious . . .”

Or maybe a Spanish proverb he quotes inhis memoir best explains his process: “Thedevil knows more from being old than frombeing the devil.” QRabassaReme

By BOB SUTER In his new memoir, the longtimeQueens professor reflects on hislife and celebrated career as theforemost translator of LatinAmerican writers.

mbers

in 1982, teaching courses such as reporting,writing, editing, and journalistic ethics. Mostrecently she had been associate dean of thecollege. In 1987 Cynthia was named outstandingjournalism educator by the California NewspaperPublishers Association. She earned her master’sdegree in journalism from Northwestern Univer-sity and her PhD in education from UCLA . . .Craig R. Smith is the author of Daniel Websterand the Oratory of Civil Religion, the first biogra-phy of Webster to focus on his talent as an orator.While several biographies have been writtenabout the great statesman who served in theHouse, the Senate, and twice as secretary of state,none has focused on what he is principallyremembered for: his legendary speaking skills.Craig has firsthand knowledge of politicaloratory, having once been a speechwriter forPresident Gerald Ford. He is currently professorof communications at California State Univer-sity, Long Beach, where he directs the Center forFirst Amendment Studies. He has also served as aconsultant to CBS News for convention, electionnight, and inauguration coverage. Craig is theauthor or coauthor of many books, including TheFour Freedoms of the First Amendment . . . 1968:Billi Gosh (MSEd) was a delegate at the 2004Democratic NationalConvention in Boston,the sixth such conven-tion she has attended.During the presidentialcampaign she served onthe National SteeringCommittee for Kerry-Edwards. Billi is currentlyone of the three electorsfrom Vermont in the Electoral College . . .Martin Gottlieb, an editor of special investiga-tive projects at the New York Times, has beennamed associate managing editor in charge ofweekend news coverage, effective Oct. 1. He firstjoined the Times as a reporter in 1983. Martinwas editor of the Village Voice from 1986 to 1988and managing editor of the Daily News from 1993to 1995. He twice returned to the Times as aprojects editor, and in 1997 won a George PolkAward for articles on allegations of corruption atthe nation’s largest private hospital chain,Columbia/HCA Healthcare . . . 1969: SandraPhillips (MS ’72) is the author of Smart Shopping

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 19

1951: Eileen Luisi Hayward, a senior advo-cate for 25 years, has been chosen to be anational delegate to the White House Confer-ence on Aging this October. She will representthe Lt. Governor’s Advisory Council from thestate of South Carolina. Eileen’s research ingeriatric education has resulted in the Geriatri-cians Loan Forgiveness Act, a bill currently inCongress . . . 1952: Albert Z. Kapikianrecently received theAlbert B. Sabin GoldMedal from the SabinVaccine Institute, whichhonors achievements byvaccinologists and infec-tious disease experts.Albert’s distinguishedcareer includes a numberof groundbreaking contri-butions to medicalresearch. He is renowned for pioneering studiesusing electron microscopy to discover and char-acterize viruses causing major diseases in humans.In 1972 he identified the Norwalk virus, the firstvirus associated with acute epidemic gastroenteri-tis. In 1973 he and two colleagues identified thevirus that causes hepatitis A. In addition, hebecame the first in the United States to detectand visualize human rotavirus. He then dedicatedhis efforts to studying this leading cause of severediarrhea in infants and children, which accountsfor more than 500,000 deaths annually, predomi-nantly in the developing world. Working withthe National Institute of Allergy and InfectiousDiseases, Albert led a nearly 25-year effort tosuccessfully develop an oral rotavirus vaccine . . .Judith Lorber, a professor emerita at BrooklynCollege and the CUNY Graduate School,recently published Breaking the Bowls: Degender-ing and Feminist Change (Norton) and the thirdedition of Gender Inequality: Feminist Theory andPolitics (Roxbury) . . . 1953: AttorneyGeorge S. Popielarski was recently admittedto the U.S. Supreme Court. He has previouslybeen an assistant attorney general of New York

State and an assistant U.S. attorney. George, who received a BA in political science at QC,also holds a BS in foreign service from theGeorgetown School of Foreign Service . . . FredShapiro is president of P-F Technical Services, atechnical and environmental management con-sulting firm to the graphic arts industry in SilverSpring, MD . . . 1956: Face & Figure, an exhi-bition that marked Suzanne (Elkins)Benton’s 50 years in art, was recently shown atthe Queens College Art Center. Since 1971Suzanne has performed with her metal masks athundreds of venues, including Lincoln Center,the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the MetropolitanMuseum of Art, and the Bombay Center for thePerforming Arts. She has also led mask work-shops worldwide. Suzanne’s works have beenexhibited at hundreds of museums, universities,and galleries throughout the United States andabroad. She is also the author of The Art ofWelded Sculpture (Van Nostrand Reinhold) andnumerous articles . . . 1957: Robert Moog,whose invention of the Moog synthesizer usheredin an era of revolutionary changes in the world ofmusic, recently appeared at the University ofAlaska at Anchorage’s research symposium onthe subject of “Where Great Ideas Come From” . . . 1958: Inge Auerbacher received an

honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree fromLong Island University this past May. Inge sur-vived the Terezin concentration camp and immi-grated with her parents to the United States in1946. She has written books about her concen-tration camp experiences and growing up inAmerica that have been translated into nearly adozen languages. A retired chemist, Inge is activeas an author and lecturer . . . 1959: MarcEstrin’s novel The Education of Arnold Hitler(Unbridled Books) was chosen as a Barnes &Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection forthe summer. A latecomer to writing (he started at

57), Marc is a committed activist who has longbeen involved with the Bread and PuppetTheater, about which he co-wrote a book lastyear called Rehearsing with Gods: Photographs andEssays on the Bread and Puppet Theater. Marc isalso a cellist who performs regularly in Burling-ton, VT, where he lives . . . 1964: FelicePicano is the author most recently of Fred inLove (University of Wisconsin Press). He haswritten 19 books, including the novels LikePeople in History, Looking Glass Lives, as well asthe memoirs Ambidextrous and Men Who LovedMe. Felice is the founder of Sea Horse Press, oneof the first gay publishing houses, which latermerged with two other publishing houses tobecome the Gay Presses of New York. He is alsoone of the cofounders of the Violet Quill Club,which promotes the visibility of gay authors andtheir works. Felice has won the Ferro-GrumleyAward for best gay novel (Like People in History)and the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award for shortstory. He lives in Los Angeles . . . DouglasSchooler is the authorof the recently publishedSupervirility: How to Bethe Man Every WomanWants (Xlibris). A DeadEnd Boy alumnus, Dougis a psychologist in BocaRaton, FL . . . 1965:Sandy Fox Simkinsrecently retired after 37 years in the field ofeducation, parts of which she spent as a middleschool math teacher and department chair. Sheand her husband now live in an active adultcommunity in Boothwyn, PA. Sandy says she“looks forward to returning to QC for a reunion,especially with my friends from Iota” . . .1966: Paul Lansky is a composer, softwaredesigner, and a professor at Princeton University,where he has taught since 1969 . . . 1967:Cynthia Rawitch is associate vice president for

undergraduate studies atthe College of Arts,Media, and Communi-cation at Cal StateUniversity at North-ridge. Her responsibili-ties include specialacademic programmingfor freshmen, depart-

mental program reviews, online instruction,community service-learning, and the Program forAdult College Education. Cynthia began hercareer at Northridge as a part-time lecturer in1973, followed by a full-time faculty appointment

18 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

QalumniNOTES

KEEPING A RENDEZVOUS WITH THE FRENCHArnold Franco ’43 finally had the reunionhe’s long wanted in France with the mem-bers of his World War II unit, the 3rd RadioMobile Squadron. He also got somethinghe hadn’t imagined when he began think-ing about the event some four years ago.

In a ceremony in Paris on May 10,French Minister of Defense Michèle Alliot-Marie presented Franco and his comradeAlbert Gruber with medals making themKnights of the Legion of Honor, France’shighest decoration. It acknowledged theirwartime service and Franco’s longtimeadvocacy of friendship between France and America.

The remarkable exploits of Franco andhis unit are chronicled in his 1998 bookCode to Victory: Coming of Age in WorldWar II. An elite signals intelligence unit, thesquadron was charged with monitoring anddecoding German wireless and radio com-munications as American forces foughttheir way from Normandy to Weimar.

Franco’s idea of a reunion that wouldtake his squadron “to some of thoseplaces where we had all been together”was made possible by the declassificationof wartime documents that would finallyallow the squadron to speak freely aboutwork they had been sworn never to dis-cuss. “Bit by bit it’s come out,” saysFranco. “The last important documentswere released in 1996 about the Battle ofthe Bulge. There was a critical messagethat we and one of our British counterpartsintercepted. We were tipped-off 24 hours inadvance of the German paratroop drop.”

Time, unfortunately, has taken its tollon Franco’s group. “When I started mak-ing the plans for this trip two years ago,”

he says, “I had 14 veterans. Only six madethe trip. Two died and the rest just couldnot travel. At 82, I’m one of the youngest.”

Franco mentioned his reunion planslast November to the French ConsulGeneral in New York. “He got very inter-ested and mentioned it to the ambassadorand they got a bunch of French peopleinvolved to help us out. They put us in thebest hotels in Paris at their expense.”

The whirlwind six-day trip began inReims, with ceremonies marking theGerman surrender there 60 years earlier.The following day they shook hands withPresident Jacques Chirac in a ceremony atthe Arc de Triomphe. “Then we went backto Normandy,” says Franco, “because oneof our guys is buried there, and there’s alittle village that’s the only place where thewhole squadron was together.”

After a memorial service at theAmerican cemetery at St. Laurent, theyreturned to the village where, saysFranco, the entire population was waitingto greet them, waving French andAmerican flags. “When we got off the busthe band played ‘The Star SpangledBanner.’ Then everyone rushed up andbegan shaking our hands; the next thingyou know, they’re hugging us. By the timethe mayor had pinned badges on the vet-erans, everyone was crying.”

A history major, Franco has been agenerous supporter of his alma mater andthe history department, in particular. Andlast fall, perhaps in the interests of pro-moting French-American amity, Francosupplied the college’s 60th and 50thanniversary class receptions withChampagne. Bob Suter

French Minister of Defense Michèle Alliot-Marie congratulates Arnold Franco on hisreceipt of the Legion of Honor.

HOMECOMING IS OCTOBER 1! ALL ARE INVITED! DON’T MISS THE FUN! Reserve your place by returning the enclosed envelope by September 12. See page 2 for details.

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 21

Montreal, now in its 10th edition, and therecently published Drive I-95: Exit by Exit InfoMaps History and Trivia, an original type ofmap/guide written with her husband, StanPosner. The book was a finalist in 2004 for boththe Foreword Magazine and the BenjaminFranklin Bill Fisher Awards. Drive I-95 offersmile-by-mile overviews of the road ahead thathelp travellers locate upcoming services on eachside of the road. You can find Sandra and thebook at www.drivei95.com. Sandra has three sons. . . Rochelle (Natt) Shapiro’s first novelMiriam the Medium(Simon and Schuster)was nominated for theHarold U. RibelowAward in fiction.Rochelle tells us that “Igraduated from QueensCollege in 1969, study-ing art, but secretlydoing psychic phone readings on the side, andthen venturing into them full time. I beganwriting in 1985 because after doing readings allday (and part of the night because I have clientsall over the world), I felt like I needed a finishedproduct, something that I could hold on to. Ipublished poetry and short stories in literarymagazines and chronicled my adventures (andmisadventures) as a psychic in Newsweek and theNew York Times, and have had articles writtenabout me in Redbook and the Times.” Rochellelives in Great Neck, NY . . . 1971: JerryTuttle, a senior pricing actuary at PlatinumUnderwriters Reinsurance in New York City, published a short story titled “Rating Variables” that is available online athttp://users.aol.com/fcas/rating.html. This is histhird attempt at short-story writing, which heconsiders a stretch for a math major. Jerry lives inSouth Orange, NJ, and notes that his three sonshave suddenly spread out into three states. Heremembers with fondness Nick Metas of theMath Department “who always seemed toremember his students’ names” . . . Flushingnative Mike Weisman, who has won EmmyAwards for his work as a producer on WorldSeries telecasts, moved in a decidedly differentdirection last fall, becoming the executive pro-ducer of the “The Jane Pauley Show” on NBC . . . 1974: Kenneth Oppenheim retired fromteaching elementary school after 30 years with

the Norfolk Public School System in Norfolk,VA. During those 30 years he earned a master’sdegree from Old Dominion University, was areading specialist, had articles published in edu-cational journals, and received four School BellAwards for outstanding dedication and contribu-tions to education . . . 1976: SharonManning Beverly is the director of athletics

and physical educationat Vassar College. Shejoined Vassar’s Office ofAthletics in 2002, aftera successful career ashead women’s basket-ball coach at QueensCollege, FairleighDickinson University

(FDU), and New Jersey Institute of Technology.A formidable basketball player in her own right,Sharon was an All-Star at Queensborough Com-munity College and at Queens and played onteams that finished seventh and ninth in thenational AIAW Tournament. Following her QCcareer, Sharon played professionally in Europewhere she led her French teams (based in Caenand Nice) in points, rebounds, and assists twostraight seasons. She also played professionallywith the New Jersey Gems. Sharon began hercoaching career at her alma mater as head coachand assistant director of athletics, enjoying a six-year stint, highlighted by an AIAW regional bidand an ECAC Tournament berth. Sharon’s 11-

year career at Division I FDU includes NortheastConference (NEC) Championships in 1990 and1992 and a regular season NEC title in 1993.Following the 1990 season, she was selected theNew Jersey State Division I Coach of the Year,and in 1993 she was named the NEC Coach ofthe Year. Following her career at FDU, Sharonwas the head women’s coach at NJIT from1999–2002, leading the Highlanders to the mostwins at the Division II level. Currently a PhDcandidate at Capella University, Sharon is amember of the NCAA Division III NominatingCommittee and Convention Planning Subcom-mittee . . . 1977: Steve Hurwitz is professorof psychology and criminal justice at TiffinUniversity in Ohio. Prior to joining Tiffin in1994, he taught at the State University Collegeat Oswego, the Auburn Inmate EducationProgram at Syracuse University, LeMoyneCollege, and Cazenovia College. Steve’s areas ofexpertise include juror decision-making, experttestimony, prisons, criminology, and forensicpsychology. He holds an MA and PhD fromSyracuse University . . . Daniel J. Walsh iscorporate VP and chief compliance officer forScientific Atlanta, in Lawrenceville, GA. He isresponsible for all aspects of corporate gover-nance, audit, and compliance. Daniel holds anMBA from St. John’s University . . . 1978:Terence O’Connor, principal of Wantagh HighSchool since 1996, has been named secondaryprincipal of the year by the School Administra-tors Association of New York State. He hadpreviously served as assistant principal for 10years. A graduate of Hofstra University, Terenceholds a master’s from Queens College and adoctorate in educational administration fromNova Southeastern University in Florida. Hebegan his career as a teacher in the Bellmore-Merrick School District . . . 1980: NeurologistJeffrey Kordower recently joined the scientificadvisory board of Brain-Storm Cell Therapeutics,an emerging company instem cell therapeutics forneurological diseases. Healso holds a joint appoint-ment at Chicago’s RushPresbyterian-St. Luke’sMedical Center as profes-sor of neurosurgery and the Jean Schweppe-Armour Professor of Neurological Sciences.Jeffrey, who received his PhD in neuropsychologyat the CUNY Graduate Center, has made numer-ous international presentations, is a frequentinvited lecturer, and is the author of over 150publications. Jeffrey received an honorary doctor-ate from the college last year . . . A prolificcomposer who has sold compositions to concertbands and jazz ensembles around the world,

20 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

Carmine Pastore has had seven of his compo-sitions for concert band published this year alone.His biggest seller has been Granada Overture,which sold more than 3,000 copies. A musicteacher and band director at the Frank P. LongSchool in Long Island’s South Country schooldistrict, Carmine received his master of musicdegree from the University of Alabama and was astudent at the Grove School of Music in LosAngeles. He has also taught in Brazil and Singa-pore . . . Barbara Brizzi Wynne is the presidentof the New York Women’s Foundation. Thefoundation identifies and supports neighborhoodprograms run by women in their own communi-ties that promote sustained economic security forwomen and girls . . . 1981: Wayne Franits, aprofessor of fine arts at Syracuse University,received a $40,000 grant from the NationalEndowment for the Humanities to conductresearch on 17th-century Dutch artist HendrickTerbrugghen. Wayne, who has written and editeda number of books, recently published a compre-hensive work on depictions of everyday life inDutch art, titled Dutch Seventeenth-Century GenrePainting: Its Stylistic and Thematic Evolution (Cam-bridge University Press). He is also chief editor ofthe series Cambridge Studies in Netherlandish VisualCulture. Wayne was recently named president ofthe Historians of Netherlandish Art, an interna-tional organization of several hundred scholars

who study the art of the Netherlands andGermany between the years 1400–1700. Besidesan MA in art history from Queens, Wayne holdsa BA in art history from the State University ofNew York at Stony Brook and a PhD in arthistory from the Institute of Fine Arts at NewYork University . . . 1986: Susan Hornik iscontributing entertainment editor-TV critic formatch.com’s new magazine, happenmag.com. Shealso writes for Cosmogirl, Redbook, and USWeekly . . . 1987: Vivian Conejero (MA)has guest conducted a wide variety of orchestrasin Europe and North America, including the St.Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra (Russia),the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra (CzechRepublic), and the Filharmonia Sudecka(Poland). In addition to guest-conducting theSpokane Symphony Orchestra, she has workedwith the Knoxville Symphony and various otherorchestras around the U. S. Vivian holds a doctorof arts in performance (conducting) from NewYork University and a BA with a major in musictheory from Hunter College. Born in Cuba,Vivian has participated in numerous conductor-training programs around the world. Her teachershave included Gunther Schuller, Gustav Meier,Kirk Trevor, and Leonid Korchmar . . . LisaDeloria Weinblatt had a busy 2004 with adozen solo and group exhibitions of her artworkaround the country, including the Pearl Conrad

Gallery at OhioState Univer-sity, the Penin-sula ArtMuseum inCalifornia, theCharlesSumner SchoolMuseum inWashington,DC, and theHeckscherMuseum of Artin Huntington,

NY. Lisa, who holds an MFA from the School ofVisual Arts, lives in Bayside, NY . . . 1988:April Jones, a mezzo-soprano and musicologist,has been appointed visiting scholar at thecollege’s Aaron CoplandSchool of Music tocontinue her work on theMaria Antonia Project(MAP). Named after thesubject of April’s disserta-tion, Maria Antonia,Electress of Saxony(1724–80), MAP worksto restore operas composed by women to theliving repertory. April will be presenting perform-ances and lectures as well as creating an exhibit

Craig Lindberg ’02 (BFA) is shown

with two “fire victims” on the set of

“Rescue Me,” the FX Network TV

series about the travails of New York

City firemen. Craig does the heavy

casualty makeup effects for the show,

which recently began its second sea-

son. A freelance makeup artist who

has his own company called General

Mayhem Makeup Studio, Craig has

worked on other TV shows, including

“Saturday Night Live,” and recently did

work for Steven Spielberg’s film War of

the Worlds.

Want to be informed by email of important

happenings at the college? Then go to

www.qc.cuny.edu/QC_Foundation/ and

click on Register for Email, and complete

the form.

Let’s keep IN TOUCH

KUDOS TO CLASS OF ’55Congratulations to all the members of the Class of ’55 who processed in gold gowns at Commencement on June 2. Alumni professionals are pleased if even 5% of a class returns after 50 years. Of 252 names on our database, 77 signed up tomarch, which is over 30%, a terrific display of spirit! Be sure to come to Homecoming on Saturday, October 1 to continuethat spirit and receive your anniversary medal from President Jim Muyskens.

Joe Brostek ’55 Director, Alumni Affairs & Commencement

Alums Take Center StageA play by Elizabeth Bartucci ’93, The Pointof All Return, was one of three plays byQC graduates selected to be staged in the Samuel French/Love Creek Off-OffBroadway Short Play Festival in July. Theother plays were She Lives Alone in Maineby Regina Corrado ’90 and Stabbing OJby Drew Sachs ’98. The three plays werefeatured last fall as part of QC’s presenta-tion The College Plays.

Donation for BooksDonate for Books is a program that allowsyou to help generations of students andfaculty while honoring a family member,colleague, or friend. A $50 gift to theRosenthal Library entitles you to choose a subject area for a new book the librarywill purchase. The library will insert a special bookplate inside with the name of the donor and the honoree, andpromptly acknowledge the gift to both. To get a Donate for Books form, visitwww.qc.cuny.edu/Library/ and click on “Book Donations” under “Support the Library.”

Q Magazine UpdatesCheck the college’s Web site thisNovember for a Web-only update of Q.

Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE 23

of opera scores based on an exhibit she curated forHarvard University in 2003 called In Her OwnHand: Operas Composed by Women 1625–1913.April lives in Hollis, Queens. For more aboutMAP, visitwww.classicalsinger.net/aljmap. . . 1991: Alison Hoffman, an audiologist andco-owner of Advanced Hearing Center inAlbertson, NY, was recently honored as one ofthe “40 Under 40” rising stars selected by LongIsland Business News. After receiving her BA incommunication disorders from QC, Alisonearned an MA in audiology from Hofstra Univer-sity and a doctoral degree in audiology from theArizona School of Health Sciences . . .1996: Andrew P. Jackson (MLS), who hasbeen executive director of the Queens PublicLibrary’s Langston Hughes Community Libraryand Cultural Center for the past 25 years, iscurrently president of the Black Caucus of theAmerican Library Association. A member of theALA since 1989 and the Black Caucus since1992, he served as vice president/president-electfrom 2002–2004. Andrew received an undergrad-uate degree in business administration from YorkCollege in 1990 and was selected as their Distin-guished Alumnus in 1996. He sits on the boardof directors of Queens Public Television; theboard of trustees of the Renaissance CharterSchool; the board of advisors of the Louis Arm-strong House and Archives and the LouisLatimer House; and is a member of the YorkCollege Community Advisory Council. He iscurrently finishing a book on Queens Countyentitled, Queens Notes: Facts About the ForgottenBorough of Queens . . . 1998: MatthewHiggins, vice president for strategic planning forthe New York Jets and previously a press secre-tary to former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, wasmarried in December to Michele McManus, aspokeswoman for the New York City Departmentof Education. The ceremony at St. Patrick’s OldCathedral in Manhattan was performed by theRev. Paul Wood, chaplain of the college’sNewman Center. The pair met at the LowerManhattan Development Corporation, wherethey worked on the rebuilding of the WorldTrade Center site and the recovery of LowerManhattan; Michele was the communicationsmanager, and Matt was the chief operatingofficer. Matt was recently involved in the pro-posed football stadium on the West Side ofManhattan . . . 1999: Andre Bain wasordained to the diocesan priesthood this pastJune at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, DowntownBrooklyn. Father Bain immigrated to the UnitedStates from Grenada in 1993. After earning hisBA in sociology at QC, he entered ImmaculateConception Seminary in Huntington, NY wherehe earned a master’s in theology . . . 2005:Rena Feldstein graduated with a BA in

Accounting and Information Systems and aminor in Business and Liberal Arts. She hasaccepted an accounting position at MahoneyCohen and Company in New York City andplans to take the CPA Exam after graduation.Rena enjoys playing piano, working with com-puter graphics, and student teaching.

WE REMEMBER1941 Marcella (Hogan) Bernadette O’Connor1943 Virginia Michels Dent1944 Portia Flanagan1948 Mary Jane (Carr) Quigley1950 Marjorie I. Kipp1959 Harvey J. Tesser1965 Charles Fried1967 Susan G. (Panzer) Plumb1968 Marilyn (Kornreich) Davis1968 Lynn Fox1971 Maria (Vecchio) Abrardo1971 Sylvia Schwartz1973 Lillian M. Ackerman1975 Susan R. Wilk1978 Barbara C. Druckemiller1980 Rosemary Moreno-Chertok1984 Samuel Robbins1985 Mark Steven Roth1989 William DeMarco1989 Francis X. Greenberg1999 Avinash Rookhum

Philip V. CannistraroPhilip V. Cannistraro, a distinguished professor ofItalian American Studies at the college and theGraduate Center, passed away on May 28 after along battle with cancer. He was a widely recog-nized authority on the Italian American experi-ence and the history of modern Italy. A frequentlecturer at American and European universities,

he was twice aFulbright fellow inItaly and washonored with thePrezzolini Prize andHoward MarraroPrize for his schol-arship. ProfessorCannistraro wasalso director of theItalian AmericanStudies Program atQueens College

and editor-in-chief of the Italian American Review.He was curator of the 1999–2000 New YorkHistorical Society exhibit on the Italians of NewYork, which drew almost 40,000 visitors. Cannis-traro wrote several books on fascism and coau-thored two major college textbooks, The WesternPerspective: A History of Civilization in the West andCivilizations of the World. At the time of his deathhe was writing a biography of Benito Mussoliniand completing a biography of Generoso Pope.The Graduate Center has established a fund inProfessor Cannistraro’s name that will be used toprovide awards to graduate students who demon-strate excellence in modern Italian or ItalianAmerican history. Donations can be made to:The Philip V. Cannistraro FundThe Graduate Center Foundation, Inc.The Graduate Center, CUNY365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 8204New York, NY 10016-4309 For more information call (212) 817-7132.

22 Q MAGAZINE OF QUEENS COLLEGE

Dead End Boys CelebrateA reunion for the Dead End Boys (1937–1970) was held at the home of President James

Muyskens on May 19. The Dead End Boys was not your typical Greek fraternity as it was

open to all, which led to a camaraderie that has lasted over the decades. Over 50 Dead

End Boys attended the reunion. For more photos from the reunion and a slide show of

the Dead End Boys, visit the Alumni Affairs Web site at www.qc.cuny.edu/Alumni_Affairs.

Joseph Brostek Day During Commencement ceremonies on June 2, Borough President HelenMarshall proclaimed the day as “JosephBrostek Day” in Queens. Marshall told the crowd that “This is the 18thCommencement flawlessly directed byJoseph Brostek. During his long tenure,countless students have been enriched by his multifaceted abilities to addresschallenging positions such as AlumniAffairs and managing Special Events.”Brostek is a 1955 graduate of the college.

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Missing AlumniWe have lost touch with many of our over110,000 alumni. In most cases they did notlet us know when they moved. Addressescan be updated online by going towww.qc.cuny.edu/QC_Foundation.

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Send Us Your News!We want to hear more from graduates—especially our recent graduates. Tell uswhere you are and what you are doing, andenclose a photo. Be sure to let us knowwhen you move.

Email: alumni@qc.eduMail: Alumni News, Office of Alumni Affairs,Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard,Flushing, NY 11367Phone: 718-997-3930Fax: 718-997-3602

Look for us on the Web. We are alwaysadding information about news at the collegeand upcoming events. And be sure to clickon Entertainment Alumni Updates. You willbe pleasantly surprised.

Alumni Affairs Web site:www.qc.cuny.edu/alumni_affairs