geneseoA magazine for alumni, parents and friends of SUNY Geneseo

sceneFall2

013

The campaign:

How you mattered • The power of chance encounters

THANK YOU,

CHRIS

s-2013/30278405_2gDzmp#!i=2608098493&k=m8gQqSt

FEATURES8 Chris Dahl’s legacy

For 18 years, Christopher C. Dahl led the college whilehe also championed teaching, community and elbowgrease. Those who know him best reveal his characterand accomplishments, and we look back in photos.

15 7 QuestionsThe retiring president opens up about his lessons inhuman nature, his love of teaching and his choices inoffice attire.

16 A historic campaign, a newbeginningWe did it! Geneseo supporters successfully raised $23million. Alumni look forward to what Shaping Lives ofPurpose really means to the college.

18 A chance encounter Cory Young ’13 talks about a true connection with1967 alumni in an award-winning essay.

DEPARTMENTS3 One College Circle

21 Athletics and Recreation: Welcome to the rough house world of rugby.

25 Alumni News

30 Class Notes

COLUMNS2 President’s Message

7 Lessons from the wild

22 PerspectivesA lawmaker weighs rights versus gun control.

24 Random Profile: One Cup

Cover Photo by Keith Walters ’11.

Table of contents: Students welcome the new academic year

following New Student Convocation and First Knight festivities

with fireworks over the valley. Photography by Keith Walters ’11.

geneseosceneFall 2013

CONTENTS

Postmaster: Please address changes to the Office ofAlumni Relations, Doty Hall, SUNY Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454-1484. Standard-class postage paid at Lebanon Junction, KY 40150

Vol. 39, No.2; Fall 2013

The Geneseo Scene is publishedby SUNY Geneseo, Division ofCollege Advance ment, Office ofCollege Communications.

Christopher C. Dahl, PresidentCarol S. Long, Interim PresidentWilliam H. Brower III, Vice Presidentfor College AdvancementAnthony T. Hoppa, Assistant VicePresident for College Communications

Kris Dreessen, EditorCarole Smith Volpe ’91,Creative Director

Contributing writers:Chelsea Butkowski ’15Anthony T. HoppaDavid IrwinLaura KenyonJared Scott Tesler

Contributing photographers:Kris DreessenKeith Walters ’11

Alumni Relations OfficeRonna Bosko,Director of Alumni and ParentRelations

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

Contact the Scene at scene@geneseo.edu. Visit the website atwww.geneseo.edu/geneseo_scenePhone: (585) 245-5516

s I write this, my last president’s column, I’m preparing for my final OpeningConvocation address, followed shortly by my sabbatical and retirement. In the spiritof our new communications initiative “What’s Your Geneseo Story?,” let me share a

bit of my own story.It’s been 19 years since I came to Geneseo, a long run as college presidencies go. Those

years have passed quickly. Like many Geneseo alumni, I knewthis was the place when I first visited campus in spring 1994 as acandidate for the provost position. I remember walking aroundSturges Quad with Bill Edgar, legendary philosophy professor,and gazing out over the valley from the gazebo. What an iconicscene. What a compelling introduction.

As I drove around with the search committee chair, Jim Willey,another distinguished professor, I fell in love with the village. Iwas impressed by the faculty and staff members I met (few placescan boast professors like Bill and Jim or Ron Herzman, BillCook, and Margaret Matlin, to name a few). I wanted a highlyselective, residentialcollege that valued

the education of the whole person. I knew I hadfound such a place by the end of my first year. Inthe years since, I’ve seldom been disappointed.Certainly not by our students — bright, talented,lively, and fundamentally good human beings.One of my few regrets is that I haven’t been ableto spend more time in the classroom with them.

It’s been a joy to watch the college develop dur-ing my years: a growing national reputation,greater diversity, outstanding service-learningopportunities such as Livingston County CARES,and beautiful new buildings all over campus. Nowwe look as good as we are. This magazine, the Scene, has become something quite remark-able, with handsome photography and design and strong content. I am proud to celebratethe success of our Shaping Lives of Purpose campaign, but I’m almost more grateful for theopportunities it has provided me to get to know alumni from all over the country and everyera. They are wonderful.

What gives me the most satisfaction, however, is that we have kept the faith: Every year wehave become an even better and more distinguished public liberal arts college, a place thatreally changes lives and whose graduates make the world a better place. That’s the underly-ing theme of my story. Thank you all for being part of this superb college community andenriching my life beyond measure. I may be retiring, but I’ll stay part of the Geneseo familyforever.

Gratefully yours,

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEgeneseoscene

Christopher Dahl

ATelling Our Story

2 geneseo scene

What gives me themost satisfaction,however, is that wehave kept the faith: Every year we have become an even better and more distinguished public liberal artscollege, a place that reallychanges lives and whose graduates make the world a better place.

Fall 2013 3

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

One College Circle

OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD RESEARCHWhat is the composition of meteorites that hit Earth? Physics major DrewEllison ’14 is researching that question utilizing Geneseo’s particle acceleratorlab. Here, he is refilling a liquid nitrogen dewar that will cool an X-ray detectorused in the target chamber for his work.Ellison, who is one of approximately 15 students involved in research using the

particle accelerator, is also working with faculty on a project to measure theresponse of a detector film that is used to study charged particles produced inultra-intense laser-matter interactions.“I plan on going to graduate school next year for aerospace engineering.

Although the fields are seemingly unrelated, the skills I’ve learned in the lab hereare universal and have made a world of difference in my capacity as a scientist,”says Ellison. “The physics department makes getting involved in projects seam-less, given that you have sufficient motivation to put the work in.”

4 Refugee outreach

5 Physics’ golden anniversary

5 Geneseo’s new front door

6 News in brief

CAMPUS NEWS

4 geneseo scene

Before Dhan Adhi Karistarted taking theEnglish class for

refugees, she had never writ-ten the alphabet of her nativeNepalese tongue. She hadnever even held a pencil.

Her father died when shewas young, and she neverattended school. Her familythen spent 25 years in arefugee camp in Nepal, withno opportunity beyond itsborders.

Seeking a new life, Kari andher husband brought theirchildren to America a yearago. At Mary’s Place inRochester, N.Y., she and herhusband are just beginning tospeak and write their firstphrases in their new lan-guage. They learn how to askand pay for a loaf of bread;that a nickel is 5 cents.

“I used to be very scared,but now I have hope,” saidKari after a lesson. “I feel likeeven I can study.”

That’s because, Kari said,she often feels overwhelmed,but with help from Geneseostudents, she finally seesprogress.

Several days a week lastsemester, Tsering Ukyab ’15and Shikha Jha ’14, both inter-national students from Nepal,translated for Kari and otherrefugees from their countryduring class. Along withNathalie Kalumbwe ’16 andEstefania Trujillo ’14, theyserved as volunteer tutors,helping to ease their transitionas their service project for theReal World Geneseo experi-ence (see sidebar).

They know what it’s like tostruggle to make a new life.Kalumbwe and Trujillo also

came to the United States asrefugees.

“I’ve been there,” saidTrujillo. “I’ve experiencedbeing a refugee. I know whatit is like, and to not be able tospeak English.”

Trujillo and her family leftColombia after her father sur-vived being kidnapped by theseparatist rebel military, theRevolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia People’s Army.

Kalumbwe’s family fled thewar in Congo when she was 5.They spent one year in arefugee camp in Zambia,

before moving to a Zambiancity, and finally being reset-tled in Rochester, in 2010.

Kalumbwe and Trujillo arethankful for the families whohelped theirs make the most ofthe opportunity in Rochester.Like volunteers at Mary’s Place,families tutored them andhelped them navigate theessentials. They made them feelat home.

Kalumbwe extended hervolunteerism through thesummer and collected clothesfor Mary’s Place.

“I know the struggles of

CAMPUS NEWS

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

Mission Driven:

Students — once refugees themselves — give back

refugee people. It’s not justlanguage. It’s so much more.Trying to adjust to a newcountry … It makes me thank-ful and it opens my mind,”says Kalumbwe. “I am arefugee but I am also privi-leged because I can communi-cate. I am honored to reachout. What I do here can meana lot.”

— By Kris Dreessen

A former refugee, Nathalie Kalumbwe ’16, originally from Congo, helps refugees learn basic English phrasesat an outreach center. She and other students volunteered to assist them in their new culture.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

About Real World Geneseo

The first “extreme learning” course developed at Geneseo, it begins with a four-day immersionseminar on racism, classism and other social issues. Students then attend weekly seminars andapply concepts in a service-learning project that they choose and that can make positive change.Real World Geneseo won the 2013 bronze Student Affairs Administrators in Higher EducationExcellence Award for programs aimed at cultivating culturally competent students.

:

Fall 2013 5

In 1963, an age of typewritersand black-and-white TV,Charles “Dutch” VanRy ’64

officially joined the new physicsdepartment as a student.

He was one of just threephysics majors in the depart-ment’s first graduating class,overseen by the late ProfessorEmeritus Robert “Duke” Sells.There were only nine sciencefaculty members back then.

“I had always been interestedin physics, and since it was allbrand new, I thought it wouldbe kind of exciting, which itwas,” says VanRy. “It was prettyinnovative, at the time, whatthey were trying to do.”

Fifty years later, VanRyreturned to campus forPhysicsFest on Aug. 30 and 31to celebrate the physics andastronomy department’s goldenanniversary.

The department now hasnine faculty of its own — alongwith 220 students — and a dis-

alumni are an important part ofthe department and wanted toinvite them back to campus sothat they could participate inthe celebration,” says Professorof Physics and DepartmentChair Charles Freeman.

That closeness, says Freeman,comes from the family-likeatmosphere that started 50 yearsago, and professors’ commit-ment to undergraduate educa-tion, in and out of class, byoffering opportunities includingconferences and participation inresearch projects such as deter-mining the age of star clustersand modeling the extinction oflight from aerosol particles.

Ryan Rickert ’10, an assem-bly technician at Moog Inc., acompany that develops mis-sion control technology, saysGeneseo’s program taughthim lasting lessons.

“It’s given me a lot of educa-tional skills that I can apply inthe real world like analyticalskills. Also, it taught me to actu-ally work hard,” says Rickert.“The physics major is not easyand it kind of whipped me intoshape.”

— By Chelsea Butkowski ’15

Doty Hall is now the main campus entrance

Distinguished Teaching Professor of Physics Emeritus Jerry Reber, left, Deanof the College Savi Iyer, and Professor of Physics and Department ChairCharles Freeman at the 50-year celebration.

The college has a new front door — actually, a new frontbuilding — that is prominently changing the first impres-sion visitors receive when entering campus.

Doty Hall opened in September andnow houses numerous offices originallyin Erwin Hall and elsewhere on campus,including the offices of the presidentand all of the vice presidents.

“People coming onto campus oftenthought Doty was part of campus andnow it finally is,” said David Norton,acting director of facilities planningand construction at the college. “Thebuilding fits in well architecturallywith the campus and places offices with heavy public contact atthe forefront.”

Erwin Hall will remain open to house primarily student-relatedfunctions such as financial aid, the Office of the Dean of theCollege and international student services.

Doty also houses a state-of-the-art recital hall with seating for 208and a unique all-purpose meeting area, the Tower Room, for pre-or post-recital receptions or meetings. The building incorporates

numerous energy efficient elements,including geothermal heating and cooling,and captured rainwater for treatment anduse in toilets.

New York State owned the building forvarious functions over time, most recentlyserving clients of the Office of People withDevelopmental Disabilities (OPWDD).OPWDD has returned to Doty and rentsone floor of the renovated building.Holcomb was razed to make way for con-

struction of the new athletic stadium.Letchworth Dining Hall is also undergoing major renovation,

scheduled for completion in April 2014. Bailey Hall renovationshould be is completed May 2014 and will be the new home of thesocial sciences.

— By David Irwin

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

: View photos from PhysicsFest — go.geneseo.edu/physics50photos.

Milestones:

50 years ofscience

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

tinction. Geneseo awardedmore bachelor's degrees inphysics in 2011-12 than anyother physics departments inthe country in which a bache-lor's is the highest physicsdegree offered, according to theAmerican Institute of Physics.

Interest in the field has grownthroughout the decades. In1973, there were just 47 majorsin the program; by 1983, thenumber had more than dou-

bled. Geneseo has made amajor investment in the hardsciences — now the school’smost popular discipline —including expanding laboratoryand other resources in theIntegrated Science Center.

At PhysicsFest, students, alumni and emeriti networked,toured labs, and stargazed fromthe rooftop observatory.

“We feel very connected withour alumni and we feel like our

6 geneseo scene

New opera companydebuts performances atGeneseoSingers from some of theworld’s top opera companiesperformed on campus on Aug.10 to help launch the FingerLakes Opera.Danielle Pastin, a soprano

with the Metropolitan Opera,was among the singers, whoperformed arias, duets andensembles from a variety ofcomposers, accompanied by a40-piece orchestra.

The opera company debutsits first full production —“Carmen” — this summer at theFinger Lakes Opera Festival,Aug. 6-10. The weekend willalso include chamber musicperformances, a vocal recital,and other musical events.Professor of Music GerardFloriano ’84 is the company’sartistic director and conductor.Friends of Finger Lakes Operaare raising $1 million to helpsupport the first five seasons,through 2017. The company

hopes to draw on a wide areaof western New York and sur-rounding states for patrons. The opera will make its home atGeneseo.

Student ambassadors tackle projectsAs an aspiring educator,Michelle Walpole ’14 wasinspired by a boy who couldn’tparticipate in class because hedidn’t know English. Last sum-mer, Walpole earned her inter-national diploma to teachEnglish as a second language inArgentina, where she alsoresearched best practices inteaching techniques.At home, she’s preparing for

a career teaching Englishabroad, and will offer free lan-guage classes in Geneseo usingwhat she learned.Walpole is one of 11

Geneseo student ambassadorswho tackled transformative,self-directed projects indiverse fields, thanks toambassador donors, whomake the annual awards of$5,000 each possible. This isthe second year Geneseo hasoffered the grants, led throughthe college’s Center forInquiry, Discovery andDevelopment. Other projectsinclude exploring racial equali-ty through math, sustainablenonprofit management in ruralNicaragua, and preservinglocal and oral history.

College is named amongbest in nation — twiceGeneseo’s outstanding aca-demics and giving back to thecommunity has earned it aplace in two national rankings.The Princeton Review chose

Geneseo to be in its 2014 flag-ship college guide, “The Best378 Colleges.” Only about 15percent of the 2,500 four-yearcolleges in the United Stateswere included. An additional

NEWS IN BRIEF

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

Introducing: Gandy DancerGeneseo students havelaunched a new literary jour-nal, Gandy Dancer, whichfeatures the work of studentsfrom across SUNY. Studentscurate, create and design themagazine, named for theslang term for railroad work-ers who laid and maintainedtracks before the advent ofmachines to do that work:“Like the gandy dancers,writers and artists arrangeand rearrange, adjust andpolish to create somethingthat allows others passage.”Students in Editing &

Production workshop arecreating the next issue.Check it out at www.gandydancer.org

four schools out of the countrywere also included.

Washington Monthly maga-zine also ranks Geneseo secondoverall among the nation’s master’s universities that offercomprehensive undergraduateprograms, some master's pro-grams but few, if any, doctoralprograms for its contribution tothe public good across threecategories — social mobility,research and promoting anethic of service to country.

BLAST FROM GENESEO PAST!Editor Kris Dreessen’s neighbor, Dick, recently gave her a time-less surprise — an original copy of the 1938-1939 GeneseoNormal School Student Handbook. It belonged to Hazel Sturges, class of 1940, a fourth-grade

teacher who was with us until the golden age of 86. We can’ttell her in person, but thanks, Hazel, forsharing Geneseo history with us bykeeping your memories!Fun facts back then:• Students met in a committee to

formally discuss — teas.• Students had to arrange for

chaperones at all social events, including dances.• At those dances? Loud singing,

shouting and vaudeville acts “would not be in good taste.” • During winter, the gym was transformed into a “16th-cen-

tury castle,” in which the king, queen and their court of TheWinter Festival were entertained by students acting as jestersand a traveling musical troupe.

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

Fall 2013 7

At first, the prospect ofspending a week in theAdirondack Mountains

with fellow incoming fresh-men left Adam Lashinsky ’13wary. Their openness, theirreflections of their sharedexperiences atop summits,and late-night conversationssoon changed him.

“I came out appreciatinghow ‘change,’ with all of itschallenge and promise, canreally grow a person,” he says.“I learned to let the experienceshape you instead of manipula-tively trying to shape it.”

The First-Year Institute pro-gram exposes incoming fresh-men to such challenges — awayfrom home and on their own.They see they can achieve theirgoals and the effort needed.

“It definitely helped me toopen up and be more com-fortable expressing who I real-ly am,” says Sarah Shields ’13.

After the program, whenAdam and Sarah and the oth-ers arrived on campus in fall2009, they had trusted friends— each other. Scene editor Kris

Dreessenwas with thegroup asLecturerGary “Griz”Caudle ’70led themthrough thejourney ofself-discov-ery, and

profiled them in the fall 2009Scene.

Throughout the years, thegroup met for dinners. Theymade Griz T-shirts and eagerlyawaited his campus visits.Many reunited at Griz’s moun-

tain house for new trips —each summer.

Last May, they gathered inthe Sturges Quad for a finalphoto to celebrate theiraccomplishment of graduating

from Geneseo, and the wilder-ness expedition that broughtthem together.

Adam brought the mush-room, a spongy white capeveryone proudly signed aftercompleting the 13-mile canoetrip. They ribbed Kelsey

Bendlin ’13, rememberinghow her final journal entrymade them misty-eyed. Aftershe had read it, her newfriends lifted her so she couldstand high above their out-

stretched arms and walk overa rope obstacle in one lastgroup challenge.

As juniors and seniors,Adam and Margaret Craft ’13mentored new First-Year par-ticipants as teaching assistants.

“It was an opportunity to

refresh my perspectives on thelessons I’d learned as a fresh-man, and to give back to theprogram that had done somuch for me,” Adam says.

His greatest lesson learnedthose first days? That value ofchange. He says he had totake a hard look at himselfwhile entering college, to pre-pare himself for who he wouldbecome in these four years.Graduating, he must do itagain.

Change, he says, “is the bestmirror I know.”

Four years after they began their journey as incoming freshmen in the First-Year Institute, the friendscelebrated Geneseo graduation and their friendship with a final photo, wearing T-shirts of Gary “Griz”Caudle ’70, the program’s professor.

Relive their First-Year Institute journey with the article and photo essaywww.geneseo.edu/first_year_institute/in_the_wild_slideshow:

CAUDLE

PHOTOS BY KRIS DREESSEN AND KEITH WALTERS ’11

“Change is the best mirror I know.”

— Adam Lashinsky ’13

Uncommon adventures: 4 years later

Life lessons and lasting friendship from a week in the wild

8 geneseo scene

Chris … has thevision to see connectionswhere others seebarriers.

— Cynthia Oswald

Legacy Chris Dahl’s

Fall 2013 9

President Christopher C. Dahl never believed a president should besealed away in an office. For 18 years, he led the college while healso championed teaching, community and elbow grease.

WHEN CHRISTOPHER C. DAHL

walked across campus, he would

sometimes encounter prospec-

tive students and their families on admis-

sions tours.

Sometimes, he took over the tours.

“I wanted them to realize what sort of

family they would be joining. Years later,

parents would tell me how much that

meant to them — what it told them about

Geneseo.”

Chris joined the campus as provost in

1994 and knew it was where he wanted to

devote his time and talent: Geneseo, he

says, valued education of the whole person.

A year later, he became interim president,

and then president in 1996. For 18 years, he

has led the college in its mission and vision,

making it an inspiring place to be, daily.

Those who work with him say Chris’ lead-

ership was the foundation for Geneseo to

build its stature as a premier national public

liberal arts college. As a person, colleagues

say, Chris practices what he preaches and

always had an open door.

Throughout his tenure, the college has

completed or undertaken $300 million in

renovations and construction. Chris made it

a personal mission to develop a community

in which a breadth of ideas and cultures is

celebrated. He created a commission devot-

ed to this mission the first year he became

president. Since then the proportion of stu-

dents of color has nearly doubled, from 12

to 20 percent. There were just 13 interna-

tional students in 1995. Now there are 187.

Geneseo is consistently top rated in

prestigious national rankings, not only for

outstanding academics, student opportu-

nities and teaching, but for environmen-

tal responsibility and contributions to the

public good.

Throughout, Chris collaborated with fac-

ulty and as a professor of English himself,

team-taught a course in British romanticism

every other fall semester. He never thought

a president should be “sealed off in an

office in some tower.”

In October, Chris went on leave to pursue

academic interests, continue fundraising for

Geneseo and work on projects for SUNY.

He officially retires in June.

As Geneseo readies to say farewell, it is fit-

ting for those who know him — as a leader

on campus and within the community — to

provide insight into his accomplishments,

his character and his legacy.

Legacy 1996: Inauguration (FILE PHOTO)Chris Dahl’s

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

10 geneseo scene

Teacher and inspirerIn an essay on education from the 1770s,Anna Letitia Barbauld explains that inaddition to formal tutoring by teachers,“your example will educate” students.“Your conversation with friends, the busi-ness… you transact, … the likings and dis-likings you express, these will educate.”

I first read those words in Chris’ semi-nar on British writers of the RomanticPeriod, and it’s for this reason that theyserve as an apt touchstone as I reflect onthe impact he has had at the college andon alumni, like myself.

President Dahl, even while serving asthe college’s top official, was ProfessorDahl to many of us. A tireless advocate forGeneseo’s public liberal arts mission, healso led by example.

I took his seminar when I was justbeginning to think about going to gradu-ate school in literature. While working ona paper, I struggled to make sense of allthe articles and books I was using. Iemailed Professor Dahl asking whether wecould meet to discuss my work. He madetime to meet me at 8 a.m. — on aSaturday — in his office before meetingsand appearances at student events. Later,in that same office, he gave me frank (andsound) advice on graduate school applica-tions and academic careers.

One event stands out in my mind as

representative of how Chris kept teachingat the heart of his administration.

He met my parents at the reception fol-lowing the autumn honors convocationduring my senior year. It is expected thatfigureheads shake hands, chat pleasantlyand extend thanks and congratulations atsuch events. Upon meeting my parents,however, Chris described to them, indetail, the argument I’d developed aboutPercy Bysshe Shelley’s “The Mask ofAnarchy” in that paper I’d written for hisseminar the year before. That he, as anexecutive administrator, could recall thismemory so readily is concrete evidence ofhis, and the college’s, commitment toundergraduate liberal arts education.

In the decade since graduating fromGeneseo, I’ve worked in higher educationat three universities, each with a very goodpresident or chancellor. But as heads oflarge research institutions, I’m fairly cer-tain that none were able to carve out timeto teach an 8 a.m. seminar every otherautumn. I think we all learned somethingabout the character of Geneseo itselfbecause teaching undergraduates in a lib-eral arts college was part of the “business”that even our president “transact(ed).”

— Jonathan Senchyne ’04, assistant professor of library and information studies

at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Role modelI have, happily, had an implausibly largenumber of opportunities to be with Chrisaway from campus and Geneseo business.Invariably in those situations, he introduceshimself as “Ron’s colleague,” sometimesadding that I am his former boss.

Both statements are true as far as theygo: I am honored to say that Chris, as apracticing member of the English depart-ment ever since his arrival at Geneseo, isindeed my valued colleague; and since Iwas chair of the department when heshowed up as provost almost 20 years ago,I was for a short time (technically) hisboss. I think I can make the case that Ihave been a decent colleague. But when itcomes to being a boss, the scales tipentirely in the other direction — for meand everyone who has worked at Geneseoduring his presidency.

Chris has been a sublime leader, tirelesslyworking to implement his vision of the col-

1996: Homecoming parade (FILE PHOTO)

“At his core, Chrisdelights in the

achievements ofothers: his faculty,his staff, and most

of all the students atSUNY Geneseo.

For me, one of thelegacies of workingso closely with him,and also being ableto call myself a veryclose friend, is thathe has also become

a role model.” — Ronald Herzman

Fall 2013 11

lege as the country’s premier public liberalarts college. And yet his collegiality, hisintegrity, and his decency make it impossiblefor all of us who work for him to think ofourselves as anything but his colleague. Thisis an almost impossible balance to achieve.People with “the vision thing” have beenknown to stomp on those who don’t buyinto the program. Not so with Chris. He isas likely to run roughshod over someone ashe is to show up for work without a jacketand tie. No small part of what has enabledChris to achieve this astonishing balance is aquality that would serve all of us well: thegreat gift of being able to see and admirethe best in everyone he meets. This is as realand as fundamental to who he is when he isoff camera as when he is on. At his core,Chris delights in the achievements of others:his faculty, his staff, and most of all the stu-dents at SUNY Geneseo. For me, one of thelegacies of working so closely with him, andalso being able to call myself a very closefriend, is that he has also become a rolemodel: I wish I were more like him in hisability to focus on the good in people. Iwant him to know that as one small part ofhis incalculable legacy to Geneseo, I will trya little harder.

— Ronald Herzman, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English

College visionaryChris assumed the presidency at just theright moment. I was an associate vice presi-

dent for student affairs at the time, respon-sible for, among other things, the college’senrollment program. By the mid-’90s, thecollege had made some impressive stridesin its quest to become the top undergradu-ate school in SUNY. But it seemed to me atthe time that we were beginning to losemomentum.

Chris recognized that we were poised tomove to another level, but to do so he

would have to take thelead in shaping a clearvision that would inspireand inform our deci-sions. The result was astrategic plan with aclear mission statementthat set the college’ssights on an even highergoal: to become the pre-mier, public, undergrad-uate liberal arts collegein the nation. He invitedme to join his cabinet toassure that studentrecruitment and collegemarketing had a voice atthe table. That wasn’tcommon practice at thetime, but it is now.

His vision wasn’t brava-

do, as some thought, but a well-consideredplan that would require decisive action,including the reallocation of resources, toposition Geneseo properly in the market-place. Attracting and supporting top facul-ty would be paramount. Enhancing thebeauty of the campus was also criticallyimportant, as was bolstering studentrecruitment and campus diversity. And toassure that we would deliver on our prom-ise to offer an honors-quality education, hesupported the expansion of studentresearch, engagement in the arts, studyabroad, volunteerism and other high-impactlearning experiences.

The result has been quite remarkable.Geneseo is an inspiration for many of ourpeers in the public sector who aspire toattract outstanding students and provide afirst-rate liberal arts education.

The Dahl era will be remembered as agreat run for the college and a very impres-sive legacy for Chris.

— Bill Caren, associate vice president for enrollment services

SUNY leaderFor many years, Geneseo has been amongthe very best undergraduate colleges in theSUNY system. Chris has not only honored

2006: Ice Hockey championship celebration (FILE PHOTO)

2013: G.R.E.A.T Day Spanish language playcameo appearance

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

12 geneseo scene

that legacy, but deepened and expanded it.This is evident in the quality of studentswho enroll at Geneseo, in the superb edu-cation they receive, and in their lifelongloyalty to their alma mater.

Chris has achieved these results primarilybecause of his fierce commitment to aca-demic quality. His own education, years ofteaching and administrative experience,and especially his core values combine togive him superb intellectual taste, a firmgrasp of what excellence entails, and thecourage and capacity to attain it.

I served as president of SUNY New Paltzfor nine years. As a SUNY colleague, Ialways knew that Chris would be a strongand steady voice in favor of initiatives thatwould build quality — and thus enableGeneseo to realize its aspiration of being a

premier public liberal arts honors college.I am impressed by the partnerships he

and Geneseo forged with universities inAfrica, Asia and Latin America, as well asthe models he developed to reward superi-or faculty performance, and his successfulefforts to obtain a chapter of the Phi BetaKappa national honor society at Geneseo. Iam equally impressed with the dramaticimprovements he made in Geneseo’s physi-cal plant. I especially admire how Chrisshowed vision and courage in making hardchoices about priorities and the allocationof resources when Geneseo, along with all

SUNY schools, was confronted with fiscalchallenges in 2008-2010 because of a strug-gling economy and the short-sighted leg-islative imposition of a “tuition tax” onSUNY students. In these tough circum-stances, Chris was willing to focus the col-lege’s energies and budget in areas thatwould best lead to enduring strength.

Within the circle of his peers, Chris isviewed as an incisive analyst, an entertain-ing raconteur, and a witty and engagingcolleague. There is no one whom I respectmore in the State University of New Yorksystem, no one with whom I have beenmore willing to conspire or share an aca-demic foxhole — and no one whom I ammore proud to call my friend.

— Steven G. Poskanzer, president of Carleton College

Community builderInaugurated by Chris in 1998, thePresident’s Commission on Diversity andCommunity comprised students, administra-tion, faculty and staff who worked togetherto identify the obstacles that preventedGeneseo from reaching its potential as thenation’s premier public liberal arts college.

For five years, as commission co-chair andchair, I worked closely with Chris. After leav-ing the commission, I continued workingwith the campus community on teach-ins.

To close 2008’s Race and Campus CultureTeach-in, organizers requested that Chrisask the 400 community participants if theirown conduct fulfilled the mission of the col-lege where they lived, studied and worked.He agreed, and spoke deliberately. The ball-room fell silent. “Wow,” observed a student,“he meant that.” The room knew it.

The room knew the leader who would beapplauded by the 2012 Middle StatesCommission on Higher Education foramplifying Geneseo’s excellence, maximiz-ing ever-dwindling resources to diversifythe college at every level.

The room knew the national figure, theAssociation of American Colleges andUniversities leader who also could followthe Geneseo grassroots’ lead. The teach-ins— including 2010’s Sexual Assault Teach-in— emerged from years of such bottom-upefforts, to which Chris contributed extraor-dinary support.

The room knew Chris’ openness. Manyresisted his ideas and actions. Many need-ed change to come more quickly and made

“President Dahl,even while serving

as the college’stop official, was

Professor Dahl tomany of us.

A tireless advocatefor Geneseo’s pub-lic liberal arts mis-

sion, he also ledby example.”

— Jonathan Senchyne ’04

2010: Livingston County CARES volunteertrip, Biloxi, Miss.

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

Fall 2013 13

principled demands of him. Some toldhard truths; some (like myself) receivedhard truths in return. Students found hisdoor open, not once, but many, manytimes. You might leave satisfied or furious,but you just knew you’d been heard.

To change institutional structures mat-ters. But how you treat people, how you areopen to being challenged and confronted:these things also matter, and they matter alot. The room knew how rare a leader wasbefore them.

These are difficult times. Campuses wres-tle with everything that the wider worlddoes, including transphobia, ableism andmisogyny. To “claim our communities asplaces where human beings can developand grow,” Bernice Johnson Reagon notes,will take an “immense struggle” that “maymake the Civil Rights Movement look likea picnic.”

Through his leadership and commit-ment to lifelong learning, Chris has posi-tioned Geneseo to meet that struggle.Students, faculty, staff, administration andalumni: Know that we cannot squander hislegacy.

— Beth McCoy, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English

Community partner“Mister Mayor, I am one of your subjects!”

So proclaimed Chris — with a hearty guf-faw — when we first met. He and Ruth hadrecently purchased a home on South Street,and in keeping with his interest in theVictorian Era, declared he thus was in thedominion and jurisdiction of the village.

That jocular pronouncement in 1994turned out to be somewhat prophetic, inthat Chris has not wavered from this tenet:The college is not an entity unto itself, butis one component of the broader commu-nity. He has been sensitive to, and con-cerned about, “the 800-pound gorilla inthe living room,” as he has put it.

To diminish the impact of the college onthe community, and to maintain lines ofcommunication established years ago,Chris has undertaken numerous initiatives.He has made great strides in keeping thecommunity informed of significant campusevents and decisions.

In some instances, community membershave participated in major policy discus-sions, such as the arming of UniversityPolice, and drafting of the new Village-College Compact, an agreement of initia-

tives each of us will take to maintain thequality of life in our little village. Anotherprime example of collaboration is theHealthy Campus Community Coalition, agroup of college officials, communitymembers and business people who addressquality-of-life issues.

They are all examples of how Chris hasfostered exemplary college-communityrelations and reinforced the concept thatthe college is, indeed, within “the domin-ion” of the village.

It has been an honor for me as mayor tohave worked side by side with a presidentwho has been so committed to having thecollege integrated into the community.

A second facet of Chris’ tenure is his fer-vent advocacy of civic engagement. Hestands as a true role model and practition-

er of that which he preaches.He has been a participant in the

Geneseo Festival Chorus and an activemember of Central Presbyterian Church.Regionally, he has served on numerousboards and committees. Many were volun-teer efforts of Chris the individual, notChris the president of Geneseo.

Through his early-on proclaimedacknowledgment that the college is withinthe dominion and jurisdiction of the vil-lage, and through his own involvement in

volunteerism and community service, Chrishas enriched the long-standing tradition ofa smooth integration of the Geneseo cam-pus into the Geneseo community.

— Richard B. Hatheway, mayor of Geneseosince 1986, professor emeritus of geology

Regional developerDuring my tenure as president of theLivingston County Area Chamber ofCommerce, Chris was my “go to” economicdevelopment partner. His leadershipembraced and enhanced the symbioticrelationship between the college and thebusiness community.

SUNY Geneseo is not only a college, it isa major employer in Livingston County,critical to the economy. Tourism is thecounty’s second-largest industry and the

“business” of the college generates a con-stant stream of visitors.

Chris served on the Chamber Board ofDirectors for almost a decade and alwaysmade sure there was college representationon many chamber committees. We were sofortunate that Chris embraced the philoso-phy of inclusion and community.

Chris made time to be visible and vocalat the table for local and regional econom-ic development discussions; thus he earnedcredibility with the business community as

2010: Serving students at MidKnight BreakfastPHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

14 geneseo scene

a partner. He insisted the college wouldnot operate in isolation while under hisleadership.

Chris was always ready for that next bigidea. He never tired of new and creativecollaboration, offering students, facultyand college resources to businesses, organi-zations and our downtowns.

Chris was — and is — a devoted support-er of Livingston County CARES, the organ-ization whose members’ good workincludes assistance to victims of HurricaneKatrina. He supported the group’s affilia-tion with the college and, for longevity, for-mally becoming a nonprofit. There was notanother organizational leader in the coun-ty willing or able to make this happen.

Barilla also recently opened a pasta-mak-ing facility in the county. Several countieswere competing for such a stable, lucrativeproject. Chris had the foresight to engageone of Geneseo’s professors who is fluentin Italian culture to plan the visit frombusiness representatives and the Barillafamily, straight from Italy. I firmly believethat expertise clinched the deal for us. Assuch, 100 jobs were created.

Whether it’s student ambassadors work-ing to enhance our county farm market sys-tem or Geneseo marketing students creat-ing logos for small businesses, Chris’ com-mitment to civic engagement as part of aSUNY Geneseo student’s experience hasbeen a win-win for all.

Chris was always just a phone call awayand always supportive of out-of-the-boxideas. He has the vision to see connectionswhere others see barriers.

— Cynthia Oswald,past president, Livingston County Area

Chamber of Commerce

View photos of Dahl’s tenure andmemories from alumni about thepresident atgeneseo.edu/dahl-legacy

:

“It has been anhonor for me as

mayor to haveworked side by side

with a presidentwho has been

so committed tohaving the collegeintegrated into the

community.”— Richard B. Hatheway

2013: Recognition of service at hisfinal commencement

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

If you could gather every student,faculty and staff member atGeneseo, right now on the CollegeGreen, and say one thing, whatwould it be?Sir Francis Bacon wrote “knowledge ispower.” I would tell everyone that liberallearning is even more powerful. Thepower of a public liberal arts education isextraordinary.

Even with your responsibilities aspresident, you team-taught BritishRomanticism with Gene Stelzig for 17years. Why?I love to teach. I love my field. And I alsoteach because I love Geneseo students …Geneseo is an intimate educational envi-ronment that thrives because of the closeworking relationships between faculty, staffand students. That’s the essence of aGeneseo education. That requires a presi-dent who is not only an administrator andacademic leader but also engaged with theintellectual life of the community.

Have you ever NOT worn a suit towork?The short answer is no, but it depends onwhat you mean by “on the job.” I’ve nevergone into the office without a coat and tie,but my “job” involves lots of differentthings. I didn’t wear a suit when I went toBiloxi to build roofs with LivingstonCounty CARES, and I don’t generally weara tie to Geneseo Ice Knights hockey games.It’s true, however, that when I was a depart-ment chair in Michigan, my colleaguesclaimed that I even wore a tie to bed. I’venever taught a class without a coat and tie.

Geneseo embraces a culture of com-munity leadership and service. Aspresident, you’ve volunteered yourown time, too, including rebuildinghomes damaged by Hurricane Katrinawith students and faculty. Why is it soimportant to you?Part of our task is to model the behaviorour students should emulate. For me, theBiloxi trip was very special and it was a tripdown memory lane. As an undergraduateat Harvard in 1966, I worked with volun-teers fixing up houses in the very same

Biloxi neighborhoods. That service-learn-ing was very meaningful to me as a student.

During your tenure, what were thesix most important accomplishmentsfor Geneseo?

• First and foremost, we have stayed thecourse as a public liberal arts college andbecome even better at our mission. Thatmay not sound like much, but in an age oframpant vocationalism — and in a largestate system that shows little or no interestin the liberal and life-enhancing educationwe offer and has provided no additionalsupport for our unique mission — that’sno mean feat. This sets us apart, and othersrecognize that we do our job at the level ofquality that one usually encounters only inold-line private colleges with significantendowments. We are indeed New York’spublic honors college.

• Geneseo’s Phi Beta Kappa Chapter,Alpha Delta of New York. This is myfavorite accomplishment and another con-firmation of our distinction as a liberal artscollege.

• Increased diversity across a broad spec-trum. Diversity is one of the key indicatorsof excellence in an academic community,because students ultimately learn from oth-ers who are different from them, as well asfrom faculty members and members of thewider community.

• Major construction and renovation oncampus totaling $300 million. These aren’tmerely changes to the outward appearanceof campus; they allow us to carry out ourmission better.

• From the debates about Humanities inthe 1990s to the reforms we are contem-plating for general education, this commu-nity has kept our traditional liberal arts cur-riculum innovative, and even radical.

• We are now much more clearly per-ceived as a partner with the community,very much rooted in Geneseo and westernNew York and always willing to help in eco-nomic and civic development, rather thanan alien force or rival to local businesses.

What are the biggest challengesGeneseo faces in the future?Adequate funding will always be a real chal-lenge. It’s a challenge to be a highly selec-tive public liberal arts college in our statefunding environment. Student recruitmentis an ever-increasing challenge, for manyinstitutions. We also need to maintain thepersonal quality — that face-to-face quality— in a digital age. I believe how werespond to that will determine what kindof college we are and how successful wewill be.

What have you learned about humannature during your 18 years as presi-dent?Colleges and universities are fascinatinghuman institutions. One thing I’ve learnedin my years as dean, provost and presidentis that you can’t change individual humannature. In good ways and bad, colleges areinertial institutions, but you can get muchbetter results when you assume that thosearound you are working in good faith andthat they care. Faculty members are essen-tially volunteers (and so are the profession-als who work with them). They do care, butthey must be inspired. It makes a big differ-ence if your own attitude is positive.

Fall 2013 15

7Questions

with retiring PresidentChristopher C. Dahl

Geneseo celebrates the successful end of Shaping Lives of Purpose, and the beginning of a new era.

By Lisa Feinstein

In September 2011, Geneseo celebrated thelaunch of Shaping Lives of Purpose: TheCampaign for Geneseo, the largest fundrais-

ing initiative in the college’s history.“As those who have graduated from Geneseo,

we stand as the primary beneficiaries of this col-lege. This is our collective moment to step for-ward, stake a claim, and take ownership ofGeneseo’s current and future vitality,” said FrankVafier ’74, campaign chair and member of theGeneseo Foundation Board of Directors.

That night, Vafier announced a $1 million lead-ership gift from Edward Pettinella ’73 to establish

two scholarships, an ambassadorship and a professorship. Alumni carried the momentum. In September 2013, 500 Geneseo supporters celebrated the completion of the campaign oncampus with a surprise: Greg O’Connell ’64announced his $1 million gift to the college.

Geneseo raised $23 million — exceeding thegoal by a million dollars. The campaign drew1,500 more alumni donors this year compared tolast year. Vafier and alumni leaders hope to add1,500 more in 2014.

Such gifts have already made a measurable difference.

16 geneseo scene

Fall 2013 17

alumni-athletes raised funds to support cur-rent student-athletes, the participation rateskyrocketed. In 2013, 50 percent of men’shockey alumni gave back to Geneseo. Theparticipation rate of alumni-athletes fromeight other teams increased to more than11.4 percent.

Inspired by the leadership lessons andlife skills they acquired through the athlet-ics program at Geneseo, swimming anddiving alumni-athletes raised nearly$50,000 to erect a new scoreboard inCoach Duncan “Dunc” Hinckley’s memo-ry. Randy Sheppard ’93 and Dunc’s wife,Linda Hinckley, spearheaded the initiative.

Men’s hockey team members also got amotivational boost: Larry Gaus ’84, whosedaughter Kathryn graduates from Geneseoin 2015, established an endowment thatrefurbished and named the hockey lockerroom in honor of his family, and he willcontinue to support the program.

WHAT’S NEXT?When Vafier spoke to the crowd inWadsworth Auditorium celebrating thecampaign’s end, he not only reflected onGeneseo’s accomplishments but looked tothe future. Shaping Lives of Purpose hasset the stage for what Geneseo can do, hesaid.

“Going forward,” he said, “our cam-paign goal will be closer to $50 million.After our next campaign, every studentwill have access to an alumni network, ourAlumni Council will have grown and ourparticipation rate should reach at least 25percent … Increased alumni participationrates, more regional alumni events, and astronger and more broadly supported ath-letics program — these are all results ofthis campaign.”

While we completed the campaign, saidInterim President Carol Long, it’s really abeginning. A framework for greater con-nection — and results — has been set.

“What we are doing is safeguardingeverything we all work so diligently to cre-ate at Geneseo by providing more andever-better opportunities for students, fac-ulty and staff,” said Long. “We are build-ing a culture of philanthropy at Geneseo,and giving back.”

SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORTSince the campaign launch, Geneseo hasawarded more than 2,500 merit-basedscholarships, and nearly 900 students havebeen awarded research and travel grants.Such awards allow Geneseo to enroll stu-dents from families with financial needand to help support students like MikeEisinger ’14.

“Even if you don’t see it directly, pleaseknow that you are making a huge differ-ence in students’ lives,” says Eisinger, aphysics major who is pursuing an adoles-cent education certification, and who hasbenefited from several donor-fundedscholarships. “You are giving students thesame wonderful feeling that you had whileattending Geneseo — the feeling of grow-ing as a human being and realizing thatyour dreams are within reach.”

THE CENTER FOR INQUIRY, DISCOVERY ANDDEVELOPMENTThrough Shaping Lives of Purpose, thecollege founded The Center for Inquiry,Discovery and Development. So far, 24 students have undertaken transformationalambassadorships through the center.Ambassadors’ projects have ranged fromcommunity health initiatives to improvehealth care for underserved LivingstonCounty residents, to assisting nonprofitorganizations in Haiti and Nicaragua, togiving voice to the experiences of thehomeless and immigrants.

Gabrielle Kosoy ’15, recipient of the2012 Special Ambassadorship inIntercultural Studies, explored her rootsthrough culture and history while abroadin Ukraine.

“I gained insight about everything I saw,”she said. “I was surprised by the people,the pace of change and the nuances oflanguage. And I learned how to lookthrough other people’s eyes.”

ACADEMIC INNOVATION ANDFACULTY SUPPORTGeneseo has always recognized the necessi-ty of supporting the research and develop-ment efforts of students and faculty. Giftsto Shaping Lives of Purpose initiatives pre-

pare students to be leaders and innovators.Mentors such as Judith Albers, the first

Charles L. “Bud” VanArsdale EndowedChair for Entrepreneurship, will help themget there. An authority on entrepreneurialtraining, Albers joined the faculty this fall,thanks to VanArsdale’s campaign gift of$2.5 million — the largest gift in the historyof the college — to fund the first endowedprofessorship.

INCREASED SUPPORT FOR ATHLETICSThroughout Shaping Lives of Purpose,support for every intercollegiate athleticteam increased dramatically, and gifts tothe Roundtable Athletic Association fund-ed team travel and necessary uniform andequipment updates.

Through A Knight’s Challenge, in which

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

Alumni

Friends

Corporations

Faculty/ Staff

Parents

Organizations

Foundations

Campaign Gifts by SourceTotal: $23,034,000

Campaign Giftsby Designation

Total: $23,034,000

Scholarships and Grants

Where Need is Greatest

Athletics

Center for Inquiry,Discovery and

Development

Academic Innovation and

Faculty Support

Alumni

Friends

Corporations

Faculty/ Staff

Parents

Organizations

Foundations

Campaign Gifts by SourceTotal: $23,034,000

Campaign Giftsby Designation

Total: $23,034,000

Scholarships and Grants

Where Need is Greatest

Athletics

Center for Inquiry,Discovery and

Development

Academic Innovation and

Faculty Support

Geneseo,Class of ’67

18 geneseo scene

It was more pleasant than many August nights, though I imagine this had more todo with my company than any seasonal temperament. Jake and I were sitting ona concrete ledge behind Sturges Hall, looking out over the Genesee Valley — two

nearly-juniors sharing some lingering thoughts as the sun set on what had been atruly illuminating, full day of exchange.

I was particularly engrossed in our conversation that evening. It had taken manysemesters to get Jake to freely discuss certain aspects of his worldview with me — allthose unverifiable, unempirical thoughts that cannot be studied in a physics lab. Isuppose that our differing opinions regarding the usefulness of speculation could be

PHOTOS BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

ON A SUMMER NIGHT, FRIENDS CORY YOUNG ’13 AND JAKE FALLICA ’13 RAN INTO 1967ALUMNI AND SPENT THE EVENING MAKING A CONNECTION THAT LEFT A LASTING IMPRES-SION ON THEM ALL. COMPELLED TO WRITE ABOUT HIS CHANCE ENCOUNTER, AND THE PER-SPECTIVE IT PROVIDED, YOUNG’S PERSONAL ESSAY WON THE COUNCIL OF PUBLIC LIBERALARTS COLLEGES DAVID J. PRIOR AWARD FOR 2O13. THE AWARD CELEBRATES A STUDENTWHOSE EXPERIENCES DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES. HISPERSONAL RECOLLECTION EXEMPLIFIES THE OVERALL TRANSFORMATION.

A chance encounter while watching the sunset

helps Cory Young ’13 find true connection with

alumni that changes him.

By Cory Young ’13

Fall 2013 19

traced back to our respective cognitivepredispositions: Jake preferred to discusscertainties and I preferred to discuss possi-bilities (as it turns out, history and physicsdo not share much in the way of method-ology). For whatever reason, my room-mate was willing to speculate with me thatnight and so I listened.

As the conversation shifted from delib-erations on the importance of scale inanalysis to observations on the beauty ofour campus, an older couple standingsome 10 feet beneath the ledge tooknotice of us. They appeared to be in theirupper-sixties, slower to move but quick tochat. The man made a passing remarkabout the sunset before asking us if wewere students at the university; we said yesand he smiled. As it turned out, the manwas an alumnus of the class of 1967, a his-tory major and a brother of Phi Sigma Xi.

His name was Gary. He told us that he and his wife, Mary,

made a point of traveling to Geneseo fromtime to time to see how things had

evolved. In the spirit of explanation, heshared with us a few stories about his timeat Geneseo, about what was different andwhat remained the same. We learnedabout his pledging process (the sixtieswere a very different time), his love of thecollege, and his life after graduation as ahigh school social studies teacher. The lastanecdote included a piece of advice aboutrefusing to compromise on your values inthe face of adversity — in this case, a stub-born parent. After about 20 minutes, Garyand Mary thanked us for our time, wishedus luck on all of our future endeavors, andcarefully made their way up toward MainStreet, hand in hand.

I cannot recall exactly what was said, butJake and I must have made a decision togo after them because I promptly foundmyself striding uphill, striving to keep upwith Jake’s long-legged pace. Soonenough, we managed to reach the couple,intending only to thank them once morefor their wisdom and kindness. However,those few additional minutes of conversa-tion turned into a tour around campus.And with that, the four of us, generationsapart and with little in common save for a

shared space, set off together into theIntegrated Science Center, swapping sto-ries as we walked.

Jake and I made every effort to high-light what was new about the Geneseoexperience, from G.R.E.A.T Day posters tothe particle accelerator. Gary and Marycontributed by detailing how they feltabout the more conspicuous changes thathad occurred over the last 45 years. Theconversation eventually settled on resi-dence halls — namely, the presence ofgender-neutral housing. It soon became

evident that what was normal and nurtur-ing to Jake and me was novel to Gary andnoxious to his wife. Whereas Gary’s reac-tion was to ask if we were comfortable withsuch a living arrangement, Mary’s was toask if either one of us was homosexual.Although Gary was visibly upset by thefamiliarity and frankness of her question,Jake and I put on a pair of indulgentsmiles and coolly responded that we wereboth heterosexual. Mary then inquired ifwe were Christians; we told her we werenot. Finally, she wondered if we consid-ered ourselves moral; we told her we did.Mary paused for a moment before declar-ing that she did not believe that one couldbe good without God.

It was around this time that the conver-sation began to split off: Jake and Garychatted about aerospace engineeringwhile Mary and I discussed the merits ofreason-based ethics. Though she was lessopen-minded than her husband, Mary didnot dismiss my arguments outright; sheconsidered what I had to say about the via-bility of alternative sources of moralitybefore ultimately (and civilly) disagreeingwith me. The four of us carried on like

this for quite some time—long after thesun had set — before a cursory glance atmy cell phone alerted me to the late hour.

Our goodbyes were protracted, neitherpair wanting to terminate their conversa-tion. Jake and I eventually managed toshake both of their hands before showingthem to a convenient exit. They promisedto take us out to dinner if we should everhappen to cross paths again. We grinned,nodded, and bid them a wonderfulevening.

I occasionally find myself thinking aboutthat night. I think about Gary’s didacticstories, about Mary’s conservativeincredulity, about the sheer odds of suchan encounter even happening in the firstplace and I cannot help but smile. Thewhole story is truly incredible, or at least itwould be if I did not have a witness. I amfortunate to have shared that experiencewith Jake, to have someone who under-stands the beauty of the connection thatwas forged that summer night in the hallsof an academic building, to have someone

who could also hear the pride in Gary’svoice when he spoke of his alma mater:

“Being a social studies teacher was cer-tainly challenging. Sometimes it’s hard todeal with students, but often it’s harder todeal with their parents. I once had afather come to school to discuss a poorgrade his daughter had received on a unittest. He came into my office andapproached my desk with his palmextended and introduced himself, ‘Mr. ________ , Columbia, class of ’78.’ I stoodup and looked him square in the eye as Igrasped his hand and replied, ‘Mr.________ , Geneseo, class of ’67.’”

This is the transformative, awesomepower of the liberal arts. Four people, 46years apart, joined together in conversation.Students of Geneseo, past and present,immersed in meaningful discussion onesummer night in the halls of a public aca-demic building, without a conspicuouslyacademic agenda.

Proudly,Cory Young, Geneseo Class of ’13

PHOTOS BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

“This is the transformative, awesome power of the liberal arts. Four people, 46 years apart,

joined together in conversation. Students of Geneseo, past and present, immersed in meaningful discussion one

summer night in the halls of a public academic building, without a conspicuously academic agenda.”

Young Fallica

By Anthony T. Hoppa

It has been 46 years, and still PatPallend ’67 carries the photograph.Creased at the corners and the ink a

little faded, it is a younger version of him-self, dressed for the game he loved to playat Geneseo, with the coach who inspiredhim.

In the end, then, it was fitting that thecoach who recruited Pallend and fellowteammate Doug Bartlett ’69 would reunitethem nearly 50 years later. They returnedto Geneseo last June to attend a memorialservice for John Hoey, associate professoremeritus of English, who helped found themen’s lacrosse program.

Bartlett went on to coach lacrosse formore than 35 years, including 21 at theVirginia Military Institute. He serves as vicepresident of the KeyDet Club, the fundrais-ing arm of VMI athletics. Pallend is theeconomic development director forFairburn, Ga.

Together again, they remembered …And the stories they told:

Pallend:Hoey recruited me at the bar atThe Big Tree Inn. He said, ‘I hear you thinkyou’re a tough guy,’ and I said ‘Who the hellare you?’ He said, ‘I’m John Hoey: I’m start-ing this lacrosse program and I’m lookingfor tough guys, so why don’t you try out forthe team and we’ll see just how tough you

are.’ And I said, ‘I’m tough enough, nowbuy me a beer ’— and he did.Bartlett:My first recollection of meet-

ing John was unbelievable — he was ashort guy like me! Full of life, full of pas-sion. He truly cared about us as peoplefirst, and then we were his players. I would-n’t have graduated if it weren’t for him. Heconstantly kept me on course, wanting toknow how I was doing, where I was strug-gling. He taught me that when you’re acoach, you’re on duty 24-7.Pallend:What I remember most was the

time spent with John, (his wife) Betty, andthe family. They were hugely important …in helping me move in the right directionfrom being a kid to a man.Bartlett: He wore this really strange hat,

not the kind you’d expect to see a coachwearing at practice. He also wore a shirt and

tie on game days. ‘This is my office,’ he said.‘We may be out-played and out-coached,but we will never be out-dressed.’Pallend:He had a remarkable ability to

see things as they were and to put his fingeron the truth of the matter. That’s why Icarry this faded photograph in my wallet.Looking at it, I sense the warmth and affec-tion and it helps define how significant theGeneseo experience was for me.Bartlett: Sometimes on recruiting trips,

I’d stop in and have coffee with him. Hewas so proud of what I was doing, coach-ing. That made me feel really good. Pallend: There are people in our lives

who are a significant influence in a num-ber of ways. With the time I spent with himin lacrosse and with his family, I knewdamn well I could do anything I set mymind to. … I had a very keen sense ofconfidence that I could accomplish whatwas put on my plate when I left here. Bartlett: He loved the student body,

loved lacrosse, loved his job. His house wasalways open to us; he was someone wecould always go to with any problem. ForJohn, it was always more than just a game. Ifeel blessed to have known the man.

Pat Pallend ’67, left, and DougBartlett ’69 were reunited after 46years to remember their mentor andlacrosse coach, the late AssociateProfessor Emeritus of English JohnHoey, who co-founded the team. Above: The photo that Pallend car-ries of Hoey and himself.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

20 geneseo scene

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

Thanks,John

Read more and submit your own at

geneseo.edu/WYS:

Fall 2013 21

By Jared Scott Tesler

Twenty-two minutes into a gruelingmatch against the Geneseowomen’s Division II rugby team,

players from the University at Buffaloscored. Two more passes over the linesealed their victory. It was a tough 5-22 lossfor the Geneseo Lady Warthogs, but it wasalso their greatest victory last season.

“Sometimes, the score really can’t reflectthe play,” says team captain HannahWyland ’14. “We had the best chemistrythat day. That’s what rugby is like — play-ing the game because you love it and notalways needing a score to know you won.”

Simultaneously formed in 1981 as thefemale counterpart to the men’s Warthogsclub team, the Lady Warthogs practice twohours a day, five days a week, with fitnesstraining during winter. The men adhere toa similar practice schedule. Late AssociateProfessor Emeritus of English John Hoeyhelped students create the club; they havekept it running for 32 years.

Both teams, which have played againstnearly every other Division II club within a

four-hour radius, have fun on the field —from rookie mudslides after rainy prac-tices to singing songs after a big win. Theyalso work to create a positive reputationfor “ruggers.”

“I want to be recognized as a serious ath-lete playing a serious sport,” says Wyland.“I think some of the rugby culture canobscure that goal.”

The Warthogs actively give back to thecommunity. The women’s team has adopt-ed a section of a Geneseo roadway and vol-unteers to clean it twice a year. Last spring,the men’s team raised $4,000 in a head-shaving fundraiser for the AmericanCancer Society.

Anyone is welcome to join the teams.Team rosters have featured a range ofcombinations, including soccer stars, hock-ey players, sorority sisters, foreignexchange students and dancers. On the

field, they have awell-earned rep forplaying a toughsport — not justbecause of thehard tackles withlack of padding.Players carry, kickand can pass theball laterally orbackwards in anattempt to reachthe opponent’sgoal area. Ball car-riers can be tackled— and always are.Stamina is a must.

“I’ve played justabout every sportthere is and havenever been testedphysically like I amduring an 80-minute rugbymatch in 90-degree-plus

weather,” says inside center Micah Rogalski,who graduates in December. “It’s gruelingno matter how fit a player is.”

Team members hope to gain official var-sity status in the National CollegiateAthletic Association. Last year, the men’steam won the Greased Weasel Tournamentin Oswego and made it all the way to thestate semifinals. They also have their sightsset on reinforcing community outreachefforts.

That close-knit community feeling andthe community they create with eachother sticks with players.

The emotional support she receivedboth on and off the field, says formerLady Warthogs President Jennifer Kyne’13, will keep her connected — and play-ing rugby every alumni game until she’s“old and gray.”

“You don’t have to be a 6-foot-tall wall ofmuscle to be brutal and powerful on thefield. I love how powerful playing rugbymakes me feel,” she says. “This teambecame my college family. Once a rugger,always a rugger.”

Geneseo’sclub rugby

players revel in

camaraderie, communityand hardknocks.

Celebrating 32 years of Warthogs rugby: Micah Rogalski ’13, left, Rosemary Kolb ’14, Hannah Wyland ’14 and Stephen Parker ’15are among the school’s men’s and women’s club teams that love the rough sport, and the camaraderie.

“Once a rugger,always a rugger.”

— Jennifer Kyne ’13

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

Roughhousingbliss

THE WARTHOGS:

22 geneseo scene

The final days of 2012 brought actsof violence that shocked NewYorkers and all of America. The

Christmas Eve murders of two firefightersin Webster, N.Y., by a resident who shotthem as they responded to a fire call athis home, and the rampage in Newtown,Conn., that left 26 dead, 20 of themschool children, have forced the subjectof gun safety into the national spotlightto a degree not seen in well over a

decade, and rightly so.In Albany, many other state capitals

and Washington, D.C., citizens and theirelected leaders are once again consider-ing the question of how to strike the cor-rect balance between gun regulation andconstitutional rights.

This is a necessary and important con-versation for Americans to have, but italso is a difficult and painful one.Advocates on all sides are passionate,from the law-abiding member of theNational Rifle Association to the grievingparent whose child’s life has been cutshort by a bullet.

If we are to reach an accommodationthat promotes and preserves both individ-ual liberty and public safety, we mustrespect opposing opinions and not ques-tion the motives of those with whom wedisagree. Consensus on guns is possible,and we must not stop until we have it.

As an assemblyman and majority leader,I supported New York Gov. AndrewCuomo’s Secure Ammunition andFirearms Enforcement Act (SAFE), a voteconsistent with my record and my con-science. I have sponsored and supportedlegislation making it harder to buy assaultweapons and prohibiting loaded firearmsnear schools, for instance, because Istrongly believe that there is no inherentcontradiction between reasonable restric-tions and the Second Amendment guar-

antee of the right to keep and bear arms.I am supported in this by Supreme

Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrotethe following as part of the majority opin-ion in District of Columbia v. Heller, inwhich the Court struck down D.C.’shandgun ban:

“Like most rights, the right secured bythe Second Amendment is not unlimited.From Blackstone through the 19th-centurycases, commentators and courts routinelyexplained that the right was not a right tokeep and carry any weapon whatsoever inany manner whatsoever and for whateverpurpose … Although we do not undertakean exhaustive historical analysis today ofthe full scope of the Second Amendment,nothing in our opinion should be taken tocast doubt on longstanding prohibitionson the possession of firearms by felons andthe mentally ill, or laws forbidding the car-rying of firearms in sensitive places such asschools and government buildings, or lawsimposing conditions and qualifications onthe commercial sale of arms.”

In other words, even as they removed agun law from the books, the justices madeit clear that certain laws “imposing condi-tions and qualifications” on gun salesmay pass constitutional muster.

This is not to deny the valid criticismsof the SAFE Act. The Legislature recentlyexempted qualified former law enforce-ment officers from assault weapon prohi-

By New York State Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle ’86

PERSPECTIVES

Gun violence: A balance betweenrights and regulationThe Newtown school massacre once again thrust gun violence — and the battle over gun control — intothe national spotlight. At home in Rochester, New York State Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle ’86and his community are dealing with the Christmas Eve 2012 shooting deaths of on-duty volunteer firefight-ers. What are the true costs of such tragedies and how do we balance protection and rights? Morelle pro-vides inside insight into the debate.

Biography:Joseph Morelle ’86 is majority leader of the New YorkState Assembly and has authored more than 200 lawssince he was first elected in 1990. He represents the136th Assembly District,which includes portions ofthe City of Rochester andthe towns of Irondequoitand Brighton. Morelle hasbeen outspoken about gun-related issues and was avocal proponent of NewYork state’s most recent gunlaw, which is considered one of the toughest in theUnited States.

Morelle

Fall 2013 23

bitions, and there may be future modifi-cations. As Assembly majority leader, Iwould be the last to argue that all statelaws are perfect and beyond the need foramendment, and the SAFE Act is noexception.

Mindful as I am of these legitimateobjections and constitutional concerns, Iam equally aware of the terrible price ofgunfire. Isolated mass shootings at malls,in school yards and on college campusesunderstandably draw the most mediaattention, but these tragic events are onlya small part of the overall story.

Gun deaths may outstrip highway fatali-ties in the United States within two years,with more than 33,000 Americans dyingannually as a result of homicide, suicideor accident in connection with a firearm.That’s equal to the number of U.S. battledeaths in the Korean War.

According to the Centers for DiseaseControl, this translated to a staggering

$37 billion drain on our economy andhealth care system in 2005, the last year forwhich these numbers are available.

In the face of such loss and cost, a failureto act would simply be unconscionable.

In memory of the brave first respondersof Webster, as well as the children ofNewtown and their families, we are obligat-ed to conduct a sober and serious dis-course on the place of guns in Americanlife. We owe nothing less, also, to responsi-ble gun owners who have been wrongly tar-nished by the bad acts of others.

It is my hope that the terrible events of2012 — and of many years before, and ofthe days since — will result in a new nation-al understanding on an issue that for far toolong has needlessly divided Americans ofgood faith and good intention.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA DUELL ’13

This is a necessary andimportant conversation forAmericans to have, but italso is a difficult and painfulone. Advocates on all sides

are passionate. — Joseph Morelle ’86

24 geneseo scene

Exhausted by three years in human resources and the world

of paperwork, payroll administration and fast-paced meet-

ings it brought, Kristy Vergo ’01 called it quits. Even when

employee relations and interviewing job candidates gave her the

chance to put her bachelor’s degree in psychology to use by

navigating workplace disputes, she couldn’t help but imagine a

career with more excitement.

In the meantime, she made her own.

With three great friends, Kristy set out for something new —

six weeks of spontaneous exploration in Europe. The culture

shock taught Kristy a lesson that she wouldn’t leave behind with

the fresh baguettes and handmade spaghetti. It changed the

course of her life.

“Europeans work to live. They don’t live to work,” she says.

“Just talking to them, I felt that my interests and the way their

lifestyle is made me realize that I didn’t want to go back to cor-

porate America. I decided I needed to do something else.”

Kristy returned determined to take her time and experiment to

find a career that she would love.

“I truly believe in living in the moment and that some planning

is necessary, but you only live once,” she says. “… I consider

myself a pretty spontaneous person so I don’t really want to limit

myself.”

She picked up a relaxed job at a restaurant in Denver — where

she had moved on a whim after Geneseo. She then decided the

best way to find her ideal job was to go to graduate school. After

sampling undergraduate courses in Spanish, French and psychol-

ogy, she rediscovered the love she found for psychology. The

people-oriented nature of the field had convinced her to switch

from biology after her freshman year in Geneseo.

This December, she graduates from the University of Colorado

at Denver with a master’s degree in counseling. She plans to

open a private practice. Her passion for counseling comes from

her desire to connect with and help others.

“Sometimes your life can feel really out of balance and some-

times you just need someone to guide you to figure out what

would make you the happiest,” she says. “I want to help people

with their struggles so they can be the happiest they can be.”

While it’s been difficult to balance classes, a private-practice

internship and two part-time jobs, her counseling clients have

reaffirmed her determination to take risks and pursue her goals.

“It is inspiring to me the struggles they have been able to over-

come and the dedication and determination it takes to pick

themselves up and try again,” she says. “It reminds me of how

strong our spirits are, and if you have faith in yourself, that you

can do anything you put your mind to.”

Kristy VergoClass of 2001

Home: Denver, ColoGraduation year: 2001Degree: bachelor’s in psychology

Favorite Geneseo hangout:The gazebo and the IB.

How has Geneseo shapedyour life?: It taught me thathard work pays off. It pushedme to my limits. I madefriends for life.

Best Geneseo memory: Goingto Conesus Lake to study withsome friends. I’m not sure howmuch studying we actuallyaccomplished, but it made itmore enjoyable!

Most rewarding experiencesince college: Moving toColorado without a planand carving out a path thatwas true to myself, ratherthan external and societalexpectations.

People are usually surprisedto discover: How intuitive of aperson I am. I can really sensehow people are feeling even ifthey are not saying anything.

Favorite quote: “Two roadsdiverged in a wood, and I — Itook the one less traveled by,And that has made all the dif-ference.” — Robert Frost

Advice to current seniors:Make sure to keep balance inyour life. I’ve found that acombination of planning forthe future and living in themoment works best for me.

One Cup

ILLUSTRATION AMANDA LINDLEY

RANDOM PROFILE

By Chelsea Butkowski ’15

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 ... Illinois

Could it be you?

ONE CUP

QUICK FACTS

PHOTO PROVIDED

Fall 2013 25

26 Alumni event photos

30 A passion for service

31 The brewmaster

32 Class Notes

ALUMNI NEWS

ABOUT THE ARTIST:On his frequent travels to Geneseo, Andy Smith ’81 often documents thebeauty of daily life, including catching the grace of a seagull flying pastEmmeline, the bear on Main Street, on a September afternoon.

Photography is a favorite pastime for Smith, an environmental scientist for24 years. One of his favorite things to do is take a hike or a bike ride with hiscamera and his wife, Mary Jo Carbone Smith ’81. He has exhibited his work ingalleries in Geneseo and Rochester.

“Photography is my creative outlet and inspires me to be observant ofbeauty in small places that might be overlooked,” he says, “and to createinteresting compositions from what I see.”Share your artwork with us! Send a short bio and a link or examples of your

work to scene@geneseo.edu.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDY SMITH ’81

Alumni News

26 geneseo scene

Upcoming

Alumni EventsThe Office of Alumni Relations is always looking for regional event ideas.Contact the office at alumni@geneseo.edu if you would like to work with usto plan an event in your area.

FUTURE PLANNINGSpringfest/Alumni Weekend:

April 25-27, 2014Reunion:

July 11-13, 2014 Celebrating reunion class years ending in 4 or 9

Family Weekend: Sept. 19-21, 2014

Homecoming Weekend:Oct. 17-19, 2014

Geneseo alumni homepage: alumni.geneseo.edu

Alumni barbecue in Raleigh, N.C.

Campus — Finger Lakes Opera

Campus — Finger Lakes Opera

New York City

GENESEO ALUMNI REGIONS

• Albany Region• Buffalo Region• Chicago Region• Colorado Region

• Florida — East Coast Region• Florida — West Coast Region

• Long Island Region• New England Region

• New Jersey — Northern Region• New York City Region• North Carolina Region

• Philadelphia/New Jersey — Southern Region

• Rochester Region• San Francisco Region

• Southern California Region• Syracuse Region

• Washington, D.C. Region• Westchester/Connecticut Region

The Office of Alumni Relations is constantly planning eventson campus and throughout the 18 regions identified below.In an effort to reduce cost and preserve resources, invitations

to most of our events will be sent by email (not print). To best stay informed of alumni gatherings in Geneseo or in a

region near you, please check the alumni website:alumni.geneseo.edu and make sure

Geneseo has your current email and mailing address.

Fall 2013 27

Alumni Events

Campus — Chamber Singers Reunion

Alumni travel program in Siena, Italy

Syracuse Event

Buffalo Event

Albany Event

Mudcats Alumni Baseball Game in Batavia, N.Y.

Skaneateles cruise — Syracuse region

PHOTO BY MMICHAEL KACZINSKI P ’16

28 geneseo scene

Reunion

Reunion

Reunion

Alumni Events: Summer Reunion

Reunion

Sig Tau 50th Reunion — Campus

Fall 2013 29

ReunionReunion

Reunion

WGSU 89.3 radio 50-year reunion celebration

Champagne Reception

One evening twomonths ago, four sis-ters came to visit Jena

Gullo ’98 at her office. Healthyand lively, the young womenare successful in school, partic-

ipating inactivitieslike basket-ball andcheerlead-ing, andhave settheircareergoals high:

becoming the first femaleHispanic president of theUnited States.Three years earlier, the sis-

ters hadn’t been doing as well.They’d been placed with Gullofor emergency foster care afterbeing neglected by their moth-

er, and having been both phys-ically and sexually abused byadditional family members. “So much trauma,” says

Gullo. “How does one survivethat? But I have to remindmyself, I am one first step theycan take to breaking out oftheir cycle of abuse. That’s whyI do foster care, and that’s whyI do this work.”The work to which Gullo

refers is her lifelong dedicationto serving and improving thelives of others. In addition tobeing a foster parent, she hasparticipated in and led missionwork all over the globe, from

assisting children living inpoverty in the streets ofGuatemala to nurturing AIDS-stricken orphans in Kenya. Today, Gullo is the executive

director of the Missouri SlopeAreawide United Way inBismarck, N.D. In the pastfour years she has worked withthe organization, she has shift-ed its emphasis towardincreased, measurable resultsin solving major issues in theregion, including endinghunger, providing opportuni-ties and support for childrento be successful in and out ofschool, and assisting and

empowering those living inpoverty.“The reason I most love my

position is because I realize theopportunity to actually solveproblems — major problems,”says Gullo. “The more time Iput in, the greater impact Ihave. The more people Iinspire to join me in my work,the greater reach we have.”She can trace her passion for

problem-solving through serv-ice work back to her days as asophomore, when she partici-pated in a service trip toGuatemala. “We did manuallabor, building a retaining wallat a school and building ahome,” says Gullo.“While we certainly did help

the poor, it is cliché yet truethat the trip helped each of usto a much greater extent,” shesays.Gullo worked to pay her own

way for the trip, and workedagain — washing dishes in theHub, fundraising for TheGeneseo Foundation, and driv-ing the campus Safe Car — toearn money so that she couldstudy abroad in Italy the fol-lowing year. These trips werecrucial, she says, in providingher “a chance to create myown path in life.”Gullo’s path is one she feels

in her bones: “What makes metruly happy is the belief that Ican create real sustainablesocial change to improve sys-tems and conditions thatchange lives,” says Gullo. “Itdoesn’t matter if it is in oneperson, one village, one coun-try or throughout the world.Well, throughout the worldwould be best,” says Gullo, “ butthat might take some time!”

— Laura Kenyon

class of ’98Jena Gullo

ALUMNI PROFILE

ALUMNI NEWS

30 geneseo scene

“The more time I put in, the greater impact Ihave. The more people I inspire to join me inmy work, the greater reach we have.”

— Jena Gullo ’98

Jena Gullo ’98 has led and participated in projects that assist families and children all over the world and at home,including providing families in rural Kenya with food and medicine. She now leads the United Way in Bismarck, N.D.

PHOTO PROVIDED

A global mission for change

GULLO

Who said beer would never get you anywhere?

Peter Kreinheder ’92,owner of the EllicottvilleBrewing Company, took a

circuitous route to success. During his senior year, the

Geneseo political science majordid advance work for the BillClinton presidential campaignat the New Hampshire primarywith fellow Geneseo studentJackie Dycke Norris ’92. Aftergraduating, he joined Jackie inWashington, D.C., where shewas working for New YorkCongresswoman LouiseSlaughter during the change ofpresidential power. “I did some volunteer work to

see if I wanted to work onCapitol Hill, but quickly discov-ered that I didn’t want to be apart of Washington,” saidKreinheder. Instead, he reconnected with

some people he had met on hisSemester at Sea program and

worked a few months as a crewmember for SoundWaters, tak-ing kids onto Long IslandSound to expose them tooceanography. After that, heheaded for Toronto for salestraining at a high-end photogra-phy and print company. It was in Toronto that he

caught the beer-brewing bug. Hemet some brewers, became veryinterested in the business, anddecided to attend brewingschool in California. He openedthe Ellicottville BrewingCompany — his first brewpub —in 1995 in the small SouthernTier town of Ellicottville, N.Y.,near where he grew up. “Little did I know that the bud-

ding craft brewing industry wasin the midst of explosive nationalgrowth,” said Kreinheder, “but Iquickly realized I was part of itafter going to Boston that yearfor the national Craft Brewers

Conference. The number ofAmerican craft breweries hasdoubled the past 10 years toabout 2,800.”Kreinheder has steadily grown

his brewing and distributionchannels. He added a pub andrestaurant in Fredonia, N.Y., in2005 and recently completed ahuge expansion of his Ellicottvillebrewpub, including event spaceand a restaurant, which hasproven to be as popular as hisbeers. He also designed a new, fully-

automated brewery in Germany,which he shipped over. It allowsKreinheder to operate his brewhouse 24/7, and he hopes toexpand distribution of hisnumerous award-winning, hand-crafted beers from New York toPennsylvania, Ohio and NewJersey, while simultaneously sup-porting Ellicottville’s tourismeconomy through his successful

restaurant and pub.“I can’t complain, this is great

fun,” said Kreinheder. “Every dayyou meet someone new becauseof people driving through orarriving to ski, hike or bike.”To his surprise, blueberry

wheat is his most popular beer:“I met some brewers from Maineat a conference who were exper-imenting with a blueberry beer,so we came back and startedworking on introducing blueber-ries into our beer and it hasproven a hit.” Kreinheder credits his experi-

ences at Geneseo for preparinghim for the business world. “Geneseo’s liberal arts

approach fit my mold nicely,” hesaid. “I had great respect for thelate John Hoey, who founded ourcrew team and taught us commit-ment and how to structure anddiscipline our hours and days.”

— David Irwin

Fall 2013 31

After several careers, from sales to marine education, Peter Kreinheder ’92 found his niche as an award-winning brewer.

class of ’92Peter Kreinheder

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

32 geneseo scene

injury clinical director in theDepartment of CommunicationSciences and Disorders. ArtistRichard Harrington ’82 of SouthLima, N.Y., won the $500 HarrisPopular Vote Award, given in mem-ory of Dr. and Mrs. Manville S.Harris, at the 64th Rochester-FingerLakes Exhibition. Harrington’spainting, “Hot Summer Sky,”received the most votes from visitorsduring the first two weeks of theshow. The exhibition is a biennialshowcase that features artists fromwestern and central New York. JulieFoley Marshall ’87 was recentlypromoted to director of theLivingston County EconomicDevelopment Office and IndustrialDevelopment Agency in Geneseo,

N.Y. JulieSchultheissBuehler ’89was recentlypromoted tovice chancel-lor of infor-mation serv-ices and strat-egy and chiefinformationofficer at

The University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Matthew Cook ’89 recently accepted a position atNewark (N.Y.) Central SchoolDistrict as superintendent ofschools. He was recently employedat Wayne Central School District asdirector of human resources. VickiMasters Profitt ’89 was nameddirector of the Fairport HistoricalMuseum in January 2013. Her firstbook, “Pittsford,” was released byArcadia Publishing in June.

1990Laurie Filipelli recently had herdebut collection of poetry,“Elsewhere,” released by BrooklynArts Press.

1991Troy Tucker was named the 2012-13 Under Armour Athletic Directorof the Year by the NationalAssociation of Collegiate Directors

1960sClass of 1964 — celebratingtheir 50th reunion and Classof 1969 — celebrating their45th reunion in 2014.Sally Gladden ’63 is president ofThe Sullivan County DramaticWorkshop in the Catskills region ofNew York. She directs and acts inmany plays and is a traveling adjudi-cator for The Theatre Associationof New York. Author DouglasBrode ’65 recently published hisbook, “Patsy: The Life and Times ofLee Harvey Oswald,” a non-fictionnovel, through Sunbury Press. Hedrew on historical revelations totake a new approach to John F.Kennedy’s assassination andOswald’s alleged involvement.Brode has authored more than 40books, including two other recentlypublished works: “Star Power!,” aself-help book that teaches readershow to rely on favorite memoriesfrom Hollywood movies to advancetheir personal happiness and profes-sional growth; and “Dream West:Politics and Religion in CowboyMovies,” which is an academic studyof the Western film genre. He alsowrote a special issue of AmericanCowboymagazine, dedicated toheroes and villains on America’sfrontier. He teaches at SyracuseUniversity’s Department of TV-Film-Digital Media during fall and at theUniversity of Texas Department ofPhilosophy and Classics each spring.

1970sClass of 1974 — celebratingtheir 40th reunion and Classof 1979 — celebrating their35th reunion in 2014.Robert Spoor ’74 earned aCertificate of Completion for theintroduction to particle physics classthrough The Oxford Experience atOxford University. SteveRondinaro ’76 was recently induct-ed into the Drum CorpsInternational Hall of Fame, whichhonors those who have been influ-ential in the history of drum andbugle corps. He has been a broad-

cast personality for Drum CorpsInternational for 35 years, hostingthe organization’s television andmovie theater broadcasts since thelate 1970s. Rondinaro is a formernews reporter and TV anchor, hasplayed in drum corps and is a suc-cessful corps director. JeffreyDrake ’78 teaches photography atLake Mary High School in LakeMary, Fla.

1980sClass of 1984 — celebratingtheir 30th reunion and Classof 1989 — celebrating their25th reunion in 2014.Stephen Barbeau ’80 has retiredafter 33 years as assistant superin-tendent from the Rush-Henrietta(N.Y.) Central School District. Hewas recently elected town supervisorfor his hometown of LeRoy, N.Y.,and will spend time traveling withhis wife, Doris. Donald Dunne ’81has retired from the U.S. Army after28 years, with the rank of colonel.He is now the chief of the appliedintelligence division in the AirForce Intelligence, Surveillance andReconnaissance agency in SanAntonio, Texas.Wendy Stoveland’84 was recently promoted to vicepresident at ARCADIS, a globalengineering and consultancy firmthat provides consultation, design,engineering and management serv-ices in infrastructure, water, envi-ronment and buildings. Stoveland isresponsible for strategic positioningof ARCADIS in the U.S. market-place and leads the corporate mar-keting and communications teamof professionals engaged in publicrelations, market positioning,employee engagement communica-tions, conferences and events, andweb/e-tools. She is an active mem-ber of the Society of Marketers ofProfessional Services andInternational Association ofBusiness Communicators. Sheworks out of the ARCADIS WhitePlains, N.Y., office. SuzanneFlockhart Johnston ’81 recentlyaccepted a position at NazarethCollege in Rochester, N.Y., as a clini-cal assistant professor and a brain

ClassNotesof Athletics. Kelly AndraszekZielke is the assistant principal atPittsford Mendon High School inPittsford, N.Y.

1992Steve Bucci is creating games andapplications for Windows 8 andWindows Phone. The latest isStarship Commander and isdesigned for kids to pilot a space-ship and use their imaginations.

1993Suzan Askins recently publishedher book, “Riding with Nana,”which is available on Amazon andat Barnes & Noble on audio ande-book. Michael Grover wasrecently promoted to chiefaccounting officer from senior

vice presi-dent, finan-cial report-ing and tax,at Five StarBank. MarkKovaleskiwas recentlypromotedto manag-ing partner

at Mengel Metzger Barr & Co.LLP in Rochester, N.Y. MelissaMapother Riter and James Riterare happy to announce their mar-riage on Nov. 18, 2011, inSyracuse, N.Y.

1994Celebrating their 20th reunion in 2014.Andy Davis was promoted at NRGEnergy to director of investor rela-tions.

1995Judith Duppert recently accepteda position at South Lewis CentralSchool District in Turin, N.Y., as amiddle school principal. She waspreviously principal at WestCarthage Elementary School. KevinGallagher recently accepted a posi-tion at PSL Group America as chief

ALUMNI NEWS

Mark Kovaleski

Julie SchultheissBuehler

Fall 2013 33

financial officer, the Americas. Hewas recently was employed atCooney/Waters Group as chieffinancial officer. Christine

SimpsonSachs is alife and lead-ership coachof her ownbusiness,ChristineSachsCoaching. Sherecently was

employed at Oxford University’sNorth American office as directorof major gifts.

1996Jennifer Campbell wrote hersecond book of poetry, “Supposedto Love.” It was published lastspring. Laura GlaessgenMarthaler and Tony Marthalerare proud to announce the birthof a baby girl, Elizabeth, born onMarch 8, 2012, in Burlington, Vt.

1997ShawnO’Bomsawinwas recentlypromoted todirector ofbenefits deliv-ery at AonHewitt. AmyBarmorePasley andTim Pasley are

proud to announce the birth of ababy girl, Reagan Marion, born onFeb. 7, 2013.

1998Daniel Calhoun and JenniferCalhoun are proud to announcethe birth of a baby boy, HenryDaniel, born on July 15, 2013, inStatesboro, Ga.

1999Celebrating their 15th reunion in 2014.Jaclyn Boushie recently accepted aposition at Binghamton University,State University of New York, as amajor gifts officer-liaison. Sherecently was employed at AmericanRed Cross of Central New York asan associate major gifts officer.

2000Brenna Holik Rybak and ThomasRybak are happy to announce theirmarriage on June 8, 2013, inRochester, N.Y., where they live.

2001Kevin Moeller and Kevin Creamerare proud to announce their mar-riage in July 2013, on Long Island.They live in Manhattan.

2002Sarah Fox was recently promotedto global cash manager atConstellation Brands Inc. in Victor,N.Y. Eric Hinman finished fifth formale competitors ages 30 to 34 and32nd overall in the Lake Placid,N.Y., Ironman competition in July.He competed in the IronmanWorld championship race inOctober 2013 in Kona, Hawaii.Andrea Snyder recently accepted aposition with the Nassau LibrarySystem located in Uniondale, N.Y.,as the outreach services specialist.She previously worked at the EnochPratt Free Library in Baltimore, Md.

2003Anthony Cook III recently accept-ed a position at Catholic Schools for

the Dioceseof Rochesterin Rochester,N.Y., assuperintend-ent. Herecently wasemployed atSetonCatholicSchool as

principal. Jessica SherrardDuryee and Chad Duryee areproud to announce the birth of ababy girl, Alexa Kaylynn, born onFeb. 15, 2013, in East Islip, NY.Robyn Cucurullo O’Brien andGerald O’Brien are happy toannounce their marriage on Dec. 2,2011, in New York City. Kerri RiderKrueger and Matthew Krueger areproud to announce the birth of ababy boy, Alexander Rider, born onNov. 28, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

2004Celebrating their 10th reunion in 2014.Tim Conheady recently accepteda position at Benefitfocus inCharleston, S.C., as an implemen-tation data analyst.

2005Janelle Feuz Zera and Joe Zera

are happy to announce their mar-riage on June 28, 2013, in Buffalo,N.Y. Jennifer Keough Sonrickerand Jeremy Sonricker are proud toannounce the birth of a baby girl,Hannah Elizabeth, born on April12, 2013.

2006Eric Peskor and Jamie FragnitoPeskor '07 are happy to announcetheir marriage on May 11, 2013,at Irondequoit Country Club inRochester, N.Y. They first met at aLamron meeting and live inRochester, N.Y. MaureenPalumbo Wheeler and AdamWheeler are proud to announcethe birth of a baby boy, NoahJames, born on May 18, 2013.Maureen recently accepted a posi-tion at Livingston CountyEconomic Development inGeneseo as an economic develop-ment specialist.

2007Jamie Fragnito Peskor and EricPeskor '06 are happy to announcetheir marriage on May 11, 2013, atIrondequoit Country Club inRochester, N.Y. They first met at aLamron meeting and reside inRochester, N.Y. U.S. Marine CorpsCapt. John Rossiter and Bobbi

Christine SimpsonSachs

Anthony Cook III

ShawnO’Bomsawin

Reunion 2014Class Reunions for theClasses of 2009, 2004,1999, 1994, 1989, 1984,1979, 1974, 1969, 1964,

1959, 1954

Special reunions planned for

Phi Lambda Chi sorority’s 50th anniversary and Sigma Gamma Phi(Arethusa) sorority’s 120th anniversary.

Get InvolvedIf you would like to getinvolved in your reunionplanning, contact theOffice of AlumniRelations at

alumni@geneseo.edu.

Scene around the worldALUMNI NEWS

34 geneseo scene

Samuel Forlenza ’08 at the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana,with storks, herons, hippopotamuses and crocodiles.

Mary Lou Ryan ’74 with children at the Arthur DavisonChildren's Hospital in Ndola, Zambia. The hospital serves 3,500children who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Mary Lou's visit waspart of an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift distribution.

Jim ’75 and Joan Thompson ’75 Sobiesiak skiing on HighAlpine at Snowmass, Colo. Garret’s Peak and Clark Peak arein the background.

Randy Saffer ’04, left, Kerry Rice ’04, and Rob Allen’04, outside ofBelvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria.

Submit your images to scene@geneseo.edu with a subject line of “Scene Around the World.”See the complete photo gallery at go.geneseo.edu/goworld.

Mark Benasz ’83 racked up frequent flyer miles with his Scene,on his way from Cincinnati to Auckland, New Zealand.

Ryan Cocina '07 inside the tunnelsof Cu Chi during a backpackingtrip through Vietnam.

Mike Putman ’93 while visitingStellenbosch University inStellenbosch, South Africa.

Fall 2013 35

administrator. David Schantz isattending graduate school at SUNYGeneseo. Jonathan Schultz willattend the University of NewMexico as a doctorate student inbiology, studying invertebrateimmunoparasitology. RachaelSeverino recently accepted a posi-tion at St. Pauly Textile as a projectmanager. Skye Wilson is enrolledin the Georgetown University’smaster’s degree in government pro-gram. Her education is supportedin part by a graduate research assist-antship. She plans to work inWashington, D.C., and participatedin the Washington internship pro-gram at Geneseo.

2013Hannah Allen is earning her mas-ter’s degree in business administra-tion at the University of Buffalo.

Patrick Asselin is attending theUniversity of Rochester MedicalSchool. Sadie Baker recentlyaccepted a position at Teach forAmerica in Appalachia as a scienceteacher. Matthew Bower is teach-ing for Teach for America. RobertBriwa is pursuing a master’sdegree in geography at KansasState University. Annmarie Careyrecently accepted a position atBank of America in Charlotte, N.C.Megan Chapin is attendingMercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.,to earn a master’s dregree in foren-sic anthropology. Tyler Cooper isattending Law School at BostonCollege. Amanda Cox is attendingthe University of Delaware. CoryCox is attending graduate schoolat the University of Washington for

Buchanan Rossiter ’08 are happyto announce the birth of theirdaughter, Selena Danielle, on April21, 2013. They lived in Okinawa,Japan, until recently and movedback to the United States last sum-mer. Stephen Tulowiecki andGrace Young ’08 are happy toannounce their marriage on July 6,2012, in West Seneca, N.Y. Theyreside in Rochester, N.Y. Geneseoalumni were members of the wed-ding party.

2008Bobbi Buchanan Rossiter andU.S. Marine Corps Capt. JohnRossiter ’07 are happy toannounce the birth of theirdaughter, Selena Danielle, onApril 21, 2013. They lived inOkinawa, Japan, until recentlyand moved back to the UnitedStates last summer. Kasie Collinsrecently accepted a position atGZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. inSpringfield, Mass., as an environ-mental scientist. Anna-LisaLysell McLaughlin and MatthewMcLaughlin are happy toannounce their marriage on June30, 2012. Sarah Osterling andSteven Mayne ’09 are happy toannounce their marriage on April27, 2013, in Rochester, N.Y. Theyreside in Fairport, N.Y. ManyGeneseo alumni were in atten-dance at the wedding. GraceYoung and Stephen Tulowiecki’07 are happy to announce theirmarriage on July 6, 2012, in WestSeneca, N.Y. They reside inRochester, N.Y. Geneseo alumniwere members of the weddingparty.

2009Jaclyn Chafetz was recently pro-moted to offender rehabilitationcoordinator from pharmacy aideat the New York State Departmentof Corrections and CommunitySupervision in New York. StevenMayne and Sarah Osterling ’08are happy to announce their mar-riage on April 27, 2013, inRochester, N.Y. They reside inFairport, N.Y. Many Geneseoalumni were in attendance.

2010Kaitlin Rovnyak recently accepteda position at Kuhn ConstructionInc. in Islip, N.Y., as an event andmarketing manager. She recentlywas employed at Solar Energy TradeShows LLC as an events and financeoperations associate. Katie Smartrecently accepted a position atDuke University Press in Durham,

N.C., as anacademicexhibits andpublicitycoordinatorin journalsmarketing.NatalieThorpe wasrecently pro-moted to sen-

ior accountant at LumsdenMcCormick in Buffalo, N.Y.

2011Lindsey Rae Jackson is part of themaster’s in public health programat SUNY Albany and serves in theU.S. Peace Corps in Kenya. She isworking on a project to raise fundsto treat jiggers, a tropical disease.Meredith Stevens is a Spanishteacher at Lincoln Park Preschooland Academy in Chicago andrecently accepted a position atAutism Home Support Services inNorthbrook, Ill.

2012Melanie Franciosa recently accept-ed a position at BNY Mellon invest-ment management company inOrlando, Fla., as a BDS operations

mechanical engineering.Katherine Dukarm is attendingthe Army Defense LanguageInstitute for Arabic. DanaFitzpatrick will be serving in thePeace Corps. Debra Ford recentlyaccepted a position at Teach forAmerica in eastern North Carolinain special education. LindsayGiacalone is attending SyracuseUniversity to pursue a master’sdegree in inclusive education.Robert Kahrs is attending gradu-ate school at Rochester Institute ofTechnology. Kaitlin Keller recentlyaccepted a position at DisneyWorld as a performer. AlyssaKimutis recently accepted a posi-tion at Rochester General Hospitalas a patient care technician.Christine Kirkpatrick is attendinggraduate school at the Universityof North Carolina Chapel Hill fora doctorate in chemistry. Megan

Knitter is attending DuquesneUniversity in Pittsburgh for a mas-ter’s degree in school counseling.Valerie Lynn is attending SyracuseUniversity to work toward her mas-ter’s degree in business administra-tion. Carolyn Mahon is attendinggraduate school at the Universityof Buffalo for speech pathology.Kathryn Makowiec is attendingmedical school at VanderbiltUniversity for audiology. MariahMarienfeld is attending graduateschool at the University ofPittsburgh for a master’s degree inearly intervention with autism spe-cialization. Hayley Martin isattending the University ofRochester for the MD/Ph.D. pro-gram. Jessica Maslyn is attendingAlbany Law School. Yael Massen

Mark your calendars:

Family Weekend 2014 l Sept. 19-20Homecoming Weekend 2014 l Oct. 17-18

MOVING

Natalie Thorpe

Geneseo’s big weekends are

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36 geneseo scene

is attending the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign,working towards a master of finearts in poetry. Diana Monnorecently accepted a position atCold Springs Harbor Laboratory ascourse logistics coordinator.Jordan Monteleone is attendinggraduate school at the Universityof Rochester. Priya Patel is attend-ing graduate school at SUNYCollege of Optometry. AlisonPetry is attending ChapmanUniversity in California to worktowards a master’s degree in com-municative disorders and sciences.Keren Powell is attending graduateschool at the University of Albanyfor physical anthropology. ZarinaQuandt recently accepted a posi-tion at Soleo Communications Inc.as a statistical analyst. Kelsey Questis attending the University ofMinnesota for educational psychol-ogy. Jacquelyn Rivellese isattending graduate school at SUNYGeneseo. Mary Ross is pursuingan MD/master of public healthprogram at SUNY Upstate MedicalSchool. Elizabeth Ryan is attend-ing graduate school at IthacaCollege for speech-languagepathology. Whitney Salamone isattending Boston University towork towards a master of publichealth. Mary Sheedy recentlyaccepted a position at Teach forAmerica in North Carolina for spe-cial education. Brandon Shufelt isattending the University of Floridafor the Hispanic linguistics master’sprogram. James Sincebaugh isattending the University ofPittsburgh School of Medicine towork toward a medical doctordegree. Collin Stillman is attend-ing the University of Rochester,earning his doctorate degree inphysics. Rachel Taplin recentlyaccepted a position at Académiede Rouen in the north of France asan English teacher. LaurenTriantafillou is attending graduateschool at the University of Buffaloin the literacy specialist program.Grace Trompeter is attendingJohns Hopkins Bloomberg Schoolof Public Health, working towardsa master of science in public

2011Bernard Martin ’51, July 31, 2013Joyce Richards ’51, Sept. 18, 2012Linda Smith Phelps ’53, June 26,2013Yvonne Vermeulen ’53, Feb. 2,2013Jean Rettie ’54, July 2, 2013Ann Klinger Hennessey ’56,March 1, 2013David McWhirter ’59, June 1, 2013Richard V. Welch ’61, Aug. 7, 2013Dorothy Ormsby Argentieri ’63,Nov. 19, 2012Doretta Morelli Nichols ’63, Feb.15, 1996Linda Haimerl Crowley ’65, July16, 2013G. Jeffrey Haber ’66, July 26, 2013William Wilkins ’67, July 14, 2010Robert Anna ’68, April 24, 2013Richard Tokar ’69, July 24, 2013William White ’72, May 27, 2007Judith Ginsberg Harrington ’73,July 4, 2013Joseph Chakalis ’75, June 24,2013Carol Finch ’75,March 4, 2013Nancy Chupp Vann ’75, July 24,2013Thomas Basile ’76, May 15, 2013Patsy Francis Bush ’76, Nov. 22,2012Howard Hartnett ’83, April 15,2013Patrick Ryan ’87, Sept. 27, 2009Darlene Wittenrich ’88, Aug. 20,2012Nathan Northrop ’08, April 29,2013Jillian Andolina ’09, May 11, 2013Patrick Combo ’11, June 2, 2013

FACULTY/STAFF/EMERITI• Adjunct Lecturer VincentCamuto, died on June 27, 2012. Hetaught in the School of Educationin 2005-2006.

• Professor of History EmeritusWilliam “Bill” Derby, died on July27, 2013. He served on the Geneseofaculty from 1957 to 1993, includingnine years as chair of the historydepartment.

• Professor Emeritus of EconomicsGregor Lazarcik, who taught atGeneseo from 1968 to 1985, diedon May 13, 2013. A respected econ-omist, he was a resource on EasternEurope and Russia and testifiedbefore a Joint Committee ofCongress.

health in human nutrition. LaurenWeisberg is attending AntiochUniversity New England in Keene,N.H. Ellen Williams is attendinggraduate school at SUNY NewPaltz. Brittany Wolf recentlyaccepted a position at Teach forAmerica in Newark, N.J., as a sixth-grade math teacher.

IN MEMORIAMALUMNIAnne Wixom Fox ’37, Sept. 7,2012Jessamine Merle Dorland ’38,

Sept. 26, 2007Rosco Stark ’38, July 22, 2009Mary Thomas Fernan ’40, July 1,2013Mary Happ Conkling ’41, Sept. 27,2011Doris Nixon Green ’41, Jan. 29,2012Lillian Patterson Shepardson ’41,July 21, 2012Clarence Eddy ’42, May 15, 1997Elaine Smith Alderson ’46, Dec.23, 2011Blaise Buffamante ’49, May 9,2012Catherine Sabin Buss ’51, Jan. 1,

ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES

Scene around the world

Tamra Renaud Wright ’93 at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, Spain.

Eric Hinman ’02 represents Geneseo digital-style in the AdirondackMountains, where he finished the Ironman Competition 32nd overalland fifth in his age group, males ages 30 to 34. He competed in theIronman World championship in Hawaii last October.

Submit your class note or notice atgo.geneseo.edu/classnote

Submit your class note or notice atgo.geneseo.edu/classnote

Beyond the numbers

Giving Back

One year ago, Alyssa Anderson Gonlag ’05 wasamong the many graduates who valued theirGeneseo education and experience, but had

never made a gift. That changed when she attended anetworking event in New York City and learned justhow few alumni donated to the college last year— 8.5 percent.“I was really surprised,” says Gonlag. “That

statistic definitely touched me.”Gonlag learned at Geneseo to create

professional relationships and evenlaunched her career through mentor-ing alumni. She found lifelong bestfriends and inspiration among her fieldhockey teammates. The light bulb sort of went off, she

says, when she realized that by con-tributing, “we are investing in ourdiplomas.”Inspired to start a new trend, Gonlag

made her first gift to Geneseo duringShaping Lives of Purpose: TheCampaign for Geneseo — designated forsomething close to her heart: the women’sfield hockey team.Thanks to the generosity of many like

Gonlag, who gave back for the first time orcontinued their generosity, Geneseo increasedits total alumni participation rate to 11.4 percent this year — an additional 1,500 donors. But it’s a milestone that is more than a number.

Much of the $23 million raised during the campaignwas done so by many, who contributed smaller gifts.It signals a new outlook among alumni who believe in

investing in what Geneseo is and will become. It can be throughgifts or providing stronger connections through internships andmentoring for students, or reconnecting with each other viaevents, reunions and the Alumni Council, says Chris Mattoni’96, chair of the Alumni Council’s Class Leadership Committeeand leader for Class of 1996 participation. “We’re at an important stage at the college,” says Mattoni. “The

alumni experience is being harnessed by the alumni themselves.”

: Make a difference ... visit giveto.geneseo.edu

All alumni count

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Now it’s even easier to find friends and classmates WITHOUTpinning a giant “G” on your sweater.

Update our information at go.geneseo.edu/alumniinfo for invites to our alumni gatherings, across the country.