SienaSIENA NEWS • A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS • SUMMER 2007

The Places We’ll Go

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Siena News • 2

Contents

FEATURES

Short Takes..........................................33

Planned Giving..................................32

Alumni: Fall Class Notes..........24-31

DEPARTMENTS

Board of Trustees

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Ronald Bjorklund ’85Michael Bucci ’73Robert F. Campbell ’66Beverly A. CarrollRobert M. CurleyRobert T. Cushing ’77Susan Law DakeVirginia L. Darrow ’83John J. Dawson, Esq. ’68Scott C. DonnellyHoward S. Foote ’74Robert L. Guido ’68Rosanne M. Hall, Esq.Douglas T. Hickey ’77Rev. Kenneth R. Himes ’71, O.F.M., Ph.D.Gary C. Holle ’77Edward J. Johnson ’63Alberto C. Mariaca ’60Rev. Jerome J. Massimino, O.F.M.Pamela McCarthyRobert J. McCormick ’87Susan M. Merritt, R.D.C., Ph.D.Rev. Dominic V. Monti, O.F.M., Ph.D.James J. Morrell ’66Very Rev. Kevin J. Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.John F. Murray ’79John J. NigroVery Rev. John O’Connor, O.F.M., LL.D.Walter A. Osterman ’87Joseph M. Pastore, Jr., Ph.D.Kenneth M. Raymond, Jr.Rev. Peter A. Schneible, O.F.M., Ph.D.Michelle M. Schoulder ’99Christine L. StandishBr. Daniel P. Sulmasy, O.F.M., M.D., Ph.D.Dennis L. Winger ’69

Leading With Heart...........................4

Administrator andFaculty Honored.................................8

Finance Majors Win First Place.......9

What’s in Your Cup of Joe .............10

Are College Students ObeyingThe Hands Free Cell PhoneLaws?...................................................12

Capital Region Loves SienaInterns..................................................14

Siena Celebrates it’s Sixty-seventhCommencement................................15

The Places They’ll Go.....................16

College Honors DistinguishedSons and Daughters of Siena........20

A Breakthrough Season....................34

Fr. Kevin Mackin O.F.M., EnjoysBusy Final Month ofPresidency .........................Back Cover

The Siena News - Summer 2007 Published by SienaCollege, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211-1462 • Email: sienanews@siena.edu • Publisher: NoelHogan • Editor: Ned Jones • Contributing Editors: ,James Eaton, Allison Maloney ’06, Paige Collins ’07,Janet Gianopoulos, Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., JasonRich ’98, John Sise ’75, • Director of Art & Design:Sergio Sericolo • Alumni Class Notes Editor: AshleyBoland ’06, Nathan Maloney ’00 • Photography: SergioSericolo, Paige Collins ’07, James Eaton, Jason Rich’98, Mike Hemberger • Printer: The Lane Press,Burlington,VT.

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Fr. KevinMullen,O.F.M., ’75:Leadingwith Heart

The PlacesThey’ll Go

20 College HonorsDistinguished SonsAnd DaughtersOf Siena

34A BreakthroughSeason

Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., ’75:

Leading with Heart

Following the African proverb about children, it takes a village to raise a collegestudent. And so follows Fr. Kevin’s vision of his presidency as one of collaborationwith faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and students. “We are here first for thestudents. Siena grows because of the success of our students and we need to work asa community to guarantee this legacy of extraordinary achievement continues.”

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Guardian/Director of theSt. Anthony Shrine, Boston,Mass.• Largest friary of the Province• 15 masses a week, including one in Span-

ish and an enthusiastic charismaticmass

• 12 hours each day of confessions• 55 friars living and working on location• 115 Eucharistic ministers and lectors• Adult spiritual education, offered at noon, on weekends, and in the evenings• Everything from liturgical seasons to scripture prayer to political responsibility to intervention for addicts• All day walk-ins, for those simply in need of advice, counsel or support from the friars.• Faithworks ministry, a program developed to help lay people connect to their faith within their careers.

Fr. Kevin’s leadership will be within theFranciscan tradition, stressing the dignity of eachindividual, call to serve, and sense of community. “Iwill equally challenge myself and others to be thismission. I want to take our Franciscan roots off thepage and put it into people’s hearts.”

Experienced EducatorFr. Kevin’s 32-year relationship with Siena,

as a scholar, alumnus, dedicated and popular profes-sor, and trustee, has dedicated him to the nature andpurpose of the valuable undergraduate education weprovide. He holds in high regard the importance ofgood teaching as it relates to liberal arts and profes-sional courses.

As a student in the history department he per-sonally gained the skills needed to succeed as a theo-logical scholar, receiving a Master’s of Divinity de-gree from Washington Theological Union in Wash-ington, D.C., where he also supervised ministry inadult education and held a hospital chaplaincy. Hereceived his doctorate in theology from The Catho-lic University of America, also in Washington, D.C.,where his interest in medical ethics grew, and wherehe continued to hone his pastoral heart.

Fr. Kevin’s area of interest is moral theology,in particular medical ethics. He has given numerouslectures on end-of-life care and life sustaining treat-ments and has used his knowledge in the classroom,teaching courses in medical ethics and Catholic so-cial thought.

Fr. Kevin taught full-time at Christ the KingSeminary in East Aurora, N.Y., from 1987-1990. Hecontinued part-time while working in Boston at PopeJohn XXIII National Seminary, Weston School ofTheology in Cambridge, and Emmanuel College. Hehas also taught at St. Bonaventure and at Siena in theFoundations course.

By teaching Foundations, Fr. Kevin has liter-ally worked at the core of Siena’s liberal arts tradi-tion. He teaches students to make connections be-tween disciplines, and to approach information withan analytical and questioning mind, in order to laythe foundation for their academic career. His studentsrave about his classroom manner. “He made Foun-dations fun and enjoyable. Fr. Kevin opened the doorfor me to succeed in other classes,” remarked MarieWalker ’10. Michelle Sullivan ’10 added, “Class wasat 8:30 in the morning, and Fr. Kevin tried to engageus and wake us up. He was very successful; we hadinteresting conversations, he made our classroom acomfortable place, and was always available if you

needed him for anything. He has a very warm andinviting personality and made my freshman year en-joyable.”

Fr. Kevin’s experience working on a personallevel with students as a faculty member will allowhim to hear the voices of these groups clearly as presi-dent. After he has settled into his new position, heplans to get back into the classroom, a place he lovesdearly.

Competent LeaderFr. Kevin brings vast experience to the presi-

dency in both the academic and administrative realms.His leadership experience is diverse. The most sub-stantial experience was his nine-year tenure as guard-ian/director of the St. Anthony Shrine in Boston,Mass.

During his directorship, the Shrine, a 11 storybuilding located at Downtown Crossing in Boston,was the largest income producer for the FranciscanProvince of the Most Holy Name and also housedthe largest number of friars. It is both a popular par-ish and a model for adult spiritual education.

Fr. Kevin also served on the board of direc-tors of the St. Francis House for most of the 1990’s.In fact he was chairman of the board from 1997-1999. “Fr. Kevin worked tirelessly to promote theneeds of our guests and the work of Saint FrancisHouse,” said Executive Director Karen Lafrazia. In

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Chair, Board of Directors atThe St. Francis House,Boston, Mass.• Largest non-profit, nonsectarian day shelter in New England.• Serves more than 800 men and women every day of the year• Open 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year• Offers basic services including food, clothing, daytime shelter, and medical care combined with mental health and substance abuse counseling and rehabilitative services, as well as job skills training and transitional housing to help guests establish lives independent of shelters and institutions• Successful $5 million capital campaign• Campaign to End Homelessness• National Model Program by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Speaker’s Task Force on Homelessness.

1994, St. Francis House was named as a NationalModel Program by the U.S. House of Representa-tives’ Speaker’s Task Force on Homelessness.

“National model or not, Fr. Kevin knew moreneeded to be done to help homeless men and womenmove beyond that experience and he knew that em-ployment and housing were critical components tomaking that happen,” said LaFrazia. Under Fr.Kevin’s leadership, St. Francis House launched twonew initiatives. In 1995, St. Francis House beganthe Moving Ahead Program (MAP), a comprehen-sive, 14-week program that provides job readinessassessment, pre-employment training, work experi-ence and job placement assistance. In 1997, NextStep Transitional Housing Program was launched,providing single room occupancy, transitional resi-dence for up to two years for 39 formerly homelessmen and women.

In 1996, the board of the St. Francis House es-tablished a goal to end homelessness, in Boston andbeyond. As chair, Fr. Kevin led this effort by advo-cating for the homeless and lobbying politicians

across the city to raise awareness for the homelessand garner state and federal funding.

While chairman of the board of the St. FrancisHouse, Fr. Kevin planned and successfully imple-mented the first Capital Campaign. Launched in1998, it raised just over $6 million. What’s more,

while Fr. Kevin was the chairman, the agency’s an-nual budget grew by almost a million dollars, andrealized a 26 percent growth in private fundraisingand 16 percent growth in public/government con-tracts. “Fr. Kevin was a fantastic fundraiser. Nearly$1 million of our Capital Campaign revenue was adirect result of Fr. Kevin’s intervention with the cityof Boston,” said LaFrazia.

At the St. Anthony Shrine, Fr. Kevin man-aged small donations as diverse as daily offerings toplanned gifts left to the Shrine through wills. “Thesepeople, who would donate five or ten dollars a week,would donate thousands of dollars to the Shrine intheir wills. Our work was supported by people whobelieved in our mission and wanted to support it.They saw service, and then gave it,” said Fr. Kevin.As a result, he understands that even the smallestdonation is meaningful, much like our alumni whosimply give what they can to Siena. Fr. Kevin en-sured that money went straight to the Shrine’s pro-grams, and the surplus was given back to the Prov-ince to support other valuable missions of the Prov-ince.

After nearly a decade of challenges and successachieved in Boston, Fr. Kevin returned to his homestate of New Jersey to serve as pastor/guardian ofSt. Leo’s Church in Elmwood Park and as a part-time chaplain at a state correctional facility. Fr. Kevinhas also served on the board of trustees of Christ theKing Seminary, Siena’s Board of Trustees, the ethicscommittee of Sister’s Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., andthe board of directors for the Franciscan Children’sHospital in Boston, Mass.

For the past 11 years, Fr. Kevin has also heldthe elected position of director of finance for the HolyName Province Provincial Council. Through thisrole, he has gained extensive fundraising, investmentand budgeting knowledge while working with finan-

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A Note Marked “Personal”Published in the winter 1997 issue of The Spiritof St. Francis and reprinted with permission ofthe St. Francis House.

Elected to represent his brother friars atthe General Chapter of the Franciscans lastspring, St. Francis House Board Chairman, Fr.Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., showed up at Logan Air-port with his ticket and passport only to discoverthere had been a snafu.

Those things happen. He understood. Butbecause he was so agreeable, they promised to“bump” him up to first class when he returnedto the U.S. a month later—a gift for being sopleasant.

A very tall man of ample proportions, Fr.Kevin made a point of arriving early at Rome’sLeonardo da Vinci Airport with his ticket, pass-port, and that solemn promise of a “bump-up”.

While waiting, Fr. Kevin’s name wascalled over the public address system. With noreason given, he was politely informed that hewould not be flying first class. He said he under-stood, which he didn’t, but genially accepted thisdisappointment.

Boarding the plane, he noticed no one infirst class at all. “Maybe I can go up there whenthe flight takes off?” he mused.

Then he looked down the tarmac, saw asecurity van pull up, and out came Mother Teresa,her doctor, and a bevy of her blue and whitesaried sisters. They were all whisked into firstclass.

“Bumped-down” by Mother Teresa! Fr.Kevin told the story to the delight of everyone,including a former Malden policeman, who in turntold it to one of the Missionaries of Charity. Inher recent and last trip to the U.S., Mother Teresafinally heard of how an airline’s kindness to herwas offered at the expense of a Boston Franciscan.She chuckled, enjoying the tale, then asked for apen.

A few days after she died, the retiredpolice officer stopped off at St. Anthony’s Shrinewith an envelope marked “Personal” for Fr.Kevin. In it was a small card with the Prayer ofSt. Francis printed on it. Scrawled across it was:“Fr. Kevin, God bless you. Mother Teresa”.

cial experts. Using resources available to him, hemanages the investment portfolio for the Council andhas overseen a 5-year cash flow study, as well as thebudget. His role has been to ensure spending is re-duced and that the Province is living within its means.In the spirit of communal living, all financial activi-ties are transparent and available to his fellow broth-ers through a Website, something Fr. Kevin feels isimportant.

A Call to ActionFor Fr. Kevin, the development of Siena

means honoring the strategic plan set before him andputting mechanisms in place that will allow the plan’sgoals to be reached by collaboration with everyonein the Siena community. He also looks to enhancethe College’s financial standing through a capital cam-paign and finding new, innovative sources of rev-enue.

In the next year, Fr. Kevin plans to do a lotof traveling around campus and alumni regions as afirst step in his call to action. Not only does he wantto become familiar to all, he plans to hold forumswith the different community constituencies and evenpeople outside of the campus who simply love Siena,to hear what their ideas are for the College’s future.“It is important to lead by example, but also listen tothe voices from within the community,” he said. Onlyby working together can we continue Siena’s legacyof preparing leaders who will make the futurebrighter for all of us.

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At the annual Faculty-Administrator Dinner Reception, Dr. Raj Devasagayam received the JeromeWalton Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Munir Beken was the winner of the Raymond Kennedy Awardfor Excellence in Scholarship, and Dr. James Nolan ’75 won the James Knust Award for Excellence inAdministration.

Excellence in TeachingDr. Devasagayam, associate professor of marketing and management, independently developed the

course in International Marketing and was actively engaged in developing the course guides for marketingand management courses. In the past four years, he has supervised five independent study courses withseveral of these courses resulting in manuscripts accepted for publication. His students have participated andwon accolades for their joint research in numerous scholarly conferences including in 2005 when MichaelQuinn ’05 and Dr. Devasagayam received the Best Overall Paper Award at the Marketing ManagementAssociation Conference in Chicago, Ill.

In his teaching, Dr. Raj has geared his efforts to ensure that his students find a center and balancebetween word and action, between concepts and applications, between academe and “real-world,” andbetween the classroom and the boardroom.

Excellence in ScholarshipDr. Beken, assistant professor of creative arts, will be lecturing and performing at Yale University this

summer, as well as in Vienna, Austria, with premieres of his new compositions in Europe and SouthAmerica. Recently, Dr. Beken was in Bulgaria celebrating a premiere performance by The Sofia Philharmonicof his second symphony, “Tales of Istanbul.”

Dr. Beken is praised as an astonishingly gifted composer and instrumentalist whose compositions andperformances have become a part of the music history of the world.

Excellence in AdministrationDr. James Nolan, dean of the School of Business and professor of quantitative business analysis, led

the School of Business’s pursuit of accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools ofBusiness (AACSB). Dean Nolan was responsible for the preparation of Siena’s Self-Evaluation Report andthen for the planning and execution of an impressive On-Site Evaluation Visit. His hands-on leadership andpersonal tenacity at pursuing the School’s AACSB accreditation objective, coupled with his ability to reachout to campus and community supporters, were the most important reasons for Siena College attainingAACSB initial accreditation in December 2006.

Administratorand FacultyMembersHonored forExcellence

Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M, with honorees (left to right): Dr. Munir Beken, assistant professor of creativearts, Dr. Raj Devasagayam, associate professor of marketing and management, and Dr. Jim Nolan’ 75,dean of the School of Business.

Siena News • 8

Finance majors Rhiannon Darrone ’07, DanielleMacready ’07, Ross Pancoe ’07, and Katherine Sansone’07 collaborated on a paper titled “The Sick DoughFund,” for Dr. Eric Girard’s Portfolio Managementcourse this past spring. The students, who act as man-agers of a portfolio, examined investing in thehealthcare sector. After diligently researching the sec-tor, they found investment opportunities that they be-lieve would result in positive results.

After reviewing the paper, Dr. Girard encour-aged them to submit it to the St. John’s InvestmentManagement Conference. Like their portfolio, this wasa good decision as “The Sick Dough Fund” outper-formed 200 other papers and received the first placeprize of $1,000. Below is a summary of their awardwinning paper:

Background The finance majors decidedto examine the healthcare sector because it is the larg-est single industry in our nation’s economy. With theaging of baby boomers, longer life expectancies, andrising chronic illness, the healthcare sector continuesto grow. Increasing costs in healthcare led the manag-ers to focus their investment strategy soley on thestocks in the healthcare sector. After careful consider-ation and research, the managers found many under-valued stocks for possible investment. Their target in-vestors for this project are young adult investors look-ing to build long-term capital appreciation for futureneeds.

Investment Strategies The Siena stu-dents chose their stocks based on a specific screeningtest. In order for the stock to be considered, it had tohave a return on assets and equity that was greater orequal to the healthcare sector average. They also fo-cused exclusively on stocks that had a positive fore-casted revenue growth. When examining the stocks,they took into consideration the detailed strengths,weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of each stock.

Management Process The studentsdecided to invest semi-aggressively in equity securi-ties (ownership interest in a corporation in the form ofcommon or preferred stock) because the goal of thisinvestment is to create long-term capital growth. Al-location of investment funds was determined throughthe use of tools like the Efficient Frontier, a device thatassists investors in finding the highest returns com-pared to benchmarks.

Significant Investments The stu-dents found the following stocks had the greatest po-tential which led to investing in them:

Finance Majors Win First PlaceKOS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tanox, Inc.,

Novartis AG, Charles River Laboratories, Inc.,andChina Medical Technologies Inc.

Performance The Sick Dough Fundachieved the goal of long-term appreciation and out-performing the benchmark. The managers beat thebenchmark through stock selection and cash/equityallocation. They watched market trends while research-ing and reevaluating existing positions. Stocks that didnot show improvement were dropped from this fundwhile the managers selected new undervalued stocks.

WHY INVEST IN THE SICKDOUGH FUND? The managers of The SickDough Fund believe in the basic strategy of investingin quality investments. They pay close attention to cur-rent market conditions before investing money. Thor-ough and extensive research is completed on each stockbefore adding it into their portfolio with the idea thatthey only want positive returns for their investors. Dueto the fact that they are a specialty fund, solely basedwithin the healthcare sector, their fund could also beadded as a component to an already existing portfolio.

Danielle Macready ’07, Ross Pancoe ’07, KatherineSansone ’07, and Rhiannon Darrone ’07 display theirfirst place certificate from the St. John’s InvestmentManagement Conference.

Siena News • 9

This spring break, Dr. Eccarius-Kelly’sWomen and Revolution in Nicaragua course trav-eled to Nicaragua. They had the opportunity tomeet with women from every sector of Nicara-guan life: factory workers, women working in asewing cooperative, women from human rightsorganizations, former government ministers, andother female activists.

For Paige Collins ’07, the most inspira-tional part of the trip was their overnight stay on acoffee farm. The students took a two hour bus rideon unpaved back roads to get to the female ownedcoffee cooperative. But it was well worth it to ex-perience this community, which has taken a farmwith nothing, to its current status as a CertifiedFair Trade Organic Coffee Cooperative. “Thesefamilies are the reason fair trade matters; they areliving examples of the benefits of a fair trade pro-gram, which guarantees a stable price for theircoffee, and allows them to consistently supporttheir families,” explained Paige. This is her story:

What’s in Your Cup of Joe?By Paige Collins ’07

Living the life of a coffee farmerAfter a long and bumpy bus ride filled with

anxious anticipation about the upcoming day, wefinally arrived at the coffee farm. I will always re-member the face of the woman from the co-op who,when we got off the bus, came up and gave eachof us a hug. The Sontule Community is part of acoffee cooperative, called Nuevo Amanecer (NewDawn), and is located in the Northwest of the Cen-tral American country. Here, each of the familieshas a stake in the production and profit of the cof-fee they grow and harvest.

The first thing we did was watch the har-vest process firsthand. Most people are not awareof the long and tedious process that must take placebefore the coffee beans can even be roasted. Thecherries must be peeled away leaving two beanscovered in a slimy coating. The coating is washedaway, and then the beans must dry. The dried beansare sorted and classified by size and color. Only atthis time are the beans ready to be roasted. It takes

Siena News • 10

about 2,000 coffee cherries to make just one poundof roasted coffee beans.

After my experience with my home-staymother, Amada, I realized how hard of a life theylive at the co-op. We were struck by the fact thatwhat we had packed for our 10 day trip amountedto more than all the worldly possessions of her fam-ily. My father is three years older than Amada andyet she looked at least 10 years older than him.Her skin has been worn by the sun and she wasmissing her front teeth. Despite these things, sheand her family are happy. They are proud of whatthe co-op has accomplished and are grateful forthe income secured through fair trade.

The Importance of Fair TradeThe principles behind Fair Trade Certifi-

cation ensure that coffee farmers receive depend-able, fair, above market prices for their coffee, workunder fair labor conditions, and foster communitygrowth and environmental sustainability.

Coffee is the second largest commoditytraded in the world (second only to oil). Over 50percent of coffee is produced by small family farms.For each daily coffee drinker, there is at least oneperson who depends on coffee for their livelihood.

Although coffee is Nicaragua’s principlecrop, the country remains the second poorest coun-

try in the Western Hemisphere (Haiti is the poor-est). Almost half of Nicaragua’s population livesbelow the poverty line (surviving on less than $1 aday). Over half of the population is either unem-ployed or underemployed. Of those employed, 29percent work in the agricultural sector, harvestingcrops such as coffee.

Fair trade helps these workers and theirfamilies to survive. The stable, guaranteed pricesgiven to fair trade offer an average income threeto five times greater than the income of coffeefarmers who sell their coffee on the regular mar-ket. Fair Trade Certified coffee is the fastest grow-ing segment of the coffee industry in the U.S. Yet,despite this popularity and the increase in avail-ability, less than one percent of coffee consumedglobally comes from Fair Trade Certified farmersat this time.

There is a common feeling that one personcannot change a system, but the coffee growerswe met are living testaments to the fact that oneperson can make a difference. That difference canbe as simple as making sure your coffee has a FairTrade seal.

“These families are thereasons fair trade matters;they are living examplesof the benefits of a fair tradeprogram, which guaranteesstable price for their coffee,and allows them to consistently support their families.”-Paige Collins’07

Left to Right: Suyapa Flores, Paige Collins ‘07,Amada Flores (home-stay “mother”), HollyPennington ’08, and Ramon Flores at theMiraflor Reserve in Nicaragua

Siena News • 11

Are College Students Obeying theHands Free Cell Phone Law?by Jennifer Oddo ’07

In the United States’ over 236 million people subscribed to wireless communication devicessuch as cell phones as of May 2007, compared with approximately 4.3 million in 1990, according tothe Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.

Increased reliance on cell phones has led to a rise in the number of people who use thedevices while driving. There are two dangers associated with driving and cell-phone use, includingtext messaging. First, drivers must take their eyes off the road while dialing. Second, people canbecome so absorbed in their conversations that their ability to concentrate on the act of driving isseverely impaired, jeopardizing the safety of vehicle occupants and pedestrians.

The convenience cell phones offer must be judged against the hazards they pose. Inattentivedriving accounted for 6.4 percent of crash fatalities in 2003 — the latest data available — accordingto the U.S. Department of Transportation. Inattentive driving includes talking on a cell phone, eating,putting on make up and attending to children.

IT’S THE LAWIn 2001, the New York legislature was the first in the United States to ban the use of hand-

held phones while operating motor vehicles. Despite the law, I often see my peers talking on theircell phones while driving. Even though I know better, I sometimes engage in the same behaviormyself. If I see a police officer on the road, I will drop my phone in a panic, afraid of being pulledover for violating the Hands Free Cell Phone law. Yet, no one I know has been ticketed for thisoffense.

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RESEARCH STUDYWith the assistance of Dr. Paul Murray,

professor of sociology, I created questions to measurethe frequency of cell phone use while driving as wellas attitudes toward the Hands Free Cell Phone law. Idistributed this questionnaire to 108 students enrolledin four General Sociology classes in March 2007.

THE FINDINGS: NON-COMPLIANCE IS WIDESPREAD

I found that although most student drivers areaware of New York’s Hands Free Cell Phone law, alarge percent do not comply with the law.• 63 percent of students reported that they always orvery often answer their cell phones while driving• 40 percent reported always or very often placingcalls while driving• Only 2 percent of student drivers reported neveranswering their cell phones while driving and 3% saidthey never placed calls while driving• 62 percent of the students did not own a hands freecell phone device that would allow them to legally talkwhile driving• 20 percent of students reported always or very oftensending text messages while driving (text messagingwhile driving is not prohibited under current NewYork law)

My findings indicated little difference between maleand female usage of their cell phone while driving. Ialso found very little difference in cell phone use behindthe wheel between students with high grade pointaverages and those with low grade point averages.Students who had been involved in accidents talkedon their cell phones while driving only slightly morethan those with accident free driving records. Itbecame clear that cell phone use while driving iswidespread among all types of students.

RECOMMENDATIONS: THE LAWNEEDS TO BE ENFORCED

Overall, 91 percent of students I surveyedfelt the New York State Hands Free Cell Phone lawwas a necessary safety precaution. However, mostcollege-age drivers do not obey the law. I have fourrecommendations to increase compliance with thislaw:1. Police enforcement needs to be increased. Amajority of my respondents believe that police do notregularly enforce the Hands Free Cell Phone law.Compared to drinking while driving and seat belt use,cell phone use while driving seems to be a low prioritywith New York police agencies.

2. Public servicecampaigns areneeded. The mediadoes an excellentjob emphasizing theimportance of notdrinking anddriving. We also seehighway signs thatencourage drivers to“Buckle Up, It’s theLaw.” The HandsFree Cell Phone law,however, does notreceive similarattention.3. Make hands freecell phone devicesmore readily available. Auto dealers and cell phoneproviders should be encouraged to provide thesedevices at reduced cost to all drivers.4. Ban sending or receiving text messages whiledriving. Text messaging can be much more distractingthan talking on the phone and this provision should beadded to the Hands Free Cell Phone law.

The goal of New York’s Hands Free Cell Phonelaw is to increase highway safety by eliminating onemajor source of distraction for drivers. The lack ofenforcement and the relative absence of mediaemphasis on the dangers of cell phone use while drivingincrease this level of non-compliance. By raising publicawareness and stepping up enforcement, trafficaccidents, especially those involving younger drivers,can be reduced.

Above: Dr. Paul Murray, professor of sociology servedas a mentor to Jennifer Oddo ’07 on her cell phoneresearch project.

Jennifer earned a B.A. insociology with minors incriminal justice and businessthis past May. Shecurrently works as aninvestigative analyst withthe New York StateAttorney General’s AutoInsurance Fraud Unit. Sheis also working toward herMaster’s degree in publicadministration and hopesto pursue a career withinthe Federal Bureau ofInvestigation.

Siena News • 13

During the 2006 - 2007 academic year, 325 studentscompleted an internship at approximately 300 different potentialemployers. A large majority of these employers are located in Siena’sbackyard, the heart of Tech Valley. While the benefit to the student isobvious, employers are realizing that they are getting a pretty gooddeal too.

Chris Haggerty ’08, a political science major, spent his springsemester interning in Senator Betty Little’s office. “Chris was anextremely valuable intern who brought strong communication skillsand a wealth of knowledge regarding Senator Little’s district to ouroffice. His solid work ethic allowed us to tackle other projects thatwe wouldn’t have had time for,” Dan MacEntee, director ofcommunications for Senator Little’s office, said. “He was our firstSiena intern and we wouldn’t hesitate if Siena offered us another onein the future.”

Other employers like Gerald Shaye, director of internationaltrade for Empire State Development, have been hosting Siena internsfor over 10 years and count on having one each year.

“Year after year they are bright, creative, and anxious to learn.Siena students are ethically sound individuals who often bringknowledge of another culture into our company as well as strongcomputer skills,” Shaye said. “They are a great resource for us.”

Renee Zych ’07, a history major, completed a second internshipthis past year at the Albany Institute of History and Art. “We couldn’thave been happier with Renee’s enthusiasm for history and theprofessionalism she brought to our work place,” Doug McCombs,curator of History at the Albany Institute of History and Art said.“She was a very motivated worker and we miss having her here nowthat she has graduated.” This seems to be the only downfall to hiringa Siena intern these days.

Capital Region Loves Siena’s Interns

Top Five Reasons theCapital Region HiresSiena Interns

1. They are likely to use outside- the-box methods.2. They bring the youthful enthusi- asm needed in most companies.3. It is a win-win situation for student and employer.4. They are excited and open to new ideas.5. They consume less resources than hiring a full-time employee.

Employers looking to hirea Siena intern can e-mailsienanews@siena.edu formore information.

Top left: Renee Zych ’07 spent her fallsemester interning as a curator at theAlbany Institute of History and Art.Top right: Chris Haggerty ’08 picturedwith New York State Senator BettyLittle, assisted the senator as her internduring the spring semester.

Siena News • 14

Siena Celebrates It’s Sixty-seventh Commencement

At this year’s Alpha Kappa Alpha honor soci-ety induction, Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., told the in-ductees the story of Diogenes, who carried a lanternin broad daylight around Athens in search of an hon-est human being. That light shined on the Class of 2007at the sixty-seventh commencing.

On Sunday, May 20, the sun broke throughthe gray sky and shed light on the accomplishments ofour newest alumni. The Class of 2007 included 35Alpha Kappa Alpha honor society inductees, 12 hon-ors fellows, as well as the 17 summa cum laude, 127magna cum laude, and 147 cum laude graduates.

Over 800 graduates were conferred with Bach-elor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, orBachelor of Science degrees by the Most Rev. HowardJ. Hubbard, D.D., bishop of the Albany Diocese. Notonly did they receive this recognition of their hard

work and growth from the past four years, but alsosome advice for what is yet to come from honorarydegree recipients Chairman of TrustCo Bank RobertMcCormick, “First Lady of the Press” Helen Tho-mas, and former CBS Evening News anchor, DanRather.

McCormick encouraged the graduates to livelife as they would play golf, a game where you musthold yourself accountable for your actions. Thomas,who covered the White House for more than 45 years,encouraged students to “Never stop learning ... andnever stop being outraged by all of the injustices aroundyou.”

“Courage” was the theme of Rather’s address,the same word he used to sign off his final broadcastas a CBS news anchor. The man who has interviewedevery president since Dwight Eisenhower and cov-ered news events ranging from President Kennedy’sassassination to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, did not re-lay any anecdotes from his remarkable career, butrather encouraged his “fellow graduates” to be activecitizens and to always “demand better of themselves.”

Like Diogenes, who called himself not an Athe-nian, not a Greek, but a “citizen of the world,” theclass of 2007 is prepared to find success in their ca-reers and ready to make a difference in the world.

For more on commencement and to view a slideshow of the event, visit www.siena.edu/news.

Above: Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Ratherembraces renowned White House journalist HelenThomas upon his arrival to campus. Both were awardedwith an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degreeat this year’s commencement. Below: RobertMcCormick, chairman of TrustCo Bank, addresses theClass of 2007. This year’s ceremony was held in theAlumni Recreation Center on campus.

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“Congratulations!” begins Dr. Seuss’s The PlacesYou’ll Go, “Today is your day. You’re off to GreatPlaces! You’re off and away!” As the campus held itssixty-seventh commencement, we celebrated the manyachievements of the Class of 2007.

The Places They’ll Go!

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Citizen of the WorldPaul Notar has found himself in one of the

most prestigious scholarship programs offered by theU.S. government. This summer, Paul is in Yemen ona U.S. State Department scholarship to study Arabic.Of the 3,300 students who applied for thiscompetitive program, Paul was one of 150, or 4percent of the applicant pool, admitted.

For Paul, it is just the next step in a directionhe has been headed since taking EconomicDevelopment his sophomore year, a class that gavehim his first taste of international business. “I becamefascinated that economic principles and businessconcepts can be applied to solve some of the worstproblems in the developing world,” explained Paul.

He enrolled in Arabic I with Dr. Munirbecause if he was going to work for developingregions, he knew he would need to broaden hislanguage skills. Paul also headed to Morocco for asemester, where he received a whole new perspective

on the Middle East. Here he wrote an independentstudy on the structural causes of unemployment andthe resulting despondency and radicalism amongyouth, connecting business theory to the violentideologies of the Middle East that Americans fear.

Paul spent this last semester in London withthe International Internship Program as a full-timeanalyst for Middle East capital markets with GrantThornton International. He conducted research forthe publication of GTI’s first Middle East MarketsGuide..

Thanks to his experiences, the future iswideopen for Paul. He has been offered jobs, buthas postponed the start of his career until his returnfrom Yemen in September. Then he hopes to breakinto the international business arena. “Althoughinternational business conjures up the image ofwealthy brokers in expensive suits, below the surfacethese people have the opportunity to finance an

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Above:Ryan McIntyre,class president, addresses his fellow classmates of the class of 2007. Paul Notar, awardeda U.S. State Department Scholarship to study Arabic, stands with his parents Paul and Donna Notar aftergraduating. Right: Honors Fellow Whitney Tarella ’07 and Jamee Bresee ’07.

electrical power plant in the desert; list a mobilephone company on a developing market stockexchange so they can begin to acquire capital andexpand into rural areas or they may be working ona merger to make the market more competitive, andas a result more fairly priced. In these ways,international business can be both an exciting andsocially responsible career.”

American ScholarDr. Seuss describes a potential hazard on

the path to success: A place where people are“waiting around for the fish to bite, or waiting forwind to fly a kite, or waiting around for Fridaynight, or a string of pearls or a pair of pants, or awig with curls, or another chance…just waiting.”Whitney Tarella did not wait. Encouraged andinspired by Siena’s faculty, she decided early on thatshe wanted to become an academic scholar, and shedidn’t wait until graduate school to begin.

As an honors fellow, Whitney’s coursesallowed her to pursue original research within thecourse topic, endowing her with skillsneeded

to produce a graduate level thesis during herundergraduate coursework. In her thesis, Whitneytakes a unique look at arguably the most iconicAmerican book ever written, Gone With the Wind.She contends that although Gone With the Windportrays the Civil War and subsequent Reconstructionera, it is actually representative of the late 1920s- early1930s, the time period in which Margaret Mitchellwrote. Whitney makes clear connections between theroles of women in Gone with the Wind to the NewWomen movement of the 1920s by using bothhistorical and literary evidence.

She writes, “During the most difficult days ofthe Civil War and Reconstruction, Scarlett O’Harareflects the women of the Great Depression, hardenedby their experiences but certainly not silenced orinactive. In many ways, Scarlett O’Hara is anythingbut a ‘Southern belle’,” as her image maintains.”

For Whitney, her thesis was an invaluableexperience, “I feel much more prepared to entergraduate school having gone through it. I understand

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how people can spend their lives doing such projects.”This fall she will begin graduate school in GeorgeWashington University’s history program, where she willbe doing just that.

Experienced BiochemistPursuing a nationally-ranked laboratory intensive

graduate degree in a program that produces internationallyrecognized research might sound intimidating. But, as Dr.Seuss philosophizes, “You have brains in your head. Youhave feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself anydirection you choose.” And so, Jamee Bresee, armed withher knowledge and experience will enter the PdD.biochemistry program at the University of Colorado withthe confidence and skills to succeed.

Jamee began working in Dr. Sterne-Marr’sbiochemistry lab as an independent researcher during herfirst college summer vacation, and racked up three yearsof lab experience before graduating. The project she hasworked on pertains to cellular signaling, particularly theGRK2, a receptor kinase which has significant implicationsfor human disease. “Cellular receptors are vital to cellularsignaling pathways. In turn, cellular signaling is importantto normal function of the cell and thus the human body.Without the normal function of receptors and their normalsignaling pathways, serious consequences to the cell canoccur. For example, disruption of the GRK2 signalingpathway may lead to the onset of certain diseases, such ascardiovascular disease. Thus, GRK2 is of great interestto the scientific research community. The more we knowabout GRK2, the better we will be able to apply theinformation we discover to the diseases it is tied to andunderstand certain signaling pathways. This could includethe possibility of drug therapy for the future,” explainedJamee.

Through this research, Jamee was exposed tomutagenesis, immunoblotting, chromatography, and

radioactivity laboratory techniques. “Inshort,” she said, “I was able to learn awide variety of laboratory techniquesthat would prove very useful ingraduate school and in my othercourses.”

Already prepared with graduatelevel research skill she said, “I plan tocontinue to study cellular signaling, whileexploring my other interests andinvestigating the many wonders ofbiochemistry that CU has to offer in orderto find the right fit.”

The members of the Class of 2007are truly off to “great places.” They mayhave, as Dr. Seuss writes, “mountainswaiting.” But, not only are Paul, Whitney, andJamee and their peers ready to climb them;they are prepared to move them.

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College Honors DistinguishedSons and Daughters of Siena

As part of this year’s alumni reunion weekend,Siena honored five alumni for their extraordinaryachievements. This year’s recipients were:

THE PROFESSOR JOSEPH A. BUFF AWARD FOR

OUTSTANDING CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR

ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Arthur M. Strosberg ’62 & Douglas T.Hickey ’77

DR. ARTHUR M. STROSBERG ’62Arthur is a 30-year veteran of the Ameri-

can biopharmaceutical industry, having begun hiscareer as an assistant research biologist in phar-macology for Sterling-Winthrop Research Insti-tute in Rensselaer. Since then, he has spent 25years as head of the Department of Cardiovascu-lar and Regulatory Pharmacology, and subse-quently as the head of administration and policiesat the Syntex Corporation and Roche BioScience,both in Palo Alto, Calif.

“Siena College gave me an education forlife provided by teachers who care. This educa-tion has allowed me to meet life’s daily challenges,to celebrate its joys, to handle its moments of sad-ness, and to excel in the biopharmaceutical in-

dustry,” Arthur said. In 1996, he left Roche BioScience and became a consultant to the international

biopharmaceutical industry. As a consultant, he worked with American and Japanese pharma-ceutical companies; as part of his consulting, he worked with a Russian clinical research orga-nization conducting clinical trials in the former Soviet Union.

In 2002, he joined the Institute for OneWorld Health in San Francisco as a senior pro-gram officer. He is currently a senior director in charge of volunteer programs at OneWorldand is a member of several scientific societies. Arthur has also written over 60 publications inpeer-reviewed journals.

“I received an education for life at Siena that has allowed me to experience a veryrewarding career,” Arthur said. “I’m just doing my part in trying to make this planet a betterplace on which we all live.”

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DOUGLAS T. HICKEY ’77Doug has held senior-level positions at companies he helped build from the ground

up like Critical Path, MFS Datanet, Metricom, and Global Center. Currently, he is apartner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, a San Francisco based firm known as thefirst venture capital fund to invest exclusively in software companies.

“My education at Siena prepared me for the challenges of an ever-changing tech-nological world that we live in,” Doug said. “I will always be grateful for what this col-lege gave me.”

Prior to Critical Path, Doug was president and CEO of Global Center. GlobalCenter became one of the first and largest providers of advanced web hosting. Doug alsoheld the position of presidentand CEO of MFS Datanet, theInternet and data arm of MFScommunications. MFSDatanet grew to more than$200 million in revenues andbecame widely recognized asthe leading bandwidth andconnectivity provider to morethan 3,000 ISP’s and leadingcorporations worldwide.Doug was a key member of theteam that negotiated the pur-chase of UUNET, positioningMFS as the world leader inInternet data traffic.

Doug has been a con-tinual supporter of Siena andits community since he gradu-ated with a B.A. in econom-ics. He has donated more than$1 million to fund the DouglasT. Hickey Chair in Businessand to make possible the cre-ation of the Hickey FinancialTechnology Center in SienaHall. This center is one of onlya handful of similar facilitiesacross the country that givesstudents real-world exposureto the data and tools seen intoday’s financial centers. He isalso a supporter of Siena’s An-nual Fund, and sits on theCollege’s Board of Trustees.The College recognized hisgenerosity by naming him oneof the “Builders of Siena.”

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CHRISTOPHER J. MADDEN ’77For more than 30 years, Chris Madden has given

generously of his time, talent, and treasure to help his almamater continue to grow and prosper. “Siena College is aspecial place that gave me a great education and opened updoors of opportunity for me. Giving back to the College isthe least that I can do,” Chris said.

Following his graduation, Chris went to work forCallanan Industries, Inc., a major supplier of crushed stone,asphalt, ready-mix concrete, and construction services es-tablished in Albany, and served as its president from 1996to 2002. He currently is the president of Oldcastle Materi-als: NewYork/New Jersey Division, which includes CallananIndustries and three other operating companies. The NY/NJ Division employs around 2,500 people in Rochester, theCapital Region, the lower Hudson Valley and NorthernNew Jersey. Oldcastle Materials is a subsidiary of Dublin,Ireland based CRH plc, a leading worldwide building ma-terials producer and supplier.

Chris and his wife have been leadership donors and volunteers, helping the College in numerouscampaigns. They have been members of the Annual Fund President’s Circle for over 25 years. During theValues and Vision Campaign (1996-2001), they honored Jerome K. and Joan F. Madden with a MillionDollar View naming in the J. Spencer and Patricia Standish Library. More recently they endowed a scholar-ship (Madden Family Scholarship) in honor of both of their parents.

THE REVEREND BENJAMIN KUHN, O.F.M. AWARD FOR SPECIFIC

CONTRIBUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE SIENA COMMUNITY

Barbara A. Vertefeuille ’62 & Christopher J. Madden ’77

BARBARA A. VERTEFEUILLE ’62Barbara was a long-time member of the Siena community until

her death in April. She graduated with a B.A. in history and went on towork for 10 years in the Dean’s office, and 25 years as the registrar ofthe College. In 1988, she was honored with affiliation to Holy NameProvince of the Franciscan Order for her outstanding support and loy-alty to the friars at Siena.

“Since I came here in 1945, I can’t think of anyone who wasmore loyal and affectionate to Siena College than Barbara was,” Fr.Matthew Conlin, O.F.M. said.

An orderly systematic thinker by nature, Barbara was well suitedto the tasks of registrar. She gradually developed the knowledge andalways had the temperament which made her confident of every deci-sion she was asked to make.

In addition to her time, she was extremely generous philan-thropically; she was a member of Siena’s planned gift group, the St.Francis Society, and a consistent Annual Fund donor.

Even after retirement, her experiences as both a staff memberand alumna had kept Barbara active with Siena. She regularly attended Mass at the Chapel, as well asmany other functions on-campus, and continued to be a resource for the current staff. Barbara’s funeralwas presided over by Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M. and Fr. Matthew Conlin, O.F.M., in St. Mary of theAngels Chapel on Friday, April 27, 2007. She will be missed by the Siena community.

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THE PROFESSOR EGON

PLAGER AWARD FOR AC-COMPLISHMENTS IN AD-VANCING THE WELFARE OF

OTHERS

Francis X. Bice ’82

FRANCIS X. BICE’82

Frank has been aninspiration to many, bothduring and after his time atSiena. During his senioryear at Siena, Frank suf-fered a football injury thatleft him a paraplegic. In thefall of 1980, in his thirdgame of the season, Frank,who played a defensiveback, tackled a receiver. Asthey collided, he droppedhis head, breaking his neck.

“By the time I hitthe field, I was paralyzed,”he said. However, Frank’sinjury has not slowed himdown.

“Thanks to Siena, I learned to live a life of faith, to keep a positiveattitude, to set goals and move forward,” Bice said. After an eight monthrecovery, Frank returned to Siena and served as assistant football and la-crosse coach for the teams he captained prior to his injury. Thanks to theassistance of his friend and caregiver, Terrence Regan ’82, he was able tocomplete his degree.

“Frank wanted to know if I would be his roommate.” He explainedthat being his roommate would entail also being his physical attendant,helping him get showered and dressed in the morning and into bed at night.I wouldn’t allow anybody else the privilege of that assignment,” Regansaid.

After graduating from Siena, Frank worked as a business repre-sentative for NY Telephone for over four years and continued to volunteeras a coach in Manhasset and Port Washington on Long Island while earn-ing two master’s degrees. In his spare time, Frank also taught religiousinstruction at St. Mary’s Elementary School on Long Island, and workedas a camp counselor at a camp in Newport, RI for adults with spinal cordinjuries.

In November of 1998, Frank married his long time love, Liz, be-coming a stepfather to her children. Shortly after, Frank was ordained adeacon at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, NY, completed hisdoctorate in theology, and became a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch,working primarily with churches and nonprofit organizations.

He now serves as a deacon at St. Dominic’s in Oyster Bay, NY,and serves on the boards of Tuesday’s Children and the United SpinalAssociation.

Class of ’82Takes on DomeRestorationProjectThe signature symbol ofSiena College, a whiteand gold dome with across atop Siena Hall,was draped with scaf-folding just beforeReunion weekend. Abanner from the Collegestating “Thank YouClass of 1982” points tothe value of giving backas Siena’s Class of ’82Dome Restoration Fundis aiming to raise$82,000 to cover neces-sary structural rein-forcements, new glass,painting, and re-gildingfor the signature dome.This is a 5-year projectthat the Class of ’82 hasdecided to pursue. Ananonymous classmatecreated a challenge totheir class; for every$1,000 donated, he/shewould match the $1,000up to a maximum matchof $25,000. If you areinterested in moreinformation on thisproject, please contactMargot Anderson ’82 at518-782-6868 ormanderson@siena.edu.

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CLASS NOTESALUMNI

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Summer Class Notes 2007 Editor: Ashley Boland ’06Please submit all of your Class Notes information to your class coordinator, or if there is no coordinator

listed for your class, please send all information to alumni@siena.edu for posting in the magazine!

1959Frank Martin ftmartin@earthlink.net

1962Ken Deitcherdukaytravel@att.net

1964Nathaniel H. Daffner, CPAwill become a partner in theaccounting firm LCS&Z,L.L.P. Nathaniel has earnedboth BBA and MBA degreesfrom Siena College and haspracticed public accountingfor the past 37 years.

1968Bill McGoldrickbmcgoldrick@wash-mcg.comTim Kamper and Barbarahave lived in Phoenix since hegraduated from law school.“My partner of 10 years re-tired in 2004 making me a solepractitioner again. My prac-tice is limited to plaintiff’s per-sonal injury cases.” Tim hasearned certification as a spe-cialist in injury and wrongfuldeath litigation, provided bythe State Bar of Arizona toonly about 200 Arizona attor-neys. “Barbara and I still liketo hike and bicycle, althoughour joints are beginning tocomplain a little as we ap-proach middle age.” Barbaraworks as Tim’s receptionistand their daughter, Beth, is inlaw school and will take theArizona Bar in 2008. Theirdaughter, Caroline, is work-

ing in New York City for theInstitute for International Re-search as a meeting planner.“I’m definitely a long wayfrom retirement!” GeneJannotti and Carol Kearneylive in Garwood, NJ. Afterretiring from 25 years atVerizon in 1995, Gene spenta year as CIO of the Bell At-lantic Yellow Pages and thenjoined Computer SciencesCorporation (CSC) where heis currently a program direc-tor in their consulting ser-vices division, performing ITproject management servicesfor various Future 500 Com-panies. Some recent clientsincluded General Dynamics,Johnson & Johnson, Tyco,and Educational Testing Ser-vice (ETS). We have all takena couple of their tests. Genealso enjoys traveling andworks with Carol in hertravel agency in Garwood.

1973Brian Valentine(202) 586-9741bgvalentine@verizon.net

Brian Valentine is the newclass notes coordinator and“would welcome hearingfrom all members of Sienaclass 1973!”

1974After 32 years with Chrysler,Raymond Fisher has retired.He has since accepted a posi-tion as the president and

COO of Donlen Corp., aNorthbrook Il based FleetManagement Company.Henry Phillips was recentlynamed vice president of ad-vertising for Fort WayneNewspapers. Since gradua-tion, Henry went on to pur-sue graduate studies in medi-eval and early American lit-erature at Middlebury Col-lege in Vt. He spent 20 yearsworking in various advertis-ing capacities with theGannett Company including10 years as vice president ofthe Des Moines Register inDes Moines, Iowa. He was in-volved in the launch of USAToday. The past 10 years hehas worked with OgdenNewspapers including posi-tions as associate publisherand publisher prior to his re-cent appointment. He has anovel in progress, GoodbyeBuddy Holly, and sings andperforms on guitar at variousvenues. He is currently study-ing piano. He lives on a fiveacre farm in South Whitley,Ind. with his wife, Marge, of30 years. Their two grownboys, Nathaniel and Ryan livein Des Moines.

1975Maureen Liccione, a partnerat Jaspan SchlesingerHoffman, has been selectedas one of Long Island’s 50Top Women and was electeddirector of the SuffolkCounty Bar Association.

1976Glens Falls National Bankand Trust Company has ap-pointed Peter F. Luciano tosenior vice president andmanager of indirect consumerlending.

1977Linda Fitzsimmonsfitzsimmons@hvc.rr.comGary Holle has been em-ployed for 15 years with theKnickerbocker Arena/PepsiArena/Times Union Centerand has been honored withthe Distinguished Sales andMarketing Award. Gary hasconsistently sold over $1 mil-lion in sales for the last 11years and this DSMA recog-nition is long overdue.

1979Sue Reilly/HayesCLIFTON522@aol.com522 Chili-Riga Town LineRoad. Churchville, NY14428(585) 889-2072Hi, everyone! UnbelievablyI have no scoops, news notes,updates or e-mails to reportthis time. I guess everyone istoo busy celebrating the big50! Please take the time todrop me an e-mail or photoof your celebration, summer-time fun, vacation, etc. Itdoesn’t have to be earth shat-tering news—I’d love to hearupdates on what you’ve beendoing over the last 28 years.Do it fast…the deadline for

the next issue comes upquickly. We usually have oneof the longest, newsiest col-umns in the Class Notessection…I need your help toget back on track. Thanks!

1980Glens Falls National Bankand Trust Company has ap-pointed Thomas J. MurphyCPA, to senior vice presidentand manager of personaltrust.

1981On May 4, VincentFilanova, D.D.S., receivedhis fellowship from the Acad-emy of Dentistry for Peoplewith Disabilities at their an-nual meeting in Denver.

1982Becky Simbari/Almstead PO Box 496Newtonville, NY 12128almstead@msn.comKim Kamilow/Luker andAbraham Rust have beenappointed to Siena’s Associ-ate Board of Trustees. MarkLawrence, a self proclaimed“college basketball junkie”played for Siena’s last JV teamin the late 70’s. He has been aseason ticket holder for 20years and traveled to twoSweet 16’s and has alwaysdreamed of making it to theFinal Four. Fifteen monthsago, Mark was diagnosedwith a rare form of cancer.His employer has since givenMark and his family a trip toAtlanta to see the Final Fourfor which Mark is verygreatful. We wish Mark andhis family all the best. Dr.Kathleen Manupella/Sweener, has received the2007 SUNY Chancellor’sAward for Excellence in Pro-fessional Service fromHudson Valley CommunityCollege.

1983Elvira Altimari-Jaeger

60 Wyatt RdGarden City, NY 11530eaj6@optonline.netHey ’83!! Okay, it’s begin-ning to work. My shout-outsare now yielding more re-sponses. I finally heard fromMichael “Moose” Higgins,who apologized for keepingus all hanging for so long.Moose still lives in “good oleSouth Buffalo” with his wifeCarol and three children,Madelyn, 11, R.J., 9, andKiernan, 8. He and Carol justcelebrated their 12th weddinganniversary on April FoolsDay (I am not touching thatone Moose). My congratula-tions to you both. Since 1987Moose has been at TomGreenauer Development. In1999 he and two other man-agers bought the company.Tom Greenauer is a pavingand sitework constructioncompany and Moose saysthings are going well. Hewould love to hear from hisclassmates and is looking for-ward to June ’08 and our 25th

Reunion. Moose passedalong some informationabout another classmate. Ap-parently, Mark Wagner tiedthe knot last year. He and hislovely bride, Karrie, live inPlymouth, MA. Congratula-tions are also in order for thenewlyweds on the birth oftheir first child. Hanna wasborn May 4, 2007. Mark, youare supposed to let us knowwhen you do important thingslike getting married and add-ing to the Siena Class of 2025!I got a “hey,” as they say downSouth, from John Walker. In2002, John moved from Syra-cuse to High Point, NC for“better weather, a longer golfseason, and lower taxes.” Heis married to Lynn and theyhave three children, Andrew,a junior and Kara, a freshmanat Bishop McGuinness HighSchool, and Alyssa, a 6thgrader at Immaculate Heartof Mary School. John works

at Cornerstone Healthcare, a100 physician multi-spe-cialty group, where this yearhe was elected to the board ofdirectors. John has also beenon the Scientific AdvisoryBoard for Vitacost.com since1997. Vitacost is an Internet-based health and nutritionalsupplement company. Johnsaid, “It’s been fascinatingusing natural treatments inaddition to conventionalmedicine.” He is also hop-ing to get back for the 25th Re-union next year. We alsoheard through the grapevinethat Lori Ford/Ehrensbeckis back at Siena as assistantcomptroller. She has been inthe position since January.Last but not least, I have anupdate on our fearless leaderKaren DeBlieux-Vachon.Karen is currently a “cheesehead” (she lives in Wis.) buthas traveled the USA and be-yond since her days as com-mander and chief of the Classof ’83 (and Muddy’s Hole).She is married to Mark, an ex-ecutive at GE and they havetwo children, Lauren, 16 andPhilip, 13. Karen had a greatcareer at GE after Siena, butthen retired with the birth ofher second child and a moveto the Netherlands. Shespends time volunteering andtraveling between Wis. andher vacation home in N.H.There is a list started for a re-union committee for our 25th

in June of ’08. If you haveany interest in being involvedin the decision making pro-cess for our 25th, please e-mailme. I already have 12 mem-bers from the class of ’83 andthe more the merrier. It willbe a minimal time commit-ment, I promise. As our re-union year approaches Iwould like to do more shout-outs. So if there is someoneyou would like to hear from,e-mail me and I will add it tothe shout-outs. This issue I

would like to send ashout-out to KevinKeating and MoniquePowelson, where are youguys and what are you up to?Inquiring minds want toknow.

1984Lisa San Fratello/McCutcheon305 The ParkwayIthaca, NY 14850mclisa@twcny.rr.comHello Class of 1984! Thereis only one piece of news toreport, Dr. Laura AnnMastrangelo has receivedthe 2007 SUNY Chancellor’sAward for Excellence inTeaching from Hudson Val-ley Community College. I’mstill waiting to hear morefrom other classmates, soplease send in your news!

1985Catherine & RonBjorklund14 Stevens LaneTabernacle, NJ 08088-9744bjork90@comcast.netCongratulations to Sue TaseCleary who has been ap-pointed by the mayor of Al-bany as the director of specialevents. The city holds sev-eral events each month, in-cluding the three-day TulipFest, Jazz Fest, and ten Aliveat Five concerts. Sue has beenin the special events office for12 years, and before that sheworked in the Urban CulturalPark Visitors Center and thecity budget office. DianeBarone/MacDougall has justgraduated with her Master’sin Education from DowlingCollege in Oakdale, N.Y.This is a change of career forDiane since she left Siena witha degree in accounting. Sheis currently teaching kinder-garten at Holy Child Acad-emy in Old Westbury, N.Y.and loving every minute.Husband, Tom

Siena News • 25

Siena News • 26

MacDougall, also gradu-ated with an accountingdegree and is currentlyworking for the financedepartment as an account-ing consultant and is veryhappy with his job. Theyare empty-nesters as theirtwo children are both incollege now. Nicole, 21,is a junior at QuinnipiacUniversity in a 5 1/2 yearprogram to get herMaster’s in OccupationalTherapy, and their son,Tommy, is almost 19 andis a freshman atQuinnipiac in a 6 1/2 yearprogram that will givehim his Doctorate inPhysical Therapy. If any-one would like to get intouch with Diane andTom, they can e-mailthem at:macsonofdt@netscape.net.What’s Ram Verma beenup to, you ask? Here’s abrief update since Siena:Ram worked for GE for17 years. He moved withGE to: Burlington, Vt.;Valley Forge, Pa.; Stam-ford, Conn.; Eden Prairie,Minn.; and Denver, Colo.He has been working andliving in Denver for thepast 12 years and is cur-rently working as a vicepresident for LehmanBrothers. Ram skis about50 days a year at resorts,and spends about 15 daysin the back country skiing.He is also an avid moun-tain biker, and during thesummers has been a mem-ber of the Park CountySearch and Rescue teamsince 2000.Anyone catch the TodayShow on April 5th? Yes,that was our own SueMaserjian appearing onthe show as a “real per-son” model for a segmenton spring fashion trends!

1987Gerry McAndrewGeraldine.mcandrew@verizon.netAs I write this column sum-mer is right around the cor-ner! It was great to see ourclassmates that attended our20th reunion. A specialTHANK YOU to our class-mates and the alumni depart-ment for planning this specialevent. Congratulations toKerry Ann O’Connor/Roffon the birth of her daughter,Molly Ann, on December 12,2006. Molly joins her broth-ers and sisters, Emily, 10,James, 8, Andrew, 5, andKelly, 2. Kerry Ann’s life ishectic with 5 children but shewould love to hear from anyof our classmatesRoff7@verizon.net. Pleasetake a minute and let me knowwhat is going on in your life.Enjoy the summer!

1988Paula CacossaPaula.gymboree@sbcglobal.net

1989Mike Carbonaro3140 10th StreetBethlehem, PA 18020(610) 737-1147sienanews.1989@yahoo.comClass of ’89 where are you?Another three months havepassed and my inbox is gath-ering dust bunnies and cob-webs. Do you know my kidsasked why tumbleweedswere flying across my screenwhile I was checking my e-mail? While I have heardfrom a few, there is little newsto report! Except, FirstNiagara has recently hiredTom Amell to lead its opera-tions in Eastern New York.Congratulations Tom! So therest of you, think about this,two years from now we willbe celebrating 20 years sincegraduation. We were only 21when we graduated and soonwe will have been out of

school for about the sameamount of time it took us to getto our college graduation. Therehas to be something you want totell your classmates and thegreater Siena alumni commu-nity.

1990Stephen Leavenworthstephen.leavenworth@cit.com(212) 382-6975Chris Beaudin is presently asenior project manager/processanalyst at General Electric Cor-porate Benefits Delivery inSchenectady, N.Y. Chris lives inLatham, teaches fitness classes atGolds Gym in Latham, and vol-unteers for Proctors Theater andthe AIDS council. Brian D.Casey, of Hiscock & Barclay’sAlbany office, has been electedto the Partnership. Casey focuseshis practice on insurance defenseand commercial litigation.Kimberly Keelan/Fanelli andhusband, Jeff ’89, returned to theEast coast about five years ago,after 10 years in Minneapolis.Together they have operatedtheir marketing company, Repo-sition, Inc., for about 10 years.They currently live in Lyme,Conn. Kathleen Schulze/Navola, her husband, Phil, andtheir daughter, Josephine, wantto announce a new addition totheir family with the birth ofElizabeth Madeleine Navola onFebruary 17, 2006. Some fromthe rugby team might remem-ber Kevin Conway and wifeGwen’s little baby girl, BrittanyConway. From the “make youfeel old department,” Kevin e-mailed to tell us that Brittany isnow going to be 18 and on herway to college this coming Sep-tember.

1991Craig Sanders and his wifeAletta proudly announce thebirth of their son, Cohan Tho-mas Sanders, born March 19,2007 in Boston, Mass. “BabyCohan completes our family!”

He joins sisters Chandra &Jaigh Lauren, and bigbrother Braeden at theirhome in Hanover, Mass.Tom Columbia and hiswife, Kathryn announcethe birth of their thirdchild, Marissa Nicole onApril 18, 2007.

1992Mary Pat McLoughlin/Holler

jmpholler@optonline.netAnnette Kozlowski/Nagle and Matt Nagle ’92had a baby boy, Sean Jo-seph, born July 24, 2006.He joins his big brotherJack, 3. On Monday, Sep-tember 10, 2007, a benefitgolf tournament will beheld for the family ofKerriann Coleman/Cohen at Fairways ofHalfmoon inMechanicville, NY.Kerriann died of cancerlast November at the ageof 35, leaving behind herloving husband, MarkCohen ’89, and their threeyoung children. The tour-nament is being organizedby Andy Cohen ’88, JimDavis, Bill Coleman ’96,and Dan Coleman ’97.For more information orto sign up for the tourna-ment please contact AndyCohen at (518) 857-6110or via e-mail atacohen4@nycap.rr.com.

1993Susan Hannon shannon@ryeneck.k12.ny.us213 W 252nd StRiverdale, NY 10471(917) 796-2085In the last issue, I wrotethat Paul Praylo was mar-ried – but didn’t realize hemarried another alum –Christine Liverani. Iapologize for not gettingthe whole story. Paul is se-

nior vice president ofTishman Realty & Con-struction. After giving birthto their first child Nicolas,Christine retired from herjob as a director of whole-sale carrier distribution forVerizon Wireless. Childnumber two is on its way injust a few months. DanMcDermott thought hewould finally let you allknow that he got married in2004! On September 25,2004 he tied the knot withDeborah and is expectingtheir first child. Currentlyliving in Sea Cliff, Danworks two jobs. He is thedirector of a DWI programin Queens, and works part-time with the Birch FamilyCamp for families affectedby HIV/AIDS. AndreaWedler of Poestenkill puther marketing/managementdegree to good use as shewas recently named direc-tor of financial aid at AlbanyLaw School. Liam ThomasCondon was born to PatrickCondon and his wife Christyin September. He joins hisbrother, Aidan PatrickCondon, born in June 2005.I forgot to ask if they havered hair?! Pat has been liv-ing in Cornelius, N.C. forthe past three years. He isthe program managementexecutive for Global Wealth& Investment Managementat the Bank of Americawhere he works among anumber of other Siena grads.Steve Lincoln wants tothank the Siena Communityfor its support of his familylast fall when his wife of 13years, Lisa, lost her battlewith cancer. The support wasa great feeling during a timewhen his world was turnedupside down. Steve leftADP after ten years and hasbeen a police officer inNassau County for threeyears now. He’s still livingin Wantagh, N.Y. with his

three children, Keara, Patrick,and Katie. He was mad hecouldn’t make the rugbyalumni game this spring, buthe made good use of the timeas he ran the LI Half Mara-thon. For next issue let’s hearfrom Leanne Lauer – mylong time classmate. LeeMatthews – are you still play-ing hoops anywhere? LauraTesoriero – remember thewing study breaks inPlassmann? CristinaTartaglione – do you stillhave your book from JessicaStones? How about you JohnNolan – what’s going on withyou? Have a great summereveryone and start makingplans to attend our reunionnext June!

1994Glenn Hofsessgh@endcap.com83 Kellogg StBrookfield, CT 06804I would like to begin thisquarter’s column with somenews of my own. My wifeKristi Lynn and I proudly an-nounce the birth of our sec-ond son, Landon Michael,who was born on March 22,2007. Landon joins olderbrother Parker, who justturned two in February. Overthe past several months Ihave had the pleasure of cor-responding with many of youand it has been extremely re-warding to catch up. Eventhough many of us have notseen or heard from each otherin a number of years, we stillhave a common bond thatwill always remain. There-fore, please continue emailingand sharing a little bit of yourlives with the rest of us. I wantto wish everyone an enjoy-able summer and be sure tokeep me updated. Congratu-lations to Kristen Lawrence/Michalski and her husbandScott on the birth of their son,Ryan Scott, who was born onMay 17, 2007. Ryan joins his

big sister Erin who is 2 ½years old. All the best toKristen and Scott with theirnew larger family. On March29, 2007, Anh D. Vu, ac-cepted a position as the firstassistant chief of probationfrom the Commissioner of theMassachusetts Probation Ser-vices. In her new position,Anh vows to continue toshare the Siena vision andvalues of the Franciscan com-munity and make her almamater proud. Director of Fi-nancial Analysis Rebecca L.Foote has been named thenew Syracuse Universitycomptroller. Tim andCarmelina Morrison havecreated the Thomas PatrickMorrison Foundation, a501(c)(3) tax-exempt chari-table organization, to honorthe memory of their son byproviding financial supportto children and families ofchildren suffering from rarediseases and disorders. TheFoundation’s 2nd AnnualGolf Classic will be held thisyear on September 19 at theOrchard Creek Golf Coursein Altamont, NY. Followingthe golf tournament will be adinner with a silent auctionand raffle. All those interestedin participating in the GolfClassic or in receiving moreinformation about the Foun-dation, please contact: Tho-mas Patrick Morrison Foun-dation, PO Box 238,Guilderland, New York12084, (518) 281-0930,tpmfdn@nycap.rr.com.

1995Neil Wilcovenwilcove@fmglaw.comTara Mitchell/Siri and herhusband Sean Siri are proudto announce the birth of theirson Timothy Michael, bornon January 15, 2007.

1996Brian Murraymurray21@hotmail.com

bmurray@betterbackschiropractic.comPhone: (614) 270-6003Martha Mulholland/ Bean’96 and Jared Bean ’94 wel-comed their third son, JacobDaniel on January 25, 2007.Jacob joins brothers LukeJared, 8 and MatthewMulholland, 5. Jacob shareshis birthday with his uncleJeff Mulholland ’94! Marthaearned her Masters in SpecialEducation in 2003 and hasbeen enjoying time at homewith the kids since 2001. Priorto that, Martha was a middleschool science teacher for fiveyears. Martha and Jared willbe celebrating their 11-yearanniversary this summer!Yes, you read that cor-rectly…11 years since wegraduated. Congratulationsare in order for William J.Parlapiano, III, who checkedin to let us know that he is nolonger CEO of the BuildingPerformance Institute, Inc.He is now president of BPC o n s u l t i n gwww.bpconsulting.org. Sorryladies, Frederick Pratt is nolonger on the market. He hasrecently announced his en-gagement to Erin Sims. Theywill be married in Albany onOctober 13, 2007. Class of1996 updates can be for-warded tomurray21@hotmail.com.

1997Selena Dutcherselena.dutcher@regentcomm.combronx_bombers25@yahoo.com(518) 265-2127It’s summertime in UpstateNew York and as always it’sbeautiful! I hope that you hadfun at our 10th Reunion…itwas definitely a blast andgreat to see so many of you.The summertime is the busi-est time of the year for me inradio and it seems to fly by.Hopefully you and yours areable to get away for a little bitto enjoy the weather! Here isan update on some of our

Siena News • 27

classmates…Kate Howard/Bender and her husband Adamwelcomed their daughter, In-digo Parker Bender, on April18 at Hartford Hospital inHartford, Conn. Congratula-tions! Make sure that you sendyour “update e-mails” to meso that I can include them inthe newsletter. Are you plan-ning to move? Are you gettinga promotion? Let me know andI’ll pass the word along! Re-member, to make a submissionfor the newsletter, please con-tact me by e-mail. I look for-ward to hearing from you!

1998Anna Dinaburg/White andher husband Langdon White’97 gave birth to a baby girl,Morgan. Morgan White wasborn on March 20, 2007. Con-gratulations! Jon Scalzo andMilena Perna/Scalzo arepleased to announce the birthof their little princess, SofiaArlene. Sophia was born De-cember 9, 2006. They couldn’tbe happier! Marisa Ricciardiwas married to R. Ryan Kid-ney on November 3, 2006 inTribeca, NYC.

1999Brendan Fitzgerald

nyfitzgerald@yahoo.comfitzgeb@assembly.state.ny.us(518) 258-9272

2000Shaymus R. SchweitzerSienaSaints2000@hotmail.com103 Sherman AveTroy, NY 12180 (518) 727-3392I hope you are all enjoying yoursummer! Please keep yourgood news coming, and I prom-ise to get it into the magazineas soon as possible. My apolo-gies if your article seems amagazine behind or so… TheClass Notes section has beenexperiencing such an over-whelming response, that someclass articles need to be pushed

one edition later than yoursubmission. I heard fromBronwyn Tobin and herhusband CraigWucherpfennig ’99 re-cently. They are both ex-cited to announce the birthof their first son, DeclanThomas Wucherpfennig, onJanuary 13, 2007. Bronwyntells me that they are all do-ing great and adjusting to alot less sleep. As a highschool English teacher,Bronwyn is looking forwardto a full summer with hernew son. “Declan is reallya joy, thriving, doing well,and becoming more andmore interactive by theday,” she said. TracyCorreale/Catalanotto andher husband VitoCatalanotto brought a newbaby girl into the world onJanuary 7, 2007. Her nameis Eva Marie Catalanotto.Mom, Dad, and baby girlare all happily living inCheshire, Conn. Congratsto both of you! ErinDahlmeyer/Bonano andJohn Bonano were marriedon September 23, 2006 atthe bride’s home church, St.Monica’s, in Northford,Conn. A reception was heldat the Saybrook Point Innlocated on the point and ma-rina where the ConnecticutRiver and Long IslandSound meet. The happycouple honeymooned inAruba for a week and cur-rently live in Schenectady,N.Y. Give me some morenews to write about in thefall, and enjoy the rest ofyour summer!

2001Maura Mackmmack@hbs.eduHopefully everyone is hav-ing a relaxing summer. Bythe time you read this someexciting things will havehappened for our class-mates. Tara Crawford

(President of the SienaAlumni Club in Boston) mar-ried Brian Hennessy on May27, 2007 in Somerville, Mass.Colleen Tobin/Balsamomarried Steven Balsamo onMarch 24, 2007 in Bay Shore,N.Y. Many Siena friendswere there to celebrate withthe Balsamo’s! JanelleMurray married JosephLyons on June 2, 2007 inLatham, N.Y., and Sienabridesmaids included AngelaCifra/Salonia and JenCampbell/Ciccotto. Janellealso earned her Masters inScience in counseling fromSage Graduate School thispast May. Congratulationsand best wishes to all.Kendra Johanson alsoearned a graduate degree,completing her MBA fromMarist College in May 2007.Megan Duquette has joinedDion Money Management asa staff attorney and compli-ance officer. Sarah Ross hasmoved to the Office of Stu-dent Life at Syracuse Univer-sity as assistant director. Priorto that, she was a career coun-selor in the Center for CareerServices. In her new position,Sarah will be working withstudent organizations onplanning events, includinghomecoming and senior cel-ebration. Hiking for acause—Colleen Dunn hikedeight miles in the “Hike forDiscovery” program atGrand Canyon NationalPark this past spring. Colleenpersonally raised over $5,500for the Leukemia & Lym-phoma Society, contributingto the $2 million raisedthrough the program. This isan amazing accomplishment,and your classmates areproud! As always, please sub-mit your news and notes tomy e-mail and encourageyour friends to do the same.Best, Maura.

2002Christine Cinnamondchristine.cinnamond@gmail.com(646) 942-0970Alyssa Claire Mydlarz wasborn on February 24, 2007.She is the daughter of Lind-say Frasier/Mydlarz andMichael Mydlarz. Joshua D.Quick, M.D. finished up histransitional internship in June2007 at the Naval MedicalCenter in San Diego, Calif. InJuly 2007, he will begin train-ing as US Naval flight sur-geon at the Naval AerospaceMedicine Institute inPensacola, Fla. The trainingis six months long and coverstopics important to aviation,including ground school, wa-ter and land survival, topicsspecific to aviation medicine,and training in both fixed androtary wing aircraft. Follow-ing training, he will be as-signed as a flight surgeon witheither a Navy or MarineCorps squadron. Siena sweet-hearts Emmy T. Ingalsbe andMichael P. Langer were re-cently engaged and are plan-ning a September wedding.Emmy is currently an accountassociate at Coach, Inc. inNew York. Michael is cur-rently the controller for Cen-tury 21 NY Metro, a residen-tial real estate firm in Man-hattan.

2003Gina Gizzinyginamarie52@yahoo.comPO Box 5133Saratoga Springs, NY 12866(518) 421-4316Many congratulations are inorder for the alumni whosubmitted news this issuefrom the Class of 2003.Elizabeth Ridge and RobertMcNamara ’04 would like toannounce that they havebecome engaged, an eventwhich occurred in March2007. Best wishes in planningyour wedding! On April 21,2007, I made a celebratory

Siena News • 28

visit to the Siena Campus,joined by Gina Yates, VincePasqualino, LaurieSpofford, Leigh Naughter,and Chris Cannucciari forthe lovely wedding ofChristina Sudano/Klejsmyt to David Klejsmyt’04. The ceremony took placein the Siena Chapel with Fr.Bill Beaudin as theexuberant officiator, and theentire day was fondlyenjoyed by all! AmyBodette/DeMagistris andChad DeMagistris ’02 werealso married at the SienaChapel on October 21, 2006followed by a honeymoon inEurope. Currently they areresiding in Washington,D.C. where Amy wasrecently promoted todirector of the chairman’soffice at the DemocraticNational Committee. KateSnyder was married onAugust 12, 2006 in Syracuse,NY to Bryant Carruth.Elsewhere in theprofessional spectrum,Matthew Schmidt recentlybegan a new job in New YorkCity as the manager ofcommunications for theInternational TrademarkAssociation at their worldheadquarters located inmidtown Manhattan.

2004JolleenWagner jwagner@sanmiguelchicago.orgIn April 2006, Eddie Lavoietook a position as a profes-sional representative atMerck & Co., Inc. Ken Jubiewas part of a group of Sienaalumni that created a shortfilm that has been named oneof the best in the country.Decision 2006 was rankedamong the 15 best movies inthe 2006 National FilmChallenge, a competitionasking filmmakers nation-wide to create a short film ina single weekend. The spoofof television news election

coverage was also recog-nized for its use of dialoguelast weekend in Albuquer-que, N.M. during“Filmapalooza.” In themovie, Ken plays a reportercovering the “Decision2006” election. Decision2006 can be viewed on theWebsite, http://www.midastouchmedia.net/films/decision2006.htm.

2005Sabra-Joi DingmanD i n g m a n @ b a r d . e d u(845) 758-7692John “Jack” Thomas wasborn to Jonathan and AlexisBoyd/Currie on April 5.Jack has brown hair andblue eyes like his father, but,at first glance, seems to bearmore resemblance to hismother. Congratulationsand best wishes for Jack’sgood health. Siena sweet-hearts Amanda Fucci andKevin Bartoszek were mar-ried on August 26, 2006. Fa-ther Bill Beaudin, O.F.M.,married the two in the SienaChapel. They had a greatreception at the DesmondHotel in Albany. Robert F.Manfredo, a student at Al-bany Law School, has beenchosen as the 2007 recipi-ent of the Judge Bernard S.Meyer Scholarship admin-istered by The New YorkBar Foundation. KathrynCzynski, Robert DelGreco, Todd Meredith,Ethan Wallett, andMichael Wickham werepart of a team of Sienagraduates that created ashort film that has beennamed one of the best in thecountry. Decision 2006 wasranked among the 15 bestmovies in the 2006 Na-tional Film Challenge, acompetition asking film-makers nationwide to cre-ate a short film in a singleweekend. The spoof of tele-vision news election cover-age was also recognized for

its use of dialogue last week-end in Albuquerque, N.M.during “Filmapalooza.”

2006Chris Elsessercelsesser@mail.fairfield.eduAshley Bolandaboland@siena.eduHere we are…Happy summereveryone! We hope that thisedition of Siena News findsyou happy with whatever it isthat you are up to and not stucksomewhere in the dog days ofsummer! Remember, it isnever too late (or too early) tolet us know what you havebeen up to. In addition to tak-ing MBA classes, working atFairfield University, andcommandeering the familyboat on Long Island Soundwhenever possible, I (Chris)am happy to announce that Ihave reentered the world ofradio, broadcasting, as I havelanded a new part-time gig asone of the play-by-play andcolor “voices” of the Bridge-port Bluefish, a minor leaguebaseball team of the AtlanticIndependent League, here inConnecticut for the summer.This opportunity allows me tocombine my love for teach-ing, radio and baseball andutilize the lessons learnedfrom my time at 88.3 TheSaint. In other news, we arehappy to report this quarterthat Margaret “Meg”Hutcheson has taken a job asa personal insurance billingrepresentative for The Hart-ford Insurance Group, inSouthington, Conn. Also, twoclassmates of ours, StephenHensel and ElizabethWhitney were members of“Team Midas,” a group ofSiena alumni that created ashort film that has been namedone of the best in the country.Decision 2006 was rankedamong the 15 best movies inthe 2006 National Film Chal-lenge, a competition askingfilmmakers nationwide to cre-

ate a short film in a singleweekend. The movie was aspoof of television news elec-tion coverage. Okay class of2006, for those of you whodidn’t make it back for the AllAlumni Bash at ReunionWeekend, you missed quite aparty! Be sure to mark yourcalendars for August 18, be-cause it’s 100 Days AfterGraduation. I know, I know,we didn’t just graduate butthat doesn’t mean that wecan’t crash the party! I(Ashley) look forward to see-ing you there and catching upon the time we’ve spent sincegraduation. I ran my firstmarathon last weekend – itwas the Vermont City Mara-thon in Burlington, Vt. And,not to brag, but I did it in4:58:00. I can’t wait to hearwhat all of you have been upto. Please let us know—wewill be waiting to hear fromyou! Enjoy the rest of yoursummer!

2007SeanRobbinsPO Box 11222Loudonville, NY 12211sksrobb@yahoo.comHello Class of 2007. While Irealize we just “walked thestage”, it’s never too early toshare with the rest of the classhow things are going andwhat you’ve been up to. Ifanything, it may even help inadjusting to the shock of be-ing classified as alumni!During my time at Siena, Iwas actively involved withThe Promethean as a regularstaff writer. Additionally, Iwas a member of Stage III,which afforded me the oppor-tunity to appear as a lead inthe 2005 world premiereplay Distant Music. Most re-cently (since October 2006),I have been a DJ for the col-lege radio station: WVCR 88.3The Saint—a position that Ilook forward to continuing asa Siena alum. I strongly be-

Siena News • 29

Meghann Collopy ’00 &Lucas Chyla ’01

Deborah &Dan McDermott ’93

Amanda Fucci ’05 & Kevin Bartoszek ’05,1st row: Father R. Purcell ’62, K. Bartoszek ’05,A. Fucci/Bartoszek ’05, V. Franklin/Capano ’05,M. McGinnis ’05, R. Wichelns ’05, K. Giaquinto’05. 2nd row: R. Fischer ’05, M. Carpentieri ’05,M. Bartoszek ’02, K. Scanlon ’03, E. Sellati ’05,M. Panayotou ’05. 3rd row: M. Andrus ’04, S.Kiernan ’05, K. Buonasisi ’05, R. Manfredo ’05,J. Comley ’06, C. Romano ’05. 4th row: A. Carter’05, M. Barbell ’05, C. Gandolfo ’05, D. Weidman’05. Missing: G. Matos ’07

Kate Snyder ’03 Top Row: S. Powers ’03, W. May’03, B. Carruth, D. Snyder ’07, E. Frey ’03, M.E.Snyder ’03, C. Price ’02. Middle Row: K. Ostrosky’03, T. Shellard ’03, K. Carruth/Snyder ’03, M.Snell ’03, M. Papa ’03, J. Reuter ’03. Bottom Row:M. Zeoli ’03 and H. Nichols ’03

Victoria Haneua/Downes ’02 & ThomasDownes Back Row: M. McKeon/Charette ’02, A.Rizzo/Ihnatolya ’03, N. Ihnatolya ’02, S. Gray’03, G. Gizzi ’03, P. Moffitt ’02, H. Picard/Moffitt’02

Marisa Ricciardi ’98 &R. Ryan Kidney

lieve that these unique expe-riences coupled with the genu-ine sense of community atSiena have provided a greatbase that will likely enablefurther opportunities justaround the corner. This sum-mer I will be traveling toWashington D.C. to train as anews reporter with HerbBrubaker, a former producerwith NBC Nightly News for20 years. I will also be study-ing acting at The School forFilm and Television in NewYork City. I am excited to havethe opportunity to serve asYOUR class coordinator. I’mlooking forward to hearingfrom everyone!

In Memory of:

Joseph M. Dalton ’47,Michael J. Flannery ’48,Rodger Fryer ’49,Edgar Dickinson ’50,William F. Messier, Sr. ’50,Lloyd R. Chase ’51 ,Robert P. Biggica ’52,Thomas J. Hogan ’55,Robert Ryan ’57,Richard Schermerhorn ’58,Robert Schlesinger ’58,Richard Quentin Manns ’60,Laurence Caroll Rainey ’61,Dr. Donald J. Burke ’63,Charles Cavanaugh, Jr. ’64William F. Walsh ’69,Kenneth Morrison ’73,John G. Fitzgerald ’76,John Thomas Ilacqua, Jr. ’77

Siena News • 30

Monica Prinzivalli ’04 married Chris Acker ’03

Emily Argis/Barker ’95 & John Barker ’93B. Shoemaker ’93, K. Bascelli/Samet ’95, D. Ellis/Santangelo ’95, E. Argis/Barker ’95, J. Barker ’93, L.Barker ’67, C. Barker ’98, D. Barker, J. Hough ’73

Matt Woodard ’00& Denise Egolf/Woodard ’00

Amy Bodette ’03 2nd Row: D. Fisher ’01, C.Wojeski ’02, K. Bohrman ’03, S. Zimmerman ’02,M. Gagliarducci ’03, R. Rasmussen ’74. 1st Row:S. Parillo ’05, A. Bodette/DeMagistris ’03, C.DeMagistris ’02, L. Visconti/Svetics ’79, M.DesJardins ’02, K. Rasmussen ’03

Annemarie Rizzo ’02 & Nick Ihnatolya ’02 Front Row: V. Huneau/Downes’02, Meredith McKeon/Charette ’02, N. Ihnatolya ’02, A. Rizzo/Ihnatolya’02, C. Black/McCue ’02, J. Ihnatolya ’69, B. Rizzo ’72. Back Row: J. Rizzo’75, D. LaBarr ’74, J. Scarchilli ’77, D. Hoffman ’72, E. Lewis ’89, S. Tobin’97, J. Tobin ’97, E. Huerter ’92, T. McCarthy ’65, T. Huerter ’91, M. Bottillo’87, J. Valentini ’72, E. Fogarty ’81

Erin Dahlmeyer/Bonano ’00 & John BonanoM. Gorman/Anderson ’00, K. Turley/Schweitzer ’00,S. Schweitzer ’00, M. White, A. Steiner/Bonano ’00, P.Bonano ‘99, Erin Dahlmeyer/Bonano ’00, B. Ryan ’00,E. Cardinale ’00, Alison Thomson/Bush ’00, K. Julian’00

Siena News • 31

In addition to being one of the simplest waysto distribute your estate, your will can also be a cre-ative vehicle through which to make thoughtful gifts.After providing for the needs of your loved ones,you may choose one of several ways to benefit SienaCollege.

The total dollar value of a bequest to educa-tion is fully deductible for federal estate tax purposes.Here is suggested language for incorporating a pro-vision for Siena in your will:• I give and bequeath to Siena College, Loudonville,New York the sum of ___________ dollars. Thisbequest is unrestricted or (is to be added to the en-dowment of the College and the income there frombe used for (scholarships, academics, athletic pro-grams, etc.).• I give and bequeath to Siena College, Loudonville,New York __________ % of the remainder of myestate. This bequest is unrestricted or is to be usedfor capital projects determined by the Board of Trust-ees, etc.

A Gift With Income That NeverChanges

A Gift Annuity is a wonderful way to makea gift that allows you to receive a guaranteed fixedincome for the rest of your and your spouse’s lives.The fixed payment can be paid quarterly, semi-an-nually or annually and a substantial portion of it maybe tax-free. The amount of the fixed payment is de-termined by the age of the donor(s). The donor isable to take advantage of a significant income taxdeduction in the year of the gift.

Example: In December, 2005, Mr. Quigley,71, purchases a gift annuity in the amount of $10,000using appreciated stock that is presently paying hima dividend of $300 (3% yield). Based upon his age,Mr. Quigley will receive $660 (6.6%) annually fromSiena for the rest of his life. He more than doubleshis income from the stock, avoids a capital gains taxon the appreciated stock transferred, and gets a$3,711 income tax deduction in the year of the gift.

Insuring The VisionBenefiting Your Loved Ones and Others Through Your Will (Bequests)

Mr. Quigley directs that the proceeds of the gift af-ter his death be used to purchase laboratory equip-ment in the School of Science. With larger gifts, thedonor may use a Charitable Remainder AnnuityTrust to accomplish the same result of guaranteeinga fixed income, eliminating any capital gains taxeson appreciated assets transferred to the trust, andgenerating a large income tax deduction in the yearof the gift.

A Gift with a Variable IncomeFor those donors who wish to share in the

long term growth of their gift and are willing to riskmarket downturns, a Charitable Remainder Unitrustmay be desirable. With this gift arrangement, thedonor, at the time the gift is made, fixes the percent-age of the trust value that the donor will be paideach year. Each year that the value of the trust as-sets increases, more income is received by the do-nor. Conversely, if the value of the assets declines,the annual income will be less. Additions can be madeto this type of trust, and a tax deduction is allowedfor a portion of each amount contributed.

For many people, the unitrust can play a wel-come role in planning for retirement years.Example: In June 2006, Mrs. Jones, 65, chooses toplace $100,000 in stocks in a unitrust paying 6%;the first year she receives $6,000. Next year, if theassets are worth $110,000, her income rises to $6,600(6% of $110,000.) She is entitled to an income taxdeduction of $24,060 in the year that she arrangesher gift. She also avoids all capital gains taxes at thetime the trust is created. Mrs. Jones has directedSiena to use her $100,000 gift to fund student/fac-ulty summer research projects.

For more information on proper estate planning, seeyour accountant, lawyer, financial advisor, or con-tact Jack Sise, Esq. ’75, director of planned giving,at Siena College, (518) 783-2432 for a free, confi-dential analysis on how any of these plans can workfor you.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”- Winston Churchill

Siena News • 32

Bernardine Medal Awarded to Saratoga BusinesswomanSiena celebrated the life and work of Phyllis Dake, the long-time executive vice president of

Stewart’s Shops and humanitarian by awarding her the Bernardine of Siena Medal.Stewart’s Shops is a business boasting many “firsts.” Stewart’s was first to intro-duce the square, folding half-gallon ice cream carton, in 1948. That same year,founder Charles Dake’s wife, Phyllis, tried letting people make sundaes their way.Stewart’s “Make Your Own Sundaes” were made famous on the first TV station inthe Capital Region: WRGB, now CBS6. Stewart’s also named an ice cream flavorfor Siena College.Siena’s relationship with Phyllis Dake goes back more than 20 years. She has been

an active member of the College’s Board of Associate Trustees since 1985. Hergenerous gifts have supported Siena’s Annual Fund, Hickey Financial TechnologyCenter, Standish Library, Sarazen Student Union, Creative Arts, the Dell Thomp-son Scholarship, and the Loretta Epstein Scholarship.

“Phyllis Dake’s personal and professional accomplishments, her distinguished involvement andsupport of Siena College, and her contributions to sustaining the Siena and Franciscan tradition made heran ideal candidate for the Bernardine of Siena Medal,” Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., said.

Siena College Dedicates New TV Studio and Radio StationIn the process of beefing up the broadcast studies program this spring, Siena opened its new

television studio and recognized its popular radio station by honoring New York State BroadcastersAssociation President Joseph A. Reilly.

The two hubs of Siena’s broadcasting program were dedicatedon April 24 as the Joseph A. and Carol M. Reilly Broadcast Centers, inrecognition of Reilly’s gift, his work as president of the Association, andin memory of his late and beloved wife, Carol.

“We are very grateful to Joe Reilly for a generous gift to SienaCollege,” said Siena’s former president, Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, O.F.M.“Now our students have the ability to get a hands-on learning experi-ence on campus in the television broadcasting industry.”

The Reilly Broadcast Centers’ new TV studio includes a sound-proof control booth and a studio space with a new audio system, moni-tors, switchers, and four Macintosh video editing bays, four completefield kits for reporting classes, as well as upgraded electrical service.

Short Takes

Committee Selects Two Clare Boothe Luce ScholarsThe Siena College Clare Boothe Luce Selection Committee has selected Patricia Carroll ’08 and

Christina Sillery ’08 as the first ever Siena Luce Scholars for the 2007- 2008 academic year.Patricia is a physics major with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Upon graduating, she would

like to pursue a doctorate in astronomy. This summer, Patricia will participate in an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) students. Her summer research projectwill be in the area of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

Christina is a computer science and biology major with a 3.54 cumulative GPA.Christina’s future plans include graduate school and a career in bioinformatics. This summer,she will also participate in an NSF REU project at DePaul University and NorthwesternUniversity in the area of medical informatics.

Last year Siena was awarded a $268,714 grant by the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant is awardedto two female students in their junior year in biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, math or physics. Theaward provides funding for tuition, fees and room and board.

Siena News • 33

Lacrosse is called the fastest game on two feet.It’s also the fastest growing sport in the country. Al-though lacrosse has been a staple of Siena’s athleticprogram for decades, recent changes have led to abreakthrough season this year.

Prior to the spring of 2007, the Siena men’s la-crosse program hadn’t posted a winning record since1983. Under the guidance of third year head coachBrian Brecht, the Saints won eight of their last ninegames to capture their first MAAC Regular-SeasonChampionship this past spring.

Brecht, who received his second MAACCoach of the Year award in just his third season, isthe driving force behind Siena’s recent success.

This year, Siena went 7-1 in league play andboasted the league’s Offensive Player of the Year,sophomore Matt Girsh - the 2006 Rookie of the Yearand one of the country’s most prolific goal scorers - aswell as this year’s co-Rookie of the Year, freshmanBrent Herbst - who quickly emerged as one of theMAAC’s elite goaltenders as a freshman.

Brecht began the rebuilding process with an ag-gressive recruiting schedule resulting in the three mosttalented classes in program history.

“We have the resources to attract the top la-crosse student-athletes in the country,” Brecht said.“The young men considering Siena are comparing ourprogram with some of the nation’s best.”

Siena’s location and student population serveas an ideal sell for Brecht on the recruiting trail. Throwin the College’s new $2.9 million turf field and Brecht’saudacious goals may not be as unattainable as they ini-tially appear.

To help increase student attendance to homegames, he purchased t-shirts with the team’s homeschedule on the back and hand delivered them to thestudent body. But it’s not all fun and games. Brecht isdemanding of his players, expecting the same level ofcommitment he has placed in each of them.

“He expects us to win,” Girsh said. “And ifwe don’t, he’s disappointed. He lets us know aboutit.” It is a philosophy built on respect and attention todetail. He oversees all aspects of the program, evendoing the team’s laundry on occasion.

“I know I use a few choice words with themevery once in a while,” Brecht said. “So when theycome to practice, they deserve to have a clean toweland their practice gear washed and hanging in their

A Breakthrough Season

Above left: Head Coach Brian Brecht guided the Saints to their first regular season lacrosse MAACChampionship. Above right: Matt Girsh ’09 led the team in scoring and earned MAAC Offensive Player of theYear for his efforts. Siena News • 34

Siena’s Graduation SuccessRate Ranks Third Nationallyamong DI Schools

Siena’s student-athletes posted a 97percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR)according to information released by the NCAAoffice. The GSR measures graduation rates atDivision I institutions and includes studentstransferring into the institutions. The GSR alsoallows institutions to subtract student-athleteswho leave their institutions prior to graduationas long as they would have been academicallyeligible to compete had they remained. The four-year aggregate rate considers scholarshipstudent-athletes who entered school between1996 and 1999. Siena’s rate of 97 percent tiesfor the third highest among all Division Iinstitutions. It is the second year theNCAA has used the GSR. Siena tied forfifth nationally with a 97 percentGSR in the initial report last year.

“It is a goal of ours to perform amongthe elite academic institutions in the country,”Director of Athletics John D’Argenio said. “Wetake great pride in the academic achievementsof our student-athletes, and the GSR is areflection of their hard work and dedication inthe classroom.”

Top GSR at NCAA Division IInstitutionsNavy - 99%Notre Dame - 98%Siena - 97%Duke - 97%Davidson - 97%Boston College - 96%Bucknell - 96%Dayton - 96%Georgetown - 96%Holy Cross - 96%Northwestern - 96%Robert Morris - 96%Valparaiso - 96%College of William & Mary - 96%The Citadel - 95%Coastal Carolina - 95%Colgate - 95%Loyola (Md.) - 95%Richmond - 95%Army - 95%

locker. They should have a clean pair of socks be-fore they go to work.”

Brecht has also kept alumni involved in the pro-gram through e-mails and mailings to former membersof the program – even picking up the phone from time-to-time to check in with past players.

“We have tremendous alumni who really careabout the future of Siena lacrosse,” Brecht said. “Oneof my main goals coming in was to reach out to thesepeople and get them on board with what we wanted todo with the program.”

At the final home game this spring, which drewover 1,000 fans, Brecht honored all-time leading scorerTony Asterino ’81. Asterino, who was a first ballotSiena Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 1986, was a mem-ber of Siena’s only undefeated sports team – the 1979lacrosse team which finished a perfect 12-0.

“The idea is to show people that Siena lacrossedoes have a history and that we are a proud program,”Brecht said. “We have hundreds of alumni who dedi-cated countless hours to lacrosse at Siena and we wantthem to share in our current and future successes.”

As for the future Brecht has high expectations.“We expect to win the MAAC every year and ulti-mately win NCAA Tournament games,” he said.

Are you ready to jump on Brecht’s bandwagon?If you are, you better act fast because it is movingquickly.

Above: Tony Asterino ’81 (center) with Brian Brecht,men’s lacrosse coach, and John D’Argenio, director ofathletics, is the program’s all-time leading scorer andstill remains as the only men’s lacrosse player to earnAll-American honors. He was honored on April 21 asone of the pioneers of the Siena lacrosse program andhelped guide Siena to its only undefeated season in 1979,finishing with a perfect 12-0 record.

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Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., Enjoys BusyFinal Month as President

Fr. Kevin was the man of the month in May as various groups paid tribute to the popular presidentbefore he stepped down. The campus held a friendly roast for him on May 2. Dr. Maryellen Gilroy, vicepresident for student affairs, surprised him on May 4 with a Special Recognition Award. He was inducted intothe Tech Valley Business Hall of Fame on May16. The month culminated with a fundraisingevent on May 17 hosted by the Siena CollegeBoard of Trustees. Following the lead of theClass of ’81 who raised a founding gift of$50,000 for their 25th anniversay, the Boardof Trustees’s reception oraised $675,000 fromover 250 leaders of business, civic, spiritual,health and education venues.

The proceeds of the event are for theFr. Kevin E. Mackin, O.F.M., Scholarship forSiena students. “I’ve enjoyed participating inand providing students the opportunity to de-velop skills of mind and habits of heart: toachieve a productive career and live a life ofintegrity,” Fr. Kevin said. “Thank you, for thegood memories, and for the wonderful gift to provide scholarships for Siena College students.”