Geneseo Scene - Summer 2013

geneseoA magazine for alumni, parents and friends of SUNY Geneseo

sceneSummer2013

What’s Your Story?

An alumnus discovers

how the universeworksRuling the airwaves:Alumni on TV and radio

p g glt-Kids-013/30278405_2gDzmp#!i=2608098493&k=m8gQqSt

FEATURES8 Ruling the TV and airwaves

One of the biggest names in radio is a Geneseo gradu-ate. Many others have made their mark as personalitiesand news anchors. Peek inside the college’s long tradi-tion of inspiring on-air talent.

14 What’s your story?In ways big or small, Geneseo has helped shape ourlives and strengthen the bond we have for the college and each other. “What’s Your Story” is aninvitation to share what stays with you.

16 Discovery: How the universe worksBen Kilminster ’97 is among researchers who identi-fied the — Higgs boson — one of the most importantscientific advancements in our lifetime.

DEPARTMENTS3 One College Circle

19 Athletics and Recreation: A certificationcourse mentors students to become school coaches, even before graduation.

23 Alumni News

30 Class Notes

COLUMNS2 President’s Message

7 Letters to the Editor

22 Random Profile: One Cup

36 1:1 Dan Strang

Cover: ©iStockphoto.com/John Woodcock and ma_rish

Cover illustration collage by Carole Smith Volpe ’91

Table of contents: Students raised $92,000 — a Geneseo record

— for the American Cancer Society during the annual Relay for

Life, walking in teams overnight. Team captains formed a ribbon

as hundreds of students circled in the ceremonial first lap.

Photography by Keith Walters ’11.

geneseosceneSummer 2013

CONTENTS

Postmaster: Please address changes to the Collins Alumni Center, McClellan House, SUNY Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454-1484. Standard-class postage paid at Lebanon Junction, KY 40150

Vol. 39, No. 1; Summer 2013

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

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

Kris Dreessen, EditorCarole Smith Volpe ’91,Creative Director

Contributing writers:Meredith DrakeAnthony T. HoppaDavid IrwinLaura KenyonBen Kilminster ’97Daniel B. O’Brien ’13Kim Showalter ’13

Contributing photographers:Kris DreessenKeith Walters ’11

Alumni Relations OfficeRonna Bosko,Director of Alumni and ParentRelationsMichelle Walton Worden ’92,Associate Director of AlumniRelationsTracy Young Gagnier ’93,Assistant Director of AlumniRelationsMegan Cheever ’03, Alumni Outreach Coordinator

Alumni Relations Office at Collins Alumni Center McClellan House SUNY Geneseo 1 College Circle Geneseo, NY 14454-1484 Phone: (585) 245-5506 Fax: (585) 245-5505 [email protected]

Contact the Scene at [email protected]. Visit the website atwww.geneseo.edu/geneseo_scenePhone: (585) 245-5516

ood stories usually have great beginnings. This is especially true of the people whochose to start their journeys on this campus. Over the past 19 years, I have had theprivilege of hearing — or reading — countless stories about our graduates and the

indelible impression Geneseo has left on their lives. Each story is fascinating. The common Geneseo experience connects us all and, yet,

remains unique for each one of us. As the ancient philosopherHeraclitus observed, a person cannot step into the same rivertwice. The stories of our alumni are the same yet different, simi-lar but never identical. Kerry Fogarty Alexander ’87 expressed that idea last fall during

Homecoming at a Career Connections breakfast for students.“This is where our story started,” she said. “This place stays withyou. Be here. Let it lead you.” In that spirit, we are pleased to introduce a new communica-

tions initiative, “What’s Your Story?”(page 14), that gives voice tothe special Geneseo experiences that shape the lives of alumni.A favorite professor, for example, or a life-changing class. Ademanding coach or an unforgettable game. Perhaps a chance

meeting that blossomed into a lifelong friendship— or even marriage.Or those experiences may be a collection of

memories that engaged the senses. Who can for-get the sunsets over the valley? The sound of theSturges bells? Or the smell of alfalfa in the morn-ing? For a particular group of alumni, the defining

memory is Blake Hall, home of WGSU–FM (89.3) — celebrating its 50th anniversary (page5). As you’ll read on page 8, Geneseo alumni in the media are seen and heard every daythroughout the nation. Each one has a Geneseo story. So does Ben Kilminster ’97, associate professor at the Physics Institute of the University of

Zürich, whose research on the Higgs boson, the so-called “God particle” (page 16), is help-ing to tell the ultimate story of how the universe began. He credits his success as a scientistto undergraduate research experiences and mentoring received at Geneseo.Every issue of the Scene is filled with alumni stories that demonstrate the transformational

power of liberal learning at Geneseo. The college’s ascending reputation in national highereducation is itself a story that continues to unfold, thanks to your generous gifts of time, tal-ent and financial resources. In fact, our historic Shaping Lives of Purpose campaign mayindeed be the best story of all — simply for the many new beginnings it will create for otherswhose stories remain to be told. As is our custom, we will devote the next Scene to more stories, which will include my own

personal narrative. I shall step down from the presidency Oct. 1 and retire next June. So verymuch of my story is Geneseo, and it wouldn’t be what it is without all of you.

Gratefully yours,

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEgeneseoscene

Christopher Dahl

GTelling Our Story

2 geneseo scene

… the commonGeneseo experienceconnects us all and, yet, remains unique for each one of us.

Summer 2013 3

PHOTOS BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

One College Circle

Snapshot: Geneseo’s 147th Commencement• Say it isn’t over: 1,191 seniors bid bittersweet adieu, waving their diplomas andhigh-fiving friends. • The applause: New alumni were cheered on by more than 4,800 well-wishers.• One of us: President Christopher C. Dahl declared himself an honorary mem-ber of the class of 2013, for his last commencement as president.• Lighting the way: President Christopher C. Dahl bestowed an honorary doc-torate of humane letters to world-renowned Middle English literature professorand scholar Russell Peck, who has worked with Geneseo students.• Behind the scenes: Commencement planners had already scribbled notes andwere discussing tweaks for next year even before these ceremonies ended.• Final farewell: Russell Allen ’13 says he found his voice — and a belief he can succeed in theater — at Geneseo. He double majored in speech pathology andtheater. “There is so much collaboration and trust in what students have to offer and it’s really inspiring. Being a product of that environment has fosteredconfidence in myself and my peers. I’m confident that the education I got atGeneseo, and I don’t just mean academically, has equipped me to do just aboutanything I want to.”

4 A taste of careers

5 45 years of dance

5 50 years on the air

6 A chemistry milestone

6 News in brief

CAMPUS NEWS

4 geneseo scene

Psychology major SheenaMooney ’15 thought shewanted to work with

kids. Shadowing an alumnawho mentors city teens aboutopportunities for college andthen watching her help a teenapply for a job reinforced it.“I really liked what she was

doing,” Mooney says. “She didn’thave a set, go into an office andonly know people by a numberjob… Her job was going out anddoing whatever these kids need-ed her to do at that time.”As a program coordinator at

Hillside Work-ScholarshipConnection, an affiliate ofHillside Family of Agencies,Courtney Volturno ’06 workswith juniors and seniors ineight district high schools

throughout Rochester, N.Y., tospark students’ interest inattending college. Studentsmeet at least two of six riskfactors for non-matriculation. “Sometimes this is the first

time someone is really talkingto the students about collegeseriously,” Volturno says of herposition. “… You have to bepersistent — to push themand show them that you’re notgoing to go away easilybecause you believe this isimportant for them.”While Volturno’s position

isn’t a direct fit for Mooney’scareer choice, the experiencegave her a taste of what work-ing with teens would be like.That’s the mission of the

college’s new Winter BreakAlumni/Parent ShadowProgram.More than 100 freshmen

and sophomores signed up forthe opportunity to shadowalumni in diverse fields anddisciplines over winter break.Stacey Wiley, director of

career development, solicitedalumni and parent volunteers

CAMPUS NEWS

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

Campus innovation

New shadow program is a career “sneak preview”

from around the country whowork in a variety of careerfields, including law, financialservices, education and healthcare. Interested students chosetheir top three preferences andWiley matched students to pre-ferred alumni on a first-come,first-served basis. Of the morethan 100 students whoexpressed interest, Wiley wasable to match 82 pairs. The program targets

younger students. Shadowingallows students to try differentcareers on for size and findout what does and doesn’tinterest them, without makinga major investment of time,says Wiley.Volturno was happy to par-

ticipate.“You know the basic profes-

sions that you’ve come intocontact with you’re entire life— doctors, teachers, policeofficers — but there are somany different opportunitiesout there,” says Volturno, “andI think it’s important to go outand see what those opportuni-ties are.”

Feedback from volunteersand students will help Wileyimprove and tailor the pro-gram to student needs.Wiley is seeking more alum-

ni and parents in the high-interest fields of law, healthcare and finance, so more stu-dents with these interests canparticipate. “We talk with students every

day who are struggling tochoose a major because theydon’t know what particularjobs actually entail,” says Wiley.“The shadow program allowsstudents to explore a potentialcareer field by spending timewith someone connected toGeneseo, who is happy to helpthem.”

— By Daniel B. O’Brien ’13

Courtney Volturno ’06, left, shares how she works with city teens with Sheena Mooney ’15 during the firstWinter Break Alumni/Parent Shadow Program.

PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

Interested in volunteering for the 2014 Winter BreakShadow Program? Call the Office of Career Development at(585) 245-5721 or email [email protected].

Summer 2013 5

In 1968, the Geneseo DanceEnsemble gathered to per-form for the first time. On

April 18-21, the campus celebrat-ed the group’s 45th anniversarywith a reunion weekend of per-formances by students and alum-ni, with works choreographed byalumni, faculty and guest artists.Alumni gave talks and work-shops.First offered at Geneseo

through physical education,Bertha V.B. Lederer is creditedwith bringing the DanceStudies program to the fine artsin 1954, transforming an oldstorage room into the BrodieDance Studio.Forty-five years later, Visiting

Professor of Dance MarkBroomfield ’94 played a largepart in the anniversary celebra-tion. Being back at Geneseoafter completing his doctorate toteach the current generation is“a full-circle moment,” he says. “He brings a different perspec-

tive to Geneseo we haven’t hadin the past,” with diversity anddances of the African diaspora,says Stephanie Willmarth ’14. Many other alumni returned

to campus to share their expe-riences, reminisce and mentoraspiring dancers, including

Melanie Aceto ’95 and HeatherKlopchin ’95, both associate pro-fessors of dance at colleges.Alumni also have gone on toperform in Tony Award-winningmusicals, to direct and tobecome members of the mostrenowned dance troupes in theworld, such as Garth FaganDance. Broomfield has dancedwith the repertory company CleoParker Robinson Dance.“Reflecting on 45 years of the

Dance Ensemble at Geneseo, Iam so humbled and grateful thatalumni artists and current stu-dent artists, being such a dedicat-ed and passionate group of peo-ple, continue to pour their ener-gy and their commitment intothe Dance Studies program,”says Jonette Lancos, who hasguided the program’s evolutionsince 1976. She becameGeneseo’s first full professor ofdance in 2004.It inspires current students “to

dream big,” Lancos says.The anniversary weekend, says

Emily Andrews ’13, “was an amaz-ing opportunity to be able toshare the stage with such experi-enced artists and represent thepast, present and future of theGeneseo Dance Ensemble.”

— Kim Showalter ’13

A full-circle moment

Alumni and students mark 45 years of dance

Geneseo milestones

WGSU celebrates 50 yearson the airwaves

Students perform in the Geneseo Dance Ensemble’s 45th anniversarycelebration.

From students and alumni, to town members, to par-ents listening for a mention of their son on thehockey rink, WGSU–FM has kept all segments of the

Geneseo community connected for 50 years.In celebrating the station’s golden anniversary, WGSU

alumnus and faculty adviser and Lecturer Mike Saffran ’85,has delved deep into the archives of Blake Hall, rummagingfor old reels of greetings and promos to digitize and share. He remembers making the reels during his time as a

student and supervisor, along with nostalgia from thegolden days of radio. “The basement of Blake B was my home away from

home,” he says. “Certainly, some of my colleagues wouldfeel the same. The funny thing is, from 30 years ago,there have been some equipment upgrades, but it’s large-ly the same. The footprint is identical. It’s still old BlakeHall.”Many WGSU members from past to present share a

great deal of affinity for their WGSU experience.“We wanted to do more than just play music, we wanted

to make connections and have themes. Creativity is impor-tant to radio,” says former supervisor Gregory Adamo ’74,who went on to form and run a station at the College ofStaten Island, and now teaches full time at Morgan State.WGSU’s most recent station manager, Laura Vitto ’13,

ultimately deems the station an academic club, but feelsmost strongly about the community created from manyhours working together.“The community is what brings people to WGSU, and

it’s what keeps them there,” she says. “I’ve met my bestfriend here. I think everyone else can say the same.” The core of the WGSU experience, says Adamo, is

derived not only from expression and creativity, but itspractical use as a learning tool. It made him a strong pro-ponent of experiential learning. He says the skills helearned at WGSU enabled him to work effectively ingroups and taught him how to supervise people. He wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for

WGSU. Vitto sees that translation already. “The oral communication skills are something a lot of

employers are looking for,” she says. “You can get yourfoot in the door with a great resume and a great cover let-ter, but at the end of the day you have to close the dealwith your personality and your voice. Being on the air,that’s something a lot of our DJs are learning. That’ssomething you can take to any job.”

— By Daniel B. O’Brien ’13PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11

: Read about alumni on-air — page 8Visit the WGSU facebook page — www.facebook.com/wgsufm

6 geneseo scene

College welcomes newdirector of alumni andparent relationsNew Director of Alumni andParent Relations Ronna Boskowill be reaching out to alumniand parents to strengthen theirconnection to Geneseo.

Boskopreviouslyserved as asenior majorgifts officerat Geneseofor threeyears andwas instru-mental innumerous

successful philanthropic initia-tives, including the formation ofalumni committees throughoutthe country.Before coming to Geneseo,

she served as director andassociate director of alumnirelations at SUNY Plattsburgh.She also worked as an admis-sions adviser at Plattsburghafter earning her bachelor’sdegree there in sociology. Shealso received a master’s degreeat Plattsburgh in student affairspractice in higher education.

World-class musicThe celebrated RochesterPhilharmonic Orchestra andrenowned soloists recentlyperformed on campus withprofessors and students.The orchestra featured solos

from two music faculty mem-bers — pianist JonathanGonder, professor and depart-ment chair, and soprano andAdjunct Lecturer PamelaKurau. Gonder has performedwith numerous orchestras andbeen featured on national television and radio. He hasreceived numerous awards incompetitions.A week later, the acclaimed

Chamber Singers ensemble

continued a 56-year traditionof outstanding choral creativi-ty by collaborating with areaperforming groups and pro-fessional soloists from NewYork City to present Carl Orff’s20th-century masterpiece“Carmina Burana.”

Students showcaseresearch and talents On an April day, Twitter usersaround the world posted morethan 2,665 tweets — in a sin-gle minute. Geography majorsAllison Roosa ’13 and PatrickHeffernan ’13 collected andexamined the global distribu-

tion of the 140-characterblasts over two days to exam-ine how how social mediaimpacts society.They were among more than

965 students — representing allacademic departments as wellas clubs — who exhibited theirscholarly and creative efforts inthe seventh annual GREAT Day— Geneseo RecognizingExcellence, Achievement andTalent — on April 16.

College expands internshipopportunitiesGeneseo is reinforcing its sup-port for student career devel-

NEWS IN BRIEF

ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE

BOSKOSpotlight on scholars

Aspiring chemist wins national award


chemistry at a major university. She’s also amember of several academic honor societies,captain of the indoor track and field teams,and helps fellow students in crisis as an emer-gency medical technician with Geneseo FirstResponse.Levinn’s senior year will be worry-free for

finances with the award. It pays for tuition,fees, books, room and board up to $7,500per year.

— Kris Dreessen

For the third consecutive year, a Geneseo stu-dent has received one of the nation’s mostprestigious scholarships for aspiring scientists.Carolyn Levinn ’14 is the 17th Geneseo stu-

dent to earn the Barry M. GoldwaterScholarship and Excellence in EducationProgram award for her achievement and poten-tial in chemistry.Levinn’s research focuses on bio-organic

chemistry and the study of natural products.Her dream? To earn a doctorate and teach

opment with the addition of anew director to help studentsgain real-world experience.Robert H. DiCarlo, associate

director for internship opportu-nities, is responsible for expand-ing the number and type ofsubstantive internships avail-able. He oversees all aspects ofthe program, including facultyand department collaboration,student career advising andprogram evaluation. Geneseo’sAlumni Council has made student career development apriority and is focused onengaging Geneseo alumni in allwalks of life in the initiative.

Summer 2013 7

CAS changes are appreciatedWhen I was at Geneseo from1960 to 1964, I worked in thedining hall as a food line serv-er. Not only did we get somepay, we got that meal freewhen we worked. That wasimportant as I was working myway through college. CampusAuxiliary Services had somereally good meals! I reallyenjoyed reading about all thechanges in the food servicearea in the winter 2013 issue. Iwas especially delighted toknow accommodations for thegluten-free diet are now avail-able. Thank you so much forhaving that option for thosethat need it. You are on theleading edge of colleges toprovide that service. That iswhere I would be eating if Iwere at Geneseo now.— Martha MacAuley Russell ’64

Thoughts on givingIn the winter issue, GeneseoFoundation Board Chair JackKramer ’76 wonders why only8.5 percent of alumni give tothe college and what could beaccomplished if more alumnigave. While I would absolutelylove to donate money toGeneseo, I am just not at thepoint in my life where I havediscretionary income to allo-cate back to Geneseo. Whenthe day does come that I havesaid money — after my mas-ter’s graduation from theUniversity of Michigan — youcan certainly bet that I will be

and programs that would fit myinterests. I graduated fromSUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity in 2012 with a doc-torate of physical therapy. As atraveling physical therapist, Iam able to travel throughoutthe country between a variety oftypes of clinics in need of a PT.My time in Geneseo was

truly formative and enjoyable.I made a wide variety offriends that I spend many ofmy weekends visiting nowa-days. I still visit Geneseo for asmany alumni functions as pos-sible, and recently attended afriend’s wedding in Geneseo— taking several bride andgroom photos “in” and aroundthe bear fountain. Now that I am finally in a

position where I am makingmoney and able to give backto Geneseo, I am happy to jointhe ranks of the alumnidonors who helped make myexperience possible. Withoutthe bonds I made in Geneseo,my development as a studentand as a person, and the guid-ance I received, I don’t knowwhere I would have ended upin terms of my social life, gradschool or career, but I dobelieve that Geneseo placedme on an amazing path. I havesent the first check of many,and encourage my peers tojoin me, with the hope thatGeneseo can continue to dothe same for others.

— Steven Avallone ’09

donating back to Geneseo.Geneseo holds a special placein my heart.

— Melissa Loughlin ’11

The complexities of giving I recently read Jack Kramer’sarticle “What If?” Here is my 2cents. One of our sons is study-ing at Geneseo, class of 2014.We are fortunate to be able tosend him to one of the finestSUNY schools. Although hewas accepted at some good pri-vate schools, we could notafford to send him. My wifeand I are grateful to Geneseofor the opportunities our sonhas and for the support he willhave in the future. We havecontributed to the Geneseofund drives as much as we can,totally aware of how muchstate funding has declined,and the increased need forcontributions.Now to the nitty-gritty! In the

article, Jack said that alumni ofGeneseo’s private college peerscontribute four to six times asmuch as Geneseo alumni.What is the participation rateof alumni in the other SUNYschools? Is it greater than the8.5 percent at Geneseo? Ifthere is no appreciable differ-ence, then perhaps we arelooking at the differencebetween SUNY schools overalland the considerably moreexpensive private colleges. Iam concerned that perhapsthe excellent education atGeneseo does not lead to as

many good-paying jobs asthose who follow a moreexpensive private education. Itseems as though folks whoearn more money may con-tribute more to their almamaters, regardless of the actu-al needs of the school. In allprobability, we will continue tosee even greater reductions instate funding for education,just as we are seeing in ourlocal elementary and highschools and throughout theSUNY system. Education is tak-ing a beating and it looks likeit will continue until there is amore serious wake-up callvoiced nationwide.I am sure that when the

time comes, my son will do hisshare to help Geneseo, butfirst he will have to get out inthe world and earn somemoney! Meanwhile, pleaseaccept my respect and admira-tion for all you do forGeneseo.

— Garry Harned

Grafteful alumnus contributes to next student generationI recently read the article byJack Kramer ’76 regardingfinancial need of the school. Inmy time at Geneseo, I startedoff in business and geology,ended in psychology and biolo-gy, and made about as manydifferent decisions regardingmy future career path as thatstatement entails. SupportiveGeneseo staff helped medecide on career possibilities

LETTERS

We want to hear from you! The Scene welcomes feedback and encourages discussion ofhigher-education issues, content and your thoughts about Geneseo. Send letters, whichmay be edited for space, to [email protected] or to the Scene editor, SUNY Geneseo,Roemer House, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454.

Letters to the Editor

8 geneseo scene

Like other Geneseo graduates who have made successfulcareers in broadcasting, Gregg Hughes ’86 may havemajored in something else, but his heart was always on

the air.“I always knew what I wanted,” says Hughes, who chose

Geneseo specifically because he could make that dream cometrue — right away — on campus radio stations WGSU-FM andWGBC-AM.At Geneseo, underclassmen have the opportunity to dive in as

talent to find their voice and gain professional skills for the air,and a career. That is equally true for GSTV, the campus TV sta-tion.Hughes earned a DJ show on WGBC his first days on campus

and ran around Onondaga with a clipboard taking musicrequests. “I started my radio career right there. I got my littleshift and the rest is history,” he says.Hughes became one of the most popular radio personalities

in the country as “Opie” on “The Opie & Anthony Show,” nowbroadcast to 24 million subscribers on his own channel onSiriusXM satellite radio.Hughes is one of many Geneseo alumni who have made names

for themselves in national and regional media as hosts, newsanchors, DJs and personalities across all genres, from rock to talkto country on the FM and AM dials and television. In Rochester, N.Y., it’s like a local on-air reunion with several

alumni as longtime anchors and personalities.Still other alumni work as production directors and in other

behind-the-scenes roles. They all have something in common:passion and hands-on experience at Geneseo.“That opportunity has always been a hallmark here,” says

Lecturer Mike Saffran, a WGSU alumnus and the station’s facultydirector, who has worked at several New York stations as on-air tal-ent and still hosts an afternoon shift at WRMM–FM.Geneseo’s media talents have witnessed sweeping changes in

the field over the decades, adapting and trailblazing, remainingrelevant.

Seen andHeard ...

from GeneseoFrom Nashville to New York and beaming fromthe satellites, alumni have a long tradition ofentertaining millions of people on TV and radio.

Summer 2013 9GREGG HUGHES, PHOTO BY BEN GABBE/GETTY IMAGES

10 geneseo scene

After the radio prank in which hepretended the mayor of Bostondied in a car accident with a pros-

titute, Gregg Hughes ’86 turned on thenews and recognized where the reporterswere swarming.His lawn.“I was like, ‘Oh my God, they just start-

ed the news from my front yard,’” heremembers. “It was unbelievable. I hadcameras and TV crews camped out tryingto get a statement from me. You can seesomebody looking out through theblinds, and that’s me.”Hughes — known as “Opie” of the

“Opie & Anthony Radio Show” — neverthought anyone would buy into the AprilFool’s Day joke. The PR frenzy ultimatelygot him and partner Anthony Cumiafired, and hired anyway at WNEW-FMNew York City, their biggest gig yet.It was a time, says Hughes, when talk-

radio jocks could really push the enve-lope. No more. That has been the biggestchange he has experienced in his 27-yearcareer as a nationally known — and con-troversial — personality.At a mall signing in Massachusetts,

Hughes found a line of fans wrappedaround the building, chanting theirnames. In New York City, their show wassyndicated in some 30 markets across thecountry, reaching 20 million listeners —the equivalent of every person in NewYork state.

The switch from analog to all-digital is the biggest change Joe Lomonaco’93 and Chet Walker ’78 have experienced. Meanwhile, Hughes was amongthe first personalities in the country to move from terrestrial to satelliteradio, without Federal Communications Commission oversight and with paidsubscribers.Even how people consume their news and entertainment is significantly dif-

ferent, says Norma Holland ’97, morning TV news anchor at 13WHAM News inRochester.“Viewer habits are the biggest change in 17 years. We as an industry have to

adapt or we will be obsolete,” says Holland, who posts on Facebook, tweets andreads comments online throughout her broadcast and day. “Habits havechanged, social media have changed and smart phones have changed how weproduce our product and how we present it.”

Meet some of our Geneseo alumni who have long careers on the air …

“In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t keepup,” says Hughes, who never wanted tobe anything but a radio host. Hughes chose Geneseo for air-time

opportunity as an undergraduate, host-ing AM and FM shifts, and working as aDJ at Fat Augies and The Inn Between.He worked in Buffalo and Rochesterbefore his break in Boston.In New York, Hughes says they took

more chances, until another racy prankmade national news, this time takingthem off terrestrial radio. It signaled ashift in radio culture, says Hughes:Companies just aren’t willing to acceptrisks.“They took a number-one show off the

air, which was unheard of,” says Hughes.Since 2004, the show has a new home

and its own channel at SiriusXM satelliteradio. SiriusXM has 24.4 million sub-scribers.Hughes and Cumia’s show has

evolved, with discussions of issues of theday, comedy and interviews withQuentin Tarantino, JJ Abrams, DavidLee Roth and others. Hughes says he’sbecome a better interviewer; the show’smore cerebral.“I think it’s just a good solid comedy

show, but we have no problem gettingserious if we have to,” he says.

— Kris Dreessen

Gregg Hughes ’86: Voice of comedy and controversy

Norma Holland ’96 was elated towalk across the commencementstage, but there was little time to

celebrate.She had to work the next day as a TV

reporter.Holland’s experience as a GSTV

anchor on campus helped solidify herinterest in broadcast journalism and landan internship her junior year — andthen a part-time job as a senior — at13WHAM News in Rochester, N.Y.That was 17 years ago. She’s worked her

way up from cub reporter to morning newsanchor, a role she’s she had since 2003.“People wake up and they want to know

what’s going on,” says Holland. “We pres-ent it in a way that’s palatable at 5 o’clockin the morning.”At her start, Holland’s internship was

sort of a coup. Aimed at minority stu-dents, the paid position usually went tothose at big-name universities. She wentfor it anyway. “I knew I could do the job,” she says.Much like the unrelenting pace of TV

news, Holland’s introduction to the fieldwas brief; she had to be a quick thinker.

Norma Holland ’97:Telling the story of her city

:Follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/normaholland

Summer 2013 11

The nuns didn’t like it, but Pete Kennedy ’83 loved playing rock musicover the PA for his Catholic school classmates when he and his friendslugged in their turntables for their weekly eighth-grade show.

Kennedy’s real calling for radio came those times he tagged along with hisfather — who was the mayor of Canandaigua, N.Y. — to a little AM station ashis dad reported out on sewer, road improvement and other small-city issues.Dad didn’t like them much, but Pete was drawn to the guys behind the

glass. They looked like they were having fun.“He told me they were DJs. They stand around and BS and play music.

And they are wearing T-shirts and shorts. I was like, ’Well, I can do that!’”Kennedy has, for 30 years on Rochester, N.Y., airwaves, playing rock and

top 40 and bantering with callers about news and whatever else comes up. He got his start in high school at that same little station his father visited.

At Geneseo’s WGSU–FM, “I played tunes and heckled my buddies from thedorm … It was a combination of everything. That’s where I learned prettymuch everything about radio.”At Geneseo, Kennedy was also a DJ at the Inn Between. The IB and WGSU

helped him in a crucial skill-set he’d carry through his life, and career: “I gota master’s degree from socializing with people in both places.”Kennedy landed his first on-air job two weeks after graduation: With his

experience, they didn’t need to teach him the ropes. He has been on-air talent at three stations — first WHFM–FM, then

WPXY–FM for 20 years, and now WDVI–FM.He calls himself “The Mayor” Pete Kennedy, an homage to his father. A big

part of his role as “The Mayor” is to be the emcee at charity events, which heis proud to do. “It’s part of your job to live and work in the community …” says Kennedy.

“Go out and give back and you know you get plenty of reward. It’s fun.”— Kris Dreessen

She shadowed reporters for just a dayand a half before setting out solo tointerview the fire chief of OklahomaCity, who was visiting Rochester afterthe federal building bombings.“You have to be prepared to cover any-

thing, at any time, and you have to havethe skills to back that up,” says Holland.As morning co-anchor, she delivers the

news and discusses trends, but can just aseasily find herself covering breaking news.Holland works in the city where she

grew up. Being a journalist, she says,means telling its story on its best andworst days. When a gunman shot and killed two

West Webster, N.Y., firefighters lastChristmas Eve, she felt her role was mostimperative. She anchored coverage forseven hours, as colleagues reported fromthe scene.“The story was unfolding by the

minute and I knew everything I saidmattered to the victim’s families and allwho were watching it develop,” she says.“I wasn’t just reporting the news, I wasspeaking directly to my community.”

— Kris Dreessen

Pete Kennedy ’83: The Mayor of talk

: Read his blog:www.mydrivefm.com/pages/Mayor.html

Follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/normaholland



12 geneseo scene

Coming up on 40 years in radio,Tony Infantino ’76 still revels in themagic behind the mic.

“I love it,” he says. “I get to come to workand play. I get to be Tony Infantino for myjob — and I am uniquely qualified for theposition!’”Since 1994, Infantino has been the face

behind the jingle that invites listeners to“Wake Up With Tony” on WRMM–FM inRochester, N.Y. Ironically, he was trying todo the same in 1974 as a communicationsmajor, albeit on a much smaller scale. “I was on air three mornings a week at

WGBC and served as production director,”he says. “I basically lived in the studio.”That is unless he was in class with profes-

sors like the late Charles “Doc” Goetzinger,whom Infantino calls “the smartest man Iever met.” Or in the Rathskellar enjoying afew beers with friends. Or at the gazebo“applauding the sunsets.” Or at WXXY-FMin Montour Falls, working the weekendnoon to 6 slot. “What you learn in college is how to get

along with people,” offers Infantino. “Youlearn how to learn — and that to me is the

most important thing. I need to know a lit-tle bit about everything.” It was true then — and is true now, espe-

cially given how technology is changing themedium. “What used to take me two hours now

takes literally two minutes,” he says. “It’s soautomated; you can do so many things youcouldn’t do 10 to 20 years ago.”One thing hasn’t changed: Infantino’s

love for Rochester. Defying the odds in atransient profession, he has spent virtuallyhis entire career in his home city,anchored by a close-knit family.“My parents and brothers provided noth-

ing but support every step of the way,” hesays. “They are my heroes.”Infantino splits his time between his

radio show, daily promotional appearancesfor his show on TV, and gigs with his bandas a singer and guitarist. It could go to his head, but it doesn’t. He explains: “My teenage son once told

me, ‘Dad, you’re just famous enough thatpeople know who you are … but they don’tcare enough to come up and bother you!’”

— Anthony T. Hoppa

:Read his morning show blog: warm1013.com/morning-show-blog/

Tony Infantino ’76: Still a rush


Jim Chandler ’87: Waking ’em up in Music City

Before he was known as JimChandler — half of Nashville’spopular duo “Woody and Jim

in the Morning” — he was JimCrowe, a West Seneca, N.Y., kid whowanted to be a fighter pilot.Or a radio DJ.“That was before LASIK — and

when they told me that with myvision, I could never fly, it was like,‘Okay, plan B,’” recalls Crowe ’87,who majored in speech communica-tion. “DJ was another way of beingcool.”Crowe — who only goes by

Chandler at work — has come a longway since playing “radio station” inhis youth.“I remember putting albums on

the stereo and talking to myselfbetween songs,” he said. “Now that Ithink about it, that’s kind of sad andpathetic … I should have had morefriends!”Today, he has legions of fans who

have been waking up to his humorfor 15 years on Nashville’s longest-running radio show. That’s a far cryfrom his first stint behind the mic in1984 on WGBC–AM at Geneseo. “Itwas the farm team of WGSU,” dead-pans Crowe. “If you did well, theybrought you over to FM.” He later served as WGSU program

director and general manager, withthe perk of having his own show. Healso worked for commerical stationsincluding WHAM–AM in Rochester,

Continued on page 13

PHOTO PROVIDED

:Read his blog atwww.1075theriver.com/pages/personality_wj.html

Chandler, continued from page 12

where he gained more than just pro-fessional experience. He picked up anew identity. While working nights at WHAM,

someone would call him 20 minutesbefore setting fire to public build-ings. Though Crowe recorded thecalls and notified police, he foundthe experience unnerving. “That’s when I realized that maybe

I should use another name,’” Crowesaid.So he did what any Buffalo Bills

fan would do. He took the name of aplayer. Coincidentally, former widereceiver Bob Chandler even had thesame last initial.Overnight, Jim Crowe became Jim

Chandler.Looking back, Crowe holds many

fond memories of Geneseo, butnone rival his favorite: meeting hiswife, Jennifer Heins, when they wereactive in the Alpha Phi Omega serv-ice fraternity.“She was one of my pledgemas-

ters,” said Crowe. “And I’m still taking orders from her today!”

— Anthony T. Hoppa Two Geneseo alumni own both ofthe coveted drive-time radio pro-grams on WHAM-AM, among

the top-rated stations in Rochester, N.Y.In the morning, it’s Chet Walker ’78,

who has been with the talk-radio sta-tion since 1979, first on the overnightshift and now ushering in a new dayfrom 5 to 8:30 a.m.In the afternoon, it’s Joe “Joe Lo”

Lomonaco ’93, who’s been there 19 yearsand hosts the “5 O’clock Newshour.” Hespends the rest of his day as the station’screative services director in charge ofcommercial production.Walker and Lomonaco read and intro-

duce local, national and internationalnews segments, update listeners on trafficand weather, get in some jokes and basi-cally serve as on-air personality.Even though 15 years separate their

Geneseo experiences, they share a pas-sion for the storytelling impact thatradio has on listeners. Mentors — likeWGBC adviser Bill Berry and professorsBill Cook and Randy Barbara Kaplan —influenced them greatly, in decidingtheir career, learning directing andhow to tell a story.

Walker earned bachelor’s degrees inpsychology and speech communicationat Geneseo, then a master’s degree insocial work at the University at Buffalo,but he had taken an interest in broad-casting at Geneseo, where he gotinvolved with campus stations WGBCon the AM dial and WGSU–FM. That’swhat won out.“I figured I would need my social

work training to fall back on when theykicked me off of the air, which shouldhappen any day now,” jokes Walker.Lomonaco, too, found WGSU his

freshman year and stuck with it. “I spent four years learning how to

make a lot of mistakes on the radio,but it helped me get to where I amnow,” he says.Satisfaction of reaching thousands of

listeners in their day has been the con-stant through the years.“People I’ve never met will acknowl-

edge something I said that was mean-ingful to them and say have listened tome for many years,” says Chet. “That ishuge.”

— David Irwin

Chet Walker ’78 and Joe Lomonaco ’93: Talk radio hosts

: Read Chet’s blog: www.wham1180.com/pages/chetwalker.html

: Read Joe’s blog:www.wham1180.com/pages/joelomonaco.html

Seen and Heard is a peek inside Geneseo’s traditionof media talent — on and off the air.

Others include • Rachel Kingston ’08, news reporteron WIVB-TV in Buffalo

• John “J.T. The Brick” Tournour’87, sports talk radio host andOakland Raiders announcer

• Mike Ninnie ’85, general managerof three Rochester, N.Y., radio stations

Join the conversation and tell us your story at …www.geneseo.edu/wys/form

Summer 2013 13


Everyone has a story. A Geneseo story. A story about a person,

place or event that shapedyour life in ways big or small. Whether memories burn

brightly as if just ignited, orglow softly like embers from afading fire, the feelings of thisshared experience called “col-lege” resonate forever.Alumni stories light the wayand warm the heart. Theyconnect us to each other andto this special place. Theystrengthen the commonbond of “being here” thatunites us all. So tell us: What’s your story?

14 geneseo scene

ILLUSTRATION BY ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MA_RISH

What’syourstory?By Anthony T. Hoppa

Read more and submit your own atgeneseo.edu/WYS:

Summer 2013 15

When Kerry Fogarty Alexander ’87returns to campus every fall, she doesn’tconsider the six-and-a-half hour drivefrom Cheshire, Conn., as leaving home.Rather, she’s coming home — back to

a place where her story started. Whereher life, as she now knows it, reallybegan.At Geneseo, she discovered a passion

for learning.She met her husband, Chris Alexander

’89 — an Omega — at a toga party at theAGO house.She enjoyed simple pleasures like Aunt

Cookie’s subs or french fries with mayon-naise at the College Union snack bar.Walking underneath the archway nearThe Hub outside Sturges. Or checkingout the wall that still gets painted. Itserved as the “what’s going on” placebefore the advent of social media. Those little pieces of precious memo-

ries now form a mosaic that reflects herlife at Geneseo. Coming back is her wayof never forgetting.

“Sometimes we try to orchestrateour life instead of letting our lifelead us in its natural path. I

came to Geneseo as an accounting majorand never thought I’d be doing what I’mdoing now. I took a large psych 101 classand loved it so much I changed majors. Itook classes with different professors likeBill Cook and Karen Duffy … Theysparked an interest in me and helped merealize I could have a minor in organiza-tional and occupational behavior. They

led me to places I didn’t know existed,and that has since led me along this pathto become a high school guidance direc-tor at Sacred Heart Academy. I absolutelylove what I do.”

•••“My life as a student revolved around

Alpha Kappa Phi and our sororityprojects. Many of us who come back forHomecoming were involved as Greeks. Forme, in some ways, it’s an escape from thepressures of my reality now. I can go backto Geneseo and be Kerry Fogarty again forthree days with old friends and just be andlaugh and remember. It’s a way to stepback, slow down and reconnect.”

•••“Geneseo changed me from having a

mindset of getting a corporate job … todoing something that gave me more of apersonal value. At Geneseo, I learned tovalue people for who they are. We were realpeople from real families with real lives —and we still are. My dad was a cop and mymom wrapped presents at Macy’s. That’swho I am and that’s important to me. ”

•••“Geneseo is my touchstone and in so

many ways, it doesn’t change. Comingback every year allows me to rememberalways where I came from and how impor-tant that was.”

A touchstone

PHOTO BY JOEY ESPOSITO: EXPOSUREMAX PHOTOGRAPHY

Continued on page 35

“This place stays with you. I come back every year. So does my husband. This iswhere our story started. Be here. Let it lead you.”

— Kerry Fogarty Alexander ’87

16 geneseo scene

How a Geneseo alumnus — and one infinitesimally small particle —

are changing how we view the universe.

Summer 2013 17

Forty-nine years ago, scientists theo-rized that a special fundamental par-ticle — the Higgs boson — must

exist. When other fundamental particlesinteract with it, they acquire mass.What does this mean? The infinitesimally

miniscule Higgs boson is one of the build-ing blocks of all things.Without it, there is no you. Or me.Or more precisely, without the mass pro-

vided by the Higgs boson, the electronwould travel at the speed of light and notbe bound in atoms. This would mean thatatoms and molecules would not exist, whichwould mean that you and I would not exist.If all of a sudden the Higgs field disap-

peared, matter would simply disappearinto energy.So if anyone asks if a Higgs is important,

tell them their mortal life depends on it.Scientists have pursued the greatest

questions about the universe, and basedmany of our principles and predictions ofphysics using this theory — despite neverbeing able to create a Higgs boson orprove its existence.Having the capability to prove the exis-

tence of the Higgs boson was a pie-in-the-sky dream.As a 1997 Geneseo physics graduate, I

am honored to have co-led a team thatfound evidence for the crucial new particle, and quite fortunate to have participated in its final discovery. It took a long time to get there.

•••Finding the needle in the haystackIn 1998, I took part in a study to see howhard it would be to detect the Higgs bosonat the Tevatron particle collider at Fermilab,outside of Chicago. At the time, this was theonly collider with enough energy to pro-duce Higgs bosons, but there was just notenough data to prove they were there. I switched topics and for my doctoral

thesis at the University of Rochester I stud-ied the top quark, the heaviest fundamen-tal particle known to exist, with a mass of180 times that of a proton. It wasn’t until2005 that I began seriously searching forthe Higgs boson at the Tevatron. I was really drawn to the idea of seeing a

new particle pop into existence from puretheory. And, at this time, the pursuit of theHiggs boson became very real, because wehad high enough energy collisions, andwere collecting enough data to sift throughand find it.When studying the Higgs boson, we are

essentially pursuing the forces of natureand the constituents of the universe, by try-ing to produce in a laboratory energy den-sities that existed only a ten-billionth of asecond after the Big Bang.To accomplish this was a daunting task.The problem was that you need to col-

lide protons together to create the condi-tions needed to form a Higgs boson. Youhave to do it precisely — 1,000,000,000,000times in order to produce just one Higgsboson. Despite the fact that the Tevatroncollided protons together at rates of mil-lions of times per second, and ran almost24-7, with a Higgs boson produced everyfew days, it was (and is) still actually impos-sible to identify a single Higgs boson with100 percent accuracy.Why? Higgs bosons decay so quickly, dis-

appearing into a shower of dozens of parti-cles. As soon as they form, they decay. Andthey are similar enough to other types ofparticle decays that we can only calculate aprobability that a Higgs boson was there.So we needed to be detectives to find it,and use as many observations as we can, tomaximize our probability. Here’s how we managed to do it: We had

a 5,000-ton particle detector, which couldtake snapshots of the collisions by collectinga million measurements together to describeeach collision and all of the particles that

By Ben Kilminster ’97

Discovery of the Higgs boson — or the so-called “God Particle” — helpedconfirm the standard model of physics, one of the fundamental theories forhow the universe works. Ben Kilminster ’97 is among the researchers whoproved one of the most important scientific discoveries in our lifetime.

University of Zürich Associate Physics Professor Ben Kilminster ’97 helped produce a definitive observation of the Higgs boson particle, which isbelieved to be one of the most important scientific discoveries of our lifetime. Here, he holds a custom electronics board that he helped design,which reconstructs thousands of possible track trajectories of particles at a rate of 7 million times a second.PHOTO BY JOS SCHMID

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Ben Kilminster ’97 is an associateprofessor at the University ofZürich Physics Institute.Kilminster has dedicated much

of his research to searching for theHiggs boson, a unique particlewhich gives mass to particles likethe electron, and which explainswhy the force of light and that ofnuclear reactions is so different.At Fermilab’s accelerator near

Chicago, Kilminster co-led theteam that found evidence for a newparticle in the search for the Higgsboson, and at the EuropeanOrganization for Nuclear Research(CERN) Large Hadron Collideraccelerator, he helped produce adefinitive observation of this parti-cle. He also is featured in the film“The Atom Smashers.”

18 geneseo scene

were produced. But drowning out our Higgsboson signal were millions of mundane pro-ton collisions we call “backgrounds” whichproduced almost identical snapshots.Imagine this impossible scenario: You

need to find all the needles in a haystack.But all you are given are pictures of thehaystack, and not the haystack itself. Andthen it turns out that the pictures are notphotos, but paintings.

•••The moment that changed our understandingBy 2011, we had developed analysis tech-niques that could pick out needles with veryhigh probability. I had been heavily involvedin developing these analysis techniques andbecame co-leader of the Higgs boson searchgroup from 2008 to 2011. The added com-plication was that in Europe a new accelera-tor called the Large Hadron Collider(LHC) was turning on, with higher energyand faster collision rates than the Americanone. That team would likely find the Higgsboson first. So I joined that experiment aswell in 2011, helping to combine all thedata together and determine if it yielded aconsistent answer. On July 4, 2012, it all came to a head.Scientists at both accelerators had been

working frantically to prepare their resultsfor the big, yearly particle physics confer-ence, which was in Australia that year. Theresults came in. On one side, my Tevatronexperiment had found evidence for a newparticle that looked just like the Higgsboson in one of the ways it decayed. Onthe other hand, my LHC experiment hadobserved a new particle decaying just likethe Higgs boson in two other ways that itcould decay. Together, the evidence wasquite overwhelming. With all of the experi-ments taken together, there was less than achance in a billion that we were wrong. This was a big deal.The Higgs boson had been theorized in

the 1960s by six theoretical physicists, onenamed Peter Higgs, and another one

named Richard Hagen, a professor at theUniversity of Rochester. They were tryingto explain how the force of light electricityand magnetism was related to the forcethat controlled nuclear reactions, and theystumbled onto a theory, which predictedthis new particle. But it took until 2012 forexperiments to catch up with the theoryand provide proof that something just likethe Higgs boson existed and the universewas filled with a field providing mass tofundamental particles. Physicists were ecstatic. Since I was part

of both the American and Europeanexperiments, I knew what to expect. Still, I

drove out to Fermilab at midnight on July4 to see the presentations on a big screen.LHC leaders Joe Incandela and FabiolaGianotti gave live web-streamed presenta-tions presenting the findings. For a fewdays the Higgs boson was all over themedia. Reporters interviewed scientists,and everyone gave their renditions on whatthis abstract finding meant. Less than ayear later, additional data has proven thatthis new particle is a Higgs boson.

•••The discovery is like walking on the moonWe scientists were all happy, but now weare on to the next thing. We have manyquestions to ask about how the universe

started 13.8 billion years ago and how theforces unify, and why there are so manyparticles with such different masses. But weare very excited that our theories haveproven so accurate in predicting the behav-ior of the universe. In another sense, the Higgs boson con-

firmation is akin to the monumentalachievement of walking on the moon. Itonce seemed impossible and will changehow we think about the universe — andwhat we can learn in it.Knowledge is so important because it can

be built upon. Until we knew what an elec-tron was, we could not make a computer.Until we found out how particles acquiremass, we could not take the next step inknowledge.The frontier of knowledge about the

smallest objects in the universe, the highestenergies of the universe, and the origins ofthe forces that control objects at theseenergies has brought mankind to a pointin time where we now understand andhave proof of how particles can gain mass.This is a huge feat of knowledge forhumanity, and the full implications of itmay not be understood for many years,when we have built upon this knowledgemany times and created new knowledgeand technology. The truth is that until we ask the ques-

tions, and learn the answers, we don’tknow what we will gain.I think about current Geneseo students

who are starting out or considering scien-tific research.If you stick to it, you can become a leading

expert on some part of the human experi-ence. You could increase human knowledgeand potentially the quality of life of billionsof people for many millions of years into thefuture. Sounds hard to achieve, I know, butyou’ve got a great place to start. Sciencebuilds off the research of others in the past,and our body of knowledge is humankind’sprized possession.

HIGGS BOSON 101:

Ben Kilminster’s series of “Plain English” articles explores theHiggs boson in depth.www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/new/hdg/Plain_English.html

: Kilminster is also featured in “The Atom Smashers” documentary.http://theatomsmashers.com :

Geneseo’s physics and astronomydepartment celebrates

50 years on Aug. 30 and 31

www.geneseo.edu/physicsfest

I GOT MY START AT GENESEO …I have worked in the field of particlephysics since I participated in researchwith former Geneseo Professor SarahDurston Johnson on Cornell’s CLEOexperiment while a student atGeneseo. CLEO was a particle physicsexperiment for studying electron-positron collisions. I also worked withDistinguished Professor of Physics andAstronomy Emeritus David Meisel,studying chaos in evolutionary systems.

Summer 2013 19

By Meredith Drake

When Shane Zanetti ’08 got hiredto teach social studies and coachtrack at a small school in upstate

New York, there wasn’t a year-round dis-tance running program. So he started one.When he left three years later, the pro-

gram was going strong. A student evenwrote her college essay on what Zanettitaught her about running a 5K race, andbelieving in herself.That success, he says, is thanks to what he

learned from his own coaches at Geneseoand the instruction that helped himbecome a successful coach. Zanetti was ableto complete a nine-credit program tobecome a New York state certified coach asan undergraduate.“At Geneseo, I learned how to build a

team into a program and a family,” saysZanetti, who now teaches and coachescross-country and track at Saratoga SpringsHigh School. “I still draw on what I learnedat Geneseo all the time. The program mademe realize there’s a lot more to coachingthan just knowing your sport and sharing itwith the kids.” Those epiphanies? Ideas like team above

the individual. And, if your athletes trustand believe in you, you can make thembelieve in themselves. Started in 1978 as a way for education

majors to graduate with additional teachingcredentials, 120 Geneseo students haveearned certification in 11 of Geneseo’s 12varsity sports. That makes them eligibleupon graduation to lead varsity, junior varsi-ty and modified sports in public and privateschools.Aspiring coaches cover the nuts and bolts

and nuánces, like how to hold people’s

attention. They learn to care for and pre-vent emergencies and injuries, create port-folios with personal coaching philosophyand practice plans, learn to communicatewith colleagues and parents, and spendtime one on one with a Geneseo coach andcampus trainers. Director of IntercollegiateAthletics and Recreation Michael Mooneyhas taught principles and philosophies ofcoaching for 20 years.“I see them as starting with an empty tool

box,” he says. “They fill that tool box bywatching practices, watching games, devel-oping their own philosophy … What theydon’t understand is all the other things youhave to do as a coach. There’s a lot ofpaperwork and then you’re part psycholo-gist, part teacher, part counselor, partphilosopher. My job is to get them to thinkbigger, globally. They have to think abouthow to get the players to come together.”Geneseo women’s soccer coach Nathan

Wiley encourages students he works with toobserve as many other coaches as they can. The “wow,” Mooney says, is when alumni

say they used something they learned inclass and it worked.Math major Alexa Salzman ’13 and speech

pathology major Lexi Williams ’13 complet-ed their certification as softball coaches lastsemester. Sharing her love of the sport withthe next generation is Salzman’s way of car-rying on the strong coaching that’s kept herin the sport for 17 years. “I’ve had great coaches in my career and

want to inspire someone else in the sameway,” she says.Williams has played softball since she was

6. With a father who coached, she knew athing or two about coaches just from grow-ing up around them. She’s eager to try itout herself.“I want to take what I’ve learned from

everyone,” she says, “and add my own twist.”

Students earn certification to mentor school teams before they graduate.

The next generation of coaches

ATHLETICS AND RECREATION

Lexi Williams ’13, left, and Alexa Salzman ’13 earned their New York state certification to coachteam sports before they even graduated from college through a unique program that morethan 120 Geneseo students have completed.

“I see them as starting with an empty

tool box. They fill that tool box by

watching practices, watching games,

developing their own philosophy.”— Michael Mooney


On deck

20 geneseo scene

Chris Caggiano ’13 didn’t expect hiscommittee to devolve into nuclearwar, but in Model UN, you just never

know.As a member of the Pakistani cabinet,

Caggiano made alliances with Russia,South Africa and Turkey during a blisteringcrisis between India and China. Taking onthe persona of the country he represented,he shifted focus onPakistan. He had donehis research and hadno intention of beinglost in the shuffle. “I found people who

were willing to listen tomy point,” saysCaggiano, GeneseoModel UN presidentfor 2012-2013. “Peoplewho wanted to bump the conventionalpowers … wanted to send me small armsand jets and tanks.”Before he knew it, Caggiano was the cen-

ter of nuclear war — and the winner ofthe Best Delegate of his committee.“(People) think of it as dry parliamentary

debate, but a lot of Model UN has evolvedto involve crisis committees,” he says. “Thatmeans it’s an active, non-static topic.People have the power of their persons.”

In other words, delegates take on realpositions of power and work with the sametools accessible to those individuals — be itmilitary technology or Congressional fund-ing. Sometimes they take on the muscle ofthe mafia in committees focused on theunderground politics of Italy, or personasin a mock “Game of Thrones.” Caggianohas also argued from the position of a

drug cartel.They spend the

months before eachconference research-ing, collaborating,and holding mockcommittees anddebates, then hashout world issues withdelegations fromother colleges.

Geneseo is a small school, so students tendto represent smaller nations. They alwaysmake their mark.

“Debating with delegates at top-tier uni-versities, we’ve gotten to the point wherewe are competitive — ranked ahead ofsome Ivy League schools,” says Caggiano.“By our delegates really knowing their top-ics, and being well-versed, they stand out.”Last April, Geneseo earned Best

Delegation honors at Five College Model

United Nations, meaning the club won themost individual awards. Geneseo previous-ly won the second-place delegation awardfor four consecutive years.This year, the club celebrates a 25-year

history of providing students with a passionfor politics — and research, debate and alittle showmanship — with time on theworld stage. The club began formally in1988, but Geneseo fielded delegations ear-lier, when Elaine Kehew ’89 told Professorof Political Science and International

“It’s an interesting way toget a new perspective on

issues — and the perspectiveyou’re representing may notbe your own, you have to see

outside the box.”— Katie Becker ’14

By Daniel B. O’Brien ’13

SOCIAL NETWORK

25 years on the micro-world stage

As part of our new feature, The Scene will highlight one ofGeneseo’s 194 student clubs. Enjoy a look at those that arelongtime traditions, as well as the surprising and the new.

MODELUN

25 years

25 years

Summer 2013 21

Relations Robert Goeckel that she missedher high school Model UN club and want-ed to start one at Geneseo.That first year, they recruited seven stu-

dents, secured seed money from TheGeneseo Foundation and hitched a ridewith another school to represent Hondurasat Harvard’s Model UN. Now, some 15 to20 club members participate in four or fiveconferences per year.Dave Eaton ’88 was one of Goeckel’s pio-

neering recruits. He remembers how work-ing on an Energy Committee taught himhow to go outside his comfort zone. “I had to look up things I wasn’t familiar

with, which was kind of neat,” says Eaton.“Bringing that specialized knowledge intoa team framework is a useful thing I tookout of it.”Twenty-five years later, Katie Becker ’14

finds the same epiphanies in the ModelUN microcosm.

Celebrating 25 years: Members of the Model UN have explored and debated world issues and gained new perspectives representing countries atconferences since Elaine Kehew ’89 co-founded the club.


“It’s an interesting way to get a new per-spective on issues — and the perspectiveyou’re representing may not be yourown,” she says. “You have to see outsidethe box.”

22 geneseo scene

When Kyle Denniston ’04 was a freshman in high

school, his grandmother came to live with his family.

Though Denniston welcomed her presence, he cannot

say the same for the circumstances that brought her.

She came to help after his father was diagnosed with

angiosarcoma, a malignant cancer that attacks blood or lym-

phatic vessels. During this time, his mom was a force in keeping

the family together, even during long trips away for treatment.

“It was tough,” Denniston says. “It gives you the first-hand

experience of what a family affected by cancer goes through.

You just have to get through it.”

His father has been cancer-free for 16 years.

Denniston’s experience would later inspire him to become a

radiation oncologist. He now works every day helping cancer

patients. As a resident at the University of Nebraska Medical

Center in Omaha, he uses 3-D software to create treatment

plans. Sometimes, when Denniston is making diagnoses, he

thinks of his father.

“I can’t help but think about what they did back then, and how

he was treated,” he says. “It’s an interesting thought. Especially

when I see a case with a similar disease as he had. It hits close to

home. The beauty of what we do now is that because everything

is 3-D based, every treatment plan ends up being unique to the

patient. We do have certain guidelines, for example, for radiation

doses. But, anatomically, we’re really able to fashion every plan

individually for the patients that we’re treating. That’s probably

the biggest step forward as far as radiation technology has gone

over the past 15 years.”

Denniston initially sought a doctorate in medical physics, but

Chicago turned out to be lonesome on two accounts: the

absence of his girlfriend and future wife Johanna Schaefer

Denniston ’04 — whom he met on his very first day at Geneseo

in Suffolk Hall — and a lack of fervor for his field.

“We spent a lot of time doing computer programming and

mathematical models and things — the very back end,” he says.

“I found that there was something lacking.”

Denniston moved to Boston with Johanna for medical school

at Tufts University.

“I can’t remember what things were like before we were

together,” says Denniston, who can’t imagine where he’d be

without his wife’s support. “It’s been a long time and I wouldn’t

change a thing.”

In 2011, they moved to Omaha; Johanna is a special education

teacher. Even though many of his patients are terminal and

treatment sometimes means helping them suffer as little as pos-

sible, he’s optimistic.

“When you see a patient who is really having a rough time and

you’re able to help them to enjoy life more, that’s very reward-

ing,” he says. “We can play a major role in making their quality of

life better ... Focus on the positive.”

Kyle DennistonClass of 2004

Home: Bellevue, Neb.Graduation year: 2004Degree: bachelor’s in physicsFamily: wife, Johanna ’04

Hobbies: Hiking, backpacking,running, cycling.

Something about me thatusually surprises people: I would rather be on a moun-tain than anywhere else in theworld.

The biggest risk I’ve taken:Leaving graduate schoolwith no future assurances.

How you describe Geneseo:A great place to spend fouryears.

Favorite campus hangout: A tie between Greene HallJunior Lab and Kelly’s.

Best Geneseo memory:Meeting Johanna.

Favorite professor or class:Chi Ming Tang, CharlieFreeman, Jerry Reber

How Geneseo has shapedyour life: It provided me withthe foundation of my educa-tion, taught me a lot aboutmyself and introduced me tosome of my best friends,including my wife.

Most important life lessonlearned at Geneseo: Don’t be afraid to do thethings that make you happiest.

One Cup

ILLUSTRATION AMANDA LINDLEY

RANDOM PROFILE

By Daniel B. O’Brien ’13

Inspired by the idea that

everyone has a story to share,

we offer the “random profile.”

Each issue, we don a blindfold

and throw a dart at a map of

the United States to choose

our state, then take aim again

to choose a lucky alum. We

catch up, relive memories and

share life insight, like we are

talking over coffee.

Up next ... Colorado

Could it be you?

ONE CUP

QUICK FACTS

PHOTO PROVIDED

Summer 2013 23

24 Alumni event photos

28 Native historian

29 A Fab director

30 Class Notes

ALUMNI NEWS

ABOUT THE ARTIST:Inspired by her first trip to Lamu, an island on the Kenya-Somali border,Elaine Kehew ’89 painted “Under the Dhow Sail.” “To get from the mainland to the island, you need to take this ferry,” she

says. “I snapped a photo under the sail. The island has no cars, just boats anddonkeys. I became so interested in the people and life of that island that Ibased my most recent body of work on life in Lamu.”Kehew is drawn to nature and looks for unexpected combinations of color

to portray a sense of life rooted in the earth or on the sea.While at Geneseo, Kehew helped found the Model UN club (see story on

page 20). It was a prophetic move, as she lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with herfamily, and works as a consultant for the Urban Legislative Group in the UNHabitat’s Land Governance Branch, building a global database of all urbanlaws of member nations.See more of her work at www.elainekehew.comShare your artwork with us! Send a short bio and a link or examples of your

work to [email protected].

ART BY ELAINE KEHEW ’89

Alumni News

24 geneseo scene

Upcoming

Alumni EventsThe Office of Alumni Relations is always looking for regional event ideas.Contact the office at [email protected] if you would like to work with usto plan an event in your area.

Events being planned as of press deadline:

It is very important that you keep Geneseo informed of your current mailing address. You will receive event invitations and notifications based on the addresswe have on file, the address where this issue of the Scene was mailed. If the address on the back of this magazine isn’t up to date, you might be missing out!

Geneseo — coming soon, to a city near you!The Office of Alumni Relations is constantly planning events on campusand throughout the 18 regions identified below. In an effort to reducecost and preserve resources, invitations to most of our events will be sentby email (not print). To stay informed of alumni gatherings occurring inGeneseo or in a region near you, please check the alumni website,www.geneseo.edu/alumni, and make sure Geneseo has your most up-to-date email address.

GENESEO ALUMNI REGIONS

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

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

• Long Island Region• New England Region

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

• Philadelphia/New Jersey — Southern Region

• Rochester Region• San Francisco Region

• Southern California Region• Syracuse Region

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

August 2013San Francisco: Aug. 10 — San Jose Giants baseball game andbarbecue in San JoseCampus: Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 — Physics department 50thAnniversary CelebrationSyracuse: Aug. 17 — Alumni cruise on Skaneateles Lake

September 2013Campus: Sept. 14 — Alumni MudcatClub Baseball reunion weekend Sept. 27-29 — HOMECOMING

October 2013Denver:Oct. 3 — Oktoberfestreception and tour Washington, D.C.:Oct. 10 — Dessert reception with alumni andstudents of the Political Affairs Club

New York City:Oct. 17 — Wall Street Association receptionCampus: Oct. 25 through 27 —FAMILY WEEKEND

Look for upcoming opportunitiesto say goodbye to PresidentChristopher C. Dahl, who is retir-ing. We will be announcing datesvery soon for farewell receptionsacross the country.

Also, we are continuously addingnew events to our calendar! Pleasecheck our website — www.gene-seo.edu/alumni — for the most up-to-date list of events in your area.

Geneseo alumni homepage: alumni.geneseo.edu

Alumni Women’sSoccer Weekend,

Campus

Summer 2013 25

Alumni Events

Alumni Women’s Volleyball Reunion, Campus

Alumni Pep Band Reunion, CampusAlumni Hockey Weekend, Campus

Alumni Women’s Basketball Reunion, Campus

Alumni Women’s Field Hockey Weekend, CampusAlumni Men’s Soccer Weekend, Campus

26 geneseo scene

Amerks Event — RochesterGeneseo Night Out at the Rochester Amerks, hosted by JamesTraylor ’07 and Financial Architects MassMutual.

Sabres Event — BuffaloGeneseo Night Out at the Buffalo Sabres hockey game.

Alumni Luncheon — San Diego

Alumni Events

UAA Last Chance Broomball Tournament — Campus Last Chance Broomball Tournament hosted by the Undergraduate AlumniAssociation, featuring faculty/staff and alumni teams.

Alumni Men’s and Women’s Rugby Weekend — Campus

Summer 2013 27

NYC Alumni Happy HourHappy Hour organized by Padraic McConville ’04 and Clare

Cusack ’96

NYC Alumni Reception and Wine Pairing Eventhosted by Frank Vafier ’74 at Corkbuzz

Externship Reception — Washington, D.C. Externship Student and Alumni Reception hosted by James Leary ’76 and Andrea Vavonese ’91,Washington, D.C.

Syracuse, N.Y., Barbecue EventDinosaur Barbeque Event hosted by Tanya Woldbeck Gesek ’93.

Wegmans Cooking School Event — Rochester, N.Y.

Not long ago, no Senecasin the Cattaraugus reser-vation practiced black-

ash basketry. While the basketsare still an important part ofmarriage, corn washing andother ceremonies, the delicate,time-intensive art form hadbeen set aside for generations.Native American historian

and craftsman Michael Galban’93 and his wife, Tonia Loran,changed that.They taught apprentices how

to split black ash logs; even howto make the tools used specifi-cally for the task. They showedthem how to clean the splintsthey cut and to weave the woodas people had hundreds of yearsago. A new group carries on thetribal tradition.“There really is a core group

of Seneca basket-makers now.These are people who made it a

commitment and priority intheir lives,” says Galban, aWashoe/Paiutetribe member.“It’s a great feel-ing to know youplayed a part inrevitalizing that.”As the public

historian atGanondaganState Historic Site,Galban providesinterpretation tovisitors of theHaudenosauneecommunity thatflourished in Victor, N.Y., duringthe 17th century.With 22 years of research and

insight from tribal elders,Galban has become a renownedscholar, resource and teacher ofhistory, culture and art of manynative peoples throughoutNorth America.

“I interpret history with a cul-turally appropriate perspective,”

says Galban. “Thewhole story.” Galban lectures

and consultsextensivelythroughout theUnited States formuseums and oth-ers. He works withTV and film crewsto ensure theirportrayals of nativehistory and cultureare authentic.In his specialty,

Galban is also part forensic scientist. Galban meticulously recreates

native objects — often foundonly in museums. He does soprecisely as they were made cen-turies ago, from process to fin-ished piece, such as pouchesdecorated with dyed porcupine

quills that were used at the timeof the American Revolution.“I see those historic pieces as

master works, like anybodywould see a Degas or Monet,”says Galban.There’s a lot of experimenta-

tion; often little is known aboutthe objects. “Native art is verymuch a science,” he says.To make the quill pouch, for

example, Galban traded for thedeer hide and tanned it himself.He hunted the porcupine, thencleaned and dyed the quills withbed straw root. First, he had tofigure out a formula thatworked — and find the plant.“Barely anyone even knows

what bed straw root looks like,”he says. Galban’s own work often

becomes part of prized collec-tions; a similar pouch is onexhibit in Germany.While Galban studied fine

art at Geneseo and intended acareer as a contemporaryIndian artist, he says he discov-ered it was “all wrong for me.”He put it aside, until he carvedout his niche at Ganondagan,where he started working as asophomore in college. He now sees his path was in

him all along. As a child, Galbanlooked at books of Indian artand envisioned himself in thosetimes.“The passion I found was an

old one,” he says. “I just hadn’trealized it.”In preserving that history, and

keeping it alive, Galban seeshimself as a “doorkeeper” — topreserve, celebrate and sharewhat is endangered. “I feel it is a priority for native

people to have a full under-standing and appreciation oftheir past,” says Galban. “Weowe it to our ancestors to carryon some of those elements …My goal is to present it back tonative communities whose tradi-tion it really is. I think that’s mycalling.”

— by Kris Dreessen

class of ’93Michael Galban

ALUMNI PROFILE

ALUMNI NEWS

Doorkeeper of NativeAmerican history

PHOTO BY KRIS DREESSEN

28 geneseo scene

Michael Galban ’93, pictured at Ganondagan State Historic Site, is a renowned scholar and resource of nativepeoples who has helped tribal communities revive traditional crafts and processes. He also is an internationallyacclaimed artist.

Galban recreated this 1700spouch with hand-dyed porcupine quills.

Director of fun for all that is Fab

What’s the next bigtrend you’ll see inhome goods, fun

clothing and candy jars?Swedish Fish. “There’s a company that

makes giant edible GummyBears,” says Devin Guinn ’06.“Gummy bear-related mer-chandise was big in 2012. Iwant them to do the SwedishFish and Pez. I want aSwedish Fish night light, anottoman, a pillow. That wouldbe cool.”Guinn is the director of

merchandising-fun — yes,that’s actually his title — atFab, an online retailer ofproducts with fun,funky and stylishdesigns. On a givenday, shoppers mightpick up anythingfrom mid-centurymodern club chairsto maple-baconchocolate fudge toearrings featuringminiatures of Barackand Michelle Obama. Guinn oversees a

team of 14, includingmerchandise buyersand support staff, andsets trends. “I get tosay, ‘What’s the coolnew thing of theyear?’” says Guinn.Guinn’s trend-set-

ting acumen hashelped Fab’s sales sky-rocket — from $20million in 2011 tomore than $100 mil-lion in 2012 — andrevenue is set to dou-

ble in 2013. Visits to Fab.comtrounce those of other e-com-merce sites like Zulily, Etsy, RueLa La and Woot; the site cur-rently has 12 million and grow-ing members. Guinn has been a part of

Fab from its inception. Aftergetting his degree in musicaltheater, Guinn worked both

in theater management andin retail for Apple until hewas hired by Fabulis.com, asocial networking site for gaymen, in 2011.Two months after Guinn

was hired by Fabulis, itsfounders, BradfordShellhammer and JasonGoldberg, shifted the compa-

ny’s focus from social net-working to selling well-designed products, andrebranded the company fromFabulis to Fab. Of Fabulis’original employees, only twomade the transition to Fab —and Guinn was one of them. Guinn says it was his “spirit

and energy” that got himhired at Fabulis and kept himon as it transitioned to Fab.Though not everyone mightsee a connection between hiseducation and becoming asuccessful professional at atop-rated Internet start-up,Guinn credits his Geneseoeducation as a key to his suc-

cess. He was encour-aged to try everythingout, he says.“A liberal arts edu-

cation gives you theopportunity toimmerse yourself inall categories and allgenres and all topicsof conversation,” saysGuinn. “It gave mebroad exposure to alot of different things.When I left the the-ater world and wentto Fab, I wasn’tscared, I wasn’t con-cerned, I knew that Ihad the right founda-tion and could doanything well if I putmy mind to it.”

— By Laura Kenyon

Summer 2013 29

“A liberal arts education gives you the

opportunity to immerse yourself in all

categories and all genres and all topics

of conversation.”— Devin Guinn ’06

class of ’06Devin Guinn

PHOTO PROVIDED

Look for the Swedish Fish! Asdirector of merchandising andfun at Fab.com, Devin Guinn ’06looks for those special thingsthat are stylish and set trends.

30 geneseo scene

Mairy, on Feb. 7, 2013, inBellingham, Wash.

1988Melinda Berry is a project consult-ant/program manager at SkillSoftin the greater Boston area. She isalso the director, business develop-ment and coach for Career CollegeEdge. James Carter recentlyaccepted a position at LSevenSolutions in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,as an I.T. project/field engineer.Mark Cronin accepted a positionin September 2012 at UniversityCardiovascular Associates inRochester, N.Y., as chief executiveofficer. Before that, he was vicepresident of corporate and systemsinitiatives at the American CancerSociety. Hilda Smith Pomeroyreceived a master of science degreein health care administration fromUtica College in August 2012.David Terry was recently named asthe East region environmentalcoordinator for GEI ConsultantsInc. He is responsible for coordi-nating environmental standards,training and business developmentfor East Coast offices.

1989Celebrating their 25th reunion in 2014.Anne Petermann was recentlyawarded the International WhiteDove Award from the RochesterCommittee on Latin America inRochester, N.Y., for her interna-tional work to protect the environ-ment, defend the rights of indige-nous peoples, protect forests, andstop the release of genetically engi-neered trees. She works in solidari-ty with social movements, commu-nities and organizations fromaround the world with a focus inMexico, Central America andSouth America. Petermann is theexecutive director of the GlobalJustice Ecology Project and also theinternational coordinator of theCampaign to Stop GeneticallyEngineered Trees. Since 2004, shehas presented around the world atUnited Nations meetings on the

1950sMaureen Curry ’54 is the firstrecipient of the Magnano Heart ofOlean Award given by the GreaterOlean Area Chamber of Commercein November 2012. The award isbestowed upon an individual whohas the spirit of Louis Magnano’sbusiness acumen and his loyalty andlove for his Olean community.

1960sAnn Marie Hanson Stanton ’62is working for the Enoch PrattFree Library in Baltimore.Jonathan Kurnik ’69 hasresumed a 33-year career in pas-toral ministry in Canada after afive-year hiatus, serving with anursing care team in the southernUnited States. Lynda GrahamRogers ’69 recently retired fromteaching middle school math andnow lives in Florida.

1970sClass of 1974 — celebratingtheir 40th reunion and Classof 1979 — celebrating their35th reunion in 2014.Wayne Fisher ’72, a Marylandantiques dealer and artist, outfitteda historic manor with arrange-ments of mid-19th-century antiquesthat pay homage to the Civil Warera and the home’s original own-ers. His work was featured in theMarch 2013 issue of CountrySamplermagazine. John Robie ’73,a music producer, musician andcomposer, collaborated with DJAfrika Bambaataa & the Soul SonicForce in the 1970s to create“Planet Rock,” a gold-selling songthat is widely credited with inspir-ing future hip-hop and electronicmusic. Most recently, “Planet Rock”was named as the No. 3 hip-hopsong of all time by Rolling Stonemagazine. Robie has produced,played on or composed more than100 songs, albums and sound-tracks, for films such as “Pretty inPink.” Carla Roetzer Vitale ’73co-wrote “Treasure Island, a NewMusical,” and served as dramaturg

and education consultant for theproduction, which recently pre-miered at the Arkansas RepertoryTheatre in Little Rock. Vitale hasdanced with Martha Graham, AlvinAiley and others, and has choreo-graphed more than 40 produc-tions, including a national tour of“Annie.” Jill PaddockSantopietro ’75 has begun herfifth year as director of theGeorgetown County Museum inhistoric Georgetown, S.C. Prior toher current position, she served asevents and communication direc-tor of the New Jersey Museum ofAgriculture in New Brunswick.

1980Daniel Farberman recently accept-ed a position at Kaleida Health inBuffalo, N.Y., as vice president ofemployee and labor relations. He

recently wasemployed atThe BuffaloNews as vicepresident ofhumanresourcesand laborrelations.GailHornstein

recently formed the law firm ofHornstein & Bennett PLLC inScottsdale, Ariz., with a focus onhealth care law and civil litigation.She also provides mediation servic-es. Most recently, she was a partnerwith Smith, Farhart & HornsteinLLC in the Phoenix area.

1983William Shelp and BonnalinnMyers are happy to announce theirmarriage on Jan. 28, 2012.

1984Celebrating their 30th reunion in 2014.

1987Scott and Michele Deegan wel-comed two daughters, Katie and

ClassNotesclimate,forests,indigenouspeoples’rights andbiologicaldiversity.MaureenRyan Wolfewas recentlypromoted tosenior vice

president/director of humanresources and community relationsfrom vice president/people andorganization development directorat ESL Federal Credit Union inVictor, N.Y.

1992Amy Ludwig-VanDerwater hasreleased her first book of poetry forchildren, titled “Forest Has a Song.”

1993Christopher Dailey was recentlypromoted to superintendent ofschools at the Batavia City (N.Y.)School District.

1994Celebrating their 20th reunion in 2014.

1995Gregory Ahlquist, a social studiesteacher at Webster Thomas HighSchool in Webster, N.Y., was namedby the Board of Regents as 2013New York State Teacher of the Year.He is a Webster native and hastaught at the school for 12 years.

1995Kevin Bozza was recently promot-ed from assistant vice president tovice president, clinical resourcemanagement, at the Long IslandHealth Network in Melville, N.Y.David Flynn and Lisa RandFlynn ’97 are proud to announcethe birth of a baby girl, AliceHazel, on Nov. 19, 2012. ShelleyMehlenbacher recently accepted a

ALUMNI NEWS

Daniel Farberman

Maureen RyanWolfe

Summer 2013 31

position at the Vermont Agency ofAgriculture, Food and Markets inMontpelier, Vt., as assistant stateveterinarian. Shelley also received amaster of public health from theUniversity of Minnesota — Schoolof Public Health on June 1, 2011.At the same time, she successfullypassed the board exam andbecame a diplomate of theAmerican College of VeterinaryPreventive Medicine. DennisNayor was appointed to the rankof chief of police for the City ofOneonta Police Department inApril 2012. He has served with thedepartment since 1995. Nayor is aNew York State Department ofCriminal Justice certified policegeneral topics instructor, policedefensive tactics instructor, policefirearms instructor, police physicalfitness instructor, DARE instructor,and hostage negotiator. Amy Westrecently accepted a position asmanager of communications andmedia at Tufts Clinical andTranslational Science Institute(Tufts CTSI) in Boston.

1996Melissa “Lissy” L’Amoreaux is vicepresident, digital/interactive forEclipse Advertising. She was former-ly CEO/executive creative directorfor Union Inc. Union was acquiredby Eclipse Advertising in April 2012.Matthew Tappon recently accepteda position at Council Rock PrimarySchool in Brighton, N.Y., as princi-pal. He was most recently employedat Churchville Chili Middle Schoolas assistant principal.

1997Aimee Dawson received a masterof arts in communication fromSUNY Brockport in August 2012.Marc DiPaolo and Stacey DiPaoloare proud to announce the birth ofa baby girl, Keira Lillian DiPaolo,born on Jan. 16, 2013, inOklahoma City, Okla. Lisa RandFlynn and David Flynn ’95 areproud to announce the birth of ababy girl, Alice Hazel, born onNov. 19, 2012. Charles Guarino issenior vice president and directorof marketing for Five Star Bank,responsible for product develop-ment, marketing research, pricing,advertising, promotions and publicrelations activities. He has been

employed by Five Star Bank for 17years, most recently as vice presi-dent and manager of productdevelopment and marketingresearch. Barbara Ann Rieffer-Flanagan authored a book,“Evolving Iran.” Cary Silvermanwas appointed to the faculty of TheGeorge Washington University LawSchool in Washington, D.C., as anadjunct professor. Tina PepeStern and Erik Stern are proud toannounce the birth of a baby boy,Zachary Michael Stern, born onJune 25, 2012, in Weston, Fla.

1998Maureen Haran Bowie receiveda master of science in educationalleadership in building and districtleadership from the College ofNew Rochelle in May 2013. Sheand her husband, Lucas Bowie,are also happy to announce theirmarriage on March 22, 2013, inThe Woodlands in Woodbury,N.Y. They reside in Levittown,N.Y. John Elnicky and JoAnneKukoda-Elnicky ’99 are proudto announce the birth of twins —a boy and a girl — born on April2, 2012, in Buffalo, N.Y. Carsonand Emma join big brother,

Aidan, whowas born onMarch 3,2009, inReston, Va.BrianMatykoworks forCiti Groupin New YorkCity as a

mortgage banker. He previouslywas employed at MetLife HomeLoans as a Mortgage Consultant.

1999Celebrating their 15threunion in 2014.Cory Soper Jacobs recentlyaccepted a position at UnitedMethodist Homes in Johnson City,

N.Y., as vicepresident ofdevelop-ment. Shemost recent-ly wasemployed atBinghamtonUniversity assenior direc-tor of major

gifts. Julie Kim recently accepted aposition at AMC Networks in New

York, N.Y., asdirector ofpricing andplanning.She was pre-viouslyemployed atMTVNetworks, adivision ofViacom, as

director of forecasting. JoAnneKukoda-Elnicky and JohnElnicky ’98 are proud toannounce the birth of twins — aboy and a girl — born on April 2,2012, in Buffalo, N.Y. Carson andEmma join big brother, Aidan, whowas born on March 3, 2009, inReston, Va. Karen SeamanMarotta and James Marotta areproud to announce the birth of ababy boy, Dylan, born on Sept. 21,2012. Karen was also named manag-ing director at the PR agency kwit-ten + company in New York City.

2000Thomas D’Angelo was recentlypromoted to vice president, finan-cial counseling, from account man-ager at The Ayco Co., L.P., a GSCo., in Parsippany, N.J. PabloDeRosas has been volunteeringwith CityLax, a nonprofit organiza-tion that brings the sport oflacrosse to high school students inunder-served areas of the New Yorkcommunity. For the past severalyears, Pablo has spent many coldwinter Saturdays outside runningclinics for students, most of whomhave never touched a stick.

Recently, he was named to theJunior Advisory Board of CityLaxand tasked with growing the net-working base and fundraisingefforts. Cortney Steffens receiveda doctorate in language, literacyand learning from FordhamUniversity in August 2012.

2001Sean Campbell was recently pro-moted to liability claims managerfrom liability claims supervisor atPreferred Mutual. Leah Georgerecently accepted a position atGreater Rochester Enterprise as aninternational trade associate. Sheformerly was employed at TimeWarner Cable, YNN Rochester.Timothy Perla was recently promot-ed to partner at WilmerHale inBoston. Jeffrey Reingold was pro-moted to chief operating officerfrom senior director, operations, atContract Pharmacal Corp. inHauppauge, N.Y. Caitlin EllisonRose and Matthew Rose are proudto announce the birth of a baby boy,Wesley Maxwell. He was born onDec. 1, 2012, in Rochester, N.Y.

2002Matt Lester and his wife, DianeLester, are proud to announce thebirth of a baby boy, Matthew JohnLester Jr., born on March 28, 2013,in Rochester, N.Y. Sarah SandokRabinovici recently accepted a posi-tion at Pepper Hamilton LLP inNew York, N.Y., as an associate.Sarah formerly was employed atMorgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP as an

associate.Ryan Smithand Karenare proud toannouncethe birth of ababy girl,CoraMadeline,born on July11, 2012, inWashington,

D.C. He also recently accepted aposition at the U.S. Department ofCommerce in Washington, D.C., asa budget analyst. He was recentlyemployed at the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency as an analyst inthe Office of Brownfields and LandRevitalization.Amanda Zullo

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

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

Brian Matyko

Cory Soper Jacobs

Julie Kim

Sarah SandokRabinovici

Scene around the worldALUMNI NEWS

32 geneseo scene

Jim ’75 and Joan Thompson ’75 Sobiesiak skiing on High Alpine atSnowmass, Colo. Garret’s Peak and Clark Peak are in the background.

Maureen Hall ’94 at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

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

Patricia Liegey ’75 exploring Sneed on the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.

Timothy ’87 and Yvonne McGann ’85 O’Shea at the Cape of GoodHope in South Africa. They also traveled to Zimbabwe on their trip tovisit their son, Colin, who was studying at the University of Cape Town.

Jon Prescott ’10 and Tess Leverenz ’11 in front of the Cathedral of Santiagode Compostela, Spain, a main destination on the Way of St. James.

Summer 2013 33

tor. She and Matt Roberts are alsohappy to announce their marriageon Nov. 17, 2012, at Grace UnitedMethodist Church in MerrittIsland, Fla. They reside inGlendale, Ariz. Geneseo alumniwho attended included Lauren’scollege roommates. JosephSchiller recently accepted a posi-tion at 2U Inc. as the regional fieldplacement coordinator. He recent-ly was employed at The Children’sVillage as a social worker. AmySpaziani Metz and Kyle Metz arehappy to announce their marriageon May 19, 2012. They live inHouston. Many alumni attendedthe wedding. The ceremony was inthe bride’s hometown in Elmira,N.Y., with a reception on SenecaLake. The couple spent their hon-eymoon in Negril, Jamaica.

2005Sarah Scott-Edwards Hahn andOwen Hahn ’10 are proud toannounce the birth of a baby girl,Tenar Amelia, born on Feb. 15,2013, in Brooklyn, N.Y. NathanKester and Kelly Brown Kester ’04are proud to announce the birth ofa baby girl, Claire London Kester,born on May 6, 2012, in Rochester,N.Y. Logan Rath received his sec-ond master’s degree, a master of sci-ence in information design andtechnology, from SUNY Institute ofTechnology in December 2012.Kimberly Cervello Rogersreceived a doctorate in mathematicseducation from Michigan StateUniversity in August 2012. HeatherWilhelm and Robbie Routenbergwere married in Java Center, N.Y.

2006Angela Blair recently accepted aposition at AmeriCU Credit Unionas executive assistant to the chiefoperating officer. She recently wasemployed at MAMI Interpreters.Matthew Hanna is a general dentistat North Shore ComprehensiveDentistry in Roslyn, N.Y. Amy Borerand Christopher Parks are happy toannounce their marriage on May 27,2012, in Buffalo, N.Y. KristiRuggiero graduated from the MercyCollege physician assistant programin August 2012 and is working as aphysician assistant in the ElmhurstHospital Emergency Room.

2007Ashley Retzlaff Allen was recentlypromoted to manager at Lumsden& McCormick in Buffalo, N.Y.

William“Chris”Martusewiczwas recentlypromoted tovice presidentof financefrom con-troller atToshibaBusinessSolutions in

Rochester, N.Y. Kyla O’Brien waspromoted to senior communica-tions consultant in the corporaterelations department for the south-ern region at Allstate Insurance,relocating to Nashville, Tenn.

2008Leah Sopchak Kraus and DaynaDodrill Bergan served as co-chairsfor a 65 Roses Dinner Dance inMarch in Syracuse, N.Y., to helpfight cystic fibrosis. They werejoined by 10 Geneseo alumnae vol-unteers. Lauren Kalinowskireceived a doctor of optometryfrom Illinois College of Optometryin May 2012. Tricia Kalinowskireceived a doctor of pharmacyfrom the University of Buffalo inMay 2012. Joseph Malach hasbeen volunteering with CityLax, anonprofit organization that bringsthe sport of lacrosse to high schoolstudents in under-served areas ofthe New York community, spend-ing many winter Saturdays outsiderunning clinics for students, mostof whom have never touched astick. Recently, he was named tothe Junior Advisory Board ofCityLax and tasked with growingthe networking base and fundrais-ing efforts. Audrey Elwell Pizzutowas recently promoted to senioranalyst at Brisbane ConsultingGroup LLC in Buffalo, N.Y. JamieSacca is working as a creative artstherapist at a children’s hospital inQueens, N.Y. Lindsay Wolfordrecently accepted a position atLiberty Mutual Insurance as a sen-ior administrative assistant. She for-merly was employed at AthleticaInc. as a business developmentcoordinator.

2009Celebrating their 5th reunion in 2014.Branden Kirchmeyer recentlyaccepted a teaching position atFreedom English School in

Kumamoto,Japan. Heformerly wasan instructorat theEnglishLanguageInstitute ofSUNYBuffalo.Ryan Langrecently

transitioned into a new role atBank of America Merrill Lynch inNew York, N.Y., in the healthcarecorporate and investment bank-ing group. Mark Passero recent-ly accepted a position at FoxRothschild LLP in Pittsburgh, Pa.Chad Salitan recently accepted aposition at the U.S. StateDepartment’s anti-human traffick-ing office as a presidential manage-ment fellow. He is a foreign affairsofficer, responsible for reportinghuman trafficking situations in sev-eral European countries, includingmonitoring and conducting coun-try visits.

2010Rebecca Coons accepted a positionat Alfred State in Alfred, N.Y., as resi-dence director and coordinator ofstudent affairs assessment. She waspreviously employed at MedailleCollege as a graduate assistant forleadership development and multi-cultural education. Eric Dostal is inhis last semester of law school at St.John’s University School of Law inQueens, N.Y. Michael Krackerrecently accepted a position withCongressman Chris Collins (N.Y.-27)in Buffalo, N.Y., as district director.He recently was employed with theErie County Republican Committeeas executive director. ColleenMcNamara recently started her owncompany as CEO and founder ofStutelage Innovations LLC in EastAmherst, N.Y. Lisa Hatzinger andTimothy Reyes are happy toannounce their marriage on March1, 2013, in Babylon, N.Y. They residein Rochester, N.Y. Sarah Shaw is a

received National BoardCertification; she is one of fewerthan 10 teachers in the North ofAlbany/Utica with this certification.

2003Chanel Tillman, a teacher atWilliam Cullen Bryant HighSchool in Long Island City, N.Y.,coached her first-year roboticsteam, the OwlBots, to a regionalvictory in the 2013 For Inspirationand Recognition of Science andTechnology Robotics Competition.The team has been invited to com-pete in the National RoboticsCompetition in St. Louis, Mo.

2004Celebrating their 10th reunion in 2014.Kelly Brown Kester and NathanKester ’05 are proud to announcethe birth of a baby girl, ClaireLondon Kester, born on May 6,2012, in Rochester, N.Y. JillCarney Holcomb and BlakeHolcomb are proud to announcethe birth of a baby boy, DavisOwen, born on Dec. 3, 2012, inJacksonville, Fla. ChristopherMarquart recently accepted a posi-tion in July 2012 at St. LawrenceUniversity in Canton, N.Y., as assis-tant dean of student life and direc-tor of residence life. He was

recentlyemployed atGreenMountainCollege inPoultney,Vt., as direc-tor of resi-dence life.HeatherMitchellOviedo

and Enrique Oviedo are proud toannounce the birth of a baby girl,Brooke Arlene, born on Aug. 1,2012, and Stella Elizabeth, bornon Nov. 27, 2010. Rachael Phelanrecently accepted a position atMartin, Harding & Mazzotti LLPin Schenectady, N.Y., as an attor-ney. She recently was employed atBuckley, Mendleson, Criscione &Quinn as an associate attorney.Lauren Smith recently accepted aposition at Phoenix College inPhoenix, Ariz., as a biology instruc-

ChristopherMarquart

Ashley RetzlaffAllen

BrandenKirchmeyer

34 geneseo scene

student at Illinois College ofOptometry in Chicago, set to gradu-ate in 2014 as a doctor of optometry.

2011Caitlin Lamoreaux is teachingmiddle and high school math atOur Lady of Mercy, a privateschool, in Rochester, N.Y. HannahLittlefield recently accepted aposition at Adworkshop in LakePlacid, N.Y., as an account coordi-nator. Taylor Newell recently

accepted a position at CreditSuisse bank in New York, N.Y., asan analyst, and formerly wasemployed at Moody’s InvestorsService as a financial data associ-ate. Hilarie Pirger recentlyaccepted a position at M&T Bankas a relationship banker III.

2012Donna Hanrahan recently won thePollard Award for the BestGraduate Research Presentation atYale University’s InterdisciplinaryCenter for Bioethics. Her researchfocused on the role of social mediaand mobile technology in respond-ing to health-related emergencies,

particularly epidemiological track-ing of cholera in Haiti. She is nowearning a master’s degree inbioethics at Columbia Universityand is working with Dr. RobertKlitzman to provide an internation-al comparative analysis of institu-tional review board standards inHIV and AIDS research. Sherecently presented at the 7thInternational Conference onEthical Issues in BiomedicalEngineering at SUNY DownstateMedical Center on “Ethical IssuesSurrounding the Direct-to-Consumer Advertising ofNeurotechnology.” The final man-uscript will be published in Ethicsin Biology, Engineering and Medicine,An International Journal. Mostrecently, she began a position as aresearch fellow at the HealthcareInnovation and Technology Lab,an independent research organiza-tion that investigates the use ofinnovative technologies to improvethe quality, affordability and acces-sibility of healthcare around theworld. William Porter recently wasawarded the 2012 Dante Society ofAmerica’s Dante Prize for the bestundergraduate essay, the first timein the society’s history that anundergraduate student hasreceived the award twice. Porteralso received it in 2010 as a sopho-more at Geneseo.

In MemoriamALUMNIMaxine Martin Carey ’35, Sept. 1,2012Lola Smith Knapp ’36, Aug. 12,2009Mildred Meyer ’36, Jan. 1, 2013Gladys Etzold Siemesz ’37,March 11, 2011Alice Cady ’40, Aug. 28, 2012Audrey Phelps Cloos ’41, Aug.11, 2012Jean Johnston Babcock ’41,March 24, 2012Shirley Raubenheimer Gardiner’43, Feb. 25, 2013Wesley Arnold ’44, Jan. 31, 2013Alice Sliker Denneville ’44, Oct. 30, 2012Joan Burns Kingsley ’45,Jan. 10, 2013Betty Woodard Schnackel ’48,Feb. 10, 2013Barbara Miller Dawson ’49, Dec. 8, 2012Gerald Yaxley ’49, Aug. 28, 2012

Janet Wirth Pickler ’56, March 8, 2013Faye Kelson ’59, Aug. 8, 2011Robert Bretz ’61, Aug. 1, 2012Sharon Gruber ’63, April 14, 2012Warren Hittleman ’63, Jan. 25, 2007Charles Mott ’63, July 3, 2011Kenneth Wheaton ’63, Jan. 18, 2013Robertine Ritz Peters ’66, Feb. 10, 2013Carolyn Fravel Pettit ’66, Feb. 17, 2013Joanne Burdett Conrad ’67, Jan. 26, 2013Kristen Vankeuren ’68, Aug. 7, 2012Anthony Chirico ’70, Jan. 11, 2013Anne Feldman Slotnick ’70, Jan. 2, 2012Robin Braun ’73, June 21, 2012Barbara Goodwin Holthouse ’73,Dec. 12, 2012Joseph Czop ’75, Oct. 18, 2012Elmer Storm ’78, July 6, 2011Deborah J. Samuels Kransler ’84,May 5, 2013Richard Wachowski ’86, April 7, 2011David McGrady ’88, Sept. 21, 2011Diane Snedeker Zajac ’91, July 26, 2002Amanda Crow ’10, Dec. 4, 2012

FACULTYKen Kinsey, professor emeritus ofphysics, who joined Geneseo facultyin 1966, died Feb. 2, 2013.

John Hoey, associate professoremeritus of English, died on May13, 2013. A faculty member from1965 to 1994, he co-founded theclub lacrosse team, helped studentsestablish a club rugby team, coordi-nated a squash team for students,faculty, staff and community mem-bers, and was instrumental inestablishing the Crew Club.

ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES

Greeks

Contact Tracy Young Gagnier ’93 at [email protected], if you would like toserve on your organization’s reunion committee.

SummerReunion 2015

Inter-Greek Council is celebrating its 100th Anniversary —

an ALL Greek reunion is being planned for

Every current and former Greek organization will be invitedto this special reunion celebration.

get ready to celebrate!

“Kurt Cylke is the sole reasonthat I am still here. He wasone of the most influential

professors (sociology) who really changedmy life. He recommended the conservancy,which I never knew about or considered asan option. He brought me into the com-munity by engaging me with the preserva-tion board. I’m lucky to have known himas a student and fortunate to now workwith him on community projects.”

•••“Working as a photographer with The

Lamron was a big part of my student life. Ididn’t have my camera with me one day,and someone stopped to ask why. Theyhad never seen me on campus without it. Ididn’t realize that it was part of my regularensemble.”

•••“People asked me to run for the Village

Board in 2010 and I said, ‘No, I’m just out ofschool, starting a new job, still trying to fig-ure out my career.’ Then they came backand asked again in 2012. I thought, ‘I’mhere in Geneseo — there’s no point in deny-ing it: This is my home, I have connections

and really, where else would I want to be?’I’m very fortunate that the community elect-ed me … I think it helps to have knownwhat the student experience was like nowthat I’m making decisions on the board.”

•••“I’m surprised to find myself in this role

leading the conservancy at such a youngage. I think it just sort of worked out, beingin the right place at the right time with theright background. Landowners know me

and trust me, and that all stems from beingan intern while I was a student at Geneseo,starting to work with these people, meetingthem and slowly transitioning to living inthe community.”

Roots — and wingsAs a high school student, Ben Gajewski ’07selected Geneseo as his first-choice college.He was interested in liberal arts. He want-

ed a college with a strong reputation.Coming from nearby Canandaigua, heloved the valley and landscape.Yet subconsciously, there may have been

another motivating factor. He knew he’dcontinue a family tradition at Geneseo, fol-lowing his grandmother, Doris Chriswell ’50;father, Andrew ’72; and mother, Beth ’77. What he didn’t know is how tightly

Geneseo — the college and the village —would draw him in. Or how both would keephim connected years after he graduated.Having majored in sociology with a

minor in environmental studies, Gajewskipursued his passions that led him all theway to … Main Street. Now executive director of the Genesee

Valley Conservancy, Gajewski also serves asvice president of the Association for thePreservation of Geneseo board of trusteesand as an elected member on the VillageBoard. In these roles, he is maintainingcommunity tradition and planning forgenerations.His story is all Geneseo — past, present

and future.

Summer 2013 35

Who is this man?Why do many Geneseo alumni remember Distinguished TeachingProfessor of History Emeritus BillCook? Sure, the clothes — but morelikely his teaching and storytelling. He inspired students through thepower of story. “Bill galvanized studentsby his unique combination of energy,knowledge and wit,” says colleague Ron Herzman, Distinguished TeachingProfessor of English. Geneseo professors like Cook are

central to many of the countless storiesalumni cherish. What’s your story?

Tell us your favorite professor storyat Geneseo.edu/WYS


:

What’s your story? ... continued from page 15


“Geneseo broughtme here andGeneseo kept mehere.”

— Ben Gajewski ’07

36 geneseo scene

Scene: Business simulation, experientiallearning are hot buttons for you. Tell us a lit-tle about that.

Strang: Before an entrepreneur can create asuccessful business, he or she needs to bearmed with more than a good idea. How doyou raise capital? How can you projectdemand? What are the estimated costs?We teach students the principles of busi-

ness, so they are prepared. Many years ago, Igained my first exposure to experiential learn-ing, and it has been a key element of myinstruction.

Scene: What is experiential learning?

Strang: Students don’t just read about princi-ples and ideas, they practice them and seehow they work. For 30 years, I’ve helped mystudents get real-world experience through abusiness simulation game that I designed witha colleague. My inspiration came in the late1970s, when I was teaching a managementcourse. We were using a textbook. I was lectur-ing on principles of management. Frankly, itjust wasn’t going very well.

Scene: What did you do?

Strang: I talked to a former colleague, whosuggested using a computerized simulation. Ihad my students run a mock business with thiscomputer game.

Scene: Did it work?

Strang: They could hardly wait for me to getto class to give them their results and to facili-tate their next round of play. It was a remark-able change in the environment. It changedmy teaching style forever.

Scene: What was the inspiration for creatingyour own simulation?

Strang: Ultimately, I wanted students toreflect on their decisions. After an extensivesearch, I discovered that nothing on the mar-ket met my needs. Working with fellow profes-sor Thomas Pray, we created our own comput-erized simulation, ultimately known as

DECIDE, which has been used at universitiesand colleges across the country for more thanthree decades.In teams, students run a $20 million shoe

manufacturing company, responsible for keydecisions any firm makes in marketing,finance and production. They learn theimportance of planning and recognize inter-connectedness of all of their decisions. Students — now successful alumni — have

shared how much they appreciated andenjoyed playing DECIDE. That is the greatestreward.

Scene:How were you able to gain this expertise?

Strang: I have enhanced DECIDE over time,gaining knowledge and insight and conduct-ing research by participating in professionalorganizations such as the Association forBusiness Simulation and ExperientialLearning. I take great pride knowing that mystudents in the 1980s learned invaluable skillsplaying, but our contemporary students havegained so much additional value because of

1:1


my growth as an instructor.As professors, we need to develop so we can

pass along our knowledge. I would not be theprofessor I am today without support fromThe Fund for Geneseo.

Scene: How has donor support made you abetter professor?

Strang: The Fund has provided me theopportunity to attend professional confer-ences throughout my 41-year Geneseo career.That participation has allowed me to grow asa professor, to learn and to share ideas withthe best minds in my field. As a result, myclassroom instruction is better. I am deeply grateful. I am a professor

because I am eager to see my students learnand I want to see them develop. My success —and theirs — is due to donor support. If youtruly value the superb education you receivedfrom Geneseo, be generous and provide ourcurrent generation of faculty with the sameopportunity to develop their skills. It makes areal difference.

Distinguished Service Professor Dan Strang says gifts to Geneseo have provided him with professional opportunities that helped him become a leading expert in business simulations and a better teacher.

One-to-one is a periodic feature in which the Scene talks one-to-one with a member of theGeneseo family. Meet School of Business Distinguished Service Professor Dan Strang, a leading expert in business simulations and champion of experiential learning.

What a long Strang trip it’s been …

Honoring a coach, for lifeMentor Tribute

Two-time All-American diver RandyShepard ’93 remembers leavingthe pool one practice to slip into

the hot tub to soothe his sore back, ten-der after a week of tough practices.Shepard ached for a little R and R, but

Coach knew better.“Coach came and

pulled me out and putme back on the divingboard,” Shepard says.“I was angry about it,but I knew he wasright.”That’s how Coach

Duncan “Dunc”Hinckley was. He was a

burly guy, whose bark was worse than hisbite, says his wife, Linda Hinckley ’72:“Really, he was a big teddy bear.”Shepard, and other Geneseo swimmers

and divers from 1963 to 1993, knew this.They treasured his drive in the pool andthe genuine love he had for them.“Dunc was one of those coaches you’d

do anything for. He was always there foryou,” says Shepard. “Anything you weredoing, he could coach you on how to doit better.” Geneseo won a total of eight SUNY

titles under Hinckley, who was honoredas SUNYAC swimming and diving Coachof the Year five times. Geneseo has won21 of the last 24 women’s SUNYAC cham-pionships and 19 of the past men’s cham-pionships.But it was so much more, says Shepard.

Hinckley built a family. Take Hinckley’s80th birthday. More than 100 alumnireturned to campus to wish him well.

Shepard believes they, too, still liveCoach’s lessons.“At Geneseo, there was never a time I

thought we wouldn’t win,” says Shepard. “Itry to think like that now. I keep pluggingalong. Never giving up. Never quitting.”He draws on that now to honor

Hinckley, who died in July 2012.Shepard has been working since last

August to raise $64,000 to replace the oldmagnetic scoreboard with a video-com-patible digital scoreboard as a memorialto Hinckley. He surprised Linda Hinckleywith the news at Hinckley’s memorialservice last fall. Together, they have

raised more than half of the goal.“It was in my heart,” says Shepard.

“Something hit me and said, ‘I’ve got toto do this.’”The scoreboard is a fitting memorial to

Hinckley, says his wife. “If he knew, hewould break down,” she says. “… Itmeans more than words can ever say.”Shepard sees the scoreboard as a link

between the legacy Hinckley created andfuture Geneseo swimmers and divers.“They will see his name, and ask what

he did,” he says. “It brings his story tolight each year and allows his memory toperpetuate far beyond his years.”

Randy Shepard ’93 is leading an initiative to raise $64,000 for a new swimming scoreboard in honor ofthe late Coach Duncan “Dunc” Hinckley.

Dunc Hinckley’s love gave lessonsfor life. Randy Shepard ’93 ismaking sure his memory lives on.

: Interested in contributing? Call Randy at 585-750-2840 or visit giveto.geneseo.edu and enter “Dunc Hinckley Memorial” into the Special Allocations Instructions box


HINCKLEY

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT GENESEO

Division of College Advancement

1 College Circle

Geneseo, NY 14454

Change Service Requested

NonProfit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDLebanon Junction, KY

40150Permit No. 826

THE BEST PARTY HASMOVED FROMONONDAGA

THE BEST PARTY HASMOVED FROMONONDAGA Geneseo is hostingevents across thecountry to celebratewith alumni.

Update your contact information at go.geneseo.edu/alumniinfoso you don’t miss out.

Geneseo is hostingevents across thecountry to celebratewith alumni.

Update your contactinformation at go.geneseo.edu/alumniinfoso you don’t miss out.

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