Class Notes January 2008

1943

Luella (Muir) Nazaruk, ’43, (elem. ed.) and her husband, Fred, of Ocala, Fla., celebrated their sixty-first wedding anniversary in 2007.

1951

Thomas L. and Marilyn A. Barresi, ’51, (elem. ed.) of Fredonia, N.Y., celebrated their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary in August 2007.

Phoebe (Neely) Mettler, ’51, (elem. ed.) of Liverpool, N.Y., has enjoyed retirement since 1990, traveling and spending time with grandchildren, and celebrating her sixtieth high school reunion.

1952

Dr. Cornelius Novelli, ’52, (elem. ed.) retired in 2005 from full-time teaching at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., where he had taught English since 1958. In 2006 he won the Syracuse Area Live Theatre (SALT) Award for Best New Production for the script, “Can We Talk?” a one-man Shakespeare show. He continues to teach part-time, to write theatre reviews for the Syracuse Post-Standard, and to play tenor banjo in klezmer and other groups.

1955

Marilyn (Matts) Bissell, ’55, (elem. ed.) retired after 21 years as a teacher and assistant director at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlotte, N.C.

Catherine (Wallace) Kivisild, ’55, (music ed.) is director of a community non-profit nursery pre-school.

James Kivisild, ’55, (music ed.) is retired from teaching. Both he and Catherine (above) of Islip, N.Y., are very involved in community organizations and church committees.

1956

Rev. William “Bill” Persia, ’56, (music ed.) has returned to the U.S. after 20 years of service in Peru. After a sabbatical at the Jesuit school of Theology at Berkeley (Calif.), he is director of a Holy Cross retirement home in North Dartmouth, Mass.

1958

Shirley (Miller) Erbsmehl, ’58, (elem.ed.) was a Distinguished Honoree with her husband, Charles, on National Philanthropy Day of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Western New York Chapter. Shirley, a retired educator from the Lancaster (N.Y.) Central School District, is also a member of the Fredonia College Council.
 

1959

Jerry Surra, ’59, (music ed.) see 1960.

1960

John and Marcia (Frick) McGlarry, ’60, (music ed.) report they had a Fredonia gathering at their home in Boston, N.Y., in July 2007, attended by about 23 people. Jerry Surra, ’59, (music ed.) flew in from Arizona.

1961

Eugene Gallelli, ’61, (elem. ed.) writing under the pen name, Geno Vicenzo, has written, “Missed Tryst,” the first personalized detective novel from yournovel.com. He lives in Manteo, N.C. After many years in education, most recently as associate superintendent for Dare County Schools, he still is a consultant in the field.

Elaine (Greeley) Jennings, ’61, (speech) of Boca Raton, Fla., retired from teaching reading and elementary education in 2001. She has been substitute teaching regularly since 2002 and “loving it!!”

Sandy (Nash) Ryan, ’61, (elem. ed.) of Miller Place, N.Y., retired in 1994 after 30 years of teaching elementary school. She and her husband, Paul, love grandparenting six youngsters from 7 months to 7½ years old. Sandy is also part of a 75-member chorus which sang in Rome and for Pope Benedict XIV in November 2007.

1962

Larry J. Graham, ’62, (elem. ed.) of Irvine, Calif., is retired and serving as president of the Orange County (Calif.) Wine Society.

Frederick Renz, ’62, (music ed.) was director of the program, “Stravaganza Veneziana: Festive Instrumental Canzonas, Sonatas and Dances, 1550-1650” at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and a debut holiday concert program, “A Dutch Christmas,” after a recent CD release of the same title produced in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art for its exhibition, “The Age of Rembrandt.”

1964

Dr. Eugene Alexander, ’64, (elem. ed.) of Merrick, N.Y., just published his second book since retiring in 2004, Collections! It’s My Money Anyway, a humorous narrative about business.

Susan (Schiff) Kaufman, ’64, (elem. ed.) is having fun teaching a 3’s class at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills, Long Island.

Dr. Jacob Ludes III, ’64, ’66, (history) received the President’s Award at the 166th annual meeting of the New England Association of School Superintendents. He is the executive director/CEO of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the first and oldest regional accrediting agency in the U.S.

1965

Doug Carlson, ’65, (English/sec. ed.) has completed a biography of Roger Tory Peterson, which was released in November 2007 by the University of Texas Press. He also lectured in October 2007 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown.

Carolyn (Christy) Christy-Boyden, ’65, (elem. ed.) of Conklin, N.Y., portrayed Ethel Thayer in “On Golden Pond” in June 2007. She and her husband spent two weeks in Scotland with the family of one of their host-sons in August. She also played nine characters in a performance of, “The Dining Room,” in October 2007. Carolyn added, “I always think of Dr. Irving Smith when I am performing in a play. He was one of my favorite professors at Fredonia.”

1966

Dr. Rick Herman, ’66, (chem.) continues his catalysis research and teaching at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

1967

Madeline (Zawicki) Fabich, ’67, (elem. ed.) recently retired from Loudoun County Public Libraries in Virginia.

Roger A. Fabich, ’67, (history/sec. ed.) is employed by SAIC. He and Madeline (above) live in Sterling, Va.

Doris Jones, ’67, (music ed.) retired seven years ago after teaching 33 years in the Gowanda  (N.Y.) Central School System. She is finding lots to do as a church organist/choir director and volunteer.

1969

Carolyn J. Miller, ’69, (English) of Scio, N.Y., who retired in November 2007 as chief clerk of the Allegany County Family and Surrogate’s Courts, was honored by a unanimous resolution of the Allegany County Bar Association thanking her for her years of service in the courts. She had worked in the Allegany County Courts since 1983, and was instrumental in the formation of the county’s Integrated Domestic Violence Court.

Betty Lou (Jenning) Vrooman, ’69, (elem. ed.) retired from teaching in June 2006, and is now running a resort in the 1000 Islands in Northern New York State on the St. Lawrence River.

1971

Robert Crabtree, ’71, (elem. ed.) retired after 36 years of teaching in the North Syracuse (N.Y.) Central School District.

Dr. Greg K. Gibbs, ’71, (elem. ed.), who serves as vice president of the Fredonia Alumni Association Board of Directors, presented a paper, “A Leadership Imperative,” at the Intellectbase International Consortium Conference in Atlanta, Ga. He is an assistant professor at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y., in its Graduate School of Education.

Theresa (Calavitta) Sisson, ’71, ’87, (math./sec. ed.) of Gastonia, N.C., received National Board Certification AYA Math, and is state district director for the North Carolina Association of Educators.

1972

Robert Boerst, ’72, (psych.) of Auburn, Wash., is a Human Resources director with De Vry University.

Guy Devitt, ’72, (elem. ed.) was a recipient of the 2007 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He teaches at Herkimer County Community College.

Lenore (Catalano) Fiebelkorn, ’72, (elem. ed.) retired as an elementary teacher in Dunkirk (N.Y.) City Schools after 33 years.

Karen Frick, ’72, (elem. ed.) retired in June 2007 after teaching for 35 years at Harvey C. Fenner Elementary School in Falconer, N.Y., including 31 years of teaching fourth grade.

1973

Patricia (Hunt) Albaugh, ’73, (elem. ed.) retired in 2007 after teaching sixth grade in Oneida, N.Y., for 34 years, adding, “loved every minute of (my) career.” She plans to substitute teach, travel and spend time with her family.

Dr. Gail (Bantle) Hartin, ’73, (Spanish) is director of undergraduate programs for the School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Frederick E.  Johnson, ’73, (math./sec. ed.) of Staten Island, N.Y., retired in July 2006 from the New York City Department of Education as a mathematics teacher. He is now an assistant professor of mathematics at St. John’s University and in his twenty-seventh year as an instructor of computer science at the College of Staten Island.

Dr. Michael Marletta, ’73, (chem., biology) returned to SUNY Fredonia recently and presented the seminar, “From NO Signaling to Ligand Discrimination to a Blood Substitute [A road less traveled by, and that made all the difference (with apologies to Robert Frost)].” He also participated in the chemistry department awards ceremony, presenting the Mary Marletta Biochemistry Award to freshman chemistry major Amanda Button. The award is named in honor of Mike’s mother.

Tom Rasley, ’73, (music ed.) has teamed up with long-time friend and musical partner Scott B. Adams to release a new CD of instrumental guitar music, “Acoustic Intersection.” The collection features fresh arrangements of classic, familiar songs played by two seasoned musicians. 

Wendy Woodbury Straight, ’73, (elem. ed.) received the Community Service Award from the Fredonia (N.Y.) Chamber of Commerce for her continued efforts in historic preservation.

1974

Jim Murphy, ’74, (earth science/sec. ed.) a former member of SUNY Fredonia’s soccer and baseball teams, is in his thirty-fourth year of teaching earth science in the Vestal, N.Y. school district, where he has also coached boys soccer. In November 2007, the Vestal boys soccer team defeated Webster Thomas to win the New York State Class AA championship in a game played in Oneonta at the Soccer Hall of Fame. He later was also selected as the New York State “Large Schools” Coach of the Year by the N.S.C.A.A. following a game against Half Hollow Hills High School in overtime to advance to the state final, again against Webster Thomas.

B. Dolores Thompson, ’74, (philo.) of Jamestown, N.Y., continues to be listed in the Marquis Who’s Who: of American Women, in America and in the World.

1975

Ralph Anderson, ’75, (sociology) of West Seneca, N.Y., celebrated the birth of his first grandchild in 2007 and this year will celebrate 30 years of ordained Christian ministry.

Dr. David Bristol, ’75, (math./sec. ed.) returned to Fredonia to present a guest lecture for students in mathematics and computer science.

Louis DiPalma, ’75, (history) of Fredonia, N.Y., was appointed a member of the Jamestown Community College Board of Trustees by the Chautauqua County Legislature.

Rosanne (Murszewski) Keegan, ’75, (history) of Sayreville, N.J., retired from the insurance industry and is now a substitute teacher at local Catholic schools.

Erika (Benson) Leopold, ’75, (elem. ed.) teaches Spanish at Penfield (N.Y.) High School.

J. Paul Lombardo, ’75, ’81, (elem. ed.) of Jamestown, N.Y., is retiring from a 32-year teaching career at the end of this school year. He is a past People to People Youth Leadership facilitator.

Dr. David N. Nichols, ’75, (physics) of Fairport, N.Y., celebrated 25 years of marriage with his wife, Jill. He is employed as CCD commercialization manager at ISS, Eastman Kodak, and has been employed there for 26 years.

Barbara (Ring) Peters, ’75, (elem. ed.) of Jamestown, N.Y., taught for 22 years.

Mark P. Prusak, ’75, (biology) is in his thirtieth year with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Buffalo, N.Y. office. He continues as an FDA supervisory investigator responsible for FDA Import Operations at Buffalo’s border crossings.

1976

Denise Comeaux, ’76, (speech path. and aud.) is principal of a special education school in Charlotte, N.C. She would love to hear from her speech pathology colleagues through e-mail at dmcomeaux@aol.com.

1977

Kay Barlow, ’77, (music ed.) was profiled in the Dunkirk Observer about the “Music Together” program for children she offers at her Growing with Music education center in Fredonia, N.Y.

Daniel Bromsted, ’77, (music ed.) is president of the New York State Chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association. He teaches general music, three elementary choruses and the elementary musical when planned at Silver Creek (N.Y.) Central School.

Laurel Long, ’77, (art) illustrated two children’s books that were published in Fall 2007, Hans Brinker for Penguin, and Holly Claus the Christmas Princess, for Harper Collins. Laurel is a tenured professor of art at California State University in Northridge and her work was also exhibited at the Society of Illustrators’ annual exhibition in New York City.

Gretchen (Preve) McCallister, ’77, (elem. ed.) of Orlando, Fla., is teaching in two private elementary schools and community college and “learning all the time!”

Dr. Christopher Mirabelli, ’77, (biology) has been managing director at HealthCare Ventures, LLC since 2000, a leading venture capital group focused on building significant companies in the biopharmaceutical industry. He visited campus in December 2007 and was featured in the Speaker Series sponsored by the SUNY Fredonia School of Business. He later that day presented a lecture open to the campus community.

Alan Siebert, ’77, (music ed.) has just released another CD, “Stargazer.” For more information, visit his website at alansiebert.com. He is currently in his eighteenth year of teaching at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Cathy (Hoffmann) Siebert, ’77, (music ed.) is in the top 1 percent of Maestro Producers of Kindermusik International, reaching over 400 children/families each week. She and Alan (above) live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kathleen Wise, ’77, (sociology) of Loudonville, N.Y., represented SUNY Fredonia at the inauguration of Siena College’s tenth president, Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., Ph.D.

1978

Dr. Sheryl Westling Bushman, ’78, (chem.) is a practicing physician in Fort Scott, Kan., and is extremely involved in humanitarian work in Haiti.

Dr. Jonathan F. Day, ’78, (biology) returned to campus to present a guest seminar, “Predicting West Nile Virus Epidemics in Florida,” and to speak with biology majors. Jonathan is professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach.

Douglas Fenton, ’78, (special studies) has been named a case manager and outside activities director at Fredonia Place.

Lucky Nahum, ’78, (elem. ed.) of Rochester, N.Y., is a clothing designer under the brand name “Vluxe by Lucky Nahum.” His shirts are carried by finer men’s stores across the country.

Stephen O’Sullivan, ’78, (special studies) has been appointed to the board of directors for the Mt. San Antonio College Foundation, the largest of California’s community colleges. He is executive director of San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group in Pasadena, Calif., and on the adjunct faculty of the University of La Verne, teaching media ethics.

Dr. Shari Yudenfreund-Sujka, ’78, (biology) and her husband, Stan, of Winter Park, Fla., will celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in May.

1979

Michael Bobseine, ’79, (pol. sci.) of Fredonia, N.Y., completed the ING New York City Marathon in November 2007.

Dr. Greg Roth, ’79, ’84, (chem.) has settled into his new position as associate professor and director of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona at its new facility in Orlando, Fla. His web site is www.burnham.org/.

1981

After 19 years at General Electric Plastics, Dr. Rick Joyce, ’81, (chem.) joined Sun Chemical in Carlstadt, N.J., in 2005, where he is vice president, Technology and Growth Initiatives.

Barbara Kilduff-O’Farrell, ’81, (music perf.) see 1982.

Dr. Susan Schall, ’81, (math., coop. enginner.) has been named a Fellow of ABET at its annual awards banquet in November 2007. The award is presented each year to recognize individuals who have given sustained quality service to the ABET-related professions and to education within the ABET disciplines through the activities of ABET. She is president of SOS Consulting, LLC of Front Royal, Va. Susan is a senior member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the American Society for Quality.

On Nov. 16, 2007, Carol (Eck) Ward, ’81, (pol. sci.) from Gaithersburg, Md., represented SUNY Fredonia at George Washington University’s inauguration of its sixteenth president, Dr. Steven Knapp.

1982

Michele (Coudrey) Franco, ’82, (speech and hear. hand.) is a speech pathologist with the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and lives in Gowanda, N.Y., with her husband, Victor; son, Tory, and daughter, Anna.

Colin Hart, ’82, (bus. admin.) of Fredonia, N.Y., reported that the fall twenty-fifth anniversary gathering of the Class of 1982 was enjoyed by “floormates” of McGinnies Hall including Tom Scorby (bus. admin.), Tracy Dybowski (bus. admin.), Chris Schena (special studies) and Ken “Mac” McDermott, ’81 (special studies).

Laurie (Lasher) Tramuta, ’82, (music ed.) see 1983.

1983

Dr. Paul Hans, ’83, (chem.) has left General Electric Plastics and is now product manager HP/S-ETP in the Engineered Materials Group at PolyOne Corp. in Avon Lake, Ohio.

LCDR Karyl Jennings, ’82, (psych.) is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commisioned Corps. She is a mother of five and has lived in Alaska for the past seven years. She is also a social worker and earned her M.S.W. from the University of South Carolina in 1990.

Catherine (Sedota) Pratt, ’83, (elem. ed./early child.) of Fredonia, N.Y., completed the ING New York City Marathon in November 2007.

The Bethany College Choir, directed by David J. Rudari, ’83, (music ed.) presented Handel’s “Messiah” in December 2007 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Wheeling, W. Va., with David and other SUNY Fredonia alumni Laurie(Lasher) Tramuta, ’82 (music ed.); Barbara Kilduff-O’Farrell, ’81 (music perf.); and John Tiranno, ’99, (music perf.) as guest soloists, and Denis Mastromonaco, ’07, (music perf.) as conductor. This is the second time that the Fredonia singers have joined with Bethany choir for a performance of “Messiah.”

1984

Lauretta J. (Skidmore) Bateman, ’84, (chem.) is a project manager at The Psychological Corporation looking for chemists (with at least a master’s degree) to write chemistry items for the Pharmacy College Admission Test. She can be contacted at Lauretta_Bateman@harcourt.com.

Cindy (Mantai) Hennessey, ’84, (English) has joined the advertising agency Crowley Webb and Associates of Buffalo as a copywriter and proofreader. She lives in Buffalo, N.Y., with her two children, and would love to hear from old friends via e-mail at chennessey@roadrunner.com.

Ron Perison, ’84, (pol. sci., coop. engineer.) has retired from NASA and accepted a position at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.

1985

Susan L. Asquith, ’85, (bus. admin) was promoted to senior vice president at Travers Collins & Company, a Buffalo-based integrated marketing communications firm. She is also a member of the firm’s executive management team. A graduate of Leadership Buffalo, she serves on the board and chairs the marketing committee for Kids Escaping Drugs, the Community Development Council for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and the marketing committee for the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise.

Michael Carges, ’85, (chem.) teaches physics at Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y. In 2003 he received the William D. Ryan Inspirational Teacher Award sponsored by the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. He recently completed a second master’s degree in administration. Mike and his wife have three children.

1986

Mandy (Crandall) Collins, ’86, ’87, (elem. ed./early child. ed.) was named the 2008 Gwinnett County (Ga.) Teacher of the Year, and was profiled in the Atlanta Constitution. She is a gifted education teacher at McKendree Elementary School and a fourth generation public school teacher.

Kurt J. Litzelfelner, ’86, (econ.) is a manager in the Business Validation Group at Eldredge, Fox and Porretti, LLP of Rochester, N.Y.

Brigid Schaffer, ’86, (account.) is an associate professor at Western Connecticut State Universiy and a part-time realtor. She and her husband, Paul, have two daughters, Sarah and Amber.

Julie (Galler) Simms, ’86, (commun.) is an associate vice president of Institutional Advancement at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.

1987

Dr. Timothy J. Brown, ’87, (special studies) of Denver, Colo., held a Fellowship in Music Composition at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in January 2007. He was recently named a recipient of an ASCAP Plus Award for 2007 by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and anticipated his third CD would be released in November 2007.

Dr. Sheila (Robinson) Kohn, ’87, (special studies) completed her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Rochester (N.Y.) in May 2007 and is employed as a special education teacher mentor in the Greece Central School District.

1988

Marlene Schmitt, ’88, (biology) of Eek, Alaska, is in her fourth year of teaching in a remote Eskimo village in Alaska. She was recently honored as the 2007 LKSD Staff Person of the Year for the Eek School.

1989

Caryn (Gabel) Benton, CPA, ’89, (account.) was named a CFO of the Year by Business First newspaper of Buffalo, N.Y., as one of six CFOs honored. She has earned her CPA license and is CFO of Pioneer Credit Recovery, a Western New York-based receivables management and Fortune 500 company.

Chautauqua County District Attorney David Foley, ’89, (social studies/sec. ed.) was a guest speaker in Distinguished Teaching Professor James Hurtgen’s American Politics class in October.

Don Horton, ’89, (human res. mgmt.) retired from the New York State Department of Labor in 2007 and is president of the Chautauqua Multiuse Sports Facility Committee.

Trina (Smith) Newton, ’89, ’94, (elem. ed., elem. ed./curr. and instr.) is assistant superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability for the Binghamton (N.Y.) City School District.

1990

Annette Baldwin, ’90, ’94, (biology) is a chemistry teacher at Frontier High School in the Hamburg (N.Y.) School System.

Rocco Piscatello, ’90, (art/graphic design) of Northport, N.Y., owner of Piscatello Design Center, reports that he hired Junnosuke Hamaguchi, ’04, (vis. arts/graphic design), and that another alumna Xueyin Chen, ’07, (vis. arts/graphic design) also works at the firm. Noted Director of Alumni Affairs Patty Feraldi, “The alumni mentoring system is beginning to catch on!” The Career Connection is a new initiative of the Office of Career Development at Fredonia.

1991

Gretchen Geitter, ’91, (commun.) executive director of community relations for the Buffalo Bills, was named to the 40 Under Forty Class of 2007 by Business First newspaper of Buffalo, N.Y., as one of Western New York’s young leaders.

1992

Kelly Haggmark, ’92, (account.) is controller for Renold, Inc., of Westfield, N.Y., and a certified management accountant and certified internal auditor.

Brent Keefer, ’92, (account.) was promoted to G/L accountant in June 2007 at the Country Meadows Retirement Communities in Hershey, Pa.

Dawn (Czarnecki) Seshadri, ’92, (art) see note under “Births.”
U.S. Marine Maj. Kyle Tarrant, ’92, (pol. sci.) was profiled in November 2007 in the Dunkirk Observer. He recently received the Bronze Star while serving as deputy director of intelligence for a Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.

1993

Kara (Fiorenzo) Bodie, ’93, (English) is a credit analyst for Citifinancial Auto and lives in Divide, Colo. She would love to hear from classmates at bodie741@mesanetworks.net. See note under “Births.”

David Harris, ’93, (sociology) earned his M.S.W. degree from Syracuse University in 1997. He and his wife, Vicky, live in Farmington, Ct., and have two sons, Wells and Caleb. He works at Merck & Co., Inc., as a senior cardiovascular metabolic specialty representative.

Stephen Shepanski, ’93, (social studies/sec. ed.) has taught global history for 13 years, six at Caledonia-Mumford (N.Y.) and is beginning his seventh year at Rush-Henrietta (N.Y.) High School where he is the varsity girls basketball coach. The team has won three AAA section championships, two AA public high school championships, and he was named New York State Public School AA Coach of the Year in 2006 and New York State Coaches Association Co-Coach of the Year in 2007.

Kathleen Stress, ’93, (art) is internal communications director for the Food Bank of Central New York. She formerly worked for the Salvation Army as director of continuous quality improvement and director of School Age Programs. She lives in Syracuse, N.Y.

Sebastian Tate, ’93, (social work) is a student success counselor at Central Piedmont Community College/Central Campus in Charlotte, N.C.

1994

Amanda (Burlett) Cooley, ’94, (psych.) was promoted in June 2007 to Customer Contact Center coordinator at DFT Communications of Fredonia, N.Y.

Christopher Loss, ’94, (commun.) of Scottsdale, Ariz., is director/national promotion for Valory Music Co., a new free-standing imprint.

Kimberly (Munn) O’Neill, ’94, (commun.) see note under “Births.”

1995

Tara (Backhaus) Furman, ’95, (elem. ed./math.) and her husband, Charlie, live in Springville, N.Y., with their three children, 1-year-old Bryce, Mykala and Charlie. Tara is a fourth grade teacher at Colden Elementary School.

Christopher Keffer, ’95, (English) represented SUNY Fredonia in November at the inauguration of Rochester Institute of Technology’s ninth president, Dr. William W. Destler.

Dakota Lawrence, ’95, (commun., English) returned to graduate school to pursue a Master of Divinity degree after 10 years of teaching and coaching football/track in Alabama and Florida with three state championships. He works for A.G. Edwards and Sons as an investment advisor in St. Peters, Missouri, and has begun the groundwork for a new church and coaches football.

Ira Newberger, ’95, (commun.) spent the summer of 2007 in Hawaii producing a documentary, “Coconutty,” that will run on the Food Network in the spring.

Christopher Weber, ’95, (English) see note under “Births.”
Hillary Zuckerberg, ’95, (commun.) of New York, N.Y., has been happily married for three years and recently started a new job as vice president of operations at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp.

1996

Kristen Everett, ’96, (English) has accepted a position as a public information officer with the Humane Society of the United States at its headquarters in Maryland. Part of her job in working with the media is specifically related to disaster response teams which the society deploys all over the country in the event of disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

Amanda L. (Mueller) Galley, ’96, (commun.) is marketing director for Wahl Media in Rochester, N.Y., where she also lives with her husband, Bill, and family. See note under “Births.”

David O’Rourke, ’96, (English) has been named superintendent of schools for the Silver Creek (N.Y.) Central School District, effective Jan. 3. He had taught high school English in Silver Creek for five years before becoming coordinator for Staff and Curriculum Development at Erie-1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), before returning to Silver Creek as director of Instruction and Technology and most recently as interim business official.

Ken Travis, ’96, (commun.) attended Yale School of Drama after graduating from Fredonia, and later moved to New York City, where he has been designing and mixing sound for rock, theatre, dance and opera productions for the past 10 years. He designed the sound for three Broadway shows including last year’s “The Threepenny Opera” at Studio 54 starring Alan Cumming. Currently, Ken is working with Lee Breuer on “Crux,” a reggae opera with its world premiere set for the 2008 Edinburgh International Arts Festival. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife of three years, Meghan Williams.

1997

Bonny Chruscicki, ’97, (art/graphic design) has been named the new communications designer in the Office of Publication Services at SUNY Fredonia. She comes to the university from Canon Design of Grand Island.

Scott Pecore, ’97, (special studies/American Studies) is director of U.S. Corporate Accounts for Ansell Healthcare Products, LLC of Red Bank, N.J., providing healthcare barrier protection technologies to the medical, occupational, and consumer markets.

Christopher Holland, ’97, ’99, (English) is Dean of Students at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vt.
A group of alumni including Seth Oyer, ’97, (commun./English); Michael Liberature, ’98, (bus admin.); Todd Bowlus, ’99, (history); Jason Krause, ’97, (bus. admin.), Jason Bohen, ’97, (elem. ed.), Matt Corriveau, ’99, (history); and Brendon Daley, ’98, (pol. sci.) gathered in Las Vegas, Nev. for an annual vacation get-together.

Laura Sotir, ’97, (commun.) lives in Albany, N.Y., where she is a morning show co-host for B95.5 FM (WYJB). She also works as a freelance copywriter and voiceover artist for many local and statewide businesses, adding, “And I miss my time at Fredonia!”

1998

Brendon Daley, ’98, (pol. sci.) see 1997.

Michael Liberature, ’98, (bus admin.) see 1997.

Rachael Howard Richardson, ’98, still works at CNN and has moved to Los Angeles, Calif., where she is a network video editor.

1999

Todd Bowlus, ’99, (history) see 1997.

Matt Corriveau, ’99, (history) see 1997.

Micki (Pannozzo) Meyer, ’99, (commun.) received the 2007 Community Engagement Educator Award for the State of Florida in the Independent Colleges category from the Florida Campus Compact. She serves as director for the Office of Community Engagement at Rollins College. Micki and her husband, David, live in Orlando, Fla.

Jessica (Thering) Monaco, ’99, (elem. ed.) see note under “Births.”

John Tiranno, ’99, (music perf.) see 1983.

2000

Gentian Buzi, 2000, (comp. sci., physics) a Ph.D. candidate at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), returned to campus to give a lecture in the Computer and Information Sciences department in November 2007. He is working under the direction of Professor John Doyle in control theory and systems biology.

Nicole “Nicky” Colomb, 2000, (biology) of Richmond, Va., is director of marketing for the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park. She wrote to Professor Philip Kumler, “I have so many great memories – and friends – from Fredonia. It really was a great place! COLD, but great.”

Attending Allison (Kemp) O’Shea’s, 2000, (commun.) wedding in New York City were fellow members of the Class of 2000 Kelli (Bauer) Hickey (bus. admin.), Andy (commun.) and Alison (Tripp) Mudra (commun.), Andrea (Greene) Pusateri (elem. ed./English) and Julie VanDette (psych.). See note under “Marriages.

Martin Pollizotto, 2000, (biochem.) is a technical support analyst at Sequent Energy Management in Houston, Texas. He earned a graduate degree at Baylor College of Medicine, and prior to his current position he was a laboratory manager at the University of Texas at Houston and a technical sales representative at Improvisation, Inc.

2001

Andrea (Garvey) Barnhart, ’01, ’03, (English, elem. ed./curr. and instr.) is a fourth grade teacher at Micheal M. Maroun Elementary School in Phoenix, N.Y. See note under “Marriages.” Ben Bonnet, ’01, (media arts) was an attendant in the wedding party.

Jennifer Bechdel, ’01, (vis. art/photo.) anticipates receiving her M.B.A. from the Terry School of Business at the University of Georgia. She works for RREEF Alternative Investments, a global alternative investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management Division.

Cheryl M. Huels, ’01, ’03, (biology) is employed by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: Food Safety and Inspection.

Jessica (Bittner) Markus, ’01, (sociology) is a special education teacher at a private school in Manhattan, N.Y. She was married to Benjamin in 2006 and has earned a master’s degree.

Brian McKeever, ’01, (music ed.) see note under “Births.”

Sandra (Boyce) McKeever, ’01, (English) has started her own business, Offsite Administrative Solutions, as a virtual assistant, doing writing, editing and proofreading. She would also love to connect with old friends via e-mail at sandra@offsiteadministrativesolutions.com. See note under “Births.”

Winter Zemans, ’01, (commun./TV and digtl. film) has moved from Van Nuys to Northridge, Calif., and since graduating has worked in the film/television industry. Currently, she is production coordinator for the television show, “Gray’s Anatomy.” She adds: “I look back on my college days VERY fondly. Majoring in Video/TV Production has helped me get to where I am today. I am thankful for every minute of time I spent at SUNY Fredonia!!! Thanks for the ever lasting memories.”

2002

Rebecca (Cottrell) Diehl, ’02, (music ed.) see notes under “Births.”

Nicholas J. Koziol, ’02, (English) associate director of alumni affairs at SUNY Cortland, was awarded a 2008 Professional Development Scholarship from the National Educational Alumni Trust as one of 15 winners nationwide. He plans to use the award to participate in the 2008 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Workshop for Newcomers in Alumni Relations in February.

Brian Miga, ’02, (physics/coop. engineer.) see note under “Births.”

Jeffrey Pitts, ’02, (commun./media mgmt.) from Derby presented a SUNY Fredonia Career Development Office Spotlight in October 2007. He is president of Leakmob Records of Hamburg, N.Y., and spoke about the music industry, his experiences, and internship opportunities. Jeff formerly worked for SONY BMG and Epic Records.

Kylene Riley, ’02, (social studies/sec. ed.) earned her master’s degree in International Studies from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., in 2006. She has been a social studies teacher at Fairport (N.Y.) High School since 2002, and is also an adjunct instructor of public affairs for Syracuse University through its Project Advance Program.

2003

Dan Howell, ’03, (commun./audio prod.) is multimedia product specialist with the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology, responsible for all print and electronic media for the department including documents for the center’s U.S. and overseas school in Prishtina, Kosovo. He is planning to return to school for a second bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in graphic design/photography and business.

Amanda Petrus, ’03, (chem.) was lead author of a recent publication, “Vitamin B12 as a Carrier for the Oral Delivery of Insulin,” in the journal, ChemMedChem. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in chemistry at Syracuse University.

Heather Siebert, ’03, (acting) was surprised at a New York City ticket counter by Professor Emeritus Mac Nelson in October 2007. Dr. Nelson reports that Heather and he “shared two semesters of Shakespeare” and described her as “a delightful lady who’s trying to make it on Broadway.”

Jessica Smith, ’03, (English) is an English instructor at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, teaching a variety of writing and literature/reading courses.

2004

Allison Head, ’04, (biology) has moved to Sharonville, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, where she is working for Cargill Flavor Systems.

Junnosuke Hamaguchi, ’04, (vis. arts/graphic design) see 1990.

2005

Maria Fasciano, ’05, (music perf.) was one of five winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Great Lakes Region-Four City District event in December 2007 in Buffalo. She recently completed her master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (N.Y.).

Tim Grant, ’05, (biochem.) see note under “Marriages.”

2006

M. Andy Burr, ’06, (econ.) is attending the State University at Buffalo in its graduate program for economics and writes a column in the Dunkirk Observer with SUNY Fredonia Professor Emeritus Robert Heichberger, “The Judiciary.”

Marianne Kotylo,’06, (econ.) joined Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y., as an engineering planner associate in September 2007.

Eric Ferry, ’06, (bus. admin./mgmt.) spoke on campus in November 2007 for the Career Development Office.

Heather Poliseno, ’06, (account) visited campus as a greeter for Freed Maxick Battaglia during its on-campus interviews at Fredonia’s Career Development Office.

2007

Xueyin Chen, ’07, (vis. arts/graphic design) see 1990.

Kelly Maloney, ’07, (commun.) from Gaithersburg, Md., is account coordinator for Matthews Media Group in Rockville, Md.

Denis Mastromonaco, ’07, (music perf.) see 1983.

Souad Mousawi, ’07, (econ.) is working for a division of the Dutch services company at Wolters Kluwer/CT Coresearch in Manhattan, N.Y., as an intellectual property/trademark researcher.

Jeff Takos, ’07, (biochem.) has been working in a B2 lab in Rochester, N.Y., doing bioanalytical chemistry for LHT and is contracted to Johnson & Johnson. His plans are to begin medical school this month.

Emeritus News

Dr. Richard Sheil (School of Music) has revised his book, A Singer’s Manual of Foreign Language Dictions, and it is featured on no fewer than 50 different web sites in the U.S. and internationally.