Author Archive for Staff Report

Emmett Van Slyke ’99 is the composer of sidewalk sounds. Sounds are activated when stepping on the red pavers installed outside Syracuse Stage on E. Genesee St.

Photo Credit: David Lassman, The Post-Standard

(100 words) + 10 random questions

Katherine Cook ’06

A LABORATORY INTERNSHIP WITH CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR KESTAS BENDINSKAS and summer of hands-on experience at W.R. Grace & Co., thanks to the support of W. R. Grace CEO Fred Festa ’81, eventually put Katherine Cook ’06 on the front line of fighting breast cancer.

“The extra attention and opportunities offered at Oswego made me a competitive candidate for graduate school,” said Cook, who pursued her Ph.D. at Wake Forest University.

A postdoctoral research fellow at Georgetown University, Cook aims to make a common form of breast cancer treatment more effective. The disease has touched several members of her family.

“Understanding breast cancer is a personal goal and the reason I went into cancer research.”

 1. Hardest part of lab work:

I guess the hardest part of lab work would be staying positive when things don’t work — which in science is quite often. Science can be harsh: Experiments don’t work, manuscripts get rejected and grants don’t get funded.

2. Easiest way to handle it:

Easiest way to handle the negativity is loving what you do. I went into science because I enjoy figuring out problems (and you get to use fun equipment).

3. Least missed part of undergraduate life:

The winters! Safe to say Oswego cured me of my love for snow. I promptly moved south after that!

4. Tiniest particle you’ve ever seen:

I just finished a project where we looked at the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on mitochondria structure through electron microscopy.

5. Biggest discovery you’ve ever made:

In graduate school I had the opportunity to work on a compound that we were able to translate into clinical trials. It is very rewarding to see your work go on to treat patients!

6. Most impossible science term to spell:

Therapeutic. The E and the U always get switched . . . but that is what spell check is for! And don’t get me started on European journals that use British spelling.

7. Favorite professor?

Dr. Kestas Bendinskas, of course. Jim MacKenzie comes in a close second. I did my internship project working with Kestas and the hands-on lab experience really helped with getting into graduate school. Both professors were very approachable and happy to help you with any problems either lab technical questions or questions with class work. They would have to be the reason I continued on in science.
Thanks, guys!

8. Most memorable Oswego moment:

Bridge Street Run of course! The next day the fountain was always green and filled with soap bubbles!

9. Favorite Oswego nightspot:

Coleman’s. Thursday trivia night and Guinness Burgers were the best!

10. Best place to grab breakfast:

Nothing beats Wade’s for Saturday morning breakfasts!

Nancy Whitlock Adragna ’35 of North Syracuse passed away Dec. 19. She was employed by the Syracuse City School District for many years, retiring from the Franklin School. Nancy is survived by two sons, Richard and Robert “Mac” ’64; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and several stepchildren and stepgrandchildren.

Walter Calhoun ’35 of Sun City, Ariz., died July 6 at the age of 100. He taught industrial arts for many years. Walter is survived by two sons and two grandchildren.

Arnold Lamont ’38 of Hamburg passed away Dec. 26. He earned a master’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in education from SUNY Buffalo. His first teaching position was in Granville, where he introduced industrial arts education to the community. During World War II, he taught for three years in the Army Air Forces School at Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, and later at the Army Air Forces School at Curtis Wright Corp. in Buffalo. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Radio Technician Training Program. After his discharge, Arnold served as a training officer in the U.S. Veterans Administration. In 1947 he was appointed supervisor in the Bureau of Industrial Arts Education in the New York State Department of Education. In 1956 he was appointed supervisor of industrial arts education with the Buffalo Public Schools and in 1961 was made director of the program, a position he held for 26 years until his retirement in 1982. Arnold is survived by a son, a daughter, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Nellie Goodsell Kinney ’39 of Weedsport died Dec. 31. Nellie taught at Weedsport Elementary School for 30 years, retiring in 1974. She is survived by a son, a daughter and several grandchildren.

Dorothy Jones King ’40 of Clinton died Jan. 7, 2010. She was the first kindergarten teacher in Red Creek. Dorothy is survived by a daughter, a son, two grandchildren and a great-grandson.

John “Ring” Murray ’40 of Oswego died Dec. 22. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. He participated in the Normandy invasion and the Battle of Okinawa. He was a graduate of the Columbia Law School. Ring operated a private law practice in Oswego until he became Oswego County district attorney in 1958. In 1970, he was appointed surrogate court judge by then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. Surviving are a brother, a sister, and several nieces and nephews.

James Lyman Roney ’43 of Zionville, N.C., died Aug. 22. He served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Lyman taught in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District and later became a high school principal. He was also acting district principal for the Walton Central School District until his retirement. Surviving are two daughters and a grandson.

Margaret Kambas ’45 of Charlotte, N.C., died Sept. 1. She earned a master’s degree at Syracuse University and taught for 33 years. Margaret is survived by two sisters and many nieces and nephews.

Mary Shannon Robarge ’47 of Oswego passed away Nov. 28. She taught in the Fulton City School District from 1949 until she retired in 1986. Mary is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Arlene Fix Stenuf ’47 of Skaneateles passed away Jan. 16. She received her master’s degree from Syracuse University. She taught for a number of years in Fairmount and in Virginia. Arlene is survived by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.

Edwin Komendarek ’49 of Herkimer passed away Jan. 2. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He taught industrial arts and adult education at Herkimer and Little Falls schools for many years and served as the director of vocational education for Herkimer County Boards of Cooperative Educational Services for 18 years until his retirement in 1984. Edwin is survived by his wife, Marilyn; a son; and a granddaughter.

James Hanley ’50 of Batavia passed away Dec. 19. He is survived by two sons and two grandsons.

Lewis Braun ’52 of Oceanside died Sept. 26. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Safranko ’54; three children; and six grandchildren.

Alfred Marini ’54 of Honeoye died Nov. 12. He is survived by three daughters, two sons and seven grandchildren.

Corrine Kushner Starkman ’54 of Boynton Beach, Fla., passed away Dec. 12. Surviving is her husband, Alvin.

Barbara Briggs Coates ’55 of Skaneateles died Aug. 18. She was predeceased by her husband, Walter ’54. Barbara is survived by three daughters, Carole Tuchrello ’81, Susan Scott ’85 and Cheryl Armstrong ’88; a son, Christopher; and six grandchildren.

Blanche Barasch Plonsky ’55 of Lynbrook passed away June 22. She is survived by her husband, Robert; two sons, James and David ’85; and four grandchildren.

Pasquale DeLilli ’57 of Gloversville died Jan. 8. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II. Pat was an elementary teacher in Johnstown for his entire career. With his late wife, he owned and operated the former Tots to Toddlers shop in downtown Gloversville. Surviving are three sons, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jane Lawton Holliday ’58 of Mexico passed away Dec. 21. She had been a teacher in Spring Valley, Utica, Mexico and Watertown. Jane is survived by her husband, Arnold; a son; and three grandchildren.

Donna Wright Flack ’59 of Fair Haven died Nov. 9. She taught throughout the Northeast for more than 25 years, retiring from Harris Hill Elementary School in Penfield in 1992. Donna was predeceased by her husband, William ’57. She is survived by two sons and three grandchildren.

Ruth Prugh ’60 of Crossville, Tenn., passed away Nov. 8. She is survived by her husband, Thomas.

Judy Fry Maihofer ’61 of Baldwinsville died Dec. 24. She also earned a degree at Columbia Teacher’s College. Judy taught in Peekskill and Ossining and for the Southern Westchester BOCES. Surviving are her husband, Walter; a son; a daughter; and two grandsons.

Philip Messer ’61 of Ocean Springs, Miss., died Nov. 13. Prior to his retirement, Phil was a school psychologist in the Pittsfield School District. He is survived by a daughter, a son and five grandchildren.

James Schmidt ’63 of Auburn died Nov. 10. He earned a master’s degree at SUNY Cortland. He began teaching at Central Tech in Syracuse. He was the former executive director of the Cayuga County Action Program. Jim worked in the Human Affairs Program at Cornell University and became the first director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte, Mont. He later spent more than 25 years as the director of Farm Workers Legal Services. Jim is survived by his wife, Denise; two sons, Robert ’88 and John; a stepdaughter; and five grandchildren.

Jeanne Tennant Mazzoli ’64 of Oswego passed away Dec. 11. She was a teacher at New Haven Elementary School for 37 years. Surviving are her husband, George; three children; and five grandchildren.

Donald Moore ’64 of Palm Bay, Fla., passed away July 15, 2010. He attended Pensacola Flight School and served as an officer in the Navy and the Air Force. Donald taught for more than 32 years at schools in Chadwicks and Sauquoit. After retiring and moving to Florida, he taught in Palm Bay. Donald is survived by his wife, Susan; three daughters; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Ruth Stephenson Van Ry ’65 of Camden passed away Dec. 15. Ruth began her education at Oswego with the class of 1941 and after many years, returned to complete her degree in 1965. She taught in the Camden Central School District for 24 years, retiring in 1982. Surviving are three daughters, two sons, 15 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Mary Ann House ’66 of Hamburg died July 8. She is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter.

Alice Toner Kempton ’66 of Deer Park passed away July 30, 2011. She was a kindergarten teacher for 10 years before raising her family. Alice is survived by her husband, Raymond; four daughters; and one granddaughter.

Mary Battram ’67 of Rochester passed away Dec. 15. She taught chemistry at Red Creek Central School for 32 years. Mary was honored with the University of Rochester’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1988 and again in 1997, as well as four National Science Foundation Grants.

Richard Hughes ’67 of Ithaca died Oct. 2. He earned master’s degrees from Cornell University and SUNY Binghamton. Rich was a systems analyst at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. Surviving are his wife, Diane; and a son.

Virginia Woods Mammi ’69 of Floyd, Va., passed away Feb. 14, 2012. She taught English at Pulaski County High School for 25 years. She is survived by her husband, Nicholas; a son; a daughter; and four grandchildren.

Carol Adams Morris ’70 of Greece died Sept. 28. Prior to her retirement, Carol was a reading teacher in the Greece School District. She is survived by her husband, John “Zeke”; three daughters; and her mother.

Barbara Duff Rockhill ’70 of Zephyrhills, Fla., and Watertown died April 21, 2012. She earned an associate degree at Jefferson Community College in 1969 and a master’s degree at SUNY Binghamton in 1976. Barbara worked for the New York State Department of Health from 1973 until her retirement in 2003. She is survived by her husband, Lumen.

Kevin Kehoe ’73 of Oswego died Dec. 7. Surviving are his wife, Luann Dixon ’72; two daughters; a son; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by seven siblings, including Dennis ’69.

Anthony “Kenny” Umina ’73 of Delmar died Oct. 27, 2011. He served with the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. He earned an associate’s degree at Auburn Community College. Before his retirement in 1999, Ken had a long career in law enforcement and criminal justice. He began as a police officer in Port Chester, then served in maximum-security correctional facilities with the New York State Department of Correctional Services, becoming the department’s youngest captain. Working in conjunction with the State Police, he began the DOCS K-9 unit. He was later appointed to serve as special deputy commissioner for the New York City Department of Correction. He later served two six-year terms as a parole commissioner. Ken was also an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at Auburn Community College and lectured at the State Police and Correctional Services Training Academies. Ken is survived by his wife, Carol; a son, Anthony; three daughters, Deborah, Carolyn Rafferty and Anne Horak ’97; and four grandchildren.

William Saul ’74 of Asheville, N.C., died Nov. 19. Bill worked at Glazers Wholesale Distributors for 20 years, most recently as vice president of strategic account education and development. Surviving are his wife, Gwynne; two sons; and two stepsons.

Gale Falzack Miller ’77 of Chestnut Ridge passed away May 23, 2010. She worked at Green Meadow Waldorf School for many years. Surviving are her husband, Michael ’76, and three children.

Mark Wagner ’77 of Boynton Beach, Fla., passed away Oct. 2.

Denise Denis ’79 of San Francisco, Calif., passed away Feb. 4, 2011.

Douglas Crane ’80 of Langhorne, Pa., passed away Nov. 28. Doug began his career with Unisys in Cleveland, Ohio. After moving to Langhorne, he had a career in technical marketing with Lucent Technologies and later operated his own franchise of Vanguard Cleaning Systems. He is survived by his wife, Rose Cardamone ’81; a daughter; his parents; two sisters and two brothers.

Barbara Goodwin Holthouse M ’80 of Oswego passed away Dec. 12. She earned her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Geneseo in 1973. Barbara was a speech therapist for Jefferson County BOCES, then a reading teacher in the Oswego City School District until 1980. She is survived by her husband, Gary; a son; a daughter and a granddaughter.

Dawn Krupa ’88 of Fellsmere, Fla., passed away May 14. She is survived by three daughters.

Donald Ward ’88 of Los Angeles passed away Aug. 21, 2010. “Chuck” earned a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University. He was a counselor and professor at Pasadena City College for 22 years. He is survived by his partner, Robert Cook; his parents; and five sisters.

Mark Waelder CAS ’97 of Syracuse passed away Sept. 26. He earned his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland and his master’s degree at University College Dublin. Mark retired in 2006 as director of evaluation, assessment and planning after 32 years with the Syracuse City School District. He is survived by his wife, Karen; a son; a daughter; and three grandchildren.

Kevin Lipari ’98 of Baldwin died Dec. 14 while serving with the U.S. Army in the Logar province of Afghanistan. He was a communications specialist for the Army. Kevin is survived by his wife, Jessica; his mother; and two brothers.

Erich Geariety ’00 of Solvay passed away Nov. 1. He earned a master’s degree at LeMoyne College and was a graduate of Syracuse University School of Law. Erich is survived by a son; his mother and stepfather; and his father and stepmother.

Justin Kehoe ’04 of Binghamton died Nov. 24 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was a self-employed contractor. Surviving are his wife, Rickquel; a daughter; a son; his father and stepmother; and his mother.

Justin Morris ’06 of Wilton passed away suddenly in an accident July 7. Justin graduated from Saratoga Springs High School in 2002 and earned degrees in economics and history at Oswego. He worked at First Niagara Bank in Amsterdam and was studying to become a certified financial planner at the time of his death. Justin is survived by his parents, Claudina Owen and Richard H. Morris; a brother, Thomas R. Morris; Chiarra Morris; and grandmother Claudia Ashelman. He was predeceased by his brother Joshua Morris.

Raymond Bridgers, professor emeritus of education, passed away Feb. 21. Ray received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of William and Mary, and a doctorate in education from Duke University. He began his career as a teacher and principal in Virginia before coming to Oswego to teach at the Campus School. Ray continued teaching at Oswego in what is now the School of Education until his retirement after 35 years. Surviving are his wife, Carolyn ’78; children, Cynthia, Michael, Bradley M ’05, Katherine, Holly, and Lori ’87; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Charles Kollenkark, former assistant director of admissions, passed away Dec. 18. He began his career at Oswego in 1968 and retired in 1982. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis ’68.

Hugh McKenna, former director of the Learning Resources Center, passed away Oct. 8. Hugh served in the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1952. He received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport, a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. from Laurence University. He retired from Oswego in 1982. Surviving are his wife, Diana; two daughters, Antigone and Whitney ’90; and two grandsons.

Thomas Powell, emeritus professor of history, died Aug. 23. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955. Tom earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Potsdam, his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Prior to coming to Oswego, Tom was an instructor at the University of Akron and Syracuse University. He was Oswego’s first dean of Arts and Sciences and started Oswego’s Equal Opportunity Program. Tom stepped down as dean in 1971 to teach in the history department. He received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1976 and retired in 1996. He is survived by two daughters and two granddaughters.

Matthew Pond ’08 and Kristin Amone ’09 were married in October in Rochester. Alumni in attendance included, from left: Jimmy Lacagnina ’10, Joe Ferrari ’10, Nicole Lafe ’09, Chris Caputo ’09, the bride, the bridegroom, Don Heagle ’09 and Kelley Kowalczyk ’12. Matthew is earning his MBA and currently works for Enterprise Holdings. Kristin recently earned her master’s in school psychology and works as behavioral specialist for Hillside Children’s Center. The couple resides in Rochester.

Deborah Richards ’04 and Leonard Tilton were married Aug. 17 at Fallbrook in Oswego. Alumni in attendance included, from left: Krista Schneider ’09, Heather Merchant ’09, Susan McWilliams Friedrich ’04, Rhonda Searle Payne ’98, Eric Payne ’96, Elaine Trudell ’76, Mark Gastin ’01, Jackie Miller ’03, Jill Maskulinski Darling ’03, Samantha Acevedo ’03, Matthew Finster ’00, ’02; George Young ’03, Jennifer Finster, Leann Donnelly Young ’05 and Chantel Martin Moran ’99. The couple resides in Brewerton, where Deborah works as a graphic designer for CGS. Leonard is sales manager for the consumer electronics division of WYNIT Distribution in Syracuse.

Dan King ’07 and Meghan Ryan ’07 were married Sept. 8 in Wappingers Falls. Alumni in attendance included Erika Squillace Gauthier ’05, Mike Gauthier ’05, Andrew Coates ’07, Sean Michel ’07, Craig Celeste ’07, Jason Comack ’07, Patrick Gariepy ’07, Jamie Lyn Brown ’07, Nicole Truax ’07, Michael Kelly ’08, Addie Velez Lasagna ’07, Brian Kelleher ’07, Justin Finch ’07, Kimberly Hough ’07, Ryan Monahan ’07, Lindsay Nash ’07, Kayla Ryan ’12, Sean Lappin and Andrew Miner ’08. Dan is a resource manager and Meghan is a media buying manager. The couple resides in Hoboken, N.J.

Derek Goodroe ’05 and Danielle Richie ’06 were married June 9 at The Beeches in Rome, N.Y. Alumni in attendance included, first row, from left: Steve Baker ’12, Walter McAteer (Sigma Chi), Lindsey (Gualtieri) Kain ’05, Heather Garcia ’07, Ryan Cady ’05 (Sigma Chi), Bob Little (Sigma Chi), Diana Parise ’06 (Maid of Honor), the bridegroom, the bride, Lisa Cooper-Sykut ’05, Jamie Sykut ’04, Kristen Lovullo ’05 (Alpha Epsilon Phi), Ashley (Babbitt) Cady ’06 (Phi Lambda Phi), Kristi Goodroe Jost ’02, Richard Jost ’02 (Sigma Chi) and Debbie Hochberg. Pictured second row, from left, are: Melissa Trinchini ’05, Robert Scott ’12, Thomas Heavey ’05 (Sigma Chi), Adam Marinelli ’04, Nick Gratch ’07, Shannon Higgins Gratch ’06, Crystal Boomhower Grau ’08, Scott Grau ’05, Stephanie Izzo , Chrissy Cooper ’05, Adam Hoop , Nikki Newidomy ’09, Melissa Vozga Stercho ’05 (Sigma Delta Tau), Debbie Lanzi ’81 and Kelli Griffin ’04 (Phi Sigma Sigma). Pictured third row, from left, are: Martin Beckwith, Dan Harvell (Sigma Chi), Chris Janus ’03 (Sigma Chi), Kristina Lavery ’10, Michael Goodman ’07 (Sigma Chi), Nate Guinn ’04 (Sigma Chi), Adam Simon ’93 and Michael Robinson ’94. Stephanie Buck Molloy ’06 also attended, but is not pictured. Derek is marketing coordinator for Ashley McGraw Architects in Syracuse and Danielle is assistant director of graduate recruitment at Syracuse University. The couple resides in Brewerton.

Jessica Tremblay ’07 and Mat Burridge ’07 were married Aug. 26, 2011. Alumni in attendance included, back row, from left: former Laker men’s basketball coach Kevin Broderick M ’92, Ryan Schupp ’08, Kase Kinney ’08, David Gardner ’08, Jake Constance ’06, Chad Burridge ’12, the bridegroom, Dominick White ’08, Amanda McClaughlin ’05 and Todd Franze ’08. Pictured front row, from left, are: Kelly Mraz ’07, Alaina Hannahs ’08, Lyndsey Marquit ’07, the bride, Nick Perioli ’07, Sally Shuster ’05, Kristin Sterling Myatt ’05, Samantha Driscoll ’08 and former Laker women’s basketball coach Michelle Collins. Jessica teaches fifth grade in the Oswego City School District and Mat teaches sixth grade in the Hannibal School District, where he also serves as varsity basketball coach. The couple resides in Oswego.

Swayzee Grodin ’05 and Brian Young ’07 were married on Dec. 1, 2012, at the Grand Cascades Lodge in Hamburg, N.J. Alumni in attendance included Jedidiah Gardner ’07, Scott Healy ’07 and Yvette Bohman ’04. Swayzee is a senior account executive at an advertising agency and Brian is an IT and network manager for an application development company. The couple recently bought their first house and are living in Jamesburg, N.J.

Lt. Col. Waters ’70, left, stands with the recipient of the scholarship he endowed, Tim Huppert ’13. Waters recently established a new fund to help vets with short-term financial needs.

Oswego has been designated a military-friendly college in Military Advanced Education’s 2013 guide.

The publication, which helps inform education service officers, transition officers and the service members they counsel, named SUNY Oswego to its annual list in the 2013 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities, noting that schools on the list “go out of their way to implement military-friendly policies in support of our men and women in uniform.”

“. . .We have highly skilled, highly motivated young men and women coming into the workforce. They are a tremendous asset for us, for the whole country, and we need to nurture what we have there.”

— Lt. Col. Mike Waters ’70

“I think the designation shows the extent the campus goes to, to provide a welcoming environment (for current service members and those transitioning to civilian life) and to give them the specific support they need,” said Benjamin Parker, academic planning coordinator for SUNY Oswego’s Division of Extended Learning.Oswego’s services to veterans include counselors, weekly college representative at Fort Drum, acceptance at full value of credits earned for military schooling and training, increased opportunities for faculty and staff to learn the challenges facing returning service members, relationships with community institutions that routinely assist veterans and flexibility in academic options, such as the college’s all-online Master of Business Administration degree.The college has a cross-campus, interoffice committee working to further improve veterans’ services and dedicated space in 206F Culkin Hall for the Veteran’s Services Office.

Vets helping vets

Oswego alumni veterans are part of the network for those just entering college life. Lt. Col. Mike Waters ’70 USAF (Ret.) who spent more than 34 years in the military, part time and full time, has extended a helping hand to fellow veterans because of the help he encountered returning from the Vietnam War.When his unit was about to be called back just six months after he enrolled at Oswego in 1967, he found that professors were willing to make accommodations for his absence and the college helped by retaining his job as an RA, which was crucial to funding his studies.Waters has funded a scholarship for military veterans, especially combat vets, who are in need of financial help.In addition, he recently started a new fund, to provide non-interest loans for veterans with short-term financial needs. “Veterans come here on the G.I. Bill, but they may not get their money until several weeks into the semester,” he says. The fund Waters established will help to bridge that gap.“With the military downsizing … we have highly skilled, highly motivated young men and women coming into the workforce,” Waters notes. “They are a tremendous asset for us, for the whole country, and we need to nurture what we have there.”Recognition of alumni service in the military is a goal for Col. Jack James ’62, USMC (Ret.). James instituted a salute to veterans at Reunion 2012, and sponsored pins to recognize alumni military service by branch.All veterans are urged to contact the Alumni Relations Office at King Alumni Hall or call 315-312-2258 to enter their military service as part of the alumni record.