Members of the Class of 1962 gathered for a golden anniversary reception with President Deborah F. Stanley during Reunion Weekend 2012 in the Sheldon Hall Lower Lobby. Celebrating the 50-year anniversary were, first row, from left: James Anderson, James Balducci, David Bates, A. David Bird, Donald Blauvelt, Monica Boivin Carroway, Frank Cleary, Patricia Crosson Cleary, Patricia McCarthy Coughlin, Mary Reilly Crabbs, Lester Crowell, Janice Bartow Curro, Marilyn Fragetta Daluisio, Peter Dankelman, Gail Freeman Dembin and Lawrence Fagen. Pictured second row, from left, are: Mark Montoney, Jean Moser McKay, Christopher Maniscalco, Marguerite Boyle Lowenthal, Eleanor Koch Link, Diana Schoff Lawlor, Roberta Bonacci Lang, George Ladd, Donald Kline, Jack James, Anne Petrak Horner, Martin Holland, Anne Dunn Herb, Edward Heinrich, Ronald Harrison, Edwina Foster and Phyllis Maguire Fanizzi. Pictured third row, from left, are: Colette Chapman Ozarowski, Marie D’Amore Petrelli, Michael Picciano, Lois Glick Reiter, Kathleen Haggerty Ross, Arleen Statnikoff Rudoy, Clayton Sauberan, Nancy Tuma Sauberan, Frederick Scharf, Rosemary Bushneck Shanahan, Michael Shramek, James Stahlman, Joanne Clark Szalay, Robert Thole, Marjorie Pfluke Trudeau, Donna Fry True, Peter Vignogna and Beverly Brown Wilkins, Robert Thole, Marjorie Pfluke Trudeau, Donna Fry True, Peter Vignogna and Beverly Brown Wilkins.

Jack James ’62 hoists the Reunion Giving Participation Cup in celebration. The 50th anniversary class posted 48 percent participation in giving.

The 50th anniversary Class of 1962 broke the participation record for 50-year classes, and the 25-year Class of 1987 and the 10-year anniversary Class of 2002 both broke the previous records for total dollars raised for their anniversary years.

“Reunion gifts are a special opportunity for our alumni to stretch their giving level in honor of Oswego and the role it has played in shaping their lives today,” said Joy Westerberg Knopp ’92, director of annual giving. “It has been a tremendous honor working with these Reunion classes and our wonderful alumni volunteers this past year.  They should all be proud of their accomplishments.”

The 50th anniversary Class of 1962 won the Participation Cup for the highest percentage of donors, with 147 donors or 48.5 percent of the class chipping in to raise $37,620.23.

The Class of 1962 not only exceeded their first class goal of $30,000, but also their original participation goal of 35 percent.

Jack James ’62 and Ed Heinrich ’62 chaired the class’s giving effort, beginning in October 2011 with a committee of a half-dozen classmates. Both chairmen led by example, with Heinrich and his wife, Janet Albreght Heinrich ’63, endowing a scholarship and James establishing a charitable gift annuity as leader of the Sheldon Legacy Society, those who have remembered Oswego in their estate plans.

“The success we had was nothing more than persistence, follow up emails, phone calls and note writing,” said
Heinrich.

James explained the importance of supporting the college in honor of an anniversary year, saying, “Reunion giving makes a statement that alumni do participate in reunions, not just to gather back on campus to have fun, but also to make a worthwhile statement of our loyalty to our class and the institution.”

The Class of 1987 presented a check for the record-setting class gift to President Deborah F. Stanley, far left. Representing the class are reunion giving committee members, from left, Henry Seymour ’87, Kimberly Morella ’87, Kimberly Cockayne Brooke ’87, Elizabeth Gocs ’87, Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87 and Keith Chamberlain ’87.

The Class of 1987, under the leadership of Reunion Giving Chair Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87, skyrocketed past their $25,000 goal, raising $126,396, to break the $108,000 mark set by the Class of 1982 for their 25th Reunion.

The gift was boosted by a generous donation from a class member to establish a fund supporting international scholarships and initiatives at the college.

The Class of 1987 also carries the distinction of being the class which raised the largest senior class gift as students.

In addition, the 10th anniversary Class of 2002, under the leadership of Christopher Hockey ’02, surpassed their goal of $7,500 and broke a record by raising $13,162.64. The Class of 1998 set the previous record of $10,191.

Also successful in their fundraising efforts, garnering a total of $73,667.75 were the 20th anniversary classes, led by Fred Hinrichsen ’91 and Bob Hickey ’91, co-chairing the effort for the Class of 1991; Bill Schreiner ’92, leading the Class of 1992’s giving drive, and Nancy Smith Salisbury ’93 heading up the reunion giving effort for the Class of 1993.

“Gifts of all sizes truly do add up to make a difference for our students and these classes set a fine example for future classes celebrating their own Reunions,” said Knopp. “Their generosity will impact our students for years to come.”

Reunion 2013 is set for June 6 to 9, and Reunion Giving years are 1963, 1988, 2003, the 35th anniversary classes of 1977, 1978 and 1979, and the 15th anniversary classes of 1997, 1998 and 1999. To become involved in Reunion giving efforts, contact the Office of University Development at 315-312-3003 or develop@oswego.edu, and to help plan Reunion events and encourage classmates to attend, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 315-312-5559 or email reunion@oswego.edu.

A member of the Sheldon Legacy Society — a group of loyal Oswego supporters who have remembered the college in their estate plans — James has bequeathed 70 percent of his estate to Oswego.

His gift will help to expand and grow The Jack C. James ’62 Endowment Fund, which supports three initiatives dear to James’ heart. It will augment The Jack C. James ’62 Scholarship Fund and establish two new funds, The Jack C. James ’62 Equipment and Facilities Improvement Fund and The Jack C. James ’62 School of Education Student Program Fund.

Jack James ’62, right, met the latest recipient of his endowed scholarship, Joe Murdoch ’12, left, at King Alumni Hall last fall. Meeting the winners of his scholarship, who balance work and family life along with their studies, is “humbling,” James says.

His impetus for making Oswego such an important part of his estate plans, James says, stems from his confidence in the institution.

“Not a lot of organizations have been around for 150 years and give you confidence based on a track record of excellence and service,” he says.

His personal confidence is rooted in his long involvement with the college as a member of the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors, Reunion volunteer and former chair of The Fund for Oswego, all of which afforded him the opportunity to work with President Deborah F. Stanley and key members of her administration.

He appreciated the “prudent, fiduciary” application of gifts by the college. “To endow a gift means it will be here in the future, forever,” he says. For him, the college inspires confidence that future leaders of the institution will use the gifts wisely.

The Jack C. James ’62 Scholarship, now in its fifth year, was his first initiative. It provides scholarship help for non-traditional students, a demographic James taught at National Louis University as an adjunct professor in the College of Management and Business.

“When I meet my scholarship winners, I come away humbled,” he says, “They make enormous sacrifices, working full time and raising families, while they earn their degrees.” Knowing he provides financial help to them is meaningful to James, especially in the current tight economy.

Likewise, supporting the School of Education through a student-programming fund speaks to his heart. Education is a family tradition, with both his mother and sister serving as teachers. “When I returned from the military, I realized my real love was education,” says the Vietnam-era veteran, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps with the rank of colonel.

“When you invest in education, you are investing in the future,” he says.

He helped build 26 bases while serving in the USMC. Knowing the work that goes into bringing facilities on line, he says he was “wowed” by what the college has done to upgrade its infrastructure in recent years. So he has endowed a fund to help with future campus improvements.

“When I return to campus now I see the phoenix rising,” he says. “I think back to the [Quonset] huts” that were on campus when he was a student in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“I have no idea what the needs will be on campus years from now, but I know there will be needs,” he says. “And I have the confidence in the people who put all this brick and mortar into place to use my gift wisely.”

Following his heart and choosing to invest his philanthropy in an institution where he is confident it will be wisely managed is key to Jack James’ legacy.