The Oswego Alumni Association and college Athletics Department welcomed five to the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony Oct. 27 in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom. From left, tennis’s Richard Nelson ’70, soccer’s Donna Clark-Gayne ’89 (seated), track and field’s Wally Yelverton ’77, wrestling’s Mark Bowman ’83 (seated) and ice hockey’s Sean Fitzgerald ’89 were honored. The 2013 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will take place Nov. 2. Visit alumni.oswego.edu/halloffame for more information.

Professor Emeritus of Education Raymond Bridgers Jr. readily admits that if someone had told him as a high school student that he would become a teacher, he would have laughed. “School was not a particularly happy place for me,” he says. But once he started teaching, Bridgers came to love the classroom.

“I literally enjoyed going to work every day, walking into the classroom,” he says, his voice brimming with excitement. “I hope the students enjoyed it as much as I did.”

With a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in elementary education, both from the College of William and Mary, and a doctorate of education from Duke University in curriculum and instruction, Bridgers decided to teach school “until I decided what to do.”

He found he loved it, and wanting more classroom experience decided to take an opening at Oswego’s Campus School. He told the college he would stay only three years – he wanted to experience a northern climate. Their first night on campus, he and his wife, Carolyn, watched gentle, fluffy snowflakes fall against a streetlight outside their house window, and Bridgers thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The wonder he felt must have changed his plans, because he spent his entire career at Oswego.

“I feel fortunate to have spent 35 years at Oswego,” he says.

Although he spent his early career teaching ninth-graders and serving as a principal in Virginia, he found he loved the middle grades the most. “I liked the creativity of the junior high student. Their intellectual capacity was always exciting and interesting,’ he says.

After seven years in the Campus School, he taught in what is now Oswego’s School of Education.

“One of the main things I used to tell [students] was, ‘The most important thing you carry into the classroom is not your knowledge of physics, languages, etc. It’s you as a person and how you help those kids explore life,’”
he says.

Bridgers developed two courses at Oswego: “Teaching Culturally Different Children” – his basic theme was we’re all culturally different – and “Play and Playfulness,” about the importance of play in the lives of the young and old.

Professor Emeritus of Education Raymond Bridgers Jr. and his stained glass artwork titled, “The Old Road Home,” which won second place at the 1990 New York State Fair.

Bridgers always tried to learn students’ names from the first day in the classroom, and he refreshed the courses by periodically throwing away all his notes and developing his lectures anew.

He became a familiar figure on campus, with his boisterous laugh and fringed leather jacket. An avid runner, he completed several marathons. He served as adviser to Kappa Delta Pi (which he had served as president at Duke and William and Mary) and the sorority Alpha Sigma Chi. A member of Phi Delta Kappa education honorary, he received a federal fellowship in 1968-69.

In retirement, he loves spending time with his family, including Carolyn ’78 and their six children (Cynthia, Michael, Bradley M ’05, Katherine, Holly and Lori ’87), 12 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

He also enjoys making stained glass, a skill he learned at Oswego to craft doors for his kitchen cabinets and taught for several years at the Art Association of Oswego.

And while he enjoys retirement with his typical gusto, he still professes his love for Oswego and its students, saying, “If I had my druthers, I would have stayed and taught until they threw me out.”

—Michele Reed

Ed. Note: We are saddened to report that Dr. Bridgers passed away Feb. 21. This story is published posthumously with the permission of his family.

The Oswego Alumni Association inducted four former Oswego student athletes and one coach emeritus into the Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 12 in the Hewitt Union Ballroom. Pictured from left, are: soccer Coach Emeritus Ken Peterson, three-sport star Charles Stanek ’65, lacrosse standout Ken Walker ’80, and wrestler Harold Furrer ’65. The Oswego Alumni Association also recognized field and ice hockey player Diane Gilligan ’85, who was unable to attend the ceremony.

Michael Snell ’87, the former men’s ice hockey team captain, established the mark for the most goals in a single season. He ranks third on the men’s ice hockey all-time scoring list with 263 points and played two years of professional hockey in Germany.

Barry Dillon ’85 was one of the college’s all-time great baseball pitchers, holding the record for career wins with 37.

Former Oswego State women’s basketball player Eileen Sommers ’83, the single-season scoring record holder with 264 points, was the first SUNY Oswego woman to score 1,000 points.

The 10th Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame class included, back row, from left: James Hauptfleisch ’77, Barry Dillon ’85, Michael Snell ’87 and Dick Johnson. Pictured front row, from left, are: Charles Wiltse ’63, M ’69; Robert Zabronsky ’82; and Eileen Sommers ’83.

Former Laker soccer player Robert Zabronsky ’82 made the All-SUNY Athletic Conference first team each year he played. As a member of the Maccabiah team, he has represented the United States in Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Israel and Germany.

James Hauptfleisch ’77 was the SUNYAC individual wrestling champion in 1975 as well as state heavyweight champ in 1975 and 1977, the same year he was named an All-American.

Charles Wiltse ’63, M ’69 was recognized for his accomplishments in and commitment to cross country and track. He served as coach for cross country and track in the Baldwinsville Central School District from 1963 to 1984.

Dick Johnson was the first inductee ever who did not play sports for the college. He was recognized for his role in co-founding the Blue Line Club, whose members ardently support the Oswego men’s ice hockey team while fostering college and community
spirit. He was also the Blue Line Club’s first president.

— Alma Hildago ’11

Cohn was inducted during an awards luncheon for the third annual CableFAX Program Awards, Oct. 4 in New York City. Cohn was one of eight members inducted in this year’s class. Fellow inductees included actress Glenn Close, NBC Universal Cable President Bonnie Hammer, Oxygen Channel founder Geraldine Laybourne and Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson.

CableFAX, a multimedia organization designed to keep viewers in the know about cable dynamics and news, publishes a bimonthly magazine and conducts webinars on how to provide training opportunities for cable professionals.

A longtime personality on ESPN, Cohn earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Oswego. She is a member of the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame, for her achievements in women’s ice hockey, and has served as moderator of the Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit. She is also the author of a book, Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking into the Boys’ Club.

The Oneida native’s time in Oswego included internships at Fort Ontario and the Football Hall of Fame in Ohio.

Matthew Urtz '02, M '05

“Anything in sports — a lot of people focus on the numbers. But baseball, football, all of them have amazing social aspects,” Urtz said.

Today he assists historians in each of Madison County’s 16 municipalities, fields questions for a “Stump the Historian” newspaper segment and handles numerous requests from genealogists near and far. l

1) Greatest moment in football history: Most historians point to the Giants-Colts NFL championship. But for me personally it was probably “The Drive” by John Elway. That was when football started to overtake baseball as America’s pastime, in my opinion.

2) Greatest moment in your history: The day
I married my wife.

3) Best History Channel program: MonsterQuest, Modern Marvels and Cities of the Underworld

4) Little-known Madison County fact: It is home to Gerrit Smith, one of six men who helped fund John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. It is also home to Colonel William Smith, who was one of George Washington’s top aides.

5) Something we didn’t know about SUNY Oswego: SUNY Oswego’s original name was Oswego Primary Teachers’ Training School.

6) Favorite Oswego myth: If you are under 100 pounds and it’s windy, you get excused from class.

7) Tough Oswego class: Econ 200: Principles of Macroeconomics

8) Most interesting query since becoming historian: Anytime you get into criminal requests prior to 1900, the stories can be quite humorous.

9) Most interesting thing about being a historian: I love the people, anyone researching their personal history has a great energy and excitement that makes the process very fun, and if you find information they were looking for, it’s very rewarding.

10) What makes Oswego home to you? Good friends, great experiences and a cheeseburger sub from Oswego Sub Shop.