Posted on May 3, 2002

Retirees shared some memorable moments from their time
at Union at the recent employee recognition luncheon. Here
are some excerpts:

Lois Bing, mathematics, 38 years, recalled the days when
the department was in Carnegie Hall (now Reamer), the co-education
of Union in 1970, the interesting lives that alumni have led, the filming
of The Way We Were and the 14 different department chairs. “I
have enjoyed my years at Union and the kindness shown me by all
the members of the department; they are truly my best friends and I
want to thank them for all the wonderful years.”

Margaret Dalton, office of dean of arts and sciences, 23
years, said, “I can't believe how many people have been here 20
years. Now here I am one of them … that shows how special this place
is. There are so many people I will miss when I leave, but it must
be time to go when you can't tell the faculty from the students
anymore.”

Margaret French, writing center, 15 years, described
the efforts of tutors (and two faculty members) who used nail
polish remover to dissolve the butterflies from the “hideous” wallpaper in
the Writing Center. A few years later, a new crop of tutors re-created
the insects, adding their own designs on the ceiling and windows.
“The butterflies remind me of the tutors' playfulness, wit, sense of
community and affectionate natures. Working with these bright,
funny, kind people every day has been a privilege that I would not
have missed for the world.”

Marie Guarniello, chemistry, 20 years, recalled the satisfaction
of her own graduation from Union in 1991 after 10 years in the dual
roles of employee and student. She thanked her colleagues in
chemistry for supporting her in her pursuit of a degree, Prof. Martin Benjamin
for “fulfilling my appreciation for the arts,” and the students
who appreciated her interest in them and have maintained
friendships after graduation.

Kathy Hopper, 15 years, office of associate dean for
undergraduate education, remembers a student who often said, “Life is good.”
After Hopper helped him complete his medical school applications,
the student thanked her by making her a chocolate cream pie. “That's
one of my favorites,” she said. “And
I'll always remember that. Now, on the verge of retirement, I can say, `Life
is truly good.'”

Frank Milillo, mechanical engineering, 27 years, described
the satisfaction of watching a group of students design, build and
finally demonstrate a working model of an early steam engine.
“Suddenly the piston was drawn downward. The engine worked!
Immediately the crowd of spectators joined in with a hearty round of
applause. And I finally exhaled in jubilation as the students relished in
their collective accomplishment.”

Catherine Phelps, finance, 17 years, said she has enjoyed
her continuous contact with students and their parents, adding that she
is grateful for the support she has received from other departments
in completing her responsibilities.

Robert Sharlet, political science, 35 years, recalled
having lunch at CIA headquarters in Washington with Shirley
Temple Black, then the U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia. “I briefly
excused myself during lunch, rushed to an unsecure pay phone and
blurted out, `I can't tell you where I am or what I'm doing, but guess who
I'm having lunch with.'”

John Sowa, chemistry, 35 years, said, “I have always
enjoyed watching the long-disturbed face of a student turn into a smile
once they discovered what their problem was and they could go
about solving it.”

Posted on May 3, 2002

Whether you last ran today at lunch or decades ago in
gym class, Team Union wants you.

The 2002 GHI Corporate Challenge (formerly
sponsored by J.P. Morgan Chase) is Thursday, May 23, at 6:25 p.m. at
the Empire State Plaza in Albany. This 3.5-mile road race is one of
the largest running events in the Capital Region with athletes
– erstwhile and otherwise – representing hundreds of
local organizations.

The Union team has been a frequent “Top 10” team over
the years, and consistently ranks among the top local
educational institutions. More importantly, however, this event has been
a great way to socialize with colleagues (and some
Union people you may not know) to represent the College in a
fun, low-key race followed by a “team banquet” (a stop for pizza on
the way home).

Team Union welcomes all abilities, from walker to
world class. The primary goal is to have a large number of
employees (only full-timers are eligible) representing the College.

The race is run through Albany's Washington Park
over the same course (plus .4 miles) as the popular Freihoffer's Run
for Women on June 1.

Entry fee is $15, due May 9.

For details, e-mail or call Charlie Casey, ext. 6090.

Posted on May 3, 2002

Students struggling to make sense of the death of Jeremy
April this week remembered the gifted student and world-level ski
aerialist for his quiet and self-effacing nature, his dry wit, his talent
for mathematics and his promise at what many regard as the
most spectacular and dangerous of winter sports.

The body of April, 18, a first-year student from Northvale,
N.J., was discovered in his room on Monday morning. Officials
have ruled his death a suicide.

“I always pictured Jeremy going to the Olympics and
doing really well and then going on to something like medicine … to
give something back,” said Kelly Herrington, associate dean
of admissions, who first met April as a prospective student and stayed
in touch via email while the skier traveled the competitive
aerials circuit last winter.

April learned on April 19 that he had been named to the
U.S. Aerial Ski Team for the 2002-03 season. On July 4, when he was
to turn 19, he would have been eligible to perform triple maneuvers.

“He was an amazing skier,” said a woman who spoke at
a campus-wide vigil on Monday. “He was like a cat. He always landed
on his feet. He did these jumps that would kill most people.”

April, a Union scholar, was a promising student with a
strong interest in mathematics, according to his faculty advisor. As
other competitive skiers at Union have done, he planned to take
winter terms to pursue international competition.

Many students stayed after the vigil to console one another and
to fill out pages for a memory book to be presented to April’s family.

Dean of Students Fred Alford read a sample of April’s
admissions essay in which he describes the thrill of skiing the “run of my life” at
a moguls competition only to find that a timing malfunction
would prevent him from winning. His essay went on to describe
the protest he eventually won by digging through trash bags to
find the hand-timed results that proved his case. Finally, he compares
the experience of convincing the ski judges with that of making his
case with the College’s admissions office:

“Now I find myself going through another sort of
dustbin, picking out occurrences to exemplify my character,
determination and academic abilities. And with these credentials, I am ready
to meet another critical jury.”

Survivors include his parents, Ernie and Nancy.

Calling hours are Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at
Moritz Funeral Home, 354 Closter Dock Rd., Closter, N.J.

The funeral is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Palisades
Presbyterian Church, Washington Spring Road, Palisades, N.Y. After
interment, there will be a reception at noon at the April home, 34 Rockleigh
Rd., Northvale, N.J. 07647.

A campus memorial service is set for Monday, May 6, at
12:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. A reception will follow.

Posted on May 3, 2002

Thirty Union students and four faculty made up one of
the largest contingents at the National Conference on
Undergraduate Research at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
last week.

“What we do best is the distribution of students
across the curriculum,” said Ann Anderson of mechanical
engineering, who traveled with the Union group. “We had students from
all four divisions.”

Among the presenters were: Ben Gauthier '02,
mechanical engineering, on “Enhanced Aerogel Fabrication;”
Nathaniel Strosberg '02, political science, on “Community Power and
Mass Transportation;” Renee Rinaldi '02, sociology-Africana
studies, on “Roda de Capoeira: Who is the Circle Protecting?” and
Sharon Pozner '02, biology, on “The Role of Adhesion Proteins
and Noncentrosomal Microtubules in Centrosome Reorientation.”

Also accompanying the group were professors Tom Werner, Peter Tobiessen and
Barb Danowski.

The 12th Steinmetz Symposium is set for Friday, May 10.

Posted on May 3, 2002

Just as the flowering trees are at their peak and we begin
our landscaping projects, the College is launching a Web site that
showcases some of the distinctive trees on the historic campus.

The site, at www.union.edu/Trees, provides a “virtual tour”
of some of the arboreal treasures on the 100-acre campus.

By selecting from more than 30 trees on the tour, users can see
a photograph of the tree and read about its history thanks to
college arborist Paul Freemantle, who prepared the site with Tom
Smith, Union's Web director. Also included on the site are brief descriptions
of the history of the College grounds, a checklist for birders, and links to related information.

“Union has a real treasure trove of trees
from around the world,” said Freemantle. “This site
will provide everyone _ from landscape architects to
hobby gardeners _ with a good sense for what these mature
trees look like and the conditions they need to thrive. This
site also serves as a valuable introduction for those
who would like to visit the campus to see the trees.”

Some of the trees at Union were planted shortly after the College moved to
its present location in 1812. Among the older species are
a white oak just north of West College, and some black
walnuts along Library Lane believed to have been planted by Eliphalet
Nott. Prof. James Underwood has donated black walnut saplings
to succeed those trees.