ReUnion welcomes everyone home
The more than 1,400 alumni and guests who returned to campus for ReUnion this year found something new-a home of their own at 1128 Lenox Rd.
The College dedicated the historic Parker-Rice estate as Abbe Hall, the new Alumni Center and home of College Relations. Built in 1900 by Edwin W. Rice, former
president of General Electric Co. and trustee of the College from 1906 to 1935, the building was donated to the College by the Parker-Rice family in 1976. The restoration was made possible by a gift from Robert T. '49 and Virginia O. Abbe.
A home of your own
The weekend began with a ceremony marking the restoration and renovation of the historic home at Lenox Road and Union Avenue, made possible by a gift from Robert T. '49 and Virginia O. Abbe. The house, built in 1900 for Edwin W. Rice, the second president of the General Electric Co., was known for many years as the Parker Rice House. As the new home for the alumni and development offices, it will be known as Abbe Hall.
Experienced in historic preservation, the Abbes requested that the house be restored, as near as possible, to its original décor. Alumni who returned for the weekend were greeted by such touches as natural woodwork, tapestry wallpaper, and original lighting fixtures.
Two rooms in Abbe Hall were dedicated to the classes that supported their restoration-the library to the Class of 1973, and the conference room to the Class of 1953.
Getting bigger and better
This year's ReUnion was one of the largest in the College's history, second only to the Bicentennial event in 1995, according to Nick Famulare '92, director of alumni relations.
“Between a record-high 100 alumni volunteers and a strong and varied program, there was tremendous interest in this year's ReUnion,” he said. “We had alumni from the Classes of 1935 through 2002 and from as far away as Sweden and Singapore. This was a complete campus effort with faculty, students, administrators, and more than a dozen different departments involved. From dedications to academic lectures to ReUnion class gifts over $24 million…it was amazing. The Union spirit is alive and well.”
The weekend, which celebrates the traditions of the College, combined traditional events-barbecues, tours, class dinners, the alumni parade and convocation-with some new items, such as a standing-room-only presentation on the American Locomotive Co. with Dick Steinbrenner '58, who has written a book on ALCO, and the dedication of a memorial from the V-5/V-12 unit to alumni lost in the Civil War.
Back from all over
Alumni returned from all over the world-including one who traveled 11,000 miles from Singapore-representing classes from 1932 to 2002. Shown are the Singapore guests-Kathleen and Martyn Goossen and their son, Jay, a junior at the College.
The annual alumni parade, which was first held in 1911, featured all the anniversary classes from 1938 through 1998. The class of 1963 took the Van Voast/Class of 1941 Cup for the class having the best costume. The Class of 1953 took the Anable Cup for the largest number of classmates in the parade, the McClellan Cup for the greatest percentage of classmates at ReUnion, and the Class of 1943 award for the most outstanding ReUnion effort.
Handshakes are convocation highlight
One of the most moving events of the weekend was the traditional senior handshake, when members of the Class of 1953 welcomed this year's graduates into the alumni body. One member of the Class of 1953 wrote in the 50th class directory that has fond memories of shaking the hands of alumni from the Class of 1903 during his senior handshake fifty years ago.
At the convocation, Sy Gluck '49, El Harp '53, and Frank Messa '73 received Alumni Gold Medals for service to the College. Dan Lundquist, vice president for admissions and financial aid, received the Alumni Council's Meritorious Service Award.
ReUnion classes presented President Roger Hull with gifts totaling $24,318,328, which included a recent gift of $20 million from
John '38 and Jane Wold.
A tribute from V-12/V-5
Alumni from the U.S. Navy's V-12/V-5 unit returned to campus for their 60th ReUnion and presented a plaque honoring alumni who lost their lives during the Civil War. The plaque joins other historic tributes in Memorial Chapel. Taking part in the dedication ceremony were Joe Goldreich '45, Herb Saxe '50, Nelson Heyer '47, Philip Ziffer '47, Fred Bronner '46, Joe Hinchey '47, Jack Trenner '45, Lee Landes '45, William Fisher '47, and Lee Akins '46.
The College's casualties during the Civil War included 61 from the Union side, eight from the Confederate forces. All 69 names are on the plaque. Five alumni received Medals of Honor-George Bliss, Class of 1860; Daniel Butterfield, Class of 1849; Francis Hall, Class of 1852; John Hartranft, Class of 1853; and Philip Post, Class of 1855.
Feigenbaums top engineering awards
Armand V. and Donald S. Feigenbaum, graduates of 1942 and 1946, respectively, received the outstanding alumni awards
at the presentation of the College's Engineering and Computer Science Alumni Awards.
The Feigenbaums are founders of General
Systems Company in Pittsfield, Mass. The
company designs and implements integrated management systems for major corporations
and organizations worldwide.
“We are delighted to recognize Armand and Donald Feigenbaum,” said Robert Balmer, dean
of engineering and computer science. “They
have brought honor to the College through their distinguished careers, and they stand as wonderful models for our students.”
Since 1996 the College has hosted the annual Feigenbaum Forum, which brings leaders from the academic and business worlds together at
the College to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern.
Armand Feigenbaum is the originator of Total Quality Control. His book on the subject has been published in many languages and is the basic text on quality systems and improvement. Donald Feigenbaum is one of the acknowledged world leaders in systems management and systems engineering and was the founding chairman of the systems engineering committee of the American Society for Quality Control.
Several other awards were presented (gold awards went to alumni who graduated more than ten years ago, silver to graduates from the last ten years):
- CE Gold Award-Jack J. Woolf '55, CEO, Construction Solutions; CE Silver Award-Grant W. Gagnier, Jr. '96, vice president, construction operations, Barr & Barr, Inc.
- CS Gold Award George H. Williams '64, professor, Union College; CS Silver Award-Joseph M. Marocco '93, computer network coordinator, Saranac Lake (N.Y.) School District.
- EE Gold Award Catherine A. Keim '83, product offering manager, extended foundry services, IBM; EE Silver Award-Qian Zhang '95.
- ME Gold Award
Paul J. Burton III '82, vice president of manufacturing, Plug Power; ME Silver Award-Charles Howarth '95, physician, Cooperstown, N.Y.