Posted on May 6, 2005

The College's Commencement Committee has chosen outgoing President Roger H. Hull as honorary chancellor of Commencement 2005. He will deliver an address and receive an honorary degree at the June 12 ceremony.

“President Hull has made an immensely positive impact on Union — raising academic standards, renovating and upgrading numerous buildings, and raising funds to maintain the College's standing as one of the best liberal arts institutions in the nation,” said senior Erin Williams, a member of the Board of Trustees and of the Commencement Committee. “He was a clear choice as the committee reviewed his accomplishments over the years.”

Student Forum President Gillian McCabe, a senior who also served on the committee, agreed. “It is a common tradition for departing college presidents to serve as honorary graduation speakers, and President Hull is one of the longest-serving college presidents in the country,” she said.

Since coming to Union in 1990 as the College's 17th president, Hull has focused on five key areas:

— Integrating the liberal arts and technology;

— Enhancing academic, social and residential life;

— Increasing international education;

— Expanding undergraduate research; and

— Encouraging community service 

Within this framework, the College launched a major initiative called Converging Technologies to better integrate the liberal arts and technology. In addition, Hull was instrumental in spearheading Union's Minerva Houses, which offer a new approach to academic, social, and residential life that combines a house system with traditional residence halls, theme houses, and fraternities and sororities.

Long interested in international education, Hull has expanded terms abroad and exchanges to two dozen countries. Today, more than 65 percent of Union's students study abroad at some point, a figure that ranks Union among the top dozen international programs at American colleges. Opportunities for student independent study and research have expanded significantly as well, and Union regularly sends one of the largest student contingents to the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Committed to cooperative efforts between college and community, Hull was co-founder of Schenectady 2000, an extensive revitalization project for the city of Schenectady, and created the Union-Schenectady Initiative, a plan to revitalize the neighborhood to the immediate west of campus. The College has invested more than $26 million in projects, including the renovation of the former Ramada Inn into College Park Hall, a residence for 230 upper-class students. Through the College's Kenney Community Center, more than 60 percent of Union's students perform volunteer service in the local community and schools.

Cliff Brown, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Government, said:  “History will remember President Hull for all of these accomplishments and more. He conducted matters with integrity, with equity, with decency, and with a constant regard for the well being of everybody at this College.”

A native of New York City, Hull earned his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, his law degree from Yale Law School, and his master's degree in law and his Doctor of Juridical Science degree from the University of Virginia. From 1967 to 1971, he was an attorney with White & Case in New York City. In 1971, he became special counsel to Gov. Linwood Holton of Virginia, responsible for the administration's legislative program. Three years later, he joined the National Security Council's Interagency Task Force on the Law of the Sea as a special assistant to the chairman and deputy staff director.

In 1976, Hull joined Syracuse University, where he served as vice president for development and planning and as adjunct professor of international law. He served as president of Beloit College for nine years and was inaugurated as the 17th president of Union College in the fall of 1990.

About 500 students are to receive their degrees at Union College's Commencement. The ceremony is June 12 at 10 a.m. in Library Plaza. For a schedule of events, see http://www.union.edu/commencement/2005/.

Posted on May 6, 2005

Harold Clark Martin, the 14th President of the College from 1965 to 1974, died on Monday, May 2, at the age of 88.

“Harold Martin served this College with distinction,” said Roger H. Hull, president of the College. “He led the College through a number of milestones including curriculum revision, student unrest during the Vietnam War, the admission of women and the construction of a number of buildings. We are better today because of his leadership.”

Born in Raymond, Pa., he graduated high school in the depths of the Depression but worked his way through Hartwick College, where he earned a B.A. in 1937.

He taught high school English in Adams, N.Y., and took summer graduate courses in English Renaissance studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 1939 he married another Michigan student, Elma Hicks of Webster Springs, W.V., and returned to his high school in Goshen, N.Y., to teach English and then serve as principal.

Exempted from the draft because he was a high school principal and father, he enlisted in the Navy late in World War II to serve a year as instructor in English at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Bainbridge, Md. After his discharge, he returned to Goshen and pursued full certification through courses in education at Columbia and then at Harvard.

Shortly after Martin's arrival at Union in 1965, “Hal” as he was called, oversaw the adoption of the current trimester calendar and a revised curriculum, “CompEd,” which required all students to take courses in both of the newly organized academic “centers” – Humanities & Social Sciences, and Sciences & Engineering.

He also urged a re-thinking of Union's mission, arguing that a number of trends, including the rapid rise to prominence of public institutions in the Northeast, imperiled traditional liberal arts colleges like Union.

The most drastic proposal of his tenure, initiated by the faculty, called for reconsideration of the policy which, since 1795, had restricted enrollment to men only. In 1968, Martin appointed a committee to study the question of adopting coeducation. When the committee unanimously endorsed coeducation, the faculty voted in the affirmative without audible dissent, and the trustees nearly so. The first full-time women students entered in 1970.

At the height of student activism, Martin joined with 34 other college presidents in signing a letter to President Richard Nixon urging attention to student voices.

During Martin's tenure, Union added a number of buildings including Humanities, Social Sciences, Fox, Davidson and Achilles Rink (now Achilles Center).

After Union, Martin became president of the American Academy in Rome, a position he resigned in 1976. After a year as Martha Bundy Scott Professor of English at Williams, he joined the faculty of Trinity College. He retired from Trinity as Charles A. Dana Professor of Humanities in 1982.

In retirement, the Martins returned to their farm on the outskirts of Rensselaerville, N.Y.  He completed two books of Episcopal history, St. George's Church: Spanning Three Centuries (1984) and “Outlasting Marble and Brass”: the History of the Church Pension Fund (1986).

In 1988 the Martins moved to Corrales, New Mexico, where Elma Hicks Martin died February 26, 1995. Harold Martin subsequently moved to Maine.

Martin last year published his edited two-volume Diary of Jonathan Pearson, and wrote three articles for the Encyclopedia of Union College History published in 2003. He attended Homecoming last fall to do a book signing for the Pearson book. He also participated in the processional at Commencement 2004.

[Some above material from Wayne Somers, compiler and editor, Encyclopedia of Union College History (Schenectady: Union College Press, 2003), page 472.]

Posted on May 5, 2005

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior midfielder Molly Flanagan (Simsbury, CT/Loomis Chaffee) has been named the 2005 Liberty League Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year. Flanagan is joined by two teammates on the all-league first team, senior attack Kathy Dolezal (Clearwater, FL/Williston Northampton) and defender Liz Flanagan (Simsbury, CT/Loomis Chaffee). Union was represented on the Liberty League second team with two midfielders, senior Tanya Davis (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) and freshman Caitlin Cuozzo (Norfolk, MA/King Phillip Regional).

Christine Castellon of Vassar was named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year, while Vassar Head Coach Judy Finerghty and Assistant Coach Kate Morris received the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Molly Flanagan, the pre-season US Lacrosse Player of the Year, is a three-time Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week. In 14 games this season, she has 42 goals and 13 assists for 55 points, and also has 140 shots, 50 ground balls, 36 draw controls and 51 caused turnovers. Flanagan is the all-time leader in Union women's lacrosse history with 205 career goals and 278 career points, and is second all-time with 73 career assists. In the Liberty League she is ranked first in caused turnovers, second in goals, points and shots, and third in assists. Flanagan is ranked #9 nationally in caused turnovers.

Dolezal has 36 goals in 14 games, and also has posted six assists for 42 points. She also has an 80% shot on goal percentage, and 18 ground balls. Dolezal won a Liberty League offensive performer honor earlier this season. She is second on the team in goals, points, shots, and game-winning goals. She has scored in 12 of the 14 games, and had seven goals vs. St. Lawrence as well as six points against William Smith. The captain also ranks sixth in the Liberty League in goals. Liz Flanagan, a captain this year, has 36 ground balls and 11 draw controls as well as 10 points with five goals and five assists. She is the coordinator of the team's defense, which has allowed 109 goals in 14 games for the season. The Dutchwomen have held the opponent under 10 goals in four games this spring. Flanagan has nine ground balls in her last four games.

Davis has started all 14 games for Union, and has 14 goals and eight assists for 22 points. She also has recorded 28 ground balls, 18 draw controls and 13 caused turnovers. Davis is third on the team among regulars with her .839 shot-on-goal percentage. She is sixth in goals and sixth in points on the team. This is her best and most consistent season in her four year career according to Union Head Coach Lacey French.

Cuozzo was named this week's Liberty League Rookie of the Week. She has also started all 14 games and has 16 goals and nine assists for 25 points. Cuozzo has 59 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. She leads the team with 60 draw controls, and also leads the team with four game-winning goals in her freshman season. Cuozzo is ranked ninth nationally in draw controls in her rookie year. In the league, Cuozzo is first in game-winners and first in ground balls.

Union, ranked #16 in the nation, hosts the 2005 Liberty League Women's Lacrosse Championships at Bailey Field May 7-8. The Dutchwomen, 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference, will face #4 seed Hamilton College (9-6, 5-3) at 11 a.m. in the first semifinal game Saturday. The other semifinal will feature #2 seed Skidmore College (12-3, 7-1) vs. #3 seed St. Lawrence University (8-4, 5-3) at 1:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Sunday's championship game will be at 12 p.m., and the winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships.

Posted on May 5, 2005

What a difference a half-century makes… in everything from science and politics to toys and the way we ate. Consider: 1955 was a year of pivotal discoveries, societal shifts, dubious debuts, cool cars, Elvis, McDonald's and gas for less than a quarter a gallon.

• World stage: Eisenhower and Nixon lead, Churchill resigns, Warsaw Pact is signed, Juan Peron is ousted in a military coup, Korean armistice is declared.
  
• Dubious and/or dazzling debuts: McDonald's, Disneyland, the Mickey Mouse Club, “Lolita,” “Gunsmoke” and Elvis on TV are all firsts.
  
• Societal shifts: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus; Supreme Court orders school integration.
  
• Cool cars: Americans embrace the cult of the '55 Chevy, the intro of the classic Thunderbird.
  
• Award winning: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” snags the Pulitzer; “On the Waterfront” sweeps the Academy Awards.
  
• Pivotal discoveries: Play-Dough and optic fiber are invented, the antiproton is discovered, the first virus is crystallized. Also cooking: the first home microwave ovens (cost: $1,300).
  
• Sports highs: Brooklyn Dodgers (“dem bums”) edge the Yankees 4-3 in the World Series; Mickey Mantle hits his 100th career home run.
  
• Assorted lows: Gas is 23 cents a gallon; a loaf of bread, 18 cents; a first-class postage stamp, 3 cents. Minimum wage is $1 an hour.

AT UNION:
Students revolt against freshmen beanies, tackle the sophomore disciplinary committee and plan a Pogo parade. Our 2005 50th ReUnion celebrants receive their diplomas.

Posted on May 5, 2005

Patricia Clarey '75: The Incredible Bigness of being Arnold's Aide

“Everything Arnold does is big. It's always wild,” says Patricia Clarey '75.

As right-hand person to Arnold – former Mr. Universe-turned-Terminator, now California Gov. Schwarzenegger – Clarey sees him up close every day.

“It's a dream job,” the Union alumna says. “He's probably the most recognized elected official in this country, with the exception of the president. He's also incredibly well known worldwide. Everybody wants to see him… Clint Eastwood, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, Queen Noor; they're his friends. The other day, President Bush 41 came by.”

Clearly, life in the Sacramento statehouse is anything but business as usual.

“We have to rent auditoriums when Arnold does a press conference,” Clarey notes. “We can get 1,000 people without doing much. He gets amazing, cheering, cross-party crowds.”

As Gov. Schwarzenegger's handpicked chief of staff, Clarey has her own starring role as logistics manager for the gubernatorial staff.

“California is the sixth largest economy in the world, bigger than Canada's. The problems are enormous,” Clarey says. “It's a challenging time. First and foremost, Arnold wants to fix the fiscal mess we're in. He's got a broad, non-partisan vision and he's intellectually curious, with tremendous instincts and a strong sense of what he can accomplish. It's very invigorating for those of us in public service.”

A native of Johnson City, N.Y., Clarey majored in psychology at Union, “the perfect small school in the Northeast.” She loved the small classes and close interaction with faculty, including the late Dr. C.W. Huntley '34, her advisor. “It's a very nurturing place. I came out feeling confident I could do it all.”

She was a resident advisor in North College and put in hours at Hale House, but Union wasn't all work. She recalls that in 1974, when streaking was big, “some of the guys in West College rented spotlights and played the '1812 Overture' while there was streaking going on. It was a lively place. We had a blast.”

Clarey received her B.S. at Union and earned a master's in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1983. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she honed her lobbying, legislative and communications skills “in and out of public service.”

She held government relations posts for Chevron and Ashland Oil, Inc., and was vice president of public affairs for Transamerica Corp., one of the nation's largest financial services companies. She worked in the Reagan and first Bush administrations and spent eight years as deputy chief of staff for California Gov. Pete Wilson, where she met Schwarzenegger. Most recently, she was vice president for governmental affairs at Health Net Inc., a Southern California HMO.

Then opportunity knocked, and Pat Clarey once more said hasta la vista to corporate America.

“The day after Arnold announced his candidacy on the Leno show, he called and asked if I'd take off two months to run his primary campaign. I said yes, and those were probably the most fascinating two months I ever had.”

Buoyed by the governor-elect's sense of optimism, she stayed and helped assemble a staff and cabinet, set priorities and write the State of the State address.

“There's a terrific mixture of people here, all for the same reason, to fix things,” she says. “We're a little army, and Arnold draws us up and makes us better.”