Posted on May 5, 2005

High yield investor, Wealth management expert, Chemist turned start-up specialist
Union's three newest trustees pledge their dedication to the College:
David J. Breazzano, David L. Henle, Michael F. Newell

David J. Breazzano '78: The right choice
Union College was the perfect choice for David Breazzano, the top graduate in his high school graduating class of 56 students.

Eager to broaden his horizons beyond his native Edinburg, N.Y., he found Union exciting, welcoming, dynamic. “Interacting with respected and intelligent professors like Professors Joseph Board, James Underwood and Peter Prosper gave me self-confidence,” he said. “I learned a lot at Union, not only the basic competency of written expression, but more importantly, how to think and look at the world.”

Breazzano took advantage of Union's array of academic and extracurricular opportunities, serving as president and treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa and getting involved in intramural sports, radio station WRUC and the Interfraternity Council. He also made the Dean's List.

After earning a B.A. in political science and economics, he found himself well prepared for Cornell University, where he earned his MBA in finance and accounting. He went on to accumulate 25 years of experience in distressed, high yield and special situation investing. He managed the Fidelity Capital & Income Fund, one of the nation's largest high yield funds, and was chief investment officer of the T. Rowe Price Recovery Fund, a $107 million limited partnership investing in distressed securities. In 1996, Breazzano and two partners founded an independent asset management firm, DDJ Capital Management.

The father of Jeremy Breazzano '07, he has remained involved in Union as an associate agent, phonathon worker and the College's representative at the 2001 Harvard presidential inauguration. As a Trustee and member of the You are Union Campaign Committee, he finds his professional experience and investment skills important.

“The school needs to augment the investment returns of the endowment,” he said. “Every alumnus owes a duty to the school, to continue to help it as those before us have done.”

David L. Henle '75: Wake-up call

“Union woke me up to the world,” said David Henle '75.

“At Union, I met kids who were more worldly than I was. It wasn't that I grew up on the farm; I came from an IBM family, and my father was determined that I become an engineer. I went to Union to test out the engineering thesis; if that didn't work, I knew I could pursue another academic program without changing schools.”

The Union College Trustee, Investment Committee member and member of the You are Union Campaign Committee immersed himself in a range of campus activities, including Kappa Alpha, intramural sports and radio station WRUC, and he was a member of the Dean's List.

And he did, indeed, break with family tradition and forge his own path. He switched from electrical engineering to industrial economics, which exposed him to such inspiring professors as Jim Kenney in economics and the late Dwight Phaup in economics.

“Union was a great experience,” Henle said. “I felt fortunate that they let me in, and I feel the College has much to do with my maturation as a human being.”

He worked briefly in the garment business in New York City, then discovered his interest in financial services and began work at Irving Trust, a commercial bank. Before long, he was married, enrolled in the MBA program at New York University and working at Goldman Sachs, where he is now global head of Private Wealth Management and where he has spent the last 24 years.

For Henle, it was a natural progression from career success to philanthropy. Like his fraternity brother and fellow Trustee Mark Walsh '76, he was interested in expanding his College involvement. He embraces his role as active alumnus.

“At some point, you get greater satisfaction from giving back, from doing other things with your money than just acquiring more things,” Henle said. “Being a Trustee strengthens my connectivity to the school and gives me the chance to make a difference.”

Michael Newell '74: Eight degrees of Union

Michael Newell '74, newly elected alumni representative on the Board of Trustees, is an accomplished chemist, entrepreneur and outdoorsman. But one of his proudest achievements is the guidance he gave his children to follow in his college footsteps.

Together, Newell, his children and their spouses proudly sport six undergraduate and two graduate degrees from Union.

“My children were on campus fairly often when they were growing up, and they came to understand what a great education they could get at Union,” said Newell, talking about Jessica Newell Sanderson '98, Jeremy Newell '00 and Sarah Newell '02. Jessica is married to Erik Sanderson '98, and Jeremy married Erika Mancini Newell '00. Jessica and Erika hold master's degrees in teaching from Union, as well.

Newell distinguished himself at Union by earning his bachelor's degree in chemistry in three years and winning the Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. He drew inspiration from chemistry professors Thomas Werner, John Sowa and the late Charles Scaife and Robert Schaefer.

“You come out knowing how to write and think,” he said. “I had grown up in a poor household in Amsterdam, N.Y., and it was an opening of the world.”

Newell conducted graduate study in analytical chemistry at the University of Georgia and later became involved with the startups of U.S. Analytical Instruments and Inficon's environmental investments business. He is now director of business development for Rheodyne LLC, a technology firm specializing in fluidic devices for analytical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology instruments.

The West Charlton, N.Y., resident was treasurer, chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council as well as a founding member of the Fighting Dutchmen Gridiron Club. Chair of the Class of 1974's 30th ReUnion, he is a member of the Chemistry Alumni Advisory Council.

“For eight years, while I had children at Union, it was easy and natural for me to be involved,” Newell said. “The more I did, the more I felt a sense of belonging, which deepened my desire to give back and make the College a better place. It's important that the Union degree be worth more tomorrow than today.”

Posted on May 5, 2005

They're homegrown, they're uniquely Union, and they're a model for the future. The new Minerva Houses are generating excitement in the Union community and beyond, exemplifying the innovation and vitality that are at the heart of the You are Union Campaign initiatives.

The Minerva houses:

• add residential and social opportunities that complement, rather than supplant, existing theme houses, dorms, fraternities and sororities
  
• integrate living and learning by bringing students and faculty under the same roof
  
• combine individual living spaces with public spaces for social and academic activities
  
• provide new avenues for leadership, Union community building and self-governance

College's vision for tomorrow on “Today”

Ten spirited alumni brought their Union signs, sweatshirts, hats and cheers to 1 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City the weekend of the You are Union launch, catapulting the campaign to urban legend with announcements by NBC-TV Today Show hosts Ann Curry and Al Roker. Five alums managed to snag some on-camera time with Roker: Palmer Fargnoli, Jr. '93, Jordan Bergtraum '95, Lori Blickers '96, Carey Miller '98 and George Tiggle '98. Fargnoli and Tiggle, assistant directors in Annual Giving who coordinated the TV event, arose early to claim a coveted spot along the fence. “Hours of waiting led to nationwide exposure for our alma mater,” reported Fargnoli. “We got to wave our Union banner before the eyes of millions.”

Posted on May 5, 2005

The two-story Psi Upsilon fraternity house in which Philip R. Beuth '54 once camped out now bears his name, a fitting tribute to a man who credits Union College with launching him successfully into the world.

“In my sophomore year, I couldn't afford to live in the dorms, so I crashed there for a while,” Beuth recalled recently.

Today, that former frat hideaway is the newly renovated Beuth House, thanks to a $2 million gift by Beuth in celebration of the 50th year of his graduation. Beuth was in town from his Naples, Fla., home for the dedication of Beuth House, which is at the forefront of the College's innovative Minerva House system.

“It's tremendously exciting being part of the new house system, which is revolutionary and very forward thinking. It's a more democratic system than we've had before,” Beuth said.

While living on a shoestring at Union (he also resided for a semester in a room above what is now Geppetto's bar and grille and, eventually, in the married students' apartments in Dutchman's Village), the Staten Island native worked a variety of jobs – including one as a page at nearby WRGB-TV, now CBS 6.

It was the beginning of his long and distinguished career in TV broadcasting, which included establishing WTEN-TV in Albany and Capital Cities Communications, a company that, 30 years later, bought out ABC- TV. He ultimately retired in 1995 as president of CapCities/ABC's Good Morning America program.

“It's payback time,” Beuth said, speaking of his most recent gift. In 1996, the Beuths gave $1 million to the College to support the expansion and renovation of Schaffer Library.

“Union was very important to me,” said Beuth, who was president of Psi Upsilon his senior year. “The College had a significant impact on my life and was there with Bailey Scholarships when I could not afford tuition anywhere. I was very fortunate, and I hope that my gifts will encourage others to give back as well.”

Beuth House, he said, “should remind today's students of how important the College is to their future.” His continued generosity, meanwhile, is “part of the effort to maintain Union's quality and uniqueness. That takes a lot of participation by alumni.”

Life at Beuth House

The main floor of Beuth House is open to all Beuth House members and includes several gathering places, including a great room, TV room, kitchen, workroom and seminar room. The residential space upstairs is open to house members after their freshman year. Beuth House has elected its first seven-member council of faculty and student representatives for the Minerva Council. “There will be lots of opportunities to get involved,” says Beuth House's faculty representative, Economics Professor Therese A. McCarty. She cited a range of campus-wide events the house is likely to sponsor, including community service activities and intramural teams. “We need students' energy and ideas to help make the house a great place for all members,” she said.

Posted on May 5, 2005

Wold House: 'Campus Kid' comes home

Self-proclaimed “campus kid” John S. Wold '38 grew up in the faculty house at the north end of North College. His father, Peter I. Wold, inspired and chaired Union's acclaimed physics department from 1919 to1945 and was “one of the most gifted teachers in my Union College career.”

The house where young John Wold lived is the newly named Wold House in memory of his parents, Peter and Mary Helff Wold, and it is a centerpiece of the College's Minerva House system.

President of Wold Trona Company and Gastech Inc., Wold is a generous Union benefactor and involved Trustee. In 2002, he and his wife, Schenectady native Jane (Pearson) Wold, gave an unprecedented $20 million gift to Union, an endowment commitment that includes Wold House, one of two new houses in North College.

“This is a pivotal time in the history of the College, and we are delighted to be a part of it,” said Wold. The Wolds, who previously established the John and Jane Wold Professorship in Geology, traveled from their Casper, Wyo. ranch for the Wold House dedication.

Recalling that two centuries ago President Nott had conceived a north and south dormitory complex, each flanked by two faculty houses, Wold sees today's Minerva Houses as extending the same tradition.

“The idea was that neighboring faculty presence might moderate and steer the activities of young, exuberant students,” Wold said recently. “Old dormitory tales seem to affirm the success of the idea,” he said, but laughed at the memory of “occasional midnight student door knockers.”

Honorary chairman of the You are Union Campaign, Wold is excited by Union's constantly renewing approaches to living and learning. “I have long felt great pride in Union's history of the President Chester Arthur/Secretary of State William Seward era,” he said. “I believe we are re-capturing the eminence of that time with splendid faculty, bright young students, a stimulating campus environment and a strong athletic program.”

Posted on May 5, 2005

A college, a campaign and a kickoff

Luminous fireworks (courtesy of Steve Ente '75) piercing the sky behind the Nott Memorial trumpeted Union's 2004 Homecoming and Family Weekend – and marked the official launch of the $200 million You are Union Campaign.

A cast of thousands (2,500, to be specific), including graduates, students, friends and family members, converged on campus to celebrate the College's ambitious campaign for the 21st century.

And if rousing home team sports victories, two Minerva House dedications and a full slate of receptions, dinners, tours and ceremonies weren't excitement enough, the kickoff event went national when five young alums snagged a few minutes of garnet-hued fame on NBC-TV's Today Show. (Please see later story.)

Spelling it out

On campus, the weekend's most powerful symbolic moment came during the Saturday morning gathering on Rugby Field to spell out “UNION” in human letters 200 feet long.

Nearly 1,000 people signed up, lined up and fell into place for this singular, spellbinding event. To drive home the fact that Union is, indeed, its people, participants donned garnet You are Union T-shirts, creating a sea of collegial solidarity.

They were showing their true colors. These students and alums are Union, in that they personify Union traditions and the power to meet future challenges by fulfilling the College's vision for the future.

“The campaign will allow us to continue the rich tradition of pioneering excellence that is at the heart of the Union experience,” said President Roger Hull.

You are Union energizes an aggressive program carefully developed in two years of strategic planning and research by Trustees, staff and members of the Communications and Promotions (CAP) committee. It will invest and re-invest in the College's core strengths and innovative initiatives, from dynamic people and curricula to enriching opportunities in global study, residential life, civic service, undergraduate research, Converging Technologies and more.

Leadership in giving

Three Alumni Trustees are co-chairing the You are Union Campaign: John Wold '38 of Casper, Wyo.; Frank Messa '73 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; and Mark Walsh '76 of Chevy Chase, Md. Under their leadership, and fueled by $80 million already given, several initiatives are in full swing, notably the dedication of the Wold and Beuth houses as part of the new Minerva House system. (Please see stories on pages 4-7.)

The campaign also is reaching out to graduates through a coordinated effort that uses personalized print and direct mail communications and a campaign Web site, www.union.edu/youareunion.

At their Oct. 1 meeting, College Trustees enthusiastically endorsed the objectives, strategic direction and specific implementation of the campaign, confirming Union's unique qualities and strengths as a distinguished institution and leader in many fields.

Citing first-rate faculty, engaged students, a stunning campus and financial discipline, the timing is perfect, they noted, to make Union the model for liberal arts colleges. They agreed the objective of all the improvements to be funded through the You are Union Campaign is to educate leaders who are at home in a rapidly changing world – “a world of other peoples and cultures, technology, undergraduate research and service to community in a unique living and learning environment.”

After uniting huge throngs on campus behind this goal, the new You are Union Campaign continues to harness this great momentum as it boldly pushes forward.

As one weekend participant enthused, “People left Union feeling a new energy about this place.”