As students at Union College, Edward and Raymond Joseph ate dinner early. They were at the University Club during the afternoon for plates of turkey, meatloaf and chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. Then, they went to work. The brothers donned white jackets and served club patrons – young men working at the General Electric Co. – their suppers.
Older brother Alfred kitchen worked in the kitchen, scraping plates and washing Scrapbook dishes. The Josephs were working their way through Union during the spring of 1956. They didn't have much money, and hustled to pay for tuition, room and board as they studied for college degrees.
The brothers were motivated. They had moved to America from Lebanon in 1948, with the rest of their family, and didn't speak English until 1949.
The Josephs graduated from Cortland High School. Al, with financial help from several hometown businessmen, began his career at Union in 1952. His brothers followed.
All three received some scholarship help from Union, and worked summer jobs to save for college expenses. They stayed busy when school was in session, working hours outside class to earn money.
“We got our meals for nothing,” Raymond Joseph said of his University Club days. “And we got about $10 a week for extra expenses.”
Ray and Ed were both engineering majors. Ray stayed with the family of Jonathan Pearson, Union's director of admissions. To earn his keep inside the Nott Street home, Ray watched the Pearson children while Jonathan and his wife, Eleanor, were out.
Ed worked at the University Club, but occasionally had tasks on the club's Front Street grounds instead of white jacket duties.
Al Joseph lived at the home of professor Frederick Bronner, and worked around the house in exchange for his room. A physics major, he tutored other students in physics and mathematics.
“I don't have anyone in physics right now,” he told Schenectady Gazette reporter David Vrooman in March 1956. “But spring exams will be approaching soon.”
HELP AVAILABLE
Raymond Joseph said he and his brothers picked up math and science easily. Liberal arts courses were a bit more difficult, but Joseph said help was always available from many college professors.
“They'd give us their home phone numbers and say, ‘If you run into problems, call us,' ” said Joseph, who now lives in Virginia Beach. “That's what I remember most about the school. The professors gave you their time.”
The students were not all study and work. On Saturdays, they'd drive to other college campuses such as Skidmore in Saratoga Springs to socialize.
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
But they were serious about their educations. Alfred Joseph, class of 1956, continued his studies at Case Institute of Technology, where he received a doctorate in physics. He worked at General Electric and Rockwell International; he also founded Vitesse Semiconductor Group. Alfred currently lives in Palm Springs, Calif.
Raymond Joseph received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1957. He spent his career with the General Electric Co., retiring as manager of engineering of advanced planning in Portsmouth, Va. He also served as president of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.
Edward Joseph graduated in 1959 with a bachelor of science and electrical engineering degree. He received his master's degree in the same field from Syracuse University.
Edward also worked at General Electric and later became president of Breatech, a speech document reading company. He retired in 2003, and lives in Fallbrook, Calif.
Life is good for all three. “We're all, you could say, millionaires,” Raymond Joseph said.