Posted on Jul 28, 2006

Speaking at the Founders Day convocation on Feb. 23, Gomes, one of Talk magazine's “Best Talkers in America”-discussed the importance of Founders Day, noting that a wise institution takes the time to regularly, publicly and formally applaud its past while securing its future.

“It good for us to remind ourselves and others that we are not the first, nor will be the last to be here,” said Gomes, Harvard University chaplain, American Baptist minister and best-selling author.

“I am happy that Founders Day is a separate occasion that pulls us out of our routines to remember great hopes and great ambitions.”

Gomes called the creation of Union College “a bold experience in a closed world,” introducing French and engineering, among other forward-thinking initiatives at the end of the 18th century.

“This college reflected the little notion of a national union, an outgrowth of a sense of community devoted to unity rather than sectarianism, to community rather than division.”

Gomes, 64, is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and Pusey Minister in Harvard's Memorial Church. He holds degrees from Bates College and Harvard Divinity School, as well as 30 honorary degrees. During the Union ceremony, he received an honorary doctor of letters degree from Interim President James Underwood.

Gomes said both Union and Harvard, as heirs to an act of a state Legislature, “share this institutional beginning at the hands of the public good. The state has every right to expect great and glorious things from us. We exist to improve the landscape, to reform the world… to take the rough stuff of human nature which comes to us as freshmen.

“The whole purpose of this enterprise is not personal, private interior decoration,” he said of a liberal arts education, “but for the public good. A college that commits itself to improving the wider world deserves everything we can give it.”

Gomes said, “We are living in barbarous times,” with mistrust, anxiety and fear pervasive “throughout the land.”

And in these troubled times, “we celebrate the virtues and opportunities of an institution such as this. It is in such schools that I invest the greatest hopes for this country.”

Gomes reflected at length on the Nott, both the building and the man, marveling at Eliphalet Nott's 62-year tenure -the longest of any college president in the nation.

Gomes was perhaps most engaging in his long, dramatic story about his first encounter with the Nott, which appeared to him like a lost spaceship.

“That is a very extraordinary thing in the middle of your campus,” he said. “Was it an Italian baptistery set up in Upstate New York? Was it a remnant of another planet? Was it the top of a some enormous building that lies underground? I approached it both reverently and warily.”

Gomes drew laughter when he noted that once he entered the spectacular 16-sided edifice, “It was no clearer from the inside what the building was about. I said to myself, ‘This is an academic mystery.' A splendid, glorious, wonderful mystery. No one knows what to do with it.

“It's very much a center, a power and a presence,” he continued, talking of the Nott's majesty and grandeur as a metaphor for a broad liberals arts vision. “It almost sounds- dare I say it?-religious.”

Bemoaning the current state of American education today as ‘dumbing down,” of “a kind of manufactory in which we all play our little part,” he said, “How I wish every college in America could have its center. It might make us a little bit more reverent in the face of ignorance,” and aid in the “transformation from darkness to light, from petty division to broad, human tolerance.”

He added, “Wherever I go from now on, I will invoke the specter of your great mystery.”

Concluding his talk, Gomes evoked the Nott once more, reminding his listeners that this glorious heart of the Union campus “can remind you of a great hope to be cultivated.”

Posted on Jul 28, 2006

Both of them were born in Massachusetts in the early 19th century, both graduated from Union College (seven years apart), both went into the ministry after graduation, both had delicate constitutions, and both were writers of hymns-in the days when Toledo, Ohio, was considered part of the Western frontier and Hawaii was a foreign country.

Lorenzo Lyons, Class of 1827, did most of his hymn-writing in Hawaii. Edmund Sears, Class of 1834, stayed closer to home, but gained fame by writing a familiar Christmas carol.

Lyons graduated from Union with honors, then went on to Auburn Theological Seminary. Choosing to be a foreign missionary, he was sent to the Hawaiian Islands in 1832, where a mission had been established 11 years earlier. He was stationed at Waimea and lived on the slopes of Mauna Kea. Respected and well-loved in his adopted home, that's where he married and raised a family. He was known by his parishioners as Ka Makua Laiana (The Poet of the Mountains, Father Lyons).

A quick study, Lyons picked up the Hawaiian language soon after his arrival, and three months into his stay was already preaching in Hawaiian. He also began writing poetry in Hawaiian and was the author of the Sunday school hymnbook. He translated not only sacred songs into Hawaiian, but also amused himself by translating more secular poetry, such as Poe's “The Raven” and “Home Sweet Home.”

He composed many poems and hymns, but the translation of “I Left It All with Jesus” (“Hawaii Aloha”) is his most famous work. The hymn is still sung at solemn occasions, and most Hawaiians still stand during its presentation.

The king of Hawaii made him a gift of a large Hawaiian flag, because Lyons had said, “That is my flag also. I wish that when I die I may be wrapped in the flag I love.” And it was in this flag that he was buried, 54 years after arriving on Hawaiian shores.

HAWAII ALOHA(chorus)
Happy youth of Hawaii
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Gentle breezes blow
Love always for Hawaii.

May your divine throngs speak,
Your loving people, O Hawaii.
The holy light from above.
O Hawaii, aloha.

God protects you,
Your beloved ridges,
Your every glistening streams,
Your beautiful flower gardens.

Edmund Hamilton Sears, Class of 1834, was a born poet. As a child, he wrote, “when at work, some poem was always singing through my brain.”

A studious man and a poet from an early age, as a Union undergraduate he published in the college literary magazine (and won a college prize for his poetry), and composed a Christmas hymn entitled “Calm on the Listening Ear of Night.” When it was published in the Boston Observer, the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes declared it to be one of the finest in the English language.

After graduating from Union, Sears studied the law, taught briefly in Vermont and then turned to study for the ministry under Addison Brown, minister of the Unitarian Church in Brattleboro.

Sears, whose family was descended from the Pilgrims, became a Unitarian minister in Massachusetts. He is best known as the author of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” which he wrote in 1849. Interesting to note that in the lyrics, he portrayed the world as dark, full of “sin and strife,” and not hearing the Christmas message. At the time, the hymn was criticized as being too secular and humanist, and “little more than an ethical song, extolling the worth and splendour of peace among men.”

His missionary work took him to what was then considered the West-the frontier area around Toledo, Ohio. It was just after the first railroad had been built.

The introverted country minister had a dreamy, poetic, even mystical disposition, and wrote in a clear and graceful style. Best known for his two Christmas carols, he was also a prolific writer of poetry and religious works. He was editor of the Monthly Religious Magazine and published seven books. Although considered conservative, he had many ideas that were surprisingly modern, among them, equality for women and men, and the idea that killing in war is just as wrong as killing in private life. In fact, with the Mexican War fresh in his mind, he wrote a satirical poem in 1847, arguing that since soldiers killed on orders from the President, the President too should be punished:

And does he make men shoot and kill?
Then let some pious folk,
A gallows build at Washington,
And hang up Mr. Polk!

After the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, Sears declared from his pulpit that “when the human and the Divine law were in conflict it was the duty of all to obey the latter.” And he predicted that the crime of slavery would lead to national retribution.

Posted on Jul 28, 2006

Tony Romanazzi's voice rises with excitement as he rotates an image of a tooth on a computer screen.

“God is good at making teeth,” he says, “but I can give him a run for his money.”

He is working with what he calls a “dental Etch-a-Sketch,” a computer-aided design and manufacturing tool that allows him to create a replacement tooth in minutes.

To the dentist with a busy practice in Glens Falls, N.Y., the technology is “the biggest paradigm shift in dentistry in more than 100 years.” And for an alumnus like Romanazzi '77, who enjoyed a range of studies at Union, it represents an exciting integration of anatomy, computer graphics, optics, robotics and other disciplines.

For patients, it is a dream come true. Typically, a crown means at least two visits to the dentist and a three-week wait while a lab manufactures a crude replica of the damaged tooth. It requires uncomfortable impressions, temporary crowns and a lot of retrofitting by the dentist. No wonder, Romanazzi observes, that dentists have become less than popular.

A visit with Romanazzi and the CEREC system takes about two hours. After preparing the tooth or the crown by removing decay or a defective filling, Romanazzi acquires a virtual image of the tooth (or the space it will take) with a small infrared 3D camera. Then he re-creates the restored tooth with the image data or from a library of model teeth.

Finally, he sends the virtual tooth to the milling machine, a microwave oven-sized box where high-speed diamond- coated drills shape the tooth from a ceramic block. After some polishing, the tooth fits as naturally as the one it replaces. Some patients remark that their CEREC teeth are the best ones they have.

The technology-called CEREC (Chairside Economical Ceramic Esthetic Restoration)-had its beginnings in the mid-80s. By 1995, Romanazzi visited his cousin in Italy-a dentist by the same name-who enthused over recent improvements in CEREC. Finally, in 2004, after some major software advances that impressed “a real 3-D guy like me,” Romanazzi climbed on board.

Most of Romanazzi's patients enjoy participating in the process, he says. They can watch the dentist design and build the virtual tooth. (One patient had Romanazzi monogram her initials on a molar.) Finally, they can watch the tooth take shape in the milling machine.

“I used to hate going to the dentist,” said longtime patient Ed Bartholomew '71, a counsel to New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. “But knowing Tony was a Union guy made it easier.”

Bartholomew praises the technology but adds, “at the end of the day, the dentist is the operator. It's ironic, Tony's a dentist, but this also requires him to be something of an engineer.” Bartholomew, who served as mayor of Glens Falls for eight years, knows “Dr. Tony” as an enthusiastic community leader who also enjoys building and flying experimental aircraft. “He's not your typical dentist,” Bartholomew says.

Romanazzi knew he wanted to be a dentist at age 8, when he began to emulate a popular and outgoing dentist in his native Gloversville, N.Y. His father, a master tool and die maker, saw to it that his son had a thorough knowledge of tools and working with his hands.

While a full-time student at Union, he joined a dental lab, at first taking out the trash. But he eagerly took on the profession. By the beginning of his sophomore year, he had an unusual distinction for a Union student: certified dental technician.

At Union, he majored in biology and chemistry, with a good dose of engineering. The experience, he says, prepared him well. “Union pushed me harder, farther, faster and well beyond the best I could do,” he says. At Tufts, where he earned his D.M.D. degree in 1981, classes were “nothing more than one of Union's upper- level biology courses.”

He stays in touch with Union professors-George Butterstein, Twitty Styles, Will Roth and others. “I can pick up the phone anytime and it's like we just talked yesterday,” he says.

Romanazzi lives in Queensbury, N.Y., with his wife, Deborah. They have a son, Andrew, who will be entering college this fall; and a daughter, Julianna, in high school.

Posted on Jul 28, 2006

Frank Schneider '85, director of non-invasive cardiovascular imaging at Cardiovascular Associates of Rhode Island, attributes his interest in medicine to a “magical” cure to a childhood eye problem and the hope that he could help others.

He entered medical school planning to be an ophthalmologist, but found cardiology more in line with his personality. “I had a cardiologist friend, so I explored that,” he said. He became interested in the prevention of heart disease after seeing too many people become ill in the prime of their lives.

Schneider uses diagnostic imaging and non-invasive techniques to identify and fix heart problems. “As technology advances, our techniques become faster and safer,” he says. “If you can do these things with less pain and suffering, well that's the goal.”

Schneider was in medical school the first time he saw someone have a stroke from a hole in their heart, a 28-year-old woman who had delivered a baby a month before. Doctors had to operate because there was no technology to repair the problem without surgery.

Today, a patient with the same problem can be cured with a relatively simple hour-long procedure and go back to work four or five days later. “It's just much easier and safer,” he said.

“I really love what I do, and I feel privileged,” he said. “Almost every day something positive happens, whether it is using advanced imaging technology to solve a medical issue or having a positive impact on a patient's life. My greatest joy is to see a patient in my office, now healthy, recovered from their illness, and resuming their life.”

Schneider fondly remembers his days at Union. “You weren't just a number. There was a sense of community. I often ran into the same people, which allowed me to nurture friendships.” He recalls becoming friendly with President John Morris.

He says that Union's emphasis on a well-rounded curriculum allowed him to study subjects outside his major and taught him to think rather than memorize. This was in stark contrast to his first year of medical school, where students were expected to memorize everything, he added.

At Union, he headed jazz programming at WRUC, wrote for Concordiensis, and was involved with Coffeehouse and sound production for the theater.

Great friends, interesting classes, activities, all on a “beautiful campus,” are the memories Frank holds of Union. And he looks forward to returning to give a talk on his medical work.

Posted on Jul 28, 2006

Bright and energetic, Cole plays a mean game of hockey -the 45-pounder was named rookie of the year on his Schenectady Mites team. He stays up late with this mom to watch their beloved Red Sox. And he likes to play with his protective older sister, Isabella, and their family dogs, Sir Chili and Honey.

He's a regular kid. But there's more: Cole is fighting a battle with X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a genetic disease that is steadily robbing him of his night and peripheral vision. Without a cure, doctors say, he will be completely blind in a matter of years.

Which is where the friends come in.

Shortly after Cole's diagnosis in 2004, the Nowak family decided to fight back against RP with fundraising. “This has given us some control over something that was controlling us,” Bill says.

Last summer, they inaugurated their main event, ColeRPalooza, a barbecue and blues festival, that raised $55,000 for Fight for Sight, an organization that funds research toward finding cures for blindness. The goal is to raise $100,000 per year, Bill says.

Much of their support has come from the Union community.

Bill, who played strong safety on Union's 1983 Stagg Bowl team, is a volunteer special teams coach for Union football. When word of Cole's diagnosis hit the team, the players rallied with bake sales and a Dodgeball tournament. They raised about $8,000.

Women's softball, coached by Bill's former teammate Peter Brown '86, held a car wash that raised about $500.

His father's football influence notwithstanding, Cole's real passion is Union hockey. Several times last season, the team brought Cole into the locker room for post-game meetings, where he would sit next to goalie Kris Mayotte and listen to Coach Nate Leaman's analysis.

This year, the team is planning fundraising events including a skills competition with Schenectady Youth Hockey, and sponsorship for every power play goal the Dutchmen score. “Bill is a very motivated person,”

Leaman says, “and it's hard not to jump on board.” Leaman also is encouraging his players from engineering to join Nowak's effort to develop technology-a puck that emits sound-so that visually impaired players like Cole can enjoy the sport. “I don't want his disability and lack of options to stop him from playing a game he is passionate about,” his father says.

Two of Bill's fraternity brothers at Beta Theta Pi have also supported the effort. Ralph Tortorella '85 was instrumental in fundraising for the inaugural ColeRPalooza. This year, he is joined by John Cooney '86, and their fundraising impact is sure to be felt.

RP is an inherited genetic disease that affects about 400,000 in the U.S. Symptoms, which range from minor loss of peripheral vision to blindness, usually first appear in childhood or early adolescence.

Time is not on Cole's side. “It may be too late for Cole,” his father says, “but there are a lot of kids out there who can benefit from our efforts.”

The family discusses Cole's future, and they keep a list of things for him to do and see before his sight worsens. He is learning Braille.

Bill and Donna, who met at Albany Law School, didn't know each other at Union. He was a comparative sociology major who spent afternoons on the football field. She was a pure mathematics major who spent hours training with the swim team. Bill likes to relate retired math professor Ted Bick's recollection: “Ted says that Donna was a one of the best students at Union, and I was a good football player.”

Today, Bill, a native of Tribes Hill, is deputy counsel for the state Division of Parole. Donna, who grew up outside Boston, is chief counsel at the New York State Tax Appeal Tribunal. Bill has joined the board of Fight for Sight, based in New York City. His job as an attorney is stimulating and it pays the bills, he says. But his work on behalf of FFS is “the most fulfilling thing I do.”

The family is not new to adversity. Donna beat advanced breast cancer in 2001 after a series of surgeries and aggressive chemotherapies. Bill says that Donna's courage during that ordeal has given them the strength to face Cole's challenge.

But much of their strength comes from Cole himself. Last Christmas, when Bill and Cole sat down to read a book, the youngster said, “Dad, someday I won't be able to see, so maybe I should do it in Braille.”

“What do you say to that?” his father asks.

The second annual edition is set for Aug. 24, 5 to 10 p.m. at Central Park in Schenectady. Two popular blues bands-the George Boone Band and the Maynard Brothers Band-will headline.

All proceeds raised at ColeRPalooza will benefit Fight For Sight, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports cutting-edge research in the area of RP and other vision-related diseases. To make a donation to help Cole and others like him, please visit www.fightforsight.com or write t Fight For Sight, Upstate New York Chapter, P.O. Box 535, Newtonville, NY 12128.