Posted on May 31, 2007

Robert J. Mielke ’60, former chairman of Union’s UCALL Steering Committee, treasurer of the Union College Club of Schenectady and member of the Union Alumni Council and Terrace Council, died Monday. He was 69.

Mielke, of Schenectady, earned a B.A. from Union and received his master’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a master’s degree in library science from the University at Albany.

He worked as a high school librarian in the Fort Plain Central School District for 27 years before retiring in 2000. In the late 1980s, Mielke helped lead the formation of the Union College Academy for Lifelong Learning, or UCALL. The academy hosts College professors or others during a series of weekly classes for area adults.

“Bob was a wonderful person who was a dedicated and loyal son of Union,” said Dominick F. Famulare ’92, director of Alumni Relations. “He adored the College and friendships that came with it. He was thrilled and proud to win the Special Appreciation Award during Homecoming in 2005. He will be missed.”

Mielke, who will be remembered for his friendly, kind and gentle nature, was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church in Schenectady. Following his retirement, he served as the church’s archivist and librarian.

Over the years, he also did extensive gardening; attended concerts, musicals and the opera; and especially enjoyed fishing and spending restful time at his camp in the Adirondacks.

He is survived by his fiancee, Evelyn Thode, several cousins and many friends. Funeral services will be Saturday, June 2, 11 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, Nott Terrace, Schenectady, followed by interment in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schenectady. The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, June 1, 6-8 p.m. at Griswold Funeral Home, 1867 State St., Schenectady.

Posted on May 31, 2007

Students from Tim Olsen’s Jazz Workshop class will present a concert of original compositions and arrangements on Thursday, June 7 at 12:30 p.m. in the Fred L. Emerson Auditorium in the Taylor Music Center. Admission is free.

The Union College Jazz Ensemble, under Olsen’s direction, will make its ninth annual appearance at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vt. The group will give a free concert on Friday, June 8, 4:15-5:15 p.m. at the Church Street Marketplace in downtown Burlington.

Posted on May 31, 2007

The Department of Classics at Union College is presenting a series of events titled “War, Empire and Democracy” by Sorum Guest Professor Kurt Raaflaub, Thursday, May 31 through Saturday, June 1. Raaflaub is the David Herlihy University Professor; Professor of Classics and History; Chair, Program in Ancient Studies; and Royce Family Professor in Teaching Excellence at Brown University.

On Thursday, he will discuss “The Truth about Tyranny: Tacitus and the Historian’s Responsibility in Imperial Rome” at 1:50 p.m. in Humanities 115. On Friday, June 1, 12:30-1:50 p.m., he will present “Zeus and Prometheus: Greek Adaptations of Ancient West Asian Myths” at Sorum House. His 3 p.m. public lecture in Reamer Auditorium is titled “War is the Father of All: The Politics of War, Empire and Freedom in Democratic Athens.”

His visit wraps up Saturday with a discussion, “Politics in Aristophanes’ Birds,” after the 8 p.m. performance of the Theater Department’s “The Birds” at the Yulman Theater. 

Posted on May 31, 2007

Nathaniel Hawes ’08, a physics major, has been named the winner of the Astronomical Society of New York’s Undergraduate Student Prize. The society, to which Union belongs, is an organization of New York state astronomy programs. Hawes will receive his prize at the ASNY fall meeting. 

Posted on May 31, 2007

The Union College Chemistry Club received a Commendable Student Affiliates Chapter Award from the American Chemical Society, based on its 2005-06 activities. This is the second highest recognition level. It also marks the 13^th straight year that the club has received an ACS award. Three club officers, President Rachael Peters, Vice President Jessica Reichbind and Outreach Coordinator Amanda Barrow, picked up the award at a ceremony earlier this spring.