Posted on May 14, 2009

Joan Holtermann remembers when Harrison Overocker ’72 lost his Union class ring last fall.

“Harry had tears running down his face,” said Holtermann, an ombudsman with the state Office for the Aging. “He was just so devastated.”

Thanks to members of the Union community and employees at the Glendale Nursing Home in Scotia, where he lives, Overocker has a new ring.

“Wow,” Overocker said, wiping his eyes when presented with the ring and a Union sweatshirt Wednesday. “My ring was a graduation present from my mother; it means so much to have this one.”

The 75-year-old was a longtime College employee. He first came onboard in 1957 and earned an English degree in the years that followed. In 1980, he was promoted to warehouseman, a position he held until his retirement in January 1998.

"Facilities,  his former department, held an internal fundraising drive that generated $270," said Eric Noll, director of Human Resources. "Glendale made up the difference to replace the lost ring.”

Gwen Sellie of Facilities worked with Overocker. She understands why the ring is so important to him.

“Harry has no living relatives, he considers Union his family,” she said. “His father was also a College employee so Harry’s relationship with Union is a long one.”

“When his wife passed away, our department planted a sugar maple tree along the Nott Street fence in her memory,” Sellie added. “The tree means a lot to Harry, as does his relationship with the College.”

Posted on May 13, 2009

Bruce Springsteen. Joan Baez. Taif Jany?

Some of the world’s top performers gathered recently to help celebrate in song Pete Seeger’s 90^th birthday with a big bash at Madison Square Garden.

Jany ’12 wasn’t among the glitterati at the Garden; instead, two days earlier, the Iraqi refugee got to sing with the renowned activist and folk singer at the Beacon Sloop Club on the Hudson River.

Jany led Seeger and the audience in a special rendition of “This Land Is Your Land,” the classic Woody Guthrie tune Seeger helped make popular. Jany and some friends had reworked the lyrics when he and his family fled to Syria from Baghdad about three years after the U.S. invaded Iraq.

This land is your land, this land is my land

From old Ramadi on to Baquba

From the Zahko Mountains to the Basra waters

This land is made for you and me

Jany, a biology major who hopes to be a cardiologist, is finishing up his first year at Union after arriving on campus as part of the Iraqi Student Project. The College is among the first 14 schools to participate in the project, which helps refugees attend U.S. colleges.

The project supports two of Union’s key strategic objectives, diversity and internationalism. As an ISP member institution, Union waives tuition, room and board for a qualified student, while volunteers raise money for air fares, books, course materials and miscellaneous expenses.

A number of students and faculty, including Naazia Husain ’08, Darcia Datshkovsky ’10, and professors Eshragh Motahar (Economics), Andrew Feffer (History and Film Studies) and Daniel Mosquera (Modern Languages and Literatures), organized fundraisers and offered other support to Jany. Local community organizations also have pitched in.

Jany, 19, admits he had never heard of Seeger when he got a call from Andrew Courtney, a documentary filmmaker whom Jany met in Syria. Courtney, a friend of Seeger’s, invited Jany to the birthday party in Beacon to talk about the ISP.

“I didn’t expect to sing,” laughed Jany. “They kind of forced me to do it.”

Seeger seemed moved by the sing-along, particularly when Jany presented him with a copy of the special lyrics as a birthday gift. Afterward, Jany received his own gift, when Seeger leaned into his ear and serenaded him with a familiar Lebanese song.

In Arabic.

“I was shocked that he knew it,” said Jany. “It was very nice.”

To watch a video of Jany and Seeger, click here.

Posted on May 13, 2009

A memorial service for Robert B. Rasmussen, who served 17 years as the College’s chief development officer, is set for Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m. at the Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church, Charlton Road, Charlton.

Bob died at his Peaceable Street home April 24. He was 72.

His wife, Lynn, died in 2007. Survivors include two sons, Bruce ’84 and Scott.

Rasmussen joined the College in 1975 as vice president for College Resources, a post he held until he stepped down in 1992. After Union, he served as vice president at Connecticut College and as a consultant for higher education development.

A graduate of Cornell University, he received his MBA from Syracuse University. He was an artillery officer and aviator in the U.S. Army.

Active in the community, he served the town of Charlton in a number of capacities. He was an active member of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Rotary and treasurer of the Scleroderma Foundation, of which his wife, Lynn, was president. He also was a longtime member of the board for Scholarship America and treasurer of the family-owned Joshua’s Rock Corporation.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Scleroderma Foundation/Tri State, 59 Front St., Binghamton, NY 13905. Arrangements are with the Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home.

Posted on May 13, 2009

A Reappointment Review Committee has been formed for Courtney Seymour, Collection Development librarian at Schaffer Library. Members of the campus community are invited to offer written or oral testimony to committee members. The committee includes Cara Molyneaux, chair (molyneac@union.edu), Ellen Fladger (fladgere@union.edu) and David Fuller (fuller@union.edu).

Posted on May 13, 2009

Through June 1
Wikoff Student Gallery
Nott Memorial
LGBTQ: A Union Perspective

Show broadly explores issues that surround the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at Union and beyond. 

Through June 14
Burns Arts Atrium
Visual Arts Building
Senior Shows

May 11-17: Justin Blau, Russell Goldenberg
May 18-24: Sarah Mueller, Brace Thompson
May 25-31: Brandon McArdle, Ellie Hazelett
June 1-7: Alexandra Lindsey, Patrick Wilson
June 8-14: Megan Sesil, Katherine Cissel

Through September 2009
Schaffer Library Atrium
Union Notables

A rotating show of extraordinary people from the College; features U.S. President Chester Alan Arthur, Class of 1848; hospice leader and advocate Philip DiSorbo, Class of 1971; and Robert Holland Jr., Class of 1962, who has made valuable contributions to sustainability in businesses.