Scott Siegler, Class of 1969. Speaker at the 2009 ReUnion.
Scott Siegler ’69, a TV and film producer and studio executive, will speak on "Visual Media: How It Got Where It Is; Why It Never Gets Where It's Going” on Wednesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.
The talk will address the evolution of visual media over the last 40 years, from the film era through television and into the age of YouTube and social gaming.
A former president of TriStar TV and Columbia Pictures TV, Siegler is a partner at the media investment firm ZelnickMedia.
He has been responsible for shows such as Night Court, Growing Pains, Magnum PI and Simon and Simon.
As a Union student, he was an English major who served as editor of The Idol. He was a graduate student in literature and a documentary filmmaker.
Jennifer Winkelried '10, A Glimpse of Jewish History, Senior History Project, April 2010
While growing up in New Jersey, Jennifer Winkelried ’10 enjoyed the stories her grandfather, Irwin, shared about living in Newark, where he was part of a wave of Jewish families who settled in the state’s largest city.
Irwin, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers University and was a standout running back, earning the nickname “Bullet,” would recall the bonds that were formed within the Jewish community and their impact on his life. A successful real estate appraiser, he, like many others, eventually moved out of the city. But his roots remained in Newark.
“Because of my grandfather, I learned to appreciate the rich history of both the city and the culture that Judaism fosters in the people,” said Winkelried.
Jennifer Winkelried '10, A Glimpse of Jewish History, Senior History Project, April 2010 – with father, John
A history major with a passion for photography, Winkelried has taken her appreciation for the Jewish culture in Newark and created an exhibit, “A Glimpse of Jewish Newark: The Immigrant Experience 1844-1953.”
The exhibit opens Friday, April 30 on the second floor of Social Sciences and runs through May 13. A reception will be held Friday, May 7, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Working primarily with the Jewish Historical Society of Metro West in Whippany, N.J., Winkelried assembled an exhibit that features more than 50 historic photos and numerous artifacts, including a stained glass window from a synagogue, an antique camera and a collection of books.
The material is displayed by category, including commerce, people, worship, culture and recreation, and community.
As part of her research, Winkelried also interviewed former citizens of the industrial city, and religious and academic scholars.
Jews of Newark, Jennifer Winkelried senior project
“There has been a great deal of attention focused on the history of Jews and other immigrants in New York City, but little on the experience of Jews in New Jersey communities,” said Winkelried, whose family lives in Short Hills. “I had heard so much about the Jews in Newark from my grandparents, and I thought it was important to tell their story.”
The exhibit, which is Winkelried’s senior thesis, traces the first wave of German Jews who came primarily from small farm towns in the mid 1840s, and the arrival of other Eastern European Jews in the early part of the 20th century, when the city was teeming with activity. The exhibit wraps with a snapshot of the city’s Jewish life during the post World War II decline, when Newark, like many large American cities, saw an influx of people move to the suburbs.
Winkelried had help in putting together the exhibit. She was awarded a grant from the David Potts Fund for Student Research in History, established by Neil Kramer ’70 in honor of Potts, who taught history at Union from 1967 to 1979.
Teresa Meade, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of History and Culture, is Winkelried’s senior advisor. She said the project fits nicely with the College’s new public history program, which strives to teach students about history in a palpable way, such as when a group from Union spent their winter following the celebrated path of our nation’s civil rights movement.
Jennifer Winkelried '10, A Glimpse of Jewish History, Senior History Project, April 2010 with Prof Meade
“Jen’s exhibit is so much different than simply putting printed words on a page,” said Meade. “She was able to tap into her skills from a visual point of view, and tell the story of a changing community.”
Mandeville Gallery Director and Curator Rachel Seligman also provided technical and logistical assistance.
“I feel that it is vital to support this kind of creative student project,” said Seligman. “Jen’s project will engage a much broader audience than a thesis paper would, and it is the kind of exciting and ambitious undertaking that should get as much support as possible.”
Winkelried has dedicated the exhibit to her grandfather, who was 81 when he died in 2008.
“Before his passing, he always referenced his life and the relationships he made in Newark,” said Winkelried. “In the last years of his life, when he was sick, his four closest friends from Newark still came to visit him every week. Those bonds never went away.”
How do the Japanese define beauty? Are Japanese aesthetics different from American aesthetics?
Ikuko Yoshida, a professor of Japanese language and culture at Bennington College in Vermont, will explain the Japanese perception of beauty through the demonstration of Ikebana, or Japanese-style flower arrangement, Monday, May 3, at 12:50-1:50 p.m. in Humanities Room 115.
“Ikebana is an art form that Japanese people have been enjoying since the 15th century,” said Junko Ueno, director of the Asian Studies program, which is sponsoring the event.
Each element in Ikebana has a symbolic meaning, and each symbol represents cultural perspectives and aesthetics. There is deep consideration of principles found in nature and of relationships between humans and nature.
Ensemble Pastourelle, featuring Corine Salon, soprano, Michael Clement, piano, and Susan Martula, clarinet, will perform at Memorial Chapel, Sunday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m.
The program will feature music by Claude Debussy, Louis Spohr, Maurice Ravel, Marcel Grandjany, Joseph Canteloube, Richard Hundley, Professor Hilary Tann, Sergei Rachmaninov and Joaquin Rodrigo.
It is free and open to the public.
Ensemble Pastoruelle has performed from Maine to the Virgin Islands. At Union, harpist Leah Kidwell-Fernandes, wife of Professor Chris Fernandes of the Computer Science Department, will join the trio.
Salon, who teaches voice at Union, has appeared in featured roles with the Pittsburgh Opera and has sung at international festivals in Germany, Austria and France. Locally, she has been a guest artist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Schenectady Symphony, Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Opera Excelsior and numerous oratorio societies.
Clement is a vocal coach/accompanist at St. Rose and Skidmore colleges, private coach, choir director at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Albany and coach/accompanist at Lake George Opera. He has worked with the Opera Workshop at the University of Southern California and with the Long Beach Opera Theater.
Martula, principal clarinetist in the Berkshire Symphony and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, has played with the American Symphony Orchestra under Stokowski, the National Orchestral Association, the Colorado Philharmonic and the Lake George Opera Festival.
Kidwell-Fernandes has performed with orchestras in Ohio, Illinois, New York and Vermont. She has played for classical and pops concerts featuring such artists as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Hamlisch, the Canadian Brass, William Warfield, Peter Nero, Sandi Patty and Maureen Forrester.
After spending the last 11 months in far off corners of the world, doing good for the people there, Union’s eight Minerva Fellows are coming home.
Together, the 2009 graduates will spend the month of May giving presentations and hosting discussions about their individual experiences in the countries of Uganda, Cambodia, South Africa, Uruguay and China. Twice a week, one of the fellows will speak during Professor Hal Fried’s class. The schedule is below.
“Union College is stronger academically and morally because of Minerva Fellows. It is important for the College to take a position on relieving suffering around the world,” Fried said. “It is one small way that we contribute to making the world a better place.”
The Fellows’ Projects:
Andrew Scaplen, Uruguay. He worked with One Laptop Per Child, volunteered with teenage girls in an orphanage, and delved deeper into Latin American politics, developmental psychology and social issues
Lyndsay Wehrum, Siem Reap, Cambodia. She worked with The Global Child, helping children and establishing a café/boutique
Nate Saslow, Siem Reap, Cambodia. He worked with The Global Child and was immersed in Cambodian politics, history, health care and education
Jennifer Mao-Jones, Beijing, China. She executed a project called “Revitalizing the Old Summer Palace,” developing branding, marketing, packaging and sustainable revenue streams for the historic site
Mike Eisenman, Cape Town, South Africa. He teamed up with Community Action Towards a Safer Environment to help communities and young men struggling with drug use and crime
Monica Rowett and Tom Perry, Uganda. They worked with Engeye in a small African village, focusing on education, health, environment, music and art
Ned Lincoln, Tramoung Chrum, Cambodia. He opened a motor bike repair shop and helped teach local residents to successfully operate the business
Class Schedule
* Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10:40 a.m. in Social Sciences Room 016
