Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Jeremy April, eighteen, a first-year student from Northvale, N.J., died April 29. His body was discovered in his room, and his death was ruled a suicide by officials.

In conversations on campus and at a memorial service on campus, he was remembered for his quiet and self-effacing nature, his dry wit, his talent for mathematics, and his promise at what many regard as the most spectacular and dangerous of winter sports, aerial skiing.

“I always pictured Jeremy going to the Olympics and doing really well and then going on to something like medicine…to give something back,” said Kelly Herrington, associate dean of admissions, who first met April as a prospective student and stayed in touch via e-mail while the skier traveled the competitive aerials circuit last winter.

April learned on April 19 that he had been named to the U.S. Aerial Ski Team for the 2002-03 season. On July 4, when he was to turn nineteen, he would have been eligible to perform triple maneuvers.

April, a Union scholar, was a promising student with a strong interest in mathematics, according to his faculty advisor. As other competitive skiers at Union have done, he planned to take winter terms to pursue international competition.

Dean of Students Fred Alford read an excerpt from April's admissions essay, in which he describes the thrill of skiing the “run of my life” at a moguls competition only to find that a timing malfunction would prevent him from winning. His essay went on to describe the protest he eventually won by digging through trash bags to find the hand-timed results that proved his case. Finally, he compares the experience of convincing the ski judges with that of making his case with the College's admissions office:

“Now I find myself going through another sort of dustbin, picking out occurrences to exemplify my character, determination, and academic abilities. And with these credentials, I am ready to meet another critical jury.”

Survivors include his
parents, Ernie and Nancy.

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Thomas R. Hoffman, former professor of electrical engineering, died May 8 at his home in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was seventy-eight.

Hoffman, a native of White Plains, N.Y., served in the Navy during World War II and graduated from Union in 1945. He joined the Union faculty in 1946, left in 1950, and returned in 1954, retiring in 1979. He then moved to Florida and worked for the General Electric Co. for ten years. While at Union he taught at foreign universities three times-University of Alexandria, Egypt; Chiao Tung University, Taiwan; and University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

He also worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories, was an electronics advisor for Daytona Beach Community College, and was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Survivors include two sons, Thomas, Pittsburgh, and William, Clifton Park, N.Y.; two daughters, Elisabeth Hoffman, Clarksville, Md., and Debora Hoffman, Swarthmore, Pa.; a sister, Mary Pearce, Daytona Beach; and eight grandchildren.

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Several students won major national academic honors
this spring:

Mark Hoffman, a junior mechanical engineering major, won a Goldwater Scholarship for 2002-2003. A total of 1,155 students from colleges and universities across the country were nominated, and scholarships were awarded to 309-only twenty-seven of them majoring in engineering. Mark, a native of Petersburgh, N.Y., is planning to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a research career in automotive design. A Union Scholar, he has designed and built a large-scale model of a medieval trebuchet, analyzing the components to maximize throwing distance, and this spring he applied his design and manufacturing skills to produce a rear suspension for the College's entry in the Society for Automotive Engineers Mini Baja car competition.

Maureen Farrell, a senior majoring in English and women's studies, received a Fulbright Scholarship for a year of university study in Finland. She plans to examine how American feminist ideals intersect with those articulated in Finland, which has passed “women friendly” legislation providing affordable and accessible health care and child care. She says her research will address what changes from the Finnish model can realistically be made in the United States. She is a native of Shelton, Conn., and won the Phi Beta Kappa Award in general education, the English Department's Hale Prize for non-fiction, the David Brind Memorial Prize in English, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Jeff Newhouse, a junior majoring in history, was one of twenty winners nationally of a Beinecke Scholarship. He is the first Union student to win a Beinecke, which supports outstanding undergraduates in the humanities and social sciences in their pursuit of a Ph.D. and a career in higher education. The scholarship carries an award of $32,000. Newhouse plans to earn a Ph.D. in American history, focusing on twentieth-century social history, and then wants to teach at a small, liberal arts college. His knack for historical research was noticed by Professor of History Andy Feffer, who asked him for assistance in researching incidents of racial violence in twentieth-century Philadelphia.

A variety of other
honors and awards went
to the following:

Melissa Lesmeister '04, a civil engineering student, was the first prize winner of the student competition for the St. Lawrence section of the American Society for Engineering Education. Her project was titled “Effect of Ultra- violet Exposure on Rubberized Concrete.”

Megann Denefrio '03 and her little sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program were named “Match of the Year” for the Capital District region.

David Cotter, assistant professor of sociology, received the Faculty Community Service Award from the Hudson Mohawk Association of Colleges and Universities. He was recognized for leading his students in a nine-month study of hunger in Schenectady County-a study that provided valuable data to a number of social service agencies. The study was commissioned by the Council of Community Services of New York State.

Union took several honors at the regional student conference of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.
David Chapin '02 won the oral presentation award and an invitation to compete for the national prize,
Ben Gauthier '02 took second in the oral presentation and first place for best technical content,
Jeremy Losaw '02 took first prize in the technical poster competition,
Matthew Grant '02 received a certificate for outstanding student chapter president, and Professor
Frank Wicks received a certificate for services in advancing the engineering profession. The region includes about forty-five engineering programs in the mid-Atlantic states.

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Because of an editing error, an article in the spring issue, titled “A House System Update,” contained an incomplete sentence. The sentence should say, “Greek social organizations may continue, although members, like all students, will live in randomly-assigned residence space as sophomores, when rush is held; after that, they will be able to live together as a group if they so choose.”

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

Yes, the Phil Alden Robinson who directed The Sum of All Fears is the same Phil Alden Robinson who graduated
in 1971.

And the Kate White who
is the author of If Looks Could Kill (a Bailey Weggins mystery) is the same Kate White who graduated in 1972.

Robinson was honorary chancellor at Commencement in 1996, when he received an honorary doctorate and urged graduates to “dream your dreams, trust your instincts, listen to your heart, believe in yourself, change the world, and have a great time doing it.” Other films he directed include
Field of Dreams (1989) and Sneakers; the latter was shown on campus during its opening week in September, 1992 (one of its stars, Robert Redford, had been on campus nearly thirty years ago to make
The Way We Were).

White received the College's Eliphalet Nott Medal, awarded to alumni for outstanding achievement in their careers, during the College's bicentennial celebration in 1995. She is editor-in-chief of
Cosmopolitan magazine and the former
editor-in-chief of Redbook. Her previous books include Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do and
Nine Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want.

Posted on Aug 1, 2002

This fall, the College will welcome sixty-five legacies-students with family members who graduated from Union. All told, there were
256 legacy applications for the Class of 2006,
and 153 were accepted. The new first-year students include:

Peter C. Aleksa, Dalton, Mass., son of Peter J. Aleksa '83; Jennifer R.
Andriano, Watervliet, N.Y., sister of Joseph A. Andriano '05; Kimberly T.
Apfelbaum, Newton, Mass., sister of Evan P. Apfelbaum '02; Amy C. Bell, Marblehead, Mass., sister of Sarah P. Bell '04;
Sarah D. Bills, Granby, Conn., niece of William L. Berman '82; Jonathan H.
Blonstein, Millburn, N.J., son of Jeffrey D. Blonstein '73;

Nathaniel C. Brown, Longmeadow, Mass., nephew of Paul J. Denning '76; Megan L.
Burns, Loudonville, N.Y., daughter of Thomas W. Burns '79; David W.
Busino, Scotia, N.Y., grandson of the late Dr. William A. Busino, Sr. '40, grandson of the late Dr. Samuel J. Coppola, Sr. '43, son of Dr. William A. Busino, Jr. '71, nephew of Dr. Lawrence J. Busino '72, Armand O. Busino '50, and Samuel J. Coppola, Jr. '74;
Patrick J. Canniff, Latham, N.Y., brother of Christopher T. Canniff '03;

Kathryn P. Cassella, Salem, Mass., daughter of John W. Cassella '70; Adam D.
Chused, Concord, Mass., nephew of David J. Chused '80; Casey M. Cronin, West Hartford, Conn., nephew of William F. Mack '58, cousin of Katherine E. Mack '02;
Paraskevie V. Dallas, Hingham, Mass., sister of Angela M. Dallas '03; Andrew S.
Deutch, Woodmere, N.Y., son of Robert N. Deutch '78; Alexander S.
Emmons, Needham, Mass., grandson of William C. Eiseman '45, nephew of Robert R. Grusky '79;

John N. Erianne, Essex Fells, N.J., nephew of Robert D. Erianne '68; Alexander D.
Everett, Pound Ridge, N.Y., son of Daphne B. Everett '78; James A.
Ferguson, Brightwaters, N.Y., cousin of Maria M. Ferragamo '95; Jessica L.
Frankel, Roslyn, N.Y., niece of Robert I. Gerber '76 and Nancy F. Gerber '78;
David Friedman, Schroon Lake, N.Y., grandson of Moey L. Friedman '42, son of Roger M. Friedman '72, nephew of Dr. Orel Friedman '35;

Alison Gaffney, New Hartford, N.Y., niece of Nicholas O. Matt '67, cousin of Sarah D. Matt '98;
William R. Gascoigne, Cleveland, Ohio, brother of Timothy G. Gascoigne '02;
Jonathan A. Goldman, New York, N.Y., son of Dr. Kenneth N. Goldman '69, cousin of the late Dr. Josef H. Weissberg '49;
Evan M. Gouzie, Cumberland Center, Maine, grandson of Dr. Victor F. Mattson '49;
Colin S. Hirst, West Hartford, Conn., son of Dr. Jeffrey A. Hirst '74;

Louis H. Hoffer, Cherry Hill, N.J., nephew of Dr. Barry J. Hoffer '60, the late Dr. Robert R. Kim '56, Bennett M. Liebman '71, and Leslie A. Hull, Union College professor of chemistry, and cousin of Dr. Mark M. Hoffer '57, Dr. Paul B. Hoffer '60, and Marjorie G. Hoffer-Dashow '88;
Ian C. Jacobi, Bedford, N.Y., nephew of Howard J. Blank '70; Amy A.
Kakkanatt, Mount Kisco, N.Y., cousin of Jasmine R. Jacob '04; Kelli M.
Ketcham, North Clarendon, Vt., niece of Timothy E. Ketcham '89;

Sarah M. Klopfer, Hollis, N.H., sister of Andrew R. Klopfer '04; Rachel A.
Koblenz, Silver Spring, Md., daughter of Andrew D. Koblenz '78 and Katherine A. Koblenz '80, niece of Mark L. Koblenz '75;
Katelyn Kovacs, Dalton, Mass., daughter of John Kovacs, Jr. '79; Jennifer L.
Lauroesch, Bethesda, Md., daughter of John G. Lauroesch '75; David C.
Long, Scotia, N.Y., grandson of Clayton L. Long, Jr. '50, cousin of Dr. Timothy V. Hagy '81;
Heather E. Mach, Broadalbin, N.Y., granddaughter of Robert S. Speck, Sr. '63GR, niece of Robert S. Speck, Jr. '80 and Brian Speck, Union College head women's soccer and assistant softball coach;

Amelia Martland, Marblehead, Mass., daughter of Mark S. Martland '70; Andrew
McKinlay, Phoenixville, Pa., grandson of Alfred H. McKinlay '51, son of Mark A. McKinlay '73, brother of Michelle A. McKinlay '01, nephew of Michael J. Douglass '77;
A. Elizabeth Mehaffey, Oradell, N.J., daughter of D. Gregor Mehaffey '66;
Jeffrey W. Meola, Hartsdale, N.Y., grandson of Gerhard M. Behrendt '45, son of Peter J. Meola '77 and Carol B. Meola '76, nephew of Thomas A. Behrendt '75, cousin of Peter R. Benequista '64 and Patricia Stadulis '92;

David Merkel IV, Plattsburgh, N.Y., grandson of the late David Merkel, Jr. '46, cousin of Ryan M. McMartin '05;
Daniel H. Michaelson, New York, N.Y., son of Robert N. Michaelson '72;
Andrew T. Moehrke, Sudbury, Mass., son of Anton T. Moehrke '66; Kristen C.
Nelson, Westport, Conn., sister of Ryan W. Nelson '03; Christopher A.
Nielson, Plymouth, N.H., son of Jeffrey H. Nielson '69; Jennifer E.
Pangburn, Norwich, Vt., son of Timothy Pangburn '77 and Amy R. Somerstein '77;

Adam R. Paredes, Los Angeles, Calif., nephew of William F. Mack '58, cousin of Katherine E. Mack '02;

Nathan A. Perrin, Fultonville, N.Y., nephew of Brenda R. Hugick '83; Melissa L.
Perrino, Bellmore, N.Y., niece of John A. Di Iorio '67, cousin of Jennifer A. Di Iorio '87;
Laura S. Pittenger, Merrimack, N.H., niece of Daniel R. Pittenger '89 and Julia P. Pittenger '91;
Julie B. Rubin, Demarest, N.J., sister of Rebecca J. Rubin '01; Annasophia M.
Salvia, Brewster, N.Y., granddaughter of the late Albert G. Stritt '79GR, cousin of Marc A. Salvia '05;

Andrew C. Schaeffer, Austinburg, Ohio, brother of Donald C. Schaeffer '02;
Brian B. Selchick, Albany, N.Y., brother of Lauren A. Selchick '03; Alissandra T.
Stoyan, Liverpool, N.Y., daughter of Susan G. Stoyan '79; Mark R.
Susko, Short Hills, N.J., son of Anthony R. Susko '69; Christiana L.
Sutton, Wellesley, Mass., daughter of Lynn P. Sutton '76; Daniel C.
Taft, South Salem, N.Y., cousin of Eleanor S. Cooke '03; Jared M.
Tilbor, West Simsbury, Conn., son of Michael B. Tilbor '71; Matthew M.
Torpey, Hingham, Mass., brother of Erin S. Torpey '94;

Henry Underwood, Burlington, Vt., grandson of the late Charles F. Schwenker '33;
Jessica B. Warnick, Afton, Va., great-granddaughter of the late Spencer K. Warnick '22, granddaughter of Spencer K. Warnick III '52, daughter of James K. Warnick '78 and Catharine S. Warnick '78;
Leah E. Weiss, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., daughter of Dr. Sara-Jane Goldberg-Weiss '76;
Marisa S. Zarchy, Lake Zurich, Ill., cousin of Dr. Benjamin I. Rubin '78 and Dr. Judith F. Rubin '82;
Patrick H. Zibro, Cohoes, N.Y., brother of E.J. Zibro '03

We try to list every alumni connection to an applicant. If we have missed someone, please contact the Admissions Office at
admissions@union.edu