Posted on Feb 20, 2006

The Union College Department of Theater and Dance will present its Winter Dance Concerts at the Yulman Theatre March 3 and 4 at 8 p.m.

Actors and dancers collaborate on a mix of musical styles and themes ranging from a “Rent” solo to the storybook ballet “Giselle” to an original dance-theater piece focusing on French artist and writer Jean Cocteau.

One of the program's major pieces, “Jean Cocteau: Le Prince Frivole,” to music by Erik Satie, is an original creation by Miryam Moutillet, director of the college's dance program, and Charles Batson, associate professor of French, in which theater majors dance and dance students deliver lines of text.

All of the performers took the course “Staging Explorations in Theater and Dance,” co-taught by Moutillet and Batson. “We've never done this before. They're all involved in the process of what it's like to create a dance-theater piece,” said Moutillet.

“We wanted to offer a course to celebrate the new Department of Theater and Dance,” said Batson, noting the recent combination of the two programs. “We're tracing the life and work of Jean Cocteau, putting him on trial for his notions of art, and we're having a blast.”

The costumes are designed by Lloyd Waiwaiole, the set design is by Charles Steckler and the lighting design by John Miller. Susan Beckhardt '07 is the projection designer, Cooper Braun-Enos ‘06 is the sound engineer, and Charles Holiday ‘06 and Mandee Moondi '06 are the stage managers.

The dances feature Union students and two professional dancers who are members of the Union faculty, Marcus Rogers and Alexis Pangborn.

The dances scheduled are: “Giselle,” a ballet adaptation by Moutillet for principal dancers Rachael Peters '07 and Rogers and 20 corps de ballet dancers; “A Place to Land,” a modern dance for three created by Jessica Murtagh '06; “I'll Cover You,” from the Broadway show, “Rent,” choreographed and performed by Rogers; “Footloose,” a tap number for seven dancers, created by Rogers; “Hung Up,” a jazz piece by Rogers for 21 dancers, set to music by Madonna; “Agon,” the Balanchine masterpiece, adapted and performed by Pangborn; and “Canco De Bressol,” a modern Spanish piece, also adapted and performed by Pangborn.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 20 at the Yulman Theatre. The cost is $10 for general admission and $7 for Union faculty, staff and students. For more information, call the Yulman Theatre Box Office at 388-6545.

Posted on Feb 20, 2006

William Denison Williams, a member of the Class of 1932, bequeathed more than $5 million to the College, one of the largest individual gifts to the school.

A longtime resident of Scotia, Williams died October 15, 2005, in Doylestown, Pa. He was 95.

Williams received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of Eta Kappa Nu.  He also studied at Duke and Cornell universities. After he graduated from Union College, Williams went to work for General Electric, where he was manager of the Magnetics Section and worked in the engineering laboratory. He married Virginia Smith in 1950. The couple had no children.

Williams was a loyal donor to the College, contributing modest amounts annually. When he died, he left behind an estate that exceeded $20 million, much of it acquired through investments.

Williams divided the bulk of his estate between Union College, Piedmont College in Georgia (his wife's alma mater) and the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa. Williams, an accomplished violinist who performed with orchestras in New York and Philadelphia, also left gifts to individual musicians.

The gift to the College was unrestricted. College officials will use the money to endow two chairs in his honor. The academic designation for the chairs has not been decided.

“We are extremely grateful to receive this generous gift,'' said Interim President James Underwood. “Union obviously played a big role in William's life, and we are happy to honor this outstanding alumnus by endowing two chairs in his name.''

The largest gift in the College's 211-year history was the $20 million given in November 2002 by John Wold, a geologist and former U.S. Congressman from Casper, Wyo. and his wife Jane. Previously, the largest gift was $9 million from the F.W. Olin Foundation, Inc. of New York City, in 1996 for a high-technology classroom and laboratory building known as the F.W. Olin Center.

Posted on Feb 17, 2006

It's hard to believe after shedding the coats and even basking in the sun Thursday, we're in for a harsh reality check on Friday.

UAlbany Meteorology Professor Mike Landin says, “And you're getting into category 1 hurricane wind that can cause quite a bit of damage.”

When Professor Landin talks about winds that strong, he means business. Remember the January 21st storm? Widespread power outages occurred across the state. Landin says the dynamics coming together could make this storm even worse.

“We have 80 degree high temps along the Gulf Coast and we've got temperatures below zero in North Dakota and Minnesota and into Montana and that temperature contrast is probably the greatest I've seen for this entire winter season.”

Gusts in the hill towns could reach 80 mph. At Union College, Mechanical Engineering Professor Brad Bruno can simulate gusts that hard using their own wind tunnel.

Bruno says, “The drag forces on an object are going to go up as the wind velocity squared. So as the wind velocity gets up to high numbers, the forces get up to very high numbers too.”

Bruno says that an 80 mph gust hitting a 6 foot tall person would produce 100 pounds of force against them – strong enough to lift them off the ground. Imagine what that could do to trees and branches.

Landin says, “We could see some pretty amazing gusts. I think this storm has the potential to produce some wind gusts a little bit higher than we've seen in the past several years. This could be something like a once in a decade type of wind gust situation.”

Landin's advice – tie down any loose objects in your yard. And your best bet – try not to go outdoors unless you really have to through Friday evening and have those flashlights and fresh batteries handy, we could be in for widespread power outages.

Posted on Feb 16, 2006

Torino, site of the 2006 Winter Olympics, represents the culmination of years of training and the realization of a lifelong dream for athletes worldwide – including former Union student Lowell Bailey.

Bailey, a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team, had an impressive start in his Olympic debut. Both he and his friend, longtime training partner and teammate, Tim Burke, performed exceptionally well in the 10k sprint on Tuesday.

Bailey finished 48^th and Burke, 37^th, out of 90 competing athletes – ahead of seasoned veterans Jeremy Teela and Jay Hakkinen.

By finishing in the top 60, Bailey and Burke qualified for the biathlon pursuit on Sunday.

“We did not expect this from these two young guys,” said U.S. Coach James Upham. “They are here for experience… but here is Lowell skiing with (five-time gold medalist Ole Einar) Bjoerndalenon the last lap and keeping up.”

To compete in the 15k on Feb. 25, Bailey and Burke must finish in the top 30 in the pursuit on Feb. 21 in the team relay.

Bailey, 24, grew up in Lake Placid and attended Union during the spring term from 2000 to 2002, between training sessions. Continuing to compete internationally after narrowly missing the 2002 Olympic Team, he skied for the University of Vermont while completing a degree in political science and environmental studies. He placed second in the NCAA 10K and also qualified for the Biathlon World Championships in 2003.

A demanding, composite sport, biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. Competitors race across hilly terrain and stop to shoot at fixed targets. In the 10k, or 6.2-mile sprint, contestants shoot at two sets of targets. The competition developed from the military training of ski troops and became an official part of the Winter Olympics in 1960.

Posted on Feb 16, 2006