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ALUMNI MAGAZINE | Fall | 11 a publication for alumni and friends of Southern Connecticut State University

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A magazine for alumni and friends of Southern Connecticut State University Fall 2011 issue

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Page 1: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

ALUMNI MAGAZINE | Fall | 11a pu

blication fo

r alum

ni and

frien

ds of So

uthe

rn Con

necticut State U

nive

rsity

Page 2: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Dear Southern Alumni,

In this issue of Southern Alumni Magazine, we feature a

number of alumni who have made a difference across the globe

though service with the Peace Corps. Reading each story, I could

not help but be impressed with how these individuals’ volunteer

efforts profoundly impacted their own lives, as well as those of

the people in their host communities.

This spirit of self-improvement through lending your

time and talents on behalf of others is one that we cultivate in

our student body here at Southern.

Our students have raised thousands of dollars for

Connecticut Special Olympics through our annual Jail ‘N’ Bail

event, and for cancer research through the Relay for Life. They

have collected boxes of provisions for needy families in Greater

New Haven through the Adopt-A-Family food drive; distributed

toys to more than a thousand of the city’s children with the

Friends of Rudolph program; and cleaned up neighboring

streets and parks through the annual Southern Day of Service.

Our students’ volunteerism earned Southern a place on

the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor

Roll in 2009, while our overall contribution to the community at

large was recognized last year with the prestigious Corporate

Heritage Award at the 216th Annual Meeting of the Greater New

Haven Chamber of Commerce.

In these difficult economic times our community

contribution has never been more valuable. We are playing a key

role in Connecticut’s recovery process, developing programs

directly tied to workforce needs.

For example, responding to state and national concerns

about declining student numbers in the fields of science,

technology, engineering, and math (STEM) — and a resulting

lack of expertise in those areas — Southern is creating new

opportunities for study and potential employment in the STEM

disciplines. We have seen STEM course enrollment growth of

more than 17 percent in the last five years.

Recently, the university was named the host site for

Connecticut’s first research center devoted solely to

nanotechnology and this summer we offered the first two

courses in a Connecticut State University systemwide graduate

certificate program in this cutting-edge field. The new center will

prepare students for careers in this growth industry through

hands-on experience with specialized equipment. We are also the

recipient of a multi-million dollar National Science Foundation

grant that will enhance our joint materials science center with

Yale University — providing exceptional research and

educational opportunities for students and faculty at Southern

and in New Haven schools.

Our Physics Department has three ongoing major

initiatives tailored to meet the needs of Connecticut’s high-tech

industry: an engineering concentration, a proposed

interdisciplinary master’s degree in applied physics, and the

previously mentioned nanotechnology certificate program. The

number of physics majors has nearly doubled in recent years and

current graduation rates are in the top 15 percent nationally.

These and other developments underscore our

commitment to be recognized as a center of excellence in the

STEM disciplines. And the future construction of a state-of-the-art

academic and laboratory science building, now in the design

phase, will enhance the ongoing expansion of our science

programs. Not only are we dedicated to providing our students

with abundant learning opportunities aligned with Connecticut’s

workforce needs, we also want to be known as a regional leader for

both cultivating interest in the sciences and providing mentoring

in these fields for women and under-represented groups.

Dr. Stanley F. Battle

Interim President

LETTER

PresidentFROMTHE

Page 3: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

features

As the Peace Corps

celebrates its 50th

anniversary, Southern

shares photos and

memories from some of

the more than 66 alumni

who have volunteered

with the organization

over the years.

From the President inside cover

Campus News 2Nostalgia 20

Supporting Southern 22Out and About 24

Alumni News 26Alumni Notes 30Southern Events 36

departments

Peace Owls 10

Plant It Forward, Southern’s

new urban agriculture

demonstration project, includes

a garden and an orchard, with

plans in place for an outdoor

classroom, a greenhouse, a

vineyard, and more.

The

18

Fall | 11Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

[COVER] Pictured with her son and a group of local school children in theRepublic of Malawi, author Karen Lynn Williams, M.A. ’77, volunteered with thePeace Corps from 1980-83. [ABOVE, FROM LEFT] Patricia Lott, ’91, in Paraguay •Kimberlee McCarthy, ’95, in the Commonwealth of Dominica

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:25 AM Page 1

Page 4: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Southern Connecticut State University and Yale

University have been awarded a six-year, $13

million grant that promises

to expand cutting-edge sci-

entific research and bolster

educational opportunities

for students and faculty in

New Haven Public Schools.

The National

Science Foundation (NSF)

has allocated the funds to

enhance the universities’

joint materials science

center — the Center for

Research on Interface

Structures and

Phenomena (CRISP).

Six years ago, NSF

awarded $7.5 million for

the creation of the center,

of which Southern

received $1,484,000. The

new award will forward

the center’s work, with Southern receiving $1,763,000 — one

of the largest grants ever awarded to the university and its

largest research grant.

Materials science is a discipline that includes the

creation of technologically advanced items, ranging from

computer chips to biological implants. The center enables

students to create and examine new materials at the

atomic level. It also helps to foster interdisciplinary research

by faculty and students at both institutions in a variety of

disciplines, including physics, chemistry, and engineering.

The center has a major educational out-

reach component. “This grant is extremely

important as it supports

both innovative research

and teacher development

at a crucial time for

Southern and the state

of Connecticut,” says

Southern Physics

Department Chairwoman

Christine Broadbridge, the

center’s director of educa-

tion. “Math and science

have taken on an increas-

ing importance for our

state and nation’s future.”

CRISP has offered

workshops designed to

improve the professional

development of science

teachers in the area

during the last six years.

Those programs will now

focus more closely on New Haven Public Schools and

include an assessment component to gauge how effective

they are at improving student learning.

“This is a natural partnership,” says Broadbridge. “In

fact, we believe it will serve as a model for other urban

school district/higher education partnerships.”

The NSF has designated CRISP as a Center of

Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation — one of

several in the country. It is the only small materials research

center to have attained that designation.

2 | SouthernALUMNI MAGAZINE

NEWSCampus

Southern and Yale received a $13 million grant from the National ScienceFoundation for the Center for Research on Interface Structures and

Phenomena (CRISP). Southern Physics Department Chairwoman ChristineBroadbridge [RIGHT] is the director of education for CRISP. She is pictured

with students Carol Jenkins [LEFT] and Barbara Benardo.

A five-year, $1.9

million grant from the U.S.

Department of Education

will bolster the university’s

continuing efforts to

improve the education of

non-native English-speak-

ing students.

The grant — among

the largest ever awarded to

Southern — will focus on

providing training for

teachers, administrators,

and staff members in the

New Haven and Hamden

school systems. That train-

ing will include workshops

on innovative and effective

approaches for teaching

students whose first lan-

guage is not English. It also

will provide educators with

opportunities for certifica-

tion and participation in a

three-credit course.

Southern’s Training

for All Teachers (TAT) pro-

gram will coordinate the

efforts, with Lorrie

Verplaetse, professor of

world languages and litera-

tures, serving as project

n $1.9 Million Grant to Prepare Educators

n

Major NSFGrant

Awardedn

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Page 5: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Southern| ALUMNI MAGAZINE

| VOL 9 • NO 2

Dr. Stanley F. Battle, Interim President

STAFF

Patrick Dilger,Director of Public Affairs

Villia Struyk, Editor

Mary Pat Caputo, Associate Editor

Michael Kobylanski, Sports Editor

Marylou Conley, ’83, Art Director

Isabel Chenoweth, Photographer

Alisha Martindale, Assistant Photographer

Nancy Ronne, Development Editor

Charlie Davison,Alumni Notes Editor

ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE

Michelle R. Johnston, Director of Alumni Relations

(203) 392-6500

EDITORIAL OFFICE

Southern Connecticut State UniversityOffice of Public Affairs/

Southern Alumni Magazine501 Crescent StreetNew Haven, CT 06515-1355

Telephone (203) 392-6591; fax (203) 392-6597E-mail address: [email protected] Web site: www.SouthernCT.edu

Printed by The Lane Press, Inc.

Southern Alumni Magazine is published by the university in cooperation with the SCSU AlumniAssociation two times a year and distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the university.Opinions expressed in Southern Alumni Magazine do

not necessarily reflect those of theuniversity or of the SCSU AlumniAssociation. Although the editorshave made every reasonable effort to be factually accurate, noresponsibility is assumed for errors.

Postage paid at Burlington, Vt.

Southern Connecticut State University, in compliancewith federal laws and regulations, does notdiscriminate on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation,or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices,or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to,admissions, employment, financial aid, andeducational services.

Fall 2011 | 3

director. Marisa Ferraro is

the TAT program manager.

One of the priorities

of this grant will be to tar-

get certified mathematics

and science teachers from

grades 3 to 12, as well as

the curricula in both sub-

jects, in an effort to boost

the STEM (science, tech-

nology, engineering, and

mathematics) disciplines.

This marks the third

time that Southern has

received a federal grant for

the TAT program. In 2007,

TAT was awarded a five-

year, $1.5 million grant.

n StellarStudentsHonoredThe Class of 2011

includes four exceptional

members, who were hon-

ored as the recipients of

the Henry Barnard

Distinguished Student

Award, among the univer-

sity’s most prestigious

honors. The award, which

recognizes academic

achievement and contribu-

tions to Southern and the

community, is presented

annually to 12 students

from the four campuses of

the Connecticut State

University System.

Award recipient

Samantha Benson, ’11,

majored in theater and

served as president of the

Crescent Players theater

group and social media

coordinator of Southern’s

John Lyman Center for the

Performing Arts. She was

also a marketing manager

for New Haven’s

International Festival of

Arts and Ideas.

Exercise science

major, Logan Lentz, ’11,

was a member of

A $1.9 million grant will help Southern’s Training for All Teachers (TAT)program prepare educators to teach students whose first language is not English. [FROM RIGHT] Lorrie Verplaetse, professor of worldlanguages and literatures, serves as project director of TAT and Marisa Ferraro is program manager.

Samantha Benson, ’11 Logan Lentz, ’11 Raymond Nardella, ’11 Jennifer Peterson, ’11

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NEWSCampus

Southern’s basketball

team for four years, serv-

ing as captain for the last

three. Her volunteer

efforts include tutoring at

weekly reading sessions

with the New Haven

Public School System.

Political science

major, Raymond Nardella,

’11, was president of the

Class of 2011 for four

years. He also served as

vice president of the Beta

Mu Sigma Fraternity, vice

president of the College

Republicans, and co-presi-

dent of Pi Sigma Alpha, a

national honor society for

political science.

Fellow honoree,

Jennifer Peterson, ’11,

majored in elementary

education and psychology.

A four-year member of the

field hockey team, she

served as captain in her

senior year. She was also

a member of Southern’s

chapter of Psi Chi, a nation-

al psychology honor society.

n Making MusicThe Music

Department has unveiled

a cutting-edge electronic

music studio that enables

students to create digital

music, as well as record

music. Located in

Engleman Hall, it is the

only studio of its kind in

the area.

The studio is

designed to serve a variety

of needs: a large area is

designed primarily for soft-

ware-based music, while a

smaller space is used for

recording actual instru-

ments and voice. The

space also can be used for

audio journalism. The facil-

ity is outfitted with the

latest equipment, including

17 workstations, all

specifically designed for

audio production.

The Stutzman

Family Foundation, repre-

sented by Walter Stutzman,

made a generous gift to

establish and support the

new studio. Walter

Stutzman, who retired in

2005 from a career in soft-

ware consulting, went on

to earn a degree in music

n Grant Supports Environmental ResearchTraveling aboard a research boat in New Haven harbor last summer, Southern stu-

dents performed a “ponar grab,” using a claw-like tool to pull up sediment from the bot-

tom. The samples were later tested for metal contamination — one example of the environ-

mental research being conducted through the Center for Coastal and Marine Studies

(CCMS) at Southern.

Significantly forwarding such research, the Werth Family Foundation has renewed

its support of the CCMS with a $250,000 grant, to be awarded over a five-year period. The

contribution builds on a previous $170,000 grant from the foundation made in 2006.

The CCMS, a Connecticut State University System center, focuses on coastal and

marine research and education along Connecticut’s urbanized coast and harbors. Support

from the Werth Family Foundation funds student research stipends, the use of boats, chemi-

cals, and other supplies. The foundation also has made it possible for the center to acquire

state-of-the-art equipment used to conduct its research.

Peter Werth, along with his wife, Pam, established the Werth Family Foundation in

2000 to support educational, cultural, and medical-related causes throughout Connecticut.

During a recent boat trip, environmental studies students demonstrated research techniques to members ofthe Werth Family Foundation. The foundation renewed its support of the Center for Coastal and MarineStudies at Southern with a $250,000 grant.

4 | SouthernALUMNI MAGAZINE

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Page 7: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Fall 2011 | 5

from Southern in 2009 and

has been teaching at the

university.

The Stutzman

Family Foundation has

made previous gifts to the

Music Department. A prior

contribution, given in

memory of Stutzman’s

parents, Geraldine and

Jacob Stutzman,

established the Southern

Applied Music Program,

which provides free weekly

private voice or instrument

lessons to all declared

music majors who meet

academic standards.

The new studio is

showcased in a short film

by Music Professor Mark

Kuss showing seven

months of construction in

59 seconds. Go to:

www.SouthernCT.edu/

news/newelectronicmu-

sic_331/. A link to the film

is at the end of the story.

[ABOVE] Walter Stutzmanparticipates in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newelectronic music studio whileInterim President Stanley F.Battle looks on. The StutzmanFamily Foundation made agenerous gift to support andestablish the new studio.

southern students provide more than 120,000hours of community service annually through volunteerism,

internships, and coursework requirements. In recognition of these

efforts, Southern was included on the U.S. President’s Higher

Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Construction is underway on the future home of the School

of Business — a state-of-the-art facility to be created by

renovating Southern’s former student center. Once

completed, the 23,000 square footredesigned School of Business will house classrooms,

faculty offices, meeting rooms, a high-tech stock trading

room, and the latest in technology.

For 20 years, Southern has been a host site for the Connecticut

Special Olympics, an event serving 2,400 athletes,

ranging in age from 8 – 70.

The university’s Center for Communication Disorders provides a

variety of speech, language, hearing, and advocacy services for

children and adults. In 2010, the center served 410clients with a total of 3,622 contact hours.

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6 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

n Faculty HonorsAssociate Professor of

Physics Elliott Horch

received the Connecticut

State University System’s

(CSUS) Norton Mezvinsky

Trustees Research Award —

bestowed annually upon

one faculty member who

teaches at one of the four

CSUS campuses and con-

ducts research of exception-

al promise. (See page 7.)

Assistant Professor of

Counseling and School

Psychology Misty Ginicola

is the recipient of a univer-

sity-level Trustees Teaching

Award. The awards are

presented to faculty mem-

bers who have distin-

guished themselves as

outstanding educators.

Associate Professor of

Psychology Deborah

Carroll is the recipient

of the J. Philip Smith

Outstanding Teaching

Award. In addition to

teaching undergraduate

and graduate courses for

n Southern Academy Launched A group of 25 fourth graders went back to school last summer, the first class to

attend Southern Academy, an innovative instructional program designed to improve literacy

among local youth and help close the student achievement gap.

The intensive five-week program, which ended the first week of August,

includes students from three New Haven elementary schools — King-Robinson

International Baccalaureate Magnet, Lincoln-Bassett, and Beecher Interdistrict

Museum Magnet School of Arts and Sciences. The students spent their mornings focusing

on reading and vocabulary instruction, with math, social studies, and science incorporated

into the lessons. During the afternoons, students participated in art, drama, physical educa-

tion, field trips, and other cultural activities.

Lessons were taught primarily by Southern graduate students, under the direction of

Nancy Boyles, Southern professor of special education and reading. In addition, volunteers

provided one-on-one instruction as needed. Each student used a laptop computer, provid-

ed courtesy of Dell.

Southern’s James Barber, ’64, M.S. ’79, director of student supportive services, and

Marvis Brown-Arnold, ’88, M.S. ’91, 6th Yr. ’05, director of the university’s Connecticut

Collegiate Awareness and Preparation Program (ConnCAP), serve as co-coordinators of

Southern Academy.

While the first summer component of the program has ended, the academy is a

year-round program. The students will visit the university regularly throughout the year and

participate in field trips.

Plans call for the academy to expand each year, eventually reaching 200 students

and including multiple grade levels.

A group of students from three New Haven elementary schools comprised the first class at Southern Academy this summer.

Assistant Professor Misty Ginicola

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Page 9: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Recent Accolades:Received theConnecticut StateUniversity System’s(CSUS) NortonMezvinsky TrusteesResearch Award —presented annually toa faculty memberwho teaches at oneof the four CSUScampuses andconducts research ofexceptional promise.

Area of Expertise: Highly regarded in the field of astronomy for his optics research.B.A., University ofChicago; M.S., YaleUniversity; Ph.D.,Stanford University.

Seeing Stars:Developed a cutting-edge telescopicattachment thatenables astronomersto see images ofdistant stars with acrispness that is up to 20 times betterthan ever before. This DifferentialSpeckle SurveyInstrument is locatedat the Kitt PeakNational Observatoryin Tucson, Ariz.

Other honors: Platinumrecipient of the 2009Connecticut QualityImprovement AwardInnovation Prize.

Fall 2011 | 7

Associate Professor of Physics Elliott Horch

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8 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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the Psychology Department

and the Honors College,

she served as director of

the Writing-Across-the-

Curriculum program in

2008-10.

Associate Professor of

Psychology Kate Marsland

is the first recipient of the

Outstanding Faculty

Academic Advising Award.

In addition to advising

more than 60 students

each semester, she serves

as the adviser to the Psi Chi

psychology honor society.

Assistant Professor of

English Steven Corbett has

received the Technological

Teacher of the Year Award.

Corbett was recognized for

his commitment to using

technology to enhance

student learning.

Assistant Professor Steven Corbett

Associate ProfessorDeborah Carroll

Associate Professor Kate Marsland

n In the CommunityOn April 9, more than 350 students took part in The Big Event, an annual day

of service benefiting the local community.

The event demonstrates Southern’s long-held commitment to the community.

On April 28, the university received the Richard Manware Community Champion

Award from the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis (CCCC), a nonprofit

organization committed to child abuse prevention. The award recognizes Southern’s

participation in the annual Adopt-A-Family Food Drive, which benefits CCCC.

Southern offers numerous study abroad opportunities, includingshort-term summer programs to Guatamala, Iceland, Italy, Paris,Spain, and China. Art Professor Camille Serchuk and AssociateProfessor of Art Thuan Vu wrote home about students’ summerin Paris at: www.SouthernCT.edu/news/summerinparis_353/ For several weeks last summer Guatemala was home to a groupof Southern students who took part in an international fieldstudy in public health led by Professors William Faraclas andDeborah Flynn. University Photographer Isabel Chenowethaccompanied the group, capturing their journey in a photo blogfound at http://scsuphotoadventures.tumblr.com/.

Check out Southern’s photo albums, featuring thousands ofshots from a wide variety of happenings, including commence-ment, athletics events, and visits from celebrity greats such asBill Cosby, John Legend, and Apolo Ohno. Click the “PhotoAlbums” link on Southern’s home page at: www.SouthernCT.edu.

On the Web

[ABOVE] Students worked in the campus community garden and at 21 sites around New Haven during The Big Event, an annual day of service.

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Page 11: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

sport shortsAmanda Thomas

Junior

Women’s

Swimming and

Diving Team

Exercise Science

Major with a

concentration

in Human

Performance

Claims to fame: The Division II

national champion in the 200-yard individual medley,

finishing with a time of 2:00.88, just .32 seconds less

than the NCAA record. Other achievements at the

national championship include finishing second in the

200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley, and fourth

in the 200 backstroke. Also an All American in four

events and named the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference

Swimmer of the Year and the Most Outstanding

Performer of the league championships.

Most proud of: Winning the national title. “I didn’t think

I would actually get it; I was inspired.”

Diving in: Started swimming at the age of 6; began

competing between the ages of 7 and 8.

Family affair: Followed suit when her older sister and

cousin started swimming. Her twin sister, Ashley, dives

for Southern.

Inspiration: Swam for SoNoCo Swim Club at age 12 with

Southern’s Coach Tim Quill. “I wanted to come to

Southern so I could swim for Quill.”

Support: “My family comes to every single meet. We base

our schedules around swimming.”

Balancing the student with the athlete: “Growing up

swimming teaches you a lot, like how to manage your

time and schedule.”

Pre-meet ritual: Listens to Eminem

Hobbies: Drawing and photography

Other sports she enjoys: Running and weight training

Career aspirations: To become a personal trainer

or nutritionist

Meet Southern’sStudent Athlete

n Standout Year for Southern SportsIt was banner year for athletics at Southern, which

was ranked number 25 out of more than 300 NCAA Division

II institutions of higher learning in the Learfield Sports

Directors’ Cup standings — the university’s highest ranking

ever. The Owls have now

finished among the top-

20 percent of colleges

and universities in each

of the last five years.

The competition

recognizes broad-based

athletics excellence.

n Track Champions!It was history in the making for the men’s outdoor

track and field team, which captured first place at the New

England Championship for the first time ever. It was a strong

victory for the Owls, who finished 23.5 points ahead of sec-

ond-place finisher Northeastern University. Southern senior

Diwani Augustine took home first place at the event in the

triple jump, with a mark of 49 feet, 9.75 inches. He also

won first in the long jump (24 feet, 3.5 inches). In all, ten

Owls earned All-New England honors on the final day of the

competition, which was hosted by Southern in May.

n Owls Baseball Flying HighThe Owls started the 2010-11 season with a bang,

winning their first 22 games — a program record for both

best start to a season and longest winning streak. The pow-

erhouse team maintained its dominance, closing the year

ranked number four in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

and the College Baseball Lineup polls. The Owls finished the

2011 season with a 45-9-1 record (win, loss, tie) — setting a

single-season record for victories. Other team highlights

included winning their first game ever in the College World

Series, finishing first in New England, and winning the

Northeast-10 Conference regular season title for the second

consecutive year. There were individual record setters as

well. Senior pitcher Michael Johnston finished the year

ranked first in the nation with 16

saves — a Southern record.

For more sports news, visitwww.SouthernCTOwls.com.

Fall 2011 | 9

By Kaitlin Randall, ’11

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10 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

By Villia Struyk

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Fall 2011 | 11

n Oct. 14, 1960 at the pre-dawn hour of 2 A.M., then-Senator John F. Kennedy

delivered an impromptu campaign speech, challenging students at theUniversity of Michigan to dedicate two years of their lives to helping people in

developing countries. Addressing thousands of cheering students, Kennedy asked,

“How many of you, who are going to be doctors, are willing to spend your days in Ghana?

Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and

spend your lives traveling around the world?”His call to action soon took root. On March 1, 1961, within weeks of his inaugura-

tion, President Kennedy established the Peace Corps on a pilot basis, naming his brother-

in-law, R. Sargent Shriver, as its first director. The Peace Corps’ core mission was simultane-

ously basic and profound: to promote peace and friendship around the world by providing

volunteers for countries requesting assistance.For many, the prospect of serving others overseas was captivating. Within the first

few months the agency had received about 11,000 completed applications. On August 30,

1961, the first group of 51 volunteers arrived in Ghana to serve as teachers. During the last five decades, more than 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace

Corps, working in 139 countries to date. Southern alumni are included in this select group,

with at least 66 having volunteered. United in their commitment to service, they are a diverse

lot who brought vastly different skills to their highly unique Peace Corps’ assignments.

Consider special education major, Judith A. Harper, ’76, who, after raising her chil-

dren, fulfilled a long-held desire to travel to Africa. From 2004-08, she taught elementary

school teachers at a government college in the Republic of Namibia.In contrast, Minette Junkins, ’93, joined the Peace Corps soon after graduation and

worked in Costa Rica as a child development volunteer from 1994 to 1996. “Having a sense

of idealism and a longing for adventure, I looked into several public service projects,” says

Junkins. “The Peace Corps fit exactly what I was looking for.” In honor of the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary, Harper, Junkins, and a number of

other Southern alumni shared photographs and written memories of their time with the

organization — helping others and making friends around the world. n

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12 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Minette Junkins, ’93

Served in Costa Rica, 1994-96

Having commuted to Southern for fo

ur

years while living at home, Minette Junk

ins, ’93,

recalls longing for adve

nture and independence

following graduation. She fou

nd both in Costa

Rica, drawing on her early childho

od education

background to work with the loca

l community.

Home was Cabo Blanco de Lepa

nto, a rural

town with one road and about

400 residents.

“Not only did it have one

road, it had

one store, one telephon

e, one car, one church,

one soccer field, and o

ne two-room school

house for grades one t

hrough eight,” says

Junkins.

Working as a childhood de

velopment volunteer, she

began by meeting with 30 local

families, guiding them in age-

appropriate educationa

l activities. She went on to h

elp develop

a cooperative early ed

ucation program that serve

d 50 children,

six years and under. Sh

e also led workshops an

d activity

groups, taught weekly Englis

h classes, and coordina

ted

fundraising efforts.

Today, she is an elementary scho

ol Spanish teacher

in Madison, Conn. The kinder

garten class she

helped establish in Cos

ta Rica

continues to operate.

STEVE KAUTZ, ’88Served in the Czech Republic, 1995-98Sloužil v Česká republika

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Fall 2011 | 13

In 1990,the first group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Central and EasternEurope departed for Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak

Republic. Five years later — six years after the Velvet Revolution ended 40 years of

Communist rule in Czechoslovakia — Steve Kautz, ’88, was assigned to Blatna in the Czech

Republic, a small town of about 6,000 located some 60 miles from Prague.

As a business development volunteer, he wore many hats. Kautz taught and served as

a curriculum adviser at a local vocational high school that was transitioning from an

agricultural focus to an economics and business education program. He also

worked as an adviser to the district chamber of commerce and taught mar-

keting at Southern Bohemia University. And then there was his side project:

working with a local baseball and softball program. (“Blatna translates into

‘Mudville,’ which was fantastic and fitting . . . ,” notes Kautz.)

Home was the high school dormitory, located next to a 14th century

castle and an enclosed English-style park with tree-lined carriage roads. “I spent

As a health promoter with the Peace Corps,Patricia Lott, ’91, lived and worked in Mbocaya-i,

which means “little coconut” in Guarani, one of the

official languages of Paraguay. (The other isSpanish.)

“At one point there were probably many coconut

trees, but most had been slashed and burned to make

way for the cash crops,” notes Lott. Located several

miles from a major driving route, Mbocaya-i had no

running water or electricity. “We drew water from a

well, washed clothes in the river, and sat aroundthe open fire on the kitchen floor for heat andlight at night!” writes Lott. “People had very lit-

tle in material possessions. But they knew how toplay a mean game of Bingo.” Lott worked with leaders in the small farming

community to deliver health education programs. In

addition to teaching young school children aboutoral hygiene and nutrition, she helped the community

with a sanitary latrine construction project and a

maternal and child health program. Today, Lott is the owner of CommunityAcupuncture of Towson. “Next year I will complete 50

years of living,” she writes. “I celebrated my 25th

birthday in Mbocaya-i, Paraguay. My plan is to take

continued on page 35

continued on page 35

’88

ika

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14 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

As Peace Corps volunteers stationed in The Republic of Malawi,

Karen Lynn Williams, M.A. ’77, and her husband, Steven, brought com-

mitment and compassion to the assignment. They also brought their son,

Peter, who was not yet a year old — a rich experience that Karen would

draw on years later in “When Africa Was Home,” one of her many criti-

cally acclaimed children’s books.

In Malawi, Steven worked as a doctor. Karen volunteered at a

school for the deaf for nine months, and was then assigned to a school

for boys, teaching literature and English as a second language.

“Africa was in many ways a wonderful place for us to raise a

family,” says Karen, recounting 150 children coming to the door to play.

In 1981, her second son, Christopher, was born in Malawi with the

assistance of a local midwife in the hospital where Steven worked.

Africa spurred Karen’s long-held interest in writing. The pace of life

was slower in Malawi, and she decided to enroll in a correspondence

course through the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her first articles and

stories were published in magazines for children while she was still in

Africa.

Upon returning to the United States in 1983, Karen continued

writing and in 1990 her first book, “Galimoto,” was published. The story,

about a toy made by children in Africa, became a Reading Rainbow

Karen Lynn Williams, M.A. ’77

Served in The Republic of Malawi,

1980-83

continued on page 35

PHOTO: M

artha Rial

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Page 17: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Fall 2011 | 15

After raising her

children, Judith Harper,

’76, set her sights on

fulfilling a dream of

traveling to Africa. She

was assigned to the

Republic of Namibia, a

nation in the midst of

transition. The sparsely

populated, desert country

gained independence in

1990. Previously, it was

governed under South

Africa’s apartheid system.

Harper spent

several months of her

training period living on a

traditional homestead. “I

lived with a family which

had 17 members, 14 of

them school age,” she

recounts. “We had no

electricity, no running

water, no flushing

toilets, and cooked over

an open fire each night.

One early highlight was

being followed like the

Pied Piper by around ten

of the children, up a

hill to a latrine that had

been built for me. When

I proceeded to open the

tin door, it fell to the

ground. There were no

hinges! The builder had

never hung a door.”

Harper went on

to teach and mentor

elementary school

teachers at one of

When Daryl Smith, ’83,then a recently graduated geographymajor, joined the Peace Corps, heimagined serving in Africa. Instead,he was accepted as a freshwater fish-eries volunteer and assigned to theDominican Republic. Home base was Jarabacoa,an agricultural community of about13,000 located in a large valleycrossed by three rivers and surround-ed by mountains. “It was the gatewayto Pico Duarte,” notes Smith, “thehighest mountain peak in the wholeCaribbean, so many other PeaceCorps volunteers and other touristspassed through town and stayed anight or two at my little casita.”Smith used a Honda 125 dirt bike toreach the rural mountain villageswhere he worked.

“As a young, ambitious,recently graduated college student, Ifelt that I had so much to offer thepeople who I would be working within the Dominican Republic,” hewrites. “In reality, I had very little tooffer them other than my friendship.It was the Dominicans themselveswho did all of the offering, going outof their way to accommodate me,and teaching me the most valuablelessons of my life, many that I stilladhere to today.”After completed his PeaceCorps assignment, Smith earned a

QDaryl Smith, ’83Served in the Dominican Republic, 1983-86

continued on page 35

Judith A. Harper, ’76 • Served in the Republic of Namibia, 2004-08

continued on page 35

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:26 AM Page 15

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16 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Matthew Jensen, ’94, first

served in the Pea

ce Corps in Sene

gal,

where he conduc

ted mud-stove

building classes

for women’s groups

in seven villages

and also organi

zed

a well-digging p

roject financed b

y

Catholic Relief Ser

vices. He lived in

Samba Nosso, a Muslim village

of

about 500 people

. “Peanut farming

was the major eco

nomic activity,” says

Jensen. “I lived in

a mud hut with a

thatched roof in

the compound o

f the

village chief who

was also an imam

[Muslim religious leader

]. We had no

running water o

r electricity but

lived

quite comfortably

. The chief’s wives

cooked for me . . . pea

nut sauce, rice,

millet, dried fish .

. . ”

Years later, Jens

en was in

Europe when th

e Berlin Wall fell —

and was inspired

to reapply to th

e

Peace Corps. In 1

995, he was sent t

o

Armenia to teach at

the

Mankavarzhakan

Institute for

teacher training

in the city of

Vanadzor, which

had been devast

ated

by the 1988 eart

hquake that kill

ed

an estimated 25,

000. Classes wer

e

taught in a trail

er provided by r

elief

agencies since th

e school building

remained structural

ly damaged.

Jensen lived in a

two-room

apartment with sporadic runn

ing

water and electri

city. “A few hours a

day during a go

od week,” he not

es. A

kerosene heater

offered the only

relief from the cold

. “The winters

were pretty sever

e in this mountain

community,” says Jense

n. “We ate lots

of cabbage and b

eets and pickled

items.”

AlbaniaAntiguaArmeniaBarbudaBelize

BoliviaBotswana

Cape VerdeCentral African

RepublicChad

ChinaCosta Rica

Czech RepublicDominica

Dominican RepublicEcuador

El SalvadorEstoniaGabonGhana

GrenadaHaiti

HondurasJamaica

KazakhstanKenya

LesothoMali

MalawiMicronesiaMauritania

MoldovaMoroccoNamibiaNepalNevis

NicaraguaNiger

PanamaParaguayRomania

St. Kitts and NevisSt. Lucia

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Sao TomeSenegal

Solomon IslandsSouth Africa

Sri LankaSwazilandTanzaniaThailand

TogoUganda

UkraineZaire

ZambiaZambabwe

Peace Signs

Southern al

umni

have served

in

the followi

ng

countries a

s

Peace Corps

volunteers.

PHOTO: courtesy of the Peace Corps

PHOTO: courtesy of

the Peace Corps

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Fall 2011 | 17

aving spent three months traveling and vo

lunteering in

Central America after graduation, Kimberl

ee McCarthy, ’95,

was ready for a long-term volunteer exper

ience. She joined the

Peace Corps and was assigned to the Com

monwealth of Dominica

— also known as the “Nature Island of the Ca

ribbean” for its

picturesque scenery and unspoiled beauty.

McCarthy worked as a health educator in b

oth schools

and community health centers, teaching lo

cals about HIV,

hypertension, diabetes, and other importan

t health issues. She

also helped implement grants that provide

d funding for outdoor

latrines and composting bins.

“The Dominican people who I worked wit

h were very

proud of their country and its natural beau

ty,” she says. “I was

fortunate to be surrounded by people who

were appreciative of

our services and were always there to lend

a hand.”

McCarthy is currently a health and wellnes

s teacher

coordinator for “The Collaborative,” workin

g with the Department

of Youth Services in Massachusetts. “I love w

orking with

incarcerated youth.” she says, “and am pass

ionate about educating

and empowering them to make healthier

decisions that not only

impact them, but their families and comm

unities.”

Served in the

Commonwealth of Dominica,

1996-98

Yvonne Marshall-B

radley, ’87,

M.S.W. ’97, became a Peace

Corps

volunteer in Costa

Rica soon after

earning a master’s de

gree in social

work. “I think it is c

ommon for a

social worker to dream of becom

ing a

Peace Corps volun

teer,” she says.

Working with the local Patro

nato

Nacional de la Infan

cia — Costa Rica’s Department of

Children and Families — Marshall-B

radley facilitated

self-esteem groups,

life-skills program

s for girls, and ch

ildren’s after-scho

ol activities.

She lived on a mountainsid

e with a large family who owned a goo

d

deal of land, locate

d next to a coffee

plantation and dai

ry. “A dirt road

led to our home and oft

en cows would line the stree

ts as you walked up

the hill,” she recal

ls. Her bedroom offered

a view of Volcan Irazu, a loca

l

volcano that erupt

ed in the early six

ties, the day that

President Kennedy

visited the country

.

“The experience t

hat most stands out for

me is hiking with a larg

e

group of children t

o the top of my mountain a

nd watching them jump in a

waterfall, play socc

er with a deflated bal

l, and climb trees t

o pick

mangoes for me,” notes

Marshall-Bradley. “T

he children were so

welcoming, grateful, and k

ind to me. They were so in

touch with nature

and never felt dep

rived, nor did they

complain about anythi

ng.”

Today, Marshall-B

radley is a licensed

clinical bilingual so

cial worker

with New Haven Public School

s.

Yvonne Marshall-Bradley, ’87, M.S.W. ’97

Served inCosta Rica, 1998-2000

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18 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

eavy buckets of water in hand, graduate stu-dents Sandy Hudson and Carrie Hawkins, ’08,trekked down the steep hill behind Morrill Hallon a warm spring day. Their destination: thenew organic orchard they helped plant oncampus with the guidance of Victor Triolo,

associate professor emeritus of information and library sci-ence and an experienced horticulturist.

“It was our Laura Ingalls Wilder moment,” saysHawkins, of their earliest efforts to water the fruit trees.She and Hudson, both science teachers at Mark T.Sheehan High School in Wallingford, Conn., are enrolled inSouthern’s Master of Science program in environmentaleducation. They signed on to work on the orchard — whichincorporates intensive agricultural techniques designed togrow more fruit in less space — to fulfill their major’sspecial project requirement.

From March through late August when theyreturned to teaching, the graduate students joined Triolo in the orchard, working up to 25 hours a week. Both say it was a labor of love — one that will greatly enhance theirwork as high school educators.

“We do a big section on global awareness, duringwhich we talk extensively about sustainability,” saysHudson. “I will have much more to bring to the table.”Hawkins, who teaches a general science course for fresh-man as well as earth science, concurs: “Many aspects ofour work in the orchard — including soil and water testing— will be pertinent to what we are teaching. I also serve asthe co-adviser of an environmental club at Sheehan. Wehave talked about starting an orchard at the school.”

At the university, the organic orchard is part of themultifaceted Sustainable Southern — Plant it ForwardInitiative, an urban agricultural demonstration project.Urban agriculture refers to farming within a city environ-ment, be it in backyards, on rooftops, or in community gar-dens or other public spaces.

On campus, plans call for the agricultural areas tobe based behind Davis, Jennings, Morrill, and Englemanhalls, and around the pond and the baseball field.

In addition to the orchard, the Plant it ForwardInitiative also includes an organic community garden, which was started on campus several years ago by theEnvironmental Futurists, a student club focused on sustain-ability. Today, the garden includesplots available to members of theSouthern community and a largersection that was farmed this year byMegan Rudne, ’10, a graduate internwith Residence Life, and graduatestudent James Hoffecker, ’10. As theproject moves forward and the garden becomes more productive,the goal is to harvest a portion ofthe vegetables and give them to alocal shelter.

Future plans call for theadditions of a vineyard, an outdoorclassroom, and an apiary. Severalother enhancements also are in theworks: a new greenhouse to be builtadjacent to the garden this fall, anirrigation system for the orchard, andbenches by the pond to encouragethe community to enjoy the space.

Plant it Forward was initiat-ed by several faculty members —Susan Cusato, associate professor ofscience education and environmen-tal studies; Patrick Heidkamp, assis-tant professor of geography; andSuzanne Huminski, instructor ofenvironmental studies. The threeattended a conference organized by

ThePlant it Forward, Southern’s new urban agriculture demonstration project,

includes a garden and an orchard, with plans in place for an outdoorclassroom, a greenhouse, a vineyard, and more.

By Betsy Currier Beacom and Villia Struyk

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Fall 2011 | 19

the American Association of Sustainability in HigherEducation and were inspired by campus agriculture projectsat other universities.

“We envisioned the existing garden to be a catalystfor a larger project,” says Heidkamp. With support fromInterim President Stanley F. Battle, Plant it Forward was born.

Enter Triolo, who for decades had longed to launchan agricultural project on campus that would forward theuniversity’s mission of serving the urban community. “I wasinterested in growing fruit trees in very limited areas usingintensive agricultural techniques,” he says. “People couldlearn from our work and consider growing fruit trees intheir own small yards or community spaces.” He volun-teered to help create an organic orchard.

The emphasis on urbanagriculture is timely. In 2008, forthe first time ever, the world’spopulation was evenly splitbetween urban and rural areas,according to the PopulationReference Bureau. The number of people living in urban areas is

Greening Campus The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment,

signed by former Southern president Cheryl J. Norton in 2007, has

influenced nearly all aspects of campus life, resulting in increased

energy efficiency, enhanced recycling activities, reduction of

resource use, and student and faculty educational involvement. Following are a few

examples of efforts to create an ecologically sound campus. For more information,

go to: www.SouthernCT.edu/campus_sustainability/ .

o Southern offers minors in environmental studies and marine studies and

graduate programs in science education and environmental education.

o Operational since 2003, Southern’s Campus Energy Center, which heats nearly

the entire campus, runs on ultra-low sulfur fuel and heats the university 40

percent more efficiently than the system it replaced.

o High-efficiency lighting (LED and T-8 fluorescent) and motion detecting on/off

switches throughout many campus buildings have created substantial energy

efficiency gains. Though initially more expensive to purchase and install, LED

and fluorescent lighting are typically 60-80 percent more efficient than

incandescent lighting.

o The Office of Residence Life has instituted numerous initiatives to create a

greener campus. Among them? Installing only water-saving shower heads;

painting residence hall rooms with zero-VOC, low odor, and silica-free latex

paints; and recycling batteries, bulbs, and fluorescent lights.

o Even commencement has gone green. Graduation gowns are made entirely

from recycled plastic bottles. continues on page 35

∂ Southern has a historic tie to agriculture. In 1947, 37 acres were purchased from the Farnham family to create what wasthen a new campus on Crescent Street. The land was previously a working farm that a century ago grew primarilystrawberries and corn. µ The community garden includes organic tomatoes, squash, broccoli, radishes, peas, beans, and more.

[LEFT] The orchard uses several intensive agricultural techniques designed to grow more fruit in less space. This includes cordonfruit trees, which have a smaller rootstock and are grown at an angle. Triolo notes that the cordon fruit trees at Southern areplanted about four feet apart — less than half the space that is commonly used in traditional planting methods.

In one section of the orchard, apple trees are planted in an experimental helix—shaped pattern reminiscent of DNA. Thedesign was envisioned by Victor Triolo, associate professor emeritus of information and library science, who was inspiredby a painting by Professor of Art Mia Brownell that incorporated fruit and a double-helix pattern. A total of 44 trees canbe planted in the space — 22 in each connecting oval. “We’re not sure how it will work yet,” says Triolo. “We’re able tobrainstorm different ideas and test them. That’s one of the benefits of the orchard.”

µ

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Page 22: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

Paintball. Philosophy. Pre-law. Psychology. With about 65 campus clubs, Southern invites students

to explore their interests and expand their horizons.

n September 1, 1924, J. Laurence Meader was named principal of New HavenState Normal School, which would later become Southern Connecticut State

University. Meader was a firm believer in providing students with a balanced educa-tion, one that would promote “the harmonious and simultaneous development ofall the powers of the student — physical, mental, social, aesthetic, vocational . . . .”

With this goal in mind, he encouraged the creation of the StudentCooperative Government Association in 1927. All students were automaticallymembers of the group, which was launched, in part, to promote school spirit andhelp organize social events.

A number of other clubs were founded at about the same time. The Art,Drama, and Glee Clubs invited students to explore their talents, while literary-minded students could join the Reading Club. Another popular offering, the ThriftClub, promoted the benefits of saving money and spending wisely. Members oper-ated a Christmas bazaar, established an emergency loan program for students, andgave public readings of “thrift stories and thrift poems.” The Women’s AthleticAssociation, a favorite among the students, ran volleyball, basketball, tennis, andbaseball competitions — sometimes pitting classmates against faculty.

Meader expected every student to join at least one club — and a poemprinted in the 1928 Laurel yearbook hints that most enjoyed the new focus onextracurricular activities:

“We’ve taken our fun where we’ve found it; We’ve worked and we’ve played in our time:We’ve had our picking of clubs, and All of the lot were prime.”Clubs remain a cornerstone of the student experi-

ence at Southern today. Some, including the Society ofPhysics Enthusiasts, the Chemistry Club, and theEnvironmental Futurists, have been recognized for excel-lence at the city, state, and/or national levels. The accom-panying photos show just a few of the university’s pastand current clubs.

Principal Meader would undoubtedly approve.

Q

J. Laurence Meader

S

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Fall 2011 | 21

The Karate Club

The Steppin’ Up Drill Team

The Chemistry Club

American Life Club 1939

New Haven State Teachers College Band

Dramatic Club

Q Sources: The Laurel student yearbooks and “Southern Connecticut State

University, A Centennial History” by Thomas J. Farnham.

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Page 24: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

22 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Former football standout, Thomas Madigan, ’98,

stays in the game when it comes to

supporting his alma mater.

hen Thomas Madigan, ’98,was a kid, he dreamed of attending a big

Division I-A football school like Michigan or

Notre Dame. A Massachusetts native, he had never heard of

Southern or the Owls. But today he is one of the team’s biggest fans

and supporters.

Madigan says he fell in love with Southern the first time he

visited campus during a high school recruiting trip.

“The whole [football] team from freshman up to seniors

welcomes you with open arms. Everybody is family from the

moment you walk in the door,” Madigan says.

When an offer of nearly a full scholarship followed,

Madigan made the decision to commit to Southern in the fall. He

didn’t change his mind, even when several other New England

schools tried to recruit him after he had made his decision.

“I’m a pretty loyal person. If I tell someone I’m doing some-

thing, I’m doing it,” says the former four-year starter, who grew up

in Lowell, Mass. “It was actually the best decision I ever made.”

The boy who grew up in a third-floor city apartment now

manages the finances of high-net-worth clients, including some

well-known professional athletes and coaches (he can’t name

names), as vice president, investments, for UBS Financial Services

Inc. He is managing partner in the Lelas/Madigan/Curtis Wealth

Management Group at UBS, which manages about half a billion

dollars in pension plans, 401K plans, and corporate assets.

While his business management degree from Southern

opened the door to his career in the financial world, Madigan, 36,

credits the football program with developing the values and work

ethic he needed for success.

“Most successful people in this world had some sort of ath-

letics background or have been part of a team,” Madigan says. “It

brings out that camaraderie and knowing what it takes to get things

done. You learn to step things up so you don’t disappoint anyone else.”

It made sense that when he reached the point in his life

where he could give back to the university, he chose to focus on ath-

letics. “Football is near and dear to my heart,” he explains. “I wouldn’t

have gone to college if it wasn’t for football.”

Madigan lives nearby in Branford, Conn., and can often be

seen cheering on the Owls during home games. He is just as vocal

when it comes to convincing friends to support the team financially.

WBy Natalie Missakian

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Fall 2011 | 23

Supporting SOUTHERN

“I don’t mind calling people up and telling people what I

give,’” says Madigan, who serves on the SCSU Foundation Board of

Directors. “I know not everybody has the means. But there are peo-

ple who I’ve known for 20 years now who do

very well financially. . . . A lot of them have

been very generous.”

Seven years ago, he and fellow alum-

nus, Kenneth Steiner, ’97, started the Big Blue

Crew, a group of former Southern football

players and their wives who present a check

each year at Homecoming to the university.

Madigan says a strong athletics pro-

gram benefits the entire Southern communi-

ty. “The more success a team has, the more revenue

it’s going to generate for the whole school,” Madigan

explains. “When the women’s basketball team won

the [2007 Division II NCAA] national championship,

that brought huge publicity to the school.”

As for those dreams of attending a big-name

football school? Madigan has no regrets.

He says he enjoyed the diversity of an urban

campus. Southern is also where Madigan met his

wife, Michelle Campise Madigan, ’97, a teacher at

Troup Magnet School in New Haven. The couple is

expecting their first child in October.

He also formed priceless friendships with his teammates

that continue to this day. “Here it is almost 15 years out and I still

talk to these guys a few times a month,” says Madigan. n

What started out as a reunion and tailgate party

among old college friends has turned into a financial

boost for Southern’s football program.

The brainchild of Southern alumni, Thomas

Madigan, ’98 and, Kenneth Steiner, ’97, the Big Blue

Crew raised $13,265 for the football program last year.

The group, made up of former Southern football players and their wives, presented

the money to Head Football Coach Rich Cavanaugh at last year’s Homecoming celebration.

“We actually started it with four or five guys sitting on a cooler in the parking lot,”

recalls Steiner, of the group’s early days some seven years ago.

The first year, Madigan and Steiner contacted some old teammates to plan a get-

together at Homecoming. Steiner had the idea to make a banner and allow former Owls’

teammates to sign their names in exchange for a donation.

With the help of social media and through word of mouth, the endeavor grew. The

banner now boasts about 200 signatures, some from alumni who live a plane ride away.

“We’ve gone from initially raising a few hundred dollars to raising over $13,000.

Hopefully that will go up every year,” says Madigan.

While a donation is not required to

attend, most people give something, either

by buying raffle tickets, writing a check,

or filling out a donation card through

the Alumni Association,

says Steiner.

Madigan says the

group’s long-term goal is to

raise enough money to set up

an endowed scholarship.

Meet the Big Blue Crew: former football players and their families who are committed to supporting Southern.

TEAM PLAYERS

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:27 AM Page 23

Page 26: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

A look at events for alumni

and friends on campus

and beyond.

Out and About

24 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

On April 30, the university recognized leadership-level donors at the first

Celebration of Philanthropy. The event, held in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center, gave donors

the opportunity to see the many benefits of theirgenerosity, including the positive impact made onthe 2010-11 scholarship recipients. Guests at theevent included Interim President Stanley F. Battle,

scholarship recipient Vanessa Langer, andscholarship donor Regina L. Barbaresi, ’51, and

her granddaughter Jaime Hensel.

United in their love for Southern and aspectacular round of golf, alumni and friendsparticipated in the SCSU Annual Golf Classic on May 24. The event was held at the award-winning Lake of Isles North Course at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Highlightsincluded a raffle for fabulous prizes. Proceeds from the event support athleticsprograms and scholarships at Southern.

[FROM LEFT] Pictured at theevent are Interim PresidentStanley F. Battle, scholarshipdonor Ceil Petrone, ’56, M.S.’58, 6th Yr. ’72, scholarshiprecipient James Vizvary, and Ruth Petrone.

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:27 AM Page 24

Page 27: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

The picturesque Sedgeley Club,Philadelphia’s only working

lighthouse, was the setting for aPhiladelphia Business After Hours

held on April 6. [RIGHT] Alumni “Relations Director Michelle Johnstonconnects with Debra Shick, M.A. ’98,

at the event. [FAR RIGHT] Sylvia Barclay,6th Yr. ‘97, and Anne Howe, ’53,

enjoy the gathering.

Fall 2011 | 25

Alumni and students explored the art of networking at “It’s Who You Know,”

an informative, hands-on seminar led by Tracy Knofla, ’82, of High Impact

Training. The event, held in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center Grand

Ballroom on February 9, included a“mocktail” party during which participants

put what they learned into action.

The second annual Meet the Alumni Professionals Day took place on March 9, with several hundredstudents meeting with alumni from awide variety of careers — including law,finance, law enforcement, nursing,business, art, information technology,theater, education, and more. Thanksgoes out to the 55 alumni volunteerswho met with students in a relaxed, café setting in the Michael J. AdantiStudent Center.

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Alumni NEWS

Dear Southern Alumni,

I am honored to have been elected to serve as president of the Alumni Association Board of

Directors for the 2011-12 academic year. I will work diligently with alumni board members and

volunteers, the Office of Alumni Relations staff, and university personnel to promote activities in

support of alumni, the university, and Southern students and their families.

The board consists of 20 dedicated individuals who collaborate with the staff of the Office of

Alumni Relations, fellow alumni, and university personnel. Our traditional programs each year are

Homecoming; the Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Awards; a Celebration of Philanthropy,

where our student scholars have the opportunity to meet their scholarship donors; and cooperative

sponsorship of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

In recent years, the Office of Alumni Relations has collaborated with the board to increase and

enhance programming for its alumni with a focus on networking with each other and students. Under

Michelle Johnston’s leadership, Alumni Relations has planned a variety of activities for the upcoming

year. Programs include a wine tasting under the stars; an alumni cabaret called “The World Goes

Round” and reception to benefit the Crescent Players Endowed Scholarship Fund; Alumni

Professionals Day, where students meet one-on-one with alumni in their fields of interest; a variety of

educational trips; reunions; and local and regional alumni networking events. To keep up to date on

future events, check www.SouthernCT.edu/alumni/upcomingevents/.

If you are not currently a member, I urge you to join or renew your membership by

contributing to the Annual Giving campaign currently in progress. A gift of $35 or more entitles you

to membership in the Southern Alumni Association for one calendar year. You may have already

received a request. If not, you may make a gift online at www.SouthernCT.edu/supportsouthern/ or by

returning the gift envelope enclosed in this issue.

I look forward to an interesting and rewarding year. Hopefully, I will see you at one or more of

our events!

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Hugh S. Cafferty, ’69, M.S. ’70, 6th Yr. ’76

President

Alumni Association Board of Directors

Cafferty was the director of pupil services in Regional School District #17 from 1978 until his retirement in 2000. A veteran of theUnited States Air Force, he previously taught special education at the elementary and high school levels in Wallingford and Clinton,Conn. In addition to serving as president, he was vice president and secretary of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

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n New Board Members ElectedThe Alumni Association welcomes six new members

who will serve through 2014. Four were reelected after

completing the previous term and were spotlighted in

previous issues of the alumni magazine: Hugh S. Cafferty,

’69, M.S. ’70, 6th Year ’76; John F. Mastrianni, ’66, M.S. ’73;

Kathy Glinka Coyle, ’74, M.S. ’78, 6th Yr. ’81; and Phoebe

Donehoo Browning, ’04, M.B.A. ’05.

One of two newly elected board

members, Stephen J. Koestner, ’69, is

the corporate inventory control manager

for Newman’s Own in Westport, Conn. A

member of the Sigma Zeta Chi/Alpha Chi

Rho Fraternity while at Southern, he has

been active with the Alumni Association

since graduation. He and his wife, Tricia,

have two adult children, Elizabeth, and

Eric, who is a 2006 alumnus.

Fellow new board member,

Mary L. Vaughn, ’80, M.S. ’84, has been

a school social worker with the

Wallingford Board of Education for 25

years. In addition to volunteering with

her church and an area homeless

shelter, she is a member of the Hamden

Black History Committee. She also is a

member of the national and

Connecticut chapter of the National

Association of Social Workers.

Hugh S. Cafferty, ’69, M.S. ’70, 6th Yr. ’76, PresidentRobert D. Parker, ’76, Vice PresidentMarybeth Heyward Fede, ’79, M.S. ’87, SecretaryJohn F. Mastrianni, ’66, M.S. ’73, TreasurerChristopher M. Piscitelli, ’93, Past President

Kathleen Bonvicini, ’83James Booth, ’97Phoebe Donehoo Browning, ’04, M.B.A. ‘05 Nancy Charest, ’71, M.S. ’75, 6th Yr. ’77 Kathy Glinka Coyle, ’74, M.S. ’78, 6th Yr. ’81Nancy Dudchik, ’88Jerry Katona, ’74, M.S. ’88Edwin A. Klinkhammer, II, ’71, M.S. ’76, 6th Yr. ‘92Stephen J. Koestner, ’69 Mary Fedyn Martinik, ’76, M.S. ’86, 6th Yr. ’99 Donald G. Mitchell, ’57, M.S. ’61Daniel J. Myers, ’01Judit Vasmatics Paolini, ’73, M.S. ’79, 6th Yr. ’93Teresa Sirico, ’70, M.S. ’73 Mary Vaughn, ’80, M.S. ’84

Stephen Koestner, ’69

Mary Vaughn, ’80,M.S. ’84

n New Alumni Directory UnderwayHave you been searching for your former roommate or classmates?

Help is on the way! The Office of Alumni Relations is in the process of creating a

new alumni directory through Harris Connect. Alumni are being invited to update

their information through an e-mail blast and a postcard mailing. If you have not

yet responded, please make a brief call to 1 (800) 979-0042 to update your listing.

(You will not receive a phone call from Harris Connect.)

For the first time ever, Southern graduates also may submit photos and

essays for inclusion in the directory.

Alumni who do not want to be included or want to omit certain data, are

asked to telephone and update their information and let Harris know their preferences.

The directory will be available for purchase in book or CD format. Please

participate and help us to create an accurate, comprehensive directory.

SCSU Alumni Association Board of Directors

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From buildings lauded for eco-friendly design

to a reinvigorated, campuswide

recycling program, the university is

committed to keeping it green.

That’s why Southern is a proud signatory

of the American College & University

Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

Please supportSouthern and itsstudents bycontributing tothe CampusGreening Fund.Donations maybe made onlineat www.giving.SouthernCT.edu. Or call (203)392-6515.

Southern SeasOn July 23, alumni and friends set

sail around New Haven Harbor on

the Quinnipiack Schooner. Guests

enjoyed the sea and sun while

learning about the history of the harbor and sharing a delicious

lunch. For information on future events for alumni, go to

www.SouthernCT.edu/alumni/upcomingevents/.

Alumni NEWS

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Stay connected with Southern. You’ll find us on . . .

�+ The Web at www.SouthernCT.edu or at www.SouthernCTOwls.com for the latest on athletics.

�+ Facebook: become a fan of Southern at www.facebook.com. A variety of pages are available, including those specifically devoted to alumni.

�+ Twitter at http://twitter.com/scsutweet.

�+ LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com. Go to the official “Southern Connecticut State University” page.

�+ Alumni Relations also can be reached at (203) 392-6500; www.SouthernCT.edu/alumni; or SCSU, Attn: Alumni Relations, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515.

Bill Cosby and Ramsey LewisTwo Legends. One Evening.Nov. 11 • Concert at 7:30 p.m.; Reception at 5:30 p.m.John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts

An evening with celebrated comedian and entertainer William H.Cosby Jr. and composer, pianist, and jazz great Ramsey Lewis.

A very special event to benefit the student scholarship programat Southern. The event also will support Southern Academy, aninnovative educational effort that tackles the achievement gap byensuring New Haven school children have the tools they need tosucceed at an early age.

$85 for premium seating; $65 for regular seating; $45 for sideseating and SCSU students with valid ID (limit 1); and $150 for a premium package that includes a private reception and photoopportunity with Bill Cosby at the Michael J. Adanti StudentCenter at 5:30 p.m.

The World Goes RoundA musical review by John Kander and Fred EbbDec. 10 • 7 p.m.John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts

An ultra-talented cast of alumni of Southern’s Crescent Playersstar in this musical review. With music from “Chicago,” “Cabaret,”“Woman of the Year,” and “New York, New York!” Proceeds tobenefit the Crescent Players Endowed Scholarship. Directed andchoreographed by Larry Nye.

Presented through special arrangement with Music TheatreInternational.

$25 for general admission; $20 for active alumni (current mem-bership card) and Southern faculty/staff; $5 for students; $35 forspecial Alumni Association membership ticket, which includesone-year membership in the association.

keepin

touch!

(203) 392-6154 or www.tickets.SouthernCT.edu

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alumni notes

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’50sJustine Herman Butler,’56, has taught tennis for 32years for Ridgefield Parks andRecreation in Connecticut. Thetown courts were recentlynamed in her honor.

JOHN L. CARUSONE, ’57, M.S.’62, received the Elm CityLegend Award, sponsored bythe March of Dimes. He andhis wife, SYLVIA CARUSONE,M.S. ’71, 6th Yr. ’93, live inHamden, Conn.

’60sBRUCE FAITSCH, ’65, retiredfrom his second career as anadvanced placement sciencecontent specialist after com-pleting 40 years as a biologyteacher and science depart-ment chair with Wilbur CrossHigh School in New Haven andGuilford High School inConnecticut.

MARGARET KANGLEY, ’67, the 1997 ConnecticutDistinguished Art Educator,had a gallery showing of herpaintings at Gallery One in OldSaybrook, Conn.

NEIL T. PROTO, ’67, counsel inthe Washington, D.C., office ofSchnader, Harrison, Segal, andLewis was elected a fellow ofthe Royal Geographical Societyof London.

DONNA LOPIANO, ’68, wasinducted into the Texas SportsHall of Fame and honored dur-ing a banquet in Waco, Texas.

’70sPATRICIA LUTKUSMOODYRINCKEL, ’71, M.S. ’75, hasretired after teaching inProspect, Conn., for over 37years.

CHRISWEBSTER, ’71, M.S. ’74,with 35 years of teaching expe-rience, has been inducted intothe Connecticut High SchoolCoaches Association Hall ofFame. Webster coaches girls’basketball at North BranfordHigh School.

PATRICIAA. JAMELE, M.S. ’72,M.S. ’85, celebrated her 50thanniversary since taking religious vows of obedience,poverty, and chastity. She hasbeen a guidance counselor atHoly Cross High School inWaterbury, Conn., for morethan 30 years.

VICTORIA LAFORTUNE, ’73,retired after 15 years as vicepresident, production, of ABCStudios, a division of The WaltDisney Company. She lives inLos Angeles, Calif.

JOSEPHMORRIS, ’73, M.S. ’78,6th Yr. ’87, is retiring as PutnamMiddle School’s principal andplans on moving overseas forseveral years to continue teach-ing. Morris began his teachingcareer overseas.

JOHNW. SULLIVAN, ’73, M.S.’78, the retired superintendentof Westbrook Public Schoolsand Unified School District IIin Meriden, Conn., also servedas interim superintendent forHaddam and Killingworth.

DOLORES ENNICO, ’74, M.S. ’77,vice president of humanresources at Olin Corporation,was selected as the fall 2010Bartels Fellow at the Universityof New Haven (UNH). TheBartels Fellowship brings peo-ple of national stature andprominence in the fields ofbusiness or public service tothe UNH campus.

FRANKRUSSO, ’74, lives in LasVegas, Nev., with his wife, Gina,and teaches at Silverado HighSchool.

MARY ELLEN KINGSLAND-ECKELS, ’76, currently with theMeriden Board of Educationdeveloping music therapy cur-ricula, has been honored as a2011 Distinguished Alumna bythe Wallingford EducationFoundation.

LYNN SPAGNESI, ’76, M.S. ’81,was an award winner at theBrien McMahon High SchoolOld Timers 48th annual din-ner. Spagnesi played basketballat Southern for four years,helping the Owls to a regionalchampionship in her freshmanand sophomore years. She pre-viously was inducted into theConnecticut Women’sBasketball Hall of Fame andthe Connecticut Women’sVolleyball Hall of Fame.

ANNETTE R. BRUNO, ’78, is afield application scientist in theCalifornia Bay area. She andher husband, EDWARDBRUNO, M.S. ’74, live inOakland, Calif.

DAVID BRYANT, ’78, M.S. ’82,6th Yr. ’86, is the principal ofLyman Hall High School inWallingford, Conn., where hehas worked for 33 years.

RACHELHAMLETHEGGINS,’78, principal of the High Schoolfor Juveniles in Baltimore, Md.,is also the pastoral counselor

and assistant minister ofmusic at First Apostolic FaithChurch of Jesus Christ.

KEVINMCMAHON, ’78, M.S.’82, 6th Yr. ’93, school psycholo-gist at Oswegatchie ElementarySchool in Waterford, Conn., haspublished a children’s bookabout childhood obesity andbullying, “Manny McMooseand his Chubby Caboose.”

WILLIAM F. TURNER, ’78, M.S.’80, 6th Yr. ’86, has beennamed by the Chamber ofCommerce of EasternConnecticut as its 61st Citizenof the Year. Turner serves as a board member on theMiddlesex Chamber ofCommerce and the WindhamChamber of Commerce.

JOYCE SALTMAN, M.S. ’79, 6thYr. ’81, has been nominated bythe Quinnipiac Chamber ofCommerce for the 11th annualAthena Award. The award rec-ognizes an individual for pro-fessional excellence, service tothe community, and assistingwomen in their attainment ofprofessional goals and leader-ship skills.

CAROLYNSTANWORTH, ’79, chiefoperating officer and chief finan-cial officer of BL Companies, wasnamed to Moves magazine’sprestigious “2010 PowerWomen” list. Stanworth is thefirst woman in the architectureand engineering industry to benamed to the list.

’80sALETA GUDELSKI, ’81, an artistand teacher, held a discussionon the physical properties ofcolor at a Color TherapyWorkshop at the Left BankGallery in Essex, Conn.

JANET TATE, ’81, received herSc.D. in epidemiology fromHarvard School of PublicHealth and is currently workingas a freelance statistician for theUniversity of Connecticut andthe Veterans Aging CohortStudy at Yale University.

LAURA FERRANTEFERNANDES, ’82, aWoodbridge, Conn., selectmanhas retired after 22 years in theMonroe Public School System.Her most recent position wasas the assistant principal atJockey Hollow Middle School.

MARKAHERN, ’87, has beenpromoted to vice president ofthe Bank of Fairfield and willbe responsible for all branchoperations.

THOMAS N. ELLIS JR., M.S. ’87,has joined Halsey Associates inNew Haven as vice president.

PATRICIAMOTTOLA, ’87, M.S.’90, a published poet fromCheshire, Conn., read herpoems that honor veteranswho served in the VietnamWar at an event held at thePlainville Senior Center.

TOMGODEK, ’88, has beennamed Assistant Coach of theYear by the Gridiron Club ofGreater Boston. Godek is theoffensive coordinator forSouthern’s football team.

’90sMARYHOPE GOSHEA, ’90, grad-uated from New YorkUniversity with a master’sdegree in deafness rehabilita-tion. She earned her master’sin social work in 2010 fromFordham University.

NANCY LINDBERG, ’90, whocompleted her Master ofDivinity from Colgate RochesterDivinity School, attained thedistinction of board certifiedchaplain. She has been a chap-

Reunion News

• Alumni of the Crescent Players will perform themusical review “The World Goes Round” at the John LymanCenter for the Performing Arts on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Directedand choreographed by Larry Nye and presented throughspecial arrangement with Music Theatre International. Call fortickets: (203) 392-6154.

• Members of the Class of 1962 will be recognized inhonor of their 50th reunion at the undergraduatecommencement ceremony on May 18, 2012.

For more information or if you would like to organize a reunion for your class, please contact AlumniRelations at (203) 392-6500.

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lain for nearly five years, includ-ing work at Unity HealthSystem in Rochester, N.Y., andGreenville Health System inSouth Carolina.

BARBARA SNYDER, M.A. ’91,has been named 2010-2011president-elect of theAmerican Medical WritersAssociation. Snyder is directorof medical writing at WarnerChilcott of Rockaway, N.J.

KEVIN DONOVAN, ’92, is thefinance lead for the NavalHawk program at SikorskyAircraft Corporation.

GARYMALA, 6thYr. ’93, is thesuperintendent ofschools in Avon,Conn., having previ-ously held the sameposition for the Region17 School District. Malahas also served as asuperintendent inSouthwick, Mass.

ROBERT CAPALBO, ’94, hasjoined CRT Capital as vicepresident of operations.Capalbo lives in Fairfield,Conn.

advice, tips, and words of wisdom from an expert in the southern community.

Great reads from best-selling author and book critic, John Searles, ’91

What makes a book great? John Searles, ’91, has explored thetopic from several angles. The best-selling author of “Boy StillMissing” and “Strange But True”(William Morrow/HarperCollins),Searles is also a book critic on NBC’s“Today Show” and the editor-at-largeof Cosmopolitan magazine. He is currently revising the manuscript forhis third book, which will be out nextyear. Following he shares some of hisrecent top book picks. For more on whatSearles is reading, “Like” his author pageon Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/24grm8d or on twitter @searlesbooks.

“Moonwalking with einstein” by Joshua Foer (nonfiction)What really compelled me to pick up this book was the subtitle: “The Art andScience of Remembering Everything.” Like lots of people, I constantly forget where Iput my keys or the names of people I’ve just met, so this subject called to me. Foer isa science journalist who attended the “Memory Championship,” held annually in theU.S. There, he encountered people capable of memorizing endless amounts ofpoetry or lists of strangers’ names or complex mathematical formulas. Many ofthem did it by using ancient techniques to improve memorization. Foer becamefascinated and spent a year working on his memory and trying to understand it.He then returned to the competition and won.

“Tiger in the Kitchen” by Cheryl Tan (memoir)There are so many “tiger” books out right now, and this is my favorite —

a magical blend of beautiful writing about food and a thought-provokinglook at family secrets and traditions. Tan grew up in Singapore, where shenever showed any interest in cooking or learning recipes from her grandmoth-er and “aunties.” As soon as she turned eighteen, she moved to the U.S., whereshe eventually became a journalist. When Tan unexpectedly lost her job as areporter for the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, she returned to Singapore,where her beloved aunties taught her how to make dishes like flaky pineappletarts and Hainanese Chicken Rice. I had the pleasure of first meeting this writer ayear ago when she read from this book while it was still a work in progress. In fact,I snapped a picture of her that the publisher used as her author photo on the back!

“The weird sisters” by Eleanor Brown (fiction)I often ask people on my Facebook author page what they are reading to make sure I am not missing

anything. I always get lots of different answers, but this time around, one title kept popping up again andagain: “The Weird Sisters.” This is a funny, touching story about three — I guess you’d call them weird — sisters who are fully grown, but move back to their childhood home in Ohio. The first line of the book is: “We returned home because we were failures.” In actuality, their mother is sick and we discover they have a lotof family business between them to sort out. This is Brown’s first novel but she tells the story like a master.

“emily Alone” by Stuart O’Nan (fiction)O’Nan is an incredible writer who gets glowing reviews of his work, but has yet to cross over into the

mainstream. His first novel, “Snow Angels,” was about a teenage boy whose babysitter is murdered.Another of his earlier novels, “The Speed Queen,” is about a woman on death row who is recording herstory for a writer. Both of those books are dark tales, jam-packed with plot twists and surprises. Andnow with “Emily Alone,” O’Nan tries his hand at a much quieter story. The novel follows one woman,Emily, at the end of her life. It is a beautiful read full of tender, intimate moments.

“Between shades of gray” by Ruta Sepetys (young adult)So many current young adult novels feature vampires or werewolves or post-apocalyptic settings,

but in this book people are actually human. Nobody drinks blood or grows fangs! Instead, it tellsthe story of a young girl during World War II who is forced from her home in Lithuania and sentto Siberia. I gave the book to a friend who is Lithuanian and happens to have survived a verysimilar experience when she was a girl. This friend praised the book for its authenticity.

“Hush: A Novel” by Kate White (paperback)Here’s the set-up: a woman named Lake Warren has a one-night stand with a handsome

doctor. Afterward, she wanders out onto his terrace. It’s late, she’s a little tipsy, so she sitsdown and drifts off to sleep. In the middle of the night, Lake wakes and goes back insidethe apartment to find the handsome doctor dead in his bed. Rather than call the police,she panics, and flees the scene. This is a fast-paced, suspenseful page-turner — thathappens to be dedicated to me!

Fieldguide For owls:

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JASONVAN STONE, ’97, vicechairman of the WaterburyRepublican Town Committee,is also a member of the Boardof Education. He’s employedby OptiCare Eye Health and

Vision Centers as the directorof marketing.

MEGAN COLLINS, M.S. ’98, hadher artwork featured atArtPlace Gallery atWatermark in Bridgeport,

Conn. Collins has been an artteacher for 16 years.

LORI FARKASH, M.S. ’98, ofMoses Y. Beach School inWallingford, Conn., has beennominated for the

Presidential Award forExcellence in Mathematicsand Science Teaching.

JENNIFER CASEY, M.S.W. ’99, afacilitator at The HealingHearts Center for Grieving

Children and Families, hasbeen a special program coun-selor at Holy Cross HighSchool since 2001.

s a starting defensive end for the NationalFootball League’s (NFL) San Diego Chargers,Jacques Cesaire, ’11, regularly played for a

cheering crowd of up to71,500 at the city’sQualcomm Stadium. There were fewer fans

on hand at Southern’sundergraduate com-mencement exercises onMay 27, but the emotionsran sky-high for Cesaireand family and friendswho watched him receivehis bachelor’s of sciencedegree in liberal studies. The day marked the

culmination of a journeythat began in 1998 when Cesaire, then a top prospect from Gardner High School inMassachusetts, enrolled at Southern. Cesaire wasan Owl standout — named the Northeast-10Conference DefensiveLineman of the Year and a first team NCAA Division II All-Americanselection by theAmerican FootballCoaches Association.With his dream of someday playing for the NFL becoming a real possibili-

ty, Cesaire completed his senior college football season and signed withsports agent Joe Linta. Linta felt the young player had great potential — if hewas willing to work tremendously hard and put his all into training.A few classes shy of earning a degree, Cesaire went to Head Football

Coach Rich Cavanaugh for advice. “I remember sitting in his office,” Cesairerecalls. “Coach Cav understood that there was a limited window of timeduring which I’d have the opportunity to play for the NFL. He said, ‘Look,you’re almost done. Promise me that you will come back and get yourdegree. . . . Now work hard and focus on what you need to do.’”Cesaire withdrew from Southern to begin intensive training in North

Carolina. “Next thing I knew, I was with the San Diego Chargers,” saysCesaire, who signed with the team on May 2, 2003. “It all happened so fast.”Through it all his commitment to Southern remained ironclad. “I’m blue

and white for life,” says Cesaire, who is married to Jill (Murray) Cesaire, ‘03,a former Owls’ cheerleader. He counts Southern alumni among his best

friends and returns to the university every yearto speak with the football team. As his careergrew, Cesaire, and his wife, Jill, also supported

Southern students bycontributing to the SCSU Foundation. In San Diego, the

altruistic couple is com-mitted to the MonarchSchool for homelesschildren and teens andsupports a Chargers’program to feed thecity’s homeless. In 2007,Cesaire founded J.C.’sKids in conjunction withAthletes for Education tobenefit area youth. Thefollowing year, he waspresented with anaward from the UnitedWay for outstandingwork in the community.Through it all, the

professional athlete andhumanitarian never for-got his promise to com-plete his degree. Hisstaunchest advocateswere his wife, Jill, andhis mother, Jackie.Cesaire’s parents emi-grated to the U.S. from

Haiti. “My mother always preached the importance of going to college, aswell as finishing everything you start,” says Cesaire, whose four siblings allgraduated high school and went on to attend college.“It was also important to me as a parent,” he says. The couple has a

young daughter, Viviana, and is expecting a son in October. “I couldn’t tellthem to go to college, if I hadn’t done so.” So Cesaire went back to school, completing several courses, including a

required fine arts class and an internship at Advantage Personal Training inMystic, Conn. Today the All-American player turned NFL pro says earninghis degree is among his proudest achievements.Cesaire hopes to build on his demonstrated commitment to community

service by working with Southern on programs that benefit New Havenyouth. “My wife and I look forward to working with [Southern InterimPresident] Dr. Battle. I think these initiatives can really make a difference.”

— By Villia Struyk

EY E ON TH E BA L L :

NFL Player Earns Degree

Jacques Cesaire, ’11, celebrates commencement with his wife, Jill (Murray) Cesaire, ’03, and daughter, Viviana.

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’00sKRISTENALLORE, M.S. ’00, hasbeen selected as the ConnecticutOutdoor and EnvironmentalEducation Association’s BoardMember of the Year. Allore isthe program director of NewPond Farm, as stated in theRedding Pilot newspaper.

LAUREN BAILEY, ’00, has joinedthe Alpha Medical GroupEmergency MedicineDepartment in Monroe, Conn.

CHARMAINE P. SAMUDA, ’02, isa school social worker living inBranford, Conn.

MARIO PIRES, ’03, an art teacherat Plainville High School,exhibited his watercolors at theStanley Whitman HouseGallery in Farmington, Conn.

DARRYLA. HUGLEY, ’05, hasbeen appointed to the African-American Affairs Commissionby President Pro TemporeSpeaker of the ConnecticutState Senate Donald E.Williams. Hugley serves as anexecutive board member andchair of the Criminal Justice/Urban Initiative Committee ofthe Greater New Haven Branchof the NAACP.

JESSICASCOFIELD, ’05, a teacher atCloonan Middle School, is in h erthird season of competitive pow-erlifting. She is the nation’s third-ranked female in the deadlift cat-egory, after hoisting 450 pounds,or three times her weight,above her head. Overall, she isthe sixth-ranked powerlifter.

JACQUELYNN GAROFANO, ’06,received the 2011 Women of

Innovation Award in the cate-gory of Collegian Innovationand Leadership. Garofanorecently joined the UnitedTechnologies Research Centeras a materials scientist. She isalso a curriculum developmentspecialist with CRISP, theCenter for Research onInterface Structures andPhenomena. In September, shedefended her doctoral thesis inmaterials science and engi-neering at the University ofConnecticut.

MEGHAN O’NEIL KUEBLER,’06, is a Ph.D. candidate insociology at the University ofAlbany. Kuebler holds an M.A.in quantitative methods fromColumbia University.

MICHAEL STORZ, M.B.A. ’06, isthe president of Chapel Haven,a private nonprofit servingadults on the autism spectrum

and those with developmentaland social disabilities.

MIKE CONNER, 6th Yr. ’07, hasbeen named interim principalat Troup Middle School in NewHaven. Conner is the formervice principal at CelentanoSchool in the Elm City.

JESSE GULICK, ’07, is a salesassociate with Coldwell BankerResidential Brokerage’sMadison, Conn., office.

KAREN TATARKA, M.L.S. ’07, isthe new library director at theWeston Public Library.

KARLY TISO, ’07, boarding facul-ty member at The GlenholmeSchool in Washington, Conn.,was presented with theEmployee of the Month Awardin October 2010.

MARTIN TOLENTINO, M.P.H.’07, is the quality servicesmanager for the New Haven

Healthy Start program.

SHAUNNAYAWILLIAMS, ’07, isthe assistant coach of theUniversity of New Havenwomen’s indoor track team,which finished fourth at theNCAA Division II Championship.

JEFF FONTI, ’08, a corporal in theMarine Corps, is beingdeployed to Afghanistan withthe 6th Motor TransportBattalion based out of NewHaven. Fonti is a native ofWatertown, Conn.

KURT SOLLANEK, ’08, M.S. ’10,was the 2010 recipient of theMark Connelly MemorialMasters Scholarship from theNew England Chapter of theAmerican College of SportsMedicine.

KEVINWOODS, M.S. ’09, hasbeen named ShorelineConference Coach of the Year.

Share your good newswith South ern friends and classmates by sending it toSouthern Alumni News. Mail this completed form toSouthern Alumni News, SCSU Alumni Relations Office, New Haven, CT 06515-1355; fax, (203) 392-5082; ore-mail, [email protected].

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tell usabout it

Support Southern. Leave a Legacy.

Planned gifts — also called deferred or estate gifts

— can help you meet your long-term financial goals,

while providing critically needed support for Southern’s

talented and deserving students.

The university’s Development Office can supply

information on a variety of planned gifts that help

Southern maintain a climate of excellence — from

bequests that extend your generosity beyond your

lifetime to charitable gift annuities and trusts, which can

provide fixed-income payments and several tax

benefits.

If you’ve already included the Southern

Connecticut State University Foundation in your will,

please let us know so that we can acknowledge your

generosity by enrolling you in the Heritage Society.

If not, please consider leaving a legacy by making

a planned gift to the Southern Connecticut State

University Foundation.

For more information, contact the Development Office.

(203) 392-5598www.SouthernCT.edu/supportsouthern Southern Connecticut State University501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1355

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:28 AM Page 33

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34 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

’10sEDWARD DOSTALER, ’10, wasthe 2010 recipient of theUndergraduate ScholarshipAward from the New EnglandChapter of the AmericanCollege of Sports Medicine.

MARCOMERATI, ’10, is a mort-gage loan originator withVillage Mortgage’s Torrington,Conn., office.

LISA NEMENSE, ’10, wascrowned Miss GreaterWatertown for 2010. She hastraveled the Greater Watertownarea performing and promot-ing her platform: preventingteenage substance abuse.

MarriagesJEROMEMUGAVERO III, ’94,and Gina Marie Pastore, 2011.

JENNIFER FEBBRORIELLO, ’03,and JOSEPH C. DELUCA, ’03,Dec. 4, 2010.

PATRICK GLYNN, ’04, andLindsay Cerreta, July 16, 2010.

JACQUELINE LOYER, ’05, andMichael Portanova, Aug. 28,2010.

MELISSAANNE BICHUN, M.S.’06, and Lawrence Rosenthal,Aug. 12, 2010.

MAGGIEWOLOWITZ, ’06, andKyle Lucian, May 22, 2010.

FALLON STEPHENS, ’07, andAaron Matzdorff, May 21,2010.

PAIGE SYMINGTON GOLDEN,M.S. ’08, and Jay Dee Callahan,July 17, 2010.

CINDY RICCIO, ’09, and ScottRodrigues, Aug. 21, 2010.

IN MEMORIAMREGINA DEVITTMOHER, ’29,’64, Nov. 11, 2010, Branford,Conn.

MARGARET F. LAW, ’33, Nov.10, 2010, Orange, Conn.

JANE R. NOLAN, ’40, March 3,2011, Hamden, Conn.

KATHRYN JOAN SANDMEYERWALLER, ’40, March 26, 2011,Torrington, Conn.

EMMA SOLOMON, ’41, April 6,2011, Silver Spring, Md.

RUTHM. ALLAN, ’43, April 9,2011, Trumbull, Conn.

EDITHV. BALDYGA, ’46, Feb. 12,2011, Bushnell, Fla.

HELENMCLAUGHLINCRAVEN, ’46, April 1, 2011,Weyland, Mass.

JEANIE N. ENGLAND, ’48, M.S.’75, Dec. 11, 2010, Cheshire,Conn.

RUTHMURDOCK BERGINWALSH, ’48, March 26, 2011,Branford, Conn.

HARRYM. HINES, ’52, Dec. 3,2010, North Haven, Conn.

BETSYANNE SEATON, ’53, April17, 2011, Bethany, Conn.

ALBERTA. CHAPAR SR., ’54,Nov. 28, 2010, Stratford, Conn.

STANLEY P. PUZYCKI, ’55, Dec.16, 2010, New Haven, Conn.

BENJAMIN J. GUERRA, ’57, Dec.6, 2010, New Haven, Conn.

ANGELO PETRAFESA, ’57,March 14, 2011, East Haven,Conn.

DONALDW. PROTHEROE, ’57,Feb. 2011, Ashford, Conn.

EILEEN INGLIS, ’59, Jan. 24,2011, Palm Beach, Fla.

RICHARD F. NICOLARI, ’59,M.S. ’64, Feb. 22, 2011,Guilford, Conn.

ROBERTW. SULLIVAN, ’59,March 3, 2011, North Haven,Conn.

DEMETRA PERRELLI, ’60, M.S.’69, and an adjunct professorof physical education/move-ment, Dec. 12, 2010, Branford,Conn.

WALTER STOSUY, ’60, Dec. 8,2010, West Hartford, Conn.

STETSON BLAKE, ’61, March 29,2011, Milford, Conn.

GEORGE CAMARA, ’61, March 1,2011, Westerly, R.I.

LINDA FOSS HIGGINS, ’62, Dec.3, 2010, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

JAMES LOSTY, ’62, Jan. 22, 2011,Milford, Conn.

ANNE L. ANTONUCCI, ’64,March 23, 2011, West Haven,Conn.

ANTOINETTE GIOVANNITTI,’64, M.S. ’72, 6th Yr. ’77, Nov.10, 2010, North Haven, Conn.

LOUISEMALTBYMCNELLISKRING, ’65, Dec. 11, 2010,Anna Maria, Fla.

BARBARAMCCABE SPEHAR,’65, M.L.S. ’68, Nov. 28, 2010,Old Lyme, Conn.

RITA F. LAMBMORSE, ’66,M.S. ’72, 6th Yr. ’78, Dec. 23,2010, Hamden, Conn.

JOHN E. DOMBROSKI, ’68, Jan.31, 2011, Wallingford, Conn.

THOMAS J. MATTHEWS, ’69,Feb. 1, 2011, Waterbury, Conn.

DONALDW. GRAY, M.S. ’70,March 17, 2011, Prospect,Conn.

ELINORMARIE HASHIM,M.L.S. ’70, March 27, 2011,Newington, Conn.

CHERYLANN JANKURA, ’70,March 5, 2011, Southington,Conn.

JUNE IRENE LANGE, ’70, 6th Yr.’94, Nov. 28, 2010, Farmington,Conn.

LESLIEA. MAGINNISS, ’70,M.S. ’76, Jan. 15, 2011,Guilford, Conn.

ROSEMARYY. LAMANNO, ’71,M.S. ’75, Dec. 2, 2010, NewportNews, Va.

RUTHMCGEE LUBY, ’71, Feb.28, 2011, Cheshire, Conn.

VERA J. ROZARIE, ’71, M.S. ’76,March 29, 2011, Stratford,Conn.

FAYE RITA RUBIN, ’71, March13, 2011, East Hampton, Conn.

FRANK C. SESSA, ’71, Dec. 18,2010, Philadelphia, Pa.

GENEVIEVE SEPORIAHOLLAND-WILSON, M.S.’72, March 28, 2010,Richmond, Va.

KEVINW. MCKEON, M.S. ’72,Feb. 2, 2011, Wallingford, Conn.

ANNMESTUZZI, M.S. ’72, 6thYr. ’75, M.A. ’94, Oct. 4, 2010,Shelton, Conn.

SISTER IRENEMONGRANDI,M.S. ’72, Jan. 31, 2011, SaintAnne Villa, N.J.

MARYLEE REYNOLDSRAPUANO, M.S. ’72, April 8,

2011, Meriden, Conn.

SANDE E. STRATTON, ’72, M.S.’76, March 8, 2011, Stonington,Conn.

JOSEPH CORICA SR., ’73, M.S.’77, Oct. 17, 2010, Trumbull,Conn.

VIDEEN PARKEMCGAUGHEY,’73, Nov. 27, 2010, Wallingford,Conn.

NANCY J. STASIUNAS, ’73, Nov.6, 2010, Guilford, Conn.

LAREINE KASSABIAN, ’74, Oct.17, 2010, Guilford, Conn.

CYNTHIA HAYES KEDVES, ’74,April 16, 2011, Wallingford,Conn.

NANCY DOBITSKY KENNEDY,’74, Feb. 23, 2011, SouthWindsor, Conn.

JUDITH L. MASTRIANNA, ’74,March 22, 2011, Middlebury,Conn.

ESTHER KOSOTSKY PROBER,M.S. ’74, Oct. 4, 2010, Westford,Mass.

EVA BARBARA GILLSULLIVAN, 6th Yr. ’74, Oct. 14,2010, Trumbull, Conn.

MARCIA EMILIE SANDONE,’75, March 20, 2011, Redding,Conn.

LISA TRAUB, ’75, March 20,2011, Winsted, Conn.

JAMES D. SORRENTINO, ’76,Jan. 17, 2011, Branford, Conn.

GUYA. CARMEN, 6th Yr. ’77,March 8, 2011, Waterbury,Conn.

DAPHNE KILBOURN-JACOB,’78, Jan. 20, 2011, Putney, Vt.

ANN ZARECHIAN BOWDEN,’79, Jan. 7, 2011, Boston, Mass.

NANCY JEAN KISIL LANGER,’79, Nov. 23, 2010, Berwick, Pa.

DAVID JOHN COLBURN, ’80,April 16, 2011, Kensington,Conn.

KEVINMICHAEL COLLINS, ’81,Jan. 26, 2011, Black Rock, Conn.

BARBARA DURLANDMONTEFUSCO DEVLIN, M.S.’81, Feb. 13, 2011, Chester,Conn.

KARENWOODRUFF KOPPEL,’81, March 20, 2011, Scottsdale,Ariz.

ELEANOR C. PIVIROTTO, ’83,March 13, 2001, Derby, Conn.

KAREN C. SORITIO, ’83, Dec. 13,2010, New York, N.Y.

ROBERT F. CLARK, ’84, Jan. 23,2011, Orange, Conn.

THOMASMARSTON, ’85, March22, 2011, Meriden, Conn.

STEVENA. RUBIN, ’86, Jan. 6,2011, Glastonbury, Conn.

STEPHEN S. SHERIDAN, 6th Yr.’86, Feb. 13, 2011, Branford,Conn.

PHYLLIS KOLEDO LESTER,M.S. ’88, April 2, 2011, Monroe,Conn.

ROBERTA. STEWART II, M.S.’88, Jan. 6, 2011, Glastonbury,Conn.

JOHN CHARLES IRELAND JR.,’92, Feb. 25, 2011, Bridgeport,Conn.

GREGORYA. DUFF, ’93,Smithtown, N.Y.

BRIAN DANA JOSE, ’93, Dec. 2,2010, Prospect, Conn.

ANN CROWLEYMIRIZZI, 6thYr. ’93, Jan. 24, 2011,Colebrook, Conn.

JOHN J. MASALSKI, ’99, April15, 2011, Westbrook, Conn.

SHEILAM. WARD, M.L.S. ’03,Dec. 13, 2010, Enfield, Conn.

JAMES H. PINSON-ROSE, ’05,March 24, 2011, Fairfield,Conn.

BARBARA“RUSTY”ABERNETHY, ProfessorEmeritus of PhysicalEducation, March 6, 2011,Branford, Conn.

STEPHEN COLLINS, ProfessorEmeritus of Biology, Oct. 7,2010, Bethany, Conn.

PAMELA RENDEIRO, ProfessorEmeritus of Political Science,March 12, 2011, Hamden,Conn.

DOROTHYV. SCHRADER,Professor Emeritus ofMathematics, Feb. 22, 2011,Branford, Conn.

Class notes are compiled fromsubmissions from alumni, as wellas announcements made innewspapers and magazines.

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Fall 2011 | 35

Peace Owls, Lottcontinued from page 13

Peace Owls, Kautzcontinued from page 13

Peace Owls, Williamscontinued from page 14

Peace Owls, Smithcontinued from page 15

The Good Earthcontinued from page 19

Peace Owls, Harpercontinued from page 15

my twin sons, who will be

9 years old, and my Peruvian

husband to Paraguay for

their first time to cele-

brate.” Plans include visit-

ing the Asuaga family, who

took Lott into their one-

room home for three months

while she was serving in the

Peace Corps until accommoda-

tions were built for her.

countless hours running in the park, feed-

ing the deer, touring the castle, or having

coffee with the Baroness. Yes, a real

baroness lived there,” says Kautz.

The experience made an indelible

impression. “I made incredible lifelong

friendships and I learned far more than I

taught. I learned about myself and about

my capabilities. I gained an appreciation

for history. I learned that when you are

uncomfortable, you are truly growing,”

writes Kautz.

For the past eight years, he has

lived in Maine where he works as a math

and finance teacher at the Waynflete

School, a private day school in Portland. He

is also the varsity baseball coach.

feature book and one of the New

York Times Top Ten Books of the

Year for children. She has

authored more than a dozen

books, most recently, “Beatrice’s

Dream.” (Karen spent two weeks

with the 13-year-old orphan who

was growing up in a slum in

Kibera, Kenya.)

The Williams family —

which grew to include four chil-

dren — also continued to travel.

They lived in Haiti for two peri-

ods, and since September 2010,

Karen and Steven have lived on

the Navajo Nation in Chinle, Ariz.,

where Steven works for the Indian

Health Service. Karen teaches

graduate level writing courses and

continues work on several writing

projects. Meanwhile, her son,

Christopher, who was born in

Malawi while his parents served

in the Peace Corps, has come full

circle. In September, he and his

wife, Laurie, became Peace Corps

volunteers in Mozambique.

For more information, see

www.karenlynnwilliams.com.

master’s degree in public health fromthe University of Connecticut HealthCenter. He is currently a programmanager, overseeing a community-based health access program at theUniversity of New Mexico HealthSciences Center in Albuquerque.

Namibia’s government colleges.

“Most rewarding was attending

the graduations of my 90

students each year, knowing

that if each one taught 40

students for 30 years, my

efforts could/would contribute

to the development of the

country,” she says.

Though officially retired,

Harper continues to work part-

time in education. She is a

classroom assistant for an autistic

elementary school student.

expected to soar to 70 percent by 2050.Urban agriculture could become

increasingly important to this growing pop-ulation segment. It provides a cost-effec-tive source of nutritious food — a tremen-dous benefit in areas where the communi-ty does not have easy access to fresh pro-duce. Organic urban gardening also divertsnutrient-rich waste from landfills. Otherbenefits include encouraging the produc-tion of rare varieties of fruits and vegeta-bles, beautifying urban areas, and reducingthe carbon footprint associated with grow-ing produce since it does not need to betransported from rural areas.

There are academic advantages aswell. Students from various programs willbe able to use the orchard trees, garden,and eventually the greenhouse to extendthe classroom experience to real-life appli-cations. Cusato says the project is com-pletely interdisciplinary, not just limited to

the Science Education and EnvironmentalStudies Department. “We’d like to be aunifying force for faculty, staff, and stu-dents,” she says.

True to the initiative’s name, Plantit Forward also will support those beyondcampus. Plans include reaching out to thecommunity-at-large to teach and encour-age local residents to grow their own food.Heidkamp comments, “Ideally, we willeventually be able to do summer institutesto share knowledge about growing thingsin an urban environment. Our focus is onproducing a lot of food in small spaces.”The Connecticut Northeast Organic FarmingAssociation included Southern in its annualcity farm and garden tour in August. Effortsare underway to find external funding tohelp develop community and educationaloutreach activities.

“I think it’s the right time to dothis,” Cusato says. “The whole discussion

about food in this country has changed. Amovement to support local growers bybuying locally produced food has gainedpopularity and momentum. Gardening orgrowing fruit trees make home a moreenjoyable place to stay, and people alsoget some benefit from it.” She adds thatdue to numerous highly publicized foodrecalls over the past years, people want toknow where their food comes from.

Heidkamp is hoping for the sus-tained involvement of the local communi-ty. “The intention is to empower and edu-cate people,” he says.

Meanwhile, the students involvedin the project have reaped their ownrewards. “I feel a very strong personal con-nection to the orchard,” says Hawkins. “Iam currently living in my family’s home . . .an old farmhouse. To have worked on theorchard at this point of my life, is a dreamcome true.” n

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36 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Haunted Homecoming Oct. 29On campus

A fun-filled event for the entire family.Highlights include the Bob Corda 5Kroad race, parade of floats, alumni tentparty with refreshments and children’sactivities (tent opens at 12 p.m.), andthe Homecoming football game at 1 p.m.(203) 392-6500

Donald Gloverwith Special Guest

Oct. 29 8 p.m.A great evening ofcomedy from thestar, whose creditsinclude a recentlycompleted ComedyCentral Stand-UpSpecial andstarring in NBC’s“Community.”

$20 for generaladmission; $10 foractive alumni andSouthern faculty,

staff, and Southern student guests; $5 for Southernstudents. (203) 392-6154

Post Secret LiveNov. 4 8 p.m.A multimedia presentation by FrankWarren, creator of the Post SecretProject, which invited people fromaround the world to submit theirinnermost secrets on often artfullydecorated postcards.

$20 for general admission; $10 for Southern faculty,staff, students, and student guests. (203) 392-6154

Nov. 18 8 p.m.A behind the scenes look at the MTV hit that sends the cast on the road tocomplete a list of “100 things we want to do before we die.”

$15 for general admission; $8 for Southern faculty,staff, students, and student guests. (203) 392-6154

The Rippingtonsfeaturing Russ Freeman

Nov. 19 8 p.m.Catch a powerhouse performance by the Grammy-nominated contemporaryjazz band.

$32 for general admission; $28 for active alumni andSouthern faculty, staff, and student guests; $16 forSouthern students. (203) 392-6154

Student-Directed One Acts

Nov. 30, Dec. 1-3 8 p.m.;Dec. 3-4 2 p.m.Kendall Drama Lab

Theater at its finest directed andperformed by Southern’s students.

$10 for general admission; $5 for senior citizens andSouthern faculty, staff, and students. (203) 392-6154

Featuring PeterWhite, Mindi Abair,and Kirk Whalum

Dec. 2 8 p.m.

Kickoff the holiday season with a sensational nightof smooth jazz.

$32 for general admission; $28 for active alumni andSouthern faculty, staff, and student guests; and $16 for Southern students. (203) 392-6154

The World Goes RoundA musical review by Kander and Ebb

Dec. 10 7 p.m.An ultra-talented cast of alumni of Southern’s Crescent Players areshowcased in this musical review,featuring music from “Chicago,”“Cabaret,” “Woman of the Year,” and“New York, NewYork!” Proceeds tobenefit the Crescent Players Endowed Scholarship. Directed andchoreographed by Larry Nye. Presentedthrough special arrangement withMusic Theatre International.

$25 for general admission; $20 for active alumni andSouthern faculty/staff; $5 for Southern students; $35for special Alumni Assoc. membership ticket, whichincludes one-year membership. (203) 392-6154

*All events held in John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, unless otherwise noted. Southern students must have valid identification to receive their ticket discounts and are limitedto purchasing one student ticket and two student guest tickets per event. For tickets and additional information and listings, visit Southern’s Web site at www.lyman.SouthernCT.edu.

Two Legends. One Evening.Nov. 11 7:30 p.m.; reception 5:30 p.m. An evening with celebrated entertainer William H. Cosby Jr. and jazz great Ramsey Lewis.

Benefiting the student scholarship program at Southern and Southern Academy, aninnovative educational effort that tackles the achievement gap by ensuring NewHaven school children have the tools they need to succeed at an early age.

$85 for premium seating; $65 for regular seating; $45 for side seating and Southern students; and $150 for a premium package that includes a reception and photo opportunity with Bill Cosby at the Michael J. Adanti Student Center at 5:30 p.m. (203) 392-6154

The Buried Life Live

Southern EVENTS

A Peter WhiteChristmas

SMag36ppFall11 REV p9_Layout 1 10/14/11 10:28 AM Page 36

Page 39: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

There are many reasons to make a gift to the Southern Fund.82% of our students receive some kind of financialassistance. 64% of our students work off campus.

Give today, impact today.Dollars from the Southern Fund are flexible andimmediately available, enabling the university todirect them wherever they’re most urgently needed.

What was itaboutSouthernthat made a differencein your life?

Was it A professor? A tradition? A program?

Whatever the reason,your Southernexperience lives foreverthrough you.

Fund a future.Fund a dream.

Fund an education. The Southern Fund.

Please make a gift to our students today by returning the envelope provided or by visiting us online at www.giving.SouthernCT.edu

Page 40: Southern Alumni Magazine Fall 2011

raduate student Jessica

Schumacher is the first

Southern student to be

awarded a Fulbright

U.S. Student Program scholarship

— a prestigious honor that builds

on her proficiency in the Spanish

language and a passion for

breaking language barriers.

As a Fulbright scholar,

Schumacher will travel to

Argentina next March for eight

months to help train individuals

who are in the process of becom-

ing English teachers in that coun-

try. During her stay, she will further

study the Spanish language and

hopes to pursue the personal proj-

ect she proposed: to film inter-

views with Argentinean people.

These would then be used to

develop supplemental curricular

material for high school Spanish-

language classes. “When you hear

a language in its setting, it becomes

meaningful. Otherwise, it’s just

words on a page,” says

Schumacher, who is working

toward a master’s degree in bilin-

gual, multicultural education, and

TESOL (teaching of English to

speakers of other languages).

Operating in more than

155 countries worldwide, the

Fulbright Program is the flagship

international exchange program

sponsored by the U.S. government.

Cynthia Stretch, an associ-

ate professor of English who was

a Fulbright Scholar Senior Lecturer

in 2005, says she is proud of

Schumacher’s accomplishment:

“Jessica sees a future of public

service and the promotion of

intercultural understanding ahead

of her. . . . We see that future as

an especially bright one.”

— By Kaitlin Randall, ‘11

GCongratulations to Southern’s First Fulbright Student