Dispatches - Spring 2024

Carol Chapman D’Angelo ’62 invites anyone from the Class still rambling around in the Syracuse, N.Y., area to get together and have a cane or walker race.

Dr. Robert F. Swift ’62 and his wife, Margot W. Swift ’62, retired from university teaching but are still active in church music performances.

Mary Wright Treat ’62 is married to Jay Frederick Treat ’64, lives in Geneseo, N.Y., and spends summers on Silver Lake in Castile, N.Y.

Bruce Balfe ’65 retired from the American Medical Association in 2008 after 41 years. He has four grandchildren, one of whom, Victoria Balfe, will graduate from Hartwick in 2024 with a double major in political science and economics.

Fran DeLuca ’66 tells us she recently traveled to Iceland and took a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon. The  lagoon is very large and in the background is the hydropower plant threatened by the recent volcanic eruptions. Surrounding the lagoon is a vast area of hardened lava. According to DeLuca, Iceland has a fascinating Viking history, many museums, delicious food and natural wonders. She is considering another trip to see more of this extraordinary island.

David Lord ’67 reports that after returning to school to earn credentials for licensing, he spent the last 10 years of his working career teaching chemistry in two high schools near his home. After retirement, he continued to teach as a substitute in nearby school districts. Lord notes that he thoroughly enjoyed his interactions with the students.

Carolyn Meyer ’67 dropped us a line to tell us how proud she is of the College’s growth and the new nursing school.

June Hansman Bissonnette ’68 is the owner of an alpaca fiber farm. She spins the fiber and makes various garments that are sold at craft shows. Bissonnette also takes care of four Siamese cats and a parrot.

Janet ’69 and Richard Aradine ’67, who spent their careers in healthcare, have provided a gift to the College to help fund a nursing scholarship. James Kellerhouse, vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs, says, “This scholarship gives future Hartwick students the opportunity to pursue their aspirations of becoming a nurse and caring for humanity. The gift paves the way for highly successful careers in healthcare, just like the Aradines had.” The scholarship will be awarded for the first time to a nursing major starting in the 2024-25 academic year.

Linda Lemke Moran ’70 published The Perks of Hospice: Stories of Love, Life, and Loss in 2023. The memoir, available on Amazon, is of a 45-year marriage that ended with two years in hospice and three weeks in respite care. She continues to explore a new life as a widow in her art-making and writing.

Rick Holinger ’71 checked in, noting that retiring from teaching high school English for over 40 years has helped get writing done and manuscripts placed! In 2023, literary journals accepted from him eight short fictions (including Gone Lawn, New Flash Fiction Review), five poems (including The English Journal), and four essays (including Chautauqua and a ‘Best of the Net’ nomination). Holinger is working on finding a small independent publisher for his short fiction and creative nonfiction collections (most works published previously in literary journals). More news at www.richardholinger.net or www.facebook.com/richard.holinger.

David James ’72 reports his spouse, Barbara, passed away on April 18, 2022, a few months prior to their 40th anniversary. James retired in 2011.

Glenn Munson ’72 is enjoying retirement after a 40+-year career in higher education (admissions and registrar). He is now a senior director in the same areas for a consulting firm and traveling in order to check items off his bucket list. His last trip was three weeks in Africa.

Chemistry students and faculty will now have better opportunities to network and gain more exposure to cutting-edge research, thanks to a gift from Kathy Ordoñez ’72, H’00. Her support of the Chemistry Student/Faculty Travel Fund will help students and faculty attend and present at professional conferences and ensure that the Hartwick community remains at the forefront of innovation.

George Balsley ’73 tells us that he retired in 2016 from architecture and is trying to stay busy by joining four boards. He is chairman of the board of trustees at Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, Mass. Balsley and his wife, Laura, have three grandchildren (all boys) who are “a joy to be with.” His call to fellow alumni is: “Now let me hear yours [updates]!!”

Col. (Ret.) Michael Doherty ’73 and his wife, Kristine Kingery, went to San Francisco in November, where he taught environmental planning to civilian employees in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The couple took a boat to visit Alcatraz Island and went to Fisherman’s Wharf via cable and street cars. They also traveled to Germany in early December for their annual visit to several Christmas markets. This year, they went to Kaiserslautern, Frankfurt am Main, and Stuttgart, a city Doherty had been to in March 1970 as part of the Hartwick Choir’s European tour. Of the 12 cities in which the choir sang, Doherty has revisited eight; only Hannover, Nuremberg, Venice and Milan remain.

Ray Miller ’73 reports that he retired after more than 45 years in the clinical laboratory industry. He finished his career as vice president of lab operations for LabCorp’s Northeast Division, which provided clinical lab services to clients from Maine to Delaware. Miller came out of retirement briefly to help open and lead a COVID-19 testing lab that serviced the N.Y.C. public schools and HHS City Hospitals. His favorite hobby is refereeing high school soccer, which he has done for over 40 years. He lives with his wife, Jane (whom he dated while at Hartwick), in Glen Rock, N.J. Their two sons, daughter and two grandchildren are spread out from Maine to Georgia.

Former state Senator James Seward ’73, H’99 was honored by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) with its Hero Award. The award is presented “to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of an individual or community partner whose work has enhanced agricultural safety and health in New York.”

John Wichser ’75 declares, “1975 — Best Class ever!”

Susan Downey Grise ’76 is gladly retired. Doing: Walking, pool aquatics and yoga. Grandma to two very cute boys! And a craft quilter. She is also on the board of directors for her local arts center and notes: “Let me know if you’d like to volunteer! It’s in Avon, Conn.!”

Ann Timmons ’79 is enjoying retirement and the time it gives her to pursue activities with music, her church and volunteer work at the SPCA. She is looking forward to seeing friends at the next True Blue Weekend.

Katherine Donahue ’82 retired from teaching in 2020 after 38 years at Plymouth Regional High School in Plymouth, N.H. She enjoys time with her five grandchildren and working seasonal “gigs” at a local New Hampshire produce stand and farmers markets in Vermont.

Sara Clark Glennon ’84 reports that she has been teaching writing and literature since 1991 at Landmark College in Putney, Vt. It’s mission is to serve neurodivergent students and is one of only a few colleges in the U.S. exclusively for students who learn differently. She is a co-founder of Landmark’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program, which was honored this year as the winner in the ‘Emerging (1-5 years)’ category of the annual Exemplary WAC Program Awards. The award was created by the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum and the WAC Clearinghouse to recognize the extraordinary achievements of WAC directors and administrative teams.

Michael McIntire ’85, P’13, P’21, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, delivered the College’s 2024 Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture in February. He spent three days on campus, meeting with students and faculty, and speaking in various classes.

Hartwick College Board of Trustees member Georgette “Gigi” Smith ’85, P’18, was awarded a President’s Value in Action award by the Medical University of South Carolina. Each year, the awards recognize employees across the organization for outstanding service and significant contributions to the campus community, representing MUSC’s five core values: Compassion, Innovation, Integrity, Collaboration and Respect, or in a special category, Impact. Smith earned the award in the latter category.

Patti Howe Hermes Case ’86 and William Jay Case were married on 12/30/23 in an intimate patio ceremony under purple lights, witnessed by a dozen close friends and family, and a hundred well-wishers on Facebook Live.

Cindy Davis Jackson ’88 was elected president of the board of trustees of the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead in Haverhill, Mass.

Traci Stegman Nichols ’96 has been married for 20 years to her Marine husband, Paul. She is also co-owner of a boutique supply chain consulting firm, Beltrees Consulting. Jodi Wiktorowski ’96 was voted “Best Veterinarian” in Eugene, Ore. She is the owner and operator of the Eugene Animal Hospital and has been its sole owner since 2015.

Eric Wilson ’97 recently earned his 300th career win as boys’ basketball coach at Fonda-Fultonville High School, N.Y. In a local newspaper article announcing the achievement, he cited former Hartwick coach Nick Lambros ’61, P’02, P’02 as one of his biggest mentors.

Jennifer (Dorflinger) Peck ’98 tells us that she lives with her husband, Christopher, and three kids in Branchville, N.J. She is the assistant nurse manager of a Progressive Care/Step Down Unit at Newton Medical Center. Peck’s oldest son graduated high school last year and is attending Pro MX/SX Tech in West Virginia. Her middle son is a sophomore in high school and her daughter is in 4th grade.

Laura Napoli ’99 is proud to report that this past year, she released the first four books in her science fiction series: The Tails of Little Flower, The Pride of Little Flower, The Whiskers of Hope, and The Paws of Hope.

Danielle Quilligan ’99 shares that she is now a proud mom of a Hartwick first-year student — her daughter, Taylor, a biology major and Class of 2027. Quilligan also became the new registrar at Fairfield University in May.

Eric T. Shoen ’99 is cancer-free after 14 months of treatment and is living life to the fullest again. He will be finishing his master’s degree in project management from Brandeis University, where he continues to direct its Donor Relations Department. Outside of his day job and studies, Shoen is running regularly, singing with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, making and selling sea-glass art, and dabbling in real estate as a realtor with Movementum Realty

Jonathan Wood ’99 writes that besides making time for painting, museum visits and other creative pursuits, he kayaks, hikes and tries to do a good bit of sailing each year. Professionally, he teaches yoga full-time and leads teacher training programs. Wood’s clients are a mix of private students, corporate groups and studio classes around Washington, D.C., where he lives with his Mister, a dog, a turtle and some fish. Items on his 5-year plan include launching a yoga education program to help studios develop meaningful curricula to teach and mentor new yoga teachers, completing a yoga therapy master’s degree, and buying a sailboat. His life is full and joyful. @jonathanwoodyoga is a great way to connect with Wood.

Economics professor Nodir Adilov ’00 was named dean of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Doermer School of Business, Ind.

Sarah MacDonald ’01 has been appointed CEO of Life Science Cares, Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. The organization, according to its website, “is a collective effort to activate the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry — and partner with nonprofits – to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities.” Further, it “helps solve societal problems through active caring, combining grants with supportive services such as volunteerism, thought leadership, and industry expertise.” MacDonald was previously executive vice president at MassBio, an industry trade association. Carrie B. Tankersley ’01 was promoted to manager at Grossman St. Amour, a CPA firm in Syracuse, N.Y.

Matthew Dana ’02 tells us he is happy to say they’re all doing well. He and his wife, Jessica (Olamijulo) ’02, have been married for 18 years this October. They moved to Maryland about 10 years ago. Their sons are growing up fast; the oldest is now 16 and looking at colleges with an interest in playing college baseball. The youngest is 11 and just started middle school.

Stacey Viebrock Grady ’03 rejoined Hartwick in January as the new director of corporate & foundation relations. She was previously director of development at Springbrook in Oneonta, N.Y.

Following a national search, Brendan Gorman ’04 was selected as the head coach of Elmira College’s reinstituted men’s lacrosse team. Gorman graduated from Hartwick with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and is certified as a strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Luis Pastran ’07 recently had a baby, Clara. Luis also attended the Presidential Gathering in Washington, D.C., in February.

Seth P. Lucas ’10 wed Walter Schoen in a civil ceremony in Cambridge, Mass., on June 15, 2023. The couple was joined by immediate family. Following German custom, they wore pennies in their shoes for good luck.

In February, Brian Redder ’15 became the program supervisor for lead and copper at Fairfax Water in Fairfax, Va., after more than two years with the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies in Washington, D.C.

Kassondra Johnstone ’16 joined Sullivan 180 in Liberty, N.Y., as a grants manager. Sullivan 180 is a nonprofit that works to build a healthy Sullivan County community through people, places, and policy.

Nora Mendez ’16 was elected to the Otsego County (N.Y.) Board of Representatives. She represents District 11 in Oneonta (Wards 1 and 2).

Brianna MacMahon ’17 has self-published a political science fiction novel called On the Precipice, the first in a series. The novel can be purchased on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.

Sam Nowak ’17 completed his Ph.D. in mining engineering at Missouri University of Science & Technology with a dissertation titled, Novel Uses of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing for Geomechanical Monitoring in Underground Mines. He has since co-founded OptiRock Group, a rock mechanics research and consulting company that aims to transfer new technologies from academia to industry to promote safe and sustainable mining and energy development.

Tim Raimy ’17 started his fourth role at Hartwick College as the assistant director of civic engagement & fraternity and sorority life in January 2024. After more than four years of working in Institutional Advancement, he’s excited to move on to this new point in his career.

After graduating with her MBA from Quinnipiac University this past spring, Stephanie Sacco ’18 has started a master’s degree program in engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Austin Sylva ’18 is currently an award-winning, 360-degree film creator.

Austin Sylva ’18 is currently an award-winning,
360-degree film creator.

Dorothy Rodger ’19 and Andrew Tyrol ’17 are engaged

Brooke LaCarte ’21, a distinguished nursing alumna, is achieving remarkable success postgraduation. Saratoga Hospital, where she practices, is set to showcase her in an upcoming nursing recruitment campaign. LaCarte has garnered prestigious accolades, including the DAISY Award, an international recognition program applauding nurses for their skillful and compassionate care. She finds herself balancing full-time practice at Saratoga Hospital, adjunct teaching at Russell Sage, and pursuing a family nurse practitioner degree. LaCarte attributes her professional achievements to the comprehensive education she received at Hartwick, which she notes skillfully prepared her to meet and excel in the challenges of her workplace.

Arianna Alvarez ’23 passed the NCLEX exam in August and earned an emergency room nurse position at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, N.Y. Since graduating last May,

Chloe Love ’23 became an emergency room nurse at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

John Mahn ’23 joined Carlena Ficano, professor of economics, on campus in February to present on the topic “Minimum Wage as a Poverty-Alleviation Tool in the Face of Powerful Employers” during a monthly Hartwick College Faculty Lecture.