Siena

SIENA NEWS • A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS • FALL 2009

Siena Celebrates
800th Anniversary
of the Order of
Friars Minor
INSIDE:
Franciscan Center
Celebrates 10th
Anniversary

Legal Fellows Spend

Summer in the City

from the president
“800 years and brown’s
still in style”
These were the words on a
poster advertising Academic
Convocation, the celebration
of the 800th anniversary of
the Order of Friars Minor.
It was meant as a fun
slogan, but the words ring
true. The fact that the
Franciscan tradition has
not only survived, but is
very much alive at Siena
College and other Franciscan
communities around the
world, is a testament to its
enduring relevance.
Holding an Academic
Convocation was a way to
celebrate Siena’s educational
origins. Saint Francis, at
first skeptical of learning,
found that education helped
prepare friars to reach all people, to utilize knowledge to do
good works.
This is the heart of a Siena education. This is the
importance of higher education.
With this as our foundation, the future for Siena is
a bright one. We will build on our history, continuing
to provide an affordable education, a transformational
experience and a lifetime membership in the Siena
family to generations of students to come.
Fraternally,
Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.
SIENA 2
Message from
the Editors
In this issue, we celebrate both
anniversaries and new beginnings.
The Siena News editors are pleased
to announce a new beginning at the
magazine: the addition of Ken Jubie ’04
as a contributing editor. Jubie returns
to Siena as Media Relations Specialist
in the Strategic Communications and
Integrated Marketing office. In his
first 50 days, Siena had 64 media hits!
Prior to joining our staff, Jubie was
an anchor/reporter at Capital News
9. Check out his first feature story on
page 10.
As always, we want to hear from
you! What do you want to see more
of? Do you have a Siena story to
share? We welcome feedback from our
readers concerning the magazine, as
well as story ideas; these can be sent to
communications@siena.edu.
Enjoy!
Jim Eaton and
Allison Maloney ’06
P.S.
Want to stay in touch with Siena
between issues? Here’s how:
• Become a fan of Siena
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at facebook.com/sienacollege.
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twitter.com/sienacollege.
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calendar’s RSS feed at
www.siena.edu/calendar.
•Check out photos that range
from alumni events to student
life at flickr.com/sienacollege.
• Get news updates via e-mail at
www.siena.edu/pages/180.asp.
10%
Cert no. SW-COC-002556
 2009 - 2010 Board of Trustees
Ronald E. Bjorklund ’85
J. David Brown
Michael Bucci ’73
Robert F. Campbell ’66
contents Robert M. Curley
Robert T. Cushing ’77
Susan Law Dake
Virginia L. Darrow ’83
John J. Dawson, Esq. ’68
Scott C. Donnelly
Howard S. Foote ’74
*Shari Golub-Schillinger ’86
Robert L. Guido ’68
Douglas T. Hickey ’77
Rev. Kenneth R. Himes ’71, O.F.M., Ph.D.
Edward J. Johnson ’63
4 Academic Convocation Walter T. Kicinski ’62
Rev. Jerome J. Massimino, O.F.M.
Pamela McCarthy
Robert J. McCormick ’87
Rev. Dominic V. Monti, O.F.M., Ph.D.
James J. Morrell ’66
Very Rev. Kevin J. Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.
John F. Murray ’79
John J. Nigro
Very Rev. John F. O’Connor, O.F.M.
Walter A. Osterman ’87
Joseph M. Pastore Jr., Ph.D.
Kenneth M. Raymond Jr.
Mark S. Rose ’65
Rev. Peter A. Schneible, O.F.M., Ph.D.
David M. Stack ’73
Christine L. Standish
Br. Daniel P. Sulmasy, O.F.M., M.D., Ph.D.
*Nimmi M. Trapasso ’98, M.D.
8 Franciscan Center Celebrates Dennis L. Winger ’69

10th Anniversary Deceased

* New trustee

Siena News - Fall 2009

Published by Siena College
515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211-1462
E-mail: communications@siena.edu

• Publisher: Delcy Fox

• Editors: Jim Eaton, Allison Maloney ’06
• Contributing Editors: Mark Adam, Joe Fitzgerald,
Jodi Ackerman Frank, Ken Jubie ’04,
Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.,
Michelle Pickering ’09, Jason Rich ’97
and Lynn Ryan
• Director of Art and Design: Sergio Sericolo
• Alumni Class Notes Design: Jean Higgs
• Alumni Class Notes Editor: Janice Goca and
Victoria Abdulla ’07
• Photography: Athletics Office, Dave Boswell ’12,
Paul Castle ’81, Len Cutler, Judy Dougherty,
10 Summer Legal Fellows Lisa Heimerle ’11, Ed LaRow ’59, Frank Martin ’59,
Tony Purificato, Kris Qua, Tim Ryan, Sergio Sericolo

departments
and Ken Titus ’71
• Printer: The Lane Press, Burlington,Vt.

On Campus News | 12 Alumni Connection | 25 Cover: Fr. Dennis Tamburello ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.,
Faculty News | 18 Alumni Class Notes | 27 performed The Canticle of Brother Sun by
Saints Corner | 22 Siena’s Ultimate Fan | 35 St. Francis of Assisi at the Academic
Convocation on campus.

SIENA 3
 COVER STORY

Siena
Celebrates
800th
Anniversary
of the Order
of Friars
Minor
By: Allison Maloney ’06

Siena’s Academic
Convocation brought
the College community
together to celebrate
the 800th anniversary
of the founding of
the Franciscan order
and the Franciscan
tradition that has
shaped Siena College
since its founding.

SIENA 4
 To the melody of bagpipes and with splashes
of colorful academic regalia, Chair of the Faculty
Jim Harrison led a procession into the Alumni
Recreation Center that included friars, faculty,
students, administrators, the president’s cabinet
and members of the Board of Trustees.
“This convocation is a celebration of our
origins. From the beginnings of the Order of
Friars Minor, education emerged as a primary
form of ministry,” said Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75,
O.F.M., Ph.D., president. “Saint Francis believed
that education helped prepare friars to assist in
reaching all people, to utilize knowledge to do
good work. Siena College inherited this tradition.
As a college, we are proud to honor and be a part
of this 800-year-old legacy.”
The ceremony also commemorated, fittingly,
the 10th anniversary of the Franciscan Center
for Service and Advocacy (see Page 8 for
complete story).
In his welcome address, Student Senate
President Steve Hannigan ’10 quoted the Senate’s
mission of “the spirit of the saint,” citing its
tenets: opportunity, community, growth,
experience and pride. Hannigan assured the
audience that the “beliefs and values of the
founding Franciscans live on in the hearts and
minds of Siena students, the modern caretakers
of the Franciscan tradition.”
The keynote address was given by
Sr. Margaret Carney, O.F.F., S.T.D., president of
St. Bonaventure University and homeless and
mental health advocate. She began by
referencing the controversial Dan Brown
novels, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons
and The Lost Symbol.
“As an academic,” said Sr. Carney, “I strive
to get the facts right. Brown makes gazillions on
turning truth inside out.”

SIENA 5
 He did get one thing right, though, she said. There St. Francis’ life and the lives of generations of friars,”
was a woman who still has a huge influence on the said Felice. “When it’s your turn to get off your horse,
Catholic Church today. She was talking not about remember the absolute worth of each individual.”
Mary Magdalene, but about St. Clare. “Clare was not Lamar reflected on importance of interfaith
just a saint, but a founder of a feminist movement, an discussion throughout the Capital Region. He
artisan, a teacher, a spiritual leader and a mystic,” said concluded: “Francis and Clare would be especially
Sr. Carney. proud of their brothers and sisters today.”
Positioning herself as a Ken Burns-like movie After the celebration, the Siena community shared
director, Carney took a captivated audience through St. Francis’ favorite treat, almond cookies.
scenes of St. Clare’s life, beginning with her first
encounter with Francis, who allowed Clare and her
family to flee during a time of civil war in Assisi,
despite that their place in society made them enemies.
Ten years later, when Clare listened to Francis preach
about an authentic way of living the gospel, she became
fascinated with the idea of doing something.
In the next scene, Clare did the unfathomable.
She left her privileged home in her Palm Sunday
dress, escaping through city gates and traded the
beautiful gown for a plain robe. Thus, began her life of
simplicity. Defying societal norms, Clare and Francis
bridged a socioeconomic gap, and the Franciscan
allowed her voice to be heard within the order.
In another scene, Clare and her fellow sisters earned
their own way by embroidering silk. Led by Clare, the
sisters led a life of sustainable ecology and economy.
When they had abundance, they shared with the sick
and the poor.
In the final scene, Clare is a 60-year-old woman.
Pope Innocent IV visits her on her death bed.
“He made the mistake of asking if there was anything
he could do for her,” said Carney.
Clare asked for her rule to become the rule for the
Order of Poor Ladies. He agreed, and issued the papal
bull, Solet Annure, which confirmed that Clare’s rule
would be the governing rule for the Order of Poor
Ladies. She died clutching the document to her heart.
Carney then faded the movie to black, bringing the
audience back to the Alumni Recreation Center.
“We walked in here and it says ‘Home of the Saints.’
That is absolutely true,” she said. “This Franciscan
community is filled with light and grace that can’t be
erased. You are the Saints!”
Following Carney’s address, three honorary degrees
were conferred by Bob Cushing ’77, chair of the Board
of Trustees. The recipients included Sr. Carney,
Fr. John Felice, O.F.M., and Rev. Robert Lamar, D.D.,
community leader and pastor emeritus of the First
Presbyterian Church in Albany.
Felice told a well-known story of St. Francis, who
got off of his horse to touch a leper. On impulse,
Francis embraced him. “This moment changed

Left to right: Rev. Robert Lamar, Sr. Margaret Carney,

Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, Fr. John Felice and Bob Cushing ’77

SIENA 6
Students Complete Summer of
Service Around the World
By Jim Eaton

The Siena College/Albany Medical College Program

in Science, Humanities and Medicine is an early
assurance program, the first of its kind in the country,
that places emphasis on humanities, ethics and social
service. Students in this program earn a bachelor’s
degree from Siena after four years and a doctorate
in medicine from Albany Medical College upon
completion of the medical curriculum.
Part of the program includes a summer-of-service
component that occurs between the junior and senior
years at Siena College. Students typically engage in
nonmedical work with disadvantaged people in urban
areas or developing nations.

Siena students traveled to different parts of the world during

their summer of service:

• Sana Ali ’10 and Lindsey Cilia ’10 worked with children
and adults in Costa Rica. During the day, they worked
at an orphanage to help children trust and overcome
physical and mental limitations attributed to early
abuse and neglect.

• Katherine Armstrong ’10 and Nathalie Peiris ’10

worked with Visayan children at an orphanage in
the Philippines. These children face a complex and
precarious landscape dominated by multigenerational
poverty, social marginalization, recurring hunger
and the hazards of living and playing amidst
mounting garbage.

• Indira Dhandapani ’10 worked with children at an

orphanage in Honduras. During her second week,
there was an earthquake (7.2 on Richter magnitude
scale). Tsunami warnings were announced and people
evacuated the next day.

• Steven Hannigan’10 and Elizabeth Keenan’10 worked

with children at a national clinic in El Salvador.
They spent their mornings at the clinic. During the
afternoons, they visited community members and
conducted surveys.

• Ramy Sedhom ’10 and Christopher Smith ’10 volunteered

in Kenya with the Mill Hill Sisters at a Marigat Catholic
Mission. They worked at the mission and mobile clinics.
They also visited homes in outlying villages, where they
distributed medications and served as health educators
at primary schools.

SIENA 7
 n C e n t e r
a n c i sc a r
Fr e s 1 0 - Y e a
Cel e b r a t
i v e r s a r y
A n n
By Jim Eaton and Joe Fitzgerald

Ten years ago, Fr. Kevin Mullen,

O.F.M., treasurer of the Holy
Name Province, was the first
person to raise his hand in support
of the creation of Siena College’s
Franciscan Center for Service and
Advocacy (FCSA) . The request
came on behalf of Fr. John Felice,
O.F.M., who thought Siena and
St. Bonaventure University could
benefit from a center that provided
direct services to the poor and
marginalized and to incorporate an
academic component for this need.

SIENA 8
 only to take students
“The center was created not St. Francis Inn in
on trips to places like the ve them the academic
Philadelphia, but also to gi
to understand why we
component that allows them O.F.M.
do this,” Fr. John Felice,

Through the FCSA program, which students

can select as a minor, and its other activities,
the Franciscan Center helps Siena graduates
become advocates for the poor and marginalized.
During the last two years, more than 15 Siena
graduates have volunteered for one or two years
of postgraduate full-time service in organizations
dedicated to assisting those in need.
The FCSA is the academic component of the
center that allows for a better understanding of
the socioeconomic factors and structures that
negatively impact the poor and marginalized;
er
ciscan Cent an awareness of the principles of the Franciscan
to ri gh t: The Fran en
Left cacy has be tradition and Catholic social teaching; and ways
e and Advo
for Servic 56, O.F.M.
Fr . Ma th ias Doyle’ ,
to advocate for just social structures for those in
led by ael Harlan
pr es en t) ; Br. Mich n
need.
(2006- d Fr. Kevi After all, this is what a Franciscan education is
9-2005) an 06).
O.F.M. (199 . (2005-20
en ’7 5, O. F.M., Ph.D all about.
Mull

Inspired by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi,

the FCSA has made a significant contribution
to the mission of Siena College by encouraging
students and members of the Siena community to
volunteer their time and talents to those in need.
The FCSA has partnered with more than 165
social service agencies in the Capital Region and
has sent more than 10,000 students out to have
face-to-face contact with people in need around
the world. The FCSA works under the guidance
of Br. Michael Harlan, O.F.M. (1999-2005);
Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph. D. (2005-2006);
and Fr. Mathias Doyle ’56, O.F.M. (2006-present).
The FCSA has sponsored service trips to
Left to right: Jim Snyder,
Philadelphia, Boston and Jamaica. It has supported
coordinator of the mentoring
Habitat for Humanity trips to North Carolina,
program and Judy Dougherty’06,
South Carolina, Georgia and West Virginia. Under
assistant director of the
the direction of Jim Snyder, coordinator of the
Franciscan Center at the 10-year
mentoring program, the FCSA has sponsored
anniversary celebration.
Siena’s mentoring program for Capital Region’s
underprivileged youth. The mentoring program
has been in place since 1965.

SIENA 11
SIENA 9
 Legal Fellows
Spend Summer
in the City
By Ken Jubie ’04

Siena’s Summer Legal Fellows Program

continues to provide aspiring attorneys with a
solid foundation for future careers in practicing
law. This year, the program expanded with a new
partnership with Fordham Law School in New
York City. As a result, Megan Lohan ’10 and
Michael DiSiena ’10 spent their summer working
in Fordham’s John D. Feerick Center for
Social Justice.
“Everyone there treated us absolutely
professionally,” DiSiena said. “You see the
human aspects behind the law as well ... It
was a very eye-opening experience for me.”
The students said the top-tier law school
treated the students like members of its staff,
giving them opportunities to learn first-hand
what legal work in New York City entails.
“They accepted our students as part of the
family,” said prelaw advisor Len Cutler, Ph.D.
The students participated in delivering legal
papers to a defendant or an individual involved
in a court case and helped draft legislation to
make it more effective and efficient. They also
worked in Civil Legal Assistance Resource
offices in Manhattan and the Bronx. People can
visit one of these offices to receive free basic legal
advice if they are in debt and facing legal action
from creditors.
“It was incredible … Being sued is scary,
and people left feeling confident and reassured,”
Lohan said.
The students also worked directly with
Jonathan Lippman, chief judge of the Court of
Appeals, New York state’s highest court, to find
ways to ease the transition for retiring lawyers
who want to do pro bono work. They also visited
women’s shelters and worked with volunteer and

SIENA 10

retired lawyers who assist poor and
elderly people facing eviction or a
loss of vital services.
“They’re getting exposed to the
kind of mission that we have here
at Siena College and that is to serve
the poor and marginalized,” Cutler
said.
“I always knew I wanted to do
something in law. Legal Fellows
validated that for me,” Lohan said.
While it affirmed her calling
to the legal profession, Lohan
said the Summer Legal Fellows
Program changed what she plans to
concentrate on in law school.
The political science major
had planned on pursuing a career
in contract law, but, after her
experiences this summer, Lohan
wants to consider working in public
interest law.
“It opened a lot of doors for
me,” Lohan said.
Cutler said he hopes those
doors will remain open for the next
group of Siena students looking to
learn more about how law impacts
everyday life from the professors
and professionals practicing at
Fordham Law School.
Other Summer Legal Fellows:
l Caitlin Romanowski and Aaron Depaolo worked in
the Government Law Center at Albany Law School. They
concentrated on community benefits agreements. The
agreements are aimed at helping to create community
coalitions, smart hiring practices, green building principles,
transit-oriented development and mixed-use neighborhoods.
l Michael Ellement and Garrett Blair worked at American
Law School on plans and proposals concerning national
health care reform.
l Emily Flasz was trained and worked on domestic
violence and elder abuse cases under the supervision of a
legal mentor at the Pace Women’s Justice Center.
l Keri Lynn Timlin and Ryan Ziegler conducted research
at Western New England College of Law. Timlin’s work will
be published along with her professor’s law review article
on combating terrorism in the United Kingdom through
“prevention detention.” Ziegler’s work will appear in an article
about “Prescription Drug Diversion and Drug Abuse.”
Above: Siena Summer Legal Fellows Amanda Campo ’10 and
Louise Bassette ’10 with Robert Kennedy, Jr., Karl Coplan
and Dan Estrin at Pace University’s Environmental Law
Clinic. They worked on environmental law cases being handled
by the school’s Environmental Litigation Clinic.
 A Fresh Start:
Move-In Day 2009
About 800 new members of the Siena College
community kissed their parents goodbye, shook
their new roommate’s hands and began life on
campus in early September.
“I’m excited to meet my roommates and stuff.
But I’m still really nervous,” said freshman Haley
Brown as she began moving into Plassmann Hall.
As they stepped out of their cars, minivans and,
in some cases, rented box trucks, members of the
Class of 2013 and transfer students saw the Siena
community in action. More than 350 volunteers,
including resident assistants, ambassadors and
administrators helped students and parents unload
their cars and lug everything from boxes of clothes
to flat-screen televisions into their new homes in
Ryan, Plassmann, Padua and Hines halls.
“Siena is known for having people open doors
for each other. It’s known for having everybody
pitch in and help each other. And this is the best
way to walk into Siena,” said senior Liz Keenan.
“It’s the welcoming tradition of Siena College.
It goes right in line with the mission of Siena. It’s a
very exciting four years and these students are going
to be happy,” said Assistant Vice President for
Admissions Heather Renault ’97.
Despite all the unpacking, new
students remembered why they came to
Siena in the first place.
“They had a lot of programs for my
major. I wanted to do accounting and
finance,” said freshman Mike Walling.
As nerves calmed and new students settled
into the collegiate chapter of their lives,
they and their families will fondly remember
their first Siena move-in day. Haley Brown’s
grandfather, Charlie, said, “I think it goes along
with everything else that’s said about Siena.
It’s first class.”

SIENA 12
Generations of Siena
campus this fall who are sons and daughters of Siena alumni.
Enrollment is Up
Despite Economic
Downturn
Despite the economic downturn
and the uncertain financial future facing
many families, Siena College remains a
viable and affordable option.
Financial aid counselors have been
working with families to make
sure their children can receive the
high-quality Franciscan liberal arts
education Siena College is built upon,
even if their financial circumstances
have changed.
“Through thick and thin we’re at
your side,” said Siena College Vice
President for Enrollment
Management Ned Jones.
All of Siena efforts have paid off.
The Class of 2013 exceeded the
College’s enrollment goal. The
academic quality of students joining
the Siena community also has increased.
SAT scores and diversity numbers are
up, and more than 60% of incoming
students graduated in the top 25% of
their class. The Class of 2013
represents 18 states and various
countries, including England, Sweden
and Germany.
Above: Siena welcomed 66 incoming freshman students to
H1N1 Preparations
While students have been stocking up on hand sanitizer, faculty, staff
and administrators have been doing their part to mitigate the potential
impact of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. We have
confirmed cases on campus.
Resident directors and assistants have been given extensive training on
how to spot flulike symptoms. The College also is working closely with
the state Department of Health and U.S. Center for Disease Control
to establish the best ways to slow the spread of germs. Signs stressing
the importance of hand washing have been posted in residence hall
bathrooms and hand sanitizing stations have been installed in buildings
across campus.
Along with being vigilant
with hand washing and
respiratory etiquette, Vice
President for Student Affairs
Maryellen Gilroy, Ed.D.,
has asked students and their
families to come up with
personal plans in case the
College has to close or students
are diagnosed with the flu and
have to be placed on medical
leave.
“If you have the flu or
flulike symptoms including fever or chills, headache, stomach ache,
muscle ache or sore throat, stay home. Do not go to class,” said Gilroy,
who also is encouraging students to contact Siena Health Services if
they have flulike symptoms.
In case of a widespread outbreak, Siena College has a campus
emergency plan in place. For more details and updates,
visit www.siena.edu/emergencyinfo.
SIENA 13
SIENA 13
 Constitution Day 2009:
Considering Same Sex
Marriage
As New York’s political leaders
continue to debate the legalization of same-
sex marriage, Siena College students had
the opportunity to discuss the topic with
a man at the forefront of the fight to allow
same-sex couples to tie the knot.
During Siena’s annual Constitution
Day celebration in September, Stephen
Clark, J.D., Albany Law School associate
professor, addressed more than 200
students, faculty and administrators in the
Sarazen Student Union, where he discussed
the legal arguments that shape the same-sex they have given people the chance to think about how
marriage conversation. the hallowed document relates to some of today’s most
Clark, who lives with his partner of 14 years, pressing issues. This year was no exception.
has led the charge to legalize same-sex marriage in “We addressed one such issue, that of same-sex
New York state and across the country. During his marriage. The United States Supreme Court has long
speech, “Same–Sex Marriage and the Constitution: recognized marriage between men and women as a
The Tension Between Law and Statesmanship,” constitutional right, most notably in 1967 when it
Clark separated political and religious issues from overturned bans on interracial marriage. Since sexual
the legal aspects of same-sex marriage. He also spoke
about the history of the movement and its evolution
in recent years. He said he thinks New York is ready
to make same-sex marriage legal, but to the surprise
of many students, the timing isn’t quite right for
a constitutional amendment to legalize same-sex
marriages nationwide.
Constitution Day, and Clark’s speech in
particular, caught the attention of Capital Region
media, including television stations WTEN and
Capital News 9. Students told Capital News 9
that they’re glad Siena, as a Catholic college, has
embraced a discussion on this progressive and
controversial topic.
“It demonstrates that our campus is open and that
we can have this conversation here and not be afraid
of it,” said Katie Logothetis ’10, vice president for
the Gay-Straight Alliance.
Pre-Law Society President Michael Ellement ’10 orientation, unlike race, is not mentioned in the
said, “I thought it was great to combine a legal Constitution, the question is whether that right extends
aspect to a question we’ve seen so much of in to gay men and lesbians,” Cutler said.
the political realm.” Constitution Day was sponsored by Siena College’s
Center for the Study of Government and Center for the Study of Government and Politics, the
Politics Director Len Cutler, Ph.D., said that, since Gay-Straight Alliance, Office of Multicultural Affairs,
Constitution Day celebrations started five years ago, School of Liberal Arts and Political Science Society.

SIENA 14
Flags of our Fallen: Remembering September 11
As the country took time to remember the tragic events Digan said the
of September 11, 2001, Siena College students proudly and two clubs, with help
quietly honored the people who lost their lives that fateful from the Political
day eight years ago. Members of Siena’s Republican Club Science Department,
joined the Siena Democrats in placing 2,977 small American worked together
flags on the lawn in front of the Standish Library to honor in hopes of making
each life lost in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. the memory of 9/11
“Each one of these flags represents a husband, a wife, more pronounced
a family member,” said Siena College Republican Club on campus.
President Ridge Harris ’11. Harris said the Republican Club Harris was
and Siena Democrats spent a few late-night hours on in seventh grade
Sept. 10, arranging the flags so students would see them when the terrorist
on their way to class the next morning. attacks took place.
“9/11 isn’t a partisan event,” Harris said. As the students “There’s not really
groups learned, it’s not political either. an America I know
“People coming out of the library pitched in the night before 9/11,” he said.
before. It shows what a supportive community we have,” Harris added that
said Siena Democrats President Kathleen Digan ’10. he remembers the feelings of compassion, unity and
About a dozen students created the silent reminder of collaboration that followed the terrorist attacks and hopes
the tragic events that happened when many current students that reminding people of what happened that tragic day will
were in middle school. return those feelings to the forefront of American culture,
starting with the Siena College community.

Good Grief
When she walks through the New
York State Museum examining the
September 11, 2001 exhibit, Carla
Sofka, Ph.D associate professor
of social work, sees more than
just artifacts. She sees a way for
people to heal. Since 2002,
Sofka has volunteered at the
museum. Her work includes
speaking to visitors and at the sites and from meeting with families of the
meeting people directly deceased and survivors of the tragedies. As a
impacted by the events of result, LaMotte wrote and recorded the song “A
that fateful day. Place to Go” in honor of the people who have died in
Sofka has observed that people tragic events, including the Sept. 11 attacks on the
use the exhibit as a “healing space.” Sofka said that, along with World Trade Center and the Oklahoma City bombing. Proceeds
preserving memories, museums provide a place to share stories of from CD sales and downloads of the song benefit the “healing
survivorship and hope while passing down the history of the spaces” that inspired Sofka’s research, including the New York State
tragic events. Museum, the World Trade Center Tribute Center and the Oklahoma
Sofka dug deeper into her research during her sabbatical in City National Memorial and Museum.
2007-2008 by visiting the World Trade Center Tribute Center and
the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. She conducted Above: New York State Museum where a bouquet that was placed
research to learn if these facilities are providing similar benefits for on this case on the anniversary of 9-11 by the family of a man
the people who visit. who died while working for the AON corporation. Since they do
Sofka shared with songwriter David LaMotte what she learned not have a cemetery to go to, this is what they have done to
honor his memory.

SIENA 15
Family Weekend Rocks the House
It’s often hard for parents and grandparents to truly
understand what life on campus is like, but they got a taste
this October during Siena College’s annual Family
Weekend. “It is clear that not only do the students
love our college, but their parents and siblings do
as well,” said Fr. Greg Jakubowicz, O.F.M., the
new college chaplain who experienced his first
Family Weekend.
Many parents played golf or walked through the
craft fair with their children, enjoying the music
of 24/7 and Fr. Dennis Tamburello ’75.
Others decided to make the weekend a
learning experience by diving into their
son or daughter’s daily routines. Parents
sat in on mini-lectures to get a feel for
what college classes at Siena are like.
More than 400 people enjoyed the annual
Multicultural Dinner.
“The best part of the weekend was to
be able to offer opportunities for families
to reconnect with their children and, at
the same time, give everyone the chance to
celebrate as part of the Siena community
and share in its rich traditions,” said John
Dierna, director along with their families, participated in the celebrations.
of campus programs and student activities. The whole weekend really was a celebration of what Siena is
Families also were able to get a feel for Siena’s Franciscan all about,” Jakubowicz said.
heritage. The College celebrated the Feast of St. Francis The weekend’s wildest time was the annual Blessing of
Mass and the 800th Anniversary of the founding of the the Animals ceremony. Jakubowicz blessed animals that
Franciscan Order in the Alumni Recreation Center. ranged from reptiles to golden retrievers. It’s safe to say
“I was especially impressed by how many students, everyone had a howling good time.

College Says Farewell to Fr. Daly

Fr. Kevin J. Daly, O.F.M., who has been associate
campus minister at Siena since 2005, has been
assigned by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name
Province as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in
East Rutherford, N.J. He began his new ministry
in August.
During his time at Siena, Fr. Kevin was tireless
in his pastoral ministry to students, faculty, staff
and alumni. His Franciscan joyfulness and visible
presence on campus will be missed.

SIENA 16
Rising Need for New
Residence Hall
In the movie Field of Dreams, a
disembodied voice whispers, “If you
build it, they will come.” At Siena,
hundreds of embodied voices in
the form of new students have been
shouting, “We’re coming!” As a result,
the College will build a new residence
hall to house the current student
population. Siena is working with the
town of Colonie to gain approval to
build a new 264-bed complex near
Colbeth Hall. The new residence hall
will include gambrel roofs, clapboard Townhouse Renovations
siding and arched openings, giving During the summer six townhouses on campus were
it the same Dutch classic look as renovated. Students came back to find new countertops,
neighboring Colbeth Hall. appliances and flooring as well as new couches and chairs.
While the residence hall will In the six person townhouses that were renovated, each
maintain a classic look, its amenities bedroom now has a personal bathroom.
are as contemporary and student
friendly as can be. Along with mostly
double-occupancy rooms, the four-
story structure will include television,
computer, multimedia, lecture and
laundry rooms; a fitness center; and
food service and dining facilities.
The new hall will include a number
of green initiatives including more
efficient heating, cooling and electrical
systems that will reduce energy
consumption and improve indoor air
quality.
Once the project is approved,
construction will begin in hopes of
having the residence hall ready for
students to move into next fall.

SIENA 17
 Finn Wins NSF
CAREER Award
Physics Assistant Professor Rose
Finn, Ph.D., is out of this world—and
so is her research. Finn is working with
undergraduate students to find out what
causes galaxies to evolve from active
star-forming galaxies to red passive
galaxies. Finn and her students are studying the gas and stellar
properties of galaxies in 10 low-redshift groups and clusters.
Her research and collaboration efforts have earned her
the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
from the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is the most
prestigious award given to new faculty
members. The educational objective of
the $471,460 award is to increase the
number of Siena College graduates who
pursue careers in physics, astronomy and
related fields.
“Dr. Finn’s accomplishments in
research, teaching and service are
outstanding by anyone’s standards. She
has received more than $650,000 in external funding, including
the very prestigious CAREER Award,” said Karen Quaal,
Ph.D., dean, school of science.
The NSF program recognizes and supports the early
career development of teacher-scholars who are most likely to
become the academic leaders of the 21st century.
“She actively engages students in her research, including
taking them to some of the most advanced observatories in
the world located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and on Kitt Peak
in Arizona. Her expertise is not limited to scientific research,
as she is equally engaged in national dialogue on science
education,” Quaal said.
Siena College is the only liberal arts college in the Capital
Region to have two active CAREER Award winners teaching
in the School of Science. Along with Finn, Kevin Kittredge,
Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry,
received a CAREER Award from the NSF in 2007. Kittredge
received $498,000 to research better ways to preserve frescos
and other works of art using transparent polymers. He
also used the grant money for research into how to make
nanoparticles for use in electronics and medicine.
SIENA 18
Remembering
Josh Diamond
Physics Professor Joshua
Diamond, Ph.D. was
remembered fondly this fall
at an awards ceremony in
his memory. Diamond,
who recently died after a
long bout with cancer, was
the first recipient of the Fr.
Matthew Conlin, O.F.M., Distinguished Service Award.
The award recognizes members of the Siena College
faculty who have given consistent and outstanding
service to the Siena College community.
“Josh was a very beloved member of the Siena
community. It was fitting and proper for us to take
time to honor his memory and contribution to Siena
and to acknowledge his award,” said Karen Quaal,
Ph.D., dean, school of science
Throughout his 29-year Siena College career,
Diamond embodied the spirit of this award. Since
joining the Siena faculty in 1980, he taught almost every
physics course, including core courses for nonphysics
majors. He also led the efforts to develop various
science courses and foundations courses, which he
taught for four years. His scholarship included 12
published articles, nine presentations at professional
meetings and two National Science Foundation
(NSF) grants.
“Dr. Diamond was one of the most student friendly
professors I’ve ever had. He worked with all students
to make sure they really understood the material,” said
physics major Michael Wickham ’05.
“He was a model of how you should be as a senior
member of a department,” said Physics Assistant
Professor Rose Finn, Ph.D.
Finn recently won a NSF grant of her own. Because
her work will include the research efforts of students,
she said she knows her former mentor would be proud.
“This was his vision of where education in physics
was going… it validates his vision. It validates his
goals,” Finn said.
Diamond’s colleagues said his passion and
commitment to education will live on through the
experiences of students and as faculty members share
in the courses and community he helped to cultivate.
 Faculty
Members
on a Mission
Siena College’s mission
took center stage this
summer at an overnight
faculty retreat. Fr. Ken
Paulli ’82, O.F.M., Ed. D.
chief of staff, was joined
by Tom Dickens, Ph.D.,
and Matthew Johnson ’93,
Ph.D. in leading a spirited
discussion about the lives
and legacies of Francis
and Clare of Assisi. The
men were joined by 12
faculty members from

Dr. Smith-Hunter Goes to Washington various disciplines who

collectively looked at the
implications that these
Hickey Chair in Business Andrea Smith-Hunter, Ph. D., legacies have on the
has been appointed to a position on the White House Council faculty member’s work.
on Women and Girls. “Faculty play a key
President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating the role in terms of advancing
Council earlier this year to address the challenges facing women the Franciscan Catholic
and girls in the United States. According to the White House, the dimensions of Siena’s
Council will focus on preventing violence against women and mission,” said Fr. Ken.
improving women’s health care, the balance between work, family As Siena College’s
and women’s economic security. chief of staff and a tenured
Smith-Hunter, who also is associate professor of marketing and professor, Fr. Ken said he
management, will be helping the Council explore the development enjoys retreating with other
of programs for aspiring women entrepreneurs through her work faculty and figuring out
with the Center for Women’s Business Research, based in Virginia. ways to apply the Catholic
Smith-Hunter joins fellow experts in creating a model to intellectual tradition
help women entrepreneurs succeed. That model, she said, will to Siena’s instruction,
be included in recommendations for government policies and loan research and advising.
distribution to women looking to start their own businesses. Academic service
“There are no boundaries to what you could do with owning learning was also a focus
your own business and being an entrepreneur,” she said. of the retreat. Fr. Ken
Smith-Hunter, a pioneer in studying women entrepreneurs who and the other presenters
began her research in this area in 1996, has traveled the world to stressed the power of using
study the impact that age, experience, socioeconomic status and service learning to achieve
race have on a woman’s ability to start and run a business. academic goals and attend
“My hope is to do a very good job of really formulating sound to the college’s Franciscan
principles and policies that will impact not just minority women Catholic heritage.
entrepreneurs, but all women entrepreneurs,” Smith-Hunter said.
Smith-Hunter continues to meet regularly in Washington, D.C.,
and said the work she is doing could have a positive impact on
businesswomen in the United States for generations to come.
Restoring Dignity to the Forgotten
Siena College students patients died,
traveled to Western New York their graves
in early October to take part in often were
Operation Dignity, a national marked only
movement to restore old and with a number,
abandoned psychiatric hospital a cross, with
cemeteries. Social work professors wreaths or a
Diana Strock-Lynskey, M.S.W., Star of David.
Donna McIntosh, M.S.W., and “It was eye
students joined their counterparts opening. I didn’t know this type of stuff
from St. Bonaventure University was going on,” said Tania Miolan ’10, who also is majoring
at the site of the former Gowanda in social work.
Psychiatric Center Cemetery, where they spent several “I was angry. I just couldn’t believe people would bury
hours clearing dirt off of the gravestones and then cleaning them with just a number,” Kallenburg said. “They were
them. The cemetery holds the remains of about 1,000 caught up in the job that needed to be done. I’m really proud
patients of the now-closed psychiatric center. It is one of 17 of the caliber of the students we have,” said Strock-Lynskey.
such sites in New York state. “They became an inspiration to keep going for the people
“I’m glad I was part of the experience. We showed that out there.”
there are people who care,” said Juile Kallenburg ‘10, who is Other students participating in the gravesite restoration
majoring in social work. project are junior social work majors Brittany Clarke,
The students saw first-hand that, when the mental health Natalee Gumbs, Mercy Kyeremeh and Karen Martinez,
and political science major Kim Vassilatos ’10.

A Pilot’s Perspective for the holidays. The book will be sold

for $18.45 plus tax at the Siena College
bookstore. It also can be ordered online
In his new book, J.F.K. Jr.–10 at www.siena.bkstr.com. The Franciscan
Years After the Crash: A Pilot’s Center for Service and Advocacy will
Perspective, Siena Professor Doug receive $5 from every copy sold. If you
Lonnstrom explains what really provide contact information, including your
happened while Kennedy was flying name, Lonnstrom will personally autograph
through the thick haze off Martha’s as many copies as you order.
Vineyard on July 16, 1999, and
corrects errors published right after
the crash.
Lonnstrom is an experienced pilot
who was flying home from Cape
Cod the day that Kennedy’s plane
crashed. He combines his own flight
experience with 10 years of research
to outline more than 30 mistakes that
Kennedy made during his final flight.
The book will be available in time

SIENA 20
New Full-Time Faculty Siena College welcomes 18 new full-time faculty members for the 2009-2010 academic year.
School of Business
Chester Brearey, Ph.D.,
assistant professor of
accounting, has more than
30 years of professional
experience as a CPA,
including time spent as
a partner in a Cleveland,
Ohio, firm. He recently
completed his doctorate in
business at Case Western
Reserve University.
Arindam Mandel, Ph.D.,
visiting assistant professor
of economics, has served as
a research economist in the
private sector and in state
government. He recently
completed his doctorate in
economics at the University
at Albany.
Aaron Pacitti, Ph.D.,
assistant professor of
economics, recently
completed his doctorate in
economics from American
University. He won the 2008
James H. Weaver Award for
Excellence in Teaching.
Michael Pepe, Ph.D.,
assistant professor of
marketing, brings 16 years
of business experience from
the retail grocery sector and
six years of adjunct teaching
experience. He recently
completed his doctorate
in marketing at Nova
Southeastern University.
Kenneth Williams,
professional specialist in
strategic management, has
been a visiting marketing
and strategic management
professor at several area
colleges, including Siena,
for more than 20 years. His
business, entrepreneurship
and consulting experience
include aspects of strategic
management.
Sandra Zelka, visiting
instructor of accounting, has
more than 20 years of financial
experience at SEC-regulated
national and international
companies. She is a CPA and
earned an MBA from the
University at Albany. She has
taught as an adjunct professor
at Siena and is currently
pursuing her doctorate.
School of Liberal Arts
Elizabeth Blum, visiting
assistant professor of creative
arts, is a visual artist and
educator from Troy, N.Y.
She holds a bachelor’s degree
from Loughborough College
of Art and Design in England
and a master’s degree from the
University at Albany.
Mark Jury, Ph.D., associate
professor of education,
has more than 30 years of
experience as a teacher,
researcher and education
consultant. He holds a master’s
degree and a doctorate from
University of California,
Berkeley, and comes to Siena
from the SUNY system.
Sudarat Musikawong,
Ph. D., assistant professor
of sociology, comes to Siena
after a two-year postdoctoral
fellowship at Willamette
University in Oregon. She
also has been a Henry Luce
Fellow in Asian studies at
Australia National University
and researched state violence
in Thailand.
Kevin O’Connor, visiting
professor of social work,
has been a psychiatric social
worker who worked with
the homeless for the past 26
years. He has been an adjunct
professor at Siena College for
the past two years and holds a
master’s degree from Hunter
College.
Paul Ricciardi, assistant
professor of creative arts,
specializes in acting, voice and
speech. He has taught acting
at the University at Albany
and Rhode Island College.
He has a master’s degree in
acting from Trinity Repertory
Company.
Kristine Santilli, Ph. D.,
visiting assistant professor
of English, returns to Siena,
where she taught in the 1980s.
She then taught at the Sage
Colleges for 17 years, where
she won the Exemplary
Faculty Service Award in 2006.
School of Science
Elizabeth Brookins
Danz ’04, Ph.D., visiting
assistant professor of biology,
has returned to teach at her
alma mater after completing
her doctorate at Albany
Medical College’s Center for
Cardiovascular Sciences.
Krsna Dev, Ph.D., visiting
assistant professor of physics
and astronomy, has taught for
several years at Middlebury
and Haverford colleges. He
joins the Siena faculty to
teach astronomy, electricity
and magnetism. He holds a
doctorate from Dartmouth
College.
William Kennerly, Ph.D.,
visiting assistant professor
of environmental studies,
received his doctoral from
Cornell University and
worked as a postdoctoral
researcher at the College of
Nanoscience and Engineering
at the University at Albany.
He also worked as an adjunct
professor at the University at
Albany and taught at Siena
College last year.
Katherine Meierdiercks,
Ph.D., assistant professor
of environmental studies,
has a background in
civil and environmental
engineering, specializing in
water resources. She holds
a doctorate from Princeton
University.
Stephanie Vernooy,
Ph.D., visiting assistant
professor of biology, has
taught biology at Los
Angeles Valley College and
Pasadena City College. She
holds a doctorate in biology
from the California Institute
of Technology.
Library
Alison M. Larsen,
assistant librarian, is the new
serials and Web resources
librarian. She has worked
at the University at Albany,
Albany Molecular Research
and the Environmental
Protection Agency Library
in New York City. Larsen
holds a master’s degree in
science and information
systems from the University
at Albany.
SIENA 21
 Men’s Basketball to
Embark on Most
Anticipated Season in
Program’s History
By Jason Rich ’97

Kenny Hasbrouck ’09 graduated

in May after finishing one of the most
notable careers in Siena history. He
was the first recruit to commit to
Coach Fran McCaffery in April 2005
and would later admit he wasn’t sure
if Siena was a Division I program
when he first got the call. Just over
four years later, the Saints are receiving
more Preseason Top-25 recognition
than UCLA.What in the name of John
Wooden is going on here?
Consider this: McCaffery inherited
a team that set a program record with
24 losses in 2004-05. He led Siena to
a program-record 27 wins last season.
Siena is now one of just 18 teams
in the country to reach the second
round of the NCAA Tournament in
each of the last two seasons, and four
starters return this year along with the
MAAC’s Sixth Man of the Year.
More impressive, the Saints have
proved you can win the right way.
According to the NCAA’s most recent
report, Siena’s Graduation Success
Rate in men’s basketball of 86 percent
is more than 20 percentage points
higher than the national average (65
percent).
With all this success, McCaffery’s
job as a recruiter has changed
dramatically. Once greeted with
recruits like Hasbrouck who didn’t

SIENA 22
know much, if anything, about Siena, he now walks
into living rooms of many people who can name
the college team’s starting five. Shortly after taking
over the Siena program, a local columnist pondered
whether the Saints would even win a game in
McCaffrey’s first year (the Saints posted the fifth
greatest turnaround in all of Division I that season).
Now, the coach’s media interactions include
campus visits from Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
As he was whisked through a “car wash” at
ESPN Studios in Bristol last March, just days
before the Saints would knock off Ohio State
University in their backyard, McCaffery was
asked time and time again how this all happened.
How did he take a team from being the cellar of
the MAAC to the darlings of college basketball?
How can it be that Siena basketball has assumed a
role so important in New York’s Capital Region
that two resolutions have been formally read into
the state Senate and Assembly books lauding the
team’s accomplishments, and the town of Colonie
(wherein Siena resides) literally handed the Saints a
ceremonial key to the Town?
Siena is an institution that was founded (on an
asparagus field) by seven Franciscan friars in 1937.
The friars on campus today will no doubt tell you
faith played a part in this turnaround. For certain,
something special is happening.
Consecutive storybook chapters have set the
stage for a fairytale ending even Hollywood would
have a hard time believing.
After Siena battered Vanderbilt with Cinderella’s
slipper in 2008, the clock struck midnight on Ohio
State when Ronald Moore arrived in the nick of
time in 2009. Now comes year three of this magical
run and, with four starters returning, lofty dreams
have been replaced with even loftier national
expectations.
Many feel the last season for Siena’s
“big three” — point guard Ronald Moore ’10,
swingman Edwin Ubiles ’10 and power forward
Alex Franklin ’10 — could be bittersweet. The
exposure surrounding the program is at an all-time
high, but questions arise as to whether this year will
mark the end of this fantastic voyage.
“What we try to do is not make it a closing
chapter, but make it ongoing,” McCaffery said.
“That’s the challenge. A lot of programs make a run
and retool. Our challenge is to maintain this level
of play.”
Some people point to established midmajor
programs and find similarities to what McCaffery
has brought to Loudonville.
Take Coach Rick Pitino, who said the day before
his number-one-ranked Louisville Cardinals faced
the Saints in the NCAA Tournament last year:
“They’ve got terrific talent, and the good thing for
Siena is most of these guys are coming back. Siena
now has joined the ranks of Xavier and Gonzaga in
terms of the types of players they’re getting and the
type of talent they have.”
McCaffery knows there is much work that needs
to be done before those comparisons can be made
on a consistent basis, but the recent past has taught
the country not to underestimate this program. The
Saints may very well open the season in the top 25
for the first time ever. That level of respect demands
attention, and Siena will be receiving plenty of it all
season, as Siena’s 69th season of men’s basketball is
its most anticipated ever.
SIENA 23
 Women Ready to Compete
for MAAC Crown
By Mark Adam

It’s a milestone year for Gina Castelli who enters

her 20th season as head coach for the Siena women’s
basketball team and is one win shy of 300 in her
career. Castelli has been the symbol of consistency,
averaging 15.7 wins per year, posting seven 20 plus
win seasons, winning seven MAAC regular season
championships and one MAAC tournament title.
The five-time MAAC Coach of the Year wants
to lead her team back to the promised land — the
NCAA Tournament.
Siena returns four starters and 77% of its offense
from last season. Allie Lindemann ’10 and Cristina
Centeno ’12 made an immediate impact for the
Saints in their first season while returnees Merrick
Volpe ’10, Sarah Fullmer ’10 and Cathy Cockrum ’11
stepped into prominent roles.
Lindemann ranked second in the league with
2.4 3-pointers/game and was second on the team
with 10.6 points/ game. Centeno brings a physical
presence to the backcourt and can create for others.
She is the only freshman since the program went to
Division I (1983-84) to lead the team in assists (101).
Volpe, a guard, stepped into a leadership role as
the season progressed last year. In February, she
made notable improvements, averaging 8.9 points,
4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists during that month.
Fullmer and Serena Moore ’11 complement each
other in the front court. Fullmer is a skilled offensive
player whose range extends outside of the paint.
She ranked in the MAAC’s top five in field goal
percentage (5th – .475) and blocks/game (2nd – 1.4)
and was a MAAC Sixth Player nominee last season.
Moore can slash to the hoop on offensive and alter
shots on the defensive end with her length and
jumping ability. She averaged 7.8 points and 4.5
rebounds last season.
Another player who stepped up last year was
Cockrum. The junior forward is a player who does
all the little things a team needs to win. She crashes
the offensive glass and plays with a focused intensity.
Cockrum scored a career high of 12 points in her
first career start (12/7) and never left the lineup.
With this squad, Coach Castelli is poised for
another run at the MAAC Championship this year.

SIENA 24
 Siena College is Pleased to Announce the New Director
of Alumni Relations: Mary Beth Finnerty ‘85
Finnerty graduated from Siena with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She
also holds a master’s degree in the same field from the University at Albany. She has
held various positions in both the nonprofit and business sectors. In 2007, Finnerty
returned to her “home,” Siena College, as the associate director of the annual fund. As
Director of Alumni Relations, she looks forward to creating new and meaningful ways
to foster alumni involvement at Siena.

Great Food and Fine Wine

From the Desk of the Director for a Good Cause
Five-hundred Siena alumni and friends
attended Festa Vino 2009 in support of the
Greetings from the Office of Alumni Relations! It is with great
Saints Alive! Athletic Fund and a newly
pleasure and enthusiasm that I write to you for the first time as
established emergency financial aid fund.
director —Siena’s first female alumni director.
Check out more photos of the always
As a fellow alum, I share with you the pride of being a Siena Saint.
popular event at www.siena.edu/alumni
The warm sense of community, friendships, challenging academics,
loyalty to our teams and commitment to Franciscan values are
what make Siena a unique and wonderful place. While the physical
landscape has changed since Siena was first established in 1937, much
remains the same. The memories of our experiences connect us as
alumni, from our first graduates of 1941 to our newest graduates
of 2009.
I always enjoy the immediate bond I feel when meeting Siena
students or alumni. Age and experience make no difference; pride
and love of Siena are the common thread. I am grateful to serve Siena
as Director of Alumni Relations. Our alumni are 28,000 strong,
representing all ages, geographic areas and careers.
My charge is to engage alumni to be involved actively in the life of
the College through the social networks, assistance with admissions,
career placement, fundraising initiatives and community service
projects. I welcome your thoughts and look forward to reconnecting
with old friends and making new ones.

With best wishes,

Mary Beth Finnerty

Mary Beth Finnerty ’85

P.S. Please contact us at alumni@siena.edu with updated

information, thoughts or ideas.
Standish Library
Celebrates 10 Years
Siena College celebrated the 10th
anniversary of the J. Spencer and
Patricia Standish Library with a
reception in October.
“The library has played a central
role in the development of academic
excellence at Siena College during the
past decade,” said Linda Richardson,
Ph.D., vice president for academic
affairs. She called the library “the
greatest testimony to the visionary
generosity of Spencer and Pat
Standish.”
Richardson reminded those in
attendance of the Dawson Memorial
Library: five floors of stacks, only one
large reading room, drawers and
drawers of card catalogues and no
computers. Today’s Standish Library
provides the modern amenities that
probably were hard to imagine for
those who experienced the previous
library.
As Student Senate President Steve
Hannigan said, “The library is so much
more than collections of books and
computers. It is our research database,
our home office, our student corner
and our living room.”
Gary Thompson, director of the
library and audiovisual services, said,
“The Standish Library has many
forward-looking aspects that still make us the envy of other academic librarians
and faculty who visit here.”
The structure of the library continues to evolve to meet the needs of the Siena
community. The library was the second building (after the Sarazen Student
Union) to provide wireless access. The library includes a 24-hour student space
to complement the 24-hour computer lab, a multimedia production facility and
college archives (in time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Siena College in
2012).
Other library features include:
• instruction classroom and lab
• community meeting room
• computer networking throughout
• computer clusters, collaborative AV spaces and group study areas
• “green” interior that meets tough environmental standards
• traditional and contemporary art
Whatever the changes may be, the library will be an invaluable resource for
generations of Siena students to come.
“Because of the Standish Library, Siena College is in a position to provide
digital technology that will allow its students, faculty and staff the opportunity
to participate in national and international efforts to explore and explain the
world around us,” Richards said.

Above: Spencer and Patricia Standish with family, friends and members of the Siena College community.

SIENA 26
An Interview with Sr. Rosemary Sgroi
Sr. Rosemary Sgroi, R.S.M., was a member of the Siena Campus Ministry Team for 15 years. She returned to the college
this past year as associate director of stewardship and donor relations. To the Siena community, Sr. Rosemary is known as
a trusted confidante and advisor to students, staff and faculty. To the local community, she is known as a dedicated board
member to numerous nonprofit organizations. To her Sisters of Mercy community, she is recognized as a spiritual leader and
a trusted friend. To her family, she is kind and fun-loving Aunt Rosemary. To all, she is a special friend.
Sr. Sgroi celebrated her 50th anniversary as a Sister of Mercy in September 2009. To honor this special occasion, alumni,
friends and family have endowed a scholarship. The scholarship is in honor of Sr. Rosemary’s parents, Anna and Salvadore
Sgroi, and will benefit a woman, preferably from the Arbor Hill neighborhood in Albany, N.Y., who embraces the
Franciscan spirit and would otherwise be unable to attend college. Preference also will be given to a woman who has been
enrolled in the elementary and high school mentoring program at Siena. For more information on the scholarship, please
contact Ruth Richards, director of stewardship and donor relations, at rrrichards@siena.edu or 518-782-4226.

Siena News: What inspired you to become a sister? Siena News: Why are scholarships so important?

Sr. Rosemary: It may have been the joy and vitality of the
sisters who taught me in high school. I did feel like God
was “calling me,” but I wasn’t quick to respond. It was a
feeling that lingered with me for a few years before I
finally made the commitment.
Siena News: Why is Siena special to you?
Sr. Rosemary: Siena upholds strong spiritual, academic
and social values. It uplifts the spirit and promise
of young people while challenging them to a
commitment of equality, diversity and social justice.
I hold in my heart many fond memories of my time
here.
Sr. Rosemary: As I review the student scholarship
thank-you letters, I realize what a profound impact that
scholarships have on the student recipients and their families.
Six-hundred-and-six scholarships are awarded to more than
680 students each year, enabling them to be part of the Siena
family and the Siena experience. Many of these students
would not be able to attend college without this financial
aid. The scholarships also represent Siena’s commitment to
diversity and education for all.

Siena News: What is your favorite Siena memory?

Sr. Rosemary: That’s a tough one! There are so

many “bests.” Perhaps just being there for the
students in Ryan Hall, or directing a retreat in
Lake George, or organizing the volunteer fair and
having more than 600 students volunteer in the
local community, or preparing students for the
sacraments, or being on the committee for Siena’s
50th anniversary, or going white water rafting
with ROTC, or being one of the biggest fans of
the Siena Saints. The list is endless.

Siena News: What do you like most about your

position in stewardship?

Sr. Rosemary: Definitely the interaction with

students, alumni and generous donors. I also like
the spiritual projects I’ve been involved with,
such as memorial masses, publication of a revised
prayer book, Siena note cards, departmental
services and prayers, and the camaraderie of a
dedicated development staff. I also enjoy the
various activities that surround the scholarships
and the scholarship dinner.

SIENA 27
 class notes
Editors: Victoria Abdulla ’07, Development Assistant, and Janice Goca, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
Please submit all of your Class Notes information to your Class Coordinator, or if there is no coordinator
listed for your class, please send all information to alumni@siena.edu for posting in the magazine.
NEWSMAKER
John Dawson ’68
Selected as one of 2010’s
Best Lawyers in America
1949
Leo Dean was recently presented
with the French Legion of Honor
medal, the country’s highest deco-
ration. In WWII, Dean served as
a member of the 517th Parachute
Regimental Combat Team. He was
stationed in southern France and
was integral in the Draguignan
invasion. Over 60 years later, Dean
still enjoys skydiving.
1959
Frank Martin
ftmartin@nycap.rr.com
1962
Ken Deitcher
dukaytravel@att.net
Ken Deitcher recently attended
a meeting of Aussie Specialists in
Adelaide, Australia and toured the
states of South Australia, Victoria
and New South Wales. Ken is the
owner of Dukay Travel in Delray
Beach, Fla.
1963
The Class of ’63 is sad to report
classmate and Board of Trustee
member Edward Johnson passed
away on October 14, 2009. He
was the founder and president
of InfoEd International, Albany.
To leave the family a special
SIENA 28
ALUMNI
message on their guest book,
view Ed’s life tribute, obtain a
memory card or share a photo
with the family, please go to
McveighFuneralHome.com.
1965
Jack Mulvey, Jr.
jkmulvey@netscape.com
1967
Rick Spataro
rspataro001@twcny.rr.com
61 State Street
Malone, NY 12953
518 -483-3566
1968
Bill McGoldrick
bmcgoldrick@wash-mcg.com
What member of our class is in
the Rock and Roll Museum? Keep
reading!
It’s no surprise that John
Dawson has been selected by his
peers for inclusion in The Best
Lawyers in America 2010. John has
been recognized for more than 25
years for his practice in bankruptcy
and creditor-debtor rights law. To
earn this honor, attorneys nation-
wide rank the top practitioners in
their specialties in their jurisdic-
tions. Because listings are based on
the votes of other lawyers and can-
not be solicited, inclusion in Best
Lawyers is considered a particular
honor. With his home base in
Phoenix, John seems to spend more
time in airplanes and courtrooms
than at home! He also serves Siena
as a long-time member of the Board
of Trustees.
We saw Gene Jannotti and
Carol Kearney; Carmen Cognetta;
Jim Donsbach and Susan; Bill
Barrett and Karen; Bob Klein and
Maureen at the Siena day at the
Races in Saratoga in August. It was
a great day.
Gene celebrated his 10th
anniversary at Computer Ser-
vices Corporation as a principal
consultant and program director.
He recently performed computer
infrastructure work for JPMorgan
Chase in conjunction with their
purchase of Bear Stearns. His newest
assignment is with VWR Interna-
tional, a global seller of scientific
equipment and supplies to high
schools, colleges and labs. The work
includes the project management of
the migration of their data center to
a new corporate headquarters. He
and Carol enjoy travel, gardening,
music, and dancing, and he keeps
in touch with Pete Lattimore
(Albuquerque, N.M.) and Phil Kelly
(Kingston, N.Y.). Gene’s high school
rock band, The Peppermints, has
been added to the Rock and Roll
Museum of the Hudson Valley.
Bill Mahoney is retired but
you’d never know it. After a career
with the State of New York, Bill
volunteers for New York State
for Veterans, a not-for-profit that
provides counseling and employ-
ment assistance services to honor-
ably discharged veterans seeking
employment. He also volunteers
several times a year for Hole in the
Wall camps around the country and
internationally. Hole in the Wall
camps, founded by Paul Newman,
are camps for children with serious
and life-threatening medical
conditions. Bill’s nephew, David
Maturro, is the director of opera-
tions for Siena’s championship
men’s basketball team.
Class notes only works if you
send your news to me at the e-mail
above. I need your help. All the best
to you and yours!
1972
Jack Callahan
Jackcallahan33@gmail.com
1973
Brian Valentine
bgvalentine@verizon.net
202-586 -9741
Greetings to all Siena’s commu­
nity — students, parents, alumni,
faculty and friends! The year 2009
is almost over, and I hope it was
successful and happy for everyone. 
Siena College’s Class of 2013 has
nearly completed their first
semester at Siena —­ just as I did,
exactly forty years ago.  And forty
years from now, freshman class,
you’ll look back with as much
fondness for Siena College as I do
now, and Siena will remain part of
you forever.
I am pleased to report that our
classmate Edward (Ed) Duess
(B.S., mathematics) has just begun
his sixth and final year in the
Diaconate Formation Program
in the Archdiocese of Philadel-
phia. On June 5, 2010, Ed will be
ordained a deacon. In the words of
Ed’s wife, Marie, “This has been
a long dream of his that is finally
coming true, and after all the years
that he has spent making his
children’s and my dreams come
true, it’s long overdue.
Recently, a few days after
becoming an instituted acolyte
(the last step before ordination)
Ed was reminiscing about this
journey in the Church, and he was
mentioning all the names of the
Franciscan friars who influenced
him (he was raised in a Franciscan
parish in New Jersey and attended
Siena). He said, ‘These men, along
with my parents, were the people
who raised me [...]. They enriched
my life and my love of my faith
and the Church.” Some of the
Franciscan friars and Siena College
faculty who Ed referred to would
include Fr. Ronald King, O.F.M.,
Fr. Martin Hanhauser, O.F.M., Fr.
Ted Ruel, O.F.M., Fr. Lawrence
Rainville, O.F.M. and many others.
We wish you well in your
deaconship, Ed — maybe some
day, you’ll assist with a Mass at
the Siena College chapel and your
classmates can join you for that. 
Does anyone have more won-
derful stories about members of
the Class of 1973 to share with us?
Send them my way, please!
1975
Janet Gutowski Hall
janet.hall@wku.edu
1977
Linda Fitzsimmons
lfitzsimmons@hvc.rr.com
I never cease to be amazed at the
varied achievements of the Class of
’77. Bob Flanagan is retired from a
career on Wall Street and is coaching
high school lacrosse at Immaculata
High School in Somerville, N.J.
His team won the nonpublic “B”
state championship and made it to
the semifinals of the Tournament
of Champions. Bob is also looking
toward retirement next spring from
Stony Brook University. Next is Jon
Plaisted, who has just published his
fourth book, Seriously, a collection
of prose and poems. He is looking
forward to returning to Oregon
next fall.
Congratulations to Andrew
Carroll, a consultant in the Capital
District. He received his master’s
degree in organizational leadership
from Gonzaga University School of
Professional Studies this past May.
This degree combines cutting-edge
research from the social sciences,
communications, arts, humanities
and business. Dominick Calsolaro
is continuing to serve the citizens of
the first ward of the city of Albany;
he recently won the Democratic
Party primary and will run for a
third term as a member of the  occasion to travel to the city for
Albany Common Council. Stephen
Badger, chief executive officer
of George Washington Medical
Faculty Associates, was recently
interviewed by BBC America on the
subject of electronic health records.
In recognition and appreciation of
medical training for the Saudi
Arabia military, Stephen also
received a ceremonial dagger from
Saudi Arabia.
Some of us, including myself,
have children who have graduated
from Siena, or who are currently
students; my younger son is a soph-
omore, studying computer science
and mathematics. There are some in
our class who have remained active
members of the Siena community,
having made the transition from
student to mentor. Cynthia
Renauld/Lansing is at the Siena
College Health Center two morn-
ings a week and continues to work
for St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany.
We also congratulate faculty mem-
bers Eugene Farley, who was ap-
pointed director of the new Master
of Science in Accounting program at
Siena, and Mary Fitzgerald/Hoyt,
professor of English who has just
completed her 25th year of teaching
at Siena.
Kevin MacCary, general counsel
and vice president of United Launch
Alliance and Debbie Iritano/
MacCary, professional school
counselor, are now enjoying the
Colorado Rockies lifestyle as
empty-nesters, having just sent their
last of three children off to college.
Marianne Bateman, a certified yoga
teacher and personal trainer, and her
husband Alex Clemente celebrated
their 25th wedding anniversary
on September 29. They have two
children, ages 9 and 13. Craig
Tolosky recently did some traveling,
including snowmobiling across a
glacier on June 21, the longest day of
the year, with over 20 hours of light.
Thanks to so many of you
who wrote simply to let me know
that, while there was nothing new
to share, you just wanted to say
“hello.” Perhaps that’s the best news:
that the Class of ’77 is alive and well
and contributing to their little part
of the world as only a Siena grad can.
1979
Sue Reilly/Hayes
CLIFTON522@aol.com
522 Chili-Riga Town Line Road
Churchville, NY 14428
585-889-2072
We have a published author in our
midst! Our own Lorrie Scardino
has penned her first children’s book
High Hope King: The Adventure at
the Mallard Point Golf Course, a tale
about four furry friends who play
golf together. To learn more about
the book, visit www.highhopeking.
com. A bit of background: Lorrie
enjoyed a great career in technology
services, but was burned out with
too much travel, overtime hours,
etc. At the same time she had been
writing stories for years as a “secret
hobby.” She’s thrilled to be learning
a new business and writes, “It’s
quite a kick to see my name on a
book cover.” Lorrie’s second book
is in illustration and her third in
editing. You can purchase Lorrie’s
book at Amazon.com (searching
by her name or book title). It’s also
for sale at a smattering of east coast
golf courses. Let’s get a little ’79 net-
working going. All you avid golfers
out there, why not contact Lorrie to
see if the book can be carried at your
home course?
OK, I’m squinting back at my
scribbled notes from various Alumni
Weekend cocktail hours on Friday
and Saturday nights, trying to make
sense of them. It was fun to see
Milagros “Tata” Arias who made a
surprise appearance after dinner Sat-
urday night, driving up from New
York City with a friend. She contin-
ues to enjoy her career as an English
and Spanish teacher at Washington
Irving School in New York City. I
enjoyed chatting with Steve Brown
and his lovely date, Karolanne,
about how they met on match.com
and how much they are enjoying
boating, hiking, etc. together. Hope
you had a great summer!
Dolores Ryan was at Dapper’s on
Friday night, but it was a whirlwind
trip to Loudonville. She was headed
back home to Danbury, Connecticut
to cheer on her daughter who was
participating in a charity run on
Saturday. Steve Malinowski and
Madalyn Stowers/Malinowski told
classmates how much they were
enjoying outings on their recently-
purchased Harley Davidson. Dare
I mention (talk about feeling old!)
that Danny Buser ’82 and Mary
Cronin/Buser’s daughter and Mark
Casale and Jane Barnes/Casale’s
son were dating at Reunion time?
Both are in high school in the Al-
bany area. Patty Kelly reported that
her daughters Meghan (Marist) and
Kelly (Colgate) both graduated from
college last spring and are sharing an
apartment in New York City where
Meghan attends grad school at
NYU and Kelly works in the
fashion industry. That’s a treat for
Patty because she frequently has
work and can now combine it with
a visit with her girls.
I had fun chatting with John
D’Alessandro and his wife
Bernadette Arnett/D’Alessandro ’80
at Dappers on Friday. They celebrat-
ed their 25th wedding anniversary
in April (and, frankly, don’t look a
day older to me than when we were
in class together!). They have three
children, Nicholas, 21; Evan, 15; and
Caitlin, 14. John reported that his
nephew, Cody Jones of Bohemia,
Long Island, was just accepted to
Siena. John and Bernie keep in
close touch with Siena buddy
Al Caudullo, and his wife Louise,
who live in Bolton, Connecticut.
In fact, Bernie missed Saturday’s
festivities because she and the kids
headed down to a big party at the
Caudullos, celebrating Louise’s 50th
birthday, their daughter Vicky’s
sweet 16, and their daughter Dottie’s
high school graduation. Congrats,
Caudullos, on all the milestones!
Keep those e-mails and phone
calls coming, and give me a heads
up on what’s going on in your life.
Many people told me in June how
much they enjoyed this column ...
it’s you guys who make it easy to
write! Face it, the Class of ’79 is
filled with interesting, talented and
fun people!
1980
Diane DeSilva
desidian@shenet.org
Anne Bradley/Dieleman
qualified and competed in the World
Triathlon Championships in Surfer’s
Paradise, Australia in September. 
She competed in her age group,
50-54, in the Olympic distance
triathlon. Her employer has granted
Anne a six-week leave to visit
schools in the Brisbane area, dive
the Great Barrier Reef and compete
in the World Masters Games in
Sydney, Australia in October. Her
husband and twin sons will join
Anne in Brisbane. Anne states,
“That’s the most excitement I have
had in my life for a while.”
She currently lives in St.
Albert in Alberta, Canada and
has been there for six years. Her
husband’s work in researching
Crohn’s disease brought them to
Alberta. Anne has a position as
a reading specialist in the public
schools. Go, Anne! We will have an
update in the next issue!
1982
Bob Young
RYoung60@aol.com
1983
Elvira Altimari-Jaeger
eaj6@optonline.net
60 Wyatt Rd
Garden City, NY 11530
Happy fall to the Class of ’83! I
heard from a shout-out, Dan Falvo,
who did not realize that he was
MIA. After graduating from Siena,
Dan got an M.B.A. in finance from
Syracuse University. Dan and his
family have been hiding out in
Marietta, Ga. for the last 17 years,
where he works for IBM Global
Finance. Dan and his wife, Diane,
have been married for 17 years.
They have three kids: James, 13;
Patrick, 9; and Lindsey, 5. They
moved into a new home last June,
and that is why he did not make
the reunion. Dan says he is on
Facebook and Linkedin, if anyone
wants to get in touch. I also heard
from my good friend, Virginia
Smith/Regan. Virginia has been
married to Terry “Rence” Regan ’82
for 23 years. They live on Long
Island with their six (yes, six!)
children: Terrence 21, a recent
SIENA 29
 NEWSMAKER
Horst Hoefinger ’86
Is the author of a new
book being published by
Kensington Books.
graduate of Holy Cross; Patrick,
20, a senior at Loyola in Maryland;
Christopher, 13; Jack, 11; Grace, 9;
and Emily, 4. They are all involved
in a myriad of sports, scouts and
after-school activities. I am sure I
do not have to tell you how busy
this gang keeps both of their parents
with driving, coaching, and organiz-
ing schedules. Virginia was sorry
to miss the 25th reunion, but vows
to make the 50th birthday party in
2011. This brings me to mention
that we are forming a committee
to plan our 50th birthday celebra-
tion. We are already hammering out
all the details, so if you want to be
part of the committee, let me know
by e-mail. Shout-outs go to Kim
Baker, Jim O’Connor, Steve Gillen
and Joan Jordan. Where are you,
and what have you been up to? We
would love to hear from you.
1984
Lisa San Fratello/McCutcheon
mcclisa@yahoo.com
305 The Parkway
Ithaca, NY 14853
Professional baseball scout Jim
Howard was presented the Jim
Russo Scout of the Year Award,
named in honor of the man who
spent 33 years in various scouting
capacities with the Orioles beginning
with their move from St. Louis in
1954.  Howard has been a scout
with the Orioles since 1988 and was
responsible for the signing of former
Orioles LHP Erik Bedard, current
Orioles RHP Jim Johnson, and
Orioles minor league pitchers Jim
Hoey and Patrick Egan. Jim was
inducted into Siena’s Sports Hall of
Fame in 1991.
SIENA 30
1985
Catherine and Ron Bjorklund
bjork90@comcast.net
14 Stevens Lane
Tabernacle, NJ 08088-9744
Another generation! This fall a
few of our fellow Class of 1985
graduates sent their children off to
Siena to start their own legacy!
Parents Weekend has taken on a
whole new dimension now. Jenny
Fountain/MacAskill’s daughter,
Alex, as well as Kevin Maguire’s
daughter, Katie (also legacy lacrosse
player), is a freshman this year. Amy
Gaynor/Feiden’s daughter, Court-
ney, is a sophomore.
Did you know that three
members of the Board of Associ-
ate Trustees are from our very own
Class of ’85? George Durney is our
veteran member and new this year
are Robin Leonard/Prunty and Pat
O’Connor/Baum. Congratulations,
and thank you for sharing your
talents to help keep Siena strong.
Save the Date: Next June 4–6,
2010 is our 25th Reunion Week-
end. Mark your calendars now to
attend this fun event. For those of
you who attended the 20th, you
will remember the Class of 1985
knows how to throw a party! We are
starting now to plan, so if you have
any ideas, send them along to Mary
Beth Finnerty at mfinnerty@siena.
edu. Also, once again, we would like
to have a photo presentation, so if
you have any ideas or pictures, send
them to us at bjork90@comcast.net.
All photos must be scanned and sent
via e-mail or on a CD/DVD (to Ron
and Cathy, address is above). If you
don’t know how to scan your old
photos, ask your kids … they will do
it for you … seriously.
We only have 269 valid e-mails for
our class. Updates would be great.
Updated contact info can be sent
to Marybeth Finnerty’s attention at
mfinnerty@siena.edu or 518-782-
6818. MB set up a Facebook group,
so anyone on Facebook can join the
“Siena Class of ’85 25th Reunion
Group” to participate and keep up to
date as we plan.
See you in June!
1986
Horst Hoefinger recently
authored a book titled Bad to the
Bone, a laugh-out-loud dog memoir
about chow/retriever, Bo. The book
was published by Kensington Books
and is currently being reviewed.
Captain Dominic De Scisciolo,
USN has assumed command of the
guided missile cruiser USS Bunker
Hill (CG 52) in San Diego, Calif.
1987
Gerry McAndrew
Geraldine.m.candrew@comcast.net
1988
Paula Cacossa
Pc888@comcast.net
After reading the Alumni News,
Marianne Ciminera/Rivello
contacted me. She is also living in
the Chicago area. Marianne moved
to Chicago about three years
ago from New Jersey, when her
husband transferred for work. She
is currently a stay-at-home mom
raising two active boys, Scott, 6,
and James, 3. We hope to get to-
gether soon.  If there are any other
Class of ’88 alumni in Chicago,
please e-mail us.
Brendan Mc Kelvey wrote that
he is busy these days. He recently
started a new job as a database
solutions architect with AdvizeX
Technologies in Burlington Mass.
He has been living in Nashua,
N.H. and has two wonderful
children — Bailey and Charles.  Siena College Class of 1989 alumni,
Julie Bontempo/Veschi and
Dave Veschi are living in Hartford,
Conn. with their two daughters
and one son. Julie had returned to
school to be a teacher.  jswierbut@yahoo.com
Jim Mulvany is working in
sales and living in Arizona with
his wonderful wife, Barb, and their
four kids — Patrick, Declan, Fiona
and Maeve.  others are still having new babies
Eileen Guiney/Berglunde is
fighting for a great cause as finance
manager for the Avon Founda-
tion. She is busy raising funds
for the Avon Foundation’s fight
against breast cancer. Eileen is liv-
ing in Carmel, N.Y. with her hus-
band, Eric, and daughter Megan.  I heard from Melissa Miller/
As I finished writing this
column, I received an e-mail from
Kathleen Reynolds/Bove.
Kathleen wrote: “Funny you
should ask. Christine Callanan/
McCarthy and I just walked 39.3
miles in New York City over the
week. Our walk was in support
of the Avon Foundation walk for
breast cancer. Chris and I were on
a team that raised over $45,000.
There were about 4,000 walkers,
and the grand total raised was
$9.5 million. Chris and I trained all
summer and we were thrilled to be
part of this amazing event!”
A while back, Eileen Guiney
also mentioned to me that she met
Joe Inzerillo and Eric Tafuri at
an Avon Foundation Walk. Their
wives were also walking for a cure.
Way to go Siena Alumni!
1989
Mike Carbonaro
sienanews.1989@yahoo.com
3140 10th Street
Bethlehem, PA 18020
610 -737-1147
It seems that everyone had a very
busy summer and forgot to keep us
in the loop. We did hear from Rick
Jones who was named chief financial
officer of Mechanical Technology
Inc., a fifty-year old manufacturing/
R&D company in the Albany area,
where Rick has worked since 1993.
This, of course, is in addition to his
night job, moonlighting as the drum-
mer for the Throwbacks. Rick lives
in Voorheesville, N.Y. with his wife
Karen, and two children, Maddie and
Bryce. He is already counting down
the days to the 25th reunion (Friday
night, June 6, 2014 at the Red Square).
Please think of your fellow
classmates and send your updates to
sienanews.1989@yahoo.com. Also, as
mentioned in the last newsletter, a
Facebook group now exists for the
so check it out.
1990
Janet Shotter/Swierbut
Hello, Class of 1990! It’s hard to
believe that we will soon be celebrat-
ing our 20th Reunion. While some
of us have kids starting high school,
— and we all want to hear about it.
What’s been keeping you busy all
these years? Do you have a new job,
new career or new business? Are your
children on a travel soccer or baseball
team? Are you a Brownie leader or
team mom?
Fedrizzi, who is living in the Finger
Lakes region of New York, near
Cornell. She is married to Matthew
and has four boys, including two
step sons Daniel, 23 and Lucas, 20.
Lucas is in the Marines and was
headed to Iraq in April (let’s keep
him in our prayers). Jack is 9, and
Max is 7. Melissa is the broker
owner of RE/MAX In Motion and
sells real estate in the Finger Lakes
region. Check out her Website at
www.reinmotion.com.
Lisa Vetere, my fellow English
major, has been an assistant professor
of English at Monmouth University
in West Long Branch, N.J. since
2005. She lives on the Jersey shore,
in Ocean Grove, just a few blocks
from the ocean, and loves it. Lisa is
busy working on a book on the Salem
Witch Trials, still runs regularly, and
really enjoys life as a professor. She
earned her Ph.D. from Lehigh Uni-
versity in 2004. Lisa wanted to send
out a special thanks to Dr. Bulger,
one of her former English profes-
sors, for inspiring her and giving her
the confidence to pursue this life.
Chris Repetto reports that the
Class of ’89 Reunion had a little
extra musical flavor this year with
two Siena bands reuniting for the
first time in years to play the week-
end’s events. The Throwbacks (Paul
Murray ’89, Brian McGuiness ’89,
Emmet Finnerty ’89 and Rick
Jones ’89); and Raisin Cain (Chip
Cleeve ’89, PJ McCarthy ’89, Chris
Repetto and honorary Siena class-
mate for the weekend, Perry Young)
co-headlined at Red Square in
Albany on Friday night to a packed
house. On Saturday, the bands enter-
tained graduates and their families at
the picnic in front of Siena Hall.  First, thanks to Jay DeTraglia
The turnout was great, and
the feedback was so positive that
Reunion organizers have asked both
bands to return for an encore perfor-
mance next summer at the Class of
’90 reunion! Thanks for keeping us
up to date Chris! We can’t wait.
Kevin Lawlor and his wife Beth,
live in Green Brook, N.J. with
their two children, Brendan, 11
and Gillian, 10. Kevin is a financial
advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith
Barney and was recently promoted
to producing manager oversee-
ing 40 financial advisors. Kevin is
actively involved in the community
and serves as the head coach of the
U-10 girls travel soccer team and
assistant coach of the boys U-11
travel basketball team. Kevin plays
on the Beacon Hill Club Team in
Summit, N.J. as well as two USTA
teams. Kevin recently traveled back
to Siena for the MAAC Tournament
and enjoyed touring the campus
with his family.
We want to hear more! E-mail me
at jswierbut@yahoo.com or find me
on Facebook.
1991
Kevin Clarke
Siena91@optonline.net
Hey, Class of 1991!
Our class updates were on the
slow side this fall, and there is noth-
ing new to report in this issue.
Remember — let’s make sure our
section is always full of news and
information that will keep us all con-
nected. Send me your notes, or just
drop me a line to catch up — noth-
ing is too small to mention.
By the next issue, the holiday
season will have come and gone —
so be safe and enjoy!
All the best!
1992
Mary Pat McLoughlin/Holler
jmpholler@optonline.net
1993
Susan Hannon  and her husband Shawn are happy
shannon@ryeneck.k12.ny.us
213 W 252nd Street
Riverdale, NY 10471
917-796 -2085
Fall turns into winter, and of
course snow will be falling in
Albany. Remember the snow ball
fights in the quad on the night
of the first snow of the year? Or
snatching trays from SAGA to go
sleigh riding on the golf course?
Ah, to be young and free again to
do those things! So, another slow
month of updates — not that it
makes them less important!
for answering my shout-out
and sending me your update.
Jay just began his 16th year in
education. After teaching for four
years, he became an elementary
principal and later high school
principal (and boss of many of
his former teachers!) at his alma
mater, Fonda-Fultonville Central
School. For the past five years,
he has been the director of the
Career and Technical Center at the
Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery
BOCES in Johnstown, N.Y. Jay
has been happily married for seven
years. He wants to hear from his
old friend and roommate, Eddie
Gonzalez, so, Eddie, please shoot
me an e-mail so I can help you guys
reconnect. I also heard from Kelby
Roche, who has been working
as a Web programmer for the
Association of Marian Helpers,
a lay apostolate of the Marians
of the Immaculate Conception.
Their Mercy Sunday (the Sunday
after Easter) Mass can be seen
on EWTN on April 19, 2010.
For more information about the
Marians or Mercy Sunday, please
visit the Websites Marian.org and
TheDivineMercy.org.
Christopher Hanifin recently
accepted a job in Vilseck, Germany.
He will work as a civilian attorney
with the U.S. Army as part of the
7th Army/Joint Multi-National
Training Command.
The shout-outs this time go to:
Keith Abatto, Anthony Stewart
and Derek Wolfe. How about you,
Smiley? Mike Serbalik — are you
still playing ball? Shites — what’s
your deal? Cindy Patterer —
remember the Schick Super Hoops
at the Meadowlands? Come on
people, share!
1994
Glenn Hofsess
gh@endcap.com
83 Kellogg Street
Brookfield, CT 06804
1995
Neil Wilcove
nwilcove@fmglaw.com
Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP
100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30339
770 -818 -1430
1996
Brian Murray
murray21@hotmail.com
bmurray@betterbackschiropractic.
com
614-270 -6003
1997
Selena Dutcher
selena.dutcher@regentcomm.com
bronx_bombers25@yahoo.com
518 -265 -2127
The leaves are falling, and I have
calluses from raking and more
raking. The Saints are getting ready
to take to the hardwood, and sooner
than later, the snow will fall on the
Capital District. Here’s the update
on some of our classmates.
Dawn Iannaco/Hahn and her
husband Dave, welcomed their first
child, Tanner Vincent Hahn on
January 20, 2009. He was 7 pounds,
8 ounces, and 20 inches long.
Congratulations!
Wayne Smith checked in to let
us know he is a lawyer in Albany
with Smith Phillip, PLLC, a general
practice firm with a focus on estate
planning and tax. He can be reached
at wsmith@smithphilipp.com.
I want to hear from you —
babies, weddings, job promotions
— anything!
To make a submission for the
newsletter, please contact me
by e-mail at selena.dutcher@
regentcomm.com or selenadutcher@
yahoo.com. You can also look me
up on Facebook! If you want to
touch base and chat for a while, give
me a call at 518-265-2127. I look
forward to hearing from you!
1998
Janine Trapp/Scotti, MBA
sienasaints98@yahoo.com
201-294-0395
Autumn greetings, Class of ’98!
We have some more exciting news
from our fellow classmates to report
in this issue.
Sean Murphy and his wife,
Angela, welcomed their second
daughter, Kathleen Brigid, on
April 27, 2009. Sean also recently
accepted a position as an analyst
with Naval Criminal Investigative
Service (NCIS) at the Washington
Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
Aimee Petrognani/O’Grady
to announce the birth of their
son, Caden Michael, born on
March 19, 2009.
Congratulations to you and your
families, Sean and Aimee!
And finally, I was honored to
witness the marriage of my good
friend Christina Joseph/Quirin
to Timothy Quirin on August 1,
2009, in a beautiful ceremony in
Chicago, Ill. Maria Rusolo ’97
served as Christina’s matron of
honor, I served as a bridesmaid, and
fellow classmate Jackie Zore/Smrek
also attended. Congratulations,
Christina and Tim! See photo in
this issue.
Keep the good news rolling in,
Class of ’98! Until next time!
1999
Brendan Fitzgerald
nyfitzgerald@yahoo.com
518-258-9272
Autumn is my favorite time of
year. The explosion of short-lived
beauty gives the fall a sense of
urgency. In the Northeast, for a few
weeks each year we are lavished
with an outdoor paradise that stirs
up feelings of the sublime. Perhaps
it is the inevitable terminus of that
vibrant landscape, and the transi-
tion in air from crisp to cold, that
makes one appreciate the fleeting
nature of so many things in life. Fall
forces you to embrace the beauty
of the present, and reminds you to
focus on the things and people you
cherish while they are still in your
life. And in doing so, you often find
your way home, and rediscover
the comfort and warmth that being
around loved ones can bring.
This fall brings great news from
members of our ever-expanding
Siena family.
Jennifer Morehouse/Cetnar
and her husband Joe, announced
the birth of their daughter Kaitlyn
Rayann on December 19, 2008.
Kaitlyn joins her big brother J.D.,
who is now three years old.
Congratulations, Cetnars!
Lora Gurley/Owen wrote in to
say “We had another baby! This
makes baby number three for us.
Wow! Shiloh Eden-Grace Owen
was born on July 27, 2009. She was
8 pounds, 10 ounces, and 21 1/2
inches long. She has been such a joy,
though I will say that going from
two to three little ones is a bit on the
SIENA 31
crazy side, but we’re slowly getting
the hang of it all.” Lora, I can’t
imagine how challenging that is!
Congratulations to you and
your family!
Also, Rachael Brady/Richards
wrote to say that her family enjoyed
an addition. Isabel Mae Richards
was born on July 15, 2009, weighing
7 pounds, 4 ounces. She joins her
14-month-old sister, Abby, and
almost 3-year-old brother, Ethan.
Rachel’s note that “it’s a busy house
for us with three kids less than
three years,” is definitely an under-
statement.
I am pleased to announce for
myself that my wife Lauren
Denison, and I welcomed our first
child, John Ryan Fitzgerald into the
world on February 7, 2009. Amaz-
ingly, Jack was born on his due date,
an incredible feat of punctuality
that is certainly not something he
inherited from his parents.
A note of apology to everyone
for the absence of updates in the
last magazine. A change in positions
and some e-mail problems resulted
in some unfortunate hiccups. If you
e-mailed me something that didn’t
get printed, my apologies. Please use
nyfitzgerald@yahoo.com.
Best to everyone for a healthy
and safe holiday season!
2000
Shaymus R. Schweitzer
SienaSaints2000@hotmail.com
103 Sherman Ave.
Troy, NY 12180
518-727-3392
2001
Maura Mack
sienanotes01@gmail.com
Congrats to classmates Christina
Lavin/Heacock and Seth Heacock,
who were married August 10,
2008 in Newport, R.I. See photo
in this issue. It looks like many
Siena alumni were celebrating with
you. Wonderful news came from
Shannon Archer/McGorry. She
and her husband Scott welcomed
their second baby girl, Caroline
Archer McGorry, on April 9, 2009.
She joins her sister Colleen Flynn
McGorry.
I was excited to hear from proud
sister, Caitlin Mahoney ’03, that her
brother Devin Mahoney contin-
ues to be successful working both
on and off camera for the sitcom
“Scrubs.” She shared this blurb
with me: Scrubs episode — “My
Comedy Show” (season 8, episode
10, airing on February 10, 2009) was
written by Devin O. Mahoney, a
Utica native, Siena College (2001)
and Syracuse University S.I. New-
SIENA 32
house School (M.A. 2004) alumnus,
now living in Los Angeles, and his
writing partner, fellow SU alumnus,
C. Rego Marquiis. Mahoney also
appeared in the “Scrubs” episode,
“My Last Words” (season 8, episode
2, airing January 6, 2009) as well as
writing and appearing in Webisodes
promoting the show which can be
seen at http://abc.com/primetime/
scrubs (Features, Scrubs: Interns)
As always, keep the news coming,
and hope to hear from many of you
soon.
2002
Christine Cinnamond
christine.cinnamond@gmail.com
646-942-0970
2003
Gina Gizzi
sienasaints_2003@hotmail.com
P.O. Box 5133
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-421-4316
First off, I apologize for the lack
of notes for the Class of 2003 last
quarter. I hope you are ready for
a lot of updates this time around.
Everyone has been very busy
these past few months, including
myself. I have a new job as a special
education teacher for the Parsons
Child Program in Schenectady, N.Y.
I am also moving to Guilderland in
November, so a new address will
follow soon. Here is the news from
other members of the Class of 2003.
In December of 2008, after
spending five years working for
the Nassau County Republican
Legislature, Victoria Dunham was
appointed grant coordinator for the
New York City Fire Department.
As grant coordinator, she writes
grants for the FDNY for funding
from the Department of Homeland
Security, Department of Justice
and the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also
known as stimulus money). This
funding goes towards anti-terrorism
training, safety training and new
apparatus for the FDNY. She also
puts together special events and
fund raisers for the FDNY as well
as contacting private donors and
elected officials for funding.
Caitlin Mahoney provided the
following updates on her current
news as well her roommates from
senior year in townhouse 143:
Caitlin received her Ph.D. in
psychology from Clark University
in ’08 and will be working at Clark
as a visiting assistant professor
in the coming year. Maureen
Condon graduated from Albany
Medical College in 2007 and is
now working at Strong Memorial
Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. as
an emergency medicine resident.
Megan Baumgart graduated from
Albany Medical College in ’07 and
is now working for Brown Medical
in Providence, R.I. as an internal
medicine resident. Andrea Mazzola/
Johnson graduated from LECOM
in ’07 and is now working at St.
Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Utica,
N.Y. as a family practice resident.
Andrea is married to Michael
Johnson, and the two welcomed
baby Emma Jean Johnson, on
March 27, 2008.
Swinka Richards graduated
from the Sage Colleges, receiving
her MBA with a concentration in
finance on May 9, 2009. Jennifer
Cieslinski graduated from Fordham
University, also in May 2009, with
her master’s in social work. During
her time at Fordham, she specialized
in children and their families, for
which she received a certificate
of completion in addition to her
diploma. Kris Goodrich graduated
from Syracuse University with a
Ph.D. in counselor education and
supervision in May 2009, and is
now a visiting assistant professor of
counseling and coordinator of the
Student Affairs Counseling Program
at Southern Arkansas University.
Calvin Leung and Jill Pomponio
were married on May 16, 2009
in Clifton, N.J. They enjoyed a
wonderful honeymoon on Oahu and
Maui, Hawaii, before returning to
Vermont where they currently live
with their dog, Siena. They are both
working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Medical Center where Calvin is a
doctor and Jill is a medical secretary.
Please see photo in this issue.
Taryn Morrissey married Kevin
Buckley on November 8, 2008 at
St. Mary of the Angels Chapel at
Siena College with Fr. Ken Paulli,
O.F.M. officiating. See photo in
this issue.
Congratulations also to Meri
Marshall/Faulkner, husband,
Lloyd, and daughter, Samantha, who
welcomed a new addition to their
family, Colby, on August 20, 2009.
2004
Jolleen Wagner
jolleen_wagner@yahoo.com
Greetings Class of 2004! We
have plenty of updates this issue,
so we’ll jump right to it. First off,
congratulations to Hailey and Jeb!
Hailey Sweeney and Jeb Towne
were married on September 27, 2008
in Lake Placid, N.Y. They both
reside in Seattle, Wash.
Tara Grillo/Powell sent word
that she attended the College of
Saint Rose and earned her M.S. in
education in literacy in August 2005,
before moving to Wilmington, N.C.
She is employed at E.A. Laney High
School as a reading specialist and
softball coach. Tara also married
David Powell in North Carolina,
where they celebrated with family
and friends on July 1, 2006. On
March 22, 2009 David and Tara
welcomed their first son, Brayden
David, into the world. Brayden was
baptized at Siena on July 19, 2009
by Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M. Finally,
in May 2009, Tara completed her
master’s of school administration
add-on license. Whew, thank you
for the fabulous news and updates
Tara, congrats on everything!
Finally, we missed the
opportunity to congratulate Bruce
Martin in the last issue but we’re
going to make sure to give him
a shout-out in this one. Bruce is
currently accepting and working
with clients who need voice-over
services and advertising/media
consultation. He is also working on
a project to get his own Web-based
radio station up and running by the
end of 2009. Bruce attended our five
year reunion over the summer, and
presented Fr. Kevin Mullen with our
class gift. Thanks for representing
us, Bruce!
Did you get engaged, married, a
promotion, etc., and didn’t see your
exciting news listed this issue? Well,
send it my way at jolleen_wagner@
yahoo.com and I will be sure to
include it the next time we print. We
may not be able to see one another
every day, but we can certainly
celebrate one another’s successes.
2005
Breanne Suhrland
bsuhrlan@att.net
Happy fall, Class of 2005!
I hope all of you have enjoyed your
summers and are looking forward
to the holidays. I know I certainly
am! I envy those of you who are
still in the “upstate” area, as fall is
my favorite time of the year; the
pumpkins, the apples, the hot air
balloon festival and the changing
of the seasons reminds me of all
the beautiful fall days we spent on
campus together. We have a wide
variety of exciting news to share in
this edition.
Wedding bells were ringing for
a few of our classmates this past
spring and summer! Sarah Benas
married John Wright on May 16,
2009 at the Desmond in Albany,
N.Y. Courtney McHale, M.D.
and Captain David Humphrey II,
M.D. were married on August 29,
2009 in Courtney’s home town of
Congers, N.Y. Many fellow alumni
were in attendance including her
six roommates from their beloved
townhouse! Courtney and Dave
met at Albany Medical College
and currently reside in Maryland.
Another classmate, Sara Pagliaro,
married David Tellerico on
September 27, 2008 in Waterbury,
Conn. We are also elated to
announce that they welcomed their
first child, a daughter, named Lucia
Elena on June 25, 2009. The couple
currently resides in Southington,
Conn. Congratulations to all the
newlyweds and to our first-time
mom! Please be sure to check out
each couple’s special Siena wedding
photo in this issue.
We also had a chance to catch up
with an up and coming entrepreneur
in our class. Erinne Bundrock has
opened her own business called
Serinnedipity Weddings & Events,
LLC. It is a full service wedding
and event planning company that
serves all of upstate N.Y. and
surrounding areas. She assists clients
in planning weddings and a large
variety of social events, along with
corporate functions. The company’s
specialty is helping couples plan
their weddings from a distance,
so that those who want to marry
at home but live away can have
their dream event. Erinne invites
you to check out her Website at
www.serinnedipityevents.com, as
she would love to work with her
fellow Siena classmates in planning
their wedding or next special
event. Congratulations Erinne,
and the best of luck in this exciting
endeavor.  “busy” quarter for all of our class-
SAVE THE DATE! The Class
of 2005 will celebrate our 5 year
reunion next June 4–5, and the
party planning has already begun!
Please be sure to be on the lookout
for e-mails and snail mail regarding
Reunion weekend 2010. We would
love to have as much participation
as possible from our class, as it is
going to be a great opportunity
to catch up with your classmates.
You can help make our Reunion
a success by spreading the word!
Be sure to check out and/or join
our Facebook group, “Class of
2005.” Drop a note on the message
board, or post a picture and let us
know of any ideas you may have.
If you are interested in attending
and do not receive information
by e-mail or snail mail, feel free to
e-mail me or Margot Anderson at
manderson@siena.edu, and we will
be sure to send you the appropriate
information.
As always, any and all news is
welcome, and a special thanks to
all those people who send it in.
We look forward to seeing you all To steal a line from the Boss, And best wishes to Stan Hor-
in June on campus, and wish you a Bruce Springsteen (and from previ- ton, a recent graduate of Indiana
happy and healthy holiday season. ous ’06 columns), we say to you: University of Pennsylvania, who
CLASS OF 2006 “IS ANYBODY has accepted a position at the
2006 ALIVE OUT THERE?!” We ask University of New Hampshire as a
Chris Elsesser that you please take a moment residence hall director.
Christopher.elsesser@gmail.com out of your busy lives and send us Mike also has great news to
Ashley Boland an update to share with your old share: “2007 Siena College gradu-
Ashleym.boland@gmail.com “green and gold” family. If you have ates Molly Scullin, Sugam Langer,
Salutations, fellow classmates! We already contributed to our space and Joshua Werbeck are all 3Ls
hope that this edition of Siena News a while ago, either send us a new (final year) at Syracuse University
finds you in high spirits and good update or urge a friend to share their College of Law. This past sum-
health as we enter the busy holiday news for the first time. We would mer, Molly worked at Hancock &
season. “Busy” has been a personal also like to encourage our Class Estabrook, LLP; Sugam worked
keyword for me this fall, as I have of 2006 parent readers to either at Harris Beach, LLP; and Josh
spent the last couple of months ad- motivate their children to contact us worked at Green & Seifter, At-
justing to my new roles and responsi- or send us an update on their behalf. torneys, PLLC. All three Siena
bilities at work. This past June, I was NO NEWS IS TOO SMALL! alums earned an offer to return as
very fortunate to receive a promotion Ashley and I would like to wish you associates after graduating from
as a probationary business teacher and your family a happy and healthy law school. James Cataldo started
in the Smithtown Central School holiday season, and look forward to a new job as an internal auditor
District on Long Island. The new talking with you in the New Year! with the NYS Division of Criminal
position adds two extra classes to Justice Services. Congrats! Kristen
my course load for the year, and 2007 Pisanelli is the assistant editor for
also charges me with co-advising Sean Robbins Play Bac Publishing (a children’s
the school’s national award winning SeanRobbins@att.net book publishing company in New
DECA program, which is a business PO Box 11222 York City), and she is also getting
competition club. Additionally, the Loudonville, NY 12211 her master’s in publishing from
district has also given me an opportu- Michael Utzig Pace in New York City. Keep
nity to return to my old 88.3 “The mutzig@siena.edu up the great work! ESPN Web
Saint” radio roots, as one of their Hope you have been enjoying the developer and creator of www.
public address announcers for varsity crisp, refreshing fall weather. I have Sienasaintsblog.com, Matt Restivo,
football and basketball games. Since enjoyed learning about the positive reported that the site is
this “busy” lifestyle is fun, crazy and strides that the Class of 2007 has totally redesigned and looks amaz-
tiring, I decided to reward myself been taking! ing. Matt works very hard keeping
with a pair of Siena men’s basketball Anne Redcross is currently you up-to-date with the ins and
season tickets (a special for young entering her final year at NYU Law. outs of Siena basketball.
alumni) for the 2009 – 2010 season. She spent her summer at a large In wedding news, Dani Schaum
If you are at the Times Union Center New York law firm, where she as- recently got engaged. She went on
this season for a game, please stop by sisted on a number of commercial to say “We are planning for a July
Section 109 to say hi! litigations, one of which was argued 2010 wedding. His name is Tim,
It also seems to have been a this fall before New York’s highest and we actually met at the bank I
court. In the spring, Anne will be use! Love at first sight!” Another
mates, as we have NOT heard from assisting with the prosecution of one of our classmates also got
ANY of you since our last edition. white collar crimes at the U.S. engaged, Jill Gasiewicz to Craig
Where did everyone (and their non- Attorney’s Office for the Southern Moore. Nick Monuteaux married
stop e-mails) go? Did Lenny forget District of New York. Additionally, Jaclyne Smith on March 28, 2009.
to pick you up at Dapp’s during a Anne has been elected to the Execu- Check out the photo that is full
summer visit? tive Board of NYU’s Environmental of Siena folks. I wish all of you a
Luckily, we do have a couple of Law Journal, which will be publish- lifetime of happiness. If you have
congratulatory messages to send ing several important articles on the any updates, Sean and I would love
out for this edition, and yes, they legal issues surrounding the climate to hear from you for the next issue.
are wedding announcements. Kellie change crisis. Lastly, Anne plans to Just e-mail us at one of the above
Bullis married Jonathan Eck on put her Siena English degree to good e-mail addresses.
July 11, 2009. They celebrated their use, as she writes her thesis on a As the last of the autumn leaves
special day with many Siena alumni legal interpretation of Shakespeare’s are covered with snow, may we
and friends. Lindsey Rovery married plays. Anne says: “I want to extend look ahead to the winter season
Robert (Bob) Womer on March 27, my gratitude to all of my professors with anticipation of family gather-
2009 on Long Island (a celebration at Siena, who gave me the skills and ings, winter sports, and all your
that included many alumni). Mr. and encouragement to pursue my goal of favorite joys of the season.
Mrs. Womer are happily living in becoming a litigator.”
upstate N.Y., where they just became Timothy Dunne was recently 2008
new homeowners in Perth, N.Y. accepted into FDNY’s EMS acad- Danielle Grasso
Lindsey is currently working in the emy. Tim says “The academy will Patrick Preston
Broadalbin Perth Central School span over a course of 13 weeks and SienaCollege2008@gmail.com
District, as a 2nd and 3rd grade self will be held at the FDNY barracks Hello, fellow ’08-ers! We finally
contained teacher. We would like to in Fort Totten, Bayside, in Queens.” have updates. First we’ll start off
wish Lindsey and Bob the best with Also Tim is hoping to play some talking about ourselves. Things are
all of their new happenings and en- rugby with the New York Rugby going well for the both of us and
courage you to check out their Siena Club out of Manhattan as well. we can’t wait for basketball season
alumni wedding picture. Good luck, Tim!   to start. We encourage everyone
SIENA 33
to pencil in December 5th for an
alumni event before the Siena v.
UAlbany game. The details will
reach you shortly and we hope that
everyone who attended last year can
come again, and that many more
will come this year. We hope to see
he is living in Baltimore, Md.
where he attends Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine.
John says, “While the Green Turtle
and Magurks don’t hold a candle
to Dapps and the LZ, I am hav-
ing a pretty good time here with
weddings
you there. some new friends when I’m not
The first classmate we heard from memorizing a whole bunch of use-
was Julie Comley, who told us less science facts. If any other Siena
about herself, Yalitza Negron and alumni are in “The Greatest City in
Carly James. They all completed a America,” get in touch with me!”
year of service through the Ameri- married
onio ’03
Corps VISTA Fellows Program at 2009 Jill Pomp ung ’03 on
Calvin Le
Siena after graduation. Julie’s update 2009.
Tiffany Salonich May 16,
says, “We dedicated a year of our lovesrain87@aim.com
lives to fighting poverty in the Capi- Hailey Swee
Jeb Towne ney ’04 mar
’04 on Sept ried
tal Region by creating sustainable ember 27,
2008.
programs and by helping to build
capacity in local nonprofits. Yalitza In Memory of:
has stayed on at the Siena VISTA
Robert M. Kennedy ’42
program by being a VISTA leader,
N. Richard Quackenbush ’42
I have decided to do another year Taryn Morris
sey ’03 mar
of service with a VISTA program in Edward J. Carey ’47 Kevin Buck ried
ley ’03 on
the Bronx and Carly James got mar- Jerome W. Egerton ’47 November
8, 2008.
ried to Sam Ogden ’09 in May of Edward P. Bedrosian ’48
2009. Carly is now Mrs. Ogden and John E. Benson, Jr. ’49 Christina Lavin ‘01
she and Sam live in Vermont where Kenneth F. Sierleja ’49 married
she is working for Easter Seals.” Seth Heacock ’01
Walter Wilkins ’49 on August 10,
Congratulations to Carly and Sam! William L. O’Brien ’50 2008.
And great work, girls, in keeping up Raymond J. Quinn ’50
those Franciscan traditions.
George L. Simpson ’51
Corinna Carlisle is living near o
Maurice G. Stack ’52 Telleric
Mickey in Orlando, Fla. and is David
Patrick F. Viglotti ’52 5 m arried 008.
enjoying the sunny weather. She is o ’0 er 27,
2
agliar
in her second year teaching middle Peter M. Conway ’55 Sara P on Septemb
school students (grades 6-8), and Frank Scambelluri ’55
enjoying life after Siena. We’re all Louis R. Lagasse ’58
jealous of your location, Corinna. John C. Obermayer ’58
Joe Riccardi is living and work- Rev. William F. Jillisky ’59
ing in New York City. He is William Johnson ’59
working for Bank of New York
John Rentz ’59
Mellon as an investment accountant
Joseph P. Lucey ’60
where he is very happy. Hope things
are magical. Henry Carrow, Jr. ’61
Joseph C. Thull ’62 Christina
In local news, Ryan Hayner re- Timothy Q Joseph ’98 marrie
rried uirin on A d
cently got a job with Kelly Services Herbert E. Woodworth ’62 Kellie Bullis ’06 ma ugust 1, 2
July 11, 2009. 009.
and is working in their Albany Edward Johnson ’63 Jonathan Eck on
offices. Kathleen McManus wrote August R. Paradise ’66
to tell us that she is still in the area Eugene Sheridan ’66
and will be finishing her master’s Anne Marie Anderson ’85
degree at Sage Graduate School
James V. O’Connell ‘94
for School Health Education in
Annette M. Powers ’94
December. For her final semester
she is student teaching at Rensselaer Lewis Golub – former Board
Middle School and Niskayuna High of Trustee Member
School. Good luck Kat, and we’re Nick Monuteaux ’07 mar
ried
looking forward to the graduation ied Jaclyne Smith on March
marr 9. 28, 2009.
party! Marisa Rivituso is living in e r y ’06 27, 200
Update us! y R ov a r ch
se M
Clifton Park, N.Y., and working Lind omer on
Want to stay connected and tW
on her master’s at SUNY Albany. R ober
When she’s not taking classes, she’s well-informed about the
teaching them at Schenectady High goings-on at Siena? Make
School, where she teaches 12th sure to update the Alumni
grade economics, participation Relations Office with your
current contact informa- When submitting wedding
in government and U.S. history
tion! If you haven’t already, photos to the magazine
prep classes for the Regents exam.
please make sure they are
Marisa also adds, “I miss Siena … send your current address, t on
300 dpi. If you have any
John Wrigh
a lot!” No worries Marisa, you’re phone number, and e-mail to questions please contact s ’05 married .
Sarah Bena 09
not the only one. The future Dr. alumni@siena.edu today! communications@siena.edu. May 16, 20
John Zampella updated us that

SIENA 34
Siena’s Ultimate Fan
By Michelle Pickering ’09

Thank you to the

many alumni who
submitted their Ultimate
Fan photos. The Siena
News editorial staff
selected three finalist
photos of an alumnus,
a house and a dog.
Frank Martin ’59 is
our Grand Prize winner.
He showed his Siena
College pride with his
collection of green-
and-gold shirts, bags,
coffee mugs, blankets,
bobbleheads and more.
He received a $50
gift card to the college
bookstore where he can
add to his collection.
Second place went
to Tim Ryan for his
decorative use of the
Siena College logo
projected on his house.
Third place went
to Ken Titus ’71 for
keeping his dog warm
in Siena apparel.
Although, the dog is
not a St. Bernard,
he still looks
fashionable.
Thanks again,
and stay tuned
for the next Siena
News contest!
SIENA 35
 515 Loudon Road
Loudonville, NY 12211

Look Who’s Calling

Meet the Annual Fund student callers
Vicky Zampini ‘11 Aleksey Matyunenkov ‘11
English Education Biology
Syracuse, NY Brooklyn, NY Samantha John ‘12
Math
Clifton Park, NY
Mike Utzig ‘07 Mark Doherty ‘10
Annual Fund Staff Creative Arts Allie Primo ‘11 Adam Brown ’10
Bridgewater, MA Finance Finance
Syracuse, NY Troy, NY

Jennifer Russo ‘12

Undeclared
Gloversville, NY

Michelle McMahon ‘12

Accounting
Mount Sinai, NY
Ashley Powell ‘11 Kyle Pulsifer ‘11
Sociology History
Latham, NY Grafton, NY