Alumni Accomplishments
Ever taken a good book to the beach and then found you can't
read it because you can't keep the glaring sun out of your eyes
or off the book? Scott '92 and Sarah
Markey Bushweller '94 from St. Lawrence University may
have the answer to your problem. They've invented a new outdoor
book accessory called Bookbrella, which has been licensed by Antioch
Publishing (Antioch.com).
"Sarah and I love to read at the beach, but we often became
frustrated by the glare," says Scott. "We would constantly
be repositioning ourselves to shade our books. We invented the Bookbrellas
so we can enjoy reading outside in the sun."
The Bookbrella has a hinged clip that attaches to the back of a book,
and a bendable neck coming off the clip. A lightweight miniature umbrella
is attached to the bendable neck. "Simply position the miniature
umbrella in the direction of the sun and it shades your book," Scott
explains. "The miniature umbrella is available in six colors
(red, gold, royal blue, Kelly green, turquoise and lavender). Bookbrella
came out in the second half of 2003; it is currently being placed in
stores and is offered in one catalog. We were recently on a well-known
national talk show with our product." Scott notes that they were
obligated to sign an agreement that they would not name the program
when promoting Bookbrella.
When not inventing eye-saving beach accessories, Scott is a homecare
physical therapist and Sarah is a physician's assistant at a
family practice clinic; they live in Wading River, on Long Island,
N.Y. Scott graduated from the University of Vermont physical therapy
program in 1996 and Sarah from Touro College's physician assistant
program in 1999. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Kayleigh, who clearly
enjoys the beach as much as her parents.
Colleen E. Curry '88 is the new supervisory
museum curator at Yellowstone National Park. She is responsible for
all aspects of the park's archives, library and museum collection program,
including employee supervision; management of a budget of over $500,000;
research and documentation on all objects offered for inclusion in
the collections; and oversight of all objects in exhibits throughout
the park and on loan to other institutions. She also sits on the Research
Council, which approves research permits and specimen-collecting in
the park. The park's collections include over five million objects
ranging from priceless watercolors to travertine-covered souvenirs
from the park's early days, to a collection of 33 historic vehicles,
to natural history specimens and archival documents covering all aspects
of the park's history. She's also responsible for planning and
overseeing the move of the entire program operation to a new 33,000-square-foot
collections storage and research facility just outside the park. "The
Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center will have state-of-the-art
storage areas, laboratories (archeology, geology, paleontology, herbarium
and natural history) and research library," she explains. The
plan is to open the center to the public by fall 2004; Curry will be
its director. "This is definitely my dream job!" she says.
Previously, Curry was curator at Arlington House (the Robert E. Lee
Memorial) and George Washington Memorial Parkway, both National Park
Service sites near Washington, D.C.; collections manager at the Lehigh
County Historical Society in Allentown, Pa.; and assistant curator
for the Supreme Court of the United States and at The Hermitage, the
home of Andrew Jackson near Nashville, Tenn. She has an M.A. in museum
studies (with academic concentration in American studies) from George
Washington University.
Trustee David B. Laird Jr. '65, president and
chief executive officer of the Minnesota Private College Council, received
an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia College, Moorhead,
Minn., at its December 18, 2003, Commencement exercises. In "Charting
our Collective Future," remarks prepared for that occasion, he
said, in part, "Over the next decade, the Millennial Generation
will entirely recast the image of youth from downbeat and alienated
to upbeat and engaged – with potentially seismic consequences
for America." Addressing the graduates, who are considered members
of that generation, he asked, "What will you accomplish with
the knowledge of the genomic structure? Will you find new life in the
universe? Will your medical breakthroughs reduce the ravages of HIV/AIDS
and other global predatory diseases? How will you arrest and manage
the growing disparities between rich and poor both in our nation and
around the globe? How would you repay the unprecedented national, state
and personal debt we are acquiring for you? How will you disarm the
global clash of civilizations, cultures, religions, and political systems?
How will you better educate all of tomorrow's children? And how
will you tell us that our lifestyle and health demands exceed even
your most generous abilities? Will you help convene a public, and civil,
discussion of these challenges?"
Having earned a liberal arts degree, Laird told the graduates, they "have
the tools" to answer these questions: "A sense of what
is required to continue to learn in an environment in which the only
constant is change; a set of individual and shared values…;
experience in adapting to different contexts and systems of thought;
a sense of the power of a unified global mission; (and) a set of role
models of commitment, shared sacrifice and the quality and power of
teamwork."
Susan L. Morrison '58, right,
of Jekyll Island, Ga., recently donated a turtle sculpture by Tyler
Dominey to the Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island. She also donated
funds for a "discovery room" in the center, which is operated
by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.
Michael W. Schneider '63 has been named director of
the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development's Office
of International Operations. He oversees the international staff as well as
Maryland's global network of business center and representatives. After
college he served in the Navy for five years, then joined Koppers Company,
a global industrial engineering and manufacturing conglomerate based in Pittsburgh,
later managing its dales and marketing program in France and the United Kingdom,
and subsequently in all of Europe. He has also been an executive with Environmental
Elements Corp., and he has founded three businesses: North American Business
Ventures Inc., Far East Business Ventures Inc. and Technolink China Ltd. He
lives in Severna Park. Md., where he is a part-time boat captain and diving
instructor. He and his wife, Ingrid, are the parents of two adult children.
Holly Haas '80, right, graduated
from New York Law School in May 2003 and passed the New York Bar Exam on her
first try. Emily Wachtel Gill '80, left, attended the graduation ceremony,
which was followed by a celebration at the Hudson Hotel. Haas will practice
employee-side employment law in the New York City area. She is a member of
the National Employment Lawyers Association and lives on the Upper East Side
. She is an active volunteer in Carl Shurtz Park near Gracie Mansion.
John
Hanley '83 has
been named executive director of the North American Securities Administrators
Association; he began his new duties on January 5. He came to NASAA from
the Independent Community Bankers of America, where he was director of legislative
strategy, advising bank leaders on legislative, political and regulatory
matters. He has held management positions at Citicorp and Chase Manhattan
Bank, and with the Institute for Strategy Development, a Washington , D.C.
, financial consultancy. He has two Laurentian siblings: Mike '72 and Margaret Hanley Warner '79.
Ted MacMahon '88, director of institutional advancement
at The Fenn School in Concord, Mass., has been elected president of the Association
of Fundraising Professionals, Massachusetts Chapter. He has been on the organization's
Board of Directors for six years, during which he founded its first "youth
in philanthropy" program, which recruits professional fundraisers to
teach basic fundraising skills to inner-city youth. Before moving to The Fenn
School earlier this year, he was vice president for development at the Home
for Little Wanderers, a nationally known child and family service agency in
Boston. A skier in college, he has run 15 marathons.
Bob Wagenaar '88, postmaster in Eutaw, Ala., returned
home during the winter, after a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan. He received
the Bronze Star for his service from Lt. General Barno, Commanding General
in Afghanistan. He was a history major, football player and member of Beta
Theta Pi fraternity at St. Lawrence.
Greg
Griffin '91 is senior director of development
with the Syracuse University Library System, raising funds along with three daughters.
Greg is happy to be back near his hometown and is planning to start his doctorate
in higher education in the fall. He and his wife, Casey, live in Liverpool,
N.Y. Greg was director of alumni and parent programs at St. Lawrence before taking
the SU position.
