CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 41
40 winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine
1971
James P. Snedeker ’71
5 Linden Tree Road
Wilton, CT 06897
203-761-7793
Next Reunion: 45
th
, 2015 (cluster with ’69, ’70)
Before you read this first update, please think
back and see if you can picture in your mind the
former head of Thelmo and the gray hairs he gave
to Dean Walter “Wally” “Two Shoes” Baumhoff
(who, by the way, maybe was a pretty darn good
guy after all, considering all that he put up with
and what was going on at that time…). In any
case, capture that picture (
Bob Thompson
and
Don Stanton
on the steps of Vilas Hall berating
Wally and the Administration) and now think of
Thompson wearing a (probably pink or, perhaps,
purple) apron….
Anyway, Bob relates, “We moved from New
Hampshire to Manassas, Va., in 2000, when my
wife/ high school sweetheart got an offer to be
CEO of the American Organization of Nurse Ex-
ecutives. Her offer to me at that time was that if
wemoved so she could take that job, I could retire
from lawyering, and take care of the house and
kids. I accepted. I’ve also been teaching. Still en-
joy much of what I enjoyed back then, but must
confess that I just can’t believe it’s been some 45
years. Where the heck did it go?”
Marty Buckoski
relayed that it was great to join
Jim Benedict
and
Mark Witman
at Jim’s camp
on Lake Chenango, Norwich, N.Y., in June. “This
just precededmy gettingmarried,”he said.“No, it
was not a bachelor party! Jim and Andy Kaye ’70
and nine other 1970 Sigma Pi grads reunited to
compare over 40 years of stories and career jour-
neys. Jim Nealy ’70 and I were basketball team-
mates in 1969 and 1970, and travel roommates
during long trips to cold destinations around
NewYork and New England. He looked the same
after 40 years! Mark Witman visited with Sam
Brewer ’72 on his way back through Ithaca.”
He notes that it “Seems most of the 1970 grads
are retired, or tired, as the case may be." He’s“still
going strong” as a partner at Sullivan Insurance
Group, in Worcester, Mass., one of the largest
independent insurance brokerage agencies
in New England. (Having seen his work prod-
uct, I know Marty to be one of the best in the
risk management business, a straight shooter
and solid professional.) He keeps in touch with
Perry Vockrodt ’72, who has relocated to flood-
torn Loveland, Col., and adds, “I’m thrilled to
be a grandfather to three grandchildren, with
one more granddaughter on the way. They are
spread around, so I travel when I can and spend
as much time as possible with them.”
Tony Colao
relates that he and
Jean Dolan
con-
tinue to be very active both at work and in other
interests. Jean is the assistant to the vice presi-
dent of the largest convenience store distribu-
tor in New England, and has been the president
of the Western Massachusetts alumnae chapter
of Pi Phi sorority for 10 years. Tony continues to
search for "the next big thing" as a lecture and
literary agent, and visits their three grandchildren
in England (now 9, 7 and 5). Last summer they
spent their 37th year vacationing “Down East” in
Chamberlain, Maine, near where
Jon McIntire
lives. They were introduced to their house on the
ocean in 1976 by close St. Lawrence friends Jackie
Graham ’72 and
Andy Newman
.
Tony also noted that he and Jean had a great
time at our last reunion and how appreciative
they were of the hard work put in by
David Are-
son
and
Joan DeCamp
to make it such a memo-
rable event.
Please sendme news on what you’ve been up to!
1972
Barbarajean Schaefer Blodgett ’72
6763 25th Street North
Arlington, VA 22213
315-771-3261
Next Reunion: 45
th
, 2018 (cluster with ’73, ’74)
As luck would have it, or perhaps some prior
proper planning, I received news just in time for
this column! Always remember that I am usually
writing for a column with news that will appear
about three months into the future.
Alex Cari
wrote a lovely note just before he and
wife
Linda Babb
left Newport, R.I., for their home
in the mountains of Spain for autumn and then
spring. Linda has been retired from St. George’s
School for several years and Alex retired from his
law practice four years ago. Alex also described
theirwinter home, on the IndianOcean in southern
Kenya near the border with Tanzania.“The home is
special because it was built years ago by traditional
Swahili craftsmen,” he said. “The tall palm-covered
roof alone is a work of art. We are a short flight
via a local bush pilot to Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti
and the major game reserves. Now that we are not
working, we enjoy a tropical winter. Four years at
SLU satisfied our need for real winters!”
The Caris might have chosen the warmer climes,
but not
Mike Keenan
. As noted last time, Mike is
coaching a team in the Ural Mountains of Russia.
Yes, he texted me about it right after an article ap-
peared in the
NewYork Times
:“Just signed contract
with Magnitogorsk of Kontinental Hockey League,”
he wrote, referring to the three-time Russian and
European champions and the club that gave Evge-
ni Malkin his start.“Looking forward to new coach-
ing opportunity!”
Peter Brennan
sent along an email from Mike’s
assistant coach, Mike Pelino, who worked with
Mike at the University of Toronto, describing the
Russian hockey experience. The teams of the KHL
are loaded with talented players who have alle-
giance to their national teams as well as some who
have also played in the NHL. The European hockey
season is 54 games long with three one-week
breaks, allowing the players to convene with their
respective national teams for practices, etc.
Mike told me that he is impressed with the work
ethic of all of these athletes. “A long way from
Canton, LOL!” he wrote. “What an experience! I
continue to be humbled. I cannot imagine the
Soviet Union days. An educational experience so
unique! I went to SLU in a foreign country--for a
Canadian--to learn; the journey continues. I think I
could teach a course at St. Lawrence in foreign ex-
perience and travel. Road trips (take us to) Prague,
Bratislava, Moscow, Latvia and the easternmost cit-
ies in Russia.”
Barbara Ford
and
JackGeortner
spent another
awesome fortnight in the Adirondacks last August
with members of the Miner Street Band. They had
a gig at Canaras in the Boat House to start things
off, and celebrated a host of birthdays. Jack said
that it just never gets old for the boys in the band.
I received a press release from Greenspoon
Marder Attorneys announcing that
John Farqu-
har
(real estate law) of Naples, Fla., was included
in the prestigious“2014 Best Lawyers in America”
listing. Best Lawyers is based on a rigorous peer-
review survey in which leading attorneys vote
on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their
practice areas within the same geographical
area. Unlike in other publications, lawyers are
not allowed or required to pay a fee to be includ-
ed. It is a singular and most respected honor to
be listed. Congratulations, John!
Congratulations as well to
Neal Burdick
, who
became a grandfather for the second time in early
September. He told me he now has“one of each.”
Steve Hill
and Ramona have retired from their
respective positions in Vermont and have built a
newhome inWedowee, Alabama. For those of you
who want a CD of our 40th Reunion, Steve’s new
email address is
. I’m sure
a small gift would offset Steve’s expenses.
Please take a moment to note my new, new ad-
dress. You can always send a postcard (thank
you,
Steamboat McElfresh
), email (thank you,
Preston Smith, Peter Brennan
and
Lynne
Barnes Leahy
), text (thank you,
Mike Keenan
), or
Linked In (
Barbara FordGeortner
, Carol Lancast-
er ’71). We’re really just a click away!
Our community.
Their stories. Their words.
stlawu.edu/admissions/blog
1973
Linda Tirelli Herrmann ’73
70 Lebanon Hills Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15228-1819
412-563-1628
Next Reunion: 45
th
, 2018 (cluster with ’72, ’74)
As promised in my last class notes, I have more
news from our 40th-reunion attendees.
Wendy Mason Cappiello
has been retired
for five years after spending 35 years teach-
ing high school and AP English. She spends a
good deal of time playing golf (unfortunately
no good golf, she says) and volunteering in her
local church and hospital. Those activities, cou-
pled with frequent trips to Florida to see their
children and grandchildren, keep her and Kevin
busy and certainly help to break up the long
winter months in Malone, N.Y.
Another retiree is
Mary Granai Corrigan
. She
reports that retirement has been a joy and that
four generations tumble around each other al-
most every day. As she says,“Life is good.”
Chris Brown Kitch
really enjoyed the reunion
and was happy to see so many dear friends. She
thought the campus looks fabulous and is look-
ing forward to our 50th!
Saran Twombly
commented on the good
turnout and that so many people look exactly
the same! She’s still working hard to advance the
progress of science but is looking forward to oth-
er opportunities in retirement.
DaveWood
filled us in on the last 40 years. After
graduate school at Cornell, hewent into the Peace
Corps and served in Paraguay for three years.
Upon returning to the States, he taught middle
school science, especially environmental science,
at Sidwell Friends School, a Quaker school in
Washington, D.C., for 26 years. He is now on the
Peace Corps staff in Washington as an environ-
mental specialist with the Office of Programming
and Training Support (still teaching, except now
the“students”are Peace Corps trainees). Dave has
two daughters (Megan, who graduated from the
University of Vermont, and Debbie, a chef in the
State Department cafeteria) and is married to
Margaret Pennock, a teacher at Sidwell Friends.
Even though she was recovering from double
knee replacement earlier in the spring,
Patrice
Sullivan
managed to attend the reunion. While
full recovery is expected to take a year, she was
still planning a trip to Alaska in August to cel-
ebrate her retirement on July 1 from her career
as an auditor. She is looking forward to the next
phase of life with mixed feelings – excitement,
trepidation, anticipation. Patrice plans to spend
four to six weeks each winter in St. Croix, U.S.
Virgin Islands, and also hopes to be back on the
dance floor next year! Her two adult sons are on
their own and work nearby in northern New Jer-
sey. She also wants to thank her guy, Craig Miller,
for being a part of her life for the last five years
and in particular for helping her during her knee
replacement recovery – she wouldn’t have been
able to attend the reunion without him.
Gail Behrens Day
reports that after a couple of
interesting jobs and a MLS degree, she is still liv-
ing in Old Chatham, Conn., not far from the“farm”
that, after her father's stroke and through his
debilitating struggle with Parkinson's, she man-
aged to sell while donating half of its develop-
ment rights to the Columbia Land Conservancy.
Gail says,“I must say I'mproud that the farm is still
growing animals and not houses.” She has spent
the last few years on the Chatham School District
Board of Education, serving on the public library
advisory committee, policy-making and negoti-
ating committees, and the Chatham Education
Foundation, a fundraising group that supports
projects within the school district. Her life is also
busy with her semi-retired husband, her three
children who are grown but not all completely
out of the house, and her 90-year-oldmother who
lives nearby. To keep in shape, she rides daily (she
has three horses) and joins the fox hunt during
the fall. Gail really enjoyed connecting with her
classmates at the reunion and said, “I loved talk-
ing to people I never had really known when a
student, our interests divergent then, but now all
seem like sisters and brothers or long-lost friends
with a common bond.”
Stephen Horowitz
also attended the reunion.
Steve is based in San Francisco and is transition-
ing into commercial real estate with the focus on
clients from China.
For the last 25 years,
Walter Winans
and Sandra
have been living in Vienna, Va., within earshot of
the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing
Arts. They have two sons, both living in New York
City (one with Accenture, the other with NewYork
Life). Walter works for Siemens developing feder-
al energy projects, and reports that he has plenty
of empty bedrooms ready for visitors!
Bud Hossenlopp
continues to work as a pediat-
ric physical therapist at the Bergen County Special
Services School District in Paramus, N.J. Hemoved
fromNewYork City to Highland Park 17 years ago.
Bud has been appointed to the Lloyd Environ-
mental Conservation Council and was asked to
work on the Black CreekWater Trail. As a result, he
now works with Scenic Hudson and the NewYork
State DEC in acquiring rights-of-way and conser-
vation easements and purchasing wetlands and
properties to establish both hiking and water
trails. In addition, he works on developing the
Black Creek State Forest Preserve, which includes
John Burroughs’s properties "Slabsides" and
"Sanctuary" (national historical landmarks). Bud
also maintains a DEC access point on Chodikee
Lake (known for its rustic beauty and great bass
fishing) and is involved in maintaining the Town
of Lloyd access point for canoes/kayaks on Black
Creek. He is also involved with a Hasidic camp in
this park, teaching the kids about the environ-
ment and conservation.
Bud also finds time to volunteer with his church,
ministering to the elderly, disabled and shut-ins,
and prison inmates. As a matter of fact, we can
listen to Bud’s radio interview with a well-known
inmate by going to the “SoundofLife.org” home
page, then clicking on media, then podcast, then
Aug 2013. In Bud’s words, “God has led me to
some very interesting people and circumstances.”
Chuck Burt
and wife Sue Dickman '75 live in
Madison, Ala. Chuck recently retired from MIT's
Lincoln Laboratory after 26 years, in order to join
a startup company -- so much for a leisurely early
retirement! After SLU, he received a Ph.D. in math
from Syracuse University, then worked for a com-
pany in Syracuse until 1986, when he joined MIT
and moved to Chelmsford, Mass. Ten years later,
he got the chance to move to an Army base on
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a wonder-
ful experience for his family -- five years without
cars, cell phones or malls, where the kids could
ride their bikes to all their activities.
In 2001, they returned to Chelmsford, where
Chuck continued working on various radar-re-
lated projects. During their youngest daughter's
freshman year in college, they decided they need-
ed to be somewhere warmer, so Chuck accepted
a position at the Lab's field site in Huntsville, Ala.,
in 2007. They love the climate (except during July
and August) and the advantages of living near a
small city. They haven't done as much travelling
in their camper-van as they’d like, but have man-
aged to log 45,000 miles in the last four years.
In July, more than 70 people gathered for a party hosted by Ron Buell ’82 at his camp on Lake
Winnipesaukee in Tuftonboro, N.H. Among the throng were 35 St. Lawrence alumni from ’72 to
’13, with classes of the early ’80s heavily represented .
Enjoying a hike last summer at End of
the Road Ranch, New Castle, Col., were,
left to right,
Jeff Cook '70
; Peg Winship,
wife (and on the knee of)
Doug Reed '70;
Craig Battle '70
(red hat); ranch owner
John Kelly ’69
(shades and plaid shirt);
Stuart Silk '70
(shades and gray shirt);
David Thompson '70
(bearded, next to
Kelly); Mary Silk, wife of Stuart; Brooke
Chamberlain Cook, wife (and guide) of
Jeff;
Jeff ’70
and
Nan Smith Lazovik '70
;
and Gwyneth Thompson, wife of David.
Four-footed hikers were Yogi (Kelly), left,
and Stella (Lazovik).
