Inaugural Commemorative - University at Buffalo

this issue Tilmon Brown, BA ’93 | Alan Friedman, BFA ’77 | alan Winslow, BA ’07 | Mary Cappello, PhD ’88
Fall 2011
Satish K. Tripathi takes charge with
ambitious plans to expand UB’s impact
downtown and around the globe
Bold
New
Vision
Inaugural
Commemorative
Supplement captures
celebration and
investiture of UB’s
15th president

Will UB Mine
Adam and Danielle Coats embrace on the 50-yard line in UB Stadium following their wedding
June 4. The couple met and fell in love at UB, and chose an iconic UB setting for this postnuptial
photograph. She is a student activities coordinator for the Office of Student Life and
he is general manager of Putnam’s Dining Center in the Student Union. One can almost hear
the imagined crowd roar in approval.
Photo by Steve Morse

firstlook
a publication of the university at buffalo
On the Cover: Satish K. Tripathi in front of A Photo of UB-
Kaleida Health clinical Care and Research Building
Photos by Douglas Levere, BA ’89
alumni association
Fall 2011
UBtoday
Man of the moment 14
Satish K. Tripathi is “excited and humbled”
to lead UB at a pivotal moment in its long and
storied history
Monumental gift 18
Historic donation to UB’s School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences will have a profound
impact with the hiring of top faculty
commemorative
section
Presidential
inauguration and
investiture 19
Highlights of UB’s weeklong
celebration of a new
presidency and a new era
Building influence 30
Despina Stratigakos explores the history of
women in architecture, from turn-of-the
century Berlin to “Architect Barbie”
Legacy of 9/11 36
From curriculum to research priorities to
attitudes toward personal safety, UB has
changed significantly in the past decade
Departments
Shortform 6
Seen Read Heard 11
sportform 12
Alumni News 46
In my opinion 56
alumni profiles
Tilmon Brown, BA ’93 & BS ’93 28
Baker and entrepreneur
Alan Friedman, BFA ’77 34
Celestial photographer
Alan Winslow, BA ’07 42
Environmental explorer
Mary Cappello, PhD ’88 & MA ’85 44
Author of a most unusual book
icon legend
More content online
More photos online
Video/multimedia online
Alumni Association member
UB websites
www.buffalo.edu/UBT
www.alumni.buffalo.edu
www.buffalo.edu
social media channels
www.facebook.com/universityatbuffalo
sk=app_6009294086
Reaching others

Vol. 29, No. 1
UB Today is published twice annually by the UB Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Office of University Communications,
Office of the Vice President for University Life and Services, and the Office of Alumni Relations, Division of
Development and Alumni Relations. Standard rate postage paid at Buffalo, New York.
Editor
Art Director
Editorial Associate
Production Coordinator
Alumni News Director
Communications Coordinator
Class Notes Editor
Ann Whitcher-Gentzke, whitcher@buffalo.edu
Rebecca Farnham, farnham@buffalo.edu
Julie Wesolowski, jaw2@buffalo.edu
Cynthia Todd, ctodd@buffalo.edu
Barbara A. Byers, babyers@buffalo.edu
Gina Cali-Misterkiewicz, MA ’05, ginacali@buffalo.edu
Kelly Barrett, ub-alumni@buffalo.edu
UB Today editorial offices are located at 330 Crofts Hall, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260. Telephone: (716)
645-6969; Fax: (716) 645-3765; e-mail: whitcher@buffalo.edu. UB Today welcomes inquiries, but accepts no responsibility
for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or photographs.
DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS
Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Jay R. Friedman, EdM ’00 & BA ’86
Associate Directors Nancy Battaglia, MBA ’96 & BS ’89; Barbara A. Byers; Michael L. Jankowski;
Erin Lawless; Andrew Wilcox
Assistant Directors Kristen M. Murphy, BA ’96; Patricia A. Starr
Senior Director of Development Communications Ann R. Brown
UNIVERSITY LIFE AND SERVICES
Vice President Dennis R. Black, JD ’81
Associate Vice President for University Communications Joseph A. Brennan, PhD ’96 & MA ’88
Assistant Vice President for Marketing, Web and Creative Communications Jeffrey N. Smith
Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications Arthur Page
UB Alumni Association Officers
President Timothy P. Lafferty, BS ’86; Immediate Past President Lawrence J. Zielinski, MBA ’77 & BA ’75;
First Vice President and Chair, Development Committee Carol A. Gloff, BS ’75
Vice Presidents and Committee Chairs
Chair, Audit Committee Kenneth M. Jones, MA ’84; Vice President for Finance & Chair, Financial Resource Management
Committee Nicholas J. Fabozzi, BS ’87; Chair, Chapters Committee & Chapter Leader Representative Kathleen Kaney,
MBA ’96 & BA ’94; Co-chair, Ruth Kleinman, BA ’05; Chair, Communication Committee James M. Militello, BA ’79; Chair,
Government Relations Committee Clifton M. Bergfeld, JD ’08 & BA ’01; Chair, Membership Committee Dennis R. Horrigan,
MS ’81 & MS ’70; Chair, Programs and Events Committee Paul R. Hammer, BA ’78; Chair, Student Relations Committee
Michael A. Anderson, BS ’97; Chair, Volunteer Relations Committee Nicholas J. Gill, MS ’08 & BS ’02
At-Large Members
Willie R. Evans, EdB ’60, Mary Garlick Roll, MS ’88 & BS ’84, Peter J. Grogan, BS ’81, Wayne M. Nelligan, AT, Mark
Nusbaum, MArch ’85 & BPS ’83, Thomas A. Palmer, JD ’75 & MBA ’71, Charles A. Smilinich, EdM ’07, EdM ’03 & BA ’01,
Alison Wagner, JD ’00
Special Adviser
Mark J. Stramaglia, MBA ’86 & BS ’81
Board of Directors
Rita M. Andolina, MSW ’88 & BA ’80 (Orchard Park, N.Y.); Randy J. Asher, BS ’95 (Staten Island, N.Y.); Tyler A. Balentine,
MUP ’06 & BA ’03 (Niagara Falls, N.Y.); Ronald Balter, BA ’80 (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Lisa Berrittella, JD ’04 (Rochester, N.Y.);
Jason L. Bird, BA ’05 (Tonawanda, N.Y.); Carrie L. Boye, BFA ’97 (Amherst, N.Y.); Robert W. Chapman, MSW ’03 &
BA ’91 (Buffalo, N.Y.); Kimberly S. Conidi, JD ’05 & BA ’99 (West Seneca, N.Y.); Mary E. Dunn, PMCert ’93 & DDS ’90
(East Amherst, N.Y.); Lisa M. Kirisits, MBA ’87 & BS ’85 (Lancaster, N.Y.); Ken Lam, EdM ’04 & BA ’01 (Staten Island, N.Y.);
Matthew E. LaSota, BA ’04 (Buffalo, N.Y.); Christian Lovelace, JD ’06, (Buffalo, N.Y.); Richard J. Lynch, DDS ’83 & BA ’79
(Williamsville, N.Y.); Patricia Maloney, PhD ‘02 & BA ‘73 (Potomac, Md.); Donna M. Manion, BA ’94 (New York, N.Y.);
Michael J. Murray, MBA ‘85 & BS ‘75 (Hamburg, N.Y.); Melissa Palmucci, EdM ’04 & BA ’01 (Schenectady, N.Y.);
Peter A. Petrella Jr., BA ’00 (Lancaster, N.Y.); Jennifer Piccone, MBA ’99 & BS ’85 (Rochester, N.Y.); Ezra J. Staley, JD ’09
& MBA ’09 (Grand Island, N.Y.); David J. Stinner, BA ’98 (Kenmore, N.Y.); Bernard A. Tolbert, MSW ’73 & BS ’71 (New York,
N.Y.); Shyam Charan Vasantha Kumar, MS ’08 & BS ’06 (Buffalo, N.Y.); John Warren, BA ’01 (Ashburn, Va.); Ann Wegrzyn,
MBA ’90 & BS ’85 (Orchard Park, N.Y.); Sylvia Williams Ferguson, BA ’98 (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Regional Chapter Representatives
Melissa Palmucci, EdM ’04 & BA ’01 (Albany, N.Y.); Latasha A. Allen, BA ’01 (Atlanta, Ga.); Cynthia Badame, BA ’92
(Boston, Mass.); Joel P. Thompson, BA ’04 (Buffalo, N.Y.–UB Employee Chapter); Arielle Larmondra, BS ’06 (Charlotte,
N.C.); Joseph Szuba, BS ’63 & AAS ’61 (Chicago, Ill.); Dorne Chadsey, MS ’86 (Cleveland, Ohio); Kevin M. Ruchlin, MS ’98
& BA ’95 (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas); Jennifer Wozniak, MBA ’96 & BA ‘95 (Denver, Colo.); Jeff Kless, BS ’90 (Detroit, Mich.);
Raymond L. Poltorak, MBA ’68 & BA ’65 (Houston, Texas); Eric Katzman, BA ‘01 (New York, N.Y.); Joshua Ramos, BA ’06
(Orlando, Fla.); Edward F. Ryczek, BS ’71 (Phoenix, Ariz.); Jeffrey Marshall, BS ’93 (Raleigh, N.C.); Kourtney Gagliano,
BS ’02 (Rochester, N.Y.); Martha S. Rodgers, BA ’90, Rebecca E. Kelley, BA ‘03 (San Diego, Calif.); Lily Stoyanovski, MBA ’94
& BS ’91 (San Francisco, Calif.); Christa Peck, BA ’09 & BS ’09 (Seattle, Wash.); Eric Bartholomew, BS ’03 (Tampa, Fla.);
James M. Militello, BA ’79 (Washington, D.C.)
Constituent Alumni Representatives
Arts and Sciences David L. Rothman, BA ’74 (San Francisco, Calif.); Dental Medicine Kevin J. Hanley, DDS ‘78 & BA ‘74
(East Amherst, N.Y.); Engineering and Applied Sciences James D. Boyle, BS ’78 (West Seneca, N.Y.; Graduate School
of Education Mark Marino, EdM ’05 (Depew, N.Y.); Law Charles C. Swanekamp, MBA ’80 & JD ’79 (Getzville, N.Y.);
Management Thomas P. Cogan, MBA ’99 (Getzville, N.Y.); Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Charles M. Severin, MD
’97 (East Amherst, N.Y.); Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean P. Trzewieczynski, BS ’98 (Buffalo, N.Y.);
Public Health and Health Professions Dennis R. Horrigan, MS ’81 & MS ’70 (Buffalo, N.Y.)
2 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt
11-ALR-001

from thePresident
New presidency a chance
to celebrate UB’s potential
his is my first opportunity to address UB Today readers as UB’s new president,
and I want to take a moment to share with you some of my thoughts about our
university’s great strengths, as well as my hopes and goals for UB.
reflecting on our recent university-wide inaugural celebration, I feel strongly that
this milestone marked much more than the beginning of a new presidential administration.
It was an occasion for all of us together—faculty, staff and students both past and
present, as well as our extended UB family—to honor our proud past while celebrating our
extraordinary present and vast potential for the future.
our university was established 165 years ago as a small local medical school, with a mission
to serve the citizens of Buffalo. While remaining true to that core public mission, we
also have greatly expanded its scope and deepened its impact over the decades, growing
into a major global public research university of the 21st century.
it was UB’s longstanding reputation for excellence that first drew my interest seven
years ago when I was a candidate for the provost position here. But ultimately what led
me to move my family across the country to Buffalo
was not just UB’s distinguished past, but its promising
future. The UB I knew by reputation had a noteworthy
record of excellence. But the UB community I experienced
firsthand impressed me even more greatly by its
determination to build on this strong foundation.
i have had the great joy of spending the better part of my life in education. And while
I’ve been privileged to be part of many different kinds of universities throughout my academic
career—from U.S. institutions on both coasts to universities in Canada, France,
Germany, Italy and India—UB continues to stand out among these impressive schools.
Our UB students, faculty, staff, alumni and others share a uniquely strong commitment to
extending our reach and impact, continually seeking out new paths for pursuing excellence
and new ways of making a positive difference in the communities we serve, from the local
to the global.
these goals resonate very strongly with me personally as a fourth-generation educator
and a proud product of public higher education. I believe wholeheartedly that this is why
we do what we do as scholars, researchers and educators—to change the world for the better
through our discoveries, questions and innovations.
As alumni, you have contributed substantially to advancing that mission through your
achievements, your leadership and your ideas. I’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to
know and work with you over the past seven years as provost. As president, I look
forward to our continued efforts together as we begin the exciting work of
building on this foundation—continuing to expand our reach, strengthen our
impact, and set our sights even higher for our future.
satish K. Tripathi, President
university at Buffalo
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 3

from theUBAABoardPresident
Tim Lafferty, BS ’86, was nominated for a two-year term
as UB Alumni Association president in May 2011. National
sales manager for the PCA Group Inc., an information technology
company in Buffalo, Lafferty has been involved with
the UBAA board of directors since 2003. He and his wife, Kathleen, and son,
Patrick, a high school senior, live in East Aurora, N.Y.
Association presidency is capstone of lifelong
association with UB
y connection to UB is lifelong; one of my earliest memories
is my dad taking me as a boy to UB Bulls football games in
Rotary Field on the South Campus. My uncle Bob Yerge,
EdM ’67 & EdB ’59, was a member of the 1958 Lambert
Cup championship football team, which was recognized on
its 50th anniversary for athleticism and especially character. (The team rejected
a bowl bid that would have prevented two of its African-American players from
participating.)
I entered UB as a sophomore after a year at the College of Wooster in Ohio
and, after a hiatus, earned my BS in management in 1986. I met many of my
closest friends at UB and have stayed an active alumni volunteer over the
years. In 2008, my daughter, Meghan, received her BS from UB’s School of
Management.
With all these UB associations, I feel a mix of honor, pride, gratitude and
anticipation as I begin my term as association president. My goals will be to
focus on several key areas needing our collective energy and determination.
They include supporting President Satish K. Tripathi and his plans for academic
excellence, new educational opportunities, research and job growth.
Furthermore, we need to continue to influence our public and private leaders on
the importance of UB 2020, and to increase membership in the alumni association.
Only 5 percent of us now support the alumni association as dues-paying
members—this inactivity hinders our efforts to do what we do best. Membership
dues support programming, networking, student initiatives, career development
and UB Today, among many other services and benefits.
UB is alive, growing and poised for significant growth—please join the
alumni association today and show your support. I welcome your comments,
concerns and suggestions.
Tim Lafferty, BS ’86
President, UB Alumni Association
tplafferty@ub-alumni.org
Look for the alumni association
members asterisk throughout the
magazine. It’s our way of celebrating
our alumni association members.
4 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 5

shortform
Academic insights, breaking research, UB people and university news
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signs the NYSUNY 2020 bill into law on Aug. 9.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
President hails passage of
NYSUNY 2020 legislation
Passage of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s NYSUNY 2020 will have a “transformative
impact” on UB and public higher education in New York State,
President Satish K. Tripathi said shortly after the bill’s passage June 24.
Moreover, it offers a historic new model for investing in public higher education
during a period of declining state funding support.
The bill, which Cuomo signed into law on Aug. 9, authorizes all SUNY
campuses to implement a rational tuition plan that gives the campuses
the ability to raise tuition up to $300 annually for five years. In addition,
as a component of the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, the four
University Centers in Buffalo, Albany, Binghamton and Stony Brook are
authorized to raise tuition 10 percent for out-of-state students.
These critical resources will provide the revenue needed for UB to
implement the next phase of the UB 2020 plan for academic excellence,
under the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, Tripathi said. Three
main interrelated objectives are “enhanced educational and research excellence,
improved health care for Western New York, and creation of an innovation
economy that will produce regional job growth,” he said.
UB’s plan would use the university’s share of the first-round funding—$35
million—as a down payment to build a new facility for the medical
school on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo.
New York State low-income students who qualify for maximum financial
aid through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) will not be impacted
by tuition increases authorized by the bill. To ensure equitable access to
UB, the university also will invest a portion of tuition revenues into needbased
financial aid.
BREAKING
RESEARCH
Helping concussed
hockey players
recover
In the game of professional
hockey, a contact
sport, suffering from
concussion is an all too
common injury. Yet deciding
if a hockey player
is ready to return to the
ice has been left primarily
to each team’s physician,
with no standardized
across-the-sport
method to assess when
the time is right.
Specialists at UB’s
Orthopedics and Sports
Medicine Department’s
concussion clinic have
developed a reliable
graded exercise test for
concussion that would
help sports-team physicians
make decisions
about a player’s readiness
to return to the ice
in good health.
The regimen, supported
in part by the Buffalo
Sabres Foundation, is
described in the March
2011 issue of Clinical
Journal of Sport Medicine.
Barry Willer, UB
professor of psychiatry
and rehabilitation medicine
and senior author
on the paper, says “premature
return to a sport
Go to
www.buffalo.edu/news
for the latest in campus news reports.
after concussion greatly
increases the risk of a
follow-up concussion,
with more devastating
results than the first
concussion.”
The UB study was conducted
in a consecutive
sample of 21 athletes
and non-athletes who
came to UB’s concussion
clinic. The test,
developed at the clinic,
uses a single approach
to assess readiness
to return to the sport.
Athletes are evaluated
Patient takes part in individualized
exercise program
to recover from post-concussive
syndrome.
while exercising on a
treadmill, as the angle of
the treadmill increases
the workload, and are
watched carefully for
any signs or symptoms
of exacerbation as they
exercise to voluntary
exhaustion. Athletes are
reevaluated after one to
two weeks of increasing
exercise.
Douglas Levere, BA ’89
6 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

Greiner Hall
William R. Greiner Hall, the state-of-the-art
residence hall for sophomores, opened its
doors at the start of the fall semester. Named
for UB’s 13th president who died in 2009,
Greiner Hall blends residential, recreational and academic spaces, and
was designed to earn a gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED rating system. Amenities including wireless Internet access, fireplace
lounges and futuristically designed bike racks. See YouTube video of
dedication at http://tinyurl.com/5ro37g9.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Gates foundation grant supports
global health research
A medical school faculty member has received a grant from
the Grand Challenges Explorations program, a $100 million
global health research initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda
Bett
Gates Foundation. Glenna Bett, associate professor and vice
chair for research in the Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics, will use the $100,000
grant to develop a device to treat postpartum hemorrhage suitable for use even
when medical facilities are absent or minimal, and in nonsterile environments. If
successful, such a device has the potential to reduce perinatal deaths worldwide.
Bett’s co-principal investigator on the grant is Randall Rasmusson, professor in the
Department of Physiology and Biophysics.
Grand Challenges Explorations funds scientists and researchers worldwide to explore
ideas that can break the mold in solving persistent global health and development
challenges.
UB by the numbers
3
University
Construction
Boom
[Amount
SOURCE: ub reporter
384 515
[Campuses where
construction is
taking place]
dedicated to additional
projects in planning and design, in
millions of dollars]
UB PEOPLE
[Amount dedicated to projects
under way as of July 2011, in
millions of dollars]
Entrepreneur
keeps old
software alive
At the age of 10, while
other children fretted
over how they’d fit in at
middle school, UB senior
Alexander Levine was
trying to start an online
business.
The son of economists
who emigrated to the
U.S. in 1995 from St.
Petersburg, Russia,
Levine created several
websites, including one
that offered Web design
services and another
that reviewed free
Internet service providers.
Then he launched
the site that would later
fund his college education:
OldVersion.com,
a clearinghouse for old
versions of computer
software. At age 12, he
registered OldVersion.
com with partner Igor
Dolgalev, who left the
project a few years later.
Today, 10 years later,
users download between
10,000 to 15,000 copies
of software a day from
the OldVersion website.
The site offers old
versions of nearly 300
programs, including
LimeWire, AOL Instant
Messenger, Opera, Acro-
For more information and a slideshow on new construction, go to www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2011_07_07/construction
Douglas Levere, BA ’89
“When I first started
the site, it was about
making some money,
but now I love the
process of creating.
I love the hustle of
starting a business.”
Alexander Levine
bat Reader, RealPlayer
and, of course, Napster.
Levine says some people
use the service because
their computers don’t
support new versions of
software, while others
simply prefer the old
versions.
“When I first started the
site, it was about making
some money,” he says,
“but now I love the process
of creating. I love
the hustle of starting a
business.” At UB, Levine
created his own major,
theatre anthropology,
studying how different
cultures approach theater,
with an emphasis
on his native Russia,
where he studied for a
semester.
[Buildings opening in fall 2011—
William R. Greiner Hall, residence
hall for UB sophomores, and
Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, new
engineering building]
of beds in
Greiner Hall]
600[Number
2
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 7
Douglas Levere, BA ’89

shortform
mature to how critical
crops might respond to
global warming.
The Amborella project
builds on an earlier
study, in which information
was sought on the
origins of flowers by
comparing active genes
of flowering plants, including
Amborella, and
non-flowering plants
called gymnosperms.
The Amborella genome
project is the natural
next step: Now that we
know more about how
the first flowers evolved,
what can we learn about
how they diversified
With a fossil record dating
to just over 130 million
years ago, flowering
plants now include as
many as 400,000 species
on land and in water.
The goal of these studies
is to learn more about
whole-genome duplication,
a commonplace
process in flowers in
which a new plant inherits
an extra, duplicate
copy of its parents’ DNA.
Because redundant copies
of genes can evolve
to develop new functions,
scientists think
that whole-genome duplication
may be behind
“Darwin’s abominable
mystery”—the abrupt
proliferation of new
varieties of flowering
plants in fossil records
dating to the Cretaceous
period.
BREAKING
RESEARCH
amborella
Where did flowers
come from
UB is a key partner in a
$7.3 million, multi-institution
collaboration to
explore the origins of all
flowers by sequencing
the genome of Amborella,
a unique species
found in only one place
on the planet: the Pacific
islands of New Caledonia.
The plant, a direct descendant
of the common
ancestor of all flowering
plants, is the single
known living species on
the earliest branch of
the genetic tree of life
of flowering plants. By
comparing the genetic
make-up of Amborella
to that of newer species,
biologists will be able
to study a diverse range
of plant characteristics,
from how flowers resist
drought and how fruits
Students’ interconnected micro-dwellings in Griffis Sculpture Park south of Buffalo.
ACADEMIC INSIGHT
The Living Wall
Freshman students from the School of Architecture and Planning have designed
and built a 96-foot-long string of wooden micro-dwellings at Griffis
Sculpture Park, located about 45 miles south of Buffalo.
“The Living Wall” installation will remain at least through early spring
2012 at Griffis, where visitors can climb on, over and through the interconnected
micro-dwellings.
Working in groups of six to seven, about 80 students were tasked with
creatively transforming uniform, wooden
volumes measuring 6 by 6 by 8 feet
to incorporate an entrance, day lighting,
natural ventilation, and a minimum
of five sleeping spaces.
After assembling the structures at
Griffis, members of each group spent
24 hours living inside the creations.
Occupying the spaces is intended to
give students a better understanding
of the successes and shortcomings of
“[Students can see]
what the design and
construction process
is like from start to
finish.”
Christopher Romano, Clinical
Associate Professor of Architecture
their designs. Indeed, teamwork is a critical skill for architects, who must
work not only with each other, but with clients, engineers and contractors
as well. “Creating a full-scale structure gives first-year students an opportunity
to see, firsthand, what the design and construction process is like from
start to finish,” says Christopher Romano, UB clinical associate professor
and one of four coordinating faculty members overseeing the students’
work. “They’ve gone from drawings and models to building a full-scale
project.”
Douglas Levere, BA ’89
University news
Insulin a possible therapy for
Alzheimer’s
A low dose of insulin has been found to suppress the expression in the blood of four precursor
proteins involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new clinical research
by UB endocrinologists published in March online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism.
“Our results show clearly that insulin has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent
for Alzheimer’s, for which no satisfactory treatment is currently available,” says Paresh Dandona,
UB distinguished professor of medicine in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
and senior author on the study. For more information, go to www.buffalo.edu/news/12442.
8 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

BREAKING
RESEARCH
Waterpipe
smoking
‘epidemic’ among
young
Students in schools and
universities in the U.S.
and around the world
are using waterpipes
to smoke tobacco at
“alarmingly high” rates,
according to a study
by UB researchers
published in April 2011
in Biomedical Health
Central Public Health.
“Waterpipe smoking is
a real epidemic in the
world and it’s picking
up in the U.S. too,” says
Elie Akl, lead author
and associate professor
of medicine, family
medicine, and social and
preventive medicine in
the schools of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences
speaking of
and Public Health and
Health Professions.
While the paper reveals
the highest rates of
waterpipe smoking in
Middle Eastern and
Asian countries (where
the practice has a
centuries-long tradition),
researchers also
found that it is increasing
in the U.S. and other
western countries.
“The surveys included
in this review found an
alarming prevalence
of waterpipe smoking
among middle and high
school students in the
U.S.,” Akl says. “It was
especially true of Arab-
American students, who
reported waterpipe usage
ranging from 12 to
15 per cent.” The UB review
also found that approximately
10 percent
of university students in
the U.S. reported waterpipe
smoking.
Waterpipe tobacco
smoking is significantly
associated with lung
cancer, respiratory illness,
low birth weight
and periodontal disease,
a study by Akl and others
published in the
International Journal of
Epidemiology has found.
“I think it’s going to be a
toss-up whether synthetic
life or the human genome
has more impact on the
future of humanity. I hope
they both will.”
J. Craig Venter, former UB professor,
founder of Celera Genomics and one of
the first scientists to sequence the human
genome, Distinguished Speakers
Series, Alumni Arena, April 27, 2011
UNIVERSITY NEWS
UB debuts new home page
The first phase of UB’s new home page (www.buffalo.edu) debuted in June,
offering a variety of features designed to reflect the university’s unique culture
and identity while enabling users to find information quickly.
The first redesign of the university’s main Web presence in six years,
the home page aims to support recruitment of students and faculty, as well
as other key institutional objectives, by showcasing the “UB experience”
and positioning the university as a leader in research, teaching and global
outreach. A dynamic Web presence
is critical to a university’s ability
to recruit students. In fact, for
many students, looking at a college
website is their primary way of collecting
information about a school
before they apply.
The new site was built on the
new UBCMS technology (the university’s
content management system),
which will serve as the online
communications platform across
the university. The redesign overhauled
the previous home page
and added top-level pages on five
key topics: academic excellence,
admissions options, research, UB’s
global reach and “life at UB.”
Extensive research for the redesign
included interviews with more
than 300 faculty, staff, students,
alumni, community members and
prospective students.
UB PEOPLE
Professor wins
2011 Nathan M.
Newmark Medal
Andrei M. Reinhorn, Clifford
C. Furnas Professor
of Structural Engineering,
received the
American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) 2011
Nathan M. Newmark
Medal in Las Vegas on
April 14.
The national medal is
given to an ASCE
member who,
through
contributions
in structural
mechanics,
has
substantially
reinhorn
strengthened the scientific
base of structural
engineering. Reinhorn
was recognized for
outstanding contributions
to the development
of experimental
and analytical methods
in structural dynamics
and for his design
of response-control
systems for earthquakeresistant
buildings, as
well as contributions to
quantify earthquakeresilient
communities.
Reinhorn is the
third UB faculty
member—after
George C.
Lee and Tsu
T. Soong—to
receive the award in the
past 11 years, a huge
achievement among
competing institutions
during this period.
Reinhorn, who also is
an investigator with
UB’s MCEER (formerly
the Multidisciplinary
Center for Earthquake
Engineering Research),
has developed models
and computational approaches
for damaged
and degrading structures
near collapse,
which have enabled engineers
to design safer
buildings. He is also a
pioneer in defining the
disaster resilience of
communities and developing
ways to quantify it.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 9

10 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.alumni.buffalo.edu

seenreadheard
books, music and films by UB alumni
Books
The Civil War: A Concise History
Louis P. Masur, BA ’78
“The Civil War: A
Concise History”
surveys “with
keen insight, the
slippery slope to
war’s outbreak,
which was paved
with increasingly
bitter opposing views on
slavery and states’ rights and
territorial expansion,” according
to Booklist. The author
holds the William R. Kenan
Jr. Professorship in American
Institutions and Values at Trinity
College. (Oxford University
Press, 2011)
Sustainability Management:
Lessons from and for New York
City, America and the Planet
Steven Cohen, PhD ’79 & MA ’77
Using examples
from New York
City, Steven
Cohen explains
how everything
from construction
to waste
management
can be designed to facilitate a
sustainable environment, not
just for New York but also for
the world. Cohen is executive
director of the Earth Institute at
Columbia. (Columbia University
Press, 2011)
Just Perfect
Jane Marinsky, BFA ’78
In this
delightful
children’s
book written
and illustrated
by Jane
Marinsky,
a family of three search the
animal kingdom for an ideal pet
to become part of their family.
Marinsky’s editorial illustrations
have appeared in major publications.
(David R. Godine, 2012)
The Philosophy of Charlie
Kaufman
David LaRocca, BA ’97
In this collection
of essays
edited by David
LaRocca, a
diverse group
of scholars
delves into the
heart of Charlie
Kaufman’s innovative screenplays
(“Adaptation,” “Being John
Malkovich”), offering not only
original philosophical analyses,
but also extended reflections
on the nature of film and film
criticism. LaRocca is coordinating
producer and consulting
editor of the documentary film
project “The Intellectual Portrait
Series.” (The University Press of
Kentucky, 2011)
Riding with Destiny
JAYne Lyn Stahl, BA ’72
This collection of
poetry flirts with
the boundaries
between sacred
and profane,
self and other,
the erotic and
transcendent in
ways that are fresh and continually
surprise. Jayne Lyn Stahl is
a widely published poet, essayist,
playwright and screenwriter.
(NYQ Books, 2010)
The Diffusion of Innovations:
A Communication Science
Perspective
Arun Vishwanath, PhD ’01, and
George A. Barnett
This book brings
together noted
scholars and
presents a
communication
perspective for
the study of the
diffusion of innovations—“the
process whereby
a new product, service, or idea
spreads through a population,”
according to the Encyclopedia
of Applied Psychology. Arun
Vishwanath is associate professor
of communication at
UB; his coeditor teaches at
UC Davis and is a former UB
faculty member. (Peter Lang
Publishing, 2011)
For more books and submission guidelines go to www.buffalo.edu/ubt
Breast Cancer Recurrence and
Advanced Disease
Barbara Gordon, PhD ’82 &
eDm ’77
Barbara
Gordon’s
diagnosis of
breast cancer
prompted this
book offering
expert advice to
those concerned
with recurrence of the disease
or late-stage cancer. Her coauthors
are two oncologists and
a pharmacologist. Gordon is
associate professor of English at
Elon University. (Duke University
Press, 2010)
Film
Making Faces: Metal Type
in the 21st Century
Richard Kegler, MA ’94
This fascinating
design
documentary
by Richard
Kegler, founder
of the P22 type
foundry and
the Western
New York Book Arts Center, captures
the personality and work
process of the late Canadian
graphic artist and type designer
Jim Rimmer (1931-2010). More
information is available at makingfacesfilm.blogspot.com.
The Good Books Project
The UB Libraries and the Undergraduate Academies recently launched “The Good Books Project,” a list of 48 books
students can read over the course of four years for an eclectic education grounded entirely in “unrequired reading.”
The list includes novels, memoirs, poetry, histories, and books of essays and social sciences. Recommended are new
works like “Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages” by Guy Deutscher;
classics like Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” and Virgil’s “The Aeneid”; and illuminating Buffalo-area works,
such as “Farm Hands: Hard work and hard lessons from Western New York fields,” by Batavia reporter Tom Rivers,
who spent a year laboring in a dozen different jobs on a variety of Western New York farms.
For the full list of titles and synopses, go to http://library.buffalo.edu/48goodbooks.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 11

sportform
the latest athletic news from the bulls
Men’s basketball
Bulls land
heralded recruit
colorado springs Gazette
“I’ve never seen a
leader like him.”
He has joined the ranks
Coach Jim Masterson
of LeBron James, Kobe
Bryant and Carmelo
Anthony, and this fall he joined the UB men’s
basketball team. His name is Xavier Ford, and
he is among the most decorated recruits the Bulls
have ever had.
After his senior year at Colorado Springs’
Harrison High, Ford was named a third-team
PARADE magazine All-America selection. The
6-foot-8 forward is the only UB signee ever to earn
the prestigious national honor.
Each year, the magazine names four teams of
10 players, many of whom achieve greater success
in college and in the pros. There are more than 160
former PARADE All-Americans currently playing
in the NBA, and they include the aforementioned
superstars.
“To be recognized alongside the best high
school players from across the country is a great
accomplishment,” Bulls coach Reggie Witherspoon
says of Ford.
A Colorado Springs, Colo., native, Ford averaged
27.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game
during his senior season at Harrison. The Panthers
went 20-5 overall and finished second in their
league while earning a berth in the state tournament.
He was the only Colorado player named to
the PARADE list.
Ford brings to Coach Witherspoon’s Bulls an
infusion of young talent on what will be an otherwise
veteran squad. UB returns four starters from
a team that went 20-14 last season. UB’s membership
in a mid-major conference was among the
reasons Ford chose Buffalo.
In addition to his size and skill, Ford is a natural
leader, according to his high school coach, Jim
Masterson. When Ford was named league player
of the year, Masterson told The Colorado Springs
Gazette: “He was the voice of this team, and in my
34 years of coaching, I’ve never seen a leader like
him. In addition to [being] a great athlete, he’s one
of the greatest young men I’ve ever known.”
Added Masterson, “He will leave a stronger
legacy for Harrison basketball than anyone ever
has.”
Ford, who plans on majoring in physical
therapy, hopes to leave the same mark on UB.
Xavier Ford averaged
27.4 points PER GAME in
his senior season aT
HARRISON.
10 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

Paul Hokanson
schirmers
swimming
Five Bulls qualify for Olympic
Team Trials
Having one swimmer qualify for U.S. Olympic
Team Trials is a feather in any school’s swim cap.
Boasting you’ll be sending five, though, and you
can fill your entire pool with feathers.
That’s how many UB swimmers will head to
Omaha, Neb., next summer with hopes of representing
the United States at the 2012 Summer
Olympics in London. The Bulls quintet qualified
for team trials following stellar performances at
various meets over the summer.
The group includes senior Alie Schirmers,
who became the first UB woman to qualify for U.S.
team trials after swimming the 200-meter breaststroke
in 2 minutes, 35.63 seconds at the Eastern
Zone Speedo Sectional Meet in Pittsburgh.
A native of Coon Rapids, Minn., Schirmers
holds the UB school record in the 200 breaststroke
and is a member of the Bulls’ record-holding
800-meter freestyle relay team.
Joining her next summer will be men’s swimmers
Phil Aronica, Mike Dugan, Matt Hogan and
Matt Schwippert.
FOOTBALL
Cowboys draft UB’s
Thomas
As a boy growing up in Cedar
Hill, Texas, just outside of Dallas,
Josh Thomas idolized the
thomas
Dallas Cowboys. After an outstanding career as
a cornerback at UB, Thomas received the phone
call of a lifetime on April 30 when he was taken by
“America’s Team” in the fifth round (143rd overall
pick) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Thomas got the call
from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a surreal moment
he says he won’t soon forget.
Only one UB Bull has been drafted higher—Ed
Ellis, BA ’97, who was the 125th overall pick in
1997. Thomas is the fourth UB player drafted in
the past four years.
Thomas entered UB under former coach
Turner Gill (now at Kansas). During his sophomore
year (2008), the Bulls throttled previously
unbeaten Ball State 42-24 in the MAC Championship
game and earned a bid to the International
Bowl in Toronto.
As a senior, Thomas recorded 58 tackles (30
solo), two sacks and an interception. Thomas
credits Gill and current coach Jeff Quinn for his
development as a player.
When draft day approached, Thomas’ agent
told him not to watch the draft. Thomas was
enjoying a normal day at his grandmother’s house
in Texas when his cellphone rang. The call was
from a 972 (Dallas) area code. It was a Cowboys
representative who then turned the phone over to
Jones. “He says, ‘Are you there’ I said, ‘Are YOU
there’” Thomas recalls in describing his astonishment.
“It still feels like a big dream.”
BASEBALL
Murphy makes UB
history
A .384 batting average over 52
Murphy
games, 10 home runs, a .626
slugging percentage and a .446 on-base percentage.
Those are some pretty good statistics, and
they’re how UB catcher Tom Murphy earned 2011
Mid-American Conference Player of the Year
honors. He’s the first Bull ever to be named player
of the year.
The West Monroe, N.Y., native completed his
sophomore season at UB ranking in the top 10 in
six different categories in the Bulls’ single-season
record book. His slugging percentage is the fourthhighest
in UB history, and his 44 RBIs rank fifth.
Murphy set a UB record when he homered three
times in the Bulls’ 11-6 win over North Carolina
Central on March 19, 2011. For the season, he
finished among the top five in the MAC in three
categories and claimed the conference batting title.
Go to
www.buffalobulls.com
for updates on all team schedules
and news, and for information on
purchasing tickets.
2.26.11 For the first
time in school history, the
UB men’s swimming and
diving team wins the MAC
title. The quartet of Simon
Proudfoot, Mike Dugan,
Jared Heine and Matt Hogan
clinches victory by winning
the 400-yard free relay in a
school record, 2:56.60.
3.16.11 UB plays in a Division
I postseason tournament
for the first time in
school history, participating
in the Women’s Basketball
Invitational. The Bulls come
up just short, falling 82-79.
Eventual MAC Player of the
Year Kourtney Brown leads
the UB effort with 21 points.
5.11.11 UB wrestling staff
announces three more
outstanding additions to the
2011-12 recruiting class, including
four-time New York
state champ Arik Robinson,
California state runner-up
Justin Lozano and two-time
Michigan state champion
Justin Heiserman.
5.14.11 The women’s
rowing team captures two
medals at the Dad Vail
Regatta in Philadelphia, the
nation’s largest collegiate
rowing event.
6.6.11 Bulls forward Javon
McCrea is invited to the
2011 USA Basketball Men’s
U19 World Championship
team training camp, which
features 21 of the nation’s
best players age 19 and under.
Despite a strong showing,
he is the final player cut
from the team.
Reported by David J. Hill, a
staff writer in UB’s Office of
University Communications
victor’sdatebook
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 13

story by Charlotte Hsu
What’s next for UB With a new president
and plans for expanding or improving all three campuses, the university is in the midst
of its most ambitious transformation since joining SUNY half a century before. So far,
2011 has been a year of change and promise, with the state approving funding for a
Inaugural
Commemorative
See page 19 for coverage
of inaugural celebration
and the investiture of UB’s
15th president

plan that will—among other key university developments—enable UB to bring more
of the world’s best faculty to Buffalo and also move the medical school to its historic
home downtown by 2016. Across UB, there is energy and excitement as the institution
marks the start of another chapter in its storied history. With so much happening,
UB President Satish K. Tripathi says there’s no place he’d rather be.
Photos by Douglas Levere, BA ’89
Satish K. Tripathi at the Honors College in Capen Hall.

Seven years have passed since you
joined UB in 2004 as provost. Why have
you stayed
sion a UB that will have an even greater
impact on our community and a reach
that expands the globe. I am both excited
and humbled by this opportunity to lead
our university at such a pivotal point in its
long and distinguished history.
Looking ahead, what are some of the
biggest challenges facing UB
The most accomplished and ambitious
students want to study with renowned
faculty, and the greatest challenge in any
university is to recruit the best students
and faculty and retain them. If you look
at institutions of our size and stature,
they have a lot more endowed faculty
chairs than we have. As president, the
challenge for me is to work with deans to
raise at least $150 million to add 100 new
endowed chairs, and another $200 million
for scholarships and fellowships to attract
great students.
What values will drive decision-making
at UB in years to come
To me, the UB 2020 strategic plan that
we have been implementing has three
components—three “Es.” Those are excellence,
engagement and efficiency. By
16 UBTODay Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt
I’ve observed, firsthand, the quality that
exists at UB, and working closely with
our faculty, staff, students and university
supporters over the years has given me a
unique vantage point to appreciate the vast
potential of the university. UB’s capacity
to be even better than it is today, I believe,
has created a tremendous amount of
excitement across our university. I enviexcellence,
I mean academic excellence—
the benchmark we use to measure all that
we undertake at UB, and the core of our
institutional mission. Our engagement is
with all the communities we serve locally
as well as globally—engagement with
alumni, with the city, with elected officials
and with institutional partners within
SUNY, across the nation and around the
world. Efficiency is really an over-arching
principle of doing more with less—whether
that means using our resources strategically
in the face of financial
challenges, striving for
energy efficiency and environmental
sustainability
across campus operations,
or realigning our academic
units and strengths so they
are positioned to achieve
their full potential, as we
are seeking to do in moving
the medical school
downtown where it will be
closer to health care and
research partners in the city
of Buffalo.
Academic excellence is
the foundation of all these
values, because academic
excellence has a ripple effect: With better
students and faculty, we create better
technology and jobs. Our purpose is not to
seek knowledge for reputational gain. Our
purpose is to make our region and world
a better place. Our goal is to contribute
to the solution of society’s most vexing
problems, and to contribute to our community’s
economic and cultural vitality.
UB’s footprint is growing downtown.
What changes can we expect to see
There’s so much going on downtown, with
the Regional Institute, Office of Economic
Engagement and other offices now in the
Downtown Gateway. A new Economic
Opportunity Center is under construction,
along with the UB-Kaleida Health clinical
care and research building. This is a
10-story facility, where UB researchers will
work on developing treatments and technologies.
As I just mentioned, we are also excited
about our plans to relocate the medical
school to the Buffalo Niagara Medical
Campus over the next five years. With
the passage of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s
NYSUNY 2020 bill, we now have the tools
to begin to move forward. In addition, a
truly extraordinary $40 million gift from
a medical school alumnus who has asked to
remain anonymous will facilitate the hiring
of new faculty as this move takes place. (See
page 18.) We are tremendously grateful for
all this support—the transformation under
way would not be possible without the support
of our alumni, friends and community.
Why do you feel it’s so important for UB
to continue investing in Buffalo
Our growing downtown presence will
strengthen Buffalo’s emerging biomedical
economy, creating jobs in the community
while also expanding opportunities for
our students and faculty. The relocation of
the medical school in particular will bring
UB researchers closer to partners, including
Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer
Institute, Hauptman-Woodward Medical
Research Institute and life sciences companies.
It makes sense for Western New York
and it makes sense for UB. Our university’s
future and our community’s future are
inseparable.
What should people know about you that
they might not know
I’m a sports fanatic. Fanatic is a strong
word, but I really love sports—watching, not
playing. I thoroughly enjoy going to Bulls
games and cheering on our student athletes.
I just love the competition.
With regard to my profession, people
may not know that I have had many
research collaborations internationally,
not just in India, but also with colleagues
in Italy, Germany, France, Canada and
Taiwan.
Do you ever miss teaching
My father was a teacher, and I always
wanted to teach. I enjoyed science and math
when I was growing up, and I used to help
the other kids in class. Later, as a professor,
I always found mentoring students to be
one of the most rewarding and energizing
aspects of my work. From there, I moved
on to become a department chair, a dean, a
provost and, now, a president. I view this as
a natural progression.
I do still try to teach a 1-credit freshman
seminar every year. It gives me an avenue
to really be connected to the students. We
exist because of the students, and we need
to understand their culture, their expectations.
After all, they are the future of UB
and the future of all the communities we
serve, from the local to the global.

“I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity to
lead our university at such a pivotal point in its long
and distinguished history.” Satish K. Tripathi
atish K. Tripathi,
UB’s first international-born
president, is the
fourth generation
in a long line of
educators. Before
him, his father was
a high school principal. Now, Tripathi’s elder
son, Manish, is carrying on the family business
as a member of Emory University’s marketing
faculty.
tripathi and his wife, Kamlesh, who now
live in the president’s residence in Amherst,
N.Y., also have a son Aashish, who is a member
of e-Bay’s business-development team in
San Francisco.
education has been at the center of
Tripathi’s life since he was a boy.
at 13, in India, he left his home village of
Patna in Uttar Pradesh to attend senior high
school in Faizabad, a town about 2 ½ hours
away by bus. Instead of commuting each day,
he lived at a hostel. Later, he graduated at the
top of his class at Banaras Hindu University,
and he received three advanced degrees in
computer science and statistics from Banaras,
the University of Alberta and the University of
Toronto.
a career of more than 30 years in academia
has taken Tripathi from the classrooms of the
University of Maryland, where he started as
a computer science lecturer in 1978, to the
president’s office at UB.
as he has ascended in his profession,
education has remained his priority. He has
formed lasting friendships with students, even
keeping in touch—through visits, phone calls
and holiday cards—with the first doctoral can-
didate he ever advised. This spring, he plans
to make room in his schedule to teach a freshman
seminar on data mining.
So it’s no surprise that as president,
Tripathi, 60, is bringing the conversation about
UB back to “first principles.” Academic excellence—great
faculty, great students, great
teaching and great research—is what will
strengthen UB’s impact on Buffalo Niagara and
the world, he asserts.
When Tripathi joined UB as provost in 2004,
the university was just launching UB 2020, the
strategic plan that drives decisions in areas
from academics to campus beautification. The
transformation has been UB’s most ambitious
since joining SUNY in 1962. As provost, with
then-President John B. Simpson, he spearheaded
the creation and implementation of
the academic vision of excellence that is the
heart of this plan—a vision that has led UB to
achieve significant growth in research activity,
enhanced student quality and diversity, and an
expanded international presence.
With a soft-spoken determination and a
collegial approach, Tripathi is well-matched for
his new role. As dean of UC Riverside’s Bourns
College of Engineering from 1997 to 2004, he
had grown the college from a single department
and research center to four departments
and five interdisciplinary research centers.
In Buffalo, Tripathi has moved UB 2020 forward
even as state budget cuts have repeatedly
hit the university.
his accomplishments include working with
faculty to pinpoint eight UB 2020 Strategic
Strengths—areas of interdisciplinary scholarship
that now comprise the core of UB’s
academic activity—and hiring more than 100
researchers into those strengths.
The resulting atmosphere of collaboration
has attracted graduate students who have published
in top journals and partnered with companies
to develop products in medicine, computing,
nanomaterials and other fields. The
caliber of undergraduates also has improved,
with UB enrolling its most academically talented
freshman class for three straight years.
these successes have generated excitement
across UB, and Tripathi is looking forward
to what comes next. His vision for UB’s
future focuses on moving UB into the highest
ranks of the nation’s leading research universities,
expanding its reach and impact in the
process. To the president’s office, he brings the
same qualities that made him a great teacher
for 19 years at the University of Maryland at
College Park: He is thoughtful, good at listening
and respectful of others.
Colleagues praise his diplomatic skills and
say his professional success is in part due to
his warm demeanor. They describe him as a
man of integrity in personal and business relations.
Indeed, faculty and administrative colleagues
have noted when they have had concerns
about UB or personal, career-related
matters, Tripathi has made time to meet.
It’s the same accessibility that entrepreneur
Richard Upton, Tripathi’s first-ever PhD student,
remembers from his days at Maryland.
Back then, Tripathi stood out as a professor
who was genuinely interested in his students.
“If you had something you wanted to chat
with him about, he was always able to do that
outside the classroom,” Upton recalls.
years later, that part of Tripathi hasn’t
changed.
“Satish is very committed to UB, and
he is, first and foremost, a professor,” says
Alexander Cartwright, vice president for
research. “He believes that the No. 1 priority
for the institution should be education.
It’s about teaching the next generation of
researchers.”
Charlotte Hsu is a staff writer with University
Communications.
UB 2020 Presidential Tour for UB Alumni
20 Cities in 20 Months
President Satish K. Tripathi is visiting 20 cities in 20 months to meet with UB alumni
and share his vision for the university—he began the tour Oct. 1 in Knoxville where
the Bulls took on the UT Volunteers. For the latest tour updates and information, go
to www.buffalo.edu/president/2020tour.
* Countries to be determined
San Francisco (11.14.11)
San Jose (11.15.11)
Phoenix (1.12)
West Palm Beach (2.12)
Los Angeles (3.12)
Naples (3.12)
Washington, D.C. (4.12)
New York (5.12)
Rochester (Summer 2012)
International* (Summer 2012)
Newark (Summer 2012)
Boston (9.12)
Seattle (10.12)
Denver (11.12)
Sarasota (1.13)
Dallas (2.13)
Chicago (4.13)
Philadelphia (Summer 2013)
San Diego (Summer 2013)
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODay Fall 2011 17

Monumental
Donation
Historic gift to UB medical school
will have transformational impact
lasting generations
By Mary Cochrane
doctor who graduated from the UB
medical school in the mid-20th century
had a vision of greatness to come
for his beloved alma mater.
Thankful for the education he received at
the height of World War II, the doctor quietly
began investing in stocks with the intent of
making a gift to UB at some future point.
More than a half-century later, UB
President Satish K. Tripathi had the pleasure
of announcing the doctor’s donation: $40
million, the largest gift from an individual in
university history.
The medical school’s Class of ’15 with (from left) Animesh
Sinha of Dermatology, Teresa Quattrin of Pediatrics, President
Satish K. Tripathi, Vice President for Health Sciences Michael
E. Cain and Anne Curtis of Medicine.
“This doctor worked tirelessly for his patients, and remained
connected to UB, planning to one day give back to the university.
With this extraordinary gift, he has done that and more,” Tripathi
said at the Sept. 21 news conference announcing the gift.
“Attracting a gift of this size to our medical school is a testament
to the extraordinary level of accomplishment the school has
achieved. It helps us build on this strong foundation as we pursue
excellence in education, research and clinical care.”
The doctor, who is now deceased, arranged the gift as a bequest
for the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SMBS)
and also arranged to remain anonymous, to be known only as
someone who knew from an early age that he wanted to be a physician.
“The day I received the letter of acceptance to the UB medical
school was the happiest day of my life,” he would tell friends.
“Becoming a doctor was my lifelong dream.”
“His generosity to UB will have a truly transformational
impact—on our university and our students for generations to
come, and in terms of the stronger, healthier communities we
will build as a result—here in Western New York and around the
world,” Tripathi added.
While unusual for the giver of such a spectacular gift to shun
the spotlight, those who knew the doctor said that was his nature:
to focus on the reason for giving rather than to receive recognition.
“He was truly grateful for his medical education and enjoyed
watching his investments grow, always remarking that it meant
‘more for UB,’” one friend has said.
The donor, who retired in the 1990s, designated the gift to be
used at the discretion of the medical school dean.
Michael E. Cain, vice president for health sciences and SMBS
dean, will use the funds to hire new faculty. With a half-dozen new
chairs hired in the past year—and searches begun in five more
departments—the school is well on its way to fulfilling what has
been a priority for Cain.
“We owe it to our students to give them the best, most insightful
instructors we can find,” Cain said. “One of my primary goals
is to recruit a number of acclaimed experts to our faculty. In that
regard, I can safely say that 2010-11 has been a banner year.”
Recent attention has focused on moving the medical school to
the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
“If this donor were with us today,” said Cain, “he would be
thrilled to know his gift arrives at a time of great momentum.
Rarely do a university, its supporters and the community have the
opportunity to build a new medical school. Thanks in part to this
gift, we expect to fill it with the most sought-after faculty members,
who in turn will attract top students to Buffalo.”
The gift also comes as Tripathi takes the helm of the university
with his own vision for UB.
“Hire the best faculty. Attract the brightest students. Do these
things and the university will flourish,” Tripathi has said.
One can imagine the donor would wholeheartedly agree.
Mary Cochrane is associate director of the Office of Development
Communications at UB.
Douglas Levere, BA ’89
18 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

local impact, Global reach
The Inauguration of the 15th President
Weeklong celebration of UB’s past, present and
future heralds a new presidency and a new era
Photos by Douglas Levere, BA’ 89; Nancy J. Parisi, BA ’87; Steve Morse; Paul Hokanson and Dylan Buyskes

Monday
Excellence in
Research, Education
and Service
9.19.11
The university community gathered to explore the impact of UB’s
research, academic activities and creative pursuits in the 21st century.
Faculty and staff were honored for their recent achievements,
while students were recognized for their own notable
research and creative activities. More than two dozen SUNY
Distinguished Professors engaged in a lively discussion of the
financial challenges facing public research universities and how to
grapple with them amid continuing uncertainty.
Blue & White
The Peace Bridge was
bathed in blue-andwhite
lights to recognize
inaugural week. Below:
Hui Meng, professor
of mechanical and
aerospace engineering
and neurosurgery, was
among those honored
at the Celebration
of Faculty and Staff
Excellence.
“The interesting and provocative question … is whether the 175 or so public
research universities are going to have to change profoundly, and if so, why
Will all of us or just some of us have to profoundly change, and perhaps most
importantly, profoundly change how”
D. Bruce Johnstone, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and University Professor Emeritus
Student achievement
UB honored student research and creative
activity (above), while SUNY Distinguished
Professors probed financial issues for
public research universities as state funding
diminishes (right).
20 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.alumni.buffalo.edu

“The faculty and deans who are working on the
curriculum are learning from each other and
about each other’s disciplines. The center is the
visible entity that is becoming a driving force in
bringing all of the [health] professions together.”
Jeffrey W. Myers, EdM ’07, Director of the Behling Simulation Center
More practice
Emergency responders
resuscitate a “patient” at the
Behling Simulation Center,
where students practice
resuscitation and other procedures
in a realistic setting.
Above right: Smartboards and
other tech tools help students
work more efficiently.
Healthy people
Top of page: John Marzo, MA ’86,
Buffalo Bills medical director
and associate professor
of orthopaedics, at press
conference announcing Ralph C.
Wilson Foundation gift. Summit
on Buffalo’s food system
featured remarks by Buffalo
Mayor Byron W. Brown, as well
as a public forum.
tuesday
Creating a Vibrant
and Healthy
Community
9.20.11
UB celebrated the opening of the Behling Simulation Center where
students from all five health sciences schools can practice a full
range of medical procedures. A two-day food policy summit
began with experts, policymakers and citizens examining ways
to enhance the health and nutrition of Western New Yorkers.
Announcement was made of a $1 million gift from Buffalo Bills
owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and his wife, Mary, to benefit the UB
Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2009 21

wednesday
Engaged in Our
Community
9.21.11
A physician alumnus, now deceased, chose anonymity over recognition
for his monumental gift of $40 million to benefit the medical school.
(See article on p. 18.) The Buffalo Food Policy Summit continued
with a research roundtable. Campus leaders, top employee donors
and representatives of area nonprofit agencies met in anticipation
of the official launch this fall of the UB Employees Campaign for the
Community. Robert Gates, former U.S. defense secretary, led off
the 25th season of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.
Largest ever
Michael E. Cain, vice president
for health sciences
and medical school dean,
addresses press conference
held to announce
UB’s largest-ever gift
from an individual donor,
as audience members
applaud. The donor, a
family physician, received
his medical degree from
UB during World War II.
“With the most gifted medical faculty from around the globe teaching our
students, class after class of UB medical school graduates will be prepared to
deliver the very best health care in Western New York and far beyond.”
Michael E. Cain, Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Food, giving, art
Robert G. Shibley, dean of the School of
Architecture and Planning, at mike during
food research roundtable. Display marks
employee campaign. Robert Gates signs
sketchbook created by Harvey Breverman,
SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
22 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.alumni.buffalo.edu

“We were delighted that so many students,
faculty and staff could join this festive event to
learn about the many international programs,
clubs and opportunities at UB.”
Stephen C. Dunnett, PhD ’77 & BA ’68, Professor and Vice Provost for
International Education
International fair
Indian classical dance was
among the cultural traditions
on display during a celebration
of UB’s global character and
international student body.
Students pinpointed their
home countries on a map, and
participants enjoyed food from
around the world.
Global meeting
Above and top right:
Symposium featured presentations
by Satish K. Tripathi’s
colleagues from around the
world, and drew interested
students, too. The event honored
the scholarship of UB’s
15th president, an internationally
known computer scientist.
thursday
Engaging Our
World
9.22.11
Colleagues and former students of President Tripathi—some from
as far away as Asia and Europe—gathered for an international
symposium devoted to computer systems research, the president’s
academic specialty area. At the UB Global Fair, international
student clubs performed in music and dance, and also shared
their countries’ foods and traditions with an appreciative, culturally
diverse audience. Faculty offered presentations on research,
education and service having a global impact.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2009 23

friday
The Investiture of
UB’s 15th President
9.23.11
The formal investiture of Satish K. Tripathi as UB’s 15th president
brought together members of the extended university community
around the world to celebrate a new chapter in UB’s 165-year
history. Amid the pageantry and decorum came moments of humor,
family pride and expressions of warmth from audience members
who listened attentively and gave a standing ovation to President
Tripathi after he was invested with his office. At the close, the audience
sang the nearly 100-year old alma mater with gusto.
Bold vision
President Tripathi gives
his inaugural address to
a capacity crowd at the
Center for the Arts. He
pledges to build on UB’s
excellence and expand its
impact, and announces
plans to hire 300 new
faculty members and
raise $200 million for
student scholarships.
“More than ever, the 21st-century world needs our ideas. Our best thinking.
Our willingness to ask difficult questions. Our ability to look through
multiple lenses, to think creatively and to partner across borders of all
kinds: geographic, disciplinary, ideological. This is who we are.”
Satish K. Tripathi
High points Students bearing flags
from UB’s international exchange partners
enter the hall. John J. Wood, associate vice
provost for international education, dons his
robe. Alumni Pillars (Class of 1961 or earlier)
include former SUNY Trustee Gordon
Gross, JD ’55. UB student West W. Richter
Jr. performs the national anthem.
24 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.alumni.buffalo.edu

Warm welcome SUNY
Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher offers
exuberant congratulations to a beaming
President Tripathi following his formal
investiture by SUNY Trustees Board Chair
Carl T. Hayden (below).
Inaugural scenes
Academic procession to inaugural
ceremony; Jeremy M.
Jacobs, ’60, UB Council chair,
gives welcoming remarks.
Kamlesh Tripathi, President
Tripathi’s wife (below, third
from right), enjoys comments
from the couple’s sons, Manish
and Aashish.
“The university is well-positioned to move ahead
into the future. I know that with President Tripathi
in the lead and all of us beside him, the university
is poised to reach unprecedented heights.”
Esther S. Takeuchi, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Greatbatch
Professor of Advanced Power Sources
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2009 25

“The pregame events, the idyllic fall weather and
a stadium full of alumni, students and friends—
that’s what Homecoming is all about.”
Jay R. Friedman, EdM ’00 & BA ’86, Associate Vice President
for Alumni Relations
Homecoming hoopla
Enthusiastic fans offer variations
aplenty on ways to adorn their bodies
with true blue, and wear UB gear to
cheer on the UB Bulls against UConn.
Although the Huskies prevailed, the
day was marked by splendid fall
weather and abundant school spirit.
Fun and frolic
President and Mrs. Tripathi
take part in a game of whacka-mole,
as true blue students
enjoy pizza. The Bulls’ Khalil
Mack sets out to sack Huskies
quarterback Johnny McEntee.
UConn won the matchup, 17-3,
despite the Bulls’ strong defensive
effort and cheers of 18,215
hometown fans.
saturday
Welcome Home
9.24.11
Homecoming—a time to celebrate UB pride and reconnect with
friends, family and alumni—capped the week of inaugural celebration.
Highlights included pregame tailgating, the much-anticipated
football game with the University of Connecticut and more. Though
the final score proved disappointing, nothing could detract from the
parking lots dotted with student and community tailgate parties,
tents for the UB Alumni Association and other organizations, and
everywhere a sea of blue.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2009 26

www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 27

44 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT Tilmon Brown at his baking company in Norwalk, Ohio.

Tilmon Brown, BA ’93 & BS ’93: Busy baker/entrepreneur
mixes business flair with a commitment to his employees
alumniprofile
the muffin man
Tilmon Brown has fond memories of his mother’s
from-scratch dinner rolls, but these days his
favorite smell is the scent of baking bread that
hits him when he pulls into his parking space at
work. His favorite sight: Thousands of identical
hamburger buns, sesame seeds dotting their
golden crowns, coming off the assembly line “like
rows of toy soldiers,” he says.
As president and chief operating officer of
New Horizons Baking Company in Norwalk,
Ohio, Brown oversees the production of two million
buns and English muffins every day, many
bound for Big Macs and Egg McMuffins across
seven states.
Brown didn’t mean to get into the baking
business. He was studying pharmacy at UB when
his wife became pregnant with their second child.
Needing money to support his growing family,
he dropped out of college and took a job driving
a bread delivery truck for Continental Baking
Company in Buffalo. Two years later, he was
promoted to supervisor. Then he was promoted
again. And by 1985, he was a corporate vice
president with plans for early retirement.
But before kicking back, he had some unfinished
business. “I promised my mother that I
would get a college degree, and I wanted to keep
that promise,” he says. The Buffalo native reenrolled
in UB in 1992 and received both a BA and
a BS in business and sales administration at the
age of 48.
Then he got the call that really derailed his
retirement plans. A former business contact
asked if he wanted to buy part of New Horizons,
which was in need of a turnaround. After investing
$35 million in upgrading the plant and equipment,
Brown and his partner boosted productivity
by 300 percent and grew the company from
$40 million a year to $72 million today. With
nearly 300 employees (most of whom Brown
knows by name), New Horizons serves 1,200
McDonald’s restaurants. Another division of the
company, Genesis Baking Company, supplies
baked goods to companies like Jimmy Dean and
Sara Lee.
Brown, who established an endowment at UB
for minority students and received an Alumni
Achievement Award this year, says the best part
of his job is seeing people succeed and grow in
their jobs—especially his three kids, who all work
at New Horizons. “My oldest is pushing me out
the door,” he laughs. “I hope this is a business my
grandkids, great-grandkids and their kids can all
be a part of someday too.”
Story by Sally Kuzemchak, with photos by Douglas Levere, BA ’89
Outtakes First lesson in fiscal responsibility Waking at 5 a.m. every morning to do his paper route as
a child and saving enough money to buy a bike; Partner in life Jonnie, his “bride” of 45 years, whose identical
twin sister married Brown’s older brother; Hobbies Singing tenor in his church choir, playing golf and fishing
for salmon once a year in Alaska; Business philosophy Advice from his father, who told him, “Always stand
for something. And always like who you see when you look in the mirror”; Community work Brown sits on
the boards of Ronald McDonald House, Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Center and the Antioch Baptist
Church Development Council.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 200929
33

ildarchiv preussischer kulturbesitz/art resource, new york
building
influence
Despina Stratigakos explores the fascinating
history of women in architecture
photo by Douglas Levere, BA ’89
Story By Jim Bisco
>> Despina Stratigakos stands before an
archival image of a woman photographer
high above Berlin, c. 1910. Stratigakos
writes that the independent woman, “an
unprecedented social type, produced new
architectural needs as women broke away
from the domestic spaces that had defined
the traditional orbit of their lives.”
32 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

Since arriving at UB in 2007, Despina Stratigakos has made an impact as educator, author, researcher and activist.
As an architectural historian, her teaching brings fresh perspectives to the study of mainstream architecture
by looking at the different aspects of life that surrounded those landmarks. >> Her courses have considered
architecture in unusual contexts, such as film and museums, drawing students not only from architecture but also
from the humanities and beyond. >> In 2008, Stratigakos received critical acclaim for her first book, “A Women’s
Berlin: Building the Modern City,” which looked at women and architecture in imperial Germany and the creation
of new forms of urban space. >> Her forthcoming book, “Hitler at Home,” takes an inside look at the Third Reich
and the domestic life of the Fuehrer, focusing on his interior decorator and artistic adviser Gerdy Troost.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 33

ildarchiv preussischer kulturbesitz/art resource, new york
Stratigakos says anthropology was her
first love as a student, and an interdisciplinary
focus has been her prevailing
mindset ever since. Moreover, she has
woven an anthropological thread through
her subsequent career in architectural
history. “I’ve always been fascinated by
cultures and how they shape us and why
people do what they do,” she says.
“My approach to architecture is deeply
influenced by that perspective.”
>> A professional female builder photographed
in 1910 makes repairs to the roof of Berlin’s town
hall.
An associate professor in the UB School
of Architecture and Planning, she has
found a place that embodies her interdisciplinary
philosophy. After teaching at
Harvard University and the University of
Michigan, Stratigakos was drawn to UB
because of its collaborative mission. “Many
universities today talk the talk about the
importance of being interdisciplinary, but
they don’t actually follow through in creating
the structures and support that need
to be there to facilitate interdisciplinary
work,” she says. “UB is truly different in
that respect. That kind of intellectual and
institutional commitment made me think
that this is the place for me.”
Beyond books, Stratigakos’s cultural
investigations have led her to influence
an icon of popular culture, Barbie, who
recently became an architect. (See companion
article on p. 33.)
Stratigakos has also participated in the
creation of the Architecture and Design
Academy, a partnership with the Buffalo
Public Schools to expose urban students
to architecture as a possible career path.
The innovative program was launched last
year in response to the lack of diversity in
Buffalo’s architectural firms.
This lack of diversity, particularly the
underrepresentation of women in architecture,
has been a continuing cause for
Stratigakos in her writings and research.
More than a century after Buffalo-based
Louise Blanchard Bethune became the
first woman admitted into the American
Institute of Architects (her masterpiece
is the 107-year-old
Hotel Lafayette in
downtown Buffalo,
now in major renovation),
the organization’s
membership
remains 83 percent
male. Although there
have been steady
increases in female
enrollment in architecture
schools over
the past two decades,
there is a mysterious
vanishing of women
from the profession
after earning
their architectural
degrees.
s a feminist
scholar, Stratigakos
strives to analyze
the ideological
fences that architecture has built around
the profession—barriers, she says, that
determine outsiders and insiders. “Women
want to stay in the field but they face real
and sometimes overwhelming hurdles,”
she says. “There is a scarcity of women
in leadership positions. The glass ceiling
hasn’t disappeared, especially in large
corporate design firms. Architecture has its
own very distinct professional culture. One
aspect of that is the expectation that you
work very long hours, and there’s almost
a kind of pride in pushing yourself to the
limit. It’s often assumed that if women
have children, they won’t want to do that
anymore, which somehow makes them
lesser architects.”
Stratigakos has written about the
inequities in the profession since her
dissertation on “Skirts and scaffolding:
Women architects, gender and design
in Wilhelmine Germany” in 1999. When
women were first trying to get into architecture
a century ago, they were told that
there were two types of people—those with
productive energy and those with reproductive
capacities. It’s one or the other. If
you’re good at being productive, you’re bad
at being reproductive, and vice versa, she
contends.
“These were the attitudes at the time.
Good architect, bad parent,” Stratigakos
notes. “Skip forward 100 years. The film
‘Click’ with Adam Sandler has male architects
being presented with this choice.
He chose his professional success as
an architect over being a good father. I
thought, okay the shoe’s on the other foot,
but it’s the same shoe. The message hasn’t
changed. It’s simply flipped from being
applied to women to being applied to men,
but the underlying assumption is still
there. How do you get people to talk about
and examine these attitudes Architect
Barbie is an unconventional, but I hope
effective, way of trying.”
Over the past decade, Stratigakos has
published extensively on how women
changed architecture in Germany at the
turn of the 20th century. “It was particularly
helpful to look at women in architecture
in Germany because of the way that
the educational system there differs from
ours in the U.S. In Germany, all of the
universities are public. As a result, when
women earned the right to matriculate in
architecture programs, the process happened
very quickly and provoked a very
strong reaction.”
This German perspective is now
embracing Gerdy Troost, who was prominent
during the National Socialist regime.
Stratigakos is hoping to introduce this
neglected architectural figure amid the
abiding interest in Hitler. Spending this
past year in the archives at Munich, and
as an external fellow of the Rice University
Humanities Research Center, Stratigakos
has completed the majority of her research.
“I see the project as an opportunity to
explore issues that I’ve been interested in
for a long time with a broader audience.
There are people who are curious about
Hitler who will read a book that they might
not otherwise pick up if it had the label of
women architects on it.”
As an educator, Stratigakos feels that
this generation is very open to new ideas
about diversity. “It’s great to see some of
the changes coming from the students
themselves. For example, an interest
among female students in mentoring one
another,” she points out.
32 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

s an architectural historian,
Stratigakos uses
her classroom to demonstrate
that the past is
still alive. She considers
Stonehenge, for instance, and the arguments
today between religious groups
that want to practice their rites at the
ancient site during the summer solstice
and the heritage groups that own and
care for the site. “Investigating conflict is
a powerful teaching tool insofar as showing
what’s at stake,” Stratigakos says.
“In the Gender and Architecture course I
teach, we look at the political and social
resistance to creating public bathrooms
for women over the past hundred years.
By denying them such amenities, women
were kept on an architectural leash, close
to home.”
Stratigakos is proud of her role in
helping to encourage future architects
through the collaboration of the Buffalo
Public Schools, the university and private
industry. About 40 high school students
are involved in the Architecture and
Design Academy this year. “We wanted it
to be more of a broader design program
that engages students in the heritage
of Buffalo neighborhoods, makes them
aware of their environment, gets them
interested in design and gives them the
breadth of skills that you need in architecture,”
she relates. “We focused on giving
them a well-rounded education that
uses the city as a laboratory.”
The native of Montreal is enamored
with the city and its architectural
resources. A resident of North Buffalo,
Stratigakos was the driving force in
bringing the annual conference of the
Society of Architectural Historians to
Buffalo in April 2013. More than 500
members from around the world are
expected. “I’m excited to show off the
city, and the architectural historians are
excited to come here. There are buildings
here that they’ve waited an entire professional
lifetime to see.”
A self-described “activist-academic,”
Stratigakos recognizes the importance of
getting off campus and getting involved in
the community. “This is the most engaged
university I have ever seen,” she says. “It’s
something I wanted to do for a long time,
and I landed in a place that lets me do it.”
Jim Bisco is senior writer for University
Communications.
ove over, Howard Roark! There’s a new architect in town
and she’s not afraid of the color pink.
eleven-and-a-half inches tall in her trendy ankle boots
and carrying a hard hat and pink drawing tube, Mattel’s Architect
Barbie channels “Barbie’s rebellious side,” according to
Despina Stratigakos, associate professor of architecture and
visual studies, who helped bring her to the public stage.
“Traditionally,” says Stratigakos, “the ideal architect possessed a will and body
of steel, a heroic sense of individuality, creative genius that shunned cooperation and
supreme authority over projects, employees and clients.” Roark, the architectural hero
of Ayn Rand’s 1943 novel “The Fountainhead,” embodies this ideal, she points out. The
character was inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whom Rand greatly admired
(and who famously designed a number of well-known buildings in Buffalo).
“It was such a strong iconic image,” Stratigakos says, “that cultural critics [of that
time] warned women who wanted to become architects that their minds and bodies
would mutate if they pursued their desire, transforming them into hermaphrodites.”
Well, Architect Barbie doesn’t aspire to be Roark. Instead, she challenges the long-held
assumption that architecture and femininity don’t mix. In her world, you can be an architect
and wear a dress.
The 127th doll in Mattel’s “Barbie I Can Be…” series was certainly a long time
coming, though. In 2002, Stratigakos, looking for an unusual angle to address issues
of diversity, became interested in Architect Barbie when Mattel held a public vote to
determine the next career in the Barbie I Can Be… line of dolls. The choices included architect
along with librarian and policewoman, and the popular vote went to the architect.
However, Mattel ultimately declined to produce the doll at the time.
In 2007, while a research fellow at the University of Michigan, Stratigakos asked
architecture students and faculty to create prototypes of the doll. Three years later,
Mattel held another vote featuring Architect Barbie as a potential career doll, but she
lost to Computer Engineer Barbie. At that point, Stratigakos joined forces with colleague
and architect Kelly Hayes McAlonie, interim director of UB’s Capital
Planning Group and president-elect of the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) New York State, to lobby Mattel directly for the
doll and about the importance of introducing little girls to architecture.
The toy giant agreed to produce Architect Barbie
and asked Stratigakos and Hayes McAlonie to advise on her
design. The doll was introduced to the public at the AIA
national convention in May in New Orleans and appeared
on toy shelves in August 2011.
As other cultural commentators have noted, when
Barbie was first introduced in 1959, she was considered a
rebel. She was unmarried, had no children, had her own career
and beach house, and lived a glamorous life very different
from that imagined for women in mainstream postwar
culture. It is this rebellious side—her flair for doing her
own thing—that Stratigakos and Hayes McAlonie say they
wanted to appropriate for Architect Barbie.
“On the educational side of the issue, we hope
that this project will make little girls more aware of the
importance of design and the architectural profession,”
says Hayes McAlonie, who is writing a biography of Louise
Blanchard Bethune, a Buffalo native who, in 1885, became
the first woman admitted to a professional architectural association.
“Only open discussion about gender will help to knock down
the barriers women face in architecture,” adds Stratigakos.
“These may be less overt than they were in the past, but they
remain an exclusionary force nonetheless. If Architect Barbie
gets us talking, then more power to her.”
—Patricia Donovan
Architect Barbie takes
on her profession
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 33

Need caption here
Alan Friedman in Buffalo with his stargazing equipment.

Alan Friedman, BFA ’77: Astronomer aims his telescope at the
heavens to capture unique photographic images
alumniprofile
s
In an unassuming backyard of a home in Buffalo, Alan Friedman, BFA ’77, sets up his telescope
equipment, aims it at the sky and begins filming one single celestial object in outer space at 15
t
frames per second. Later, with the help of a computer program, he will carefully sift through
thousands of images from the film, painstakingly hand-selecting multiple images of the same
subject to layer together as a composite image—be it a planet, the sun, the moon or even the
International Space Station.
The end result, sometimes taking years of filming to complete, transforms science photographs
into unique works of art, earning him worldwide accolades from professional astrono-
a
mers at NASA, widespread attention with features on nationally televised morning shows, and
r
millions of visits to his blog (www.avertedimagination.com) and other websites where his photography
is featured.
stargazer
Admittedly, Friedman was always interested
in photography, though he only became involved in
astro-photography a little over a decade ago when a
neighbor brought out a telescope and he had a chance
to view Saturn. Afterward, he bought his first telescope,
and seven telescopes later he was hooked. “I
love using the camera. I always have,” he says. “It was
a a logical step for me when I got into looking at the heavens to want to record what I was seeing.”
And yet this isn’t Friedman’s day job. A graduate of the BFA program in printmaking, where
he met his wife Donna Massimo, MA ’90 & BFA ’75, he is president and CEO of Great Arrow
Graphics, a Buffalo-based company he and his wife founded in 1984. During the early days of
the business, he was a designer responsible for creating as many as 300 new card concepts each
year. These days he concentrates on running the company. “But I still do art direction. I write
copy and select images,” he says.
g
Now along with his responsibilities to Great Arrow and his personal astro-photography,
Friedman serves as a research associate at the Buffalo Museum of Science. He donates his time
to astronomy programming at the museum and even brings his rare and incredibly powerful
Astro-Physics 10-inch f14.6 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope, only one of 32 in existence, to the
museum for stargazing and photography.
Friedman explains that there’s a strong difference between astronomers who work in the field
e and astronomers who, like himself, are amateurs. But he says that what he lacks in a science
degree he makes up for with his training in the aesthetic dimension of celestial photography.
z
“I love the science of this, but we have spaceships up there doing incredible science,” Friedman
says. “For me, it’s the art. It’s presenting the story and telling the different take on it.”
r
Story by Julie Wesolowski, with photo by Douglas Levere, BA ’89
© Alan Friedman
To see examples of Friedman’s
celestial work, go to
avertedimagination.com.
Outtakes Astrology sign “Astronomers tend to cringe at anything having to do with astrology.
… But doing public events I meet a lot of folks who follow their horoscope and I find they know more
than the average person about what’s up in the sky above. I’m a Taurus, and a very typical one at that!”
Favorite non-starry subject to photograph “People. My wife and daughters are beautiful, ever-changing subjects
that I photograph a lot.” Favorite UB professor and why “If I had to pick a favorite it would be [SUNY
Distinguished Professor Emeritus] Harvey Breverman in the art department. He was a working artist,
a fantastic and dedicated teacher, wonderfully idiosyncratic, and a good friend up to this day.”
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 200935
33

By Charles Anzalone, MA ’00
A Decade Later
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is an occasion to reflect on how much the university
changed in the intervening decade, and how people in the UB community turned their
sorrow and grief into purposeful action
36 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

The world changed Sept. 11, 2001. And so did the University at Buffalo. In the tradition of great
research universities, and on the most collectively pivotal day in recent history, UB truly reflected the
community it serves. In a few moments, America’s veil of invulnerability dissolved, perhaps forever.
Initial reaction among many in the UB community who would shape a new post-9/11 university was
much like those around them: sorrow, fear, confusion. Were the attacks an end or a beginning
And then came a terrible feeling of helplessness. Then something notable happened. People in the
UB community went into action. They did something, and what they did has lasted.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 37

Douglas Levere, BA ’89
Sorrow turns into
positive action
School of Social Work Dean Nancy J.
Smyth heard about the first plane crashing
into the top floors of the World Trade
Center when she was entering a UB North
Campus parking lot. When she learned
about the second plane crashing into the
second tower—she had just gotten to her
office on the sixth floor of Baldy Hall—she
knew this was something she had never
seen in her lifetime: an unprecedented
attack on American land.
“My first response was horror,” says
Smyth, an expert on psychological trauma
and post-traumatic stress. “I thought the
first plane to hit the towers was a small
plane. I thought it
was an accident. It
was clear after the
second plane hit
this was an organized
attack.
“My second
response was to
create a handout
in about an hour
on how to talk to
Smyth
children on this.
And then I emailed
it to my human services and academic colleagues
in New York City because a lot of
them were working with kids in schools
and human services agencies.”
The events of 9/11 would inspire Smyth
and colleagues to focus their research
more acutely on human response to
trauma and human resilience in the face of
unthinkable tragedy.
Mark G. Frank, BA ’83, a behavioral
scientist and professor of communication
at UB, was on the faculty at Rutgers
University within 35 miles of Ground Zero
when the Twin Towers collapsed. Like
so many Americans, Frank experienced
that terrible feeling of helplessness, both
for his family in New Jersey as well as for
relatives living in Buffalo. He still remembers
the “heartbreaking” parade of people
wandering the streets of lower Manhattan,
hanging fliers, asking if anyone had seen
their loved ones, many of whom had been
killed when the towers collapsed.
“The first thing was, you want to get the
animals who did this,” Frank says. “The
second thing is, ‘What can I do to personally
get them or make sure this never happens
again’”
Before 9/11, Frank’s groundbreaking
research on behavioral and physiological
clues to human deception was utilized
by traditional law enforcement and was
beginning to draw interest from transportation
security agencies.
If Frank’s post-9/11 research could help
the authorities spot a terrorist before he
carried out his crime, perhaps future tragedies
would be averted.
“A lot of our research [before 9/11] was
used by the government and law enforcement.
They always found it helpful,” Frank
says. “So if we could swing that around to
work with counter-terrorism, that would
be a contribution I could make.”
What followed was the most profoundly
satisfying work of Frank’s career—behavioral
identification research that has led to
focused research programs, jointly funded
government projects and several national
media appearances. More importantly, it
gave him a true sense of making a meaningful
contribution toward keeping the
people he loves safe.
A ‘catapulting of awareness’
Every person interviewed for this story
made it unequivocally clear that the coordinated
terrorist attacks of 10 years ago left
the university fundamentally different from
before. From curriculum to research priorities
to the attitude toward personal safety,
the university has undergone a significant
transformation, just like the world around
it. While logging every change would be
nearly impossible, this sampling shows
how commitment, knowledge, some wellplaced
federal grants and a fierce imperative
can lead to a better university, and a
“It used to be our students had to be sold on the fact that this
was a global world, that we are interconnected. It’s not a hard
sell anymore. Our students now come in very aware of that
global perspective. And 9/11 is one large piece of that.”
Nancy Smyth, Dean of the School of Social Work
better world.
UB’s nationally
prominent
School of Social
Work, for instance,
already had a wellestablished
traumabased
curriculum
frank
before the term “9/11” became part of the
American lexicon. The shock waves and
anxiety the nation shared watching that
endless video loop of jets exploding into
the World Trade Center towers accelerated
a direction the school already had started.
“We had a trauma counseling certificate
in our school before 9/11,” says Smyth.
“But that event catapulted interest forward.
Everyone became aware of the fact
we are vulnerable not just to natural disasters,
but to manmade ones, as well.”
Indeed, the School of Social Work’s
trauma-informed emphasis (which, simply
put, means most people social workers
try to help have experienced significant
trauma) also dovetailed with the school’s
social justice/human rights component.
“When you really look at 9/11, you start
to ask yourself the questions, ‘Why were
we targeted by these groups Why were we
so hated What is going on internationally’”
says Smyth. “It’s impossible to answer
those questions without figuring in a social
justice agenda.”
That “catapulting of awareness” of the
school’s trauma/social justice elements
merged with students’ changing perspectives,
Smyth explains. “It used to be our
students had to be sold on the fact that this
was a global world, that we are interconnected.
It’s not a hard sell anymore. Our
students now come in very aware of that
global perspective. And 9/11 is one large
piece of that.”
Examples of ways to achieve this global
interconnectedness include more School
of Social Work students doing internships
at local agencies with an international
context, such as at VIVE Inc.’s refugee
shelter in Buffalo called La Casa, or requiring
incoming students to read “Half the
Sky” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl
WuDunn, which details the victimization
of women and girls around the world.
Yet despite all the curricular innovations,
adaptations and growth Smyth has tried
to bring to her school, the memory of that
sunny morning 10 years ago remains.
“To this day, when there are planes
I can hear where you are not expecting
Douglas Levere, BA ’89
38 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

Douglas Levere, BA ’89
them, there is this fleeting thought, ‘Is
that plane where it’s supposed to be’ says
Smyth. “And you listen and wait to see
what happens.”
Ensuring personal safety
Reflecting on the impact of 9/11, Chief
of University Police Gerald W. Schoenle
points to numerous ways that the university
has made its campuses safer, from
increased police officers to its network of
cameras outside buildings on both North
and South campuses (as well as plans to
include cameras when completing the
Downtown Campus) to different procedures
police follow when supervising a
large event.
But the most telling and maybe most
influential change since Sept. 11 has been
attitude. “People are more likely to contact
us now and are more aware of their surroundings,”
says Schoenle. “They are more
accepting of having a visible police presence
and security on their campuses than
they were years ago. They are happy to see
us. Things have changed.”
That in itself has been something that
has made Schoenle’s and his department’s
crucial task much easier. Schoenle was
director of training at the Erie County
Police Academy when he saw the second
plane crash into the second World Trade
Center tower. A retired chief master
sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Schoenle
remembers thinking this was going to
mean a real difference in how the country
does business.
Now he is responsible for the safety of
UB’s campuses in an age in which universities
have become targets of impersonal
violence and shooting rampages. The 9/11
attack was just one element that made
security and safety one of the university’s
top priorities.
“As important as 2001 was, the shootings
at Virginia Tech in 2007 [during
which a gunman killed 32 people and
wounded 25 others before killing himself]
was what caused major changes in university
policing,” he says.
Schoenle is consistently upbeat and
reassuring about the mood and climate at
UB and other American
college campuses.
“College campuses do
tend to be among the
safest places around,”
he says. “You actually
have more of a
“Nothing like 9/11 has ever happened on American soil before,
but our university has put significant resources into training
and enhancing security on campus. That’s the positive that has
come out of this.”
Gerald Schoenle, Chief of University Police
chance of being struck by lightning than
being a victim of violent crime on campus.
Campuses remain relatively safe places,
and UB is among the safest.”
Nevertheless, the security business at
UB is different. For example, security at
large events has dramatically changed.
Other community law enforcement agencies
usually are involved. Bomb-sniffing
dogs are available to search during special
events. And the university has hundreds
of security cameras on the South Campus;
a similar number is being installed on the
North Campus. Furthermore, UB became
one of many universities to incorporate a
timely early-warning system in the case of
any emergency. A civil disturbance team of
25 officers is specially trained to handle a
major disruption that could occur on campus.
The team conducts periodic drills on
campus, practicing their response to sudden,
unforeseen crises.
“Nothing like 9/11 has ever happened
on American soil before,” Schoenle says.
“But our university has put significant
resources into training and enhancing
security on campus. That’s the positive
that has come out of this.”
Big-picture relevance
The UB Center of Excellence in
Information Systems Assurance Research
and Education (CEISARE), headed by
computer science and engineering professor
Shambhu Upadhyaya, has a name
many people would pass right over.
But don’t be fooled. This center of
excellence is a post-9/11 creation. It has
everything: a big-picture relevance that
could have profound impact on keeping
the society safe and successful, substantial
job-growth potential, and high-tech drama
that mixes cutting-edge technology with
the edges of human emotions.
There’s a great nextgeneration
novel here.
CEISARE was one of a
handful of national centers
schoenle
established in 2002 to train students in the
art of information assurance or IA. Some
people describe IA as cybersecurity, protecting
computer systems from hackers,
whether they be mischievous teenagers or
extremists half-a-world away determined
to destroy Western civilization.
Upadhyaya says the cybersecurity
label doesn’t do
information assurance
justice.
“IA is a much
broader umbrella,”
Upadhyaya
explains. “There is
network administration,
firewall protection,
security practiced
at the basic
level when you are upadhyaya
writing programs
and codes. It’s about building better systems,
computer forensics, establishing best
practices for these systems.”
Imagine someone getting into the intricate
computer network of the U.S. Naval
Air Systems Command, or the electric grid
that powers a major city, or a commercial
airline reservation system. Now imagine
someone with a job designated to design
its security, or protect it once it’s up and
running. That’s IA.
“The area itself is interesting,” says
Upadhyaya, who this semester begins his
26th year at UB. “It’s challenging with all
its science and math.”
And then there is the job market. IA
seems destined to become one of the
age’s real growth industries. The number
of IA jobs available in government
and the private sector announced by the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
thousands. Estimates of how many qualified
people—including the crucial security
checks—to fill them: hundreds.
“There is definitely a big gap,”
Upadhyaya says.
“On top of that, there is the sense of
protecting the country,” he says. “These
attacks happen. And they keep coming.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 39
Douglas Levere, BA ’89

You’re providing the technical support to
protect infrastructure that is critical to the
nation and people’s lives.”
New research vistas
The intensity of Mark Frank’s feelings after
9/11 directly led him to study ways of identifying
behavioral traits that law enforcement
officials could use to detect people
lying, including potential terrorists. His
work on involuntary facial expressions that
tip off lies has been featured prominently
on CBS News, NPR, CNN, the Discovery
Channel and USA Today, among other
media outlets. He also has been a key
player in government conferences trying
to understand the minds of terrorists and
how to “take the oxygen” from the extremist
arguments that breed radical behavior.
More importantly for him, his research
has been an example of how in the post-9/11
world, academics and government counterterrorist
officials can work together and
“shake the best out of each other.” That’s
another example of what Frank calls the
“sea change” that occurred in research as a
result of the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.
Frank often felt that good behavioral
science wasn’t taken seriously by the
people who tackled the hands-on work of
homeland security. Now there is a natural
connection. Today, Frank works alongside
computer scientists, engineers and chemists
in UB’s Center for Unified Biometrics
and Sensors (CUBS), which launched after
9/11 to find new ways to measure and
detect the physiological and behavioral
characteristics of identity—fingerprints,
voice, handwriting and facial expressions,
for example.
“As an academic, [I saw that] our work
tended to be a few steps removed from the
action,” Frank says. “Being able to work
directly with these folks puts you that
much closer to where the rubber meets
the road. To be able to have some kind of
influence on them and for them to trust
me with helping them, as well, and for me
to develop the type of partnership that ultimately
is going to be an essential element
in making us more secure is very fulfilling.
That to me has been one of the most satisfying
things of all.”
Charles Anzalone, MA ’00, is senior editor
in University Communications and
adjunct instructor in journalism in the UB
Department of English.
years of UB research
in the wake of 9/11
As early as the summer of 2002, UB was among several prominent universities across
the country that made counter-terror research a priority.
UB’s leadership identified “mitigation and response to extreme events” as one focus of
its UB 2020 strategic plan for academic excellence. And UB researchers across several
academic disciplines—engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, psychology
and urban planning among them—began working collaboratively on ways to reduce risks
from natural and human-caused hazards.
At that time, the late Bruce Holm, then UB senior vice provost, headed a newly formed
SUNY-wide taskforce on bioterrorism, a period when attention was focused on fears of
bioterrorism agents like anthrax and smallpox. UB researchers sought to develop methods
to make vaccines more potent and more useful in
the face of feared attacks using such agents.
To find out more about UB research
associated with 9/11, go to
www.buffalo.edu/ubt.
UB biologists and biochemists were studying the effects
of certain biological agents on cells—information
that is used to develop mechanisms to block those effects—and their colleagues were
developing fast and effective devices for detecting bioagents in the air. To this end, some
worked to bring to market a hand-held device that combined commercial “lab-on-achip”
technology with the work of UB microbiologist Anthony Campagnari. Others at UB
were developing handwriting-recognition software to find the source of biological materials
that had been sent through the U.S. mail.
Meanwhile, UB engineers applied earthquake-engineering technologies to the development
of terror-resistant structures, based on an assessment of damage done to buildings
surrounding the World Trade Center. And UB researchers, in an investigation funded
by the Federal Aviation Administration, studied how baggage was inspected at airports.
Also during this decade, UB informatics scientists worked to discover how to efficiently
organize and interpret massive amounts of information, such as that gathered and transmitted
following complex disasters like 9/11.
As time went on, concerns expanded to include changes in law and society provoked by
the attacks, specifically those concerning civil liberties, immigration restrictions, ethnic
bias, the psychological and physical effects of trauma, the dissemination of accurate information
despite the proliferation of secrecy efforts, and a consideration of ways in which
9/11 had influenced a range of individuals and groups emotionally, physically and socially.
—Patricia Donovan, senior editor, University Communications
40 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 41

44 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT
Alan Winslow and Morrigan McCarthy in Camden, Maine.

Alan Winslow, BA ’07 : Photographer crisscrosses U.S. to document
environmental views of small-town Americans
alumniprofile
Three years ago, Alan Winslow, BA ’07, set out to see America.
With friend Morrigan McCarthy, Winslow packed cameras and digital recorders onto a pair
of bicycles. Over the next 11 months, the partners—both professional photographers—zig-zagged
through 30 states on an 11,000-mile ride.
Their goal: to document, through pictures and sound, the opinions of small-town Americans on
the environment.
Their journey, which they called Project Tandem, culminated in a traveling gallery exhibit that
they have been showing for the past two years in such cities as Rockland, Maine; Henniker, N.H.;
Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Buffalo.
The show features black-and-white portraits of the people they met—a fisherman unloading
crawfish in Mamou, La., a real estate broker standing in a beachfront home in hurricane-battered
Florida—along with audio of the subjects discussing their perspectives.
11,000
From Rust Belt factory towns to Gulf Coast harbors, common themes
surfaced as Winslow and McCarthy recorded interviews. People felt that
policymakers were failing to consider how laws, including those promoting
conservation, were affecting Americans’ daily lives. The daughter of
a Midwestern farmer worried that small reductions in water quotas for
miles
irrigation would keep her father from growing enough crops to make a
living. In Wyoming, a cattle rancher reported that the reintroduction of
gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park had been so successful that the
on a
predators were now killing cows on his property.
The openness of the people Winslow met, along with their very real
bike
concerns, changed his thinking on the environment and America. He
realized that national problems had local impacts and needed local solutions.
He also observed that many rural residents, while refusing to call
themselves environmentalists, had smaller carbon footprints than greenminded
city dwellers accustomed to luxuries like air travel or imported
food. And most people Winslow encountered lived more simply. Some ate
what they hunted.
Winslow, who graduated from UB in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in photography and environmental
studies, says Project Tandem opened his eyes to how little he really knew about America.
Simple curiosity sparked the endeavor. He and McCarthy were living in New York City in 2008
when they began discussing how newspapers were reporting on the environment.
“The media were covering this issue using polls and statistics, and we decided that wasn’t giving
people a voice,” he says. “So we came up with this idea of going around the country to ask real
people what they thought.”
Along the way, Winslow used his academic training to ask intelligent questions about natural
disasters, water pollution, sustainable forestry and other topics. His experience as a student volunteering
with Earth Spirit, a nature-education program founded by a UB lecturer, gave him the
confidence to talk to strangers.
His advice to us: Travel more around America. Listen to what people in other parts of the country
have to say. Learn from the diversity of cultures and ideas that exists right here, at home.
Story by Charlotte Hsu, with photo by David Wright
© Alan WinslOW
To see photographs from Project
Tandem go to projecttandem.org
Outtakes Trip trajectory Maine to Florida, across the southern U.S. to San Diego, up to Seattle, then
to upstate New York; Bike weight More than 100 pounds (about 80 pounds for partner Morrigan McCarthy’s
bike); Biggest mistake during the journey Riding through Tornado Alley during the storm season; Preferred way
to spend the night Camping out—the pair asked permission to stay in farmers’ fields or homeowners’ backyards
although they sometimes stayed in motels; Resulting book “Project Tandem: Two Photographers, Two
Bicycles, One 11,000 Mile Ride” by Morrigan McCarthy and Alan Winslow
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 200943

Mary Cappello points to
an X-ray from the 1919
case of Annie Z., age 3,
who had a toy dog lodged
in her esophagus—one
of many peculiar items
swallowed and featured
in her book.
Sw

Mary Cappello, PhD ’88 & MA ’85: Scholar examines the life of
otolaryngologist and the odd things people have ingested
alumniprofile
Mary Cappello, PhD ’88 & MA ’85, describes herself
as a quirky thinker. Her wide-ranging professional
interests include poetry and politics, 19th-century
American literary and cultural studies, medical
humanities, and psychoanalytic theory, all of which
she studied at UB. Writing creative nonfiction allows
her to draw on all of them, often in one book.
“Every one of my books is what I call a thought
experiment and it takes a different shape based on
the subject that I’m treating,” Cappello says. “I always
try to find the form that will suit the problem I’m
writing about, rather than say, ‘I have the form in
advance,’ and pour my subject into it.”
Cappello, a professor of English at the University
of Rhode Island, has published four book-length
works of creative nonfiction. Her latest, “Swallow,”
explores the life of Chevalier Jackson (1865-1958)
al low
and the collection of swallowed objects—now housed
at Philadelphia’s
Mütter Museum—
the pioneering laryngologist
extracted
nonsurgically
from thousands of
patients. Objects included wristwatches, safety pins
and even a pair of toy opera glasses.
It’s the first nonautobiographical book about
Jackson, but it’s not a typical biography, something
that “gets me into a little trouble, too, because people
expect that,” Cappello admits. She arranged the chapters
to resemble a set of contiguous drawers; the juxtaposition
more closely resembles the poetic practice
than the standard chronological biography following
an individual’s life from birth to death.
“It’s not linear,” says Cappello, who lives in
Providence with her partner Jean Walton, who also
holds a PhD in English from UB. “You have to be
patient with opening and closing a drawer and opening
another one.”
“Swallow” is more research-based than her previous
works, although, like the others, some sections
are written in the first person. Cappello’s first book,
tales
“Night Bloom,” is a memoir about three generations
of her Italian family. Her second, “Awkward:
A Detour,” is a book-length essay that evolved out of
a project in which she gave herself the imperative to
follow awkwardness and “see where it took me.” She
also wrote “Called Back,” a memoir about her breast
cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“I wrote ‘Called Back’ like it was the last book,”
she says. “There was a sense of ‘well, I better write
something because this might be my last opportunity.’
When you have a cancer diagnosis, it speeds
things up, no question.”
Cappello recently received a prestigious
Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for the 2011-
2012 academic year. She’ll use it to take a break from
teaching—also a passion—to work on another booklength
essay. She expects the project to be somewhat
similar to “Awkward: A Detour,” but this time she’s
given herself the wondrous task of exploring mood,
particularly through sound.
“I’m always interested in things that are pervasive,
or ubiquitous, but that we don’t really understand,”
she says, adding that with this project she’s
thinking of creating a literary form that mimics cloud
patterns.
Cappello started writing genre-bending creative
nonfiction while working as a professor at the
University of Rochester, her first job after receiving
her PhD. The lines of her poems were getting longer,
morphing into sentences, as she was simultaneously
questioning the notion that creative writing had to
exist apart from literary scholarship.
“That to me is a Buffalo influence, that idea of
learning how to think in counterintuitive ways and
bring incompatible knowledge into the same space,”
she says. “We experienced Buffalo as a place that
encouraged originality and imaginativeness.”
Story by Jenna Pelletier, with photo by David
H. Wells. X-ray images from the collection of
the Mütter Museum, the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia.
Outtakes Hometown Darby, Pa., outside Philadelphia Downtime activities Gardening and cooking Sicilian
cuisine. One of her specialties is pasta con sarde (sardines). Doctoral thesis “Representations of Illness and Health
in 19th-Century American Literature” Fond academic memories of Buffalo Hearing then-visiting faculty member
Susan Howe lecture on Emily Dickinson, and studying the intersections of visual art and literature with Professor
of English Martin Pops How UB shaped her as a writer-scholar “As a graduate student, I felt like the creative writing
classes and the ethos of creative writing was never sequestered from, or understood as separate from, the classes
in literature and literary theory. That’s huge. You don’t get that everywhere.”
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 200945

alumninews
or many, “board of directors” conjures
up images of a stuffy, smoke-filled room
with an imposing rectangular table, around
which sit older men in three-piece suits
poring over financial statements. Nothing
could be further from the truth, however,
when it comes to UBAA’s busy and diverse
board members.
In fact, they are health care administrators,
bankers, lawyers, marketing executives,
journalists and social workers. They live in
Buffalo, Washington, D.C., Boston and Charlotte,
among other locales. And their graduation dates
span 49 years—from 1960 to 2009. They count
among them PhDs, DDSs, MBAs and bachelor’s
degrees in diverse fields. Some are multiple UB
degree-holders.
From location to gender to degree to age, the
51-member UBAA board composition intentionfrom
the UB Alumni Association
The Main Event
The Board’s a Busy Bunch
To learn more, visit www.
alumni.buffalo.edu/
board-directors
ally mirrors that of the alumni population as a
whole. “When we are seeking new board members,
we do our best to be inclusive and reflective
of the people we are working for,” says Tim
Lafferty, BA ’86, UBAA president. “Our board
provides strategic direction on the overall alumni
program, and the alumni staff provides the execution,”
adds Jay Friedman, EdM ’00 & BA ’86,
associate vice president for alumni relations.
Board member input is invaluable and is
tapped extensively from the professional expertise
represented around the table. “From developing
new programs to implementing a change to
our bylaws, we can usually resolve the
majority of business during our working
session because of the talent in
the room,” Lafferty states.
Passion for UB is a commonality—as
students they thrived, so
And in chapter news…
Tickets went quickly to
watch the Sabres-Bruins
game from a suite in
TD Garden in Boston
on March 30. Thirty
watched the Sabres
score an overtime victory
and enjoyed food
and drink throughout
the entire game.
On April 9, nearly 50
attended a boat tour of
the Port of Houston,
then took part in a networking
reception with
appetizers and drinks at
Brady’s Landing.
In conjunction with the
College of Arts and Sciences,
an event was held
on the state of the global
economy featuring Isaac
Ehrlich, SUNY and UB
Distinguished Professor,
and Bill Strauss, BA ’80,
senior economist at the
Federal Reserve Bank in
Chicago. Approximately
60 attended the March
29 event at the Union
League Club in New
York City.
The NHL Eastern
Conference playoff
race and the presence
of the Buffalo Sabres
helped attract some 50
to a pregame tailgate.
Attendees then watched
the Sabres post an
overtime victory over
the Carolina Hurricanes
April 3 in the RBC Center
in Raleigh.
The St. Francis Yacht
Club in San Francisco
was the setting on April
28 for a panel discussion
and networking.
Held in partnership with
the College of Arts and
Sciences, Dean Bruce
McCombe and 75 guests
were on hand to hear
five successful alumni
who found their way to
the Bay Area. Panelists
were Joe Abrams, BA
Hey, that’s me!
To see photos of other alumni and friends from recent
chapter events, go to www.alumni.buffalo.edu/chapters.
Members of the Boston alumni chapter
strike a pose at a recent gathering.
46 UBTODAY Fall

classnotes
updates from grads by the decade
joining the UBAA board is one way to give back as
alumni. Showing this commitment, for example,
is Kenneth M. Jones, MA ’84, CFO and vice president
at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, who chairs
the audit committee and holds additional degrees
from Boston University and MIT. “As an alumnus,
I feel that my career would not have been the same
without my UB experience,” Jones observes. “The
cost of the program vs. the value of the education
is a major return on investment. As a board member,
I want to give back and ensure that UB keeps
its stature as a world-class university.”
The board is a reflection of the broader alumni
community and so takes its responsibility seriously,
Lafferty says. “UB means so much to each
one of us, and it is our honor to represent the collective
needs of the greater alumni community to
the university in any way we can.”
To learn more about the UBAA board of directors
and its members, visit www.alumni.buffalo/
edu/board-directors.
’72, specialist in small
technology and ecofriendly
consumer products
companies; Roger
Choplin, BA ’72, founder
of Whiskey Hill Studios;
Pamela Gray, BA ’78,
screenwriter for several
Hollywood studios; Bob
Swan, BS ’83, senior
vice president, finance
and CFO for Ebay Inc.;
and John Walker, BA ’71,
medical technology and
biotechnology director
and consultant.
Authentic Spanish food
was highlighted during
a reception April 27 in
the Spanish Embassy
hosted by the Washington,
D.C. chapter.
Colleen Culleton,
assistant professor in
UB’s Department of Romance
Languages and
Literatures; and Diego
Alberdi, counselor for
education in the U.S.
and Canada, were the
evening’s presenters.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles
and South Florida
are two areas that have
shown great interest
in formalizing alumni
chapters. Vince Lo-
Russo, BS ’07, has taken
the lead in Los Angeles
(laubalumni@gmail.
com). Maria Tomaino,
BA ’04 (mltomain@fiu.
edu), and Al Royston,
BS ’73 (alvanirene@
cs.com), are the contacts
in South Florida.
60 70
John A. Cirando, JD Joseph J. Carline, BS
*
1966, has been included 1971, is of counsel at
as one of the top 5 percent
of outstanding attorneys
in upstate New York in
the 2011 edition of New
York Super Lawyers.
Cirando focuses his practice
on appellate advocacy
and serves on the New
carline
the firm
of Couch
White LLP
in Albany,
N.Y. He has
more than
30 years’
experience
York State Law Revision
Commission, Governor’s
Judicial
Screening
Committee,
with the New York
Power Authority and most
recently served under
contract as its legal consultant.
Carline resides
Commission in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
on Judicial Andrew Hahn, BA
*
Nomination, 1971, is vice president and
cirando
New York
State
middle market relationship
manager at Fifth Third
Interest on Lawyer
Account Fund and
Independent Judicial
Election Qualification
Commission. Cirando
resides in Syracuse, N.Y.
Bert Rappole, MD 1966, is
director of medical student
education at WCA Hospital
in Dunkirk, N.Y., where he
facilitates clinical rotations
for students enrolled
in their third and fourth
years of medical school.
For more than 30 years,
Bank in Tampa Bay, Fla.,
where he is responsible
for servicing businesses
with annual sales of $100
million to $500 million. He
lives in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
Dennis Dennis, BS 1972 &
BA 1971, is a founder and
principal at
Care Full
Conflict
LLC in
Redmond,
Wash. Most
recently,
Rappole practiced general
dennis he was
and vascular surgery
at WCA Hospital and has
served on numerous medical
staff committees. He
lives in Chautauqua, N.Y.
an assistant secretary
at the Washington State
Department of Health. He
resides in Redmond. Mark
G. Farrell, JD 1972 & BA
1969, was named Jurist
of the Year
for 2011 by
the Judges
& Police
Conference
of Erie
County,
farrell N.Y., for his
outstanding and well-recognized
work as a leader
in the area of therapeutic
justice. Town of Amherst,
N.Y., justice since 1994,
Farrell initiated the first
suburban drug court in
the U.S. in 1996, the first
domestic violence court
in Erie County in 1997,
the world’s only gambling
treatment court in 2001,
and in May of 2009, the
nation’s first suburban veteran’s
treatment court. He
resides in Amherst. Diane
J. Mancino, BS 1972, is
a fellow of the American
Academy of Nursing, nominated
for her outstanding
achievements in the nursing
profession. She serves
as executive director of the
National Student Nurses’
Association (NSNA) and
the Foundation of the
NSNA, and has dedicated
her career to the professional
development and
advocacy of undergraduate
nursing students. Mancino
lives in Astoria, N.Y. Vince
W. Evans, BS 1973, is
senior director of clinical
operations at Hospice of
the Valley
in San
Jose, Calif.,
where he
is responsible
for
daily clinical
opera-
evans
tions. He resides in San
Jose. Chien-Wu Chang,
MS 1974, is a senior staff
engineer at Lockheed
Martin Space Systems
Co. in Sunnyvale, Calif. He
lives in Palo Alto, Calif.
Clark D. Manus, BA 1974,
is the 87th president of
the American Institute
of Architects (AIA). He
previously served as AIA
national vice president,
chairing the board advocacy
committee and the
2010-2015 strategic plan,
and has held numerous
other positions within the
AIA. He lives in Oakland,
Calif. N. Roros,
*Zachary
BS 1974, is a regional
sales manager at BlueArc
Corporation and has been
named the No. 1 sales
representative in the company
for 2011. His respon-
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 47

alumninews
ubaa by the numbers
Online and social network
numbers as of June 2011
2,090
[Facebook page “likes”]
5,420
[LinkedIn alumniverified
members]
1,201
[Twitter followers]
10,965
[Flickr photo views]
26,000+
[UB Connect registered users]
129,527
[UB Connect email
addresses]
Go to www.alumni.buffalo.edu/
socialnetworks to join UBAA on
social networking sites.
Association Billboard
STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Oozefest
Oozefest
Accolades
Thanks to a major expansion this year, Oozefest is
now officially the largest single-day, double-elimination
collegiate mud volleyball tournament in the
nation. The addition of eight new courts to the Mud
Pit on St. Rita’s Lane meant that 64 more teams were
invited to play, for a grand total of 192.
“We’ve had a lengthy waiting list for several years, so
we were confident that we could increase the capacity,”
says Patty Starr, assistant director for volunteer
and student programs in the UB Office of Alumni Relations.
“We hated turning anyone down who wanted
to participate.”
Sure enough, the 2011 event was once again a
sellout, with 1,400 players, including students,
alumni, faculty, staff and community
members, along with more than 200
volunteers who supported the event.
Taking home the tournament
trophy and bragging rights was 7
½ White Men. The prize for best
costume, sponsored by alumni
team Poached Trout in a White
Wine Sauce (notable for its 22
consecutive years of play), was
“The Mighty Morphan Power
Rangers,” who will receive a free
team registration in 2012. Also in
the mud were two other longtime
Oozefest 2011 champs 7 ½ White Men, who managed
to stay relatively mud-free, show off their temporarily
shiny trophies. To see more Oozefest photos online
or watch a video of the 2011 tournament, visit www.
alumni.buffalo.edu/oozefest.
alumni teams, The Sheepherders, celebrating 17
years, and Smart Like Chicken, 15 years.
Oozefest 28 is slated for April 28, 2012. Mark your
calendars now!
UB DOWNTOWN
Striking similarities
Two Western New York corporate CEOs with striking
similarities headlined the UB Downtown luncheon
series this spring, a program co-presented by the UB
and School of Management alumni associations.
Each is an alumnus of the School of Management
and a member of the UB Alumni Association. Their
companies are both located in Akron, N.Y. (they even
share a railroad siding) and each brought plenty of
tasty samples of their products.
George Stege, MBA ’86, president and CEO of Ford
Gum & Machine Co., the only large-scale
manufacturer of gumballs in the U.S.,
spoke on April 14 to a sellout crowd
of 63 in UB’s Jacobs Executive
Development Center. A past
member of the UB Alumni Association
board of directors,
Stege described the process of
making chewing gum and how
his company is staying relevant
after 98 years of manufacturing
gumballs. Ford’s newest
hot product, for instance, is Big
League Chew, a shredded bubble
gum in a pouch.
48 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT

A month later, UB Downtown featured Bob Denning,
EMBA ’00, president of Perry’s Ice Cream, who spoke
to a crowd of 113 about the success of his company.
Perry’s is one of the top regional ice cream manufacturing
companies in the United States, the country
that consumes the largest amount of the frozen
treat.
Founded in 1918, Perry’s remains a family-owned
and-operated, fourth-generation ice cream
manufacturer with frozen distribution services. The
company makes more than 13 million gallons of ice
cream annually and won two prestigious awards
in March 2011 from the International Dairy Foods
Association for most innovative flavor and most innovative
novelty. Red Velvet, the winner of the 2011
innovative flavor award, was served to the crowd at
Chef’s restaurant on May 18.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Wanted: your email address
You can use the QR code
above to access our site
from your smartphone.
Last year, the UB Office
of Alumni Relations
alone sent out more
than 600 email messages
to various groups
of alumni constituents.
More and more communication
is being done
electronically, not only
for convenience but also
because of the high cost
of printing and postage.
Don’t miss out on any
important communiqué, contest opportunity or other
electronic update from the university, your school
or the alumni association! To encourage you to “go
green,” we’re holding a drawing for two Kindle e-
readers. To be eligible, you must submit your email
address to us by midnight on Oct. 31, 2011.
Verify your email in your alumni profile on UB
Connect (www.ubconnect.org), email it to us at ubalumni@buffalo.edu,
use the QR code above or call
the alumni office at 1-800-284-5382.
UB AT NOON
Preserving ‘the Heights’
Though typically held on the North Campus, the
March 29 UB at Noon lecture was in Allen Hall, South
Campus, in keeping with the topic: preservation of
the University Park Historic District, a neighborhood
bordering the South Campus. Kerry Traynor-Albert,
adjunct instructor in urban and regional planning,
discussed the history
and unique features
of the neighborhood,
and its recent listing
in the National
Register of Historic
Places.
classnotes
updates from grads by the decade
sibilities
include
offering
high-performance
networkattached
roros
storage
to numerous businesses
throughout parts of New
York City, Long Island,
New Jersey, Delaware and
Pennsylvania. He resides
in New York, N.Y.
Bernstein, PhD 1975 *Jesse &
BA 1968, has been named
the James Bryant Conant
High School Chemistry
Teacher of the Year for
2011. He received the
award at the American
Chemical Society’s annual
meeting in Anaheim, Calif.,
in March 2011. Bernstein
is science department
chair at Miami Country
Day School in Miami,
Fla. He lives in Aventura,
Fla. Karen J. Blair, PhD
1976 & MA 1974, professor
and chair of Central
Washington University’s
department of history,
has been honored by
Washington Gov. Christine
Gregoire for “achievements
and leadership in
the field of women’s history”
and “lasting and
important contributions”
to the field. Blair has
published seven books,
numerous articles and
essays, and was involved
in organizing the 2010
Washington Women’s
Suffrage Centennial
Commemoration. She
resides in Ellensburg,
Wash. Ellen G. Goldman,
BS 1976, was featured on
Top Tier’s podcast, “Ear
on Careers,” in January
2011, when she discussed
her path to becoming a
wellness coach. Goldman
has been in the fitness
industry for 30 years. She
lives in Livingston, N.J.
Gary Jastrzab, BA
*
1976, is executive director
of the Philadelphia (Pa.)
City Planning Commission
in Philadelphia. He is a
member of the American
Planning Association,
Urban Land Institute and
numerous other professional
and civic organizations.
Jastrzab resides in
Philadelphia. Lawrence
M. Meckler, JD 1976,
is of counsel at Jaeckle
Fleischmann & Mugel LLP
in Buffalo,
N.Y. He
focuses
his practice
on the
firm’s business
and
meckler
corporate,
labor and employment,
and economic and land
development practice
groups. Meckler lives
in East Amherst, N.Y.
Nancy Gibbons, JD 1977
& BA 1974, was named a
California Super Lawyer
in estates and trust. Her
practice is in Walnut
Creek, Calif., where
she resides. Maria R.
Miecyjak, BS 1977, is
co-founder and vice president
of Just Do It Dental,
a Web-based information
product company
that creates formulas,
strategies and blueprints
designed to help dental
practices throughout the
country achieve financial
freedom. She resides in
Tonawanda, N.Y. Jeffrey
M. Reed, BS 1977, is
executive vice president of
Mount Calvary Cemetery
Group in Cheektowaga,
N.Y., where he previously
served as vice president
of marketing and sales. In
this role, he
is responsible
for
operations
and field
supervision,
along
reed
with his
previous oversight of sales
and marketing. Reed lives
in Buffalo, N.Y. Sharon
M. Green, EdM 1978,
received a Distinguished
Alumna Award from Mount
Mercy Academy in Buffalo,
N.Y., where she resides.
Richard D. Marczewski,
BS 1979, is principal and
senior mechanical engineer
at Watts Architecture
and Engineering in
Buffalo, N.Y. He lives in
Holland, N.Y.
Benson Murray, *Terrie JD 1979,
is a partner in the law
firm of Cohen & Lombardo
in Buffalo, N.Y. She concentrates
her practice in
the areas of estates and
trusts, wills and estate
planning. She resides
in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Karen P. O’Connor, PhD
*
1979 & JD 1977, a professor
at American University,
was named to Ireland’s
Irish Legal 100 list, comprising
some of the most
accomplished and distinguished
American lawyers
of Irish descent. O’Connor
has testified before the
U.S. House and Senate
judiciary subcommittees
on the U.S. Constitution
and written or co-authored
20 books. She lives in
Washington, D.C.
80
Eric Bloom, JD 1980, is
*
special counsel for Damon
Morey in the law firm’s business
litigation and insolvency
department in Buffalo, N.Y.,
where he resides. Carol S.
Maue, JD 1980 & BA 1977, is
a partner at the law firm of
Boylan, Brown, Code, Vigdor &
Wilson LLP. She has received
numerous awards, including
the New York State Bar
Association President’s Pro
Bono Service Attorney Award
and a Woman of Distinction
Award from the Professional
Women of the Finger Lakes.
She lives in Canandaigua, N.Y.
Dennis M. Patterson, PhD
1980, JD 1980, MA 1978 & BA
1976, a Board of Governors
professor of law at Rutgers
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 49

In memory of UB alumni
flashback
Charles M. Fogel, MA ’38 &
BA ’35, of Amherst, N.Y., emeritus
professor of civil engineering
at UB and an active supporter of
his alma mater for decades, died
05.20.11. Fogel served under six
UB chancellors and presidents, and
received the first UB President’s Medal in 1990
for exemplary service to the university. Other
honors include the UB Alumni Association’s
Distinguished Service Award.
Julie A. Baker, MD ’07, PhD
’07, MS ’00 & BA ’97, of Providence,
R.I., a resident physician
affiliated with Women and Infants
Hospital at Brown University, died
04.26.11, following a short respiratory
illness. Baker was poised to
return to Buffalo as a physician-researcher
after her residency ended in June. She often
expressed gratitude for her UB education, having
received all four of her degrees from the
university.
For listings of other alumni deaths since our
last issue, please go to www.buffalo.edu/ubt.
1957
Elizabeth Taylor visits
UB with barely a
mention, no bull!
Actress Elizabeth Taylor, who died this
year, and her third husband, producer
Mike Todd, spent four days in Buffalo
in the fall of 1957 as part of the city of
Buffalo’s 125th anniversary celebration.
During that visit, the famous couple came to UB on Sept. 20 and presented
the university with “Buster,” a 7-month-old, Black Angus-Irish
Dexter bull calf that served as a live mascot and commemorated the
city’s 125th anniversary. A few weeks after Taylor’s visit, Buster was
on hand for Homecoming and met the queen, Joan Arhardt (pictured
above). Unbelieveably, the visit to campus drew very little attention in
the student newspaper, The Spectrum. An article on Buster in the Oct.
4, 1957, issue briefly mentions he had been given to the university by
Taylor and Todd.
—John Edens, University Archives
photos courtesy of university archives
Go to http://bit.ly/raxsOk to see the full
Spectrum issue from Oct. 4, 1957.
50 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT

Career Conversations
01.10.12
New York City
classnotes
updates from grads by the decade
REALM Leadership
Mentoring Program
11.02.11
(also 03.01.12)
Student Union, North
Campus
Hump Day Hangout:
After Hours
11.09.11
(also on 02.08.12 and
04.11.12)
Student Union Lobby,
North Campus
Fall Discovery Day
11.11.11
Center for the Arts,
North Campus
Holiday concert and
reception
12.02.11
Slee Hall, North Campus
Career Conversations
01.04.12
Rochester
Career Conversations
01.05.12
Albany
Hump Day Hangout
01.18.12
(also on 03.28.12)
Student Union Lobby,
North Campus
Distinguished
Speakers Series
Soledad O’Brien
02.16.12
Kleinhans Music Hall,
Buffalo
Alumni FAN (Food,
Alumni, Networking)
03.29.12
South Lake Village
Community Room,
North Campus
Alumni Association
Achievement Awards
04.13.12
North Campus
Oozefest
04.28.12
Mud Pit, North Campus
Distinguished
Speakers Series
Seth MacFarlane
04.28.12
Alumni Arena,
North Campus
McFarlane
All dates and times subject to
change. Visit www.alumni.
buffalo.edu/events for
updates.
School of Law–Camden,
has been named to the
law panel for the United
Kingdom’s forthcoming
Research Excellence
Framework. In this role,
he is responsible for evaluating
the scholarship of
legal academics throughout
the United Kingdom.
Patterson resides in
Voorhees, N.J. Michael
L. Corp, JD 1981, has
been selected for inclusion
in Best
Lawyers in
America for
2011. He is
a partner at
the law firm
of Hancock
corp Estabrook
LLP in Syracuse, N.Y.,
where he focuses his practice
in trusts and estates,
elder law and tax law.
Corp lives in Jamesville,
N.Y. James M. Culligan,
BS 1981, is director of
investor relations for CTG,
an international information
technology solutions
and services company in
Buffalo, N.Y. He resides
in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Jeffrey L. Hatten, BPS
1981, is facilities director
for the Kenmore-Town of
Tonawanda School District.
He has extensive experience
in facilities management
and previously
worked for the Buffalo
Board of Education as one
of its head architects for
several years. Hatten lives
in Cheektowaga, N.Y.
C. Randall Hinrichs, JD
*
1981, is the administrative
judge for Suffolk County.
He was first elected as a
Suffolk County Court judge
in 2002 and appointed
supervising judge in 2008.
He was elected to the New
York State Supreme Court
in 2009. Hinrichs resides in
Bay Shore, N.Y.
M. O’Donnell, JD *Denise 1982 &
MSW 1973, having been
nominated by President
Barack Obama to serve
as Director of the Bureau
of Justice Assistance in
the U.S. Department of
Justice, received confirma-
tion from the U.S. Senate
judiciary committee in May
2011. From 2007 to 2010,
O’Donnell served as commissioner
of the New York
State Division of Criminal
Justice Services, where
she managed several
crime reduction efforts.
O’Donnell lives in Buffalo,
N.Y. J. Zak, BA
*John
1982, an attorney at
Hodgson Russ in Buffalo,
N.Y., was a speaker at
the New York State Bar
Association’s “Accounting
for Lawyers”
seminar
series
held in
December
2010 in
Albany,
zak
Rochester,
New York City and Long
Island. Zak resides in
Kenmore, N.Y. Phillip M.
Galbo, BS 1983, is a principal
and manager of the
transportation engineering
department at Watts
Architecture & Engineering
in Buffalo, N.Y., where he
has worked for 18 years.
He lives in Williamsville,
N.Y. Michael B. Pratt, BS
1983, is a principal and
manager of the civil-structural
engineering department
at Watts Architecture
& Engineering in Buffalo,
N.Y. Pratt resides in
Kenmore, N.Y. Thomas J.
Yorkey BS 1983, is vice
president of research
and development at Solta
Medical Inc. in Hayward,
Calif. He also serves on
the board of directors of
Hunter Technologies, a private
electronic manufacturing
services company.
Yorkey lives in San Ramon,
Calif. Jonathan D. Cox, BA
1984, an
attorney at
Cohen &
Lombardo
in Buffalo,
N.Y., is second
vice
cox
president
of the Buffalo Arts Studio
(BAS) where he has been
an active board member
for more than four years
and previously served
as the board’s secretary.
He resides in Buffalo,
N.Y. Alan H. Pleskow, JD
1985 & BA 1981, is chief
executive officer of Zavee
LLC in Boca Raton, Fla.,
where he is responsible
for the firm’s overall vision
and strategic direction.
He is a nationally recognized
expert in real estate
financing and represents
major global financial
institutions. Pleskow
lives in Parkland, Fla.
Douglas C. Bean, MBA
1987, is chief operating
officer at Eric Mower and
Associates, an independent
marketing communications
agency in Buffalo,
N.Y. In this position, he is
responsible for oversight
of the organization’s seven
offices. A managing partner
since 1999, Bean will
continue to serve as head
of the firm’s Buffalo office
and lead the brand promotion
group. He resides in
Buffalo. Cora A. Alsante,
JD 1988, has been selected
for inclusion in Best
Lawyers in America for
2011. She is a partner at
the law firm
of Hancock
Estabrook
LLP in
Syracuse,
N.Y., where
she concentrates
alsante
her practice in estate
planning, trusts, planning
for the elderly and
disabled, and estate and
trust administration. She
lives in Jamesville, N.Y.
John Yani Arrasjid, BS
*
1988, is a principal architect
in the cloud services
team at VMware in Palo
Alto, Calif. He serves on
the Advanced Computing
Systems Association’s
board of directors and
resides in Boulder Creek,
Calif. Providence D.
Morris, PharmD 1988, is
regional coordinator and
assistant professor at the
University of the Pacific in
San Diego, Calif. She has
more than 20 years’ expe-
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 51

alumninews
UBAA Travel
Where do you want
to go to today
Whether by land or by sea, the UB Alumni Association has five amazing
trips planned for 2012 in conjunction with our two travel partners,
Alumni Holidays International (AHI) and GoNext cruises.
Austria, May 7-17, 2012
In addition to the landscapes immortalized in the film “The Sound of Music,” this trip
includes a stop in Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace, where you’ll hear his beautiful works
during a chamber concert at Mirabell Palace. You’ll admire artistic wonders at Admont
Abbey and visit the farm that breeds Lipizzaners, Vienna’s Spanish Riding School’s
famous white stallions. We conclude in Vienna, a stunning city of opulent palaces and
the magnificent opera house.
London to London Cruise, June 5-18, 2012
This 12-night cruise aboard Oceania Cruises’ Marina reveals the rich history and dramatic
scenery of the British Isles, a wonderful journey filled with the echoes of castles,
clans, ancient customs and so much more. Depart from England’s port city of Dover,
cruise the North Sea to various ports and towns in Scotland and Ireland, including the
Isle of Skye, Belfast and Dublin, before returning to Dover.
Alaskan Discovery Cruise, June 13-20, 2012
Discover America’s last frontier from the elegant decks of the Seven Seas Navigator, a
remarkable cruising experience in which everything is included. Depart from cosmopolitan
Vancouver, British Columbia, and cruise through the scenic inside passage to
Ketchikan, the former “salmon capital of the world.” Follow the Alaskan coast to Sitka,
the former capital of Russian possessions in North America, and continue to the immense
Hubbard Glacier, the longest of its kind in Alaska, before ending your cruise in
the picturesque harbor of Seward.
Red Rock Region of Colorado, Sept. 16-21, 2012
John Hendricks, the founder of the Discovery Channel, along with AHI, present an exciting
and original travel concept: Discovery Retreats. With a mix of structured and free
time, you will discover the history, beauty and culture of this beautiful region. Begin
your days by learning about this storied area during fascinating morning discussions,
then explore the terrain during guided excursions. Take advantage of ample free time
to conduct your own discovery on horseback, kayak or ATV.
Tuscany, Oct. 10-18, 2012
The Tuscany region’s charming village of Cortona will be your base
as you discover Montepulciano, set in the heart of Chianti country;
Siena’s narrow cobblestone streets lined with Gothic buildings;
and Duomo’s Piazza del Campo, one of the loveliest squares in
Italy. Experience the brilliant artistic and architectural heritage of
Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance.
In the Umbria region, explore medieval
Assisi, home to the exquisite Basilica For more information,
of St. Francis, and Perugia, an ancient
including cost and travel dates, visit www.
Etruscan city-state.
alumni.buffalo.edu/benefits-and-services.
Bon voyage!
52 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT

Member Spotlight
classnotes
updates from grads by the decade
Vince LoRusso, BS ’07
Los Angeles, Calif.
Member since 2007
Why did you join UBAA
Being a member of the UBAA means
always having a piece of Buffalo nearby.
The UBAA is one of the best ways to
establish and build relationships when
you move to a new city, and that’s why
I’m leading the effort to begin a Los
Angeles chapter. Everyone should leverage
the benefits of your UB Alumni
Association!
LoRusso close-up:
After graduating, I worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers
in Buffalo within their
audit practice. I moved to LA to expand my
network and business opportunities within
technology and entertainment. After working
for Cornerstone OnDemand, then as an
independent CPA at Lionsgate Entertainment,
I recently established my own firm,
CPA for Startups LLC, to offer business
planning, accounting and cash-budgeting
services for startup ventures.
Fond UB memories:
My involvement with the UB Accounting
Association—we had such great times
between studying together, mentoring each
other, socializing and uniting to make our
club great. I also miss the campus events
within the School of Management, such as
the annual “Meet the Professionals” night.
rience as a pharmacy specialist.
Morris lives in San
Diego. Pamela J. Baker,
PhD 1989 & MA 1978, is
vice president for academic
affairs and dean of
the faculty
at Bates
College in
Lewiston,
Maine,
where she
is also a
baker professor
of biological sciences.
Baker focuses her teaching
and research on cell
and molecular biology and
immunology. Her research
has earned major grant
support from the National
Institutes of Health.
She resides in South
Paris, Maine.
Yalamanchili, *Sujata MBA 1989 &
BS 1988, serves as practice
area leader for the
real estate, finance and
bankruptcy practice area
at Hodgson Russ LLP in
Buffalo, N.Y. Yalamanchili
is a member of the board
of directors of Summit
Educational
Resources,
trustee
of the
Theodore
Roosevelt
Inaugural
yalamanchili
Site
Foundation and member
of the board of directors
of the UB School
of Management Alumni
Association, which she
previously served as
president. She resides in
Williamsville, N.Y.
The asterisk says
they are members
of the UB Alumni
Association.
Are you
90
David McKibbin, PhD
1991, was honored by
the City of Fort Collins,
Colo., with its Character
in Action award. He was
cited for the volunteer history
class he taught at a
local nursing home. He
lives in Fort Collins. Andy
Chau, BS 1993, is president
and chief operating
officer of U.S. Operations
for PAX, one of the fastest
growing point-of-sale
(POS) solution providers
in China. Chau has more
than 15 years of experience
with POS technology,
and previously co-founded
and served as the chief
technology officer for
SoundPOS in Redmond,
Wash. He resides in
Bellevue, Wash. Gregory
J. Schaffer, BS 1993, is
Metropolitan Tennessee’s
first chief information
security officer, overseeing
Nashville’s information
security management
program. He also works
with human resources to
coordinate the employee
information security training
program. He lives in
Christiana, Tenn. David
Anschel, BA 1994,
is the director of the
Comprehensive Epilepsy
Center of Long Island at
St. Charles
Hospital
in Port
Jefferson,
N.Y. He
recently
returned
anschel from
Bolivia, where he was
serving as visiting professor
under an award
from the International
League Against Epilepsy to
improve the care of people
with epilepsy in South
America. He resides in
Rocky Point, N.Y. Yvonne
Goldberg, BA 1994, is a
senior project
manager
at CMI, a
full-service
marketing
research
company in
goldberg Atlanta, Ga.
She lives in Roswell, Ga.
Grant Williams, BS 1994,
is director of the MMT
Observatory on Mount
Hopkins in
Arizona.
Williams’
research
focuses on
the study
of evolved
williams
high-mass
stars called Wolf-Rayet
stars and the stellar
explosions they produce.
He joined the observatory
in 2002 when he
was awarded a Firestone
Postdoctoral Fellowship,
and had served as the
observatory’s associate
director since 2007.
Williams lives in Tucson.
Arun Chandra, BS 1995,
founded Chandra Law
Offices P.C. in Forest Hills,
N.Y. The firm serves small
businesses and individuals
in matters including real
estate closings, business
formation and contracts,
and franchise agreements,
representing clients in
New York City and Long
Island. Chandra resides
in East Hills, N.Y. John
E. Kelly Jr., JD 1995, is
a partner at Fulbright &
Jaworski in Washington,
D.C. He is part of the firm’s
health care and white-collar
and government investigations
practice groups,
and focuses his practice
on criminal and civil health
care litigation, the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of
1977, corporate and government
investigations,
white-collar defense, and
regulatory and compliance
issues. He lives in
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 53

updates from grads by the decade
classnotes
Arlington, Va. Ram Kumar
Krishnamurthy, MS
1995, is a senior principal
research
engineer
at Intel’s
Circuits and
Systems
Research
Lab in
krishnamurthy Hillsboro,
Ore. He received two Intel
Achievement Awards for
his pioneering research on
microprocessor arithmetic
and data-path research.
Krishnamurthy resides in
Portland, Ore. Michael S.
Getz, BS 1996, was elected
to CA Technologies’ Council
for Technical Excellence,
an internal think-tank
comprising the company’s
brightest and most
accomplished technologists
and based in Islandia,
N.Y. He lives in Bayside,
N.Y. Jeremy M. Booth, BS
1997, is managing director
of the tax firm WTAS in
New York,
N.Y. He has
extensive
experience
in tax and
financial
matters
booth
affecting
high net-worth individuals
and specializes in providing
and developing individual
group services programs
for executives of professional
services firms,
hedge funds and private
equity funds. Booth resides
in Fairport, N.Y. Jonathan
Chou, BA 1998, is chief
financial officer of Kulicke
& Soffa Industries Inc. in
Singapore. He has more
than 20 years of financial
leadership at recognized
public institutions and
has a proven track record
of strengthening companies’
operational focus
and financial discipline.
He lives in Somerset,
Singapore.
DePaolo, ME *Antonio 1998 & BS
1997, is vice president
of business excellence
at Endicott Interconnect
Technologies in Endicott,
N.Y. Most recently, he was
director of
operational
excellence
at Taconic
Corporation
in
Petersburg,
de paolo
N.Y. He
resides in Red Hook, N.Y.
Bernard Hurwitz, JD
1998, is executive assistant
to the president of
the National Technical
Institute for the Deaf at
Rochester Institute of
Technology in Rochester,
N.Y. Hurwitz lives in
Rochester. Ambar S.
Qureshi, MBA 1998 &
BS 1997, is director of
operations at Superior
HealthPlan in Corpus
Christi, Texas, where he
lives. Caroline Raimy,
EMBA 1998, is director
of sales development
and physician liaison
for Catholic Health in
Buffalo, N.Y. She resides in
Lancaster, N.Y. Matthew J.
Sheehy, MLS 1998 & MA
1998, is assistant director
of the
Harvard
University
Library for
the Harvard
Depository.
He
sheehy
resides in
Ashland, Mass. Ronald
E. Kaczmarek, BS 1999,
is director of public
works for Joint Base
Myer-Henderson Hall
in Arlington, Va., one
the nation’s oldest and
most historic military
installations. He lives
in Chambersburg, PA.
Marc A. Romanowski,
JD 1999 & BS 1995, is a
partner at the law firm of
Harter Secrest & Emery
in Buffalo, N.Y., where he
is a member of the firm’s
environmental practice,
representing clients in
development projects
before federal, state and
local agencies. He resides
in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Michael W. Stratemeier,
MD 1999, has been
named chief of emergency
medicine at Huntington
Hospital in Huntington,
N.Y., where he previously
served as associate chief
and director of clinical
services in the emergency
department. He lives in
Holtsville, N.Y.
00
Clotilde Perez-Bode
*
Dedecker, EdM 2000, was
elected to the board of
trustees for
the
Foundation
Center, the
leading
source of
information
Dedecker about philanthropy
worldwide. She
is the first representative
from Western New York to
be appointed to the board.
Dedecker is president and
CEO of the Community
Foundation for Greater
Buffalo and is a national
delegate to the Vision 2020
Equality in Sight project,
and serves on the board of
CFLeads. She resides in
Buffalo, N.Y. Andrew G.
Fiorella, BA 2000, is an
attorney at
the law firm
of Ulmer &
Berne in
Cleveland,
Ohio, where
he focuses
fiorella his practice
on complex business litigation
and class actions.
Fiorella lives in Bay
Village, Ohio. Clifton
Ganyard, PhD 2000, MA
1994 & BA 1991, associate
professor of humanistic
studies and history at the
University of Wisconsin–
Green Bay, received the
university’s
2010
Founders’
Award for
Excellence
in Teaching.
He resides
ganyard
in Green
Bay. James Moore, BA
2000, is a senior manager
of traditional production at
William S.
Hein & Co.
Inc. in
Buffalo, N.Y.
In this position,
he
oversees
Moore
the company’s
binding, printing,
microforms, warehousing
and inventory control
areas. He lives in Amherst,
N.Y. A. Petrella
*Peter
Jr., BA 2000, is director of
business development for
the Buffalo Sabres.
Petrella is a member of
the UB Alumni Association
board of directors and
resides in Lancaster, N.Y.
Brian M. Walters, BS
2000, is director of emergency
services for the
Upper Allegheny Health
System in Amherst, N.Y. In
this role, he facilitates the
integration and standardization
of emergency
department policies and
procedures for Olean
General Hospital and
Bradford Regional Medical
Center. Walters lives in
Cheektowaga, N.Y. Terri
M. Brennan, MSW 2001, is
a mental health clinical
supervisor for Horizon
Health Services at the
Family Recovery Center
(FRC) in East Amherst,
N.Y. In this role, she provides
direct clinical supervision
and training to the
counseling staff of FRC’s
mental health team.
Brennan resides in North
Tonawanda, N.Y. Eric
Decker, MS 2001 & BS
2001, is director of tech-
Got news Tell us!
nology implementation at
Independent Health in
Amherst, N.Y. Decker lives
in Marilla, N.Y. Daniel D.
Hackett, BS 2001, is a civil
engineer and project manager
for Stantec’s Boston,
Mass., office. As part of
the planning and landscape
architecture division
of the firm, Hackett works
on the site design of various
development projects.
He resides in Revere,
Mass. Serafina M. Mitri,
JD 2001, MBA 2001 & BA
1996, is special counsel at
the law firm of Damon
Morey in Buffalo, N.Y.,
practicing in the firm’s
real estate and banking
practices. She lives in
Williamsville, N.Y. Judy N.
Cuzzacrea Wagner, JD
2001 & BA 1998, is a partner
at the law firm of
Harris Beach, where she
is a member of the life and
asset planning practice
group at the firm’s Buffalo,
N.Y., office. She lives in
Middleport, N.Y. Mel
Freedman, EdM 2002, has
been named senior medical
recruiter for
PeopleFind in Canada and
the United States. He lives
in Dundas, Ont. George
Hajduczok, JD 2002, PhD
1986 & BA 1981, is a
board member for
Suneel’s Light, a foundation
that raises funds for
genetic research in hopes
of finding a
cure for
Duchenne
muscular
dystrophy.
He is special
counsel
Hajduczok at Phillips
Lytle in Buffalo, N.Y.,
where he focuses his
practice in medical device
and pharmaceutical products
liability litigation. He
resides in East Amherst,
N.Y. John D. Lopinski, JD
2002 & PhD 2001, is a
UB alumni are always on the move, and we want to
hear about it. If you have news to share, please submit
a classnote for consideration in UB Today. Submit your
entry online at www.alumni.buffalo.edu/classnotes,
or via e-mail at ub-alumni@buffalo.edu. It’s a great
way to reconnect with your fellow alumni!
54 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/UBT

partner at
the firm of
Hodgson
Russ in
Buffalo, N.Y.
He focuses
his practice
Lopinski
on patent
preparation and prosecution
in the areas of genetics,
immunology and
molecular biology.
Lopinski resides in Snyder,
N.Y. Bradley J. Nowak, BS
2002, was named among
Washington D.C.’s legal
elite in Washington
SmartCEO magazine. As
an attorney at Williams
Mullen in Washington, he
focuses his practice in the
areas of
corporate,
finance,
securities,
energy,
infrastructure
and
Nowak international
transactions. Nowak
lives in Alexandria, Va.
Marla Waiss, JD 2002 &
*
BA 1999, is a partner at
the law firm of Hodgson
Russ in
Buffalo, N.Y.
She focuses
her practice
on crossborder
tax
matters and
WAISS tax controversy
matters with the IRS.
Waiss resides in Amherst,
N.Y. Connor-
*Eileen
Costilow, MBA 2003, is
director of human resources
for the law firm of
Damon Morey in Buffalo,
N.Y. She lives in
Williamsville, N.Y. P.
*Hal
Kingsley, EMBA 2003, is
director of workforce
development at Trocaire
College in Buffalo, N.Y. He
resides in Getzville, N.Y.
Shane Marmion, BS 2003,
is vice president of product
development at William S.
Hein & Co. Inc. in Buffalo,
N.Y. In this role, he oversees
the development of
new products and undertakes
corporate management
of
marketing
and digital
products.
He lives in
Buffalo, N.Y.
Patrick J.
marmion Matthews,
BS 2003, is a senior manager
at Tronconi Segarra
and Associates in the
firm’s accounting and
auditing department. He
resides in Williamsville,
N.Y. Kathy Y. Monnin, MBA
2003, is a senior accountant
at Tronconi Segarra
and Associates in the sales
and use tax department.
She lives in Williamsville,
N.Y. Nicholas J. Snyder,
MBA 2003 & BS 2003, is
vice president of Evans
Bankcorp in Buffalo, N.Y.
He is the controller and
principal accounting officer
of the bank, and has
been with the finance division
for the past three
years. Snyder resides in
Buffalo, N.Y. Brian W.
Zielinski, BS 2003, is the
head of mitigation and
senior technical writer at
Guardian Solutions in
Clearwater, Fla. In this
position, he oversees the
commercial loan loss mitigation
and proposal writing,
preparation and
editing operations.
Zielinski lives in Saint
Petersburg, Fla. Claudia
Casciani, BA 2004, is an
account representative for
Liberty Solutions, a health
care information technology
consulting company in
Orchard Park, N.Y. She
resides in Rochester, N.Y.
Nirmal Kaur, MD 2004 &
BS 2000, is director of the
Inflammatory Bowel
Disease Center at Henry
Ford Hospital in Detroit,
Mich. She lives in Novi,
Mich. J. Lynch,
*Joshua
BS 2004, is an emergency
physician at FDR Medical
in Buffalo, N.Y. He also
serves as medical director
for Mercy Flight of
Western New York, Mercy
EMS and several volunteer
fire departments. Lynch
resides in Williamsville,
N.Y. Dale T. Payne, BS
2004, is a sales and client
relations manager at
Sovran Self Storage in
Williamsville, N.Y. He lives
in Clarence Center, N.Y.
Elisha J. Burkart, JD
2005, is the corporate
director of labor relations
for Catholic Health in
Buffalo, N.Y., where she
lives. Mund, MBA
*Susan
2005, formed Smart
Technology Strategies LLC
in Amherst, N.Y. With more
than 25 years’ experience
in information technology,
Mund offers a variety of
services, including the creation
of a technology plan
to give the business a
roadmap to using and
acquiring technology
resources for success. She
lives in Amherst. Scott M.
Severance, PhD 2005 &
MS 1994, is an associate
professor in the School of
Arts and Sciences at
Baptist Bible College &
Seminary in Clarks
Summit, Pa., where he
resides. Sudip Umachigi,
MS 2005, is a project manager
at Razz Construction
in Bellingham, Wash.,
where he lives. Catherine
Lengel, EdM 2006 & BA
2004, is a graduate program
recruiter for
Medaille College in
Amherst, N.Y., where she
works with Canadian students
in the master of science
in education
programs. She lives in
North Tonawanda, N.Y.
Christopher R. Gallant,
MFA 2007, assistant professor
of digital media and
communication at Hilbert
College, received a 2010
Professional Achievement
Award from Buffalo State
College’s communication
department. He was honored
for professional
excellence and distinguished
achievement in
the local media industry.
The honor follows
Gallant’s 2010 Emmy
Award for the WGRZ-TV
documentary “Niagara
Falls: A Tale of Two Cities.”
He resides in Buffalo, N.Y.
Jennifer M. Oliver, JD
2007, MBA 2007 & BS
2003, was honored at the
Sanctuary for Families
Above & Beyond Pro Bono
Achievement Awards and
Benefit in New York City in
November 2010. Associate
attorney at the law firm of
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
LLP, she was recognized
for outstanding dedication
to a victim of domestic violence
and for her skilled
and strategic advocacy in a
hard-won, five-year battle
for custody, visitation and
an order of protection for
her client. She lives in
Long Island City, N.Y.
Having a great time,
wish you were here!
Send friends and
family an electronic
postcard with an
iconic image of UB illustrated by alumnus
Michael Gelen, JD ’88.
Go to alumni.buffalo.edu/postcard.
Matthew S. Burwick, BS
2008, is a licensed financial
adviser at L&M
Financial Services in
Amherst, N.Y. In this position,
he works with 401(k)
plan sponsors and provides
for numerous types
of financial planning
needs. Burwick resides in
Williamsville, N.Y.
Jonathan R. Davis, MBA
2008, is a senior analyst at
Brisbane Consulting
Group, a valuation and real
estate appraisal firm in
Buffalo, N.Y. In this role,
he provides business valuation,
forensic accounting
and litigation support services.
Davis resides in
Kenmore, N.Y. Edmund L.
Markey III, DDS 2008, is a
pediatric dentist at First
Impressions Dentistry and
Orthodontics in Wausau,
Wis., where he resides.
Craig R. Przyklek, BS
2008, is senior accountant
and a member of the audit
team at Lumsden &
McCormick
LLP in
Buffalo, N.Y.
He is
responsible
for auditing
services to
przyklek commercial
businesses and exempt
organizations. Przyklek is
a member of the American
Institute of Certified Public
Accountants and the New
York State Society of
Certified Public
Accountants. He lives in
Rochester, N.Y. Lauren
McCarthy, PharmD 2009,
is pharmacy clinical coordinator
at Cape Regional
Medical Center in Cape
May Court House, N.J. She
is a member of the
American Society of
Health System
Pharmacists, American
College of Clinical
Pharmacy and the
Western New York Society
of Health Systems
Pharmacists. McCarthy
resides in Severn, Md.
10
Laura A. McFeely, BA
2010, is a production coordinator
at SKM Group, a
marketing communications
agency in Depew,
N.Y. In this position, she is
responsible for day-to-day
direct marketing production
assistance. McFeely
resides in Orchard Park,
N.Y.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Fall 2011 45 55

opinion
Alumni share their thoughts
inmy
What’s the best career advice
you have ever received
As a veteran of changing majors and merging careers, I would say
the best career advice I have received many times over is network,
network, network. Stay in contact with alumni, former classmates
and colleagues. Use social media to report professional and career
updates (not what you had for breakfast this morning). Join a
professional organization ... and go to the meetings. Any position I
have had in the past 10 years has been a result of networking.
Linda Doherty Pratt, BA ’82
Rochester, N.Y.
I’m now 65 years old. When I was 27, an
“old” man of 50 told me that he was retired.
I asked, “How did you do it” “Saved $10 per
month,” he replied. “That’s not enough to
retire,” I responded, to which he said, “True,
but you have to start somewhere.” I retired at
49—beat him by a year. Sometimes the pupil
is smarter than the teacher.
Henry Borowiec, BS ’68*
New York, N.Y.
My dad worked as a laborer at DuPont’s River
Road rayon plant and suggested that I go to
Tech High School [now Hutchinson Central
Technical High School in Buffalo] taking
industrial chemistry as a major, which I did.
The basics learned there prepared me to be
a chemistry major at UB—parents actually
know best, after all.
Gordon Gibson, BA ’57*
Orangevale, Calif.
The toes you step on today, may be connected
to the butt you kiss tomorrow.
Ken Paulin Jr., MBA ’88 & BS ’87*
Lockport, N.Y.
Do what you love, and you’ll love what
you do!
Ruth Kleinman, BA ’05*
Port Washington, N.Y.
Stay humble.
Marcia Koch, BS ’89
Geneseo, N.Y.
I was sitting in the VP’s office, chatting about
nothing in particular, when our conversation
was interrupted by a phone call. It was from
a former employee who had been fired and
was calling to tell the VP about his new job/
career. After the call, the VP said to me,
“Never be afraid to fire someone who is not
suited for the (job/company). The result
will always turn out to be better for both the
employee and the company.” That remained
in my thoughts, especially when I had to
terminate employees (only two in my career).
I had success turning around performance in
some employees. When that doesn’t happen
successfully—and you’ve done all you can to
make a nonproductive employee a productive
one—consider termination for everyone’s
benefit.
Margot Fulmer, BA ’65*
Auburn, Calif.
James C. Hansen, (1936-1999), emeritus
professor of counseling and educational
psychology at the time of his death, directed
an NDEA (National Defense Education Act)
Counseling Institute in 1965-66. He advised
me to continue my studies at UB for a
doctoral degree. Instead, I took a position as a
school counselor. Within six months, I called
Dr. Hansen and said I wanted to return, and
he guided me through the admissions process.
After receiving the PhD, I spent 36 years
training counselors and family therapists,
working two years at Teachers College at
Columbia University and 34 years at the
University of Rhode Island. I think about Jim
Hansen often and remember his advice and
kindness.
Peter Maynard, PhD ’70 & EdM ’66
Kingston, R.I.
Choose something you love to do and it will
fuel your career for the rest of your life. If you
can’t find work in your chosen area of skill or
experience, use it in some way “on the side”
as part-time or volunteer work. Then when
you look for paid, full-time work (if it is not in
the area of your choice), apply where you like
the philosophy of the business, the way the
employees are treated, the location, etc.
Mary McIntosh, MA ’77
Vancouver, Wash.
The question for In My Opinion derives from the monthly electronic newsletter @UB.
To subscribe to this newsletter, go to the News tab at www.alumni.buffalo.edu.
56 UBTODAY Fall 2011 www.buffalo.edu/ubt

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