Congratulations, Class of 2010! - Columbia College - Columbia ...

class notes
columbia college today
ploma from the Graduate Faculty
of Political Science, Philosophy
and Pure Science was signed by
Dwight D. Eisenhower. Meanwhile
I taught history for a year at Nutley
H.S. in New Jersey and then at the
New York State Teachers College at
Oneonta, where I was an instructor
or the lowest academic rank.
At the end of the year, the college
president called me in and said
he wanted me to be dean, which
ranked next to the president. I said
I would talk to Elsie. She said it
must be a mistake; nobody went
from instructor to dean. I agreed
with her, but the president meant
it, and I became dean. My chief
task as dean was to begin conversion
from a teachers college to a
multipurpose institution.
“Elsie was very active in Oneonta
but never said much about it.
It would be tedious to mention all
of her good works. One day I saw
her picture in the paper with three
noted businessmen. I learned that
she was on the board of the community
chest. Elsie was unhappy
with the one-room schools on the
outskirts of Oneonta. She got herself
elected school district trustee and
led a campaign to have the children
bussed to Oneonta, where there
were very good schools. She was
out night after night after night,
escorted by a gentleman from the
Board of Regents to a meeting with
parents. It was a tough business
because the people did not want
to give up control of schools used
by their families for years. There
were even fist fights. The vote came,
and Elsie and her helpers won. For
many decades, the children have
been bussed to better schools. I
never did anything so noble.
“During the academic year 1959–
60, I had sabbatical leave and
accepted a Smith-Mundt grant to
serve for a year as the professor of
American history at the University
of Sri Lanka. The Rockefeller Foundation
gave me a grant to visit the
American studies centers in Japanese
universities. Harry Carman
wrote a letter endorsing me for the
grant. The funds available made it
possible to take Elsie and our two
daughters with me. It was a wonderful
year. We went around the
area, visiting 17 countries.
“My next assignment was in the
central administration of SUNY,
where I was the vice chancellor for
the Colleges of Arts and Science.
Syrett was there as vice chancellor
for University Centers. My work
in Albany was to make the colleges
multipurpose institutions far
removed from the exclusive role
of preparing teachers. I did well
in Albany. Chancellor Gould kept
raising my salary and assigning me
special tasks. While in New York,
I was twice offered the position of
State Historian but did not accept.
“There were many difficult
situations. I will describe one here.
The black students demanded that
I provide a state car they could
use to bring groups together for
discussions. I refused. Phone calls
threatened me and mentioned that
a Molotov cocktail might set my
house on fire. Attending a conference
in Saratoga, I found myself
surrounded by three large men.
One said, ‘You are Dr. Frost.’ The
second said, ‘You have two very
pretty daughters.’ The third said,
‘Too bad.’ Nothing happened, but
Elsie and I were very concerned
and kept careful watch over our
daughters.
“Next it was on to Connecticut,
where I thought my job was to
press for new programs in the state
colleges to increase their role as
multipurpose institutions offering
broader opportunities for students.
Every personnel change in my
office had to be approved by the
Commission for Higher Education.
Work in the legislature, defiance of
a commissioner and, as a newspaper
reported, defiance of the governor
resulted in the trustees taking
control, and their policies governed
the system of four campuses. There
were legislative threats to eliminate
the trustees. Elsie always said to
me that we did not have to stay in
Connecticut and that perhaps it
was time for me to retire and write
books. She would also say, quoting
from the Book of Ruth, ‘Whither
thou goest, I will go.’ On March
1, 1983, the legislature created the
Connecticut State University, and I
became its president. The trustees
were in control, and now the effort
would be focused almost solely on
expanding the curricula.
“On July 1, 1985, I retired. About
this time, it was discovered that my
highly intelligent Elsie had Alzheimer’s.
She knew it but never complained.
She liked to travel, and that
is what we did: Antarctica, South
Pacific, Alaska and many other
places. Gradually things worsened,
and this active lady who had gotten
me into golf and snorkeling was in
a wheelchair. I was told I could not
handle it, but they were wrong. Only
during the last four or five weeks
did I have professional help. Elsie
died on July 8, 2003, in our bedroom.
Since that time, I have lived in our
10-room house by myself.
“My children are Roger, who
passed away; Janet, a chemistry
professor; and Elsie, a lawyer handling
large cases for the IRS.
“I’ve written seven books: Life on
the Upper Susquehanna, 1783–1860
(1951); A History of New York State
(1957), with David M. Ellis, Syrett
and Carman; New York: The Empire
State (1961), again with Ellis and
also with William B. Fink; A History
of the United States: The Evolution
of a Free People (1968), with Ralph
Adams Brown, Ellis and Fink; The
Establishment of Connecticut State
University 1965–1985: Notes and
Reminiscences (1991); The Country
Club of Farmington, 1892–1995
(1996); and Life with Elsie (2005).
“For the last book, the publisher
refused to charge me for publication
and wanted me to put the
book on the market, but I refused. I
have given it to friends and placed
it in libraries, where it has been
much used.”
41
Robert Zucker
29 The Birches
Roslyn, NY 11576
rzucker@optonline.net
We note with sorrow the passing of
four classmates.
Edward Amontree died in
Sarasota, Fla., on February 4 after a
lifetime of practicing dentistry.
James Cronenberg of Midland,
Texas, started with our class and
graduated from the Engineering
School in 1942. He worked for the
El Paso Gas Co. His life ended on
January 1.
T. Hall Keyes III entered with
our class. He owned and operated
a pet resort and training center in
Ridge, N.C., and died on January 6.
Arthur Weinstock left us on
April 17 after several weeks of intensive
care at a White Plains, N.Y.,
hospital. Art lived in White Plains
and was the one most responsible
for our annual reunions at Arden
House for approximately 45 years.
In college, he was president of ZBT,
manager of the basketball team and
took part in many other activities.
He served as president of the Society
of Columbia Graduates, as treasurer
of the Columbia Club of Westchester
and as class president; was
on the board of Columbia/Barnard
Hillel; and on the Supreme Council
of ZBT. Art and his late wife, Betty,
endowed a scholarship for needy
students at Columbia College and
the Arthur S. Weinstock Recognition
Award for participation in intercollegiate
athletics.
Among those at Art’s funeral
were Phyllis and Ray Robinson;
Suzanne and Bob Dettmer; Charlie
Plotz; Irene Leiwant, widow
of Erwin Leiwant; Bob Zucker;
Arthur Graham ’42 and Paul de
Bary ’68. A group of his Columbia
friends, at Art’s invitation and in
his memory, attended the Hillel
dinner at Low Library on April 27.
[Editor’s note: See Obituaries.]
At a recent luncheon in New
York, a group of us discussed
the advent, next year, of our 70th
anniversary of graduation. Any
thoughts of activities in which we
could indulge would be appreciated.
From Thursday, June 2–Sunday,
June 5, 2011, the College will
sponsor Alumni Reunion Weekend
for class years that end in 1 or 6.
Stay tuned.
42
Melvin Hershkowitz
3 Regency Plaza, Apt. 1001-E
Providence, RI 02903
DRMEL23@cox.net
On March 10, I received a brief e-
mail message from Valerie Straw,
reporting that her father, Sam Pisicchio,
died in Sonoma, Calif., at 89.
At my request, Valerie subsequently
sent a detailed (and affectionate)
review of Sam’s life and career after
he left Columbia to serve in the
Coast Guard during WWII. Sam
stayed in the Coast Guard after the
war, serving as a meteorologist, a
public information/press officer
and executive officer on a training
cutter, until he retired in 1965. He
had assignments in Boston, where
he was known as “Sam the Weather
Man” for his radio reports; York,
Maine; Washington, D.C.; Virginia;
Cape May, N.J.; Cleveland; and
southern California before his retirement
to a rural area in Napa, Calif.
In Napa, Sam was an employment
consultant for the Napa County
Welfare Department (NCWD),
at which many of his clients spoke
only Spanish, so Sam enrolled at
UC Davis to learn Spanish. He
quickly passed the GED exam to
confirm his fluency and was proud
of that accomplishment. He worked
for the NCWD until 1980, when he
finally retired and devoted himself
to repairing his property, vacations
with his wife to South America
and going to the theater in San
Francisco.
Valerie told me that Sam loved
Columbia, jazz and the New York
baseball Giants. He often made negative
comments about the “Dirty
Dodgers” and the “Damn Yankees.”
He always wore his Columbia ring
and often spoke of his affection for
alma mater.
At Columbia, Sam earned intramural
medals, was on the freshman
wrestling team and worked on
Spectator. He was a member of Il
Circolo Italiano, Le Cercle Lafayette,
the Newman Club, the Pre-Law
Society, the Squash Club and the
Dormitory Council. He had close
friendships with Don Mankiewicz
and me. I regret that our paths diverged
after graduation, and I never
saw Sam again after 1942.
I thank Valerie for her informative
communication about Sam. I send
my personal condolences to her and
from our Great Class of 1942.
My Horace Mann (Class of 1938)
classmate and Livingston Hall
sophomore year roommate, Robert
Kaufman, is the patriarch of an
july/august 2010
38