uri quadangles spring 2009

QUADanglesU N I V E R S I T Y O F R H O D E I S L A N D A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E

SPRING 2009, VOL. 16, NO. 3

We Are the BandCAmArAderie fostered By Uri BAnd CoACh BriAn CArdAny

LIsten OnLIneurI.edu/quadangLes

Grand Opening for the Center for Biotechnology and Life SciencePHOTOs BY NORA LEWIs

More photos uri.edu/quadangles

QUAD ANGLES ON THE WEB: uri.edu/quadanglesSPRING 2009, VOL. 16, NO. 3

QUADanglesFEATURESDEPARTMENTS

10 TRANSFORMATIONAL PRESIDENT By Jhodi Rellich A look back at his accomplishments over the last 18 years

14 MEMBERS OF THE BAND By Shane Donaldson ’99 If variety is the spice of life, the University of Rhode Island marching and pep bands have an awful lot of flavor

16 SALUTING A FAMILy LEGAcy By Jan Wenzel ’87 Brothers Mike and Charlie Flynn, both URI ROTC graduates, share the hallways of the Pentagon; they also share a military legacy with their late father

18 cONSTRUcTION MANAGER By Rudi Hempe ’62 Michael Sormanti walked off the Quad in 1992 with a civil engineering degree; he returned 15 years later with blueprints in hand to oversee construction of the first phase of a new quadrangle

20 TAkING cARE OF BUSINESS IN RHODE ISLAND By Todd McLeish In Rhode Island, more than 800 businesses —some large, some small—are owned or operated by URI alumni; their success may be the foundation of the state’s economic recovery

22 MANy WAyS TO PLAy By Dave Lavalle ’79, M.P.A. ‘87 Club sports from ice hockey to rugby to ultimate are thriving at URI

UP FRONT 3 News and views

PRESS BOX 8

LOOkING BAck 25

PHOTO PAGE 26Big Chill Weekend

ALUMNI cHAPTERS 28Upcoming events and contacts

cLASS AcTS 31News from your classmates

and alumni profiles

BAck PAGE 40Rhody Reveal

INSIDE BAck cOVER 3Family Camp 2009

BAck cOVER 3The 50th Reunion &

Golden Grad Weekend

New! WEB EXTRAS

Holly Krohn ’09Photos from Faces of Lily:

The HIV Orphans of KwaZulu-Natal

Gerontology Professor Phil Clarkinvites you to learn for the joy of it

with OLLI at URI

Writing between the lines at theOcean State Summer Writing Conference

It’s spring at Peckham Farm

URI Today, see “Who We Are”

New Rhody Postcards fromParis

ShanghaiBirmingham, Alabama

—Send us yours!

Kudos to Patrick Tracey ’81PEN New England winner

10

22

16

14

18

CovER: NoRA LEwiS

iNSiDE FRoNT CovER: NoRA LEwiS

CoNTENTS: JoE GibLEN, NoRA LEwiS, RoN MARCoTTE,

CoURTESy oF ChARLES FLyNN, CoURTESy oF MiChAEL SoRMANTi

2 QUAD ANGLES SPRING 2009

QUAD ANGLES is a publication of the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association, Division of University Advancement, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-2011. Phone: 401-874-2242.

Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle

Executive Editor Michele Nota ’87, M.S. ’06

Editorial Committee Paula M. Bodah ’78 Jodi Hawkins Mike Laprey Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 Liz O'Brien

Managing Editor Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’72

Associate Editor Barbara Caron, Online Edition Jan Wenzel ’87

Art Director Kim Robertson

Interim Director of Publications Russell Kolton

Director of Communications Linda Acciardo ’77

Contributing Editors Mary Ann Mazzone, Class Acts Nicki Toler, Alumni Online & Chapters

Contributing Designers Johnson Ma Bo Pickard Verna Thurber

Photographer Nora Lewis

Alumni Relations Staff Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, Assistant Director Kathleen Gianquitti ’71, M.S. ’82, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Howard ’96, Associate Director Brittany Manseau ’08, Program Assistant Marisa Saccoccio ’01, M.A. ’05, Program Assistant Kate Serafini ’08, Program Assistant Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S. ’03, Assistant Director

Alumni Association Executive Board Gary W. Kullberg ’63, President Donald P. Sullivan ’71, President Elect Joseph M. Confessore ’96, Vice President Peter J. Miniati III ’85, Past President Susan R. Johnson ’82, Vice President Louise H. Thorson, M.B.A. ’85, Treasurer

Councilors-at-Large Ana Barraza ’93, M.S. ’04 Mark A. Davis ’83 Carlos M. Ferreira ’89 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Ronald P. Joseph ’67 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.S. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell-White ’90 Benjamin W. Tuthill ’04 Andrew W. Wafula ’01

Representatives Arts & Sciences: Jerome H. Kritz ’76 Business Administration: Laurel L. Bowerman ’77, M.B.A. ’84 Continuing Education: Edward Bozzi Jr. ’68 Engineering: Leo Mainelli ’58 Environment & Life Sciences: Wayne K. Durfee ’50 Human Science & Services: John Boulmetis ’71, M.S. ’73 Nursing: Denise A. Coppa ’72, Ph.D. ’02 Pharmacy: Lynn M. Pezzullo ’91 Student Alumni Association: Jessica Potvin ’09 Student Senate: Thomas Ahrens ’09 URI Foundation: H. Douglas Randall III ’72

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way we communicate. We’re taking advantage of the latest advances in this technology to stay in touch with alumni and supporters.

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Sign up for one of our online periodicals or email news lists, and stay in touch with your school!

n ONLINE PERIODICALS

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STAY IN TOUCH

URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action. The ideas and opinions expressed in QUAD ANGLES do not necessarily reflect those of the Alumni Association, the editor, or the University. QUAD ANGLES is published four times a year for alumni and friends of the University of Rhode Island; standard postage paid at Burlington, Vt. QUAD ANGLES is printed at The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vt., and is recyclable.

WEB EXTRAS Our Web Extra logo in QUAD ANGLES indicates additional story content, audio/video and interactive features available to you in QUAD ANGLES ONLINE. In this issue, our Web Extras invite you into our celebration of President Carothers’ 18 years at the University, treat you to the great sound of the Rhody bands, and share with you some fun video of spring at URI’s Peckham Farm. You can also learn more about the new

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at URI, which offers special programs, non-credit courses, and events for those 50 and over. Tell us what your think about our new Web Extra feature. We want to hear from you! Go to uri.edu/quadangles.

TIME TO HIT THE LINKS Our 2009 Alumni Golf Tournament will be held at Valley Country Club in Warwick on June 1. Sponsored by the URI Alumni Association, this annual event is a great way to enjoy your favorite game, catch up with fellow alumni and friends, and raise funds to benefit URI students. The URI Alumni Golf Tournament has raised $130,000 for student scholarships and grants since 1995. Go to

advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/golftournament for all the details, including information about our 2009 Golf Tournament Stimulus Incentive!

HAPPY CAMPERS Mark your calendars for our 2009 Alumni Family Camp, which will take place July 17-19, 2009! This popular annual event offers a variety of family-friendly

activities for adults and kids of all ages. For more information, visit advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/familycamp.

RHODY RULES By now you probably know that our Rhody the Ram has a brand new look. Learn more about the history of our beloved mascot, find out how you can invite him to your next event, see video of the Rhody Reveal, and learn how you can participate in the Rhody the Ram Endowment, which raises funds for the dedicated students who bring Rhody to life! Go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/rhody.

GOT THE TRAVEL BUG? The Alumni Association is sponsoring trips to Ireland, France, and Switzerland. Learn more about these exciting opportunities at advance.uri.edu/alumi/travel.

JOIN THE CLUB Did you know that more than 65 programs and services are currently provided, managed, promoted, and funded by the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association? By joining the Alumni Association, you will not only enjoy the many benefits of membership, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting these programs, services, and student scholarships. Become a member today by going to advance.uri.edu/alumni/membership.

UPfrontURI Ranked 15th in Nation for Return on Investment

“… who would’ve guessed

that … the state universities

of Delaware and Rhode Island

would beat out every Ivy

in the ranking?

—SmartMoney

URI alumni have always known their alma mater offers a quality education for a reason-able price. Now the nation is getting the message.

The January 2009 issue of SmartMoney magazine ranked the University 15th in a nationwide survey of public and private colleges examining the relationship between tuition costs and graduates’ earning power. Using a “twist on traditional college rankings,” the magazine assessed schools on their abil-ity to deliver the best return on investment and sought to quantify the long-term value of a college education.

The monthly magazine, published by The Wall Street Journal, specifically cites URI as a far better value than all the private institu-tions included in

the survey. At 15, URI is the highest ranked institution in New England.

In his article “Why the Ivies Aren’t Worth It,” Neil Parmar wrote: “Indeed those unher-alded public universities turn out to be a far better deal than virtually all the privates we surveyed. The Ivies in general? They deliver nowhere near the payback on tuition that most parents staring at a six-figure bill over four years might expect.”

Working with consultant PayScale.com, the survey looked at what graduates from 50 of the most expensive four-year colleges earn in their early and mid-careers. Then they factored in up-front tuition and fees. The University of Georgia, ranked No. 1, would deliver a payback nearly three times that of Harvard,

noted the article, while the “state universities of Delaware and Rhode Island would beat out every Ivy in the ranking.”

URI Dean of Admission Cynthia Bonn said: “We’ve known all along that our students re-ceive an outstanding education for a tremen-dous value. It’s great that SmartMoney did the research that showed how well our graduates are doing and that they are not burdened by the amount of debt that graduates of pricier schools are incurring.

“This validation by a respected national publication comes at a time when families are asking important questions about where their children will receive the best education for the most reasonable price.”

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 3

Undergraduate chemistry major Caroline Killian mashed berries and performed extensive tests in Pharmacy Professor Navindra Seeram’s laboratory last summer to find the degree of anti-cancer activity that the Eugenia jambolana berry pro-duced. Also known as Jamun, the vibrant purple berry is traditionally used as a pre-insulin treatment for diabetes, but Killian and Seeram wondered what kind of healing power the berry might have against cancer.

Killian was one of 80 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows from URI and seven other Rhode Island colleges who participated in a program funded by federal grants awarded to URI’s College of Pharmacy and College of the Environment and Life Sciences.

Killian and Seeram tested extracts of the berry on two breast cancer cell lines: a common type of breast cancer and a more aggressive form called “triple negative”, for which there is limited therapy.

In collaboration with a breast cancer researcher at City of Hope Hospital in California, Killian tested the berry’s effects on the growth of these cancer cells in cell cultures. Results showed the berry had inhibited the growth of cancer cells on both cell lines.

What’s so special about these berries? Apparently, the purple color. “Violet has the shortest wavelengths of all the colors in the

visible spectrum, which means it oscillates the fastest, and has the most energy of all the colors we can see,” said Killian.

The project has been deeply rewarding. “As a student of science, I find ideas powerful in the sense that I can ask big questions and answer them too. What can we do to prevent and cure cancer? Using non-toxic, naturally occurring plant compounds already present in our diet to develop targeted treatments that show specific action on preventing and halting tumor growth is very exciting. Our University’s motto is ‘Think Big, We Do.’ Since coming on board at the Seeram lab and getting involved in science, my motto has become ‘Think Big, AND Do.’”

Thinking Big About a Small Berry to Treat Cancer

Residence Hall Students Save Their EnergyAccording to a survey last spring, URI students living in residence halls took 13-minute showers on average, typically left their computers on for 16 hours a day (a third of them never even turned them off), and almost never shut off the heat, air conditioning, or fans when they left their rooms.

Now students are eagerly jumping in and out of showers and snapping off appliances.

It’s all part of a behavior change campaign, an element of a larger $18 million energy efficiency and conservation initiative launched in 2007 that will save more than 7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 42 million pounds of steam per year. The cost of the three-year project with NORESCO, a leading energy services company, will be paid over 12 years from the savings on the University’s utility bills.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SALERNO

Caroline Killian


Dancing the Night AwayRomance, whimsy, and childlike innocence were the magical elements in the URI Dance Company’s first holiday variety show performed this winter.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” featured the 200-member Dance Company performing against a backdrop of giant snowflakes on a stage bathed in green and red spotlights.

The 300 or so audience members found themselves smiling, humming, and tapping their toes throughout the show, which raised about $1,000 for the group’s spring show. The 10-year-old dance company is entirely student-run and funded.

“Club members learned complicated choreographies in just five weeks,” said Nancy Hawskley, URI’s recycling coordinator and volunteer advisor to the club. “The teachers/choreographers, who are all URI students, put together a highly entertaining, creative show.”

Club President Alyssa Fulchini, who has been dancing for 17 years, was one of the teachers and the show’s emcee. “Everyone loved the idea of a winter show because many club members were disappointed that we performed only once a year,” she said. “It was really a team effort, and I am so proud of everyone. It was especially stressful for the teachers and officers because we are all perfection-ists. The end result was evidence of our hard work.”

In addition to its own members, the club invited performers from the URI Irish Step Dance Club and the URI Ballroom Dance Club. The student band, Incident Report, provided live music and Lindsey Page, one of the company’s members, performed a vocal solo.

“While it may be easier to make physical changes to our facilities to save energy, if we want to achieve our energy savings objectives we must also change behaviors,” said Jerry Sidio, director of Facilities Services.

To help accomplish the change, energy saving posters were placed around each residence hall, notices were hung in showers, and students were asked to sign a commitment pledge.

“It didn’t take much effort on our part to get residents enthusiastic about saving energy. They’re really into it,” said John Rooney, one of the Univer-sity’s 112 resident assistants recruited to encourage energy conservation. “A couple of [Barlow Hall} students even started a recycling program in the building. Everyone seems to like the new shower-heads, and some of my residents even harass me when I stay too long in the shower.”

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SALERNO

2009 Ocean State Summer Writing Conference Follow your literary muse to your alma mater where the annual Ocean State Summer Writing Conference will be held June 18 to 20. Keynote speakers are memorist Louise DeSalvo and Robin Hemley, director of the nonfiction writing program at the University of Iowa. Patricia Smith, right, a 2008 National Book Award finalist, will be the poetry keynote speaker. Pre-conference writing workshops are offered on June 18 and 19. For a schedule and online registration, go to uri.edu/summerwriting.

PETER DRESSEL

Photos and moreuri.edu/quadangles


Long Term Study of Pre-Terms Each year more than 500,000 infants are born prematurely, and 50 to 70 percent of them require a range of specialized services. In 2005, costs associated with preterm births in the U. S. were at least $2.2 billion.

Nursing Professor Mary Sullivan has been tracking a group of 213 preterm infants born at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence between 1985–1989 to age 23.

She is the principal investigator of a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Nursing Research 5-year grant to continue the long collaborative study. It is one of only two studies in the U.S. tracking such long-term health and develop-mental outcomes.

“Through this research, we have been learning from these now young men and women and their families about the trouble-spots they have ex-perienced throughout their lives,” said Sullivan, who became involved in the original studies in 1990 while earning her doctoral degree.

Specifically, the study will examine adult successes and challenges and how medical, developmental, and social fac-tors influence the adult outcomes of preterm infant survivors. Understanding these processes will allow professionals to make early identification of those at risk to most accurately pinpoint the timing and content of interventions.

“This unique group has allowed us to see and describe over time the challenges the children faced and how they were resolved. Ultimately, this may provide guidance to parents of other premature infants and inform physicians, nurses, and physical and occupational therapists providing care,” Sullivan said.

White House VisitDonna M. Hughes, professor of women’s studies, was invited to the White House just before Christmas to witness the signing of the William Wilberforce Traffick-ing Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008.

She met with President George W. Bush and a handful of cabinet members and congressional leaders in the Oval Office. Hughes, a leading international researcher on trafficking of women and children, contributed to the passage of the act as well as to the three bills that preceded it.

“With each act we have advanced the anti-human trafficking movement in the U.S. and around the world,” says the respected researcher and advocate.

Trafficking has an astounding number of victims. Citing data provided by the United Nations, Hughes says about 4 million people are trafficked annually either in their countries or across international borders.

The URI professor adds that of the approximately 15,000 foreign victims trafficked into the U.S. each year, about 70 percent of them are women and children from East Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

Hughes says the numbers don’t represent the full scope of the problem because many victims are often fearful or unable to come forward.

To learn more about Hughes’ vital work on this bill go to uri.edu/news/releases/index.php?id=4714.

URI Women’s Studies Professor Donna Hughes, wearing glasses and a white turtleneck, at right.

Mary Sullivan

PHOTO BY JOE GIBLIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNA HUGHESPH

OTO

BY

NO

RA L

EWIS


URI to Develop Training Model for Campus Evacuations

Documentary Focuses On TB’s Impact

URI has been tapped by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop a national train-ing program for mass evacuation planning for institutions of higher education.

Cmdr. Shad Ahmed, chief of URI’s Emergency Medical Services and director of the National Institute for Public Safety Research Training, is the principal investigator for the three-year, $1.9 mil-lion grant. Through the grant, the institute will research and develop a training curriculum tar-geting first responders to increase the survival rate in the event of critical campus incidents. The training program will introduce basic con-cepts in mass evacuation, disaster psychology, and the mechanics of pedestrian evacuation via Web-based and on-site delivery.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency grant is part of more than $27 million in funding awarded nationwide to develop and deliver innovative training programs addressing high-priority national security needs under the Competitive Training Grants Program. URI is one of just 11 institutions nationally to be chosen for this program, which is designed to be a catalyst for strengthening national preparedness initiatives for first responders, public

officials, and citizens.“There are very few venues for getting results

from academic research incorporated into emergency responders’ training, and nationally that has been lagging,” Ahmed said. “We hope to facilitate this process so emergency responders are always one step ahead.”

Filmmaker David Bettencourt ‘97, the award-winning director of the 2007 regional hit YOU MUST BE THIS TALL: The Story of Rocky Point Park, turned his camera away from amusement parks to focus on tuberculosis

The result is ON THE LAKE: Life and Love in a Distant Place, an absorbing hour-long documentary that sheds light on TB. But it goes well beyond scientific facts and figures into the lives of victims and survivors. While many Americans may think TB has been relegated to history books, in reality the documen-tary shows the disease is on the rise and unfortunately thriving. TB cases in this country, while climbing in some places, are still relatively low today thanks to our high standard of living and advanced health care. The disease, however, is a pandemic globally.

ON THE LAKE: Life and Love in a Distant Place tells the human story of America’s TB epidemic during the first half of the last century through first-hand accounts of this dreaded disease. Interwoven in these personal stories is the medical drama of tuberculosis, including commentary by today’s top TB medical experts.

The film is a collaboration between Bettencourt, who teaches film media classes at URI, and G. Wayne Miller, an award-winning staff writer at The Providence Journal and author of seven books. The film tells the story with rare footage, stills, and letters—some never seen publicly before—and with sensi-tivity through the accounts of people who survived TB after years of near exile and questionable treatments in sanatoriums across the country.

The filming began at Wallum Lake, R.I., in 2007 and moved to six other states including Saranac Lake, N.Y., the largest treatment center for patients east of the Mississippi, and then to Denver, Colo., the largest center in the West.

The documentary has another URI connection: the Joe Parillo Big Band performed some of its music. Joe, an associate music professor, directs URI’s jazz program. Band members included Mike Greenfield, an associate professor in chemical engineering, Sue Curzio ’07 and graduate music students Steve Grueb and Dave Drapeau.

PHO

TO BY M

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AEL SA

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Cmdr. Shad Ahmed

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID BETTENCOURT


Talk about the discipline it took to achieve both academic and athletic All-America awards in college.

The best thing about winning those awards is that it never felt like a discipline. When you are motivated and care about what you are doing, the discipline ceases to be so; it becomes a natural way of life. Looking back, my life back then was very organized and routine, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

You enjoyed a fine professional career in the WNBA and internationally. What was it like to compete and excel at the highest levels?

It was a great experience. Being in the WNBA and competing against the best in the world is a fulfillment of an athlete’s dream. Playing over-seas and getting a taste of different cultures, different habits and ways of living completed the other part of me. I was always curious about the

way other cultures lived their lives. I wanted to grow and under-stand and relate to as much of the world as I could.

What was it like coaching in the WNBA? Any similarities with coaching at the D1 level?

I think they are very different. Basketball is basketball, of course, but with coaching at the college/university level,

there comes so much more responsibility as you are equally invested in making the players better at basketball, school, and life.

Are you glad to be back and involved in Atlantic 10 women’s basketball again?

How has your time as a player in the A-10 helped you in your role as a coach at URI?

Absolutely! It is an ideal situation. While it has been quite a while

since I played, I am still familiar enough with the confer-

ence for it to be an asset, and it makes it more exciting. It’s also nice to revisit the places I used to play.

What will it be like for you to return to Pittsburgh on March 1 at your alma mater Duquesne?

It will be special. I have not had a chance

to visit too much since I graduated, due to playing and coaching. But it will be all that much better if

we win!

Meet Korie HledeAssistant Coach Korie Hlede entered her first season with the Rhode Island women’s basketball program in 2008-09. A native of Zagreb, Croatia, Hlede was a standout player at every level of competition from her collegiate days at Duquesne to the professional level in the WNBA and overseas.

She was the fourth overall pick in the inaugural WNBA Draft (1998), finishing second in voting for the league’s Rookie of the Year award with the Detroit Shock. Twice (in 1999 and 2001) she led the WNBA in 3-point field goal percentage.

From 2002-2008, Hlede competed in the European League, spending time in the First

Divisions in Spain, Turkey, Hungary, Croatia, and Brazil. She competed in three FIBA Cup championships.

At the collegiate level, Hlede was a four-year standout at Duquesne, fnishing her career with a number of school records: career points (2,631), scoring average (24.1ppg), steals (334), assists (570), three-pointers made (162) and three-point percentage (.356). The 1994 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Hlede went on to earn the confer-ence’s Player of the Year award in both 1995 and 1998.

She was a three-time CoSIDA Aca-demic All-Amer-ica selection and a two-time KODAK All-American. After receiving her B.A. in communications and psychology in 1998, Hlede became the first female student-ath-lete in Duquesne history to have her jersey retired.


Volleyball

Men’s BasketballSenior Jimmy Baron is among 30 student-athletes nationwide to be named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings. Award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media, and college basketball fans.

Junior Caitlyn Welsh and freshman Kayla Wilson each received Atlantic 10 All-Conference accolades. Welsh received Honorable Mention, while Wilson was selected to the All-Rookie team. Welsh, a native of Narragansett, R.I., led the team in kills with 338 (3.07 kpg), surpassing her 2007 kill total of 264. She was also second on the team in digs with 310. Wilson was third on the team in kills with 194, averaging 1.80 per game. The Santa Monica, Calif. native also recorded 52 digs and 34 blocks.

FootballThe 2008 season was one to remember for sophomore linebacker Matt Hansen as he was named to the All-CAA Football Second Team. He was

also selected to the FCS All-New England Football team by the New England Football writers.

Hansen, a native of Providence who moved to linebacker last sea-son after spending his freshman season as a defensive back, quickly established himself as the team’s top defensive player, leading the squad in tackles (111), tackles for loss (13.5), sacks (3), interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (4).

In addition, Hansen registered 10-or-more tackles in six games this season, including a career-high 15-tackle performance against nationally-ranked Maine (Nov. 15). Hansen also ranked among the CAA Football leaders in several statistical categories, including forced fumbles (first), tackles (second) and tackles for loss (fourth).

Women’s RowingThe team adopted two families, whose children attend Arlington Elementary School in Cranston, R.I. The team provided the families with food, clothing, and gifts for the holiday season.



hen Robert L. Carothers became the University of Rhode Island’s 10th president in 1991, Rhode Island was in the midst of a major fiscal crisis. Gov. Bruce Sundlun had closed the credit unions statewide, state appropriations for higher education were cut, and to offset this, tuition and fees were raised by 28 percent, followed by a 10 percent increase the next year.

On campus roofs leaked, residence halls and buildings suffered the effects of years of deferred maintenance, and there were few scholarships to attract top students. The building that housed the College of Continuing Education in Providence was facing a wrecking ball to make way for the Providence Place Mall, the W. Alton Jones campus was a year away from adding the Sycamore Residential and Conference Lodge,

and the Inner Space Center at the Narragansett Bay campus was 15 years in the future.

The University had developed a solid reputation as the nation’s number one party school, and a tremendous sense of cynicism existed among students, faculty, and staff.

Undaunted, President Carothers, who had been chancellor of the Minne-sota State University System, walked onto the Kingston Campus with a whole new vision, language, and leadership approach. He began the makeover to improve the University’s structure, infrastructure, and curriculum. The URI community quickly realized that this seasoned administrator, scholar, poet, and lawyer possessed the know-how to create the most transformative years in URI’s 117-year history.

When President Carothers steps down this June, he will leave a legacy that extends beyond the stonewalls of

campus, beyond the coast of Rhode Island, to the far reaches of the world. Here are just a few of his tenure high-lights that will continue to reap rewards for decades to come:

A New Culture for Learning In his second University-wide address in 1992, Carothers launched an initiative to “recreate the research university” as a place that would promote active, experiential learning for every student and collaborative, interdisciplinary work among students, faculty, and staff. The president described this as “building a new culture for learning.”

His vision for undergraduate educa-tion shifted students from being passive listeners to active learners. The Coastal Fellows program founded in 1995, for example, places undergraduates into multigenerational teams consisting of a combination of faculty, researchers and outreach staff, post-doctoral fellows,

Joe Giblin, nora lewis; Michael salerno

TransformationalPresident

Robert L. Carothers Steps Down After 18 Years

W


“The years between the banking crises of 1991 and the budget crisis of 2008-2009 have been, despite all, wonderful ones for me. But this is the season to seek new energy and new ideas for the future of this great institution, and that’s as exciting for me as it will be for all of you.”

graduate students, and community pro-fessionals to work on hands-on projects and follow the work to completion.

To attract high-achieving students to URI, in 1995 Carothers founded the Centennial Scholarship program. During the 2008-09 academic year, URI gave more than $13 million of these merit scholarships to 1,912 students.

This new culture for learning included clearly defined expectations that echoed Carothers “no tolerance” policy toward violence and drug and alcohol abuse. For the past 18 years, the president has also been committed to curbing alcohol abuse at colleges across the nation.

The Princeton Review named URI the number one party school in the nation in 1993, 1994, and 1995. A decade later that same organization named the University a “college with a conscience,” thanks in large part to the president’s efforts.

Carothers’ determination to trans-form the University in the areas of academics, student life, and outreach led to positive national recognition and increased enrollment.

DiversityPresident Carothers’ legacy at the Uni-versity has been one of inclusion, one of expansion from his clearly communi-cated goals for increasing diversity, to his personal contributions to multicul-tural student scholarships, to his addressing issues of concern for minor-ity students, faculty, and staff. In 1991,

5.6 percent of the student body was diverse. By 2008, that figure had jumped to 11.5 percent.

“I say to every new class of freshmen coming into the University that they will have to learn to lead, to manage, and even to inspire people who are in pro-found ways unlike themselves,” Caroth-ers told parents of incoming students. “Our long-range goal here is to build the skills among our students, faculty, and staff that individuals will need to help our community, our multicultural state, and our multicultural nation succeed in our global economy. There is no issue more critical to our future.”

During his tenure, the president has responded to student-driven requests that the administration has found to be consistent with its overall goals to develop a more diverse community of educators and learners. In each case, President Carothers was involved not in dictating a response, not in policing or prodding for a quick resolution, but in seizing the moment and encouraging everyone to embrace the process of teaching, learning, and healing.

PartnershipsCarothers sought to break down the silos of the different colleges by encour-aging faculty interaction to bring new ideas and solutions to today’s important challenges. To do that, beginning in 1996 the University formed, encour-aged, and funded interdisciplinary partnerships. The partnerships are designed to enhance the growth of stu-

dents through active and collaborative learning and to bring new eyes and ears to these complex problems.

The President’s Partnership Pro-gram has lasting research enterprises in such areas as forensic science, health promotion, biomedical engineer-ing, sensors and surface technology, education, and energy.

InfrastructureThe president changed the look of the University by dramatically improving its facilities. During his tenure, President Carothers has helped to ensure pas-sage of eight bond issues to rehabilitate academic buildings and built new classroom buildings on all four URI campuses. He oversaw more than $700 million in both new construction and renovation/rehabilitation of 49 buildings.

In 2006, students walked through the doors of the first of three new residence halls to be built on the Kingston Cam-pus in more than 35 years. By their completion in 2008, the new residence halls provided on-campus living options for 800 more students. In 2007, the new Hope Commons Dining Hall opened. The facility included a 600-seat main dining hall, a coffee/pizza/ice cream shop with a four-sided gas fireplace, and a mini-market.

— By Jhodi Redlich ’81

nora lewis

Photos and moreuri.edu/quadangles

Celebrating the presidency of Robert L. Carothers, 1991–2009

April 30–MAy 1, 2009advance.uri.edu/programming

visionary

A visionary is someone who sees what may be.President carothers has always recognized the potential of the University of rhode island. During his first year as president, he shared his vision for Uri as the “highest quality public education available for the sons and daughters of farmers, factory workers, fishermen, the extraordinary people of this state,” adding “i think the University of rhode island can be the standard against which public education in this country will someday be measured.”

since then, Uri has developed a new culture of learning, become a “college with a conscience,” and transformed its campuses. in January 2009, smartMoney magazine ranked Uri 15th in the nation for best return on investment, citing it as a better value than all private colleges surveyed.

I


Members of the Band f variety is the spice of life, the University of Rhode Island marching and pep bands have an awful lot of flavor. Both bands feature students from a wide array of academic back-grounds. Yet, despite the range of fields of study, the bands boast a strong sense of camaraderie that is fostered by coach Brian Cardany, who has led both bands for the last seven years.

“It is the students who make the band what it is,” Cardany said. “You watch them get into it, and you see relationships build within the band, and that’s what builds that desire to be a part of it.”

The marching band—which Cardany calls the heart and soul of any school band—had 94 mem-bers during the fall 2008 season when the band played at home football games. This is the largest the band has been since Cardany arrived at URI, and the largest band the school has had since the early 1980s when membership climbed as high as 150.

The pep band, which plays during the winter at men’s and women’s basketball games, consists of about 60 members, the vast majority of whom are also in the marching band.

There are 35 different academic majors repre-sented in the bands. It makes sense that the most common majors are music (20) and music educa-tion (10). However, those majors account for less

than one-third of the total membership. Also well represented are pharmacy (5), secondary educa-tion (5), and marine biology (4). There are three students each in chemistry, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering.

“It is fascinating learning about the different interests for each person,” Cardany said. “I want to know what makes them tick, what gets them excited. As a band, we need to function as a group, but it’s important to be aware of what makes each person an individual as well.”

Katie Freeman, a junior saxophone player from Carver, Mass., joined the marching and pep bands this year. A pharmacy major, she had played in a band in high school but had never marched before last fall.

“Playing in the band is a nice release for me,” Freeman said. “When you are with the same people all day in the classroom, it’s nice to be sur-rounded by a different group who share an interest in music. For me, being with the band is more relaxing. It definitely adds work to the day. I could

“When we recruit students for the band, we always hear

two questions, ‘How often do we practice?’ and, ‘Do we

travel?’” Brian Cardany

Photos by Michael salerno; nora lewis

“while we come together as a group—as one band—we are more than that. this is a wide array of individuals who come together to share a love for music, as well as pride for their school.”

LIsten Onlineuri.edu/quadangles


be done with classes and go home and relax, but I like being around the people here.”

Fellow junior Joyce Wolf of Westerly is in her third year with both bands. A secondary education/English major, she was also looking for a new chal-lenge when she joined the band. She had played an instrument in her high school marching band, but at URI she decided to be part of the color guard.

“It was something new, but I wanted to give it a try,” Wolf said. “I knew college would be hard, but many of my closest friends are in the band. We all joined the marching band and pep band because we have a passion for music and because we wanted to further pursue our interests. It’s great to be able to share that with so many other people who have a common goal.”

By stressing an appreciation both for music and for the people in the band, Cardany has established a sense of stability in the program.

“Especially with the marching band, you form really close relationships with everyone in the band,” Freeman said. “We have band camp a week before school starts, and you are with everyone for 12 hours a day getting ready for the start of the year. Even though it is 100 people, you really do get to know everyone involved.”

It is a far cry from where the program was when Cardany arrived in 2002. At that time, the marching band had 58 members and the pep band was just a basic crew.

“We have emphasized quality of music, and we have been able to build a strong rapport with the students, which has helped with retention,” Car-dany said. “While we come together as a group— as one band—we are more than that. This is a wide array of individuals who come together to share a love for music, as well as pride for their school.”

When Cardany arrived, the marching band did not have its own practice field, the uniforms were dated, and many of the instruments were falling apart. Since then he has gained a practice site behind the Fine Arts Center, purchased new uni-forms in 2004, and bought new instruments for the percussion and brass sections last year. The per-cussion section got 13 new drums and four pairs of cymbals, while the brass section got four sousa-phones, two marching baritones, and four mello-phones.

Though the upgrades have helped re-energize band members, Cardany is facing severe financial issues. For the first time since he arrived, the

marching band was not able to travel for road football games, due in large part to the combina-tion of budget cuts and the cost of sending the pep band to Atlantic City with the men’s basket-ball team for the Atlantic 10 Championship, a trip Cardany said is required.

“When we recruit students for the band, we always hear two questions,” said Cardany, who practices six hours per week with the band. “‘How often do we practice?’ and, ‘Do we travel?’ For the first time, we have to say no to traveling for the marching band.”

The hope is that the bands will be able to raise the funding necessary to financially support the road trips and performances the bands make throughout the year.

“In high school, every year we had a marching band trip,” Wolf said. “That was something we definitely missed last fall. Those are experiences you never forget, and it’s really where you bond with your teammates in the band.”By Shane Donaldson ’99

URI BAND FACTS

• Most-represented instruments: Flute .............................. 11 Clarinet ......................... 11 Trumpet......................... 11 Alto Saxophones ............ 10 Color Guard ................... 10 Cymbals .......................... 7

• Where members are from: Rhode Island ................. 46 Massachusetts............... 13 New Jersey ...................... 9 New York ......................... 9 Connecticut ..................... 9

• Marching band drum majors: Elizabeth Lombardo and Scott Benson Both .......................Seniors Both ......... Music Ed Majors

The URI Pep Band, above, performs at pre-game pep rally. The URI Marching Band, left, with instructor Brian Cardany.

Anyone interested in supporting URI’s band program should contact Brian Cardany, 401.874.2799, [email protected]


Brothers Mike and Charlie Flynn, two of Helen and Charles Flynn’s nine children, shared bunk beds in the smallest bedroom of the rambunctious Flynn household in Middletown, R.I. Today, the URI ROTC graduates share the wide hallways of the Pentagon and a military legacy with their late father. “Mike and Charlie were great friends and good athletes,” recalls Helen, noting both sons played sports. “Football, basketball, baseball, you name it. They both loved the water. They were lifeguards during the summers at Second Beach and later played water polo at URI. Being from such a large family, I think all the children learned to compete at an early age and gained the self-confidence needed to accomplish what they set out to do.” Today Mike, a two-star Army general (major general) is the director of intelligence on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. Brother Charlie, a colonel, recently commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq for 14 months as part of the surge of U.S. Forces. The command had him

overseeing thousands of fighting infantrymen and women throughout Iraq. Upon Charlie’s return from Iraq, he was nominated and selected to be the senior executive assistant to the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Mike studied management science and remembers playing sports in Keaney Gym, especially swimming in the pools and playing ball in the intramural basketball leagues. Interested in the military since childhood, Mike joined the University’s ROTC program. He says he learned about organizations, innovation, and change in his senior level manage-ment courses while his ROTC training taught him about the principles of leadership. Commissioned an Army second lieutenant the morning of his graduation in 1981, Mike became an intelligence officer, platoon leader, and then instruc-tor in his early days. Promotions quickly followed. At first Mike wasn’t sure he wanted to make the military his career, “but after meeting and getting to

Check out more photos

uri.edu/quadangles

Left above,

Col. Charles Flynn, right,

with Gen. David Petraeus,

commander, U.S. Central

Command and former

commanding general,

Multi-national Force, Iraq.

Right above,

Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn

in Washington, D.C.

A Family LegacySaluting

PHOTO COURTeSy OF CHARleS Flynn

PHOTO COURTeSy OF MICHAel Flynn


know some of the best people, leaders, and families we have in our country, you can’t help but want to be around people like this all the time,” he says. “Plus it’s very exciting.” A glance at the multiple medals gleaming on his uniform tells you Mike really is top brass. Among his decorations and badges are the Defense Superior Ser-vice Medal and the legion of Merit, both with Oak leaf Clusters. While his Bronze Star has three oak leaf clusters, his Merito-rious Service Medal has five. He is most proud of his Jumpmaster wings indicating that he has achieved advanced rating as a paratrooper. But that’s just the beginning. As director of intelligence for the Joint Staff, Mike reports directly to Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mike is responsible for all intelli-gence, counterintelligence, planning, warning, and intelligence analysis for the chairman and the Joint Staff and in support of our combatant commands. On the home front, Mike married his high school sweetheart, lori Andrade. They have been a team for more than 27 years. “lori has been a steady presence in the lives of thousands of soldiers and their families during my numerous deployments and has played the role of not only mom, but dad, coach, teacher, and at times, taxi driver for our two sons, Michael and Matt, as well as for hundreds of other children. She’s always willing to volunteer her time for others,” Mike says. Charlie studied business marketing, became recording secretary and president of Fiji (Phi Gamma Delta) and following Mike’s example, joined ROTC. “It looked like fun, and I thought that maybe I could learn a few things,” he says. He did. After graduating in 1986 and being commissioned a second lieutenant, Charlie pursued infantry leadership train-ing and climbed the chain of command. He served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, as chief of operations for the 25th Infantry Division, and as battalion commander of the 2-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment. He spent well over a year in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before assum-ing his current position at the Pentagon. like Mike, Charlie works in support of Adm. Mullen.

Charlie claims his wife, Kathleen, has accomplished more than he ever will. With 13 family moves in 22 years (and doing it with three kids), she has done the heavy lifting with schools, work, sports, and clubs while maintaining her career as a neo-natal ICU nurse for the past 23 years. She deals with the houses, the cars, and the taxes, volunteering for everything, and doing it essentially with-out him around, particularly with the war. The brothers are part of a larger band of military brothers. Mike, who prefers cheap cars and pizza, and Charlie, who prefers Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops, never miss a chance to meet whenever possible. The two ran into each other in Balad, Iraq in April 2004—at the height of the war—for a quick salute and embrace. Both had overlapping assign-ments to Fort Bragg, n.C., between 2005 and 2007 and lived next door to each other. Both agreed that they actually saw the other more in Iraq than in their own backyards. Mother Helen, who spent 20 years traveling as the wife of a soldier before returning to Rhode Island, calls her sons “the daring young men in the military” with a chuckle. She says she does worry about them, particularly when they are out of the country in Iraq or Afghanistan, “but I think we all ought to be concerned about terrorism around the world, espe-cially after 9/11,” she says. “Besides, I know Mike and Charlie are pursuing what they enjoy doing, and I know we are all safer for their service to our country.”

By Jan Wenzel ‘87

The URI Flynn Family Legacy

“We have all benefited so greatly from having the privilege of attending URI,” says Helen Andrews Flynn ‘79, who earned her degree in economics after her children were grown. She went on to earn a law degree and is now president of Flynn Real Estate in Middletown, R.I. Helen’s other children and grandchildren with a URI connection are:

William J. Flynn, M.S. ’81, president, Flynn Financial Services LLC

Jack Flynn ’83, president, Mariner Seafood LLC in Nashville, China, Taiwan, and Middletown, R.I.

Mary Flynn O’Neill, multi-business entrepreneur

Joseph J. Flynn, M.A.T. ’89, V.P. of business development for Nielsen Business Media

Clare Flynn Eckert ’80, M.P.A. ’95, president, Flynn Consulting Group LLC

Alicia C. Joy ’02 (Clare’s daughter), legal records analyst, R.R. Donnelly U.S.A.

Barbara Flynn Redgate ’79, M.A. ‘83

Christie M. Redgate, (Barbara’s daughter), a URI junior who will graduate in 2010

Flynn family (above), left to right, Bill Flynn, Joe Flynn, Barbara Flynn Redgate, Charles Flynn, Mary Flynn O’Neill, Michael Flynn, Helen Flynn, Clare Flynn Eckert, and Jack Flynn.

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Michael Sormanti walked off the Quad

in 1992 with a civil engineering degree

in hand; he returned 15 years later with

blueprints under his arm to oversee the

construction of the first phase of a new

quadrangle —one devoted to science.

ConstruCtionPhotoS by RudI hemPe

Manager

uNIVeRSIty oF Rhode ISLANd 19

or the last two years, Sormanti practically lived on campus overseeing construction of the $58-million Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences that opened in January right on schedule. The L-shaped center, dubbed CBLS, occupies the west flank of a new quadran-gle that eventually will be populated on the south by a new pharmacy building, on the north by a new chemistry building, and on the east by the existing Coastal Institute. “I’m glad I came home,” said Sormanti as the project, perhaps the most complex ever undertaken on the campus to date, was going through its finishing phase. Sormanti was the senior general superintendent for the CBLS project, working for Gilbane Building Company, a construction management company that coordinated the whole project. Sormanti was a logical choice to be site superintendent for the center because of his experience with construction of lab-oratory buildings with all their specialized systems and construction details that pose unusual challenges for engineers, architects, and construction tradesmen. Upon graduation from URI, Sormanti applied for work with Gilbane, one of Rhode Island’s foremost building firms. He didn’t get hired initially but persevered until Gilbane gave him a two-month trial as assistant project engineer on a multi-building Pfizer project in Connecticut. That two-month trial lasted 11 years as he was eventually promoted to general superintendent to oversee the remaining $90 million of the $1 billion construction project. After Pfizer, Sormanti was assigned to the $75 million life sciences building at Brown University for three years. However, he has one non-lab building project under his belt that has a special spot in his heart. At the end of the 2006 baseball season, he was assigned by Gilbane to oversee the on-going annual renovation of Fenway Park. “I had been to Fenway a couple of times,” Sormanti recalls, “and I always thought the place should be torn down and they should build a new one.” But his

opinion changed once he started working on that hallowed ground. The project included gutting and replacing 26 luxury suites, taking out old seats and installing new ones, renovating the press level and working on the grandstand. “We had cranes on the infield, moving steel and pre-cast concrete,” he says. “Once I was there, my opinion about Fenway changed—the place grabbed hold of me.” From Fenway, Sormanti came to URI. “This was nice and close to home,” says the Cumberland, R.I., resident. “I always loved this campus.” As superintendent, Sormanti was responsible for everything on the building site. He operated out of a trailer-office but spent most of the time at meetings and checking things on site. His job, he says, was concerned with four things—“safety, quality, schedule, and cost—in that order.” Safety is utmost because of the dan-gers that exist on such a complex building site. Everyone had to wear hard hats and safety glasses on the site and frequent visitors are required to take a 10-hour OSHA training course. The task starts with Gilbane, which has no construction workers on its payroll; the company’s role is construction management, especially lining up subcontractors. Coordination is essential to getting the job done safely, on time, and within budget, says Sormanti, adding that he has to check the work of every subcontractor to make sure the work is complete and up to specs so that the next sub can take the project to the next step. No project, especially one as complex as the CBLS, which is designed to meet stringent energy efficiency requirements, is without problems, says Sormanti: “We did not have any one major problem. We had numerous small ones, but that is not unusual on a project this size. I enjoy the challenge of inspiring people and getting the best out of everyone in an atmosphere of teamwork.” As the January completion date approached, finish workers swarmed through the building and choreographing the sequence of work became dicier for Sormanti—tile people could get in the way

of cabinet installers or electricians in the way of plumbers. In December Sormanti had to come up with a solution to a design problem—there was not enough clearance to run all the wires for the automatic windows that open in the four-story atrium so surface channels had to be added. And space between a banister railing and an adjacent column exceeded four inches (a hazard for small children), and so the railings had to be re-installed. After his family—wife, Elisa, and two-year-old son Michael—building is Sorman-ti’s passion. “I loved math and loved to learn how to put things together,” he says, adding that on TV his favorite shows are The History Channel’s Modern Marvels and How It’s Made. These days Sormanti is superinten-dent on a new Gilbane project, building a financial headquarters for the CVS Corpo-ration in Woonsocket only 12 minutes from his home. But the URI experience was special to him. He had particular praise for Paul DePace ’66, M.B.A.’72, URI’s director of capital projects: “I worked for many managers, and Paul is one of the best.” DePace said one of the reasons Gilbane was chosen for the CBLS project was its people: “Mike had a reputation of being an excellent site manager, and he proved to be just that. By his attention to business, he solved a number of issues before they came to my attention, and if they were not resolved by then, he had possible solutions to offer.” “There was a good relationship with URI, Gilbane, and the architects, Payette Associates,” says Sormanti, noting also that most of the construction workers were from Rhode Island and exhibited “a lot of Rhode Island pride” in working on a project that involved their tax dollars. “It was personally rewarding to provide a high level of quality at my alma mater. It was a pleasure to put effort into something that will be appreciated by teachers and students for many years to come. Who knows—maybe someday my son Michael will be one of them.”

By Rudi Hempe ’62

F

20 QUAD ANGLES Spring 2009

PHOTOS: Joe Giblin, Nora Lewis, RDW Group

In Rhode Island, more than 800 businesses are owned or operated by URI alumni. These include large and well-known brands like CVS/Caremark Corp., Hasbro, Inc., and Ocean State Job Lot, as well as major health care facilities like Kent County Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. Together, these five Ocean State institutions employ more than 425 URI graduates.

But it’s the smaller companies with innovative and forward-thinking leaders that can often move quickly to take ad-vantage of emerging opportunities, even in difficult times. In a state like Rhode Island where small businesses are the primary drivers of the economy, the ex-ecutives of these businesses may be the foundation for an economic recovery.

Michael Andreozzi ’88 is one such executive. The president of Beltone New England, the largest distributor of Beltone hearing aids in the country, opened 23 new retail hearing aid clinics in October 2008, bringing the total number of such clinics to 108 in nine northeastern states. In addition, he just struck a deal with CVS to open hearing clinics in as many as 100 CVS pharmacies.

One key to Andreozzi’s success, and the success of his company, he said, is creating an upbeat culture and commu-nicating to his staff that “despite what they see and read in the news, the sky isn’t falling for us.”

Taking Care of Business in

Rhode island

The economic turmoil that the nation and the world

have been struggling through for more than a

year has put the spotlight on the decisions made by

large financial services companies and the

automobile industry. But not every business sector is struggling during these

tumultuous times, and some are even prospering.

Michael Andreozzi ’88, president of Beltone New England

UniVErSiTY OF rHODE iSLAnD 21

“The hearing aid business can sound boring, but I’m the most passionate guy when I talk about how hearing aids can improve your life—I wear one, too—and we’re making the business exciting by leveraging new technologies and being on the cutting edge of staff training.”

Andreozzi, whose degree is in com-municative disorders, is also passionate about his URI experience. He became president of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, soon after he pledged and credits the leadership skills he developed there for much of his business success.

“I felt like the fraternity was sort of like a business, and I had to deal with all the moving parts of a team of people —some of whom were stars and some whom were troublemakers—and I learned how to multitask. Those were the best days of my life.”

Like Andreozzi, restaurateur Deborah Norman ’73 also places a high value on the importance of staff training. The owner of Rue De L’Espoir, who opened her bistro 33 years ago and turned it into a Providence institu-tion, feels lucky to owe nothing on her building and have a core of regular customers and a menu that appeals to every price point. As the only white tablecloth restaurant in Rhode Island that offers breakfast, she has carved out a nice niche to help sustain her business through difficult times.

But she is also a hands-on owner who is on the job seven days a week. “I like to tell my staff that the restaurant business is like theater,” said Norman,

who earned degrees in psychology and music. “We put on a show for our customers every single night, and every element of our performance has to be consistent and at a high level day in and day out. It’s an analogy that they under-stand and believe in.”

When the economy goes sour, Jim Pontarelli, M.B.A. ’94, says that’s when successful companies work to retain their base and manage for margin. As president of RDW Group, one of the largest advertising, public relations, and Web design companies in the Northeast, he has taken his own advice and grown his company’s bottom line significantly.

“We are very disciplined about con-trolling expenses,” he said. “You have to control costs in good times as well as bad. If you wait for a downturn to get serious about managing your business, it’s too late.”

RDW’s clients include Blue Cross Blue Shield, Oxford University Press, GTECH, Harvard University, NBC, and The World Bank. “Our work in several sectors has increased as a result of the tough economy and our development of emerging capabilities, particularly in online media. We have a number of new clients in the higher education, health care, business-to-business, and non-profit categories as organizations are being forced to be more creative, competitive, and cost-efficient.”

Leonard Gemma ’82, president of Gem Plumbing and Heating Co., one of the fastest growing companies in Rhode Island, said that the economic downturn

has been just “a little hiccup” for his business, one that he has been able to weather with “ a little belt tightening.”

Gemma is a firm believer in the use of advanced technologies to improve his business; the company has won numer-ous awards for innovation and technol-ogy, and Gemma gets daily reports on his Blackberry about sales, call volume, and cash flow. “But reputation means everything to us,” he said. “It all comes down to relationships with our custom-ers. Give them good service, and even in a bad economy they’ll remember you.”

Founded by Gemma’s father in 1949, when he operated the company out of the family garage, Gem Plumbing now has more than 300 employees and 165 trucks, making it one of the largest plumbing and heating companies in the country.

Gemma credits some of his compa-ny’s success to relationships he and his brothers, Larry and Edward, both Class of 1982, developed at URI, and to the fact that each studied different business disciplines at the University. “The edu-cation we received at URI was phenom-enal, and it has helped us a great deal in the business world.”

These executives, and many more, are another demonstration of the economic impact that the University has on the state of Rhode Island through its alumni and the employment they provide to area residents.

By Todd McLeish

Deborah Norman ’73, owner of Rue De L’Espoir Jim Pontarelli M.B.A. ’94, president of RDW Group Leonard Gemma ’82, president of Gem Plumbing and brothers Larry ’82, Edward ’82, and Anthony.


For practices, they skate at midnight at a rink in Warwick.

Ranked eighth in the country, their “home rink” is in Glastonbury, Conn.

Wait a minute, how can that make sense? URI’s hockey teams play and practice at the Bradford R. Boss Arena on the Kingston Campus, so what’s going on here?

Well, this tale isn’t just about ice hockey. We’re talking about inline roller hockey and the other 13 University club sports, many of which are national powers. Close to 450 students compete in club sports, compared with 500 who compete at the intercollegiate level.

Inline hockey, which competes at the Division I level in the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association as part of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, posted a 7-1-2 record and was ranked No. 8 nationally at the close of 2008. In 2007, the team made it to the

national championship before losing to Lindenwood University; last year it reached the national quarterfinals.

“This is one of the best teams we’ve ever had,” said Brendan Nelson, a junior accounting major and assistant captain from Smithtown, N.Y. “We’re representing our school, so we want to compete well.”

Justin Lundh, fellow junior assistant captain and a marketing major from Cranston, said: “Our members are proba-bly a lot closer than other teams, because when we go on the road, we don’t stay in hotels. Parents in the areas where we play put us up.”

Like all other club athletes, the 13 members of the inline team pay to play through a registration fee.

If team members don’t raise enough money to supplement the Student Senate allocation gas, food and other expenses come out of their pockets. Oh, and they

also drive their own cars to games in Long Island, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

“We’ve had games where we have had to drive through snowstorms,” said Earl Lundh, the inline coach and Justin’s father.

Despite the grueling hours and travel, strong grades are always the first priority, the coach said. “Ninety percent of why I do this is because of the guys—I wouldn’t do this if it weren’t a great group of guys. I have them at my house for dinner all the time,” Lundh said.

Such experiences are similar for other club sports, including URI’s powerful hockey programs and its sailing pro-gram, which last fall captured its 11th Kennedy Cup, college sailing’s national big boat championship. Club sports like sailing and crew have produced URI’s only Olympic medalists in many decades, and men’s ice hockey sent four represen-

Many Ways to Interest in club

sports grows


PlayPlaytatives to the World University Winter Games in China in February.

A component of the Division of Stu-dent Affairs, the club sports program relies on $230,000 allocated annually by the URI Student Senate.

That support is due in large part to the efforts of former recreational services director Art Tuveson, currently assistant director of athletics, who convinced the Student Senate in the 1980s that club sports could be extremely successful.

“Now URI is one of the top 5 percent of universities in the country for our support of club sports,” said Club Sports Coordinator Brian Fetky, who assists the organizations with management, policy creation and enforcement, public rela-tions and marketing, fund raising and travel arrangements. “The Senate covers about 40 percent of club sports’ funding.”

Some programs like ice hockey, crew, and sailing that have benefited from

aggressive fund raising over the years have their own top-flight facilities that are on a par with many varsity programs. Men’s rowing and ice hockey are even supported by endowments.

Then there are sports like inline hockey which, like ice hockey, crew, and sailing in earlier decades, struggle with modest budgets and a lack of campus or nearby facilities.

Women’s ice hockey coach Beth McCann leads a team that in December was ranked No. 1 in Division 1 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. But she remembers her first team in 1999 when it practiced and played in West Warwick. “That first year, we started with nine players, but the league required 12,” McCann said. “I had to go out to recruit students on campus, and some I had to teach how to skate.”

Now the team is attracting some of the best women’s hockey talent from Rhode

PlayClub Sports at URIURI’s club sports program consists of 14 competitive teams:

Equestrian—CoedMen’s CrewMen’s & Women’s Ice HockeyMen’s & Women’s LacrosseMen’s & Women’s RugbyMen’s Roller (inline) HockeySailing—CoedMen’s & Women’s Ultimate

(flying disc competition)Men’s & Women’s Volleyball

Club teams that have won national titles in their respective divisions: wom-en’s rugby, women’s lacrosse, men’s ice hockey and sailing.

At least three student sports-related organizations recognized by the Student Senate may seek club status from the Club Sports Council in the future.

Island and the region. This year it has its first international player, freshman Johanna Leskinen of Finland.

Leskinen said there is nothing like college hockey in Finland. “I played on women’s clubs, and when I was 14, I had a teammate who was 33,” said the former member of Finland’s national women’s team.

The business management major found URI on the Web while scouting schools offering hockey. “I was look-ing at East Coast schools, and when I found URI, I started emailing coach McCann. I came for a visit last summer, and when I saw the Boss Arena, I was so impressed. In Finland, we never even had our own lockers.”

Ice hockey team members also run fund-raising events to supplement their budget. A few weeks before winter break, team members were outside the bookstore wrapping holiday gifts for $2 a parcel.

“There is more talent coming in every year,” said Jolene Rambone, a junior captain and kinesiology major from Bur-rillville. “It’s a totally different game than when I first came to URI.”

Fellow captain and kinesiology major Kate Garcia, a senior forward from Sci-tuate, said, “We play at a very competitive level at the club level, but we also play Division 1 and Division 3 varsity teams.”

“It’s been great so far,” she added. “From the beginning, the team helped me feel right at home.”

Speaking of team chemistry, the mem-bers of URI ultimate [flying disc] teams go to great lengths to forge great bonds.

Each year for spring break, the club hires a van to drive to Georgia where team members stay in a rented house for a weeklong tournament.

Planning major road trips and hosting tournaments is nothing unusual for the club. It relies on captains Tom Confort, Isaac Peters-Cooper, Kayla Rivard, and Kellie Watermam, as well as Adam Crawley ’08, a former captain, to manage the club and develop tournaments. So far, the players have done it all without a coach, but they hope to have one in the spring.

Because the sport has become so popular, URI has two men’s teams and a women’s team. The sport combines the movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football. Ultimate is played by two seven-player squads with a plastic disc on a field similar to football. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. Players also call their own fouls.

“The thing I am most proud of is play-ing on a single 12-member coed team (that has now become three teams) when I was a freshmen,” said Crawley, a Barrington resi-dent who earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and is now taking biology courses in preparation for a master’s degree in public health.

“We’re really excited this year,” co-captain Confort said, “because we are bringing all three teams to the Georgia tournament.”

Women’s co-captain Waterman said team members are hoping to make the regional playoffs for the first time in their three-year history. And not only are they going to Georgia, they’re also driving to a prestigious spring tourney in Louisiana.

“I had never been on a team sport, and it’s just so amazing,” said the junior chemical engineering major who ran track and cross country at Cumberland High School. “I love being a captain. I have a really strong passion for the sport, and I hope to pass this along.”

In the fall, URI hosted a tournament featuring 16 A teams, 10 B teams, and eight women’s squads. In the spring, it will host an even bigger tournament and compete for berths in national playoffs. Fees paid by participating teams are the club’s major funding source.

“Because we organize our tourna-ments, our travel, and our fund raising, we have an opportunity to flourish in areas of leadership, budgeting, and moti-vating our teammates,” said Confort, an English major from Sudbury, Mass. “I have made friends through ultimate, and I expect they will be lifelong.”

By Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ‘87



LOOKINGbackA Parade of PresidentsAs URI prepares to say good-by to Robert L. Carothers, the University’s second longest serving president, we thought we would take a look back at all of URI’s presidents—who they were and when they served.

(1) John H. Washburn 1892-1903

(2) Kenyon L. Butterfield 1903-1906

(3) Howard Edwards 1906-1930, the longest serving president.

(4) Raymond G. Bressler 1931-1940

(5) Carl R. Woodward 1941-1958, the third longest serving president.

(6) Francis H. Horn 1958-1967

(7) Werner A. Baum 1968-1973

(8) Frank Newman 1974-1983

(9) Edward D. Eddy 1983-1991

(10) Robert L. Carothers 1991-2009 the second longest serving president.

Over the years, the name of the University changed three times:

From 1892 to 1909 it was Rhode Island State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.

In 1909 it was re-named Rhode Island State College.

In 1951 it became the University of Rhode Island

Three men have served as acting presidents, one twice:

John Barlow 1930 & 1940

Don James 1967

William R. Ferrante ’49, 1973—the only URI graduate to serve as the University’s top administrator.

HISTORIC PHOTOS FROM VARIOUS EDITIONS OF THE GRIST; CAROTHERS PHOTO 10 & 11 BY NORA LEWIS; 12 COURTESY OF THE CAROTHER FAMILY.

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The URI Alumni Association's

Big Chill Weekend, held

February 13–15, 2009,

offered alumni and friends a

chance to enjoy great activities

and support student scholarships.

…a big success.



PHOT

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Joe

Gib

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Lew

is

Photo galleryuri.edu/quadangles


FUN WITH ALUMS Chapter events are open to all

alumni, family, and friends of the University. Contact your local

chapter rep and join the fun! advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/chapters

ALUMNIchaptersCALeNdAr oF eveNTS

Upcoming eventsApril 18 Join the Arizona rhode runners for their 22nd annual Surf and Turf Picnic, held at Indian School Park in Scottsdale. Register online, or contact Sarah Howard at 401-874-2438 or [email protected] for more information.

April 24-25 Alumni are invited to join the Alumni Association executive Board for its annual meeting. Current and emeriti Executive Board members and volunteer committee members will meet throughout the weekend. For further information, contact Lisa Harrison at [email protected] or 401-874-4962.

May 14 Connecticut alumni are invited to First & Last Tavern, 220 Main Street, Middletown, Connecticut, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for appetizers, cash bar, and networking. We have reserved a private section for alumni and friends. This event is $5 for pre-registration (offer available until noon on May 1) or $10 at the door. Online registration available. For details, contact Gina Simonelli at 401-874-5808 or [email protected].

May 27 Join the Massachusetts Chapter in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts for Winesday, a wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres at the MFA’s Bravo Restaurant. Special guest will be Bob Beagle, vice president for University Advancement. $25 per person, which includes a museum tour. Tickets are limited. Contact Nicholas Chigas ’03 at [email protected] (978-505-716) or Michael Sams ’90 at [email protected] (508-490-8500) for more information.

June 6 New Hampshire alumni are invited to a fun evening at the Fisher Cats Ball Park in Manchester, NH. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat pre-game buffet and fireworks after the game. Register online or contact Brittany Manseau at 401-874-4536 or [email protected].

July 7 The delta Zeta Luncheon for graduates of the '50s, '60s, and '70s will be held at noon at the Warwick Country Club. Invitations will be sent out in June. If you do not receive an invitation, please contact Nancy Lundgren at [email protected] or the Alumni Relations Office at 401-874-2242.

September 5 The Chicago Alumni Chapter invites you to take in the White Sox-Red Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. Before the game, join us for a URI Alumni Association Patio Party, which includes full buffet and beverages. The total package is $79 for adults and $59 for kids or seniors. To register, contact Gina Simonelli at [email protected] or 401-874-5808.

September 26 The 13th annual Northern California Alumni Chapter clambake will be held in San Mateo from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Coyote Point Recreation Area, Beach Group #5. For more information, contact Sarah Howard at 401-874-2438 or [email protected].

Events Gone BySigma Kappa Sorority alumni hosted a November 8 Founder's Day celebration at their chapter house on the Kingston Campus.

New Jersey alumni cheered on the URI Men's Basketball team as the Rams took on Monmouth University on November 20.

The Massachusetts Alumni Chapter held a Rhody Rush Hour on November 21 at Red Sky Restaurant in Boston. URI Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn was the guest of honor.

On December 2, the Theta Chi Alumni Chapter held its quarterly dinner at Chianti's Restaurant in East Greenwich.

The Southwest Florida Gators hosted a gathering on December 6. Special guest for the event was Kate Moran from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography.

On December 12, the ohio Alumni Chapter hosted an event at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History that featured oceanographer Stewart Nelson '74, author of Sabotage in the Arctic.

The ohio Alumni Chapter held a reception for at Ferdos Restaurant in Toledo before the January 6 URI-Toledo men’s basketball game.

URI alumni residents of The villages, FL, held an alumni mixer on January 17 at the home of Al '59 and Barbara Bateman.

The rhode Island Chapter gathered for a Rhody Rush Hour event in Westerly on January 22 at Venice Restaurant.

On January 24, the Minnesota Chapter gathered at France 44 Wine and Spirits in Edina, MN, for a wine tasting and networking reception.

d. C. area alumni and friends got together on January 25 at McFad-den's in Washington D.C. before heading to the Smith Center to cheer on the men’s basketball Rams to victory over GWU.

On January 31, the Southwest Florida Chapter hosted Professor John Grandin of the URI International Engineering Program.

The North Carolina Alumni Chapter held an event prior to the URI-University of Charlotte men’s basketball game on February 5.

On February 15, the Louisiana and Mississippi Alumni Chapter celebrated Mardi Gras at the home of Phyllis Del Fiore '68 in Slidell, LA.

The UrI Alumni Association hosted a reception for alumni and friends before the URI-Fordham men's basketball game on February 21. The pre-game event was held at the McGinley Center in the Bronx.

The Alumni Association would like to establish a Connecticut Alumni Chapter.

If you have ideas for potential events or would like to be involved, contact

Gina Simonelli at 401-874-5808 or [email protected]


rAM FANS ForeverRhody fans gathered at Shula’s in Providence before the URI-PC men’s basketball game on December 6.

verMoNT GeTAWAYThe Alumni Association’s hosted its 5th annual Mount Snow Ski Weekend, January 9-11. The weekend, which included great food, plenty of snow, and lots of Rhody camaraderie, was a big success.

rHodY rUSH HoUrIn January, Westerly area alumni and friends

enjoyed a Rhody Rush Hour at Venice Restaurant.


Would you like to START A CHAPTER

in your region or for your group? We’d love to hear from you.

To learn more, contact Sarah Howard at

[email protected] or 401-874-2438.

reGIoNAL CHApTerS

Arizona rhode runnersChristopher ’93 & Lisa o'Connell ’94 Goodyear, AZ Phone: 623-476-7303 (h) Email: [email protected]

CaliforniaNorthernpat Ludes ’79 & Greg passant ’78, PleasantonPhone: 925-227-1878

Mel rodinsky ’63, San JosePhone: 408-857-7269

SouthernJeff Bolognese ’02Phone: 760-945-4560 Email: [email protected]

Colorado Mile High ramsChristy L. Gallese ’03, DenverPhone: 303-561-4979Email: [email protected]

FloridaSoutheast We are currently seeking chapter leadership. Please contact Sarah Howard at 401-874-2438 for details.

Southwest GatorsGerry Leonard ’63, EnglewoodPhone: 941-475-3529Email: [email protected]

Louisiana/Mississippiphyllis delFiore ’68, Slidell, LAPhone: 985-847-1609 (h)Email: [email protected]

dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LAPhone: 985-643-8801 (h)Email: [email protected]

MassachusettsNicholas G. Chigas ’03, WalthamPhone: 978-505-7161 (h) 781-672-5170 (w)Email: [email protected]

Michael p. Sams ’90, WestboroughPhone: 508-665-4299 (w)Email: [email protected]

Michigandavid diana ’84, WarrenPhone: 586-268-0048Email: [email protected]

MinnesotaJohn ’92 & Kristen Turcotte ’95, Saint Louis ParkPhone: 952-285-1148Email: [email protected] [email protected]

New Hampshire White Mountain ramsrob Constantine ’95, Plainfield Phone: 603-469-3012 (h) Email: [email protected]

New JerseyLauri pietruszka ’84, West PatersonPhone: 973-890-1623 (h)

New York: Metro debbie McGowan ’99, New YorkPhone: 646-295-5320Email: [email protected] Irlander ’78, New YorkPhone: 917-612-7276Email: [email protected]

North Carolinaed doughty ’93, CharlottePhone: 704-995-9300 (h) 704-331-2219 (w)Email: [email protected]

ohioTom Noyes ’67, WoosterPhone: 330-345-6516 (h) 330-264-8722 (w) Email: [email protected]

danielle pray ’88, CincinnatiPhone: 859-485-6790Email: [email protected]

Bill ’74 & Betty ’74 Sepe, HudsonPhone: 330-650-6715Email: [email protected]

rhode IslandAllison Field ’95, ProvidencePhone: 401-808-9463Email: [email protected]

Texas rhode HornsJeffrey A. ross ’75, HoustonPhone: 713-668-3746 (h) 713-791-9521 (w)Email: [email protected]

Washington, d.C./ BaltimoreHank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MDPhone: 301-803-2910 (w) 301-482-1062 (h)Email: [email protected] Bondur ’93, BaltimorePhone: 443-756-3977 (h) 410-527-9328 (w)Email: [email protected]

INTerNATIoNAL CoNTACTS If you attended URI as an international student, please contact the Alumni Office and let us know your current address. If you're traveling abroad,feel free to contact one of our alumni to say hello.

FrANCe (pArIS AreA)Alexandra de Matos Nunes '791A Rue Jules Vincent 95410 Groslay, France Phone: 011-33-1-39-83-0627 (h) 011-33-1-45-24-92-17 (w)

GreeCeIrene Kesse Theodoropoulou '6944 Achileos Pal Faleron 17562,Athens, GreecePhone: 011-30-1-981-3559 (h)

AFFINITY CHApTerS

Alpha phiLaura McMahon Kovacs ’01, Waxhaw, NCPhone: 704-843-6977Email: [email protected]

Community planningMike deLuca ’80, M.C.p. ’88, Narragansett, RIPhone: 401-789-6888 (h) 401-461-1000, ext. 3137 (w)

Continuing educationJoyce dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RIPhone: 401-766-2209 (h)

delta ZetaNancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RIPhone: 401-624-6364 (h)

Graduate School of Library and Information Studiese. Gale eaton ’74, Kingston, RIPhone: 401-874-4651

HasbroMary Laurence ’80Phone: 401-431-8434 (w)

Italian Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RIPhone: 401-783-3081Email: [email protected] Trivelli, Kingston, RIPhone: 401-874-2383Lucia vescera ’96, Lincoln, RIEmail: [email protected]

Lambda Chi AlphaJeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PAPhone: 717-530-0188Email: [email protected]

Lambda delta phiLinda F. desmond ’68, North Andover, MAPhone: 978-687-7443 (h) 978-794-3896 (w)Email: [email protected]

Martha Smith patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI Phone: 401-539-2180 Email: [email protected]

phi Gamma deltarichard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI401-874-6693 (w)Email: [email protected]

phi Kappa psiJoe Hart ’85, Kingston, RIPhone: 401-783-4852Email: [email protected] site: www.ribeta.com

phi Mu deltaJim deNuccio, East Greenwich, RIPhone: 401-884-2993 (w)Fax: 401-885-2228 (w)

phi Sigma KappaKenneth Gambone, New York, NYPhone: 917-701-4631Email: [email protected]

political ScienceAl Killilea, Kingston, RIPhone: 401-874-2183 (w)

rIdoTChristos Xenophontos ’84, Exeter, RI Email: [email protected]

Charles St. Martin ’92, Coventry, RIEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]

roTCJohn Breguet, Smithfield, RIPhone: 401-232-2097 (h) Email: [email protected]

Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RIEmail: [email protected] site: www.uri-rotc-alum.org

Schmidt Labor research CenterJ. richard rose M.S. ’06 Phone: 401-461-2786 (h) Email: [email protected]

Sigma ChiMark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RIPhone: 401-782-0064 (h)Email: [email protected] site: www.rhodysig.com

Theta ChiJohn eastman ’62, North Kingstown, RIPhone: 401-295-1956 (h)Email: [email protected]

Mike Testa, Jamestown, RIPhone: 401-423-8918Email: [email protected]

Theta delta Chieric Lalime ’95Phone: 201-962-2001 (h) 347-739-7345 (cell) Email: [email protected]

IT TAKeS A vILLAGe

URI alumni residents of The Villages, Florida, got

together for an alumni mixer on January 17.


Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotesSubmit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservices

CLASSacts ALUMNIDIRECTORYSTAY

CONNECTED

’58 James A. Warren, HS&S, of Swan-sea, Mass., writes: “Bette and I celebrated our 50th wedding anni-versary August 9th. I’m playing a lot of golf —semi retired. I spend about two months in Port Char-lotte, Fla. I have three wonderful grandchildrenóJackson, Darien, & Tristan.”

’64 Marshall C. McClean, ENG, of Mclean, Va., retired from Citi-Smith Barney in November as a senior vice president. He had a 42-year career with the company.

’65 Marilyn Raptakis Swierk, HS&S, of East Greenwich, R.I., was named president-elect of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences. Marilyn is a longtime AAFCS member and a strong advocate for family and consumer sciences education. She previ-ously served on the AAFCS board of directors as well as in many other national leadership roles for AAFCS and education-related organizations.

’66 Joe D’Ambra, ENG, of Mount Airy,Md., writes: “In September Sigma Pi held its 2nd Moonlight Cruise in 40 years. An annual event in the 60s, the latest cruise on Nar-ragansett Bay, planned by Ray Con-forti ’66, had perfect fall weather with a magnificent moonrise. Over 50 participants reminisced with brothers and their wives about the ’60s at URI. A great time for all.”

’68 Kenneth J. Weber, CBA, of Carls-bad, Calif., is vice president and CEO at ResortCom International in San Diego.

’69 Stephen M. Boyle, A&S, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virgnia Tech, has been named the new director of the college’s Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day opera-tions of the center, an advanced research and development facil-

Alumni of the Game

Our Alumni of the Game program, which occurs during each Atlantic 10 home game, recognizes alumni who demonstrate the best of what our graduates are all about—highly successful careers, service to the community, and service to the University. In addition to those pictured here, Gary ’63 and Audrey Kullberg and Bruce Wolpert ’75 were honored this past season.

Top: Athletic Director Thor Bjorn, Kalyana Champlain ’08, President Carothers, John DeCubellis ’82, and Vice President for University Advancement Robert Beagle.

Second row, left to right: Jodi Fournier ’82 & Sandra Parrillo, M.B.A. ’93; Richard ’04 & Karen Gauthier ’00.

Third row: Phil Kydd ’81, 2nd from right, with Thor Bjorn, President Carothers, and Vice President Beagle.

Fourth row, left to right: Richard Minot ’75; Ed ’68 & Anne Bozzi ’70.

A Big Success! The first Big Chill Weekend was not only a social success for alumni, it was also a great success for the future of current students. Here Alumni Association President Gary Kullberg ’63, left, and Executive Director Michele Nota ’87, M.S. ‘06 present a $50,000 check for student scholarships to Director of Enrollment Services Harry Amaral, M.A. ’80. For photos of the Big Cill Weekend, see pages 26 and 27. PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS


ity focused on the development of genetically altered vaccines and immunomodulators to fight infectious diseases in people and animals.

’70 Andrew G. Yosinoff, HS&S, of Allston, Mass., the women’s head basketball coach at Emmanuel Col-lege, has reached his 600th career win. Andy has dedicated his entire basketball career to Emmanuel College. He maintains close rela-tionships with his former players and has a strong commitment to current team members.

’72 Robert W. Pollock, PHM, of Encini-tas, Calif., was recently promoted to executive vice president of Lach-man Consultants, a domestic and international pharmaceutical con-sulting firm where he has worked since his retirement from the U.S. Public Health Service in 1994. He was formerly acting deputy direc-tor of the Office of Generic Drugs at the FDA.

’73 Linda Crotta Brennan, HS&S, of Coventry, R.I., is the author of The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, which was re-issued this fall by Apprentice Shop Books (apprenticeshopbooks.com). The book, which is aimed at readers in grades 4-7, was originally pub-lished in 2004 by Moon Mountain Publishing. Reviewers termed the book “a thoroughly documented, endearing testimony of the roles of African American patriots.” Linda’s other books include Marshmallow Kisses and Flannel Kisses, both published by Houghton Mifflin. She is currently writing biographies for Women of the Golden State due out from Apprentice Shop Books in summer 2009. Linda and her husband live in Coventry, R.I., and have three grown daughters. For more information, see lindacrot-tabrennan.com.

’74 Steven J. Petrone, A&S, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., has been pro-moted to activities director of the Carlisle Palm Beach. His experi-ence includes planning senior citizen activities and community-wide events. Steve has formed two groups, the Carlisle Men’s Club and the Carlisle Classy Ladies. Steve feels it’s important to learn how residents want to spend their time and structure their day.

’77 David F. Sanders, A&S, of Seekonk, Mass., a U.S. Navy captain, has been recalled to active duty and

will be assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he will serve as legal counsel to a Naval Global Marine study group.

Janice Shallin, CBA, of New-port Beach, Calif., has retired as vice president of Pacific Wine Partners.

’79 Eric E. Anderson, CBA, of Clifton Park, N.Y., is sales manager for Amica Insurance at the Albany office.

David C. Baud, CELS, of Wake-field, R.I., president of Baud Build-ers, Inc., has earned the designa-tion of Certified Green Professional from the National Association of Home Builders. David is one of only 1,300 professional building contractors nationwide, and one of seven in Rhode Island, who have attained the CGP certification.

’80 Jacqueline B. Forbes, A&S, of Bar-rington, R.I., is the school superin-tendent for the Bridgewater-Rayn-ham Regional School System.

J. Michael Kennedy, CBA, of Cranston, R.I., is vice president/business development at Gilbane Building Company.

Donna Russo Morin, A&S, of Saunderstown, R.I., is author of The Courtier’s Secret, which is set in 1682 at the court of Versaille. The book, a February 2009 release, will be followed in November 2009 by The Secret of the Glass, a story of the glassmakers of Murano at the turn of the 17th century. Both books are historical adventure novels with unique and powerful women as the lead characters. Donna hopes that her books capture the reader’s imagination with a compelling fictional tale set in an authentically recreated period in history.

David M. Sklarski, CBA, of Portsmouth, R.I., is president and CEO of Sterngold Dental LLC in Attleboro, Mass.

Robert Trotta, CBA, of Calaba-sas, Calif., is president at Innovative Care Systems, Inc., in Torrance.

’81 William P. Lennon, ENG, of Amston, Conn., the vice president of opera-tions at Electric Boat in Groton, has been elected to a four-year term on the board of directors of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

Charles F. Levy, CBA, of Para-mus, N.J., is vice president and con-troller of the International Invest-ments business unit at Prudential Financial, Inc., in Newark, N.J.

Donald J. Vasta, CBA, of Stam-ford, Conn., is tax counsel at Gen-eral Electric Company in Stamford, Conn.

Learn for the Joy of It

Lectures Open houses Field trips

Non-credit educational courses Special music and theatre performances

Lunch-and-learn receptions

Inaugural membership is $50 for one year.

For details, go to uri.edu/olli or contact Carolyn Popovic: 401.874.4194 email: [email protected]

OSHER LIFELONGLEARNING INSTITUTE

If you’re 50 or older and would like to be part of a community of learners, you’ll want to find out more about the new Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Rhode Island.

Register Online

Today!


Kim Buckley Falcone ’78Nature’s WayKim Falcone has been in tune with nature from a young age. She pursued a degree in wildlife biology at URI hoping to become a veterinarian or a biologist.

Her plans took a few detours and led her to a great-grandmother, Nellie Campbell, a village herbal-ist in North Kingstown who Kim remembers meeting only once when she was a young child. About 14 years ago, Kim began her journey on the same herbal path.

When Kim’s daughters, now 19 and 17, were young, she stopped using chemical cleaning products and pur-sued natural alternatives. “That rekindled my interest in biology and nature,” she recalls.

After initial studies, Kim started Lily’s Garden Herbals LLC in 2000. She operates the holistic business from a cottage on her family’s property in Wakefield, R.I. She has combined herbal therapy with the formulation and sale of natural products, from household cleaning items to homemade teas and tinctures. Many of these products are available at natural health

retailers throughout Southern New England. “It’s my mission to convey an environmental

message about the value of plants,” she says, “because they feed us, give us medicine, and help us breathe. It’s up to us to preserve them.”

A member of the American Herbalists Guild, Kim maintains contact with some of the herbalists

she studied with and has a list of plant suppliers that stretches from New England to New Mexico. “I do grow some native plants myself but rely on farms that grow certain species,” she says.

Kim sees clients with a range of health issues from high cholesterol and diges-tive distress to anxiety and sleep problems. She takes a full health history, develops an herbal formula using essential oils, and focuses closely on a healthy diet.

“My clients have chosen a holistic approach to their

health through medicinal plants. I truly feel it’s time for all of us to find some way to reconnect with the natural world.” For more information, see lilysgardenherbals.com.

—John Pantalone ’71

Carol Anderson Opochinsky ’58Above the Arctic CircleTo cap a career with migration to Florida is so commonplace as to be a cliché. To “retire” to the Canadian Arctic? That’s unique.

In 2005, after retiring from university teaching in Manitoba, Canada, Carol Anderson Opochinsky fulfilled a long-held desire to work in the Arctic. A psychiatric nurse-clinician with a master’s degree in philosophy, she began work as a mental health nurse in Canada’s Nunavut Territory.

Communities are accessible only by air, with supply ships in summer. Opochinsky has traveled seven times to five communities, two above the Arctic Circle. Her duties include assessments,

a broad range of therapeutic inter-ventions, medication management, con-sultation, and health education

“The North exerts a huge draw. It is just beautiful,” she said. “The land is harsh, and yet it isn’t. For example, colors are subtle in winter as the snow takes on the chang-ing tint of the sky.”

The people are similarly striking. Opochinsky describes them as “bright, competent, resilient, witty, and warm.” They are also beset by serious problems, with grief, sorrow and questions about how they are supposed to live—tragically, the suicide rate has been estimated at seven times the national average.

Historically a nomadic people, the Inuit have had to contend with imposed settlement in communi-ties, erosion of traditional means of livelihood, and the increasing impact of technology. In tandem, these changes have had a seismic effect. “Within one or two generations people have experienced one whole way of life being displaced by another.” However, they are actively working to meet modern demands while retaining traditional values, skills, and ties to the land.

Opochinsky credits the URI five-year nursing program with its academic courses and solid nursing preparation for providing the background for the work she has done. She hopes to continue in the Arctic, braving “blizzards and wind-chills of -60°C.” While she brings a needed service, she says that like others, she has benefited in many ways from getting to know the Inuit people.

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

Barbara Walton-Faria ’79, M.A. ’00Teacher of the YearWhen Rhode Island’s 2008 Teacher of the Year Barbara Walton-Faria wants to demonstrate a scientific concept to her eighth grad-ers, she’s as likely to draw from life experience as from a textbook.

A self-described “Jacques Cousteau kid,” Walton-Faria graduated URI with a B.S. in environmental and life sciences. She spent several years on boats, working for a Newport oceanography firm. Marriage and motherhood spurred Walton-Faria to drop anchor and embark upon a second career as a middle school science teacher.

Seventeen years later, Walton-Faria makes science relevant to her students at Newport’s Thompson Middle School by involving them in hands-on scientific research. Currently her students are assisting scientists with the Plankton Monitoring Network of Narra-gansett Bay.

“It’s cool. The kids get to do identification, col-lection, reporting,” Walton-Faria said. “It’s applied learning.”

Walton-Faria’s former career gives her clout with the kids. “Oceanography carries weight with students. It’s the fact that I’ve done real science. I have the confidence to get a concept across to kids. Kids respect that.”

So do adults. The educator chosen Teacher of the Year is selected by assessing who best repre-sents the top teachers in the state, Walton-Faria said, adding: “It’s completely overwhelming; I’m just somebody who works hard at my job. The state has many incredible educators, and they all need to be recognized.”

If Walton-Faria’s example is the measure of a good teacher then those who aspire to imitate might consider taking a trip to Hallmark. She sends each of her students a birthday card: “The kids absolutely love it.”

One of the highlights of being the state’s Teacher of the Year for Walton-Faria is an April visit to the White House to meet President Barack Obama. Another is the privilege of seeing students learn.

“I call myself a facilitator,” Walton-Faria said. “I’m someone who’s trying to get you to figure it out for yourself.”


PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL OPOCHINSKY

PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS

president of database engineering for Bank of America. I am part of a team responsible for engineering Oracle software, certifying software compatibility, and establishing product roadmaps for the entire enterprise, both domestic and international. My URI education provided me with the skills and recognition that helped me excel in my career. I recently was elected to serve a second term as president of the Tiverton Lions Club. This orga-nization had years ago awarded me a scholarship to attend URI, so this is my way of giving back. I am on the Lions Club Scholarship com-mittee and present scholarships to qualifying high school seniors for college. I feel like I’ve come full circle!”

Sheila M. Gallogly, CBA, of Mem-phis, Tenn., writes: “My husband, Brad Barbour, and I recently trans-ferred with Marriott International to Memphis. I continue to work in the revenue management discipline, while Brad is the director of event planning and operations for the Memphis Marriott Downtown. On Oct 7, 2008, I celebrated 19 years with Marriott!”

Dawn L. Mellen, CBA, of San Diego, Calif., is president of After the Finish Line, a funding non-profit in San Diego for throughbred race-horses that are transitioned off the racetrack into a second career.

Mehul K. Sheth, CBA, of Carls-bad, Calif., is president of VMS Aircraft in San Diego.

’87 Jennifer K. Anchukaitis, CBA, of Barrington, R.I., an operations manager in Citizen’s Bank’s Port-folio Administration, has been pro-moted to a bank vice president.

Robert B. Hackey, A&S, of Wake-field, R.I., professor of health policy and management at Providence, College, has been named Rhode Island Professor of the Year by

the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Sup-port of Education. It’s the second award this year for Robert. In April, he won the 2007-08 Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award at Providence College.

’88 Robert J. Alvine, CBA, of Bridge-port, Conn., president and general manager of Premier Subaru in Branford, Conn., one of the largest Subaru dealerships in the coun-try, has been named chair of the Subaru of New England Dealer Advisory Board, which represents the interests of 63 Subaru deal-ers throughout New England. He was also named as one of the 10 dealers on the Subaru of America National Dealer Advisory Board, which represents the interests of all 600 Subaru dealers throughout the United States.

Patrick A. Dwyer, CBA, of El Segundo, Calif., is vice presidentó-investments, advisory & brokerage services, UBS Financial Services, Inc., Private Wealth Management in Los Angeles.

Paul L. Verdile, ENG, of San Diego, Calif., is sales and marketing manager for Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles in San Diego.

Tracy A. Young, HS&S, of Cran-ston, R.I., is a new author. Her first novel, Girls Night Out Chronicles (Publish America) is comprised of three short stories about amaz-ing women who are strong, sexy, beautiful, and smart. The stories chronicle relationships with family, spouses, and significant others in a humorous way. A portion of the pro-ceeds of the book will go towards Oprah’s Angel Network.

’89 Lance F. Klima, CBA, of New York, N.Y., is president of Intana Manage-ment in New York City.

Michael L. Mowins, CBA, of Carlsbad, Calif., is president of Phillips Screw Company, Aerospace Licensing Division in Carlsbad.

’90 Henry J. DelAngelo, HS&S, of Fairfield, Conn., has launched Your Key to College, a new divison of his online company. Your Key to College is designed to help high school students and their families with the college selection process. The unique video information deliv-ery system enables subscribers a faster, better, and easier way to get important information about this process. Visit yourkeytocol-lege.com.

John R. Harrison, A&S, of Saun-derstown, R.I., the director of national accounts for the recently

Reunite with Your Friends and ClassmatesWhen was the last time you made plans to get together with your URI friends? Has it been too long? NOW is the time to start planning for a 2009 class or affinity reunion.

You will need 10 volunteers from your class or group who are willing to help plan, promote, and attend the reunion gathering.

The Alumni Relations Office will help you plan and promote your event with a listing on the Alumni Web site and in QUAD ANGLES, with electronic notices, and with the printing and mailing of your reunion invitations.

If you are interested in working on an event for your class or affinity group and would like to find out more about get-ting started, please visit the Alumni Web site at advance.uri.edu/alumni/reunions or call the Alumni Relations Office at 401.874.2242.

SHARE YOUR RHODY PRIDE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION!

Would you like your child or grandchild to receive

information from the URI Admission Office? Simply visit our new and improved URI Web site at uri.edu/admission. On the admission homepage you’ll find a link to a secure online form, Request Information.

Encourage your family member to complete the form, including

providing us with an email address. We’ll send information about the University, the admission process, and even specific academic programs. Your family member will be invited to online chats and special events—maybe he or she will even look for you on our alumni site!

We also invite you to spread the word about URI to prospective students who live in your community. Please contact us if you are interested in helping us by covering college fairs in your area. For more information about becoming an Alumni Admission Representative, contact Ray Kung at 401.874.4903.

’82 Gordon B. Arnold, M.L.S., of West-borough, Mass., is the author of Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics, a new book from Prae-ger publishers. Gordon is a profes-sor of liberal arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass.

David D. Nelson, A&S, of North Chelmsford, Mass., was elected a vice president of Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, Mass. He joined the company in July 1989.

’83 Christiane M. Amanpour, A&S, chief international correspondent for CNN, is the recipient of the 2008 Marist College Lowell Thomas Award. She was honored at a lun-cheon at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan on November 14.

Debbie Cipolletti, A&S, of Mans-

field, Mass., is pastor at the First Congregational Church, United Church of Chris in Brattleboro, Vt.

’85 Daniel J. Collett, CBA, of Bolton, Mass., is senior director of finance for Nypro, Inc., based in Clinton, Mass.

Camela E. Morrissey, A&S, of Larchmont, N.Y., is president of Dorland Global Public Relations. Camela has over 20 years experi-ence in public relations, marketing, and the management of commu-nications practices and organiza-tions. At Dorlan, Camela oversees public relations in all offices in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New York City.

’86 Dawn M. Cabral-Quimby, A&S, of Tiverton, R.I., writes: “I am vice


Jesse Friedman, M.A. ’09Traveling the WorldWith an insatiable desire for adventure and unbounded enthusiasm, Jesse Friedman, who completed graduate studies last fall, has parlayed several loves into a unique global travel business.

In 2005 Friedman, who had lived in Thailand and Indonesia for three years, and a friend founded the adventure travel company Triskallian Tours.

“Spending time in those countries surfing, teaching English, living with the people, opened my eyes and taught me so much,” Friedman recalls. “I was a different person when I returned home. I felt if I could thrive over there, what couldn’t I do? And I knew that other young people could benefit from visiting places like the ones I had.”

Building Triskallian required him to convince

reluctant parents to let their high school students travel halfway around the world chaperoned by someone they didn’t know. “It was tough at first,” said Fried-man, whose URI mentor, Political Science Professor Maureen Moakley, calls him “one of the best teaching assistants we’ve ever had.”

The first summer Triskallian had only one customer. “Once we attracted a few more kids, they and their parents became ambassadors for the program,” Friedman said. “The parents recognize how special this is, and it makes a difference that the person who sold them the trip is there with their kids the whole time.”

For the past two years Triskallian has taken nearly 50 teens to Costa Rica and Thailand for

two-week excursions that combine immersion in the local culture, community service, surfing lessons, hiking, and other outdoor adventures. The travel-ers teach art classes and engage in environmental protection projects. For the summer of 2009 Triskallian has added a sustain-able green living tour to Panama.

The Triskallian, a Celtic symbol representing the adven-ture of going out in the world to learn and mature, also encom-

passes the idea of returning home to spread and share the experience. “That’s what’s so cool about it,” Friedman says.

For more information go to triskallian.com.

—John Pantalone ’71

Ryan Golembeske ’99Reality TVRyan Golembeske pursues the things that scare him the most. With that in mind, the veteran reality-television producer is set to chase monsters, both personal and legendary.

Golembeske has been on the West Coast working in television since he graduated from URI. Through Press Play Productions, which Golembeske co-founded with busi-ness partner Jenna Arnold, he created the hit show Exiled! for MTV.

His next project is Monster Brothers, in which he and his brother Josh—a director/editor for MTV—will travel the country in search of various monsters, including legends like the New Jersey Devil and Bigfoot.

Monster Brothers also will portray how the brothers deal with personal issues, such as the

recent separation of their parents after 32 years of marriage.

“It’s powerful, touching, and exciting,” Golemb-eske said. “On one hand, we are going to these locations, hoping to find monsters. On the other hand, what are the monsters in our own lives? Many people will relate to what we are feeling. Yet we are still presenting something fun and

exciting.”With Exiled! Golembeske got viewers to

identify with spoiled, wealthy American teens sent to live for two weeks with indigenous families around the world.

In his pilot episode, Golembeske brought a young woman to live with a tribe near Amboseli National Park in Kenya. After flying to Nairobi and driving six hours through pothole-ladened paths, the crew was greeted by an African boy whose face was covered with flies. The boy didn’t blink as the group approached, even when a fly walked directly across his eyeball.

“I was out of my comfort zone, so imagine how a rich teenage girl from a pampered life was feel-ing,” Golembeske said. “We show how that person can grow and become compassionate in a short span. We are a reality-television nation, but we can use that in a way that helps people.”

—Shane Donaldson ’99

Jodi Baldwin ’01Cleaning Up Their ActIn her eight years in the movie-making business, costumer Jodi Baldwin had grown weary of the dirty dealings of Hollywood.

She’d seen movie sets littered with abandoned water bottles and half-finished crossword puzzles, derelict papers and empty cardboard boxes—the daily detritus of filmmaking.

So last year Baldwin created the Film and Entertainment Recycling Initiative (FaERI), a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization to clean up and green up movie sets. Her service is proving to be invaluable to the local industry. On Disney’s Surrogates, filmed in Boston last year, FaERI recycled over 15,000 pounds of materials in a five-month period.

“I’ve always been into recycling. I recycled on campus before it was avail-able. I was just taking care of my own personal mess,” Baldwin said. “Now it’s hit the mass culture.”

Baldwin, who holds a degree in textiles, fashion merchandising, and design, has worked as a costumer on big-budget films like Underdog, John Adams,

and 27 Dresses. In the fall of 2007, she took four months off to launch FaERI and first tested the program out on The Lonely Maiden. By the spring of 2008, she was costumer by day, recycler by night.

Baldwin’s efforts were noted and applauded by such Hollywood glitterati as Cameron Diaz, Wil-liam H. Macy, and Jason Alexander, all of whom lent their images to her Web site, faeri.org.

FaERI was present through volunteer efforts on Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, starring Richard Gere, and The Clique, both filmed at URI.

Baldwin has put her costuming career on hold yet again to apply for grants and to fundraise for FaERI. She is hoping her work attracts the

attention of Hollywood heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio, well known for his championing of a cleaner environment. Baldwin says she’s encouraged by the response FaERI’s efforts have received thus far: FaERI has been cited by the Discovery Channel and treehugger.com for its work.

“Everyone’s thrilled about it,” Baldwin said. “But I want to take FaERI to the next level.”


PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN GOLEmBESKE

PHOTO COURTESY OF JODI BALDWIN

PHOTO BY COURTESY OF JESSE FRIEDmAN


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renovated, historic Hotel Viking in Newport, was named Employee of the Year by the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Associa-tion; he also received a Star of the Industry Award. John has been with Hotel Viking since 2002 and has coordinated meetings and events for important clients like Fidelity Investments, NESN, and Liberty Mutual. In July 2007, he earned the designation of Certified Meeting Professional.

’91 Jason A. Farber, A&S, of Coventry, R.I., was promoted to vice president and manager of network engineer-ing in Citizens Bank’s Network Engineering department. Jason joined Citizens in 2001.

’92 Armando J. Heredia, A&S, of Cov-entry, R.I., is vice president and risk manager at Citizen’s Bank Group Security and Fraud department. He joined Citizens in 2006.

Michele L. Micciche, CBA, of Clearwater, Fla., is property man-ager for Glenborough’s Tampa office portfolio. Glenborough LLC, a San Mateo, Calif., real estate invest-ment and management company, specializes in office properties.

Robert H. Morsilli, A&S, of Weston, Mass., is co-chair of the Labor Law Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Boston Bar Association. The

Labor Law Committee focuses on traditional labor issues in the pri-vate sector and is responsible for monitoring legal developments in the area of labor law and present-ing educational programs. Robert, a partner at Jackson Lewis LLP, is a 1995 graduate of George Washing-ton Unviersity Law School.

Steven M. Santaniello, A&S, of Cranston, R.I., an accomplished artist and designer, has an exhibit at the Natural History Museum and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park through June 2009 called Space ARTifacts: Imagination and Explo-ration. The innovative exhibition uses science and art to explore the relationship between humans and space travel. Various technologies, such as spacesuits and probes, have allowed humans to explore deep into previously uncharted regions of space. The journey through the museum’s surrounding park landscape uses unique video footage filmed by using a fabricated satellite dish created by Steve. The dish and its video footage, a NASA mission-used Space Shuttle tire, rare artifacts, rare NASA archive imagery, behind-the-scenes photos of the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center, and museum collections, are part of this exciting exhibit. The NASA mission-used space shuttle tire is from the Space Shuttle Dis-covery’s STS-103 mission, the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Big Thinkers Series: Boston

The Feb. 26 meeting in Boston, Mass., featured Nina F. Saberi ’82, an electrical engineering major who founded Castile Ventures in Waltham, Mass., a company that provides capital and management expertise to entrepreneurial businesses.

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

Rosemary L. Satchwill, of Exeter, R.I., and her husband, Richard ’78, who majored in animal science, are proud that their daughter Caitlin Satchwill has been accepted into URI’s Class of 2011.

’93 Jennifer R. Marchetti, A&S, of Ridgewood, N.J., launched Goosie Cards in June 2006, a creation of custom flash cards that are won-derful teaching tools for children, especially those that have special needs and autism. Many of the children learn to communicate through the use of a picture system. Goosie Cards offers a new teaching approach by using personal, real life photos. This direct connection to real visual objects enables these children to easily associate words with the corresponding object.

’97 Mark D. Hamel, ENG, and Jessica Spitler ’99 moved from Germany to Melbourne, Fla., this summer with their new baby, Jack Edward, who was born in Germany. Mark works at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni-versity and Jessica works at Patrick Air Force Base. They can be con-tacted at [email protected] ’98 Joshua L. Celeste, CELS, of Cran-ston, R.I., is senior counsel at the law firm of Duffy Sweeney & Scott, in Providence.

Christopher R. Martin, CBA, of Uxbridge, Mass., is a director at Feeley & Driscoll, P.C., a 140-person Boston-based regional certified accounting and business consulting firm, which was recog-nized by INSIDE Public Accounting as Best of the Best for 2008.

’99 John A. Herner, A&S, of Nashua, N.H., a doctor of chiropractic in Nashua, graduated from the Uni-versity of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic magna cum laude.

Jamilah A. White, CCE, of East Providence, R.I., is a probation and parole officer with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

’01 Jean-Paul G. Dujardin, A&S, of Providence, R.I., is a probation and parole officer with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

’02 Guy S. Shaffer, A&S, of Providence, R.I., is currently the chief creative officer and founding partner of iT3 LLC, iTookThisToday.com, where he oversees design and execution of the company’s site and all adver-tising and marketing strategies.

iT3 has already reached hundreds of thousands of users worldwide interested in easy mobile photo sharing. Guy resides on the East Side of Providence, remains an avid sailor thanks to PE105i, and would love to catch up with some old friends.

’03 Nicole J. Dulude, A&S, of Bar-rington, R.I., is an attorney with Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. in Providence, where she special-izes in litigation. She is licensed to practice law in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Federal District Court of Rhode Island. Web site: apslaw.com; email [email protected].

’04 Mark E. Liersch, CBA, of Vir-ginia Beach, Va., is the naval liai-son, Kenya U.S. Liaison Office at the American Embassy, Nairobi, Kenya.

Marcia A. Sullivan, A&S, of Providence, R.I., was named execu-tive director by the East Greenwich Housing Authority of both the town’s public housing authority and its affiliated non-profit affordable housing development corporation, Cove Homes Inc.

’08 Patrick D. Bosworth, A&S, of Narragansett, R.I., graduated in May ’08 as a theater major with a double concentration in acting and directing. He bagan making movies seriously as a freshman with fellow URI student and Nar-ragansett High School alumnus Jamie Dufault ’08. After working on a half-dozen films, the pair has morphed into a local repertory of sorts, relying on several friends with connections to Narragansett and URI to create consistently acclaimed and awarded short films. Under the umbrella of the Rhode Island-based production company Tiny Penguin Films, a group of local filmmakers is proving that you don’t need a large budget to make a good movie.

WeddINgsSally E. Hardiman ’85 to Freder-ick W. King ’72, on September 16, 2008.James Daniel Callahan ’86 to David Bradley, on August 19, 2007.Mary (M.E.G.) Schmidtbauer ’88 to Joseph Calabrese, on August 18, 2007.Armand C. Spaziano ’90 to Toni Lyn Gardiner, on May 22, 2008.Donald E. Kilguss ’92 to Michelle T. Fleury, on November 3, 2007.

KEEP IT UNDER ON YOUR HAT

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bookstore.uri.eduand get all your official

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Kimberly Urban Rielly ’98 and Thomas ’94, a daughter, Olivia Maureen, on December 22, 2007.Amy B. ’95 and Chris Hood ’95, a daughter, Grace Elizabeth, on October 20, 2008.Robert H. Nellson and Stefanie Anne Krueger-Nellson ’96, a son, Robert Ulf, on September 12, 2008. James and Kathryn A. Fischer Kelly ’99, a son, Liam James, on October 3, 2008.Brian W. ’00 and Emily Roberts Burke ’00, a son, Adrian Warner, on November 7, 2008.Scott and Michelle Goldman ’02, a son, Michael Ryan, on July 15, 2007. Jennifer L. ’02 and Michael C. Gerdes ’00, a son, William Mat-thew, on December 26, 2008.Nancy B. Ryan ’00 and Thomas Filocco ’00, a son, London Cole, on October 3, 2008.Kristel and Peter Alexander Dobratz ’03, a son, Thomas Leland, on September 5, 2008.Matthew A. ’04 and Allison Lopes ’04, a son, Maxwell Henry, on November 7, 2008.

IN MEMORIAMMurry Burrows ’40 of Providence, R.I., on September 26, 2008.Edith Whitaker Finelli ’40 of War-wick, R.I., on December 18, 2008.Margaret Boyle Conte ’41 of West Lafayette, Ind., on November 11, 2008.Jane Votta Oxford ’43 of Tulsa, Okla., on December 3, 2008.George Roberts ’43 of Taylors, S.C., on February 21, 2008.Earl Andrews ’48 of Barrington, R.I., on December 29, 2008.William Bisson ’49 of Lincoln, R.I., on November 28, 2008.Louise Reilly McGreen ’49 of Albany, N.Y., on December 1, 2008.Stanley Jusyk ’50 of Niantic, Conn., on December 27, 2008.Eugene McCarthy ’50 of Tiverton, R.I., on November 20, 2008.Robert Mitchell ’50 of Westerly, R.I., on November 29, 2008.Norbert Pellerin ’50 of Livonia, Mich., on September 19, 2008.Paul Corey ’56 of Boothwyn, Pa., on November 9, 2008.Richard Oster ’56 of Barrington, R.I., on December 1, 2008.John Horan ’59 of Narragansett, R.I., on November 19, 2008.Gerald Tryhubczak ’59 of Woon-socket, R.I., on August 13, 2007.

URI Alumni Map

Go to advance.uri.edu/alumnimap and see how many alums are in your neighborhood.

Where in the world are URI Alumni?All over the map!

Denise C. Kenny ’97 to James Goldstein, on November 11, 2007.Marci M. Mercurio ’98 to Stuart J. Sneen, on August 31, 2008.Craig D. Parkhurst ’99 to Allison Hunt ’01, on November 22, 2008.Michael E. Florio ’00 to Theresa D’Alfonso, on August 10, 2008.Heather N. Bell ’01 to James Mirra, on October 12, 2007.Kimberly Boezi ’01 to Joseph A. Salimeno, on July 25, 2008.Peter R. Cashman ’01 to Sheila M. Holland, on June 28, 2008.Eamon M. Lawless ’01 to Jodi F. Clurci, on May 10, 2008.Courtney L. Brien ’02 to Craig P. Thibeault, on May 24, 2008.Shane L. Lagor ’02 to Alison B. McCrillis, on July 25, 2008.Jill A. McEwen ’02 to Neil R. Forbes, on July 13, 2008.Daniel T. Isenbergh ’03 to Alisse M. Muscarella, on August 10, 2008.Rebecca F. Kestenbaum ’04 to Steven J. Lippel ’03, on November 15, 2008.Stephanie C. Paquette ’03 to Rus-sell B. Holt, on August 30, 2008.Matthew R. Pita ’03 to Lisa A. Bagwell, on July 26, 2008.Bassel D. Rihani ’03 to Stephanie Salvagno, on June 6, 2008.Anne L. Serdakowski ’03 to Brian N. London, on August 9, 2008.Nicole G. Stenmark ’03 to John J. Ogden, on October 18, 2008.Lauren G. Thurber ’03 to John Galoski, on July 19, 2008.Jessica L. Major ’04 to Aaron P. Zell, on August 16, 2008.Jennifer L. Revier ’04 to Troy Chasse ’06, on September 6, 2008.Molly Entin ’05 to Michael Stach ’04, on October 24, 2008.Angela M. Laprade ’07 to Matthew Lambert, on June 21, 2008.

BIRTHSMichael and Kristin Flannery Barnes ’91, a son, Kieran Patrick, on March 6, 2008.Melissa K. ’93 and Keith Vellone ’91, a daughter, Jillian Elizabeth, on September 21, 2004; and a son, Nicolas William, on January 29, 2008.Baron and Jessica Linden Bal-lester ’94, a daughter, Belicia Rae, on July 20, 2008.Joseph A. and Julie A. Mason ’94, a son, Garrett Leger, on October 15, 2008.


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such as class year and geographic area.The URI Alumni Online Directory is a secure, password-protected

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Thomas Mojkowski ’61 of Spring-field, Mass., on November 23, 2008.Nicque Moore ’62 of Mattawam-keag, Maine, on October 25, 2008.Richard Reynolds ’64 of North Port, Fla., on November 17, 2008.Kathrine Cyronak Bartkiewicz ’65 of Fort Myers, Fla., on December 6, 2008.David Johnson ’67 of Saunder-stown, R.I., on December 27, 2008. Gene Leek ’67 of Middletown, R.I., on November 10, 2008.Patricia Callahan O’Donnell ’69 of Seekonk, Mass., on December 8, 2008.Richard Quirk ’70 of Indio, Calif., on December 30, 2028.Rita Mesnik ’72 of Miami, Fla., on May 18, 2007.Margaret Fico Capasso ’73 of Warwick, R.I., on December 14, 2008.Pauline “Polly” Gendron Farrell ’75 of Rumford, R.I., on December 4, 2008.Charles Thurley ’76 of Pawtucket, R.I., on January 3, 2009.Christine Poser MacFarlane ’77 of Ayer, Mass., on November 23, 2008.Patricia Munzer ’77 of Warwick, R.I., on December 6, 2008.William Warwick ’77 of Coventry, R.I., on December 6, 2008.Rebecca Calderon ’79 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on December 21, 2008.David DiBiase ’79 of Coventry, R.I., on January 18, 2009.William Zambarano ’82 of West Warwick, R.I., on January 18, 2009.Theresa Corr Ferri ’84 of North Kingstown, R.I., on December 5, 2008.Susan Peloso ’84 of West War-wick, R.I., on October 25, 2008.Clare Simon Bensusan ’87 of Warwick, R.I., on November 03, 2008.Alphonse Mangiarelli ’96 of Cran-ston, R.I., on December 29, 2008.Bernardino Marraffino ’97 of New Britain, Conn., on January 10, 2009.Mary Beth Esposito-Herr ’98 of Columbia, Md., on December 9, 2008.

IN MeMoRIAM FACUlTYJohn P. Hatch, 91, professor emeri-tus of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, died at South Bay Manor in Wakefield, R.I., on Dec. 22, 2008. A graduate of Duke University, he received his M.S. in mechanical engineering from New

York University. He is survived by his wife, Frances; a daughter, Sally; a son, William; and two grandchil-dren. Memorial donations may be made to the Kingston Congre-gational Church, 2610 Kingstown Road, Kingston, RI 02881.

Thomas P. Nally, 87, professor emeritus of education, died on Feb. 1, 2009. A resident of Kingston for 53 years, he was a member of the fac-ulty for 35 years. He was a loyal sup-porter of URI athletics who served on the board of the Fifth Quarter Club and was a past president of the Blue and White Club. He was a U.S. Army Reserve veteran who served in World War II; he retired with the rank of brigadier general. He earned his bachelor’s from Amherst, his master’s from Brown, and his Ph.D. from Michigan State. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn; sons Raymond, Mark, and Thomas; and daughters Kit Schlosky and Tricia Hogan; nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Athletic Department c/o URI Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881, or to South County Hospital, 100 Kenyon Ave., Wakefield, RI 02879.

William T. O’Malley, M.L.S. ’67, age 65, professor emeritus, library, died at his Kingston, R.I. home on Jan. 2, 2009. He was a member of the library professional staff for 42 years before retiring in 2008. He is survived by his wife, Sheila; three daughters, Jean Westcott, Siobhan and Sheila O’Malley ’89; a son, Brendan ’93; and a grandson. Memorial donations may be made to Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Development Office, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115.

Ralph M. Tutt, professor emeritus of English, died on Feb. 5, 2009. A member of the faculty for 31 years, Professor Tutt pioneered URI’s Film Studies Program, which awarded its first degrees in 2006, and he helped establish the Ph.D. program in English. He received his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1964. In 1979, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. His critical essays and fiction were published in a variety of journals; in 1967, the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities honored him with a prize for his novella, Family Plots. In 1987, he received a Fulbright Fellowship to initiate an American Studies Program at Janus Pannonious University in Hungary. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He is survived by his son, Oliver, and four grand-children. Memorial donations to the Film Studies Program may be made to the URI Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881.


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Rhody RevealAlthough he’s had a few makeovers and his name changed over the years from Battering Ram to Ramses to Rhody, our much-loved mascot has always been at the heart of URI spirit. On February 25, 2009, at halftime of the men’s basketball game against the University of Dayton, URI unveiled the latest Rhody seen here.

The Ram became our mascot on March 8, 1923, and on Novem-ber 21, 1929, the first live ram made his appearance; these rams were housed on campus until the 1960s.

For more about Rhody, go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/rhody

You can show your Rhody spirit by supporting a scholarship endowment for the dedicated student volunteers who bring Rhody to life. The Rhody the Ram Scholarship Endowment, established in 2003, is managed by the URI Alumni Association. To learn how you can contribute, contact Sarah Howard ‘96 at 401.874.2438 or [email protected].

GO RHODY!

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Save the date!

Return to your alma mater and show your children or grandchildren where you lived, studied, and played! You and your family can stay overnight in a residence hall, or you can all join us for day camp.

We are planning a weekend that makes it easy for you to reconnect with your family and University.

There will be plenty of fun activities on the Kingston Campus and in the surrounding area.

For more information, please contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401.874.4854 or email [email protected]

If you have a disability and need an accommodation, please call 401.874.2242 at least three business days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the Rhode Island Relay Service at 1.800.745.5555.

July 17–19, 2009

Family Camp

Read more about this event advance.uri.edu/alumni/events

Come baCk to kingston for the weekend

Class of 195950th ReunionMay 15, 16, 17, 2009 Campus tour

Reunion dinner dance at the Hyatt Regency Newport

Brunch at the President’s house

The Class of 1959 leads URI’s Commencement march

Golden Grad WeekendFriday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30 Visit the Narragansett Bay Campus

Luncheon at the University Club

Presentation: “Meet Tom Edison”

1892 Golden Grad Reception

Golden Grad Luncheon at the Dunes Club in Narragansett will celebrate the following reunion years:

Class of 1954: 55th ReunionClass of 1949: 60th ReunionClass of 1944: 65th ReunionClass of 1939: 70th Reunion

For more information, contact the Alumni Relations Office at 401.874.2242

If you have a disability and need an accommodation, please call 401.874.2242 at least three business days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the Rhode Island Relay Service at 1.800.745.5555.

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