photos by Sally McCay
REUNION 2008
They came back to Burlington, nearly two thousand strong, celebrating alumni Reunions that ranged from their fifth to their seventieth. How do you put together four days of fun for such a wide-ranging group? Here’s a glimpse at some of the options that helped Reunion 2008 live up to its promise of “something for everyone.”
MUY CALIENTE
The sights and sounds of salsa fill the Davis Center on the evening of May 29 as the Spanish Harlem Orchestra kicks off this year’s Reunion weekend. The Grammy award-winning, thirteen-member ensemble—directed by world-renowned pianist, arranger, and producer Oscar Hernández—packs the dance floor of the Grand Maple Ballroom and electrifies the audience of nearly three hundred Reunion attendees and local Latin jazz fans.
his year’s concert is a new twist for Reunion, which in years past has begun with a Voices of Vermont lecture. Eileen Dudley, director of Reunion programming at UVM, notes that the change came in response to alumni surveys which showed interest in such an event. Before the dance, those who have some doubts about their ability to shake it salsa-style learn their steps from Vika Pleshakova-Hinge, a Burlington salsa instructor. Apparently UVM alumni are lifelong learners and quick about it. After the show, Pleshakova-Hinge says, “The salsa lesson was a great opportunity to share our passion, and I was happy to see the dance floor overflowing.”
BETTER WORLD
Sustainability is a large word and the twenty-first century is a long time, but Martha Perkins ’58 had every intention to think big. For Perkins, the sustainability of the planet is simply too important an issue to ignore when an event such as Reunion offers a ripe opportunity for discussion. Celebrating her fiftieth this year, Perkins took a lead role in assembling a panel discussion on “Sustainability in the 21st Century.” Participants in the Davis Center ballroom event are greeted on Reunion’s Friday morning with a detailed timeline linking world history, UVM highlights, and sustainability milestones. (When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, UVM enrollment stood at 3,322, roughly a third of today’s numbers.) The discussion features three alumni doing distinct work on the sustainability front—Richard Faesy ’83, Jen Cirillo ’95, and Gioia Thompson ’87 G’00. Thompson mentions the influence of the Environmental Program and its founder, Professor Carl Reidel, who promoted the virtue of learning to be a “philosopher-plumber,” one equipped to meet both the visionary and nitty-gritty challenges of making a difference. As they speak about their endeavors, it’s clear that Faesy’s work in energy efficiency, Thompson’s leadership at UVM on environmental practices, and Cirillo’s teaching in Shelburne Farms’ educational programs all measure up well to Professor Reidel’s standard. As the discussion comes to a close, Perkins waves boxes of Magic Markers, encouraging alumni to extend the timeline at the back of the room into the future, a vision of the world they’d like for their kids and grandkids.
STRONG WORDS
Miriam Nelson ’83 is on campus to celebrate her twenty-fifth Reunion, accept UVM’s Alumni Achievement Award, and offer some words of inspiration to her fellow alumni. Let’s face it, Reunion can be a time when we’re all reminded of time’s relentless march. Can it really be (insert number here) years since I graduated from this place? Yes, we’re all older, but if you want to pick one take home message from Nelson’s Reunion 2008 lecture, “Strong Women and Men Live Well,” it is this—aging does not have to make us aged. “Classic aging is more related to inactivity and poor nutrition than to aging itself,” says Nelson, Tufts University professor and author of the successful Strong Women series of books. She’s devoted her career to getting more people moving with a particular emphasis on “trying to get women to value their muscle. Women have a lot less muscle, so we need to take care of it,” Nelson says. And she doesn’t let the guys off, either, citing studies that men can largely stem the tide of muscle loss through a lifting regimen. Wearing a trim white pantsuit and a running wristwatch the size of a can of tuna, Nelson delivers her lecture with energy and looks like she could dash out of the Davis Center for a quick six-miler, no sweat. Inspired by her talk, many in the audience were likely thinking of doing just that—followed, of course, by twenty good push-ups.
ON ICE
It’s not an outfit you’re likely to see in the pages of GQ—tropical print shirt paired with hockey helmet. But Paul Carney ’88 is bridging Reunion Weekend casual and playing ref at a broomball game. Carney, who organized this first-ever Reunion broomball event with Pat Larrabee ’83, lays down the rules before two loosely assembled teams square-off on the Gutterson ice. He notes all the young kids in the game and advises against slapshots.
Larrabee adds that checking isn’t allowed. The golden age of UVM broomball had a certain gladiator mindset, say some alums, but Reunion’s contests are a family affair. Bill Lawrence ’88 played for Sigma Phi during his undergraduate years. Today, his teammates aren’t his fraternity brothers, but his sons, Blake and Tucker. Taking a breather, Lawrence and a friend plot a “man up” strategy that will surely produce a goal. It takes some time, but they eventually put one in. Coming off the ice, Lawrence gives credit where it’s due. It was all Tucker, he says. He talked to the goalie, created a distraction. The rest is UVM alumni broomball history.
[DEVELOPMENT NEWS]
A GOOD CALL
It started out as an unremarkable Sunday afternoon in April for Olivia Sierra, a sophomore English major from Massachusetts who works on weekends with the Chatty Cats, UVM’s student phonathon callers. But that was about to change.
“It was my first day making calls from the College of Medicine list,” she says. “Pretty typical. I’d gotten a few hundred dollar gifts and a few smaller ones.”
But her last call of the day was anything but typical. “I called Dr. Sullivan, and we kind of hit it off right away,” Olivia says. “I never really even got to the part where I make the case for a gift. He was really fun to talk with.”
Dr. Thomas J. Sullivan ’62, MD’66 of Etna, New Hampshire, recently retired as a radiologist and faculty member at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Olivia didn’t know it, but he was about to make her the most successful Chatty Cat in history.
“He indicated he was willing to make a substantial gift, and I thought he was thinking about maybe $1,000 or even $5,000.” Dr. Sullivan prefers not to disclose the actual amount of his gift, but it was substantial and unprecedented.
“Oh my gosh. It was pretty crazy,” Olivia says about the excitement in the workroom. “I was so surprised.”
Dr. Sullivan says his gift was motivated by his wish to give something back to Vermont and to UVM, and perhaps to motivate others to do the same. “I’ve always felt this kinship with Vermont and with UVM,” he says. “I did my undergraduate work there then entered the medical school and even came back and did some postdoctoral work. It didn’t cost me a penny to go there, what with scholarships and all, so I thought it would be a nice thing to do while I’m still alive, to give something back to the College of Medicine.”
Dr. Sullivan put no restrictions on his gift, other than it be used to advance the College of Medicine’s top priorities.
“This was a memorable and inspiring act of generosity, and I am grateful for Dr. Sullivan, who I am privileged to say is becoming a friend. This single event offers me a great lesson in—and metaphor for—several of the things that distinguish UVM: a passionate and supportive cadre of alumni and a set of aspirations based on principles sustained for two centuries by a remarkably cohesive college community.”
Dean Frederick C. Morin, III, M.D.
College of Medicine
[ALUMNI NEWS]
MARY ELLEN GUZEWICZ ’73
Alumni Council’s new president Alumni Council’s new president
Building UVM’s active alumni family is often a matter of one alum connecting with another to reconnect a graduate with his or her alma mater. Mary Ellen Guzewicz ’73 is a case in point. From the time of her graduation through the next twenty-five years, she wasn’t deeply involved with the University. Then Bruce Lisman ’69, former chair of UVM’s Board of Trustees, encouraged her to join the University’s New York Regional Board in 1999.
Guzewicz signed on then, and her involvement has continued to grow. After service as vice president of the Alumni Council for the past two years, Guzewicz succeeded Janet Terp ’80 G’94 as president in May.
VQ caught up with Guzewicz during Reunion Weekend when she was on campus to celebrate her thirty-fifth and meet with fellow members of the Alumni Council. Looking ahead, Guzewicz says she intends to continue to move forward on key Alumni Association and Alumni Council initiatives from Terp’s term of leadership. One priority will be digging deeper into recent research examining UVM alumni attitudes and connection to the University.
“We’re looking at new ways the University can really develop a culture of engagement with students that carries over into their alumni years,” Guzewicz says. Also on the agenda: continuing to build alumni support of UVM diversity initiatives and pushing ahead on hopes to create an alumni center on campus. Strong support from President Daniel Fogel and the UVM Board of Trustees has been critical to building the Alumni Association in recent years, Guzewicz notes.
A history major during her days at UVM, Guzewicz is vice president of Iridian Asset Management in Westport, Connecticut.
[PLANNED GIVING]
photo by Sally McCay
PARTNERS IN SCHOLARSHIP
Marilyn and Bob Woodworth’s journey through life is a remarkable example of a long and successful partnership. The couple grew up in North Bennington, Vermont, where they attended the local K-12 school of 300 students and became high school sweethearts. They were valedictorians of their respective high school classes, and after graduation, Marilyn chose to attend the University of Vermont, majoring in food and nutrition in the School of Home Economics, while Bob enrolled at Middlebury College in a six-year engineering program then offered in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bob found his passion for chemistry in that first year at Middlebury and transferred to UVM after deciding that the chemistry major in the College of Technology would better meet his academic objectives.
The couple was married in June of 1952, soon after Marilyn’s graduation, and when Bob graduated a year later, they both went on to earn graduate degrees in their fields at Pennsylvania State University. After four years at the National Institutes of Health and Bob’s post-doctoral year at Lund University in Sweden, Bob was offered a faculty position at UVM, in the College of Medicine’s Biochemistry Department. He began there in 1961, retired in 1997, then continued in the research lab for another three years. Marilyn taught a UVM course in home economics for nurses for two years, raised the couple’s three children, then became a self-described “professional volunteer.” Bob was involved in the design of an undergraduate curriculum in biochemistry—an effort that came to fruition thirty years later, following his retirement, as a cooperative program between the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
During his undergraduate years at UVM, Bob said, he was thankful to receive financial assistance from the Wilbur Fund, which today continues to provide assistance to more than 800 UVM students annually. (Marilyn and Bob are long-time members of the Wilbur Society at UVM.) With Bob’s 55th UVM Class Reunion approaching, Bob and Marilyn wanted to both mark the occasion and express their appreciation to the University by establishing the Dr. Robert and Marilyn Woodworth Scholarship, an endowed fund that will provide scholarship assistance to Vermont students, with preference to students majoring in biochemistry and chemistry, or in nutrition and food sciences. The Woodworth Scholarship was funded through a charitable contribution from an Individual Retirement Account.
“We knew of the needs for scholarship support at UVM and thought this would be the appropriate thing to do,” said Bob. “We’re grateful to UVM for the role it’s played in our lives.”
The Office of Planned Giving
411 Main Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401
Voice: (802) 656-9996, Toll-free voice: (888) 458-8691
Website: alumni.uvm.edu/plannedgiving
Email: Becky Arnold at plannedgiving@uvm.edu
[ALUMNI AWARDS]
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
SARAH DOPP’68
Sarah Dopp has always volunteered on behalf of the University, even during times when she is pressed with work and other volunteer commitments. An unlikely fundraiser, she never hesitates to say “yes” when asked to serve in that role on behalf of UVM. As manager of the Ira Allen Society Committee she focused on raising leadership gifts from alumni. She also has served on the Bicentennial Committee, as Awards Committee chair, as a member of the Alumni Career Network, and on her class’s Reunion Committee as class gift chair.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
DAVID HOLTON ’72
David Holton has been a dedicated UVM volunteer in many capacities over the years. He was a co-founder of the UVM Vermont Regional Board, and he continues his service to that group as an ex officio member. During his tenure, he worked to recruit a diverse and highly talented board to act as ambassadors for UVM throughout the state. Holton is president of the class of 1972, and he has also served as co-chair of the class of 1972 reunion planning committee. He was a member of the Alumni Council as well as the Athletic Council, and he serves as team captain and member of the Victory Club Executive Committee.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BONNIE CHRISTENSEN ’73
Bonnie Christensen is an artist, writer, and teacher who has won numerous awards and national praise for her work. Her book, Woody Guthrie, Poet of the People, received a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year selection and was selected as a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2001, as well as a Boston Globe Corn Book Honor Award and a Parents’ Choice Gold Medal for non-fiction. Her illustrations in Moon Over Tennessee helped it to receive New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing honors in 2000, and An Edible Alphabet, written and illustrated by Christiansen, was a Smithsonian Notable Book in 1994.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
SUSAN HUDSON-WILSON ’76
Susan Hudson-Wilson, a current member of UVM’s Board of Trustees, is the founder and chief executive officer of Property & Portfolio Research, Inc. She is sought as a speaker at industry conferences sponsored by the leading risk management, mortgage bankers, and real estate associations. She has received numerous awards, including the Wisconsin Real Estate Award and the Pension Real Estate Association’s Graaskamp Award for Research Excellence, and her firm earned a place on the Inc 500 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Hudson-Wilson is widely published, having co-authored Managing Real Estate Portfolios and edited Modern Real Estate Portfolio Management. She is also a founding member and past president of the Real Estate Research Institute.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
DALE ROCHELEAU ’80
Dale Rocheleau began his loyal service to UVM as an undergraduate. A well-respected student leader, he served as president of the Student Government Association. As an alumnus, he exhibited a high level of commitment and dedication to his alma mater. He has taken leadership roles in the Alumni Association, serving terms as both vice president and president. During this time he represented the Alumni Association on many standing committees of the UVM Board of Trustees. As an alumni leader, Rocheleau has led many significant initiatives, programs, and services in advancing the mission of the University.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MIRIAM NELSON ’83
Miriam Nelson is a national leader in the field of health and nutrition. Her work has earned her the Bunting Fellowship Award at Radcliffe College’s Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports. Nelson also was the recipient of the American Diabetes Association’s Women in Valor Award. Perhaps best known for her best-selling Strong Women series of books, Nelson is an associate professor at Tufts University, where she founded the John Hancock Center on Physical Activity and Nutrition Science Policy.
YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
ANDREW ROSENSTOCK ’02
In the short time since his graduation from UVM, Andy Rosenstock has been a very dedicated young alumnus. He began serving as an alumni admissions representative in the Washington, D.C., area in 2004, and he continues as an admissions volunteer in the New York area. For his 5th Reunion in 2007, he was an active volunteer, helping to make his first UVM Reunion a wonderful experience for his classmates. Now living in the New York area, he serves on the New York Regional Board, and he was an energetic participant in their volunteer day at the Saint Francis Xavier Food Table.
YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
JILLIAN GIARDINA ’03
Jill Giardina has continued to be a loyal and dedicated member of the class of 2003 since her undergraduate years. In her senior year, she represented her class on the UVM Alumni Council, keeping them updated on the class’s activities. Serving as a class leader on the Senior Class Council, she continued her commitment to engaging her class as alumni through her dual role as class president and class secretary. Always dedicated to the future of UVM, she has been a vice chair of the Young Alumni Committee, encouraging recent graduates to show their loyalty to UVM by making a class gift. Giardina has been a dynamic co-chair of the Class of 2003’s Reunion Committee, and she has taken an active role in planning their first official reunion.
YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
NATHANIEL SILLIN ’03
Nat Sillin has been an enthusiastic and committed alumnus in the Washington, D.C., area. He has served on the Washington, D.C., events committee as well as on the D.C. Regional Board since 2004. Eager to recruit the next generation of UVM students, he also serves as an alumni admissions representative in the Washington area. For his 5th Reunion this year, he has taken on a leadership role as co-chair of the Class of 2003 Reunion Committee. Nat has also been an active recruiter for the 2003 Reunion Committee in D.C. as well as in areas along the East Coast. He has provided a great example of loyalty by becoming a leadership donor in honor of his 5th Reunion.
