Smooth Transition

Autumn evokes vivid memories of returning to school, along with all of the excitement and anxious moments that are part of that experience. In grade school, we looked forward to buying school supplies and making new friends. But in college, the beginning of the school year often evoked feelings of nervousness and bewilderment as we found our way around campus and navigated a sea of red tape.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni around the country, many students coming to Syracuse University won’t feel as apprehensive as we may have when we arrived. This past summer, more than 30 alumni clubs hosted New Student Send-offs for incoming students and their parents, connecting with more than 500 new students in the process. These informal gatherings gave students from the same geographic areas opportunities to meet before their arrival on campus, ensuring that they see familiar faces from home those first few days at school. Also, knowledgeable volunteers from the offices of admissions and alumni relations were on hand to answer questions to help allay parents’ concerns. Clearly these send-offs ease the transition from home life to campus life for parents and students alike.

We are grateful to our many alumni clubs from Boston to Albuquerque, which in their own special way make sure our newest students feel part of the SU family.

Lil Breul O’Rourke ’77

Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations

Orange Aid

As alumni across the country celebrated National Orange Day in March in honor of SU’s 132nd birthday, members of the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Arizona (SUACA) hosted an Orange Day party for low-income families and homeless people associated with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Sporting SU T-shirts and hats, club members served more than 700 meals and donated clothing to needy residents of the Phoenix area. “We cut danishes, set out chairs, served food, and cleaned tables,” says club president Dawn Forrest Armstrong ’88. “As anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows, we worked very hard that morning. But we were rewarded with many smiles, thank-yous, and interesting conversation.” The event was so successful, the club plans to host meals at St. Vincent de Paul on a quarterly basis.

Armstrong says SUACA is a great way to meet interesting people and network. “I’ve become friends with many generations of SU alumni, who, like me, wish to stay connected to an important part of their past while contributing to the future of the University,” Armstrong says. “Through the club, we are able to give something back to the University by way of community relations, student recruiting, and scholarships.”

In addition to holding student send-off parties for entering freshmen, the club sponsors a Snow Lottery, which is an annual scholarship fund-raiser in which participants pledge $1 or more for every inch of snow that falls in Syracuse. And throughout the year club members gather at Phoenix-area taverns to cheer on the Orange teams competing in televised athletic events. For more information on SUACA, visit www.geocities.com/azsualum.

Retiring Club Presidents
The following alumni club presidents recently completed their terms of office. We thank them for their continuing commitment.
Scott Tharler ’92—Southern California,
Warren Kimble ’57—Vermont
David Belkowitz G’71—Central Virginia

Gorgeous Gorges
A few fortunate alumni had a remarkable opportunity to be among the last to see the Three Gorges region of China. Beginning in 2003, this majestic landscape will be changed forever with the completion of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, creating a massive artificial lake that will engulf much of the area. Realizing that time was short, the SU Alumni Association sponsored a three-week tour of China last spring. “The region was more spectacular than I imagined,” says Mary Dailey Metzger ’61, who traveled with her husband, Chuck. “The entire trip was first class.”

The tour, led by SU Trustee Lee Blatt ’51 and his wife Sydelle ’51, began with five nights in Beijing, including side trips to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. While in Beijing, the Metzgers were eager to experience the day-to-day lives of residents, so they borrowed bicycles from their hotel and cycled through the city every morning before breakfast. Beijing’s public parks teemed with people exercising, playing musical instruments, and balancing swords. “In the midst of this activity,” Metzger says, “ancient imperial architecture rose above the trees, making the parks an unforgettable scene.”

In Xi'an, alumni marveled at the vast terra-cotta army of Emperor Qin, visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and explored the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. Boarding the cruise ship M.S. Victoria in the port city of Wuhan, they began a relaxing journey down the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges region, with sojourns to ancient villages along the way. “Entire towns had been relocated, and we saw old dwellings in the process of being removed,” says Chuck Metzger, a geologist. “Water markers lined the river, indicating the waterline of the reservoir that would soon submerge several cities.”

Although construction of the dam will change the region’s natural beauty forever, Mary Metzger foresees positive outcomes. “It’s controversial,” she says. “Some older people are unhappy about relocating, but among the younger generations, which have never had access to dry, comfortable living environments or modern conveniences, this is an opportunity to move into more material comfort.”

The trip ended with three nights in Shanghai, where alumni toured the city’s ancient silk industry, neighborhoods, and beautiful gardens. In Shanghai, the Metzgers continued their early morning interaction with local life. Their encounter with a group of street dancers was most memorable. “It was a thrill when a local man and I jitterbugged together,” Metzger says. “My husband and I found the people very friendly.”

24 and Counting
This is the second in a series of stories about multigenerational SU families.

The Smallwood family’s roots run deep with Orange pride. Between 1865 and 1993, 24 family members have attended Syracuse University, earning degrees in everything from law to interior design. This five-generation legacy began in 1865 when John Beedon Smallwood graduated from Genesee College (Genesee College, established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lima, New York, was moved to Syracuse to become Syracuse University in 1870). Frances Ann Smallwood (1866), William Waltrous Smallwood (1872), and William Martin Smallwood (1896), who headed the SU biology department and donated the Smallwood Collection of Natural History books to the SU library, followed him. “Our loyalty is to Syracuse,” says Shereth Landrum Coble ’64, who was married to the late Stephen Smallwood ’61 for 32 years. “I’m lucky because I married into the SU tradition, and I’m very proud of it.”

Coble met Stephen Smallwood, her first husband, while they were both students at SU. When they met, he was a senior on a lacrosse scholarship, and she was a freshman cheerleader. To Coble, Syracuse was exactly what she was looking for in a university. “SU is just the right size and has a healthy balance of people from all over the world.” Two of their three children, Todd Smallwood ’88 and Trevor Smallwood ’93, carried on their parents’ legacy. “It just goes on and on and on,” Coble says of the Smallwood family’s history with SU. “When the family gets together at my home in Florida, I hang up my orange SU flag—we wave it proudly.”

Although it is not automatically assumed that every Smallwood will attend SU, graduates of the University talk enthusiastically about SU so often that younger members of the family are easily swayed to follow in their footsteps. “The Smallwood family line is between generations right now, so no one is currently attending SU,” Coble says. “But I hope that will change soon so we can keep the tradition going.”

Staying in Touch
If you want information on:
• Alumni events
• The SU Alumni Online Community
• The SU alumni club in your area
Visit the Office of Alumni Relations web site at www.syracuse.edu/alumni and click on the appropriate link, or call 1-800-SUALUMS (782-5867).

National SU Alumni Association Board of Directors
David M. Aitken ’94, G’97 (EDU) Syracuse, N.Y.
Joanne Fogel Alper ’72 (A&S) Arlington, Va.
Ellen Baker ’73 (VPA) Center Valley, Pa.
Arlene Graff Bluestone ’55 (A&S) Atlantic Highlands, N.J.
Walter Bobkiewicz G’89 (MAX) Novato, Calif.
Shereth Landrum Coble ’64 (VPA) Neptune Beach, Fla.
Patricia A. David G’97 (SW) Cortland, N.Y.
Shari L. Diamond ’94 (NEW) New York, N.Y.
Donald Doerr ’85 (A&S), G’88 (LAW) DeWitt, N.Y.
Gregg W. Doherty ’55 (A&S) San Diego, Calif.
Christopher J. Fallon G’73 (LAW) Swarthmore, Pa.
Deborah J. Fritsche ’74 (A&S) Houston, Texas
Bradley S. Glazer ’76 (MAN) Beechwood, Ohio
Neil Gold ’70 (A&S) Dix Hills, N.Y.
Benjamin I. Green ’85 (A&S) East Orange, N.J.
Jamal J. James ’02 (VPA) Bloomfield, Conn.
Daniel Kaseman ’80 (MAN) Hamilton, Va.
Peter Koval ’72 (ECS), ’74 (ESF) Syracuse, N.Y.
Heather McCumber Landesman ’95 (HD) Melville, N.Y.
Louis G. Marcoccia ’68, G’69 (MAN) Syracuse, N.Y.
Brian McLane ’69 (SDA) Rensselaer, N.Y.
Donald McPherson ’87 (A&S) West Hempstead, N.Y.
Lil Breul O’Rourke ’77 (A&S) Syracuse, N.Y.
Gizelle Ortiz-Velazquez ’84 (A&S) Miami, Fla.
Lori Zisk Rosner ’75, G’77 (EDU) Teaneck, N.J.
Edward L. Short ’68 (MAN) (October 1) Pittsford, N.Y.
Ellen Ruby Silverstone ’65 (EDU) Milford, Pa.
Beverly Barr Vaughan ’54 (A&S) Penfield, N.Y.
Louis R. Walker Jr. ’75 (A&S/EDU) Baldwinsville, N.Y.
Eleanor Ware G’85 (MAN) Syracuse, N.Y.
Gregory Wilson ’80 (A&S) Houston, Texas
James Winschel Jr. ’71, G’73 (MAN) Sudbury, Mass.
Robert Woodruff ’73 (A&S) Berkeley Heights, N.J.

Honor Roll
ARENTS AWARDS

Congratulations to the 2002 George Arents Pioneer Medal recipients, who received their medals at the Arents Award Dinner during Reunion Weekend. The Arents Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in a field of endeavor, is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni. The following alumni were recognized:

Roger Berkowitz ’74, food service management;

Walter H. Diamond ’34, international taxation
and trade;

Warren L. Kimble ’57, art;

Roberta Chamberlain Schofield ’57, G’77,
human services; and

Marilyn Smith Tennity ’42, philanthropy, who received her Arents medal in California in April.

EGGERS AWARDS
Kudos to the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award recipients, who were honored at the Half-Century Dinner at Reunion 2002. Established in 1988 by former SU Chancellor William Pearson Tolley in honor of then-Chancellor Melvin A. Eggers, the award recognizes senior alumni for loyalty and service to their alma mater. The recipients were:
Janet Gustafson ’46
H. Clayton Holbrook ’36
William Phipps ’47, G’55, G’70
Ruth Sager ’47
Flora Workman ’46

Oscar Extravaganza
On Oscar night, Hollywood performers weren’t the only ones eagerly anticipating the announcement of the Academy Award winners. Members of the SU Drama Organization (SUDO), New York alumni chapter, gathered at the Bull’s Head Tavern in Manhattan for their third annual Oscar Party. “The people at the Bull’s Head totally catered to us,” says Andrea Marshall Money ’87, the event’s host and co-president of the organization. “We had the whole place to ourselves.”

Thirty-five people attended the event, which lasted until 1 a.m. On arrival, guests were given a ballot of the award nominees and asked to choose the winners. Megan Schneid ’91, who correctly picked 14 of the 26 categories, won the contest. She received a pair of tickets to a Broadway performance of Urinetown: The Musical. The tickets were donated by show producers Mike Rego ’90 and Hank Unger ’90 of the Araca Group, an independent production company.

“It was all in fun, as long as you brought a happy attitude,” Money says. “I hope more alumni attend in the future.”

SUDO hosts its annual reunion at Lubin House in October.