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A Tradition of Giving As Syracuse University alumni, we are fortunate to have fond memories of our years together on campus and the many unforgettable traditions that connect us to our alma mater. For every generation of SU students, some old traditions end and new ones begin, changing to meet the needs of our society and campus environment. Gone are the days of the Colgate University football rivalry, parades with elaborate floats, and cars backed up along Greek Row as city residents motored up to the Hill to view the ice sculpture competition. Yet other traditions—such as listening to the Crouse College chimes on the Quad, welcoming the first snowfall with a snowball fight in Walnut Park, heading to the Varsity after a victorious football game to upend the banner of the vanquished opponent, or celebrating at the Commencement Eve Dinner Dance—live on and unite us all. What is your most cherished SU tradition? Please e-mail us at sualumni@syr.edu and share your story. We will post some of your reflections on the alumni web site at www.syracuse.edu/alumni and periodically include one in this section of Syracuse University Magazine. I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about the exciting traditions that helped build our wonderful University. Lil
Breul O’Rourke ’77 |
A Family Tradition This is the first in a series of stories about multigenerational SU families. Liza Dalrymple ’83 feels virtually no separation between Syracuse University and her family, which boasts three generations of SU alumni—1900 to 1983. Dalrymple’s grandfather, Hermon Horatio Downey—believed to be the first person from his hometown of Akron, New York to attend college—chose Syracuse University for his studies. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1900 and began a family tradition. “Twelve people in my family followed my grandfather’s lead and attended SU,” Dalrymple says. Downey, a Methodist minister who taught poetry at SU, had one child, Vivian, who graduated from SU in 1922. After his first wife died, Downey and his second wife, Mary Wyckoff, had three children, all of whom graduated from SU: Beverly earned a bachelor’s degree in 1944 and a master’s degree in 1945; Joanne’s undergraduate degree was conferred in 1948; and Bradford graduated in 1949. Hermon Downey’s extended family also followed him to SU. His nephews, Hermon and Wilfred Swift, earned SU degrees in the 1920s. Another nephew, Paul William Downey, attended the University, but left to fight in World War I. Unfortunately he contracted influenza and died on his way home from the war. On a brighter note, romance blossomed at Syracuse University for two of Downey’s children. Bradford Downey met his wife, Gertrude Roney ’50, on the Hill. Joanne Downey and Stanley Dalrymple ’52 met at SU and were married in a Hendricks Chapel ceremony performed by Hermon Downey the day before he retired. The Dalrymples’ daughters, Mary Jo Dalrymple Riley ’80, the first woman to receive a crew scholarship to SU, and her sister Liza Dalrymple ’83, pledged Alpha Gamma Delta and were roommates in the same sorority house they had visited as children. “After my grandfather, Hermon Downey, died, my grandmother, Mary Wyckoff Downey, was Alpha Gamma Delta’s house mother from 1958 until 1976,” Liza Dalrymple says. “When we visited her, we went to the sorority house. Every year, 30 members of our family had Thanksgiving dinner at the house and stayed the weekend. It’s like I grew up on campus. It’s home to me.” As the latest generation of Downey’s family comes of age, Liza Dalrymple looks to them to carry on the family tradition at Syracuse. “We hope my sister’s daughter decides to go to SU,” she says. “That would be great.”
Cuban
Sights Not many Americans have been as fortunate as Anthon. Because Cuba is a communist country, the U.S. government has placed restrictions on Americans spending travel money there. However, a cultural or educational tour, such as the SU alumni tour, is exempt from those restrictions. SU tour host Gary Livent, senior director of external relations in the Maxwell School, says there were plenty of opportunities during the trip to stroll the streets of Havana and interact with Cuban citizens. “We found the Cuban people to be quite friendly,” says Livent. “We didn’t pick up any anti-American feelings at all, and no animosity was directed toward us.” Group members, including SU Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Lampe ’53, G’55 and his wife Shawn, attended a lecture presented by U.S. State Department representatives, who discussed America’s political relationship with Cuba. Each morning the group attended lectures on Cuban culture, covering such topics as art, agriculture, and architecture. “The lectures gave us background information so we could appreciate and understand what we were going to see later on that day,” Livent says. “Following the lecture on architecture, we toured buildings in Havana dating back to the 17th century.” For Anthon, one of the trip’s highlights was a visit to the Colon Cemetery, which holds the remains of great figures in Cuban history. She was impressed with the cemetery’s decorative marble and tombstones and fascinated by the stories of the people buried there. “It is the most beautiful cemetery,” says Anthon, who is already planning another trip to Cuba. “The trip was fantastic and really worthwhile. I’m glad I had the opportunity to go.”
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Join Your Local Alumni club! WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET INVOLVED with your local alumni club. Clubs participate in a variety of activities, including game-watching events, networking opportunities, new student recruiting, and community service projects.
Visit the Office of Alumni Relations web site at: The Programs link on our home page will take you to the club pages. There you will find a complete listing of all our regional and specialty clubs, as well as the club contact’s name, phone number, and e-mail address. For information on the club nearest you, contact the person listed or call the Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-782-5867. |
Orange
Friendzy Orange Friendzies are also planned for five of SU’s away football games—Brigham Young, Auburn, Temple, Central Florida, and Boston College. All Orange Friendzy events will be co-sponsored by Orange Pack and the Office of Alumni Relations. Event details will be posted on the alumni relations web site (www.syracuse.edu/alumni) as soon as they are available.
Way
Down South Stockfield and his wife, Mindy ’93, resurrected the former SU Alumni Club of Georgia to bring together alumni who can help break the ice and ease the transition for incoming freshmen from the Atlanta area. The group, now called the SU Alumni Club of Atlanta, sponsors a send-off party in the home of an alumnus every August to prepare rookie students for the SU experience. “There’s a comfort factor in the program,” says Mindy Stockfield. “Incoming freshmen meet with SU alumni and current students to swap stories. It’s run as a question-and-answer session, and people offer honest responses.” In addition to the annual send-off party, the club gathers at a local brewery to cheer on the Orangemen during televised football and basketball games; brings in campus speakers to address some of the 2,000 Atlanta-area alumni on a variety of topics; hosts a networking night in February; and holds an annual dinner each spring. Through its activities and special fund-raising drives, the club supports an annual scholarship for an SU upperclassman. As its slogan suggests, the club invites all Atlanta-area alumni to “Come Share in Something Familiar” and reconnect with a vibrant part of their past. For more information, visit www.suacoa.com.
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Well
Done 2001 Alumni Club Program of the Year: Alumni Club of the Capital District for its involvement in Party for a Plate to support the regional food bank in Albany, New York. 2001 Alumni Club Officer of the Year: Dawn Armstrong of the Alumni Club of Arizona. 2001 Alumni Club Community Service Award: Alumni Club of Western New York for its work with the Akron Relay for Life kickoff breakfast. |
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| Retiring
Club Presidents Two alumni club presidents, Christopher Root of Washington, D.C., and Alison Nathan of Cleveland, recently completed their terms of office. We thank them for their continuing commitment. |
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Syracuse University Magazine | Syracuse University | 820 Comstock
Ave | Room 308 | Syracuse NY 13244-5040
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