Nancy Cantor, Chancellor and President

Sandi Tams Mulconry ’75, Associate Vice President for University Communications; Publisher

Jeffrey Charboneau G’99, Executive Director of Creative Services;
Executive Editor

EDITOR
Jay Cox

ART DIRECTOR
Laurie Cronin ’81

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Margaret Costello, Amy Speach Shires

ASSISTANT EDITORS
Kathleen M. Haley ’92, David Marc

DESIGNER
Amy McVey

WEB PAGE DESIGNER
W. Michael McGrath

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Jennifer Merante

CLASS NOTES COORDINATOR
Velita Chapple

STUDENT INTERNS
Osasu Airhiavbere G’05, Julie Andrews G’05, Husna Haq ’05, Ashley Sterne G’05

CONTRIBUTORS
Rachel Boll G’04, Kate Gaetano, Sarah Khan G’04, Amy Mehringer, Cynthia Moritz ’81, Tere Paniagua ’82, Scott Pitoniak ’77, Tom Raynor, Christine Yackel G’75

Syracuse University Magazine (USPS 009-049, ISSN 1065-884X) Volume 21, Number 4, is an official bulletin of Syracuse University and is published four times yearly: spring, summer, fall, and winter by Syracuse University, Syracuse NY 13244. It is distributed free of charge to alumni, friends, faculty, and staff. Periodical postage paid at Syracuse, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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OTHER MAGAZINE BUSINESS: Syracuse University Magazine, 820 Comstock Avenue, Room 308, Syracuse NY 13244-5040. Telephone: 315-443-2233; Fax: 315-443-5425. E-mail: jacox@syr.edu. Web site: sumagazine.syr.edu.

Contents © 2004 Syracuse University, except where noted. Opinions expressed in Syracuse University Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of its editors or policies of Syracuse University.

Postmaster: Send address corrections to 820 Comstock Avenue, Room 009, Syracuse NY 13244-5040.

OpeningRemarks

Showcasing Success

We all travel different paths in our lives. And as actor Peter Weller ’04 said in The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Where Syracuse University alumni end up always intrigues me because of the wide range of their experiences. Here, in this special issue of Syracuse University Magazine, we profile a fascinating group of alumni—stellar performers working at numerous professions all over the world. Their successes come in many forms, for there is no instant formula or magic elixir that produces them. One is a scientist who has a microorganism named in her honor. Another plays professional football and cherishes his responsibility as a role model. One works in her native Botswana, trying to rid the country of its HIV/AIDS epidemic. Another is a founding father of the Silicon Valley microchip revolution. There’s also a governor, a pediatric nephrologist, a high school principal, a war crimes prosecutor, and a mountain-climbing photographer who’s an international children’s rights advocate.

These alumni have different backgrounds, interests, talents, experiences, and visions, but what they all have in common is a Syracuse University education. In sharing their stories with us, they recall professors who served as mentors and the influential experiences they had on the Hill, often noting that Syracuse is the place that helped them become who they are today. They all contribute to our society and the world, whether it’s through writing song lyrics, providing support for a student’s education, creating positive change in a former inmate’s life, or delivering a radio dispatch from a far-flung corner of the globe. They take risks. They buck conventional wisdom. They inspire us. They make us laugh. They make us think. They may even enrage us. Most of all, they make us realize how we, as individuals, can make things happen if we’re determined and true to our convictions.

We all learn lessons from our successes and failures; what’s important is that we are not deterred by the challenges that confront us and keep on keeping on. Through such perseverance, sooner or later, good things often result. From my vantage point, I see that happening all the time among the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Syracuse University. It’s a nice reflection on SU—and it shows us a future full of promise.

—Jay Cox
Editor