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Oh, what a night! More than 200 alumni and friends attended our premier event of the year. Our March 27, 2009 Alumni Awards Dinner was a huge success! The Chateau La Mer provided a wonderful setting for our Dinner, with abundant and delicious food, drink and atmosphere. Our honorees, their guests, fellow Farmingdale State College staff, faculty and students enjoyed an evening filled with Alumni Pride. Every honoree was special, and each has a unique bond with Farmingdale State College. The program for the evening was filled with acknowledgements and accolades for the distinctive individuals who were honored. Upon arrival, attendees were greeted with piano music. As they made their way to the cocktail hour, they were impressed with the water views and the sunset. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. Our favorite troubadours, Ken and Charlie from Good Question, provided music for the evening. Our honorees assembled around the room and basked in the warmth of congratulations and reconnection. As the attendees arrived in the main dining room, they were seated and still eagerly reminiscing with one another. The program began with opening remarks by Eileen Hasson, Director of Alumni Affairs and emcee for the event, President Hubert Keen, and Judith McEvoy, ’61, President of the Alumni Association. The awards began with a tribute to past Association presidents. As Judy brought up those in attendance, each was presented with a special glass paperweight commemorating their service. Carl Lanzisera, ’59, Michael O’Rourke, ’73, Lucille Wesnofske, ‘66 and Marvin Fischer, ‘78 accepted their gifts. The program continued with our Outstanding Alumni awards. Sharon Strumminger, ’66, presented to award recipient Dr. Laura Joseph, ’84, who spoke about her successful career and her family, and her experiences as Chair of Farmingdale’s Dental Hygiene program. Then, 10 year old Rebeca Garcia Martinez lovingly introduced her uncle, Alejandro Martinez Gomez, who shared a wonderful tribute to his father, honoree Oscar Martinez, ’50. This was quickly becoming an extraordinary experience for all in the room. So touched by his family’s tribute, Oscar could barely speak, saying, “There are no words.” He then thanked everyone. Oscar, along with 19 family members, flew up from Monterrey, Mexico to be a part of the Awards Dinner. Very special indeed. Three other Class of 1950 grads were in attendance to support Oscar’s honor, Anthony Mastroianni, Walter Schoendorf and Francisco Garcia. We then brought up to the podium, Michael O’Rourke, ’73, to present the Outstanding Alumni Supporter award to Dr. Patricia Hill Williams, former VP for External Affairs, who oversaw Alumni relations, Government Relations and corporate fundraising efforts. Pat is well known among the many faculty and staff who came to the event in support of her recognition. Pat recalled the long friendships she shares with so many of the attendees, and how pleased she is to see the Association’s recent progress. Also honored as Outstanding Employer Partner was H2M, a local engineering, architectural and environmental firm who has had a forty year relationship with the college in supporting its Construction Technology program and hiring our graduates, some of whom have enjoyed long-standing careers with the company. After President Keen introduced H2M’s president, John Molloy, he spoke about the partnership H2M has maintained with the college. John then announced that H2M’s recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Employee award was Gary Loesch, ’72, who has worked for the company for many years. Gary spoke about his fond memories of his time at Farmingdale, and how he met and married his college sweetheart as a result of attending our college. Gary is currently Executive VP of H2M Group. H2M was also our Dinner Sponsor, and we appreciate all of their support. Then it was time for our final award presentation of the evening. This year’s recipient of Alumnus of the Year, Philip Schiavone, ’64, is a very special person. He has maintained friendships that were established while attending Farmingdale, and his friends are loyal. It was the nomination of Phil made by fellow ’64 graduate, Frank Grippi that brought Phil to our attention. In his presentation, Frank recalled their shared experiences and long-term connection with affection. Phil is the former President of EW Howell, a construction company, and since retiring has devoted time to community projects. He is responsible for overseeing the Port Jefferson Village’s Harbor Front Park project. We look forward to both Phil and Frank sharing their expertise with us as we pursue our “Log Cabin” initiative. Pat Calabria, VP for Institutional Advancement presented proclamations and citations to each of the evening’s honorees. The Dinner was also extra-special due to the efforts of Association Board member, Joe Egan, ’70, who provided Boars Head Baskets as table prizes for the event. Joe’s generosity also allowed us to conduct a special Alumni Cruise to Canada raffle, where fellow Board member, Elizabeth Santosus, ’78 was chosen the winner. The cruise is to be held from June 7-11, 2009 aboard the Carnival Triumph. Special thanks to the Dinner Committee, honorees and all of the participants and journal/raffle supporters who made this event so memorable. As always, thanks to Sylvia Navarro-Nicosia for her incredible commitment and talents, and for the support of the Office for Institutional Advancement. We hope to see you next year! |
