UPDATED JUNE 2008
A number of chemistry/biochemistry alums are “temporarily lost” in our database. If you have any information (work address,
mail address, e-mail, etc.) please notify Phil Kumler (kumler@fredonia.edu). Those temporarily lost include Marshall
Vandewalle (BS 1986), and Kristen (Miller) Ruest (BS 2000).
Kris Hite (BS-Biochem 2005) checked in from Fort Collins, CO where he is entering the fourth year of the biochemistry
program at Colorado State University. He has just submitted a review article about his research (involving chromatin) to
Biochemistry & Cell Biology. He is still quite excited about his research but is hoping to get some additional teaching
experience while at Colorado State. Kris seems to be “ahead of the game” in terms of gasoline conservation as he bikes to
the lab everyday and also fixes old bikes. He and his yellow lab Ben enjoy running and hiking in the northern Rockies.
His sister Katie will enter her senior year at Fredonia this fall.
Another 2005 grad, John Lemon (BS Chem 2005) recently updated his online records from the west as well. John is in
the PhD program in Chemistry at the University of Arizona. He is working with Mary J. Wirth on probing the proton pumping
action of bacteriorhodopsin in an artificial lipid bilayer with potential solar energy applications.
Jason Nowak (BS Chem 1991) and his wife Michelle Vitanov Nowak (BS Chem 1991) will soon be packing up in
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for a new assignment at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jason graduated from the Army’s
Command and General Staff College. They are very excited about their move further west.
Recently retired from active teaching is Pat Volk (MS Chem 1975). Pat taught Physics and Physical Science for 21
years at Pine Valley Central School. Pat is actively enjoying her four grandchildren and happily anticipating two more
grandchildren, one in October and one in December. Their youngest son, Kevin, graduated summa cum laude from Fredonia
with a double major in English and Music.
It had been a while since we heard from Jim Happell (BS Chem 1984). He is at the University of Miami as a research
associate professor. His current research interests are the atmospheric chemistry of ozone-depleting substances and
using CFCs to trace global ocean circulation. He reports he has been spending more time at sea over the last several years
and just recently returned from a cruise to Antarctica where he experienced 30-40 foot waves for 24 hours.
Another voice from the past….alumnus Joe Korwin (BS Chem 1975) recalled fondly his Houghton Hall days and his many
friends from there (Dr. Supple, Dr. DIngledy, Dr. Moos, Mike Marletta, J Elton Dewhurst, Steve Suib, Lesley Palmer and his
uncle Ange Bennice who convinced him to pursue chemistry. Joe became a Physician Assistant and then a physician
(internist) and currently works at the VA Medical Center in Augusta, GA. He is the Medical Director of the Special Exam
Unit and the Employee Health Unit. In addition he a clinical associate professor of medicine at the Medical College of
Georgia (his medical alma mater).
Barry E. Taylor (BS Chem 1969) is currently a Ph.D. Research Fellow with DuPont Electronic Technologies.
Barry received his PhD in Solid State Inorganic Chemistry at Brown University working for Aaron Wold, a friend and
associate of Paul Weller, his Fredonia mentor, thesis advisor, and friend. He has had many interesting assignments during
his 35 years at DuPont, including a five year stay in Japan. He works at the Technical Center in Research Triangle Park in
NC, doing development and research on thick film screen printable electronic pastes, He has no imminent plans to retire
but spends as much time as possible at his cottage in the Adirondacks with his companion animals (his dog Sadie Mae and his
cockatiel Ravi Singh). Barry would be very interested in hearing from fellow Fredonia alumni.
Checking in from southern Utah was Kris Griffith (BS Chem 1996), who received his PhD from Georgia Tech under
Charles Liotta in 2001. He went to work for American Pacific Corporation in southern Utah as a senior scientist.
After 4+ years he was promoted to Director, Analytical Labs and Product Development. This division manufactures
perchlorates, sodium azide, and a fire extinguisher blend called Halotron. Kris married his wife Tara in 2002 and they
welcomed their daughter Sloane Maci in 2006.
Ryan Landis (BS Chem 2006) has recently accepted a position at Xerox in Rochester where he will be an EA toner process
specialist. Ryan is glad to finally be able to use his technical skills and training.
Following his Fredonia career, Scott Lewis (BS Chem 1979) pursued a career in aviation. He has been flying for United
Airlines since 1985 and is currently a captain on the Airbus 320. Part of his career included flight instructing at
Florida Institute of Technology. Scott currently lives in Maryland with his wife and two teenage children. Though he did
not pursue chemistry as a career Scott indicated that his Fredonia degree did open doors for him and contributed to his
problem solving skills. To keep active in teaching he teaches martial arts one night a week
(check out http://www.kreimers-karate.com/scott.html) and is pursuing a second career as a writer. I especially liked a
quote that Scott included in his e-mail: “Giving money & power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to
teenage boys” (P.J. O’Rourke).
It is always nice to report about alums receiving awards. Recently Julia (Giambra) Gavin (BS Chem 1993) was recently named
as Eli Lilly & Company’s Six Sigma Sponsor of the Year for Lilly Research Laboratories. Julia was nominated for this honor
based on the five projects she completed in 2007, which saved the Indianapolis based company more than half a million
dollars. She received her PhD in chemistry from Penn State and joined Lilly in 1998 as a senior analytical chemist.
She was promoted to principal research scientist in 2003, and is currently head of small molecule analytical chemistry
where she is responsible for Lilly’s Global Industrial Hygiene Laboratory supporting 22 manufacturing facilities around the
world. Julia and her husband Peter Gavin (BS Chem 1993), who also has a PhD in chemistry from Penn State, have completed
10 years with Lilly and are residing in Zionsville, IN with their daughters Nicole and Claire.
J Elton Dewhurst (BA Chem 1971, MS Chem 1973) reported in from Macungie, PA where he still works for Air Products.
I am sure some of you are aware of The Element Song made famous by Tom Lehrer. How many of you are aware of The Element
Song written by Frank Vollaro (BS Chem 1970) and J Elton? It was first written in 1968, revamped in 2007, and has finally
been recorded in its entirety. There are 116 verses for a total of 47 minutes of music. Each element gets one four-line
verse except hydrogen, which gets two extra for deuterium and tritium, and carbon and nitrogen which each get two verses
because “we like them”. J Elton promises to send a CD when it is finished and included in his e-mail the last verse:
Elements, elements, the subject’s never boring
Who wouldn’t want to hear a song of boron, lead and fluorine?
We hope you like the song we wrote, don’t say we didn’t warn ya
And, yes, we learned about this stuff at SUNY in Fredonia
He reports that he spends as much time as he can in his fully digital recording studio (in his home) where he has produced
18+ CDs.
An online update (easy for all of you to do at the chemistry website) was received from Ed Castellana (BS Chem 1999)
reporting in from Texas. Ed received his PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M in 2005 and is currently a postdoctoral fellow
there.
Patti (Andolino) Brandt (BS 1981) updated us from Minnesota where she recently completed 22 years at 3M where she is
currently a Material Compliance Program Manager. Her latest focus is getting 3M ready to meet the requirements for the new
European regulation called REACH. Prior to that assignment she was Sax Sigma Black Belt and lead/coached many cost
reduction, quality improvement, and new technology projects. Her two sons Kyle (15) and Alex (12) keep Patti and her
husband Mike very busy, Both boys play competitive soccer year round and Patti volunteers with a youth group at church,
was on the school parent advisory council for a few years, and is now on the new high school boundary task force and
oversight committee.
Somewhat closer to home, Henry Milliman (BS Chem 2007) is really enjoying the PhD program in Polymer Science at Case
Western Reserve where he is working with Dave Schiraldi. His NSF-sponsored project is entitled “Processing of Self
Assembled, Bottom-up Nanocomposite Polymers. Henry presented a poster on his work at an NSF-grantees conference in
Knoxville in January where he toured the Oakridge National Laboratory. Henry and his girlfriend Jessica, a student at Ohio
College of Podiatric Medicine) are loving Cleveland and what they are doing.
Another online update came from Charles Hagmaier (BS Chem 1985) who currently lives and works in Canada. After many years
at Kodak in Rochester he moved across the border in 2002 to work for Deluxe Laboratories, the largest motion picture
processing facility in the world. Charlie reports that he has actually been dealing with motion picture industry ever
since he left college. He is currently the VP of engineering for Deluxe and lives in Oakville, Ontario with his wife Tina
and their three children.
Keith Mesch (BS Chem 1976) shared some fond remembrances of his Fredonia days: “Great news for Angelo
[Ange Bennice (BS Chem 1973)]. He was my “study buddy” for PChem back in my day. I spent several evenings at his kitchen
table going through PChem problems trying to pass Hopke’s class. We did it and we got A’s!"
Mark Bailey (BS Chem 1977) reported in from Haddonfield NJ where he has just celebrated his tenth anniversary SAS
Institute. Mark reports that his work is a mix of teaching, developing and revising training courses, and collaborating
with JMP R&D at SAS Institute. His focus remains on data analysis, statistics, modeling, design and analysis of
experiments, and scripting. Mark’s wife manages compensation and incentive programs at AstraZeneca in Wilmington
Delaware. Their two children Greg & Lisa are new sophomores in high school.
Reporting in from Texas was Joe DelPrincipe (BS Chem 1978) where he is chairman of the Emergency Room and president of
Arlington Emergency Medicine. He also works for the department of public safety as their medical director as well as
directing a first response EMS service and training police offices to draw blood for their DWI program. Joe has 5 boys
ages 12-18 with one starting college in the fall at Texas Tech. His daughter Lorenza, from a first marriage is a
veterinarian in Kansas.
UPDATED FEBRUARY 2008
Governor Eliot Spitzer has appointed Angelo P. Bennice (BS Chem 1973) to the SUNY Fredonia College Council. This is Ange's
second stint on the council, previously serving from 1977 to 1999 as a council member. In addition to numerous appointments
and awards, Ange received the Chemistry Department's Honored Alumnus award in 1980. For the complete press release on this
appointment, check out the article in the Observer.
Deanna (Nuszkowski) Carlsen (BS Chem 1993) will be returning to the western New York area. In Deanna's own
words "It is true.... After 11 years, 2 apartments, 2 houses, and 2 Texas born children, we are headed back North!" Brett has
accepted a marketing position with Labatt USA in Buffalo and Deanna will continue to work for Dannon part-time. "While Texas
will always hold a special place in our heart, it is time for us to enjoy family, cousins, grandparents, nieces & nephews!"
By the time you are reading this Deanna & Brett and their two children should be back in the Buffalo area.
The University at Buffalo Alumni Association has recently selected Cynthia (Miller) Hoover (BS Chem 1995) for
the George W. Thorn Award. This award is given annually to a UB graduate under 40 in recognition of their outstanding
national or international contributions to their career field or academic area. Cindy received her chemistry doctorate
from UB and, after two years as a research chemist at Advanced Technology Materials, she joined the Praxair Research &
Development Center as a developmental associate in electronics technology. She is now director of research and development
for the Fortune 500 company that has operations around the world. She holds several patents and in 2005 was the recipient
of the Young Eminent Engineer Award from the National Academy of Engineering.
Another recent grad has "checked in" from Jamestown NY. Alicia (Hartman) Johnson (BS Biochem 2007) recently
sent pictures of her new baby girl Kaia Mae born 12/13/2007. Alicia reports that she is "feeling lost without Fredonia. I
can say I actually miss it." Her husband Ben has some great job offers in the Raleigh, NC area so they are putting their
house up for sale and planning on moving soon. Alicia plans on working for a year or two and then pursuing her PhD. Alicia
received the chemistry department's Outstanding Senior Award for 2006-2007.
It seems like this is the issue to report on awards. Michael Marletta (BA Chem 1973) has been selected to
receive the 2008 Murray Goodman Memorial Prize, sponsored by Biopolymers. This annual award was established in memory of
Dr. Murray Goodman, founding editor of Biopolymers. This award will be presented during the Fall 2008 meeting of the
American Chemical Society. Mike received this prize for contributions towards a molecular understanding of nitric oxide
(NO) signaling and gas sensing using chemical and biophysical methods. Mike is currently the Aldo DeBenedictis
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and also chair of the chemistry department. Mike also holds the
distinction of being the only Fredonia alum as a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
The department recently received a recruiting notice for an opening at the Frewsburg processing facility of Keywell LLC.
Keywell is a processor of ferrous and non-ferrrous scrap alloys. Jeff Ohman (BS Chem 1985) is their chief
chemist.
UPDATED DECEMBER 2007
Nicky Colomb (BS Biochem 2000) recently checked in from Richmond, VA. Where she is the Director of
Marketing for Virginia Biotechnology Research Park. She keeps in touch with some other Fredonia alums (Janice Menz,
Jackie Koczaja, and Pattra Wirojratana). In Nicky’s own words…”I have so many great memories – and friends – from
Fredonia. It really was a great place! COLD, but great.”
Though not a chemistry alum, Tom Ott spent a lot of time in Houghton Hall working on the triple-quad mass
spec with Phil Kumler. He is currently finishing his biology degree at University of Texas at San Antonio. Tom and his
soon-to-be bride Cassie (a June 2008 wedding is planned) are building a home and Tom plans on attending medical school at
UTSA next year.
A recent article in the Dunkirk Observer announced the birth of Isabella Ann Stolle, granddaughter of Dr. Sheryl
Westling Bushman (BS Chemistry 1978). Sheryl is a practicing physician in Fort Scott, KS and is also extensively
involved in humanitarian work in Haiti.
A recent publication (ChemMedChem, 2007, 2, 1-5) entitled “Vitamin B12 as a Carrier for the Oral Delivery of Insulin” had
Amanda K. Petrus (BS Chemistry 2003) as lead author. This paper was recently highlighted in Faculty of 1000
Biology. Amanda is currently pursuing her PhD degree in Chemistry at Syracuse University.
Michael Marletta (BS Chem & Biol 1973) returned to campus recently and presented an exciting seminar entitled “From NO S
ignaling to Ligand Discrimination to a Blood Substitute”. While on campus he participated in the Chemistry Department award
ceremony and presented the Mary Marletta Biochemistry Award to freshman biochemistry major Amanda Button of Stanley. The
award is named in honor of Mike’s mother. Mike is the Aldo DeBenedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UC
Berkeley and the only Fredonia alum to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
The good news continues about Tim Grant (BS Biochem 2005). He has essentially totally recovered from his
serious accident and recently married Rachel Perkins. Tim continues to pursue his dream of cattle ranching and hopes to
be selling grass-fed beef in Chautauqua County in the near future.
Recently another “lost” alumnus checked in. Michael Carges (BS Chemistry 1985) continues to teach physics at
Greece Athena High School in Rochester, NY. In 2003 Mike received the William D. Ryan Inspirational Teacher Award sponsored
by the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. One of Mike’s students who nominated him said “The
knowledge he imparts to his students sets him apart from other teachers I have had in the past. Mr. Carges strives to
inspire those around him in many ways. His instruction in class was truly one of the most exemplary models I have
encountered in high school.” Mike recently finished a second masters degree (in administration) but is not certain he
really wants to lose the contact with his students. Mike and his wife have three children, the oldest just starting high
school and the youngest just starting first grade.
After 19 years at General Electric Plastics, Rick Joyce (BS Chemistry 1981) joined Sun Chemical in
Carlstadt, NJ in 2005 where he is the Vice President, Technology & Growth Initiatives. Rick commented that the move was a
great opportunity although he spends considerable time on the road. Rick supervises a group of about 120 people at 4
sites (2 in the UK, one in NJ, and one in CT). Rick resides in Albany but also maintains an apartment in NJ. Rick received
his PhD in chemistry from Penn State in 1986.
Another “defection” from General Electric Plastics resulted in Paul Hans (BS Chem 1983) moving to a
position as Product Manager HP/S-ETP in the Engineered Materials Group at PolyOne Corporation in Avon Lake, Ohio. One great
aspect of the job change was that it did not require Paul, his wife Tammy, and their four children to move from their home
in Medina, Ohio.
Rick Herman (BS Chem 1966) continues to keep us updated on his activities at Lehigh University where he
continues his catalysis research and also his teaching. By invitation of the Chemistry department he is teaching “Chemical
Equilibrium in Aqueous Systems” for the Fall 2007 semester (an 8:10am class of 87 students) and will teach “Intro to
Chemical Principles” in the spring semester.
Jeff Takos (BS Biochemistry 2007) is working in a B2 lab in Rochester doing bioanalytical chemistry for LHT
and is contracted to Johnson & Johnson. He plans to attend medical school starting in January 2008.
Martin Pollizotto (BS Biochemistry 2000) is a technical support analyst at Sequent Energy Management in
Houston. Martin earned a graduate degree at Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to his current position he was a laboratory
manager at UT-Houston and a technical sales representative at Improvision Inc.
Greg Roth (BS/MS Chemistry 1979/84) seems to be quite settled into his new position as Associate Professor
and Director of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacology at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona in their
brand new venture in Orlando,FL. You may wish to check out his web page.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2007
Bart Schober (BS Chem 1987) recently visited campus to attend the Kumler Conference and present a paper. Bart completed
his PhD degree at Penn State in 1992 with Bronco Gordon in polymer science. Bart has been employed by Lubrizol Corporation
near Cleveland Ohio since leaving Penn State. Bart has held a number of different positions with Lubrizol and is currently
responsible for the oversight and development of polymer characterization methods at Lubrizol. He holds three patents in
the field of electrorheological fluids and one in the area of block copolymers via living free radical polymerization.
Bart currently lives in Perry, Ohio with his wife Diane and their four children. Bart’s off-the-job interests include
theological study, carpentry, home renovation, and parenting.
From Parsippany, NJ some reminiscences by Ed Fennessy, Jr. (BS Chem 1987, MS Chem 1989) were shared with the department.
He shared fond memories of chemistry field trips, especially to Toronto which included the infamous Henry Moore tours.
“It was fun associating with nerds and having fun!” Ed is employed at Pfizer Global Manufacturing where he is the
Manager/Team Leader for Quality Inspection.
As an update on the alumni briefs from March 2007, it is a pleasure to report that alumnus Tim Grant (BS Biochem 2005) is
undergoing a remarkable recovery from his serious accident in Feb. 2007. Tim has recovered enough to pursue his dream to
become a cattle rancher and soon will be selling organic beef in the western NY area. Many of the faculty got a chance to
visit with Tim when he attended the Kumler Conference in May, 2007.
The last mystery alumnus quiz proved to be too challenging. If you remember you were asked to identify three chemistry
alums in a group photo taken during a recent visit to campus. No one was able to identify all three alums but one person
was able to correctly identify two of the alums. Our congratulations to Pamela Krna Barry (BS Chem 1982) who correctly
identified twin brothers Jim Connors (BS Chem 1982) and Bill Connors (BS Chem 1983). No one was able to correctly identify
the third chem alum in the picture Charles McVay (BS Chem 1988). The picture is shown below: #1 is McVay, #2 is Bill
Connors, and #3 is Jim Connors.
An article describing the history and technology of
sandpaper, which appeared recently in Chemical & Engineering News relied heavily on the work of alumnus
Stefan Babirad (BS Chem 1981). “From a layman’s perspective, you might think that you just sprinkle little rocks on
a backing, but there’s a lot of science behind sandpaper”. Stefan received his PhD in chemistry from Carnegie-Mellon,
was a postdoc at Harvard, and is currently a technical director at 3M Abrasive Systems Division in Minneapolis.
Another chemistry alum has “come home”. Carl Gaupp (BS Chem 1997) has recently returned to Fredonia as a student.
After receiving his PhD in Chemistry from University of Florida. Carl has had a productive and rewarding career at Dow
Chemical in Midland, MI. He has now decided to pursue one of his long standing dreams and become a teacher. Carl is
enrolled in the graduate program at Fredonia, is TAing freshman labs, and is pursuing his New York State certification. We
are excited to have Carl back in the department.
Bryan Kroon (BS Chem 2007) reports that he absolutely loves his position at Ecology & Environment in Lancaster NY as
a validation chemist. He is currently involved with remediation clean ups for military and government contacts
(EPA, DEC, DOD, and Army Corps of Engineers) and has also enjoyed field sampling in New Jersey, Georgia, and South
Carolina. Bryan and his wife live in Orchard Park.
Katie Johnson (BS Chem 2007) reports from Jamestown NY that she took 12 hours of graduate course work at St.
Bonaventure over this past summer. She is enrolled in a master’s program at SBU which will result in NYS certification to
teach 7th and 8th grade science as well as high school chemistry. During this coming year, while completing her course
work, she will also substitute teach, work part time, and spend time with her family.
Another “lost” alumnus has resurfaced. Larry Heverley (BS Chem 2006) has had a very active career. Since leaving
Fredonia in 1999 he completed the 3-2 Co-Op engineering program at UB, had an internship at Laser Photonics and then
worked for General Motors on fuel cells. Subsequently he spent 3 years at Catalytic Solutions in Oxnard, CA but recently
returned to western NY to be closer to family; he is working at General Electric in Erie, PA. Larry and his wife Clare
have three girls and are expecting their fourth child in March 2008.
Katie (Skelly) Richards (BS Chem 2002) is working at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the laboratory
of Dr. Andrea Sant where she has acted as the laboratory manager and is now a Senior Technician; she works in the Center
for Vaccine Biology and Immunology. She has been a co-author on several publications and the first paper on which she is
the primary author was recently accepted. In September 2003 she married Joseph Richards and their son Zachary was born in
2005.
Several alumni have noted that the keynote address presented by Phil Kumler at the recent Kumler Conference was not
included (as it was stated) in the recent e-mail to the CHEMALUMNI listserv. The size of the Powerpoint file precluded it
being included in such a mass mailing. For a copy of Dr. Kumler's Keynote Address, click
here.
UPDATED MARCH 2007
Bill Connors (BS Chem 1983) was on campus for Homecoming in October 2006 and
reported that he and his wife of 19 years have 4 children (3 boys, 1 girl; ages 10-18).
His oldest son is a freshman at UB (pharmacy) and his daughter will start college next
fall. He continues to work for the West Valley Demonstration Project which is a
DOE/NYSERDA nuclear waste remediation project. For the last seven years he has been
working as an environmental engineer responsible for the characterization and shipping
of low-level radioactive waste.
Andy Cosgrove (BS Chem 1995) who obtained an MS in Chemistry and an MBA (both from Boston College) is a
project manager (Global Learning and Development) for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and resides in Fairfield CT with his
wife Alison and son Ethan. Andy had an interesting insight on his Fredonia education. In his words
“I am enjoying a successful career at Pfizer and…..I attribute much of my accomplishments to date with my learning
experiences from the Fredonia Chemistry Department. Each member of the department from 1991-1995 had a tremendous
impact on my development.”
Recently while surfing the web I located another “lost” alum. Duane Clement (BS Chem 1989 and BS in Chem Eng
from UB 1989) is currently the president of SRBI Market Insights Division in Erlanger, KY. Duane started his
career with Procter & Gamble for 9 years, leading the successful development and launch of several new products.
After P&G he was the CEO of Bounty SCA where he had responsibility for a $180 million global Marketing
Services network with 1300 employees and operations in 29 countries. He then became CEO of Catalina Marketing Research
Solutions where he focused the company on building research solutions to provide actionable information and
influence business results. Check out his website at:
[http://www.srbi.com/duane_clement.html].
Patrick DePalma (BS Chem 1992) resurfaced (after a long absence) in Windsor Mill, MD
(about 30 minutes from Annapolis). He received his MS in Chemistry from Clemson, spent a year working for
a start-up biopharm firm in South Carolina, and then moved to Guilford Pharmaceuticals in Maryland. Patrick moved
back to the Rochester area in 2000 where he married his wife Amy in 2002. They moved back to Maryland where he
worked for a contract pharmaceutical organization and he recently joined Azopharma (based in South Florida).
He covers the mid-Atlantic states, works out of his home when not traveling, and is currently the Director of
Business Development for Azopharma.
Some of you may have already heard about the serious accident involving alumnus Tim Grant (BS Biochem 2005)
which happened on Feb 3, 2007. Tim was working part-time as a tow truck operator, trying to pull a disabled vehicle
back on to the NYS Thruway near Fredonia, when an 18-wheeler struck the tow truck pushing it over Tim into
the disabled vehicle. After more than a month in ECMC I am happy to report that Tim has returned to Fredonia
to continue his recuperation here. I have talked with him by phone and he reports that he should have a full
recovery in the not too distant future. He is anxious to visit the department for a visit.
Rick Herman (BS Chem 1966) checked in from Lehigh University where he continues his active NSF research
project on NO abatement/reduction and is teaching a course entitled “Chemical Equilibrium in Aqueous Systems’.
Rick reminisced about doing an undergrad research project with Paul Weller at Fredonia, attempting to grow
MASER crystals for microwave applications. His work was carried out in the basement of the “brand new” Jewett Hall.
He also recalled fondly his interactions with both Doug Carter and Gil Moos.
Bill Lennox (BS Chem 1993) checked in from New Jersey to introduce his son Eli Joseph born in October 2006.
As an Associate Scientist at PTC Therapeutics he had a busy year including process development work for an
oncology clinical candidate drug, and he spent some time working on a muscular dystrophy target and an antibacterial
target. You may check out the company at: [http://www.ptcbio.com]
I had another “chance encounter” with one of our alums. I recently needed an appliance repaired and have dealt
over the years with Wally Latimer in Fredonia. When the serviceman arrived at our house it did not take us long
to realize that we knew each other. Mark Lis (BS Chem 1984), after a long and productive career in the
corporate world, decided to “come home”. After a year of being trained by Wally, Mark bought the business
but maintains the name Latimer’s Major Appliance Repair. Mark and his wife Valerie live in Portland NY
and Mark told me that he loves what he is doing and has no regrets about leaving the “corporate rat race”.
Joe Pietro (BS 1997, MS 2006 both in Chem) and his wife traveled to Guatemala in December 2005
and brought home their newly adopted 7 month old son to join their other three children (1 boy 2 girls).
Joe reports that his company Safetec ([http://www.safetec.com]) just finished up their most recent FDA
inspection and “no 483 was issued”.
Another “lost” alumnus has resurfaced. Roberta Schwartz (BS Chem 1997) is back in the western NY area
since April 2006 after stints in both Madison WI and Chicago. She claims that she is a “stay-at-home mom”
with her two year old Edgar. In her words: “My other full time job besides being a mom is managing
Queen City Roller Girls. As a startup organization with 50 smart, strong, sassy girls it keeps me pretty busy.
I run the business end of things and coach the skaters. We’ve been pretty lucky with all the press we received
lately (two feature articles in the last 6 months in the Buffalo News) and hopefully things will continue to
get bigger and better.” If you are interested in checking out “Sweets” avocation check out their web site
at [http://www.queencityrollergirls.net ]
Mark Stringer (MS Chem 1982) has been working at Valeo (Jamestown NY) as Supplier Quality Manager
for the past two years. In that capacity Mark has had the opportunity to travel the world including China,
Europe, South America, and Mexico and he has greatly enjoyed seeing the rest of the world. Mark continues
to have a distinguished career in quality management in the industrial sector.
Another alumnus appeared during some of my “surfing”. Greg Swiech (BS Chem 1983) is a senior research
analyst with Ariel Research Corporation which is now a part of 3E Company
[www.3ecompany.com/].
The company, located in McLean VA, is a global provider of chemical, regulatory, and compliance information
services. Greg had almost 20 years experience with Akzo Nobel when his (and 200 other) positions were eliminated
in 2003. Greg comments that “This new job let’s me expand my horizons by taking advantage of my chemistry,
regulatory and computer experience.
UPDATED NOVEMBER 2006
Edward T. Castellana (BS Chem 1999) is currently a postdoc in chemistry at Texas A & M, where received his PhD
in analytical chemistry. In addition to chemistry, Ed also had majors in both physics and mathematics at Fredonia. He
completed his PhD in analytical chemistry with Paul Cremer and is currently a postdoc with David Russel doing mass
spectrometry.
Jackie Winter (BS Chem 2004) has made a big move. Upon graduation from Fredonia she enrolled in the graduate
program in biological chemistry at the University of Arizona. In May 2005 she began her research work with Bradley
Moore; shortly after joining his group, he was recruited away by Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Jackie moved with
his group to LaJolla, CA. In Jackie’s words: “I really am lucky to be here! I couldn’t ask for more perfect weather,
but more importantly SIO-UCSD is now known as the ‘hot spot’ for marine natural products!”
Pamela Krna Barry (BS Chem 1982) checked in from Wilmington, DE where she is the manager for GCP compliance
for Cephalon, Inc. Pam spent the first 20 years of her career with Procter & Gamble in Norwich NY and Cincinnati OH.
She started out in analytical method development and then managed the GMP/GLP quality assurance analytical laboratory.
She has traveled to more than 20 countries and lived in the UK for a year while at P&G. Three years ago she moved to
Cephalon in Wilmington. In her spare time Pam loves to golf and spend time in her Nags Head, NC beach home.
John Farver ( BS Chem & Geology 1982) was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame at Brocton Central School
in Brocton NY. John was actually a triple major at Fredonia (Chemistry, Geology, and Geochemistry) and may be the
only department alum holding that distinction. John is an associate professor in the geology department at Bowling
Green State University where he is also the Director of the Office for Undergraduate Research. Since arriving at
Bowling Green he has obtained over $1.4 million in external funds.
Megan (McLean) Tichy (BS Chem 1999) completed her PhD in Chemistry from Texas A&M in July 2004. In August
2004 she accepted a non-tenure track faculty position at Texas A&M teaching sophomore level organic chemistry to
roughly 300 non-chemistry majors per semester. She was married to Dr. Shane Tichy (a chemistry graduate from Purdue)
in September 2004; their son (Nathan) was born in February 2006.
Jennifer Perez (BS Chem1988) was the winner of QUIZ #2. Jennifer recently left Astrazeneca and accepted
a position with Abbott Bioscience in Worcester, MA. She is currently working in technology development generating
antibody libraries that can be used to screen for binders specific to an antigen of interest. Her husband Daryl
Conte is doing a postdoc with Nobel Laureate (2006 Physiology or Medicine) Craig Mello at U Mass Medical School.
In her spare time Jennifer pursues her fascination with pottery and doing some applied chemistry.
Lauretta (Skidmore) Bateman (BS Chem 1984) reports from Texas that she misses western NY very much.
After working in pharmaceuticals (generic drug manufacturing) she moved to Petroleum Products Research at
Southwest Research Institute and then back to pharmaceuticals (clinical research trials). After developing some
chemical sensitivity she returned to school earning an MS in Project Management and is now a project manager for
Harcourt Publishing.
Charles McVay (BS Chem 1988) was on campus during the recent Homecoming weekend. Charles and his wife
and two sons live in Knoxville, TN and Charlie is still in the nuclear waste clean up business working for
Washington Group International in Oak Ridge TN which purchased parts of Westinghouse that he used to work for.
He runs an office that manages several large waste clean-up activities. Though he doesn’t get the opportunity
to do much chemistry anymore, he indicates that his BS in Chem has served him well.
UPDATED SEPT 2006
Cindy Wolfe (BS 1995) is now living on a horse farm in the mountains of North
Carolina with her daughter Chelsea who is now 15. Cindy recently completed her Masters in
Library Science and is seeking employment in that field. Cindy previously worked with
Kester Solder, AVL Scientific, and as a library trainee with the Buffalo and Erie County
Public Library.
Andy Slater (BS Biochem 2005) has recently accepted a position with Albany
Molecular Research Institute as a research scientist; Andy previously worked for
Stiefel Laboratories. In Andy’s own words “It should be an awesome job and I am
wicked excited”.
Rick Kiehle (BS 1988) reported in from California where he now works for Genentech.
Rick started his employment at Red Wing in Fredonia and then moved to California
and the environmental analysis industry including a stint at Superior Analytical
in San Francisco (owned by Richard Srna a former professor in our department).
He is currently an instrument technician at Genentech; he and his wife Eloisa have
a son Zion.
Sarah Stahl (BS 1999) is in the finishing stages of her PhD in chemistry
at Southern Illinois University working on silica sol-gel thin films and microspheres.
Sadie indicates that she is quite happy after her move from Texas.
Paul Hans (BS 1983; MS and PhD from Penn State) has recently completed 17 years
at General Electric. He is currently in their Advanced Materials business as an
applications development engineer. Prior to this Paul spent 15 years in GE Plastics
in a variety of roles. Paul, his wife Tammy, and four children reside in Medina, OH
where he is active in both Boy Scouts and his church.
Checking in from Rochester, NY was Gary Mosehauer (BS 1989). Gary was a
cooperative engineering student and received his BS in chemical engineering from MIT;
he also completed an MS in Statistics at RIT. Gary worked for Eastman Kodak in Rochester
from 1989 until 2002; in early 2003 he accepted a position with Kraft Foods in Tarrytown,
NY as a statistician. In Gary’s words, he “collaborates with scientists and
engineers on lots of fascinating projects helping them use and appreciate the power
of statistics.” Gary, his wife Anne, and their two daughters live in
Washingtonville, NY.
Tina Battaglia (BS 2000) completed her PhD in Chemistry from Arizona State
University in January 2005. She spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the
University of Cincinnati and now has returned to ASU as a postdoc and faculty
associate (teaching instrumental analysis). She is actively pursuing an industrial
career and will be getting married in June 2007.
JoAnn Catalano (MS 1981) has recently been promoted at Cummins Engine
to the title of Exempt Chemist. In addition to her MS in Chem from Fredonia she also
has a Fredonia BA in mathematics. Prior to her promotion JoAnn spent 17 years
in the Met/Chem lab. In addition to her expanded supervisory roles she actively
supports Cummins’ 3rd Grade Science Initiative.
As reported in the April 2006 Fredonia Statement, Martin Logan (BS 1982) has
completed 20 years with Dow Agrochemical in Indianapolis. Marty also has an MS
in Chemical Engineering from University of Virginia. His wife Nancy Gula-Logan
is also an alum with a BS in accounting from Fredonia. They reside in Indianapolis.
Marty was the 2005 commencement speaker at Forestville Central High School.
As reported in the April 2006 Fredonia Statement, Steve Heilman (BS 1993) is
a quality compliance specialist with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, headquartered
in Tarrytown, NY. Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company with several products
undergoing human clinical trials for the potential treatment of a diverse
set of diseases.
Nisar Amin (BS 1996) has recently accepted a new position as a
Vice-President for RCN Chemicals Inc. Established in Staten Island, NY RCN Chemicals
serves as a leading global manufacturer and supplier of specialty chemicals such as
rheological modifiers. Nisar was a Co-Op engineering student and also has a BS
in Chemical Engineering from SUNY Buffalo.
Tim Braun (BS 1991) has recently accepted a faculty position in the
Department of Biological Sciences at SUNY-Oswego. Tim received his PhD in Biology
from the University of Utah and most recently was a temporary faculty member
at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Prior to that he was a postdoc
at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Tim was a double major (chemistry and
recombinant gene technology) at Fredonia. We welcome Tim back to New York.
Check out his website.
Another department alum has migrated back east of the Mississippi. The lure of the east
was too much for Matt Steinbroner (BS 1997); he was formerly working in the
fuel cell industry in Oregon. He has recently accepted a position as a program manager
for Aspen Aerogels in Berlin, MA and is residing in Northborough, MA.
UPDATED FEB 2006
Kris Griffith (BS 1996, PhD from Georgia Tech 2001) has reported in from southern Utah
where he is working as a senior scientist for American Pacific Corporation. AMPAC is the sole
US producer of ammonium perchlorate and sodium azide. You may check out their web site at:
[http://www.apfc.com/].
Gayle Gawlik (BS 2004), who is in the PhD program at the University of Michigan,
is preparing to take her orals. Gayle is working with Anna Mapp who is one of the editors of
the new ACS journal Chemical Biology. Gayle is also serving as the Administrator for the
second semester Honors Organic Lecture which keeps her quite busy.
Lori (Cabell) Finuncane (BS 1979) reported in from southern California where she is
working as a chemist for Bio-Rad Laboratories. She has been living in the San Francisco bay
area for 27 years. She originally worked for Chevron’s pesticide company, Ortho Chemicals,
took some time out to raise two children and returned to the work world at Bio-Rad. Besides
whitewater rafting she enjoys showing Irish Wolfhounds.
Rick Herman (BS 1966, PhD Ohio University) has announced his “semi-retirement” from
Lehigh University. Not surprisingly Rick reports that: “although the pay is half-time, the
work is usually more than that”. He continues to work on projects for DuPont (new NO abatement
processes and catalysts) and is co-investigator on an NSF project using zeolite catalysts for
NO abatement. It is obvious that Rick hasn’t slowed down very much.
Bill Lennox (BS 1993) checked in from New Jersey where he is an Associate Scientist II
for PTC Therapeutics (www.ptcbio.com) . He contacted us to announce that PTC will be hiring
at all levels (BS, MS, PhD). Bill and his wife Patty are living in South Plainfield, NJ.
We had a recent e-mail from Diane (Grandits) Wolfrum (BA 1972) trying to locate
information on Dr. Paul Weller. Diane did research with Paul as an undergraduate.
Unfortunately we do not have any recent information on Paul Weller; if any of you have any
information, please e-mail us. Diane continues to teach Chemistry and AP Chemistry at
Lake Shore High School in Angola NY.
Tim Roy (BA 1970, MS 1974; PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from U of Florida) recently
checked in via e-mail. He is another one of our earlier grads who received a BA degree rather
than the BS. Tim is the Director of Port Royal Research (formerly Petrotec Inc.) located on
the campus of Univ. of South Carolina at Beaufort where he also holds a University
Affiliate position. Tim’s lab specializes in in vitro dermal and analytical services.
Ernie Linek (BS 1975) , “Ernie the Attorney” reported in from Massachusetts that he will
be presenting a paper at the upcoming ACS National Meeting in Atlanta in March 2006. He will
be speaking on “Patent Office Appeals” in the Division of Chemistry and Law. Anyone planning
on attending that meeting may wish to look him up. In addition to his BS in chemistry from
Fredonia, Ernie has an MS in Organic Chemistry from Univ. of New Hampshire, and a J.D. degree
from Seton Hall University. Ernie is a senior partner with Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
(http://www.bannerwitcoff.com/).
Mike Flaitz (BS 1992) recently updated from Spring Grove, Illinois. After many years
with Labelon Corporation doing polymer science, Mike took a position as plant manager at Miami
Wabash Paper Company in Franklin, OH. After a couple of years in Ohio Mike was recruited to
run the manufacturing group for Base-Line, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of supplies for
the graphic arts industries. Mike is currently the Vice-President of Manufacturing for
Base-Line (http://www.base-line.com/) and is living
in Spring Grove, IL.
Lynn Martynowicz-Andrews (BS 1983) checked in from Frankston, TX while she is out on
temporary disability from the corporate world because of serious back problems. Lynn has an
impressive record of successes at GE Plastics, Huntsman Chemical, and most recently as
Vice-President for American Standard Companies. Lynn holds 15 patents on GECET, a thermoplastic
widely used in the automotive industry and sits on the advisory review board for the Journal
of Cellular Plastics. Currently she and her husband own two businesses: First Time Ranch &
Beefmaster Cattle Co. Ltd and A-1 Custom Hay Baling. Lynn reported that she even recently
took short courses at Texas A & M on artificial insemination of cows and palpating cows!
You may wish to check out one of her web sites: http://home.earthlink.net/~first_time_ranch/
UPDATED SEPT 2005
John Dennerlein (BS 1977, MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson) reported in from Middlebury, CT
where he is the Global Marketing Director for a business within Chemtura Corporation. He is the
urethanes business unit and primarily is focused on growing the business. John is married to
another Fredonia graduate, Mary Diffley. John coached baseball for many years and currently
coaches soccer, plays hockey (predominantly roller hockey) and likes to sail and windsurf in the
summer.
Frank Vollaro (BS 1970) will be presenting “Monitoring Flavor Quality by Analytical
Methods” for the Institute of Technologist’s, Flavor Interactions course in late February in
Austin, TX. He just celebrated 15 years as the director of the analytical labs for Comax
Flavors in Melville, NY. He and some of his “older” hockey buddies will be playing in an “old
timer” tournament in Quebec in April. To quote Frank: “I say being over 50 isn’t old---for a
tree!”
Tim Grant (BS Biochem 2005) recently visited the department while home “on leave” from
his intern position at a huge grassfed cattle ranch in Idaho. In Tim’s words “…the best part is
riding the range. We have a 46,000 acre allotment in the mountains of central Idaho. I’ve
gotten to know a lot of it already and probably rode 500 miles on horseback.” Tim also
confessed that he carries a pocket periodic table with him on the range. If you check out the
ranch’s website [http://www.alderspring.com] some of
the pictures show Tim riding the range.
Though not an alumnus, former faculty member Paul Weller has “been found” in Sarasota,
FL where he and his wife Gail have a retirement home. Paul had a very distinguished academic
career culminating in a 10 year presidency at Framingham State University. Paul would love to
hear from former students and friends (contact Phil Kumler for mailing and/or e-mail address).
Cpt. Jason J. Nowak (BS Chem 1991) is currently serving his second tour of duty in Iraq
and hopes to return in about eight months. We are thankful for Jason and the many others that
are protecting our freedom. Jason is married to another Fredonia chemist, the former Michelle
E. Vitanov who also received her BS degree in chemistry from Fredonia the same year.
In the Chicago area Katie Carrado (BS Chem 1982, PhD U Conn 1986) has been promoted to
group leader of the catalyst design group in the Chemistry Divison of Argonne National Labs.
Katie worked with Steve Suib during a workshop on Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites in June in France.
You may know Steve (BS Chem 1975), another Chem alumnus, at U Conn. You may wish to check out one
of the following websites; the first is to research, and the second is to one of her pet
projects, “ChemShorts for Kids”.
http://chemistry.anl.gov/Catalyst%20Design/index.html
http://membership.acs.org/C/Chicago/CS_home.html
Also from the Chicago area Paul Jelonek (BS Chem 1981, MS Chem 1993) reported a job
change. After many years with INX International (the former CPS) Paul moved to ITW (Illinois
Tool Works); www.itw.com. ITW is a $10 billion company with over
600 different business units. As far as the job change, Paul reports “I love it here because
of the variety of projects that I can work on”. Paul, his wife Mary, and their three children
live in Geneva, IL.
From central Pennsylvania Amy Diegellman Parente (BS Chem 1995, PhD Chem from Univ. of
Rochester) continues to enjoy her career as assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Penn State
Altoona. Another big event for Amy and John was the birth of their son Samuel Joseph in May
2005. John is also a Fredonia grad and has recently become Director of Recreational Sports
and Special Projects at Penn State Altoona where he continues to coach soccer.
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