Alumni, parents, friends, students, and community members gathered on campus for Meliora and Eastman Weekends 2014, October 16–19. This year’s program featured dozens of events, including guest speakers, performances, lectures, athletics, receptions, and much more. Enjoy these highlights and snapshots from this weekend’s festivities.
WELCOME TO COLLEGE TOWN: President Joel Seligman and his wife, Delores Conway, receive a musical greeting as they arrive for the grand opening of the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at College Town. The new retail development was dedicated during Meliora Weekend.
HISTORICAL MOMENT: Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks with President Joel Seligman after her keynote address to an overflow audience at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT: Emmy and Tony Award–winning actor Jason Alexander had some fun with his life as television, movie, and Broadway performer during his presentation at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. He appeared as part of the “Eastman Presents” concert series.
BLUE AND YELLOW ARE THE NEW ORANGE: Actress Laverne Cox, who plays the role of Sophia Burset, an incarcerated African-American transgender woman in Orange Is the New Black, speaks in the Palestra.
FAMILY TIES: Molly Menge Maguire ’03 and her daughter Emma, 3, take pictures in front of Rush Rhees Library.
HATS OFF! Members of the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Class of 1954 offer a class salute during the 43rd Annual George Hoyt Whipple Society Dinner and Awards Celebration.
OPENING NUMBER: The Eastman Chorale, under the direction of William Weinert, professor of conducting and ensembles and director of choral activities, helps welcome guests to Eastman Weekend during an opening ceremony in the newly dedicated Lowry Hall.
FRIENDS AT FAUVER: Alumni gather above Fauver Studium to watch the Yellowjackets football team play Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (left to right): Billy Schatten ’89, Len Lanzi ’84, Tim Crocker ’87, Sue Tellini ’88, Pam Gutterman Crocker ’86, Mike Candela ’89 and Ron Battaglia ’89.
FAMILY FACE TIME: Janet Eddy Scala ’55N (right) and her husband, Robert Scala ’58M (PhD), are joined by members of their family as they capture a moment during the School of Nursing’s annual Dean’s Diamond Circle Dinner.
HISTORIC ENSEMBLE: Current students and alumni gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Fennell ’37E, ’39E (MM), ’88 (Honorary), the founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. The ensemble’s conductor, Mark Scatterday ’89E (DMA), along with former conductor Donald Hunsberger ’54E, ’59E (MM), ’63E (DMA), faculty, and former ensemble members, shared an hour of music and memories in Kilbourn Hall. Born in 2014, Fennell died in 2004.
YOU CALL THIS RAIN? It took more than a drizzle to keep these fans away from Fauver Stadium.
TOUCHDOWN: Max Berger (left) celebrates with Jacob Milberger after catching a touchdown pass in the first half of their Meliora Weekend football game. The Yellowjackets went on to beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 34–20.
MEDICAL MEET-UP: Former Surgeon General David Satcher ’72M (Res) pauses for a photo with medical students Rahul Shah, James Bates, and Michael Mattiucci. Satcher discussed efforts to reduce smoking in the United States in a presentation on reports from the Office of the Surgeon General since 1964.
SING IT LOUD, SING IT PROUD: Maddie Freeman ’15 belts one out with After Hours at Rochester Dinner Revue.
EXCELLENT TEACHING: Julie Bentley from the Institute of Optics, Jeffrey Tucker from the Department of English, and Jonathan Pakianathan from the Department of Mathematics were honored with this year’s Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
NEWS FOR NURSING: Patricia Tabloski ’89N (PhD) discussed the opportunities and challenges facing nurses and educators as the number and diversity of older adults continues to grow. She was the guest speaker for the 56th annual Claire Dennison Lecture at the School of Nursing.
NEW NAME IN ADVANCEMENT: Larry ’75 and Cindy Bloch (center) were joined by their children, Matt ’13S (MBA) (left) and Reisa (right), to mark the dedication of the Larry and Cindy Bloch Alumni and Advancement Center during a ceremony on the Wednesday before Meliora Weekend.
CLASS PORTRAIT: Members of the Class of 1964 gather for a photo to mark their 50th reunion. Each member of the class received a medallion to mark the occasion, as did members of the 50th reunion classes at the School of Nursing, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Eastman School of Music.
NETWORK NEWS: Gaella Kabeya ’18, Funmi Ogunbufunmi ’18, Sailume Walo-Roberts ’94, and her daughter, Dinsio Walo, were among the guests at the OMSA Networking Reception.
PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM: Edward Miller ’68 (MD) spoke about how medicine and medical schools have changed over the years—and will continue to change in the next decade. One of four guests at the Presidential Symposium, Miller is CEO emeritus of Johns Hopkins Medicine and dean and vice president emeritus of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine.
TALKIN’ MELIORA: Attorney Mark Zaid ’89 talked about the rights, rules, and regulations surrounding government whistleblowers during the his MEL Talk presentation at the Palestra. Zaid was one of a handful of alumni and faculty who gave short talks about their work and experience as part of MEL Talks, held in the Palestra.
TAKING A TOUR: Kelvin Knight ’89 (l) brought his local National Science Bowl team to tour campus during Meliora Weekend 2014.
PRIVACY?: Noted attorney and scholar Arthur Miller ’56, ’08 (Honorary) led a panel of experts in a discussion of privacy in the digital aid during his annual Miller’s Court. Joining him were Mark Leary, chief information security officer at Xerox; Linn Foster Freedman, a partner and chair of the Data Protection Group at Nixon Peabody; Bryan Hetherington, chief legal counsel at Empire Justice Center; Henry Kautz, professor of computer science; and David Cay Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter.
