Clark University - Clarknews summer 2004
Reunion 2004
Photography by Frederick Peck
More than 1,100 alumni and friends returned to Clark in May for a weekend full of great events and activities. The following new events and old favorites, along with many other activities, gave alumni the chance to revisit the good old days with classmates, friends and faculty.
- Alumni and friends gathered outside Harrington House for the President’s Reception Friday evening, before heading to the "Big Top" in the backyard for the New England Clambake.
- President and Mrs. Bassett hosted alumni at Harrington House for a talk about "What’s New at Clark?"
- The Spree Day Family Picnic brought back memories of Spree Days past.
- Alumni and friends enjoyed an outing to the Worcester Art Museum.
- Many alumni and friends went "Back to the Classroom" with talks by historian and Dean of the College Douglas Little and screen studies professor Timothy Shary.
- Former members of the Clark Bars gave their usual rousing Clark Bars Alumni Reunion Concert.
- The Clark University Jazz Workshop and Combo performed for alumni and friends Saturday evening.
- Members of the Class of 1954 and the 50-Year Association led the Commencement procession on Sunday afternoon.
Distinguished Service Award
Elyse Darefsky ’79 received the Distinguished Service Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor. The award recognizes Darefsky’s longtime dedication and service to Clark. Among her many Clark activities, she served as president of the Alumni Association and was an integral member of the association’s Strategic Planning Committee. She also initiated the University Park Campus School (UPCS) Alumni Mentor Program, matching 20 alumni with 35 seventh graders at UPCS. Darefsky actively participated in two University capital campaigns, which led to dramatic enhancements in the Alumni Association’s use of technology. She is also an alumni-admissions captain and national chair of the Clark Alumni Communities. Darefsky is a member of Clark’s Athletic Hall of Fame and coached the women’s volleyball team. In addition, she has served on her reunion committee and hosted many alumni and admitted-student events in the Greater Hartford area. Darefsky is also a member of the Jonas Clark Fellows, the University’s leading group of annual donors, and supports many scholarships and programs at Clark.
Distinguished Young Alumnus Award
Lawrence Klein ’91 received the Distinguished Young Alumnus/a Award, presented annually to a Clark alumnus/a under the age of 35 in recognition of extraordinary achievements in their communities and professions. Klein is founder and president of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) in New York City. Founded in 2001, the museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, study, education and display of comic and cartoon art in all its forms. As president of MoCCA, Klein maintains key relationships in the community and with the Board of Directors, volunteers, members of the business community, government officials, donors and agencies. He is responsible for maintaining the budget and for strategic planning, special events and fundraising. He also promotes MoCCA through speaking engagements at professional events and meetings. Klein previously served as counsel for high-technology companies. He also represented the independent film company Filmmakers Anonymous, as well as many artists. He is a member of many professional associations.
Alumni Rookie of the Year, for a senior(s) who has performed exemplary service in Alumni Affairs programming: Fritha Reeve ’04. Reeve (center) is pictured here with senior members of the Student Alumni Relations Committee at their last meeting.
Rose M. Sachs Award, for a senior woman who best exemplifies "the spirit of Clark University" through her accomplishments and activities: Jennifer MacDonald ’04 (left) who is pictured here with Dean of Students Denise Darrigrand. This award was established by Jacob ‘Yank’ Sachs ’26, in memory of his wife Rose.
During Reunion 2004, alumni and friends also had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the new biological sciences building, currently under construction near the Admissions House on Maywood Street. Clark’s Physical Plant Director Paul Bottis ’84 led a tour of the facility, discussed the current status of the project and gave a sense of the finished building.
The 50,000 square-foot biological sciences building is part of an initiative to upgrade the University’s science facilities. The 32,000 square-foot biophysics building will also be renovated as part of this initiative. The renovated building will house physics and mathematics and computer science. The Sackler Sciences Center will house chemistry. The construction and renovations have an estimated total cost of $22 million, with $5 million already raised toward a $14 million fundraising goal. Construction began in fall 2003, and the building is expected to open in December 2004.
Ralph Barbiero received this year’s Outstanding Secondary Educator Award, which recognizes secondary-school teachers for the critical role they play in preparing students for higher education. The award is presented by the Alumni Association at Honors Convocation held prior to commencement. Barbiero is a social-studies teacher and department head at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Conn., and coordinator of social studies for the Milford Public Schools, grades 6 through 12.
Barbiero’s dedication to his profession and his students reflects Clark’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation. His long and distinguished career in Connecticut public schools began in 1977, when he became a social-studies teacher and guidance counselor at the Grove School in Madison. He went on to teaching and guidance positions at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Fairfield and Bullard-Havens Regional Vocational Technical School in Bridgeport. Barbiero is also an adjunct professor in the School of Education at the University of Bridgeport and an American-history lecturer at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.
Throughout his career, Barbiero has been recognized for his outstanding work in education. He was named Milford Teacher of the Year in 1998 and was a National AP Teacher of the Year Finalist in 1999.
Sarah Wilkinson ’04, who nominated Barbiero for the award and also served as this year’s Senior Speaker (see page 28), credited her former teacher with shaping her future.
"My career goal is not to be a public high-school history teacher, but to be a public high-school history teacher like Dr. Barbiero," Wilkinson says.
In his comments, Barbiero described education as knowledge that is passed from one generation to the next, with each generation building and expanding on what they have been taught.
"The decision-making days of my generation are numbered. It is the story that these students choose to tell and the way they choose to tell it that will widen the parameters of the future," Barbiero said. "On this weekend, we begin to pass the torch. These students are prepared and ready to shape these next decades in their own image."
This is the 20th year that Clark’s Alumni Association has presented the Outstanding Secondary Educator Award. Clark seniors nominate their high-school teachers for the award and then discuss the nominees with a committee of Alumni Association members.
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