letter to alumni:
Dear Clark Alumni,
It was great to see many of you during the most recent reunion and graduation festivities. Reunion 2007 was a huge success, with more than 1,000 alumni and friends in attendance. In spite of the rain on Friday and Saturday, we had a great time!
Friday's annual clambake was a lot of fun. We enjoyed lobster, clams and other New England favorites. At this event, President Bassett presented two important Alumni Association awards. Heather Sensibaugh '02, who has worked for the U.S. Institute of Peace's Task Force on the United Nations, received the Distinguished Young Alumna/us Award. Our most prestigious award, the Distinguished Service Award, was presented to Nobuhiko Takeuchi '57 of Yokohama, Japan, who was instrumental in establishing the Japanese International Alumni Community.
Saturday was busy with many Clark alumni reuniting with old friends. The Spree Day picnic was held in the Dolan Field House. Class dinners were held Saturday evening in the University Center. After dinner, alumni from all classes attended the Dancing Under the Stars event, where they enjoyed cocktails and, of course, dancing.
On Sunday, the University celebrated Commencement and Honors Convocation. At Honors Convocation —the highlight of my weekend—I had the pleasure of presenting the Alumni Association's annual Outstanding Secondary Educator Award to Harry Schooley, a history teacher of 30 years from the Buffalo Seminary. It was an honor to acknowledge the importance of secondary-school educators and the impact they have on our communities.
I also had the opportunity to join the 50-Year Association in leading the Commencement procession to the campus green. We had a few alumni from the class of 1933 and several from the class of 1957. It was an awesome event, and there were lots of cheers as our senior alumni made their way to the campus green.
It is always with mixed emotion that I leave the campus after these events. Many memories returned as I was waiting with the 50-Year Association and soon-to-be graduates (and alumni) who were preparing for their upcoming ceremony. I recalled the organized chaos during my own graduation. I remembered being excited about graduation and having my parents in attendance, while realizing that the experience of living with some of my closest friends was about to come to an end. Many friends who lived far away (domestically and internationally) would be hard to keep in touch with, and a new saga of my life was about to begin. It was both exciting and sad. Every time I return to campus, I recall the fun we all had and my fond memories of late-night conversations, heated debates and impromptu gatherings. I still miss those days, and always enjoy reliving the experience during Reunion.
Please consider returning to Clark in the near future. And, in the meantime, get involved, attend a regional event (see the Web site for upcoming events) and reconnect with some of your Clark friends.
Until next (academic) year,
Rich Caswell '89
Alumni Association President
richcaswell@comcast.net
News from the Alumni and Parent Admissions program
The 2006-2007 recruiting cycle has concluded and the news is good! Thanks to you—one of the most dynamic and hardest working groups of volunteers—we have recruited a terrific new class of Clarkies! To give you an idea of our progress over the years, in 2003 we offered 1,123 interviews, had 821 completed assignments and conducted 567 interviews. In 2007, we offered 1,888 interviews, had 1,568 completed assignments and conducted 1,128 interviews. Between 2003 and 2007, we jumped from 107 to 194 college fairs staffed by APAP volunteers. In addition, our High School Liaison Program logged 117 visits to high schools by APAP representatives this year —an excellent start for this new program. These statistics reflect your commitment and dedication to bringing outstanding students to Clark. Congratulations and thank you for a job well done!
In other news, Frank Tetrealt '68, APAP college fair captain for the metro D.C. area for the past nine years, and Carolyn Lewis '95, interview captain for the Chicago area, are resigning as APAP captains this year. On behalf of the University and APAP, I want to thank them for the dedication and commitment they have demonstrated in serving our prospective students and Clark. Their contributions have been instrumental in the growth of APAP and in attracting students who have the potential to thrive at Clark.
I am pleased to report that Robert Leaf '66 has agreed to serve as the new college fair captain for the greater Washington, D.C. area. Bob, who has been an APAP representative for the past three years, lives in Gaithersburg, Md., with his wife. They have two daughters. Bob will continue the tradition of strong APAP leadership in metro D.C. and looks forward to meeting more of the dedicated Clark alumni in the D.C. area. We look forward to working with Bob, and I know you will enjoy working with him as well.
The APAP staff is now busy updating our membership. You should have received your membership renewal forms in June. We are also finalizing our goals for next year. A preliminary look suggests we will have the most ambitious agenda to date. I invite you to join me and the members of the APAP team in taking APAP and the University to the next level.
It has been a privilege to work with you this year. Have a safe and restful summer, and we look forward to working with you again to recruit the Class of 2012!
Warm regards,
Judy Earls
Director, Alumni and Parent Admissions Program
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Clarknews Summer 2007
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Rich Caswell '89
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