Potter Club Celebrates Final Reunion
More than 82 Pottermen and 50-plus
guests gathered in Albany Sept. 30-
Oct. 2 to mark the end of an era:
the 80th – and final – formal annual
reunion of the Potter Club. The event
also celebrated the 120th year since the
birth of Edward Eldred Potter in 1891.
Created in 1931 as a social club, the
Potter Club – in contrast to the only
other fraternity on campus at the time
– was open to all State College men,
regardless of race or religion. The
club was named in honor of Edward
Eldred Potter, who left school to join
the service during World War I. He
was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in
the Signal Corps, the precursor of the
Air Force, and died in a plane crash
near Paris in 1918.
The club was disbanded in the 1980s,
but the Edward Eldred Potter Club
Alumni Association, formed in 1948,
has remained active. Despite time and
distance, the Pottermen have remained
a tight-knit group, holding numerous
reunions and regional meetings. Their
membership numbers close to 1,000
and includes many distinguished
alumni. Over the years, 35 Pottermen
have received the Alumni Award for
Excellence. Since 1996, the alumni
members have donated more than
$20,000 to establish and renovate the
Edward Eldred Potter Memorial Room
at Alumni House.
Although no future all-member reunions are planned, the Edward Eldred Potter Club Alumni Association remains active with area luncheons, a Web site and the possibility of regional reunions.
Pictured Above:
Front row: Bob Lanni ’52; Tom Yole ’52; Tom Singleton ’52; Paul Ward ’53; Matthew Potter ’11; Susan Potter Mintzer; Gloria M. PotterRow 2: Canon Kay Hotaling ’67, UAlbany Alumni Association president; Dave Manly ’52; Art Batty ’52; Dan Tauroney ’52; Carlton Coulter ’35; Ray Champlin ’52; Ken Doran ’39; Bob Umholtz ’51; Ed Bonahue ’53; Pat Pearson ’65
Row 3: Milan Krchniak ’53; Jack Higham ’57; Bernard McEvoy ’57; Gerry Holzman ’54; Vince Mauriello ’68; Jim Sweet ’56 (in white coat); George Wood ’54; Bob Fairbanks ’64; Ross Dailey ’58 (behind Fairbanks); Bob Sage, ’55; Joe McCormick, ’53; Joe Zanchelli, ’49 (in light coat); Carl Miller ’68; Grant Downs ’68; Roger Gorham ’69
Row 4: Franz Zwicklbauer `62; Doug Penfield `60; Harry Johnson `51; Fred Culbert ’65 (behind Johnson and Schneider); John Schneider ’65; Gene McLaren ’45 (behind Schneider and O’Loughlin); Tom O’Loughlin ’56; Geoff Williams, UAlbany archivist; Joe Persico ’52; Eric Kafka ’60; Harold Smith ’53 (behind Kafka and Palczak); Claude Palczak ’53 (behind Dailey and Sage); Ron Graves ’58; Jim Panton ’53 (behind Graves and Zanchelli); Bob Benton ’64; Gerry Leggieri ’68; Ray Shipman ’61
Row 5: Peter Schroeck ’65; Bill Lindberg ’55; Bob Coan ’55; Joe Stella ’54; Dave Sully ’65; John Centra ’54; Ed Franco ’55 (behind Persico and Kafka); Frank Ioele ’52; Peter McManus ’54; Bob DeMichiell ’55; Herb Egert ’53; Richard Szymanski ’67; Don Kisiel ’66; Henry Maus ’62; Dan Schultz ’62
Row 6: Lee Serravillo, executive director, UAlbany Alumni Association; Art Weigand ’53; DeWitt Combs ’55; Dick Persico ’55; Doug Davis ’69; Joe Dolan ’52
Missing from the photo but in attendance at the Friday reception were Al Alcon ’71; Ron Alexander ’58; Stewart Crowell ’64; Eric Fogelgaren ’68; Carl Herman ’62; Carroll Judd ’53; Dave LeBleu ’65; John Lewis ’62; Ken Ludlum ’51; Gary Penfield ’63; George Philip ’69, ’73, UAlbany president; and Richard Sauers, UAlbany football coach.
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Spring 2012 - Cover Story
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