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Milne
Alumni July Newsletter Dear Milne Alumni and Supporters, In this issue: * Class of '57 Reunion * Lots of News! * Sad News CLASS OF '57 REUNION The Class of '57 is planning a reunion in September. From Andy Stokes, '57: "We are registered for Pavilion A at the Town of Bethlehem Elm Avenue Park (entrance on the west side of NYS Rt. 32) for Thursday, September 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is ADA compliant, has four six-person picnic tables under a roof and more beyond, an ancient charcoal grill, trash disposal containers, a nearby porta-john, ample parking within 150 feet, and a playground on the opposite side of the parking lot for those going through their second childhood. I end up being the Town contact and am personally liable for every possible sin committed on park grounds, so no hanky-panky." It's been 64 years since the Class of '57's graduation. Enjoy the reunion, and we're looking forward to learning about your plans for your BIG 65th in 2022! LOTS OF NEWS! Dave Wilson, '56: "A Visit to Page and Milne Halls–Back to the Future "Our Milne days–they seem more like 'Happy Days' than the real thing. Time erases teen-age angst and leaves us with fun memories. "There was fun that was nothing to be proud of. For some of the guys in my class it was making student teachers' lives miserable in the classroom while fraternizing with them afterwards. "And there were things that didn’t seem like fun to some of us at the time. Again in my era, that would be sock hops, where we did the two-step we learned in Miss Munson's white-gloved dance classes. "Quickly we would drop the two steps back. Then it was fun. "And for the jocks amongst us, there was dashing onto the Page Hall basement court in flashy Crimson and White uniforms, greeted by our fans lathered up by way-above-average-pretty cheerleaders. "There were endearing quirks of that court: visiting teams having their half-court sets bounce back at them off the low ceiling beams…competitive advantage (we knew better). "In our years Doc Sauers’ all-time great Albany State teams playing in that tiny box seemed crazy. They would soon move to the Albany Armory, biggest venue in 'Smallbany' at the time.* "I left Albany after Milne–first for college in Massachusetts, then 'cultural enrichment' in Europe, the military in Korea, marriage, family and career in Rochester (yes, Kodak). "On retiring, the draw of Albany was great. My wife Nan and I returned in 2012. The tiny State Teachers College had morphed into the educational juggernaut that is SUNY at Albany today. Milne Hall housed the prestigious Rockefeller School of Public Policy–fabulously appointed including a 'Milne Room' with breath-taking murals of New York Sate history. But zero-zip on Milne. "I hit Page Hall auditorium and its downstairs. The baskets and backboards were coming down. Why? Conversion to a drone test flight lab. "I thought of mounting some kind of resistance—'have you not seen the potential of "drone basketball"'? "Okay. So Page Hall basement becomes a place where students exercise–get it, 'exercise'–their drone engineering skills. So it’s a gym of a different sort, right? Its floor has become ground floor for a technology of the future. "And that ceiling carries on its tradition of unintended crashes. "So maybe only we Milne grads may realize it, but our Milne campus is going into the future doing us proud. * Doc Sauers video tributes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfHGfojAmuY Jack Fenimore, '59: "What Are The Odds? "For about the last 15 years, we’ve been spending our winters in a town on the east coast of Florida, called New Smyrna Beach. About a year ago, I walked across the street to greet our new neighbor, who had moved in recently. After a few minutes we were surprised to discover we had both grown up in Albany. Then came the amazing revelation that we had both attended Milne. His name is Bill Dey, Class of 65. What are the odds of this happening?" Harry J. Grogan III, '59: "I am going to try and make this submission about my life and times reasonably short starting at birth to present. I was born on December 29, 1941, in Cortland, New York. My mother and I lived with her parents at 4 Evergreen Street, Cortland, New York. My father was in the United States Navy during World War II. My father obtained a teaching position at The Milne School, and in 1948 I moved with my family to Altamont, New York. A mention was made of me in the local newspaper, The Altamont Enerprise. On September 24, 1948, notes from the Altamont High School, grade 2, stated. 'We have a new boy in our classroom. His name is Harry Grogan.' I stayed at the Altamont High School thru sixth grade and then transferred to The Milne School. The outline below will shorten my story considerably. "I hadn’t given a whole lot of thought about life after Milne and applied to SUNY Cortland, as my parents had both graduated from there. I wasn’t a great student and was told after my first semester to shape up or I would be sent home. I decided that teaching wasn’t for me and joined the United States Marine Corps during my sophomore year. I graduated from Cortland as a 2nd Lieutenant. I got married and was then sent to Quantico, VA; Cherry Point, NC; Okinawa, Vietnam; and then back to Cherry Point, NC. I was released from the USMC as a Captain. "Again, I hadn’t given too much thought about what I would do after the military. I thought about becoming a police officer, but most of the agencies I wanted to join weren’t hiring. My uncle pulled my chestnuts out of the fire and gave me a sales job with the Crescent Corset Company, Cortland, New York. I didn’t last too long in that job and had a chance encounter with an agent who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I passed the FBI's hiring process and worked for the agency for 29 years in Milwaukee, WI; Baltimore, MD; Albany, NY; Plattsburgh, NY; and Atlanta, GA. A couple of the more interesting and exciting cases I worked on were the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombing, and the disappearance of Shannon Melendi, an Emory College student who disappeared in 1994. I retired from the FBI in May 1997. I next worked as a private investigator for 18 years out of my home office. I primarily used my computer to locate information on people for attorneys. I missed my coworkers at the FBI but I loved my commute to my office. "As for my personal life, I was married to my first wife for about 10 years and had a boy and two girls by this marriage. My son lives in Sanford, FL, with his wife; my oldest daughter lives in Cumming, GA, with her husband, son and daughter; and my youngest daughter lives with my wife and me in Alpharetta, GA. We divorced in 1973 and I wound up with custody of our children. I married again in 1979 to Marianne Keiski Triebel Grogan. Marianne has twin boys the same age as my children. We have been married 42 years and live in Alpharetta, GA." Helen (Alpert) Goldenberg, '61, took a trip to visit family and friends in such places as Atlanta; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Mt. Kisco, NY; and ALBANY. Helen lives in Tamarac, in the Fort Lauderdale, FL, area. She did not travel in the year of 2020. While in Albany, she visited Judy Koblintz Madnick and her husband Stuart. Judy, as you know, is also Class of 1961. The Madnicks showed Helen their beautiful new apartment and made a delicious lunch. (Please note: Those were Helen's words, and I thank her for them!) Then they gave Helen a ride in their brand-new car. The destination was Thacher Park, where they viewed the exhibits in the Visitors Center. There is also an overlook where they saw Albany and a lot of the surrounding area. Then they went to dinner at a local restaurant and enjoyed the food and company. (And thanks to Helen for treating us!) A good time had by all. Helen suggests that vaccinated people get together in person because in person is much better than phone, Zoom, etc. She sends best wishes for good health for all. Mark Lewis, '64: "One day in Seventh Grade Music Class someone asked Dr. York about the source of his knowledge. He held up a large book and began to extol its virtue. He MEANT to say that he had learned so much from reading it. What he SAID, however, was that 'This is my Bible, and I’m full of it.' Naturally this brought much laughter from the class. Dr. York then got irate, telling us that we better 'get [our] heads out of the toilet before it's flushed.' "P.S. I’m a big fan of classical music, so something must have sunk in." SAD NEWS Dr. Martin Herbert Greenberg, husband of Dr. Doris Markowitz Greenberg, '57, died on June 15, 2021. Gordon M. Kilby, '48, passed away on June 30, 2021. Thanks to all of you for your interest in Milne Alumni activities. Judy (Koblintz) Madnick, '61 For contact information, see the Milne Alumni homepage: |