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Doc Reading's European history classes were mesmerizing as his mastery of what was really going on behind the scenes and what forces of personality, geography and nature combined to make it so. He encouraged me to go to law school where I could learn to think very clearly about the facts, understand what they meant and then advocate for a position. This ultimately led to a fulfilling career in investment management which I attribute to his wise counsel.

Professor Helene Julien was my academic advisor as a student. Not only was she a phenomenal instructor due to her expertise in the French language, culture and history, but she was also able to infuse nuances of real world issues and questions into the work that we did. She also was a tremendous source of support for me during my senior year which started with the sit-in at the James B. Colgate Hall.

Both Coleman Brown and "Steve" (M. Holmes) Hartshorne - from the Philosophy and Religion Department had significant impacts on my life. Not just their teaching, but how they conducted their lives, their openness to true dialogue with students and their deep respect for the questions we discussed inside and outside the classroom (indeed in their homes over meals) made a lasting mark on who I am today.

With their recommendations I was accepted to Harvard Divinity School but deferred admission to travel the world, examining various 'meaning systems' (political, religious, economic, cooperative living on a kibbutz, etc.) Ultimately I went into public administration (note the word 'ministry' embedded in that word) and have enjoyed 40 years of public service since graduation ('79.)

As an aside, they both also officiated at our wedding (Carrie Koplinka, '80) and our 4 children have developed relationships with them and their spouses/children over the years, evidence of the rich intergenerational impact of Colgate relationships with faculty.

There were four professors who had a significant impact on my life. Three were in the History Dept., “Doc” Reading, Doug Wilson and Bill Askew. Through them I developed a passion for history, understanding it is all about human behavior. They whetted my appetite to learn more that led to me being selected to teach National Policy and Strategy at the Naval War College. Ironically, we started with Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian Wars in which he penned his reason for writing the history was for future generations, not because history will repeat itself, but because human behavior will never change. That was around 419 BC.

The fourth professor was Bruce Berlind in the English Dept. whose passion for ‘War and Peace’ never left me. What was it about Tolstoy’s writing that influenced Prof. Berlind to name both his daughters after the heroines of the book? Today I have five different editions of the work on my library shelf. Berlind was correct, each time you read it over the years, it takes on a different meaning as one’s life takes on a different meaning. I espouse almost daily, Gen. Kutuzov’s “time and patience.”

I have to credit President Thomas Bartlett for giving the first class of women freedom to express what we needed to make co-education a success. When we arrived in September, 1970, he gathered the women together to explain that because they had been an all male college, they really did not know what women wanted or needed to be successful at Colgate. He said to let him know our ideas and concrete items that would make us more comfortable. I felt that he reached out to us and gave us the opportunity to define co-education rather than impose it on us. As a result, I felt confident to express myself at Colgate and throughout life because of his support. Thank you President Bartlett!

"I didn't know in early August, 1956 that I would be matriculating into Colgate University in September. I had received the acceptance letter in the Spring, but the financial barrier remained in place till the last moment, when my mother took a phone call from President Everett Case's office and spoke with his secretary. At first, mom wasn't sure it was real, until President Case came on the line to announce Colgate's full scholarship award, along with his invitation to me (as part of the award) to live with his family in their campus home...currently the Merrill House. I joined two other incoming freshmen with similar scholarships, living in rooms on the third floor overlooking the expansive lawn adjoining Oak Drive. What a spectacular gift for me and my family....changing all of our lives forever.

The Colgate alumnus who initiated the effort with Dr. Case, was my Hudson Falls, N.Y. High School coach and Athletic Director, Anthony Luciano '47, a V-12 U.S. Marine Lieutenant assigned to Colgate University following his discharge from the Pacific Theater. You will see in the attached retrospective the exceptional athletic accomplishments that set Coach Tony apart from others and made him invaluable to Colgate University following the war years, working closely with his track & cross country coach, Jack Rourke, and handling Coach Rourke's track/cross country coaching tasks as a student. President Case had a special place in his heart for these warrior student athletes during those unique times. Before enlisting in the USMC, Coach Tony was a world record holder in the 2-mile relay while a student at Seton Hall Prep School in South Orange, NJ. He held that record for 16 years. It was this kind of student, faculty and administration alliance that saved Colgate from financial ruin, under the special wartime leadership of President Case. Dr. Case was the right leader for Colgate at just the right time, due in no small measure to his family's special corporate and political connections. Dr. Case's wife, Josephine Young Case, was the daughter of Owen D. Young, CEO and founder of RKO/NBC, President of General Electric and co-author of the Dawes/Young Plan dealing with the post-war recovery of Europe. Dr. Case's father, Herbert Case, was Chairman of the Federal Reserve New York Bank, with all of his exceptional government and corporate contacts available to Colgate through the Case/Young connections.

As a History major, my most influential professor was Douglas K. ""Doc"" Redding, but one of his colleagues, Professor Alfred R. Krakusin, in the Art History Department was a particularly impactful Colgate Connection for me in the following context. I took one of his elective courses knowing that an important part of Professor Krakusin's historical perspective dealt with the evolution of each artist's unique skill-sets and how they were learned from both contemporaries and predecessors. For me, this was the beginning of my appreciation of the creative techniques and studio operations dealings of a wide range of artists. Seeing my interest in ""how things are done"" and the technologies that bring function to people's ideas, triggered him to invite me to work over a summer with him in his Sculptura manufacturing venture, partnering with Herbert Mayer '29, in the former Hamilton railroad depot, manufacturing bas relief art panels, which they sold in the Sculptura Gallery in New York City's Carlyle Hotel. My role in the production process was to research and develop the patina processing of the metallized panels to give them an aged appearance on all exposed surfaces, then execute the manufacturing processes. The Krakusin/Mayer business purpose was to bring affordable samples of original bas relief panels from around the world into the homes of thousands of people. A view of some of the pieces I was given for graduation by Professor Krakusin can be seen in the following blog.. (http://sculpturabasrelief. blogspot.com) Later, when I was visiting businesses like Martin-Marietta in Baltimore, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 4' x 6' bronze panel depicting a battle scene that we had created hanging on the reception room wall for all visitors to see and enjoy....exactly the outcome sought by Krakusin and Mayer.

I met my wife of 57 years, Christiane, while working at a Lake George, NY resort and we married following her freshman year at St. Lawrence University. We moved to Hamilton and began our family living in Colgate's ""Vetville"" complex adjacent to the football field. Colgate continued to support us financially, hiring Chris to manage Vetville and report to CU Treasurer, John Littlefield. Dr. Case made sure that leaving Colgate would not be for lack of funds. I was able to study and do a number of projects to pay our daily living costs, while I was learning to be a father to two beautiful daughters, Laura and Suzanne '84. It was during this time that I worked with Dr. Krakusin at Sculptura. We lived in Hamilton year round....a hybrid form of 'Gate ""Townie"". Like many Colgate alumni, I have been the beneficiary of our unique ""Spirit that is Colgate"" uplifting my entire family.

Colgate University has been our rock in life for the past 62 years.....Go 'Gate...."

"The fall of 1963 brought the following essay assignment: “Color me green, I am a freshman.” The actual color was maroon, and I was one of the Class of 1967 beginning my personal Colgate career. I always knew I would be attending Colgate. My father, Howard Jones ’39, often reminded me that if I wanted any family financial assistance, that was where I was going to college.

Yes, Colgate was “in my blood.” I have had 22 family members attend after my great-great-great grandfather Amos Kingsley and 12 of his colleagues become the original THIRTEEN Colgate men.

Eighteen of the above-mentioned relatives should be considered legacies, since they graduated before I did. My dad was a faculty member and administrator, my grandfather a member of the Class of 1913. Following his service in World War II, my uncle Sam ’49 lived in “Vetville.”

Did being a legacy affect my undergrad experience? Probably—Dr. Adams mentored me so I would not fail his logic course. Dr. Skelton helped me in the same way. Dean Griffith also kept an eye on me."