- WP, The Magazine of
- William Paterson University
- P.O. Box 913
- Wayne, NJ 07474-0913
- (973) 720-2967
- We welcome letters to the editor.
- Drop us a note via eamil at
- wpmag@wpunj.edu
- William Paterson University
SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI NEWS
Greetings from your Executive Director
Exciting
things are happening with your Alumni Association. The Association's
Executive Council has been involved with intense and comprehensive
planning sessions. The outcome is a revised mission statement
and ten long-range goals, which help define the Association's
focus for the next five years. How does this impact you?
In the next year, many of you will be asked to respond to a survey to help determine what you like about our current programs and what you would like changed. We also are interested in your thoughts about giving, and how you would like to assist us in our mission.
Stronger and more comprehensive reunion programs are on the horizon. Reunion Weekend, coming in June 2000, will feature specialty group get togethers and five-year class reunions, lectures by favorite professors, tours of the rapidly expanding campus, and other special activities planned exclusively for returning alumni.
Expansion of the Executive Council, which handles the affairs of the Association, is also on the agenda. We are looking for interested alumni, including alumni living outside of the northern New Jersey region, to serve on the Council.
Finally, it means you can look forward to a more direct relationship between you and the University. Whether you graduated from William Paterson College, Paterson State Teachers' College, or The Paterson Normal School, you represent a vital link in the University's future. I encourage you to keep in touch with us. We are only a phone call, fax, or E-mail away.
In closing, it's my pleasure to share with you our revised mission statement wich summarizes the Association's intent:
"The William Paterson University Alumni Association fosters and develops the relationship between the University and its graduates; encourages an environment that supports the University's commit-ment to promoting student success, academic excellence, diversity, and community outreach with opportunities for lifelong learning; and provides alumni the opportunity to serve the University."
Executive Council Adds Two New Members
Two new members have been elected to the William Paterson University Alumni Association Executive Council - Lawrence Goffredo '77, active volunteer; and Seth Schneider '96, president of the Young Alumni Chapter.
Lawrence Goffredo, a Vietnam veteran, retired after 26 years of service as a police supervisor and instructor in the Paterson Police Department. Currently involved in general construction, he also is a licensed barber and a New Jersey State Police licensed private detective.
Goffredo received a B.S.
in public safety administration at William Paterson. Barbara,
his wife, attended the University for two years. Their daughter,
Kelly Goffredo-DeFeo, graduated in 1990. While a student, Goffredo
was an associate member of the Alumni Association, assisted fraternities
and
sororities in drug awareness and counseling, and was active in
blood and charity drives.
Today he is active in volunteer work for the Passaic County Elks Muscular Dystrophy Center, PBA Local #1 inner city food and clothing drives, and the Italian American Police Officers Association's fund drives for terminally ill and inner- city children and churches.
An opera lover, Goffredo is a member and volunteer with the Oscar Seagle Opera Musical Colony at Schroon Lake, New York, the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum at Bolton Landing, New York, and the Lake George Opera Company at Queensbury, New York. He also enjoys NASCAR auto racing, hiking, boating, and fishing
Seth Schneider is an accounting supervisor at the Northeastern Regional Office of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in Wayne.
An accounting and business administration major, he was captain of the varsity swim team and a tour guide for prospective students.
Interested in strengthening a continuing connection with the University, he was instrumental in creating the Student Alumni Council, and after his graduation helped to form the Association's Young Alumni Chapter, of which he is president.
"We wanted immediate involvement in the Alumni Association, to bridge the gap between current and future alumni," says Schneider. Last May, the Young Alumni sponsored the Senior Send Off, the chapter's first major public event.
"People said we were starting a tradition," he says, adding that the 13-member Young Alumni Chapter is planning reunions and business card exchanges to keep young alumni "in the loop."
Young Alumni Host Inaugural Senior Send Off, Reviving an Old Tradition
More than 500 graduating seniors, their families, friends, and University faculty and staff enjoyed a light supper, live music, and a beautiful late spring evening during the first Senior Send Off on Monday, May 10. The event was held under a 200-foot tent in Caldwell Plaza. Created to bid farewell to the graduates and welcome them to their new position as alumni, the occasion offered members of the Class of 1999 an opportunity to share memories of their days on campus and celebrate their accomplishments with family and friends.
Association President Allan Gorab greeted guests, and Seth Schneider invited the Chapter's Executive Board and Steering Committee to join him in the senior toast: "To our graduates - may your dreams come true and your aspirations become reality. Aim high because you are the future. William Paterson has prepared you well for the next rung on the ladder of life. It is up to you to find out how high you will climb. The William Paterson community looks forward to your continued involvement in campus activities. As you continue to grow, William Paterson grows with you."
University employee, communication major, and now alum Pam Felts said, "This event is one of the best I have attended. People came with me who couldn't come to commencement. It made me feel proud to be a graduate."
The evening also included the presentation of the Alumni Association's annual Outstanding Senior Award, recognizing singular academic achievement, demonstrated leadership ability, and service to the University community. Matthew M. Tully, captain of the Men's Cross Country Team, Student Government Association executive vice president, and English major, accepted the award by thanking the Alumni Association and proclaiming, "Hey, graduates, we did it!"
It's a Family Affair -- The Jones Family's Connection to William Paterson
When Stephanie Jones-Bermudez received her diploma during the May 1999 commencement ceremony, she joined two siblings Deirdre '82 and Douglas '92 both of whom are graduates of William Paterson. Together, they have provided the inspiration necessary for her brothers, Talmadge and Nathaniel, current William Paterson students. The Jones family's youngest daughter, Lawry, joined the ranks in September as a full-time freshman.
The Jones family's connection to William Paterson goes back a generation to its patriarch, Jim Jones, an adjunct professor in the College of Education who teaches in the alternate route teacher certification program, and is principal of the Radburn School in Fair Lawn
Even before she received a bachelor's degree in education, it seemed as if Jones-Bermudez, a resident of Glen Rock, had been preparing all her life to be a teacher. From a young age she worked with her father who founded the Jones Family Puppets.
With her sister, Deidre, and brother, Bradley, she entered and won several competitions as a puppeteer on the "Ted Mack Amateur Hour." Jones-Bermudez, like her siblings, became a performer who appeared on television, in community productions, and at local schools. She also wrote scripts and helped to create the puppets. Along the way she developed a love for working with children.
"That's what drew me to education," she explains. "I love kids, and I want to make a difference in children's lives by helping them become lifelong learners." Her education and her work with the puppets give her a solid base as she embarks on her teaching career.
During her required student
teaching, she had her students make puppets out of pencils and
socks, and helped them write scripts for a play. "It's a
wonderful way to teach literature
to children," she explains.
A nontraditional student
and mother of two children, James, 8, and Jackie, 5, she is looking
forward to teaching after six years as a college student. "I
can't believe that I'm at
the end of it," she says of her days at William Paterson.
"I couldn't have gotten through it without my family's help.
Sometimes, the biggest challenge was getting out the door."
REUNIONS SPARK SPECIAL MEMORIES
Members of the classes
of 1973 and 1974 returned to campus on June 5 to celebrate their
silver reunion. The evening included a walking tour of the campus,
a cocktail reception, and a dinner dance. The evening's highlight
was the presentation of the class gift, which established an
endowed scholarship in honor of these two classes. Honored guests,
who were invited to attend as the classes' "most favorite
faculty/administrators," included Art Eason, M.A. '71, director
of athletics; Lois Wolf, professor of political science; and
Terry Ripmaster, professor emeritus of history.
