News

  Andrew William Begley, Hamilton Class of 1999 died in a tragic skiing accident on Sunday, January 2, 2005 in Killington, VT.  Andrew, an accomplished skier, lost control and tumbled down a difficult run on the mountain at the resort.  Andrew suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Rutland Regional Medical Center.  Andy was a valuable member of the Hamilton College Golf team, playing all 4 years at Hamilton while also finding time enough to earn the distinction of Phi Beta Kappa and Honors in Economics.  Since graduating from Hamilton, Andy worked as part of the corporate audit team for General Electric.  His employ took him to the far reaches of the globe including, China, New Zealand, much of Europe and all across the U.S.  Andrew recently moved to a permanent residence in Cambridge, MA after years of travel to evaluate many of GE's different business groups.  Andrew was an outdoor enthusiast whose passion for golf had been replaced by skiing as his skill increased.  Anytime he was involved in a planned event, Andrew only fuel the flame of fun, yet he was not afraid to go out on his own.  He is survived by his parents Charles and Lois who live in Lockport, NY outside of Buffalo.  Calling hours will be on Thursday evening 7-9 pm, Friday afternoon 2-4pm and evening 7-9 pm, with an 11am Mass Saturday at St. John's Catholic Church.    Donations can be made in Andrew’s memory to the Memorial Fund at Hamilton College:The Hamilton College Alumni Memorial Scholarship Fund198 College Hill Rd.Clinton, NY 13321 Cards can be sent to:Mr. and Mrs. Charles Begley (Lois)21 Spruce StreetLockport, NY   14094 He will be missed.  God rest his soul.  Darren B. Fuller ‘98

In a Pittsburg Post-Gazette artice, James Henry's father Reg Henry writes about the relief his family felt following news that James survived the impact of the devastating tsunami. A link to the article follows: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05004/436655.stm

Alf Evers, who died last Wednesday at age 99, was the town historian of Woostock, N.Y., and the author of several exhaustive works of local history,including "The Catskills: From Wilderness to Woodstock."    A charismatic figure, Alf often spoke before local groups regarding the need to limit development in the Catskills, Evers seems to have been preserved into a lucid old age by his dedication to his work. In the days before his death, he put the finishing touches on his final book, "Kingstonon-Hudson: An American Historical City," another massive production, which he wrote with the secretarial assistance of Ed Sanders, a poet and friend. It is scheduled to bepublished this spring.  "He was singing when he passed," Mr. Sanders said. "Bemusement, that's how he lived so long. The divine comedy passed over his eyes."    

Mary Bonauto '83 was named one of the Boston Globe "Bostonians of the Year" for 2004 and featured in the newspaper's Sunday magazine (12/26/04). Bonauto was the lead counsel in the landmark 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that ruled to allow gay marriages. She is the civil rights project director for the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

Richard Bernstein '80, chief U.S. strategist at Merrill Lynch, was among five financial experts featured in a USA Today investment roundtable article that provides advice for investors in 2005 (12/20/04).

Welcome to HOLAC. The Office of Alumni Programs staff is here to serve you. Bill Brower '84 - Executive Director, Annual Giving and Alumni Programs e-mail: wbrower@hamilton.edu Telephone: 315-859-4027 Jon Hysell '72 - Director of Alumni ProgramsE-mail: jahysell@hamilton.edu  Telephone: 315-859-4606 Amy Hunt - Assistant Director, Regional ProgramsE-mail: ahunt@hamilton.edu Telephone: 315-859-4004 Laurie Russell - Assistant Director, On-campus and Special EventsE-mail: lrussell@hamilton.edu  Telephone: 315-859-4642 Nikki Barbano - Senior AssistantE-mail: nbarbano@hamilton.edu  Telephone: 866-729-0314 Jackie Thompson - Staff AssistantE-mail: jdthomps@hamilton.edu  Telephone: 866-729-0314 The Office of Alumni Programs manages Alumni Association regional events, Fallcoming, Family Weekend, Volunteer Weekend and supports special programming on and off the Hill. We also are in charge of Alumni Travel, content on the Alumni Website (HOLAC,) liaise with Alumni Council committees and provide a variety of other support to Hamilton and Kirkland alumni/ae. We encourage you calls and e-mails to us. We welcome the opportunity to support alumni on and off the Hill. Personal regards,Jon A. L. Hysell '72

Michael Granof '63, a professor of accounting at the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business, wrote an op-ed on high textbook prices for The Chronicle of Higher Education (Nov. 26, 2004). Granof, who is also chairman of the board of the University Cooperative Society, the University of Texas's bookstore, wrote: "Students and their parents and legislators have a legitimate complaint. Textbooks are overpriced. But the causes aren't price gouging by bookstores, unscrupulous professors who force students to buy the texts they wrote, unnecessary and too-frequent revisions, or bundled supplementary materials. Those are all symptoms, not the disease."  

Andrew Conway '04 was among presenters at the Undergraduate Honors Conference, held at the Annenberg School of Communication at USC in November. His paper, “Information Technology and its Effect on Nations and Their Peoples,” examined the global influence of information technology from an uncommon perspective.  Using Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities and Anthony Smith’s Nationalism, the paper explored the contemporary notions surrounding the nation and nationalism.  Then, based on these concepts, the paper claimed that because of how information technologies are developed and disseminated they actually change and evolve the idea of a nation and nationalism.

"Rodney's Wife," a play written and directed by acclaimed playwright and Hamilton College alumnus Richard Nelson '72 opened in New York on November 12, at Playwrights Horizons. The play runs through December 19 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater on West 42nd Street. Nelson won a Tony Award for "James Joyce's The Dead."

"Devil in the Flesh and Other Pieces," the latest recording of music by Jay Reise, has appeared on Albany Records (www.albanyrecords.com). The CD has a number of connections to Hamilton College: Reise graduated from Hamilton in 1972 and later served on the Hamilton faculty; the program notes are by Comparative Literature Professor Peter Rabinowitz; and one of the works, Satori, received its world premiere at Hamilton in 1995, when it was performed by soprano Deborah Massell '80 and Sar-Shalom Strong, currently a lecturer in piano. The recording includes four works, all of which feature Marc-André Hamelin, widely regarded as the outstanding pianist of his generation. Also participating in the performances are bassoonist Charles Ullery (principal bassoonist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) and soprano Jody Karin Applebaum.