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As members of the Hamilton family, giving back is a defining characteristic of who we are.  We contribute as volunteer leaders and donors to the institutions and causes we believe in most deeply.  For many of us Hamilton is central among our priorities.  We give to the College to support curious, motivated students and the professors who teach them.  We give to provide a rich variety of experiences to students inside and outside the classroom.  We give to ensure that Hamilton's doors are always open to the most deserving young people, regardless of their economic circumstances. As we approach the end of the calendar year, please accept our deepest thanks for all you do for Hamilton.  We invite you to take a moment to watch the Annual Fund Flash Media presentation.  We are certain you will enjoy it. Happy Holidays from the Hamilton College Alumni Office!

The Ohio State University Press series ("Theory and Interpretation of Narrative") that Professor of Comparative Literature and chair of the Comparative Literature Deapartment Peter J. Rabinowitz co-edits with James Phelan has just published its 24th volume: Phelan's Experiencing Fiction: Judgments, Progressions, and the Rhetorical Theory of Narrative.

A generous supporter of many nonprofit organizations in the Mohawk Valley and beyond, alumnus Eugene Romano '49 has made a major gift to Hamilton. The $2.5 million donation is targeted for the construction of a new 150-seat theatre that will serve both Hamilton and the surrounding communities. Over the many years that he has supported the College, this is Romano's largest gift.

A Community Concert, canceled due to last Sunday's snowstorm, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 22, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Kirkland Art Center in Clinton. The purpose of this event, which is free and open to the public, is to raise donations to build a school in Cambodia.

The media relations office has collected a sampling of stories about the Hamilton College community's involvement in projects focused on making the holidays happier for others. We know that we may have missed some good stories of selfless giving, but we hope you enjoy those that we have gathered.

It wasn't so long ago that Utica native Brandon Long '06 was sitting in a Proctor High School classroom as a student. Now he's on the other side of the desk as a Spanish teacher at Utica's John F. Kennedy Middle School. At a time when the city of Utica is emphasizing a drive to keep young professionals in the Mohawk Valley, Long personifies why that's a worthy initiative.

John McEnroe, the John and Anne Fischer Professor of Fine Arts, contributed the lead article, "Minoan Archaeology and the Quest for the Primitive Hut," to Krinoi Kai Limenai: Studies in Honor of Joseph and Maria Shaw, published by the Institute of Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP) Academic Press. The volume celebrates the work of Joseph and Maria Shaw, who were recently awarded the Archaeological Institute of America's Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement, and who have been McEnroe's mentors and friends for more than 30 years.

Ron Torgalski '89 has been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Nichols School. Torgalski is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Buffalo. At Hamilton he played basketball and baseball and was a member of Delta Upsilon. He majored in psychology and after graduation played professional basketball in Sweden for two years before returning to Hamilton to serve as assistant men's basketball coach from 1991 to 1994. He went on to become an assistant basketball coach at the University at Buffalo and later assistant baseball coach, which led to his being named head coach of the baseball team in 2006.

Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori was an invited guest at an international conference on Edogawa Rampo, arguably the most famous Japanese mystery novelist from the 20th century. The conference, "Rampo and Modernism as a Global Cultural Movement" (December 7-9), took place at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Omori is currently a visiting researcher (SSRC-JSPS postdoctoral fellow) at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

Charter Trustee Richard Bernstein '80, chief investment strategist at Merrill Lynch, was among five financial experts featured in the 12th annual USA Today investment roundtable.  In the article "Fasten your seatbelts, experts warn," the panelists provide advice for investors in 2008 (12/17/07). Bernstein warned in the article "Our story for '08 is, market volatility will continue to go up as we see more issues, not just in the U.S. but around the world, related to the tightening of the credit markets." Bernstein predicts a "relatively flat market for the S&P 500 for the next 12 months."