20 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Forty-six years ago when I entered the Foundation Building witha vague intention of becoming an architect, I had no idea of whatan incredible experience I was about to encounter. My years atCooper Union were exciting, painful, exhilarating and life-alter-ing to name just a few of my memories. But one thing is for cer-tain—they changed my life. This is something I know I sharewith most of my fellow alumni.

Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would someday be asked to serve as the president of our Alumni Association.But then, dreams and the unexpected are what Cooper Union isall about. This is a great honor and one that I look forward to ful-filling, with the support and full participation of you, my fellowalumni. I am fortunate to be joined in this task by my wonderfulcolleagues on the Executive Committee and our director, SusanMoyle Lynch, and her very capable staff. I can’t think of a bettertime to step into Don Toman’s (EE’55) shoes.

In case you haven’t heard—which is doubtful given CooperUnion’s high visibility for all its recent accomplishments—thecollege is on a veritable roll. The worn-out Hewitt Building is nomore, and in its place a new academic building is being con-structed. It is scheduled for completion in 2009 in time forCooper Union’s sesquicentennial year. Cooper Union has beennamed one of the Top 25 Hottest Colleges in the nation byNewsweek, was ranked no. 1 in Baccalaureate Colleges (North) byU.S. News and World Report and is one of the most selective col-leges in the country, according to the Princeton Review. Ourproud alumni are celebrating with contributions to the AlumniRoof Terrace campaign, surpassing the $1 million mark.

These successes have been the result of numerous people inCooper Union’s community under the dynamic and inspired lead-ership of President George Campbell Jr. and his vice presidents,Ronni Denes and Robert Hawks. As a former alumni trustee, Ican also attest to the quality of our committed Board of Trusteesled by its chair, Ronald Drucker (CE’62).

Yet as good as this state of affairs is, we should not make themistake of resting on our present successes. There are many chal-lenges that lie ahead and much work to be done to sustain PeterCooper’s seemingly impossible dream of offering each studentthe best education imaginable with full-tuition scholarships. Tobe able to do this in 2007—in one of the costliest cities in theworld—is simply remarkable.

I use the term “sustainability” to characterize our challengebecause it has become a mantra of our age with a universal reso-nance. The simple fact is that Peter Cooper’s vision, of which wehave been the fortunate beneficiaries, requires our full involvement.

As your president, I have a dream to achieve the support of allof the school’s alumni. This is achievable in many ways, includingparticipating in Alumni Association events such as attendingAlumni Day, outings, the annual Founder’s Day Dinner Dance inthe spring or alumni gatherings held nationwide—and, needlessto say, by contributing financially. My goal is to broaden theinvolvement of alumni in the Cooper Union Alumni Association

AlumniNewsand to encourage the transition of the next generation of CUAAleaders and supporters.

“Green” is a term used interchangeably with sustainability andrefers to the health of our environment. This brings to mind PeterCooper’s famous adage that “education should be as free as airand water.” To keep education free requires us all to think greenas in “greenbacks,” which, incidentally, was the party that ranPeter Cooper for president. If we all think green in terms of sup-porting Cooper Union, we can continue Peter Cooper’s dream ofsustaining the education of our students in art, architecture andengineering, which is as vital to our existence as air and water toour universe.

Alumni AssociationPresident’s ColumnCarmi Bee(AR’67)

In case you haven’t heard—which is doubtful given Cooper Union’s high visibility for all its recentaccomplishments—the college is on a veritable roll.

Nostalgia and Curiosity Draw Many to Alumni Day

Ringwood Manor at Ringwood State Park, NJ, was the setting for Alumni Day on September 29,attracting a record 120 alumni, families and friends who toured the former estate of Abram andSarah Amelia Cooper Hewitt. Guests enjoyed picnic lunches in the park and hiked the trail to thesite of the former Green Camp. It was a nostalgic day for many alumni who recounted their experi-ences at Green Camp when classmates mingled on weekend visits to the rural setting and wheremany long-term friendships and eventual marriages got their start. Younger alumni like event chairRocco Cetera (CE’99), who had only heard about Green Camp and was curious to see what madethis place so special, enjoyed listening to the stories. The perfect late summer weather, a focus onCooper and Hewitt family memorabilia in the Manor, and the fellowship of Cooper Union alumnicombined in an event location that many have suggested should be repeated annually.

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Cooper Union alumni, family and friends gather in front of the Glass Piazza at Ringwood Manor.

At Cooper Union Winter 2008 | 21

Roof Terrace Charter Members

On September 9th, President Campbell thankedthe Alumni Roof Terrace Charter Members at a brunch held at his home in recognition oftheir early and significant support. The 110Charter Members—alumni who pledged theirsupport before June 30, 2007—contributedmore than $682,000 to the Alumni Campaignand new academic building fund.

Deborah Lazicki (E’80) with Lawrence Chiarelli (CE’80) Henry Dong (AR’74) and Maizie Tang

Sonia Guwalani (ChE’07), Angelo Maragos (IDE’07), Paul Majcherczyk (EE’07),Michael Granat (ME’06) and Don Toman (EE’55)

From left: Neena Beniwal (EE’06), Teena Kurian (ChE’06), Jeanie Wu (ChE’06),Dan Broyles (ME’06) and Anil Beniwal (EE’07)

Vice chairman of the Board of Trustees Mark Epstein(A’76) with Paul Heller (ME’53)

Trustee and co-chair of the Alumni Campaign Robert Aquilina (CE’78) and his wife Chandra.

Sanjeevanee (CE’98) and Ranjeet Vidwans

President of the Alumni Association Carmi Bee (AR’67)and co-chair of the Alumni Campaign Mindy Lang(A’82/dir., Design Center)

Ann Marie and Lynn Lander (ChE’60)

Class of 2007Joins Alumnion the Rooftop

A recent tradition at The Cooper Union is for the senior class tobe welcomed into the Alumni Association by alumni from thepast 20 years at the annual On the Rooftop party. Celebratingtheir upcoming graduation, 110 members of the class of 2007gathered in the Peter Cooper Suite on the evening of May 17,greeted by alumni, faculty and staff who shared in their excite-ment and anticipation. Event chair Michael Granat (ME’06)offered his congratulations to the senior class, encouragingthem to stay connected to Cooper Union and each other and totake advantage of the many opportunities that the AlumniAssociation offers to graduates.

Dennis Schiloff (ME’05), James Philbin (CE’88), Marcella Tosi and Nicholas Schiloff (ME’07)

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Members of the class of 1957 returned to The Cooper Union onMay 4, 2007 to rediscover the college and greet classmates thatmany had not seen in 50 years. The Engineering Building didn’texist when these alumni were at Cooper Union. Former day andnight students met each other for the first time, and the biggestsurprise was seeing the now-vacant lot where the Hewitt Buildingstood only two months earlier.

Alumni began their reunion with early morning classroomdiscussions on advances in biomedical engineering by associateprofessor of mechanical engineering David Wootton, and oncomputer technologies at Cooper Union by the director of the

Computer Center, Robert Hopkins. They discovered what wasnew and what hasn’t changed since they were students by touringthe Engineering Building, the Foundation Building andAlumniSpace in the Residence Hall. A hard-hat tour of the site ofthe new academic building was offered by a representative of con-struction manager F.J. Sciame.

The highlight of the day-long activities was a luncheon attend-ed by deans, faculty members and administrators to induct theclass of 1957 into the Golden Legion. Vice President Ronni Denesoffered a nostalgic look at the context in which the class of 1957attended Cooper Union: the politics, the sports, the movies andthe songs. President George Campbell Jr. congratulated the classfor reaching this milestone, discussed the highlights of the aca-demic year, and emphasized the potential that the new academicbuilding presents for the future. President of the Cooper UnionAlumni Association, Don Toman (EE’55) recounted the impor-tance of his own Golden Legion induction. Class representativeDr. Allen Klinger (EE’57) spoke about what Cooper Union meantto him, and Dr. Robert Heilen (ChE’57) presented the class gift inthe amount of $103,000 to President Campbell, who thanked theclass for their generosity and leadership.

The day’s activities were capped by a reception for all GoldenLegion members, who welcomed the class of 1957 into their ranks.

Class of 1957Celebrates itsGolden Legion

22 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Judith Solomon, Stanley Solomon (CE’57), Alfred Rosenblatt (EE’57),President George Campbell Jr., Carol Tillman and Raymond Tillman (CE’57)

Allen Klinger (EE’57), President George Campbell Jr., Robert Heilen (ChE’57)

l to r: Richard Schwartz (ME’57), Frank Bader (ME’58), Jack Kahrs (ME’58),Fred Austin (ME’57), Walter Bylciw (ME’57), Albert Carnesale (ME’57)

June Kahrs (A’57), Anita FidererMoskowitz (A’57) Jean Krulis (A’57),Rev. Joan Rose Gelbein (A’57)

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7th Annual Art Auction and Casino NightReaches New Levels

The seventh annual Art Auction and Casino Night held in theFoundation Building on October 20, 2007, was a record-breakingevent. Event co-chairs Yvette Francis (A’93) and Scott Lyne (ChE’92)organized a fabulous evening for nearly 150 alumni and guests.

Alumni and their guests enjoyed blackjack, poker and craps, inconjunction with a silent auction of original artwork and giftsdonated by Cooper Union alumni and friends.

Alumni contributed 62 pieces of art and some exceptional one-of-a-kind experiences that included tickets to a Ballet Hispanicoperformance, the Big Apple Circus, a private tour of the AmericanMuseum of Natural History, a sight-seeing flight tour of New YorkCity, a two-night stay in the Peter Cooper Room at The Old CableHistoric House Bed & Breakfast in County Kerry, Ireland, Utrechtart supplies and many other fabulous prizes.

On the seventh floor of the Foundation Building, casino tableswere filled to capacity as alumni eagerly took part in the gamesand the popular poker tournament organized by Yash Risbud(EE’92/MEE’94). Non-cash casino prizes were awarded to thethree attendees who ended the evening with the most chips.

Art Auction and Casino Night is a benefit to support TheCooper Union’s full-tuition scholarships through the AnnualFund. More than $16,000 was raised, the greatest amount in thehistory of the event.

The invitation was designed by Francis. Volunteers AthenaCaramichael DeNivo (CE’94), Kathleen Irwin (ChE’99), Erica U.Mapp (A’94), James H. Lee (BAE’07), Stephanie Reyer (A’95),Damon Schenck (AR’94) and Mark Vasquez (ME’88) added theirtalent and energy to make Art Auction and Casino Night a greatsuccess for alumni and the Annual Fund.

Thank you to the followingdonors for the 2007 Art Auction & Casino Night:

Everett Adelman A’69Peter Adler A’54Shawn K. Alexander A’96Shirley Venit Anger A’46Lizabeth Arum A’90Joel Azerrad A’53B Bar and GrillBallet HispanicoBig Apple CircusChristopher Blyth A’93Jiri Boudnik AR’97Michael D. Brathwaite A’78Elaine Breiger A’70Margaret Brown-The Old

Cable Historic HouseFani Budic AR’97Chelsea DiningJennifer Collins A’93Matthew Corones A’03Lucy Deegan Leiriao A’97Ivy Dachman A’72Lida Drummond A’78Christina Ernst A’07Gail Flanery A’73Yvette Francis A’93Constance Ftera A’53Marilyn Hoffner A’48Stanley Kaplan A’49Maxim Karasik EE’93Sandra Kelch A’86Claire Laufman Gregory Laufman EE’96Christian Luis A’95Mary K. Lynch ChE’82Noah Lyon A’02Erica U. Mapp A’74Gail Mitchell A’92Thomas Moran A’93Laura Newman A’76NY Theater WorkshopThomas Nozkowski A’67Ryan Oakes A’04

Trevor Oakes A’04Trudy Owett A’50Paprika RestaurantMaria Passarotti A’00Andre M. Pennycooke A’95Anita Ragusa A’04Stephanie Reyer A’95Leigh Ruple A’06Carmelle Safdie A’05Ina Saltz A’72Damon Schenck AR’94Susan Shaw A’72Sheila Schneider A’54Carl Selinger CE’67Simmelink/SukimotoSusan Shaw A’72Lenore Simon A’52Jean Smolar A’55St. Mark’s BookshopTheo Stewart-Stand A’99Victoria Tentler-Krylov AR’97Gwen Thomas-Avillez A’68Dorrit Title A’56Ryan Toth A’02Utrecht Art SuppliesGaile Vazbys A’86Via Della Pace RestaurantJovan Villalba A’99Rachel Vine A’93Charles von Schmidt A’73Ronald Weinstein CE’67

Above: Auction art and specialty item donors

Above right: Alumni and friendsenjoying casino activities

Co-chairs Yvette Francis (A’93) and Scott Lyne (ChE’92)

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Joanna Sherman’s (A’69) professionalcareer—creating art and buildingworking relationships among perform-

ers, artists and their audiences—hasenabled people around the world to recog-nize a common humanity with that of theirneighbors in the global community.

Sherman was trained as a dancer, stud-ied architecture and art at Cooper Unionand earned her B.F.A. She received anM.A. in theater and international studiesfrom New York University in 1996. Withthis diverse background, she ended up inthe field of physical theater, a movement,image-oriented form of theater that is informed by various arts:martial arts, dance, mime, circus and the like. Her creativerésumé presents her as a choreographer, saxophonist, stiltdancer, juggler, fire-eater and actor.

In 1976, Sherman co-founded the Bond Street Theatre withcreative partner Patrick Sciarratta. The ensemble of actors andartists began performing social commentary and recreated clas-sics for New York audiences in parks and as a resident companyat LaMama Theater. Today, the company is still dedicated to thevision of theater for social change, and works in areas of conflictand for disadvantaged communities around the world.

Both the initiative and ultimate goal of Bond Street Theatre ishuman engagement—using art for healing, teaching and openingnew worlds of imagination and understanding. Sherman’sdirectorship has brought the company and its original worksthroughout eastern and western Europe, the Balkans, East Asia,South America, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.Sherman is a frequent speaker on the role of the arts in areas ofconflict, including at the United Nations, the National Councilon Women, universities, arts councils and arts-in-educationforums, and she has been interviewed on CNN, BBC and manyNPR programs.

In 1984, the company made its first foray into the artistic-humanitarian work that defines it today. The company developedan ongoing, inter-ethnic project in conjunction with the IsraelFestival. Working with 60 Jewish, Palestinian and Kurdishartists in Jerusalem, the group created huge street spectacles onthe theme of conflict resolution and formed Jerusalem’s firststreet theater company, which lasted for many years.

Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down reuniting Germany,the group performed in Alexanderplatz in East Berlin, and fur-ther tours brought them to Northern Ireland, Colombia,Venezuela and Brazil where they worked with local artists andbegan concentrated work with the street children who lived offrecycling garbage.

In 1999, in response to the war inKosovo, Sherman traveled with the com-pany to the Kosovar refugee camps inMacedonia. After the war, in collaborationwith Theatre Tsvete, a puppet theater fromBulgaria, the company created a non-verbalversion of “Romeo and Juliet,” whichtoured throughout Kosovo, followed bytours in Serbia, Bosnia, Romania andAlbania. They established the PerformingArtists for Balkan Peace, a network of 10theater groups committed to exchangewithin the region to promote peace andsocial progress.

As a consequence of the turmoil in the 21st century, Shermanand Bond Street Theatre members felt a deepened sense ofurgency. Afghan refugees settled by the thousands in campsdescribed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugeesas the “single largest refugee crisis in the world.” This was a call toaction for the group. Bond Street Theatre has made many tripsto Afghanistan, to collaborate with Exile Theatre, and work withstudents and faculty at Kabul University. They perform and teachfor Afghanistan-Schulen, a German NGO that builds schools inrural Afghan communities. The program is also present in India,where the group has been working with rural women, trainingteachers and giving workshops and performances for children.

In 1984, Sherman found the ideal outlet for her CooperUnion studies in art and architecture. The young theater companymoved to Palenville, NY and founded the Palenville InterartsColony, an artists community “run by artists, for artists.”

In 1990, the MacArthur Foundation honored Bond StreetTheatre with an unsolicited award for its creative interculturaland interdisciplinary programming.

Responding to the growing interest in arts as humanitarianaid, Sherman is initiating the World Theatre Corps, a program thatwill directly connect artists of all disciplines, from both developedand developing countries, with local organizations in disadvan-taged communities around the world. The goal is to empowercommunities by strengthening their own cultural resources.

Sherman is the recipient of an Exploration Fund grant fromArts International and travel grants from TCG, theInternational Theatre Institute, the Trust for MutualUnderstanding and the U.S. Bureau of Educational andCultural Affairs. She was on the selection committee for theinaugural class of NYU’s new Social EntrepreneurshipProgram, and has been a speaker at Columbia, Georgetown,Johns Hopkins, George Washington, Wesleyan, CCNY andAdelphi universities, among others.

24 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Regional Alumni EventsFall ’07

Reception in Los AngelesA lovely sunset reception for LosAngeles area alumni, parents andguests took place at Shutters on theBeach in Santa Monica on October29, 2007. President George CampbellJr. spoke about Cooper Union’s recentnational rankings, construction progresson the new building and excitingdirections. Trustee Marc Appleton,great great great grandson of PeterCooper, and Vice President for ExternalAffairs Ronni Denes attended thereception as did Director of AlumniRelations Susan Moyle Lynch, whoextended greetings from the AlumniAssociation and showed a video aboutthe new academic building.

Reception in Durham, NCAlumni and guests gathered at theWashington Duke Inn and Golf Club inDurham, NC, for an inaugural recep-tion on November 13, 2007. Leadingthe Cooper Union officials werePresident George Campbell Jr. andVice President for External AffairsRonni Denes. Director of AlumniRelations Susan Moyle Lynch broughtgreetings from the Alumni Associationand thanked reception co-hosts Rev. Joan Rose Gelbein (A’57) andAbraham Gelbein (ChE’57). Dr.Campbell presented a video and summarized progress on constructionof the new academic building andother exciting academic and alumniactivities underway at Cooper Union.

Art Basel Miami BeachCollection Tour and LuncheonThe Florida Chapter of The CooperUnion Alumni Association hosted a tour of the Rubell Family Collectionand a luncheon for alumni and guestsin Miami’s Wynwood art district during Art Basel Miami Beach onDecember 8, 2007. The Rubell FamilyCollection is one of the leading collections of contemporary art in theworld dating from the 1960s to thepresent. Mera Rubell spoke with thegroup about how the collection wasformed and continues to be amassed.Dean Saskia Bos led the tour of thecollection and during the luncheonthat followed provided the locations of Cooper Union alumni exhibiting at the art fair.

PioneerProfile Joanna Sherman (A’69)

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At Cooper Union Winter 2008 | 25

CooperProductsTo purchase these items, visit www.cualumni.com and click on “shop”

Published Pioneers

On the Edge: Ten Architects from ChinaThomas Tsang(AR’00)Publisher: Rizzoli

Mathematics of Physics and EngineeringDr. Edward K. Blum(ME’43)Publisher: World ScientificPublishing Co.

Probability and StatisticsApplications forEnvironmentalScienceDr. Louis Theodore(ChE’55)Publisher: CRC Press.

Celebrate AroundThe CalendarLester Macklin(ME’68)Publisher:Book.orders@.iuni-verse.com

A DangerousWoman: The GraphicBiography of Emma GoldmanSharon Rudahl(A’69)Publisher: www.the-newpress.com

What Is Exhibition Design?Lee H. Skolnick(AR’79)Publisher:RotoVision August

Peter Cooper JewelryPeter Cooper Jewelry is produced by Marilyn Hoffner A’48, using the Peter Cooper seal. A portion of your purchase is donated to theAnnual Fund. Rings are gift boxed, jewelry comes in velvet gift bag.All jewelry sales are final and non refundable.

A full line of Peter Cooper jewelry may be viewed online at www.cualumni.com