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Monday, May 17, 2010
MAY ALUMNI & ALUMNAE E-NEWSLETTER
Register now for Reunion 2010!
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We are less than one week away from Reunion 2010! Please note that the deadline to register for this weekend's festivities is today, May 17.
REGISTER ONLINE FOR REUNION 2010.
The AAG Alumnae Council and AA Alumni Association will hold their annual meetings on Friday, May 21 at 5 p.m. At the AA meeting, the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award will be presented to Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman '60 and Jeffrey James Sharlet '60 (posthumous). |
Don't miss the AAG & AA Cocktail Party on Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in The Buttery. Alumnae and Alumni from all class years are invited. We will provide a delicious array of appetizers along with a cash bar.
Space is limited for the AA Athletic Hall of Fame Breakfast on Saturday, May 22 at 8:30 a.m. in Caird Chapel. Immediately following the event, all Reunion classes will be honored at Reunion Rally. You will also have the opportunity to hear from Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58.
Finally, the 2010 Distinguished Alumna Award will be presented to Margaret Lamar King '65 and the recipient of the Frederika Voorhaar Slingerland '32 Volunteer Service Award will be named on Saturday at the AAG Alumnae Luncheon.
VIEW THE COMPLETE REUNION 2010 SCHEDULE.
REUNION 2010 REGISTRATION LIST AS OF MAY 17
Be counted in this year's Annual Fund!
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There is still time to make your gift and be counted as a participant in The Albany Academies Annual Fund!
Thanks to the generosity of our alumni/ae, parents and friends, the Annual Fund is nearing its $1 million goal. As of May 12, nearly $900,000 in cash and pledges have been committed -- 87% towards our goal.
We need your help, though. As of May 10, 356 AA alumni out of 2,674 (13.5%) have contributed and 184 AAG alumnae out of 1,581 (11.6%) have contributed. Be counted this year and help us reach our goal of 25% alumni/ae participation.
AA ALUMNI GIVING PARTICIPATION RATES AS OF MAY 10
AAG ALUMNAE GIVING PARTICIPATION RATES AS OF MAY 10 |
MAKE YOUR GIFT ONLINE NOW!
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Institutional Advancement Kimberly Verstandig at (518) 429-2431 or verstandigk@albanyacademies.org.
Nominations for AAG Athletic Hall of Fame due
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There is still time remaining to nominate a worthy athlete, team or coach for the inaugural class of the Albany Academy for Girls Alumnae Association Athletic Hall of Fame. The deadline to submit a nomination is Tuesday, June 1.
These deserving women will be inducted during Homecoming 2010 on Saturday, October 2. If you know of an AAG athlete who should be recognized for her outstanding athletic accomplishments, please take the time to nominate her! |
AAG ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME NOMINATION FORM
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Alumni/ae Relations at (518) 429-2432 or
collins-schroedera@albanyacademies.org.
Alumnus honored as Champion for Children
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The Albany Academies Board of Trustees member M. Christian Bender '78 P'13, '15, Executive Director of the Brighter Choice Foundation, was honored at the Northeast Parent & Child Society's 2010 Champions for Children of the Capital Region event on May 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy.
Mr. Bender was recognized for his dedicated efforts to improve the lives of children in the Capital Region. The Brighter Choice Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that supports the operation of 11 charter schools in Albany.
Pictured (left to right) at the reception are Albany Academies Board of Trustees member Peter Campito '78, Mr. Bender & Northeast Parent & Child Society Vice President of Community Relations Sari O'Connor P'11, '18. |
Alumnus receives Beacon of Hope Award
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The Albany Academies Board of Trustees member E. Stewart Jones '59 P'90, '93, '97 was selected as the American Cancer Society's "Beacon of Hope" award winner at their annual gala and benefit on April 30 at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga.
Mr. Jones was honored and recognized for his efforts in the fight against cancer.
Pictured (left to right) at the event are Director of Institutional Advancement Kimberly Verstandig P'16, '17, '18, Mr. Jones, Director of External Affairs & American Cancer Society Board of Advisors member Ann Wendth and Mr. Jones' wife, Kimberly Jones. |
Boston gathering brings alumni/ae together!
Pictured (left to right) are attendees at the Boston Regional Alumni/ae Reception on April 21.
Boston area alumni and alumnae of AA & AAG enjoyed a beautiful April evening at the Boston Regional Alumni/ae Reception on April 21; the event was graciously hosted by Susan Pioli '75 and her husband, Martin Samuels.
Those who attended enjoyed reconnecting with one another, taking in the view of the Boston skyline from the "roof deck" reception, and meeting Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58 and hearing about his vision for the Academies.
More regional gatherings will be scheduled next year, so please plan to join us when we visit your area!
Spring Gathering a great success!
Pictured (left to right) are Spring Gathering Honorary Co-Chairs Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58 & his wife, Dr. Ellen Cole; Mark Lasch '75 P'12, Sari O'Connor P'11, '18, Kevin O'Connor P'11, '18, Kathleen Lasch McNamee P'12, '13, '16 & Lori Lasch P'12; and members of the Cadet Corps at the event.
More than 300 parents, alumni/ae, faculty and friends of The Albany Academies gathered together on April 17 at the Franklin Plaza in Troy for the 2010 Spring Gathering.
The theme of this year's event was "Creating Opportunities, Changing Lives." More than $125,000 was raised to benefit the Academies' scholarship and financial aid programs -- helping to make a lasting difference in the lives of young men and women.
Special thanks to our Honorary Co-Chairs Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58 & his wife, Dr. Ellen Cole, and the Planning Committee along with the many organizations and individuals who supported this event.
Alumnus discusses Stanford connection
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Dr. James Fitzgerald '57 visited the Academies on April 16 as part of the Class of '57 Lecture Series to discuss the connection between The Albany Academies & Stanford University. Dr. Fitzgerald has done extensive research in the U.S. and Italy about the life of Jane Lathrop Stanford (class year, 1847) -- co-founder of Stanford University.
Stanford, which was originally titled Leland Stanford Jr. University, was named after Ms. Stanford's deceased son. Fitzgerald told our Upper School students that the initial reason for Ms. Stanford constructing the college was to cope with the abrupt death of her son.
She believed that the young people of California would be her children and wanted to take care of them. Ms. Stanford held true to this statement by offering free tuition and accepting women into the university, which was unheard of at the time. |
Dr. Fitzgerald is retired from a surgical ophthalmology practice in Troy, NY and teaches surgical residents at the University of Arizona. He is also one of the founders of the Class of '57 Lecture Series. He has also authored an article about Ms. Stanford that will appear in the Summer 2010 issue of A2 magazine.
Pictured (left to right) are Dr. Fitzgerald, Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58, Archivist John McClintock '57 & Jim Beardsley '57.
Many thanks to Dr. Fitzgerald for taking the time to present his research to our students!
All about the houses...
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Archivist John McClintock '57 led a fascinating presentation on April 15 in Caird Chapel about the lives of the men for which the four AA houses are named: Beck, Henry, Olcott & Gates.
Dr. T. Romeyn Beck has long been recognized for his outstanding leadership of The Albany Academy. He created and perfected the Science & Math Departments at the school. Joseph Henry, a brilliant scholar, opened the idea of experimentation as part of the higher education curriculum at the Academy.
Thomas Olcott was a generous contributor to the Academy; as the second most powerful banker in the United States, he understood that wealth was a means by which to improve the community -- especially the learning community. Merrill Gates (pictured at left) served as Headmaster of the Academy from 1870-1882. |
During that time, he shifted the emphasis at the Academy to college preparatory and added the primary department, promoted physical education and introduced written exams.
All four men contributed an outstanding level of contribution to not only the Academy but the surrounding community-at-large. Thank you to Mr. McClintock for taking the time to inform our students about this important history.
Military veteran returns to the Academy!
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Heath Twichell '52, a West Point graduate who retired as a colonel after two tours of combat duty in Vietnam, returned to the Academies on April 9 to speak with Academy students and serve as the final speaker of the 2009-2010 Alumni/ae Speaker Series.
Mr. Twichell, who has a Ph.D. in History, taught at West Point and the U.S. Naval War College. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife, Mary, and continues to teach part-time at the Naval War College.
He spoke about the role of African Americans in the military during our nation's history and his own experience serving as a young Army second lieutenant at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957.
Pictured (left to right) in Caird Chapel are back row: Duncan MacAffer '52, Mr. Twichell & Irwin Smith '52; and front row: Jim Caird '52, Joe Gold '52, Dick Beamish '52, Head of School Dr. Douglas North '58, Roland Faulkner '52 & Prentiss Carnell '52. |
Many thanks to Mr. Twichell for returning to our school to share his experiences with our students and faculty.
ARCHIVES
History of the Albany Female Academy
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The Albany Female Academy was founded in 1814 and chartered by the state legislature in 1821. To accommodate rapidly growing enrollment, the school built and dedicated a new building on Montgomery Street in the same year. The corner stone of this building was laid after a public parade with elaborate ceremony and speeches.
The building was abandoned when the North Pearl Street building was finished in 1834. Later, all of the buildings and Montgomery Street itself were demolished to make way for railroad access to the early railroad depot.
In 1899-1900, a second depot -- Union Station -- was built, and during excavation, the Albany Female Academy cornerstone was found intact. The two documents pictured at left were found in the cornerstone. The third document on the right is a description of the excavation and their discovery. All were returned to the school. |
These documents are in poor condition today, but help is on the way. The Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA now has them and we have authorized their restoration and conservation. This will be an elaborate process of rehydration and expert cleaning. We have important AAG documents at NDCC as we look forward to celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the schools.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Commencement Ceremonies -- June 14 & 15
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Please save the date for the AAG & AA Commencement Ceremonies on Monday, June 14 and Tuesday, June 15, respectively.
Both events will begin at 10 a.m.; the AAG ceremony will be held in a tent on the main lawn and the AA ceremony will be held on the AA Football Field. |
Legacy of Dreams -- June 19
BECOME A CORPORATE SPONSOR.
LEGACY OF DREAMS CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP FORM
Please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (518) 429-2432 or
collins-schroedera@albanyacademies.org with any questions.
Day at the Races -- August 7
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Don't miss the opportunity to join fellow alumnae, alumni and friends for a luncheon and a day at the Races at the Upper Carousel on Saturday, August 7! The Carousel is located on the second floor of the Clubhouse and overlooks the picturesque picnic area of Saratoga Race Course.
The hot and cold buffet changes daily and generally includes a carved meat selection, chicken, vegetables, pasta, cold meats, salads and a variety of desserts. You will have Clubhouse access. Dress code is neat casual; although Bermuda shorts are permitted in the Carousel, they are not acceptable in the Clubhouse areas. |
Registration will open on Tuesday, June 1. Tickets are $45 per person and will be limited!
For more information, contact the Office of Alumni/ae Relations at (518) 429-2414.
Stay connected with the Academy community!
Are you a member of our Online Community & Facebook? If not, now is the time to join! Stay connected with the community and learn about upcoming programs, events and more!
REGISTER FOR THE ONLINE COMMUNITY.
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
If you have any questions or comments about this electronic newsletter, please contact Ann Wendth, Director of External Relations, at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org, or Adam Doling, Communications Associate, at (518) 429-2344 or dolinga@albanyacademies.org.
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2010-2011 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 ISSUE OF A2 ACADEMIES MAGAZINE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Stay up to date with our Online Calendar
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