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Mike Arteaga
























Mike Arteaga Marist College
Poughkeepsie, NY
Transcribed by Aubrey Giesler
For the Marist College Archives and Special Collections























































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Mike Arteaga
Transcript – Mike Arteaga
Interviewee: Mike Arteaga
Interviewer: Gus Nolan

Interview Date: 12/4/08
Location: Marist Archives and Special Collections Reading Room
Topic: Marist College History
Subject Headings: Mike Arteaga
Marist College—History



Marist College (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
Summary:
This interview discuses Arteaga’s time at Marist College. His time on the crew team, and his life after Marist College.































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Mike Arteaga
GUS NOLAN: Today is December the four. We’re having an interview with Mike Arteaga, he’s a graduate of the class of
nineteen?

MIKE ARTEAGA: Seventy.
GN: Seventy. Well good after noon Mike.
MA: Good afternoon Gus.
GN: Mike this is a recording that's going to be put into our archives and it will be housed along with some more than fifty others that
are there now from varies professes and from now your here some sports people who are participated in this archive interview. What
I'd like to do is just get a general background of who you, and were you went to school, and then you coming to Marist. So it's like
before Marist, Marist, and then after Marist that we're going to be talking about. So could you start let me ask the question this way.
Where were you born, and where we are brought up as a youngster?
MA: I was born on Long Island, New York and then we moved around a bit, but finally settled when I was quite young to Cedar
Grove, New Jersey. And then ended up in Montclair that's where I spent most of my youth and went to school.
GN: Where is Montclair in Jersey? Middle Jersey, south Jersey?
MA: In northern Jersey almost directly west of New York City, about twenty minutes.
GN: Where did you go to grade school, in Montclair?
MA: I went to St. Cassian School in Montclair upper Montclair New Jersey.
GN: And high school?
MA: High school. I when to the diocese in high school which is in Newark Essex Catholic High School in New Jersey. I think it’s
gone now. Run by the Irish Christian Brothers.
GN: I see. During the school year do recall any particular activities where you in school plays, choir, clubs of any sort?
MA: Well, not too frequently. I was involved a little bit with athletics, but not a lot because the school was. I live in a really nice town
and there were a lot of kids, a lot of Irish families with ten kids running around the neighborhood we had a lot of fun. And there were
woods nearby, up on the mountains nearby. So, I was always an outdoorsy kind of person and because my mother believe that I should
have got to diocese school I would take a forty five to fifteen minute bus ride every day down into Newark. Which was really not a
heck of a lot better than it is now. And so really, my priority was getting out of there in the evenings and get home.
GN: And your activities then would be with your fellow playmates in the area rather than staying on at school.
MA: Yeah, we have to choose up, we would have football games, and baseball games, and basketball and all that and we would do it
in our neighborhood we always had a lot of players in that neighborhood in those days and now it's all.
GN: Did you the team, every time?
MA: Well, we I guess had too few to be having too many people setting so you got a lot of play time.
GN: Tell me, when did you first hear of Marist, and how did that all develop?
MA: Well I've got to my junior year my mother and I started looking around at colleges, and we came up here, and we visited a
number of colleges. Came up to Marist happened to be spring weekend and.
GN: About what year would this be now?
MA: Had to be.
GN: ‘66.
MA: Well I started in ‘66 so it had to be ‘65 we were here or ‘64 or ‘65. And it was this was not a co-ed school at the time it was all
boys. But it was, it look like a really fun weekend so that move it up in my priority of schools. I got in and decided to come here.
GN: Did you know anybody here, was any body from your school here at that time?
MA: No one here.


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GN: When you came none of your classmates followed you to Marist?
MA: Came totally alone. It was a new experience.
GN: Very good. Ok, while in high school then what about the summer did you work, did you have a chance to do cutting lawns, or
that kind of work?
MA: I always worked as a kid. I had a newspaper route. When I got into high school I got into, I really love horses. So I use to work at
a local stables and work so that I could ride. I'd work and get payed little bit and be able to ride the horses and then as I move into
college I went to work on some bigger forms up in some of the major horse areas of North Jersey, Morristown, and Peapack. Were the
USET, US equestrian team is work in some major show stables and on estates out there it was nice because I was outside and then I
was also with horses.
GN: Rather unique never heard this about your background that you were involved in that kind of activity you know. Do you still ride
horses?
MA: I haven't in, although I shouldn’t say that although a couple years ago we were over in Ireland and we got on some horse. My
boys love it. And it is funny it's like riding a bike. You know it comes right back. I'm a good horseman, I'll always be a good
horseman. You know it's not something new forget. But I don't do it much anymore.
GN: OK lets focuses a bit about Marist then and while you were here at Marist. Did you have any Marist Brothers as teachers?
MA: Yes I did. Gus you’re not going to call on me remember all their names.
GN: But give me two. Did you have Brother Richard Rancourt?
MA: No, LaPietra (Richard J. LaPietra).
GN: Donohue?
MA: No not Donahue. I had some of the last few brothers.
GN: Do you remember Brother Weiss. Rayman Weiss was Spanish teacher here?
MA: No. I had a little a little Scottish fellow who taught French.
MA: Oh yes Scotty. We called him Scotty.
MA: Well I didn't but all the Brothers, the staff called him Scotty. I forget his name now. And then there was another Brother who
taught Religious Studies.
GN: With Aidan Francis Small guy.
MA: Sort of lisp. The reason I remember his classes because he was really funny. He knew that they was waning interest in what he
was teaching so he told us at the being of the semester if you make it to every class. You'll get an A I don't care whether you sleep
through class whatever you do, make it to every class you'll get an A. So, you literally have people coming in it was an eight am class
you literally have people coming in putting your head down (snoring noise) on the table so they would get their A.
GN: Now that being said it almost covers the next thing are there any remembrances of educational experiences that come to mind.
That is kind of a non-experience non-educational. What courses though would you have pinpointed as kind of a real sufficient while
you were here? What kind of major?
MA: Well what I would say is what I learned here was that one of the things that I will never forget is there really isn’t a boring
subject. They're just boring teachers. And so some of those some of the subjects that fascinated me most were things that I never
thought I'd be interested in. But I would have an instructor who was very enthusiastic about it and obviously loved it and they would
pass it on and you be they create interest in the subject as you were initially interested in. And that happened in quite a few times. So
some of the business courses I remember some of the philosophy courses. Wear very fascinating. It would really depend. Then you
have a wonderful history course and next time and I wasn’t much of a student I was pretty poor forced. I just academic. It's funny
because and in those days I really did enjoy. Any sort of academic study and now I loved reading history and reading everything I can


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get my hands on.
GN: Do you remember a name there, do you remember Ed Cashin, Brother Edward Cashin was here taught history? Roscoe Balch?
MA: Dr. Balch he was a fascinating guy has in some respects and. And also I think it was Prenting who taught some business course.
GN: Ted Prenting. Ted Prenting for Business. How about Jack Kelly?
MA: I never had Jack Kelly, I heard he was very good. I never had him.
GN: Well touching at good path the point I really like is there is no such thing as a boring subject there are just boring teaches. You
should write a book on that you know that's another career for you.
MA: It's all how it's presented.
GN: OK. What I really want to focus most though is because you can kind of represented a whole part of the college experience in the
athletic program particularly in crew that what was the genesis of getting interested in crew? How did that come about?
MA: Well it was interesting because I never played organized sports. As I told you we would I always played sports but. So we came
up here I came up here by myself and I heard about crew sounds interesting. You know I like the water and you know I just thought
that just like any kid who hears of something new that might be all glamorous let me go try it so I when down and my first day was
with Paul Errol coach was head coach. And he had a simple way and he had a huge following a lot of people went out for crew. So I'm
there with hundred kids probably he had a simple way of kind of pairing things down a bite. He said OK we’re going to do a workout.
Now we all came down just for an intro to. We were supposed to hearing about what the sport is we knew nothing about it. He took
his all upstairs in the boat house he said OK we're going to do calisthenics. And he started leading calisthenics. And kid started peeling
off and throwing up in the bathroom and disappearing. Then about thirty minutes later after a good I would say sixty percent of the
kids have vanished. He said OK now those of you want to row crew show up tomorrow morning at blah blah blah. And it was the first
time that I had ever been really pushed and. And I thought well I'm not a quitter so I'm going to show up and that how I got start.
Interestingly enough about six weeks later I was cut from the team. I was freshman and I was very thin, I was as skinny as a whale, I
six foot three, hundred sixty pounds. And I was cut that was really devastating to me. You know I've never been out for something,
now I've been cut from it. So then I started working out to try and make the team in the spring and. And the coach was it was Bill
Zabicki.
GN: Bill Austin.
MA: Bill Zubicki was a freshman coach under Paul Errol. And in fact we still stay in touch. He’s down in Texas now he had a career
in the Army and got out as a captain and I believe he’s retired now. And he was he was a real interesting guy. He was kind of
standoffish and a lot of the guys didn't care for him, but then in the end you know we ended up coming in third in the dasdbell. First
time Marist had ever been in the finals.
GN: Well let's go through the process. How do you get back on the team? Do you work out by yourself or?
MA: I started working out by myself. Just running because my aerobic capacity wasn't very good and lifting weights. I remember
there was no weight room here to speak of, none. So I use to put books in my suitcase and lift those and do chin ups in my room and
things like that just to try and get into shape. And I put on maybe fifteen pounds in the spring. And I out run most the guys on the
teens and I could out pull most of the guys on the team so I ended up making the making the second boat. And then a couple weeks
before the dasdbell he put me in the first boat and then. That evolved for me, I kept working out and by my junior year. I was two
hundred thirty five pounds. And I have I've been working out all this time and a major difference in my life.
GN: What drives guys like you though to do that workout? I mean you run in the morning, you’re on the river, its cold. What's the
driving forces is it the bonding that you have among each other is it team spirit what? You don't get the glory of the applause of the
crowd you know.
MA: I think this is people who are probably stubborn as hell, single mindedly stubborn. Also you touched on something team spirit.


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It's really team sport you can't let your guys down so, you know you're out there are six of four the morning you can’t roll over in bed.
You've got to be there participating.
GN: And to do that you got to go to bed Ten o'clock.
MA: Well ideally some times that didn't happen so.
GN: Harder to get up.
MA: It’s hard to go to bed at ten o'clock in the dormitories.
GN: There were a number of people I saw in the articles I read about this in the circle like Joe Ritz, Steve Sepe, and Bill Stars, Greg
Nesteroke, Pete his brother and fellow named ...
MA: He was my roommate.
GN: OK. Now which one was on crew? Was Pete on crew?
MA: Pete, his brother was not. But Greg was on and all the other guys you mentioned I believe were on crew.
GN: Yeah they were. Then there's a Peter Masterson he becomes.
MA: He was the coxswain. He was the little guy but was a good leader, very good coxswain, lot of a lot of leadership capability.
GN: We're do you learn to listen to or get to be beat? I was reading where they would raise the call from thirty four to thirty six
strokes. Is that part of the training or you' learn this as you’re doing it?
MA: Yeah that part of the training in those days they use to have what they call knockers which were two wooden plugs, one in each
hand. The coxswain did. And in the back he have a rotor attached to those and he use those for steering and you didn't want to steer
much with that because it takes speed off. But, he would bang the gunnels with those knockers and he would keep the beat you so, you
reliant on him and he had a microphone. And every one sees the little coxswain in the pictures with a microphone. Now it's all
electronic. You know they have a speaker system in there with a speaker for each And I don't know how they keep the beat any more
used it when he would. He would bang because at the beginning and at the end. And sometimes mid race you do a sprint. Which you
means you the elevator stroke from the normal stroke of thirty two to thirty four. Somewhere in here you row the body the race at the
end you take it up to thirty six or thirty eight. And he would let you know that it's coming up and he would bang those on the gunnels,
definitely loud. Coming up Sprint coming. I say it and I still get a rush because you know they you knew that was the adrenal would
release when you hear those knockers on the gunnels. And then he scream coming up two more strokes two more strokes take it up.
And then your stroke. Your first guy in the shell. He was responsible to bring the stroke up immediately everybody follows. The guy
who first guy he would be the guy directly in front of Coxswain and he's called the stroke. And everyone followed him. So he would
be responsible at the point of the coxswain said OK take it up for up to thirty six or thirty eight.
GN: The coxswain must be well tuned to a clock or something to be able to over a minute to raise it from thirty four to thirty six. I
mean that’s just an increase of two but, you have to do that.
MA: Instantaneously. Really you doing it instantaneously and you want to do it all in unison and how the trick to crew you can have a
powerful guys but, you wouldn't win anything unless you are a perfect synchrony you have to be together and you can have eight guys
who are half the weight. And they can beat the heck out of the other team. It's really how well you syncretized your stroke. That power
has to be applied all simultaneously. Otherwise you really hinder the speed of the boat.
GN: Yeah I have a note here that Bill Olson was working to the boat. He needed the right combination in the crew and it is. Opposite
each other or how can how would a combination work?
MA: Where you had to have, isn't just a chemistry is part of it. You know getting the right group of guys who not only balance
because you got to have balance on both sides of the shell. Each guy has one blade one big blade and so you can have four huge guys
on one side outpolling four weaker guys on the other side. So you got to have some balance there's a lot of chemistry to the teamwork
to picking the right formula guys that just seem to click together.


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GN: OK let’s talk about the events where did you for these? Was the Hudson used?
MA: Oh yeah we road on the Hudson quit bit although.
GN: It's not used to much anymore.
MA: We really didn't, well the Hudson has a real drawback the weather so unpredictable and crew is almost impossible if you've got a
real chop on the water because the shells are so low to the water, the blades are so low to the water that it just throws everything off.
You’re hitting wave each time you come back for a stroke. Its throws the boat off. So the ideal thing is it is on a body of water that’s
generally pretty flat, ideally absolutely flat. Like you see in the Olympics were they built these venues. But the Hudson was a center
for rowing for years and years.
GN: Eugene O’Neill has it one of his plays I forget which one it is, closing plays there. Where did you go through? Did you though to
Pan, Philly, and Florida?
MA: Went to Philly, went to Florida.
GN: How many would be on the crew going to Florida, everybody goes, two boats?
MA: Normally the Varsity and JV would go. Normally we wouldn't take a freshman I don't know what they would do now but and we
would go down and stay in some of the dorms down there during the spring break. And then we would row the crew down in there.
Red Wellens Florida, part of southern and some of the others I don’t recall some of the other schools. I got to tell you a quick story.
Going down, Bill was the coach Bill Austin became the coach in my Jr. year and were going around D.C. we didn't take a boat with
us, we took our blades, the oars and the oars are twelve fifteen long. They’re strapped to two roof racks on top of the cars and just had
simple roof racks and we tie them down. So we're on four ninety five going around D.C. packed with trucks. Packed with cars.
Bumper to bumper but flying. There's no hold up their really going fast and I'm driving. One car, the second car and I see the first car.
Maybe I don’t know maybe fifty sixty feet ahead of me. This racks, one corner in affront lifts before I could say oh my god. The
whole thing tore off. And went by me the fortunately didn't come through a windshield. Went by and we had one hundred miles an
hour. And we were flying. Couldn't pull over. Because we were in the fast lane fortunately and this went by me on my left took us
about a quarter mile before we could find a spot where we could pull over and then two of use went running back on the side of the
road. And we thought oh my God I hope you haven't killed somebody, go down though a wind shield, huge trucks were going by we
thought at least we're going to find in splinters. Would you believe we found it on the side of the road? It had made because the tails
are to the rear. I see it was like a dark. It made a perfect four point landing lead off the side of the road. And it was just one scratch on
one of the blades in fact that was all the damage that was done. No was hurt and the adrenaline stopped about a two hours later we got
it back strapped back on the car a little bit better this time I took off for Florida.
GN: That was just the blades that went?
MA: Just a blade, but there were ten blades. It was a miracle, absolute miracle.
GN: How do the boats go do they go? On trailer behind.
MA: We borrow boats down there.
GN: There is also a picture of one of the earliest sports magazine of a Marist crew boat sinking. Do you remember that?
MA: I was in one of those.
GN: Is that so, not the one in Sports Illustrated?
MA: No, that was later we didn’t make Sports Illustrated. My freshman year in Herald coach is like God to us. And he was terrified
us. I mean he was a nice guy once you got to know him he was terrifying. He is such as a little I don't, you know him. But he was as
fresh as we thought he was God and so we have we got out for a practice when it was a little too rough and we could see the boat little
by little gaining water, taken on water and we've got some little cups were trying to empty it as best we can. And the guys are getting
in one at a times as the freshman boat we went in last and. Just as we're about to the doctors cleared we’re about to go in down the


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boat goes. It sinks now they their wood so they will maintain a level but, the level was the water level is about chest level. And it was
just after the ice came of the river and the water was splashing because it's waves it was sort of a rough day. And going right down you
shirt down the front of your sweater. And one of the guys John Burns. I remember his name now, one of the guys who was in my
freshman boat he transfer after freshman year but he was in front of me. And he was threating to swim to shore we were all. Coach
don't do that because that's how you died. You drown. You’re not going to freeze to death. You may feel like it but you never swim to
shore. Tragically that happens at Columbia boat house to one of the guys I rowed with he was a coaching and lost four kids. Any way
we were in the river out there and John Burn turns goes Herald coach get your ass out here we thought that my boy he must absolutely
be in total panic if you if he spoke to the coach like this. But was what would usually happen in the spring and it was a rough deal now
they had to come out in boats and try and tow you in. It was a long deal to tow a sunken boat close enough so you could get into the
dock.
GN: Are you tried in or your feet, how does that work?
MA: Well your feet are laced into some shoes but they pop out. You can get them out, you're really not tied to the boat.
GN: What the length of the season?
MA: We would practice in the fall and then we practice in the winter and oftentimes we have work outs in the through the winter too
so it was pretty much most of the school. You'd have a worst winter months off but, as I say many of us would work out through that
period of time.
GN: And then in going to an event you participate in just one race or do you do two or three races?
MA: No you normally do one race.
GN: You do one race and that takes about eight minutes, twelve minutes?
MA: Although now we have you know the college has fours and eight and I don't know whether the kids move back and forth
between them, but we do one race and use the eight minute.
GN: So most of the days of preparation for that race, is that correct?
MA: Everything is in preparation for that race. Doesn’t sound like a long time, but as a long time when you're trying you know you're
putting every bit of effort into an activity it’s an eternity.
GN: Can you say more about, what are some interesting things that happened in crew. Well you’ve said some. What about you
college years outside crew any particular experiences that come to mind, academic, classes, graduating?
MA: It was I think a different place than it was much more intimate in terms of being much smaller and I mean kids knew one another
everyone knew everyone. There were a lot of wonderful experience. For me it was an absolutely invaluable experience because you
know I came here is a shy kid and certainly never any leadership role that I played high school or anything like that. In my junior year
they an elected me to be the captain of the crew teams. And I almost feel over. I was absolutely flabbergasted. All I did was do my
best and I guess the guy felt it was worth wild. And here I was a shy kid thrust in this role where I am now in the leader. And that was
a life changing experience for me. But there were so many wonderful experiences I remember one winter doing. they organized a
twenty four hour run for raising money for the impoverished in Africa I think there was some point in the world of course there always
is but where they needed funds for food and clothing some tragedy going.
GN: Was that running around the campus?
MA: We ran around the loop and my God that was a big deal and I can remember Agon. You remember Agon, the student Agon?
GN: No that name doesn't come many do.
MA: You remember him, he was from Haiti. He was a white guy from Haiti Haitian. In fact the Brothers used to go down to his
father's place down there and then their family was one kos happened they left they left Haiti. A lot of the Brother and Lou Greenspan
used to go down to the hotel and vacation.


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GN: Yeah Brother Nilus Donnelly.
MA: Very good friends with his father who ran the Olson, Agone. And then Agun end up coming up to the college here and I can still
see Agon of course it snowed the weekend we were doing that run and Agun out there because use to work on the grounds he had the
old tractor with the snow plow on the front, plowing in front of the guys as they kept running. You know the determinations of college
kids. And had some of the Christmas parties and oh my goodness.
GN: You mentioned Paul Aral. What about Bill Austin did he fit into this a ray of personalities with the crew team as Paul did? They
all seem to be small guys but they're kind of strong. They're like the sheriff here Paul, Brother Paul Stokes remember him? He was
another.
MA: Strong personality. I don’t know how Bill got into crew cause he certainly I don't believe he ever rowed you know. I was very
close with him in college. We were like family because I was his crew caption so you know I'd be over at his house quite a bit we had
lot conversation I don’t remember I don’t recall how he got into I crew. He's coaching some other sports it think I know he was.
GN: Lacrosse maybe. It could be something that. Well that's for Bill Austin and of course later on he goes out and plays a part in the
commercial world of developing. Well he was my partner at one point in my clubs. Then we separated and he's done some things on
his own.
GN: OK let’s talk about life after Marist as it were its seems to me that you have dedicated your life to good Health and helping others
remain and maintain good health would that be a fair assumption?
MA: Yup.
GN: Where wants the gneisses of that how did you get interested in, why did you go off and be a salesman for auto cars? Thank God
you not there now.
MA: Well that was interesting because I did become a salesman. After a graduate a cut lawns for a while looking for a job. Then I
went to San Francisco and I worked for American Home Foods as a sales person. And San Francisco which is a great job as a first job
for a kid having the territory San Francisco as your sales area. And then my wife and I move back and I work for them here and then I
worked for the United Fund of Greater New York. I was kind of groping looking for different things. Worked for a friend over there at
the United funding corporation fund raising. And then I was working out in the gym because after you know working had been such a
life changing experience for me. I just kept of doing it. I was working out a little gym in Manhattan and there was a guy there who I
would just work out with I didn’t know who he was anything else. He ended up buying the franchise for nautilus before anyone knew
it was and asked me if I knew anything about nautilus. I said no. Well he said read this book a little book that the eventers put to
gather on working out, some basic principles. I read it made a lot of sense to me. So he and I would working together and use some of
the nautilus principles and there were a couple nautilus machines that the gym bought and we use those. And he said to me one day, I
told him I was leave my job he said well I'm buying a franchise for nautilus for the whole northeastern United States. You want to
come and work for me I said yeah why not let me take a look at it. So they interview me and I ended up going to work for nautilus
Arthur Jones and him they were partner’s Arthur Jones was invented of nautilus and turned out to be the most unusual character,
geniuses, I have ever met in my life remarkable man. So I had a wonderful opportunity working for him the running the northeast
franchise I selling equipment and running the first personal training center in New York City. And it is funny because in those days
you could visit every club in Manhattan in one day. Now you couldn't visit ten blocks.
GN: There all over the place, mushrooms that just grow up. Did you have to have any kind of medical experience? Did you take
training in Phys ED basically you might say?
MA: I had taken a number of anatomy and physiology course here, but my mind training was this guy Arthur I worked with him
directly for a while. And he was an absolute genius. I mean he would he would have medical people from all over the world. Come to
visit him and listen to his lectures on rehab muscular development and how it plays into rehabilitation and healing and all that sort of


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thing so my education came from one of the most gifted guys who's ever walked on the earth in terms of the research and he was
funding millions of dollars of research that why he was involving in a lot of medical community as well. And he was totally self-
educated. Came from medical family but totally self-educated. So I went to work for him and that became a real education. I was
involved in some of the research with him and. It was just in the right place of the right time.
GN: Yeah at college here. You basically majored in business and side interest in?
MA: Yeah I was a business major.
GN: OK. And then the sports thing kind of developed as you came along in other words you were salesperson then you work it out
accidentally really.
MA: Well, you see you know this is where it's separated too because working out and sports have nothing to do with one another you
know you can work out. A lot of athletes work out to improve their sports performance. But you know Arthur from thirty five years
ago was saying working out is about health. It's about staying healthy and even its funny I don't know Gus you may remember Dr.
Kenneth Cooper.
GN: I remember the name.
MA: He was the guy who started the running parades. He was the first cardiologist who said that that with exercise you can reverse
heart disease.
GN: And he died of a heart attack, did he?
MA: NO, NO. That was Jim Fix he still alive in fact he almost became surgeon general under Bush. He was one of the last people
being considered. He's got a huge Research Institute in Dallas Texas. And he always said lifting weights you should run but lifting
weight is a waste of time it's only for people who want to go to the beach. Well fifteen years, Arthur saying this thirty five years ago
lifting weights is about health, it’s not about beauty, it’s not about sports, it’s about health. Fifteen years ago Dr Cooper was one of the
most respected in the world and said you know you're right everyone if they want to maintain their health and joined integrity as they
go into their fifty plus years. They better be lifting weights and so Arthur was way ahead of his time and funded as I say means
millions of dollars research proving this stuff and I just happen to be in the right place at the right time to stumble into it. Then I was
helping people set up their own training centers little training centers all over the country. I set up some training programs with some
of the pro football teams. For some of basketball teams working with coaches and people all over the country. And then decided I
want to do my own thing and traveling and doing that sort of thing. So that's what brought me back to the area here.
GN: OK. And a very interesting had no idea that it was that wide Background of a familiarity with in sense a theory of good health
more than you know your sports psychology has to do with keeping your body in tuned. Would you say the circuit that you have there
you really aren’t lifting weights but in sense you are when you’re lifting your legs. That’s coming to the same thing?
MA: But Arthur brought to the people because by now. Putting it on a machine you don't have to load plates on and off a bar you
know that's one of the huge befits everyone can do it.
GN: Coming to Marist programs. Do you have any ideas what would you recommend for at the present time you know for the
enhancement of your curriculum? We have an academic one up there should they be another part of it, should there be more Phys ed,
should there be more opportunities, for students become aware of what we just said that good health Is a secret I mean that good
exercise is the health.
MA: Oh absolutely. And there will be eventually there’s no doubt about that even the medical schools now are finally begging to
introduce this is a foreign concept. But absolutely there should be some sort of curriculum like that the difficulty is finding people, the
problem is that the whole realm of exercise now is so disjointed that the jocks are running. I mean that's where it comes down to and
most colleges who teaches the course. Oh let’s see we need course on exercises, let’s get the football coach. May as well get the
genitor. I always respect Paterno, Joe Paterno because Joe Paterno said you know about fifteen, twenty years ago we need a


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strengthening program. You know when all the football coaches begging to turn I don't know anything about it let me find a guy who
does. And he found this guy O'Reilly who now is the strengthening coach for the Washington Redskins. You know he's an expert let
me get him in there you know and do that. It's difficult to find the people who can teach it that's the problem.
GN: Well, because of a number of people don't know what to teach I suppose that’s part of it. I mean there has to be a lot of self-
education there is not a lot around now that people go and take and become a student and the learning of it it's something.
MA: And there's a lot of misinformation, tremendous amount of misinformation.
GN: OK let’s move on a little bit towards Marist in the future now, Marist has changed a lot scenes you were here that’s an
understatement.
MA: That’s the understatement of the year.
GN: What strikes you most of it though. Could you pull off maybe two or three things that. Now I mean the library because of the
physical build it would be one thing that’s part of it the campus? Then on campus. Well let me how you answer the question. What are
the things that strike you?
MA: I think just the professionalism that Denis Murray and over his tenure I'm sure he would say it's his people you know but he's
been involved in choosing them so he certainly deserves a lot of credit. The professionalism that has change, when I think back when
we were here how we made things happen you could see that things were patch and go and the college. Made it through some very
difficult times a lot of colleges didn't make it through so it was much. More informal and much more haphazard everything from
construction. I think from teaching and those standers across the board I'm thrilled to see that not only has Denis and the entire staff
which you were part rise the physical plant but, also the academics. I mean when you see how Marist is so highly respected around the
country now. And lot of these accolades that we receiver based academics. So I think it's relatively easy to raise the physical standards
and a whole other animal to bring them both up at once and this is remarkable how tremendously respected the colleges is now. I
always tell Denis its wonderful school now I never get in.
GN: I’ll tell you a story about that you know Linus Foy and myself are good friends and we have good friends, common friends.
MA: And I had to give Linus some of the credit for the two he proceeded this and set this whole thing up so it could happen.
GN: Guys like Bobby Fen would say he gave them the opportunity to create a football enterprise you know. He started with the club,
he allowed them to go ahead with the club, and allowed them participate in the activity, and the scheduling, and extra. We were asked
to write a letter of recommendation for a grandchild of one of our colleagues you know and you figure the former president writing it,
I'm a retired faculty member it would have an awful lot of weight. Well Admissions came back and said they were very happy to take
the student next year. But it would be a crime to have them come this year because maybe they can do college work but there's no
evidence from their high school career that they were interested in doing it. So that you know like that they have the math, they didn't
have any of the necessary, even literature of course is that would be kind of prerequisite. You know so yes if they can prove they want
to go to college but, don't come here a fail out. You know so that is a kind of a protective thing and I say Also I don't know that I
would get in you know the academic level is such that those who make it They're really making it their one out of ten. Nine hundred
seats and nine thousand apply.
MA: That’s the whole thing the whole thing snowballs and created a situation where they're not just filling seats any more. They’re
picking people who they believe can do the work and want to do the work and that's a wonderful position to be in.
GN: OK. More about how did we get here? Is it just a location on the river? Mean how were the standers raise in your view of I mean
you see from your place on the hill up here. You know that there's a new Marist in many ways. It’s no longer just New York City and
Jersey.
MA: Long island, New York City, Jersey all the same catholic high school. Ninety percent of use came from four, five, six catholic
high school.


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GN: Fifty percent of the students used to come from more than fifty up to eighty percent from this metropolitan area. Now there's not
fifty percent the come from this area. They go as far as you know California, Texas, and Hawaii. I think we have four kids from
Hawaii.
MA: And international kids too.
GN: Although we had a few international. They were Brothers back in the olden days. Speak for a few minutes if you will about the
concept of sports here. We just put up a multimillion dollar stadium. What's your take on that is that a good investment?
MA: I think. In my opinion I think sports from my casual observations on the outside has always had this is the right place here its
respected it's it is certainly something that is has some priority here. But it's not so highly prioritize that the academics are pushed into
second place. Which they absolutely can't do if the institution is going to continue doing what it's progressing the way it has been and I
think there's been a wonderful compromise. I think that there are those sort of things I mean look at Harvard they have a wonderful
have athletic tradition. I think it’s to a lot of kids it's an interval part of making a decision as to where they're going whether they are
athletes or not. Obviously most are not but I think. But I think able to go to the football game and cheer the team and cheer the
basketball all team and I think those are experiences you lean in your college years that that you never forget and. And I think that the
schools that don't have that have a disadvantage. But it's got to be controlled. It has to be controlled I think they have done a wonderful
job here.
GN: Here's a balance. A balanced you have to make the great. There’s some other interesting point I found out the other day there’s
more than four hundred students involved in a music program. You know have you seen the band. And you know then I suppose all
the dancers and then there's the coral groups and the other aspects of it.
MA: So it all wraps in together and you know that’s a wonderful thing the band, certainly the sports are major venue for a band. You
know they're at the basketball games, there at the football games, and his new football stadium is just spectacular. And I thought the
way they put the box on top. So there involving the community. We were there for a football game this fall and we were invited over
and into a spectacular spot to see a game. Set up there, have a glass of wine, you have a snack. They had some hors d’oeurves it was
special occasion you know just lovely. I mean if you're going to involve the community which Dennis and the faculty have done a
magnificent job at doing I think that it’s just a brilliant move.
GN: That goes back to the early history I think of Jack Gartland and the McCann center you know. And the fund for the McCann
involved the community as well that they would be able to participate in the swimming pool. That's another whole area go over there
sometime you see the activity in that facility. What does Marist have to do to maintain. What it has and to enhances if it's possible.
MA: Certainly I am a novice at running an academic faculty just guesswork. From my obviation I think from what has been going on
constantly striving to push the bottom up were ever there is a weakness Marist seams to focus. On it I mean the certainly the water
front and the boat house down there. That was all ways an eye sore, what a magnificent job it took a little while. And that isn't
something that everybody drives up and sees little by little and I think a pretty good as a selective way Marist has continue to push the
bottom up and I think that's critical in the academic area as well as in the facility area boy sure looks like this happens. Making casual
observation. I do obviously think they have to improve on housing there housing which there doing. You know magnificent. The
dormitory’s now compared to what we had.
GN: Did crew have a place to change, did they have a locker room? Well you had the boat house.
MA: We had the boat house. In fact you just took me back to when we got out of the water after going down. Those hot showers
down there were lifesaver. I will never forget that. But I think Marist has done a great job and has long as they continue striving to
improve. And with their proximity to this major but metropolitan area, the basketball team with the exposure that they get. And the
name out there, I thought that the name recognition one of the first movie that Denis made when he came in was really focusing on the
basketball team and getting that name into the New York City papers. Just so that the name was out there so it was familiar. But he


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didn't become a slave to that he was pushing the academics and everything else at the same time. I think that was brilliant you know so
the name became familiar.
GN: I had Rick Smith as a student and my claim to fame was that my average good made one hundred thousand dollars a year
because all the boats go up when his salary went up so the average works.
MA: He was a member. He came in the club. You know he was. I always remember what a great kid he was he would be upstairs with
a little kid is teaching him how to shoot foul shot you know and fooling around on the basketball court with the sons and daughters of
our members. He was just a wonderful if anyone deserves to make the kind of money that he was making he certainly deserves at least
from my perspective.
GN: Let's talk a little bit about the students, you see student from the facility I am sure there are some facility’s here but still some
Marist kids still join your place I see some of them up there. Do you have much interaction with them or you hear about what your
feel about it?
MA: I know now, I know the ones that are members and I see the kids are around and I have involvement when I come to come to the
games that sort of thing. And I've always been involve in Marist I am involve in it right now involved in it right now and with the fund
raising scholarship funds I get involved in helping every year. But you know I've always maintained involvement, I am in the
president dinner every year you know anything I can do to help out. We also do some things for the basketball team and you know that
sort of thing the football teams and help some of the coaches out that sort of thing. We help Marist with that over the years and Tim
Murray's is a good friend you know. And so is Denis and we do anything we can to help out.
GN: Looking ahead now again in another way what is your take on such things as distant education by compute. Do you see an
importance for college kids coming to college coming to the campus rather than studying you know at home? Sure that it's going to be
a sacrifice for family’s to do that in the future in the long run.
MA: Oh I think it's a tremendously valuable for the kids to have a campus education and they live on campus. The kids who are off
campus who townies and who came here when we were going to school had a whole different experience most of them had a whole
different experience. Much like someone doing it over the web an even lesser degree. I think that you have to go that way that that's
certainly going to be a part of the future but I don't think that campus life will ever go away it is too valuable. I see is such a maturing
process for the kids. Now give thirty five and you have want to go back and get your degree now yes makes more sense. Obviously
makes more sense to try to do it in evenings or through a computer course.
GN: But more for graduate education you know who are looking for completing who had to drop out for any of a number of reasons.
And perhaps even a federal law it’s not even quite a G.I. Bill of World War two But it will allow so Vets to be able to come back to go
to school again.
MA: And that was a big sources Vietnam vets who attended the college when I was in school.
GN: Dormitory living is quite different now.
MA: So I hear, I haven’t even seen the new dorms I understand there suites and they have their own bedroom and.
GN: It's a little different. But I think that's part of the all boats go up you know. I think the financial level is heavier now then you
could ever have dreamed of having to go throw but, with that come some things that we can afford to supply. OK closing is there
something I have not mentioned that you would feel that would be fitting to add to this little interview something we didn't talk about
that is on your mind or you would like to have. What you like to tell the board of trustees that Marist should keep doing or do haven’t
done.
MA: I tell you what I am such a great admirer of what's going on here. I don't think I would ever have the nerve to suggest that they
should have changed too much. I think they're in the right path I would encourage them to continue looking at the growing the way
they are. And it's just been a spectacular growth over the last twenty years and in improvement. When I look at this area of course I


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was. I was here commercially own property here from when we have Mack truck next door to us. You remember I mean this was
industrial area and you know how this area has blossomed and Marist just a major player in that. It certainly has benefited me
tremendously and increasing the value of my property and you know from a selfish standpoint it's just been terrific. But from a
humanistic stand point and I think I Marist this has helped so many kids. We wonderful education. And when I hear about the kids and
where they're going when kind of jobs are getting and went to doing I mean it's. I keep thinking also as time goes certainly the
charitable contributions as Marist sends more and more tremendously successful young men and women hopefully the future
contributions will continue to grow and they’ll end up with a huge problem of losing eight billion dollars in down turn like Harvard
did last week.
GN: We’ll have that fault that miss fortune to loss that much money.
MA: Yeah to have that as a fraction of what we had but is it is just its remarkable what they've done here and I think striving to be
better and better which seems to be the theme improving all around and carefully selecting the proper sequence. I see it as just
continuing to grow.
GN: Very good Mike thank you very much we're just about fifty five minutes into the hour.