1








Claire Horton

Marist College
Poughkeepsie, NY
Transcribed by Ann Sandri
For the Marist College Archives and Special Collections

















2


Claire Horton






Transcript – Horton, Claire
Interviewee:
Claire Horton
Interviewer:
Gus Nolan
Interview Date:
June 22, 2016

Location:
Marist Archives and Special Collections
Topic:
Marist College History
Subject Headings:


Horton, Claire



Marist College History



Marist College (Poughkeepsie, New York)



Marist College Social Aspects






Summary:
Claire speaks about her time working at Marist in the Advancement office, some of the
administrators that she worked with and the people she met in her role as an administrative assistant.
She also speaks about the Marist spirit and how it is cultivated, as well as her views on how the college
maintains that now and in the future.






00:05
GN:
Today is Wednesday June 22
nd
we're having an interview with Claire Horton for the



3

Marist Archives. This is taking place the Marist College library. Good afternoon Claire.
00:21
CH:
Good afternoon.
00:23
GN:
Claire as you heard this is an interview that will be stored in the archives and some
future day it may be used in some other more significant way but we have to gather the facts first
and so we’ve asked you to come in for this interview. Could you just give me a little thumb nail
view of early life, where you were born, early education, further education, the high school etc.
00:48
CH:
OK I was born in Lowell, Massachusetts.
00:53
GN:
No dates needed.
00:55
CH:
Raised in Billerica
,
Massachusetts and got a high school diploma and went to work at
Raytheon at seventeen years old.
01:07
GN:
So you lived in the local area the whole time, you went to high school as well.
01:12
CH:
Yeah.
01:13
CH:
OK in high school were there any particular experiences, did you belong to the drama
club? Did you play the piano? Did you sing in the choir?
01:23
CH:
Played basketball.
01:24
GN:
You played basketball no wonder you're here as a silent observer.
01:32
CH:
I was very active, headed two proms and yearbook Committee. You know all those
kind of things.
01:42
GN:
Well not everybody gets on the yearbook committee, you have to be able to read
write and recognize things. And I can see from the beginning you had that talent, it’s still being
used. While in high school did you have any summer jobs or small things that you did?
02:01
CH: I
did, my very first job was working at a nursery where they grew carnations. That
was very interesting I didn't like carnations for a long time after.
02:13
GN:
Ok, I was deceived when you said nursery I was thinking of a little school for kids,


4

you’re talking about flowers. So was that in a greenhouse operation kind of thing?
02:25
CH:
Yes.
02:26
GN:
For that period of time. Now you just slipped something in there let's go to it, you
worked for a couple of years with Raytheon did you say?
02:37
CH:
Right after I graduated I started with Raytheon Company in Bedford.
02:44
GN:
In Bedford, so how far of a distance would that be from Lowell?
02:47
CH:
It was, well from Billerica was four miles five miles.
02:52
GN:
OK,

so you could still live at home and go work. And what did you do there, at the
beginning?
03:00
CH:
We worked on, I was typing and proofreading and laying out, what we did was we
worked on government contracts. There were writers, artists and you put together a proposal and
it was sent to the government.
03:19
GN:
Where was the nation at this time was the Vietnam War on still?
03:23
CH:
It was in fifty-nine. I don't think it.
03:26
GN:
So no, it didn’t come yet, the Korean War was probably started if not over. So that's
the early years. When you say government contracts, what did you actually, what did they do
they make?
03:40
CH:
Missiles it was all, I mean the background check was incredible, for to get into that
job. I because it was high it was very secret information you know, that we were working on.
03:56
GN:
So already moving in to the computer aspect of it I suppose.
04:00
CH:
No computers
04:01
GN:
No computers?
04:02
CH:
We had typewriters specially made IBM typewriters with Greek letters and the
regular keys for a typewriter because you did a lot of equations. You had to type a lot of


5

equations.
04:19
GN:
So it had specialized,

now did they train you in that field or you come with the
knowledge? You had a keyboard familiarity I guess, when you went there?
04:29
CH:
It was just,

I took you know, business courses in high school so the typing and
shorthand and that.
04:36
GN:
With the company when they got a hold of you, there was no special training for it
all. So, you just took one in front of you put it down and typewriter ready to go. Wonderful, how
long did you do that? Roughly ten years, five years?
04:55
CH:
No just a couple of years.
04:58
GN:
Couple of years, ok so then what happened?
05:01
CH:
Then I married and didn't work until seven years later and then I worked for an
attorney in Poughkeepsie.
05:10
GN:
In Poughkeepsie, when did you move down out of Massachusetts?
05:13
CH:
In 1964.
05:16
GN:
Sixty-four, OK and did you move to Hyde Park area.
05:21
CH:
No LaGrange, we were in LaGrange.
05:24
GN:
OK, living in that area now you eventually did hear of Marist I suppose.
05:31
CH:
Well there was a divorce then. I remarried and we ended up in living in Poughkeepsie
and I was working at the Bardavon for Trish Adams, when they was trying to save the Bardavon
and then I worked with her for the Civic Center and the establishment of the Riverside Bank.
05:56
GN:
Is she still around, is Trish Adams still active in the area?
05:59
CH: I
don't think she is. I think she's mainly staying in and dealing with grandchildren.
06:09
GN: I
had somethings to do with her early on and I forget what.
06:12
CH:
That's where I first met you, because she was working on the main mall and you


6

couldn't get copies done.
06:20
GN:
Oh, I went to the bank or some place there.
06:24
CH:
And you came over and used the copy machine. Cause she worked at Dutchess
remember? Didn't you meet her a Dutchess?
06:34
GN:
It's all a blur.
06:36
CH:
I’m pretty sure, when she was a Dutchess, she met you then.
06:41
GN:
When I when in to the bank for this favor, on a Christmas Eve getting things done.
And you were the few people open and it struck up, she was very or you, who took me in and
said sure you can use this machine and you know and that's it OK. Moving on to this place called
Marist, when did you first become aware of our, you know, developments here?
07:14
CH:
I'm trying, I think through Anthony's Cenera, I know him because my daughter baby
sat for him that's how I got into the Advancement office. And Joan Gasparovic interviewed me
and I got the job.
07:30
GN:
Ok so then coming to Marist you’re still in the organizational set up are you doing the
secretarial work or administrative work or?
07:45
CH:
Secretarial work.
07:47
GN:
Tony Cenera at time he was at Greystone I suppose?
7:55
CH:
No, it was Adrian he was vice president, for advancement. But he really, he never, he
was gone by the time I started and so I really never had interaction and then Paul Brown was,
then Paul Brown came in.
08:18
GN:
Paul Brown of Notre Dame fame now, he’s out of the University of Notre Dame
08:25
CH:
Yes, and I was in one position and then Anne Griffin left and then I started working
for Paul.
08:35
GN:
OK You mentioned some interesting names in Anne Griffin for instance, she was on


7

staff here for a number of years, and in this office advancement, was advancement in terms of
Marist Fund did not start yet, but there must have been some kind of organization that was
involved in getting support for the college.
09:06
CH:
It was the Marist Fund then, oh yeah because Joan Gasparovic that was what she did
she was head of the Marist Fund.
09:21
GN:
OK. So, Dennis is the president because Anthony Cenera worked for him.
09:27
CH:
Right it was in ‘88 when I came in.
09:29
GN:
Eighty-eight OK.
09:32
CH:
So, Jack Doherty was there
09:35
GN
: Jack Doherty was there, OK.
09:39
CH
: And you know we had the Public Relations and Alumni office and Grants and MIPO
was in one section.
09:47
GN:
It was all pretty much in Adrian, in that little building that was there. And the time
the computers came in there as well.
09:56
CH:
Their computers were in there.
09:59
GN:
They were,

OK you getting to the staff members and who was on the staff the
professors at the time, I guess George Summer was here and George Hooper was here.
10:15
CH:
George Hooper yes. George Summer I don't know if he was still here or not.
10:21
GN:
Or not he might have retired by then.
10:23
CH:
He might have, cause it seems like they talked about him being in Cape Cod already.
10:28
GN:
Oh right, he had divorced and remarried again, so I don't know at what stage that all
took place.
10:37
CH:
I

think he was already gone, but the different professors that came in I met because of
Grants being in that office.


8

10:49
GN:
OK, so grant application comes through you, comes to your office anyway. And Paul
Brown is operating, is the director of this operation.
11:00
CH:
Vice President.
11:05
GN:
Vice President, right.

The faculty at the time, do you remember who was the
President of the faculty, or the chairman of the faculty? I forgot how that worked, but I am trying
to go back to the eighty eights and ninety's it gets confusing.
11:27
CH: I
know Jep Lanning was, he was the Dean of Communications.
11:34
GN:
Yes right. OK And so I guess then.
11:44
CH:
You know who you mean the Academic Vice President that was Marc van der
Heyden. He was here then and Mark Sullivan was the Executive Vice President.
12:00
GN:
That’s before they were named to be presidents of their own colleges. Now Tony
Cernera became President of Sacred Heart, Mark Sullivan went up to become St. Rose, and then
van der Heyden went to St. Michael's. OK who else did you send off to a presidency?
12:21
CH:
Can't think of any but I thought there was a pretty good record.
12:25
GN:
That’s a pretty good record I don't know anybody that has a kind of a record.
12:28
CH: I
know quite remarkable.
12:31
GN:
On your tombstone if there’s room. But this is what you’re able to do, and some of
them named the same day I think actually. There was some little article appeared about it one
day about the uniqueness of the whole thing.
12:46
CH:
We also had another thing happen. Joan Gasparovic was head of the annual fund or
Marist Fund and then she was replaced by Jennifer Dubuque, and then Robin Torres and then
they all went on to have twins and every one of them were boy and girl twins.
13:09
GN:
Is that so? OK.

And then Joan went on to work for the New York Public Library and
13:12
CH:
And opera at one time.


9

13:14
GN
: And the opera, OK.
13:16
CH
: And Robin’s still here. Jennifer is the Vice President down in Florida.
13:26
GN:
OK, all right. I guess the next thing I want to say is there's there is fundamental
question, you would be in that group as well as I am. You come on this campus now and the
question “how did this happen?” Because when you first came here, it was kind of, it wasn't as
well-known OK. The campus it was still on the Hudson but it was not what it is today, you
know, and the student body has certainly had diversified and growth and so on. From where you
see things what you think, how did this happen? I mean is it, is it Dennis Murray?
14:15
CH:
I

think took many people.
14:18
GN:
OK that’s the next thing I was gonna say, because they are a number of factors, there
is the Marist tradition. So we had a whole set of schools in New York that became the feeding
block to come here. We have a beautiful location on the Hudson, so that’s part of it, we're only
seventy miles from New York City where there's a big population. We have, Dennis was a well-
organized and had ideas about how this might be improved. And then the whole business of
fundraising, that seems to have taken off. There was connections with IBM, of course, that’s
helped, that had been in place prior to Dennis’s coming but still was enhanced I suppose through
activities that he took. What's, is there anything that surprises you of this growth? Would you say
I never thought I'd see the library go up or I never thought I'd see the dormitories going up now?
15:20
CH:
Well I'm thankful for everything that's happened of course I think it like you say T E
A M, it takes a team and it many people working for the same goals. Right?
15:28
GN
: Oh absolutely.
15:30
CH
: One of the things I found in working in that office is the cultivation, you have to be
willing when you meet someone remember who they are, so that when you meet them the next
time you can greet them by their names. I mean those things to me are important that they feel


10

like Marist is special. Which it is.
16:05
GN:
I

have a question here, one here, talk about the Marist spirit, is there something true
about this, is Marist Spirit, is it different from Fairfield or Vassar or Boston? The way you talk
about it here, is there a seminar a session you're encouraged to when you meet people to, or it
just it grows on you?
16:27
CH:
I

think, well with me I had the background from the other positions where, in
cultivating the people to start a bank, to get to get money for the civic center and for the
Bardavon. So, you have to know and be you know, be attentive to these people. If you're going
to be asking for money, you just have to be aware of the personalities and you know. And I enjoy
that, I love meeting people.
17:04
GN:
Yeah, I noticed that, you would often behaved you're very encouraging and smiling
when they come in because I've be in your office a number of times you never throw me out you
know.
17:16
CH:
I

just enjoy people but I think, I think overall with Marist they make people feel
special. Like I’ve noticed it I've done it myself but like if you see parents floundering around and
they can't find a building, you go out of your way to help to find the location. I had man hug me
because I’d show him where the student center was.
17:46
GN:
And you can wander around here a long time before, we don't have signs up really
right in some places about pointing to different aspects of it.
17:53
CH:
You know I just, I just think that's important and it’s always been a community and
family. I mean I've made such good friends here that, you know will go one for a life time.
18:10
GN:
Right. I want to go back to that later on. But I want to say now, in terms of this
growth one thing that bothers, not bothers me but surprised me was like the football team goes to
California and then they come here. And I say why do you go to California you know, and so on.


11

Then someone pointed out to me we have ninety full time students here on the campus you know
from California. You know and we have a full-time office recruiting from Oregon, California, to
Hawaii. We have a whole western part that comes here. You know we used to just get them from
Manhattan or Queens in fact the expression when I was teaching here, I am going to the city,
there was only one city, called New York. You know the idea that even Boston was not too much
on the agenda here now, because more people from outside New York then from inside New
York are coming to Marist. So, I mean that this kind of a thing.
19:10
CH:
But you remember the Alumni, they’re very active alumni in California, so they want
that, you know…
19:21
GN:
They want to be recognized.
19:22
CH:
They want to be recognized and they want Marist to be known out there.
19:28
GN:
That’s a good point. A whole new aspect is the international, I mean you know the
school in Florence. I was hoping that they would send me there just to visit it you know. Yeah
because I give lectures on the growth and development of Marist then there are three campuses.
One is here in Poughkeepsie, one is in Esopus, another one in Florence Italy but they never sent
me there. I was hoping to get a ticket to go to Florence Italy. Maybe they will sent us both some
time. The other thing that amazes me is the green programs, the number of programs here that
there are legal certificate programs or certificate programs in like twelve different areas. I had no
idea until I was giving a talk on the college that it had grown this way, so academically it is
much more widespread than it was when we were hanging around here.
20:25
CH:
I

did, I got the certificate in graphic design.
20:30
GN:
You did.
20:31
CH:
It took me a couple years going at night.
20:35
GN:
Who ran it? Is that the art program or who runs that?


12

20:39
CH:
Well I took art courses, advertising. It was graphic design and advertising. So I had to
take photography and all kinds of classes.
20:51
GN:
Very good. The other thing of course is the woman sports here, has also changed the
face of the college. There were always women here when you came, but there was a time when
we didn't have women. That was desperate times it was we were kind of a lone group here but
we got used to women coming on board and in fact at one time I used to teach the nurses at St.
Francis. That was my duty and I did it there on campus of course occasionally I had to ran down
to the library which was a big threat but we won’t go there.
21:36
CH:
Was Paul Rinn’s wife one of them?
21:38
GN:
Yes. Yeah right. We talked about the external changes that had taken place. How
about internal you mentioned you have made some friends here, the administrators we mentioned
now we talked about Dennis, and Paul Brown and John Lahey and so on.
22:07
CH:
That’s right John Lahey we forgot, he went and became a president of Quinnipiac.
22:13
GN:
Oh right how did I forget that. Yeah. And then he brings his idea, our idea of the poll
the Marist poll, over there. There's another feature we didn't mention the Marist poll the Lee
Miringoff and Barbara, what they have done in terms of the prestige, the name at least, prestige
because he's generally right. He calls it pretty closely to what it turns out to be. Who are the
people that don't get much attention that you remember very much, I think you mentioned…
22:49
CH:
For working for Tim Massey was quite an experience because when he went to
conferences he gravitated towards people, people knew him so that he had people from Canada
calling and saying can you connect me to such a professor on this subject or professor on that
subject. It was calls coming from all over because of the way he worked with people and that
made Marist known too.
23:24
GN:
That’s a ,you know would never know about that unless you have familiarity


13

23:31
CH:
Because Doc Doherty, I mean people work on for him from Canada I know and then
of course when things in the Middle East would be you know going on, he'd get the call from the
newspapers you know for information. He'd have people here that he could get, but he was so
good at the communication between the teachers, the professors here on campus and the news
media. It seemed like he knew everybody. You know and I was quite impressed with that.
24:08
GN:
Yeah his ability to get placements and I think to keep things out of the paper I don't
want to say, he had a way of discretion at somethings.
24:22
CH:
And they respected him they respected him so if he said something.
24:25
GN:
It was true.
24:28
CH:
And he continues to help students to this day. You know like former students getting
jobs, even students he didn't have you know he would work with them from on resumes and so
he's connected with so many students, now alumni.
24:48
GN:
Now that’s another thing might got me confuse there is Doherty, and Doherty.
24:55
CH:
Jack Doherty was the advancement, I'm talking about Professor Doherty a Doctor in
Criminal Justice.
25:04
GN:
The policeman, he was also. You know he was not a great student for a while here.
25:08
CH:
But he did.
25:13
GN:
He finished.
25:14
CH:
He did get his doctorate.
25:15
GN:
He did get his doctorate, so who am I to say anything about that you know. you know
but.
25:19
CH:
Him and Shaq O’Neill. (laughter)
25:24
GN:
The other person that when we talk about Doc Doherty is Mo Bibeau. He took
Spanish his first year and he didn't do well.


14

25:35
CH:
And he’s a Spanish teacher.
25:40
GN:
Yea, yea
.
He managed to get through it. How about John Dougherty for public
relations, he was another one quietly working getting donations.
25:51
CH:
Came in very early, went to the Palace dinner every day. But he was he always got
donations from.
26:00
GN:
He was showing me checks sometimes that he got from somebody at the Palace
Diner, so he was sweet talking right there to how much they could help us you know and
managed to get.
26:12
CH:
And still, when I was still working. He had been dead many years and his “Fazool
Club” where he had met with attorneys and different business men and once a month. Some of
them was still giving every year, even though he had passed away. They still gave every year to
Marist.
26:35
GN:
Yeah he certainly made an impression on, working quietly I mean there was never a
big fuss about it. Cause one of the big things he did do, though maybe before your time, was his
famous dinner in New York, he had this great American dinner Cardinal Spellman’s, the bust.
26:59
CH:
They were quite successful right? And he started the community breakfast.
27:02
GN:
Right, that was the other thing then and that goes on to this day.
27:07
CH
: Right, and

He charged ninety-nine cents I guess and people would give a dollar and
they would have the pennies to give back. Joanne Wolfart knows more about that. He did things
quietly because sometimes he'd call me and then say can you just type this out for me and he'd go
after a big company you know out of state, he didn’t care. He knew what he was doing.
27:40
GN:
You better believe it and still living I guess it surprising he would come, I think he
came from Western Printing. Where was he before he came here?
27:49
CH:
He was at Western Printing but I think he worked at St. Francis for a while in


15

development too.
27:54
GN:
Could be.
27:55
CH:
I think he said that to me and then he brought in Kirkhill, Marty Kirkhill and that's
how we got the Steel Plant. And then he got property from the Millers. So he did his thing.
28:16
GN:
Yeah. I'm reading in one of the, I guess the farewell to Dennis bulletin, you know
what I mean, the magazine this spring and it talks about the growth of the college. But all of that
you know is part of previous seeds I think being planted to people who would remember us and
actually they came to pass, you know now we're three times as big as we in terms of territorial, I
don't know if we're finished yet but,
28:50
CH:
Well he taught me something about Nilus too, you know Jack would have his little
stories when Nilus was taken down a building down where McCann is, he asked Jack to come
down and watch. Did you hear this? And he had put a cable of around the building and attached
it to his tractor and then he was going to pull it down that way and Jack said I got the heck out of
there because I was afraid that cable might snap and I'd be losing my head or something. But he
that's how he did things, Nilus got an idea in his head and he would do it.
29:32
GN:
I have pictures of some of the destruction of those buildings. One of them
unbeknown to us, was the fire in what was called the hermitage where the pool was next to it was
the hermitage now is the Lowell Thomas Center, but the guy was supposed to take it down but
apparently we had had a thunder storm one night unbeknown to anybody else. And he burnt it
down you know. But I have pictures slides of that fire and also the destruction of the other two
buildings down there, what was the Novitiate in those days St. Ann’s something or other, all
those names get blurred in my head now trying to think back that way. The advancement office
even now the Marist Fund continues, right? It's gone, it seems to be different parts of it like
there is the Marist Fund and then there's the various other kinds of, there is the Champagnat


16

Lecture donations, and there's the scholarship funds and so on all of that. All of these have been
separated out, I think probably since you were here it was probably all in one.
30:55
CH:
No we had the chairs people would give money for chairs it was all different areas
then to.
31:05
GN:
Was it worked out of one, who was the director of that? That idea of charitable
donations and so on, is it John Lahey? is it?
31:20
CH:
It would be Chris DelGiorno now.
31:22
GN:
Oh yeah it is now. So, you go back to Vice President for Advancement. That's what
would be the name that we're giving to it to now. OK now, on money, not exactly money, but the
question is, is Marist worth the investment? What do I mean by that? Well, you hear things these
days about the price for going to college you know, the Marist I could never afford to go here
you know, I don't know if I could get in. You know, so things have changed. On the other hand,
a lot of people are making a lot of good money not going to college and so is Marist worth the
investment of money? Is it worth the investment of time? Is it worth the investment of energy?
Because you got work and get through the courses and study and pass tests and do programs and
do papers or and all of that. And then there's also the personal investment you all the times you
have to leave home, we lose some students every year because home sickness and things they
can stay away from. So that's a big investment you know, what’s your take on it, if have you had
occasion to talk to somebody, some parent coming in, is it worth coming? Would you say?
32:49
CH:
Well I would think, I think so I mean my daughter came here. Not that I had to pay. I
think it was well worth it that she, I'm glad that she came to Marist and when I see some of those
students that have come through that I've had that I know about now, even after they've
graduated and how well they are doing. I just think it’s that Marist spirt that they had, they loved
Marist, they love Marist.


17

33:29
GN:
There a Marist alumni is very faithful group I mean they do.
33:35
CH:
I'm talking about the younger ones, like the one that when I had the opportunity to go
to Italy with Tim and I was chaperone. Well there was one boy that, he finished Marist in three
years, worked at the F.D.R., got a full scholarship to get his masters at John Hopkins and he
works in Baltimore and he's doing very well. And this was a student that was very insecure as far
as his achievements, he didn't think he was doing that well he didn't think he could get into John
Hopkins, but because he had encouragement of some one here, Tim Massey. There was another
student that you know, he studied, I forget what he studied when he was at Marist but then he
ended up in Washington and went a whole different direction with, I can’t even think of it.
34:39
GN:
one in a government office?
34:40
CH:
No, not even in government, it was teaching students, that you know weren't getting
anywhere. I can't think of the name of that program, but anyway he went into that field and he's
done very well.
35:05
GN:
The question about, would that same question, another the Marist spirt thing as we
begin to change presidents now again, well thirty seven years later we're changing it for once so
we don't do it very often here. Linus was here for twenty and then Paul for twelve or ten
whatever the numbers are. If someone were to say I have a, I want to see this Marist spirt
continue in the new, I hate to see it become just technical school or just computers or things like
that. There’s something you say unique about people care for one and other here and there’s an
interest in development, and following up, and keeping in contact, or remembering who you met,
and all that kind of thing. Is there a way that could be preserved? What would you say might be
done?
36:04
CH:
I

don't know what the answer is, but I just hope it is persevered, because you know
one of the things when I started here because of the size, I did get to know a lot more people.


18

Now when you go to the events, like for employees you don't know many people any more like
we use to.
36:28
GN:
Like with Dennis’ event here, that you know I was like a stranger in my own country,
you know, there were lots of people there and I knew some of them. Many more I didn't know
you know, and so I'm not surprised. Because we have all these various faculty members and
they're all these families, all the friends of Marist, whatever that means. People who never went
here, but have some kind of affection and interest in it. Well that's all right so the change of
Marist, the internal change, things had to happen, what could be done to maintain it, I think that
that personalization and more people then things, in other words, more concerned about keeping
up an interest with individuals would be encouragement. You've been here a long time, so is
there something that in two different ways now, one about some things that did not happen that
you wished happened. Is there some disappointment that you would like to see this take place
and never would, or never did? In your years some departure, or some event, or some decision
made that struck you as, “I wish you know that wasn't so.”
37:59
CH:
Well,

I

was disappointed when the Lowell Thomas went to the wayside for a few
years, the Lowell Thomas luncheon. You know because I thought it was important, but on the
other hand how many people can your honor. That it's not like the old days when you had
Cronkite, that everybody knew or any of those. Now you know something I watch the news but
can I name the people?
38:33
GN: B
ill O'Reilly, he's one. That's one of ours. But also, I mean
38:42
CH:
But you know what I'm talking about, Dan Rather and Mike Wallace all those names.
38:46
GN:
The one you hit is Walter Cronkite, you know when we got him to except that award
whoever, after that anybody would take you know, to be on the same stage with the most
believed man in America, was quite a crown.


19

39:02
CH:
I

don't know if that was Bob Norman’s doing because he
39:05
GN:
He's had something to do with.
39:07
CH:
He started, I think he started that Lowell Thomas event.
39:12
GN:
Yeah, that was important, even getting Lowell Thomas here on campus for his last
public address, that was again part of the Bob Norman’s tribute or his connection with C.B.S.
and that whole communications school, that was part of it.
39:36
CH:
Yeah, I was, I know that for several years they weren't any recipients and I think they
had one last year but I don't about this year, if they did it.
39:50
GN:
That was, as much as I was a Chair of Communications for two or three years there, I
never was part of that decision making it was always administrative, who would be honored and
generally had to do with national recognition, you know somebody on the national stage that.
40:10
CH:
Well they did Charles Kuralt and he was the one that decided he didn't want it at a
big hotel, so we had at the Explorers Club which Lowell Thomas was quite involved in. But it
was a small venue, compared at the Helmsley. But it worked out, we had several years there,
then it went back to be a bigger event.
40:37
GN:
Show as it were, turn things out. Finally, not finally but one more thing, what's the
most, or is there some of the more pilot, you were glad that this happened and you played a part
in this, as you look back and say you know this was a great year, I was able to be part of either a
grant or donation that came in, or when I say a grant, applying for something you know you look
back over it?
41:16
CH:
Well one of the things I did, you know I'm not trying to pat myself on the back but
when I wanted to, I went through the files and the former trustees files, well some former
trustees had passed away but the spouse was still alive. So I kind of research that and one of the
woman was Mrs. Tucker, her husband had been on the board. So we started, what we did was we


20

include them in the mailings, at that point. And once I found out who they were where and were
they were and as a result she gave quite a bit of money to the college and you know it was a
cultivation with Shaileen, of course and meeting with her. But we did a lot with her and she was
a very lovely lady and her, as far as I know, her son and daughter in law still continue. And then
there was Stemmerman, was another guy that was down in Florida, so you know, again told
Shaileen, and we put him on the list and then he started contributing. Those little things you
know where yeah.
42:38
GN:
You mention Shaileen and I meant to bring her up she was also part of the whole
development of making, in fact was she the Chair, or Assistant?
42:51
CH:
She was VP and I worked with her for thirteen years, before then Bob West became
V.P.
42:03
GN:
Another person that you probably don't have a chance to see but, Cathleen Newman,
Jack Newman’s wife. She's is the recipient of the mail at least, well she, I don't know what kind
of finance that she has or anything, she lives simply by herself, she needs a walker to get around,
but she calls me every now and then to give me something that came “It’s too important to throw
away, take this and give this to somebody”, you know and she's kind of delighted to be included
in there, the widespread distribution kind of thing. I earnestly asked the other day, I said you
know that Marist magazine that goes out, about how many of those are mailed? You know and
like the simple mathematic is that there's thirty-seven thousand something alumni, they all get it.
OK, then there are all these different people who have donated, the donors get it, then there’s all
those friends of Marist, whoever they are you know whatever. So that list must be close to fifty
thousand.
44:16
CH:
I

maintained the A list, when I was in that position, and there was a lot.
44:27
GN:
There was a lot I bet. That's you know, those are the things that kind of you know


21

earlier what changed Marist, you know, it's the cultivating I think and bringing in of all of these
friends and keeping in touch with them.
44:43
CH:
For instance, Bob West, you know we had the researchers, so she was researching
and she found out about Tim Brier, Class of 69, that he was co-founder of Priceline, right. So,
Bob got in touch with him, or someone, I don't know if I think he did directly but I'm not sure
and then now he's a trustee and he's very supportive of this college plus other, other institutions.
he's very good with, outside of Marist. He's a philanthropist.
45:22
GN:
The guy from flowers and.
45:23
CH:
And him Chris McCann and his brother the C.E.O. had children come and graduate.
So, it's not just Chris's family. And then they got oh, Patty, and is it Patty and Pat LaValle, yeah
the LaValle's and he's C.E.O. of some company. And you know they brought him in and he’s
been great, his support, he's on the board and they are very down to earth really good people. The
class of sixty nine, it just seems like you know there are a lot of success stories with sixty nine,
Jack Eberth and all that crew.
46:19
GN:
Did you know Jack Eberth?
46:22
CH:
I

knew Jack Eberth from before Marist, because his daughter and my daughter were
in high school together at Lourdes and they were friends.
46:33
GN:
Cause he as a very interesting story about his days at Marist and his departure from
Marist. Now he was drafted while he was still here, he should not have been, but they said you
can’t fight it. You can go into the military and fight it from there. So, he told me he got a letter at
sea from Richard LaPietra giving him his diploma, he didn't have to you know, and he said it
made all the difference because he came back was able to go to I.B.M. And was really you know,
just a little thing like that. One last thing, if you have a chance to go to the board of trustees, you
have been here a long time, what is still wanting? Is there something at Marist that you would


22

say “I think you should look at this, I think this is really or just make sure this continues.” Now
we mentioned Marist spirt but that's kind of ephemeral, its hard to take it down. The fact that
who I ask about this, the science people would say we need a science building. We've got a
science building, you know what security needs? They need a room for people to meet, there's no
place where they can house their whole group. You have a little office over there and they're
asked operate and run a twenty-four/seven operation out of this little two by four closet, it used
to be the confessional.
47:58
CH:
You know what I would say.
48:00
GN:
I

Want to hear.
48:03
CH:
As far as construction, OK, I think they should, when they're doing it put the money
in and do it right the first time. And not come back later and do you know, correct the misstates
that were made. Because it ends up costing I'm sure more, like Fontaine for instance, they didn’t
put you know, they put the heat up in the ceilings, well we were all freezing so they had internal
people put in baseboard heat, but it's still it never solved the situation.
48:48
GN:
Even now they have fans and things like that going because the whole thing is not
quite right.
48:54
CH:
Well every year the air conditioning was a problem from day one 1. I just you know
when I had something to do they asked me to look around the building you know our area and I
saw the baseboard was unglued. This is where we're moving it. So the guy comes in OK I've
given them a list, crack in the wall into the floor, brand new building why is that? So anyways
when he came to fix it, I'm looking it was in Shaileen’s office and I looked to see what he was
doing. He had put a nail in it instead of gluing it. And then we had rain come in the windows you
know, three weeks after we’re there, brand new building that kind of thing.
49:53
GN:
OK that's a good point because that’s an ongoing situation. Just more attention you


23

paid for that. I have to tell you one of the athletic people want a new parking lot and they want a
high rise. You know, cause there’s no place to put cars for any event, they even know where to
put it, they would put it right down in that big hole, you know where you down to the McCann
center. They already know the price it will cost seventeen thousand dollars a space. Do you know
anybody who wants give use a few million to put up a parking lot you know? So that's one of
those you know, making sure the people balancing. Put up a building where people going to park
who are going to go to it, teacher in it, attend class in it, they'll need a bus on campus to bring
them from where the parking lot is down by the river. It’s a long walk up. Well it's been
delightful and any little thing I didn't touch, that you would like to say well you know wish you
had asked me about this, I want to say this, or it's just been nice to get this historical view from
you.
51:13
CH:
Well I’ll tell you one of the things that I appreciate was my contact with Brother Paul
because I spent a lot of time with him. Brother Joe, I mean the different people that I've met, like
Mo Bibeau, he fascinates me when he, you know, with his...
51:37
GN:
He never stops talking you know.
51:38
CH:
well I’ve never had that experience.
51:41
GN:
No I am only kidding because he's so silent.
51:44
CH:
But he and I have walked from McCann to Fontaine and he can hustle, just the
different people Larry Sullivan
51:58
GN:
I just saw him last week he's surviving. So you have that happy experience Well you
the fact that you still come in here means that you still have a same affection for the place you
know so.
52:14
CH:
And I like looking and trying to identify the people in the pictures.
52:19
GN:
Yeah, I mean you’re getting high marks for picking out and identifying some of those



24

and what was the occasion when did this happen and you know, because you still have a sharp
memory for it.
52:32
CH:
So far, it’s still there.
52:35
GN:
You know what I say to this is, who is going to correct you? You know who's going
to say no that's not who it is? There’s no one here now.
52:43
CH:
Well you what last week I was looking and I thought it was Rusty Staub, it was an
event down in the city. It was actually, it was when Diane Sawyer was being honored at Lowell
Thomas and I said no he wasn't at that event. He wouldn't been there was at an event for
honoring Bob Norman, you know we had at his restaurant. And then I kept looking and looking
and then all of a sudden came in my brain, Roone Arledge, the news guy he was he was in the
sports area, he was high up in ABC and I thought of it. So, then I googled it, saw his picture, and
confirmed. And it's the same way with Spellman and Cooke, I get them mixed up because I was
not around then. Is it Spellman and Cooke who were here? yeah right. Spellman and Cooke well,
there in pictures and Bishop Pernicone
53:49
GN:
He's a local boy here.
53:50
CH:
Yeah and I knew him, but it's Cooke and Spellman, so I have to google, see a picture
of them, and then I you know, get the right identification.
54:01
GN:
Wonderful thank you.