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Mission
The Plattsburgh Alumni Association is the official organization of the College�s alumni. It exists as a not-for-profit, perpetual organization to enable alumni to organize, unify, and direct the efforts and resources that help the College achieve its goals and objectives.
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Officers and Board of Directors
Douglas Sloan �91, President, Williston Park, N.Y. Douglas McManus �89, Vice President, Washington, D.C. Stasia Arcarese �62, Secretary, Plattsburgh, N.Y. Steve Frederick �88 G�90, Treasurer, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Arnold Amell �53, Scotia, N.Y. Janet Cozza �81, Medford, N.Y. C. Thomas Cummings �56, Canajoharie, N.Y. Joseph DeSalvo �89, Moraga, Calif. Benjamin Ellis �05, South Setauket, N.Y. Dr. Zelda J. Holcomb �71, Brooklyn, N.Y. John Longware �56, Peru, N.Y. Toni Tormos Nichels �88, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Gregory Riley �77, West Haven, Conn. Tim Sarrantonio �04, Newburgh, N.Y. Kim Scalzo �89, Cohoes, N.Y. Robert Schofield �93, Albany, N.Y. Michele Loomis Streton �88, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. Daniel Takacs �58, Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Rolondo Thorne �72, Atlanta, Ga.
Ex Officio Members
John B. Clark, Ed.D., (Interim) President, Plattsburgh State Rose G. Anderson �95, Director, Alumni Affairs/Executive Director, Plattsburgh Alumni Association Ronna Bosco �98 G�03, Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs | |
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History of the Alumni Association
The fathers of the modern Plattsburgh Alumni Association were a small group of alumni on faculty at the College, including Stephen Shemet, a 1938 graduate who used to wait tables at the only alumni function held on campus, an annual dinner for local alums in what�s now the lower level of Hawkins Hall. The late Frank Paro, a 1950 graduate, was also instrumental in the establishment of the modern association. After graduating, Shemet became a teacher at the Campus School and had an intense interest in Plattsburgh State alumni. The campus newspaper, Northern Light, was published at the time, and Shemet began writing a column about alumni issues and activities. Distribution of the newspaper began off campus and local alumni became interested in their colleagues. An old address-o-graph machine was put into use, and Shemet began compiling addresses of alumni outside the North Country. Copies of Northern Light were sent to alumni who paid the $2 yearly dues—$25 for a lifetime membership—in the fledgling alumni association. A closet in Hawkins Hall was offered as an office, and Shemet became the unofficial alumni director, assuming the major portion of work in what was officially becoming a true association. Throughout the 1940s, the Association was growing, and so was the interest in having reunions outside Plattsburgh. The first reunions were set up in the New York City and Long Island regions. They began to grow, to Albany, Syracuse, Oswego. In the 1950s, Plattsburgh State President George Angell turned his attention to the operation, giving it office space on campus, a secretary and finally, in the early 1960s, established a state line item for a paid, full-time alumni director, the first in the four-year SUNY college system. Sam Thueson came on board as the first director in 1965. Other directors followed throughout the years until Malcolm Lavery, a 1964 graduate, assumed the directorship in 1972, a position he held until his retirement in 1996.
Today�s Alumni Association
Today�s Alumni Association includes more than 42,000 members. Alumni return to Plattsburgh State annually to celebrate Homecoming Weekend each October. Reunions are held at various locations throughout the country each year. The Association also supports both students and alumni. The Plattsburgh Alumni Career Network allows students to network with alumni and the Distinguished Visiting Alumni Program brings successful alumni to campus to serve as role models for our students. The Association coordinates formal chapters with alumni in their local areas, keeps alumni informed through Plattsburgh Magazine, and most recently launched a new Internet On-Line Community, which offers additional services. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 800-964-1889.
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The roots of the Plattsburgh Alumni Association run deep, and although it didn�t exist in its present form until the 1960s, an alumni presence was felt on campus in the early part of the 20th century.