Reflections Magazine Issue #71 - Spring 2010 | Page 23

Alumni News Mary Duker Barker ‘39 SHU Alumni Awards to be Presented in October During Homecoming 2010 Coming Your Way 90th Anniversary Alumni Outreach Tour Help Us Honor Siena’s Best and Brightest! Who do you know—that we should know? Until this year, she commuted between summer and winter homes in Michigan and Florida. Her devilish sense of humor still intact, she recently opted for year-round warmth in a retirement community where she enjoys meeting friends for pre-dinner wine and cheese. Cheers, Mary! Clare Gleeson, OP ’39 Adrian, Michigan In the 1930s, lay students and Adrian Dominican novices often had classes together —but were not allowed to speak to each other. So it came as a humorous shock at a reunion, a few years ago, when Sister Clare revealed the startling news that lay students were not the only pranksters back then! Clare and a fellow novice had once sneaked into the Madden Hall tower to ring the bell…vigorously. Clare Gleeson, OP ‘39 Join us this spring and summer—on campus or around the country! Watch your mail or contact the Alumni Office for details Siena Heights Week in Texas: We will present this year’s alumni awards during Homecoming weekend, October 1-3, 2010. Nominations are accepted year-round; and those received by March 31 will be considered for 2010. April 20: April 21: April 22: The Alumni Association sponsors the Outstanding Alumni Award, the Sister Ann Joachim Award, the St. Dominic Award, and the Recent Graduate Award. For award descriptions, criteria and a list of prior recipients, visit the Siena Heights website or contact the alumni office: (517) 2647143 or [email protected]. May 17: Nominations must include: July 29: • A detailed letter outlining the qualities, accomplishments and characteristics that make the nominee worthy of recognition; • A resume (if available) and other supporting materials as appropriate; • Name(s) of additional person(s) who will provide letters of support. (It is the nominator’s responsibility to solicit any such letters, and several are recommended.); • Nominator’s name, contact information and relationship to the nominee. Coming Soon: A New Siena Heights Alumni Directory If you’ve ever wondered where an old college friend ended up, or what happened to that student you sat next to in class, you’ll be pleased to know Siena Heights will be developing a new and up-to-date alumni directory during 2010. SHU is partnering with “PCI: the data company” in Dallas, Texas, to produce the new reference. “People were so surprised,” she recalled with a chuckle. “They thought maybe the Pope had died!” Clare taught school for 40 years—3rd and 4th grade in St. Joseph, MI, then high school Latin in West Palm Beach, FL—but in recent years, she has been better known as an artist. As a child on the south side of Chicago, she drew on the sidewalks. Decades later, in her Dominican Life Center studio, she works in pastels, focusing on portraits and flowers, often reproducing her work for notecards or small prints. Several of Clare’s pieces hang in the Weber Center, and her portrait entitled “Big Randy” is part of the permanent collection at the Association of Homes and Services for the Aging in Washington, D.C. u PCI is the same company that worked on our last alumni directory 10 years ago. In addition to providing a useful resource for alumni, the project will help Siena Heights update its internal data system. In the weeks and months ahead, PCI will contact alumni by letter, email and/or telephone to update contact information as well as family and career data. (Don’t be surprised if your caller has a southern accent—remember, they’re calling from Texas!) Alumni will have an opportunity to pre-order paperback or digital copies of the directory. Alumni also may provide information for Siena’s records but stipulate that it not appear in the directory. “We encourage everyone to participate by updating their records,” SHU alumni director Jennifer Hamlin Church said. “This project will help us connect better with you—the alumni—and help you connect better with each other, too.” Houston area Austin-San Antonio area Dallas-Ft. Worth area Siena Heights in the Windy City: Chicago Siena Heights in the Northeast: June 8: June 9: June 10: New York City Northern New Jersey Greater Boston area Take SHU Out to the Ball Game: Toledo Mud Hens @ Fifth Third Field AND… Other events yet to be scheduled! Locati