New Scholarship Honors Grad ’ s Memory
LEARNING ALUMNI OPPORTUNITIES SPOTLIGHT
Auto Tech Degree Opens Many Doors
Matt Davis ’ 10 first thought about pursuing a teaching career , following in the footsteps of his father , Richard , an earth science teacher at North Rockland HS . But when his parents bought him a used car for commuting to school his senior year – a red 2003 Pontiac Grand Am with hood scoops – he was hooked on all things automotive . “ Something about that first car just drew me in ,” said Davis , whose grandfather , Alan Davis , operated body shops and whose father is a car hobbyist . “ It was like a culture to me .”
TOM MCNAMARA ’ 85 , was named Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Seattle Mariners major league baseball team in September 2016 . He previously served as Director of Amateur Scouting for the ball club since November 2008 . McNamara was an All-Conference player for the Fighting Hawks and set a school record with 71 stolen bases . He was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at both RCC and Dominican College .
Davis has parlayed his AAS degree in Automotive Technology from RCC into a prosperous career in automotive management , currently serving as a district parts and service manager for Subaru Distributors Corp . in Orangeburg . Davis manages 11 Subaru dealers throughout Westchester County and NYC , visiting dealers to promote parts sales and other programs from the corporate office , enhancing retail customer service , providing warranty authorizations , and helping ensure technician training .
Alumni Notes
ROXANNE WATSON , RCC alumna and current Hospitality student , was the winner of the professional digital media 2016 Eddie Award for her article , “ What a Silent Heart Attack Sounds Like ,” in the Spring issue of the American Heart Association ’ s HeartInsight Magazine .
New Scholarship Honors Grad ’ s Memory
When Terry Goldman of Suffern recently lost her beloved brother , Christopher T . Matott ’ 94 , she was grateful he had achieved great success in his chosen field of Communication / Media Arts . Knowing that Chris credited his success to the excellent education he received at RCC , she founded a scholarship in his memory . It offers two $ 250 awards for students pursuing a degree in Communication / Media Arts or Performing Arts .
After graduating from RCC , Chris continued his studies at the School for Visual Arts in NYC . Interning at CNBC led to freelancing with FOX and NBC , and then Chris landed his dream job , becoming a camera operator for Late Night with Conan O ’ Brien in NYC . When Conan moved to California for The Tonight Show with Conan O ’ Brien , so did Chris . He loved his life and his work , and in the words of Conan O ’ Brien , “ He was an excellent cameraman and will be greatly missed .” Other gigs included NBC Sports as a cameraman at Olympic Games , his team winning two Emmy Awards for their exciting coverage of Athens , Beijing and Turin Olympics .
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