50th Reunion

Memories from 1975

• 

  Ron Ledoux ’75

  An Opportunity to Learn In and Out of the Classroom

  

  Ron Ledoux ’75

  An Opportunity to Learn In and Out of the Classroom

  A beneficiary of the G.I. Bill, my father, Rene J. Ledoux, graduated from URI in 1953. He was a proud member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and played center on the football team (pre-facemask days). As a child I first learned about how special URI was from the many stories he told while we drove past the campus on our way to Scarborough State Beach from our home in Norwich, CT.

  URI was indeed special in many ways and tops on that list was meeting my future wife, Cheryl Ann Babcock ’76, in the spring of my junior year. A member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, she was a double engineering major and very different from anyone I had ever known. We were married in May 1977 and to this day I am always amazed by how her presence continues to enrich my life.

  I was a physical education major and most of my core classes were small, all male and activity based, i.e., soccer, aquatics, tennis, golf, etc., while the general elective classes like biology, anatomy, and kinesiology were coed and held in large lecture halls with 150+ students from all majors. At that time, I distinctly remember thinking, “it is not very fair to put PE majors in the same classes as nursing and pre-med students!”

  Like many students I worked during the school year to pay for books and gas and to have some pocket money. For a college student, I made great money tending bar in Westerly at The Lantern Glow and Billy Holiday’s Restaurants. In addition, the meals they provided were a big step up from “frat food.” I loved campus life so much that during the summer I stayed in my fraternity (SAE) and found work tending bar on the beach at the Andrea Hotel. Life was good, the total rent for three months was $115, the pay and tips were great, the food and adult beverages were free and there was live entertainment several nights per week.

  I will always remember my four years of playing varsity baseball and winning the Yankee Conference Championship in 1974. I was very fortunate to play against strong competition and to have fantastic teammates and coaches. We used wooden bats until aluminum ones were purchased in 1973. Nothing hurts like swinging a wooden bat and not making solid contact with a baseball on a cold, damp March Day with the winds whipping across the athletic fields behind Keaney Gym. And, the uniforms were still wool. Yes, they kept you warm, but they made you itchy, were very heavy and smelled awful when wet.

  I wish the class of 1975 graduates, and everyone associated with URI, peace, prosperity, and perspective. And remember, always be kind.

  —Ronald E. Ledoux ’75

• 

  Gina MacDonald-Page ’75

  Passion for Yoga, Dance, and Helping Others

  

  Gina MacDonald-Page ’75

  Passion for Yoga, Dance, and Helping Others

  I have vivid and meaningful memories of college life in the 1970s at URI. I majored in fine arts with a minor in child development and was part of the Project 70 group, which was a living and learning community in Gorham Hall. It was also a time in my life when I was struggling with an eating disorder, though there was no name for it and no treatment for it back then. What helped me during that time were my Project 70 classmates—who were supportive and non-judgmental—and my passion for yoga and dance.

  My interest in yoga was born in Roosevelt Hall and my love of dance started at the then-new Fine Arts Center. These passions have woven throughout my life; today, as a certified yoga instructor and a continued ballet student.

  My minor in child development and my psychology coursework along with my appreciation for dance and yoga led me to Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts for graduate school with a degree in dance movement therapy. These seeds planted at URI led to pioneering a career using my skills, passions, and experiences to help others.

  Today and over the past 30 years, I have worked as a licensed psychotherapist and certified eating disorders specialist. Many of my clients are high school and college-aged students. During the Covid pandemic, I was inundated with parents seeking help for their loved one. Despite not being able to treat in person while we were in quarantine, I developed a program specifically for in-home therapy using skills from my book published in 2019 on eating disorders and body image therapy. I mailed it to clients and then conducted sessions through telehealth guiding them through experiential tasks. I feel pleased to have been a resource for individuals and families struggling during an especially difficult time.

  I am enjoying serving on the 50^th reunion committee as this reminds me of other graduates before me who have URI degrees—including my three older siblings. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with many classmates and hearing of their adventures at our BIG 5-OH! reunion in September 2025.

  —Virginia (Gina) MacDonald-Page ’75

• 

  Kristen M. Swanson ’75

  URI: An Amazing Launching Pad

  

  Kristen M. Swanson ’75

  URI: An Amazing Launching Pad

  As nursing students, we were one cohort from freshmen through senior year and did most things as a group. I recall the bus ride to clinical rotations. There were a couple of ambitious students who would chat about studying for the upcoming exam. The rest of us would be thinking, “Wait! What? That’s not for two whole weeks!” My friends and I eventually learned to avoid their contagious test-anxiety and to appreciate our own study habits and effective (enough) learning/cramming styles. Gaining this perspective was particularly helpful as a lifelong learner and nursing professor. I was ultimately able to share my insight with nursing students, thus allaying their anxieties born of comparisons to overly ambitious peers.

  Another memory that stayed with me was surviving my first semester anatomy class with Prof. DeWolf. My close friend and I studied and prepared for his tests together. Our mantra was “If we could get through this class, we could ace the rest of our program.” After one test, when we both got the two highest scores (we were half a point apart!), we found notes in big, bold red letters from Prof. DeWolf at the top of our papers. Hers read, “See Kristen Swanson’s test” and the top of mine read, “See (her) test.” Realizing he thought we cheated, we were devastated. We were redeemed after the next test, when we had to take the test at different times because she was ill. When we scored the same results, we proved his hypothesis wrong. Nonetheless, Professor DeWolf was probably one of our most influential and esteemed faculty because he held us to such very high standards.

  Other memories of college life center around dorm life, making new friends with suitemates, having conversations long into the night, appreciating our different perspectives, and coming to understand there was a world much larger than I imagined. My experiences later as a junior and senior living ‘down the line’ changed me as well. I honestly believe undergraduate education is 1/3 academic preparation and 2/3 growing up.

  After graduation, I moved to Massachusetts where my first day of work coincided with the very first day UMass Hospital opened. From there I moved to Philadelphia to earn my master’s degree at U Penn, then to the U Colorado for my PhD and on to the U Washington for postdoctoral studies. I remained on faculty at UW for 25 years until I moved to UNC Chapel Hill where I was the dean of nursing. My final role was serving as dean at Seattle University College of Nursing.

  One final memory is of dining hall juke boxes blasting out Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” as we ate, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To this day, that song brings me back to Kingston and the promise of new possibilities.

  —Dr. Kristen M. Swanson ’75

• 

  F. Randy Vogenberg ’75

  Tight-Knit Class, Facing Changes, and Epic Movies

  

  F. Randy Vogenberg ’75

  Tight-Knit Class, Facing Changes, and Epic Movies

  I came to the University of Rhode Island as a transfer student from Pennsylvania and was proud to secure one of three coveted slots in the pharmacy program. The program was academically intense, which bonded our cohort into a tight-knit group. During my time at URI, the college was undergoing a curriculum transition, preparing to shift from a five-year to a six-year program. Our class was part of this pilot group, and we faced many changes and uncertainties together, strengthening our connection as classmates.

  Despite the rigors of my academic workload, I joined the WRIU radio station. I had been involved with the radio station at my previous school, so I was eager to continue at URI. At one point, I even contemplated my career options—pharmacy or radio. Ultimately, I chose pharmacy and have never regretted that decision. However, being involved with the radio station provided me with a different perspective and an opportunity to engage with the larger campus community. There was a lot happening at URI, and the overall national theme was one of change.

  One of the movies I fondly remember from 1973, which I will always associate with URI, is “The Paper Chase,” set at Harvard Law School. Although the College of Pharmacy is not a law school, the movie resonated with me. On the first day of class, our professor, Dr. Osborne, warned us, “Look to your left and look to your right because two of you won’t be here next year.” This was startling and humbling, but it also made us more determined to succeed.

  I quickly became involved with the national Student Pharmacy Association and was elected as a regional delegate by my peers in the Northeast. I had the privilege of working closely with Professor Norman Campbell and Dean Heber Youngken, who became my mentors. Through this association, I traveled around the country, gaining a broader perspective on our field.

  Another popular movie from 1973 was “The Sting,” which I saw in the cinema in Wakefield, RI. Given all the changes our pharmacy class was experiencing, we felt like rebels, and “The Sting” really resonated with us. The third movie that stands out in my memory is “The Way We Were.” Many of us in the pharmacy program identified with it as we transitioned from the ‘old’ curriculum to the ‘new’ program, shaping the future of the College.

  After graduating from URI, I earned my master’s and then my PhD in health care administration and completed my residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. I later collaborated often with faculty at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, Brandeis University’s Heller School, and MIT’s Sloan School of Management. This allowed me to work with thought leaders and policymakers nationally. More recently, I had the opportunity to serve as an adjunct professor at URI, completing a full-circle moment in my career. URI provided a solid foundation that prepared me, along with many of my classmates, for rewarding careers in pharmacy and health care. In 2011, I was honored to receive the College of Pharmacy’s Ethics and Excellence Award, established in honor of my mentor, Norm Campbell, which made it especially gratifying for me.

  Our 50th reunion brings back many fond memories. My pharmacy peers will remember our pharmacology professor, Dr. DeFeo, who constantly reminded us, “the heart is a pump”—a mantra we never forget. Joan Lausier, our student class advisor, always had our backs and kept us on track (and out of trouble!). I also fondly recall living off campus during my senior year at Bonnet Shores and spending time at the beach.

  As a member of the 50th reunion committee, I am looking forward to sharing more memories of URI at our reunion.

  —Dr. F. Randy Vogenberg ’75