50th Reunion

Memories from 1974

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  Diane Chace Fannon ’74

  URI Was All About the People

  

  Diane Chace Fannon ’74

  URI Was All About the People

  Growing up in Barrington, RI, I attended elementary through high school with the same group of peers, and I was always a good, focused student. College was a whole new world for me. I think that’s why during my first two years at URI, I was a terrible student but I excelled at college life. Those first two years were more about discovery for me than learning, but I got around to learning eventually.

  My best memories revolve around people at URI who made my experiences meaningful and lasting. First was meeting my husband, Kent, when I was a work-study student at WRIU. I clearly recall accompanying my roommate to her interview for a secretarial job at the radio station. I was waiting for her to finish the interview and when she came out, she said the position wasn’t for her because it was a hectic, chaotic environment. It sounded perfect for me, so I interviewed and got the job. In addition to my paid secretarial duties, I became a volunteer rock and roll DJ and Kent was my boss. He was also a very serious student. Once we started dating, if I wanted to see him it would have to be in the library where he spent most of his time. Spending more time in the library helped me focus on my studies as well.

  Another person who helped me find my path at URI was an associate dean in Education. I had originally enrolled as a math major in secondary education but decided that math wasn’t my future (though I often tease Kent that I aced accounting, which was his major!). I changed my course and became a double major in English and elementary education. Because I was on academic probation, I needed the dean’s approval to switch. He advised me that if I could raise my cumulative, he’d allow it. While I achieved a 3.8 the next semester, it didn’t raise my overall cume to the number he targeted for me and I thought I was doomed. But the compassionate dean said “we both proved our point.” He challenged me; I rose to it and I’m truly grateful for his advice and confidence in me.

  Another group of people who made my time at URI amazing were my sorority sisters in Sigma Kappa, especially my roommate and lifelong friend, Debby Chiacu. I admit that when I first considered joining a sorority, I didn’t think it was for me. But that changed once I rushed and felt that I was truly a part of a family with this group of women who had each other’s backs. I loved the activities associated with my sorority, but I especially appreciated the leadership opportunities. As an education major, I knew how to lead six-year-olds but my role as president of Sigma Kappa helped me lead peers, and the lessons learned were invaluable to me in my career and life.

  On the lighter side, some memorable experiences include lighting my roommates’ hair on fire from a lit cigarette and holding the title of the Memorial Union’s ‘pub beer chugging champion.’ (Part of my excelling at college life.)

  After graduation, I was recruited by the East Hampton, CT school system when they came to campus to interview. They were impressed by my qualifications and credentials from URI, and they liked the fact that I wasn’t a CT native and could bring a different perspective. I taught first grade for two years there, right up until Kent and I married and moved to NY. There, I had to find a new job but teaching jobs were few and far between. I pounded the pavement in Manhattan and found a job as a secretary in an advertising agency (my skills from WRIU were put to work). While I always loved writing, I didn’t realize that I could make a career of it. But that love of writing combined with my English degree was extremely helpful in forging a new career as a copywriter and, eventually, a principal at a national agency. I also credit what I learned in my logic class, which was my favorite URI course, for setting me up well in my career in advertising and marketing. Logic was a mind-blowing class that asked rhetorical and provocative questions and made us think critically and strategically to make a case and defend our position. Those critical thinking skills proved invaluable during my 40 year career in brand marketing.

  Today, we are still involved with URI and live close to campus for part of the year. One of the most fulfilling things we do now is give back to the University that gave so much to us. Through scholarships, we’re able to help students who may not have the family financial resources to fund their education. The letters we receive from the scholarship recipients are so heartfelt, we’re happy that an education at URI put us in a position to help set others up for success.

  —Diane Chace Fannon ’74

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  S. Kent Fannon ’74

  Best Decision Was Staying at URI

  

  S. Kent Fannon ’74

  Best Decision Was Staying at URI

  I met my future wife, Diane Chace, halfway through my sophomore year at URI and that made me rethink plans for junior year. I was considering transferring to another university, but after meeting Diane I made the decision to stay at URI and that changed my path for life.

  We met while working at WRIU. It’s ironic that my passion for broadcasting would be the place our paths would cross. From an early age, radio was a hobby of mine, so I knew I found my place at WRIU. I started as a rock & roll DJ and newscaster, then a sportscaster, and finally station manager. This extraordinary experience took me from the Yankee Conference to Madison Square Garden as well as to West Germany for a Thanksgiving Day URI football game in 1973. Working at WRIU built skills for my career and my personal interactions.

  I remember a meeting Cigar editor Toni Grasso and I had with President Werner Baum that led to our West Germany experience. Toni and I were always asking for Student Senate support for our programs. Often competitive because of our media allegiances, this time we worked collaboratively to convince President Baum that both the Cigar and WRIU needed to represent the University. We were successful in persuading him (and Athletic Director Mo Zarchen) and joined the football team on this incredible trip. After the game in Frankfurt, Toni and I decided to head to Munich, and at the train station found 17 URI football players with the same plan. Using my URI COB skills, I was able to convince the ticket agent to give us a volume discount. This despite a language barrier!

  My work with WRIU played a part in my life much later when I was CFO of KERA TV and Radio in Dallas, TX. I was invited to co-host a sports call-in show with a prominent sportscaster. That was a full-circle moment for me.

  Other fond URI memories include forming great mentoring relationships with many of my professors, including Spencer Martin. I was a serious student and Professor Martin liked to tease me by reminding me that I wasn’t the top accounting student, I was second (to my friend Don Lan). When I last saw Spencer a few years ago before his passing, he reminded me of that again.

  Dorm and campus life hold strong memories for me as well. I was part of the first co-ed dorm in just-finished Gorham Hall in 1970. In 1971, as a WRIU newscaster, I covered the one-year anniversary of the Kent State tragedy as well as a protest by a group of students of color who took over the administration building to bring attention to the lack of student diversity on campus. In my junior year I moved into Hopkins Hall with many of my friends. We’d sit for hours in the main suite talking about anything from the on-going war and our draft status to the next act Stu Fine’s Student Entertainment Committee had booked into Edwards Hall. All these experiences were enlightening and empowering. Like many others, senior year was spent “down the line” in Bonnet Shores.

  Another URI experience that helped with my early career path was a unique summer job I held for four years, interning at American Airlines’ corporate headquarters in New York. My responsibilities grew each summer, including helping AA prepare fare filings in the pre-deregulated days. When the responsible executive suddenly left the company, American’s CFO asked, “where’s the college kid?” Having just started an MBA in Chicago, AA repeatedly flew me back to New York to make the filings and help train a replacement. And because Diane was teaching 1st graders in Connecticut, I was thrilled to be in back in the Northeast at least twice a month! This led to my first full-time position with American after college, and our eventual move to Dallas.

  All these experiences made my time at URI unforgettable. I met my wife, had the opportunity to travel throughout the country and overseas, and made a world of friendships including classmates, staff, professors, deans, and more recently, three URI Presidents (Robert Carothers, David Dooley, and Marc Parlange). Diane and I now spend summers in Saunderstown, RI, and being so close to campus pulls it all together for us.

  —S. Kent Fannon ’74

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  Michael B. Forte ’74

  URI Teaches a Love of Learning

  

  Michael B. Forte ’74

  URI Teaches a Love of Learning

  I was not an enthusiastic student when I came to URI during the tumultuous Vietnam era. My Italian father and paternal grandfather drilled into me the importance of a good education. That and having draft number 78 encouraged me to follow their advice and continue on as the first full-time college student in my family.

  My freshman year was a disaster as I sought to find my way, working at WRIU doing the news, getting involved in student government and campus entertainment, and attempting to pursue a career as a dentist although my mother had told me since kindergarten that I was going to be a lawyer.

  As a sophomore I did two things that changed my life dramatically. I changed my major to political science and I became a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. To this day my fraternity brothers have helped me in life and in my career and kept me connected to the University. I am forever grateful to URI for the opportunity to participate in Greek life, and two of my sons are current members of college fraternities.

  As much as it kills me to admit it, my mother was right, and I became a lawyer. After five years as a state senator where I actually got to put my political science degree to use, I became the youngest person appointed to the Rhode Island Family Court and seven years ago was appointed chief judge of that court.

  My years at URI taught me to love learning and the art of networking, two important keys to success in any career. In addition to my legal work, I have also taught legal studies as an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University for almost 30 years, continuing to learn from the next generation of students.

  Of my four sons, one has a Ph.D. from URI; one son has a URI undergraduate degree and worked for the University in computer security for a time after graduating until moving on to the U.S. State Department, and one is a junior while serving his country in the RI National Guard, currently stationed in Kosovo.

  We are a true URI family. Go Rhody!

  —Michael B. Forte ’74

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  Tom Gunning ’74

  So Many Great Memories…How Did We Have Time for Classes?

  

  Tom Gunning ’74

  So Many Great Memories…How Did We Have Time for Classes?

  I met my future wife Sally here at URI. I remember going to the original Beachcomber on Friday afternoons, dancing at Shiller’s on Ocean Road, throwing parties “Down the Line,” drinking coffee on the wall in front of the Student Union, the antiwar rallies on the Quad, and sneaking into the pub and Keaney Gym. I remember the concerts held at Edwards and Keaney, of which there were quite a few classics: Joe Cocker, J. Geils, The Band, BB King, Chicago Transit Authority, The Beach Boys, Sly and the Family Stone, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, and a young Bruce Springsteen to name a few. I also recall throwing snowballs at unsuspecting students from the roof of Edwards Auditorium and somehow during my time at URI, I attended classes where we were allowed to smoke in class!

  —Tom Gunning ’74

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  William (Bick) Jones ’74

  URI Helped Connect the Dots

  

  William (Bick) Jones ’74

  URI Helped Connect the Dots

  My URI experiences were life changing and remind me of one of my all-time favorite commencement speeches by Steve Jobs’ at the 2005 Stanford University graduation. His speech resonated with me and probably would for many of us in the Class of 1974. He talked about how we must trust our hearts (or guts) in making choices that will later, down the road, “connect the dots” in our lives.

  I started at URI not fully knowing what I wanted to study. I thought about engineering but instead chose the natural sciences, specifically, forestry and wildlife management. After graduation, I moved to California where I had family and thought I could work in the national park service. Though this job didn’t work out as I had initially hoped, my degree did lead me to make a major life decision to apply to the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. I was accepted, trained for several months in Virginia, was commissioned as an Ensign, and assigned to active duty in Miami Beach, FL. As the most junior officer, I was managing petty officers, those who had 20-plus years of experience, and who were “older and wiser.” They were looking to me for leadership and I quickly learned to step up to that role. That opportunity later led me to utilize my GI bill to obtain my MBA from the University of Rochester and to make a career change into finance. I worked for Chase for several years, moved to Texas, and then purchased a business in the event rental industry, which I am still involved in today with my son and daughter.

  While at URI, I met my wife, Jullee and this was undoubtedly the highlight of my URI experience. I spotted her on the Quad, near Ranger Hall. Our perspectives on that first meeting are quite different. She tells me that she put herself outside of Ranger when she knew I’d be leaving class because she wanted to meet me. I just remember seeing her under a tree and was smitten. We’ve been married for 47 years.

  Beyond my great appreciation for URI’s role in connecting dots that lead to my family and career, a few fond memories and impactful impressions come to mind when I think about URI. (1) Feeling a bit overwhelmed as a freshman by the sheer number of students and their diverse backgrounds, especially as a student coming from the small town of Middletown, RI; (2) Completing a senior year study of the ecosystem in Succotash Salt Marsh under the guidance of Dr. Gould who was a wonderful teacher and mentor; (3) Being in awe of how empowered we felt as college students with a vested interest and the responsibility that came along with it.

  Looking back on my time at URI, I can clearly see how these experiences were all part of my personal journey and the many friends I knew along the way who helped me grow as an individual. I appreciated all the experiences and people I shared them with at URI. They helped me connect the dots on my journey.

  —William “Bick” Jones ’74

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  Shandelle Newman Kenler ’74

  Not Your Typical URI Freshman

  

  Shandelle Newman Kenler ’74

  Not Your Typical URI Freshman

  I wasn’t the typical URI freshman entering college at the age of 18. I had a world of experience prior to starting at URI. I had already received a diploma from Bryant College in secretarial studies, was married, and had two children. In the fall of 1966 URI offered the CED program, Continuing Education for Women, directed at women who could earn a degree. The program was offered in downtown Providence, RI and the hours were perfect so mothers could be home for their children’s lunches. When I saw that a degree in psychology was offered, I was hooked. I passed the admission test and was accepted. At first, I took just two courses and then added classes when possible. I think I took every psych course that was offered! I will never forget going to Bradley Hospital in East Providence, RI to observe firsthand. It was fascinating. In 1974 my husband and I attended URI graduation exercises.

  Since an advanced degree, which was required to continue in psychology, was offered only at URI’s Kingston campus, I enrolled at Rhode Island College, where I earned a master’s degree in teaching. I went on to teach at the Jewish Community Center Preschool in Providence, and later became its director. During my career, I also conducted psychological testing at Butler Hospital in Providence, taught adults at the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) also in in Providence, and taught ESL in the Pawtucket School System before retiring. I am proud to say that I am a URI graduate along with my older daughter and my grandson.

  —Shandelle S. (Newman) Kenler ’74 P’79

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  Kenneth J. Osfield ’74, M.S.’89

  A Heathman Thanksgiving!

  

  Kenneth J. Osfield ’74, M.S.’89

  A Heathman Thanksgiving!

  I clearly remember my first day on the URI campus back in 1970. Moving into Adams Hall was very exciting for me, especially since I would be moving in with high school friends. Adams was an older residence facility, and I was hoping for something more modern. When a friend got in touch with me because he was looking for a roommate to join him in the newest dorm, Heathman Hall, I grabbed the opportunity and never looked back. I lived in Heathman for three years and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

  During my freshman year I played on the URI basketball team’s JV squad in 1970 and 1971. After 1971, colleges, for the most part, eliminated JV basketball. Playing basketball for URI was a great experience and gave me the opportunity to travel with the team. After my freshman year, I looked ahead to other opportunities.

  I fondly remember eating meals with my friends, old and new, in Butterfield Hall. I remember being part of the SEC (Student Entertainment Committee) and helping organize concerts with some great bands. I recall when the first snowfall hit and seeing students sliding down the elephant walk on cafeteria trays. What fun! Wet and cold with freezing hands and feet, we kept walking back up and sliding down. Those memories are still with me!

  Without basketball I looked for other things, besides classes, to keep me busy. At some point I discovered photography and found myself taking photos, developing film, and making prints in a photo lab on campus. I spent many hours in a day in that lab.

  One other very vivid memory was when I cooked a turkey dinner for 30 friends from Heathman for Thanksgiving during my freshman year. I cooked the entire dinner—a 25-pound turkey with all the fixings—in the dorm’s “tiny” kitchen. The dinner was a success and very much enjoyed by all. The interesting thing was that I had never cooked before, though there were many Sundays, growing up, where I would watch my Meme prepare meals for aunts, uncles, and cousins. After cooking that meal, I continued to cook and still do.

  Looking back, the saddest day was when I decided to move off campus my senior year. To this day I wish I had stayed on campus. The campus was where I grew up and became part of the college environment and experience.

  In all, I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at URI. It was where I developed and matured, and I will never forget my experiences. Go Rams.

  — Dr. Kenneth J. Osfield ’74, M.S.’89

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  Vincent A. Marseglia ’74

  URI Leads to a Happy Marriage and Rewarding Career

  

  Vincent A. Marseglia ’74

  URI Leads to a Happy Marriage and Rewarding Career

  The first thing that comes to mind when I think about my time at URI is meeting my wife, Patricia. Growing up, she lived one town over; she resided in Warwick and I lived in Cranston, but it was URI that brought us together. We met in 1969 at my Theta Delta Chi fraternity open house where we were introduced by one of my fraternity brothers and her Alpha Chi Omega sorority sister. We’ve been together ever since and we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in January 2024. We married the year I graduated so we had many friends from URI in attendance at our wedding. Two of my fraternity brothers were in my wedding party, one as my best man, and we still have maintained a strong friendship to this day.

  Another memory of my URI days is working summers as an ironworker building the Newport Bridge. Not an easy job, but it supported my college expenses and gave me an appreciation for what it takes to literally build something from the ground up. The job also gave me a deep appreciation for all the trades involved in such a huge undertaking. It was a learning experience that fit right in with my URI education as an engineer, making it more relatable.

  I soon realized, as I started looking for my first job after graduation, that my URI engineering degree opened doors for me and provided great career opportunities in several companies, the last of which was CVS Health. Armed with my URI degree, I pursued an MBA, eventually leading me to serve as an adjunct professor for 10 years, five of which were at URI, where I taught industrial engineering. The IE degree that I received at URI provided me with the confidence to volunteer as the president of the RI Chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and regional VP for the Institute (now the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers). While in this capacity I made it a point each year to have a joint meeting with the URI student chapter and award scholarships to deserving students. My volunteer work with the university has included serving on the advisory board for the Department of Manufacturing, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Alumni Association finance committee, and the URIFAE investment and finance committees.

  Beyond my connections to URI, I spent years volunteering with the Boy Scouts, most recently at BSA Camp Yawgoog, as my son and grandson became Eagle Scouts. Over the years Pat and I led an active lifestyle, golfing, sailing, running 5Ks, studying foreign languages and traveling. We recently took a family vacation to Italy where, after over 100 years, three generations of the Marseglia family finally met their cousins in my father’s hometown of Vairano Patenora. Following that, we toured the beautiful surroundings of the Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, and Naples!

  Pat and I enjoy being a proud URI legacy family as our daughter graduated with a degree in accounting. We are looking forward to our grandson attending URI next year where he plans to enroll in the College of Business as a finance major.

  —Vincent A. Marseglia ’74 P’14

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  Paula M. Santos ’74, M.P.A.’80

  A Joyful Walk Down Memory Lane

  

  Paula M. Santos ’74, M.P.A.’80

  A Joyful Walk Down Memory Lane

  Many of my friends were already attending URI when I was a senior in high school, so I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time there prior to my enrolling as a freshman. I was fortunate to have established a pretty good social network. 4th floor Bressler, 4th floor Browning. Oh yeah, good times.

  Campuses across the country were vibrant during the late 60s and early 70s. As Bob Dylan wrote, “Times, they are a-changing” and we were living in that change. We were making the change.  I was very politically active, especially in my first two years prior to the end of the Vietnam War. We organized students to attend protest rallies, set up soup kitchens and went to Washington, D.C. a few times. We were a peaceful, nonviolent group who were passionate about our cause and believed we positively impacted the decision to withdraw our troops.

  As many do, when you attend college, I fell in love for the first time—the minute he walked into my dorm room in Merrow. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as first loves often don’t, but I got to meet some great new friends in Heathman where he lived. And then, as fate would have it, I met this really interesting guy in Travisano’s Sociology class (which was interesting in and of itself). Was broke and without a roommate so I spent a semester in third floor Adams. We dated for quite some time. Married, have two amazing children and are blessed to live on Narrow River in beautiful Narragansett (in a student rental that we later bought—a Rhody dream come true).

  I had always liked sports, and being raised in Providence, I was naturally a PC fan. But I will never forget my first PC-URI game at Keaney. SRO. That was it. Bye PC. Go Rhody! And speaking of Keaney, what about the concerts there, Edwards, and even the Union ballroom? Stevie Wonder, Santana, The Beachboys, Joe Cocker, Traffic, BB King, America, Peter Frampton, Lou Reed opening with the local band, Roomful of Blues, (who will be coming back to celebrate our 50th!) and so many more. Music was integral to our lives back then and we were so lucky to have a great student entertainment committee who brought in great bands.

  Learning was important to me, and I was really looking forward to tackling different subjects. Given our freshman class was so huge, I vividly remember Intro to Sociology, which turned out to be one of my favorite classes. It was in Edwards with I think close to 800 students. But we had TA led breakout sessions and the small group conversations were intense, stimulating, and really enhanced my learning. I also remember taking an Early Civ class and I was home one day telling my mom what I was learning, and she asked me, rather perturbed, “what are they teaching you in that school?” And I said, “To think, mom. To think.” Best gift ever.

  I have many significant memories that bring a smile to my face even when they were not so pleasant, like waiting in multiple lines to register for classes in Keaney (groan) and the not-so-great food in Hope dining hall (now Mainfare); good times bouncing off the exterior walls of the indoor track bubble—especially in the snow; attending basketball games in Keaney and students occasionally sliding down the aisles on dining hall trays; supporting the takeover of Carlotti championing for more diversity on campus; great dances in the Ram’s Den; riding my bike with friends through the back roads; and watching Night Gallery in the Merrow Hall lounge. We were totally freaked out. We did not have TVs in our rooms—let alone computers or cell phones. Good record players, lots of vinyl, and each other.

  I returned to URI and completed a masters in 1980. Although it was a great experience and set me up for a good career, it was all business and serious study and doesn’t compare to my undergraduate years. I have always had a deep affiliation for URI and I had always wanted to work at the University. I was very fortunate to secure a position in Student Affairs in the mid-2000s and eventually retired from the Office of University Events. We were the lead department for Commencement, which was always special to me. I really like pomp and circumstance and it is a powerful feeling being among your fellow graduates even though you’re saying to yourself “what’s next?” I hope we continue to have a ceremony on our beautiful Quad. Walking across that stage is special even if you trip on your gown in your brown huaraches going up the stairs. Just another tucked away memory that makes you feel good when you think back about being lucky to have been a URI student.

  —Paula M. Santos ’74, M.P.A.’80, P’21

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  Arthur Sepe ’74

  URI Builds a Great Foundation for Life

  

  Arthur Sepe ’74

  URI Builds a Great Foundation for Life

  I came to URI as a transfer student from Our Lady of Providence Seminary College in Warwick, RI, where I was studying to become a priest. I changed my life course and enrolled in URI’s College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in philosophy. I wanted to study philosophy because of my interest in theology.

  I remember getting advice from family and friends to choose a major that would be helpful for my future. I’m glad I stayed the course with my major; it served me very well. In my early career I worked in social services within urban communities in RI and also with the Providence Housing Authority. I recevied my master’s degree in counseling and have worked as a college and career counselor at the Community College of Rhode Island in Lincoln, RI for the past 19 years. I’m still working and I love every minute of it! Today, I like to advise my students to study what they love and their careers will naturally unfold. My URI philosophy degree, which examined the ‘why’ of life, was a strong foundation for my work in psychology/counseling, which examines the ‘how’ of life. These areas intertwine and provide a good perspective for advising my students. My work is rewarding and I am proud when my students come back to visit after they graduate and are in their chosen fields with very successful careers. I always think back to my own college experience and know I made the right choice at URI.

  URI also provided a wonderful network of friends through my fraternity, Theta Delta Chi. I was glad to have been a part of this great group of hard-working students who supported each other and appreciated the opportunities we had at URI. These friendships and opportunities were all part of a memorable and successful college experience. In the photo, I’m in the line up (third from left, wearing pants and sporting a mustache) getting ready for a Greek Week run.

  I have learned that you are never too old to try something new. Four years ago, I fell in love with the ballet and have been acting and dancing with the State Ballet of RI. It keeps me involved in the arts and gives me one more thing in life to be passionate about. I look forward to hearing what my classmates have been passionate about these past 50 years!

  Happy 50th to the Class of 1974!

  —Arthur J. Sepe ’74