Dale Brown ’43 and Joan Borichevsky were married July 7 with many RPI friends in attendance.

The photo shows, from left to right, Joan Brown (Norwich ’87), Dale Brown ’43, Bruce Brown ’43, Walt Nial ’44, Ed Miller ’46, Art Hansen ’49, Fred Staub ’52, Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy ’49, and Roland Fitzroy (Union ’43).

Dale would enjoy hearing from classmates and former students at DBrown1448@aol.com.

Philip Casabella ’54, professor of physics and associate chair of physics, applied physics, and astronomy, has received the Trustees’ Outstanding Teacher Award for 2001. Established in 1994 by Rensselaer’s board of trustees, the award, with a $5,000 honorarium, annually recognizes outstanding accomplishments in classroom instruction. The committee’s selection is based on sustained outstanding teaching as reflected by student evaluations.

Casabella, who has taught physics at Rensselaer for 40 years and who served as department chair during his tenure, is perhaps best known to generations of students for continuing the popular “Physics Magic Show,” which introduced physics majors and non-majors alike to the basic principles of physics.

“You have continued the creative tradition of your esteemed predecessors Walter Eppenstein and Robert Resnick, bringing humor and innovation to classes and lectures,” the board said in its citation.

Casabella earned a bachelor’s in 1954 and a master’s in 1957—both in physics—from Rensselaer and a doctorate from Brown in 1959. He was instrumental in implementing the “studio” mode of instruction in the physics department.

In the words of one former student, “It is more than a passion for teaching that makes Phil an outstanding teacher. It is his compassion for students that makes him one of the elite. Being an outstanding teacher goes well beyond passing on information. Phil turned my love of physics into a passion, engaged me in my work in the laboratory, and nurtured my self-confidence.”

President Shirley Ann Jackson traveled to Venezuela in April for a three-day visit that included meetings with Venezuelan government officials, U.S. Embassy officials, business executives, university administrators, and alumni. She was keynote speaker at a luncheon for 140 people, including 50 alumni.

Shown in the photograph, the Rensselaer Alumni Chapter of Venezuela hosted Dr. Jackson at a breakfast at the Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental in Caracas. Seated, from left, are Antonio Aranguren ’55, Rensselaer Dean of H&SS Faye Duchin, Marcelino Barquin ’55, Miguel Angel Contreras ’55, and Maria Gabriela Ostos ’95. Standing, from left, are Juan Jose Ferrer ’57, Dr. Jackson, and Napoleon Ferrer ’55, president of the alumni chapter.

Among the 10 new members inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in October was former Rensselaer lacrosse and hockey coach Ned Harkness. The Hall of Fame issued the following citation:

“Nevin D. (Ned) Harkness, one of lacrosse’s most successful coaches, is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a truly great coach who has contributed noteworthy services to the game of lacrosse over the years.”

Harkness is a 1939 graduate of Worcester Academy, who went on to coaching stints at RPI and Cornell. He started the program at RPI and from 1945 to 1958 led the school to a record of 112-26-2, including a USILA co-national championship in 1952. Harkness later coached at Cornell from 1966 to 1968, compiling a record of 35-1 with Ivy League titles in 1966 and 1968. Also a successful hockey coach, Harkness left Cornell in 1970 to coach the Detroit Red Wings. Harkness, whose father, William J. Harkness, is also a member of the Hall of Fame, resides in Palm Harbor, Fla.

A large group of Rensselaer alumni attended the induction ceremony, which was held at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md., on Oct. 19.

“The Induction of Ned Harkness into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame was an extraordinary event,” said Todd Walsh ’58, who estimated that more than 50 former Rensselaer players, along with 30 from Cornell, attended the ceremony. The next day Walsh was master of ceremonies at an event at which Board of Trustees Chairman Sam Heffner ’56 presented Harkness with a gift from Rensselaer, and alumni voiced testimonials to their former coach.

Dave Brunell ’57 flew in from Africa to attend the events.

“The ‘Harkness Experience’ that we all share has reverberated and multiplied in our lives more powerfully than compound interest—in playing and winning in the Game of Life,” said Brunell, who divided his remarks into “roast” and “toast” comments.

“Lacrosse with Ned Harkness was a gift—and a metaphor for life, for learning, for living life to the fullest,” he said. “Any quest becomes possible, and possibilities became limitless—one loose ball, one face-off at a time. And today all of us carry this torch with us and pass it on to others every day.”

 The full text of Brunell’s remarks.
 

Enrique Godreau ’81 was the featured speaker at this year’s First Year Convocation ceremony, which was held on ’86 Field Aug. 26. Godreau is managing director and co-founder of Voyager Capital, an e-business venture capital firm in Seattle, Wash.

Godreau chose as the theme of his talk value and values, which he said “are really quite simple, but I spend every day of my life trying to live up to them.”

“Value to me is meeting or exceeding expectations with the allocated resources,” he said. “Values, on the other hand, define the character of an individual.”

On the issue of values, Godreau spoke about Rensselaer’s motto—Knowledge and Thoroughness. “My partners at Voyager Capital and I believe that these words represent such a powerful concept that we have made it one of our firm’s core values. To me, this motto represents the ideal that excellence requires complete awareness of all relevant issues.”

“At Voyager, when we consider making an investment in a private information technology company, we make sure to go ‘five whys’ deep,” he said. “Mistakes in venture capital are usually very expensive. Mistakes made in the disciplines several of you are pursuing can ultimately be fatal.”

“To be the best, you simply have to strive for absolute knowledge and extreme thoroughness,” said Godreau. “You may not get there, but you have to try. There is no other option.”

Godreau also spoke about the pace of life, and encouraged his audience to establish a set of values that will enable them to balance career with personal and family time and community time.

 The full text of Godreau’s speech.

Before co-founding Voyager, Godreau served as research director for Gartner Group, where he specialized in commercial interactive media and Internet technologies. Before Gartner, he was senior product marketing manager of Adobe’s Dynamic Media Business Group. Prior to the Adobe-Aldus merger, he was a principal engineer for Aldus, where he championed several acquisitions and was a major contributor to its interactive publishing strategy. Godreau began his career at Xerox in 1982 and later joined the company’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).