Theater Gets Name in New Electronic Media and Performing Arts Center
Those who knew the late David Goodman ’39 would have expected no less—when he walked into President Shirley Ann Jackson’s office last summer, he greeted her with a big kiss. With such enthusiasm he approached his life, his work, and his alma mater. Goodman was the epitome of the successful entrepreneur: self-reliant, resourceful, and dynamic. He owed it all to Rensselaer. “If it weren’t for the technical knowledge I acquired, the self-confidence, and the appetite for hard work,” he once said, “I would not have been able to achieve my goals.”
As he talked with President Jackson on that August afternoon, Goodman’s eyes lit up when she described the new state-of-the-art electronic media and performing arts center—a showcase for Rensselaer’s signature offerings in the electronic arts that will enrich the campus experience and provide the means to broaden and deepen our research in the artistic and communications media. He very much wanted to be a part of this exciting project, and he saw his legacy in naming the David H. Goodman ’39 Theater within it— the elegant 1,200-seat venue that will be its main performing arts space.
Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners presented their concept for the building to President Jackson and the campus as part of an international design competition.
Photo: Fred Ricard
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But Goodman fell ill, and he passed away in May 2001 without the opportunity to see his dream come to fruition. But he didn’t forget Rensselaer—he made provision in his will to bequeath $5 million to his alma mater. Thanks to his foresight, the Goodman Theater will become a reality.
Plans for the facility are moving ahead. London-based architects Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners (and their New York subsidiary, NPGUSA) are working on design, and an active search for artistic director is in full swing. Rensselaer faculty and consultants are developing the program, with an emphasis on residencies by visiting performing artists and artists with a focus on electronic media, which will form a cornerstone of both the performance and research missions. Resident artists will conduct performances in the Goodman Theater (and the other performance spaces housed in the center), engage in research, and interact with and enrich the lives of students and faculty of Rensselaer and the lives of the surrounding communities.
The (Class) Gift of a Lifetime
It is remarkable that people who went to college together more than 50 years ago still keep in touch. It is even more noteworthy when one considers that the class that entered Rensselaer in the fall of 1947 was composed not only of young high school graduates, but of seasoned veterans of World War II—a diverse body of students with a variety of experiences. But keep in touch they did.
Photo: Martin Benjamin |
The Class of ’51 is wired—nearly 50 percent use e-mail—and they communicate via their class Web page (www.alumni.rpi. edu/services/class/1951/). They want to keep connected and involved—with each other and with Rensselaer. After their successful 45th Reunion in 1996, members of the Class of ’51 formed an ongoing reunion committee and began to meet regularly. They wanted to leave their mark on Rensselaer with a very special 50th Reunion gift.
They devised a plan—then they implemented it. They recruited new volunteers and they worked with Rensselaer staff. They decided that the best way to make a difference would be to make a gift to the endowment—a gift of a lifetime that would generate income in perpetuity. Thus were born the Class of ’51 Endowments to support the Class of 1951 Teaching Award, the Student Entrepre- neurship Award, and the Transfer Student Scholarship—all areas key to Rensselaer’s future success.
The class committee stirred a lot of enthusiasm—more than 140 classmates attended their 50th Reunion. They also generated unprecedented class giving to Rensselaer—to their endowed funds, to other restricted purposes, and to the Rensselaer Annual Fund. The Class of ’51 led all Reunion giving, from the greatest number of new Patroons, to the highest total class gift—more than $1.2 million (see class competition report on page 27 of Salute to Involvement, included with this issue).
The Class of ’51 Endowments have grown to over half a million dollars—and the class is determined to grow them even more. Why have they been so generous to Rensselaer? Says John Frey ’51, “I returned from service in Germany in the summer of ’46. I hadn’t been in school for some years. I wouldn’t have been able to succeed in college, and in my career, without the assistance I received from RPI.”
Thanks to the generosity and commitment of the Class of ’51, and lots of hard work, future Rensselaer students are guaranteed that assistance.
