News From Fort Schuyler

December 11, 1998 - Volume 2, No. 57

NATIONAL AWARD GOES TO GRADUATE STUDENT - A 'License Degree' graduate student, JASON YOUNG, will receive a 'Student of the Year' award, sponsored by the University Transportation Centers Program, at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in January. The Under Secretary of Transportation will confer this award upon Jason and 13 other recipients from across the nation at the TRB meeting in Washington, D.C. According to Dr. SHMUEL YAHALOM, the Director of the Graduate Program: "This award is in recognition of high achievements and excellence in transportation studies. Jason's thesis research was entitled: 'The Free Market Highway, an Evaluation of Highway Privatization.' We are very proud to see that another graduate student is being recognized for his achievements ... Jason is the second SUNY-MC graduate student to receive this honor. The first student was Ms. BETH WILSON-JORDAN in 1997." Dr. Yahalom explains that: "'License Degree' students are engaged simultaneously in working towards their third mate license and Graduate Degree leading to an MS in Transportation Management." (Source: E-mail from Professor Yahalom)

NOT JOURNALISTIC HYPERBOLE - "This could be the best sea battle since the MERRIMAC took on the MONITOR in the Civil War." That is how the forthcoming basketball game between SUNY Maritime and Kings Point at Madison Square Garden on January 30 was promoted in the Sunday, December 6 New York Daily News. The article notes that after the first game on the card, St. John's v. UConn, "...the "real" showdown begins...when the Merchant Marine goes to war with Maritime." There will be a special Maritime College cheering section at the Garden for this game. Ticket information will be posted on the Alumni Association website - http://www.fsmaa.org

THIS CHICAGO JOURNALIST IS FUNNY - On Friday, December 11, NEIL STEINBERG, the prolific author and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, read from his works at the Library A/V Lecture Room. Mr. Steinberg was invited to campus by STAN MELASKY, Director of Development. Neil provided an appreciative cadet audience with some welcome humor before they trooped off to final exams. He is the author of such books as: 'If at all possible involve a cow: The book of college pranks,' 'Complete and utter failure: A celebration of also-rans, runners-up, never-weres and total flops.' You get the point. Although a son of the Midwest, we discovered that Neil nevertheless has a strong link to Fort Schuyler. His father, Robert, a recently retired nuclear physicist, served as the Junior Radio Officer aboard EMPIRE STATE II for four summer cruises in the early 1950's.

ALL THAT JAZZ - This query was received from ED WORMUTH, who entered with the Class of 1967, but left after a year to go on to culinary endeavors: "Is there still a music and reading club there? They had a little room in the fort where I took solace on many occasions and in fact, I was introduced to "JAZZ", bebop in particular, from the hi-fi and record collection that was located there." RESPONSE: The music and reading club concept has continued off and on under various guises through the years, depending on the students and Humanities Department faculty advisors involved. Last November, for example, the Maritime Arts Guild put on an evening of drama, dance, music, prose and poetry readings showcasing many of our artistic and creative cadets. This year Faculty-Student Association funds an Arts Association, a Maritime Historical Society, and a Cultural Club.

FROM ONE HISTORIAN TO ANOTHER - "Responding to the announced forthcoming retirement of Dr. ENGLISH," writes New York State Historian, JOE MEANY, "I dimly recall his cherubic face around the graduate student's office at Fordham University's History Department on Rose Hill in the Bronx - an experience we shared in the late 60's. Little could we have then imagined his meteoric rise to his present eminence as VPAA of Fort Schuyler. Folklore around the Port of New York tells of another Howard English, a certain cherubic Transportation Corps shavetail stationed at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places - the Brooklyn Army Terminal, I mean, not Dr. English. At any rate hail and farewell to Dr. English."

LIBRARY HOURS CURTAILED DURING WINTER LEAVE PERIOD - The college will continue the practice of shutting down most offices during the winter break in order to save money on heat and salaries. The Luce Library Reading Room, therefore, will be closed from Sunday, December 20 through Sunday, January 3.