News From Fort Schuyler

January 14, 2008 - Volume 8, No. 1

HELLO, AGAIN - Even though the Writers Guild of America is still on strike I have suddenly decided to return to something I really enjoyed doing during my last years at Maritime, producing NFFS and in so doing keeping in touch with alumni, faculty, students, parents, and friends of Fort Schuyler. I have only been back on campus a few times since retiring in June 2001, so news from and of Fort Schuyler will come from you - just as it did in the past.

FRED HESS FONDLY REMEMBERED (PART I) - Fred Hess, who died on December 13, 2007 at the age of 87, was the kind of teacher and colleague we all remember - inspiring, challenging, humorous, and approachable. JOE GUSTAFSON, Class of 1965 "..had Dr. Hess for Chemistry in the early sixties as a cadet. I can still remember him washing his hands in various acids as we all sat stunned at his nonchalance. When he mixed his various chemical concoctions he would wait from the explosion and not say BOOM but shout his special phrase NOV SHUF KABOB....His was a class no one wanted to miss. He made learning chemistry so incredibly interesting, exciting, and such fun." KEVIN McMONAGLE, Class of 1982 ".. will always fondly remember the midnight stories as told by Dr. Hess on the fantail of the TSES V during summer cruise." ROBERT BRANNIGAN, Class of 1953, writes: "At our 50th class reunion, I bumped into Fred Hess, who was being honored with a picture on the Wall of Honor. I pointed out that he was the sole reason I had graduated. My math skills were not up to Degani's calculus standards, but Fred suddenly announced a College Algebra course. I took it and passed. (TG) When I was on the faculty, I was invited aboard the Training Ship to go down to the rebirth of the Statue of Liberty. My daughter, about 9 or 10, came along. Since she was showing an interest in rocks and crystals, I introduced her to Fred. For the next two hours they were completely absorbed in discussion, oblivious to the other activity and the happiest people on earth. Kathryn still remembers him fondly." KEN MURPHY, Class of 1962, writes "One of my best memories of Dr. Hess was a lecture he gave concerning the problem of steel corrosion of ships and the discovery of the requirement to coat both sides of the steel with a high quality paint to step the rusting of steel. When only one side was coated, nascent hydrogen atoms would pass right through the steel and blister the paint, resulting in corrosion. Somehow this turned me on, to realize that atoms of hydrogen could actually move through solid steel. I memorized his account of this and sure enough, he put the question on a test which I got a high score on. This resulted in me receiving the Chemistry Achievement Award for that long ago year! The second best memory was visiting the Hayden Planetarium with my wife many years after graduation from 'The Fort." We were walking the halls and to my surprise there was Dr. Hess. He remembered me and took my wife and me on a personal tour of the entire planetarium, including a demonstration of the planetarium's projectors. That was the first time I realized he was an astronomy lecturer." Kevin concludes: "He was a great teacher, a very handsome guy with a golden voice. He is gone, but the stars still shine." (More to follow in the next issue.)

MRS MAGAVERO (THE BOOK) - Long-time reference librarian Filomena Magavero, still going strong in retirement, is the subject of an academic study from a feminist perspective now in book form by Jane Brodsky Fitzpatrick, a former colleague. "Mrs. Magavero: A History based on the Life of an Academic Librarian" recounts Fil's career at the college where she was the only professional woman on the staff for the first 25 of her 54 year tenure at Fort Schuyler. The publisher's blurb says the book "..describes the career of a strong and dedicated librarian in the mid-20th century...and uses her story as a window into what was happening in the library profession in the pre-feminist era." An important part of the study was an oral interview of Fil conducted by Jane for StoryCorps. It is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. For more information on the book go to http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=343

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Richard Corson - Forest Hills, NY

Latitude 40.716N Longitude -73.85W

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