Clarkson Love Stories

Bruce ’68 & Lynne Phelps
“Our Clarkson Love Story – How We Met”

It was early February in my Sophomore year at Clarkson College of Technology. The ‘Big Game’ of the year was to be played on Saturday between Clarkson and St. Lawrence. My roommate, Kim Corbin, knew a girl from his hometown in Livingston, N.J. who was a student at St. Lawrence University. He asked her to go to the game with him and if she could find a date for me as well. On Friday the day before the game, I learned that indeed a blind date has been arranged for me. I had had a few blind dates before, and let’s just say I wasn’t expecting much from this one!

On Saturday, Kim and I found our way to the St. Lawrence campus where the game was being played. We went to his friend’s dorm, where I met Lynne B. (even though she told me her last name, I promptly forgot it, already being caught in her ‘spell’!). On the walk to the arena, we began chatting small talk, “Where are you from? What does your Dad do?…”. Turns out that although we went to different High Schools, Lynne lived only 9 miles from me in Central N.Y., and she babysat for my Dad’s boss’s kids! Of course, Clarkson won the game! And on the next date, I was lucky to find that only one Lynne B(urhanna) lived in her dorm! Literally, a match made in heaven – we just celebrated our 51st Anniversary on January 21st!


Jason ’02 & Kathryn ’04 Serra
“How We Met”

Spring Semester of 2001, Kathryn Cyr was a Freshman and I was a Junior. She worked the shift after me at the Information Desk when it was still located in Cheel. I was just finishing my shift and had just broken a vase, which was my boss Robin Howard’s centerpiece from her wedding. Kathryn was just walking in for her shift and told me that I was going to get fired. I picked up the 50 pieces and told her that I would take care of it. There was nothing to worry about.

After a couple of trips to P&C, and a few different types of super glue, the vase was back in tip-top shape (Crazy glue works the best). I returned back to the info desk while Kathryn was still working to drop the vase off. As I was putting the flowers back in, I took a small yellow one and gave it to her. I also proceeded to show her the newly formed “Winter Knights Snowmobile Team” website that we had just started. She was “impressed.”

About a week later, I stopped to her room on our way to go to Stewarts to get some Ice Cream (our first date). I noticed that she had kept the flower I gave her in a small glass on her shelf near her computer. I was surprised that she kept it, and she told me she thought it was nice.

Well, our trip to Stewarts was a success. We have been together ever since. We were married October 13th, 2007 and are the proud parents of two lovely girls, Allison (6) and Rachel (1). Thank you Clarkson, and thank you, Robin, for bringing your centerpiece to work! (she never knew I broke it until months later when I told her!).


Sam ’62 & Joann Castronovo

Photo was taken at Allen Fall, during Sam’s 50th Class Reunion

I would go to Potsdam in September a week before classes started. I told my mother I was going up to work on our Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity house to make repairs and get it ready for fall semester. While we did do that, one of the main objectives was to go down to the T & R Tap Room in the evening to meet the freshmen Potsdam State girls and get a jump on our fellow Clarkson students who would not arrive for another week. It was one of those evenings at T & R Tap Room that I met my wife Joann Carrington Castronovo. Joann and I went over to Macs to dance and have a few beverages, but did we not date again until March. We secretly eloped at the end of May at the Methodist Church in South Colton. The next week our cook Mac at the Pi K house came up to me and said: “Sam, I see you were married.” She had read it in either the paper or church bulletin. Oops. I asked her to not say anything and she never did.


Michael ’12 & Jane ’12 Casey Welch

So Mike and I met at the beginning of our senior year by fate. I was already Clarkson Union Board president and he ended up becoming CUSA president that senior year. Before then we had known of each other but never had spoken. Due to our positions and constant interaction with one another we developed a unique bond and friendship. It was not until New Year’s Eve of that year that we began dating. Back then I knew I could see a future with him and now jump forward 6 years later. We just got married this past October and could not have asked for a more beautiful day than the one we received.


Diego ’62 & Janet Frisicano

Janet was a ‘townie’ ex-girlfriend of a classmate, which I found very attractive. My roommate Bob bet me that I couldn’t get a date and a kiss within two weeks. I was a bit skeptical since she was being pursued by a Theta Chi guy who appeared to be a real front runner[good looking, had a car, ‘richer’, and an athlete]. While I felt I had little or no chance, decided to go for it anyway.

I went to a ‘townie’ dance to find her but she wasn’t in attendance. I then went to the next hockey game and sat behind her on the ‘townie’ side. I made so much noise cheering and yelling that she finally looked back to see what ‘nut’ was making such a commotion. When I caught her eye, I winked in a very exaggerated and prolonged way.

That was it and time was running out. I called her and reminded her who I was by describing the ‘big wink’ from the guy wearing the big red parka in a few rows behind her at the last hockey game. I asked her if she would like to have coffee with me. She said she didn’t drink coffee and I suggested other drinks. Her curiosity got the best of her and she agreed to go out with me…the rest is history.


David A. Loental ’69 & Diane ’70 Grebert Loental
“Our Clarkson Love Story”

I entered Clarkson in September 1966; I was one of 30 undergraduate women on campus that year. We lived in Holcroft House.

I first saw Dave at a dance at the Lewis House Student Union during freshmen orientation. He was the drummer in a band called The Vectors. He later dated my roommate. Over the summer they broke up, and Dave decided that he wanted to date me. After asking me out several times, Dave persisted, and I finally agreed to go to a show with him in September 1967 (Flip Wilson performing at SUNY/Potsdam). We hung out together all weekend: a fraternity beer blast on Saturday, a movie on Saturday night, and picnicking at the Quarry on Sunday. We were both totally smitten!!!

Dave gave me a Clarkson pin in November 1967, during dinner at the Quonset Hut. He had arranged for the waiter to hide the pin under our bottle of Chianti. We were married the following June 1968. Yes—this June 4 is our 50th wedding anniversary. We lived in Woodstock Village; I took overloads and completed my degree requirements a month after Dave graduated.

Dave and I worked most of our careers for the Department of the Army and various Defense Contractors, doing physics, math, and computer wargaming. We raised three wonderful boys. We have lived in Vienna, Virginia; Rolla, Missouri; and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Now happily retired, we live in Mission, Kansas. Dave still plays the drums, and we love to travel.


Wayne ’61 & Gail Winert

Per our parents, we met when we were young. Maybe even babies. Our parents were friends and occasionally played cards together. They told us, we (Gail and Wayne) played together while they played together.
A few years later we started off at the same school though Gail was two years younger. A year later the school district split and we did not interact until Gail entered the same High School I was in. She soon was dating my best friend and since I had a car he asked me to drive them to our Junior Prom. They fixed me up with Gail’s best friend. Well, that was my last date with anyone else as I knew Gail was the one I really wanted to date.

After two years of dating in high school and two years long distance between Potsdam and Rochester and too many hours driving back and forth, or Gail taking a bus trip to Potsdam, she graduated and we were married and we became a real Clarkson couple. We were living in a trailer court on Maple St. just past the dorms. Gail went to work supporting me through Clarkson. As my senior year started we welcomed our first son. Now we became a Clarkson Family. After graduation, we became a Kodak Family. We also spent two years as an officer in the Army Chemical Corps at Ft. Bragg, NC.

Now (75 years after we first met as babies) we have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren living in 8 states and one living in South America now. Thus, we have an excuse to travel. Clarkson your influence is felt far and wide.
Mark ’58 & Marge Fenton

My wife and I did not meet at Clarkson but I still consider us a Clarkson couple – In fact she received a degree from Clarkson – PTH – Putting Hubby Through. You see, we were part of the group of married couples who were taking advantage of the GI bill to get a Clarkson education 1954 – 1958. Clarkson as well as us veterans considered our wives to be a vital part of our education and contribution to Clarkson.


Paul ’68 & Betty Dandrea

“Great timing to reflect on the love story of Betty Moll Dandrea and Paul Dandrea (class of ’68). This Valentine’s Day is the 50th Anniversary of our engagement. We met where else, the T&R. I was caught in the hallway between the band room and the bar when the band took a break. With nowhere else to protect myself from the crowd, I ducked underneath the coats hanging on the coat rack. Who did I bump into, but Betty hiding as well. She couldn’t resist a 6″4″ DU guy and I couldn’t resist a 5’2” Alfa girl. Betty asked me to join her friends for a drink and so I did. I knew that night at 19 years old she was the girl I would marry and spend the rest of my life with. She played hard to get but eventually succumbed.

Subsequently, others at Clarkson, Potsdam State, and DU could understand my feelings. Betty was elected Junior Prom Queen by both Clarkson and Potsdam State students our Junior year. She was elected DU Sweetheart our Senior year and has been my sweetheart since.

Now 50+ years, 2 daughters and 4 grandsons later, I would marry this girl all over again. What a gift I was given. Happy 50th Betty!”


Soahn ’93 & Wendy ’94 Kuehner

I was an incoming freshman in August of 1990, and Soahn was one of the Outing Club’s sophomore trip leaders for that year’s Freshmen Orientation trips. I still can’t believe that one of the first people I met on campus ended up being the love of my life! The canoe trip was fabulous – but oddly we didn’t talk much during it. I was getting to know the other freshmen and he was busy leading. But shortly thereafter, once we were settled into our dorms, he stopped by – and something changed in an instant with just a smile. I still can’t explain it, but I sure am happy for it. We didn’t even really ‘date,’ we just starting hanging out together and never stopped. I’m sure many in our classes will remember us as the crazy pair that got engaged a few short months later and got married while still at school. Many thought we were nuts (and we probably were), but it has worked out well for us. We’ve shared many canoe, kayak, and rock climbing trips since then, and have two boys (Tarrin, 11 and Jarrett, 14) to join us on adventures. We still enjoy each other’s geeky engineer-y quirks and doing science demonstrations together. We celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary last year, and look forward to many more!


Nelson ’79 & Barbara ’79 Wetmore

Ironically, despite being students at an engineering and technology college, it was our love of writing that brought us together. Nelson was the editor of The Knight humor magazine and Barbara was an editor at the Integrator back in 1978. And though offices for both publications were in Smith House at the time, our paths never crossed. We would read each other’s stories in our respective publications and think to ourselves, “Hmmmmm. Pretty good writer. Not easy to find among the calculator toting students at CCT.” But we didn’t meet in person for a long time until one day Nelson stopped by the Integrator office when Barbara was there. Jim Finnegan, also an editor at the Integrator at the time, introduced us. And, though it wasn’t love at first sight, a seed was planted. The following semester, we found ourselves in John Serio’s Short Fiction class together, just by chance. “Hey, you’re that writer I met last semester!” “Yep!” And by the end of Professor Serio’s class, love had definitely taken root and begun to bloom. Forty years later, two kids, two full careers, and many dear memories of our early days at Clarkson, we’re still a couple and enjoying retirement and sharing the next phase of life together.


Phil ’48 & Berta Wesler

On the day prior to this year’s Valentines’ Day, we will have been married 63 years. We met almost 64 years ago on the sandy shore in Virginia Beach. Berta was down from New York, and I was working nearby. Both our recollections are a little rusty, naturally, so we remember the event slightly differently. I maintain that as I walked by her, while she was sitting on the beach, she stuck out her foot and tripped me. She, however, maintains that no such thing happened, but that I was so struck by her appearance, that I stopped to chat.

Whichever story might be correct, we now have three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren to show for it.


Anthony ’12 & Anne ’12 Sinopoli

Anthony and I both lived on Ross Two our freshman year and both were studying Mechanical Engineering. We had met in the floor mixers hosted by the RA and then we both were in the same Chem Lab. On the first day of Chem Lab, we were asked to pick partners for the whole semester. A daunting task for a group of strangers but Anthony asked me to be his partner right away. I, however, was a little hesitant. I thought if I pick him because he’s cute and he turns out to be stupid I’ll regret it all semester. Turns out I was the lesser half of our Chem Lab partnership and chemistry was not my strong suit. I made enough mistakes in that lab I was concerned I would have to pay additional chemical fees. He, on the other hand, would go on to get a 4.0 that semester and nearly every semester thereafter.

As freshmen, we certainly weren’t looking to find out soul mate and we definitely did not go to Chem Lab anticipating we would pick a partner for life but I’m so grateful we met that day and shared our entire Clarkson experience together. We’ve been married for 3 years now and cherish our Clarkson memories.


Robert N. Andres, Sr. ’64 & Sally Andres

Back in the early sixties, tuition was fairly low and, as a returning vet and practicing musician, I was fortunate to underwrite all of my college expenses with a leftover scholarship and regular weekend “gigs” as the pianist with the Joe Calipari Orchestra, and summer employment as a solo pianist/organist at various locations throughout upstate New York.

One of those locations, in 1963, was the Iroquois Hotel in Tupper Lake, where I was contracted to provide entertainment in the dining room. My bride-to-be, Sally, was a waitress there, and we started casual dating. By the end of summer, I returned to college for my senior year, both of us thinking that the romance was ended – but God had something else in mind. After several shared weekends, in both Potsdam and Tupper Lake, we knew our destiny. Interestingly, Sally introduced her friend, Bonnie, to my roommate, Brian Skokan (’64). They were married shortly after graduation, and are living outside of Washington.

Sally and I decided to marry in the summer of 1965 and moved to Webster (Rochester), where I was employed as a manufacturing engineer by the General Dynamics Electronics Division. She had three children, and virtually everyone said it would never last. We added two more over our five years living in Webster and, when GD-E was in the process of closing, moved to Baldwinsville, where we still reside. We founded Oshex Associates, Inc. in 1974, and “retired” in 2002 – now spending our winters at our Naples, FL residence. We now boast 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren and, with most of our extended family joining us, we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2015.


Bill ’67 & Rebecca Luty
“Falling In Love in Potsdam”

I first saw Rebecca in the “T&R” in the winter of 1964. And my heart skipped a beat. I said to myself, “I will meet her someday”. Well, that day came just before Christmas break. I was at the bar in the Vernon (one of my favorite places) and who would walk in but Rebecca. I asked her if she would like a drink. She took a Tab. I was so cool… I talked to her about my previous girlfriend who had broken up with me some time ago (always a good way to woo a girl…..NOT!). But we liked each other and found a common interest in of all things, hamsters. I walked her home and we kissed. It was nice, very nice. We promised to see each other after the break.

I was a sophomore at CCT and Rebecca (Bec) was a senior at Potsdam. So our time was short. We dated non-stop after the break. Going to the movies where our rule was NO MAKING OUT, or we would miss something. But we made up for it. I remember slow dancing with her in the back room of the Albion. Dancing over and over to September Song sung by Jimmy Durante. Kissing on the porch of the house she lived at on Pierrepont until she missed her curfew. I was broke most of the time, with any money I had going to college expenses. So she treated. What a woman!

Bec graduated in 1965 and I stayed up there for the graduation week to see her off. She took a teaching job in NYC. I still had two more years, but we continued to see each other, both at home and in Potsdam. Although we dated other people we still had a strong affinity to each other. I remember surprising her with a visit to her home in Queens just as a date came to pick her up. She told the guy she couldn’t go out with him because her boyfriend was here.

I graduated in 1967. I had a number of job offers but chose the one in East Rutherford, New Jersey to be closer to her. I lived in Manhattan with a friend and she in Queens. We started to see each other all the time. We were married in April 1968 in Manhattan. We honeymooned at a resort in Lake George, called Canoe Island Lodge. It was closed for the season, but the owner opened a cabin on the lake just for us. It was great!

We’ve been married 49 years. We have two children, Emmett a lawyer and Joanna a Doctor. We have a grandson Charlie who is the love of our life. We’ve lived in several places, traveled a lot and have had a good time. I am happy to say, we still love each other and are best friends. And you know, when I look at her my heart still skips a beat!


Josh ’01 & Michaele-Lynne ’09 Beckstein

One of the best parts of graduating from CU is being part of the alumni community – whether in your city of residence or back up in Potsdam – you know you’re amongst family. Eventually, you start seeing the same people, and inevitably you have much in common. For my husband and me, it was hockey, Pep band, and a love for our Alma mater. We repeatedly saw each other over the years and what was friendship eventually grew into something more. Timing, unfortunately, put us in very different places physically and emotionally. I was starting my career in Philadelphia after graduate school and he was a single dad, well established, in Rochester, NY. As the years went by, I eventually moved to Rochester and we formed our beautiful blended family. In 2016 we got married and are now expecting the newest addition to our family next month.

Clarkson is still a huge part of our lives. Most of our friends are CU grads and we look forward to events on campus and local events to stay connected. In addition to these official gatherings, there are also many weddings to attend. It would be wrong not to mention the countless “Pep Band weddings,” which are basically flash-back reunions to our days in the band and friends in attendance span many decades of graduates. The Clarkson Pep Band brings so many of us together and we truly are one big family – from the youngest “Schoolie” to the oldest alumni. Let’s Go Tech!


Cash ’62 & Joan Jones

In September 1959, when I was a returning Clarkson sophomore, as I was strolling along Elm Street one evening (near McManus’s bar) with a few Clarkson (all male) friends, we were hailed by a group of Potsdam State Teachers College freshmen women. They asked for our help in getting away from several Clarkson freshmen (conspicuous by their beanies), who were following them. Behaving like the Big Men on Campus that we thought we were, we proceeded with hazing the Clarkson freshmen by having them line up and sing to the women, following which we dismissed them. Our subsequent efforts to charm the ladies didn’t get very far, but at least we did get a telephone number, which I used to contact the beautiful young lady who captured my attention (Joan Lohmann). We developed a serious relationship that lasted through our college years, as illustrated by our picture in the 1962 Clarkson yearbook (see above). I have great memories of many Beta Tau fraternity parties and hockey games that we attended together, plus the miles and miles I walked on cold winter nights between the hill dorms and the State Teachers college on the other side of town (four trips to attend a hockey game). Recently I was surprised to learn that Joan did not enjoy the college hockey games we attended but tolerated them for our relationship. To this day, she tells people that we met when she picked me up on a street in downtown Potsdam.


Chad ’08 & Karen ’09 Southwick

I became part of Chad’s family much earlier than expected. We were classmates and friends at Clarkson. We completed the same ME curriculum, interned together at GE, and chose each other as lab partners in Fluid Dynamics.

An early-riser, I would wake Chad up with phone calls to meet in CAMP and do our homework. A night-owl, Chad would drag me to the IRC an hour before closing so we could work out in peace.

As our time at school came closer to an end, our relationship took off. Instead of just meeting to do homework, we were grabbing lunch. Instead of randomly crossing paths on campus, we were planning to be at the same parties and bars (not that difficult, admittedly).

One Saturday night at Backstreets, Chad asked if I wanted to hike Cascade Mountain near Lake Placid the next day. I said “sure” – imagining a car full of friends. What I discovered Sunday morning, as a van pulled into Riverside apartments, was that I would be spending that day with just Chad, his parents, his sister, and their dog. Not the sort of commitment I was ready for! When I got home, my roommates jokingly asked when the wedding was…

Three years after that hike, Chad and I trekked again to the top of Cascade (this time just the two of us), and he proposed! Almost exactly 4 years from when this story began, we were married in what had become our very favorite place, Lake Placid.


Marty ’61 & Linda Kurdt

Once Upon A Time
In the land of ice and snow
On Friday the fourth of March
Nineteen hundred and sixty
Hicksville Karen called
Ellenville Les
From an outside payphone
Asking for help with math
He said yes
But after the hockey game
And Brightwaters Linda
Met Kingston Marty
In the back seat of Les’
Mercury convertible
In Potsdam, New York
After the game
They stopped for
Italian shells and
Beer, not Math
And bye and bye
Linda and Marty
Begat Thomas and Kathryn
And Thomas and Carrie
Begat Matthew and Kaitlin
All because Karen asked Les
For help with Math
On a very cold Night
Thirty-nine years ago Tonight!
It doesn’t rhyme, but
It’s a nice story.

Written by Martin W Kurdt EE ’61 OPiO March 4th, 1999
We celebrated our 55th Wedding Anniversary last September


Joshua ’11 & Jolene ’13 Hills

In 2011, we were randomly paired up on a final project in the worst class ever, with a month left in Josh’s senior year. Our third team member never showed up to any of our meetings, so it was like fate was practically pushing us together. After he graduated, Josh started a job in Lynn, MA in the summer of 2011 and we sort of lost touch for a while. But then as luck would have it, Jolene got an internship the following summer of 2012 at the same location Josh had been working at for a year already. That was the summer we completely hit it off and pretty much became inseparable. The rest is history! We dated for 3 years before Josh proposed in the summer of 2015, and recently got married in the summer of 2017! We also have a dog Jack that we absolutely love and basically our world revolves around him.


Robert ’51 & Ronnie Ost

In the mid 20th century everyone roomed in private homes or dorms. So most everyone had a roommate. My roommate was dating a girl who had a roommate they both thought I should meet, There begins the story of a double date with a girl who happens to live 2 miles away from my home.

KISMET!

We clicked and dated my senior year; went dancing to the jukebox at Macs’ and the Quenset Hut, sat in a freezing hockey arena until it became warm enough for the guys to skate and of course, we necked on the White House front porch until curfew. Became engaged after graduation and were married Christmas eve of 1951.

Life has been good to us. We raised two sons and we retired early (1989) then spent many years traveling the world. After 9/11 we hunkered down and spend our time between Tucson AZ. And Great Neck NY.

We have just celebrated our 66th wedding anniversary and looking forward to many more in our love time partnership.


George ’66 & Linda Diehl

While trying to sell TKE Chicken Barbecue tickets in September 1966 at the T&R Tavern (corner of Market and Main), I approached this girl who really caught my eye. Turns out, she was from Valley Stream, Long Island where my fraternity brother Lou was from. Oh, and this girl was from SUNY Oswego, not Potsdam State. After lots of persuasions, Linda and her sorority sisters, who also made the trip, bought tickets from Lou and me. Being a recent grad from Clarkson, I was there to help work at the TKE Barbecue. I wasn’t sure if Linda would actually show up, but sure enough, she and her whole contingent did arrive the next day. We started to talk and I was really taken with this girl. Her friends decided to head back to Oswego later that afternoon, but I was successful in convincing Linda to stay in Potsdam. We talked late into the evening, and when I picked her up the next day, I took her up to the Eisenhower Locks on the St. Lawrence River, thinking this would really impress her. Well, not so much. I drove her home to SUNY Oswego as I was working at GE in Syracuse at the time. We started dating regularly, and we were married in July 1969. Talk about fate and really good luck!!! The moral of our story is “never be afraid to ask for the order”. We will celebrate our 50th in July 2019. We still talk about that fateful meeting.


Jason ’92 & Carlena ’94 Wallace

While sitting in the ERC, unbeknownst to me, I saw my future wife for the first time. I was studying with a group of fraternity brothers when we noticed this girl sashaying through the library with a yellow miniskirt, matching sweater and a long black leather jacket. I was immediately intrigued. I remember saying to one of my friends that she must be from New York City as she looked like a model from the cover of a magazine. A few weeks later I would meet her. During a “Social” event with Delta Zeta at the Tau Delta Kappa fraternity house, I was goofing around pretending to be videotaping the party when I ran into the amazingly beautiful girl from the library. Caught off guard and speechless, she said hello and I stumbled through an introduction. We spent the rest of the night talking to each other. We would continue to run into each other, spend time together and grow our friendship over the years. In 1992, I graduated and headed off to the Army. In 1994, she graduated and started her career. The discussions of our future together became serious and on July 26, 1996, I married that girl I first saw walking through the Library. Twenty-one years of marriage and six kids later, I’m so lucky to have met her while at Clarkson University. Lou Gehrig would say he is the luckiest man but I think I am for finding my loving wife, Carlena Breed.


Alexander Crispo ’67 & Carleen Crispo

We met in 1964, back in the days of the T&R, the Arlington, Vernon, Sig Beer Blasts, and Zeta Nu Boonies. In fact, I remember we met on a blind date at Mac’s, another long gone bar on Elm Street.

I was a sophomore at Clarkson and Carleen (Hall) was a freshman at Potsdam State. It was a cold night and I can remember walking from the dorms to pick her up, then downtown, back to State, and then returning to the Clarkson dorms. It was cold and snowy and the walk was uphill in both directions. (Ha, Ha)

We dated on and off for 4 years and were good friends. It wasn’t until Carleen graduated and decided to move away to Boston that I realized we needed to be a couple. We communicated long distance and on one of her return trips to Potsdam we got engaged at a Theta Chi party in their old party house on Elm St.

One of our daughters now lives in Potsdam and teaches at State, Clarkson, and St Lawrence. As such, we return often to visit and attend reunions at Clarkson, Potsdam State, and Zeta Nu.

We were married in 1969, live in Indiana, and have a summer home in Tupper Lake. We love the area and have great memories of Potsdam.


Clarkson Love Story
Submitted by Andrew Foran ’68

In 1964 nine women were brave enough to break the sex barrier and attend Clarkson. At the time all you heard were derogatory comments because women were not supposed to be engineers.

Before classes started, it was decided that three brothers from our fraternity would stop by the house where they were living and assure them that this was not the majority opinion of the students. We told them two things. One, they were welcome at our fraternity house anytime and two, if anyone bothered them to let us know.

It didn’t take long for relationships to form with three of the women and three of our brothers. One, in particular, lasted for a year and a half.

It was strong enough to survive her father dying on Christmas Eve, meeting his parents and surviving our various fraternity parties and trips. A summer at the Jersey shore followed, where while sailing, she caught poison ivy while using one of the islands for a bathroom. (Sure!) This was followed up the next month by up by her mother arriving home a half an hour early from church on Sunday morning while he was visiting. (Mothers should know better)

Back to Clarkson in the fall and the relationship hit a snag after a few months. Through a mutual agreement, the relationship was ended.

After 50 years and for various stupid excuses the brother never returned to a reunion. This year was to be the year, no more procrastinating and no more excuses. It was then that he found out that she had died in the meantime.

All the words thought about will never be said.

Class of 1968, don’t miss your chance this year.


Michael ’93 & Kari ’94 Tremper

I met my wife Kari (Jacot) Tremper ’94 in the hallways of Congdon Hall when Clarkson’s downtown campus was still in full swing. I saw her every morning waiting for her fellow classmates as I was making way to my morning shower. She always had a glowing smile and a welcoming “Morning, how are you ?” I was head over heels for her, and as fate would have it, so was she for me. We started dating my last semester in the Spring of ’93 and our relationship survived 300 miles of separation for the three years following. I proposed to her on the frozen Rideau Canal during Ottawa’s Winterlude and we married that Fall just outside of Potsdam, NY. Her smile has never faded with age, and to this day, she still melts my heart. This year we’ll be celebrating our daughter Mattie’s 18th birthday and in one more short year seeing her off to college.


Al ’65 & Carol Grenier

Carol and I met in 1957 at a lake where our parents had cottages. From 1957 to 1962 we dated long distance except for wonderful summers at the lake. We continued our long-distance dating after Carol became a dental hygienist and secured a position in the Lowville school system and I was at Clarkson. Carol had a car and I did not, so she did a lot of driving between Lowville and Potsdam. I went off to Clarkson. We purchased a 10’x40′ trailer, got married and in 1962 and moved to Potsdam. The trailer was in a trailer park on main street behind a Texaco gas station. We partied at Bets Tau, Carol became President of the student wives club. Our first son was born in 1963 on a very cold January Day, -20 F. Carol worked for a Potsdam Dentist and I worked part-time at the gas station. We moved to Rochester upon graduation in 1965 and I went to work for Eastman Kodak as an industrial engineer. Our second son was born in 1965, the fertile valley of Potsdam had happily struck again. While in Rochester I also ran for Town Council and Carol went to all my political adventures along with our sons. After the Rochester snowstorm of ’67, we moved to San Diego. Our romance over the past 61 years has continued to grow stronger with each passing year. Our years at Clarkson will forever be dear to us.


Jamie ’12 & Kirsten ’10 Davis

The year was 2009. The place was the big room in the middle of the Pit. Jamie was a spunky freshman, and Kirsten was a junior. At IVCF game night, she beat Jamie soundly in Bananagrams and followed up with a smashing victory in Scrabble. The next weekend they made biscotti. After a few months and a lot of miscommunication, they started dating and got married when Jamie graduated in 2012. Of course, their wedding party was entirely Clarkson and Potsdam students.