Godspeed

Godspeed

Diane DiFrancesco ’77

Dear Tony and Karen,

Sending love and hugs from a favorite Chicago alum!! Best to you both.

What you’ve done for Clarkson is a fabulous legacy. I, for one, will be eternally grateful. 

Let’s keep in touch. Love you guys,

DD

CEO and Founder of DLD QUALITY ENGINEERING and DLD CAREER COACHING

Diane DiFrancesco, 9154 Kilpatrick Ave, Skokie IL USA 60076-1529 cell=773-485-7957,

• Farewell President Collins

Knowing you both

Knowing you both

Phil Wesler ’48

The years have just flown by. I’ll be celebrating my 74th anniversary this summer, and over those years I have been acquainted with several presidents, of the university and the college before. It was a”little college in upstate New York that nobody had heard of” to a well-known university that it is today. Much of that renown is undoubtedly due to you (and Karen, too, of course). So Berta and I wish you both well in your future ventures. It has been a great pleasure to know you both.

Phil (1948) and Berta Wesler

• Farewell President Collins

Tony, you and Karen will be missed!

Tony, you and Karen will be missed!

Tom Walker ’67

Hi Tony,

That time has come, eh? Well, I hope you and Karen will travel, travel, and travel some more. Provence would be my first trip.

I just would like you to know I really value our friendship … from when you agreed to serve the NYS Section AWWA as Student Activities Chair through the present. And thank you for taking the time from a busy day to advise my daughter, Kate, when we were on college visits, and for maintaining that professional relationship with Kate over the last several years.

Ironically, only about an hour ago I was shredding some 40 years worth of tax records prior to a move when I came across a 1991 letter from you acknowledging my donation of several years worth of Journal AWWA to Clarkson. And then opening my emails to find this message from Clarkson. What is that? A small world? Serendipity? Whatever it is I’m just glad to have the chance to tell you that you have been a special person in my life.

All the best to you, Karen and the rest of your family as you embark on this next phase of your adventure.

Tom Walker ’67 & ’69

• Farewell President Collins

How Tony Got Tenure

How Tony Got Tenure

Joseph Visalli ‘

I was working at the NYS Energy R&D Authority as a Program Manager for Environmental Studies when we awarded a contract to Tony and another professor in the Environmental Engineering Department to study the effectiveness of anaerobic pretreatment of municipal wastewater on reducing the energy needed to treat municipal sewage. At the time, Tony did not have tenure, and I like to think that this contract helped him win tenure and then…………………. the rest is history as they say. 

• Farewell President Collins

Slip n’ Slide Soap Raid

Slip n’ Slide Soap Raid

Patrick Keller ’07

Freshman year I was hanging out with a friend from home who was a sophomore and his friends. They had decided to get some plastic sheets from a local hardware store and make a slip n’ slide down the side of Woodstock hill. I’m not sure where the initial supply of soap and water came from, but when we ran out of soap it fell to me and Tom Reeves to go get more. We took a couple of buckets and entered the Science Center after hours. We were soaked and shirtless and covered in grass, mud, and soap as we ran from bathroom to bathroom opening up soap dispensers and emptying them into our buckets.  As we topped the stairs to the third floor, we came face to face with President and Mrs. Collins! We were frozen and stuttering in surprise, thinking our college careers were over. President Collins asked us what we were up to, we fessed up, and they both chuckled… Mrs. Collins just said she was glad our mothers didn’t have to do our laundry afterward! They bid us have fun and good evening and we were back on the hunt! That solidified our respect and affection for our “Uncle Tony” that has stuck with me to this day nearly 20 years later!

• Farewell President Collins

Congratulations on a job well done.

Congratulations on a job well done.

John Lester ’52

Tony & Karen:

I wish you well in the next stage of your lives.  You have left an incredible and indelible imprint on Clarkson University, and its many alumni during your many years of leadership.  You have made me very proud of this fine university, and has solidified the decision that I made 74 years ago to attend Clarkson.

Sincerely, John Lester ’52

• Farewell President Collins

Congratulations

Congratulations

Tom Brown ’75

Dear Tony and Karen —

Congratulations.  Thank you so much for everything you both have done to make Clarkson so much better.  It was my pleasure to see you on my (occasional) trips to Clarkson for Advisory council meetings.  You have had a lasting impression on Clarkson, its students and faculty.  The physical plant improvements and increased funding will have a lasting impact for years to come.

Enjoy your retirement, at least to the extent you can relax at all.  You’ve both deserved it

Tom Brown

• Farewell President Collins

Good Luck

Good Luck

Bryan Greene ’04

Tony,

Congratulations on your retirement and thank you for everything you did for Clarkson. I still remember speaking at your inauguration. Best of luck and hope to see in the future.

Thanks,
Bryan

• Farewell President Collins

The Greatest Short Speech

The Greatest Short Speech

Harry Dunn ’66

In 2018, near Situate,MA, a small group of Clarkson hockey alumni gathered to honor former coach, Len Ceglarski.

President Tony Collins quietly appeared and stayed in the background. After Lenny was presented a glorious picture of himself and perennial Trainer, Pinky Ryan, Tony stepped forward to deliver some words to the group.  His entire speech: “THIS, IS A PICTURE OF LOVE.”

Amazing choice and so meaningful. Unforgettable.

• Farewell President Collins

Thanks for inspiring me

Thanks for inspiring me

Mike Bissonette ‘

Tony and Karen, It has been such an honor for me to meet you two.  I always enjoyed are chats at alumni events in CA and at the CU campus when back to NY visiting relatives in Malone.

Tony, I don’t believe you truly understand what it meant to me when you introduced me to the Beacon folks for consideration as an adjunct in the MS-EM curriculum — so I figure that this is a good time to let you know.  Teaching the “Strategic Project Management” course (5 years now) led me to starting my own business, RTConfidence, Inc.  The class interactions gave me insights into a SaaS (Software as a Service) product offering that I believe fills a significant void in the market.  My team and I officially released our first product, Chrono, about a month ago.  My team and I also stumbled upon an invention (or two) during this process.  We were issued our first Patent on June 7, 2022.  I decided to write and publish another book entitled “Achieving Epic Business Results with Strategic Project Management” in 2021, and CU has launched the Course and Badge Series I prepared and recorded on that subject,  This puts me in a very nice place relative to my reputation as an established expert in the field.  You got that ball rolling and I will always be grateful to you for that.  Thanks so much, and may God abundantly bless you and your family.  Bests always, Mike

• Farewell President Collins