News From Fort Schuyler

June 11, 2001 - Volume 5, No. 22

"Ms Constantinou holds Masters degrees in Library Science and in Music Theory, and a Bachelor's degree in Music from Queens College....She will formally assume her duties in early August. I know you will join me in welcoming Constantia Constantinou to our campus as a colleague and a member of the college community." Welcome aboard from an old hand !

ALONG THE EDGE OF NEW YORK - The New York City waterfront is the focus of a documentary radio series now being aired by WNYC, the local public radio outlet. To listen via Real Audio, go to www.wnyc.org and search on the phrase "along the edge"

TAKE YOUR SCISSORBILL TO SCHOOL - A full-page ad in the June 1 New York Times headlined "Who cares about New York City's public schools?" listed the names and corporate associations of a thousand-plus executives who served as Principal for a Day on April 5, including JOE GERSON, Class of 1947. Joe presided over PS 183 in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Joe enjoyed his tenure: "An absolutely fabulous experience at my old elementary school (1933 - 38) and then back to my native Detroit for JHS and HS ... and back to NY to NYSMA !!" During his day as principal he read to the children in two classes, visited ten classrooms, and even had lunch room duty. For more information about this project, Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning, go to www.pencil.org

STUDENT SONGS OF CRUISES PAST - Here is a stanza from some of the "Nautical Airs of the NEWPORT" transcribed in a diary kept by WALTER GRONBECK, Class of 1912, during his student years at the New York Nautical School. For updated news from today's students on board the EMPIRE STATE VI visit the college website coordinated by Cadets CHRISTOPHER MENEZES, Class of 2002, ED HULICK, Class of 2003, and JEFFREY "DOC" SPILLANE, Class of 2002 at www.sunymaritime.edu The ship is scheduled to depart from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, on 13 June as it heads for a scheduled June 21 arrival in Copenhagen.

NEWPORT sailing out to sea
Just like a peanut on the deep
Every time she rolls, the mess gear tolls
A cinch to pile up in a heap
Hardtack flying all around
And with the hatches battened down
And the smell I tell you true
Made the cook swear black and blue
For cruising on the NEWPORT is no dream.

VISITORS ARE WELCOME - "It was by sheer coincidence that the day I stopped by the Maritime College was National Maritime Day, May 22," writes ROLAND PARENT, Class of 1968. "I try to visit the college every few years and always end up gravitating back to the Luce Library and the Museum. This time I was able to spend the whole day there (my Manhattan and Yankee Stadium day was a rainout) and got some valuable research done for some of my ship model projects. Also, by a stroke of luck, I saw FILOMENA MAGAVERO. I knew she was retired and was pleased to find her there that day in the volunteer mode. She was my boss during 2nd and 1st class years when I worked in the library." [Fil is Volunteer Government Documents Librarian.]

"I am working on a series of ship models representing the U.S. Merchant Marine during the 1900 to about 1968 period, i.e. the ships that graduates of our school sailed on. I have already built 5 and there are many more on the drawing board, so to speak. I found the bound periodicals such as 'Marine Engineering" and 'Shipping Age' to be one of my primary sources for research." [Sounds like an exhibition in the making.]

EXTENSIONS AND SUFFIXES - For an interesting website that lists and defines all known computer file name extensions, go to http://whatis.techtarget.com and click on Every File Format in the World in the middle of the page. [Thanks to Associate Librarian JANE B. FITZPATRICK for this heads up.]