Class of '64 Alumna Does 'The Impossible'
A lot has changed at the University at
Albany since
Susan Van Horn Shipherd '64 was an undergraduate biology
major.
But one thing--her "very fond memories" of the
University--will
never change.
"Albany was a small school
then," says
Shipherd, recalling the early 1960's, when she
transferred from
Elmira College, "and I was very happy to be
accepted there.
My experiences at Albany were memorable. We had great
labs and friendly
interaction among faculty and students, and I learned a
lot. I'm
very pleased with the quality of the education I got
there."
Susan Van Horn Shipherd
Over the years, Shipherd has been an avid
University
supporter. She is a life member of the Alumni
Association and has
served its board of directors as both vice president and
president
and currently serves as secretary. People think that
because Albany
is a state university it gets a lot of money from the
state, but
state funding amounts to only about 30 percent. Tuition
is low.
There isn't anything else. Albany has tremendous
potential, and
we need to support it."
In supporting the university, Shipherd is
also doing
her part for the natural sciences: Her $10,000
commitment to Initiatives
for Women, a new program that will promote both academic
and career
endeavors, will provide financial assistance to women
science majors.
Shipherd, who resides in Poestenkill with
her husband,
RPI professor Jim Ferris, observes: "When I was in
school,
women in science were considered oddities. Although that
perception
was beginning to change, its still difficult for women
in that field.
I thought for a long time about making a pledge over a
period of
time. Sometimes you don't feel you can make a commitment
like that
until you really think it out. Then you realize that
what you think
is impossible really isn't."
Shipherd knows from firsthand experience that "the
University prepares women very well for scientific work." After
graduation, she worked for 15 years as a research assistant in a
variety of laboratories. The mother of two--daughter Jillian is
a 1991 Albany graduate and is a psychologist at the National Center
for PTSD; son J.P. writes software for a California firm--is currently
a sales representative for Krackeler Scientific.
Her fond memories of Albany include a
favorite anecdote
that dates from several years after her
graduation. "When I
first went to work for Krackeler, I called on the
professors in
the Biology Department. I said to one of them, Fred
Truscott, who
has since retired: 'Do you remember me? I was in a
couple of your
classes. Actually, I think I got an A.' He said, 'I
remember every
A I ever gave, and you weren't one of them.' then he
proceeded to
pull out from his desk drawer a grade book from
1963. And he was
right!" Shipherd relates with a laugh.
Reprinted with permission of Momentum,
Winter/Spring
1994
