Anderson, 80, of Glenmont, is a former UAlbany student (at that time it was called the State College for Teachers) who served in World War II. He attended the State College for Teachers from 1938 until 1941, when he transferred to the University of Chicago. His story was sent out over the Associated Press wire from Tunisia in February of 1943.

“I received a wonderful education while I was at the State College for Teachers,” Anderson said. He transferred when he realized that teaching history, his original goal, was just not for him. Professor Donnal Smith in the Social Studies Department made a call to a colleague at the University of Chicago, and helped Anderson transfer and obtain a scholarship. Anderson later became a lawyer and taught at Albany Law School for more than 32 years, officially retiring in 1990 “after 65 semesters.” Although retired, he is teaching a course this semester on criminal procedure.

He was a 23-year-old private from Nelliston, N.Y., serving in North Africa during the first American campaign against German troops in World War II, when he walked through 100 miles of enemy territory with two other American soldiers to escape Gen. Erwin Rommel’s forces in February, 1943. The three soldiers were “the first group to reach the American lines of units which for three days and two nights were surrounded by the Germans on Djebel Ksaira Mountain, six miles south of Faid,” the wire story noted.

Anderson didn’t talk much about his experience until about five years ago. “If you had called me ten years ago, I would have told you to get lost,” he said. But now, as the number of surviving WW II veterans dwindles, Anderson sees the value in sharing his story.

He was a lowly private in Tunisia, a country in North Africa on the Mediterranean, serving in a reconnaissance unit of the U.S. Army. His job was to drive one of the lieutenants around.

One night after the unit had taken some enemy fire during the day, the officers decided to stay put. Anderson went to his sergeant and asked to go out and look around on reconnaissance.

The sergeant responded, “Go ahead. We’ll pick up your bones in the morning.”

Anderson left the platoon. While he was out scouting in the dark, he stopped to position himself behind a mound of dirt. A voice startled him. “Put your hands up in the air,” said the male voice in German.

Instead of complying, Anderson “ran like hell and I didn’t stop running for two kilometers. I knew the Germans were there.” He wanted to run back and warn his company, but in his fear and haste, missed the right hill. The Germans attacked the next day; most of the men in Anderson’s company were captured.

For the next two days he walked along a mountain range and an arid valley, keeping himself hidden from the Germans, who were mainly in vehicles, not out on foot patrol.

“By now I’d had no sleep or water or food for two days. I was in bad shape. My mind was not working. I had my knife and Tommy gun,” he said. He ran into several Arab men who ended up taking his Tommy gun and knife away, but who let him go unharmed.

Not long after this, another Arab man by a hut waved to him.

“I was just about at the end of my rope. Instinct said to go ahead, even though the last Arab I’d met had taken my gun. He hid me in the hut and I fell asleep,” said Anderson.

Then, suddenly, Anderson’s new Arab friend pulled two more American soldiers into the hut.

“One of them was Leo Raymond of Frenchville, Maine, whose parents were French Canadian. He speaks French. This is the best break of my life because he can communicate with the Arab,” Anderson said.

Luckily, Anderson had stumbled into the hut of a brave man who had been badly mistreated by the Germans while serving in the French Colonial Army. The man was taking a great risk by hiding Americans. He gave directions to the next pass through the mountains.

The three U.S. soldiers went on together from there. Their boots were worn out and their feet, blistered. It was cold at night and they slept fitfully, with leaves their only blanket.

“We drank water out of the mud puddles,” Anderson said. At one point, they stopped at an encampment of families living in tents. Once again, Leo Raymond conversed in French with the family, who fed them a meal of raw eggs and unleavened bread.

“I had never eaten a raw egg before,” Anderson said. “But I tell you it was great. And we had unleavened bread that the sand had gotten into during the baking. It was great.”

Resuming their journey toward American lines, they followed a trail of empty ration cans and U.S. half-track marks. They finally saw the main road, occupied by German traffic.

“We waited until dark, scooted across, and we found a French farm. They were old line Colonialists and you had to be careful, because many Colonialists didn’t care for Americans. We lucked out. Leo talked to them and they gave us bacon, bread and something to drink,” Anderson said.

A man who worked for the family led the young American soldiers up the mountains at night. The next morning they awoke to the sound of traffic. This time, they were hearing American vehicles. The soldiers were at Kasserine Pass. They had been walking, surrounded by the Nazis, for three days and two nights.

“You should have seen us scramble for that road. When we were safe behind the American lines we had food and coffee. I slept for 17 hours straight,” Anderson said.

When Anderson returned to his unit, he found that only 13 men remained out of roughly 160 soldiers. Most had been captured. Replacements were brought in; the unit was back fighting within the month.

While his long walk in North Africa was an ordeal, Anderson said his later service in Italy was more difficult. By then Anderson was a 2nd lieutenant in charge of 20 other men. He and Technician Selmer A. Frettem of Kenyon, Minn., were later cited for advancing in the face of enemy fire at Serra di Gatto, between Florence and Bologna. He remembers carrying a wounded soldier to safety. For their bravery the two men were awarded the Bronze Star. Anderson lost his younger brother John during the war. John died in action serving on a submarine in the Pacific Ocean. “We were only 18 months apart. We were very close,” Anderson said.

The story does not end here. In 1973 Anderson received a citizen valor award for stopping a bank robbery in progress in the City of Albany.

“He (Anderson) immediately stopped his car and blocked the escape route of one of the robbers,” stated the press release announcing the award. “He managed to capture another bandit who was fleeing the scene. He held the culprit until the police arrived. Professor Anderson then helped the police catch the second robber. He acted at serious risk to his life.” Anderson credits his military training with preparing him to stop that robbery.

“I’ve never regretted my military service. It taught me an awful lot about human beings, about leading men, and about how far you can push people,” he said.

East Campus DETA Boosts Economic Impact Statewide
By Carol Olechowski
In recent years, cuts in federal defense spending have closed military bases around New York and, in turn, adversely affected thousands of businesses in the state that depended upon government contracts for survival. But, thanks to the New York State Small Business Development Center’s Manufacturing and Defense Development Center (MDDC), there’s help for those contractors through the Defense Economic Transition Assistance (DETA) Program.

Established in 1994, DETA is a federal program supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense. The MDDC operates from the University at Albany’s East Campus and is affiliated with the Albany SBDC. Its primary goal is to “offer companies and individuals affected by reductions in defense spending help with transitioning their products and services to commercial markets,” explains DETA state program coordinator Cedric A. Carter. “We also assist manufacturers across the state with a variety of specialized services.”

In addition to providing vital information on the industry outlook for various businesses, competitors, and market size, Carter and his colleagues assist firms seeking capital by steering them toward such funding sources as grants, owner equity, bank loans, and private investors. In-house CPA Peter Desmond assists clients with developing cash flow projections, analyzing financial statements, and making strategic investment decisions. Office manager and researcher Jeffrey Stannard provides support to DETA advisers in-house, as well as around the state.

Carter, a UAlbany Evening MBA student and a marketing specialist, points out that the MDDC is also “an extension of the University’s School of Business.” He notes: “The first time we meet with a client, we find out about the business’s problems. Before the second meeting, we try to do as much research as possible to familiarize ourselves with the industry the company is competing in and formulate strategies to increase the competitiveness of the company. We sometimes call in an outside consultant, state and local economic development organizations, or professors from the University for help.”

In the past 12 months alone - “our most successful year ever” - Carter and his staff have assisted 110 Capital Region companies and about 700 around New York State with the help of his advisers in other regions. “And we have the most successful program in the country.”

Because MDDC’s services are confidential, Carter cannot reveal the names of any of the center’s clients. The only requirement is that any business seeking assistance have a maximum of 500 employees; the largest he has dealt with had about 800, but that was a special case. DETA services, which are provided on a one-on-one basis, are rendered free of charge. The program also sponsors seminars on such topics as E-commerce and electronic information management. A December workshop, for instance, will focus on OLE for Process Control (OPC), which is an industry standard created with the collaboration of a number of leading worldwide automation and hardware/software suppliers working in cooperation with Microsoft. It enables managers to improve efficiency of operation in their manufacturing plants.

Aside from providing support to Capital Region businesses, the East Campus site serves as a “DETA hub” that oversees operations statewide for the program. There are 23 centers around New York; all are situated at SUNY and CUNY campuses. They serve such areas as Utica and Plattsburgh, where U.S. Air Force bases have closed within the past few years; as well as Stony Brook and Farmingdale, where large numbers of defense contractors were clustered.

Carter notes that the East Campus DETA operation “is responsible for almost $4 million in economic impact in the Capital Region, and for about $10 million statewide.”

MDDC staff publicize their services via press releases, marketing campaigns, and E-mail. “We also do a lot of networking through local businesses, state agencies, and other organizations,” Carter explains.

As a result, “we’re pretty busy here,” adds Carter. And the MDDC staff are likely to become even busier: “We’re looking at new technologies, such as a simulation-type software that can help our clients by taking a business from conception to market.” At some point, Carter hopes to expand the staff by adding an information technology specialist. “I’m very excited about the plans we have for the program.”

Carter is also enthusiastic about MDDC’s East Campus location. The center moved there last January, and “we have access to conference rooms, a high-tech auditorium, and the George Education Center,” he says. “We also have 100 percent support from Assistant Vice President for Research and Director of Technology Development Gene Schuler and from the rest of the University. There are a lot of opportunities for growth at the East Campus, and we want to be a part of that.”

For more information about MDDC and DETA services, contact the Manufacturing and Defense Development Center’s Web site at www.defensedollars.com, or e-mail Cedric A. Carter at carterca@nyssbdc.org. The center’s telephone number is (518) 525-2644.

Community Loan Fund Helps Capital Region
By Carol Olechowski
If you’d like to start or expand a small business but don’t have much capital - or any potential investors - don’t despair. One resource area business people, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations can turn to for financial and operational assistance is the Capital District Community Loan Fund (CDCLF).

Through the fund, Capital Region residents who own small businesses may apply for loans of up to $25,000. The loan fund serves a number of counties, including Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington, as well as a few in the Mohawk Valley. The majority of its clients are startups and small companies with fewer than ten employees.

According to fund manager Robert Radliff, the Community Loan Fund is “a unique, private, not-for-profit organization that makes loans at below-market rates to local projects that produce positive social change. While historically we have been more focused on the needs of non-profit organizations, in the last several years we have begun to concentrate also on the needs of area small businesses, particularly those owned by low-income people and other traditionally disadvantaged populations.”

Money to support the Community Loan Fund comes from “more than 200 socially concerned investors who donate or lend us money at below-market interest rates,” Radliff adds. “We try to link concerned individuals and institutions with community needs.” Fund investors - whom he describes as “individuals, faith-based institutions, banks, for-profit corporations, and non-profits” - are an eclectic group. They include debt capital lenders Ben & Jerry’s of Freeport, Maine; the Community Foundation of the Capital Region; the Employee Ownership Project; the New York Business Develop-ment Corporation; New York State United Teachers; and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Among the equity investors are Aetna Financial Services; Congregation Beth Emeth of Albany; Empire State Devel- opment Corporation; the Kirsch Foundation; and 150 individuals. UAlbany staff may also contribute to the CDCLF through the State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) campaign now underway. The Community Loan Fund’s SEFA identification number is 50-603.

Since its founding in 1986, CDCLF has made 189 loans totaling more than $7 million but has leveraged $30 million. “Essentially,” Radliff explains, “leveraging means that we are not always the only financing source to be involved in a project. Other public and private investment, above and beyond what we can do, is often needed. We try to be a catalyst for securing additional resources, whether we are working with a non-profit organization or a small business.” The average loan ranges from $500 to $200,000.

Recently, a new relationship has developed between the Community Loan Fund and the Small Business Development Center, located at UAlbany’s East Campus. “We’re helping a lot of the clients who come to the fund for loans but don’t have a cash flow plan for financial projections,” notes SBDC Business Adviser Cedric A. Carter. “We are meeting those clients to help them develop business plans and cash flow plans. Assisting them in creating models for their businesses improves their chances of receiving loans.”

Most entrepreneurs, Carter says, “don’t really know how to write an effective business plan, and most don’t have the resources to pay a CPA. That’s where we [at the SBDC] come in. Our services are confidential and 100 percent free. The only time we ever will charge is for a seminar we’re putting together, but even most of those are free.”

Through his work with the SBDC and the Community Loan Fund, Carter has found that “existing companies have more specific needs, while new companies are looking for help with everything from business plans to cash flow projections to human resources.” He has also learned something else: “Entrepreneurs are a certain breed. They tend to be risk-takers. Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Some people think about doing things. Others actually do them; those are the entrepreneurs.”

For more information, please call the Capital District Community Loan Fund at (518) 436-8586.

SBDC Outreach Center to Open in Troy’s Rice Building
The New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will branch out once again this month, when it opens an outreach center in downtown Troy’s Rice Building. A partnership between the SBDC and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), the office will occupy space on the first floor of 216 River St. One adviser from each of the two organizations will staff the outreach center.

Established in 1987, CEG promotes the Capital Region as a prime business location. The SBDC provides free individualized management consulting.

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