Milne Alumni January Newsletter
January 15, 2009

by Judy Koblintz Madnick, '61

Milne Alumni homepage: www.albany.edu/~milne/

Dear Milne Alumni and Supporters,

In this issue:

* Hall of Fame: Dr. Theodore H. Fossieck
* Class of '59 50th Reunion!
* Missing Milne Alumni
* Sad News

HALL OF FAME: DR. THEODORE H. FOSSIECK

Thank you to Judy Jenkins Young, '56, for suggesting that I look for Dr. Fossieck's obituary to find biographical information. The following is what I found in the Albany Times Union archives. I have edited it slightly for punctuation and grammar; rearranged some of the content so that it reads logically; added some information not included in his obituary; and added paragraph breaks for readability. I have included information that will probably be as new to many of you as it was to me!! For that reason, and because Dr. Fossieck was known to so many Milne alumni, his bio is longer than others.

Theodore H. Fossieck, 82 years of age, a retired principal of the former Milne School in Albany and a State University Professor (Emeritus), died on Saturday [October 19, 1996] in St. Peter's Hospice. A resident of Eastmount Drive, he had lived on Hawthorne Avenue in Albany for 15 years and then at Bethlehem Terrace Apartments, Slingerlands.

Dr. Fossieck was born in Granite City, IL, where he attended the Community High School. He received a bachelor of philosophy degree from Shurtleff College in Alton, IL, in 1936. He was granted a master of arts degree in education from Washington University, St. Louis, MO, in 1941; a second master of arts degree in 1947; and a doctorate in education in 1949 from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Fossieck joined the faculty of the New York State College for Teachers at Albany in 1947 as Director of Guidance for the campus school and Assistant Professor of Education in guidance. The following year he became Principal of the Milne School and remained in that position until retiring as Professor of Education (Emeritus) from the State University of New York at Albany in 1972.

Professional activities included membership in the New York State Association of Secondary School Principals, for which he was Chairman of District #16 and also Chairman of the Association's College-High School Relations Committee in the 1950s. A member of the National Association of Laboratory School Principals for 20 years, he served on its Board of Directors and as Chairman of its Constitution Committee. He was a member of the National Society for the Study of Education, the National Education Association, and the New York State Teachers Association. Since its inception in 1949, he was a member of the Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Committee of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers.

After his retirement, Dr. Fossieck continued an active association with the University. He served as Coordinator of the School of Education Retirees at [what is now called] the University at Albany. In 1994 the Alumni Association named him its "Citizen of the University," and prior to that he became a member of the University's Heritage Circle and President's Club. In 1994, the University further honored him by naming the former library of the Milne School as the "Theodore H. Fossieck Milne Alumni Room." Dr. Fossieck established an annual scholarship to the University at Albany for a student who is a descendent of a Milne School graduate or faculty member.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in Military Intelligence in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1938, he retired as a full Colonel in 1968 and remained active in the Reserve Officers Association and the Retired Officers Association. His active duty in W.W. II included service as Post Public Relations and Intelligence Officer at Fort Custer, MI, from 1941 to 1943 and as Assistant A.C. of S., G-2 and Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment Commander for the XV Corps in the United States and Europe from 1943 to 1945, during which time he received the Bronze Star and four battle stars. Returning to the Reserves in 1945 as a Lt. Colonel, Dr. Fossieck was active in the Reserves in Albany until 1968, when he received the Army Commendation Medal on his transfer to the Inactive Reserve. His assignments included staff positions with the U.S.A.R. School in Schenectady and the 1189th Logistical Command in Albany, which he commanded at the time of his retirement, as well as staff and faculty positions in the 1st United States Army Area Intelligence School. His military education included the Counter Intelligence Corps Schools in Chicago, IL, and Fort Holabird, MD; 1st Military Government School at Fort Gordon, GA; and the command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

Dr. Fossieck's interest in Colonial America led him to the New York State Archives, where he had been indexing its Revolutionary War Manuscripts collection. In addition to being a member of several local historical associations, he served on the Boards of the Friends of Schuyler Mansion and the Albany County Historical Association; was a member of the Albany Institute of History and Art, the New York State Historical Association, and the National Society for Historic Preservation; was a founding member of the Mohawk-Hudson Community Foundation; and was associated with the Capital City Rescue Mission, the Torch Club of Albany, and the "Second Milers" Club of Delmar. Dr. Fossieck established the "Janice Dorr Fossieck and Theodore H. Fossieck" endowment to provide annual lecture and library materials in the field of American Colonial History.

A member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dr. Fossieck served two terms on its Vestry.

Dr. Fossieck was the husband of the late Janice Dorr Fossieck, who died in 1985.

CLASS OF '59 50TH REUNION!

The Class of '59 is having a Destination Reunion in New Bern, North Carolina, for their 50th, which will start on May 1, 2009. Many classmates have decided to stay beyond the weekend. A lot of correspondence has gone back and forth, which Faith Meyer Sandles reports has been a lot of fun!

MISSING MILNE ALUMNI

The Class of 1959 is planning its 50th reunion and is very anxious to find three missing classmates:

Susan Catherine AUSTIN Colby
Mary Hale MATTICE Jenson
Barbara Ann SAGER Rogers

I have received word that Walter SIMMONS attended and/or graduated from Milne in the late 1930s or early 1940s. If anyone has information regarding his class year, please advise.

In addition, we occasionally see obituaries indicating that the deceased either attended or graduated from Milne but are unable to determine his or her class year. If you have information regarding the following, please let us know!

Shirley Jackofsky, 92, died October 5, 2007
Ruth O. Osterhout, 92, died July 10, 2007
Arlene Dwyer Kirwin, 97, died April 10, 2007
John Herrington, 90, died November 19, 2008

SAD NEWS

The following Milne alumni, attendees, or family members passed away recently. Please note that I rely upon the Albany Times Union and input from other alumni for this information, so if you become aware of someone who has passed away, please let me know. If a name is underlined, it represents a link to the obituary. The Times Union links are available free for 30 days after the initial posting. Other newspapers may have different timetables.

Fannie Ford, mother of Dr. Jockular Ford, '67, passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - Times Union.

Ruth D. Laven, mother of Barbara Laven, '76, passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - Times Union.

Dorothy H. Powell, mother of Susan Powell Van Buren, '57, passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - Times Union.

Ruth P. Kermani, mother of David Kermani, '64, and Karyl Kermani Bisson, '66, passed away on Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Times Union.

Selma S. Axelrod, mother of Rosemary Axelrod, a member of the Class of '63, and Jon P. Axelrod, '61, passed away on Friday, January 9, 2009 - Times Union.

Thanks to all of you for your interest in Milne Alumni activities.

Judy (Koblintz) Madnick, '61

For contact information, see the Milne Alumni homepage: www.albany.edu/~milne/

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