Milne Alumni December Newsletter
December 15, 2008

by Judy Koblintz Madnick, '61

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

Dear Milne Alumni and Supporters,

In this issue:

* Class of 1957 Mini-Reunion"
* Ralph Benko, The Websters' Dictionary...
* Birth Dates
* Hall of Fame Page
* Sad News

CLASS OF 1957 "MINI-REUNION"

From Dan Brown:

"On October 25th, the Milne Class of 1957 gathered at the 76 Diner in Latham, NY, for an informal dinner to celebrate the forthcoming holiday season. Attending were Larry Berman and his wife Mary Ann, Gene Blabey, Dan Brown, James Allen Cohen, Jiggs Englander and his wife Gabrielle, Lou Hauf and his wife Shirley, Moira Hickey-Witt and her husband Arno, Wes Jennings and his wife Julie, Bob Kercull, Sue Powell-Van Buren and her husband Harold, Wayne Somers and his wife Betty, Andy Stokes, George Thompson and his wife Kathy, and Betty Wassmer-Finn.

"The majority of those who attended live in the Albany area. Others traveled from homes in Wynantskill, Delanson, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Tupper Lake, and Forestburgh, NY. Class members and their spouses enjoyed the informal setting, the ability to spend personal time with each other, and agreed that the annual fall season gatherings should continue."

Click here for pictures from the reunion.

RALPH BENKO: The Websters' Dictionary...

On November 4th, election day, Milne grad Ralph Benko, '70, had a book published, The Websters' Dictionary: How to Use the Web to Transform the World, which is enjoying a huge amount of international recognition. (The companion website is receiving thousands of pageviews from 99 countries and includes the opportunity to download free eBook version.)

It's not a dictionary and contains a mock-Surgeon General's Warning on the cover page to that effect. It is a plain-language analysis of how political, advocacy, and policy groups can use Web 2.0, a la MoveOn.org, to build communities of thousands and even millions of people to help "guide our elected officials in the Paths of Righteousness."

"The Websters' Dictionary" name fell into the public domain in the 19th century and cannot be trademarked; anyone can publish a "Websters' Dictionary." Ralph is using it as the basis of a pun on "Webster," a la The World Wide Web, for political operatives, public advocates, and policy analysts who are using the Web to turbocharge their effectiveness. His book explains, wittily and simply, how any of us can use it to create communities -- kind of like this Milne alumni list, which he recommends we complement with a free Ning.com social networking site -- to transform the world. (Note from Judy: Another Milne alumnus also recommended the Ning.com social networking site. While I have set up a private "Ning.com" group http://milneschoolalumni.ning.com/ for our possible future use, we should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of our Yahoo! Group and Facebook Group before making a change. If you would like an "invitation" to join any of these groups, please let me know.)

If you don't like eBooks, even free ones, you also can purchase The Websters' Dictionary at Amazon.com in hardcover or paperback (go to www.thewebstersdictionary.com and click on the homepage link), and it is available at finer bookstores everywhere.

Congratulations, Ralph!

BIRTH DATES

Be sure to let me know your birth date (without the year is fine!), and I will add your name to the Birth Date page.

HALL OF FAME PAGE

I have added a Hall of Fame page. Information for that page will reflect Hall of Fame designees included in Newsletters. Your contributions are important! Coach Bob Lewis has suggested Dr. Theodore Fossieck as an addition to the Hall of Fame, but I need biographical information. I can't do everything -- please help!

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.

Beryl Jean TRACY Wolf, Milne Class of 1952, passed away on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - Times Union.

John HERRINGTON, Milne Class of ????, passed away on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - Times Union. If anyone has further information regarding John's graduation year, please let me know, as he is not currently listed in the Milne Directories.

William J. Nolan, Milne Class of 1936, passed away on Thursday, November 20, 2008. He was the uncle of Jack L. Underwood, '46, and Ann Underwood Schrader, '48 (non-grad).

Barry E. Rosenstock, Milne Class of 1961, passed away on Sunday, December 7, 2008 - Times Union. Barry was the son of Annette Worthman Rosenstock, '34, and the brother of Carl Rosenstock, '65, and Meri Rosenstock Kaufman, '67.

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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