Paul Reiser speaking at Commencement at Binghamton University in May, 2000

A New York Kind of Guy

Paul Reiser '77, actor, comedian and former Mad About You star, made his theatrical debut at the Atlantic Theater in New York City last spring in a one-act play by Woody Allen, "Riverside Drive." According to an article about him in Newsday ("New York Kind of Guy: Manhattan native Paul Reiser is the perfect persona for Woody Allen's new play," by Blake Green), Reiser last performed in a play when he was a student at Binghamton University. "This guy is an American icon of comedy," said Reiser in the article about Allen, who is both the playwright and director. "I grew up worshipping his work, and here he is in the room telling me how something sounds. Sometimes he even acts it out. What a treat!"

Reiser is also working on several other projects, including a couple of pilots and a screenplay that he wrote, The Thing About My Folks, in which he co-stars with Peter Falk. He and his wife, Paula, have two sons, ages 7 and 2.

Making a difference with "kindness and gentle care"

Titonath Dith '91, a physical therapist at Gentiva Health Services in Kent, Wash., received the Physical Therapist of the Year award in May. The award is given in recognition of people whose actions and attitudes have made a difference in the lives of others. Dith is the son of Cambodian civil war survivor, Dith Pran, upon whose life the movie The Killing Fields was based. The movie made a great impact on Dith's life and on his destiny, accordingly to a PR Newswire press release. "I knew that one day I would work in the medical field," Dith said. "I decided to pursue physical therapy and make a difference where I could." Dith's coworker, Jackie Berge, RN, cited his compassion, kindness and gentle care as the qualities that make him an excellent physical therapist.

Promoting Hip-Hop
Clyde Valentin '94, co-founder of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (www.hiphoptheaterfest.com/), was featured in an article in Newsday, "Of Hip-Hop, Doo-Rags and Free Expression," by Katti Gray. The Hip-Hop Theater Festival is a collection of 30 performances includes instrumentation, rap, song and dance, performance poetry, plays, public dialogue on topical issues and some street theater moved indoors. It also includes actors' on-the-spot improvisations based on situations and stories offered by audience members. "What we're doing here is reclaiming what is the truest, most ancient form of cultural expression. And that is the inherent magical combination of the audience and the storyteller," said Valentin about the stage production. Valentin, who said he was "weaned on hip-hop," studied literature and rhetoric as well as sociology at Binghamton.

Offering opportunities for education in Sunnyside

Emiko Nagano '98, a program officer for the Institute of International Education who advises foreign Fulbright students studying in the United States, was profiled in Newsday. The article focused on Nagano's role as a volunteer organizer for the Humanist Center of Cultures in Sunnyside (http://sunnyside.centerofcultures.info/), where she is the project coordinator for the organization's humanist education project. The humanist education project provides free or low-cost classes to Sunnyside residents, many of whom are newcomers and immigrants, Nagano said in the article. "Education costs so much money . . . so the idea is to provide courses in computer skills, language classes, stress management --taught by volunteers," she said. Nagano, a native of Japan, earned her MSW from Hunter College after graduating from Binghamton, and is excited about becoming an American citizen.

Committed to community outreach

Judson L. Jeffries, MPP ’90, associate professor of political science at Purdue University, was featured in an article in the Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Ind.), "Professor also teaches off campus," for his community outreach activities. In addition to the time he spends in the classroom teaching and in his office meeting with students, Jeffries advises local chapters of the NAACP and Amnesty International, and also helps teenagers and adults get their GEDs by tutoring at the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy. In addition, Jeffries helps to plan West Lafayette's annual Juneteenth celebration, and has joined in efforts to recruit more minority and disadvantaged students to Indiana's law schools. "We live in a society where communities can ill afford people of our ilk – and I say that humbly – to come in, get a job at a major research university, teach our classes, do our research and then go home and have no connection with the community," Jeffries said in the article.

Judson earned his PhD in political science at the University of Southern California in 1997, and is the author of three books, including Huey P. Newton, The Radical Theorist (University Press of Missippi, 2002), Virginia's Native Son: The Election and Administration of Governor L. Douglas Wilder (Purdue University Press, 2000), and Urban America and Its Police: From the Postcolonial Era Through the Turbulent 1960's (University Press of Colorado, 2003), co-authored with Harlan D. Hahn.

Opting for a military career

Kathy Betz '03 was one of the college graduates featured in an article in Newsday, "More Want Uncle Sam: Military is a hot career option again after slowdown in '90s." Although she was accepted by law schools at Hofstra, Georgetown and Fordham universities, Betz, a politics, philosophy and law major, opted for a career with the Navy. After scoring perfectly on the Navy's aptitude test, Betz enlisted for six years, and will be trained as a nuclear engineer to help run an aircraft carrier. "I see the military as something good," Betz said in the article. "I've always admired it as an essential part of our nation."

Federal judgeship confirmed

Kathleen Cardone '76 was confirmed by the Senate in July to a federal judgeship in El Paso, Texas, according to news stories issued by the Gannett News Service and the Associated Press. She fills one of two newly created federal judicial seats in the Western District of Texas. A graduate of St. Mary's School of Law in San Antonio, Cardone was the first judge to serve in the 388th Judicial District Court, a new state court created in El Paso in 1999. She founded the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office. In addition, Cardone is active in several community organizations, including the El Paso Center for Family Violence and the El Paso Mexican American Bar Association.

Assessing the world's energy resources

Paul Holtberg '76 co-authored an article in the Oil & Gas Journal, "Can we identify limits to worldwide energy resources?" Holtberg is director of the demand and integration division, U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He was formerly a senior policy analyst at RAND Corp. in Arlington, Va., and prior to that, he spent nearly 20 years at the Gas Research Institute.

Holtberg is married to Paulette Peltz '76. Peltz is executive VP and general counsel at Charter Oaks Partners, which is a subsidiary of Rothschild Bank.

Focus on people-centered education

Mary Rittling '88 was named president of Davidson County Community College (Davidson, N.C.) in May, 2003, reported an article in the Winston-Salem Journal. She was formerly president of Potomac State College in Keyser, West Virginia. According to the article, Rittling has spent 30 years in two-year education. "It gives people a lot of first chances," she said in the article. "We're just very people-centered. We believe in access and we believe in giving opportunity." Rittling holds master's and doctoral degrees in higher and adult education from Columbia University.