Trips of Lifetimes
Geneseo faculty first led students on journeys of discovery abroad 45 years ago. Adventures of learning, self-reflection and global understanding have transformed students ever since. By Kris Dreessen The summer after his graduation, Jim Leary ’75 traveled to Italy to learn about The Age of Dante Alighieri with Bill Cook and Ron Herzman — two young professors who would become world-renowned scholars. Leary and other students studied...
Rewind: A View of Yesterday
Peek down memory lane with an iconic view of Main Street. By Kris Dreessen This image from the College archives captures the feel of the 1950s, with finned cars, the Red & White Food Market and other Main Street businesses. Much has changed, though the small-town welcome and independent stores operated by neighbors — and Geneseo alumni — stay the same. Emmeline, the bear statue, has watched over Main Street for more than 100...
The Union at 50 Years: The Heart Of the Campus
MacVittie College Union has been a place to come together for 50 years. See photos of the Union over the years in our exclusive photo gallery. Celebrating 50 years this winter, the MacVittie College Union has been a gathering place since its grand opening in 1970. From morning coffee to lectures, LateKnight ice cream socials to impromp-tu dance performances, the union has always been Geneseo’s hub — a transformative space to chill,...
Photo album: 50 Years of the Union
The MacVittie College Union is celebrating 50 years ….view some photos of students gathering there for performances, fun and more.
International Treasures Bring Us Together
Milne Library’s special collections include mementos from some of the first Geneseo students who studied abroad. To view the full collection visit: scene.geneseo.edu/web-exclusives In 1969, Chris Walsh ’71 spent the summer in what was then Yugoslavia as a student ambassador. He lived with a family in Split and toured the country to learn about its culture. He remembers after news of the moon landing spread, people approached him to...
Explorer. Scholar. Teacher.
Since 1969, Ronald Herzman has examined culture, the arts and humanity across the world and through time. Students and colleagues say the voyages they have taken have been transformative. On a Wednesday in early April, Ronald Herzman, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, Geneseo faculty member since 1969 and international scholar, now in the last month before his retirement, walks down University Drive on his way to his 8:30...
Chenussio
A glimpse into the past. Distinguished Professor of History Michael Leroy Oberg looks at a map dated 1771 and can’t help but wonder. What was life like back then? — when Geneseo was known as “Chenussio,” a Seneca Iroquois town along the Genesee River. Trails through the woods — forerunners to Ridge Road, Route 20A and others — connected the Senecas with their Haudenosaunee kin in the “Land of the Iroquois.” People were constantly...
A Lifetime of Friendship
Former Geneseo roommates Joanne Goldstein Siegel ’47 and Eleanor Bonnet Betlem ’47 became lifelong friends shortly after they arrived on campus in 1943. “She didn’t have a sister, and I didn’t have a sister,” said Betlem, “so we became sisters.” Though Siegel settled on Long Island and Betlem in Rochester, they’ve remained close for 75 years. Their husbands, who are both deceased, also became good friends. After Geneseo alumni...
Community Gold
Tom Matthews has helped mentor student leaders for more than 50 years. Tom Matthews gazes through the window of his second-floor office in the MacVittie College Union, taking in the majestic Genesee Valley. It’s a view he has enjoyed thousands of times during his 51 years at the College. Many alumni remember Matthews as the ultimate mentor who could identify their hidden leadership talents and gently provide guidance on how to empower...
Scene Around the World
Where will you take your issue of the Geneseo Scene? Check out our Scene Around the World photo gallery and submit your own snapshot.