News

Evan Smith '87 was appointed president and editor-in-chief of Texas Monthly on July 16, 2008. In accepting these positions, Smith succeeds the founder and publisher of the periodical, Michael Levy. Evan Smith plans to assume these new duties on September 1, after Levy retires on August 31.

Please accept the deep and sincere thanks for your generosity from all of us on the Hill. Each year alumni, parents and friends of Hamilton are asked to sustain the College with their unrestricted gifts. In the fund-year that just closed, nearly 10,000 individuals participated and contributed just over $5.8 million. Alumni participation was 52.2%, exceeding 50 percent for a remarkable 27th consecutive year.

On July 1, Stephen M. Pratt '85 assumed leadership of My Turn, Inc., a youth development agency based in Brockton, Mass. My Turn collaborates with employers, educational institutions, community organizations, and families to help youth ages 14 to 21 make the leap from high school to postsecondary education, work training, and successful employment.

Money magazine reporter Amanda Gengler '03 provided analysis during the July 8 broadcast of CNNMoney's "Issue Number One", a news program that probes the health of the American economy. Gengler addressed the nationwide mortgage pinch and rumors of economic collapse.

University of Utah Research Associate Professor of Geology and Geophysics Jim Pechmann '76 offered his seismological expertise in a June 30 NPR broadcast about the deadly collapse of Crandall Canyon Mine in northwestern Utah in August 2007.

Eric Scott Kaplan '04 and Matt Innes '05, former Hamilton lacrosse teammates and roommates will be riding on July 26 in the Connecticut Challenge: "Cycling for Cancer Survivors."  Their route will take them all over Connecticut, completing a 100 mile circuit.

Every year, members of the Hamilton community run the now famous 15K Boilermaker in Utica. If you will be running the Boilermaker, please join students, alumni, faculty, employees and their families for a Hamilton group photo at 10:20-10:25 a.m. at the Polish Community Center. Look for the Hamilton College banner!

Hamilton alumni participate in annual giving at extraordinary levels. For the 27th consecutive year, more than half of the Hamilton alumni family contributed to their alma mater! Doing so expresses that alumni recall their own time of transformation on the Hill and want to perpetuate that experience in the lives of Hamilton students today and tomorrow. All those who work at Hamilton offer their sincere and deep appreciation for all the good things that your gifts make possible.

Niagara County Assistant District Attorney Charles F. Pitarresi '80 has announced his candidacy for the office of Niagara Falls City Judge, which goes to vote in November. The office became vacant in November 2007 after the N.Y.S. Court of Appeals dismissed Robert M. Restaino for incarcerating 46 courtroom spectators when none stepped forward as the owner of an unruly and disruptive cell phone.

Adrien Brody, best known for his Oscar-winning role as Wladyslaw Szpilman in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist, has made a major donation to For the Good, Inc., announced president and CEO Cassandra Harris-Lockwood K'74 on June 19. For the Good, Inc., is an independent nonprofit agency that promotes community development in the city of Utica, N.Y.