By Scott Pesner '87
Here's a story that demonstrates how the Big Red spirit of caring is international. It comes from the Cornell Club of the Philippines, one of Cornell's oldest alumni groups, which just celebrated its ninety-seventh anniversary.
Last September, Tropical Storm Ondoy hit the capital region of the Philippines, bringing fifty-mile-per-hour winds and dumping a month's worth of rain in less than a day, causing the Marikina River to overflow its banks. "Water reached up to the second floor of houses," says Erlinda Enriquez Panlilio '61. "Many residents climbed up to the rooftops and were stranded for twenty-four hours. Houses and schools were destroyed and cars carried away by the strong-flowing water." In all, almost half a million people were left homeless and hundreds were killed.
Particularly hard hit was the city of Marikina, just outside of Manila, where Maria Carlos Fernando, MPS '80, is the mayor. But it didn't take long for Cornell alumni to spring into action. Two days after the flood, Jig Carlos, MBA '99, brought a truckload of mattresses and blankets to the city. In November the club hosted a fundraising dinner at a restaurant owned by Tom Wisniewski '71 and Annabel Santos Wisniewski '65 in Manila, where Mayor Fernando spoke about the devastation in her city. After the speech, club president and Congressman Martin Romualdez '85 asked attendees to pitch in. He passed a hat, and in just ten minutes the equivalent of $2,500 was raised.
The kindness didn't stop there. The club also got together and donated 500 backpacks—filled with school supplies, T-shirts, towels, notebooks, cookies, and slippers—to the Kalumpang Elementary School, which was hard hit by the flooding. Club members also helped the school restore its library—repainting it, rebuilding bookcases, and donating furniture and more than 350 books. At another school, La Scuola della Gioia, club members entertained children and donated 150 books, and filled backpacks were donated to students at other schools as well. "We do what we can with what we have," says Raeanna Cranbourne '98. "Cornellians are generous in time and spirit, and you can always count on Cornell alumni to pitch in. With the devastation that occurred last year, there was no better time for the alumni to band together to help those who needed it most."
CU Council Elects New Members
More than 130 alumni were recently elected to the Cornell University Council. They were chosen because of their outstanding volunteer leadership for Cornell, professional standing, and commitment to community service. Council members act as ambassadors for the University and serve on advisory committees. Seventy-three alumni were elected to the council for the first time, while seventy-five were reelected after taking a required two years off.
The new and re-elected members were selected by the council's membership committee from almost 300 nominations. New members will attend a luncheon in their honor at the annual Trustee-Council meeting, to be held in Ithaca the last weekend of October. "These newly elected individuals represent an impressive and diverse cross-section of professions and sustained volunteer commitment to Cornell," says council chairman Mitch Lee '90, JD '96. "The new University Council members are composed of alumni from all over the world and from the classes of the Forties through 2005." In addition to these new members, thirty-two alumni were named life members of the council, having served at least twelve years and reached age sixty-five.
The council also appointed several new members to its administrative board. Jay Silpe '94 was named a vice chair, while ten alumni were named members-at-large. They are Laurie Berke-Weiss '71, Anne Cowie '86, Donna Forsman '63, BFA '64, Robert Hellman '76, Mary Bowler Jones '78, Douglas Kaplan '88, Sally Anne Levine '70, JD '73, Karen Kaufman Polansky '67, Terri Port McClellan '84, and Judy Wesalo Temel '75. In addition, faculty members Daniel Huttenlocher and Anne Kenney were appointed to the board.
ILR Honors Outstanding Alumni
Three graduates of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations were honored with ILR's top awards at a gala dinner in New York City in April. The three were selected for their professional success and their contributions to ILR and Cornell. Laurie Berke-Weiss '71 and Seth Harris '83 received the Judge William Groat Award, while Seth "Yossi" Siegel '74, JD '78, received the Alpern Award.
An attorney, Berke-Weiss is past president of the ILR Alumni Association; she is also a member of the University Council administrative board and the President's Council of Cornell Women. "I have long admired ILR friends and colleagues who received the Groat Award, so it is thrilling to stand among them," says Berke-Weiss. "It was particularly gratifying to be recognized for my work as an employment lawyer and for my service to the ILR school—and to be able to share the event with so many friends, family, and professional colleagues."
Harris is deputy secretary of labor under President Barack Obama, focusing on the economics of labor and employment law and on the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He served in the Clinton Administration as counselor to the secretary of labor and as acting assistant secretary of labor for policy.
Siegel is co-founder and co-chairman of the Beanstalk Group, a licensing company, and has advised many Fortune 500 companies in the use of trademarks and copyrights. He is past chairman of Cornell Hillel and serves on the Cornell University Council and the ILR Advisory Board.
Update from the Cornell Alumni Association
By Stephanie Keene Fox '89
The Cornell Alumni Association represents all alumni groups and their members. Its board of more than sixty members works to support alumni activities around the world. In this column, we will regularly update you on the work of your Alumni Association.
Every day, we experience how technology makes our lives easier. The Cornell Alumni Association is currently working on enhancing one of its own technology tools: its website.
A team of board members led by Meg Tallman '92 is focusing on identifying and creating functionality that can be added to the site. It comprises alumni who hail from different geographic regions and represent diverse alumni groups. In addition to myself, these members include Janet Fallon '76, Charles Wu '91, Katherine Ward Feld, MBA '82, JD '83, and Diane Shakin '83. Our goal is to make the Cornell Alumni Association website (www.alumni.cornell.edu/association) a one-stop toolbox—the place where alumni leaders can tap into resources and get support for regional events.
To start, the team began by assembling a wish list of items requested by various Cornell clubs and associations worldwide. We analyzed this information and compared it to that of our peer institutions. We also studied the new CornellConnect system and its functionality. The group then prioritized the wish list—including such resources as a club handbook template and Zinck's Night guidelines—based on what would be most relevant for alumni and how effectively it could be delivered. The items are grouped into two categories: static (such as documents and other reference materials) and interactive. Our interactive elements will focus on three initial needs: event feedback, event submission, and hot topics.
The Alumni Association is looking for ways to make your volunteer time more meaningful. The toolbox is a great start, but the needs of such a diverse alumni base will change over time, so this is an ongoing process. Please continue to follow us on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ cornellalumniassociation) or through Twitter (@CornellAlumAssn). If you have feedback and ideas, we want to hear them!
Stephanie Keene Fox is a vice president of the Cornell Alumni Association.