Raymond Legacy Society News

Honoring Happy Memories and Lifelong Friendship

When Joyce “Jackie” (Tantillo) Aab ’71 thinks of her time at SUNY Potsdam, she can’t help but smile.

“My memories of my time at Potsdam are probably among the happiest memories of my life,” she shared. “Leaving home and attending college is where I became self-sufficient. I became independent.”

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Always a Team Player

Gary Ranftle ’82 is committed to supporting SUNY Potsdam and the programs that shaped him as a leader and team player.

“I had a very positive experience at Potsdam—as a student, as a lacrosse player, as a fraternity brother—all very positive experiences with the people there. I just loved the atmosphere,” he shares.

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An Appreciated Gift

Mike Galane ’74 is no stranger to giving back to SUNY Potsdam. Since graduating from the College, he has served his alma mater in countless capacities—including as the former president of the Potsdam College Foundation Board and chair of the Take the Lead Campaign. In addition to sharing his time and expertise, Mike established the Galane Family Scholarship, which is awarded to computer science majors each year at SUNY Potsdam.

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Where it All Began

As a small-town girl from Western New York, Roberta "Bobbie" Reed Hamilton '60 was introduced to a multitude of transformative opportunities upon enrolling in The Crane School of Music in the late 1950s. Roberta's education at Crane was the foundation of her career in music pedagogy, and thus she is eager to invest in the SUNY Potsdam community as an alumni event volunteer in Florida. She and her husband, Dr. Ed Hamilton (Hon. '60), have also included Crane in their estate plan in order to help propel aspiring student musicians into their own successful careers.

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A World of Opportunities

Elizabeth (Jackson) Rhody ‘57 treasures her memories from SUNY Potsdam—living in the Elm Street dorms, wearing her purple Alpha Delta sorority jacket, viewing the winter carnival ice sculptures and nurturing her passion for education...learn more.

An Example to Live By

Nancy Castro '00 established the Lloyd Deshawn Osborne Memorial Scholarship at SUNY Potsdam as a way to support EOP students and remember a college friend whom the world lost too soon. Upon meeting the scholarship's first recipient, Garcia Oscar '20, Castro was overjoyed to see the impact of DeShawn's legacy in action...learn more.

Placing Trust in Potsdam

 Kim Loucks '77 and his wife, Carolyn Hirst-Loucks, have designated a percentage of their living trust to support SUNY Potsdam's campus food pantry. Loucks's fraternity, the Order of Prometheus, has been supporting the food pantry for years and is currently working towards naming the space-a goal that the Louckses' gift will help the brotherhood to reach...learn more.

Setting a Solid Foundation

What Priscilla Hillman O’Brien ’60 remembers most fondly about her student experience at SUNY Potsdam was its simplicity. At the time, the College had four buildings, a handful of degree paths and cold winters that reminded her of her hometown near Buffalo...learn more.

Adding Some “Fizz” to Giving

In 1978, Richard Gilchrist bought a Red Lion Ale beer can for $2 at an antique store in the mountains of New York. Instead of adding it to his sons’ collection, he kept it in a safe deposit box. He could tell from its near-perfect condition that it was worth much more than $2...learn more.

A "Non-Traditional" Legacy

In honor of her father’s legacy, Nancy and her husband, Michael Griffin, created the Joseph G. Nestich Scholarship at SUNY Potsdam to support non-traditional students – older students pursuing their college degree in order to make a better life for themselves and their families...learn more.

Alumni Impact

Raymond Legacy Society members Jerry ’68 and Carolyn Zwaga (Hon. ’18) made a generous gift to the Student Care Fund to support SUNY Potsdam students’ emergency needs during the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to their pre-existing annual pledge for their endowed scholarship...learn more.