Archive for category: Give Back

Several weeks ago I met our new Class of 1974 Scholar, Marianna Wineinger. Marianna is the 8th student our Class has supported since the Scholarship was established at our 25^th Reunion by classmates Joan Saltsman Oelschlager and Bob Oelschlager.  Hundreds of members of the Class of ‘74 have supported the scholarship since 1999.

Mariana is from Santa Rosa, California and is a freshman in Cornell’s Brooks School of Public Policy. She is spending her first semester in Washington, DC as part of a new initiative called DC Start.  DC Start is distinct from the existing “Cornell in Washington” program and gives forty Brooks freshmen the opportunity to start their Cornell experience in the nation’s capital.  The legacy Cornell in Washington program continues in the spring and summer semesters.

Marianna told me she has been interested in public policy since high school when she volunteered with her local member of Congress, Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).  She is thrilled to be in DC, but looking forward to getting to the Ithaca campus in January.  Marianna says, “Attending Cornell is a dream come true and I have the Class of ’74 to thank especially for the opportunity. Thank you so much!”

One final note: Put Tuesday November 11^th at 8pm EST on your calendar for our next RED Talks webinar featuring classmate Evan Stewart. Evan is the author of the book Myron Taylor:  The Man Nobody Knew. To jog your memory, Myron Taylor is one of the giant historical of figures of the first half of the 20^th century and a great Cornellian (think Cornell Law School). As one reviewer commented, “The Man Nobody Knew is a tour de force. Not only does it bring to life a remarkable and important person, but also tells a riveting tale—the chapters chronicling the runup to the US entering WWII is the stuff of le Carré. Stewart is an exceptional storyteller and this meticulously researched biography is a delight.”  Join us for what will be a fascinating talk—more details to come.

By now, I am sure you know that today is Cornell’s Giving Day.  You have likely received a number of emails from different Cornell causes that you care about.  As a proud member of the Class of 1974, you may know that our class supports not just one, but two scholarships—our Class Scholarship and the Christopher Reeve Scholarship.

The Class of 1974 Scholarship was started in 1999 by classmates Bob and Joan Saltsman Oelschlager in celebration of our 25th Reunion.  The fund has grown over the years through gifts from hundreds of classmates.  The student recipients, selected by Cornell, receive this scholarship throughout their undergraduate years.  Our class has supported seven students since 1999.  Our current Class of 1974 Scholar is Summer Parker-Hall ’25.  Summer, who grew up in Chicago, is a senior and a starting forward on the Cornell women’s basketball team.

Some  classmates have gotten to know Summer by attending her games.  She was one of our fabulous Reunion clerks for our 50th.  She is a Communication major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and her dream is to work in sports marketing and business operations.  Her Cornell experiences, both academic and athletic, have set her up for success and she is very grateful to the Class of ’74.  Look out world—here comes Summer!  Check out some recent press about Summer and a fun mic’d up training session (if you get a sign up/log in message ignore it)–she’s fun and a leader!  She’s pictured here with classmates John Foote, Kristen Rupert and Bill Walker after the recent game at Harvard.

The Christopher Reeve Scholarship goes to a Theatre Arts student, in memory of our classmate Chris Reeve.  Begun in 2006 by several classmates, the Christopher Reeve Scholarship has played a big part in the lives of more than a dozen extraordinary and talented students.  Classmate Mary Berens recently caught up with our current Reeve Scholar Ashley Alexander ’25.  Ashley, also a senior, is from New York and is a double major in Government and Performance and Media Arts.  Her entire family is proudly planning to attend her graduation.  She is the first in her family to graduate from college and the first from her charter school in Queens to graduate from an Ivy.  Ashley would love to stay in Ithaca and work in theater after graduation.  She, too, is thankful for her scholarship.  Here is a recent photo of Mary and Ashley.

You can read more about all our past ’74 and Reeve Scholars on our Give Back page on the class website.

On this Cornell Giving Day, I hope that you will consider a donation to one or both of these class supported scholarships or to any Cornell cause that grabs your heart.  Below are quick links to help you:

The Class of 1974 Scholarship

The Christopher Reeve Scholarship

Cornell Giving Day

Thanks you for doing your greatest good and please be well!

As promised, here are the last four links to those wonderful RED talks from our Reunion.  Even if you were there you could only go to one and they were all so good!  So we wanted to share as much as we can so everyone can see the talents and passions of our classmates.  Can’t wait for the 55th!  These final four, all Cornell professors, have shared their research and passions with so many students at our alma mater.

Don’t Breathe the Air! Indoor Air Can Be 100 times More Polluted Than Outdoor Air presenter Cornell Professor Emeritus Joe Laquatra ’74 has been conducting research on indoor environmental air quality since 1986 and is focused on improvements that can result in healthier indoor environments.

Rebels: Jews and the Roman Empire presenter Barry Strauss ’74, a best-selling author, historian and Cornell Professor, talked about Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire in ancient times and how they still shape our world today, 2000 years later.

The Love Bug: What Fruit Flies Tell Us About the Molecules of Life and Love presenter Mariana Wolfner ’74, Cornell Professor of genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology in CALS, talked about how fruit flies reveal the genes and proteins essential for fertility in insects such as mosquitoes that transmit the Dengue and Zika viruses.

Hits & Flops from a Tree Fruit Entomologist’s Playlist: The Journey of a Bug Guy presenter Cornell Professor Emeritus Art Agnello ’74 describes himself (not necessarily in this order) as a tree fruit extension entomologist, amateur trumpeter, home winemaker, and travel buff.

Our 50th Reunion was right in the middle of the Cornell campaign To Do the Greatest Good.  We just got the final numbers and wow did our Class step up!  Raising almost $58 million from 779 donors and 96 Tower Club gifts, our class set a new 50th Reunion donor record and exceeded all our fundraising goals.  Our last minute challenge to get 774 donors was successful and our Class gifted $10,000 to our Class of 1974 Scholarship.  Many thanks to our Chairs, Andrea Glanz, Jim Irish and David Miller and all of you who gave–we sure did our greatest good!  (Class of 1974 Donor Honor Roll)

As we close the book on our 50th, don’t forget to make (or edit) your page in our Class of ’74 Memory Book.  The DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 15th.

If you are back on campus for Homecoming join our Class of ’74 Pre-Game event.

And don’t forget about the selected screenings of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story–even the trailer is a tear jerker!  Consider getting together with Cornellians in your area for this.

Be well and stay tuned for my final email as our Class President.

On campus, final exams are in full swing and high temperatures are in the 70’s.

Remember those last few weeks of the school year in Ithaca when the weather got warm, the sun came out, and we rejoiced at the opportunity to be outside?!?  Happy memories.

Speaking of the semester’s end, our Class of 1974 Scholarship awardee Summer Parker-Hall ’25 just finished her Junior year.  Summer is working at Cornell Reunion in June and will spend some time at our class headquarters.  She is looking forward to playing her final season of women’s basketball under new coach Emily Garner, who came to Cornell from Trinity College in March.  Read more about Summer’s basketball success here.

Our Class of 1974 Scholarship was established in 1999 (at our 25^th Reunion) by classmates Bob and Joan Saltsman Oelschlager ‘74 and the fund has grown through gifts made by more than 100 classmates.  Seven undergraduates have benefited from the scholarship.  New gifts to this scholarship are appreciated; any gift made in our Reunion year will help the class unlock an additional $10,000 for our Scholarship Fund.  Make a gift now to support our Class of 1974 Scholarship Fund.

And in other fundraising news, this week is Hillel Global Giving Week.  To make a gift to Cornell Hillel–which will also give you Reunion credit and help us achieve our 50^th Reunion goals—click here.

Our class is getting closer to reaching our ambitious 50^th Reunion Fundraising goal of 774 donors.  As of today we have 640 donor classmates—83% of the goal.  We need another 134 classmates to meet our goal.  If you’ve not yet made a gift to Cornell in this fiscal year (since July 1, 2023), please make a gift of any amount, to any part of Cornell—and join the Class of ’74 Donor Honor Roll.

Our 50^th Reunion attendance numbers are very strong and growing daily, with over 500 people registered.  You don’t want to miss this special weekend—register now!

Finally, be sure to complete your page in our Memory Book.

We look forward to seeing you in June in Ithaca!

Our 50th Reunion is only two months away, but there’s still time for the Class of ’74 to make Cornell history.

Total eclipse of the Sun. The moon covers the sun in a solar eclipse.

For decades, the Class of ‘74 has blazed a path across the stratosphere of Cornell Reunion records.  And we’re close to doing it again!  So as the solar eclipse approaches, we’re asking you to help us eclipse the greatest reunion record of all: the most money ever raised by a 50th Reunion class.

We’re only $8 million away from breaking the record.  To do so, we need to raise the additional funds before June 30th.  Impossible you say?  Not for the Notable Class of ‘74.

Here’s how we can break the record:

First, we need participation from those of you who haven’t yet made a gift.  The more donors we have, the more money we will raise.  Make a Gift.

Next, we need a little luck.  We’ll need a few of you to surprise us by making the largest gift you’ve ever made to Cornell.  We’ll also need those of you who’ve given generously in the past but haven’t yet made your 2024 gift to be generous again.  A great way to maximize your giving is to make a three-year pledge of at least $5,000 per year.  If you do that, Cornell will count the full value of your three-year pledge toward our 50th Reunion Campaign.  Jordan Martin Clark (jam597@cornell.edu) (607 254-6188) is the person to contact at Cornell to make a three-year pledge.

Finally, if you’ve included Cornell in your estate plan by way of a will, trust, IRA, or annuity, but haven’t yet told Cornell, please do so before June 30th.  If you do, Cornell will count 60% of the current value of your planned bequest toward our class’s 50th Reunion Campaign total.

There are three important things to keep in mind about three-year pledges and planned gifts.  Cornell does not request documentation so your estate planning documents will remain private.  Cornell does not hold you to your pledge or future bequest because it understands that your financial situation or your plans may change over time.  Lastly, Cornell can help ensure you have set up your gift in a way that accomplishes your charitable goals.  Amy Jacobson (aj433@cornell.edu) (607 254-5829) is the person to contact to let Cornell know the university is in your estate plan.

If we do all this—and our history says we can—we will break 50th Reunion records with:

• 774 Donors(gifts of any size)
• 140 Cornell Giving Partners(gifts of $1,000 to $10,000)
• 74 Tower Club Donors(gifts of $10,000 or more)
• Most Dollars Raised

Thanks in advance for supporting Cornell and for helping the Class of ‘74 eclipse Cornell’s 50th Reunion records!