"Spring semester" is underway at Skidmore.  The first-year students who studied abroad in London last fall have joined the on-campus community and the Class of 2013 is in the final stretch of its Skidmore experience.  Do you remember being on the cusp of life after Skidmore?  Do you recall that sense of closing one chapter and beginning something new?  It's interesting to think that we spend most of our lives as alumni of Skidmore and only four years as students.  What keeps us connected?  As much as the special moments at Skidmore stand out in my mind, what anchors me to those years and continues to connect me to Skidmore is people―it's you, our class, and all the people who made our time at Skidmore interesting, challenging, and inspiring.

     Let’s not forget Dr. Joseph Palamountain, our fearless leader, who we affectionately called “Pal Joey” for all four years.  It is remarkable to think of all of the events he hosted to celebrate and honor our accomplishments in the house on Broadway.  And do you remember John Ramsey, Dean of Academic Affairs?  John offered guidance and support to many students beyond the scope of his job.  Or how about our wonderful professors who influenced our career choices like Robert Oswalt and Sheldon Solomon in Psychology, Mary Ellen Fisher or Ron Fiscus in Government?  Or remember Jeff Segrave in Physical Education or Paul Boshoff or Victor Cahn in English or Margaret Pearson or Dan Hurwitz in Math or William Greene in Business?  Also, Elaine Rubenstein or Bernard Possidente in Biology, Catherine Berheide in Sociology.  The list goes on and on and on. We were incredibly lucky!

     I'm writing in celebration of those people who made the College what it was for us and in support of those who continue its important work.  Our gifts to the Skidmore Annual Fund truly matter and make it possible for faculty and students to work together on collaborative research or across a seminar table.  The Annual Fund has an immediate impact on the individual people who keep the College moving forward.  Our gifts support the financial aid program that is responsible for helping to fund a Skidmore education for 40 percent of the students on campus.  The Annual Fund offers each of us an opportunity to commemorate the Skidmore that we recall so fondly at the same time we celebrate the college it is today.

     Sincerely,

     Paula

     Paula Stein Smoller ’85

P.S.  Share who mattered to you at Skidmore by taking a minute to jot a note on the enclosed reply card.