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Quick Events Links:
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General News Reunion & 30th Anniversary
Since then, Pat Leighten has held a string of
enviable awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship (1990-91), an Andrew
W. Mellon Fellowship at the National Humanities Center (1995-96), and a
Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (2000).
In addition to publishing some fifteen articles, Pat served as Associate
Chair at the University of Delaware and Acting Department Head at Queen's
University, before accepting her current position at Duke. We like to think
that all of this started with her experience as co-founder and editor-in-chief
of the Rutgers Art Review in 1979-80. She has subsequently served
on the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Art Bulletin, as well as on
the Board of Directors of the College Art Association.
Sitting in two glass cases in the midst of the crowd were dozens of books and a few articles written in recent years by alumni(ae), a quantity that must be unmatched by any leading art history cohort in the country. One of the more moving items on display was the exhibit "Folkways and Politics: Halina Rusak, Artist, Librarian, and Scholar." The catalogue, organized by Ferris Olin (Ph.D.) with essays by Kate Murphy (B.A.) and Rose Merola (M.A.), appeared shortly before Halina's untimely death from advanced but undiagnosed cancer just weeks before our Reunion. Halina was a native of the Belarus Republic and emigrated to the USA in 1949. She earned a B.A. in French at Douglass College and later received graduate degrees in Art History and Library Science at Rutgers. Those who remember her bright smile, her inimitable flair for design, and her dedication to every student visitor will miss her sorely. Following the reception, 120 members of the group made their way to Winants Hall for a banquet and (shock to those who knew only the old Rutgers) splendid food and drink. Department Chair Tod Marder introduced special guests in attendance, the faculty (it's grown from a group of seven or eight to some sixteen members), and our brilliant new secretary Mary Hoffman, the "New Mary" who put together the entire event with the help of graduate students and the RU Foundation. Mary received a spontaneous and sustained ovation for her work on this event, as on so many other activities of the department. With all but one faculty in attendance (the missing soul was in China!), Matthew Baigell, Rona Goffen, and Jack Spector amusingly reminisced about the department they guided during their chairperson-ships, proving once again that you cannot separate performers from their engaging performances. Lots of laughs were shared by all. From an event where we initially anticipated a dinner of 25-35 people, to the event that was an overflow crowd, all our hopes in realizing the spirit of the department were fully met. What started as an idea hatched at the New York CAA meeting the previous February blossomed into a magnificent occasion. The thought that a nice little dinner might replace the traditional, but now-moribund Fall gathering at the Log Cabin, has become a reality. This accomplishment is due in no small part to the efforts of alumna Barbara Mitnick, to Kara Raynor and Joe Stampe from the RU Foundation, and to the entire office staff. We hope to plan a still-grander occasion in the future, but so far no one has suggested a venue larger and more welcoming that the restored Winants Hall. Any successful suggestions will be rewarded with logistical questions on handling an invitation list that could be many times larger that the 600 alums contacted in the immediate vicinity. Put on your thinking caps everyone – we're ready to move.  |
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