Retired faculty and staff members greet each other warmly at the December 2023 luncheon. Photo credit: David Michael Howarth Photography.
On a clear, sunny day in December, retired faculty and staff from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) joined Executive Dean Laura Lawson, faculty, staff and students in the Rectangle Room at Neilson Dining Hall for the annual Retired Faculty and Staff Luncheon. Student ambassadors were on hand to greet the guests and help them with their coats as they arrived.
Following a brief welcome from Dean Lawson, attendees helped themselves to a delicious buffet lunch from Rutgers Dining Services and enjoyed reconnecting and catching up with their former colleagues. Current faculty and staff, along with the students, also enjoyed mingling with our guests.
Dean Lawson then led the festivities and asked those in attendance to share stories about their time on the George H. Cook campus. The various stories that retirees shared were acknowledged with nodding heads and chuckles from the audience.
Afterwards, retirees took pleasure in dessert, coffee and taking pictures with each other. They were able to leave with a decorative poinsettia from Rutgers Floriculture Greenhouse to mark the holiday season.
Joan DeBoer (CC’84), retired staff member, remarked, “I look forward each December to seeing so many retired faculty and staff I knew for so many years and enjoyed working with.”
Bonnie McCay and Roger Locandro (AG’60, GSNB’67, ‘73) enjoyed their time, noting it was “such a pleasure to see friends and colleagues and to exchange news and share stories about our former home, whether CAES, Cook College or SEBS. Even more, to meet and enjoy learning about today’s students!”
Attendees and Guests (including current faculty and staff)
Julie Altavilla
Carol Andrew
Jo-Ann Bailey
Judy Baillere
Bruce Barbour
Theodore Chase Jr.
Serena Claiborne
Wendie Cohick
Ricky Daniels
Joan DeBoer and Jon Wall
Annette Devitt
Siobain Duffy
Joe Florentine
Ramu Govindasamy
Josephine Griffin
Kaylee Grullon
Peter Guarnaccia
Zane Helsel
Dilys Henninger
Melvin Henninger
JoAnn Hoffman
Pam Hueston
Lou Iozzi and Fran DePalma-Iozzi
Ann Jenkins
Judy Kaeser
Patti Kearns
Executive Dean Laura Lawson
Roger Locandro and Bonnie McCay
Rick Ludescher
Rachel Lyons
Kathy Maguire
Bea May with Ceil Cherill and Janet Bram
William and Jane Meyer
Bob and Evelyn Mickel
Nicholas Murray
Esther Neals
Nick Polanin
James Quinn
Nathan and Rose Reiss
Ann Rhinesmith
Troy Roepke
Dan and Alyce Rossi
Thomas Rudel
John Sacalis
Brian Schilling
Lee Schneider
Mazen Shehat
Joan Suber
Laura Thomas
Darin Tioumbelektchieva
Sherman and Sally Tomasino
John and Connie Webster
April Williams
Shelly Williams
John and Harriet Worobey
Maria Zamora
We look forward to our retirees joining us for the 2024 luncheon on December 5.
