New York State History Month was established by an act of the Legislature in

1997; but for many years, people have been lamenting the lack of programming to mark
it. Well, not this year! The University Club and the University Club Foundation are pulling
out all the stops to bring you some great events to celebrate!
Colleen Ryan, self-proclaimed history nerd and President of the University Clubs Board of Directors
hatched the idea this summer for a month-long celebration featuring a diverse group of speakers and activities. My goal, she says, was to present no fewer than 10 programs during the month of November, including a digital scavenger hunt, luncheons and evening lectures featuring experts in a variety of disciplines discussing the history of New York State and the Albany area.
She rounded up friends, colleagues and others immersed in the history of our fine
state and came up with a slate of programs that covers a wide range of topics and
interests. We hope you will join us! (Get all the details on pages 2-3). Reservations
are required for all events and can be made online at www.uclubevents.blogspot.com,
by calling the club at 463-1151 or by email to ellen@universityclubalbany.com.
Also during November, club members, guests and participants in History Month programs are invited to share the warmth of the season with our neighbors in need by
making a contribution to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. There
will be a collection box in the lobby of the clubhouse, and we will be gratefully accepting donations of non-perishable food items and checks made payable to Regional Food Bank of Northeastern
New York. For every $1 donated the Regional Food Bank can distribute $10 worth of food.
Tres magnifique!
- Monica Mahaffey

The Duck Dinner is a true part of the University Clubs history.

The first one was held in 1908 and right from the start it was
reported to be a roaring good time.
This years dinner will feature lots of good-natured
fun though not too much in the way of choruses and
turkey trotting like they did in 1910 (see A lbany
Evening Journal article at right). Our night begins
at 5:30 p.m. with complimentary steamed clams and
hors doeuvres, followed by dinner with choice of
prime rib or roast duck (baked scrod also available
upon prior request). And dont forget about the turkey raffle! Tickets will be sold during cocktail hour.
Take yours turkey home or donate them to the
Northeast Regional Food Bank.
Share the Duck Dinner tradition with your friends.
Guests are invited! $24.95, beverages additional.
Reservations please. Let us know your entre choice
when you call (463-1151).

Proud
Presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation

Friday, November 7
Meet the Artist Reception
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
The signature event of the
University Clubs Celebration of New York State
History Month will be a
cocktail reception honoring the artist Len Tantillo.

Monday, November 3
Albany: Our History, Our Future
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
New York State History Month kickoffs off with a special luncheon with
Mayor Kathy Sheehan. Mayor Sheehan
will discuss Albany's rich history and
the essential role of heritage tourism in
our future. Lunch buffet; $25 per person. Reservations please (463-1151).

Monday,
November 10
Art, Literature,
Industry and Conflict
on the Hudson
6:008:00 p.m.
Vernon Benjamin will discuss and sign
his book The History of the Hudson
River Valley: From Wilderness to the
Civil War. Benjamin guides us from
the Paleolithic period through the incursions of Henry Hudson and the
Dutch settlement of the New World,
the Revolutionary and Indian Wars to
the growth of commerce through the
Civil War. Free event. Please let us
know if you plan to attend and whether
you will stay for dinner.

Mr. Tantillo will be presented the inaugural University Club Award for
Achievement in History and Culture. He was born and raised in upstate NY and
attended Rhode Island School of Design and worked as an architectural designer
illustrator. In 1980, Tantillo was commissioned to depict a series of 19th century
structures from archeological artifacts and historic documents, and in 1984 began
the full-time pursuit of fine art. As he went on to study, envision and illustrate the
early built environment of New York State, his artwork has garnered high acclaim
and engaged audiences around the world.
The evening begins a reception featuring hors doeuvres and open bar from 6-7
p.m., followed by the award presentation and an illustrated lecture by the artist.
$50 with open bar & hors doeuvres. Reservations required. Call the club at 4631151 or online www.uclubevents.blogspot.com. Make plans to join us in the
Grille Room afterward for dinner and music with John & Starr from 8-10 p.m.
Tuesday, November 18
Building Modern
Social Justice
Movements
Panel Discussion
Book Signing
6:00-8:00 p.m.

Troy storyteller Duncan Crary will

recount the legend of Major Duncan
Campbell of the Black Watch, a Scottish highlander who met his eerie fate
during the failed British attack on Fort
Carillon (Ticonderoga) in July 1758.
According to legend, a ghost foretold
of the majors death many years prior
at his home in Inverawe, Scotland.

Join us for the SUNY Press Book

launch of Aint Gonna Let Nobody
Turn Me Around, a book that reveals
Albany resident Barbara Smiths remarkable contributions to social justice
movements related to Civil Rights,
feminism, lesbian and gay liberation,
anti-racism, and Black feminism. Ms.
Smith will take part in a panel discussion with Virginia Eubanks, Associate
Professor, Department of Womens
Gender and Sexuality Studies at the
University at Albany. The panel will
be moderated by Elaine Houston, anchor of WNYT NewsChannel 13 Live
at 5:30 and Todays Woman reporter.

Free event. Please let us know if you

plan to attend and whether you will
stay for dinner.

The event is free. Reservations are required. Let us know if you will stay for
dinner.

Friday,
November 14
Haunted History in
the North Country
6:00 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday
November 19
12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Achievement
and Betrayal:
The New York State
Capitol in 1913
Mark Schroeder will discuss New
Yorks 39th Governor, William Sulzer
the only Governor of the Empire
State to be impeached. Sulzer (1863
1941) served in the State Assembly
and for eight terms in the US House of
Representatives. He was elected governor in 1912 with the support of
Tammany Hall, but he angered Tammanys leader, Charles Murphy, by
supporting primary elections. Sulzer
was convicted by a special court and
removed from office in October 1913
and the lieutenant governor, Martin H.
Glynn of Albany, became governor.
Mark Schroeder served as a member
of the NYS Assembly from 2004 until
he was elected Comptroller of the City
of Buffalo in November 2011. Lunch
buffet - $25. Reservations please.

We often take for granted the very things

that most deserve our gratitude.

JOIN THE HISTORY HUNT

-Cynthia Ozick

Players will use a free mobile app

called Scavify to participate in a fun
three-week History Hunt in November
highlighting locations of historic and/
or cultural interest in and around the
Albany area. Participants will use the
app to view a list of tasks, complete
them and earn points toward prizes.
Watch your inbox for details, visit
www.universityclubalbany.com (click
on NYS History Month tab) or download the Scavify app and search for
the History Hunt.
The hunt will end with a History Hunt
Party at the club on Friday, November 21st from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The
event is free. All are welcome (even if
you dont join the hunt).

Monday, November 24
12:00-1:00 p.m.
The Hudson-Mohawk
Region: Silicon Valley of
the Nineteenth Century

As the holiday season approaches I

hope you will join me in making sure
that our loyal employees know that we
do not take them for granted.
A scene captured by state Department of
Public Works photographer in 158 Hudson
during the time leading up to the demolition
of the neighborhood for the construction of
the Empire State Plaza.

Tuesday, November 25th

6:00-8:00 p.m.
Hands on History

Independent historian Ann Pfau and

University at Albany professor Dave
Hochfelder will outline the many local
and online historical reference tools
available to the public.
They will also discuss their project 98
Acres in Albany, which focuses on
the more intimate details of the history
of the Empire State Plaza by uniting
two sets of photos, a series of exterior
shots in the Albany Institute collection, and a series of interior photos
from a collection at the State Archives.
Free. For reservations call 463-1151.
Let us know if youll stay for dinner.

Did you know that Silicon Valley isnt

a new concept? In fact, according to P.
Thomas Carroll, the area around the
Rensselaer Institute of the 1800s behaved very much like the Silicon Valley of the 20th century and in both Silicon Valley now and in Greater Troy
then, we see a deliberate, coordinated
attempt to make cutting-edge technological innovation the focus for regional economic prosperity.
P. Thomas Carroll, Senior Scholar and
Treasurer, Hudson Mohawk Industrial
Gateway is an American Cultural Historian specializing in the history of
American science and technology.
Lunch buffet; $25 per person. Reservations required. Please call the club at
518-463-1151 if you plan to attend.
3

We are very fortunate to have a great

group of people working for us. The
club, quite literally, could not operate
without them. Some are visible when
we stop by for lunch or dinner, others
work quietly behind the scenes making sure we, and our friends and family, are well taken care of. Many are
not included in the weekly service
charge.
You will find enclosed with this
months billing statement an Employee Holiday Fund pledge card. Please
take a moment to fill it out and return
it to the club. Making a donation is a
tangible way to let our employees
know how much we each appreciate
their efforts on our behalf all year
long.
Sincerely,

Nate Maloney
Vice President

Officers: Colleen Ryan, President

Nate Maloney, Vice President
Tim Varney, Secretary
Matt Badalucco, Treasurer
Warren Abriel, Past President

SUNDAY
2

MONDAY
3

Lunch & Dinner

TUESDAY
4

Lunch & dinner

WEDNESDAY
5

Lunch

Lunch with the Mayor

12-1 p.m.

Yoga 4 pm
Bowling 7 pm
11

Club Closed

10 Lunch & Dinner

Vernon Benjamin 6pm
Yoga Noon
Bowling 7 pm

16

17 Lunch & Dinner

18

Club Closed

Yoga noon
Bowling 7 pm

Panel Discussion/Book
Signing 6-8 pm
Yoga 4pm/Bowling 7pm

Governor Sulzer talk

& luncheon 12-1 pm

23

24 Lunch & Dinner

25

26

Club Closed

Silicon Valley Talk &

Lunch 12-1 pm
Bowling 7 pm

30

Club Closed

DECEMBER 1
Lunch & Dinner
Yoga noon
Bowling 7 pm

12
Club Closed
Veterans Day

Lunch & Dinner

Lunch & Dinner

Lunch

Lunch & Dinner

Yoga 4 pm
Bowling 7 pm

THURSDAY
6

13

Roundtable lunch
Harris Oberlander
12 noon
19

Lunch

Lunch

Hands on History
6-8 pm
Yoga 4 pm
2

Directors: Mark Brogna

Rob Crudden
Meredith Helgerson
Jeffrey Hill
David Hochfelder

Lunch

Lunch

FRIDAY
7

Lunch

Lunch & Dinner

14

15

Lunch & Dinner

Storyteller Duncan
Crary 6-8 p.m.
21

Lunch & Dinner

28 Lunch & Dinner

Lunch

Lunch

Club Closed

22
Club Closed

29
Club Closed

Club Closed
Happy Thanksgiving
3

8
Club Closed
Private Parties

History Hunt Party

6-8 pm
27

SATURDAY

Tantillo Reception 6 pm
Music in Grille 8-10 pm

DUCK DINNER
5:30-8:30 PM

20

Geoffrey Hoderath
Amy Hines-Kramer
Ken McCauley
Frank Nemeth

Lunch & Dinner

Off the Record

Grille Room 8-10 pm

Club Closed
Private Parties