SUNY Oswego - Alumni Association - August E-Newsletter

August 2010 • Vol 6 No 5

Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Announced

The Oswego Alumni Association will induct seven key members of the Laker sports legacy into the Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.

Soccer, baseball, basketball, wrestling, hockey, cross country and track will all be represented at a ceremony Oct. 30 in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom.

The Alumni Association established the Hall of Fame in 2001 to honor players and coaches who made outstanding contributions to Oswego State athletics.

This year's inductees:

* Charles Wiltse ’63 was a cross country and track star.

* All-American wrestler James Hauptfleisch ’77 earned two state championships during his career. He also won the SUNYAC individual championship in 1975.

* Robert Zabronsky ’82 made the All-SUNY Athletic Conference first team in each year that he played Laker soccer. The former goalie made the dean’s list several times.

* Eileen Sommers ’83 was the first women’s basketball player to score 1,000 career points. She is currently ranked sixth all-time in points and is counted among the top 10 in several categories.

* Former pitcher Barry Dillon ’85 made the All-SUNYAC team three of his four years with the team en route to setting the record for career wins at 37. Dillon was also selected to play in the inaugural New York State College Baseball Association All-Star Game in 1982 at Shea Stadium.

* Former men’s ice hockey team captain Michael Snell ’87 set the mark for most goals in a single season in 1984-85. The two-time All-American later played two years of professional hockey in Germany.

* Retired SUNY Oswego employee Dick Johnson was a charter member of the Blueline Club, an organization that has supported Oswego State hockey for decades. He will be honored as a longtime supporter of the men’s ice hockey program.

Reservations are required for the Oct. 30 Hall of Fame Inductions Dinner. More information will be posted in the coming weeks.

— Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTION:
A group of seven former athletes will be inducted into the Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 30.

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Who doesn’t want to save the world? Michael Kite ’02 does that for a living through World Wildlife Fund.

As marketing specialist for one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, Kite and his team of three work to raise more than $5 million each year. The majority of that money comes from licensing partnerships and promotions with the likes of Barnes & Noble, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, Dial and Coinstar.

Retail partnerships help WWF spread its message to the general public and raise funds for its conservation work around the globe. For example, Bank of America contributes $100 for every special Visa account opened and Nabisco is supporting WWF’s “Year of the Tiger” initiative with special packaging and a $100,000 donation. The new CVS Green Bag Tag program rewards reusable bag-toting customers, and generates five cents for WWF for each tag sold.

All support WWF’s mission of protecting the future of nature, down to the finest details, Kite said.

“We like to see that the product is made from recycled material and is recyclable itself, and somehow ties into our mission,” Kite said. The Green Bag Tag, for instance, is made from a corn-based material and features a 100 percent recycled silicone lanyard.

As a broadcasting major at Oswego, Kite got involved with WRVO-FM and WNYO-FM.

“I think it gave me a lot more confidence in talking to people,” he said. It was an important part of his early career in broadcast sales and remains an important piece in the message he “sells” today.

“The best part of my job is seeing a product in the store with the WWF logo after months of working with a company to launch it,” said Kite, who joined the organization in 2006. “It’s rewarding to give people a fun, unique way to protect our planet.”

— Shane M. Liebler