When I first met Kathleen Devine at an alumni awards ceremony, she reminded me of a nun. You know, the kind that has a sweet, heavenly smile on her face that reflects being at peace with herself because she knows she can do anything with her perseverance and faith.

That was Kathleen, who knew from experience, the only true source of satisfaction in this world is being of service to others. But Kathleen's serenity wasn't without passion and enthusiasm.

Kathleen served as assistant to the dean at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford from 1963 to 1979 and studied piano there; then from 1979 to 1990 she served as registrar at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford.

She most recently served on the Alumni Council at the University of Hartford and, before that, was an active volunteer at Alumni Association activities.

Kathleen Devine's energy has been greatly missed since she was taken by a surprise heart attack on the sunny afternoon of Sept. 25, 2000, while working in her garden. Her Devine spirit remains.

Still grieving the loss of Kathleen,
Linda Leslie '99
Office of Alumni Relations

You did a wonderful piece, "In Memoriam," on Bice Clemow in the Fall 2000 issue of The Observer.

From the excerpts from his unpublished memoirs, you printed Bice's story of how the University came into being. One critical detail, however, was left out and left out only because of Bice's deep-seated, sometimes exasperating, modesty: it was the moment when the idea of a university was conceived.

Bice was taking the train from Hartford to New York with Fred Houghton, who at that time was the lay head of the Hartford Art School. Bice and Fred sat together and discussed various things on the train ride, a morning ride that was common for some Hartford people into the 1950s.

It was then and there that the idea of combining the Art School and the other schools into one institution first was discussed. This train ride and the talk between Bice and Fred preceded the January 1956 meeting at the Hartford Club and was the time of conception of the University.

I know this to be the real genesis of the University because Bice himself told me the story, twice over the years. I had lunch with him starting in the early 1950s regularly, every month or six weeks or two months until he became ill, and continued to see him during his last years, irregularly and without lunch.

Michael Suisman
West Hartford, Conn.

Over the Labor Day [2000] weekend, I had the privilege and pleasure of accompanying the University of Hartford men's and women's cross-country teams as they prepared for the upcoming season.

I had been invited by my daughter, UH cross-country Coach Kathy Manizza, to join her and the UH runners on their preseason training trip, which included Coach Manizza's participation in the International Classique de Canots canoeing marathon on the St. Maurice River in Quebec, Canada.

Although Coach Manizza had told me I would be traveling with a "great group of athletes," I must admit that I had visions of having to ride herd on a group of young people that would test my patience to the extreme.

Such was not the case. What great goodwill ambassadors are the Hawk harriers! They made a great impression everywhere we stopped. The University of Hartford could not have had a better public-relations vehicle nor better representatives of their school than the 11 members of its cross-country teams and their coach. As a result, UH made new friends and fans all over Quebec and northern New England.

With 40 years' experience as an educator/coach/athletic director, I will add my observation that I have never seen a better team in action, as regards performance, conscientiousness, commitment to excellence, work ethic, and individual and group deportment. These people really cared about being good representatives and positive role models.

The team did not slight the real business of the trip, namely, preparation for the upcoming cross-country season. Under the very competent leadership of senior co-captains Courtney Corsall, Kumari Gongaju, Ryan Riegle, and Jon Rivera, the UH runners carried out a very exacting running regimen. Many canoe aficionados, including some who think nothing of spending eight or more hours at a time in competition, were impressed by the effort and overall work ethic of the Hawk runners.

The city of Hartford and its major university can take great pride in having such an outstanding group of persons represent them. Coach Kathy Manizza and the UH cross-country teams are a superb example of what college athletics should be all about: doing your very best and representing yourself and your school in a positive manner.

Paul Mannen
Dallas, Ore.
pmannen@aol.com