By Robert Binger, Staff Writer
At approximately two in the afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 4, everyone from congressmen and World War II marines to doctors and educators gathered in the Hofstra University Club and dined in honor of their colleagues. The group was celebrating the initiation of eight very influential people into a highly achieving group that so far only 361 out of 120,000 alumni have had the honor of being a part of it. These members are those who have contributed extensively enough to their communities, and thus receive the George M. Estabrook award.
The award was named after George Mitchell Estabrook who was associated with Hofstra University, its faculty and its students in its early years. He came to Long Island in 1907 as an engineer with the Charles J. Leavitt, Jr. Company and is directly involved in developing Garden City to what it is today. He formed the Estabrook Construction Company several years later, which was responsible for the construction of many buildings on Hofstra’s campus as well as many other public buildings throughout Long Island.
The award is given to someone who has given, as Regis Doucette, the president of the Hofstra George M. Estabrook Alumni Association, said, “Outstanding service to the Hofstra community or who have distinguished themselves in their own chosen field of endeavor.” Those receiving the award have shown service through research, teaching, promoting policies, helping the community in any other way possible and have achieved positions in different organizations or have gained extensive recognition in their particular field.
The luncheon was very elegant. The people in attendance are enough to show how important the award was. There were congressmen recognizing winners and the mayor of Hempstead; Wayne J. Hall Sr.; Chester L. Tuthill ‘42, a WWII soldier; Robert W. Mackreth ‘45, the Eucharistic Minister of the St. Michael V All Angels Episcopal Church; Michael J. Raab ‘99, the vice president of the Estabrook Alumni Association; along with their wives and daughters who have had extensive achievements in their fields. It was certainly a sight to see, and the evening would only get more interesting.
Blanche Abram was the first to receive the award Sunday evening. Though not actually an alumni of Hofstra, Abram has dedicated over 40 years of her life to the University. She’s taught countless students at places such as Arizona State University, NYU, Adelphi and of course Hofstra. These students have gone on to become professors and department heads of their universities, or have gone on to remember her service for years to come.
An Estabrook winner, Sue Zizza,a former student of Ms. Abram who spoke on her behalf said, “While I was not one of her talented students, she did instill in me the ability to finish a task, and it was through that class that I became more and more enamored of the sound work that I did then as an undergraduate and do today in my professional work.”
Naomi Lewis Drucker, a member of the class of ‘57 of Hofstra and a recipient of the Estabrook award, had a firsthand experience of Blanche Abram’s expertise and service, being a friend and colleague of hers for 50 years. “Blanche is an outstanding, musician, pianist, performer and teacher who was dedicated to her students in an extraordinary way.”
Blanche Abram told the ceremony, “I love music, I love the way music explores the different ways it feels to be alive, the magic of life, the sorrow, the joy, the anger sometimes, and it’s a wonderful thing that’s excellent to be reminded of how it feels to be alive.”
Abram is a pianist and co-director of The American Chamber Ensemble and has received other honors such as the Pathfinder Award from the Town of Hempstead and a 2011 citation from the Nassau County executive. She has also been inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
Martin Guigui, an extremely talented screenwriter, film director, songwriter and film composer was up next to receive the award. Guigui has worked on 18 major pictures, being the director of eight of them, including “Beneath the Darkness” with Dennis Quaid, which is premiering January 6, 2012. He’s written two albums and has become an unprecedented member of the musical community, working with artists such as Bret Michaels of Poison, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, Phish and Bo Diddley.
Friend John Blenn ‘82, who previously received the award, told us, that Guigui is “one of those rare Renaissance men. When we went to college, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue music, or film, so he basically has just done all of it throughout his entire career.”
Guigui told us stories about how he ended up at the University. “I chose Hofstra because it gave me an opportunity to try everything that I wanted to potentially do.” He said that the extensive art program brought him in particularly. Herbert Doichan, the chairman of the music department “gave me the opportunity to open up myself to all the possibilities that existed in composition of music and I’ve never had that happen before.” Guigui also told hilarious stories of sneaking into Emily Lowe Hall just to play the piano downstairs for hours on end, composing a lot of what he’s famous for today.
Dr. Diana E. Lake, also a former student of Hofstra graduating in ‘68, followed Guigui. Lake is in possession of a distinguished career in clinical medicine and cancer research, practice and teaching. Lake has received countless grants in order to continue her research in leukemia, human markers in breast cancer and breast biology in minorities. Her widely known published research, her active participation in many philanthropic organizations and community affairs have allowed her to attain recognition by several scientific review committees of the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health.
“If you had to go to an oncologist, this is who you’d want to go to,” said Jill Raben ‘75 who reflected on Lake’s work. Her achievements were related back to a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that said, “All the labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
Like those given the award before her, Lake stressed how Hofstra played a big part in her success. “My experience at Hofstra has been extraordinary. I had a great education here; I had a great time here. I can join others in saying that Hofstra really prepared us to be successful in our careers. It also prepared us for all of life’s adventures, and life is an adventure.”
Debra Markowitz ’89, a part of both the Nassau County Film Office and the Long Island International Film Expo, was next to receive the award. Markowitz attended Hofstra part-time after realizing that if she wanted to truly go somewhere, she had to get a good education. She described her frustration with balancing workload with the rest of life’s hardships. She remembered saying to a friend, “I won’t get my degree for eight years! I‘ll be 30!” Her friend said, “Well, you’ll be 30 in eight years anyways.” Markowitz said it was some of the best advice she’s ever been given.
Markowitz has gone on with her Hofstra B.B.A. in management, general business, and became a novelist as well as a freelance writer. She was a member of the part-time graduate student senate. She was also a part of the Tapper Bragg Memorial Scholarship Award Fund.
Also speaking of her education at Hofstra, Markowitz said, “Hopefully the knowledge I gained at Hofstra has allowed me to help some people along the way.”
Though not present, former governor David A. Paterson ‘83 received the award as well. Paterson became the first African American governor of New York and the second blind governor in the United States in 2008. Michael J. Raab recognized him by saying he was “a person who has really overcome a huge obstacle in his life and continues to be a fantastic supporter to U.S. society.”
As New York’s 55th governor, Paterson cut $42 billion from the state deficit. He also made judicious investments in infrastructure and business growth under his leadership. Today, he takes part in organizations that assist visually and physically challenged individuals, becoming a nationally recognized advocate of said organizations.
Raab told the crowd, “He was incredibly touched that he was selected for the Estabrook awards. Unfortunately, Thursday afternoon I received an email message that, once again, David stepped in at the time of a problem. Our secretary of state Hilary Clinton is, as you know, traveling and she did ask that Governor Paterson attend on her behalf in Buffalo today. He wanted to make it very, very clear that Hofstra is a part of his heart and his home.”
After a break to eat and talk to others at our tables, Connie Roberts ‘99, ‘05, went up to receive her award. At age 20, Roberts emigrated from Ireland and lived in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. For the longest time, she waited tables at an Irish bar and would stroll to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She had never actually entered the museum, believing that she wasn’t worthy to enter.
With an education from Hofstra University, Roberts received the 2010 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for her manuscript Not the Delft School, inspired by her experiences in Ireland. She now works as a professor at Hofstra teaching creative writing and takes part in Hofstra’s Irish Studies Program.
Roberts said that Hofstra “Gave me a key to the Met, and keys to the world.” She was very humble and thankful for the opportunity she received. She dedicated the award to her seven-year-old son Aiden, “who has been through the doors of the Met, many times.”
A true patriot was up next to receive his award. Dr. Herbert D. Rosenbaum fled Germany to the United States in 1930. Shortly thereafter, he became a part of the 25th U.S. Army Division. He served his country proudly and did a service to this country that John Budnick, chairman of the board of the Estabrook Alumni Association, didn’t want us to take lightly.
John Budnick ‘71, also a recipient of the award, said, “He does more work perhaps for Hofstra now than even when he was a faculty member!” referencing Dr. Rosenbaum’s service to Hofstra for the past 60 years even after he retired from teaching political science. “I cannot speak and tell you how much of what Hofstra is now owes itself to a fellow who’s a recipient from Germany.”
Rosenbaum was truly honored to receive this award, and thanked Hofstra extensively for it. “I can’t tell you Hofstra stories, because it will make you cry, or laugh, maybe simultaneously. My life at Hofstra has been a great blessing to me. I don’t know what my life would have been had I not ended up at Hofstra. It was my good fortune to land at a college where the faculty and the administration formed what we call a community, a genuine community of human beings aware of their place and determined to do the best they knew how to do to advance their cause.”
Last, but certainly not least, was a student of Dr. Rosenbaum’s, Wayne Wink ‘94. Wink grew up only a mile and a half away from Hofstra’s campus. He talked about riding his bike to campus to terrorize faculty, or going to the playhouse for a school field trip. He eventually went to Hofstra and received his B.A. in political science. Since then, Wink has served on the North Hempstead Town Board and was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2007. He is now a partner in the firm of Gerstman, Schwartz & Wink, where he practices real estate and litigation.
“I feel as though I really grew up at Hofstra,” Wink said, speaking both literally and figuratively. “The day I stepped foot on campus, I was 5′ 3.” He’s now well over that height. Wink said that Hofstra University “provided me the chance to grow that no other school on my list could, in retrospect, possibly provide. I have so much to owe Hofstra University for where I am today and where I’ve come from that I couldn’t begin to put into words how much I appreciate it.”
Dr. Herbert D. Rosenbaum (center, with boutonniere) stands with former students as he is honored with the George M. Estabrook award. Rosenbaum was a long-time professor of Political Science at the University. (Cody Heintz/The Chronicle)
