News

Danita Emma, artistic director of Syracuse University’s Summer Dance Intensive, invited to teach master classes at the National Ballet of Bulgaria in November and December.

The Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP) will host Greg Vadney, director and chief curator of the Stickley Museum, the official museum of L. & J.G. Stickely, Inc., on Thursday, Nov. 18. Vadney will discuss the 120-year history of Stickley furniture, which began in a small workroom in Binghamton when the Stickley brothers started handcrafting simple wooden chairs. The tradition of quality furniture making that spans two families, the Stickleys and the Audis, continues thriving today.

As curator and director of the museum since 2006, Vadney has spearheaded the museum’s creation and curated the inaugural 8,000-square-foot exhibit “A Well Crafted Legacy.” He is chairman of the American Association of State and Local History’s National Corporate History Committee. Prior to joining Stickley, Vadney attended the Cooperstown Graduate Program, earning a master’s degree in history museum studies. While a student, he served as an exhibitions intern at the Fenimore Art Museum and as a curatorial intern at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

IRP, established by University College of Syracuse University, provides opportunities for retired people to stay intellectually active, to expand interests and make new acquaintances. Presentations are made by Syracuse University faculty and specialists within the community.

The program is free and open to the public. Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Syracuse, 5833 E. Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville. Several times each year, members may take part in special activities such as day trips, tours and luncheons.

For more information on this program, call University College at (315) 443-4846, or visit http://www.yesu.syr.edu/IRP.

The Nov. 18 session of Thursday Morning Roundtable (TMR) features Gregg Tripoli, executive director of the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA). He will talk about some of the things that OHA is doing to contribute to economic development in our community, including its new educational program “Our Entrepreneurial History,” for which it uses compelling stories from local history as case studies to help encourage entrepreneurship. Tripoli will then offer a sample of one of the segments of this educational program: a case study of the Shubert Brothers and how they built the largest theatrical empire in history.

A native of Liverpool, N.Y., Tripoli received a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. After four years as a banker on both U.S. coasts, he relocated to Italy to serve as the special assistant to the Minister of Economic Affairs for the Republic of San Marino. For the next 20 years, Tripoli traveled the world as a management consultant for a group of multinational companies headquartered in Kuwait.

Since February of 2008, he has been the executive director of the OHA, which operates a Museum and Research Center on Montgomery Street. Tripoli is also vice president of Cathedral Square Development Corp., a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA) and the Cathedral Square Neighborhood Association. He serves on the board of directors of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, the advisory board of Art-In-Motion, and several committees for Syracuse University’s South Side Initiative, the Connective Corridor and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He is a 2010 recipient of the YWCA’s Academy of Diversity Achievers Award.

TMR meets from 8:15-9:15 a.m. at Drumlins, 800 Nottingham Rd. For further information, contact Sandra Barrett, director of community programs, (315) 443-4846 or visit http://www.yesu.syr.edu/community/tmr. The TMR program is broadcast on WCNY-FM, 91.3 on Sundays at 8 p.m., and at http://www.wcny.org/tmr.

The Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP) will host Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner on Nov. 4. Miner will discuss new initiatives under way for the City of Syracuse, as well as challenges facing the community.

Miner was elected in 2009, becoming the 53rd mayor of the City of Syracuse and the first woman elected mayor of any of the “Big 5” cities in New York state.

She attended Syracuse University, graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science and journalism in 1992. After college, she worked as the assistant upstate coordinator for Geraldine Ferraro for U.S. Senate, and then served as Central New York Regional Representative to Governor Mario Cuomo in 1994.

In 1999, Miner earned her J.D. from SUNY Buffalo and began working at Blitman & King, LLP as a labor lawyer, representing unions and employees. Miner became a Syracuse common councilor-at-large in 2002 and was re-elected to the council in 2005.

The Institute for Retired Professionals, established by University College of Syracuse University, provides opportunities for retired people to stay intellectually active, to expand interests and make new acquaintances. Presentations are made by SU faculty and specialists within the community.

The program is free and open to the public. Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Syracuse, 5833 E. Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville. Several times each year, members may take part in special activities such as day trips, tours and luncheons.

For more information on this program, call University College at (315) 443-4846.

The Oct. 28 session of Thursday Morning Roundtable (TMR) features Roger Evans, New York State Department of Labor economic analyst for Central New York.