1952

The handsome hills around Elmira, N.Y., are a lot like the rolling foothills of the Green Mountains located in South Ryegate, Vt. The difference to Gene Cesari is Dartmouth. He chooses South Ryegate over the place where he was born because he fell in love with the Connecticut River Valley in college.

Gene has had two jobs: the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, which delayed his graduation, and higher education. He started college teaching right after a master's degree in history and a doctorate, both from U-Penn, and he is now on the verge of his second academic retirement. "I know I will miss the students," he says, "because I missed them when I retired from Cedar Crest." He is looking forward to woodworking and wood sculpture, for which there was never enough time. He lets out a lot of pentup creativity in his wood shop.

"You know, I have never been satisfied with anything I have ever done," he reflects.

"Good grief! Aren't you being a little hard on yourself, Gene? Most people would say you've achieved a lot."

He thinks about it.

He taught at Clarkson College, U-Penn, Adirondack Community College, and then at Elmira. From there it was on to Cedar Crest College with a full professorship. Then a deanship at Elmira and another at Bennett College. He held the development chair for Elmira when he was selected as president of Cedar Crest.

Cedar Crest is a small, charming liberalarts school in Pennsylvania: one of the "dozen cousins" which include Hollins, Sweet Briar, Kueka, Wheaton, Goucher, and others. While there, he brought the school into the computer age, greatly reduced the debt, established post-baccalaureate programs with nearby Pennsylvania universities, beefed up the faculty, and radically revised the curriculum. He retired after ten years in 1988 and left Penn- sylvania with his wife, Judy, for the farm in South Ryegate.

But retirement was not to last. After two and a half years, Landmark College in Putney, Vt., called him to the biggest challenge of his life as its president. The College focuses its total resources on students with learning disorders such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. It grants a two-year degree, years which make all the difference in the lives of many of its students. The change is dramatic "Students going to Dartmouth will succeed wherever they go," says Gene. "Here, the change is dramatic. You can see the success. Except for Landmark, they would not achieve anything close to this level." Most students are young people. Some are not. There is the tennis pro with a four-year college degree who cannot prepare a tennis ladder and the sales executive who cannot write a presentation. The graduates are an acclamation to the school's program.

Gene has been doing woodwork all his adult life. He leaves to Judy, his wife of 37 years, the civic and social activities of South Ryegate. She taught art to special children and now is helping run the town government. There are two Cesari children, one in Maine and one just over the mountain in Chelsea, Vt. There are three grandchildren too, also Vermonters. All in all, a successful transplant to a beloved place.

Gene says, "Make youthful friends." We say, look no further than South Ryegate.

10 Grove Street, Pittsford, NY 14534

Students going to Dartmouth will succeed wherever they go. Here, the change is dramatic. You see the success. -GENE CESARI '52,PRESIDENT OF LANDMARKCOLLEGE FOR LEARNING-DISABLED STUDENTS