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Letters
Letter from the Editor | Losing June
N
ormally, i take great pleasure in finding
words to put on a page, and I am so grateful
to have a forum in which to share the stories
of St. Lawrence with all of you. However, in
this case, there is no joy in finding the words
to express how deeply sad I am at the tragic
passing of our colleague, June Peoples, who had joined the
University Advancement and University Communications teams
in August 2016 as a writer, following an extremely successful 12-
year tenure as the director of giving and finance at North Country
Public Radio. On the evening of December 1, after we had
finalized some edits for her articles on pages 30-33, June was killed
in a roadside accident while rescuing two stray dogs.
The attempt to express the loss of June is beyond frustrating.
All words, written and spoken, are ridiculously inadequate to
capture and illustrate June’s impact on the North Country
and on the many lives she enhanced. June’s community
involvement included the Potsdam Humane Society,
Canton-Potsdam Hospital, St. Lawrence Health System,
and Reachout of St. Lawrence County. She had a passion
for dance and was a Zumba instructor at several locations,
including St. Lawrence University.
St. Lawrence is where I met June. The University was a new
beginning for both June and me—new jobs, new surroundings,
new culture, a place where we would have to make new friends.
I confess, I was nervous about starting over. June started shortly
after me, similarly shifting professional gears and similarly
anxious and excited by the opportunity to tell the St. Lawrence
story. As June put it, “Every Laurentian has a story to tell—
stories of inspiration, passion, commitment, and gratitude.”
June had many talents. Not only was she a strategic thinker and
an excellent writer, June was warm and generous, while
simultaneously being an unapologetic mischief-maker. Both clever
and wise, June possessed a unique emotional intelligence and
mastered a perfect blend of authority, humility, curiosity, humor,
and kindness. Her energy was palpable. She had a contagious
enthusiasm for chasing the right words and phrases to pin down
the narrative of how so many lives intersect on the St. Lawrence
campus and how those lives impact the living and learning of this
community for generations. I learned a lot from June.
Unfortunately, for all of us, sharing this space in time was
short-lived, and my heart breaks for all of those who lost the
many rich facets of June: the partner, the friend, the dancer, the
advocate, the storyteller, the rescuer, the joker, and the
mischief-maker. Losing June hurts.
St. Lawrence University is a catalyst in many ways, and for most
it is the place where we meet people who inspire us, show us their
passion, and teach us about commitment. It is the place where we
become friends and colleagues. It is the place where I met June.
And I am forever grateful.
Deborah Dudley
Editor
Letter to the Editor
|
Outdoor Adventures
i very much enjoyed the “From the Archives” photo in
the Fall 2016 edition of the University magazine in which
the paddlers of the Hudson reunited to commemorate their
incredible journey of 40 years ago. As an another Outing
Club member myself, I missed out on that adventure,
but I did climb quite a few high peaks with John Mabie
and Bob Holley. They were looking to knock off all 46 high
peaks. They had done most of them already. I was less
experienced, but I tagged along and did the 10 “trail-less”
peaks with them. I was amazed at how fast these guys hiked
and how light they would pack. Not a single extra piece of
equipment or stitch of clothing would be brought. Lean and
mean was the gospel. Well, wasn’t I surprised when Bob
pulled out a boom box and started playing a Grateful Dead
tune at the top of that 46th peak!
Wonderful memories. And to this day, I still hike those peaks.
Tom (Tab) Bersani ’78
Skaneateles, New York
Letter to the Editor
|
Nepal Connections
what a pleasure and eye opener reading your HOME section
in the Fall 2016 issue of the
St. Lawrence
magazine.
We found a coincidence in the article on Nepal and the
humanitarian efforts being put forth by St. Lawrence graduates.
The church we attend in Vermont has a drive to raise funds
to help rebuild schools in Nepal. The initiator and leader of
this fund drive is 13 years old. At two years of age, he came to
live in Vermont. He has set a goal of $1,000. Currently, he is
over that amount but has not yet achieved drive completion.
We are passing your article on to this 13-year-old boy and
his mother.
Ward and Janet Wilson ’51
Arlington, Vermont