Nathan Chronister, MS '96, Marianne Lavelle '55, Bob Sigurdsen '69

This Must Be Some Kind of Record!

This October, Bob Sigurdsen '69 will attend his 45th consecutive Bucknell Homecoming and football game. Sigurdsen, who graduated with a B.S. degree in business administration, translated his knowledge into creating a successful homebuilding company, Woodshire Homes, Ltd. in his native Rochester, N.Y. Yet, Bucknell is his true second place of the heart, with the events of Homecoming re-energizing many positive memories and treasured friendships. "Bucknell in the fall," he says, "is especially beautiful. A lot of my old friends from college come back."

A National Merit Scholarship recipient, Sigurdsen was a member of the original group that re-established the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity in 1968. He recalls his academic program as one that allowed him to become a fully rounded individual, giving him the opportunity to take an array of enriching electives, including foreign languages. In addition, he says, "One of my major attractions to Bucknell was the open space." He sees the campus' integration with nature as conducive to learning and hopes the University will preserve the green and blossoming atmosphere that evokes its distinctive "sense of place." This, he says, contributes to creating a balanced college experience, harmonizing academics, camaraderie and a nurturing connection with Pennsylvania's natural beauty.

While some aspects of Homecoming have changed over the years, tradition is still the magnet that beckons alumni to return. In 1979, a fraternity dinner banquet began, and for 31 years, a local restaurant has hosted the festivities.

Sigurdsen looks forward to many more homecomings. If he had to do it all over again, he would change nothing - except perhaps "to study a little harder." With such enthusiasm, Sigurdsen can make anyone believe that "the clock turns back and the years melt away," when all elements come together to conjure Homecoming's perennial magic. – Maria Jacketti

World Bridges

For Elena Augustine ’07, the world truly is a classroom. Born into a diplomatic family in Washington, D.C., in 1985, she grew up on the move and living in capital cities, as her childhood and teenage days spanned one- to three-year sojourns in Bulgaria, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Austria and the United States. As a member of the Peace Corps’ pilot Youth Development Program in Kazakhstan, Augustine leads English clubs and builds an organizational structure that includes strategic planning and budget diversification. The program also provides Internet access, and the simpler pleasures of guitar and dance lessons.

As the youth are learning, so is Augustine. She arrived in the country knowing approximately 30 words of Russian and, in less than a year, her command of the language has accelerated to an intermediate level. She continues her formal education as a student in the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, working towards a master’s in international administration, a degree offered in conjunction with the Peace Corps.

She first heard about Bucknell when a recruiter visited her high school in Austria and she subsequently discovered that both her grandmother, Margaret Schuyler Augustine ’30, and great-uncle, George Schuyler ’21, had attended the University. Although both died before she was born, Bucknell extended an important link to her family history.