I am a recipient of Rensselaer alumni magazine, and have been for decades. I find the stories to be fascinating, relevant, and often inspirational. My time at Rensselaer ended memorably as well. I recall my graduation day quite clearly. A lovely May day in 1985 in the old hockey rink. We were all quite excited because we were graduating, but nervous as well for what the future would hold. We architects, always trying to be different, wore “pencil hats” on our heads, making us quite noticeable to our fellow graduates. This day was momentous as well because we had just won the national hockey championship a day or two earlier. And then, amazingly, just two or three days after graduation, I was sitting back home at my parents’ place on Long Island — watching hockey, of all things — and there was Adam Oates ’85 starting for the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, if memory serves, he scored a hat trick in his very first game. I then learned that George Servinas ’85 had also not only signed up for, but was already playing in the NHL. These were guys who I sat next to in Psych 101 with Professor Douglas! Oates went on to have a major career and became one of the greatest players of all time, and Servinas had a pretty memorable career as well. A glorious finish to my years in Troy. (Read about a recent project by Adam Kushner.)

— Adam Kushner ’85 | Manhattan, New York