Join fellow alums and newly accepted students for an insightful panel discussion (see bios below) on life at Cornell. Big Red Centenarian Sam Bender DVM ’41 will share highlights of what life on the Hill was like in the 1930’s post-depression era, Bob Linden BA ’71/MD ’75 will recount events of tumultuous ’60s, and finally Bethany Douglas BS ’15 will explain the current campus culture.
 
Audience participation is welcome — share your own stories so that together we can explore what’s changed and what remains the same at our beloved alma mater! A reception with light refreshments will follow. The event is free of charge but please RSVP by Wednesday, April 19th.

Directions to Laurelmead
The Laurelmead Cooperative is located at 355 Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, R.I. From Blackstone Boulevard, turn into the multi-institutional area for the “Butler Campus.” Follow signs to Laurelmead, turning right onto Ray Drive. Parking is allowed on the semi-circular drive in front of the facility. Should these spaces be filled, take the first right past the building off the semi-circle into Wingate Residences. Follow Wingate’s main road behind its building all the way to the very last parking lot (behind Laurelmead). Park anywhere there and follow the walking path from the lot into Laurelmead’s rear entrance. Make a quick left off the hallway and follow signs to the Odeon Theater.

The Speakers:

Sam Bender ‘41
Samuel Living Bender was born March 7, 1916 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He graduated from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1941 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, putting his education to good use in various jobs from Federal Meat Inspector for the stockyards of Chicago to a small practice in Tupper Lake, NY. Sam and his wife Shirley eventually settled in Riverdale, NY where he practiced for the rest of his veterinary career. He retired in 1984 and last June attended his 75th year Reunion at Cornell, the oldest alum in attendance. He celebrated his 101st birthday last month.

Bethany Douglas ’15
Bethany graduated from Cornell in 2015 with a dual degree in Communication and Development Sociology from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. She was Captain of the Varsity Swimming & Diving team, and an executive board member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Bethany now lives in New York City, working for IBM as a Next Gen Intrapreneur. She is a 2016 TCS New York City Marathon finisher, and a Team For Kids runner and advocate. Her ideal Saturday is spent on a long run to the Lower West Side, followed by a table for one at Dig Inn. When not enjoying time spent people-watching, she can be found exploring the East Village with many of her Pi Phi sisters from Cornell.

Bob Linden ’71
Bob Linden ’71, MD ‘75 was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and rowed crew all four years, the first two on the Heavyweight Team and the last two in the Lightweight Varsity First Boat. After graduation he opened a practice of internal medicine and geriatrics with Dave Thompson ’71, MD ’75 in Niantic, CT. In 2007 he retired and went on to write an award winning book, The Rise & Fall of the American Medical Empire. He currently teaches at both Yale and UCONN Medical Schools. A proud Cornell alumnus, he is President of Sigma Nu’s Alumni House Corporation and Program Chair for the Coastal Connecticut Cornell Club.