Six new members will be inducted into the SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame during its 45th annual banquet and ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the College's Corey Union.
The 2013 honorees are:
• Warren "Red" Kilmer '56, a baseball standout at Cortland under coach Carl "Chugger" Davis and a long-time Associate in the New York State Education Department's Bureau of Health and Drug Education;
• Tim Sullivan '65, a distinguished professor, coach and Health, Physical Education and Leisure Studies Department Chairperson at Montclair State University and a former Cortland football player, wrestler and lacrosse player;
• Sue Zawacki '74, a member of Cortland's field hockey, basketball, softball and golf teams during the early years of those programs' intercollegiate status, and a successful collegiate athletic administrator and women's basketball coach;
• Heather Brendel Evans '81, an All-American on Cortland's 1980 national championship women's soccer team and a decorated physical education teacher in the West Irondequoit (N.Y.) school district since 1985;
• Julie Gentner Murphy '03, a three-time All-American in both field hockey and softball and 2001 Div. III National Field Hockey Player of the Year who helped Cortland win a national title;
• and honorary inductee Mike "Parge" Partigianoni, Cortland's athletics equipment room supervisor since 1987 and an employee at the College since 1980.
C-Club Hall of Fame Weekend Information Page (Alumni Association)
C-Club Hall of Fame Weekend Facebook Page
In addition to Saturday night's official ceremony, the inductees will be introduced at halftime of the Cortland-William Paterson football game earlier that afternoon.
Established in 1969, the C-Club Hall of Fame recognizes Cortland alumni who competed as athletes at the College and who since have distinguished themselves in their professions and within their communities. Honorary members are recognized for their long and significant contributions to SUNY Cortland athletics. New C-Club members have been added annually and this year's ceremony will bring the Hall of Fame roster to 230 alumni and 27 honorary members.
A detailed look at this year's inductees follows.
Warren "Red" Kilmer '56
Easton, Md.
Warren "Red" Kilmer graduated from Cortland in January 1956 with a bachelor's degree in health education as part of the College's first-ever class in that major. For the last seven decades, he has shined as an educator, musician, and even to this day, as a baseball player.
Kilmer played baseball for four seasons at Cortland, two on the varsity level, under head coach Carl "Chugger" Davis. He batted .360 during the Red Dragons' 9-0 undefeated season in 1954, and in 1955 earned the team's Red Letter and MVP awards with a .425 batting average. The second baseman signed professionally with the Milwaukee Braves after his senior season, played in the minors in the summer of 1955 and went to spring training in 1956.
The Schenectady, N.Y., native graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in 1951. Upon his graduation from Cortland, he served in the U.S. Army Special Services Unit from 1956-58, then taught from 1958-70 in the Schoharie and Schenectady School Districts.
Kilmer became an Associate in the New York State Education Department's Bureau of Health and Drug Education in 1970 and worked there for 20 years. He helped implement the health and drug education mandate in schools throughout the state, and trained teachers, college undergraduate education majors, and community health professionals. From 1990-98, Kilmer consulted for the U.S. Department of Education and the Ayco Company, L.P.
Known as "The Banjo Man," Kilmer began performing professionally at age 12 alongside his father. He honed his craft in college by playing with a Dixieland band comprised of Cortland student musicians. He continues his lifelong passion by playing the tenor banjo professionally and has also played the mandolin as a member of the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra.
At 80 years old, Kilmer still competes for the Talbot Fair Play Base Ball Club, a team in Easton, Md., that plays "Vintage Base Ball" according to the rules of the 1860s, with no gloves. The team competes in approximately 40 games each season. Kilmer also was a silver medalist in the softball throw at the 2006 Maryland State Senior Olympics.
Kilmer has served on the Gift Planning Committee for both his 50th and 55th-year alumni reunions at SUNY Cortland. He has also returned for numerous Cortland baseball reunions and still plays in the program's alumni games.
Return to Top of Story
Tim Sullivan '65
Upper Montclair, N.J.
Tim Sullivan enjoyed more than 40 years as a highly successful teacher, administrator and coach at Montclair State University, and during that time was recognized for his extensive work supporting individuals with disabilities.
Sullivan graduated from Cortland in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and health and earned a master's degree from Ithaca College in 1967. A Brooklyn native and Saint Francis Prep alumnus, Sullivan transferred to Cortland from Arizona State University.
At Cortland, Sullivan played center, linebacker and tight end during two varsity football seasons in 1963 and 1964. He also was a lacrosse defenseman for two seasons and a heavyweight wrestler for one year. He served as a football and lacrosse co-captain in his senior year, and played in the 1964 Division All-Star Football Bowl Game. Off the field, he was the Delta Kappa Fraternity House Director in 1964.
In his senior year, Sullivan was part of a Red Dragon football squad that finished with an 8-1 record. The team's only loss was a 7-0 setback at Montclair State in the season finale. Ironically, it would be at Montclair State that Sullivan enjoyed many of his life's success stories.
Sullivan taught at Montclair from 1967 until his retirement in 2008. For 15 years, he served as the chair of the school's Department of Health Professions, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies. He also was Montclair's head wrestling coach from 1967-72, with a 43-27 overall record, and the men's lacrosse head coach from 1984-87. In addition, he was a football assistant coach from 1967-73. He served as offensive line coach when Montclair won the 1970 Knute Rockne Bowl for the NCAA Division II "East" national title.
Sullivan directed the Special Olympics of New Jersey from 1974-76 and was inducted into the New Jersey Special Olympics Hall of Fame in 2008. He also directed Montclair State's Special Needs Aquatic Program from 1975-2007 and the school's Saturday Afternoon Special Activities Program, designed to meet the physical activity needs of children with developmental disabilities ages 6-18, from 1975-2004. Sullivan also represented the National Diffusion Network as a cadre team member of Project ACTIVE (All Children Totally Involved Via Equity) by offering workshops from Maine to Alaska from 1975-85.
In 1995, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs gave Sullivan its highest honor, the Evelyn Aronow Dolan Citizens Award for Advocacy and Promotion of Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities.
Return to Top of Story
Sue Zawacki '74
Branford, Conn.
Sue Zawacki was a four-sport student-athlete during the infancy of women's intercollegiate athletics at Cortland in the early 1970s, and has been a highly regarded administrator and coach for almost four decades since.
A 1974 Cortland graduate with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Zawacki played basketball for four seasons, softball for three years, and was both a two-year field hockey player and golfer. As a senior, she batted .375 for Cortland's softball squad that finished second at the New York State Championships.
The Peekskill, N.Y., native served four years on Cortland's Women's Athletic Association (WAA). She was the WAA secretary and publicity manager as a sophomore and on the executive council as a senior. She also participated in the Officiating Club and was a Theta Phi Alpha sorority member from 1971-74. She is an alumna of Hendrick Hudson High School and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Zawacki taught and coached at Academy High School in Erie, Pa., from 1974-77. She earned a master's degree from Ithaca College in 1978, and started her intercollegiate athletics career as Associate Director of Intramurals and Instructor in Physical Education at Hamilton College later that year. She coached Hamilton's first women's basketball team in 1978 and brought the team to the state playoffs in just its second season of competition.
From 1980 to 1983, Zawacki was the Senior Woman Administrator, Director of Physical Education and Associate Professor of Physical Education at Amherst College. She directed the women's basketball and field hockey programs for 13 years. Zawacki moved to the University of Chicago in 1993 and was the Assistant Director of Athletics and Assistant Department Chairperson for seven years. At Chicago, she helped implement a successful women's basketball program that won 93 games in seven seasons, including a 19-7 mark and a first-ever NCAA tournament berth in 1995.
Zawacki began her current tenure as the senior associate director of athletics at the University of New Haven in 2000. She serves on the management team for developing departmental policy, as well as overseeing head coaches for a number of the Chargers' intercollegiate sports and the Sports Medicine Department.
Zawacki was national chairperson for the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee from 1986-93 and chairperson for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith National Award Committee from 1991-93 and 1998-2000. She's currently a member of the NCAA Division II Championships Committee.
Return to Top of Story
Heather Brendel Evans '81
Rochester, N.Y.
Heather Brendel Evans was one of the nation's top collegiate women's soccer players during Cortland's first three seasons as an intercollegiate varsity program. From 1978-80, Evans scored 64 goals — still the best in school history — and helped head coach Anna Boserup Rush Zado '57 guide her teams to a combined 38-4-1 record.
Evans' Red Dragon soccer career culminated in 1980 with a two-goal effort in a 5-1 win over UCLA in the first-ever Women's Collegiate National Soccer Championship game. She was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player at the national championship tournament in Colorado Springs after scoring four goals in three games – one versus Colorado State in the quarterfinals and one against Harvard in the semifinals in addition to her two goals in the finals. Following the season, she was named a first-team All-American. In all, Evans earned three Cortland Red Letters and was a two-time team captain.
Evans is a Spencerport, N.Y., native and was inducted into the Spencerport Central Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1981 and a master's degree from Cortland in 1983. She served as a graduate assistant women's soccer coach for the Red Dragons from 1981-83 and was the women's soccer head coach at Boston University from 1983-85.
Since 1985, Evans has taught physical education in the West Irondequoit (N.Y.) School District. During her teaching career, she has also coached soccer, volleyball and basketball at various levels.
In 1993, Evans received the West Irondequoit School District Excellence in Education Award, and in 2004 she was the recipient of the Central Western Zone of New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Elementary Teacher of the Year Award. In addition, she has served as co-coordinator of the Rogers School Outdoor Education program in West Irondequoit since 1998.
Evans has been involved with a variety of community service efforts in Spencerport, including serving as a Spencerport Brownie/Girl Scout Leader from 1996-2001, coaching the Spencerport Travel Soccer Club from 1998-2004, and helping organize many Spencerport High School class reunions.
Return to Top of Story
Julie Gentner Murphy '03
Amherst, N.Y.
Julie Gentner Murphy is one of the best players in the history of both the Cortland field hockey and softball programs.
The Williamsville, N.Y., native earned three All-America honors and was the 2001 NCAA Division III Player of the Year as a field hockey forward. The two-time SUNYAC Player of the Year helped Cortland win the 2001 national title, and she still ranks second in school history with career totals of 63 goals and 37 assists and third with 163 total points. She set a school single-season record as a senior with 64 points. Her teams advanced to at least the NCAA quarterfinals in each of her four seasons.
A three-time All-America softball shortstop, Murphy was a career .401 hitter and presently ranks first at Cortland with 58 doubles and 139 runs batted in and third with 224 hits. She earned two Academic All-America awards and was a four-time All-SUNYAC selection. As a senior in 2003, she set a school record with 18 doubles and helped Cortland tie for fifth nationally at the NCAA Division III World Series.
Murphy graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in sport management and a minor in economics. Since leaving Cortland, she has been a certified financial planner at L&M Financial Services in Amherst, N.Y., where she is a four-time Masters Prudential Council Award winner. Murphy ranks in the top five percent of Securities America Advisors nationally.
Murphy also coaches varsity softball at Williamsville South High School, her alma mater. She coached alongside her father, Gerry Gentner '66 – a former standout athlete at Cortland – from 2008 until he passed away in January 2012, and she has continued on as the program's head coach. The program won Class A sectional titles in both 2010 and 2011.
As the chairman of SUNY Cortland's Gerry Gentner Memorial Western New York Alumni Golf Tournament, Murphy helps raise money each year for a Western New York Cortland student. She also chairs the "Just Show Up" Gerry Gentner Memorial Softball Tournament in her father's honor. In addition, Murphy is an accomplished golfer who was named both the 2010 and 2013 Buffalo District Golf Association's Women's Player of the Year. She's a five-time Brookfield Country Club champion, was a top-10 finisher at the 2013 New York State Women's Amateur Championship, and was the 2013 Buffalo District Golf Association Player of the Year.
Return to Top of Story
Mike Partigianoni (Honorary)
Windsor, N.Y.
It's difficult to think about SUNY Cortland Athletics over the past 25 years and not have the name Mike Partigianoni come to mind. "Parge" has served as the Red Dragons' equipment room supervisor since 1987, and, to date, has dedicated 33 years of service to the College.
Partigianoni was hired at Cortland in 1980 and worked for five years as a cleaner and janitor in various campus buildings. He moved to the mail room in 1985, and two years later was assigned to his current role.
Under Partigianoni's supervision, the Athletics equipment room orders game uniforms, equipment, practice clothes and other inventory for Cortland's 25 varsity teams. The operation, which includes work-study students, issues equipment and uniforms to the student-athletes. It also washes laundry for Athletics, Athletic Training and Intramurals, among other groups.
In 1992, Partigianoni received the Fraser Stokes Award for outstanding service to SUNY Cortland Athletics. He also received the 2013 John L. Sciera '52 Award, a service award from Cortland's athletic trainers. In 2009, he assumed the role of assistant equipment manager for the New York Jets during their summer training camp at Cortland. He assists the Jets with laundry, issuing practice gear and fixing equipment problems for the players and coaches.
A Cortland native, Partigianoni graduated from Cortland High School in 1974. He was inducted into the Seven Valley United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Hall of Fame in 2001 and has eight perfect games and eight 800-series to his credit. He is the first left-hander in Cortland to bowl a 300 game.
Partigianoni's late brother, Greg, had a record of 53-32-1 as SUNY Cortland's head baseball coach from 1984-86, and his mother, Angie, worked as a secretary at the College for 29 years.
"Parge's dedication to Red Dragon Athletics goes above and beyond his everyday duties," said Cortland head athletic trainer and former basketball player Sonya Comins '96. "There have been many times when Parge has come in early or stayed late to accommodate teams for competition or travel. He has also been helpful in assisting the athletic training staff with equipment modifications and padding to aid student-athlete safety. He has certainly become and continues to be part of the SUNY Cortland Athletics culture."
Return to Top of Story
