CLASS NOTES

Norma Minkowitz A'58

Norma Minkowitz A'58, An artist and a world-class runner:

"A World-Class Artist Is Now A World-Class Runner

By Ray Glier

Her father was a concert pianist. Her mother a singer. Norma Minkowitz doesn’t seem to have the latent athleticism that would lead to a world-record in the 400.

Maybe not, but she has a virtue much more vital.

It is what scientists label “internal locus of control”, which is a personal orthodoxy that outcomes are within your control and determined by your hard work, or decisions. It is a brazen belief that “I got this”, which is how Norma ignored the soreness of a Baker’s Knee and the anxiety of her first race on a high-banked indoor track and set that world record on February 25 in Staten Island, N.Y.

Meredith Bergmann A'77

Meredith Bergmann A'77 has the honor of being chosen to sculpt a bust of the late US Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for installation in the staircase of the NYS Capitol Building in Albany, New York. To read more about Meredith Bergmann's sculpture of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the NYS Capitol Building, please click here.

Stephen P. Welby CE'87

We are proud to announce the confirmation of Stephen P. Welby CE'87 to the position of Deputy Director, National Security, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Umberto A. Gonzales (A'52)

Guy Gonzales, on behalf of the legacy of his late father, Master Ben A. Gonzales (Umberto A. Gonzales  A'52):

Greetings, Cooper Union Alumni,

My name is GUY, and thanks well in advance for your patience and consideration. This letter today is regarding my ongoing struggle to preserve the legacy of my father, Master Ben A. Gonzales; a sculptor-educator, Filipino immigrant, and Cooper Union graduate (Umberto A. Gonzales, Class of '52). Cooper Union itself was the catalyst to my Dad's development and subsequent journey rife with significance. As I possess sole ownership of the collection of sculptures that comprise his life's work (predominantly horses of all sizes and mediums) and due to my Dad's lifelong affiliation with Cooper,  I thought to reach out to you operating on my gut instincts, which remain relatively intact.  Sincerely, Gayong Dagat Gonzales (GUY)

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.