Above, Ed McMahon with Paula Zahn
and Barbara Walters at the Fred
Friendly First Amendment Award
Luncheon in 1999. At right, McMahon
was a guest at the 1995 Fred Friendly
luncheon with, from left, Walter
Cronkite, President John L. Lahey,
journalist and award recipient Bill
Moyers and the late Fred Friendly.
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ED MCMAHON
‘generous & genuine’
Mass Communications Center namesake will be missed
he University community was saddened to learn of
the death last
month of TV personality Ed McMahon, whose generosity made possible the creation of
the Ed McMahon Mass Communications Center in 1993.
The first-rate media production facility is equipped with up-to-date, high-definition technology for hands-on training in all aspects of radio, television, journalism and multimedia production.
John L. Lahey, president of Quinnipiac, said McMahon had been a
great friend and supporter of the University since his daughter, Linda,
attended in the late ’70s.
“His enthusiasm for Quinnipiac was infectious. Ed will always be
fondly remembered and sorely missed by everyone associated with
Quinnipiac,” Lahey said.
Jason Oksenhendler ’99 interviewed the longtime pitchman and
Tonight Show sidekick when McMahon visited campus in 1998. On a
Quinnipiac University School of Communications Facebook page
dedicated to remembrances of McMahon, he wrote, “The interview
ranks up there with my marriage and the birth of my son.”
Oksenhendler described McMahon as having a very commanding
presence. “His voice was as big as he was, and so was his heart. He
took the time to sit with me and talk about his illustrious career. Not
many 21-year-old journalists-to-be get the chance to sit down with a
living legend.”
McMahon told Oksenhendler about the time he and Carson were
visiting California in 1971 (they hadn’t moved to Burbank permanently until 1972), and there was an earthquake. “They were terrified––literally shaken because lights were swinging, and the whole
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studio was rumbling,” he related.
Being “second banana” on the Tonight
Show was not an easy job, McMahon
told Oksenhendler. McMahon mentioned that he had to be careful not to
upstage Carson and knew that his role
was to serve as the straight man to
advance the punchline.
Oksenhendler determined that
McMahon was “an ordinary guy” when
he asked if he could send him a resume
tape, and McMahon gave his home
address in Beverly Hills. “Every time that I sent him a tape over the
years while I was in local news, I always received a written response on
his personal letterhead,” Oksenhendler wrote.
Donald Weinbach, vice president of development and alumni
affairs, called McMahon a warm and generous individual. “He was
proud to inspire young people to love broadcasting because he loved
broadcasting,” he said. McMahon also was known for his role as host
of the amateur talent contest Star Search.
Even after the center’s dedication, McMahon remained a loyal
friend to Quinnipiac. Weinbach said he and Lahey contacted McMahon several times when they were on business in Los Angeles, and
McMahon was always willing to get together. He also attended several of the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award luncheons in New
York City.
Justin Louis ’00, the afternoon on-air personality at radio station
94.3 The Point on the Jersey Shore, shared that McMahon had a direct
influence on his career path. He later met McMahon when working as
an undergrad at AM 1220 WQUN.
“Touring the Mass Comm center when I was in high school is what
convinced me to go to Quinnipiac. If it wasn’t for Ed’s generous donation to Quinnipiac, I may not have ended up there, and who knows
what path my career would have taken,” he said in an email.
M A G A Z I N E
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A Special Calling
Student Phonathon workers connect with alumni
ost bosses frown on personal calls, but sophomore Alec Varcas routinely makes them for
hours as his boss looks on approvingly.
Varcas is one of 25 students who comprise
the crew of the Quinnipiac Phonathon.
They slip on headsets with mics to connect
with alumni and parents, five days a week,
from September to early May.
He likes when alumni contrast the Quinnipiac of today with the
school they remember. “I love hearing their stories. We really create a
relationship over the phone that not only helps us connect, but it also
lets the alumni know they are still very important to the history and
well being of their alma mater,” says the business major.
M
Phonathon
student caller
Alec Varcas
celebrates a
new pledge
as Briana
Galeazzi
looks on.
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Q U I N N I P I A C
This spring, their message was more urgent than in the past.
Seventy percent of Quinnipiac students live in states hit hardest by
the recession and job losses, and the student loan market has become
more restrictive.
A few times, Varcas’ calls have resulted in pledges of $250. “Those
are a huge help to our scholarship and academic excellence funds, but
I remember talking to an alumna for almost a half hour recently. She
was very interested in what Quinnipiac was doing and chatted about
her times here. I asked for a contribution of $80 in celebration of
Quinnipiac’s 80th year. She was having a hard time with kids currently
in college, but she was adamant about giving. She kept apologizing that
she could only give us $50 this year, but I assured her that $50 was still
very helpful. Every donation helps.”
Sometimes alumni regale the student callers with stories about their
times at Quinnipiac. May Weekend comes up a lot, as do stories about
hiking Sleeping Giant Mountain and favorite professors. “And young
alumni tell us what professors to take,” says Danielle Mazeika, a junior
marketing major who chose that field based on a chat with an alumnus.
Jenna Bissonnette ’09 makes soliciting donations look easy. Kim
Evans ’07, manager of the Quinnipiac Fund, describes Bissonnette as
one of the most successful student callers. She’s helped bring in more
than $45,000 in pledges during her four years on the job. Her secret?
Connecting with the people she calls and having genuine conversations.
Controlled chaos reigns in the Phonathon room, located in the
Development and Public Affairs building off Hogan Road, across from
the soccer fields on Mount Carmel Avenue. The 20-by-24 room contains 13 cubicles from which 13 unique conversations emanate. Students in sweatshirts and jeans work three-hour shifts, supervised by
Evans, who began in April 2008. When the financial crisis hit, she realized her challenging job would become more difficult.
During the shifts, Evans fields questions tossed at her from one
student or another as she strolls behind them, plugging her headset
into their calls to listen and later offer encouragement. Students cover
several points on any given night, but the basic message remains the
same: pledges make Quinnipiac less dependent on tuition and help to
ensure that those who want a Quinnipiac education have access to it.
And, there’s one more thing.
U.S. News & World Report ranks colleges and universities in numerous
areas, one of which is the rate at which alumni give. “So, the more
alumni who pledge, the better our ranking, and the more valuable our
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JOHN HASSETT
BY JANET WALDMAN
From left,
sophomores Kevin
Mahoney, Ashley
Chacón-Baker, Alec
Varcas and Angela
Eng and junior
Tisha Parris.
degrees and their degrees are,” explains John Scholl, a public relations
major who enters his sophomore year this fall. Handling rejection is
part of the job—the hardest for Scholl, who likes to squeeze a glob of
Silly Putty between calls.
Although their mission is serious, the students find time to share
some laughs with alumni as well. Briana Galeazzi, who is entering her
sophomore year, says she was conversing with an alumna who suddenly blurted, “I gotta go. There’s somebody at the front door, and I’m
naked. Bye.”
Making a connection
One mid-April evening, Evans told the nine students working that
shift that they would be calling parents, alumni and friends who would
be asked to become donors at the $1,000 or above level.
The can-do energy evident in her voice is meant to motivate and
inspire the callers, all of whom are only a few years younger than she.
Hillary Dirks, a sophomore physical therapy/athletic training major,
says, “I love talking to people interested in the school, and I really like
talking to parents of freshmen because I’m going through the same
stuff their son or daughter is,” she says. Dirks dons her headset and
settles in. A few minutes later, student coach and supervisor Andrea
Celetti ’09 yells, “Hillary just got a $1,000 pledge!” As the news buzzes
around the room, students remove their headsets in awe. Scholl knows
the feeling. He’s in the $1,000-pledge club.
“Woo-hoo,” says Evans, slapping Dirks a high five. Dirks is beaming.
It’s her highest pledge ever. Big pledges are not routine. The average
Phonathon pledge was $77 this fiscal year, up from $63 last year.
“This lady gave in ’05 and ’06, so I told her about the improvements
around campus and how with the tough economy, some may not be
able to attend. She seemed apprehensive and said, ‘I don’t know, I
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haven’t given in a few years.’ I told her she could direct her gift to
School of Health Sciences and in installments, and she said, ‘I think I
can do $1,000 this year.’ It’s a good feeling, for sure.”
Dirks writes a thank-you note and gets back to work. At 7:15 p.m., an
hour into the shift, the total is $2,455.
Celetti, who worked the phones 21⁄2 years before being promoted to
supervisor, helps Evans with student questions and helps them complete credit card pledges. Valerie D’Angiolini, a freshman communications major, approaches Celetti, her long dark hair partially covering a
wide smile. She hands Celetti a pledge card.
“Valerie just got a $1,000 pledge!” Celetti announces. More woohoos and high fives.
“I asked this parent about her daughter’s time here. She sounded
rushed, so I didn’t expect much, and then she said, ‘I will give $1,000,
the same as I gave last year.’ To myself, I said, ‘Really?’ To her I said,
‘Wow, thanks!’” D’Angiolini sits down and Dirks pops up with another
pledge, this time for $500. Dirks would go on to get another $300 to
record her best night ever. It’s 7:45 p.m., and the total is now $4,105.
Danielle Sequira gets a $500 pledge from a parent who has given $50
and $100 in the past. Sequira, a physical therapy major entering her
sophomore year this fall, said they specified it go toward scholarships.
“You guys are doing so well tonight!” says Evans. The grand total for
the evening was $5,505—the second-best night of the fiscal year. This
spring, the students had 12.9 percent increase in pledges over last
spring despite the economic downturn.
Phonathon student callers take their job seriously. After all, the
money they raise affects generations of students who will follow them.
On the T-shirt they designed and wear around campus, the words “Got
Scholarships?” is on the front and “You’re Welcome” is on back. It’s
meant to remind fellow students that financial support is a gift, and not
to be taken for granted.
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