Edward Catanzaro

Professor of Chemistry
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

Thirty-three years.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

The last great movie I saw was “In The Bedroom.” The script and the acting are superb. The movie stirs deep emotions; going from a horrible murder to an equally horrible, but primitively satisfying, eye-for-an-eye retribution.

What do you most value in your friends?

Mutual understanding.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I …

… was an all-star shortstop in the National Bureau of Standards fast-pitch softball league, and that I played goalie for the University of Wyoming soccer team.

My hobbies are …

… reading (history and science) and playing with my two grandsons, (Matt, 7, and Mike, 3).

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

Herb Walker — lawyer, gourmet cook, raconteur and expert on old movies and jazz. I would serve manicotti and chicken parmigiana.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt? What profession would you want to have nothing to do with?

I would like to try medicine, and I would not want to have anything to do with politics.

William O’Brien

Biology Laboratory Coordinator, Biological and Allied Health Sciences Department
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

Two years.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

Any book from the fantasy science fiction “Discworld” series by Terry Pratchett. The most recent I read was The Color of Magic. They are funny, surreal and intelligent and incorporate trivial knowledge that makes up everyday life.

What do you most value in your friends?

As Doug Larson [British middle-distance runner and 1924 Olympic gold medalist] once said, “A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your successes.”

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… am single.

My hobbies are …

I enjoy running and plan on participating in my first New York City Marathon this year. I love wandering around and finding new places to eat, explore and visit that are hidden treasures, whether it is in New York City or in the countryside of Bucks County [Pa.]. My advice to a person who is bored on any given day is to get in your car and get good and lost. I bet in your travels you’ll find a neat place to stop and visit and/or eat. (Just bring a map so you can find your way home.) I also enjoy kayaking, photography, surf fishing on Long Beach Island [N.J.], cooking, barbecuing and a good cigar while staring at a sunset.

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

Anybody who doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from or if there is even going to be one. What the meal would be is inconsequential.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I would like to be an artist and/or musician so I can convey my feelings in a way that could make people find a temporary escape from everyday life. And I would not want to be a pimp.

Jennifer Quirk

Director of Academic and Student-Athlete Support Services
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

I’ve been with Fairleigh Dickinson for almost five years, since July 1999. I started in the Academic Advisement Center and moved to athletics in August 2002.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

Babyville, by Jane Green. As I just became a mom, it is very fitting. I also really enjoy any book by Bill Bryson. He is a great humor writer. Being from a small town originally, I loved The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America.

What do you most value in your friends?

Humor and trustworthiness. I love people who can make me laugh out loud. I think trust is the basis of any relationship and allows you to feel comfortable in any situation.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… am from a small town in Indiana that has the third largest Amish population in the country, and that I have a brother that has been to Antartica three times.

My hobbies are …

… playing with my son, Brady; golfing; watching athletic events; being at the beach; baking; and, my husband would say, shopping.

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

My grandparents. I don’t think I fully appreciated them when they were alive, and I would love to learn from their wisdom now. I would serve lobster, steak, baked and au gratin potatoes and homemade pies.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I would love to try to be an actress because I love being on stage. I would not want to be a person in the IRS as people tend to get frightened by them easily.

Irene Thomson

Professor of Sociology
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

Since 1975.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I would recommend Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy for the sheer virtuosity of the writing.

What do you most value in your friends?

Humor, empathy and an interest in politics.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… consider a long leisurely meal at a first-rate restaurant one of life’s great pleasures.

My hobbies are …

… completely self-indulgent: reading and listening to classical music. I don’t really have any hobbies in the traditional sense.

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

My perfect dinner guest would be my husband, to whom I would serve any of his favorite dishes.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I can imagine myself as a journalist or a freelance writer. I cannot imagine myself in business or law, though I have repeatedly been told I’d be good at these.

February 2004

View text only for this complete issue.

Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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