Four Decades of Friendship
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
Friendships started in the classroom and in G6 have grown for forty years.
Friendships formed at Alfred State College continue to grow for a group of alumni that all graduated from curriculums at the Wellsville campus over forty years ago. Eleven of these friends returned to the campus where they met this fall to see their old stomping ground and more importantly, build on their connection that began in the late 1970's.
David Gabrielle, or Gabe amongst friends, has been the point person for G6 (G6 signifies the apartment the group lived in while they attended the Wellsville campus). Gabe earned three degrees, in '77 he earned his degree in automotive, in '78 he added an auto body degree, and in '79 he completed the trifecta with a truck and diesel degree.
The group that returned to campus this fall included:
- Gerry Bane, '78
Autobody - Chris Harrington, '79
Electrical - David "Gabe" Gabrielle, '78, '79
Automotive, Autobody, Truck and Diesel - Richard Kearns, '77
Automotive - Tom Lamb, '77
Automotive - Robert Mangold, '77 & '78
Automotive, Truck and Diesel - Sam McQueen, '78
Truck and Diesel - Laverne Morton, '77, '78, '79
Automotive, Autobody, Truck and Diesel - Cindy (Shank) Morton, '78
Drafting - William Whitlocke, '78
Automotive - Michael Zotter, '77
Truck and Diesel
“Many of us were grouped together in our freshmen year from different towns and states,” commented Gabe. “We were all thrown into the deep end and came to develop friendships and comradery as we all wanted to succeed. Those friendships grew stronger as more time, experiences, and social gatherings with each other continued.”
“Everyone had to go through the same strenuous, stressful routine,” added Robert Mangold. “The people who took the time to help you became close friends because it's tough to go through the curriculum by yourself. When you did get through, you all realized that you accomplished something special.”
Connections built on campus were only strengthened after graduation by attending each other's weddings, pool parties, toga parties, trips to the Indianapolis 500, houseboat trips on Lake Champlain and the 1000 Islands, and annual second weekend of July camping trips.
The annual camping trips to Skybrook Campground in Dansville took place from 1992 until 2006. Since then, the camping trips have evolved into destination trips where the group has traveled to places like Myrtle Beach, SC, Bar Harbor, ME, St. Lois, MO, and various locations around New York.
The first trip back to the Wellsville campus took place in 2018 as the groups celebrated 40 years of friendship. They were able to visit their old classrooms, interact with current students and faculty, and interact with then-ASC President Skip Sullivan.
“It was amazing how many things had changed,” commented Robert. “The freshman auto shop was the same but everything else was different. Different for the better. It was nice to see that the school is keeping up with what the industry needs.”
Gabe added, “We were extremely impressed with the growth of the Wellsville campus and that the high level of standards was still being maintained. All that attended wanted to do it again. We lost two dear friends, Bonnie (Drum) Maher, '77 and Paul Kesselring '77 & '78, so we moved up our next visit to 2023 instead of waiting until 2028.”
Both visits stirred up memories of their time at Alfred State. Memories of faculty members, memories of things that happened in class, and lots of memories outside the classroom like Halloween parties, semi-formals, road rallies, and Monday night movies with ten-cent drafts.
Gabe feels very fortunate to have made lifelong friendships that have grown stronger over the years. We consider ourselves a family and feel that those bonds were only strengthened by coming back and visiting campus.
“The numerous fun, happy, and emotional memories visiting the campus stir up is wonderful.”
Robert echoed Gabe's thoughts. “I think people should come back to visit the campus with friends because you will soon start to talk about all the things that our group talks about; The instructors, the things that went wrong in the shop, and the things you are working on in the real world.”
Do you have a group of friends from your time at Alfred State that want to reconnect with the college? The Alfred State Alumni Office would love to host you and your friends. Contact Mary Perkins today!
