Eulogy for Doreen L. Cechnicki

On a sunny July 4th in 1939, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig stepped up to a microphone on the field at Yankee Stadium, announcing the end of his career at the hands of a terrible disease that would slowly but surely rob him of everything but his thoughts and personality.

On a sunny March 6th, 2011, as I waited for a flight in the Baltimore airport coming back from visiting a friend in Florida, mom called me with the news, that she was formally diagnosed with the same awful disease that took Lou Gehrig so long ago. As I wept in the airport, realizing the 3-5 years that we likely had left, she did what she was always able to, and bring out the best in the situation. "It's ok," she said, “I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and that would be it. At least here we know we have some time."

University at Albany Alumni Awards Gala

I first want to begin by thanking the Alumni Association and in particular Brian Fessler, Mike Christakis, and De’Shawn Wright for their nomination for this honor.  It is a great privilege to stand before you, and see so many friends, colleagues and classmates.

In the months since I first learned of this award, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the University at Albany--why I ultimately decided to enroll, what my experiences were, and how have they impacted my career.

One theme kept coming to mind, and perhaps one that is familiar to many of you: we came to Albany for the proximity to power, and stayed out of a sense of service--specifically, for a career in public service.