HARPUR HOTLINE
Contents

Harpur's Early Years Recalled During Rededication

Harpur College in the Mall

Recovering Masterpieces Lost in the Holocaust

Wall Street On Campus

Role-playing Exercise Offers Environmental Insight

Shop Harpur Online

Share a Memory

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Tales of pot-bellied stoves in classrooms during winter and the infamous ‘gastric chamber’ a.k.a., the cafeteria, abounded as guests returned to Harpur’s roots in Colonial Hall to recall those early years and reflect on the vision of the College’s early pioneers. And as Harpur’s Dean, Jean-Pierre Mileur pointed out during a brief presentation, "The enterprising spirit demonstrated by Harpur’s early faculty and students is part of the College’s culture today and it is one we continue to celebrate." He went on to congratulate the founding faculty for establishing the spirit and tradition that has built Harpur, adding: "I only hope we, who are part of the institution today, can do as much for the College and BU during our tenure as you did during yours."

BU President, Lois DeFleur also recognized the foundation set by Harpur’s early pioneers, noting, "Who could have imagined 50 years later we’d have a nationally recognized doctoral research university with a world-renowned faculty?" She also expressed her delight at the fact that Colonial Hall was to be preserved as the Endicott Visitor’s center. "I remember when I first started at Binghamton, there were plans to tear the place down to make way for a parking lot," she said. "I am so glad that it didn’t happen because we would not be able to join here tonight to celebrate in this wonderful and important part of BU’s history."

Founding faculty member, Dr Christian 'Pete' Gruber joined Richard Eckert, BU Faculty Senate Chair and Rosmarie Morewedge, BU Faculty Senate Vice Chair and Harpur faculty member as they shared memories and anecdotes of Harpur in a ‘then and now’ retrospect.

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If you’re shopping at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City, don’t forget to stop by the Harpur College display located near the Mall’s Center Court.
The display features photos and memorabilia spanning 50 years.

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Recovering Masterpieces Lost
in the Holocaust
When the Seattle Art Museum finally handed over the colorful Matisse painting Odalisque to its rightful owners -- the Paul Rosenberg family -- in June 1999,
Owen Pell '80 celebrated in the victory. Pell and the law firm in which he is partner, White & Case LLP, helped the Rosenbergs pursue the return of the artwork, sifting through a trail of documentation and Holocaust memories that spanned 60 years. For Pell, the Rosenberg case was a story of loss, tragedy and survival. But more importantly, it was one in which justice finally prevailed.

Pell's involvement with the case began in 1997, when the family of Rosenberg, who was one of France's most prominent art dealers, located the missing painting in the museum's collection. Odalisque, also known as Oriental Woman Seated On the Floor, was painted by Henri Matisse in 1927 and was estimated to be worth $3 million to $5 million. It had been missing since 1940, stolen by the Nazis from Rosenberg's gallery in Paris.

"Rosenberg was one of the principal representatives of Matisse and Picasso from 1920 through the start of World War II," said Pell. "His collection was one of 50 major private French collections specifically targeted for looting by the Nazis after their conquest of France. Although Rosenberg was able to hide many works before fleeing to the U.S., Odalisque by Matisse was one of a cache of 168 paintings removed from a bank vault in Southeastern France and confiscated."

During the war, Odalisque, considered "decadent" and unacceptable art by the Nazis, was traded by Nazi art dealers to a Swiss art dealer active in Paris. In exchange, they received several Renaissance tapestries wanted by Adolf Hitler for his private art collection. After the war, the painting was sold on the Paris art market to a Parisian gallery, which, in turn, sold it to the Knoedler Gallery in New York City. In 1954, it was sold to Prentice Bloedel, a founder of the MacMillan-Bloedel timber company, and his wife, Virginia. The Bloedels bequeathed the painting to the Seattle Art Museum, where it was displayed only a few times after its acquisition in 1990.

The pieces of the puzzle finally came together when the Bloedels' granddaughter noticed a black-and-white photo of the "missing" Odalisque in a book by Hector Feliciano, The Lost Museum. She brought the painting's whereabouts to the attention to Feliciano and the Rosenberg family.

As an art dealer, Rosenberg had kept photo records of his inventory. The family contacted the museum, which refused to return the painting. Ultimately a lawsuit was filed in Seattle seeking return of the work, and, after 18 months of litigation, the museum agreed to return the work to the family.

"To support the family's claim, I met with Hector Feliciano to review his research and began assembling the key documents that established the Rosenbergs' title," said Pell. "Mr. Feliciano spent a great deal of time in both the U.S. and French national archives to gather additional information regarding the work's provenance. The result was that we were able to track the Odalisque as it passed through the hands of top German officials, art dealers, private owners and, finally, to the Seattle Art Museum. The proof of ownership was well documented -- there was no doubt in our minds that the Rosenbergs were the rightful owners."

As Pell points out, however, not all cases of looted art are as straightforward as the Rosenberg case. "All these years later, these cases present some difficult issues," he said. "In the Rosenberg case, the missing artwork was found and eventually returned. But how do you compensate and make reparations for cases in which the artwork is still missing? And for how much, and for how many generations?"

Beyond the world of art, the issues are just as difficult, or even more so. According to Pell, after the war, Holocaust survivors were granted pensions by the German government as compensation for suffering and loss of opportunity caused by German actions in the Nazi period. In 1952, West Germany also began making large direct reparation payments to the newly formed State of Israel. The German government stated in U.S. court papers that over the years these payments totaled over $50 billion. However, many plaintiffs and lawyers currently involved in Holocaust asset cases argue that these payments were not enough, and certainly were not directed at individuals.

Pell added that another issue facing lawyers and plaintiffs is one of timing. The United Nations recently announced two new universal declarations regarding the rights of victims of gross violations of human rights to receive reparations, including reparations for property looted as part of a program of genocide. These declarations will inspire an entirely new series of questions as to whether Holocaust cases should be held to current standards of law or to those applicable at the time of the Holocaust.

"Typically in our [U.S. federal] law, we do not create liability after the fact (ex post facto), but apply the standard in effect at the time," noted Pell. "But the Holocaust cases present highly emotional issues and powerful problems. The outcome of the cases now being argued will very likely set the precedent for how reparation issues are dealt with in the future."

In fact, as Pell points out, the Dayton Accords, agreed upon in 1995 by the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska (the "Parties") recognized the rights of refugees, driven off their land by a brutal "ethnic cleansing" campaign, to be compensated for their lost property. A special UN commission was established which has processed more than 15,000 claims in the past five years.

These cases may also set precedents for cases involving aboriginal and native archaeological relics, which would affect museums and private collectors alike. "The Holocaust asset cases are even spurring talk of whether there should be some sort of art registration system similar to those used for houses, cars and other personal property," said Pell.

Pell is currently representing a French bank and Chase Manhattan Bank in Holocaust asset lawsuits. Both banks have publicly reported a review of their records for signs of Holocaust-related looting and have pledged to repay depositors who suffered losses at the hands of the Germans or the Vichy French but did not receive any restitution.

"These are fascinating and poignant cases," said Pell. "As a professional, I find them very rewarding to work on. But on a personal level, as a Jew, I can say my family was also affected by the Holocaust, and so it is very interesting to be involved in processes that are part of bringing closure to a very troubled historical period."

The secret to dealing with these cases, according to Pell, is the ability to think "outside the box" -- skills he learned at Harpur College. "I received a great education at Harpur College -- an education that really prepared me for the kind of work I do today," he said. "Teachers like Professors Edward Weisband and Andrew Milnor taught me how to work hard and think hard. Critical thinking is exactly the type of skill you need to be a good lawyer. The confidence I gained at Binghamton changed my view of the world."

To give pre-law students a taste of what it's like to be in his shoes, Pell will visit campus October 17 to offer general career advice. In the evening, he will give a lecture, "Looted Art and Holocaust Assets," at Temple Israel, Deerfield Place, Vestal. The lecture, at 7:30 p.m., will feature an overview of the legacy of Nazi looting during World War II, with a particular focus on art looted from Jews, as well as a discussion of current issues and efforts relating to the recovery of looted assets.

Adding insight into the competitive Wall Street job market were Harpur alum, Jamie Kissel '00, SOM grads, Samir Shah '00, Inkook Hwang '00 and Tracey Garlinge-Meklaus '64. They were joined by Michael McCreesh, VP Soft Dollar and Kamara James, Technology Recruiter and Josh Adam '01, a recent Goldman Sachs summer intern.

The annual event was initiated several years ago by alumni, Mark A. Zurack '78 and Mitchell Lieberman '81. Both Zurack and Lieberman are Managing Directors at Goldman Sachs. The event included two receptions for select groups of juniors as well as a general information session. Reports from the Goldman Sachs representatives noted that that they had met some excellent students and were impressed with the caliber of people at Binghamton University. Goldman Sachs will return to campus later in October to interview for new positions and summer internships.




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Role-playing Exercise Offers
Environmental Light


The debate was heated. The CEO listened while Native American tribal council members and various interest groups voiced their concern over the hazardous waste treatment facility. Then, David Weinsoff '80 called the group to order and everyone went back to their normal roles as Philosophy, Politics and Law (PPL) students, learning what it takes to be environmental lawyers.

Sponsored by the Harpur College Alumni Law Council and led by David Weinsoff, Chair of the Education Subcommittee of the Law Council, students were led through a role-playing exercise, geared to teach the values of engineering social change through planning rather than through the courts. Students played the roles of corporation CEO, Native American tribal council members, government officials, and various interest groups interest at a public hearing gathered to decide whether or not to grant a permit for a hazardous waste treatment facility. Planning Commissioners were played by David Weinsoff and Ted Sommer '58, both members of the Harpur College Alumni Law Council, Professor Scalet, assistant professor of philosophy and Jim Sheppard, a Ph.D student of philosophy. At the conclusion of the exercise to the Planning Commission, the members decided to approve the siting of the fictitious hazardous waste facility with a vote of 3 to 1. The exercise was then followed by a class discussion where the class also voted 60 to 40% in favor of the siting permit.

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Shop Harpur Online!

Announcing a new way for you to buy Harpur merchandise. Shop the campus bookstore from the comfort of your PC or Mac. Want to pick up a copy of the new Harpur history book The Cornerstone? Visit...
http://www.bkstore.com/binghamton/merch/cat_search.cgi?category=G&school_num=738&order_num=0

Check out the Harpur mugs, the cool notecards and bumper stickers.

For hats, shirts and other apparel, see http://www.bkstore.com/binghamton/merch.html













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Be sure to visit the new feature on Harpur's 50^th Anniversary page - the Harpur College Memory Book - and leave your mark. Share a favorite memory of your Harpur experience, whether as a student or as a faculty or staff member. Or, maybe you just want to wish Harpur a happy Anniversary. Memories will be listed and updated on a regular basis so put those thinking caps on and tell us about your favorite Harpur moment.

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