Tag: Hartford College for Women

The Children’s Museum considers move to former Hartford College for Women campus

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

A post focused on my Hartford College for Women (HCW) and pre-#womenintech days…

It’s great to see The Children’s Museum – currently located in West Hartford, CT – considering a move to the now mostly closed down HCW campus.

It’s also great to see that Conny the whale, a fun landmark and very large educational attraction located outside the museum, will be included in any potential move.

I can easily picture Conny relocated to HCW’s main green, the front of Butterworth Hall, or installed at the intersection of Asylum Avenue and Elizabeth Street to welcome visitors to the museum’s new location and to Hartford’s historic West End.

It’s interesting to see the West End community appearing to embrace this move. Hartford College for Women neighbors have frequently – and for the most part, understandably so – voiced strong opposition to any significant changes to the former HCW campus.

I’m hoping this move takes place. The University of Hartford closed Hartford College for Women in 2003. Since then many of the college’s buildings have fallen into a severe state of disrepair.

It’s more than time for new and caring owners to take over the HCW campus. The Children’s Museum may be the perfect candidate for helping to rejuvenate this very special property.

Read the We-Ha news story on the potential move here.

I blog casually about my days working in facilities management, marketing and special events at HCW here. – Russ DeVeau

russ deveau hartford college for women blog conny the whale via we-ha blog

Conny the Whale, a replica of a sperm whale, is currently located in front of the Children’s Museum in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton via We-Ha news.

Before #womenintech…my Hartford College for Women blog

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

russ deveau at hartford college for women tech bloghas moved to a WordPress site.

I outgrew the capabilities of Scoop.it where I’ve had thousands of views and a lot of great feedback on the Hartford College for Women content I’ve posted to date.

I’m also honored to have received a gold badge for excellence from the Scoop.it history community for the content I’ve posted since launching the site back in 2015.

I’ll update the new WordPress site on a somewhat regular basis.

The images above are of me and Beth Davis in Butterworth Hall. The top left photo was taken in the early 1990s. The other three photos were taken in the exact same spot in 2017 when Beth and I met on campus for a tour and reunion. – Russ DeVeau

 

 

 

A writer’s gotta write…#industry4.0 #industrie4.0

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

Russ DeVeau Forest Hills author writer New York City

I was recently asked to consider collaborating on a new book focused largely on some of the issues, technologies and organizations helping to drive the Industry 4.0 (Industrie 4.0 for my pals in Europe) revolution. It’s an honor to be asked to participate in the book and an even greater honor to be crossing paths with many of the players in the digital transformation industry as I look at preparing for the project.

It’s been a long time since my first technology book, Fiber Optic Lighting, A Guide for Specifiers, was published. That book was one of the first books written on the subject of how fiber optics could be used to illuminate architectural and museum environments. With original research sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the educational text was well reviewed, released in multiple languages, and acquired by libraries around the world.

The publishing industry has changed dramatically since I wrote Fiber Optic Lighting, A Guide for Specifiers. But the need for high-quality and well-written resources designed to help a wide range of audiences get up to speed on new technologies has not. This is why I’m looking forward to participating in the development of a book focused on Industry 4.0 initiatives. It’s an exciting time to be writing about this fast-moving industry.

The photo above shows two of the covers that were used for my book on fiber optics. The photo on the left is of the first edition of the book, which was published by UpWord Publishing. UpWord was a firm launched by Craig DiLouie. Craig, at the time, was also Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Lighting Magazine, a top-tier media outlet where I’ve contributed articles focused on lighting technology and design. The image on the right is of an updated version of the book published by the Fairmont Press.

I wrote part of this book at the art center at 111 First Street in Jersey City, where I shared studio and loft space with my friend Irina Nahkova.

I started the book when I was living at 80 Elizabeth Street in Hartford, Connecticut, the former residence of the diCorcia family. The 80 Elizabeth Street home was designed by Philip J. diCorcia, with input from Philip Johnson.

The art center and 80 Elizabeth Street were often great environments to create and write.

I discuss the diCorcia home in a bit more detail – and show a few pictures of how the house looked during the years when I lived at 80 Elizabeth Street – on my Hartford College for Women blog. – Russ DeVeau

Forest Hills Stadium summer concert series

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

russ deveau forest hills new york city

I went with colleagues and friends to see the Belle and Sebastian concert at the Forest Hills Stadium last Friday night. It was a fantastic show performed in an almost sold out venue.

I had never seen a Belle and Sebastian concert before. Their fans are a fun – and appear to be an incredibly loyal – crowd. Everyone in my group had a great time.

I lived on Burns Street – on the first floor of 736 Burns Street – in Forest Hills Gardens for a few years several years ago. The stadium was pretty much abandoned and in need of extensive repairs during the years when I lived in the area. At that time, there was a lot of talk about razing the facility and turning the property into a condominium complex.

I moved away from the Gardens in the mid-2000s to work in Europe – spending time with clients in London and Paris – and to live and work in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Fast-forward to today and I’m back in Forest Hills – this time on 71st Avenue – and the Forest Hills Stadium appears to be thriving.

The Belle and Sebastian performance marked the kick-off of what is now the fifth year of summer concerts to be held at the stadium since renovations to the facility have occurred. The historic building – which in its day has hosted the infamous Billie Jean King and Bobbi Riggs ‘tennis match of the sexes,’ and performances from superstars such as  The Beatles, Barbara Streisand and Frank Sinatra – looks great and was staffed with an incredible number of super friendly people.

I am always reminded of my days working at Hartford College for Women (HCW) whenever I spend time in Forest Hills Gardens. This is because the HCW campus is located in the West End of Hartford, Connecticut, a neighborhood that includes stately homes and mansions that were built around the time many of the homes in Forest Hills Gardens were built, and because Forest Hills Gardens and portions of the HCW campus were originally landscaped by the Olmsted brothers and Frederick Law Olmsted.

And then there’s Billie Jean King…I had the opportunity to meet Billie Jean King in person on the Hartford College for Women campus as part of  a program my office coordinated with the Connecticut Forum’s American Women in Focus event. Today, Billie Jean King’s picture is featured throughout Forest Hills Stadium and in a very cool and relatively new street mural on a wall under the Forest Hills train station bridge on 71st Avenue, one of the main roads leading into Forest Hills Gardens. The images honor Billie Jean King’s tennis successes and her ties to the Forest Hills tennis center and stadium.

We had incredibly nice weather for the Belle and Sebastian concert. The weather matters given – and just like the main green on the Hartford College for Women campus where summer concerts were held – the Forest Hills Stadium is an outside, no roof venue.

Check out the Forest Hills Stadium performance schedule here. – Russ DeVeau

#Womenintech and women in edge and fog computing

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

Russ DeVeau openfog womeninfog march 2018 Russell DeVeau

For #InternationalWomensDay – and with fond memories of my days developing marketing programs at Hartford College for Women – it’s an honor to be working with some of the women in edge and fog computing who are driving digital transformation initiatives in markets around the world! – Russ DeVeau

Related:

–Promoting future presidential candidates and President Obama’s tech guru

-Java, women in technology and Hartford College for Women

My Hartford College for Women blog…

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

Russ DeVeau at Hartford College for Women Gloria Steinem Debra Norville Bille Jean King Russell DeVeauI’m honored to say that my Hartford College for Women (HCW) blog has recently been recognized by Scoop.it as “highly recommended” in the history interest section.

Scoop.it is one of several curation technologies that I have incorporated into client positioning campaigns in order to support a wide range of search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives and as a tool to proactively place messages and stories.

I started my HCW blog to create a digital record of the years when I worked at the college as director of marketing and public programs. The blog has been incredibly successful in driving a wide range of search results and serves as a case study I point to whenever I am asked to speak about best practices for content development and SEO.

My job evolved significantly during the five years I worked at HCW. I had roles in facilities management, arts and public program development and in developing marketing campaigns to increase the visibility of college fundraising, community relationship building and student recruitment activities.

I had the opportunity to collaborate on conferences, educational and public programs with organizations such as the Connecticut Forum, the Hispanic Health Council, the Hartford Ballet, the Hartford Club and the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.

I also had the opportunity to develop, manage and promote events featuring a wide range of activists, celebrities and educational and political figures such as United States Senators Chris Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, Gloria Steinem, Ellen Goodman, Billie Jean King, Deborah Norville and Sarah Brady.  These programs regularly generated significant media coverage in print and broadcast outlets and brought a wide range of new and diverse audiences to HCW.

The image above is from my HCW blog. The top photo was taken on the main green of the HCW campus in the spring of 1995. I was standing to the photographer’s left when he took this picture. My team and I had just finished installing the first Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame exhibition in the Miriam B. Butterworth Art Gallery when this picture was taken. These women came to HCW to preview the exhibition before it opened to the public and before they participated in the Connecticut Forum’s American Women in Focus event that took place later that evening at Bushnell Hall. From left to right, Sarah Brady, Faye Wattleton, Eileen Kraus, Ellen Goodman, Billie Jean King, and Debra Norville.

The bottom photo is a picture of a Hartford Courant press clipping of a story covering Gloria Steinem’s visit to Hartford as part of the Women Connect educational and networking programs. I had an early role in producing Women Connect, working shoulder to shoulder with my pal Sandra Bursey, who at the time, was director of membership at The Hartford Club.

Check out my continuously evolving Hartford College for Women blog here. – Russ DeVeau

Related:

– Java, women in technology and Hartford College for Women

– Forest Hills Stadium summer concert series

– Promoting future presidential candidates and President Obama’s tech guru 

Before #womenintech…Billie Jean King, Deborah Norville, Gloria Steinem…

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

Russ DeVeau at Hartford College for Women Gloria Steinem Debra Norville Bille Jean King Russell DeVeauBefore I was promoting women in technology #womenintech, I was working at Hartford College for Women (HCW) where I was promoting accomplished – and often groundbreaking – women who were leaders in a wide range of industries.

These pictures provide a glimpse of some of the notable women I had opportunity to cross paths with during my time developing marketing programs at HCW. The photo on top was taken on the HCW campus by E2 Photography – in fact, I was standing to the photographer’s left when this picture was taken – and features, from left to right, Sarah Brady, Faye Wattleton, Ellen Goodman, Eileen Kraus and Billie Jean King.

That image was used to help promote the first ever Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame exhibition that was installed by me and my team in the HCW art gallery in conjunction with the incredibly successful American Women in Focus event produced by the Connecticut Forum.

The bottom photo is a picture of a Hartford Courant press clipping of a story covering Gloria Steinem’s visit to Hartford as part of the HCW Women Connect educational and networking programs. I had an early role in producing Women Connect, working shoulder to shoulder with my pal Sandra Bursey, who at the time, was director of membership at The Hartford Club.

I’ve recently launched a blog to showcase some of the programs I managed during my time at HCW and to highlight some of the incredible women – and men – I met during those years. Check out my latest HCW posts here. – Russ DeVeau

Related:

–Promoting future presidential candidates and President Obama’s tech guru

–Java, women in technology and Hartford College for Women

Java, women in technology and Hartford College for Women

Posted on by Russ DeVeau

The year was 1999. I was managing customer reference programs for some of IBM’s Java initiatives and ghostwriting byline articles for a couple of IBM executives as part of a global campaign to position Java as ready for business.

Here’s an article I wrote that was published in THE Journal, a top-tier trade magazine focused largely on showcasing how technology can transform education and the education sector. Back then the magazine was distributed in print at a cost of 3.50 U.S. dollars per issue.

Java Solutions Expand Student Services at the University Level

The story explores how Java was being used by universities to update legacy computing systems to offer students new services and to conduct e-business, a term IBM and the team I was working with during those years did a fantastic job of branding.

I wrote this article for Pat Sueltz, who was an IBM General Manager at the time. She was a great spokesperson and one of the first women executives I crossed paths with at IBM.

I had recently left a marketing position at Hartford College for Women, where one of the programs I worked on recognized women in leadership positions. I was – and continue to be – sensitive to diversity and glass ceiling issues.

When I wrote this article in 1999, I appreciated the fact that IBM seemed to be extremely committed to moving women into leadership roles. – Russ DeVeau

Russ DeVeau IBM byline articles