Tag: Hartford

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.

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