Photo Call
Marc St. Onge ’75 saw something familiar on the cover of the spring 2022, 75th Anniversary edition of The Connection – a photograph he took while he was a student at HCC. He remembers the subject, another student, telling him that he never walked down those stairs, but slid down in all seasons.
I was surprised to see the picture on the cover with the “75 years” theme. It hasn’t been THAT long (whew!). I definitely remember shooting the photo but not that it was shot in color. You must have a color negative or transparency which you used for the cover image. In those days, I shot lot of pictures for the Drama department (pages 78-82 of the ’75 yearbook). If I remember correctly, I was doing a one-credit, special project involving the Drama Club under Leslie Phillips and Roy Faudree. There’s even a picture of me on page 36 (left photo). At the time, I was working for the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram, so I did a lot of the processing in their darkroom. I was also playing around with a fisheye lens attachment, so any fisheye shots in that yearbook are probably mine. I’m retired now but still work part time as a sports and news photographer for the Westfield News.
Marc St. Onge ’75
Marc St. Onge Photography, Russell, Mass.
From Art Director Will Murphy: “You’re right, Marc. To get that secondary color image, we ran your photo through a Photoshop filter, just for added interest.”
Fundamental Connection
I went to HCC after I was discharged (honorably) from the U.S. Navy and attended from 1978 until 1979 after which I transferred to Bridgewater State College, now a university. Although I did not “graduate” from HCC, it provided me with the fundamentals I needed to succeed at BSC and also in attaining my master’s degree from the University of Washington. I have fond memories of my speech and French classes as well as my other classes and professors. Thank you.
Fair winds and following seas,
Brian LaFlamme, Bethlehem, Penn.
Extra Credit
I entered HCC as a 22-year-old in 1972 after serving in South Vietnam and being discharged from the U.S. Army. Back then, the college was divided into three buildings. Two were on Sargeant Street and one on South Street. I majored in liberal arts with a minor in corrections. I became involved in student government and was elected to vice president of the Student Senate and served as chair of the judicial, budget, and election committees. Many of my fellow senators were also Vietnam veterans. My second year I was appointed to student advisory commissioner to the governor. In 1973, we veterans actually moved furniture to the new Homestead Avenue campus during our winter semester break. There were only two buildings then, A and B. I played soccer and baseball and was manager of the hockey team. During my time on the senate, I met Dean Butler, who was a great influence on me. I also met Dr. Frost, who was a great leader and also influential in my life. I went on to Westfield State College and graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in criminal justice. In 1992, after having several types of employment, I continued my education at Springfield College and received a certificate of advanced study and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling in 1995. After 16½ years with the U.S. Postal Service, I was hired as the veterans’ benefit counselor at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. In 2001, I became veterans’ agent for the city of West Springfield and was appointed to the Governor’s Veterans’ Counsel, where I served for 13 years, retiring in 2013. Today, I have been married for 42 years and have three children, three grandsons, and one granddaughter. I owe all my success in life to those two great educators, Dean Butler and Dr. Frost, who were inspirational in my life. God bless them both.
James G. Berrelli ’74, West Springfield
