by Frank Falcone

Like so many, I was shocked and saddened when I learned of Jim Whalen’s passing. Those of us who worked with Jim now are struggling with the loss of someone who was central to our lives for so long. Although I left Ithaca College many years ago to pursue my career, I never lost touch with him.

It would be easy to eulogize Jim by simply listing his accomplishments. The national recognition for Ithaca, the wonderful fund-raising successes, the enrollment growth, the vast improvement in the quality of academic programs, and the great student and alumni satisfaction with their Ithaca experience were just a few examples of his legacy.

On a personal note, I remember Jim as a man whose grace and style characterized everything he did. I knew him as a man who helped many become even better because of contact with him.

I was a relatively young faculty member in the Department of History when I chaired the presidential search committee that selected James J. Whalen. All of us on the committee were struck by his personal magnetism, his understanding of the issues facing Ithaca, and the confidence he instilled. We considered ourselves fortunate that he happened to be moving to a new presidency at that particular moment, even while he was completing the merger of Newton and Boston Colleges.

After our search was completed, Jim invited me to attend his final commencement as president at Newton. It was a wonderful glimpse into the future of Ithaca. The warmth and charm of Gill and the bright people around him, the fun, and the promise of exciting things to come were all part of Jim’s world.

When he came to Ithaca in 1975 he hit the ground running, and he never stopped. When he asked me if I would like to try administrative work under his tutelage, I jumped at the chance. I will always be grateful for the opportunity. Jim allowed me to work with him and for him. He was a pleasure to work with, always honest and very tough. He expected his staff to work as hard as he did, and he did not hesitate to tell us when we did something wrong. On the other hand, he was always fun, supportive, and inspiring.

Most of the lessons I learned about administrative work I learned by watching him. I watched a man who had a passion for his job and an enormous capacity for work. I watched a man who was kind and who at the same time never ducked a problem. I watched a man who was incredibly loyal to Ithaca, his staff, and his many friends. I watched a man who was creative and articulate and challenged others to be better.

I remember the long hours Jim put in, either at his desk overlooking Cayuga Lake or his study at Fountain Place. My wife and children learned not to expect me for dinner. Working with Jim meant that you did your job during the day and then went down to Fountain Place to rehash the day’s events and plan for the future. Dinners with Jim and Gill were stimulating, challenging, and hilarious. (If Gill was out of town, dinner usually consisted of Jim’s favorite --- pizza flambé.) My family also learned that Jim was likely to stop over on a wintry Sunday afternoon to take the kids ice skating or join us for a day on the rides at Disney World.

Part of our time together was spent traveling on behalf of Ithaca College. While exhaustion seemed to be the operating state for people on Jim’s staff, we enjoyed doing something that we thought worthwhile. Jim was a creature of habit after so many years traveling. He liked the same hotels and restaurants year after year, and we took pleasure in teasing him about his predictability.

Life for me after Ithaca was not the same, because there was no one like Jim. I am grateful for our time together, and I will miss him. Those of us who learned from him were far better off for our time with him. In the end, Jim fulfilled his great ambition --- Ithaca is a far better place for his having been there.

Now president of Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he has been since 1993, Frank Falcone was a faculty member of the Ithaca College Department of History from 1969 to 1980; he also served as provost from 1975 to 1980.