Phil Santa Maria

The 1961 "Skipper"	1998

After graduating from Riverside, Phil attended St. Francis College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966. He then pursued advanced degrees and received his Master of Arts in 1969 from Niagara University and his Ph.D. in 1977 from Kent State University. (Yes, he was on site on that day in the 70's that the soldiers fired on the student demonstrators and killed three of them.) Phil got married to Linda in 1968 and they had their son, Michael, in 1971 and their daughter, Christa, in 1973.

Phil has pursued a career in education and has met with a high degree of success. He has held administrative positions at Niagara University, Kent State University, and Baldwin-Wallace College. Phil is currently the Dean of Students and Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs at Buffalo State Teachers College. He also has become an expert in Russian affairs and teaches Russian history at Buffalo State. Because of this expertise, he is frequently asked to serve as a consultant to the local media when they need an interpretation of current events in the Russian scene.

An active participant in professional and community affairs, Phil is a board member for many local organizations including the United Way of Buffalo, the Mayor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Issues, and the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. He is President Emeritus of the Buffalo Council on World Affairs and is a former President of the Rotary Club.

Phil has maintained his strong interest in music and continues to play the guitar professionally (see the next page). He and his wife are currently remodeling the home they recently occupied and are enjoying it greatly. When spare time is found, Phil and his family love to go skiing, camping, golfing, cycling, or just curling up with a good book