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Winter 2006 Departments
Exchange
Prerequisite
Extended Family
Foundation News
Alumni Association News
Zip 01003
Books Received
Alumni Photos
Features
Why You Should Love Polymers
Where There's Spark
Falling for Shelburne Falls
Where Are They Now?
Lessons in the Sand
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Alumni Association News
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Lights, Camera, Action!
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Event organizers and members of the Los Angeles Alumni Club take a moment for a photo: Left to right, Chris Shea ’95, Garry Hart ’79G, Patricia Palleschi ’77G, Lindsay Newlove ’95, Bill Pullman ’80G, Shyno Chacko ’93, and Tamara Pullman ’81. |
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THE RED CARPET WAS ROLLED out at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, this fall for a social gathering of UMass Amherst alumni hosted by the Los Angeles Alumni Club and Garry Hart ’79G, independent producer with Paramount. Alumni from around southern California gathered to welcome UMass Amherst chancellor John V. Lombardi and a special guest—actor and director Bill Pullman ’80G.
Close to 100 alumni and friends attended the event. Chancellor Lombardi spoke of the positive impact that alumni have on the university and thanked the group for their continued support of UMass Amherst. Bill Pullman also addressed the group and offered his recollections of attending the university and what the experience meant to him. Pullman earned a master’s of fine arts in
directing, during which time he met his wife,
Tamara (Hurwitz) ’81.
“I saw some unexpected things happen that night at Paramount Studios,” says Pullman of the UMass Amherst Alumni event. “People who had come into the room feeling somewhat formal and businesslike immediately were spun into an energetic mode after the chancellor spoke. He’s a champ whose spunky style and approach really pleased the alumni gathered there. The cheers and laughs reminded my wife and me of the unique spirit of the UMass Amherst alumni.”
After graduating, Pullman ran the theater department at Montana State College for two years before moving to New York, and then to California, to pursue his love of acting. He has acted in more than 40 motion pictures including Ruthless People, While You Were Sleeping, A League of Their Own, and Independence Day. He has also directed, produced, and starred in The Virginian for TNT and starred in the television series Revelations on NBC. Pullman is a Life Member of the Alumni Association and an active supporter of the university. In 2001 he returned to campus as the Eleanor Bateman Distinguished Scholar in Residence. During his visit he conducted lectures and shared his expertise with undergraduate and graduate students alike.
Special thanks go to Bill and Tamara Pullman for their gracious participation. Their fellow alumni enjoyed meeting them and sharing memories of their alma mater. “It’s not hard to see how he became successful and has maintained success with his solid personal grounding and acting craftsmanship,” says Jerry Deex ’90. Thanks also go to Garry Hart for offering the Paramount Studios location. The Alumni Club leaders were pleased with the outcome of the event and look forward to coordinating many more in the future.
To learn more about the UMass Amherst Alumni Association visit our Web site at www.UMassAlumni.com. Become a member today to take part in the activities coordinated by your local Alumni Club!
Alumni Association:
http://www.umassalumni.com/
http://www.umassalumni.com/clubs/CA_LosAngeles.html |
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