Honors program founder retires after 38 years

CONGERS- If you asked a teenage Kelly Coffey what the rest of her life was going to be like, she probably would have talked about living in Rockland County or New York City and working enough to get by. Coffey, originally from Queens, said she didn't have many aspirations, especially not in academics. "When I was 17, I took the semester off from Hunter College and went to live with my parents in Pomona." Coffey decided to go back to school and took classes at SUNY Rockland Community College in the late 90s while working at a convenient store. "I thought I would just go there, graduate and still work at the convenient store," Coffey, now 26 said. Coffey's prediction turned out to be very wrong when one of her English papers ended up in the hands of Samuel Draper, coordinator of the Mentor/Talented Student Honors Program. Coffey joined other former students whose lives have been touched by Draper, as well as faculty, staff and friends at his retirement party on May 6 at Restaurant X. Coffey said Draper was very impressed by her writing. "Sam said, 'sweet heart, sit down, you need to be in the honors program," Coffey said. "In the same breath he said, 'have you heard of Smith?'" Since that encounter and enrolling in the honors program, Coffey graduated RCC in 2000 and graduated from Smith College in 2002 with a degree in English. She currently lives by the school in Northampton, Mass. and works for Family Fun, a Disney magazine, a success she attributes to Draper. "My life would have taken a completely different and far less satisfying course if it wasn't for him." Guests from all facets of Draper's life "roasted" and "toasted" the English professor's zeal and passion for life. "I cherish his enthusiasm about everything," said Deborah Voigt, a leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera and longtime friend, "whether it's about opera, art, or his students." Opera plays a huge role in Draper's life. He makes it a point to insure that all of his students leave RCC knowing a little bit more about "culture." Draper brought opera to the campus by being the faculty sponsor of "Youth for Opera," the RCC Opera Club, which meets weekly to watch opera on large screen video and to attend live performances at the New York City Opera in Lincoln Center. Draper said he wants to ensure the honors program, in which he invested the majority of his life, continues for a long time to come. He said he plans to leave a large endowment to the program. "The amount isn't finalized. The lawyers are working on it now; it should be done over the summer," Draper said. College President Cliff L. Wood announced at the party that the honor program would be officially entitled, "The Samuel Draper M/TS Honors Program," following approval by the Board of Trustees. Draper will remain with M/TS in a part-time position for the next few years, while English professor Cliff Garner takes the reigns as coordinator in the fall.