Former UUP president Tim Reilly affectionately referred to Ed Alfonsin as “the 1,000-year-old man” because of the depth and breadth of his union knowledge. Let’s face it, if there’s something you need to know about UUP, parliamentary procedures or the American labor movement, just ask Ed. His retirement from SUNY Potsdam in 1997 didn’t slow him down one bit, and led to his being named the Outstanding Active Retiree of the Year during the 2011 Winter Delegate Assembly. He was expected to formally receive his award at the Fall DA in September. Alfonsin’s work as an active member began in 1975, and included elected terms as statewide secretary, membership development officer, and Executive Board member, and as an appointee to eight Negotiations Teams. Alfonsin has been dubbed “the consummate union man” by many of his colleagues, who never doubted he would remain a valuable asset to UUP. They spelled out their hopes in a resolution read during the 1997 Spring DA: “As we express our gratitude to Ed and congratulate him on his retirement, we do so with the knowledge that he will continue to serve UUP … and that we will continue to benefit from his intelligence and his dedication to UUP and academic unionism.” How right they were. Since his retirement, Alfonsin continues to serve as a chapter delegate and as a member of the SUNY?Retiree Service Corps Advisory Board. He also lends his expertise to the Franklin-St. Lawrence Educators’ Council, and the Franklin, St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties Central Trades and Labor Council. His union service extended to the Public Employees Federation and NYSUT, where he served as a parliamentarian and on several committees, respectively. He is also visible in his community as a volunteer with the Seaway Valley Prevention Council, the United Church of Christ, and the Norwood Model Railway Club. “Amazingly, even in retirement, Ed continued his record of never missing a DA,” said retiree colleague Judy Wishnia of Stony Brook. “He ran UUP elections (‘Fold your ballots; go down the center aisle’) and we can always count on his historical knowledge and his ability to go to the mic and tell us what constitutional provision we were negating!” — Karen L. Mattison
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