This picture was taken in the dorms at 215 Willoughby Avenue, with Miss Gina Coniglio's camera (by a student who lived in this dorm apartment-I forget who), and this is a copy that she gave to me. Aurea and Lino were married shortly after this.
Some 10/90 Master of Fine Arts (Computer Graphics) graduates are not in the picture: Miss Mi-Young (Mimi) Lee, Miss Hi-Kyung (Gigi) Park, Mr. Joaquin Margot. Mr. Suk-Il Hong finished in 1991, apparently, although he left in 10/90.
(Correction, regarding the picture, dated 5/2012: The graduating class of 2012 has put together a yearbook called 'Prattonia', and this book is partially pictured online. I have never seen a 1990 yearbook and do not see mention of any year's ... maybe 2008 is there... yearbook online anywhere. I am, aware, though, that there was a day to have your picture taken, on campus, in 1990, for the yearbook publication. At that time, I looked for this location, but, did not see a photographer in that location that was described to be where the pictures were going to be taken.)
This was the first year that Pratt Institute graduated anyone with a Master of Fine Arts (Computer Graphics).
The Dept. of Computer Science and the School of Engineering were said to be closing soon, in 1988, and a few people were allowed into the new Graduate program, after interviews with Mr. Isaac Victor Kerlow, M.S., Chair, new graduate member, Board of Trustees, in the ARC Computer Lab, then only used for undergraduate Computer Graphics students classes, but, as well as the whole student population at Pratt Institute.
Another student, Mr. Michael P. Hunter, apparently finished in 5/91, was not in the picture.
The dates for graduation, as I have them here, were published in the Pratt Institute Alumni Directories, and, some are online, with thesis information on an ACM-SIGGRAPH website, as of the year 1993.
I left Pratt Institute in 1/91, and found my diploma in Wentzville, Mo., having been sent to an address there on or about the day that I left Brooklyn, by Pratt Institute. I did not walk with graduates in a graduation ceremony until May, 1999, nor return to the campus until that time and stay there. I have not spoken to most of these people in the picture since 1990, and do not know for sure when they finished requirements for their degree, after 10/90.
The 1995 Pratt Institute Alumni Directory published the 10/90 M.F.A. (Computer Graphics) degree holders as receiving a M.S. Computer & Decision Science.
The 2005 Pratt Institute Alumni Directory published the 10/90 M.F.A. (Computer Graphics) graduates as receiving their degree in 1991; if they received an American undergraduate degree, the school where they received their undergraduate degree was published after their name and graduation date of '91.
A dark-suited white mid-aged man who spoke of
Kansas State University, where I received my undergraduate degree, was in attendance at my graduation walk in 1999 - and did not make himself known there to ME - but I am aware that the school, in name, was there. More importantly, only a couple of graduate Computer Graphics graduates were there to walk in the ceremony in 1999. I saw this repeated in 2000, when I attended that ceremony, as well. What kind of money did Kansas State University have for this graduate program at Pratt Institute? Me. I know that I have never been asked to sign a release of copyright, if they claim to own my copyrighted thesis, by anyone at Pratt Institute.
My work is not FREE - and my degree is not paid for, and the U.S. government and any state agency is not going to support Pratt Institute or any foreign government or entity in this illegal activity indefinitely - includes the work of Mr. Michael O'Rourke, Prof.
I have never used drugs (take notice of the Brentwood, Mo. D.A.R.E. program).
Completing a Master's degree in the U.S. normally requires 1-3 years of full-time study. Having to go beyond five years to complete a Master's thesis raises questions. The U.S. Dept. of Immigration, for international students, says five years .... According to the Pratt's Graduate Program Tracks in their Student Handbook: All work for the degree must be completed within seven calendar years after initial registration as a graduate student. Some of those pictured on this page took over five years to complete their degree - ? or Spring or Fall, 1988 - Spring, 1993? I know another who was a student there in 1988, and finished requirements in 2000.
This Department, in the School of Art and Design, (as is the Dept. of Communications Design) has changed names twice since I left there. The first time, as close as I can guess, was in 1996, when the name 'And Interactive Media' was added behind 'Computer Graphics'; in the degree name, and they called themselves the 'Dept. of CGIM'. The second time, as I have seen, is this Spring, 2006, when the Department changed to the 'Department of Digital Arts', or 'DDA', as I have seen on the Pratt Institute website -
http://www.pratt.edu/.
Pratt Institute is having an Alumni Reunion 2006, on Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 15, and will honor graduates from the classes of 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1976, 1971....back to 1946 (every five years). As a member of the Host Committee, I have been asked to 'call, write, and e-mail at least ten alumni from your graduating year ...and encourage them to attend a weekend filled with fun activities, fond reminiscences, and new Pratt experiences!' Although I finished in October, 1990, those I finished with are considered part of the graduating year of 1991, so all of those I knew who left the graduate dept. of Computer Graphics, and the graduate School (Dept.) of Fine Arts, in 1990 are invited to this Alumni Reunion 2006! For those who are not confused anymore - and all M.F.A., or Master of Fine Arts recipients - you're all invited to this event in October, 2006! My
'Master of Computer Graphics' diploma came in the mail right when I walked off the Amtrak train in St. Louis - the same day, on January 17, 1991! I hope Graduation 1991 knew the truth then, and if they didn't, they know the truth now. What happened in 2021?
Department of Fine Arts M.F.A. graduate students who finished in 1990, or 1991, include those who knew me and some others in Computer Graphics: Anne-Brigitte Sorot, Claudia and Mara (last names right?), Mr. Antonio Sergio Bessa especially. I know Claudia and Mara finished in October, 1990 because I saw their thesis show on campus. I know all but Sergio knew us who used the computer lab on campus, because they came there wanting to use and/or see the lab. I took Sergio's place in a summer sublet w/ Claudia and Mara, and know Anne-Bridgitte was familiar w/ our housing problem in 1990, and having to use the computer lab 24 hours/day in order to finish our thesis. Sorry, but I don't have any recent info on these people, and don't remember exactly for certain the spelling of their names (except for Sergio). The reason for this is self-explained here.
Not needed information was obtained from Miss Kimberly Richmond-Jeffers prior to my leaving New York, about her involvement with her boss, the Pratt Bookstore Mgr., and his divorce, usage of marijuana, and assault on her when she was living with him. She was engaged to be married at the same time to another man.
Other information was obtained prior to moving from New York about Mr. Joaquin Margot, M.F.A., and his involvement with Anne-Bridgitte Sorot, M.F.A., who both lived in a condo off-campus, near Prospect Park. He moved to Switzerland shortly after 10/90 w/ a Pratt Freshman Architecture student, S. African named 'Bernice', whom he had just met, I was told. In June, 1997, in Madrid, Spain, he told me he was separated from her, never saying that he had married, but had 'love'. But, that was a lie, too - I saw him the next day with her walking down the street. (correction dated 5/2012 according to Mr. Ely Goldbrenner - mdmovieman on YouTube.com: ' Bernice' was a member of his summer class for high school students, held in the Architecture Bldg., in 1990, and taught by Mr. Phil Avanzato. Phil Avanzato was our Computer Lab Manager, in the ARC Building, on Pratt's campus. His wife had a baby, shortly before graduation on 10/1/1990, and, he wasn't there.)
I was told that Mr. Rafael Castelblanco lived with relatives off-campus in or near Brooklyn. In 2000, he was working in New York City.
Lino and Aurea married after giving the impression to everyone that Aurea was pregnant. But, the pregnancy apparently ended without a baby being born.
Tsy-wei, also, married a Communications Design grad student, returning home to Asia, after finding that she was pregnant. Venantius was living with a The New School for Social Research student named 'Sissy', who often came in to our
Alias computer lab and sat with us while we worked, as if she were a Pratt student. She wrote reports for her student social work, even renting a wartime movie video that she played in the Dept. Chair's office one evening in Fall, 1990. (correction, dated 2011: Venantius told me his girlfriend's name was 'Cecelia', shortened to 'CeCe', in e-mail, but, he did not state her last name. She appeared in a picture on his facebook.com page in 4/2012. I read on wikipedia.com in 5/2012, that a movie called psycho wartime thriller called 'Jacob's Ladder' was filmed on the Pratt campus, in 1990. But, this was not the movie that 'CeCe' and Venantius showed in the CG Chair's office in summer, 1990.)(Addition 1/14/14: I found, online, that Venantius' girlfriend's name is Cecilia Castelino, and she received a Ph.D., from the CUNY, Doctoral Dissertation dated 1997. They are married, living in New York, and a picture shows her with two kids on
www.facebook.com. I would not have known her full name except that they are married, now, and their names appear together, online.)
Cecilia Castelino | LinkedIn and
(8) Cecilia Castelino | Facebook, 5/2023. She was not a student at Pratt Institute, but, sat with Venantius Pinto, before they were married. I don't know if she was a student at The New School for Social Research.
