Bengal Tales – George Clever
Class Year 1958
Major B.S. in Elementary Education
Current Occupation Writer, artist and musician. Retired Mathematics Professor and Military Commander
What is one of your fondest memories of Buffalo State?
I majored in the card game Pinochle in the union and pledged for Psi Beta Phi. The paddle I had to carry still hangs on my den wall. The Spring parade was a wonderful event. My dad was able to secure a Bethlehem Steel flatbed truck for our float. I also worked a shift at the Lackawanna plant while attending college. We had some excellent professors who did achieve a positive impact on us, even if they never knew it. My German instructor gave me enough of the language to make my way around Germany when I was there on a US Information Service speaking engagement. He also caught three of us cutting class to see the penguins being released in the outdoor pool one spring. Little did we know it would be on TV news that night. One other wonderful memory is the night I played piano for my fraternity brothers to sing the song Autumn Leaves.
Were you involved with any on-campus organizations as a student?
I was a member of the Psi Beta Phi fraternity.
As a full-time working student, I missed many opportunities for involvement in on-campus organizations.
How did graduating from Buffalo State shape your future?
Maybe teachers are born not made. I like to think this was true for me, but as raw-teacher material Buffalo State gave me the skills and experiences to be a respectably effective teacher. I do remember teaching participation events on Buffalo's west and east sides as well as student teaching at the Thomas Indian School for the Cattaraugus Seneca. That particular event was key to the learning I needed in my work with our American Indian people.
What accomplishments have you achieved since graduating from Buffalo State?
Elementary Teacher: 79th St. Niagara Falls, NY,
Mathematics Teacher: Lewiston Porter Central Middle School, Hinsdale High School and Arcade (Pioneer Central ) in New York. Kelseyville High School, in California. Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM
Mathematics Education Professor: Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for Native Americans at Stanford University in California
Dean of Student at Carl Sandburg College in Illinois
Mathematics Education Professor: Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Mathematics Professor: New Mexico State University
United States Marine Corps Reserve: 29 Infantry Co. Squad Leader, VMF 441 Plane Captain
New Mexico State Guard: MP Battalion Commander
NASA: Atmospheric/Space researcher and writer
Author: Five books and a variety of professional journal articles
Guest Lecturer: US Information Service in Germany (Native American view on environmental issues)
Board Member for DQ University (a California Tribal College)
My Native based art has been shown in a variety of venues
Business owner of Clever Art and Books www.cleverartandbooks.com, and Clever Ski School director/owner at Mt. Pleasant Ski Area in Edinboro, Pa.
Father of seven college educated children. I was the first in my family to go to college.
Grandfather of 16 children.
Traveled to Laos to retrieve the find or locate the remains of a P.O.W. cousin.
Traveled to Honduras and Belize to research a Lenape (Delaware Indian Nation) story as to their origins among the Maya.
Do you have any advice for current students trying to achieve success after graduation?
You are at least five people:
1. The person you think you are
2. The person others think you are
3. The person you want to be
4. The person the person you should be
5. The person you really are
The least of these is the person others think you are. Have goals in life. Choose them wisely. Have courage to take on adventures. Everyone fails sometime in life. It is what you do next that is the measure of your character.
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Originally posted: April 2017