Alumni Spotlight : Robert Rahn ’ 76
By Alison Lowenstein
When Robert Rahn was majoring in Sociology and minoring in Criminal Justice at St . Francis College , he faced a tough decision . Rahn had been accepted into the NYPD Police Academy , the only road he could take to fulfill his dream of becoming a policeman in the Big Apple . But he hadn ’ t graduated yet , and he wanted his bachelor ’ s degree as well as to be an officer .
Fortunately , Professor Edna O ’ Hearn , who was the head of the sociology department at the time , stepped in . She helped arrange Rahn ’ s schedule so he could complete his degree and attend the Academy simultaneously .
In remembering O ’ Hearn ’ s efforts on his
behalf , Rahn said , “ She had a tremendous influence on the way the college worked for me and was very considerate … she made the schedule work for me . Without that , I would have dropped out .”
Rahn went on to graduate in 1976 , three years after he became a policeman . After 20 years on the force , he retired in 1993 , and a year later , he started his own private investigator firm . He has worked on many cases for a wide range of clients , but his most rewarding case arrived in his office in 2013 .
Rahn and his partner , Kim Anklin , were contacted by the mother of a convict named Jonathan Fleming , who was serving a lengthy sentence for murder . But Fleming said he didn ’ t kill anyone and had already spent more than two decades wrongfully imprisoned .
Fleming was serving time for the Aug . 15 , 1989 murder of Daryl “ Black ” Rush in the Williamsburg housing projects . Despite Fleming ’ s claim that he was in Orlando on the night of the murder , he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life .
Rahn and Anklin took on the case , clocking in over 750 hours of investigative work within a year . They travelled to Puerto Rico and South Carolina to track down witnesses and information . They obtained a statement from the driver of the getaway car , and they identified another suspect for the crime . They also uncovered a receipt proving Fleming was in Orlando .
On April 8 , 2014 , Fleming was finally
Bob Rahn ’ 76 with Jonathan Fleming , and exonerated and released from prison . Last June , Kim Anklin . the city agreed to pay him $ 6.25 million for his wrongful conviction .
The case attracted a lot of media attention around the world , and as a result , Rahn and Anklin received letters from many people asking for help . Rahn says these wrongful conviction cases , “ are very complicated and time consuming and you can ’ t take more than one or two at a time .” Because of the publicity , Rahn and Fleming are in demand as speakers in various forums and schools ; last year , they spoke at a St . Francis College Sociology class , which Rahn says he enjoyed .
To top it all off , last year , Rahn and Anklin were named Investigator ( s ) of the Year by both the Associated Licensed Detectives of NYS and the NJ Licensed Private Investigators Association .
Rahn credits St . Francis for providing him with resources to help with his PI career . “ From attorneys to police officers , the professional networking from attending St . Francis is tremendous . It was a great school .” ●
Faculty Notes
Dolores Anastasio ’ 13 with her granddaughter Francisca Gabriele ’ 17 and Dean Allen Burdowski at the College ’ s first White Coat ceremony recognizing Nursing students for their dedication to the health and well-being of their future patients .
Allen Burdowski ( Dean of Academic Programs and Development ) went to New Orleans for the Risk and Insurance Management Society ’ s ( RIMS ) 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition to meet with the Spencer Educational Foundation and talk about current and planned programs in Risk Management and Insurance . St . Francis is working on building a Risk Management minor with the possibility of it becoming a full major . The Spencer Foundation works to include Risk Management in curricula to create a pipeline of talent for the insurance industry .
The NYS English Council selected Wendy Galgan ( English ) as a 2015 Educator of Excellence . The
award is given to teachers “ who are leaders in the classroom [ and ] collaborators with colleagues ,” who challenge students to become skillful readers and writers . Professor Galgan was also selected by the New York Council for the Humanities to be a Public Scholar where she will offer presentations to non-profit organizations around New York state .
Mary Gelormino ( Center for Entrepreneurship ) spoke at the Metropolitan NY College Career Planning Association conference held at NYU . She spoke about “ How to Advise Students Interested in Entrepreneurship .” Prof . Gelormino also participated as a judge along with Barbara Edington ( Project Management ) and Naomi Kinley ( Career Services ) for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship NY Metro Region Start Up contest . The three reviewed business plans presented by area high school students .
Sara Haviland ( History ) was named to the 40 under 40 : Professors Who Inspire 2015 list by Nerd Scholar , an organization that provides tools to students to help them make informed decisions about their college educations . Nerd Scholar chooses educators who are influential in changing how students think , work and view the world . The professors are judged on a teacher ’ s “ ability to captivate and engage students in the classroom , their outstanding involvement on campus and in the community , and their overwhelming passion for their subject matter .” In addition to teaching history , Haviland has written the soon-tobe-published book , James and Esther Cooper Jackson : Love and Courage in the Black Freedom Movement ( University Press of Kentucky ).
Jennifer Wingate ( Fine Arts ) was selected to serve on the jury for the competition to build a National World War I Memorial in Pershing Park , Washington , DC . Wingate was selected in part because of her work documenting World War I memorials across the country in her book , Sculpting Doughboys : Memory , Gender , and Taste in America ’ s World War I Memorials ( 2013 ). “ Many people don ’ t realize that more than 100,000 Americans died in World War I and we have never honored them with a national memorial .” Dr . Wingate helped whittle down more than 350 submissions to five . The winning design for Pershing Park will be selected in January . ●
ST . FRANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | FALL 2015 | 9