Nearly 700 SUNY Upstate employees will be honored at Employee Recognition Day June 6

Eugene Kaplan, M.D., professor of psychiatry leads a roster of nearly 700 SUNY Upstate employees who will be honored during Employee Recognition Day June 6 at the Oncenter in Syracuse.

Employees who have worked at SUNY Upstate for five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years will be recognized by SUNY Upstate President Gregory L. Eastwood, M.D. Kaplan is the only employee being recognized for 40 years of service; 14 employees are being honored for 35 years of service.

"This is an important day for us at SUNY Upstate as it enables us to come together to honor and recognize the dedication, commitment and support that so many of our employees have given day in and day out to Upstate's mission of patient care, research and education," Eastwood said.

Kaplan, who retired earlier this year from SUNY Upstate, joined the academic medical center in 1961 as its chief resident in psychiatry. (He earned a medical degree from SUNY Upstate in 1957 and a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1954.) He has served in a variety of positions throughout his four-decade career, most recently as professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Kaplan lives in Cazenovia.

Below are names of employees who are marking their 35th year of service to SUNY Upstate. Hometowns are in bold.

Janina Casper, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology, Syracuse

William Dark, staff associate in physical plant, Phoenix

Elaine Jackson, patient accounting associate, Syracuse

Carol Jones, senior research support associate, Bridgeport

Suzanne Keyes, keyboard specialist with the Tumor Registry, Solvay

Patricia Numann, M.D., professor and medical director of University Hospital, Syracuse

Patricia Onsi, librarian, DeWitt

Willie Outley Jr., grounds supervisor, Syracuse

Joan Rifkin, project support specialist, North Syracuse

Gerald Rudolph, mail and supply clerk, Fayetteville

The Rev. Gerald Shave, hospital chaplain, Liverpool