A statement from SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian
It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that College Council Member and alumna Carolyn Kuhlmann of Ellenville, N.Y. passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8. Carolyn, 83, was appointed to the College Council in 1999 by then-Governor George Pataki. She was reappointed again in 2006 and was a steadfast supporter of the College, participating in many commencement ceremonies, supporting the SUNY New Paltz Foundation and offering guidance about college matters to three New Paltz presidents.
A key responsibility of the College Council, a gubernatorial-appointed, volunteer advisory body to the college president, is to lead the search for the college president and recommend finalists to the Chancellor, who hires all college presidents. Carolyn served on the most recent college presidential search committee in 2010-11.
Carolyn made regular and valuable contributions to the college’s leadership team. I was inspired by her abiding love of SUNY New Paltz and her deep commitment to the value of education, and will very much miss her steadfast support and wise counsel.
Carolyn earned her bachelor’s degree in child psychology from Cornell University and her master’s degree in education from SUNY New Paltz in 1961. She also completed a Certificate of Reading from SUNY New Paltz. For many years she taught second grade in the Ellenville schools and later served as a reading teacher. At her retirement from the district, she was coordinator of language arts.
Carolyn and her husband Bob, who died in 2011, were both lifelong residents of Ellenville and active and well-regarded members of the Ellenville community. For several years, Carolyn served on the Ellenville Central School Board, including as president. She was a board member of the Ellenville Hospital Auxiliary and a regular volunteer at the hospital. She was founding president of the Ulster County Reading Council and active in the New York State Reading Association. She also belonged to two educational honorary societies, Delta Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Kappa.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Loucks Funeral Home, 79 N. Main St., Ellenville, N.Y., 12428. Funeral services will be held at Ellenville Methodist Church, 85 Canal St., Ellenville, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Carolyn’s name to: Ellenville Regional Hospital, 15 Healthy Way, Ellenville, N.Y., 12428.
Carolyn is survived by her daughter, Pamela Kuhlmann, a teacher, as well as her two nieces and a nephew and several grandnieces and nephews. Please join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Carolyn’s family and her fellow College Council members.
Carolyn’s contributions to the community were shared in recent news coverage published by the Times Herald Record and the Shawangunk Journal.
Note: The College Council will take action on a Resolution of Appreciation for Carolyn Kuhlmann during the Council meeting scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20.
