“There are not that many of me left,” George Vitak, ’73, biological sciences, says jovially as we walk together from the Library Pond back to his office in the University Center on a blustery late November day.

The “me” in this case is a select group of faculty and staff who have witnessed UMBC’s rise to national prominence almost in its entirety. And at least as far as the University System of Maryland payroll is concerned, today is the day that another “me” bids UMBC farewell.

On December 1, Vitak retired from his position as director of campus card and mail services. He entered UMBC as a fresh-faced undergraduate from Archbishop Curley High School in 1968. Fate – and President Richard M. Nixon – kept him at the university for another 38 years, during which he helped supervise the campus’ physical growth and then shifted gears to become a key mover in UMBC’s early digital telecommunication services.

Read the full story in the Winter 2012 issue of UMBC Magazine.

Visit the latest issue of UMBC Magazine online to read some great new stories — and view exclusive web extras! This issue includes features on:

• UMBC professor of political science Thomas Schaller talking about the success of his book, “Whistling Past Dixie,” and putting the 2012 presidential race into perspective.
• The coolest jobs (you never knew existed) at UMBC, including a glass blower, rat caretaker and more. (Plus, video!)
• We’ve also got a story about one of the biggest controversies in UMBC history: the 1969 literary magazine that featured nude photographs from a rising star in the Washington, DC art scene.

We’ve got some great alumni stories in this issue, too, from a really special alumni story told and drawn by comics whiz Monica Gallagher ’01, as well as UMBC employee George Vitak ’73; TV cameraman and children’s television producer George Stover ’73 and distinguished artist Kelley Bell ’06.

We’ve also got stories about everything from our Shady Grove campus anniversary, to tattoos of the new dog logo, to poet faculty member Michael Fallon, to research that may help children’s vaccinations become more effective, to “How to be Fast,” featuring an interview with track coach David Bobb ’02. We even made a  video in which members of the magazine staff put Coach Bobb’s suggestions to the test!

Read the latest issue of UMBC Magazine.