Two Academy Award winners - Rita Moreno, who won a 1962 Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in "West Side Story," and alumna Deborah Oppenheimer, who won a 2001 Oscar for her film "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport" - were on hand as Buffalo State College held its 129th commencement ceremonies on May 12, 2001.

The college mounted two baccalaureate ceremonies - one at 10 a.m., the other at 2 p.m. - to award degrees to the 1,643 graduates who completed their studies in December 2000 or May 2001 or will complete them in August 2001. The college's master's hooding ceremony was held at 6 p.m. to award degrees and certificates of advanced study to the 528 students who completed their studies in December 2000 or May 2001 or will complete them in August 2001. All were held in the college's Sports Arena.

Moreno delivered the keynote address at both the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies, and received a State University of New York Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at the 2 p.m. ceremony. Kathleen Gaffney, president of Artsgenesis and winner of the first-ever Department of Education's John Stanford Education Heroes Award, delivered the keynote address and receive a Distinguished Alumna Award at the 6 p.m. ceremony. She is a 1971 graduate.

Oppenheimer received a Distinguished Alumnus Award at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Monroe Fordham, professor emeritus of History and Social Studies Education, received a SUNY Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Scott Baxter, a 1984 graduate and founder and chief executive officer of Vesta Technologies, received a Distinguished Alumnus Award at that ceremony.

Thomas Murphy, project chief for Environment Canada National Water Research Institute, received a SUNY Honorary Doctor of Science degree at the 6 p.m. ceremony.

Moreno is the only female performer to have won all four of the most prestigious show business awards: the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony and the Grammy. She has two Emmys - one for her 1977 appearance on "The Muppet Show," and another for her 1978 appearance on "The Rockford Files." She won a Tony Award for her 1975 Broadway appearance as Googie Gomez in "The Ritz." Her Grammy was for her 1972 performance on "The Electric Company Album." Along the way, she received dozens of other awards and accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and Sarah Siddons Award. In 1998, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and won a Cable Ace Award for best actress for her portrayal of a street-wise nun on the HBO series "Oz," produced by Buffalo native and Distinguished Alumnus Tom Fontana.

Oppenheimer marked her feature film debut by producing the multiple award-winning documentary "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport," the story of the World War II rescue mission that saved nearly 10,000 children - her mother among them - from Nazi-occupied territories by relocation to foster homes in England. Most of them never saw their parents again.

One of the most active producers working in television today, she is the executive producer of the hit ABC comedy series "The Drew Carey Show," now in its sixth season, as well as ABC's "Norm," and WB's "Nikki" and "The Oblongs."

A nationally known keynote speaker on such subjects as multiple intelligences theory and the arts, lifelong learning, middle school excellence and special education and the arts, Gaffney is a playwright, artistic director, actress and arts-in-education specialist. She has consulted for businesses and arts organizations, including the Covey Leadership Center, Lincoln Center and the arts councils of Connecticut, Florida, Mississippi, Delaware, Massachusetts, Indiana and Louisiana.

Her acting credits include appearances in more than 250 plays - from off-Broadway to regional theaters to Broadway national tours. Fordham was one of 50 educators in the United States selected by the American Association for Higher Education, the Carnegie Foundation and Change magazine as a professor who has made a significant difference in higher education. Lauded for his contributions to the location, reclamation and rescue of New York State's African American history, Fordham is co-founder of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. He has received the Augspurger Award of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, and his contributions to education have been recognized by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Gamma Phi Omega Chapter, which elected him to its Black Hall of Fame.

In 1999, the achievements of the retired historian, archivist, editor, educator, communicator and community activist were celebrated during a major conference, "Fostering Community through Applied History: A Multidisciplinary Conference in Honor of Dr. Monroe Fordham." The event brought national and Canadian scholars together to celebrate the monumental work of the Afro-American Historical Association and honor its founder.

Prior to forming Vesta, Baxter served as founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hawk Holdings and executive vice president and chief strategy officer for the Internet telecommunications company, Qwest Communications, where he was responsible for its strategic direction. Before that, he worked for such companies as Sun Microsystems, Data General and McDonnell Douglas Automation. Baxter was named one of the "Ten to Watch" in 1999 by Telephony magazine and selected by Business News New Jersey as one of its "40 under 40 - New Jersey's Most Successful Business People."

An active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the board of trustees for Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation, Baxter is the primary contributor and founder of the Baxter Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization focused on education.

Murphy has made numerous contributions to aquatic environmental science in both the United States and Canada. Recipient of the Technical Excellence Award from the North America Lake Management Society, he has conducted research dealing with Great Lakes environmental issues for more than 25 years, examining nutrient dynamics, levels, sources and organic contaminants such as PCBs and PAHs. He has developed successful in situ sediment remediation technologies for which he holds five patents. He was a member of the United States EPA-sponsored Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediment Committee, and has published extensively.

A global leader in aquatic studies and a recognized authority on the Great Lakes, he has conducted international research on the causes and ecology of avian botulism outbreaks. He was recently appointed to a joint U.S.-Canadian task force to improve management of the disease that threatens birds in the prairies of North America.