- Alumni; On Campus
The lives of university trustees Rick Courtemanche ‘73 and Tom Tessier ‘74 have been intersecting since they were kids. They grew up in the same neighborhood and sometimes played basketball together. Years later, they met again while fighting in the Vietnam War.
Rick returned to the U.S. and began attending SNHU. Tom recalled sitting in a foxhole, reading a letter from a mutual friend at SNHU who challenged him to also come to college.
Tom bumped into Rick again at SNHU. Both felt transformed while here.
“I think we had purposed-driven lives when we came back from Vietnam
“(The school) gave a lot of veterans a chance to really show ourselves and exceed everyone’s expectations,” Tom said.
They were offered special courses to help them and fellow veterans catch up to their classmates. Several faculty members helped them succeed. Tom recalls having to rewrite a paper 25 times to get it right. “They gave us the time,” he said.
“They got us engaged and helped us find ourselves,” Rick said. “I think we were on a mission
Profs. Frank and Ellen Barnes introduced Rick, who had planned to become an accountant, to computers. Former university President Eddie Shapiro brought in an early model computer and let students use it.
“(They) changed my life,” Rick said. “I would come to school at two in the morning to get my hour or two hours on the computer.”
After graduating, Rick joined IBM. Tom eventually went into the insurance business. They kept in touch and became good friends. Today, as board members, they feel they are giving back to the institution that gave them so much.
“This place has got my heart and soul,” Rick said.
“I was a high school flunky, I never should have been accepted by any college in the United States of America. (SNHU) accepted me on a probationary basis,” Tom said. “Because of that, I am so loyal to the school and feel like I owe this institution for the rest of my life.”
