The new Ronald Moehle Graduate Student Lounge had its unofficial grand opening on Thursday, April 2nd. Graduate students, faculty, and staff opened the lounge with pizza and camaraderie. Funded by a bequest from the estate of Hunter Geography M.A. Ronald Moehle, the lounge is located inside HN 1032 and includes a leather sofa, two leather arm chairs, a coffee table, microwave oven and refrigerator. In the next couple of weeks two new Dell PCs will be installed. Open 24/7, grad students need to know the combination to the lock on the outer door. Guidelines for use of the space are posted inside the lounge.

Ronald Moehle was a 1996 M.A. graduate of Hunter Geography. A part-time student for seven years, he took one course a semester at night while working full-time during the day. His Master’s thesis, entitled “Jamaica Bay Port Proposals, 1898-1950: An Application of Borchert’s Theory of Metropolitan Evolution,” examines the proposed creation in the first half of the 20th century of a large seaport and industrial complex in Jamaica Bay. The planned port—never fully realized—was intended to augment Manhattan’s congested port facilities.

A friend of Hunter Geography, Ron made regular donations to the Department’s Development Fund and the Miriam and Saul Cohen Fund for Geographic Excellence. This spring the Department of Geography will award the first two Cohen Prizes. At his death on March 30, 2007 Ron was the Director of Land Use Review with the New York City Department of Transportation.