A Half-Century Homecoming: The Dastidars Return to FSU: Florida State University
A Half-Century Homecoming: The
Dastidars Return to FSU
Rayn Sonntag Associate Director of Development, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Drs. Sachi and Shefali Dastidar
(Ph.D. Urban and Regional Planning ’75 & ’78, respectively) returned to
Florida State University for the first time in nearly fifty years to join the
university’s Homecoming celebrations.
The Dastidars reconnected with other Emeriti Alumni from Sachi’s graduating class during a tour around Florida State’s campus. Much has changed since the Dastidars attended FSU. For instance, the swimming pool next door to the Bellamy building, where the Dastidars had office space and completed their coursework, has been closed and a new lecture hall now stands on that land. The new Student Union glistens at the Woodward Ave campus entrance. Multiple new residence halls stand tall, housing FSU’s largest freshman class in the university’s 174-year history.
The Dastidars were warmly welcomed back to the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy with a luncheon alongside current Urban and Regional Planning students and faculty. The department was fortunate enough to hear stories of the Dastidars’ impactful work in Queens, NY, and abroad in Bangladesh and India. The Dastidars wrapped up their Friday with a meeting with Dean Dr. Tim Chapin, himself a planner by training.
October Saturdays in Tallahassee
are reserved for FSU football. Before the game, the Dastidars stopped by the
College of Social Sciences and Public Policy Homecoming Tailgate, where alumni
and friends of the college gathered to celebrate FSU and reminisce about their
time on campus.
The Dastidars wrapped up their trip
at Doak Campbell Stadium to watch the Florida State Seminoles defeat the Wake
Forest Demon Deacons from the Dunlap Champions Club, a state-of-the-art
facility where FSU fans can gather, socialize, and immerse themselves in the
electric atmosphere of a home game. This game was practically one sided in
favor of Florida State.
Florida State University and the
College of Social Sciences and Public Policy were honored to welcome the
Dastidars back to campus after nearly 50 years. It is a privilege to reconnect
with alumni and hear about the work they have done and the lives they have
shaped. We thank the Dastidars for spending time with our students, faculty,
and staff, and we offer them as an exemplary model of the Seminole Spirit.
They also visited retired Professor
Dr. Andy Zurik at his home in Tallahassee, who was their professor, and Shefali’s
doctorate guide. Zurik’s picture is in Sachi’s latest memoir-based non-memorial
book, Huson Ganga Merger 2: Union of America’s Hudson River with India’s
Ganga; Policy of
Democratic U.S. and India, Discovering World’s Love, Hate, Tolerance and Intolerance
with Prejudice, Pretense, Persecution, and Passivity published in the U.S.
Welcome home and Go Noles!
So be quick to love and make haste to be kind.
********
Laura Healey
Politics, Ecos. & Law Department
Administrative Assistant 1 (U.S.)
******** 11.17.25
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