September 29, 1994: Vol26n4: Three are inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

By LISA WILEY
News Bureau Staff
A NASA astronaut, a former football captain and a major booster of UB
sports were inducted into the UB Alumni Association Athletic Hall of
Fame at a dinner Sept. 23 in the Center for Tomorrow. They were
inducted by Sarah Anderson, president of the UB Alumni Association,
and Nelson E. Townsend, director of the Division of Athletics.
	New members are Ellen Shulman Baker, a 1974 UB graduate and
star swimmer, first UB woman to place in a women's national
championship; Matthew "Matty" Ferrentino, a 1951 graduate and football
standout who earned All-American designation in 1950, and Barry A.
Ruchlin, co-founder of the President's Associates and longtime
supporter of UB athletics.
	Baker placed 8th in the 100-meter freestyle and 14th in the
50-meter freestyle at the Women's National Swimming and Diving
Championships in 1970-71. She won the 50 freestyle in the '70-71 NYS
Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, and placed in the top 12 in
three events at the '71-72 Eastern Women's Swimming and Diving
Championships.
	She earned a bachelor's degree in geology from UB in 1974 and
a medical degree from Cornell University in 1978, joining NASA in 1981
as a medical officer. She was named an astronaut candidate in 1984,
with her first trip to space aboard Atlantis in 1989. Baker, who
served as a mission specialist on a 1992 Columbia flight, will be an
astronaut on a Space Lab flight in 1995. 
	Ferrentino, who played football for the UB Bulls from 1947-50,
won Little All-American designation in 1950, when he was co-captain
and led the team to its fifth straight winning season. He played
baseball and basketball, and was a professional boxer and bowler.
He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from UB in 1951.
He recently retired as a production manager at the Ford Motor Co.
	Ruchlin was honored for his significant financial donations to
the Division of Athletics. A member of the Athletic Advisory Committee
since 1987, he was alumni representative to the UB Athletic Board in
1992-93. He received a bachelor's degree in history and a dental
degree from UB in 1967. Since 1971, he has practiced orthodontics in
Tonawanda.