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| Jeremy Rainer |
From the beginning of his college career, 22-year-old Jeremy Rainer, a student at Fordham College at Rose Hill, had his eye on the University’s public radio station WFUV (90.7 FM). In his sophomore year he landed a position as a radio engineer for Woody’s Children, the Sunday night program hosted by Bob Sherman. Rainer worked behind the scenes playing the music, controlling the microphone and even helping to come up with ideas for the show.
“It was a good match because it’s a folk music show based on the old stuff,” Rainer said. The “old stuff” includes the music of legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, whom Rainer had interviewed for his high-school newspaper, and arranged to perform at his high school. One of the programs Rainer was instrumental in creating at WFUV was a tribute show to Seeger.
“When you get someone who’s not only doing his job as an engineer and listening, but who’s excited and involved with the music, it makes a tremendous difference to the program,” said Sherman. “Jeremy also concocted three very fine, interesting and unusual Pete Seeger birthday programs. He came up with the ideas, designed the shows himself.”
| “In a way, history and folk music go together. The songs have a lot of history in them.” |
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In the classroom, Fordham gave Rainer the chance to combine his two loves, as a double major in history and classical music.
“In a way, history and folk music go together,” said Rainer. “The songs have a lot of history in them.”
Rainer discovered his interest in American history in high school, and knew it would be his major in college, but he didn’t want to abandon music, an interest he inherited from his father, a classically trained pianist.
| “I like to think I have very eclectic taste in music. Eclectic for a 22-year-old, anyway. My taste for folk comes from my parents, who took me to Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie concerts as a boy.” |
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“I like to think I have very eclectic taste in music,” he said. “Eclectic for a 22-year-old, anyway. My taste for folk comes from my parents, who took me to Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie concerts as a boy.”
Rainer’s involvement in music outside the classroom at Fordham didn’t stop at WFUV, however. During his junior year, he decided to join the school choir that performs at the Sunday evening Mass at the University Church. “It became my favorite activity on campus,” he said.
That year, Rainer took the initiative and requested an internship with the Harold Leventhal Management Company, which in addition to managing Seeger, also oversees the estate of Woody Guthrie, another of Rainer’s favorite artists. Rainer was thrilled with the opportunity to work in Manhattan and in the music industry.
At Fordham, Rainer’s interests expanded beyond music and American history. He wanted to learn more about his Polish heritage, which he accomplished during his sophomore year with the help of the University’s Office of International Programs and Services. Rainer had previously traveled to Poland with his family, but his six-week study abroad trip was the first time he had the opportunity to learn how to speak the language. “It was the best summer of my life,” he said.
After graduation, Rainer will take another trip to Poland and travel in Europe before returning to college to pursue a master’s degree in history, perhaps to teach. He also plans to continue working at a radio station.
“Fordham I felt gave me the best of both worlds,” he said. “I was close to home and to Manhattan—I love the city—and I’ve gotten involved in the radio station, which I love to no end.”
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