In Spring 2020, Floyd “Wally” Roper ’76 was featured on “60 Minutes.” But thankfully, he said only a few people knew it was his voice on the automated phone system for people seeking New York State unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 shutdown. In the episode that aired April 5, 2020, a frustrated young woman who had called about her unemployment benefits 50 times a day for two weeks holds her phone up for the “60 Minutes” camera as Roper’s recorded voice message plays: “All specialists are busy with other customers. You must call back this week.” Reflecting back on his “15 minutes of fame,” he laughs: “I think I was probably the most cursed-at person in America for a time.” He jokingly blames his broadcasting classes and experience with WRVO in Oswego and later with WNBF and WINR in Binghamton for landing him the responsibility serving as the “Voice of New York” and recording the interactive voice response prompts for the Unemployment Insurance System, the New York State Canal System and several divisions within the Department of Labor. Although his voice overs gained him some notoriety, his main responsibilities were as a supervisor and specialist in Operations Support at the New York State Department of Labor’s Glendale Telephone Claims Center, where he served as an employer liaison. Roper first started working as an Employment Counselor at Broome County Social Services in 1994 after leaving the radio broadcast industry. He then joined the New York State Department of Labor, where he quickly ascended the ranks to his supervisory position. He retired from the state in September 2020. Although retired from the Department of Labor, he has remained committed to workforce development through the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP), where he has served in various capacities including president, vice president and awards chair of the New York chapter. His recent inauguration as president of the international body reaffirms his commitment to the development and improvement of workforce professionals globally. Among his goals as president, he said he hopes to help the organization shift into a new era of offering online trainings and courses that are affordable for small business owners or individuals seeking to upskill. “IAWP, like many associations, suffered with the COVID pandemic, and we are trying to recover from that with a new focus on training both workforce professionals and offering training resources at a very reasonable cost to partner agencies and businesses,” Roper said. “Our new website WorkforceLearn.com is our way of pivoting to meet the needs of our members and those organizations that can take advantage of our 110 years of experience for their constituents.” The organization’s newly revamped website showcases courses covering everything from artificial intelligence in business to working successfully in remote teams to becoming a more sustainable business. In addition to his volunteer work with IAWP, Roper is a life-time member of the Endwell (N.Y.) Fire Department and has served as its Fire Police Captain for several years. For over two decades, Roper and his wife, Mary Jury Roper, have co-emceed the Vestal Community Chorus concerts, embodying their love for community engagement and the arts. They are both members of the Board of Directors of the Johnson City (N.Y.) Senior Center. Roper has fond memories of his two years at SUNY Oswego, including having met his first, now late wife, Kim Collins Roper ’78. He remains connected to several classmates who lived with him in Waterbury Hall, and the political science major remembers fondly a summer project about human rights in the United Nations that he completed alongside the Professor Warren Weinstein. Weinstein later served as an international aid worker in Pakistan, was abducted by al-Qaeda and tragically killed in a U.S. counterterrorism strike in 2015. “My ‘mentor’ in the department was a terrific teacher and person, Warren Weinstein,” Roper said. “He and I did a project over the Summer of 1976, which I will never forget. He was a fascinating man to get to know, and his work with international aid organizations later in his career was admirable. “I was very fortunate to attend Oswego State and value every minute I spent on the shore of Lake Ontario!” Roper said.