Joe Salvatore, a professor in the Steinhardt school, is one of the Faculty Fellows in Residence, living at Third North. His partner, Craig Hamrick, is an author and photographer. Below you can read some biographical info about Joe. Find more at his website, www.joesalvatore.com. And to read about Craig, click here.

About Joe

I was born and raised in southern New Jersey, in a small town called Pitman. I'm the oldest of five children in an Italian-Irish-English (Mayflower Compact-signing) family.

After high school, I went to the University of Delaware to study biology, but after three semesters and a traumatic encounter with Organic Chemistry, I decided to follow my strengths in the humanities and study history. Mostly central European history, with a smattering of American thrown in for patriotic purposes.

After graduating from the University of Delaware in 1995, I began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I studied theater with concentrations in dramaturgy and directing.

I loved living in New England but felt a little isolated in western Massachusetts. So after graduating with my MFA in 1998, and an additional year of back and forth between New Jersey and Massachusetts, including a semester as a guest lecturer at UMASS, I decided to take the plunge and move to New York City.

From 1999 to 2005, I lived in Brooklyn, and of course this year, my little family and I moved into Manhattan to take up residence at Third North. I've never felt more at home.

I love living and working in New York City, and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. I've been able to work as an arts educator to pay my bills, while pursuing my artistic endeavors as a director, writer, and performer.

In May 2001, I found a great guy named Craig to explore this crazy world with, and it's been a joy to have him in my life. We moved in together in July 2002, and then in October of the same year Craig was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36. Two surgeries and many rounds of chemotherapy have helped, but his battle continues.

In September 2003, we added a kitten to our family. We found Buster at a local shelter, and he's been a great companion for both of us.

Then in August 2004, we decided that Buster needed a brother for his first birthday, and Dusty joined the family.

Buster and Dusty both love meeting new people, and they're by far the most popular attraction when we have our fellow residents in for dinner, movies, or just to chat.

Both kitties are featured on Craig's website, www.craighamrick.com, so take a look by clicking here !