Class Notes

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’50s

Poems by Mollee Kruger ’50 were included in “Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln: A Commemorative Collage,” a book celebrating the bicentennial of the president’s birth.

’60s

Lawrence Babit ’69 recently had a book published, “Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battlefield at Guilford Courthouse,” an account and examination of a Revolutionary War battle in North Carolina.

Bob ’66 and Mary Jean (Pillatt) Felter ’66 celebrated 43 years of marriage with a Baltic cruise. Since leaving The (Annapolis) Capital newspaper in 2007, Mary has worked as a senior editor at What's Up? Publishing Group and as public information officer for the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities.

Barry Schimel ’63 co-wrote the recently published book, “100 Ways to Profit in a Volatile Economy: Business-Tested Battle Strategies.”

Brian Sharkey ’65 received the International Association of Wildland Fire’s 2009 Safety Award.

’70s

Vasiliki “Kiki” Anastasakos ’77 was recently promoted to associate professor at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pa.

Richard “Rich” Dimaio ’79 is president of MyJerseyShore.com, the leading provider of online travel information about the region.

Gerald Fain ’76 was recently elected to the World Leisure Organization's Board of Directors.

David Goldner ’79 was recently named managing partner of Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates, P.A. in Baltimore.

Jane (Schnuer) Goldner ’71's book, “Driven to Success: A 10-Point Checkup for Achieving High Performance in Business,” was recently published.

Roger Hawks Jr. Ph.D. ’72 retired from Tri-State University in Angola, Ind., after 31 years of service. He had served as dean of the Allen School of Engineering & Technology.

Glen Hellman ’78 is chairing a Washington, D.C.,-area advisory board group for CEOs and business owners for Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executive organization. More than 300 executives are involved in Vistage groups in the D.C. area.

Elliott Rosengarten ’77 was appointed president of the board of trustees of the Kentucky Optometric Association.

John Silva Ph.D. ’77 retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after 28 years of service. He was a professor of sport psychology there.

Janet Barrer Stearns ’74 reached the top of Pike's Peak.

’80s

Barbara (Bealor) Hines Ph.D. ’81 was recently named Howard University's outstanding faculty member. She is a professor and director of the graduate program in mass communication and media studies.

Glenn Birx ’80 received a promotion to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. He is a principal at Ayers Saint Gross in Baltimore.

“The Friendship Puzzle: Helping Kids Learn About Accepting and Including Kids with Autism,” a book by Julie Coe ’89, was recently published.

The debut novel by David Cristofano ’89, “The Girl She Used to Be,” was recently published.

In September, Patricia Guerry Ph.D. ’83 won the Partnership for Public Service’s Service to America Medal, or Sammy, in the category of Science and Technology. The awards program honors federal workers who have made significant contributions to the country. Guerry is chief of the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Branch of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Spring. She created a vaccine to prevent the world’s top cause of food-borne illness.

Louise (Toy) Harris ’89 signed a contract to have her second novel, “The 1776 Inn,” published. Her first was “The 1776 Scroll.” She also owns her own company, LAST Research & Editing.

Andi Kay ’89 and her mother recently co-wrote the dating book, “Kiss and Tell: Tales by a Mother and Daughter.”

“Levittown: Two Families, One Tycoon, and the Fight for Civil Rights in America's Legendary Suburb,” an examination of a racial clash in the “model” Pennsylvania community in the 1950s, by David Kushner ’89, was recently published.

Gail Lovelace ’81 was named a finalist for the Partnership for Public Service’s Service to America Medals, or Sammies, in the category of Citizen Services. The awards program honors federal workers who have made significant contributions to the country. Lovelace is the chief human capital officer and senior career executive for presidential transition at the General Services Administration.

A book by Martin “Marty” O'Neill ’83, “Building Business Value: How to Command a Premium Price for Your Midsized Company,” was recently published.

Jeffrey Rinde ’88 joined Blank Rome LLP in New York City as partner in the Public Companies and Capital Formation group.

Debra Jones-Ringold Ph.D. ’86 was named dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

’90s

Mark Changizi ’97 recently published the book, “The Vision Revolution: How the Latest Research Overturns Everything We Thought We Knew About Human Vision.”

Kristine D'Elisa ’94 received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, AP Homes accreditation by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The book, “American Soldiers in Iraq: McSoldiers or Innovative Professionals,” by Morten Ender ’91 was recently published.

Susan R. Jones Ph.D. ’95, Gretchen Metzelaars Ph.D. ’94, Mei-Yen Hui M.A. ’09 and Maryland student Glenn Ireland teamed up to ride 330 miles over four days in September in the 2009 NYCDC AIDS Ride. The team raised more than $10,000 for AIDS research.

Heath Morrison M.E. ’94, Ph.D. ’05 was named superintendent of the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nev. He previously served as a community superintendent in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Jessica (Bolgiano) Smith ’99 joined the firm of Fleishman-Hillard International Communications as vice president in the Sacramento, Calif., office. Smith launched a successful blog called Jessicaknows.com and was recently named one of the Power Pack in Nielsen's Power Mom 50 list.

Bryan Walpert M.F.A. ’98 has published his first collection of poetry, “Etymology.” He teaches creative writing at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

’00s

Channa Amarasekera ’07 was awarded a Cooke Graduate Scholarship by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. He is attending medical school at Harvard University.

Stacey (Felzenberg) Viera '01 launched Best Light Communications, LLC in the Washington, D.C., area. She specializes in media relations for a variety of industries.

Joel Vanderheyden M.M. ’05 released a progressive jazz CD called “Complete Life” that KCCK 88.3FM in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named its “Featured CD of the Month” for August 2009.

Vicky Zervas ’00 married Michael Smith in Washington, D.C. on June 6. Chris Zervas ’00 served as best man; Brandi Farmer ’01 was maid of honor. Also in attendance were Emily Downing ’06, Nicholas Graham ’03 and Kimberly Marselas '00.

Cathy Brown ’06 wrote a feature article in the May issue of Urban Land, titled “Lithuania's Capital City Goes Modern.”

Jeanette J. Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00 was one of nine men and women selected for NASA’s 2009 astronaut candidate class. Epps is a technical intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Heidi Hemming ’03 co-wrote the recently released book, “Women Making America,” about United States’ women’s history.

Catalina Kopetz Ph.D ’03 received a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to conduct research on female drug users who exchange sex for drugs or money. She is a postdoctoral fellow at Maryland working in the Center for Addictions, Personality and Emotion Research.

Jonathan McKearin ’05 received the LEED AP Homes accreditation by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Tashica Morgan ’03 was a finalist in the fourth season of the reality TV show “HGTV Design Star.” She is pursuing a master’s degree in interior design from Marymount University in Arlington, Va.

Nicole Ortiz ’05 was crowned Miss Maryland United States 2009 in May. She is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola College in Baltimore.

Frank Shushok Jr. Ph.D. ’02 was named associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He previously served as dean for student learning and engagement at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Kateri Simon ’03 received a professional engineer's license and became a LEED accredited professional.

Andrea Livi Smith ’08 was recently named director of the Center for Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.

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