Washington College Magazine
Class Notes
We Want To Know
Send your Class Notes to: classnotes@washcoll.edu. Because of space limitations we cannot publish every photo we receive, but you improve your chances if your digital photos are of good quality and at least 300 dpi at a canvas size of 3x5. For more photo guidelines, visit magazine.washcoll.edu. To appear in the Winter 2008 issue, please submit by November 26, 2007.
A dozen members of the Washington College family competed in the Third Annual Maryland Coed Bocce Club Summer Solstice Invitational in June. The organization run by Roland Fornoff '01 has grown to an active membership of over 75 competitors. This year, Mitch Sanders '01 placed first, beating Brad Gartrell '01 in the final round of the tournament. Pictured from left to right, back to front are: Matt Plum '98, Scott Reif '00, Josh Young '00, Curtis Gilbert '01, Brad Gartrell '01, Mitch Sanders '01, Roland Fornoff '01, Charles Bailey '02, Reed Gallant '02, Lindsay Wiley '01 and Erin Dore '03.
1942
Class Rep: Bob Carter
Dr. Atlee Calvin Kepler retired after 20 years as President of Hagerstown Community College. He is mentally alert but mobility-impaired. Atlee spends a month each winter in Mexico; he used to travel to Europe each October and May.
1949
Class Rep: Jean Africa
Lois Proctor Parker retired from Montgomery County public schools as coordinator of career education and launched LP. Parker, Associates in 1990. For the past five years Lois has been semi-retired; she is a part-time counselor, certified nationally and by the state.
1951
Robert Fox tells us, "I'm just completing a book called I Call It an Adventure, Call It What You Like. Were it not for Washington College, my life would not have been such fun, nor would I have had the perspective of events, even in hindsight, which shapes my life today."
1958
Class Rep: Bea Clarke Griffith
James Lewis recently participated in two USTA national tennis tournaments, the Senior Nationals in Tucson, AZ, and the Super Senior Nationals in Charleston, SC.
1960
Class Rep: Debbie Sherin Marindin
Lynn Hawkins Woodman moved from Maryland to South Carolina in 2004 but continues association with Bon Secours Health System by volunteering at St. Francis. Lynn has become an artist who loves to do pencil portraits. She has been elected to the church vestry and secretary of her neighborhood board. She writes a column for the Village paper.
1962
Class Rep: Bob Leitch
John Littlejohn and his wife, Terri, moved from Silver Spring, MD, to Wilmington, NC, in March to be closer to their son and his family in Winston- Salem and to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle of this beautiful area. An added bonus is to be near lifelong friends, Mel and Adah Walker '64 and Mike Richardson '64, who live nearby.
1969
Class Rep: Linda Sheedy
Linda Sheedy has received her second leadership award from the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Educators. She was recognized for her efforts in organizing the South Jersey Conference for many years.
1970
Class Rep: Chris Ely
Donna Flynn was announced in the Baltimore Sun as a new Baltimore County School Board member.
1972
Frank Ogens was elected in April to the Centreville (MD) Town Council for a three-year term. It is Frank's first foray into public office. He continues to teach economics and law at Kent County High School.
Karen Weatherholtz has been named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women. The Maryland Daily Record recognized Karen at a gala event held in May at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. Recently retired, she has been a human resources executive with McCormick & Company since 1977 and a member of McCormick's Board since 1992.
1973
Class Rep: Beth Leaman
Ford Schumann won the match-play championship title in golf this summer at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club.
1977
Christopher Mundy posted: "We just returned from the Washington College graduation of our son, Edward. He had a wonderful college experience. He did well academically, spent his junior year in London and was captain of the crew team. It is amazing that he and I graduated exactly 30 years apart."
1982
Class Rep: Scott Hansen
Donna M. Glover graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in the top 3% of her class and is now a practicing attorney at Venable LLP in Baltimore. Donna is in the Labor and Employment practice group, which focuses on counseling management on various employment matters and employment litigation.
1987
Class Rep: Lauren Halterman
Jack Gilden, a Baltimore advertising executive, is the winner of a Simon Rockower Journalism Award for "Silence of the Sage," an in-depth examination of the anti-Semitism of H.L. Mencken. The award was announced in June at the American Jewish Press Association's annual conference in San Francisco. Gilden's March 2006 cover story for the Baltimore Jewish Times garnered a first place David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles. What started as a book review soon became a months-long search for the truth about Mencken. Jack traveled to Dayton, TN, site of the Scopes Monkey Trial, pored over Mencken's newspaper columns, literary reviews and private letters, and in the end reached a definitive conclusion. The result was a 5,000-word essay juxtaposing Mencken's passionate quest for justice in Tennessee with his stunning silence on the plight of European Jews. Jack is president of the Hampden-based firm, Gilden Integrated.
Susan M. Kolls was elected Region One Chair of the National Academic Advising Association. Region One covers NY, MA, ME, VT, NH, CT, RI, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. She will hold this post through October 2009. If you are an academic advisor in Region One, please check out NACADA's website at www.nacada.ksu.edu - she'd love to have you join!
Tony Silvia lives in Virginia Beach, VA, with his wife, Lisa, and daughter Samantha. He and Lisa work for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Tony plays guitar for his church's folk choir and spends his free time (and free cash) amassing one of the world's greatest collections of space toys, tin robots and Baby Boomer collectibles. His collection is insured by Lloyd's of London.
1988
Dean Hebert was recently announced as the Washington Post Magazine Fiction Contest Winner, out of nearly 1,000 entries. His story, "Love is Kryptonite," will be published in the Valentine's issue on February 10. He earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland in 1993. Today he is an assistant director of the University Honors Program at the University of Maryland, where he teaches a short story class. He lives in Mechanicsville, MD.
Joanna Wilson has changed careers after 10 years as a popular and well-read journalist in her hometown of Dover, DE. In January 2006, she joined the staff of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's Public Affairs Office as a community relations officer. Joanna loves her new, less stressful but very busy career, in which she works with the agency's six divisions to publicize Delaware's environmental issues. She also plans a variety of public events and works on various programs including coordinating the Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. In addition to her regular duties, she also helps out with the Department's magazine, Outdoor Delaware, recently contributing a first-hand piece about the Becoming an Outdoor Woman program. In her free time, Joanna trains in the adult figure skating program at the Centre Ice Rink in Harrington, where she has performed in four ice shows. She has also at last found the perfect outlet for her training as a costumer in the Washington College Drama Department, making costumes for the rink's ice shows. Most recently, she designed and created more than 70 costumes and costume pieces for the April 2007 production of "Alice's Wonderland on Ice." Joanna also loves flying with her pilot husband of seven years, Dan Towery, and playing with their grandchildren, Jared, 3, and Carissa, 6 months. She is an avid gardener at their Dover home, Oharon, which she and Dan share with six cats and a border collie mix named Ellie. Joanna welcomes e-mail from her classmates at jojomac@dca.net.
1989
Raymond Crowe Scott '89 is an international B-767 pilot for Delta Air Lines. Ray says passing over Chestertown at 40,000 feet always makes him smile. He spends his free time surfing, scuba diving and windsurfing at home in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. "Gracias, Señor Shivers."
John Buettner and his wife, Rita, recently purchased a home in Oella above historic Ellicott City. When not fixing up the house, both continue to work in higher education. John is the media relations manager for the University System of Maryland. Rita is a writer/editor on the communications staff of the College of Notre Dame.
1993
Class Rep: Lizzy O'Hara Lazo
Nora Nazzaro lives in New York. She is the owner of Nazzaro Garcia Interiors. Theresa Lerch Nahajzer lives in Washington, DC. She and her husband, John, are the proud parents of boys, Julian and Luka, now 2.
Visit our new web pages at washcoll.planyourlegacy.org to learn about the benefits of gift planning, for your family, your college and future generations.
Kevin Allen '90 caught more than 30 brown, brookie and rainbow trout in one day in his new secret spot just outside of Ashville, NC. "The weather was great, my waders didn't leak, I knew just the right flies to use, and the fish never stopped biting. Life truly is good!"
1995
April Todd, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Somerset Intermediate School in Westover, MD, is Somerset County's 2007 Teacher of the Year and one of seven finalists for Maryland's Teacher of the Year. April, who is completing a master's degree, was recently invited to present her research on "Reading Perceptions in Middle School Classrooms" at an upcoming national reading conference. She has developed innovative reading strategies to improve students' reading comprehension through a system that gets them to stop and question as they read. As part of her master's program she has explored her passion for developing technology projects such as digital storytelling and using handheld computers in the classroom to inspire reluctant readers and writers. April also acts as adviser to the SGA.
1996
Joseph D'Urso is the publisher of Taste of the Bay magazine. The monthly magazine, now in its fifth year, is a cultural guide to the Chesapeake region.
1997
Class Rep: Stacey Johnston
Regis de Ramel lives in Wilmington, DE, with his wife, Laura, and two kids. Regis is selling flying planes for Cirrus Design and sees a lot of Giles Beale '95, but would love to hear from others!
Sherri Foster is attending the University of Sussex in England. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in literature, focusing on the manipulation of the body in the postmodern text. She graduated from the University of Oxford in 2006 with a master's in women's studies (literature focus).
Matthew and Judi Petracco are the parents of twin children, Carolyn and Andrew, now 3.
1998
Allison Tuttle completed a residency in zoological medicine (aquatics focus) at North Carolina State University in June 2007. In November, Allison will begin as staff veterinarian at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration in Mystic, CT, where she will provide medical care for the aquarium's diverse aquatic collection as well as stranded marine mammals and sea turtles.
2000
Class Rep: Heather Spurrier
Kate Mahoney just finished her first professional theatre gig in Chicago as an understudy for the world premiere of I Sailed With Magellan at Victory Gardens Theatre.
Nicole Mesenko Morrison writes: "Hi to everyone—professors, faculty and other alumni! I miss everyone and wish I could visit the East Coast more often. Life is good in Indiana. It is fun to watch corn grow. I'm enjoying three years of marriage and six months of motherhood. Also bought a graphic design and print shop business."
2001
Class Rep: Jillian Matundun
Jessica Koenig, one of the founders of Washington College's sailing program, is the new director of the community sailing program in Charleston, SC. She recently competed in the Women's U.S. Sailing Championships and was honored with the Charleston Yacht Club's women's award.
Kristina Smeltzer Lester graduated in May from Boston University with a master's in criminal justice. She works for NAVAIR at Patuxent River Naval Base in Southern Maryland.
Ben Marchant recently formed a new-LA based band called The Kings Royal. He is the group's songwriter. The group made their debut in April at a Santa Monica club, Nocturnal. Check out their music, and look for upcoming performance dates, at thekingsroyal.com.
Jennifer Anne Cook '02 was awarded a medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in June. She is doing an internship to be followed by a residency in internal medicine at Christiana Care System in Delaware.
Andrew Prins and Katie Bierzonski just bought a house above Magen's Bay Beach on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. They became engaged over Memorial Day weekend in St. John. They plan to visit "C'town" for the 2008 Birthday Ball and look forward to seeing everyone.
2003
Class Rep: Courtney Busch
Annette Bangert, having completed graduate training at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, is teaching art history as an adjunct instructor at Palm Beach Community College.
Elizabeth Haag Schmahl '04 (third from left), who lives in Germany with her husband and two young sons, spent the summer with family in Pennsylvania. She and classmates (from left) Kim Boughan St. John '04, Christine Garrett '04 and Colleen Costello '04 met in Chestertown one evening.
Jenifer Drummond received her medical degree from St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies, on June 15, 2007. She has spent the past four years completing her training in Grenada, West Indies, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies, Brooklyn, NY, and Jersey City, NJ. In July 2007, she began her residency in internal medicine at the Stamford Hospital/ Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons program in Stamford, CT.
Christina Granberg spent the past several years with the Peace Corps in Swaziland and Tanzania and, most recently, worked with NGOs in Israel and Palestine, where she focused on development and nonviolence. After a year's time, she intends to enroll in the graduate program in African Studies at the Center for International Studies at Ohio University.
Cailin Heilig was admitted to law schools at Villanova, Temple and Rutgers University. She enrolled at Temple University this fall.
Catharine Clarke Ingersoll was admitted to graduate programs in art history at the University of Virginia and the University of Texas, Austin. She has moved to Texas and enrolled at the University of Texas, Austin this fall.
Dean Zang reports: "I just started my fourth year with Marcus & Millichap in Philadelphia, brokering shopping centers in the northeast and mid-Atlantic. Amazing, it's the same job I took when I graduated. Most recently, I decided to move from Wilmington to the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia. Look forward to catching up with any alums in the city."
2004
Class Rep: Allison LaMarca
David Bauer started classes at the University of Baltimore School of Law this fall.
Stephen Berger helped the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Long Island Lizards to a firstplace finish in the pro league's Eastern Conference. The midfielder, who racked up 17 points through five games, now ranks third among MLL midfielders in scoring; he achieved All- Star status this season. Those who follow the pros say Berger's game smarts and versatility have elevated him among the new guard of MLL players.
Sarah Knies is in her second semester of graduate school at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. She is in the soil science department and performs research on riparian buffers and water quality.
Alex Kun is completing his MBA at the University of Iowa and is starting a new position as head swim coach/aquatics director at Sweet Briar College.
Melissa Maenner is still loving life in C'town. She is in her fourth year of teaching at Kent County High School and is pursuing her MA in English at WC.
Clay Swears graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in May 2006. He works as a consumer finance attorney in Baltimore and is planning a trip to Ireland this fall.
Allison Wade is in her final year of graduate school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, pursuing a master's degree in counseling and health psychology. She works with autistic children and started an internship with Northwestern Human Services as an individual and group therapist for children and adults.
Molly Williams says: "I am currently living in Timonium, MD, working at Sheppard Pratt hospital and playing in my band The Deciders (www.myspace. com/mddeciders). I still see as many people from WAC as I possibly can, and in early June I was able to reunite with fellow Zeta sisters Moriah Geaghan '03, Heather Russell '03, Manda Baldwin '03, Lindsey Wolfe '04 and Eileen Kasda '04 for a girls' weekend at the Bay. I'm sure we made George proud. I'm hoping to go to grad school soon to become a history or music history professor at a great college. Hey WAC, are ya' hiring?"
2005
The KAs are now producing third-generation Sho'men, with Jerry and Nancy Jenkins' granddaughter Amber, an entering freshman, joining their annual festivities. Standing from left: John Shannahan '95, holding daughter McNair, Bob Clagett '63, Rhea Clagett, Bob Natwick '64, Mary Natwick, Eric Purdon '66, Diana Leitch '65, Dick Natwick '66, Andy Murphy '68, Peggy Natwick, Miriam Murphy, Dave Smith '62, Betty Holloway, Jim Holloway '59, Nancy Strausburg '66, Vance Strausburg '66, Pat Gates, Doug Gates '59, Cheryl Purdon '69, Nancy Jenkins, Jerry Jenkins '65, Amber Madore '11, Kathy Manogue, Larry Manogue '64, Joan Everett, John Strand, Beth Weiss Koutsoumbaris and Lisa Weiss Strand. Kneeling from left: Barbara Smith '64, Bob Leitch '62, Glen Conner '65, Claudia Conner, Jack Shannahan '65, Faye Shannahan, Pat Evans, Alta Weiss '64, Fred Weiss '65 and Barry Evans '63. Children seated: Ben Koutsoumbaris, John Strand, Pearl Strand and Josh Koutsoumbaris.
Laura Greenback was hired in August as the managing editor of B-more Live, a new entertainment magazine in Baltimore that debuted September 5. Circulated with The Baltimore Guide newspaper in south Baltimore, the magazine includes stories on restaurants, bars, events, music, theatre and art. "It was a crazy month getting the first issue together, and I'm trying to improve on what I learned when I was editor of The Elm. If there are any alums in the Baltimore area who are interested in freelancing, e-mail me at lgreenback@b-morelive.com." Readers can visit www.bmorelive.com.
2006
Class Rep: Becky Binns
Kate Amann is living in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she works for Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. (www.chambersharrap.co.uk). She works mainly in sales and marketing, designing promotional material and dabbling in some editorial work. This summer, she worked some long, hard, fun hours at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for C Venues before starting a one-year program at the University of Edinburgh for an MSc in Design and Digital Media.
Alyssa Checkai is pursing a master's degree in library science at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Pat Horley puts his interest in environmental sustainability to use as a Peace Corps volunteer working with farmers in Central Province in the Serenje District of Zambia. He helps them integrate fish ponds into their existing farm fields in an endeavor to maximize their earning potential and diversify their crops. He is learning the local language, Bemba, and commuting by bicycle to his work site, about 26 kilometers from a paved road. His catchment area is about 1600 square kilometers.
Brandon Metcalf started classes at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine this fall.
Mali Royer spent the year after college volunteering with Habitat International's Global Village program. She is now attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Kyle Stem is working in the entomology lab of a non-profit organization called Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, PA. His principal duties include sampling streams and rivers for macro-invertebrate life, and then processing these samples back in the lab by sorting through them and picking out all of the macro-inverts. He then identifies these inverts down to the taxonomic classification of species. His organization endeavors to promote environmental stewardship and advance knowledge of freshwater ecosystems.
2007
Ceren Barlas is pursuing a master of science degree in environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Lindsay Bergman joined IGI Global based in Hershey, PA, as an editorial assistant. She works with fellow alumna, Carole Pursell Couleson '85.
Erin Bodenheimer is in the second year of the pharmacy program at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Andrew Bright is working for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign in New Hampshire.
Renee Farrah has landed an internship in the publishing world. She is working for Wildside Press, which publishes books and magazines in the science fiction, fantasy and mystery genres. The small press in Rockville, MD, publishes the magazine Weird Tales, which started in the 1920s and helped launch the careers of Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft.
Nadine Quinn Mahoney, Julia Kathleen Mahoney, Ryan Nicholas Mahoney and Katrina Magdalena Mahoney enjoy a summer outing. They are the children of Ryan and Magdalena Mahoney '94.
Astra Haldeman will enroll in the Museums and Culture graduate program at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She was awarded one of only 16 U.S. Ambassadorial Scholarships for post-graduate study from Rotary International.
Edward G. Hohenstein spent his summer doing chemistry research at Georgia Tech, where he is now enrolled in a Ph.D. program in chemistry.
B.J. Leong is enrolled in the viticulture program at the University of California, Davis, and continues to work as a computer technician at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's civil rights department.
Todd '00 M'03 and Melissa Celano Cohn '00 (with their pup Rudy) enjoy a Washington College moment with the Lesters: Kristina Smeltzer Lester '01, husband Scott and daughter Sember.
Anna Lodwick is enrolled in the MFA program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the New York school's campus in San Francisco.
Kelly A. McDevitt is a chemical technician with Dade Behring, Inc., a world leader in clinical diagnostic equipment. Ali Sutton is enrolled in the pre-veterinary program at Towson University.
Megan Walburn was named to the College Rowing Coaches' Association Division III National Scholar-Athlete squad. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee, she received the Hildenbrand Memorial Medal at graduation.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782