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Anne Grulich, editor
Mulberry Tree
Phone: (240) 895-2160
18952 East Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
Where do the stories for the Alumni Connection come from? Most come directly from you in letters or e-mail updates. We also search public sources, news clippings, the Internet, and press releases sent by your employers. Your classmates will want to hear what your new research grant or your new job is all about, what your graduate degree is in, your trip, your marriage, or your expanding family. Submissions may be edited for style and length.
Photos are welcome. Please remember to turn your digital camera to high resolution. Did you meet with other alumni recently? Send us the photo! Please send identification, including the years of the other alumni.
How to send news and to change your address: Contact your Alumni Office by e-mail, alumnioffice@smcm.edu; by phone, 800-458-8341; or fax, 240-895-2112; or from the College web site, www.smcm.edu/alum/.
We are looking forward to hearing from you!
1929
Dorothy Hope Hodgkinson Grace ’29 See An Interview With Dorothy Hope Hodgkinson Grace '29
1953
Ginny Davis hosted a luncheon at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford, Maryland, for friends from around Maryland who had attended St. Mary’s Seminary High School or St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College. Shown here, from left to right are Margaret Slingloff ’55, Bettie Pass Debeluis ’53, Marnie Goldsborough Brink ’53, Ginny Davis, Robbie Robertson Kauffman ’50 and her husband, Frank Kauffman ’51, Olivia Sibley Cox ’51, Anne Tilghman Muller ’52, Nancy Butts McIntyre ’52, Betsy Briscoe Bacot ’51, and Shirley Shugart Duvall ’55.
1957
Patricia Flanagan Arthur and Robert C. Arthur celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July in West Ocean City, Maryland. Among those attending the celebration were her college roommate, Carol Gross Galloway ’57, Ann Brittingham Suthowski ’57, and Suzanne Lussier Jones ’58 and her husband Ronald Jones. Suzie, Ann, and Pat meet for lunch each month. Pat also lunched with Claudia Norwood Messick ’55 and Patricia Murray Chester ’55 earlier in the spring. Pat and Carol are looking forward to returning to St. Mary’s for Alumni Weekend 2011. Pat and Bob live in the Ocean Pines section of Berlin, Maryland.
Kay Wood Bailey was profiled in an April 2010 Delawareonline.com article. As president of the Delaware chapter of American Mothers Inc., her goal is to develop the chapter “so it can support any group working to strengthen the family.” She also continues to serve as the curator for the International Correctional Arts Network (I-CAN) annual show of prisoner-created art work. Kay and her husband, Richard, live in Wyoming, Delaware.
1967
W. Dennis Gilligan and his wife, Peggy O’Neil-Gilligan were honored in February as the Severna Park Voice Volunteers of the Month for their work with Hospice of the Chesapeake. Peggy, who began volunteering in 1998 and works with hospice patients, is this year’s Volunteer of the Year. Dennis began volunteering in 2008, first with the Hospice Cup Regatta and later on the hospice’s philanthropic committee and foundation board. For the past two years, Dennis’s company, Craftsmen Developers, has sponsored the Gilligan’s Island Hospice Ferrari Event. In 2009, Dennis received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Home Builder Association of Maryland for his efforts to produce economically and environmentally viable communities throughout Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Most recently Craftsmen Developers was awarded the National Association of Homebuilders highest recognition of Four Star Certified Green Community. Peg and Dennis live in Pasadena, Maryland.
1976
Larry Leak is an at-large member of the newly created Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness. Appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley, the council consists of teachers, principals, experts, and elected officials who will develop an evaluation system for educators as required by the Education Reform Act of 2010. Larry has been involved with public education for many years. He’s been a high school teacher, a principal, a university professor, department chairman at Towson University, assistant state superintendent in certification for the Maryland State Department of Education, and acting provost and chief academic officer for the University of Maryland University College. He has been a member of the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission since 1998, and also serves as secretary of the College’s Board of Trustees. Larry and his family live in Clarksville, Maryland.
1978
Celeste “Tess” Rollins is a special education instructional assistant at Linganore High School in Frederick, Maryland. She also teaches KidzArt enrichment classes part-time after school and creates her own art work as time allows. Her son, Jake, will complete his undergraduate studies at George Washington University in December. Celeste and her companion, Doug, live in Frederick with their two cats and two aquariums.
1987
Dave Reynolds graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia, with a doctorate of musical arts in classical guitar. A freelance musician, he tours with musical groups out of the Los Angeles area. Most recently, he played at the Grand Ole Opry, did a national tour of Jingle Bell Rock, and toured the west coast with Little Shop of Horrors. He also continues to compose and record music and has begun looking for a college teaching position. For a video of Dave playing his guitar on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com. Dave and his wife, Libby, have been married 23 years and have two teenagers, Anna, 18, and David, 16. The family lives in Newbury Park, California.
1988
Kristian Thompson has been in the commercial and residential construction industry for over 20 years and is senior project manager for Craftsmen Developers, LL C, a land development firm founded in 2008 by W. Dennis Gilligan ’67. A certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and a member of the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), Kris recently took a Delaware waterfront townhome project through the stringent National Green Building Standard certification process. It is the first project on the east coast, and only the fifth in the country, to be certified as a four-star, green land development by the National Association of Home Builders. Kris and his wife, Pam Crowder ’89, live in Baltimore.
1991
Dan Schiffman was recently recognized by The Northwestern Mutual Financial Network for his outstanding volunteer work with Advocates for Homeless Families, a Frederick, Maryland, non-profit organization. For his efforts, he received the Community Service Award, and Advocates for Homeless Families received a $10,000 grant from Northwestern Mutual. Dan is a financial advisor and field director with Northwestern. He and his family live in Hagerstown, Maryland.
1996
Jen Riffle Schugam started a non-profit organization, Feeding the People, Inc., in November 2008. The organization provides home-delivered meals, nutrition education, and intensive, ongoing support for low-income diabetics in the Baltimore area. After years of working in telecommunications, Jen changed careers and went back to school at the University of Maryland School of Social Work where she received her master’s of social work degree with a concentration in clinical practice with children and families. She and her husband, Larry, who’s the assistant director of Feeding the People, Inc., live in Baltimore with their children, Arthur and William.
1999
Katie Church is exploring a possible career change to organic farming. Currently working as a registered nurse in the field of adult inpatient psychiatry, she’s been practicing “eating locally” ever since she read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Katie has worked on four different organic farms in the Boulder, Colorado, area. She’s also talked with her younger brother, Mikey Church ’04, currently studying sheep and goat raising in the Republic of Tajikistan, about partnering on an agricultural venture. Katie lives in Denver.
2000
Paul Broccolina hosted the Baltimore Alumni Chapter and other alums in July for a “party on the patio,” at Ruth’s Chris Steak House at Pier V in Baltimore where he was general manager. As the photo shows, a good time was had by all! Paul, although he majored in sociology and anthropology at St. Mary’s, has made a career in the restaurant business, starting out at Evans Seafood on St. George Island, the Green Door, and Monk’s Inn as a student. Then in 2002, he became the general manager and head chef for the RFD restaurant (Regional Food and Drink) in northwest Washington, D.C., which is owned by Josh Alexander ’01. After several years there, he helped open a new Annapolis restaurant, the Rockfish. Paul was general manager of the two Baltimore Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses: Pier V and Water Street for the last four years. But that changed in August when he was given the opportunity to run the Annapolis Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Hopefully that means another “party on the patio” for St. Mary’s alums! Paul and his wife, Stephanie, live in Annapolis.
Amy Chess is an instructor and interim director of the psychology program at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. In 2007, she received her doctorate in behavioral neuroscience from Dartmouth College. She has been a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Vermont for the past four years. Amy is married to Rob Friesel ’01 who is a software engineer for Dealer Dot Com Websystems in Burlington. They’re the proud parents of Holden, age 2. The family lives in Essex Junction, Vermont.
Nadine Hughes, shown here with Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools, and Maureen Montgomery, principal of Spring Ridge Middle School in Lexington Park, is Spring Ridge’s teacher of the year for the 2009-2010 school year. A seventh grade reading/language arts teacher, Nadine has taught in the school district for ten years and has had the pleasure of working with two of the College’s Master of Arts in Teaching students who now teach in the school system. Nadine and her family live in Lusby, Maryland.
Benjamin James, a certified financial planner, is the owner of James & Newberg, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Columbia, Maryland. In September, he celebrated his tenth year in practice. Benjamin lives in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Dawn Pipkin has been appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness, a new organization consisting of teachers, principals, experts and elected officials working to develop an evaluation system for educators as required by the Education Reform Act of 2010. An instructional resource teacher at Leonardtown Middle School, she received her master of arts degree in reading education from Towson University and is a national board certified teacher. In a “six degrees of separation” kind of coincidence, turns out Dawn was an office aide for another member of the council, Larry Leak ’76, who was an assistant principal at Leonardtown High School when she was in high school. Dawn and her family live in Hollywood.
2002
Kevin Beanland ’02 and Rachel Moyle Beanland brought home their two-year-old daughter, Clementine Tsehaynesh Beanland, from Ethiopia in March 2010. Clementine joins big brother Gabriel, age 5. Kevin, an assistant professor of mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, was recently named a Fulbright Research Scholar. The Beanland family will spend spring 2011 in Athens, Greece, while Kevin is at the National Technical University.
June Dela Cuesta Bowie ’02 has been busy since graduating from the College. She worked for four years as a volunteer coordinator for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. In 2006, she married Anthony Bowie, who is a flight test engineer with Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. She then worked as a production assistant for Solomons Island Winery. Her biggest job yet is being a full-time mom to Laura Jean Bowie, born July 30, 2008. June and her family enjoy living in St. Mary’s County.
Anya Olsen sent in a photo of her daughter Eila’s first play-date with children of other 2002 alums. From left to right, they are: Addison Oldham, 2; Brennan Moody, 1; Tyler Sulkowski, 1; and Eila who’s now 5 months old. Addison’s parents are Daniel Oldham ’02 and Stephanie Bowers Oldham ’02. Daniel works for State Farm Insurance; Stephanie works for the University of Virginia. The family lives in Palmyra, Virginia. Brennan’s parents are Bryan Moody ’02 and Laura Rhodes Moody ’02. Bryan is a natural resources manager for Howard County’s Department of Recreation and Parks; Laura is a kindergarten teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. The family lives in Columbia, Maryland. Tyler’s parents are Dave Sulkowski ’02 and Kathy Holmes Sulkowski ’02. Both are captains in the U.S. Army stationed in South Korea where Dave is a clinic pediatrician and Kathy is a family medicine physician. Anya and Ryan are profiled in Eila’s birth note.
2003
Leslie Cook graduated in May from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with her master’s in fine arts in costume design. After spending a semester with the Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C., she is building costumes and heading the wardrobe department at Wolf Trap Opera in northern Virginia. Leslie recently became engaged to Thomas Day; they plan a July 2011 wedding. Leslie lives in Herndon, Virginia.
2004
Kristine A. Roinestad earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in May. She is an assistant professor of mathematics at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Kristine says, “It was the quality and enthusiasm shown by the St. Mary’s faculty that helped define my future as a teacher. Each of my professors shared with me a passion for learning, discovery and possibilities. I hope to be that kind of teacher to my students.” She also is a 2010-2011 Project NExT fellow, a professional development program sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America.
Kristine lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
2005
Tabitha Clem ’05 earned her doctorate in chemistry, with a focus on organic and materials chemistry, from the University of California, Berkeley in May. She has joined 3M as a researcher in the fine chemicals group. Tabitha lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Julie Hocker is pursuing her master’s of business administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. She is the A.L. Hobgood Fellow for the class of 2010. Julie previously served as a project manager with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families in Washington, D.C. She now resides in Chapel Hill.
2006
Yukiko Asaki, shown here on the right, graduated in May from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She is doing a three-year residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Yukiko lives in Norwich, Vermont.
Jason Dobrzykowski has been named a senior account executive in the Baltimore office of Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations agency with offices in 76 countries. He oversees the day-to-day execution of webbased marketing campaigns and develops social media strategies for brands including Kraft and PepsiCo. Jason lives in Baltimore.
2009
Drew Mooney works in quality assurance for Epic, a company which designs integrated software for a variety of organizations including medical groups, healthcare organizations, academic facilities, and children’s organizations. The former Seahawk baseball pitcher stays fit competing in Iron and half-Iron triathlon events throughout North America. Drew lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Avideh Mayville and Phil Crehan ’08 are on the 2010-2011 executive board of American University’s School of International Service graduate student council. Avideh, council president, is a second year master’s student in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Phil, communications director for the council, is a second year master’s student in Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs.
2010
Stephanie Klapper was named a national Portz Scholar in the National Collegiate Honors Council’s competition for outstanding undergraduate honors papers. A psychology major, she presented her paper (the result of her St. Mary’s Project), “Exploring Kawaii in a Sample of Japanese College Women: A Mixed-Methods Study,” at the Council’s national conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Stephanie works as a research assistant at a medical research firm in Bethesda and lives in Germantown, Maryland.
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