 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Class News 1940s 1960s 1970s Ronald E. Copley ’72 (M.B.A. ’74) of Wilmington, N.C., was appointed by North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley to the Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees. Ronald is the self-employed president of Copley Investment Management. He is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, the board of the Boys & Girls Brigade Club and the arbitration panels of the National Association of Securities Dealers and of the New York Stock Exchange. Gary Schanbacher (M.A. ’72) retired in January 2008 and now focuses on writing. He lives in Littleton, Colo. Gary Freitag (M.S. ’74) writes that, after 27 years as research and evaluation manager for the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, he has changed positions. He is now a full-time associate professor with the School of Fisheries and Oceans Sciences at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “I’m still located in Ketchikan, Alaska, as the marine advisory agent for the Alaska Sea Grant program.” Bruce H. Needham (M.S. ’74) retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last July after 30 years with NOAA, and a total of 40 years with the government. Prior to retirement, he was the director of satellite operations for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), and was responsible for the daily operation of the Defense Meteorological Satellite System (DMSP) for the U.S. Air Force, and acquisition of the end-to-end ground system for NPOESS, which will replace the current DMSP and NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) systems in the next decade. During his service with NOAA, Bruce received many awards, including the Department of Commerce Gold and Silver Medal, the Air Force Unit Citation and Commendation Medal, and the Aviation Week Laurels Award for Space Operations in 1998. He is currently the owner of The Needham Group, LLC, an aerospace consulting group (TheNeedhamGroup@aol.com), and shares time between homes in Cape Cod, Mass., Annapolis, Md., and Naples, Fla., with his wife of 40 years, Allyson. Martin F. Smith ’74, a health policy analyst with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health in Annapolis, Md., was recently honored with an Extraordinary Service Award. He received a cash award and a letter of citation recognizing his efforts in managing budgets, contracts and personnel transactions for the Division of Community Health, along with his department-wide efforts as a consultant to senior management in creating promotional opportunities for employees under the Maryland state government personnel system. A music performance major at ODU, Martin became a career employee of the Maryland state government in 1984, and still maintains a limited performance schedule as a trombonist. He and his wife, Joyce, recently moved to Annapolis where he enjoys a five-minute commute to his office. Denny P. Cobb ’75 retired in April 2007 after a 33-year banking career and hopes to concentrate on his photography full time. Last August, he visited Alaska, taking more than 400 photos. “I flew from Homer (Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage) across the Cooke Inlet in a float plane to the Katmai Peninsula, where we landed in Geographic Cove. We donned hip waders (the water was freezing!) and hiked about a mile upriver to a small stream where the brown bears were fishing for salmon. We took position on a small island in the middle of the stream and photographed the bears for over four hours. The bears were everywhere and would come within 10 feet of us while chasing the fish. I would have to rank this as one of my top five photo shoots.” denny.p.cobb@gmail.com C.M. Murff ’75 is the project estimator/vice president of Testing Specialties Inc. in Chesapeake. He writes that 2008 was quite a year for the family. On Oct. 14, he and his wife, Barbara, celebrated their 30th anniversary at DisneyWorld with their children. “I proposed to her at Disney in 1978.” Their oldest son, Morgan, works with Dominion Power. He plans to be married in March 2009. Their youngest son, Doug, is a graduate of Radford and works as a deputy sheriff with the Chesapeake Sheriff's Department. C.M.’s 86-year-old father, Arol, won first place in a state of Virginia literacy contest for writing “My Life Story.” Lynn Clements ’76 (M.S.Ed. ’80) received the Julian F. Hirst Award for Distinguished Service in September from the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. She has spent most of her 25-year career in public service, from teaching science to her current position as director of Virginia Beach’s Department of Museums, which includes the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and the city’s three historic houses. She is also the executive director of the Virginia Aquarium Foundation Inc. Rich Haut (Ph.D. ’77) is a senior research scientist with Houston Advanced Research Center, a not-for-profit center “dedicated to improving human and ecosystem well-being through the application of sustainability science and principles of sustainable development.” Rich, who retired from the energy business in 2002, was featured in an Oct. 20, 2008, Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Ind.) story, in which he was quoted as saying: “My true passion all along has been about the environment and reducing the environmental footprint of the oil and gas industry. I basically got to a point in my life where I asked myself, ‘What do you want to be remembered for?’” Capt. Jeff Blackburn ’78, U.S. Navy, has retired after 30 years of active and reserve service as a naval aviator. He was awarded the Legion of Merit by Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Jeff and his family live in Palm Harbor, Fla. Norman Soroko ’78 retired in October from Bank of America after 17 years. He now works for Citigroup in the Government Credit Card Division, supporting the Department of Defense Travel Card. He also works for Altmeyer Funeral Home in Virginia Beach on Greenwich Road as a funeral attendant on weekends and evenings. Norman volunteers more than 200 hours with Norfolk Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. He lives in the Ghent area of Norfolk. Denise S. Thompson ’79 (M.S.Ed. ’91) has been named Norfolk’s manager of environmental protection programs. She previously served for seven years as director of environmental policy for the Virginia Municipal League. 1980s William J. Fallon (M.A. ’81) has joined the Center for Naval Analyses as a Distinguished Fellow and will concentrate on such issues as China, Iraq, Afghanistan, joint warfighting and interagency decision-making. He retired in May 2008 as commander of U.S. Central Command. Billy Jahn ’81 (M.B.A. ’82) has been named business manager and chief financial officer for AMSEC LLC, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman within its shipbuilding sector and a full-service provider of engineering, logistics and technical support services. He joined AMSEC in 2002 and has more than 23 years of experience in finance, accounting, contracts, human resources and information technology. Billy lives in Virginia Beach. Kenneth J. Phelan ’81 was named by Wachovia on Sept. 16, 2008, as chief risk officer. He has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and was most recently head of risk management services at JPMorgan Chase. Patrick A. Toulme ’81, vice president and corporate counsel for the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, was appointed last year by Gov. Tim Kaine to the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He represents the 8th Congressional District on the board. Patrick lives in Falls Church. He and his wife, Penny, have two children, Amanda and Patrick. John Duchala (M.B.A. ’85) was named in September as a regional manager with Wells Fargo Private Bank. He is responsible for the New York metropolitan and greater northeast areas, the largest market for high-net-worth individuals in the country. Before joining Wells Fargo, John was northeast regional director for J.P. Morgan Private Client Services, based in New York. He has 22 years of wealth and investment management experience. Ed Coyle ’86 wrote in October that he was retiring from NCIS after 21 years, and 31 years total in law enforcement. “I received a job offer in Jacksonville (Fla.), a company called Capstone, which gets me home to the family.” Capt. Bert Heck ’86, U.S. Navy, was recently promoted to his current rank and is assigned at the Space and Naval Warfare Command in San Diego. Michael Zelin ’86, formerly with industry leaders AmSafe Aviation and ARINC, became a member of SkyTrac System’s sales and marketing team in September. SkyTrac is a supplier of satcom solutions for data, text and voice communications. Jennifer Davis McDaid ’87 is the local records appraisal archivist at the Library of Virginia, where she has worked since 1991. She is also the deputy coordinator of the Virginia State Historical Records Advisory Board, which works with the National Archives and Records Administration to obtain grant funding for archival projects throughout the commonwealth. She is one of the authors of the forthcoming book, “Four Centuries of Virginia Women’s History.” Kathleen Peterson ’87 (M.B.A. ’93) started a new job in February 2008 as program analyst for U.S. Fleet Forces Command, N40 Readiness Division, at Naval Support Activity, Norfolk. kathleen.peterson@navy.mil Julie Clark ’89, a Virginia-based folk/pop artist, released her second full-length CD of all-original material, “Change Your Mind,” in January on Great Big Records. All of the songs “share an underlying theme of hope,” she says. John Toomey, chair of the ODU music department and a well-known jazz pianist, co-produced the CD, “making a highly successful foray into a new role” for him, notes Julie, who has garnered considerable acclaim as an emerging artist. Among her honors are first place in the Great American Song Contest and Folk/Acoustic Artist of the Year at the Virginia Music Awards. www.julieclark.net Chris Pfau ’89 is in his first year as head coach of the University of Akron women’s soccer team. He previously was head coach at Evansville University. 1990s Sandy Lewis (M.S.Ed. ’90) was named Teacher of the Year for Northampton County, Va., last August. She teaches at Northampton High School, and is in her 25th year teaching math. Sandy, who lives near Oyster, automatically becomes a candidate for the statewide competition. Trip Baisden ’91 has joined the Midlothian (Va.) Tennis Club as general manager and director of tennis. Carroll Harris III ’92 is currently assigned as a postal inspector with the Postal Inspection Service in Indianapolis. His new cell phone number is 317-506-0369. Julie Morgan ’92 and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Ranger, received the 2008 RADM Ben Hacker Leadership in Literacy Award in the individual category on Sept. 11. The Literacy Partnership recognized their work in promoting literacy through local library and school dog-therapy reading programs. Robert Rehder (M.B.A. ’92) was named dean of college advancement and foundation executive director at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, N.C. Tom Swenor ’92 wrote in November that he and his wife, Kendra, recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary and that their son, Phillip, would be 7 in December. Tom says he is “no longer working in the volatile semiconductor manufacturing industry,” and is now an electric field planner for New York State Electric & Gas in the Mechanicville Division. tmswenor@nyseg.com Geneva Vanderhorst ’92 was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She has her own criminal defense law practice in Washington, D.C. Geneva serves as co-vice chair of NACDL’s Indigent Defense Committee and is a member of both its Long-Range Planning Committee and Diversity Task Force. She is the second African American woman to serve on the NACDL board. Jennifer Sustack Allan ’93 and her husband, Jeffrey, announce the birth of a second daughter, Grace Elaine, on Oct. 1, 2008. jlsustack@hotmail.com Colleen Smith Gard ’93 (M.S.Ed. ’95) writes that her husband, Frederick S. “Fred” Gard ’93 (M.S.Ed. ’94) died on Sept. 16, 2008, in Chesapeake, after an 18-month battle with a rare form of liver cancer. Fred was an adjunct faculty member in ODU’s occupational and technical studies department under John Ritz in the mid- to late 1990s. Christine C. Pantoya ’93 (M.B.A. ’95) was appointed in August by Cox Communications Northern Virginia as vice president of marketing and sales. She previously was vice president of sales for Cox. Krystal Liske ’94 completed her M.Ed. in counseling, with an LPC option, from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, in May. She is currently doing postgraduate work with the intention of pursuing a Ph.D. in educational leadership. Since January 2008, Krystal has worked as a school counselor for Windham School District, which is the district for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She works with two units located in Marlin. Previously, she worked for Central Texas College in Killeen as an online distance education mentor/advisor for 2 1/2 years. Her husband, Don, is a licensed Realtor who specializes in multifamily properties in Killeen, where they live. They have three children – Danyele Curtis Kimbrough, 21; Michelle, 20; and Bryan, 15 – and a 1-year-old granddaughter. texgmn@aol.com Eric K. Pitts ’94 lists his address as 1614 Bridle Creek Court, Virginia Beach, VA 23464. Jim ’95 (M.S.Ed. ’98) and Heather Schoffstall ’95 (M.S.Ed. ’97) became coordinators of Special Olympics in Lynchburg, Va., last year. The two have fostered four special-needs children, according to an Aug. 18, 2008, story in The News & Advance. Jim teaches health sciences and kinesiology at Liberty University, and Heather is director of the LU Bruckner Learning Center. Suzanne Moore (M.S.Ed. ’96) is the new principal at King’s Fork High School in Suffolk. She previously served for 10 years as principal of the city’s Oakland Elementary School. Heather Peppard ’96 and her husband, Kevin Stansberry ’90, ’91, announce the birth of a son, Kevin Stansberry Jr., on Aug. 11, 2008. He was welcomed by his big sister, Alexandra. The family lives in Newark, Del. kevin@stansberry.com Carla Perella ’96 and her husband, Neal Hess, announce the birth of a son, John Thomas Hess, on Sept. 3, 2008. Shannon Keliher Reveley ’96 and Kevin William Hylind were married June 14, 2008, in Chesapeake. Edward “Loy” Senter Jr. (M.P.A. ’96) became the fire chief of Chesterfield County, Va., in November. He had a 26-year career as a firefighter in Norfolk, including the last six years as Norfolk’s chief, before accepting the new position. Matthew Althoff ’98 and his wife, Sarah, announce the birth of their first child, Connor Russell, on Sept. 21, 2008, in Charlottesville, Va. Jonathan Beverley ’98 and Christine Stokes were married June 21, 2008, at Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta. Several former ODU students were in the wedding party: Jermiah Fitz, Christopher Martin, Lamont Brown ’98, Marcus Mills ’98 and Valdimir Handy (M.A. ’97). Other former students attending included Stacia Barreau (M.S.Ed. ’00), Kimya Fitz ’99 and Karen Brown. After a wedding reception DJed by DJ Doughboy, the couple honeymooned at the Walt Disney World Resort and on a cruise to the Bahamas. Jonathan is the Web services manager for Cox Auto Trader and Christine is a special education teacher for Cobb County Public Schools. They live in Douglasville, Ga., with their son, Nicholas. Damien W. Lombardi ’98 and Angela Preun ’00 were married Sept. 20, 2008, at the Sanderling Resort in Duck, N.C. Kelleigh Marie Mahoney (M.S.Ed. ’98) and Brian Paul Farabaugh were married Aug. 16, 2008. Scott Hall (M.U.S. ’99) was hired in October to fill the newly created position of business development coordinator for the city of Virginia Beach’s economic development department. He will focus on business attraction and retention. Kathlyn H. Loudin ’99 (M.P.A. ’03) has joined the faculty at Defense Acquisition University, headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va. In addition to teaching and consulting, she continues to publish in trade magazines and journals, and hopes to obtain her Ph.D. in public management and public policy at Virginia Tech by 2012. Cambrey Torres ’99 and her husband, Peter, announce the birth of their first child, Nathan Kaleo, on July 31, 2008, in Colorado Springs, Colo. 2000s Millicent Dortch Pyka ’00 (M.S. ’05) and Michael Pyka ’05 announce the birth of twin sons, Bennett Edward and Nathan Edward, on Aug. 19, 2008, in Virginia Beach. They join a brother, Will. Katrina Bush Cantrell (M.P.A. ’02) recently returned to Washington, D.C., after living in Northern Italy for three years, where she owned and operated a European antique furniture business. She served as a consultant to Belgian antique dealers regarding business strategies and designed marketing materials for the American marketplace. Katrina is the president of Capitol Staging LLC, a professional real estate staging and interior redesign service that serves the Washington metropolitan area. She wrote in September that “the average number of days on the market for Capitol Staging LLC staged and sold homes is 12 days.” The company Web site is www.capitolstaging.com. Katrina and her husband, Fitzhugh, have two sons, Charlie, 6, and Sam, 3. Shawn ’02 and Charlette Fernandez Frierson ’02 announce the birth of a daughter, Kaylah Mae, on June 11, 2008. Catherine Tynes Prestipino ’02 and her husband, Phillip, announce the birth of a daughter, Lia Grace, on June 18, 2008, at Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk. Charles D. “Chuck” Blevins (M.S.Ed. ’03) has joined Radford University as a secondary transition coordinator for T/TAC. He previously worked for Smyth County, Va., schools as an instructor for the Tech Quest program. Chuck lives in Marion, Va., with his wife, Angie, and their two children, Cody and Kasey. Courtney Chrislip-Gehweiler ’03 and her husband, Roland, announce the birth of a son, Roland Albert Gehweiler IV, on Sept. 5, 2008, in Red Bank, N.J. Tiffany Anne Markun (M.S.Ed. ’03) and Charles Robert Mohr were married Sept. 13, 2008, in Jamaica. Dr. Monica D. Ormeno ’03, a lieutenant with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, is a psychiatry resident physician at Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. In her free time, she volunteers for a local mentoring organization. She wrote in September, “My mentoree really enjoys reading, so as a proud alumna from ODU, I took her to tour the ODU library. She loved it! The best part about touring the library is that now she’s decided she wants to go to college.” The following is a link from when the two were featured on WAVY-TV last year: http://www.wavy.com/Global/category.asp?C=118120=menu45_11_5. Chad Ratliff ’03 was featured in the 2008 edition of “Top 20 Under 40,” a profile of Southern Virginia’s top 20 emerging business leaders under the age of 40, published by Blue Ridge Business Journal. He is an M.B.A. candidate at Virginia Tech and also holds an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia. He lives in Rocky Mount, Va., with his wife, Cay Lee, and their two small children. John Richardson III (M.S.Ed. ’03), a 1995 graduate of Elizabeth City State University, received the Education Award from the ECSU alumni association last fall. John, who served for three years as director of men’s basketball operations at ODU, is currently in his first year as an assistant coach with the Monarchs. Raymond Goins ’04 and Kelly Vines ’03 were married Aug. 23, 2008, at Chamberlayne Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. They currently reside in Newport News. Guests, friends and family members from the Goins/Vines family tree were in attendance. Jason K. Moore ’04 received a Fulbright grant to study in the Netherlands for the 2008-09 academic year. He is conducting research at Delft University of Technology, studying issues related to bicycle dynamics, handling and control. Jason is a doctoral candidate in mechanical and aeronautical engineering at the University of California at Davis. Rob Batarla (M.B.A. ’05), CPA, was named in September as vice president of finance/chief financial officer of the American Physical Therapy Association. Previously, he was CFO for the National Recreation and Park Association in Ashburn, Va., a position he held since 2005. Rob has been an adjunct professor of accounting at American University since 2006. He lives in Falls Church, Va. Curtis J. Lycke ’05 qualified last October as a shift technical advisor at Dominion’s Surry Power Station. Lt. Owen Mayo ’05, U.S. Army, has been serving with Saber Squadron in Iraq. owen.mayo@us.army.mil Patricia L. Smith ’05 has joined Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., as director of imaging services. She is registered in radiography, mammography, quality management and ultrasound. Patty is enrolled in an online program with the University of Phoenix to receive her master’s in business administration. She has more than 14 years of radiology leadership experience. Before joining Emerson, she was director of radiology/radiation therapy for Signature Healthcare/Brockton Hospital. Benjamin Adam Dickerson ’06 and Ellen Ainsley Oliver were married Sept. 27, 2008, in Virginia Beach. Tiziana Carla Garner ’06 (M.P.A. ’08) completed her master’s of public administration degree at ODU last August and currently serves as the operations and program manager for Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads Inc. John J. Imbriale (M.P.A. ’06) was promoted to administration manager at G-U Hardware USA. He coordinates materials management, logistics, information technology, technical services and customer support. John has been with G-U 12 years. Thomas Taylor (M.E.M. ’06) was named in September by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as resident inspector at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert, Mich. He joined the NRC as a reactor engineer in Region III in 2007. Salma El-Sayed (M.S. ’07) joined the faculty of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., last August. She is an instructor in the biological sciences department. Jessie Goldstein ’07 is with United Business Technologies in Northern Virginia. His new e-mail address is jgoldstein@ubti.com. Seaman Patrick W. Jackson ’07, U.S. Coast Guard, graduated last year from the Coast Guard Recruit Training Center in Cape May, N.J. Phillip Painter ’07 and Christina Martin were married April 26, 2008, in Waynesboro, Va. Jasyn Alexa Sayre ’07 and Paul Hawkins were married May 23, 2008, in Las Vegas. Kristin Nicole Yancey ’07 and Michael Wellborn DuBose were married Aug. 2, 2008, in Virginia Beach. Dina Bower (Ph.D. ’08), has received a NASA fellowship to do postdoctoral work at Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington, D.C., where she will study new ways to detect evidence of the microbes that lived on Earth billions of years ago, and possibly on other planets as well. At ODU, Dina studied under Nora Noffke, associate professor of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences. William C. ’08 and Ruby D. Gaddis ’03 announce the birth of their first child, Madelynn Grace, on Sept. 22, 2008. They were married in 2004 in Knotts Island, N.C. David Harris ’08 is working as a computer scientist at SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic in Norfolk. Olga Polyak ’08 is pursuing her master’s in public administration at ODU and working as a graduate research assistant in the recreational sports office. Lt. Doug Szwarc (M.E.M. ’08), U.S. Navy, while completing his master’s as a distance learning student stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, accomplished the amazing feat of climbing that country’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, four times in a 24-hour span. Doug and some friends made the climbs on Sept. 2, 2008, to raise money for two charities, Shunkou Gakuen Orphanage and the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem organization. According to his Web site, the climbers completed the treks up and down the 12,388-foot mountain in 21 hours, 59 minutes, and raised more than $11,000 – all of which went to the two charities. For more information about the climbers, visit www.fujiclimb.com. |