Class Notes

Jacqueline Dicker ’09 has been named associate to the family practice at Mishcon de Reya New York LLP. Her enthusiasm for the legal practice stemmed from watching “L.A. Law” as a child with her father. Her interest in family and matrimonial law was ignited through her pro bono work assisting victims of domestic violence and her internship at the Supreme Court of New York, which she completed while attending Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Former UMD water polo athlete Jessica Evans ’09 has been selected as one of Realtor Magazine’s “30 Under 30” finalists. Evans is highlighted as one of the most promising young Realtors nationwide. She serves single, educated millennial women looking to buy the first home in the D.C. market, and created first-time homebuyer webinars for UMD graduate students.

Juanita Chase ’07, an improv actress and business owner, premiered the second season of her mockumentary Web series “Cleaners” on June 3. She owns an eco-friendly cleaning company the Green Queen, which serves as the inspiration for the show.

Dan Lamothe M.Jour. ’07 has joined The Washington Post’s national security team to start a military-focused blog and write about military affairs. He has reported on the war in Afghanistan extensively from both the war zone and Washington, D.C., covered U.S. Navy operations while at sea, and reported from Norway, Spain and Germany, among other locations. He worked most recently at Foreign Policy and spent nearly six years with the independent Military Times newspaper chain.

Indraneel “Neel” Dey ’06 has been hired as senior Web developer at Willow Marketing in Indianapolis. He previously worked in the government and education sectors and as a freelance developer.

John ’05 and Stacy Spaulding Jowers ’06 of Silver Spring, Md., welcomed the arrival of daughter Carina Joy on Jan. 28. They report that Carina is already looking forward to cheering on the Terps this fall.

Dr. Jana Lori Lewis ’05 and Joshua Reuven Deitch were married March 22 at Cold Spring Country Club in Huntington, N.Y. She is a fourth-year resident in general surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. She received her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada.

Andrew Gretes ’04 in his debut novel “How to Dispose of Dead Elephants” traces the journey of two young men, one with re-emerging epilepsy and the other confronting his unknown origins, as they seek out Aesop fables to doodle over. Gretes’ short stories and poems have appeared in a variety of journals, and he teaches English composition and literature in D.C.

Brian J. Malkin ’04 and Maryana Olman M.B.A. ’04 celebrate their 10th anniversary on June 12—they were married in Memorial Chapel and had photographs taken at the stables on campus. He recently joined McGuireWoods LLP as a senior counsel to lead its FDA regulatory group. Previously, Malkin worked at Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP in its New York City and Washington, D.C. offices as an associate and partner focusing on Food and Drug Administration and intellectual property law. Olman recently joined GE Healthcare Financial Services as a vice president in risk management. Prior to joining GE, she spent a year at M&T Bank developing and managing not-for-profit banking relationships and eight years at UBS Investment Bank focusing on leveraged finance.

Geoff Gross ’02, president and CEO of Medical Guardian, was named to Digital Marketing News’ “40 Under 40” list for building a comprehensive in-house marketing team. The company has enjoyed 318% growth over the last three years, bringing in $10.9 million in 2013. Gross and his team were also named to Inc. 5000’s list of the fastest growing companies in America.

Kelley Benham French M.J. ’02, a 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist and a longtime writer and editor for the Tampa Bay Times, will join the faculty of the Indiana University Media School on Aug. 1 as a professor of practice. French, a former high school journalism teacher, was an award-winning reporter, feature writer and editor at the Tampa Bay Times from 2002 to 2013 and has been a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute since 2003. French also has taught at the University of Florida.

Shayan Zadeh M.S. ’02 (left) and Alex Mehr Ph.D. ’03 (right), co-founders of the romantic social network and dating service Zoosk, were featured in the March 6 issue of Forbes magazine in a story called “Up-and-Comers: Entrepreneurs Who Want to Find You Love.”

Brian Baker ’01, a custom home designer/builder, received the BGreen Individual Advocate of the Year Award from the National Association of Home Builders. The award honors those who have shown dedication to informing and inspiring others on the benefits of green building. Baker, along with his father Jim and brother Scott, is co-owner and director of marketing and design at Baker Development Group LLC in Orefield, Pa.

Laya Ballesteros ’01, a teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been recognized by the network of nonprofit charter schools as a “distinguished teacher.” The title acknowledges her success in student achievement, student character development, quality of instruction and contributions to her team, and it opens new opportunities for professional growth and compensation.

Brigid Julia Ryan ’01, married Jyoti Bhasker Chowdhury April 30 at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, according to The New York Times. She is a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department. In May, she was to be posted to the United States Consulate in Istanbul. Until June 2013, she worked in the consular section of the United States embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She also earned her law degree from UMD.

Linda A. Weir M.S. ’01 co-wrote “North American Amphibians,” published by the University of California Press. The book covers the 300 recognized species found in the United States and Canada, many of which are endangered or threatened with extinction.

Michael E. Strauch ’00, M.A. ’02 has been elected a shareholder at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt. He is a member of the firm’s National Trial Practice, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, Financial Services-Regulatory, Financial Services and Insurance Litigation, and Real Property Litigation practice groups.

Kathy Hedge M.B.A. ’99 has been named executive director of the nonprofit Parent Encouragement Program, which offers in-depth parenting classes in the D.C. area. She previously provided strategic planning, fundraising consultations and training as an independent consultant. From 2009 to 2012, she served as deputy director for the Center for a New American Dream and before that at BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards), the American Red Cross, American Youth Hostels and Hariri Foundation. She also wrote the new book “Engaging Your Board in Fundraising: A Staff’s Guide.”

Alexandra Rudolph ’99 has joined the Chicago litigation firm Zagnoli McEvoy Foley LLC as a senior consultant. She specializes in conducting focus groups, mock trials, shadow juries and preparing experts and witnesses for trials and depositions. She has a master’s degree in social policy from the London School of Economics.

Katharine Knowlton Ph.D. ’97, professor of dairy science at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was recently named the Colonel Horace E. Alphin Professor in Dairy Science by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1998, Knowlton has been widely recognized for excellence in teaching, advising and scholarship.

Jacqueline Ulman ’96 has been elected to the National Aquarium Board of Directors. She has worked for the past 16 years in IBM’s Public Sector Consulting division. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in New York. She and her husband, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman ’97, met while at Maryland. They have two daughters.

Maryland Del. Jolene Ivey M.A. ’92 is running for lieutenant governor. The Prince George’s County Democrat will be on the primary ballot June 24 with Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, who is seeking the gubernatorial nomination. She’s now chair of the county’s House delegation.

Screenwriter Duane Adler ’91, made his directorial debut in April with the dance drama “Make Your Move.” It starred Derek Hough of “Dancing with the Stars” and Korean pop star BoA as star-crossed lovers in Brooklyn’s club scene. Adler was also the screenwriter of the movies “Save the Last Dance” and “Step Up.”

William F. Tate Ph.D. ’91, the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences and chair of the Department of Education at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and vice provost for graduate education. He is a prominent scholar in the areas of human capital development in science, mathematics, engineering, technology (STEM); adolescent development and health; political economy of urban metropolitan regions; and leadership in public-private human services alliances and research collaborations.

Dr. Margaret B. Wilson M.B.A. ’90 has been promoted to vice dean at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine. Wilson joined the dental school in 2009 as associate dean for student affairs and clinical professor. She previously was on the faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore for 19 years, and before that was director of dental services for the University Health Center at the College Park campus.

Luke Young ’87 has released the new online book, “Friends Wanting Benefits,” a prequel to his romantic comedy “Friends With Benefits” series. Set on a Caribbean cruise ship, it chronicles the budding friendship between Victoria Wilde and Jillian Grayson, the main characters of the later series. A married father of three teenagers who lives in a Baltimore suburb, Young works with computers at a major publishing house by day while writing at night. One of his eight novels, “Chances Aren’t,” is set at UMD in the late 1980s.

Mixed-media artist Camellia Blackwell Ph.D. ’85 in April hosted 20 art collectors and enthusiasts at her art studio and gallery, an event organized by the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum. Her work combines photography and printmaking, and she is also a graphic designer, calligrapher, and portrait and restoration artist. In addition, Blackwell is co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit International Center For Artistic Development.

James Cook ’83 was named to Federal Computer Week’s Federal 100 list for 2014. Each year, the magazine recognizes 100 government, industry and academic leaders who have played pivotal roles that affect how the federal government acquires, develops and manages information technology. Jim was also named to the list in 2007. Cook is the MITRE Corp.’s vice president and director of the Center for Enterprise Modernization, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and co-sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Robert P. Stoker Ph.D. ’83 and Michael J. Rich analyze what came out of efforts to revitalize six distressed U.S. cities through large federal grants in “Collaborative Governance for Urban Revitalization: Lessons from Empowerment Zones.” They confront why these outcomes vary so widely, and find the common factor is the quality of local governance.

Dean Ventola ’82, ’83, AIA, has joined Bowie Gridley Architects as director of construction administration. He brings more than 30 years of experience in architecture and urban planning, including work throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He also serves as historic district commissioner in Gaithersburg, Md., and has volunteered as a visiting architect/urbanist juror for Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School Master’s in Real Estate program.

Thomas Baden Jr. ’80, an award-winning editor with experience at newspapers across the country, is the new editor of The Daily Record. He came to the paper from Danbury, Conn., where he led the newsroom of The News-Times during the paper’s coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, for which it won a national journalism award.

Phil Ritter ’80 is serving as chief operating officer at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for Texas. He previously worked as executive vice president for government and stakeholder affairs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Additionally, Ritter is chairman of the development board of the University of Texas at Dallas and is a member of the board of governors of the Dallas Symphony Association. He earned his law degree from UMD, along with a master of public affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Ed Armstrong ’79 was named Mr. Clearwater at the 92nd annual meeting of the Clearwater (Fla.) Regional Chamber of Commerce in February. He has practiced law in Clearwater for 30 years, most often representing developers, but sometimes those who opposed development projects. For 27 years, he was a shareholder at Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, Clearwater’s largest law firm. Last year, Armstrong started a Pinellas office of the Tampa law firm Hill Ward Henderson. A pitcher who attended Maryland on a baseball scholarship and earned a degree in accounting, he went on to graduate from the Vanderbilt University Law School.

Mark McEwen ’76, a longtime journalist who suffered a stroke in 2005, returned to Orlando’s WKMG Local 6 in February to host regular segments for the noon broadcast called “Positive Mark.” He previously spent 16 years with “CBS This Morning,” during which he interviewed five presidents and covered three Olympics, before becoming the morning and noon anchor at WKMG. After his stroke, he wrote “Change in the Weather” about his experience and served as an ambassador for the American Heart Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign.

In “Independence: The Tangled Roots of the American Revolution,” noted historian Thomas P. Slaughter ’76, M.A. ’78 takes a long-term and inclusive approach, going back to the founding of the colonies to tell a 150-year story. Slaughter is the Arthur R. Miller Professor at the University of Rochester, where he also edits Reviews in American History. This new book received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

Ted Offit ’77 (left) and Don Schaaf ’85 (right) are board members for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s National Federation for Bobsled and Skeleton, whose athletes brought home six medals from the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Schaaf is president and CEO of ds+f Inc., an ad and brand agency, and is a former ski instructor. Offit in his day job is managing partner of the law firm Offit/Kurman.

David W. Guth ’73, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas, chronicles the politics and other problems—engineering, cultural and environmental—that had to be overcome to build the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in “Bridging the Chesapeake: A “Fool Idea” That Unified Maryland.”

Theater historian Thomas A. Bogar ’70, M.A. ’74 has written the book “Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination” from a unique perspective: a view from backstage at the Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. It establishes for the first time that the theater was a hotbed of secessionist thought and simmering conflict. Bogar is also author of “American Presidents Attend the Theatre” and a biography of 19th-century actor-manager John E. Owens. He is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships.

Maurice W. Dorsey ’70, Ph.D. ’83 has written his first book, “Businessman First: Remembering Henry G. Parks (1916 to 1989); Capturing the Life of a Businessman Who Was African American; An Authorized Biography.” The only African American in his class at Bel Air Senior High School, he went on to earn, along with his bachelor’s and doctorates at Maryland, master’s degrees from the Johns Hopkins University and Loyola College of Maryland. He retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2012.

Ellen Paul ’69, M.A. ’74 was part of a team that won the 2014 Family Choice Award for Best Toy in the pet category for its Happy Kids-Happy Pets boxed set of collectible cards and CD. It’s designed to teach children ages 4 to 9 about the humane treatment of animals, personal responsibility, self-esteem and respect for both people and animals.

Justin L. Vigdor ’54 of Rochester, N.Y., has been honored with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Bar Foundation. Vigdor was president of the New York State Bar Association from 1985–86 and president of foundation from 1992 to 1996. He is a senior counsel to Boylan Code, concentrating in business law and transactions, financial services and alternative dispute resolution. He earned his law degree magna cum laude from St. John’s University School of Law and has a master’s of law degree from New York University School of Law.

John Crawford Buckner Ph.D. ’86 of Weston and Marstons Mills, Mass., died Sept. 29 at the age of 55. He grew up in Seattle, Wash. and went onto Stanford University, graduating with honors and distinction in psychology. After earning his doctorate in psychology at Maryland, he began a research career in psychiatric epidemiology and prevention at the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Center on Family Homelessness, and finally at the Harvard Children’s Hospital Boston. Buckner published widely and lectured on the topics of community cohesion, the effects of homelessness and poverty on children, and on the concept of self-regulation in children. He also founded the nonprofit organization Community Resources Information, which operates the widely used website www.massresources.org. Outside his career, Buckner was a superb athlete excelling in baseball in high school and college. He won the Willowbend Senior Club Championship in 2013. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro twice, most recently in 2012. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Cousins Buckner; daughters Kimberly and Mila; siblings Dr. Frederick S. Buckner and Catherine B. Hobbs; his mother, Ann S. Buckner, and his father, Philip F. Buckner.

Robert V. Hess ’83, who as New York City’s commissioner of homeless services presided over a gradual decline in the homeless population, died of liver cancer on Dec. 24 at his home in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., according to The New York Times. He was 57. Hess graduated from Towson Catholic High School and served in the army. In Baltimore, he ran a thrift store for veterans and came to know many who lived on the street. He worked with several homeless aid organizations and in 2001 became Philadelphia’s deputy managing director of special needs housing. Hess was appointed to his post in New York in 2006 by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and revamped a voucher program to help homeless people afford housing; focused on designing shelters for homeless veterans and building them for the chronic street homeless; used city employees and volunteers to persuade homeless people to enter shelters; and administered programs to help people leave the shelter system. He stepped down as commissioner in April 2010 and went on to work for the Doe Fund, a nonprofit organization that finds work and housing for the homeless. In 2011, he founded the nonprofit Housing Solutions USA. In addition to his wife, Tish, he is survived by their daughters, Christi and Brittany Hess; his mother, Barbara Ann Neumeister Hess; a brother, Steve; and a sister, Lynda Hess.

Maria M. Murphy-Andary ’81 died Jan. 9 at her home Montgomery Village, Md., according to the Washington Post. She was 67. The cause was breast cancer, said her husband, James Andary. Murphy-Andary had worked for US Airways as a flight attendant since 1998, mostly on flights to Germany. She was born in Allmendingen, Germany and became a U.S. citizen in 1989. She was an operating-room nurse assistant at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N.J., from 1983 until the early 1990s. She received a master’s degree in aeronautics in 1992 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., and moved to the Washington area in 1995. She had a pilot’s license and was an usher and volunteer at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Md. Her first husband, retired Army Master Sgt. Billie Murphy, died in 1992 after 27 years of marriage. A grandson, Adam Murphy, died in 1996. Survivors include her husband of 13 years, James Andary; sons Charles, Robert and Patrick; and four grandsons.

Sharon L. Friedlander ’75, M.A. ’03, a beloved Baltimore County public schools special education teacher, died Jan. 24 of giant cell myocarditis, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, according to The Baltimore Sun. The former Sharon Lee Falk was born and raised in Baltimore and began her teaching career in 1976 at Randallstown Elementary School. Two years later, she married Richard A. Friedlander, then stopped teaching to raise her children. She returned to the classroom in the late 1980s, when she began volunteering at Fort Garrison Elementary School, and then in the early 1990s at Pikesville Middle School. She became a part-time instructor in 1999 and a full-time faculty member in 2001. From 2009 until her retirement last year, she supervised the Asperger’s syndrome program at New Town High School in Owings Mills. Friedlander enjoyed playing mah-jong, exercising, cooking and entertaining. She was a member of Chizuk Amuno Congregation. In addition to her husband and son, Brad, Friedlander is survived by a daughter, Dr. Tracy Friedlander; her father, Irvin Falk; and a granddaughter.

Julie Sutherland Jones ’74, who retired in the early 1990s as deputy director of public affairs at the Labor Department, died of cancer Jan. 24 at her home in Arlington, Va. She was 65, according to The Washington Post. She attended Northwestern High School and earned a degree in French literature from Maryland. Before joining the Labor Department in the late 1980s, Jones was a speechwriter for L. William Seidman, then-chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. She previously worked as a legislative assistant and regulatory liaison in Washington for Standard Oil of Ohio, Southern California Edison and the Primark Corp. After her retirement from the federal government, Jones was a consultant to the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau. Survivors include her husband of 34 years, Joseph E. Jones; and a sister, Pamela Sutherland.

Joseph “Walter” Gibson ’69 of La Plata, Md., died Jan. 16 in East Stroudsburg, Pa., according to the Southern Maryland News Net. He was 73. Gibson served in the army from 1962 to September 1964 in Tobeyhanna Army Depot, Pa. He worked as a soil scientist for the army in Ft. Belvoir, retiring in 2001 after 35 years of service. He also owned and operated J.W. Gibson Construction Company for 45 years. Gibson enjoyed traveling, building, restoring vintage tractors and Volkswagen Beetles. He is survived by his wife, Melanie Andrea Downs Gibson CHECK; children Joe, Julie Scoville and Jenny Gibson-McCann; grandchildren Derek and Dominic; siblings Jim Gibson, Helen Hewitt, Bernadette Zimmerman; Betty Williams and McGuire Gibson. He was preceded in death by his siblings Thomas Laurie Gibson Jr., Francis Gibson and Roseline Thorne.

Elizabeth Setzer M.Ed. ’67 died Dec. 27 at a hospice in Centennial, Colo. She was 96. The cause was heart disease, her daughter Nancy Setzer Luria said. Setzer was born in San Diego and was a 1940 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. From 1942–46, she served as an officer with the WAVES, as the women’s branch of the Navy was called during World War II. Setzer came to Washington in 1947 and worked as an assistant to the librarian of the Federal Housing Administration for five years. In 1957, she began teaching in Germantown, Md. She taught kindergarten for one year, then spent the rest of her career as a fourth-grade teacher. She retired in 1977. Setzer and her husband lived on a farm in Germantown for many years, then moved to Gainesville, Fla., in 1981 and later to Golden, Colo. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her husband of 41 years, Henry W. Setzer, died in 1992. Besides her daughter Nancy, survivors include two other daughters, Suzanne Setzer and Lynn Setzer Filoreto; a sister; and four grandchildren.

William F. Best M.A. ’66 died April 30 at his home in St. Michaels, Md. He received a B.S. in education at Frostburg State Teachers College in 1951. While in graduate school at UMD, he worked as an assistant intramural director and assistant baseball coach. Best served the Anne Arundel County Public Schools as athletic director, physical education instructor, football, basketball, baseball and golf coach, and eventually became an assistant principal at Annapolis Junior High School and Annapolis Senior High School. In 1967 he became principal at Easton High School and five years later was named assistant superintendent for administration in Talbot County schools. He remained in that position until his retirement in 1987. He was an avid sports fan and a golfer and was active in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in St. Michaels. He is survived by his wife Betty Marie; children Debra Lee Sisson and Craig Russell; four grandchildren; a sister, Mary Frances Adams; and a nephew.

Artist Margaret Wharton ’65 died Jan. 20 at her home in Riverside, Ill. She was 70. Wharton lived in Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio before coming to UMD, according to The Chicago Tribune. She worked briefly in advertising before marrying and moving with her husband to Bethlehem, Penn., where he worked for Bethlehem Steel. The family moved to Chicago about 1970. In 1972, she helped start Artemisia Cooperative Gallery, which was exclusively for female artists. About the same time, she began studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a master of fine arts from there in 1975. Wharton’s works are included in collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Yale Art Museum in New Haven, Conn. She worked with a variety of materials but mostly wood, shaping figures, birds and animals from objects that included wooden shoes, baseball bats, rolling pins and trademark kitchen chairs. Wharton is also survived by her children Darby Harper and Gregory Harper; siblings Jane Farrell and George Wharton; and five grandchildren.

John R. Tydings ’63, who spent 24 years as president and chief executive of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and helped revive the city in the aftermath of the 1968 riots, died Nov. 16 at his home in Potomac of a degenerative brain disorder, according to The Washington Post. He was 72. A native of Washington, he spent five years working in personnel at Pepco before joining the Board of Trade in 1968 and became the public face of its push toward civic-mindedness. Tydings sought collaboration with suburban business organizations to improve the region’s transportation needs. He pushed forward long-delayed projects such as the reconstruction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and he spearheaded efforts for larger businesses to mentor smaller shops in distressed neighborhoods. After his retirement in 2001, he became a consultant with clients such as PNC Bank. Tydings was one of the founders of Leadership Greater Washington and was senior vice president of HEROES, a foundation of businessmen who help the widows and children of law enforcement officers and firefighters. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Donna Thomas Tydings; a son, J. Michael; his daughter Lynnly; and four grandchildren.

Roy Thompson Jr. ’61, a decorated officer during the Korean War who, while on duty, played himself in a Hollywood movie shot on location, died April 22 in Panama City, Fla., according to The New York Times He was 85. Thompson was a lieutenant in the army when he was asked to play the lead role in “Cease Fire.” The Defense Department approved the project, and the film’s director was allowed to build a cast from active-duty soldiers. Thompson was selected to play a lieutenant who is asked to lead a patrol unit from Easy Company on a dangerous reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines during what is supposed to be the final day of the war. Thompson promoted the film in the United States, including during an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” After the Korean War, he held posts in the United States, Europe and Vietnam before retiring in 1967 as a lieutenant colonel. He received two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars and other awards for his service in Korea. After retiring, he earned a bachelor’s degree from UMD and a master’s degree in business administration from Western Carolina University. He also became active in Republican politics, running the Hillsborough County, Fla., campaign for Richard M. Nixon’s 1968 presidential bid and working in commercial development in the administration of Gov. Claude R. Kirk Jr. Thompson lost a race for Congress in 1972. Survivors include a daughter, Cynthia; sons Robert and Clayton; a stepdaughter, Tami Newman; and 10 grandchildren. His first marriage, to the former Doris Martin, ended in divorce. His second wife, the former Marilyn Ivings, died in 2000.

Sara Karen “Sally” Hastings ’60 died of kidney disease Feb. 8 in Philadelphia, according to The (Lewes, Del.) Cape Gazette. She was born in Cleveland and grew up in Baltimore. She was an art teacher in Baltimore County before moving with her mother to Rehoboth Beach. She was owner and lead designer at Silk & Sands, a florist shop and a community activist who took on leadership and fund¬raising roles for local organizations, including Delaware Technical Community College, the Rehoboth Art League, Beebe Medical Center, the Village Improvement Association and Safe Haven. She was also a longtime member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her husband, Robert R. Hastings, her stepdaughter, Karen Hastings, and many friends and neighbors.

Donald E. McBrien M.A. ’56, Ph.D. ’75 died Jan. 29 of congestive heart failure at St. Agnes Hospital, according to The Baltimore Sun. The longtime Ellicott City resident was 79. A native of Hagerstown, Md., he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1956 from what is now Towson University and began his teaching career at Arbutus Middle School. After earning a master’s degree in education and school counseling from Maryland, he served as a junior high school counselor and guidance department chairman at Lansdowne High School. He was named supervisor in 1968 of Baltimore County Public Schools’ Office of Guidance Services and in 1987 became director of pupil services. He held the same position in Howard County from 1989 until retiring in 1997. McBrien also taught at Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Education and Loyola College. He was president of the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development, Maryland Association for Counseling Education and Supervision, Maryland Career Development Association and the Baltimore Area Counselors Association. He also was chairman of Lutheran Social Services of Maryland and the Howard County Drug and Alcohol Abuse advisory board. McBrien was an avid Ravens fan and enjoyed playing golf, traveling, gardening and home construction projects. He was a member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, the former Claudia Nopulos; a son, Donald; daughters Denise Morris and Jennifer McBrien Kidner; a brother, Gary; and seven grandchildren. An earlier marriage ended in divorce.

Philip Joseph DiPaula ’49 died of Alzheimer’s disease complications March 22 at St. Agnes Hospital, reported the Baltimore Sun. The Edmondson Heights resident was 90. Born and raised in Baltimore, he served in the army during World War II and earned two Purple Hearts. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree at Maryland and began teaching at Sparrows Point High School, then biology, physics and chemistry at Forest Park, where he also coached track and field. He went on to teach the sciences at Polytechnic Institute. He also taught at Ner Israel Rabbinical College. He retired in 1985. His hobbies included gardening, fishing and crabbing. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Dorothy Jane; sons John, Steven and Philip; a sister, Rosemary Betts; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

Jean Amos ’44 died March 1 of complications from dementia at her Loch Raven Village, Md. home, according to the Baltimore Sun. She was 90. Amos was born in Baltimore and raised in Mount Washington. After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1944 in English from UMD, she began teaching at Robert Poole Junior High School in Hampden. In 1948, she married David Arthur Amos Jr. She became a Red Cross water safety instructor and helped establish a fourth-grade swimming program in Baltimore County. In the early 1970s, Amos returned to college and earned a master’s degree in English from the Johns Hopkins University. She then joined the faculty of what is now Notre Dame University of Maryland as a swimming instructor and coached its synchronized swim team. She retired in the 1980s. Amos worked with the International Olympic Committee to get synchronized swimming recognized as an Olympic event. She was a former treasurer, vice president and president of the Women’s Eastern Shore Society. In addition to swimming, she was a world traveler. Amos was a communicant of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Amos was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by daughters Stephanie Darnell and Holly C. Zaharis; and two granddaughters.