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Class Notes

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Winter 2016 Post-Grad Class Notes Web Only

’10s

Michael Barnette ’15 is the supervisory committee chairman of the Energy Federal Credit Union, which has assets over $100 million. Recently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency gave him a certificate of appreciation for his contributions during an internship. He is now pursuing a second degree at UMD, in finance.

Allison Kipping ’15 and Jerick Wilson M.Ed. ’14 were among the 34 high school math and science teachers nationwide named fellows by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. She is a first-year science teacher at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., while he teaches science at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. The fellowship program offers stipends, professional development, grants for teaching materials, and coaching and support from a staff of experienced teachers and teacher educators.

Andrea Berstler M.L.S. ’14, executive director of the Wicomico Public Libraries, was named the first segment instructor for the 2015–16 class of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, sponsored by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce. YEA! is a program to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset among local middle and high school students.

[caption id="attachment_11141" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Photo courtesy of Bravo.[/caption]

Ashley (Boalch) Darby ’14 (far right) and Robyn (Bragg) Dixon ’00 (second from left) are two of the six women featured on the Bravo series, “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” premiering Jan. 17. The season will follow stories about Darby, a former Miss District of Columbia who owns Oz Restaurant and Bar in Arlington, Va.; and Dixon, a publicist and mom who was previously married to Terps basketball player, and now special assistant coach, Juan Dixon ’13.

Jasmin Harris ’14 is working on Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president as executive assistant to its chief operating officer, Beth Jones. Harris previously worked in the Obama White House as an executive assistant for the Office of Administration under Jones, who was then a deputy assistant.

Lauren Michelle Watson ’13 married Kyle William Frasca at The Mansion at Valley Country Club, Baltimore. She is a registered nurse at Hackensack University Medical Center. After a honeymoon in Hawaii & Disneyland, the couple resides in Hoboken, N.J.

Kimberly Ann Wilke ’13 and Michael Ryan Mattheiss ’12 were married June 13 in Manchester, Md. She is a technical writer at Northrop Grumman. He works as an electrical engineer for Baltimore Gas and Electric. They honeymooned on a Western Caribbean cruise and live in Columbia, Md.

Craig Aukett M.S. ’12 was hired as a senior mechanical engineer in the energy and environmental engineering group of RETTEW in Lancaster, Pa.

Jessica Rickman ’12 has joined Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young’s investment management group in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She focuses her practice on counseling investment companies, private funds and investment advisers in connection with various regulatory, compliance and transactional matters.

G. Nagesh Rao MBA ’11 was named one of 10 leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors as USA Eisenhower Fellows in 2016. Rao is chief technologist and entrepreneur-in-residence at the U.S. Small Business Administration. As a fellow, he will travel to Sri Lanka and Vietnam to take the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, also known as “America’s Seed Fund,” global.

Stephanie Jayne Williams ’10 married Matthew Todd Bomberger June 13 in Stevensville, Md. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2014 from West Chester University. Stephanie is employed in the emergency room at Christiana Care Hospital, and the couple lives in East Littlefield, Pa.

Stephanie Lauren ’09 married Andrew Donald Filauro Dec. 18 at St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Baltimore. She is a first-grade teacher at St. Stephen of Hungary School, an elementary school in New York. She received a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University and is pursuing a master’s degree in education administration at Fordham.

Ashley Elizabeth Nolan ’09 and Josh Sundquist were married Sept. 18 in St. Michaels, Md. She works for the Children’s National Health System as assistant director for a fundraising program that provides support to Latino families in Washington. The New York Times wrote about how she met her groom, a motivational speaker, author and member of the 2006 U.S. Paralympic Ski Team.

Mary K. Otto ’09 was granted the 2015 Susan R. Meisinger Fellowship at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual Volunteer Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C. She is manager of human resources for TouchTunes Music Corp. in Schaumburg, Ill., and an independent consultant. The award includes a $10,000 fellowship for first-time master’s degree students. In January, Otto begins her graduate studies at Lasell College in Auburndale, Mass.

Ben Scheper ’09, Jonathan Carpenter MBA ’07, Kate Williams MBA ’07 and Shalita O’Neale ’04 were named to The Baltimore Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” 2015.

  • Scheper is the co-owner of Apple Plumbing & Heating, a family business. It has seen a 41 percent increase in sales since he took over from his parents in 2010.
  • Carpenter is executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield, heading up investment sales and capital markets transactions for in the mid-Atlantic region.
  • Williams is a bank vice president who led significant fundraising efforts at Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School that turned its reputation and quality around. She is also a founding member of the Roots and Branches charter school in Baltimore and treasurer of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance.
  • O’Neale is the founder and CEO of Hope Forward, a nonprofit that works with former foster youth ages 17–25, and connects them with jobs, housing and education.

Richard Clinch Ph.D. ’08, an expert in economic and workforce development issues, has been named director of the Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore. He spent 20 years at the institute, where he served as director of economic research, before going to work in 2013 for Battelle Memorial Institute's Technology Partnership Practice in Maryland.

Brian Crawford ’08 has been working at the University of Georgia since 2009 with adviser and Associate Professor John Maerz ’92 on conservation ecology research to protect diamondback terrapins on the state’s coast. He’s completing a doctoral degree focused on reducing the effects of roads and other human-induced threats to terrapins in order to sustain their populations. “I never saw a real terrapin my entire time at UMD and had to go all the way to South Carolina and Georgia to know how beautiful and charismatic these turtles are.”

Economist Julio Guzmán Cáceres Ph.D. ’08 is seeking the presidency of Peru. A former official of the Inter-American Development Bank for 10 years, he also served in the Peruvian government from 2011–13. He’s running on an anti-corruption and reform platform in the election, scheduled for April 10.

Alex Lieske MBA ’08 was named vice president of revenue and field sales at technology startup Fridayd LLC. Lieske has started and grown successful startups. He founded Snackeaze, a healthy snack care-package company, and co-founded Be Mini Couture, an e-commerce children's apparel company.

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati hired Jackie Congedo ’07 as its public relations manager. She came to the organization after nine years as a TV reporter, most recently at WLWT in Cincinnati. She’s also active on the board of Melanoma Know More.

David W. Fitzgerald MBA ’07 was named chief pilot at CommutAir. He came from Mesa Airlines, where he was a captain and check airman on the Canadair CRJ-700.

Jonathan David Goodman ’07 married Danielle Lauren Gaier Oct. 31 at the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, N.J. He is an associate specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the New York office of Lowenstein Sandler. He graduated cum laude from New York Law School. The couple met in December 2012 at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York, when both were associates in the corporate department.

Stephen Whyno ’07 is the Associated Press’ new sports writer in Washington, D.C. He was most recently the national hockey writer for the Canadian Press and previously was a Capitals and Redskins beat reporter for The Washington Times.

Chris Emma ’06 joined New England Cable News in Boston as an anchor and reporter. Chris came from WPBF-TV ABC 25 in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was a weekend anchor and weekday reporter since 2011. He received his master's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Miami.

Bobby Gill ’06 is pictured on the December cover of Runner’s World wearing … not much. He’s co-founder (with Brendan Hanrahan M.S. ’09 and Chad Leathers) of Cupid’s Undie Run, which expected to raise $5.5 million in 2015 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. The event takes place in 39 cities in the U.S. and Australia; D.C.’s 2016 run is set for Feb. 13.

Ashlee Halbritter ’06 was named director of Campus Health Initiatives (CHI) at the Student Health Service at the University of Pennsylvania. She previously served as CHI’s health educator, and most recently helped Penn become the first Ivy League university to join the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Healthier Campus Initiative. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Nick Stewart ’06 was appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education. He is an attorney specializing in commercial litigation at Saul Ewing LLP and lives in Arbutus with his wife, Katie Stewart ’06, also an attorney.

Junius J. Gonzales MBA ’05 is the new interim president of the 17-campus University of North Carolina, a position he’ll hold until the March 1 arrival of President-elect Margaret Spellings. As the UNC system’s senior vice president for academic affairs, Gonzales is responsible for its educational and research missions. Prior to joining the UNC system in January 2015, Gonzales served as provost and vice president for academic affairs of the University of Texas at El Paso.

Dr. Saleena Subaiya ’05 is part of the Centers for Disease Control’s new class of Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers. Also known as the CDC’s “disease detectives,” only about 60 EIS officers are selected each year from a national candidate pool of medical doctors, veterinarians and Ph.D. recipients. EIS officers work across the United States and around the globe to keep Americans safe from a variety of health threats.

Jake Day ’04 was elected mayor of Salisbury, Md. He previously served as City Council president and holds master’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon and Oxford universities. His dad, Randy Day M.S. ’79, is president of Perdue Foods.

Sarah Richardson ’04 was one of five recipients of the 2015 L’Oreal For Women in Science Fellowship, which honors female scientists with $60,000 fellowships to advance their postdoctoral research. She is a postdoctoral fellow in synthetic biology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute and at the University of California, Berkeley. Richardson focuses on harnessing bacteria to make molecules that could lead to the development of new biofuels and medicines.

Megan Sclafani ’04 joined the New York office of Summit Trail Advisors as a partner. She and her team previously managed over $1 billion of client assets at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management. She has an MBA from New York University.

Niem Dang ’03 has been named director, network technical operations, at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. She serves as a visiting engineer at the CableLabs facility in Louisville, Colo. Dang is a 10-year industry veteran late of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

Alicia B. Harvey-Smith Ph.D. ’03 was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges. She is president of River Valley Community College in Claremont, N.H., and speaks at the local, regional and national events on subjects such as inclusion in diverse classrooms to the impact of community colleges on the national economy.

The Dan Shaut Swing Orchestra, featuring Dan Shaut M.M. ’03, has raised more than $40,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association at its annual cabaret in Kingston, N.Y.

David R. Emerson MBA ’02, senior vice president and principal at the investment consulting firm LCG Associates, has been tapped to open a new Seattle office.

Patrick N. Hogan ’02, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates and the brother of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, joined the University System of Maryland as its vice chancellor for government relations. Hogan most recently served as deputy legislative officer for Maryland’s Office of the Governor.

Joan M. Serpico M.L.S. ’02 was named assistant professor and librarian at Moore Library at Rider University. She previously worked as head of adult services at Mount Laurel Library in Mount Laurel, N.J.

Following his role last summer in the Netflix series “Sense8,” actor Adam Shapiro ’02 appeared in the fall movie “Steve Jobs” and will be on next year’s season of Netflix’s “Grace & Frankie.” He’s also a co-founder of IAMA Theater Co.

Renique Kersh M.Ed. ’01 began a new job in the late summer as associate vice provost for engaged learning at Northern Illinois University. Along with her duties as associate vice provost, Kersh also directs the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning.

Dan Lader MBA ’01 has been hired as senior vice president, technology portfolio delivery at loanDepot. He most recently served as vice president, corporate technology at Fannie Mae.

’00s

Harrisen Kim ’00 is the new vice president of creative services at Prime Access, a health and wellness marketing agency. She is formerly vice president of experiential marketing/strategic alliances at LG Ad America.

Dr. Shara Posner ’00, a chiropractor at the Back to Health Center in Alexandra, Va., was certified by the Academy of Family Practice. She specializes in pediatric chiropractic care and works with babies who have latching/breastfeeding issues. She earned her doctor of chiropractic degree at the University of Bridgeport.

Christopher Wilson ’00 was named the head of the Bement School in Old Deerfield, Mass. He served in the same position at the Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, Mass. Bement is a boarding and day school for students in kindergarten through ninth grade.

’90s

Mike Daugard ’99 was hired as vice president for the Washington, D.C., office of Rubenstein Partners, L.P., a real estate investment manager. He spent the majority of his career at Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, most recently as director of acquisitions and portfolio management.

Jeffrey W. Kleiner ’99 joined Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP, where he practices in the Construction Law Group. He was most recently a partner in the Construction Counsel Group of LePatner & Associates. He received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Sam Horowitz ’98 joined the tenant representation services division of Colliers International’s New Jersey operation. He has more than 17 years of experience working with multinational corporations and local firms on real estate strategies and transactions throughout the Tri-State region and across North America.

Michael A. Strauss ’98 was appointed to board of directors of the Advocates for Children and Youth, a nonprofit that advocates throughout Maryland. He is a director in the audit and accounting department of Ellin & Tucker. He is also a member of the finance committee of Hillel at UMD.

Union Bank has hired Therese Johansson M.S. ’97, MBA ’97 as vice president/commercial loan officer in the Morrisville office. She returns to Union Bank after three years as chief financial officer of Maple Leaf Treatment Center in Underhill, Vt. Her previous nine years of Union Bank experience include a number of positions within the Commercial Services Group.

Ken Martin ’97 joined the national recruitment firm the Lucas Group as a managing partner in its information technology division. An established tech recruiter, he is helping develop the company’s newly opened Cincinnati office. He most recently served as senior executive recruiter and account director with a Cincinnati IT staffing and recruitment firm.

John H. Lewis ’96, founder and managing partner of Osmium Partners LLC, has been appointed to the board of directors of Intersections, a provider of identity risk management and privacy protection services. He has an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Stephen Pepper ’96 joined the New York City office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig. He has extensive experience with the antitrust requirements of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures and most recently was counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

John C. Pitsenberger ’96 has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer at Sotera Defense Solutions. He served as its corporate controller the previous two years. Prior to joining Sotera, Pitsenberger was the vice president and corporate controller for PAE.

Ken Stadlin MBA ’96 was appointed to the board of directors of Finavera Solar Energy Inc. He is founder and president of Kenergy Solar, a Washington, D.C.-based solar installer. As a member of the board of directors for Maryland DC Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association, he has played an active role in ongoing policy developments in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., markets.

Greg Toya M.A. ’96 was named director of the Student Development Office at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., his hometown. He previously served for nine years as associate dean of students for nine years at Cal State San Marcos.

The White House has nominated John Kotek MBA ’95 to be assistant secretary for nuclear energy. He now serves as the principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Department of Energy, a position he has held since January. Kotek was previously principal and managing partner in the Idaho office for Gallatin Public Affairs.

Sachin J. Sankpal M.S. ’95 was named senior vice president and sector head at Trimble, managing the P&L sector focused on intelligent transportation and asset sharing. He was recently the president of Honeywell International's Global Safety Products Division while based in Paris.

Adam Feinstein ’94 has been named to the board of directors of the new Quorum Health Corp., a spinoff of Community Health Systems. He is co-founder and managing partner of Vesey Street Capital Partners, a health care services private equity fund.

Eileen T. O’Malley ’94 joined the West Palm Beach office of Broad and Cassel as an associate. She’s part of the law firm’s commercial litigation and estate planning and trusts practice groups. She earned her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School.

John Wilkinson ’94 spent Summer 2015 studying key species re-introduction efforts of the Eurasian Steppe in Mongolia. A founding and biology faculty member at Xing Wei College in Pu Dong New District in Shanghai, Wilkinson took the graduate course as part of Miami University's Earth Expeditions program.


Charles Michael Inokon ’93 and Andrea Danielle Martin were married Sept. 12 at the London West Hollywood, a hotel in West Hollywood, Calif. He is a lawyer with OSI Systems, a company in Hawthorne, Calif., that develops and markets security and inspection systems. He received a law degree from Cornell. The New York Times wrote about their wedding, including their harrowing third date, when a gunman fired 50 shots outside a mall, sending the new couple scrambling for safety.

Stacy Wiederle McCormack ’93 was appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to serve as a judge in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. She was most recently a sole practitioner in Annapolis, focusing on criminal and personal injury cases. Her previous experience also includes working at the Public Defender’s Office, Jaklitsch Law Group and clerking for a Maryland Court of Special Appeals judge. McCormack graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Daniel P. Nielsen ’93 joined Great Lakes Advisors as a managing director. He previously led the Catholic Responsible Investing practice at Christian Brothers Investment Services. Nielsen holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Eileen Porras ’93 joined Salem Five in Needham, Mass., as vice president in its corporate banking division. She has 22 years of banking experience, most recently as vice president in the commercial lending division at Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland.

Mike Sachtleben ’93 became president of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Jan. 1. He joined the hospital 13 years ago and most recently served as its chief operating officer and executive director of the MedStar Georgetown Physicians Group. He has a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Alvin Alvarez M.A. ’92, Ph.D. ’98 has been appointed dean of San Francisco State University’s College of Health & Social Sciences. He had previously served as interim dean and associate dean, and since 1997, a professor in the Department of Counseling. His academic work has focused on Asian Americans, racial identity and the psychological impact of racism. In August, Alvarez received the Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award from the American Psychological Association’s Society of Counseling Psychology, in recognition of his work to promote diversity in the field of psychology.

Jie Chen M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’98, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Alberta in Canada, has been named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was recognized for outstanding contributions to low-power and biomedical ultrasound circuits and devices. Last year, he received the Killam Professorship Award, awarded to faculty in Canada for their excellence in research and teaching for 10 years or more, while serving their academic discipline and their community outside the university.

Lou Ferrara ’92 is the new chief content officer of Bankrate.com. He most recently was the Associated Press’ vice president for content verticals, digital news products and social media.

Danielle Giles ’92 reports that her cousins Michael Cayelli ’93 and Stephen Cayelli ’91 in October completed Ride Allegheny, a four-day, 310-mile trek from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., helping to raise $410,000 for Operation Second Chance. The nonprofit provides support to servicemen and -women and their families in their greatest time of need. This was Mike’s fourth year of riding, and by far the toughest: Heavy rain had turned the C&O Canal into a “slopfest,” and 40-degree temps and the wind chill generated from cycling made hypothermia a genuine worry.

Lisa Farrell Lujan ’92 of Albuquerque has been appointed to the board of directors of the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange. Lujan is the health plan president of Presbyterian Healthcare Services and was previously the vice president of Integrated Care Solutions at Presbyterian.

Skip Magness MBA ’92 has been promoted to vice president, operations, for Northrop Grumman’s cyber division in its Information Systems sector. He joined the company in 1990 and most recently was the director of network defense and intelligence operations for the division, working with customers in the federal government and the intelligence community.

Mi-Ai Parrish ’92 was named president and publisher of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com after serving as a publisher in Kansas City, Mo., and Boise, Idaho. Parrish served as a deputy managing editor and in other roles in The Republic newsroom from 1999 to 2001. Parrish has worked in a variety of journalism jobs, from reporting and copy editing, to travel editor and projects editor for publications including the Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The Republic, Chicago Sun-Times and the Virginian-Pilot.

Terrence M. Sawyer ’92 was named Loyola University Maryland’s vice president for advancement. He had served in the role on an interim basis since July and in other leadership positions at Loyola for 17 years. He has a J.D. from the Widener University School of Law.

Jeong Kim Ph.D. ’91, executive chairman and co-founder of Kiswe Mobile Inc., has been selected as a 2016 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award. It recognizes exceptional leaders—all with a commitment to philanthropy and higher education—who have overcome significant personal challenges to achieve success. Kim, namesake of UMD’s engineering building, was noted for his lifelong perseverance. At age 14, his family immigrated to the United States. He supported himself through high school and finished college early, then earned his advanced degrees, all while working full time. He then served seven years in the Navy. Kim created Yurie Systems, which became a world leader in advanced data transmission. After holding leadership roles at Lucent and Bell Labs, he co-founded and became chairman of Kiswe Mobile, which focuses on interactive mobile video.

William Howard Swartz ’91, Ph.D. ’02 and Andrea Marie Bufka were married Dec. 5 at the George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University. He is a research professor at Johns Hopkins and an atmospheric scientist at the university’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., studying the earth’s climate.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has named Cidalia Luis-Akbar ’90 and Ronald Paul ’78 among the 11 local business leaders charged with steering the nonprofit Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. It will replace the county's Department of Economic Development when it launches in the spring. Luis-Akbar is president and owner of M. Luis Construction Co., and Paul is chairman and CEO of EagleBank.

JoAnn Merritt-Green ’90 is a 2015–16 inductee into the National Association of Professional Women’s VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She is the president of Merritt Financial, a part of Alliance Group, where she has been ranked “Top Producer” for 14 of her 17 years there.

Creig Northrop ’90, president and CEO of the Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, joined the board of directors for the University System of Maryland Foundation. For more than 10 years, Northrop has led the top producing Long & Foster Real Estate team in the nation.

’80s

Christopher Chick ’89 was appointed chief lending officer and executive vice president of Severn Savings Bank. Chick has 26 years in the banking industry and was previously with Susquehanna Bank, where he held various management positions.

Steven Gold ’89, president and CEO of Allied Financial Corp., was appointed to the Commercial Finance Association’s (CFA) Executive Committee. He previously chaired CFA’s Chapter Focus Committee and was vice chair of its Convention Program Committee.

Feroz Sanaulla ’89 was named managing partner at United Arab Emirates-based management consultancy Vecta Strategy. He previously was founder of the Middle East, Turkey and Africa office of Intel Capital.

Ihab Tarazi ’89 was appointed to the board of directors of NeoPhotonics Corp. of San Jose, Calif. He is chief technology officer at Equinix and has 25 years of experience in the telecom business.

Bruce P. Matez ’86, a partner at the New Jersey law firm of Borger Matez, was honored by the Starting Point in November for his dedication to the nonprofit education and referral center that provides support and healing to troubled children and adults.

“Generalities of Distinction,” a new book by James VanSciver Ed.D. ’85, bridges the gap between theory and practice in public education with many examples coming from his experiences teaching on the Delmarva Peninsula. He spent nearly 45 years as a teacher, principal, superintendent and college professor. He has published approximately 130 articles on education topics and has published three baseball-themed books.

Veda Ward Ph.D. ’84 was a 2015-16 inductee into the National Association of Professional Women’s VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She has been a professor for 25 years at California State University-Northridge.

Charlie Bengston ’83 was promoted at ASRC Federal to president of its engineering and aerospace solutions operating group. He most recently served as senior vice president for this unit and has over 25 years’ experience in the aerospace industry.

In his new book, “Committed to Victory: The Kentucky Home Front During World War II,” Richard E. Holl ’83, M.A. ’86 offers the first comprehensive examination of Kentucky’s civilian sector, including the war’s effects on the economy and society. He is a professor of history at Hazard Community and Technical College.

Cavan Redmond ’83 was appointed an independent member of the board of directors of BioTime subsidiary OncoCyte Corp. Most recently Redmond was chief executive officer and member of the board at WebMD Health Corp.

Christopher Kubasik ’83, a university foundation trustee, was appointed president and chief operating officer of L-3 Communications, a contractor in aerospace systems and national security. He previously served as president and chief operating officer at Lockheed Martin and as president and chief executive of the Seabury Advisory Group, a professional services firm.

Gary Swart '83 was named a general partner of Polaris Partners. He joined the firm last year as a venture partner and quickly transitioned from an experienced operations executive to an active investor. He serves as Polaris’ primary technology investment presence in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. He was previously CEO of oDesk.

Joan Lombardi Ph.D. ’82 joined the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow, advising the organization on early childhood issues. An international expert on child development and social policy, Lombardi served as the first deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2009 to 2011. She wrote the book “Time to Care: Redesigning Child Care to Promote Education, Support Families, and Build Communities” and co-wrote “Beacon of Hope: The Promise of Early Head Start for America’s Youngest Children.”

Robert Milkovich ’82, chief operating officer of First Potomac, was appointed to the additional role of chief executive officer and added to the board of trustees. He serves as a director and Investment Committee member for the University System of Maryland Foundation.

Theresa “Terri” Stevens ’82, M.S. ’86 was appointed to the new position of chief corporate development officer at BioBlast Pharma Ltd., a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing meaningful therapies for patients with rare genetic diseases. She most recently served in the same role as well as president of Lupin. She has a law degree from Widener University.

Myriam Springuel M.A. ’81 was named director of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Springuel had served as its acting director since February 2014, and before that, as director of education and later associate director for programs for SITES from 1986 to 1994. She also previously curated fine arts exhibitions and developed education programs at The Ringling in Sarasota, Fla.

Avis ’80 and Bruce Richards launched the "Veterans' Education $1 Million Matching Challenge” on Veterans Day on the charitable fundraising website Crowdrise. They will match every dollar raised through Veterans Day 2016 to supplement the work accomplished by the Post-9/11 GI Bill and help fund higher education among returning veterans. In addition, the Richards donated $1 million to UMD to provide scholarships for veterans.

The debut novel of author-attorney R.N. Shapiro ’80, “Taming the Telomeres,” won the Gold Award for fiction thrillers in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest. The Amazon release of the biological thriller has over 50,000 downloads since its November 2014 release, gaining Amazon Best Seller status on June 5. “Taming” features high school senior Amanda Michaels, who suffers amnesia following a jet crash. She loses her parents in the aftermath, and learns she may possess biological secrets that competing intelligence agencies will kill for.

’70s

Brian Brunner ’79 has joined the board of directors of PeoplesBank. He has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and is now division president of account and item processing sales within the global sales organization of Fiserv Inc.

University of Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione ’79 is one of 15 selected for enshrinement in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame this year. At OU since 1998, he is the second-longest serving athletic director in school history. Before that, he spent 17 years in the Missouri athletic department, first as director of marketing and communications before serving as athletic director for five years. Under Castiglione’s leadership, OU’s athletic department has become completely self-funded and won 10 national championships and 72 conference titles across all sports. Castiglione currently serves as chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.

Eli Zaretsky Ph.D. ’79 wrote a new book “Political Freud: A History,” which examines the central—and vital—contribution of Freudian thought to five defining provocations of the 20th century: capitalism, race, war, anti-Semitism and feminism. His previous works include “Why America Needs a Left: A Historical Argument;” “Secrets of the Soul: A Social and Cultural History of Psychoanalysis;” and “Capitalism, the Family, and Personal Life.”

Charles “Chuck” Bennett ’78, the Alumni Centennial Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Gilman Scholar in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, has been named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor. He will direct Space@Hopkins, a new space studies initiative that will unify space-related activities across the institution in robotics, astronaut health, planetary sciences, solar physics, Earth science, spacecraft engineering, sensors and astrophysics.

Raymond Randall Ferreira M.A. ’78, Ph.D. ’81 and Sarah Kathleen Booth were married Sept. 7 on Daufuskie Island in South Carolina. He owns a consulting company there that gives advice to private clubs. He retired last month from the hospitality department of Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he was an associate professor.

Peter A. Marchetto ’78, president of the Americas for Tishman Construction, was elected to the 2015 class of the National Academy of Construction. He has over 35 years of construction industry experience; recent projects include One World Trade Center, WTC Towers 3 and 4, the renovation of the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Raymond James & Associates recruited financial adviser Daniel A. Roland ’78, CIMA, AIF as managing director and senior institutional consultant at its new office in Guam. A founding partner of The Asia Pacific Group, Roland has more than 37 years of institutional investment consulting experience serving endowments, foundations and public funds. He holds an MBA in finance and investments from George Washington University.

Harvey Goodman ’77, president and CEO of Goodman-Gable-Gould/Adjusters International, was named the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) “Person of the Year.” He is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Risk and Insurance Management Society and The Economic Club of Washington DC, and serves as a board member of Eagle Bancorp. Goodman served as NAPIA’s president and led the way in generating discussion on the unauthorized practice of public adjusting.

At a celebration of his 20th year on the Westwood (N.J.) Borough Council, avid Terp Peter Grefrath ’77, was surprised—and alarmed—to receive a letter from Duke University’s athletics department thanking him for wearing a Duke cap so frequently. Grefrath, known as Grif during his time on campus, has had a wager for many years with a colleague and Duke alum, that when the two teams compete against each other, the loser has to wear the other school’s baseball cap. Duke even offered to send Grefrath a new hat once his wears out.

Harry Storm ’76 was appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to serve as a judge in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. He has practiced law for more than 35 years, most recently as a shareholder at Lerch, Early & Brewer. His previous experience also includes helping to form Abrams, West & Storm, P.C. and serving as an assistant state’s attorney in Montgomery County. Storm is also the incoming president of the Maryland State Bar Association. He graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

C. Thomas McMillen ’74 was selected to lead the Division 1A Athletic Directors’ Association. The nonprofit is moving from Dallas to D.C., where McMillen will help the 126-member group navigate the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics. He is a former NBA player, Rhodes Scholar and congressman, and currently is chairman and CEO of Washington Capital Advisors.

Patrick Kennedy M.Ed. ’73 joined the board of directors of RemitDATA Inc, which focuses on data transparency in health care. He has 30 years of experience in the health-care industry, including running PJ Consulting Inc. since 2001.

Robert Dyer DBA ’72, emeritus professor of marketing at the George Washington University, published an article on IKEA and furniture safety in the October 2015 issue of Nordstjernan, a Swedish-American publication. He discusses the recent recall of a model of IKEA dresser and the company’s massive communications program to educate its customers about the importance of anchoring its shelf and chest of drawer units to walls.

James D. Fielder Jr. ’70, M.Ed. ’72 was appointed secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission by Gov. Larry Hogan, 11 months after going to work for the governor as his appointments secretary. He previously worked at Towson University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan-Flint, and has a doctorate in higher education administration from Michigan State. He also served under four different Maryland governors from both parties, holding positions as secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation; acting secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development; and assistant secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development.

Cary Thomas ’70, MBA ’74 was elected president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes. He is senior vice president of the Scripps Research Institute and has been an association member since 2001.

’60s

Michael S. Sitrick ’69 has joined the Business Advisory Board of biotech firm Oxis International. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Sitrick and Company, an international strategic communications firm. He also serves on the board of directors of Jakks Pacific.

"Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign" by Thomas J. Ryan ’62 was awarded an Honorable Mention in the nonfiction category for the 2015 Delmarva Book Prize. While thousands of books and articles have been written about Gettysburg, this offers a unique and incisive comparative study of intelligence operations during what many consider the war’s decisive campaign. Ryan is a former president of the Central Delaware Civil War Round Table, and a longtime member of the Gettysburg Foundation and the Civil War Trust. He has published more than 125 articles and book reviews on Civil War subjects and writes a biweekly column for Coastal Point, a Delaware newspaper. He is the author of “Essays on Delaware during the Civil War: A Political, Military and Social Perspective” (2012). Ryan served three years in the army and more than three decades with the Department of Defense. Now retired, he and his wife live in Bethany Beach, Del.

’50s

Ralph Crosby ’56, founder and chairman of Crosby Marketing, recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Public Relations Society of America’s Maryland chapter. Crosby began his career as a reporter, then columnist and editor for The Baltimore News American. He later served as a magazine editor and White House correspondent in Washington, D.C. In 1973, he founded what would ultimately become Crosby Marketing. Today, it has more than 50 employees and offices in Annapolis and Washington, D.C.

PASSINGS

Zachary Benjamin Schwartz ’09 died Sept. 9 in a Wyoming car accident while on his way home from a two-month journey around the United States. He was 28. He grew up in the Rolling Knolls community of Annapolis, excelled in varsity soccer, lacrosse, track and wrestling at Annapolis high, and was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. At Maryland, he was president of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. He had just left a job at a financial company before beginning his travels. He is survived by his parents, Larry Schwartz and Margie (Machulski) Schwartz; his grandfather, Gerald Grant; five aunts; four uncles and many cousins.

Bridget Wiggins Bailey ’04 of Gallup, N.M., and formerly of Columbia, Tenn., died Sept. 8 in New Mexico. She was 62. Bailey graduated from Central High School in Columbia, Columbia State Community College, then UMD. She and her husband, Clarence, married in 1973, and she joined him throughout his career in the United States Air Force. She was a member of East Eight Street Church of God, Sanctified where she sang in the choir. She later moved her membership to First Baptist Church Gallup, New Mexico. She worked several years at civil service in Government Contract Administration. She was preceded in death by her sister, Josephine Baxter. She is survived by her husband, Clarence E. Bailey Sr.; children Clarence, Lawrence and Brittany; four grandchildren; siblings Bettie Jean Secrest, Clara Mai Armstrong, Robert Green, Charles Green, Patricia Shyes, Carl Green, Carlotta Martin, Charlene Secrest, William Shyes and Michael Green; and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Lina Marija Vaitkus ’83 of Edgewater, Md., died of cancer on Nov. 18, at her home. She was 53. Vaitkus worked as a sales associate with Ethan Allen Furniture and as an office manager with ACME Iron Works before having children. She was the treasurer for the Turnbull Estates Homeowners Association and enjoyed cooking, sewing and gardening. Vaitkus is survived by her husband, Kestutis Vaitkus; daughters Janina ’13 and Katrina ’19; sister Zita DiMeo; and uncle Stasys Kalvaitis.

Gregory L. Birmingham ’81, founder of Bristol Sounds Deejays and the “Voice of Mount Hebron High School,” died Sept. 3 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at his Ellicott City home, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 56. Birmingham was raised in Rockville, and in high school began working as a disc jockey at WNIX AM radio. He later began hosting sock hops, holiday parties and wedding receptions. At UMD, he entertained at dances, orientation events on campus and Greek events. After graduating, he founded Bristol Sounds Deejays in Ellicott City, a business he turned over to his son, Michael, several years ago. For two decades, Birmingham was known as the "Voice of Mount Hebron High School," where he announced varsity lacrosse, baseball and field hockey games. Birmingham was diagnosed with ALS six years ago. He is survived by his parents, Shirley and William; wife, Lori; children Michael and Allie; a brother, Gary; a sister, Gwen Twillman; and several nieces and nephews.

Richard Randolph “Randy” Aitken ’79, a TV production assistant who also worked in the local film industry, died of cancer Nov. 8 at Mercy Medical Center, according to The Baltimore Sun. The Riderwood resident was 58. Raised on Park Avenue in Bolton Hill, he was a 1975 graduate of Friends School, where he played center on the school's basketball team and sang in a chorus. He performed in productions of “Guys and Dolls” and “Hello, Dolly.” Friends recalled he sang tenor and later baritone. At UMD, he studied film and journalism. He also worked at Record and Tape Collectors in the Rotunda shopping center in North Baltimore. Aitken joined Bonner Films and did commercials for WJZ-TV, the old Bank of Baltimore and the Maryland Lottery Commission. He also was a freelance editor for Savage Pictures in Savage, and was a production assistant and assistant editor for the Maryland-made film “Adventure of the Action Hunters.” Aitken moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s and fulfilled a dream to become a television production assistant. He worked on the series “Unsolved Mysteries” in that capacity.

Aitken returned to Baltimore and later cared for his parents. He had recently enrolled at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to study graphic design. He also drove for Freedom Services. Aitken donated his body to the Anatomy Gifts Registry. He leaves no immediate survivors.

Stephen Brice Dieudonne ’79 of Piney Point, Md., died Oct. 4 in MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown. He was 61. Born in Washington, D.C., he is the son of Madeline Staples Dieudonne of Silver Spring, Md., and the late Benjamin Roy Dieudonne. He spent most of his working days in the mailing and printing business. He enjoyed boating, fishing and spending time on the water with his family and friends. In addition to his wife of 30 years, Valarie, and mother, Dieudonne is survived by two daughters, Justine Bedard and Shelby L. Dieudonne; his siblings, Debra L. Cook and Neal Dieudonne. He is preceded in death by his father.

Austin L. Hughes ’77, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, died Oct. 31 at the age of 66. He earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in zoology from West Virginia University and a doctorate in zoology from Indiana University. The author of over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and two books, he was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Hughes was equally proud of his role as team leader for the catechists of the Right of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann K. Hughes, and his parents, Edward Riley Hughes and Josephine Nicholls Hughes. He is survived by his wife of six years, Andrea L. Hougham Hughes; stepsons Harry R. Browning and Patrick H. Browning; son Austin L. Hughes Jr.; siblings Winifred Hughes Spar, Hildred Hughes Crill and Dennis D. Hughes; and nine grandchildren.

Jack Blomquist ’67, a Frederick County defense attorney, died Sept. 7, at the age of 70, at a nursing home in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to The Frederick News-Post. Blomquist was born in Washington on Nov. 1, 1944. The second of four children, he was a star athlete at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. After UMD, he earned a law degree from Catholic University, then spent nearly 40 years practicing from an outbuilding at his Knoxville, Md., home. He was a regular at the Sleepy Hollow golf course in West Virginia, where he would hit the green alongside his daschund Martha Martha. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his son, Josh; stepdaughter Chontal; brother Bill; sister Jane Shell; and predeceased by a sister, Jill Filipczyk.

June C. Croon ’67, who once headed the advertising department for the Riverhead (N.Y.) News-Review and a local perennial nursery, died at her home on Nov. 17. She was 70. Born in Brooklyn, she followed her older sister, Lois, to UMD, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in theater. She worked briefly as an actress in the Washington, D.C., area and moved back to New York City shortly after the birth of her son. In 1976, she and her son moved to Cutchogue and she began selling advertising for the Long Island Traveler-Watchman, then moved to the News-Review, eventually rising to the position of advertising director. She left the company in 1979. June and her husband moved to Florida in 1988, but she returned in 1996 as her sister’s health failed. She returned to the Times/Review advertising department as a sales associate. Upon her sister’s death in 1997, June assumed control of the family-owned perennial nursery, The Plantage, which she managed until she retired in 2013. Croon is survived by her only child, Christian Lepore, his wife, Melanie, and three grandchildren; and three cousins.

Lawrence R. Rachuba ’63, a developer who changed Towson's landscape, died of cancer Oct. 3 at his Columbia, Md., home, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 75. Born in Baltimore and raised in Riviera Beach, he attended St. Jane Frances de Chantal School and was a member of its swimming team. He was a 1958 graduate of Loyola High School at Blakefield before earning his bachelor’s degree in zoology at UMD. He held an executive master's degree from Loyola University Maryland. In 1961, he married Diane T. DeChiaro, the daughter of developer Ralph DeChiaro, a prominent builder and philanthropist. He worked alongside his father-in-law initially, then in 1977, founded Rachuba Enterprises and, in association with his father-in law, was a general partner in DeChiaro Limited Partnership. In 1986, Rachuba, in association with another developer, began an extensive expansion of a strip mall in Towson. He negotiated with department stores and introduced Nordstrom to the Baltimore area to create what is now Towson Town Center. Rachuba purchased more than 26 acres from Goucher College in 1982, and later constructed a complex that includes the Towson Sheraton Hotel, the Towsongate Condominiums and office buildings. But he had to declare bankruptcy after the financial failure of the Baltimore Travel Plaza, an East Baltimore property he developed, along with Virginia Travel Plaza. He bounced back with the Piney Ridge townhomes and apartments in Eldersburg, the Hickory Overlook in Harford County and smaller developments in Howard, Carroll and Baltimore counties, as well as Hagers Crossing in Washington County. Rachuba was active in many charities, including Loyola University Maryland, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Notre Dame Preparatory School and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Survivors include his wife of 54 years; children Christopher, L. Ray, Kimberly Williams and Theresa R. Leatherbury; a sister, Lois Ross; and 11 grandchildren.

Robert M. Wheeler Sr. ’59 of Finksburg, Md., died Sept. 7 at the Lorien Nursing Home in Taneytown. Born July 14, 1934, in Baltimore County, he was the son of Edgar M. Wheeler and Elizabeth L. Rohde Wheeler. He was a 1952 graduate of Franklin High School Academic and served in the Korean War as a pilot with the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command. He graduated from the University of Baltimore in 1962, with his law degree. He was principal of Maryland Property Group in Ellicott City, a real estate development and management company. He maintained a general law practice specializing in acquisition and development work. Some of his projects include Twin Oaks in Aberdeen; Foxchase of Alexandria, Va.; and Golden Sands Condominiums in Ocean City. He was a past member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Parent Teachers Association. He held his commercial pilot license and real estate license and was a member of both the American Bar Association and the Maryland Bar Association. He was a member of the American Polled Hereford Association and owner of Churchill Farms, operating and raising beef cattle. He is survived by his wife, Judith Mitcheltree Wheeler; children Robert Jr., Kimberly Pierson, and Amy Elizabeth Liebel; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his siblings, Gerald G. Wheeler and Joyce Cronhardt.

Milton O. “Milt” Ruark Jr. ’58, M.Ed. ’61, a retired math teacher in Baltimore and Montgomery County public schools, died Aug. 28 of melanoma at his Catonsville home, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 85. He was a 1951 graduate of Forest Park High School, where he had been a member of the varsity cross country, track and basketball teams. His chemical engineering studies at Johns Hopkins University were interrupted when he enlisted in the Army in 1953 and served with an engineering unit. After being discharged in 1955 with the rank of corporal, he changed his career goals and decided to study education. At what’s now Towson University, he met another undergraduate education major, Margaret Elizabeth “Peggy” Brickmeyer, and they married in 1958. Ruark went on to earn a master's degree in education from UMD even as he started teaching in Baltimore city schools. In 1974, he joined the faculty of Col. E. Brooke Lee Junior High School in Silver Spring, where he rose to become head of the math department. He retired in 1986. From 1971 until the late 1980s, he taught part-time at what’s now the Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville. Ruark then taught at Boys’ Latin School until 1995, when he retired for a second time. Ruark was predeceased by his wife, who died in 2007. He is survived by his children, Karen M. Owens and Kenneth J. Ruark; a half-sister, Betty Spear; and four grandchildren.

I. Marshall Seidler ’57, a retired Baltimore County district judge who had also been a trial attorney, died of cancer Nov. 6 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 80 and lived in Boynton Beach, Fla., and Pikesville. He was a 1953 graduate of City College and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UMD. He was a 1959 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and was admitted to the Maryland Bar that year. He served in the Maryland National Guard from 1959 to 1965. He joined the Legal Aid Bureau in 1959 and practiced there for a year. He then joined a Lexington Street law firm that became known as Eccleston & Seidler. He worked in the field of professional negligence. He defended physicians, attorneys, architects, engineers and teachers, among others. In February 1989, Gov. William Donald Schaefer appointed Mr. Seidler to the District Court for Baltimore County. He served there until retiring in 2003. He then served as a retired judge, and in 2005, was appointed as the retired judge liaison on the Administrative Judge Committee. He retired a second time in 2009. Seidler was an accomplisher golfer. He was a member of the Suburban Club and enjoyed playing with other members of the judiciary. He was a member of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue and served on its board. He was also a past president and coach of the Wellwood Little League. Survivors include Leah E. Gaponoff, his wife of more than 55 years; two sons, Samuel A. Seidler and Adam Z. Seidler, both of Baltimore; a daughter, Shari B. Koman of Baltimore; and five grandchildren.


Louis R. “Lou” Cedrone Jr. ’51, a retired film, theater and television critic whose reviews spanned the era from Jayne Mansfield to Madonna, died Sept. 17 of a massive stroke at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. The longtime Lutherville resident was 92. The son of Italian immigrants Louis R. Cedrone Sr., a stonemason, and Lucia Mazzola Cedrone, a homemaker, Louis Robert Cedrone Jr. was born the ninth of 10 children in Baltimore. During World War II, he joined the Army’s 88th Infantry Division and served in Italy, where he received two Purple Hearts. He also was awarded a Bronze Star for valor after clearing out a German machine gun nest and a farmhouse that was occupied by the enemy. After being discharged in 1945, Mr. Cedrone studied journalism on the GI Bill of Rights and served as editor of The Diamondback. After graduation, he was offered a public relations position at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, but declined it when a job opened on The Evening Sun as a general assignment reporter. In the late 1950s, he was promoted to picture editor. Cedrone began reviewing TV shows in 1960 and eventually expanded his horizons to include the theater beat and movies, and estimated that he saw an average of 250 movies a year until his retirement in 1992. In addition to playing tennis, which he did until he was 85, he walked five miles a day until two years ago.

Allan Shulder ’51, the first grounds supervisor at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and later executive director of the Professional Grounds Management Society, died Oct. 10 at Genesis HealthCare in Seaford, Del. The former Pikesville resident was 85, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was a 1947 graduate of City College and earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture from UMD. During the Korean War, he served with the Army as a radar technician with the 385th Signal Detachment at in the Philippines. Shulder worked for the old State Roads Commission before being appointed grounds supervisor at Greater Baltimore Medical Center when it opened in 1965. He later was executive director of the Professional Grounds Management Society for 14 years until retiring in 1985. He lived in Laurel, Del., during the past decade and was an active member of the Laurel Lions Club and Temple Oheb Shalom. Surviving are his wife of 29 years, the former Sharron Ambrose; three sons, Stephen, Edward and David; a stepdaughter, Corrina Ford; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His first wife of 34 years, the former Julia Schlenger, died in 1985.

Zvi Shoubin ’49, the Maryland Public Television chief programming executive who created “The Buddy Deane Show,” died Sept. 5 at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore of kidney disease, according to The Baltimore Sun. The Pikesville, Md., resident was 86. He was a 1945 graduate of Forest Park High School, where he was active in drama and played soccer and table tennis. While serving in the Army, he was sent to Panama and, while there, was trained in radio. After leaving military service he joined the old WAAM-TV, now WJZ-TV. He was a go-fer, camera operator and assistant program director. He occasionally directed "Romper Room," the children's morning program hosted by Nancy Claster. In 1957, he created the rock-and-roll afternoon dance program, "The Buddy Deane Show," based on the popular "American Bandstand." It swept local television ratings and went on to inspire the Broadway musical and movie “Hairspray.” Shoubin later owned a production company that made television programs for syndication, including "Dance Party USA." He spent more than six decades in television, including in New Haven, Conn., Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and New Orleans, where he earned a master's degree at Loyola University. He also taught communications. Shoubin joined MPT in 1996 and was managing director of the three MPT channels until his death. In 2011, Mr. Shoubin was inducted into the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Gold Circle. He served on the boards of the National Association of Television Program Executives and the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences. He won four Emmys and a Peabody Award. Survivors include daughters BethAmy Speert and Steffanie Harris; a son, Jason Shoubin; a sister, Shoshana Cardin; and five grandchildren. His wife of 32 years, the former Arlene Becker, an artist, died in 1992.

The Rev. Richard D. Thompson Sr. ’49, a retired United Methodist minister and a certified public accountant, died Oct. 17 of complications from vascular dementia at Sunrise Assisted Living in Frederick, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 86. After graduating from Towson High School in 1945, he went on to earn degrees from UMD and the University of Maryland School of Law, as well as a master's degree in divinity In 1955 from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in 1985 in accounting from the University of Baltimore. Thompson was a member of the Walkersville Circuit, and also had churches in Lexington Park, Fort Washington, Laytonsville and Upper Falls. In 1987, after retiring, Mr. Thompson established an accounting and personal wealth business in Parkville that he ran until 2008. He came out of retirement for several years, serving as pastor at Providence United Methodist Church in Towson until 2012. He had been active with the Boy Scouts, the Lexington Park Volunteer Fire Department, the Laytonsville Volunteer Fire Department, Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic, and the Lions Club. His wife of 50 years, the former Mary Buckingham, died in 2003. Thompson is survived by his son, Richard Jr.; siblings Roger, Anne Howden and Susan Ballinger; and four grandchildren. A daughter, Phyllis Leigh Thompson, died in 2012.

Elizabeth “Betty” Anderson Wright Baird Tilghman ’43, a 63-year resident of Annapolis, died Sept. 17, 2015 at Ginger Cover Retirement Community, according to The (Annapolis) Capital. She was 92. Tilghman graduated first in her class from Havre de Grace High School in 1940 and from UMD. Early in her life, she was employed as an elementary school teacher, ending her career at Germantown Elementary School, Annapolis, during the 1950s. Tilghman then started an extensive period of volunteer work, including serving as president of organizations such as the American Association of University Women, the Auxiliary of Anne Arundel Medical Center and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, for which she wrote the program notes for many years. She was also actively involved in the YWCA of Annapolis, Panhellenic Club of Annapolis, Rotary Inner Wheel, the Annapolis Yacht Club, the Elder Hostel organization and the Alberg 30 Sailing Association. Tilghman was married for 40 years to John B. Wright, who died in 1986. She is also predeceased by her husbands, Robert K. Baird and Thomas O. Tilghman. She is survived by her children, Richard, David and Mary Ann W. McHenry; five stepchildren; eight grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

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