Fall 2023

Explorations

water from air absorbing into black cube

Water Out of Thin Air

Invention Offers Trickle of Hope for Climate-Driven Crisis

Explorations

‘Mallpark’ Figure

How MLB Stadiums Scored With Fans by Adding Shopping, Theme Park Elements

Campus Life

five Team USA lacrosse players pose with gold medals

Sports Briefs

5 Terps Win Gold in Lacrosse Championship; Shortstop Becomes UMD’s Highest MLB Draft Pick

Campus Life

‘Tau-ring’ Over Maryland’s Record Books

After Setting Nearly Every Terps Passing Mark, Star Quarterback ‘Not Done Yet’

Campus Life

‘Rising’ Awareness

Libraries Exhibit Looks at Century of Student Activism

Campus Life

Blast From the Past—and Into the Future

75 Years After Its Groundbreaking, Revived UMD Wind Tunnel Revs Up

Campus Life

Summ-AR Immersion

Using Emerging Tech, Students Create Innovative Art, Interactive Games in Incubator Program

Campus Life

UMD’s Stumble Bees

Gardens Host Pollen-Fueled Rager, Earning National Recognition

Campus Life

A Commencement Speech Fit for a King

News Anchor Gayle King ’76 Recalls Life, Love and Ledo on First Return to Campus

News

electric Shuttle-UM bus at charging station

Electrifying!

$40M Grant to Fund Climate-Friendly Shuttle-UM Buses

News

Rendering of new basketball performance center

Basketball Performance Center Breaks Ground

Facility Will House Practice Court, Locker Rooms, Strength and Conditioning Areas, and More

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

Robert Haas Jr. ’52

Robert Haas Jr. ’52, a longtime Beltsville, Md., resident, died on May 20, 2023, at age 100. Haas was a Pennsylvania native who served as a chief warrant officer in the army during WWII. Through the GI Bill, he received an accounting degree from UMD,…

10s

Letam Duson ’10

Letam Duson ’10 was named to The Daily Record’s 2023 list of Leading Women Under 40. Duson is senior assistant state prosecutor in Maryland’s Office of State Prosecutor. She is responsible for investigating and litigating political corruption and public…

20s

Leya Prezelski '23

Leya Prezelski '23 joined the Minnesota Vikings as football operations associate.

10s

Dr. Steffi Thomas ’11

Dr. Steffi Thomas ’11 joined the Methodist Medical Group-Rheumatology practice in the Memphis Medical District. She is a board-certified physician who completed a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in rheumatology at the University of…

Passings

Herbert LeRoy Strawsburg Jr. ’56

Herbert LeRoy Strawsburg Jr. ’56 died on June 5, 2023, at Frederick (Md.) Health Hospital at age 89. He graduated from Frederick High School and earned an accounting degree at UMD. He served as vice president of Farmers and Mechanics National Bank until…

00s

Brett Zeitlin

Brett Zeitlin ’04, an attorney with Pennsylvania labor, employment and workers’ compensation law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson, was selected by peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, one of the legal profession’s…

00s

Jennifer Holz ’01

Jennifer Holz ’01, AARP Maryland’s associate state director for community outreach, received AARP’s 2023 Maureen McKoy Award for Excellence in Service. She has been with AARP since 2006.

Passings

Paul Alfred Clarke M.Ed. ’58, Ed.D. ’61

Paul Alfred Clarke M.Ed. ’58, Ed.D. ’61 died on May 22, 2023, at Edenton Retirement Center in Frederick, Md., where he had resided since 2016. Born in Baltimore, Clarke grew up in Thurmont, Md., with seven brothers and five sisters, helping with the…