Spring 2023

Photo

red shoes peek out of a teal hammock on McKeldin Mall

In the Sling of Things

Students Embrace Warmer Weather on McKeldin Mall

Post-Grad

Underexposed

Can You Help Us Identify These Terps?

Post-Grad

Kylie D’Alessio films Alex measuring wall

Renovation Sensations

Thousands Follow Alums on TikTok, Instagram

Post-Grad

Ryan Bunch poses with "Oz and the Musical" book, on yellow background with white and gray Wizard of Oz illustrations

Following the Yellow Brick Road

Alum to Head International Wizard of Oz Club

Post-Grad

Sahil Rahman ’12 and Rahul Vinod ’11 pose outside Rasa restaurant

Serving Up Time-Honored Flavors Fast

Friends’ Fresh Take on Indian Cuisine Expands Across D.C. Area

Post-Grad

Amber Mayfield with "While Entertaining" magazine cover

Party Queen, Behind the Scenes

Alum Highlights Black Chefs, Artists at NYC-Based Event Agency

Post-Grad

Alumni Association News

Alums Share Advice at Terps Under 30, Women’s Leadership Development Conference

Explorations

woman with briefcase walking through red tape

Why Noncompetes Could Soon Be a Non-Thing

Maryland Economist’s Studies Fueled Federal Drive to Ban Controversial Employee Contracts

Explorations

Antidote to Overdoses: A Universal Treatment

New Compound Fights Both Fentanyl and Meth in Bloodstream

Explorations

A Season of Healing

REI-Funded Center Promotes Nature-Based Research and Reparation

Explorations

Roll Over, Paper Towels

Engineers’ Picker-Upper Is Even Quicker

Explorations

An On-Campus Oscar Nominee

Researcher Executive-Produced Lauded Documentary

Explorations

Wildlife Ecologist Explains How to Get Ticks Off, Not Ticked Off

Ask a Researcher: Advice for Real Life

Explorations

car going from house to brick office building

Maryland, Start Your Engines

Survey Shows Cars Fuel Post-COVID Commute

Explorations

$30M in Grand Challenges Grants Awarded

Unprecedented UMD Research Program Targets Climate, Racial Justice, Energy and More

Campus Life

Maryland women's basketball player shoots ball vs. South Carolina

Sports Briefs

Achievements by Women’s Basketball, Softball and Gymnastics Teams

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

Esther "Es" Joan Campbell ’54

Esther "Es" Joan Campbell ’54, of Newman, Ga., died on April 8, 2023. She was 91 years old. She graduated from Frederick High School and at UMD was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She married Homer "Jim" Briscoe Campbell in 1957 and soon moved to…

00s

Kiandra D. Steffy ’09

Kiandra D. Steffy ’09 was named to the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board, an agency of the state’s Supreme Court. Steffy is senior counsel in Saxton & Stump’s Labor and Employment, Title IX, Investigations and Criminal Defense, Education…

Passings

Benjamin B. Newsom Jr. MBA ’92

Benjamin B. Newsom Jr. MBA ’92 died suddenly on April 13, 2023 at age 64. Born in Belleville, Ill., Newsom graduated from Madison County High School then from Washington and Lee University with a math/applied sciences degree. He went on to receive an MBA…

00s

Cindy Garman ’00

Cindy Garman ’00 was promoted to principal at SK&A Structural Engineers. She joined the company in 2004 and earned a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Passings

Robert E. Weisblut ’65

Robert E. Weisblut ’65, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died on May 1, 2023 at age 82. He was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1941. He joined the U.S. Army while still attending Calvin Coolidge High School and served six months training at Fort Knox,…

Passings

Ida Barksdale Crawford Stewart ’50

Ida Barksdale Crawford Stewart ’50, a longtime vice president at the Estée Lauder Cos. and a special assistant to company founder Estée Lauder, died on March 25, 2023, at the Clinton (S.C.) Presbyterian Community. She was 100 years old. She was a graduate…

Passings

Thomas Russell Watt Sr. ’74

Thomas Russell Watt Sr. ’74 of Punta Gorda, and more recently Largo, Fla., died on April 28, 2023, following a long illness. He was 88. Born in Washington, D.C., Watt served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 and graduated from UMD. He worked as an…

80s

Margaret Anderson ’86

Margaret Anderson ’86 was appointed by President Joe Biden to the National Cancer Advisory Board. She advises federal health and nonprofits as a managing director at Deloitte and serves on several nonprofit boards including Act for NIH, the Allen…