Winter 2024

Testudo turtle mascot with open arms. Vintage mascot photos in background

January 12, 2024

From Turtlenappings to TikTok Shenanigans, How an Unassuming Reptile Evolved to Represent Terp Spirit

rainbow turtle, turtle with pink and light blue pattern, "Support #TransTerps" pin. "Debilitating Queerness", "they" pin

January 16, 2024

Twenty-five years ago, the LGBTQ+ Equity Center opened to support queer Terps who felt invisible, isolated and harassed. Some of the founders recount its humble start and hard-won victories.

View of low, tan buildings against a large sky. Dessert terrain.

Features

January 12, 2024

American Indians have long been denied fair access to homes, health care, schooling and jobs. For Joseph Kunkel M.Arch. ’09, the mission to change that is personal.

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

The Alumni Excellence Awards

Parting Shot

January 12, 2024

Testudo Watches Over McKeldin Mall From Perch of Nearly 60 Years

"Testudo II" wheels near stands at football game

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History

Alex Kin ’08 and Sarah Tostanoski ’09 on wedding day

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

Alums Celebrate Wedding at Homecoming Tailgate

Cheese board with M in middle; Kara McGrath inset portrait

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

5 Tips for Making a Board Bursting With Flavor and Color

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

Image Chosen by Postal Service Opened New Avenues to Treat Brain Diseases

Bonnie Bernstein portrait and "She Got Game: Inspiring Women, Inspired by Sports" illustration

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

Sports Journalist’s Podcast Links Women’s Success in Careers to Experiences on the Field and Court

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024

Departing Washington Post Columnist Shares 20 Years of Family Tales, Reader Favorites

three people sit on stage at PROGRESS launch

Explorations

January 12, 2024

Initiative to Offer Research, Solutions to National Crisis

Explorations

January 12, 2024

Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate

Explorations

January 12, 2024

Bald Eagle Expert Joins Legendary Explorers Club Honorees

Arlington House perched atop Arlington National Cemetery

Explorations

January 12, 2024

At Robert E. Lee’s Former Residence, Researcher Opens Door to Overlooked Legacies

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

80s

Clay Siegall ’82

Clay Siegall ’82 was appointed chairman of the board of Tourmaline Bio, a late-stage clinical biotechnology company. Siegall is president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of biotech company Immunone. He previously served as the CEO and…

Passings

Patricia “Pat” Yeager ‘78

Patricia “Pat” Yeager ‘78 died on Sept. 12, 2023, at age 88. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Yeager and her husband, Richard “Dick” Yeager, moved to Bowie, Md., in 1963, where they raised their five children. Yeager later graduated from UMD with a…

00s

Steve Elliott MFA ’03

Steve Elliott MFA ’03 was named president of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. He was previously vice president of academic affairs at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. He held various positions there, including faculty member, department…

90s

Jordan Goldstein ’94

Jordan Goldstein ’94 was named co-CEO of Gensler, the world’s largest architecture firm. Goldstein has been with Gensler since 1996. His recent projects included 2112 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Capital One’s Tysons headquarters and Marriott International’s…

Passings

Marguerite Deborah Nye Corgan ’72, ’73,

Marguerite Deborah Nye Corgan ’72, ’73, of York, Maine, died on Sept. 13, 2023. She was born in Washington, D.C., majored in English at UMD and later studied music and voice and earned her postgraduate degree in secondary education from California State…

00s

Bryant “Mack” McGee ’07,

Bryant “Mack” McGee ’07, chief marketing officer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, was named to the Baltimore Business Journal's “40 Under 40” for 2023.

Passings

Vernon Mason Briggs Jr. ’59

Vernon Mason Briggs Jr. ’59 of Ithaca, N.Y., died on Oct. 1, 2023, after a short illness. He was 86. Briggs was president of his senior class at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and at UMD, where he majored in economics and received the Algernon Sullivan…

Passings

Jackson Yeager ’52, ’59

Jackson Yeager ’52, ’59 died on Dec. 14, 2023, in Silver Spring, Md. He was 98. Yeager attended Montgomery Blair High School and earned degrees in German and electrical engineering at UMD. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked for McGraw Hill Publishing…