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Winter 2024

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

Features

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

Features

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.
Gold star on red backgroud

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
The Alumni Excellence Awards
McKeldin Mall at sunrise

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
Zebrafish stamp

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
John Kelly at desk

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
group installs Mesonet tower

Explorations

January 12, 2024
Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate
adult and baby bald eagles in nest

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
Jonson Marin headshot

Passings

Jonson Marin ’00

Jonson Marin ’00 of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died on Dec. 15, 2023, due to complications from Lyme disease. He was 46. Born in San Miguel, El Salvador, Marin was a software engineer. He was an avid downhill mountain biker, snorkeler and paddle boarder.…

80s

Jim Jones ’83

Jim Jones ’83 was named the first deputy commissioner for human foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He oversees food safety, chemical safety and innovative food products, such as new agricultural technologies, to bolster the resilience of the…

70s

Haluk Ferden Gursel M.A. ’76

Career fraud fighter Haluk Ferden Gursel M.A. ’76 received the Lifetime Achievement in Compliance at the 2023 Excellence in Compliance Awards. Among his career highlights, he served in the internal oversight department with the World Health Organization…

80s

Robin Champ ’88

Robin Champ ’88 was named the first vice president for strategic foresight at LBL Strategies, a certified veteran-owned small business specializing in strategy and foresight training and consulting. She most recently was chief of the Enterprise Strategy…
David Stern Kimmel headshot

Passings

David Stern Kimmel M.Ed. ’65

David Stern Kimmel M.Ed. ’65 died Nov. 14, 2023, at his Bowie, Md., home at age 87. He was born in Gray, Pa., and served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1957. Kimmel earned a bachelor's degree in education from the California University of Pennsylvania and…
Latanya Mapp Frett headshot

90s

Latanya Mapp Frett ’91, MPM ’95

Latanya Mapp Frett ’91, MPM ’95 was named president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She was most recently president and CEO of Global Fund for Women, and before that was executive director of Planned Parenthood Global. Mapp Frett is also the…
Michael Trail headshot

10s

Michael Trail MBA ’14

Michael Trail MBA ’14, principal and CIO of MCB Real Estate, was named to the Baltimore Business Journal's “40 Under 40” for 2023.
Carroll "Gene" Selby headshot

Passings

Carroll "Gene" Selby ’50

Carroll "Gene" Selby ’50 of Frederick, Md., died on Oct. 22, 2023, at Homewood at Crumland Farms at age 94. Selby graduated from Frederick High School and UMD, and served in the U.S. Army for two years. He worked at Fort Detrick, Md., in the biological…