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

90s

Sherri Beatty-Arthur ’95, MBA ’11

President Joe Biden nominated Judge Sherri Beatty-Arthur ’95, MBA ’11 to the District of Columbia Superior Court. She has been a magistrate judge for D.C.’s Superior Court since 2020 and previously served as an administrative law judge in the District of…

Passings

John Stanton Boteler ’59, M.A. ’73

John Stanton Boteler ’59, M.A. ’73 died on Sept. 6, 2023, at his home in Olney, Md. at age 87. He grew up in Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and graduated from Gonzaga High School. At UMD, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He…

10s

Kristin Fallon MBA ’11

Kristin Fallon MBA ’11 joined Bentley Systems, a leader in infrastructure engineering software, as chief marketing officer. She was previously global head of brand and digital marketing at GE HealthCare. She holds a B.A. in economics from Wake Forest…

90s

Jeong H. Kim Ph.D. ’91

President Joe Biden awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest award for technological achievement, to Jeong H. Kim Ph.D. ’91, namesake of an A. James Clark School of Engineering building. The chairman and co-founder of…

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…

20s

Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga MBA ’21

Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga MBA ’21 was nominated by Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott as the new health commissioner for the city's health department. Emenuga earned her medical degree from the University of Nigeria and a master’s degree in public health from the…

Passings

James Dayton Blackwell ’54, M.Ed. ’58

James Dayton Blackwell ’54, M.Ed. ’58 died at his home in Catonsville, Md., on Oct. 16, 2023, at age 91. After completing his degrees in music education at UMD, Blackwell was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves, ending his service career…

Passings

Robert Kremer Howell ’59, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’65

Robert Kremer Howell ’59, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’65, of Beltsville, Md., died on Dec. 17, 2023. He was 92. Howell was born in Stuarts Draft, Va., and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict, He earned a doctorate in plant pathology at UMD and worked…