Winter 2024

Winter 2024 Testudo turtle mascot with open arms. Vintage mascot photos in background

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

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.

Features

Standing the Testudo of Time

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

Features

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

Tribal Loyalties

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

Alumni Association News

The Alumni Excellence Awards

Parting Shot

Monumental Mainstay

Testudo Watches Over McKeldin Mall From Perch of Nearly 60 Years

Post-Grad

"Testudo II" wheels near stands at football game

Road-Ready Reptile

An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History

Post-Grad

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

A Match Made in Lot 1

Alums Celebrate Wedding at Homecoming Tailgate

Post-Grad

Cheese board with M in middle; Kara McGrath inset portrait

Cheese the Day

5 Tips for Making a Board Bursting With Flavor and Color

Post-Grad

Alum’s Photo to Live ‘Forever’ on Stamp

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

Post-Grad

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

Ahead of the Game

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

Post-Grad

Capital-area Chronicler Turns the Page

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

Explorations

three people sit on stage at PROGRESS launch

PROGRESS on Gun Violence

Initiative to Offer Research, Solutions to National Crisis

Explorations

Towering Ambitions for Forecasts

Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate

Explorations

A Soaring Success

Bald Eagle Expert Joins Legendary Explorers Club Honorees

Explorations

Arlington House perched atop Arlington National Cemetery

In the Shadow of History

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

Explorations

The FEWture of Food Forests

Persimmons, Pawpaws and Beach Plums Thrive in Edible Ecosystems

Explorations

robot under nose identifies cheese, fire, fish, etc.

What the Bio-Nose Knows

Futuristic Smeller Uses Talents of Living Cells

Explorations

man and woman sit at table with dishes flying around them; boxers shake hands

Talking Politics—Without Getting the Silent Treatment

Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

Deborah Lynn Dahl-Young ’90

Deborah Lynn Dahl-Young ’90 of Bel Air, Md., died on Oct. 20, 2023, at Johns Hopkins Medical Center after a battle with kidney cancer. She was 56. Born in South Bend, Ind., she was a graduate of Joppatowne High School, majored in business at UMD and…

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…

Passings

Donald H. MacDonald Jr. ’56

Donald H. MacDonald Jr. ’56 of Winchester, Va., died on Oct. 7, 2023, at age 93. A native of Baltimore, he majored in electrical engineering at UMD, then served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant from 1952 until 1963. He worked his entire career at…

Passings

Roy Eades ’69

Roy Eades ’69 died on Nov. 9, 2023, at the age of 77. Roy was born on Aug. 14, 1946, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Riverdale, Md. He worked for Safeway for 42 years, working his way up from night stocker to store manager. Eades served as the…

00s

Deborah Youmans MBA ’03

Deborah Youmans MBA ’03 was appointed chief information officer at MITRE. She joined the company from Booz Allen Hamilton, where she served as vice president and deputy CIO. Prior to that role, she worked as director of Booz Allen Information Systems for…

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…

Passings

Charles Frank Galambos M.S. ’66

Charles Frank Galambos M.S. ’66 died on Oct. 14, 2023, at his Maurertown, Va., home at age 89. He was born in Kispest, Hungary, and the family immigrated to the U.S. in 1948. He received his civil engineering undergraduate degree from the University of…

Passings

Pearl Alice Hanson Johnson ’67, M.Ed. ’73

Pearl Alice Hanson Johnson ’67, M.Ed. ’73 died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Dec. 28, 2023, after a short illness. She was 98. Johnson was raised in Idaho as the fourth of 11 children and attended Utah State University for one year. She worked as a doctor's…