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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
Robert Kremer Howell headshot

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…
Joan Kathleen Hursen Szabo headshot

Passings

Joan Kathleen Hursen Szabo ’88

Joan Kathleen Hursen Szabo ’88 died on Aug. 18, 2023, at age 70. She lived in Bethesda, Md., after her hometown Pittsburgh and a time in Bloomington, Ind. Szabo earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign language education and taught at Eleanor Roosevelt and…
Donald H. MacDonald Jr. headshot

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…

90s

Joshua Janow ’99

Joshua Janow ’99 was promoted to CEO of SMI Aware. He brings over two decades of experience as an attorney in big law and corporate general counsel, and executive business leadership to the role. He earned his law degree at Georgetown University.

90s

Brian Chappell ’90

Brian Chappell ’90 was named to the board of trustees of Olney (Md.) Theatre Center. He is a partner at Hogan Lovells, where he is the head of a practice that concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, joint ventures, project…
James Dayton Blackwell headshot

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…
Jordan Goldstein portrait

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…
Waldo Howard Burnside headshot

Passings

Waldo Howard Burnside ’49

Waldo Howard Burnside ’49 died on Nov. 5, 2023, his 95th birthday. He was born in Washington, D.C., and met his future wife, Jean Culbert ’50, in high school. They went to UMD at the same time; there, he joined the Gamma Chi Chapter of Sigma Chi…