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Winter 2024

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

Standing the Testudo of Time

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

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

Out of the Shell

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

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 Gold star on red backgroud

Alumni Association News

The Alumni Excellence Awards

 Parting Shot McKeldin Mall at sunrise

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 Zebrafish stamp

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 John Kelly at desk

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 group installs Mesonet tower

Towering Ambitions for Forecasts

Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate

 Explorations adult and baby bald eagles in nest

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 Web otm fewtures 960x500

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

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…
Dagmar Renate “Reni” Henney headshot

Passings

Dagmar Renate “Reni” Henney Ph.D. ’65

Dagmar Renate “Reni” Henney Ph.D. ’65 died on Sept. 16, 2023, at Beebe Hospital in Lewes, Del., after a struggle with cancer. She was 92. Henney was born in the Spandau section of Berlin, Germany, to a Catholic father and Jewish mother, who was murdered…

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…
Pearl Alice Hanson Johnson headshot

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…
Steve Elliott headshot

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…
Lorraine Antoinette Alt headshot

Passings

Lorraine Antoinette Alt ’74

Lorraine Antoinette Alt ’74 died on Sept. 6, 2023, in Palm Coast, Fla., at age 87. She was born in Nanticoke, Pa., and met her husband at a high school dance in Philadelphia. A few years after their marriage, the couple relocated to Kensington, Md.,…

Passings

Frederick William Kaufman ’58

Frederick William Kaufman ’58 died on Dec. 19, 2023, in Owosso, Mich. He was 102. Kaufman attended Baltimore High School and majored in English at UMD. He served in the U.S. Navy.
Clay Siegall headshot

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…