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Alumni Newsmakers | In Search of New Horizons | His World of Wonder | In Memoriam |
Advantage: Jones | Alumni Bookshelf | Artist's Corner

Ben Goldfaden, BS ’37, MA ’40, celebrated his 90th birthday in August. The Colonials basketball star turned pro after graduation, playing with the American Basketball League. After two years in the Navy, he played for the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA. In 1946, he played for the Washington Capitols as forward. After retiring from his work as a gym teacher, referee, coach, city councilman, and annuity specialist, he now enjoys time with his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth, and their three children, 10 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

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At 86, W. Ward McCabe, BA ’40, continues to work as an assistant to the Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real, San Jose, Calif., and in his local parish.

In a series of self-published booklets, George W. Nordham, BA ’49, shares his faith, discussing topics such as the Ten Command-ments, “The Golden Rule,” and the Sermon on the Mount. Nordham resides in Winter Springs, Fla.

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Charles L. Downs, BA ’58, and Elizabeth Gignilliat Downs, BA ’58, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in December 2002. Charles is retired from his position as president of Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Va., and more recently held the position of interim president of the Northern Virginia Community College system.

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Lt. Col. Marshall A. Dean, USAF Ret., MPA ’62, flew B-47s and KC-135s during the Cold War and received his EdD in adult education from Auburn University after he retired. He was a student at the USAF Command & Staff College who received his GW degree through a cooperative program, and he says that many of his peers in the program went on to forge careers in the Air Force. Dean lives in Wetumpka, Ala.

Appointed by fellow alumnus Virginia Gov. Mark A. Warner, BA ’77, Hon ’03, David G. Speck, BA ’67, MA ’68, EdD ’73, serves on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority—the governing board for Washington-Reagan National and Dulles International Airports. He retired from the Alexandria City Council in June after 11 years of service. He previously was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Speck now is a managing director of investments for Wachovia Securities.

Retired and living in central Florida, Lt. Col. Donald C. Clark, MS ’69, is treasurer of Central Florida District 23 of the Sail and Power Boating Yacht Club, United States Power Squadrons.

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In November, Neil E. Sterrer, MA ’70, (pictured at left) was named 2003 LIBOR Realtor/Broker of the Year by the Long Island Board of Realtors, a 20,000-member organization comprising Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. Sterrer has been in the real estate business since 1980, after teaching in New York for several years. He also was named 2002 Trustee of the Year by the Long Beach Historical & Preservation Society.

Anne (Shoob) Kelly, MA ’71, CEO of the Federal Consulting Group in Washington, was appointed to the 2003 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. She is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the prestigious award, the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Isaac Borenstein, BA ’72, was honored with an Award for Leadership from the National Center for State Courts of Williamsburg, Va., for his efforts and achievements toward ensuring access to the courts for non-English speaking litigants. He was presented the award in September.

Robert J. Lavigna, BA ’74, (pictured at right) is the 2004 president of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources, which represents more than 1,700 public sector agencies and more than 6,000 individual members in human resource departments, commissions, and national and international boards. Lavigna, a client services manager for CPS Human Resource Services in Madison, Wisc., manages an HR outsourcing contract for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to recruit and select TSA screeners and other staff at U.S. airports and TSA headquarters.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association appointed Arlene Pietranton, BA ’74, MA ’76, PhD ’93, (pictured at left) its executive director in October. She has been the organization’s chief staff officer for speech-language pathology since 1996. She serves as a liaison to federal agencies and organizations; coordinates operations; and determines priorities for the 220-person staff of ASHA’s Maryland-based national office. Pietranton held several positions at GW Medical Center before joining ASHA.

Algebra from a Different Angle by Suzanne S. Austin-Hill, BA ’75, is an introductory algebra/basic mathematics textbook inspired by 25 years of teaching. The work is a nontraditional text focused on connecting with students through an engaging voice and step-by-step instruction. Interdisciplinary assignments and reminders of pre-requisite knowledge and vocabulary are coupled with comics and points to ponder to encourage the learner along the way.

After more than 30 years handling criminal forensic work, John J. Tobin Jr., MS ’75, was appointed director of the Maryland State Police Crime Laboratory in April 2003. He is recognized as an expert in the testing and analysis of drugs, gunshot residue, arson evidence, trace evidence, and explosives. He has testified as an expert witness in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C.

The new executive director of the CCHAT Center, an auditory/oral school for the deaf in Sacramento, Calif., is M. Elizabeth Ware, MA ’76.

Ken Ferber, BA ’77, (pictured at right) vice president of corporate communications for WellPoint in Thousand Oaks, Calif., was named to “The In-House A-List” as one of the nation’s top 20 corporate communications executives by PRWeek magazine. The publication also named WellPoint “Large Corporate Communications Team of the Year.”

Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business appointed Charles Jacobina, MA ’77, EdD ’77, executive director of its new executive MBA program, which began in in February in the D.C. area. Jacobina was previously with GW’s School of Business, where he was a faculty member and director and founder of the e-business program.

Former Baltimore City Community College President James D. Tschechtelin, EdD ’77, was named by Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich to the Anne Arundel Community College Board of Trustees. He will serve a six-year term. Tschechtelin—an adjunct professor at University of Maryland University College—is the 2002 recipient of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Regional Visionary Award. He volunteers for the Maryland United Way campaign and is a life member of the NAACP.

Niesa Brateman Halpern, MBA ’78, became chief financial officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in August. She oversees human resources, facilities, and information technological functions for NBPTS, in addition to finance and accounting.

After serving as one of the firm’s principals, William W. Edgerton, MBA ’79, is president of Jacobs Associates in San Francisco, specializing in design, engineering, and construction management.

Sandia National Laboratories’ technical manager Nancy B. Jackson, BS ’79, MS ’85, was elected to the board of directors of the American Chemical Society. She works in Albuquerque, N.M., and began a three-year term on the board as director-at-large in January.

American Women in Radio and Television announced in August that Melodie Virtue, BA ’79, will serve as its next president and chair for the AWRT foundation. Virtue is an owner of the D.C. law office Garvey Schubert Barer.

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David H. Reiter, BA ’81, is the legislative counsel for government policy and legal affairs for the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission in Washington. He also is on the Tyson’s Steering Committee of the National Arthritis Foundation. Reiter joins URAC after 13 years of jury trial work and four years with an international Internet company.

As investigations editor for Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, Paul D’Ambrosio, BA ’81, led a team of reporters that won the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting, one of journalism’s highest honors. He will share the $35,000 prize for his work in editing and co-writing “Profiting from Public Service,” a series that exposed how New Jersey lawmakers set up a system that allowed elected officials to exploit their positions for personal gain.

The new deputy airport director for John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., is George T. Urch, BA ’81.

M. Joel Bolstein, BA ’82, JD ’87, a partner with the Doylestown, Pa., office of Fox Rothschild, was ranked among the top 15 environmental lawyers by Chambers & Partners USA, a London-based company that produces guides to the legal profession. Bolstein also was appointed to serve a two-year term on the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy & Technology.

Northern Arizona Healthcare appointed Fred L. Brown, JD ’78, MBA ’82, its president and chief executive officer in August. He previously was vice chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Brown is chair-elect of the National Kidney Foundation. He has served in many leadership roles for various health care organizations throughout his career.

Renegade, a communications company with national cable industry clientele based in Hunt Valley, Md., promoted Dan Walker, BA ’82, to vice president of marketing and creative director. Walker is responsible for creative development of marketing and advertising campaigns for clients as well as for Renegade and its related companies.

On Jan. 8, 2003, John Covello, BA ’83, and wife Paula welcomed their second daughter, Eliza, into their family. The Covellos live in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Pilar G. Kline, BA ’83, and Alan S. Kline, BA ’83, in August celebrated the birth of son Henry Spencer Kline. He joins brother Gregory and sister Kaitlin.

The Society for German-American Studies honored Margrit B. Krewson, MA ’83, with the SGAS Special Award. Krewson retired from the Library of Congress in 1998 after 31 years as area specialist responsible for the German collections. Among her many achievements, Krewson was instrumental in securing the 1507 world map of Martin Waldseemueller for the Library of Congress. The map, often called “America’s birth certificate,” is the first map to use the name “America” and the first to show a separate western hemisphere and the Pacific Ocean as a separate body of water.

The Atlanta Bar Association, the largest voluntary bar in the Southeast, named Elizabeth A. Price, BA ’83, JD ’86, its second vice president in July.

Summit Marketing, an integrated marketing services company, appointed Dan Weil, BA ’83, (pictured at left) president of its Atlanta division. Weil oversees all marketing and creative competencies, the overall quality of the Summit product, client relationships, and division profitability. He previously spent 10 years with the Coca-Cola Company.

Paul P. Bollinger Jr., a 1984 graduate of GW’s Association Executive Certification program, is the new president of the Air Traffic Control Association, located in Alexandria, Va. His aviation association career began in 1979 with the American Association of Airport Executives and continued as he worked for the Airport Consultants Council, and the North American branch of Airports Council International. Bollinger says he continues to use what he learned in the GW Association Management Program.

Adath Jeshurun Congregation of Philadelphia elected Robert M. Greenbaum, BBA ’84, (pictured at right) to the synagogue’s board of directors. Greenbaum, a partner with Saul Ewing in Philadelphia, is serving a three-year term.

Rev. Peter M. Antoci, BA ’85, was appointed chaplain to the University of Maryland, College Park, by the Episcopal Bishop of Washington John B. Chane. His appointment began in September.

In Kenansville, N.C., Ross J. Wilson, BBA ’85, is the Small Business Center director at James Sprunt Community College.

City Express Inc., based in Boston, was named one of the area’s fastest-growing private companies by the Boston Business Journal. Aaron Driben, BBA ’86, is president of the company. Driben founded the messenger service when he was 23 years old in 1989.

Timothy Klein, MPA ’86, was recognized for distinguished service in support of vital U.S. security interests in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, by the Department of Transportation. Klein is associate administrator for innovation, research, and education at the department’s Research and Special Programs Administration.

Welcoming their first child into their family, Michael Graham, MPA ’87, and wife Larcy Rivera celebrated the birth of their daughter, Isabel Rivera Graham, (pictured at left) on April 23, 2003. The Grahams live in Arlington, Va.

Director of research at Twin Capital Management in McMurray, Pa., Pasquale John Rocco Jr., BA ’87, married Susan Lee Bartos in July. The couple lives in Bridgeville, Pa.

Melissa Chappell Burns, BA ’88, has added law school to her roster of being on staff at Bryn Mawr College, the wife of Bryan Burns, BA ’88, and the mom of 7-year-old Maddie and 3-year-old Katy. She attends Temple University’s Evening Law Program and can often be heard to say, “I can’t. I have Torts.”

An adjunct professor of sociology at Trinity College and the University of the District of Columbia, Portia Lynn Cole, BA ’89, recently earned a PhD in sociology at American University. Her dissertation “The Stress Process and Chronic Illness: Sickle Cell Disease and its Impact on the Performance of Social Roles and Mental Health among Black Women” examines the social origins of stress and causal processes related to depression and anxiety among black women affected by sickle cell disease.

An independent board member and consultant based in the D.C. area, Patricia A. Hammick, PhD ’89, was promoted to the board of directors of Dynegy Inc. in Houston.

John J. Jacko, BBA ’89, and his wife, Christine, welcomed Jennifer Katelyn into their family on Feb. 19, 2003. Jacko is an associate at Buchanan Ingersoll in Philadelphia.

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A postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Christina Borgeest, BA ’90, received her PhD in toxicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in July.

Christian Downs, BA ’90, and Laura Taddeucci Downs, BA ’92, MA ’95, (pictured at left) married in October 2002. They recently welcomed their first child, Thomas Taddeucci Downs, into their family. Christian is the deputy executive director of the Association of Community Cancer Centers in Rockville, Md. Laura is the executive director of the Student Activities Center at GW.

Concentrating on real estate matters, Eric Inglis, BA ’90, JD ’94, is a partner in the 60-attorney law firm of Schenck, Price, Smith & King in Morristown, N.J. Inglis is part of the firm’s commercial litigation department.

Returning to his newspaper roots that started with the GW Hatchet as sports editor from 1986 to 1988, Doug Most, BA ’90, became editor of the Boston Globe’s Sunday magazine in November. Most previously spent three years as senior editor at Boston Magazine.

Michael J. Roswog, BA ’90, and Linda (Messaline) Roswog, BA ’90, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Caroline Elise, on May 13, 2002. Michael is the U.S. tax director for Perot Systems in Plano, Texas.

Now working for Choice Hotels International’s legal department, Paul Mamalian, BA ’91, JD ’94, is responsible for the company’s securities compliance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and other transactional matters.

Michael Rosenberg, BA ’91, was certified as a panelist for the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Compulsory Arbitration Program. He is a commercial litigator at WolfBlock in Philadelphia.

Great Expectations

The U.S. Junior Chamber in September named Maj. Christopher Herring, MA ’99, one of its 2003 Ten Outstanding Young Americans. Recognized as one of the “best, brightest, and most inspirational leaders America has to offer,” Herring serves in the Air Force and was deployed to Saudi Arabia to lead base protocol operations during the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Following his return to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, Herring served as wing executive officer, orchestrating the successful visits of President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney. Among his many accomplishments, Herring has received the NAACP Roy Wilkins Renowned Service Award, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Founders Award, and was named “One of Thirty Future Leaders” by Ebony magazine. Herring and his wife, Lt. Col. Jacqueline Herring Jones, have two children, Christopher and Maya.

Public television station WETA named Adam Gronski, MA ’92, vice president of corporate marketing. Gronski manages and directs all local funding from corporations. He also serves as vice president for the Doll and Toy Museum of New York City’s board of directors and is a board member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in Virginia.

The New Jersey State Bar Association named Eric Landman, BA ’92, a trustee at the organizations’ annual meeting in Atlantic City in July. He received the association’s Distinguished Legislative Service Award in 1995 for his work on legislation that elevates the penalties for the unauthorized practice of law from a disorderly persons offense to a crime of the fourth degree. Landman is an attorney with Sherman & Viscomi in Somerset, N.J. He resides in Freehold, N.J.

Todd Tauber, BBA ’92, was named director for acquisitions and strategic alliances by Fedders Corporation. Based in Liberty Corner, N.J., the organization is a global manufacturer and marketer of air treatment products.

Currently practicing acupuncture in Baltimore, Vanina Archawski Wolf, BA ’92, and husband Joshua Wolf operate a walking tour company they founded in 1996 that introduces small groups to Spain. They have a 4-year-old daughter, Noë. More information on their company can be found at www.olespain.com.

Arthur London Denner was born to Kristen Shepherd Denner, BA ’93, MA ’98, and husband Mark Denner on Feb. 8, 2003. Kristen is business director for worldwide marketing, publications, and North America operations at Sotheby’s auction house in New York.

Bob Harvie, BA ’93, was elected to the Board of Supervisors of Falls Township, Pa., where he lives with wife Christine and their two children, Brendan and Emma. He is the social studies department chair at Bucks County Technical High School.

In April, Sharyn (Lichtenstein) Schoen, BBA ’93, and husband Van Schoen welcomed son Jordan (pictured at right) into their family. The Schoens reside in Lake Worth, Fla., where Sharyn is the controller at Harte-Hanks.

An assistant judge advocate, Yosefi Seltzer, BA ’93, completed a Permanent Change of Duty Station from the U.S. Army’s Third Infantry Division near Savannah, Ga., to the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency’s Environmental Law Division. He resides with his wife, Michelle, in Silver Spring, Md. He recently created the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Military Bar Committee for current and former Jewish military civilian and uniformed attorneys.

An attorney with Blank Rome in Trenton, N.J., William E. Baroni Jr., BA ’94, received the Professional Achievement Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. The award is presented to a young lawyer who has received professional recognition through publications, excellence in a particular area of law, a significant verdict or law-changing appellate decision, or other such professional achievement. Baroni practices election and campaign finance law and government relations. He is an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University Law School.

The wedding of David Holt, BA ’01, and Rachel Canuso Holt, BA ’01, was truly a GW affair as several Colonials gathered to honor the couple in May 2003 at the Union League in Philadelphia. Pictured left to right: Daniel Ryan, BA ’01; Oscar Pulido, BBA ’01; Keith Granzin, BBA ’01; Genine Almer, BA ’01; Sidd Vivek BA ’01; Rachel Canuso Holt, BA ’01; David Holt, BA ’01 (son of the late Mary Ann Fuller Holt, BA ’66); Helen Mogck, BA ’66; Carmen Nasuti, BA ’02; and Steven Postal, BBA ’01.

On Nov. 26, David Steinau, BA ’94, and Emily Griffith Steinau, BA ’94, welcomed their first child, Zoey Ann Steinau. The family resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where David practices environmental land use law and Emily develops selection tests for the fire service.

Love Thy Neighbor, a spiritual work drawing on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Koran, the Bhagavad-Gita, Zen Buddhism, and numerous books and courses that study the traditional biblical canon as an historical document, was published by Frank Anderson, BA ’95, under the name Chun Ki. The author is an international philanthropist who lives in the Caribbean. More information is available at www.lovethyneighborbychunki.com.

The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine awarded Meg Ann Grigalonis, MA ’95, the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree at the college’s commencement ceremony in June.

Reza Darvishian, MS ’96, a contractor with the Department of State’s Bureau Overseas Building Operation, was elected director for the fifth district of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He will serve on ASCE’s board of direction representing sections and branches in Delaware, Maryland, and D.C. He was installed in November at the organization’s annual business meeting at the Civil Engineering Conference and Exposition in Nashville, Tenn.

After one year in an intensive MBA program, Matthew Kolodny, BBA ’97, graduated from Richmond American International University in London in the fall of 2002. He was one of 10 students representing six nationalities.

On Nov. 3, 2002, Allison Levy, BA ’98, and Jared Levin, BBA ’99, (pictured at left) were married. The happy couple lives in Blue Bell, Pa.

Residing in Martinsburg, W.Va., Bob Barrett, EdD ’99, is the department chair of management studies for the American Public University System, which includes American Military University. He entered the online teaching field three years ago and is an adjunct faculty member at Central Texas College; University of Maryland University College; Baker College; Franklin University; NOVA Southeastern University; Troy State University Montgomery; Kaplan College; and Strayer University. He also designs and develops synchronous and asynchronous courses for students living around the world.

Jamie Ellam Davis, BA ’99, was named school readiness coordinator for Sierra County, Calif. Working with a division of the California Children and Families Commission, she leads the School Readiness Work Group. The group’s plan covers the early years of childhood development and addresses how early care and education systems, families, schools, and communities all promote school readiness. The group’s goal is to identify policies, systemic reforms, and legislative options to ensure that every child has access to activities, experiences, and services that promote school readiness. She married Dennis Davis in July and lives in Grass Valley, Calif.

Los Angeles World Airports in June named Mark A. Thorpe, MBA ’99, JD ’99, (pictured at right) director of air service marketing. He is responsible for air service development, marketing, and related advertising programs for the company’s three commercial airports: Los Angeles International, Ontario International, and Palmdale Regional in Palmdale, Calif. Thorpe also is responsible for interpreting complex regulations related to the airline industry and the

Federal Aviation Administration and monitoring federal laws including bilateral treaties between the United States and other countries.Alyson Rappaport, BBA ’99, MBA ’01, is the new director of client development for Krupin O’Brien, a Washington immigration, labor, and employment law firm. She is responsible for all marketing functions of the firm and its ancillary businesses.

Currently an intern at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Blanca Lissette Toso, BA ’99, (pictured at left) received the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine at the college’s commencement ceremony in June.

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Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for service as executive officer, Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco after two years of duty at that station, Peter Troedsson, MPA ’99, now is commanding officer of CGAS Savannah, Ga.

Scott Rembold, MA ’00, was promoted to associate dean for development and alumni relations at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He joined the school as director of development in 2002, after previously working at GW.

Former reporter/producer for NBC affiliate WVIR in Charlottesville, Va., Allison Zieger, BA ’00, is now an associate producer on the show “Perfect Proposal,” which airs daily on The Learning Channel.

On Aug. 30, Kyung Choi, MBA ’01, married So Youn Sohn. The couple resides in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Tamara D. Prendergast, MBA ’01, is an investment officer in the mortgage and real estate investments department of TIAA-CREF. She has experience in office, retail, multi-family, and industrial assets. Prendergast is responsible for the company’s commercial mortgage loan origination activities in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. She is the co-founder of the Young Real Estate Professionals of New York and is a member of the Association of Real Estate Women and is on the advisory board for International Council of Shopping Centers’ Next Generation.

In February, Julie Strachan, BA ’01, and Rory Haiber, BA ’99, MD ’02, were engaged. They are planning to wed in New York in the fall of 2005.

An analyst in the State Depart-ment’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Jenna Hoffman, BA ’02, is engaged to Gadi Ben-Yehuda, professor of writing at Howard University.

Devon Elyse Tutak, BA ’03, is working toward a masters of education degree in technology in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Educa-tion, where she also works with the HGSE Alumni Development Office.

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