Alumni in Action
1960s
Fred Wolven, ’60 MA ’64, retired after 47 years of teaching English, creative writing, and literature, the last 24 years with Miami Dade College in Florida. He also was a founding member of the Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, faculty from 1966 to 1980. Currently researching the writing and life of the late Michigan poet Theodore Roethke, Wolven also is preparing a poetry book manuscript of writings connected with Roethke and the natural world in Michigan, Seattle, and Florida. He resides in Florida with his partner, Carmen Otero.
Gus C. Zaso, MA ’62, lives in Costa Rica with his wife, Kathleen, and pet, Pasha. He taught at Arkansas Tech University, the University of Missouri, and retired from the University of New Hampshire, where he taught in the department of resource economics and development.
Jane Arndt, 63 MA ’64, retired from Big Rapids Public Schools after 39 years. She was head of the history department. She also serves as a docent at the Hackley-Hume Historic Site and at The Voigt House in Grand Rapids.
Andrew R. Pasakarnis, ’68, retired to the Island of Islesboro off the Maine cost in Penobscot Bay. He is working on his second and third books – a novel and a children’s book.
Linda (Perdew) Huyck, ’69, was elected vice president for public affairs for the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at the organization’s national conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been employed by Michigan State University Extension since 1993 and is currently extension educator for family and consumer sciences in Gratiot and Montcalm counties.
1970s
David D. Glenn, ’73, received the 2007 Ecology/Environmental Teacher Award for the National Association of Biology Teachers. He teaches advanced placement environmental science, anatomy and physiology, and pathology at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester. He is married to Sue Ann (Basner) Glenn, ’74.
Jennifer Condreay, ’74, was inducted into the Colorado State Thespian Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Colorado Convention Center. She retired in June after teaching high school theater for 30 years at Boulder High School, Colorado, and then the Cherry Creek School District in suburban Denver. She currently works for School Tours of America, designing Broadway tours for high school students, and she is an adjunct professor at the University of Northern Colorado.
Richard W. Rodgers, MS ’74, earned board certification in clinical psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology in 2007. In 2006 he was named a member of the National Register of Health Care Providers in Psychology.
Gayle (Mungenast) Elzinga, ’75, retired from Parkway Central School District in Missouri after 28 years of teaching elementary and middle school. She was named 2007 Teacher of the Year. Her husband, Russell E. Elzinga, ’73, continues to work for the Creve Coeur Fire District as a captain.
Richard N. Batterbee, ’76, received the Michigan Centennial Retailer award on behalf of his company, Norman Corp., Bay City, where he is general manager and new buyer. He resides in Bay City with his wife, Rebecca, and their three children, Emily, Adam, and Kathryn.
Michael Lozon, ’76, published two books in 2007 – Transplanting the Passion, a History of MetroHealth Hospital in Grand Rapids, and Sharing the Wealth, the Biography of Peter C. Cook, an automotive entrepreneur and philanthropist in West Michigan. Lozon is owner of The Write Way, which specializes in documenting the histories of businesses and nonprofit organizations in Michigan.
Terry Pruitt, MSA ’78, was named finance director for Saginaw Schools.
Bruce D. George, ’79, was appointed to the board of trustees for the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is senior vice president and director of marketing and client relations at M.D. Sass Group in Massachusetts.
Thomas Lane, MS ’79, was named president-elect of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. He will become ACS president in January 1, 2009. He is a chemist and director of global science and technology outreach for Dow Corning Corp., Midland.
1980s
Benjamin Feril, ’80, was named head of medical plans and policy on the staff of the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon. He just completed a tour at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, where he was assigned as director for current operations and was awarded the Navy Meritorious Service Medal.
Gary Bishop, MA ’81, was named vice president of workforce development for Associated Builders and Contractors, Carolinas Chapter.
Brian Iles, ’81, was named vice president of international relocation for UniGroup Worldwide, a mobility management company based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Steve Violetta, ’81, was named senior vice president for business affairs for the Detroit Red Wings.
William E. Valler III, MHA ’82, was named associate vice president for the pharmacy department at Priority Health, Grand Rapids.
Janet M. Burns, MA ’83 Ed.S. ’89, was hired by White Hat Management of Akron, Ohio, and named as the state executive for the Life Skills Centers in Michigan. The Life Skills Centers are charter public high schools located in Detroit and Pontiac that assist at-risk students with getting their high school diplomas and National Career Readiness Certificates. She is a member of the board of directors for the CMU Alumni Association and lives in Farmington Hills.
Lori McAllister, ’83, was ranked in the newly published Best Lawyers in America guide. She represents commercial litigation and insurance law in the guide. She is general counsel and a member of the litigation practice group for Dykema in Lansing.
Kimberlie Buchanan, ’85, was named managing director of the Detroit practice of Resources Global Professionals, a multinational professional services firm that helps business leaders execute internal initiatives.
Stephen J. Hessen, ’85, was named managing director of law firm Kreis, Enderle, Callander, and Hudgins P.C. to oversee the firm’s offices in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek. He is continuing his real estate, probate, and commercial litigation practice in state and federal courts.
Jonathan Gushen, ’86, earned certification as a senior professional in human resources. He is director of career services for ITT Technical Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee.
James Riley, ’86, received the Dr. Louis R. Graziano Outstanding Marketing Educator Award from the Michigan Marketing Educators Association. He teaches at Hartland High School.
Judy Brooks, MHA ’88, was promoted to branch chief of policy, training, and quality assurance for the Office of Policy in Clinical Research Operations in the Division of AIDS in the National Institute of Allergy and Immunology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Brian Kersey, ’88, was named a partner in the Barnes and Thornburg LLP Grand Rapids office. He concentrates his practice in the area of commercial and real estate financing.
Tom Murray, ’88, was named director of sales and marketing for Gage Products Co. of Ferndale, a global supplier of test fuels, paint solvents, and closed-loop paint-system recycling technology for the automotive industry.
1990s
Oscar “Randy” Anderson, ’91, joined McLane Advanced Technologies LLC, a services-based technology company based in Temple, Texas.
Craig Keilitz, ’91, was named athletics director for High Point University.
Dan Ringel, ’94, works in carrier relations for R2 Logistics in Mount Pleasant.
Judith A. (Ouvry) Crockett, ’95, married Dave Crockett and lives in Manistee, where she owns Interactive Marketing and Communication, a sales and marketing training company.
Todd Dagenais, ’95, was named women’s volleyball head coach at the University of Central Florida.
Kimberly (Hayen) Hewitt, ’95, announces the arrival of Lucille Elizabeth, born January 24, 2008.
Susan Khalaieff, ’95 MA ’99, was a finalist for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching and was designated as a Teacher of Distinction by the Golden Apple Foundation, Illinois.
Richard D. Stobbs, MSA ’95, is chairman of the Gold Star Committee in Ohio that promoted a law providing all the Ohio families who have lost loved ones in combat special license plates distinguishing them as Gold Star Families.
Emily Gerkin Palsrok, ’97, was promoted to vice president at John Bailey and Associates Inc. Public Relations. She also welcomed her first child in July 2006.
Lisa Mininni, MA ’99, has written Me, Myself and Why? The Secrets to Navigating Change. She is president of Excellerate Associates, a consulting, coaching, and training company based in Canton.
2000s
Shawn Sanchez, ’00, joined the geography department at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn as a part-time adjunct instructor.
Michelle Baughman, ’01, married Jonathan Glass in 2007. They are both teachers in North Carolina.
Heather (Hutchins) Smith, ’02, and Craig Smith, ’97 MA ’02, announce the birth of Parker Craig, born August 22, 2007.
Dan Mazei, ’03, was promoted to account supervisor in the New York office of GolinHarris Public Relations.
Regina Salazar, MBA ’03, received the Young Leadership and Excellence Award from the Automotive Hall of Fame. She is director of operations, quality, and supply chain processes in information systems for ArvinMeritor Inc., a global supplier of integrated systems, modules, and components to the motor vehicle industry, headquartered in Troy.
Gary Martin, ’04, was honored by the Organización Maya Kiché of New Bedford, Massachusetts, for his work in support of the Guatemalan Mayan community in that city. He is a bilingual community liaison for the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program and teaches evening English classes at the Maya Kiché Center in New Bedford.
Heather Shawa-DeCook, MBA ’04, joined the board of directors of Peckham Inc., a private nonprofit community rehabilitation organization in Lansing.
Keith Wander, MSA ’04, has written Codename Honey Pot. He is a captain in the Navy Reserve and is a computer consultant living in Morgan Hill, California.
Holly Bryant, ’05, was accepted into the Peace Corps and will be serving in Uganda as a community health volunteer from February 2008 through April 2010. Previous to this she was a registered dietitian working in a hospital on the north side of Chicago.
