Alumni Notes
August 27, 2009 |  by Johns Hopkins Staff

1935

Theodore M. Miller, Engr ’35, is a founder and director of the Wildegeest Foundation, which supports the United Nations principles for the elderly: independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment, and dignity—“to add life to the years that have been added to life.”

1939

Daniel J. Stone, A&S ’39, who retired in 1993 as professor emeritus of medicine at New York Medical College, has been married to his wife, Ruth, for 59 years. They have traveled for both professional reasons and for vacation. He writes: “At the present time, health problems force us to spend some time in Florida as well as in the Hudson Valley in New York. We have three children and five grandchildren.”

1943

John S. Thomsen, Engr ’43, A&S ’52 (PhD), is revising a manuscript on the history of Baltimore streetcars. His wife writes: “He welcomes visitors and phone calls when he is feeling strong enough.”

1947

Henry B. Bobrow, A&S ’47, moved to Florida one year ago. He is still settling in and looking forward to meeting other Johns Hopkins alumni there.

George E. Mendenhall, A&S ’47 (PhD), writes: “Another book published—Our Misunderstood Bible. It is available from Amazon.”

1950

A. Nathan Abramowitz, A&S ’50, is a professor in the Theology Department of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

1954

Wendell A. Smith, A&S ’54, senior partner of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, has been elected chairperson of the board of trustees of Bayshore Community Hospital Foundation in Holmdel, New Jersey.

1955

Estela C. Feliciano, Ed ’55 (MEd), writes “I am now a widow, 88 years old, and still involved in the Misamis University. My husband, Dr. Jaime Feliciano, whose family founded the Misamis University, died in 1990. I have two sons, Wilfrido, a plastic surgeon from St. Louis, and Roberto, a physician in Clifton, New Jersey.”

1957

James M. McDowell, A&S ’57 (MA), was recognized by the Ohio State Bar Association in 2008 for 50 years of service to the legal profession. He continues to practice probate and trust law in Cleveland.

1959

June C. Persson, Nurs ’59, writes that she will attend the School of Nursing Reunion in September.

1960

John C. Moore, A&S ’60 (PhD), has published Pope Innocent III (1160/61–1216): To Root Up and to Plant (University of Notre Dame Press, 2009). He is professor of history emeritus at Hofstra University and the author of several books, including Love in Twelfth-Century France.

1961

Roland S. Summers, A&S ’61, was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to the Georgia Composite Board of Medical Examiners.

1962

Ralph V. Turner, A&S ’62 (PhD), recently completed a biography, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France, Queen of England (Yale University Press, 2009). Since finishing his PhD in history, he has had a teaching career at Florida State University, where he was named Distinguished Research Professor in 1994. He retired in 2000 but continues to do research and write.

1964

William S. Greenberg, A&S ’64, has been honored with the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor. He is a partner at McCarter & English LLP, and was recognized for his longstanding commitment to New Jersey’s legal legacy.

1965

Myra E. Moss-Rolle, A&S ’65 (PhD), is now professor emerita of philosophy and government at Claremont McKenna College in California and will be fully retired in June. She is the recipient of the Plato Award for iconic educators.

1966

James A. Leach, SAIS ’66, was named in June as President Barack Obama’s intended nominee to serve as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A former Republican congressman from Iowa, Leach founded and was co-chairman of the Congressional Humanities Caucus during his 30-year congressional career. The Caucus serves as advocate for the NEH in the House and brings attention to the role of the humanities worldwide.

Toby L. Simon, A&S ’66, writes: “I am serving as a corporate medical director at CSL Plasma. I recently completed a job as senior editor of the fourth edition of Principles of Transfusion Medicine.”

Judah C. “Jud” Sommer, A&S ’66, of Bethesda, Maryland, is senior vice president of government affairs for UnitedHealth Group. He has been named to the Hebron Academy’s board of trustees.

1967

Linda E. Sabin, Nurs ’67, writes: “We have settled in Mississippi. I teach online for the University of Louisiana at Monroe. I am still creating art and writing history.”

1968

Susan P. Baker, SPH ’68, was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle and in two Hawaiian newspapers about her recent study of tourist helicopter crashes in Hawaii. The study concludes that the minimum altitude recommendations from the Federal Aviation Administration have led to an increase in fatal crashes. The FAA is disputing the study findings.

James M. McPartland, A&S ’68 (PhD), director of the Center for Social Organization of Schools and a research professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins, has been named an American Educational Research Association Fellow.

1969

Dennis Estis, A&S ’69, a partner at Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP and chair of the construction law practice group at the firm, was awarded the 2009 David Pavlovsky “Service to the Bar” award by the Middlesex County Bar Association in May. He is a past president of the MCBA and former member of the Middlesex County Bar Foundation board of trustees.

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, A&S ’69 (MA), a novelist, short story writer, and journalist, has received the Horace Mann Medal from Brown University. She is a vice president and former international secretary of International PEN as well as former chair of International PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee. She is also a member of the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins University and a trustee emerita of Brown.

1970

Glenn Marcus, A&S ’70, has produced a film on the World War II Memorial, which was broadcast on PBS in May. His additional PBS coproduction and scripting credits include The March of the Bonus Army, Washington, DC: Symbol and City, and Hallowed Ground.

Bennie I. Osburn, Med ’70 (PGF), who is the dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California–Davis, has been named to the board of directors for Medical Management International, in Portland, Oregon.

1971

Frank L. Calkins, Bus ’71, has published his third genealogical article in the March 2009 issue of The Connecticut Nutmegger, the Connecticut Society of Genealogists’ quarterly journal.

Herb Smith, A&S ’71 (MA), ’77 (PhD), professor of political science at McDaniel College, recently received the Ira G. Zepp Distinguished Teaching Award. The award recognizes inspired classroom work and dedication to students.

1973

Marvin L. Egolf, A&S ’73, moved last October from the Office of the Secretary of Defense CIO at the Pentagon to Aberdeen Proving Ground. A U.S. Army civilian, he works as an IT specialist performing project management supporting BRAC transitions. He continues to fulfill his passion for music and is involved with numerous groups and organizations.

1974

A. Roger Ekirch, A&S ’74 (MA),’78 (PhD), professor of history, has received Virginia Tech’s 2009 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research. Ekirch has achieved international acclaim for his groundbreaking scholarship in American and European history.

Joyce L. Epstein, A&S ’74 (PhD), director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the National Network of Partnership Schools and a research professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins, has been named an American Educational Research Association Fellow.

Gary R. Schatz, A&S ’74, recently joined Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia as director of research.

1975

Gary D. Stark, A&S ’75 (PhD), has published Banned in Berlin: Literary Censorship in Imperial Germany (Berghahn Books, 2009).

1976

Carlos T. Mock, A&S ’76, Med ’80, the Floricanto Press editor for its GLBT series, has published his fourth book: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita,” a Cuban history book filled with firsthand accounts and anecdotes. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame in October of
2007.

1977

Maria Otero, SAIS ’77 (MA), has been nominated to serve as undersecretary of global affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She has also served for many years as an adjunct professor at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in the International Development Program.

Robert F. Buchanan, A&S ’77, has joined the full-time Finance Department faculty at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Linda Deloach Gillespie, Ed ’77 (MEd), is a Title I director at the Richland Country School District One in Columbia, South Carolina. Frank White, Bus ’77 (MAS), served as a Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 captain during the first Gulf War. He writes: “I volunteered and flew multiple flights in and out of the Arab countries. After the war ended, I flew the U.S. soldiers home. The U.S. Airforce awarded me an Air Medal on December 4, 1991.”

1978

Esther L. Bush, Ed ’78 (MS), delivered the commencement address at Allegheny College. She is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

Hazel Harper, SPH ’78 (MPH), a dentist, has been named by Oral Health America as the first recipient of the Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Volunteer Award for her leadership as co-founder and project director of the Deamonte Driver Dental Project in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Sharon Hecht Kanter, Ed ’78 (MS), has been named superintendent of schools for the Milford School District in Milford, Delaware.

1979

Kevin D. Cleary, A&S ’79, has just completed his second year of working on the staff of Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings- Blake.

Aaron A. Rosenblatt, A&S ’79, has teamed with Dr. Gilbert Gordon, Volwiler Distinguished Research Professor at Miami University (Ohio), to form Gordon & Rosenblatt LLC, an independent consulting firm specializing in the science, technology, and application of chlorine dioxide.

1980

Steven Chicurel, Peab ’80, has published Music Theory for Musical Theatre, which he co-authored with John Bell. He continues to serve as professor of musical theater and chair of the Department of Theatre at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

1981

Jeffrey L. Schwimmer, SPH ’81, is currently the medical director for Aetna Behavioral Health, Western Region.

Christopher E. Taylor, SPH ’81, writes: “I recently visited my home country of Sierra Leone as an Embassy Science Fellow. I was invited to address the country’s problems of infectious diseases, malnutrition, and lack of trained health care personnel and focused my efforts during my brief three-month stay on building local research capacity.”

1982

Peter Starr, A&S ’82 (MA), ’85 (PhD), has been named American University’s new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

1983

Dilip Barman, Engr ’83, and Sangeeta Godbole joyfully announce the birth of their first child, a girl, Anuragini Sapna Barman. Anu was born on November 21, 2008, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

1984

Robert O. Blake, SAIS ’84 (MA), a career foreign service officer, has been nominated by President Barack Obama for the position of assistant secretary of state for South Asian Affairs, Department of State.

Carin Y. Cooper, SPH ’84 (MPH), has launched her business, Full Blossom: Writing for Wellness, fusing her healing and writing backgrounds.

Marco Zarbin, Med ’84 (MD), has recently been inducted into the 2009 Gold Fellows by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Fellows serve as role models and mentors for individuals who are pursuing careers in vision and ophthalmology research.

1985

Gail Stuart, SPH ’85 (PhD), dean of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing, as well as a professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is a new member of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. She is a distinguished practitioner in the National Academies of Practice and currently serves as chair of the board of the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce.

1986

Scott Nyberg, Med ’86, a transplant surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and a professor of surgery in the medical school there, has received the Ridgewater College Foundation’s Distinguished Service and Distinguished Alumni awards.

Stephen L. Pignatiello, SAIS ’86 (MA), a certified sommelier and founder and president of P. Comms, Int’l, has been elected chairman of the Weststar Financial Services Corporation and Bank of Asheville.

James B. Sitrick Jr., SAIS ’86, SPH ’88, writes: “I began work as the emergency preparedness coordinator for the New Mexico Primary Care Association in November 2008.”

1987

Una Coales, A&S ’87, has run for president of the Royal College of General Practitioners (UK term for family physicians). She writes that she “intends to bring a democratic process to the college, encourage member-centric evidence-based policies, and oppose politics-based regulations.”

1988

Tara O’Toole, SPH ’88, was nominated on May 6 by President Barack Obama to serve as undersecretary of science and technology in the Department of Homeland Security. O’Toole has most recently served as the CEO and director of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and was the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies.

Anne M. Lipton, A&S ’88, published The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias in March 2009.

1989

Michael Fenzel, A&S ’89, who returned from a 16-month tour in Afghanistan, announces the birth of his third child in September 2009. He is now attending the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, where he is pursuing a PhD in national security in Monterey, California, and he has been promoted to full colonel.

1990

Ellington Graves, A&S ’90, assistant professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, received the university’s 2009 Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholars Award.

1991

Genevieve M. Eichman, Peab ’91(MM), and husband Philip Alman completed their family with the birth of a third boy, Karl David, in June 2008.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, A&S ’91, and wife Cherry welcomed their son, Owen Pierce, in 2008. Owen joins sister Evelyn.

Christopher James Gadbois, Engr ’91, married Yekta Victoria Moghaddas on December 20, 2008. The Bahai wedding ceremony and reception took place in Santa Monica, California. The couple honeymooned in Malibu and will reside in New Jersey. He is currently employed as an IT consultant.

1992

Vanessa M. Dunlap, A&S ’92, Nurs ’96, writes: “I was a school nurse for six years. I am now an advice nurse for Kaiser who monitors patients with congestive heart failure via data from a monitor in their home, i.e. telemonitoring.”

1993

Rola Dashti, SPH ’93 (PhD), a leading economist in Kuwait, was one of four female candidates elected in the parliamentary elections of Kuwait. She is among the first women elected to the legislative body in the country’s history.

Anne-Emanuelle Birn, SPH ’93 (ScD), Canada Research Chair in International Health and associate professor at the University of Toronto; Yogan Pillay, SPH ’95 (PhD), deputy director-general for Strategic Health Programmes at the National Department of Health, South Africa; and Timothy H. Holtz, SPH ’89 (MPH), assistant professor of global health and assistant clinical professor of family and preventive medicine at Emory University, have just published the Textbook of International Health: Global Health in a Dynamic World, 3rd edition (Oxford University Press, 2009).

J. Drayton Hastie III, A&S ’93, and Tamela Hastie welcomed Griffin Norwood Hastie into the world this past year. Drayton has also transitioned his law practice to the firm of Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC, in Columbia, South Carolina.

1994

Colin C. Chellman, A&S ’94, is now the director of policy analysis at the City University of New York (CUNY).

Francis Park, A&S ’94, writes: “After graduation from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies in 2007, I’m returning from a 14-month tour in Afghanistan as the strategic policy planner for the 101st Airborne Division and Combined/Joint Task Force 101. I’m now an instructor in the Department of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Operations at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.”

1995

Gabriella Burman, A&S ’95, and her husband, Adam Kaplan, are mourning the sudden death of their 5 1/2 -year-old daughter, Michaela Noam. She leaves behind two younger sisters, Ayelet and Maayan.

B. Adrienne Corkran-Plantinga, Bus ’95 (MS), is a division controller with Republic Services, managing an East Texas hauling operation. Her husband, Willem, is taking care of their two boys, Nathan and Walter, and his son, Josh.

1997

Lisa B. Uncles, Nurs ’97, is the clinical director at the Family Health and Birth Center in Washington, D.C.

1998

Daniel B. Ginsberg, SAIS ’98 (MA), has been nominated for assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense.

Carmella Braniger, A&S ’98 (MA), has been promoted to associate professor of English and awarded tenure at Millikin University.

Taranjit Kaur, SPH ’98 (MPH), assistant professor of biomedical sciences and pathology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has received the university’s 2009 XCaliber Award for excellence as a part of a team on a large-scale project.

Christopher James Rold, A&S ’98, has completed his doctorate in microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt University. The title of his dissertation is “The Role of the Cellular Poreaome and Ubiquitin in Post-entry Restriction of Retroviruses by Trim5α.” He will be starting his fellowship in May at Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago.

1999

Steven M. Tulp, Bus ’99, is a senior buyer at BGE Home. He serves on the board of directors at Eden Mill Nature Center and is happily married with two wonderful daughters.

2000

Peter Davos, A&S ’00, recently graduated from Harvard University with Master of Design Studies (MDesS) degree in real estate and project management; he received the Ferdinand Colloredo-Mansfeld Prize for Superior Achievement in Real Estate Studies.

Karen Land, A&S ’00 (MFA), has served as an assistant professor of theater at Gettysburg College since 2001.

Thomas C. Timmes, Engr ’00 (MS), earned a PhD in environmental engineering from Penn State University and has joined the faculty in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He will primarily teach the courses Physical & Chemical Processes and Biochemical Treatment and support undergraduate research efforts.

2001

Paul Christo, Med ’01 (PGF), Bus ’04 (Cert), ’06 (MBA), was interviewed on NPR’s Talk of the Nation in a July 2 segment about pain management, in light of the celebrity death of Michael Jackson. Christo is the director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship Program, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Division of Pain Medicine, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Jeremy Gorelick, A&S ’01, SAIS Bol ’01 (Dipl), SAIS ’02, proposed to Chantelle Schofield, A&S ’01, in April 2009 after a very long courtship. The couple currently maintains residences in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

Gabriel Hammond, A&S ’01, founder and managing partner of Alerian Capital Management in Dallas, has donated $1 million to Mercersburg Academy to establish and endow the Arce Scholars in memory of his mother, Dr. Elda Y. Arce.

Christina Veal, Bus ’01 (MS), is living in Seattle with husband Chris and daughter Lily. She writes: “I’m a corporate event planner—always looking for new opportunities.”

2002

Herta B. Feely, A&S ’02 (MA), writes: “Because of my Master’s of Writing, I received the James Jones First Novel Fellowship and an Artist Fellowship from the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities.”

Amy Fries, A&S ’02 (MA), has written Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers, published by the independent trade publisher Capital Books.

2004

Linda Chambliss, SPH ’04, is director of maternal-fetal medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.

Tina M. Kaufman, Ed ’04 (MA), is currently a middle school science teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Mobile, Alabama. 2005

Tamra K. Hackett, Bus ’05 (MBA), writes: “I recently joined the U.S. Department of State as a foreign service diplomat. I will serve as an economics officer at the Kuwait Embassy from 2009 to 2011.” 2006

Rebekah Gundry, Med ’06 (PhD), has been awarded a Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The grant provides $952,000 for her stem cell research, which she hopes will eventually help change the way heart disease is treated in the United States.

2007

Gregory Reid Wiseman, Engr ’06 (MS), was chosen by NASA in June as one of nine candidates to begin astronaut training. The Navy lieutenant commander most recently served as a test pilot aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

2007

Alena Balasanova, A&S ’07, is currently pursuing her MD at Harvard Medical School and is set to graduate in 2012.

Paul G. Dykewicz, Bus ’07 (MBA), is currently the president of the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School Finance Club.

Michelle June Roux, Ed ’07 (MA), a biology teacher at Spotswood High School, announces her engagement to Garret Richards Golden.

Katherine Szarama, A&S ’07, announces her upcoming wedding to Andrew Isaac, A&S ’07, on November 14, at the Peabody Library.

2008

Christi M. Hill, Ed ’08, was married on September 13, 2008, to Richard Ray.

Jackie Jennings, A&S ’08, is an editorial assistant with the Daily Beast, the new online magazine and news aggregator founded by Tina Brown.

2009

Chez Angeloni, A&S ’09, was signed to a free agent contract by the Boston Red Sox organization in July. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 NCAA Division III College World Series and is the 12th player under the direction of Johns Hopkins baseball head coach Bob Babb to sign a professional contract.