Class Notes

Editor’s note: Class Notes are submitted by alumni and are not verified by the editors. While we welcome alumni news, Mason Spirit is not responsible for information contained in Class Notes.

• 1960s
• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1990s
• 2000s
• Deaths

1960s

Pamela Powell McWhirt, who attended Mason in 1965–66, retired in June 2006 after 37 years of teaching. She and her husband divide their time between their homes in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Nags Head, North Carolina. They are the proud grandparents of Sarah (1).

1970s

Gary Dittmer, BS Business Administration ’72 and MS Taxation ’96, is the new treasurer of the Mason Alumni Association. He is a supporting faculty member at Mason’s School of  Management, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and a senior tax director at USA Mobility Inc.

Richard Bausch, BA English ’74, has a new novel out titled Peace. It is set in Italy during World War II.

Thomas Philion, BA English ’75, is executive director of the Seattle Symphony. Prior to his appointment, he was president and CEO of the Eastern Music Festival.

D. James (Jim) Sturgill, BS Business Administration ’75, is assistant commis-sioner, Government-wide Accounting, Financial Management Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. He received the Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award, the highest recognition for government executives who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and made significant improvements in financial management in the public sector, from the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program.

David Bourne, BS Psychology ’76, joined the Teamsters Union as airline division director. Bourne is a Boeing 747-400 captain who served as the master executive council chair for the Air Line Pilots Association at Atlas Air Inc.

M. Bishr Omary, BS Chemistry ’76, a world leader in the field of keratin biology and pathobiology of organ systems, was appointed chair of the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan. Omary received his PhD in 1980 from the University of California, San Diego, and his MD from the University of Miami in 1984.

Robert F. Deuell, BS Biology ’78, received his MD from the Medical College of Virginia and serves the people of Texas as a doctor and state senator. He was named one of the top 10 legislators in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine.

Anthony John Futyma, MEd Counseling and Development ’78, completed 35 years as an instructor, counselor, coach, and mentor in the Prince William County Public Schools. He has repeatedly received the Virginia governor’s annual Gold Physical Fitness Award.

Craig Burlingame, BSEd Physical Education ’79, completed his 26th year at Visa Inc. as a senior account representative. He resides in Catlett, Virginia. A member of Mason’s 1976 College Baseball World Series team, Burlingame is the assistant varsity baseball coach at Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia.

Linda Dunn, BA Psychology ’79 and MEd ’04, received her certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

1980s

Steven K. Berry, JD ’80, was appointed head of government relations for Merrill Lynch.

Susan Lewsen, BSN ’80, is the clinical supervisor for Interim Health Care, a busy home-care company in Centerville, Massachusetts.

Jorge Forgues, BS Accounting ’83 and MBA ’84, is a new director at large for the Mason Alumni Association. He is chief financial officer at Avail Media Inc.

Wanda Hickman, MEd Counseling and Development ’83, retired from her career in mental health counseling. Hickman is proud to report that her daughter is attending Mason’s School of Law.

Michael Tims, BA English ’83, is a research chemist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and has completed a doctorate in plant biology.

Manuel A. Capsalis, MA History ’84 and JD ’88, began his term as Virginia State Bar president at its annual meeting in June. Capsalis says he wants to emphasize public protection and diversity during his year-long tenure.

James Cox, BS Law Enforcement ’85, retired after 25 years  working for Safeway Stores Inc. in Landover, Maryland. He now lives in North Dakota and is general manager and superintendant of greens at the Hope Golf and Country Club in Hope, North Dakota.

Lisa Kornberg, MEd Counseling and Development ’85, was sworn in by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as director of the Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in April.

Nicole Geller, BS Economics ’86, founded Government Contract Solutions, which helps government contractors sell to the government and helps the federal government acquire more complex goods and services from industry. Geller serves as president and CEO of the enterprise, which is located in Vienna, Virginia.

Shari Bedker, BS Accounting ’87 and MS Taxation ’97, was named executive director of the American College of Bankruptcy. Her husband, Larry Bedker, BS Accounting ’81,  is CFO for the Program Support Center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Their son, Matt, entered Mason as a freshman this fall.

Sandy Chase, MEd Elementary Education ’87, retired from her work at the CIA four years ago and moved to Bradenton, Florida. She is the president of WordMasters, a writing and editorial service.

Emily Chamlee-Wright, BA Economics ’88, MA ’90, and PhD ’93, was awarded the Hayek Prize by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Chamlee-Wright is the Elbert H. Neese Professor of Economics at Beloit College.

Marilyn Daggett, MEd Elementary Education ’89, received the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity’s 2007 National Alumnae Treasurer Award for her financial work with the Phoenix chapter. Retired from teaching music in public schools, she now does desktop publishing for several nonprofit organizations and teaches violin at a local music studio.

Lisa Rosser, BA Speech Communication ’89, is a new director at large for the Mason Alumni Association. She is a management consultant with Accenture and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.

1990s

Gail Barrett, MA Linguistics ’90, had her third novel, Heart of a Thief, released in May by Silhouette Romantic Suspense. She also has another novel scheduled for publication in November and one in spring 2009. Details are listed on her web site at www.gailbarrett.com.

Britt J. Davis, BS Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies ’91 and MPA ’96, became the director of development for the Campbell University School of Law in Buies Creek, North Carolina, in May 2007. He previously served as president of the Oregon Independent College Foundation in Portland.

Ramola Dharmaraj, MFA Creative Writing ’91, wrote the short story “The Next Corpse Collector,” which was listed in the back of this year’s Best American Short Stories, edited by Stephen King. The story was published in the Green Mountains Review and anthologized in Best American Fantasy.

Joyce M. (Patterson) Holden, BS Business Administration ’91, was married in 1992 and has a 24-year-old stepson and 3-year-old granddaughter.

Elisabeth Murawski, MFA Creative Writing ’91, was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship and will be in residence in the Scottish castle from October 5 to November 1.

Scott Watson, MBA ’91, is vice president of sales and marketing for Girindus, a Solvay Company. Prior to joining Girindus, he was senior director of North American sales for Aptuit.

Jon Holladay, BS Accounting ’92, was selected deputy CFO at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Steven Ottenstein, BA Government and Politics ’92, married Karen Bonheim in June in New York City. Ottenstein is the director of talent acquisition for the media group of the New York Times Company.

Ted Arnn, BS Law Enforcement ’93, is the new president of the Mason Alumni Association. A captain in the Fairfax County Police Department, he previously served on the board as president-elect and vice president of programs and as president of the WGMU Radio Alumni Chapter.

Jeff McDaniel, MFA Creative Writing ’93, wrote his fourth book of poetry, The Endarkenment. The volume was published in April as part of the Pitt Poetry Series by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

Marcus Perry, BA Government and Politics ’93 and MBA ’00, is a new director at large for the Mason Alumni Association. He is senior vice president of the Business Bank.

Carey E. Priebe, PhD ’93, a professor of applied mathematics and statistics at Johns Hopkins University, is one of the first six National Security Science and Engineering Fellows of the U.S. Department of Defense. His fellowship includes a $3 million unrestricted grant to conduct basic research into core scientific and engineering subjects of interest to the department.

Linda Allen, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’94, and Kevin Mulroe, BA International Studies ’94, were two of 16 U.S. educators chosen for the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program to India in 2007. Allen is the math lead teacher at Gunston Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, and Mulroe is the gifted and talented resource teacher at Clemens Crossing Elementary in Columbia, Maryland.

Scott R. Bergquist, BA English ’94 and MEd Special Education ’98, is the new assistant principal at Lanier Middle School in the Fairfax County Public Schools system. He was formerly the assistant principal at James Madison High School.

Stuart Coleman, BA Economics ’94, was promoted to partner and general manager of Winter, Wyman’s New England Financial Contracting Group. Winter, Wyman is one of the largest staffing organizations in the Northeast. Coleman lives in Scituate, Massachusetts.

Ralph Kasarda, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’94, returned to California to attend law school after teaching Earth science and social studies at two Virginia high schools. He is currently a staff attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, practicing individual rights and environmental law.

Allison Gentile Pollack, BA Communication ’94, recently relocated to Connecticut with her husband, Nate, and children, Braden (4), and Quinn (2). She is a realtor for Sotheby’s, specializing in water-area homes.

Greg Gould, MPA ’95, was named associate director for minerals revenue management at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He will be responsible for collecting and disbursing billions of dollars of royalties from energy production on federal government and American Indian lands.

Jennifer Hesla, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’96, was selected for a one-year teacher exchange program sponsored by the Fulbright organization. She left for London in August, and her exchange partner took over Hesla’s position at Woodbridge Elementary School in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Michelle O’Hanian, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’96, won both the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools 2008 Teacher of the Year Award and the Washington Post’s 2008 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award. She is an English for speakers of other languages teacher in Fairfax County’s Mountain View Alternative School.

Christopher Preston, BS Business Management ’96, is the new vice president of member involvement for the Mason Alumni Association. The national sales manager at the United Way Store, he previously served as an at-large director, a representative to the Capital Alumni Network, and treasurer for the Black Alumni Chapter.

Charlotte (Rooney) Scandlen, BA Government and International Politics ’96, and Josh Scandlen, BA Economics ’97, welcomed a son, Liam Joshua, on December 31, 2007. Liam joins his older brother, Cavan, and two older sisters, Madelyn and Chloe. The Scandlens live in Dayton, Virginia.

Anne (Byron) Sullivan, BA Communications ’96, and Sean Sullivan, BS Marketing ’97, announce the birth of their second daughter, Avery Noelle, on May 16. She joins her older sister, Kaylee (3). The Sullivans live in Aldie, Virginia.

Ralph Albrecht, JD ’97, was sworn in as the 121st president of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia during the organization’s annual meeting in June. Albrecht is a patent lawyer and partner in Venable LLP’s Vienna, Virginia, offices.

Stacey (Haines) Goldman, BA Communication ’97, and her husband, Todd, announce the birth of their daughter Lainey Ann on March 11. She joins her older sister, Ava (3). The Goldmans reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Tennille Parker, BA Government and Politics ’97, is the new president-elect of the Mason Alumni Association. A program analyst for the City of Falls Church, Virginia, she previously served as vice president of member involvement and as president and membership chair of the Black Alumni Chapter.

Stephen Bartlett, MS Applied and Engineering Physics ’98, is a physics teacher at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Virginia. This past summer, Bartlett was selected to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s India Summer Teachers program. During July and August, he lived in New Delhi, where he taught physics at a secondary school.

Gwyn McVay, MFA Creative Writing ’98, has a poem titled “In the Dirt” in the newly published Letters to the World: Poems from the Wom-Po LISTSERV, an anthology from Red Hen Press. She is one of 259 contributors from 19 countries.

Sally Murphy, PhD Education ’98, was named the Virginia School Counselor Educator of the Year by the Virginia School Counselor Association. She serves as the American School Counselor Association representative on the governing board of the American Counseling Association and is chair of the Northern Virginia School Counseling Leadership Team.

John Trew, BA Interdisciplinary Studies and BA International Studies ’98, is the senior technical advisor on child labor and education at CARE USA, a leading humanitarian organization that fights global poverty. Trew was featured on ABC’s Nightline in March during a story about child labor in Bolivia. In June, he helped CARE USA and its partner, the International Labour Organization–International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor, launch a major initiative focused on educational attainment for girls marginalized by child labor. Trew also wrote a book on child labor, which was published in September 2007.

Stephen Forest, BS Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources ’99, is an HIV training specialist for the Pennsylvania/Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.

Sheri Keyser, BA Communication ’99, and Ryan Fink, BA History ’99, were married in May on Catalina Island, California. The couple met at Mason and now reside in Southern California.

2000s

Julie Carpenter, MA History ’00, was appointed executive director at the Betts House Research Center in Cincinnati.

Deborah Delare, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’00, teaches middle and high school English as a second language at Marymount International School in Rome.

Colleen Kehoe, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’00 and Certificate in Instructional Technology ’00, married Buddy Bishop in April.

William H. Lemley, BS Chemistry ’00, graduated from the St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine. He will complete his residency at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina.

Michael Sakata, BS Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems ’01, was promoted to director of information technology for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. He was previously director of network services for the organization.

Marvin Singh, BS Biology ’01, finished his residency in internal medicine this spring at the University of Michigan and has begun a fellowship in gastroenterology at the Scripps Clinic at Green Hospital in La Jolla, California.

Della Cavey, BA Communication ’02, will work at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi until summer 2009. Residing with her in the United Arab Emirates are her husband, David, and their two daughters, Catherine (3) and Claire (1).

Felicity Feather Clancy, MPA ’02, was named vice president of communications for the American Physical Therapy Association in Alexandria, Virginia. She was previously vice president of communications and marketing at the American Chiropractic Association.

Tracy Glanton, MPA ’02, was named an associate at Elarbee Thompson LLP, an Atlanta-based law firm specializing in labor and employment law. Glanton’s practice emphasis is in harassment and discrimination issues.

Heather Austin Jones, JD ’02, joined the Washington, D.C., regional office of the Sands Anderson Marks & Miller law firm. She will be a member of both the business and professional litigation and health care practice groups.

Nadine Meyer, MFA Creative Writing ’02, and her husband, Steve Gehrke, have joined the faculty of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. They both were National Poetry Series winners in 2005, the first time a husband and wife won in the same year.

Tricia J. Sadd, JD ’02, was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. She is one of only three attorneys in Pennsylvania and one of only 46 in the country who have received this certification.

Bridget Sheedy, BS Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems ’02 and MS New Professional Studies ’07, was named by President George W. Bush as the special assistant to the president for White House Management. She previously served as the director of the Office of White House Management.

Deanna Breslin, BA Psychology ’03 and MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’05, is a doctoral candidate in Mason’s College of Education and Human Development. She is a research associate at Circle Solutions Inc.

Rebecca Watters Davidson, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’03, lives in Singapore and teaches middle school band at the Singapore American School, where her husband also teaches. The couple has two children, Roxanne (3) and Rhys (18 months).

Nicole (Niki) Gonyo, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’03, is a reading specialist and reading recovery teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Prince William County, Virginia. She married Phillip Throckmorton in August.

Mike Becker, BA Government and International Politics ’04, was promoted to director of federal affairs for the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents. He previously managed the association’s Political Action Committee.

Chris Enghauser, BM Music Performance ’04, earned a master’s degree in music performance from the University of Georgia in 2005. In 2007, he earned a position as a section bassist in the Macon (Georgia) Symphony Orchestra.

Brian V. Lee, JD ’04, launched Lee Legal PLLC. The firm, located in Washington, D.C., provides bankruptcy and civil litigation services to clients in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Amy Beth Marta, MEd Counseling and Development ’04, was promoted to director of student services at Key Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Brian Brodeur, MFA Creative Writing ’05, was listed in the May/June Poets & Writers about his Akron Poetry Prize win. His book, Other Latitudes, was published by the University of Akron Press.

Jeff Dinwoodie, BS Marketing ’05, received a JD magna cum laude from American University’s Washington College of Law in May. He began working at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in September.

Allison Grace, JD ’05, married Pearse A. McDade in May 2008. After a two-week honeymoon in Egypt, the couple returned home to Virginia Beach, Virginia. Grace is an attorney with the Department of the Navy’s Office of General Counsel in Norfolk.

Nancy Pearson, MFA Creative Writing ’05, had her collection of poetry, Two Minutes of Light, published by Perugia Press.

Jessica (Stapleton) Ross, BS Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources ’06, and her husband, Mac, announce the birth of their first child, Eleanor Kathryn, on March 29.

Elizabeth Chester, MS Health Science ’07, is working in Eldoret, Kenya, as the associate director of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Program of the Indiana University/Kenya Partnership. The program serves about 5,000 orphans through community interventions to prevent and treat HIV.

Michael Nagy, BA Government and International Politics ’07, was married in August in Lynchburg, Virginia. He teaches social studies at Rustburg High School in Virginia, where he also cosponsors the History Club and coaches baseball.

Ryan Norys, BS Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources ’07, was hired as an account executive for ticket sales by the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings.

Amy Bokker, MS Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion ’08, resigned from her position as Mason’s women’s lacrosse coach to take over the head coach position at Stanford University. Bokker, who has been at the helm for 11 years, leaves following the Patriots’ most successful season in university history.

Ryan Call, MFA Creative Writing ’08, began a two-year writing fellowship at the University of Houston in August. Prior to that, he was the Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference.

Whitney Rhodes, BA Communication ’08, was named to the UWIRE 100, which honors the nation’s best student journalists (www.uwire.com/100).

Deaths

Alumni

• Jane F. Kruck, BA Math ’70, March 30, 2008
• Marguerite V. Higgs, MEd Elementary Education ’71, May 29, 2008
• Beverly A. Deacon-McNickle, BA History ’73, May 4, 2008
• Irene W. Telford, BA Psychology ’73, April 22, 2008
• Barbara J. Fisher, BA Sociology ’76, April 22, 2008
• John C. Johnston, BS Early Education ’76, May 27, 2008
• Robert H. Ruffner, MA English ’76, January 20, 2008
• Barbara G. Bogart, MA English ’77, March 30, 2008
• Jay E. Britton, BS Business Administration ’79, April 13, 2008
• Mary L. Geary, MSN ’81, April 18, 2008
• Charles W. Kramer, JD ’81, March 26, 2008
• Sinah Denise McColl, BA German ’81, March 29, 2008
• Merlina A. (Hemingway) Rigo, BA Psychology ’87, March 26, 2008
• John S. Hasty, BA Speech Communication ’89, April 17, 2008
• Joseph H. March, BA History ’94, March 4, 2008
• Thomas A. Courtney, MA History ’98, March 29, 2008
• Margaret M. Sanchez, MA English ’98, April 15, 2008
• Jeanne M. (Porrazzo) Tousignant, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’98, April 26, 2008
• Thomas J. Brown, BA Government and Politics ’04, September 23, 2008
• Ronald K. Burton, BIS Individualized Study ’06, March 22, 2008

Faculty and Staff

Gordon Bradley, the most successful men’s soccer coach in Mason history, died on April 29, 2008, at age 74. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Bradley came to Mason in 1985 and led the soccer team to an 18-4 record and the NCAA Tournament in his first season. When he left after the 2000 season, he had compiled a 183-113-35 record and brought home three Colonial Athletic Association titles. In 2006, he was part of the inaugural class inducted into the university’s Men’s Soccer Hall of Fame. Born in Sunderland, England, Bradley played for the Carlisle United and in Canada before eventually playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL). He then coached the NASL’s New York Cosmos and Washington Diplomats, and the American Professional Soccer League’s Washington Stars. A 1996 inductee into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, he also was a TV analyst for D.C. United games. Bradley is survived by his wife, Vera; his sons, Paul and Doug; and five grandchildren. His family has established the Gordon Bradley Scholarship Endowment in association with the university. To contribute to the endowment, visit supportingmason.gmu.edu. Indicate the Bradley endowment in the comment section.

Robert T. Hawkes Jr., a professor of history at Mason for 37 years who retired in 2006, succumbed to cancer on March 3, 2008. He earned a doctorate in history and a graduate degree from the University of Virginia and an undergraduate degree at Randolph-Macon College. Hawkes came to Mason in 1969 after serving as assistant director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Continuing Education and as a history instructor in that program. He was Mason’s first expert on its namesake and lectured on George Mason and his contributions to both Virginia and the United States. In addition to being a tenured member of the History and Art History Department, Hawkes served as dean of Mason’s School of Continuing and Alternative Learning for many years. In 1996, the Alumni Association named him Faculty Member of the Year. On his retirement, Mason’s History and Art History Department established the Robert T. Hawkes Endowed Professorship. To donate to the endowment, e-mail Tere Linehan at [email protected].

Former Mason math and statistics faculty member Zoltan Papp died on June 17, 2008, during a hiking accident at the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. He was 73. According to Klaus Fischer, chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Papp was a much admired and gifted mathematician whose most important contributions were in the area of abstract algebra, especially in the theory of rings and modules. Papp earned a PhD in mathematics at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, in 1960. He later immigrated to the United States and joined Mason’s Department of Mathematical Sciences faculty in 1969, becoming a full professor of mathematics in 1976. He left the university in 1981 to join IBM. After retiring from IBM, Papp rejoined Mason in 2002 as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Applied and Engineering Statistics. He served in that capacity until 2005. Papp is survived by two sons and four grandchildren.

Egon Verheyen, retired Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Humanities at Mason, died on February 25, 2008, of cancer at age 72. Born in Duisburg, Germany, he began teaching in the United States in 1966 and held faculty positions at the University of Massachusetts, Wesleyan University, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and Johns Hopkins University. A noted historian of European and American art and architecture, Verheyen was the author and editor of numerous books and articles on subjects that included German medieval sculpture and architecture, the Italian Renaissance and baroque art, American architecture and city planning, and emblematic and literary studies. He retired from Mason in January 2008. Verheyen is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn; three children; and five grandchildren.