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Mason Spirit is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations in conjunction with the Office of Communications and Marketing.
Alumni Profiles
This One Is for Her
By Colleen Kearney Rich on April 1, 2010
This May, Carolyn Taylor, BSN ’78, MSN ’86, EMBA’ 94, will attend another Mason Commencement. This time, she will walk across the Patriot Center stage and receive a PhD in nursing administration. Taylor says this degree is for her personal enrichment. “The other degrees I needed to advance my career, but now I feel like…
Music Alumnus Collaborates with Broadway Legend
By Mason Spirit contributor on October 9, 2009
Vincent Oppido, BA Music ’08, who penned his first composition at age 14, is well on his way to joining the ranks of talented composers, such as Mozart and Chopin, who began their musical careers at a young age. Currently a graduate student in Mason’s School of Music where he is working toward a master’s…
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A Drive to Give: Anchor and Alum Devoted to Volunteering
By Mason Spirit contributor on October 8, 2009
Capital Beltway traffic may be at a near-constant standstill, but Angie Goff, BA Communication ’01, is in motion at all times. Goff, traffic anchor, entertainment correspondent, lifestyle blogger, and morning show fill-in anchor for WUSA-9, joined the Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate in 2007 after working as a news anchor and reporter in Iowa and South…
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In the Danger Zone
By Mason Spirit contributor on October 8, 2009
When Robert Knight, BA History ’85, graduated from Mason, Top Gun was a hit movie, so it wasn’t surprising that Knight joined the Navy and set out to “get jets.” What is surprising is that 24 years later he would find himself stationed in Iraq with the Army’s 305th Psychological Operations Company as a noncommissioned…
As Alma Mater’s Reputation Grows, So Does Firm’s
By Corey Jenkins Schaut, MPA '07 on October 8, 2009
When Alan Plevy , JD ’77, and Jason Smolen, JD ’77, decided to go into business together after graduating from Mason’s School of Law, the two young, single classmates had nothing to lose—except a brand-new iBM selectric ii typewriter. “We paid $100 a month on it,” says Plevy. “we still use it 32 years later.”…
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Work and Play Are Equally Important for Smolen and Plevy
By Corey Jenkins Schaut, MPA '07 on October 1, 2009
When they take a vacation from running their Tysons Corner law firm, Alan Plevy and Jason Smolen can usually be found traveling the world, although in very different corners. Smolen is fond of exploring the Western world, particularly Europe, taking in the arts and culture. Most recently, he and his wife toured the Mediterranean, visiting…
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From Last in the League to Field of Dreams
By Colleen Kearney Rich on April 4, 2009
2008 was such a crazy year for Rick Vaughn, BSEd Health Education ’79, that he knew it would be December before he could really process it all. Even then it felt as if it had been a dream. After 23 years working in major league baseball (MLB), Vaughn, vice president of communications for the Tampa…
The Birds and the Bees and the Elephants
By Mason Spirit contributor on April 4, 2009
Just as humans reveal a lot about themselves through their behavior, animals do the same. And for animal behaviorists such as Elizabeth Freeman, PhD Environmental Science and Policy ’05, any sneeze, dance, or stomp could be the key to unlocking the mystery behind why animals do what they do. Freeman originally thought her love for…
Sharing the Gift of Music
By Leah Kerkman Fogarty on April 4, 2009
From an early age, John Paul (J. P.) Phaup, MBA ’91, was musically inclined. Born in the same town that produced the Beach Boys, he was his school district’s number 1 percussionist for several years running. “I was a little drummer boy,” he says. Fast forward a few decades and Phaup, now managing director, investments…
Honoring the Fallen
By Leah Kerkman Fogarty on October 1, 2008
On that tragic day in September seven years ago, we all felt a sense of loss. We were scared and vulnerable, full of sympathy and remorse. But some, such as Jim Laychak, BS Accounting ’83 and BS Decision Sciences ’83, experienced an even greater loss. His brother, David, a civilian working for the Army at…
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