|
Alumni
Newsmakers | Exploring
the Earth, Equestrian-style | Councilman
Champions Change | Historic
Mount Vernon’s Keeper | Journalistic
Puzzle Master | In
Memoriam | Alumni
Bookshelf | Artists'
Corner
James L. Martin, BS ’50,
was interviewed by the American Public Works Association,
which published his oral history, “An Interview
with James L. Martin.” The work is 14th
in a series of oral histories of leaders in the
public works profession. The interview covers
Martin’s career in public works and civil
engineering since graduating from GW. Martin Melosi
of the University of Houston conducted the interview.
Rabbi A. James Rudin, BA ’55,
was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the
Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights
Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort
Myers, Fla. In February, Rudin also was the recipient
of the “Eternal Light Award” from
the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Saint
Leo University in Florida.
The District of Columbia government and the Superior
Court of the District of Columbia recently honored
Judge Bruce S. Mencher, BA ’57,
JD ’60, for his dedicated services
on behalf of children. Mencher, a judge for the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia, established
the “Adoption Day in Court,” an annual
celebration of adoptions in Washington, D.C. Mencher
was presented with the accolade on Nov. 18, 2006,
at the 20th annual Adoption Day ceremonies.
Charles E. Magoon: The Panama
Years by co-author Gustavo A. Mellander,
BA ’59, MA ’60, PhD ’66,
was chosen as one of the five most significant
books on Panama by the Latin American Research
Review. Mellander was a college president
for two decades and an academic dean at three
universities. Currently Mellander is dean of the
graduate school at George Mason University.
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
The American Academy of Ophthalmology honored
Richard L. Abbott, MD ’71,
with its Lifetime Achievement Honor Award for
his contribution to the profession. Six eye doctors
were given the award in November 2006.
 Karen
S. Bonn, BA ’72, was promoted to
senior vice president for the ESOP (Employee Stock
Ownership Plans) Services Group of GreatBanc Trust
Co. in New York. Bonn is responsible for business
development and investment management services.
Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J.,
recognized John P. Ferguson, MBA ’73,
in a celebration for leaders who have made significant
contributions to the Bergen County community.
Ferguson is president and chief executive officer
of Hackensack University Medical Center. For the
past three years, he was named as one of the “100
Most Powerful People in Healthcare” by Modern
Healthcare Magazine.
Virginia Magazine recognized Robert
H. Moran Jr., BA ’77, in its Winner’s
Circle list. As a financial adviser at Merrill
Lynch for 25 years, Moran has consistently been
honored for his outstanding service at the company.
James J. Byrnes, MS ’78,
has joined Cannon Design in Arlington, Va., as
a senior associate and project manager for the
firm’s Southeast region. A design professional
with nearly 35 years of experience, Byrnes plays
an instrumental role in the management of Cannon
Design’s contracts with the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs and other health care design
projects.
Prospect Medical Holdings recently appointed
Stuart H. Levine, MHA ’78,
as chief medical officer. The company manages
the medical care of about 175,000 HMO enrollees
in Southern California. Previously, Levine was
medical director at SCAN Health Plan. He is a
managed care and Medicare expert. Levine has 30
years of experience as a practicing physician.
He has served as chief resident at UCLA School
of Medicine Neuropsychiatric Institute. Levine
also is assistant clinical professor of internal
medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine
at UCLA as well as director of behavioral health
for the primary care internal medicine residency
program at St. Mary’s UCLA Medical Center.
Fleishman-Hillard welcomed David MacKay,
BA ’78, to its Washington, D.C.,
office in October. MacKay previously worked at
Hill & Knowlton, where he led the consumer
marketing practices in the Washington, D.C., and
Chicago offices and served as the firm’s
national client services officer. Prior to that,
MacKay was vice president/group leader for the
consumer marketing practice at Ketchum Public
Relations. He began his career in marketing communications
at Burson-Marsteller.
Ronald E. Whitney, MBA ’78,
joined Detroit-based law firm Honigman Miller
Schwartz and Cohn as a partner in the firm’s
corporate and securities law department. Previously
Whitney was counsel for the corporate transactions
group of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., where
his practice included business and tax law, and
acquisitions and dispositions. Whitney lives in
Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with his family.
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
With 40 years of experience in managing land
development and public infrastructure design projects,
William C. Putman, MEA ’80,
was named civil engineering department head in
the Woodbridge, Va., office of Burgess & Niple.
Putman oversees engineering teams for private
and public projects. His responsibilities include
client liaison, business development, and contract
management. He has worked for Burgess & Niple
since 1993.
David Frishberg, MD ’84,
moved from Baltimore last year to accept an appointment
as director of surgical pathology at Cedars Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Carl A. Rizzo, BA ’84, JD ’87,
was named partner at Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman
& Leonard in northern New Jersey. Rizzo’s
law practice includes concentration in commercial
litigation and chancery practice relating to contractual
disputes, surety, construction and construction
liens, real estate transactions, commercial tenancy,
employment covenants, and partnership/shareholder
discord. Rizzo lives in Wyckoff, N.J.
 The
Internal Revenue Service appointed Richard
A. Spires, MS ’87, as the agency’s
chief information officer. A private-sector information
technology executive before joining the IRS in
early 2004, Spires is now responsible for virtually
all aspects of the agency’s information
technology systems.
In response to a GW Magazine request
for alumni to share information about Fulbright
awards, Jean Purcell, EdD ’87,
reports that she was awarded Fulbright Scholarships
in 1990 and 1991 to develop short-term employment
training programs for rural and urban poor in
south India. Upon her return to the United States,
Purcell continued to work on short-term employment
training programs in Chennai, India. A national
conference on “Training Options for Early
School Leavers” was held there to publicize
her work.
 Valerie
A. Yarashus, BA ’87, was elected
vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Association
for the 2006-07 year. Yarashus is a principal
in the firm of Sugarman & Sugarman, where
she concentrates on plaintiff’s trial practice
and other liability cases. She also spearheads
a committee that works to increase diversity in
the law profession and encourage minority students
to consider legal careers. Boston Magazine,
in conjuction with Law and Politics,
recognized Yarashus as one of the top 50 female
attorneys in the state as well as a “Super
Lawyer” in the area of personal injury law.
Yarashus also has been listed in the 2004-05 and
2005-06 editions of Best Lawyers in America.
Yarashus lives in Holliston, Mass., with her husband,
Robert, and three children; Sarah, Rachel, and
Daniel.
Canadian engineering conglomerate SNC-Lavalin
Group Inc. appointed Patricia A. Hammick,
PhD ’89, to its board of directors.
Hammick has more than three decades of experience
in oil and gas, power, U.S. energy utilities,
and mining. Hammick formerly was an independent
corporate board member at Consol Energy Inc.,
an energy-related Fortune 500 company, and a lecturer
at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management.
Since 2003, she has also been lead director at
a second Fortune 500 company, Dynegy Inc.
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
Last August, Christian Downs, BA ’90,
and Laura Taddeucci Downs, BA ’92,
MA ’95, welcomed their second child,
Mathew, who joins his older brother, Thomas. Christian
is the executive director of the Association of
Community Cancer Centers, and Laura is on the
board of directors of the GW Alumni Association.
The family resides in Arlington, Va.
After 24 years working for the World Bank, Edward
F. Dube, MBA ’90, reports that
he has retired and is considering options for
his next adventure, “since I’m only
51,” he says. “They say ‘50’
is the new ’30,’ so stay tuned!”
 The
Drexel University School of Public Health welcomed
Lisa Bowleg, MA ’91, MA ’96,
PhD ’97, to the Department of Community
Health and Prevention as an associate professor.
Previously, Bowleg was an associate professor
in the Department of Psychology at the University
of Rhode Island and also worked as a consultant
for the Brown University Medical School. Bowleg
also has been nationally recognized for her publications
and focusing on the influence of social structural
factors and gender role and sexuality factors
on sexual risk in African American communities.
Michael Charles Brody, BA ’91,
and his wife, Lisa Marie, welcomed their second
child, Charlotte Grace Brody, on Oct. 30, 2006,
in Columbia, Md.
Michael Rosenberg, BA ’91,
was elected junior warden of Melita Lodge Number
295, Pennsylvania Free and Accepted Masons. Michael
and his wife, Sheryl (Klein) Rosenberg,
BBA ’92, live with their two sons,
Sam and Jack, in Mount Laurel, N.J.
Focus: Hope, a civil and human rights organization
in Detroit, appointed Tracy Smith Hall,
MPA ’93, its director of external
affairs. Hall is responsible for public funding
and advocacy as well as for the volunteer and
community outreach, communications, and marketing
areas. Previously, Hall served as a government
affairs officer and manager of government affairs
and public policy, leading the organization’s
efforts to obtain discretionary and competitive
grants and contracts from federal, state, and
local governments.
Meghan Yudes Meyers, BA ’97,
of Herndon, Va., is the editorial director of
Portovert, a wedding magazine for eco-savvy
couples. Portovert launched online in
January 2007 but will not be available in print
for environmental reasons.
The Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, recently welcomed
Bishop George V. Murry, MPhil ’95,
PhD ’95, to the community.
Matt Cota, BA ’96, was
named executive director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers
Association. A Saxtons River native, Cota is the
grandson of the founders of one of southern Vermont’s
largest home heating dealers, Cota & Cota.
He previously worked as the Santa Barbara bureau
chief for an NBC affiliate on California’s
central coast.
National immigration law firm Klasko, Rulon,
Stock & Seltzer welcomed Joanne Matsuo,
BA ’97, as an associate at its
New York office. Matsuo, a member of the American
Immigration Association and the New York State
Bar, received her law degree from The American
University Washington College of Law.
 The
Port of Tacoma named Sean Eagan, MA ’97,
its state government affairs manager. Eagan, a
former staff member to U.S. Rep. Adam Smith of
Washington, represents the interests of the Port
of Tacoma and its customers to the state legislature.
He also is an active member of the City Club of
Tacoma, a civic group.
In October, Dave Adler, BA ’98,
and Adina Renee Adler, BA ’99,
welcomed their first baby girl, Avery Sloane.
Dave is a lobbyist for the American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Adina is the
U.S. Trade Representative’s Office’s
director for South Asia.
Kelly Toscano-Bradley, MA ’98,
and John Bradley welcomed a baby girl, Ava Victoria,
on Jan. 13, 2006.
Iomai Corp., a biotechnology company developing
patch-based vaccines in Gaithersburg, Md., promoted
Jin-Sook Chung, MBA ’99,
to vice president of human resources. Chung has
worked at Iomai since 1997.
Since September 2005, Kevin Wang, MBA
’99, has worked for Choice Hotels
International, based in Silver Spring, Md. Wang
is a senior trends analyst in consumer marketing
research. He is in charge of tracking market trends
in various hotel segments and in the overall hotel
industry.
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
Gibson & Behman welcomed Brandon
H. Moss, BS ’00, JD ’03,
as an associate attorney in its Burlington, Mass.,
firm. Moss practices municipal law, civil litigation,
and insurance law. He lives in Quincy, Mass.,
with his wife, Sarah, BA ’01.
Sarah is the chief of staff for Rep. Anthony J.
Verga and the Joint Committee on Veterans and
Federal Affairs in the Massachusetts Statehouse.
Love is in the air for Julie Strachan,
BA ’01, and Rory Haiber,
BA ’00, MEd. ’01, who were
married Feb. 11 at Walt Disney World. Alumni in
attendance included Philip Auerbach, BA ’00;
Bree Rosenfelt, BA ’01; Nick Johansen, BA
’01; Michele Friedman, BA ’01; Linnea
(Richards) Smith, BA ’02; Stephen Smith,
BA ’02; Josh Friedman, BA ’02; Brian
Calvary, BA ’01; Carey Zimmermann, BA ’01;
Mindy Miner, BA ’01; and T. Eddie Sisk,
BA ’00. The couple lives in New York City.
She is an account manager/attorney for Westlaw,
and he is a high school English teacher.
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
Remembering “Red”
|
Red Auerbach’s
honorary chair in the Smith Center, where
he consistently attended Colonials games
for 15 years
Jessica McConnell
|
Alumnus Arnold “Red”
Auerbach, the Hall of Fame coach who led the
Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, died
Oct. 28 near his home in Washington, D.C., at
the age of 89. As a fervent Colonials fan and
model sportsman, Auerbach’s lifetime relationship
with the University has left an indelible mark.
 Auerbach,
BS ’40, MA ’41, DPS ’93, played
three varsity seasons for the Colonials, from
1937 to 1940, and was an inaugural member of
the GW Athletic Hall of Fame in 1959. As the
straight-talking head coach of the Celtics,
Auerbach earned the respect of players and colleagues
alike. He won 938 regular-season games with
the team and, in 1980, was named the greatest
coach in NBA history by the Professional Basketball
Writers Association of America. With all of
his success, Auerbach never forgot his alma
mater. For 15 years, he consistently attended
Colonials basketball games.
“If GW had a favorite son,
it was Red Auerbach,” said President Stephen
Joel Trachtenberg. “He has been an inspiration
to generations of scholar athletes and fans
worldwide, but here in Foggy Bottom, we will
always remember Red as one of our own.”
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
Sun Bowl Reunion
Of the 31 players on the 1957
Sun Bowl team, 21 of them, plus four assistant
coaches, reunited 50 years later last October
during Colonials Weekend. The Colonials, ranked
as high as No. 14 nationally in 1956, blanked
Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso), 13-0, to
finish their magical season 8-1-1, best in the
program’s history.
Jessica McConnell |
|
Back
to top | Spring
2007 Table of Contents
And
What About You? |
Please
write and tell us about your career accomplishments
and personal milestones. (If you’ve
changed your name since you attended GW,
please include your former name.) Send your
news and a photo you can spare to:
GW MAGAZINE
The George Washington University
2121 Eye Street, N.W., #512
Washington, D.C. 20052
or call up www.gwmagazine.com
|
|
