May 08, 2008
Making Tracks
Take a look at these Wolverines who are showing their Maize and Blue around the world.
In the next issue, we’ll feature our eighth annual kids edition of “Making Tracks.” So, get those little Wolverines ready for the camera and submit the results in one of two ways:
- Email to alumnus.editors@umich.edu (300 dpi, jpeg format; only digital files clearly named after the person submitting, e.g., janewolverine.jpg, will be considered).
- Mail to “Making Tracks,” Michigan Alumnus, 200 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1007. Due to the volume of photos received, hard copy photos will not be returned.
Click on a photo below to read about where these Wolverines are showing off their Maize and Blue.
Posted by smorioka at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
Remember Drake’s?
The Spring 2008 issue of Michigan Alumnus magazine highlighted some of the fond memories alumni have of Drake’s Sandwich Shop, which was located across from the Diag on North University from 1929 until it closed in 1993. We have included many of the original submissions here.
Heather Briston, MSI’99
I always think of Drake’s as the greatest U-M recruiter around. When I was little I used to take ballet classes in a studio that was above the stores right next to Drake’s, and the big treat after class was to go and get a fresh Limeade. If it was around lunch, I always ordered a tuna fish sandwich as well. I loved writing out my order on the pads with the little pencils and feeling so grown up. Finally, I always got to choose two pieces of candy from the cases. The sponge-like candy covered with chocolate was a favorite. Ballet and candy—what a mix! I always wanted to live in Ann Arbor and go to the U-M so that I could be right near Drake’s all of the time.
Wallace G. Wheeler, ’39
My wife (Muriel Haskins Wheeler, ’39) and I attended the U-M from 1935-1939, and I probably spent enough money at Drake’s to have bought the place or at least to have made a good down payment.
Wm. Derek Grasty, '82, MA'84
I remember almost like yesterday going to Drake’s with my then-girlfriend, Annette Edwards Grasty, MA’84. We would go there on special occasions when I had some change. I would treat my girl to a limeade. I remember it cost 60 cents. I thought that was a lot of money then because you could get a 16 ounce soft drink for 50 cents. We would go to Drake's after class or a rehearsal at the School of Music. It was at Drake's that the idea I might marry this person first came to mind. We married in '85 and are still together with two sons.
Nikki Zakrzewski, '91
Drake’s was the place for gathering with friends before or after a morning class to grab a bagel and hot chocolate. You were always welcomed with a big smile and never felt rushed to make way for someone else.
I loved Drake’s and was so sad to have it close. I have so many fond memories of times spent there, either meeting friends for lunch or studying between classes. I can almost smell the pecan rolls now! Yum!
Photo submitted by Iris Mintz, ’71, MA’77
Dr. Tamara Koss, ’76, DDS’88
I remember Drake’s each and every time now when I walk down N. University between State Street and the Dental School. It was the Limeade that started me as a regular at Drake's. The big jars of every kind of candy were colorful and fascinating, although I didn't often purchase candy. I remember the older woman owner who always sat on the same stool at the far window side of the counter. Sitting in the dark booths, surrounded by high green walls, I would look to the round, black sign that said "Martian Room." It was an old dance area on the second floor, and although not in use during my time in Ann Arbor, it would bring on a certain nostalgia for bygone days at the U. I wondered what it looked and felt like during the 40s and 50s when the Martian Room was popular.
When I'm in Ann Arbor, especially in the summertime, I do so wish I could sit down with a Limeade. I'm sad my husband never got to taste one.
Andrea Snyder, MD’81
When I arrived in Ann Arbor in 1977, I loved the entire town and campus. Drake's was special because even though it was in a busy spot, right on the border of town and campus, when you went inside it was a step back in time. A short break from school pressures before going back to daily obligations.
Pat O'Kray, ’69
I worked at Drake’s during my sophomore year at Michigan. That was back in the mid-60s. It was pretty much a throwback to another time even then. The decor was best described as army green, and the high backed booths offered lots of privacy. We grilled up pecan rolls from the Quality Bakery on Main Street and bagels with cream cheese. Bagels were not as ubiquitous on campus as they are now. They were pretty exotic to a WASP from the Midwest! Across from the main grill were glass jars full of various candies, but the piece de resistance was the homemade cake that Mrs. Tibbals, wife of the owner, made in the basement. She made them from scratch and they were tall and indescribably delicious.
Although I wasn't living in Ann Arbor at the time of Drake's closing, I was in mini-mourning to hear that another one of my hangouts as a student was gone. Very few of my favorite student haunts are left in Ann Arbor, and Drake's was one that hung on far longer than I would have imagined.
Alan Reifman, ’85, PhD’89
Drake’s was the prototypical quaint, old-fashioned, college town hangout. From the wooden booths to the hand-painted signs, even in the 1980s Drake’s probably didn’t look much different from how it did generations ago. Customers would come in, go up to the counter to write out their own order and then go sit down to wait for their order to be called out.
Dennis Chamberlain, ’86
When my parents were students in the early 1940s, they used to go to Drake’s on “Coke Dates.” In the early 1980s, I started my own tradition of stopping by Drake’s after my last exam of the semester to take candy home to my parents and sisters. One was particularly fond of Gummi Bears, which were sold at Drake’s but weren’t yet widely available in the US. My own fondest memory of Drake’s was the freshly squeezed Limeade.
Donna Ron, ’68
I remember walking to Drake’s in very snowy cold winter weather and feeling instantly warmed inside. I have more than one picture of sitting in a tall dark wood booth in Drake’s with someone I really care about and eating healthy food, having good drinks and a wonderful talk. It’s an interesting quality for a restaurant to have: that the experience of being there is one which is an indelible visual image etched in one’s brain forever.
Drake’s was a soothing oasis for me during a time that was filled with turbulence, social anxiety and the personal pain of growth and development. My memories of sitting in Drake’s with a great healthy sandwich, coffee and a friend connects me with the sensations of a calm, healing peacefulness and the comforting feeling of being at home. I am happy that there are others who remember this lovely place, as there have been times when I thought it might have been just a dream.
Ron Marabate, ’70, MA’71
Drake’s was important to me because it was a relaxing and enjoyable oasis that I usually frequented right after my German class in the Frieze building. German was not one of my easier subjects, but a half-hour break at Drake’s for a cinnamon roll or a pecan roll seemed to ease the burden of my language requirement. Drake’s was also memorable whenever I was joined there by a young lady, especially the one who later became my wife. I don’t remember much of my Deutsch, but Drake’s is still vivid in my mind.
Julie Else Kantz, ’76
When I think of Drake’s, I remember sitting in a booth eating a tuna on wheat bread sandwich and drinking fresh lemonade. I also think of writing our order on those pads and looking at all the penny candy in the glass containers on the shelves. I’m sorry that my son, who is a current student, did not get this U-M experience.
Betsy Boesche Rhines, ’64
My freshman year at Michigan, one of my friends asked me to go to a formal fraternity party with one of her classmates from high school. I said I'd like to meet him first, so she arranged for him to pick me up at Stockwell Hall one afternoon. We walked to Drake's and enjoyed coffee and their famous cinnamon rolls as we got to know each other. He was nice and he made me laugh, so I agreed to be his date for the party.
After dating on and off for the next six years, we were married on November 26, 1966. After 41 years together, we are still laughing and happily in love. We still talk about our years at Michigan and how lucky we are that “fate”—and those delicious cinnamon rolls—brought us together.
Sandra Renner, ’71
I got my first job at U-M at Drake’s. The elderly couple who ran it were very matter of fact and down to business, but I learned some things that I still use. Everything was homemade, from the cakes to the fresh squeezed limeade and lemonade. Their grilled sandwiches were good because they used butter, and they always put real mayonnaise on the bread before grilling. My favorite was grilled tuna and cheese and the grilled pecan rolls with ice cream. She always made the cake fresh each morning and I remember the little basement room where she did the cooking.
I think I worked there in 1969 and I just loved the funky booths, the tea served in tea pots, etc. As a kid who hadn’t been exposed to much, it was just fun to be there.
Patricia Trierweiler Rieger, ’71, MD’75
Drake’s was a special place for me from the day I set foot on campus. First and perhaps foremost, I loved it for the tradition. It was easy to sit in a booth, run your hand over the worn formica and imagine the generations of students that had similarly passed the time nursing a cup of tea and reading.
Then there was Drake’s cosmopolitanism. All the exotic teas and beverages—more varieties than I’d ever heard of—and the foods that were heretofore only known from books or the media, like bagels! Coming from a small town environment, it was all very exciting. While I never succeeded in my goal to try every last variety of tea on their menu, I made a good “college” try at it and will retain memories of the hours spent their in my eight years as a student. I only wish that today’s students could share the experience.
David L. Birch, ’67
I haven’t found a better pecan roll in the 41 years since I graduated.
Cindy Bowker
I lived in Ann Arbor from 1971-1994 and married an Ann Arbor native. My husband went to school with Truman Tibbals’ grandson. They were best buds. When Truman passed on, none of his children wanted to keep Drake’s going, which broke our hearts. I offered to quit my job and run it the way it had always been run. It was just the kind of place—in the right kind of town— that should always be there. Limeade! Where else could you go and get that?
Gale Murray, ’66, MA’70
Mmmmmm. I can taste the cucumber sandwiches at Drake’s. We’d run from our 11 o’clocks to reserve a booth with friends at lunchtime. I can still picture the black and white floor tiles, the green walls and black booths of the early sixties. And hot tea or chocolate to warm us up in the winter and cold drinks on hot fall days. There was always lots of room for five or six of us to cram into a booth. We really enjoyed Drake’s!
Kim Woods McCormick, ’80
It’s been over 30 years. Was this the place that had the soda fountain just east of State? If it is, here is a story for you. When I came to Michigan for nursing school, I picked up my little brother on the weekends. He was in grade school and missed me terribly, so we would spend the day together in the “big city.” The highlight for us was getting milkshakes and a small bag of candy at Drake’s. He still remembers “the candy shop milkshakes.”
I am now in Colorado. My little brother is now past 40 and has children of his own. He manages the family farm in Deerfield, Michigan.
Deborah L. Dubois, MA’77
I remember going to Drake’s regularly when I was at U-M. My girlfriend and I would meet there after class and it was there that I learned all about tea. It seemed like they had hundreds of different kinds of tea. The names were all written on the wall and each time we went to Drake’s, we would try a different kind. The servers would tell us about green tea, oolong and black teas, and we tried something new every time. I am still a tea drinker today.
Drake’s was a comfortable place to meet and spend an hour with friends. It didn’t blow the budget and trying new kinds of tea made it an experience worth savoring.
Linda Saveland, ’68
I loved Drake’s because it had a huge collection of teas and teapots. It was a great place to go on cold or rainy days and snuggle in for good conversation and warmth. I still have a teapot that I bought from Drake’s and gave to my father as a gift on a Father’s Weekend at my sorority house!
David E. Krigbaum, ’83, DDS’87
Drake’s was an Ann Arbor icon and I was very sad when it left. I remember the tin ceiling and the fans. The shakes were great and the location couldn’t be beat!
Jayne Solomon, ’79
Of all the changes over the years, the closing of Drake’s was truly traumatic to me. Something happened when you walked into the shop that just made you feel happy and relaxed. I met many friends there on a weekly basis and took the guy I married there whenever he came to town to visit. It was always a comforting, delicious-smelling break in my day that I still miss. Living in the east now, I find walking into Serendipity in NYC slightly similar to Drake’s, but it’s not nearly as magical as that little shop in the late 1970s.
Vivian D. Roeder, ’72, MSW’77
Drake’s wasn’t plastic or wi-fi, you know? I miss Drake’s. I miss the Braunschweiger sandwiches—no other place made them. They had cucumber sandwiches, too. I miss the wooden booths and neat candy. Ann Arbor just doesn’t seem the same without Drake’s. So much changes! I’m sad when I pass by and don’t see Drake’s anymore.
Mary Amluxen-Googasian, ’87
My husband and I would meet for the incredibly fattening and gooey cinnamon rolls at Drake’s in between classes during the 1984-85 school year. Stepping into Drake’s was like stepping back in time. The booths were ancient, the lighting was dim and who could forget the lime sherbet green that donned the interior walls? To me it felt like I was sitting on the set of “I Love Lucy”—it seemed to be about the same era.
The regulars knew not to go there on football Saturdays because it was always packed. During the slower hours, it was a great place to study, meet for group projects or read.
Diane Heidelmeyer Meyer, ’58
In the fall of my senior year, I had a blind coffee date with my future husband in Drake’s. Actually, we each had a lemonade. It was mid-afternoon and we chose to go there because it would be quieter than the League and we could talk and get to know each other a little. Eventually that blind date brought me to California. Who knows if I would have ventured here if not for that afternoon at Drake’s?
Patricia A. Insley, ’73, MS’74
My friend Linda and I would regularly meet at Drake’s for hot chocolate and English muffins. It started as a comfort thing but turned into a routine that we always made time for. We spent many a winter afternoon enjoying the ambiance (especially sitting upstairs) and talking for hours, solving the problems of the world and our own as well.
Chuck Blackmer, ’66, MLA’69
I still remember dates with my future wife at Drake’s. I always loved the candy and the booths.
Sue Payeur Koehler, ’06
My grandfather always took me to Drake’s. All the candy in the jars was like Heaven! We even got a look into the secret basement candy storage area once. As I got older I dropped in occasionally to take my grandfather out to lunch, where I appreciated the lunch counter and the vintage soda fountain, but the candy selection was still the big draw.
Brandon Kornblue, ’99
Our family grew up in South Florida, but my favorite weekend of the entire year was when my dad would bring me to one football game in Ann Arbor. One of the annual traditions of our trip was stopping at Drake’s to pick up chocolate pretzels and a few of the mini footballs which were always displayed in the front window.
Ben Abramson, ’60, MA’62
I often went to Drake’s and was given a job there in 1959. My fraternity brother and my girlfriend came in that evening and I gave them extra ice cream. My job ended that evening. I was taught how to give a certain amount of ice cream in the sodas, and I guess I gave too much.
A. Gebbles
Ah, Drake’s. There was no place like it—candies, teas, sandwiches, fresh-squeezed limeades, pecan rolls and Drake’s employees in blue lab coats hollering out the names of people whose orders were ready. It was an eclectic little family-owned shop that never changed its ways or its ambience. Once the space upstairs closed, not many people had the chance to see that piece of frozen time, with the same old furniture, drapes and dust. When I was a Drakette, we occasionally went up there to get something and a serious, silent, honorable respect was immediately cast over all the workers just at the room’s mention. I even remember another worker and myself actually tip-toeing up the stairs!
When Drake's had its sixtieth anniversary in 1989, all the employees received a shirt saying “Drake's Sandwich Shop 1929 – 1989” that we were to wear at work for a week. It was a gift to us from the Tibbals in celebration of the shop's legacy. Little did the family know, however, Drake's itself would be such a gift to Ann Arbor with memories that would endure beyond the shops existence on North University Street.
Karen Larson Peterson, ’76
My mother came to visit me only once during my undergrad years at U-M. Excited to show her my favorite places and wanting to indulge in a sweet tooth we shared, I took her to Drake’s for a short snack stop. I remember that I particularly wanted her to try three of my very favorite treats—hot chocolate, a sticky bun and a hot fudge sundae—so naturally I ordered all three for each of us. Mom didn’t say a word; she just sat in a booth with me and dug into the “sweet extreme” meal.
About halfway through the sundae and partway through the sticky bun, we put down our spoons, looked at each other a bit sickly and laughed. Everything was delicious but there was simply no way we could finish. Mom died two years after I graduated and this remains one of my particularly fond “adult” memories.
Jo Ames
My husband always used to tell me about picking up “a long john” every morning at Drake’s, his favorite place. As he walked to campus, thinking about me (he says), he had to start his day off there with that long john.
Nina Palazzolo Barkell, ’77
My roommates and I loved Drake's. We were students in the 70s and would go there to buy a candy called "melty mints," which were pastel-colored chocolates with a minty flavor. They were not available anywhere else and we would get them there as a special treat. We lived in Couzens Hall and were students in nursing and physical therapy. I was in AA last weekend with my old roommate and we were recalling those memories of Drake's. Naturally, we were very disappointed when we learned that Drake's had closed!
Caren M. Stalburg, ’88, MD’92, MDRES’96, MA’06
Drake's holds a special place in my heart as that is where I decided to major in biology back in the mid-1980s.
Do you remember what I called "the Martian Room" upstairs? Or the crazy boomerang-like formica booths and Jetson-type light fixtures? That's where, over their fantastic tuna sandwich, I went through all of the information my counselor provided regarding the different majors available for an aspiring pre-med.
I have a postcard picture of Drake's on my refrigerator to this day, and I still smile when I think about the rows and rows of candy jars piled to the ceiling and the lunch counter up front.
Deborah DeRuyver-Tobocman, ’89
In the spring of my freshman year, I had just started dating a new man. On one of our first dates I introduced him to the "green and purple" room at the Law Library and he introduced me to Drake's. As a third generation Michigan man, this place had seeped into his family's collective lore. Over the next three years I enjoyed many a dark, peaceful afternoon sipping freshly squeezed limeade before pondering my selection of a bag of by-the-pound cordials which we would later share—popping them slowly into our mouths and waiting for the splash of flavor to reveal itself as the chocolate coating melted.
Amidst the demands of a Michigan education, working more than twenty hours per week, and various clubs and extracurricular activities, I found repose in the rituals inspired by these Drake's confections. Each year when that man—now my life partner of 22 years—comes with me to Ann Arbor to enjoy a football weekend, before heading out to enjoy the newest restaurant in town, we send up a small sigh for that which now resides only in memory.
Dolores Nachman Curiel, ’64
Drake’s was an important part of my study/exam routine. I used to go there for a quiet cup of Constant Comment tea when I was fed up with books and after finals it was straight to Drake’s for a warm, gooey pecan roll. The best!
I also bought some of their candy that looked like stones and brought them home to fool my sister. She thought they were real, so when I popped one in my mouth and began to chew, she freaked out.
Roberta London, ’70, MS’71
Late one afternoon, in January 1969, my future husband, Rick London, proposed to me on the corner of Washtenaw and South University. He was a senior and I was a junior. To celebrate this occasion, and my acceptance, we strolled hand in hand across campus to Drake’s, stopping for a kiss under the Engine Arch. I will forever associate the small wooden benches, a toasted bagel and cup of tea at Drake’s with the wonderful emotions of that day.
James B. Fahner, ’79, MD’83
Drake’s is one of the things I miss terribly when we come back to Ann Arbor, and I still find myself gazing expectantly to that row of businesses along the Diag in hopes it might still be there. From the fresh Limeaid to those amazing pecan rolls, and from those uniquely creaky, cozy wooden booths to the rows and rows of the most fascinating candies, it truly was one of a kind. During my undergrad years, it was a nonnegotiable superstition to go to Drake’s before or after big exams, either to get a sugar buzz before or commiserate after! To this day, I always look at specialty candy stores to see if the smooth white lime dextrose tablets I once bought at Drake’s might be available—alas, I have never found them.
Harold G. (Buzz) Wilson, ’65, MBA’76
In my senior year I worked at the UGLI about 30 hours per week. Every night, around 12:15 a.m., I headed straight to Drake’s for a cup of tea (oolong, suchong, Earl Grey or (usually) Darjeeling) and a slice of their world class Chocolate cake. To my dying day, I will remember the aromas and ambiance of that establishment. I miss that more than just about anything from my Ann Arbor days. I got to know the staff quite well, often sharing with them a favorite joke that I played on overworked undergraduate students who were sound asleep when I closed the place. “You been here all night?” I would ask as I shook them awake. The fastest runners at Michigan were not the track team sprinters. How I miss those days and Drake’s!
Susan Ness Loomans, ’67, MBA’81
My favorite memory of Drake’s has to be the candy, of course! One could hardly walk back and forth from the “Hill” without being tempted. I can’t say that I went in that often to have a milkshake, malt or soda, but the window was always fun to look at.
Maurice L. Zilber, ’60
Drake’s had great lime milkshakes and pecan rolls! My fraternity was out on Washtenaw—too far to go out for lunch and get back for afternoon classes. So every day my junior and senior years, two or three of my fraternity brothers and I and our respective girlfriends would meet upstairs at Drake's for lunch. The food was good and the room was cozy—particularly on a winter's day. In particular, I remember struggling into Drake’s still hung over from my 21st birthday party the night before, downing a milkshake and going off to take an astronomy exam. I got an “A” thanks to the milkshake.
I was so sorry when I learned that Drake's had closed. While the beverages served were very different, Drake's was one of the institutions that made going to Michigan so enjoyable.
Arlene Miller Barris, ’62
Everyone remembers the cinnamon buns at Drake's, but how many of us still recall the "slider-type" hamburgers which were dispensed from their own counter at the back of the restaurant? There was also the large room upstairs (I seem to recall pink walls) which I only saw once. There were always big jars of candies sitting up by the cashier, and years later I'd go to Drake's to buy hard candies that looked like pebbles and stones to fool my elementary school classes! Even though those hard green booths were so uncomfortable, I sure spent a lot of time there with my hot chocolate and cinnamon bun between classes!
Lynda Howard Hegg, ’68
Drake’s had the best cinnamon rolls and greatest selection of teas in the coolest old green wooden booths. It was THE place with atmosphere to spare and the perfect spot to meet friends between classes!
Nancy Rosenfeld Barber, ’85
I used to love to study at Drake’s, drinking tea and hiding in a booth. But I'll never forget the day I learned the secret behind one of my favorite dishes. A girl behind the counter told me the tuna salad was so good because they mixed it with their hands! I ate it anyway and it was great.
Ritch K. Eich, ’77
Drake’s was one of the favorite destinations for our entire family. We went there often with our two sons, Geoff and Teddy, with visiting family including my wife's parents, friends and colleagues. Our favorite items were Limeaids, "sticky buns", pecan rolls, more Limeaids, cream cheese and olive sandwiches and everything else. We used to drool over the beautiful cakes displayed in the glass dome. In addition, we often purchased loose teas and candy from the big jars. It was and will always be an integral part of our 14 years of wonderful memories of Ann Arbor.
Dave Harrell, ’60, MA’66
My memories of Drake’s go back to my senior year at Ann Arbor High School. Because the school cafeteria wasn’t open when I had lunch, I was on my own looking around the State Street area. I found Drake’s Sandwich Shop very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed their tuna sandwiches each day from September until January of that school year.
Jim Garfield
Drake’s was the place you took your date after the movies or some other event. For me it was a weekly trip for five years.
Rudy Habermann, ’47, MS’48
Drake’s was an essential part of date night with a stop after the movies for a high class chocolate sundae!
Greg Heuer, ’69
Linda, ’69, and I have many fond memories of Drake's. We often selected our next tea from the wall-of-tea in small cans, mostly Wagner's as I remember. We even named our first cat Lapsang Souchong in honor of a tea from Drake's.
As musicians, we often went over after a concert at Hill. We always ordered a special tea and a cinnamon roll, buttered and grilled, to split. The odd black-and-green dots motif was certainly unique. We hardly ever went upstairs.
The demise of Drake's was the beginning of the downfall of the State Street area.
Beth A. Brown Satchell, ’69
I loved Drake's and even worked there part-time my freshman year at Michigan. It was the perfect place to have tea and a grilled pecan roll (my favorite) while studying. The owners were kind to hire students for $1.10 per hour, as I recall. The food was all homemade items such as meatloaf sandwiches and fresh squeezed limeade and lemonade. I even worked the burger bar in the back occasionally—it was a little tiny room at the rear of the store with a grill for the burgers. Old-fashioned candies were stored in big glass canisters on the shelves. Customers would write their own orders on slips, then bring them to the front to be filled. The store had booths on the first floor and tables on the second floor. There was thankfully a dumb waiter on the second floor for carrying dirty dishes downstairs to be washed.
I was sad when I visited the campus in the 1990s and found out that Drake's had been turned into a bagel shop—I wonder what happened to the booths and woodwork?
Julian Cook, ’66
I loved Drake’s. The Michigan experience wouldn't have been the same without it. I probably went there at least once a week, either with a date or to meet a group of friends. The toasted pecan rolls were absolutely the best ever—the BEST! And the M-burgers were fabulous. So were the dozens of different kinds of teas. Perfect for sitting in the booths and talking for a half-hour between classes or for hours, it was a quintessential college hangout.
Ellen Phillipps Wales, ’65, MA’66
I was a student in the Art & Design School, and when working late a student would usually ask, “Who wants a Drake burger?” You had no choice of toppings, only “everything,” which included ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles. They were wrapped in foil and were still warm when we got them all the way across campus!
Lois C. Schwartz, ’57
In those days, ice cream sodas were very popular. I was a coffee ice cream soda lover and Drake’s was literally the only restaurant in town that had coffee ice cream. I remember flamboyantly filling out my first absentee ballot with a vote for Adlai E. Stevenson at a table in Drake’s (while drinking a coffee ice cream soda, of course).
Luann Davis, ’73
I remember taking people there to get “stone” candy. That was the only place where I ever saw those candies that looked so much like rocks.
Steven White, ’81
I remember walking by Drake’s in the fall during the late 1970s and seeing their window display of a chicken moving its head up and down to eat candy corn, the candy that comes out around Halloween. I remember relating this story to my mother back in New Jersey and we howled because we both remembered that supposedly chickens eat until they fall over and then keep moving their mouths to eat some more until they die. I can still see that window in my mind and laugh every time I think of it.
I also remember that Drake’s served Limeade. I had never heard of it before then.
Cher Bledsoe-Kiesel, ’75
Attending U. of M. in the early 70's, Drake's was that funny old place where I could meet friends for a Limeaid, write my own tuna salad sandwich order, and soak up all the ambiance of tea crate art from around the world. Once I sat at the counter and I inquired about the origin of the crates. “India and China, mostly,” my sandwich preparer replied, and did I know that there was a list, if you wanted a crate of your own? Weeks later, the call came. I retrieved my wooden treasure, a generous 2 x 3 foot box, and rode home to Bursley with it on the bus. A coat of varnish to preserve the intricate shipping markings, and a student lamp table was born, serving loyally through lofted dorm rooms, Ann Arbor apartments, and well into my marriage years later.
When my mother-in-law saw it and heard it was from Drake's, she reminisced that she and her husband-to-be frequented Drake’s as students in the 40s. "Meet me on Mars," her beau would say, referring to the room upstairs, the "Martian" room.
Doris Rubenstein, ’71
Drake’s… ah, such tasty memories! Going into Drake’s was a mind-expanding experience in itself: you passed through the doors and entered into a time warp that took you back to the 1920s. Being at Drake’s was communing with students who went before you, whose raccoon coats were as emblematic of their day as tied-dyed t-shirts were in 1969.
Just as Drake’s décor was unchanging, so was its menu. While rightly famous for the toasted cinnamon roll, my favorite, without question, was the Cream Cheese and Olive Sandwich on Toasted Rye. Drake’s CC&O was better than Mom’s.
William F. Heyd, ’71, MARCH’71
Drake's was my favorite lunch spot on campus. Grilled cheese sandwiches are pretty ordinary fare, but the ones at Drake's were highly regarded and absolutely delicious back in the good ol' days.
Dan Kaller, MSW’84
Drake’s offered a broad selection of juice (fresh squeezed), teas and coffees. They had some pastry that wasn't the best, and an assortment of candies. Drake’s was an old-fashioned sweet shop. When an order was placed, the customer would tell one of the people working the counter what they wanted and would give the staff person a first name. When your order was ready, they would call your name and you had to go back up to retrieve it.
Unlike some other businesses, Drake’s was a landmark on central campus. Everyone knew where it was. You never had to give directions. In some ways, it was like taking a step back in time. The walls were adorned with old photographs, and the shelves had old knickknacks. It was a very small place. I don't care what time of day it was, you always felt cramped inside the building, because the place was always crowded.
Jane Hinerman Stenning, ’84
Many years ago, my father was a young professor of pathology in the U-M Medical School, then located in what later became the Natural Resources building. Since we were a one-car family then, my mother would take me to pick him up every day. If we were early, she would take me to Drake's for some treats and tell me about her days as a nursing student at U-M and the dances she would attend in the upstairs room there. Many years later, when I was a student at U-M, my friends and I would frequent Drake's, especially for the grilled pecan rolls and freshly-made limeade. After my own daughter was born in 1978, I used to take her to Drake's, too—an excursion she always loved, especially when she tried to imagine her grandmother dancing upstairs. I would guess that ours is not the only family to have three generations who visited Drake's often.
[Later correspondence] My mother has corrected me—the dancing used to take place "downstairs"—I never knew there was a downstairs in Drake's.
Jean Kelsey, MA’71 (undergraduate from 1954 to 1956)
My husband and I attended Michigan during the 1950s. Drake’s was "our" place for dates after movies. We always ordered tin roof sundaes. I know there was a room upstairs but we never went up there; instead we always chose the last booth on the left where there wasn't a seat facing forward so that we were always in our private place. We usually had to hurry a bit in order that I could be back to East Quad before curfew. We also had a favorite spot for goodnight kissing where no one could see us, like the others who didn't mind sharing their displays of affection in the lobby.
Several years later, we returned to Michigan as a married couple and my husband worked on campus. He usually ate lunch at Drake’s and ordered the same thing every day—a grilled cheese sandwich and peanut butter cake or pie if available. "Mrs. Drake" (I can't remember her real name) knew him and would call his office to let him know on the days when he could get one or the other. He was very fond of her.
I would give anything to sit in one of those green booths again.
Mel Dickerson, MS’92, PhD’99
“Orange Radiant Morsels”
I had heard about it from Michigan alums and I always admired the front of the building but I only personally knew Drake's in its last days. From that time I have three personal snapshots and little else.
Snap 1
Getting to work at Nat. Sci. before 7 a.m., I usually got my morning cappuccino and scone at Caribou Coffee, the only cafe around that opened at 6 a.m. At that early hour as I rounded the corner of State and North U, I often saw a man I took to be the owner of Drake's out in front wearing a starchy white working apron. That's the image I still clearly recall, sun in my face, old man wearing white apron. I was lucky if I got to see him snap his apron full of bread crumbs onto the sidewalk in front of the store whereupon the local flock of party sparrows immediately descend to attack the morning's feast.
As Mel Dickerson, MS'92, PhD'99, describes below, he still has this jar of Drake’s candy.
Snap 2
Curiosity finally got the best of me and into Drake's one afternoon. It was obvious with a little survey that the place had once been a much larger commercial activity. In the 1990s the back of the store was essentially closed up and empty but the front contained tables on which there was jar after jar of individually wrapped candies of all kinds and boxes and tins of many different teas. There always seemed to be students there searching for their favorites. There was a small service counter up front where one could order a limited selection of items, including sandwiches. Of which, there were two I used to order, the absolutely classic BLT with mayo and peanut butter and jelly, grape. Both were on square white bread. You could get them toasted and they were exactly like the kind my mother used to pack in my small, brown paper bag for lunch when I was in elementary school.
Snap 3
As far as I know, Drake's was the only place in Ann Arbor, at least around campus, that served fresh squeezed limeade. It was my afternoon favorite and I always ordered a double. They put both halves of the lime rind in the cup along with the juice, which intensified the wonderful green color and added just the right bitterness to the taste. It was a unique drink and, on a warm summer's day, fantastically refreshing!
One day I noticed unusual activity inside the shop. Perhaps there had been a closing sign or something. I went inside to inquire where I met a woman who was the daughter of the gentleman I often saw outside in the morning. She had come from California to be with her father who was dying and to sell the business. She took me on a brief tour and talked about growing up in that store. She was marking things to be sold and as she saw things she often told me a little story. I bought a small megaphone which she said her aging mother had used to call out food orders to the kitchen. I bought a few other mementos, most of which I have given away. However, I still vacuum my basement with the Drake's Electrolux. In addition to boxes of teas, I bought several of the gallon jars full of candy, which, after emptying (yum), I use in my kitchen for storing rice, mushrooms, and such. Of these one remains almost full, almost as I bought it, of candy. I attach a photo of it.
Although I like Bruegger’s, I miss Drake's.
Irene Margaret Kent Smith, ’69, MA’71
“Drake’s, or How I Got By in AA”
Drake’s. Do you remember Drake’s? Do you remember Mr. T, whose real name was Truman Tibbals? Or Mrs. T, who sat on that first stool closest to the window? Or Bob, their hard-working son? Or that enormous cash register?
I remember Mr. T. In fact, he got me through my six years and two degrees at Michigan. I arrived in Ann Arbor in August of 1965 at the ripe old age of 16. I had skipped third grade, was young for my class anyway, and had graduated from Wayne High School in Wayne, New Jersey, in June of that year. I couldn’t wait to leave Wayne. It was the Sixties, and all I wanted to do was save the world, particularly from people like my parents. I dreamed of Columbia, Berkeley, Wisconsin, or Michigan, and my dreams came true on Labor Day weekend of my senior year in high school, when the fat envelope arrived from UM.
Unfortunately, money was a problem. I had obtained student loans to attend college, but I needed spending money. I wanted all the tie-dye I could get. Somehow, I wandered into Drake’s Sandwich Shop on North University. Do you remember the jars of candy on the shelves on your left as you walked in? Do you remember limeade? Pecan rolls? Dagwood sandwiches? Those little green teapots? The trays? Those hamburgers in the Martian room upstairs? The fried onions?
For reasons I’ll never understand, Mr. T. hired me. I’d had very little experience working, and I was not even 17. All I knew about tea was Lipton’s. No matter. Mr. T taught me pretty much everything about the shop. I wrapped those big chunks of chocolate downstairs in the basement. I measured out chocolate-covered raisins and jelly beans and licorice whips. I made tea and limeade for tired graduate students who never seemed to leave.
Actually, Mr. T never seemed to leave. Mrs. T worked the place during the day, and Mr. T was there all night. I got to know the Ann Arbor police, who were always welcome at the counter, and who drank free cups of coffee all night. They set up their radios at Drake’s and waited for a call. In fact, one night the call was from an apartment building where a raucous party was being held. Police were called to stop the noise. My phone rang. “Turn off all the god-damned lights and shut off the music! The cops are on the way.” It was Mr. T letting me know.
What else did Mr. T do for me? He let me pay myself out of the till every night. He let me work whenever I needed to in addition to my regular hours, even if there wasn’t a soul in the place. When I needed to fly home because my father was dying of cancer, he drove me to Metro and pushed some crumpled bills into my hands.
He was gruff, and he rarely looked anyone in the eye. He spoke directly to the floor. He swore like a sailor. Yet year after year, he’d allow me to work for him. I spent my junior year abroad through the School of Education’s Sheffield University exchange. When I got back in the fall of my senior year, he said, “Where ya been? I need you to work.”
Though those years, I learned that Mr. T had taken many students under his protective glare. Do you remember all those tired PhD candidates, law students, and pre-med students who sat in the back booths studying, undisturbed, for hours? Mr. T took care of them, too, in his own quiet way.
I think some students were afraid of Mr. T. I can’t remember ever seeing him smile, unless it was in response to one of the policemen’s dirty jokes. And do you remember the mayonnaise? Every sandwich had to have mayonnaise… even PB and J! I tried to change that, but mayonnaise was the law.
Drake’s is gone now, replaced by Bruegger’s Bagels. Yes, the bagels are good, and it’s a clean well-lighted place. But in that time from 1965 to 1971, when I was a UM student, I loved those dark green booths and the back staircase to the Martian room upstairs. Drake’s was never well enough lit to see the years of grease or dust which had accumulated. Lucky for me. When I cleaned up before closing, I make quick work of it. Mr. T never seemed to mind.
Do you remember that cough? Mr. T took lousy care of himself. Do you remember his limp? Sometimes he could hardly get up or down the stairs. Did you ever see his office in the basement? What a disaster.
But he was the gentlest soul I knew in Ann Arbor. He drove me home in the rain or snow. He never complained about anything to me. He got me through, and I miss him, and I miss Drake’s.
Posted by smorioka at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2008
Letters to the Editor
Editor’s Note Prompts Remembrances
Reading the Editor’s Note in the winter 2008 Michigan Alumnus, I was reminded of how every trip to Ann Arbor has me remembering back to my student days. I see so many physical changes—great changes, of course—but I often try to remember what was there before, when I attended.
I would like to see copies of the old student campus maps available for sale. These would show the campus exactly the way it was when we attended. I think it could be a good way to make some money and rekindle the nostalgia.
Liz Kimmins Bonaventura, ’73
Novi, Michigan
Via mail
Editor’s Note Prompts Remembrances
Reading the Editor’s Note in the winter 2008 Michigan Alumnus, I was reminded of how every trip to Ann Arbor has me remembering back to my student days. I see so many physical changes—great changes, of course—but I often try to remember what was there before, when I attended.
I would like to see copies of the old student campus maps available for sale. These would show the campus exactly the way it was when we attended. I think it could be a good way to make some money and rekindle the nostalgia.
Liz Kimmins Bonaventura, ’73
Novi, Michigan
Via mail
Note from Editor: You can find a wealth of historical campus information, including some maps, at the Bentley Library Web site (www.bentley.umich.edu) and at the Millennium Project University of Michigan history Web portal (http://umhistory.org/).
South U. and S. Forest were never my beat. I never knew that area in my student days, 1946-50, nor my Ann Arbor High days of 1939-42. I was a Westsider, 3rd Street and Hill and/or Pauline near Stadium.
Like your dad says, Briarwood was farms. Not only did I not have cable TV in my room (and I wasn’t in a dorm), but the only black-and-white on campus was in the Union basement dining room where the men only crowded around for the Yankee-Brooklyn Dodgers series.
Here’s my Main to Michigan Stadium walk in 1939 in brief that for you will be as foreign as a walk through downtown Belgrade. We start at the Wuerth Theatre. Then comes Muehlig and Lanphear’s Hardware, Fiegels, the Orpheum, Joe’s Snappy Service, Odd Fellows, Staebler’s Service Station, the Edison, down the hill to Claude Brown’s old house, Gill’s Lumber, Miller’s Ice Cream, Kollender Drug, Conoco Gas, American Legion, McDonald’s Ice Cream, the stadium, kitty corner from the south scoreboard, Stadium Hills Golf Course. Going west on Stadium, forests and fields to Barnard Heights, then turning north and downhill, wheat, corn, alfalfa. Past Pauline, muskrat pond and, finally, Liberty with Tice’s Tavern, Sportsman’s Park softball stadium.
Time to quit or I’ll weep.
Lyle Nelson, ’50
Honolulu, Hawaii
Via mail
I read recently in the winter 2008 issue of Michigan Alumnus about your concern regarding recent changes on the U-M campus, in particular, and in Ann Arbor, in general. Your insightful comments brought to mind an old poster I recently rediscovered in my basement. The poster dates, possibly, back to the 1930s era.
Some illustrations/names are familiar, especially the streets of Ann Arbor. Also the old Depot, possibly Hill Auditorium, the Law Quad and the President’s House. Some are not familiar: Lantern Shop, Hermitage, Tuttles, The Majestic and Alumnae House. Jessie Horton Koessler, a 1901 grad, is the producer. The poster is approximately 28 inches by 36 inches in size, mounted on a hardboard backing; some edges are slightly frayed but probably restorable.
I would appreciate any information you could suggest as to the origin, distribution and availability of this item. I have a small collection of books related to U-M but have not seen it used or referred to as a resource. Being of an awkward age (too old for Pinball Pete’s or Tower Records, but too young for the aforementioned Lantern Shop, etc.), I am content with memories of the Parrot, Pretzel Bell and Van Boven’s.
Stanley J. Hruska, ’50
Redford, Michigan
Via mail
Note from Editor: Can you help Mr. Hruska? If you recognize this poster or have any information about it, please email alumnus.editors@umich.edu.
Not Interested in Lesson
I found “Life’s Lessons” (winter 2008) unworthy of publication in your magazine, and I am sick and tired of reading and hearing that “Faith-based...to believe with no proof...” is a virtue when, in fact, it is a vice.
Now if Greg Harden, the espouser of “Life’s Lessons,” and Ruth Baum Bigus, the writer of the article, want to have fantasies about things that aren’t important—e.g., believing that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots beat the New York Giants in the 2008 Super Bowl—that is fine with me, but, as fantasies go, the lack of evidence usually suggests otherwise. I’ll grant that a couple of Eli Manning’s passes were thrown on a wing and a prayer, but the replays showed that they really were completed, however luckily it may have been. Blind faith is the sort of mind-set that got us into Iraq, and we need a good deal less of it rather than more.
Bob Carlson, ’62, MF’63, PhD’68
Alexandria, Virginia
Via email
Posted by smorioka at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
Career Notes
Class Notes
Please submit news to M Notes, Michigan Alumnus, 200 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1007; fax them to 734.764.4506; email them to classnotes@umich.edu; or submit them online at www.umalumni.com. M Notes are printed on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the high volume of M Notes received and the quarterly publication schedule of Michigan Alumnus, notes may not be printed in the issue immediately following their receipt. Our goal is to print all notes within one year of receipt, although we cannot guarantee that all submitted notes will appear. In order to print as many notes as possible in each issue, we do not accept photographs. Any photos received will not be returned.
M designates Alumni Association members at press time.
40s
Louis Orlin, MA’49, MA’50, PhD’60, U-M professor of ancient near eastern history and literature in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, was listed in “Who’s Who in America,” 2002 edition. Louis resides in Ann Arbor. M
50s
David Maxwell Donley, ‘56, of Maryland, was recently promoted to the position of vice president of human resources with MedImmune, Inc. He will be responsible for providing business-integrated leadership and aiding in the optimization of MedImmune’s human capital investments. Max is a certified senior professional in human resources through the Society for Human Resource
Management.
Robert Corbett, ‘58, MS’59, PhD’64, was awarded the American Institute of Professional Geologists’ Martin Van Couvering Memorial Award on October 9, 2007. During his long career he has been a geology professor and a consultant, and has performed administrative duties as well as geological research. He recently completed a term on the Geological Society of America’s committee on professional development and has a long-standing involvement with the AIPG, including serving as president and vice president. He continues as chair of the academic education committee and is a member of the Illinois Board of Licensing for Professional Geologists. Robert resides in Normal, Illinois. M
Albert Fry, ‘58, received the Manuel M. Baizer Award of the Organic and Biological Electrochemistry Division of the Electrochemical Society. He will be awarded a scroll and a cash prize of $1,000. Albert is only the second American to receive this international award. He lives in Middletown, Connecticut. M
George Googasian, ’58, of Oakland, Michigan, received the 2007 Distinguished Brief Award from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School for a brief he and fellow attorney Dean Googasian, ’92, submitted to the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan. The award-winning brief was filed in a landmark case considered by the Michigan Supreme Court in which the state’s highest court had to decide whether affidavits notarized outside Michigan would be valid within the state. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in favor of the arguments made in the brief filed by the Googasian Firm. George is an attorney at the firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. M
Leonard Gordon, ‘58, MA’58, was recently appointed dean of the Arizona State University Emeritus College. As dean, Leonard established a Center for Mentoring of students and new faculty. He previously served 11 years as associate dean for academic programs in the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Leonard lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. M
60s
Lois Shaevsky, ‘60, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, received the 2007 George W. Romney Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteerism. She was recognized for her many years of service to the community, quality fundraising and personal giving. She was nominated by Oakland University, where she currently serves the university’s advisory board. Lois is also secretary of the boards of trustees for Detroit Public Television and the Detroit Historical Society, and she is active with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. She chaired the Federation Forum for three years. Involved in a variety of organizations, such as HAVEN, Temple Beth El and the Children’s Charities Coalition, she was appointed to the Michigan Humanities Council in 1998. She received the Circle of Hope Award from the CARE House of Oakland County for her work as a former board member. Lois was the recipient of the George Romney Volunteer Award in 1999 and of the Caring for Children Angel Award from Blue Cross-Blue Shield Blue Care Network of Michigan in 2000. M
Henry Lee, ‘62, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by a survey of Law & Politics. Henry focuses his practice on estate planning and probate. He lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
E. Edward Hood, ‘63, JD’66, of Ann Arbor, was named in “Best Lawyers in America” for his work in the commercial litigation practice group of the law firm Dykema. His focus is on commercial law, libel and slander law, and complex civil litigation. Edward is a member of the American Bar and Washtenaw County Bar associations, and he is the former member-in-charge of Dykema’s Ann Arbor office. He has also served as a city council member and as mayor pro-tem of Ann Arbor.
James Comer, MPH’64, has been named the winner of the 2007 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Education for his book, “Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s World.” The award is given annually to those who have made a significant impact in the field of education. James is a Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and has dedicated his career to child development and education. He lives in Hamden, Connecticut.
Lloyd Semple, JD’64, a retired member and chairman emeritus of the law firm Dykema, was ranked in Woodward/White’s “Best Lawyers in America” guide. Lloyd focused on general corporate law, including acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and financings, for more than 40 years. He remains active with the firm and is currently serving as a visiting professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He lives in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Douglas Brook, ‘65, MPA’67, was recently appointed assistant secretary of the Navy (financial management and comptroller). He has been a professor of public policy at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Douglas resides in Pacific Grove, California. M
Ronald Santo, JD’65, was recently named in “Best Lawyers in America” for his work with the law firm Dykema. He is an executive board member and is the former leader of Dykema’s employment practice group. He has represented a number of clients in employment matters ranging from oil companies in negotiations to cases of violence in the workplace. Ronald lives in Ann Arbor. M
Bruce Howell, ‘67, JD’74, of Highland Park, Michigan, was named in 2007 as a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly and Law & Politics. He is a partner at the law firm of Hughes & Luce LLP and currently heads the firm’s health law practice group. Board certified in health law, Bruce’s practice covers multiple aspects of the field, including reimbursement, fraud and abuse, managed care issues, ERISA and physician practice management issues. M
Thomas Nagle, ’67, was named in the May 2007 issue of GPS World as one of the world leaders to watch in the GPS- or satellite-based navigation arena. Thomas is a program manager for GPS Civil Applications stationed at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. He also is a member of the Federal Aviation Administration and represents all commercial and non-military areas of the government on the GPS program at the base where the US GPS program acquisition takes place. He lives in Canyon Lake, California. M
Mary Van Lare, ‘67, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, is the founder and CEO of MJ Care, Inc. MJ Care is the 10th-largest woman-owned company in Wisconsin and is celebrating 30 years of rehabilitation excellence. M
James Geary, ‘68, JD’72, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by Law & Politics. James focuses his practice on civil litigation defense. M
Norman Pappas, ‘68, and Susie Pappas, ‘71, were honorees at the 10th Annual Michigan Gala Dinner for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. They were recognized for their continued support of the IDF in their efforts to provide various support services to Israeli soldiers, widows and orphans. They live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. M
Karen Beemon, ‘69, professor and biology chair at Johns Hopkins University, won the third annual M. Jeang Retrovirology Prize for her contributions to the understanding of how retroviruses transform cells. This award includes a $3,000 check, a crystal trophy and a published interview in the open access journal Retrovirology. Karen has also received the American Cancer Society’s Faculty Research Award and the John E. Fogarty Senior International Fellowship. She has published nearly 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and review articles and was appointed a senior editor of the Journal of Virology in 2007. Karen lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Barbara Rom, ‘69, JD’72, of Detroit, was named one of Detroit’s “Most Influential Women for 2007” by Crain’s Detroit Business for her work as partner in charge of the Detroit office of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She has achieved this award all three times it has been offered—in 1997, 2002 and 2007. Barbara serves on the board of directors of the American Board of Certification and is a member of numerous organizations, including the American Bar Association’s Business Bankruptcy Committee, the America Bankruptcy Institute and the Commercial Law League of America. She was also appointed to the inaugural Deans Advisory Council by the dean of the U-M Law School in 2006.
70s
Vivian Bass, ‘70, received the 2007 Community Leadership Award from Jewish Women International for her work as chief executive officer of the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes. She was specifically selected for her leadership in providing residential programs and an elevated quality of life for adults with disabilities. Along with her role as CEO, Vivian serves on the Maryland Association of Community Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, has been a consultant for more than 25 programs similar to JFGH and is a founding member of Potomac Community Resources. She has been honored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington as a Lion of Judah/”Woman of Valor,” the highest international distinction for Jewish women, and has received many other awards. Vivian resides in Bethesda, Maryland.
Wallace Long, ‘71, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by a survey of Law & Politics. Wallace focuses his practice on government/cities/municipalities law. M
Keith Waldrop, MBA’71, has translated “The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Baudelaire. The new translation recasts the original poetic arrangements of Baudelaire into versets, a measured form that hovers between poetry and prose. Keith is the author of numerous collections of poetry and a variety of translations. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and DAAD (Berlin). He cofounded the Wolgamot Society and co-edits the small press Burning Deck. He resides in Dataw Island, South Carolina. M
Randal Bryant, ‘73, was named the recipient of the IEEE’s 2007 Emaunel R. Piore Award in recognition of his contributions to the simulation and verification of electronic systems. His work has revolutionized the field and has enabled reasoning about large-scale circuit designs for the first time. Randal resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Elaine Gasidlo, ‘73, of Carleton, Michigan, was named Wal-Mart’s 2007 Teacher of the Year. She is a second-grade teacher at Airport’s Eyler Elementary School. M
Roxanne Jayne, ‘73, lectured on due diligence for the American Conference Institute. She presented on dealing successfully with brownfield sites. Roxanne has more than 25 years of experience as an environmental attorney and is currently a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Cherry Hill office. She is a member of BEST, a brownfield advisory board to the city of Trenton, New Jersey; the American Bar Association; the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals; and other organizations. She is a frequent speaker and published author. Roxanne lives in Trenton.
Lawrence Raymond, ‘73, MBA’75, was appointed president of the board for the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting. His key priority for the position this year will be increasing membership and encouraging member involvement. Lawrence has more than 30 years of experience in the pension and insurance field and has won numerous awards, such as the 2006 E. Meyers Jr. Memorial Award for outstanding service to the Michigan life insurance industry. Lawrence lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. M
Caroline Leavitt, ’74, an award-winning novelist and screenwriter, has seen four of her eight novels optioned for screen and has written the script for two of them. She also is in the process of adapting Skolkin-Smith’s prize-winning novel “Edges O Israel O Palestine” for screen. The novel, a mother-daughter story set against changing borders of Israel and Palestine during the 1940s and in 1967, is in development and is slated to film on location in Jerusalem. Caroline lives with her husband, writer Jeff Tamarkin, and their young son, Max, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Laura Miller, ‘74, was selected as managing director of the American Bar Association. She was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America and was also one of 10 lawyers from the US selected to participate in the training of Sudanese lawyers to represent victims from Darfur. Laura currently resides in Washington, DC. M
Jeffrey Sadowski, ‘74, JD’77, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by a survey of Law & Politics. Jeffrey focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation. M
Synde Keywell, ‘75, JD’78, of Chicago, Illinois, joined the international law firm Bryan Cave LLP as a partner in the Chicago office. She will practice with the firm’s commercial litigation and bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors’ rights groups. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Bankruptcy Law and Federal Civil Practice Committees of the Chicago Bar Association. Synde also served as the chairperson of the consumer finance committee of the Chicago Bar Association from 2004 to 2005.
Joseph Ritok, JD’75, has been ranked in “Best Lawyers in America,” a guide published by Woodward/White. He is an attorney at Dykema and is managing member of the firm’s Detroit office. He focuses on representing management in labor, ERISA and employment-related trial and counseling. Joseph has practiced employment law for more than 31 years. He lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. M
Charlene Blanchard, ‘76, was a member of the nationally recognized faculty responsible for the Distance Dental Hygiene Project of Monroe Community College. The project received the award for Innovation of the Year from the League for Innovation. Charlene lives in Fairport, New York. M
Lisa Gretchko, ‘76, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by a survey of Law & Politics. Lisa focuses her practice on bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights.
Marie Deveney, MA’77, JD’84, was named in the newly published Woodward/White “Best Lawyers in America” guide for her work with the law firm of Dykema. She is a member of the taxation and estates practice group, focusing on transfer tax planning, estate and trust administration, wills and retirement distribution planning. She is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Council, the Washtenaw County Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s probate and estate planning advisory board. Marie resides in Ann Arbor. M
James Elsworth, JD’77, was ranked by his peers as a leader in Woodward/White’s “Best Lawyers in America” guide. The list represents 80 specialties in 50 states and is compiled through an exhaustive peer-review study. James is a member of the taxation and estates practice group at Dykema, a Midwest-based law firm. He focuses primarily on estate planning; trust and estate administration; and gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax matters. He is a resident of West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Eleta Jones, PhD’78, received the Distinguished Professional of 2006 Award from the Connecticut Counseling Association for her dedication to helping individuals manage careers and assisting corporations in building stronger teams. Eleta is the assistant director at the Career Counseling Center of the University of Hartford. She has taught classes for the counselor education program at St. Joseph College for the last 19 years. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Robert Laverne, ‘78, MS’85, has been promoted to the position of manager of education and training by the Davey Tree Expert Company. He has previously acted as a consulting arborist and project manager for urban forestry clients with the Davey Resource Group and is an ISA-board certified master arborist and registered consulting arborist. Robert serves on the advisory board for the School of Natural Resources and Environment at Michigan Technological University and is currently pursuing a PhD in urban planning at Cleveland State University. Robert resides in Uniontown, Ohio.
Henry Brennan, ‘79, of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, was named to “Michigan Super Lawyers 2007” by a survey of Law & Politics. Henry focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions.
Whitley Setrakian Hill, ‘79, won first and second place in the 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting contest for songs titled “Farsighted” and “Sandusky.” She was trained as an actress in New York City before coming to Ann Arbor to study dance. After graduating, she founded the dance company “People Dancing.” In 2001 she formed the band Whit Hill and the Postcards.
Peter Kellett, ’79, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, has been ranked by his peers in the 2007 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” published by Woodward/White. Peter is an attorney at Dykema and is a practice group leader for the litigation practice group. He was one of the founding partners of the law firm of Feeney Kellet Wienner & Bush. His practice focuses on professional and general negligence, and automotive and other products liability. M
Mark Lenz, ‘79, of Chicago, Illinois, was elected to the board of directors for the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. He is a member of Dykema’s real estate practice group, focusing his practice on real estate, municipal and municipal finance law. Mark has played a key role in some of Chicago’s most notable real estate developments and represented the city’s department of housing in the creation of the New Homes for Chicago program.
80s
Sureyya Ciliv, ‘80, ‘81, was named CEO of Turkcell telecommunications company in Istanbul, Turkey.
Randall Mehrberg, JD’80, was honored by the Chicago chapter of the American Jewish Committee with the Judge Learned Hand Human Relations Award. He is recognized for his leadership in the legal community and his commitment to justice and excellence in the legal system. Randall led 65 major corporations in litigation through the Supreme Court in support of the diversity initiatives of the University of Michigan. He is an active board member of such organizations as the Museum of Science & Industry and the Lincoln Park Zoo, and he is also a chairman of the Northwestern University Law School Corporate Counsel Institute. Randall resides in Chicago, Illinois.
Diane Namm-Schirtzer, MA’80, of Malibu, California, started a nonprofit theater company called West of Broadway, working in conjunction with Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California to adapt literary classics for the stage. Diane also serves on the advisory board for the U-M English department.
Cynthia Pozolo, ‘80, MARCH’82, was elected president of the American Institute of Architects in Detroit. Her responsibilities include addressing the role of the architect in society, the AIA as a resource for professional knowledge, mentorship of those entering the profession, education and environmental stewardship in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties. She is vice president and director of architectural development at Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. M
Ronald Gifford, ‘81, spoke at the American Bar Association’s National Institute on Gaming Law Minefield in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February 2007. He is an Indianapolis, Indiana, resident and is a partner at the law firm of Baker & Daniels LLP, where he leads the gaming practice. M
Gary Rubin, ‘81, was executive producer of the critically acclaimed motion picture “Edmond.” The film is an adaptation of the David Mamet classic of the American stage. Gary was responsible for bringing the film to the Michigan Theater in September. He resides in Santa Monica, California. M
Martin Shenkman, MBA’81, was selected to receive the Alfred C. Clapp Award from the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education in June 2007. This award is given to one attorney each year in recognition of outstanding service to the New Jersey Bar Association as a lecturer. Martin lives in Tenafly, New Jersey. M
Jeffrey Pelischek, MMUS’82, Hutchinson Community College director of bands and woodwind specialist, has been selected as the 2006 Blue Dragon Educator of the Year. He was selected by the HCC Student Government Association for the honor. Jeffrey has been playing clarinet for nearly 40 years, starting as a band student in the Salina middle schools. He was recently selected to play at the International Clarinet Association Convention “Clarinet Fest 2006” in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff resides in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Robert Rothacker, JD’82, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, joined the law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP as a partner in the employee benefits group. He has experience with all aspects of employee benefits and is a past president of the Wisconsin Retirement Plan Professionals. He is a member of the Milwaukee Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin and the American Bar Association.
Karen Squarrell Shablin, MHSA’82, has been appointed vice president of government relations for AMERIGROUP Community Care in Washington, DC. She has more than 20 years of experience in health service management, policy analysis and product development.
Jacqueline Andrews, PhD’83, was recently named assistant vice president for Institutional Research and Planning at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She left Washtenaw Community College in 1999 and became the dean of information systems at the State University of New York at Delhi in 2000. Jackie lives in New Paltz, New York, which she says bears an uncanny resemblance to Ann Arbor, minus the football team. M
Candace Dugan, JD’83, has joined Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as senior counsel. She brings more than 20 years of litigation experience to her new position. Candace is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, Product Liability Advisory Council, Defense Research Institute, Michigan Defense Counsel and Women Lawyers Associations in both Ottawa County and Michigan. She serves as chair of the board of Holland Hospital and vice chair of Alma College Board. She now resides in Douglas, Michigan.
James Laing, JD’83, will serve as president of Wolverine Mutual Insurance. He was named to the board of directors in 1983, and in 2002 was promoted to executive vice president, director of claims. He has been chairman of the judicial and legal affairs committee for the Insurance Institute of Michigan and is the former director and president of the Curious Kids’ Museum in St. Joseph, Michigan. James and his wife, Molly, have five children and reside in Stevensville, Michigan. M
John Krivit, ‘84, was named associate professor of audio and media technology at the New England Institute of Art in Brookline, Massachusetts. John also serves on the faculties of Emerson College and Bay State College, where he teaches audio engineering. He lives with his wife, son and daughter in Winthrop, Massachusetts. M
D. Richard McDonald, JD’84, was named in Woodward/White’s “Best Lawyers in America” guide. Richard is the assistant practice group leader of the corporate finance practice group for the law firm of Dykema. His practice specializes in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate securities transactions. He also represents privately held businesses and emerging companies in venture capital, joint venture, bank financing, shareholder arrangements and general corporate matters. He lives in Beverly Hills, Michigan.
Carol Romej, ‘84, was elected as a shareholder to the law firm Butzel Long. She is based in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office as chair of the e-discovery practice and co-chair of the technology and e-commerce practice group.
Robert Sack, ‘84, has joined West Michigan’s leading real estate development law firm, McShane & Bowie, as the partnership’s first-ever chief operating officer. Robert is involved in numerous nonprofit leadership activities, including the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Legacy Christian School and KidsHope USA. He and his wife, Debbie, reside in Kentwood with their three children. M
Richard Shryock, MA’84, PhD’87, was co-curator of an exhibit and co-organizer of a colloquium at the prominent Museum of the Art and History of Judaism in Paris, France. The exhibition is titled “Gustave Khan (1859-1936): Symbolist Writer and Art Critic” and displays approximately 180 documents and works of art from Richard’s private collection. Richard lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Kimberly Walker, MBA’84, of Saint Louis, Missouri, was named chief investment officer at Washington University in St. Louis. She will be responsible for leading the university’s investment organization, developing and clearly articulating the overall investment policy, and other duties. She is chairman of the committee on investment of employee benefit assets and is a member of the University of Colorado investment advisory committee, the CFA Institute and the New York Stock Exchange pension managers’ advisory committee. In the past, Kimberly served as chair of the Miami University Foundation Board.
Robert Boonin, JD’85, of Ann Arbor, was elected to serve a two-year term on the council of the labor and employment law section of the State Bar of Michigan. He is an editor of a chapter in the preeminent treatise “Employment Discrimination,” is a member of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Advisory Committee for Labor and Employment Law Issues, and was actively involved in the planning of the ICLE annual seminar in April 2007. Robert is active in national and state bar association sections in labor and employment law and public contract law, and he frequently publishes articles and speaks at conferences concerning these issues.
David Burns, ‘85, of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, joined Howard & Howard Attorneys PC, in the firm’s intellectual property group. His practice is concentrated in the areas of patent, trademark and copyright law with an emphasis on mechanical and electromechanical technologies. David is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mark Gibney, PhD’85, was named the 2006 winner of the International Human Rights Award by the Human Rights Coalition of North Carolina. He is a respected international human rights expert and each year produces the Political Terror Scale, ranking 175 countries based on their levels of human rights violations. He is the author of numerous journal articles and books and is the immediate past president of the American Political Science Association’s human rights section. Mark lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Raymond Rundelli, JD’85, a partner in the intellectual property group of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP has been appointed to the Geauga County Public Library board of trustees by the Geauga County Commissioners. Raymond is an active member of the Ohio State Bar Association. He and his family reside in Auburn Township, Ohio.
Aaron Sherbin, ‘85, of Birmingham, Michigan, has joined Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss PC as a partner in the firm’s tax and estate planning practice groups. He is a member of the Oakland County and American Bar Associations, State Bar of Michigan and the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit. M
Celeste Wasielewski, ‘85, was named a partner in the Washington, DC, office of Duane Morris LLP. She joins the firm’s employment and immigration practice group. Celeste also represents the Mercy Home for Children in Brooklyn, New York, in labor and employment matters and is a legal advisor for the American Singles Golf Association. She lives in Washington, DC.
Michael Weil, ‘85, JD’88, joined Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss PC in the firm’s tax practice group. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, American Bar Association and the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit. Michael resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Marcella Brighton, ‘86, was recently promoted to director of financial planning and management for U-M’s College of Engineering. She is responsible for overseeing the college’s budget, institutional research and financial strategic planning. Marcy lives in Ann Arbor with her husband, Fred. M
Nanci Grant, ‘86, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was elected by the Michigan circuit judges as their representative to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. Nanci currently serves as president of the Michigan Judges Association, which represents all of Michigan’s circuit and apellate judges. M
Gregory Katz, ‘87, was named the first deputy managing partner of the New York City office of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP. He was also named to the advisory committee of Wilson Elser’s executive committee. He is a board member of Target Markets. Greg resides in New York City.
Stephen Laplante, ‘87, has been appointeddeputy leader of the Bankruptcy Group for the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone, PLC. He specializes in troubled automotive supplier workouts and bankruptcies, and also counsels creditors, debtors, creditors’ committees and others in commercial bankruptcy and out-of-court workouts. He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Federal Bar Association and American Bankruptcy Institute, and served as an adjunct professor of law at Wayne State University Law School. He resides in Canton, Michigan.
Lori Verderame, ’87, received the premier Telly Award for showcasing antique appraisals and providing untold yard sale tips to viewers of Comcast CN8 TV’s Eye on Ocean program. The award honors outstanding local, regional and cable TV programs. Winners of the award represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world. Lori’s syndicated column Fine Art & Antiques appears in newspapers and magazines across the United States every week. She lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Susan Carrabes, ‘89, has been elected to the board of overseers for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. She has served on the Cohasset Committee for Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston for two years, working to promote awareness and raise money for the Roxbury Club’s Summer Camp program.
David Cutter, ‘89, was elected of counsel at the Chicago, Illinois, office of Ross, Dixon & Bell. He focuses his practice on insurance coverage matters and commercial litigation. David has been admitted to the Bar of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Illinois. He resides in Evanston, Illinois.
Lisa DeVriese, ‘89, of Waterford, Michigan, joins the Doner Agency as senior vice president, account director. She brings more than 15 years of experience, including managing strategic and executional areas of marketing accounts, and engineering short- and long-term improvements to solve issues in preplanning, execution and delivery of direct marketing intitatives. M
Thomas Shaevsky, ‘89, JD’92, has joined the Bloomfield Hills office of Butzel Long. He practices in the area of employee benefits. Thomas is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association and the Michigan Employee Benefits Conference. He is a resident of West Bloomfield, Michigan.
90s
Nick Petrie, ’90, has written a story that was named the best short story of the year by the Seattle Review. “At the Laundromat” was published in the publication’s spring 2007 issue. Petrie is a past winner of the Hopwood Award.
Jodi Rosenberg, ‘90, has been named to counsel in the law firm of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP. She works in the firm’s Woodbridge office. Her practice includes all aspects of commercial and banking litigation in both the state and federal courts.
Christopher Taylor, ‘90, MA’94, JD’97, has been elected as a shareholder to the law firm of Butzel Long. He is based in the firm’s Ann Arbor office and practices in the areas of media law, intellectual property, technology and e-commerce. He is also a member of the firm’s higher education law practice.
Rindala Beydoun, ’91, has been elected to the partnership of Vinson & Elkins in Dubai. She is a member of the firm’s business and international law section and focuses her practice on international business transactions, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
Craig Margolis, ‘91, has been elected to the partnership in the Washington, DC, office of Vinson & Elkins LLP. He is a member of the firm’s litigation section and practices in the area of white collar criminal defense as well as internal investigation and compliance matters.
Carin Ojala, ‘91, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been named the director of professional development for Warner Norcross & Judd LLP. Carin has been an attorney with the firm since 1994 and will be responsible for attorney retention and development, mentor and training programs, and associate continuity and transition.
Nancy Stone, ‘91, has rejoined the firm of Howard & Howard Attorneys PC and its commercial litigation practice group. She will work in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office. Nancy concentrates her practice in complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on business disputes, real estate and construction matters. M
Raymond Veldman, ‘91, has been named partner at Preston, Gates & Ellis in Seattle. He practices corporate law in the firm’s Orange County office and focuses on securities, mergers and acquisitions, and general business law, representing public and privately held entities including start-up companies and entrepreneurial ventures. Raymond resides in Aliso Viejo, California.
Stephen Wert, ‘91, has joined the investment management and consulting firm Norris, Perné & French LLP. He is a certified investment management consultant and will be responsible for individual, foundation and retirement plan investment management. Stephen is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan. M
Charles Whiteman, ‘91, MBA’96, was named senior vice president of client services for MotionPoint, a leading Web site translation and marketing services company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He resides in Fort Lauderdale with his wife and two children. M
Robert Wierenga, ‘91, JD’95, has been elected principal of the firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC, from senior counsel. He focuses on antitrust counseling and litigation. Robert lives in Ann Arbor.
Marc Blackman, ‘93, has been named partner to the law firm Jones Day. He will be based in the firm’s Chicago, Illinois, office.
Kevin DiDio, ‘93, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, has been elected as a shareholder to the law firm of Butzel Long. He practices in the Detroit office and is a member of the firm’s transaction, finance and taxation practice group. Kevin is a member of the business law sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He currently serves as chairman of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association’s corporate counsel section.
Eric Scheible, ‘93, partner and head of the litigation practice at the law firm Frasco, Caponigro, Wineman & Scheible PLLC based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was selected to participate in the 2006-07 class of the prestigious Leadership Detroit program. Scheible is a resident of Ferndale, Michigan.
John Stevenson, ‘93, has joined the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office of Butzel Long. He practices insolvency and restructuring law. John is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association. He is a resident of Bloomfield Hills.
Roberto Ty, ‘93, has been named senior art director for Publicom Inc., a full-service marketing communications firm. In his new role he will create innovative designs to communicate Publicom client messages in a clear, effective and unique manner. Roberto is the recipient of numerous ADDY awards, including regional best of show and District 6 gold for “The Case of Covisint in Michigan.” He and his wife, Emily, live in Royal Oak, Michigan. M
David Anderson, ‘94, was recently selected to recieve the third annual Young Lawyers Section Golden Gavel Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel. The award recognizes the candidate’s significant achievements in advancing young lawyers as demonstrated by leadership, mentoring, awards and civic leadership. He is a resident of Macomb, Michigan.
Maxwell Barnes, ‘94, was one of nine associate attorneys elected partner at Baker & Daniels LLP. Maxwell practices in corporate finance and transactional matters from the firm’s Indianapolis office.
Jen Cass, ’94, JD’97, won the grand prize in the Great Lakes Songwriting contest for her song “Small Town Boy.” She grew up in Detroit and now lives in Bay City, Michigan. Her winning song is from her third album, “Accidental Pilgrimage.”
Eric Goldstein, MA’94, PhD’00, has been awarded a research fellowship by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He will conduct research at the New York Public Library for a project titled “Yiddish Speaking Immigrants and Print Culture in a Mass Society, 1870-1930.” He is a resident of Annapolis, Maryland.
Carrie Leahy, ‘94, of Ann Arbor, has been admitted as a partner to the law firm of Bodman LLP. She specializes in corporate and securities law, and counsels established and emerging businesses on corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with securities regulations, and venture capital funding.
Michael Morse, ‘94, spoke at the sixth annual Taxpayers Against Fraud Conference in Washington, DC, and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s 12th annual Health Law Institute, and was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2006. A former prosecutor, Michael is a shareholder in the Philadelphia law firm Miller, Alfano & Raspanti PC and concentrates his practice in white collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation, employment disputes, securities litigation and intellectual property litigation. He resides in Broomall, Pennsylvania.
Brian Spector, ‘94, was elected to the board of overseers for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. Brian is a managing director of the Baupost Group LLC. His focus is in domestic distressed debt and equity investments. He is actively involved in Year Up and Big Brothers of Massachusetts Bay. Brian lives in Boston. M
Donald Banowit, ‘95, of Vienna, Virginia, was elected to the directorship of the intellectual property law firm Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox. Donald is a member of the mechanical group. His practice focuses on patent and trademark litigation. He also counsels consumer products companies on a variety of issues.
Frederick Juckniess, ‘95, of Ann Arbor, has been elected principal of the firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone from senior attorney. His practice includes antitrust and intellectual property litigation as well as other commercial litigation and counseling.
Jason Lichtstein, ‘95, has been named a shareholder at the law firm Akerman Senterfitt in Miami, Florida. He practices environmental law, specializing in the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties, real estate and corporate transactions, environmental regulatory and compliance matters, and environmental litigation. Jason lives in Biscayne Park, Florida. M
Michael Muse, MARCH’95, has been promoted to partner of the architectural firm the Collaborative Inc. and joins four existing partners in day-to-day operations and long-term planning. He is a registered architect in Michigan and is also a member of the American Institute of Architects. Michael serves on the Design Awards Committee of the AIA Toledo chapter. Michael lives in Toledo, Ohio, with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons.
Leah Raab, ‘95, MARCH’97, of Chicago, Illinois, has been elected as an associate to the international architecture, interior design and planning firm DeStefano and Partners.
Candice Toll Aaron, ‘96, has joined Saul Ewing LLP as a special counsel in the litigation department, resident in the firm’s Wilmington, Delaware, office. Candice concentrates her practice in corporate litigation, with an emphasis on complex businessand transactional litigation in the Delaware courts and governance.
Brandon Blazo, ‘96, has joined the litigation department in the Detroit office of the Dykema law firm. His practice focuses on general litigation matters. He is a resident of Birmingham, Michigan.
Lysa Charles, MDRES’96, of Silver Spring, Maryland, traveled with a team of physicians to Haiti to volunteer time and medical expertise to those in need. Lysa is an orthopedic surgeon with Kaiser Permanente in Baltimore and spent the first six years of her life in Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince.
Kevin Fok, ’96, MBA’02, is a manager of marketing at Ovonic Fuel Cell Company and is responsible for marketing, business development and fuel cell systems integration. He recently presented a paper to an audience of more than 325 people at the Battcon 2007 International Battery Conference in Tampa, Florida. He also led a team in building and exhibiting an operating fuel cell system that attracted print media and TV attention at the National Hydrogen Association Annual Hydrogen Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Kevin resides in Troy, Michigan. M
Matthew Jane, ‘96, JD’00, has been admitted as a partner to the law firm Bodman LLP in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He specializes in commercial and construction litigation and has represented project owners, contractors and subcontractors in litigation and arbitrations involving contracts and liens. M
Christopher Murphy, ‘96, has been named a member (equivalent to partner) of the firm Cozen O’Conner. He practices with the products liability and complex tort group in the firm’s Chicago, Illinois, office where he concentrates his practice on commercial matters, products liability defense and toxic tort defense. M
Jessica Davis, JD’97, has been named partner in Bodman LLP, a Detroit-based law firm. She represents lenders in commercial loan originations and has experience in both asset-based and cash-flow lending as well as debt offerings and private placements. Jessica is a resident of Detroit, Michigan.
Freeman Farrow, JD’97, has been elected principal of the firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC, from associate. He is a member of the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice group and franchise law team, and is a Michigan SCAO-approved mediator. He resides in Ann Arbor. M
Kyra Gaunt, PhD’97, of New York City, was inducted into American University’s Performing Arts Alumni Hall of Fame. Kyra is a semi-professional jazz vocalist and an R&B songwriter and recording artist. M
Hilary Hoover, JD’97, has joined as an associate of the national commercial litigation practice of Perkins Coie. She will practice in the firm’s Seattle, Washington, office.
Harry Kemp, ‘97, has been admitted as a partner to the law firm Bodman LLP. He works in the firm’s Detroit office and specializes in corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate organization and general corporate transactions.
Nami Ohtomo, MS’97, MPP’98, has been hired as manager of strategic planning and government affairs at Young Brothers, Ltd. Her new responsibilities include working with the company’s strategic plan, planning and developing YB’s harbor facilities and working with government agencies in such planning and development. Nami lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
David Vernellis, ‘97, MSE’00, has been named director of operations for the Phoenix office of SmithGroup, the seventh-largest architecture and engineering firm in the US. David is responsible for financial statements and budgets, overall staffing projections, education and training activities.
Katherine Donohue, ‘98, was recently elected to the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Barristers’ board of directors. The Barristers is a group of young attorneys that actively works and serves in the community. She is based in Butzel Long’s Detroit office and practices in the areas of labor and employment law and business and commercial litigation.
Mark Periard, JD’98, has been named a partner in the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP. He joined the firm in 1998 and practices in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, office. Mark counsels individuals, families and closely held businesses in estate planning and administration, and succession and tax planning. He resides in East Grand Rapids with his wife, Barb, and their children, Andrew, Patrick and Margaret.
Than Thein, ‘98, earned a law degree from the University of Akron School of Law in May 2007.
Daniel Williams, ‘98, has been named to the partnership of the intellectual property law firm McDonnell, Boehnen, Hulbert, & Berghoff LLP. He concentrates his practice in obtaining patent protection for clients in the areas of telecommunications, computer hardware and software, networks and Internet applications. Daniel lives in Chicago, Illinois. M
M. Alan Frost, MARCH’99, of Chicago, Illinois, was elected as an associate to the international architecture, interior design and planning firm DeStefano and Partners.
Larry Gremel, JD’99, has been named a partner in Bodman LLP, a Detroit-based law firm. He represents lenders in loan originations, including asset-based loans, real estate financing, letters of credit and multi-rate, multi-currency loans and facilities. Larry is a resident of New Hudson, Michigan.
Meghan McGovern, MS’99, has joined the Washington, DC, office of the law firm Fish & Richardson PC, as an associate in its patent prosecution group, where she will focus her practice in the area of electrical engineering. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Sujata Narayan, MS’99, MUP’99, of Oakland, California, was featured in the new book “Firestarters: 100 Job Profiles to Inspire Young Women” by Dale Salvaggio Bradshaw and Kelly Beatty (Jist Publishing, 2006) for her work as an independent organizational development consultant.
Julie Rajzer, ‘99, has joined the law office of Butzel Long in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She concentrates her practice in the area of intellectual property law. Julie is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the computer law section and the intellectual property section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association. She is a resident of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.
Shani Whisonant, ‘99, JD’04, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has joined the Baltimore law firm Hodes, Pessin & Katz PA as an associate in the firm’s business services department. Shani will focus her practice in the areas of education and school law, labor and employment relations and litigation. M
00s
Daniel Canine, JD’00, has been admitted as a partner to the law firm Bodman LLP, in the firm’s Troy, Michigan, office. He specializes in real estate and banking law, and represents corporate and financial institution clients in a variety of real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, leases, easements and lending.
Conrad DeWitte, ‘00, has joined the Civil Division of the United States Justice Department as a trial attorney in the intellectual property section. He was previously an associate in the Washington, DC, office of Baker & Hostetler LLP, specializing in intellectual property law. M
Jianguang Du, PhD’00, has joined the Minneapolis, Minnesota, firm Fish & Richardson PC as an associate in the patent prosecution group.
Elizabeth Emerson, ‘00, was been named to the government relations team of the law firm Lockridge, Grindal, Nauen PLLP. She has been the legislative assistant to the Minnesota House assistant minority leader, now majority leader, and to three other representatives. Elizabeth lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Laura Khoury, ‘00, has joined the corporate finance practice in the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office of Dykema law firm. Her practice focuses on corporate and international transactions. She is a resident of Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Amy Anderson, ‘01, has joined the government policy practice area in the Lansing office of the Dykema law firm. Her practice focuses on government policy, casino gaming, insurance and administrative law. She is a resident of Lansing, Michigan.
Mark Erman, ‘01, of Pepper Hamilton LLP has been admitted to the Michigan Bar. He is an associate in the environmental practice group in the Detroit office.
Brian Mattei, ’01, MARCH’05, MENG’05, has been named an associate for OKW Architects, one of Chicago’s largest full-service architecture firms. He will manage construction documents for various OKW projects, including the Eastwood mixed-use development in Evanston, Illinois. Brian brings a wide variety of experience to his position, including single- and multi-family residential developments, mixed-use developments and educational facilities. He lives in Evanston.
Kevin Keenan, ‘02, of Bloomfield, Michigan, has joined intellectual property law firm Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd., as an associate in its Chicago, Illinois, office. He concentrates in patent prosecution and litigation in the mechanical arts.
Ursula Taylor, ‘02, joined the Chicago-based law firm Butler, Rubin, Saltarelli & Boyd LLP as an associate in the firm’s reinsurance and complex commercial litigation practice groups.
David Nay, ‘03, MSE’03, has joined the intellectual property practice group in the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office of Dykema law firm. His practice focuses on all aspects of intellectual property law. He is a resident of Northville, Michigan.
Jennifer Boueri, ‘04, has joined the litigation department in the Detroit office of Dykema law firm. Her practice focuses on general litigation matters. She is a resident of Novi, Michigan. M
Kristin Hanson, ‘04, recently released her acoustic-pop album “Already Gone.” The album was co-produced by her husband, Mike Chiaburu, ‘04, and was released independently on their own Relay Records label. Kristy and Mike live in Los Angeles, California. M
Anthen Perry, ‘04, JD’07, has joined the real estate practice area in the Detroit office of Dykema law firm. His practice focuses on acquisition and disposition, leasing, commercial finance and due diligence. He is a resident of Detroit.
Jenna Pollack, ‘04, joined the firm Cushman & Wakefield as an associate, national industrial services group. She will be based in the firm’s Long Island office in Melville, New York. Jenna specializes in negotiating leases and purchases on behalf of tenants and landlords. She is an active member of Women on the Fast Track, Professional Connections Network of Long Island and the Long Island Real Estate Group.
Keya Rajput, ‘04, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, and teammate Joshua Jones were the winners of the 32nd annual National Trial Competition, the premier trial advocacy tournament in the United States. She also received the competition’s Best Advocate Award.
Timothy Sendek, ‘04, has joined the law firm Dykema as an associate in the Chicago, Illinois, office. His practice focuses on intellectual property matters, including patent and trademark issues.
Adam Borden, MBA’05, of Baltimore, Maryland, closed his first specialty and organic food venture capital fund and made its first investment. The investment was in a chocolatier based in San Francisco, California, Charles Chocolates. He started the management company two years ago after marketing luxury foods for Petrossian in New York City for three years.
Tara Lord, MA’05, has joined the law firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC as an associate practicing in the financial institutions and transactions group. Prior to joining Miller Canfield, Tara held various positions at the University of Michigan. She was a legal research assistant at the Law School, a graduate student instructor of Spanish and a graduate research assistant of Romance languages. She currently resides in Plymouth, Michigan.
Elizabeth Waterman, JD’06, has joined Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as an associate. She concentrates her practice in business law with an emphasis on contracts, franchises, antitrust, and mergers and acquisitions. She will practice in the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, office.
David White, JD’06, has joined the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as an associate. He has been admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and will practice in the firm’s Southfield, Michigan, office.
Eden Litt, ‘07, recently departed for a year-long teaching post in Ecuador as a WorldTeach volunteer. She will be working in the public school system and teaching children of all ages. M
Todd Neckers, JD’07, has joined the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as an associate. He has been admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and will practice in the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, office..
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As strange as it may look for the sun to be shining out of these windows, the façade of the Carnegie Library on Huron Street has been part of the Ann Arbor landscape for more than a century.
As strange as it may look for the sun to be shining out of these windows, the façade of the Carnegie Library on Huron Street has been part of the Ann Arbor landscape for more than a century. It served as the public library from 1906 to 1956. Sharing a wall with the old Ann Arbor High School (which was later renamed the Frieze Building), the two buildings were sold to the University more than 50 years ago and were recently demolished, except for what you see here. The library façade will be incorporated into the exterior of the North Quad, a new living/learning complex at Huron and State streets that will be completed in the summer of 2010. It will include the first residence hall to be built on campus in nearly 40 years, and will house several academic programs that focus on information, communication and media.
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Quotes
“The idea that business organizations can be a sort of olive branch for peace rather than just a harbinger of excess and exploitation is attractive.”
Gretchen Spreitzer in The Boston Globe, February 17, 2008.
The Ross School of Business professor commented on her research, which shows that empowered, satisfied employees tend to live in open, peaceful societies. It appears that employees apply lessons learned in the workplace to social and political life.
“If they don’t actually perceive their children to have excess weight, then how can we realistically expect them to make changes?”
Matthew Davis in The New York Times, December 18, 2007.
The pediatrician and internist, who directed the National Poll on Children’s Health by the CS Mott Children’s Hospital, stated that doctors wondered why parents didn’t seem concerned that their children were overweight.
“You can’t even put words on how much of a difference it makes to have other people on campus that you can understand.’’
Derek Blumke in the Ann Arbor News, February 2, 2008.
The U-M student and US Air Force veteran commented on the importance of meeting other veterans on campus. Blumke created the Student Veterans Association of the U-M.
“We were frankly surprised that so few people reported spending their checks back then.’’
Matthew Shapiro in the Ann Arbor News, February 4, 2008.
The U-M economist commented on a study that found that most taxpayers reported they either saved their 2001 rebate checks or paid down
debt. Only 22 percent of taxpayers said they spent most of the money.
“Inexperience, underdeveloped driving skills and immaturity together contribute to poor performance of driving tasks.”
C. Raymond Bingham in USA Today, January 17, 2008.
The U-M Transportation Research Institute researcher explained the reasons teens were 2½ times as likely as adults to be in a car crash. The UMTRI study calls for more restrictive licensing for teen drivers.
“If I were to go to another school, there would be a better chance for a supportive environment and a critical mass of students I can identify with.”
Bryon Maxey in the Detroit Free Press, February 4, 2008.
The U-M junior, who is considering attending graduate school at the University, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit in US District Court aimed at striking down Proposal 2. Maxey said that Proposal 2, which outlawed consideration of race and gender in public college admissions in Michigan, made some students of color feel unwelcome on campus.
“People understand that we continue to look to improve the Crisler.”
John Beilein in the Detroit News, January 29, 2008.
The men’s basketball coach explained that plans are moving forward for renovating the 40-year-old Crisler Arena.
“Guys are really an interesting breed.”
Holly Sharp in the Associated Press, February 4, 2008.
The U-M business school student was part of a four-woman team that won the $40,000 first prize in a national competition sponsored by Procter & Gamble Co. The team’s marketing plan, “Manscaping
America, One College Campus at a Time,” is aimed at college men battling unwanted body hair.
“The president and the executive officers have endorsed the Diag as the venue for the 2008 Spring Commencement.”
U-M leaders in the Detroit News, February 9, 2008.
An email message from U-M officials confirmed graduating students’ choice of the Diag as the location for spring commencement. Students were polled after the University received negative feedback about plans to hold commencement in Rynearson Stadium at nearby Eastern Michigan University. The ceremony could not be held at Michigan Stadium due to ongoing construction.
Posted by smorioka at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)
Marriages and Commitments, Births and Adoptions
Marriages and Commitments
Alex Polakowski, ‘90, married Carol Ellis on August 4, 2007. The couple lives in Pontiac, Michigan. M
Emily Synk, ‘91, married Robert Manning in Detroit on August 11, 2007. She is currently manager of Lynn Military Controls at GE Aviation in Lynn, Massachusetts. The couple resides in Boston, Massachusetts. M
Paul Barger, ‘96, married Amy Schoenberg in Maplewood, New Jersey, on August 12, 2007. The wedding party included Ricky Friedland, ‘96, Andrew Ward, ‘96, Mike Davidoff, ‘96, David Kramer, ‘95, Paul’s sister Michelle Bergman, ‘92, and brother-in-law Scott Bergman, ‘92. The couple lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. M
Marc Cockerill, ‘96, and Sarah Garvey were married
on August 25, 2007, at Saint Clement Church in Chicago, Illinois. Eric Cockerill, MSE’95, and Andrew Dyer, ‘96, MSE’99, served as groomsmen. Other U-M graudates attending the wedding were David Brooks, ‘94, Jennifer Grossas Brooks, ‘95, Melissa Slaim Dyer, ‘96, Jeffrey Gourdji, ‘94, Jeffrey Hubbell, ‘96, Adam Kopper, ‘96, Maria Taylor Kopper, ‘96, and Jeffrey Winkler, ‘96. Marc and Sarah reside in Chicago, Illinois. M
Bradford Karrer, ‘98, married Leah Bunce on September 8, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina. Wolverines in attendance were Michelle Duval, ‘92, Josh Reyher, ‘93, Barbara Endoy, ‘96, and David Plevan, ‘97. Brad is a real estate developer for Vornado/Charles E. Smith, and Leah is a marine conservationist for Conservation International. The couple resides in Washington, DC. M
Mariel Estigarribia, ‘01, JD’05, and Christian Fonss of Washington, DC, announce their engagement. The wedding will be in Detroit, Michigan, on September 6, 2008. The bridal party will be
composed entirely of Wolverines. M
Carri Glide, ’01, married Newton Hurst on July 6, 2007, in Petoskey, Michigan. Friends attending the wedding included Melissa Marsack, ’01, Carolyn Scott, ’02, Andrew Scott, MSE’01, Allison Rodgers, MD’04, Donald Wolford, ’99, and Matthew Kanny, ’88. Carri is a research associate at William Beaumont Hospital and Newton recently started medical school at Wayne State University. M
Joshua Levin, ‘01, married Jennie Tucker, ‘01, on October 20, 2007, in Houston, Texas. Jennie is an attorney at Goldberg Kohn, and Josh is a strategy analyst at Exelon Corp. The couple resides in Chicago, Illinois. The bridal party included Chase Chavin, ‘01, Lauren Gibbs, ‘01, JD’04, Sally Harrison, ‘01, and Serena Salloum, ‘00. M
Atticus Flores, ‘02, of Canton, Michigan, proposed to Kimberly Ellsworth, ‘02, during a romantic fall picnic in the Arb. Kimberly is a graphic designer at the U-M Law School. Atticus is an automotive product engineer at Plastech. The Wolverines are planning a spring 2009 wedding.
Shari Katz, ‘02, JD’06, and Heyden Graham, MBA’07, were married on November 11, 2007. Shari is a litigation associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom. Heyden is a finance manager at American Express. They met in graduate school at U-M and now reside in New York City. M
Jennifer Granet, ‘03, of Oakland, California, married Daniel Kirshman, ‘03, on June 23, 2007, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Other U-M graduates in attendance at their wedding included David Kirshman, JD’72, Deborah Helzel Kirschman, ‘70, MA’72, Hon. James Kleinberg, JD’67, Judith Greenberg Kleinberg, ‘68, Richard Bass, ‘69, Harriet Bass, ‘69, Terry Pink Alexander, ‘70, MA’71, Michael Prober, ‘88, Rachel Kirshman Concannon, ‘00, Lauren Kleinberg, ‘00, Karen Lee, ‘02, Raja Chakravorti, ‘03, Richard Comstock, ‘03, Eric Gershoni, ‘03, Justin Gregory,‘03, Cristina Grajewski Milford, ‘03, Dana Gutentag, ‘03, Valerie Israel, ‘03, David Kaplan, ‘03, Paul Kreidler, ‘03, Elizabeth Krupp, ‘03, Adam Lambert, ‘03, Joshua Plattner, ‘03, Joseph Rohrlich, ‘03, Danielle Streisand, ‘03, and Erica Studl, ‘03. M
Susan Swisher Lagalski, ‘03, married Nicholas Lagalski on July 28, 2007. The couple lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan. M
William Detrisac, ‘05, MSE’06, married Emily Swan, ‘04, on June 9, 2007, in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. Wolverines in attendance included M. Arthur Detrisac, ‘45, June Detrisac, ‘46, David Detrisac, ‘72, MSE’73, MD’77, Sandra Zylstra Detrisac, ‘75, Paul Detrisac, MD’78, Penny Dietrich Detrisac, ‘75, Carol Detrisac, ‘79, and Lou Detrisac, ‘03, MSE’04. Bill is an engineer with General Motors, and Emily is pursuing a master’s degree in genetic counseling at Wayne State University. The couple lives in Madison Heights, Michigan.
Births and Adoptions
Kathleen Myalls, ’84, and her husband, Scott Zettek, are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, Zack Myalls Zettek, on April 14, 2007. He joins his big “brother,” Spencer (the family’s Bernese mountain dog). The family resides in Wilmette, Illinois, and Fontana, Wisconsin. Kathy expects that Zack will graduate from U-M in 2029. Scott, who graduated with dual degrees from Notre Dame, will try to undo this plan. M
Lesley Brown, ‘87, and her husband, Howard Gussis,
proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Jaden Augusta Brown Gussis, on July 24, 2007. She is a true Wolverine, as the “The Victors” is already her favorite song. The family resides in Paris, Wisconsin, but returns to Ann Arbor whenever they can to visit Grandma and Grandpa Brown. M
Paul Mistor, ‘87, of Winston Salem, North Carolina, is the proud father of his first son, Luke Wilson Mistor. Luke was born on October 11, 2007. At birth he weighed in at 6 lbs. and 14 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. M
David Derr, ‘90, and his wife, Martha Derr, ‘90, recently welcomed the addition of their two adopted children, Esther, 6, and Ivan, 5, from Zambia, to their family. They join the couple’s four other children, Sara, 11, Teresa, 9, Jonathon, 7, and Rebecca, 7. The family resides in Gig Harbor, Washington. M
Melissa Edelman, ‘92, and her husband, Marc, are proud to announce the birth of their third child, Gavin Matthew, on June 8, 2007. Gavin joins big brother, Ethan, and big sister, Brooke. The family lives in Syosset, New York. M
Jennifer Edwards, ‘92, and Daniel Edwards, ‘93, DDS’97, proudly welcomed future Wolverine Jacob Daniel Edwards on October 19, 2007. He and big brother, Zachary, look forward to joining Mom and Dad in the Big House next fall. The family lives in Ann Arbor. M
Debra Baker, ‘93, and her husband, Jeff, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Leah Marnie, on May 3, 2007. She joins big sister, Mara Beth. The family lives in Toronto, Ontario. M
Juan Angelats, ‘94, and his wife, Erin, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Elin Helena, on November 1, 2007. She joins big sister, Gisela Isabel, 21 months. The family lives in Edina, Minnesota. M
Tibor Juhasz, ‘94, and his wife, Rose, are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Holden Taylor. Holden arrived at the U-M Medical Center on September 21, 2007. The family resides in South Lyon, Michigan. M
Keith Preston, ‘94, and Jennifer Preston, ‘96, welcomed their first child, Kevin James Preston, on October 1, 2007. Kevin and his proud parents reside in San Jose, California. M
Sheila D’Angelo, ‘95, and her husband, Earnie Beem, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Kayla, on June 26, 2007. Sheila is a program director at a large health care organization, and Earnie is the president of an electrical engineering firm. The family resides in Simi Valley, California. M
Tamara Chudacoff Garwood, ‘95, and Gordon Garwood, ‘95, MSE’97, welcomed their first child, Kyrie Jane, on July 17, 2007. The family lives in Ann Arbor. M
Kirk Wolfe, ‘95, and his wife, Amy Wallner Wolfe, ‘95, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Lily Anna, on September 19, 2007. Lily joins big sister, Grace, and big brother, Henry. The family lives in Wilmette, Illinois. M
Nicholas Boone, ‘96, and his wife, Tracey, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Hannah Grace, on October 11, 2007. She joins big brother, Miles. The family lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut. M
Donald Cumming, ‘96, and Melea Cumming, ‘98, welcomed Magnolia Leigh Cumming on October 26, 2007. Mimi and Donald are adjusting (again) to life without sleep, while Magnolia’s big sister, Sabrina, is very excited to help and love her new baby sister. M
Emily Horvath, ‘96, and her husband, Mike, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Drew Michael, on May 20, 2007. Drew and his parents reside in Evanston, Illinois. M
John Peckham, ‘96, and his wife, Elizabeth, PhD‘05, are pleased to announce the birth of their first son, Michael Robert, on October 21, 2007. The family resides in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Paula Polson, ‘96, and Chris Polson are delighted to announce the birth of their first child, Alan R. Polson, on May 4, 2007. M
Robert Stern, ‘96, and his wife, Alyssa, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Evan Benjamin, on August 29, 2007. Evan and his parents reside in Needham, Massachusetts. M
Steven Sheldon, ‘98, and Julie Sheldon, ‘01, announce the birth of son, Sean Robert Sheldon, on April 12, 2007. M
Anne Sievers, ‘98, MA’99, welcomed a son, Luke Randall, on May 8, 2007. Luke joins his older sister, Katherine Kampfe. The family resides in Columbia, Missouri. Both kids are already looking forward to their first trip to Ann Arbor. M
Jennifer Slate, ‘98, and her husband, Jonathon Grischkan, welcomed their son Noah Henry Grischkan on October 30, 2007. The family lives in Columbus, Ohio. M
Erin Tipton, ‘98, and her husband, Dan, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Adam Joseph, on August 15, 2007. The family lives in Hamilton, Ohio. M
Crystal Lopez, ‘99, and her husband, Jonathan, are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Henry John, on August 20, 2007. M
Aaron Vance, ‘99, and Wendy Galef Vance, ‘99, proudly announce the birth of future Wolverine Anya Marie Vance on April 13, 2007. They currently reside in Denver, Colorado. M
Philip Welch, ‘99, and Marlene Calderon Welch, PhD’02, MDRES’04, are proud to announce the birth of their second son, Nolan Ray, on October 4, 2007. Nolan joins big brother, Maxton. The family lives in Dundee, Michigan.
Frank Kinney, ‘03, and his wife, Joana, are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Arianna Maria Kinney, born December 19, 2007. Arianna’s birth is celebrated with grandparents Kathy and Jerry Jones of Livonia, Michigan, great-Nonna Igida Iadipaolo of White Lake, Michigan, and great-great-Nonna Maria Ferrari of Vicalvi, Italy. Frank and his family reside in Hartland, Michigan. M
Lalith Narayan, MS’03, and Christina Mendoza are delighted to announce the arrival of their son, Antonio Darshan Narayan, on August 17, 2007. The family now lives in Davis, California.
Posted by smorioka at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
Obituaries
This obituary list is compiled by the Alumni Records Office and is printed in Michigan Alumnus as a service to our readers. To notify the U-M and Michigan Alumnus of alumni deaths, contact Alumni
Records at 734.647.6190.
This obituary list is compiled by the Alumni Records Office and is printed in Michigan Alumnus as a service to our readers. To notify the U-M and Michigan Alumnus of alumni deaths, contact Alumni
Records at 734.647.6190.
Faculty, Staff, Past Directors
Ronald D. Freedman, ‘39, MA’40, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 21, 2007.
James A. McLean, ‘44, MD’46, Mebane, NC, Dec. 5, 2007.
Janice Vanderberg Lindberg, ‘58, PhD’79, Zirconia, NC, Dec. 27, 2007.
Naomi E. Lohr, PhD’67, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 21, 2007.
1930-1939
Samuel E. Lappin, ‘30, Huntington Woods, MI, Oct. 1, 2007.
Maida Kuo Yuen, MA’30, Glendale, CA, Nov. 8, 2007.
Elinor Wortley Doty, ‘31, ‘32, Austin, TX, Nov. 29, 2007.
Garfield R. Hubble, ‘31, Beaverton, OR, Dec. 17, 2007.
Victor Rabinowitz, ‘31, JD’34, New York, NY, Nov. 16, 2007.
Jeanne W. Furst, ‘33, Freeport, IL, Oct. 8, 2007.
W. Stanley Kracht, ‘33, Sterling Heights, MI, May 6, 2007.
Jeanette X. Miller, ‘33, Franklin, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Alexander Clark, ‘34, Grosse Pointe Park, MI, Jan. 10, 2008.
Mary Hall Edmonds, ‘34, Dearborn, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
Rollin K. Thoren, MA’34, Little Lake, MI, Dec. 29, 2007.
Elizabeth Sparks Adams, MA’35, Waterford, MI, Oct. 11, 2007.
Charles H. Bader, MS’35, Lookout Mountain, TN, Oct. 29, 2007.
Bruce B. Cook, DDS’35, MS’36, Madison, WI, Nov. 17, 2007.
Woodrow W. Ward, ‘35, Valrico, FL, Nov. 19, 2007.
Marybelle Bouchard Hanna, ‘36, Hanover, NH, Nov. 6, 2007.
Louise Stone Mavis, ‘36, ‘37, Traverse City, MI, Jan. 12, 2008.
Roland M. Waters, ‘36, Arlington Heights, IL, Nov. 28, 2007.
Vera C. Hopkins, MA’37, West Lafayette, IN, June 12, 2006.
Virginia Spray Staples, ‘37, Nov. 27, 2006.
Tom Downs, ‘38, JD’40, East Lansing, MI, Dec. 26, 2007.
Ellsworth A. Freeman, ‘38, Orangevale, CA, Nov. 11, 2007.
Jane Duus Graves, ‘38, Kalamazoo, MI, Nov. 10, 2007.
Raymond P. Peterson, MA’38, PhD’64, Albuquerque, NM, Jan. 8, 2008.
Barbara Bradfield Taft, ‘38, MA’39, Washington, DC, Nov. 22, 2007.
Robert J. Banks, ‘39, Danville, IL, Dec. 20, 2007.
Mildred Bjornstad, ‘39, Saint Louis, MO, Nov. 17, 2007.
Margery Roebeck Edmands, ‘39, Bay City, MI, Dec. 9, 2007.
Kathleen Glasstone, MA’39, Oak Ridge, TN, Jan. 7, 2008.
Julius A. Jaeger, ‘39, Lavonia, GA, Oct. 30, 2007.
Stephanie Parfet Ladd, ‘39, Los Angeles, CA, Dec. 9, 2007.
George M. Shargel, MD’39, Bloomfield Hills, MI, May 8, 2007.
Edward R. Sheckman, ‘39, New York, NY, Oct. 29, 2007.
1940-1949
Gertrude Hoff Beversluis, MA’40, Grand Rapids, MI, Jan. 9, 2008.
David Davidoff, ‘40, JD’42, Kalamazoo, MI, Nov. 25, 2007.
Kenneth F. Herrold, MSPH’40, Alexandria, VA, Nov. 22, 2007.
Donna Bolt Meeusen, ‘40, MA’46, Holland, MI, Dec. 3, 2007.
Wilber J. Reed, ‘40, Jackson Springs, NC, Jan. 3, 2008.
Phillip H. Roberts, ‘40, Anaheim, CA, Dec. 9, 2007.
Robert W. Soderholm, ‘40, Williamsburg, VA, Dec. 3, 2007.
John H. Walker, MD’40, Bellevue, WA, Nov. 8, 2007.
Hsing M. Yu, MS’40, Gwynedd, PA, Oct. 28, 2007.
Nelson J. Davis, ‘41, Alexandria, VA, Sept. 24, 2007.
Donald T. Diem, ‘41, Saginaw, MI, Nov. 18, 2007.
Woodrow G. Frailing, ‘41, Tucson, AZ, Oct. 8, 2007.
Robert A. Hitch, MS’41, Florence, SC, Dec. 8, 2007.
Charles Kuchar, ‘41, Carmichael, CA, Oct. 6, 2007.
Milton Orshefsky, ‘41, Wainscott, NY, Oct. 17, 2007.
Alice O. Rydell, ‘41, Oct. 20, 2007.
Jay C. Taylor, JD’41, Sterling Heights, MI, Nov. 30, 2007.
Jeanne G. Carlson, ‘42, Ontario, NY, Dec. 26, 2005.
Robert L. Flora, ‘42, Moran, MI, Dec. 4, 2007.
Walter S. Klappich, ‘42, MSE’56, Christiansburg, VA, Dec. 14, 2007.
Joseph H. Lynn, ‘42, Sacramento, CA, Nov. 3, 2007.
John B. McKean, ‘42, Grand Junction, CO, Dec. 13, 2007.
Marion G. McLean, ‘42, Charleston, IL, Jan. 9, 2008.
Robert O. Shelley, ‘42, MBA’43, Flushing, MI, Nov. 26, 2007.
Donald C. Skelly, ‘42, Crossville, TN, Dec. 23, 2007.
Dorothy Merki Yager, ‘42, Perrysburg, OH, Nov. 10, 2007.
Ralph H. Amstutz, ‘43, Douglas, MI, Nov. 5, 2007.
Marjorie M. Bradt, ‘43, Lake Mills, WI, Dec. 21, 2007.
Kenneth L. Cordes, ‘43, Glen Mills, PA, Jan. 8, 2008.
Mariam Edgar Eldridge, ‘43, Menlo Park, CA, Nov. 17, 2007.
Robert S. Feldman, ‘43, MS’44, PhD’51, New York, NY, Jan. 14, 2008.
Leslie H. Froelich, ‘43, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 8, 2007.
Marion S. Fryt, ‘43, Colorado Springs, CO, Nov. 13, 2007.
William L. Gerlach, ‘43, Jan. 10, 2008.
Marilyn Gebhard McCord, ‘43, Cincinnati, OH, Dec. 29, 2007.
Laura M. Reese, MS’43, Macon, GA, Nov. 30, 2007.
Frank A. Rice, ‘43, Arlington, VA, Oct. 27, 2007.
Beatrice L. Selvin, ‘43, Nov. 6, 2007.
Lois E. Brandenburg, ‘44, MBA’58, Mount Clemens, MI, Nov. 21, 2007.
Margaret S. Bronson, MA’44, Brooksville, FL, Nov. 1, 2007.
John S. Gellatly, ‘44, La Grange, IL, Sept. 22, 2007.
Margaret E. Nix, MPH’44, PhD’53, Sidney, BC, Jan. 11, 2007.
Edwin M. Solomon, ‘44, Silver Spring, MD, Oct. 7, 2007.
Jean Steptoe Drinkwater, ‘45, Mayville, MI, Jan. 1, 2008.
E. Ann Carpenter Jones, ‘45, Spokane, WA, Nov. 10, 2007.
Forrest H. Keown, ‘45, Winter Haven, FL, Nov. 22, 2007.
Martha E. Purchase, MA’45, Battle Creek, MI, May 13, 2006.
David H. Shepard, ‘45, MS’48, Coronado, CA, Nov. 24, 2007.
Donald P. Anderson, MA’46, Ann Arbor, MI, Jan. 18, 2008.
Margaret Maybury Colvin, ‘46, Omaha, NE, Jan. 5, 2008.
Clifford J. Craft, ‘46, MSE’47, Malibu, CA, Oct. 27, 2007.
Elwood J. Hunemorder, ‘46, MS’47, Midland, MI, Dec. 27, 2007.
Dorothy Flint Megill, ‘46, Asbury Park, NJ, Dec. 17, 2007.
George R. Minor, MDRES’46, MS’48, Charlottesville, VA, Nov. 29, 2007.
Elizabeth Romine Morse, MA’46, Oak Harbor, WA, Jan. 10, 2008.
Marie I. Ogaeko, ‘46, MA’60, Grand Rapids, MI, Dec. 17, 2007.
Fred C. Pritzlaff, ‘46, Oconto Falls, WI, Nov. 1, 2007.
Earl C. Thomas, ‘46, Nov. 2, 2007.
George R. Thornton, JD’46, Manchester, MI, Nov. 28, 2007.
Lutetia Holloway Walker, MA’46, Hampton, VA, Dec. 26, 2007.
William D. Wenzlau, ‘46, MSE’49, San Marino, CA, Dec. 18, 2007.
George A. Abbott, ‘47, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Nov. 14, 2007.
Jesse E. Aber, ‘47, Bozeman, MT, Nov. 24, 2007.
John L. Artley, ‘47, MSE’48, Waynesville, NC, Sept. 27, 2007.
Robert O. Belcher, MS’47, PhD’55, Ypsilanti, MI, Jan. 8, 2008.
Elise M. Cambon, MMUS’47, Spring, TX, Dec. 30, 2007.
James D. Decker, ‘47, MSE’48, Virginia Beach, VA, Nov. 26, 2007.
John Hanson, ‘47, MF’48, Kalamazoo, MI, Dec. 25, 2007.
Ellen Prewitt Hill-Taylor, ‘47, Grand Junction, CO, Nov. 9, 2007.
Paul L. John, ‘47, Carmel, CA, Nov. 19, 2007.
Bruce R. McLachlin, ‘47, Venice, FL, Nov. 17, 2007.
Adele Brecht Merrill, ‘47, Hampden, ME, Nov. 18, 2007.
Harry W. Morris, ‘47, Ashland, VA, Nov. 25, 2007.
Doris M. Rosenblum, MA’47, Oct. 12, 2007.
Marvin D. Shafer, ‘47, Pasadena, CA, Nov. 8, 2007.
Juan A. Badillo, MS’48, Tomball, TX, Jan. 4, 2008.
John T. Campbell, ‘48, MBA’59, Ypsilanti, MI, Oct. 26, 2007.
Theodore H. Drews, ‘48, MPA’51, JD’51, Lihue, HI, Nov. 14, 2007.
F. Leif Eareckson, ‘48, Annapolis, MD, Nov. 29, 2007.
John C. Fenner, ‘48, Tempe, AZ, Dec. 11, 2007.
Bernard A. Gassin, ‘48, Highland Park, IL, Dec. 1, 2007.
H. Wiley Hitchcock, MMUS’48, PhD’54, New York, NY, Dec. 5, 2007.
Lenore Nack Huber, ‘48, Cedar Falls, IA, Jan. 6, 2008.
Kenneth J. Marin, MA’48, Sept. 1, 2007.
Barry G. McCabe, ‘48, Westport, CT, Nov. 14, 2007.
James Nickerson, ‘48, Wayne, PA, Nov. 14, 2007.
Marjorie Patterson Pflug, ‘48, Birmingham, MI, Nov. 11, 2007.
Robert E. Radley, ‘48, Scottsdale, AZ, Dec. 29, 2007.
Gordon D. Rapp, ‘48, Chapel Hill, NC, Nov. 10, 2007.
Perry F. Roys, MBA’48, Polson, MT, Dec. 8, 2007.
Robert Schneiderman, ‘48, MA’57, Montauk, NY, Nov. 12, 2007.
Harold J. Seigle, MSE’48, West Palm Beach, FL, Oct. 31, 2007.
Richard H. Simonian, ‘48, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Oct. 13, 2007.
Roger B. Smith, ‘48, MBA’53, HLLD’90, Cheboygan, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Jean G. Stillings, MA’48, Petoskey, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Jacqueline Poore Tull, ‘48, Saline, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
James Urquhart, ‘48, Taylor, MI, Oct. 28, 2007.
August M. Vander Ark, ‘48, Nov. 16, 2007.
Robert K. Vanoeveren, MS’48, Lansing, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Mary C. Vigilante, ‘48, Wilkes Barre, PA, Nov. 14, 2007.
Robert F. Wardrop, MA’48, Pinehurst, NC, Dec. 14, 2007.
H. William Welch, MS’48, PhD’52, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 10, 2007.
Joseph P. Allen, ‘49, Westmoreland, NH, Oct. 19, 2007.
William J. Allsopp, ‘49, Seattle, WA, Jan. 2, 2008.
Theodore M. Barr, MPH’49, New Baltimore, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Catherine A. Carter, MALS’49, State College, PA, Jan. 6, 2008.
Donald J. Diederich, MBA’49, Madison, WI, Dec. 6, 2007.
Robert H. Eaton, ‘49, MSE’54, Woodland Hills, CA, Jan. 2, 2008.
John A. Faber, ‘49, Dec. 20, 2007.
Michael R. Gallagher, JD’49, Chagrin Falls, OH, Oct. 27, 2007.
Thomas P. Healy, ‘49, Winnetka, IL, Oct. 9, 2006.
Thomas E. Hennessy, ‘49, Carey, OH, Nov. 18, 2007.
Auldin H. Nelson, ‘49, Burton, MI, Nov. 6, 2007.
Donald G. Philp, ‘49, Fort Collins, CO, Jan. 2, 2008.
Herbert B. Ruskin, ‘49, White Plains, NY, Nov. 17, 2007.
Lawrence F. Schott, ‘49, Mount Clemens, MI, Nov. 30, 2007.
Kurt A. Soehngen, ‘49, San Jose, CA, Jan. 4, 2008.
Don V. Souter, JD’49, Grand Rapids, MI, Nov. 5, 2007.
1950-1959
Ralph J. Dixon, MA’50, Rantoul, IL, Nov. 12, 2007.
Arlan L. Edgar, MA’50, MS’57, PhD’60, Alma, MI, Dec. 22, 2007.
Leonard L. Ferguson, ‘50, Jan. 13, 2008.
John R. Flick, MSE’50, Rockford, IL, Oct. 22, 2007.
Howard F. Fontaine, ‘50, MA’51, Escanaba, MI, Jan. 3, 2008.
David H. Hauser, ‘50, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Nov. 24, 2007.
James W. Kirkemo, ‘50, Oct. 8, 2007.
David G. Mobberley, MS’50, Sebring, OH, Dec. 6, 2007.
Sylvester J. Petro, LLM’50, Woodstock, GA, Nov. 10, 2007.
Kathryn S. Roodvoets, ‘50, Lapeer, MI, Oct. 21, 2007.
Franklin E. Tillery, ‘50, Fairfax, VA, Dec. 9, 2007.
David D. Walden, ‘50, Nov. 9, 2007.
Robert L. Warden, MSE’50, Houston, TX, Nov. 17, 2007.
Arthur W. Wassberg, MA’50, Marquette, MI, Dec. 5, 2007.
Lois Du Frain Disney, ‘51, Blacksburg, VA, Dec. 3, 2007.
Rex Eames, JD’51, Saint Clair Shores, MI, Dec. 22, 2007.
Paul G. Fisher, MMUS’51, EDD’69, Lancaster, PA, Dec. 17, 2007.
Harry C. Francis, MA’51, Dearborn, MI, Oct. 31, 2007.
Robert M. Janes, ‘51, Rochester Hills, MI, Nov. 21, 2007.
Howard Jessup, MA’51, South Haven, MI, Dec. 20, 2007.
Gerald E. Leitz, ‘51, Frankfort, MI, Jan. 4, 2008.
James R. McReynolds, ‘51, MA’52, Batavia, IL, Dec. 26, 2007.
Jack R. Raymond, ‘51, Indianapolis, IN, Jan. 10, 2008.
Martin R. Rice, MMUS’51, Nov. 14, 2007.
Thomas D. Rich, ‘51, Kalamazoo, MI, Nov. 24, 2007.
Ellis F. Robinson, JD’51, Holland, OH, Dec. 11, 2007.
Betty J. Schuss, ‘51, Basalt, CO, Dec. 7, 2007.
Benjamin M. Seaborne, ‘51, Scottsdale, AZ, Oct. 19, 2007.
Robert B. Stiles, MBA’51, Nov. 13, 2007.
Stephen Thomas, ‘51, Kennett Square, PA, July 15, 2007.
Charles L. Tucker, ‘51, Sterling Heights, MI, Dec. 9, 2007.
Robert L. Tveit, ‘51, Ventura, CA, Dec. 16, 2007.
Melvin L. Wagner, MMUS’51, Cape Girardeau, MO, Nov. 24, 2007.
Lyndell P. Watkins, MMUS’51, Cleveland, MS, Nov. 13, 2007.
Pearleen Poindexter Baer, ‘52, Greenville, DE, Dec. 17, 2007.
John M. Bobbitt, MD’52, MDRES’57, Mooresville, NC, Jan. 5, 2008.
Donald A. Cairns, MD’52, Mason, MI, Nov. 22, 2007.
Dudley J. Godfrey, JD’52, Milwaukee, WI, Dec. 20, 2007.
Harold T. Hagan, ‘52, Edgewater, FL, Nov. 25, 2007.
David M. Preston, ‘52, JD’55, Troy, MI, Oct. 28, 2007.
Horace B. Reed, MA’52, Murfreesboro, TN, Nov. 29, 2007.
Sylvia Nicoara Sanders, ‘52, Gaylord, MI, Dec. 9, 2007.
Ruth N. Sims, MALS’52, Nov. 28, 2007.
Catherine Murtha Southern, ‘52, Fallon, NV, Dec. 12, 2007.
Stephen C. Baltic, MA’53, Escanaba, MI, Nov. 17, 2007.
Earle L. Biassey, MS’53, Stratford, CT, Nov. 28, 2007.
Barbara Porath Clinthorne, MD’53, Midland, MI, Nov. 7, 2007.
Howard W. Croswell, ‘53, Florissant, MO, Oct. 17, 2007.
Jean Freshour Cummiskey, ‘53, MPH’66, Savannah, GA, Dec. 6, 2007.
Nicholas R. Hunter, ‘53, Lexington, KY, Dec. 12, 2007.
William H. Jackson, ‘53, Nashville, TN, Oct. 31, 2007.
Robert R. Menghini, MA’53, Iron Mountain, MI, Nov. 5, 2007.
David M. Russell, ‘53, Kalamazoo, MI, May 23, 2007.
Ralph E. Sutton, ‘53, Iron Mountain, MI, Oct. 26, 2007.
George T. Timoff, ‘53, Waterford, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
John C. Wagner, ‘53, Bethesda, MD, Oct. 27, 2007.
F. Neil Aschemeyer, JD’54, Oakland, CA, Dec. 23, 2007.
Margaret Lee Brigham, MA’54, Mio, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
James A. Carty, MBA’54, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, Dec. 18, 2007.
Gerald S. Degrow, MA’54, EDD’63, Sun City West, AZ, Nov. 28, 2007.
John V. Manton, MA’54, MA’56, Nov. 16, 2007.
Doris B. Parsons, MA’54, San Francisco, CA, July 2, 2007.
Judith A. Rose, ‘54, Huntsville, AL, Dec. 14, 2007.
Robert D. Vanderroest, DDS’54, Kalamazoo, MI, Dec. 19, 2007.
Mary Brown Brady, MA’55, Louisville, KY, Oct. 29, 2007.
Donald R. Harris, MD’55, Petoskey, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Earl F. Hubacker, ‘55, Lillian, AL, Sept. 27, 2006.
John B. Pozza, ‘55, Fairfax Station, VA, Dec. 29, 2007.
Clifton A. Rautiola, DDS’55, MS’60, Okemos, MI, Nov. 4, 2007.
Diniz J. Ribeiro, MSPHA’55, Bombay, June 15, 2006.
Morton C. Bartlett, MS’56, PhD’59, Lindenhurst, IL, Nov. 21, 2007.
Charles E. Bond, MSE’56, PhD’64, Urbana, IL, Jan. 5, 2008.
Harold Grissen, MA’56, Holland, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Beverly Blair Hawkins, ‘56, Watertown, WI, Nov. 13, 2007.
Elaine K. Mueller, MA’56, Saginaw, MI, Dec. 11, 2007.
Donald B. Walker, ‘56, Tallmadge, OH, Nov. 8, 2007.
Deborah Altman, ‘57, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Jan. 8, 2007.
Eldon D. Bailey, DDS’57, Midland, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Constance Wojtach Bureau, ‘57, Nashua, NH, Dec. 22, 2007.
Elizabeth J. Haglund, MPH’57, Santa Rosa, CA, Oct. 26, 2007.
Eloise Livingston Heaton, MA’57, Fullerton, CA, Nov. 29, 2007.
James J. Kilsdonk, JD’57, Stone Harbor, NJ, Jan. 2, 2008.
James D. Leven, ‘57, Sarasota, FL, Nov. 2, 2007.
Zelma Koich Marich, MA’57, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 8, 2007.
Thomas W. Witherspoon, ‘57, Marysville, MI, Dec. 18, 2007.
Louis R. Bingham, MA’58, Canton, MI, Jan. 1, 2008.
Thomas J. Conway, ‘58, Walled Lake, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Irene V. Moore, MA’58, Tucson, AZ, Dec. 21, 2005.
Geraldine Blanzy Tabor, ‘58, Riverview, MI, Sept. 11, 2007.
Melvin F. Brand, ‘59, Flushing, MI, Jan. 1, 2008.
Raymond W. Ceton, ‘59, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 25, 2007.
Daniel R. Droz, MA’59, Monroe, MI, Sept. 23, 2007.
Ruth F. Elkes, ‘59, Rye, NY, Nov. 26, 2007.
Ralph M. Grant, ‘59, MSE’61, Rochester, MI, Sept. 3, 2007.
Argyl C. Houser, MSW’59, Ann Arbor, MI, Jan. 13, 2008.
Dorothy O. MacLennan, ‘59, Greensburg, PA, Jan. 5, 2008.
Andrew McMullen, ‘59, Plano, TX, Dec. 13, 2007.
Carl W. Ross, ‘59, Nov. 6, 2007.
Jerold W. Russell, ‘59, Carleton, MI, May 27, 2007.
1960-1969
William G. Aebersold, MA’60, Waterford, MI, Nov. 18, 2007.
Nancy C. Bower, ‘60, MSW’62, July 21, 2007.
James M. Deimen, ‘60, MSE’62, PhD’65, Pinckney, MI, Nov. 6, 2007.
Renato J. Gonzalez, ‘60, MA’62, Nov. 27, 2007.
Darrell L. Harper, ‘60, MA’66, Highland, MI, Jan. 19, 2008.
Merrick F. Mooney, ‘60, Glenwood, NM, May 2, 2007.
George C. Smith, MD’60, Piedmont, CA, Nov. 3, 2007.
Donovan W. Allen, ‘61, Casselberry, FL, Dec. 21, 2007.
Joseph P. Cox, ‘61, Binghamton, NY, Nov. 10, 2007.
Peter B. Farrell, MSE’61, Dec. 1, 2007.
Richard H. Simonian, ‘48, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Oct. 13, 2007.
Roger B. Smith, ‘48, MBA’53, HLLD’90, Cheboygan, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Jean G. Stillings, MA’48, Petoskey, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Jacqueline Poore Tull, ‘48, Saline, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
James Urquhart, ‘48, Taylor, MI, Oct. 28, 2007.
August M. Vander Ark, ‘48, Nov. 16, 2007.
Robert K. Vanoeveren, MS’48, Lansing, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Mary C. Vigilante, ‘48, Wilkes Barre, PA, Nov. 14, 2007.
Robert F. Wardrop, MA’48, Pinehurst, NC, Dec. 14, 2007.
H. William Welch, MS’48, PhD’52, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 10, 2007.
Joseph P. Allen, ‘49, Westmoreland, NH, Oct. 19, 2007.
William J. Allsopp, ‘49, Seattle, WA, Jan. 2, 2008.
Theodore M. Barr, MPH’49, New Baltimore, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Catherine A. Carter, MALS’49, State College, PA, Jan. 6, 2008.
Donald J. Diederich, MBA’49, Madison, WI, Dec. 6, 2007.
Robert H. Eaton, ‘49, MSE’54, Woodland Hills, CA, Jan. 2, 2008.
John A. Faber, ‘49, Dec. 20, 2007.
Michael R. Gallagher, JD’49, Chagrin Falls, OH, Oct. 27, 2007.
Thomas P. Healy, ‘49, Winnetka, IL, Oct. 9, 2006.
Thomas E. Hennessy, ‘49, Carey, OH, Nov. 18, 2007.
Auldin H. Nelson, ‘49, Burton, MI, Nov. 6, 2007.
Donald G. Philp, ‘49, Fort Collins, CO, Jan. 2, 2008.
Herbert B. Ruskin, ‘49, White Plains, NY, Nov. 17, 2007.
Lawrence F. Schott, ‘49, Mount Clemens, MI, Nov. 30, 2007.
Kurt A. Soehngen, ‘49, San Jose, CA, Jan. 4, 2008.
Don V. Souter, JD’49, Grand Rapids, MI, Nov. 5, 2007.
1950-1959
Ralph J. Dixon, MA’50, Rantoul, IL, Nov. 12, 2007.
Arlan L. Edgar, MA’50, MS’57, PhD’60, Alma, MI, Dec. 22, 2007.
Leonard L. Ferguson, ‘50, Jan. 13, 2008.
John R. Flick, MSE’50, Rockford, IL, Oct. 22, 2007.
Howard F. Fontaine, ‘50, MA’51, Escanaba, MI, Jan. 3, 2008.
David H. Hauser, ‘50, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Nov. 24, 2007.
James W. Kirkemo, ‘50, Oct. 8, 2007.
David G. Mobberley, MS’50, Sebring, OH, Dec. 6, 2007.
Sylvester J. Petro, LLM’50, Woodstock, GA, Nov. 10, 2007.
Kathryn S. Roodvoets, ‘50, Lapeer, MI, Oct. 21, 2007.
Franklin E. Tillery, ‘50, Fairfax, VA, Dec. 9, 2007.
David D. Walden, ‘50, Nov. 9, 2007.
Robert L. Warden, MSE’50, Houston, TX, Nov. 17, 2007.
Arthur W. Wassberg, MA’50, Marquette, MI, Dec. 5, 2007.
Lois Du Frain Disney, ‘51, Blacksburg, VA, Dec. 3, 2007.
Rex Eames, JD’51, Saint Clair Shores, MI, Dec. 22, 2007.
Paul G. Fisher, MMUS’51, EDD’69, Lancaster, PA, Dec. 17, 2007.
Harry C. Francis, MA’51, Dearborn, MI, Oct. 31, 2007.
Robert M. Janes, ‘51, Rochester Hills, MI, Nov. 21, 2007.
Howard Jessup, MA’51, South Haven, MI, Dec. 20, 2007.
Gerald E. Leitz, ‘51, Frankfort, MI, Jan. 4, 2008.
James R. McReynolds, ‘51, MA’52, Batavia, IL, Dec. 26, 2007.
Jack R. Raymond, ‘51, Indianapolis, IN, Jan. 10, 2008.
Martin R. Rice, MMUS’51, Nov. 14, 2007.
Thomas D. Rich, ‘51, Kalamazoo, MI, Nov. 24, 2007.
Ellis F. Robinson, JD’51, Holland, OH, Dec. 11, 2007.
Betty J. Schuss, ‘51, Basalt, CO, Dec. 7, 2007.
Benjamin M. Seaborne, ‘51, Scottsdale, AZ, Oct. 19, 2007.
Robert B. Stiles, MBA’51, Nov. 13, 2007.
Stephen Thomas, ‘51, Kennett Square, PA, July 15, 2007.
Charles L. Tucker, ‘51, Sterling Heights, MI, Dec. 9, 2007.
Robert L. Tveit, ‘51, Ventura, CA, Dec. 16, 2007.
Melvin L. Wagner, MMUS’51, Cape Girardeau, MO, Nov. 24, 2007.
Lyndell P. Watkins, MMUS’51, Cleveland, MS, Nov. 13, 2007.
Pearleen Poindexter Baer, ‘52, Greenville, DE, Dec. 17, 2007.
John M. Bobbitt, MD’52, MDRES’57, Mooresville, NC, Jan. 5, 2008.
Donald A. Cairns, MD’52, Mason, MI, Nov. 22, 2007.
Dudley J. Godfrey, JD’52, Milwaukee, WI, Dec. 20, 2007.
Harold T. Hagan, ‘52, Edgewater, FL, Nov. 25, 2007.
David M. Preston, ‘52, JD’55, Troy, MI, Oct. 28, 2007.
Horace B. Reed, MA’52, Murfreesboro, TN, Nov. 29, 2007.
Sylvia Nicoara Sanders, ‘52, Gaylord, MI, Dec. 9, 2007.
Ruth N. Sims, MALS’52, Nov. 28, 2007.
Catherine Murtha Southern, ‘52, Fallon, NV, Dec. 12, 2007.
Stephen C. Baltic, MA’53, Escanaba, MI, Nov. 17, 2007.
Earle L. Biassey, MS’53, Stratford, CT, Nov. 28, 2007.
Barbara Porath Clinthorne, MD’53, Midland, MI, Nov. 7, 2007.
Howard W. Croswell, ‘53, Florissant, MO, Oct. 17, 2007.
Jean Freshour Cummiskey, ‘53, MPH’66, Savannah, GA, Dec. 6, 2007.
Nicholas R. Hunter, ‘53, Lexington, KY, Dec. 12, 2007.
William H. Jackson, ‘53, Nashville, TN, Oct. 31, 2007.
Robert R. Menghini, MA’53, Iron Mountain, MI, Nov. 5, 2007.
David M. Russell, ‘53, Kalamazoo, MI, May 23, 2007.
Ralph E. Sutton, ‘53, Iron Mountain, MI, Oct. 26, 2007.
George T. Timoff, ‘53, Waterford, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
John C. Wagner, ‘53, Bethesda, MD, Oct. 27, 2007.
F. Neil Aschemeyer, JD’54, Oakland, CA, Dec. 23, 2007.
Margaret Lee Brigham, MA’54, Mio, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
James A. Carty, MBA’54, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, Dec. 18, 2007.
Gerald S. Degrow, MA’54, EDD’63, Sun City West, AZ, Nov. 28, 2007.
John V. Manton, MA’54, MA’56, Nov. 16, 2007.
Doris B. Parsons, MA’54, San Francisco, CA, July 2, 2007.
Judith A. Rose, ‘54, Huntsville, AL, Dec. 14, 2007.
Robert D. Vanderroest, DDS’54, Kalamazoo, MI, Dec. 19, 2007.
Mary Brown Brady, MA’55, Louisville, KY, Oct. 29, 2007.
Donald R. Harris, MD’55, Petoskey, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Earl F. Hubacker, ‘55, Lillian, AL, Sept. 27, 2006.
John B. Pozza, ‘55, Fairfax Station, VA, Dec. 29, 2007.
Clifton A. Rautiola, DDS’55, MS’60, Okemos, MI, Nov. 4, 2007.
Diniz J. Ribeiro, MSPHA’55, Bombay, June 15, 2006.
Morton C. Bartlett, MS’56, PhD’59, Lindenhurst, IL, Nov. 21, 2007.
Charles E. Bond, MSE’56, PhD’64, Urbana, IL, Jan. 5, 2008.
Harold Grissen, MA’56, Holland, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Beverly Blair Hawkins, ‘56, Watertown, WI, Nov. 13, 2007.
Elaine K. Mueller, MA’56, Saginaw, MI, Dec. 11, 2007.
Donald B. Walker, ‘56, Tallmadge, OH, Nov. 8, 2007.
Deborah Altman, ‘57, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Jan. 8, 2007.
Eldon D. Bailey, DDS’57, Midland, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Constance Wojtach Bureau, ‘57, Nashua, NH, Dec. 22, 2007.
Elizabeth J. Haglund, MPH’57, Santa Rosa, CA, Oct. 26, 2007.
Eloise Livingston Heaton, MA’57, Fullerton, CA, Nov. 29, 2007.
James J. Kilsdonk, JD’57, Stone Harbor, NJ, Jan. 2, 2008.
James D. Leven, ‘57, Sarasota, FL, Nov. 2, 2007.
Zelma Koich Marich, MA’57, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 8, 2007.
Thomas W. Witherspoon, ‘57, Marysville, MI, Dec. 18, 2007.
Louis R. Bingham, MA’58, Canton, MI, Jan. 1, 2008.
Thomas J. Conway, ‘58, Walled Lake, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Irene V. Moore, MA’58, Tucson, AZ, Dec. 21, 2005.
Geraldine Blanzy Tabor, ‘58, Riverview, MI, Sept. 11, 2007.
Melvin F. Brand, ‘59, Flushing, MI, Jan. 1, 2008.
Raymond W. Ceton, ‘59, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 25, 2007.
Daniel R. Droz, MA’59, Monroe, MI, Sept. 23, 2007.
Ruth F. Elkes, ‘59, Rye, NY, Nov. 26, 2007.
Ralph M. Grant, ‘59, MSE’61, Rochester, MI, Sept. 3, 2007.
Argyl C. Houser, MSW’59, Ann Arbor, MI, Jan. 13, 2008.
Dorothy O. MacLennan, ‘59, Greensburg, PA, Jan. 5, 2008.
Andrew McMullen, ‘59, Plano, TX, Dec. 13, 2007.
Carl W. Ross, ‘59, Nov. 6, 2007.
Jerold W. Russell, ‘59, Carleton, MI, May 27, 2007.
1960-1969
William G. Aebersold, MA’60, Waterford, MI, Nov. 18, 2007.
Nancy C. Bower, ‘60, MSW’62, July 21, 2007.
James M. Deimen, ‘60, MSE’62, PhD’65, Pinckney, MI, Nov. 6, 2007.
Renato J. Gonzalez, ‘60, MA’62, Nov. 27, 2007.
Darrell L. Harper, ‘60, MA’66, Highland, MI, Jan. 19, 2008.
Merrick F. Mooney, ‘60, Glenwood, NM, May 2, 2007.
George C. Smith, MD’60, Piedmont, CA, Nov. 3, 2007.
Donovan W. Allen, ‘61, Casselberry, FL, Dec. 21, 2007.
Joseph P. Cox, ‘61, Binghamton, NY, Nov. 10, 2007.
Peter B. Farrell, MSE’61, Dec. 1, 2007.
Roger C. Ohlrich, ‘61, JD’64, Bethesda, MD, Nov. 10, 2007.
Allen E. Barlow, MS’62, Hackettstown, NJ, Dec. 19, 2007.
Alan G. Friedman, JD’62, Bronx, NY, Oct. 28, 2007.
Rayland G. Jarosz, ‘62, Livonia, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Betty J. Larson, MS’62, Ludington, MI, Dec. 8, 2007.
Mary R. Rhoads, ‘62, MMUS’64, Portland, OR, Dec. 20, 2007.
John W. Shaw, MD’62, Hobart, WA, Nov. 3, 2007.
Shirley A. Siegfried, MS’62, West Palm Beach, FL, Jan. 2, 2008.
Thomas R. Allmand, ‘63, MBA’63, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Carl E. Bond, PhD’63, Corvallis, OR, Nov. 12, 2007.
Sue Robson Wetmore, ‘63, Macon, GA, Dec. 22, 2007.
William E. Dirlam, ‘64, Raleigh, NC, Oct. 1, 2006.
Jon W. Lundin, ‘64, MA’66, Rockford, IL, May 3, 2007.
Thomas A. McKenzie, ‘64, MSE’65, Spring Lake, MI, Dec. 3, 2007.
Richard L. Desmond, PhD’65, Grand Rapids, MI, Nov. 16, 2007.
Ewald Feit, PhD’65, Amherst, MA, Nov. 22, 2007.
Fred J. McDonald, LLM’65, Oklahoma City, OK, Dec. 9, 2007.
Charles H. Peller, MDRES’65, MDRES’67, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 30, 2007.
Justin C. Ravitz, JD’65, Bingham Farms, MI, Dec. 26, 2007.
Robert J. Starmer, ‘65, Nov. 16, 2007.
Sue E. Lockwood, ‘66, Columbia, MO, Nov. 13, 2007.
Robert P. McBain, JD’66, Grand Rapids, MI, Jan. 4, 2008.
James F. Montgomery, MA’66, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 1, 2007.
Judith Hoenle Mussel, ‘66, Inman, SC, July 27, 2007.
Richard J. Taylor, JD’66, New York, NY, Oct. 17, 2007.
George W. White, MSE’66, Mineral, VA, Nov. 11, 2007.
Virginia Prusinski Baranski, ‘67, Dearborn Heights, MI, Dec. 15, 2007.
Marilyn W. Groves, JD’67, Middleburg, VA, April 23, 2007.
Donel C. Kelley, MS’67, Kansas City, MO, Nov. 2, 2007.
Robert V. Linkner, ‘67, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Nov. 24, 2007.
Thomas W. Morris, MS’67, PhD’72, Rochester, NY, Nov. 29, 2007.
Ruth F. Pietron, ‘67, Boca Raton, FL, Oct. 14, 2007.
David A. Satchell, ‘67, Manitowoc, WI, Nov. 7, 2007.
John L. Hayes, JD’68, Guilford, CT, Nov. 8, 2007.
Geoffrey E. McKenty, ‘68, MS’71, Southgate, MI, Dec. 10, 2007.
Pasquale Minicuci, ‘68, Englewood, CO, Dec. 12, 2007.
Joel F. Pott, ‘68, Rochester Hills, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Olive V. Scholz-Brock, ‘68, Winchester, OR, Nov. 16, 2007.
Paul B. Smedegaard, MBA’68, Racine, WI, Nov. 14, 2007.
Mark E. Barnett, MS’69, MA’70, Paso Robles, CA, Oct. 29, 2007.
Marjorie A. Dutton, ‘69, Orlando, FL, July 11, 2006.
G. Gregory Fauth, ‘69, Flint, MI, Jan. 9, 2008.
Garth L. Hall, MBA’69, Corpus Christi, TX, Jan. 6, 2008.
Warren T. Loomis, PhD’69, Norwich, VT, Nov. 2, 2007.
James W. Pyle, JD’69, Granville, OH, Dec. 26, 2007.
Frank A. Ritchie, MBA’69, Northville, MI, Dec. 3, 2007.
1970-1979
Judith Cook Bouma, ‘70, Lake Oswego, OR, Nov. 4, 2007.
Gussie D. Greenway, MSW’70, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 14, 2007.
Stephen M. Shaffer, MA’70, PhD’75, Arlington, VA, Dec. 11, 2007.
Bernerd H. Allmon, MPH’71, Pittsburg, KS, Dec. 11, 2007.
Nancy Agard Ascione, ‘71, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 31, 2007.
Marylou Birkholtz, MA’71, Burt, MI, Dec. 11, 2007.
Catherine Chamberlain Colburn, ‘71, Villanova, PA, July 27, 2007.
Doris J. Hodge, MA’71, Raleigh, NC, Jan. 8, 2008.
Phyllis R. Lopez, MA’71, Saint Clair Shores, MI, April 23, 2007.
Rebecca D. Tarumoto, MA’71, Carmel By The Sea, CA, Oct. 29, 2007.
James P. Downes, ‘72, Otsego, MI, Nov. 29, 2007.
Cheryl L. Johnson, ‘72, Brighton, MI, Oct. 28, 2007.
Timothy P. Brower, ‘73, MARCH’75, Oakland, CA, Dec. 5, 2007.
Roger A. Morse, MSW’73, Santa Barbara, CA, Oct. 26, 2007.
Paul J. Grant, ‘74, JD’77, Sun City Center, FL, Nov. 20, 2007.
Sharon M. Hartwick, ‘74, Swartz Creek, MI, Nov. 17, 2007.
Linda R. Hiller, ‘74, MA’81, Ann Arbor, MI, Jan. 3, 2008.
Andrew T. Hood, ‘74, Tarrytown, NY, Nov. 7, 2007.
Thomas B. McKune, NODEG’74, Durham, NC, Oct. 29, 2007.
Richard A. Oswalt, MS’74, Woodbridge, VA, Dec. 1, 2007.
Sharon A. Jordan, ‘75, MUP’77, MSW’79, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 28, 2007.
Patrick E. Stevens, ‘75, MARCH’78, Portsmouth, NH, Dec. 19, 2007.
Darrell R. Talifarro, ‘75, MSW’77, Flint, MI, Nov. 23, 2007.
Peter J. Bosscher, ‘76, MSE’77, PhD’81, Madison, WI, Nov. 18, 2007.
Elizabeth B. Gosling, MA’76, PhD’83, Ann Arbor, MI, Feb. 21, 2007.
Jeffrey G. Leduc, ‘76, MMUS’78, Charlottesville, VA, Jan. 6, 2008.
Judith Martinez, MSW’76, Cincinnati, OH, Jan. 24, 2006.
Francis G. Sabourin, ‘76, Dearborn Heights, MI, Jan. 12, 2007.
Noel C. Wheeler, MS’76, PhD’79, San Luis Obispo, CA, Dec. 19, 2007.
Lawrence W. Bauer, ‘77, MSE’81, MA’82, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 1, 2007.
David J. Forkenbrock, PhD’77, Iowa City, IA, Jan. 11, 2008.
Stuart J. Hollander, ‘77, Suttons Bay, MI, Aug. 26, 2007.
Daniel P. Mestnik, DDS’77, Marquette, MI, Dec. 18, 2007.
Luis R. Cabrera, ‘78, Ann Arbor, MI, Jan. 10, 2008.
William J. Cotter, ‘78, Milan, MI, Jan. 2, 2008.
Susan Duffy, MD’78, Cleveland, OH, Dec. 7, 2007.
Karen E. Clark, MMUS’79, Covina, CA, July 14, 2007.
Bogart R. Leashore, PhD’79, Selma, AL, June 27, 2007.
1980-1989
Harriet J. Freeman, ‘80, Flint, MI, Nov. 13, 2007.
Alan M. Gardner, MD’80, Holland, OH, Dec. 29, 2007.
Darlis N. Goldberg, ‘80, MSW’82, Louisville, KY, Nov. 7, 2007.
Thomas A. Regulus, MA’80, PhD’82, Saint Louis, MO, Nov. 4, 2007.
Edward J. Samario, MPP’80, Austin, TX, Dec. 4, 2007.
Bernice J. Holman, ‘81, MSW’82, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 22, 2007.
Jonathan W. Beach, ‘82, Franklin, TN, Nov. 7, 2007.
John H. Bell, MDRES’82, MDRES’84, Lynchburg, VA, May 26, 2007.
Cesar A. Moran-Dominguez, MSE’82, Riverview, FL, Dec. 15, 2007.
Lance O. Weissmann, ‘82, Thousand Oaks, CA, Dec. 17, 2007.
Patricia L. Perrin, ‘83, Davison, MI, Dec. 6, 2007.
Marcia Santrach Barris, MBA’84, Sept. 17, 2007.
Jeffrey E. Crouse, ‘84, Orlando, FL, Dec. 3, 2007.
Holly Grahlman McCrary, ‘84, Belmont, CA, Nov. 9, 2007.
James R. Pelkey, ‘85, Lake Worth, FL, Nov. 10, 2007.
Janice M. Shimmel, ‘85, Wyandotte, MI, Jan. 8, 2007.
Charles P. Vanboven, ‘85, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 6, 2007.
Neil F. Siegel, JD’87, Pittsburgh, PA, Oct. 31, 2007.
Robert J. Sonntag, MBA’87, Columbus, IN, Dec. 31, 2007.
Ruth Huelskamp Councilor, ‘88, Otisville, MI, Dec. 2, 2007.
Chao-Ju Hou, MSE’89, MSE’91, PhD’93, Champaign, IL, Dec. 2, 2007.
Dawn M. Twydell, ‘89, Lake Orion, MI, May 27, 2006.
1990-1999
Stuart A. Barton, ‘90, San Francisco, CA, Sept. 24, 2007.
Carla T. Herrerias, MPH’91, Chicago, IL, Dec. 12, 2007.
Lori D. Miller, MILS’91, Chicago, IL, Dec. 29, 2007.
Nancy J. O’Boyle, MILS’92, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 12, 2007.
Natalie J. Jacobs, ‘94, Austin, TX, Jan. 3, 2008.
Sarah Snow Stever, ‘95, Mableton, GA, Nov. 10, 2007.
Janice A. Kopin, ‘96, Flint, MI, Nov. 14, 2007.
Paula M. Patrick, ‘97, Mount Morris, MI, Nov. 12, 2007.
Rachel Persico-Shammas, MSW’97, Ann Arbor, MI, Dec. 4, 2007.
Samantha R. Carlton, MARCH’98, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 24, 2007.
2000-2008
John R. Alexander, ‘03, Washington, DC, Dec. 12, 2007.
Barney L. Thomas, MSE’06, Bay City, MI, Nov. 10, 2007.
Shane W. Boughner, ‘07, Nov. 14, 2006.
Posted by smorioka at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
Arts & Culture
Alum Steps into the Footlights
“There’s no business like show business,” Ethel Merman once belted from the stage. Brynn O’Malley, ’03, knows exactly what that means. She’s currently appearing in the Broadway revival of “Sunday in the Park with George,” a musical inspired by Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.”
“The rewards have been so much greater than I could have ever hoped for,” said O’Malley of her Broadway experience. “This show is the reason I went into the business.” In high school, O’Malley would listen to the original cast album in her mother’s Ford Escort and cry. “My mind exploded,” she recalled. “I realized this is something I could spend my life doing.
”O’Malley, who plays the part of Celeste #1, is one of the figures in
Seurat’s famous masterpiece. The role is very different from her last turn on the Great White Way when she played Amber Von Tussle in “Hairspray.” It demands that she stay in character within the context of the tableau rather than react to the show’s main plot line. “It’s a good lesson in keeping your ego in check,” O’Malley said. “You come in and do your isolated little job. I literally feel like a dot on a person in a painting.”
The play runs through June 15 at Studio 54.
—Steve Rosoff, MA’87
Alum Steps into the Footlights
“There’s no business like show business,” Ethel Merman once belted from the stage. Brynn O’Malley, ’03, knows exactly what that means. She’s currently appearing in the Broadway revival of “Sunday in the Park with George,” a musical inspired by Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.”
“The rewards have been so much greater than I could have ever hoped for,” said O’Malley of her Broadway experience. “This show is the reason I went into the business.” In high school, O’Malley would listen to the original cast album in her mother’s Ford Escort and cry. “My mind exploded,” she recalled. “I realized this is something I could spend my life doing.
Brynn O'Malley (above and below, second from right) is appearing in the Broadway revival of "Sunday in the Park with George."
”O’Malley, who plays the part of Celeste #1, is one of the figures in
Seurat’s famous masterpiece. The role is very different from her last turn on the Great White Way when she played Amber Von Tussle in “Hairspray.” It demands that she stay in character within the context of the tableau rather than react to the show’s main plot line. “It’s a good lesson in keeping your ego in check,” O’Malley said. “You come in and do your isolated little job. I literally feel like a dot on a person in a painting.”
The play runs through June 15 at Studio 54.
—Steve Rosoff, MA’87
Student Debuts Stem Cell Film
Embryonic stem cell research is the focus of “Life Is for the Living,” a new documentary film by U-M student Michael Rubyan (pictured). The film, with an introduction by alumnus and CBS newsman Mike Wallace, ’39, HLLD’87, tells the stories of five American families living with juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries. Three generations reveal their challenges, their frustration with President George Bush’s policy restricting embryonic stem cell research and their hope that more funding for this research will lead to new treatments and cures. The film has interviews with some of the nation’s leading scientific researchers, including Sean Morrison, director of the U-M Center for Stem Cell Research, as well as political leaders and patient advocates.
"Life Is for the Living" tells the story of patients and their families, including Phyllis and Sophie Andro (above) and Tom Hoatlin (below), who see the potential benefits of stem cell research.
“Stem cell research is one of the most misunderstood biological endeavors in our medical landscape today,” said Rubyan, a pre-med junior majoring in film. He added that the documentary “explains the science, the politics and the hope that stem cell research offers to ease suffering and offer hope to millions of families.”
The film premiered March 12 at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor before an audience of more than 1,000 people. A trailer and more information about the documentary are available at www.lifeisfortheliving.org.
Author Earns Top Award
Author Christopher Paul Curtis, ’00, has earned top honors for his most recent children’s book, “Elijah of Buxton” (Scholastic, 2007). The book was named one of three 2008 Newbery Honor Books as well as the 2008 Coretta Scott King Award Winner (Author). The book tells the story of Elijah, the first free-born child in Buxton, a Canadian community of escaped slaves, in 1860. With humor and insight into the realities of slavery and the meaning of freedom, Curtis takes readers on a journey that transforms a “fragile” 11-year-old boy into a courageous hero.
This is not the first award to sit atop Curtis’ shelf. He won the 2000 Newbery Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature, among many others for “Bud, Not Buddy” (Delacorte, 1999).
Student Group Publishes Books
“Publish or perish” has taken on a whole new meaning for a group of
U-M students who make up WE READ, an organization that works each academic year to publish a children’s book in partnership with an
Ann Arbor book publisher.
At the start of the year, the group puts out a call in the Department of English, the School of Art & Design and other units for students who are interested in writing or illustrating a children’s book. Students are then paired up: a student author with a student illustrator. Authors complete up to four drafts during the first semester before handing over the book to the illustrator. Student editors are also active in facilitating and coordinating the development of the book. In the little spare time they have, the group meets for seminars in children’s publishing.
“It’s the most hands-on experience you can get,” said author Erica Ranade, who is majoring in psychology and theater arts. She added that late-into-the-night sessions to meet various deadlines are not unusual. Once the books are completed at the end of the academic year, they are submitted to a panel of judges, which chooses the best among the group for publication. The publisher, MarketingNewAuthors.com, prints 500 copies of the book and markets it at various conferences and on its Web site.
So far, the group has published three books: “Rainy Day Discovery” written by Keith Fudge and illustrated by Willa Tracosas; “Maya’s Magic Carpet” written by Michelle Zellers and illustrated by Mary Wilcop; and “Adventures of Gross Jerome” written by Jenny Flack and illustrated by Page Redford.
The books are also distributed and read to fourth and fifth graders at Westside Multicultural Academy in Detroit. WE READ partners with the student group BEAR, which organizes students for the reading program. BEAR also mentors students in developing their own books. Illustrator and art major Kent Caldwell hopes to offer the elementary school students even more stories by compiling an anthology of all 10 completed school books by the 20 students who participated this year.
“It’s good for our authors and illustrators because they know their
book will be read,” said Caldwell.
Book Review: The Animal Girl
By John Fulton, MFA’97, Louisiana State University Press, 2007, $16.95.
Author John Fulton has produced another excellent collection, this time comprising two novellas and three short stories. These finely nuanced, beautifully written pieces, though ultimately life affirming and at times humorous, can be painful to read. The characters and the
lives they are caught in are so real that it hurts.
A woman facing terminal cancer responds to a personal ad offering “tenderness without attachments” in the short story “Hunters.” The resulting affair explores the various ways we both welcome and fear connection. Fulton’s perceptive delineation of the woman’s thoughts and feelings, the halting development of her relationships with both her teenage daughter and her lover, and the erratic progression of her disease create a fully realized and deeply moving story, which won a 2006 Pushcart Prize.
In the title story, a novella, the “animal girl” is a teenager, Leah, who is still frozen in grief three years after the death of her mother when her father’s new girlfriend moves in with them. Leah has a summer job taking care of the animals at a local lab, where her feelings for her boss and for the animals that are being slaughtered further complicate her already difficult life.
Fulton has an uncanny ability to get into the heads of women and teenagers. The title story in his first collection, “Retribution,” was also pitch perfect in its depiction of the painful world of an adolescent girl. In “The Animal Girl” he creates an insightful and heartbreaking portrayal of a young girl’s struggle to come to
grips with grief, loss, betrayal, rage and the consequences of
her own actions.
“The Sleeping Woman,” the second novella in the collection, also deserves special mention. Another story about a middle-aged woman looking for romance, here we contemplate what might be worse than death. Evelyn’s new love has a wife who has been in a persistent vegetative state for years. She remains a potent presence as Evelyn and Russell tentatively create a relationship and try to decide whether it has a future.
The question of what future we will have is the common thread in all these stories. When faced with the unendurable, often we have no choice but to endure. In the face of death, in the face of life, how do we go on? This compassionate, intelligent book is filled with delicate studies of how we choose to get on with it.
—Vicki Lawrence
Book Review: Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir
By Bich Minh Nguyen, ’96, MFA’98, Viking Adult, 2007, $24.95.
For the immigrant to America, food is about identity, pride and the comfort of a home that is very far away. But what if what you really want is a can of Pringles? This tension—of where you’ve come from versus where you want to be—runs throughout Bich Minh Nguyen’s memoir of growing up Vietnamese-American in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the 1980s.
At home, her grandmother prepared “stewed beef and eggs,
shrimp curry, noodle dishes with nuoc mam and coriander” and
put the choicest pieces of fruit in front of the golden Buddha
statue in the living room. (This sets the stage for the transgression
of the book’s title.) By contrast, at her friend Holly Jansen’s house, the “look-but-don’t-touch living room had fresh vacuum marks,”
and the dinner—served as soon as Holly’s father came home
from the office—consisted of pork chops, applesauce, whipped potatoes and peas. The setting and the meal acutely illustrated the (white, Christian, Midwestern) normality that Nguyen wanted but could not have.
Adding to her sense of alienation was her stepmother, Rosa, a second-generation Mexican-American who took pride in being an outsider. She would sing Neil Diamond’s “America” out loud, telling Nguyen, “This song is about you! You’re a refugee, honey!” Even worse, at the grocery store Rosa opted for generic cookies and cereals, not the Nestlé Toll House and Trix that Nguyen and her sister so desperately wanted.
Disconnected by circumstance and introverted by nature, Nguyen found comfort in books—the Ramona Quimby books, “Little Women” and “Little House on the Prairie.” “I thought if I could know inside and out how my heroines lived and what they ate and what they loved, I could be them, too,” Nguyen writes. “I could read my way out of Grand Rapids.” Yet as soon as Nguyen leaves for the University of Michigan, she finds herself drawn back to her past.
“Stealing Buddha’s Dinner” is Nguyen’s own deeply personal story—set against the familiar backdrop of 1980s suburbia. As she notes in an interview with her publisher, it was an era when “the Whopper beat the Big Mac” and “music videos were heartfelt and narrative.... It was a bad-fashion, teased-hair decade in which to grow up, but it did teach me something about irony and complication.” Clearly, the lesson was not lost on her.
—Matthew Benz, MA’98
Also in Print
Recently published books written or edited by alumni.
Fiction
Deborah Shlian, ’68, and Joel Shlian, Rabbit in the Moon, Oceanview Publishing, 2008.
Nonfiction
Joseph A. Amato, ’60, Jacob’s Well: A Case for Rethinking Family History, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008.
Clifford Ando, PhD’96, The Matter of the Gods: Religion and the Roman Empire, University of California Press, 2008.
Sarah-Marie Belcastro, MS’93, PhD’97, and Carolyn Yackel, MS’94, PhD’98, editors, Making Mathematics With Needlework, AK Peters, 2008.
Paul Buchholz, MA’57, PhD’68, Paul’s Work Odyssey Through the Twentieth Century, iUniverse, 2005.
Underwood Dudley, PhD’65, Is Mathematics Inevitable?, The Mathematical Association of America, 2008.
Julie Halpert, ’84, and Deborah Carr, Making Up With Mom: Why Mothers and Daughters Disagree About Kids, Careers, and Casseroles (and What to Do About It), Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.
Deanna Holtzman, ’64, and Nancy Kulish, MA’63, PhD’65, A Story of Her Own: The Female Oedipus Complex Reexamined and Renamed, Jason Aronson, 2008.
Scott M. Hyslop, MAUSD’07, The Journey Was Chosen: The Life and Work of Paul Manz, MorningStar Music Publishers, 2007.
Edith W. King, ’51, Sociology for Educators in the Post 9/11 World, Thomson Publishers, 2008.
Perri Knize, ’76, Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey, Scribner, 2008.
Bruce B. Lawrence and Aisha Karim, ’92, editors, On Violence: A Reader, Duke University Press, 2007.
Jenny (Rubinfeld) Levin, ’97, Harper’s Bazaar Great Style: The Best Ways to Update Your Look, Hearst Books, 2007.
Frederick Mahan, JD’57, Has America Lost Its Way?: The Fall of the American Empire, iUniverse, 2008.
Charlene E. Makley, MA’93, PhD’99, The Violence of Liberation: Gender and Tibetan Buddhist Revival in Post-Mao China, University of California Press, 2007.
Jerry Newport, ’70, and Mary Newport with Johnny Dodd, Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger’s Love Story, Touchstone Books, 2007.
Scott E. Page, ’85, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, Princeton University Press, 2007.
John Pehrson, MBA’77, Investing in Vacant Land: It’s Not What You Think!, Pehrson Capital Corporation, 2008.
Amy D. Ronner, MA’76, PhD’80, Homophobia and the Law, American Psychological Association, 2005.
Leon Z. Seltzer, ’40, Golf: The Science and the Art, Tate Publishing and Enterprises, 2008.
Martin M. Shenkman, ’81, Funding the Cure, Demos Medical Publications, 2008.
JGM Thewissen, PhD’89, and Sirpa Nummela, editors, Sensory Evolution on the Threshold: Adaptations in Secondarily Aquatic Vertebrates, University of California Press, 2008.
Krista E. Van Vleet, ’94, PhD’99, Performing Kinship Narrative, Gender, and the Intimacies of Power in the Andes, University of Texas Press, 2008.
LG Walker Jr., MD’60, Dr. Henry R. Porter:
The Surgeon Who Survived Little Bighorn, McFarland, 2007.
Mary L. Warner, DA’92, Adolescents in the Search for Meaning: Tapping the Powerful Resource of Story, Scarecrow Press, 2006.
John Williams, PhD’96, Turning to Nature in Germany: Hiking, Nudism, and Conservation, 1900-1940, Stanford University Press, 2007.
Richard Guy Wilson, MALS’68, PhD’72, Harbor Hill: Portrait of a House, WW Norton, 2008.
Poetry
Nancy Baker Fate Heers, MA’72, Keeping the Word, Paupac Press, 2008.
Barbara Bialick, ’73, Time Leaves, Ibbetson Street Press, 2008.
Body/Mind/Spirit
Claire Michaels Wheeler, ’99, 10 Simple Solutions to Stress: How to Tame Tension and Start Enjoying Your Life, New Harbinger Publications, 2007.
Ken Wilson, ’75, Jesus Brand Spirituality: He Wants His Religion Back, Thomas Nelson, 2008.
Children’s Books
Howard Binkow, ’54, Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen, Thunderbolt Publishing, 2006.
Freddy Sweet, ’64, MA’66, PhD’73, Groark’s Birthday Surprise, Live Wire Media, 2007.
Gloria Whelan, ’45, Parade of Shadows, HarperCollins, 2007.
For more information on these books and their authors, visit the Alumni Authors Series at www.umalumni.com.
Posted by smorioka at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)
Sports
Women’s Soccer Lands US National Coach
Former US Women’s National Team coach Greg Ryan (pictured) has accepted the position of head coach for the U-M women’s soccer team. He becomes the second head coach in the program’s 14-year history. “We are very excited to welcome Greg to Michigan,” U-M athletic director Bill Martin said. “His breadth of coaching experience both nationally and at the collegiate level will help move this program forward.”
Ryan comes to Michigan after leading the national team to a 45–1–9 record in three years. He earned a bronze medal at the 2007 FIFA World Cup, and a gold medal with the US team as assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Ryan returns to the Big Ten Conference, where he spent from 1986 to 1993 at Wisconsin. Overall, his collegiate resume spans 15 years as a head coach in Division I women’s soccer.
Women’s Soccer Lands US National Coach
Former US Women’s National Team coach Greg Ryan (pictured) has accepted the position of head coach for the U-M women’s soccer team. He becomes the second head coach in the program’s 14-year history. “We are very excited to welcome Greg to Michigan,” U-M athletic director Bill Martin said. “His breadth of coaching experience both nationally and at the collegiate level will help move this program forward.”
Ryan comes to Michigan after leading the national team to a 45–1–9 record in three years. He earned a bronze medal at the 2007 FIFA World Cup, and a gold medal with the US team as assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Ryan returns to the Big Ten Conference, where he spent from 1986 to 1993 at Wisconsin. Overall, his collegiate resume spans 15 years as a head coach in Division I women’s soccer.
U-M at the Olympics
The Summer Olympics in Beijing are several months away, but if history is a guide then the US contingent is likely to feature some student-athletes from U-M.
A total of 179 U-M student athletes and coaches have participated in 20 Olympic sports. Sixty-one Wolverines have participated in swimming events, earning 48 total medals (23 gold, eight silver and 17 bronze). Track comes in second with 55 participants and 34 medals (18 gold, eight silver and eight bronze).
For more information about Michigan Athletics and Olympic participation, visit the Bentley Historical Library Web site (www.bentley.umich.edu). Watch e-TrueBlue for updates on student-athletes who qualify to compete in the Olympics.
| Wolverines at the Olympics by Sport | |
| Swimming: | 61 |
| Track: | 55 |
| Diving: | 13 |
| Michigan Medal Count* (1900-2006) | |
| Gold: | 55 |
| Silver: | 28 |
| Bronze: | 35 |
*Includes U-M students, alumni, coaches and staff |
Hockey Skates to Frozen Four
At press time, the No. 1-ranked ice hockey team is heading to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2003. The team earned its spot in the tournament with a 2–0 victory over No. 10 Clarkson in the NCAA East Regional final on March 29. Freshman Aaron Palushaj and senior Kevin Porter scored Michigan’s goals while junior Billy Sauer had 27 saves in the shutout effort at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
Porter, Sauer, Chad Kolarik and junior defenseman Mark Mitera were selected to the NCAA East Regional all-tournament team, and Porter was named the Most Outstanding Player. Head coach Red Berenson has also been named a finalist for the 2008 Spencer Penrose Award, while Porter is one of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for the 2008 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
The team advanced to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time in program history and faced No. 5 Notre Dame on April 10. A victory over the Fighting Irish would give U-M a chance to win its 10th national championship. The Wolverines have already won the CCHA regular-season and postseason titles.
Men, Women Gymnasts Ranked Fifth
The No. 5-ranked women’s gymnastics team is headed to the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics West Regional Championships on April 12. The 2008 Big Ten Champions have advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 15 seasons.
The No. 5-ranked men’s gymnastics team has also enjoyed a breakout season, claiming fourth place for the second year in a row at the Big Ten Championships on April 4. The team went on to compete for the national title at the NCAA Championships on April 17–19.
Beilein’s First Season Tough
The men’s basketball team finished out its season under head coach John Beilein with a disappointing 51–34 loss to the No. 1-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 14.
Sophomore/freshman Anthony Wright and sophomore DeShawn Sims made significant contributions to the final game, with strong performances from junior/sophomore Zack Gibson and freshman star Manny Harris. The loss marked the end of the collegiate careers for seniors Ron Coleman and David Merritt.
Four players were honored with postseason awards from the Big Ten Conference. Harris headed the list with two awards, making the All-Big Ten second team and the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Sophomore Ekpe Udoh was named to the All-Defensive team, while Sims received an All-Big Ten honorable mention by conference coaches. Coleman was honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The team ended the season with a 10–22 overall mark and a 6–14 record in Big Ten play.
Swimming and Diving Shine at NCAAs
Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished their seasons with stellar performances at the NCAA Championships. The men’s team finished in sixth place with 271.5 points, its eighth consecutive top ten finish. The women’s team placed ninth with 130 points, besting all other Big Ten teams.
Numerous Wolverines won All-American accolades, including junior Emily Brunneman, who claimed the national title in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Senior winner Alex Vanderkaay led the men’s team in scoring, followed by sophomore Scott Spann, who received his second All-American award. Other winners included sophomore Margaret Kelly, junior Matt Patton and sophomore Andre Schultz.
Diamonds Not So Rough Senior tri-captain Adam Abraham (above), batting .359 through April 9, has helped the baseball team compile a strong 17–8 overall and 7–1 Big Ten record at press time. The Wolverines were undefeated in the Big Ten Conference until April 6, when they fell on the road to Penn State 10–1. At press time, the team remained unbeaten at home.
Softball Sits in Top 10
The No. 5-ranked softball team is having a remarkable season, with a 32–4 overall mark and 7–1 Big Ten record at press time. With back-to-back shutouts against Illinois on April 6, the Wolverines extended their shutout stretch to three straight games and six of the last seven.
Led by strong performances from the pitching mound, U-M has enjoyed a breakout season. Freshman Jordan Taylor has pitched six consecutive shutouts, while sophomore Nikki Nemitz earned her seventh shutout of the season—a career high—in the first game against Illinois. The pitching, coupled with hard hitting from numerous players, positions the Wolverines well as the season enters the home stretch.
Women’s Hoops Enjoys Much Improved Season
The standout season by the women’s basketball team came to an
end on March 30 with a 45–40 overtime loss to intrastate rival Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Postseason WNIT. Despite the loss, U-M had its best season in years, finishing its first year under head coach Kevin Borseth with a 19–14 record and almost achieving the third 20–win season in the program’s 35-year history.
The Wolverines’ wins mark the program’s highest win total since a 19–12 record in 2000-01, and they achieved their highest finish in the Big Ten Conference standings since 2001, ending the season tied for seventh place. The team won a Big Ten Tournament game for the first time in four years with a 64–54 triumph over Penn State on March 6 and returned to postseason play for the first time in six years with its appearance in the Postseason WNIT.
Tannenbaum Ends Spectacular Wrestling Career
Fifth-year senior wrestler Eric Tannenbaum ended his U-M career March 29 at the NCAA Championships, suffering a narrow defeat in the 165-pound championship match. But the team captain has secured a spot in Michigan’s record books, compiling a 143–23 record that earns him the fifth spot in Michigan’s career wins. He’s also just the sixth Wolverine to earn four career NCAA All-American citations, joining Jarrett Hubbard (1971-74), Mark Churella (1976-79), Joe McFarland (1981-85), John Fisher (1985-89) and Ryan Bertin (2002-05).
Tannenbaum began wrestling in grade school, after a soccer coach suggested that he try a more physical sport. He was lucky to gain acceptance into an elite group of other young wrestlers and enjoyed the benefits of training with better coaches and partners. He is quick to point out, however, that he was no natural. His first year on the mat he achieved a 9–6 record, and he earned sixth place in his first tournament at age 8.
Eric Tannenbaum will attend U-M Medical School this fall.
At Michigan, Tannenbaum was named Big Ten Champion twice, first as a freshman and then again after this year’s season. He has also been named Big Ten All-Academic and NCAA All-Academic three times each and has competed with the World Team twice. Of all his achievements, it was his first Big Ten title win in his freshman year that Tannenbaum finds most memorable.
“Being on the stand as a freshman was just crazy,” he said. He said from that moment on, however, it only got harder. Winning as a freshman means that others expect more from you, and new talent keeps coming in every year, he said.
The NCAA Championships gave him the opportunity to face off against long-time rival and Iowa wrestler Mark Perry, and the battle was the highlight of his season. Though he lost the match by a narrow margin, Tannenbaum said that walking up onto the stand in front of 15,000 cheering fans is a moment he will never forget. “I wasn’t worried at all. It was my last match ever, and I just wanted to get out there and hustle and enjoy it.”
Despite his successes in the ring, wrestling is not the only important thing in the Wolverine’s life. Tannenbaum graduated in April with a degree in neuroscience and plans to attend the U-M Medical School this fall. He attributes the high level of success he has been able to achieve both on and off the mat to the pressure that he puts on himself to do well.
When others told him that it would be impossible to major in neuroscience while wrestling, Tannenbaum ignored them. He went to wrestling practice while his classmates were studying or napping before class and used his determination to succeed in both areas of his life. “Wrestling helped me stay focused,” he said.
Tannenbaum is fifth on U-M’s career win list.
Though his time on the Michigan team is over, Tannenbaum still plans to help out in the wrestling room every once in a while, and he looks forward to giving back in the future. He’s already been offered opportunities to participate in various summer wrestling camps and with recruitment.
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Posted by smorioka at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
Science & Health
Students Are First to Work with China CDC
For 30 graduate students at the U-M School of Public Health, spring break 2008 had nothing to do with beaches and suntans. Instead, they spent several days working with the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a major division of the Chinese CDC located in Tianjin, a city of 10 million just south of Beijing. The students did field work in district hospitals and village clinics, participating in projects related to immunizations, maternal and child health, environmental health and outbreak investigation. They tracked their experiences on a blog while in China.
Students Are First to Work with China CDC
For 30 graduate students at the U-M School of Public Health, spring break 2008 had nothing to do with beaches and suntans. Instead, they spent several days working with the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a major division of the Chinese CDC located in Tianjin, a city of 10 million just south of Beijing. The students did field work in district hospitals and village clinics, participating in projects related to immunizations, maternal and child health, environmental health and outbreak investigation. They tracked their experiences on a blog while in China.
A child receives a routine vaccination at a village health clinic in Tianjin.
The trip was one of several partnerships growing out of the China Scholar Exchange program, which is housed in the Office of
Public Health Practice at the School of Public Health. It is the first time any Chinese CDC office has hosted American students for practice-based deployments. Organizers expect the program to infuse new ideas into the Chinese public health system and to give American students exposure to problems they’re not likely to encounter at home.
“We worry about avian flu and SARS arriving here,” said Matthew Boulton, the school’s associate dean for practice. “China’s public health system has been dealing with both for years now.” In addition, diseases that have been long under control in the United States, such as tuberculosis, measles and typhoid, are still serious threats in China.
U-M SPH students spent spring break working in an entirely new way with the Chinese CDC. They are shown here sightseeing in the Forbidden City.
Health System Lures 25 Researchers
The U-M Health System successfully recruited more than two dozen heart researchers from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University for its newly established Center for Arrhythmia Research. The SUNY Upstate group’s work complements the research and care already under way at U-M, bringing together two halves of a whole.
“This university has one of the best clinical arrhythmia groups in the world, and the shared research ‘core’ facilities are unbelievable,” said Dr. Jose Jalifé, who had been chair of the Department of Pharmacology at SUNY Upstate and director of its Institute for Cardiovascular Research. “We have the chance for great synergy and interactions, in a program that will go all the way from the molecule to the patient.”
The SUNY Upstate team, led by Jalifé and Dr. Mario Delmar, brings with it more than $5 million a year in research funding from federal agencies and foundations. The team also bring its expertise, representing a broad range of disciplines, which comes from studying the electrical “storms” that occur in the heart muscle during an episode of arrhythmia.
Study Finds Cholesterol Genes
An international study of 20,000 people found seven new genes that influence blood cholesterol levels, a major factor in heart disease, and confirmed 11 other genes previously thought to influence cholesterol. Finding new gene regions associated with cholesterol levels may bring researchers one step closer to developing better treatments. The study, led by researchers from the U-M School of Public Health, set out to identify or confirm genetic variants that influence lipid levels and to see if those variants were linked to decreased or increased risk of heart disease.
“It was surprising that while genetic variants that increase your bad cholesterol are also associated with increased risk of heart disease, we did not find that variants influencing your good cholesterol were associated with decreased risk of coronary artery disease. Perhaps that result will lead us to reexamine the roles of good and bad cholesterol in susceptibility to heart disease,” said Goncalo Abecasis, associate professor in the School of Public Health.
Coronary artery disease, a condition where plaque accumulates on the walls of coronary arteries, is the most common type of heart disease and a leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Both genetic and environmental factors influence a person’s cholesterol and blood lipid levels.
Device Eliminates Drug Errors
CS Mott Children’s Hospital is the first in the world to use a new device designed to eliminate mistakes made while mixing compounds at a hospital pharmacy. The device was 100 percent accurate in identifying the proper formulations of seven intravenous drugs. Five potentially serious medication errors were averted over an 18-month period in a test at the hospital, said Jim Stevenson, associate dean of clinical sciences at the U-M College of Pharmacy and director of pharmacy services at the U-M Health System.
The device uses light to determine that compounds are correct.
“Our goal needs to be to have zero tolerance for errors,” Stevenson said. “If we wanted to eliminate errors completely we knew we couldn’t continue to rely completely on human visual checking.”
The table-top device, manufactured by ValiMed, uses a technique called enhanced photoemission spectroscopy to determine if the compounds are correct. Light is shot into the drug compound, which excites molecules, and the energy emitted by the excited molecules is measured by a spectrometer. Each drug compound tested has its own so-called light fingerprint, which is compared to the fingerprint of the control compound. If they match, the drug is considered correct.
U-M Participates in Landmark Autism Study
Autism researchers at U-M, the University of California-Davis and the University of Washington have received a $15.3 million grant to determine the impact of intervening with toddlers age 2 and younger with autism as part of the National Institutes of Health Autism Centers of Excellence Networks. The five-year study is the first multisite, randomized trial funded by the NIH to determine if such efforts can reduce—or circumvent altogether—the language impairments and social deficits associated with the developmental disorder. Researchers will also determine the behavioral factors that help predict whether a child will respond well to this early treatment.
“We very much need to better understand how early intervention works and what interventions work best,” said Dr. Catherine Lord, professor of psychology, psychiatry and pediatrics, and director of the U-M Autism and Communication Disorders Center.
The intervention to be tested—the Early Start Denver Model—fuses developmental and relationship-based techniques with applied behavior analysis teaching strategies. Children enrolled in the study will receive free, intensive, one-on-one intervention in their homes for more than 25 hours per week over two years, and caregivers will be instructed on how to deliver it themselves.
Posted by smorioka at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
Research
The Science of Perfect Form
The first line of Norman Maclean’s novella “A River Runs Through It” (University of Chicago Press, 1976) reads, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”
U-M researcher Noel Perkins, a passionate fly fisherman, proves that there is no clear division between science and fly fishing. “Fly casting is the hardest thing to learn about fly fishing,” said Perkins. Eight years ago he grew frustrated with his progress on his hobby, so he did what any good mechanical engineering professor would do: He figured out how it works. His research led to the invention of the Fly Casting Analyzer. A device called an MEMS angular rate gyro fits into the handle of a fly rod and sends information to a PDA that plots the cast on a graph. After measuring thousands of casts this way, Perkins discovered that while everybody’s cast has a unique “signature,” the casts of the world’s best fly fishers are virtually indistinguishable. The Fly Casting Analyzer shows students where their signature differs and therefore what to change.
The Science of Perfect Form
The first line of Norman Maclean’s novella “A River Runs Through It” (University of Chicago Press, 1976) reads, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”
U-M researcher Noel Perkins, a passionate fly fisherman, proves that there is no clear division between science and fly fishing. “Fly casting is the hardest thing to learn about fly fishing,” said Perkins. Eight years ago he grew frustrated with his progress on his hobby, so he did what any good mechanical engineering professor would do: He figured out how it works. His research led to the invention of the Fly Casting Analyzer. A device called an MEMS angular rate gyro fits into the handle of a fly rod and sends information to a PDA that plots the cast on a graph. After measuring thousands of casts this way, Perkins discovered that while everybody’s cast has a unique “signature,” the casts of the world’s best fly fishers are virtually indistinguishable. The Fly Casting Analyzer shows students where their signature differs and therefore what to change.
Noel Perkins and the Fly Casting Analyzer
“The old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is a half truth,” Perkins said. “The key is knowing what to practice.” Perkins and his business partner, fly line designer Bruce Richards, licensed the now-patented invention from the University through U-M’s Office of Technology Transfer. The fly fishing company Sage as well as Perkins and Richards’ company, Cast Analysis LLC (castanalysis.com), sell the device worldwide.
It turns out that that this concept may help in learning almost anything that requires fine motor skills. Perkins has formed partnerships across campus to find ways to help train surgeons to operate and soldiers with prosthetic limbs to walk again.
Kevin King, one of Perkins’ doctoral students, recently joined a start-up company that will market the technology for a range of sports. He and Perkins developed a golf swing analyzer for King’s dissertation, a project funded by the golf manufacturer PING. Prototypes for baseball, hockey, rowing, curling and bowling have also been developed. Their sensor-based system could revolutionize athletic training technology, which often relies on expensive and bulky video systems. For an industry in which a big hitter is worth millions, Perkins’ sensor modules could become commercially successful by graphing what trainers and coaches largely perceive by intuition.
“It’s like handing a carpenter a tape measure, when before he was just eyeballing it,” Perkins said.
Study Shows Human Migration
University scientists and their colleagues at the National Institute on Aging have produced the largest and most detailed worldwide study of human genetic variation, a treasure trove offering new insights into early migrations out of Africa and across the globe. The patterns revealed by the new study support the idea that humans originated in Africa, then spread into the Middle East, then Europe and Asia, the Pacific Islands and, finally, the Americas. The study, which analyzed data from 485 people, characterizes more than 500,000 DNA markers in the human genome and examines variations across 29 populations on five continents.
“Now that we have the technology to look at thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of genetic markers, we can infer human population relationships and ancient migrations at a finer level of resolution than has previously been possible,” said Noah Rosenberg, an assistant research professor at U-M’s Life Sciences Institute and co-senior author of the study.
The results also bolster the notion of “serial founder effects,” meaning that as people began migrating eastward from East Africa about 100,000 years ago, each successive wave of migrants carried a subset of the genetic variation held by previous groups.
Research Sets Expenditure Record
U-M research expenditures surpassed $800 million in fiscal year 2007, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous year and an all-time high. While this increase is satisfactory, continued growth will require “a new funding model,” said Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest in his report to the board of regents in January. Because federal research funding is likely to remain nearly stagnant for the foreseeable future, the University must begin to rely more heavily on partnerships with businesses and industry.
The U-M consistently ranks among the nation’s top four research universities, based on research and development expenditure statistics compiled by the National Science Foundation. But it ranks 19th on NSF’s most recent list of industry-financed research and development at US universities. Those industry numbers must change, and some indicators suggest the shift has already begun, Forrest said. U-M funding from industry was up 14.9 percent last year, though it’s too soon to say whether the increase reflects a year-to-year fluctuation or a trend.
“While we face a very challenging landscape in FY08—from an uncertain base of government funding to a state economy that is in urgent need of restructuring—I believe that we are entering a period of unprecedented opportunity,” Forrest said. “Our university has the possibility to leverage this situation to become the undisputed leader in academic research connected to industry.”
Sponsor Group Expenditures % of Total
Federal government $595,551,058 72.4%
Non-federal sponsors $96,726,492 11.8%
Industry $38,594,118 4.7%
Foundations $18,689,966 2.3%
State of Michigan/Counties/Cities $7,003,489 0.9%
U-M funds $130,690,125 15.9%
Total research expenditures $822,967,675
Posted by smorioka at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)
AAUM Member Benefits
Membership Savings, Specials for You
Have you taken advantage of your member benefits lately? They include these popular benefits:
- Kaplan test preparation discount—You and your immediate family can save $100 on GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, SAT, ACT, PSAT and TOEFL classroom courses, premium online courses, and private tutoring courses. You’re also eligible for 30 percent off real estate courses, 20 percent off CPA courses and 15 percent off ARE, FE and PE courses.
- Entertainment and online shopping savings—Through our unique partnership with WorkingAdvantage.com, you can save money on things you purchase all the time: movie tickets, DVD rentals and online shopping. Discounts are also available for sporting events, theme parks, ski resorts and many other entertainment purchases.
- U-M Golf Course Access—Alumni and their guests receive playing privileges at the U-M (Blue) Golf Course. Simply show your Alumni Association member card. To schedule tee times, contact the golf course directly at 734.615.GOLF (4653).
Membership Savings, Specials for You
Have you taken advantage of your member benefits lately? They include these popular benefits:
- Kaplan test preparation discount—You and your immediate family can save $100 on GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, SAT, ACT, PSAT and TOEFL classroom courses, premium online courses, and private tutoring courses. You’re also eligible for 30 percent off real estate courses, 20 percent off CPA courses and 15 percent off ARE, FE and PE courses.
- Entertainment and online shopping savings—Through our unique partnership with WorkingAdvantage.com, you can save money on things you purchase all the time: movie tickets, DVD rentals and online shopping. Discounts are also available for sporting events, theme parks, ski resorts and many other entertainment purchases.
- U-M Golf Course Access—Alumni and their guests receive playing privileges at the U-M (Blue) Golf Course. Simply show your Alumni Association member card. To schedule tee times, contact the golf course directly at 734.615.GOLF (4653).
Fill Job Openings with Blue Hiring Blue
Hiring fellow U-M alumni is a simple but effective way to give back to your alma mater, help other Wolverines and strengthen your company or organization. Through Blue Hiring Blue, you can post career opportunities at your company and get access to the talented U-M alumni family.
Blue Hiring Blue was specifically created in response to feedback from U-M alumni who want to leverage the power of the Michigan network to make valuable connections in their industry, have access to job opportunities and other useful resources at their convenience, and recruit and hire qualified U-M alumni for their companies. Using Blue Hiring Blue is simple because we know as a busy professional your time is valuable. And using Blue Hiring Blue is free!
Visit www.umalumni.com/career for details or contact Christine George at cegeorge@umich.edu or 734.647.6473. As an alumnus/a, you will receive a 64MB memory stick simply for posting jobs or referring companies that post jobs.
Nominations Being Accepted for Alumni Leadership Council
The Alumni Association is seeking U-M alumni leaders to fill three-year positions on the national Alumni Leadership Council. In addition, we are accepting recommendations for alumni representation on the following University boards/committees: the Honorary Degree Committee, the Michigan Union Board of Representatives and the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty.
The Alumni Leadership Council has more than 90 members. The group studies and makes recommendations on critical issues facing the University and/or the Alumni Association. The ALC provides counsel to the board of directors on broad Association issues of strategy and direction. Council members must stay informed of Association and University issues and promote the Association to relevant constituencies, as well as advance the views of their constituencies to the Alumni Association. The board of directors has full fiduciary responsibility and accountability for detailed decision-making related to Association governance.
Interested candidates or those wishing to recommend a potential candidate should visit www.umalumni.com and click on “Volunteering and Giving” for details and to fill out the online application/recommendation form. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 30.
Student Recruitment Expands International Efforts
The Alumni Association and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions combine resources for the Alumni Student Recruitment program, an initiative to encourage the most talented students to apply to and attend U-M. A recent expansion of international recruitment efforts has paid off. For fall 2008, international applications increased 33 percent, from 2,849 to 3,797, the largest increase in applications from any group ever.
There are currently 35 international alumni student recruiters in 18 countries, including Australia, China, Pakistan, Italy and England. These alumni play an important role for prospective and admitted students in their country—providing guidance on what to expect and the campus culture, helping students get quick answers to their questions, and addressing students’ concerns about moving to the United States.
Volunteers also engage in more traditional recruitment activities, including promoting U-M in their community, representing U-M at college fairs, calling or emailing to congratulate admitted students and sharing their perspectives about U-M.
More international volunteers are needed, particularly in Canada; European countries, especially France; Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean. If you live outside the United States and are interested in joining the ASR program, visit www.umalumni.com/recruitment.
| ASR by the Numbers | 2004 | 2008 |
| International alumni volunteers: | 21 | 35 |
| Countries with volunteers: | 8 | 18 |
| Adopted international high schools: | 65 | 196 |
Posted by smorioka at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)
M Campus
Commencement on the Diag
When this year’s graduating students first started at U-M, many of them counted on one day following the U-M tradition of graduating in the iconic Michigan Stadium.
The Big House, however, is under construction and was not an option this year. Looking for a place that could fit all those proud friends and family members, University leaders announced in early January that the April 26 ceremony would take place at Eastern Michigan University’s Rynearson Stadium instead.
The decision drew a considerable outflow of emails and other feedback, and University officials listened. President Mary Sue Coleman soon scheduled open campus meetings to identify and discuss options. Two polls followed. The first determined that students preferred a campus site even if it meant they would get fewer than the eight guest tickets permitted by the 40,000-person capacity of EMU’s stadium. The second showed that of the viable campus alternatives, 66 percent of graduating students favored the Diag over Elbel Field.
Each undergraduate student was eligible for six guest tickets, and graduate students were eligible for four. Graduation this year was at a different—but in some ways as equally iconic—U-M location.
Commencement on the Diag
When this year’s graduating students first started at U-M, many of them counted on one day following the U-M tradition of graduating in the iconic Michigan Stadium.
The Big House, however, is under construction and was not an option this year. Looking for a place that could fit all those proud friends and family members, University leaders announced in early January that the April 26 ceremony would take place at Eastern Michigan University’s Rynearson Stadium instead.
The Block m on the Diag, the traditional center of campus, was home to the 2008 Spring Commencement.
The decision drew a considerable outflow of emails and other feedback, and University officials listened. President Mary Sue Coleman soon scheduled open campus meetings to identify and discuss options. Two polls followed. The first determined that students preferred a campus site even if it meant they would get fewer than the eight guest tickets permitted by the 40,000-person capacity of EMU’s stadium. The second showed that of the viable campus alternatives, 66 percent of graduating students favored the Diag over Elbel Field.
Each undergraduate student was eligible for six guest tickets, and graduate students were eligible for four. Graduation this year was at a different—but in some ways as equally iconic—U-M location.
Remember Drake’s?
From the time it opened in 1929 until it closed in 1993, Drake’s Sandwich Shop stayed almost exactly the same. To generations of alumni, it was just about as Michigan as hometown football games.
When we asked alumni to email us about their memories of Drake’s for this article, the stories poured in. Huddled around the shop’s cramped green booths on cold winter days, students filled up on homemade food. The candy jars, the pecan rolls and freshly squeezed limeade were legendary, and almost all the sandwiches were slathered in mayonnaise, even the PB&J. Alumni talked about what they wanted to do with their lives, they worked part-time jobs for $1.10 an hour, they hung out with the police officers who drank free coffee all night and they nursed hangovers the morning after a romp at the Pretzel Bell. As one alum put it, “We spent many a winter afternoon…solving the problems of the world (and our own as well!).”
Drake’s Sandwich Shop, 1936. For generations of alumni,
the North University restaurant was an essential part
of their college years.
Graduates all the way back to the 1930s report falling in love with their spouses at Drake’s, hiding out in a back booth after a movie with a tin roof sundae and a sweetheart. One alumna remembers filling out an absentee ballot for Adlai Stevenson when she voted for the first time in November 1956. Jane Hinerman Stenning, ’84, returned to Drake’s after her student days to show her daughter, and together they relived stories of Jane’s mother, who two generations before went dancing at Drake’s while a nursing student, possibly in the Walnut Room or the Martian Room.
Truman Tibbals, owner since the 1930s who ran the restaurant with his wife, finally closed the shop’s doors in 1993. The building, located on North University Avenue across from the Diag, is now a Bruegger’s Bagels.
To thousands of alumni, Ann Arbor will never be the same. More than one alum fantasized about coming back to run it; others were surprised to hear that it had closed. Still others hold onto keepsakes: Drake’s teapots, postcards, photos, an old Electrolux vacuum, even a full jar of candy.
As for Jean Kelsey, MA’71, who wrote, “I would give anything to sit in one of those green booths again,” there is good news. The Chocolate House of Ann Arbor on Main Street has one installed in the back.
If only there had been a way to keep some of those pecan rolls!
Did someone say “Pretzel Bell”? If you have memories to share, please email Brad Whitehouse at bwhites@umich.edu by June 13. If you’d like to read alumni emails about Drake’s, click here.
President Coleman Goes to Africa
Signing cooperative agreements with Ihron Rensburg, vice chancellor
of the University of Johannesburg, was one of the many connections that U-M President Mary Sue Coleman forged during her recent trip to Africa.
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman led a delegation to South Africa and Ghana in late February and early March to extend existing collaborations with several universities and forge new relationships.
Coleman and the delegation discussed initiatives that can be incorporated into U-M’s newly established African Studies Center, which will launch in July. The center will do outreach, host programs and events, and serve as the focal point for the more than 120 U-M faculty members involved in scholarship related to Africa. It will take advantage of its affiliation with U-M’s 38-year-old Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, considered one of the foremost centers for Afroamerican and African studies in the world.
Along with the establishment of the center, the U-M African Exchange Scholars Program will bring approximately 10 visiting faculty, students and scholars from African universities to U-M each year.
Coleman met with several leaders from the two countries, including Ghana President John Agyekum Kufuor and the vice chancellors of eight universities in Ghana and South Africa. She also attended a reception hosted by the US Consul General in Johannesburg, Steve Coffman, ’70.
Students to Intern at Beijing Olympics
Nine U-M students have been selected for NBC’s Olympic Intern Program at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The students were selected from more than 65 U-M applicants and began preparing for the month-long trip in early March.
To help prepare them culturally for their trip to Beijing, the students enrolled in “A Link to Modern China,” a specially designed one-credit mini-course. The training will be needed at the Olympics, where they will work 12 hours a day, seven days a week during the games. The internships will run from July to August, with specific times varying by individual assignment. Their jobs will vary from day to day; they will go wherever help is needed to ensure that production runs smoothly.
NBC is planning to broadcast more hours of these games than all the previously televised Olympics combined so the interns know that they have their work cut out for them. They share a love of sports or media production and jumped at NBC’s offer, despite the long hours. “I knew I had to apply for this internship when I heard about it because … well, it’s the Olympics and it’s NBC,” said intern Helen Zhang.
The Alumni Association and the University are providing funding for the students to help cover costs of the internship. The Alumni Association will work with alumni in Beijing to host a welcome reception upon the students’ arrival.
The nine students are Jessica Brown, Keenan Koss, Kaitlin Roach, Kaitlin Urka, Pinzhi Zhang and Helen Zhang of LSA and Vickie Chien, Jason Krochak and Michael Lippert of the Division of Kinesiology.
See page 26 for more U-M/Olympic connections.
Dearborn Names New Dean
Kim Schatzel
Kim Schatzel has been appointed to a five-year term as dean of the UM-Dearborn School of Manage-ment. Schatzel, who was also recently promoted from associate professor of management studies to professor of management at the school, was serving as interim director at the time of appointment.
“After a national search, Kim Schatzel was recommended for the deanship from a very strong pool of candidates and received a clear mandate of support from faculty, staff, alumni and the business community,” said Susan W. Martin, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Schatzel is credited with making key contributions in developing a strong marketing and enrollment management program in the School of Management and with leading the development of iLabs, the School’s Center for Innovation Research. In addition to her extensive experience as a teacher, she has more than 20 years of corporate and new venture experience, including tenure as the founder and CEO of a multinational automotive components firm and three start-up, technology-based businesses.
U-M welcomes the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama was invited to give the 2008 Wege Lecture on Sustainability.
The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was the guest lecturer for the April 20 Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability at U-M’s Crisler Arena, coinciding with Earth Day weekend. Best known as an outspoken advocate for human rights and global peace, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Buddhist leader has long held views on the subject of the environment, which he sees as one of humankind’s central problems and a matter of taking individual responsibility.
Each year, the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment invites an internationally recognized leader to deliver the Wege Lecture. Recent speakers include former Vice President Al Gore and William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Co.
In addition to the public lecture, the Dalai Lama’s visit to Ann Arbor included a day-and-a-half of formal Buddhist teachings on “Engaging Wisdom and Compassion.” His last visit to Ann Arbor was in 1994.
Locking horns in the Blogosphere
So what’s a hot-button issue for librarians these days? To get a hint, just gauge the reaction when U-M’s head librarian, Paul Courant, used his blog to defend Google’s mass digitization of U-M’s library books.
“Would I prefer that a charitable foundation would support this work on the same schedule as Google, and make everything available to everyone, subject only to copyright restrictions?”, he wrote. “You bet…. Can someone tell me the name of the foundation, please? In the meantime, it seems to me that being in bed with Google is way better than sleeping alone.”
Paul Courant, U-M professor and librarian, views his blog about the Google scanning project and other topics as part of academic discourse.
The post caused a buzz in the blogosphere and started a brief back-and-forth between Courant and University of Virginia scholar Siva Vaidhyanathan, who is an outspoken critic of the project and author of an upcoming book, “The Googlization of Everything.”
While Courant thinks Vaidhyanathan is wrong on this issue, he said he has great respect for him and the blogs he writes. Courant sees blogs as a new part of the academic discourse, in the nature of a coffeehouse argument or dueling letters to the editor. Several members of the U-M faculty write good ones, he said, notably Juan Cole, professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian History (juancole.com).
Courant’s blog (paulcourant.net) archives the exchange and includes links to more information on the scanning project.
Texting for Safety
After the Virginia Tech University shooting a year ago, U-M officials began talking in earnest about how best to communicate news of an emergency quickly with the 73,000 people affiliated with the University. When a U-M student was involved in a fatal shooting at an apartment near North Campus in January, it did nothing to ease concerns.
The U-M Emergency Alert system that the Department of Public Safety announced in March could be a step in the right direction. Students, faculty and staff can now register to receive voice and text messages during major emergencies on campus, which are limited to the scale of events such as tornado warnings, hazardous material spills or a person actively shooting a weapon. It will not replace the email crime alerts or DPS Web site updates that are already used when potentially dangerous crimes are committed on or near campus.
"With more students and employees now using text messaging, we wanted a system that could use that technology in addition to e-mail," said Teresa Sullivan, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "We hope we don't have to use it, but now we'll be able to inform our campus much more quickly and effectively than ever before."
North Campus Wants Work—and Play
North Campus may soon boast a wind- and human-powered sustainable energy installation and an amphitheater that functions as a large musical instrument.
Those were the winning concepts of the WorkPlay Competition, a contest sponsored by the North Campus deans and the University-wide initiative Arts on Earth to find a way to transform North Campus into a destination location.
This kinetic kiosk, which can be wind-, solar- or pedal-powered, is part of one of the winning proposals to transform North Campus. Visit artsonearth.org for more information.
The first winner, “C’ing Energy,” includes low-power, artistically designed wind turbines and kinetic kiosks where visitors can generate power themselves at sites across campus. Clean power stations for North Campus dwellers are another feature of the plan.
The second winner, “WorkPlay Ground,” features a central amphitheater that functions as a large musical instrument. Swings, slides and other components would make music when put into motion by users or by the wind. The anchoring reflecting pool has a fountain in the summer and freezes into an ice rink in the winter.
The two winning teams were announced in late March and consisted of professors, graduate assistants, staff members and undergraduate students from a range of disciplines, including the arts, sciences and architecture. The two teams each received $7,500 in prize money. They have been asked to work together with a design professional to consolidate the concepts. There is a $500,000 budget for the development of the final project.
Law School to Expand Facilities
After almost 75 years, the U-M Law School is getting more room.
A lot has changed since the Law Quadrangle first opened in 1933. The U-M Law School now has twice as many students and four times as many total faculty members, and due to the increasing complexity of the law, now offers four times as many courses. And that’s not to mention technological advances.
The Law School plans to meet these changes with a $102 million renovation, including a new $80 million building complementing the existing quad and adding classrooms, offices and clinical spaces. It will be the first major expansion of instructional space in 75 years.
The building will be located just north of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and is designed to harmonize with the quad’s collegiate Gothic architecture. A Law School Commons, complete with group study spaces and gathering spots, will also be constructed.
“As we look back on 150 years of legal education at Michigan, we can rest assured that these spectacular new spaces will enable us to bring the law to life for generations of students to come,” said Law School Dean Evan Caminker.
Posted by smorioka at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2008
Editor's Note
The U-M ice hockey team will play in the Frozen Four semifinals tonight against Notre Dame. As I watch the game from home, I know that hundreds of U-M alumni will gather in bars and restaurants across the country to watch the game together. More than a dozen of the Alumni Association’s alumni clubs have organized formal game-watching parties for this evening, and even more alumni will get together with a few friends at home to watch the Wolverines face off in Denver.
The U-M ice hockey team will play in the Frozen Four semifinals tonight against Notre Dame. As I watch the game from home, I know that hundreds of U-M alumni will gather in bars and restaurants across the country to watch the game together. More than a dozen of the Alumni Association’s alumni clubs have organized formal game-watching parties for this evening, and even more alumni will get together with a few friends at home to watch the Wolverines face off in Denver.
Michigan has been in the Frozen Four before—22 other times, to be exact—but it always reminds me of U-M’s appearance in 1995 when it faced Maine in the semifinals. At the time, I was living in Wichita, Kansas, working for the Wichita Wranglers, the former AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
Most of my coworkers were from Kansas or surrounding states and didn’t have much appreciation for college hockey. I recall one asking if people actually went to college hockey games. There were, however, a few who cared about the games, including one coworker, Trevor Vernon, ’93, who was also a U-M sports management grad like me, and another guy from Wisconsin. The games weren’t widely available on TV so a couple of us sneaked into the players’ clubhouse after hours to watch the game on its cable hookup. Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all.
Michigan lost to Maine that year, a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat in triple overtime; the eventual NCAA champion was Boston University. The Wolverines went on to win the national championship in 1996 and 1998, however. I watched those games, as well, although not
in a minor league baseball stadium.
Here at the Alumni Association, we often hear of alumni who gather at unusual times and places to cheer on Michigan—most frequently, Michigan football. It’s a unique phenomenon if you think about it. What else would drive otherwise rational people to wake in the middle
of the night, rearrange schedules or sneak into a locker room?
Regardless of the outcome of the hockey game tonight, there soon will be other opportunities to cheer on the Wolverines. The baseball and softball teams are looking strong and, of course, football season is around the corner. And this is not limited to sports. I know an alumnus in Washington, DC, Sam Chappell, ’69, who is traveling to Spain this summer. After learning that the U-M Men’s Glee Club will be performing in Seville while he’s in the country, he rearranged the trip so he, his wife, Bobbie (Sommer) Chappell, ’67, and her sister, Carol (Sommer) Steuk, ’63, could attend the concert. That’s dedication!
If you have an unusual tale of your Michigan devotion, let me know at alumnus.editors@umich.edu. I’ll post the stories to our Web site and may even feature some in an upcoming issue of Michigan Alumnus.
Catherine Serrin Niekro, ’94
Editor, Michigan Alumnus
Posted by smorioka at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
Michigan Journey
They’re everywhere! From Detroit to Dubai, from Chattanooga to the Czech Republic, and from Silicon Valley to Shanghai.
With almost a half million living graduates of the University of Michigan scattered around the globe, I am never surprised to turn a corner and see someone walking toward me with the word Michigan emblazoned on their clothing or a Block M on their hat.
And it seems that wherever they are, Michigan alumni are actively involved in making a positive difference in their professions, in their communities—locally and nationally—in the lives of the people around them, and for their alma mater.
They’re everywhere! From Detroit to Dubai, from Chattanooga to the Czech Republic, and from Silicon Valley to Shanghai.
With almost a half million living graduates of the University of Michigan scattered around the globe, I am never surprised to turn a corner and see someone walking toward me with the word
Michigan emblazoned on their clothing or a Block M on their hat.
And it seems that wherever they are, Michigan alumni are actively involved in making a positive difference in their professions, in their communities—locally and nationally—in the lives of the people
around them, and for their alma mater.
It will not surprise you to know that the largest geographical concentration of alumni resides in the Greater Detroit area. The U-M presence is especially strong there, as pointed out in the story on page 32. This story tells you about alumni making a difference daily in Detroit—alumni like Angie Reyes, ’98, founder of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. And there are many more like her.
To the south, Mervin Pregulman, ’44, and Helen Pregulman, ’49, are two of the most respected community leaders and philanthropists in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Among many other things, they were largely responsible for the building of Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, one of the leading rehabilitation centers in the United States.
Out west in Silicon Valley, the technology world has a distinctive Maize and Blue flare. Just consider the chief data officer at Yahoo, Usama Fayyad, ’84, MSE’86, MS’89, PhD’91, (see page 29) or Google co-founder Larry Page, ’95. Forbes just released its list of the wealthiest people in America, and Page is fifth. Four other Michigan alumni are also in the top 100.
Like the line from ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” Michigan alumni “span the globe.” On a recent trip to strengthen academic opportunities in Africa (see page 15), U-M President Mary Sue Coleman also met with alumni leaders in Dubai. And earlier this year people in the Czech Republic had an opportunity to vote for U-M professor Jan Svejnar in his bid to become president of that country (see page 35).
Last June, in three Chinese cities and Seoul, South Korea, more than 800 Michigan alumni and students attended alumni meetings. In Hong Kong, Henry Tang, ’75, spoke to the group. Tang is the second-highest
ranking official in the Hong Kong Provincial Government. In Shanghai, our meeting was in the Shanghai Gallery of Art, in a building renovated by Paul Liu, ’83. In Beijing, our speaker was US Ambassador to China Clark Randt, JD’75 (see Q&A on page 23). This summer we will be treated to the work of another alumnus when Gary Zenkel, ’83, leads NBC’s coverage of the Olympics from Beijing (see page 26).
I could fill an entire book with names and accounts of alumni making a difference here in Ann Arbor, throughout the United States and around the world. Not all of them, maybe not even most of them,
are as well known as some of the names I’ve written here. But most of them have this in common—they have not forgotten their alma mater.
That is why Merv Pregulman is a leader of the U-M Alumni Spirit Group in Chattanooga. It is why Usama Fayyad agreed to be the speaker at our Silicon Valley Career Enhancement Event on May 13 and why Larry Page hosted us at Google and spoke at our first career networking event there. And it is why busy people like Henry Tang and Clark Randt make time to meet with fellow alumni.
If they can do it, so can we all. As you travel your Michigan Journey, I encourage you not to forget from whence you’ve come. Stay connected to your University and to others in the vast Michigan network. And let your Alumni Association help you stay connected … it’s what we do.
Yours for Michigan,
Steve Grafton
President and CEO, Alumni Association of the University of Michigan
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A Clear Signal
Chances are that you’ve never heard of a city called Daqing. In fact, if the average U-M alum were to point at random to a map of China, she’d probably hit a city she’s never heard of, even if it’s one of the 102 Chinese cities that has more than 1 million residents. (In contrast, the US has nine.) Legend has it that when Napoleon Bonaparte pointed to a map of China, he famously called it a sleeping giant, and one can’t listen to the news for long today without concluding that the giant is waking up. With a sense of wonder—and oftentimes of anxiety—we hear about China’s rush into the modern era with seemingly limitless potential for development in its re-ascension to greatness. China is rising fast.
The photo, winner of the Center for Chinese Studies 2007 photo contest, was taken by U-M sociology PhD candidate Byung-ho Lee at the Shaolin Temple, Henan Province.
Chances are that you’ve never heard of a city called Daqing. In fact, if the average U-M alum were to point at random to a map of China, she’d probably hit a city she’s never heard of, even if it’s one of the 102 Chinese cities that has more than 1 million residents. (In contrast, the US has nine.) Legend has it that when Napoleon Bonaparte pointed to a map of China, he famously called it a sleeping giant, and one can’t listen to the news for long today without concluding that the giant is waking up. With a sense of wonder—and oftentimes of anxiety—we hear about China’s rush into the modern era with seemingly limitless potential for development in its re-ascension to greatness. China is rising fast.
U-M’s relationship with China stretches back to the 19th century. As the country leaps into the 21st century, the Alumni Association seeks new and better ways to connect with the alumni who live there.
Will the 1.25 million people from Daqing, then, take offense at our ignorance? Probably not. They’ve never heard of the University of Michigan, either. Most average Chinese people haven’t, according to Carolyn Wang, a U-M doctoral student studying chemical biology. Sitting at Starbucks with her laptop, Wang says that she was not really aware of a little city called Ann Arbor or U-M when she was growing up in Daqing.
U-M alumni who live in bustling cities like Shanghai now have active alumni groups.
The time when Wang and other Chinese students do hear about Michigan is when they start looking at graduate schools. China has limited options for higher education, and thanks to U-M’s unusual breadth of quality it quickly emerges as a strong choice for China’s most promising doctoral candidates. Wang is one of the 900 Chinese students currently studying here. She plans to return to China some day, and the question remains, will Michigan mean anything to her then?
128 years of history
Of course, China and U-M have meant something to each other for a long time, longer than is true of many other American universities. James B. Angell, U-M president, took a temporary leave from the University when he was appointed US Minister to China from 1880 to 1881. Thanks to continuing efforts by Angell and others, U-M had one of the nation’s highest enrollments of Chinese students from as early as 1911.
The University began to develop particularly strong academic programs for the study of China and other Asian countries in the 1930s, and they continued to thrive even after China closed itself off under Mao Zedong starting in 1949. The Center for Chinese Studies was founded at U-M in 1961 and, along with the centers at Harvard and Berkeley, has a reputation as one of the top three US programs. The first US academic delegation to set foot in China after foreigners were let in again was a U-M group in 1976.
The three most distinguished policy advisers from the last 50 years were U-M political science professors. Each served on the National Security Council for one of the US presidents who has been most involved with China. Richard Solomon, now president of the US Institute of Peace, helped to normalize relations with the
People’s Republic of China under Richard Nixon. Michel Oksenberg, a former director of the Center for Chinese Studies and a U-M professor for two decades, took a leave of absence from 1977 to 1980 to help Jimmy Carter continue the normalization process. Ken Lieberthal, another former CCS director, was appointed special assistant to Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2000 and is credited with helping the two countries enter a new stage through the “Constructive Strategic Partnership.” Lieberthal still teaches at U-M in the departments of political science and business.
Michigan is home to many other distinguished China studies professors,
including a MacArthur Fellow and a two-time winner of the Joseph Levenson Prize for books on China, and more than 300 visiting Chinese professors teach here. In addition, academic departments from across the campus have China initiatives or partnerships, including the Joint Institute, a partnership between U-M and Shanghai Jiao Tong University that offers engineering degrees in both China and the United States.
Reaching alumni today
As China emerges, the Alumni Association is in a unique position to build off U-M’s unusually long and rich history with the country. How does China’s growing alumni body stay in touch with each other or with their alma mater?
Answering that question largely falls to Jo Rumsey, AAUM’s vice president of university relations. She began focusing on Asia after U-M President Mary Sue Coleman traveled to China in 2005 to help build partnerships and raise U-M’s profile there.
“It wasn’t until President Coleman’s 2005 trip that it became clear that she wanted international relations to be part of her legacy,” Rumsey says. “We finally had the institutional commitment we needed.”
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman’s visit to China in 2005 was a defining moment that helped shape the AAUM’s current efforts there.
AAUM President Steve Grafton soon restructured Rumsey’s job so she could dedicate half her time to China and other international efforts. As part of an ongoing partnership with President Coleman’s office, Rumsey sets up U-M delegations to major cities in China and East Asia every summer. The annual tours, which bring together Chinese alumni and expose many of U-M’s top deans and other leaders to the country’s possibilities, have become a foundation of University involvement. As Grafton puts it, the Alumni Association is an umbrella group for U-M’s China interests, uniting alumni relations with such groups as academia and philanthropy.
AAUM President Steve Grafton (left), who travels annually with the U-M delegation to China, sees the AAUM as an umbrella group that unites U-M’s broad interests in China.
“Alumni associations usually don’t lead, they follow. Michigan’s alumni association has provided particularly strong leadership,” says James Lee, former director of U-M’s Center for Chinese Studies. “The annual trips get the University [executive officers] working together and provide a platform to pull together our connections with China.”
The tours are also essential for development. Philanthropy is a concept that continues to take root in China as new wealth makes giving possible for the first time ever. (As U-M professor Jun Ni, who is Chinese, put it, “When you don’t have any money, you don’t think about giving it away.”) Jefferson Porter, associate vice president of development, toured China as a member of the U-M delegation last summer. He says alumni in China are an important part of an increasingly global donor base.
“The Alumni Association has really helped position the University in Asia,” he says. This is important, because as alumni enter the global marketplace, they look for how their alma mater is present in their community. “One thing you have to realize is that this is helpful to us, but that it is also helpful to alumni.”
Chinese alumni, in other words, want to see Michigan’s presence and reputation improve in their home country. While they appreciate the efforts so far, they want U-M to keep building awareness and keep building the network.
Thanks to modern communication, this is more possible today than ever before. Email and the Internet have revolutionized how the AAUM reaches out to Chinese alumni, including through inCircle, a networking Web site for U-M alumni, and an electronic newsletter. As a result, alumni in China aren’t quite as far away anymore.
A little bit at a time, the Alumni Association is getting better at bridging the divide. This work holds a deep significance for Rumsey. By helping bring together alumni with the rest of campus, she helps promote understanding between the US and China. China, of course, has its share of problems, due in no small part to its unprecedented rate of change. It looks to U-M as a model for higher education, and Rumsey believes U-M can help.
“Some people say China will be the next world leader. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if we’re all going to survive, we need to learn to get along,” she says. “It’s what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Taking U-M back home
By helping to organize U-M delegations to China and other parts of Asia, the Alumni Association’s Jo Rumsey (right) believes she is helping U-M make the kind of global connections that benefit humankind.
It’s true that Carolyn Wang, the student from Daqing, wasn’t aware of U-M until it was time to find a graduate school. However, when she goes back to China, she’ll take U-M with her. What will Michigan mean to her? She puts it this way: “It will be important to me to stay in the network. We went to this university together.”
Or consider Chinese doctoral student Liang Zhang. When he’s feeling down, he thinks about “The Victors” to cheer himself up. “I think it’s very inspiring, and the lyrics are very good,” he says with feeling.
Eventually he’d like to teach at a Chinese university. It’s not hard to imagine him standing at a chalkboard on a bad day and softly humming “Hail! Hail! to Michigan.” The song, just like the Big House, the Diag, and the Maize and Blue, is something that Zhang now has in common with the more than 460,000 U-M alumni living in the world today.
Li Li Leung, ’95, is one of the 1,400 or so alumni in China, and she has experienced the Michigan connection firsthand. Leung’s mom was born in Beijing, and her dad is from Hong Kong, but Li Li grew up in New Jersey. She moved to China four years ago, partly to build her career and partly to learn about her roots. She heads the China office of a sports marketing firm. Not only did her company help Beijing win the Olympic bid, but it also helped Vancouver win the Winter Olympics in 2010. She worked on the first NBA game in China when the Houston Rockets played the Sacramento Kings in 2004 and in March helped bring the first Major League Baseball games. “I’ve been exposed to things I never would have been if I hadn’t been in China,” she marvels. “It’s an incredible time to be here.”
She took part in another historic moment in sports in November, although this one was personal. Thanks in part to help from the AAUM, there are a growing number of active alumni groups in China. When Michigan football played Ohio State in 2007, Leung didn’t let the 13-hour time difference stop her from doing what so many other alumni do: She gathered with fellow alumni at a game-watching party at a local bar, which in Beijing started at 1 a.m. “Even though we’re halfway around the world, we share this connection. It’s quite special,” she says.
—Brad Whitehouse is a staff writer for Michigan Alumnus.
Clark Randt, JD’75, is the longest-serving US Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 30 years. He served as the keynote speaker at a U-M reception in Beijing last summer. Below he shares a few of his insights on China with Michigan Alumnus.
You have a very close and personal perspective of China. How would you describe what’s happening there?
Breathtaking! When I first visited Beijing in 1974, there were no cars on the roads, telephone numbers were regarded as secrets to be kept from foreigners, people all dressed the same, rode bicycles and were afraid to talk to one another, let alone a foreigner. When I tried to practice my Chinese on people in Beijing, they fled. I was awakened every morning by loudspeakers exhorting me to study the thoughts of Chairman Mao and criticize Confucius and Lin Biao. The stunning changes that we see today are a tribute to China’s Policy of Reform and Opening Up and to the hard work and creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese people.
The country is changing fast, which always brings challenges. What is the biggest way the American people can help China overcome those challenges?
I am often told by my Chinese friends that many more Chinese understand America and its challenges than there are Americans who understand China and its significant challenges. I am pleased to see a sharp increase in the number of Americans studying China and the Chinese language. Among the significant challenges facing China today are political reforms that are not keeping pace with the impressive economic reforms, uneven application of the rule of law and serious environmental degradation. Americans understand democracy and a legal system and institutions that support the rule of law. Innovative American entrepreneurs have also created much of the most advanced pollution control technology available today. A prosperous and stable China at peace with itself and its neighbors is in the mutual interests of the United States and China and of our two great peoples.
In turn, how can China benefit the United States?
China continues to be America’s fastest-growing export market for goods and services. Inexpensive, good quality Chinese products have helped Americans keep inflation low and maintain a higher standard of living, and Chinese purchases of American debt have been a significant factor in keeping United States interest rates low. China shares many important strategic interests with the United States. China needs a peaceful and stable international environment in order to keep its export-driven, job-creating economic machine rolling. Accordingly, increasingly China is playing a responsible and positive role in resolving international issues such as the Korean nuclear issue. By the same token, China needs to ensure a level playing field for trade, better intellectual property rights protection and reciprocal market access for American goods and services. As President Bush has said, “Working together, the United States and China can achieve great things.”
How do you think China will influence the American people in the coming years?
The rise of China is one of the most significant events of our lifetime and one that will impact not only the lives of every American but the lives of people the world over. I have already discussed China’s economic influence on Americans. Because of its size, we must also work with China on global issues such as the environment and climate change, pandemic influenza and energy security. We must also continue to work with China to counter proliferation and terrorism, among other security threats.
What is your advice for how to prepare for this influence?
We welcome China’s emergence on the world stage and encourage China to work with us to take responsibility, as well as advantage, of its new opportunities. In China, Americans have a great opportunity. In order to take full advantage of this opportunity over the long run we must stay focused on our values: liberty, creativity, equality, openness and, as President Reagan noted, our belief in God and free markets. We should welcome the rise of a responsible China and encourage trade and investment, travel, social and cultural exchanges. Where we can cooperate, we should. Where we compete, the competition should be fair, open and constructive. The United States is more than up to such competition.
Yi-Fang Wu, PhD’28, first female college president in China
Zhang Cunhao, MSE’50, six-time recipient of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Award and a four-time recipient of the Chinese National Science Award; created an early process for the synthesis of liquid fuel
Samuel Chao Chung Ting, ‘59, MS’60, PhD’63, HSCD’78, 1976 Nobel laureate in physics
Henry Ying-Yen Tang, ’75, chief secretary for administration of
Hong Kong and former textile tycoon
Visit the International Alumni Relations page on our Web site and find alumni contacts in China and many other countries.
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NBC’s Torch Bearer
Growing up, Gary Zenkel, ’83, loved the drama and excitement of the Olympic Games. “Back in the 1970s, when the Olympics happened, it was the only thing going on in the world,” he says, sitting in his office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. It’s a good thing he never lost that love for Olympic drama, because as the president of NBC Olympics, he manages the day-to-day operations of more than 3,000 hours of Olympic programming on the peacock network and its sister stations CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, Oxygen, Universal HD and NBCOlympics.com.
Growing up, Gary Zenkel, ’83, loved the drama and excitement of the Olympic Games. “Back in the 1970s, when the Olympics happened, it was the only thing going on in the world,” he says, sitting in his office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. It’s a good thing he never lost that love for Olympic drama, because as the president of NBC Olympics, he manages the day-to-day operations of more than 3,000 hours of Olympic programming on the peacock network and its sister stations CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, Oxygen, Universal HD and NBCOlympics.com.
As the head of NBC’s Olympic coverage, U-M alumnus Gary Zenkel will focus the eyes of the world on Beijing this summer.
But as a kid, he had no idea he’d one day end up overseeing the coverage and production of the world’s foremost sporting event. Zenkel, who is originally from the New York City suburb of Scarsdale, has Wolverine Blue in his blood. His father, Bruce, ’52, is also a U-M grad and took Zenkel to Michigan vs. Ohio State football games at an early age to instill the Michigan pride. So when it came time to pick a college, Michigan seemed the only choice. He even convinced his best friend, Steve Tanzer, to become a Wolverine as well. “He’s the reason I went to Michigan,” says Tanzer, ’83. “He loves the place—
he’s the ideal Michigan man.”
Zenkel worked hard as a political science major and golfer on the University’s team. (A shrine to Michigan golf is a fixture in his office even today.) “When I think back to Michigan, my experience on the golf team is what I focus a lot on,” he says. But it was the diversity of Michigan that probably prepared him the most for his future. “Michigan was just a very big, exciting place to be. It makes you realize that if you’re curious, there’s a lot there, and you can really search and find what interests you. Michigan opened me up to explore the world.”
Today, Zenkel is doing just that through his role as marshal of NBC’s Olympics coverage. But the road to the Olympics was not a straight one, he says. “I certainly wasn’t thinking about sports TV as a career, though I’d always been enthusiastic about sports,” he says. After Michigan, Zenkel was accepted to study law at Georgetown. Upon graduation, he worked for three years as an attorney at a law firm that represented NBC Sports. “I got to know the NBC Sports executives working there,” he recalls. In 1990, a job at NBC that entailed working on contracts opened up. “I jumped up and down,” says Zenkel. “And so I’ve been here at NBC for 18 years as part of the sports group.”
In 1996, NBC, which had televised the two prior Olympics, acquired the rights to cover five consecutive Olympic Games through 2008. Before that, with the Olympics occurring every four years, “we
would staff up and staff back down,” says Zenkel. But with the new two-year cycle in place, NBC established a more permanent team.
“I joined this group as head of business affairs and marketing/business development,” he says. And though he is modest about the rise to his current position as president, his friends and colleagues attribute his success to his quiet perseverance and smart ideas.
Jon Miller, the executive vice president of NBC Sports, has worked with Zenkel on multiple projects and has known him since his first day as a junior attorney. “I’ve watched him rise steadily from the junior attorney position in the sports division. Then he took over the Olympics effort in Atlanta in 1996. Since then, he’s just steadily grown, taking on more and more responsibilities—and they are enormous. Nothing happens in his area without him overseeing it,” says Miller, who also credits Zenkel with negotiating a deal for NBCSports.com to partner with the mammoth news site msnbc.com. “They have a huge news site, so we’ve gone from tens of thousands of unique users to tens of millions of unique users. This all happened under Gary’s leadership and direction. He works harder and longer than anyone I know—and I’ve never seen him complain about it.”
Miller says you can’t underestimate what it takes to produce
coverage for an event like the Olympics. “Putting on the Olympics
over 17 days is sort of like putting on 17 Super Bowls. Even more than that, because the Super Bowl is just one event at one venue,” he explains. “With the Olympics, you’ve got stuff going on all the time, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of advertisements. And Gary
does it all very deftly and with a smile.”
Tanzer agrees: “There’s a reason why Gary’s in the position he is.
He has great ideas, and you’d think he’d have a huge ego or be
very demanding. But that’s not his way. He’s as comfortable in a production truck as I imagine he is with the head of NBC.”
With the Beijing games rapidly approaching, Zenkel has a lot on
his plate. Though he currently manages a full-time team of 80
people, it will grow to about 2,000 this summer. Zenkel recognizes
that today there are a lot more choices for viewers seeking entertainment. That’s why he is proud to announce that there will
be a variety of technological platforms for the 200 million viewers to see the Olympic events.
“We’ve always exploited to the fullest extent possible the technology available. In 2000 we launched NBCOlympics.com, and each Olympics since then we’ve grown our offerings,” he says. “The tipping point is right here. For the first time ever, we’ll screen live coverage on the Web, and we will offer on demand a lot of what was shown on TV.” Under Zenkel’s direction, NBC has partnered with AT&T to offer coverage via mobile platforms as well. “Nothing does what the Olympics can do,” says Zenkel. “And we think the awareness around the Beijing games is greater than it’s ever been.”
The challenges Zenkel and his team face are always different, he says, particularly because each Olympics is held in an entirely different culture, and the learning curve is steep. “Chinese culture is different from the Greeks, the Italians and other places we’ve been,” he says, referring to the recent games in Athens, Greece, and Turino, Italy. With China, both “language and distance are factors, but the Chinese have been very helpful. We work very closely with the local Olympic organizing committee, and they are very good, but by definition they have never organized Olympics before. So it’s always a new group of people—that makes it a complex undertaking.”
Putting on the Olympics over 17 days is sort of like putting
on 17 Super Bowls.
Zenkel travels frequently between New York and Beijing, and he’ll
head there sometime in July and stay through the games in August. Despite the daily logistical headaches and unforeseen issues that
crop up, Zenkel has never lost his love for the Olympics and its magic. “We broadcast from 75,000 square feet, and I’m always amazed that we pull it off each time. But, of course, we have no choice.” He says he manages to watch a lot of the games during his 18-hour days in
his office in NBC’s broadcast center. “Olympic athletes are a special breed. And they’re very inspiring to a lot of people. The athletes are people just like the rest of us, but they’re the best at what they do. And they all have amazing stories. And the opening ceremony essentially marches together these young people side by side, and they’re all about intense but friendly competition. At that particular moment, whatever tension exists takes a back seat. The world exists with a common objective, and I think that’s something that is inspirational, something that will endure.”
So what’s next for Zenkel? NBC has expanded its Olympic profile to the 2010 games in Vancouver and the 2012 games in London. “I think I’m fortunate that somewhat by luck I found my way into a business that’s really fun. I think the next 10 years will be dramatic in terms of the change that the media business goes through, and it will be exciting to go through all of that,” he says. “So I see myself doing this for a while. I want to be along for this fascinating, exciting ride, and NBC’s a great place to do that. Unless, of course,” he says with a smile, “the athletic director job at Michigan opens up.”
—Ismat Mangla, ’01, is a freelance writer in New York City.
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Mining for (Data) Gold
If you had asked Usama Fayyad in the late 1980s about his plans for the future, his best guess would have been an academic career. With two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees and a PhD in progress (all from Michigan), he was well positioned for a career as a computer science professor at a prestigious research university.
“I always thought I would be a professor,” says Fayyad. “My adviser’s advice was ‘Go to industry for exactly five years. Then you have to have the discipline to come back to the university.’ That was very good advice,” he says with a smile. However, it was advice he did not take.
If you had asked Usama Fayyad in the late 1980s about his plans for the future, his best guess would have been an academic career. With two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees and a PhD in progress (all from Michigan), he was well positioned for a career as a computer science professor at a prestigious research university.
“I always thought I would be a professor,” says Fayyad. “My adviser’s advice was ‘Go to industry for exactly five years. Then you have to have the discipline to come back to the university.’ That was very good advice,” he says with a smile. However, it was advice he did not take.
Fayyad has five degrees from U-M (two bachelor's, two master's and a doctorate.
Today, Fayyad finds himself at the top of a field that was in its infancy when he was in school. As chief data officer and executive vice president of research and strategic data solutions at Yahoo, he continues work as a pioneer in the field of data mining.
As chief data officer at Yahoo, Usama Fayyad is forging new frontiers in the area of data mining on the Internet.
“I think he found he really loves the impact he can have on the business side of things,” says John Laird, U-M professor of electrical engineering and computer science and a member of Fayyad’s dissertation committee. “It’s clear the world doesn’t move fast enough in academia for him. It’s clear he’s found his place.”
Fayyad doesn’t fit the stereotype of a computer geek. Tall and imposing, he has a ready smile and a dulcet accent, a sign of his childhood in the Middle East. While he was a high school student in Jordan, he decided to attend the University because some of his friends were planning to go there. Laird, who had just started his career at U-M, remembers Fayyad as a stand-out student. “He set a high standard for the following students. He was definitely one of the best.”
Fayyad’s goal was to get his bachelor’s in engineering and then pursue graduate studies elsewhere, maybe Berkeley or Stanford. But Michigan made him a good offer that included a teaching assistantship and research. Likewise, he received an excellent offer from his PhD adviser, Keki Irani, to pursue his doctorate at Michigan. He had another strong motivation to stay: He had met his future wife, Kristina, who was also studying engineering.
The life of a graduate student suited him very well. “I really wanted to be a student forever. Here you are going to courses, doing some research and people are actually paying you for it.” During the summers, his internships allowed him to work for companies such as General Motors and GTE.
However, in the summer of 1990, at the start of his ninth year at Michigan, he had an epiphany. Seeing the incoming students and feeling like part of the landscape, he realized it was time to move on. “So then it became priority number one,” he says. “Get out.”
His path in industry started in 1989 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where he and Kristina, ’85, MSE’90, both worked after leaving Ann Arbor. He analyzed and explored scientific databases gathered from observatories, remote-sensing platforms and spacecraft. “I loved my work at JPL,” says Fayyad, who was also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and a lecturer at Cal Tech. So when Microsoft approached him to take a job building data mining products for its server division and leading the data mining and exploration group for Microsoft Research, he was hesitant to leave.
At that time, Nick Besbeas, currently vice president of global direct marketing for Yahoo, was one of the Microsoft employees charged with recruiting Fayyad. “It was really my job to sell him on the idea of coming to Microsoft because he had several other options. But we felt like this was a guy who could really make a difference.”
Fayyad credits his engineering education not only for the technical skills he learned but also for his leadership abilities.
After months of coaxing, Fayyad agreed to take the new position in 1996. “Everybody thought I was crazy to drop everything and go to Microsoft to start from scratch.” But data mining, the subject of his PhD dissertation, was an emerging field that offered seemingly limitless opportunities. Data mining, in layman’s terms, involves sorting large amounts of data to find relevant information. As Fayyad said, it’s “fishing for patterns in data.”
Among his major accomplishments at Microsoft were contributions to the development of the Microsoft SQL Server and other database platforms. “Because of the data management technology we put in, Microsoft was technologically ahead of Oracle and IBM, their biggest competitors,” Fayyad says.
Realizing that other companies needed not only the technologies he was developing but the expertise to run them, he became an entrepreneur, which he refers to as “another evolution” in his career. In 2000, with Besbeas and another colleague, he started digiMine, Inc. (which later became Revenue Science), a company that built, operated and hosted data warehouses and analytics. The success of digiMine, with a client list that reads like a who’s who of American companies, grew considerably over the next few years. That growth led him to spin off a new company, DMX Group,
a data mining and data strategy consulting company in 2003. By 2004, Yahoo—a client—made an offer to acquire the company.
“They wanted to hire me, but I was not interested,” says Fayyad. “But I was interested in having them as a client. As we started working more and more, two things happened. They started realizing the value of the data they had and the need to build a team dedicated to extracting that value—we’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars. And I started learning something completely new, which is how little I understood the world of the Internet.” By eventually accepting a position as chief data officer, Fayyad placed himself in a position to learn about the Internet in one of its biggest laboratories—Yahoo.
“When you’re trying to understand a new phenomenon in science, you might build a big observatory or you might build a big particle collider,” he says, sitting in a conference room inside the sprawling Yahoo office complex in Sunnyvale, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. “For the Internet, there’s probably only two or three spots in the world you can observe things, and Yahoo is the biggest.”
To put the data in numerical terms, Fayyad says 500 million people a month interact on Yahoo’s site, doing searches, emailing, and reading news and other content. “That’s huge amounts of data. It’s 25 terabytes of data per day. If you took all the books in the Library of Congress and you digitized them, you’d get about 10 terabytes of data. So this is essentially two Libraries of Congress a day that are consumed.”
He and a team of scientists in the areas of technology, sociology and economics track user behavior and translate it into usable data. “If you go to Yahoo Autos, it doesn’t take a genius to realize you must be interested in buying a car. So suddenly that’s a huge hint for me. A lot of these hints, once you figure out what this person is interested in, you can make the content more relevant.” His team can then use that information to target relevant advertisements to the reader.
Fayyad placed himself in a position to learn about the Internet in one of its biggest laboratories—Yahoo.
“I know that someone is in the market for a car. So, while she’s reading email, should I show her car ads or some random dishwasher ad? Clearly, if you show her something more relevant, the experience will be better. So inferring the interest of the user is what we do through data mining.
”Knowing how to take data and translate it into something valuable to a user requires a special skill set. “There are signals that exist in the data and there are lots of technical people who can draw out those signals,” says Besbeas. “But it’s much more difficult to attach those findings to opportunities and to understand what those opportunities mean both to the business and to the consumer. And that’s where I think Usama really shines.”
Fayyad underscores the importance of keeping this data private, comparing Yahoo to a shopping mall. “If you’re shopping and you enter a nice store, it’s not considered an invasion of privacy for the sales associate to walk up to you, look you over, decide what kind of taste you might have, ask you questions about what you like, because it’s relevant. You don’t have an expectation of privacy. However, if you start walking to your car, and the sales associate follows you to the parking lot, it becomes creepy. If they show up in your living room, it’s completely unacceptable. These areas are private.”
One area that is completely off limits is email. “Who the email is addressed to, where it comes from, what’s in it is not my property. It’s the user’s property.”
Because the Internet is a kind of work in progress, Fayyad says there’s still much to be learned. “We still don’t know how to build systems, we still don’t know what the business model should be,”
he says. “We just shoot from the hip and hope for the best.”
Fayyad credits his engineering education not only for the technical skills he learned but also for his leadership abilities. “I view an engineering education almost as a prerequisite for any leadership position. It is a balance of mathematical and abstract thinking, problem solving and pragmatism. That’s a very healthy combination. For my kids, I always have this refrain, ‘I don’t care what you
do, even if you want to be a painter, if you have an engineering degree.’ And I think Michigan engineering is one of the best in the world.”
—Sharon Morioka, ’84, MA’86, is a staff writer for Michigan Alumnus.
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Motor City Connections
When Bianca Harris first heard about an architecture program for high schoolers at the Detroit Community Design Center, something instantly clicked. She already knew that architecture interested her. But avenues toward that career had been limited for the student at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. The after-school program at the design center, a partnership of U-M’s Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning offered her the opportunity to learn more.
When Bianca Harris first heard about an architecture program for high schoolers at the Detroit Community Design Center, something instantly clicked. She already knew that architecture interested her. But avenues toward that career had been limited for the student at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. The after-school program at the design center, a partnership of U-M’s Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning offered her the opportunity to learn more.
The University was founded in the city of Detroit in 1817. Even though it moved to Ann Arbor in 1837, it continues its relationship with the city through a variety of programs and partnerships.
During her two years in the program, she has helped design real-world projects, including a playground for John Trix Elementary School in Detroit, which she, coincidentally, attended years before. “It was really nice because we actually got to go and talk with the children about what they wanted on the playground. I was really happy because at the end our model was chosen,” says the soft-spoken high school senior.
The school’s principal liked the plan so much that he raised funds to build the playground. “It started as an after-school project for kids, it got funded, and now it’s part of the real-world project that we’re actually going to build,” says program director Craig Wilkins, U-M lecturer in urban planning, who says he was “blown away by how engaged the students were in the project.”
The program also allows high school students opportunities to tour architectural sites in Detroit and Chicago, and meet architecture students at U-M as well as students from nearby Lawrence Technological University and the University of Detroit Mercy. “We also have professionals and academics come talk to them in a very informal way about what it means to study architecture, why would you choose this, how did you get started, how much money you make—which is always the first question,” says Wilkins. In the three years since the program’s inception, three students have been accepted at U-M with plans to study architecture.
One of those students is Harris, who plans to enter a field where African-American women are underrepresented. But if anyone can succeed, you get the feeling that Harris can. She is the classic example of an over-achiever, playing clarinet in her high school’s marching and concert bands, singing in the church choir, serving as president of the National Honor Society, and participating on the school’s robotics team. In the little spare time she has left, she models and tutors middle school students in math. Even though her schedule is demanding, she’s glad she made time for the design program, which has given her a concrete picture of the profession.
“That’s why I was really happy when I got into this program. They don’t have these types of programs for everybody.”
The University's Detroit Center
The after-school program at the Detroit Community Design Center is just one of the dozens of programs and partnerships between the University of Michigan and community organizations in Detroit. (See the box on page 33 for a list.) Like many of those programs, it has found a home at the Detroit Center.
The center opened its sleek, modern space in September 2005 in a building situated in the heart of the city—near Wayne State University, the Detroit Institute of Arts and other museums, and many theater and concert venues. Down the hall is the U-M Detroit Admissions Office. The four members of the steering committee responsible for the center project were Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs, and Deans Douglas Kelbaugh of the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, Paula Allen-Meares of the School of Social Work and Bryan Rogers of the School of Art & Design.
“Since my first visit to Detroit seven years ago, I've wanted us to create a more visible physical Detroit presence in the city,” Kelbaugh said in 2005 when the center was announced. “If it weren't for Detroit and the human capital and economic wealth that accumulated there in the first half of the 20th century, U-M would not be what it is today.”
Three years later, the center serves as a home away from home for faculty members and staff who have research projects in the city, says Roger Doster, director of the Detroit Center. They have a place to work and meet with their community partners. The center even houses a small art gallery, Work:Detroit, for University and local artists.
Bianca Harris (second from left) works with classmates on a project at the after-school program at the Detroit Community Design Center.
When the center first opened, Doster made it a point to introduce himself and the center to neighboring businesses. “I went to every business, I’d say for four blocks either way, and introduced us to them.” The initial reaction to Doster’s outreach efforts was a bit dubious—“They said, ‘Why would you come down here?’”—but generally positive. “They were happy; people were excited because they think of the University of Michigan as being just Ann Arbor. It kind of broke that idea down.”
Robin Duncan, business development coordinator for the Jefferson East Business Association, agrees. “When I found out that U-M had a Detroit Center and they used it for so many purposes, I thought it really sends the message that U-M is not only committed to Detroit, but it understands the value of being in the city.”
Collaborating to find solutions
This sign of commitment comes at a challenging time for Detroit, a city that faces a myriad of woes and is often the butt of national jokes.
“I won’t lie to you. The city of Detroit is really going through some very, very difficult and tough times,” says U-M Professor Larry Gant, MSW’81, MA’85, PhD’86, listing problems in the auto industry, the closure of many of the Detroit Public Schools, the high unemployment rate and people moving out of the community.
What that has meant, though, is that organizations—philanthropic, academic and governmental—are all trying to find creative solutions. “There’s an awful lot of positivity and movement,” says Gant. “There is a really good opportunity and a good role for universities, for our research expertise, teaching and service.”
The Good Neighborhoods Initiative, of which Gant is co-principal investigator, is one example. A partnership between the School of Social Work and the Skillman Foundation, the GNI is a 10-year program that works in six Detroit neighborhoods to develop child-friendly communities.
Leigh Smith, a U-M student in the GNI’s Technical Assistance Center, concurs that this is a time of opportunity for the city. “As the industries move out, and with foreclosures on the rise, Detroit is at a time in its history where the residents as well as people outside Detroit will see the most change,” she says. “Every resident I have met since I started at the TAC (Technical Assistance Center) truly loves the city and is excited to bring new business, build up the neighborhoods and stay to watch what will happen in the city. I am very lucky to have the residents and community members I have met to be so supportive of my presence and so ready to put me to work.”
However, how the University approaches working with their community organizations is very important, Gant says. He and others emphasize the need to be an equal partner with the organizations.
“Doing community work requires, above anything else, a level of trust,” says Wilkins, the urban planning lecturer. “People have to believe that you’re on their side.” He adds that the community organizations often work on a shoestring budget with a small staff and a reliance on volunteers. “They don’t have a whole lot of patience for academics who ‘know better’ who come into their neighborhoods.” The University can offer expertise, but an exchange of expertise will never happen unless people in the organization believe they’re treated as equals.
This type of collaboration allows for different perspectives as well as a deeper understanding of research implications, says Angie Reyes, ’98, founder and executive director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, one of the community-based organizations within the Urban Research Center. The URC is a partnership involving the U-M schools of Public Health, Nursing and Social Work, the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, eight community-based organizations in Detroit and Henry Ford Health System.
The College of Architecture + Urban Planning offers these Detroit Public School students the opportunity to learn about the architecture profession. These photos illustrate just one of several programs and partnerships between the University and community organizations in Detroit.
Collaboration also protects the community from what Reyes and others in community organizations refer to as “drive-by research.” This type of research, she explains, sometimes harms the community by taking its time and effort without leaving anything constructive behind.
“We’re very research shy because we’ve been researched to death by a number of different institutions that have not benefited our community,” she says. “When the folks from U-M came to us 13 years ago we figured if they’re going to be in our community, then we better make sure that they’re not going to hurt our community. But over time we’ve developed a very deep level of partnership.” She adds that the partnership is a two-way street, with University researchers deriving value from their community partners. “They understand that there is a lot of strength, knowledge and capacity already existing in the community. They’re not coming in to save a bunch of uneducated poor folk. They’re coming in to work in partnership with people who have knowledge, strengths and skills.”
Gant says only after he has listened to and worked with the community can he offer options. “I say, let us work with you and let us look nationally and internationally at other kinds of neighborhood-based community initiatives. And we can also share with you what has worked in communities that are very similar.”
Benefits of partnerships
Duncan says the Jefferson East Business Association, with a four-person, full-time staff, has definitely benefited from its partnership with the University. “I don’t think we could have achieved some of our previous goals over the years without the assistance of students,” she says, citing their participation in the organization’s annual Jazzin’ on Jefferson festival and its business development, marketing, and clean-and-safe efforts. Students helped the clean-and-safe program develop a vacant lot into a park that has since been the location of several special events in the neighborhood.
Of course, University students also realize significant benefits from working in the city. “Being in the classroom compared to actually being in Detroit adds to the diversity of my education,” says Smith. “Ideas for change and problem solving can be done in theory, but when one puts it into practice in an actual setting it is, for me, the part where I am able to learn the most.”
Gant adds that, although his students conclude their internships, they often don’t sever their ties with the city. Nearly 30 percent of students who are involved in the Good Neighborhoods Initiative live in the city after their internship. “We know that we are creating a very, very neat kind of leadership base,” says Gant. “When you look at some of the neighborhoods and communities in Detroit, you’ll see our students … those who are leading organizations as executive directors, those who are involved in programs as staff and those who are involved as consultants. That is huge. It’s been very, very powerful.”
—Sharon Morioka, ’84, MA’86, is a staff writer for Michigan Alumnus.
The programs mentioned in this article are just the tip of a very large iceberg. The Detroit Center, for example, has more than 100 programs using its facilities at any one time. Following are the University schools, colleges, departments and centers that have some affiliation with the center:
A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning
Center for Afroamerican and African Studies
College of Engineering
College of Literature,Science and the Arts
Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Office of the Provost
Rackham School of Graduate Studies
Residential College
School of Art & Design
School of Education
School of Information
School of Natural Resources & Environment
School of Nursing
School of Public Health
School of Social Work
Undergraduate Admissions Office
University of Michigan-Dearborn
In addition, there are other programs within the city of Detroit that do not use the center.
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A Breath of Fresh Air
If you stopped by Jan Svejnar’s office on the third floor of Weill Hall this year, you would have learned he was on sabbatical. It would be easy enough to assume he spent the time doing research, which is true.
What’s slightly more unusual, however, is that he also spent a great deal of time beneath the golden chandeliers of Prague Castle, meeting with members of Parliament in his bid to become president of the Czech Republic.
If you stopped by Jan Svejnar’s office on the third floor of Weill Hall this year, you would have learned he was on sabbatical. It would be easy enough to assume he spent the time doing research, which is true.
What’s slightly more unusual, however, is that he also spent a great deal of time beneath the golden chandeliers of Prague Castle, meeting with members of Parliament in his bid to become president of the Czech Republic.
At first blush, it sounds surprising. An academic, yes. After all, he is the Everett E. Berg Professor of Business Administration, director of the International Policy Center and a professor of economics and public policy. He is a recognized expert in the economies of countries like the Czech Republic that are transitioning to a free-market economy after years of Soviet control.
But a politician? After all, how many professors decide to run for president of a country?
In the span of a year-long sabbatical, U-M economics professor Jan Svejnar vied for the presidency of the Czech Republic, becoming one of its most popular political figures and raising hopes for change.
Svejnar says he wanted to be president to make a positive impact on the country where he was born. He emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the US in 1970 at age 17 to avoid the risk of political persecution under the Soviets. He became a US citizen in 1981, at which time he had to forfeit his Czech citizenship. He regained dual citizenship in 2001.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 enabled Svejnar to become more engaged in Czech life. He and his wife, U-M economics professor Kathy Terrell, and their children have spent time there very regularly, and he is the founder of CERGE-EI, a prestigious, American-style economics doctoral program in Prague.
Opponent Vaclav Klaus watches Svejnar deliver a speech during the second round of elections.
He entered Czech policy-making in the 1990s as an economic adviser to various ministers and then to Vaclav Havel. Havel became the country’s first president in 1993 when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Havel considered Svejnar for prime minister when the Czech Republic faced a political crisis in 1997, although it never came together.
Despite these ties, Svejnar was not familiar to everyday Czech people, who a few short months ago were unlikely to have ever heard of him. Even though he announced his campaign less than two months before the election, he managed to raise his public profile very quickly. “Jan began his candidacy as an expert known by politicians but relatively unknown by the general public,” says Michael Kennedy, director of U-M’s Center for Russian and East European Studies and a colleague of Svejnar. “By the end, he was one of the most popular politicians among the Czech people.”
The press has often said Svejnar ran an “American-style” campaign, meaning he emphasized open and direct interaction with regular citizens. The result was a jump in popular opinion from 28 percent in December 2007 to 55 percent in February 2008, making him a favorite over the incumbent, President Vaclav Klaus.
Jan Svejnar (right) talks with Social Democratic Senators at the Social Democratic Senate Club prior to the election. It is the members of Parliament and not the general public who vote for the country’s president.
The problem for Svejnar—one that eventually cost him the election—is that it is the members of Parliament and not the Czech people who vote for president. Svejnar gained support across the political spectrum, including the opposition Social Democrats and the Greens. The ruling Civic Democrats supported Klaus, while their coalition party, the right-of-center Christian Democrats, ended up dividing their votes.
When the voting took place in February, it took two elections with three rounds each for a candidate to secure the 141 votes required for a majority. Svejnar fell just a handful of votes short of winning in the opening round, but in later rounds Klaus teetered one vote away from victory. In the sixth round, a normally staunch senior member of the Social Democrats switched allegiances and a senior member of the Green Party called in sick, among other suspicious circumstances. Klaus won 141 votes to 113, amid reports by the BBC of “threats, bribes and corruption.”
He began his candidacy relatively unknown, and ended as one of the most popular politicians among the Czech people.
What surprises many is that Svejnar could do so well against an opponent with such a long history. Klaus has been a major player in Czech politics for close to 20 years, including as the former prime minister and minister of finance. However, according to Michael Kraus, a political science professor at Middlebury College who is Czech and a Svejnar adviser, Klaus is a known entity, but his time is over. “He is a spent force, who has little to add to Czech politics. He is a man of the past,” Kraus says.
Because the president represents the country in the international sphere, Svejnar thinks Klaus’ views hold the country back. For example, the Czech Republic was recently a front-runner to become a rotating member of the UN Security Council, but when Klaus denied the existence of global warming and humans’ role in it, the seat went to Croatia instead.
Even more troubling to Svejnar is Klaus’ resistance to the European Union. The Czech Republic is a member and will hold the rotating presidency of Europe in the first half of 2009. Yet Klaus does not support strong integration with the EU, or even the adoption of the euro. This is in spite of the fact that the country relies heavily on trade with EU countries. That a euroskeptic like Klaus should represent a country with this type of open market does not make sense to Svejnar.
Svejnar was sometimes viewed as an outsider during the election. The opinion is not hard to understand: He lives and works in the US, is married to an American, and has dual citizenship. (In response to criticism during the election, he announced he would drop his US citizenship if he won.)
But his outsider status also helped him. Corruption is widely considered a problem in the Czech Republic, and many people long for change. A recent study by the European Commission reported that only one in five Czech citizens trust the national government. Corruption may have even helped Klaus win the election, which a BBC correspondent said included “mafia-style pressure tactics.” Svejnar’s open and direct style was viewed by many Czechs as a relief and a challenge to the status quo.
The way his U-M colleagues describe him, it is no surprise that the Czech people viewed him as a breath of fresh air. Alan Deardorff, associate dean of U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy, says Svejnar possesses that rare quality in the best leaders of being a good listener, even to the opposition. Kennedy at the U-M’s Center for Russian and East European Studies says, “The astonishing thing about Jan is how he’s always so even-keeled.”
The Svejnar family takes a walk in Prague. Left to right: son, Dan, ’03, wife, U-M economics professor Kathy Terrell, and daughter, Laura, ’08.
Faith Vlcek, program administrator for the International Policy Center and Svejnar’s assistant for almost 11 years, says she can’t say enough good things about him. “He is probably the most exceptional person I have ever worked for,” she says, adding that he’s incredibly ethical, never talks down to students, goes out of his way to help others express their viewpoints, has the courage of his convictions and is loving to his wife and children. “I see no reason why that strength of character would not transfer to the presidency.”
Laura Svejnar, ’08, and her brother, Dan, ’03, were with their father in the Czech Republic during the election. Laura has been going to Prague her whole life and speaks Czech, but says it was strange being in Prague Castle’s splendid Spanish Hall during voting instead of outside with the tourists. She was impressed by how level-headed her father stayed throughout the tedious voting process, which was constantly being interrupted as party members maneuvered for advantage.
It was strange to see her dad’s photo on the cover of the newspaper so often, to see strangers rush up to him on street corners and in metro stations, or to have a swarm of reporters meet him at the airport. “I was very surprised how humble he stayed about it all,” she says.
When the possibility of political position had come up in the past, Laura says Svejnar was so nonchalant it caught her off guard. When it came up again in October, he was less reserved. “I’ve never seen my dad so excited before,” she says. “He was jumping up and down and miling and said, ‘I think I’m going to do it!’”
Svejnar planned to ask for a leave of absence from the University if he won, but now will return to his work here. Many wonder if he will he run again in five years when Klaus’ term is up.
I know he’s driven to help the Czech Republic.
Marek Zapletal, a Czech and a doctoral student of Svejnar’s, says neighboring Slovakia recently switched to a general election and the Czech Republic has been considering it. If it happens before Klaus’ term ends in five years, it could help Svejnar’s chances, but Svejnar is not ready to commit. “I personally feel it is too early to say,” Svejnar says. “The circumstance could be very different five years from now, either personally or politically.”
Terrell, talking on the phone from Prague, says she will support her husband if he does run again. “I know he’s driven to help the Czech Republic. It’s what drives a lot of the work he’s done, especially in this country,” she says. She adds that they recently held a party to thank their supporters, and it helped her understand how the people have come to feel about him.
“His candidacy raised the Czech’s expectations for improving the political culture and quality of government,” she says. “Jan gave them hope that things can change.”
—Brad Whitehouse is a staff writer for Michigan Alumnus.
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