 . . . Spring 2002
Please include the degree(s) and year(s) for alumni/ae you wish to
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Thomas P. Wilczak
'76, '83 MS, willl chair
the Environmental Law Section of the
Michigan State Bar.
He is a partner of Pepper Hamilton
LLP in Detroit. Wilczak says the objectives for the Environmental Law Section
are to deliver useful and well-attended programs for section members throughout
the year, to publish the Michigan Environmental Law Journal three times
a year, to increase usage of its section listserv and to provide
periodic case notes of interest.
Markku Alison '88 MArch was named Young Architect of the Year by the American Institute of Architects-Michigan. The award, recognizing significant contributions to the profession by an architect who is under 40 years of age, was presented at the May 2002 AIA Michigan Honor Awards Ceremony at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills.
Working in the field since 1981, Allison concentrated on design and theory at U-M. In 1994, he spearheaded the merger of two firms to create Schemata, Inc., where he is one of three partners. Allison's role as design lead has earned Schemata numerous awards for their projects.
Charles Axinn received his MD from Michigan around 1930, his widow Elsie
reported in April. "Subsequently, he went to Sheffield University in
England and practiced general medicine for more than 50 years and also
served in WWII," Mrs. Axinn said. Dr. Axinn died July 3, 2001.
Daniel D. Bartfeld ’90 has been named partner in the New York office of
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy’s Global Project Finance Group, concentrating on the representation of project sponsors and financial institutions in the development and financing of a wide range of US and international infrastructure projects. Bartfeld is currently representing a variety of sponsors in their infrastructure developments in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Canada. He earned his JD from the George Washington University National Law Center.
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Bednarski |
John F. Bednarski '84, who was formerly a principal with Arthur Andersen's Complex Claims practice in Detroit, has joined AlixPartners' Financial Advisory Services practice group. AlixPartners is an international corporate turnaround and financial advisory firm headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. In addition to being a certified public accountant, Bednarski, a CPA, also possesses the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation, and holds the accreditations of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA). A resident of Novi, he received his MBA at Northwestern University.
Jill B. Berkeley ’90 '72 is the author of "Duty to Defend," a chapter in the book Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance 2002, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She is the partner-in-charge of the insurance practice group at Schiff Hardin & Waite in Chicago.
Annemarie Bonawitz '00 is heading to Beer Sheva in Israel's Negev desert
region to train for a career as a physician specializing in global
health. Bonawitz will be a first-year student at the Ben Gurion
University of the Negev, a program affiliated with Columbia University
in New York. She majored in biochemistry and German at U-M and worked on
malaria research as an assistant in a microbiology lab at Weill Cornell
Medical College in New York before enrolling at Ben Gurion.
Elise Busny '90
has been elected as a member of the Boston law firm of Brown Rudnick Freed & Gesmer.
She practices general commercial litigation with particular emphasis on labor
and employment, business torts and bankruptcy. Busny received her law degree from
the Boston University School of law and joined Brown Rudnick in 1995. She has appeared
on Good Morning America, CBS News' Early Show, the Fox News Channel and
National Public Radio.
Robert Capriccioso
'01 of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
has joined the staff of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium
in Alexandria, Virginia, as its federal relations associate. He earned dual
BA degrees in political science and psychology, and was a member of the
Native American Student Association. Capriccioso also published newspaper
viewpoints regarding American Indian rights and worked as a reporter at
the Michiganensian yearbook. In summer of 2001, he participated in the Tribal
Chairman's Internship program in Summer 2001 with the Sault Tribe's Judicial
Court.
Denise Charron-Prochownik '91 PhD, has received the 2001 Nightingale Award for Nursing Research, presented by the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania to individuals who demonstrate excellence in nursing research and who have made significant contributions to patient care.
An assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Nursing and School of Public Health, Charron-Prochownik is also a
pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She
has focused her research on reproductive health awareness for teens with diabetes to help them make informed healthy choices.
Marcelle D. Christian '01 PhD, has been named an assistant professor of psychology and Black studies at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Christian's research is focused on minority issues in mental health. Her current work explores how African American women form sexual identities, or "self images," and how this process "translates to mental and sexual health practices." She argues that the historical legacies of slavery, during which "Black women's bodies were used, sold and exploited," are still visible in media representations of Black women's bodies, which in turn are a powerful influence on the formation of the "actual, ideal and thought self-image" of many Black women. Prof. Christian received her BA in psychology and French from Vassar College.
Michael L. Cohen '75 has been named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Alexandria (Virginia) organization announced in June.
Cohen, is the study director of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on National Statistics. He joined the ASA in 1977 and received his doctorate from Stanford University in 1981. His Fellow citation reads: "Michael L. Cohen, Study Director, National Academy of Sciences Committee on National Statistics: For outstanding leadership and guidance of study panels on important national public policy problems, including census undercount, and for service to the profession."
Each year, the ASA Committee on Fellows can elect only one-third of one percent of the total membership, the ASA said in announcing the 2002 honorees.
Lynne Deitch '73, '75, an attorney for Butzel Long has been named to Corp! magazine's list of Michigan's 95 Most Powerful Women, her law firm announced. "I am honored to be named to this list of outstanding women leaders," said Deitch, who lives in Birmingham, Michigan. "These women are visionaries who share many common goals for the future. I am proud to be recognized among such a fine group of highly regarded professionals."
Deitch is currently serving a one-year term as the first woman chair of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms. She is the first woman in the international organization's history to serve in this leadership capacity and only the fifth attorney from the United States to lead this prestigious global organization of more than 14,000 attorneys.
She also contributed a guest article to Perspectives, published by the American Bar Association Commission on Women. The article was titled, "A Winning Approach for Women." In addition, she wrote her article "Alternative Work Schedules as a Means of Retaining Lawyers" appeared this spring in Revue de l'ACE, a legal publication in France.
Farber |
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Diane S. Farber '75 MSW, first vice president-Investments, Retirement Planning Advisor, at Prudential Securities, has received the Certified Investment Management Analyst certificate, which is offered only by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Faber is also a certified financial planner. The designation specifies that Ms. Farber has demonstrated competence in analyzing, initiating and developing personal and business financial plans, including maintenance of these financial plans.
Farber, who received her bachelor's degree from Boston University, currently serves as a trustee on the board of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, a trustee on the board of Children's Center, and a member of the financial advisory committee of the Michigan Women's Foundation. In addition, she is an active member of the Financial Planning Association, the Investment Management Consultants Association, the Economic Club of Detroit and the Women's Economic Club.
Edward S. Fry '62 BS, '69 PhD, professor of physics at Texas A&M University, has been appointed head of the Department of Physics. Fry's selection was the result of an extensive search process that lasted in excess of a year to replace Dr. Thomas W. Adair III, who had served as head since November 1994.
A member of the Texas A&M faculty since 1969, Fry spent a year and a half as a visiting associate professor at Michigan from 1977 to 1979. In addition to academia, Fry has served his profession as director of the Texas Laser Laboratory at the Houston Advanced Research Center, located in The Woodlands, Texas, from 1994 to 1997. His research interests lie in the areas of atomic physics and light scattering, foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum optics, laser excitation and ionization of atoms, multichannel scattered light polarization analysis and ocean optics.
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Gallo |
Kurt Gallo '87 BSME has been appointed president of Danaher Corporation's Danaher Power Solutions (DPS), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, responsible for the company's global strategy regarding its Current Technology, Cyberex, Joslyn, Superior Electric and United Power products.
Gallo, who also holds an MBA from University of Chicago, joined Danaher in 1998 as sales vice president for Jennings Technology in San Jose, California, where he progressed to sales and marketing vice president and, in 2000, president. In 2001, Gallo joined Danaher's newly formed Indoor Power Quality Group (which became Danaher Power Solutions) as sales vice president and most recently was vice president and general manager, Enterprise Group.
John Erik Garr '92 has become a partner in DiamondCluster International, a global management consulting firm. He is currently director of the DiamondCluster Exchange, a series of executives in exploring ways to achieve and defend market leadership positions. "We are delighted to welcome Erik into our leadership ranks," said Mel Bergstein, DiamondCluster's chairman and CEO. "Erik's contributions to our Exchange forum and other Innovation programs are a big reason for their success. In addition, his work with clients around developing and executing growth strategies has been outstanding."
While majoring in political science at Michigan, Garr served as an aide to U-M President James J. Duderstadt, who is also a fellow of DiamondCluster International.
Michael S. Gershowitz '93 has received the Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe law firm's Harry L. Rudnick Business Scholarship for 2002. He is a fifth-year associate based in the firm's Chicago office. The scholarship will cover Gershowitz's participation in an executive MBA program. Gershowitz focuses his practice on real estate finance, the acquisition and disposition of real property, landlord/tenant matters and telecommunications matters related to real property.
John G. Gilligan '77 PhD, professor of nuclear engineering and associate dean for research and graduate programs in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State, has been elected by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Research Council to be vice-chair for 2002-03. After serving two years as vice-chair, Gilligan will serve as chair for a two-year term.
Gilligan joined the College of Engineering faculty in 1983. A recipient of the Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, he is currently serving on the board of directors of the ASEE Engineering Research Council (ERC). He was also chair of the recent ERC Research Forum held February 2002 in Arlington, Virginia. The ERC has as its members the top 190 engineering universities in the US.
Gilligan received his bachelor's degree in engineering science from Purdue University in 1971.
Grauer |
Kristen Grauer '00, MPP '01, was sworn
with the 107th
A-Class Junior Officers at the Department
of State in August and will serve her first tour of duty as a junior
officer in the US Foreign Service in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Grauer was sworn
in by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Grauer majored in political science
and economics. Grauer, of Dewitt, Michigan, earned her bachelor's degree
in political science and economics. Her master's degree from U-M's
Ford School of Public Policy was in international and economic policy.
Grauer says she decided to join the foreign service to promote positive
international relations "during this crucial time."
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Gutzler |
Greg G. Gutzler '97 JD has joined the firm of Husch & Eppenberger as an associate in the General Business Litigation Practice Group in St. Louis. Gutzler represents clients in complex litigation matters involving real estate and contract disputes, antitrust claims, business torts and intellectual property litigation. His undergraduate degree was in philosophy from University of California-Berkeley in 1993.
Haffey | |
Dennis M. Haffey '73, '76 JD has been appointed director of the Litigation & Advocacy Department of Dykema Gossett PLLC. Haffey is a litigator specializing in shareholder rights and complex business disputes related to accounting procedures, fraud, professional malpractice, negligence, software licensing, warranty claims, product liability and other issues. He has represented plaintiffs and defendants including corporations, shareholders, dealers, partners, owners and franchises. Haffey has worked in a wide variety of industries including automotive tier one and two suppliers, and sports and entertainment. He is listed among The Best Lawyers in America for business litigation. Haffey lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Hanson | |
William W. Hanson '83 has been named executive director for Washtenaw Land Trust in Ann Arbor. Tom O'Brien, WLT's board president said, "Hanson has the integrity to effectively lead the organization and significantly advance the cause of land preservation in this region." He has worked as a journalist for the Ann Arbor News, the Detroit Free Press, and the Detroit Sunday Journal. He also served as a communications officer for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and was a publicist for Jaffe Associates.
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Harris |
Wallace W. Harris Jr. '91 MBA has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer of Irwin Union Bank in Columbus, Indiana. He
will be responsible for all of the bank's accounting and finance functions.
Harris began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank in
Chicago and has also worked for Nationsbank and 1801 Holdings, a Chicago
investment firm. Prior to that he served as CFO at Baldwin Richardson
Foods Co. in Frankfort, Illinois.
He earned his BA in finance at Notre Dame.
Ron Hartwig '67, an executive vice president of the Los Angeles public
relations firm Hill and Knowlton, has been appointed chairman of the California operations in Los Angeles and director of the US corporate practice. During his 20 years with Hill and Knowlton, Hartwig served as
president and chief operating officer of H&K's US company, as well as general manager of the Los Angeles office. He returns to the firm following a six-month leave of absence during which he served as the chief executive of a political campaign. Prior to joining Hill and Knowlton in 1981, Hartwig worked for the General Motors Corporation for 12 years. He held a variety of public affairs and public relations positions, including manager of European public relations.
Jon Hein '89 has created the award-winning Website Jump The Shark, which began as jumptheshark.com. Jumping the Shark, he explains, is the "precise moment when things go bad-terribly, irrevocably bad. You know it when you see it. It's the moment on your favorite TV show when a new character is introduced or the whole gang takes a trip to Tahiti. In that moment you know your favorite show has lost its magic, has begun the long, painful slide to the TV graveyard-the show has jumped the shark."
Hein's touchstone for the concept of shark-jumping was the moment in the TV series Happy Days when "Fonzie literally jumped a shark on water skis. I Love Lucy jumped the shark when Lucy and Ricky moved to the suburbs. The Brady Bunch jumped the shark when Cousin Oliver moved in."
But shark-jumping extends far beyond TV shows. Anything can jump the shark, Hein says. Jump the shark is a compendium of the rises-and, more important, the falls-of contemporary pop icons. From music legends to sports heroes, from talk show hosts to politicians, Jump the Shark catalogs "those priceless moments when the magic vanishes, the ratings go south, and the mighty become the fallen."
Riding the wake of the Website's popularity, Hein wrote and narrated the audiobook Jump the Shark, which came out in September, a "riotous compendium" of the decline of the notable.
Listen & Live Audio, the firm that Hein and classmate Alisa Weberman '89 founded in 1993, published the audiobook version.
Jean Glidden Henderson '67 PhD died in March at the age of 86. Born in New York, she "retained the edge of her native city, New York, even as she became ill" with Alzheimer's, her obituary said. "When a well-meaning nurse tried to soothe her after an early bit of forgetfulness, she snapped in return, 'You may have a problem with your memory. I merely have dementia!'"
Henderson became director of admissions at C.W. Post College in New York before she received her doctorate at Michigan. She met her second husband, Algo Henderson in Ann Arbor. She returned to New York as dean of women at Finch College when they married in 1963.They were co-authors of two books before his death. Algo and Jean moved to Orinda, California, in 1967, when she became dean of admissions at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. She is survived by her daughter Carol Violé Rosenberg, sisters Ruth Laub and Carol McCormick, and several step-children.
Cynthia Hernandez '81 MILS has launched a web-based business, the Smiling Eggplant, that "uses in a novel way (I think) my information retrieval studies at Michigan." The business, www.smilingeggplant.com is a consultancy for Italian food and travel, based on Hernandez's linguistic and search skills. How does it work? "Contact the Eggplant by e-mail or snail-mail with a travel question related to itinerary, food, sightseeing and so on, Hernandez says. "The initial contact should be for a quote and should provide a deadline. All results are guaranteed, with money back if not satisfied." You may reach Smiling Eggplant at: P.O. Box 8705 Boston MA 02114 or at info@smilingeggplant.com
Eugene Hopkins '74, MArch.'75, FAIA of Ann Arbor, senior vice president, board member and studio leader for the SmithGroup, is the recipient of the Hastings Award. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Michigan Chapter created the award in honor of the late Robert F. Hastings, the last architect from Michigan to be president of the Institute in Washington.
In May 2002, Hopkins was elected first vice president of the AIA, an office he assumes in December 2002. He becomes president of the AIA in 2004.
Working out of the SmithGroup's Detroit and Ann Arbor offices, Hopkins leads the firm's architecture, engineering, and planning initiatives. His work on the Michigan State Capitol received numerous awards and Hopkins has been involved in renovating Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor; Concordia University's Earhardt Manor, Ann Arbor; Michigan State University's Agriculture Hall, East Lansing; and Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island.
He was founder and principal of Architects Four, an AIA Honor Award-winning firm specializing in historic preservation.
Howell | |
Bruce F. Howell '67, '74 JD a partner in the Dallas office of the law firm
Arter & Hadden, has earned a master's of science degree in biology/statistical genetics from the University of North Texas. He also received an appointment as an adjunct professor of bioethics at the UNT for the summer term 2002.
With a law practice focusing on health care regulatory matters, combined with his advanced scientific studies in the area of genetics, Howell is "poised as one of the foremost authorities on the legal aspects of genetic technology and the many issues it raises," his firm said.
"The past decade's advances in genetics and genomic technologies have created a vast scope of potential legal implications," Howell said. "My graduate studies in genetics and bioinformatics have provided me with the knowledge to understand this science and apply it in a legal context. The legal ramifications of genetic research and the use of genetic information are broad, and include such issues as the fair use of genetic information, the impact of genetic testing and counseling,
the protection of human research subjects, the privacy implications of personal genetic information in the workplace, as well as the
commercialization and intellectual property protection of genetic information."
Howell has practiced in the health care law field since 1985, representing hospitals and physician groups as outside general counsel, and counseling research entities on compliance issues and the scientific aspects of biotechnology.
Osa Littrup Jackson '72, '79 PhD has been named executive director of the Movement and Healing Center (a Michigan not for profit
corporation). The Center is presenting the Michigan-Ontario International Feldenkrais® Practitioner Training Program in Clarkston, Michigan. The program comprises a four-year "somatic education," which involves refinement of action for health professionals, dancers,
singers, firefighters, equestrians or others wanting improved efficiency of such functions as breathing, posture, balance, movement, coordination, etc.
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Janicek |
John D. Janicek '58 PhD died at his residence in Dallas at the age of 70 on April 26. He was born in Temple, Texas, on May 28, 1931, to Hubert and Klara Janicek. He received his BA from Rice University in 1952 and a BS in chemical engineering in 1953. He came to Michigan for his doctorate in chemical engineering, which he received in 1958. "John was always a student, and until the time of his death he was working on solutions to mathematical and geophysical problems," his obituary said.
Janicek worked for Cities Service Oil Company in Tulsa for 15 years. In 1958, he became active in the outdoor scouting program and worked in the Indian Nations Council Post 33. He left Tulsa in the mid 1970s to work for Trans Ocean Oil in Houston. When Mobil Oil bought the company, Janicek transferred to Dallas, where he worked for 10 years before retiring in the early '90s.
Survivors include his brother, H.A. (Jan) Janicek and wife, Helen, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; a sister, Anna Fulbright and husband, John of Waco, Texas.
Memorials may be made to the Janicek Memorial scholarship fund at Temple College, which was established by Klara F. Janicek in 1986, or to a charity of choice.
Oliver Johnson '43 PhD died July 10, 2001. Born in Edgetts, Michigan, he moved with his parents, sister and two brothers to Carlshend, Michigan, spent his undergraduate years at Northern Michigan University and received his doctorate in chemistry from U-M. His research director was Prof. Kasimir Fajans.
Johnson then joined the Manhattan Project, working with the branch at Iowa State University on the extraction of pure metallic uranium from ore, thus making the first nuclear reactor possible. He joined Shell Development Company Research Center in Emeryville, California, in 1946 and lived in nearby Berkeley while working at Shell for 25 years. "Throughout his life, he continued to be concerned with alerting the public to the unprecedented dangers of nuclear war," said his widow, Phyllis Hewitt Johnson.
After retirement in 1971, he continued to work at research institutes in Japan and Sweden, focusing on modeling the electronic structure of metals and alloys. His professional travels took him around the world and he published his work in many international scientific journals. In addition to his widow, he is survived by four sons and grandchildren.
Kraemers | |
Interior specialists Robert '90, '92 MArch, and Maureen McGovern Kraemer '86, '95 MArch, with Kelly Bee Mangion a commercial interior designer, have launched Intramode—a new resource for commercial designers, architects, product specifiers and homeowners who seek commercial-grade contemporary furniture. The Kraemers, a husband and wife team who head the Kraemer Design Group, a Detroit architectural firm, and Bee Mangion have brought "high design and great prices to the same table with Intramode," the new firm said in announcing its formation.
Richard Kulka '69, '75 PhD has been named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Alexandria (Virginia) organization announced in June.
Kulka, senior research vice president at the Research Triangle Institute, earned his bachelor's degree at Tulane University in 1967 before coming to Michigan for his doctorate. He joined the ASA in 1981. His Fellow citation cites him for "innovative efforts in designing and managing path-breaking national surveys, for leadership roles at two major survey research organizations and for numerous contributions to the survey methodology literature."
Each year, the ASA Committee on Fellows can elect only one-third of one percent of the total membership, the ASA said in announcing the 2002 honorees.
Richard D. Lara '90 was elected a shareholder in the Miami law firm of Mase & Gassenheimer, in January 2002. He practices primarily in the areas of commercial and civil litigation, with a background in admiralty.
Leung | |
Albert Y.
Leung '67 PhD president of Phyto-Technologies,
Inc., of Woodbine, Iowa, and Glen Rock, New Jersey, has received a grant
to identify
and standardize the plant materials and extracts used in the feverfew leaf,
so as to better determine the plant's effect in treating migraines. Feverfew
(Tanacetum parthenium) leaf has shown promise in the prevention of migraine
symptoms. The grant from the National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health,
Department of Health and Human Services was awarded under the Small Business
Innovation Research Program.
Leung's co-researcher, Dennis
Awang of MediPlant, Inc., an expert in the chemistry of feverfew,
was a post doctoral fellow at U-M in 1967.
Dr. Mindy Longjohn '97 has joined Le
Bonheur Children's Medical Center and the University
of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis as one of its 25 incoming
pediatric interns in fall 2002. Longjohn earned her BA in anthropology
and zoology at U-M and her MD from Tulane
University School of Medicine. In addition to inpatient care, Longjohn
will spend a month providing outpatient care at two large high school
clinics and a neighborhood clinic, and one month in a community pediatric
rotation.
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MacIlwaine |
John MacIlwaine '91, former chief technical officer of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, has taken up the same position at EnvestnetPMC, Inc., in Chicago. Envestnet provides managed accounts and practice management technologies for financial advisors. "MacIlwaine will have responsibility over the strategic development and technological expansion of EnvestnetPMC's leading investment platform," the firm announced. An IT executive with over 10 years experience in various CTO capacities within the financial services industry, MacIlwaine has been featured and profiled for his successes in several publications such as Information Week, OpenFinance and InfoWorld.
Markos | |
Louis Markos '91 PhD has been promoted to full professor at Houston Baptist University. At Michigan, he specialized in British romantic poetry (his dissertation is on Wordsworth), literary theory, and the classics. He offers courses in all three areas at Houston Baptist, as well as in Victorian literature, 17th-century literature, mythology, epic and film.
Professor Markos has won teaching awards at both Michigan and Houston
Baptist University. In 1994, he was selected to attend a National
Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on Virgil's Aeneid.
Markos has also produced two lecture series with the Teaching
Company (www.teach12.com), a private organization located in Springfield,
Virginia, that hires professors from around the country to put together
lecture series (in both video and audio formats) on such topics as philosophy,
the Bible, literature, and history.
Nino A. Masnari '58, '59 MS, '64 PhD distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering and dean of North Carolina State University's College of Engineering, has been elected to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Deans Council Executive Board. The ASEE Engineering Deans Council is the leadership body for deans of engineering at US colleges. It is responsible for representing the engineering colleges and schools in the US in the overall administration of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.
Masnari's term on the executive board began June 19, 2002, and extends to 2004. He joined the NC State engineering faculty in Raleigh in 1979 as head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has served as dean of the college since 1996. From 1988 to 1996 he was director of the Center for Advanced Electronic Materials Processing. Masnari is a native of Three Rivers, Michigan, and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
C. Dudley Mattson '41 died in Vallejo, California, on January 8, 2002. An economist, he received his doctorate from Iowa State University in 1971 after working as a forester in Louisiana, Texas and Washington state. After earning his PhD, he worked as a research economist in Washington DC and California. He was a member of the Soaring Society of America 1970-95; a captain in the US Army Air Corps 1924-45; and an avid fly fisherman and photographer. Mattson is survived by his wife, the former Elsie Porter, and their four daughters and three sons.
Raymer McQuiston '84 has joined Torys LLP, a U.S.-Canadian business law firm, as partner in its Corporate Department. Prior to joining the firm he was a partner and co-head of the Technology Practice Group at Holland & Knight's New York City office. McQuiston's will focus on mergers and acquisitions and securities. He will also be actively involved in developing the client base in the technology area, along with other lawyers in the New York office. McQuiston also advises clients on intellectual property issues, tax structuring in transactions, venture capital, recapitalizations, joint ventures and insurance matters. He earned his law degree in 1988 from Syracuse College of Law.
Nelson | |
Daniel W. Nelson ’93 JJD has been named a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, in the law firm’s Washington, DC, office. Practicing in the firm’s Litigation Department, Nelson is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Appellate and Constitutional Law, and Securities Litigation practice groups. Nelson was a key member of the Gibson Dunn team that represented George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential election litigation. He also counseled several major international accounting firms in connection with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2000 auditor independence rulemaking, and he has represented the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Nasdaq Stock Market in several landmark matters in the federal courts and before the SEC. “Dan Nelson has represented internationally known clients in a range of complex antitrust, securities, environmental, fraud and healthcare matters,” said Wesley G. Howell, the firm’s managing partner. “We are pleased to welcome him as a partner in the firm.”
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Osborne |
In May Newton G. Osborne '70 MD, received the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa at the Rank of Caballero for his research and academic work in medicine. The honor was presented by Mireya Moscoso Rodríguez, president of the Republic of Panama. Osborne was president of his Medical School class.
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Peress |
David Peress '82, '85 JD, has been named chief operating officer of the Ozer Group's Real Estate Services division. He has been with the Ozer Group (a leading retail consulting business evaluation and asset disposition firm) since July 2000 and is the general counsel and managing director of the company, in addition to his new role. Peress has led many retail-restructuring projects including Zany Brainy, Sam & Libby, Shoebilee and Nevada Bob's Golf for Ozer.
"David's expertise in bankruptcy law and turnaround management has been a tremendous asset to the Ozer Group," said Stewart Cohen, a principal of the Needham, Massachusetts firm. "The extension of this knowledge to our new real estate services group will help to broaden our scope and enhance our value to our retail partners."
Suketu Patel '80 BSE, vice president, information systems for TRW Automotive in Livonia, Mich., has been appointed to the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) Board of Directors. Founded in 1982, the AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of approximately 1,500 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers. AIAG's purpose is to provide an open forum where members cooperate in developing and promoting solutions that enhance the prosperity of the automotive industry. Its focus is to continuously improve business processes and practices involving trading partners throughout the supply chain.
Patel was appointed to his current position at TRW in 2001. He is responsible for the overall management and leadership of information systems for TRW Automotive, establishing and leading the company's e-business strategy and developing and executing plans to increase
competitiveness and support the growth of the company through information technology (IT).
Patel, an Ann Arbor native who resides in Northville, began his career with TRW in 1980 as a member of the company's technical staff in Redondo Beach, Calif.
Alice (Billie) Charlotte Fortier Grant Paton '26 died in Lansing, Michigan, in August at the age of 98. Her pastor, the Rev. David R. Pike, said she had read notes and cards from family and friends during his visit with her three days before her death. "She talked about events in her past and the things that brought her great joy," he wrote to Michigan Today. Among the institutions suggested as recipients for memorial gifts in Billie Paton's name were the U-M School of Education Fund, 111 School of Education Building, 610 E. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259; the AAUW; the American Heart Assn.; the First Presbyterian Church of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania; and St. David's Episcopal Church, in Lansing, which she attended until her health declined. Her husbands Joseph A. Grant and Roy W. Paton preceded her in death.
Dan Reiter '94 PhD has received the Karl Deutsch Award. The award is presented annually by the International Studies Association to a scholar under the age of 40 "who within 10 years of the acquisition of his or her doctoral degree, is judged to have made, through a body of publications, the most significant contribution to the study of international relations and peace." Reiter is associate and Winship Research professor of political science at Emory University. He is coauthor with Allan C. Stam '93 PhD of "Democracies at War" (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002). Information about the award is at http://www.isanet.org/committee/Deutsch.html.
Kenneth C. Roberts '61, '65 PhD, has retired after 40 years on the
Williams College faculty. A specialist in European and American music history, Roberts assumed the directorships of both the Chapel Music and Glee Club programs in 1963 and transformed them into the College Choral Society and Chamber Singers. He conducted them for 25 years, including tours of the East Coast, Ontario, Quebec, German-speaking Europe, and
Spain. In addition, in the 1960s and '70s, he worked with the choral programs at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar and Wellesley.
In 1969, at the behest of a colleague in the music department, Roberts
formed a piano trio, consisting of himself as pianist, a violinist and a
cellist. The Williams Trio played many concerts over 10 years, featuring
such pieces as the Beethoven Triple Concerto.
"Professors must constantly challenge students, especially when so much
has been so eroded by popular taste and mass culture," Roberts said upon
his retirement. "Hopefully, I have touched some of the people who passed
through my choral activities in the 25 years of doing them, and, in
classes, the students whom I tried to guide in understanding the Western
classical music tradition—Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, through the 20th
century."
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Robinson |
Craig A. Robinson '96 MA, Secondary Education, '97 MA, Educational
Administration, has been named vice president of programs at A Better Chance (ABC), an organization that identifies, recruits and develops leaders among academically gifted students of color. One of the most important programs Robinson will oversee is the College Preparatory Schools Program, the organization's historic signature program that places students in some of America's finest private and public schools.
"Craig is a seasoned recruitment specialist, a popular student mentor and an A Better Chance alumnus," said Judith Berry Griffin, president of ABC. "He has the skills to ensure that A Better Chance Scholars make a smooth transition to boarding school life, academically and socially."
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Robinson was introduced to the boarding school community through A Better Chance and graduated from Tabor Academy (Marion, Mass.) in 1991. He earned his BA in political
science and English form Emory University in 1995. During the summer of 1994, he attended the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers at Phillips Academy and was awarded the Horace H. Rackham Merit Fellowship by the University of Michigan.
Prior to joining ABC, Robinson was an assistant dean of admission at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. While there, he instituted a highly successful mentor program and was a founding chairperson of the Diversity Roundtable of the Ten Schools Admission Organization.
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Robinson |
Stephanie Robinson '79 BSN '90 received the 2001 Sidney E. Chapin Award for Clinical Excellence from the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Michigan (VNA). Robinson has served as a community health nurse in Detroit for the past 21 years. She is currently a case manager/community health nurse for 290 patients whose care needs range from patient education, blood draws, wound care and catheter changes. She also works a half day a week through theVNA at Simon House, a Detroit-based HIV homeless shelter for women and children. Robinson lives in Oak Park with her husband Lester and children Joel and Janelle.
Rom | |
Attorney Barbara Rom, '69, '72 JD, a partner in the Detroit office of the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, was recently selected by Crain's Detroit Business as one of "Detroit's Most Influential Women." This is the second time Rom has received this distinction. Crain's accepted nominations from top executives at area companies, from its general readership and from women, who were named to the first list of 100 Most Influential Women, complied in 1997. More than 300 women were nominated.
Rom is a former president of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and one of the few Michigan Fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy. She has been appointed by the Chief Judge to the Sixth Circuit Merit Selection Panel for Bankruptcy Judges and Advisory Committee on Rules. One of her most notable achievements occurred in 1989 when she became the first women in Michigan to be selected as one of "The Best Lawyers in America," (Publisher: Naifeh & Smith), following a survey of attorneys nationwide. She was chosen for her national bankruptcy expertise, and has received the designation every subsequent
edition. She resides in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with her husband, Martin, and their Havanese dog, Lola.
Nancy Saturn, who attended the University from
1960-1963, is an honoree of the YW's Academy for Women of Achievement.
Saturn, who completed her education at George
Washington University, owns American
Artisan and is on the Cancer
Center Board of Directors at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
She is also active in the Women's Breast Cancer Coalition, the Metro Arts
Commission and Leadership. Saturn also founded the local
chapter of Gilda's Club,
which brings solace to cancer victims in a nonmedical environment.
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Schenberg |
David L. Schenberg '93 JD
has been named a member of Husch
& Eppenberger, LLC, in the Labor and Management Practice Group of
the law firm's St. Louis, Mo., office. His specialties are employer counseling
and discrimination litigation and he has experience in products liability
and general litigation. Schenberg received a degree in political science
from Brown University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He has
written articles on computer, e-mail and Internet use by employees and
on federal election laws in the workplace.
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Schlussel |
Mark E. Schlussel '65 JD,
an attorney specializing in corporate health care law, has joined the
Detroit law offices of Warner Norcross
& Judd LLP. Schlussel was a founding partner in Southfield-based
Schlussel, Lifton, Simon, Rands, and a partner with Miller
Canfield Paddock & Stone in Detroit. He is currently chairman of
KMT Group, LLP in Royal Oak, Michigan. Schlussel is a member of the
board of directors of Healthcor, Inc.; chairman of the board of directors
for Sinai-Grace Hospital;
and a member of the board of trustees of the Detroit
Medical Center. He is also chairman of the board of directors of
the Jewish Fund, a former president of the board of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and a former president of the
Jewish Education Service of North America.
He is a resident of Southfield.
Selander |
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Stephen E. Selander '65, '68 MA, '73 JD, an attorney specializing full-time in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) matters, has joined the Metro Detroit law office of Warner Norcross & Judd. He moved to his new post from General Motors Corp., where he was GM's legal representative to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers on issues relating to the NHTSA rules for early warning and foreign recall reporting requirements under the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act.
Selander has participated in negotiated rulemaking with NHTSA relating to certification of vehicles manufactured in two or more stages, noted Robert H. Skilton, partner-in-charge of the firm's Detroit office, in announcing Selander's appointment. "Steve brings a very specialized expertise to Warner Norcross & Judd that no other firm in Michigan, and few, if any, in the country have," Skilton added. "He has spent the last 11 years representing General Motors before NHTSA on several of its more significant defect and noncompliance investigations. The TREAD Act, enacted in the wake of the Ford/Firestone tire recall, will make Steve's background very important to our automotive clients."
A resident of Rochester Hills, Selander's BA and MA from Michigan are in economics.
Charles A. Smith '67 was recently
named manager of the Systems Engineering and Integration Office for NASA's
Space Launch Initiative, where he plays a "vital role in the development
of the next-generation space launch vehicle and successor to the Space
Shuttle," NASA News announced. An expert in aerodynamics and aero acoustics,
Smith began his career with NASA in
1980 at Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, conducting
helicopter noise and vibration research. He was deputy manager of the
Systems Engineering and Integration Office for the Space Launch Initiative
prior to being named manager. He earned his doctorate in aeronautics and
astronautics from Stanford University.
Starrs |
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Elizabeth Starrs '75 a partner at Kennedy & Christopher, is the new president of the 7,500 member Denver Bar Association. Starr majored in theater and minored in psychology at Michigan before earning her law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She is a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Second Judicial District of Colorado and the United States District Court, District of Colorado Committee on
Conduct. She also is on the board of directors of the Colorado Women's Bar Association Board of Directors. Last year, she was elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers. She is also an associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates.
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Strumwasser |
Ira Strumwasser '82 PhD, CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, has been elected to the board of directors of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute. Strumwasser, who lives in Ann Arbor, said the foundation is "committed to improve health care for Michigan's African American residents" and has an "ongoing program to provide grants for research into the causes and remedies for racial disparities in health care. As a board member for the Health Institute, I hope to be able, along with my colleagues, to improve African Americans' access to appropriate and affordable health care."
Tasdemir | |
Deniz H. Tasdemir '96 has been named director of development and marketing for Washtenaw Land Trust in Ann Arbor . She oversees the trust's fundraising, marketing and communications program. Prior to joining WLT, Tasdemir worked in investor relations for Syntel, Inc., managed research development at Henry Ford Health System and was a constituent relations specialist for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
Darryl Taylor '95 Doctor of Musical Arts will release in September Dreamer: A Portrait of Langston Hughes (Naxos Records) in celebration of the centennial of the birth of American author Langston Hughes. Taylor, a tenor, and the baritone William Warfield narrate and perform songs by various composers who have set Hughes's words to music.
Taylor is asssociate professor of music at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. His repertoire extends from Bach to Britten and beyond, and he has appeared with orchestras in the United States and in Europe. He is also much sought after as a lecturer on African-American Art Song. His last recording, Love Rejoices: Songs of H. Leslie Adams, was acknowledged by American Record Guide as a top classical recording for 2001. For more information, contact Naxos Records at http://www.naxos.com.
Matthew Thorburn '96, publisher and co-editor of New York city-based Good Foot, launched the publication's new Website in May 2002. Thorburn also announced the second issue of Good Foot.
"We created Good Foot to publish poems we admire from both emerging and established poets," Thorburn said. The first two issues of Good Foot include poems by fellow U-M alums Toby Leah Bochan, Roxanna Font, Rana Jaleel, Melanie Kenny, Jason Kirk, Eric Leigh, David Masello, Bich Minh Nguyen, Renee Sedliar and Holly Wren Spaulding, as well as current U-M MFA candidate Kirsten Ratza, and U-M professors Laurence Goldstein and Keith Taylor.
Good Foot subscription information is available at http://www.GoodFootMagazine.com or from P.O. Box 681, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY 10156.
Elaine Ullian '73 MPH, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center (BMC),
has received the Pinnacle Award of the Women's Network of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. This is the eighth year that the award has been presented to "women who have achieved excellence in business, management and the professions," the Chamber said. BMC is a private, not-for-profit, 432-bed, academic medical center with a community-based focus. Ullian is active in many professional and service organizations and also served on the transition teams for Gov. William Weld and Mayor Thomas M. Menino. She is an associate professor at Boston University School of Public Health and a member of the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health.
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Winter |
Donald C. Winter '72 PhD, president and chief executive officer of TRW Systems, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional honors accorded to engineers. The honor recognizes Winter's "pioneering contributions to high-power laser technologies and defense applications." Winter, a physicist, led Reston-based TRW Systems, a $3 billion provider of systems, services and information technology to government and industry, since January 2000. TRW Systems is a business unit of TRW Inc.
After joining TRW in 1972, Winter spent eight years directing research and development activities in laser physics and applications. During his 28-year TRW career, Winter also directed a variety of space system
programs in support of national defense efforts and developed advanced technologies for new and evolving systems. Winter is a member of TRW's Management Committee. He also serves on the board of directors for the USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Wolf Trap Foundation and on the board of governors for the Electronic Industries Alliance.
Wissman | |
Barry Wissman '94 PhD has been named a process engineer at the Ann Arbor-based Discera company. Wissman is responsible for the development, design and evaluation of MEMS devices (microelectric mechanical systems) for radio frequency communications.
Discera is led by president Vinay Gupta '84 MBA, and vice president Clark T.-C. Nguyen. Nguyen, who is also an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at U-M, developed the Discera technology, which replaces the components on a wireless circuit board with a single micromechanical system. The U-M and the University of California at Berkeley are also credited with development of the technology.
Warren Keith Wright '80 MA is among the correspondents
of the poet, novelist and journal writer May Sarton who are represented
in May Sarton:
Selected Letters 1955-1995. The $39.95 volume was edited by Susan
Sherman and published in 2002 by W.W. Norton. Sarton's other correspondents
included Robert Frost, Julian Huxley, Anne Sexton and Louise Bogan among
other luminaries. Topics ranged from her most critically acclaimed novel,
Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, to civil rights, Vietnam and
the theory of poetry.
Melissa Lumberg Zagon '89, after
being diagnosed with lung cancer, founded the LUNGevity
Foundation, the only organization in the United States dedicated
exclusively to curing lung cancer. Partnering with the foremost physicians
and research scientists in the world, the LUNGevity Foundation funds innovative
research designed to detect, treat, and cure lung cancer. The Foundation
is based in Chicago. For information, visit: www.lungevity.org.
CURRENT Michigan Today
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