26 University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

1958JOHN P. CONNOR (HILLYER) ofWestfield, Mass., spent the fall semester as anexchange teacher at the National University ofIreland, Galway. He is currently attendingWestfield State College pursuing a seconddegree in American history and teaching certifi-cation. John reports that students have notchanged in 40 years: "girls, parties, and studiesin that order." He retired in 1997 to pursuehis teaching goal. He spent his career in gro-cery sales.

DORLEE CLARK ROHLFING (HCW)of Milwaukee, Wis., is currently working parttime at the University of Wisconsin School ofEducation as a supervisor for intern teachers inthe multicultural teacher education programand is writing a novel, “The Front Porch IsGone.” Rohlfing retired from her position asstudent services specialist for the Milwaukeepublic schools in 1996, and her husband,David, retired in December 1999 as executivedirector of the Milwaukee council on alco-holism and drug abuse.

1961JUDITH (JUDE) SULLIVAN HERSEY(HCW) of Williston, Vt., writes that she enjoysher new home in Vermont and has becomeactive in the town of Williston and on theboard of the Northern Vermont chapter of theAmerican Red Cross.

FLORENCE ROBIN WINNIK (HCW)of Bethesda, Md., is a speech pathologist forthe Montgomery County public schools. "I’menjoying the variety of cultural offerings in theD.C./metropolitan area," she writes.

1962MELVIN RAIMAN (HARTT, MEd ’67) ofTucker, Ga., has had his new book, StrategicMarketing in the Arts: A Plan for EnrollmentManagement, published by Pierson Press.Raiman was recently a guest speaker at theNational Association of Schools of Music annual convention.

1964RICHARD BRYSKIEWICZ (WARD) ofTampa, Fla., has been named vice president,capital management consultant, for First UnionNational Bank, Tampa.

BARBARA CACCAMO-SWENSON(A&S) of Shanks, W. Va., is a full-time WestVirginia University student working toward adegree in theater and acting. She retired fromteaching in 1994 after over 25 years with theNew Britain (Conn.) school district.

1965DOUGLAS BRASH (BARNEY) of Jupiter,Fla., has been named senior vice president andhead of the trust division of Fidelity FederalSavings Bank of Florida, a subsidiary of FidelityBankshares, Inc. Brash, who has 25 years ofbanking experience, was formerly president ofthe trust division of Island National Bank andTrust Company, Palm Beach.

ALICE HUBERT GARDNER (HCW) ofBeverly, Mass., continues both her work as apsychotherapist in private practice and her art,for which she has won several awards for water-color, acrylic, and collage. She writes that herson, Andrew, is a biochemist at New EnglandBiolabs and her daughter, Sarah, teaches music.Gardner and her husband visited AnnamarieLavieri-Gunther ’65 and her husband last sum-mer at their home in Kingston, Wash.

1966MELISSA CUNHA BANACH (HCW) ofWoodstock, Md., recently was assigned a newresponsibility: chief of strategic planning forMontgomery County, Md. She is now respon-sible for long-range land-use planning and landdevelopment. She and her daughter, Alexandra,plan to treat her recently widowed father to atwo-week trip to his childhood home, Lisbon,Portugal.

ROBERT J. DAGLIO (BARNEY) of WestGranby, Conn., is a member of the CB RichardEllis team that won the 2000 Pinnacle Awardin real estate for largest industrial sale.

MARGARET GIBBS (ENHP, MEd) ofEastham, Mass., was honored in February aspart of the City of Ansonia (Conn.,) celebra-tion of Black History Month and was cited asone who "served the community with prideand dignity." Gibbs is secretary to the Ansonia

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ALUMNINOTESA Journeytoward HopeMargaret Berger Morse’s (A&S)

journey had just begun when shegraduated from the University ofHartford in 1965. That path has led toher first book, Choices: A Journey ofFaith—Torrey’s Miracle (Vantage Press,1999), in which she chronicles hereight-year-old daughter’s strugglewith, and ultimate triumph over, anaggressive strain of cancer rarelyfound in children.

Morse says that her book “sharesthe journey her family walked,…thefaith that brought them through thisillness, and the risks they took inchoosing an alternative cancer therapy unavailable in the UnitedStates.” Today, Torrey, a 21-year sur-vivor, lives a normal, healthy life.

After retiring from teaching in1987, Morse earned her M.A. fromHartford Seminary in 1991. She was achurch administrator and volunteerchoir director until 1997, and is now inprivate practice giving spiritual direc-tion. Dividing her time betweenGuilford, Conn., and North Ferris -burgh, Vt., she lives with her husband,Whitney, and has a second daughter,Jessica. The author is currently work-ing on her next project, a children’sbook series called “The ApeChronicles.”

Morse’s book Choices is availablethrough Vantage Press, Inc., 516 West34th Street, New York, NY 10001; oronline at <amazon.com>, <barnesandnoble.com>, and <borders.com>. She says that allprofits from the sale of Choices aredeposited into a “nonprofit bankaccount to be used for cancer patientswho choose alternative therapy andare in financial need of assistance.”

27University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

Historic District Commission, a volunteer atthe Ansonia Library, and the city’s municipalhistorian. The first woman to be elected to theAnsonia board of education, she is a founder ofthe Willis School PTA, secretary to the Leagueof Women Voters, a former incorporator of theValley United Way and Griffin Hospital, and aformer member of the economic developmentcommission.

1968SUSAN TIPPER LEAVITT (HARTT) ofAshford, Conn., not only teaches elementarymusic in the Stafford (Conn.) school districtbut also has founded the Family Academy ofMusic, where she teaches classes for infantsthrough age 14. Leavitt has an auditioned chil-dren’s chorus and a summer camp for ages 8 to14 that performs a mini-musical, and recentlyshe purchased the Preschool of the Arts inTolland and Ellington, Conn. She and a part-ner hope to have a direct, significant impact onearly childhood education.

MEREDITH TAKALA (A&S) of Suffield,Conn., has joined the Simsbury (Conn.) officeof DeWolfe realtors.

1970M. KEVIN FAHEY (BARNEY, Med ’73) ofCoventry, Conn., was recently honored by theNational Association of Campus Activities,New England Region, with the establishmentof a regional graduate student award in hisname. Former director of the University ofHartford’s Gengras Student Union, Fahey is thesenior associate director of campus activities atthe University of Connecticut.

LINDA R. GARCEAU (A&S, MPA ’76) ofAvon Lake, Ohio, has been named dean of thecollege of business at East Tennessee StateUniversity and will assume her new position onJuly 1. Garceau is currently interim assistantdean in the College of Business Administrationat Cleveland (Ohio) State University, where shehas held several positions since 1989 and hasbeen instrumental in building community part-nerships and incorporating technology deeplyinto the curriculum.

JAMES A. STIDFOLE (A&S, MA) ofQuaker Hill, Conn., writes that he has been"buried for the past three and a half years" inthe restoration of a New London, Conn., land-mark, the Hygienic art gallery and apartmentsfor artists. Stidfole is treasurer and oftenspokesperson for Hygienic Art, Inc., the local

preservation group responsible for reopeningthe derelict 1844 building that had been eyedas the site for a parking lot despite its positionon the National Register of Historic Places. OnJanuary 21 a celebration marked the building’sreopening as Hygienic Artists Cooperative andGalleries. Stidfole is technical director at theEugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford,Conn., and is its chief grants writer. His wife,Sherry, has taught music in the Waterfordschools for nearly 30 years.

DIANA WYTHE TYLER (ART) ofAmston, Conn., exhibited her art work duringMarch in the community room of DouglasLibrary, Colchester. Tyler taught art at RHAMHigh School for 14 years before establishingWythe Studios.

1971RICHARD NABEL (ENHP, MEd) of WestHartford, Conn., was chosen principal ofBrookfield High School at the beginning of thepresent school year. Nabel has had 31 years ofexperience in education and has served as prin-cipal of Hamden High School, Nathan Hale-Ray High School in East Haddam, andNaugatuck High School, where he was princi-pal for 10 years. He holds a law degree fromthe University of Connecticut and has complet-ed course work for a doctoral degree fromNova University in Florida. His wife, Doris,teaches at Rocky Hill High School.

ROBERT SUMMA (BARNEY, MBA) ofCollinsville, Conn., retired from CharlotteHungerford Hospital, Torrington, Conn., after41 years. At the time of his retirement he wasassociate administrator for community rela-tions, a position that required him to bespokesperson for the hospital and responsiblefor developmental marketing and advertising.Starting as head pharmacist in 1958, Summawas later director of purchasing, then vice pres-ident for administrative management. From1984 to 1989, he was president, then left for ayear during a reorganization, and returned asinterim president during a search for a perma-nent president.

1972THOMAS O. BARNES (BARNEY) ofBristol, Conn., chairman of the board of direc-tors of the Barnes Group, Inc., has been electedvice chair of the board of directors of theConnecticut Business and Industry Association,the largest business organization in Connecti -cut, with 10,000 member companies. Barnes isa member of the University’s board of regents.

LINDA DEMICHIEL CAVANAUGH(BARNEY, MPA) of Farmington, Conn., is

economic development coordinator forFarmington’s new Economic DevelopmentOffice. Cavanaugh had chosen early retirementfrom federal service.

MARYLOUISE FENNELL (ENHP, MEd)of Pittsburgh, Penn., was designated aDistinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania lastyear by the Pennsylvania Commission forWomen. Fennell is past president of CarlowCollege, Pittsburgh, the first UofH graduate tobe named a college president. She entered theInstitute of the Sisters of Mercy of theAmericas, Connecticut Regional Community,in 1957 and earned a degree from DiocesanSisters College. Each year since 1948, a groupof women has been named to the Distin -guished Daughters organization by previouslyselected members.

RAYMOND FERRARI (A&S) of WestHartford, Conn., is a member of the team fromCB Richard Ellis that received the 2000Pinnacle Award for most unusual/difficulttransaction: the bargain sale of the former cor-porate headquarters of the Heublein Corp. inFarmington.

MARIE (NEE YERGEAU, FORMERLYGROTH) LEMERISE (HCW) of Brooklyn,N.Y., co-founded a marketing research firm,rethink, in January 1999. During its first yearof operation, the firm has completed dozens ofqualitative studies in product development,branding, and Web site design for Fortune 500companies and new Internet ventures.Lemerise and her husband, Richard, live inBrooklyn, N.Y., overlooking Prospect Park.

PATRICIA A. MCKINLEY (HCW) ofCheshire, Conn., recently returned from avacation in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, facili-tated by Lisa K. Durgin, HCW ’78, andencourages alumni who are thinking about atrip there to check out Durgin’s Web site,<www.vacationvistas.com>. McKinley is vicechair of the University’s board of regents.

ANDREA OLMSTED (HARTT) ofBoston, Mass., is the author of a comprehen-sive history of the Julliard School, titledJulliard: A History. The book is described as athoroughly researched pioneering study and astory with "remarkable twists and turns."Olmsted is coordinator of the department ofmusic and literature at the BostonConservatory and a former teacher of musichistory at Julliard. This is her third book.

1973ROBERT P. EATON (HARTT, MMus,DMA ’91) recently directed his 60-voice com-munity chorus, the Assabet Valley

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Mastersingers, in a Poulenc and Finzi programbilled "Reflections." Eaton organized theMastersingers 22 years ago at a time when few,if any, community choral groups sang seriousclassical music. "Now everyone does," he says.

ALLYSON MCGILL (HCW) of Fairfax, Va.,is teaching full time at The Chelsea School, asecondary school for learning-disabled children,and is taking classes toward a license in specialeducation. McGill is also, obviously, a dedicat-ed alumna: in response to a mailing concerningthe establishment of an alumnae group in theWashington, D.C., area, she wrote, "My grati-tude to HCW is as strong as ever. In fact, theHCW alum who hosted President [Kathleen]McGrory’s visit in 1986 has continued to be afriend, and we occasionally manage lunch."

JOHN MCGUIRE (BARNEY, MPA) ofStorrs, Conn., has been named vice presidentof EnergyUSA customer relations and strategicbusiness development. In this position he willbe responsible for utility outsourcing, leveragedmarketing, executive-level sales, and customerrelations for all of the Energy USA operations.

1974SHELLY PAKMAN (ENHP) of Blue Bell,Penn., has a new position as business develop-ment coordinator for ECS, Inc., of Exton,Penn., an XL Capital Company that providesintegrated environmental risk managementservices worldwide.

CAROLYN SCHAEFER-HOWD(HCW) of Coral Gables, Fla., is an instru-ment-rated pilot, preparing for the FAA com-mercial license. She writes, "Hartford Collegeprovided us the skills necessary to take the run-way into the unknown and also, at times, gavesanctuary from confrontation. At HartfordCollege we were safe to learn and to dream."Her introduction to flying was at a small air-port on the western fringe of Miami. She hadplanned to give her brother a 40th birthdaypresent of flying lessons. Her brother doesn’tfly yet, but, she says, "After I finish my instruc-tor’s license, he could be my first student."

MATTHEW SCHOENBERG (A&S) ofSan Diego, Calif., was on last Novermber’sForbes list of 100 top franchisees controllingfast foods and restaurants. Schoenberg’s com-pany, Sydran Services, controls 216 BurgerKing and 35 Chili’s units, according to aresearch firm survey.

TREVOR THORINGTON (BARNEY,MPA) of Windsor, Conn., has joined thefinance department of the Connecticut StateUniversity System Office as executive officer offinance. He will manage all financial account-

ing, financial reporting, budgeting, and pur-chasing for the System Office. Thorington is aCPA with more than 20 years of experience infinancial management. Most recently, he waswith United HealthCare in Hartford.

1975ROY CORDATO (HARTT, MA ’80)) ofAngier, N.C., has won the Leavey Award 2000 for excellence in private enterprise educa-tion. Dr. Cordato, a former member of theUniversity of Hartford economics faculty, is theLundy professor of business philosophy atCampbell University, Buies Creek, N.C. Hewas among 16 to receive the national award,presented to innovative programs by theFreedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Penn.

CARLTON HELMING (BARNEY) ofCheshire, Conn., is serving as chair of the legalcommittee of the Connecticut Society ofCertified Public Accountants for the currentactivity year.

A. RAY PETTY (ENHP, MEd) of Mercedita,P.R., recently delivered the keynote address at aconference celebrating the 35th anniversary ofthe schools of education in Cuba. Petty is asso-ciate professor of education at the UniversidadInteramericana of Puerto Rico. The event tookplace at the Instituto Superior PedagogicoEnrique Jose Varona in Havana.

JANE SHULMAN (ENHP, MEd) of WestHartford, is coordinator of a 12-month grantawarded to the Connecticut Legal Immigrantand Refugee Advocacy Coalition. The coali-tion works to restore benefits such as foodstamps that were taken from immigrants whoare not citizens. Shulman was coordinator forConnecticut Immigrant Day on April 18,2000.

BRUCE SIMPSON (BARNEY, MBA) ofRochester, N.Y., has been appointed to theboard of directors of Bradley Pharmaceuticals,Inc. Simpson is founder of his own privatehealth-care consulting firm and was previouslypresident of Genpharm, Inc., of Ontario,Canada.

1976PAMELA DEPAOLO (HARTT) ofSouthington, Conn., awarded music scholar-ships to local eighth-graders for the fouth con-secutive year in 1999. DePaolo was able toboost the amounts of the scholarships becauseof a fund at the Southington Savings Banknamed for her father, an accomplished accor-dianist, who died last year.

RUTH HERMINA KRAKOWER (ART)has been appointed director of alumni and giftrecords at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore,Pa. She was previously supervisor of medicalaffairs and graduate medical education at theHospital of the University of Pennsylvania inPhiladelphia. Her paintings and illustrationscombining Native American culture and classi-cal mythology have been exhibited at theUniversity of Pennsylvania and are in privatecollections in Pennsylvania, Connecticut,California, and Switzerland.

MICHAEL LAJEUNESSE (ENHP, MEd)of North Grosvenordale, Conn., plans to begina third career—oil painting and photography—and is a freshman at the Rhode Island Schoolof Design. Lajeunesse began as a researchchemist and developed the first nonwax floorcovering. He then turned to a teaching careerand has spent 24 years as a math teacher atHarvard H. Ellis Regional Vocational-TechnicalSchool, Norwich, Conn., where he is advisor tothe senior class and the ski club, weight-liftingadvisor, and cross-country coach. He plans toretire from Ellis in June. Until his recent retire-ment from the Department of EnvironmentalProtection, Lajeunesse was also a seasonalemployee at Mashamoquet Brook State Park inPomfret for 33 years. He has served as seasonalpatrol officer, campground manager, and life-guard. He also initiated summer projects toimprove the public’s enjoyment of the park.He has always enjoyed painting and photo-graphing nature, and now, he says, "I hope tobegin a career in the art world."

MARY-ELLEN WHINNEM (ENHP,MEd) of Stamford, Conn., has been namedmanaging director of Marsh, Inc., of Stamford.

A L U M N I N E W S

Interested inMeeting Alumni in

Your Area?The Alumni Association is look-ing for YOU! Give us 10 min-utes a month and enjoy thebenefits of meeting alumni inyour area. The Alumni Asso -ciation is looking for volunteersin the following areas:Northern New Jersey, MetroWashington, D.C., Boston, andNew York City. Contact theAlumni Office toll-free at 1-888-UH-ALUMS, or by e-mail at<alumni@mail.hartford.edu>.

29University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

JULIANNA KOVACH ZINGALE (ART)of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, collaborated withJim McWilliams, visiting Hartford Art Schoolprofessor from 1972 to 1977, to design theDial Corporation logo that now appears onDial soap, Armour Star, and other products.Kovach/McWilliams Design of Cleveland andSan Diego provides conceptual design andbrand positioning for its corporate clients.

1977

ANNE SENECHAL FAUST (ART, MAEd)of Baton Rouge, La., is the first woman and thefirst printmaker to be named Master WildlifeArtist by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson ArtMuseum in Wausau, Wis. Faust is featured inthe elaborate March exhibition catalog withone of her works on the cover. The February,2000, issue of American Artist also shows aFaust print, Itatiala, on its cover and contains asix-page color spread plus a photo essay of theartist at work.

WILLIAM MCMANUS (HARTT) ofWashington, D.C., writes that he "recentlyescaped from corporate America after 18 yearsof financial planning and management to joinUnited Airlines as a customer service represen-tative."

JILL WILCOX STILL (HCW) of Oreland,Penn., is currently in the middle of a three-yearterm as president of the women’s board ofAbington Memorial Hospital. The board andauxiliaries raise over $700,000 annuallythrough gift and thrift shops, a fair, and otherspecial events.

TAMAR BEACH WELLS (HARTT) ofHarwinton, Conn., oboist with the BorealisWind Quintet, performed in a January concertfor the New Canaan (Conn.,) Library’s annualconcert series.

1978PAUL BISACCIA (HARTT) of Hartford,Conn., concert pianist, performed the music ofGeorge Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and others atthe fouth concert in the Music at MemorialConcert Series, held March 5 at the MemorialUnited Methodist Church in Avon, Conn.

PATRICIA CHEYNE (ART) of Portland,Ore., has been granted tenure by the board oftrustees of the College of Arts and Sciences atPacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon.Cheyne has been a professor of art at the uni-versity since 1994. She recently published thebook Art in the Classroom and was the recipientof a Pacific University faculty developmentgrant.

MELISSA ENGEL (A&S) of East Hampton,Conn., is the first woman to chair the TownCouncil of East Hampton. She was chosen inDecember 1999 to serve in 2000. Engels ownsand runs Markham Meadows, a local camp-ground built by her family.

FRANCES HAAG (ENHP) of Farmington,Conn., has begun work as Southington seniorcoordinator for special education. Haag hadpreviously been education coordinator at theChildren’s Medical Center School in Hartfordand has over 20 years’ experience in education.

ROBERT HAMMOND (BARNEY, MBA)of Newtown, Conn., is currently corporatecontroller for TransTechnology Corporation.He was promoted from his position as directorof financial analysis and planning for the com-pany, where he has been employed since 1995.

JANET S. MALEY (BARNEY, MS) ofWoodbridge, Conn., is serving a one-year termon the board of governors for the ConnecticutSociety of Certified Public AccountantsCSCPA. Maley is the principal in theWoodbridge firm that bears her name and hasserved CSCPA in a number of executive posi-tions.

1979ROSE MILLS BELLO (HARTT) of SilverSprings, Md., is president of Vocal ArtsInternational, Ltd., a group devoted to further-ing the vocal arts throughout the world. At thePushkin Bicentennial Conference, held inMoscow in June 1999, Dr. Bello was a guestlecturer and performing artist.

ROMA PRINDLE (HARTT, MA, DMA’97) of Morehead, Ky., applied for and receiveda grant from the German government to take11 students from Morehead State University ona 10-day study tour of southern Germany. TheDeutscher Akademicsher Austauschdienst, withits headquarters in Bonn, provides support foryoung academics, interdisciplinary, teachingand a forum for the discussion of contempo-rary German and other European issues.Prindle is associate professor of music anddirector of the opera program at MoreheadState University. The study tour will visitMunich, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt, where thegroup will attend operatic and musical per-formances and visit museums.

DIANNE RECHEL (HARTT) of WestHartford, Conn., realtor with Realty ExecutivesCapital Region, was top agent for 1999 in bothlistings and sales. She has been reelected presi-dent of the West Hartford chapter of BusinessNetwork International.

THEODORE SHONECK (A&S) ofDownington, Penn., has been appointed chiefexecutive officer of Quad Systems Corporation,a leading supplier of surface mount technology(SMT) and advanced packaging technology(APT). He will continue to serve as presidentof Quad, a position he has held since 1998.

1980BEN LARKEY (ENG) of Caldwell, N.J.,commutes to Long Island as the environmen-tal/quality manager for Canon USA. He previ-ously worked as an international compostingtroubleshooter for BFI in Houston, Texas, andlater formed a consulting firm doing brown-field remediation work for Newark, N.J.Larkey would like to hear from classmates andsee the campus, and he comments that "TheObserver looks better all the time."

1981JEFFREY BLUMENTHAL (A&S) ofSimsbury, Conn., has been appointed vice pres-ident, community relations, by KonoverDevelopment Corporation. He will be respon-sible for community land-use and regulatoryissues affecting company projects throughoutthe Northeast.

JAMES M. GARRETTSON (BARNEY) ofMonmouth Junction, Ill., has been appointedpresident of Teleglobe Business Solutions, acompany within Teleglobe Inc., a deliverer ofglobal broadband services to the NorthAmerican corporate market. TBS was recentlyformed by combining the business servicesunits of Teleglobe CommunicationsCorporation and Telco CommunicationsGroup, Inc. Garrettson was recently senior vicepresident of general business sales for QwestCommunications/LCI International and previ-ously held a number of positions with MCITelecommunications.

JULIE JANSEN (A&S) of Stamford, Conn.,has recently started her own business, JulieJansen LLC, in Stamford, focused on speaking,writing, and coaching. She is writing a bookfor baby boomers on finding satisfying workfor the next 10 to 30 years. Her Web site is<www.juliejansen.net>.

CLIFFORD JARVIS (A&S) of WindsorLocks, Conn., has a new album titledUniversal, released in January under theProphet Records label. A piano and keyboardplayer, Jarvis wrote each of the 12 songs on theCD, which he describes as "a blend of tradi-

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tional jazz, R&B, a little hip-hop." He wantsto encourage young people to appreciate jazzand hopes to present a program in conjunctionwith the Hartford Public Library.

KEVIN MILLER (A&S) of Wilbraham,Mass., has been promoted to senior projectmanager for Fuss & O’Neill Inc. ofManchester, Conn.

MARYJANE PELUSO (HARTT, MMus) ofPlantsville, Conn., and Margaret Kelly, pianists,presented a program of light classical music atBethany Covenant Church, Berlin, Conn., inJanuary. Peluso and Kelly have been presentingduo-concerts for 14 years. They met whenboth were Hartt students.

1982KEVIN GRANT (BARNEY, MBA ’86) ofConcord, Mass., took part in the autumnLunch and Learn series offered by the BarneySchool. Grant manages 13 portfolios forFidelity Investments.

TINA PODLODOWSKI (WARD) ofSeattle, Wash., was featured in a Seattle Timesarticle for her decision to put both Microsoftand the Seattle City Council behind her andstay home with her kids. In 1985 she joined "aclass of 20 or 30 people who ran everything" atMicrosoft. Seven years later, having been signif-icantly rewarded, she left and formed the PrideFoundation, an organization that supports therights of gays and lesbians. In 1995 she won afour-year term on the Seattle City Council butlast year decided not to seek reelection.Podlodowski has a list of things she would liketo do with her life, "and I bet I will try to doall 80 of them," she said.

ROBERT SCHAICH (BARNEY, MBA) ofGlastonbury, Conn., has been appointed vicepresident and chief information officer of SierraHealth Services. He will oversee all informa-tion systems for the company, headquarted inLas Vegas, Nev., and its subsidiaries. Schaichhas over 20 years’ experience in managed healthcare, insurance, and information technology.

PATRICK TANNOCK (BARNEY) ofSouthampton, Bermuda, has been promoted tosenior vice president, professional lines, byACE Bermuda Insurance, Ltd., a subsidiary ofACE Limited. Tannock has 18 years’ experi-ence in the international insurance industryand has been with ACE since 1993.

SUE TERRY (HARTT) of Brooklyn, N.Y.,continues to perform on the alto saxophone.In the recent past she was guest artist with theFairfield University Jazz Ensemble and lastsummer performed at the grand finale of Paul

Brown’s free Monday Night Jazz Series inBushnell Park.

1983JOSEPH BAGINSKI (HARTT) ofPlainville, Conn., was the subject of a recentSouthington Observer article honoring him forhis 20 years of teaching, 18 at the Henry JamesMemorial School in Simsbury, where he ischoral director for the seventh and eighthgrades and runs a performing arts theater pro-gram. In October, Baginski presented a series ofthree concerts titled "Anytime at All," anevening of original songs benefiting local schol-arships for Simsbury students.

PENNY BARTON-ZUCHERMAN(BARNEY, MSPA) of Lebanon, Conn., hasbeen appointed assistant professor of account-ing at Quinebaug Valley Community-TechnicalCollege. Barton-Zucherman is a certified pub-lic accountant with extensive experience in thebusiness world.

AFSHIN GOODARZI (ENG) of Westport,Conn., has been named director of data ware-housing for e-Commerce Solutions LLC ofStamford, Conn. Goodarzi will be responsiblefor managing the data warehouse and miningdata to understand consumer behavior better.

JOHN POWERS (BARNEY) of New York,N.Y., has signed on with Team One Advertisingas management director in charge of the LexusDealer Association. Powers was recently Young& Rubicam vice president for the Easternregion dealer association of Lincoln-MercuryDivision, Ford Motor Company.

1984BLAIR ARNOLD (A&S) of Gaylordsville,Conn., has joined the Savings Bank ofDanbury as a mortgage originator. Arnold hasbeen mortgage account executive with theVillage Bank and Trust Company.

BOBBI BUCKNER (BARNEY, MSOB) ofUnionville, Conn., was elected unanimously to serve as the chair of the FarmingtonRepublican Town Committee at a March lmeeting. Buckner has been active in Repub -lican politics for the past five years and mostrecently was vice chairman of the town com-mittee. She is currently assistant personneldirector at the Connecticut Department ofMotor Vehicles, a position she has held forseven years.

DONNA DOWER (HARTT) of Toronto,Ont., is the first invested cantor in Toronto.After six years as cantor at Temple Emanu-el inLivingston, N.J., she was installed at theToronto temple last November. "I am fortu-

nate to come to a city that has so much tooffer," she says. "Toronto is a wonderful placein which to be Jewish."

WILLIAM FARRELL (BARNEY, MBA) ofVienna, Va., has been appointed senior vicepresident, portfolio and financial technologies,for Fannie Mae, the nation’s largest source offinancing for home mortgages. Farrell isresponsible for providing architecture and tech-nology solutions to portfolio and financial sys-tems, including application systems.

TONY GIBSON (HARTT, MMus’88)writes that "after a fulfilling, 15-year career as aclassical musician," he has decided to pursue asecond passion in the field of counseling psy-chology. He received a master’s degree in mar-riage and family therapy in 1996 and beganworking as a clinician at The Children’s Homeof Cromwell (Conn.) in March 1997. TheChildren’s Home is a residential facility thatprovides comprehensive therapeutic services toabused, neglected, and psychiatrically chal-lenged children ages 7 to 17. He moved intohis current position of assistant director oftreatment services in June 1999. He and hiswife, Julie, have been married for nine yearsand have three children—Jonathan, 5; Hannah, 2, and Will, 1.

LYNDA GREEN (ENHP, MS) of Simsbury,Conn., is the new assistant superintendent ofEast Hartford schools. Green was previouslydirector of curriculum for 10 years in RockyHill, Conn.

JUDITH O’BRIEN (HARTT) of Lubbock,Texas, became the executive director of the

Harris Directory The Alumni Association hascontracted with the HarrisPublishing Company to pro-duce the year 2000 AlumniDirectory. Harris personnel willcontact you to verify youraddress. Please give the repre-sentative a few moments ofyour time. If you would like toreserve your copy of the direc-tory, please let the Harris repre-sentative know. The directoryis scheduled for release inDecember 2000. Don’t be leftout of the year 2000 directory.Update your record today!

31University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

Fairfax (Va.) Symphony Orchestra in February.O’Brien has been executive director of theLubbock Symphony since 1995 and is afounder of Symphonies of the Southwest, aconsortium of 12 Texas orchestras.

LORI PELLETIER (ENG) of Middletown,Conn., is secretary-treasurer and top lobbyist atthe Connecticut AFL-CIO, which represents260,000 union workers in the state. Pelletierwas the subject of a Hartford Courant interviewin February 2000, in which she described howshe was drawn to the union movement andbecame interested in labor law. She wants tobring more rank-and-file people to the capitol,she said, to bring their stories home to the leg-islature.

JUDE SCHWENDENWIEN (ART) ofGlendale, Calif., runs Aesthetic Communi -cations, his own public relations and marketingfirm, from a home office. His partner devel-oped a software program called Seismic Pluginfor use by geologists, oil companies, and uni-versities. Schwendenwien is responsible for pro-motion and marketing. He also continues towork on his photography and plans to host anInternet photo exhibition of images from the1990s during the year 2000.

1985PETER VERU (BARNEY) of New York,N.Y., premiered music from the self-titleddebut album of his band, Feathermerchants, inFebruary at the University’s Wilde Auditorium.Feathermerchants features twin guitar/bouzoukiinstrumentation and a female vocalist. Themusic is a world music take on modern rock.Veru is a member of the University’s board ofregents.

ERIK WEXLER (HILLYER, A&S, MBA‘87) of Watertown, Conn., has been namedchief operating officer of MidState MedicalCenter in Meriden, Conn. Wexler was previ-ously vice president of business developmentand community relations at WaterburyHospital. While still at Waterbury Hospitallast fall, Wexler was named one of the state’srising business leaders by The New HavenBusiness Times. The "Forty under 40" listed bythe business magazine were selected for theirprofessional success and community involve-ment. "I will severely miss [my current boss]and the rest of my co-workers at WaterburyHospital," Wexler stated. "It is very hard forme to leave here. But an opportunity like thisdoesn’t come along every day. MidState is aterrific hospital, and being chief operating offi-cer there is an opportunity I am looking for-ward to." MidState, which opened inSeptember 1998, is a 106-bed hospital withapproximately 1,000 employees.

A L U M N I N E W S

Shelley Pakman ’74 and Dr. AllanWeisberg

Carrie Schoenfeld ’79 and FioreGuglielmi

Debra LaVoye ’87 and Daniel Shay

Samara Weinstein ’87 and Jeffrey D.Goldstein

Audrey Stein and Scott Kramer ’88

Arlene Tima and James Maloney ’88

Katherine Palazzo ’88 and MichaelMecca

Traci Turski and Andrew Sheintop ’88

Melissa Schantz and Alan Aiken ’89

Amee Flynn and Bernard J. (BJ) Green’90

Diane Hastings and William Hastings’90

Dawn Fabrycki ’91 and Andrea Uccello

Anne-Marie Coen and David Feldman’91

Cheryl Russo and Joel Kaplan ’91

Rachael Rubin ’91 and Eric Adam Cole

Diahann Sibley ’91 and Michael R.Martin

Lauren Feldman ’92 and Brian M.Gavigan

Janett Mugaburu and Gilbert RichardsIV ’92

Kim Paradine ’93 and Ethan Schnepper’92

Debra Bulwin ’93 and Robert Volz

Wendy Goldstein ’93 and MarcLandow ’93

Tovah Martin ’93 and Jimmy Ringland

Kimberly Mineo ’93 and Kirk Manley

Lisa Sebring ’93 and Marcos Carreras’95

Saeko Suzuki ’93 and Dean Russell’94

Kristin Holme and Chad Albano ’94

Michelle Pinnette and Thomas Birdsey,Jr. ’94

Janeth Giovanna Cano and CharlesClas ’94

Kristen Haberstumpf and Brent Shriver’94

Tammy Young and Marc G. Cote ’95

Carolyn White and ChristopherCronkhite ’95

Alicia McFarland and Frederick Hirning’95

Christine L. Joseph ’95 and Joseph W.Mahoney, Jr.

Laura James and Robert M. Ryan ’95

Allicia Barnes and Timothy Flaherty ’96

Amy LeBel and Joseph P. Guenther Jr.’96

Sheri Siegal ’96 and Eric Monheimer

Denise Triepke and Steven K. LePage’97

Laura Cowden ’98 and Stephen M.Jones

Catherine S. Smith ’98 and MichaelThomas

CongratulationsBest wishes to our alumni and their spouses on recent nuptials.

Kim M. Holmes ’78 and Kerwin J.Mumford ’78 (Matthew)

Cathy Twill ’85 and Jim Pitingolo(Jimmy, Grace, and Louis)

Felice Liebman ’89 and Neil Kaufman(Bradley Allen)

Gail Chernick ’90 and Elliot Martin(Matthew Aaron)

Theresa and Gabe Rosanio ’90 (MariaTheresa)

Debra Barrie ’93 and Joseph Princz(Hayley Nicole)

and to our alumni parents

32 University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

1986SUSAN CHASSAGNOUX (HARTT) ofCos Cob, Conn., was a guest soloist duringMarch at Wilton (Conn.,) PresbyterianChurch. She is soprano soloist for RyePresbyterian Church, Rye, N.Y.

ANNETTE LAWRENCE (ART) ofDenton, Texas, had an installation of her workTransparent/Opaque, on exhibit at theUniversity of Michigan Museum of Artthrough April 16. That work and others maybe seen on the Web:<www.umich.edu/~umma/>; click on "pastexhibitions."

JOSEPH PESQUALUCCI (ENG) ofNorth Haven, Conn., has been elected vicepresident of operations for MemryCorporation, a company with locations inBrookfield, Conn; Menlo Park, Calif; andHerk-de-Stad, Belgium, that provides fullyintegrated development and manufacturingservices to the medical-device industry.Pesqualucci has been vice president and generalmanager of the company’s western division.

NATASHA RETHKE (A&S) of Collinsville,Conn., has joined BrainBug LLC as creativedirector. Rethke is an award-winning creativedirector who has worked with both nationaland international design firms, most recentlyfor Moss Warner Communications Inc. andProduct Ventures, Ltd.

1987JOSEPH DIAMOND (HARTT) of Liberty,N.Y., has been aggressively promoting his ownindependent CD release, Not Your Typical NewYorker, on his own Bacileus label, literally goingstore-to-store. Because he does not have a dis-tributor, Diamond plays his Latin jazz CD inthe stores, leaves a few discs on consignment,and gives the staff promotional pieces. He hasbeen working toward distribution in othercities. "I sent the CD to radio stations and thenworked out consignment deals with local retailstores," he says. According to one Manhattanretailer, Diamond has done "incredibly well foran independent consignment deal."

DAWN GIBSON-BREHON (HARTT) ofBoynton Beach, Fla., is among eight Floridianswho received the 2000 African-AmericanAchievers Awards for contributions towardenriching the quality of life in their communi-ties. Gibson-Brehon manages the Palm BeachCommunity College’s Watson B. Duncan IIITheater, where she is responsible for managinga 30-event performing arts season. She is alsoresponsible for program development, fund-raising, marketing, and budgeting for all the-ater events.

JOEL M. GRIECO (BARNEY, MSPA) ofWest Hartford, Conn., is among the 2000Pinnacle Awards for achievement in real estate.Grieco is a member of the team that receivedthe award for largest office lease, the KennedyCorporate Center which had been vacant forfive years before it was leased to Pratt &Whitney.

JANET COCHRAN RAWLEIGH(HARTT, MMus) of Strasburg, Penn., playedEnglish horn and oboe for the 1999–2000Abendmusiken series at the First PresbyterianChurch of Lancaster, Penn. Rawleigh is princi-pal oboist for several symphony orchestras. Sheteaches music and oversees the instrumentalprogram at Lancaster Bible College.

A L U M N I N E W S

Insights on the Web

Since graduating in 1996, WilliamJ. Piniarski has accomplishedquite a feat. Not only is he

owner and founder of WEBsterComputing Services, a leader in Web-site and domain hosting, but he is alsoa prolific writer.

Currently in the works are severalscience fiction books, two of whichderive directly from a short storyPiniarski wrote while studying withProfessor William Stull of the Englishdepartment. “Although I was a com-puter science major, I was luckyenough to be able to create my ownEnglish course one semester, whichallowed me the creative freedom toassign myself a series of writing proj-ects under Professor Stull’s supervi-sion.” The 12-page short story called“Saturn’s Rings,” written whilePiniarski attended the University, hasnow become 500 pages—and count-ing—and will be part of a trilogy.

His first book, Launching onto theWeb: A Small-Business View, received rave reviews from industry leaders such asKevin Martin, founder and CEO of Pair Networks, the largest privately held Web-site–hosting company in the world. Piniarski’s guide is designed to help comput-er novices promote their companies on the Web. His casual style makes this con-cise book both useful and enjoyable.

Professor of mathematics Ray McGivney, Piniarski’s friend and former advisor,weighs in on the work in a recent review. It is, he writes, “a book where anyonefrom the computer illiterate to the savvy user can gain insight on how to markettheir business effectively on the Net...a book that will pay for itself and save youtime and energy using Mr. Piniarski’s ideas and insights.”

Another guiding light during Piniarski’s years at the University was ProfessorIngrid Russell, associate professor of mathematics and computer science. “[She]created several independent projects with me,” Piniarski recalls, “and allowed meto serve as a teaching assistant to her younger classes for the majority of my timeat UH.”

The most important things he learned that were applicable to the real world,Piniarski says, were in the independent courses that his professors and he creat-ed. “Sometimes what you learn out of the mainstream is what you need to learn.”William J. Piniarski’s success proves that that may often be true. �

33University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

A L U M N I N E W S

PATRICK TAYLOR (HARTT) ofLitchfield, Conn., is the new director of choirsat Greenwich (Conn.) High School. For thepast 10 years, Taylor has held a similar positionat Wilton (Conn.) High School, following hisfirst job at Park Ridge (N.J.) High School. InGreenwich, Taylor oversees six choirs andteaches piano. He is a vocalist and plays tubaand drums in addition to piano.

1988DONNA BROWN (ENHP, MEd) ofWethersfield, Conn., has been named the1999–2000 Wethersfield teacher of the year.Fellow staff members also selected her as a peeraward winner. Praised for her significant con-tributions by school administrators, Brown wasdescribed as "having special talents that pro-mote high standards for all students inConnecticut."

BRUCE CHUDWICK (BARNEY, MST) ofFarmington, Conn., has been named partner inthe law firm of Shipman & Goodwin LLP.Chudwick, who has been practicing law for 12 years, is a member of the firm’s businessdepartment and chair of the public financepractice group.

COLLEEN MURPHY-HILLARD (A&S)of Simsbury, Conn., teaches an innovativeswim program called Parenting throughSwimming at The Bridge in West Hartford,Conn. The program not only teaches swim-ming and safety skills but also promotes betterinteraction between parents and children.Murphy’s program was described in a HartfordCourant feature in February.

LISA SCHAFFER-HARRIS (HARTT) ofAlbuquerque, N.M., was the featured sopranosoloist with the Voices of Baha during a Marchtour to Haifa, Israel, and Bratislava, Slovakia.In Slovakia she sang with the Slovak SymphonyOrchestra, premiering a new oratorio, Carmel,by Tom Price. Schaffer-Harris’s husband andfather-in-law accompanied her and sang in thetenor section of the chorus.

1989SUSAN DANIS (BARNEY, MBA) ofSarasota, Fla., was chosen executive director ofthe Sarasota Opera after a nationwide search.Danis was formerly general director of NewYork’s Lake George Opera Festival and hasextensive experience in development, market-ing, and public relations. Profiled in theSarasota Herald-Tribune, she is described ashaving "a great working knowledge of what ittakes to be a good executive director."

BARBARA MASE (BARNEY, MPA) of NewBritain, Conn., is the newly appointed directorof the AIDS Ministries Program ofConnecticut, a new human services programoffered by the Salvation Army.

BRUCE L. OLIVER (BARNEY, MBA) ofEnfield, Conn., writes that he is a biographicalsubject in the 100th anniversary edition ofMarquis Who’s Who in America. Oliver is anInternet business developer; his Web site is<www.newventureinc.com>.

SHARON REILLY (HCW) of Windsor,Conn., was recently named president of Friendsof Midwives in Connecticut, a nonprofit cor-poration devoted to education, advocacy, andactivism, following the midwifery model ofcare. Reilly plans to enter a master’s programin public policy to study midwifery from apublic-policy/social-history perspective.

HOURY MARIE SCHMEIZL (HARTT,MMus) of Southington, Conn., has returned tomusic directorship of the Nutmeg Conser -vatory of the Arts in Torrington, Conn. Oneof the planners of the music division a half-dozen years ago, Schmeizl ran the school untilher husband’s job took her to another state.Now she has resumed the job of teaching con-servatory students and accompanying dancersin the Nutmeg ballet classes.

SCOTT SIMON (BARNEY, MBA) ofWindsor, Conn., is senior-level underwriter at United HealthCare. He and his wife, Jill,celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary in April.

GREGG THALLER (HARTT, MMusEd)of Salem, Mass., recently received a doctor ofmusic education degree at the University ofCincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.Dr. Thaller is chairperson of the music depart-ment at Salem State College, Salem, Mass., aswell as its director of bands. As a free lance per-cussionist, he is currently the timpanist andprincipal percussionist for the Cape AnnSymphony, the North Shore Philharmonic, andthe Melrose Symphony orchestras.

1990MELISSA GRANDE (A&S, MA) ofStamford, Conn., has been named vice presi-dent in addition to her current role as publicrelations director of Catalyst MarketingCommunications, Inc., Stamford. Grandejoined the agency in 1997 and is responsiblefor existing clients and agency promotion.

RICHARD E. JANKURA, JR. (BARNEY),of Cleveland, Ohio, has been named seniordirector, finance and administration, atEnterprise Development, Inc., where he willprovide overall financial and administrativeoversight. Jankura has held positions as man-ager of financial analysis and controller. EDI isa not-for-profit subsidiary of Case WesternReserve University.

1991MELISSA BORNMANN (Hillyer, A&S) ofSouth Portland, Maine, writes that she graduat-ed from Pace University in January with a mas-ter’s degree in elementary education and hasmoved to Maine to "pursue my career as ateacher." She also says that her home has "lotsof room for visitors, so give me a call and startbooking your summer weekends." Her e-mailaddress is <melissabornmann@hotmail.com>.

1992JANICE COSTELLO (ENHP) of Enfield,Conn., has been named vice president forpatient care services at Masonic GeriatricHealthcare Center, Wallingford, Conn.Costello has spent over 23 years in various areasof patient care administration and nursing.Most recently, she was director of nursing serv-ices at Mount Saint Vincent Nursing Home,Holyoke, Mass.

ALBERT L. FELIU (BARNEY, MBA) ofLilburn, Ga., has been promoted to executivesupport budgeting manager with BellSouthTelecommunications/Network & CarrierServices in Atlanta. Previously, he was senior

00ss99

Oops, We Goofed!Information on the following graduates was not listed correctlyin the March issue of The Observer. Please accept the AlumniOffice’s apologies.

Marilyn Rossetti ’98 AA HCW Duwan Smith, ’97 AA Hillyer, ‘99 BA A&S Lisa Vooys ’95 BS HCW, ’98 MSOB BarneyAlso, Sherryll Margiotta ’94 is married to Antonio Margiotta.

A L U M N I N E W S

project manager for the BellSouth Telecomm -unications Year 2000 program managementoffice.

SANDRA GRAY (ENHP) of Yardley, Penn.,writes that she wants to say hello to alumniRuss, Elissa, Steve, and Marilyn. She is work-ing part time as a respiratory therapist at St.Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Penn., andlives in Yardley with husband, Peter, and son,Peter James, born November 6, 1998.

CHARLES LEMKIN (BARNEY, MST) ofVernon, Conn., has been elected partner at theaccounting firm of Gitlin, Campise, Pascoe &Blum, West Hartford and Vernon.

PENNINAH WANJIRU MACHARIA(HCW) of Nairobi, Kenya, writes, "I finallygot my degree in marketing," and she hopes "toreturn for a master’s degree and complete abachelor’s in psychology." She is working witha partner offering marketing consulting servicesin Nairobi. "It’s a new venture, so wish usluck."

1993DOUGLAS MCQUILKEN (BARNEY,MBA) of East Lyme, Conn., has joinedBrainBug LLC as vice president, technical serv-ices. McQuilken has had more than 20 yearsof technology experience in corporate, com-mercial software, and Internet start-up environ-ments. In his role as vice president, he will beresponsible for building the technical depart-ment through addition of individuals anddevelopment of new products and services.

JOHN PAVLOVICH (BARNEY, MSPA) ofWest Hartford, Conn., has joined ArchivesManagement Inc. as chief financial officer.Pavlovich will oversee and direct the accountingand financial functions. He was formerlyemployed by Arthur Anderson in Harford and specialized in financial consulting and valuation.

JOHN T. SALEMI, JR. (BARNEY, MST),has joined Kosovsky, Pratesi & Co. LLC as amember and head of the accounting and taxdepartments.

1994JERRY BELLIZZI (BARNEY, MST) ofPortland, Conn., has received a Juris Doctordegree from Western New England School ofLaw in Springfield, Mass. Bellizzi is a CPA andis currently an international tax manager atUnited Technologies Corporation, Hartford.

PATRICK GILBERT (BARNEY, MBA) ofPortland, Conn., has been promoted to teamleader for Fleet Bank’s municipal banking unitin Connecticut. He has been with Fleet for 12

years, serving as the municipal banking teamleader in Maine and recently as a relationshipmanager for select accounts in Connecticut.

AUDREY LAMY (ENHP)) of WestHartford, Conn., after teaching special educa-tion courses for 11 years, is now coordinatingand teaching a new alternative high school pro-gram. She writes that the outplaced, restrictedprogram is "challenging at each corner [but]the bends are quite fulfilling."

BARBARA “BOBBI” MCNEIL (ENHP)of Simsbury, Conn., received the OutstandingAchievement Award for exemplary work in thefield of radiology technology at the March 25conference of the, Association of Vascular andInterventional Radiographers, New EnglandChapter. McNeil is the team leader of inter-ventional radiology at Hartford Hospital.

BRENT ROBERTSON (ART) of WestHartford, Conn., has been named seniorgraphic designer by Innovative InternetMarketing Solutions of Wallingford, Conn.

1995CHRISTINE CAPPABIANCA (BARNEY,MST) of Winsted, Conn., has joined the staffof Petrovits, Patrick & Co., LLP, of Torrington.Cappabianca is a certified public accountantwith more than 10 years’ experience.

BRUCE FILINGERI (BARNEY, MST) ofSouth Windsor, Conn., was promoted to taxpartner at Sheptoff, Reuber & Co. PC,Glastonbury, Conn.

LISA HAUT (ENHP, MSN) of Gaylordsville,Conn., has joined the staff of CommunityHealth Associates as a nurse practitioner.Haut, an advanced practice registered nursewith 20 years’ experience, specializes in the primary care of adults and children.

ROSEMARY JOHNSON (BARNEY,MSPA) of Bolton, Conn., has been namedchief financial officer of the CommunityHealth Network of Connecticut Inc. She hasheld numerous senior-level accounting andfinancial management positions, includingposts with Visiting Nurse and Health Servicesof Connecticut and United HealthCare Group.

SHAWN ORR (ART, MFA) of Plano, Texas,recently held an outdoor exhibit of new piecesof metal sculpture at Holman Pottery andArtworks in Plano.

LISA VOOYS (HCW; BARNEY, MSOB) ofCromwell, Conn., has begun work as a parale-gal at Robinson & Cole, Hartford.

34

Bella VoceContinuesOutreach

Bella Voce, a group of African-American operatic singersaffiliated with The Hartt

School, is continuing to broaden itsfan base and expose growing num-bers of Greater Hartford residents tothe beauty and power of opera.

The vocal group gave its mostrecent concert on May 21 in WildeAuditorium on the University cam-pus. The ensemble performed“classical art songs and Negro spiri-tuals,” according to Bella Voce mem-ber Kenneth Overton, who recentlycompleted a residency with theConnecticut Opera’s outreach andeducation program, Opera Express.

“We’ve had a lot of people ask uswhen we will be performing next.We’ve developed a very loyal fol-lowing,” Overton said.

Bella Voce is planning upcomingperformances that will feature amusical theater cabaret programand a concert of “old Baptisthymns,” Overton said.

In addition to Overton, a baritonewho attended Hartt from 1992 to1995, the other members of BellaVoce are:JOLIE ROCKE BROWN, a soprano,who earned a bachelor’s degree inmusic in 1989GAY CHUN, a pianist and memberof The Hartt School facultyMIA DOUGLAS, a soprano, earneda master’s degree in 1999GILLIAN FIELDS, a soprano, whoearned a master of music degree inMayCORNELIUS JOHNSON, a tenor,who, like Overton, recently complet-ed a residency with the ConnecticutOperaGARRICK JORDAN, a tenor, whoearned a graduate professionaldiploma from Hartt in 1998For more information about BellaVoce, call Douglas at (860) 827-0317.

University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

1996MICHELLE D’AUTEUIL (ART) ofTolland, Conn., has joined the staff of DiBacco& Company, an advertising and design firm, inAvon, Conn. D’Auteuil, designer, will beresponsible for communications work, primari-ly in graphic design and corporate communica-tions materials.

FRANCES HARRIS (ENHP, DEd) ofLeesburg, Va., was named the 17th EastHartford (Conn.) Service to Youth Award win-ner by the East Hartford Child Plan and YouthAdvisory Board. During the five years whenHarris was principal of Hockanum School, stu-dent test scores improved, and the school wasopened for community programs, including aunique family resource center. Harris and her

new husband have subsequently settled in theirnative state of Virginia.

1997JAMES DECESARE (ART) of Hartford,Conn., artist-in-residence at Hartford’sArtSpace, joined other family members in "TheDeCesare Family Art Exhibit," displayed atArtSpace during March. DeCesare’s mother,

University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000 35

A L U M N I N E W S

Ruth Hewitt Vater ’32January 27, 2000

John George Matulis ’33January 10, 2000

Margaret Cunningham Wilson ’37March 23, 2000

Dorothy Gray Young ’43December 9, 1999

Carl Bergner ’49April 2, 2000

Joseph A. Wiezalis ’50March 16, 2000

Jerome L. Ellenberg ’51February 4, 2000

Joseph J. Pasek ’51January 11, 2000

Vincent M. Varjenski ’51December 31, 1999

Al Jarvis ’52January 14, 2000

Paul J. Dilworth ’53December 29, 1999

Earl H. Horwitz ’53Funeral services, April 7, 2000

Francis J. Kalog ’53March 31, 2000

George L. Vince ’53December 12, 1999

Doris M. Heffernan ’54April 15, 2000

Floyd A. Nezgoda ’54April 23, 2000

Martin J. Davidian ’55February 16, 2000

Joseph W. Gioielli ’55November 26, 1999

Sumner D. Goddard ’55March 20, 2000

Ruth E. Sturtevant ’55December 17, 1999

Alice M. Bratton ’56November 1, 1999

Willard H. Davis, Sr. ’56March 4, 2000

George H. Dawson ’56March 19, 2000

Edmund W. Downes ’56February 19, 2000

John K. Rustigian ’56March 7, 2000

Walter J. Nadeau ’57February 12, 2000

Elliot R. Arden ’58January 8, 2000

Salvatore C. DiPietro ’58March 28, 2000

J. Joseph Meehl ’58December 26, 1999

Mary McCrann Neville ’58September 26, 1999

Robert J. Silver ’59March 11, 2000

Joan Liljedahl Darrach ’60December 26, 1999

Marjorie E. Harrowell ’60January 3, 2000

Elias Shapiro ’60March 24, 2000

David S. Sutcliffe ’60March 22, 2000

William W. Duncan ’61April 10, 2000

Frank P. Pascuccio, Sr. ’61March 6, 2000

Alice Gordon Fraser ’62January 22, 2000

Matthew H. Luzzi ’62February 12, 2000

William S. Stevens ’62February 3, 2000

Hazel T. Sullivan ’62April 10, 2000

Ella Schmidt Fletcher ’64February 8, 2000

Douglas J. Mattoon ’66February 9, 2000

Stanley F. Arling ’67January 24, 2000

John F. O’Connor, Sr. ’67January 21, 2000

Gertrude Guimond Morrison ’68September 24, 1999

Marian K. Berlin ’69December 25, 1999

Kent E. Davis ’70January 31, 2000

Nery Acosta Alzugaray ’73March 3, 2000

Margot Cook Madden ’73December 23, 1999

William A. Goodwin ’74February 23, 2000

Margaret Moore Leonard ’75August 10, 1999

Rocca Lucy Greico Roberto ’75April 24, 2000

Anthony Saraceno ’75January 19, 2000

Amy Forkos Shakun ’75September 6, 1999

Audrey Brown Sutherland ’75January 28, 2000

Geraldine Ryan Urich ’75December 14, 1999

John P. Creagan ’76March 19, 2000

Inez Marg Hemlock ’76December 7, 1999

Janet Walton Williams ’76March 6, 2000

Steven E. Bidstrup ’77February 20, 2000

Edward J. Brennan ’81January 6, 2000

Donna Wondoloski Primavera ’81January 20, 2000

Larry A. Witt ’82December 16, 1999

Rasa Angelika Treciokas ’84December 26, 1999

Beth A. McVeigh ’93March 24, 2000

In Memoriam

36

A L U M N I N E W S

University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

Joanna, is a painter, and his father, Vincent, is acraftsman. Their children are Gail DeCesareBen, a photographer and graphic designer;Sandra, a painter; and Jim, an illustrator andteacher of art and literature at the MoorelandHill School, Kensington, Conn.

SUSAN DECINA (BARNEY, MPA) ofCheshire, Conn., is the new town planner forPortland, Conn. She was previously assistant plan-ning director for Danbury planning and zoning.

JAMES (JIMMY) GREEN (HARTT) ofBloomfield, Conn., tenor saxophonist, has anew CD, Brand New World, released to national acclaim.

1998ANNE CLAMPET (A&S) of Milford,Conn., is working as a producer of the nation-ally syndicated program, “Jakked,” for theWorld Wrestling Federation. Clampet is also avideotape producer for the weekly WWF livebroadcasts of “Raw Is War” and “Smackdown.”

NANCY TAYLOR DUNN (ENHP, MS) ofSouth Windsor, Conn., is the youth servicescoordinator for the town of Tolland. She pre -viously worked in South Windsor as crisiscounselor for both juvenile and adult court-ordered cases.

EDWARD LEE (BARNEY, MBA) ofFarmington, Conn., has been ordained as priestfor service in the Diocese of Norwich.

ROBERT MCCARRY, JR. (WARD), ofAlexandria, Va., since graduation has beenworking as a patent examiner for the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office. He is alsoa certified CPR instructor and American RedCross volunteer.

GRACE PARKS MITCHELL (HCW) ofWest Hartford, Conn., is the assistant directorof the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame,housed by the University on the campus ofHartford College for Women. The Hall ofFame honors women of achievement and servesas an educational and recource center forwomen’s history and culture.

VICTOR PACHECO (ART) of Hartford,Conn., has affirmed his cultural identitythrough murals seen at a number of Hartfordsites. For example, the interior of Chuca’sRestaurant on Park Street evokes scenes typicalof a small town in Puerto Rico. Other muralsadorn the walls of youth centers and even thesides of ice-cream trucks. Pacheco works ashead of the Leadership, Education, andAthletics in Partnership program, based atCapital Community-Technical College.

Character, leadership, spiritSeven people who exemplify the qualities that the University seeks to

develop through its athletics program—outstanding character, leadership, andspirit—were honored at the 10th Annual Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame dinner onApril 15. They were:ROBERT H. FORRESTER ’66, a member of Hartford’s 1962 soccer team, whichwon the NCAA Atlantic Coast championship. A former UofH development direc-tor, Forrester was responsible for securing the gift from Faisal Al-Marzook ’67 tobuild the University’s athletic fields. A successful businessman who specializesin consulting services to the global nonprofit community, Forrester received theVincent BrownCoffin Award.Named after theUniversity’s firstpresident, it is pre-sented to a formerstudent-athletewho has demon-strated excellencein his or her pro-fessional career.REGINA RONAN’91, four-year starfor the Hawkswomen’s soccerprogram and let-ter winner withthe basketballprogram, who ledthe Hawks to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1989. Following gradua-tion, she became a world-class marathon runner, qualifying for the OlympicTrials in 1996 and 2000.AUDREY DAHLSTROM ’94, a star setter for four years with the Hawks volley-ball program who earned NAC Player of the Year honors in 1993, the only Hawkever to earn the honor. She still holds Hartford’s all-time assist record with 6,010.Since graduation, Dahlstrom has been coaching at all levels, including highschool, club, and collegiate.HILDA BRASSILL ’60, ’64, assistant professor emerita of elementary education,who received the A. Peter LoMaglio Award, named for the “father of Hartford ath-letics.” It is presented annually to an individual who has provided outstandingand dedicated service to the Division of Athletics and its student-athletes.WOLFRIED MIELERT ’66, three-year letter winner for the men’s soccer team,starring as a defender, who helped lead the Hawks to the 1962 NCAA AtlanticCoast championship. He is co-CEO of Galaxy Technologies in Bloomfield, Conn.DAVID CORREALE ’76, four-year star with the baseball team and two-year let-ter winner in basketball. He earned Baseball All-America honors in 1976, whileserving as team captain; he is Hartford’s all-time leader in home runs. Correaleis senior vice president of Dentalmatic Technologies and president ofDentalmatic North America.GEORGE LASNIER ’64, four-year standout for the soccer team who playedthree years on the tennis team and two years with the basketball squad. Lasnierplayed semiprofessional soccer in Iran and the United States until the age of 40.He coached youth soccer for several years and remains passionately involvedwith the sport.

Honorees at the 10th Annual Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame din-ner were (left to right): Robert H. Forrester ’66, Regina Ronan’91, Audrey Dahlstrom ’94, Hilda Brassill ’60, ’64, WolfriedMielert ‘66, David Correale ’76, and George Lasnier ’64.

37University of Hartford OBSERVER/Summer 2000

A L U M N I N E W S

SHARON REIS (A&S, MA) of Alexandria,Va., has been distinguished as one of "15 toWatch: Young Stars of PR" by Phillips PR News,a leading public relations trade newsletter. Reisis a founding partner of Washington-basedGarrett Yu Hussein LLC.

1999JOXEL GARCIA (BARNEY, MBA) of Avon,Conn., who is Connecticut’s commissioner ofpublic health, was recently interviewed by theHartford Business Journal on a number of issuesthat affect Connecticut residents and are theresponsibility of the commission.

PATRICIA GREY (HARTT, MMus) ofDanbury, Conn., joined the staff of Joel BarlowHigh School, Redding, Conn., as music teacherfor the 1999–2000 school year.

PAMELA LLOYD (HARTT, MMus) ofBoothbay Harbor, Maine, has joined theBlacksburg branch of the Roanoke (Va.) Music School.

CHRISTINA MORALES (HCW) ofHartford, Conn., is working at Drugs Don’tWork! as an intern.

CLIFFORD RANKIN (BARNEY, MST) ofBristol, Conn., is chair of the state taxationcommittee for the Connecticut Society ofCertified Public Accountants.

2000JOE BROCATO (A&S) of Laredo, Texas, issports anchor and reporter for KVTV, Ch. 13,the CBS affiliate in Laredo.

JENNIFER MOAK (ENHP) of WestWindsor, N.J., writes that she just got her firstjob as a conference coordinator for theLambertville House, a boutique hotel.

RACHEL NOVIN (A&S) of Forest Hills,N.Y., is currently working for D’ArcyAdvertising as an associate account manager forPampers. Novin is planning to attend New YorkUniversity to pursue a master’s degree.

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now. And if we don’t findpeace in ourselves and theworld, if we don’t feed thechildren, if we don’t have aresponsibility to futuregenerationsthen we’re going to losethis planet and the life wehave all enjoyed.

PDT: How does A Circle ofWomen address these concerns?

GK: A Circle of Women’s mis-sion is to educate and pro-mote [woman] aspeacemaker, healer, andvisionary, and we willlaunch this “new conversa-tion” with a documentaryfilm that will premiere inSeptember of 2000. Itcontrasts [tenets of ] West-ern ideology with [the]thinking [of ] indigenous[people] and examines therole of the female in the21st century.

PDT: This sounds like a very big deal.

GK: I’ve been working on the documentary for nine years. The message is urgentfor all of us. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves now but to the lifeon earth and to future generations. At this time, we have circles of women andmen—our message is all-inclusive—in eight cities and seven countries. We arejust beginning our outreach and plan to have Circles of Women operatingaround the world very, very soon. Our Web site is just getting up and running.You’ll be able to find us at <www.acircleofwomen.org>.

PDT: Getting back to UofH, do you see a direct link between what you learned as astudent and where you are now?

GK: Absolutely! The reason I went to the University of Hartford was because theygave me a full leadership scholarship. They wanted to develop me as a leader,and they did. Today, I’m still teaching and leading but on a more universallevel, through filmmaking. The whole idea of bringing together ancient wis-dom and the modern world is to remind people to think about who they areand the quality of their relationships, not only with each other but with theworld they live in, the environment, and how they treat their children. A lot of who I’ve become has to do with the experiences I had at the University of Hartford.

Little-known facts about Gayle KelleyFirst band: Kelley GreenPlayed: basketball, softball, volleyballAdvisor to Hollywood environmental organization with: Tom Cruise, Jane Fonda,Ted Danson, Ed Begley, Jr., Kenny Loggins, and Glenn CloseStill sees: Kevin Fahey, Debbie Joyce, Jane Sullivan, and Barbara Cavatsos Most curious about: Jimmy Diamond, Ben Holden, Ed Peletier, and John SeaburyWeb site: www.acircleofwomen.org

Continued from page 25

UHNews-Liberated Press, October 29, 1969