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Alumni Profiles:
Buzas discovers major findings in a small world Martin Buzas '58 (CLAS)
Giving back to the community in many ways Marilda Gandara '80 J.D.
Thinking his way to innovative technology Matthew Adiletta '85 (ENG)
Leandri honored by Groton Julio Leandri '50 (BUS)
Alum greets Pakistani president William MacDonald '80 (CLAS)
Pikiell returns as head coach Steve Pikiell '91 (CLAS)
Rocking with Crash Moderns Matt Jaworski '03 (CLAS)
2005 Alumni and Faculty Excellence Awards Gala
Other Items of Interest:
Reunions
In
Memoriam
Call for nominations
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Whether it is about a favorite professor or class, a special event (such as a concert or Homecoming), or a shared experience with friends, we’d like to know about your most memorable time at UConn. Select recollections will be published in the Fall/Winter 2006 edition of UConn Traditions. Please tell us about your most memorable UConn moment in no more than 150 words and send them to us via e-mail or regular mail by May 15. Via E-Mail: uconntraditions@uconn.edu
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| Submit your class notes information online. |
Let your fellow UConn alumni know about
the milestones in your life. You can keep them up to date by
sending information, and, if possible, a photograph, to Alumni News
& Notes, University of Connecticut Alumni Association, Alumni
Drive, Storrs, CT 06269; by fax to 860-486-2849; or by filling out the
online News & Notes form.
 Reunions
Save the Date
Reunion Weekend—Classes of 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1981, WHUS and Chi Phi
Special Interest Reunions |
John Blum ’37 (CLAS), ’39 M.S. lives at the Falcons Landing Retirement Community in Sterling, Va., where he plays violin in a string quartet. He also plays with the Reston Chamber Orchestra and the McLean Symphony. He volunteers once a week with kindergartners at a local elementary school.
Alfred Marder ’48 (CLAS) addressed the annual global meeting of the Local Authorities Organization in Caracas, Venezuela, in January as chairman of the New Haven, (Conn.) Peace Commission.
William Zimmerman ’49 (CLAS) celebrated his 85th birthday on July 17, 2005, with his wife of 59 years, three children and four grandchildren.
Patricia Hubbell ’50 (CLAS) published two picture books for children in 2005, Trains: Steaming, Pulling, Huffing and Hurray For Spring! Her book Black All Around! was named a finalist for the national Children’s Crown Gallery Award. She and her husband, Harold, live in Easton, Conn.
Leandri honored by Groton
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The City of Groton recognized Julio Leandri ’50 (BUS) in September 2005 for his 60 years of service to the city by dedicating the new Department of Utilities Operations Complex in Groton in his name. Leandri is a past president of the UConn Alumni Association. |
Dorothy (Gannon) Hellstrom ’52 (CLAS) has an exhibit of paintings, Lighthouses on Shingles, at the Exeter Public Library in Exeter, Mass.
Bob Guinessey ’56 (BUS) and Sallie (Tarvin) Guinessey ’57 (SFS) live along a golf course in Wilmington, N.C. He retired as president of LE Smith Glass, and she works part-time as a bank teller for Wachovia Bank. They have five daughters and 21 grandchildren.
John DeFrancesco ’58 (CANR) retired as a public relations consultant to devote his time to oil painting.
Ken Cucuel ’57 (CLAS) is the reigning over-70 champion in squash for both the U.S. and Canada. He competed in the World Master’s Games held in July 2005 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Ed Satell ’57 (BUS), the founder and CEO of Progressive Business Publications, was named the 2003 Individual Philanthropist of the Year by the Greater Philadelphia Area Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Buzas discovers major findings in a small world
 Smithsonian Institution |
At age 71, few scientists can match Martin Buzas ’58 (CLAS), who has conducted almost half a century of prolific research.
He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed works. He is finishing a 30-year study of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, the most biologically diverse estuary in North America. He has a paper due out later this year, but in the meantime he has begun measuring biodiversity patterns in the waters around New Zealand.
“Most people my age are retired,” Buzas says. “I still work full time because I love what I do. It’s sort of like getting paid for your hobby.”
Buzas is curator of the department of paleobiology at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. After graduating from UConn, Buzas earned a master’s at Brown and a doctorate at Yale, where he wrote a dissertation on foraminiferal distribution patterns within Long Island Sound.
Considered a model piece of scientific research, it is still used as a benchmark of the water’s overall health and an accurate measurement of anthropogenic change. He then turned down a lucrative job offer from an oil company to be a curator at the Smithsonian.
For more than 40 years at the Smithsonian, Buzas has maintained and expanded the largest and most significant micropaleontological collection in the world. Last year he received the Joseph A. Cushman Award for outstanding contributions to the field of foraminerology, the study of ancient, tiny, single-cell marine organisms that construct shells.
“They are about a half millimeter or the size of a grain of sand,” says Buzas. “As a matter of fact, when you lay on a beach a lot of those grains of sand are actually foraminifera. They’ve been around for about 500 million years. That’s a very long geological record.”
Besides pure academic inquiry, Buzas says, the study of tiny organisms can help to answer big questions in the fields of climatology, ecology and evolutionary studies.
Buzas says his rise to the top of his profession began in the basement of UConn’s Holcomb Hall, a residence hall. “That’s where the geology department was,” says Buzas.
“It was great because we were only seven or eight majors. So although you had this huge university around you it was just like going to a small, intimate school.”
— Ron Meshberg
James Lorello ’58 M.S. has authored Septegenarian Thoughts, a poem of 101 rhyming lines.
William Pardus ’58 (CLAS), ’60 M.A., a professor emeritus of music at Keene State College in N.H., conducted the Waterford (Conn.) Community Band in the Connecticut premiere of his composition “The Mills of New England (A Symphonic Portrait).”
John Phillips ’58 (CLAS) retired after 32 years with the U.S. Army. He lives in Florence, Ala., and teaches chemistry at the University of North Alabama.
Ron Topping ’58 (BUS) retired in December 2004 after 32 years with Hedwin Corp. as a regional sales manager. He lives with his wife, Donna, in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Patti (Bert) R. Ratia ’59 (CLAS) retired from the U.S. Defense Department. He and his wife, Barbara, own an Internet-based antiques and collectibles business in Tucson, Ariz.
Chong K. Lewe ’60 M.S. published his memoir, Seeds of the Willow: The Story of an Oriental Student-Immigrant in the United States (iUniverse) in the fall of 2005.
Holger Lundin ’60 (CLAS) serves as chairperson of Seniornet of Wethersfield, Conn., a group of retired men and women who help seniors learn to use computers. He and his wife, Judy, live in Wethersfield.
Dave Novis ’60 (CLAS) retired in 2002 after starting four weekly community newspapers in Princeton, N.J., and Santa Barbara, Calif. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, Irene, in a home he built.
Rhoda (Steege) Kriesel ’61 M.A. works with technology commercialization for venture capital companies and technology entrepreneurs in New Jersey.
Joel Mandell ’61 (CLAS), ’66 J.D. is special counsel of commercial services for CATIC, a bar-related title insurance underwriter in Rocky Hill, Conn. He was elected to his seventh term as a member of the Simsbury (Conn.) Board of Selectmen and is serving his fourth term as Deputy First Selectman. His wife, Ellen Solomon Mandell ’64 (SFS), was recently selected as a Simsbury Hometown Hero for her continued service to the town.
Kathrine Neville ’62 (SFS), was elected as the 25th president of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Auxiliary. She is the owner of Kathrine’s Gardens, a garden and floral design company in Woodmont, Conn.
William O’Connor ’62 (BUS) was recognized as an outstanding course leader by the American Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America. He is a project manager at St. Paul’s Traveler’s Insurance Company in Hartford, Conn. He lives with his wife, Patricia, in West Hartford. They have two children.
Rochelle Tyl ’63 (CLAS), ’68 Ph.D. was named a Senior Fellow at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C. She is the research director of life sciences and toxicology and senior program director of reproductive and developmental toxicology at RTI.
Joseph “Butch” Wandy Jr. ’63 (BUS), inventor of the Prismatic Imaging photo technique, was commissioned by the Reflexite Corp., of Avon, Conn, to install three large pieces of art in his series titled Prisms + Light + Space. He lives and works in East Hartford, Conn.
Evelyn Marshak ’64 (CLAS) retired after 34 years of teaching and now reports for The Prospect Pages, a monthly newspaper in Prospect, Conn. 
Jack C. Norbeck ’65 (RHSA) is included in the 2005-2006 edition of Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He is president of Norbeck Research in Coplay, Pa.
Christopher Pitt ’65 (CLAS) has retired as president and CEO at Northwest Community Bank in Winsted, Conn., after 42 years in the Connecticut banking industry. He and his wife, Beth, live in West Simsbury, Conn.
William Schneider ’65 (CLAS) retired from selling wine at a vineyard off the central coast of California. He lives in San Francisco, Calif., and Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, where he makes wine for private collectors.
Alan Shafer ’65 (CLAS) retired from IBM Corporation after 35 years and is vice president and CEO of Intelligent Business Systems Group, Inc., of Celebration, Fla. The company provides software to small-business development agencies affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration and similar government entrepreneurial support organizations from other countries.
Tom Bowler ’66 (ED) was on the Pennsylvania Bar Institute faculty for two seminars in August 2005. He presented with two other attorneys in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on the topic of “Liability Issues in Playgrounds, Gyms, Playing Fields & Physical Education Classes.” He retired from the Vernon, Conn., public school system in 1999, where he taught elementary physical education for 33 years.
Ken Golden ’66 (ENG) is the president of QBS Consulting, Inc. He lives in Northborough, Mass., and has two daughters.
Robert Krantz, Jr. ’68 (CLAS) retired from the U.S. Department of State after 35 years of government service. He was in charge of liaison with the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), a 13-nation peace keeping force that monitors the security arrangements of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace. He was presented with the Secretary of State’s Career Achievement Award and the MFO’s Distinguished Service for Peace Award.
Chris Tsokos ’68 (CLAS) was named Distinguished University Professor by the University of South Florida, the highest honor USF bestows to its faculty, recognizing outstanding professional academic accomplishments, philanthropic educational contributions and service to the country.
Chris Donovan ’69 (SFA) directed the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 16, 2006, on NBC. He also directed the Independent Film Spirit Awards on IFC and AMC on March 4, 2006.
Barbara Poltrack ’70 (ED), ’72 M.A. has retired after teaching elementary education for 34 years in Stamford, Conn., and Guilford, Conn.
Alan Bratton ’71 (CLAS) retired as a financial analyst after 30 years in the treasurer’s office at the University of Cincinnati. Alan had gender reassignment surgery and became Aoife Bratton.
Kathleen Reardon ’71 (ED), professor of management at the University of Southern California, recently published the book It’s All Politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren’t Enough.
Donn Friedman ’72 (ED), ’79 M.A., ’85 6th year, was recognized as the 2005 Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Schools. He is in his 11th year at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden. He lives in Glastonbury with his wife, Cindie (Haemer) ’77 (CLAS), and children, Jacob, 21, and Eliza, 18.
Christine Gelineau ’72 (CLAS) won the Richard Snyder Award from Ashland Poetry Press with her first collection of poetry, Remorseless Loyalty. The book cover was designed by her sister, Janine Gelineau ’77 (SFA). Christine is an adjunct assistant professor of English and the assistant director of the Binghamton Center for Writers at the State University of New York. Janine is a photographer and graphic artist in the video communications office of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. She lives in Vernon, Conn.
Jay Sher ’72 (CLAS) was inducted into the American College of Dentists, a nonprofit organization of dentists who have exemplified leadership and contributed to dentistry and society. He and his wife, Geri, have three daughters and live in Livingston, N.J.
Steven DeMorro ’73 (ED) is the vice president of human resources and recruitment for Publicis Selling Solutions in Blue Bell, Pa.
John Lochman ’74 Ph.D. is the Saxon Chair of Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama, where he received the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award.
David Carlson ’75 (BUS) is the senior vice president and director of taxes at Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., in Hartford, Conn. He and his family live in Farmington, Conn. His daughter, Heather ’08 (SAH), is a sophomore at UConn.
Jacquelyn Joseph ’75 (CLAS) is the executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. She moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, Ray, in May 2004.
Rob McCullough ’76 (CLAS) is a realtor at Prudential CT Realty in Wilton, Conn.
Drew Crandall ’77 (CLAS) is the 2006 president of the Connecticut Valley chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). He lives in Ellington, Conn., and is the owner of KEEP IN TOUCH, a marketing and media business in Vernon.
Patrice (Raccio) Hughes ’77 (CLAS), ’80 MA published her third novel for young adults, Open Ice, in November 2005. Her second novel, The Breaker Boys, was named as a notable book for 2005 by the National Council on Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council.
Steven Parent ’77 (CLAS), ’80 M.P.A. was recognized by President George W. Bush with a 2005 Presidential Rank Award, which recognizes exceptional long-term accomplishments of government executives. He is a deputy director with the executive office for United States attorneys at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
William Luddy, Jr., ’78 J.D. participated in the development of a new draft treaty on the use of electronic communications in international contracting for the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. He is a professor of management at the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Hartford campus.
Martin Pazzani ’78 (CLAS), ’79 (BUS), ’80 M.B.A. is the president and CEO of Elias Arts, the country’s largest commercial music, sound design and identity company, with offices in Santa Monica, Calif., New York City and Paris. He lives with his family in Farmington, Conn.
Douglas Tynan ’78 (CLAS) is a child psychologist, associate professor of pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College and the director of the Primary Care Pediatrics Mental Health Program for the Nemours Foundation in Delaware. He completed a two-year term on the Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which designed and reviewed two major studies on the impact of Head Start.
Deborah Mathieu-Byers ’79 (SFA) is the founder and producing artistic director of Streetlight Productions, Inc., in New York City.
Harriet Sanford ’79 M.P.A. is president and CEO of the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education.
Robert Stein ’79 (CLAS) serves as a commissioner on the Virginia Public Broadcasting Board. He is also the founder and CEO of MajorGiving.com and lives in Virginia with his wife, Gina, and two children.
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Call for Nominations
Do you know an outstanding alum or faculty member? The UConn Alumni Association has established awards to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and contributions by alumni, non-alumni and faculty. The UConn Alumni Association is proud of these achievements and welcomes the opportunity to extend recognition through our annual awards program. To obtain a nomination form and a list of past recipients, visit the UConn Alumni Association Web site at www.uconnalumni.com. Deadline for 2006 nominations is April 7, 2006.
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Tony Cerreto ’80 (CLAS) and his wife, Donna, announce the adoption of a daughter, Katerina Mei Cerreto, in summer 2005 from Hubei Province, China.
Ulrich La Fosse ’80 (ENG), ’82 M.S. received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from UConn’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is a co-founder of GeoDesign, Inc., in Middlebury, Conn.
Anne Saliers ’80 M.A. is the product manager of IzzyDesign, manufacturers and designers of furniture for interactive workspaces, in Spring Lake, Mich.
Giving back to the community in many ways
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Marilda Gandara ’80 J.D., president of the Aetna Foundation has an insider’s perspective on corporate philanthropy at both the national and local levels.
One day will find her attending a presidential reception at the White House and the next serving food at a local Connecticut soup kitchen.
After using the morning to review a grant application for a disease prevention program in North Carolina, Gandara may speak in the afternoon to Hartford’s Spanish American Merchants Association about access to affordable health care.
In 2004 the Aetna Foundation awarded more than $17.5 million in grants, placing Gandara in a position where she can truly affect people’s lives.
“I feel a strong sense of responsibility in utilizing this opportunity to do as much good as possible for communities,” she says.
Gandara joined Aetna in 1978, when Latina lawyers were a rarity. She blazed a career path that included work in environmental law, real estate and corporate planning before moving to the foundation in 1996.
“I certainly never set out to be a role model,” she says. But her nearly 30 years of business experience has brought accolades, among them being named one of the “Top 50 Latinas in American Business” by El Diario la Prensa and a listing in Hispanic Business magazine’s 2005 Corporate Elite directory of 25 influential Hispanics in American corporations.
In Connecticut, she is just as well known for her volunteerism. She serves on the boards of both the United Way of the Capitol Region and the Wadsworth Atheneum and is the appointed finance trustee for the state-controlled Hartford Board of Education.
Gandara says that of all her volunteer efforts, she finds economic development work the most compelling — an affinity based on her experiences as an immigrant. Her family came from Cuba when she was 10, and her parents created a new life in the United States by becoming small business owners.
She says, “I just like that whole idea of helping people grow through the development of small businesses in the community.”
Gandara says her appreciation for the UConn Law School is also connected to being an immigrant who found what seemed almost too good to be true: “Here was this wonderful, world-class institution where I got an affordable and a fine education—it was both.”
— Leslie Virostek
Alum greets Pakistani president
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William MacDonald ’80 (CLAS) greets Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Mussharraf, in his role as the U.S. military liaison officer in the Pakistan earthquake relief effort. He is assisting the Pakistan Army, the United Nations, and various non-governmental organizations in Muzaffarabad, Kashmir, Northern Pakistan with the recovery effort. |
James Brennan ’81 (BUS) is a football official for the Big East Conference and worked as the side judge in the 2006 Orange Bowl game in Miami.
Jay Hruska ’81 (BUS) is the vice president of Cushman & Wakefield in Stamford, Conn. He lives in New Canaan.
Andrea Vlahakis ’81 (BGS) has written a picture book, Christmas Eve Blizzard, published by Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Larry Adler ’82 (BUS) was recently named a member of the UConn School of Business Board of Advisors and is a partner in the Hartford, Conn., law firm of O’Connell, Flaherty and Attmore. He lives in South Windsor with his wife, Lori, and three sons, Steven, Jeffrey and Marc.
Jannie (Gustafson) Des Rosiers-Berman ’82 (CLAS) received an M.S. in library science from Southern Connecticut State University in August 2005. She is a library media specialist in the Portland, Conn., school system. She and her family live in West Hartford.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted ’83 (CLAS) will have three new books and an anthology published in 2006: How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, a comic gothic from RDI ; Vertigo, a literary novel set in the Victorian era, from Bantam; Angel’s Choice, about teen pregnancy, from Simon & Schuster; and the anthology This IS Chick-Lit, from BenBella Books. She lives in Danbury, Conn., with her husband and daughter.
Catherine (Nettles) Cutter ’84 (CANR), ’87 M.S. is an associate professor of food science and Casida Professor of Food Safety at Pennsylvania State College.
Jackie (Trefethen) Estes ’84 (PHR) is the pharmacy manager for Brooks Pharmacy in Williston, Vt. She lives in Richmond with her husband, David Estes ’84 (BUS), and their five children, Justin, 16, Mike, 14, Matt, 12, Jeff, 9, and Katie, 7.
John Wadsworth ’84 (ENG) is a pilot with Southwest Airlines and is based at Midway Airport in Chicago. He is the commanding officer of the Navy Reserve C-130 Hercules squadron VR-54 in New Orleans, La. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.
Megan Friar ’85 (ED), ’87 M.A. and Ron Drotos ’86 (SFA) announce the birth of a son, Daniel Friar Drotos, on March 12, 2005. Danny joins his brother, John, 2. Megan and Ron are both musicians. The family lives in Riverdale in the Bronx, N.Y.
Thinking his way to innovative technology
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As a UConn senior Matthew Adiletta ’85 (ENG) was supporting himself by working for a construction company when Fred Maryanski, former chairman of computer science and engineering, helped him land a part time job at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
By the time he graduated with honors, Adiletta had already done so much work on scan-design circuits for the company that DEC immediately dispatched him to Philadelphia, where he gave a presentation at the annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers conference.
Over the next 13 years, until DEC was acquired by Intel, Adiletta designed high-speed microprocessors and 13 different video compression chips, and eventually led the development of Digital’s first-generation network processor. Since 1998 he has been director of communication processor architecture for Intel. In 1999 he was designated an Intel Fellow. The prestigious recognition is the pinnacle of technical achievement at the company, with less than 50 members. Currently he holds more than 50 patents with a similar number pending. His inventions have helped to improve digital video processing and provide intelligent network processing.
“UConn taught me how to think,” he says. “The innovation process is about how to approach a problem and understand it. That’s the most important thing I learned at UConn.”
Science runs deep in the Adiletta family. His father, Joseph, was president of Pallflex Products, a high-tech filtration materials manufacturer based in Putnam, Conn. The senior Adiletta is also a former New York University professor and a prolific inventor. Two of Matthew’s four older siblings — brother Bill ’73 (CLAS) and sister Pat ’75 (CLAS)—earned degrees in physics and chemistry, respectively.
A third brother, Joseph Jr. ’90 M.S., was at UConn with Matt, earning his master’s degree in electrical engineering and later taking over his father’s position at Pallflex. Only brother John, a successful investment consultant, did not pursue a science career.
As for the invention bug, it appears Matt has passed it on. Adiletta and his wife, the former Karen Schulz ’85 (ED), whom he met at UConn, have four children. One son, Matty Joe, 7, recently developed what he describes as “a garbage picker upper,” which allows people to pick up “yucky stuff” without having to touch it.
— Jim H. Smith
Rebecca Palmer ’86 (CLAS) opened a medical writing and editing business, IBIS BioCommunications, LLC, in Fremont, Calif.
Michael Fappiano ’87 (ENG) received an M.S. in computer science from the University of New Haven in May 2005. He is a software engineer at Pitney Bowes in Danbury, Conn.
Deborah (Coe) Field ’87 (CANR) was named South Windsor teacher of the year and was selected as one of four finalists for the state teacher of the year award in Connecticut.
Karen Karlin ’87 (CLAS) announces the birth of a daughter, Emma Danielle, on Aug. 31, 2005.
Mike Thurber ’87 (CLAS) is a lieutenant colonel and the operations officer of the 14th Weapons Squadron at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. He is stationed at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and lives in Niceville, Fla., with his wife, Colleen, and two sons.
Dana (Ippolito) Lewis Lee ’88 (CLAS) is an elementary school teacher and high school track coach in Ocean Township, N.J., where she lives with her husband, Chris, and their four daughters, Alexa, 10, Lauren, 10, Abigail, 7, and Victoria, 2.
Jeff Taylor ’88 (BUS) is the weekend meteorologist on CBS4 News This Morning Weekend, and UPN33 News out of Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Gail Bysiewicz ’89 (CLAS) is the new director of government relations at UConn, where she previously served as the assistant director from 1994 to 1999. She previously served as executive officer for governmental relations with the Connecticut State University System.
Jacqueline (Del Giorno) Gaston ’89 (SFS) and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of their twin sons, Jake Allen and Dylan Patrick, on Sept. 18, 2005. They join siblings, Michael Jr., 3, and Sophia, 13. Jackie is a special education teacher at Chantilly High School in Fairfax County, Va.
David Gaz ’89 (CLAS), ’93 D.M.D. and his wife, Vivian, announce the birth of their daughter, Emma Faith, on Oct. 15, 2005. Emma joins brothers Jacob and Ethan. The family lives in Elkton, Md.
Jeffrey Mayer ’89 M.A. exhibited his artwork in the faculty show of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, where he is an associate professor in fashion design and technologies.
Kerri McManus ’89 (CLAS) is the manager of accreditation services at the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International in Tampa, Fla.
Diana Abbruzzi ’90 (NUR) married Anthony Rossi, Jr. on Aug. 7, 2005. She is a certified school nurse-teacher at Graniteville Elementary School in Johnston, R.I. The couple lives in South Kingstown, R.I.
Anne Halloran Tortora ’90 (ED) (SFA) is the bandmaster of the 1st Company Governor’s Foot Guard Band, based in Hartford, Conn. She is only the second female captain of the 1st Company. She is also a Teaching Fellow in Music Education with an emphasis in wind conducting at the Hartt School in Hartford.
Anne Rivard ’90 (CLAS) and Stephen Hill ’90 (ENG), ’96 M.B.A. announce the birth of a son, Noah Lucien, on Aug. 21, 2005. Noah joins his brother, Coleman Sumner. She is a program coordinator for University Events at UConn, and Steve is a financial manager for Pratt and Whitney in Cheshire, Conn. The family lives in Tolland, Conn.
Bob O’Dea ’91 (ED) and his wife, Michelle, announce the birth of a daughter, Reegan Emily, on Sept. 18, 2005. Reegan joins brother, Devon. Bob is a certified financial planner and vice president of investments at Wachovia Securities in Woodbridge, Conn. The family lives in Madison, Conn.
Pamela (Bellmore) Gardner ’91 (CLAS) and her husband, Scott, announce the birth of a son, Kevin Bellmore Gardner, on April 16, 2005. She is the assistant principal at Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford, Conn., and is completing her term on the UConn Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Matt Cohen ’91 (BUS) and his wife, Alyssa, announce the birth of a daughter, Hannah Brooke, on March 2, 2005. He is the regional director for CBS Global Asset Management.
Peter Sword ’91 M.B.A. was recognized as an outstanding course leader by the American Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America in Malvern, Pa. He is an audit specialist for Liberty Mutual Group in Boston and lives with his wife, Jane, and two children in Whitman, Mass.
Brian Whalen ’91 (SAH) and his wife, Jen, announce the birth of daughter, Bridget Clare, on Sept. 2, 2005. He is a creative director for KnowledgeBase Marketing in Richardson, Texas. The family lives in Rowlett, Texas.
Pikiell returns as head coach
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Steve Pikiell ’91 (CLAS) is the first UConn alumnus to lead a team against his former mentor, Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun. A former UConn assistant, Pikiell returned to the Hartford Civic Center on Dec. 28, 2005, as the head coach for Stony Brook University. The Seawolves lost to the Huskies 85-52. During his playing days, Pikiell was team captain, leading UConn to its first Big East title and to the NCAA Sweet 16. |
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Cynthia (Wemmer) Doto ’92 (ENG) and Benjamin Doto III ’92 (ENG) announce the birth of a son, Chad Alexander, on July 24, 2005. Chad joins his brother, Benny.
David Hartman ’92 (CLAS) recently retired to pursue the dream of being a SCUBA instructor and an adventure tour leader. He founded Fantastic Endeavors Hartman (www.fantasticendeavors.com) in Key Largo, Fla.
Steven LaBella ’92 (CLAS) and Jennifer (Iadarola) LaBella ’93 (ED), ’94 M.S. announce the birth of a daughter, Kami Elise, on Nov. 9, 2005. She joins her brother, Nicholas Steven, 5, and sister, Olivia Jane, 3. The family lives in Watertown, Conn.
Pamela (Bauers) Mingo ’92 (CLAS) and her husband, James, announce the birth of a daughter, Kayla Michelle, on Aug. 17, 2005. Kayla joins her sister, Jenna Elizabeth. The family lives in Cheshire, Conn.
Kristen (Wajdowicz) Marquis ’92 (PHR) and her husband, Keith, announce the birth of a daughter, Kathryn Bernadette, in July 2005. She joins sister, Claire Louise, born in 2003.
Robert Pohlmann ’92 M.S. is living in Berlin, Conn., and works in New Britain.
Cynthia Robinson ’92 (CLAS) and husband, Charles Smallwood, announce the birth of a son, Carson Deters Smallwood, on Nov. 7, 2005. The family lives in St. Davids, Penn.
John Adams ’93 (ENG) and his wife, Helene (Hebert) ’95 (CLAS), ’96 M.S. and their sons, Benjamin, 5, and Luke, 3, have moved to Gorham, Maine. John is a senior transportation engineer with Sebago Technics, Inc., in Westbrook, Maine.
Susan Alwardt ’93 (CLAS) is the first vice president of the home loans division for Washington Mutual Bank. She lives in Chicago, Ill.
Yolanda Caldera-Durant ’93 (CLAS) received the Connecticut Association of Educational Opportunities Programs TRIO Achiever Award. She is the program officer for Fairfield County Community Foundation and serves on the boards of the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network and the Hispanic Professional Network.
Dominick Cristofaro ’93 (BUS) and Christina (Stavrou) Cristofaro ’94 (SFS), ’98 M.S.W. announce the birth of a son, Anthony, on May 2, 2005. Anthony joins sisters, Alexandra, 3, and Gabriela, 2. Dominick is the vice president of the institutional services group for Ramirez & Company, Inc., and co-manages the firm’s branch office in Hartford, Conn.
Julie (Goodwin) Gallo ’93 (CLAS) and her husband, Mike, announce the birth of twins, Mason Tanner and Avery Rose, on Nov. 11, 2005.
Brian Kelly ’93 (SFA) (ED) and Tyyne Straatveit-Kelly ’93 (CLAS) announce the birth of their third child, Garret Joseph, on March 29, 2005. Garret joins siblings, Lilah Bryn, 5, and Bryson Nils, 2. Brian is the director of bands at Bristol Eastern High School, and Tyyne is a speech-language pathologist for the Newington, Conn., school district. The family lives in Newington.
William Parilla ’93 (CLAS) and his wife, Erin, announce the birth of a daughter, Ashleigh Marie, on Oct. 19, 2005. He is a pediatric intensive care physician at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.
Robert Sidur ’93 (SFA) and his wife, Laura, married in August 2005. The couple lives in La Paz, Mexico.
Tracy (Bardos) Vitti ’93 (CLAS) and her husband, Anthony, announce the birth of a son, Tyler Anthony, on Sept. 12, 2005. The family lives in Clinton, Conn.
Kent Zahner ’93 (BUS) is a CPA for Magdefrau, Renner & Ciaffaglione, LLC, in Vernon, Conn., and a money manager for Keynote Financial Services, LLC, his investment advisory firm. He lives in Ellington with his wife, Karen, and three children, Katrina, 4, Jeremy, 2, and Natalie, 1.
Tom Anderson ’94 (BUS), ’04 M.B.A. started an online marketing research and data mining business, Anderson Analytics, LLC. He recently spoke at the SPSS Decisions Conference in Las Vegas, Nev., and will speak at the 2006 ESOMAR Auto Conference in Switzerland.
Mark Carabetta ’94 (CANR) received the first Environmental Leadership Award in the alumni category from UConn’s Office of Environmental Policy and Environmental Policy Advisory Council. He is director of conservation science at the Connecticut chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
Daniel Granniss ’94 (CANR) is the associate studio leader of the S/L/A/M landscape architecture studio in Glastonbury, Conn. He lives in Columbia.
Robert Kardos ’94 M.S. builds statistical and financial models for JP Morgan Chase Insurance Group in New York City. He lives in Hoboken, N.J.
June Sauter ’94 (CLAS) married Gautam Prakash on Oct. 28, 2005, in Virginia.
Eric Baumann ’95 (CLAS) and his wife, Jaclyn, announce the birth of a child, Colton Alexander, in Columbus, Ohio. Eric is a teacher in the Dublin City School District, Ohio.
Zygmunt Dembek ’95 (CANR), ’05 M.P.H. is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and was mobilized to active duty at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md. His recent publications include book chapters in the Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense, by Wiley Publishers; Biological Weapons Defense: Infectious Diseases and Counter-bioterrorism, by Humana Press; and the soon to be published Hospital Preparation for Bioterror.
Kandace Einbeck ’95 Ph.D. has moved to China to teach German and English at Jiaotong University in Xi’An.
Eric Ferreri ’95 (CLAS) is a staff reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer. He and his wife, Stefanie Pratola Ferreri, ’97 (PHR), a pharmacy professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, live in Durham, N.C.
Christine Sedensky Fioritto ’95 (CANR) and her husband, Chris, announce the birth of a son, Sean Stephen, born in September 2005. Sean joins his brother, James.
Sally Ann (Williams) Lee ’95 (SFS) and Dylan T. Lee ’96 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Lauren Alexandra, on March 30, 2005. Sally is the development associate for Middlesex Hospital and Dylan is the sales and engineering manager for PCC Structurals. The family lives in Old Saybrook, Conn.
Melanie (Kline) Nedder ’95 (NUR) and her husband, Stephen, announce the birth of a daughter, Sabrina Katherine, on Oct. 12, 2005. She joins sisters, Riley, 5, and Reagan, 3. The family lives in Attleboro, Mass.
Jim Nichols ’95 M.S. is the deputy city manager of Goodyear, Ariz. His book, Public Works Management – Things They Never Taught in School, was published by the American Public Works Association.
2005 Alumni and Faculty
Excellence Awards Gala
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The 2005 UConn Alumni Association Awards Gala took place with a reception at the Alumni Center and an awards ceremony at the Nafe Katter Theatre on Oct. 28, 2005. The awards recognized outstanding contributions and achievements by alumni, non-alumni and faculty. Alumni who were recognized included from left to right: Judith Zachs ’77 M.S.W., University Service Award; Denis McCarthy ’64 (BUS), ’65 M.A., University Service Award; Brett McGurk ’96 (CLAS), Graduate of the Last Decade Award; Elizabeth Flynn Scott ’91 (CLAS), Humanitarian Award; Roy Brooks ’72 (CLAS), Distinguished Alumni Award. |
Mark Allyn ’96 (ENG), ’98 M.S. and James Fox ’03 M.S. are project managers at BVH Integrated Services in Bloomfield, Conn.
Jennifer (Hall) Bradshaw ’96 (CLAS) and Peter Bradshaw ’95 (CLAS) announce the birth of a son, Bruce Eliot Bradshaw, on April 4, 2005. The family lives in Vernon, Conn.
Alena Cybart ’96 (CLAS) is an English and journalism teacher at Kennedy High School in Waterbury, Conn. She was appointed chair of the English department in June 2004 and received the 2004 and 2005 Margaret M. Generali Grant for advising the student newspaper.
John Galvin ’96 M.P.H. is the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health and completed the recertification examination by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Andrew Gazerro ’96 D.M.D. and his wife, Heather, announce the birth of a son, Brayton Nicholas, on Aug. 20, 2005.
Matthew Greene ’96 (SFA) joined the Boston cast of the Blue Man Group after performing in the New York City production in fall 2005.
Eliot Jardines ’96 (CLAS) is the assistant deputy director of national intelligence for open source at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Washington, D.C.
Deana Jeski ’96 (CLAS) married her husband, Matthew, in October 2004 at Corpus Christi Church in Wethersfield, Conn. She is a public relations director for the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown, Conn. The couple lives in Cromwell, Conn.
Noel McGuinness ’96 (BUS) returned home Nov. 23, 2005, after spending a year in Iraq flying and fixing Black Hawk helicopters.
Airen Miller ’96 (SFA) and his wife, Tricia, announce the birth of a daughter, Haven Meadow, who joins brother, Bowdi Mohawk. Airen is a professional photographer whose work can be seen at www.amillerphoto.com.
Fred Nutter ’96 (CLAS) is the senior sports producer at WHDH, an NBC-affiliate in Boston, Mass.
Leo Poorvin ’96 (CANR) and Shawn Lewis ’97 (CANR) received Ph.D.’s in microbiology and comparative medicine, respectively, from the University of Tennessee in December 2005. The couple has one son, Faolan, and are expecting a second son in March 2006.
Jennifer (Cion) Stokes ’96 (CLAS) and Matthew Stokes ’95 (CLAS) announce the birth of a son, Jack Matthew, on July 26, 2005.
Amy (Gallo) Trimani ’96 (CLAS), ’03 M.B.A. and Robert Trimani ’97 (CLAS), ’00 (PHR), ’02 Pharm.D. married on Dec. 11, 2004. She works in investments, and he is a pharmacy manager.
Leo Barbaro ’97 M.B.A. is the vice president of planning and business systems for WellPoint, Inc.’s northeast region, which includes the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut. He lives in Guilford, Conn.
Harold Daniel, ’97 Ph.D. is an associate professor of marketing and the director of the Center for Tourism Research and Outreach at the University of Maine, Orono. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Orono.
Pamela Gruchacz ’97 (SAH) married Billy Wingren in August 2005. They are high school teachers and live in Denville, N.J.
Laurie Kleinman ’97 (CLAS) is an insurance associate at Cozen O’Connor’s in Philadelphia, Pa.
Don Laviano ’97 (CLAS) and Julienne (Carey) Laviano ’98 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Marisa Lienne, on Aug. 11, 2005. He is the sports producer for WVIT NBC 30 in West Hartford, Conn. Julienne is a graphic artist at the Connecticut Post newspaper in Bridgeport, Conn. The family lives in Naugatuck, Conn.
Andrea (Honeyman) Olkin, ’97 (CLAS) was awarded the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewish Education in May 2005. She was also one of 50 educators to be awarded the international Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Teaching. She and her husband, Michael ’94 (CLAS), ’96 M.A., live in Amherst, Mass., with their daughters, Shoshana and Naomi.
Mark Small ’97 (SFA), a saxophonist, completed a second world tour with Warner Bros. recording artist Michael Bublé. He lives and performs in New York City.
Keith Tomlinson ’97 (CLAS) received a sixth year diploma in professional education from UConn’s Neag School of Education. He is a fifth grade teacher in Southington, Conn.
Corrie Balash Kerr ’98 (CLAS) married Bret Kerr in September 2004. She is a managing editor at HCPro in Marblehead, Mass.
Amy Berk ’98 (ED) and husband, Andrew Cournoyer ’98 (PHR), announce the birth of a daughter, Lilian Emma, on Sept. 15, 2005. He completed his M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and is a senior clinical pharmacist at Tufts Health Plan in Watertown, Mass. Amy is a special education teacher in Westwood, Mass.
Robert Cheng ’98 (SAH) was certified as an orthopedic clinical specialist by the American Physical Therapy Association Board. He is also a Maitland-Australian certified orthopedic manual therapist.
David France ’98 (SFA) is in his second year teaching the violin at the Bermuda School of Music.
Joshua Miller ’98 (BUS) and his wife, Elizabeth Miller ’00 (CLAS), announce the birth of a daughter, Gabrielle Elizabeth, on Nov. 3, 2005.
Alycia (Sacco) Duquette ’98 J.D., ’99 M.B.A. is an officer of Berkshire Life Insurance Company in Pittsfield, Mass. She is also co-chairman of Berkshire Life’s United Way campaign, a member of the board of the Pittsfield Family YMCA, Pittsfield airport commissioner, and a volunteer for Berkshire Habitat for Humanity. She lives in Pittsfield with her husband, Chris, and twin daughters.
Sherri Estela-Harton ’98 (CLAS) and her husband, Andre, announce the birth of a daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Harton, on Aug. 20, 2005.
Curt Leng ’98 (CLAS) is the deputy director of community development for Bridgeport, Conn. He is also chairman of the finance and administration committee of the Hamden, Conn., legislative council.
Leo VanderSchuur ’98 (ENG) is the general manager of the GE Energy Reuter-Stokes product line.
Caroline (Ferreira) Harrington ’99 (CLAS) married Scott Harrington on Oct. 9, 2005, on Cape Cod, Mass. The couple lives in Halifax, Mass.
Kelsey (Hollister) McMullen ’99 (CANR), ’00 M.A. and Brendan McMullen ’99 (CANR) announce the birth of a son, Aiden Brendan, on Aug. 19, 2005. He joins his sister, Meghyn Kelsey. Brendan is a large-animal veterinarian in Granville, N.Y. The family lives in West Pawlet, Vt.
In
Memoriam
ALUMNI
C. Kirk Foster ’36
Peter Noznick ’38
J. George Mitnick ’40
Theodore Palmer, ’42, ’47
Albert Freedman ’43
Particia Darby ’47
Doris (Seigel) Matlaw ’47
John Keogh, Jr. ’48
Carlton Perrin ’48
Donald Grant ’49, ’62
Gloria Samborski Bockius ’49
Katharine Corey ’50
Edwin Stula ’50
Walt Trojanowski ’50
John J. Dugan, Jr. ’51
Hal Miller ’51
John Bitel ’52
Harold Miller ’52
Robert Zappe ’53
Paul Benjamin Howard ’56
Peter Eimas ’59
John Casey ’60
Theodore Williams ’60
Ronald Hughes ’61, ’65
Ida (Kamins) Jacoby ’61
Susan Treat Wilson ’61
Richard Crooke ’62
Saul Hornik ’62
Vincent Ippolito ’63
Robert Spargo ’63
Nelson Bain ’70
Aloysius Klesseck ’71
Hannah Amgott ’72
Jane Hochmuth ’77
Lester Horvath ’77
Nancy Castle ’79
Daniel Kissane ’79
Rosa Quezada ’80
Robert Pfeifer, Jr ’82
Donna Lee Moran ’84
Marlene Richardson ’84
Susan (Naples) Estabrooke ’88
Charlotte Madison ’91
Valerie Papillo ’91
Timothy Maple ’93
Michele Koestner Curtis ’03
William Mars ’03
STUDENTS
Spyridon Boikos
FACULTY
Joel Baxter
Nathan Knobler
Marie Naudin
Flavia Stutz
STAFF
Paula McManus
Patricia Zugebar
Shaun Batterton ’00 (ENG) and Jennifer (Moroz) Batterton ’00 (ED), ’01 M.A. announce the birth of a daughter, Kaelyn Nicole, born on June 13, 2005. She joins brother Matthew, 2. The family lives in Seymour, Conn.
Maria Capriola ’01 (CLAS), ’03 M.P.A. and Terry Gray ’03 (CLAS) are engaged. She is assistant chief administrative officer for the City of Newburyport, Mass., and he is a manager with Regal Entertainment Group. The couple lives in Newburyport.
John Miceli ’01 (CLAS) and Alison DeLeo ’03 (SFS) married in July 2004 and live in Darien, Conn. She is a kindergarten teacher at Landmark Academy in Westport, and he started an insurance agency in September 2004.
Jessica Alcantara ’02 (CLAS) earned the designation of Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute. She recently performed in the musical Dreams Do Travel, written, directed and produced by choreographer Darrin Henson, at the Alvin Ailey Theater in New York City.
Colleen Casey ’02 (CLAS) graduated from Suffolk University in Boston, Mass., with an M.S. in mental health counseling and is a clinician at the Trauma Center in Brookline, Mass. She also rode in the Pan-Mass Challenge this summer, a bike-athon for cancer research.
Kristen (Keenan) Chantrell ’02 (ENG) married Thomas Chantrell in July 2005. They are engineers at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. The couple lives in Waterford, Conn.
Lynne DiCorato ’02 (CLAS) was published in the June 2005 issue of American Journal of Diabetes for her article “FDA accepts marketing application for inhaled insulin.” She is enrolled in an M.S. biomedical writing program at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia and writing a thesis for an M.A. writing program at the University of Massachusetts.
Rocking with Crash Moderns
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Matt Jaworski ’03 (CLAS) and his band, The Crash Moderns, performed as the opening act for Bon Jovi at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey in December. The Crash Moderns have been touring nationally since April 2005 and are part of the “Have a Nice Gig” competition with 24 other bands sponsored by XM Satellite Radio. Jaworski plays keyboards and contributes background vocals.
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Alicia Dimond ’03 (SFS) graduated from Arizona State University with an M.A. in education. She is returning to UConn to work in the department of residential life.
Marlon Fuller ’03 (PHR) is a regional pharmacy recruiter as well as the founder of an online match-making Web site, www.DateWire.com, which has more than 6,000 members and receives more than 700,000 hits monthly.
Anthony Pavia ’03 (CLAS) is a guidance counselor at Brien McMahon High School in South Norwalk, Conn.
Kathryn (Rauss) Sherrick ’03 (ENG) married Mark Sherrick in April 2005. She is a mechanical engineer with Otis Elevator in Farmington, Conn. The couple lives in Bristol, Conn.
Kelly Casey ’04 (CLAS) is a mortgage loan processor at Integrated Loan Services in Rocky Hill, Conn.
Kymberly Moran ’04 (SAH) and Ross Sylvestre ’04 (CLAS) married on Oct. 1, 2005. She is a cytogenic technologist at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass. He is a financial planner at Ameriprise Financial in Hartford, Conn. The couple lives in Palmer, Mass.
Susan Crossett ’04 (CLAS) and Donald Rudnickas, Jr. ’05 (CLAS) married on Aug. 20, 2005.
Jesse Chen ’05 M.B.A., a technologist and youth marketer, has joined Anderson Analytics of Stamford, Conn., as a senior consultant and developer of online marketing applications and databases.
Lin Fan ’05 J.D. practices business law at the firm of Bernstein Shur in Portland, Maine.
Jennifer Sheldon ’05 J.D. is a first year associate at Burns & Levinson, LLP, in Boston, Mass.
Alumni News & Notes compiled by Brian Evans and
Tina Modzelewski