“Other” Class Notes

Jim Phillips (Col ’82) and his wife Alison (Col ’82) reside in Cleveland. In 2016 Jim completed 2 years as Interim Director for the Anesthesia Institute Center for Critical Care, a year as Senior Warden for St Christophers Episcopal Church, completed his 8th board certification, 8th Ironman Triathlon, and deployed overseas as an anesthesiologist with Doctors Without Borders.

Brian K. Matney (Col ’87 L/M) was one of eight individuals recently re-appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe to a second two-year term on his Standards of Learning (SOL) Reform and Innovation Committee. This body of some thirty citizens was created by action of the General Assembly in 2014. The committee’s recommendations have led to legislation reducing the number of state-mandated tests and encouraging performance-based assessments. Its work is also prompting high school redesign and a re-evaluation of state graduation requirements. Matney, a long-time educator in Virginia Beach, is married to the former Kathryn Campbell, an advanced placement chemistry teacher. They are the parents of two sons, Will, a college freshman, and J.T., a high school sophomore.

Ashley Dyke (Col ’03) is appearing in the movie The Hollars, which opened on September 2, 2016. A graduate of UVA’s drama program, she also portrayed Anna in the 2013 film 12 Years a Slave.

Andrew Leahey (Col ’05) began his music career as an undergraduate journalism student at the University. During his first year, Mr. Leahey and his friends formed a band, Hobson’s Choice, in their living room in Dunglison. “Our goal,” Leahey recalls, “was to learn three hours of cover songs, so we could play frat parties. I spent the next three years playing around Charlottesville, from Corner bars to sorority functions to the time we played on the UVA Lawn and got paid in tubs of ice cream.” While at the University, Mr. Leahey was deeply involved with First Year Players and University Singers, and he was on the staff of the Declaration literary publication. A year before signing his record deal with Thirty Tigers, he became ill and underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a tumor from his hearing nerve. This extremely rare diagnosis nearly ruined his career, but he used his music and his upcoming tour as motivation to get better and move forward. After almost a year’s recovery, Mr. Leahey dedicated his newest album, Skyline in Central Time (released August 5, 2016), to the operation and healing process. Songs like “When the Hinges Give” show the sense of urgency Mr. Leahey felt after his diagnosis, when he feared he would never get the chance to create his first big album. His recent tours with his band, called Andrew Leahey & the Homestead, have included shows with Emmylou Harris, the Wild Feathers, Blackberry Smoke, Alan Jackson, and the Wood Brothers, and while Mr. Leahey’s publicist calls this a “tragedy to triumph” story, he prefers to call it a “thank God I can still hear this guitar I’m playing” story.

Annie Wimbish (Educ ’84, Educ ’91) spoke at Averett University’s spring 2016 commencement ceremony. She is a senior associate with the Schlechty Center, a nonprofit dedicated to building student engagement as a means of improving education. Ms. Wimbish has been a professional educator for more than 30 years. She has worked as a teacher and a principal, and she was the first female superintendent of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, school district.

Mary Watson (Grad ’83 CM) is giving a series of lectures about the Sandhills region of North Carolina at the St. Joseph of the Pines retirement community in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The series began in July 2016 with a lecture about women’s attitudes toward secession and the Civil War. The other presentations are about John Charles McNeill, the first poet laureate of North Carolina; traditions and rituals in Scotland County and their relation to those in the country of Scotland; and journalist and historian Gerald White Johnson. Ms. Watson is professor emeritus at Nash Community College and a Road Scholar with the North Carolina Humanities Council.

Helen White (Col ’69 CM) attended the American News Women’s Club gala honoring Greta Van Susteren. Ms. White is president of the ANWC.

Frederick Kunkle (Col ’69 CM), Carey L. Meushaw (Col ’69 L/M), Charles H. Hodges (Engr ’70 L/M) and J. David Faulders (Col ’74 L/M) completed the 753-mile 2016 Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race at one minute past midnight on June 15 in Mr. Kunkle’s boat, RFS Patriot. Despite heavy winds and high seas, Patriot came in fifth in its class and won the Navigator Trophy for the crew’s use of piloting and navigation techniques. Mr. Kunkle, Mr. Meushaw and Mr. Faulders were members of Naval ROTC at the University and served in the U.S. Navy.

Corbin Blackford (Law ’14 CM) and Kristin Hendee Blackford (Com ’06, Darden ’14 L/M) welcomed a son, Henry Kellum, on April 3, 2016.

Chang Lee (Col ’12, Med ’17 CM) has received a University Scholar Award scholarship from the University of Virginia Center for Global Health. The awards fund public health research projects around the world. Mr. Lee will study possible connections between traditional eye medicines and the development of corneal ulcers among patients in Uganda.

Kelsey Kerle-O’Brien (Col ’11 CM) and Michal Pramik (Col ’11 L/M) were married April 16, 2016, at the Comus Inn in Dickerson, Maryland. The couple lives in Boston, where Ms. Pramik works for the Charles River Conservancy and Mr. Pramik works for the Dartmouth College investment office.

Lara Russo (Com ’10) and Patrick Lee Young (Com ’11) were married at the UVA Chapel on April 9, 2016. The couple lives in San Francisco.

Maria McLemore (Col ’09 CM) and Travis Behan were married on Dec. 31, 2015, in Norfolk, Virginia. Ms. Behan is the daughter of John McLemore (Law ’79 L/M) and sister of Bollie McLemore (Col ’11 L/M) and Jamie McLemore (Col ’14, Educ ’14 L/M). The couple lives in Durham, North Carolina, where Ms. Behan is a marketing manager with GlaxoSmithKline and Mr. Behan is a senior consultant with Deloitte.

Kevin LaPorta (Engr ’09) and Jennifer Murphy LaPorta (Col ’10 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Lillian Ann, on April 6, 2016. The family resides in Philadelphia, where Mr. LaPorta is a manager at KPMG and Dr. LaPorta is a family medicine resident at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Matthew Carroll (Engr ’08) received the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association’s Emerging Leadership Award for his contributions to the association’s Lexington-Concord, Massachusetts, chapter. As director of the chapter’s events and scholarships, he modified the chapter’s procedures for function sponsorship, coordination and execution. Mr. Carroll also received the association’s Distinguished Young AFCEAN Award in 2013.

Marc Heisel (Engr ’07) and Ariel Brianne King (Engr ’13 L/M) were married on March 12, 2016, at the UVA Chapel. The couple lives in Frederick, Maryland, where Mr. Heisel is a manufacturing engineer for Phoenix Mecano. Ms. King is a systems engineer for L-3 Communications in Leesburg, Virginia.

Laura Silverman (Col ’05) is the founder of the Sobriety Collective, an online community dedicated to addiction recovery and mental health awareness. The website features content tailored to creatives.

Andrew Cookingham (Col ’05 CM) has been named a 2016 “Rising Star” by Texas Super Lawyers. Mr. Cookingham works in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight, where he focuses his practice on business litigation and dispute resolution.

Justin Marlles (Col ’04, Law ’07) has been named a partner in the law firm of Baker & McKenzie. He works in the firm’s Houston office, where he focuses his practice on complex international arbitration and litigation. Mr. Marlles represents businesses across a wide range of industries, including aviation, finance and energy.