“Other” Class Notes

Kurt Gingrich (Col ’87 CM) and Marsha Taylor (Col ’87 L/M) were married June 22, 2014, in Chesterfield, Virginia. The couple lives in Blacksburg, Virginia; Ms. Taylor teaches French in nearby Salem and at Radford University, and Mr. Gingrich is an associate professor of history at Radford. Two of their children, Taylor Nicole Trumble (Col ’18) and Jared Gingrich (Col ’19 L/M), attend UVA.

Lisa Tucker (Arch ’86, Arch ’90 CM) has received three national honors from the American Society of Interior Designers: the Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award; the Joel Polsky Prize; and the Educator Medalist Award. As chair of the interior design program at Virginia Tech, Ms. Tucker has organized the curriculum around sustainable and socially responsible design as a foundation of practice, and a number of interior design programs across the country have adopted her methods. She has published three major textbooks for interior design students: Sustainable Building Systems and Construction for Designers; Designing Sustainable Residential and Commercial Interiors; and Cradle to Cradle Home Design: Process and Experience, co-written with Anna Marshall Baker. She has served as national president of the Interior Design Educators Council and has held leadership positions in a number of interior design organizations.

Lindsay Robertson (Grad ’97, Law ’86) has been named Chickasaw Nation Native American Law Chair at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He has taught at OU since 1997 and teaches classes in federal Indian law, comparative and international indigenous peoples law, constitutional law and legal history. Mr. Robertson also received the first David L. Boren Award for Outstanding Global Engagement in 2014.

Laura DeLuca (Col ’85 CM) and Leah Bassoff won the 2015 Colorado Book Award for young adult literature for their book, Lost Girl Found, published by the Groundwood Books imprint of House of Anansi Press.

Eliza Pennypacker (Arch ’82) has written Artful Rainwater Design: Creative Ways to Manage Stormwater with fellow landscape architect Stuart Echols. The book shows how to manage runoff, save money and mitigate flood damage while creating inviting and attractive landscapes.

Kevan McCarten-Gibbs (Col ’81 CM) has been appointed director of the department of emergency medicine at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California.

Peter Wernicki (Col ’80 CM) received the 2015 Paragon Award for Water Safety from the International Swimming Hall of Fame for his leadership in aquatic medicine, water safety and drowning prevention. Dr. Wernicki is chair of the aquatics subcouncil of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, where he leads a team in researching, analyzing and presenting evidence-based studies and data that are used to revise all American Red Cross health and safety programs. He serves on the executive board of the United States Lifesaving Association and has been the association’s medical adviser since 1987. Dr. Wernicki helped write the USLA textbook and helped develop and revise the national lifeguard certification program. He is also the medical committee chair of the International Lifesaving Federation. Dr. Wernicki has published many scientific journal articles and often appears on television and radio programs as a water safety expert.

Donald Horn (Arch ’79) has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in recognition of his green-building policy development and advocacy within the federal government. Mr. Horn is deputy director of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, where he promotes environmentally responsible decision-making for buildings, translating green-building strategies and ideals into regulations and guidance the federal government can use to meet building performance goals.

James Lewis (Col ’76 CM) has been appointed to the Accomack Circuit Court, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Virginia. Before he joined the bench, he was a personal injury attorney for 35 years. Judge Lewis also is an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. He is serving a one-year term as president of the l’Anson-Hoffman American Inns of Court.

Paul Tershel (Col ’76 CM) has been selected for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers; this is the seventh consecutive year he has been on the list. He is owner and principal of Tershel & Associates in Washington, Pennsylvania, where he focuses his personal injury practice on serious injury cases resulting from medical malpractice, automobile accidents, defective products and injuries to workers on the job.

Daniel Hoffheimer (Law ’76 CM) has been elected to the board of directors of Linton Music, a chamber music organization in Cincinnati under the artistic leadership of internationally acclaimed musicians Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson.

M. Cooke (Col ’76 CM) has been chosen the No. 1 attorney in South Carolina for the 2015 edition of South Carolina Super Lawyers; this is the second consecutive year that he has topped the list. Mr. Cooke is a member lawyer with Barnwell Whaley in Charleston, where he focuses on complex civil litigation, professional liability defense and personal injury litigation. He frequently lectures on alternative dispute resolution.

David Miller (Darden ’72) has been appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute. Mr. Miller is president and chief operating officer of Community Health Systems Inc., which has operations in 29 states and treats about 1 million inpatients each year. Mr. Miller, based at the company’s headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, is responsible for the company’s six operating divisions as well as all strategic growth initiatives. He and his wife, Helen, have two sons and four grandchildren.

Stephen Hartley (Engr ’74, Engr ’83, Grad ’72) has retired from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he was a member of the computer science faculty for 15 years and was chairman of that department for the last five years.

John McCraw (Educ ’71) has been appointed to the college board of Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia, by the Martinsville City Council. He is a retired teacher and administrator for schools in Martinsville and in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

W. Bissette (Darden ’70 CM) has received the 2015 Wake Forest Distinguished Alumni Award for his exemplary service and leadership to Wake Forest University; he is now a university trustee. Mr. Bissette is an attorney with McGuire Wood & Bissette in Asheville, North Carolina. He practices in the areas of economic development, land use and zoning, serving clients ranging from individuals to large businesses and institutions. He is also involved in the community, having served two terms as mayor of Asheville, from 1985 to 1989, and eight years as a trustee of Western Carolina University and vice chairman of the UNC System Board of Governors.

Phil Lilienthal (Law ’65) has received the 2013 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service from the Peace Corps. He is the founder and president of Global Camps Africa, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate at-risk children in South Africa about HIV/AIDS.