“Other” Class Notes

Robert Burton Scearce II (Engr ’13 CM) was recently promoted to Plant Manager of Monogram Foods in Martinsville, Virginia.

Pete Ward (Educ ’81 CM) is entering his 12th year as Chief Operating Officer of the Indianapolis Colts and his 42nd season with the franchise. Ward started as a PR intern with the Baltimore Colts in 1981 and was part of the historic relocation to Indianapolis in 1984. He resides in Indianapolis with wife Lena and two children.

Justin Humphreys (Col ’01) recorded audio commentaries for the upcoming BluRay releases of the films The Naked Jungle, Conquest of Space, and The Big Mouth (all released by Imprint Films), and also for the Dr. Phibes double-feature BluRay set (from Kino Lorber Studio Classics). He will be featured hosting two documentary featurettes on the BluRay of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Warner Archive). 

Ted Weinberg (Arch ’90) was elected to the Mercer Island, Washington City Council seat 4 on November 2, 2021 and sworn in on January 4, 2022. He previously served four years on the Mercer Island Planning Commission, most recently as vice-chair. Ted also works full-time as the Information Technology Portfolio Manager for the City of Seattle. Prior to his years of public service, Ted worked at Microsoft and Avanade as well as some early-stage companies. In his spare time, Ted loves plein air landscape painting, touring historic architecture, and volunteering for organizations that advance civil civic discourse and affordable housing.

Ted and his wife Florence live on Mercer Island and have two adult children. They also have two Siamese cats who have a penchant for getting between Ted and the video conference camera during live city council meetings. 

Jonathan Elliott (Engr ’11 CM) and Ellen Zagrobelny Elliott (Engr ’13 CM) started Living Pastures Farm in Marshall, Virginia. They raise 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken using regenerative farming practices to build soil health, sequester carbon in the soil, and produce nutrient-dense and delicious food. They also recently started a community farm co-op where neighboring farms collaborate and sell produce together. They are excited to welcome their second child in December.

Charity Robey (Col ’80) is a journalist writing about food, farms and environmental issues. She’d love to connect with classmates doing good work in related areas.

First-year Hancock Dorm mates, Dan Plecker (Col ’74 CM), John Kohler (Engr ’75), Mike Malley (Com ’74 CM) and Nat Karns (Col ’74 CM) spent a long weekend in September at Karns’ camp in Denmark, Maine. The friends have kept in touch for over 50 years and attend the five-year reunions together. They look forward to celebrating their 50 year reunion in 2024. 

Marie (Plaine) Weitzman (COL ’12 CM) and Andrew Weitzman (COL ’12 CM) welcomed their daughter, Madison Lee Weitzman, October 12th, 2021. Madison’s older brother, Ben, enjoyed his first trip to Grounds in May of this year and looks forward to attending UVA with his sister one day. 

Steve Wann (Col ’75) now lives with his wife on an island off the coast of Brazil. Wann majored in Latin American Studies at UVA and received an M.A. from the University of Hawaii and an M.B.A. from William & Mary.  He held an advanced Coast Guard Captain’s license for many years and delivered sailboats all over the world.  He was the navigator of Godspeed (a replica of the sailing ship that brought the first colonists to Jamestown in 1607) on her voyage from England in 1985.  

Amie Herman (Col ’90 CM) married UVA classmate (and college sweetheart) Tom Tarnowski (Engr ’90) in 2020, after a hiatus of almost 30 years. They have spent the past nine months self-building an adventure-ready camper van. Beginning in September 2021, they will be living of the road for the next year with plans to hike, bike, kayak and explore the U.S. You can follow their journey at https://Amie.Substack.com

Marc Friedman (Com ’95 CM) and Gina Schaefer are selling their company, A Few Cool Hardware Stores, to their employees. Ownership will transfer to 250-plus employees over the next several years through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The company, a group of 13 Ace Hardware stores in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas, was founded in 2003.

Tien-Wei Huang (Col ’99), Justin Anderson (Col ’16) and Ty Jerome (Col ’20) founded Locker Room Access, a website designed to give fans an inside look at players, coaches, family and friends of the Virginia program. The site features podcasts, merchandise, blogs and forums. UVA is the pilot program, with plans to expand to other schools in 2022.

Robert “Cham” Light Jr. (Col ’76 CM) continues to serve his community in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is serving his third term on the board of trustees of the Library of Virginia, and he serves as president of the board of trustees of the Jones Memorial Library. He is beginning his 17th year as an adjunct professor at Liberty University School of Law teaching courses in land use, insurance law and real estate transactions and development. Mr. Light is chair of the bicentennial committee at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is serving his third term on the Lynchburg Planning Commission.

Robert C. Hauhart (Grad ’82), professor in the Department of Society and Social Justice at Saint Martin’s University, has published two books in 2021: the Routledge Handbook on the American Dream, co-edited with Mitja Sardoc, and Connections and Influence Between the Russian and American Short Story, co-edited with Jeff Birkenstein. Hauhart received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia in 2019, where he maintains a relationship with the Postgraduate School and Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana as a visiting research fellow.

Marsha McElrath Taylor (Nurs ’77) and her husband, Brad, are pleased to say that their grandson Logan Taylor (Col ’24) will be flying in early to spend time with friends and family before joining his second year classmates on the Grounds for in-person classes.