“Other” Class Notes

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.

Luke Fox (Engr ’15) and Paige McGraw, a graduate of Texas Christian University 2015, are engaged to be married on Nov. 6, 2021, in Austin, Texas. They met while attending UVA’s Semester at Sea, Summer 2014. Both have earned master’s degrees; Luke from Old Dominion University and Paige from University of Texas. Luke is the managing engineer and director of operations at Hampton Roads Executive Airport and Paige is employed as an international business development manager with the Virginia Beach Economic Development Department. The couple lives in Virginia Beach. 

David A. Thompson (Engr ’51 CM) writes: “Just checking in on the 70th anniversary of my UVA graduation. I received a BME in mechanical engineering in June 1951. I was in the Naval ROTC Squadron that graduated that yaear and was launched into the active Navy upon graduation and sent to sea to fight the Korean War. I found my UVA engineering training very valuable in my service as a Naval Officer, both in gunnery operations and in command and control duties. Upon return from wartime operations, I put my GI Bill credits toward advanced graduate work, earning a PhD from Stanford University, and was awarded and emeritus professorship in the management sciences and engineering department. As i went through my active military involvement in the Korean War, graduate work and a 27-year professorship at Stanford, I would find problems similar to and extensions of my UVA training, and appreciated the timely assistance of that earlier training. So, thank you again, Virginia, for a great start in a very complex world.”

Dawn Newton (Educ ’87) recently published two books. Winded: A Memoir in Four Stages (2019) chronicles her journey with stage IV lung cancer while taking targeted therapy for the vulnerable EGFR mutation. The Remnants of Summer (May 2021), a literary novel, explores the guilt and grief of 14-year-old Iris Merchant, who must deal with the aftermath of her younger brother’s drowning death in southeastern Michigan in the 70s. Both books were published by Apprentice House Press of Loyola University Maryland. 

Mark Apelt (Col ’00), a stay-at-home dad in Richmond, Virginia, recently invented a new gadget during COVID to help bring back a little normalcy for everyone. The Blowzee preserves the tradition of blowing out birthday candles without involving germs. It was recently aired on several news outlets: https://wjla.com/news/local/blowzee-henrico-dad-blow-out-candles-not-germs. Apelt writes: “The Blowzee keeps your cake clean while bringing back birthday joy and wishes. Kids love it. Parents love it. Guests appreciate it. How does it work?  Blowing into the open end of the Blowzee activates a battery-powered fan. The device blows clean air to extinguish the candles while redirecting your breath away from the cake. Spread joy, not germs!”

John Weckerling (Col ’54 CM) lives in Frankfurt, Germany, after serving 30 years in the U.S. Army, during which he received the Legion of Merit, and graduated from the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. He also received the Federal Cross of Service of Germany from the president of Germany. He spent eight years as manager of the Steuben-Schurz Society for eight years, which includes 850 members from several cities in Germany.

Frank B. Connolly (Arch ’72 CM) has published two books on local government after a career in Connecticut local government as a town planner, town manager and school business manager. Local Government in Connecticut, 3rd Edition, has been used as textbook in the state, and Hidden Agendas: Inside Town Hall, is novel about the shenanigans that take place in local government. He was recently featured in Bow and Stern, a publication of his flotilla in the U.S.Coast Guard Auxiliary for his work as a certified instructor teaching boating safety. He attended UVA’s Senior Executive Institute. 

Wes Jackson (Col ’95) was elected to the board of trustees of the Brooklyn Public Library, which recently merged with the Brooklyn Historical Society. Jackson previously served on the board of the historical society and was featured on ABC’s Soul Of A Nation. He discussed the depiction of African Americans in film and media over the years as well as the importance and rise of sneaker culture in the Black community. 

Suzanne Miller (Engr ’60) published her third book: Walking in Love: Why and How? She retired a few years ago after a career in aerospace and intelligence as a scientist, program manager and executive at Lockheed Martin, TRW and the U.S. Department of Defense. She also served for 10 years as president of her own consulting firm. A lifetime Episcopalian, she attended seminary at the Claremont School of Theology and served for five years as the licensed lay vicar of a Baltimore Parish. She also is a retired Navy Commander. Her career focus now is on her singing and writing career. As a singer she is a member of several choral groups, performing both locally and internationally, and recently released two albums of her solo songs. The title of one of them, It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over,  sums it all up. Her website is suzannermiller.com. 

Bud Mayo (Educ ’75 CM) is in the process of completing some family research and needs help. He writes: “My family spent numerous summers at the Breezy Hill Farm Tourist Cabins of Rt. 29 during the 1950s. I am attempting fine the exact location and any information on this site.” Anyone with information can reach him at mayo5304@cox.net.

Robert F. Graboyes (Col ’76) is senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He recently launched a podcast series, Fortress and Frontier: Conversations on Healthcare and Innovation. For his first episode, “Different, but Not Less: Temple Grandin and the Economics of Neurodiversity,” he interviewed animal scientist and autism advocate Temple Grandin. During the pandemic, he also launched a YouTube channel featuring his musical performances and compositions—often in collaboration with the visual art of his wife, Alanna. Graboyes was previously a clinical professor in UVA’s School of Nursing, teaching health economics from 2005 to 2014.

Latané Conant (Col ’99) has published a book, No Forms. No Spam. No Cold Calls: The Next Generation of Account-Based Sales and Marketing.

Claude R. “Bud” Mayo (Educ ’75 CM) is currently serving as director of Hunt Test Preparation. Hunt is the oldest independently operated preparation program in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

David Massey (Col ’81, Law ’84 CM) released his fifth album, Island Creek. As of the first week of March, the six-song EP was at no.18 on the Roots Music Report’s nationwide Top Fifty Americana/Country Albums chart, and three of the songs on the album were on the RMR’s nationwide Top Fifty Americana/Country Songs chart. The record was also at No. 1 on the RMR’s Top Fifty Albums chart based on nationwide airplay for Maryland artists in any genre. Island Creek is available on most streaming sites and at his website: www.davemasseymusic.com. Massey retired from his law practice as a mergers and acquisitions partner at Eversheds-Sutherland in Washington, D.C., at the end of 2017.

Jessica Dunne (Engr ’00, ’03) was re-elected this past fall to a second term as a councilmember for Dunellen Borough in New Jersey.  She serves as council president for 2021.

Paul Hodskins (Col ’12 CM) earned a master’s degree with highest distinction in 2018 from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. That September, he married Katherine Jane Waro near Villanova University. Katie graduated from the Ithaca College Roy H. Park School of Communications and is a director of marketing at a global travel conglomerate. Paul and Kate now live in Leesburg, Virginia, where they recently purchased a home and hope to plant family roots. In 2021, Paul will mark ten years as a federal civil servant in foreign relations and national security.

Attison Barnes (Col ’15 CM) co-founded Captain Experiences, based out of Austin, Texas. The company aims to improve and streamline the booking process for outdoor sports guides, from fishing to rock climbing and more, to get “more people out of the office and off the couch and into the outdoors.” 

Thad Long (Law ’63 CM) published a book, The Impossible Mock Orange Trial, based on a case he tried as an attorney. Long is an elected member of the prestigious American Law Institute and has been an Adjunct professor of Law at two different law schools. He has tried many memorable cases, and the one that inspired The Impossible Mock Orange Trial was rated by the National Law Journal as one of only several most outstanding defense verdicts of the year. He has recently been awarded Marquis Who’s Who in America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Impossible Mock Orange Trial is a gripping anatomy of a huge high-stakes trial, with an unexpected turn at the end that spotlights the question: “What is Justice?” The book is available on Amazon.

Frederick Wilbur (Col ’70) recently published his second poetry collection, Conjugation of Perhaps. The previous collection is titled As Pus Floats the Splinter Out. For 35 years Wilbur was a self-employed architectural woodcarver participating in the restoration of such historic properties as Montpelier, Blandfield, and the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis. He carved several details for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. His ecclesiastical carvings appear in churches nationwide. During his career Wilbur wrote many articles and three books on decorative woodcarving; Carving Architectural Detail in Wood: the Classical Tradition; Carving Classical Styles in Wood, and Decorative Woodcarving: Accessories for the Home. Wilbur received a M. A. from the University of Vermont. He still lives in central Virginia with his wife of fifty years, Elizabeth (Educ ’87), with two daughters and three grandchildren nearby.

Bill Lawson (Darden ’72) writes: My wife Cathy and I started 2020 with a three week stay at a Viila (Fregate) in St. Barthelemy. Marc Christman (Darden ’72) and his wife Dierdre joined us there for a week. David Vondle (Darden ’72) and his wife, Debbie, invited us to join them for the “Full Monte” at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We stayed at the Royal Bourbon Radisson with a second floor balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. I threw beads from a float in one of the major parades; we attended an unforgettable gala, brunches, the Gay Parade, brunches and late nite gatherings. If you haven’t done Mardi Gras–put it on your bucket list.

We then canceled our week long train trip on the Belmond Royal Scotsman and a London stay. Also Longboat Key in Florida and recently our annual sojourn to St. Barthelemy this month.

Our summer home on Lake Charlevoix in northern Michigan has been a wonderful place of refuge from the pandemic these last couple of weeks. We are returning to Indianapolis where we are remodeling our home there, replacing our 60 plus year old swimming pool, and constructing a pool pavilion. We are staying three houses down the street at a relative’s house until March when our projects will hopefully be completed.

Please all Wahoos stay HEALTHY and Happy 2021!

Christopher Hill (Col ’11, Med ’15) and Lucy Meadema Hill (Educ ’11) welcomed Molly Meadema Hill on Oct. 2, 2020. Molly weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and measured 20″ long, and joins siblings Esley, 6, Mac, 4, and Abby Ruth, 22 months. The Hill family lives in Suffolk, Virginia, while Christopher completes an otolaryngology residency at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. 

Jimmie Crowder (Col ’58 CM) owns a funeral home in his hometown of South Hill, Virginia.

Noah Kaufman (Com ’99 CM) and his wife, Rachelle Lasken Kaufman (Col ’02) a boy, Saul Robert. Saul joins big brother Benjamin. The Kaufmans live in Arlington, Virginia. Noah works as a systems accountant (project manager) at the Department of State, is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, and coaches wrestling. He recently re-published a book Life Lessons from the Wrestling Mat: Successful Strategies Gleaned from Three Decades of Coaching and Competing, which includes lessons he learned from his time on the UVA wrestling team. He has published three other books. Rachelle is an author, and has written several books as part of the Kaufman Green Guide series.  

Brooke Westerlund Stanton (Col ’95) co-authored When You Became You, a recently published children’s science education book.

William W. Purkey (Educ ’57 CM), professor emeritus of counselor education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, co-published Developing Inviting Schools: A Beneficial Framework for Teachers and Leaders. Purkey developed an innovative approach to education called Invitational Education. He now lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his extended family.

Bissell Roberts (Law ’71 CM) of Prospect, Kentucky, was appointed to a four-year term on the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance by Gov. Andy Beshear (Law ’03). Roberts also serves as chair of the board of the Henry Clay High School Hall of Fame.

Matthew C. Meade published his first book, Wisdom on the Way to Wall Street: 22 Steps to Navigate Your Road to Success, after nearly 15 years of working on Wall Street.  

Dorothy Blum (Educ ’77) received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her distinguished leadership, work and service to the profession of employee assistance and to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association. Blum received the award at the association’s World Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Blum is currently the employee assistance program manager for the architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. From 1987 to 2010, she worked as contracted EAP director for the Nationwide Employee Assistance Program for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, formerly U.S. Customs Service.

Robert M. Tata (Law ’89 CM), managing partner for Hunton Andrews Kurth Norfolk, was recognized by Virginia Business Magazine on its inaugural 2020 “Power List” as one of the Commonwealth’s top 500 business leaders, and as Best Lawyers 2020 “Lawyer of the Year (Norfolk) for Intellectual Property” and 2021 “Lawyer of the Year (Norfolk) for Trade Secrets Law.”

Virgil Atwell Motley Jr. (Med ’55 CM) married Jeanne Austin Preston on Aug. 8, 2020 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Virginia.

Lee Fanning (Med ’70) recently published Rescues from the Sky under the pseudonym Lee F. Walters. The book tells the harrowing real-life stories from his time with the U.S. Coast Guardas a newly trained flight surgeon.

Kenneth Monroe Jr. (Col ’60 CM) writes “Just living the good life while splitting my time between Virginia and Florida. Have two sons and two grandchildren living in Midlothian. Occasionally get to a UVA football game.”

Jon Perry (Engr ’92) suffered a spinal cord injury on June 21, 2020. A GoFundMe has been set up on his behalf. 

Lynne McNamee (Col ’92 L/M) was invited to moderate the first breakout session for the Rotary International 2020 Virtual Convention. “Using Virtual Tools to Engage Members” was attended by over 3,500 from around the globe, with the session simultaneously translated into 7 additional languages. 

Elizabeth Herbert Evans’ (Col ’01) family recently opened a cabin rental business in Nelson County, Virginia. Beech Grove Cabins is 40 minutes away from Grounds in the heart of all the great breweries, wineries and distilleries.

John Valliere (Engr ’76 L/M) retired in May after 11 years as the senior disaster planner at the U.S. Small Business Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. In this role, he served as the deputy director of the Office of Continuous Operations and Risk Management and principle author of the agency’s Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan and its Continuity of Operations Plan. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1997, and in the private sector. He lives with his wife, Shirley Hottot, in Montclair, Virginia.