“Other” Class Notes

Tim Reardon (Col ’86) was recently named vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Defense & Intelligence Solutions, which delivers advanced systems, solutions and services to the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Defense and international customers worldwide. Since joining Lockheed Martin in 1998, Mr. Reardon has served in a variety of technical, program management and executive leadership positions, most recently as vice president of Lockheed Martin’s national security portfolio. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, he served 10 years as a staff officer for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Greg Johnson (Com ’86) has been appointed assistant general auditor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He joined the bank in 1993 as an operations system programmer, then transferred to the audit department in 1995, where he held a variety of positions before being named assistant vice president of the bank in 2004 and vice president in 2010.

Courtney Harris (Engr ’86, Grad ’94, Grad ’99 CM) was promoted to the rank of professor in the School of Marine Sciences of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences and the College of William and Mary. She has taught and conducted research in the department of physical sciences at VIMS since 2001.

Peter Beer (Law ’86) is one of six federal judges who successfully challenged Congress’s denial of cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) raises to the judiciary. In Beer vs. United States, the judges claimed that Congress violated the Constitution’s compensation clause and the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 by failing to honor promised judicial salary increases in five separate years. In 2012, the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of the judges, finding that Congress’s withholding of the COLA raises was illegal, and ordered the Court of Federal Claims to calculate the damages and additional compensation to which all federal judges, bankruptcy judges and U.S. magistrates are entitled. Nominated by President Carter in 1979, Judge Beer is an Article III federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Michael Bentley (Educ ’85) published Connecting Children to Nature: Ideas and Activities for Parents and Educators, co-edited with Michael Mueller and Bruce Martin (Educ ’00). The book offers a compendium of fresh ideas and resources for parents and teachers to use with infants, children and teens. Mr. Bentley is an education associate at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and directs the Elementary Science Institute for Teachers at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va. Among his two dozen published books are An Educator’s Field Guide and Teaching Constructivist Science.

Deborah Hammond (Arch ’82 CM) recently published her first novel, In the Eye of the Storm. The book chronicles the adventures of a heroine in the post-Civil War era as she travels from her home in Wilmington, N.C., to London for the resolution of her father’s estate. Her mission to obtain her inheritance leads to threats on her life and the lives of others she comes to hold dear. Ms. Hammond worked for 31 years in local government prior to her retirement in March 2014. She currently resides in Falling Waters, W.Va., with her husband, Bill.

Christopher Kniesler (Col ’78 CM) was recently appointed communications specialist for the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, which issues tax-exempt and low-interest bonds for hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, visiting nurse associations and blood banks. The bonds are used for hospital acquisitions, building expansions and equipment purchases.

Donald Wright (Law ’76 CM) was elected by his peers for inclusion in the 2015 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of “Best Lawyers.” An attorney with Rogers Towers in Jacksonville, Fla., Mr. Wright was recognized for his expertise in trusts and estates.

Eston Melton (Col ’76 CM) has been elected secretary of the first national board of directors of Scouts for Equality, the nonprofit organization that spearheaded the successful effort to allow openly gay youth to be members of the Boy Scouts of America. The organization is currently leading the campaign to end the Boy Scouts of America’s ban against adult volunteers who are openly not heterosexual. Mr. Melton, former chief political writer for the Miami Herald, is chairman of Global Projects Inc., a Miami-based political consulting and lobbying firm.

John Eversole (Engr ’74 CM) formed Eversole & Associates, a firm specializing in all aspects of aviation law and products liability, maritime and professional negligence litigation. He was recently reappointed to the Aviation Law Committee of the Florida Bar and is board certified in both civil trial law and aviation law.

Oscar Carr (Col ’73) was recently appointed a judge in Tennessee’s Shelby County Chancery Court by Gov. Bill Haslam. Mr. Carr has been an attorney with Glankler Brown since 1976, with a practice in litigation and an emphasis on business, construction, environmental and other civil matters.

Gerald Barnes (Col ’73 CM) wrote Unde Venisti, a historical novel that connects 21st-century America to first century Rome through the book’s central characters and political themes.

Eugene Facey (Engr ’70 CM) received the 2014 Exemplary Service Award from the International Association of Drilling Contractors in recognition of his work on the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee, and for his contributions to the drilling industry and the IADC. Mr. Facey has served on the NOSAC since 2003, serving as chair from 2008 until 2014. He retired from Ensco plc, a global provider of offshore drilling services to the petroleum industry, in 2003. Since retiring, Mr. Facey has spent his time volunteering in local and federal government positions, for charities, and as an elementary school mentor. When he’s not traveling, he and his wife, Dianna, reside at their ranch in central Texas.

Richard DeScherer (Col ’66 CM) and his wife, Jennie, received the 2014 Distinguished Community Service Award from the United Hospital Fund, which recognizes volunteer leadership that improves health care in New York City. They were honored for their outstanding leadership of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the Lupus Research Institute. The DeScherers are founding members of the Lupus Research Institute, and Mr. DeScherer serves as president of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation’s board.

Lyle Smith (Educ ’67) received an honorary associate degree of humane letters from Germanna Community College at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 14, 2014, in recognition of his significant contributions to the progress and development of the college. He served for a decade as a member of the school’s local college board. Mr. Smith is a retired teacher and elementary school principal.

Kraig Cummings (Com ’65) retired in 2005 as president and chief executive officer of CCI Financial Consultants, where he had worked for 20 years. Since retiring, he and his wife have been traveling internationally, volunteering and spending time with their grandchildren.

Alan Perzley (Col ’77 CM) was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Best Lawyers of America in the practice area of real estate. He is a partner in the firm of Garfunkel Wild in Hackensack, New Jersey, where he represents hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health care providers in real estate acquisitions, sales, commercial leasing and financial transactions.