“Publication” Class Notes

Robert Graboyes (Col ’76) interviewed Eric Topol (Col ’75) on the podcast “Healthcare’s Reluctant Revolution.” The two discussed artificial intelligence, the doctor-patient relationship, medical ethics, mRNA vaccines, CRISPR, telehealth and other topics—including a personal experience at UVA Student Health in the 1970s. Graboyes is a senior research fellow and healthcare scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a former clinical professor at the UVA School of Nursing. Topol is founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute and a senior consultant at the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Scripps Clinic.

Geoffrey F. Weiss (Engr ’91 CM), a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, will publish first book, The New Art of War: The Origins, Theory, and Future of Conflict in September.

Marcia Thompson Friedman (Col ’89) recently published her second cookbook, The Essential Jewish Cookbook. The book includes a brief history of Jewish culinary traditions along with 100 recipes. Her first cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls: Recipes and Reflections from a Jewish and Italian Life, was published in 2013. In June 2021, she received the honor of membership in Les Dames d’Escoffier, a prestigious international culinary organization.

Craig W. Sampson (Col ’90, Law ’93) has coauthored Family Law: Theory, Practice, and Forms, 2021 ed. (Vol. 9, Virginia Practice Series). Sampson is a shareholder at Barnes & Diehl P.C. in Richmond and parent of Sabrina Sampson (Col ’21).

Anna Caritj (Col ’12) published her debut novel, Leda and the Swan, in May 2021. The book follows Leda, a sorority girl in her third year at a Southern university. Leda’s crush, Ian, is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow classmate, Charlotte Mask. As the campus rouses itself to respond to Charlotte’s disappearance, rumors swirl, suspicious facts pile up, and Leda’s obsession with Charlotte grows. She soon finds herself reassessing her commitment to Greek Life and all that it entails. Her allegiances and motivations begin to blur. The novel examines contemporary youth culture and the dynamics surrounding sex, consent, risk, regret and power.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman (Grad ’11) has published a new book. Hope Matters: Churchless Sermons in the Time of the Coronavirus is a collection of weekly editorials he wrote for the local newspaper over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part memoir, part social commentary, he draws on biblical interpretation and theological reflection to make connections with a reading audience beyond my faith community in a time in which we were all tested. One hundred percent of the profits support a food assistance ministry in his community that began during the pandemic: the church partners with a local farm and restaurant to provide nutritious meals to people living with special needs.

Deborah E. Sheetenhelm Hammond (Arch ’82 CM) published her 24th novel, These Foolish Things. The second in her Someone to Watch Over Me series, the book brings to life the story of Victoria Sloan and Matthew Madison. They met at the wedding of her best friend, Alexandra Wesson and sparks flew. The problem is, Victoria lives in New York City and owns a marketing firm. Matthew lives on a horse farm in rural Virginia and rescues people in peril for a living. Can these two seemingly diverse lives mesh and if they do, will the precarious nature of Matthew’s vocation endanger them both?

These Foolish Things is available on Amazon.com along with the prior 23 novels of the author and at local book signings and events in the tri-state area. For more information, contact the author at downtongirl13@gmail.com  on Facebook at dhammondbooks and Twitter @DeborahHammon18.

A Falling Waters, West Virginia, resident, Hammond was also recently appointed to a four-year term on the West Virginia Broadcasting Foundation Board of Directors. She also serves on the Eastern West Virginia Home Consortium and has worked as a fundraiser for United Way of the Eastern Panhandle for six years.

Peter Coy (Col ’71) published a book of plays, A House In The Country and Other Plays. The collection, by the award-winning playwright, includes A House in the Country, Will’s Bach, The Gift of the Magi, Poe & All That Jazz and A Shadow of Honor. Coy’s plays explore chaos and emotional depth as his characters confront disorder, wrestle with love and struggle with the effects of trauma and loss. He tackles these issues with a mixture of psychological realism, offbeat humor, musicality and theatrical inventiveness. Currently based in Nelson County, Virginia, Coy has directed more than 60 productions and written or adapted more than 45 plays. His plays have been produced in Washington, D.C., New York City, across Virginia, and beyond, including at the Charter Theatre, Barter Theatre, Capital Fringe Festival, D.C.; Theatre at Saint Clement’s, Keegan Theatre, Lime Kiln Theater and more.

Jay B. Marcus (Law ’66) published The Coherence Effect: Tapping into the Laws of Nature Governing Health, Happiness, and Higher Brain Functioning. The book, which he wrote with Chris Clark and Robert Keith Wallace, is about the daily health routines followed for centuries by yogis and sages and what these routines can do for health and clarity of mind today. He also published an article adapted from the book and produced a short podcast promoting the importance of brain wave coherence. This is his fifth book on this topic. 

Nebil Husayn (Col ’04) published his first book, Opposing the Imam. Husayn is an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Miami. His research broadly considers the development of Islamic theology, historiography and debates on the caliphate. Husayn earned his doctorate in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University and a master’s in Arabic and Islamic studies from Harvard University. He is the recipient of a Fulbright award and the University of Miami Fellowship in the Arts and Humanities. 

Phil Garn (Col ’82 CM) and his old master chief, Jim Gray, wrote Warboats: 55 Years of Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft History for their veteran’s nonprofit organization, the Combatant Craft Crewman Association. This is the first history of “The Silent Ones” and traces the history of what is now known as Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmen (SWCCs). They have been part of naval special warfare since their inception late in the Eisenhower administration and deployment early in the Kennedy administration. Initially the largest individual component of the former Naval Operational Support Group during the Vietnam War, SWCCs currently compose more than a quarter of the operators in naval special warfare, including the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Heavily illustrated with many never before published photos, documents, insignia and veterans recollections, it is available through the Combatant Craft Crewman Association Website.

Carolyn DeMain Pipitone (Engr ’94, ’96 CM) self-published her first book now available on Amazon. Based on her personal experience, Make Your Boomer Parents Do This Now!: A Generation X Guide to their Boomer Parent’s Estate Plans, provides a short and manageable list of the critical documents and accounts every Gen Xer needs their Boomer parents to make immediately. Convenient “Gotcha Tips” provide hints for how to avoid pitfalls you would never know about until you live through them.

Golara Haghtalab (Col ’17) published Immigrant, a book about change and adaptation and explores the personal and professional identities of a 30-year-old immigrant woman. She writes: “I wrote this book because I believe everyone can learn something about accepting what is, letting go of what is not working, and starting anew from immigrants.

I hope that, in reading this book, you will discover the resilience of a 30-year-old immigrant woman and her journey to self-realization in a new country. In this book, I hope to instill in you the same sort of passion and excitement I have for immigrants and the lessons of enduring change and achieving adaptation. Ultimately, I want you to see this book as a tool to help you unlock your superpowers when faced with a new situation that is unknown to you.

Because of the current state of the world, I decided to build a community around the immigrant journey topic. The New Degree Press gave me the best shot at it, so here I am building a community, and I would love for you to join us too!

Your support won’t be for the book alone. It will be for immigrants in the U.S. to be heard and seen. After all, aren’t we all immigrants in the U.S.?

Please join me in my journey by pre-ordering my book.“

J. William Lewis (Law ’68) will publish his debut novel, The Essence of Nathan Biddle, in June 2021. The book is a timeless coming-of-age tale that, as novelist David Armstrong observed, “is like discovering The Catcher in the Rye all over again.”