Class Notes

Christina Polenta (Com ’09 CM) and Eric Magenheimer (Com ’09 CM) welcomed their second child, Luke Thomas Magenheimer, in June 2023. The family lives in Oakton, Virginia. 

Nayna Agrawal (Col ’98) has had plays staged this year at the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C., the Great Plains Theater Conference in Omaha, Nebraska and the Studio Tenn Theatre Company in Nashville, Tennessee . She also received Kuma Kahua Theatre’s annual playwright award. The Theatre is based in Hawaii and, in addition to a monetary award, offers the winning playwright the opportunity to have their work staged.

Patricia (Anyaso) Sasser (Col ’99 CM) was selected to be a Fulbright Specialist for a tenure of three years (2023-2026) by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning. During her tenure, she is eligible to be matched with approved two-to six-week projects designed by host institutions in over 150 countries globally promoting international exchange and understanding.

Dr. Andrew G. Lee (Col ’85, Med ’89 CM)  was recently awarded the 2023 Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The annual award from the AAO recognizes special contributions to the Academy and to the field of Ophthalmology as determined by the AAO Senior secretaries. Dr. Lee has previously received the honor award, the senior honor award, and the life achievement award from the AAO.

Natasha Saje (Col ’76) has published her fourth book of poems, The Future Will Call You Something Else (Tupelo, 2023). She has also published a postmodern poetry handbook, Windows and Doors: A Poet Reads Literary Theory (Michigan, 2014) and a memoir, Terroir: Love, Out of Place (Trinity UP, 2020). She teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing Program and lives in Washington, DC.

Julia Tazelaar (Col ’16 CM) and her husband Joe Wells welcomed their first son, Winton “Win” Mac Tazelaar-Wells on July 28, 2023. He is the first grandson of Eric Tazelaar (Arch ’82 CM). Julia is a teacher at the Dwight-Englewood School and Joe is a Manager of Data Analytics for Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. The family lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. 

Alan Korman (Arch ’77) retired in March after a 43-year career in the casino gaming industry in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Korman began his career as a multi-game dealer and gaming supervisor during the industry’s infancy in Atlantic City . Over the next 30-plus years he worked as a casino marketing executive for Resorts, Sands, and Trump Marina before finishing his career as senior executive director of player development for the Golden Nugget. 

Korman has been married for 39 years and has three adult children.

Paulette Jones Morant (Col ’74 CM) was featured as artist of the month in July 2023 at The Nelson Gallery in Lexington Virginia.  Her exhibit From Where I Stand, a compilation of seascapes, public structures, florals and collections, was Paulette’s first solo photography exhibition.  The opening reception was highlighted by the attendance of family, friends and a number of UVA alumni of various decades.

Judith Baroody (Grad ’85 CM) published her third work of fiction, Return of the Silent Sovereign, a sci-fi fantasy mix of Star Trek and Wonder Woman with a twist of Romeo and Juliet. Baroody retired from the foreign service at the rank of minister-counselor and continues to work part-time for the Department of State.  

Jeannine Johnson Maia (Col ’86) published The Filigree Master’s Apprentice, her second historical novel about Portugal. It’s the story of a young man who, in 1877, escapes the harsh Douro Valley vineyards for a new — and precarious — life in the big city. (https://mybook.to/FiligreeMaster)

It was published earlier this year by Portuguese publisher Marcador under the title O Rapaz do Douro.

Rossio Square N.° 59, which takes place in Lisbon during WWII, is her first novel.

Stephen Rider (Com ’80 CM) has been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America. Rider works for McGlinchey Stafford and was recognized for his work out of the New Orleans office. 

Kevin Clouther (Col ’01) will publish a collection of stories, entitled Maximum Speed, in November 2023. In the stories, character Billy’s improbable reappearance connects Nick, Andrea and Jim, and forces them to revisit the shared secret of their past. The book moves across time and plays with multiple points of view to dramatize youth’s aftershocks. 

Clouther is also the author of We Were Flying to Chicago: Stories (2014). 

Thomas H. Cook Jr. (Com ’81 CM) has been named the Best Lawyers® 2024 Tax Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is also listed as a leading tax lawyer by Chambers USA, a prominent ranking agency for law firms and lawyers. Cook works with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP in Raleigh.

Lt. Col. Michael Trimble (Col ’04 CM) has earned a Ph.D. in military strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, the U.S. Air Force’s graduate-level strategy school. His dissertation focused on security cooperation and air advisers in the war on terror.

Rev. Mark S. Delcuze (Col ’80 CM) is retiring after 10 years as rector of Christ Church Parish, Kent Island, Maryland. In 38 years of ordained life he has served Episcopal Church parishes in six dioceses. A lifelong ecumenist, he was appointed ecumenical and interfaith officer in two dioceses and held leadership positions in the Virginia Council of Churches and other interfaith councils. He is a five-time deputy to the General Convention and has been active in promoting the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life and leadership of the church. He and his wife Mary Jerome Delcuze (COM ’82 CM) will live in Annapolis, Maryland.

Rob Elliott (Com ’90 CM) and Tom Kloiber (Com ’90 CM) took on the Triple Bypass, a 118-mile bike ride across Colorado, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1993 cross-country bicycle trip. They proudly wore their Virginia crossed-sabres bike jerseys, drawing plenty of attention and remarks from fellow riders. The jerseys also allowed them to meet several other Wahoos from all over the country who were participating in the ride.

Amy Rosenberg Allshouse (Col ’95 CM) graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in May, 2023 with a J.D., CIPP/US certification and a High Tech Law Certificate with Honors.

Anne E. McCall (Col ’81 CM) was named president of The College of Wooster, effective July 1, 2023. Her inauguration is scheduled for October 28, 2023.

An inspirational and values-driven administrator with a track record for building innovation through inclusive excellence, a dedicated teacher and mentor, and internationally recognized scholar of nineteenth-century French fiction and life writing, President McCall is the second woman to lead Wooster since its founding in 1866. She also is a tenured professor in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.

McCall previously was provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana—ranked fifth among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. according to U.S. News & World Report and first among all institutions for the number of African American graduates completing medical school and multiple Ph.D. programs. 

William C. Gentry (Col ’81 CM) of Gentry Law Firm LLC in Marietta, Georgia has been elected to serve as secretary of the 54,000-member State Bar of Georgia. Gentry was installed June 10 during the organization’s annual meeting in Savannah.

Gentry also serves on the state bar’s executive committee and has represented the Cobb Judicial Circuit on the Board of Governors of the State Bar. He earned his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and was admitted to the state bar in 1986.

His law practice focuses on family law, including divorce, high asset property division, child custody and alimony cases. He serves as chair of the state bar’s Senior Lawyers Committee and is a past president of the Cobb County Bar Association.

Ed Coleman (Col ’04) has been named in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his practice in insurance litigation and personal injury.  Inclusion is by peer evaluation only and fewer than 6% of all U.S. lawyers are included in this annual publication.

Thomas C. Grant (Col ’92) has been named to the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America® in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. Grant is a partner with Freed Grant LLC in Atlanta, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation, commercial real estate, and insurance defense matters. He received his law degree at Emory University School of Law.

About Freed Grant LLC www.freedgrant.com

About Best Lawyers www.bestlawyers.com

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication company in the legal profession. Their lists of outstanding lawyers are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

Charles Siu (Com ’92, ’95 CM) is director of tax and accounting at Dynamic Facility Designs, LLC in Alexandria, Virginia.

Tara Wheeler Prather (COM ’90 CM) has started a new position as the alumnae engagement manager for Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity, Inc. Based in Indianapolis, Alpha Gamma Delta is an international women’s fraternity and is part of the National Panhellenic Conference.  Prather works from her home in Valrico, Florida where she lives with her husband and son.

Richard Strulson (Col ’90 CM) has retired from his position as general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary of Interior Logic Group, after negotiating and finalizing the sale of the company to Blackstone, one of the country’s largest private equity funds. In his position at Interior Logic Group, the nation’s largest interior finishing company, Richard was responsible for all legal and compliance matters, oversaw the company’s active mergers and acquisitions program, and managed the company’s human resources group.  Richard is currently an adjunct professor at USC Gould School of Law, teaching mergers and acquisitions, and also serves on various boards.

Rev. Jack Peterson (Col ’85) has written his first book, Jesus Himself Drew Near: A Spirituality for Shaping the Lives of Young People. He serves as the director of mission and development for Youth Apostles, a community of Catholic men based in McLean, Virginia who strive to bring young people closer to Christ. His book is based upon the premise that mentors must first know and love Jesus before they can authentically invite others to encounter Him.

Milton F. “Eric” Tyler IV (Col ’14 CM) and Samantha L. Tyler (Col ’14, Educ ’14 CM) celebrated the birth of their first child, Milton F. “Finn” Tyler V on July 31st, 2023.  They live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Eric is completing his general surgery residency and Samantha works in financial literacy education for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. 

Wolfgang Dreschler (Grad ’86 CM) and co-authors Rainer Kattel and Erkki Karo have won the Academy of Management’s 2023 George R. Terry Award for their book How to Make an Entrepreneurial State: Why Innovation Needs Bureaucracy. The George R. Terry award is granted annually to the book judged to have made the most outstanding contribution to the global advancement of management knowledge during the last two years.

https://aom.org/membership/awards-and-recognition/george-r-terry-book-award/2023-george-r-terry-book-award

Gunes Hopson (Col ’97, Law ’01 CM) has started her own travel business, Luxe Travel by Gunes. She provides curated luxury travel planning services to her clients, taking care of all the details so that they can relax.

Mark Trank (Law ’90 CM) and his wife Andrea Trank (Col ’80, Educ ’97, ’04 CM) have moved back to Virginia after 15 years in southwest Florida. Mark, who has spent more three decades in legal practice and has a passion for aiport law, has joined the Norfolk Airport Authority as senior vice president and general Counsel.  Mark and Andrea live in Norfolk’s historic Ghent district and will be welcoming their three sons and their wives and significant others, and especially their 4-year old granddaughter to their new home. 

Mark Scharf (Grad ’84 CM) has published the play Final Respects (Brooklyn Publishing). His play Clean Up was published in the journal Literature Today in July 2023.

Luke Hopkins (Engr ’08) and Sara Hutter Hopkins (Com ’08, ’09 CM) lovingly welcomed a second son, Owen Hutter, on April 20, 2023. The family, including big brother Will, lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Jessica Botta (Col ’96 CM) graduated this May from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development with a master of arts degree in food studies.  Jessica lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Thomas F. Smith (Col ’71, Med ’74 CM) has published his first book, The Search For King: A Fable, written in verse, and is completing his second book, Strange Creatures & Odd Bedfellows: Selected Poems. He also has published haiku and limericks in literary journals. He retired from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as professor of pediatrics in 1998 to enter private practice. His current academic affiliation is adjunct professor of internal medicine and pediatrics in the College of Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center. He and his wife, their three children and four grandchildren live in Austin, Texas. He can be reached through his web site authorthomasmith.com.

CJ Bowie (Com ’14) and Kathleen Bowie (Col ’13, Nurs ’20 CM) welcomed a daughter, Chloe Grace, on June 13, 2023. 

Lindsey Jensen (Col ’13) is getting married to Bryan Dale (Engr ’14 CM) at Moss Vineyards, north of Charlottesville, on Sept. 16, 2023.

Patti Hartigan (Col ’82 CM) has published August Wilson: A Life, the first authoritative and definitive biography of August Wilson, the most important and successful American playwright of the late 20th century. The biography, published by Simon and Schuster, debuts August 15.

The acclaimed Wilson wrote a series of plays celebrating African American life in the 20th century, one play for each decade. Through his brilliant use of vernacular speech, Wilson developed unforgettable characters who epitomized the trials and triumphs of the African American experience. He said that he didn’t research his plays but wrote from “the blood’s memory,” a sense of racial history that he believed African Americans shared. A former theater critic and arts reporter for the Boston Globe, Hartigan traced his ancestry back to slavery, illustrating how his plays echo with uncanny similarities to the history of his ancestors. She interviewed Wilson many times before his death and chronicles his life from his childhood in Pittsburgh (where nine of the plays take place) to Broadway. She also interviewed scores of friends, theater colleagues and family members, and conducted extensive research to tell the story of a writer who left an indelible imprint on American theater and opened the door for future playwrights of color.

Wade Morris (Col ’04) is publishing Report Cards: A Cultural History with Johns Hopkins University Press. The book traces the nearly two hundred year history of American education by examining how grades have reflected the shifting power dynamics between teachers, parents, and students.

Morris argues that report cards reflected broader shifts in the evolution of U.S. schools: the republican zealotry and religious fervor of the antebellum period, the failed promises of postwar Reconstruction for the formerly enslaved, the changing gender roles in newly urbanized cities, the overreach of the Progressive child-saving movement in the early twentieth century, and―by the 1930s―the increasing faith in an academic meritocracy. The use of report cards expanded with the growth of school bureaucracies, becoming a tool through which administrators could surveil both student activity and teachers. And by the late 20th century, even the most radical critics of numerical reporting of children have had to compromise their ideals.