Class Notes

Mortimer Caplin (Col ’37, Law ’40 L/M), founder of the law firm of Caplin & Drysdale, became a chevalier of the Legion of Honor, awarded by the president of France, for his contributions to the United States’ role in the liberation of France during World War II. During the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, Mr. Caplin was a member of the initial landing force on Omaha Beach, and served as a U.S. Navy beachmaster. For his service, he also received the Jubilee of Liberty Medal. Mr. Caplin also received the University of Virginia’s 2009 Brennan Award. A former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Caplin’s contributions to public service, teaching and the educational process have been recognized by numerous organizations. He resides in Chevy Chase, Md., with his wife, Ruth. They have four children.

Ashley Milton (Col ’06, Educ ’11 L/M) married Benjamin Cullop (Col ’05 L/M) on Dec. 27, 2008. They reside in Charlottesville.

Sarah Kleinfeld (Col ’08 L/M) teaches fourth grade at Esperanza Charter School in New Orleans through the teachNOLA program, an organization that recruits dedicated educators to teach in high-needs New Orleans public schools through its alternative route, the Teaching Fellows program.

Srinivas C. “Chinnu” Parinandi (Col ’06) received a Master of Science degree with merit in comparative politics from the London School of Economics. Mr. Parinandi currently resides in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he is a pre-doctoral student in the doctorate program in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan.

Angela Frances Littlejohn (Col ’06 L/M) is a third-year law student at Washington and Lee University School of Law and was included in the 2009 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Students were nominated by members of the university community based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.

Grace Deng (Com ’06 L/M) and Edward Benson (Engr ’05 L/M) were married on June 14, 2008. The couple resides in Cambridge,  Mass., where Mr. Benson is a graduate student in computer science at MIT. Ms.  Deng works on the donor relations and global engagement team at MIT Sloan and has established her own photography business, Grace Benson Photography.

Courtney Prior (Col ’03 L/M) and Jay Rosenberger (Com ’03 L/M) were married in Richmond, Va., on June 21, 2008. The couple resides in Philadelphia, where Ms. Prior is a manager at Ann Taylor LOFT and Mr.  Rosenberger is a student at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Mr. Rosenberger is a student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Ronda Rennick (Col ’04 A/M) married Brian Stephens McCauley on Aug. 2, 2008. They both work as realtors for Montague Miller &  Co. in Charlottesville.

Susan Cheung (Engr ’03) married Richard A. Jones on Oct. 11, 2008. They reside in Alexandria, Va. They both work for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Claire Shean (Col ’02) was married to Christopher Allred (Engr ’02, ’03) on Oct. 4, 2008. The couple resides in New York City, where Ms. Allred expects to complete her doctorate in atomic physics early this year.

Craig Orenstein (Com ’02 L/M) married Jacqueline Green on Nov. 3, 2007. The couple resides in Toronto, Ontario, where Mr.  Orenstein is a private equity associate with Genuity Capital Partners.

Devon Cordle Hahn (Engr ’02 L/M) and Daniel Hahn welcomed their first child and daughter, Raegan Eleanor, on Oct. 28, 2008. The family lives in Woodbine, Md.

Bridget Meegan Byrnes (Com ’02) married Michael Peter Geiser on July 12, 2008. The couple resides in Manhattan, where Ms. Geiser is a securities trader with JPMorgan.

Jason Bias (Engr ’02 L/M) received a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering leadership from Northeastern University in August 2008, and received a graduate certificate in engineering leadership from the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program. In October, he purchased his first house on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with his girlfriend,  Amanda.

Kristi Grubbs Komelasky (Col ’01 L/M) and Chris Komelasky (Engr ’00 L/M) welcomed their first child, Sydney McKenna, on Sept. 3, 2008.

Zachary Myles (Col ’01 L/M) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in September. He is beginning his career as a small animal practitioner at Green Valley Animal Hospital in Hyattstown, Md., where he is serving as associate veterinarian.

Lisa Bowen Heymann (Col ’01) and her husband, Robert Heymann, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Noah Bowen, born Sept.  20, 2008. The family lives in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Noah is the nephew of Jennifer Bowen Wieland (Col ’97, Law ’02 L/M).

Puja Seam (Col ’00 L/M) is a member of the board of directors of the Juvenile Protective Association, an organization that provides prevention strategies, personalized treatment, counseling and advocacy in the field of child welfare, early child development and family counseling. Ms. Seam is an associate at the law firm of Latham & Watkins.

Ben Hallen (Engr ’00, ’02 L/M), Drew Austria (Col ’07 L/M), Sarah Walker Baker (Col ’01 L/M), Karl Blunden (Col ’08 L/M), Ranmali Bopitiya (Col ’03 L/M), Eric Cunningham (Col ’06 L/M), Mary Dobmeier (Educ ’06 L/M), Emily Ewell (Engr ’07 L/M), Brian Johnson (Col ’02, Law ’09 L/M), Earthen Johnson (Col ’04 L/M), Keith Karem (Com ’00), Frank Kumpuris (Com ’01 L/M), Bridget Kuczkowski Leary (Nurs ’01, ’02, ’05 L/M), Mary Elizabeth Watson Luzar (Col ’02, Grad ’09 L/M), Jodi Neuhauser (Col ’05 L/M), Paul Nolde (Col ’01 L/M), Vishal Patel (Col ’00, Educ ’04 L/M), Gordon Peters (Col ’00), Chaitenya “Chat” Razdan (Com ’05 L/M), Chera Reid (Col ’01 L/M), Steven Reinemund (Col ’03 L/M), Megan Roberts (Col ’08 L/M), Samantha “Sam” Satz (Com ’06 L/M), Niko Schutte (Col ’04, Educ ’04 L/M), Rob Schwartz (Col ’05 L/M), Norman Smith (Col ’03 L/M), Julia Thies (Com ’04 L/M), Alison Tramba (Engr ’07 L/M) and Dave Wilkinson (Col ’00 L/M) are all members of the University’s Young Alumni Council, which represents young alumni interests and concerns to the Alumni Association and the University. The Council also seeks to better serve and support young alumni with programs and communications that are uniquely tailored to their own needs and perspectives.  Alumni from the University’s 12 most recent undergraduate classes are considered young alumni and are eligible to apply to the Council.

Lisa Ross DeCamp (Col ’00 L/M) and her husband, Matt,  welcomed their first child, Bridger Ross, on Oct. 9, 2008. The family resides in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Dr. Lisa DeCamp is a pediatrician and fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.

Stephanie Krebs De Falco (Col ’00 L/M) and Tony De Falco (Col ’00 L/M) announce the arrival of their first child, Samuel Nicholas, on Dec. 18, 2008.

John Congable (Engr ’00 L/M) and Sarah Harrick (Col ’99, Educ ’01 L/M) were married on Sept. 27, 2008. The couple resides in Falls Church, Va.

Rene J. Theriault III (Col ’99 L/M) and Lara Milne Theriault (Com ’99, ’00) celebrated the birth of their daughter, Natalie Lane, on Sept. 6, 2008. Natalie joins a brother, Jonathan. The family resides in New York.

Greg Trimmer (Engr ’99 L/M) and Sarah McKnew Trimmer (Col ’00 L/M) welcomed their second son, Charles Willard, on Aug. 12, 2008. Charlie joins his brother, Will. The family resides in Arlington, Va.

Sarah A. Siewert (Col ’99 L/M) married Andrew B. Hall on Oct. 11, 2008. The couple resides in Virginia Beach, where Ms. Hall is a senior principal systems analyst at L-3 Communications.

Jeffrey L. Quann (Col ’99 L/M) and Kristine Josephson Quann (Col ’01, Educ ’01 L/M) welcomed their second child, Lauren Elizabeth, on Dec. 5, 2008. Lauren joins brother Patrick, 21 months. The family resides in Broadlands, Va.

Andrew Jaspen (Com ’99 L/M) and Jennifer Phillips (Com ’99, Grad ’06, ’11 L/M) welcomed their first child, Abraham Phillips Jaspen, on Oct. 10, 2008. Mr. Jaspen is a partner at Sam Hill Entertainment in Charlottesville and Ms. Phillips is finishing a doctorate in ethics from U.Va.’s Department of Religious Studies. She also serves as a consultant for Avalon Consulting, based in Washington, D.C.

Robbie Donaldson (Col ’99 L/M) and his wife, Hagan,  announce the birth of their second child and first son, Brooks Louis, on Nov.  9, 2008. Brooks joins a sister, Talula Bryce, 17 months.

Jennie Sittig Blumenthal (Col ’99 L/M) and Kevin Bryce Blumenthal (Col ’98) welcomed their first child and son, Jackson Nolan Phillip, on Aug. 5, 2008. Ms. Blumenthal received an M.B.A. degree and is a strategy consultant for PRTM in Washington, D.C., working with federal government clients. Dr. Blumenthal is in the final year of his urology residency at George Washington University. The couple resides in Arlington,  Va.

Lynlee Wells Palmer (Col ’98 L/M) and her husband,  Alan, welcomed their second child, Charlotte Adele, on Sept. 15, 2008. Adele joins her brother, Mac, 4.

Melissa Abraham De Andres (Col ’98) and her husband welcomed a son, Alvaro, on Sept. 8, 2008. Alvaro joins sister Paula, 2. Ms. De Andres works for the New York State Department of Labor and resides with her family in the Albany, N.Y., area.

Matthew S. Payne (Col ’97 A/M) is a litigator with the Pittsburgh office of Fox Rothschild, and was elected treasurer of the Gay and Lesbian Neighborhood Development Association, a charitable organization that fosters appreciation of gays, lesbians and all people by working with civic, church, fraternal and school groups to make western Pennsylvania a better place in which to live.

Matthew S. Payne (Col ’97 A/M) is a litigator with the Pittsburgh office of Fox Rothschild, and was elected treasurer of the Gay and Lesbian Neighborhood Development Association, a charitable organization that fosters appreciation of gays, lesbians and all people by working with civic, church, fraternal and school groups to make western Pennsylvania a better place in which to live.

Veronica Nolan (Col ’97 L/M) was featured in an Oct.  6, 2008, Washington Post article titled “Leaders Who Push for Change and Reach Out Are Applauded.” She is the executive director of Urban Alliance, a foundation that prepares young adults from under-resourced neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., for the world of work and a life of self-sufficiency through education, mentoring and meaningful paid internships. Ms. Nolan has expanded the program from one high school to 16 schools and has placed more than 500 D.C. youths each year at institutions such as the World Bank and Morgan Stanley. Almost all of the students graduate from high school and 90 percent enroll in college. Ms. Nolan is married to Kareem M. El-Alaily (Engr ’97 L/M).

Tien-tsin Huang (Com ’97) is on the Institutional Investor 2008 All-America Research Team, ranking third in his category. Mr.  Huang is a senior equity research analyst at JPMorgan, covering the computer services and IT consulting industry.

Kerrie Stevenson Lineweaver (Com ’97 L/M) and Brian Lineweaver (Com ’95, Grad ’96 L/M) welcomed their second son, Carter Herbert, on July 10, 2008. He joins a brother, Drew, 2. The family resides in Falls Church, Va.

Kevin Cahill Finn (Arch ’97 L/M) and his wife, Kelly,  welcomed the birth of their second child, Matthew Thomas, on June 18, 2008.  Matthew joins his sister, Molly Rose, 2. The family resides in Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y. Mr. Finn is a project manager at Swanke Hayden Connell Architects in New York City.

R. Michael Biggs (Engr ’97, ’99 L/M) and his wife,  Jennie, welcomed their second child, Clara Kathrine, on April 26, 2008. Clara joins sister Lyla, 3. The family resides in Atlanta, where Mr. Biggs is a project manager for the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

Joseph Isabella (Col ’96 L/M) and his wife, Jeanine,  welcomed their third child, Colin Gerard Manning, on Oct. 23, 2008. Colin joins a sister, Molly Augusta, 4; and a brother, Ryan Joseph, 3. The family resides in Katonah, N.Y.