Class Notes

Mike Ross (Col ’70, Law ’77 L/M) published two more collections of quotations. Ross’s Thoughtful Discoveries was published in Dec. 2017 and Ross’s Personal Discoveries in Nov. 2018, both by Rare Bird Press. The books are available on Amazon.

Leslie Schultz Hobbs (Col ’05 L/M) and her husband, Cabell, welcomed their third child, Christiana Virginia, on Aug. 8, 2018. She joins brother, Cabell Jr., age 5, and sister, Carrington, age 3. The family lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Hayden Lee (Col ’04 L/M) was named a partner at ShounBach, a Fairfax, Virginia, law firm dedicated to family law. Lee was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2007 and practices family law throughout northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.  

Irv Brand (Law ’67 L/M) received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who for excelling professionally for 20 years or more.

John Rickman (Engr ’92, Darden ’98) joined ReAlta Life Sciences, an early stage pharmaceutical company based in Norfolk, Virginia, as its chief financial officer. John and his wife, Mary Beth Sims Rickman (Col ’89), and their five children live in Norfolk.

Jill Reid Cummins (Col ’85) was appointed and sworn in as an associate judge on the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, on Jan. 12, 2018. She was appointed by Gov.Larry Hogan to a 15-year term. 

Betty Roberts (Nurs ’53) published Midnight Chronicles, which tells the story of a strong man’s journey as he deals with Alzheimer’s day after day. Told through the eyes of his nurse/caregiver/wife, it relates the effect on his life and on the lives of his family from the early, undiagnosed stage one to the disability of stage seven. A member of the Apollo Team who helped put the man on the moon, he now forgets how to live like a man on earth. 

Doug Smith (Col ’86 L/M) will be serving as the “seeing-eye Doug” to a blind sailor as they sail across the Pacific non-stop from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan, starting Feb. 24, 2019. They hope this Voyage of Inspiration will inspire others to overcome adversity and work to achieve their dreams. They also aim to draw attention to charities that they support and which they hope others will as well. 

Timothy J. Grendell (Law ’83) was sworn in as a new member of the National College of Probate Judges Executive Committee. Grendell is one of only ten probate judges from across the country who currently serve on the executive committee and is the first combined probate/juvenile court judge to be elected for the position. 

Terrye Underwood (Com ’94 L/M) and William S. “Jake” Wheatley III (Col ’94) were married Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The couple lives in Denver, Colorado.

Jessica Burrows Heald (Col ’03) and her husband, Darrin, welcomed their second daughter, Abigail Ada, on July 28, 2018. She joins big sister, Charlotte Anna, age 4. The family lives in Mirror Lake, New Hampshire. 

Eric B. Johnson (Col ’99 L/M) was named executive director of Open Books in Chicago, Illinois. Open Books is a nonprofit education organization that provides literacy experiences for tens of thousands of readers each year through formative programs and the creative capitalization of books. Johnson lives with his wife and two daughters in Chicago.

Lisa Wechsler Childress (Col ’96) published the second edition of her book, The Twenty-First Century University: Developing Faculty Engagement in Internationalization (Peter Lang Publishers). The book identifies what successful universities have done to overcome endogenous challenges and successfully engage faculty in the internationalization process. Lisa’s husband, Trey Childress (Col ’97), is on sabbatical from Pepperdine University School of Law, where he has served as dean of faculty and professor of law, to serve as counselor on international law at the U.S. Department of State. Trey recently argued before the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Lloyd Stamy (Col ’73 CM) has published a novel, Reunion of Strangers. The tale chronicles the lifelong relationship of an investment manager (and occasional CIA operative), and his former high school classmate, a world renowned psychologist, after they reconnect in surprising, rewarding and frightening ways. The story is one of unbridled, abiding passion for love and life itself. Stamy, an English major who lives in Pittsburgh, began writing full-time after retiring in 2013 following a decades-long career in the institutional investment business. Visit his author page for more information: www.amazon.com/author/lloyd.stamy

Cheryl Fuller-Bragg (Col ’78) co-authored a book, Maine Colonist, Nathaniel Fuller and Descendants: Including the Russ Family of Oxford County (GreenKids Press).

Lucy English Gentilhomme (Educ ’77) and her siblings, Ellen English, Lloyd English, Margaret McLewin and cousin, Otis Douglas, commissioned and donated to the University a portrait of their great-grandfather, former Board of Visitors Rector, Sen. C. Harding Walker (Col 1882). The portrait by Bradley Stevens hangs in the board wing of the Rotunda. 

Walker was a member of the BOV from 1917 to 1934 and served in the Virginia Senate for 22 years, during which time he was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1901-02 and president pro tempore.

In 1930, a resolution penned by Dr. Alderman on behalf of the BOV officially stated a “permanent acknowledgement of their obligation to Cyrus Harding Walker for his efficient services as rector, his unfailing courtesy, his sense of justice, his high-minded and unselfish devotion to the interest of the University and his far-seeing vision of the duty and dignity of his Alma Mater.” At the time of Walker’s death in 1934, the board noted that he was “deeply religious and profoundly a Christian” and “broadminded in his tolerance of others who differed from him.” “A man of well developed and firmly held convictions yet he agreed with Thomas Jefferson that the freedom of the mind of every man should be protected. He believed in a popular education that trained men to be trusted, and in a democracy that gave opportunity to all such men to be fairly heard. On his personal side, Walker cultivated and radiated a genial charm. He possessed a benevolent countenance and the light of kindliness shown in his eyes. His spirit was gentle; his heart was pure and he lived a life of good service and died with honor.”

Ryan P. Griswold (Engr ’02 L/M) and his wife, Caitlin, welcomed a daughter, Emma McBeth on Oct.31, 2018. The family lives in Darien, Connecticut.

Jaime Wisegarver (Col ’05 L/M), Webb Moore (Engr ’80), Terrence Graves (Law ’91), Jim Cluverius (Col ’64) and Carolyn White (Col ’89) were among many Wahoos who heard Athletics Director Carla Williams speak at the Richmond Bar Association’s luncheon on Sept. 27, 2018. They were thrilled to meet Ms. Williams and hear more about her background and her plans for the future of UVA athletics.  

Ashley Hughes (Col ’13) married Eduardo Bustamante on Sept. 28, 2018, in Purcellville, Virginia, among family, friends and many UVA alumni. The couple lives in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, where Eduardo is a project manager for Amazon Web Services. Ashley is a user experience designer working in Reston Town Center. 

Axel Cooper (Col ’09, Med ’14) and Devon Hawkins (Educ ’09, Med ’13 L/M) were married on Oct. 7, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia. The two are completing general surgery residency and will serve in the U.S. military after their training.

Cassie Premo Steele (Col ’89) published a new novel, The ReSisters (All Things That Matter Press) on Sept. 24, 2018. The book is based on current events in the news such as detention centers, the rise of nationalism in the public sphere, and violence against targeted groups spurred on by political rhetoric. But it was written before any of these events took place. In the month since its release, the book became No. 1 on Amazon’s bestseller list for new releases of children’s books about prejudice and racism. The ReSisters is available on Amazon.

Dorie C. Ellis (Nurs ’10) will earn her doctorate in nursing practice in nurse anesthesia from the University of North Florida in December 2018. 

Yevonne Simms Chandler (Com ’02 L/M) and Cary Chandler (Col ’01 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Evelyn Virginia, on May 19, 2018. She joins big brother Bennett, age 3, and is the niece of Peyton Chandler (Col ’01), Kristy Thomas Chandler (Col ’01) and Carter Chandler Clements (Col ’99) and the granddaughter of Wanda Rooke Chandler (Educ ’02). The Chandler family resides in Richmond, Virginia.

Steven M. Klepper (Grad ’98, Law ’01), an appellate lawyer at the Baltimore law firm Kramon and Graham, has been awarded the 2018 Tip the Scales of Justice Award by the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Advocacy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to providing justice to victims of domestic abuse. Klepper was selected for the award for his exceptional pro bono appellate advocacy on behalf of survivors of domestic violence in two cases before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. 

Jill Orlove (Arch ’91) is exhibiting her artwork in Richmond’s upcoming Craft + Design Show at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Virginia. The show runs Nov. 16-18. Her art has been shown in the National Building Museum and Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum. 

Kathleen O’Connor Edmunds (Col ’84, Med ’88 L/M) was awarded a U.S. patent for her Tampon Assembly, which is trademarked The Menstrual Shield.

Timothy Kitt (Com ’88 L/M) was named senior vice president, head of pricing and execution in Freddie Mac’s single-family business. For the last four years, Kitt has led the pricing and analytics team in single-family portfolio management.
 

Katie Bray White (Col ’07, Grad ’14 L/M) and her husband, Mark White, (Batten ’16 L/M) welcomed their first son, William Charles, on Sept. 23, 2018. The family lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Ms. White is an editor for a test development company, and Mr. White works in the nonpartisan budget office of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Carolina Ferrerosa Young (Col ’09 L/M) and Daniel T. Young (Col ’07 L/M) welcomed their first child, Rafael Daniel, on Sept. 18th, 2018. Ms. Young is a policy adviser on the future of work for Sen. Mark Warner in Washington, D.C., and Mr. Young is an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia. The family lives in Reston, Virginia. 

Michael H. Jones (Engr ’05) was named partner at Rothwell, Figg, Ernst and Manbeck, an intellectual property law firm in Washington, D.C. Jones’ practice covers all aspects of patent law and a wide range of technologies.

Sarah Elizabeth Schmidt (Col ’09, Grad ’12) accepted the position of general manager at the Colonnade Club on UVA’s Grounds. She is thrilled to once again be in service to the University and back in the Academical Village where she met and later married her husband, R. Brennan Schmidt (Col ’06, Educ ’12). Sarah Elizabeth, Brennan, and their two children will relocate to Charlottesville at the end of the month. 

Maggie Moriarty (Col ’13) and her husband, Jackson Cox, opened On Point Pupcakes, which makes gourmet treat mixes for dogs. Products are available online and central North Carolina retailers.

Edmund Potter (Arch ’95) traveled with his parents, Clifton W. Potter Jr. (Grad ’64, ’70 L/M) and Dorothy Turner Potter (Grad ’66, ’00 L/M), and his son Landon to the grave of James McConnell at the Lafayette Escadrille Monument in Paris. Most famous for the Icarus sculpture created in his honor on Grounds, McConnell was shot down March 19, 1917. They were on a trip organized by the 116th Infantry Regiment Foundation (Virginia National Guard) to visit World War I sites in France and Belgium as part of the 100th anniversary of the end of the conflict.   

Melissa Drisko (Col ’81 L/M) retired as deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on Oct. 1, 2018, following 37 years in the intelligence community. She began her career as a Naval Intelligence officer, followed by assignments at the CIA and as the deputy director of Naval Intelligence.

Heather Amrhein Stamper (Col ’04 L/M) and Kyle Stamper (Engr ’05, ’10 L/M) welcomed their second daughter and future ‘Hoo, Ivy Marie, on Sept. 15, 2018. She joins her big sister Elizabeth Meriwether, age 16 months, at the Stampers’ home in Charlottesville.

Austen Givens (Col ’04) was named director of graduate cybersecurity programs at Utica College. He lives in Clinton, New York, with his wife, Rachel, and daughters, Serafina and Augusta.

Ashleigh DeFries Gallagher (Col ’07) was awarded the Maryland Daily Record VIP Award, naming her one of Maryland’s “Very Important Professionals Under 40.” Gallagher works as legislative director for state Sen. Bill Ferguson, and as a dispenser of health tips and environmental friendly advice on the online platform she founded in 2017, “Healthy Living with Ash.” She is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.