Class Notes

David S. Lessen (Col ’94 CM) has joined the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center after being appointed medical director of Sylvester Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. He is also a voluntary assistant professor of medicine in the hematology division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

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.” 

Derrick Agee (Col ’14) and Rachel Bryant Agee (Nurs ’19 CM) celebrated their one year wedding anniversary! 

Suzanne Miller (Engr ’60) published her third book: Walking in Love: Why and How? She retired a few years ago after a career in aerospace and intelligence as a scientist, program manager and executive at Lockheed Martin, TRW and the U.S. Department of Defense. She also served for 10 years as president of her own consulting firm. A lifetime Episcopalian, she attended seminary at the Claremont School of Theology and served for five years as the licensed lay vicar of a Baltimore Parish. She also is a retired Navy Commander. Her career focus now is on her singing and writing career. As a singer she is a member of several choral groups, performing both locally and internationally, and recently released two albums of her solo songs. The title of one of them, It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over,  sums it all up. Her website is suzannermiller.com. 

Bud Mayo (Educ ’75 CM) is in the process of completing some family research and needs help. He writes: “My family spent numerous summers at the Breezy Hill Farm Tourist Cabins of Rt. 29 during the 1950s. I am attempting fine the exact location and any information on this site.” Anyone with information can reach him at mayo5304@cox.net.

Chris Conlan (Col ’20) founded Conlan Scientific, a fast-growing nationally recognized authority in delivering AI/ML-based financial data science solutions. The company was recognized by Clutch Research as the top artificial intelligence development services firm in the Washington D.C., region.

Robert Edwards Griffin (Col ’02 CM) and his wife, Claire, welcomed a daughter, Hazel Chislett, on Mar. 16, 2021. Hazel joins her older brothers, Gordon Charles and Thomas Murphy, and is granddaughter of Gordon Dix Griffin Jr. (Arch ’72 CM). The family lives in Huntsville, Alabama.

Timothy Shelley (Grad ’98) has written two books, Stories When Little: Growing Up Under MK-ULTRA and Playboy’s Progress: Coming of Age Under MK-ULTRA, which are available for free at his website, Fighting Monarch, which now has more than one million hits. The books are an epic detective story exploring the themes of memory, forgetting, sexual programming, personal and national identity, globalism, and their intersection with conspiracy theories.

Diane Smith Wilkin (Col ’77) was named the 2021 Pennsylvania Art Educator from the National Art Education Association. This award, determined through a peer review of nominations, honors an outstanding member from each state or province association whose service and contribution to art education merits recognition and acclaim. Wilkin worked with the Bristol Township SD for 24 years as a high school art educator and also served her state organization in numerous positions, including president, and most recently completed three years representing 13 states as Eastern Region Vice President for NAEA. The award was presented during the [Virtual] NAEA 2021 National Convention.

Aysha Schomburg (Col ’95) was appointed as an associate commissioner in the Biden administration. In this role, she will oversee the roughly $10 billion U.S. Children’s Bureau, which regulates federal funding for the nation’s vast network of state- and county-run agencies responsible for foster care, child maltreatment investigations, and prevention services. Prior to her appointment, Aysha worked for New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, one of the largest local foster care and prevention agencies in the country, where she helped expand protections for parents at risk of child abuse and neglect investigations. She’s also worked on legislation expanding support in schools for LGBTQ students, among other local laws focused on children. During an earlier stint at ACS, she helped establish savings accounts for foster youth and a hotline for recruiting foster parents.

Christy Williams Coombs (Col ’05 CM) and her husband, Robert, welcomed their daughter, Clara Eleanor, on Jan. 3, 2021. Clara is the niece of Hillery Williams (Col ’08 CM), granddaughter of Charlie Williams (Col ’74) and great-granddaughter of Dick Williams (Col ’44). The family is eager to bring her to Grounds soon to see her family’s beloved alma mater!

Lloyd F. Stamy Jr. (Col ’73 CM) published his newest book, Strangers No More, a sequel to Reunion of Strangers published in 2018. Interwoven plots of passion and patriotism collide in this gripping drama of global cyberwarfare and looming economic enslavement. Stamy serves up a riveting tale of intrigue, espionage, cyberterrorism, betrayal, revenge, the dethronement of an American president, and a reconciliation of anxious hearts and flawed psyches – all during the throes of a global pandemic. He lives in Fox Chapel, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and the direct link to his author page is: 

www.amazon.com/author/lloyd.stamy

Richard F. McGonegal (Grad ’75 CM) published a mystery novel, Sense of Grace. While attending UVA, he studied creative writing with Peter Taylor, who later won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 1973. McGonegal and his wife, Kristie, live in Jefferson City, Missouri, where their two adult daughters, Heather and Jane, also live. He retired in 2017 after a 41-year journalism career at the Jefferson City News Tribune, a daily newspaper in Missouri’s capital city. Twenty-four of his short stories have been published in magazines, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

Robert F. Graboyes (Col ’76) is senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He recently launched a podcast series, Fortress and Frontier: Conversations on Healthcare and Innovation. For his first episode, “Different, but Not Less: Temple Grandin and the Economics of Neurodiversity,” he interviewed animal scientist and autism advocate Temple Grandin. During the pandemic, he also launched a YouTube channel featuring his musical performances and compositions—often in collaboration with the visual art of his wife, Alanna. Graboyes was previously a clinical professor in UVA’s School of Nursing, teaching health economics from 2005 to 2014.

Latané Conant (Col ’99) has published a book, No Forms. No Spam. No Cold Calls: The Next Generation of Account-Based Sales and Marketing.