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50s
James Heddens (MA-55, EdD-60) Charlotte, N.C., has authored or coauthored 44 mathematics text books.
Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Kinesiology George Sage (BA-55, MA-57), Greeley, announced that his book Sociology of North American Sport is in its 10th edition. The book analyzes and demythologizes sport and promotes an understanding of how a sociological perspective differs from common-sense perceptions about sport and society and helps students understand sport in a new way. Published June 2012, Oxford Press
Robert Holdren Sr. (BA-57), Petaluma, Calif., penned under the name of Padric McDuffie, Spud, Yesterday’s Child, a true story of a young boy who spent his first 17 years in foster homes or orphanages during the Depression and war years. Published January 2015, Xilbris Publishing
60s
Lyn (Lanum) Hoeben (BA-65) and her husband Wayne Hoeben, Longmont, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise in July. Lyn retired as a school secretary from the St. Vrain Valley School District in 1992, and Wayne retired from the city of Longmont building department in 2004. They have two sons, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and enjoy camping and traveling.
Kenneth Mitchell (BA-65, MA-67), Cosmopolis, Wash., is retired. During his career, he taught at Colby Community College, Yakima Community College, St. Mary’s of the Plains, Heritage Native American College and Harbor High School.
Sandy Whelchel (BA-66), Parker, has written Check & Mate, a thriller novel set in Denver. Sandy’s other writings include Hide & Seek, The National Writers Association Guide to Writing for Beginners, seven nonfiction books, five children’s coloring books and many published articles and short stories. Published March 2015, National Writers Press
Joe Treece (MA-68, PhD-71), Mesa, Ariz., assisted in the development of a computerized graduation program for the Colorado Community Colleges and Occupational Education System. Joe was elected president of the Sunland Springs’ Couples Golf Association in Mesa.
70s
Jean (Bentley) Revie (BA-70, MA-73), Chandler, Ariz., retired from South Mountain Community College in Phoenix as a biology professor.
Darrylinn (Parker) Todd (BA-70), Chicago, was appointed as the Senior Director-Online Learning in the School of New Learning at DePaul University. Darrylinn and her husband Dennis have three adult children.
Roger Brown (EdD-73) and Betty (Burdorff) Brown (BA-04, MA-08), Greeley, received the Partners of the Americas Boren Legacy Award in September at a conference in Portland, Oregon.
Lynnette Pfeiffer (BA-74, MA-77, EdS-00), Colorado Springs, a graduate from the first cohort in Colorado Springs, is resuming the presidency of the Colorado Society of School Psychologists for the 2015-2016 academic year. She has worked as a school psychologist since 2000 in District 11 in Colorado Springs, serving for a number of years as the department chair.
Katherine Archuleta (MA-76), Alexandria, Va., was awarded the Federico Pe?a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Colorado Latina Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO). Katherine served as the 10th director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and in various other administrative posts within the state and federal government.
William Benson (BA-76), Sterling, compares and contrasts Roger Williams and Cotton Mather in the first of six volumes of The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers vs. Believers. Bill taught history at the junior high and community college level and since 1992 has written a biweekly newspaper column that examines historical events and ideas. Published 2014, Kindle edition only, Xlibris Publishing
George W. Hynd (EdD-76), Mount Pleasant, S.C., was inaugurated in April as Oakland University’s sixth president. George has more than 40 years of higher education experience, including other leadership roles at Arizona State University, the College of Charleston (S.C.), the Medical College of Georgia, Northern Arizona University, Purdue University and the University of Georgia.
Janice Johnson (MA-76), Portland, Ore., wrote Stumbling Aboard: A Reluctant First Mate Travels Through Twenty Countries to document her adventures aboard a schooner that traveled from California through the Panama Canal, the northwest coast of Colombia and Eastern Caribbean to Florida. Janice writes middle-grade novels as J.J. Kay. Published 2014, Amazon
Deborah Coffin (BS-77, BA-87, MA-93), Erie, is vice chancellor for advancement at CU-Boulder. Deb previously served as CU’s vice chancellor for student affairs, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of housing and dining services.
John Gregory (BA-77), Anamosa, Iowa, retired from Linnhaven Inc. after serving for three years as community representative payee. He was previously employed by Linn County Mental Health and Developmental Disability Services for 34 years as coordinator of client financial services. He and his wife Tracy plan to travel full time.
Jean McAllister (BA-78), Denver, is the Title IX coordinator at the University of Denver. Jean has more than 30 years of experience addressing trauma and interpersonal violence and has worked across multiple statewide coalitions, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and direct service agencies.
Mark Richards (MS-78), Oak Ridge, N.J., and his wife Kay are retired and enjoy traveling.
Anita Fleming-Rife (BA-79, MA-90) co-authored Black Culture and Experience: Contemporary Issues, an anthology addressing specific issues related to African American culture.
Glen Nardin (BM-79), Virginia Beach, Va., is retired. During his career he served as chief warrant officer 4, U.S. Army; commander and conductor, 1st Cavalry Division Band; and senior staff and faculty, Army School of Music. He and his wife Jill reside in the Tidewater, Va., region.
80s
David H. Goldberg (BA-80), Denver, was sworn in as a district court judge for the state of Colorado’s Second Judicial District in July.
Gene Miller (MA-80), Sherman Oaks, Calif., co-authored Unraveled?A Novel. The book is about hope, baseball, sex and psychosis and is the story of an extraordinary college athlete whose perfect world begins to crumble as bizarre and potentially life-threatening events play out. Gene has spent two decades writing for television and Unraveled is his first novel. Published May 2015, Manse Street Stories
Kathleen (Macy) Cirbo (BS-81) and her husband Larry celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in June. Kathleen works as a research associate at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU-Boulder.
Peter Lemon (MS-81), Colorado Springs, is one of 48 soldiers being honored on the 2015 Medal of Honor United States postage stamp sheets. Peter earned the prestigious Medal of Honor while serving as an assistant machine gunner during the Vietnam War. He was named one of UNC’s Honored Alumni in 1998.
Kelly Johnson (BS-82), Parker, has joined Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital as vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer. She has more than 22 years of experience as a health care executive and chief nursing officer. Since 2008 Kelly served as the Dori Blester Chair in Pediatric Nursing and senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Children’s Hospital of Colorado. She is a trustee for the University of Northern Colorado.
Connie (Wallace) Meek (MA-82, Henderson, Nev., is retired after serving 25 years as a business education teacher in Pueblo and 14 years as a career and technical education administrator in Las Vegas.
Marysz (Palczewski) Rames (BS-82, MA-86), Brookings, S.D., was appointed president of Wayne State College by the Nebraska State College System in June. Marysz previously served in various roles at Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, Aims Community College in Greeley and the University of Wyoming. She and her husband Steven have two college-age children.
Brenda (Dennington) Rhodes (BA-82), Sterling, was named to the Colorado Association for Career and Technical Education Hall of Fame in July. Brenda is the department chair for Business and Cosmetology and business professor at Northeastern Junior College. She has been instrumental in career and technical education through her work as a high school educator and Future Business Leader of America sponsor as well as at the collegiate level in fostering relationships with area high school business programs.
Albert Thompson (EdD-82), Parker, received the American Association of Physics Teachers’ 2015 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service. Albert has been actively involved in the Colorado-Wyoming section of AAPT and is the founding coordinator of the eMentor program. He retired from Ponderosa High School (Parker) in 2001 as a physics, physical science, astronomy and global science teacher. He and his wife Maureen enjoy traveling to Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Riverside, Calif., to visit their two sons.
Neil Williams (BS-83), Jacksonville, Fla., is a published author, children’s author, poet and former U.S. Air Force captain. His professional employee/student training course, Diversity Leadership for Highest Team Achievement, is highlighted on employeeuniversity.com.
90s
Robyn (Bradsby) Roberts (BA-90), Omaha, Neb., received the 2015 Essential Piece Award from the Autism Society of Nebraska for her years of service in coordinating the largest fundraiser for the organization and for her service on the board of directors.
Jennifer Baublits (BAE-91), Florissant, graduated from Creighton University with a doctorate of education in interdisciplinary leadership studies.
Todd Garelick (BA-91) Tucson, Ariz., is principal of Mountain View High School in Tucson. After 15 years teaching high school economics, government, law enforcement, and coaching soccer, in 2007 Todd began his administrative career as assistant principal and athletic director at Ruidoso High School in New Mexico.
Forrest Swick (BS-91), Evans, was recognized for 20 years of service to UNC and named Classified Employee of the Year. Forrest earned Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and celebrated his 10,000th day being married to Kelly (Strait) (BA-90).
Jalyn Webb (BA-92), Loveland, is managing director at Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins. A 20-year performer and vocal coach, Jalyn has appeared on stage at Midtown as well as Union Colony Dinner Theatre, Little Theatre of the Rockies, Greeley Stampede Troupe, Greeley Philharmonic and Starkey Theatrix. She previously worked as a sales consultant for Vera Bradley and district manager for Brighton Collectibles.
Greg Cheek (MA-93) wrote Three Points of Contact about his journey from homeless teen through a stage III cancer diagnosis to help readers on any path to manage and conquer life’s obstacles. Published July 2015,Create Space
Mike Kuczala (MME-93), Wyomissing, Pa., published his second book, Training in Motion: How to Use Movement to Create Engaging and Effective Learning. The book is for corporate trainers and explains how movement enhances learning and introduces a unique and effective way to energize an audience and increase retention through simple body-focused techniques. Published June 2015, AMACOM
Tracey Bean (BA-97), Fort Collins, teaches at Poudre (Fort Collins) School District and attended Honeywell Space Educator camp in Alabama in June. To learn about her experience, go to her blog traceyteacher.weebly.com.
Amy Bulger (BA-98), Stevensville, Mont., is assistant editor of Bugle magazine, the publication of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Missoula, Montana. Amy previously served as a writer and editor for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Kevin Wright (BA-98), Alamosa, wrote Search and Rescue in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristos, to share information that could help “peak baggers” reduce their risk in the Sangres, educate the public about about the realities faced by small, rural mountain SAR teams and to entertain anyone curious about true first responder stories. Kevin is the former president, lead trainer and field team lead of the Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue team. Published November 2015, Johnson Books
Michelle Johnstone (MA-99, EdD-10), is the superintendent of schools for Dallas (Oregon) School District. She previously served as superintendent at Brush School District and as an elementary principal at St. Vrain (Longmont) School District and Greeley-Evans School District 6.
00s
Eric Fraass (MA-01), Las Cruces, N.M., is principal at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces. Eric previously served as director and assistant director of LCPS Human Resources, assistant principal at Highland Elementary and a teacher at Jornada Elementary and East Picacho Elementary schools.
Ronald Bakari (PhD-00), West Des Moines, Iowa, received the International Education Administrators Fulbright Award in 2013.
Stephanie Coon (BA-01), Greenbelt, Md., is the public liaison for the National Declassification Center.
Kurt Gartner (DA-01), Manhattan, Kan., is the interim director of Kansas State University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance. He has served as associate director since the school was established in 2012, overseeing the music program. Kurt teaches applied percussion and percussion methods and directs the percussion ensemble, keyboard percussion quartets and the Latin Jazz Ensemble. Prior to joining the K-State music faculty in 1999, he served as associate professor of bands at Purdue University.
Chad McEvoy (EdD-02), Syracuse, N.Y., is the chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Northern Illinois University. Chad previously served as professor of sport management and graduate program in the Department of Sport Management at Syracuse University’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
Kaylene Elliott (BS-04) Dundee, Mich., earned professional certification in the field of correctional health care in July. Through the United States Public Health Services, Kaylene is detailed to the Federal Correctional Institution in Milan, Michigan, working as the Quality Improvement/Infection Prevention and Control nurse.
Thomas DeCesaro (BS-06), Pueblo, serves the city of Pueblo as a police officer and earned the Medal of Valor in 2012.
Catie Stibel (BS-07), Great Falls, Mont., has joined the Community Medical Center (Missoula) outpatient therapy department as a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Catie has a master’s degree from Idaho State University and completed her clinical fellowship in southern California. She has worked with birth through geriatric populations, specializing in dysphagia, cognition, voice and communication.
Tim Cullen (MS-08), Golden, is the co-owner and CEO of Colorado Harvest Company, a medicinal and recreational marijuana firm with three stores in Denver and Aurora.
Megan Beckmann (BS-09, MS-12), Greeley, is a nurse practitioner with UCHealth Urgent Care in Greeley. Megan is board certified in family medicine and cardiac medicine.
Mary Hart (BS-09), Maud, Texas, is taking a break from her career to help her husband who has health complications due to chemical exposure while serving as a Marine in the Gulf War.
10s
Cody Havard (PhD-11), Collierville, Tenn., was named the 2015 Emerging Scholar in Sports Marketing by the Sports and Special Event Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Marketing Association for his research on how rivalry impacts sport fans. Cody has developed the Sport Rivalry Fan Perception Scale (SRFPS) to measure fan perceptions of rival teams, and Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORFing) to describe the joy fans get when their rival loses to someone other than their favorite team.
Brienna (Vicek) Rogers (BA-11) and James Rogers (BA-07), State College, Pa., both earned master’s degrees in Theatre Design and Technology from Penn State in August. James won the 2015 national award for theatre technology at the USITT Conference in Cincinnati.
Sarah Farrell (BA-12), Colorado Springs, is serving an 11-month term as a Team Leader in FEMA Corps. Based in the Pacific Region campus in Sacramento, Calif., Sarah completed eight weeks of specialized training and will serve on disaster site projects throughout the United States.
Daniel Bazemore (BS-15), Colorado Springs, was commissioned in December by the Air Force ROTC as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Amanda Cunningham (BS-15), Loveland, hiked the 2,160 mile Appalachian Trail. Inspired by patients at Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Center, where she worked as an intern, she traveled the trail by herself in 98 days. Amanda is working as a caregiver for an ALS patient and coaching Girls on the Run.
Stephanie Hines (BS-15), Greeley, was commissioned in May by the Air Force ROTC as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Allyson Snyder (BA-15), Thornton, was commissioned in May by the Air Force ROTC as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Calvin Webster (BS-15), Greeley, was named to the Aims Community College Foundation board of directors. He is director of marketing/business development for Northern Colorado Credit Union.
The following alumni of the School of Theatre Arts and Dance advanced their careers by being cast in productions, hired for technical or teaching positions or earning awards from April through October 2015.
Beth Malone (BA-96) returned to Broadway in April in Fun Home and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress. She also performed on the Tony’s telecast on June 7.
Ryan Grassmeyer (BA-06) filmed another guest starring role on the Nickelodeon TV series Henry Danger and booked a guest star role on Will Arnett’s Netflix series Flaked.
Jason Watson (BA-97) joined the Broadway cast of the long-running hit musical Mama Mia on April 6.
Jake Corcoran (BA-15) has been cast in the national touring production of Bullets Over Broadway. The show is set to tour to the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins this season.
Nikki Tomlinson (BA-02) has a recurring guest star role on the new NBC series Game of Silence.
Anthony Reimer (BA-05) filmed a guest star role on NBC’s TV series The Blacklist.
Steve Hornibrook (BA-78) Reno, Nev., completed a production of Damn Yankees with the Atlanta Lyric Theatre. This was Steve’s eighth production with The Lyric and the 125th Equity production of his career.
