university of denver magazine winter 2014

WINTER 2014

CELEBRATING THE SESQUICENTENNIAL

M A G A Z I N E

2 University of Denver Magazine WINTER 2014

Office of the Chancellor

Dear Readers:

January marks the start of the University of Denver’s sesquicentennial celebration—the 150th anniversary of our founding in 1864. Over the coming year, we will look back and take stock of the vision, determination and hard work that produced the very special institution that we are today. We will honor and remember our heroes and celebrate their courage and unwavering belief in a bright future, even through dark times. We will recognize their consistent, deep commitment to absolute quality in education and to the notion of the University as a powerful engine of positive change.

Today, the quality of our academic enterprise and the depth of our intellectual culture are greater than at any time in the past 150 years. We have students who are more able, engaged and diverse in many dimensions than ever before. Most of them come from places other than Colorado, and 12 percent from places other than the United States.

Common to all is that they’ve come to DU because of our commitment to quality and the value of the distinctive DU educational experience. Recently, Kiplinger’s ranked the University of Denver 53rd among all private universities for value, defined as the quality of the student academic experience relative to its cost. Our faculty and staff are the real drivers behind that quality and value, and today we have 777 appointed full-time faculty members, and just under 600 part-time faculty members, for an overall student-to-faculty ratio of 11-to-1 across all our programs, undergraduate and graduate.

We believe that our intellectual culture is also defined by community and by place. Over the past 20 years, we’ve invested more than $500 million in our campus home. Most recently, we opened the Anderson Academic Commons, a wonderful building that provides a common focal point for our intellectual and social cultures. We are working hard on a major renovation to Margery Reed Hall, home to the undergraduate programs in the Daniels College of Business. In March, we will break ground on a new 130,000-square-foot building for the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, which also will include lab space for 10 new research groups in the Knoebel Center for the Study of Aging.

Major change is surely coming to higher education, and after 150 years we find ourselves at yet another turning point. This is a time to be proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, a time to be open-minded, forward-looking and embracing of the changes that are afoot. It is a time of extraordinary opportunity precisely because of all that has been accomplished—because of the strong platform based on quality that we’ve built together. It’s a time for optimism, energy, ideas and a fair bit of courage—and if you think about it, those are precisely the traits we’ve developed over the past 150 years.

Please join us for as many of the sesquicentennial events as your schedule will allow. To learn more about what we’ve planned, see page 23 or visit du.edu/udenver150.

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Office of the Chancellor Mary Reed Building | 2199 S. University Blvd. | Denver, CO 80208 | 303.871.2111 | Fax 303.871.4101 | www.du.edu/chancellor

ContentsFEATURES

23 Happy Sesquicentennial! Your pullout guide to the University’s 150thanniversary events.By Greg Glasgow

26 Jester with a JDLaw school alum Troy Walker takes comedy seriously.By Doug McPherson

28 Why NAO?Tech-savvy research team aims to help kids withautism disorders.By Tamara Chapman

32 9 to 5 Summer internships give students a taste of the working life. By Greg Glasgow and Helena Barrera

DEPARTMENTS

4 Editor’s Note

5 Feedback

8 Presidential visitGeorge W. Bush is the featured guest at theKorbel Dinner

15 A school of one’s ownInterview with Colorado Women’s CollegeDean Lynn Gangone

16 Head of Hollywood Alumna pays tribute to a show-biz legend

19 From coveralls to zoot suitsHistorian’s book captures wartime experience of Mexican-American women

20 Net gains Lacrosse teams look to build on successes of last season

37 Alumni Connections

On the cover and this page: The University of Denver celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2014. Cover photo illustration by Wayne Armstrong. Photo this page courtesy of University of Denver archives.


Internally, the excitement about the University’s 150th birthday has been building for months. Now we’re ready to share it with you.

Everyone knows the University of Denver is a special place, but there’s nothing like a sesquicentennial celebration to bring that into focus. We’ve been digging through the archives, old Clarions and old yearbooks for pictures of and information about campus history, campus buildings, DU traditions, notable alumni and more. A lot of what we found was used in “Tradition and Legacy,” an interactive history exhibit opening Jan. 13 in the Anderson Academic Commons, and many of the photos can be viewed on our new sesquicentennial

website, du.edu/udenver150.The new site is much more than a photo archive, however—it’s also

a networking site that uses LinkedIn technology to connect alumni to one another, and it’s your source for information about all the sesquicentennial events we have planned throughout the year. Special versions of longtime traditions such as Founders Day and Homecoming and Family Weekend are on the schedule, as are many new events, including a summer concert series and the Denver 150 Festival, an outdoor party in September featuring live music, refreshments and more (see page 23 for more information).

What’s really cool about the sesquicentennial events is that they are designed to unite the entire University of Denver community. That includes alumni, parents, faculty and staff, of course, but it also includes students, who often don’t realize that they’re part of the larger Pioneer family until after they graduate. We’re hoping 2014 will change that.

We want you to be a part of the Pioneer family, too—please visit the sesquicentennial website or come by campus for one of our many special anniversary events.

We also are collecting ideas for a “150 Things We Love About DU” article that will appear in the spring issue of the magazine. Do you have a favorite memory, building, class or professor? Let us know by emailing me at [email protected] or joining the discussion on our Facebook page, facebook.com/uofdenver.

Greg GlasgowManaging Editor

w w w. d u . e d u / m a g a z i n e

Volume 14, Number 2

PublisherKevin A. Carroll

Managing EditorGreg Glasgow

Senior EditorTamara Chapman

Editorial AssistantAnnissa Leon

Art DirectorRoss Mansfield

PhotographerWayne Armstrong

ContributorsJanette Ballard • Helena Barrera • Doug

McPherson • Pat Rooney • Katie Watt (BM ’06)

Editorial BoardKevin A. Carroll, vice chancellor/chief marketing officer • Julie Reeves, associate vice chancellor, brand marketing • Thomas Douglis (BA ’86) •

Kristine Cecil, associate vice chancellor for university advancement and executive director of alumni relations • Sarah Satterwhite, senior

director of development communications • Amber Scott (MA ’02) • Erica Wood, director of

alumni communications

The University of Denver Magazine is published three times a year (fall, winter and spring) by the University of Denver, Division of Marketing and Communications, 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816. The University of Denver (Colorado Seminary) is an Equal Opportunity Institution. Periodicals postage paid at Denver, CO. Postmaster: Send address changes to University of Denver Magazine, University of Denver, University Advancement, 2190 E. Asbury Ave., Denver, CO 80208-4816.

Editor’s NoteJe

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Printed on 10% PCW recycled paper

Editor’s Note

M A G A Z I N E

Remembering John Williams

Just a note to compliment the magazine on the story about John Williams in the current issue [“Write of Passage,” fall 2013]. Alan Prendergast did a great job on a difficult story. I wrote the story for the magazine when Williams won the National Book Award in 1973, and I recall how hard it was to get that man to talk about himself. The folding-in of the creation of the creative writing program (one of the few doctorate-level programs in the U.S.) was nicely done as well. Please convey my praise to Alan and reserve some for the others who contributed to its layout and presentation. Out of loyalty to DU I bought a copy of “Stoner” a while back, and now that I have a leave, shall actu-ally read it! Thanks for bringing this back to my attention.

Carol (Rolloff) DeBoer-Langworthy(MA ’80)

Providence, RI

I enjoyed reading the article about John Williams in the latest University of Denver Magazine very much. My father, Gunnar Boklund, was one of the members of the English department in the 1960s, and I believe those years were the best years of his life.

We came to Denver from Uppsala, Sweden, in 1963, when my father became a visiting profes-sor in English. After a year, he was offered a pro-fessorship, and our family stayed on in Denver until 1968.

There were so many amazing people at the English department that it changed my parents’ destiny somehow. My father became professor of English in Uppsala in 1968 and we moved back to Sweden, but he could stand it only a few years. Soon he was back in Denver and stayed until he retired in 1986.

He had so many good friends at the department, and I often think the social life

was of equal importance as the academic. They had fun together, playing golf and giv-ing parties.

I would very much like to read another article where the atmosphere of the time could somehow be illuminated. It was spe-cial, and the University and the department was something my father dearly loved.

I will show the article to my mother, who turns 94 next week and is now living in Uppsala. I know she will enjoy it.

Anna Boklund (BA ’75, MA ’77)Falun, Sweden

Editor’s response: For an illuminating view of campus in the 1960s—and every other decade—check out the great selection of historic photos and maps on our sesquicentennial website, du.edu/udenver150.

I was delighted to see Alan Prendergast’s wonderful piece about John Williams (which included quotes from two of my favorites, Robert Richardson and William Zaranka). I had John Williams for Modern Novel—a graduate-level class—as a junior; it required the reading of 10 novels in 10 weeks, including “Ulysses.” (Yes, I read the Cliffs Notes.) Completely impossible. I got

a B.By the time I met him,

he had a cigarette in one hand and his oxygen tank in the other. He was a proper, aloof and demanding professor. His class was my first and last intersection with Faulkner.

I read “Stoner” in my late 20s or early 30s. It remains one of the best nov-els I have ever read ... and one of the reasons I never pursued a PhD. And that was

a good thing.Thrilled to see the story. John Williams

was a genius.Leslie Petrovski (BA ’82, MA ’91)

Denver

Feedback

Send letters to the editor to: Greg Glasgow, University of Denver Magazine, 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816. Or email [email protected]. Include your full name and mailing address with all submissions. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

University of Denver Magazine FEEDBACK 5

FALL 2013

HERE COME THE PIONEERS

M A G A Z I N E


J A N U A R Y 3 1 – F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 4You’re invited to Winter Carnival

For the first time in the 53-year history of the Winter Carnival—an annual student event—we invite alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends to join students for a weekend of skiing, snowboarding, tubing and other high-country fun at KeystoneResort. Enjoy:

* discounted lift tickets and ski lessons* discounted lodging* DU-only events

with hundreds of your fellow Pioneers at thismagical event, a uniquely DU tradition.

New this year – Open to Everyone

Register by January 16 at alumni.du.edu/

wintercarnival. For more information, contact

the Office of Alumni Relations, 303-871-2701.

UpdateCampus

Part of a new wellness push at the University, the Crimson Classic took place on campus Sept. 26. More than 200 participants traveled around campus on either a 5K or 1.5-mile fun run. The race—which is open to alumni—will occur again in September 2014 as a companion event to the Denver 150 Festival, an afternoon of music, food and fun that is part of the University’s sesquicentennial celebration. Read more about the festival and other sesquicentennial events on page 23.

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The University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies raised more than $670,000 at its 16th annual Korbel Dinner on Sept. 9. The funds will support scholarships, faculty research and programs. The sold-out event featured two-term former President George W. Bush as its special guest and keynote speaker.

The evening included a conversation between President Bush and Christopher Hill, dean of the Korbel School. Hill served under President Bush as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, U.S. ambassador to South Korea and U.S. ambassador to Poland.

The topics discussed during the conversation ranged from 9/11 and its aftermath to the president’s work fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. “You’re the president of the richest nation ever and there’s a pandemic destroying human life … to sit back and do nothing would be morally bankrupt. We’re a moral nation, and we should care,” Bush said.

DU Chancellor Robert Coombe said it was a great honor for the University to host President Bush at the Korbel Dinner.

“A number of our alumni played key roles in his administration during a pivotal time for the United States, and we were absolutely delighted that he accepted our invitation to attend and speak at the dinner,” Coombe said. “It was a great night for DU.”

In addition to President Bush, the University honored Michael Long, chairman, president and CEO of Colorado-based Arrow Electronics Inc., with the University of Denver Bridge Builders Award. A $20.4 billion technology company, Arrow provides products, solutions and services to commercial and industrial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions.

“Mike Long and Arrow Electronics are longtime supporters of the Denver community,” Hill said. “Arrow and Mike’s involvement in the international marketplace help further Denver’s connection to the global community.”

Long said the Bridge Builder award symbolizes what Arrow

tries to do every day for its customers around the world. “Arrow helps people by guiding innovators forward and by using the power of new technology to make the world a better place for us all.”

Presidential visitGeorge W. Bush is the featured guest at the Korbel DinnerBy Media Relations Staff

Bernard Wooten

University of Denver Magazine UPDATE 9

The University of Denver has maintained its place on the list of the top 100 national universities included in the U.S. News and World Report list of “Best Colleges 2014,” released in September.

And for the second year in a row, U.S. News has ranked the University of Denver on its “up-and-coming” list, a category recognizing institutions that have recently made promising and innovative changes in areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus and facilities. The University moved from 13th place on the up-and-coming list last year to the 10th position this year. It is tied with Purdue University, the University of Southern California and Portland State University.

“The rankings reflect an ongoing commitment to providing robust, relevant and rigorous programs for students,” says Provost Gregg Kvistad, noting that the University also benefits from the addition of highly accomplished faculty members.

“University of Denver faculty members not only create a rich learning environment for our students, but they also enrich our campus through their research, scholarship and community involvement,” Kvistad says.

Overall, the University is ranked 91 on the magazine’s list of national universities, tied with Colorado School of Mines, Florida State University, Auburn University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of San Diego.

PIONEER PRIDE

Spirit-building campaign features DU shieldThe University of Denver shield is the centerpiece of a new

campaign to boost school pride and spirit.A two-minute video, “We Are Denver: We Wear the Shield,” features

testimonials from students, alumni, staff, faculty and administrators about why they wear the shield. A related website—du.edu/explore/shield—collects additional stories from others who don the shield with pride. The video bottles the pride and spirit that members of the community feel about the University. It also shows the many ways in which they have made the shield their own and have blended it into their daily existence.

“We Are Denver: We Wear the Shield” debuted at Discoveries week, the University’s orientation program for first-year and transfer students. In the coming year, the video will screen at a wide range of events, including some hockey and basketball games, employee orientation sessions, student-recruitment programs and various sesquicentennial celebrations.

The shield in question is the centerpiece of the University’s new logo, introduced in late summer 2012 and rolled out on signs, stationery, apparel and marketing materials over the last year.

The shield and logo grew out of an extensive research and design process that enlisted the University’s many stakeholders: alumni from

different generations, students, prospective students, parents, University staff and faculty, and the many employers who rely on the institution for a diverse talent pool.

Research conducted in 2011–12 about the University’s identity—and its previous logo—revealed that the institution stands to benefit from brand clarification. The data revealed that the University’s name recognition was high, but that a significant number of people didn’t know much about the institution.

The shield logo addresses that knowledge gap in several ways. Its shape and the reference to the University’s longevity remind people that the institution is rooted in tradition and that it has been in operation since 1864. The full-color version uses the University’s traditional and beloved crimson. And the imagery—a blend of mountains and towers—roots the school in its distinctive landscape.>>Watch “We Are Denver: We Wear the Shield” at du.edu/explore/shield

RANKINGS

DU No. 10 on list of up-and-coming universities

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In September, the University of Denver opened a Resource Center for Separating and Divorcing Families. The center is the first of its kind in the United States, providing an array of services for families going through a separation or divorce. The families receive mediation, education, therapeutic services, assistance with financial planning and legal drafting, all on a sliding-fee scale. The center also provides services to parents who are not involved in a formal divorce case filed in the court but who are separating. The resource center will assign a team to assess their needs. Teams will be made up of students from DU’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Graduate School of Social Work and Sturm College of Law. As part of their internship, students will receive mediation and interdisciplinary training. The model for the resource center was developed by the Honoring Families Initiative at DU’s Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.

BRIEFSNEWS

In October, the play “Just Like Us” debuted at the Denver Center Theatre Company. Based on Helen Thorpe’s 2009 book about four young women originally from Mexico and living in Colorado, the play included five scenes set on the DU campus: three in the residence halls, one at an anti-immigration rally at Boettcher Hall and one in the classroom. The latter scene was based on a section of the book that details a sociology class taught by Associate Professor Lisa Martinez. Several groups of DU students and alumni attended performances of “Just Like Us,” including the Latino Student Alliance, a group of Puksta scholars and the DU Latino Alumni Affinity Group.

To study the effects of altitude on the delivery of asthma medications, researchers from the University of Alberta’s Aerosol Research Laboratory teamed up with DU’s natural science and mathematics division in July to do work at the University’s High Altitude Research Station near Echo Lake (elevation 10,600 feet) and Meyer-Womble Observatory atop Mount Evans (elevation 14,148 feet). Researchers were looking to determine the performance of a number of pressurized, metered-dose and dry powder inhalers at various altitudes in Colorado.

As part of the Voices of Experience speaker series at the Daniels College of Business, Denver Broncos President Joe Ellis offered an unfiltered look at the management decisions NFL executives make daily. A crowd of more than 800 students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members packed the University of Denver’s Gates Concert Hall Oct. 17 for an interview with Ellis conducted by 9News journalist Greg Moss. Ellis said that quarterback Peyton Manning “elevates everyone in the building because of his passion and commitment. … His

attention to detail makes everyone work a little harder. [Head coach] John Fox is a very clear communicator as well; the players know exactly what is expected of them. I think that’s one of the reasons his teams play consistently week in and week out.”

Courtesy of D

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Six faculty members were honored at the fall Convocation ceremony Oct. 3 in Magness Arena. The John Evans Professorship, the University’s top award for a faculty member, went to Kimon Valavanis (pictured), chair of DU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and head of the DU Unmanned Systems Research Institute. Artur Poczwardowski, associate professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, received the Distinguished Teaching Award; Donald Bacon, professor of marketing at the Daniels College of Business, received the Distinguished Scholar Award; mathematics Professor Michael Kinyon received the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award; Robert McGahey, an adjunct professor at the Sturm College of Law, received the Ruth Murray Underhill Teaching Award; and Ved Nanda, international law professor at the Sturm College of Law, received the Faculty Service Award. Staff members honored at Convocation were Cheryl Jackson, administrative and budget coordinator in the Office of Teaching and Learning, who received the Outstanding Service Award; and Cathy Grieve, executive director of conferences, events and special programs in the Office of Special Community Programs, who received the Crimson and Gold Award. The Office of Career Services took home the Quality Department Award.

Seth Masket, associate professor and chair of the political science department, in August received a prestigious award at the American Political Science Association conference. The Heinz I. Eulau Award is given for the best article published in the journal Perspectives on Politics during the previous calendar year. Masket’s award-winning article, “A Theory of Political Parties: Groups, Policy Demands, and Nominations in American Politics,” appeared in the journal’s September 2012 issue.

The University of Denver reclaimed the top spot among NCAA Division I non-football schools in June by earning its record fifth Learfield Sports I-AAA Directors’ Cup over the last six years. The Pioneers sent eight teams and four individuals from four sports programs to NCAA postseason competition to finish with 425.5 points and rank No. 51 in the nation. Denver led all Western Athletic Conference schools by more than 260 points, and all Summit League schools by more than 250 points.

In September, as Congress debated whether the United States should intervene militarily in Syria, the MIT Press released “The Syria Dilemma,” a new book edited by Middle East experts

Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel, of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Contributors to the book include Christopher Hill, dean of the Korbel School and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq; and Tom Farer, DU professor and former dean of the Korbel School.

2013 saw the deaths of two prominent alumni in the arts:

jazz pianist Cedar Walton (attd. 1951–54) died Aug. 19 at his home in Brooklyn;

while author Carolyn Cassady (attd. 1946–47), ex-wife of beat-era icon Neal Cassady and author of the 1990 memoir “Off the Road,” died Sept. 20 at her home near London. (Read profiles of both alums at du.edu/magazine.)

The University of Denver’s Center for Sustainability launched the DU Bike Share program in September. Spearheaded by the undergraduate student sustainability committee, the program provides 10 new bicycles, a helmet and a U-Lock to DU students on a first-come, first-served basis. The center also plans to offer bicycle maintenance stations across campus and roving mechan-ics (with a tool-laden pull cart) to assist campus cyclists weekly. Eventually, maintenance classes will be offered to University students and community members on a regular basis.

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EVENTS

University celebrates anniversary of presidential debateThe University of Denver commemorated the 2012 presidential debate

at DU with a special event on Oct. 3—the first anniversary of the historic showdown on campus.

In “Political Realities One Year After the 2012 Election: The Debate Continues,” a panel of experts discussed the debate’s impact on the 2012 election and examined how some of the issues raised in the DU debate—including health care, taxes and small business—have played out one year later. The panel was composed of Seth Masket, associate professor in the political science department and expert on campaigns and political parties; Lisa Martinez, an associate professor of sociology and expert on Hispanic voters; Sharon Lassar, a professor in the School of Accountancy at the Daniels College of Business; Ved Nanda, a professor of international law in the Sturm College of Law; Chuck Plunkett, political reporter at the Denver Post; Dick Wadhams, campaign consultant and Colorado Republicans chair; and Rick Palacio, Colorado Democrats chair. Serving as moderator was Cynthia Hessin, award-winning host and executive producer of “Colorado State of Mind” on Rocky Mountain PBS.

“One year ago, all eyes were on the University as the first stop on the way to the White House,” Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy (JD ’95) said in her opening remarks at the event. “The road to the White House is now through the West.”

The event also included the premiere of a documentary film showcasing the University’s rigorous preparation for the debate. The documentary, “Debate 2012: Shining in the Spotlight,” can be seen online at debate2012.du.edu.

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From the desk of Jonathan Buckley, mechanical lab manager

1 One of Buckley’s hobbies is building and driving race cars, including a restored Ford Fairlane he raced at Bandimere Speedway in the early 2000s. He took a break from racing in 2003, when his first child was born. “Now they’re getting a little bit older,” he says of his two children, “so I have my own pit crew.”

2 This baseball is a “placeholder” for the real treasure Buckley has at home—a foul ball he caught off of then-Dodger Manny Ramirez at Coors Field.

3 As head of the lab space used by mechanical engineering students, Buckley teaches classes in how to use equipment like this dial caliper, a precision measuring tool. “I get a lot of people out of the division, like construction management majors from Daniels,” Buckley says of his Machine Shop Practice class. “Anybody who finds out that we have a machine shop on campus and likes to build stuff shows up. I’ve even taught faculty members. I tell my students sometimes it’s nice to get away from the books and the grind and just do something with your hands.”

4 “One of our faculty members is a big fly fisherman, and he found these elk bones,” Buckley says. “He had them sitting in his office forever, and he wanted to have them machined down so he could put them into a fly rod as an insert. I said, ‘That’s one of the only materials I’ve never cut. I’ll try that.’”

5 This Diet Coke can is a souvenir from the first job Buckley ever had—working for Alcoa in Denver. Around the Christmas holidays, he used some seasonal colors to test the machines that paint the designs on the cans.

6 This tiny orange bear is a scale replica of the big blue bear DU Professor Lawrence Argent created as a public art piece at the Colorado Convention Center. “We actually did the original prototype for the big blue bear in our lab down here,” Buckley says. “One of the stories [Argent] likes to share, which I now share with the students, is why is the big blue bear blue? Because that was the color of the material we had in the machine at the time. We printed it out in our prototype machine, and he took it to the investors and they said, ‘Perfect, don’t change a thing.’”

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Wendy Low is a proponent of social justice. It’s not a passing interest, but a lifelong passion that was ignited when she joined her first cause at the age of 10. Today, Low continues to advocate for social justice as president of Never Again!, a student group that promotes awareness of the Holocaust and the atrocity of genocide.

“Our mission is to encourage activism to prevent the reoccurrence of genocide so that we can truly say never again,” says Low, a junior biology major with a minor in Judaic studies.

Low was exposed to social justice issues at a young age through her mother’s work with Holocaust survivors and her father’s work with the Jewish Federation. It was through her father’s work that Low attended her first interfaith gathering and embraced her first cause. Her commitment to social justice grew through high school and continues at DU.

“Once you’re an advocate, you never really stop being one; you just move on to a new cause,” Low says. “Social justice work is

about restoring balance and harmony to an unequal world. It is both meaningful and rewarding.”

Growing up in St. Louis, Low attended Jewish Day School, where students as young as 5 took part in Holocaust memorial and educational activities. In fifth grade, she heard testimony from a survivor for the first time.

“My social justice work comes from a secular place,” she says. “I do justice because it’s the right thing to do, but my Jewish roots have certainly acted as a background motivator.”

Under the direction of Sari Havis, lecturer in the Center for Judaic Studies, Low recently was inducted into the new DU chapter of the National Honor Society for Students of Hebrew.

“Wendy is a bright, compassionate and altruistic person,” Havis says. “In my Hebrew classes, as well as in my Israeli studies class, I have found Wendy to be an inquisitive and original thinker, aiming not only to learn the content but to understand it deeply.”

After graduation, Low hopes to work in a field where she can bring scientific innovation to

the public’s attention. “Scientists are not always the best publicists, and a lot of research never makes its way to the public’s hands,” she says, adding that social justice work will always be a big part of her life.

“We are not living in a perfect world, and once aware of the injustices, it is impossible to turn a blind eye,” Low says. “I know that through my actions, I can make a small difference and better my part of the world.”

One to watchWendy Low, biology By Janette Ballard

Courtesy of W

endy Low

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Colorado Women’s College of the University of Denver celebrated its

125th anniversary in November, months after reclaiming its historic name (for many years it was known simply as the Women’s College). We talked with Dean Lynn Gangone about where the CWC stands now—and where it’s headed.

Q Give us a brief overview of your school—a general snapshot of the education you provide to students.A We provide an environment where women who have complex lives, whether they’re 18 or 65, are able to get a University of Denver undergraduate degree. Our students are likely working or caring for someone while immersed as undergraduate students, and we provide a quality education in an environment where who they are as women is really celebrated. Our mission is to educate women to be bold leaders. The data show that women still are not showing up in leadership positions across the country in ways they need to. A Colorado Women’s College education emphasizes the importance of understanding leadership and provides experience leading both in and out of the classroom.

Q Colorado Women’s College has a unique student body; describe your typical student.A We serve women who live and work in Colorado. Demographically, the average age

of our students is 30–31. About 45 to 50 percent identify as women of color, and about 10 percent have immigrated to the U.S. from other countries. A recent initiative is to partner with local high schools to recruit underrepresented students into the college, and I am excited about bringing these young women to CWC.

Q You’ve had a big year with reclaiming your legacy name and celebrating your 125th anniversary. In your view, what do these two milestones mean to the school? To Colorado? A When we were founded in 1888, the city of Denver was growing, and Colorado Women’s College was seen as a place inside the Rocky Mountain region that would have great influence. At that time, most prestigious universities did not admit women; women’s colleges existed to educate women at the level that colleges were educating men. Colorado Women’s College has a strong legacy of attracting women from all over the country, women who sought to distinguish themselves in Colorado with its more open, Western sensibility. With our rich history

behind us, we now need to look to the future to elevate women into leadership roles. We have a deep commitment to making sure educated women understand that it’s not just that they receive the education, it’s what they do with it.

Q Looking forward, what do you see for the Colorado Women’s College over the next 125 years?A One of the things I love about Colorado Women’s College is that it is incredibly resilient and never afraid to change with the times. We’ve created innovative programs and will continue to change to fulfill the demands of the day. The cool thing about a place like Colorado Women’s College is that we exemplify what we ask of our students. We take risks, look at possibility, shift our structure and exercise bold leadership. I have no doubt that at some point CWC will transition again; I don’t know what that will look like, but I’m looking forward to it.

A school of one’s ownDean Lynn Gangone on the past, present and future of Colorado Women’s CollegeInterview by Katie Watt

Wayne Arm

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Wayne Arm

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When she died—in 1981, at the age of 83—costume designer Edith Head was, in show-biz parlance, a tough act to follow.

In her decades-long Hollywood career, Head won a whopping eight Oscars and dressed everyone from Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis to Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve Martin. She worked on more than a thousand films for the industry’s most demanding directors—Joseph Mankiewicz, Billy

Wilder, Sydney Pollack, Alfred Hitchcock.

“What she did was unheard of,” says University of Denver alumna Susan Claassen (BA ’69), citing Head’s accomplishments in what was then male-dominated and studio-controlled Hollywood. “She was an executive woman before there was such a thing.”

An award-winning actress and the managing artistic director of Tucson’s Invisible Theatre, the Arizona-based Claassen also is the turbo force behind “A Conversation With Edith Head,” a one-woman show she has staged all over the world.

Claassen, who studied theater at DU, had long known of Head’s work and reputation when she stumbled upon a television biography of the design diva. It struck her then that she could easily serve as Head’s double—and not just because they both framed their faces with blunt bangs. They also shared an appreciation for

striking, but not exhibitionist, style—Head with her crisp suits and round spectacles, Claassen with her trademark colors. “I wear black, white and red a lot. It’s become a signature,” she says.

It also struck her that Head would make a great

character for an actress to develop, that her inside stories—“She knew everyone’s secrets”—would provide unlimited material for a theatrical romp heavy on wit, wisdom and gossip.

She was right on all counts. What she didn’t know was just how much work it would take to put a script together. She began by reading Head’s two books and her posthumously published autobiography, “Edith Head’s Hollywood,” co-authored with Paddy Calistro. Upon finishing the latter, it occurred to her that the California-based Calistro, a prolific writer, editor and publisher, might have plenty of great material that never saw print.

Claassen tracked down Calistro, who had more than 13 hours of taped material to share. That was combined with archival material from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to provide the backbone of the final script.

The Claassen-Calistro collaboration debuted in 2002 in Tucson as “Sketches: Edith Head’s Hollywood.” Since then, Claassen has taken Edith Head on the road for more than 200 productions—in Hollywood, Chicago and London, of course, but also in Tbilisi, Georgia; Key West, Fla.; and Bartlesville, Okla. In March 2013, she donned her Edith Head persona in Denver as part of the Women+Film Voices Film Festival.

In many ways, Claassen’s time at DU and in Denver provided the perfect preparation for the stamina associated with a one-woman show. Coming to the West from New Jersey, Claassen (then Susan Klein) took to the stage at every opportunity, both on and off campus. Her freshman year, she landed a coveted role in DU’s production of “West Side Story” and went on to reprise the role when the musical was staged at the Bonfils Theater. By the time she graduated, she had performed all over the city and was a member of the Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors.

After moving to Tucson in 1972, Claassen found a home at the Invisible Theatre, known for its staging of classics and its support of new playwrights. Over the years, Claassen has played any number of fascinating women, including Alice B. Toklas in “Gertrude Stein and a Companion” and the title role in another one-woman play, “Shirley Valentine.”

“I have had incredible roles,” she says, “but I don’t necessarily feel like I want to do them again. But I can’t wait to do Edith again.”

Head of HollywoodAlumna pays tribute to a show-biz legend By Tamara Chapman

Courtesy of Tim

Fuller


ARTS CALENDAR

MUSIC(unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts; newmantix.com)

JANUARY12 Faculty Recital: Joseph Galema, organ, 4:30 p.m., $1016 Newman Center Presents Chick Corea and Bela Fleck, “Duets,”

7:30 p.m., SOLD OUT 17 Flo’s Underground: Student jazz ensembles, 5 p.m., free17 Guest artist: The Playground, 7:30 p.m., $1024 Flo’s Underground: Student jazz ensembles, 5 p.m., free29 Lamont Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., free30 Faculty Recital: Richard Slavich, cello, 7:30 p.m., $1031 Flo’s Underground: Student jazz ensembles, 5 p.m., free

FEBRUARY 4 Guest artist: Jerome Rose, piano, 7:30 p.m., $10 6 Tommy Emmanuel with Martin Taylor, 7:30 p.m., $28–$56 7 Flo’s Underground: Student jazz ensembles, 5 p.m., free 7 Lamont Opera presents Opera Scenes, 1:30 p.m., free (ticket required) 7 Lamont Opera presents Opera Scenes, 7:30 p.m., free (ticket required)11 Newman Center Presents “The Miners Hymns,” film by Bill Morrison,

featuring American Contemporary Ensemble and The Denver Brass, 7:30 p.m., $17.50–$55

13 Lamont Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., free, ticket required ($5 reserved seating)14 Flo’s Underground: Student jazz ensembles, 5 p.m., free14 Faculty Recital: Jeremy Reynolds, clarinet, 7:30 p.m., $1014 Newman Center Presents The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University, 7:30 p.m., $10–$2015 Newman Center Presents The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University, 2 p.m., $10–$2023 Newman Center Presents Colorado Symphony featuring Hilary Cole—Tribute to the

Music of Judy Garland, 2 p.m., $20.50–$5526 DU Jazz Faculty Combo, 7:30 p.m., $1028 Artbeat presents “In the Mood,” 1940s big-band theatrical swing dance revue,

2:30 and 7:30 p.m., $16.75–$59.75

MARCH 1 Artbeat presents “In the Mood,” 1940s big-band theatrical swing dance revue,

2:30 and 7:30 p.m., $16.75–$59.75 2 Artbeat presents “In the Mood,” 1940s big-band theatrical swing dance revue,

2:30 p.m., $16.75–$59.75 4 Guest artist: Keith Aleo, percussion, 7:30 p.m., $10 5 Lamont Chorale, Lamont Women’s Chorus, Lamont Men’s Choir, 7:30 p.m., free 6 Newman Center Presents Gabriel Kahane and yMusic, 7:30 p.m., $23–$5512 Lamont Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., free13 Lamont Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., free14 Denver Brass Presents “Ancient Threads: A Celtic Tapestry,” 7:30 p.m., $11–$4415 Denver Brass Presents “Ancient Threads: A Celtic Tapestry,” 7:30 p.m., $11–$4416 Denver Brass Presents “Ancient Threads: A Celtic Tapestry,” 2:30 p.m., $11–$4420 Newman Center Presents Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo,

7:30 p.m., $23–$5522 Sound of the Rockies: “Pirates of the Colorado,” 2 and 7:30 p.m., $19–$29

VISUAL ART(All events take place at the Victoria Myhren Gallery, open noon–5 p.m. daily; free)

JANUARY 9–MARCH 9 “A Decade of Gifts and Discoveries,” featuring donations to DU’s art collections

MARCH 27–MAY 4

“The Female Gaze: Selfhood and Community From the Linda Lee Alter Collection of Art by Women”

THEATERFEBRUARY 12–16

“Big Love,” DU Department of Theatre, Black Box Theatre, Johnson-McFarlane Hall, $10 FEBRUARY 27–MARCH 9

“Dog Act,” DU Department of Theatre, Byron Theatre, Newman Center for the Performing Arts, $10

The Newman Center Presents concert series welcomes pianist, composer and singer Gabriel Kahane to the Newman Center on March 6.


RESEARCH

Undergraduate shares work at prestigious engineering conference

In June, senior mechanical engineering major Justin Hollenbeck attended the American Society of Mechanical Engineering’s 2013 summer bioengineering conference in Sunriver, Ore., where he took second place in the competition for undergraduate conference papers for his work on “Statistical Shape and Alignment Modeling of the Lumbar Spine.”

Working alongside Associate Professor Peter Laz and Professor Paul Rullkoetter at the Center for Orthopaedic Biomechanics in DU’s Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science and funded in part by DU’s Partners in Scholarship, a program that underwrites undergraduate research, Hollenbeck took part in a collaborative project involving Dr. Christopher Cain, an orthopedic surgeon at the Spine Center at University of Colorado Hospital. Cain shared some of his operating room challenges with the DU team, which set to work exploring them.

As a conference presenter, Hollenbeck will see his paper published in the event’s proceedings. With this honor to his credit, he plans to continue his research into spinal implants. That means revisiting the paper with an eye toward publication elsewhere: “We’re trying to make it a little more robust, so we can submit it to the Journal of Biomechanics,” Hollenbeck says. In addition, he recently submitted some of his follow-up work to the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

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Wayne Arm

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It was from her father’s sisters that Elizabeth Escobedo first heard the stories that would inspire her new book, “From Coveralls to Zoot Suits: The Lives of Mexican American Women on the World War II Home Front” (University of North Carolina Press, 2013). With the men off at war, the women found a new sense of liberation. They were working at factory jobs with decent pay, no longer watched over by their brothers when it came to dating and social life.

“My aunts felt incredibly independent during this time period,” says Escobedo, associate history professor at DU. “They were not only contributing money to the family till, but they could spend this money on things that were important to them, like leisure activities—going out to the local dance halls and dancing to the swing, doing the jitterbug.”

It was a social change that affected many Mexican-American women at the time, and their stories are told in Escobedo’s book, which started life as her dissertation at the University of Washington. Ten years in the making, “From Coveralls to Zoot Suits” is based on 40 oral histories, 32 of which she conducted.

“That was the most rewarding part of the project,” she says. “So many of these women would never have thought about themselves as being historically important or as political activists. Every time I would call an elderly Mexican-American woman to talk about her experiences or to set up an interview, inevitably she would say, ‘Well, I really didn’t do much; you should perhaps look for someone else. My wartime experience was nothing out of the ordinary.’

“Of course, if I was able to talk to them, the stories began to flow off their tongues, and it became very clear that nothing could be further from the truth,” Escobedo continues. “These were young women—a portion of the greatest generation that we don’t typically hear about—who found very creative ways to navigate the opportunities and limitations of the second world war and its aftermath.”

Escobedo shared the women’s stories once again on the PBS documentary “Latino Americans,” which aired in fall 2013. “War and Peace,” the episode in which Escobedo appears, aired in September.

In her book and in the documentary, Escobedo examines not only the lives of Mexican-American women during World War II, but how those lives changed once again when the war ended. Between the women working in the defense industry at home and the men fighting abroad, the war marked the first time many Mexican-Americans felt a true sense of belonging in the United States, even though segregation still was the law of the land.

The war also brought Mexican-American women in contact with Caucasian servicemen, leading to increased intermarriage.“Many [women] felt a greater sense of belonging, of their place as American citizens and their need to challenge exclusion in the everyday,”

Escobedo says. “Talking to these individual women, you see the way in which broad social change can happen at a very individual level. It’s not a civil rights movement in the strictest sense of the term—a uniform movement fighting for legal change—but the fact that these young women were taking wartime jobs, earning unprecedented wages, that they were perhaps going against the norms of their family and dating someone outside of the Mexican community—these were pathmakers in their own right.”

Wayne Arm

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From coveralls to zoot suitsHistorian’s new book captures wartime experience of Mexican-American womenBy Greg Glasgow

After the dust had settled and the tears had dried, in the months after the University of Denver men’s lacrosse season ended so discouragingly, coach Bill Tierney could only shake his head, recall-ing how the bitter end unfolded.

“There hadn’t been any pen-alties the whole game,” Tierney says. “Then, to get two right at the end …”

Like Tierney, Pioneers fans may ruminate over the loss against Syracuse last May in the NCAA Semifinals for years to come. DU held a two-goal lead and was not even three minutes away from earning the program’s first berth in the NCAA Champi-onship game when simultaneous penalties on Carson Cannon and Eric Law opened the door for a Syracuse comeback that ended with the Orangemen scoring the winning goal with 20 seconds remaining.

“It was a tough way to end,” Tierney says, “but a few tough minutes at the very end does not at all take away from what these young men accomplished. I couldn’t be more proud of the season they put together.”

Now the trick for Tierney’s Pioneers will be to maintain the lofty status the program has attained nationally. The conference shuffle that has altered the face of DU’s entire athletics department did not bypass the men’s lacrosse program, with the Pioneers set to join the Big East Conference this season. And while DU was forced to say farewell to such decorated seniors as Chase Carraro, Eric Law and Cameron Flint, the Pioneers still boast one of the top goalie tandems in the nation in Ryan LaPlante and Jamie Faus, and Tierney is eager to welcome what is expected to be a dynamic recruiting class.

“We definitely have some quality student-athletes coming in,” Tierney says, “and by joining the Big East, I think we’ll only enrich our profile nationally.”

But don’t just take his word for it. Inside Lacrosse magazine ranked DU’s in-coming class No. 11—the highest rank since Tierney joined the Pioneers in 2009. First-year students Zach Miller, Dallas Bridle

and Max Planning were among the top 100 freshmen the publication ranked.

Tierney is particularly complimentary of Miller: “He has an amazing story; he’s a left-handed Native American from a reser-vation near Buffalo [New York], and I think he’ll go down as one of the best players ever to play here.”

Net gainsLacrosse teams look to build on successes of last seasonBy Pat Rooney and Doug McPherson

Courtesy of D

U Athletics

Courtesy of D

U Athletics


Followers of college tennis will perk up when DU netters are mentioned in 2014. Last year the men’s team upset the No. 15 University of Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament—in the Gators’ own backyard. The men are looking to remain on the national map with robust recruits and resilient returners. Head coach Danny Wes-terman says he has intentionally scheduled tough opponents for early 2014, including the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Ohio State. “I believe it only makes us better,” he says.

Seniors Fabio Biasion and Alex Clinken-beard will lead the squad, and Westerman expects sophomore Henry Craig to “make significant” gains in 2014. “They’re all work-

ing hard and take pride in what we’ve accomplished so far,” he says.

Women’s tennis logged a respectable 18–4 record in 2013. New head coach Christian Thompson, a former standout player at Notre Dame and assistant coach at Yale, has reason for optimism for 2014: New players Maureen Slattery, Sonja Radosevic and Evy Van Genechten are expected to make an immediate impact. “They’re blending in nicely, and I believe they’ll elevate the program,” Thompson says.

Seniors Caroline Schnell and Natalie Dunn should provide leadership; Thompson also added more coaching prowess in assis-tant David Loewenthal. “He has an excellent background and will help players maximize their skills,” Thompson says. “My hope is we can make the DU community proud.”

Eric Hoos starts his 15th season as head coach of the men’s golf team, and despite what he calls a “disappointing” 2013 season, he’s bullish on 2014. He says his four main returners—Oskar Arvidsson, Victor Doka, Arti Edelman and Ole Ramsnes—have all improved by working on the things they needed to work on in the off season.

“It was a tough 2013, so it’s nice to see that they wanted to be better,” Hoos says, adding that two freshmen, Petter Mikalsen and Pat Frodigh, have already added strength to the team.

“They’re all pushing each other to get better, and practices have been more focused. I’m listening to them more and they’re listening to me. Without that communica-tion, you’re not going to get the best from everyone.”

The DU women’s golf team won its 10th conference championship last season, and head coach Lindsay Kuhle (MA ’12) says the goal this season is to be in contention to win in its new conference, the Summit League. That’s doable: The squad’s four underclass-men and two upperclassmen all rank within the top 600 amateurs in the world. Kuhle signed Isabel Southard, a Massachusetts state champ, and Mariell Bruun, who represented Norway in the Girls’ European Team Cham-pionship the last two years. Kuhle says the team won’t see a lot of Summit League teams until the conference championships. “It’ll be fun to see new courses and new teams. We’ll research the courses and get a good idea of what they’ll be like, but we’ll still play our own game.”>>denverpioneers.com

On the ball: Tennis, golf prepare for ’14By Doug McPherson

In women’s lacrosse, head coach Liza Kelly says despite a youthful team (nine freshmen), she’s looking to build on last year’s success. That’ll be a feat. The 2012–13 squad amassed an 18–3 record and earned its first berth into the NCAA tournament, where it won its first round game against Jackson-ville. The team also went undefeated at home and boasted a perfect 8–0 record in conference play, winning the Moun-tain Pacific Sports Federation regular season title.

“It was our best year, but this is probably the most talented group of freshmen I’ve seen, and I expect they’ll make a big impact for us,” Kelly says. “They’re young, but they’re hard-work-ing. I like their enthusiasm; I don’t see them getting complacent.”

The team keeps five playmaking upperclassmen: Jenn Etzel, Annabelle Gilbride, Meredith Harris, Hannah Hook and Jill Remenapp.

All will need to step up as the team faces several top schools in its conference, including the University of Oregon, the University of Southern California and Stanford.

“Stanford, in particular, has been a monkey on our back, and the confer-ence is getting more intense,” Kelly says.

However, DU may have the upper hand come season’s end: the Pioneers will host the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships in May, an honor given to the last regular season conference champ. “I think it’ll be an advan-tage; not many teams want to come here to play at altitude,” Kelly says. “Plus it’s an intimate environ-ment, so it should be exciting.”

UPCOMING PERFORMANCESChick Corea and Béla Fleck, “Duets”Thursday / January 16 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Trey McIntyre ProjectFriday / January 31 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

“The Miners’ Hymns,” a film by Bill MorrisonFeaturing American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), the composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, and The Denver Brass performing the scoreTuesday / February 11 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

The Whiffenpoofs of YaleFriday / February 14 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday / February 15 / 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Gabriel Kahane and yMusicThursday / March 6 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte CarloThursday / March 20 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Paco Peña and Eliot Fisk, Flamenco GuitarsSaturday / April 26 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

“A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald”Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, with Vocalist Kim NazarianSaturday / May 10 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.Sunday / May 11 / 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

The Colorado SymphonyFeaturing Natasha Paremski, piano soloist Wed / Oct 16 / 2013 at 7:30 p.m.Hilary Kole Pays Tribute to the Music of Judy GarlandSun / Feb 23 / 2014 at 2:00 p.m.Beethoven’s Triple Concerto + A Trio of Opera Stars, Andrew Litton, conductor Wed / May 14 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets available at the Newman Center Box OfficeOpen Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Saturday noon - 4 p.m. (Sept.-May only)

2344 E. Iliff Ave. at University and Iliff303-871-7720

www.newmancenterpresents.com

Purchase TicketsSpecial Offer - $10 Off Use code DUPRIDE on ticket purchase page

*Restrictions Apply, not valid on previously

purchased tickets*Not valid for the

Whiffenpoofs of Yale

PANTONE HEXACHROME ORANGE C

PANTONE HEXACHROME MAGENTA C

SEASON20132014&

www.newmancenterpresents.comFREE PARKING AT ALL NEWMAN CENTER PRESENTS EVENTS!

*Artists and dates subject to change

University of Denver Magazine WINTER 2014 23

UPCOMING PERFORMANCESChick Corea and Béla Fleck, “Duets”Thursday / January 16 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Trey McIntyre ProjectFriday / January 31 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

“The Miners’ Hymns,” a film by Bill MorrisonFeaturing American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), the composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, and The Denver Brass performing the scoreTuesday / February 11 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

The Whiffenpoofs of YaleThursday / February 13 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Friday / February 14 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Gabriel Kahane and yMusicThursday / March 6 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte CarloThursday / March 20 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Paco Peña and Eliot Fisk, Flamenco GuitarsSaturday / April 26 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

“A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald”Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, with Vocalist Kim NazarianSaturday / May 10 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.Sunday / May 11 / 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

The Colorado SymphonyFeaturing Natasha Paremski, piano soloist Wed / Oct 16 / 2013 at 7:30 p.m.Hilary Kole Pays Tribute to the Music of Judy GarlandSun / Feb 23 / 2014 at 2:00 p.m.Beethoven’s Triple Concerto + A Trio of Opera Stars, Andrew Litton, conductor Wed / May 14 / 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets available at the Newman Center Box OfficeOpen Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Saturday noon - 4 p.m. (Sept.-May only)

2344 E. Iliff Ave. at University and Iliff303-871-7720

www.newmancenterpresents.com

Purchase TicketsSpecial Offer - $10 Off Use code DUPRIDE on ticket purchase page

*Restrictions Apply, not valid on previously

purchased tickets*Not valid for the

Whiffenpoofs of Yale

PANTONE HEXACHROME ORANGE C

PANTONE HEXACHROME MAGENTA C

SEASON20132014&

www.newmancenterpresents.comFREE PARKING AT ALL NEWMAN CENTER PRESENTS EVENTS!

*Artists and dates subject to change

du-magazine-ad.indd 1 12/2/13 11:44 AM

Join us for the

University’s 150th anniversary celebrationIt took many decades for the University of Denver to become the school it is today, but the institution

has its roots in 1864, when the Colorado Seminary—as the University was chartered—was founded by John Evans and a group of prominent Denver citizens. Evans previously had founded Northwestern University in Chicago and wanted to create a college in Denver so future generations of students would not have to travel back east for their higher education.

Over the coming year, the University will celebrate its sesquicentennial with a variety of events and exhibits, including an expansive “Tradition and Legacy” exhibit at the Anderson Academic Commons and special versions of campus traditions such as Winter Carnival, Founders Day, Homecoming and Family Weekend and Alumni Symposium.

A schedule of major sesquicentennial events appears on pages 24–25; check out du.edu/udenver150 for a complete—and constantly updated—list of anniversary events including athletics games, concerts, speakers and more.

>> du.edu/udenver150

Sesquicentennial!Happy



JOIN US FOR THESE SESQUICENTENNIAL EVENTS

January 13–December 24“TRADITION AND LEGACY,” ANDERSON ACADEMIC COMMONS — Mixing artifacts and video clips with text and archival photographs, this interactive exhibit shows how aspiration and vision came to animate the DU experience. Individual displays focus on everything from athletics and recreation to campus life, Homecoming festivities to Commencement traditions.

Beginning January 281864 SERVICE CHALLENGE — Whether working on a University-sanctioned service project or volunteering in their own communities, Pioneers will be asked to log their service hours as we aim for a combined total of 186,400 hours in honor of the University’s founding in 1864.

January 31–February 2WINTER CARNIVAL — This year, alumni, parents and friends are invited to join students, faculty and staff for the annual Winter Carnival at Keystone. Alumni Relations will host an après ski party and an alumni ice skating event. Discounted lift tickets and accommodations will be available. Register at alumni.du.edu/wintercarnival

February 25BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE: “AFTER THE GOLD RUSH,” NEWMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS — History Professor Susan Schulten will talk about the creation of the Colorado Territory in 1861 and it how it connects to the founding of the University of Denver. Register at du.edu/bridges

February 28–March 51864 WEEK — This year the University’s birthday celebration will encompass an entire week. Festivities will include special celebrations, speakers and academic events on campus for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

March 5 SPRING SPOTLIGHT EVENTFOUNDERS DAY GALA — This special celebration of the University’s 150th birthday will feature a multimedia presentation on our rich history and traditions. Honorees from previous years will be recognized for their impact on the University’s past, present and future.

Register at alumni.du.edu/foundersdaygala

1864 1884 1890 1892 1925

Highlights From Our History

1958

The University, operating as the Colorado Seminary, is granted a charter by the Colorado Territorial Legislature.

John Hipp becomes the University’s first graduate.

The cornerstone is laid for University Hall, the first building on the University Park campus.

The University of Denver College of Law opens its doors.

DU stages its first Homecoming celebration.

The Pioneers hockey team wins its first championship.

}}}}}}

Pull outand save this

special sesquicentennial

guide

Share your DU memoriesThe University of Denver Magazine is looking for alumni writers to share their memories of campus, favorite professors and more for our upcoming sesquicentennial issues. Interested writers can email editor Greg Glasgow at [email protected].


Televised HistoryAs part of its “Colorado Experience” documentary series, Rocky Mountain PBS, Channel 6 in Denver, will explore the intersection of University of Denver history and city of Denver history in a program scheduled to debut in February and repeat throughout the year.

1964 1970 2000 2012 2014}

June 6–7COMMENCEMENT WEEK — The annual Commencement ceremony will be expanded to include a senior barbecue and other events that celebrate the time that seniors and graduate students have spent on campus. The week also includes two days of activities for the Class of 1964’s 50th reunion.

Summer (dates TBA)SUMMER CONCERT SERIES — A family-friendly, free concert series featuring a variety of musical styles will take place on campus in July and August.

September (date TBA)DENVER 150 FESTIVAL AND CRIMSON CLASSIC — The inaugural Crimson Classic 5K on campus in September 2013 drew more than 200 participants. The race—which is open to alumni—will occur again in 2014 as a companion event to the Denver 150 Festival, an afternoon of music, food and fun on Driscoll Green.

October 30–November 2 FALL SPOTLIGHT EVENTHOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND, ALL-CLASS REUNION AND PIONEER SYMPOSIUM — The annual celebration will be enhanced for DU’s sesquicentennial year, with an all-class reunion, inductions into the Athletics Hall of Fame, lifelong learning opportunities, special guest speakers, parent sessions,

Taste of DU, campus tours and Pioneers hockey games against powerhouse Boston College.Preregister at alumni.du.edu/150thsavethedate

Get Connected!Visit du.edu/udenver150The new sesquicentennial website, launching Jan. 7, uses LinkedIn.com technology and databases to connect the entire University of Denver community—alumni, students, faculty, staff and parents—on a personal and professional level.

The new site also lets you:• Check out an interactive DU timeline

and share your own stories• View and RSVP for the full list of

sesquicentennial events• Look at historic campus maps and

photos• Enroll in the 1864 Service Challenge

The University’s history is filled with firsts and important dates. Here are some notable events from the institution’s first 150 years.

The Graduate School of International Studies is founded by Josef Korbel.

Students protest the Kent State/Jackson State killings and the continuing Vietnam War with Woodstock West, a shantytown on campus.

The College of Business is renamed in honor of Bill Daniels.

The University’s 17 varsity teams begin competing in the newly opened Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness.

The University hosts the first presidential debate of the 2012 campaign in Magness Arena.

DU celebrates 150 years of educating visionaries and serving the public good.

1994 } } }}}


Law school alum Troy Walker takes comedy seriously By Doug McPhersonPhotography by Wayne Armstrong

Jokes about lawyers are well-documented. Jokes from lawyers—that’s a different story. Actually, that’s this story. Meet Troy Walker (JD ’11), a lawyer who tells jokes—for a living.

He’d been joking around long before he entered the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2008.

“I’ve liked doing comedy since fifth grade or so,” Walker says. “I used to love sketch shows and stand-up when I was a kid. I remember re-enacting scenes from ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.’”

By his junior year at Denver’s South High, he was serious enough to call comedy clubs and offer his services. “They all said I had to be 21, so the dream was deferred for a while.”

Not long after his 21st birthday, he performed at his first open-mic at the Squire Lounge on East Colfax Avenue. It didn’t go well.

“It was an unmitigated disaster,” Walker says. “I did about five minutes, got laughs from about 10 people in a room of around 80 and was promptly forgotten by those same people, but only after the host made fun of how bad I was. I thought I did great, though, and I was definitely coming back. I’ve been doing it ever since.”

The gigs have gotten better since then: Walker is a regular at Denver’s two Comedy Works clubs; in summer 2011 he performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison as part of a Film on the Rocks event; and in April 2012 he was part of a group of Denver comedians who traveled to the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, Ore.

Jesterwith a JD

So how did this jester end up with a JD? Well, in between those calls to comedy clubs, Walker also took a business law class at South High. “I really liked it. I had a good time with it.”

Enough that when he entered Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2003, he “took every law course” offered there. “I loved those classes,” he says. “Some of my professors suggested I think about law school.”

Since graduating from Sturm in 2011, Walker has taken some part-time law gigs for daytime work, but he’s putting most of his effort into comedy. Walker says he finds the two fields similar and complementary.

“Both are heavily focused on thought and viewing all angles. To write a good joke, you have to look at a premise every way possible. And with a good legal argument, you have to see all sides to get the best line of argument for your client. Law school made me a better comic, and comedy has made me a better public speaker.”

He’s even found comedy useful, especially in the high-stress world of law. “If you can make people around you laugh, it makes it easy to make friends, defuse situations, and deflect social criticism and pressures,” he says. “Making people laugh is a good time.”

While at DU, Walker interned in the Denver District Attorney’s office and liked it. “I believe prosecutors have an opportunity to do a tremendous amount of good. Also, the courtroom is a blast.”

>>Follow Troy Walker on Twitter: @TroyWalkeresq


W

Assistant Professor Mohammad Mahoor

with NAO


By Tamara ChapmanPhotography by Wayne Armstrong

A year ago, when her son Bobby, now 10, was first diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Jamie Lee wasn’t surprised. “By age 2, he didn’t crawl,” she recalls. “And there were other developmental issues.”

Although she wasn’t taken aback by the diagnosis, she was daunted by the parenting hurdles sure to lie ahead. After all, children with ASD not only learn differently than their neurotypical counterparts, they tend to struggle socially. When it’s customary to make eye contact, they often gaze elsewhere. When a smile would be appropriate, they may deliver a scowl. And when a playmate communicates frustration via a facial expression, autistic children often don’t recognize the signal, responding with behavior that makes matters worse.

Although Bobby has been far more socially successful than many children with ASD, he still faces challenges. “He has a few close friends, but not a lot,” Lee says. “He doesn’t necessarily connect with a lot of his peers.”

Tech-savvy research team aims to help kids with autism disorders.

hy NAO? W


But Bobby does connect with a personable playmate named NAO, the remote-controlled star of an interdisciplinary faculty-student-robot research team based out of the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science. Led by Mohammad Mahoor, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, the team is conducting a pilot study exploring whether humanoid robots like NAO can improve social and communication skills in children with ASD.

“You may ask, why a robot? Why not a human?” Mahoor says. “Humans are very overwhelming for kids with autism.”

Toys with technology, on the other hand, are downright accessible. As team member and psychology major Sophia Silver notes, “A lot of kids on the spectrum like mechanical things.”

And with the 23-inch-tall NAO, there’s plenty to like. “He can walk, talk and dance,” Mahoor says. He can also direct autistic children in a host of activities designed to improve their recognition of facial expressions and to help them cast their gaze appropriately. Using his four microphones and two cameras, NAO not only plays with the kids, he records essential data about each study participant—everything from the duration and frequency of their direct gazes to the range of their facial expressions. And when the kids succeed, NAO can even enlist them in a celebratory high-five.

For autistic kids, these accomplishments are something to celebrate. As Mahoor notes, “These are the bases of human sociability.”

For his part, Bobby considers NAO an approachable playmate with a delightful gift of gab. “He asks a lot of questions; he talks back,” Bobby says of NAO. “I kind of like it.” What’s more, his 9-year-old brother, Jorian, who often comes along for Bobby’s dates with NAO, is a fan, too. The robot gives the brothers a common interest, in addition to

animals and dinosaurs. (“I’ve been really interested in robots since the first grade,” Jorian explains.)

“They’ve been just ecstatic [about playing with NAO],” Lee says of her sons. “They’re boys, and they like to push buttons. Anything that moves and isn’t quite human fascinates them.”

The autism/robot project is one of several research initiatives led by Mahoor, an expert in visual pattern recognition, social robot design and bioengineering. With this project, he aims to build on studies pointing to the therapeutic potential of robots for the ASD population.

To date, Mahoor’s study has enlisted 24 participants, ages 7 to 17, who, over the

course of six months, come to a University experiment room every two weeks for 30-minute sessions with NAO. Mahoor hopes to work with up to 50 children with high-functioning autism in this two-year study, scheduled to conclude in another year—if he can find the funding to sustain the project.

Made by Aldebaran Robotics of France, NAO is programmed, scripted and operated by members of the DU research team. Huanghao Feng, a graduate student in computer engineering, has been with the project from the beginning. Initially, he joined the team to learn more about the newfangled NAO, but the project has also taught him a lot about working with autistic

NAO tasks study participants with identifying varied facial expressions.


children. When they don’t respond to the robot or when their attention wavers, he repeats the robot’s requests or helps them stay on task.

One of the activities incorporates a handful of small beanbags, each sporting a photo of a person demonstrating an expression—happiness, perhaps, or sadness or anger. The child is asked to find, and show NAO, the toy with the angry face, or the happy face. This exercise helps participants identify the emotions attached to facial expressions—a skill, Silver says, that will serve them well.

“If kids can’t identify that another child is angry, they’ll get in more fights. They’ll have trouble making friends,” she explains.

Other exercises, Mahoor notes,

work on what is known as joint

attention—in other words, shared focus on an object. NAO may, for example, ask the child to follow his gaze to, say, a line of boxes. “I have kids who are able to follow what NAO asks them to do. ‘Look at that object or pick up that object.’ Then NAO gives them a hug or a candy, a reward,” Mahoor says.

These moments of triumph are captured on NAO’s microphones and cameras, as are the duration of direct gazes and the frequency of gaze shifts. “After the sessions,” Feng says, “I go back to the lab and process all the data.”

Preliminary findings suggest that NAO is helping some of the children maintain a direct gaze for longer periods. The robot also is helping some parents better understand their child’s developmental progress.

For example, Bobby’s experiences with NAO have helped Lee learn about his social awareness and social skills. “It verified that he is very high-functioning,” she explains. Bobby’s interactions with NAO also empowered her to educate his teachers about his abilities and to direct his therapist toward his bigger challenges. “It really gave me the confidence to tell the therapist we’re working with, ‘No, we don’t need to work on that. We need to work on this.’”

Robots bring another advantage to a research team intent on repeating

exercises and measuring data over time, Mahoor says. Robot interactions can be conducted precisely the same way again and again. That simply wouldn’t be possible with a human, who might introduce a new variable into a game or conversation.

It’s too soon to know just how effective robots can be. Not every child engages with them, but Feng

and Silver have witnessed significant progress in several children. Take the case of one nonverbal little

boy. “At the beginning,” Feng says, “he was completely scared of the robot. But after several sessions, he hugged the robot and kissed the robot. He even came up and hugged me.”

Silver takes equal pleasure in such developments. “To see them excited about something is fun,” she says. “And it is really liberating for their parents as well.”


95to


There’s no doubt University of Denver students learn a lot in the classroom. But savvy students know that taking that classroom experience into the real world is a great way to boost a resumé and to explore career options.

Students look for internships in a variety of ways, but many utilize DU’s Office of Career Services, which maintains a list of internship opportunities. It also offers a limited number of awards each summer so students can take unpaid internships without having to juggle a second job on the side.

“Many students work at summer jobs to earn money rather than take internships that would further their career development,” says John Haag, internship director in DU’s Career Center. “The awards allow deserving students to intern in situations that matter to their future.”

A special committee chooses students they expect to grow professionally and personally throughout the course of the internship, explains Ruth Prochnow, who runs the award program. More than 50 students apply each year.

Erin Husi, a senior environmental science and international studies double major, was one of last year’s award recipients. She used the money to pay bills while she worked an unpaid internship at Sprout City Farms, a Denver-based nonprofit that cultivates urban farms on underutilized land. She encourages her fellow students to follow her lead.

“Don’t be afraid to look for what you really want to do,” she says. “My biggest fear in life is settling. So many students settle [with their internships] and take what they can get. Doing what you love to do is priceless. Make it happen, and it’s totally worth it. Doing an awesome unpaid internship is so much better than doing something paid that you’re miserable in.”

The internship program is a “win-win for both the student and for the organization,” Prochnow notes. Students have worked in locations ranging from Denver and Duluth, Minn., to Kuwait and Kenya. “It gives them much better focus on where they do or do not want to take their careers,” she says.

Not to mention giving them an edge in a tough job market that’s making internships more desirable than ever. Students with internship experience “undeniably” are more employable when they graduate, Prochnow says. “Internships are the new entry-level jobs.”

We talked to Husi and four other students who took internships in summer 2013—here’s a look at their experiences, in their own words.

Summer InternshipsGive Students a TasteOf The Working LifeBy Greg Glasgow and Helena Barrera


Intern:Alex Shefrin, sophomore international business major

Employer:The office of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

What he did:I worked in the Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships. They do a lot of the homeless initiatives and work with kids and stuff like that. There’s a nonprofit in Denver called Concerts for Kids that puts on an event every year on the 16th Street Mall called the Denver Day of Rock, and they wanted some data analysis on it. I was the only business student, so I got that project. Basically, I had to go to all of the restaurants up and down the mall and look at their numbers—how many more people came in that day—and any business suggestions that they had, ways they could improve the Denver Day of Rock so it could be better next year.

What he liked:Almost everything I learned at Daniels I was able to apply during this internship. It really drove home the point of how much I actually like business. On the Denver Day of Rock project, I gave them two or three pages of advice and they just wanted numbers. They called me back and said, “This is awesome; you’re doing way more than what we asked for.” That was a highlight of the summer.

Intern:

Erin Husi, senior environmental science and international studies double major

Employer:

Sprout City Farms, a Denver-based nonprofit that cultivates urban farms on underutilized land, rooting community farms in the city and bringing good food to neighborhoods

What she did:I interned at Sprout City Farms’ acre of land located behind the Denver Green School. I worked 20 hours a week doing farm maintenance and marketing and planning and coordinating events. For instance, we had a “weed dating” event where people got to meet like-minded people while weeding our beds. It was very cute. I made the posters and helped set up. I also helped teach kids about gardening.

What she liked:I love being outside. I learned so much about plants and farming. I love watching kids getting engaged. I had a high school boy in the garden with me, and he had a revelation that the garden could feed a whole community. I love witnessing that kind of breakthrough, where someone becomes passionate about this.

Her dream job:I want to work in urban development. I want to integrate farms into urban planning for sustainability and aesthetic reasons. I might work through the city or through a private development company. It was important to me to work in a farm now because I didn’t want to be telling people to farm if I hadn’t been a farmer myself.

Wayne Armstrong Wayne Armstrong


Intern:Tory Rust, senior strategic communications major

Employer:Fashion Denver, an organization that helps local designers build networks, create business relationships and share their passion for fashion

What she did:I helped run the Fashion Denver Facebook page, designed work for posters, took and edited photos and helped plan events. I worked with the owner to support her work at fashion shows, product launches and other projects.

What she liked:I loved the people I got to meet—up-and-coming designers, people who have quit their day jobs to do what they want to do. It’s useful to see someone who runs her own business. I work well on my own, so I have a good role model for my future.

Intern:Aspen Matthews, senior management major

Employer:Save the Manatee Club, a Florida-based national nonprofit and membership-based organization that aims to protect endangered manatees and their aquatic habitat

What she did:I worked under the staff biologist and the director of development. They had just installed webcams to watch manatees, so I categorized manatee behaviors, and I edited the clips to be used for educational and promotional purposes. I also helped with donor outreach and renewal letters.

What she liked:I loved knowing I was making a difference by promoting awareness about an endangered species and the need for habitat protection. On a professional level, I participated in all of the components that go into making a nonprofit successful—research, financials and reaching out to donors and members. I had the opportunity to see the whole picture instead of just the end product.

Her dream job:I’d like to be executive director of a nonprofit with an environmental mission. In this internship I definitely saw what it takes to run a nonprofit. I also got insights into employee relationships and how to manage people.

Wayne Armstrong Wayne Armstrong Courtesy of Aspen Matthews


Intern:Katie Turley, senior vocal performance major

Employer:Inspire Creative, a nonprofit theater company in Parker, Colo.

What she did:I worked two shows with Inspire: “Aladdin,” a kids’ production, and an adult production of “The Producers.” I had a couple of roles throughout my internship, one of which was to be part of the stage crew. I was responsible for moving set pieces and props for each scene change with the help of other crew members. My main role, however, was prop master for “The Producers.” I was in charge of collecting all of the props for the show. At first glance all of the things on my list seemed easy enough to find, but a couple of items sent me all over Denver and in and out of many Goodwill stores and other thrift shops.

What she liked:It was a blast working with so many talented actors and such a dedicated crew. “The Producers” was such a fun show to be a part of, and it presented many challenges for everyone involved, which made us all work together day after day to produce an amazing show.

Wayne Arm

strong

University of Denver Magazine CONNECTIONS 37

ConnectionsAlumni

This photo of the DU Foreign Car Club appeared in the 1958 Kynewisbok. The accompanying

text noted that the club had been founded two years prior and was one of the most active

organizations on campus, holding monthly events such as picnics, tours, rallies, gymkhanas, auto-

crosses, racing movies and guest speakers. Pictured, left to right, are John Stevenson, Russ Poley,

Frank Nilson, Kay Herbold, Fred Gieskieng, Ron Hill, Bob Herbold, Bruce Ware, Don Culbertson,

a woman identified only as “E. J.,” Dick Marshall, Norm Eno, Bruce Harlow, Judy Warner and

Don Bornhart.

Do you have memories to share about clubs at DU? Email [email protected].


1941Jack Detrick (BSCHE ’41) of Lakewood, Colo., has returned to his home state after 72 years on the East Coast. Now retired, Jack received a master’s degree in chemical engi-neering from the University of Cincinnati in 1942 and was employed by the DuPont Co. in New Jersey for 40 years. Jack worked in research labs in various DuPont plants in New Jersey, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Indiana.

1951Stanley Davies Jr. (BS ’51, MBA ’58) of Longmont, Colo., is a longtime volunteer at Longmont United Hospital. A veteran of the Korean War, Stanley took part in the Honor Flight

of Northern Colorado on May 5, 2013. The trip from Denver to Washington, D.C., honored veterans of Korea, Vietnam and World War II.

1959Deanna Rose Leino (BSBA ’59, MBA ’67) of Wheat Ridge, Colo., is retired after more than 18 years with the Department of Labor, where she worked first as a clerical assistant then as a technician. Over the years Deanna also worked for Franklin Supply, Joslins department store and Jefferson High School, where she taught business from 1959–93. Deanna has volunteered for the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado, Denver Lyric Opera Guild and the American Heart Asso-ciation, among others. She enjoys playing cards, getting involved in activities at the senior center, spending time with family and attending concerts.

James Smith (BSBA ’59) was inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis., as a legendary communica-tor. James has been an outdoor writer and wildlife photographer

for a number of years. Before he retired he had his own real estate office in Denver for 35 years. James and his wife, Lynda, are retired and live in Peoria, Ariz.

The classes1961

Thomas Drabek (BA ’61) of Denver in fall 2013 addressed a plenary session at the annual meeting of the International Emergency Management Association in Reno, Nev. Afterward, Thomas signed copies

of the second edition of his book “The Human Side of Disaster” (CRC Press, 2013). Thomas is professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

1963Marlow Ediger (EdD ’63) has articles forthcoming in Reading Improvement, The College Student Journal, The Missouri Association of Secondary Schools Principals’ Messenger and the Wisconsin Mathematics Teacher. Marlow co-authored “Teaching Social Studies,” a university textbook published by Discovery Publishing House. He was reappointed as a member of the external examination committee to appraise PhD theses for Alagappa University and Nagarjuna University in India.

1965Bud Jones (BME ’65) of Eketahuna, New Zealand, was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in the New Zealand Queen’s Birthday Honours on June 3, 2013. Bud was honored for outstanding achieve-ments in arboretum and wetland creation, environmental protection and wildlife conservation; service to professional music and performance; and service to secondary and tertiary music education. Bud and his wife, Elizabeth Jones, own Pokai Parera Farms, where Bud has created wetland wildlife habitat including five large lakes and 21 smaller ponds. Bud also has a long career as a musician, including 39 years as sub-principal percussion with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and 22 years as artist teacher with the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University.

1970Cheryl Miller (CWC ’70) is president and CEO of New Products Corp., a die-cast

manufacturer founded by her grandfather Walter Miller in Benton Harbor, Mich.

1971John Crafts (BA ’71) of Laconia, N.H., is a com-mercial real estate appraiser. His research study “Tax Abatement Issues That Impact Lim-ited-Market and Special-Purpose

Properties” was published in the Appraisal Journal. This is the third manuscript John has nationally published since founding Crafts Appraisal Associates in 1978. In 1998 he received a national award for his research.

Thomas Ramey Watson (BA ’71) of High-lands Ranch, Colo., published a fictionalized memoir, “Baltho, The Dog Who Owned a Man.” Thomas is a psychotherapist, personal coach and professor of English.

1972Doug Brittin (BA ’72) is secretary general at the Inter-national Air Cargo Association (TIACA) in Miami. Prior to TIACA, he served for six years in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Secu-

rity Administration (TSA) air cargo office, where he was air cargo division director, based at TSA headquarters in Arlington, Va. In that position, he was responsible for global air cargo security policy, supply chain vulnerability assessments, technology devel-opment and industry engagement programs.

Owen Dowling (BA ’72) married Anne Schmidt on Sept. 14, 2013, at St. Luke Church in River Forest, Ill.

Carol Sams Van Gorp (BA ’72) and David Van Gorp (BA ’72) of Lake Worth, Fla., celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary Sept. 12. They met the first day of school at DU in 1968, and their first date was to hear


Chancellor Maurice Mitchell address the first-year class. Carol is CEO of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches in Florida.

1973Neil Ladsten (MA ’73) of Duluth, Minn., completed his DU course work and research while serving in the 19th Military Police Corps at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. After an honorable discharge from the Army in

1973, Neil worked at the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 1969–95 as an instructor, wrestling coach, assistant football coach, strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer. From 1996–2005, he worked at Lake Superior College in Duluth as an instructor and wellness center direc-tor. In 2010, Neil was inducted into the Minnesota State and National Wrestling Association’s Hall of Fame. Now retired, Neil lives with his wife, Colleen, and family dog, Otto.

1975Patricia (Rascher) Catacalos (MA ’75)

of Clayton, N.J., has written 13 historical romances available as ebooks on Amazon, SmashWords and Barnes & Noble. Her novel “Hypnotic Love” won fourth place in a Romance Writers of America contest.

1977James Goldsmith (BSBA ’77) of Shaker Heights, Ohio, was named to The Best Lawyers in America 2014. James works for Ulmer & Berne.

Ann Heath (BA ’77) is a physician at Presbyterian Medical Services in Grants, N.M. Ann received her medical degree from the University of Illinois in Rockford and completed her residency in family practice at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Presbyterian Medical Services, Ann worked for 15 years as a medical director on the Ramah Navajo Reservation in Pine Hill, N.M.

Mark Junkert (BM ’77) of Boise, Idaho, is in his sixth season with Opera Idaho.

Food and cooking always have played a role in Gene Tang’s life. He has fond memories of growing up in Hong Kong, where his parents ran a boutique hotel and restaurant.

“I was reared in the hospitality business,” he says.

Tang (BSBA ’71, MBA ’75) says he learned early on that the core value of a restaurant is to “treat everyone with respect. Taking that extra step to personalize each guest’s service was ingrained into me during my childhood.”

The Tangs immigrated to Chicago with the coming of Chinese rule to Hong Kong, and Tang attended the prestigious University of Chicago Lab School.

Tang could have chosen many other elite colleges, but when he learned about some professors leaving Michigan State to teach at the University of Denver, he decided to give it a look.

“I fell in love with the school, the city and Colorado’s casual, friendly vibe early on,” he says.After graduating, he stayed in Denver and ended up building six successful restaurants,

including Cafe Potpourri, the Green House Restaurant and Oscar Bar and Grill. “They were successful enough that I seriously considered retirement,” he says.But he was lured back into the business in 1997, when he had a chance to buy the property at

1515 Market St. in Denver. “I could see the possibilities,” he says. That same year, he opened 1515 Restaurant, spotlighting modern American cuisine with

advanced techniques. “We combine molecular gastronomy with basic French technique,” Tang says. The restaurant has taken home many honors, including a spot on Channel 7’s A-list,

OpenTable.com’s Diner’s Choice Award, Colorado Environmental Leadership’s gold-level award and a three-diamond rating from AAA. Its wine list (more than 450 bottles) has been awarded Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” since 2001.

But of all the accolades, Tang says his proudest moment came in 2010, when he and his team were invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York, a distinct honor in cooking circles. Tang explains the James Beard House only invites the top chefs to show off their skills.

“Cooking at James Beard House,” he says, “is like going to the Academy Awards for the restaurant business.”

Tang credits DU for giving him a foundation for his success in restaurants. “I learned how to live and deal with many types of people, and I made many lifelong, dear

friends,” he says. “That’s priceless.”>> 1515restaurant.com

— Doug McPherson

ProfileRESTAURATEUR Gene Tang

Wayne Arm

strong


1981Julie Simon (BA ’81) is an associate professor in the University of Baltimore’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences. She recently directed “The President’s Cup,” a documen-tary about a high school baseball tournament in Baltimore.

1983Karen Ashby (JD ’83) of Denver was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to serve as a judge for the Colorado Court of Appeals. Karen previously was presiding judge of Denver Juvenile Court. Before her appointment to the juvenile court, she served as a judge on the Aurora Municipal Court, as a public defender in Denver and as a solo practitioner.

Nancy Girard (MA ’83, JD ’83) is commis-sioner of the city of Boston’s Environment Department, where she will lead efforts to protect the city’s built and natural environ-ments and oversee policies and programs on environmental issues affecting Boston, including climate action, historic sites, buildings, landscapes and waterways. Nancy previously was director, vice president and senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation’s New Hampshire Advocacy Center. She also worked for the State of New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Department.

Elaine Smith (MA ’83) of Middleburg, Fla., is a playwright, actor and director. Her adaptation of Edith Wharton’s “The Looking Glass” was produced by the Wharton Salon in August 2013 at the Mount, Wharton’s home in Lenox, Mass. Elaine’s original play,

Sharyn Udall (BA ’66) examines the inter-section of dance and visual art in “Dance and American Art: A Long Embrace” (University of Wisconsin Press, 2012). Illustrated with work by artists such as Winslow Homer, George Caleb Bingham, Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler and Alexander Calder, the book explores how and why visual artists are often drawn to the motion and personalities of dance.

“I have come to believe that dance, like visual art, is capable of bestowing, guarding, and conveying deep cultural meaning,” Udall writes in her introduction. “Within their own disciplines, dance historians already know that capability, as do art historians. Still, in writing the present volume I have concluded that the intertwined history of American art and dance is even more revealing, more visually complex, more culturally nuanced, and more interesting than has yet been acknowledged by historians of either dance or art.”

Focusing her research on the 19th and 20th centuries, Udall takes close looks at African-American dance and art—everything from the Harlem Renaissance to Josephine Baker—as well as the way dance was reflected in works by Romantic and modern artists, in painting, sculpture, photography and more. Among the more compelling works featured are Archibald Motlet Jr.’s “Nightlife” (1943), a colorful, lively piece depicting a night in a Chicago jazz club, and Man Ray’s “The Rope Dancer Accompanies Herself With Her Shadows” (1916), a Dada painting inspired by a vaudeville performance.

The book also includes examples of artworks featuring famous dancers, including paint-ings and sculptures of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova from the early 1900s and photographs of Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham.

—Greg Glasgow

BOOK BIN Dance and American Art: A Long Embrace

Originally hired as executive director, Mark was given the title of general director in 2011. He is responsible for all artistic and business aspects of Idaho’s only year-round, profes-sional opera company.

1978Leslie Fields (BA ’78, JD ’81) of Denver was listed among the top women litigators in the United States by Benchmark Litigation’s 2013 edition of Top 250 Women in Litigation. Leslie is a partner at Faegre Baker Daniels.

David Sniffen (BA ’78) of Sparta, N.J., received a Department of Army Com-mander’s Award for Civilian Service for “exemplary service” while assigned as a social science intelligence specialist to a human terrain team in Afghanistan from July 2012 to May 2013. David was embedded as a Depart-ment of Army civilian social scientist and foreign security combat adviser.

1979Wes Howard (JD ’79) of Denver was named visiting lecturer at the law school of the Pan American University, Guadalajara campus, in Jalisco, Mexico. Wes teaches classes on U.S. laws potentially affecting Mexicans making investments in U.S. companies. Wes continues his law practice in the Greenwood Village firm of Benjamin, Bain, Howard & Cohen, where he focuses on business, com-mercial and real estate litigation, arbitration and representation.

Barbara Yee (MA ’79, PhD ’82) of Honolulu is a professor and chair of the Department of Family and Con-sumer Sciences at the University of Hawaii at

Manoa. Barbara was awarded the American Psychological Association’s James Jones Life-time Achievement Award during the organi-zation’s recent national meeting in Honolulu. A fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America, Barbara has served on the National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health, chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee of Novartis International and served on com-mittees for several professional organizations. She has served on editorial boards for several academic journals and is associate editor for the Journal of Asian American Psychology.


“Angels and Ministers of Grace Defend Us,” is scheduled for production in 2014 at New Jersey Repertory Co.

1986Robert Novick (BS ’86) of Denver is manag-ing partner at enVision Business Consulting, which delivers customized business solutions for commercial, government and nonprofit organizations. Inc. magazine ranked enVision No. 335 on its 32nd annual Inc. 500|5000, a ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

1987Cathy Towne Horvath (BME ’87) of Den-ver is a self-employed writer and massage therapist. She recently published her first mystery novel, “Chloe and the Lighthouse.”

1988Geoff Mulligan (MCIS ’88) of Colorado Springs, Colo., was selected to serve as a Presidential Innovation Fellow working for the White House Office

of Science and Technology Policy and the National Institute for Standards and Technol-ogy on the development of cyber-physical systems and the Internet of things. Geoff, his wife, Jessica, his daughter Katie (BA ’07) and his daughter Jenna were invited to the White House for his induction ceremony.

1989Annie Dawid (PhD ’89) of Westcliffe, Colo., won the 2012 Orlando Award for Flash Fiction from the A Room of One’s Own Foundation, the 2012 Dana Award for the Essay and the 2013 Northern Colorado Writers Award for Nonfiction. Annie taught fiction at the 2012 Taos Summer Writers Conference at the University of New Mexico and taught in fall 2013 at the Castle Rock Writers Conference.

1990Brett Wery (MA ’90, MFA ’90) of Sche-nectady, N.Y., is a professor in the music school at Schenectady County Community College. He received the 2013 SUNY Chan-cellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. Brett has created

ProfileARTIST Joe Riche

It had to be. Joe Riche (MFA ’00) becoming an artist, that is. At age 4 he was already grasping some of the finer points of art—at his grandmother’s house.

She had a small replica sculpture of the Greek goddess Venus—you know, without the arms.

“I remember thinking that without the arms it didn’t have to be a human figure; it could be whatever I brought to it,” Riche explains.

From there he discovered more about art growing up in New Orleans, but he says he never understood it could be a career until his first few days in college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

“I remember wandering into the art and design facilities and instantly knew that was my path,” Riche says.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Lafayette, Riche began researching graduate programs outside of the South. “I liked DU’s studio and equipment specs,” he says. “That was extremely important, because I was focusing on sculpture.”

As he was finishing his degree at DU, Riche made a grand entry onto the art scene with “The Motoman Project,” a series of performances around the United States that featured huge radio-controlled jet engines and spewing flamethrowers. Riche describes the project as a way to “counteract the synthetic bubble that most people live in.”

At the same time, Riche began making a name for himself and changing the face of Denver. One of his projects, “Trade Deficit,” is a trio of sculptures along Broadway at Lawrence, Larimer and Blake streets made from colorful metal shipping containers.

But that’s just part of Riche’s story. Making his own art was the start of something much bigger: his own sculpture production studio in Denver that produces and installs monumental public-art sculptures for national and international artists all around North America.

Called Demiurge, the studio has worked with artists like artist Will Ryman, who transformed Park Avenue in New York City with 38 sculptures of rose blossoms towering up to 25 feet, complemented by 20 scattered rose petals.

Another recent Demiurge project involves work with artists Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan on a new piece for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science titled “Iridescent Cloud.” The artwork will open to the public at the same time as the new addition to the museum in February 2014.

Riche says he now gets the satisfaction of solving structural and sculptural issues while working with artists on their own work.

“I feel I get much more exposure to developing methods in art by building work for others rather than only focusing on my own directions.” >> demiurgedesign.com

—Doug McPherson

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numerous commissioned compositions for professional and school ensembles and has performed with the Albany Symphony, Albany Pro Musica, Capital Region Wind Ensemble, Schenectady Symphony Orchestra and the Vermont, Catskill and Utica sympho-nies. Brett also has conducted the Binnekill Chamber Orchestra, SCCC Wind Ensemble, Capital Region Wind Ensemble and the Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble of Saratoga Springs.

1991Angela Robbins Maestas (BME ’91) of Upland, Calif., is K-8 principal at Ramona Elementary in Los Angeles County. She was named Woman of the Year by the Los Ange-les Commission for Women.

1992Keith Fevurly (LLM ’92) of Centennial, Colo., is a senior lecturer in finance at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He wrote and published an ebook, “Plan Your Financial Future.”

Patricia Highby (PhD ’92) of Edmond, Okla., wrote and published “The War on Women,” a book that discusses how the future of the troubled planet depends on human-kind’s understanding of

the war on women and nature.

Kyle Torke (MA ’92, PhD ’94) is an associate professor at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. He recently published his fifth book, “Sunshine Falls.”

1993Leticia Steffen (MA ’93) wrote “Women & Men And How Media Attempt to Define Us” (Sentia Publishing Co.). Leticia is an associate professor of mass communications at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

1994Nicholas Samaras (PhD ’94) of West Nyack, N.Y., is the author of “American Psalm, World Psalm,” scheduled for publication in

spring 2014 by Ashland Poetry Press. The book is a contemporary re-envisioning of psalms in a tradition of American music, with a social/political edge. Nicholas’ first book, “Hands of the Saddlemaker,” won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award in 1991, and he has been awarded fellowships from the NEA and the Lilly Endowment Foundation. His individual poems have been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Paris Review, Poetry, the New Republic and Kenyon Review.

1995Dan Beachy-Quick (BA ’95) of Fort Collins, Colo., is author of the novel “An Impenetrable Screen of Purest Sky” (Coffee House Press, 2013). Dan also has published five books of poetry and a book of inter-linked meditations on Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.” His poems have appeared in such journals as the Boston Review, the New Republic, Fence, Poetry, Chicago Review, VOLT, the Colorado Review, and New American Writing. He teaches poetry workshops and literature at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

A big Pioneer thank you to our Taste of DU sponsors, who generously provided tasty samples to nearly 500 alumni, parents, students and friends who attended this event as part of our 2013 Homecoming & Family Weekend.

We look forward to seeing you next October 30–November 2, 2014 for our Sesquicentenntial Homecoming Weekend. Preregister at alumni.du.edu/150thsavethedate, or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 303-871-2701 or [email protected].

Thank you, Taste of DU sponsors!


1996Terry Ryan (MA ’96) is president of the Idaho Charter School Network. Terry previ-ously was vice president for Ohio Programs and Policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Insti-tute and helped launch and lead a number of school reform initiatives and organizations, including the Ohio Common Core Coali-tion, the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the Ohio Authorizer Collabora-tive. Terry began his career in education as a teacher in Poland and worked with the Polish Ministry of Education and the Foundation for Education for Democracy in the mid-1990s. He was research director for the UK-based 21st Century Learning Initiative and is a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

1998Margo Cummings (MA ’98) is director of communications and training at Switzerland-based IT company Zesscom, which provides solutions for web design, mobile app devel-opment, e-commerce, creative services and social media marketing.

1999Timothy Cawl-field (BS ’99) and Amy (Medved) Cawlfield (BA ’97) of Pueblo, Colo., welcomed the arrival of their second child,

Seth Daniel, on April 8, 2013. They also have a 9-year-old son, Ethan. Tim, who is board-certified in family practice medicine, recently completed a phlebology fellowship and became board-certified in phlebology in June 2013. He is employed as a physician at Rocky Mountain Vein Institute. Amy is employed by the state of Colorado, where she negoti-ates eminent domain real estate transactions.

2002Diane (Covington) Shideler (BA ’02) and

her husband, Matthew Shideler, wel-comed a baby girl, Madeline Grace, on Aug. 1, 2012. The family resides in Littleton, Colo.

2003Amanda Melvin (LLM ’03, MBA ’08) of Carlsbad, N.M., is executive director of Carlsbad MainStreet, a nonprofit that aims to revitalize and restore Carlsbad’s downtown area.

2004Katie (Vilders) Fredrick (BSBA ’04, MA ’08) and Kevin Fredrick (BSBA ’04, MBA ’05) were married on June 15, 2013, at the Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail, Colo. Katie and Kevin met at DU as freshmen in spring 2001.

Katie is associate director of student affairs at DU’s Sturm College of Law, and Kevin owns a web-based health care communication company in Denver and is head coach of the Colorado Thunderbirds pee-wee hockey team.

Anthony Graves (IMBA ’04) is director of regional affairs for the city and county of Denver, where he partners with regional leaders to ensure Denver and the surround-ing cities are positioned to thrive economi-cally. He serves as the mayor’s official liaison to the Denver Metro Mayors’ Caucus, Colo-rado Municipal League, Denver Regional Council of Governments and other regional boards and associations. Anthony previously was director of government and community affairs with Visit Denver. He serves on the boards of the City Club of Denver, the Colfax Marathon, the Five Points Business District and the leadership committee for the University of Denver’s sesquicentennial. He also is a mayoral appointee to the Taxi & Limo Council, served on the Denver Com-mission on Homelessness on behalf of Visit Denver, was a gubernatorial appointee to the State of Colorado’s Utility Consumer Board and was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Five Points.

Mike Weinberger (JD ’04) of Denver is CEO of the Maui Wowi Hawaiian coffee and fruit smoothie chain. Mike joined the fran-chiser in 2011 as vice president of operations. He previously was an attorney with Harris, Karstaedt and First American Title Corp. and vice president of smoothie-and-yogurt chain Squeeze International Inc.

The University of Denver celebrated its largest Homecoming and Family Weekend yet in 2013. The weekend drew 2,000 participants for a variety of activities designed to honor everyone in the DU community.

“Homecoming weekend makes everyone feel like they’re part of something that’s powerful and moving,” says Kristine Cecil, associate vice chancellor of University Advancement and

executive director of Alumni Relations.This was the first year without a homecoming parade. Instead,

PioneerFest took over Asbury Street, featuring food trucks, face painting and booths from different student groups. Kids went trick-or-treating at each booth and participated in pumpkin decorating. There was even a car show on the street, organized by DU students.

The weekend was peppered with Pioneer sports, including soccer and hockey, as well as the first home men’s basketball game of the season. The annual “Taste of DU” showcased 25 different alumni-owned and local restaurants and businesses.

“This university can’t be what it is without alumni,” Cecil says. Alumni Symposium, which gives alumni and others in the DU

community the chance to sit in on classes led by DU faculty, was included in Homecoming Weekend for the second time in 2013. It drew 900 people to campus. Keynote speakers were Matt Bond (BSBA ’83), executive vice president of content distribution for NBCUniversal, and Ellie Schafer (BA ’90), special assistant to the president and director of the White House Visitors Office.

2014 marks the University’s 150th anniversary. Along with other celebrations throughout the year, the 2014 Homecoming and Family Weekend—running Oct. 30 through Nov. 2—is expected to surpass this year’s festivities and include even more events. Alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and members of the community are welcome to attend. Visit alumni.du.edu/150thsavethedate for more information.

— Annissa Leon

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HOMECOMING WEEKEND CELEBRATES ALUMNI, STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY


2005Steve Ferris (MBA ’05) is Denver’s director of development services, overseeing building-project review and neighborhood inspec-tions. He previously served as community development director in Snowmass Village, Colo., town manager for Telluride, Colo., and development director for the western U.S. at Gencom Group, which specializes in hospitality and luxury real estate.

Greg Kimball (BSBA ’05) of Boston is co-founder of Nifti, a company that helps shoppers centralize their ability to track, organize and save on products from their favorite websites.

2006Stephanie Cegielski (JD ’06) of Chester, N.J., was named vice president, public relations, for the New York-based Public Relations Society of America.

Everett Smith (MBA ’06) is president and COO at Animal Reference Pathology in Salt Lake City. The company provides pathology services and laboratory services to the veteri-nary community. Everett previously worked at Covidien in Boulder, Colo.

Jeremy Walton (BA ’06) of New Orleans is a community planner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He earned a master’s degree in urban and regional plan-ning from the University of New Orleans.

2007Todd Unger (BA ’07) is a reporter for WFAA-TV ABC in Dallas. He is on the board of the Society of Profes-sional Journalists’ Texas chapter. Todd previously worked at the ABC affiliate KOAT in Albu-

querque, N.M., where he won a 2012 Emmy for a story he did on a gun ring operation in New Mexico.

Peter Wright (MBA ’07) of Hillsboro, Ore., is an operations program manager with Oracle. Peter manages the launch, production and continuity of Oracle’s general-purpose servers.

ProfileFILMMAKER Hellen Kassa

Growing up in Denver, Ethiopia-born Hellen Kassa (BA ’12) knew her classmates weren’t getting the whole picture when it came to her homeland.

“Any time I was in school or in class, people were like, ‘Oh, you’re from Ethiopia? What’s that like?’ It was very negative,” she says. “It was like, ‘We see famine and we see hunger,’ and even though those are very real and pressing problems, there absolutely are people there who are doing something about it every day.”

To shed some light on the posi-tive things happening in Ethiopia, Kassa teamed up with her friend, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Nathan Araya, to create the documentary “Sincerely Ethiopia,” which premiered in sum-mer 2013. Kassa, Araya and two other team members spent six weeks in 2011 and 2012 in the African country, filming

people and associations working to create positive change.Among those profiled are the Adugna Community Dance Theatre, a group of dancers

who tell powerful stories of social injustices and personal challenges through their art; Yohannes Gebregeorgis, founder of Ethiopia Reads, which builds free public libraries in the country; and Eden Gelan, founder of the Beza Community Development Association, which helps people living with HIV and AIDS.

Kassa, a student in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies when the project began, received a Partners in Scholarship grant from the University to pay for her airfare.

“The idea behind the research proposal was that my research wouldn’t be a paper at the end of it, but it would be a film,” says Kassa, who recently returned to Denver after working for a nongovernmental organization in Ghana. “I was going to go and try to find as many people as I could who are doing really positive and encouraging work in Ethiopia. The goal was to have storytelling, but in a very personal way.”

“Sincerely Ethiopia” premiered in Ethiopia in December 2013; this fall, the filmmakers screened the movie at film festivals and on many college campuses across the country, in an effort to get young people talking about Ethiopia and the way it’s portrayed in the media.

“We’re trying to create dialogue and conversations about perceptions of Ethiopia and all of Africa in the media,” Kassa says. “Africans aren’t necessarily getting their own voices out there, and why is that? Is there some important reason why what we see in the media is very negative, and what can we do to change that?”

Another goal, she says, is to get people directly involved by supporting some of the orga-nizations profiled in the film and create a network of people and programs with similar goals.

“It’s a good way for young people to realize you can do anything,” she says. “To see these people’s stories and see where they came from, their backgrounds, it’s very inspiring.”>> sincerelyethiopia.com

—Greg Glasgow

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Which alum grew up in New Orleans?The answer can be found somewhere on pages 38-46 of this issue.

Send your answer to [email protected] or University of Denver Magazine, 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. We’ll select a winner from the correct entries; the winning entry will win a prize.

Congratulations to Rachel Copeland Bell (MA ’10) for winning the fall issue’s pop quiz.

2008Erica Boe (BA ’08) and Christian Luker (BSBA ’09) of Denver were married Aug. 17, 2013, in Beaver Creek, Colo. The two met on campus their junior and senior years. Erica is assistant manager

of marketing and events at Janus Capital Group, and Christian is a business analyst at DaVita.

Katie Moebius (BSBA ’08) of Santa Monica, Calif., is global partner-ship marketing specialist at audio company Beats by Dre, working in partnership with large brands such as HP, HTC, Chrysler and Fiat to integrate Beats

audio into their respective products. Previ-ously, Katie worked at advertising agency RPA as a senior account executive on the Mandalay Bay account. She launched her career in 2008 at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder, Colo., working on campaigns for Volkswagen of America, Old Navy and others.

Paul Schultz (MS ’08) of Montrose, Colo., teaches at Marylhurst University near Portland, Ore., through the Accelerated Online Program. Paul also is broker/owner at United Country Montrose Realty and president of the Montrose Association of Realtors.

2009Erin (Gilbert) Hayes (MS ’09, MBA ’09) is owner and CIO of Enquire Solutions, a Denver-based provider of cloud CRM and sales call center solutions for senior living communities.

2010Scott Rohrig (MPS ’10) of Centennial, Colo., is senior director of global sales with Social Media Energy, which helps compa-nies like HealthOne and Sports Authority build brand awareness through social media.

2011Patrick Sieben (BM ’11) performs regularly in casinos and clubs in Las Vegas. Patrick and his former band, Select Three, opened for Bon Jovi in St. Paul, Minn., in 2010. Select Three also starred in a national television commercial for Pizza Hut. In February 2012, Patrick performed for more than 10,000 U.S. soldiers at Camp Buering in Kuwait as part of Serving Our Troops, a Minnesota consortium of businesses and restaurants that has served the military and their families since 2004. Patrick, along with Serving Our Troops, was awarded a 2012 Board of Governors Emmy for his part in Hubbard Broadcasting’s documentary about the Serving Our Troops mission to Kuwait.

Radina Vassileva (BA ’11) of Aurora, Colo., returned to the U.S. in July after having spent a year in Germany as a participant in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals. Radina was selected as one of 75 participants nationwide for this competitive government-sponsored fellow-ship for young professionals between the ages of 18 and 24. She began her year abroad with two months of intensive German language training at the Carl Duisberg Cen-trum in Cologne, then studied for a semes-ter at the Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. Her year finished with a five-month internship with the Ministry for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas of Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel.

2012Lindsay Hulwick (MA ’12) and A. J. Kuhle (MPS ’11) were married July 6, 2013, at


Pioneer pics

Cyndy Giauque (JD ’82) and her daughter Lanna Giauque, a DU senior, traveled to the John H. Phipps Biological Field Station in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, in summer 2012. The duo traveled to the station to participate in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s eco-volunteer turtle tagging program as a part of Lanna’s undergraduate thesis research.

As you pioneer lands far and wide, be sure to pack your DU gear and strike a pose in front of a national monument, the fourth wonder of the world or your hometown hot spot. If we print your submission, you’ll receive some new DU paraphernalia to take along on your travels.

Send your print or high-resolution digital image and a description of the location to: Pioneer Pics, University of Denver Magazine, 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816, or email [email protected]. Be sure to include your full name, address, degree(s) and year(s) of graduation.

Contact usName (include maiden name)

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Address

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What have you been up to? (Use a separate sheet if necessary.)

Question of the hour: Which DU sesquicentennial event are you most looking forward to?

Post your class note online at www.alumni.du.edu, email [email protected] or mail your note to: Class Notes, University of Denver Magazine, 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816.

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career and personal

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the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Lindsay is head women’s golf coach at DU, and A.J. is assistant basketball coach.

Emily Parker (BA ’12, MPP ’13) was awarded a Heartland Emmy for her work on the 9News Truth Test team, which evalu-ated the accuracy of political ads during the 2012 presidential election. Emily is a policy researcher with Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

2013Megan Kardos (BA ’13) of Denver won the Miss Colorado 2013 pageant in June and took part in the Miss America pageant in September in Atlantic City, N.J.

Emily Lande (MPP ’13, JD ’13) of Portland, Ore., was awarded a Heartland Emmy for her work on the 9News Truth Test team, which evaluated the accuracy of political ads during the 2012 presidential election. Emily is currently studying for the bar and was selected for a fellowship that began in October in Washington, D.C.

Let us know Post your class note online at www.du.edu/alumni, e-mail [email protected] or mail in the form below.


1930sMargaret Hooper Trible (BA ’38), Denver, 1-10-13Orville Rowland (attd. 1939–41), Arvada. Colo., 11-30-12

1940sCharlotte Estlow (attd. 1941–43), Centennial, Colo., 8-19-13Ralph Gorton Jr. (BS ’41), Eagle, Colo., 8-6-13Carolyn Cassady (attd. 1946–47), London, 9-20-13Eugene Frink (BA ’47), Eureka, Calif., 6-30-13Lee Wedgwood (BSBA ’49), Lakewood, Colo., 6-14-13

1950sIrvin “Jim” Norland (BA ’51), Warrenville, S.C., 6-20-13Cedar Walton (attd. 1951–54), Brooklyn, N.Y., 8-19-13 George Martin Jr. (BSBA ’52), Jersey Village, Texas, 4-17-13Amelia “Amy” Miller (BS ’52), Fort Collins, Colo., 6-23-13Barbara Gilderdale (MA ’54), New Canaan, Conn., 7-12-13Donald Sanders (BA ’55, MA ’56), Independence, Mo., 5-21-13Will Tiede (BSBA ’56, MBA ’57), Centennial, Colo., 3-24-13Jack Agee (LLB ’57), Colorado Springs, Colo., 12-31-12Loretta Fay Brown (BS ’57), Riverton, Wyo., 9-4-13John Daly (BA ’58, MA ’63), Aurora, Colo., 10-28-12

1960sDorothy Fisher (BSBA ’60), Mount Prospect, Ill., 6-5-13Alice Madden (BM ’60), Mesa, Ariz., 6-6-13Philip Warnke (BS ’61), Sioux City, Iowa, 9-6-13Helen Coulter (Roudebush) Lonsdale (BA ’65), Greeley, Colo., 9-19-13Rodman Lynn Underwood (MSW ’65), Port Orange, Fla., 7-1-13Bruce Kirkpatrick (JD ’67), Durango, Colo., 7-16-13Sara Massey (MA ’69), Comfort, Texas, 8-17-13

1970sMarsha Spector (BA ’70), Naples, Fla., 8-15-13Andrew Haas (BA ’71), Denver, 11-9-11Alvin Sueo Inoue (BSBA ’73), Hilo, Hawaii, 7-23-13Carolyn Overmyer (BA ’77), Mattapoisett, Mass., 6-30-13

1980sBrian Speck (BSBA ’87), Aspen, Colo., 7-27-13

2010sMichael Ness (attd. 2010–12), Norwalk, Conn., 8-20-13

StudentsDavid Dubrow, senior sociology major, Norwalk, Conn., 8-20-13

Faculty and staffJoseph Darby, former instructor in modern languages, La Jolla, Calif., 6-13-13Helen Pustmueller (MA ’77), former curator of DU Museum of Anthropology,Englewood, Colo., 8-9-13

In Memoriam

Daniel L. Ritchie Centerfor Sports & WellnessRitchieCenter.du.edu

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