Read the Class Notes published in the latest issue of Tower.
1965
Dan Kelly, BA ’65, has retired from The Wall Street Journal after a 55-year career that included a stint in the 1970s writing scripts for Walter Cronkite at CBS.
1973
Eli Zlokas, BA ’73, recently co-presented at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh annual two-day conference on the maltreatment of children. Eli and Attorney James Robertson presented a seminar on Act 21, a little known law involving the continued incarceration of young adults who did not complete their treatment for adjudications of various sex crimes.
1976
Bob Loftus, BA ’76, reported that Jeff Kaitcer, BA ’76, was recently traveling on a Mediterranean cruise and stopped at Olympia, Greece, where he ran into the fall Romer class of ’22. Jeff and Bob were both in Rome in the fall ’73, so it was, as Yogi Berra said, “a case of deja vu, all over again.”
Joe Garcia, MD, BA ’76, has been named associate vice president for research at UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center, and the inaugural Herbert A. Wertheim Professor of Inflammation Science, effective Jan. 5, 2023. Garcia is a distinguished pulmonologist and critical care physician and is internationally recognized as a leading authority on the genetic basis of inflammatory lung disease, the development of novel biomarkers and therapies for critically ill patients, and examination of lung health disparities among vulnerable populations. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.
1980
Henry Godinez, BA in Drama ’80, Henry invited his UD teachers Emeritus Professors Pat and Judy Kelly to see his production of Measure for Measure at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in early November. The critically lauded show placed the action in pre-Castro Havana during Batista's Fascist regime, with Batista serving as the model for The Duke and a revolutionary for Angelo. Centered in a wild nightclub of the period (operated by Mistress Overdone) with 1950s-style song and dance, it was a spectacular and illuminating interpretation of the classic play. Henry continues serving on the artistic council that runs the Goodman Theatre and as chair of the renowned Theatre Department at Northwestern. His daughters Lucy and Gaby, both recent NU graduates, are pursuing show business careers, Lucy as a singer, dancer and actress — she just opened in the lead of Rent in Chicago — and Gaby in the producer's office of Hamilton in New York.
1981
John Forsyth, BA in Drama ’81, and his wife Wendy also attended Henry Godinez’s Shakespeare performance. Now having retired from teaching math, John remains as his high school's theater director, having staged As You Like It this fall. He doubled acting with directing by taking on the role of 80-year-old Adam. He and Wendy will spend springs in their new house in Flagstaff, Arizona near family but will return for falls in Chicago where John will continue to teach acting and direct at his school.
1984
Douglas J. W. Gerwin, MA ’80 Ph.D. ’84, has been inducted into the prestigious Marquis Who's Who Biographical Registry. With more than 45 years of experience as an educator, Dr. Gerwin provides adult education and mentoring while teaching high school students. He currently serves as the executive director of both the Center for Anthroposophy and the Research Institute for Waldorf Education. In addition, he is a member of the Pedagogical Section Council in the School for Spiritual Science of the Anthroposophical Society in America and has served as chair of the Teacher Education Delegates Circle in the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and as member of the International Forum for Steiner/Waldorf Education.
1986
Michel Andre Jacob, MBA ’86, is now retired after a career dedicated to marketing and business development in the pharmaceutical and clinical research industry. He is looking for some news from alumni and friends from the 1986 MBA program and can be reached at micheljacob94@gmail.com.
1987
Michael Dunnigan, BA ’87, recently published “Religious Liberty and the Hermeneutic of Continuity: Conservation and Development of Doctrine at Vatican II,” through Emmaus Academic Press.
1989
Bryan Kucholtz, BA ’89, has been appointed executive vice president, head of private wealth at Texas Capital Bank.
Academy Securities, the nation’s first Post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank, recently announced the addition of Elaine McCusker, BA ’89, to its Advisory Board and Geopolitical Intelligence Group. Elaine McCusker joins Academy with over 30 years of defense and national security experience across the private sector, academia and government service.
1990
Coast Guard Commander Richard O. Ellis, BA ’90 (retired) was recognized and presented a Quilt of Valor by quilter Sharon Elliott. Commander Ellis’ active and reserve service included maritime and shore operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and disaster response, including Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. He participated in joint operations with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, Pacific Ocean, Caribbean and the Atlantic, as well as joint operations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and several state agencies.
Lisa Mobus, BA ’90, obtained a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program grant and is living in Bogota, Colombia for five months. Her project, “Flexible Pathways to Mastery: Colombia as a Model for Educational Innovation,” has the objectives of discovering how educational policies are created in Colombia, both at the national and local levels, to support all types of students in the classroom; how middle and high school principals establish a climate that supports teachers in delivering responsive curriculum and students in learning in different ways; and what preparation pre-service teachers receive before entering the classroom, as well as how they determine what to teach (content) and how to teach it (pedagogy). Lisa received a Masters in Education from Southern New Hampshire University in 2020, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Selinus University in 2024. Her dissertation was entitled “Schimmerdem Licht, Amara Luce: The Imagery of Light in the Writings of August Wilhelm von Schlegel and Giacomo Leopardi.” Additionally, in June/July 2024, Lisa walked the 200-mile Camino Primitivo in Spain in honor of her father, Dr. James Fougerousse, BA ’67.
1994
Adrian Blake Mitchell, son of UD alums Laura Mitchell, BA ’94, and Dwight Miller, was recently mentioned in the media. Adrian moved to Russia years ago to chase his dream of performing ballet with the prestigious Mikhailovsky Ballet Company in St. Petersburg. Like many foreign dancers, Adrian left Russia with the invasion of Ukraine. He is now in the U.S. dancing with the Westside Ballet Studio in Santa Monica, CA.
Richard Erickson, MBA ’94, joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a research staffer this January. Headquartered in Virginia, IDA conducts federally funded research into national security issues.
1996
Justin Gullekson, MTS ’96, has joined Edward Jones as a certified financial advisor in Decorah, Iowa.
1999
Kayla Swanson, BA ’99, received the Best Horror Screenplay award from the Swedish International Film Festival for her work “Spider Bite.”
2000
Justin Brown, MBA ’00, won a seat on the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees in Pleasanton, CA in Nov. 2022.
2001
Chris Mason, MBA ’01, has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Principal Accounting Officer at Sonos, Inc.
Sr. Mary Therese of Divine Mercy, known in the world as Emily Clotilde "Cloe" Chauviere, BA ’01, made her solemn profession as a Dominican nun at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus in Lufkin, TX, on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023.
In May 2025, James W. Stroud, STD, BA ’01 MA ’04, received a promotion to the rank of professor of moral theology at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
2003
Aaron Frei, BA ’03 MT ’07, was the keynote speaker at the annual Dolle Lecture on Church Art and Architecture held at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. He spoke on “The Sacred Transmitted: Stained Glass in the Legacy of Sacred Art and Architecture.”
2005
Fr. Thomas Esposito, O.Cist. BA ’05, received the Educator Award from Keep Irving Beautiful. KIB Board President Scott Wilson said, “It’s a pleasure to pay tribute to people who make a positive impact in the community each year.”
2009
Aaron Miri, MBA ’09, was appointed to the Florida State College at Jacksonville District Board of Trustees on Oct. 27, 2022.
2010
Oscar Ortiz, BA ’10, has been appointed the principal of Nolan Catholic High School, Fort Worth.
2011
Leslie Eslava, BA ’11, married Javier de los Santos at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Grand Junction, Colorado on June 27, 2025. Leslie is a Reading Corps coaching specialist at a non-profit, Colorado Youth for a Change, where she supervises and coaches a caseload of AmeriCorps K-3 Literacy Tutors who are placed in elementary schools across Colorado.
2012
Kasten Searles, MA ’10 MFA ’12, received an Individual Artist Fellowship award from The Arkansas Arts Council, along with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism for her paintings and illustrations.
2014
Alexander M. Bachik, BA ’14, joined Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C., law firm as an associate in the insurance defense practice group. He earned his J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2021 and received his B.A. in business administration from the University of Dallas.
Catherine (Hand) Goetz, D.O., BA ’14, has completed medical school at Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine and has entered residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Smoky Hill-Salina in Salina, Kansas.
Adam P. Kaftan, BS ’14 MD, has been named to the SVMC Emergency Department of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
2018
Kaitlin (Casanova) Hampton, BS ’18, has received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M. She is married to Joshua Hampton, BS ’18, also at A&M working on his Ph.D. Despite having two children while working on the Ph.D., she finished in four years with multiple publications and awards.
2019
Morgan Flottmeier, BA ’19, and her mother Suzanne, plan to open a Sylvan Learning Center in Albertville, MN.
2020
Kate Vidimos, BA ’20, is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.
2021
Natalie Villafranca, BA ’21, was recently appointed PowerHouse Texas Energy Policy Fellow in Representative Rafael Anchia's office at the Texas House of Representatives. Natalie was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2022.
2022
Sarah Evans, BS ’22, began teaching at Jesuit Dallas as a physics teacher and also moderates the school’s ultimate frisbee club.
Gale Randall, DBA ‘22, assistant professor of marketing for the Department of Management and Marketing in the Norris-Vincent College of Business at Angelo State University has been named the 2021-22 National Chapter Advisor of the Year for her work with Angelo State University’s chapter of the Delta Sigma Pi, professional business fraternity.
Class Notes
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