COMMUNITY NOTES

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’70s

David Wells ’74, a veteran character actor, was cast as the night janitor in a recent Geico commercial. David has lived and acted in Los Angeles for 35 years and is known for his varied and eccentric characters, having appeared in more than 50 films and 100-plus t.v. episodes. David is also a film and theater producer and an acting teacher.

’80s

Lisa M. Streat ’82 is Senior Vice President, Private Client Advisor at Virginia Commonwealth Bank. She had been with First Tennessee/Capital Bank.

Ginger Gaffney ’84 published her first book, which was reviewed in a recent issue of The New York Times. Half Broke: A Memoir documents her time as a horse trainer for the troubled horses at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico, a facility run entirely by the prisoners. The book is available from W.W. Norton & Company.

Mike Apple ’85, Coach of the Sandhills Community College basketball team, was selected as the 2020 NABC Division III Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches after guiding his team to a national championship this season.

'90s

Scott Biesecker ’91 was promoted to Partner by Turlington and Company, a certified public accountants multi-office accounting firm with offices in Lexington and Winston-Salem.

Linda (Bryant) Gramby ’94 was married on February 1, 2020. She is currently employed as a Freight Specialist at Fort Bragg, N.C. Her husband, Michael, a world-renowned organist, presently serves as an Associate Minister of Music at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., where the happy couple resides.

Christopher Behm ’95 was named to the 2020 Super Lawyers list. The Super Lawyers list, a publication of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of lawyers across the nation. Christopher has been a Partner with Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed in Wilmington, N.C., since 2005 and practices with the focus in civil, commercial, construction, homeowners association, trust and estates, real estate, products liability and personal injury matters in federal and state courts.

Tommy Taylor ’97 was announced as the new CEO of the United Way of the Cape Fear Area. Tommy's career includes working at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC for six years. After tripling food distribution and doubling revenues, he went on to accept the role of Vice President of Community Impact at the United Way of the Cape Fear Area.

’00s

Nina Oliver ’01 is leading the COVID-19 response in Rowan County as the Rowan County Public Health Director.

’10s

Rhett Bonner ’10 will begin a new era for West Stokes as he replaces long-time Boys’ Basketball Coach Dan Spainhour at the helm of the program. The school board voted Rhett in as the third coach since the school opened in 1999-00.

Zach Daw ’11 graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha as a member of the College of Business Administration's MBA Class of 2020.

Josie Williams ’16 is the new Executive Director of the Greensboro Housing Coalition.

Andy Eversole '02

Andy Eversole ’02, a banjo musician, posted "Quarantine With You" in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. “I think the song is resonating because it reminds us of the human element in all of this. In the midst of all the masks, hand-washing and social distancing, there’s still this human urge to connect with and love each other," says Andy of his instant YouTube hit song. Since its posting, the song has been viewed more than 50,000 times, and has been covered in the Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer and WFMY News2. Andy calls himself an international “banjo ambassador” with Banjo Earth, a 5-year-old music and video project that sees him traveling the world “in search of the folk music of past, present and future, creating cross-cultural music collaborations.”

Greensboro mural by Gina Franco '11

Gina Franco ’11 is a local Greensboro mural artist. Gina studied Business Management and Human Resources, but while at Guilford College, she took an art class and fell in love. Her work can be seen all around the Triad in places such as the Interactive Resource Center in Greensboro, Battleground Avenue, Crafted the Art of the Taco and Bearded Goat bar. Her work has also been featured in Florida, Colorado, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh and High Point Furniture Market. In May, Gina created a mural at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Greensboro in honor of the Class of 2020. “This mural is dedicated to my niece and all of the 2020 graduates,” Gina says. “Your future is bright.”

Coronavirus Notes

Over the past few months, Guilfordians near and far have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, our alumni family continues on with what they do best: stepping up and being a voice (or helping hand) for good in the world.

• Eve Kalins ’07 is working hard at the San Francisco food bank.

• Deena Zeina Zaru ’10 is writing important stories for ABC News, such as “'Mass evictions' on the horizon as US confronts coronavirus housing crisis: Advocates.”

• Yazmin Garcia-Rico ’11 and Katrina Jackson ’05 have been volunteering at the weekly mass food distribution in Burlington for people who have lost their jobs or are struggling. Yazmin and her husband are also running for N.C. General Assembly.

• Bri Goodison ’13 is a medical student who is volunteering at a clinic in Tucson, Ariz.

• Hannah Swenson ’11 and Lauren Schloss ’12 have been working on mutual aid efforts in Mexico City, providing groceries and other support for those who lost their jobs. cdmxayudamutua.org

• Laura Boswell ’12 has been playing private virtual concerts through Music for Quarantine.

• The grandmother of a former Guilfordian is an anonymous donor and has sewn more than 200 masks and other things for health care workers.