Our newest Owls get a big welcome as they arrive at Duncan College.
FEATURES
26
The Quad’s New Chapter
A reimagined Academic Quad offers new ways to connect, reflect and grow for generations to come.
34
Behind the Ballot
Students, staff and faculty are finding innovative ways to learn and participate in the upcoming voting season.
42
A Yearlong Quest
Kirsty Leech ’23 uses her Watson Fellowship to learn how families around the world navigate disabilities.
Kirsty Leech ’23
PHOTO BY JEFF FITLOW, COVER
PHOTO BY BRANDON MARTIN
DEPARTMENTS
Sallyport 7
Actress Viola Hsia ’25 on stage and TV, Class of 2028, a Truman Scholar, an Olympic competitor, Rice students’ summer abroad experiences
Wisdom
17
A tiger beetle for Houston, Heartbeat HERoes win engineering showcase, the Kinder Institute’s new survey findings and foambased fluid circuits
Owlmanac 49
Classnotes, Mia Lopez ’07 curates Latinx art, a letter from Tokyo, a baseball mystery series and new ARA Board members
Gift Guide 80
An “Owlcentric” gift guide that provides unique ideas for everyone on your list
CONTRIBUTORS
Chris Choi
(“A Yearlong Quest”) is an illustrator and graphic novelist who has been making art for publications from around the world for almost 15 years. He is set to make his authorial debut in 2026 with his graphic novel memoir, published by Scholastic.
Katy Munger
(“Behind the Ballot”) is a North Carolina-based writer and editor whose work has appeared in publications around the world. She is also the author of 18 novels and served as a book reviewer for The Washington Post.
Amy C. Evans
(“The Art of Belonging”) is an award-winning artist, writer and documentarian based in Houston. She is the co-author, with Martha Hall Foose, of “A Good Meal Is Hard to Find: Storied Recipes From the Deep South” (Chronicle Books, 2020).
JoMando Cruz
(“The Art of Belonging”) is an editorial and commercial photographer based in San Antonio and specializing in food, travel and people. His work has appeared in Texas Monthly, Texas Highways and San Antonio Magazine.
James Heimer
(“Behind the Ballot”) is an illustrator, printmaker and educator. He loves blotted lines, hard-boiled crime and sci-fi paperbacks, and the grit and grime of hand printing. He lives and works in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Kayt Sukel
(“Pura Vida” and “The Greatest Show on Earth”) is a science, technology and travel writer based in Houston. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, New Scientist and National Geographic Traveler.
RICE MAGAZINE
Fall 2024
PUBLISHER
Office of Public Affairs
Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, vice president
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Alese Pickering
EDITOR
Lynn Gosnell
ART DIRECTOR
Amy Kinkead
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jackie Limbaugh
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Tracey Rhoades
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Hilary C. Ritz
PHOTO/VIDEO
Jeff Fitlow
Brandon Martin
Gustavo Raskosky
PROOFREADERS
Jennifer Latson
Jenny W. Rozelle ’00
INTERNS
Zeisha Bennett ’25
Noa Berz ’26
CONTRIBUTORS
Benjamin Beechey, Andrew Bell, Jessica Bromer, Max Burkhalter, Clara Canovic, Chris Choi, Silvia Cernea Clark, JoMando Cruz, Marcy de Luna, Amy C. Evans, James Heimer, Autumn Horne, Cassidy Johnson, Jennifer Latson, Amy McCaig, Katy Munger, Sarah Rufca Nielsen, Robyn Ross, Naoki Shiba ’17, Brandi Smith, Kayt Sukel, Yifan Wu
Rice Magazine is published three times a year and is sent to Rice alumni, faculty, staff, parents of undergraduates and friends of the university.
Robert T. Ladd, chair; Elle Anderson; Bart Broadman; D. Mark Durcan; Josh Earnest; Michol L. Ecklund; Terrence Gee; George Y. Gonzalez; Jennifer R. Kneale; Patti Lipoma
Kraft; Holli Ladhani; Elle Moody; Brandy Hays Morrison; Asuka Nakahara; Vinay S. Pai; Brian Patterson; Byron Pope; Cathryn Rodd Selman; Gloria Meckel
Tarpley; Jeremy Thigpen; Claudia Gee Vassar; James Whitehurst; Lori Rudge Whitten; Randa Duncan Williams; Michael B. Yuen.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
Reginald DesRoches, president; Amy Dittmar, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs; Stephen Bayer, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations; Paul Cherukuri, vice president for Innovation; Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, vice president for Public Affairs; Kelly Fox, executive vice president for Finance and Administration; Kenneth Jett, vice president for Facilities and Capital Construction; Caroline Levander, vice president for Global; Tommy McClelland, vice president and director of Athletics; Paul Padley, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer; Ramamoorthy Ramesh, executive vice president for Research; Yvonne M. Romero, vice president for Enrollment; Omar A. Syed, vice president and general counsel; Allison Kendrick Thacker, vice president for Investments, treasurer and chief investment officer.
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to: Rice University
Development Services–MS 80 P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 77251-1892
IT’S BEEN A WHILE since we last published an issue of Rice Magazine, and we’re so pleased to bring you a brand new and expanded publication this fall. We have three big updates to share. First, meet Amy Kinkead, who joined the Office of Public Affairs as senior graphic designer and Rice Magazine art director last April after the promotion of Alese Pickering to creative director. If you’re a local, you’ve seen her work in Houstonia and the Houston Chronicle. We were drawn to Amy’s wide-ranging talents in creative visual storytelling and her thoughtful approach to editorial design. Working at Rice is a kind of homecoming for Amy — both her mother, Jane, and her grandfather, William, are alumni!
Which brings us to our second update. Owlmanac, the beloved publication and home to alumni classnotes since 1997, is now a part of Rice Magazine. Much care and consideration has gone into this merger — as our team and development and alumni relations have worked together to ensure that the process retains its integrity. We are extremely grateful to our volunteer class recorders for sharing their feedback and advice.
Owlmanac is now the largest department in Rice Magazine and will include not only classnotes and ARA news, but also a variety of alumni profiles and book reviews in every issue.
Finally, we’re moving from a quarterly to a thrice yearly publication. In recent surveys, we’ve learned that more and more Rice Magazine readers prefer to read our stories both in print and online (though print is still tops!). So to take full advantage of both formats — we needed to reduce our frequency. Our commitment to continue bringing you unique stories, cutting-edge research and campus news won’t waiver, and we look forward to sharing more updates as this new schedule unfolds.
In this issue, you’ll find stories of a campus in the midst of milestone changes — notably in the redesign of the Academic Quad, which opened Sept. 12. Our features also include a profile of a young alumna’s Watson Fellowship and a package of stories about Rice’s teaching, research and community engagement with the 2024 voting and election season. As always, our Sallyport department features stories of students and campus life, and Wisdom delivers news of research, discovery and innovation from across campus. Whether you’re turning the pages or scrolling our website, we hope you read our stories and learn something new about Rice.
We love reader feedback. Kindly write to us at ricemagazine@rice.edu.
PRESIDENT DESROCHES
CHARTING THE NEXT
CHAPTER: RICE’S GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION
AS WE SETTLE INTO another exciting fall semester, I’m thrilled to share some key developments and insights about Rice University’s continued growth and momentum.
Over the past 112 years, Rice has evolved from a small university serving a few hundred students to a thriving institution in the heart of Houston and now home to thousands of undergraduates and graduate students. Our impact extends globally, making a difference in communities around the world.
My role as president is to guide Rice through its next chapter, honoring our traditions and values while pushing the university to the next level of excellence and impact. Since my inauguration almost two years ago, we’ve focused on enhancing research, recruiting top-tier faculty, expanding our student body with the very best talent, and fostering a culture of care that ensures everyone at Rice feels included and supported.
This semester, we will unveil the university’s new strategic plan. The plan is a bold vision that will guide Rice into the next decade. This
campuswide initiative is the result of an extensive, almost two-year collaborative process across our community, and it reflects our commitment to excellence in research, teaching and service. It sets ambitious goals for enhancing our academic programs, expanding our research and innovation initiatives, and fostering a more inclusive and diverse campus environment where leaders are prepared to address the world’s most challenging problems. I am confident that, together, we will achieve these goals and propel Rice to new heights. More details will be shared with you soon. These endeavors are transforming our campus and providing state-ofthe-art facilities for our students, faculty and staff and the broader community. Among the highlights is the newly redesigned Academic Quadrangle, one of the university’s
My role as president is to guide Rice through its next chapter, honoring our traditions and values while pushing the university to the next level of excellence and impact.
most iconic spaces. Thoughtfully reimagined into an area for gathering, studying, celebrating, relaxing and reflecting, the quad opened in September. You can read more about this historic transformation in this issue.
Adjacent to the quad, William T. Cannady Hall, a 22,000-square-foot building that serves our renowned School of Architecture, is complete. An event celebrating the building and other major renovations to the school’s existing infrastructure will be held in December. The Jones Graduate School of Business broke ground last spring
on a new $54 million building that will support the school’s new undergraduate program and growing student and faculty population, and progress is being made on the stunning Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, the School of Humanities’ new arts building on the west side of campus. Construction on two new residential colleges will begin this fall, and groundbreaking for a new student center will commence next year.
As we pursue our ambitions, our community continues to grow and thrive. This year, we welcomed an extraordinary cohort of 88 new faculty members, the largest ever at Rice, all of whom bring a wide range of perspectives and leading expertise to our academic community. We also welcomed one of the largest and most diverse classes of new undergraduates in our history —1,149 students.
At the heart of all these developments is our enduring culture of care. Rice is a place where every individual is valued and supported. Our commitment to fostering a caring and inclusive community is unwavering, and it will be a cornerstone of the strategic plan. Whether through our college residential system, our mental health initiatives, support services or community engagement programs, we are dedicated to ensuring that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging and well-being.
As we move through this academic year, I am filled with a deep sense of pride and anticipation for what we will accomplish as a community. Our shared commitment to excellence, innovation and care will continue to drive us forward and ensure that Rice flourishes as one of the world’s leading universities.
SALLYPORT
Balancing Act
From ‘Fallout’ to Rice Theatre, Viola Hsia finds her stage.
BY BRANDI SMITH
PHOTO BY MAX BURKHALTER
BETWEEN FILMING her parts in Amazon Studios’
“Modern Love” and “Fallout,” Rice senior Viola Hsia sat on a bench in the Grove during her spring 2021 Owl Day visit. “I looked around to get a feeling of the campus,” says New York-raised Hsia, who had been searching for a university where she could balance her two loves of writing and acting. “I just thought, ‘Yeah, this is where I’m going to spend the next four years of my life — on this campus.’”
Now in her fourth year in the School of Humanities at Rice, the English and theater double-major has been involved on stage and behind the scenes of Rice Theatre productions, performed with the improv troupe Spontaneous Combustion, and served as assistant news editor for the Rice Thresher and as a managing coordinator for the Rice Players.
“I’ve loved my time at Rice,” Hsia says. “I’m nervous, sad and excited for my senior year.”
It comes just months after her appearance as Jamila opposite star Aaron Moten in Amazon’s breakout summer hit “Fallout.” Hsia filmed the Jonathan Nolan-directed episode in August 2022, missing several days as an O-Week adviser, then completed post-production
Rice Theatre has both broadened my experience and introduced me to a really close-knit community. It’s the community from the theater major that I value so much.
work the following summer, just before the actors’ strike began.
“It’s been a very long process,” Hsia says, adding that she was thankful to her manager, agents and family for supporting her through it all. “I was really excited not only that it came out and I could talk about it for the first time in two years, but that people seem to really enjoy it and they really loved the show.”
Hsia, who’s been auditioning since she was 15, also appeared as Anna in the second season of “Modern Love.” At Rice, she’s honed her acting skills in a variety of Rice Theatre productions. “Rice Theatre has both broadened my experience and introduced me to a really close-knit community,” Hsia says. “It’s the community from the theater major that I value so much.”
“I really saw Viola in action when she auditioned and was cast in our
production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ in spring 2022,” says Christina Keefe, director of the Rice Theatre program, noting that Hsia was terrific in the role. “Viola is always willing to take a risk and throw herself into whatever comes her way. She is super talented and a real leader in the class.”
Hsia says she fell in love with acting when she was 5 years old. Her love for writing developed just a few years later; she wrote her first script when she was 11. She has fostered that passion in her studies at Rice, including in English Professor Amber Dermont’s screenwriting course, where she’s writing a screenplay.
“She’s been kind enough to read the different iterations of it and offer feedback on revisions,” says Hsia, who adds that she’s planning a new screenplay for her final senior project.
As for future roles or writing projects, Hsia remains as coy as her “Fallout” character: “It’s fun to let people be surprised.”
Christina Keefe is professor in the practice of theater and director of the Rice Theatre program in the School of Humanities. Amber Dermont is associate professor of creative writing in the School of Humanities.
Viola Hsia as Jamila in “Fallout” Season 1, Episode 3
BY THE NUMBERS
Welcome, New Students!
On Aug. 18, Rice welcomed the newest parliament of 1,149 Owls for a rousing O-Week. The combined group of freshmen and transfers is a talented and diverse class.
applications
U.S. students
Top states represented Texas (433)
California (110)
New York (52)
Florida (30)
New Jersey (25)
international students
Top countries represented
THE TICKER
Catch up on Rice’s top campus news stories, milestones and events from the past few months.
HOOT!
Rice vaulted from No. 22 to No. 9 on Forbes’ 2024–2025 list of America’s Top Colleges. Earlier this year, Rice was one of 10 private universities to be included on Forbes’ list of “New Ivies.”
SPACE CAMP
For eight weeks this summer, Rice hosted 200 space industry professionals from over 30 countries for the International Space University’s Space Studies Program.
QUANTUM SCIENCE
Rice physicist Emilia Morosan was selected as one of 11 scientists and engineers for a prestigious Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense.
GROUNDBREAKING
Rice broke ground on a new 112,000-square-foot expansion for the Jones Graduate School of Business, a facility that will support the school’s growing student and faculty population.
TOP TEACHERS
Last spring, Betul Orcan-Ekmekci, an associate teaching professor in mathematics, received the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
BRAIN SCIENCE BOOST
A $1 million gift to Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy from Harry Yan and Weiman Gao will establish a new Neuro-Policy Program to advance interdisciplinary approaches to brain health challenges and spur economic opportunity.
See more at news.rice.edu
PHOTO BY JEFF FITLOW
The Greatest Show on Earth
MANY IN THE GREATER Rice community are familiar with the popular summer Tropical Field Biology course in Belize led by bioscientist Scott Solomon. So perhaps it’s no surprise that when Solomon was first introduced to archaeologist Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, whose work centers on the paleoanthropology of human origins, they quickly started discussing the creation of a summer intensive field course in Tanzania. The goal was to combine modern ecology with paleoanthropology — to give students a sense of how the changing environment not only affects African wildlife but also the evolution of hominins, as well as today’s humans.
“This is a very hands-on course,” said Domínguez-Rodrigo. “The idea is to draw lessons from the past to understand the present — to bring together multiple disciplines across chemistry, physics, ecology, biology and sociology to put our evolutionary trajectory in perspective.”
Students spent the first few weeks preparing for their African lessons by consuming literature about the local wildlife, ecology, climate change and human evolution. Then the group embarked on a two-week field course to northern Tanzania, including UNESCO World Heritage sites like Ngorongoro Crater, to see lions, elephants, giraffes and more — and to participate in an active dig at Olduvai Gorge.
“In the course of a day, I would wake up in my tent on the eastern Serengeti plains to a gorgeous sunrise, get into a Land Cruiser and pass by elephants
BIOS 323/ANTH 323
Climate Change and Human Evolution: African Savanna Ecology and Paleoecology
DEPARTMENT
BioSciences and Anthropology
DESCRIPTION
This summer field course helps students understand how changes in climate not only impact the flora and fauna of the East African savanna biome, but also the evolution of hominins (the group that includes modern humans). Activities include observing wildlife in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and participating in paleontological excavations at Olduvai Gorge.
SYLLABUS
and giraffes, and then head to the excavation site where I’d use a 1.5-millionyear-old hominin battering stone to help excavate bones out of the ground,” said McKenna Castleberry ’24. Kamden O’Connor ’27 said having this kind of direct field experience helped bring his previous coursework in ecology and human evolution to life. “It was a little surreal sometimes, but it made me want to engage more and delve deeper into my studies.”
That sentiment, said DomínguezRodrigo, is exactly the point. “Being in the field is about putting 100% of what the students learned into practice and helping them draw connections to understand how the past informs not only our present but our future. It was wonderful to see the students making those kinds of connections every day.”
— KAYT SUKEL
Scott Solomon is a teaching professor in biosciences at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences. Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo is a visiting professor in anthropology at the School of Social Sciences.
A Legacy Honor
Rice student awarded prestigious public service scholarship.
LEE WALDMAN, a Rice senior majoring in sociology and the study of women, gender and sexuality, has been awarded a Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship in the U.S. for those pursuing careers as leaders in public service. The 60 new Truman Scholars were selected from 709 candidates nominated by 285 colleges and universities.
The scholarship was established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to Harry Truman, carrying the legacy of the 33rd U.S. president by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders.
Waldman is focusing his Rice studies on women, gender and sexuality to inform his activism in housing justice, which began during his youth
As a trans person living at a time when our rights are under attack, I am proud to now be a part of a scholarly network that impacts policy and service provision across the world.
in Ithaca, New York. He is a founding member of the Ithaca Youth Action Board, a group of young people working to fight youth homelessness in the community. He and his team members won the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program grant, a multimillion-dollar grant dedicated to elevating the voice of youth in service provision.
“Protecting marginalized populations is the root of equitable policy,” says Waldman.
After graduating in 2025, Waldman plans to spend his Truman Foundation Summer Institute — a summer in D.C. with the Truman Foundation — working at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “I look forward to learning from and collaborating with fellow scholars as I move forward with a career in public service,” he says.
“As a trans person living at a time when our rights are under attack, I am proud to now be a part of a scholarly network that impacts policy and service provision across the world,” he adds.
Waldman says he is especially grateful to Rice’s Center for Civic Leadership for its support throughout the process of pursuing the scholarship. “The CCL is a necessary resource on Rice’s campus for fostering student leadership and civic engagement; I could not be more grateful for their continued belief in me.”
— AMY MCCAIG
CIVIC LEADERSHIP
PHOTO BY GUSTAVO RASKOSKY
Olympic Strength
Former Rice athlete Erna Gunnarsdóttir competed for Iceland in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
ERNA GUNNARSDÓTTIR
’22
COMPETED on the world stage Aug. 8, representing her home country of Iceland and Rice University in the shot put at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gunnarsdóttir competed on Rice’s track and field team from 2018 to 2023, earning nine all-conference honors, five conference titles and four AllAmerican honors. She ranks second all-time in both indoor and outdoor shot put at Rice.
Making the cut for the Olympics was a long process for Gunnarsdóttir, who traveled weekend after weekend to different countries for international meets. But the work ultimately paid off for the Rice graduate.
“I managed to do really well, but I really didn’t know if I did enough to get me into the Olympics,” Gunnarsdóttir said. “I later got the call that I had made it, 31st out of 32 [who
Rice women’s track and field head coach
Jim Bevan said Gunnarsdóttir’s strong work ethic led to a steady rise in her level of performance as a shot-putter.
qualified]. I was just insanely happy. I was jumping with joy, quite literally.”
She finished 20th out of 32 in the qualification round. Gunnarsdóttir became Iceland’s first-ever Olympic female shot-putter after setting an Icelandic record in the Icelandic Championships with a throw of 17.91 meters (just under 59 feet).
Rice women’s track and field head
coach Jim Bevan said Gunnarsdóttir’s strong work ethic led to a steady rise in her level of performance as a shot-putter. Her throwing distance improved a whopping 6 feet from her first year to her second year at Rice and continued to climb from there.
“She is the poster child for track and field in Iceland, and for all the younger Icelandic athletes to look up to,” Bevan said. “And I think that’s a huge thing to represent the whole country. We were lucky to have someone like Erna come to our program and compete for Rice.” She earned a bachelor’s degree in business and kinesiology in 2022 and a master’s degree in global affairs from Rice in 2023.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Gunnarsdóttir said. “It’s a dream to represent your country, and to do so on such a big stage is incredible.”
— ANDREW BELL
Owls Take Flight
This summer, Rice students expanded their campus view with enriching experiences across the globe.
WITH AN ABUNDANCE of programs and fellowships designed to facilitate global research and educational exchanges, Rice students from all academic backgrounds have more opportunities than ever to expand their knowledge.
Jacob Williams ’27
Location: Niterói and São Paulo, Brazil
Program: Wagoner Research
Pathway Scholarship/Rice in Country Major: Natural Sciences
For Rice in Country’s 2024 summer session in Niterói, Brazil, Jacob Williams joined six other Rice students and Nathan Queiroz, a Fulbright teaching assistant, for an intensive Portuguese language program.
Students also had cultural excursions and weekly classes in Portuguese from local university instructors in subjects ranging from soccer to the history of slavery in Brazil.
“The biggest highlight for me was visiting a quilombo, a historical site
where escaped slaves would flee and could stay hidden. It’s now a cultural spot in the community,” says Williams. “That history means so much to the people of Brazil — it was an amazing experience.”
Zoe Wang ’25
Location: Dominican Republic
Program: Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies
Summer Internship
Major: BioSciences, Global Health Technologies minor
By interning with the Dominican Foundation for Mothers and Infants, Zoe Wang gained insight into the Dominican Republic’s clinical infrastructure and collaborated with health care workers on strategies to reduce neonatal mortality. She and her fellow interns also assessed several Rice360 projects, including the Pumani bubble CPAP device, designed to combat severe respiratory distress in premature and young infants; and ScarStretch, a low-cost, automated massage device for children with burn scars.
“Having worked on [ScarStretch] over the past year, it was incredibly meaningful to discuss the prototype with pediatric surgeons who treat patients with scars and to hear their insights on how to improve the design to better meet patient needs,” Wang says.
Mingo Almazan ’25
Location: Venice, Italy
Program: Amici di Via Gabina
Traveling Fellowship
Major: Art; Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality; Museums and Cultural Heritage minor
As a junior, Mingo Almazan was involved in Fondren Fellows projects exploring the art of letterpress and
STUDY ABROAD
Jacob Williams, left, taking in the view
PHOTO
creating comic art Risographs. The resulting printed artwork submissions from Rice students and community members were compiled and displayed at the Venice Biennale, a global contemporary arts mecca. Having played a role in its creation, Almazan felt drawn to see the exhibit for himself.
“I knew the Venice Biennale was large, but I had no idea how transformative the experience would become,” says Almazan. “I have so many new ideas for my senior show this spring, and I hope to graduate being able to use all I’ve learned about identity, physicality and experimentation from the Biennale to the fullest extent.”
Juan-Pablo Cajiga-Pena ’26
Location: Paris, France
Program: Mary Ellen Hale Lovett
Travel Fellowship
Major: Art History, Philosophy
Juan-Pablo Cajiga-Pena’s art history research is focused on Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, whose
work was featured in a summer 2024 exhibition at Paris’ Centre Pompidou. Cajiga-Pena spent weeks conducting archival research in the Pompidou’s Brâncuși archives. “Ever since I came to Rice, I’ve made it my goal to find opportunities somewhere new, doing something odd and interesting,” Cajiga-Pena says.
Hanna Frampton ’24
Location: Salzburg and Vienna, Austria Program: Arthur and Shelley Gottschalk Traveling Grant for Musicians Major: Vocal Performance
After graduation this spring, Hanna Frampton traveled to Salzburg and Vienna to visit the homes of her favorite composers (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Hugo Wolf) before beginning a summer internship in Graz. “Some of my most likely roles in the future are written by the composers who lived in these homes,” says Frampton. “I wanted to see life as they had, to see where their inspiration came from.”
Zoe Wang interning with the Dominican Foundation, left, and Catherine Zhou at the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand, below
Catherine Zhou ’27
Location: Chiang Mai, Krabi and Bangkok, Thailand
Program: Goliard Fellowship
Major: Computer Science; Philosophy and Biochemistry minors
The Goliard Fellowship enabled Catherine Zhou to spend a week traveling through Thailand learning about Buddhist culture. “My interest in end-of-life care has been enriched by new insight into Buddhist views on death and impermanence,” Zhou says. “These perspectives, which often contrast with Western medical approaches, offer a more holistic stance that I believe could enhance hospice and palliative care practices.”
— SARAH RUFCA NIELSEN
Pura Vida
Rice introduces students to study abroad through unique partnerships.
MARK TWAIN ONCE WROTE that travel is “fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” — yet, for far too many students, going abroad can be challenging due to costs, logistics and, sometimes, just not knowing where to start. To assist with such obstacles, the Moody Global Fellows program, introduced in 2023 as part of the Moody Experience at Rice, offers first-generation and limited-income students who
have not previously traveled outside the country the opportunity to get that first stamp in their passport — with full financial and planning support.
Michi Heckler, assistant director of Rice’s Center for Civic Leadership, says the program was designed to help reduce the intimidation factor for students who may be traveling internationally for the first time.
“From the beginning, we thought about factors beyond cost. We partnered with universities where Rice already has strong relationships to help ease the fellows into this kind of travel, to give them the confidence to learn and explore,” she says.
This summer’s fellows spent their first week at the University of Costa Rica and the Latin American Univer-
sity of Science and Technology, where they applied a multidisciplinary lens to the subject of ecotourism. The second week, however, was theirs to plan as they wished. Students could go zip lining in the rainforest or surfing on the coast, hike in the mountains or visit a coffee or chocolate farm.
As someone who is trying to improve his Spanish speaking skills, Kef Nkosi ’27 was excited for the opportunity to have his first international travel experience to a Central American country. “There’s so much nature everywhere,” he says. “During the second week, I traveled with another student to La Fortuna Waterfall and the hot springs. It was a lot of hiking, but it was so beautiful. We also did white water rafting. It was a lot of fun.”
Michael Tsao ’26, who was part of the inaugural class of fellows in 2023, enjoyed the experience so much that he returned this year as a site leader, helping this year’s group plan their travel excursions.
“It had always been a goal of mine to study abroad, but my family never really had the funds,” he says. “Last year’s trip to Costa Rica was my first time flying ever. It was my first time applying for a passport. And I’m so grateful to the program because they not only provided me with funding, but they eased any anxiety I had about going abroad. They walked me through every step — and what to do when you encounter any challenges when traveling — and I wanted to do the same thing for this year’s cohort.”
Brandon Nunez ’26 says his experience with the program has only inspired him to want to travel more in the future. “Once you travel to a different country, you start to think a little differently. You understand that other people are humans just like you — but they are living completely different lives,” he says. “Being able to see these different cultures and different ways of living is so important, no matter what you want to do with your life. It makes you more open.”
— KAYT SUKEL
MOODY GLOBAL FELLOWS
INNOVATION
Meet Our Beetle
Rice biologists have uncovered a new species of tiger beetle — and it’s named after Houston.
BY MARCY DE LUNA
EVOLUTIONARY biologist
Scott Ega n and his research team at Rice’s Wiess School of Natural Sciences have helped unearth a new species of tiger beetle that has been named Eunota houstoniana, honoring the Houston region where it predominantly resides.
The team employed genetic sequencing technology alongside traditional measurements of physical appearance and geographic range data to redefine species boundaries within the Eunota circumpicta species complex. This approach, known as integrative taxonomy, allowed them to identify a distinct biological entity that had been previously overlooked.
“It is amazing that within the city limits of Houston, we still don’t know all the species of insects or plants we share our region with,” Egan says. In Texas, there are around 62 known species of tiger beetles, but Egan says that is likely an underestimate of the diversity that exists.
The Eunota houstoniana was once considered identical to the more common Eunota circumpicta, but the team’s research revealed significant differences — a slightly smaller size,
more subdued metallic coloring, and unique behavior and habitat preferences. The newly discovered species gravitates toward saline soils often found near salt domes and oil extraction sites along the Gulf Coast. Its habitat ranges from coastal regions to inland areas, showcasing adaptability and ecological significance.
The discovery of Eunota houstoniana underscores the urgency of biodiversity conservation. The beetle’s habitats are increasingly jeopardized by urbanization and agricultural and industrial activities, Egan says, and although it’s newly discovered, Eunota houstoniana is likely a threatened species.
“Because of all the growth around Houston, some of these populations have likely gone extinct,” Egan says.
Eunota houstoniana marks the 17th new species described by Egan and his collaborators during his 11 years at Rice. Their work has been instrumental in uncovering and describing previously unknown insect species in the state. By identifying and documenting such species, researchers like those in Egan’s laboratory provide essential groundwork for conservation efforts.
Egan shares the credit with his collaborators, saying, “[This discovery] would not have been possible without the efforts of everyone at Rice, Sam Houston State, Rowan University and our citizen scientists.”
Scott Egan is associate professor of biosciences in the Wiess School of Natural Sciences.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Scott Egan, Eunota houstoniana and conducting research on the Bolivar Peninsula
BIOENGINEERING
Heartbeat Heroes
Rice students’ prototype for treating irregular heartbeats wins engineering showcase
LAST SPRING, Team Heartbeat HERoes took home the top honor at Rice’s annual Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase. The all-female team included Class of 2024 bioengineering majors Shannon McGill, Valentina “Vale” Ortega, Ananya Lingineni, Rachel Lee, Kate Mischlich and Jing Liu, along with mechanical engineering major Veronica Aguilar. Together, they developed a catheter equipped with a trio of stainless steel electrodes capable of sensing electrical signals from the heart in order to treat irregular heartbeats.
The students’ project was to create a prototype for a novel catheter designed to treat premature ventricular contractions, or irregular heartbeats originating in the ventricles of the heart. Left untreated, these irregular heartbeats can lead to cardiomyopathy, a condition weakening the heart muscle. The traditional treatment method is a surgical procedure known as alcohol ablation.
“The current procedure for alcohol ablation is complicated for physicians to perform. They go in with three
separate devices, and it’s very complex and time-consuming,” McGill says. “Our goal was to streamline the process and provide physicians with a single device.” The team’s design allows for precise targeting of abnormal heart tissue while sparing healthy cells, thus minimizing procedural complexity and improving patient outcomes.
The team had several mentors from the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, including Mathews John, the engineering program manager of electrophysiology clinical research and innovations, as well as Allison Post, Dr. Michael Tan and Dr. Mehdi Razavi. “The students displayed ingenuity and teamwork with their innovative project,” Razavi says.
The team’s design allows for precise targeting of abnormal heart tissue while sparing healthy cells, thus minimizing procedural complexity and improving patient outcomes.
The Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase is a long-standing tradition for Rice engineering students at the OEDK, Rice’s premier undergraduate engineering makerspace. Director Z. Maria Oden highlighted the significance of the OEDK in nurturing innovation among students, as it supported the work of over 900 students in at least 20 courses during the 2023–2024 academic year.
This year’s competition, held at the Ion innovation hub in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood, saw 68 teams compete.
“Team Heartbeat HERoes secured a well-deserved victory and also paved the way for advancements in cardiac care that could benefit countless individuals worldwide,” Oden says.
— MARCY DE LUNA
Z. Maria Oden is teaching professor of bioengineering at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, director of Rice’s OEDK and co-director of the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies.
Go to magazine.rice.edu/heartbeat to see a video about this year’s competition and the winning team.
PHOTO BY JEFF FITLOW
OPERA STUDIES
A Stage for Success
For Joshua Winograde, taking the helm of the Shepherd School’s elite opera program was also a Houston homecoming.
A LITTLE OVER a year ago, Rice’s Shepherd School of Music welcomed Joshua Winograde, one of the nation’s leading arts administrators, as director of opera studies and professor of opera. Since then, he’s been busy — staging productions, auditioning students and collaborating with staff and faculty. We caught up with Winograde during his stint with the Bard SummerScape and Music Festival for a wide-ranging conversation about his new gig.
RICE MAGAZINE: What were your formative experiences of opera?
JOSHUA WINOGRADE: The earliest and most influential experience was being given Kathleen Battle’s Schubert album [“Schubert: Lieder”] with James Levine at the piano. I had never heard a voice like that; I had never heard music
made that way. I was 15. The single gift of that album was the tip in the direction that began what ended up as a career in opera.
When I was a high school senior, I won a classical voice competition called Spotlight, which is hosted by The Music Center in Los Angeles. One of the prizes was a full scholarship to a summer at the Aspen Music Festival and School. That summer really introduced me to what a life in opera could be.
RM: Tell us about your unconventional path to the Juilliard School.
JW: I had planned to go to UCLA, but the summer in Aspen made me realize I wanted to take opera more seriously. So, after my sophomore year, I moved to New York and started over as a freshman at Juilliard, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees there.
Houston is a city I’ve long loved — since I was a member of the [Sarah and Ernest Butler] Houston Grand Opera Studio in my 20s.
RM: You spent more than 15 years in creative leadership positions at the LA Opera, which included casting professional artists and creating and directing programming for young artists, too. What led you back to a college environment?
JW: I’ve always told students that they should “enable every opportunity” that even pokes its head in the room to see if they’re interested. When the Rice opportunity came about, I thought, I’m going to take the advice I give my students. As conversations went on, I was more and more deeply seduced by everything that Rice offered, artistically. And what they were looking for seemed really to align with my experiences. Also, Houston is a city I’ve long loved — since I was a member of the [Sarah and Ernest Butler] Houston Grand Opera Studio in my 20s. Returning to Houston with a family allows me to look at the city through different eyes.
RM: You’ve held many roles in the opera world — performer, teacher and administrator. What is the throughline that connects these?
JW: Yes, there really is a thread that connects them all. I find enormous inspiration in working with and providing opportunities for artists who desperately want to do this — who are not complete without expressing art in this way. And when I think of what those of us who love this art form can do to make sure that it exists, I think of making sure that there are future generations of excellent talent always in the pipeline.
— INTERVIEW BY
LYNN GOSNELL
Read an extended interview at magazine.rice.edu
The Big Number
87%
SINCE 1982, the Kinder Houston Area Survey has measured Houstonian’s attitudes, beliefs and experiences about the present — and their hopes for the future. This year’s survey, released in May, revealed a new set of data about Houston’s past, present and, notably, the city’s potential future. Topics surveyed about the Houston of tomorrow include climate change, the energy transition and artificial intelligence.
Among the headline findings: Nearly nine out of 10 area residents (87% in the 30–54 age group) believe that Houston should lead the world in transitioning to alternative energy sources.
Young adults surveyed were in even stronger agreement (89% in the 18–29 age group) with the statement that “Houston should be a leader when it comes to America’s alternative energy future.” Relatedly, more than 80% of Houstonians also said the energy transition was necessary to the city’s economic prosperity. Three-quarters of respondents also agreed that the top priority for the energy sector in Texas should be expanding and improving technologies for the production of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and hydrogen.
“This year, the Kinder Houston Area Survey focuses on the Houston of tomorrow,” said Kinder Institute for Urban Research Director Ruth N. López Turley. “And there is no better place to think about the future than Houston, because the nation’s future happens here.” — AMY MCCAIG
Read more about the 2024 Kinder Houston Area Survey at magazine.rice.edu.
MORE KEY NUMBERS
The annual survey reveals worries about persistent challenges as well as optimism for the future.
A Positive Outlook
Seventy-two percent of participants said they are enthused about new opportunities in the Houston area.
Crime and Safety
Crime and safety was named the overall biggest problem for the second year in a row, with 27% of survey respondents flagging this issue.
AI Impact
More than 50% said they already use AI tools at work, and 60% said AI will result in job losses in Houston in the next five years.
Housing Affordability
One in five respondents said affordable housing was the biggest problem facing the region.
Climate Change
Nearly 60% of survey respondents said they were either worried, very worried or extremely worried about the impact of climate change on the region.
Emergency Cash
Forty-six percent of survey respondents said they cannot afford a $400 emergency with cash on hand — the highest level recorded in the survey’s history.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES
The Cellular Impact of Caregiving
Rice researchers discover that chronic stress among dementia caregivers can impact the body down to the mitochondria.
IT’S NO SECRET THAT the caregivers of spouses with memory impairment face enormous amounts of stress. Researchers at Rice have found that this intense pressure can be felt at the
cellular level and is linked to negative physical and mental health effects.
It is one of the first studies to examine how cellular health at the mitochondrial level may impact the well-being of spousal dementia caregivers who are experiencing significant daily stress.
“This work builds on our previous research on chronic stress and immunity by highlighting the crucial role of cellular health in the mind-body connection,” said Rice psychologist Chris Fagundes, who leads the five-year National Institutes of Health-funded study. Lydia WuChung ’23 of the Fagundes Lab was the study’s lead author.
Researchers focused on the link between mitochondria — essentially the engines that power individual cells — and mental and physical health.
Energy produced by mitochondria is necessary for people to engage in daily activities such as walking, shopping and driving. One way to gauge a person’s cellular health is to determine how much energy is left over after these activities.
Fagundes compared cellular health to a car’s fuel efficiency. “The more energy or fuel you have left over after a drive is an indicator of how good your mileage is — or how well things are working,” he said. “It’s more or less the same idea when it comes to the health of your cells.” Like cars that lose fuel efficiency over time, it is normal for cells to have less leftover energy as a person ages. Chronically stressful situations like caregiving also affect cellular health negatively.
However, some individuals’ cells are naturally more resilient to aging and stress than others. Caregivers with less leftover cellular energy were less able to engage in physical activities such as walking and carrying groceries than caregivers with more leftover energy. They also found that these caregivers experienced fewer positive emotions — such as feelings of excitement, inspiration and alertness — compared to caregivers with more cellular energy.
The researchers say they hope that understanding the biological underpinnings of symptoms like fatigue in dementia caregivers could lead to therapeutic interventions that improve caregivers’ quality of life.
Researchers from Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Houston participated in this study. — AMY MCCAIG
Chris Fagundes is a professor of psychological sciences in Rice’s School of Social Sciences.
Visit magazine.rice.edu for a link to the full study.
Now Reading
Illuminating the Vitae Patrum
The Lives of Desert Saints in Fourteenth-Century Italy
Denva Gallant
Penn State University Press, 2024
Drawing upon scholarship on the history of psychology, Eastern monasticism, gender and hagiography, a new book from art historian Denva Gallant pursues a deeper understanding of the intersection of visual culture and spirituality in medieval Italy. “Illuminating the Vitae Patrum: The Lives of Desert Saints in Fourteenth-Century Italy” is the first book to extensively examine the richly illustrated manuscript of the Vitae Patrum housed at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Gallant’s book provides a comprehensive analysis of the manuscript’s historical and cultural significance.
Honors for “Heavy”
“The manuscript’s extraordinary illustrations serve as a singular witness to the era’s evolving religious practices, making the desert saints’ teachings compelling and accessible to fourteenth-century city dwellers,” Gallant says, explaining how it deepens our understanding of the centrality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers to late medieval piety. — BRANDI SMITH
Denva Gallant is assistant professor of art history in the School of Humanities.
Living With Monsters
Ethnographic Fiction About Real Monsters Yasmine Musharbash and Ilana Gershon, eds. Punctum Books, 2023
In July, “Heavy: An American Memoir” (Scribner, 2018), by writer and Rice English professor Kiese Laymon, was honored by The New York Times as one of “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” While the memoir has received both critical and popular acclaim since its debut, the Times poll raises the voices of more than 500 celebrated authors, critics and book lovers in celebration of a quarter century of literary excellence. — BRANDI SMITH
Kiese Laymon is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English in the School of Humanities.
A recent work of ethnographic fiction edited by anthropologist Ilana Gershon shares imaginary stories — inspired by real anthropological fieldwork — of how people around the world coexist with monsters. “Living With Monsters: Ethnographic Fiction About Real Monsters” includes tales of monsters such as ghosts, demons, goblins and aliens, compiled by top anthropologists. The writing is informed by observations in sites as diverse as urban Ghana, the rural U.S., remote Aboriginal Australia and the internet. While the stories in the book are works of fiction, Gershon says they have important lessons for the real world about how to live alongside beings who could turn dangerous at any moment, as well as how to live respectfully with people who believe the world is filled with beings that others consider mythical. — AMY MCCAIG
Ilana Gershon is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Anthropology in the School of Social Sciences.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Rice on the Hill
From Austin to D.C., government policymakers are seeking insights from Rice’s leading scholars.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY, Rice faculty can be found in campus classrooms, labs and research facilities around the world — and more and more, in conversation with elected leaders in the U.S. Congress and the Texas Capitol, providing expertise on today’s timely topics. Here are a few recent examples.
Artificial Intelligence
Fred Oswald, professor and Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, participated in a Department of Education/White House working session on AI in postsecondary education. He joined a group of 50 higher ed leaders in roundtable discussions about the critical importance of leveraging AI to advance responsible innovation. Oswald is a member of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee.
Rodrigo Ferreira, assistant teaching professor of computer science and a Baker Institute faculty scholar, and César A. Uribe Louis Owen Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, weighed in at a public hearing of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee on the risks, opportu nities and potential for leveraging AI as an arena for international collaboration between the U.S. and Latin America.
Immigration
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, traveled to D.C. to discuss immigration policy, Mexico’s presidential election and visa reforms with Congressional members and staff. Among other engagements, Payan met with members of the U.S. House Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Ana Martín Gil, research manager at the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East, and Kelsey Norman, fellow for the Middle East and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program at the Baker Institute, discussed Afghan refugee policy in recent visits to Texas’ delegation on Capitol Hill.
Energy
Michelle Michot Foss, fellow in energy, minerals and materials with the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, appeared before the U.S. House
Committee on Energy and Commerce to provide expert testimony on the energy transition with respect to supply chain and economic leadership related to the minerals and mining industries. Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs, testified at the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing on issues around stockpiling energy goods for competition and conflict. Collins also provided invited testimony before the Texas House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports at a public hearing in May. Kenneth Medlock, senior director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, helped organize the Texas Electricity Policy Summit event at the Baker Institute last spring at which Gov. Greg Abbott spoke. In Austin, Medlock has helped Rice engage with the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee members on issues impacting the Texas electric grid, an important issue for Texans.
— LYNN GOSNELL
High Tech, Soft Wear
Soft robotics and wearable technologies could sport foam-based fluidic circuits.
AFTER A THANKLESS career as the stuffing in couch cushions, foam unveils overlooked high-tech prowess that could make it a key material in next-generation soft-bodied robots and wearables.
Rice engineers have shown that something as simple as the flow of air through the meshlike structure of open-cell foam can be used to perform digital computation, analog sensing and combined digital-analog control in soft, flexible wearable systems.
“In this work, we integrated material intelligence — the ability of materials to sense and respond to their environment — with circuit-driven logic using a surprisingly simple approach based on the flow of fluid through soft foams,” says mechanical engineer Daniel Preston, whose findings were recently published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Electronic control systems are not always a good fit for soft-bodied robots
and wearables due to the nature of the materials involved and the design constraints they generate. Nonetheless, fluidic circuits — which rely on the flow of gas or liquid to perform analog or digital operations — have been traditionally designed in ways that mirror electronic circuits, i.e., by linking individual components via connecting
Our work at Rice is making real contributions across multiple fields, and I am glad so many of our students continue to do so, in academia, industry and even their own companies after training in our program.
Anoop Rajappan and Daniel Preston
elements. In soft robotics, such conventional circuit design architectures can result in devices that are heavier, harder to make, more expensive and failure-prone.
Instead of conforming their design to these standard architectures, the researchers focused instead on the properties intrinsic to soft materials in order to maximize circuit design efficiency. Thus, pressure differences created by air flowing through the microscopic pores in foam sheets were harnessed to perform complex pneumatic computations and control tasks with a greater economy of circuit design.
The researchers also built foambased fluidic resistors — devices that restrict airflow in pneumatic circuits, much like how electronic resistors limit current flow in electronic circuits. The resistors can be used to create two-dimensional pneumatic logic circuits that can be embedded in textile-based wearable devices.
“Wearable robotic devices could, for instance, provide assistance to users with mobility limitations, and building wearables out of textiles and powering them using compressed air can make them comfortable, lightweight, lowcost and unobtrusive for the user,” says Anoop Rajappan, lead author on the study and a research scientist at Rice during the course of the project.
“Our work at Rice is making real contributions across multiple fields, and I am glad so many of our students continue to do so, in academia, industry and even their own companies after training in our program,” Preston says.
— SILVIA CERNEA
CLARK
Daniel Preston is assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering. Anoop Rajappan is a mechanical engineer and assistant professor at Tulane University.
PHOTO BY BRANDON MARTIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF FITLOW AND BRANDON MARTIN
THE QUAD’S
BY AUTUMN HORNE ’22
BY
ILLUSTRATIONS
JESSICA BROMER A ND CIN-TY LEE
NEW CHAPTER
RICE UNVEILS A TRANSFORMED AND INVITING ACADEMIC QUAD.
FOR TANIA MIN ’90, RICE’S ACADEMIC QUAD WAS MORE THAN AN EXPANSIVE GREEN SPACE ON CAMPUS; IT WAS A TANGIBLE SYMBOL OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
“The quad was a beautiful public environment that had space for me,” she says, recalling her earliest experiences as a student. “For immigrants like my parents, cultivating vibrant outdoor places like this was something they were not familiar with or had time for in their busy lives.”
Min, an architect and past president of the Association of Rice Alumni, has heard many stories echoing her own connection to the quad. Reflecting on its significance, she says, “The former iteration of the quad was important because of its symbolic meaning. That’s not to say it has to remain static. We can change what we have without losing who we are.”
Rice’s Academic Quad honors what the landscape has meant to so many while offering new ways to connect, reflect and grow for generations to come. As visitors stroll along a curving path that runs the length of the quad, they’ll pass newly planted trees and colorful beds of native plants and discover inviting new spaces to gather or rest for a while.
The Redesign Process
The quad’s redesign was shaped by community insight and five years of academic research, programming and public scholarship — a commit ment to bold change that was spurred by the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice commissioned by then-President David Leebron in 2019.
Many classes of Rice graduates have received their diplomas in this quadrangle, exiting through the Sallyport to put their degrees and talents to work and service in the world.”
ROBERT LADD ’78 Board of Trustees chair
Communal spaces in the Academic Quad include charging stations, work tables and shaded areas for conversation. (Below left) The Founder’s
and Sewall halls.
In January 2022, after weighing input from a working group led by trustee Charles Landgraf ’75, the Rice Board of Trustees announced its decision to redesign the quad. The board, under the leadership of chair Robert T. Ladd ’78, then solicited community input and ultimately reviewed over 1,200 comments from a variety of stakeholders, including alumni, staff, faculty and community members.
In February 2023, the board of trustees announced their decision to partner with renowned landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz to reimagine the Academic Quad. The decision followed an invitational competition where several landscape design teams toured Rice’s campus, listened to community input and presented their design ideas.
“We love that they [NBW] have listened to us, they’ve learned about Rice, and they’re trying to reincorporate the things that are important to us in the new design,” says trustee Elle Anderson ’01, who also serves on the board’s Build-
Meet the Architect
“When I’m flying in an airplane and my neighbor says to me, ‘So what do you do?’ And I say, ‘I’m a landscape architect,’ they inevitably have a question about their yard,” says Thomas Woltz, owner of Nelson Byrd Woltz, the firm behind Rice’s Academic Quad. But Woltz is quick to point out that landscape architecture goes far beyond yards and gardens.
“Gardens are certainly part of our toolkit, but it is not limited to that. Our studies are in earthworks, grading, drainage, horticulture, soil science, geology but also cultural history,” Woltz explains. These elements, he adds, are “essential if we’re going to face climate resilience, truthtelling and justice in the public landscape.”
Woltz holds master’s degrees in landscape architecture and architecture from the University of Virginia and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. His team at NBW has a diverse portfolio of projects across the United States and internationally, including many in Houston. In fact, if you’ve visited some of Houston’s most iconic outdoor spaces — such as Memorial Park or the Rothko Chapel — you’ve already experienced Woltz’s work firsthand.
Even though the Academic Quad project is now complete, Woltz and his team remain active on campus. With projects surrounding the Jones Graduate School of Business’ McNair Hall expansion and updating the campus pedestrian infrastructure, they are continuing to shape a cohesive, interconnected landscape at Rice.
Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz
Memorial statue of William Marsh Rice has been relocated to a terrace at the intersection of Lovett
ings and Grounds Committee. Over several months during the planning stages, the NBW team met monthly with members of the board. They also made frequent trips to Houston to work in close collaboration with George Ristow, university architect, and Matt Hester, senior project manager, who were on the ground daily to help bring the new design to life.
Inspirations and Symbols
While the quad’s redesign is undoubtedly beautiful, its significance runs far deeper. “I don’t see the landscape as an act of decoration,” Thomas Woltz of NBW explained, “I see it as a physical manifestation of values.” As visitors move through the quad, they will experience three zones, each designed to elevate both value and purpose — ceremony, commons and community.
Connecting the three zones is a long, arcing path lined with Monterrey oak trees. Inspired by “desire paths” — trails worn into the grass primarily by students over the years — observed in aerial photographs of the quad, the gesture symbolizes students’ freedom to shape their own futures and the future of the university.
[The quad] has so many different moments and ways that we can share about the Rice University experience. I think, although the landscaping is done, the storytelling has just begun.”
ELLE ANDERSON
’01 Board member and member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee
Meet Me at the Quad
The Academic Quad offers flexible spaces for many kinds of activities.
TAKE A BREAK
Long benches placed throughout the quad are perfect for taking a break from work or study. These benches are strategically placed to offer peaceful, shaded spaces for rest and reflection or simply a beautiful place to read a book.
EXPRESS YOURSELF
A small platform in the heart of the quad offers a place to share one’s talents with the Rice community. Whether it’s an intimate concert or poetry slam, this space is perfect for showcasing creativity.
STUDY TOGETHER
Long tables under pergolas in front of Fondren Library provide a new setting for group study sessions. With power outlets and Wi-Fi access, these tables are ideal for collaborative work. Newly installed lighting means study sessions can now extend into the evening hours.
ATTEND AN EVENT
The expanded area fronting the Sallyport can now accommodate a platform to host speakers at formal university events. Experience Rice’s rich architectural history and hear from thought leaders in this newly designed space.
New students marching through the Sallyport or visitors from Rice’s Welcome Center will first enter the quad’s ceremonial zone. This space is designed to host formal university events and introduce visitors to Rice’s rich history.
The paved area fronting the Sallyport has been expanded to accommodate a platform for speakers and lectures, using brick and stone that echo and enhance the surrounding and historically significant architecture. Slender cultivars of sweetgum line the original symmetric sidewalks in pairs, providing shade without obstructing views of the iconic architecture.
While the ceremonial zone closely resembles the original design, there is a vibrant difference: more visual play brought by an abundance of deciduous trees with bold fall colors, verdant grasses and flowering plants. Colorful beds filled with drifts of plants stretch off both sides of the Sallyport. These beds, and others placed throughout the quad, not only help manage storm water but also attract butterflies and other wildlife.
The ceremonial zone is also where the Founder’s Memorial statue has been relocated. William Marsh Rice’s sculptural representation now sits on a paved limestone terrace, surrounded by a garden at the intersection of Lovett and Sewall halls. Through years of petitions, sit-ins and other forms of activism, students questioned whether the prominent image of William Marsh Rice — who owned enslaved people and intended the institution to educate “the
Shade Trees and Colorful Pla nts
Illustrations by Cin-Ty Lee
Contributed by Cassidy Johnson
Symbols matter. As much as buildings shape how we work, symbols in our common spaces shape how we interact with each other.”
DONALD
BOWERS ’91 Trustee emeritus
white inhabitants of Houston” — truly represented the university’s current values and community.
Explaining the symbolism behind the new location, Woltz says, “When you begin the narrative of Rice … you begin with his gift, and then you move on. You move on to the faculty, to the future, to the students, to the incredible results of his gift.”
At the heart of the quad is the commons zone, featuring a central plaza framed with long, curving benches. Shaded by the evergreen Monterrey oaks and a bosque of deciduous trees surrounding the plaza, visitors sitting on the benches will have a clear view of the area’s centerpiece, a small platform made from the granite plinth that once supported the Founder’s Memorial.
“We thought that base has carried
MONTERREY OAK
(MEXICAN WHITE OAK) QUERCUS POLYMORPHA
Now common in the Houston area, the Monterrey oak was first introduced to the Houston area by Lynn R. Lowrey, the namesake of Rice’s arboretum. Lowrey took numerous trips to Mexico to collect acorns for propagation in Texas.
BALD CYPRESS
TAXODIUM DISTICHUM
Bald cypress trees are the only native cypress tree in North America. They can also be found near the Harris Gully Natural Area, a campus wild space and environmental laboratory that is undergoing a significant restoration effort.
one narrative since it was installed,” Woltz says, reflecting on the platform’s symbolism. “[We wanted to] repurpose that same stone base and say, ‘Now it carries the collective narrative of all the voices of Rice’s community.’” The plinth is designed to invite the campus community to speak, perform, protest and debate.
For decades, students have used the center of the quad to start critical conversations about Rice’s history and values. “Our students have always had a pulse
on the culture,” says Portia Hopkins, Rice’s university historian. Emphasizing the importance of these conversations, Hopkins adds, “You have to learn from history and find ways to grow and heal from it, if you don’t want to repeat it.”
Enlivening campus life on the east side of Fondren Library is the community zone, a space designed for informal, impromptu gatherings. In front of the library, two large pergolas are set within a grove of loblolly pines. Waves of fabric, reminiscent of the red roofs of the surrounding buildings, ripple in the breeze and create a soft canopy over the space beneath the pergolas. Long community tables invite students to work and socialize. The space was conceived with the university’s design in mind and is inclusive and accessible from all sides. Those sitting at the tables will have access to power outlets and Wi-Fi, addressing two common requests from students.
The community zone establishes a vibrant social space. “Students will gather in this zone, really for the first time since the construction of the quad, to socialize, collaborate, share a meal or study,” Woltz says. “The new zone invites student life to unfold here. The long community tables are elemental symbols of fellowship, scholarship and nourishment — creating a place at the table for every Rice student.”
“I had zero social interaction in the quad, and I don’t think anyone else did either,” says Jae Kim ’25, the current Rice Student Association president. Describing students’ perspectives on the redesign, he says, “I know a lot of students were asking for more outdoor gathering spaces and outdoor study spaces … It
MEXICAN SKULLCAP
SCUTELLARIA SUFFRUTESCENS
This plant is also referred to as the Texas Rose; however, it is native to Mexico. Lynn R. Lowrey originally collected this plant near Monterrey, Mexico, and introduced it to the Texas plant trade.
PINK AUTUMN SAGE
SALVIA GREGGII
A Texas native that can be found in a wide range of colors. It is a very popular plant with hummingbirds
To me, Rice has always been a place for the search for truth in research of all kinds … and I would like to think the process that gave birth to the new quad is true to that tradition. It stared the facts in the face and acted on them in a rational, thoughtful and caring way.”
GLORIA
TARPLEY ’ 8 1 Board member and member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee
feels like Rice is prioritizing student life and the student experience.” Anderson echoes this sentiment, saying, “I really hope the students determine the narrative. We did our best to create an inviting space, and I hope they receive it that way.”
For Rice President Reginald DesRoches, the quad’s new chapter honors and acknowledges the university’s rich, ever-evolving history and promising future. “The quad is one of the university’s most iconic spaces,” DesRoches says. “It’s what people visualize when they think of Rice. That’s why the evolution of this space is so important.”
SIDEOATS GRAMA
BOUTELOUA CURTIPENDULA
This grass is the state grass of Texas and important for native wildlife. Birds love the seeds, and the grass is the host plant for at least five species of the skipper butterfly.
(Above) Students relax along the tree-lined pathway in the quad. (Left) The formal opening of the Academic Quad on Sept. 12.
RICE STUDENTS, STAFF AND FACULTY ARE TRANSFORMING THIS ELECTION SEASON INTO OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING.
From scholarly expertise and innovative curricula to precinct management and special events, Rice’s collective knowledge in voting and elections is on full and innovative display this election season. Our roundup includes stories about the Baker Institute’s plan for bipartisan election reform, the local voting precinct hosted on Rice’s campus, new findings in voter and election research and a host of courses bringing election topics to the classrooms.
BY KATY MUNGER AND LYNN GOSNELL ILLUSTRATIONS
BY JAMES HEIMER
LIFTING VOTER CONFIDENCE
A
BIPARTISAN PLAN TO ENACT NATIONAL VOTING STANDARDS TAKES
HOLD.
THE RISE OF EXTREME partisanship has taken a heavy toll on America in recent years. By gaming a decentralized election system, lawmakers have been able to tailor voting laws to favor one political party over the opposition — often creating voting barriers for many Americans and eroding confidence in election results. However, a bipartisan solution exists — and that is to strengthen national election standards.
Since 2005, Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Emory University’s Carter Center have created a blueprint for bipartisan election reform that is tailormade for these times. Their recently published “10 Guiding Principles for Election Administration” are envisioned as an “overriding set of standards that can guide state and local election officials as they develop their own specific ways to conduct elections — ensuring that voters receive appropriate levels of service no matter where they live,” the authors write.
overall, it is very important to raise public awareness of bipartisan cooperation.”
If implemented, these changes would go a long way toward ensuring that America’s democratic institutions and elections serve all voters, regardless of their political party. “The guiding principles offered in the report are designed
to instill confidence among people on both sides of the political aisle,” John Williams, co-director of the Baker Institute’s Presidential Elections Program, explains. “If we can agree on such principles, then perhaps policymakers can develop laws and regulations that govern elections in sensible and pragmatic ways.”
— KATY MUNGER
We wanted to show how our two separate institutions — the Carter Center and the Baker Institute for Public Policy — have come together to promote bipartisan cooperation and collaboration during an incredibly divided time in our nation.
DAVID CARROLL,
the Carter Center
“The divided and polarized debates around elections in the U.S. are worrying for us,” says David Carroll, Democracy Program director of the Carter Center. “Our biggest motivation was witnessing the difficulties of administering elections during such an intense election cycle with so many changes to the legal landscape.”
Advocates for the report believe that change is possible. “Interested readers can help advocate for bipartisan cooperation by contacting legislators and other electoral stakeholders to achieve these principles,” Carroll says. “They should be mindful that contexts vary across states, but
10 GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
PASSING THE TORCH
RICE PREPARES A NEW GENERATION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE.
SOCIOCULTURAL anthropologist Elizabeth “Libby” Vann was not surprised when the need for younger candidates emerged as a hot topic during this year’s campaign season. Vann had already put nearly a year into developing her new course, POLI 224: How to Run for Office, which debuts this semester. It’s a timely addition that builds on her popular social policy and advocacy courses.
In this experiential course, students work together in small, semesterlong teams to learn about all aspects of campaigns — selecting a real office and upcoming election cycle and researching actual election and voter histories for those offices and districts — just as if their candidate were preparing to run in that election, Vann says.
Students will also hear from those who’ve been there before — Rice alumni who’ve run for office, elected of ficials and campaign experts. “They’ll talk about why they decided to run for a specific office as the beginning of a conversation
with students about why they might want to run or not,” Vann explains. “I emphasize state and local politics because I want students to learn which office is best for them to start with and develop a game plan for next steps after that.”
For sophomore Summer Orr, this approach is an important draw. “I knew I’d never get another chance to learn about how a campaign works in so much detail,” she says. “I don’t want the ability to run a political campaign to remain exclusively in the hands of those with money and connections that the everyday person doesn’t have.”
The course is not only for future candidates. “Some of my students don’t want to be the front person, and that’s fine,” Vann explains. “There are so many other important roles behind the scenes. Because the students all work on campaign teams, they’re part of the broader experience regardless.”
“If new generations run for office,” says sophomore Aleena Ahmad, “it may encourage them to engage more with the system and effect the change they want to see.”
Vann is on board with the many motivations for taking her class, explaining that everyone wins when a variety of voices are heard during campaign season. “Students are really interested in political engagement right now, but they’re also concerned about the health of democracy. This course will help them direct that energy toward the greater good.” — KM
Elizabeth Vann is lecturer in social policy analysis and director of community partnerships for the School of Social Sciences.
ELECTION LAWS AND POLICIES SHOULD BE CLEAR, TRANSPARENT AND WELL COMMUNICATED TO THE PUBLIC.
LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY
STUDENTS TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO ELECTIONS WITH THESE FALL CLASSES:
FWIS 144 (First-Year Writing Intensive Seminars)
The 2024 Federal and State Elections in the U.S.
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies and professor of political science
New students may elect to fulfill Rice’s writing requirement via a timely election-themed course, trying their hand at policy reports, data analysis, op-eds and candidate profiles.
POLI 420 (PSYC 420, COMP 435)
Election Systems, Technologies and Administration
Robert Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science
Michael Byrne, professor of psychological sciences
Students dive deep into voting technologies — their accuracy, security and how voters interact with them. Class research projects take students out into the community.
POLI 535
Race, Ethnicity and American Politics
Tanika Raychaudhuri, assistant professor of political science
In this graduate seminar, students explore the behavioral and electoral implications of racial and ethnic diversity and investigate the dynamics of American democracy as the electorate diversifies.
All are faculty in the School of Social Sciences.
VOTER REGISTRATION SHOULD BE WIDELY AVAILABLE, EASILY ACCOMPLISHED, SECURE AND WELL RUN.
WELCOMING THE VOTE
RICE STUDENTS TAKE THE LEAD IN MANAGING OUR LOCAL PRECINCT’S VOTING CENTER.
MEET RICE SOPHOMORE Karyn Fu, the presiding judge of Harris County Precinct 361, which includes Rice’s student population and an election center located on campus. In addition to her academic endeavors, Fu plays a key role in the election process by overseeing many aspects of the campus voting experience.
How did you become presiding judge of Precinct 361? As a freshman, I was a poll worker for the prior presiding judge, Vivian Zheng ’24. Because Vivian was a senior, she was looking for someone to take over when she graduated. I started shadowing Vivian and became her unofficial “assistant judge.” In Precinct 361, a Rice student always serves as
presiding judge, and the associate judge is usually someone from the community who belongs to the opposite political party.
What are your responsibilities as presiding judge? I oversee all parts of the election center, from obtaining the equipment we need to hiring and training poll clerks to setting up the polling place. On Election Day, I’ll be making sure poll workers show up and are fed, that voters receive help when needed, and that the election runs smoothly for everyone at Rice.
What is the biggest challenge in your role? Getting poll workers hired and trained on how to
VOTING — SPECIFICALLY, THE ACT OF RECEIVING AND CASTING A BALLOT — SHOULD BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO MEET VOTERS’ NEEDS EQUITABLY.
GO VOTE
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE
Save the Date
Most U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age as of Election Day have a right to vote in the Nov. 5 election. Students can vote on campus or with mail-in ballots from their home state.
Register Soon
Register by Oct. 7 to vote in the November election. Texas students and staff who want to vote in Houston should change their registration to Harris County or vote in their home county to avoid complications.
Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students voting in their home state should visit their state’s board of elections website for information about registration as well as mail-in or absentee voting procedures.
Early Voting
Early voting in person is Oct. 21–Nov. 1 in Harris County. There are early voting locations close to campus and on Rice bus routes. To view all early voting sites, visit harrisvotes.com.
Bring ID
Student IDs are not accepted, if voting in Texas. See acceptable forms of ID at votetexas.gov. An additional resource is rice.turbovote.org.
VOTING TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE A GATEWAY, NOT A BARRIER, TO THE VOTING PROCESS.
efficiently manage the election. We help voters fill out the right paperwork, answer any questions that they have about the process, and make sure that our line isn’t so long that it presents a barrier to voting.
What about that ballot? The Harris County ballot is very long. There are a lot of important races on there, not just the presidential race. So do your own research or read a voter guide, then vote all the way down the ballot. Those smaller races — like all the courts, school boards, etc. — really do matter at the end of the day.
Were you a Tracy Flick in high school? Actually, I wasn’t involved in student government in high school at all. But I’ve always been passionate about voting. One of my biggest influences at Rice has been Elizabeth Vann, who talked a lot about being civically engaged in a social policy analysis class. That inspired me to apply to become involved in election administration.
Should we expect crowds on Nov. 5? There’s no doubt we’re going to see a bigger turnout than in interim elections, but lines will move quickly because there are so many election machines. Plus, Rice students have the day off on Nov. 5, so people will be voting throughout the day, eliminating long lines at lunchtime or before and after work. We’ll also have more poll workers than usual and at least three stations for check-in.
—
INTERVIEW BY LYNN GOSNELL
COLLECTED CAMPAIGN FLAIR
An enduring and colorful platform for voter preferences, campaign buttons are also a popular collectible. Rice’s Baker Institute and Fondren Library’s Woodson Research Center recently received a donation of almost 900 buttons from Baker Roundtable member Carol Desenberg in honor of her late husband, Julius Desey Desenberg, an avid collector. More buttons will be on display at the Baker Institute this fall. — LG
STATES AND LOCALITIES SHOULD PRIORITIZE POLICIES THAT ALLOW BALLOTS TO BE CAST AND RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE ELECTION DAY SO THAT THE FINAL COUNT CAN BE COMPLETED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE CLOSE OF POLLS.
GET INFORMED!
RICE’S BAKER INSTITUTE COLLABORATES TO BRING RESEARCH EXPERTISE AND POLICY ANALYSIS TO THE FOREFRONT DURING THIS ELECTION SEASON.
KNOWLEDGE IS MORE THAN POWER — it’s also the backbone of an informed electorate and the basis for effective government policies. For 30 years, Rice’s nonpartisan Baker Institute for Public Policy has brought knowledge — research expertise, data and experience — to the attention of policymakers and the general public alike.
During presidential election transitions, new administrations have welcomed the Baker Institute’s insights into such critical national issues as energy, immigration and health. This year, the Baker Institute is partnering with other Rice offices to take these efforts a step further via a new initiative, “Election 2024: Policy Playbook.”
The playbook combines a series of accessible, nonpartisan policy briefs with a robust program
of public engagement events for students and the public around key issues at stake in the 2024 elections.
The policy briefs share scholarly insights on key decisions awaiting the incoming U.S. presidential administration and Texas Legislature. Throughout the fall, these briefs will also deliver the insights of Rice’s best scholars to voters, candidates, the media, policymakers and industry leaders. Contributing scholars include researchers with expertise in topics that are front and center in the national conversation: the economy and jobs; AI, science and technology; energy and sustainability; health and education; borders and immigration; building strong and resilient communities; elections and governance; and national security.
The first public engagement event took place Sept. 5, with a discussion that featured journalists Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker in a conversation that explored the issues shaping the upcoming November election.
“Presidential election years present an opportunity to inform both the discourse and direction of policymaking. Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is exceptionally positioned to contribute to this process, as the world’s topranked university-affiliated think tank,” says David M. Satterfield, director of Rice’s Baker Institute. “By leveraging our extensive intellectual resources alongside the strong reputation of the institute among policymakers, we have a
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CAST TIMELY AND VALID BALLOTS.
IN CONVERSATION: GREAT MINDS
THIS TIMELY EVENT PROMISES A DEEPER PERSPECTIVE ON THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
Just two weeks before Nov. 5, Rice’s School of Humanities and the Progressive Forum will co-host a special event featuring esteemed Rice historians — W. Caleb McDaniel and Douglas Brinkley — who will share historical perspectives about the 2024 presidential election. The conversation will be moderated by School of Humanities Dean Kathleen Canning and Rice historian Fay A. Yarbrough as part of the Humanities Innovations series. The in-person event takes place Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Shepherd School of Music’s Stude Concert Hall. Go to humanities.rice.edu/ humanities-innovations for registration information.
W. Caleb McDaniel is the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities and professor of history. Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities and professor of history. Fay A. Yarbrough is the William Gaines Twyman Professor of History and associate dean of humanities for faculty and graduate programs. Kathleen Canning is dean of the School of Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of History.
chance to make a meaningful impact on issues that matter.”
This series promises to be an essential resource for anyone seeking to navigate the complex landscape of American politics. Find links to the complete “Policy Playbook” along with the schedule for all upcoming events at magazine.rice.edu — LG
TABULATION OF ELECTION RETURNS SHOULD BE TRANSPARENT AND PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION.
JUST THE FACTS
RICE’S SCHOLARLY EXPERTISE IN VOTING AND ELECTIONS RUNS DEEP. HERE’S A SAMPLING OF FACULTY WHOSE RESEARCH INFORMS THE PUBLIC DURING THIS — AND EVERY — ELECTION SEASON.
Brain-deep divisions
In an updated edition of “Predisposed: The Left, the Right, and the Biology of Political Differences” (Routledge, 2024), political scientist John Alford and co-authors John R. Hibbing and Kevin B. Smith dive into the neuroscience of partisan thinking. The left and the right “have different neural architecture and display distinct brain waves in certain circumstances.”
John Alford is professor of political science.
Early voting = higher turnout? Think again.
Political scientist Robert Stein and a research team that dug into voter data found that early voting laws have minimal impact on voter turnout. That’s because the impact of early voting on overall turnout is contingent upon a campaign’s strategies for outreach and education. “Candidates do not necessarily win by turning out more voters. … The last thing you want to do is turn out a voter who is not absolutely certain they’re going to vote for [your candidate],” Stein says.
Robert Stein is the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science.
Election integrity
Rice psychologists Michael Byrne and Philip Kortum research the ways “human factors” impact voting integrity with the goal of designing systems that improve elections operations. They scrutinize “the sort of things that don’t get much attention,” Byrne says — poll worker training, voting machine and ballot design, how voters get information, and how ballots are counted.
Michael Byrne is professor of psychological sciences, and Philip Kortum is professor of psychology.
If the current election season has you thinking that your political opponents are from a different planet — or at least a different species — you may not be far from wrong. JOHN ALFORD
Peers and partisanship
Political scientist Tanika Raychaudhuri studies how Asian Americans learn about American politics and acquire partisan views. Her research reveals that political cues from peers are far more influential than family leanings. This research “has important implications for understanding political behavior in immigrant communities and the future of American electoral politics,” Raychaudhuri says.
Tanika Raychaudhuri is assistant professor of political science.
Gauging Texans’ opinions
What do Texas voters think about issues that impact their lives and are likely to be of interest to state policymakers? Political scientist Mark Jones, in partnership with the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, takes the pulse of Texans via public opinion polling on topics such as vote intention, school vouchers, housing costs, casino gambling, gun control and immigration. — LG
Mark Jones is professor of political science, Political Science Fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies.
JURISDICTIONS SHOULD COMMIT TO REGULAR AND RIGOROUS AUDITS OF THE ELECTION PROCESS. THE U.S. SHOULD EMBRACE RECOGNIZED STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR ELECTIONS AND SHOULD WELCOME NONPARTISAN, INDEPENDENT ELECTION OBSERVATION EFFORTS.
A Yearlong Quest
O n a Watson Fellowship, Kirsty Leech ’23 d ee p ened her understanding of families — like her own — who navigate disability.
BY R OBYN ROSS ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS CHOI
P lus
A LOOK AT OTHER INTRIGUING WATSON PROJECTS ON PAGE 48.
Kirsty Leech ’23
in Rice’s Kraft Hall for Social Sciences
On the third morning of her Watson Fellowship, a yearlong trip around the world to study the topic that most intrigued her …
Kirsty Leech fell apart. It was a glorious August day in the tiny Dutch village of Schoonhoven, and Leech was finishing breakfast with her good friend Mijke Roelfsema ’22 and Roelfsema’s parents and sister. The family had offered to host Leech on the first leg of a journey that would ultimately take her to eight countries to learn how disability shapes families around the globe. As sunlight streamed into the Roelfsemas’ kitchen, Mijke turned to her friend. “So, how is your sister doing back home in Houston?”
Leech opened her mouth to answer, but the words crumbled into a sob. She had been granted a singular opportunity, a fully funded 12 months to travel anywhere in the world for her research. Her love for her sister, and her hunger to understand families like hers in other countries, had brought her here. But to answer her questions, she had to leave her sister behind.
It had been a difficult choice for Leech, and in the past few days she had realized how difficult her absence would be for her family. Mijke’s innocent query had unleashed a flood of homesickness and impostor syndrome, and Leech, who never cried around other people, came undone.
Still, she says now, “It’s the moments when you are forced to confront those difficulties, and you make it out the other side, that make you grow on your Watson as much as any of the research.” She collected herself and listened as the Roelfsemas assured her she was doing the right thing. As she prepared for her first research meeting, she reminded herself: “The only person that will get you through this year is you.”
AN ITINERARY OF INQUIRY
Each year, the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, established in 1968 and named for the CEO who led IBM to global prominence in the first half of the 20th century, supports graduating seniors from 40 partner institutions — including Rice — to conduct
PHOTO BY JEFF FITLOW
independent research projects outside the United States. Recipients are awarded a $40,000 stipend; health insurance; a year of student loan payments, as needed; and the freedom to design (and change) their own itinerary. The New York-based Watson Foundation sets just a few guidelines for fellows: They cannot enroll in graduate school or hold a formal, paid job during their Watson year. Every quarter, they send an update about their project, and they should not return to the U.S. until their fellowship year is over.
The Watson Foundation’s vision is that the world needs more humane and effective leaders, a goal served by encouraging students to expand their vision and develop their potential on a world scale, says executive director Chris Kasabach. “The confidence and perspective that’s grown from designing and engaging a project built from your deepest interests becomes a renewable resource that lasts a lifetime,” he says.
When Leech applied for the fellowship, a mentor explained that a Watson topic should be something so fundamental to her identity that she could remain driven to pursue her project for an entire year on her own. As she considered potential subjects, she realized that every aspect of her identity and her goals had been shaped by her family’s experiences with disability.
Her older sister, Jemma, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility and a facilitated communication device to speak. Leech’s twin brother, Rory, has ADHD and has faced mental health challenges. Although Leech describes Jemma as the smartest person she knows, she grew up “watching my mum have to fight for my sister’s right to be in a classroom and to have people recognize that her intellectual capacities were not limited, just because her physical capacities might need some additional support,” Leech says.
Frame running is an adaptive sport for those with coordination impairments. Leech visits a race in Sweden.
After her family moved from their native U.K. to Texas when Leech was 6, her mother became Jemma’s primary caregiver while her father managed international opera companies. From a young age, Leech developed independence and a strong sense of empathy. Meanwhile, Rory’s learning disability and struggles with mental health exposed her to the challenges of accessing educational support and medical care.
Only at Rice did Leech, a political science and sociology major, begin to understand how significantly her siblings’ circumstances had affected her own upbringing. Her sophomore year, she took Disability and U.S. Law with associate professor of history Elizabeth Petrick. For the first time, she saw her family’s experience reflected in the course content and felt able to contribute because of her lived experience. She went on to take Sociology of Mental Health with Distinguished Professor of Sociology Tony N. Brown; Introduction to Disability Studies with Alan Russell, the executive director of the Disability Resource Center; and Family Seminar with professor of sociology Jenifer Bratter. She wrote her final paper for Family Seminar about the impact of disability on family members, a project that laid the groundwork for her Watson.
In her Watson application, Leech proposed an inquiry into how families reshape their households around disability, as well as the impact of external resources. “Looking back on my fami-
ly’s experience, we were left to fight for my siblings’ needed accommodations on our own and were not given much, if any, external support,” she says. She drafted an itinerary that allocated half the year to relatively wealthy countries with a progressive approach to service provision (Sweden, Australia and New Zealand) and the other half to countries with fewer resources and services (South Africa and Uruguay). She spent hours Googling disability organizations and laws around the world, then sending cold emails to researchers and service providers, many of whom welcomed her to visit.
She added the Netherlands to her list because of another formative Rice experience: her close friendship with Roelfsema, who also had a sister with a disability. When Leech learned she’d been awarded Rice’s Watson Fellowship for 2023, Roelfsema made an offer: “You’re welcome to live with my family for a time to see what it’s like for a Dutch family with a child with a disability.”
Once there, Leech became close with Mijke’s older sister, who has a developmental disability and lives at home. She visited the restaurant where her friend’s sister worked — one that intentionally hires people with disabilities — and accompanied her to her accessible horseback riding session. The Roelfsemas introduced Leech to other families of children with disabilities, and Leech began asking her contacts the questions she would pose in interviews throughout her Watson year: What were your experiences growing up as a
Leech joins a local family for “fika,” Swedish afternoon cake and coffee.
disabled person or family member of one? What have been your challenges or advantages as an adult, and what do you hope for your future? What supports have you received in these different phases of life?
After six weeks in the Netherlands, Leech moved on to Sweden, where she volunteered at a Stockholm-based advocacy group for people seeking supported living accommodations. Next came Australia, where she interviewed people with disabilities and their service providers about a decade-old overhaul of the country’s disability support system, widely viewed as failing to live up to its promises.
In New Zealand, she spent most of her time drafting reports to help improve the lives of New Zealanders with disabilities, from preventing abuse in statutory care to bettering access to recreational activities. Leech also volunteered with a recreational access organization, piling into a minivan with participants and setting off for a day at the beach, at a farm or at a botanic garden — and decided to finish her Watson year with a similar hands-on experience. More Googling turned up a camp for children with serious illnesses and their family members in Ireland, and Leech applied for a volunteer summer camp counselor position.
When her plans in Uruguay fell through, she added a month in Vietnam, where she interviewed advocacy groups and staff at child care and rehabilitation centers. She also spent a day at the United Nations office in Hanoi, meeting with the team that implements the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Returning to her original itinerary, she traveled to South Africa to assist with research at Stellenbosch University outside Cape Town and volunteered at an inclusive preschool, where children with and without disabilities learn together.
FINDING STRENGTH IN ADVOCACY
In mid-June, Leech’s flight from South Africa touched down at the airport in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. She’d added the country to her list because her good friend Stella Potemkin ’23 had a family connection to a nonprofit active in the small town of Mazabuka. That nonprofit contacted the local disabled persons organization, which agreed to help Leech conduct interviews.
Over the next week, she and her hosts bumped along dirt roads in a friend’s minivan, dodging goats and cattle until they arrived at straw or brick huts where families had agreed
to talk with them. The homes typically weren’t large enough for her host’s wheelchair, so the group would sit outside in the sun on wooden stools or overturned fuel cans. With the help of an interpreter who spoke the local tribal language, Tonga, Leech asked her standard questions about family life and the role of support services.
She listened as religion entered the conversation: Families said their disability must have been God’s will, and they credited their Christian faith with helping them persevere. She met families who had albinism, which, in Zambia, carries a heavy stigma. “It demonstrated a form of disability that previously I would never have considered one,” she says.
In her Watson application, Leech proposed an inquiry into how families reshape their households around disability, as well as the impact of external resources.
Leech with her host family during a stay in southern Africa.
Mischek and Chris, Leech’s Zambian hosts, represent the local Disabled Persons Organization, helping to translate and organize meetings.
Leech was inspired by the cooperatives that people with disabilities formed to support one another emotionally and financially. And she was struck by how basic the rural Zambians’ needs were. Her interviewees in developed countries typically mentioned a desire for caregiving staff, access to mainstream education or respite care. But in Zambia, her subjects longed for a wheelchair and some extra cash to help them survive.
“The Watson forces you to reckon with the concept of the geographic lottery,” Leech says, “and the idea that where you are born … fundamentally shapes not only who you become, but the quality of life that you are going to be entitled to.” In Sweden, she had been stunned at the government’s practice of paying for personal assistance for people with disabilities, whether those services were provided by professional caregivers or family members. She couldn’t help but wonder how her mother’s and sister’s lives would have been different if her own government had taken that approach.
But in Zambia, she saw children with disabilities who sat in the dirt all day simply because no wheelchair was available, or no school could serve them. Those moments underscored how Leech’s family had, in fact, won the geographic lottery: They had a wheelchair, a car and public education.
Leech’s last stop was the camp for young people with serious illnesses or disabilities outside Dublin, where the lush green of County Kildare was a striking contrast to the parched Zambian plains. As a cara, the Irish word for friend, Leech supported her campers at the ropes course, made sure they got their medications and led evening reflections. She couldn’t help but imagine that Jemma would have enjoyed such an experience.
When the month ended, Leech said goodbye to her campers and flew back to the U.S. She and the other Watson Fellows convened for an intense five-day conference in Maine, where they presented their projects and began the curious process of readjusting to regular life. Leech’s next move is to apply to law school and pursue a career in disability law.
“I really wanted to use my Watson to see whether working in a field that is so personal to me and my family was something that I could emotionally sustain,” she says. “I think that my Watson has demonstrated that my personal connection to disability rights is not my vulnerability as an advocate, but my strength. If I can spend the rest of my life fighting for families like mine, I will be proud of the life that I live.”
GOLDEN TICKETS
SINCE 1971, YOUNG RICE ALUMNI HAVE PURSUED THEIR PASSION PROJECTS ABROAD VIA THE THOMAS J. WATSON FELLOWSHIP. HERE ARE A FEW.
APES AND CONSERVATION
Ilana Nyveen ’19 swung through 11 countries and four continents, observing great apes and working alongside sanctuaries in search of conservation strategies.
SURVIVOR EMPOWERMENT
Jenny Wen ’13 talked to female survivors of sexual assault all around the world, curious about how each overcame their obstacles and regained confidence.
RUNNING AND CULTURE
Track star Becky Wade ’12 trained alongside some of the world’s fastest to discover the running culture in each of their nations, running 3,500 miles in 22 countries.
GARDENS AND MUSIC
Composer Caroline Shaw ’04 traveled Europe’s horticultural landscape and wrote movements for string quartets mirroring the architecture of the formal gardens she visited.
ENDANGERED PARROTS
Former Rice mascots’ owl-keeper Alice Chen ’91 deepened her aviary endeavors by studying endangered parrot species on St. Vincent Island and in Australia and Indonesia.
IMMIGRANT JOURNEYS
Filmmaker Mark Brice ’80 lived in Mexico and documented emigrants’ journeys to the U.S. as well as the cultural ramifications of living in America for those returning to Mexico.
— NOA BERZ ’26
The Art of Belonging
Alumna Mia Lopez connects Latinx art within and beyond Texas’ oldest modern art museum.
BY AMY C. EVANS
LAST FALL , Mia Lopez ’07 was named the first curator of Latinx art at the McNay Art Museum in her hometown of San Antonio. “This summer marks 20 years that I’ve been doing this work in some capacity in art museums and cultural spaces,” Lopez says. “It all started after my freshman year at Rice.”
Lopez landed at Rice’s School of Humanities, pursuing an art history degree, after looking for an academically rigorous program and a diverse student body in a big city close to home. An internship at Rice Gallery inspired a strong desire in Lopez to work with living artists. Afterward, she earned two master’s degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and held curatorial positions with the DePaul Art Museum in Chicago and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Then, during the pandemic, Lopez and her husband relocated to San Antonio to be closer to her family and start a family of their own. “It was a leap of faith,”
Lopez recalls. “I felt like this is where my network is, this is where my community is — doors are going to open.”
When Lopez saw the job listing for the position at the McNay, she knew it was a perfect fit. “I’ve been going to that museum my whole life … [and now I’m] able to cater my approach as a curator, as an educator, as an art historian to this really unique and special place.”
Lopez says there’s an assumption that she must be starting from scratch as curator of Latinx art because the role is brand new, but she’s actually building off work that’s long been in progress at the McNay. “The museum has had a relationship with and an interest in Mexico, Latin America and, of course, the diaspora of those
She emphasizes that what she’s doing is connecting dots across the collection, identifying points of intersection with contemporary Latinx artists and finding ways to tell those stories. Lopez’s first big project for the McNay, opening in December, is an exhibition exploring 35 years of a Chicano aesthetic called “rasquachismo,” featuring work from the museum’s collection as well as pieces from other locally and nationally acclaimed artists.
In 2015, Lopez wrote an article about the San Antonio-based Chicano painter Mel Casas (1929–2014), who called himself a “cultural adjuster.” When asked if she sees herself in a similar light, Lopez considers the community beyond the walls of the McNay. “I do think that I’m a changemaker, but not necessarily just at the McNay,” she says. “I hope that there’s a ripple effect with the work that we are doing as an institution and throughout the field, and I hope that we’re also able to make a meaningful impact in our community.” Lopez adds that she and her colleagues often emphasize that the museum is a place of belonging for everyone.
Given that sentiment, Lopez has landed right where she belongs.
The museum has had a relationship with and an interest in Mexico, Latin America and, of course, the diaspora of
those regions since its opening 70 years ago. regions since its opening 70 years ago,” Lopez says, “and I am also supported by colleagues nationally who have been doing this work at their institutions.”
Keeping Up With Classmates
Submit news and updates to your class recorder listed below or owlmanac@rice.edu.
1944
>> Christianne “Christi” Mays Hagemann ’83 (Jones: BA) submits the obituary of her mother, Margaret Morrison Mays (BA), who lived to be 101. Maggie had several Rice alumni relatives in addition to Christi: her eldest son, Charles Marshall Mays ’81 (Lovett: BA; BArch, 1983); her younger brother, Kenneth P. “Bubba” Morrison Jr. ’50 (BA); and her son-in-law, Thomas Hagemann ’78 (Lovett: BA).
Quoting from her obituary:
Do you remember these gridiron greats? Go to Page 71 for the correct answer.
No classnotes for your year?
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“Margaret Mays was born in Houston on Feb. 27, 1923, attended Lanier Middle School, and was part of the first class to attend all three years at the brand-new Lamar High School. First in her family to attend college, she majored in English at the Rice Institute and got her degree in February 1944. Classes were on an expedited schedule to allow young men to get their degrees before leaving for World War II. Her sheepskin diploma was designed as well as signed by President Edgar Odell Lovett.
“After graduation, Maggie
worked at a chemical lab in Baytown. She loved her work, but when the war ended, all the women were laid off so the jobs could be given to the men returning from overseas. At that point, a friend recommended that she apply for a job as a stewardess at Chicago & Southern. For the final interview, she had to get on a plane for the first time and fly to Chicago. She got the job and ended up flying all around the Caribbean from 1947–1957. In 1953, the company merged with a smaller airline called Delta.
“After 10 years, one of her
former stewardess friends and her husband (stewardesses were forced to retire when they married) set Maggie up on a blind date with a fellow Texan (and Aggie!) working in the budding oil industry in Venezuela. In December 1958, she and Charlie were married at St. Anne’s Church in Houston. They honeymooned in Havana but had to cut their trip short to catch one of the last flights out as Castro and his forces were marching into the city. Maggie and Charlie started their life together and had the first two of their three children in Maracaibo, Venezuela. They then moved for short periods to Houston (where baby number three was born), Oklahoma City and New Jersey before moving to the Netherlands. The family lived in a 300-year-old three-story row house in The Hague and traveled all over Europe from 1965–1975 before moving back to Houston.
“Back in Houston, Maggie was a volunteer at St. Anthony’s nursing home for many years, a docent with The Heritage Society, and an active member of the OWLS. Wellread and well-traveled, she got to be ‘mother’ to a new generation of Rice students in the late ’70s and early ’80s, who remember her fondly for her conversation and sense of humor. She had a deep love for old Houston and all things Rice and was always appreciative of the great education she got at Rice, even if it did take her several tries to pass Math 100.”
1950
The Class of 1950 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
1951
Class Recorders:
Gene Langworthy ueee3ami@gmail.com
George Laigle 713-705-3282 glaigleman1@gmail.com
Class recorder Gene Langworthy (BA; BS, 1952) writes:
The night before D-Day 80 years ago, I joined with classmates to celebrate our junior high graduation. It was a wonderful party, but with mixed feelings. Next day our family was boarding a train leaving Texas, heading for New York. Didn’t realize what the next morning would bring. We awakened to the sound of church bells ringing all over Houston, signaling the attack against the Germans! Thousands of our brave men were crossing the Channel. Their main target was Normandy’s beaches and then its cliffs. They succeeded in spite of withering German fire. The beachhead in France was secured at great cost in lives, the first step leading to our defeat of the Nazis.
For perspective, I’ve been to Normandy, looked up at the cliffs, toured the museum, and walked among the white crosses, graves of men of “Our Greatest Generation”!
Also, for further perspective, I’ve visited Buchenwald. Everyone, especially the young, should.
>> Class recorder George Laigle (BA; BS, 1952) writes:
Those were the days, my friend!
I’m still percolating, with most of my marbles (aka cognitively alert), and enjoying life tremendously. I can still drive, but I limit myself on how far I stray from my youngest
daughter’s house, where I am the old fart in the attic of a three-story townhouse. If I have to call for help, it would be a hardship for them to come rescue me, since they are all still busy working with their careers. I spend quite a bit of time trying to plan my checkout from Hotel Earth, to make the process as easy as possible for my four kids and five grandchildren. (I have “adopted” three of my darling great-grandnieces, since none of my grandchildren are into making families, and only one is married, so I have no prospects for greatgrandchildren.) With a pacemaker close to nine years old, and a heart pumping at about 40%, with two clips on the mitral valve, and with fourth-stage kidney failure, I have plenty of chances to check out soon.
My favorite pastimes are all kinds of online research, gambling with stock options, and spending time repairing old farm machines at my country place 80 miles away. Spend hours reading online, and recently adopted the practice of memorizing poetry, helping my brain to function. The latest: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”!
As I write this, my two grandsons, both graduates in computer science, are far away, one in San Francisco and the other in Manhattan, where they claim there are people who need their programming skills and have big money to spend. The oldest granddaughter is married to an airport security officer, living in their recently purchased house in Minneapolis. The middle granddaughter is a Houston real estate agent, and the youngest, a junior in college in Arkansas, is now vacationing in Italy.
>> Any surviving classmates out there? Call or email us!
>> Must-read obituaries: George “Dutch” Cunyus (BA), great career with Hunt Oil: https://bit.ly/ george-cunyus. Nancy Moore Eubank ’55 (BA), Tom Eubank’s (BA) wonderful wife. See Class of 1955. (Visit Tom at Heritage, Woodway.)
1952
The Class of 1952 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
>> Kathy Howe-Kerr submits the obituary of her father, Charles Howe (BA), adding that he passed away March 3, just weeks away from turning 93. Quoting from his obituary: “Chuck Howe was born in Dayton, OH, in 1931. Chuck graduated from Joplin High in 1948, where he met his future wife, JoAnne Blanke. He attended Rice from 1948 to 1952, majoring in economics. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was one of 10 ‘Outstanding Seniors’ chosen by a faculty-student board.
“At graduation, he was commissioned ensign in the US Navy, stationed in Long Beach, CA, but returned briefly to Joplin to marry JoAnne, who then accompanied him to Long Beach, where Chuck’s ship, the minesweeper U.S.S. Redstart, was stationed. The honeymoon was short-lived since Chuck’s ship departed for Korea in December 1952, returning to the U.S. in June 1954.
“Chuck enrolled in the economics PhD program at Stanford, receiving the degree in 1958. With two children added, they moved to Purdue, where Chuck was assistant professor of economics in the emerging Krannert School of Management.
“At that time, Chuck also began research in the water resources field, producing a book, ‘Studies in the Economics of Inland Waterway Transportation,’ that was published by Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. In 1964, JoAnne, Chuck and now four children took a temporary post at the University of East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation’s University Development Program to help CONTINUED ON PAGE 55
Margaret Morrison Mays
Greetings From Tokyo!
Naoki Shiba explores a fast-paced career in a city both familiar and new.
I SEE THE NEWS FLASH in bright red on my monitor — the Japanese yen has dropped to 160.245 per dollar. A historic weakness in the Japanese currency has made Japan one of the most attractive global markets to invest in recently, and as a financial trader working at an
investment bank in Tokyo, I get to see what’s happening firsthand.
After graduating Rice in 2017, I moved to Tokyo to begin work as a trader. Although my parents are Japanese, I had spent most of my life living abroad, mainly in the United States and the Netherlands. Moving to Tokyo was new and exciting for me, but also daunting. Almost seven years in, I still feel like a foreigner in the country where my passport was issued.
The indirect style of communication here has taken considerable adjustment. The Japanese clients I interact with rarely open up about what they are thinking, whereas I am used to speaking more openly.
A typical workday starts at 7 a.m., when I head to my office in the Roppongi district to catch up with the overnight global market moves. By 9 a.m., the Tokyo market has opened and trading begins. The office atmosphere here is not dissimilar to how Wall Street is portrayed in Hollywood movies — dozens of monitors displaying flashing red and green numbers, salespeople and traders yelling prices, and phones constantly ringing with investors looking to trade.
At Rice, I majored in chemical and biomolecular engineering and dreamed of being a scientist or engineer. But I was drawn to financial trading for the fast pace and the thrill of making decisions that involve substantial amounts of capital. That decision has positioned me to educate global investors about the Japanese market and Japanese investors about the markets outside of Japan. Although I rarely use my engineering degree directly, I am grateful for my education at Rice because it taught me how to lead and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.
Outside work, I’ve started to compete in marathons across Japan. So far, I have run in seven prefectures (analogous to a state in the U.S.), and my goal is to complete a marathon in all 47. Each prefecture displays local pride in hosting their marathons, showering runners with souvenirs and staging traditional performances next to the course. One race that was particularly memorable for me was a marathon in Tohoku, a prefecture in the northern part of Japan; at one of the aid stations, instead of water, I was served local beef tongue! —
NAOKI SHIBA ’17
PHOTO BY BENJAMIN BEECHEY
Naoki Shiba ’17 lives and works in the heart of Tokyo.
Curveball
A mystery series takes a swing at baseball scandals, real and imagined.
THE SO-CALLED DEADBALL era in baseball, from 1900 to 1920, marked a turning point for the game as it evolved from low-scoring contests with few home runs to the livelier, higher-scoring games of modern baseball. In “The Deadball Files,” a series of novels by Jerry “J.B.” Manheim ’68, the era is a backdrop to fictional mysteries interwoven with real historical moments. Manheim, a professor emeritus at George Washington University, where he taught political communication and spent much of his career studying propaganda and cover-ups, uses those themes as the plots of his novels. We spoke to Manheim about the series and his inspiration.
What inspired you to write this series? In 2018, I was watching “Antiques Roadshow,” and there was a military history collector in Georgia who had picked up a box of papers from a World War I training camp near Augusta: Camp Hancock. He had found a daybook for a training unit there that had seven or eight future Hall of Fame baseball players
— including Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb. According to historical accounts, that duo had joined the newly formed chemical warfare service at the end of the 1918 season and shipped over to France, where there was a training accident. Mathewson was exposed to poison gas and died a few years later as an indirect result.
But none of the baseball histories or player biographies made any reference to what was obviously a propaganda unit — formed to encourage more men to enlist — months earlier. The interesting thing is that this daybook showed that, while they were at Camp Hancock, Mathewson and others spent considerable time in the base hospital. There were a lot of strange activities going on in the training unit, and then it disappeared: a propaganda unit that generated no propaganda. So that got me thinking about what else might have happened, and what the military might have wanted to cover up, which formed the premise for the first book in the series, “This Never Happened.”
What drew you to the deadball era in particular? The era was a hotbed of firsts: the first manned flight, the first world war, the emergence of the modern presidency, the first pandemic of the modern era. But in baseball, there was a lot going on, too. In 1903, the National Baseball Commission was established to govern the major leagues.
You had the start of the World Series, the redesign of the baseballs used in the sport, and litigation that led to the antitrust exemption for baseball that forms the core of their business model. You had larger-than-life personalities in players like Mathewson and Cobb, and at the end of the era, Babe Ruth. So, you have these concurrent dynamic periods interacting with each other.
How does your scholarly work in political communication inform these novels? My research focused on the communication strategies and tactics that governments, companies, policy advocates, political movements, insurgent groups and others use to achieve their goals. That led me into studying persuasion and propaganda, cover-ups, that sort of thing. If there’s political messaging that looks like it might have been artificially created, I’m always interested in how that happened. That’s an underlying theme in the books, too. The books end up with some true, researched, annotated baseball history and general history, but I don’t feel bound by the facts. I like to play with the line between what’s real and what’s not, and the question of how we know what we know — whether what we think we know about history is really true.
— INTERVIEW BY JENNIFER LATSON
See magazine.rice.edu/deadball for an extended version of this interview.
build the program in economics. Chuck continued water research with management studies of the Tana River Basin in northeastern Kenya.
“On the basis of Chuck’s water research, he was invited in 1965 to join the staff of Resources for the Future as director of the water resources program. The family moved to D.C., where they lived until 1970, when Chuck was appointed professor of economics at CU Boulder.
“Chuck was appointed a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 1973 and a fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists in 2012. He was the principal author of the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Chuck and JoAnne, with whatever children were at home or able, continued to travel, both for work and for pleasure. Chuck was an avid runner, having competed in more than 30 Bolder Boulder (10K) races as well as several Crescent City Classics in New Orleans. While in Indonesia, he was part of the Hash House Harriers running group.
“After this accomplished career, Chuck and JoAnne retired to Frasier Meadows Retirement Community in Boulder, where they became a valued part of that community for over 20 years. The family extends special thanks to all the staff of the Summit Care Center at Frasier for their devoted and loving care in the last year of Chuck’s life. Their dedication is remarkable.”
1953
Class Recorder:
Peter Shannon
972-239-3227
newpeterb@gmail.com
Class recorder Pete Shannon (BA) sends the following:
>> Tonia Attwell, widow of classmate Khleber Attwell (BA), writes: “Time marches on, and one of its casualties should be noted. Going back so far that no one still around can remember when it started, three Rice couples from the Class of 1953 met every year in early February to celebrate common birthdays.
“The specific celebrants were Walter (BA) and Beverly Ward Baker (BA), John ‘Bob’ and Martha Hodge Strawn (BA), and Khleber and I. Four of the six were born during the first week of February 1931. Think age of Aquarius! (Full disclosure: As one born in April 1936, and worse, holder of a non-Rice degree, I had to settle for provisional status until I finished my coursework and practice teaching at Rice early in the ’80s. Until then, I had to eat in the kitchen!)
“Almost without exception, the weekend closest to Groundhog Day was marked ahead and a venue selected. Dinner at Chez Strawn, featuring Martha’s celebrated yeast rolls, was most often the place, but some gatherings occurred elsewhere. I recall that our house and the Bakers’, as well as a country club and an upscale Mexican restaurant, were also settings. As we dined, our group represented Rice admirably. For example, some guests over the years included adult children like Susan Strawn and Augustin ‘Gus’ Attwell ’94 (Hanszen: BA). And Dave (BA) (born Feb. 5, 1931) and Pamela Riley Devine ’55 (BA) also made cameo appearances.
“Our conversation remained lively, with Beverly invariably holding us rapt at table with one of her latest experiences. Though the need for comfortable seating eventually became less essential than finding wheelchair-appropriate doorways, I can attest that I never heard any bemoaning of infirmities.
“Old friends are indeed the best ones, and breaking bread and birthday cake with those we love seems almost a distant dream. Now that we have lost our three alpha males — Khleber in 2021, Walter in 2022 and Bob in 2023 — we three surviving females have decided to call it a day for those Groundhog gatherings. Mindful of the reality that change is what it’s all about, even when it’s scary, we give thanks that our group was blessed with each other’s friendship for so long and in the shadow of Rice, our alma mater. Tiny Tim got it right: ‘God bless us every one!’”
1954
The Class of 1954 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
1955
>> Nancy Moore Eubank (BA), longtime class recorder of 1955, passed away peacefully after a brief illness Friday, Feb. 16. Quoting from her obituary: “Nancy was born Dec. 16, 1933, in Memphis, TN. When she was three years old, her parents moved to Jacksonville, FL, where Nancy especially enjoyed the beaches and exploring nearby swamps and the St. Johns River with her friends. At a young age and at her father’s suggestion, Nancy raised cocker spaniels, presented them at dog shows, and sold them to develop confidence and independence and to fund her college education.
“Nancy was a star at Jacksonville’s Landon High School, where she was a National Honor Society member and held numerous student government positions, including vice president of her senior class, officer roles in school clubs and the yearbook. Nancy was also a cheerleader
and a member of the homecoming court. Following Nancy’s graduation, her father’s job moved to Houston, and Nancy enrolled at Rice. Like high school, Nancy thrived at Rice and held numerous officer roles in student government and clubs and was the Queen of the annual Archi-Arts dance. Nancy graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1955 with a BA in Romance languages and received the Rice Undergraduate Service Award. In addition, Nancy served as a board member and twice as vice president for the Rice Alumni Association and received the Rice Alumni Service Award.
“During her senior year at Rice, Nancy went on a blind date with a newly licensed Baker & Botts attorney and Rice graduate named Tom Eubank ’51 (BA). One year later, Nancy and Tom were married. Before starting a family, Nancy worked in the psychiatry department of Baylor College of Medicine and later served as the dean of women at Rice. In 1961, Nancy gave birth to her first child, John. Marshall followed in 1964, Stephen in 1968 and Laura in 1972.
“Nancy held positions on the boards of Rice’s Fondren Library and Shepherd School of Music. Together, Tom and Nancy established the annual Eubank Conference on Real World Markets put on by Rice’s Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems. Nancy was very proud of her 16-year service as a citizen member of the Judicial Advisory Council of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Nancy’s contributions were recognized by the Texas Probation and Parole Association Service Award.
“Aside from time spent with her children and then grandchildren and volunteering, Nancy participated in group activities such as a bridge club and the Polly Painters art club and frequently attended social events. Nancy was always busy at home, with energy that seemed to never stop. Up to the
very end, Nancy regularly drove her car, shopped, transported her grandchildren to and from activities, and did all of the things she had always done. Nancy prized her independence and refused to slow down, explaining that the only way to combat aging was to stay active.” Read Nancy’s full obituary here: https://bit.ly/ nancy-eubank.
1956
The Class of 1956 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
>> Peggy Tollerene submits the obituary of her husband, Glenn Leonard Tollerene (BA): “Glenn Tollerene went to be with his Lord and savior March 16, 2023, at the age of 90, after a three-year battle with Alzheimer’s. Born Dec. 25, 1932, in Houston, the only child of James Steven Tollerene and Gladys L. Perry Tollerene, Glenn graduated from Austin High School. He played first chair clarinet in the band and was elected ‘Best All Around’ by his senior class. Glenn then received a full scholarship to attend Rice Institute. He was a member of the Naval ROTC, and upon graduation, Glenn was commissioned an officer in the Navy.
“He married Peggy Catherine Ventry on June 2, 1956. After their honeymoon to Acapulco and Mexico City, they were off to Monterey, CA, to report for his Navy assignment. Naval housing was scarce, and they ended up in a guest cottage on the prestigious 17-Mile Drive on Pebble Beach. Glenn frequently said with a grin that ‘All accommodations have been downhill ever since.’
“Their first son, Gary, was born in Carmel, CA, in 1958. Glenn loved sports, and the base commander assigned him the responsibility of leading the MWR department on
base. This allowed him to manage all on-base athletic activities for hundreds of young sailors and their officers. Glenn loved his country and served in the Navy with great passion.
“In June 1958, upon completing his Navy obligation, they returned to Houston, where Glenn started work as a pipeline engineer for Columbia Gulf Transmission. He received his BS in civil engineering in 1962 from the University of Houston. Glenn and Peggy welcomed their second son, Bryan, into the family in 1964. Glenn worked at Columbia Gulf Transmission for 33 years. During his distinguished career, he worked as a licensed professional engineer and licensed land surveyor in both Texas and Louisiana. He was active before and after retirement serving as president and chairman of the board of directors for the Gulf Coast Gas Measurement Short Course, Inc. Glenn enjoyed hunting, fishing and skiing with his many colleagues and friends. He retired from Columbia Gulf Transmission as the director of gas measurement in May 1992.
“Soon after retirement at age 59, Glenn joined the Clear Lake Senior Softball League. He captained several teams that played internationally in Europe and Japan. Peggy was his biggest fan. In 1997, he and Peggy toured Germany and Switzerland with Houston’s First Baptist Church choir, performing concerts. At age 70, Glenn joined Kinder Morgan as a consultant.
“Above all else, Glenn’s unlimited faith in God guided him through life. He served continually in their church and raised two sons in a Christian atmosphere. He was a loving, dedicated, gentle, generous husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.”
1957
Class Recorders: Anne Westerfield Brown brownaw57@gmail.com
LaNelle Ueckert Elston elstonl@att.net
Shirley Dittert Grunert sdgrunert@sbcglobal.net
Class recorders Anne Westerfield Brown (BA), LaNelle Ueckert Elston (BA) and Shirley Dittert Grunert (BA) write:
>> We received a wonderful letter from Clare Cooke Durst (BA) back in March. Unfortunately, we had run out of space in that report but are now sharing her delightful letter. Clare writes: “I’m pretty much floating along here, up in Maine. Since 2015, I have been volunteering with the Midcoast Senior College, designing their registration database, supporting their computer work, taking courses, and, since the pandemic, supporting the Zoom courses that came with it. We had to give up our building and now vagabond at several places around Midcoast, Brunswick and Bath mostly, with some courses on Zoom and some in person. All my involvement with the Senior College has given me many new friendships. Of course, I have many friends in my retirement village (The Highlands) as well. I finished a long trip around central Europe and the Mediterranean in 2019, only to discover I had breast cancer. Treatment for that and the COVID years meant that I couldn’t do much traveling, and now that I’m well and COVID has receded, I find I have less interest in it anyhow! My daughter lives with me here and is great company; one son and his family live in Massachusetts, and the other and his wife live in San Francisco, but we get together every few years on Monhegan, which I enjoy. I extend my greetings to all. If you find yourself heading up this way, let me know. I’d love to show you around!”
>> It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of our outstanding classmates, Roy Hofheinz Jr. (BA), PhD from Harvard, also a Rhodes Scholar. Your reporters were not able to find a complete obituary for Roy, so I am quoting information obtained from Wikipedia along with other sources. Roy was born in Houston on Dec. 18, 1935. At the time of his death, Nov. 3, 2023, he resided in Rancho Mirage, CA. Described as an American academic and sinologist, he was professor of government at Harvard and was best known for his work on the Chinese Communist Revolution. (According to Wikipedia.) We did receive a note from Donna Paul Martin (BA), saying: “Rex and I had lost contact with Roy and last saw him and his first wife, Harriet, at Harvard where he was teaching just after he got his PhD.” However, Donna went on to mention that Jim Bernhard ’59 (BA) “saw him in the ’80s several times when he was back in Houston with his second wife, Susan Hart.” If there was a formal obit written about Roy, it surely would have taken many pages to print, considering his interesting family of origin along with his numerous accomplishments in the world of academia and beyond.
>> James Hofmann Foerster (BS) and Mary Wheeler Zelle have both passed away, but their notes will have to wait until the next issue due to lack of space.
>> Without your news we would have nothing to report, so please email us what you’re doing and how you are enjoying life!
1958
Class Recorder: Jim Greenwood 713-898-2293
jmgrnwd@aol.com
Class recorder Jim Greenwood (BA) writes:
>> Annette LaBauve Bassett (BA; MA, 1960) reports that she is relatively inactive, a widow for several years, but follows the pursuits of a granddaughter who is a dedicated librarian in a school for the deaf in Boston. Annette also has a dog named Vincent that gets her attention in a variety of ways and is quite entertaining.
>> Vic Baldridge (BA) lives in Houston. He and Linda celebrated their 63rd anniversary this past year. Close proximity to Rice has facilitated an active participation in the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, plus attendance at events on campus. They enjoy attending events in the theater district, and until a year ago, he was an enthusiastic golfer, playing twice a week until arthritis has slowed down this activity. He still takes daily walks in Memorial Park. By way of contrast, Linda enjoys a good book in a comfortable chair. Traveling less than they used to, he concludes, “All things considered, we are blessed to be happy and healthy.”
>> My (Jim’s) beautiful wife of 66 years (as of June 1), Rose Colleen “Cody” Caldwell Greenwood (BA), is active at our church, St. John the Divine, generates a daily “thought for the day” that she sends to a following of several dozen friends, enjoys playing Sudoku, and stays in touch with our grown kids and grandkids in a variety of ways, including creating greeting cards for special occasions.
>> Sharon Palmer Mountford (BA) lives in West Hills, CA, cares for her husband who has health issues, maintains contact with her high school and describes herself as “an inveterate genealogist, an over-productive quilter and the producer of two monthly 12-page newsletters for her local Methodist church quilt guild,” and enjoys composing double crostic puzzles to share on Crostix. A favorite
Rice memory is that she was the first female student to legally live on campus at Jones College. She enjoys visiting the mosaic that they made on the basement floor of Jones College.
>> Jane Wilkens Bradley and her husband, Link, live in Saratoga, CA. She regularly plays golf on a municipal golf course, enjoys a women’s nine-hole league and plays bridge.
>> Jim Greenwood (BA) is a Rice football season ticket holder and goes to all the home games at one of the best stadiums in the country for watching football. He enjoys reading, both fiction (the plays of William Shakespeare and the novels of John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Larry McMurtry and Graham Greene) and nonfiction (Merle Miller, Doris Kearns Goodwin and George Will).
1959
Class Recorder: Marilynn Revis Wait mwrice1959@gmail.com
Class recorder Marilynn Revis Wait (BA) sends the following:
>> Robert Mitchell writes that his mother, Evelyn Margaret Scott Contois (BA), passed away, adding, “Please know how proud she was to be a graduate of your institution, meeting her husband (my father) there.” Quoting from her brief obituary: “Evelyn Contois died Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the age of 86 in Hershey, PA. Born June 5, 1937, in Waco, she was a longtime resident of the New Orleans area, and more recently of Hershey. Evelyn was a loving wife and teacher, a generous and devoted mother and grandmother, a lover of words and academic discourse, a keen wit, and a fan of tennis and bridge, and possessed a unique sense of humor.”
1960
Class Recorders: Barbie Scott McKittrick bmck4827@comcast.net Trudy Abel Hester TrudyHester@alumni.rice.edu
Class recorder Barbie Scott McKittrick (Jones: BA) writes: >> Our class numbers continue to shrink. Recently we received notice of the death of Frank Van Orden (Will Rice: BA). I didn’t know Frank, but he was in Will Rice and served as editor of the Campanile our senior year. Frank’s obituary and his choice for memorial contributions reflect a strong interest in service and healing.
Quoting from his obituary: “Frank was born in Corsicana, TX. He graduated from Rice with a BA in chemistry and received his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School. After completing his medical internship, he served as an Air Force doctor from 1965 to 1967 in Istanbul, Turkey, which inspired his lifelong love of Turkish food and culture. In 1968, he joined the AMA Volunteer Physicians for Vietnam program, treating civilian war casualties in South Vietnam. Upon returning to the U.S., Frank settled in San Francisco and completed his residency and board certification in psychiatry.
“He met his beloved wife, Carolyn, in 1974, through mutual friends. They were married at Gaylord’s at Ghirardelli Square on a beautiful June day in 1978. Frank practiced psychiatry for over 40 years, primarily at San Francisco State University Student Health Services, then at Cal State East Bay. He also maintained a small private practice and was an active, longtime volunteer at several local health organizations.
“Frank had many passions and artistic endeavors: He was a talented photographer and woodworker, a home winemaker, a genealogy buff, an avid orchid
grower and an extensive world traveler. He designed and built a weekend home for his family near Healdsburg, CA. Frank was a doting husband, father and grandfather who loved classical music, museums, history and telling off-color jokes.”
>> Myrna Davis Dozier (Jones) writes: “I am really glad to be back in Sugar Land, just four miles from my son and 10-year-old grandson.” She also celebrates a new 6-month-old great-grandson in the area. Myrna had returned from visiting her daughter in Lexington, KY, and surprising her grandson there for his 30th birthday.
>> Barbie continues: I just spent Mother’s Day weekend in San Antonio watching my oldest grandson, Max, graduate from Trinity. What a joyous occasion. I am often surprised by the wide range of life experiences and interests our classmates have had. At Rice we were a rather homogeneous group, mostly from Texas. For some, military service expanded your horizons — the impact of Frank’s military service is mentioned in his obituary. Joe Christoffel (Hanszen: BS and BA, 1961) has mentioned developing a passion for art during his Navy service. Graduate school and an academic career were the defining pathway for many classmates. I just read an article in The New York Times business section that mentioned the late Herman Daly (Will Rice: BA) with no further explanation, as if to say, “Everyone knows of Herman Daly.” All this rambling is just a request to let Trudy and me know what sparks your interest these days so that we will have stories for the next column in three months.
1961
Class Recorder: Nancy Thornall Burch 713-781-3634
nburch2@juno.com
Class recorder Nancy Thornall Burch (Jones: BA) writes:
>> Ann Kriegel Ludwig (Jones: BA) is transitioning to a retirement community in nearby Marin County: the Tamalpais. When she can no longer manage her San Francisco apartment, she’ll move there permanently. As a longtime subscriber to the opera, she continues to attend regularly. While at a performance, she struck up a conversation with Viviana Goodwin , a Rice graduate student in the Shepherd School of Music and one of a select group of rising opera stars participating in the Merola Opera Program.
>> Mervin Moore (Baker: BA; BS, 1962) and his wife, Linda, visit their son, Michael, and his husband, Kevin, regularly in Houston, most recently in August. July was a trip to see daughter Lisa and family in Landstuhl, Germany. Granddaughter Emma just finished her freshman year at Texas State with a 4.0 GPA. Back home in Santa Fe, the Moores are busy training their year-old Double Doodle Maggie: half goldendoodle and half bernedoodle.
>> Pat Groves (Will Rice: BA and BS; MS, 1964; PhD, 1967) and his wife, Kathy, stay active hiking, golfing, flying and traveling. Like many Rice engineers, Pat spent many years working in Silicon Valley, originally at GTE Sylvania, following his Navy duty. He found 25 fellow alumni there, all of whom he knew at Rice. Later, as a professional pilot for an aircraft sales and management company in San Jose, he and Kathy, also a pilot, formed a business flying jets for special clients. He retired from flying in 2020 at the age of 80.
>> Liz Perkins Harp (Jones: BA) and Jimmie live in a retirement community in Winchester, VA, enjoying four seasons of the year. She travels with her daughter, visiting all 50 states plus 33 countries. Already booked for a Christmas trip to Central America, she continues to add to the list,
her heart problems notwithstanding.
>> We lost Ralph Weaver (Will Rice: BA, 1963), a special friend of mine, in January. We met at the beginning of our freshman year when we both were part of a short-lived program called Augmented Academic Studies. We took philosophy from Professor Fulton instead of English and were assigned an adviser to work with us on independent English literature projects. Ralph was brighter and more interesting than almost anyone I had met before. Born in Fort Worth, he attended Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. He met our classmate Carol Nixon Weaver (Jones: BA) at the freshman picnic, leading to a marriage of 60 years. After graduation and their wedding, they moved to New York, The Hague and Boston to earn his MBA at Harvard. Back in Houston, he spent his career working with venture capital investments in energy and biotechnology companies.
After retirement, they traveled the world. Ralph played the guitar, cycled, tended his garden of bonsais and enjoyed the theater and ballet. He loved reading, his sports cars and his cat (Sophie), but most of all his children, Andrew and Alison (director of the Moody Center), and their families. Ralph battled Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s with dignity and courage. He will be missed.
>> We also lost Ed Bailey (Will
Rice: BA) in February, but I’m out of space. More about him next issue.
1962
Class Recorder: Eleanor Powers Beebe 713-526-5424 ebeebe@yahoo.com
Class recorder Eleanor Powers Beebe (Jones: BA) writes: >> We lost a very dear friend of the Class of ’62, Mary Margaret Litzmann Edwards (Jones: BA), on Valentine’s Day this year. Vic Edwards (Wiess: BA) and the family held a celebration of life at Eagle’s Trace on May 30. Several friends and family members presented remembrances of Mary, telling of her devotion to her family and her contributions of time and energy to the many organizations in which she was active. Almost everyone spoke of her radiant and engaging smile. Dick Wright (Wiess: BA), who directed many Class of ’62 fund drives, was one of the speakers at the service and told of the day that he asked Vic to be the next Class of ’62 chair, and Vic not only readily agreed but also reported that Mary would be joining him in filling that post. Working together, they did a terrific job and were at every class reunion. Here’s a photo of them at our last reunion.
Mary was an outstanding
student while at Rice, earning membership in the German honor society Delta Phi Alpha and appearing on the Dean’s List. As reported in a recent Owlmanac, Mary was active not only with the Association of Rice Alumni but also with the University of California at Berkeley alums. Mary received the Excellence in Service award from the Cal Alumni Association. She also served as an officer in state and local divisions of the American Association of University Women. She will be greatly missed.
>> While I was chatting with Dick Wright after the services, one of the guests approached us and announced that he was also a Rice alum but was there for a very short time. It was Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Williams IV, who told us that he left Rice to join the Green Berets. I immediately jotted down notes so I could tell our classmates his story. I also snapped a picture of Frank and Dick. Here is an email Frank sent: “I had a fascinating semester at Rice but would have been in the Class of 1965 and instead ended up in the Class of 1968 at Trinity with an amazing four-year interlude as an Army Special Forces Green Beret. I was in ROTC and saw a classified film about this small elite unit and decided that’s what l should be doing. I had a wonderful time and studied harder than l had ever done in my life — three months to learn explosives and engineer-
Vic and Mary Margaret Edwards
Frank Williams and Dick Wright
ing — a year to learn medicine — two months to learn enough Chinese to get by — three weeks to turn the first Navy SEALs into paratroopers. And then of course l married Carol Eleanor Edwards, whose brother Bill Edwards ’64 (Hanszen: BA) took my role in ‘The Rivals,’ and cousins Vic and Mary Edwards have been dear friends for our adult lives.”
1963
Class Recorder: Kathleen Much much.bookdr@gmail.com
1964
Class Recorder: Lucy Meinhardt 510-220-3459 lmeinhar@pacbell.net
Class recorder Lucy Meinhardt (Jones: BA) writes: >> The first weekend of November is Alumni Weekend, Rice’s Homecoming and Reunion experience, and our class’s 60th reunion. We’ve learned of a lunch on Friday, Nov. 1, for 50th-on-up reunions and a brunch on Sunday, Nov. 3, for every fifth year from 55th on up. We want tables reserved for our class members. Depending on how many of us attend, we would like a dinner for our class one evening, or perhaps a casual gathering. Thank you, Albert Kidd (Hanszen: BA; BS, 1965) for working with the alumni office on this. He and Elizabeth are planning to attend any and all events related to our class. Fryar Calhoun (Hanszen: BA) had contacted me in March about wanting a 60th reunion event for our class with willingness to help plan. Anita Jones (Jones: BA) and Lovett Smith (Will Rice: BA) plan to attend. Are you planning to come? Please contact Fryar or Albert (contact information in the alumni
directory at riceconnect.rice.edu) or myself (email above) with ideas, questions and your plans.
I encourage more of you to join us on the Facebook page, “Rice University Classes 1961–65.” >> Robert Lewis (Will Rice: BA) submits the following: “My good friend, Craig Max Brandt (Will Rice: BA), died recently. He had been living at home with his wife, Jean, while struggling with Alzheimer’s for a bit over a year. I was fortunate to visit with the family for a few days this summer (children Christopher, Andrew, Gabriel, Victoria and Claire), and though Craig was generally confused about things that had happened in the recent past, when we pored over the ’64 Campanile for over an hour, he expounded on people and details that I had long forgotten.
“Known to many as Max (his middle name), Craig was part of the 1960 Will Rice Jungle during our freshman year. For our final two years, he shared a suite with Wendall Wilson ’64 (Will Rice: BA), Thomas ‘TD’ Daniell (Will Rice: BA; BS, 1965) and me. He and Jean were married in the spring of our senior year at St. Francis Episcopal Church, with just the five of us (plus the priest) in attendance.
“Craig was in the Navy ROTC program and retired after the usual 20 years but went on to a second career teaching at the Defense Institute at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. When he and Jean relocated to Reading, MA, around 2005, he maintained his interests in international affairs by leading seminars and discussion groups at local libraries and civic groups. Max had been part of the Rice MOB, and he continued to play saxophone and participate in local band concerts.
“When my husband, Alex, arrived in the U.S. from Romania about five years ago, we traveled from St. Louis to Boston to visit Max and Jean. Alex got to observe a couple of Max’s daily rituals — hot tomato soup and saltines every evening; breakfast of Cheerios or Rice Krispies, dry (‘Why would anyone want to eat soggy cereal?’).”
1965
Class Recorder: Cordell Haymon cordell.haymon@pscgroup.com
Class recorder Cordell Haymon (Will Rice: BA) sends the following: >> Ken Wynne (Will Rice: BA) writes: “As my earthly life is increasingly behind me and my ultimate destination grows nearer — no target date for that, it simply looms as the inexorable reality of time — through some 57 years of practicing law (based in Houston), sharing life with my precious wife of some 47 of those years, five children and 11 grandchildren of whom I am enormously proud, any number of challenges but many more opportunities, including seeing much of the world, I can report that the prevailing dimension of my life is one of joy. And that is attributable primarily to the assurance that my ultimate destiny will be glorious, not because of any deserving of my own, of which there is none, but entirely because the Lord of all has united me into the meritorious life of Jesus Christ through the gift of faith in
him and his atoning work on the cross. I am loving these days still granted to me here but am happily anticipating that grand future when I will see him face to face.”
>> Cordell continues: Due to space limitations, I can only mention a few items from a lengthy letter from David Hadaway (Will Rice: BA; MA, 1967). David states that while growing up in Tulsa he was a science nerd who read some 1,000 science fiction magazines and books. He describes various misadventures with some of our classmates, including Bing Beck (Will Rice: BA), Phil Lawless (Will Rice: BA), Louis Brus (Will Rice: BA) and Victor Belfi (Will Rice: BA; PhD, 1969), among others. After Rice, David served in the Navy and founded a high-end audio manufacturing company (dbsystemsaudio.com), which has been his career. He reports being in good health and playing tennis regularly. He attributes his lack of injuries to his unique high-impact exercise program (dbsystemsaudio.com/cj.htm). You should check it out. If anyone is interested in seeing David’s full letter, you can email me (address above).
>> Melanie Fan submits the following obituary for her mother, Barbara Beasley Andrews (Jones: BA), adding, “She loved her experience at Rice, talking about it consistently throughout her life.” Quoting from her obituary: “Barbara Andrews, 80, died at her home at The Blake in Charlottesville, VA. She loved traveling in Europe — especially Venice — books, classical music, opera, the news, happy hour with friends and family, and cats.
“Barbara was born in Tallahassee, FL, and loved gymnastics and climbing trees. In high school, she worked part time as a proofreader for the Tallahassee Democrat. She graduated from Leon High School in Tallahassee in 1961. She went to Rice for its rigorous academics and free tuition, graduating with a BA in political science. On
Craig Max Brandt
her graduation weekend, Barbara married Edgar Olsen ’68 (PhD). Years later, she earned an MS in library science at the University of Wisconsin.
“Living in Charlottesville since 1970, she was a stay-at-home mother to her children, Rob and Melanie, while they were young. She was a fierce advocate for them, making sure that they had great educational experiences through high school and college. Following her love of books, she worked as a reference librarian at the Augusta County Library in Fishersville, VA, for over 20 years.
“Barbara and Ed were divorced in 2001, and she married Lester Andrews, professor emeritus in chemistry at the University of Virginia, in 2010. Lester and Barbara lived in downtown Charlottesville before moving to assisted living.”
1966
Class Recorder: Jim Bearden jbearden@ieee.org
Class recorder Jim Bearden (Will Rice: BA) sends the following: >> Robert “ Chip” Travis (Will Rice: BA) continues his life story: “The time is now November 1969, duty station was Miramar NAS, San Diego, to fly the tiny and super-fun jet, the A-4 Skyhawk. It had been continually upgraded and was then being used as the opposition fighters seen in ‘Top Gun.’ Miramar was the home of the fighter development school. My mission was instrument training only, so no real fun, just trying not to get lost over the Pacific Ocean or the Sierra Nevada. Instrument training was a prelude to my final duty station at Whidbey Island NAS, WA.
“By December, I was flying a McDonnell-Douglas A-3D. Navy flight jargon said ‘A-3D’ stood for ‘all 3 dead’ in the numerous accident reports. My suitemate at NAS
Beeville had been assigned that plane right out of flight school. He died in an accident at night in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the biggest aircraft ever based on board carriers, with an engine under each swept wing and a big vertical stabilizer/rudder at the tail, a jet with no ejection seats — a dinosaur from the earlier days of jet aviation. Also, a beautiful, graceful, well-proportioned plane. I wrote Georgia a letter the night before I crashed, telling her it was an accident about to happen, and I should hand my wings to the commanding officer and refuse to fly. Unfortunately, my prediction of disaster happened to me the next day.
“To be continued.”
>> Jack Long writes that his mother, Carol Stephens Long (Jones: BA), passed away. Quoting from her obituary: “Carol Long was born Sept. 30, 1944, in Columbus, OH. Carol graduated from Bloomington High School in 1962 and Rice in 1966 with a BS in chemistry. After graduation, she married her college sweetheart and love of her life, John Broaddus Long (Wiess: BA). The couple moved to Rochester in 1969 and celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary in August 2023.
“Carol was a devoted wife, mother, sister and grandmother. She was a math and science whiz, Churchill solitaire champion, voracious reader, and amazing cook. She was also an incredibly talented fabric artist who designed and sewed brightly colored quilts that hang proudly and prominently in her home and in many of her family members’ homes.” Read her full obituary at https://bit.ly/carol-s-long.
>> Donald Joseph Schaezler (Will Rice: BA; BS, 1967; PhD, 1971) has passed away. Quoting from his obituary: “Born Feb. 11, 1944, in San Antonio, Don led a life filled with love, kindness and steadfast dedication to his family, friends and community.
“Don graduated valedicto -
rian from Alamo Heights High School in 1962 — in a class that some claim as one of the smartest — then earned three degrees from Rice. He was a professional engineer in both Texas and New York and a certified industrial hygienist, and he taught at Rice, the University of Houston and Texas A&M.
“Don co-founded, with his wife, Susan, Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary in Cibolo, TX, where he shared his love of nature with many. Warbler Woods has grown to be a renowned birding location with close to 300 bird species sighted and over 13,000 checklists. He and Susan were awarded the Texas Land Steward award in 2011 for their work.” Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/donschaezler.
1967
Class Recorder: Michele Stojan Roberts P.O. Box 271611 Houston, TX 77277-1611 owlmanac@rice.edu
1968
The Class of 1968 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
1969
Class Recorder: Linda Wald Gibson lindawgibson@gmail.com
Class recorder Linda Wald Gibson (Jones: BA) writes: >> My husband, Jeff Ray Gibson Jr. ’68 (Baker: BA), and I checked one big item off our bucket list this year: a cruise around the world. Over four months, we traveled 30,873 nautical miles to 59 ports in 22 different countries and
five continents.
We sailed from Los Angeles to Hawaii, then to French Polynesia and New Zealand, then north along the east coast of Australia. In Maritime Southeast Asia we visited Komodo National Park and its dragons. We saw Bali on a high holy day with people wearing traditional costumes and evidence of the holiday everywhere. The following day we toured a batik factory and saw various methods of applying designs to fabric. Then came Java and a coffee plantation.
Next was Vietnam, the highlight of which was the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater in Saigon. The puppet stage was a pool of water, and the puppeteers controlled their puppets from behind a curtain using long sticks extending underwater. We saw reenactments of everyday village activities, like farming and fishing, interspersed with legends of mystical creatures.
In Thailand we visited the Samui Elephant Kingdom Sanctuary and got to feed the elephants. Next came fantastic Singapore, a very modern city-state that stands in sharp contrast to its surrounding countries.
The most memorable part of our trip was our overland India extension. We boarded the 12050 Gatimaan Express train to Agra and saw the exquisite Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. We also toured a marble “factory,” where descendants of original artisans who worked on the Taj Mahal used primitive machines to grind semiprecious stones into shapes they inserted into niches carved in translucent marble to make floral designs similar to those in the Taj Mahal. The next day we toured Delhi.
We were originally scheduled to sail through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, but the Houthi Rebels’ attacks on ships entering the Red Sea forced us to change our itinerary. We made a few stops
in Africa, but had many sea days. We had a long way to go in a very short time if we were to reach our final port of London on schedule. Our favorite sites in Europe were Costa da Morte, Spain; the Bayeaux Cathedral and Tapestry in France; and the Canterbury Cathedral and Tower of London in England.
It was a fabulous trip. We’re so very glad we went.
Ray and Linda Gibson enjoying a Singapore Sling in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore
>> Doug (Wiess: BA and BS, 1970) and Carolyn Morris Killgore (Brown: BA) submit the brief obituary of William Blanton (Wiess: BA): “William Neal Blanton III passed away peacefully March 12. He was born Dec. 9, 1946. A lifelong Houstonian, Bill attended Lee High School and Rice. He received a law degree from UT and went into private practice with Butler Binion and later at Exxon for several years. Bill was one of Houston’s early championshiplevel croquet players, first with the Houston Mallet Club and later the Houston Croquet Association. Bill was instrumental in garnering support to build the croquet courts at Houston’s Memorial Park.”
Mike Ross 408-221-3359
mikeross2@prodigy.net
Class recorder Ann Olsen (Jones: BA) writes:
>> At the Laureates Dinner on May 2, our classmate Miriam “Mim” John (Jones: BA) was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing her career in science and engineering, national security and public service. Here’s a link to the Association of Rice Alumni’s short video about Mim: https://bit.ly/ miriam-john. Charles Szalkowski (Baker: BA; BS, 1971) Mike Ross (Baker: BA; MS, 1974), and I each had roles in Mim’s nomination and attended the Laureates Dinner together to celebrate her award. What an inspiring event! Unfortunately, storms in the Houston area caused Mim’s morning flight to be canceled and resulted in additional significant delays. As a result, Mim arrived too late to receive the honor in person. However, she was able to join us shortly after the formal program had concluded and to meet the ARA event organizers, some of her fellow honorees, and a number of other alumni and guests. The four of us had a delightful breakfast together the next morning, and Mim attended the ARA Board meeting to share with them about her life and work.
>> Please take a moment to review the Laureates Awards website at https://alumni.rice.edu/Laureates . You’ll find five Distinguished Alumni honorees from our 1970 undergraduate class. If you know others who may be worthy of this or another Laureate award, please get involved in nominating them. This really is up to us!
travel arrangements, which went off without a hitch. Emily, however, made her own flight arrangements from Houston to Panama City to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The flight from IAH had mechanical problems, so she missed the connection from Panama City to Guayaquil. The next day, with help from Lindblad, she caught up with the National Geographic Islander II before it sailed. Whew!
“The rest of the trip was delightful. The NatGeo staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. Traveling Owls made up about half of 43 passengers. Our stateroom was very comfortable, and the meals were quite nice. There were glass-bottomed boat and Zodiac tours, snorkeling expeditions, and walks on beautiful beaches. We saw blue-footed boobies, both land and sea iguanas, sea lions, large sea turtles, and even larger land tortoises. NatGeo’s photography instructor taught us some neat tricks with our phone cameras that improved the resulting pictures. The photo below is from the last night, when the ship sailed around the large bootshaped Kicking Rock at sunset. It was a great finale for our once-ina-lifetime trip. Both of us would travel with Lindblad and National Geographic again.”
1971
Class Recorder: Ann Patton Greene annpgreene@gmail.com 713-899-7433
Class recorder Ann Patton Greene (Brown: BA) sends the following: >> Kent Lydecker (Hanszen: BA) writes: “Inspired by Katherine Brown ’38 (BA) lectures on art and a summer of travel in Europe with Toni Hudson Lydecker (Brown: BA), I applied for two medieval studies programs in my senior year. Cornell’s forms asked if applicants wanted to be considered by another department if not accepted. I ticked the box for art history.
“Imagine my surprise when my roommate Barry Bell (Hanszen: BA) brought me an acceptance letter at the RMC. With Cornell’s promise of a full fellowship and living stipend in hand, I plunged into art history studies, moving to the Renaissance after an intense course in Venetian painting. In 1972, Toni and I married. In 1974, I was offered a post as a staff lecturer at the National Gallery of Art. I completed my master’s thesis for Cornell during my first year on the job. I loved the work and thrived in the culture of a major art museum.
“In 1977 the Gallery granted me
Class Recorders: Ann Olsen
615-498-9698
ann.olsen@alumni.rice.edu
>> Former Brown College roommates Anne Locke (Brown: BA; BArch, 1972) and Emily Hawthorn (Brown: BA) write: “In February, we joined the Traveling Owls trip to the Galapagos. The Lindblad Air department made Anne’s air
Emily Hawthorn and Anne Locke
a leave of absence to complete my PhD at Johns Hopkins. Toni and I lived in Florence in 1981 with our first child, Kate, while I did dissertation research in the archives. I returned to an expanded scope of work at the Gallery and continued there until I was offered the job of executive director of museum education at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1990, I was recruited as deputy director for education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We moved to Irvington, NY, where our daughters, Kate and Mary, grew up. In 2008, I retired from The Met and was offered the directorship of the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL. In each place we lived, Toni continued her work as a food writer and editor.
“By 2016, when I retired again, our daughters had put down professional and personal roots in the Boston area within a couple of miles of each other. We found a place midway between them and live happily in Cambridge, MA. In addition to spending time with our four grandchildren, I enjoy reading widely, woodworking projects, and travel with friends and family.
“Two of my fondest memories from Rice — apart from the inspirational faculty — are riding as a freshman on Hanszen’s winning Beer Bike team in 1968 and exhibitions in the Rice Media Center (e.g., ‘The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age’; ‘Raid the Icebox I’ with Andy Warhol).”
>>Ann continues: If you read only the ’71 Classnotes in the Spring issue, you missed the lovely obituary written by the ’67 editor about Carole Holmes Lake (Brown: BA).
Michelle Littell Halsall (Jones: BA; MA, 1978) died Nov. 6, 2023, in Pittsburgh, PA. Lucy Ferguson Galbraith (Jones: BA) wrote a wonderful classnote about Michelle, which I’ll try to do justice to in the next issue. In the meantime, please contact me for a full copy of Lucy’s work.
And please, more submissions like Kent’s!
1972
Class Recorder: Tim Thurston 614-486-4846 timthurston@hotmail.com
>> Sara McDaniel ’71 (Brown: BA) submits the following: “ Peter Yenne (Hanszen: BA), founder of the Photo Archive Project, a collaborative nonprofit specializing in historic Latin American photography, has been selected for a Fulbright Senior Scholar award to Peru for 2024–2025. The grant will fund university lectures, presentations, panel discussions and digital workshops in Arequipa, Cusco and Lima, Peru. In addition, the Fulbright award will underwrite research and digital preservation of late 19th- and early 20th-century photo collections by artists who captured the dawn of the 20th century in the Southern Andes.”
1973
Class Recorder: Mike Alsup malsup2020@outlook.com
Class recorder Mike Alsup (Wiess: BA) sends the following: >> Helen Waldorf (Brown: BA) writes: “There were two Helen Ann Waldorfs in the Class of 1973. The other Helen is married to Tom Bohmfalk. I am married but did not change my name. Rice corrected my submission in the last issue of Owlmanac from Waldorf to Bohmfalk. The notes are from me, and I had a lovely visit with Nancy Cole and Rosemary Lindsey at the reunion dinner.” [Editor’s note: Our apologies to Helen!]
>> Kerry Kimbrough (Hanszen: BA) writes: “Big night on Broadway with Cliff Siegel (Lovett: BA) and his wife, Sandy. If you want to hit the jazz clubs in Denver, Cliff is your guy. Cliff and I go way
Kerry Kimbrough with Cliff and Sandy Siegel
back to the pre-MOB Owl band, the beginning of KTRU, and the indelible summer of 1970 when we performed New Orleans-style jazz with Andy MacPhillimy (Lovett: BA; MArch, 1976) and the Rampart Street Rogues. Now a semi-sortaretired psychiatrist, Cliff has revived his passion for the piano, playing with the Colorado Jazz Workshop and recording an LP of his own jazz compositions with an outstanding sextet. That’s on top of his regular performances with Denver chamber music groups.”
>> Ben Mayberry (Baker: BA; BS, 1974; MAcc, 1976) writes: “I was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2024 for the Jones Graduate School of Business.”
Ben includes his bio here: “For the past 25 years, Ben has been the driving force behind Winston Sage Partners, aiding numerous smaller companies and making strategic investments. Under his guidance, Winston Sage has facilitated mergers and acquisitions, served in part-time executive positions, and offered consulting services.
“In 1987, Ben cofounded BSG, a Houston-based systems integrator. BSG grew exponentially to over 650 staff and multiple offices within a decade, culminating in its sale for $400 million in 1996. BSG also played a pivotal role in recruitment efforts at Rice and the Jones School.
“Ben has been involved with the Jones School for decades. He served as president of the Alumni Association in the 1980s and was
one of the founders of the Jones School Partners, serving as its second president. Ben was an adjunct professor for eight years and has been a judge in the Rice Business Plan Competition for two decades.
“Ben earned a BA in mathematical sciences from Rice in 1973 and a Master of Accounting degree from the Jones School in 1976. In 2016, after 15 years of managing a ranch in the Hill Country and breeding whitetail deer, Ben opted to trade the Texas heat for a summer retreat in Montana.”
>> Larry Maedgen (Sid Rich: BA) writes: “We are in the process of moving to the Palm Springs area (Cathedral City) this month and will be fully moved by the end of the month. However, my brother and I will be staying in Los Angeles for the Cruel World Festival at the Rose Bowl on May 11.”
>> Ray Brignac (Wiess: BA) writes: “Camille and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary recently. We have six grandchildren and live in Tuscaloosa, AL.”
1974
Class Recorder: Cathy Cashion cathy.cashion@gmail.com
Class recorder Cathy Cashion (Brown: BA) sends the following: >> Eliot Shapleigh (Lovett: BA) writes about his good friend and
Ben Mayberry receiving his award
classmate Warren Robinett (Lovett: BA): “Warren played a pivotal role in the early years of the video gaming industry and is best known for his work as a developer at Atari. In 1980, he created the groundbreaking game ‘Adventure’ for the Atari 2600 and embedded within it the first-ever ‘Easter egg’ — a hidden room that displayed the message, ‘Created by Warren Robinett.’ This set the precedent for future developers. Warren was a cofounder of The Learning Company and has worked at NASA, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Hewlett-Packard Labs, where he was part of the research team led by classmate Stan Williams (Lovett: BA).”
>> Warren writes in return about Eliot: “After leaving Rice, Eliot spent three years in the Peace Corps in West Africa, got a law degree at UT Austin, and served as a Texas senator, undefeated, for 14 years. While senator, he led a reform in education funding for students in property-poor districts across Texas; influenced the establishment of the first medical school on the U.S.-Mexico border; led the fight to close a 120-yearold lead smelter in El Paso, followed by an environmental remediation of the area; obtained an additional $1 billion in highway money for an underfunded district; and secured an extra $250 million for new buildings at UT El Paso. Eliot continues to mentor younger Democratic politicians, including El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, former Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Beto O’Rourke.”
>> Donald Mayfield (Hanszen) writes: “I ended up with a BS from UTSA in August 1978, followed by a master’s in computing science from Texas A&M in December 1979. I had two job offers and took the one in Northern California at Standard Oil of California. There I stayed for 19.5 years. This included marriage in April 1986,
adding a family of a wife and four stepdaughters. They are all grown up. I survived medical issues and am still alive and living in Austin as of December 2023.”
Class Quiz: Is there a place on campus that holds special memories for you?
>> Rhonda Brooks (Brown: BA) replies: “The registrar’s office. I worked there while at Rice, and the people I worked with were so gracious and kind to me. I remember looking up the grade record for Howard Hughes ’27 — on a paper card! If I recall, he was only at the university for one year.”
>> Robert Anderson (Wiess: BA; BArch, 1977) writes: “The Rice campus has changed so much in 50 years; I wonder if any of my special places remain: Hamman Hall (I know it’s still there, but it seems so … diminished) and third floor Anderson Hall, north end, where I first programmed a computer. New places I want to see: the two-story public gallery at Cannady Hall, housing the School of Architecture, and the Opera Hall at the Shepherd School of Music.”
>> Ellen McBride Alsobrooks (Brown: BA) writes: “My father was a chemical engineering professor and then became the Dean of Men (1948–58). His office was in Lovett Hall, and I only visited a few times, but I loved the stone and brick architecture and the little faces that give a little life and humor to the building. Lovett Hall has always meant ‘Rice’ to me.”
1975
Class Recorders: Sharon Readhimer Kimball 703-965-3360
sharonrkimball@gmail.com Tom Gehring 619-206-8282 tom@tsgehring.net
Class recorder Sharon Readhimer Kimball (Jones: BA) sends the following:
>> Paul Eggert (Hanszen: BA) writes: “Spring quarter just started at UCLA, and as a computer science professor there, I’m giving courses in software construction and in programming languages. I’ve been at UCLA since 2001, after a career in both academia (UC Santa Barbara professor) and industry (two startups and one then-big firm, Unisys). I enjoy the energy from my classes (360 students this quarter, but luckily I have many TAs), with students who are brighter than I was when at Rice (only a 3.7% acceptance rate for incoming UCLA computer science students) and with the challenges of teaching in a field that’s rapidly mutating. This fall, I’m planning to take a short sabbatical to indulge in one of my hobbies, civil timekeeping —
please Google ‘Time Zone King’ for details. I hope my old classmates are enjoying their springtime too!” >> Marion Johnson Stanton (Brown: BA) writes: “After graduation from Rice, I moved to California for law school, met a native Californian, and have been here ever since. We married the day after our law school graduation and moved to San Francisco, where we raised and successfully launched three children and have generally enjoyed life in a beautiful city.
“I have just returned from a reunion in western North Carolina with friends from Brown College, the third time we have gotten together in the last 12 years, in a different location each time. Organized by Diane Jacqmin ’77 (Brown: BA; MAcc, 1978), who lives in the area, we went hiking, toured the Biltmore in Asheville, and visited Asheville’s River Arts District and historic downtown Hendersonville. We also reminisced about our time at Rice. If you were in Brown from 1970 to 1979, especially if you were on the 5th or 6th floors, played powderpuff or softball, or participated in Beer Bike, we probably talked about you. We suggest a ’70s Brown College reunion!
“The photo below shows our group outside our Airbnb,
From left: Ann, Pat, Marion, Julie, Jeanne, Mary and Sallie; Center: Diane
appropriately called the Owls Nest. Surrounding Diane Jacqmin in the center, from left, are Ann Fannin ’77 (Brown: BA), Pat McGovern Moroney ’76 (Brown: BA), me, Julie Hardin ’78 (Brown: BS), Jeanne Calhoun ’79 (Brown: BA), Mary Mullaley Hodges ’77 (Brown: BA) and Sallie Calhoun ’77 (Brown: BS). One of the great things about the residential college system, at least back in the day, was the opportunity to form friendships with people in other classes. It’s a joy to get together with these smart, successful women, who are as fun to be with now as when we were undergrads.”
Class recorder Michael Hindman (Lovett: BA) sends the following:
>> Melinda Mingus (Jones: BA) writes: “My husband, Mike, and I moved to Shelburne, VT, to be closer to our son’s family and young granddaughter. We are enjoying northern Vermont and being grandparents.”
>> Robert Roulston (Wiess: BA) submits the following: “As of March 1, I am officially retired from my work at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo. Worked for 29 years in the environmental compliance department, helping operations obtain and maintain their environmental authorizations and operate in compliance with federal/state requirements. What is next, I am still working out.”
>> Michael concludes: Be sure to join our Facebook group, “Rice University Class of 1976.”
1977
Class Recorder: Connie Dressner Tuthill connie.tuthill@gmail.com
Class recorder Connie Dressner
Tuthill (Baker: BA; MAcc, 1978) sends the following: >> Anne Shipps (Baker: BA) writes that her husband died last May. Quoting from his obituary:
“On May 26, 2023, Lieutenant Commander Karl Olin Shipps (Sid Rich: BA) of New Carrollton, MD, passed away due to complications with his heart. Karl was a good and hardworking man who loved his family, served the Lord and his country, and dreamed of and worked toward a more just and righteous human existence.
“Karl was born Feb. 17, 1955, in Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. In 1973, he graduated from Durango High School (CO), where he was valedictorian, and enrolled in Rice on a full scholarship through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. In 1977, he graduated from Rice with degrees in physics and history. A committed student with a keen intellect, Karl was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. He would later study nuclear physics at the University of Hamburg (Germany) through the U.S. Navy’s Olmsted Scholar program and earn an MS in engineering from Johns Hopkins. Karl had a long career of service to the U.S., first through the Navy and later with the Department of Defense. Early in his military tenure, Karl served on nuclear submarines; he then worked on submarine operations at the Pentagon and the Washington Navy Yard.
“Outside of work, Karl consistently found ways to contribute to his community — by volunteering with the Special Olympics, by serving as an usher at St. Mary’s Catho -
lic Church (Landover Hills, MD), and by participating in the Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt Democratic Club (Greenbelt, MD), to list a few examples. Karl was a space enthusiast; he revered astronauts and loved stargazing through his telescope. Karl was also a talented writer. He composed songs and poems that deftly captured humor, absurdity and humanity in situations as diverse as Clinton-era base realignment and closure priorities, the patron saint selection process of his wife’s second-grade Confraternity of Christian Doctrine class, and congressional redistricting battles in Texas. While his writing often made people laugh, it also demonstrated Karl’s tremendous capacity for analytical thought about a range of complex issues.
“From 1981 until his death, Karl was a devoted husband to his wife, Anne. Together, they had three children: Joan, Ruth and Grace. Karl adored his family and shared with them his Catholic faith, his hope for American democracy, his integrity and compassion, his patience, his humility, his intellectualism and curiosity, his wit and humor, and his commitment to community. In recent years, Karl delighted in spending time with his young grandchildren, Ophelia and Alice.”
1978
Class Recorder: Chris Lahart clahart@earthlink.net
1979
The Class of 1979 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
Outgoing class recorder Marian J. Barber (Jones: BA) writes: >> I just revisited my first Owlmanac issue as class recorder — June
2011! It’s hard to believe it’s been 13 years since Candace Barrington (Brown: BA) and I embarked upon our quest to keep us in touch via Rice’s twice-a-year alumni publication. As you will have noticed, the freestanding Owlmanac is no more, having been replaced by a Classnotes section in Rice Magazine. So it seems a good time to turn the honors over to new reporters. A Chaucer scholar and professor of English, Candace had the ability to distill our classmates’ stories into a few well-chosen words. As important to our team was Vicki Whamond Bretthauer (Jones: BA), a stalwart supporter and sender of tips who has made a strong case for herself as the one classmate who knows all the rest!
As I say farewell, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for our successors based on our experience. First, serving as a class reporter is a joy, but it’s also hard work! From the beginning, one of our goals was highlighting the college system. We set out to publish in each issue at least one note from a member of each of the eight colleges in existence during our time at Rice. Initially we were able to plumb our own networks to locate classmates willing to write about themselves, but within a few years, the alumni directory became our trusted friend. A few weeks before each deadline, we
Steven Aleman, Myrtle and Marian J. Barber
would select eight individuals, write to them, and ask them to tell us what they were up to — basically a cold call. Somewhat surprisingly, most replied! The next challenge was dividing our 1,000-word limit by eight. We eventually turned to publishing a brief excerpt of each classmate’s story in the print edition with the full version posted to the online Classnotes, then when that proved technically difficult, to our Facebook page.
We have been pleased to demonstrate the diversity of our class, demographically and in the twists and turns of the career paths we have chosen. Recognizing that it’s been almost 50 years since we first set foot on Rice campus, a few years ago we began publishing links to the obituaries of classmates who have died. Where possible, we persuaded friends of the deceased to briefly share their memories. This has proven very popular and has been a springboard to the friends providing updates of their own. Occasionally we were able to capture a whole community, with pictures! We could not have made a success of this endeavor without the patience of our editors and the generosity and thoughtfulness of our classmates, including those who came through for us again and again. They include but definitely are not limited to: Jim Stephens (Wiess: BA), Harry Burglass (Wiess: BA), and Guy Booker (Wiess: BA); Jeff Kerr (Lovett: BS) and “Doc” King (Lovett: BA); Gail Raun Schorre (Jones: BA; BArch, 1981) and Tracy Dittert Janda (Jones: BA); and Regina Pappas Seale (Brown: BA), Larry Fossi (Will Rice: BA), Ann Gifford (Baker: BA) and Dana Miller Baker (Hanszen: BA; BArch, 1981). We cannot thank you enough!
1980
Class Recorder: Kathy Behrens 909-307-1228 310-871-3791
kathybehrens@verizon.net
Class recorder Kathy Behrens (Will Rice: BA) sends the following: >> Elizabeth Hernandez Irving ’81 (Brown: BS) writes: “I was in Brown College and graduated a year late due to family issues. One of my good friends and dorm mates, Donna Jean Reed (Brown: BA), graduated in 1980, along with Tommy Wilson (Will Rice: BA). Donna Jean and Tommy married, and she went off to med school while he became an accounting professor. I went off to be a process control engineer, a software engineer, an accountant (ugh), a teacher and a broadcast engineer. We corresponded at Christmastime for 40 years. My hubby, Frank Irving (Texas Tech, 1980), and I visited them last year when Kathleen Gerdes, a friend of my daughter, moved near Donna Jean. We laughingly talked about how Kathleen and Donna Jean’s son, Anthony, were about the same age, successful and single. At a second visit, we transferred pictures between Kathleen and Anthony. They eloped this year and will have a big celebration of their wedding May 4, since he is a ‘Star Wars’ fan and she is a ‘Doctor Who’ fan. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride getting back together, and we picked up right where we left off 40 years ago. Rice friendships are forever.”
Class recorder Gloria Meckel Tarpley (Brown: BA) writes: >> Hello, all! Welcome to the new format for Owlmanac Classnotes! Same content, new publication format. Please do continue to send in your updates, as I know all our classmates enjoy hearing about your lives!
This time around, I heard from Sandy Flippo (Hanszen: BA) who is clearly living the life in Buenos Aires: “After Rice (Spanish/French major), I worked for about 20 years in account management in advertising. Eventually I had to do other things, so I taught high school Spanish, became a dressage instructor and began to learn Argentine tango. These interests all dovetailed in Argentina, so I finally decided to move here last year. I recently made the semifinals of the City of Buenos Aires tango competition.
tion of Rice Alumni Board. Paula lives in Richmond, VA. Congratulations, Paula!
1982
Class Recorder: Susan Stone Woodard 270-303-1173 suz.woodard514@gmail.com
>> Marjorie Foelker Varner ’83 (Will Rice: BA) submits the following: “ Carol Dowdy Robinson (Jones: BA and MA) passed away Feb. 25 after a yearlong struggle with pancreatic cancer. Carol’s majors in art and art history and English were manifest in her exquisitely detailed watercolors and her amusing yet thoughtful notes to friends. She was kind and caring; her faith was deep and sustaining throughout her life. Carol made lasting friendships which she nurtured and which were, in turn, cherished. Close friend Rives Taylor (Wiess: BA; BArch, 1984) writes, ‘Carol has been a dedicated friend with a terrific supportive attitude — always positive and thinking of others.’
Class Recorder:
Gloria Meckel Tarpley 214-763-0008
gloriameckeltarpley@ ricealumni.net
“My daughter Nonie Hilliard ’19 (Hanszen: BA) lives in Houston and is a photographer and actress. My older daughter, Charlotte DeWald, recently received her PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and has a second granddaughter on the way. Life has been good!”
>> Gloria continues: In addition, our own Paula Desel (Jones: BA) has just been selected to serve a three-year term on the Associa -
“I met Carol through my late husband, Dave Varner (Sid Rich: BA; BArch, 1984), at her wedding to Bill Robinson in 1984. We began an easy correspondence that grew into a lifelong friendship. She had a fabulous laugh and sense of humor. Phone calls with her were epic. Carol placed love for her family foremost — she was devoted to Bill and her three beloved sons and four grandchildren. Rives summed up, ‘Her quiet and persistent support of her friends
Sandy Flippo dancing the tango
Carol Dowdy Robinson
with her empathetic knowledge are vital human links upon which I think we all came to rely.’”
>> Nancy Rapoport (Jones: BA) and Lavelle Fritz Ferris (Will Rice: BS) submit the following: “Classmates! We really miss sending you emails to thank you for your gifts to support our alma mater. However, the Rice development office no longer supports the role of class giving chair — so, if you’ve been wondering why you didn’t get your personal thank-you note — we no longer have a job. But we’re still here — Nancy is still at UNLV teaching law and showing the world of ballroom dancing how it is done. Lavelle has relocated to the DFW area and is truly retired from paid employment but still stays busy. We miss the opportunity for occasional (and sometimes very random) email conversations with you — so feel free to start an email conversation with either or both of us. And we’re both on the ‘Rice University Class of 1982’ Facebook page — join us there. Already looking forward to our next reunion in 2027!”
1983
Class Recorder:
Jennifer S. Sickler
713-665-7469 j.sickler@hotmail.com
1984
Class Recorder: Gretchen Martinez Penny 713-660-7445 gretchen.penny@gmail.com
Class Recorder: Greg Marshall 713-666-RICE (home) 713-348-6782 (office) gm@rice.edu
>> Hannah Baker (Hanszen: BA) submits a “quadranscentennial update”: “Pretty sure my last update was 20–25 years ago. A few changes: My kids are grown-ish, 25 and almost 22, and we all live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The husband is former, as is the 9–5 life. At the end of February, I left a post as a director at the Europeana Foundation and have struck out on my own as a freelance qualitative researcher and moderator — my first love. My parents (still in Houston) are not getting younger, and I am avoiding regrets about how much time I spend with them — freelance work gives me a lot more flexibility about how and where I spend my time. Holler if you’re in Amsterdam!”
1987
The Class of 1987 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
1988
Class Recorder: Sonu Thukral Keneally 713-432-7668 sonuk@alumni.rice.edu
1989
Class Recorder: Sten L. Gustafson 281-701-4234 stengustafson@icloud.com
1990
Class Recorder: Gilbert Saldivar 832-341-0694 saldivar@alumni.rice.edu facebook.com/ groups/294713521722
Class recorder Gilbert Saldivar (Sid Rich: BA) writes: >> Thank you for arriving at this space in the hope of strolling through your classmates’ lives. Please consider letting us share some part of your journey.
>> Paul Saunders (Baker), who transferred to the University of Michigan, writes: “In January, I returned to the Center for the National Interest as president after five years as president of the Energy Innovation Reform Project, an energy and climate research and advocacy organization. I have not seen many of my Rice classmates recently — except, of course, for my wife, Mary Finch ’88 (Baker: BA) — whom I am very fortunate to see every day. We were both excited to see the Rice campus again in January during a stopover. So much is new, including the Baker Institute. Working at the intersection of geopolitics, energy
and technology, it is terrific to see Rice playing a leading role in these areas. I encourage everyone coming through D.C. — especially those interested in foreign policy, energy and climate — to reach out.”
>> Rudy Elizondo (Sid Rich: BA; MA, 1994) writes: “I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Chris Godinich (Sid Rich: BS), a steadfast friend and fellow Houston Marathon enthusiast, who finally nudged me to lace up my running shoes for my 10th Houston Marathon. By any stretch of the imagination, it wasn’t a picture-perfect race, but we managed through dedication and perseverance to cross the finish
Paul Saunders
Elizabeth Mendoza and Rudy Elizondo at the Baker Institute
line together. With this achievement, I have officially cemented my status as a Houston Marathon ‘Legacy’ — Chris having achieved his Legacy status last year! Next, we’ll be gearing up to tackle 10 Houston half-marathons!
“In another remarkable turn of events, I had the pleasure of witnessing an inspiring milestone for my dear friend Elizabeth Mendoza (Wiess: BA). The Baker Institute invited her to share her expertise as a panelist, informing a town hall on U.S. immigration policy in February. Returning to campus felt like a homecoming of sorts and being granted a glimpse into the inner workings of the Baker Institute inspired tremendous awe. Feel free to check out the thought-provoking discussion here: https://bit.ly/baker-townhall.”
>> Chris Godinich writes: “Momentous! Rudy Elizondo achieved his Legacy status this year and can be called a legend at anyone’s choosing. He launched my marathon career (11 Hous -
ton finishes), and we thought it fitting beyond any common sense or good reasoning to end our marathon-running efforts with his accomplishment! We comfortably crossed the finish line Sunday, Jan. 14, with a shared time of 5:15:18 (12:02 per mile). Our goal was for that marathon to be our last full marathon race, and there are no regrets. We both look forward to the transition to half-marathons, using our shared training time to catch up on each other’s lives.
“Beyond that, Anne ChangGodinich (Sid Rich: BA) is doing well, continuing her ophthalmology work, as our kids progress into and out of their undergraduate careers.”
1991
Class Recorder: Phil Miller 612-385-5891 phil_miller_98@yahoo.com
Class recorder Phil Miller (Baker: BA) sends the following:
>> Jim “Bud” Weisser ’93 (Sid Rich: BS) writes: “I’ve spent more than 30 years in Tokyo after coming here for a brief ‘break from chemical engineering’ after Rice, and am working on my fifth tech startup, SignTime, after leaving Cisco Japan in 2019. My elder daughter, Aya, has spent the past year in the greater Boston area living with Byron ’93 (Sid Rich: BA and BS) and Molly Neff Elliott (Sid Rich: BA, 1992) and attending public school — a big change from the Japanese school she had attended previously. She will be going to Northfield Mount Herman in Massachusetts in the fall, so will unfortunately have to miss the Texas summers that I enjoyed growing up. My younger daughter, Rei, is 11, heading into 6th grade and living with me full time.
“I also had the opportunity to visit with Mike Burkart ’ 94 (Sid Rich: BA) when he visited Tokyo earlier in the year for a conference. Mike is the chair of the UC San Diego chemistry department and is also involved with several startups.
“I’d encourage all my friends who might be ‘in the area’ to drop me a note in the event they find themselves in Tokyo!”
>> Tiffani Cook Greene (Baker: BA) writes: “After graduating from Rice, I went on to get a PhD in cell biology. I worked at a biotech company in Philly for seven years, then took 14 years off to raise kids and dogs. My daughter is now attending RIT and my son is in high school. I started a new career last year: I just completed my first year as a biomedical sciences teacher at a vo-tech/STEM high school in NJ. Challenging but fun. Hoping my son will apply to Rice!”
>> Brian “Binkley” Oxley (Baker: BA) writes: “Music major with a side of physics. Married twice — first wife Hanszen study-abroad from Russia, second (separated) a published poet; steam tunnel
spelunker; bridge team captain at nationals, OwlCon, Club ’13. Post Rice: Texas on/off — Boston, Philippines, Singapore and back. Consultant in IT after stints in investment banking and software startups. Working on a book. Two great sons, one in Ireland, one a new PhD in chemistry.”
1992
Class Recorder: Alison Cohen 909-213-7789 (cell) ERISAgirl44@yahoo.com
1993
Class Recorder: Jamie Nelson 646-505-9990 jnelson0612@hotmail.com
1994
Class Recorder: Tom Harris 205-721-3713 wthmd@yahoo.com
Class recorder Tom Harris (Brown: BS) sends the following: >> Tim Petersen (Wiess: BA) writes: “I’ve joined the faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, with a joint appointment in Obstetrics & Gynecology, here at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.”
>> Jonathon Adler (Lovett: BA) submits the following: “On May 16, 30 years after my Rice graduation, I was ordained as a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, which has been my home since 1998. I have relocated to Marietta, GA, where I am the assistant rabbi at Congregation Etz Chaim!”
Chris Godinich (left) and Rudy Elizondo crossing the finish line of the Houston Marathon
OWLMANAC
1995
Class Recorder: Francisco Morales texasliberal@hotmail.com
>> Wilbur Lam (Brown: BA) was recently elected into the National Academy of Medicine. According to the academy’s website, “The National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. … New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.” Lam’s election is for “outstanding contributions in pointof-care, home-based, and/or smartphone-enabled diagnostics that are changing the management of pediatric and hematologic diseases as well as development of microsystems technologies as research-enabling platforms to investigate blood biophysics. He also leads national/NIH efforts to assess diagnostic tests (including those for COVID-19) for the entire country.”
1996
Class Recorder:
Brooke Johnson Borden 919-455-1057 borden.brooke@gmail.com
Class recorder Brooke Johnson Borden (Wiess: BA; BArch, 1998) sends the following:
>> Scott Dodson (Lovett: BA) writes: “I recently appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court as counsel of record for petitioner in Harrow v. Department of Defense. The court unanimously ruled in my client’s favor in May. That case was pro bono, so I still have my day job as a tenured professor at
University of California Law, San Francisco. In other news, my son Asher Dodson ’28 will be matriculating at Rice this fall to pursue a BS in mechanical engineering.”
>> Sorrels Law submits the following press release (excerpted):
“ Hieu T. Dang (Lovett: BA) has joined the Sorrels Law team and opened its Dallas office. Dr. Dang received his BA from Rice. He next attended UT School of Law where he received his JD. Out of law school, Dr. Dang joined the international law firm of Locke, Liddell & Sapp (now Locke Lord) handling cases in both the litigation and intellectual property arenas. Dr. Dang also passed the patent bar and is licensed to practice in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“Dr. Dang then turned his attention to medical school and attended UT Southwestern Medical School, where he obtained his MD. From there, Dr. Dang completed his anesthesiologist residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Dang became board certified by the American Board of Anesthesia.
“Dr. Dang speaks five languages: English, Vietnamese, Spanish, French and Mandarin. He joins a broadly diverse Sorrels Law medical malpractice team. Dr. Dang will also be handling cases with the firm’s catastrophic injury and wrongful death teams.”
1997
Class Recorder: Sara Chiu drsarachiu@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/ RiceUniversity1997
1998
Class Recorders: Ria Papageorgiou Stella Hines ricegrad98@gmail.com
Class recorders Ria Papageorgiou (Lovett: BA) and Stella Hines (Baker: BA) send the following: >> Laura Moodey (Brown: BA) writes: “Al Suarez (Brown: BA) passed away at his home Nov. 22, 2023, after a brief and brave battle with cancer.
“Al was a presence on the Rice campus from the beginning — Sammy the Owl to some, Sal Juarez to others, and that guy in the front row heckling nonstop all the opposing football teams. He was a man on the move on South Main, being elected to the Brown Cabinet, the Freshman Committee, the Student Admissions Council, and as an SA representative. He was most proud of being elected to represent Rice as the school mascot, a fun fact he put on his resumé and swore gave him an edge in many interview processes. He majored in economics and studied abroad at the London School of Economics as a junior. After class, you could find him walking backward through the quad giving campus tours, distracting people with jokes in Brown’s eighth-floor study lobby, or practicing whatever IM sport was in season.
“Al was a native New Yorker, born in Queens and raised in Falls Church, VA. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Bolivia and worked hard to give him the educational opportunities that got him to Rice. After a few years working in finance in New York, Al graduated from Harvard Business School, moved to San Francisco, and became an expert in mobile banking products, moving up the ladder in Silicon Valley from Visa to Apple to Meta. Al was committed to helping other Latinos in their pursuit of higher education, and he served for years on the boards of the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation and HBS’s Latino Alumni Association. Had he chosen a different path, he could have been the world’s greatest comedian. He was a master story -
teller and kept his friends rolling on the floor with laughter.
“He was also a die-hard sports fan, following Rice, the Knicks, the Giants and most of all the Yankees. He was a regular at Yankee Stadium even when he had to fly across the country to do so. When he wasn’t cheering on Rice teams from inside an owl costume, he was in the stands pumping up the crowd at Reckling, Tudor and Rice Stadium.
“Al lived life large, traveling all over the world, searching out the best food, and never leaving a locale without at least one new friend. Friends were the family that he made, and he invested in his friendships by always prioritizing quality time with his favorite people. He was a doting uncle to his own four nieces and was Uncle Al and godfather to many of the children of his best Rice friends, giving another generation a glimpse of how good it felt to be part of Al’s chosen family.
“Al’s friends and family celebrated Al’s life this winter in the way he would have wanted to be honored — with good wine, great friends and a highlight reel of the most hilarious and heartwarming Al Suarez stories. If you have a great Al story to share, please feel free to add yours at https://bit.ly/ alsuarezstories .”
Al Suarez
1999
Class Recorder: Stephanie L. Taylor 415-350-0467 whereisstephanietaylor@ gmail.com
2000
Class Recorder: Felisa Vergara Reynolds felisavr@gmail.com
2001
Class Recorder: Kristin Johnson Aldred kris.layne@gmail.com
Class recorder Kristin Johnson Aldred (Lovett: BA) writes: >> Congratulations to Kimberly Maher Correa (Lovett: BA), for being named Round Rock ISD’s 2024 Elementary Teacher of the
Year! Kim teaches fourth grade at Caraway Elementary. She lives in Austin with her husband, Juan Correa ’00 (Lovett: BS), and their three children.
>> Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez (Hanszen: BA) writes: “After 23 years in Houston, I moved to San Antonio with my family and began a new role at UT Health San Antonio as professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine on April Fools’ Day 2020 (the irony). Starting during the pandemic was challenging but transformative, redefining my career as a PM&R physician to include international researcher and advocate. I’ve testified twice to Congress due to my expertise in Long COVID and its impact on persons with disabilities. I also specialize in stroke rehabilitation, spasticity, TBI, neuro-recovery, and topics related to health equity and access to care. However, my best job is still being a wife to Leonard (20+ years) and mom to Lina (17) and Nicolas (15).”
Julie, Shay, Saqib and Skye
2002
Class Recorder: Scott Berger csberger@gmail.com
2003
Class Recorder: Julie Yau-Yee Tam 713-828-4062 julietam@alumni.rice.edu https://bit.ly/rice-class-2003
Class recorder Julie Yau-Yee Tam (Jones: BA) writes: >> Saqib Farhaan Siddik ’04 (Hanszen: BA) and I welcomed our second child this year, Skye Reeves Tam Siddik. Older brother Shay James Tam Siddik (5) adores his baby brother. Saqib and I both work for the family business, Lyn Realty in Houston, as director of operations and managing broker, respectively.
2004
Class Recorder: Kate Hallaway katehallaway@gmail.com www.facebook.com/ groups/1425217191026994
2005
Class Recorder: Alex Sigeda alex.sigeda@gmail.com
2006
Class Recorder: Hugham Chan hugham@gmail.com
Class recorder Hugham Chan (Lovett: BS) sends the following: >> Brian T. Boies (Jones: BS) writes: “In September 2023, I
joined the Cone Health hospital system as the chief academic officer and senior vice president in Greensboro, NC. In this role, I oversee the medical residencies and fellowships, systemwide research endeavors, and undergraduate medical education at Cone Health.”
2007
Class Recorders: Clint Corcoran clintc@alumni.rice.edu Becky Thilo Tuttle 713-412-4030 becky@alumni.rice.edu
2008
The Class of 2008 needs a new class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
2009
Class Recorder: Gina Cao Yu 713-870-9218 ginacaoyu@gmail.com
2010
Class Recorder: Emily Zhu Haynie emilyahaynie@gmail.com
>> Andrew Sendejo (Lovett: BA) submits his engagement announcement: “Andrew Sendejo, four-year letter winner in football, 12-year NFL veteran who donated the Andrew Sendejo Nutrition Center to the Rice weight room at historic Rice Stadium and gave Rice football its first-ever teamwide NIL deal with his brain health supplement company, BrainTree Nutrition; Annie Kadota ’12 (Jones: BA), four-year letter winner in soccer, current VP of J.P.
Morgan Health and Life Sciences, and Rice Athletics mentor: This power couple is excited to announce their engagement, which took place at historic Rice Stadium on March 2 at 3:05 p.m. Andrew and Annie are still very involved with Rice and Rice Athletics as they commit their time to being a part of the Rice Athletics mentorship program.”
2011
Class Recorder: Alex Wyatt 281-623-8438 awyattlovett@gmail.com
2012
Class Recorder: Daphne Wert Strasert 832-986-3210 daphnestrasert@gmail.com
2013
Class Recorder: Matt Mariani 908-328-6632 mmariani16@gmail.com
2014
Class Recorder: Molly Richardson Krueger mollykrueger03@gmail.com
Class recorder Molly Richardson Krueger (McMurtry: BS) writes: >> Asia McCleary-Gaddy Bright (McMurtry: BA) got married to Ronald Bright on Sept. 2, 2023! Present at the wedding were several Owls, shown with Asia in the attached picture: Jacob Owolabi ’11 (Duncan: BA), Christa Clarke ’12 (McMurtry: BS; MS, 2014), Tamir Jackson ’13 (McMurtry: BA), Rebecca Isaac Allen ’13 (McMurtry: BA), Jackie Mutai-Warren ’15 (McMurtry: BA; MA, 2016), Michael Warren ’16 (Brown: BA), Yakira Rose Alford (McMurtry: BA) and Isaac Koya-Adako ’13 (McMurtry: BA).
2015
Class Recorder: Qizhong Wang qizhong.wang2011@gmail.com
Class recorder Qizhong Wang (Lovett: BS; MS, 2016) sends the
following:
>> Walter Hurst Williamson (Hanszen: BA) published his first novel, “The Sands Shall Witness,” which he actually began working on at Rice. To quote from the synopsis: “Just before World War I erupted in Europe, thousands of miles to the south, the German government waged a merciless campaign of dominion against the native Herero and Nama peoples. Its atrocities involved the work of the eugenicists whose ‘scientific’ experiments would inform the Nazis’ Holocaust decades later.
“‘The Sands Shall Witness’ features a young German colonial aide, Conrad Huber, who arrives in present-day Namibia in 1903 just as his government’s brutality has pushed the native communities to fierce rebellion. Eventually, an all-out war and German concentration camps will leave a majority of the Herero and the Nama dead.
“Amid geopolitical turmoil and colonial abuses, Conrad meets and falls in love with Sybille Maharero, the daughter of the Herero chieftain leading the rebellion against the Germans. Together, they overcome cultural divisions to unite in a desperate flight across the Kalahari Desert that
will test the very limits of their humanity and their unlikely union.
“Williamson partnered with the Otuvawa Culture Institute to ensure the accuracy of the novel and just returned from a short book tour in Namibia.”
2016
Class Recorder: Michaela Dimoff 414-629-5270
michaeladimoff@ricealumni.net
2017
Class Recorder: Margaret Lie margaret.lie@ricealumni.net
Class recorder Margaret Lie (Wiess: BS and MA) writes: >> Priyanka Chandraker (Wiess: BS) just finished an MBA program in Chicago and also just started watching “The Bear,” Season 3, filmed in Chicago. While she did not enjoy being cold and wearing a trash bag (aka her parka) for over half the year, she will deeply miss the people in her program, the city’s beautiful and incredibly well-planned architecture, and the ample opportunities to access incredible food. “The Bear” provides her a newfound appreciation for the city. “Can confirm — the hummus at Avec is spectacular.”
Class Recorder: Isaac “Ike” Arjmand 412-736-1596 isaac.arjmand@gmail.com
2020
Class Recorder:
Adria Martinez 713-459-4483 adria@texascres.com
Class recorder Adria Martinez (Duncan: BA) writes:
>> Angela Bae (Brown: BMus) founded the Balourdet Quartet in 2018 at Rice with Justin DeFilippis (MMus), Benjamin Zannoni (MMus) and Russell Houston (MMus). The quartet recently won the Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award as well as the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Since finishing her undergraduate degree at Rice, Kassidy Muse (Baker: BA) went on to complete her Master of Accounting degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She now works for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a consultant. She obtained her CPA license in two different states and is engaged and soon to be married.
Mahesh Krishna (McMurtry: BA, 2019) graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is a member of the board of directors of a national patient-focused nonprofit organization, Partners Seeking a Cure. Mahesh started his internal medicine residency at Yale New Haven Hospital in June.
2021
Class Recorder: Kevin Guo guokevin1@gmail.com
2022
Class Recorder: Ben Li Zaltsman zaltsmanben@gmail.com
2023
Class Recorder: Jonathan Lloyd 914-217-5568
jonathan.sc.lloyd@gmail.com
Class recorder Jonathan Lloyd (Will Rice: BS) writes:
>> The Class of 2023 celebrated our first Beer Bike as alumni this year. We celebrated International Beer Night at Pub, we enjoyed a nostalgic Friday in our quads, and as the threat of a Beer Run gave way to lovely weather and familiar faces in the grandstands, we cheered on our alumni riders and undergrads too.
Some of us in the New York area got together for a beautiful Memorial Day weekend up at a lake in Connecticut. Thankfully, no canoes were capsized, although many a Spikeball was lost in the bushes. Truly a weekend to remember.
>> Sydney Rodman (Duncan: BA) writes: “I got engaged and started a business called Green Revival!”
>> Clayton Ramsey (Baker: BA and BSEE) writes: “I’m now finishing up my first year of my PhD in computer science at Rice. I just got back from ICRA in Yokohama, Japan, where I presented my work!”
>> Angela Lin (Sid Rich: BS) writes: “My seniors crossed the stage in May, signaling the end of my first year teaching high school biology.”
>> Elise Erickson (Sid Rich: BA) writes: “I currently work as the patient and volunteer services coordinator at the Rhode Island Free Clinic in Providence, RI. I work mainly on outreach and quality improvement initiatives, working
closely with leadership to build the clinic’s capacity to help Rhode Islanders in need. It’s the only free clinic in Rhode Island and provides comprehensive health care to over 1,800 uninsured adults from across the state each year. Working here is a great way to use what I learned studying social policy analysis, economics and global health technologies at Rice to continue working to improve health equity.”
2024
The Class of 2024 needs a class recorder. To learn more about this volunteer position, please email owlmanac@rice.edu.
Guess who?
Elise Erickson
Memorial Day weekend in Connecticut
1983 Campanile — Richard “Ricky” Askew ’84 (Jones) and Melvin Robinson ’86 (Wiess: BA)
Graduate School Alums: We Want to Hear From You, Too!
Submit news and updates to grad notes coordinator Jose A. Narbona at janv@rice.edu or owlmanac@rice.edu.
George R. Brown School of Engineering
>> Jun Kim ’20 (PhD) and his family visited the Rice campus in June for the Kims’ 14th wedding anniversary. Jun currently works at Florida Polytechnic as an assistant professor.
Jones Graduate School of Business
>> Bernie Fields ’93 (MBA) passed away Sunday, March 17, at the age of 69. To quote from his obituary: “Bernie was born July 22, 1954, in St. Louis, MO, where he spent the majority of his youth. He earned a BA in environmental studies from Webster College in 1976, a BS in mechanical engineering from University of
Missouri S&T (formerly Rolla School of Mines) in 1983 and an MBA from Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business in 1993.
“He moved to Houston in 1983, having accepted a job offer from Texas Instruments. Subsequently he took jobs with Grumman, Lockheed Martin and KPMG/ BearingPoint and in 2006 formed his own consulting firm, Bernard M. Fields Management Corp.
“Bernie was an eternal optimist but also an extremely driven individual. He believed that listening to others was essential to fostering good work relationships, and his clients will attest to his excellent work ethic and ability to deliver a product that met their needs. Bernie was also a great mentor to others. Be they colleagues, his daughters, their friends or his own friends, people turned to him for his excellent
insights and sound advice. His willingness to serve others included a stint as the president of the Jones School Alumni Association, volunteering time with the Jones Partners, and being on the board of Cancare.
“Recreationally, Bernie loved to sing and was a member of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the Houston Symphony Chorus and various smaller choral groups throughout his life. He was a prolific walker, hiking vast lengths of Manhattan, the Grand Tetons, the Missouri Ozarks, and the many hiking trails in and around Taos, NM. Bernie also expressed his creativity through his love of gardening and cooking.
“His greatest accomplishment and pride, though, came from raising three beautiful, driven and successful daughters. His legacy will live on through them. Bernie was the best dad a child could have. He had a vivid imagination and a fun-loving spirit that his three daughters, Isabelle, Anna
Sophia and Lara Adele, adored him for. Playtime with Dad was filled with make-believe, impersonations, songs and games.”
>> In July 2023, Cullen Cone ’20 (MBA) cofounded Tri-C Resources Partners I, LLC, a private oil and gas operating company focused on acquiring producing wells across the Gulf Coast of Texas. Cullen has had two children since graduating from Rice Business in 2020, Cate and Wesley Cone (2.5 years and 8 months, respectively).
School of Architecture
>> In 2023, Tucker Douglas ’13 (MArch, 2014) started his architecture and design studio, Douglas Works, which is currently pursuing projects in Massachusetts, Vermont, Texas and New Zealand.
Cullen with his two children, Cate and Wesley
The Kim family celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary
Shepherd School of Music
>> Ghada Ghanem ’91 (MMus) writes: “Rice University: Master in Vocal Performance. Houston Grand Opera choir member. Studied with both the late Lynn Griebling (Rice) and Elena Nikolaidi (HGO) and with coach Tom Jaber (Rice). Post Rice: I attended the American Institute of Vocal Studies at Graz, Austria. Then I was a NYC resident for 10 years, where I studied and performed Arabic vocal repertoire with the oud player Simon Shaheen and the Near Eastern Music Ensemble all over the country and Canada.” Ghada moved back to Lebanon in 2000, where she has been teaching voice, performing classical and Arabic music, publishing a book in Arabic on singing, and recording many albums mixing both repertoires and traditions. She writes: “Since the 2019 economic collapse of Lebanon, I have been active politically and socially, highlighting the importance of music in the community to help find solutions in time of crisis. In 2016, I was elected to the municipality board of my village and changed my voice range from lyrico soprano to lyrico politico soprano. I am baking my own variety of bread to sponsor music activities in the rural areas of Lebanon,
collaborating with Rebirth Beirut (born after the Beirut explosion), performing in the streets of the city to bring back life to it, and finally I turned my grandparents’ home in the village into an artist residency. This year, I have been singing to help raise funds for Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta children’s fund for the children in Gaza.”
>> Marie Jorritsma ’01 (MMus) lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and two children. She works as a senior lecturer in the music department of the University of the Witwatersrand. Marie teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and her favorite course to teach is Music in Contemporary Lives, where she teaches a selection of world and South African music. Marie graduated from Rice with a MMus in 2001 and with her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She remains in touch with her Rice friends and supervisor and is looking forward to when she can next travel to the U.S. for a visit.
>> In 2020, Natalie Lin ’20 (DMA) was appointed assistant professor of music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In July, Natalie was promoted to associate professor without tenure. In 2023, Natalie released her debut album with Kinetic Ensemble, which was founded while she was a student at Rice and is now approaching
Join friends and classmates on campus Nov. 1–2 for a weekend of activities, class reunions and special events for the entire alumni community. Attend engaging faculty lectures, hear from university leaders at the President’s Town Hall and support alumni-owned businesses at the Community Market. Enjoy barbecue, games and a tailgate before cheering on the Rice Owls when they take on Navy.
For a full schedule of events, visit https://alumni.rice.edu/alumni-weekend .
its 10th concert season. Natalie is a proud mother to Ezra, who was born in October 2023, and a wife to Tucker Douglas ’13 (MArch, 2014).
Wiess School of Natural Sciences
>> William “Red” Powell ’57 (MA; PhD, 1959) passed away Sept. 14, 2023. To quote from his obituary: “Red worked for Pan American Petroleum Co. and Pogo Producing Co. and also started his own oil and gas exploration company called Powell Petroleum. For many years, he enjoyed weekly tennis games with his friends at the Houston Racquet Club. Red and his family were active members of Memorial Drive Methodist Church, where he taught Sunday school and was a youth group leader. Even in retirement he pursued an active life as president of the Independence Historical Society and a board member of Unity Theatre, Scott & White Foundation and the Brenham Methodist Church. He led the establishment of the Washington County Habitat for Humanity chapter and served as their first president.” Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/ william-red-powell.
>> Scott Edward MacDonald ’84 (MA) passed away May 18. Quoting from his obituary: “Scott’s commitment to his family was exceptional and unwavering. He was a loving son, loyal brother, devoted father and faithful husband. When at home, he enjoyed being with the people he loved while in his yard or swimming in his pool and listening to music and ending a night with a classic action movie. To know Scott was a blessing and a gift. He will remain in our hearts forever.” Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/scott-macdonald. >> After working as a postdoc in the Kirienko Lab at Rice for three years, Elissa Tjahjono ’20 (PhD) is now the lead scientist in a Houston-based biotech startup called Simbryo Technologies. Her company aims to create an assay in the in vitro fertilization field using endometrial organoids and blastoids (stem cells-derived embryo models) to help answer the question, “Will this work?” and improve IVF outcomes. In 2020, Elissa married Alexey (who also works at Rice). They received their green cards via the EB2 National Interest Waiver.
Ghada Ghanem
ALUMNI RELATIONS
New Association of Rice Alumni Board Members
Board members meet with university leaders and administrators and make recommendations regarding programming for alumni both inside and outside of Houston.
Letter From the New ARA President
Dear Rice Community,
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as president of the Association of Rice Alumni this academic year. Rice is a special place, and this is a unique and exciting time to be part of the Rice community, with bold new programs and initiatives being launched, our undergraduate and graduate populations continuing to grow, and our alma mater expanding its global reach and recognition.
As with many of you, my connection to Rice has been an important part of my life. At Rice, I was a violin performance student at the Shepherd School, a political science major, and a proud Will Ricer. As an alum, I have enjoyed serving as an externship host for current Rice students, interviewing prospective students, and cheering on and supporting the Owls. These experiences help to inform the perspective I bring to being a representative of, and liaison for, the Rice alumni community in the coming year.
Alumni have an important role in the life of the university, and I hope to increase and expand the ways in which alumni can contribute to and share in the enhancement of Rice. In the year ahead, we have opportunities to engage more alumni in Rice programming, particularly those alumni who may not have connected with the university recently; to strengthen the volunteer experience to ensure that the gift of time leads to meaningful impact; and to expand the programs available to alumni, including recent graduates.
This work and the other efforts of the ARA in the coming year will be done in partnership with the fantastic team in the Office of Alumni Relations and with the leadership of the ARA Board, a group of 28 alumni who reflect the diversity and intellectual breadth of the Rice community. I would also like to extend my deep gratitude to Tania Min ’90, ’92 for her leadership of the ARA this past year and to David Leal ’03, presidentelect of the ARA in the year ahead.
Onwards!
David Mansouri
’07
David Mansouri is the president and CEO of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Nashville whose mission is to drive changes that transform education so that all Tennessee students are prepared for success. In addition to his undergraduate degree from Rice, Mansouri received an MBA with honors from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
New Alumni Trustee
Cathryn Rodd Selman ’78 Houston, Texas
Cathryn Rodd Selman earned her bachelor’s degree from Rice in economics and history and her MBA from Harvard Business School. Her professional career included 16 years in domestic and international finance assignments with Exxon Corporation, followed by positions as treasurer and then controller of Exxon Exploration Company, treasurer of Exxon Ventures CIS, and executive director at Russell Reynolds Associates. She has served on the Friends of Fondren Library Board and the advisory boards of the Chao Center for Asian Studies and the Rice Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality. Currently, Rodd Selman is a member of the advisory board of the School of Social Sciences and of the Center for Career Development at Rice. She is a previous recipient of the ARA’s Meritorious Service Award.
New Association of Rice Alumni Board Members
Sacha Abinader ’05 Houston, Texas
Sacha Abinader graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Rice in electrical and computer engineering and is a managing director in Accenture’s North America Energy practice based in Houston. He has 19 years of experience serving clients in exploration and production across several upstream independents. Abinader currently serves as the account leader for a super major’s upstream sector and leads Accenture’s efforts for methane management. He also serves as the engagement lead for Accenture’s Houston office of more than 2,500 people and aids in the recruitment of Rice students for Accenture.
Paula Desel ’81 Richmond, Va.
Paula Desel is a retired lawyer living in Richmond, Virginia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and
economics from Rice and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Prior to her retirement, Desel practiced law at Baker Botts in Houston and Arnold & Porter in New York and was an in-house attorney at Altria in New York and Richmond. She has served on the ARA Laureates Committee; on the Class of 1981 Annual Giving committee, including as co-chair for her 40th reunion; and as an interviewer in New York and Richmond for the Rice Alumni Volunteers for Admission.
Wayne Hale ’76
Friendswood, Texas
Wayne Hale earned a bachelor’s degree from Rice in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree from Purdue in mechanical engineering. He recently retired from his post as director of human spaceflight at Special Aerospace Services in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to that, he accepted a civil service position with NASA Johnson Space Center, where he spent 32 years working in every aspect of U.S. human spaceflight.
Tawfik Jarjour ’12
Sugar Land, Texas
Tawfik Jarjour earned dual bachelor’s degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology and
cognitive sciences from Rice. He leads Accenture’s Consumer Technology Group across North America. As a student, he helped lead the Rice Centennial House project and was active in student government and student organizations such as Cru and Navigators. He was the recipient of the Rice Sallyport Award and has since served as a board member with the Center for Career Development, an alumni member of the Faculty Senate Committee on Teaching, and a key adviser on special projects to the university president, resulting in the prestigious Rice Builders Award. His work includes impactful pro bono consulting for Rice.
June Marshall ’00 Washington, D.C.
June Marshall received a bachelor’s degree in economics and policy studies at Rice and also successfully completed the Rice Teacher Education Certification Program. She also
ASSOCIATION OF RICE ALUMNI BOARD 2024–2025
earned a J.D. from George Washington University School of Law. Marshall is a real estate attorney in Holland & Knight LLP’s Washington, D.C., office. She has volunteered with the Rice Alumni Volunteers for Admission and the D.C. Rice Alumni Planning Committee and is a member of the Association of Rice University Black Alumni.
Wanda Pan ’77, ’09 Houston, Texas
Wanda Pan graduated from Rice with a bachelor’s degree in geology and psychology. She was accepted into the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies’ founding class of the Master of Liberal Studies program in 2005. After working as a geophysicist at various oil companies, she retired to raise three daughters. She has been a founder, president and emeritus member of the Graduate Liberal Studies Alumni Association, and she currently serves on the external advisory board of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the advisory board of the Glasscock School, as well as on the Friends of Fondren Library Board. In 2017, she and her father Poh-Hsi Pan ’69, who earned a Ph.D. in geophysics, established the Pan Family Fellowship in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.
John
Sneider ’94 Houston, Texas
John Sneider received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M and a doctoral degree in geology and geophysics from Rice. He is president of Sneider Exploration, Inc., a global energy consulting service. Sneider Exploration specializes in the optimization of complex development projects for a range of clients from small independents to international and national energy companies. In addition, Sneider provides professional training and mentoring and serves as a lecturer in Rice’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.
Have you considered applying to the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) Board?
ARA board members serve threeyear terms and meet throughout the year to tackle alumni questions and ideas. Members have an insider’s view of some of the most exciting developments at Rice. The ARA Board is looking for applicants from all backgrounds and geographic locations. To learn more and apply, please visit alumni.rice.edu/board-applications. Applications are due Oct. 27.
PRESIDENT David Mansouri ’07, Nashville, Tenn. PRESIDENT-ELECT David Leal ’03, Sugar Land, Texas PAST PRESIDENT Tania Min ’90, Venice, Calif. ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR James Hurley BOARD MEMBERS THROUGH 6-30-25 Beverly Bian ’04, San Francisco, Calif. Jessica DeLorenzo ’07, Jasper, Ind. Bryan Domning ’75, Houston, Texas Amy Good ’98, ’06, Houston, Texas Ricky Mercado ’10, Houston, Texas Alayne Potter ’11, Washington, D.C. Selim Sheikh ’11, Sandy, Utah BOARD MEMBERS THROUGH 6-30-26 Theodore Adams ’86, Kingstowne, Va. Rushi Bhalani ’19, Houston, Texas Carlos Linares-Garcia ’00, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León Jamila Mensah ’00, Houston, Texas BOARD MEMBERS THROUGH 6-30-27 Sacha Abinader ’05, Houston, Texas Paula Desel ’81, Richmond, Va. Wayne Hale ’76, Friendswood, Texas Tawfik Jarjour ’12, Sugar Land, Texas June Marshall ’00, Washington, D.C. Wanda Pan ’77, ’09, Houston, Texas John Sneider ’94, Houston, Texas ALUMNI TRUSTEES Cathryn Rodd Selman ’78, Houston, Texas (term expires 6-30-28) Vinay Pai ’88, ’91, Los Altos Hills, Calif. (term expires 6-30-27) Claudia Vassar ’99, Houston, Texas (term expires 6-30-26) Brandy Hays Morrison ’00, ’05, Fulton, Md. (term expires 6-30-25)
NEW ARRIVALS
From the Nest
We love baby Owls! Send your birth announcement and baby photo to your class recorder or owlmanac@rice.edu.
>> Mollie Copeland ’06 (Brown: BA and BS) and her husband, Alex, welcomed the arrival of their son, Jack Charles, in September 2023.
>> Jack Chi ’07 (Lovett: BA, 2008) and his wife, Ashwini, welcomed their daughter, Sierra Chi, in March.
>> Jake ’07 (Martel: BA, 2008) and Annie Patterson Neu ’07 (Lovett: BA) are pleased to announce the birth of Lydia Marie Neu on Dec. 5, 2023. Siblings Luke (8), Peter (5), Joseph (4) and Hannah Rose (2) agree their new sister was the best Christmas gift this year.
Charles Lawrence Ghoram
>> Lawrence “Cliff” Ghoram III ’10 (Sid Rich: BA) and wife Noelle welcomed their “petit prince,” Lawrence Clifton Ghoram IV, who was delivered April 3 by Dr. Damla Karsan ’92 (Baker: BA). Lawrence IV was welcomed home enthusiastically by his big sisters, Moriah (4) and Mélina (2).
>> Jessica Manriquez Richard ’12 (Wiess: BA) and husband Chad welcomed Daniel Richard, a future Owl, to the family June 30, 2023.
>> Ben Fisher ’15 (Lovett: BA) and Annie Heinrich ’15 (Lovett: BA) welcomed Arthur Yoav Fisher on Dec. 7, 2023. Ben and Annie write: “He is very cute and can’t wait to visit our beloved toaster.”
Luke, Peter, Joseph, Hannah Rose and Lydia Marie Neu
Jack
IV
Daniel Richard
Jack Charles Copeland
IN MEMORIAM
Owl Passings
Submit remembrances to owlmanac@rice.edu.
1951
Robert J. Cruikshank (AMP), Dec. 16, 2023
Neal B. Heaps , June 23, 2024
Ben J. Williams Jr. , May 2017
1944
Margaret A. Morrison Mays , April 30, 2024
Margaret P. Gay O’Connor, June 8, 2024
1946
Johnelle W. Morrow Cortner, May 26, 2024
1947
Carroll V. Kroeger (MBA), June 25, 2023
1948
Maryallen Collins Estes (MSW), April 18, 2024
Philip Getz , Dec. 25, 2023
1949
Sheldon “Buddy” H. Gerson , April 16, 2024
Mary “Mare” F. Dorrance Monteith , March 11, 2024
Herman “Joe” G. Rethmeyer, April 6, 2024
Jane King Sloane , Jan. 13, 2024
1950
Charles Carroll Camden III , Oct. 12, 2004
George “Dutch” M. Cunyus (JD), March 4, 2024
Geraldine “Jerry” L. Smith Priest , April 19, 2024
Sander W. Shapiro (JD), Feb. 10, 2024
Gwen Garnett Thomas , July 27, 2024
Virginia L. Barber
Westmoreland (MEd), June 6, 2024
1952
Charles “Chuck” W. Howe (MA; PhD), March 3, 2024
David W. Lewis (MS; PhD), Feb. 1, 2024
Clarence E. Musslewhite Jr. (DDS), Jan. 9, 2024
John E. Trevathan , March 24, 2024
1953
Robert W. Kirkham , Jan. 2, 2024
Ann J. Sheppard Park , June 11, 2024
Floyd “Tim” Pease (MS), May 19, 2024
Gail Lewis Schindler (EdD), May 1, 2020
1954
Letty A. Castille Haest , June 15, 2024
Carolyn J. Aubert Perry
Jane Studdert Rushing , Jan. 28, 2024
Rudolph C. Savoie Jr. , Jan. 14, 2024
Terry T. Smith , Feb. 15, 2024
Richard D. Steed , May 19, 2024
Joseph T. Watt Jr. (MEE; PhD), Jan. 23, 2024
Haltom Wray (MA; MPhil), July 15, 2022
1955
Ura “Buddy” L. Edwards , May 9, 2024
Nancy Moore Eubank , Feb. 16, 2024
John E. Joiner, Jan. 8, 2024
Dr. Herman Lapin , March 30, 2024
Robert P. Larkins (MS; PhD), June 24, 2024
Barbara Alfie Minui (MSW), May 28, 2024
Gordon Rankin , April 25, 2024
Masahiro Yorizane (MS), April 1, 2024
1956
Jacquelin Collins (MA; JD; PhD), March 26, 2024
Owen “Ronie” Flinn , April 4, 2024
Dr. Robert F. Karnei Jr. , Feb. 29, 2024
Harold E. Lawrence , April 14, 2024
Edward G. Lidiak (MA; PhD), May 25, 2024
Glenn Leonard Tollerene , March 16, 2023
Jack C. Verheyden (PhD), June 3, 2024
1957
Jim H. Foerster, March 3, 2024
Roy Hofheinz Jr. (MA; PhD), Nov. 3, 2023
Karen Riley Olson , April 15, 2024
Dr. Rudolph F. Weichert III (PhD), June 1, 2024
Mary Wheeler Zelle , May 28, 2024
1958
Carolyn Satterwhite Brewer, February 2024
Thomas C. Cady (LLM), Nov. 20, 2023
Dr. Scott E. Dietert (MPH), April 10, 2024
Ellis C. McCullough (JD), March 22, 2024
Patricia “Patsy” A. Spratling Muller, Jan. 19, 2024
Frank B. Ryan (MA; PhD), Jan. 1, 2024
Bobbie C. Whitson Sanders , Feb. 6, 2024
Dr. Frank E. Tuxworth III , Feb. 27, 2024
Phyllis Phair Walton (MDiv), Dec. 14, 2023
1959
Dr. Duane N. Andrews , June 8, 2024
Norman H. Chaffee (MS), May 24, 2024
Evelyn Scott Contois (MA), Jan. 24, 2024
Helen Bloxsom Davis , March 14, 2024
George M. Dawson (MBA), July 31, 2023
Frank L. Dent (MA; EdD), Dec. 14, 2023
Patricia A. Longley Erisman , Feb. 7, 2024
Les E. Greenberg , May 3, 2024
Eleanor C. Kelling
Hildebrandt , March 25, 2024
Louis Macey, Feb. 24, 2024
Robert B. Morin (PhD), Jan. 17, 2023
Sam B. Ricks II (MBA), Jan. 29, 2024
Conrad K. Sterrett (MBA), Dec. 3, 2023
1960
Donald G. Blair (MS) (Wiess), Feb. 14, 2024
Wyatt W. Givens (MA; PhD), May 13, 2024
Vernon C. Hogden (Baker), Feb. 27, 2024
Anthony Reso (MA; PhD) (Will Rice), Nov. 28, 2022
Gary A. Shaner (MBA) (Hanszen), Jan. 31, 2024
Dr. Frank Van Orden (Will Rice), May 31, 2024
1961
M. Edward Bailey (Will Rice), Feb. 18, 2024
Robert W. Dabbs (MS) (Wiess), April 19, 2024
Suzanne Gaston Eskin (MA; PhD) (Jones), March 27, 2024
William V. Underhill (MA; PhD) (Wiess), May 12, 2024
Leighton F. Young Jr. (Lovett), June 3, 2024
1962
Paul W. Buchschacher (Will Rice), Jan. 7, 2024
Linda A. Day (MA) (Jones), June 6, 2024
John “Dave” Edwards (Hanszen), May 14, 2024
Mary M. Litzmann Edwards (MLS) (Jones)
Paul D. Fahrenthold (MS; PhD), Feb. 4, 2024
Garnett D. Brown Grevelle (Jones), May 10, 2024
John H. Hurlburt (Baker), Jan. 2, 2024
1963
Dr. Douglas W. Alvord (Will Rice), April 17, 2024
Susan E. Vogt Hecht (Jones), Feb. 27, 2024
Gene E. Raesz (Baker), April 1, 2024
Ralph Weaver (MBA) (Will Rice), Jan. 27, 2024
1964
Craig M. Brandt (MA; MGA; PhD) (Will Rice), 2024
Patricia P. McNamara Daly (Jones), June 11, 2024
Dr. Jerry A. Hanson (Hanszen), Dec. 8, 2023
1965
Barbara Beasley Andrews (Jones), April 2024
Cary W. Cooper (PhD), April 8, 2024
John L. Foster (JD) (Wiess), Dec. 15, 2023
Karl J. Karnaky Jr. (MA; PhD) (Hanszen), Feb. 29, 2024
Jim L. Rice (Hanszen), March 18, 2023
Barry J. Rodrigue (Baker), May 25, 2024
Norman D. Stockwell (MA; PhD), March 5, 2024
1966
Karen Jones Dattola (Jones), Jan. 23, 2024
Carol Stephens Long (Jones), March 17, 2024
Donald J. Schaezler (PhD) (Will Rice), March 16, 2024
1967
Robert P. Thompson (PhD) (Will Rice), June 3, 2024
1968
Judith A. Malo Lloyd (Jones), Nov. 8, 2023
Judith A. Merrill (JD) (Jones), March 10, 2024
Steven Eric Sorenson (Wiess), Jan. 30, 2024
1969
William N. Blanton III (JD) (Wiess), March 12, 2024
Jordan J. Meredith (MBA) (Will Rice), April 3, 2024
Wilson G. Weed (MLS; MBA; MS), Feb. 28, 2024
2018
Revati Sudam Mandage (MS; PhD), March 25, 2024
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Frank B. Ryan ’58 (MA; PhD), Jan. 1, 2024
FACULTY
Helen L. Eaker, Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication, Jan. 11, 2024
Charles E. Geyer, professor of trumpet, June 11, 2024
Frank B. Ryan ’58 (MA; PhD), professor of computational and applied mathematics, Jan. 1, 2024
Ronald L. Sass (PhD), Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Jan. 9, 2024
Calvin “Herb” Ward (MPH; MS; PhD), Foyt Family Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Emeritus and emeritus professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, Dec. 28, 2023
STAFF
George W. S. Abbey Sr. , Baker Institute for Public Policy, March 24, 2024
Dwight R. Dear, Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Feb. 24, 2024
Mary S. Dix , School of Humanities, March 22, 2024
Walter S. Dow, Rice University Police Department, June 5, 2024
James B. Higginbotham , Campus Business Office, Nov. 19, 2023
Ericka S. Lawton , Office of STEM Engagement, Oct. 11, 2023
Patricia Summerlin Martin ’77 (MA; PhD), Office of the Dean of Undergraduates, April 23, 2024
Linda C. Rassinier, Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Dec. 20, 2023
Frank B. Ryan ’58 (MA; PhD), Office of External Affairs, Jan. 1, 2024
A Note of Apology
We are very sorry to have listed Dr. Steven R. Alexander ’67 in “In Memoriam” in the spring 2024 issue of Owlmanac. Our records noted the obituary of a different Dr. Steven R. Alexander who passed away on the referenced date and was not affiliated with Rice. While we have apologized privately to the family, we wanted to note the error and apologize for our mistake to the friends, classmates and family of Dr. Alexander ’67.
Happy Owlidays!
To jump-start your holidays, we’re bringing gift ideas to you.
HOLIDAY SEASON IS fast approaching, and we’re excited to share some ideas from several Rice alumniowned businesses. There’s something for family, friends and, of course, your four-legged companions. This first-ever gift guide features items that are unique, challenging, celebratory, supportive and educational. —
TRACEY RHOADES
is a Houston-based com pany providing a variety of high-quality Texas wines. Every bottle sold benefits a local charity, including the Houston Food Bank, the Memorial Park Conservancy, and the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Owned and operated by Jennifer Richards Rossi ’14, the Cause offers wines for pickup, delivery and shipping, as well as e-gift cards. See causeurbanwinery.com
Visit the Community Market during Alumni Weekend, Nov. 2, Anderson-Clarke Center Lawn. More information at alumni.rice.edu/alumni-weekend
2. For the cooks on your holiday list, Well Done Cooking Classes — owned by Darrell Morris ’18 and his wife, Michelle, an executive chef — offers over 80 classes, from mastering soufflés and crêpes to Saturday afternoon classes for kids. Gift certificates and annual memberships are available. To see the robust class schedule, visit welldonecc.com
3. Inspired by Gracie, a tail-wagging furry friend, Three Dog Bakery has been making wholesome, tasty dog treats since 1989. Co-owner Carin Giga ’10 and her business partner create fresh, imaginative and handcrafted treats. Their locations in Rice Village and the Heights are family friendly and feature an assortment of pet accessories. To see all that is available, including the next “yappy hour,” go to threedogbakeryhtx.com
4. Want to support active duty military members, veterans and first responders? The nonprofit organization Hives for Heroes, led by founder Steve Jimenez ’22, is dedicated to sustainability and conservation while providing an environment for veterans
and first responders to explore beekeeping as a therapeutic and community-building experience. An array of Hives for Heroes products from tumblers to clothing to raw American honey help support the Houston-based operations and organization opportunities across the U.S. Check out hivesforheroes.org
5. Looking for something unique? Artifact Puzzles, artisanal wooden jigsaw puzzles, will charm and challenge anyone on your list. Founded by Maya Gupta ’97 in 2009, the company offers over 500 artist-designed puzzles with themes ranging from Monet to monsters. Shipping and gift certificates are available. To see the impressive collection, visit artifactpuzzles.com.
From Bench to Bedside: Accelerating Research for Patient Care
Martha Fowler, a bioengineering doctoral student, is part of the first cohort of Biotech Launch Pad Fellows — a group of entrepreneurialminded scientists who are working to solve intractable problems in health care and get those solutions to market within five years.
Martha and her team are building on pioneering work in lymphatic regeneration to treat lymphedema, a painful condition that occurs when lymph nodes are removed, disrupting the body’s ability to remove fluid and waste. She has created a cell therapy platform, placed just under the skin, that promotes growth and directs lymphatic vessels toward healthy lymph nodes.
Scan the QR code to read more about the Rice Biotech Launch Pad Fellows.
The Biotech Launch Pad Fellows are working to address urgent health care challenges, focusing on unmet needs and solutions that will improve quality of life. To learn more about supporting these dynamic scientists, contact Sara L. Rice, executive director of development, at sdl@rice.edu or 713-348-3189.
Pictured above from left to right: Shalini Pandey, Alvaro Moreno Lozano, Julian Krause and Martha Fowler. Photos by Jeff Fitlow.
Rice University, Creative Services–MS 95
P.O. Box 1892 , Houston, TX 77251-1892
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Permit #7549
Houston, Texas
Tent Series: Lorena Molina and Sindhu Thirumalaisamy
The fifth round of commissions for the Moody Center’s Tent Series features the work of visual artist Lorena Molina and artist and filmmaker Sindhu Thirumalaisamy. Molina’s “La Tierra Recuerda” (The Land Remembers) is a depiction of lava fields in El Playon, where death squads in El Salvador disposed of bodies during the 1979–1992 civil war. Molina honors those who died by encouraging viewers to reflect on traumatic events and how those events affect generations and the land we inhabit. Thirumalaisamy’s video “provision” references tarps and other culturally significant materials with fleeting glimpses of the human body, continuing Thirumalaisamy’s investigation into implied narrative structures, untold stories and the passage of time. Filmed at Rice, the HD video includes students and staff and is on view from sunset to sunrise. Launched in 2020, the Tent Series invites Houston-based or connected artists to install temporary pieces on four provisional campus facilities. The current artworks will run from August 2024 through July 2025 on the south side of campus on Loop Road across from Herring Hall. — TRACEY RHOADES
