WINTER 2020
River Stewards
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE
of Maryland
W IN T ER 2 0 2 0 , VOL. X L I, NO . 1
www.smcm.edu/mulberrytree Editor Lee Capristo Design Jensen Design Photographer Bill Wood Editorial Board Karen Anderson, Michael Bruckler, Lee Capristo, Molly McKee-Seabrook ’10, Gus Mohlhenrich, Karen Raley ’94, Kelly Schroeder Publisher Office of Institutional Advancement St. Mary’s College of Maryland 47645 College Drive St. Mary’s City, Maryland 20686
The Mulberry Tree is published by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Maryland’s public honors college for the liberal arts and sciences. It is produced for alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, the local community, and friends of the College. The magazine is named for the famous mulberry tree under which the Calvert colonists signed a treaty of friendship with the Yaocomico people and on the trunk of which public notices were posted in the mid-1600s. The tree endured long into the 19th century and was once a popular meeting spot for St. Mary’s College students. The illustration of the mulberry tree on the cover was drawn in 1972 by Earl Hofmann, artist-in-residence when St. Mary’s College President Renwick Jackson launched the magazine. Copyright 2020 The opinions expressed in The Mulberry Tree are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the College. The editor reserves the right to select and edit all material. Manuscripts and letters to the editor are encouraged and may be addressed to Editor, The Mulberry Tree, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 47645 College Drive, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686. Photographs and illustrations may not be reproduced without the express written consent of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
TX_C9915348D7C7
REFORESTED IN UNITED STATES
St. Mary’s College of Maryland has offset 7720 pounds of paper used for the production of this issue by planting 92 trees in the U.S. Please visit www.printreleaf.com to learn more.
CONTENTS WINTER 2020
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND July 2019 — June 2020
F E AT U R E S
ALUMNI COUNCIL
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PA G E 8
Executive Board Allan Wagaman ’06, President Alice Arcieri Bonner ’03, Exec.Vice President Bobby Rudd ’13, Vice Pres. of Operations Angie Harvey ’83, Secretary Thomas Brewer ’05, Parliamentarian Geoff Cuneo ’10, Treasurer Kate Fritz ‘04, Vice Pres. of Chapter Activities
Chair Arthur “Lex” Birney Jr.
Elected Voting Members John Ahearn ’76 Jack Blum ’07 Kelsey Bush ’94 Hans Lemke ’93 Molly McKee-Seabrook ’10 Ryan McQuighan ’05 Lauren Payne ’09 Amir Reda ’11 Kevin Roth ’93 Paul Schultheis ’98 Sara Kidd Shanklin ’11 Michele Shipley ’92 Edward Sirianno ’82
Trustees Carlos Alcazar Anirban Basu John Bell ’95 Peter Bruns Donny Bryan ’73 Paula Collins Peg Duchesne ’77 Judith Fillius ’79 Elizabeth Graves ’95 Gail Harmon, Esq. The Honorable Sven Holmes The Honorable Steny Hoyer Capt. Glen Ives, usn Retired William Seale Danielle Troyan ’92 Raymond Wernecke
Chapter Presidents Annapolis: Erin O’Connell ’91 Baltimore: Marie Snyder ’10 Black Alumni: Nick Abrams ’99 Boston: TBD D.C. Metro: Rosa Trembour ’11 Denver: Annalisa Ambrose ’85 New York: John Haltiwanger ’10 Philadelphia: TBD San Francisco: Megan Brown Vilson ’07 Southern Maryland: Cathy Hernandez Ray ’77 TFMS Alumni: Tammy Swanson ’93 Western Maryland: Kristi Jacobs Woods ’97
From 1999 through 2008, hundreds of students worked with Bob Paul and Chris Tanner on the St. Mary’s River Project, a research effort to document the health of the St. Mary’s River watershed.
Vice Chair Susan Dyer Treasurer John Chambers Wobensmith ’93 Secretary Lawrence “Larry” E. Leak ’76
[ PA G E 8 ] PA G E 1 4
Poised for Success Molly Mahoney Matthews created Job-IQ to help job seekers with career and networking skills. Now it’s been customized to connect current students with working alumni professionals. DAN MATTHEWS
Student Member Halle Fogle ’20
River Stewards
PA G E 1 6
[ PA G E 1 4 ]
Seahawks for Social Change
Allan Wagaman ’06, Alumni Council President Jasmine Long ’21, Student Trustee Mike Dougherty, hsmc
Students enact social change and give back to the community through their club and extra-curricular activities.
PRESIDENT
DEPAR T MEN T S
Tuajuanda C. Jordan, PhD
2
President’s Letter
3
College News
20 Alumni Connection 28 From the Archives [ PA G E 1 6 ]
O P P O S I T E : The
view from Townhouse Crescents toward Daugherty-Palmer Commons. photo from the college collection.
on the cover:
Lined seahorse in eelgrass (Smith Island, 2019) by Jay Fleming ’09. Lined seahorses are found in the St. Mary’s River and eelgrass is a SAV species that was once common there. One of the goals of the St. Mary’s River Project was to restore eelgrass to the St. Mary’s River, documented as documented in two published articles in Restoration Ecology 18 (2010).
St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2020 | 1
A
L ET T E R
T
F ROM
T HE
PR E SIDE N T
he fall semester opened with the dedication of the new Jamie L. Roberts Stadium on a bright, sunny September 7th – the first of many autumnal highlights for The National Public Honors College.
Most meaningful achievements come as a result of hard work and such was the case for those momentum-building events that shaped our fall semester. The teamwork by the Offices of Admission and Integrated Marketing, guided by the expertise of Ed Sirianno ’82 and the talented team at Creative Communication Associates, yielded record Open House attendance and record applications for the upcoming Class of 2024. Institutional Advancement, led by its Alumni Relations staff, hosted nearly 1,400 parents and families at Hawktoberfest and their flawless execution on Giving Tuesday enabled St. Mary’s College to break all previous fundraising records for that day with over 2,000 donors and more than $375,000 in gifts supporting St. Mary’s College of Maryland. As we continue to develop and implement strategies to ensure that the College provides a relevant and excellent educational experience, our faculty and staff recommended new academic and co-curricular programs that strengthen our foundation, align to our LEAD curriculum - including enhanced preparation for professional careers and future job markets – and elevate the quality of the student’s lived experience. We eagerly await construction on two campus projects: “A Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland” (to be completed this year) and the new academic building and auditorium complex (to be completed in 2022). And we look forward to a new level of athletics when we begin Division III varsity competition in the North Eastern Athletic Conference in the academic year 2021-22. Thank you for your steadfast support of all we are trying to do. Many have heard me say, “I like to drive fast cars, fast.” With our accelerator pushed firmly toward the floor during the fall semester, why let up now? There is much ground to cover in the New Year. Buckle up and let’s enjoy the ride.
Tuajuanda C. Jordan, PhD President, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Editor’s Note
I
n the book “Papa Goose,”
Michael Quetting recounts his experience of raising seven greylag geese. A laboratory manager at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany, Quetting’s assignment is to get the geese accustomed to flying with data loggers harnessed to their backs, so that scientists can gather meteorological data about wind and weather formations and their impact to birds in flight. The charm of the book is in the telling of everyday adventures as Quetting parents the seven baby geese. But the most meaningful part of the story is how the geese help Quetting to understand himself and his own life. As a human goose parent, Quetting worries about how he will teach his baby geese to swim and to fly. At two days old, when the geese waddle to a nearby lake, jump in and start swimming, he is amazed that they “just know” how to do it. His human self comes to understand that his role as papa goose is to nurture and to guide the innate abilities that the geese possess. Couldn’t the same be said for our role as educators at St. Mary’s College? Our faculty nurture and guide the innate abilities that students bring with them to college. Though humans don’t “just know” how to swim as a goose does, humans do know that their lives need purpose and seek to find it through education and experience. As educators, we play a role in shaping (and get a front-row seat to witness) the amazing things that students do while here. Once graduated, their connections to faculty who guided them on their way to fulfilling work and lives, are often renewed and remembered, as Bob Paul and Chris Tanner share on pages 8-13. “Weeweeweewee,” I say to the students and alumni whose purposeful work is featured in this issue. (Read “Papa Goose” if you want to know more.)
Lee Capristo, editor P.S. The Mulberry Tree will be published online only for the spring 2020 issue at www.smcm. edu/mulberrytree. 2 | St. Mary’s College | T H E M U LBERRY TREE | winter 2020
COLLEGE
NEWS
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY NEWS
APPLAUSE! St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the National Public Honors College, was recently acknowledged in the 2020 edition of the “Fiske Guide to Colleges.” According to the guide, “students leave with a solid grounding in the liberal arts—and the close bonds that they forge with friends during peaceful days on the St. Mary’s River. For those looking to be part of an intellectual community in a small-town setting, St. Mary’s just might be a place to set sail.” St. Mary’s College is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review. SMCM also earned a coveted spot on The Princeton Review’s “Top 50 Green Colleges” ranking list in the guide, coming in at #5 on the list.
been selected by CollegeRaptor. com for inclusion in the Hidden Gems in the Northeast listing, recognizing St Mary’s College as one of the best colleges in the country, based on a combination of factors.
LendEDU has ranked St. Mary’s College of Maryland #1 in lowest average student loan debt among public institutions in the state of Maryland (class of 2018) for the second year in a row. St. Mary’s College of Maryland has risen to the rank of fifth best public liberal arts college in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s “2020 Best Colleges.” The College also ranks 92 on the national liberal arts colleges list, public and private (compared to 95 last year), 103 in best value schools, and 179 in top performers on social mobility, a ranking based on the college enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.
For the second year in a row, St. Mary’s College of Maryland has
College to Leave CAC, Join NEAC SMCM will leave the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) and join the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), beginning in the 2021-22 academic year. Founded in 2004, The NEAC is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Member institutions, comprised of public and private institutions, are located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Joining the NEAC will allow St. Mary’s College studentathletes to continue to compete for conference championships and automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament, while expanding the geographic footprint of the St. Mary’s College athletics’ program into new areas. The Seahawks will compete in 15 of the NEAC’s 18 sports.
Jamie L. Roberts Stadium Dedication (L to R): St. Mary’s College Board of Trustees Chair Arthur “Lex” Birney, Maryland State Senator Jack Bailey, St. Mary’s College President Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Bob Roberts, Will Roberts, Julia Roberts, Eveline Roberts, St. Mary’s College Director of Athletics & Recreation Scott Devine
Newly Dedicated Jamie L. Roberts Stadium is a Game Changer The Jamie L. Roberts Stadium, located across Mattapany Road from the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center, was officially opened at the dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 7. Watch the dedication video at www.smcm. edu/stadium. The 7,400-square-foot lighted facility consists of a grass athletic field, an artificial turf field surrounded by a running track, stands for 800 spectators per field, and a two-story stadium building including press box, restrooms and concessions. The fields are used by St. Mary’s College’s soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse teams, as well as to host community events such as youth league and high school practices,
clinics, games, and tournaments. The $12.3 million stadium project is a result of private funding and $75 million secured from the state of Maryland for the entire project that also encompasses a new academic building with a state-of-the-art auditorium. The construction of the academic building and auditorium is expected to begin winter 2020 and to open fall 2022.
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CO LLEG E
NEW S
Monks Construct Sand Mandala Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery constructed a Mandala Sand Painting over three days in October in Daugherty-Palmer Commons. This is the second time Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery have constructed a Mandala Sand Painting on the St. Mary’s College campus.
Happenstance Theater Presents “Cabaret Macabre” The Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland hosted Happenstance Theater for two performances in November. Happenstance Theater Company is a six-member, Rockville, Maryland-based performance troupe steeped in the traditions of Italian commedia dell’arte.
AADS Symposium Connects to Study Tour
College Awarded $120K NSF Grant
The African and African Diaspora Studies program at St. Mary’s College of Maryland hosted its second annual fall symposium, “From Invisibility to Remembrance: Commemorating Slavery at St. Mary’s and Beyond,” on October 2. Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies, delivered the keynote address. St. Mary’s College President Tuajuanda C. Jordan made the introduction. In the Boyden Gallery in Montgomery Hall, the exhibition “Environmental Justice as a Civil Right: A Selection of works from the National Pavilion of Antigua and Barbuda, 16th Venice Architecture Biennale” was the setting for a roundtable discussion featuring students and faculty who participated in the 2019 study tours to Antigua, Barbuda and St. Croix (featured in Mulberry Tree, spring 2019).
St. Mary’s College of Maryland was awarded its first National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program grant using lead investigator Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Shanen Sherrer’s expertise on circular dichroism spectroscopy. Geoffrey M. Bowers, assistant professor of chemistry; Randolph K. Larsen, professor of chemistry; Jessica L. Malisch, assistant professor of physiology; and Pamela S. Mertz, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are co-PIs, with assistance from Laboratory Coordinator Doug Hovland as senior staff and collaboration with Lindsay Jamieson, associate professor of computer science, on this project.
Jason Rezaian Delivers Bradlee Lecture Former U.S. correspondent Jason Rezaian delivered the Benjamin C. Bradlee Distinguished Lecture in Journalism on the topic of his book, “Prisoner” (Anthony Bourdain Books, 2019) to a packed Auerbach Auditorium on October 23. Rezaian’s book tells of the time he and his wife were detained in their Iranian home and went on to spend 544 days in Tehran’s Evin prison. The lecture was hosted by the Center for the Study of Democracy.
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NASA Historians Speak at St. Mary’s College On September 17, NASA Chief Historian William Barry and NASA Preservation Officer Rebecca Klein visited St. Mary’s College of Maryland to describe nationally significant history. Barry shared “Some Things You Probably Don’t Know about NASA History,” and Klein described managing history in “Then and Now; Then in Now: A Tale of Two Preservation Approaches.” Barry’s and Klein’s presentations were part of the annual Museum Studies Week with a focus this year on NASA in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon Landing. Did you know? The fourth person to walk on the moon, Alan Bean, took art classes at St. Mary’s College while he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River along with other future astronauts. Beginning October 28, the College provides a 24-hour counseling helpline for all St. Mary’s College of Maryland students. Counselors who staff the hotline help manage a crisis situation by providing information, referral, support, and crisis assessment and intervention for St. Mary’s College students.
St. Mary’s College Receives Chesapeake Cultural Studies Grant St. Mary’s College of Maryland has been awarded a $24,000 Chesapeake Material Cultural Studies Grant from The Conservation Fund. The grant will advance the College’s work using archaeological artifacts to examine how Native American groups in the Chesapeake’s major river drainages responded to the region’s occupation by European settlers. SMCM Professor of Anthropology Julia A. King and Project Archaeologist/ GIS Specialist Scott M. Strickland will compare artifact collections from 17th- and 18th-century Native sites in Maryland and Virginia to document post-Contact Indian lifeways and experiences. King and Strickland will be assisted by consultants from the Piscataway and Rappahannock tribes and a Native archaeologist.
PRESIDENT’S NEWS
President Jordan Receives CEO’s Excellence Award at Inaugural PGCPS Hall of Fame Gala St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan received the 2019 CEO’s Excellence Award and was inducted into the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Hall of Fame on October 18 at the inaugural Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS’ Alumni Hall of Fame Gala. Jordan graduated from Suitland High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, before going on to pursue a B.S. in chemistry from Fisk University and a PhD in biochemistry from Purdue University.
Aleshea Harris Performs “We Do Not Beg the Rope” The Office of the President presented Aleshea Harris in the event, “We Do Not Beg the Rope: Poems and Music by Aleshea Harris,” on November 5.
FAC U LT Y, S TA F F & S T U DE N T N E W S St. Mary’s College students, faculty, and alumni presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Logan Best ’20 and Lillian Folts ’20 presented directed research, “Long-term Behavioral Effects of Nicotine and Ethanol Exposure in Aged Rodents” conducted under the mentorship of Gina Fernandez, assistant professor of psychology. Alumnae Brooke Steinhoff ’19 and Katie Robey ’19 presented their joint St. Mary’s Project “Antidepressant Efficacy of L-655,708 Following Infusions into the Medial Prefrontal Cortex” conducted under the mentorship of Aileen Marie Bailey, professor of psychology. Torry Dennis, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience, and Victoria Chang ’20 were also in attendance.
The fall sailing season was eventful for Leo Boucher ‘22. He successfully defended his 2018 title as Middle-Atlantic Men’s Singlehanded Champion by winning the Carl Van Duyne Trophy in September at the United States Naval Academy. In November, he took first place and was named national champion at the Laser Performance Men’s Singlehanded Nationals hosted by UC Santa Barbara. He was then named the November Student-Athlete of the Month by the SMCM athletic department.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Geoffrey Bowers is the lead author on an article published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C. Randy Larsen ’19 is co-authored on the paper “Influence of Smectite Structure and Hydration on Supercritical Methane Binding and Dynamics in Smectite Pores.” Michael Cain, professor of political science, has been working USAID’s Power Africa program in Uganda. Power Africa is a U.S. government-led partnership coordinated by USAID. Cain is a senior adviser to the Uganda project, working on activities to improve on-grid and off-grid electrification efforts including building capacity of solar associations; providing technical direction for on-grid tasks with distribution companies; assisting the Power Africa grant evaluations to small energy companies. This spring, he teaches a related class on energy and international development.
Professor of English Ben Click gave the keynote address titled “Teachers: Our Best Hope at Raising Literacy Rates” for the Conference on Literacy sponsored by the St. Mary’s County Public School System in August. In October, he organized the Quarry Farm Symposium to coincide with The Mark Twain Annual’s first-ever special issue. Click is currently the editor
of The Mark Twain Annual, a position he holds for four years. He also gave an invited lecture, “Mark in Maryland: Twain’s Advice on Cigars, Whiskey and Swearing,” at the fall meeting of the St. Mary’s County Historical Society. Andrew Cognard-Black, assistant professor of sociology, published an edited book collection titled “The Demonstrable Value of Honors Education: New Research Evidence” (NCHC, 2019) and was lead author of the article “Creating A Profile of An Honors Student: A Comparison of Honors and Non-Honors Students at Public Research Universities in the United States” in the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Trevor L. Dunn, assistant professor of psychology, was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. His article was titled “Predictors of Sexual Minority Men’s Sexual Objectification of Other Men.” Assistant Professor of History Jeffrey Eden’s book “Slavery and Empire in Central Asia” (Cambridge University Press, 2018), has been shortlisted for the CESS Book Award. He also had a new article published in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. The article, “Did Ibn Saud’s Militants Cause 400,000 Casualties? Myths and Evidence about the Wahhabi Conquests, 1902–1925,” proposes that the claim that Ibn Saud’s militants killed or wounded between 400,000 and 800,000 people during the Wahhabi conquest of the Arabian Peninsula between 1902 and 1925 is wildly exaggerated.
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C OLLE G E
NEW S
Associate Professor of Biology Kevin Emerson, along with his colleagues at SUNY Albany and Universidade de São Paulo, have recently been published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. David Froom, professor of music, has been published. His “Variations on an Early American Hymn Tune” for solo piano and “Warm are the still and lucky miles” for chorus were published by the American Composers Edition. In November, his “Ribbons” for solo flute was performed in Kyiv, Ukraine, by the Sed Contra Ensemble. Froom attended the Boston, Massachusetts, premiere performance of his “Petali di Gelsomino” for flute and string orchestra by the Brattle Street Chamber Players. Liza Gijanto, associate professor of anthropology, was recently named the English editor for the Society for Africanist Archaeology bulletin, Nyame Akuma. Michael Glaser, professor emeritus of English, was the winner of Bright Hill Press annual chapbook competition with his collection of poems in “The Threshold of Light” (Bright Hill Press, 2019). A professor at St. Mary’s College for nearly 40 years, Glaser co-founded and directed the VOICES Reading Series and received the Homer Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching. He served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2004-2009 and has published more than 500 poems.
regional long-term aerial mapping program has generated important insights into the ecology and management of submersed aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay. David Hautanen Jr., vice president for enrollment management at St. Mary’s College, presented and facilitated a discussion on the future of enrollment management leadership at the Maryland Higher Education Roundtable meeting in September. Conrad Helms, assistant librarian, has published a journal article, “Eliminating overdue fines for undergraduates: A six-year review,” in the Journal of Access Services. Amy Henderson, associate professor of economics and Emek Köse, associate professor of mathematics, published a chapter in a volume titled “Mathematics for Social Justice: Resources for the College Classroom.” Charles J. Holden, professor of history at St. Mary’s College, Zach Messitte, president of Ripon College, and Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University released their new book, “Republican Populist: Spiro Agnew and the Origins of Donald Trump’s America.” A book discussion and sale/signing for Holden and Messitte was held on campus in October.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Cassie Gurbisz co-authored an article published in a special issue of the scientific journal, Estuaries and Coasts. The article discusses how a
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Kristina Howansky, assistant professor of psychology, was recently published in the journal, Social Psychological and Personality Science. In September, Angela Johnson, professor of educational studies and the G. Thomas and Martha Myers Yeager Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts, presented “‘I Can’t Really Think of Anything I Don’t Like:’ Locating and Learning from Universities Where Women of Color are Thriving in Physics.” The lecture, held on campus, was her first as the endowed chair. The work of Sue Johnson, professor of art, was selected for the exhibition, “Contested Spaces: Harnett Biennial of American Prints” at the Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums, Richmond, Virginia. The exhibition ran from October to December, 2019.
Pictured: Sue Johnson, “Visible Woman” from Hall of Portraits from The History of Machines, 2019, monoprint over original collage printed on canvas
Professor of Religious Studies Katharina von Kellenbach gave the 2019 Krister Stendahl Memorial Lecture on October 31 in Stockholm, Sweden. The lecture’s title was “Guilt as a Productive Force in the Transformation of Jewish-Christian Relations.” She was editor of the fall issue of the quarterly academic journal CrossCurrents (Vol. 69, Issue 3). Von Kellenbach is the 2019-2020 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations at Boston College’s Center for Christian-Jewish Learning. Cam Kelley ’20 has written a series of twelve narrative poems which have been published in UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Adjunct Professor of Anthropology Steve Lenik published a chapter “Kalinagos and Catholics in Dominica before 1763: Archaeology and History of Caribbean Frontiers” in the book “Historical Archaeologies of the Caribbean: Contextualizing Sites through Colonialism, Capitalism, and Globalism” edited by Todd Ahlman and Gerald Schroedl. Assistant Professor of History Sarah Malena has been selected as the Regional Scholar for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society of Biblical Literature for this academic year. Adam Malisch, research administrator in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, earned his professional accreditation
in December. Only 38% of U.S. research administrators have such a professional accreditation, Certified Research Administrator. Jessica L. Malisch, assistant professor of physiology, and her alumnae mentees Lauren Hall ’19, Livia Shuller ’19, and Melanie Kimball ’19, were featured in the article “The Art of Mentoring” in the September-October newsletter of the Maryland Ornithological Society.
Barry Muchnick, assistant professor of environmental studies, has been awarded a $30,000 grant to support research, development, and implementation of new programming at the Kate Chandler Campus Community. Muchnick mentored Jacob Rosenzweig-Stein ’20 and Erin McPhillips ’20, who presented a portfolio of their award-winning student campus sustainability projects at the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association’s 36th Annual Conference in Aberdeen, Maryland, in November. That same month, McPhillips and Coleman Welles ’20 attended the ninth annual Naval Academy Science and Engineering Conference in Annapolis, Maryland. McPhillips presented a poster of her research. Both McPhillips and Welles hope to pursue careers in the environmental field.
Participating in the October meeting of the Council on Undergraduate Research Transformation Project were (L to R):
Associate Professor of Chemistry/ Biochemistry Kelly Neiles (co-lead); Assistant Professor of Psychology Torry Dennis; Assistant Professor of Psychology Gina Fernandez; Assistant Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry Daniel Chase; Assistant Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry Geoffrey Bowers; Professor of Psychology Aileen Bailey (co-lead); Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning Director Samantha Elliott; Assistant Professor of Psychology James Mantell (co-lead).
Carrie Patterson, professor of art, released a series of 24 compelling lessons on visual literacy through The Great Courses, titled “Visual Literacy Skills: How to See.” Patterson also organized “The Shaping of America: A Painter’s Perspective” art exhibition on display in September and October at AnnMarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, Mary-
land. Colleague Jennifer CognardBlack, professor of English, released her second lecture series through The Great Courses, titled “Great American Short Stories: A Guide for Writers and Readers.” Cognard-Black is a finalist for Baylor University’s Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching and for that, gave a public lecture on campus and at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She will spend the spring semester in Amsterdam as a Fulbright Scholar. Luke Quinn ’20 spent this past summer researching a way to more efficiently survey archaeology sites for magnetic anomalies through an internship with the University of Maryland Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Site in California, Maryland.
Professor of Music Jeffrey Silberschlag conducted the St. Ann Festival Orchestra in Washington, D.C., for an October performance of Joseph Jongen’s Symphonie Concertante.
Assistant Professor of Theater Amy Steiger was published in the Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal. Titled, “Moving Forward, Living Backward, or Just Standing Still?: Newspaper Theatre, Critical Race Theory, and Commemorating the Wade-Braden Trial in Louisville, Kentucky,” Steiger’s essay describes how graduate students entering an MFA acting program devised a performance inspired by the WPA’s Living Newspapers and Boal’s Newspaper Theatre to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Wade-Braden housing case in Louisville. Professor Emerita of Theater and Dance Merideth Taylor had four photographs published in the autumn quarterly issue of Burning Word Literary Journal, and her essay “Miss Mary and Merideth: Story of a Relationship” appears in the just released Volume 12 of the Delmarva Review, a literary journal of poetry and prose. Included in the volume is a review written by Lecturer of English Crystal Brandt of Taylor’s book “Listening In: Echoes and Artifacts from Maryland’s Mother County.” Visiting Professor of Sociology Kristi Tredway’s article, “Serena Williams and (the Perception of) Violence: Intersectionality, the Performance of Blackness, and Women’s Professional Tennis,” has been published in the journal, Ethnic and Racial Studies.
Professor of Music Larry Vote conducted the annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah” in front of a full house in Auerbach Auditorium on December 7. St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2020 | 7
River Stewards BY BOB PAUL AND CHRIS TANNER, PROFESSORS EMERITI
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F
or so many of us, it’s unexpected, even surprising. We are driving south on Route 5, and rugby goal posts spring up from North Field on the left. We bear slightly right around the curve, and there it is: the spectacular St. Mary’s River. We recall this experience of first seeing the river, and in many ways, it is a preamble to the College.
St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2020 | 9
RIVER STEWARDS
It was 1977 — we were freshly minted professors and aquatic biologists who were wowed by the river’s beauty — and we immediately recognized its unlimited potential as an educational resource. It didn’t take very long before we were using the river for a classroom, conducting laboratories in the salt marsh, as well as starting faculty and student research projects. Yet for all its charm and potential, the St. Mary’s River was far from pristine. The student body numbered around 1,000 and growth was prohibited by an antiquated, at capacity, sewage treatment plant. Marginally treated sewage was discharged into the river and the health risks caused the Maryland Department of Environment to close the waters around the College to oyster harvest and consumption. Fortunately, the problem was solved in the early 1980s, the sewage pumped to a more advanced plant near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Townhouses were constructed to allow for increased enrollment, and the former sewage treatment plant was converted into the Public Safety Office (now gone, but formerly between St. John’s Pond and Queen Anne Residence Hall). But even though the health risk was gone and the oysters safe to eat, no one was studying the health of the river. Initially, our research grew out of class projects, research with students, and our own interests. [Chris, an aquatic botanist, worked on seaweed ecology, restoration of salt marshes after oil spills, and on the ecology and restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Bob, a zoologist, was attracted to the freshwater streams that fed the tidal river, but was also intrigued by salt marsh periwinkles.] While we both shared a strong interest in water quality, it wasn’t until the 1990s that we got started on the St. Mary’s River Project. Aided by a prospectus [written by Chris, who volunteered as a citizen water quality monitor of the St. Mary’s River] that outlined a project that would document the health of the river, and with the help of Congressman and College Trustee Steny Hoyer, we secured major funding in 1998 from EPA’s Region III, and the St. Mary’s River Project (SMRP) was born. The funds provided for a research vessel, truck, all sorts of sophisticated, state-of-the-art sampling equipment, supplies, and a salary for a full-time project coordinator.
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Electroshocking to sample fish diversity and density in 2000. From left: Bob Paul, Becca Morris Burrell ’00, Chris Tanner and Doug Howard ’00. [2] The fall 1999 SMRP team in the newly purchased research vessel. [3] SMRPies and members of the SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) Research Team in 1999. From left: Eve Fagergren ’00, Chris Tanner, Tanya Kuck ’00, Doug Howard ’00 and Becky Anderson Ijas ’00.
[1]
We began in earnest in the summer of 1999. Our first of four wonderful and capable coordinators was Karen Wu, who eventually was succeeded by Henry Bush, Jen Abdella and Amy Drohan. This was primarily a watershed project, meaning that we were studying all the water in the St. Mary’s River drainage, including the streams and the entire tidal river down to the mouth with the Potomac River. In all, we established 25 sites that were routinely sampled for water quality parameters — like dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nutrients, salinity, and so forth. Periodically, we collected fish and other aquatic organisms. The frequency of sampling was grueling, in some cases every other week or monthly. We also participated in other monitoring projects such as the spatially and temporally intensive water quality sampling of the entire tidal Potomac River with its tidal tributaries, and a photographic survey of the entire shoreline of the tidal St. Mary’s River. But SMRP was more than just a water quality monitoring project. Other goals included supporting both student and faculty research on environmental and ecological questions related to the St. Mary’s River system, increasing public awareness of the ecological health of the river and building a sense of stewardship through education and citizen participation, and making the information available and useful for decision making at the local, state and regional levels. All of these goals and activities required a large crew. What we needed was student help, LOTS of student help. Literally, hundreds of students (“SMRPies”) participated in the project between 1999 and 2008. SMRPies were involved in all aspects of the project, but we depended on them for sampling, analyses, data entry, care of equipment including calibration, and reporting. SMRP also fostered leadership skills and promoted responsibility. Becca Morris Burrell ’00, who currently works for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, recalls: “I was fortunate to have joined St. Mary’s River Project at its inception, and, besides the invaluable hands-on learning I gained from working on that project, participating in the planning and design phases was an incredibly instrumental experience.” Kate Fritz ’04 says: “When I think back to pivotal moments in my life, I know that my work with the
“When I think back to pivotal moments in my life, I know that my work with the St. Mary’s River Project was possibly the most important … In my current role as the executive director of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, I continue to draw on my experiences and learnings from SMRP.” Kate Fritz ’04
St. Mary’s St. Mary’s College College | THE| TMHE ULBMULB ER RYERTRRYEETR| winter EE | fall 2020 2019 | 11
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SMRPies Stephanie Thompson Hall ’05, in foreground, and Michelle Hessey Oakley ’05 sampling from a tidal station on the St. Mary’s River in 2003. Photo credit: Bill O’Leary. [2] SMRPies switching water monitoring instruments from the temporally intensive water monitoring station at Piney Point in 2005. The instrument logged data for depth, temperature, salinity oxygen, pH, redox, turbidity and chlorophyll every 15 minutes. [3] Bob Paul in 2006 with Congressman Steny Hoyer and former Maryland State Delegate John Bohanan discussing the St. Mary’s River Project and the health of the river. [1]
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RIVER STEWARDS
St. Mary’s River Project was possibly the most important … those experiences have advanced my career that spans the private sector, local government, and nonprofit leadership and management. In my current role as the executive director of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, I continue to draw on my experiences and learnings from SMRP, even many years ago.” Student-initiated activities that augmented the water quality data collection included outreach to the community. Erica Pearson Grover ’99 reminded us that shortly before SMRP got started Adele Horigan Lee ’99 began an education initiative to bring the St. Mary’s River to a local school. This was picked up by SMRPies and the SMRP Ed Team independently organized, planned, and delivered after-school environmentally-focused sessions to fifth graders at several county schools. Michelle Hessey Oakley ’05, a history major and French minor, was recruited to SMRP by her TA, Kate Fritz, in her first few days at SMCM and says that SMRP “was the foundation of my community at St. Mary’s College and gave me a strong sense of purpose and belonging.” Now an elementary school science teacher living in in lower Manhattan, Michelle reports, “I still use lesson plans today that I helped develop during my time on the SMRP education team to help fourth and fifth graders understand watersheds and runoff, and how to measure the health of a river; although now I focus on data from the Hudson River.” Many students who initially participated in the SMRP followed up their experiences with a St. Mary’s Project on something related directly or indirectly to the river. Examples of research focuses include oyster recruitment and survival, SAV physiological ecology and restoration, the effects of land use on water quality and insect and fish diversity, the effects of storm events on the watershed, and developing protocols for research on coliform bacteria in the river. Jon Niles ’00 completed a SMRP related SMP and is an adjunct professor at Susquehanna University. He believes that SMRP was “one of the cornerstones of where I am today. The initial work that we did with SMRP was what led me into the aquatic ecology field. The foundation of scientific writing that St Mary’s provided and liberal arts background is what has made me success-
Bob and Chris were conferred honorary membership at the 2017 Atlantic Estuarine Research Society Meeting.
“[The St. Mary’s River Project] was the foundation of my community at St. Mary’s College and gave me a strong sense of purpose and belonging.” Michelle Hessey Oakley ’05 ful as a professor, grant writer, researcher, and mentor.” Becca Burrell also told us that “The ripple effects continue even these 19 years later, as just this month I was asked to serve on an interview panel due to my experience with Maryland Biological Stream Survey sampling methods gained during my time with SMRP!” Certainly, the SMRP experience was exceptionally useful in student’s quests for jobs. Andrew Keppel ’10 spent three years working with the SMRP field crew. He says: “SMRP, and my relationship with Bob and Chris, has gotten me every job I’ve had, from two summer jobs, to a job immediately after graduation working at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center with Becca Burrell. This job resulted in a graduate opportunity and then a job as an instructor at the US Naval Academy. Finally, I have landed at Maryland DNR, where I am working with some of the same datasets to which SMRP contributed years ago.” Luke Cole ’01 earned gradu-
ate degrees from the University of Rhode Island and the University of Virginia and is currently the associate director of resilient communities and watersheds of the Sonoran Institute in Tucson, Arizona. He says, “Without question, the inception of my academic career and professional calling was the St. Mary’s River Project. The power of this program was that students were taught and entrusted to make meticulous scientific measurements as stewards of the natural environment while building camaraderie through the shared experiences of rainy days, jellyfish stings, and the occasional sunset. I have had the privilege of applying the lessons I learned from my St. Mary’s River Project years in every facet of my career—something for which I am forever grateful.” Although the St. Mary’s River Project ended in 2008, it has had lasting effects on those who participated in SMRP, on the current students at St. Mary’s College, on the local community, and on the scientific efforts to understand and restore the Chesapeake Bay. Data from SMRP resides in the Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Database and the Maryland DNR, and has been used by students, scientists, resource managers and policy makers. The three-dimensional oyster reefs that have been and are continuing to be built along the College waterfront are another legacy of SMRP and demonstrate the cooperation between faculty, students, the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association and the community with the goal of restoring the health of the river. [Both Bob and Chris are now retired professors emeriti, but their connections to the St. Mary’s River and the environmental ethos that they helped to foster continue. Bob helped to establish the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association (www.smrwa.org) made up of local citizens who promote and help protect the health of the river. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Chris was the College’s first Steven Muller Distinguished Professor of Science from 2000 to 2003, and was the recipient of the Homer L. Dodge Award for Outstanding Service in 2007. He continues to monitor water quality conditions around the oysters reefs in front of the College. Both Chris and Bob spend as much time as possible paddling or rowing on the St. Mary’s River.]
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POISED FOR SUCCESS BY LEE CAPRISTO
How does one describe Molly Mahoney Matthews? A marketing and communications guru, a parent, a business woman, a teacher, a software developer, a novelist. All are true. It’s also true that she served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 2000-2017 (as chair from 2010-2013) and on the Foundation Board in 2018. For the past year, she has been working on the launch of Job-IQ, an online program available this spring through the College’s Career Development Center that teaches career exploration, résumé development, interview and networking skills, and includes individualized guidance by matching students with an alumni professional contact.
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Over time, Matthews Media Group came to be known for its work in connecting patients to clinical trials on behalf of physician scientists, advancing the vision of clinical research as a care option. While Matthews sold MMG in 2000, the company continues that work today.
DAN MATTHEWS
It’s just a natural part of her story when Matthews shares how she decided to start her own business (Matthews Media Group) in 1987. “I was working as director of public education at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., reporting to the president,” she says. “When the board fired him, the senior staff was offered exit packages (all men) except me. Quaking in my ‘dress-for-success’ heels, I asked for the same … and got it! That six months of salary, plus landing my first client, gave me just enough financial security to start the company.”
An admitted “serial entrepreneur,” she spent the next few years teaching career literacy at community college and writing a book, “JobIQ Stories: Find a Job, Create a Career, Build a Business” (2011). It was feedback from her community college students that planted
By the end of the nine-week program, Matthews had hired a developer. She also successfully acquired a funding grant from the Global Good Fund (GGF.) “With both Seed Spot and Global Good Fund, I was the only baby boomer, but the Gen X and millennials were so welcoming,” she says. She later co-wrote (with a millennial GGF fellow) an article about the experience of intergenerational learning for the GGF.
the seed of a mobile app to assist busy college students to prepare, persist, and succeed at finding work they love.
LEE CAPRISTO
Fast forward to 2018, when Matthews says that, based on feedback from a pilot program with SMCM students and insights from experts like Kate Shirey (director of Career Development Center), Job-IQ grew to a full online program. And because job Reilly Cook ’19 points out a feature of Job-IQ’s Professional Contacts Directory to Lauren Smith ’20. Cook and Evelyn Hernandez ’19 seekers also need a professional (foreground) are career advisers in the Career Development Center. network to bridge from education Amidst this work, she wrote and to employment, Job-IQ also published an e-book, “Six Steps to Career Re-invention 50+” (2018). includes a Professional Contacts Directory to connect students with In 2019, she published her first work of fiction, “Irish Luck, Chinese alumni and friends of the College who are working professionals. Medicine.” She describes how the novel came about: “While I was “The directory is the feature I’m most excited about because it meets writing my first book in 2011, I joined a writer’s group. Everyone an important need,” says Matthews. “Most people find jobs from else was writing fiction and, as a lark, I experimented writing a few their network. The directory makes it possible to match the amazpages of what would become the novel. I discovered that I loved ing SMCM alumni with students as they create their own personal career board of directors for advice, work opportunities, and mentor- channeling characters. Now, they won’t stop talking!” She is currently working on a sequel, “Irish Medicine” and there may be a ship.” As of press time, Kelly Schroeder, associate director of alumni relations, along with the staff of the Career Development Center, have prequel, “Chinese Luck.”
When asked if there is a common thread through her varied career of work, Matthews explains, “I don’t equate finding a treatment The directory makes Job-IQ unique to St. Mary’s College: the for a life-threatening disease with a search for meaningful work, curricular part of Job-IQ is but both are among life’s public (www.jobiq.com) and major challenges and can be anyone can log on to access the physically and emotionally job-search tips and lessons it demanding.” While I was at includes. As the spring semester MMG, we supported hunbegins, students taking Career dreds of people who joined and Network Navigation will use clinical trials that gave them Job-IQ to learn about careers, access to treatments and hope. connect with alumni professionThrough Job-IQ, we connect als through the directory, and students to a network and PREPARE. PERSIST. SUCCEED. expand their networks as part offer a bridge from education of the class. By fall, all first-year Do you want to be a Professional Connection for current students? to employment with skills for students will be introduced to Sign up to be included in the Job-IQ Professional Contact Directory for success, real world perspective, students now and in the future. Job-IQ and use it throughout motivation and support. • Flexibility and autonomy to choose the level of time commitment their college experience, as part recruited more than 200 alumni to join the directory.
of the new LEAD curriculum. Developing Job-IQ gave Matthews the chance to re-invent herself. She joined a full-time incubator program for impact driver entrepreneurs (Seed Spot).
• Options to select the number of students you wish to serve • Gratification of giving back to your alma mater • Opportunities to fill your job pipeline
And with an enthusiastic response so far from alumni who have signed up to share their professional expertise and mentor current students, JobIQ seems poised for success.
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SEAHAWKS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
During their time at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, students enjoy much more than the excellent student to faculty ratio and the unbelievable sunsets. Students at SMCM have the opportunity to give back to the community and enact social change through their own actions. There are over 100 student-organized clubs on campus, many of which provide resources to the local community. Through their work with the community, St. Mary’s College students are able to gain collaborative experiences which will prove to be valuable after graduation. For many, their time on campus is just the beginning of a life dedicated to making the world a better place, one Seahawk at a time.
BY OLIVIA SOTHORON ’22, English major and Professional Fellowship Program intern in the Office of Integrated Marketing 16 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2020
Jasmine Long ’21 became involved with the SMCM chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which takes a trip each year over spring break to Greenville, Georgia, where they spend the week building a house. Long noted, “Doing service for anybody is good for you. It makes you think about how fortunate you are … there’s always someone who has less than you.” Her first trip with Habitat for Humanity was so impactful that Long decided to change her major after she returned from Georgia. During her sophomore year, Long became a student member of the College’s Board of Trustees. “I wanted to affect change at the school,” she said of deciding to take on the job. “I want to better the school for people who look like me; I want people to come here and stay here.” She is working with clubs and student organizations that often feel overlooked to ensure that equal opportunities are provided. Long plans to take these empathetic skills with her into the job world — she wants to work to provide preventative and affordable healthcare for all.
Jasmine Long ’21 and Victoria Chang ’20 are both involved in on-campus organizations which give back to larger donations, providing aid to those beyond the reach of St. Mary’s County
Victoria Chang ’20 is always finding a new way to involve herself. “If I’m not busy, if I don’t have every inch of my day planned out, I just sit. So, it helps to keep myself going,” she explained. Helping others is her happiness, and she gains this happiness through her role in the SMCM chapter of Relay for Life, as an executive board member for rock climbing club and club coordinator of the Student Government Association. Relay for Life works to build awareness about how cancer affects people and to raise money for the National American Cancer Society. The rock climbing club allows local St. Mary’s County Public Schools students and community members to use the rock climbing wall in the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center while club members provide lessons regarding climbing safety. Chang plans to earn her PhD in neuroscience, researching how stress affects the immune system and anxiety. “It’s always been about helping people in the long term,” she explained. “I like being able to implement things and create things; part of doing a PhD would allow me to develop my own lab, conducting my own research.”
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Timon Lee ’19 was introduced to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) while a student at the College of Southern Maryland. After transferring to SMCM as a biology major, he decided to continue with his involvement with IVCF because of the opportunities it had previously provided him. IVCF, Lee explained, “Made faith accessible in a way that I had not experienced growing up.” “For me, IVCF gave me a group to go through my college experience with, especially as a commuter.” Lee has helped create a more welcoming campus community at SMCM by inviting students to “come color on the Bible.” Last year he created a worship group for the LGBTQ+ community and this year he helped start another worship group for African American students. During the 2019-20 school year, Lee has served as a part-time intern with IVCF, which is helping him in considering to pursue ministry full-time after graduation. “The original plan was to do occupational therapy,” Lee explained. “Now through IVCF, I realized I wanted to do deeper work, spiritual work. So the thing that led me to bio is now leading me to ministry.” Rather than working to heal people’s physical bodies, Lee says he will work to heal their souls.
Timon Lee ’19 and Aidan McNary-Hickey ’22 give back to the local campus community with connections built through their faith.
Aidan McNary-Hickey ’22 is involved with the SMCM club
Catholic Seahawks on campus, which “gives students a chance to work on their spiritual life.” Outside of providing students a safe place to practice their faith, Catholic Seahawks help with service projects in the local community. Recently, they provided local homeless people with food and shelter at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in St. Inigoes, Maryland. After graduation, McNary-Hickey plans on using the skills he has developed through his leadership position with Catholic Seahawks in the workforce. He stated, “Catholic Seahawks has just reinforced my faith, regardless of what I end up doing in my life.” Left to right in photo: Megan Varlotta ’22, Christian Oliverio ’22, William Bolin (adviser), Alison Johnson ’21, Aidan McNary-Hickey ’22, Ariel Graham ’21
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Troy Moss ’19 works to create an open and welcoming environment for her fellow classmates through her love of dance. Since Moss arrived at SMCM, she has been involved with the Dance Club as a dancer and choreographer. Before coming to college, Moss worked as a sailing instructor, giving lessons to those who would not normally have the opportunity to sail, such as minorities and people with disabilities. She originally planned on pursuing the Master of Arts in Teaching program, but soon came to realize she did not like the constraints of a classroom. “Dance Club lets people know you in a personal way that they do not know you from class,” Moss stated. “It gets you involved in the community in a way that you meet other students outside of class that are also interested in dance.” Through her involvement with Dance Club, Moss has used her love of dance to create a safe space for students to express themselves and promote body positivity. In her senior year at SMCM, Moss is working to complete her CORE requirements for graduation, backwards from most students who start with those. She will be spending the Spring 2020 semester abroad at James Cook University in Australia. She noted, “everything that has made my life complicated has made it more interesting.”
Troy Moss ’19 and Allison Burnett ’19 give back to the campus community at SMCM through their passion and commitment.
Allison Burnett ’19 earned her bachelor’s degree at SMCM on the GI Bill after
having served in military intelligence for the U.S. Army in Spain. Burnett currently works as the fellow for the Office of Sustainability, connecting students with local opportunities for environmentally-focused internships, and integrating closer connections with local businesses, nonprofit groups and environmental educators into the environmental studies major at SMCM. Her role as the sustainability fellow also requires that she serve as a teaching assistant in ENST 390 (the environmental studies practicum). “I want students who work with us to feel empowered, knowledgeable and motivated to become agents of change wherever they end up,” Burnett explained. “The underlying message is that you are important and your choices can make a difference,” she stated. “Even the tiniest of steps forward will eventually get you up the mountain!” Throughout the SMCM campus community, the desire to give back is prominent. Students, staff and faculty work together to make St. Mary’s College a warm and welcoming environment for all. That altruism does not stop when SMCM students walk across the stage at commencement, but rather their lives of giving to others are merely beginning. An SMCM education equips Seahawks to enter into the real world with the skills to help others and truly live out the St. Mary’s Way, no matter how far from the nest they fly. St. Mary’s College | THE M ULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2020 | 19
ALUMNI
CONNECTION CLASS NOTES 1950s Cornelia Dixon McKee ’52 was a 7-year-old living in Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by Japanese fighter pilots in December 1941. The USS Lexington, which had become the home to many of Cornelia’s belongings, stripped her of those items when the ship was laid to rest on the ocean floor after the attack. Her father, Adm. Robert E. Dixon, flew a scout plane in and out of the clouds after the attack, radioing the widely-quoted line, “scratch one flattop” back to the command ship, signaling the sinking of the Japanese Carrier Shoho in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Cornelia now resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She continues to tell the story of her father’s heroic actions on the historic day of the Pearl Harbor attack and later on in the war as a scout plane pilot in the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway.
1980s Congratulations to A. Lorraine Robinson ’89 for starting a new position as senior director of artistic programs (and strategic partnerships) at Sitar Arts Center in Washington, D.C.
1990s Alasdair Brooks ’90 [1] was appointed artefacts coordinator at the Grand Egyptian Museum Project in Cairo, Egypt, in 2019. He is in charge of managing
and coordinating the installation of several thousand artefacts in the world’s largest archaeology museum, including the treasures of Tutankhamun. The museum is currently due to open in October 2020. In 2018, Alasdair was honored with the Society for Historical Archaeology’s Carol Ruppé Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the society and to historical archaeology. When not working in Cairo, Alasdair lives with his wife Zoe in a quiet medieval cathedral city in the United Kingdom. Robin Flanigan ’92 has published “M is for Mindful,” a children’s poetry book in collaboration with Heather S. Jones, a professor of fine arts in New York. Flanigan’s book addresses self-awareness, compassion, respect for those different from you and other ways in which people think and act. She has written for newspapers, magazines, and marketing initiatives. Her first book, “Rochester: High Performance for 175 Years” was published in 2009. Robin currently resides in Rochester, New York. Lindsey “Elle” Plaut Cosimano ’95 has written her fifth book, “Seasons of the Storm,” which will be released in June 2020. In 2015, she was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for her debut book, “Nearly Gone,” and has received numerous nominations for various awards for her other books. In 2017, her novel “Holding Smoke” received a nomination for International Thriller Award: Best Young Adult Novel as well as a nomination for the Bram Stoker Award. She and her husband, Tony Cosimano ’94, live in Mexico with their two sons.
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Ilene Frank ’96 is chief curator and chief operating officer at Connecticut Historical Museum and Library in Hartford, Connecticut. Suzanne Doyle Morris ’97 is the founder and CEO of InclusIQ, which helps working women get the promotions that they deserve and focuses on making diversity an integral part of everyday leadership. Suzanne is also the author of a book that was published in 2009, “Female Breadwinners and Beyond the Boys’ Club,” and is a featured keynote speaker in the United Kingdom. Suzanne completed a M.Phil./PhD in educational research in 2003 at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the experiences of women and minority students in engineering programs. She currently resides in the UK. Matt Shepherd ’99 is vice president and founding partner of MindPoint Group. He recently celebrated the company’s 10-year anniversary of providing cybersecurity solutions to federal and commercial customers. From employee satisfaction to innovation, Matt’s company has won a variety of awards demonstrating a commitment to excellence, including the Washington Business Journal Best Places to Work (2019) and Cybersecurity 500: Most Innovative Cybersecurity companies (multiple years). Leena Shepherd ’99 recently joined MindPoint Group as a strategic business adviser, bringing almost 20 years of business strategy consulting experience at KPMG, BearingPoint, and Deloitte. The Shepherds reside in Bethesda, Maryland, with their three children.
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2000s After working for 12 years in global public health, Dave Elseroad ’01 [2] joined the Human Rights House Foundation, a Norwegian nonprofit organization protecting human rights defenders across southeastern and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In this role, he is managing the organization’s offices in Geneva and Brussels and overseeing advocacy efforts at the United Nations, European Union, and the Council of Europe. Congratulations to Todd M. Brooks ’03 who has been named to the Benchmark Litigation 40 & Under Hotlist. Todd is a partner in the Baltimore office of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and is co-chair of the firm’s reorganizations and bankruptcy practice group. He is identified by peers and clients as being among the most notable up-and-coming litigation attorneys in the United States. John Spinicchia ’03 has started a new position as director of instructional support, biology department at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Jessica Fitzwater ’05 was elected to the Frederick County Council in 2014. Upon her
election, she has focused on repealing the county’s Englishonly Ordinance, introduced legislation to improve affordable workforce housing and initiated the Frederick County Human Trafficking Task Force. Jessica has also supported county budgets invested in public education, public safety and community partnerships. On May 21, 2019, she introduced Bills 19-07 and 19-08 which made it unlawful to discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation in Frederick County. These bills were passed with a unanimous vote on June 18, 2019, and were signed into effect by the following day. Jessica lives in Frederick, Maryland, with her two children. Andy Gross ’05 is working for Evan K. Thalenberg, P.A. in Baltimore, Maryland, as an attorney specializing in personal injury, lead poisoning, medical malpractice and veterans benefits. Andy graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2008. Ethan Elliott ’06 received the NASA Early Career Medal in October 2019. This is a major achievement and significant award for his work as an ultracold atom expert leading NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory
Dana Mead ’08 lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. Since graduating, she has worked for IBM as a senior consultant for almost three years, the Women’s Institute for Housing & Economic Development for over eight years years, and most recently has taken a position with GrubStreet as a finance coordinator. 2
(CAL) engineering model testbed, a flight-like copy of the CAL instrument used for system level, mission critical technology verification and flight sequence development. CAL successfully launched to the International Space Station in May 2018. A video describing the project can be viewed at https://coldatomlab. jpl.nasa.gov/. Ethan joined the CAL team in 2014 after completing a PhD in physics at Duke University. Allan Wagaman ’06 has been promoted to deputy lead business/financial manager for the US Navy, working on site at the Patuxent Naval Air Station. Allan lives in St. Mary’s County and currently serves as the president of the St. Mary’s College Alumni Council. Congratulations to Benjamin Toll ’07 in his role as interim dean of admissions at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Nathan McCurdy ’08 has been promoted to a senior policy analyst and counsel to the Senate finance committee with the Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services. He completed a J.D. with a health law certificate from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2014.
2010s Peter V. Black ’10 is a trial attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Administrative Litigation, in Washington, D.C. Lydia Jani ’10 is an experienced professional in healthcare marketing and advertising. During the early years of her career, Lydia spent four years working for Digitas Health Life Brands, first in Philadelphia as senior associate in regulatory review and then in New York City as manager of regulatory review. Most recently, Lydia has been working for Area 23 in New York City, as associate director of operations. Nathan Hesse ’11 has started a new position as an English as a second language teacher at Patterson High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Katherine Serfling Forest ’12 has been hired as a consultant for Deloitte. She holds a master’s degree in professional studies, industrial/organizational psychology from UMBC which was conferred in 2015. After completing grad school, Katherine worked as a research coordinator for CEB, and then research scientist/analyst and industrial/organizational psychologist for ICF.
Alumni Council Profile by Molly McKee-Seabrook ’10 Bobby Rudd ’11 has been a member of the Alumni Council for four years and is currently the vice president of operations. He also serves as the athletics liaison and is on the governance committee. He joined the Alumni Council because he believed that his experience working in higher education and philanthropy could bring a unique perspective that was not already represented on the council. Bobby is the associate director of athletic development and fan experience at Mount St. Mary’s University where he oversees the marketing and promotions, licensing, corporate sponsorships and ticket office. While he is not in a field directly related to his double major in economics and public policy studies, he said that “Through St. Mary’s College’s rigorous and innovative curriculum, along with the collaborative learning opportunities through group projects, I was able to develop a unique skill set that has easily translated to finding success in my current position.” While at SMCM, Bobby was an intramural referee and studied abroad during his junior year in Townsville, Australia. His favorite alumni event is a popular favorite — Alumni Weekend. He highlighted the hard work of Dave Sushinsky, Kelly Schroeder and Lauren Taylor in the Alumni Relations Office in making Alumni Weekend, Hawktoberfest, and Giving Tuesday such incredible successes over the last few years. Bobby thought he wanted to go away from home to attend a big school, but he believes choosing to attend St. Mary’s College was the best decision of his life. He and his fiancee Rebecca now live in Frederick, Maryland, with their dog Penny, and he is looking forward to having some of his friends from SMCM in their upcoming wedding.
Sasha Goluskin ’12 completed a master’s degree in socialorganizational psychology in 2015 from Columbia University. She is an experienced organizational psychologist, who after completing grad school has worked for PTC as a senior organizational development specialist, for Circle as a talent management manager and now for OrgSolutions at McKinsey & Company, a management
consulting firm, as a senior coach. Sasha lives and works in the greater Boston area. Victoria Eskay ’13 is an emergency medicine physician assistant at EPMG-Emergency Physicians Medical Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gideon Singer ’13 was recently hired as a GIS specialist at Datastory in Baltimore, Mary
land. After SMCM, Gideon earned a master’s degree in anthropology from Purdue in 2016 and a PhD in applied anthropology in 2019. He was a National Science Foundation fellow in sustainable electronics for 2014-16, a Fulbright scholar in 2017, and an NSF fellow for 2018-19 supporting ethnographic and GIS research and analysis.
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ALUM NI
C ONNECT ION
Collin Brown ’15 is working in the Philadelphia area for WuXi AppTec as a molecular training specialist. Collin completed a master’s degree in environmental science from Louisiana State in 2017, after which he worked as a coastal marsh bird technician and then a scientist for Eurofins Lancaster Labs in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 3
Congratulations to Victoria Cain ’14 for starting a new position as communications associate at the Hatcher Group in Bethesda, Maryland. She is also working in a similar position for Studio 34 in Washington, D.C. Victoria completed a master’s degree in strategic communications in 2019 from American University. Anastasia Wash ’14 [3] is a small business sales director at Numerator in New York, New York. Linh T. Trinh An ’15 received a master’s degree in music at George Mason University in 2017, with the concentration of piano performance. She is currently a doctoral candidate at George Mason University, while also holding piano performances. Max Boot ’15 is living and working in Chicago, Illinois. Since graduating, he has been employed by Great Wolf Resorts, starting as a corporate revenue analyst, then corporate revenue manager, corporate regional revenue manager, corporate lead revenue manager and most recently promoted to corporate senior revenue manager. Max has also earned a Hotel Revenue Management Certificate from Cornell University.
Following graduation, Dylan Cope ’15 [4] purchased an old 1994 Miata in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, with the goal of joining the film industry in Los Angeles. With hardly any savings and no connections, things didn’t go well, so he ventured to Phoenix, Arizona, and became a restaurant worker and later a car salesman. With persistence and support from family and friends, he started his own business. He is now the owner of Desert Mantis LLC and is contracted to produce media content for multiple Berkshire Hathaway automotive dealerships in the area. Congratulations to Katelynne Cowart ’15 [5] who has started a position as executive director of Community School Collaborative in Livingston, Montana. CSC is a tiny nonprofit that works with the middle school in Livingston to create workforce development and career exploration days that involve the local community and businesses. Kate completed her master’s degree in public administration from Montana State University in May 2019 and won the cohort’s merit award for her research. Grace Fennessy ’15 recently started a new position as real estate adviser at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services. Since graduating,
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Grace has worked in the Baltimore area as client services coordinator for CBRE, account coordinator for R2integrated and marketing coordinator for Alexander & Tom Inc. Matt Fowler ’15 completed a master’s degree in business administration at Wagner College in 2017 and then began working for Benchworks, first as an account coordinator and then as an account manager. Matt recently took a new position with Artemis Factor as a consultant, a company specializing in developing healthcare project delivery leaders. He lives and works in the Philadelphia area. Hannah Hafey ’15 has been working for NOAA in the Washington, D.C., metro area since graduating from SMCM. Her first position was as a fishery regulation specialist, next she worked as an environmental policy specialist and has recently been hired as a management and program analyst. David Kersey ’15 expects to complete a master’s degree in business administration from the College of William and Mary, specializing in business analytics, in 2020. For two years after graduation, he served in the Peace Corps in Zambia. David most recently started work with AirData as transparent development footprint research assistant in the Washington, D.C., area. Kati Peditto ’15 is enrolled in a PhD program at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, with minors in ecology of human development and social and personal development. She worked as the AIA Tuttle graduate fellow in health facility planning and design with American Institutes of Architects, which supported her
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dissertation work and is currently a postdoctoral associate with Cornell College of Human Ecology. Nnenna Onwukwe ’15 started a new position as a digital content manager at NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) and an additional position as administrative assistant at Argot Publications. She lives in Washington, D.C. Adriana Castro Rossel ’15 completed her master’s degree in social work from the Columbia School of Social Work with an advanced generalist in practice and programming in 2018. Since then, Adriana co-founded the Own Your Own O: Sex Ed Revisted based in Washington, D.C. and New York City. She also worked for the Body Image Therapy Center in D.C., and is currently a school-based mental health therapist at Mary’s Center in D.C. Terrence Thrweatt Jr. ’15 is founder of EdCology LLC, as well as an appraiser and investor. Terrance received his master’s degree in business administration in marketing and marketing management from Strayer University. He is currently attending the evening program at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Glenna Urquhart ’15 completed a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2019, along with an advanced certificate in public health research. Glenna has worked as a research fellow for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and most recently as senior research program coordinator for Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Amanda Durst ’16 has started new positions as event and communications assistant at Womansong of Asheville Inc. and development coordinator at YWCA of Asheville and WNC in Asheville, North Carolina. Evan Harris ’16 has been working in the IT/web development arena since graduating. He completed a five-month course with Thinkful, a full-stack web development intensive in 2017. Afterwards, Evan took a position as a full stack developer with Securipost in Washington, D.C., and is now working with User1st, also in D.C., as a solutions integrator. Luke Land ’16 is continuing to progress in his career with T. Rowe Price. Working for them in Baltimore for more than three years, Luke most recently was promoted to intermediary
2019 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIPS
Melanie MacDonald ’16 completed Skillcrush web design and development course in 2016 and then went on to complete an intensive 24-week program at The George Washington University College of Professional Studies on Full Stack Web Design in 2018. Melanie has been working in this field, first as a web applications developer with Synergy Software Design in Washington, D.C., and now as a software engineer at Conseqta Technology in northern Virginia.
ALUMNI LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP Surisitee Motiram ’23, of Millersville, Maryland, is this year’s legacy scholarship recipient. Her legacy link is her mother Lynda Motiram ’92. Surisitee chose St. Mary’s College because of the sense that she got of the friendly community on her first visit that immediately made her feel at home and the fact that there was already a thriving community of ethnic clubs. Because of these factors, Surisitee could see herself fitting in. Surisitee plans to major in political science and public policy.
Congratulations to Sarah Stayer ’16 on her new position as student life coordinator at the Steger Center for International Scholarship at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Tochukwu Victor ’16 is employed as an infrastructure engineer at Optoro in Washington, D.C. He holds a number of professional certifications including AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Certified Linux Administrator, Amazon Web Services Development Operations Engineer and AWS Certified System Operations Administrator.
Windy Vorwich ’16 started a new position as program specialist - UX / UI designer for the Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health.
LIVIA SCHULLER
SURISTEE
sales associate. Prior to his current position, Luke began work there as a financial representative and then financial consultant.
EMILY MCALLISTER BURR
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DON STABILE ALUMNI POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
DON STABILE ALUMNI DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP
Emily McAllister Burr ’17, currently residing in Germantown, Maryland, is this year’s recipient of the SMCM postgraduate scholarship, generously supported by Professor Don Stabile. Emily is enrolled in a master of occupational therapy program at James Madison University. As an occupational therapist, she will dedicate herself to improving individuals’ quality of life, including their physical, mental and interpersonal well-being, through meaningful activities. As for Emily’s longterm goals, she hopes to widen the scope of impact through occupational research and the development of new techniques and programs. Emily sought out a variety of research opportunities during her time at St. Mary’s College, and while completing her St. Mary’s Project, gained an appreciation for what it means to contribute to the greater research community. She strongly values the research skills that SMCM faculty helped her develop, and is proud to represent SMCM in her research as a graduate student and professional.
Paige Cohen ’17 is currently working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first job that brought her to Philly was a paralegal position with HIAS, an organization that works with resettling and representing im-
Livia Schuller ’19 is this year’s doctoral scholarship recipient . She is pursuing a PhD in genetics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She was motivated by the idea of becoming a veterinarian since childhood, which was spent on horse farms. Surrounded by animals, she became fascinated by animal behavior and interested in their medical needs. During Livia’s sophomore year at SMCM, she took a genetics class that made her rethink her career plans. She realized, after taking separate classes in genetics, genomics, and population genetics at St. Mary’s College, that she would like to apply genetics to help improve the health and performance of large animals. Her studies at Texas A&M will focus on disease susceptibility and other characteristics that are important to production in beef cattle. Livia says that her interest in this research stems from her teaching assistant experience while at SMCM.
migrants and their families and now, still in Philadelphia, Paige is working as a member experience specialist with Inspire. Paige previously worked in Baltimore as a Spanish language interpreter at
Johns Hopkins University School of Education and also as an operations assistant for Centrode los Derechos del Migrante, an organization based in Mexico.
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Craig Goerling ’17 recently earned an MBA from Mount St. Mary’s. He is employed as a program manager assistant with STG International in Arlington, Virginia. Grace De Oro ’17 completed a master’s degree from the UMBC School of Public Policy with a concentration in environmental policy in May 2019 and is continuing her advanced education pursuits by beginning coursework for a PhD in public policy, concentrating in public management. Grace is passionate about finding methods to make governments more effective and environmentally sustainable while addressing
equitable accessibility to services that address a healthy environment and healthy people. She is so grateful that Professor Todd Eberly, as her St. Mary’s Project adviser and mentor, recommended UMBC. Lydia Marzot ’17 is an experienced graphic designer living and working in the greater Boston area. She began her career in this industry as a freelance graphic/web designer and creative consultant and then went on to work for ownerIQ as a graphic designer. Lydia is now with Yesware, where she first took a position as a graphic and web designer and recently promoted to senior brand designer.
Demilade Adebayo ’18 is living and working in NYC, enrolled in NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development, earning a master’s degree in media, culture and communication. She also interns as a playlist curator for Grooveline, helping to develop an immersive cultural experience on music streaming platforms. Julia Bowden ’18 was recently accepted to the Peace Corps and has been placed as a teacher of English as a foreign language in Macedonia. Immediately upon graduation, Julia worked as a tutor for the Literacy Lab in Baltimore, Maryland.
WINTER IS HERE BUT SUMMER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER... We hope you will BECOUNTED this fiscal year (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020). Your investment in our students and the quality of our institution is vital to an HONORS education and our LEAD curriculum.
GIVE TODAY
SMCM.EDU/GIVING
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Olivia Collins ’18 has started a new position of kindergarten teacher with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Kerri Kline ’18 was recently appointed as the new assistant director at the Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland. Kerri is a member of the Saint James Class of 2014. She began her employment there in early November. Patrick Martin ’18 is a security assistant with the office of security coordination Iraq at SOS International LLC, Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to Megan Moore ’18 in her new position of elementary school teacher with St. Mary’s County Public Schools. Sabrina Wood ’18 has completed a master’s degree in political communication from Dublin City University in Ireland. She earned first class honors (an A equivalent) for her master’s dissertation on “Gender Stereotypes in the 2018 U.S. Midterms: What it takes for women to win gubernatorial elections.” Roderick Lewis ’19 has started a new position as an admission counselor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
& UNIONS Katherine “Katie” Smith Cameron ’06 [1] and Scott Cameron were married August 25, 2018 in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Alumni attending the wedding were bridesmaids Jessica Martin Van Kirk ’07 and Kate Reynolds-Bishop ’06, and Alex Bishop ’10. The couple honeymooned in Italy, Croatia, and the Greek Islands. They currently reside in Auburndale, Massachusetts. Erin Voigt ’09 [2] and Clifton Creech were married on June 1, 2019 in Asheville, North Carolina. Matron of honor was Laurie Hammond ’09. Bridesmaids included Melinda Swain ’09, Vic Lipscomb ’09, Lauren Runkles ’09 and flower girl Ellie Mae Leischer (future SMCM class of 2034). Other alumni in attendance were Olivia Caretti ’14, Nathan Brocenos ’14, and Nathan Schwalje ’09. The couple resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Kait Hines-Noble ’10 and Jon Noble ’09 [3] were married on May 4, 2019 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lisa Neu Campbell ’10 was the officiant. The best man was Hank Scott ’09; groomsmen were Nathan McCurdy ’08 and Christian Schneider ’09. Alex Noble ’10 was a bridesmaid. Other alumni in attendance were Alysia Doyle ’10, Kyle Gordon ’09, Zan McCallen ’12 and John Campbell ’09. The couple got married on Star Wars day to celebrate their mutual love of Star Wars. The couple resides in Mountainview, California. They honeymooned in Hawaii over the Christmas holiday. Cory Pugh ’10 [4] and Sherica Rossum were married on October 19, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Darren McCutchen ’10 and Chris Martin ’10 were in attendance. The couple honeymooned in Charleston, South Carolina. They reside in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
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DANA TRABUCCO STUDIOS.
MARRIAGES
CAPTURING WNC PHOTOGRAPHY.
CAROLINE KLAR
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BIRTHS&
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HIGH CONTRAST PHOTOGRAPHY
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ADOPTIONS
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Michelle Sivilich Damien ’02 [1] and Paul Damien welcomed twin girls, Anna Maria and Kaylee Grace on August 12, 2019. Paul works as a special effects artist for the movie industry. Michelle, who received her master’s degree in life science from Indiana State University in 2005 and her PhD in archaeology from the University of South Florida in 2014, is the executive director of two nonprofits (Save Crystal River and Gulf Archaeology Research Institute). The family resides in Ocala, Florida, on a farm with their cats, bees, and chickens.
CARLY FULLER
David Sushinsky ’02 and Katie Siguenza Sushinsky ’09, MAT ’10 [2] welcomed Abigail Rose, SMCM Class of 2041, on November 26, 2019. Noah, SMCM Class of 2039, is a very proud older brother. Dave is the fearless leader of the SMCM Office of Alumni Relations and Katie is changing the world by better educating the youth of Southern Maryland. 7
Erin Larrabee ’14 [5] and Michael Nolte ’14 were married on October 5, 2019 in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Alumni in the wedding party were best man Brian Ott ’14; groomsmen Thomas Rados ’13, Sam Beatty ’14, Kenny Beyer ’15, J. Guzzone ’15 and Michael Holdefer ’15. Also in attendance were Jessica Clayton ’14, Lauren Taylor ’14, A.J. Norby ’15, Lauren Rost ’15, Nadda Warshanna ’15, Conor Colgan ’17, Gillian Sawyer ’17, and Nick Tait ’17. The couple resides in Burtonsville, Maryland.
Stephanie Payton-Petersen ’14 {6] and Thor Petersen ’14 were married on May 4, 2019 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Alumni in the wedding party were matron of honor Alexandra Payton Turek ’12; bridesmaids Claire Kortyna ’14, Erin O’Connor ’14, Amanda Bobbitt ’14, and Danielle Krause Haig ’14; best man Dirk Rousseau ’13; groomsman Michael Killius ’14. The couple resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Jessica Konecke ’16 [7] and Lucas Green ’15 were married on October 12, 2019 at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville, Maryland. Alumni in the wedding party were bridesmaids Alison Curry ’16 and Emma Green ’18. Other alums in attendance were Bobby Stouffer ’14, Virginia Stouffer ’13, Scott Marsh ’13, Katie Marsh ’13, Johanna Laue ’14, Sam Coe ’14, Zoe Smedley ’19, Eric Gronbeck ’12, Scott McInerney ’14, Matt Flyr ’16, Hanna
Guilford ’16, Brad Dioguardo ’15, Dan Plaut ’15, Autumn Fisher ’16, Jared Eaker ’15, AJ Norby ’15, Nick Pfisterer ’14, Danny Stouffer ’16 and Megan Dorset ’16. The couple honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They reside in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Stacey Hamlet ’05 and Dawn Klein ’05 [3] welcomed a son, Grant Edward Hamlet Klein, on May 29, 2019. The family resides in Abingdon, Maryland, along with their 3-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn. Jennifer Maliszewski Nikolich ’05 [4] and Mike Nikolich announce the arrival of their son, Andrew, on June 2, 2019. Big brother Matthew, age 3½, is super excited. Kerry Crawford ’07 [5] and Tyler Belling welcomed identical twins, Emilia and Isabella, on August 21, 2018. The girls arekeeping their proud big brother Lucca on his toes. Kerry is an
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committee. June also served on the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission.
Jack Lynch, who died in May 2018. Trixie retired from work in 1959 to begin a family and build a home on St. Inigoes Creek. Trixie and Jack raised four sons and enjoyed a wonderful life with family and friends on the water. Trixie was a member of the technical support division wives club for several years, serving as the vice president in 1969, hosting luncheons and events, and enjoyed being active in the community.
Patricia Clarke Lynch ’54 known to friends as “Trixie,” died on November 1, 2019, at the age of 84. A native of St. Mary’s County, Maryland, she was born on February 1, 1935 in St. Inigoes. She attended St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College, studying business for one year. In 1954 she began a short career as an administrative aide at the Armament Test Division at the U.S. Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. This is where she met her husband, the late
Margaret Richardson Wernecke ’75 of Leonardtown, Maryland, died on September 21, 2018, at the age of 85. Margaret earned a nursing degree in 1954 from the University of Maryland and served as a nurse in the United States Air Force. From 1975 - 1986, she led the nursing program at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown, Maryland. She earned a B.A. from St. Mary’s College in 1975, studying anthropology, and went on to earn
IN MEMORIAM June Auerbach ’49 [1] died on September 17, 2019, at the age of 88. She was interred at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband, Bernard Auerbach, who died in 1991. Born in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, she graduated high school from St. Mary’s Female Seminary in 1949, earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland in 1952, and a law degree in 1955, also from the University of Maryland. For 43 years, she worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. In retirement, she volunteered as a docent at the National Portrait Gallery. June was also a member of the St. Mary’s College Board of Trustees for many years. Her greatest contributions as a board member were her oversight of the campus master plan and the buildings and grounds
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Alle Scott Bowden ’09 and Michael Bowden ’11 [6] welcomed their child Cameron Alexander Bowden on May 5, 2019. The family resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
Esrael Seyum ’09 [7] and Jill Clemmer Seyum ’09 welcomed Lydia Gail Seyum into their family on October 18. Her 2-year-old brother Jonah is delighted to finally hold her!
TIMOTHY RIESE
associate professor of political science at James Madison University and the author of three books, including a forthcoming book on parenting in academia.
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a master’s in education from George Washington University. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Wernecke, who died in 1991. She is survived by her son Ray and his wife, Helen; her son David and his wife, Amy; four grandchildren and one great grandchild. Ray Wernecke is a current member of the College’s Board of Trustees. Rosemary Madge DiFatta ’86 died of endometrial cancer on July 22, 2019, at her Parkville, Maryland, home. She retired from Verizon in 2009, where she installed telephones and later worked with computers as a field technician. She was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland and received help from HopeWell Cancer Support. A celebration of life was held on August 23 at Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art. In addition to her wife, Judith Leiman, she is survived by her two sisters, Jean
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DiFatta of Parkville, Maryland, and Jacqui Lampell of Catonsville, Maryland, and a niece and three nephews. FRIEND OF THE COLLEGE Nell Charlton Brown Hampton died on September 12, 2019, at Hospice House of St. Mary’s with her loving family at her side. She was 76. Nell joined the staff of St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 1994, serving as events coordinator, then as director of events, and later as director of community relations. Among her greatest professional achievements were assisting in the creation of the River Concert Series and serving as the inaugural managing editor of the River Gazette newspaper. In addition to her husband, Merv, Nell is survived by her sons, Charlton Lee “Chad” Hampton of Arlington, Virginia, and Stanford Paul Hampton of California, Maryland; and granddaughter, Annilee Jane Hampton of California, Maryland.
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FACULTY COLLECTION TO BE DISPLAYED IN BOYDEN GALLERY By Kent Randell, College archivist
The St. Mary’s College of Maryland Archives collects the papers of the College’s esteemed faculty. One noteworthy example is the Lucille Clifton collection, a Pulitzer-Prize-nominated poet who served as the Poet Laureate of Maryland and taught at the College. During her time here, she authored the celebrated poem, “blessing the boats.” The papers include a small collection of poems as well as audio-visual materials. Another large collection is the Archive’s “vertical file,” which collects ephemeral items related to all members of the faculty, including press articles, curriculum vitae, photographs, and the gallery exhibition catalogues of art faculty. This semester, the College’s Boyden Gallery will feature an exhibition created with another unique collection held in the Archives. The family of Thomas M. Barrett, a popular professor of Russian and world Tom Barrett history, donated his collection of science fiction and detective trade paperbacks, dating from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, after he died in 2016. Selections from this collection will be the core of the exhibition, which will be on view in the gallery from January 21 through March 6. The exhibition will address how in addition to their literary content, these trade
paperbacks are also collected and studied for their cover art. It will also cover the adaptation of science fiction works into film and reflect upon the nature of collecting. In addition to seeing the books themselves, visitors to the gallery will be able to listen to some of the works being read, watch clips from Russian and American versions of a science fiction movie, and design their own robot at a robot station. The exhibit opening will be held Thursday, January 23 at 5 p.m. in the gallery. Come celebrate the collection and life of Tom Barrett, and check the College’s calendar for February and March events, which will include a science fiction author panel and a mini ComicCon event. Erin Peters, director of the Boyden Gallery, says, “in partnering with the Archives, this exhibition will be an ideal example of the kind of work we plan to make key to the gallery — it will engage our campus and civic communities, reach across multiple disciplines and College departments, and be tied to important College history and events, all through experiencing numerous art forms in Tom Barrett’s incredible paperback collection.” If you happen to be on campus this semester, please visit this exciting exhibition in the Boyden Gallery. The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Covers of some of the books that will be in the exhibition
right:
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Calendar of Events The Reeves Lecture with Jeff Hammond February 12 @ 4:45 p.m. Daugherty-Palmer Commons
Psychology Lecture Series with CJ Seitz-Brown March 6 @ 3:00 p.m. Goodpaster 195
Neuroscience Lecture Series with Paul Shephard April 6 @ 4:45 p.m. Goodpaster 195
Psychology Lecture Series with Kelly Dunn February 21 @ 3:00 p.m. Goodpaster 195
Artist Talk: Lidija Slavkovic March 9 @ 4:45 p.m. Glendening Annex
Artist Talk: Kyoung eun Kang April 8 @ 4:45 p.m. Glendening Annex
Artist Talk: Saul Ostrow March 11 @ 4:45 p.m. Glendening Annex
Neuroscience Lecture Series with Sarah Latchney April 13 @ 4:45 p.m. Goodpaster 195
“Finding Form: A Sculptor’s Story” by Lisa Scheer February 24 @ 4:45 p.m. Cole Cinema, Campus Center Admitted Seahawk Day February 29 @ 10:00 a.m. Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena An Evening to Honor the Legacy of Lucille Clifton February 29 @ 7:30 p.m. Daugherty-Palmer Commons Artist Talk: Michelle Kohler March 2 @ 4:45 p.m. Glendening Annex
Artist Talk: Deirdre Murphy March 25 @ 4:45 p.m. Glendening Annex Presidential Lecture Series with Jay Williams March 26 @ 7:30 p.m. Auerbach Auditorium, St. Mary’s Hall The Mark Twain Lecture Serieswith Janelle James (Ticketed Event) March 28 @ 7:30 p.m. Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena Admitted Seahawk Day April 4 @ 10:00 a.m. Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena
Awards Convocation April 17 @ 3:00 p.m. Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena Admission Open House April 18 @ 10:00 a.m. Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena
Commencement May 16 @ 10:00 a.m. Townhouse Green Alumni Weekend June 11-14 Mulberry Music Festival: Act II June 19-20 @ 6:00 p.m. Townhouse Green River Concert Series featuring the Chesapeake Orchestra Fridays, June 26-July 24 @ 7:00 p.m. Townhouse Green Chesapeake Writers’ Conference June 21-27 Information/application: go.smcm.edu/chesapeake Governor’s Cup Yacht Race July 31 - August 1
World Carnival April 18 Admissions Field “The Nether” (Ticketed Event) by Jennifer Haley directed by Mark Rhoda April 22-25 @ 8:00 p.m. April 26 @ 2:00 p.m. Bruce Davis Theater, Montgomery Hall
For reservations, tickets and information on these and other upcoming events, visit www.smcm.edu and click on EVENTS. Events are subject to change.
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #10001 Leonardtown, MD
On Giving Tuesday (12/03/19) we surpassed our goal of 1,203 donors with over 2,000 donors and more than $375,000 in gifts supporting St. Mary’s College of Maryland. What a wonderful example of how our St. Mary’s College community comes together to make a difference in students’ todays and tomorrows.