Class Notes

Welcome to our expanded Class Notes, a section dedicated to sharing your news with the UD community. Share your updates with us via udallas.edu/alumni-portal for possible inclusion in the next issue of Tower.

1980s 1990s

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Michael (Mike) Lee, BA ’82, to the 256th Judicial District Court in Dallas County for a term set to expire on Dec. 31, 2022, or until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified. David Reed, MBA ’90, was appointed to the board of directors for Advanced Energy. Luis Antonio (Tony) Payan, BA '92 MBA '94, is the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico

Michael Farrell, BA ’84, was named executive director of student services for Fort Smith Public Schools in Arkansas. Miriem Bensalah Chaqroun, MBA '86, (above) was named on the recent Forbes list of the 50 most powerful women in the Middle East and North Africa. Mary (Hansen) Jensen, J.D., BA ’86, was appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the acting U.S. trustee for the judicial districts established for the states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, effective May 7, 2022. The Northwest Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name David Hicks, Ph.D., BA ’88, the next superintendent of the district, located in Denton County in North Texas. Stan Smith, MBA ’88, is senior vice president of specialty programs for Prodigy, heading the Specialty Negotiation Solutions—Pharmacy and Medical Services division.

Father John Mosimann, BA ’89, celebrated the 25-year jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood; he is pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Studies and director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, a position he has held since 2012. He is also a professor of social sciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. An author of several books and articles about the U.S.-Mexico relationship, Tony’s research focuses primarily on border studies and the dynamics of the bilateral ties between the two nations. He has written extensively about the Mexican energy industry and rule of law, and is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Immigration Task Force and the Mexico Energy Task Force. Luis Gonzalez, MBA ’95, is now CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul after 25 years at Allstate Insurance. He previously served as the vice president of service delivery at Hudson Advisors. Luis’ new responsibilities will include the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, StudyTime, the Mini Loan Program, and the St. Vincent Center. Thomas Feulmer, BA ’96, was featured in the June/July issue of Patron magazine. He is director of educational programming at The Warehouse in Dallas, which has housed the Rachofsky collection since 2012. Thomas majored in sculpture at UD and has always been fascinated by the intersection of language, text and sound, and how we are affected by these various elements. He told Patron that “curating, writing, organizing shows, making art, they’re all things I want to do because I want to have conversations with people about these ideas … what it means to be alive, what it means to have a body, what it means to exist.” Rudy Bush, BA '97 MA '19, is editorial page editor and vice president of the Dallas Morning News. See p. 24 for more about Rudy. Martha Bujanda, BA '98 MBA '01, is director of new leader support and principal residency for Dallas Independent School District.

2000s

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter recently announced the promotion of Trooper Philip Cooley, BA ’00, to the rank of sergeant. Federico Pier, MBA ’01, is the permanent chief executive officer for ViCapsys Life Sciences. Ragan Butler, BA ’02, is marketing director for The Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Janet Hendrickson, Ph.D., BA ’03, is now clinical assistant professor of liberal studies at NYU after three years as postdoctoral fellow of Spanish at UD. She is pictured below with ’03 classmates Callie (Bentley) Ewing, BA ’03 MH ’22, now an English teacher at Irving High School in Irving, Texas, after nine years as a writer and editor in UD’s Marketing and Communications Department, and Father Joseph (Matt) Van House, O.Cist., BA ’03 MT ’07, affiliate assistant professor of theology, at the reception held in May for the graduates of the Class of 2022. Laura Tenner, M.D., BS ’03, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas A&M University. She is a GI cancer oncologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Christina Villegas, MA ’06 PhD ’13, after adopting four foster children, has now published a book detailing the foster care system, Foster Care in America: A Reference Handbook, which is available on Kindle or in hardcover on Amazon. John Bloch, BA ’08, English major turned software developer, won a seat on the Irving City Council. John will represent District 1. Jonathon E. Polce, S.J., BA ’09, was ordained to the priesthood on June 11. Father Jonathon will serve at Jesuit High School of New Orleans. Initially daunted by the length of the Jesuit formation process, Father Jonathon has found it to be one of the greatest blessings in his vocation, for it has allowed him to focus on following God’s plan, one step at a time. “The Jesuit formation process is intentional,” he said. “Every step of the way, I have been given assignments where the Lord has pushed and stretched me, and

come out of each experience a better man, a better Catholic and a better Jesuit.”

2010s

Javier Burkle, BA ’11, (above) is the owner and principal designer of Burkle Creative in Dallas, which he founded in 2015. According to burklecreative.com, “Originally from Mexico City, Javier Burkle is well-known for his design talent, personal style, and creative vision. Javier is inspired by balance and beauty, and his gift for uniting the old with the new results in warm, chic spaces that exude sophistication and timeless elegance.” Javier was a featured designer at the 2021 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas and is the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, including “Best Designer” by D Home magazine, and has made People Newspaper’s prestigious “20 Under 40” list, “evidence of his innate good taste, noteworthy designs, and influencing presence within the community.” Javier’s work can also be found in House Beautiful, PaperCity and D Home, and on Veranda.com. He also integrates charitable community contributions, such as to Dwell with Dignity, into his firm. Anna (Jurhee) Hardy, CPA, ABV, BA '11 MS '13, forensic litigation and valuation managing director at Whitley Penn, was recently named to the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts and Consultants’ Training Institute 40 Under Forty recognition program. Anna has more than 10 years of public accounting experience in forensic, litigation and valuation services, focusing primarily on marital dissolution and fraud. She is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and Financial Consulting Group. “We are extremely proud of Anna for being named to NACVA’s 40 Under Forty,” stated Whitley Penn Forensic Litigation and Valuation Partner Emilia D’Mello. “Anna constantly goes above and beyond with her dedication to her work, the profession and community. We look forward to celebrating Anna’s recognition and watching her as her career continues to flourish.” Brothers David, BA ’13, and Edgar, BA ’17, Ramirez (right) were both ordained to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter on May 27, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Read more at udallas. edu/fathers-ramirez. Chad Evans, MCSL ’14, is president of John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas. Ben Gibbs, BA '15 MBA '17, is now executive director for operations at UD after serving as special assistant to the president since July 2021, before which he had worked on UD’s Eugene Constantin Campus in Rome for three years. Ben was recently accepted into the National Association of College and University Business Officers' 2022-23 Emerging Leaders Program. Additionally, in April, a reflection piece that Ben wrote about study abroad programming in spring 2020 was published in Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad. Ben and his wife, Annie, BA ’15 MBA ’19, were working on the university’s Rome campus in March 2020 when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben was the director of student affairs, so Ben’s reflection is based on his personal experience during that time. Finally, Ben is currently pursuing a doctor of education through the University of Texas at Austin. Chiara Daley, BA ’16, is SEO lead at PMG. Katie Revia, BA ’17, began serving as a human trafficking prevention intern at Children at Risk in Houston in May; she left the Leukemia and Lymphona Society, where she had most recently served as campaign development manager for Students of the Year/Student Visionaries of the year, in June after working there for more than six years. She is currently pursuing a master's of social work at the University of Houston. Kaitlin (Casanova) Hampton, BS ’18, finished her doctorate in biomedical science at Texas A&M University; she is married to Joshua Hampton, BS ’18, who is also working on his Ph.D., and they have two children.

2020s

Anthony Mazur, BA ’20, married Kelly Stuckert, BA '21, in July 2021 at Mater Dei Catholic Church in Irving. Both theology majors, the two met through UD’s Theology Department. After the wedding, the Mazurs moved to Utah, where Anthony now works as the assistant to the director of communications at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City. Mary Katherine (Johnson), BA ’20, and Will Rackers, BS ’20, welcomed their son, Joseph Francis, on July 2, 2021. Will is a doctoral candidate in chemistry at Washington University of St. Louis, and Mary Katherine is a joint doctoral student in philosophy and bioethics at Saint Louis University. Maggie (Chavey) Rolwes, BA ’20, is a customer success agent at ClassDojo. Gwendolyn Loop, BA ’21, received the Polking Family Fellowship for the newest Notre Dame Law School class. This fellowship supports the next generation of lawyers building a “sustainable culture of life.” This past year, Gwendolyn joined Houston Catholic Worker, living in solidarity with migrants arriving directly from the border or detention and witnessing “firsthand that for many families, choosing life is a horrifying struggle — when you can’t afford shoes or a sandwich, when insulin gets too expensive and you start to lose your sight, when the U.S. government confiscated your belongings in detention and you only have a handful of documents left. This is not a thought exercise, but rather a daily reality for many of our brothers and sisters. I believe that issues like immigra-

tion, racism, warfare, health care, abortion, climate justice, sexism and class are inextricably linked in creating an authentic culture of life." Read more at udallas.edu/ empowering-life. Alessandra Gutierrez, BS ’22, is attending UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas with the goal of practicing medicine in the Lone Star State. The TMAF Bayardo Minority Scholarship Fund, Dallas County Medical Society, and Charles B. Mullins, M.D., of Austin, are providing Alessandra’s scholarship.

In Memoriam

Teresa (Becker) Batto, BA ’64, died in January at age 80 after a battle with bone cancer. Teresa was the seventh of 10 children born to German immigrants in Dallas and was the first person in her family to graduate from college, with a degree in German from UD. She then earned her master’s in German at the University of Texas at Austin, where she met her husband, Bernie, to whom she was married for 54 years. They had five children and welcomed many others into their home. Teresa believed passionately in the power of education. Her house was stuffed full of books, and she helped many people discover the joys of reading. A devout Catholic, Teresa also believed deeply in social justice. The garden was her happy place, and it was an apt metaphor for her life. Teresa just loved watching plants—and people—grow. Teresa is survived by her husband, five children, two granddaughters, four siblings, dozens of “adopted” family members and hundreds of others whose lives she enriched. George Behringer, BA ’85, died in April on his 59th birthday. He married Amy Ryan in Houston in 2004 and had four daughters. His daughters were the light of his life, and he enjoyed every moment he spent with them. He had resided in Katy, Texas, since 2006, where he was a member of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church. He is survived by his loving wife; daughters, Mary, Sarah, Laura and Heather; and two sisters and brothers-in-law. Former Trustee Christopher Bright, BA ’77, died in July. Chris grew up in Dallas, graduating from Highland Park High School in 1971 before continuing on to UD. Chris had a brilliant mind in general but was a visionary in business, with countless achievements. His tireless work on his many projects and creations were the passion of his life. Chris loved driving fast cars, playing golf, celebrating Christmas, listening to music, reading, and talking about philosophy and politics, but most of all, he loved his children and family. “To his family he will forever be the ideal that we aspire to,” they wrote. “He was the sun of our world. He took care of everyone around him and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.” Chris is survived by his wife Camille; son Zach, and Zach’s fiancée Savannah, and son Christopher; daughter Katie, Katie’s husband Billy, and their children River and Kirra; two sisters; and many other relatives and friends. Read the full obituary at udallas.edu/chris-bright. Barbara Conder, MTS ’00, died in April at age 69. Barbara’s faith and service to the Catholic Church were found in many forms: She was a social worker; worked at St Anthony’s Parish in Ely, Minnesota, as the director of religious education and faith formation; taught at Notre Dame High School in Green Bay; was both station manager and director of mission for Relevant Radio; was executive director of the Holy Name Retreat House on Chambers Island in Lake Michigan; and led pilgrimages to holy sites around the world through Mater Dei Tours. She enjoyed the outdoors, canoe and backpacking trips, knitting, reading and writing poetry, and cherished time with family. She was preceded in death by her parents and five children in infancy, and is survived by her husband, Daniel, whom she married on Oct. 4, 1975; son Jared; three siblings and their spouses; numerous nieces and nephews; extended family; and a host of friends. Father Don Dvorak, O.P., campus chaplain from 2010-17, died in May at age 85. After retiring as chaplain, he persisted in his priestly duties at the Church of the Incarnation until his death. Former chaplain Father Thomas More Barba, O.P., BA ’09 ’10, wrote, “He invited me into his life, and I am a rich man because of him. I hope that God blesses me with a long life, at the end of which I continue to be inspired by Father Don’s example. I hope, like Father Don, I can lift Our Savior in the host and chalice for the people to adore, hands shaking from having spent myself for God and His people.” Mary Patricia (Unis) Eubank, BA ’73, died in May at age 71. She graduated from Ursuline Academy and then from UD with honors, marrying Royal Cullen Eubank Jr. and living in Waxahachie, Texas, until 2012. Mary Pat was an avid reader, tennis player and civic volunteer, and loved to travel. She served in the Junior Service League of Waxahachie, TTCD Tennis Club, Book Club and Heirloom Club, and she and her daughter sang in the choir at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She was predeceased by her husband and her son, Royal Cullen Eubank III, and is survived by her daughter, Angela Marie Eubank; granddaughter, Rook Nicole Robinson; sister and two brothers and their wives; and numerous nieces and nephews. Michael McCaffrey, MA ’68, died in June. He received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University and an M.A. in English from UD, and worked for the Social Security Administration for 31 years. A member of St. Jude Catholic Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, his interests included literature, sports and scriptural readings. He was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters and seven brothers. He is survived by his dear friend, Sandra Magin; son, Colin, Colin’s wife, Charlene, and their children, Connor Douglas and Alaina Elizabeth; Colin’s mother, Billie McCaffrey; four sisters, one brother, and a sprawling network of nieces and nephews. Mary Annette Stephens, MA ’86, died in June at age 75. She married Donald Ray Stephens in Dallas on July 10, 1970. Mary was a retired teacher, having taught in Dallas, Irving and Chico ISDs. She was known as a caring teacher who encouraged her students to reach their full potential, going above and beyond to provide for their needs. Mary had a servant’s heart, and through CASA, her church and volunteer/community service activities, she touched the lives of many people. According to her obituary, “Her beautiful smile and compassionate heart endeared her to everyone who met her. She loved deeply and was loved.” She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Donna Lancaster, and is survived by her husband of 51 years; her daughter, Alicia Loran, and Alicia's husband, Brian; her son, Matthew Stephens, and his fiancé, Kelsey Hayenga; two grandchildren, Chase Loran and Stuart Loran; her brother, Darryl Craze; her sister Janice Cline; her sister-in-law, Janis Hahn; numerous extended family members;

a host of friends; and her beloved little dog Curly. Phillip Richard Szeitz, founder of UD’s Art Department, died in June at age 92. Having escaped from Budapest just ahead of the Communist invasion, he and his fellow Cistercian monks first landed in Wisconsin before moving to Texas to help a fledgling Catholic university that was setting up shop in the wilds of Irving. In his second year, he hired Professor Emeritus of Art Lyle Novinski, who had been a fellow graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Though Richard left UD three years later, the goals that he and Lyle set for the department guided its development and growth even up to the present day. Examples of Richard’s prints can be seen in “A World of Paper: The Lyle Novinski Print Collection” in the Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery through September (see p. 23). Richard went on to teach at Minnesota State College Moorhead for 30 years and became known for monumental copper sculptures in public spaces. Mary (Moss) Teller, BA ’17, died July 20 after a fierce seven-month battle with stage 4 lymphoma. Her husband, Jack, BA ’17, wrote on July 17, “Her sense of humor hasn't faltered a bit, and she's still making me laugh every day.” In addition to Jack, Mary leaves behind two children, Siena and Grady, and an extensive network of family and friends who love and will miss her dearly. Deane Thomas Wallace, BA ’77, died in January at age 66 with his daughter, Jacquie, and sister, Susie, at his side. Deane was born, raised and lived his entire adult life in Little Rock, Arkansas, and remained a devout, faithful and practicing Catholic throughout his life, active in his parishes. After UD, Deane returned home to Little Rock and began a 40-year career at AFCO Steel and its successor, W&W/AFCO Steel, eventually ascending to senior vice president of bridge sales and estimating. His legacy lives on in significant bridges throughout the Midwest and South. Whatever Deane did, he did passionately, whether duck hunting, fishing, golfing, wine tasting, entertaining, tailgating, cooking, grilling, gardening or cheering on his three favorite teams: the Arkansas Razorbacks (any sport), Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals. His laugh was memorable. In addition to his daughter, Jacqueline Wallace Montelongo, and her husband, Matt, Deane is survived by Jason Deane Knapp and Jason's wife, Nicole; his brother, sister-in-law, two sisters and brother-in-law; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grand-nephews.

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