CLASS NOTES Alumni, we want to hear what you’ve been doing. Mail career, wedding, birth, and death news to Class Notes, Virginia Tech Alumni Association, Holtzman Alumni Center, 901 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061; email the information to classnotes@vt.edu; or submit the news online at vtmag.vt.edu/submit-classnote.php, where photos may also be uploaded for consideration. For assistance, call 540-231-6285.
’61
CAREER James T. Steffens, Bradenton, Fla., was named a fellow with the Institute of Fire Engineers.
’62
CAREER Charles S. Blethen Jr., Marshall, N.C., published his second book, “Entertaining with Wine, Your Defense Against Wine Snobbery.” WEDDING Donald E. Womeldorph Jr., Argyle, Texas, married Anne Blakesly, 11/9/19.
’63
CAREER John G. Danz Jr., Towson, Md., is a lecturer of American history at Notre Dame University of Maryland and serves as minister of pastoral care at Grace United Methodist Church.
’68
COURTESY OF ROBERT HEMM
CAREER Alphonso P. Boxley III, Waynesboro, Va., retired on Jan. 31, 2020, after 43 years as a McDonald's owner and operator. James A. Casada, Rock Hill, S.C., published his 18th book, “A Smoky Mountain Boyhood: Memories, Musings and More.”
’72
CAREER Emory Randall Wertz, Christiansburg, Va., wrote “Overworked & Underpaid, The Life of An Election Official.”
’73
CAREER Frederick H. Ray, Springfield, Pa., received the CRC Watersheds Environmental Volunteer Leadership Award.
’74
CAREER John G. Kines Jr., Disputanta, Va., was appointed to a second four-year term on the Virginia Board of Social Services by Gov. Ralph Northam.
’75
CAREER James A. Mize Jr., Cleveland, S.C., has published his third humor book, “Hunting with Beanpole.”
’77
CAREER Fredrick S. Najjar, San Francisco, Calif., was elected to a twoyear term as the chair of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Harold Benjamin Short, Herndon, Va., retired from Turner Construction in January 2019.
’78
CAREER William F. “Rick" Hinson Jr., Riner, Va., received the 2020 Jack A. Proctor Meritorious Service Award from the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association.
’79
CAREER Thomas A. Carnevale, Clearfield, Pa., was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital.
Robert Hemm on Easter Island
THE ADVENTURES OF A LIFETIME After retiring from a successful business career, Robert Hemm ’50 really put his natural curiosity to work. Building on earlier experiences with skydiving and international travel, Hemm embarked on decades of adventure and scientific exploration through the famed Explorers Club. The engineer turned business major made nine trips to Easter Island, dove into underwater caves in the Yucatan, operated a one-man deep diver sub, took up flying at age 60, and climbed in and out of volcanoes at age 75. Recently, he chaired the Explorer Club’s 500th anniversary celebration of Magellan/Elcano’s circumnavigation of the world. Hemm credits his varied experiences at Virginia Tech—varsity wrestling, acting, editor and columnist for the student newspaper, spelunking—for his lifelong curiosity.
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