Miami Magazine | Winter 2006 by University of Miami

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Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

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The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis

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Diabetes Research

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Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute

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Vascular Biology Institute

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Batchelor Children’s Research Institute

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Touch Research Institute ■ ■

University of Miami Ear Institute ■

Drug Research Center

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The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine is the nucleus of one of the largest and busiest academic medical centers in the nation. Much more than the sum of its parts, the school thrives on the synergy of its interrelated centers and institutes—each impressive in its own right. That means our patients benefit from the expertise of some of the most talented physicians and physician-scientists in the world. In labs, clinics, and classrooms across our campus, amazing discoveries are made each day. Discoveries that will cure diseases, ensure new treatments, and ease human suffering. That’s strong medicine.

Mailman Center for Child Development

STR ONG ME DICINE

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Full page AD

Lois Pope LIFE Center

Division of Research in Medical Education

Institute

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

12/1/05

Foundation Center for Medical Genetics

www.med.miami.edu

Dr. John T. Macdonald

The Miller School of Medicine’s success depends on the generosity of friends like you. For more information on how you can help, please call 305-243-6256.

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Institute for Women’s Health

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Center on Adult Development and Aging

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Comprehensive

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’Canes Cadets

ROTC Hurricane Aces make a mark on campus while building their skills as future officers in the U.S. Air Force.

In Their Own Words

University professors show that the voices of individuals are the purest and most powerful form of historical record.

Live and Learn

For thousands of University of Miami students each year, living on campus is a quintessential part of the academic experience.

Sound Mind, Sound Body

Music soothes the soul, but in the Frost School’s music therapy program, it also helps the body bounce back from adversity.

Gaining Clarity

30 14

At Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, breakthrough treatments such as Avastin are protecting and restoring vision in patients with wet macular degeneration.

PostMarks

Comments and opinions from alumni and friends

University Journal

Hurricane relief Momentum update Economic impact Science of taste One-year ■

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MBA ■ Bioscience land swap ■ 25 years since Mariel ■ Perez Architecture Center opens ■

Science helps math and English ■ Toni Morrison ■ Little Salt Spring discoveries ■ Sailing

goes competitive ■ M.D.-Ph.D. poet ■ Secada, Herman, and Hamlisch ■ Cervical exam device

Alumni Digest

Newmans’ gift names alumni center ■ Deans on tour ■ Torrettas support ALS research ■

Audrey Finkelstein is a lifelong leader ■ Spirit 101 CDs ■ Cesarano is UMAA president

Class Notes

News and profiles of alumni worldwide

DateBook

Alumni events and activities ■ Football home and away ■ Cultural exhibitions and performances On the cover: From the Holocaust

to slavery to progress in local communities, oral histories are an invaluable way of documenting events and eras throughout history. Photo by Greg Schneider.

Big Picture Robert Johnson is a real people person

VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1, WINTER 2006

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Comments and Opinions from University of Miami Alumni and Friends

HEALTHY SKEPTICISM OF THE DIVINE

EVERY VOTE COUNTS

The article “Political

s a psychologist, I read with interest the recent article “Divine Inspiration” (fall 2005). As an atheist, I read it with the usual trepidation. The article reflects a growing movement in psychology, medicine, and related disciplines of trying to show that religious belief is healthy and that atheists and other “nonbelievers” like myself are thus less healthy (or at least not functioning properly). While your article states that some researchers recognize the problems religion has caused throughout history, they don’t seem to appreciate how their research is promoting an agenda of marginalizing those who do

not believe in a religion or “higher power.” The old cliché that “there are no atheists in the foxhole” is really not true. Throughout my practice I have worked with plenty of war veterans who are atheists. It’s important to realize that healthy humans can certainly be nonbelievers! Frederick J. Kier, M.S.Ed. ’95 Via the Internet

Primer”(spring 2004) featured several prominent UM alumni, including former state representative Mike Abrams. I, too, learned a valuable political lesson participating in student government at UM. In my freshman year I was elected class president. Other candidates in that race were Ron Lieberman, A.B. ’68, who later emerged in MiamiDade County as a leading Democratic Party activist, and Dexter Lehtinen, A.B. ’68, who is best known today for a distinguished career in public service, first in the Florida Legislature and then in the United States Attorney’s Office. Toward the end of my

FIRST WORDS

one-year term, I ran for sophomore class president. When the votes were counted, amazingly I was tied for first place. In other words, I failed to win the election by a single vote. Later that evening a fraternity brother confided that he did not vote. I was crestfallen. To break the deadlock, UM repeated the election one week later, and this time I lost! This incident imbued me with a lasting lesson: Whenever you run for public office, every vote counts! This lesson provided ample incentive for me to work diligently for every vote many years later, when I ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives— on the advice and counsel of Ron Lieberman. The night I

Timing is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities for any periodi-

Katrina Whips Up Editorial Irony

cal. As history unfolds, Miami magazine aims to capture it, investigate its implica-

s Hurricane Katrina slammed

ture story on the breadth of hurricane

tions, and present it in a way that has the

into Louisiana and Mississippi on

research at the Rosenstiel School of

most value for you. Like the oral histori-

August 29, thus began the worst natural

Marine and Atmospheric Science. Katrina

ans in the cover story of this issue

disaster in the history of the United

was not even a blip on the radar when the

explain, it’s the voices of the individuals

States. Just days later, the fall issue of

magazine shipped to the printer, but the

who witness and effect change that high-

Miami magazine showed up in your mail-

storm’s timing made for an uncanny issue

light the impact of events. Our pages are

box, its cover clad in red hurricane warn-

debut. Not to mention that two months

a forum for such voices, including yours.

ing flags, swirling cloud patterns, and

later, Hurricane Wilma halted University

We hope you’ll send us your stories and

wind-whipped palm trees.

operations for an entire week and caused

help us showcase the historic evolution of

intense stress and economic strife for

our extended University of Miami family.

In its 15 years of publication, this was the first time Miami magazine ran a fea-

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South Floridians.

—Meredith Danton, Editor

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won the primary election, which was the first time I ran for elective office since my undergraduate days at UM, the very first congratulatory telephone call I received was from State Representative Dexter Lehtinen. Art Simon, B.B.A. ’68, J.D. ’74 University of Miami Assistant General Counsel

columnist. The process of interviewing experts, gathering facts, and forming a position about a given issue has served me well. I use the power of persuasive writing today in my role as a fundraising director for a major university in Chicago. I’m grateful for my time as a Hurricane columnist, and I was delighted to see your

POWER OF PERSUASIVE WRITING

I enjoyed your fall 2005 article “Meet the Press,” about the long history of The Miami Hurricane. During my years as a student, I was an op-ed columnist for The Hurricane. I wrote pieces in response to current events from 1988 to 1993; it was a formative experience for me that I think about frequently. I covered everything from the Gulf War to the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and the value of freedom of speech to the lost art of letter writing. My topics ranged from the serious to the funny, but more than anything I wanted to provoke dialogue and discourse on the campus. Judging by the volume of letters to the editor (as well as phone calls to the answering machine in my room in Hecht Residential College), it was an effective effort. Though I did not pursue a career in journalism, I do cherish those years as a

person ever appointed to that position. Now I work for Kerzner International as the director of training at the Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas resort. I am responsible for the development and delivery of training to 7,000-plus employees at this five-star resort. I truly believe the University of Miami and dedicated professors such as Robert Moore and Ann Bessell prepared me for the roles I now fulfill. I encourage everyone with whom I come in contact to seek higher education. In my opinion, the University of Miami is the place to get it done. Ian R. Ferguson, M.S.Ed. ’02 Via the Internet

Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing

P. David Johnson Senior Editorial Director

Todd Ellenberg Editor

Meredith Danton Art/Design Director

Scott Fricker Graphic Designers

Sau Ping Choi Ana Gomez-Hung Production Manager

Jill McWilliams Editorial Contributors

Joan Cochran Susan Feinberg Barbara Gutierrez Lisette Hilton Robert C. Jones Jr. Christine Kotler, B.S.C. ’91, M.A. ’01 Leonard Nash Jessica Sick, B.S.C. ’00 Lisa Sedelnik, M.A. ’00 ................................................................

President

Donna E. Shalala Vice President for University Communications

Jerry Lewis

coverage of this important student activity at the University of Miami. Rebecca Hoffman A.B. ’92, M.S.Ed. ’94 Via the Internet

A TESTAMENT TO EDUCATION

I feel the need to share some of the wonderful things that have happened to me as a result of my University of Miami experience. In July of 2002, after completing the master’s in special education program, I was promoted by The Government of the Bahamas to the position of senior master grade A of a high school, the youngest

CORRECTION

In the fall 2005 issue, an Office of Estate and Gift Planning profile of Mack and Betty Roper stated that Mack, B.S. ’49, hasn’t missed a Hurricanes football home game in 16 years. Actually, he hasn’t missed one in 60 years. We welcome your letters. All letters must be signed (your name will not be printed if you so request in writing) and may be edited for clarity and space. Address letters to: Meredith Danton Miami magazine P.O. Box 248105 Coral Gables, FL 33124 E-mail: mdanton@miami.edu Letters:

Vice President for University Advancement

Sergio M. Gonzalez

Miami magazine is published by the University of Miami Division of University Communications. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the University. Postmaster and others, please send change of address notification to Miami magazine, Office of Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 248053, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-3410; telephone 305-284-2872. Contributions of articles, photographs, and artwork are welcome; however, Miami magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited items. The comments and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Miami or the staff of Miami magazine. Copyright ©2006, University of Miami. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. www.miami.edu/miami-magazine

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Noteworthy News and Research at the University of Miami

UNIVERSITY VOLUNTEERS PLAY A ROLE IN GULF COAST RECOVERY

Hurricane Helpers

he University of Miami— which felt the early fury of Hurricane Katrina—reached out soon after the winds subsided to assist victims on the Gulf Coast. After receiving calls from displaced college students— many from Tulane and Loyola Universities in New Orleans—UM found space to enroll 101 students under a non-degree-seeking status. The Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science helped authorities assess storm-related damage by providing them and the media with high-resolution satellite images of floodravaged areas. Faculty from the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies were on

site, providing free medical care in a number of impacted regions. Two teams treated hundreds of patients daily in a clinic tent near Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi. A team of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute ophthalmologists, technicians, and pho-

Bascom Palmer’s Vision Van, left, provided free eye care to hundreds on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Above, a UM student donates blood during a relief drive at the BankUnited Center.

tographers spent three weeks in various locations in Louisiana and Mississippi aboard the Vision Van, a converted 40-foot mobile eye clinic outfitted with examination rooms, screening stations, and state-of-the-art equipment.

Buzz Words “He is probably the premier Supreme Court legislator of his generation.” Dean Colson, J.D. ’77, chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, referring to his close friend John Roberts, now installed as chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. –Hardball with Chris Matthews

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“We never thought the Vision Van would be used for this purpose,” says Bascom Palmer Chairman Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., who

before Katrina made landfall. Weisman serves as the deputy commander of the Florida-5 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, part of the Department of Homeland Security. They set up a

led the hurricane relief team. “Bascon Palmer is planning to develop this into a more regular program to provide emergency eye care in settings where there has been destruction of the medical infrastructure.” Richard Weisman, UM research associate professor and director of the Florida Poison Information Center, and Joseph Scott, assistant professor of emergency medicine and director of emergency medical skills training at UM’s Center for Research in Medical Education, were deployed to Alabama even

MASH field hospital in Mississippi, where they saw 1,400 patients in 12 days. After they were back in Miami for a week, the unit was reactivated to help Hurricane Rita victims near the Texas-Louisiana border. Back on the University’s campuses, efforts included: a benefit concert by the Frost School of Music, student-led fundraisers, and donation drives in the residential colleges. The Butler Volunteer Services Center helped the American Red Cross coordinate relief activities.

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2005 IS A BANNER YEAR FOR THE MOMENTUM CAMPAIGN

Approaching the Goal hilanthropy reached record heights this year at the University of Miami, with Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami achieving the bestever annual fundraising results and putting the $1 billion goal within reach. As of November 29, 2005, the campaign had reached $974 million. During fiscal 2005 total private cash, gifts, and grants topped $135 million—an 8 percent increase over last year’s record total of more than $125 million. The stunning progress propelled the total of the campaign to $890 million by May 31,

topped $81.7 million, which is an increase of 27.7 percent. ■ Total alumni giving reached $13.6 million, up 33 percent from Record giving to the Momentum campaign is helping to last year. If fund important new facilities such as the M. Christine alumni-related Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies. entities such as personal foundations and employees’ support to propel alumni-owned companies are the initiative down the included, alumni giving actu- homestretch. To date, this ally reached $41.3 million. drive has raised more than ■ Last spring the faculty $14 million. The Momentum camand staff component to paign is endowing student Momentum launched, scholarships; creating featuring a “100 Percent endowed teaching chairs; UM” theme that calls on all attracting gifted professors and scientists; endowing new interdisciplinary centers and institutes; and enhancing research initiatives across Coral Gables, with a total impact of $1.1 billion— the University’s campuses. and approximately 40 percent of the University’s

2005, the fiscal year’s end. “Thanks to the dedication and generosity of a multitude of wonderful individuals, the Momentum campaign just keeps gaining speed,” says President Donna E. Shalala. The University recorded increases in every category of fundraising. Some of the largest gains included: ■ Foundation giving reached $58.2 million, an increase of more than 58 percent. ■ Endowment gifts totaled more than $13 million, a 66.2 percent rise. ■ Total support for the Miller School of Medicine

Economic Powerhouse

he University of Miami is South Florida’s premier intellectual engine, and now its

role as an economic powerhouse has been

quantified in an independent economic impact study conducted by The Washington Economics Group. The University of Miami is the largest private employer in

payroll goes to employees living in the city. More than 68,000 out-of-town visitors attended University-sponsored

HONOR ROLL ONLINE

academic events and spent an

You can now view the Honor

estimated $62 million in 2004.

Roll list, which recognizes

Overall, the University, its guests,

contributions of individuals

and out-of-state students

and organizations, at

sixth largest employer overall,

injected $1.5 billion into Miami-

www.miami.edu/campaign/

with a total economic impact of

Dade County’s economy.

honorroll. It is part of the

Miami-Dade County and the

over $3.9 billion in 2004. Its more than 10,000 employees on all cam-

“The University of Miami is inextricably linked to this

Photo by John Zillioux/Illustration by Gerald Bustamante

Momentum campaign Web site, www.miami.edu/campaign,

puses were compensated $739 million, with an

wonderful and diverse community—and as a

which is updated regularly

indirect impact on 27,000 additional jobs in the

key intellectual and economic force, we are

with news and editions of the

local market. The University is the single most

committed to its continued advancement,” says

Campaign Momentum newsletter.

important economic enterprise in the city of

President Donna E. Shalala.

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professor Nirupa Chaudhari, who has been instrumental in identifying receptors for umami—savory spoonful of sugar may “Blocking bitterness to flavors in meats, help the medicine go down, make medicines more palatcheeses, some but Stephen Roper, professor able is not trivial,” Roper vegetables, and of physiology and biophysics says. “Patient compliance is a monosodium at the Miller School of Medi- huge health care issue.” glutamate. The cine, is working on better Roper has been studying name umami is ways to buffer the bitterness the physiology of taste for 30 a derivative of the of good-for-you edibles. He years, but the biggest breakJapanese word for is one of four prominent through in the field, he says, delicious. national researchers came only five years ago with Identifying appointed to the Scientific the discovery of taste receptor Advisory Board of Linguagen proteins. Humans have up to Stephen Roper deciphers how taste buds detect flavors. taste receptor proteins is the first Corp., a biotechnology firm 10,000 taste buds, each one bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and step in finding ways to turn that identifies and develops containing 50 to 100 cells. umami—much like a lock them off and on. Blocking compounds to improve the Each cell contains a receptor and key. Roper works closely bitterness could mean the taste of pharmaceutical, food, protein that reacts only to a with fellow Miller School end of coated pills in favor of and beverage products. specific taste molecule— faster-acting liquid medications, and it also could help kids eat their broccoli and Getting Down to Business brussel sprouts. Diabetics and people on low-salt diets could The 32-credit program admits up to 30 stubout 130,000 people a year earn a Masbenefit from products that dents each January who progress together in a ter of Business Administration degree, enhance sweet and salty “lock-step” format through four seven-week the second most often conferred master’s receptors. Triggering foul flaterms. The One-Year MBA and traditional twodegree in the United States after the master’s vors on the taste buds of year program share the same faculty, but Onein education. While that number is climbing, the insects could lead to the use Year MBA students take eight number of people willing to of less-toxic pesticides. classes per semester instead sacrifice two years of earning The mechanisms of taste of six. In lieu of summer potential to be a full-time MBA and smell, which are strongly classes, the program requires student is dropping. interlinked, are less underthat students without work In addition to its two-year stood than other senses like experience complete an Executive MBA program— sight and hearing, but it internship, which they can offering weekend classes for doesn’t mean they are less obtain through the Ziff Gradupeople who work full time—the essential. “What we choose ate Career Services Center. Only students who School of Business Administration is introducto eat has a major impact on have earned an undergraduate degree in busiing a new One-Year MBA option in spring 2006. nutrition,” Roper says. Citing ness within the past five years are eligible. “This is a private University, so we’re very diabetes, high blood pressure, “It appeals to the Millennium Generation,” entrepreneurial; we try to stay ahead of the obesity, and other diet-related says Susan Gerrish, program coordinator. curve,” says Harold Berkman, vice dean of ailments, he makes a sweet “They’re scheduled, they’re focused, and graduate business programs in the School of argument for good taste. they’re really motivated to achieve.” Business Administration. STEPHEN ROPER MAKES A CASE FOR GOOD TASTE

Savory Science

Photo by John Zillioux /Illustration by Leon Zernitsky

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PROPERTY SWAP PAVES WAY FOR UM BIOSCIENCE CENTER

This Land Is Your Land ometimes hope and prosperity can rise from the most unlikely of places. Take, for example, the almost eight-acre stretch of land located between NW 7th Avenue and I-95 in Miami’s Civic Center area. Covered mostly by gravel and grass, it isn’t much to look at. But a new facility providing economic growth for a community is envisioned for this barren site.

of land the University owns about a block further south. The first 200,000-squarefoot phase of the center could be finished by early

Above, rendering of the Miami Bioscience Center. Left, City of Miami Commission Vice Chairman Angel Gonzalez, left, President Donna E. Shalala, and Camillus House President Paul Ahr sign the land swap agreement. Standing behind Shalala is Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.

a wide range of amenities headed by President Shalala and services. After more than two decand City of ades of searching, Camillus “This University needs to position itself as an economic engine to Miami Mayor House will replace its curManny Diaz to create quality jobs and opportunities, and over the next five to rent shelter with a 340-bed revitalize the facility offering services Civic Center ten years, we will double our employment in the city of Miami.” area. By creating for intensive treatment, A land swap agreement housing, retail shops, a shut- vocational training, job 2008, and the entire project placement, and housing between the University tle system, and restaurants, will be funded through priassistance, according to and the City of Miami is the goal of the initiative is vate investment, according Camillus House President enabling the creation of the to make the Civic Center a to Sergio Rodriguez, vice Paul Ahr. Its new facility Miami Bioscience Center, a president of real estate, cam- place where people come also will serve as a base for 1.4 million-square-foot tech- pus planning, and construcnot only to work, receive joint projects with the nology park that will elevate tion, who negotiated the world-class medical care, University of Miami that South Florida into the ranks land swap deal. and seek help from governresearch the causes and cures of the nation’s elite medical “This University needs to ment agencies but also to of chronic homelessness. research communities. live, raise families, and enjoy position itself as an ecoUnder the terms of the nomic engine to create qualdeal, the University will build ity jobs and opportunities, a bioscience research center and over the next five to ten on the stretch of land adjayears, we will double our cent to UM’s medical camemployment in the city of “Human beings just aren’t that good at multitasking— pus and currently controlled Miami,” says UM President as the experience with cell phones and driving shows— by Camillus House, a charity Donna E. Shalala. and it’s a rare e-mail message that really needs an serving the homeless. In The bioscience center instantaneous response.” Reid Cushman, research assistant return, Camillus House will would be a cornerstone of professor in the Department of Medicine, on students being distracted build a new facility for the The Miami Partnership, by tech gadgets in the classroom. –The Chronicle of Higher Education. homeless on a smaller parcel a broad initiative spear-

Buzz Words

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Photo by Pyramid Photographics

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MARIELITOS RECOUNT THEIR 25-YEAR HISTORY

Voyage of Courage

hen UM assistant librarian Celeida Figueroa was 25 years old, she made a decision that would change her life forever. Cuban-born Figueroa, who was studying for a Spanish-language doctorate in Havana, decided to break away from the repression in her country—the lack of opportunities as well as the hours she was forced to guard her university’s campus. “I never accepted the Cuban revolution,’’ Figueroa

Cuban government official. This was her ticket off of the island. Figueroa is one of approximately 130,000 refugees who arrived in South Florida during the Mariel boatlift in the summer of 1980. Started by a group of dissatisfied Cubans who stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana, the massive exodus included a large number of artists, painters, writers, and dancers who eventually helped trans-

“In reality, the Mariel boatlift brought many good things and gave a cultural boost to this city.” says. “I wanted to go to a place where I could freely express myself.” So she crafted a letter declaring her to be a violent alcoholic and had it signed by a friend who was a

form the cultural landscape of Miami. The boatlift also included a minority of criminals and mentally ill refugees—forced to emigrate by the Fidel Castro government—who eventually helped

Cuban refugees arriving in Key West in 1980 via the Mariel boatlift.

make Marielito a bad name. “People like to speak about the bad things Mariel brought,” says Lesbia Varona, bibliographer and reference librarian at the Otto G. Richter Library’s Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC). “In reality, the Mariel boatlift brought many good things and gave a cultural boost to this city.” Figueroa remembers the voyage vividly, 14 bouts of seasickness and all. When the

Photo by John Zillioux/Mariel photo courtesy of the Cuban Information Archives

Architectural Gem

he School of Architecture has dedicated its new building, the 8,600-square-foot

Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center. The majestic modern-yet-classical structure encompasses three major spaces: the Stanley and Jewell Glasgow Lecture Hall; the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Classroom; and an exhibition gallery that will showcase juried work of students and professionals. Signature elements are an octagonal lantern above the lecture hall, a

and an arched portico serving as a ceremonial

stepped tower above the stairwell, a colonnade,

entrance facing Dickinson Drive.

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45-foot-long shrimper named Carry Hill docked in Key West, her sister-in-law picked her up and drove her to a restaurant in Little Havana. “I felt like I had reached paradise,’’ she recalls. Like many of the refugees, Figueroa had some family members who helped her settle in Miami. At the beginning she worked in factories, then she landed a job at the University of Miami, got married, and raised three children. She credits family support and bona fide hard work for her ability to adapt and escape the stigma of being labeled a Marielita. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the exodus, Varona curated an exhibit at the CHC called “The Cultural Legacy of Mariel,” which ran from October through December and included one-of-a-kind documents, letters, paintings, and etchings of the period.

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EDUCATION PROFESSORS USE SCIENCE TO STRENGTHEN STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES

Adding Einstein to English Class he eyes of 30 thirdgraders at Hialeah Elementary School widen in excitement as they “make rain.” The experiment is teaching them about the water cycle, but through a new curriculum developed by University of Miami School of Education professors, the students also are expanding their proficiency in English and math. Hialeah Elementary is one of 15 Miami-Dade County public schools participating in P-SELL (Promoting Science Among English Language Learners in a High-Stakes Testing Policy Context). In the first year of the five-year project, funded by a $5 million

“P-SELL was an eye-opener way of teaching it.” National Science Foundation grant, 45 teachers engaged more than 1,100 third-graders in science instruction that also boosted the students’ scores in math and reading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). From 2004 to 2005, P-SELL schools gained 20 points in math, in contrast to only 4 points at comparison schools; reading scores rose 8 points in con-

trast to 3 points at comparison schools. “When I came to Hialeah Elementary four years ago, the science materials were full of dust, obsolete, and incomplete,” says Carolina Naveiras, principal of the school, which the Florida Department of Education upgraded from a C to a B rating this year. “P-SELL was an eye-opener for educators on science and a creative way of teaching it.” UM professor Okhee Lee and colleagues in the Department of Teaching and Learning have been developing the P-SELL curriculum over the past ten years. The materials reinforce reading comprehension, oral lan-

Professor Okhee Lee and third-grade teacher Luisa Mañas at West Laboratory Elementary School are boosting FCAT scores through science.

students in grades three “Science is still perceived through five at schools rated as a field for the middleC or D. Science will become class white man,” Lee says. a component of the FCAT “The real value in science for fifth-grade students education is not just for students to become scientists beginning in 2006, and in 2007 it will become part of but also so for educators on science and a creative they learn the federal No Child Left how to make Behind Act. The P-SELL curriculum rational deciis presently under review by sions in day-to-day life.” guage, and writing skills in a major commercial publishOver the next four years, science lessons that ask stuing house for state and P-SELL will involve more dents to present their than 300 teachers and 7,000 national adoption. hypotheses, explain science concepts, describe what they did in experiments, and draw conclusions. Math also is a natural complement, as students have to take mea“I would say the circumstances and risk almost force surements and interpret the people to overdiagnose.” George W. Elgart, M.D., professor of data in charts and graphs. dermatology at the Miller School of Medicine, on a recent study that Encouraging minority suggests rising melanoma rates are due to overdiagnosis, not new students to consider careers cases. –Forbes in science is an added bonus.

Buzz Words

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TONI MORRISON HEADLINES FALL CONVOCATION

Beloved Author Speaks

Photo by Pyramid Photographics

hings have changed in the last 40 years since Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison penned her first novel, The Bluest Eye. “Minorities are finally articulated, though I find them still to be supplementary, a kind of footnote or sidebar,” Morrison said, citing voids in documentation of the African-American experience as a prompt for her writing. For her, “the act of writing is an attempt at a shared effort of imagining,” a process that etches clarity into the obscure slate of recorded history. “When there is that nothing, that for the novelist is the real excitement,” said Morrison. “It’s like there’s a tall door that rises up into this nothing. Later on, you reach into your pocket and find a key that fits the lock.” Professor of humanities at Princeton University, Morrison kicked off the University of Miami’s fall 2005 academic semester by delivering The Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Lecture at the BankUnited Center (formerly the Convocation Center). Prior to her visit, all incoming freshmen read Beloved, a powerful tale inspired by the true story of a runaway slave who killed her

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own daughter rather than relinquish her to a life of slavery. The missing pieces in that snippet of history—told from the perspective of a mother haunted by her tragic act of love and sacrifice— spawned the novel that earned Morrison a Pulitzer in 1988. Following her presentation, Morrison fielded questions on disparate topics, ranging from African-American role models in popular culture to national sentiment after 9/11 to the definition of freedom, which is a common theme in many of her novels.

Toni Morrison enjoys a reception following her lecture.

“There’s a play between the desire of humanity to be absolutely unique and at the same time to belong,”

Morrison said. “I don’t know if you ever reach a plateau and say, ‘Oh I’m free’—because then you just might be alone.”

Little Salt Springs Forth

mong the dozens of sinkholes scattered

has been excavating Little Salt Spring with stu-

throughout the Florida landscape,

dents and colleagues since 1992. Gifted to the

there is one that reveals the secrets of early

University in 1982 by the General Development

human societies. Little Salt Spring, a 240-foot-

Corporation, the site is on the National Register

deep, hourglass-shaped sinkhole on the

of Historic Places because its water

Gulf Coast of Florida, recently

source is so deep underground

revealed two important arti-

that it contains no dissolved oxygen, thus inhibiting bacteria

facts to researchers at the

from growing and decomposing

Rosenstiel School of Marine and

organic materials.

Atmospheric Science. The latest finds—a green stone

The pendant is intriguing, Gifford

pendant and another stone artifact

Stone pendant found

explains, because its material is not

that appears to be part of a spear-

in Little Salt Spring.

indigenous to the area, making the

thrower, both estimated to be about

object something rare that would have

8,000 years old—are among hundreds of items

conferred some sort of status on the owner.

uncovered at the spring since it was first discov-

“Archaeologists are interested in data, but

ered as an archaeological site in the late-1950s.

they’re not above admiring a well-made and

Marine archaeologist and Rosenstiel School

rare object such as this pendant, which just

associate professor John Gifford, M.S.C.E. ’73,

happens to be an artistic achievement.”

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NEW SAILING TEAM JOINS COMPETITIVE CIRCUIT

The Win in Their Sails

ngela Leffingwell was eight years old when she first skittered across water on the pull of a billowed sail. In that taut sheet of canvas she captured not only the wind but also a lifelong passion. While the University of Miami was her top college choice, she lamented the fact that it did not offer competitive sailing. “I come from Wisconsin, where we have only three months of sailing a year,” says Leffingwell, now a junior music major. “I couldn’t understand why there was no sailing team here.” So Leffingwell chartered a course to change that. In her freshman year she met fellow freshman Fred Moffat, who led his high school sailing team at Miami’s Ransom Everglades to a national championship. Last year the sailors registered the University’s first competitive team with the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the

professor Ken Voss, who sails in national races with his wife, Kay Kilpatrick, a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The recreational club keeps its fleet of boats at the Rosenstiel School, but they are different from the racing

sailing team if we don’t have a place to practice,” says Moffat, team captain. “The Coconut Grove Sailing Club came through.” Propelling the team’s competitive ascent is UM senior Zach Railey, a sport administration major who also is on the U.S. Sailing Team. As

sport’s national governing body. The sailing team, part of the South Atlantic District, competes against schools such as Duke, Embry-Riddle, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and the University of Florida. The team is a boon for students who long for the thrill of the race, but the University has had a recreational sailing club since the 1970s. “I estimate that more than 5,000 students over the years have learned how to sail in the Sailing team captains Angela Leffingwell and Fred Moffat, left, and team members Andrew club,” says Rhonda Willert and Alex Kaplan train at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. DuBord, associate one of the top five sailors in vessels used in competitive director of recreational the United States for the sports, who served as the sail- sailing. The team, unable to Finn class of boats, he has a purchase racing boats due ing club’s advisor from 1981 promising shot at the 2008 to high insurance costs, until 2004. The current club faculty advisor is UM physics struck a partnership with the Olympics. Last semester Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Railey captured the firstIn exchange for access to rac- ever Finn College National Championship for the ing boats and facilities, the University of Miami. team pays a rental fee and “I chose Miami because I provides sailing instruction to “It was a mountain that had to be climbed because the loved the school from the patrons of the club. A donareproductive physiology of the female dog is so comsecond I set foot on campus,” tion from Jon Stemples, plicated.” Louis Elsas, M.D., director of The Dr. John T. Macdonald Railey says. “And the U.S. B.S.C.E. ’63, also helps supFoundation Center for Medical Genetics at the Miller School of MediSailing training facility is here port operational activities of cine, on the scientific significance of Snuppy, the world’s first cloned in Miami, so it couldn’t have both the club and team. dog. –RedNova News “I can’t get kids to join the worked out better.” Winter 2006 Miami magazine 11 ■

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Photo by The Miami Herald/Tim Chapman

Buzz Words

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Page 12

MEDICAL STUDENT ADDS RHYME TO REASON

An Unlikely Poet

University of Miami student has written a poem called “Daytime Dreamer,” which lauds the magical moment when the creative mind becomes free to “dip into streaming subconscious” and “pour forth a lyric hymn.” The free-spirited author is not a creative writing student, but a future physician-scientist. “My mind is an interesting place,” admits Shawn M. Rose, B.S. ’00, who has published “Daytime Dreamer” in his first book of poems, Lessons from Eternity

(University Press of the South). Rose is in his seventh year of the M.D.-Ph.D. program at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He recently completed his Ph.D. in immunology, studying anti-inflammatory T cell responses in neonatal versus adult mice. While it would seem that Rose’s day-to-day rotations through labs and clinics would leave little time for creative musings, he is never without a literary eye. “Everything has a story. Whether you are doing

M.D.-Ph.D. student Shawn Rose sees life through poetic eyes.

science or writing or taking care of patients, observation is number one.” Rose began writing poetry in high school,

Music Masters Conduct Classes during Festival Miami

aking a breather from promoting his

iTunes, no Napster. Artists cannot ignore any

newest album, Same Dream, the

more what is happening in the industry in

Grammy-winning Jon Secada,

terms of the way we create and

B.M. ’83, M.M. ’86, added a dash

market music.”

Photos by Donna Victor (Rose) and Pyramid Photographics

of celebrity spice to this year’s

Before leading into a

Festival Miami. In addition to a

question-and-answer session,

sold-out concert with the Jazz

Secada demonstrated his

Vocal I Ensemble, Secada con-

musical versatility by playing

ducted a master class open to

snippets of another new CD

faculty, students, and the gen-

featuring jazz arrangements

eral public. Famed composers

of some of his hit pop songs.

Jerry Herman, A.B. ’53, and

“In the studio, people were

Marvin Hamlisch also con-

Superstar alumnus Jon Secada

always saying, ‘Jon, how do your

ducted master classes as part

shares music business secrets

harmonies come so quick?’ I

of the Frost School of Music’s

with students.

would just say, ‘I’m really feeling

Stamps Family Distinguished Visitors Series. Secada opened the class with a nod to music technology. “When I started, there was no

12 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

it,’ but I always knew where it came from. I always kept my education in my

■

back pocket, but today more than ever, that card is out.”

inspired by the written eloquence of his mother, an English teacher. As an undergraduate psychobiology major, he formed a poetry exchange and discussion group with other students that evolved into a spoken word show on the University’s student-run radio station, WVUM. Lessons from Eternity is an amalgamation of Rose’s early works and new creations, all linked by a common thread: “The major theme is intellectual and social enlightenment,” Rose says. “There are so many intelligent people who want to walk through the day and keep it status quo. My goal is to get people to think about things. There has to be a collective consciousness to make a difference in the world, and it starts with education and awareness.”

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Page 13

FOURNIER DEVICE MAY HELP SAVE LIVES

Self-Serve Cervical Exam rthur Fournier, M.D., says casually that he was out to “build a better mousetrap,” but his modesty belies the lifesaving results of his efforts and ingenuity. Vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and associate dean for community health

Arthur Fournier, M.D., invents a cervical self-sampling device.

affairs, Fournier has invented a cervical self-sampling device for detection of cancer and sexually transmitted diseases—an invention that could prove especially vital to countless women in developing nations. The Fournier Device, which has been issued three patents, resembles a tampon and is easily used by women to obtain their own specimens. In a study published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, researchers compared the Fournier Device with traditional

A strictly by-the-numbers perspective of UM

sampling methods such as the Pap smear, using cytologic and molecular-based tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and human papillomavirus (HPV), now known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Self-collected samples showed an overall increase in cells collected and identified more cases of HPV than Pap smears. Fournier initially thought of the idea for his device some 20 years ago. “I’ve been teaching students how to do Pap smears for 28 years,” Fournier says. “It’s much more of a skill to do it right than is generally appreciated—but more importantly, women hate it.” Fournier’s experience taking UM medical students to Haiti as part of Project Medishare—traveling to the nation more than 100 times—reinforced the need for the device. “In developing countries women are dying of cervical cancer because they aren’t being screened. When we go back to Haiti we’ll screen every woman in Thomonde at risk for cervical cancer. We’ll save at least 100 lives among women who have never been screened. Ultimately, the goal is to make this an option for all women.”

Number of funded research projects presently under way on all campuses 1,656

Number of new research awards received at the University in FY2005 2,032

Total research expenditures on all campuses in FY2005 $269,876,224

Price of two F/A-22 Raptor fighter planes $269,876,224

Number of paintings produced in the Art 102 course each semester 600

Number of paintings produced by Rembrandt in his lifetime 600

Black and white house paint used by art students per semester 13 gallons

Amount of wall space 13 gallons of paint will cover 4,550 square feet

Height from the floor to the top of the lantern over the lecture hall in the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center 55 feet

Underground depth of the Empire State Building foundation 55 feet

Weight of the lantern atop the Perez Architecture Center lecture hall 34 tons

Estimated coffee consumed by UM students every six months 34 tons

Illustrations by Jack Hornady

Go Figure

Sources: University of Miami Office of Research, Air Force Association, UM Department of Art and Art History, About.com, National Paint and Coatings Association, UM School of Architecture, Empire State Building Company, National Geographic News

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 13 ■

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At the University of Miami, ROTC Hurricane Aces build their skills as future officers in the U.S. Air Force. Whether aiming for a military career or a memorable post-collegiate experience, these young men and women make their mark on campus.

’CANES CADETS ★

★

Liset te

Hilton

A ★

llured by the prospect of attending college on full scholarship, Joe McGill joined University of Miami Detachment 155 of the United States Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps). Two engineering degrees later, he flies F-16s from Homestead Air Reserve Base and has made the military his career. ★ “There’s nothing else I’d rather do than fly fighters,” says Captain McGill, B.S.E.E. ’01, B.S.C.E ’01. ★ The U.S. Air Force not only paid his tuition but also trained him to be a fighter pilot. His commitment: ten years in the military, three of which are complete. ★ The University of Miami is the major hub for the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) in South Florida. It’s where students from Florida International University, Barry University, Florida Memorial University, and other schools receive leadership training and prepare to be officers in the U.S. Air Force. Of the 87 students in the 2004-2005 Detachment 155 cadet wing, more than a third are University of Miami students. Whether trotting in formation across the intramural fields or marching proudly with the U.S. flag at formal events, the AFROTC Hurricane Aces are a visible and active part of the University of Miami community. While the life of a cadet is a bit different from the typical UM student, the experience proves rewarding and, in many cases, life changing.

14 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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University of Miami Air Force ROTC cadets, left to right, Brandon Ferguson, Amal Nazzall, and Melissa Dorn, are getting a college education while training to be officers in the United States Air Force.

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 15 ■

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cholarship opportunities lure potential cadets to apply, but it’s not all about the money. Often ROTC students seek leadership training and an opportunity to serve their communities and the nation. Many universities, in fact, have reported a rise in ROTC interest since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, despite the possibility that as officers they might be called for active duty. “While our cadets must understand there is a very good chance they may go to war at some point in their career, it will not be right after completion of AFROTC,” says Captain Douglas A. Vetrano, United States Air Force assistant professor of aerospace studies at the University of Miami Detachment 155. “There is much more technical and specialized training an individual goes through to prepare for war.” Being deployed for the real thing doesn’t weigh heavy on McGill’s mind. He says it’s what he has been training for all along. His typical day is far different from that of private sector, office-based engineers. He arrives at the base at 7:30 a.m., is briefed, then flies at least once, maybe twice a day. He and his fighter pilot colleagues practice dropping inert bombs

Page 16

because we want to present a positive image of the Air Force,” says Vetrano, who recently was named the ROTC Education Officer of the Year by the U.S. Air Force. Other young people sign up for the Air Force with no intention of flying planes in combat. “We are here to produce officers for the Air Force first and foremost, regardless of what career field he or she may go into,” Vetrano says. Melissa Dorn, an AFROTC cadet and UM sophomore on full military scholarship, has very different plans: a pediatrician or other health care provider. “My dad was in the Air Force. I would love to take care of kids who are growing up in military families,” she says. “If I get accepted to medical school, I will apply for a different ROTC scholarship that is based on medicine, then complete medical school and residency before becoming an officer.” “We’re training them to be leaders—both in the Air Force and as citizens,” says Captain Matthew W. McAndrew, United States Air Force assistant professor of aerospace studies at UM Detachment 155. Learning discipline and leadership skills starts with taking on important roles within the local

Captain Douglas Vetrano, ROTC Education Officer of the Year in the U.S. Air Force, conducts leadership lab on Michael Yaron Field.

“We are here to produce officers for the Air Force first and foremost, regardless of what career field he or she may go into.” and fly air-to-air combat missions, simulating enemy maneuvers. “Everyone has a small part to play in the big scheme of things,” he says. Some prospective AFROTC cadets want to be a flying ace like McGill. The UM detachment is one of two Air Force detachments in the nation to employ a $160,000 flight simulator, not only as a teaching tool, but as a recruiting tool. Engineering students use the simulator to test their concepts on aircraft design. “We also allow people in the community to use it 16 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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Captain Joe McGill, an alumnus of the UM Air Force ROTC, is a fighter pilot at the Homestead Air Reserve Base.

and University communities. Some cadets are members of the Arnold Air Society, a national service organization for which they do three service projects per semester. “They’ve done blood drives for the local community and visits to World War II veterans at the Miami VA hospital,” McAndrew says. “They’ve gone to elementary schools to teach students how to read, and they’ve volunteered to raise money for cancer.” Cadets who are members of the Color Guard display

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the U.S. flag and represent the AFROTC detachment at formal events, such as at football and basketball games, when the national anthem is played. “At other functions around the local area, we get a lot of requests to have the Color Guard available,” Vetrano explains, “so that people can show a patriotic respect to the flag.” Summer training programs, not a requirement but a perk of the AFROTC, are paid positions that allow cadets to shadow Air Force officers and learn about languages, flying, gliding, and more. At a one- to three-week program called Operation Air Force, cadets are exposed to different specialties by working on an operational Air Force base. “It’s to try to motivate them toward an Air Force career,” Vetrano says.

LIFE OF A CADET

O ★

nce accepted into the program, students register for their regular

classes as well as a leadership lab, which is a two-hour period once a week in which upperclassmen train underclassmen in leadership skills, how to wear uniforms, military customs and courtesies, physical fitness, and more. Cadets also attend a special Air Force class each academic year. Altogether, the time commitment of an Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) cadet is about five hours a week. Cadets endure a challenging four-week field training, or boot camp, in the summer between their sophomore and junior years. Each semester, a military ball enables them to polish their officer etiquette. Those not on ROTC scholarships are not committed to the Air Force for the first two years of the program, according to Captain Matthew W. McAndrew, United States Air Force assistant professor of aerospace studies at UM Detachment 155. “It’s not until you complete field training and you show up for your first academic class in your junior year that you would sign a contract with the U.S. Air Force.” Once cadets complete the field training, they return to campus and are considered an officer candidate in the U.S. Air Force. In the last two years they take a three-credit class that meets twice a week in which they learn more about leadership and national security policy and pre-

All freshman cadets on a four-year scholarship, including Melissa Dorn, attend a similar session called the Rising Sophomore program. This summer Dorn shadowed people who work in mission support, maintenance, operations, and medicine at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. “My favorite was the medical group,” Dorn says. “I shadowed two doctors; one was a pediatrician, and another was a flight medicine physician.” Amal Nazzall, a UM senior psychology major and AFROTC cadet, attended a fourweek boot camp last summer that was challenging but affirmed her direction in the military. “When you wake up to the annoying sound of a horn every morning at 4 or 5 a.m., and you’re on your feet all day long, constantly under pressure,” she says, “it’s definitely one of those times when you get to know yourself and decide, ‘Do I really want to do this?’” Nazzall is planning to be an intelligence officer in the Air Force’s equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called the Office of Special Investigations. Her ultimate career goal is the FBI. The value of her hard work and training rang clear last October, when she commanded the Florida conference for the Arnold Air Society. When one person on her staff had a seizure, she acted swiftly. “I’m so happy that I had all that experience dealing with being under pressure and thinking about what to do in circumstances that are not routine,” she says. While GPA, SAT scores, and community service play into whether high school students qualify for the AFROTC program, one of the most important things is integrity. “The future leaders of the United States Air Force need to instinctively know the difference between right and wrong and have the moral courage to make a tough call, even though it may be an unpopular decision,” Vetrano says. “I’ve developed so much, not only as a leader, but also I know a lot more about myself,” says Nazzall. “I feel more comfortable in my own skin—more comfortable with my abilities.”

pare for active duty. To be commissioned as a U.S. Air Force officer, cadets must have a bachelor’s degree; pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, which is a standardized exam similar to the ACT or SAT; and pass a physical fitness test.

Lisette Hilton is a freelance writer in Boca Raton, Florida. Photography by John Zillioux and Pyramid Photographics. Winter 2006 Miami magazine 17 ■

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History shapes human progress with lessons about the past. Through oral history projects, University of Miami professors show that the voices of individuals are the purest and most powerful form of historical record.

WORDS IN THEIR OWN

Everything that Angelica Berezin used to know about the Holocaust came from history books and films. Then two years ago she met 75-year-old Holocaust survivor Pola Green. • “Written records taught me what the Holocaust was,” says Berezin, a junior liberal arts student and program assistant in the George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies. “But it was Pola who taught me what it was like to live it.” • Through Green’s vivid storytelling, Berezin learned how German soldiers marched into her shtetl in Poland in 1941. How Green watched in horror as Nazi soldiers gunned down a group of Jews, their bodies dumped into graves that she had been forced to help dig. And how Green lived in a forest for two years, sleeping in trenches to keep warm and begging for food from farmers to survive. • Berezin met Green through a University of Miami program that matches Holocaust survivors with students. Funded in part by the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC), the Service Corps project will help ensure that the memories of Holocaust survivors live on, which is critical because soon “the Holocaust will become just a chapter in a book or a footnote in history, as there will be no survivors left with firsthand knowledge and recollections of that time,” says Haim Shaked, director of UM’s Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, which launched the program. • Today, Berezin still visits Green in her Miami Beach home. While Green’s vivid accounts are helping to accomplish the mission of the program, they are also helping to shed new light on the importance of an often-overlooked form of documenting the past: oral histories. By

Ro b e rt

I l lu s t r at i o n

C . By

Jo n e s Ji m

J r.

Fr a z i e r

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ral histories are the first-person accounts of historical information obtained in interviews. “They connect the past with the present, with people who have a living memory of a particular event or episode,” says Robin Bachin, the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, who conducted several oral histories when she was a project coordinator for the National Park Service. In many cases, oral histories are tape recorded as part of a dedicated project or the result of investigation or tragedy. The Slave Narrative Collection, compiled in 17 U.S. states from 1936 to 1938 as part of the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration, for example, consists of more than 2,000 interviews with former slaves, mostly about slave life and their reactions to bondage. In August the City of New York released 9/11 oral histories rendered in the voices of hundreds of firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians who endured the unimaginable struggle against surging fire, confusion, and horror. Oral history initiatives, however, are not always prompted by events of national importance. They also can be informal—such as stories told by the small-town elementary school teacher who has educated generations of families or the efforts of the StoryCorps project, a

Page 20

director of UM’s Institute for Public History, who has used oral histories extensively in projects in conjunction with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the National Park Service. “Most people think such material is boring or trivial, but these are overlooked facets of our lives.” After Hurricane Andrew devastated Miami 13 years ago, Provenzo led a group of his students in south Miami-Dade communities to record the personal experiences of people who lived through the destructive storm and subsequent recovery efforts. The interviews they conducted became the basis of a book, In the Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Andrew and the South Florida Community (University Press of Florida, 2002), and they are now archived in full text and selected digital audio files on the Voices of Andrew Web site (digital.library.miami.edu/andrew). “I don’t know anybody else who went down to Perrine and talked to the police chief about what it was like for him and his family to be

Greg Bush, associate professor of history, captures stories of people in Miami communities.

“A lot of oral histories have mostly been done with elites and famous people, but we all have family stories and collective memories.” national initiative in which two mobile recording booths contained in Airstream trailers are traveling the United States capturing stories of ordinary Americans. The recorded archives will be housed at the Library of Congress. “A lot of oral histories have mostly been done with elites and famous people, but we all have family stories and collective memories,” says Eugene Provenzo, a professor of teaching and learning in UM’s School of Education who has captured oral histories on the Mariel boatlift and Hurricane Andrew. “We hardly know anything about our local neighborhoods and cities,” says Greg Bush, 20 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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bombed out of their house by the hurricane, yet he still had to do a 15-hour shift while trying to help his family recover,” says Provenzo. In an effort to document the social and cultural aspects of Miami-Dade County’s diverse neighborhoods, Bush is teaming with the school district, governments, and citizens on interviews of local individuals. The “We Live Here: The Worlds Within Our Community” project will create a Web site and perhaps television programs on places like Overtown, Little Havana, and Coconut Grove. Meanwhile, Eugene Rothman, ICHEIC Service Corps project coordinator and a visiting

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associate professor in the Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies, is collaborating with the University’s Institute for Cuban and CubanAmerican Studies on an oral history project to interview members of the Cuban Jewish community in Miami. “At one point, there were as many as 14,000 Jews in 1960 in Cuba, but with the revolution, all but about 800 of them left, and about 12,000 of them settled in South Florida,” Rothman says. Today, that community of South Florida “Jewbans,” as they are called, is assimilating within the general community, raising concerns that their own unique experiences and culture will be lost forever. And using audio and video oral histories obtained from South Florida’s Cuban exile com-

Page 21

munity, the Cuban Family History and Genealogy Project at the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies is preserving several aspects of Cuban folklore, from songs and fairy tales to childhood games and recipes. Provenzo believes an oral history component should be incorporated into all undergraduate coursework. “We often get so caught up in the flow of our lives that we don’t realize the extent of what we’re observing and participating in might be important a decade, two decades, or even 100 years from now,” he says. “Oral history is a way of capturing it.” Robert C. Jones Jr. is an editor at the University of Miami. Photo by Donna Victor.

PASSAGES FROM HISTORY Below are excerpts from stories you won’t find in history books—riveting accounts that detail past events from the local history of a community. Unless otherwise noted, all interviews were conducted by Greg Bush, associate professor of history.

“We went to this little apartment that we shared with my mom’s sister in Havana, and they told us: ‘Within three months you and your sister will leave the country. Don’t worry about us. We’re gonna be right behind you.’ This was 1962, and I was about 11 years old at the time. So I began to really recognize the fact that things had changed terribly, and we, in essence, were not wanted there.”

“I came directly to my home because I knew, my being in the position that I was, that people would come looking to me for leadership. I recall right here on these premises there was quite a crowd who had gathered here to try to figure out what could possibly be done to keep our Miamians from going out into the furor that was going on all over the country.” Athalie Range, D.Hu. ’84, funeral home director, Miami’s first black city com-

Alfredo Granado, a teacher at Hialeah Senior High School, on his experi-

missioner, and former secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs,

ences as a Pedro Pan child. Interview by Brad Shultz, head of social studies at

on receiving the news that The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was slain.

Turner Tech High School, as part of Greg Bush’s Project Succeed oral history initiative in Miami-Dade Public Schools.

“She was the inspiration; you can’t say enough about Marjorie. Here was this little, tiny, little old lady wearing sneakers who wasn’t going to be stopped, who knew what was right, whose way of describing things was wonderful, and who just captivated you. An amazing person—what a gift to have her here and to have done what she did. Not just the Everglades, she did so many other things.”

“We made preparations for windows, flashlights, and the basics, but emotionally, I think we were not prepared for what was going to happen afterwards. And for me that was one of the hardest things, when we recognized the devastation, when we recognized how lucky we were and how unlucky others were. It’s hard enough to worry about oneself, let alone 3,000 people around you who need to be taken care of.” Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs, commenting on Hurricane Andrew. Whitely was associate director for residence life and staff develop-

Harvey Ruvin, J.D. ’62, Miami-Dade County clerk of courts and former

ment at UM when Andrew struck. Excerpted from the Voices of Andrew Web

Metro-Dade County commissioner, on working with Marjorie Stoneman Douglas

site (digital.library.miami.edu/andrew), which includes interviews with people

to determine environmentally sound practices for land use and development.

who lived through the storm.

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For thousands of University of Miami students each year, living on campus is a quintessential part of the academic experience. Much more than a place to sleep and eat, the residential college system offers them a living, learning, and nurturing environment.

“

Je s s i c a

Si c k ,

T 22 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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B . S . C .

’ 0 0

LIVE

he wait from this point is 15 to 20 minutes,” says the young man uniformed in ’Canes wear. Those in line peer ahead for signs of movement, laundry carts stacked with dorm room essentials in tow, as they wait to board the elevator in Hecht Residential College. It’s move-in day, a fall rite of passage for 1,800 freshmen and 3,200 other students living on campus at the University of Miami. As the newly anointed coeds living away from home for the first time

will soon discover, the “freshman experience” begins with residential life. “It’s a huge benefit, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Eric Arneson, associate director of residence halls, says of living in one of the University’s five residential colleges (Hecht, Stanford, Eaton, Mahoney, and Pearson). “It’s a chance for students to be in an environment where they can interact with students from all over the world and learn a lot from other people.”

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&LEARN Indeed, the newly renovated Hecht lobby— which now includes a marble-covered floor and front desk, a student-friendly common area, and an outdoor patio with Wi-Fi access—is a sea of new and diverse faces. Students take advantage of time waiting in the aforementioned elevator line to get to know their future neighbors and roommates, some of whom they are meeting for the first time today. Alison Mueller and Patricia Tuma, both 18, survey each other’s carts.

“I’m definitely going to have to get more hangers,” Mueller concludes, while Tuma holds awkwardly onto a roll of gray carpet, which sways like a palm tree against her small frame. The two briefly discuss whether or not to invest in a loft for their room and agree on a Target run later that night. In response to growing student interest in living on campus, even beyond the freshman and sophomore years, the University will open

Goodbye hugs, welcoming smiles, hauling stuff, and

getting settled—move-in day sets the tone for the excitement of living on campus.

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University Village for the fall 2006 semester. The apartment complex, designed for 800 upperclassmen, law, and graduate students, is the first new housing built on campus in more than 35 years. Move-in day is most likely the beginning of many memories two roommates will share, even years after they graduate. Kendra Jones, B.S.C. ’02, and Ashely Atwell, A.B. ’01, M.A. ’05, can attest to that. They were placed together as roommates in Stanford Residential College as freshmen nearly a decade ago, and the two remain close friends to this day. For both of them, residential life was the centerpiece of their freshman experience. “Our floor was very close,” Jones says. “I felt like I had ten roommates, not just one. I remem-

“It’s a chance for students to be in an environment where they can interact with students from all over the world and learn a lot from other people.” ber the little things, like getting ready together to go out to the Grove, midnight breakfast during final exams, Sportsfest. I liked everything about living on campus. Except,” she jokes, “maybe the communal bathroom.” Jones also says that living in the residential colleges her first year allowed her to be active on campus, “and I wanted to be a part of everything.” Unlike Jones and Atwell, whom the University matched based on a short questionnaire of interests and habits, Mueller and Tuma decided to room together after meeting at an incoming freshmen orientation in Virginia, where the two are from. It was one of many opportunities the University offers each summer for freshmen and parents to meet alumni, current students, and staff. One such program, organized by the University of Miami Alumni Association, is Summer Send-Off. Attended by more than 300 new students in 16 locations across the country this past summer, the program is a chance “to make students feel connected before they even step foot on campus, to make them feel like part of a community,” says Amy Powers, B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’97, M.S.T. ’00, executive director of alumni programs. “The events are informal and take place in homes or parks or country clubs. Alumni and 24 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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students mingle, and new students sit at the same table and talk about where they’re living.” For most incoming freshmen, the discussion about their home for the next year will most likely include the words “Hecht” or “Stanford.” Better known as “The Towers,” these 12-story residential colleges are where occupants eat together at the same dining hall, share a study lounge, and socialize in the patio area. They also attend activities organized by the resident masters, live-in faculty members who “create the intellectual tone for each building,” Arneson says. The University’s residential college system was modeled after the university system in Great Britain, where each dormitory houses one or more professors with whom the students interact. Instead of the typical place where students sleep and microwave the occasional cup of Ramen Noodles, the residential college “offers a living experience,” says Vince Cardinal, Hecht’s resident master and chairman of the Department of Theatre Arts. He is explaining the concept to parents who have gathered in his home for a brief orientation, as well as 15 minutes of airconditioning, on move-in day. The area where they are sitting is a place for students to enjoy an organized activity or just to hang out.

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Patricia Tuma, left, and Alison Mueller turn their Hecht Residential College room into a home. Above, as resident master of Mahoney Residential College, Robert Moore, center, maintains a living-learning environment.

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he role of the resident master can range from academic advisor to surrogate parent, and many are professors with children of their own. They are the disciplinarian, if need be, but they also are the people students come to when they can’t decide whether to take that extra course next semester. Guest speakers, movies, and ice cream socials are just a few examples of events resident masters organize in their homes, located on the first floor of each residential college. “One great example,” offers Arneson, “is the book club. Last year they read Hemingway and then went to Key West to visit the Hemingway House. It was a great way for students to make a real-life connection to the things they were reading about.” School of Education associate professor Robert Moore has lived in Mahoney Residential College since 1994 and has been its resident master for the past six years. “I’ve enjoyed living on campus and having an impact on the lives of students,” he says about his role. “I’ve become a mentor and friend to so many students, and they have become a part of my extended family.” While it is the job of the resident masters to make sure all the students within their building connect in some way or another, it is the job of the resident assistants—UM upperclassmen— to do the same for each individual floor, which are either all male or all female. “I loved seeing the community on my floor during my freshman year and wanted to be part of learning about 40 new people,” says senior Ali Paredes, who is a resident assistant in Hecht for the second year. “It’s a way to meet new people, a way to learn about and participate in new things on campus, and a great way to get involved.” Tuma and Mueller pass a sign that reads “Life’s a Beach” in bright bubble letters as they roll their cart off the elevator and onto the third floor. They pass a bulletin board filled with

Above left, roommates

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neon-colored flyers advertising everything from a racquetball club to a darts tournament and magazine cutouts of young celebrities. When they arrive at their room, their first names have been written on two paper flip-flops taped to the door. The decorations may seem like minute details, but it helps make the floor as personal as possible. “When they have a problem,” says resident assistant Lily Olivier, a senior international studies and psychology major who is directing traffic near the elevators, “we’re usually the first people they come to.” For females, she says, the most common initial concern is homesickness; for males, it’s following policy. Arneson agrees. “Sometimes students make poor choices, which is why we have lots of outreach programs in place.” Resident assistants are trained in everything from mediating roommate disputes to understanding the various cultures and personalities of the student body. They report to residence coordinators, student affairs professionals who run each building on a day-to-day basis. On move-in day, however, freshmen and their families seem to be focused on one common concern—finding a parking spot. Diana Heymann is on her cell phone, getting directions from her husband for where he has parked one of the two cars they have driven down from Sarasota. Tents offering bottled water and soda help curb Miami’s August temperatures, but Diana doesn’t seem to notice the sweltering heat. She’s sending her son off to college, after all. “I was really impressed,” she says of the University’s contact with parents of incoming freshmen. She says the Division of Student Affairs even sent her a copy of Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years, which covers everything from the psychology of a college-age child and issues he or she may face to dealing with separation anxiety and how college life has changed over the decades. With at least two more cart trips back and forth, however, Diana won’t have to let go. At least not just yet. Jessica Sick, B.S.C. ’00, is a freelance writer in Miami, Florida. Photography by Mike Marko/ Pyramid Photographics and John Zillioux. Winter 2006 Miami magazine 25 ■

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Ileana Rodriguez, who sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury three years ago, has been able to reestablish a rhythmic walking pattern with the help of music therapy.

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For centuries it’s been known to soothe the soul, but music is capable of so much more. From children with cerebral palsy to stroke patients, many people can overcome adversity through music therapy—and the Frost School of Music is at the forefront of the field.

D N I M D N U O SSOUNDBODY By

Lisa

Photos

Sedelnik, John

M. A. ’ 0 0

Zillioux

ven after months of physical therapy, Ileana Rodriguez’s walk showed no signs of improvement. She would take two steps and pause, then take another step and stop again—her steps devoid of momentum and that forward fluid motion most of us associate with the act of walking. A former ballet dancer in Cuba, the 20-year-old had suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury on her tenth vertebra just three years before. Known as arterio venus malformation, or AVM, an abnormal collection of blood vessels essentially short circuited and caused a stroke on her spine, leaving her legs immobilized. By 2003 she regained partial use of her legs, relearning to walk with the help of a walker and then with braces. But her new style of start-stop walking was unsafe. Her physical therapist tried tirelessly to improve her gait pattern, but nothing seemed to work. “Ileana is the epitome of fitness—she is an excellent walker with braces and with her walker, but she could not take two steps in a row,” recalls Ivan Ros, a physical therapist assistant with Miami Physical Therapy Associates, a clinic specializing in patients with spinal cord injuries. It was here that Gloria Estefan, A.B. ’78, received physical therapy after breaking her back in a 1990 bus accident. “Typically when you walk you create momentum, and you depend on that momentum to keep you going. But Ileana was wasting that, and it drove me nuts,” Ros recalls. Winter 2006 Miami magazine 27 ■

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nter Shannon de l’Etoile, program director and assistant professor of music therapy at the University of Miami Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music. Knowing that rhythm has helped patients with Parkinson’s disease and those recovering from a stroke increase the number of steps they take per minute and establish a more rhythmic walking pattern, de l’Etoile thought Rodriguez also might benefit. During the first of five sessions, which began in June 2003, de l’Etoile used an electric metronome and keyboard synthesizer to establish the rhythmic cue, known in the field as rhythmic auditory stimulation. “What research now shows is that when people are following a rhythmic cue, they tend to take nice, even steps forward that are both fluent and symmetrical,” de l’Etoile explains. Rodriguez took her first step on the accentu-

examine exactly how the human brain and body create and respond to music. Using this knowledge, music therapists help individuals maintain, regain, and improve mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as develop important life skills ranging from speech intelligibility to attention and memory. Patients with Broca’s aphasia, for example, which is caused by damage to the brain’s left hemisphere following a type of stroke, can usually understand what words mean but have trouble speaking clearly. Often these individuals can still sing, since singing is largely a right-hemisphere task. A music therapist can use a program known as melodic intonation therapy to access the healthy pathways in the brain, gradually moving the individual from singing to speaking fluently. Founded in 1969, the Music Therapy Program at the University of Miami—one of 70

“I always ask myself, ‘How can I use the music to motivate them, to meet their goals, to improve those target behaviors?’”

Rodriguez's steps stay in tempo with the rhythmic cue played by Shannon de l'Etoile, music therapy program director and assistant professor at the Frost School.

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ated beat and kept walking, matching her steps to the tempo rhythmically and without pausing. Her crutches were also in tempo, stepping to the second and fourth beats of the four-beat rhythmic cue. “I don’t know what happened,” recalls Rodriguez. “I guess I was concentrating more on keeping the rhythm that I forgot my bad habit and began walking without taking a pause in between. And I’ve been walking that way ever since.” After the five sessions, Rodriguez’s cadence had increased by 17.5 percent. Even more remarkable, Rodriguez could walk to the beat even when the music had been turned off, known in the field as fading. She also showed better posture and an upright head position. “It was exciting because I was looking for entrainment—if she could walk to the rhythm—which says a lot about the timing mechanisms in the brain and the spinal cord,” says de l’Etoile. The connection between music and health dates back to prehistoric times, when societies used music to dispel evil spirits. Recent developments in technology enable scientists to

programs nationwide and only two in Florida— offers both an undergraduate and master’s program. A Ph.D. program is presently being piloted. In addition to teaching the theory, research, and clinical techniques of music therapy, the program’s curriculum provides a solid foundation in musical skills, including music theory, history, conducting, applied instruction, and participation in ensembles. Students also must complete courses in the sciences, such as biology, anatomy, physiology, and psychology. The program’s focus on neurologic music therapy—the biological processing and production of music—makes it unique. Through affiliations with several community agencies, including the University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Medical Center, music therapy students work with various populations in diverse clinical backgrounds. Upon completion of coursework, they enter a six-month, full-time clinical internship. “Our connection with UM/Jackson and its many divisions is a tremendous advantage for us,” says William Hipp, dean of the Frost School of Music.

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Alumna Yani Rubio, director and music therapist at Creative Children Therapy, treats children and teens with various cognitive and neuromuscular disorders.

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The master’s degree, which requires a thesis, gives students advanced clinical skills and research experience. One area of graduate research looks at the effect of different types of musical experiences (i.e., passive listening versus active participation through singing or instrument playing) on level of arousal and its effect on cognitive abilities. This information could help treat patients with arousal deficits, such as those stemming from traumatic brain injury or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Another project explores the ability of children in middle school to convey basic emotions through instrumental improvisation. These results may reveal whether or not music works to address emotional and behavioral disorders. Teresa Lesiuk, who joined the music therapy faculty this fall, is studying the effects of music listening on work performance, especially in high-stress occupations such as computer information system designers and air traffic controllers. Her studies have shown that when music listening is encouraged in the workplace, employee productivity and mood improve. She serves as vice president of the Research Alliance for Institutes of Music Education and is bringing the international group’s biannual research conference to the Frost School in 2007. Upon graduation, music therapists work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, nursing

homes, rehabilitation centers, hospices, correctional facilities, and private practice. As director and music therapist at Creative Children Therapy, a nonprofit clinic in Miami, Yani Rubio, B.M. ’97, M.M. ’02, treats children and teens of all ages with diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, speech delays, communication disorders, sensory disorders, ADHD, and emotional disabilities. “My goal is to make my clients functional in life and active members of society,” she says. When dealing with a child with autism, for instance, Rubio might test cognitive skills by asking the child to sing along or answer a question about a book he or she has just read. “I always ask myself, ‘How can I use the music to motivate them, to meet their goals, to improve those target behaviors?’ and that is what I will incorporate into a session,” she says. What is unique is how Rubio weaves music throughout the session. Songs are repetitious, predictable, and rhythmic; they not only capture a child’s attention but, perhaps more importantly, keep him engaged. Today Rubio begins a gait training session and uses rhythmic auditory stimulation to help ten-year-old Jimarys Rodriguez, who has cerebral palsy, to walk. In the two years she has been coming to the clinic, mother Mariela says her daughter has improved tremendously. “When she first came here, she would take some steps by herself with the walker, but it wasn’t consistent. Now she is much stronger and can stand, get her balance, and take 15 to 20 steps on her own. She loves the music, so the therapy is something fun for her.” As research continues to prove the potency of music therapy techniques for treating ailments of mind and body, Frost School of Music graduates like Rubio are uniquely positioned to take on important roles in health care. “The field of music therapy is a burgeoning one, and that point is really driven home every time we do a search for a faculty member,” says Dean Hipp. “It’s a very tight market for qualified people.” Lisa Sedelnik, M.A. ’00, is a freelance writer in Miami, Florida. Winter 2006 Miami magazine 29 ■

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Wet macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Americans age 50 and older. Breakthrough treatments at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, such as Avastin, are proving to halt damage and in some and incases some restore cases restore precious precious sight. sight.

Betty Cooper is driving again. And, as far as she’s concerned, that’s practically a miracle. Diagnosed with the wet form of macular degeneration, an eye disease that leads to the loss of central vision, the 81-year-old Miamian was told it was time to get off the road. It was, she recalls, very hard. She had to rely on others to take her shopping and to doctors’ visits. • But five months after joining a clinical study at the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, she was back behind the wheel. Now she’s not only driving, but reading all but the finest print in her newspaper without a magnifying glass. And when she watches TV, she sees actors’ entire faces, rather than just the eyes and noses she’d viewed through her diseased eyes.

• “Macular degeneration is a disease that comes

on later in life and causes the loss of central vision, the vision that lets you read, drive, and recognize people,” says Philip J. Rosenfeld, M.D., Cooper’s physician and leader of Bascom Palmer’s study of Avastin, the drug that reversed her failing sight. • “It always starts out as a dry form of the disease, causing the gradual degeneration of an area in the center of the retina called the macula. With the dry form, most people can live a normal life with functional vision.” • In 10 to 20 percent of patients diagnosed with dry macular degeneration, the disease progresses. Blood vessels form at the back of the eye and leak blood, fluid, and protein, leading to scarring of the macula and permanent vision loss in most cases. This wet, or neovascular, form of macular degeneration is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and vision impairment in people 50 and older in the United States. Some 1.75 million U.S. residents have significant symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to Archives of Ophthalmology, and that number is expected to almost double by 2020 as baby boomers age. By

Joa n

I l lu s t r at i o n

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t is frightening for many patients. “I felt as if the lights were dimming and I couldn’t make it brighter,” Cooper says. Until recently, treating wet AMD could only delay the inevitable, giving patients a few more months or years of vision. One of the first therapies was thermal laser photocoagulation, which involves sealing blood vessels with a hot laser but often leads to scarring of tissues in and around the macula—a dense layer of photoreceptors and neurons in the retina. Since 1996, Rosenfeld has led numerous trials of another widely used treatment, photodynamic therapy. A light-sensitive dye is injected

that patients with wet macular degeneration have high levels of a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in their affected eyes. VEGF, which is also produced by cancer cells, prompts abnormal growth of blood vessels, also known as angiogenesis. The new drugs, including the one Betty Cooper used, bind with VEGF and interfere with its ability to stimulate blood vessel growth. Macugen, one such drug investigated at Bascom Palmer and nationwide, was the first one proven effective in halting the progression of wet AMD. Approved by the FDA in late 2004, Macugen slowed vision loss in 70 percent of patients and led to a

“I predict that Avastin will be used extensively in ophthalmology. This drug has the potential to save Medicare billions of dollars.” into the patient’s arm, travels throughout the body and collects in the abnormal blood vessels under the macula. Then a non-burning laser light shined into the eye activates the medication, causing blood clots to form in the abnormal blood vessels and prevent leaking. In the early 2000s, anti-angiogenesis drugs launched what Carmen Puliafito, M.D., professor and chairman of Bascom Palmer, describes as “a new era in macular degeneration treatment.” These drugs are based on the finding

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING Central to treating patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technology invented by Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., professor and chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and James G. Fujimoto, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineer. OCT is comparable to ultrasound, except that it uses short wavelength light instead of sound. The resolution is ten times greater than ultrasound or MRI, helping physicians detect and treat microscopic early signs of AMD and more precisely monitor the effectiveness of these treatments. Puliafito also has teamed with UM professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineer Robert W. Knighton to speed the process by which the machines take images. Computer algorithms can then use these to create a three-dimensional image of the back of the eye.

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mild vision gain in 6 percent. Bascom Palmer physicians also participated in a subsequent trial of Lucentis, an even more effective anti-angiogenesis drug that also is injected directly into the eye. “Results were announced last spring, and for the first time we had a treatment that could improve vision significantly in 30 to 40 percent of our patients,” Rosenfeld says. “That was groundbreaking.” But since Lucentis isn’t commercially available, most Bascom Palmer patients couldn’t take advantage of the new drug. So Rosenfeld and his colleagues turned to another drug, Avastin, an FDA-approved colon cancer drug that, like Lucentis, is manufactured by Genentech and is able to inhibit VEGF. If Avastin prevented the abnormal growth of blood vessels in colon cancer, Rosenfeld reasoned, wouldn’t it work with wet macular degeneration? The answer was a resounding “yes.” By the end of summer this year, 250 patients had been treated with Avastin with remarkable results. Betty Cooper was among an initial trial of 18 patients treated with systemic Avastin. “Within a week or so, it was amazing,” recalls Cooper, whose vision went from 20/80 to 20/20 in her right eye. Avastin was initially given as an intravenous injection, which required multiple doses of 400 to 500 milligrams each and cost between $2,200 and $2,750 per dose. Based on concerns about

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Philip Rosenfeld, M.D., has pioneered the effective method of injecting Avastin into the eye for treatment of wet macular degeneration.

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side effects of systemic treatment over time, Rosenfeld and colleagues tried injecting Avastin directly into the eye, like Lucentis and Macugen. This off-label approach, made possible with help from Bascom Palmer pharmacist Serafin Gonzalez, worked well. Only one milligram is needed every two months, and it costs only $13 an injection. “We’ve taken a treatment that could not be afforded by most people in the world,” Rosenfeld says, “and made it accessible to everyone.” Since June 2005, when Bascom Palmer physicians published the results of their initial 12-week Systemic Avastin for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (SANA) study and reported their success in treating patients with an injection of Avastin into the eye, physicians in Europe, South and Central America, the Middle East, South Africa, Australia, and Asia have begun treating patients with Avastin. Since the drug isn’t FDA approved for macular degeneration, Bascom Palmer physicians are using it only as “salvage therapy,” giving it to patients going blind despite use of approved drugs. Once the FDA gives the green light, Rosenfeld and his colleagues plan to launch a multicenter trial of Avastin in the eye. “I predict that Avastin will be used extensively in ophthalmology, fueled by its efficacy and the low cost of the therapy,” Rosenfeld says. “This drug has the potential to save Medicare billions of dollars.”

espite progress in the treatment of wet AMD—which must begin in the first year after the diagnosis of new blood vessels and before vision loss becomes permanent—there is little that can be done for the dry form, largely because scientists still don’t know why the photoreceptors in the macula die.

Wen-Hsing Lee, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology, is launching a project to investigate whether cellular byproducts that accumulate in the macula over time contribute to cell degeneration. She also plans to study a series of retinal enzymes that scavenge the harmful byproducts that predispose the cells to AMD. Abigail S. Hackam, assistant professor of ophthalmology, is bringing her experience with photoreceptor biology and nerve cell degeneration to bear. Using an innovative tool called a gene chip or microarray, she has been looking at which genes are turned on and off as photoreceptor death progresses in dry AMD. George Inana, M.D., is using gene array profiling to compare the activity of genes in cells from patients with and without the disease. Inana notes that macular degeneration is likely influenced by the interaction of a combination of genes, rather than a single identifiable gene. “If we know which genes play a role,” he says, “we’ll be able to attack the disease at the most fundamental level.” Macular degeneration is widely believed to be a genetic disease, but one that’s influenced by lifestyle and environment. Several studies have shown that a diet rich in green, leafy vegetables and certain nutrients (zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamins A, C, and E) lower the risk or slow progression of the dry form. Caucasians and women are more likely to lose vision, and there appears to be a link between obesity and AMD progression. Of particular interest to Bascom Palmer professor of pharmacology and cell biology Maria E. Martin-Castano, M.D., is the contribution of cigarette smoking and hypertension to dry AMD. She has identified several oxidants present in tar that may play a role. While scientists and physicians still don’t have cures for macular degeneration, Bascom Palmer’s team is confident it has entered a new era in treatment of the disease. And, if the fact that U.S. News & World Report rated Bascom Palmer the nation’s No. 1 eye hospital two years running is any indicator, University of Miami faculty will remain on the leading edge. Joan Cochran is a freelance writer in Boca Raton, Florida. Photo by Donna Victor. Winter 2006 Miami magazine 33 ■

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The Calling ’Canes are working their tails off for the Annual Fund, the University’s nest egg that supports scholarships, academic initiatives, and other pressing needs. Sebastian the Ibis has flown in to help call all alumni to action. Every gift, no matter how small, counts toward the billion-dollar Momentum campaign and helps the University soar.

Post Off ice Box 248002

•

Coral Gables, Florida 33124-3410

•

Telephone: 305-284-2872

When the bird ca answer the w lls, ing!

You can also make a donation online at www.miami.edu /makeagift.

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News and Events of Interest to University of Miami Alumni

GIFT NAMES THE ROBERT AND JUDI PROKOP NEWMAN ALUMNI CENTER

Nourishing the Roots of Alumni Pride Judi retired in 1995 as general manager of metrics and measurements for the computer division, responsible for “everything that supports the computer activities of the company,” she explains. “I put my education to good use.” The couple, avid philanJudi and Bob Newman, shown here with their dog, Woodie, thropists in provide a naming gift for the new alumni center. many cultural year learned about the need and academic arenas, intenfor an alumni center. “We sified their contact with the have a common goal in what University of Miami in the we want this to be.” “A welcoming environment, a place to gather, and a place to showcase traditions The design elements the Newmans cite as their of the University are all important for establishing roots.” favorites are representative of renowned architect Michael early 1990s, when they also is a University trustee. support to technology comDennis’s strategy for creating began vacationing here on a “A welcoming environment, panies. He also is cofounder a cozy, inviting space for regular basis. “Virtually a place to gather, and a place and former director of a working, lounging, and everyone we’ve met at the to showcase traditions of the software company, J.D. University has shown a great entertaining. “The fourth University are all important Edwards, which is now floor will have a glass room amount of southern hospifor establishing roots.” Oracle, and he holds the with a balcony from which tality,” Bob says. Judi sees her UM educaSouth Florida franchise The Biltmore Hotel is visiHaving directed much of tion as the root of so many rights for GolfTEC, a golf their previous support to the ble—a vista unlike any place wonderful twists and turns swing analysis and instrucSchool of Business Adminis- on campus. It will be a wonthroughout her life. “My tion shop. After a 26-year derful building,” Judi says. tration, the Newmans this parents didn’t see a need for career with United Airlines, ongtime benefactors of scholarships and academic programs at the University of Miami, Bob and Judi Newman have now made a commitment to deepen the long-term connection students have with the University. With their generous gift, the recently named Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center is well on its way to becoming a landmark building—both in purpose and style—on the Coral Gables campus. “The minute students arrive here, it’s important to have them start thinking about their relationship with the University and their role as alumni,” says Judi Prokop Newman, B.B.A. ’63, who

me to go to college,” says the St. Louis, Missouri, native who earned a scholarship that ultimately enabled her to attend. “It changed my life and opened my eyes to a whole different world. I received a social degree as much as an academic one.” Armed with professional poise and valuable skills in the then-burgeoning field of machine accounting, Judi landed a job at an aerospace company in Los Angeles, which is where she met Bob. The Newmans now divide their time between Miami and Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, where Bob is founder of Greenwood Gulch Ventures, which provides financial and strategic

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Deans on Scene

wo deans and an executive vice president and provost—that’s a lot of new academic leadership in the course of one year. But recruiting pivotal, powerhouse leaders is part of the University’s surefire strategy for progress. These are positions with great potential to shape growth and direction

them to the extended UM community. The Alumni Association’s September 26 reception in New York City was the first of a nationwide tour enabling College of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael R. Halleran and School of Communication Dean Sam L Grogg to share their vision

executive vice president and provost. Halleran, a renowned scholar in Greek literature and Greek intellectual history, explained to nearly 200 attendees in New York that acaRecruiting pivotal, powerhouse leaders is part of demic excellence Clockwise from left, Executive Vice President and and opportunity is Provost Thomas LeBlanc and Deans Michael Halleran the University’s surefire strategy for progress. what brought him and Sam Grogg are on the road to meet alumni. with alumni and friends. to Miami from the of the institution, which is University of Washington. why the Alumni Association Subsequent receptions feathe scholarship and dedicaExcellence, he said, is seen in tion of the faculty and in the has endeavored to introduce ture Thomas J. LeBlanc, continuous improvement of the UM student body. “They are bright, engaged, and spirGoing the Extra Yard for ALS ited,” he said. Grogg, former dean of the erhaps best known for his bullet-like grandmother, Marguerita Fossesca, became American Film Institute, passes down the gridiron, 1992 Heisman afflicted with myasthenia gravis, a similar explained that the city of Trophy winner Gino Torretta, B.B.A. ’91, is not neurodegenerative disease. Miami, an anything-goes one to pass up an opportunity to help others. “We have seen on a personal level how devtown full of creative enterThrough the Torretta Foundaastating a neurodegenerative prise, lends itself to great tion, he and his wife, disease can be, and we wanted opportunities for students of Bernadette, B.S. ’97, have to do all that we could to supjournalism, broadcasting, donated $25,000 to the port research that will somefilm, advertising, and public University of Miami Kessenich day cure these afflictions,” relations. His plans include Family MDA ALS Center at the says Gino, who served as UM strengthening the integration Miller School of Medicine. Alumni Association president of all sectors of the media. The Torrettas established from 2001 to 2002. Additional cities to host their foundation in 2002 to After four years in the NFL, the Alumni Association’s raise money specifically for Gino embarked on a career in New Deans Receptions ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Scle- Gino and Bernadette Torretta support finance, now serving as maninclude Atlanta, Boston, rosis). Also known as Lou ager of institutional sales at ALS research. Chicago, Los Angeles, San Gehrig’s Disease, ALS is a proGabelli Asset Management. Francisco, and Seattle. Call gressive disease that attacks motor neurons in Each spring the Torrettas, who now have an 1-866-UMALUMS (862the brain and spinal cord. There is presently no eight-month-old daughter, host Gino Torretta’s 5867) for current informacure. The Torrettas decided to pledge their Celebrity Blue Tee Weekend on the Blue tion on dates and locations. support to ALS research after Bernadette’s Monster course at the Doral Golf Resort.

36 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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Sticking Her Neck Out for Others

he first thing you notice about Audrey Finkelstein’s home in Coral Gables is a brightly colored, 750-pound concrete turtle on her front lawn. Dozens of china and crystal turtles adorn every room. “I like turtles because they stick their necks out to get ahead,” explains Finkelstein, A.B. ’38. For the last six decades, Finkelstein has lived that philosophy. Throughout her life, this youthful octogenarian has never hesitated to break new ground and challenge the status quo. It all started in the sixth grade in Savannah, Georgia, where she grew up. “The principal of my elementary school wanted to teach children

how government worked,” she recalls. “She made the school a replica of city government, which she called Midget Savannah. At 12 years old, I became the first female mayor of Midget Savannah.” At the then-new University of Miami, Finkelstein was one of only 300 students. “There were few opportunities to pioneer in the ’30s,” says the go-getter who helped establish the University’s first sorority for Jewish girls and cofounded the first honor society for women on campus. A year after graduation, she met and married her husband, Charles, an attorney who became involved in

the toy industry, with creations like Silly Putty, the Slinky, and Balloono. While raising a son and daughter with Charles, Finkelstein assumed impor-

local United Fund, the first female chair of the Community Relations Board, and the first female president of the Miami Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

tant roles in the community, first in New York City, then back in Miami. She was the first female officer of the

Audrey R. Finkelstein, A.B. ’38

Pump Up the Pep

onsider it an instant pep rally; just pop

www.miami.edu/alumni. By donating 100 per-

in the CD and pump up the volume.

cent of Spirit 101 proceeds during the month of

Spirit 101, the latest release from ’Cane Records, has 13 tracks of the University’s best school songs, including popular cheers

September to the Red Cross, the UMMA raised $1,200 for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Spirit 101 is among

such as “Whoosh, Whoosh,”

more than a dozen

“Let’s Go ’Canes,” and “It’s

albums produced by the

Great to Be a Miami Hurricane,” as well as the Alma Mater and fight song. To nourish UM pride early

student-run ’Cane Records since its 1993 inception. Founded by James A. Progris, professor and program chair of the

on, President Donna E. Shalala sent copies of

entertainment and music business department

Spirit 101 to all incoming freshmen this year. The

at the Frost School of Music, ’Cane Records

Alumni Association is selling additional copies

provides students with a true, hands-on

while supplies last on its Web site,

approach to operating a record label.

Few causes are more important to Finkelstein than lifelong learning. In 1988 she and Charles established an endowment fund that grew into the Audrey R. Finkelstein UM Experience—an interactive, educational series for alumni during Alumni Weekend. She also supports other programs at the University. Finkelstein, who will celebrate her 90th birthday in January, has recently received the prestigious McLamore Award for Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. “People don’t grow old,” she says. “They become old by not growing. I have miles to go before I sleep.” Winter 2006 Miami magazine 37 ■

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Photo by Donna Victor

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As UMAA President, Cesarano Continues Family Ties

lmost since its founding, the University of Miami has been a rich thread in the fabric of the Cesarano family. The connection gains another stitch this year, as Gregory Cesarano, J.D. ’76, becomes president of the UM Alumni Association. Cesarano’s parents, Patrick J. Cesarano, B.B.A. ’35, and Beryl “Bunty” L. Cesarano, A.B. ’33, met at the University, got married, and raised four children in Coral Gables, just miles from campus. “We never missed a homecoming parade, but my most vivid

the School of Business Administration and the Patrick Cesarano Laboratory in the Department of Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine are visible reminders of the patriarch’s significant contributions and years of dedicated service to the University. UMAA president for 2005-2006, Gregory Cesarano is an ex-officio

have energized the UMAA.” Crediting his UM education for much of his profes-

Photo by John Zillioux

“By the time my term is over, I hope to see participation pass 20 percent.” memories are going to the Orange Bowl on Friday nights and seeing the bright lights of the stadium as we approached,” recalls Cesarano, who followed in his parents’ Hurricane footsteps, along with brother Chris, A.B. ’73. Patrick Cesarano became a University trustee in 1966 and served as board chairman from 1978 to 1980. Fellow trustee William Colson, J.D. ’48, was a close family friend, much as Dean Colson, J.D. ’77, William’s son and current Board of Trustees chair, is to Gregory Cesarano’s family today. The Patrick Cesarano Plaza at 38 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

■

trustee. He became a UMAA vice president in 2001, “elected about the same time as Donna Shalala became the fifth president of the University,” he says. “The enthusiasm she brought to Coral Gables and her recognition of the worth of alumni

sional success—a shareholder and chair of the Products and Toxic Tort Liability Practice Group at the law firm of Carlton Fields—Cesarano believes wholeheartedly in the need for alumni to remain engaged with the University. “The University

In the Loop @Miami

ant to keep up on news and research at the University of Miami? Then subscribe to

@Miami, the free electronic newsletter of the University of Miami Alumni Association. Delivered to your inbox monthly, @Miami brings you the latest achievements of your fellow alumni, breakthroughs in research, and the best of Hurricane athletics. Visit www.miami.edu/atmiami to subscribe today.

made a commitment to them, accepted and educated them, and now they in turn must make a commitment to accept and support the University.” Increasing alumni commitment is on Cesarano’s agenda as UMAA president. Annual fund contributions have risen from 13 percent to 17 percent since he first joined the UMAA Board of Directors. “By the time my term is over, I hope to see participation pass 20 percent.” First among Cesarano’s duties is overseeing the construction of the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center. “This is the most significant project ever undertaken by the UMAA,” he says. “The effort, spearheaded by UM trustee and former UMAA president Betty Amos (B.B.A. ’73, M.B.A. ’76), will be successful, and we expect to break ground during my term.”

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1940s

Marjorie Easter Kemp,

B.M. ’45, celebrates 25 years at the Rochester Presbyterian Home. At 83 years of age, she is the oldest member of the home and is still very musically active there.

general counsel’s office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and is one of the founders of the National Organization of Women. She is the author of the memoir Eat First— You Don't Know What They'll Give You, The Adventures of an Immigrant Family and Their Feminist Daughter.

1960s

Richard Coyle, B.Ed. ’61, is dean of students at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in

Joel McNeely Scores on the Silver Screen

C 1950s

Leon R. Noe,

B.B.A. ’52, of Boynton Beach, Florida, was honored at the 25th anniversary conference of the Organization of Travel Marketing Executives, which he founded in 1979. More than 250 members—international travel marketing executives representing all segments of the industry—attended the event, where Steve Winn also was honored with the organization’s Atlas Award. Noe was editor and publisher of Travel Market Yearbook, which he sold in 1980 upon exiting the travel industry. Myrna Sandler Fistel, B.Ed. ’55, M.Ed. ’73, was elected president of the Temple Samuel Or Olom Sisterhood in Miami, Florida, for 2005-2006. Sonia Pressman Fuentes, J.D. ’57, is included in an online exhibit from the Jewish Women’s Archive (jwa.org/feminism) of 100 Jewish women who contributed to women’s rights in the United States. This is in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the Jewish community in the United States. She was the first female attorney in the

Westford, Massachusetts. William F. Vitulli, A.B. ’61, M.S. ’63, Ph.D. ’66, is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of South Alabama. He recently published an article in the academic journal Psychological Reports, titled “Humor and Gender Roles: Does Age Make a Difference?”

omposer-director Joel McNeely,

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and a mem-

B.M. ’82, has scored scads of films,

ber of the University of Southern California

including The Stepford Wives, Uptown Girls,

music faculty. Their two children play violin,

and Virus; animated works such as Mulan II,

and together the family enjoys hiking, moun-

Lilo & Stitch 2, and Pooh’s

tain biking, tennis, and skiing.

Heffalump Movie; and TV

A Wisconsin native, McNeely

shows such as The Court, All

lives near Los Angeles, though

Souls, Dark Angel, and

he has worked as far away as

George Lucas’s The Young

Perth, Australia.

Indiana Jones Chronicles. As

“That was the most won-

the Frost School of Music’s

derful thing I’d ever seen,”

2005 Distinguished Alumnus,

McNeely says of watching the

McNeely recently lectured

late Elmer Bernstein conduct-

on campus for several days.

ing while the film being

“Miami has a real tradition

scored appeared on a big

of producing wonderful jazz

screen behind the orchestra.

musicians,” McNeely says. “The level of play-

McNeely was ten years old at the time. “That

ing in the top jazz ensemble is just amazing.”

moment really planted a seed,” he says,

Influenced by classics such as To Kill a

adding that other mentors have included his

Mockingbird, Patton, and Jaws, McNeely says,

father, writer and producer Jerry McNeely,

“Each is an icon in film music,” noting that

and the late Jerry Goldsmith, with whom

effective scores are integral to storytelling.

McNeely collaborated on Air Force One.

The Emmy-winning composer starts with

“If you absolutely have to do this, then

pencil and paper, either at his desk or at the

pursue it,” says McNeely, who would love to

piano, then transfers his compositions into a

score a Harry Potter film one day. “But don’t

computer that synthesizes his work. Inter-

think it’s going to be easy. You’re a blade of

national musicians ultimately perform his

grass, and you’ve got this big concrete side-

creations under his direction.

walk over you, and you’re just looking for a

For McNeely, music is in the family. His

crack to find your way through.”

wife, Margaret Batjer, is concertmaster of the

—Leonard Nash

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 39 ■

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Gia Tutalo-Mote Mixes Broadcasting with Benevolence

hile living in Boca Raton, where

graduated, he took a management position

she worked for Globe Communi-

at NBC and called me.”

cations writing mini-books and horoscope

Despite her fortuitous beginning and a

calendars sold in supermarket checkout

2002 Emmy for a promotional spot, Tutalo-

aisles, Gia Tutalo-Mote, M.A. ’98, says her

Mote has since resigned as promotions pro-

condominium neighbors

ducer from NBC 6 to raise her

urged her to write a letter

own children and focus upon

protesting the proposed chil-

her nonprofit organization,

dren’s shelter across the

Forever Family (www.nbc6.net/

street. “Wrong person,”

foreverfamily), which pro-

Tutalo-Mote says tri-

duces the TV segments.

umphantly. “I ended up volun-

Tutalo-Mote promotes For-

teering at the shelter.”

ever Family in weekly radio appearances on South

Tutalo-Mote’s “Forever

Florida’s Magic 102.7 FM, and

Family” segments, which have

gradually she’ll take Forever

run weekly on Miami’s NBC 6 television station since 2002, have found

Family nationwide, featuring local children

adoptive homes for 23 youngsters, and sev-

from each new broadcast market.

eral more have “homes identified.” As well,

Tutalo-Mote and her husband plan to

the segment has raised more than $50,000 in

adopt one or more children once theirs are a

cash, goods, and services for needy foster

bit older. She credits attorney William T.

children and families.

Coleman, A.B. ’66, LL.M. ’85, and his firm for

Born in Rhode Island and raised in Florida,

their assistance with running a nonprofit.

Tutalo-Mote has always counted on her

Her advice to prospective parents is that

courage to achieve her goals. When Thom

adoption is not as complicated and expensive

Mozloom, then a producer for Miami’s Chan-

as many people assume, and the rewards are

nel 10, visited her University of Miami broad-

profound. “I’ve seen kids go from shelters to

casting class, Tutalo-Mote had no qualms

private schools, football leagues, and cheer-

about making herself known. “I was so des-

leading teams—they’re just different kids.

perate to break into the business that I left

They have a glow about them. They’re happy

class early and followed him out to his car. I

and they’re loved.”

said, ‘Look, how do I do this?’ A week after I

Judith Welsh,

B.Ed. ’61, M.A. ’68, is a writer, book author, and independent journalist in Coral Gables, Florida. Eric T. Ehlers, B.S.M.E. ’67, has retired from teaching high school mathematics, which he did following an industrious career as a professional engineer for various organizations, including the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA, Eastern Airlines, and 40 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

■

ing for her role in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Abrams also is the author of the play, The Cellphone, produced at the Hippodrome State Theatre, and a winner in the 2005 Mt. Dora Music and Literature Festival. Richard C. Milstein, A.B. ’68, J.D. ’73, received the 2005 Humanitarian Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force at the 9th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner. A Miami native and partner at the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt, Milstein has contributed countless hours of pro bono work and volunteerism to foster human rights and cultural development. Philip Marraccini, B.B.A. ’69, has established Communicative Media Arts, Inc. and the South Florida Acting Group in Homestead, Florida. Working with teacher and director Jim Culler, the organizations aim to introduce top-quality, original works to the area. Marraccini is a local farmer, president of the Dade County Agri-Council, and an amateur writer.

IBM. He has been married for 32 years. Michael L. Stephans, A.B. ’67, M.Ed. ’69, and Ron M. Weisberg, B.B.A. ’68, have coproduced a jazz recording featuring famed woodwind artists Dave Liebman and Bennie Maupin (both Miles Davis alums), bassist Scott Colley (currently with Herbie Hancock), and percussionist Munyungo

—Leonard Nash

Jackson (also a Miles Davis alum). Stephans and Weisberg met as members of UM’s Band of the Hour. Marjorie D. Abrams, M.Ed. ’68, Ph.D. ’75, retired college professor and administrator, has published Murder on the Prairie, A North Florida Mystery, about an actress/activist who attempts to fight development in an ecologically sensitive area while prepar-

1970s

Mark J. Safferstone,

B.S.Ed. ’70, M.S.Ed. ’72, has published Organizational Leadership: Classic Works and Contemporary Perspectives, a bibliographic essay summarizing the 100 seminal works on the topic of organizational leadership. He works at the University of Mary Washington’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he is responsible for corporate professional development and institutional assessment functions. He also is earning his MBA at the University of Mary Washington. He and his wife, Sharon, have three

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grown children. Carmen Blake, B.G.S. ’72, is president of International Pan American Travel, a club that gives members opportunities to travel, network, and enjoy other group benefits. Cruz D. Garcia, B.S.Ed. ’72, has retired after teaching elementary school for 23 years at Auburdale Elementary School in Miami and now lives in Duluth, Georgia. Mark King Leban, J.D. ’72, was elevated by Governor Jeb Bush to preside over the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, serving in the criminal felony division. Franc Talarico, B.G.S. ’72, is a sculptor living in Venice, Florida, with his wife, Dottie. His work is displayed in museums, businesses, and private collections throughout the country. His most recent bronze life-size statue of Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams is on display at Boston’s

Fenway Park. Hortensia Hacker,

B.B.A. ’73, director of marketing at the Florida-based accounting and management consulting firm, Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra LLP, has been named president of the Cintas Foundation, which promotes the development of Cuban artists outside of their native land. Thomas Schwartz, J.D. ’73, former general counsel of the Miami Free Zone (privately operated duty-free trade zone), is an actor under the name of Tom Derek. His recent role is a bum who sees cars flying over buildings in the movie Transporter 2. Bruce Posner, B.F.A. ’75, has curated Unseen Cinema, a DVD series from Image Entertainment that includes work by 100 avant-garde, professional, and amateur filmmakers working before World War II.

Carol L. Stevens, B.S.N. ’76, M.S.N. ’79, is a nurse practitioner in Wesley Chapel, Florida. She is completing training in psychiatric evaluations and medication management. David Vincent, D.M.A. ’76, sometimes called “Dr. Longball,” keeps all official home run statistics for the Society for American Baseball Research in his laptop database. Every day he updates the stats, which date back to 1871. His feature profile appeared in the August 21 issue of Parade magazine. Darcy LaFountain, B.B.A. ’77, a former University of Miami swimmer, won the 50-54 age bracket in the U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water 2.5K National Championship in Chicago in September. Mirtha T. Shideler, A.B. ’77, M.S.Ed. ’93, is a Spanish teacher at Bradley Middle School in

Huntersville, North Carolina. J.D. ’78, a former shareholder with Adorno & Yoss, P.A., has joined the Boca Raton law office of Hodgson Russ LLP as a partner in its Business Litigation Practice Group. His practice focuses primarily on litigation involving real estate, construction, securities, and health care. Carol Lucius, M.S.Ed. ’79, is director of the Fleet and Family Support Center in La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy, which is an agency of the U.S. Navy that provides financial, career, and personal counseling to service members and their families. Bruce Meyerson, J.D. ’79, has joined Brown Raysman Millstein & Steiner LLP as a partner in the real estate department of the firm’s New York office. His experience includes transactions involving lending, development, Peter Feaman,

Say it in silk Accessorize with UM pride

ashion takes flight with the new Limited Edition Silk Ibis Tie and Scarf Collection from the University of Miami Alumni

Association. Choose from two elegant styles—both 100 percent silk—that feature a stylized ibis pattern adapted from the 1951 Ibis yearbook. Scarves measure a generous 30 by 30 inches. Cost is $50 each, with all proceeds benefiting the University of Miami Alumni Association. Quantities are limited, so order today online at www.miami.edu/alumni or by calling the Office of Alumni Relations at 305-284-2872 or 866-UMALUMS.

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 41 ■

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construction, securitization, leasing, acquisitions, and sales of real property.

1980s

Benjamin Baum,

M.B.A. ’81, M.S.I.E. ’84, was chosen for the second time by the U.S. Olympic Committee to carry the Olympic torch, first in 1996 in Atlanta and last year in Athens, Greece. He is a senior vice president and wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley in Miami, Florida. Donald C. Works III, J.D. ’81, a partner with the labor and employment law firm of Jackson Lewis LLP, has been selected for inclusion in the 2006 edition of the Best Lawyers In America. Juan Pedro Lluria, A.B. ’82, is founder and president of Lluria Fine Arts Services, which offers appraisal services of fine art, antiques, and objets d’ art for insurance, estate, and divorce purposes. The firm also brokers fine art and antiques for individual collectors and estates. He serves as a trustee and member of the board of the Foundation for Villa Vizcaya. Elaine A. Solomon, B.B.A. ’83, is a science and technology principal in the Phoenix, Arizona office of HDR One Company, an architectural, engineering, and consulting firm. She is an active member of the Arizona State University Alliance for Construction Excellence, the Arizona Chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services, the Arizona BioIndustry Association, and other professional and community organizations. Andrew J. Cohen, B.B.A. ’84, has completed the acquisition of 211 Broadway in Lynbrook, New York, as an addition to his portfolio of strategic investment 42 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

■

properties. George H. Mazzarantani,

B.Arch. ’84, is an attorney who has his own firm in Sarasota, Florida, specializing in real estate, business, and land-use law. He has been elected to the board of directors of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, an independent, not-for-profit organization that raises funds and supports educational opportunities that benefit all of Sarasota County, Florida. Michael Welner, B.S. ’84, M.D. ’88, is chairman of The Forensic Panel, a national consultation

practice. He also is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University. He has developed the Depravity Scale Project, which aims to standardize legal distinctions of the worst crimes. Nicolas J. Gutierrez Jr., A.B. ’85, is a founding partner of Borgognoni, Gutierrez & Arza, LLP, in Miami, Florida. He also is former chairman of the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District and was featured in Miami Today and

the South Florida Business Journal. Joseph L. Herman, A.B. ’85, is a general dentist limited to pediatrics in Delray Beach, Florida, serving the Medicaid community. He received his D.D.S. from Case Western Reserve University in 1990. He is married with four sons. Nancy Pettersen Strelau, M.M. ’85, has accepted the position of music director/conductor of the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra in Rochester, New York. She still teaches conducting and composition at the Hochstein Music School and

DEBUT NOVELIST TAPS FAMILY SAGA

secrets of her family and develops an intimate

bond with her father, who is actually writing

hantel Acevedo’s Love and Ghost Letters

(St. Martin’s Press) began six years ago as her Master of Fine Arts thesis. “The first

from exile in Florida. Much of what the letters reveal to Josefina are vestiges of Acevedo’s own family saga.

pages I turned in are now on

“While growing up in Miami, I

page 81,” says Acevedo, A.B. ’97,

enjoyed listening to my grand-

M.F.A. ’99. Ultimately, the main

mother tell her vivid stories of

scene of her thesis didn’t work

growing up in Cuba,” Acevedo

as the opening of what was to

says. “Those real characters—

become her novel. “So I

from a sergeant-of-police

decided to start from the

great-grandfather to numerous

beginning, which was 1933.”

great aunts and uncles—found

The novel opens with the meeting of Josefina, a debutante

their way into the novel.” At a recent visit to the Uni-

raised by her father and nurse-

versity of Miami, Acevedo

maid in a wealthy Cuban district,

answered questions from

and Lorenzo, a poor, reckless young man.

aspiring student authors about the novelist’s

Despite the disapproval of her father, a

creative and business process. “I’ll sometimes

sergeant, Josefina marries Lorenzo and sacri-

sit in a session and do 30 pages, then not touch

fices the privileges she has always known.

it again for two weeks,” she says, noting that

After the sergeant is attacked and presumably

snow days in Connecticut, where she serves

killed while attempting to quell a political

as dean of students at Chase Collegiate School,

uprising, Josefina receives letters from him

are a fortuitous writing opportunity. “When

that she believes are from beyond the grave.

you take reality and carve it and play with it

Through these ghost letters, Josefina learns

until you have truth—that’s fiction.”

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conducts the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Virtuosi Scholarship Chamber Orchestra, and the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic. Donna Ballman, J.D. ’86, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, was certified as a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious group of trial lawyers who have won million-dollar and multimillion-dollar verdicts, awards, and settlements. Founded in 1993, the organization has roughly 3,000 members throughout the country. Donna DiMaggio Berger, A.B. ’86, J.D. ’89, was named shareholder with the law firm Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She also serves as executive director of the Community Association Leadership Lobby, a statewide advocacy group representing 4,000 community associations. Andrea Goldblum, B.S.Ed. ’86, is director of student judicial affairs at The Ohio State University. Bruce McGuire, A.B. ’87, is president of the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association, whose members include Tudor Investment Corp., GE Asset Management, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, and Yale University. Spencer Aronfeld, B.B.A. ’88, J.D. ’91, is host of Ask the Lawyer, a two-hour, talk radio open forum on South Florida’s 1360 WKATAM station. The show is a liberalsided look at the law and how it affects people in Florida.

1990s

Tonya (Swearingen) Smith,

A.B. ’90, recently won second place in the Kansas Authors' Club annual statewide contest for professional writers. She has been

working as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers, and the proposal for her first novel is under consideration with a major national publisher. She lives in Topeka, Kansas, with her husband, Scott, and their 9-year-old daughter, Ariel. Michael Hettich, Ph.D. ’91, has published Flock and Shadow: New and Selected Poems (New Rivers Press). He teaches English

and creative writing at Miami Dade College. Joseph H. Bogosian, J.D. ’92, was appointed by the Federal Aviation Administration as the agency’s assistant administrator for the Office of International Aviation. He is responsible for coordinating all of the FAA’s international activities and advancing U.S. leadership in aviation with particular focus on

international standardization. Previously he served as deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing in the U.S. Department of Commerce. He and his wife reside in Arlington, Virginia. G. Michael Grammer, Ph.D. ’92, associate professor of geosciences at Western Michigan University, is a co-recipient of the Robert H. Dott Sr. Memorial Award, which honors the best

Michelle Kaufman Catches the Personal Stories

f you want to find Michelle Kaufman,

Detroit Free Press, Kaufman moved back to

B.S.C. ’87, there’s a good chance you’ll

Miami. She had met her future husband, fellow

find her in the men’s locker room. A gradu-

Miamian and writer Dave Barry, and started

ate of Miami Killian High

working at The Miami Herald.

School, the Miami Herald

Although she has covered

sportswriter’s first brush

everything from the Olympics

with the athletic world

to Wimbledon, Kaufman, who

came when she wrote an

teaches a course at the Uni-

article for the school paper

versity on sportswriting, says

revealing that the football

even after more than two

coach was sabotaging

decades in the business, being

potential player scholar-

a female sportswriter is still a

ships, which eventually led

challenge. She has been

to his firing. At the University of Miami, Kaufman took the only gig The Miami Hurricane student

harassed, knocked aside, and simply told she has no business writing about sports. “People say to me, ‘You’ve never even

newspaper had to offer at the time—cover-

played sports, what do you know about

ing sports—and by the time she graduated,

sports?’ You don’t have to be a former actor

she had witnessed one baseball champi-

to write about theatre or a politician to

onship, two football championships, and one

write about politics.”

Heisman Trophy winner (Vinny Testaverde). Realizing she was in a heavily sought-

Being a woman in a predominantly man’s world does have its upside, though. “I think an

after sports market, Kaufman also took it

athlete is more likely to open up to a female

upon herself to venture outside of the Miami

writer because we’re more likely to ask them

market, working as a stringer for the St.

personal questions,” Kaufman says. “If he’s

Petersburg Times and writing profiles of play-

got a picture of his kids taped to his locker,

ers on the University of Miami’s opposing

we’ll ask about it. A male sportswriter could

teams. “I would literally go down their

interview the same guy over and over and not

roster,” Kaufman recalls, “find out where

even notice that picture. And it’s those sto-

everyone was from, call their hometown

ries, the ones that show the personal side of

paper, and pitch them a story.”

an athlete, that really stand out.”

After stints at the St. Petersburg Times and

—Jessica Sick, B.S.C. ’00

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 43 ■

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original publication dealing with petroleum geology that the American Association of Petroleum Geologists publishes. The selected work is a book coedited by Grammer, called Memoir 80: Integration of Outcrop and Modern Analogs in Reservoir Modeling. Many of the techniques described in the text are implemented in an ongoing U.S. Department of Energy project that Grammer is leading. Andrea S. Greenwald, B.B.A. ’92, is president of Andi Greenwald Development Group, in Miami Beach, Florida. She has received two Miami Beach Design Preservation League awards, the key to the City of Miami Beach, and the “Doc Baker” award from the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. Lisa S. Walsh, J.D. ’92, an attorney with the law firm of Gonzalez & Walsh LLP, was recently installed as secretary of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Miami-Dade Chapter. The organization has 400 members and was established in 1980 to promote the recognition and encouragement of the contributions of women within the legal profession and to elevate judicial standards. Marwan Abderrazzaq, B.S.C. ’94, a producer for the video game industry, has worked for Electronic Arts, Vivendi, and Universal and is presently a producer for The Collective. Carlos F. Garcia, B.B.A. ’93, was made partner in the accounting firm of Goldstein Schechter Price Lucas Horwitz and was named a finalist in the South Florida Business Journal’s Up and Comers Award. Karen Mace Sartain, J.D. ’93, worked as a Miami-Dade assistant public defender from 1993 to 1999, leaving to raise a family. She lives in Long Island, New York, with her husband and two children, Shannon (6) and Will (4). 44 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

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TV’s Judge Alex Ferrer Sees Law from Many Angles

“

s a cop, I’d seen victims when they’d

boot camp sentencing program. “I wanted

been victimized, and I’d seen defen-

them to know that if they didn’t do what they

dants before they’d been cleaned up and

were supposed to do, I’d launch them to

presented in court,” says Alex E. Ferrer,

prison.” In its debut season, Judge

J.D. ’86, star of Judge Alex, which debuted in Septem-

Alex, which tapes in Houston

ber as the top new syndi-

but adheres to the laws

cated show this season. “It

where each case was ini-

gave me an invaluable per-

tially filed, has presented

spective into what really

feuds over money between

happens.”

coworkers, family members, and friends; dog bites; car

His producers tout Ferrer as “the only TV judge

accidents; and “cat fights”

with extensive police, legal,

between wives and ex-wives. Ferrer, who presided

and judicial experience,” but he is not the first Hur-

over several televised high-

ricane to preside over a

profile murder cases in

nationally syndicated courtroom program.

Miami, acknowledges that being publicly rec-

“We’re very good friends,” Ferrer says about

ognized goes with the job. “I’m used to being

The People’s Court’s Marilyn Milian, A.B. ’81, a

in a fishbowl,” he concedes, noting that his

fellow former Miami-Dade County judge.

wife and their teenage son and daughter

“Actually I’m a big fan and we talk about our

enjoy seeing him on TV. Ferrer, a licensed single-engine pilot

shows all the time.” The industrious Ferrer managed a gas

whose family emigrated from Cuba when he

station in high school and served as a City of

was an infant, enjoys sculpture, bass guitar,

Coral Gables police officer throughout col-

marathons, and lobster diving. He also arbi-

lege and law school. After nine years of pri-

trates and mediates cases in his free time,

vate practice, he was elected to the circuit

and he teaches at judicial colleges and con-

court bench in Miami-Dade County, where he

ferences. “It keeps me real,” says Ferrer.

presided for ten years. “I was a tough judge,

“After all, I’m not just an entertainer. I’m a

no question about it,” says Ferrer, a key

real judge.”

proponent of Miami-Dade’s alternative

Gina Z. D’Amato,

B.S. ’94, M.D. ’98, is assistant professor in hematology/oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida. She was a featured speaker on the panel Concepts and Controversies in Oncology Drug Development at the Bear Stearns 18th Annual Healthcare Conference. Richard D. Morales, B.S. ’94,

has received the Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). To receive this honor, he completed 500 hours of continuing dental education, passed a comprehensive written exam, and fulfilled three years of continuing membership in the AGD. Morales practices in South Miami, where he lives with his wife, Cecilia, and four children.

—Leonard Nash

Peter Valori,

J.D. ’94, a partner with the law firm Damian and Valori LLP, was selected as one of Florida’s Legal Elite in the categories of labor and employment and commercial litigation by Florida Trend Magazine. Lawyers throughout Florida nominate their peers for the honor, the Florida Bar reviews the submissions, and a panel of attorneys reviews the list of finalists.

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Jeffrey N. Estis,

B.S.C. ’95, was appointed associate head men’s basketball coach of the new basketball program for Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Yvette Lisa Clements, A.B. ’96, J.D. ’99, joined the Miami office of Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A., as an associate practicing in the areas of commercial litigation and general liability. Melanie Damian, J.D. ’96, a partner with the law firm Damian and Valori LLP, was selected as one of Florida’s Legal Elite in the categories of labor and employment and commercial litigation by Florida Trend Magazine. Gloria Romero Roses, M.B.A. ’96, is spearheading the new Office of Community and Employee Relations for The Continental Group, a property management and maintenance firm with more than 3,400 employees throughout Florida. Tricia A. Russell, B.Arch. ’96, formerly senior project manager at Clemens Construction Company, has started Vericon Construction Company in Linden, New Jersey, with partners Charles

DeAngells and Stephen Mellett. After four months in business, the firm has acquired work in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Crissa-Jean Chappell, B.S.C. ’97, M.F.A. ’99, Ph.D. ’03, recently sold her debut novel at auction to HarperCollins. It will be published in 2007. Mary Davis, A.B. ’98, earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Florida in 2003. She is the visiting scientist in environmental health at Harvard University and an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts. She studies biostatistical methods and environmental health risks. She recently married Candice M. Darcy, a massage therapist in Boston. Riccardo G. Firmino, M.A.L.S. ’98, is co-owner of three firms in Coral Gables that provide continuing medical education credits toward physicians’ recognition awards. His firms also organize conferences that provide physicians with ACCME-accredited courses to help them maintain their licenses. F. Jay Haran, B.H.S. ’98, spent

the summer, for the second consecutive year, working with scientists in the Neurosciences Laboratory at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A doctoral student studying motor control at the University of Houston, Haran examined the effects of microgravity on motor function during the summer internship, provided by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Peter Bielagus, B.S.C. ’99, author of Getting Loaded: A Complete Personal Finance Guide for Students and Young Professionals, has signed a development deal with Hearst Entertainment to develop a personal finance reality TV show. The financial makeover show (www.brokefolk.com) will feature unusual and entertaining stories about real money messes from people who are starting their financial life off on the wrong foot. John L. Urban, J.D. ’99, and Carl-Christian Thier, LL.M. ’97, have formed Urban & Thier, P.A., a law firm with offices in Orlando, Florida, and Munich, Germany. The firm’s primary

focus is on domestic and international transactional and litigation matters.

2000s

Brad E. Coren, J.D. ’00, has been appointed sergeant at arms for the Rotary Club of Weston, responsible for member adherence to club policies and procedures. Coren’s practice in Weston, Florida, specializes in business, corporate, and commercial matters. He also handles personal injury cases. Adrienne Denaro, B.S.C. ’00, a copywriter for ClearChannel Broadcasting, has won a spot on the top 25 radio commercials in the country through ClearChannel’s Creative Services Group. She is engaged to Nasri Mukhar, B.S.C.E. ’01, a computer engineer for Blue Point Data and owner of a computer consulting company, Macro SG. Jason E. Havens, LL.M.E. ’00,

Make a Note of It—Send Us Your News

njoy reading about Name

your classmates in

Class Notes? Share some

Address

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news about yourself in a future issue of Miami magazine. Complete this

City/State/Zip Code

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Degree, Year Graduated, School/College

Or, submit online at www.miamialumni.net or via

Latest News (career changes, accomplishments, promotions, honors, etc.)

e-mail: alumni@miami.edu

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 45 ■

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04-232 Miami Winter 06 Depts V2

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is cofounder of Havens & Miller, P.L.L.C., with law offices in Destin and Bluewater Bay (Niceville), Florida, and New Orleans. He was selected for inclusion in the 14th edition of Who’s Who in American Law (2005-2006) under the areas of estate planning, probate, and taxation. He also was selected for inclusion in the 60th edition of Who’s Who in America. Both are published by Marquis Who’s Who. Jordan M. Lewin, J.D. ’00, has opened his own law firm, Jordan M. Lewin, P.A., after practicing for five years as a criminal prosecutor with the Office of the State Attorney for Miami-Dade and attaining the position of division chief. He is engaged to Loretta B. Todzia, J.D. ’01, who is associate counsel for Baptist Health South Florida, following a threeyear stint at the firm McDermot, Will, and Emory. Christopher J. O’Rand, J.D. ’00, an associate with the civil practice law firm of Markowitz, Davis, Ringel & Trusty, P.A., received a 2005 “Put Something Back” Pro Bono Award in the Family Law category. The award is the result of a joint project between the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and the Dade County Bar Association. Virginia de la Guardia Infante, M.S.Ed. ’01, has established DownTime Kids, the first resourceful program in Miami for children with Down syndrome and their families. Carlos B. Castillo, J.D. ’01, formerly a special counsel to the United States attorney for the southern district of Florida and an assistant U.S. attorney, is a new partner at Seidman, Prewitt, Dibello & Lopez, P.A.. Joseph Wall, B.S. ’01, was promoted to captain in the United States Air Force and has become a KC-10 aircraft commander. He is engaged to Trysta Malm, B.S. ’03, whom he met in scuba class before graduating from UM. 46 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

■

Dany Garcia Johnson Is Rocketing Ahead in Business

orking hard has always been a

of Miami Hurricane. “Times were difficult,

defining characteristic of Dany

but it gives me an appreciation of where we

Garcia Johnson, B.B.A. ’92. “In order to keep

are today.” This appreciation fuels

my horse, I ran a barn of eight stalls and drove trac-

Johnson’s involvement with

tors,” she says of earlier

many charitable organiza-

endeavors. In high school

tions. As founder and presi-

she sold suits in a men’s

dent of The Beacon

store, her first exposure to

Experience, Johnson helps

the business world. And

“mold outstanding members

during her UM years, she

of society” by guiding a

worked in the dean’s office

selected kindergarten class

in the School of Business

through high school and

Administration and rowed

ultimately funding college

on the crew team. “My uni-

scholarships for them. Johnson also is founder and

versity experience was fully rounded,” she says. “I had wonderful men-

vice president of The Dwayne Johnson Rock

tors at the University of Miami who influ-

Foundation, honorary chairperson for the

enced me greatly.”

Mercy Hospital Emergency Department Cam-

After graduation, Johnson spent ten

paign, on the board of the Make-A-Wish

years with Merrill Lynch as a financial con-

Foundation, and a regional director for the

sultant, and in 2001 she founded JDM Part-

University of Miami Alumni Association.

ners, a Miami wealth management firm with

Johnson, whose parents are Cuban immi-

client portfolios averaging $5 million. Like

grants, was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey,

her clients, Johnson and her husband, actor

and grew up in nearby Succasunna, where

and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock”

she studied classical piano, flute, and French

Johnson, A.B. ’95, are financially secure, but

horn. Today she and Dwayne enjoy homes in

it wasn’t always that way.

Davie, Florida, and Los Angeles, California,

“I even sold my Eric Clapton boxed set,”

which they share with their four-year-old

she laments, recalling her favorite CDs. When

daughter, Simone. “I still play the piano,”

the couple first met, she was earning $18,000

Johnson adds. “At least I can impress the

a year and Dwayne couldn't work because he

heck out of my daughter.”

was on a football scholarship as a University

Elisa Rodriguez, B.S.I.E. ’02, resigned from Florida Power & Light Co., where she worked as a project manager for three years, to become a full-time MBA student at Yale University. Justin Ziegler, J.D. ’03, was a guest on 1360 WKAT-AM’s Ask the Lawyer, hosted by Spencer Aronfeld, B.B.A. ’88, J.D. ’91. Veronica Villegas, B.S.C. ’03,

has been named director of the Latin American Division at the Coral Gables-based public relations firm Kreps DeMaria. She is responsible for developing and furthering public relations strategies for companies throughout the United States that seek to increase their visibility within Latin America. Nubia Villegas, B.B.A. ’04, is

—Leonard Nash

chief of staff to Florida state representative Julio Robaina (R-Miami). She is pursuing a master’s degree in higher education administration and enrollment management. Matthew J. Zipay, J.D. ’04, LL.M.E. ’05, has joined the Trusts and Estates practice section in the Naples, Florida, office of Quarles & Brady LLP.

04-232 Miami Winter 06 Depts V2

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Alumni Event Information 866-UMALUMS

■

Page 47

Sports Tickets 305-284-CANES or 1-800-GO-CANES

■

www.miami.edu/alumni

December

24 Annual President’s Circle

28 UMAA New Deans Reception,

3-January 22, 2006 Lowe Art

Spring Recognition Reception,

Boston, Massachusetts

Museum Imaging & Identity: African Art from the Lowe Art Museum and South Florida Collections; Engaging the Camera: African Women, Portraits and the Photographs of Hector Acebes

Coral Gables, Florida TBD Black Alumni Reunion Weekend, Coral Gables,

April 2006 5-6 Alumna in Residence pro-

Florida

gram featuring Suzy Kolber, A.B. ’86

March 2006

9-15 Student Advancement’s

8 ACC Alumni Reception,

Alumni Awareness Week, Coral

Washington, D.C.

Gables, Florida

January 2006

9-12 ACC Basketball Tourna-

15-June 4 Lowe Art Museum

TBD Football Bowl Game

ment, Washington, D.C.

17 UMAA New Deans Reception,

10 Eighth Annual ’Canes Alumni Golf Tour, Miami Golf

Glexis Novoa: Visionary Draftsman 18 UMAA New Deans Reception, Chicago, Illinois

Classic, Miami, Florida

20-29 Jerry Herman Ring The-

Imaging & Identity: African Art from the Lowe Art Museum and South

Anniversary Party, Coral

Gables, Florida February 2006 1 UMAA New Deans Reception,

Tampa, Florida Richard Jolley: Sculptor of Glass, 1985-Present; Rembrandt: The Consummate Etcher and Other 17th Century Printmakers

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP Executive Committee

Gregory M. Cesarano, J.D. ’76, President Rudolph Moise, M.B.A. ’94, J.D. ’97, Immediate Past President Jacqueline F. Nespral, A.B. ’89, President-Elect Patrick K. Barron, B.B.A. ’75, Vice President Linda Dunn Brown, B.Ed. ’73, M.Ed. ’77, Vice President William D. Pruitt, B.B.A. ’66, Vice President Stuart P. Weiss, B.B.A. ’72, Vice President David L. Wilson, B.B.A. ’82, Vice President Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A.’95, Executive Director Alumni Trustees

Ernesto J. D’Escoubet II, B.S.E.E. ’65, M.S.E.E. ’70 Randall C. Johnson, A.B. ’71 Laurie S. Silvers, A.B. ’74, J.D. ’77 Regional Directors

Michelle M. Austin, J.D. ’96 Samuel H. Ballam III, B.B.A. ’72 Robert S. Cohen, B.B.A. ’84 Leslie A. Goldsmith, Ph.D., B.S. ’72 Dany Garcia Johnson, B.B.A. ’92 Leslie J. Monreal, B.S.C. ’96 Roselee N. Roberts, A.B. ’64 Directors

Matthew Arpano, M.B.A. ’92

atre The Music Man, Coral Gables, Florida

Theatre How I Learned to

25 Official Class Ring Presenta-

Drive, Coral Gables, Florida

tion Ceremony, Coral Gables,

16-26 Jerry Herman Ring

Florida

Theatre Electra, Coral Gables,

4-April 2 Lowe Art Museum

15-26 Jerry Herman Ring

Florida Collections.

May 2006

Florida

’Canes Care Month, UMAA's

16-18 President’s Council

National Alumni Community

Spring Meeting, Coral Gables,

Service Program (locations and

Florida 23 UMAA Board of Directors Meeting, Coral Gables, Florida

Elizabeth W. Davis, B.S.C. ’91 Wifredo A. Ferrer, A.B. ’87 G. Alex Fraser, B.B.A. ’97 Robert L. Hersh, A.B. ’75, M.Ed. ’77 Alina Tejeda Hudak, B.B.A. ’82, M.P.A. ’84 Carlos E. Lowell, B.S.M.E. ’94 Nan A. Markowitz, A.B. ’81 Stanley W. Papuga, B.B.A. ’67 Carmine Parente, B.S. ’86 Suzanne A. Perez, J.D. ’00 Irwin P. Raij, B.B.A ’92 Richard J. Roberts, B.B.A., ’74 Lawrence H. Solomon, B.B.A. ’71 Joshua B. Spector, J.D. ’02 Stanley B. Thornton, B.S.I.E. ’81 Student Representatives

Meredith Friedman Peter Maki Club Leaders and Alumni Contacts Atlanta Daniel P. O’Boyle, B.B.A. ’83

404-873-1188 dan@desertharvest.net Bahamas Wendy Wong, M.B.A. ’96

242-362-4572 wwong@lyfordcay.com Boston Joshua Cohen, A.B. ’96 617-531-9606 joshua.cohen@comcast.net Broward County Brian Moye, B.S. ’81 954-817-4400, sflone@aol.com Chicago/Northern Illinois Jack Weiner, B.B.A. ’72, M.S. ’73 847-446-4408, jackw@theramp.net

Tee off at the Miami Golf Classic.

projects vary by national alumni club)

Dallas/Fort Worth Tanya Green,

North Carolina-Greensboro David

A.B. ’92, 972-699-8252 catlove@mindspring.com Denver Alan S. Beshany, A.B. ’66 303-989-5901, Alan@Beshany.com Detroit Paul Koch, M.D. B.S. ’73 313-274-6579 detroitcanes@yahoo.com Hartford Keri Gilford, A.B. ’93 860-232-9665 kerigilford@hotmail.com Houston Dawn Rodak, B.S.E.D. ’84, M.S.E.D. ’86, 713-425-1703 dawnrodak@letu.edu Las Vegas John Knuth, M.B.A. ’98, M.S. ’02, 702-243-1064 john.e.knuth@us.hsbc.com

Noble, J.D. ’01, 336-370-8820 dnoble@triad.rr.com North Carolina-Raleigh Daniel Smith, B.S. ’00, M.B.A. ’02 919-450-0532 daniel@coralreefproductions.com Orlando Cristina Equi, J.D. ’98 407-843-8880, cequi@grayharris.com Palm Beach Martin Springer, M.B.A. ’74 561-443-0453, marvyone@aol.com Philadelphia Norman I. Segal, B.B.A. ’61, J.D. ’64, 610-645-6358 nsegal@bigfoot.com Phoenix Ben Leis, B.S.C. ’04 480-275-5339, ben.leis@gmail.com Richmond Jan Light, A.B. ’69 804-746-1155 janlight@hotmail.com Rochester Mark Scuderi, M.B.A. ’85 585-261-8881 mscuderi@rochester.rr.com San Diego Thomas G. Bauer, A.B. ’75 619-437-6689, bauertg@yahoo.com San Francisco Ryan Schilling, A.B. ’01 415-479-2097 rschilling@readingprograms.org Sarasota Chris Clayton, B.S.C. ’94 941-586-7997, cclayton12@aol.com Southwest Florida Robert Ramsay, B.B.A. ’94, M.B.A. ’96 239-591-6368 robert.ramsay@53.com Tallahassee Ray Andreu, B.S.M.E. ’75, 850-894-2786 ray_andreu@bkitech.com

Los Angeles/Southern California

Lee Kaplowitz, A.B. ’69 310-207-8045, lkaplow320@aol.com Louisville Michael Friedman, B.B.A. ’74 502-587-0399 mfriedman@scrapandwaste.com Melbourne, Florida Joseph Jenne, M.S. ’03, 321-752-9061 jjenne@earthlink.net Miami Cie Chapel, B.B.A. ’01 305-284-2343, cie@miami.edu New Jersey Bonnie Solomon, A.B. ’73 Larry Solomon, B.B.A. ’71 732-422-8338, caniac329@aol.com New York Janis Block, B.B.A. ’85 516-390-9278, canes85@optonline.net North Carolina-Charlotte James M. Barnett, B.B.A. ’68, 704-841-7653 jim@jimbarnett.com

Tampa/St. Petersburg Elizabeth

Olson, A.B. ’82, 727-772-6557 canes5@tampabay.rr.com Washington, D.C. Racquel Russell,

B.S.C. ’00, 202-498-6968 wdc.canes@gmail.com Baghdad/Operation Iraqi Freedom

Lewis Byrd, A.B. ’04 sketch_um@hotmail.com and Raymond Lavado, B.B.A. ’92, M.B.A. ’96, rlavado@aol.com Kuwait Reyadh Alrabeah, B.S.I.E. ’87 965-245-3162, ralrabeah@yahoo.com and Nezar Hasawi, B.S.E.E. ’89 965-484-2075 hasawi@kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw Alumni records of the University of Miami are kept strictly confidential. Directory information is released only to other members of the alumni community unless an alumnus or alumna has requested complete privacy. On a very limited occasion and only at the approval of the UM Alumni Association Board of Directors, directory information is shared with outside vendors who are in a joint relationship with the University. Should you wish not to release your name to any outside vendor and/or other members of the UM alumni community, please notify the Office of Alumni Relations in writing at P.O. Box 248053, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-3410.

Winter 2006 Miami magazine 47 ■

■

Illustration by Nip Rogers

West Palm Beach, Florida 18 Wellness Center 10th

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Faculty Stars in a Whole New Light

ROBERT JOHNSON SHEDS LIGHT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR

A Real People Person

obert Johnson is a people watcher. Always has been. So the Minnesota native did what most parents tell their children to do when they grow up—he took what he loved to do and turned it into a career. Just over a year ago,

major, Johnson learned all the theories and formulas Einstein, Newton, and his professors required of him in less than two years. Needing credits in other subjects in order to graduate, Johnson decided to enroll in a sociology class.

experiments were sensitive to the elements, whereas all the sociology classes were held in this building that looked like a Norman castle.” Johnson hasn’t yet explored the effect of class environment on choice of major, but now his main

Photo by John Zillioux

“I’m not an introspective person—introspective people become psychologists.” Johnson was settling into his sunlit Merrick Building office as professor and chair of the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. It’s a stark contrast to the dark, chilly basement of the physics building at St. Olaf College in Minnesota (“You know, the town where Rose on the Golden Girls was from”), where he spent many of his own college days. A physics 48 Miami magazine Winter 2006 ■

■

“It was a course on deviant behavior,” he recalls. His final paper was on the history of hobos—how they went from being romanticized in Shirley Temple movies, songs, and poems to being ostracized by society. By the end of the class, Johnson had fallen in love. “Plus,” he adds, “the physics labs were in the basement because many

interest is life stages, which he has studied extensively throughout his career as a medical sociologist. He has held faculty positions at the University of Utah, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas A&M, and Kent State. It was at Kent, after 9/11, where he decided to collaborate with Israel’s University of Haifa to study the effect of terrorism on post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a sample of over 1,000 Israelis—approximately 35 percent Palestinian and 65 percent Jewish—Johnson observed that terrorism did result in PTSD, as well as a secondary increase in authoritarianism and ethnocentrism. The findings are useful, Johnson says, in identifying populations vulnerable to these thoughts and behaviors. Doing so may help prevent future catastrophic terrorist events like 9/11. Johnson has since shifted gears from the stress of terrorism to the stress of aging. He studies, for example, the similarities in the experiences of a 65-year-old and an 85-year-old, both of whom could be at the end of life. Do people start acting different when they enter this stage? The concept intrigues Johnson, but while he studies and analyzes social behavior, he tries not to observe details of his own life too much. “I’m not an introspective person—introspective people become psychologists,” he jokes. “I think I’ll stick to people watching.” –Jessica Sick, B.S.C. ’00

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We can help you branch out Tired of leafing through the classifieds to find your dream job? Supplement your search with CareerTools, a new online career services center offered free from your Alumni Association. Networking is how 80 percent of all job seekers find employment. CareerTools connects you with UM alumni employers and helps you polish the skills that will make you shine, whether you’re looking to change jobs or advance in your current position.

CareerTools provides: • Job postings • Resumé-writing tips • Interview/negotiation skills • Career coach message boards • Career assessment tools • Training guides • Directory of contacts

Accessing the CareerTools network is easy: log on to www.miami.edu/alumni and click on the CareerTools link.

04-232 Miami Winter 06 Cover

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Page C4

Got a Flair for Style? YOU’D NEVER DRIVE A BORING CAR, SO WHY HAVE A DULL LICENSE PLATE? STEER CLEAR OF THE ORDINARY WITH A UM LICENSE PLATE FEATURING SEBASTIAN THE IBIS. The UM plate may be purchased at any Florida tag agency for just $25 above the cost of a regular plate. Best of all, the extra $25 funds University of Miami Alumni Scholarships for UM students. The only requirement is that you must be a Florida resident with a vehicle registered in the state. If you already have a UM plate, you’re a model to follow. Just remember that you can renew your UM plate for only $25 above the cost of a regular plate. And that money goes to fund scholarships, too.

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