W&L Fall-Winter Magazine 2024

eye toward the future

Bill Miller ’72 redefines generosity with a historic gift to fund need-blind admissions p.10

LIGHT BRIGHT

The night sky behind Washington Hall was illuminated with dazzling colors from the northern lights on Oct. 10. A geomagnetic storm caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun made the northern lights visible in the U.S. from as far south as Florida upward to New York.

Photo submitted by Daniel Reiter ’26

FEATURES

10

Generosity at its Best

Bill Miller ’72’s historic $132 million gift to support financial aid sets the tone for W&L’s Leading Lives of Consequence comprehensive capital campaign.

16

Making an Impact

Meet five alumni and one current student who are making a difference in the world around them.

Mark Bradley ’78 p. 16

Dr. Matthew Sackett ’90, P’18 p. 18

Rima Kumari ’26 p. 20

Steve Abraham ’80, ’83L p. 24

Keith Sanford ’80 p. 26

Dr. Kelli Jarrell ’12 p. 28

30

Learning Environment

The A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation inspires outside-the-classroom connections for both students and alumni.

DEPARTMENTS

3 Columns

36 Office Hours

Irina Mazilu, Parmly Professor of Physics

38 Lives of Consequence

Curtis Joseph ’93, ’96L

40 Alumni

52 Chronicles

Photo by Kevin Remington

SPEAK

STAY CONNECTED

Colonnade Connections is Washington and Lee University’s internal database for alumni. Think of it as a university-only LinkedIn account. Post recent life events on the Class Notes page, stay updated on alumni events and network with the full breadth of W&L graduates. Be sure to check that your email and mailing address are current so you can benefit from networking opportunities and receive W&L: The Washington and Lee Magazine and the Generally Speaking newsletter. Do you have any questions? Send a note to alumni@wlu.edu.

W&L HOSTS INAUGURAL POLICY FORUM

Washington and Lee University hosted its inaugural Policy Forum Oct. 10-11 in Washington, D.C., gathering more than 100 alumni, current students and guests to explore key issues at the intersection of politics, policy and the private sector. The theme of the event was National Security and the Economy.

The first topic-focused forum was held in 2017, when the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, Office of Career and

“I’m looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 ... (and) helping students explore careers in the ever-changing sports industry, as detailed so well in the summer 2024 issue of W&L Magazine.”

— JIM FARRAR ’74 Read more on p. 41

Professional Development and Office of Alumni Engagement co-sponsored the Real Estate Forum in D.C.; there have since been five iterations. The goal is to connect alumni, current students and other members of the community around a professional affinity to add value to their work and make connections they may not have known existed.

The next forum will be an Energy Forum in March in Houston. For more information, email alumni@wlu.edu.

INFO STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Generally Speaking is a monthly newsletter distributed to both undergraduate and law alumni. This newsletter features Columns stories about the latest university news, upcoming events and online opportunities all in one place. The newsletter spotlights alumni stories, happenings on campus and Lifelong Learning trips. To make sure you receive the latest updates from W&L, check that your email address is current in your Colonnade Connections account.

SEND US A NOTE

Did a story in this issue really resonate with you? Did it spark a great memory of your time at W&L? Do you have a wonderful story idea you’d like to share for a future issue?

We welcome your feedback! Reach out to our editoral team at: magazine@wlu.edu

A Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Washington and Lee University

Volume 100, Number 4 Fall/Winter 2024

Jessica Luck Editor

Laura Lemon ’16 Assistant Editor

Jamie Lipps Director of Design

Billy Chase Kolton Cannon Designers

Shelby Hamelman

Kevin Remington University Photographers

Sara Butler

Barbara Elliott

Shea Gibbs

Kelsey Goodwin

Emily Innes

Susan Sorensen Contributors

Jessica Willett ’95 Vice President of Communications and Strategic Initiatives

Drewry Sackett ’93 Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Published by Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450. All communications and POD forms 3579 should be sent to Washington and Lee University, Alumni Magazine, 7 Courthouse Square, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington VA 24450-2116. Periodicals postage paid at Roanoke, VA.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT

Susan Wood Vice President for University Advancement

John Jensen ’01 Executive Director of Alumni and Career Services © 2024 Washington and Lee University

Columns

NOTEWORTHY NEWS AND IDEAS

THE PLACE TO BE

The recently completed renovations to Café 77 and Marketplace debuted at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year. By reconfiguring the Cohen Family Amphitheater, these updates to Elrod Commons expanded

the Marketplace dining room and created an additional outdoor terrace for Café 77 (the Marketplace serves between 1,600 and 2,000 meals on a typical day). In addition to more seating and new furniture, the Marketplace

extension includes a wall unit where sustainable microgreens grow. In total, the university has seven dining facilities on campus, staffed by approximately 300 Dining Services employees.

2

3. NEW TRUSTEES

Josephine Covington ’96, P’24 of Dallas, who began her career as an AP biology teacher and was the first female chair of the W&L Annual Fund, and Jack Huffard ’90, P’28 of McLean, Virginia, an accomplished start-up and growth software company executive who co-founded Tenable, were sworn in to the Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees in October 2024.

GREEN SCENE

As W&L continues to implement greener initiatives on campus, the university was recognized for its sustainability efforts by the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2024 Sustainable Campus Index. The Princeton Review gave W&L a 91 overall rating on a scale from 60 to 99. The university was also featured in AASHE’s index for its community engagement through a partnership with the Indigenous-led nonprofit NDPonics that resulted in the creation of the Kihkǫspé:hla Living Lab.

ON THE RECORD

A record number of 57 Washington and Lee students were awarded nationally competitive fellowships for the 2023-2024 academic year. W&L was named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students for the sixth consecutive year with 12 grants. In addition, this past year saw a record 11 Gilman Scholarships, eight Critical Language Scholarships and three Goldwater Scholars — and for the fourth consecutive year, the university had a Beinecke Scholar. In addition, Katie Yurechko ’24 and Tanajia Moye-Green ’23 were named W&L’s first Marshall Scholar and Knight-Hennessy Scholar, respectively.

WRITING’S ON THE WALL

Rebecca Benefiel, Abigail Grigsby Urquhart Professor of Classics, delivered the 2024 Provost’s Lecture on Sept. 12 in University Chapel. The lecture delved into deciphering ancient graffiti in Pompeii and what it revealed about the public perception of the Decimi Lucretii Valentes, one of the city’s most distinguished families.

6. FACULTY PUBLICATIONS

a Harlan Beckley, Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion Emeritus and founding director of the Shepherd Poverty Program “Rethinking Equal Opportunity: Dignity, Human Capability and Justice”

b Jenefer Davies , chair of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and artistic director of the W&L Repertory Dance Company “The Art of Dance Composition: Writing the Body”

c Chris Gavaler, professor of English, and Nathaniel Goldberg, professor of philosophy “Revising Reality: How Sequels, Remakes, Retcons and Rejects Explain the World”

d Wan-Chuan Kao, associate professor of English and head of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program “White Before Whiteness in the Late Middle Ages”

e Holly Pickett , department chair and professor of English “The Drama of Serial Conversion in Early Modern England”

IN THE NEWS

Reaching New Heights

Two alumni celebrate career milestones in their pursuit of public service.

By Emily Innes

The National Press Club awarded Mike Allen ’86, co-founder of Axios, with the Fourth Estate Award, which recognizes journalists who have made significant contributions to the industry and is the top honor bestowed on a journalist by the National Press Club Board of Governors. Allen was recognized alongside Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei during a Nov. 21 gala in Washington, D.C. Allen and VandeHei — along with Roy Schwartz — launched Axios in 2017 based on the shared belief that the world needed “smarter, more efficient coverage of the topics shaping the fast-changing world.” Since then, the audience-first media outlet has published more than 174,676 stories

and amassed 3.1 million unique subscribers across all its newsletters (Allen authors the three Axios Daily Essentials newsletters).

In addition, Axios won an Emmy Award for the docu-news series “Axios” on HBO, for which Allen served as an executive producer.

In a press release by Axios, Allen expressed his gratitude for the National Press Club and journalists who fight for smart, consequential, deeply reported journalism. “Our nation is weaker when our media is not strong, fearless and durable,” he said. “The mission of protecting journalism at Axios and everywhere is a group effort. We are humbled to be a part of it.”

Prior to Axios, Allen and VandeHei co-founded Politico in 2007 and created the Politico Playbook. Allen is an

alumnus of TIME, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Richmond Times-Dispatch and authored “Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less.”

Aclerkship was awarded to Joseph Landry ’13 by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The clerkship began with the court’s October 2024 term and is Landry’s third federal clerkship. Landry was inspired to apply for another year of clerking after watching Jackson’s confirmation hearing, and considers this next clerkship to be “the honor of a lifetime.”

After graduating from Columbia Law School in 2016, Landry clerked for Judge James B. Loken of the U.S. Court of Appeals,

8th Circuit, and Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He then spent several years working for the U.S. Department of Labor as a trial attorney in its Boston regional solicitor’s office.

Practicing labor law has long been a goal of Landry’s, a career path inspired in part by the work experiences of his parents and late grandparents. With the Department of Labor, Landry litigated cases involving working conditions, pay practices and workplace retaliation in federal courts across New England. Through his trial work, he told Columbia Law, he has seen how “the law, and the ideals and principles embedded in that law, interact with real life.”

Mike Allen ’86, co-founder of Axios, and Joseph Landry ’13, recent clerk to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

DISTINCTIVELY W&L

LEADING WITH PURPOSE

BY WILL DUDLEY, PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON AND LEE celebrated the launch of our capital campaign, Leading Lives of Consequence, earlier this fall. The theme reflects our conviction that W&L’s distinctive brand of liberal arts and legal education instills in our graduates the intellectual habits, character traits and skills that prepare them to be ethical leaders who use their talents to make positive impacts, personally and professionally.

Students are the purpose of our work. And they play a crucial role in how well our work gets done. The development of each individual student

depends upon the caliber of their peers. Our students educate each other, inside and outside the classroom. And thus, our mission calls us to assemble the strongest possible student body.

Each year we recruit deep and diverse applicant pools, looking for students who have the capacity to thrive in a demanding liberal arts or law school environment, and we offer generous financial aid to ensure that all who are admitted can afford to attend.

Students at Washington and Lee benefit from a curriculum that is both traditional and innovative.

We are distinguished from other top liberal arts colleges in virtue of having an accredited undergraduate school of commerce, economics and politics and a venerable law school. Our emphases on interdisciplinary and experiential education teach students to develop creative solutions to complex problems and prepare them to make significant contributions to their communities.

Teaching is our top priority. We offer small classes taught by skilled professors who are devoted to helping students cultivate their potential. We supplement classroom teaching with opportunities for participation in research, study abroad, internships and legal clinics, all of which prepare our students for professional success.

Our vision for W&L is to be a national model for liberal arts education in the 21st century. Our community of trust and civility, our distinctive curriculum, our commitment to fostering informed and active citizenship and our beautiful and historic campus are a potent educational combination.

This issue of the magazine features just some of the students, faculty and alumni who embody our campaign theme,

including Bill Miller ’72, whose recent historic $132 million gift significantly increases access to a Washington and Lee education for meritorious students from underresourced circumstances. His exceptional generosity will enhance academic excellence and diversity of all kinds, ensuring that W&L always remains

Our vision for W&L is to be a national model for liberal arts education in the 21st century.”

among the most outstanding and impactful liberal arts universities.

I hope you will enjoy the stories of these inspiring individuals and take the opportunity to learn more about how you can help Washington and Lee prepare future generations to lead lives of consequence through your support of this campaign.

IN THE LEAD

A Holistic Perspective

SARP SAHIN ’26 was a sophomore when he received the competitive Goldwater Scholarship, which supports undergraduate students pursuing STEM-based research opportunities.

ONE OF THE GREATEST benefits of studying STEM in a liberal arts setting is the opportunity to gain a different perspective on science and technology. It provided me with a holistic perspective on how the sciences intersect with society, ethics and the humanities and enables a more comprehensive

approach to problem-solving and critical thinking. When I first arrived at W&L as a pre-health student, I actively sought out clinical experiences. I took the initiative to lead the revival of W&L Remote Area Medical (RAM), which had been dormant since 2020. W&L RAM provides pre-health students with accessible, hands-on clinical experiences by connecting them with mobile medical clinics serving underserved communities across the nation. Our volunteers have traveled hundreds of miles, slept on church floors, woken at 4 a.m. and provided clinical support in any way they

can — interpreting, making prescription glasses, assisting with dental extractions and operating X-rays. Many of our volunteers describe their experiences as “life-changing” or “eye-opening,” highlighting the profound impact of working directly with underserved communities. Engaging in research as an undergraduate helped me gain a deeper understanding of the scientific method and the structured approach required for project design. My main research experiences have been with the Movement Science Lab at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, exploring the causes and effects of maladaptive

SMART START: DR. MATTHEW PARTRICK ’99 ON LISA ALTY

In the fall of 1996, I first met with professor Lisa Alty in her capacity as adviser for all the pre-med students. She was a bright light in my college career, helping me arrange my schedule to accommodate all the pre-med classes I needed to take. She had the most generous office hours, to the extent that it felt like no time was out of bounds for students. These meetings invariably went off topic to more general life issues and stressors, and I sometimes wondered if the students should have bought her a Freud-style couch to assist in this. We

may have been frustrated with the difficulty of organic and biochemistry while we were taking it, but she was spot-on in saying that the complexity and volume of data in those classes very effectively simulated the challenges of the first year of medical school. She was doing us a favor, helping us get used to that in a very supportive environment.

Professor Alty was instrumental in my admission to medical school (as she surely was for others).

About a week before graduation, I hadn’t gotten in anywhere. She and I were

surprised, as my grades and scores supported getting in somewhere.

A few days later, the dean at Wake Forest called and asked her, “Why hasn’t this guy gotten in anywhere yet?” She said, in typically laconic fashion, “No reason.” He then told her, “Well, in that case, we will rectify that.”

I have never forgotten what she did for me during my college career. I’ve probably seen over 50,000 patients during my career in emergency medicine, and, believe it or not, I use those chemistry principles every day. If she made such

movement patterns in pediatric populations, and the NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, applying advanced computational methods to analyze gene expression in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Currently, I’m collaborating on a manuscript investigating the transcriptomic basis of Parkinson’s disease, which we plan to submit for publication soon. These experiences have inspired me to pursue a career in academic medicine, combining rigorous research with direct patient care.

a difference in one young man’s life, imagine how many other thousands of students she has positively affected during her decades at W&L. Her influence has ripples in American medicine, and we are so fortunate to have her.

Dr. Matthew Partrick ’99 has been practicing medicine for 20 years and is an emergency and diving medicine physician at the Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Florida. Lisa Alty, John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Chemistry, is in her 38th year teaching at W&L.

SALUTE

Professor Lisa Alty

Dr. Matthew Partrick ’99

22% domestic students of color

9% children of W&L alumni

125 student-athletes

24 languages spoken at home

The newest cohort of Generals emerged from the most selective process in the university’s undergraduate history.

$67,552 the average need and/or merit-based institutional award

Pell Grant recipients They represent a remarkable range of accomplishments inside and outside the classroom and embody much more than just high-achieving statistics.”

31 countries

40 states

405 high schools

8,140 applicants

— Sally Stone Richmond Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid

DUBYUHNELL DAY

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

As part of a Teaching, Learning and Leading panel in October 2024, students and faculty highlighted the benefits of working together on research projects.

Jack Perryman ’25L Editor of the German Law Journal at W&L Law, ranked No. 1 for European and international law

Perryman is writing a piece to be published next year in the Cambridge University Press on the federal court system and jurisdiction on Indigenous property, studying how judges think about the Constitution and its structure to make decisions regarding tribal land.

“All the professors in the law school are top-notch, and they really want to push you,” he says. “It’s not enough for them that you can do well on the exam; they want you to think deeply about justice. I’m here because this is a consequential place.” n

Marcie Bernard ’25

Biology and environmental studies double major with a conservation biology focus

Bernard is in her third semester assisting professor of biology

Bill Hamilton with his Yellowstone National Park ecology research project that was born out of a Spring Term class in 2005. Hamilton and his students perform projects that help with the management of bison at the national park and are now estimating how much carbon can be stored in the ecological system. Their work contributes to policy and management decisions.

“This research is a great way to combine my majors and see how much of an academic overlap there is,” Bernard says. “Everything is so interdisciplinary.” n

Hana Chang ’26

English and strategic communications double major

Over the summer, Chang served on a research team of students from a variety of majors, including incoming first-year students in the AIM program, working with Holly Pickett, professor of English. They studied the incorporation of Shakespeare into the sci-fi TV show “Station Eleven,” about a theater troupe performing during a pandemic.

“It really led me to own the importance of the arts, even in a troubled world,” Pickett says. “Working with students has helped me articulate the stakes of my project better or in a different way. It helps me think about, ‘Why does this matter?’ more.” n

Mariam Drammeh ’25

Cognitive and behavioral science and German double major with an art history minor

Drammeh joined cognitive and behavioral science professors Wythe Whiting and Karla Murdock’s research lab her first year at W&L, doing work with happiness valuation across cultures. She has since worked on the “Florence as it Was” art history project and also joined a computational cognition lab that uses data science to research artificial intelligence and creativity.

“Leading a life of consequence means that I am constantly reevaluating the impact I have on others,” Drammeh says, “and if there’s anyone who has taught me how to do that, it’s the professors that I have been so lucky to have connections with at this university.” n

Generosity. the heart of What is at ever y single meaningful connection?

PHOTO BY KEVIN REMINGTON

THAT IF HE COULD EVER ON HIS PROMISE BILL MILLER ’72

GIVE BACK, HE WOULD. HAS MADE GOOD >>>

Paying it Forward

by jessica luck

William H. “Bill” Miller ’72 never thought he would be in a position to make the single largest gift to Washington and Lee University. During the late October

announcement of his historic $132 million gift dedicated to financial aid, Miller told the audience gathered Oct. 24 in the University Chapel that when he arrived at W&L in the fall of 1968 — when coats and ties were required attire to attend class six days a week — he had just two sport coats from Kmart and a couple of ties. Coming from Miami, he didn’t even own a winter coat.

A few years ago, he found a stack of letters he had written to his parents while he was at W&L. The theme of each letter was largely the same: He was sorry he hadn’t written more often but studying took up much of his time. And he expected to run out of money by the end of the week — could they please send more? At W&L, Miller served as a dorm counselor, which paid for his room and board, and worked as treasurer of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He didn’t come from a wealthy family; his father was a cab driver, among other jobs. Having known firsthand the power of financial aid, Miller told himself that if he were ever in the position to make a significant gift — after paying off all his college debt, of course — he would give back to his alma mater, likely in the form of tuition scholarships.

Miller’s gift is the single largest in the university’s history and one of the largest dedicated to financial aid at any private liberal arts college. It allows W&L to implement a need-blind admissions policy for all undergraduate students while maintaining its existing commitments to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need — and to do so with aid packages that do not include loans. With this, W&L becomes one of a small number of highly selective colleges and universities able to do all three.

“The liberal arts education I received from Washington and Lee instilled in me values and habits of mind that have enriched my life and are the basis of much of my professional success,” says Miller, who retired in 2023 from Miller Value Partners, the investment adviser firm he founded. “I am pleased that this gift will make the same education attainable for students who share W&L’s core values of honor, integrity and civility and who bring different points of view, life experiences and talents that will contribute to a fuller and richer college experience.

“Being need-blind will allow Washington and Lee to attract the most highly sought-after students with a simple and powerful message: Your financial circumstances, however modest, will not

prevent you from attending W&L,” Miller continues. “I hope my gift will inspire others to support this outstanding university.”

Washington and Lee’s longstanding commitment to financial aid, the W&L Promise, assures that undergraduate students whose families that have an annual household income of less than $150,000 pay no tuition; additionally, those whose families that have an annual household income of less than $75,000 pay no tuition, room or board. Miller’s gift will support financial aid for undergraduate students based on their accomplishments, potential for success and need, allowing W&L to increase access and reduce financial barriers for students.

“Bill has directed his gift exactly as you would expect — if you know him, as I do — to the purpose that will make the largest possible long-term difference in the excellence of his beloved alma mater,” said President Will Dudley at the gift announcement. “By significantly increasing access to a Washington and Lee education for meritorious students from under-resourced circumstances, Bill’s gift will enhance academic excellence and meaningful diversity of all kinds, ensuring that W&L always remains among the most outstanding and impactful liberal arts universities.”

Foundation for the future

An economics and history major, Miller fondly tells the story of running into the late John Gunn, Lewis Whitaker Adams Professor of Economics Emeritus, while carrying a large stack of books on campus one day, which prompted Gunn to chide that he was certain the reading material had nothing to do with class textbooks. Miller was a diligent student — he did the required reading and the work — but he made sure to expand his learning horizons beyond just what was expected for his classes (his book collection now numbers in the thousands).

A Spring Term philosophy course his senior year, which he took on a bit of a lark, opened his eyes to how to pose fundamental questions that others neglect to ask and challenge assumptions that others take for granted. The class prompted him to pursue graduate studies in the Ph.D. program in philosophy at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and the legendary investor, who is known for having beaten the S&P 500 index for a record

“I hope my gift will inspire others to support this outstanding university.”

15 consecutive years and was named Greatest Money Manager of the 1990s by Money Magazine, attributes much of his career success to his background in philosophy and the ability to think critically, which he honed in W&L’s liberal arts setting.

“Bill’s career as a mutual fund manager was made on being the kind of money manager that does not bet against companies — he only bets for them. To me, that’s a very important distinction, because you’re basically helping people and rooting for a team,” says his wife, Heather Miller. “His general approach is to care and be interested in all the people around him.”

Heather’s college journey is somewhat of a parallel. A private investor and former Wall Street securities analyst, she relied on the generosity of a financial scholarship in order to attend Johns Hopkins.

“When Bill and I first learned of the opportunity to make W&L need-blind, it was not only personally meaningful to Bill, but also to me,” she says. “Without scholarship support I would not have been able to attend my alma mater, and my life might have taken a very different path. In a nice reflection of the cosmic consciousness — after graduation I spent a decade on Wall Street and then in various roles in public service — my first major gift to Johns Hopkins many years ago was to establish scholarships, so I could not be happier about this transformational gift for W&L students. I don’t know who gave the scholarship money for me to be able to attend Johns Hopkins. It would be nice if I could thank them one day, but I can thank them in this way.”

In 2016, Heather, a fellow Johns Hopkins Board of Trustees member with Miller and chair of the Board of Managers of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, served as co-chair of JHU’s capital campaign, and she was tapped to reach out to Miller to ask for a donation. Though they had known each other on Wall Street, she learned of his core beliefs of duty, honor and in giving back when they worked on his first significant gift to a capital campaign. Those same qualities later made her fall in love with him; they were married in 2022. Miller’s gift of $75 million to JHU’s philosophy department was the largest gift to a university philosophy department.

“What I think about in respect to philanthropy is, ‘Where can I make a difference with it? ’” Miller says.

“Fundraising, to me, really is about trying to allow people to see the change that they want to make in the world during their lifetime in a way that’s meaningful for them,” Heather

Miller adds. “It’s less about getting people to part with their hard-earned earnings than it is about allowing them to bring something to fruition that they probably couldn’t do alone.”

One of the ongoing topics of conversation between the couple is Miller’s sense of gratitude to the foundation Washington and Lee laid in his character, with the Honor System still playing a large part in his daily life.

“I think the Honor System here is as strong as it is anywhere. And I think there’s a certain camaraderie among the students because we all tend to agree on the same core values of what we’re trying to live up to,” Miller says. “In fact, that was one of the critical reasons that took me over the top on giving the money here — W&L’s core values of honor, integrity and civility.”

President Dudley awarded the university’s highest honor, the Washington Award, to Miller in recognition of his transformative gift. The Washington Award was established in 2001 and recognizes extraordinary acts of philanthropy in support of W&L and other institutions and distinguished leadership and service to the nation (read more on p. 52). As Dudley shared the gift announcement in October with the crowd — which responded with roaring applause and a standing ovation — Miller, with tears in his eyes, gave a small wave from the front row.

“The idea that I would ever be in a position to donate this kind of money would have been ludicrous to me,” Miller said at the announcement. “But due to the outstanding education I received here, I attribute a huge amount of whatever success I’ve had to W&L — and to all the lessons I’ve learned here and the friends I’ve made here. I’m very grateful to you all for making W&L the place that it is.” n

MORE ON MILLER

n n n

Morningstar named him the Fund Manager of the Decade, and Barron’s selected him to its All-Century Investment Team.

Before founding Miller Value Partners, he co-founded Legg Mason Capital Management and served as portfolio manager, then sole manager, of the Legg Mason Capital Management Value Trust.

He serves on the boards of trustees of Johns Hopkins University and the Santa Fe Institute.

Bill Miller ’72 and his wife, Heather

“People often only think about the big gifts during a campaign, but it’s all of us helping,

P rioritizing the Future

by jessica luck

The university has enjoyed tremendous success in its history of launching campaigns. For the Rising Generation and Honor Our Past, Build Our Future have made

possible capital projects to enhance physical spaces, including the renovation of the historic Colonnade and the creation of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics, and bolstered academic, co-curricular and extracurricular programs through endowed professorships, scholarships and direct programmatic funding. Not unmindful of the future, the university continues to adapt and change with the world around it to ensure W&L’s priority of providing an outstanding education to future generations continues in perpetuity.

“The word ‘university’ comes from medieval Latin, meaning ‘the whole or the aggregate,’” says current campaign chair Billy Webster ’79. “For a university to be successful — indeed, for a campaign to be successful — it takes the commitment and participation of all aspects of that whole — alumni, parents, faculty, administration and the entire W&L community.”

When W&L announced the public phase of its $650 million comprehensive capital campaign, Leading Lives of Consequence, on Oct. 25, the university was already 73%

of the way to its goal at $475,322,391, bolstered by the historic $132 million gift from Bill Miller ’72.

“Bill Miller has lived a life of consequence thanks to his liberal arts education, and his truly overwhelming generosity will make that education available to countless students of exceptional ability, so that they, too, may live their most consequential lives,” says President Will Dudley. “I can’t overstate the impact of this gift on the future prospects of the university and our students.”

The campaign will underwrite initiatives outlined in the university’s Strategic Plan that enable Washington and Lee to offer an exceptional education. It will provide the resources to attract and support top-quality students and faculty, invest in its innovative liberal arts and legal curriculum, expand athletic and recreational opportunities and provide first-rate facilities that support its mission. The funding priorities — all of which will advance W&L’s mission — fall into five primary areas: Community, Curriculum, Citizenship, Campus and Continuity.

in all the little ways, that will move this place forward.”

— susan wood , vice president for advancement

Community The campaign directly supports the personal and professional development of W&L’s students, faculty and staff. Initiatives include endowing undergraduate and law scholarships to enroll the strongest students and ensuring that every student who comes to Washington and Lee can participate fully in all the university has to offer, including study abroad, summer internships and research projects and public interest legal work.

Curriculum The campaign will allow W&L to continue to offer one of the best educational experiences in the country. Initiatives include funding ongoing investments in the scope and quality of W&L’s interdisciplinary curriculum, which teaches students to develop creative solutions to complex problems; providing resources to support the success of our law students; and expanding programming in our academic centers.

Citizenship The campaign supports the university’s mission to prepare graduates to be engaged citizens in a global and diverse society. Initiatives include investment in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that foster leadership, service and civic engagement; support for enhanced sustainability efforts; and funding for the new museum of institutional history, which will be an educational resource not only for the campus community but also for the public.

Campus The campaign supports improvements to the university facilities that are critical to the quality of W&L’s academic, athletic and artistic programs. Initiatives include a new

CAMPAIGN SNAPSHOT

Leading Lives of Consequence campaign trends show the breadth of the supporters of Washington and Lee. n n n n

More than 21,500 individual donors — alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of the university — donated more than $343 million during the silent phase of the campaign

The university has raised nearly $30 million to endow scholarships at the School of Law — exceeding the original goal and notably increasing the law school’s ability to compete for students of the highest caliber

Younger alumni, especially graduates from the ’90s and ’00s, have made significant gifts to the campaign and have emerged as philanthropic leaders of the next generation

A number of alumni who have been less engaged with the university over the years have made gifts to the campaign, especially in response to the generosity of Bill Miller ’72

Williams School building and renovation of Huntley Hall; the new Lindley Center for Student Wellness; Lewis Hall renovations; a new Admissions, Financial Aid and Conference Center; expansion and upgrades to the Science Center; a renovated golf course that can serve as an athletic facility for W&L’s varsity teams and physical education classes; a softball field and program that will increase opportunities for female athletes; and improvements to Wilson Hall rehearsal spaces.

Continuity The university will continue to grow the W&L Fund, which provides almost 8% of the university’s annual operating budget and subsidizes a portion of every student’s education. The goal for total annual giving over the course of the campaign is $100 million, toward which the university has already raised $54.5 million.

“Washington and Lee’s motto, Non Incautus Futuri — not unmindful of the future — expresses our commitment to honor the past as a source of inspiration to direct our own efforts for the benefit of those who will follow us in the decades and centuries to come,” says Dudley, who has presided over the highest level of donor support in the university’s history since he was sworn in as W&L’s 27th president in 2017. “We have done a lot of work, there is a lot of work in progress, and there is a lot of work yet to do. This campaign will allow us to accomplish it — all of it — in the service of our mission.” n

For more information, please visit: campaign.wlu.edu

Living a Legacy

After 38 years in the federal government, Mark Bradley ’78 has made sure to think beyond himself and serve the greater good.

by emily innes

there are just two words that Mark Bradley ’78 wants carved on his tombstone: public servant. Indeed, it is difficult to find a better way to describe Bradley’s 38-year career in the federal government.

“I was very fortunate to have the career I had, and what I enjoyed most about my work was serving the United States,” Bradley says. Bradley’s family has a long history of valuing public service, and several family members served across the military, the federal government and the Virginia State Police. At Washington and Lee University, Bradley sought an education that would allow him to follow in their footsteps, and he received his bachelor’s degree in history before pursuing a master’s degree in modern history at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar — the university’s 11th.

“My education at W&L laid the foundation for my career because the study of history is not only the study of human affairs but also the study of past successes and failures,” says Bradley, who also received his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1983. “I was also always mindful of my responsibility as a Rhodes Scholar to serve something other than myself.”

Bradley recalls learning in professor Milton Colvin’s American foreign policy class at W&L that even well-educated and well-intended individuals can cause damage when they only look at things through their own ideological lenses. He kept this lesson in mind as he embarked on his career.

Bradley first served as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) intelligence officer before taking what he calls a “sharp detour” to become a public defender in Washington, D.C.,

for eight years. Afterward, he joined U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s staff and worked for him until the senator’s retirement in 2000. Bradley learned about crafting public policy and their real-life impacts, and he considers working for Moynihan “the best job I ever had.”

Following Moynihan’s retirement, Bradley practiced national security law at the Department of Justice’s Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. After Sept. 11, 2001, his office was tasked with helping to prevent additional largescale terrorist attacks on the U.S. in a way that protected constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties — a difficult task made more challenging by the necessity to not let the work be driven by fear.

“Fear can be a very dangerous emotion in a democracy because it can be used to justify some bad and rash actions that have long echoes,” Bradley says.

In 2016, President Barack Obama approved Bradley’s nomination as director of the Information Security Oversight Office at the National Archives and Records Administration, where Bradley oversaw the federal government’s classification, declassification and controlled unclassified information programs until his retirement in June 2023.

Bradley has also authored two novels, and his 2020 true crime book, “Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America,” is being made into a movie with Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy. Bradley will serve as executive producer on the film.

Bradley encourages all W&L students to consider spending at least part of their careers in local, state or federal service. To reinstill faith in our institutions, he says, the government needs the most broadly educated people.

“A career spent in public service can lead to a real sense of having made a difference on a very large stage,” he says. “What can be better than that?” n

W&L laid the the foundation for the federal government career of Mark Bradley ’78, because “history is the study of human affairs as well as past successes and failures.”

on the big screen

Bradley’s latest book is being adapted into a film starring Cillian Murphy

PHOTO

First cardiovascular center in Virginia to an implant Integra D device in a patient

Dr. Matthew Sackett ’90, P’18 (center), director of cardiac electrophysiology at Centra Heart & Vascular Institute, worked with his team of doctors and nurses to bring a new symptom-improvement device to congestive heart failure patients who previously had no other option.

Heart of the Matter

Dr. Matthew Sackett ’90, P’18 is on the cutting edge of cardiac treatments.

by jessica luck

having been an early adopter of technology in the field of cardiac electrophysiology (heart rhythm disorders), Dr. Matthew Sackett ’90, P’18 practices medicine with the intention that it can — and should — evolve. He felt drawn to the emerging field as a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia, and he continues to research and seek out the latest technological advances for his patients as director of cardiac electrophysiology at the Centra Heart & Vascular Institute in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia.

“There are so many new tools and devices each year that make what we do better, safer, faster,” he says.

When Sackett joined the practice in 2002, its doctors were performing about 12 ablations for atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeats) a year. In the past, ablations were done with radio frequency, which delivers heat at the end of a catheter to create a scar where the doctor wants to kill an arrhythmia. As technology has become progressively faster and better, Sackett and his team of five electrophysiologists and 35 cardiologists have been able to treat patients on a larger scale. In the last year, they performed 750 ablations for atrial fibrillation, and new technology they implemented in the fall of 2024, called pulse field ablation, which delivers an electrical pulse to selectively kill tissue, will increase those numbers even further.

“It’s going to revolutionize how many procedures we can do in a day and how many patients we can treat,” Sackett says.

Sackett and his team at Centra are also at the forefront of an innovative device designed to help patients with congestive heart failure. The Integra D device, made by Impulse Dynamics, combines a new therapy called cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) therapy with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). CCM therapy, which is new as of the last few years, can offer symptom improvement to patients who previously did not have other options. Traditionally, people with congestive heart failure have required separate CCM and ICD devices

to prevent sudden cardiac death and to enhance cardiovascular function. The new device combines both functions into one rechargeable unit that patients can charge themselves once a week, much the same way you would an iPad. Previous devices required replacement every six to 10 years, and the Integra D models are projected to last 20 years, which limits the number of surgeries a patient needs over time.

Centra implanted the first Integra D device into a patient in the Commonwealth of Virginia in April 2024. As of June, fewer than 50 people worldwide had received the device, and Centra is among the 75 cardiovascular centers around the world participating in the clinical trial, which requires a two-year follow-up period to gather comprehensive patient data before ultimately seeking FDA approval.

“We take care of the same patients, but we take care of them in a much different way than we did 10 years ago,” Sackett says.

He also serves as director of electrophysiology at Madaktari Africa, an NGO started by a neurosurgeon doing mission work in Tanzania. Madaktari operates on a train-forward model so that visiting doctors and surgeons from around the world visit Tanzania for weeks at a time to share their knowledge with local medical personnel. In 2010, Centra partnered with other institutions globally to build the first public cardiac catheterization lab in Tanzania, home to 67 million people. More recently, visiting doctors have helped train Tanzanian medical staff on pacemaker and defibrillator implants and are now focusing on cardiac ablation.

Sackett says Washington and Lee University’s Honor System and Speaking Tradition are principles that “carry forward into life.” He says W&L’s professors prepared him well for medical school beyond the subject matters taught.

“How we studied was more important than what we studied,” he says. “It’s the preparation for how to study, how to learn. In our field, you can’t be static.” n

Empowering Others

After fighting societal norms in India, Rima Kumari ’26 champions education for other women.

by

laura lemon ’16

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIMA KUMARI

youngest delegate

among 30 representatives at Fora’s Global Summit on gender inequality in 2022

Weaving through rice paddy fields and wading through river crossings,

Rima Kumari ’26 was careful to avoid main roads in the 45-minute journey from her hometown of Sildiri, India, to neighboring Hesatu. On the soccer fields there, other girls from impoverished families gathered to be a part of Yuwa, a local organization that used the sport to develop confidence and character in girls. Her father had forbidden Kumari from playing the game as dictated by the societal norms of her home in Jharkhand, a rural state in eastern India.“I have been very rebellious on everything,” says Kumari. “Whenever people have said no, I have always questioned why. And if it doesn’t make sense to me, then I go beyond.”

Though she was only 10 at the time, Kumari understood since she was a young child the trajectory of her life and the lack of influence she had on her autonomy.

Viewed as liabilities and burdens in her culture, girls experienced little to no formal education as they instead prepared for three jobs: marriage (often as child brides), motherhood and household chores.

But one day, she crossed paths with two other girls walking with a soccer ball in hand and saw a glimmer of something different. Having just returned from the Donosti Cup, an international grassroots soccer tournament in Spain, these Yuwa players received respect from the village that Kumari had never witnessed before toward women. As the first two people from the village to fly on an airplane, let alone visit another country, their status changed, no longer expected to marry young or learn chores.

“Determined to pursue my dream, I started secretly going to the soccer ground behind [my parents’] backs,” says Kumari. “I cherished the time spent with the other girls. It felt like where I belonged, and Yuwa was truly eye-opening for me.”

She persisted even through the fallout when her parents discovered her new hobby. But despite the punishment and bullying from others in the village, she expanded her dreams to include an education.

“It wasn’t just convincing my parents; the full society was against education,” she says.

Yuwa expanded its operations into opening a school in 2015, with a mission of teaching and empowering girls in a state where six in 10 girls are forced to marry before adulthood and the female literacy rate is only 55%. Kumari had never received a formal education until she enrolled there as a sixth-grader. She paid for her school fees on her own — and her sister’s — by coaching a few of the organization’s soccer teams, leading workshops and going door-to-door recruiting new players. She learned English and how to read and write. In 2019, she was accepted into the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program and lived in New Jersey for a year. There she first learned of Washington and Lee University.

With her unique background, she wanted a school that provided a close-knit community and space for her to grow but not get lost. W&L captured all those wants. She enrolled in 2023 as a transfer student from Rowan College at Burlington County, majoring in economics and earth and environmental geoscience with a minor in poverty and human capability studies. She became involved in the Shepherd Program, Pan-Asian Association for Cultural Exchange, the South Asian Student Association and the Frisbee Club.

“I feel like my life was already sketched [out], but I erased it,” she says. “I’m mapping my own life now. I still want to choose and see what I like. The liberal arts was the perfect match.”

With each personal milestone , kumari has taken care to remember her origins and the causes that prompted her to push against social order. When she first learned to sign her name as a student at Yuwa, she taught her mother and many other women in the village how to do the same. She delivered a TEDx Talk with Yuwa co-founder Franz Gastler in 2019 on the liberating ways soccer equips girls with skills. She represented India at Fora’s Global Summit in 2022 as the youngest among 30 delegates discussing global perspectives on gender inequality. She served as a delegate for the Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda, one of the largest conferences on gender equality and women’s health in the world and was a White House consultant in a session for Global Youth Advocates. And back in Sildiri, Kumari personally helped 10 to 15 girls in her village enroll in school.

“I feel like I’m living lives for so many other girls who are looking at me,” she says. “What I say is not just my voice, but I feel like the voices of so many other girls back in my village or in India.”

Through a Shepherd internship program, she spent the summer of 2024 teaching English and math to girls at the Atoot school in the Kapilvastu District of Nepal. Girls in Nepal face gender-based violence, child marriage, human trafficking and limited education, and Atoot uses soccer and education to build self-esteem and confidence, much like Yuwa. Kumari taught with staff members and led workshops covering topics from hygiene to friendship and team building. While there, she had the students create a personal book with pages devoted to a self-portrait, illustrations of their homes, a food collage and more.

“Through their personal storybooks, these talented girls have illuminated their worlds with bright smiles, celebrating creativity and the joys of everyday life,” says Kumari. “Working with these girls has been a pleasure, filled with laughter, surprises and boundless creativity.”

The question of what’s beyond continues to engulf her just as it did as a little girl. But she now sees countless possibilities awaiting after graduating, from working as a public policy analyst to pursuing a Ph.D. to writing a book. She relishes the simple fact that she can choose for herself, such as studying abroad at Oxford University during W&L’s 2024-2025 Winter Term.

“I was talking to my mom, and my mom goes, ‘You know, this wasn’t the life that we were supposed to live,’” Kumari says. “I sometimes feel, ‘Am I still dreaming?’

“It’s just a miracle that happened — or maybe it was just meant to be,” she adds. “I’m very happy and glad that I’m here and that I’m able to inspire so many other girls. There are so many girls who are studying right now and seeing the future of being an independent woman.” n

What I say is not just my voice, but I feel like the voices of so many other girls back in my village or in India.

— RIMA KUMARI ’ 26

Where There’s a WILL,

There’s a Way

Steve Abraham ’80, ’83L finds fulfillment working with youth in a second career.

in his 18 years in the courtroom, Steve Abraham’80, ’83L built a distinguished career as a respected and effective commercial trial attorney. His success was rooted in meticulous preparation, unwavering commitment and a genuine passion for excellence.

Over time, Abraham realized he was ready for a new challenge — one that would make a positive, lasting impact in the lives of others and bring deeper fulfillment to his own life.

To challenge himself as he had never been challenged before and to do some meaningful self-reflection, Abraham completed a National Outdoor Leadership School program. During his slightly more than two-week backpacking expedition in the Wind River Range in Wyoming, he climbed to the ridgeline near camp. There, perched at well over 10,000 feet above sea level, Abraham felt totally at peace for the first time in his life.

In that moment, the idea came to him to start a program for youth from underserved neighborhoods using the outdoors/wilderness as a learning crucible, combined with life skills to unleash the potential of the participants. Thus, Wilderness Leadership & Learning (WILL), an experiential learning, youth leadership and life-skills development program, was born.

Abraham credits his time at W&L as foundational to his success and effectiveness in both law and leading WILL. As president of the Executive Committee during his senior year, he embraced the values of civility, integrity and stewardship central to the university’s Honor System. Those same principles are cornerstones of WILL.

by shea gibbs

When Abraham meets potential WILL youth during the required 45-minute info session, he tells them they have something in them that everyone has, that many don’t see in themselves and that no one can ever take from them: “You have greatness in you, and, in WILL, we are going to shine the light on your greatness so you see it, believe it and achieve it.”

Du ring the year, WILL provides social and emotional support for WILL youth and engages them in more than 335 hours of quality experiential activities that are designed to develop their inherent strengths and decision-making, leadership and life skills. The programs provided to WILL youth (underserved ninth- through 11th-graders in the Washington, D.C., area) include: a ropes course to build communication, teamwork and self-confidence, exploring environmental stewardship and biodiversity on the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac and Anacostia rivers, learning financial literacy and SMART goals, giving to the community through service projects, a scavenger hunt on The National Mall (more than half the questions are in the National Gallery of Art) and a seven-day backpacking, canoeing, caving, rock climbing and repelling expedition.

Abraham has personally led all 50 such expeditions, guiding youth through experiences that expand their horizons and strengthen their resilience.

“There are a lot of wonderful programs in D.C. — and the world — but there are no programs that provide the breadth of opportunities and experience as we do in WILL,” he says.

WILL’s success is a testament to that. It has positively impacted 600 youth, leaving an indelible mark on the Greater D.C. community. It has been recognized annually as one of the region’s best community-based nonprofits by Spur Local (formerly the Catalogue for Philanthropy) since 2012 and has been featured in the organization’s print catalogue multiple times.

“We instill in WILL youth that you get out of life what you put into it,” Abraham says. “When you participate and engage, life is fulfilling.”

For Abraham, stepping away from the courtroom was not the end of his journey but the beginning of something extraordinary. Now, after 21 years at the helm of WILL, he reflects with pride on the lives he’s helped transform: “I can look back and know I’ve truly made a difference.” n

100% of WILL program graduates complete their high school education

Steve Abraham ’80, ’83L founded Wilderness Leadership & Learning after an epiphany on a wilderness retreat in Wyoming.

million

guests had visited the Tennessee Aquarium as of June 2024

Outgoing Tennessee Aquarium CEO Keith Sanford ’80 says he misses visiting the ring-tailed lemurs, which are endangered due to habitat loss as well as the illegal pet trade, on his early-morning walks at the facility.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEITH SANFORD

Charting New Waters

From rehabilitating its finances to reviving endangered species, Keith Sanford ’80 transformed the Tennessee Aquarium’s future.

by julie jackson

when he took the role of president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Aquarium in 2016, Keith Sanford ’80 admits he didn’t know much about animals. After 36 years in banking — all with First Tennessee Bank in Chattanooga — the career change may have seemed an unlikely choice.

But what Sanford lacked in aquatic animal experience, he more than made up for in his management, fundraising and financial expertise. And his love for the greater Chattanooga community, where he and his wife, Julia, have lived since 1980, made Sanford the perfect candidate to lead the 32-year-old aquarium.

After taking the reins, his first goal was to focus on the organization’s fiscal health. When Sanford took the position, the aquarium was $20 million in debt and had a $1 million endowment. Almost nine years later, the aquarium is debt-fee, and the endowment has increased to $13 million. These accomplishments would be noteworthy on their own, but Sanford achieved financial success during a global pandemic that forced the aquarium to close to the public for three months. He credits his dedicated employees, generous donors and COVID-19 relief funds for allowing the aquarium to survive during this time.

“We came out of COVID stronger than we went in and ended up with a better operating budget,” Sanford says.

On top of the fiscal accomplishments, Sanford says he is most proud of the aquarium’s work in conservation and sustainability. Shortly before he became president, the organization broke ground on the 14,000-square-foot Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI), located on the Tennessee River, just miles from the aquarium. The institute’s mission is to conserve native aquatic environments through scientific research, ecosystem restoration, education programs and public outreach.

“We’re just trying to keep species from going extinct and keep our waters clean and able to sustain life,” he says.

In the case of lake sturgeon, the TNACI was able to bring the species back from local extinction. Due to overharvesting and polluted waters, lake sturgeon had completely disappeared from the Tennessee River system. Today, more than 330,000 young sturgeons, which can live up to 150 years, have been reintroduced to the region’s waterways.

Sanford’s enthusiasm about the organization’s conservation efforts is clear when he talks about restoring native species such as brook trout and the little-known laurel dace fish in the Cumberland Plateau. His passion even extends to the Zophobas morio beetle larvae, a land-based superworm that consumes Styrofoam, transforming it into a 60% compostable product. The institute is currently studying the larvae’s eco-cleaning capabilities.

As a C-school student at Washington and Lee, Sanford spent four years primarily focused on business and finance classes. But he says the university’s liberal arts focus is one reason he was able to make a smooth and successful transition from banking president to aquarium CEO. Sanford says his time at W&L not only taught him business acumen but also to love history and reading, as well as the value of giving back to the community, something that has remained consistent over the course of his career.

The aquarium’s mission is to connect people with nature and empower them to make informed decisions about our waterways and wildlife. In 2023, the aquarium reached more than 10,000 people through its educational and outreach programs.

In December 2024, Sanford retired as president and CEO of the Tennessee Aquarium. He misses his early-morning walks before the crowds arrive, when the otters, giant Pacific octopus, lemurs and penguins are most active. But it’s the people — his employees and the visitors — he misses most.

Even though he started this position as a self-proclaimed “money guy,” Sanford admits wildlife and conservation have had a profound impact on his life. n

Simple Interventions

For

oDr. Kelli

Jarrell ’12, a multidisciplinary approach is foundational to her career in social emergency medicine.

by sara butler

riginally from rural west virginia, Dr. Kelli Jarrell ’12 grew up in a town with large disparities in health care access. At a young age, she witnessed how a lack of nearby medical facilities and a growing opioid epidemic wounded her community.

“Seeing the ways different social vulnerabilities played out — in the lives of people that were not only familiar to me but people that I knew and cared about — was a driving force in encouraging me to pursue health care,” Jarrell says.

When her father became a doctor later in life, she saw how such a small action could make a massive difference: “It was revolutionary to see [the impact] that just one person becoming a physician had on our community,” she says.

Jarrell arrived at Washington and Lee University with pre-med plans and an interest in biochemistry. Although she was passionate about addressing social inequality, she had no intention of studying it in school. To fulfill a general education requirement, she was encouraged by her adviser, Bentley Professor of Chemistry Erich Uffelman, to enroll in Poverty 101.

“I initially was [weary] of a scholarly discussion of poverty,” Jarrell says. “I thought, ‘I see poverty in the wild — who cares about what philosophers say about it?’”

Once she took that class, everything changed. Captivated by Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion Emeritus Harlan Beckley’s teaching style and classroom conversations, she decided to pursue the poverty and human capability studies minor. She developed a deep appreciation for the Shepherd Program’s multidisciplinary coursework and service-based learning opportunities. During her time in the program, she completed volunteer work at a nursing home, the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic and Campus Kitchen, along with an internship as a medical assistant at So Others Might Eat, a nonprofit serving vulnerable populations in Washington, D.C.

After graduating from W&L, Jarrell attended Vanderbilt

University School of Medicine. During her residency at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Emergency Medicine, social emergency medicine emerged as a subspecialty.

Social emergency medicine leverages emergency departments as a place to reach vulnerable populations who often do not access other health care venues. These patient interactions help physicians better understand how social vulnerabilities — such as hunger, housing insecurity, substance abuse and the impact of violence in one’s community — affect an individual’s well-being, and the information can be used to develop holistic treatment plans.

“I think the Shepherd Poverty Program definitely lays the groundwork for a systems-thinking approach to medicine as a whole,” she says.

Jarrell currently works as an emergency medicine provider for the University of Cincinnati, primarily treating patients at a UC community affiliate site in the West Chester suburb. She also works at the university’s academic hospital in downtown Cincinnati, where she trains medical residents.

In June 2020, Jarrell became UC’s inaugural Social Emergency Medicine Fellow, and in February 2021, she was named the 2020 National Emergency Fellow of the Year by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association. She was granted the freedom to design and personalize the fellowship, allowing her to earn a master’s degree in public health while completing both clinical and project-based work with the emergency department.

“Everyone deserves equal access to care for health emergencies and accidents … accidents don’t discriminate,” she says. “But social determinants make health emergencies disproportionately impact certain groups. We see patients on the worst day of their lives; no one wants to need an emergency physician. The emergency department is the front door of the health system and, as such, the frontline for health equity. We are the primary doctors for patients who don’t have doctors. The ED is a great place to target interventions and connect people to needed resources — it’s why I think this work is important.” n

For her master’s program, Dr. Kelli Jarrell ’12 (middle) completed two research-based projects in Tanzania: an educational needs assessment at a University of Cincinnati partner hospital and an evaluation of the Tanzanian electronic medical record from a physician’s perspective.

fellow of the year

Jarrell was honored by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association in 2021

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

“This is a great experience for students who want to challenge themselves — to go outside their comfort zone and experience that kind of landscape, as well as students focused on a career in conservation and research.”

— ROBERT HUMSTON John Kyle Spencer Director of Environmental Studies and professor of biology

Connor Smith ’26 jumps off a rock on Phelps Lake in Grand Teton National Park while backpacking in Death Canyon for a night.

The A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation inspires students to pursue their career passions and pastimes in the great outdoors.

by kelsey goodwin

n an early morning this past summer, Row Sterne ’25 and Connor Smith ’26 were hiking an arduous path to crest the top of Lone Peak, the tallest mountain in Big Sky, Montana.

The two walked directly uphill for the first four miles, along a thin ridgeline, before reaching the central peak, making their way to the top along a narrow, rarely traveled path while holding onto a rope anchored into the mountain. All at once, Smith says, “We were at the highest peak in the surrounding range and were looking down at all the other mountains with clouds lower than we were. It was a view I won’t forget.”

Sterne and Smith experienced the magic of the American West this summer thanks to the A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation. Undergraduates in the program work for one of three organizations in eastern Idaho: the Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF), the Nature Conservancy’s Flat Ranch Preserve or the Friends of Harriman State Park. Sterne and Smith spent their summer at the Nature Conservancy Flat Ranch Preserve; Loren Hertzler ’27 interned with the Friends of Harriman Ranch State Park; and Lily Greenwald ’25 conducted research with the Henry’s Fork Foundation.

Knight Program Director Robert Humston, who is also the John Kyle Spencer Director for Environmental Studies and professor of biology at Washington and Lee, says the program offers opportunities to students from various academic disciplines and interests.

“This is a great experience for students who want to challenge themselves — to go outside their comfort zone and experience that kind of landscape,” Humston says, “as well as students focused on a career in conservation and research.”

Debra Frein, environmental studies program coordinator, oversees applications for the Knight Program and says that, over the years, many program alums have described it as “the best summer of their lives.” Interns’ responsibilities include everything from mending fences and planting water lilies to conducting extensive scientific research projects.

AJ Mabaka ’22 is a second-year Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric

Sciences whose dissertation research revolves around the behavioral and metabolic responses of shellfish to climate change. His current academic pursuits hearken back to his work in the Knight Program; his research position in Idaho involved investigating how changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature and dissolved oxygen, affected habitat availability for popular sport fish. Mabaka says his time in the Knight Program was critical to his path after W&L.

“Seeing how dedicated everyone there was to environmental management was the last stepping stone in my solidifying that I wanted to go to graduate school,” Mabaka says, adding that his Knight Program experience and other research opportunities at W&L gave him a competitive edge when applying to graduate schools. “One of the most encouraging pieces of feedback that I got on my graduate school applications was, ‘We love that you have hands-on research experience.’ Even if I wasn’t in graduate school and had been seeking work in the environmental sector, I think those experiences are a very strong résumé-builder.”

Rob Van Kirk, science and technology director for the Henry’s Fork Foundation, attributes the Knight Program’s success to its ability to provide hands-on learning opportunities while fostering a sense of community among interns and program partners. In addition to their research, interns also participate in activities ranging from river cleanups to education and outreach programming to donor relations.

“Students are getting a real taste of working on publicationquality science,” Van Kirk says, adding that the Knight Program has inspired other universities to create similar partnerships with the foundation over the years.

Sterne, an American history major on the pre-health track and president of W&L’s Fly Fishing Club, says his summer influenced his mindset as he prepares for a career in the medical field.

“As a student with aspirations for medical school, I am seeing firsthand how preserving the natural world, and the wildlife that depends on it, has many benefits for overall human health,” Sterne says. “From better water quality to food with richer nutrients, conserving these lands is essential for us all.”

“From better water quality to food with richer nutrients, conserving these lands is essential for us all.”

— ROW STERNE ’25

Hertzler, whose internship experience included researching and writing an article about Harriman State Park, developing a trail condition monitoring system to evaluate the park’s trails with and mapping the park’s canal system, says having such a variety of ecosystems within driving distance — from the Grand Teton’s glaciers to Yellowstone’s geothermal activity to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes — was an exciting opportunity, as was the chance to see diverse wildlife. She says the experience affirmed her career passions.

“The Knight internship allowed me to meet so many people who are passionate about environmental conservation,” she says. “Their dedication is inspiring and has made me confident in my decision to study education and natural sciences at W&L. This experience has helped me realize how much important work there is to be done at the intersection of those two subjects.”

John mcdaniel, professor of anthropology emeritus at W&L, first met Paul Knight ’85 during a lunch break on an archaeological dig on W&L’s campus, and the two men bonded over a mutual interest in fly fishing. During the summers of 1983, 1984 and 1985, Knight visited the McDaniel family at their summer home on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, in Idaho, one of the premier fly-fishing spots in the world. Then, in June 1985, Knight went missing during a backpacking trip at Yellowstone National Park. Two days later, rangers discovered he had suffered a fatal fall. He was 22 years old. Together, the Knight and McDaniel families created the A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation at W&L. With generous contributions from Al Knight (Paul’s father), along with matches from his then employer, Merck and Co., and modest donations from others, the program placed its first intern in 1988. In the past 36 years, more than 135 W&L undergraduate and law students have landed internships in environmental protection and conservation through the program, and many have gone on to work in those fields. Al Knight passed away in 2019. McDaniel now works as a fly-fishing guide for TroutHunter Lodge, owned by Jon Stiehl and Rich Paini, both Class of 1993 and former Knight Program interns who are part of what now comprises a significant community of W&L alumni and retirees in the area surrounding the Snake River. In addition to Stiehl, Paini and the McDaniel family, the area is either home or an annual summer vacation destination for several W&L alumni, many of whom were Knight interns themselves. Gary Franke, who retired as W&L’s head wrestling coach in 2011 and was involved in the program’s administration for many years, owns a home on the Henry’s Fork and serves as a point of contact for students in the program, particularly with regard to the condo Al Knight and his wife, Gail, purchased several years ago to assist with the program’s student housing needs. Gail Knight has remained a dedicated supporter of the program since Al Knight’s passing. In 2021, she organized a tribute to her late husband and the program

Left: Loren Hertzler ’27 spent the summer developing a trail condition monitoring system at Harriman State Park.

“It’s not unusual to see a group of five or six W&L alumni sitting around a table together, talking about fishing or the research being done.”

— RICH PAINI ’93

that brought alumni and friends of the Knight Program together at Harriman State Park.

McDaniel paid tribute to the program’s sense of community and camaraderie during his remarks last spring at a campus event in his honor that marked the anniversary of W&L’s archaeology program.

“I have a dream of showing Paul Knight a video of the most skilled dry-fly anglers in the world having the time of their lives at the Last Chance Bar & Grill at TroutHunter,” McDaniel says, “which exists because of him and because of W&L.”

When Stiehl and Paini arrived as Knight Program interns in 1992, the river had just experienced a significant drought. The two were asked to conduct surveys of local fishermen to determine the impact of low water on their fishing experiences.

AJ Mabaka ’22 is a second-year Ph.D. student studying the effect of climate change on shellfish.

“This was like a dream come true,”

Stiehl says. “We just rode around on our mountain bikes to various places on the Harriman Ranch and met with anglers. Needless to say, we were able to sneak in an inordinate amount of fishing ourselves.”

The pair eventually opened TroutHunter Lodge there in 1999, and say they appreciate that it’s often a hub for the W&L community visiting the area.

“It’s not unusual to see a group of five or six W&L alumni sitting around a table together, talking about fishing or the research being done,” says Paini.

Townsend Dotterer ’21, a recent Knight Program alumna, went on to work for the National Outdoor Leadership School, a nonprofit that teaches leadership and wilderness skills in New Zealand, after graduation. Dotterer, who will join the Peace Corps in Nepal in January 2025 as an agriculture and food security volunteer, credits the Knight Program for providing her experience in what she describes as “community problem-solving” that has prepared her for her next chapter. “The experience positively influenced my ability to go and live in a remote community and feel comfortable,” says Dotterer, “because I know that I have the skills to make my own community from scratch. And in rural places, people have to rely on each other so much more. I can see now that my internship set me on my current trajectory.”

Law students applying to fund their summer experiences through the Knight Program secure their own positions, then apply for a Knight stipend. Over the years, these students have worked for an array of organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This past summer, Malia Devencenzi ’26L worked with the Honolulu’s Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, which provides legal aid to the local Indigenous community by protecting traditional and customary rights, leases of land and other environmental concerns impacting Honolulu’s Native Hawaiian community. Devencenzi says she is grateful for the opportunity the Knight Program has afforded her to give back to her community during her summer experience.

“Being Native Hawaiian myself, I knew coming to law school that I represented an underrepresented community of individuals who often do not get the chance to pursue higher education,” Devencenzi says. “The work I did this summer has allowed me to give back to my community and further open the gates for younger kanaka wahines who are interested in a career in law.” After graduation, Devencenzi hopes to continue to be a role model for Native Hawaiian youth in their communities and be involved in work supporting Indigenous community rights, many of which intersect with issues related to conservation.

Brian Murchison, who serves as the Charles S. Rowe Professor of Law at W&L and has been involved with the Knight Program for many years, says building a deep appreciation of and commitment to the natural world is precisely the legacy that Al Knight hoped for when establishing the program.

“This program was created by a man who, first of all, loved W&L and believed in W&L as an institution,” says Murchison. “The spirit of it was Al Knight wanting to memorialize his son but also wanting to plant a little seed in favor of the environment in some of our undergrads and law students.”

Chris Brand ’89, one of the program’s first interns and a former member of HFF’s board of directors, says Al Knight knew he had helped create a special opportunity for W&L students.

“Al could see the magic that had been created,” Brand says. n

The late Paul Knight ’85 spent a couple summers visiting the McDaniel family at their summer home in Idaho to take advantage of one of the premier fly-fishing spots in the world.

Irina Mazilu

The Parmly Professor of Physics helped launch the quantum computing program at W&L, the first U.S. liberal arts institution to offer the technology as a learning tool for students.

BY SHELBY

PHOTO

HAMELMAN

“I love physics because it is the discipline that tries to unlock the mysteries of everything around us.”

Physics invites us to look beyond the surface and explore the fundamental nature of reality, challenging us to question what we know and how we know it. It’s not just about equations or theories; it’s about the thrill of discovery, the elegance in simplicity and the beauty in complexity. To me, loving physics means embracing an endless journey of understanding, where each answer opens the door to deeper, more meaningful questions. My primary research area is in the field of statistical physics, whose core focus is understanding patterns and behaviors in complex systems with many interacting components. The goal is to define the rules of interaction between the components and try to discern overall patterns that emerge — how the system moves from order to disorder in different contexts.

Statistical physics isn’t just about physical systems like gases or solids; it can also be applied to complex systems like social

networks, stock markets or even patterns of human behavior such as opinion formation and voter models.

SPARKING CURIOSITY

I aim to create a welcoming and engaging atmosphere in the classroom that sparks curiosity from the start, often using a real-world example to show the relevance of physics in everyday life. I want students to feel not just informed but genuinely excited about exploring physics in a way that resonates with them personally. By creating this connection early on, I hope to inspire a deeper curiosity that lasts beyond the classroom. Mentoring undergraduates is more than guiding them through academics. To me, research is teaching, but it goes both ways. I teach my students, but they often teach me just as much, whether through unexpected questions or innovative ideas. I like to think of my field of research as a toolbox with tools that can be

applied to many different situations.

BUILDING A PROGRAM

A quantum computer essentially runs on physical systems, meaning some run on light — photons — and others on molecules that change their orientation if they are put in a magnetic field. It uses the strange and fascinating rules of quantum physics to process information in ways that classical computers cannot. It’s like a massively parallel computer on steroids, solving complex problems at incredible speeds. Our quantum computer first arrived in the winter of 2023, and that fall we were able to offer an Intro to Quantum Computing course that was open to all majors that allowed us to explore the physics as well as the societal implications of the technology, which is developing alongside artificial intelligence. Quantum computing isn’t just faster computing; it fundamentally rethinks how computation

works. This allows quantum algorithms to solve some problems faster than any classical computer. Quantum computing has practical implications not just for things such as encryption but for tasks like drug discovery, optimization and even simulating molecular interactions, which could revolutionize industries like health care.

SHARED EXPERIENCE

I love physics because it is the discipline that tries to unlock the mysteries of everything around us, from the tiniest particles to the vastness of stars and galaxies. It’s a field that is not only poetic but precise, a perfect blend of wonder and logic, where imagination meets understanding.

What I love most about teaching at W&L is the close-knit community and the chance to truly connect with my students. The small class sizes allow me to understand each student’s background and tailor the learning experience to their unique interests. The liberal arts environ-

ment is especially rewarding, letting me teach physics not just as technical skills but as a way to explore broader ideas relevant to our humanity. I also appreciate the freedom to create new courses, bringing fresh ideas into the classroom. Even after 20-plus years of teaching, I am still excited to go to class every single day.

As told to Kelsey Goodwin

Learn more about W&L’s Quantum Computing Program at go.wlu.edu/ quantumcomputing

MORE ABOUT IRINA

TRAVEL BUG

Mazilu and her husband, Dan Mazilu, professor of physics at W&L, have traveled to more than 60 countries and 49 of the 50 U.S. states, often via road trips. Last on their list: Alaska.

SAVORY SOUVENIR

“I make it a tradition to bring home a cookbook from every place I visit. My husband and I have explored much of Asia together, and whenever I can find the right ingredients, I enjoy recreating flavors from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.”

High-wire Act

Whether he is trying a case or drumming with a jazz band, Curtis Joseph ’93, ’96L doesn’t miss a beat.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CURTIS JOSEPH

“Playing a gig is just like trying a case. You have to be in tune with all that is happening.”

When Curtis Joseph ’93, ’96L was 7 years old, he came home from school and announced to his mother that he wanted to be a lawyer when he grew up. She asked why, and he told her lawyers get to wear suits and carry briefcases. He was true to his word, but he has since learned that it is a bit more complicated than that. A calling at which he truly excels, Joseph, an attorney with the Shreveport, Louisiana, firm of Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin & Roberts, will become president of the Louisiana Bar Association in June 2026.

Joseph admits he had never heard of W&L until a high school classmate, John Kalmbach ’93, told him he had applied. That same day, Joseph received a recruitment mailing from the university, so he filled out a form and sent it in. Some months later, he was invited with other minority students to visit the school.

“We landed on W&L’s campus, and I saw the

Colonnade and thought, ‘That’s exactly how it is supposed to look,’” he remembers.

“It just felt right.”

During that visit, he met William Toles ’92, ’95L. The two became friends and helped found the W&L chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the country’s oldest historically Black intercollegiate fraternity. They were joined by Courtney Penn ’92 and John Harris ’92.

“We cross-pledged with JMU. It is one of the things I’m most proud off,” he says

TEACHING MOMENTS

As a journalism major, Joseph found a mentor in the late Bob de Maria, professor of journalism and mass communications emeritus, who challenged him in ways that were at times uncomfortable.

“He sent me and a Black girl from Brooklyn, New York, to Winchester, Virginia, to cover a town hall meeting. When we arrived, as far as we could see were Confederate flags. In the meeting, one of the

hot-button items — and this was in 1991 — was removal of Confederate monuments in public spaces,” he remembers.

“The next morning, I confronted professor de Maria with smoke coming out of my ears. He didn’t apologize for sending us to the meeting, but he did for not letting us know about the issue. He said our job was to let the readers know the facts and let them make their own decisions.”

When he enrolled at W&L School of Law, Joseph discovered another mentor in the late Roger Groot, Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law Emeritus.

“He did not suffer fools. In my first year he told me, ‘You can do better and will do better,’” he recalls.

Each year, Groot picked 10 students in the summer before their third year to be part of a clinic focused on post-conviction relief for prisoners at the Federal Women’s Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia. When he was chosen for the clinic, Joseph knew he had come a long way.

A PERCUSSIVE INTERLUDE

After law school, Joseph clerked for a law firm in Shreveport as he prepared for the Louisiana Bar Exam, which he did not pass, and he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. In law school he had played drums in a fraternity/sorority band with two undergraduates, Aaron Wilkinson ’97 and Thomas Leggett ’97. He reconnected with them and moved to New Orleans. The three lived together and toured all over the country for a couple years.

In between gigs, he took a bar review class.

“We had a 15-passenger van, and if it wasn’t my turn to drive, I studied,” he said. “After we played in San Francisco, a limo took me to the airport. The exam was the next week. When I finished, I knew without a doubt I had passed.”

Asked if there are similarities between playing drums and practicing law, he answers: “Playing a gig is just like trying a case.

You have to be in tune with all that is happening. Where is the bass? Where might he go from there? You have to be aware of unspoken signals. It’s like reading the bailiff and court reporter. It’s a high-wire act.”

By Barbara Elliott

MORE ABOUT CURTIS

COMMUNITY SERVICE

In 2019, Joseph received the Dr. Jesse N. Stone Pioneer Award from the Shreveport chapter of the NAACP for his dedicated service, determination and efforts to create equality and justice for the citizens of Shreveport.

KEEPING THE BEAT

He still plays drums with two bands: One is more jazz and blues; the other is more pop and contemporary.

PRESIDENTIAL GOALS

During Joseph’s tenure as president of the Louisiana Bar Association, he would like to bring the bar in a more meaningful way to less occupied parts of the state. “There are almost 25,000 lawyers in the state, and most practice south of I-10,” he says.

CHAPTER CORNER W&L ACROSS THE COUNTRY

In the thick of the summer, the Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter hosted a career networking event to reconnect fellow alumni, enhance professional relationships and gain knowledge through a panel of speakers, including an interview with Alex White ’07, associate general counsel and senior vice president at Merrill Lynch. When the Generals football team traveled to San Antonio on Sept. 21 to take on the Trinity University Tigers, alumni arrived in force for the Lex in Tex tailgate and checkered the stands with blue and white. And with the start of the fall semester, numerous chapters hosted newly minted graduates and relocated alumni at Welcome to the City gatherings.

Lean more about alumni chapter events in your area at wlu.edu/alumni/alumni-chapters

1. Blue and white decorated the stands of Trinity University as alumni and families came out to support the Generals and enjoy the Lex in Tex tailgate.

2. Ben Bryles ’20, Will Roff ’20, Jake McCabe ’23, Caroline Rooney ’22 and Nick Greenberg ’22 joined fellow alumni for the Dallas Welcome to the City event.

3. Charlotte Freeman ’21, Alex White ’07, Katherine Page Rurka ’20, Samuel Gibson ’17, Jake Barr ’16, Syed Rafay Hassan ’22 and Randl Dent ’15 participated in the Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter Career Networking Event.

4. Alumni gathered for the Charlotte Welcome to the City event.

EVENTS

W&L SALUTES:

A CELEBRATION OF SERVICE

MARCH 15-16, 2025

Join us to celebrate your military service and to connect with fellow alumni.

ENERGY FORUM

MARCH 27-28, 2025

Join us in Houston for an exclusive industry affinity event bringing together alumni working in the energy sector.

BLACK ALUMNI WEEKEND

APRIL 4-5, 2025

Join us for Black Alumni Weekend, a celebration of shared journeys, achievements and connections.

SEND US UPDATES

Use magazine@wlu.edu to send:

• Photos of weddings and alumni meetups

• Changes of address

• Letters to the editor

Magazine

Washington and Lee University 7 Courthouse Square 204 W. Washington St. Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116

STAY IN TOUCH

Submit a class note: colonnadeconnections. wlu.edu or magazine@wlu.edu

FARRAR ENDOWMENT SUPPORTS ATHLETICS

BY AMANDA MINNIX

CLASS NOTES

When Jim Farrar ’74 announced his retirement from Washington and Lee University in spring 2021, friend and emeritus member of the Board of Trustees Ben Grigsby ’72 wanted a philanthropic way to honor Farrar and his wife, Kitty, for their 35 years of dedicated service to W&L. The result was the creation of the James D. Farrar Jr. ’74 and Katharine Capito Farrar Endowment, with Grigsby and his wife, Carol, serving as lead donors. The endowment supported the 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame Weekend program and will also help fund athletics-related summer opportunities for students.

“We are delighted to support the university in this way, honoring two people who have been important to the history of the university and helping students interested in a career relating to athletics,” Ben Grigsby says.

Jim Farrar graduated from W&L in 1974 and returned to work for the university in 1986 as assistant alumni director. He held various roles at Washington and Lee before becoming

senior assistant to the president while serving as secretary of the university in 2002. He served as senior advisor to the president and university secretary until his retirement in December 2021. He also served on the Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee from 1987-2021, having been inducted himself in 2006 as a member of W&L’s football and lacrosse teams. He remains engaged in athletics as a volunteer coach for the W&L women’s lacrosse team.

Kitty Capito Farrar spent more than 20 years as assistant director of Camp Alleghany for Girls in Lewisburg, West Virginia, where she was a mentor and taught tennis. She has volunteered regularly within the Lexington community in a number of capacities, including serving on the ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice board and as a Spanish translator for the Rockbridge County Health Department. The Farrars’ daughter, Katharine Farrar ’11, serves as director of alumni chapter programs in the university’s Office of Alumni Engagement.

Class Notes are published three times a year, with submissions received from March through June appearing in the fall/winter issue. If we are unable to run all Class Notes submitted within that time frame, they will appear in a future issue. If you have any questions, please email: magazine@wlu.edu

1960

Edward Corcoran published his book, “Revive the American Dream.”

1968

Charlie Tomm ’68, ’75L retired as a trustee of the Mayo Clinic after 10 years of service and is now an emeritus trustee. The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical center focused on health care, research and education, and is consistently ranked as the No. 1 hospital in the U.S. He was chair of its Audit and Compliance Committee for nine years and was also

a member of the Governance and Nominating, Finance and Investment and Business Development committees. In addition, Tomm is an emeritus trustee of Washington and Lee, having served on the board from 2000–2009.

1969

Jerry Perlman had a busy spring. In April, he was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. That same month, he presented a paper on the lack of acknowledgment of Nazi slave labor and the origins of America’s space program at the annual meeting of

the Alabama Historical Association at the United States Space and Rocket Center Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. And in May, he fulfilled a bucket list dream by graduating from the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s graduate school with a master’s degree in history.

1973

T. Haller Jackson III , an attorney with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea in Shreveport, Louisiana, was named to the 2024 Best Lawyers in Amer-

ica list for Shreveport in commercial litigation.

1981

William Cope Moyers published his memoir, “Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me About Life and Recovery,” a followup to his 2006 memoir, “Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption.”

1982

Thomas Y. Savage has retired from the practice of law after 42 years before the bench. He will continue to act as a substitute

JOHN JENSEN ’01 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND CAREER SERVICES alumni@wlu.edu

Virginia district court judge, primarily in the 15th Circuit of Virginia.

1985

John D. Buchanan joined the board of directors of W&T Offshore Inc., an independent oil and natural gas producer with offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Based in Houston, Buchanan has over 30 years of experience as an oil and gas, commercial and banking attorney and has held various legal roles for several S&P 500 companies — most recently as assistant general counsel for ExxonMobil Corporation.

1990

Gregory Ossi joined Norton Rose Fulbright as partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Ossi practices labor law and ERISA-related litigation in the energy production, mining, government contracting, hospitality, manufacturing and construction industries.

PURPOSEFUL ENGAGEMENT

What an exciting time to be part of W&L! The launch of the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign was a tremendous success, with this issue highlighting the remarkable impact of our students, faculty, alumni and parents. For the first time in a campaign, W&L will adopt an engagement goal to track the depth and breadth of alumni involvement — a new concept in higher education that positions W&L as a trailblazer.

The recent merger of our Alumni and Career Services departments enables us to engage constituents from their first year on campus through their Five-Star reunions. This integration has already accelerated engagement, with Career and Professional Development working closely with Alumni Engagement and the W&L Fund to bring in young alumni as volunteers, while our chapters program continues to enhance student internships. Our Lifelong Learning program is also expanding, connecting more alumni and parents with our exceptional faculty.

Our goal is to deepen alumni connections with the university and inspire greater involvement. We will share more throughout the year, but please reach out if you have ideas on ways to engage your fellow Generals.

1991

Brad Miller joined ComplyAuto as the chief regulatory and compliance officer and head of legal. Headquartered in Utah, ComplyAuto is the leading regulatory compliance organization in the U.S., and offers automated, cloudbased solutions for dealerships so they can comply with rules and regulations.

Miller spent more than 16 years at the National Automobile Dealers Association, most recently as the chief regulatory counsel where he represented dealer interests before numerous federal agencies and educated dealers on regulations.

1992

John “Trey” Cox III has been named global co-chair of litigation for Am Law 10 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Cox will be tasked with shaping the strategic direction and growth of Gibson’s global disputes practice.

David Gordon published his book, “The Implications of Evolution for Metaphysics: Theism, Idealism and Naturalism.”

John Kannapell was named president and COO of CYPHER Learning, provider of the leading modern learning platform for business and academic settings. Kannapell has over 20 years of experience in vertical software as a service solutions, working for companies such as EverCommerce and Blackboard. At CYPHER Learning, he is charged with helping the company expand and fulfill its mission by assisting teachers, trainers and learning and development professionals to create and deliver compelling, personalized content at scale.

Marc Short was appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve on the George Mason University board of visitors. Short served as former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff.

1993

Paul Harrison joined the Virginia Military Institute basketball program as the new assistant coach and defensive coordinator. Harrison has close to 25 years of experience as a college basketball coach, most recently working for Bucknell University.

1994

Brent Vincent joined Lathrop GPM’s tort, insurance and environmental practice in Chicago. Vincent’s practice of over 25 years is focused on insurance recovery and complex commercial disputes and includes litigation and resolution of insurance coverage disputes across the country. Lathrop GPM was formed in 2020 through the combination of two century-old firms, with 11 offices nationwide.

1998

Leland Miller has been appointed commissioner to the congressionally mandated U.S.-China

Economic and Security Review Commission by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, with a term expiring on Dec. 31, 2025. He remains the chief executive officer of China Beige Book, a data analytics firm focused on the Chinese economy.

2000

Erika Cassutti Bialek has been appointed to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s Continuing Professional Education Standards Committee. This 13-person committee sets continuing professional education standards (CPE) for the accounting profession in the U.S. and adjudicates complaints against CPE sponsors. The committee is comprised of members from public accounting firms, academia and state boards of accountancy. Bialek holds the role of director of assurance at EisnerAmper, a top 20 public accounting firm.

Whitney “Whit” Knier was hired as a partner in health care services at Solomon Partners, a leading financial advisory firm. Knier has worked for over 20 years in investment banking, most recently as managing director in the health care and life services group at Harris Williams.

2001

Rives Granade’s paintings were featured in the “Silent Spines” exhibition at the OCHI Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho. The exhibition, which featured Granade’s work alongside sculptures by Vincent Pocsik, ran May 24 through July 6. Recalling the paintings in Lascaux Cave and graffiti on the Temple of Poseidon, Granade layers his

paintings in ways that affirm his own presence in the world and uses techniques to document time, making his work repositories for thoughts, reminders, schedules and snippets of biography and bibliography.

2002

Douglas R. Aldridge Jr. was appointed to the Board of Human Services by Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp. Aldridge is a private wealth financial adviser and president of the Aldridge Private Wealth Management Group.

Martin de Laureal was named president of First Horizon Advisors Inc., the wealth management subsidiary of First Horizon, and head of private banking for the company. In his new role, de Laureal’s responsibilities include investment management, brokerage, trust, financial planning and family office services, as well as oversight of the private banking team.

2005

Laura Westerman Tanner, director and corporate counsel at ReliaQuest in Tampa, Florida, was promoted to chief people officer, overseeing all of ReliaQuest’s people business partners and human resources functions at their global operations. Tanner joined ReliaQuest, a force multiplier of security operations, in 2019 to help advise on employment– and corporate-related matters. Since that time, she has played a major role in ReliaQuest’s international expansion into Europe and India and has supported global teammates with country-specific policies and employment contracts. She has also supported recruiting and helped to integrate employees of acquired

companies into ReliaQuest’s global teams. Additionally, she manages the company’s corporate insurance and helps oversee its corporate governance function for all foreign country operations.

2009

Chaz Klaes ’09, ’12L opened the Texas office of Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial in Houston as managing partner.

William Underwood ’09, ’12L has been appointed as head of Jones Walker LLP’s Atlanta office, effective June 7. Underwood is a partner on the construction team and joined the firm as an associate in the litigation practice group in 2016. In his new role as head of the office, he will oversee the management and strategic expansion efforts for the firm’s office located in Buckhead. Jones Walker LLP is among the largest 140 law firms in the United States.

2011

Kendal O’Leary is currently a master’s student in art and art education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She recently held an art exhibit, “As I Am,” a reflection of how we see ourselves and how that shapes our relationships with our world, sponsored by the Myers Foundations’ 2023 Gottesman Libraries’ commission art award. She has studied fine printmaking since 2009, and after college, she continued coursework at the School of Visual Arts and Art Students League.

2012

Aria Allan ’12, ’16L joined Auburn University as assistant vice president for equal

▼

Edward Corcoran ’60 REVIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM ▼

William Cope Moyers ’81 BROKEN OPEN ▼

David Gordon ’92 THE IMPLICATIONS OF EVOLUTION FOR METAPHYSICS ▼

Mark Ozboyd ’23 WATERFALLS OF GEORGIA

opportunity compliance for the university’s Title IX Office & Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity.

Eleanor Kennedy took a new role as senior director of digital content at The Columbus Dispatch. Prior to joining the Ohio-based newspaper, she worked for Columbus Business First as assistant managing editor and was senior reporter at the Nashville Business Journal.

2013

Thomas Sanford assumed the role of deputy attorney general of the civil division for the Virginia Office of Attorney General after serving for two years as an assistant attorney general. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, he worked as an attorney with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and as a liti-

gation associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.

2015

Amira Hegazy curated the exhibit “Letters Beyond Form: Chicago Types,” open from Nov. 9, 2024, through April 4, 2025, at the Design Museum of Chicago. The exhibit explores typography (the shape and design of letters) within Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods to investigate design legacies and their contemporary echoes. Hegazy has worked with the Design Museum of Chicago for the last three years as a research fellow, research and development fellow and now as a curator.

Colton Klein was awarded the 2024 Mervat Zahid Cultural Foundation Prize for his paper “Material Reconstruction: Ecologies of Metal in an 1887 Photograph of Disabled Union Veterans.” The prize, bestowed by the Associa-

tion of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art (AHNCA) in collaboration with the Dahesh Museum of Art, recognizes exceptional scholarship presented at the Graduate Student Symposium in Nineteenth-Century Art.

2018

T. Grey Reames was promoted to vice president at Brentwood Capital Advisors in Nashville, Tennessee. Reames has more than five years of investment banking experience and previously worked as vice president at Powered Health.

2022

Grace Mamon won the Virginia Press Association’s Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year award for 2023. She was recognized at the VPA News and Advertising Conference on May 4, 2024. Mamon is a journalist for Cardinal News and

investigated a civil rights protest in Danville, Virginia, in 1963 in her series, “Bloody Monday.” In addition, she’s covered the town’s transition to advanced manufacturing after a history in textile and tobacco and its innovative approach to industrial development.

2023

Mark Ozboyd published his book, “Waterfalls of Georgia.”

BIRTHS

Abrianna Nelson May ’08 and her husband, Christian, a son, Daniel Harold May, on May 30, 2023. The family resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Elizabeth King Dent ’12 and her husband, Will, a daughter, Charlotte Monroe Dent, on March 17, 2024. The family lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

A. Waitkus fall Colonnade coaster set — $16.99

B. Campus map rocks glass — $16.99

C. Julia Gash distressed wood frame (6" x 4" photo) — $19.99

D. S’well Colonnade bottle (navy) — $42

E. Blue 84 sanded fleece, women’s 1/4 zip (white) — $48.99

F. Stadium spot campus pet bed, M–L — $125 –$135

1. Jacob Flood ’21 to Emily Cohen ’19 on April 15, 2023, in Princeton, New Jersey. The couple currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

2. Meredith Hardy ’14 to Alexander “Alex” Kyle ’15 on June 10, 2023, in Annapolis, Maryland. The couple resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

3. Amanda Whalen ’18 to James Willey ’18 on June 10, 2023, in Lexington, Virginia.

4. Katrina “Katie” Volk ’18 to John Robertson on July 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee.

5. Mary Louisa “Weeza” Miller ’16 to Brewer Congleton on Aug. 26, 2023, in Linville, North Carolina.

6. Caroline Crichlow-Ball ’15 to Chandler Payne on Sept. 2, 2023, in Charlottesville, Virginia, with James Madden ’08 officiating. The couple resides in Charleston, South Carolina, where she is the postdoctoral forensic psychology fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, and he is vice president of Albright Capital.

1. The 1971 Sigma Nu class held its latest reunion May 17-20, 2023, in Houston, hosted by Woody Woodward ’71 and Stacy Eastland ’71 . The class aims for annual get-togethers, and the conversation drifts between old college stories and solving the world’s problems. The class always toasts its departed brothers and makes sure their widows are included on the invitation list. Standing: Catherine Harkey, widow of Henry Harkey ’71 ; Tara Eastland, wife of Eastland; Melissa Bromley, wife of Marc Bromley ’71 ; Eastland; Mike Truta ’71 and his wife, Barb; Patricia Norton, wife of Michael Peck ’71 ; Woodard and his wife, Liz. Kneeling: Al Nading ’71 , Peck and Bromley.

2. On June 30, 2023, 11 Delta Tau Delta alumni met for lunch at The

Maryland Club in Baltimore. Alumni in attendance: Lance Bendann ’67, Randy Brinton ’68, Bill Jeffress ’67, Jamie Andrew ’66, Clark Carter ’69, Roger Blair ’67, Ken Long ’69, Carroll Klingelhofer ’65, ’68L, Sam Englehart ’73, Frank Morgan ’65 and John Rutherford ’66 .

3. Members of Kappa Sigma from the ’80s held a reunion in September 2023 in Atlanta. Front row: Alan Scarisbrick ’87, David Collerain ’88, Jimmy White ’86, Rob White ’87 and Wade Hampton ’88 Back row: Scott Yancey ’87, Ivey Williamson ’88, Stephen Lemon ’84, John Rowe ’87, Jeff Branflick ’88, John McAllister ’85, Casey Krivor ’88, Frank Pittman ’85, Jon Hedgepeth ’87, David Gray ’88, Bill Birchfield ’89, Charlie Benedict ’88,

Tom Herndon ’89, Steve Prindle ’88 and Jim Lipscomb ’83 .

4. On Oct. 4, 2023, Pat O’Connell ’98 served as Washington and Lee’s representative at the investiture of Columbia University’s 20th president, Minouche Shafik, in New York City. O’Connell holds two master’s degrees from Columbia and has been teaching in its nonprofit management program since 2012. During the ceremony, he happily reminded other faculty members and dignitaries that W&L is five years older than Columbia. O’Connell greatly enjoys teaching and is the author of the forthcoming book, “What Made Philanthropy Great? A Financial, Public Policy and Historical Examination of America’s Unmatched Charitable Giving.”

ALUMNI EVENT

Young Alumni Weekend Sees Record-Breaking Attendance

WASHINGTON AND LEE University welcomed nearly 500 alumni and guests from the classes of 2014-2024 back to campus Sept. 13-15 for its annual Young Alumni Weekend. Reunion participants traveled from 36 states and four countries to reconnect with one another and their alma mater. In addition to the weekend festivities, W&L also celebrated the QuestBridge 10th anniversary and reunion.

This year’s Young Alumni Weekend showcased elevated programming, entertainment and activities that resulted in strong attendance and participation and provided opportunities for young alumni to connect with one another and reengage with W&L. The Class of 2024 set a new Young Alumni Weekend attendance record for a recently graduated class with 128 registering for the weekend.

The QuestBridge Program is perhaps the best-known and largest community-based organization for high-achieving, low-income students in the country. W&L’s partnership with the program, which began in 2009, represents the university’s commitment to enrolling the top students regardless of their ability to pay. Since 2010, the university has enrolled 326 students through QuestBridge’s match program. The QuestBridge 10th anniversary reunion kicked off with a luncheon in the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, which was followed by the Spheres of Influence panel of current students and alumni sharing their impactful experiences on campus and post-graduation. The day concluded with an evening mixer on the Lee House front lawn.

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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEKEND INCLUDED:

• Young Alumni Lunch and Lawn Party on Cannan Green

• W&L Pride Alumni Network and Allies social at Heliotrope Brewery

• Shepherd Program open house in the Mattingly Living Room

• Cognitive and Behavioral Science Young Alumni panel

• Presentation of the 2024 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards to Anna Thomas ’14 and Alvin Thomas ’14 and recognition of this year’s inaugural Road Warrior Award, given to alumni who have traveled the farthest to attend the weekend. This year’s recipients were Taylor Cottingham ’14 from Spain, Teresa Aires ’19 from Portugal and Laura Wang ’14 from Singapore

• Cocktails on the Colonnade reception celebrating the 10th and fifth reunion classes of 2014 and 2019

• Sunrise Celebration breakfast on Cannan Green sponsored by the Office of Annual Giving

• Alumni vs. Generals lacrosse game on Fuge Field

• Alumni Sing with the University Singers

• Welcome Back Bash on Friday night and the Grand Finale on Saturday evening

2024 Distinguished Young Alumni award winners Alvin Thomas ’14 and Anna Thomas ’14

The reunion classes were incredibly successful in their fundraising efforts. The Class of 2014 raised $246,544 for the W&L Fund and welcomed 103 classmates back to campus to celebrate their 10th reunion. The Class of 2019 raised $80,737 in honor of its fifth reunion while also leading the way in attendance, with 151 classmates returning to campus to celebrate. In addition, the fifth and 10th reunion classes made history by becoming the first to establish W&L Fund scholarships, which will support a collective seven students throughout their time at W&L. This innovative initiative marks a significant milestone in young alumni giving, as these classes are pioneering a new model of support, ensuring that current students benefit from their generosity for the entirety of their W&L experience.

At the Sunrise Celebration breakfast, reunion attendees had the opportunity to meet their scholars, creating a special connection between alumni and the students they are supporting. President Will Dudley expressed his gratitude for the reunion classes’ remarkable success — surpassing their initial fundraising goals — and praised their leadership in this groundbreaking initiative, which exemplifies the power of collective action and a deep commitment to the university’s mission.

“We were thrilled to welcome young alumni back to campus to celebrate together over a beautiful weekend in Lexington,” says John Jensen ’01, executive director of Alumni and Career Services. “We continue to adjust the weekend programming to generate meaningful engagement for our alumni while they’re back for this gathering, and it was wonderful to see the refreshed programming in action at this year’s event. It was also an honor to present the 2024 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards to two outstanding people who truly represent the best of W&L, and we enjoyed celebrating the fifth and 10th reunion classes throughout the weekend.”

36 U.S. states/territories represented at YAW

4 countries of origin represented at YAW

297 young alumni are members of The President’s Society

1,800 young alumni made a gift to the W&L Fund last year, raising more than $200,000 in single-year gifts

150+ young alumni Class Agents and reunion volunteers raised by the Class of 2014 for the W&L Fund for their 10th reunion

$246,544

OBITS

1950s

Albert H. Hamel ’50 of St. Louis, Missouri, died on May 3, 2024. He was a practicing attorney for 38 years, focusing on litigation and banking. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He was on the swimming and diving team and belonged to Sigma Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Joseph H. McGee Jr. ’50, ’52L of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, died on April 27, 2024. He practiced law and helped form Buist, Moore, Smythe & McGee, PA, and he served two terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He belonged to Phi Delta Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa and Sigma Nu.

The Rev. William S. Metzel ’50 of Kensington, Maryland, died on April 23, 2024. Following his career as a mission worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Presbyterian Church (USA), he served as a pastor in the U.S. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

Thomas O. Bagley ’51 , ’53L of Fayetteville, Tennessee, died on April 12, 2024. He worked in private practice for Stevens, Bagley and Stevens for almost 50 years and

served as Fayetteville city attorney for 41 years.

W. Herbert Hunt ’51 of Dallas died on April 9, 2024. He worked in his family’s oil business, where he cultivated an accomplished career in oil and gas exploration and the oil service industry and saw numerous global discoveries and field developments. He was on the football team and belonged to Beta Theta Pi.

Lucius E. Johnson ’51 of Richmond, Virginia, died on May 20, 2024. He worked as an accountant and managed the local branch operations at Wachovia Bank & Trust Company. He belonged to Kappa Sigma.

Richard P. Marcus ’51 of Vicksburg, Mississippi, died on March 17, 2024. He was a fourth-generation proprietor of his family’s business, Marcus Furniture Company, founded in 1899, and he opened Marcus Realty Company. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He was on the wrestling team and belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

Edward C. Darling II ’52 of Richmond, Virginia, died on April 1, 2024. He worked in wealth management for Davenport & Co. and achieved many accomplishments as an avid golfer. He

belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.

James M. Gabler ’53 , ’55L of Jupiter, Florida, died on June 29, 2024. He worked as a trial lawyer for Baltimore firm Smith, Somerville & Case before establishing his own firm of Sandbower, Gabler & O’Shaughnessy and transitioned into plaintiff practice. He held a great passion for wine, and as a practicing lawyer and into retirement, he published multiple books on Thomas Jefferson and his wine — later writing books to include Benjamin Franklin. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee.

Joseph L. Gray III ’53 of Lakewood, Ohio, died on April 29, 2024. He was a professor at Bowling Green State University in its German and Russian department, serving for decades as its department chair.

Carl F. Rumpp Jr. ’53 of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, died on Feb. 2, 2024. He was the fourth generation to serve as president of C.F. Rumpp & Sons, his family’s fine leather goods company in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He was on the soccer team and belonged to Sigma Chi.

Peter K. Ranney ’54 of Cleveland, Ohio, died on March 29,

2024. He helped form the Generation Foundation, a charity focused on economic and technological development in Northeast Ohio. He was a member of the soccer team.

George T. Sheftall ’54 of Augusta, Georgia, died on May 30, 2024. He worked for Metropolitan Life insurance company, rising to vice president of marketing and director of overseas operations. He belonged to Kappa Alpha.

The Hon. Laurence Levitan ’55 of Bethany Beach, Delaware, died on March 20, 2024. He served in the Maryland State Senate, representing District 15 in Montgomery County. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He was on the soccer team and belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

Ronald W. Fast ’56 of Oro Valley, Arizona, died on June 13, 2024. As a physicist, he worked for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and was awarded the Samuel C. Collins Award for his contributions to cryogenic technology. He belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa.

Samuel A. Syme Jr. ’56 of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, died on March 5, 2024. He taught history and

education at Emory University, Wake Forest University and Coastal Carolina University, and he later became editor of Coast Magazine and opened a catering company. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa and Sigma Delta Chi.

John S. Budd ’57 of Wilmington, North Carolina, died on June 23, 2024. He was division president and officer at Lever Brothers and Mattel Inc., and he published five books. He was a board member of the Chapter Volunteers. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

Edgar M. Baber ’59 of Roanoke, Virginia, died on April 24, 2024. He had a career spanning 46 years as an equitable adviser and served as executive director of the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame for over 40 years. He belonged to Beta Theta Pi.

John P. Freeman ’59 of Ogdensburg, New York, died on March 9, 2024. He was a research chemist for Eastman Kodak, and, upon retiring, he followed his love of outdoors and mountaineering to embark on a second career working for Adirondack High Peaks in outreach and conservation. He belonged to Phi Eta Sigma.

IRWIN TAYLOR SANDERS II,

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

AND UNIVERSITY HISTORIAN

Irwin Taylor Sanders II, professor of history emeritus and university historian at Washington and Lee University, died on Aug. 17, 2024. He was 81. He was born on April 17, 1943, to Stuart Sanders II ’31 and Adelina Hall Sanders, in Richmond, Virginia. Both his uncle and grandfather, Irwin Taylor Sanders ’29 and Robert Stuart Sanders, Class of 1907, attended W&L. Sanders graduated in 1965 from Centre College of Kentucky, majoring in history and classics. He earned his master’s degree in ancient history from the University of

Merritt L. Pizitz ’59 of Birmingham, Alabama, died on March 14, 2024. He worked for his family’s company, Pizitz department store, until its sale and then worked as vice president of the family’s Great American Cookies business. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

1960s

Malcolm B. Burton ’60, ’63L of Manahawkin, New Jersey, died on April 18, 2024. He enjoyed a 40-year career with Chubb and Son Inc. as managing director. He belonged to Phi Delta Phi.

Dr. David V. Eakin ’61 of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died on May 8, 2024. He was a radiologist at Saint John and Saint

Francis hospitals and ended his career as director of radiology at Grove Integris Hospital. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Richard W. Hoover ’61 of Front Royal, Virginia, died on March 29, 2024. He worked for the U.S. Department of State, serving as a foreign service officer in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Botswana, Washington, D.C., Cyprus, Morocco, Austria and Kenya. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.

Joseph B. Murphey ’62 of Oxford, Mississippi, died on Aug. 28, 2022. He worked as a geologist for the Soil Sedimentation Laboratory. He was on the cross country team and belonged to Kappa Sigma.

EMERITUS

Virginia in 1967 and completed his Ph.D. in 18th-century British history there five years later. He joined W&L as an associate professor in September 1969 to teach ancient, British and medieval history and was promoted to full professor in 1981. His research focused on regional history, including churches, as well as the history of W&L, and he became university historian in 1973. Sanders published numerous papers and articles, wrote six monographs and authored two books. He was admitted into the Society of Cincinnati, the nation’s oldest patriotic organization, in 1976 and was named the Virginia Society of Cincinnati’s Distinguished George Washington Scholar. Sanders is survived by his sister, Jessica Sanders Jones (Addison) of Richmond, Virginia, his sons, Wallace Bruce Sanders (Catherine) of Bentonville, Arkansas, and Stuart Wilson Sanders (Jenny) of Danville, Kentucky, and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara.

Wilmot L. Harris Jr. ’63 of Greenwich, Connecticut, died on June 6, 2024. He practiced law as a trusts and estates attorney at Ivey, Barnum & O’Mara for 51 years until his retirement in 2018. He loved photography, and he published a coffee table book of his work titled, “Now You Can Take My Picture.” He was on the swimming & diving team and belonged to Phi Kappa Psi.

Samuel I. Hellman ’63 of Water Mill, New York, died on March 22, 2024. He specialized in public finance, working as managing partner for Wood, Dawson, Smith & Hellman (which later became Hawkins, Delafield &

Wood). He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

Edward D. Robertson Jr. ’63 of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, died on March 24, 2024. He served as senior vice president and CFO of The Computer Company before establishing his own computer consultancy, The Dunbar Group. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.

Clement J. Clarke III ’64 of Gaithersburg, Maryland, died on June 20, 2024. He started his career with IBM, and he later changed careers and started a custom homebuilding company, Clarke Custom Builders, in Connecticut, where he was famous for cooking gourmet dinners for every client after a completing a project.

He was on the soccer and the indoor and outdoor track & field teams. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

Dr. Rutledge W. Currie ’64 of Williamstown, Massachusetts, died on April 25, 2024. He practiced radiology. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Epsilon Delta.

John N. Furniss ’64 of Belville, North Carolina, died on June 5, 2024. He taught literature at the University of Mississippi, Memphis State University and Georgia State University, and he also established his own self-publishing company, River Mark Publishing, while living in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Hon. James W. Haley Jr. ’64 of Fredericksburg,

Virginia, died on June 8, 2024. He held an over 30-year judicial career for the 15th Judicial Circuit and afterward acted as a senior judge until his death. He belonged to Omicron Delta Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi.

D. Tilghman Broaddus ’65 of Mechanicsville, Virginia, died on April 30, 2024. He worked in information technology, with many years at Virginia Commonwealth University. At W&L, he belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.

Burt K. Carnahan ’66 of Asheville, North Carolina, died on March 4, 2024. He was a U.S. Army officer in Vietnam and received bronze medals for valor, the Vietnam Cross for Gallantry with Palms and the National Defense Service Medal. He co-established the law

firm Lobman Carnahan in 1979. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.

Sidney F. Parham III ’66 of Starlight, Pennsylvania, died on March 4, 2024. He taught English at St. Cloud State University for more than two decades. He belonged to Sigma Chi.

Paul R. Schlesinger ’66 of Ancramdale, New York, died on May 26, 2024. He spent the majority of his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette as an equity analyst specializing in transportation. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

1970s

Christopher C. Dove ’71 of Washington, D.C., died on March 19, 2024. He followed the family tradition and worked for E.B.

Adams Company, a restaurant supply company founded in 1903. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.

Francis A. Porter ’73 of Glen Allen, Virginia, died on May 17, 2024. He was in private practice of law for 20 years before changing careers to work for General Tax Services as a bookkeeper and tax preparer. He was a member of the indoor and outdoor track & field teams.

James L. Haines ’76 of Roanoke, Virginia, died on June 2, 2024. He was chief compliance officer at American HealthCare for three decades and taught yoga at his local yoga studios. He belonged to Mu Beta Psi.

Frederick L. Silbernagel III ’76 of Burlington, Vermont, died on May 3, 2024.

He worked for nonprofits throughout his career, including Brookings Institution and The Wilderness Society. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.

1980s

Paul S. Adams III ’80 of Dallas died on May 9, 2024. He worked as an attorney practicing estates and trusts and family law. He belonged to Phi Eta Sigma.

Dr. Mark N. Farmer ’88 of Henrico, Virginia, died on March 22, 2024. He was board certified in hematology and oncology and later combined his medical and legal knowledge to be a medical consultant for several law firms and insurance companies. He served as treasurer of the Chapter Volunteers. He was a

JULIUS STEPHEN ‘STEVE’ MARKS III ’59, TRUSTEE EMERITUS

Julius Stephen “Steve” Marks III ’59, trustee emeritus of Washington and Lee University, died Aug. 20, 2024, in Houston. He was 86. Marks was born to Julius S. Marks Jr. and Ann L. Marks on Sept. 11, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. At W&L, he belonged to Zeta Beta Tau, one of two Jewish fraternities on campus, was on staff for the Calyx and was a member of ROTC. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in history. Upon completing his military service after graduation, he worked for the Credit Bureau of Memphis. He founded Credit Bureau Marketing (CBM) several years later to act

University Scholar and belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Epsilon Delta.

Mathew J. Horridge ’89 of Tampa, Florida, died on April 19, 2024. He started his career as a beat reporter for the Tampa Tribune before transitioning to marketing and ultimately served as director of content for Raymond James Investment Management. He was a member of the Reunion Class Committee and a Class Agent.

1990s

G. Walter Coker ’99 of McLean, Virginia, died on March 17, 2024. He worked in commercial real estate sales and debt transactions. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta.

as a facilitator to national credit grantors. In the 1970s the company became the largest single user of credit information in the U.S. In 1982, Marks sold CBM to Equifax Inc., which he retired from in the early 1990s as vice president of mergers and acquisitions.

He served on the Board of Trustees from 1990 to 1999, which he called the “most fulfilling service of my life.” He served as co-chair of the Reunion Class Committee for his 50th reunion, and he helped inspire his fellow ZBT fraternity brothers to support the construction of the new Hillel House at W&L.

His Class of 1959 pledge class gave a reunion gift of $1.1 million for the Hillel House, including an endowment for maintenance.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Lynn; his two children, Lisa Marks Schwarz of Boston and William Stephen Marks of Santa Monica, California, and Brooklyn, New York; and five grandchildren.

BY LAURA LEMON ’16

G BESTOWING THE HIGHEST HONOR

IVEN ONLY SEVEN times since its creation, the Washington Award acknowledges those individuals who have exemplified profound philanthropy to Washington and Lee University and greater service to the nation. Approved by the Board of Trustees on Feb. 10, 2001, the award was established as the university’s highest accolade.

Recipients receive a small copy of an 1826 sculpture of George Washington made by British sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey for the Massachusetts State House. A Parian statue of Chantrey’s sculpture resides in the Reeves Center on W&L’s campus, likely created from the original’s plaster model after the artist’s death in 1841. W&L purchased 19 of these figures to be presented to Washington Award winners.

Rupert Johnson Jr. ’62 and Maryellie Johnson — August 2007

Rupert Johnson served as vice chairman of Franklin Resources Inc., a global investment management organization. In 2007, he and his wife, Maryellie, donated $100 million to W&L for scholarships and leadership programs from which the university launched the Johnson Scholarship Program, established two professorships — one for the college and one for the Williams School — a lecture series and the Johnson Opportunity Grants.

Gerry Lenfest ’53 and Marguerite Lenfest — February 2008

After selling his cable company to Comcast, Gerry Lenfest and his wife, Marguerite, created the Lenfest Foundation, which distributed more than $1.2 billion to charitable causes. He served on the W&L Board of Trustees from 1989–1998 and donated $3 million to what became the Lenfest Center for Performing Arts and later gave $50 million to faculty salaries, sabbaticals and faculty scholarship and research. With Emeritus Trustee Houston

H. Harte ’50, he made a challenge grant in 1994 toward the completion of the $127 million capital campaign.

Sen. John W. Warner ’49 — May 2009

John Warner served five terms in the U.S. Senate, retiring as the second-longest serving senator from Virginia. He gave back to W&L by serving on the Board of Trustees from 1968–1980, supporting scholarships for transfer students — specifically for minorities — and the Library Building Fund, endowing the John W. Warner Public Service Award and donating his law library.

Roger H. Mudd ’50 — May 2011

Roger Mudd’s distinguished career as a journalist earned him a Peabody Award, the Joan Shorenstein Barone Award for Distinguished Washington Reporting and five Emmys. He was a visiting professor

of W&L from 1992–1996 and donated his Mudd papers and a collection of first-edition books. In 2011, he gave $4 million to establish the Roger Mudd Center for Study of Professional Ethics and the Roger Mudd Professorship in Ethics.

Richard “Dick” Duchossois ’44 — February 2015

Dick Duchossois chaired The Duchossois Group, a private investment firm, after turning Thrall Car Manufacturing into the second-largest rail freight car builder. Duchossois supported the creation of many of W&L’s athletic spaces, such as the Duchossois Tennis Center, the 2008 Wilson Field renovation and the 2020 Warner Center and Doremus Gymnasium renovation, which is now the Richard L. Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center.

Letitia Pate Whitehead Evans — May 2024

When Letitia Pate Whitehead Evans died in 1953, her estate created the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, a public charity that, among other missions, provides significant scholarship support to female students. Before her death, she had directed the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation to give W&L 15% of the its annual income, with the cumulative distribution making her the most generous benefactor in university history.

Bill Miller ’72 — October 2024

Bill Miller founded Miller Value Partners LLC in 2018, serving as chairman and chief investment officer before he retired from MVP in 2023. Prior to that, he co-founded Legg Mason Capital Management and served as portfolio manager, then sole manager, of the Legg Mason Value Trust. Miller’s historic gift of $132 million to W&L — the largest single donation in the university’s history — was one of the biggest gifts dedicated to financial aid at any private liberal arts college and allowed W&L to implement a need-blind admissions policy.

PHOTO BY KEVIN REMINGTON

Make an Impact Today

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Your annual gift to the W&L Fund strengthens financial aid, enhances arts and athletics and funds transformative opportunities such as internships and study abroad programs. Every contribution enriches our students’ experiences and supports W&L’s core values of honor, integrity and civility. Help ensure a thriving future for Washington and Lee with your gift to the W&L Fund today.

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SCENE ON CAMPUS

Bill Miller ’72 (left) received the Washington Award — W&L’s highest honor — from President Will Dudley after the announcement of Miller’s $132 million gift to support financial aid. Miller told the audience the statue of Old George would fit nicely with the W&L bobbleheads on his desk.