Graduate Schools

Accountancy Class Secretary — Kim Talianko;

ktalianko@alumni.nd.edu

 

Architecture

Last November saw a unique gathering of ND architects in major positions of influence for military construction worldwide at the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Small Business Conference in Dallas. Attending were retired Col. Michael D. Brennan ’92, PhD, AIA, Falls Church VA in his new position as executive director, construction and facilities management for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs; Lucian L. Niemeyer ’87 Washington DC, acting Secretary of the Navy for Installations; Joseph M. Brink ’91 Wyoming OH, director military programs for the A/E firm of Burgess & Naples, Cincinnati; and Edmond G. Grauvreau ’79, FAIA, chief, Programs Branch, Installation Support Community of Practice, HQ, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington DC. December saw an equally impressive group of ND architects take over leadership roles at national AIA in Washington DC with outgoing immediate past president William J. Bates ’75, FAIA who is teaching an advanced architectural design program for Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture; Bruce D. Turner ’85, AIA, Vineland NJ with his own practice there now the 2019 AIA Strategic Council moderator; Joyce E. Owens ’84, FAIA, Fort Myers FL where she has her own practice and is the AIA National Strategic Councilor for 2019-21; and John G. Horky ’84, FAIA, a principal and “HR guy” with Kahler Slater, Milwaukee who is the 2020-22 AIA Strategic Councilor. Congratulations to Anthony J. Damon ’03, AIA, San Diego, for receiving the 2019 Young Architect of the Year Award from AIA San Diego. “The award is given to an individual who has shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession in the early stages of his/her career.” Anthony is the chief operating officer for JKA Architecture, San Diego. Ben Willis ’10, Providence RI, with Union Studio Architecture & Community Design where Stephanie R. Zurek ’05, Joel VanderWeele ’14 M.Arch, MADU (Master of Architectural Design and Urbanism), Christina (Belmonte) Carlson ’05 and Ian K. Manire ’13 M.Arch are also employed tells me the firm is opening its first branch office in Philadelphia that will focus on housing, civic, and neighborhood planning. Joseph G. Burns ’78, FAIA (who is also PE, SE, and CE) is managing principal of Thornton Tomasetti, Chicago will be celebrating his 25th year with the firm in July. Mark S. Purcell ’91, AIA, is director, middle states at Arora Engineers, West Chester PA. He specializes in multimillion-dollar construction projects for institutional, government, justice, and higher education clients with a focus on sustainable design. Making the news is (1949-80) Prof. Otto F. “Doc” Seeler’s “infamous” 1960 designed house and movie location in Coconut Grove FL that has been on the market for a while. The four-bedroom, four-bath house was originally designed for Hungarian Baron Joseph “Sepy” De Bicske Dobronyl described as a “pilot, wine collector, sportsman, playboy and bon vivant.” He was known as Miami’s version of Hugh Hefner and he and his house were host to celebrities of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Errol Flynn, Ernest Hemingway, Nat King Cole, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Ava Gardner, Brigette Bardot, Raquel Welch, etc., The house was also used for movies. Frank Sinatra used the property in Tony Rome, and it was also used as the backdrop for the 1974 movie Lenny and it was where the notorious Deep Throat was filmed. Because the owner’s astrological sign was Taurus, the roof of the house is in the shape of a bull’s head with two copper horns extending past the roof. Glass and coral rock walls, wood paneling, a wine “grotto,” a distinctive focal fireplace, a free-form pool and a two-story living area are other design features. It was last listed at $1.75 million for the 0.62 acres of property. Raymond E. Bayless Jr. ’53, Evanston IL reminded me in his Christmas greetings that his class was the first five-year class. — Orlando T. Maione, FAIA, FACHA, NCARB; 27 Bucknell Lane, Stony Brook NY 11790-2521; 631-246-5660; fax 631-751-7598; omaione@optonline.net                                              

 

Biological Sciences

Sarah Craig Pratt ’98MSA, daughter of the late Professor of Biology George B. Craig, recently wrote to say that she has retired from Notre Dame where she recently had been serving as a communications specialist and often wrote excellent articles for the College of Science magazine and its other news outlets. She could be depended upon to keep alumni well informed about activities in Biological Sciences. Sarah reports that she is keeping busy in her field and plans to attend the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene near Washington DC the week before Thanksgiving where she anticipates seeing several students, alumni and faculty from the department. In commenting on the report in the autumn 2019 issue of this magazine regarding Notre Dame faculty in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Sarah reminds us that Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, ’39, was proud to have been associated with the NAS as the 1984 recipient of its most prestigious award, the Public Welfare Medal, which honors extraordinary use of science for the public good. While on this topic, it is a pleasure to acknowledge that James J. Elser ’81 was elected to the NAS this past spring joining fellow alumnus and Nobel Laureate, Eric Wieschaus ’69, who was elected in 1994. Department faculty member, Zachary Schafer ’01, Coleman Foundation Associate Professor, returned to Duke U, where he did his PhD, on Oct. 17 as the Hesburgh Lecturer for the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Eastern North Carolina. Schafer’s subject was how cancer cells metastasize throughout the body, focusing on his lab’s work involving breast cancer, a most appropriate topic in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The lecture drew attendance by several graduate alumni from Biological Sciences currently working in the Research Triangle area. Among these were Cassandra “Cassie” Buchheit Gorsuch ’15PhD and Gary Gerlach II ’15PhD. Cassie, a native of St. Louis, traveled to the western side of Missouri to study under the Jesuits at Rockhurst College in Kansas City before entering graduate school at Notre Dame and doing her thesis work in the Schafer lab. She is now working for a rapidly expanding start-up, Precision Biosciences in Durham NC, as part of its therapeutic discovery team. Gary, a graduate of Kalamazoo College and Cassie’s graduate colleague in a different lab at Notre Dame, is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at UNC-Chapel Hill’s College of Medicine. This follows his postgraduate appointment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York where he discovered a novel tumor suppressor leading to a move to Duke U. In an unfortunate construction related accident in Durham last April 10, the day of the city’s sesquicentennial, a gas leak resulted in an explosion killing two people and injuring 25. Damage to one of Duke’s animal care facilities negatively impacted Gary’s cancer project resulting in his relocation to UNC and a return to his earlier interest in renal disease. His current research focuses on diabetic nephropathy. Gary credits his mentor at Notre Dame, Dr. Rebecca Wingert, Elizabeth and Michael Gallagher Associate Professor of Biology, as being instrumental in helping him discover his passion for research in the area of kidney disease. — Joan Smith Carter ’71MS and Philip B. Carter ’67, ’71PhD; 12916 Barsanlaw Drive, Raleigh NC 27613-6400; res 919-848-2192; phil@ncsu.edu

 

History

Greetings, it has been a while. I apologize for the year of no news and for the way I am going to monopolize this column with news of me. As you may remember, I have a very rare breathing/speaking disease. They have only identified about 4,000 women with the same condition. I am doing much better than I was in 2014 and working at the U of Texas at Tyler. However, East Texas is very humid, and every single minute of every single day was a struggle. On Nov. 1, 2018, I requested ADA accommodations to live in a better climate and teach online. Two weeks later, and much to my surprise, they were granted. By April, I was living in Oak Lawn IL. If you know Chicago, I live about a mile east of the 95th Street exit on the Tri-State. Moving has been incredible for my health. In nine months, there have only been 15 days when I could not breathe. It’s like having a new life. However, the move was complicated. Everything that could possibly go wrong or break, did. But the real issue has been trying to go “home” again after 40 years. In 1979, I left this area as fast as my little legs could carry me. Now, suddenly, I’m back and it’s my 40th high school reunion. Too many memories. Too many feelings. Too much of a sense of unreality. I still don’t know if it is more upsetting how much things have changed in 40 years, or that some things haven’t changed at all. My high school is unrecognizable, but my grade school looks exactly like it did in 1967. Fox’s pizza tastes the same, but Wolf’s donuts don’t. Someone talented, like Isaac McDaniel ’91PhD could make a great book or short story out of this, but I just wander around with my mouth agape. Anyway, my New Year’s resolution was to pull it all together. So, the column is back in business. Thank you for indulging my “spell,” and please send me your news. Thank you. — Mary Linehan ’91PhD; mlinehan@uttyler.edu or maryline113@yahoo.com 

 

Mathematics Class Secretary — Patti Strauch;

255 Hurley Hall, Notre Dame IN 46556; bus 574-631-7083; strauch.1@nd.edu

 

Master of Nonprofit Administration

As we welcome the year 2020, we also welcome two new alumni who are January graduates from the Executive MNA Program. Congratulations to Lisa Hart ’20 and R. Ted Waterman ’20. Looking at their graduation year, I am reminded of my grandfather, John J. Quinn ’30, who was Knute Rockne’s senior manager in 1929 and graduated with a degree in Commerce. It is hard to believe that he graduated 90 years ago. More congratulations are in order. Michael Ziener ’17 was promoted to the role of executive director for Illinois for the American Cancer Society. Alongside a statewide team of staff and volunteers, Michael leads fundraising, mission and advocacy initiatives and engages local communities across the state. He will be managing and growing leadership boards in Illinois that will be assisting in the implementation and drive of regional strategic growth initiatives. He serves as the co-lead of the Diversity and Inclusion Employee Engagement Group (EEG) for Military and Veteran Families for the Society. Brother John Steilberg, OP, ’19 began a new ministry in St. Louis working at Aquinas Institute of Theology, owned and operated by his province of Dominicans. He will serve as executive director of operations and institutional effectiveness and will be charged with responsibilities in two primary areas. The first is oversight of high-level organizational initiatives related to mission effectiveness, strategic planning, external communications and policy, and procedure development and compliance. He will also manage a wide variety of administrative and business functions to ensure smooth and efficient coordination of day-to-day operations. Thank you to Cynthia Proffitt, MNA program manager, for continuing to send updates from campus. All MNA and EMNA alumni are encouraged to submit your news for upcoming Class Notes. You may email me directly at the address below. — Betsy Quinn ’12; 2110 Brummel St., Evanston IL 60202; 847-733-0557; betsyquinn@alumni.nd.edu

 

Political Science Class Secretary — Charlie Kenney;

455 W. Lindsey, Room 205, Norman OK 73019; 405-325-3735; ckenney@ou.edu

 

Graduate Degrees 

Donna M. Adler ’97MA, ’02PhD Theology is the author of Plato’s Timaeus and the Missing Fourth Guest: Finding Harmony in the Spheres, published by Brill Academic Publishers. This work in ancient philosophy solves a very old puzzle and will be useful to scholars of ancient cosmology, the history of ideas and the roots of Western music theory. One chapter shows how long people have been striving for harmony in community. — Marvin J. LaHood ’58MA, ’62PhD English; 93 Parkhaven Drive, Amherst NY 14228; 716-691-4648; mlahood@roadrunner.com