AlumNotes

1940

Clarence Ott has plans to participate in the World Forum of the American Biographical Institute and the International Biographical Centre (Cambridge, England) in Washington, D.C., July 3-8. Participants serve as ambassadors of their countries and are chosen for their professional accomplishments, ideas and talents, which will be shared with the delegation.

1947

Ruth Born was one of the first professional athletes to have attended Valpo. She was an original member of the South Bend Blue Sox in 1943, as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed. In the summer of 1945, a Valpo men’s softball team was organized with Ruth as a pitcher. She was inducted to the Valparaiso University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. Ruth retired from a career in psychiatric social work with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Chicago.

1948

Glen Gierke lives in Alamo, Calif. His book, “Capital Punishment—A Capital Mistake,” has been published. The book asks the reader to consider two main reasons why the death penalty in our society should be abolished. Visit Amazon.com or www.xlibris.com for more information.

1949

Mildred (Haerther) and Richard Homan ’50 J.D. were honored for their service to their county and “significant contributions to the well-being of the United States” in a painting by Col. James Bell, who is retired from the U.S. Army. Richard served in the Army during WWII (including the invasion of Normandy) and with the FBI for 27 years. Mildred is a former Marine with the women’s auxiliary.

1950

Karl Wuttke, at 80 years of age, keeps busy as president of the Lynchburg (Va.) Stamp Club; sings in the church choir and Jefferson Choral Society; plays tennis three to four times a week; is a Mended Hearts visitor; and driver for Meals on Wheels. Karl also has ice skated twice this year and does his own yard work.

1952

Dennis Barthel and wife June (Koehler ’54) live in Missoula, Mont. Dennis is active in emergency communications and provides amateur radio support to the city, county and state. He and June still sing in the choir and participate in other church callings.

1954

George Marshall is the director of development for Lutheran Senior Services and one of the coordinators of the retreat “Growing in Christ—Ablaze in the Gospel Light,” which is sponsored by the Southern Illinois District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and held last April at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton, Ill.

1957

Paul Dremann lives in Port Charlotte, Fla., and would like to reconnect with others in the class of 1957.

John “Tom” Wilt retired as principal of Christ the King Lutheran School last July, after a 45-year career in education. He served as a teacher and administrator in independent and Lutheran parochial schools and also taught junior college history courses. He is enjoying his four children and seven grandchildren.

1958

Janice (Falk) Campbell of Reno, Nev., volunteers 85 hours each month for 10 community organizations. She is treasurer of the Republican Women of Reno, and is a math tutor at her church’s family learning center and at a local community college.

Carol (Maass) Elwood and husband Henry live in Cresco, Iowa, and are semi-retired. Carol spent the winter at their condo at Boca Grande, Fla. They take annual motorcycle and trike trips—this year it was in Labrador and New Foundland.

1960

Marvin Granger of Billings, Mont., received the Montana Governor’s Humanities Award at an event in the Montana Capitol Rotunda in March for his achievement in humanities scholarship and service and enhancing public understanding and appreciation of the humanities. He retired after 22 years as general manager and program director of Yellowstone Public Radio. He has worked in production and management positions at public radio stations for 40 years in Montana, Minnesota, New York, Michigan and Washington. [He gave a young Garrison Keillor of the American Public Media show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” his first job in radio.]

Gloria (Rupprecht) Strieter of Rock Island, Ill., was asked by the 2007 Miss Indiana Pageant to provide them with photos from when she was Miss Indiana in 1957. Each year they “salute” the titleholder from 50 years ago and devote two pages to these photos and memories. They also asked her to perform the operatic comedy song that she performed in the 1957 Miss America Pageant at their 2007 Scholarship Pageant. Gloria is active in the Quad Cities Chapter of Valpo Guild.

Howard Westphal and wife Bernice (Nuelk ’62) reside in Palatine, Ill. They married in August 1963 and have two sons: Steve (Miami of Ohio ’88); and Dave (Valpo ’92). Howard retired from the Illinois Department of Transportation in 1991 after 34 years of service. He has been employed by Ciorba Group of Chicago as the construction services coordinator for the past 13 years.

1961

Bill Karpenko, Valpo’s immediate past director of church relations, was honored in May for his many years of leadership and service to the Lutheran church. He received the Christus Mundo (Christ to the World) award from Concordia University Irvine during its May 11 commencement ceremonies. Bill retired from his post at Valpo in July.

1962

Ruth (Haendschke) Eggers and husband Jordaan have traveled abroad extensively during retirement. In addition, they have gone on four medical mission trips to Mexico.

1963

Suzanne (Nixon) Brems and husband Bob are retired and live in Coshocton, Ohio. Bob worked on the design, construction, and operation of nuclear power plants in the United States, Korea, Slovenia and Bulgaria. He still does a little consulting work for nuclear power plants in Slovenia and Bulgaria. Sue taught English as a Second Language in Slovenia and Atlanta.

1964

Alan Bachert, although officially retired, is serving Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Murfresboro, Tenn. He is enjoying his horse farm in middle Tennessee and their five grandchildren.

Gordon Bierwagen is a professor, Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University. He will deliver the Federation of Societies for Coatings Tech­nology 2007 Joseph J. Mattiello Memorial Lecture, Oct. 3-5, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto.

Dave Eifert lives in Eastpointe, Mich. He is the director of the General Motors Employees’ Chorus, as well as the Grosse Pointe Memorial Church’s middle school choir. The GM chorus sings at churches, private parties and concerts, and for charities and nursing homes.

1965

Marilyn (Miller) Mallery and husband Dave reside in Manassas, Va. They enjoy their retirement by traveling and, in 2006, traveled to Utah and the Dominican Republic. They also made a trip to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to observe the polar bears. Marilyn is self-employed as an information technology consultant. Both spend much time playing senior softball across the United States.

Lawrence Reynolds of Algonquin, Ill., is a division manager for Church Mutual Insurance Co. He oversees offices in Elgin, Ill., Bloomington, Ill., and St. Louis.

Beverly (Benson) Schultz is retired but says she is busier than ever. She and husband Ken were able to travel and enjoy the grandchildren and celebrate life a lot last year. Tying back with Valpo friends is always special to her.

1968

Janet (Webster) Bohney and husband Robert reside in Fremont, Ind. Janet teaches third grade at Aboite Elementary School. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Edith (Rudolf) Hahn was promoted to principal at SmithGroup, an architectural/ engineering firm, Washington, D.C. Edith has been with SmithGroup since 2000 and has more than 20 years experience as an office manager and human resources generalist. She is the human resources manager for the firm’s Mid-Atlantic office. In addition, she is a member of SmithGroup’s Diversity Council.

Rod Moore, head athletic trainer at Valpo, was the recipient of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine Excellence in Athletic Training Award from the National Athletic Trainers Association. The award is presented to a trainer who displays commitment and excellence in the field of sports medicine. Rod has served as VU’s head athletic trainer since 1967.

Gail Ramshaw is professor of religion at LaSalle University and past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy. She has published books on the meaning of liturgical language, including “A Three-Year Banquet: The Lectionary for the Assembly” and “The Three-Day Feast: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter.” In March, she participated in The Phyllis Trible Lecture Series at Wake Forest University. Her lecture was titled “Sarah on Sunday: Biblical Women, Mataphor and Christian Worship.”

1969

Gerald Fornoff of Lafayette, La., is president and chief executive officer of the Opelousas General Health System in Opelousas, La., which provides general medical and surgical care for inpatients and outpatients, as well as emergency room services.

1971

Suzanne (Bellovary) Aho works as a social work consultant. She also is a kitchen consultant, selling Pampered Chef. She has a daughter, Elizabeth, 18, and lives in St. Cloud, Minn.

Bruce Lindner is the executive director at Porter County Aging and Community Services. He earned a master’s degree from Indiana University in 1983, and has 21 years of service as the executive director at the YMCA in both Portage and Hammond, Ind. He and his wife, Marilyn (Veit ’66), live in Valparaiso and have five children and six grandchildren.

Joyce (Prahl) Parry teaches art at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas. Her profile and art work were featured on the Web site of Texas Education Agency-Texas Commission on the Arts. Joyce anchored the second installation of the Art Wall in the Art Park with 21 student painting panels. Her students’ artwork was unveiled at the sixth annual Jump, Jive and Jam Fest in April. She and her husband, Jack, reside in Texarkana and have three sons and two daughters-in-law.

1972

Scott Garrett of Santa Ana, Calif., is president and chief executive officer at Beckman Coulter. He also has served as CEO of Garrett Capital Advisors, Kendro Laboratory Products and Dade International. He began his career in research and development at Baxter International. Scott received his master’s degree in business administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He is married with two adult children.

Daniel Meyer is the associate director of the Special Collections Research Center and the archivist of the University of Chicago.

Tom Wierdsma has joined the senior management team of The GEO Group Inc. as senior vice president of project development. He joins GEO after 25 years of service with Colorado-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co., where his most recent position was director of project planning and development. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Design-Build Institute of America’s Education and Research Foundation in Washington, D.C., and has served as the organization’s finance committee chairman for many years.

1973

Evelyn (Simon) Ennsmann, principal of Willowbrook High School (Villa Park, Ill.), retired at the end of the 2006-’07 school year. She has served 34 years in the educational system as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and dean of students. She has been principal of Willowbrook for six years. Evelyn and her husband have two children, Michelle and Mark.

Phillip Kosanovich, Homewood, Ill., has joined Promisor Relocation Services as senior vice president. He recently served as executive manager of Corporate Development and Global Strategy for Landauer Inc. Phillip is a former faculty member of Aurora University where he taught business courses in organizational design and behavior, management theory and marketing strategy.

Kenneth Primavera is a member of the senior operating staff at Ameron International’s Water Transmission Group. He is group vice president of sales and marketing for the West Coast region and is division president of the Protective Linings Division. He joined Ameron in 1996. Prior to that he was with Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. where he held various domestic and international positions.

1974

John Niems’ seventh music CD was released in January. Visit www.johnniems.com and www.burnlounge.com/johnniems7 for more information on the CD. His music is played on many stations that appear on Cox Cable, and radio stations and DMX Music. He resides in Las Vegas.

Michael C. Williams of Glendale, N.Y., was honored as an outstanding Lutheran urban elementary school administrator by Wheat Ridge Ministries. He was one of 21 selected national educators recognized by its Center for Urban Education Ministries last November. Michael has served more than 32 years in Lutheran education ministry. He and his wife, Michele, have one son, Jason, who is in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in Germany; and one granddaughter.

1975

David Asendorf, wife Nancy and their children, Nicholas and Amy, live near Hampstead, Md. David completed work for a Master of Divinity degree at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in December 2006. He received a call as associate pastor to Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catonsville, Md. He was ordained on Jan. 18, 2007. Cheryl Dieter completed a five-year Evangelical Lutheran Church in America staff assignment as project coordinator for the Renewing Worship initiative, which developed “Evangelical Lutheran Worship,” the new worship book of the ELCA and the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Worship Church in Canada).

Cheryl (Miller) Fliege successfully defended her dissertation this spring and received her Ph.D. from Walden University. Her dissertation was titled: “Positive Organizational Results and Successful Communication Initiatives Used by Exemplary Middle Manager Communicators.” Her area of study was applied management and decision science, with a specialization in organizational change.

Matt Schwan of Oxford, Ohio, has retired from his position as a vice president of Cognis Corp. He will pursue a new career with his wife, Mary Lynn, as cattle ranchers raising beef cattle, primarily Angus, on an operation in the farm country of southwest Ohio.

1976

Edward Freeman of Miami has served the International Institute for Human Understanding for 10 years, as well as served as president of Primary Care Associates of South Beach LLC. He also is active with the Network of Spiritual Progressives.

Lori (Addis) Groene received her Ed.S. degree from Northern Illinois University. She continues to be an adaptive physical education coordinator for the Rockford Public Schools.

Valerie (Schrage) Kennedy is group president for Illinois Tool Works in Glenview, Ill. She recently married a graduate of Purdue University, Mark Kennedy, and moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. Valerie says she has a wonderful daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and two adorable grandchildren.

Dan McAdams, a prominent psychologist, recently won the American Psychological Association’s prestigious Sarbin Award. He also won the William James Book Award following publication of his book “The Redemptive Self,” which examines the concept of redemption as a central way in which Americans define themselves. He is a professor of psychology at Northwestern University.

1977

John Euwema J.D. has joined the legal department of Assurant Inc. as senior vice president. John has more than 30 years of experience in acquisitions and joint ventures, regulatory and legislative affairs, and marketing and compliance. He is a member of the Michigan and Illinois bars and is former president and legislative chair of the National Automobile and Travel Organization.

1979

Paula Fredrickson lives in Berkeley, Calif., and is the manager of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church in Oakland. She is a member of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland. Her son, Drake, is 10.

John Kidwell ’82 J.D. has joined the Saginaw, Mich., office of Tri-Star Trust as vice president and trust officer. Kidwell is president and partner of The Corinthian Group LLC, a fund development consulting firm that works with non-profit organizations. Prior to this position he worked for The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Foundation as a gift planning counselor, a vice president and trust officer for national banking companies, and a district representative for Lutheran Brotherhood.

Todd Matanich M.A.L.S. and his wife, Peggy, have two children and reside in LaQuinta, Calif. Todd retired from the U.S. Secret Service, Office of Protective Operations, in January. He joined the Secret Service in 1983 and worked various assignments in the Technical Security Division, Indianapolis Field Office, Forensic Services Division (Polygraph Section), and as a special assistant to the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters where he held the position of chief of investigations.

1980

Danna (Miller) Blum and husband Gilbert reside in Westminster, Md. Danna is director of human resources for The Arc of Carroll County. The Arc serves adults with developmental disabilities through its day and residential programs. She and Gilbert had plans to travel to Italy last May. Vince Galbiati of Valparaiso is president and chief executive officer of the Northwest Indiana Forum.

Kathryn Kleinhans is chair of the religion and philosophy department and a professor of religion at Wartburg College. She is a theological writer for The Lutheran and an essayist at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America synod assemblies. In addition, she is a writer for Augsburg Fortress Bible study guides and ELCA catechetical materials.

Durwin Long completed his Ph.D. in educational policy and administration (higher education administration) at the University of Minnesota in April 2007.

Robert Palmer J.D. lives in Granger, Ind. The law firm of May Oberfell Lorber, South Bend, Ind., announced that he was named a 2007 Indiana Super Lawyer. He heads the appellate law section and has been with the firm since 1982.

Robert Palumbo has been appointed associate editor of the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. He will oversee selection of research papers in the area of solar energy fundamentals and theory for publication in the journal, which is published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Palumbo won a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2006 to explore the industrial potential of high temperature solar electrolysis.

Cynthia (Edgecomb) Pierce is a certified public accountant. She has been named as executive in charge of Crowe Chizek and Company’s higher education services. She started with Crowe as an intern in 1980 and has more than 25 years of audit, tax and consulting experience in the public sector industry. She specializes in higher education, membership organizations, community development entities and other nonprofit organizations. She is based out of Crowe’s Chicago office. Bill Reznicek has been named chief financial officer of First Aviation Services Inc. He has more than 20 years of financial executive experience in distribution and manufacturing for domestic and international operations. Prior to his new position, Bill served as vice president of finance for the Lancaster Colony Automotive Products Division of the Rubber Queen Corp. John Wolf is the pastor of the Inwood Lutheran Parish in Inwood, Iowa.

1981

Anne-Marie (Schroeder) Bogdan and husband Steve have adopted a son from the Philippines, Rommel, 7. Rommel joins brother Alex, who is 9. Rommel was baptized April 15 by his grandfather, Edward H. Schroeder ’50, at Grace Lutheran, River Forest, Ill. Anne-Marie was elected congregational secretary at Grace Lutheran, and she is in her third year as assistant to the executive for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Worship and Liturgical Resources. She also is registrar for Worship Jubilee 2007 at Chicago’s Navy Pier this August.

Scott Esson was promoted to vice president of finance at Pemco Inc. Previously he held the position of controller. In addition to Scott’s involvement in all segments of company business, he is directly responsible for the management of the accounting, IT and human resources departments. He received his master’s degree in finance from DePaul University, Chicago. He also is a certified public accountant.

Dan Marchuk and his wife, Rose, have been married for more than 18 years and have three daughters: 11, 13, and 15. Daniel has worked as an auditor for U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than 21 years. Rose works in commercial real estate finance and also is the head coach for the New Trier High School rowing program.

Kurt Senske was named vice chair of the board of directors of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. He also serves as chair of the board for the World Relief and Human Care Ministries of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is on the board of directors of Lutheran Services in America. Kurt serves as chief executive officer of Lutheran Social Services of the South. He is the author of two books and has been a guest columnist on a variety of issues for newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs. He resides in Austin, Texas.

Doris (Colby) Westfall and husband David ’82 reside in St. Peters, Mo. Doris has accepted a call to be rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Louis County, St. Louis. She was installed in April. She also is interim priest in charge at Episcopal Campus Ministry at Washington University. Doris and David will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year with a trip to Southern England and Wales. Their eldest son, Christopher, 19, is a first-year meteorology major at Valpo.

1982

Michael Borton, wife Renette and their two daughters reside in Great Falls, Va. As chief financial officer of Netherland-based Consul Risk Management, a security software company, Michael recently completed the successful sale of the company to IBM.

Scott Hansen received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Alliant International University in San Diego. He and his wife, Kim, recently had their first child, a son, Kalin.

Roberta King recently earned her master’s degree in communication from Grand Valley State University. She is the vice president of PR and marketing for Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community Foundation. She and husband Mike and their daughter, Tasha, live in Muskegon. Their son, Noah, was 17 when he died on Feb. 27, 2006.

1983

Lynette (Morrison) Rayman is a registered nurse at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso. She is the coordinator of organ donation at Porter.

Mike Rinehart, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Conroe, Texas, was elected to be the new bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at this year’s synod assembly. He will be installed as bishop of the synod on Sept. 29. Mike has been serving at Grace in Conroe since 1997. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, John and Yuliana.

1984

Jennifer (Staples) Horton and husband Mike reside in Indianapolis. Their daughter Katelyn is 21; son Jameson is 12; and daughter Ashleigh is 11. Jennifer is now a grandmother.

Craig Morford J.D. is an assistant U.S. attorney. He served as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Craig has been with the Justice Department for 17 years and is the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. Last January he was assigned to help review documents from the Detroit terrorism trial.

Frederick Vaiana was selected as an Indiana Super Lawyer by Indianapolis Monthly and Law and Politics magazines. His law practice focuses on criminal defense. Fred and his wife, Amy, and their three children reside in Zionsville, Ind.

1985

Karen Davis, Louisville, Ky., is director of quality control for Hawkins Company CPAs LLC. Karen has more than 21 years of related experience. She joined the firm as a member of its assurance and advisory team. She also is the firm’s representative to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center.

Frank Harris J.D. and his wife Lidiya reside on Long Island, N.Y. Frank earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Liverpool in 1978 and is a professor of history at Farmingdale State College, SUNY. He also is a retired Nassau County assistant district attorney. Prior to their marriage, Lidiya had been director of accounts and chief bookkeeper for a construction company in Taganrog (Rostov Oblast, Russia).

Joyce (Batterman) Hook, after working as a cancer research nurse, is now in a private practice delivering chemotherapy to cancer patients. Husband Ben ’83 is an operating engineer. Their son, Ian, has plans to pursue architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology in the fall.

David Krebs of Chicago works in the power utility and telecommunications industry. He designs and manufactures pole line hardware and connectors for MacLean Power Systems. He and his wife, Mary, have two children, Molley, 13, and David, 11.

Steve Loder of Jackson, N.J., is an athlete and coach and has been a competitive runner for almost 30 years. He has competed in 13 marathons since 1988, including the 1998 Boston Marathon. Steve operates a business as a fitness and nutrition coach and consultant. He also works part time as a medical exercise and fitness specialist for a physical therapy practice in Long Branch, N.J. He is married with two young children.

Beth (Coverdale) Nemchek, husband Rob and their two children, Katie, 13, and Vickie, 10, moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado. Beth teaches pre-school and Rob is a senior project engineer.

Kevin Spudic has been hired as vice president and general manager of the re-founded Gary, Ind., Steelheads. Kevin has nearly 20 years of experience in sports business and will be largely responsible for shaping the new image of the team.

MARRIAGE
Frank Harris J.D. and Lidiya Petrovna Imanova, Jan. 19, 2007, Mineola, N.Y.

BIRTH
To Melanie (Gumz) Gulyas and husband Paul of Plymouth, Mich.: Maxwell Oliver, born March 20, 2007.

1986

Jeff Higley is an editorial director for Questex Media Group. He oversees editorial functions for Hotel and Motel Management, Hotel Design and Luxury Hotelier magazines and Hotel World Expo. He, wife Cheryl and three daughters live in Avon Lake, Ohio.

Ellen (Stephany) Pyle and husband Nicholas reside in Arlington, Va., with their six children. Ellen is a lawyer and legal translator in private practice in Washington, D.C. Nicholas is a principle with Pyle & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm.

1987

Julia (Rohaly) Buckley has written a new mystery titled “Madeline Mann,” which is the first book in the mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Madeline Mann. The book, fast-paced and humorous, will be released this summer.

Jeff Doebler Mus.M. is the founder and conductor of the Northwest Indiana concert Band Windiana. He led live performances of the band in China last summer and will do so again this summer. The ensemble has released its first album, “Windiana Live in China 2006,” which features 17 works recorded on the China tour. For information, send an e-mail to jeff.doebler@valpo.edu.

1988

Eric Bittner is one of only two chemists in the United States and Canada selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship. Eric, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Houston, received this honor for his research in dynamics of electron transfer between organic molecules. He is a leading researcher in the field of theoretical chemical physics and will use his fellowship to engage in research on molecular electronics and organic light-emitting diodes at Cambridge University next fall.

Linda (Mertz) Houthoofd, husband Rod and children Daniel, 13, and Karen, 10, live in Akron, Mich. Linda works part time as a certified diabetes educator at Bay Regional Medical Center. The Houthoofds were on campus in March to watch two of their nieces play in the Lutheran Basketball Association of America tournament.

Jonas Urba J.D. participated in a continuing legal education seminar in Miami in January. He spoke on partnership protection documents including wills, trusts, and partnership agreements and dissolution issues. The seminar was sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Jonas and his wife, Violetta, a 1985 Loyola University alumna, reside in Brandon, Fla.

1989

James Buckman pursued graduate studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. In 1997 he became an Army Reserve chaplain with the 10th Psychological Operations Battalion in St. Louis. He spent five of his 10 enlisted Army years as a Special Forces Morse Code operator. In February 2006 he transferred to the Air Force Reserve and began his duties as wing chaplain with the 442nd Fighter Wing.

Robert Manfredini is a doctor of naprapathy and resides in Tower Lakes, Ill. He and his wife have been married since 1996. They have a son, Nick. Robert recently opened up his second practice, which is located in Northbrook, Ill. His other practice is in Wauconda, Ill. Paul Priebe is serving as senior vice president of asset management for RedHill’s portfolio of multifamily properties. Prior to joining RedHill, Paul served as asset manager with Consolidated Investment Group, a private real estate investment firm based in Denver. Paul earned his M.B.A. degree from the University of Denver.

Debra (Wells) Seaborn of Mentor, Ohio, is a registered nurse. She serves as nurse educator emergency services for the Lake Hospital System in Ohio. BIRTH To Deborah Evans and husband Eric Ostensen ’91 of Wheaton, Ill.: Corey Evan David, born Aug. 11, 2006.

1990

Kim (Krizman) Bearden is working this summer at The Culver Academies Summer Camp Health Center. Her two sons are attending the camp for six weeks.

Susan Clancy Boles J.D., an attorney from St. Charles, Ill., has been appointed associate judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit, which includes Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties. Susan has 17 years of experience as an attorney.

Steve Ferris J.D. is the resident managing director of Aon. He previously served as the senior vice president and leader of their employee benefits practice. Ferris earned his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Ann (Christiansen) Hida of Ridgewood, N.J., was promoted from associate director to director of medical communications at Eisai Inc. Ann earned a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Prior to her positions at Eisai, she worked at Merck Medco Managed Care.

Craig Preuss, a licensed professional engineer with more than 16 years of engineering experience in the power industry, delivered his paper, “Making Substations More Intelligent by Design,” at the Western Power Delivery Automation Conference in April in Spokane, Wash. Craig works in the Telecommunications Division of Black & Veatch.

1991

Jonathan Drews and wife Pamela reside in Chicago. Jonathan works for Ketel One Vodka as a district sales manager. Pamela works for NCC, a cable representative firm, where she is a sales manager for new business development.

Douglas Lalone J.D. is a member of the law firm of Rader, Fishman & Grauer PLLC. His practice focuses on foreign and domestic prosecution and defense of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition and domain names. Prior to this position, he was a shareholder in the Michigan intellectual property law firm of Warn, Hoffman, Miller & Lalone. He also is a former automotive design engineer.

James Lancaster is group product director for DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., where he has worked for 15 years. He has served on boards and committees for Warsaw First United Methodist Church, Symphony of the Lake, and the Kosciusko County YMCA. He is married with three children.

Steven M. Smith has joined Berkline Benchcraft as the company’s chief financial officer. Prior to this position with Berkline Benchcraft, Steven was a financial executive for MTD Products Inc., a privately held consumer products company based in Ohio.

MARRIAGE
Jonathan Drews and Pamela Broadfield, May 4, 2007, St. Thomas, Virgin Island.

BIRTH
To Heidi Merkle and husband Michael Kurinsky of Arlington Heights, Ill.: Chloe, Oct. 11, 2006.

1992

Neal Armstrong and wife Esther (Schuette ’94) reside in Oak Park, Ill., with their two children, Rachel, 3, and Peter, 1. Neal is vice president in the finance group at RREEF.

Christine (Drager) Kurth ’95 J.D. is the Republican staff director for the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Her previous position was deputy staff director for the Committee Focusing on Communications Policy.

Peter Speckhard and his wife, Heidi, reside in Green Bay, Wis., with their five children. Pete is senior pastor at Faith Lutheran in Green Bay. He looks forward to welcoming Valpo into the Horizon League in the fall.

BIRTHS
To Melissa (Ottinger) Andrade and husband Jeff of Wayzata, Minn.: Nicolas Eugene, born Feb. 16, 2007; joins sister Isabella, 4.

To Peter Speckhard and wife Heidi of Green Bay, Wis.: Johanna Marie, born on Oct. 16, 2006; joins siblings Sam, 10, Ella, 7, Anna 4, and Rachel, 2.