Class Notes: Spring/Summer 2017-18

'50s

Robert Burch MUS’52 received the 2018 Alumni Service Award by the USM Alumni Association in May. Burch was recognized for his service to USM and the greater Milwaukee community. Burch re-established and endowed in perpetuity the Frank S. Spigener Service and Leadership Award in 2016, which recognizes a senior who demonstrates a spirit of caring, humanitarianism, and volunteerism. Burch has worked tirelessly to promote USM and the greater Milwaukee community of non profits, and we are thankful for his many years of service.

'60s

Peter Boice MCDS’61 exhibited his photography at the Shambhala Center in Boulder, Colorado, in early 2018. He was a photojournalist for the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

Todd Montgomery MUS’61 received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in July 2017. His deep commitment to country, community, and his two-time alma mater mark his diverse and distinguished resume. As a Navy officer, he completed three tours in Vietnam. Currently a project manager and urban planner based in California, he is a former university and elementary school educator. His UWM involvement includes service on the Board of Visitors, School of Architecture and Urban Planning Dean’s Club, former president of the UWM Alumni Association, and member of the UWM Foundation Development Committee. He has also served as president of groups supporting Lakeshore State Park and the Skylight Opera Theatre, and he founded the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.

Audrey Arndt turned 94 in April, and a group of USM alumni and friends were there to help her celebrate in style. Arndt began at Milwaukee Country Day School in 1946 and retired in 1992 as the assistant to the head of Upper School, a tenure of 46 years. From left Steve Becker MCDS’64, Joe Messinger ’66, John Stephens, Hack Noyes ’66, Mike Williams ’70, Richard Wells MCDS’64, and Bill Hansen MCDS’64.

'70s

Michael C. Williams ’70 received the Nathan A. Fishbach Founder’s Award from the Eastern District of the Wisconsin Bar Association. Williams is the chief deputy clerk of court, Eastern District of Wisconsin. The award is given to an individual whose outstanding contributions to the legal profession, collegiality, skills at fostering bench-bar relations, energy, and enthusiasm for the practice of law have made a positive impact on the activities of the bar association and the practice of law in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “I am humbled and honored that I am being recognized as someone who fosters the bench and bar relationship with energy and enthusiasm,” said Williams.

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John T. Blossom ’74 has written two books that are recently available for purchase on Amazon and elsewhere: “Trespassing” and “Horse Boys.”

Mark Rylance ’78 was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his work in “Farinelli and the King.” The play was written by Claire van Kampen, Rylance’s wife.

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Vincent R. Cooper ’79 has accumulated more than 3,500 hours of PIC (pilot in command) time since becoming a licensed pilot at age 19. He has more than 35 years of program management and flight test engineering experience, which originated with flight testing weapon systems on the U.S. Navy A-7E Corsair II.

'80s

Heidi (Pohlmann) Burmeister ’80 and her daughter, Saskia, enjoyed seeing “Farinelli and the King” in New York City, starring Mark Rylance ’78.

William F. Zito Jr. ’82 has been named general manager of the 2018 U.S. Men’s National Team. He is the assistant general manager of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, and also holds the role of general manager for the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters. He is a member of USA Hockey’s international council and previously served on the management staff for the 2015 U.S. Men’s National Team that claimed a bronze medal at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship in Ostrava and Prague, Czech Republic.

'90s

Randolph Post Eddy III ’90 served as the speaker for USM’s 2018 Commencement. Eddy is a globally recognized national security and intelligence expert and CEO of Ergo, a leading intelligence and analysis firm. Previously, he served as director at the White House National Security Council, chief of staff to the former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, and senior adviser to the former Secretary of Energy, Bill Richardson.

Scott Friedman ’90, senior investigative reporter with NBC5/KXAS Dallas-Fort Worth, and his team, received a Peabody Award for the series “Big Buses, Bigger Problems: Taxpayers Taken for a Ride.” The reporting uncovered a web of corruption and financial mismanagement, leading to action by the Texas government and voters.

Wendy E. Jepson ’90 has been named a 2018–19 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Alan I. Leshner Leadership Institute Public Engagement Fellow. Jepson is a professor in the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University. AAAS selected 15 researchers in the food and water security fields who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in their research careers and an interest in promoting meaningful dialogue between science and society. She was a 2017 U.S. Fulbright Fellow at the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil, and leads the Texas A&M Water Security Initiative, a university-wide program.

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Alison (Abrohams) Manger ’93 welcomed Mercy Anne Manger on Dec. 1, 2017 in Westlake Village, California. Mercy joins big sister Georgia and big brother Eddie.

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Brenna D. Argall ’98 welcomed a son, Elouan, on Jan. 23, 2018.

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Stacy A. (Brett) Wenner ’98 welcomed a baby girl, Adeline, on Aug. 20, 2017.

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Alexander S. Friend ’99 is the owner and founder of Niuka Fine Teas & Special Events.

'00s

Henry Gustav Fuldner ’00 married Lucinda Anne Stamm in June at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. David Rogier, a friend of the couple who became a Universal Life minister for the occasion, officiated.

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Alyssa M. (Argall) Tozzi ’00 had a daughter, Francesca, on Jan. 17, 2018.

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William D. Gordon ’01 became engaged to Dr. Marysia Ławrynovicz in January, 2018.

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Fatima K. Laster ’02 is converting the two-story Johnson-Goolsby Funeral Home in Milwaukee into the 5 Points Artist Gallery and Studios. After completing renovations, Laster hopes to have 5 Points Artist Gallery and Studios open by the end of this year. The main level will feature gallery and event space, and the second floor will provide a pair of refurbished apartments.

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Kathleen (Taylor) Mouton ’02 has been named the Athletics and Activities Director at Shanghai American School in Shanghai, China. Mouton, who previously served as USM’s assistant athletic director, has been a part of the USM athletic department since August 2012. She was a member of USM’s girls’ soccer coaching staff for many years, and took on head coaching responsibilities this spring.

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David Segerdahl ’03 and his wife Rachel had a baby girl, Greta, in December 2017.

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Lacey C. (Argall) Yee ’03 and her husband Scott welcomed Magnolia Louise on March 20, 2018.

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Michael J. Anderson ’04, whose full-service marketing agency that he owns with his wife, Laura, was recently profiled in the San Diego Business Journal. Wonderist Agency provides local and digital marketing to dentists around the country, serving over 100 clients with a team of 14 full-time employees. “I got my start as a marketer working for Judy Bloch in the Summer I.D.E.A.S. program producing the program booklet for over 10 years,” said Anderson. “It’s fun to see how my experience at USM has grown into a company that serves clients across the country today!”

Jonathan A. Smucker ’04 became a partner at Marietta Investment Partners, a registered investment advisory firm in Milwaukee.

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Cristina Costantini ’07 and Darren Foster directed and produced “Science Fair,” which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and won Sundance 2018’s inaugural festival-wide audience award. “Science Fair” is Costantini’s first feature documentary and follows nine students and one mentor from around the world as they prepare their projects and team for the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) event in Los Angeles. Costantini herself won an award at Intel ISEF in 2004 for her research and study of the impact of peer pressure and conformity.

Hiram R. Perez-Reyes ’05 was appointed vice president, business banking for southeastern Wisconsin at PNC Bank.

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Stephanie Black ’08 presented an education series titled “How to Improve Your Appearance through Food” to USM faculty and staff in November and December 2017. Black received her M.S. in Dietetics from Eastern Michigan University and runs her own nutrition business, Steph Gets Food, where she helps clients “get” food from an intellectual standpoint.

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Emily E. (Joerres) Vertacnik ’07 had a baby boy, Theodore Francis Vertacnik, on April 15, 2018. Theodore weighed 7 pounds, 1.2 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches.

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Stephanie Black ’08 presented an education series titled “How to Improve Your Appearance through Food” to USM faculty and staff in November and December 2017. Black received her M.S. in Dietetics from Eastern Michigan University and runs her own nutrition business, Steph Gets Food, where she helps clients “get” food from an intellectual standpoint.

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Christina Malliet ’08 graduated from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota with an M.A. in Catholic Studies on May 20, 2017. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 2012 with a B.A. degree in French and English. Currently residing in St. Paul, Malliet is working as a campaign development director for Lynch Development Associates.

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Rex M. Hupy ’09 was invited to lecture at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law on the subject of private equity capital, one of the areas of law in which he practices. Hupy graduated from Northwestern University and Georgetown Law School in May 2017.

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Michael L. Luckey ’09 is the first director of Wisconsin’s Interagency Council on Homelessness. In this role, he will be overseeing, developing, coordinating, writing, and implementing the state of Wisconsin’s approach to preventing and ending homelessness.

Alexander G. Rofeberg ’09 married Valerie Langberg on Sept. 10, 2017 in Middletown, New York with Trevor Haubert ’09 as the best man. Lex and Valerie met at Brown University.

Kristian Vaughn ’09 was profiled on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir for donating part of his liver to 4-year old Zanyah Brown from Milwaukee, whom he did not know prior to the surgery.

'10s

Hanora R. Lucey ’15 was chosen as a 2017 summer research scholar and spent her summer conducting in-depth research projects at Denison University, both on and off campus. The faculty-led programs included undertakings in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, and the arts. Lucey worked with Professor Michael Brady on a project titled “Betrayal or Self Interest? Investigating Underlying Reasons for Party Defection in U.S. Presidential Elections (1952–2016).”

Jeffrey Melvin ’15 performed at Milwaukee’s Miramar Theatre in May as the headlining act of his first tour, Stress Relief Tour. Melvin, aka Melvv, also performed at Coachella music festival and is scheduled for Lollapalooza in August. His piece “Vibe” has more than 16 million plays across Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube.

Philip Shuler ’15 advanced to the finals of the Music Teachers National Association chamber music competition in March 2018. Shuler (pictured front row, right), a senior music major at Montana State University, played the French horn in the competition as part of the Bridger Brass Quintet.

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Ethan Shuler ’16 played contra bassoon in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Wind Symphony, which performed the world premiere of Emily Cooley’s ’08 “Unfamiliar Trees,” among other pieces. The free concert was held on April 30 at the Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver.

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Christopher D. Armbrust ’16 works as DJ Chris on WLUW (Loyola Chicago’s college radio station) on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.–noon CST. To listen, visit WLUW.org and click on “Listen.” He plays a personally-chosen mix of Indie music and calls his segment Shadow Juice—pulling out great music that otherwise gets lost in the shadows.

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Zachary T. Nelsen ’16 assistant to Paris Dreibelbis, who is a cook at Ardent on Milwaukee’s east side, together won the 2017 Ment’or Young Chef Competition in Las Vegas. They bested four other fine-dining cooks from restaurants in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Birmingham, Ala.

Michael Balistreri ’17 has completed his first year as a freshman walk-on for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. He’s pictured here (front row, right) with the team’s defensive linemen after winning the Big Ten West.

Student Athletes Announce Collegiate Commitments

Six USM seniors celebrated the culmination of their high school athletic and academic careers at a special college signing day ceremony in April. Joined by their families, coaches, teammates, and friends, the students watched a highlight reel of their best plays while Director of Athletics Luke Houdek spoke of their athletic accolades and college plans.

Congratulations to the following seniors for their achievements, both on and off the field: (back row, from left) Tyler Bair, football, Ripon College; Matt Le Pine, football, Ripon College; David Hutton, football, Olivet Nazarene University; (bottom row, from left) Hannah Gold, hockey, Augsburg College; Ben Hayes, swimming, Brown University; and Eli Modahl, field hockey, Oberlin College. Not pictured: Hailey Farrington-Bentil, soccer, Mississippi State University.