Class Notes

Marc Wilson (Jour), chairman emeritus of TownNews, the digital services company he co-founded in 1989, was elected president of the Inland Press Foundation in 2020. During his career, he worked as a journalist for three daily newspapers, five bureaus of The Associated Press, and was editor/publisher of the Bigfork Eagle in Kalispell, Montana, for 14 years. He is author of two published books, and he and his wife, Virginia (Jour’69), live in Loveland.

John Poimiroo (MJour) was named Writer of the Year by the Outdoor Writers Association of California. He was recognized for his many achievements, including four first-place awards: Best Outdoor Feature Photograph, Best Outdoor Photographic Series, Best Outdoor Video and Best Outdoor Internet Site.

Attorney William Blackwell (Advert) of Zephyr Cove, Nevada, will be featured in the documentary Lust For Gold, A Race Against Time, in the October 2020 Arizona Film Festival. It follows a team of adventurers, including William, that are on a quest for gold in the mountains of Eastern Arizona. 

Susan Dellinger (PhDComm) published a book titled Communicating Beyond Our Differences in 1996. The book has now been translated into eight languages, including Arabic, Japanese and Russian. In 2018, Susan created a communication training company called Psycho-Geometrics LLC, which now has 44 licensed trainers in 10 countries worldwide.

John Leach (Jour, MA’79) was selected to serve on the CU Alumni Association’s Board of Advisors. His three-year term began June 1, 2022.

Jack Brown (MComm) is an estates director with Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills, California. He served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam before working in public relations at Denver’s Office of Economic Opportunity. He has represented real estate and entertainment clients in Los Angeles and Malibu for over 30 years. He and his wife, Kathleen, have homes in Los Angeles and Indian Wells, and their three daughters and one grandson live in Napa.

John Leach (Jour; MJour’79) is the recipient of CU Boulder’s 2018 Alumni Recognition Award. He earned the honor for his invaluable professional insights throughout journalism’s transition at the university, and for being a crucial figure during CMCI’s creation. John is the former managing editor of The Arizona Republic. He’s taught journalism as a visiting professor at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and as a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix. After many years living in Arizona, John recently moved to Longmont, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Deborah Ross (Jour’79). He is a member of CMCI’s Department of Journalism Advisory Board and supports the college through the John F. Leach Endowed Scholarship, which he established to benefit journalism students, and the Leach Scholarship Fund.

After working for more than 35 years as sports director at WLNE ABC 6 in Providence, Rhode Island, Ken Bell (Comm) is retiring. Ken covered some of the most memorable moments in New England sports history, including the Celtics’ championships of the 1980s, the Red Sox winning the World Series and numerous Patriots Super Bowl victories. A Colorado native, he loves to spend time outside running and hiking.

For the past 10 football seasons, Phil Caragol (Comm), known to many Folsom Field attendees as “Buffalo Phil,” has run through the stadium on game day with a furry horned buffalo helmet adorned with a mullet and CU beer koozies. He's proud to serve as the Buffs’ positive and friendly superfan and cheerleader. His career as a copywriter and creative director spans four decades at advertising agencies in New York and San Francisco. He and his wife, Susan Blickhahn Caragol (Jour, Psych’75), live in Boulder.

Susan Blickhahn Caragol (Jour) and Phil Caragol (Comm) celebrated 43 years of marriage and 37 years at their PR and advertising firm, Caragol Communications. After many years in New York City and San Francisco, they returned to the Front Range and continue to write and create. Look for “Buffalo Phil” at CU football games firing up the crowd.

Susan Blickhahn Caragol (Jour'75) and Phil Caragol (Comm'75) celebrated 43 years of marriage and 37 years at their PR and advertising firm Caragol Communications. After many years in New York City and San Francisco, they returned to the Front Range and continue to write and create. Look for “Buffalo Phil” at CU football games firing up the crowd.

John Estabrook (Advert) lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has owned and operated the windows and doors branch of Pella Corp. since 1997. He and his two partners recently purchased Pella Mid-Atlantic, which serves Maryland, Northern Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

In 2017, Barbara Vobejda (Jour) was named deputy managing editor of The Washington Post.

Magdaleno “Leno” Rose-Avila (Comm) is the executive director of Witness to Innocence, an organization dedicated to empowering exonerated death row survivors. His long history of civil and human rights work includes directorial positions at Amnesty International and serving as executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle, Washington. 

Martin Streim (Comm, MA’79) retired in 2017 after a 35-year career in corporate human resources, during which he focused on organizational and leadership development. Before retiring, he spent several years as the director of ethics and business conduct in his employer’s office of legal counsel. He and his wife, Christie, live in Boulder.

Peter Lasser (Comm), is a producer and director at Lasser Productions in Atlanta. He has produced for 11 Olympic Games throughout his career in broadcast, including the Tokyo Olympics. He stays connected with the college and its students as a member of CMCI’s advisory board. In 2019, he joined a panel of sports media professionals during CMCI’s inaugural Sports Media Summit and returned to speak with broadcast journalism classes about his experiences in the field. Lasser is married to Cynthia Potter, who earned an Olympic bronze medal in 3-meter springboard diving in 1976 and frequently serves as an analyst for televised diving events, including during this year’s Summer Games.

Gary Vicari (Comm) has been president of Arlington Toyota, a family-owned company started by his father in Palatine, Illinois, since 2000. He and his wife, Amy, have three grown children.