Class Notes

Robert McKenzie (A&S) was recognized by the Session of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, Calif., on the 50th anniversary of his installation as pastor and designated Pastor Emeritus. He served the congregation from 1966 to 1983, a period of intense turmoil in Berkeley, and steered the congregation to embrace a ministry of social justice that has been its hallmark ever since.

Ten-time Grammy Awardwinner Dave Grusin (Mus) served as an advisory judge for the Six String Theory Competition, the inspiration of Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Lee Ritenour. Dave, who also won an Academy Award in 1988 for his score for “The Milagro Beanfield War,” lives in Santa Fe, N.M. He is a recipient of the Alumni Association’s George Norlin Award, and will be recognized Oct. 13 during Homecoming Weekend.

Martha “Marty” Hudson Grossman (Hist) has published a memoir, Coming of Age: Come Rain or Come Shine. She read from the book at Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place in Boulder earlier this year. For more information on Martha and her story, visit marthagrossman.com.

Iowa native and renowned NFL linebacker Jerry Hillebrand (PE) will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. Jerry played nine seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Laurel Walum Richardson (PhDSoc) has been triply honored in the last year. The International Disciplinary Impact of Laurel Richardson’s Work, a book written by Julie White, contains more than 50 contributions from scholars, activists and educators in 12 different disciplines and 10 countries. Laurel was elected into the inaugural class of the Emeritus Academy of The Ohio State University in recognition of her creative work and academic scholarship. And her book, Seven Minutes from Home: An American Daughter’s Story, was published in 2015 to pre-release critical acclaim.

Jim Miller, (A&S) one of Colorado’s greatest track and field athletes in both high school and college, will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. After graduating from CU Boulder, Jim went to law school and served as a lawyer and a judge for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Jim lives in Washington, D.C.

This year, Jerry Rutledge (A&S) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his clothing store, Rutledge’s, located in downtown Colorado Springs. Two years ago Rutledge’s opened its second location, in the Broadmoor Hotel. Jerry served on the CU Board of Regents from 1995 through 2007 and as board chair twice. He currently serves on the University of Colorado Hospital Board, which he joined in 2007. Jerry and wife Jan enjoy their ranch, located east of Elbert, Colo., and also spend part of the year on Florida’s Sanibel Island.

When she isn’t helping out with the Friends Foundation for the Denver Public Library or putting in work as a committee member for the 50th reunion for the CU Boulder class of 1966, Susan Pryor Willson (Engl) can probably be found babysitting her grandchildren, the lights of her life, she writes. After working as a lawyer for 22 years, Susan is retired and lives in Denver with husband John. Her children, Andrew (MCDBio’94; MBA’00), Matthew (Kines’95) and Amy (Psych’00), are married and live in greater Denver with their families.

One of the first prolific pass rushers in CU Boulder history, Bill Brundige (A&S), will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. Bill started every game his rookie season in the NFL and played in Super Bowl VII following the 1972 season. Bill lives in Virginia.

For almost 20 years, president and COO of Winter Park Resort Gary DeFrange (Mgmt) has guided the resort’s expansion and maintained its proud relationship with the City and County of Denver through his collaboration with Winter Park Recreational Association, Intrawest, City of Denver Water and the U.S. Forest Service. Gary has overseen the development of a base village with retail space and skiin, ski-out condominiums, developed a world-class biking program and is close to reinstating the ski train service to Winter Park from Union Station.

Bob Justice (MechEngr; MBA’77), the 1968 NCAA national champion in wrestling, will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. Bob worked in the natural gas industry and loves spending time with his wife Cameron and daughters Aimee and Sunny.

Frances Koncilja (Law) was appointed to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission by Governor John Hickenlooper. A native of Pueblo, Colo., Frances’ law practice focuses on complex commercial litigation. She represents plaintiffs and defendants.

Five-time All American track and cross-country star Ted Castaneda (Soc) will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. Ted competed in two U.S. Olympic trials and is one of the seven original inductees into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame. Ted lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is head coach of women’s outdoor track and field at Colorado College.

Laura Katz Olson (PhDPolSci) has been a professor of political science at Lehigh University since 1974. Laura researches aging, health care and women’s studies. To date, she has published eight academic books and a novel. Her latest, published this year, is a memoir titled Elder Care Journey: A View from the Front Lines.

After serving on the board of the Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association for more than 25 years, Dennis Egner (EnvDes) has been named to the prestigious American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows for his achievements in urban planning.

In June, Brad Breslau, (PolSci) an attorney at Cozen O’Connor’s subrogation & recovery department, spoke at the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s 2016 Midwest Conference in Omaha, Neb. His session was titled “Effective Loss Scene Investigation.” Every year since 2009, Brad has been named in editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He is a member of the American, Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.

Director of the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop (BJDW) Lara Branen (Dance; MA’87) has been directing its workshops since the first session at the Chautauqua Community Hall in 1978 and has seen the group expand from fewer than 20 students to about 150. Lara, who lives in Northern California, flies into Boulder for a month to direct the workshop, which she says has developed a reputation as “a college-based summer dance study setting with heart.” The BJDW was started by Lara and Michael Geiger (MDance’78) and is still run mainly by CU alumni.

Carol Callan (MPE; MBA’87) is USA Basketball women’s national team director and chair of the USA Basketball women’s national team player selection committee. She played a key role in picking the players for the U.S. Women’s National team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Carol has been the women’s national team director since 1996.

In honor of Leonard Mermel’s (EPOBio) 60th birthday and his commitment to patient care for the citizens of Rhode Island, Governor Gina Raimondo proclaimed June 15 “Dr. Leonard Alan Mermel Day” in the state. Leonard has spent his career advocating for patient safety by preventing infections in hospitals through national and international teaching and his extensive research. Leonard is a professor at Brown University, an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

Mary Bendelow (MComm; PhD’83) was selected to join the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s (PDF) People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council. In this role, she will help drive PDF’s goals of ending the disease and supporting those affected by it. Mary works as a tour director for U.S. and Canadian national parks.