Class Notes

Bonnie Forsberg Bentson (IntDes) wrote a collection of her memories called My Life Story. Bonnie lived in London for 15 years from 1954 to 1969 and adopted four children with her then husband. When she returned to Denver, Bonnie worked for a nationwide travel club. Bonnie has lived in Grand Junction, Colo., for about 25 years.

On June 1 Linda Rowland Christenson (Span) and Eric Christenson (Edu, Engl) participated in a seminar sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Paris for the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan. The venue was the Hôtel de Talleyrand, where the Louisiana Purchase had been negotiated and which housed the plan’s U.S. headquarters in Europe. Eric and Linda, co-executive producers of a 1997 PBS documentary on the Marshall Plan, were writers and researchers for occasional projects at the Talleyrand from 2003 to 2010. The couple lives near their two children in Southern Pines, N.C.

The “Then” photo from the summer issue of the Coloradan sparked memories for William Sprecher (IntlAf). While stationed in France with the U.S. Army during the 1950s, Bill realized that to develop and grow as an individual, a college degree was important. Unsure which college he should attend, he decided on CU Boulder after a coin toss in his barracks bunk bed. Later he was offered a job by the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Bill, who retired from the federal government 15 years ago, lives in Leesburg, Va.

American publisher of biographies Marquis Who’s Who named Charles Harbert (Chem) a Lifetime Achiever. He is co-inventor of the antidepressant drug Zoloft, and led the chemistry team that first synthesized it. After working in pharmaceuticals for more than 30 years, Charles retired in 1999. Since then, he has published four Colorado history books.

Larry Kilham (EngrPhys) launched a tour for his book The Digital Rabbit Hole. During his career, Larry traveled extensively overseas for 20 years and worked for several large international companies. He and wife Betsy live in Santa Fe, N.M.

Josephine Keenan (MSpchDr) published her second book, In Those Dazzling Days of Elvis. Josephine enjoys oil painting, square dancing and cooking Southern dishes. She and husband Frank live in Cincinnati.

Nancy Smoyer (Hist) wrote Donut Dollies in Vietnam: Baby-Blue Dresses & OD Green, a memoir about her year in Southeast Asia as a Red Cross recreation worker in 1967-68, and the aftermath. She used letters and tapes sent home during her tour as well as emails written to veteran groups since 1993 to recall her memories. She has worked with veterans in various capacities, including as a Vet Center counselor, volunteer at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and organizer of the Stand Down in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Marcy Braiker (Edu, Psych) of Beverly Hills, Calif. was recognized as a Professional of the Year for 2017 by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide for her contributions and achievements in nearly 40 years in real estate. Marcy has two sons and five grandchildren. She enjoys skiing, traveling and tango dancing.

Mildred Taylor (MJour) is the author of nine books. Her first, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which won the Newbery Medal in 1977, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with the release of a special edition. At CU Mildred helped create a black studies program and taught in it for two years. She lives in Boulder.

Ralph E. Lawson (Acct), chief financial officer and executive vice president of Baptist Health South Florida, served on the national board of directors of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016.

Ron Pippin (Acct) writes he has been living in Wheaton, Ill., since 1991. He is a former audit partner in an international accounting firm (Arthur Andersen), vice-president of SEC and financial reporting for Ameritech Corporation, now part of AT&T and, most recently, editorial managing director of Commerce Clearing House’s online accounting research database. He was the Denver Buff Club president in 1986, when Bill McCartney coached the football team, and holds the same season tickets today. He's “hoping for another National Championship!”

Gunnison Forever Buffs chapter leader Jim Gelwicks (CommThtr) was elected mayor of Gunnison, Colo. Jim worked as general manager of KWSB, the Western State Colorado University radio station, for 14 years. Previously he worked as a professor at Florida State University. In June, he attended a CU event in Gunnison during the Chancellor's annual road tour. Olympian Emma Coburn (Mktg’13) also attended.

Barbra Levine Cohn (RelSt; Engl’77) published Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The guide offers caregivers tools and techniques for feeling happier, more energetic and confident. It contains essays contributed by other caregivers, 20 healing methods that can be incorporated into a daily regimen and the author’s personal experience. Barbra lives in Boulder.

After working for more than 35 years as sports director at WLNE ABC 6 in Providence, R.I., 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. The Colorado native loves to spend time outside running and hiking.

Robert Garroway (MCDBio) has served on the board of the New York State Society of Orthopedic Surgeons since 2013 and will complete his term in 2019. He has been practicing hand and sports medicine on Long Island for 35 years.

Nancy Eckman Clanton (ArchEngr) was elected president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado’s board of directors. Nancy’s Boulder lighting design company is Clanton & Associates, Inc.

After more than 32 years, Robert Garcia (Art) retired in May from his position as graphics editor at the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the largest newspaper between Denver and Salt Lake City. Robert has received more than three dozen awards for newspaper design and graphics from the Colorado Press Association and the Colorado Associated Press Editors and Reporters organization. He writes that his mid- 1970s experience in Boulder with the campus minority student newspaper El Diario de la Gente was the foundation for his success. In 1995, Robert, a fifth-generation Coloradan, was designated a CU Hispanic Alumni Association Distinguished Alum.

In April, Katherine Leonard (Chem, MCDBio) presented results of her research study “The Meaning of Touch to Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy” at the United Health Services 25th Annual Oncology Teaching Day in Owego, N.Y. The research was previously published in the Oncology Nursing Forum in September 2015. Katherine is a nurse practitioner with SUNY Upstate’s adult oncology medicine group’s outpatient clinics. She retired from Upstate Hospital in 2012.

For more than 40 years, Bill Lerner (Comm) has helped grow and develop iPark, his family’s parking garage business (previously known as Imperial Parking Systems), into New York’s largest garage and parking facilities operator. Bill also started the organization Billy4Kids to provide shoes for underprivileged children around the world.

After graduating from CU, Linda Sasser (MPsych; PhD’81) taught at two Illinois institutions of higher learning. She was an adjunct psychology professor at Wheaton College and then a fulltime education professor at Judson University. In 2013 she began her business, Brain and Memory Health. She is a national speaker on brain health and memory, teaches continuing education workshops for healthcare professionals and has authored a curriculum titled BE! Brain Enrichment, which is used in retirement communities and senior centers. Linda and her husband, Carey, live in Bloomingdale, Ill.