Class Notes

In August Clara Straight (MFA) joined the centenarian club. Clara, an artist in Kirksville, Mo., selected her favorite works from her private collection to be exhibited in the Kirksville Arts Association this summer. Clara still paints, drives and lives on her family farm.

Jim Friedlander (PolSci) of Portland, Maine, is writing several books: A memoir, a novel, a collection of short stories and a cookbook. Originally from Manhattan, Jim graduated from high school at 16. His memoir explores his experience running a bed-and-breakfast in Freeport, Maine, for more than 20 years with his late wife Glynrose Friedlander.

For the past 25 years, Maynard Skinner (PE; MEdu’54; PhDEdu’63) ran the Department of State exchange program for the University of California, Davis, helping foreign nationals visit for a three-week period. Maynard paired the guests with hosts of similar interests. Maynard, now 91, was vice chancellor of student affairs for UC Davis before retiring in 1992. A successful local politician, Maynard was on the Davis City Council for 16 years and elected mayor twice. He wrote, “When I was mayor, I brought Boulder’s open-space coordinator to visit, [whose programs] we copied], and Boulder in turn copied our no smoking in public places ordinance.”

Ken Johnson (Mktg) worked as a journalist at the Grand Junction Daily Sentinelbefore becoming the owner in 1970. He continued to put his degree to work, as owner of the Cleveland Press and Redstone Castle, a luxury hotel west of Aspen. Ken later moved to California to raise Arabian horses. Currently in Massachusetts, Ken has begun writing a biography of Walter and Preston Walker, the father and son duo who owned the Sentinel before he did.

John Lund (CivEngr; PhD’67) is a geothermal energy expert and a retired emeritus professor and engineering dean from the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Ore. He writes, “I am currently working on gathering, editing and summarizing geothermal country update papers from all over the world for the World Geothermal Congress 2020 to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland, in April 2020.

Karl Gustafson (APMath, Fin) published Reverberations of a Stroke: A Memoir, a book that tells the story of his struggle to regain his life purpose after experiencing a catastrophic stroke in 2016. Since his stroke, he has returned to teaching at the University of Colorado, where he has been a faculty member in the mathematics department for more than 50 years.

A month after graduating from CU, Stan Bolsenga (Geol) began a 30-year career as a research glaciologist studying ice and snow in North American territories. “I had a great career, including publishing over 80 scientific papers and authoring or coauthoring four books, none of which would have been possible without my CU background,” he wrote. He lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he worked for the Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory, Great Lakes Research Center and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. He writes that he’s lost track of his former CU housemates and friends and would love to hear from them.

Former CU swimmer George Foster (Chem) competed at the 2019 National Senior Games, held in June in Albuquerque, N.M. George took first place in the 200-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle in the 80 to 84 age group. The Broomfield, Colo., resident writes that his wife, Mary Wiley Foster (A&S’58), died in 2014, and that he meets with other former CU athletes weekly for coffee. A biochemistry doctorate, George worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years.

Arthur White (MBaSci; PhDEdu’69) was born in Boulder and grew up on a farm east of the Valmont power plant. In the mid-1950s, he worked as a wrangler for Columbine Lodge — near the trail leading up to Longs Peak — packing supplies by horseback for the CU Hiking Club before they climbed Longs Peak. While working on his doctorate, he was coach of the CU men’s gymnastics team, leading it to a Big Eight Conference title. Arthur taught at Ohio State University for 44 years before retiring.

The day after graduating from CU, John Cavanagh (Mgmt) married Gae Mayer Cavanagh (Edu’60), and they built a life in Jacksonville, Fla. John worked and owned businesses in several industries, including cigars, boxes, insurance, health care, cars and vitamins. Gae taught elementary school. Now retired, John has spent the last 14 years working with Kairos Prison Ministry in Union County, Fla., sharing his Christian religion with inmates. John writes, “This is more rewarding work than anything I did in the past.”

In addition to hosting “Wonderful Words of Life” on KAAM-AM radio 770 in Dallas, Nella Phillips (A&S) hosts “Moments with Nella” on YouTube. The one-minute videos provide a moment of inspiration for viewers.

In June, Richard Wilson (Hist) retired from the University of Virginia, where he taught architectural history for 43 years. He will continue teaching a summer course in Newport, R.I., and on the lecture circuit. Richard also is writing a book on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. He writes, “There is still plenty to do!”

In June, in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, retired Navy Commander Gary Forsberg (Psych) sang at the Brittany-American and Omaha Beach American Cemeteries, as well as Sainte-Mere Eglise and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Gary is a member of the Sounds of the Rockies men’s chorus, and a former member of the CU Buffoons a capella group.

Ted Hine (Fin) discovered and digitized a long-forgotten reel-to-reel tape recording of his band’s three-hour performance at the Buff Room on The Hill in July 1967 and distributed copies to all the surviving band members. The band, “Other Side Of Time,” formed in fall 1966 and was active through the following summer. Other band members included Dick Coburn (PolSci’67; MA’76), Mike Collins (ChemEngr’70; MS’71; PhD’77), Doug Hays (Edu’71), Jim Fuchs (Psych’75), Scott Mascitelli (A&S ex’69) and Lonnie Brummit (Mus ex’70). The band started playing fraternity and sorority parties, and by early 1967 were reg-ulars at the Buff Room, Tulagi and the Honey Bucket. By spring, they had a record on the local Top 40 charts.

Steve Hatchell (Advert), president and CEO of the National Football Foundation (NFF), was featured in the book 1st and Forever: Making the Case for the Future of Football,written by Bob Casciola. A Colorado native, Steve has worked with intercollegiate athletics for most of his professional career. In 2017, he was inducted into CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Steve Volstad (Jour) retired from his career in communications, most recently as communications and marketing director for UNC-TV, North Carolina’s statewide public broadcasting channel. After 30 days away from work, Steve knew he needed something more: He got a job with the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, writing stories about animals in poor health and their caretakers.

Judy Crawford (Edu) writes, “My life after Boulder has been wonderful. I taught for 25 years, was elected New Mexico Teacher of the Year in 1989 and now have had a second career working for a nonprofit that funds drinking water projects in developing countries.” She married Richard Crawford (Mktg’71) and they made their home in Santa Fe.

Pueblo, Colo., resident Kathleen Hearn Croshal (CommThtr; Law’79) was named president of the Colorado Bar Association for the 2019-20 term. Kathleen spent 16 years practicing law, including work as a deputy district attorney in Pueblo. She was then appointed a Pueblo County judge for the 10th district, a role she held until her retirement in 2011.

Santa Fe resident David Douglas (Law) is founder of the all-volunteer organization Waterlines, which is committed to providing the world clean drinking water. Currently, Waterlines’ main projects are focused in Panama and Kenya, but since its founding in 1986, it has worked with over 700 communities in 15 countries.

Carol Callan (MPE; MBA’87) was elected president of the International Federation of Basketball, Americas Chapter. She is the first female to fill the position for any FIBA region. Carol is also the USA Basketball Women’s National Team director, a post she has held since 1996. Prior to joining USA Basketball, she was athletic director and assistant principal for Boulder’s Fairview High School. She lives in Boulder.