Last November, 1958 Miss America winner Marilyn Van Derbur (Engl’60) sold her Miss America crown for $20,000 and donated the money to teachers. In a press release on her website, missamericabyday.com, Marilyn said, “It can help at a time when teachers need help. I wondered why someone didn't do something for them and then I realized I am somebody!” A sexual abuse survivor, Marilyn is a motivational speaker regarding sexual abuse healing. She has also released a book and documentary, Miss America by Day, telling her story.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Dorothy Chen Yuan (Zool’63), a professor in the pathology department at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, remembers her genetics professor Edwin Helwig and entomology professor Gordon Alexander fondly. “These were the inspiring teachers who started me on a path to a career in biology,” she wrote. At CU, she and her husband helped establish a scholarship fund in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. This scholarship is in honor of three members of the Chen family who are CU alumni. Dorothy And her husband live in Bowie, Maryland.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

In 2021, Bruce Benson (Geol’64; HonDocSci’04), former president of the University of Colorado, and his wife, Marcy, created the Marcy H. and Bruce D. Benson Graduate Fellowship Fund in Geological Sciences. This $6 million endowment will fund a full-ride scholarship for five graduate fellowships each year.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

At the 41st annual Colorado Law alumni awards banquet on March 10, Gail H. Klapper (Law’68) will be presented with the William Lee Knous Award. This award is given to an individual who has shown dedication and continues to provide service to Colorado Law. Gail worked as a White House fellow under the administration of former President Gerald Fordand was later a member of the Colorado governor’s cabinet. Gail resides in Elbert, Colorado, and has four daughters and seven grandchildren.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Kathryn Clark Childers (Edu’69), one of the first five women to work as a special agent in the U.S. Secret Service, published her autobiography, Scared Fearless, in fall 2020. It details her life as a woman in the Secret Service including an inside look at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her children, whom Kathryn protected during her career. Scared Fearless, available on Amazon or at kathrynchilders.com, also looks at Kathryn’s life from childhood through adulthood and tells of the people she met along the way. Kathryn is a professional speaker, where she coaches audiences to adopt her mantra of “Do it scared!” in their own way.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

In October, Sheila Hollis (Jour’71) was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award As part of the Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards hosted in Washington, D.C., by Law.com and its Corporate Counsel publication. Sheila is acting executive director of the U.S. Energy Law Association, which works in 104 countries along with the Department of Energy, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Additionally, she serves on the board of governors of the American Bar Association, representing its environment, energy and resources section. She is a board member of the Nanda Center for International Law at the University of Denver and addressed an international audience on the subject of the interrelationships between energy and environment in view of COP-26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Denver architect Seth Rosenman (EnvDes’76; MArch’78) designed the Colorado Fallen Heroes Memorial. The memorial — 14 years in the making — is intended to honor Coloradans who were killed during 20th-and 21st-century military conflicts: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Located in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park, across the street from the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver, it was formally dedicated Nov. 6, 2021.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

After being the USA Basketball women's national team director for seven Olympics, Carol Callan (MPE’77; MBA’87) stepped down following the Tokyo Olympics. Carol serves as the first female president of FIBA Americas, the International Basketball Federation. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame 2021.

 

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

As the executive vice president and head of production at Shondaland media, Sara Fischer (Advert, Engl’78) oversees and manages the production of series produced by Shondaland media. Sara was in charge of the production of Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton, which came out in 2020. She also led production of Inventing Anna, which debuted Feb. 11 on Netflix. She lives in Los Angeles.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

A Good and Decent Man, a historical Christian romance by Donald E. Hall (EdD’78), was released on Amazon in August 2021. This 281-page novel follows farmer and mechanic Raleigh Curtiss as he serves in WWI and his quest to be with the woman he loves, despite her disapproving father. One reviewer said, “A Good and Decent Man has everything: love, hate, revenge, reconciliation and death plus the history of a decade that changed America forever.” He lives in Sebring, Florida.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

On March 10, Colorado Law will award Herrick K. Lidstone Jr.(Law’78) the Distinguished Achievement Private Practice award. During his career, Herrick has been a shareholder at Burns Figa & Will P.C. law firm, published more than 30 articles for the Colorado Lawyer and lectured at many universities and institutes. Among his other achievements, Herrick has also served on the Colorado Bar Association’s business law section as a member of the executive council. Herrick and his wife, Mary Lynne, have five grandchildren and reside in Centennial, Colorado.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

After the Marshall Fire, Priscilla Dann-Courtney (Engl’79; MPsych’86; PhD’91), a writer and clinical psychologist, published an article in Boulder’s Daily Camera about how people can help their neighbors and how to cope with grief in difficult times. Priscilla has published many articles about mental health, parenting and exercise and resides in Boulder.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

​​Last year, Denver’s FOX 31 News aired a segment on Tony Ortega (Span’80; MFA’95), who creates artwork fusing Mexican and American Culture. His work can be seen at galleries across the country, including the Denver Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. His art is also exhibited in other countries, including several in Latin America. Tony is a professor in the department of fine and performing arts at Regis University.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

The third edition of Matthew J. Sharps’ (Psych’81;MS’84; PhD’86) book Processing Under Pressure: Stress, Memory And Decision-Making in Law Enforcement was published by Looseleaf Law Publications. Matthew is a psychology professor at California State University, Fresno, researching forensic cognitive science. He lives in Coarsegold, California.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

In June, Linda Villarosa’s (Jour’81) book Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation Will be published. Linda works as a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and is an associate professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, which she once attended. Additionally, Linda teaches reporting, Black studies and writing at the City College of New York. Linda resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Until the start of the pandemic, Gail Firmin (Psych’82) was in charge of the Art & Soul program, an art mentoring class for adults with disabilities sponsored by the Developmental Disabilities Resource Center and Lloyd G. Clements Center in Lakewood, Colorado. Gail teaches adult continuing education courses in various mediums for the City of Lakewood, and her award-winning work in watercolors, mixed media, and pen and ink is on display at galleries in Lakewood. She lives in Littleton, Colorado.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Evans Scholar Gary Baine (Jour’83) was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in fall 2021. A fixture in Colorado golf journalism, Gary has covered major golf events across the state, including each of the last 38 Colorado Opens, all 21 Internationals at Castle Pines, two U.S. and three U.S. Women’s Opens, a Solheim Cup and many other events. Gary worked at the Daily Camera in Boulder for 25 years, including six as sports editor. He is a regular contributor to the Colorado Golf Association’s website and founded Colorado Golf Journal in 2008. His work has won several Colorado golf journalism awards, and most recently he was honored with the 2019 Robert Kirchner Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the Colorado golf community. He lives in Boulder.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

After serving as communications director at the Yale Climate and Energy Institute, Eric Ellman (Geol’84) moved to London to live on a canal boat. The movie was spurred by the 2016 death of his friend Mark Pagani (Geol’83), Yale geology and geophysics professor. From there, Eric applied for a grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry to produce climate-themed theater on the Grand Union Canal With the goal of bringing climate science to the general public. His project convenes performers and climate scientists from the United Kingdom and United States, including those with CU’s Inside the Greenhouse project, a partnership between CU’s theater and science departments to creatively tell stories about climate change.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

Stuart Whitehair (Hist’84; Law’87), an attorney based in Bozeman, Montana, has published his first novel. Due North is a murder mystery set in scenic Paradise Valley, Montana, and is available through Amazon. Stuart has maintained his connection with CU as a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and has run the CU at the Game website (cuatthegame.com) for the past decade. His CU at the Game podcast will be entering its third season in 2022.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

On Jan. 8, Chris Fowler (Jour’85) and Kirk Herbstreit announced their second NFL game ever when the Chiefs took on the Broncos. Chris works as a television sportscaster for ESPN and generally announces college football. This season, Chris announced the college football playoff championship game on Jan.10. He lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

Posted Mar. 11, 2022

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