Notes from the Class of 1973

A native of India, Frank Islam (Bus, MApMath’73) spoke last April at the Conference on World Affairs. He coauthored Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide (IMC Publishing), which offers suggestions on how to reverse the notion that the American dream is in peril. He is CEO of FI Investment Group, which focuses on providing growth capital to emerging companies and has endowed two scholarships at CU-Boulder for mathematics students. Frank lives in Potomac, Md.

Consultant John Poimiroo (MJour’73) specializes in travel and tourism marketing communications with his virtual agency, Poimiroo & Partners. When updating his website, www.poimiroo.com, John chose CU silver, gold and black, of course! He lives in Eldorado Hills, Calif.

The most visible program in CU-Boulder’s Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement is the Peace Corps, although it has 10 other programs under its wing. Director Peter Simons (Psych’73, MPubAd’76) says the institute works closely with faculty to weave civic engagement into the entire curriculum. Peter lives in Boulder with his wife Gayle Lalich (Psych’73, Law’77).

CEO of FI Investment Group Frank Islam (Bus’73, MApMathBus’73) provides two scholarship opportunities for math students at CU. One scholarship is in honor of William Jones, one of Frank’s math teachers while at CU, and the other is in memory of Wolfgang Thron, a former CU math teacher who passed away in 2001. Frank told the Colorado Arts & Sciences magazine, “I want to inspire others to have passion for philanthropy.” He lives in Potomac, Md.

After working as a reporter for the Denver Post for nearly 35 years, Natalie Meisler (Jour’73) retired. Her last assignment for the paper was covering the CU football game against University of Southern California in early November. When she joined the paper, she covered high school sports, which included writing about CU athletic director Mike Bohn when he led Boulder High School to the 1979 state title in basketball. She covered CU and Colorado State University sports and the Bolder Boulder. She calls Boulder home.

Physics professor Christopher Sorensen (MPhys’73, PhD’76) received the Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching at Kansas State University. He received the award for his high-quality instruction, strong relationships with students and distinguished service to the university. He developed a new method of instruction for engineering physics to improve comprehension of concepts among students in large classes. He lives in Manhattan, Kan.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Irene Ramos Griego (Edu’73, EdD’97) to CU’s board of regents after the resignation of Monisha Merchant. She is director of diversity and inclusion and interim community superintendent for Colorado’s largest school district, Jefferson County. She has 38 years of experience as an educator and lives in Lakewood, Colo.

After serving as a Boulder County attorney for 25 years, Larry Hoyt* (PolSci’73) retired and started his own part-time private practice in his hometown of Lafayette, Colo.

*Lifetime member

Author Lesley Kitchen Lababidi (Rec’73) released her book Cairo: The Practical Guide (AUC Press). The book provides information on daily life in Cairo post-revolution. Lesley lives in Cairo but returns to Boulder every year in May for the annual Alumni Association’s Golden Anniversary Reunion Luncheon with her mother Pollyann Castle Baird (DistSt’45). Lesley wrote a personal essay that appeared in the April edition of the Forever Buffs Insider e-newsletter.

Peer evaluation and independent research led to the recognition of L. Judson Todhunter (PolSci’73) on the IllinoisSuper Lawyers list. His area of practice encompasses bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights. He lives in La Grange, Ill.

Vice chairman and chief executive officer of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. Mohamed Al-Mady (ChemEngr’73) has held various positions, received awards and delivered many keynote speeches at various industrial and economic conferences. In 2011 the company was named Company of the Year (Chemicals) by the People’s Choice Stevie Award.

The Iowa Precinct Caucuses: The Making of a Media Event, Third Edition (Bur Oak Books) co-authored by Marana, Ariz., resident Hugh Winebrenner (PhDPolSci’73) shares the history of the first presidential nominating event in the nation: the 1972 Iowa precinct caucuses. The book covers how the caucuses began, how they changed and how they were manipulated by the mass media. Learn more about Hugh’s book at www.uiowapress.org.

Bayfield, Colo., resident Bruce Ehlenbeck (Engl’73) published his first novel, Some Time Till Knowing(CreateSpace). It was released through Amazon and is available at local bookstores in Colorado. The novel is set in Boulder and has the familiar Flatirons on its cover.

Denver resident George Gramer Jr.* (Span’73, MA’74) stays involved with CU in many ways, including serving as president of the Directors Club, a membership organization at CU-Boulder that supports the Alumni Association, faculty, students, friends and the university community through educational and social activities that promote connections to CU. He also is an ex-officio member of the Alumni Association board, offering guidance and ideas.

*Directors Club member

L. Judson Todhunter (PolSci’73) was named to the Illinois Super Lawyers in January. A lawyer at Howard & Howard, he was selected as a result of a survey by Law & Politics Media, which included peer evaluation and independent research. He works in the Chicago office as a bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights lawyer and lives in La Grange, Ill.

In May CU couple Dave Wolach (Acct’73) and Sarah Hendrickson Wolach (Psych’73) traveled to China. They spent time at the Shibaozhai Temple along the Yangtze River.

Last summer John Gottschall (MMus’73, DMus’83) published the book Bach Chorales Proclaiming the Gospel. It contains all of the four-part Bach chorales from his Cantatas and Passions. The chorales contain the German text and a vertical English text, along with keyboard format for congregations and ease of study for scholars. Johns lives in Corbin City, N.J.

Howard & Howard Attorneys announced that L. Judson Todhunter (PolSci’73) was named to Chicago’s Top Rated Lawyers list for 2013. LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbel collaborated with ALM media to provide a list of attorneys to help buyers of their legal services identify and select the top legal talents. L. Judson focuses on business and corporate law, commercial litigation and creditors rights. He lives in La Grange, Ill.

Retired astronaut Marsha Ivins (Aero’73) spoke in September 2013 at the 42nd annual National Stearman Fly-In. Marsha got her pilot’s license at age 17, joined NASA at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1974 and was assigned flight engineer on the Shuttle Train Aircraft and as a pilot on NASA administrative aircraft in 1980. Marsha became the 11th of 45 American women to fly in space and has flown five missions and spent a total of 55 days, 21 hours and 48 minutes in space. She continues to work as an independent engineering consultant and lives in Wallingford, Pa.

In January Pope Francis named Monsignor Stephen J. Berg (Mus’73) the fifth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. Bishop Berg was ordained and installed in a Feb. 27, 2014, ceremony. Before his new appointment, he served in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated from CU-Boulder with a degree in piano performance.