Notes from the Class of 1990

Dumpster diving is an adventure for Aaron LaPedis (Soc’90) every spring because of the huge amount of valuable items thrown away by university students and skiers alike. As a guest columnist for theDenver Post, he wrote an article about the treasures that can be found in trash bins near ski resorts and college campuses. Aaron is an art and collectibles dealer and author of The Garage Sale Millionaire (A Beautiful Media). He lives in Denver.

Carmel, Ind., resident Kevin Seibert (ChemEngr’90) works at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. He received the 2010 Excellence in Design award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for his contribution to Quality by Design for Drug Substance to advance smarter approaches to drug development. He was one of the award’s first recipients.

Author Ying Compestine’s (MSoc’90) children’s book Crouching Tiger (Candlewick) appeared on the Huffington Post’s January list of best new children’s books. She is author of 16 books, including her cookbook Ying’s Best One-Dish Meals (Sellers Publishing ). She is a spokesperson for Nestle Maggi and Celestial Seasonings and lives in Lafayette, Calif.

After 18 years David Elowe (Econ’90, MBA’93) has relocated to Boulder to work on a real estate high-rise development project in Denver with his company Urban West Group.

Named after David Steinmann (Phys’90), a new species of pseudoscorpion was discovered in a cavern in Glenwood Springs, Colo. It has venom-tipped pincers and is camouflaged to blend in with cave walls. David is a zoology department associate at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. An avid caver he has discovered more than a hundred new invertebrate species in Colorado caves.

CU environmental studies professor Roger Pielke Jr. (Math’90, MPolSci’92, PhD’94) received an honorary doctorate of philosophy from Linköping University, one of Sweden’s top universities. Linköping officials wrote that Roger’s “outstanding achievement in interdisciplinary climate research is a bold and refreshing voice in the climate debate.” He lives in Boulder and is a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences.

Last winter Chris Anthony (Kines’90) paid tribute to the iconic 10th Mountain Division infantry unit with a Warren Miller Entertainment segment he shot in Colorado. The 10th Mountain Division was made famous by their unique mountain-based contribution during World War II. Chris lives in Edwards, Colo., and was featured in the March 2011 Coloradan.

Bradshaw International president Brett Bradshaw (IntlAf’90) was elected to the board of directors of the International Housewares Association, the full-service trade association for the housewares industry. Bradshaw International is a leading supplier of kitchen tools, baking items and cookware. Brett joined his family-owned company in 1994 after serving as an account manager for Nestle from 1990-93. He, his wife and their two sons live in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Emmy Award-winning adventure filmmaker Michael Brown (Geog’90) received the 2012 George Norlin Award from the university in recognition of his commitment to excellence in his work and devotion to the betterment of society. He presented his work to students, alumni and friends who attended the Back to Boulder Luncheon Nov. 2 in the UMC. His 2003 documentary Farther than the Eye Can See followed Golden-based blind climber Erik Weihenmayer’s venture up Mount Everest along with guide Jeff Evans (Anth’94). Michael and his wife and child live in Boulder.

In May Tom McDermott (Jour, PolSci’90) graduated cum laude from the evening program of the University of Louisville School of Law. He works as a compliance analyst with Bluegrass Family Health, a nonprofit health insurer where he is helping to implement federal healthcare reform. Tom has two daughters, ages 8 and 9, who have never been to Boulder but think it would be neat to attend CU. He and his family live in Lexington, Ky.

Arvada, Colo., resident Maureen O’Brien (Law’90) received the annual Award of Merit by the 1st JD Bar Association. This award is the bar’s highest recognition for lawyers who have provided distinguished service to the bar and the community.

Architect Joseph Vigil (Arch’90) of WORKSHOP8 will serve as project architect to design the interior of Intelligent Power & Energy Research Corp. of Colorado’s new office and research space. The new office will be in Longmont, Colo. Joseph lives in Boulder.

In March Caroline Eader (EPOBio’90) and the home she is wishing to restore appeared in the Daily Camera as she plans to relocate the 1,800-square-foot historic bungalow from the Grandview neighborhood to a property in Chautauqua in Boulder. The house is one of three on Grandview that CU-Boulder planned to demolish but decided to award to anyone who would relocate them. Caroline lives in Boulder.

Penn State University physics professor Kurt Gibble (PhDPhys’90) received the 2013 European Frequency and Time Award for his research on the atomic clocks that keep international time. Kurt began his career as a research associate at Stanford University. He also worked as assistant professor and associate professor at Yale University. Kurt lives in State College, Pa., and joined the Penn State faculty in 2001.

ESPN launched a website, FiveThirtyEight.com, that features content about politics, economics, science, life and sports. CU-Boulder professor Roger Pielke Jr. (Math’90, MPolSci’92, PhD’94) was hired as a contributing writer. Although the environmental studies professor specializes in climate topics, his writing covers many different subjects. Roger lives in Boulder.

Katerina A. Anadiotis (Engl, Fren’90, Law’93) has published two bilingual books, Justina Ford, Baby Doctor/Justina Ford, La doctora de los bebés and The Five Senses/Los 5 sentidos. Her hope is that the books will help expand resources for children and teachers in bilingual, Spanish-immersion and dual-language classrooms. The books can be found at The Bookies, Tattered Cover Book Stores, Amazon and Denver Public Libraries. She lives in Denver.

Mike Soucie (Mktg’90), co-founder of Boulder-based firm Revolv, helped create a device that syncs with a smartphone app and allows users to control lights, locks, thermostats and other aspects of their homes.

Sean Matthews (Fin) joined Rovi Corporation in Santa Clara, Calif., as executive vice president for strategy and corporate development. He is responsible for the company’s strategic growth opportunities. Previously, Sean worked in leadership roles with Google and Motorola.

Tracy Wahl (Comm) is executive producer for National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” which reaches more than 13 million listeners. She joined NPR in 1997 and has produced radio and multimedia pieces all over the world. She was a key player in building “Morning Edition’s” social media operation.

Paul Zaidins (Acct) and Sharon Morris Zaidins (Fin’88) were part of a group that acquired DataSpan, a Dallas-based provider of data storage, protection, data center infrastructure and wireless communication solutions. Paul was named chairman of the company’s board and is also the founder and managing partner. Sharon is managing director of BoneFish Capital, which sourced, negotiated and arranged financing for the transaction. The couple lives in Coppell, Texas.