Class Notes

In July Patricia Chapman Meder’s (A&S’62) novel The True Story of Catch- 22, The Real Men and Missions of Joseph Heller’s 340th Bomb Group in World War II (Casemate) was published. The three-part book explores the real men and combat missions on which Joseph Heller’s bestselling novel Catch-22 was based while blending history and facts with full-blown original illustrations and rare, previously unpublished photos of the USAAF flyers. Patricia lives in Annandale, Va.

History professor at the University of North Carolina Loren Schweninger (A&S’62, MA’66) continues his research and writing. His book Families in Crisis in the Old South (University of North Carolina Press) about pre-Civil War divorce among slaveholders was published in September. “Staying active is the best medicine,” he says. He lives in Greensboro, N.C.

In April Marvin Stein (Bus’62) received the annual Fort Carson Good Neighbor Award for being a civilian who enhanced the quality of life for soldiers and their families. He is retired owner/president of Stein Food and serves as president of the CSU-Pueblo Foundation and Monday Evening Club. He also serves on several boards in Pueblo, Colo. He is married to Sandra Fuchs Stein (Edu’64).

A criminal and civil law lawyer in Oklahoma for 32 years, Donald W. Davis Sr.* (PolSci’62) received the Trailblazer of the Year award at the Oklahoma Bar Association’s annual meeting last year. He was the first African-American to be appointed as a municipal special judge in the Oklahoma City Municipal Court. During the civil rights movement, Donald represented the Ministers Alliance Organization, which included the majority of African-American churches in Oklahoma City. He also is a founding member of the J.J. Bruce Legal Society, an organization of black trial lawyers, and was a charter member of the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association.

*Lifetime member

Madame Bovary’s Daughter (Random House) by Linda Urbach Howard (A&S’62) hit the shelves in July. Linda writes she “owes it all to the great teaching I got from the English department at Boulder.” She lives in Bridgeport, Conn.

In June David Jamieson (A&S’62) received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian General Counsel Awards in Toronto. He is executive vice president and corporate secretary at J.D. Irving.

Rebecca Valette (PhDFren’63) is a professor emerita of romance languages at Boston College and an internationally recognized expert in language methodology, testing and applied linguistics. She and her husband, Jean-Paul Valette, have curated several exhibitions of Navajo textiles and are co-authors of Weaving the Dance: Navajo Yeibichai Textiles (1910–1950) and Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes: A Historical Overview of a Secular Art Form. In December Rebecca’s book Clitso Dedman, Navajo Carver: His Art and His World was published. It is the first biography of artist and master wood carver Clitso Dedman, one of the most important but overlooked Diné (Navajo) artists of his generation. Rebecca lives in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Gerald “Jerry” Miller (Mgmt’63) is an amateur historian and writer. After retiring, he returned to his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado. He has contributed over 100 stories to the Pueblo Lore, a monthly journal, published by the Pueblo County Historical Society.

Paula Dáil’s (A&S’63) tenth book, Fearless, was released in June. Inspired by a true story, the novel chronicles a Catholic nun’s fight for women’s reproductive rights within the largest, most-powerful patriarchy in the world. Paula is an award-winning non-fiction writer and emerita research professor of social welfare and public policy at Iowa State University. She lives in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest with her award-winning writer husband, their dog and other wildlife. Fearless is under consideration for five book awards, including the May Sarton award for women’s fiction.

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.

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!”

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.

In February, Irv Bailey (Fren) was elected to Save the Children’s board of trustees. Irv has 40 years of business management experience and currently serves as a senior advisor for Chrysalis Ventures, a private equity and venture capital firm. He and wife Cathy, the former U.S. Ambassador to Latvia, live in Louisville, Ky.

Paula Dáil (Edu) published Mother Nature’s Daughters: 21st Century Women Farmers in November. It tells the stories of eight women farmers changing the face of American agriculture in remarkable and enduring ways. Paula taught at both Virginia Tech and Iowa State universities. She and her husband, Bill Ladewig, live in the lower Wisconsin River valley in southwest Wisconsin.

Douglas Looney (Jour) and Mary Ann Winter Looney (Edu) met in a freshmen English class at CU and have been happily married since shortly after college. Mary Ann, a retired teacher, is a member of CU’s Women Investing in the School of Education board. Doug, a retired journalist, worked at the National Observer and Sports Illustrated.

Laurel Walum Richardson (PhDSoc) has been triply honored in the last year. The International Disciplinary Impact of Laurel Richardson’s Work, a book written by Julie White, contains more than 50 contributions from scholars, activists and educators in 12 different disciplines and 10 countries. Laurel was elected into the inaugural class of the Emeritus Academy of The Ohio State University in recognition of her creative work and academic scholarship. And her book, Seven Minutes from Home: An American Daughter’s Story, was published in 2015 to pre-release critical acclaim.

Nella Pitts Phillips (A&S) is one of three women featured in a national cable TV spot for Medical Alert. She also does a one-minute inspirational segment, “Wonderful Words of Life,” every weekday morning on KAAM radio in Dallas at 8:25 a.m. CST. This moment can be accessed online at kaamradio.com. Nella is a professional book reviewer, performer and entertainer, as well as an alto in the Park Cities Presbyterian Church choir in Dallas. She writes, “Any news of former Farrand Hall-ites and/or Tri Delts around ’60-’63 would be most welcome!”

After teaching at CU’s ATLAS Institute for the past few years, jazz musician Don Grusin (Soc; MEcon’67) is focusing on his music full time in Los Angeles. He spent time this year performing in the UK and Germany and organizing for new master-class music clinics. He is working on his latest album, DEATHBEAT, a celebration and reminiscence of friends and colleagues. Don has recorded more than 20 solo albums and has won three Grammys in jazz and world music genres.

Jo Harrington Calkins (A&S), who has more than 50 years of experience in biochemistry and virology, was recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a “Pinnacle Professional” in research and development. Jo worked as research director with Palmetto Health, the teaching hospital for the University of South Carolina’s medicine school. She established the clinical research program for medical investigators and collected patient samples of chronic infectious diseases for use by investigators. Now retired, she enjoys traveling, networking, reading and spending time with her family.