Class Notes - Winter 2020
News from Spartans around the world
1950s
PAMELA FRUCCI, ’54 (Education), produced a musical based on her self-published children’s book written with her granddaughter Emily “A Visit to my Great Great Grandpa.” The musical and book are about the early life of Sheridan Howard, a self-educated musician and painter who played string bass in Michigan Agricultural College’s first orchestra and was the official painter for M.A.C. in the 1920s.
JEAN WONSER, ’58 (Social Science), M.A. ’65 (Education), has published her memoir “Ain’t No Use Cry’n: Abusive Childhood Recovery,” detailing how she worked to cultivate a loving personality despite her childhood trauma.
JOHN MCCALLY, ’59 (Social Science), was awarded the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis “Who’s Who” in recognition of his career as a health care executive.
BERNARD G. NIEHAUS, ’59 (Agriculture and Natural Resources), has retired as CEO of Niehaus Lumber following a 60-year career. Bernard’s three sons: Butch, David and Eric, and two daughters: Anne and Catherine, will continue to run the family business. In 2015, Niehaus published “Splinters I & II, The Story of a Lumber Company, a Loving Family, a Living Church, a Loyal Community,” chronicling the growth of Niehaus Lumber and the tools that MSU provided him with to build a legacy.
1960s
ELLWYN R. STODDARD, Ph.D. ’61 (Social Science), was awarded the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis “Who’s Who” in recognition of his legacy and contributions to the fields of sociology and anthropology.
JIM SARGENT, M.A. ’68, Ph.D. ’72 (Both in Social Science), has published “The Long Pursuit,” the second novel in his Mickey Matthews mystery series.
1970s
PHILIP HART, M.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’74 (Both in Social Science) and TANYA HART, ’71 (Communication Arts and Sciences), were recently awarded the Bessie Coleman Aerospace Legacy Award by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. The Harts produced “Flyers in Search of a Dream,” a 1987 Public Broadcasting Service documentary film about the challenges pioneering black aviators faced. Philip Hart is the author of several books including: “Flying Free: America’s First Black Aviators” and “Up in the Air: The Story of Bessie Coleman.” Tanya is an Emmy-award winning television presenter and syndicated radio host and producer. She has hosted entertainment programs such as “Live from LA with Tanya Hart” for BET and the “Gossip Show” for E!.
ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH, M.A. ’72, Ph.D. ’77 (Both in Social Science), served as a Fulbright specialist on the island of Malta, consulting on conservation and sustainability.
WILLIAM E. BARRICK, Ph.D. ’76 (Agriculture and Natural Resources), was awarded the 2019 American Public Gardens Association’s Service Award, in recognition of his selfless service to the organization. Barrick recently retired as executive director of the Bellingrath Gardens and Home, a 65-acre historic estate in Theodore, Alabama, which has become a major tourist attraction on the Gulf Coast, attracting 110,000 visitors each year, under his leadership.
JOHN BARSON, ’76 (Social Science), was awarded the Harry G. Moseley Award by the Aerospace Medical Association in recognition of his contributions to the safety of flight during a 35-year career in aerospace medicine.
ANDREW HUGINE, JR., Ph.D. ’77 (Education), was awarded Male President of the Year by “HBCU Digest” in recognition of his success as president of Alabama A&M University. In his 10 years leading AAMU, President Hugine Jr. has made strides in fiscal stability, fundraising and the expansion of AAMU’s academic programs.
SUSAN PACKARD, ’77, M.A. ’79 (Both in Communication Arts and Sciences), served as the grand marshal for MSU’s 2019 Homecoming celebrations and concluded her book tour promoting “Fully Human,” a self-help guide to developing emotional fitness in work, leadership and life.
HILLARY A. FROST, ’78 (Social Science, Honors College), retired as a faculty member from the University of Illinois-Springfield. Since 2007, she served as associate professor and director of the global studies program, where she developed and taught introductory and capstone courses.
JODI HARPSTEAD, ’78, MBA ’80 (Both in Business), was appointed the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services by Governor Tim Walz.
1980s
ROGER MARTIN, ’81 (Communication Arts and Sciences), and ELIZABETH BATTISTE, ’12 (Communication Arts and Sciences), were part of the Martin Waymire team that won the nation’s top award for public relations excellence—the Silver Anvil. The firm’s work on “Voters Not Politicians, Yes on Proposal 2,” a nonpartisan campaign to end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan, secured what is considered the Oscar of the public relations profession.
TINA LONSKI, M.A. ’85 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has published a new book, “As My Dad Used to Say,” which shares personal anecdotes from the life of Ralph Young, MSU’s longest-serving athletic director. The book, a collaboration between Young’s daughter, Janet Young Hines, and Lonski, chronicles the impact Young had on the university.
JOSEPH T. SPANIOLA, ’85, M.M. ’87 (Both in Music), has released “Escapade,” his first album with Big Round Records. The album showcases his versatility as a composer, developed through leading bands, chamber ensembles and orchestras.
LIZ YOKUBISON, ’88, MBA ’91 (Both in Business), has published “They’re Ready. Are You? A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the College Transition,” a guide for parents sending their children off to college.
RALPH HEIBUTZKI, ’89 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has co-written “We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher & The Last Stand of a Band That Mattered,” a book examining the legacy and context of the English punk band during a tumultuous political period.
1990s
SCOTT SPENCER, ’90 (Agriculture and Natural Resources), has joined Huntington Construction Company as a project manager.
SCOTT WEST, ’91 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Program Productions and XLT Management Services, a leading provider of live event production support and labor management services.
JEFFREY J. BROWN, ’92 (Engineering), has been promoted to senior vice president of Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber’s Lansing office. FTC&H is a civil engineering firm headquartered in Grand Rapids.
STEVEN J. ENWRIGHT, ’93 (Business), has been named a partner at Lippitt O’Keefe Gornbein, PLLC, a full-service law firm in Birmingham, Michigan.
CONCETTA LEWIS, ’93 (Education), was named executive director of special education of Rochester Community Schools in Rochester.
ALICIA SCHEHR, ’94 (Arts and Letters), a partner at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., a Michigan-based business law firm, was named practice group leader of the firm’s financial services practice group.
MONICA DUNCAN, ’95 (Music), published her debut novel “Twine,” the story of a young woman stuggling to fulfill her potential as an artist in rural Gobles, Michigan.
NOEL MARSDEN, ’95 (Engineering, Honors College), has joined CareCloud as chief financial officer. CareCloud is a provider of cloud-based health care solutions. Based in Miami, Florida, it manages more than $4.5 billion in annualized accounts receivable through its integrated clinical and financial platform.
STEPHANIE PALMER, ’95, M.S. ’96 (Both in Engineering), was awarded the 2019 Michigan Department of Transportation Director’s Award—the department’s highest employee honor for outstanding service.
DAVID WONG, ’95, D.V.M. ’97 (Both in Veterinary Medicine), was named department head for large animal clinical services at Virginia Tech.
PATRICIA HANNON, ’96 (Education, Music), a reading specialist at Hohenfels Elementary School in Germany, was one of five recipients of the 2020 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. As such, she is now a finalist for the National Education Association Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence which is presented each year by the NEA Foundation to recognize an outstanding public school educator. Hannon is the first Federal Education Association (FEA) member and first DoDEA employee selected as a finalist for the award.
ROGER C. VELIQUETTE, ’96 (Arts and Letters), was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
BRIAN DOUBLES, ’97 (Engineering), has been promoted to president of Synchrony, a premier consumer financial services company. Doubles, a 21-year veteran of Synchrony, will continue to focus on accelerating key growth initiatives for the company.
ANTHONY YOUN, M.D. ’98 (Human Medicine), has published “Playing God: The Evolution of a Modern Surgeon,” a memoir recounting his path from surgery resident to successful plastic surgeon.
CELESTE FUCHS, ’99 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has joined Corcoran Exhibitions as an exhibit manager. Corcoran Exhibitions is one of the nation’s largest independent trade show organizers, having produced more than 800 trade shows in 100 cities over the past 29 years.
2000s
ANGELA TOTTEN, ’02 (Education), received the 2019 Educator Excellence Award from Air Zoo—a Kalamazoo aerospace museum—during its annual Science Innovation Hall of Fame Awards event.
RACHEL MANDRELLE, ’03 (Education), was featured by Honored—a nonprofit that celebrates educators for their impacts on students—for her compassion and efforts in connecting with elementary students who have experienced trauma.
JEFFREY NEWTON, ’04, M.S. ’05 (Both in Business), was recently named vice president of audit and finance of Delta Dental of Tennessee.
AMANDA TOY, ’05 (Business), has joined the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association as vice president of operations and membership.
PETER FEZZEY, ’06 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has joined Skidmore Studio’s leadership team, where he will direct business development efforts. Skidmore Studio is a strategic creative studio founded in Detroit over 60 years ago.
SARA JO SHIPLEY, ’06 (Social Science), has joined ASTI Environmental’s brownfield redevelopment group as a redevelopment associate.
ANGELA MINICUCI, ’09 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has joined Martin Waymire, a Lansing-based, full-service public relations and digital marketing firm, as a senior account executive.
JUSTIN THOMAS, ’09 (Lyman Briggs), D.O. ’14 (Osteopathic Medicine), has started a charity dedicated to providing humanitarian brain and spine surgery to children and adults in Africa: The Neuroscience Foundation for Africa. The foundation launched its inaugural program in August 2019 in Kibera, Kenya, one of the poorest communities in East Africa.
2010s
KYLE CORCORAN, ’10 (Business, Honors College), has been promoted to exhibit manager at Corcoran Exhibitions. Corcoran Exhibitions is one of the nation’s largest independent trade show organizers, having produced more than 800 trade shows in 100 cities over the past 29 years.
JAZMIN BAILEY, ’11 (Communication Arts and Sciences), received the 25 Under 35 award from her high school alma mater, Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland, Ohio.
MIKE HOFFSHIRE, M.A. ’11 (Education) has published a case study “It’s the Intersections That Get Sticky: Navigating Ethnic and Sexual Identities” in the textbook “Case Studies for Student Development Theory, Advancing Social Justice and Inclusion in Higher Education.”
YEKATERINA AFONINA, ’12 (Social Science), received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia.
SONIA ROBLES, Ph.D. ’12 (Social Science), recently published “Mexican Waves,” an examination of Spanish-language radio along Mexico’s northern border from 1930 to 1950.
SHAY BERMAN, ’13 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has established Digital Resource—a digital marketing agency—located in West Palm, Florida. It was chosen as one of Inc. Magazine’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies.
ANDREW G. FULLETT, ’13 (James Madison), has joined Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. as a banking and employment attorney.
ALEXANDRA BREKKE, ’14 (Communication Arts and Sciences) and BRIANNA KRUS, ’16 (Business), have been selected from over 300 applicants to join Ford Motor Company’s 2019 Thirty Under 30 program. The program pairs employees with nonprofits to address challenging social issues.
KIRK MASON, ’14 (Residential College in the Arts and Humanities) and LAURA SWANSON, ’15 (Communication Arts and Sciences), directed and produced an award-winning documentary film “Break the Chain,” that exposes the dark underbelly of human trafficking insidious to Michigan communities and the United States. The film chronicles the experiences of two survivors, who were trafficked in Ypsilanti and Detroit.
ALEX A. PILKINGTON, M.S. ’18 (Business), was recently named chief strategy officer of Three Six Zero Leadership, a service-disabled veteran-owned leadership development company located in Philadelphia.
DEZHA WILLOUGHBY, ’18 (Social Science), has been selected to participate in Challenge Detroit, a leadership and professional development program that cultivates community-minded leaders through partnerships with nonprofits, Detroit-based companies and cultural institutions.
Correction: We apologize for an error in a class note that appeared in the previous issue. It listed the wrong home town. It should have read:
SHANNON MULLALLY, ’00 (Social Science, Honors College), has authored a new book, “The Second Detective,” through Anvil Press. She is a writer living in Grand Haven.
