CLASS NOTES ALUMNI highlights 1 2 3 4 Our alumni have incredible stories and milestones to share. Here are a few highlights from Class Notes. 5 1 Carmen J. Marsit ’00, Ph.D., has been selected as associate dean 4 Mark Byrnes ’83, chair of the history department at Wofford for research at Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University in College, had a class from his World War II: A Global History course Atlanta, Ga., the No. 5 school of public health in the country. taped by CSPAN3’s Lectures in History and aired Dec. 7, 2019. 2 Scott Spitzer ’73 who has a solo legal practice in Washington 5 John Maher ’81 got to sit in with the Lafayette Pep Band at the for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth companies with a technology Lehigh men’s basketball home game on Feb. 8, 2020. He had fun focus, recently appeared as a guest on “The Unwavering,” a podcast pretending to be a college student again and thanks Katie Rice ’21 series devoted to assisting the armed services community with for putting up with a near-senior citizen in the ranks. He wonders if reintegrating into civilian life, and as part of a panel on “Angel the other band members knew that the trumpet he played was Funding in the COVID-19 Environment” at the 2020 Wharton D.C. probably older than their parents. Innovation Summit. 6 Arthur Lewis ’84 received the 2020 Franklin J. Schaffner 3 Mary Chlopecki ’87 hosted the Lafayette softball team for dinner Achievement Award from the Director’s Guild of America annual at her family’s restaurant, the Old Brogue Irish pub, in Great Falls, Va., ceremony. The award is given to an associate director of stage Feb. 28 when the team was in town for some pre-season play. She is management in recognition of service to the industry and guild. working to complete a list of softball alumnae together to build the Friends of Lafayette Softball and connect our Lafayette softball family. 28 LAFAYETTE SUMMER 2020 6 7 9 8 10 11 7 Dieu Khuong-Huu ’56 shared a portion from his memoir, East 9 Guy Gabrielson ’77 has been busy working on a boat design Meets West, that tells of his fascinating journey from Vietnam to the that he developed from a historic book. United States and eventually to Lafayette. Though fluent in French, he had virtually no facility with English. Pressed for money after one year 10 Before the shelter-in-place orders took effect this spring, here, he took up residence for free in Dean Hunt’s home, waited on Bill Gillies ’78 “scratched off a bucket list trip” to Kathmandu, tables in Watson Hall to pay for meals, and worked other odd jobs on Nepal, where he traveled to the Everest Base Camp. campus as well. Yet he mastered English well enough to graduate first in mechanical engineering and be inducted in Tau Beta Pi. He won a Beth Wynstra ’01 was named undergraduate professor of the fellowship that paid for a master’s degree at MIT. 11 year at Babson College. Beth is an assistant professor of English where she teaches courses in theater, literature, writing, and acting. 8 Brian Fink ’91 works for Vocera Communications and runs a communications network for the local VA hospital. He said, “I have helped the staff communicate with each other and with patients in our COVID ward without needing to meet face to face.” LAFAYETTE SUMMER 2020 29 FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Tracy Hagert Sutka ’82 P’17 president [email protected] Extend the Invitation ALUMNI RELATIONS he connection came about, as it so often does, Rachel Nelson Moeller ’88 P’21 by sheer coincidence. A Lafayette knit hat executive director I wore that chilly day for my paddle tennis [email protected] match sparked the conversation. The maroon andT white hat had been a giveaway from a prior Bring For a list of Alumni Council members the Roar Giving Challenge. One of my opponents asked and Alumni Relations staff, if I had a child at Lafayette. I explained I was Class visit alumni.lafayette.edu of ’82, my husband, Mike, was Class of ’83, and our 223 Pfenning Alumni Center son, Christopher, was a sophomore, Class of ’17. “Do Easton, PA 18042-1768 you ever go back?” she asked. By the end of the match, 610-330-5040 Allison Lister Boeckmann ’95 revealed her affiliation Fax: 610-330-5833 and accepted my invitation to call her local alumnae [email protected] friends and attend the Wine 3/9 event that was being held CLASS NOTES that weekend in Greenwich, Conn. She also mentioned [email protected] that her husband interviewed applicants for his alma mater . does Lafayette do that? Yes, consider yourself Dale Mack, graphic designer recruited as an alumni admissions representative! My Lafayette Leopard bumper sticker also draws attention from fellow alumni, parents, Visit lafayette.edu and choose and current students. In our little Nantucket summer neighborhood, I now know there “alumni” to learn about special events, are two alumni, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren. We Leopards apparently feel a the Alumni Association, benefits, strong sense of affinity to our alma mater. travel, and volunteer opportunities. I am honored to serve as the next Alumni Association president to work with the Go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu Alumni Council to channel that loyalty and pride in order to reach out to a greater and log in with your Lafayette user number of alumni. My volunteer experience began with serving as an alumni admissions name to register for events, update representative, interviewing students in Fairfield County, Conn., working college fairs, your profile, share photos, and and hosting accepted students receptions. As my class fund manager and later as chair connect through social media. of the Marquis Society, I have worked closely with both the offices of Admissions and Development, two departments that work tirelessly to attract, recruit, and retain Lafayette LafayetteCollegeAlumni students and provide the funding to support the unique Lafayette experience. If you are reading this article, you are already connected to Lafayette and receive @LafayetteAlumni mailings, email, and social media posts that keep you informed about campus and alumni news and events, Gateway Center services, athletics and faculty achievements, etc. Hopefully, you are among the loyal and generous alumni who participate in the Annual FOR MORE CLASS NEWS Fund, ensuring that our College remains one of the preeminent liberal arts institutions in For all class news, photographs, baby and the country, attracting the best and brightest applicants. wedding announcements, reunion planning, and Opportunities for engagement have become virtual in light of the COVID-19 situation, more, go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu/classnotes. and Lafayette has made it a priority to keep alumni in the loop with virtual events Click on “search,” then type in your class year. benefiting current students (such as video messaging of congratulations to the Class of 2020 Updates can be made through Leopard Link and online career counseling) as well as alumni (such as the virtual Town Hall with Alison or sent directly to your class correspondent. Byerly and career services through Gateway Link and FaceBook live sessions). To volunteer to serve as a correspondent, Each and every one of us can play a role in Lafayette’s success. Make sure Lafayette contact the Alumni Relations office. has your contact information. When you register for next year’s Reunion, reach out to a classmate who may not have considered attending. Encourage your friends to donate to the Class Notes may be edited Annual Fund or attend a chapter event. Put a Lafayette sticker on your car! for length and clarity. Please upload notes to Leopard Link or pass them along to class correspondents by these deadlines: Fall Issue 8/15 Tracy Hagert Sutka ’82 P’17 Spring Issue 12/15 Summer Issue 4/15 30 LAFAYETTE SUMMER 2020 For more class news and photos, go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu/classnotes; click on “search,” then type in your class year. CLASS NOTES Fund Drive with the Class of 1951. He was a most popular and respected member of 1951 the Class of 1951. At reunions, including 1952 Frederick Eernest Erhardt, 90, of our 65th in 2016, my wife and I sought out From Hugh H. “Peb” Jones Jr.: “I just Brewster, Mass., and formerly of Bradenton Hank to enjoy his company. finished reading the spring Lafayette Fla., passed away Sunday, Jan.19, 2020. Fred He was employed as a salesman by magazine, which I thought was great but grew up in Easton, Pa., and was known ACIPCO (American Cast Iron Pipe Co.) very disappointed nothing there on Class ’52. to his Pennsylvania family as “Bud.” He for 38 years. He had served as an elder Here’s an update: After school (ROTC) graduated from Lafayette College in with Fanwood Presbyterian Church, was 2nd Lt. went to Ranger school, then Korea Easton in 1951 and was a life member of a member of Scotch Plains YMCA, and and froze my ass off in the DMZ winter ’53. Theta Xi national fraternity. He served in was an avid Giants fan. Home in ’54. Worked in NYC with a bank, the U.S. Army 1951-1953 during the Korean Hank was predeceased by his wife, married, and in 1970 moved to Jacksonville, War. Fred married Joan Mary Demeter in Nancy, in 2008 and his daughter Jane in Fla. Joined Barnett Bank, was CEO for 1951 and started a family in New Jersey. He 2015. He is survived by daughters Lynn eight-nine years and then spent six years worked his entire career at Mutual Benefit Mittelstaedt (husband Ronald); Nancy running the Baptist Hospital Foundation.