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CLASS NOTES ALUMNI highlights 1 3 2 Our alumni have incredible stories and milestones to share. Here are a few highlights from Class Notes. 4 1 The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts presented 3 After 25 years of working as a tax attorney, Damian Karjane ’91 Sheila McGrath Beljan ’87, senior managing director for took a leap of faith and started his own company, PayME, Payroll-filing Evercore Partners, with its 2019 Industry Achievement Award. Made Easy, which helps small businesses e-file payroll tax returns. 2 Tamar Jakeli ’17 has returned to her home country of Georgia 4 Jeff Ruthizer ’62 and his wife, Monica, were honored at the and quickly become a leader of Georgian Young Greens, an aspiring College in November for their gifts of four early 20th-century political movement with values of both social and environmental French historical advertising posters that will hang in Ramer justice, with core elements of feminism, queer rights, workers’ rights, History House and in Special Collections. and ecology. “I have found that acting boldly for what I believe in is the best cure for hopelessness,” she says. “I hope to contribute my part in the political processes of my country.” 46 LAFAYETTE SPRING 2020 5 8 7 9 6 10 5 Dr. Maulik Joshi ’90 was appointed president and chief 8 Brian Ciuffreda ’94 started an Operation Smile club at his school executive officer of Meritus Health. and joined an Operation Smile mission to Vietnam last summer. Operation Smile provides free surgeries for children and young adults who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial differences. 6 Kameisha Jerae Hodge ’12 has married her passions for English His club has raised money for more than 100 surgeries over the past and Africana studies by founding Sovereign Noir Publications, a hybrid two years. publishing company that celebrates, honors, and supports Black women writers worldwide. 9 After retiring as a corporate recruiter, commercial lender, and small business owner, Cindy Zirkle Tharayil ’78, a master at tae kwon do (fourth degree black belt), teaches martial arts and recently 7 Gil Wolin ’72 celebrates six years of publishing Business Aviation became a reiki master. She and her husband, Davis, built a custom Advisor and moderating its podcast (thanks, WJRH). He provides home in Thrissur, Kerala, India, which Cindy designed herself. information on the business rather than the lifestyle of owning and using a turbine aircraft. 10 Brandon Cochenour ’03 recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the U.S. government’s highest honor for outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. LAFAYETTE SPRING 2020 47 FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Jon Ellis ’98, president [email protected] Privileged to Be a Pard ALUMNI RELATIONS s I sat down to pen my final magazine column as Rachel Nelson Moeller ’88, P’21 president of the Alumni Association, I could not executive director [email protected] help but recall lyrics from a Green Day song that was popular on the airwaves (no streaming For a list of Alumni Council members backA in the ancient 1990s) throughout my senior year. and Alumni Relations staff, The chorus was, “It’s something unpredictable, but in the visit alumni.lafayette.edu end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.” Those words succinctly sum up my experience as president for 223 Pfenning Alumni Center Easton, PA 18042-1768 the past two years, and I can definitively say I had the 610-330-5040 time of my life! Fax: 610-330-5833 More important than my own personal reflections, [email protected] however, is whether the alumni body and members of the Lafayette community feel the same sense of enthusiasm CLASS NOTES for the recent accomplishments and future path of the [email protected] College. During my tenure, the Alumni Council, which is GROETHING ROY the governing body of the Alumni Association, has been Dale Mack, graphic designer squarely focused on “Connecting Lafayette to You!” The goal underpinning that sound bite has been to make all alumni feel a part of the Lafayette community irrespective of proximity Visit lafayette.edu and choose to campus. Through chapter events such as Wine 3/9 and Lafayette–Lehigh telecast parties, “alumni” to learn about special events, faculty programming such as the Faculty Road Trip, professional forums such as Networking the Alumni Association, benefits, Nights, entrepreneurial-focused panels, and many other programs, we have sought to deliver travel, and volunteer opportunities. the Lafayette experience to you. Go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu Equally as important as making you feel connected to the school is ensuring that each and log in with your Lafayette user alumnus and alumna understands what he or she can do to remain an active member of the name to register for events, update Lafayette community. To that end, the Alumni Council has been emphasizing the “3P’s” your profile, share photos, and to reinforce our identity as Pards. The 3P’s are Partake, Participate, and Promote. Partake connect through social media. means to attend events and serve as a volunteer. Participate means to be a financial supporter of Lafayette each year. Promote means to serve as an ambassador for the school in your LafayetteCollegeAlumni community. If I have accomplished nothing else during my term as president, I hope I have been able to facilitate a sense of connectedness between alumni and the Lafayette community, @LafayetteAlumni and inspire more individuals to embrace the 3P’s. Since graduating in 1998, I have never felt more pride in the College than as I do today. Lafayette has made significant strides in solidifying its stature as one of the preeminent higher education FOR MORE CLASS NEWS institutions in this country. Executing on our strategic goals of a need-blind admissions process, For all class news, photographs, baby and expanding the student population while preserving the current student-to-faculty ratio, creating wedding announcements, reunion planning, and a championship culture within our athletics programs, and enhancing the resources of Gateway more, go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu/classnotes. Career Center will further elevate the national profile of the College in years to come. Click on “search,” then type in your class year. My two years as president have reinforced how fortunate I was to receive that acceptance Updates can be made through Leopard Link letter from admissions 26 years ago as I could not have imagined at the time how much my or sent directly to your class correspondent. Lafayette experience would shape me as a person. I feel an incredible sense of privilege to be To volunteer to serve as a correspondent, a Pard and to have had the opportunity to work with my dedicated colleagues on the Alumni contact the Alumni Relations office. Council, administrators, faculty, and other members of the Lafayette community. I also want to express my gratitude to the more than 29,000 alumni across the globe, because without Class Notes may be edited you, Lafayette would not have been able to get to where it is today and would not be able to go for length and clarity. where it wants to tomorrow. Go Pards! Please upload notes to Leopard Link or pass them along to class correspondents With Pard Pride, by these deadlines: Summer Issue 4/15 Fall Issue 8/15 Spring Issue 12/15 Jonathan Ellis ’98 President of the Alumni Association 48 LAFAYETTE SPRING 2020 For more class news and photos, go to leopardlink.lafayette.edu/classnotes; click on “search,” then type in your class year. CLASS NOTES a French language club and join several research at University of California, Los community discussion groups, tutor adults Angeles, University of Michigan Medical 1950 and children in English, and do a study of School, University of Pittsburgh Medical Correspondent: Open the life of Frederick Douglass, a booster for Center, Johns Hopkins University School Douglass’ recognition as a leading citizen of of Medicine, and at Penn State and its Maryland and America. Frank’s leadership medical school. and devotion to Lafayette is a lasting legacy Stan earned a respected status for for which he will be remembered. research. He was known for his kind 1951 Frank was predeceased by his brother, manner and decency, and will be Due to the death of Frank Downing, Vincent. He is survived by wife Marilyn, remembered for putting his students at classmate Henley Smith is succeeding him their three children, Denise, Kevin, and ease, encouraging them to enjoy research, as president of the Class of ’51. Valerie, and grandsons Jason and Derek. and for achieving distinguished results, We lost a passionate Lafayette College A funeral mass and tribute to Frank was working with his students as a team. booster and classmate with the death of celebrated at St. Michaels Mission Church, Stan was predeceased by his son Francis “Frank” Michael Downing, 92, of St. Michaels, Md., Nov. 13, 2019. Russell. He is survived by his wife, Joanne Easton, Md., Oct. 15, 2019. Frank and his Donations can be made in Frank’s Juhl, brother Jack Person, daughter Lisa wife, Marilyn, were together for 75 years memory to Talbot Hospice Foundation, Bednarchik, son Mark Person, three from their high school years in Brooklyn, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601 or grandchildren, and a great-grandson. His New York City, and they retired to St. Talbot County Free Library, 100 W. Dover legacy is his teaching, professorship, and Michaels, Md., following Frank’s positions St., Easton, MD 21601. research at Penn State. He and his wife as academic athletic adviser at University Stanley Richard Person, 91, a physics enjoyed visits to England where they visited of Kentucky, 1974-1977, and Penn State graduate of Lafayette, Ph.D.

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