June 2020
Featuring news received between January 1 and April 30, 2020
Class Notes Quarterly features professional accomplishments, educational attainments, awards, and other life milestones celebrated by our alumni. A section of In Memoriam listings follows to honor alumni who are no longer with us, including links to complete obituaries available online at the time of publication.
See the links below to jump to your choice of decade, or to additional sections devoted to marriage, birth, and death announcements. Based on alumni feedback, we have created easier to find and read In Memoriam listings for deceased classmates and friends, and we are pleased to provide links to their full, online obituaries as published by local media outlets, when available.
Searchable Archive: Our online class notes archive may be accessed and searched at any time. Our archived collection of notes (including class notes, marriage and birth announcements, and in memoriam listings) begins with those received in 2010. The archive may be searched by name, class year, city, or state and is updated regularly.
Have news to submit? Please submit your news via the online Alumni Update Form. We'll include all news received on or by July 31 in the September 2020 issue.
Did we miss something? Don't see a note that you remember submitting prior to May 1? Is a correction needed? Email bwalumni@bw.edu, and we'll make the necessary additions (or edits) to this page and to the class notes archive.
Class Notes
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Friends
Marriages
Births
In Memoriam
1962
Lois Ann Pelcarsky Reilly, Richmond Heights, has been recognized in Who's Who in America 2019. This is her second “Who’s Who” recognition, the first in 2000 in Who's Who of American Women.
1966
PAUL DAU, Allison Park, Pa., has moved to the Pittsburgh area with his wife Josette. He looks forward to reuniting with his Phi Kappa Tau brothers at BW in May 2021.
KARL SWANSON, Williamsburg, Va., has retired in Williamsburg with his wife Cheryl.
1969
JANE PIXLEY GERACE, Farmington, N.Y., was nominated for the Women of Excellence Award by the Victor, N.Y. Chamber of Commerce for her volunteerism and work as an educator in the Victor Farmington community.
1974
DOUGLAS WHIPPLE, Cleveland Heights, was named an Ohio Super Lawyer in 2020 for his achievements in general litigation at Whipple Law, LLC.
1978
JEFF WEST, Kent, Conn., is an anatomic and clinical pathologist at Danbury Hospital.
1979
LAWRENCE YUNGK, Cincinnati, is retired from a 31-year career UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. He and his partner have relocated to Ohio to be nearer to family. In retirement, Lawrence serves as an advisor to Church World Service - Immigration and Refugee Program in New York and is an adjunct fellow with the Niskanen Center in Washington, DC.
1981
MARY ROSEMAN HITCH, North Royalton, is now a medical technologist at American Health Association which completes blood work for nursing homes in the northern part of Ohio.
1983
PERRY BEAUMONT, Wilton, Conn., has published his third book, “Digital Finance” (Routledge Press). The book is accompanied by a documentary entitled “Data Science Pioneers” produced by Dataiku.
STEVEN PASTOR (MBA), Fairview Park, retired from the U.S. Treasury Department after a 31-year career. He performs as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers senior dance squad, the Wine and Goldies, at both Cavaliers and Canton Charge games. WKYC-TV covered the Wine and Goldies in March 2020.
1985
DARRYL WILSON, Houston, Tex., was appointed to a three-year term on the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’s Houston branch board of directors. He is president and founder of The Wilson Collective, a business advisory firm focused on small business and diverse corporate clients.
1988
GARY BECHER, Parma, celebrated 20 years in business as owner of TriCor Employment Screening in Berea. TriCor is co-owned by Mary Morrison-Owens ’90 and Stacey Geiger-Sagerman ’92.
HOLLY SCOTT NICHOLS, Avon, is an instructional systems designer for NASA’s office of safety and mission assurance. She creates content for all of NASA's safety coursework taken by all NASA centers across the country.
1990
MELISSA HOLLAND DUNN, Hampshire, Ill., is now chief sales officer of the catastrophic care management division at Paradigm.
SUSAN SIEVERT MESSERSMITH, N. Charleston, S.C., published “Heavenly Descants” on 118 Hymn Tunes and an addendum for the Glory to God hymnal used by Presbyterian Church-USA. She is the trumpet instructor at Charleston Southern University and a former member of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
MARY MORRISON-OWENS, Avon, is celebrating 20 years in business as co-owner of TriCor Employment Screening with Gary Becher ’88 and Stacey Geiger-Sagerman ’92.
1991
DONALD DIFRANCESCO, Berea, was named to the Board of Directors for the Berea Historical Society and the Berea North End Foundation.
HEIDI KOGLMAN MILLER (MAED ’98), Westlake, has retired from a career as a registered nurse and educator. She and husband Garry Miller, retired BW athletic trainer, have been married 45 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren. Their son and two daughters-in-law are all BW graduates.
1992
NOELLE AKINS, Ravenna, was featured in the January/February edition of Training Industry Magazine with the article “Five Keys to Building Change Resilience for You and Your Team.” She is a licensed counselor, helping organizations manage change through her company, Akins & Associates, LLC.
STACY GEIGER-SAGERMAN, Olmsted Falls, is celebrating 20 years in business as co-owner of TriCor Employment Screening with Gary Becher ’88 and Mary Morrison-Owens ’90.
1994
CHRISTINE LUSKIN CANCIAN, Brunswick, has served BW’s Rec Sports department for 24 years. She supervises outdoor adventure programming, aquatics, club sports and fitness/wellness programming.
1995
CHARLENE “CHUCKIE” EIFRID ANDERSEN, is an artist with her own Etsy Shop business, HandmadeRetroTopShop. She also models for the Taschenkinder and GrecianSandals Etsy shops and credits her husband and two sons for supporting her creative endeavors.
MICHELE SMITH SLONE, Urbana, was one of five finalists for the Spring Symphony Orchestra’s Music Educator of the Year Award selected from Springfield, Ohio and surrounding counties. She teaches music for grades 3-5 in the Urbana City Schools.
1996
BRADY HURLEY, Chagrin Falls, is now the Lower School Dean of Students at University School in Shaker Heights, where he has been a member of the faculty for 18 years.
RODRIGO GORON LOBO (IMBA), Edison, N.J., transitioned from a corporate career to teaching on the business faculty at the City University of New York. He earned a doctorate in Brazil and researched innovation management as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.
1997
MICHAEL DOVILLA, Berea, was selected for the 2020 Class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) Program. PLS convenes a diverse network of established leaders to collaborate and learn about leadership through the lens of modern presidential administrations.
KIMBERLY SCHILLACI WISE, Charlotte, N.C., is the director of bands and world drumming at Ridge Road Middle School. Her work was celebrated by a $50,000 grant to her school district from the Country Music Foundation Association.
1998
HEATHER HORNOR DIFRANCO, Willoughby, is now director of professional development for Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP.
HEIDI KOGLMAN MILLER (MAED), see ’91.
1999
MISSY JAKOVCIC GALUS (MAED ’05), Herndon, Va., lives in the D.C. area with her husband Mike Galus ’00 and their two children, Parker and Mia. She is celebrating 15 years of teaching, currently in the Fairfax County Public Schools.
2000
MIKE GALUS, Herndon, Va., works at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Missy Jakovcic Galus ’99, have two children, Parker and Mia.
2001
KATHRYN “KATIE” MOREMAN BARCLAY, Chandler, Ariz., relocated with her family from North Olmsted, Ohio to the Phoenix area in 2019. She is now the risk insurance manager for the Centuri Group, a utility contractor.
JACK LYNN, Wampum, Pa., is the new executive director of the City Rescue Mission in New Castle.
2002
TRACIE BAKER, North Canton, is now a clinical psychologist at the Louis Stokes VA outpatient clinic in Canton, Ohio.
CARL KAMM, Berlin Heights, commenced his first term on January 1, 2020 as Judge of the Erie County Municipal Court in Milan, Ohio. He was elected to this post in November 2019.
ELIZABETH ZEMAN MIRANDA, Webster, N.Y., started her own tax practice, Miranda Tax & Consulting, LLC, providing tax preparation and business consulting services to individuals and small businesses.
2003
SEAN ADAMSKI, Canton, is the manager of the customer service department at Wayside Furniture.
2005
MISSY JAKOVCIC GALUS (MAED), see ‘99.
LAWRENCE ZAKRAJSEK, Macedonia, was promoted to lieutenant from sergeant for the Village of Brooklyn Heights in March 2020. He has served with the police department since 2006.
2006
TYLER BOONE, Brattleboro, Vt., received the Unified Coach of the Year award for coaching of Special Olympics soccer, snowshoe, basketball, and bocce at Brattleboro Union High School.
LINDSEY HUM PUFALL, Santa Monica, Calif., is now payroll administrator for the Los Angeles Lakers.
2008
PAUL SHANIUK, Cleveland, is an internal medicine physician at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
2009
DIANE MORRIS, Rochester, N.Y., obtained her social work license and is now the director of support and clinical services at Gilda's Club Rochester, which offers support to anyone impacted by cancer.
2010
KATIE KOVACS BADER (MBA '10), Northfield, was promoted to professional resource director at The Siegfried Group.
2011
JUSTIN LEVINE, Fairport Harbor, co-founded with his wife Jennifer Schwan Levine ’14 Glazed Fairport LLC, a nautical-themed donut shop which has been featured in several local media outlets. He is also active with the nonprofit Fairport Harbor Arts and Culture Alliance.
2012
BRADLEY BAILEY, Owings, Md., graduated from Shenandoah University with a Master of Science in physician assistant studies in 2019. He plans to practice as a PA with a specialty in family medicine.
DEVIN BASILE, Indianapolis, Ind., is now associate director of member development for Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.
2013
CORY MCCOMAS (MBA ’13), Parma, became a certified financial planner professional and was promoted to senior investment consultant at CBIZ Retirement Plan Services.
2014
JENNIFER SCHWAN LEVINE, Fairport Harbor, co-founded with her husband Justin Levine ’11 Glazed Fairport LLC, a nautical-themed donut shop which has been featured in several local media outlets.
2015
DAN O’BRIEN (MMS ’17), Warren, is a physician assistant in emergency medicine at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
OLIVIA COTTON, Hilliard, is now director of alumni and constituent engagement for the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University.
2016
DOUG GANIM (MBA ’17), Westerville, is thought leader and people manager in the field of data privacy and information protection as a senior manager for L Brands.
CHRISTIN GODALE, Burlington, Ky., was featured in a January 2020 story by US Health about her journey with epilepsy.
ASHLEY KING, Diamond, is now coordinator of student services at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
KASEY MCGEE, Alexandria, Va., graduated with her J.D. from American University College of Law in April 2019 and was sworn in as a member of the District of Columbia Bar in February 2020. She works as an associate counsel in the general counsel office of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).
2017
STEPHANIE CAJA (MMS), Aurora, is a physician assistant in emergency medicine for St. Luke’s University Health Network.
DOUG GANIM, Westerville, see ’16.
ASHLEY HADITSCH (MMS), is a physician assistant in emergency medicine at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
DAN O’BRIEN (MMS), Warren, see ’15.
LAUREN REDD (MMS), Akron, is a physician assistant in emergency medicine at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital.
STEPHANIE SCHUMAKER, Lorain, is a registered nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. She is also an adjunct professor in BW’s Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program.
2018
SAMANTHA EMERSON (MMS), Fairlawn, is a physician assistant with Summa Health in Akron.
KALIE JOHNSON, Lakewood, was published in California State University’s literary magazine, The Watershed Review. She is also working as a donor development coordinator for the Malachi Center in Cleveland.
BRIDGET KILBANE, Westlake, has begun graduate studies in clinical mental health counseling at Walden University.
2019
MARIA ALLEN, North Ridgeville, is a registered nurse at Southwest General Hospital.
MIKE GUTRIDGE (MPH), Brecksville, is associate director of inpatient pharmacy operations for the MetroHealth System.
LIAM HESLIN, Warwick, N.Y., is working for the New York State Assembly as a constituent liaison for Assemblyman Colin J. Schmitt of the 99th District.
JAMES MAROUSEK, North Royalton, relocated back to the Cleveland area to begin work in a leadership development program with Eaton Corporation. He is also celebrating one year as a BW alumnus.
2020
TANGELA WOODS (MPH), Euclid, is a medical social worker for the MetroHealth System.
KATHLEEN ZINK (MPH), Lakewood, is a respiratory therapy clinical supervisor for the MetroHealth System.
Friends of BW
JAMES MEYER, Akron, former assistant football coach at BW, was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.
Marriage Announcements
BRITTANY HOUSE ’10 to Cooper Conrad
JOSHUA DOLNOSICH ’14 to ASHLEY SCHUSTER ’15
Birth Announcements
CAROLYN NOLL SORG ’06 and BRENDAN SORG ’06, a daughter (2019)
PAIGE LEWIS KREINAR ’14 and husband EJ, a son
In Memoriam
1944
MARY “MARGE” SHOOK OYSTER, Canton, died on January 30. Majored in business education. Member of Alpha Gamma Delta.
1947
LOIS BORNEMAN HILLER, Pittsburgh, Pa., died on January 3. Majored in music. Member of Alpha Xi Delta.
1948
THOMAS FENZEL, Scottsdale, Ariz., died on January 30. Majored in English.
Joanne LePontois Miller, Cincinnati, died on February 20. Majored in elementary education. Member of Alpha Xi Delta.
WADE MOUNTZ, Arlington, Va., died on March 5. Majored in business administration. Member of Alpha Sigma Phi.
1950
WILLIAM MCDIARMID, Strongsville, died on April 18. Majored in health and physical education. Member of Alpha Sigma Phi and lettered in baseball.
KATHLEEN “KATHY” NEWTON, Mentor, died on February 15. Majored in speech and communication. Member of Alpha Phi and the Women’s Recreation Association.
1951
JOHN HAINES COFFEY, Daleville, Va., died on March 7. Majored in philosophy.
ALYCE MILLER MULLEN, Oakton, Va., died on April 24. Majored in psychology.
1952
ARLENE SOSKEY SAUNDERS, New York, N.Y., died on April 17. Majored in music. She received the Alumni Merit Award in 1972 and Conservatory Achievement Award in 1974.
TOM WIAND, Scottsdale, Ariz., died on February 13. Majored in music. Member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
1953
WILLIAM BRISTOW, Strongsville, died on February 18. Majored in health and physical education.
WILLIAM MOLAND, Centerville, died on March 19. Member of Alpha Tau Omega and Omicron Delta Kappa. Lettered in basketball.
1955
ROBERT “BOB” KOPPER, Lexington, N.C., died on February 4. Majored in business administration.
1957
H. “DALE” GRAFTON, Rocky River, died on February 25. Majored in business administration.
1958
VIVIAN CLEMONS, Eugene, Ore., died on February 15. Majored in music. Member of Phi Mu.
1959
CALVIN BABCOCK, Niagara Falls, N.Y, died on January 22. Majored in sociology and anthropology. Member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
1960
DAVID BECKMAN, Strongsville, died on February 3. Majored in health promotion and physical education. Member of Lambda Chi Alpha. Lettered in football.
1961
WILLIAM “BILL” FOLEY, Chagrin Falls, died on January 3. Majored in music. Member of Alpha Sigma Phi. He received the Conservatory Alumni Achievement Award in 1991 and the Alumni Merit Award in 1999. Bill was also a member of the Bach Festival Board.
JOHN VOGELGESANG, North Canton, died on January 28. Majored in music theory and organ. Member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
1963
SUSAN ALEXANDER KUMPF, Lakewood, Colo., died on March 21. Majored in education. Member of Alpha Xi Delta.
PHYLLIS PALMER NEUMANN, Oxford, died on January 27. Majored in education. Member of Phi Mu.
1964
JANE BECKETT ROCK, Bay Village, died on March 5. Majored in music education. Member of Mu Phi Epsilon and the Grindstone yearbook staff.
1965
LARRY EATON, Westlake, died on January 2. Majored in French.
RUSSELL PLUMB, Las Vegas, Nev., died on January 14. Majored in chemistry. Member of Alpha Phi Omega and the Exponent staff. No obituary available at time of publication.
SHARON OLWERT SWARM (MAED ’81), North Ridgeville, died on April 24. Majored in music education.
1968
RUTH CAMP MEYER, North Canton, died on March 12. Majored in elementary education.
1969
CHARLOTTE ROBINSON SCHUMACHER, Lubbock, Tex., died on February 18. Majored in education.
1970
RANDALL FORD, Portsmouth, died on January 7. Majored in biology.
KATHERINE ROBERTS KATCHER, Biltmore Lake, N.C., died on January 3. Majored in English. Member of Phi Mu.
ANDREW YOUNG, White Plains, N.Y., died on March 14. Majored in economics. No obituary available at time of publication.
1972
BEVERLY BEDOCS FETCHET, Sharpsburg, Ga., died on February 20. Majored in education.
1975
GEORGE BARBER, Strongsville, died on February 24. Majored in business administration.
JAMES TALLMAN, Canton, died on April 24. Majored in business administration. Member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
1976
JOAN BENNETT, Ypsilanti, Mich., died on March 9. Majored in speech communication and theatre. Member of Theta Alpha Phi.
TIMOTHY FOUT (MBA), Wakeman, died on March 16. Earned an MBA in business management.
1981
MELISSA “MISSY” MORRIS JOLLIFF, Georgetown, Ky., died on January 17. Majored in business administration.
SHARON OLWERT SWARM (MAED), see ‘65.
1982
LEONARD ZILKO, Amherst, died on April 27. Majored in business administration.
1983
DALE BOUTTON, Broadview Heights, died on April 20. Majored in business administration.
1985
MICHAEL ANTHONY BERNATOVICZ (EMBA), Asheville, N.C., died on March 22. Earned an MBA in executive management.
1992
MICHELE SWEENEY HARAYDA, Avon Lake, died on March 2. Majored in business administration.
ANN BURKHART HULL, Powell, died on February 8. Majored in communication and theatre. Member of Delta Zeta.
1997
CARMEN DIAZ MITCHELL, Cleveland, died on February 8. Majored in sociology and psychology.
2000
KAREN SRP LUTZ, Fairview Park, died on January 20. Majored in criminal justice. Member of Delta Zeta.
Friends of BW
HAROLD COLE, Strongsville, died on March 6. Dr. Cole was a member of BW’s art history faculty, served as chair of the department, and held the Malicky chair of the humanities. He received the Strosacker Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1977 and the Bechberger Award for Human Development in 1995.
TERRY DOBBERSTEIN, Berea, died on March 8. Terry was an active participant in the life of the BW campus community as the husband of vice president of student affairs and dean of students, Dr. Trina Dobberstein.