What’s new? Share career updates, relocations, awards, achievements and any other life news about the individuals who make UofL a dynamic and diverse academic community. Send your notes to alumni@louisville.edu.
1950s
Rose Mary Rommel Toebbe, 50B, was selected as one of the 37th annual WLKY-TV Bell Award winners for her 40 years of work with Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services. The Bell Award is presented to those who have shown the “Spirit of Louisville” through unselfish, humanitarian volunteer service. She has also started and maintained a scholarship in her name at the College of Business.
1960s
Joseph B Feldhaus, PhD, 65B, retired from the University of Louisiana Monroe after 25 years of faculty service.
Michael Harreld, 66A, 69L, was elected to the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation for the Greater Washington Area. Founded in 1945, the Meyer Foundation is one of the oldest and largest private grant-making foundations focused on supporting nonprofits in the area.
John R. Stroehlein, 67MD, was recognized by the Division of Internal Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with the Lifetime Achievement Award and was the sole recipient of this honor at a recent awards meeting.
1970s
Michael F. Ryan, 70MD, founder and president of Medical/Marketing Decisions consulting firm, has joined the faculty of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to assist in developing the Clinical Research Professional Assessment.
Rev. Ann Robbins Shamy, 72A, received an award from the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey for her professionalism and caring as a staff chaplain. Her husband, John Shamy, 72L, also received an award from Legal Services of New Jersey for his services as a pro bono attorney representing indigent persons with bankruptcy and domestic violence matters. They reside in Somerset, New Jersey, and have three grown children and one grandchild.
Bob Dye, 75B, began his second term as the Oldham County 7th Distric Magistrate. Dye is also the president/owner of XSRESEN, Inc., a plastic material brokerage firm.
Brent Blue, 76MD, was elected coroner of Teton County Wyoming (Jackson Hole) and is the first physician to be elected to this office in Teton County.
Dino Kasdagly, 76S, 77GS, has been promoted from vice president, payment integrity, to senior vice president, performance management for AmeriHealth Caritas.
Tim Hellige, 78B, recently celebrated the 25 year anniversary of his company, Bandy Carroll Hellige Advertsing/PR with his partners.
1980s
William G. Meyer III, 81B, was appointed to the Board of Directors for The Cabbage Patch Settlement House for 2015. Since 1910, The Cabbage Patch Settlement House serves more than 1,000 at-risk children and their families annually.
Timothy J. Fitzgerald, 84A, has been promoted to associate director of development and alumni relations at Boston University School of Medicine, where he helps BU engage MED alumni and raise money on the $100 billion campaign for BU.
Jeffrey Reed, 84MU, 91L, has been invited to conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra next season. Last season, Reed returned to London’s Royal Albert Hall for a concert with Neil Sedaka and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Rev. Kimberly Isley, 88A, celebrated 21 years of ordained ministry in 2014 and began her appointment as Senior Minister of The Centenary United Methodist Church in Erwin, Tennessee.
Blaine Early, 88GA, was recognized by the 2015 Client Choice Awards, which honors attorneys and law firms worldwide who stand out for their excellence in client service.
1990s
Sagar Lonial, 93MD, was named as chief medical officer at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Lonial, professor and executive vice chair of Emory’s Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, is an internationally recognized authority in the management and research related to B cell malignancies, including multiple myeloma.
Nell Knox, 93A, was named ACC Women’s Basketball Legend. Knox played from 1989–93 and ranks third on the Cardinals’ all-time scoring list.
Amy Cordrey, 94E, 00GE, has been named her district’s new chief academic officer. Cordrey has served as elementary level director/supervisor of instruction for the past three years.
Marisa Midkiff Neal, 95GB, 97GB, president of MMN Consulting, was recognized by the Small Business Administration as the 2014 Kentucky Women Business Advocate of the Year.
Matt Dawson, 96B, joined HealthEdge Investment Partners, a healthcare-focused private equity firm, as vice president and chief financial officer.
Rick Hamilton, 97GE, and Kim Hamilton, 99GMU, have adopted five of their seven children from the foster care systems in Virginia, Arkansas, and Georgia. The Hamiltons also serve as therapeutic foster parents for Hope Tree Family Services in Chester, Virginia.
J. Scott Wantland, 98A, 02L, had the honor of being voted best attorney in Bullitt County by readers of the Pioneer News in its annual best-of survey.
Thomas W. Keith, 99B, 00GB, was recently appointed vice president for development for Kentucky Wesleyan College and has responsibility for development, alumni relations, and public relations.
Jennifer Kovalcik, 99MU, 02L, was noted as one of the winners of the 2015 Women of Influence Awards in the category of inspiration/mentor.
2000s
Laura Wilkins, 00A, 09GB, was hired as marketing and development manager for the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library.
Kristen Wingfeld, 05MU, 05GB, was selected for the Louisville Business First 40 Under 40. Wingfeld is the vice president for Fund for the Arts and leads the education and outreach initiatives.
Terrance Cook, 05B, has joined the law firm of Middleton Reutlinger in Louisville, as the firm’s director of business development.
Renee Howell, 07GP, serves as the public health officer on the civil affairs team for the U.S. Army in Djibouti, Africa, providing public health assessments and education.
Brent Ditto, 07GB, started Ditto Wealth Management, a financial planning practice in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Tracy (Harris) Green, 07A, has been awarded a foundation scholarship from the National School Public Relations Association to attend the organization’s annual professional development conference this summer. Green is the director of communications and development for Oldham County Schools.
Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo, 08GA, was elected to the ATA Board of Directors by The American Translators Association, the nation’s largest professional organization for translators and interpreters.
Douglas Miller, 09A, was recently awarded first place at the Annual Mazin Exhibit and his work was recently featured on the cover of Louisville Magazine. He is currently exhibiting four drawings at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.
2010s
Lori Wagner, 10GE, received the outstanding educator award from the UofL School of Medicine in recognition of her innovations and accomplishments in graduate medical education.
Bradley Coffey, 11A, 13GA, recently received an award from the Indiana Society of Association Executives for outstanding government affairs program.
Ross Jordan, 12L, 13GB, was promoted to senior associate at The Yearling Funds, L.P, which manages two Louisville-based early stage venture capital funds.
Elijah McKenzie, 13A, with the assistance of CODRE funds, completed his documentary, which is being hosted on Creative District.
Cards Writing Cards
The Alumni Association’s Cards Writing Cards initiative invites alumni from across the country to write congratulatory notes to newly admitted UofL students, encouraging them to attend UofL. Cards can be written during a formal event or from the comfort of your home. Since the kick-off party in October 2014, over 1,400 cards have been written to potential members of the Class of 2019. Thus far, 82 alumni from 10 states have dedicated their time and efforts. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent us his picture writing cards in Washington, D.C.
Interested in volunteering? Visit: UofLalumni.org/cardswritingcards.
Susan Herbert Peacock, SPHR, 77E, 78GE, was named vice president of human resources for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
Alumni Director
It is said the older you are, the quicker the years go by, and that adage has proven true this year. I began my role at UofL as associate vice president for alumni relations & annual giving a year ago. This summer marks the end of my 23rd year in the alumni relations profession. I’ve seen many changes, largely in technologies which seemed unimaginable when I first set foot on a college campus. Technology has allowed us to do more outreach quicker, but hasn’t replaced the richness of personal connections, the most enjoyable part of what I do.
We ask alumni near and far to let us know how we can help and stay connected. Read the weekly alumni e-mail newsletter, visit UofLalumni.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. We are making our LinkedIn group a great resource for alumni to stay connected and an asset in their professional careers. Complete our bio update form at UofLalumni.org/bio so you won’t miss out on any of our exciting programs.
At UofL we celebrate the many impressive achievements of our faculty and staff, our students and you, our over 134,000 graduates. Together we have accomplished a great deal, and much more remains to be done. To fulfill our university’s mandate to be a premier metropolitan research university, we need all of our graduates engaged and involved.
On behalf of the Alumni Association, I congratulate the more than 3,000 graduates who earned degrees in May and also look forward to welcoming our incoming students and their parents this summer. Should there be a student send-off in your area, I hope you’ll attend and show your Cardinal pride.
I extend my sincerest personal thanks to all of you who have made this year such a special one for me, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come.
Go Cards!
Deborah Dietzler
Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Alumni events
RUN FOR THE ‘L’ OF IT — Over 800 alumni and friends participated in the Run for the ‘L’ of It 5k in May for a morning full of Cardinal spirit thanks to the unique course across campus and the great partnership between the UofL Alumni Association, JAM Active, and sponsor Body Shapes Medical.
DRIVE BY DECALS — The Alumni Association hosted our 2nd “Drive by Decal” event where new graduates can drive or walk by the University Club and Alumni Center to receive an alumni decal.
GOLDEN REUNION — Each year all UofL alumni who graduated 50 years ago are inducted into the Golden Alumni Society at a special reunion weekend. The induction ceremony includes the dean of their respective school or college bestowing the medallions as Neville Pinto, interim provost and former dean of J.B. Speed School of Engineering, does here.
The Honorable Melanie J. Roberts, 86E, 91GE, was re-elected to her third term as Bullitt County Judge Executive. She is the first female judge executive in Bullitt County.
Louise Short, AC
Louise Baird Short was valedictorian of her high school in Indiana and attended the University of Louisville to study. One day, Roy Hunter Short came to campus to talk to her poetry club, and Louise and Roy married in 1926. He became an esteemed Methodist bishop, traveling the world, and they had three sons. They lived in Nashville twice during his career and returned there after retirement. Roy passed away at the age of 92, while Louise remained in Nashville. She rode a camel in Petra, Jordan, at age 90, visited the Great Wall of China at age 95, drove until the age of 100, visited Costa Rica at age 101, and was honored in Tampa at the age of 106 at the United Methodist General Conference. Louise turned 109 on Jan. 17, 2015 and reflected fondly on meeting her husband at UofL and their adventurous life in an article for The Tennessean.
Bookshelf
Linda Atkins, 82L, recently published “Deadline for Murder,” the fourth book in The Hilary Adams Mystery Series. The story takes place in Louisville, and displays the charm and hospitality that a southern city has to offer.
Yolonda Bailey, 11A, published “Choices,” which explores the ideology of abstinence.
Mary Donlon, 86B, and her co-author, Marilyn Rausch, have published the final book in their “Can Be Murder” series: “Writing Can Be Murder.” Book three in the trilogy comes to an end in the same unique novel-within-a-novel format.
Paul Garon, 66A, and his wife, Beth, revised and expanded their biography “Woman with Guitar,” which follows the life of the great blues singer, Memphis Minnie.
Karl Hollenbach, 49A, 72GE, authored “Five Plays from The Gospels,” which includes five one-act plays written to be performed before a Sunday school class or during a church service.
The family and friends of Erica J. Holloman, 14GE, have published a book that was written by Holloman. Holloman passed away on June 15, 2011 from Triple Negative Breast Cancer. “Breast Cancer Chronicles” was published from Holloman’s blog that documented how she dealt with the diagnosis, chemo, radiation, surgeries, and her battle until her final day.
Susan King, 88A, wrote and self-published a women’s fiction novel called “Absence of Seasons.”
Prof.David Kopp, 87B, of Barry University, recently published “Human Resources Development: Performance Through Learning,” providing the essentials of training theory and its practical applications in the business and management environment. It is available via the Thuze Storefront.
Mary Ann Leveck, 72A, 76MD, released a 3-D computer animated video, “Friends in Fairyland,” about a little girl befriended by a magic Pegasus, intended for children ages 3–7.
Frank Scalise, 12GA, under the pen of Frank Zafiro, in collaboration with Bonnie R. Paulson, published “The Trade Off.” The book explores questions such as, “How deep into the sex slave industry will you go to save someone you love? How far will your duty take you?”
Nance Schick, 95E, published her first book, “DIY Conflict Resolution” in which she uses her experience as a lawyer, victim and coach to encourage readers to resolve conflict without using the court system.
Jude Schimmel, 14A, alumna and former UofL women’s basketball star, published “Dreamcatcher,” which tells the story of her upbringing on a reservation, successes in the “real world” and development into a WNBA hopeful.
Arthur Slatkin, 97GE, recently published his third textbook, “Crisis Negotiation for Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Emergency Services.”
Denis Stemmle’s, 68S, new book, “Geezer Sex!” is a love story about coming to grips with the limitations of aging. Don and Deb have enjoyed a robust sexual relationship for 52 years, but are now experiencing diminished sensitivity. An intriguing medical procedure unexpectedly offers to restore their physical sensations.
Carol Tobe, 62A, authored “Worthington and Springdale,” which celebrates potato farmers. The book includes rare, unpublished images from family photo albums, stories of everyday life in the Springdale community and pictures of farmhouses.
Julie Wade’s, 12GA, book, “Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures,” won the Colgate University Press Nonfiction Book Award in 2009, was published by Colgate University Press in 2010, and received the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir in 2011.
David Watts, 93A, published “Hope in Hungnam,” a historical fiction, on the 62nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. This book sheds light on this almost-unknown event in history and preserves the story for future generations.
Kirk Withrow, 03MD, recently published “Four,” a military thriller novel. This book follows the life of Severin Smith during his many years as a marine at war and his long road to recovery after being injured by an IED.
Growing the Cardinal family
Amanda Colpo, 10GE, and her husband, Aaron, are pleased to announce the birth of their second child, Landon James. Landon was born on Oct. 26, 2014 and joins big sister, Evelyn.
Betty Henderson, 09A, and Dave Henderson, 04B, 06GB, welcomed son and future Cardinal, Trent James Henderson, into the world on Aug. 25, 2014.
