Class Notes

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Find your class

• 1950-1959
• 1960-1969
• 1970-1979
• 1980-1989
• 1990-1999
• 2000-2009
• 2010-2019
• 2020-2023
• Losses

  1950-1959

• Jim Patterson’57, Eugene, Ore., earned the title of “oldest alum to attend a Beloiters Unite event in 2023” with his appearance at Beloiters Unite held in Portland, Ore. This fall, Jim is headed to Romania with his wife, Joby, for another Fulbright Award for her.

  1960-1969

• Bob Norris’66, Longmont, Colo., is cofounder of the Longmont Early Childhood Alliance, which has raised awareness of the benefits of early childhood education and shortage of access that is negatively impacting children, parents, and employers. Through the Early Childhood Alliance, Bob aims to provide a solution for children in two large school districts.
• Al Wroblewski’67 has been elected chair of the Rogers Free Library board of trustees in his hometown of Bristol, R.I.

  1970-1979

“Wow, I've been retired for 10 years now,” says John Gerecht’70. “At the end of my time at Beloit I discovered photography and it's been my passion ever since. I spent pretty much all of my working life with the State of Washington.”

Longtime friends Dan Stohr’78, Andy Davis’79, Polly Hoover’78, and Tom Hoffer’79 snapped a quick pic of a recent mini reunion.

• Mark Larsen’70, Charlestown, Mass., retired in 2022 after 10 years as the head of mental health litigation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Service. Before his decade there, Mark worked as a public defender in New Hampshire. He says, “2023 marks my first half century as an attorney. Hard to believe.” Mark reports that he is enjoying retirement, occasional work, and his new home in the Anchorage Building of the U.S. Navy Yard near the Boston Harbor, which is now a national historic site that serves as the home port for the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young. Mark’s two daughters, their spouses, and two grandchildren live in nearby communities.
• Marjorie Hanft’76, Charleston, Ill., continues to live in east central Illinois after retiring in 2015 from teaching psychology at Eastern Illinois University. Her poetry chapbook, Scrutinizing the Dust, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2024. Thanks to a nomination from Beloit classmate Esther Smith, she belongs to the online New York City-based poetry collective, Brevitas. She cares for her centenarian dad and having become an avid hiker, monitors two trails for a local conservation area.

  1980-1989

Beloiters recreate their 1980 yearbook photos in Ghent, Belgium. Left to right: Isobel Stern Bartel’81, Sally Buell Sheinberg’81, Rich Sheinberg’80, and Bill Bartel.

• Since 2003, John Gale’85, Washington, D.C., has worked for Secretariat Economists, an economics consulting firm that specializes in the fields of microeconomics, law and economics, public policy, and business strategy. John currently works as a managing director.
• John F. Dion’88, Glenville, N.Y., was named the Thomas A. Manion Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year by the College of Saint Rose’s alumni association. The award is presented to an eligible faculty member in recognition of excellence in teaching, outstanding professional accomplishment, and concern for students demonstrated by influencing their professional and personal lives.

  1990-1999

A mini Beloit reunion was held at Skyline Chili in Cincinnati, Ohio. In attendance, left to right, are Nick Carpentieri’92, Caleb Miller’93, Brenda Erdman Miller’96, Sean Borland’95, and Jeff Gericke’94.

The first weekend in May 2023, six Beloiters gathered in Pella, Iowa, to celebrate their 50th birthdays, tulip time, and their friendship. From left are Michele Guzik Utyro’94, Sara Kirchhoff Roang’95, Shelly Owen Murphy’95, Emily Stevens Ratajczyk’95, and Hilary Frelk Rowe’95.

• Wendy Ruenger Mireles’90, Milwaukee, Wis., along with her husband, George, recently celebrated the seventh anniversary of opening the Bay View Milwaukee location of their restaurant, Café Corazon. They also have other locations in the Riverwest area of Milwaukee, and Brown Deer, Wis., along with a taco truck that goes where needed. Café Corazon focuses on locally sourced ingredients and good food.
• Frank Davis’91 has relocated to London, United Kingdom.
• Paula Sadler Fuhr’97, Edina, Minn., has been putting her mathematical biology degree to good use as a mathematics teacher at The Blake School since 2005.

  2000-2009

Cristo Mendoza’00 retired as an educator in 2018, after 20 years of service. He owned an independent used car dealership, but it was sold at the end of 2022. Currently, he is the President of Bonafide Language Translation, an online translation and interpretation company. He enjoys working as a certified Ford sales professional and traveling whenever possible.

• In 2022, Virginia “Ginny” Konchan’02, Cleveland, Ohio, published Bel Canto, her fourth full-length collection of poetry through Carnegie Mellon University Press. She is also the co-editor, with Sarah Giragosian, of the craft anthology Marbles on the Floor: How to Assemble a Book of Poems, published in 2023 by University of Akron Press.
• Rebecca “Becky” Granat Shapiro’02, Seattle, Wash., and her husband, Mitchel Granat, welcomed their beautiful daughter, Verity Blue Granat Shapiro, in March of this year.
• In the 2023 conference tournament semifinal, Nick Weisheipl’02, East Norton, Pa., earned his 200th career victory. He is the head baseball coach and program founder at Cabrini University in Radnor, Pa.
• Elizabeth Wheeler’02, Monona, Wis., recently joined the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) as the policy advisor to Commissioner Tyler Huebner. The PSC regulates public utilities in Wisconsin and plays a pivotal role in setting energy policy for the state.
• Meghan Melloy’05, Raleigh, N.C., joined the Environmental Division at the North Carolina Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general. She represents the N.C. Division of Environmental Quality in collections and enforcement cases.

  2010-2019

Amelia Buzzell’10 married Geoff George on Oct. 22, 2022, in Chicago. Beloiters in tow included, from left, first row: Julie Heney’10, Mark Coogan’12, Sarah Dickinson Coogan’11, the groom and bride, Emily Edstrom Moore’10, Lindsey Ravizza’08; second row: Peter Nencka’11, Mary Keister’11, Bert Connelly’13, Ian Hedges’12, Steven Jackson’12, Caitlin MacDougall’10, Liz Ziner’10, Kate Flynn’11, Lynn Vollbrecht’06, Karin Carlson’12, and Maryn Lewallen’10 (in photo/spirit).

• Sudan Garner Kariuki’16 has moved from Florida to Ithaca, NY.
• Frances Klaverkamp’16, Beloit, Wis., and her dog, Birdie, have been excelling at their obedience and manners dog training class. When not training, Frances and Birdie like to promote Giving Day (stay tuned for next year!) on social media and take naps.
• Aimee Oda’16, Bowie, Md., is enjoying her role as senior program manager at The Fishing School in Washington, DC., which offers educational enrichment programs for about 400 students in the D.C. area each day. She started in February of this year.
• Since October 2019, Miles Irwin’19, Columbia Heights, Minn., has been working as an educational support professional for Minneapolis Public Schools.

  2020-2029

• Kendra Grogan’21, Arlington, Va., has been a third-grade teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools in Springfield, Va., since August of 2021.
• Meg Kulikowski’21, Beloit, Wis., just moved with her boyfriend, Galen, to downtown Beloit, a whopping four-minute drive from her last apartment. She has been working in the college’s communications office for the past two years.
• Saugat Pandey’21, University City, Mo., is pursuing further studies in computer science at Washington University in St. Louis.
• Rose Williams’21 is moving to La Grange, Ill., to work as a clinical neuropsychology technician. She will be performing clinical testing from age 5 to the end of life. Rose says, “This opportunity is hopefully a solid start to my dream career!”

Losses

Recognizing members of the Beloit College community we have lost.