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Alumni Notes
At Home in Illinois
Spike Selmyhr '62, Renaissance Man
Interim President Appointed
Alumni
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Alumni News
| I N T E R I M  P R E S I D E N T A P
P O I N T E D
University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg recently appointed
Robert E. "Skip" Myers as interim president of UMUC.
Myers has served in a variety of capacities in the USM headquarters since 1989,
including chief of staff for economic development and strategic initiatives. Myers was
also UMUC director of marketing 10 years ago.
"I have a deep and abiding affection for UMUC," Myers says. "When I was
director of marketing, I learned very quickly that this institution is a priceless gem. I
am thrilled with the opportunity to assist in the transition of UMUC into the global
learning connection for the 21st century." |
T
R A N S I T I O N A N D C H A N G E
With the retirement of President T. Benjamin Massey and the early retirement incentives
recently offered by the state of Maryland, a number of familiar faces have moved on from
UMUC. Please join us in wishing fond farewell and good luck to the following staff
members, who dedicated so much of their talent to UMUC:
Executive Vice President Vida Bandis
Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Ellen Petrisko
Acting Vice President for Institutional Advancement Stephanie Bowers
Dean for Undergraduate Programs Paul Hamlin
Assistant Vice President for Operations Joseph Bowen |
During UMUC's 50th
anniversary celebration, regional receptions were held across the country and around the
globe for the university's alumni and friends. In an effort to recognize and build on
these geographically based networks of UMUC's extended family, we have reconfigured
"Alumni Notes" to reflect the activities and accomplishments of our alumni and
friends regionally. We hope you will become involved with and learn more about the UMUC
alumni and friends in your area.
Please share any news in your life by completing the Alumni
Update Form. Your news will be included, as space permits, in a future
issue. If you are currently in or retired from the military, note that
your rank will be printed with your name only if you include it with your
submitted information. Updates on alumni activities are organized by region
and decade for ease of reference, and are divided into East, South, Midwest,
West, and Overseas.
East
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., West
Virginia.
'80s
Betty-Jean Bailey '87, Brentwood, Maryland, a
program specialist with the National Endowment for the Humanities, has been elected mayor
of Brentwood.
Bryan Bartsch '84, Crofton, Maryland, a U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, is
currently head of the information management office at the Naval Security Group Activity
at Fort Meade, Maryland. Bartsch says the quality of education and knowledge he received
while at UMUC gave him the confidence he required to succeed in life.
Leonard L. Bransford '82, Clinton, Maryland, recently returned from Germany to a
new position as chief of diversity recruitment for Department of Defense Dependent
Schools.
Stephen W. Gaunt '84, Northvale, New Jersey, the director of safety and security
for Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, has been elected international vice
president/treasurer of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.
Gene Hurlen '81, Waldorf, Maryland, completed an additional degree with UMUC in
1995 and is now a management consultant.
Jeffery Taylor '84, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, writes that "I have a
wonderful family, job, and friends. The life I now enjoy was made possible by the
education I received from UMUC."
Delvin A. Wilkes '87, Edgewood, Maryland, an equal employment manager with the
Veterans Administration, has received an M.S. in business and management from Johns
Hopkins University.
Glen Gordon Winters '89, Cheltenham, Maryland, is an employee of Hughes
Information Technology Systems who specializes in software verification testing and is
currently working on a NASA project. |
'90s
Timothy L. Anderson '90, Mitchellville, Maryland,
is currently vice president of operations for Equitable Federal Savings Bank. Anderson
says his UMUC degree has helped him to strive toward even bigger goals.
H. Allen Beard '92, Vineland, New Jersey, a lieutenant with the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, is currently pursuing an advanced degree from Western Illinois University.
Beard says his degree from UMUC helped him get promoted in just six years.
Rosalind Boyer Bernard '94, Bowie, Maryland, a manager with the Anti-Defamation
League, also runs her own music business management company, B&B Entertainment. Her
first child, Jordan Everard Bernard, was born July 2, 1997.
Elva P. Bowden Berry '90, District Heights, Maryland, graduated from the
Catholic University Columbus School of Law in 1995 and is now a practicing attorney and
member of the Maryland bar.
Michelle W. Bonner '96, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is a senior principal engineer
for Computer Sciences Corporation.
Robert Bosking '96, Severn, Maryland, a veteran of 20 years in the military, is
currently building a second career in the computer science field.
Jon Christensen '95, Glen Burnie, Maryland, is currently working as a systems
engineer for the government systems division of California-based Paracel. Christensen says
this is his first systems engineering position and that he owes the opportunity in part to
the education he received in the technology management master's program at UMUC.
Emily Fleming '93, Bel Air, Maryland, has been promoted from site manager to
practice administrator with Helix Care, Inc.
Melissa Leatherman '95, Glenn Dale, Maryland, a purchasing assistant with Frank
Parsons Paper Company, gave birth to Hannah Leigh Bader in 1997. |
Stephen R. McHenry '93,
Annapolis, Maryland, has been appointed executive director of the FORVM for Rural
Maryland, an independent agency that serves the state's rural development council.
"We are simply delighted that we could appoint someone the caliber of Steve McHenry
to this position," says Duane Yoder, chairman of the organization's executive board.
"His credentials and experience make him the ideal person to oversee the FORVM's
day-to-day operations." James D. Mills '94, Collingswood, New Jersey,
graduated from Rutgers School of Law in 1997, took the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bar
exams, and currently works as an associate at the Law Offices of Stephen Guice.
Bradley Olson '96, Columbia, Maryland, completed his enlistment in the U.S. Navy
soon after receiving his degree from UMUC and was immediately hired by Computer Sciences
Corporation.
Will Potter '92, Ellicott City, Maryland, and his wife recently started Potter
& Associates, Inc., an information systems consulting firm, and are currently working
on a subcontract in support of the U.S. Army.
Jennifer Riggle '95, South Royalton, Vermont, a legal intern with the
South Royalton Legal Clinic, is currently pursuing a J.D. degree from Vermont Law School.
Richard Sedlak '94, South Toms River, New Jersey, a former teaching assistant at
UMUC, is currently working as a software architect on the undersea network management
equipment project for Tyco Submarine Systems, Ltd.
Sandy Stocks '91, Waldorf, Maryland, a former four-year employee of UMUC as well
as a student, earned an M.S. in computer science from Johns Hopkins in 1995.
Dean Teague '95, Gales Ferry, Connecticut, was commissioned as a U.S. Navy
Medical Service Corps officer following his graduation from UMUC.
Douglas G. Wilkins '91, Kew Gardens, New York, has been promoted from PC/LAN
technician to mail/LAN administrator with CIBC. |
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South
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.
'80s
Joe Davis '83, Ellenwood, Georgia, has owned a
consulting business since 1983 and held several management-level positions in both
government and private industry. Davis says that attending UMUC at night and on weekends
gave him an advantage over other college graduates because his teachers were people from
the industry who could relate to his real-life experiences.
Thomas Moran '82, Arlington, Virginia, currently heads a team of Web designers
who serve as internal consultants to the staffs of the National Academy of Sciences, the
National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research
Council.
Margaret Powell '88, Alexandria, Virginia, was presented with the 1997 Navy
Meritorious Civilian Service Award for her achievements with the Department of the Navy.
Powell says that earning her degree at UMUC paved the way for a whole new career and made
possible many wonderful opportunities, including receipt of this prestigious award. |
'90s
John Carr '96, San Antonio, Texas, currently works
as a programmer/analyst for H.E.B. developing client/server applications.
Capt. Jeffrey Kubik '96, Shalimar, Florida, currently conducts software test
engineering on future U.S. Air Force command and control systems.
William G.W. Markey '90, Huntsville, Alabama, obtained a Master of Science in
1997 from Auburn University and is currently seeking a federal criminal investigator
position.
John A. McEleney '91, Raleigh, North Carolina, celebrated his 15-year
anniversary with MCI in 1997.
Lt. William A. Paetz '93, Virginia Beach, Virginia, an officer in the U.S. Navy,
was promoted to lieutenant in October; earned his Surface Warfare Officer pin and was
assigned to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, in November; and married Meredith L. Noble
of Virginia Beach in December. |
Ethel M. Siwemuke '93,
Lithonia, Georgia, says her second book will be out this fall. "A great deal of my
story takes place in Europe," says Siwemuke of Walking Between Darkness and Hell,
A True Story. "There are so many good memories about UMUC, European Division,
for me in more ways than one." William R. Watts '96, Wilmington, North
Carolina, has started a new job as chief instructor at the Legal School at Camp Lejeune,
North Carolina. He was awarded a master's degree in curriculum development from Central
Michigan University in 1997.
Melissa Williams '94, Albany, Georgia, was discharged from the U.S. Navy in
October 1996 and is now a nursing student. She expects to receive her nursing diploma in
summer 1998. |
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Midwest
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
'70s
James E. Wimes '79, Chicago, Illinois, has
completed the summer institute requirements for his work as a doctoral candidate at Nova
Southeastern University, in a program that is attended one Saturday a month and for two
summer sessions over a three-year period. His summer sessions were spent at the University
of Uppsala in Uppsala, Sweden. |
'80s
Timothy B. Dosemagen '87, Antioch, Illinois, a
field director with the Northeast Illinois Council, has just released a videotape called On
to Scouting that he produced for nine- and 10-year-old Cub Scouts. |
'90s
Regine L. Thompson '93, Courtland, Kansas, has
opened the Thompson and Thompson law firm with her husband, Jeffrey. They became parents
of their first child, Jack Warren, on August 25, 1997. |
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West
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
'70s
Steve Kelly '71, Victorville, California, is the
new corpsmember development coordinator for the California Conservation Corps. Kelly, who
retired in 1987 after more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, says he is qualified for
his current position because of the education he received from UMUC instructors in Japan
and at College Park.
Michael Kenneth McKown '79, Medicine Lake, Montana, was recently elected to the
board of directors of Montana Communities in Action, Inc.
'80s
Donald H. Albee '84, Tracy, California, is now "enjoying
immense profitability with an insurance agency in the San Joaquin
Valley of Northern California."
|
'90s
Chief Warrant Officer Lelia P. Jackson '95, Mission
Viejo, California, recently received her second Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
for outstanding performance while assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 49, Detachment A,
Naval Air Facility, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.
William C. Luke '96, Copperas Cove, Texas, has retired from the U.S. Army after
22 years and obtained his Texas teaching certificate. He is now a 6th grade math teacher
at C. R. Clements Intermediate School.
1st Lt. Timothy Maxwell '93, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is currently an officer
in the U.S. Air Force. He received his commission after earning a B.S. degree from UMUC.
Kelly Miracle '93, Spring Valley, California, a former U.S. Navy hospital
corpsman who received an M.B.A. in health care administration in 1995 from National
University in San Diego, California, is currently a practice manager. |
Steven L. Payne '91,
Federal Way, Washington, recently began working as an estate planning and probate
paralegal with Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP. Tech. Sgt. Darrel W. Reeves '90,
Tucson, Arizona, was recently promoted to technical sergeant in the Arizona Air National
Guard.
Stephen Paul Rogers '93, Olympia, Washington, has run the testing center at the
main campus of Pierce College for the past year, after teaching GED and adult basic
education for the college at McNeil Island Corrections Center.
J. Stephen Williams '94, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been promoted to the
position of assistant director of convention services and banquet operations for the
Albuquerque Crowne Plaza Pyramid. He has also been listed in Who's Who in International
Restaurant Management. |
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Overseas
All countries other than the United States.
'80s
Eric Anderson '86, Fellbach, Germany, an employee
of Kodak in Europe for more than six years, is currently involved with integrating digital
technologies into the entertainment industry.
Deborah Hullet (née Davidson) '87, Alice Springs, Australia, is now the field
representative in Alice Springs for the UMUC Asian Division. She also teaches government
and history classes.
Chief Master Sgt. John A. Johnson '85, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was promoted
in 1997 to chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, the service's highest enlisted
grade. "I credit, to a large degree, the education, personal and professional
development, and degree I obtained through UMUC in enabling me to achieve this
accomplishment," he says.
James E. Whitaker '87, Okinawa-ken, Japan, is a missionary and president of Zion
Christian Ministries in Okinawa-ken. Whitaker says that thanks to the start he got from
UMUC many years ago, he sees that there is very little that "a knowable mind and
willing soul cannot accomplish." |
'90s
Jason Adams '95, South Korea, returned to Korea to
teach English after falling in love with the country while being stationed there with the
U.S. Army. He has since married and fathered a son.
Carlos Anadon-Guemes '92, Madrid, Spain, is director of the international
department of ENFOREX.
Brendon A. Carr '93, Seoul, South Korea, graduated from the University of
Washington Law School in June 1997 and now works for the Law Offices of Lee & Ko.
Sgt. 1st Class Robin M. Carr '94, Heidelberg, Germany, is currently serving as
the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the largest U.S. Army dental clinic in Europe. |
Eva Gropas '94, Minsk,
Belarus, was transferred in 1996 from Brussels, Belgium, to the Greek Embassy in the
former Soviet republic of Belarus, where she serves as the cultural and commercial
attaché. Capt. Edward Kabina '91, Tamuning, Guam, is currently an officer in
the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Kabina says that with a degree from UMUC, he continues to meet
the educational requirements for upward mobility.
Senior Master Sgt. Michael Osborn '95, Caversfield, England, a career U.S. Air
Force veteran of 21 years, is currently working on an M.A. in computer science.
Ofer Sutton '94, Jerusalem, Israel, went back to Israel to live in 1996 and is
currently working in the computer networks field. |
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Janet Langenderfer '81 is the president of Vision
Partners, Inc., a business consulting firm in Itasca that not only helps its client
companies plot their strategies but also specializes in helping retailers manage their
credit card business. She is understandably proud that her company has doubled its
revenues in each of the last three years.
Langenderfer earned a B.A. with a specialization in business and management from UMUC
and believes that her economics courses were well worth the time and effort they required.
"Going into college, I had a misconception of what economics was all about,"
she admits. She learned a great deal in those classes, however, and that knowledge has
proven particularly helpful. Langenderfer is also the president of her synagogue, a member
of several local chambers of commerce, and a participant on the boards of directors of
many local business groups.
Jim Greenfield '69 is the president and co-owner of
the Wharton Capital Group in Chicago. Established nine years ago, the firm provides
consulting and investment banking services to small businesses of all types with annual
sales in the $5 million to $100 million range.
Helping small businesses to access capital—and then hang onto it once they have
it—has been a great experience for Greenfield, who worked successfully in corporate
life for many years before starting his own business.
"I decided to have a boss who was really difficult to work for, and that's
me!" he says. "My reviews are very tough!"
Greenfield began his studies in business and management at UMUC in the late 1960s, when
he was still on active duty in the military. After finishing his tour of duty, he
continued his education while working for the federal government in Washington, D.C. To
his amazement and thanks to the flexibility UMUC offered, he was able to graduate in just
two years and eight weeks (taking the maximum number of credits most semesters helped as
well). Greenfield has fond memories of the time he spent at UMUC.
"I think it's a great program and I'd recommend it to anybody," he says.
Dawn Brockett '93 is an associate buyer of intimate
apparel at Sears in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago. She earned both her associate's
and bachelor's degrees with a specialization in business and management at UMUC in Europe.
The constantly changing nature of both the retail and fashion industries is a fascination
to Brockett, and there is no doubt in her mind that her UMUC education has been very
useful in her career, especially because she studied overseas.
"My first class was in Japan, but I finished my degree in Germany," she says.
"Studying with instructors from around the globe has helped me with my international
dealings."
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He is a skilled alpine skier, motorcyclist, golfer, ballroom dancer, backpacker,
helicopter pilot, and small arms expert; has been wounded in action more than once; and
speaks a smattering of Russian, Norwegian, Japanese, and French. However, his name is not
James Bond, and he is a UMUC alumnus. His name is Selmyhr. Spike Selmyhr '62.
Not every aspect of Selmyhr's life is reminiscent of the activities of an international
superspy, but that is not surprising. After all, 007 has had only one career, whereas
Selmyhr, now 75, has had several, including infantryman, accountant, and model. He is also
active in UMUC alumni activities, and is unequivocal as to why.
"If it hadn't been for University College I probably would not have finished my
baccalaureate degree," Selmyhr says. "It was very difficult to do, being a
Marine and traveling around the world. But it meant a lot to me." He received his
bachelor's degree from UMUC in 1962, after finishing his studies through courses at the
Pentagon.
Selmyhr enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1941 and served a total of 25 years as a
ground soldier, moving upward through the ranks from private to lieutenant colonel. His
experiences in the Corps include serving as a platoon leader during the Korean War, during
which he was twice wounded, and being assigned to a Marine aviation group in Japan in the
early 1960s, where he learned how to fly helicopters.
Following his career with the Corps, Selmyhr became a school administrator and earned
his master's degree in management from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
After retiring from school administration, he launched another career in accounting, and
today works as a consulting accountant, an actor, and an advertising model.
Selmyhr (whose stage name is Lee Selmyhr) has appeared in numerous television and radio
commercials, as well as several advertisements in print, and has had minor roles in a
variety of movies, including Homeward Bound, The Temp, and Mortified Man. "I just
finished doing a television commercial for the Portland Winter Hawks hockey team," he
says. "That was a lot of fun."
Selmyhr says he is careful to balance his time between work—accounting and
acting—and pleasure, such as his various hobbies and visits with his two daughters in
Florida. "I have as many clients as I want," he says of his home-based
accounting business, "and I only have two clients, because I do like to play golf and
ride my motorcycle."
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