Class Notes
Class Notes are compiled by Betsy Brown Holmquist ’67, M.A. ’83. Submit news to the UM Alumni Association, Brantly Hall, Missoula, MT 59812. You may fax your news to (406) 243-4467 or e-mail it to Classnotes@UMontanaAlumni.org. Material in this issue reached our office by January 30, 2004. Please contact UMAA with all name and address updates at the above address or phone 877-UM-ALUMS.
’40s
William W. Tester ’49 received the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Award in October. A resident of Anna Maria, Fla., William was credited with his vision for a new role for the pharmacist—placing the pharmacist in the patient care arena—and for helping create the Iowa Drug Information Service database.
’50s
Donald C. Orlich ’53, Ph.D. ’63, received this year’s Educational Leadership and Excellence Award from UM’s Department of Educational Leadership. Don is professor emeritus at Washington State University in Pullman.
Mora MacKinnon Skari Payne ’54 visited Oslo, Norway, with her daughter, Tala Skari, and granddaughter, Oona Duroy, in May. They visited the ancestral home of Tala’s father, the late Carmen Skari ’64, and spent several days with Liv Steen Blix, a Fulbright student and resident of the Delta Delta Delta house from 1952 to 1953. “Within the first hour of meeting, the 50 years vanished and we were once again young,” Mora reports. Liv has served as head of the Norwegian Tennis Association and now enjoys golf and international travel. Mora, a Missoula resident, is a current member of the UMAA Board of Directors and remains involved with her Tri Delta sorority.
John F. O'Malley ’55, M.Ed. ’62, retired from the teaching field in 1987. He and his wife, Jessie, reside in Havre and report that their granddaughter, Melissa Fink, is a 2003 UM graduate, and their grandson, Ryan Fink, is a current UM student.
Kenneth R. Byerly ’56 writes from his home in Jericho, Vt., that he has “hiked over 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, after facing south from Maine in 1993.” Ken hopes to finish the remaining 123 miles in North Carolina and Georgia this year. He and his wife, Priscilla, are pictured on page 148 of the February 2004 Good Housekeeping Magazine in connection with a goat cheese popover recipe submitted by a bed and breakfast. “We haven’t tried the goat cheese popovers, and we haven’t stayed at that particular bed and breakfast,” Ken writes. “We are friends, though, with one of the of the food
editors at Good Housekeeping, and they needed
pictures.”
John L. Peterson ’57, J.D. ’57, retired chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the state of Montana, received the State Bar of Montana’s highest honor, the William J. Jameson Award, in October. John was noted for his 31 years of service as a bankruptcy judge, which makes him the longest serving bankruptcy judge in the United States. John and his wife, Jean Hollingsworth Peterson ’56, reside in Butte.
’60s
Connie Corette Kenney ’61 retired as head of the Butte Chamber of Commerce, a position she had held since 1990. Connie received the Tourism Person of the Year Award for Montana in 2000. Her plans include enjoying her four grandchildren and continuing to serve as the Southwest Montana liaison for the film office of Travel Montana.
Thomas J. Flaherty ’62, famed sportswriter for the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Journal, retired one day before his 60th birthday and returned to Red Lodge, his childhood home. Tom co-authored with Jim Ksicinski, the former manager of the Milwaukee County Stadium visitors’ clubhouse, “Jocks and Socks: Inside Stories from a Major League Locker Room.” This non-fiction work presents baseball stories from a new perspective— inside the visiting teams’ clubhouse. Tom writes that he is “trying to perfect the art of bluegrass guitar picking and dreams of building a model railroad empire in my basement.”
Dennis J. “Bud” Williams ’66, M.Ed. ’70, was appointed Montana Office of Public Instruction deputy superintendent. For the past three years Bud has served as an interim superintendent for school districts in Kalispell and Highwood. He and his wife, Eddie, have raised three sons and have four grandchildren.
’70s
Jeffrey S. Amoss ’70 retired as Forest Resource staff officer in January 2003, after 33 years with the U.S. Forest Service. His last 16 years were spent on the Bitterroot National Forest in Hamilton. Jeff and his wife, Jan, live in Hamilton and have two children, Jenelle S. Berthoud ’95, Stevensville, and Jared S. Amoss ’99, Missoula. Jeff is enjoying the extra time he now has for his five–year–old granddaughter, Jenna Berthoud.
Peter E. Walther ’70 was incorrectly tagged with a 1980 graduation year in the Winter 2003 Montanan. He is currently tutoring a blind student in math at Polson High School.
Robert A. Meldahl ’71, J.D. ’74, has written and published “Being and the End of History,” which addresses “why man feels alienated from and threatened by his universe.” A former trial lawyer and computer scientist for Bell Laboratories, Robert lives in Basking Ridge, N.J.
Fred I. Root ’71, an 18-year employee of Bechtel, is project manager for Bechtel Nevada Corporation in Las Vegas. A recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s Defense Programs Award of Excellence, Fred coordinated Bechtel’s efforts in a high explosive test that measured seismic activity around the world. The experiment involved a single-point detonation of approximately 40,000 lbs. of primary explosives—the largest, aboveground, conventional explosives test ever conducted at the Nevada test site 100 miles north of Las Vegas. “In another four years I’ll be in Missoula,” Fred writes, “remodeling my house and occasionally sitting at Rowdy’s Cabin on Reserve Street, pondering the world.”
Michael J. Lyngholm ’72 and his wife, Miriam “Mickey” Perry Lyngholm ’74, have moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Mike is the steam plant supervisor for the University of Idaho. Previously Mike worked for F. H. Stoltze Lumber Company in Columbia Falls and Mickey worked for Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell.
George E. Guntermann ’73, Salem, Ore., has been installed as Senior Pastor of Word in The Spirit Fellowship. George has published “Footnotes From God,” and is finishing a book of poetry. He writes, “I am still married to Randie—35 years and counting
—and have three married daughters and four fine grandchildren.”
Marianne Moon ’73, coordinator of Safe Schools for Missoula County Public Schools, received the 2003 Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Award from the Montana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Marianne has worked at MCPS for 26 years and was noted for her career-long exemplary performance in facilitating partnerships with schools, agencies and individuals in Missoula County.
James M. Roberts ’74, a 20-year Eureka-area game warden with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, received the Shikar-Safari Club International’s Wildlife Officer of the Year Award for Montana in May. This career-capping award included kudos for Jim’s “keen insight into criminal activities, and his ability to share that insight with others and to solve cases using his superb interviewing skills.”
Michael Bruce Roberts ’74, was named Alaska’s tech teacher of the year before his recent move to Bigfork, where he teaches technology classes at the middle school and advises the high school yearbook staff. After years of living and teaching in the Alaskan peninsula bush, Mike and his family are pleased to be back in his home state.
Rhonda Whiting ’75, M.Ed. ’84, J.D. ’94, vice president of communications for Salish Kootenai Technologies Inc., has been appointed to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana Board of Directors. Rhonda was an instructor in UM’s Native American Studies program from 1986 to 1987.
Paul R. Bolt ’76 was named president of Matthews Four Seasons, Stockton, Calif., one of America’s largest producers of redwood garden products. Paul has 27 years of manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution experience and has worked in 43 countries. He and his wife, Becky, live in Stockton and have two sons.
’80s
Timothy W. Scott ’80, Fairbanks, Alaska, was promoted to Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force on August 5, 2003. A master navigator with over 4,800 flying hours, Tim also serves as Commander of the Alaska Air National Guard.
Mary Friedberg Weber ’80 and her husband, Bruce, own and operate South to Earth Ltd., in Belgrade, where they hand produce Weber mandolins, the “finest mandolins in the world.” Mary is also a realtor with Keller Williams Montana Realty in Bozeman.
Robert E. Gustin ’85, a resident of Albuquerque, N.M., is the developer of River Terrace Inn, a luxury boutique hotel, which recently opened in Napa, Calif.
Dixie Goeres McLaughlin ’85 joined the National Rural Bioethics Project at UM in November 2002, as the project manager of a one-million-dollar grant. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Human Genome Institute granted funds to research and disseminate the social/economic/ethical issues arising from asbestos mining in Libby. Dixie also is certified in Human Participants Protection Education for Research Teams.
Timothy C. Fox ’81, J.D. ’87, joined the Helena law firm of Gough, Shanahan, Johnson and Waterman. Tim writes, “My wife, Karen, is a Carroll College alumna, and my step-son, Michael McMahon, is an assistant football coach for the back-to-back NAIA National Champion Carroll College Saints football team. The Saints have a definite Griz style of football, with Head Coach Mike Van Diest who once coached at Montana, Assistant Coaches Jim Hogan and Travis Walker who both played for the Griz, and standout Saints players Kevin McCutheon and Mike Mahoney who transferred from Montana. Trips to Tennessee for national championship football games have become a common experience for this football fan.”
Cynthia Hilyard Vitone ’87 and her husband, Marcus, of Pacifica, Calif., announce the arrival of their son, Derek Anthony Vitone, on January 9, 2003. Cyndi moved to the Bay Area after living several years in Tokyo, where she was an English instructor for the Japanese Parliament and NHK Television and a concierge for the Hotel Seiyo Ginza.
Jennifer F. Isern ’89 writes from Washington, D.C., “I’m happy to report that I passed the third and final exam for Chartered Financial Analyst in May 2003 and have now received my CFA Charter. I am a lead specialist within the World Bank, focusing on increasing access to financial services. I work globally although primarily in Africa and Asia.”
’90s
Stefani Gray Hicswa ’91 earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas in Austin. Her dissertation research focused on the role of rural community college presidents in community and economic development. Stefani and her husband, Scott T. Hicswa ’90, live on a ranch near Wilsall.
Ross E. Moritz ’93 was elected the 66th president of the Montana Jaycees in September. A resident of Conrad, Ross was one of ten recipients of the Dennis Hamilton Memorial Award for top state Jaycees vice presidents in 2002.
Beth K. Price ’93 is the marketing director at Pyron Technologies Inc in Missoula. Pyron Technologies, started by Dave Pyron ’92, grew from a one-person business to its current size of 20 employees. Dave is recognized nationally for bringing technology to orthopedic clinics.
Robert J. Guite, J.D. ’95, has been promoted to partner in the Seattle office of Lane, Powell, Spears, and Lubersky, LLP. Previously Robert was a judicial clerk to the Honorable W. William Leaphart of the Supreme Court of Montana.
Helen C. Wagenvoord, M.S. ’95, program director for Wildspaces in Oakland, Calif., received a two-year fellowship from the Environmental Leadership Program. Helen was noted for her groundbreaking environmental leadership and work.
Gillian Glaes Kissane ’97 and Sean Kissane, Morrison, Colo., were married August 23 on the Oval in front of UM’s Main Hall. Gilly is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and returned to Paris in March to finish her research. Sean works in management at the Denver R.E.I. flagship store.
Christopher W. Woodall, M.S. ’97, Ph.D. ’00, and Emily Stuve Woodall ’99 first dated as ASUM senators during the ’98-’99 school year. They were married on September 6, 2003, and currently live in St. Paul, Minn., where Chris is a research forester with the USDA Forest Service.
James M. Diefenderfer ’99, a visualization engineer with Boeing in Boise, Idaho, has received two major awards for his media/video communications expertise: the 2003 Top Media Producer Award for non-entertainment media from AV Video Multimedia Producer magazine and the 2003 Award of Distinction in the government-medical category for the Hemostatic Agent for Lifesaving production from The Communicator Awards, an international competition in media. “My productions help the Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab explain what they are doing and how they are helping improve the U.S. Air Force,” James explains. “Another production award—what a great way to start the New Year!” he adds.
Patience A. Llewellyn ’99 and Aaron T. Murphy ’01 were married August 16, 2003, in Billings by Aaron’s father, an Episcopal priest. They reside in Portland, Ore., where Aaron is a news producer at KGW-TV. Patience graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School, passed the Oregon Bar and attends classes at the University of Washington, working on obtaining her LL.M. in tax law. She shares an apartment in Seattle with Andrea Schmitt ’00 and takes the Amtrak back to Portland on weekends. Patience adds, “Aaron and I are hoping to be in Missoula for Homecoming 2004. We hear there’s an Advocate reunion—justification for plane tickets!”
Molly C. Millwood, M.A. ’99, Ph.D. ’02, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology at Stanford University Medical Center, was named an assistant professor of psychology at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt., this past fall. She taught research methods, personality theories and the senior practicum course and plans to start a small private practice in the Burlington area for marital therapy. Molly lives in Bristol, Vt., with her husband, Ari Kirshenbaum.
’00s
Shannon Dininny, M.A ’02, is a correspondent for the Associated Press in Yakima, Wash. Shannon joined the AP in Helena in 2000, later transferring to Indianapolis, Ind., where she worked as the AP’s lead education reporter until her recent move to Yakima.
John Matthew Wagner, J.D. ’02, practices civil law with Quatman & Quatman, PC in Whitefish.
Kim N. Dobitz ’03 is an on-air show host and marketing director for Creative Broadcast Services Inc., in Spearfish, S.D. Kim currently co-hosts Cavalcade of Sports, a weekly radio and Web broadcast featuring coaches, athletes and commentary.
New Life Members
The following alumni and friends have made a commitment to the future of the UM Alumni Association by becoming life members. You can join them by calling 877-UM-ALUMS or visit our new Web site UMontanaAlumni.org. Annual memberships and payment plans are available. The Alumni Association thanks them for their support.
Maria Little Cole, Stevensville
Leonard G. Deppmeier ’76, Havre
Gary Herbig ’69, Havre
Michael Higgs ’76, Eagan, Minn.
Tamara Higgs Eagan, Minn.
Cheryle Herbig Kapsak ’78, M.A.’89, Longmont, Colo.
Leslie Griffin Lawson ’67, Fieldbrook, Calif.
Mora MacKinnon Skari Payne ’54, Missoula
Paul L. LeRoux ’58, Chandler, Ariz.
Linda Clark Lynch ’66, M.A. ’68, Kirkland, Wash.
Glenn L. Martin ’80, Cedarville, Calif.
Michael R. Matovich ’01, Portland, Ore.
Kelly J. Murphy ’99, Oakland, Calif.
Julie Gemar Williams, Missoula
In Memoriam
To be included in In Memoriam, the Alumni Association requires a newspaper obituary or a letter of notification from the immediate family. We extend sympathy to the families of the following alumni, faculty and friends.
Pauline Swartz Cogswell ’28, Emporia, Kan.
Marie Bliler Bruce ’29, Townsend
Virginia Rankin Sedman Ronhovde ’29, Bethesda, Md.
Francis Malone ’31, Buffalo, Wyo.
Anna Mae Crouse Hanks ’32, Bozeman
Cornelia Stussy Fitzgerald ’33, San Mateo, Calif.
Edmund Burke, J.D. ’34, Arlee
John V. Hale ’34, Joliet, Ill.
Jean Starr Higham ’34, Billings
Richard A. Lake ’34, M.A. ’47, Missoula
John Gordon Griffith ’35, Missoula
Russell D. Daigle ’36, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Marion Rusk Dunn ’36, Missoula
Thomas H. Hayes ’36, M.S. ’37, Carlsbad, Calif.
Helen Halloran Peregoy ’36, Missoula
Donald A. Nash, J.D. ’38, Bozeman
William A. Olson ’38, Polson
Walter S. “Blackie” Wetzel ’38, Helena
James Thomas Driscoll ’39, Billings
Fred E. Jones ’39, Billings
M.S. “Sam” Marra ’39, Shelby
Stanley Louis Nybo ’39, Billings
Philip W. Payne ’39, Springfield, Va.
Robert E. Robbins ’39, Tacoma, Wash.
Gladys Badgley Roberts ’39, Florence
Jacqueline Akey Schommer ’39, Whitefish
Martha “Mike” DeMers ’40, M.Ed. ’63, Missoula
Fred C. Kibler ’40, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Bernard W. Thomas, J.D. ’40, Missoula
Eileen Miller Wimett ’40, Kennewick, Wash.
Lois Kingsford Farnum ’41, Polson
William “Wezy” Shegina ’41, Anaconda
Alve John Thomas ’41, M.Ed. ’49, Helena
William V. Roth ’42, Wilmington, Del.
Corinne Bonde Ackley ’43, Hillsboro, Ore.
Barbara Jean “BJ” Marchi ’43, Helena
Nick W. Spiroff ’43, Lewistown
Henry “Hank” Elespuru ’44, Sacramento, Calif.
Cecil N. Brown, J.D. ’45, Tucson, Ariz.
Bertha A. Sandell ’45, Fayetteville, N.Y.
William C.A. Enke ’46, Missoula
Wilbur Swenson ’46, M.Ed. ’51, Havre
Mary Lou Rasmussen Cook ’47, M.A. ’65, Hamilton
Helen Gunkel Soper ’48, Shelton, Wash.
Ernest H. Aiken ’49, Fort Collins, Colo.
Elizabeth Miller Breen ’49, Choteau
John Russell Flattum ’49, Bozeman
Charles W. “Scotty” Lea ’49, M.A. ’68, Polson
Edward E. Patterson ’49, Milwaukie, Ore.
Barbara Greenwood Sniffen ’49, Oshkosh, Wis.
Ann Landry Baldwin ’50, Missoula
Edward F. “Barney” Berger ’50, Lewistown
Norma Johnson Frederiksen ’50, Oakland, Calif.
Alman W. “Bill” Hegland ’50, Lakeside
Richard David McEldery ’50, Dillon
James Dennis McMahon ’50, Encinitas, Calif.
Herbert J. York ’50, M.S. ’53, Missoula
K.M. Bridenstine, J.D. ’51, Finley Point
Vern L. Fisher ’51, Banning, Calif.
Don C. Mellgren ’51, Stevensville
Mary Lee Bonnett Canter ’52, Hemet, Calif.
Janece Johnson Bertschi ’53, Federal Way, Wash.
Margaret Loveall Lehman ’54, Missoula
Nancy Brodie Paul ’54, Missoula
Donald C. Ryan ’54, Missoula
Barbara A. Corcoran, M.A. ’55, Missoula
Robert Neil Hunter ’55, Three Forks
Jack Romaine Palmer ’55, Lakeside
Helen Schroeder Tremper ’55, M.S. ’61, Missoula
Virginia McBride Altman ’56, Berkeley, Calif.
Harvey L. Welch ’56, Bozeman
Theodore J. Kluzek ’58, Bothell, Wash.
Carol Corkish Arbuckle ’59, Concord, Calif.
Herbert William Caraway ’59, Billings
Marguerite Gilbertson Dodge ’59, M.A. ’65, Missoula
Betty Hanson Harrison ’59, Helena
John George Stevens ’59, Great Falls
Carlene Tysel ’59, Sumner, Wash.
Kenneth L. Eames ’60, Billings
Bernice Deglow Cordier ’61, Columbia Falls
Patricia Maher Henriksen ’61, Polson
Tilford Clyde Shipe ’62, Columbia, Mo.
Eugene A. Mack, M.Ed. ’66, Helena
Ann Barrett Casselman, M.S. ’67, Hamilton
Olive Mae Stordahl Glover ’67, Great Falls
Nancy Naumann Herrin ’67, Kalispell
Kenneth R. McDonald ’68, Billings
Regina May Spencer ’68, Missoula
Irene Johnston Ulvick ’70, Lonepine
Robert Carlton Narum, M.A. ’71, Missoula
Bruce M. Allen, M.Ed. ’72, Cascade
Donald C. Davis, M.Ed. ’74, Tracy, Calif.
Mark L. Guenther ’74, J.D. ’78, Bozeman
Marie M. Malmgren, M.Ed. ’74, Great Falls
Michael Stewart Smartt ’74, Great Falls
Darlene Young Haines ’75, Bozeman
Douglas B. Maryott ’76, Dalton Gardens, Idaho
Gordon Ross Puckett ’76, Sunburst
David C. Wheeler, M.A. ’76, Billings
Robert B. Brown, M.Ed. ’77, Kalispell
Robert J. Munro ’79, ’83, Missoula
Chun-Ho Pat ’79, Hemet, Calif.
Michael William Thomas ’80, Chandler, Ariz.
Randy L. Penninger ’81, Portland, Ore.
Ruth A. Iliff, M.Ed. ’82, Libby
Richard Brown Stripp ’82, Polson
Randolph C. Pearson ’83, Kalispell
Thomas David Jahr ’84, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Roland J. Borden ’89, Missoula
Marlene K. Maloney ’90, Sparks, Nev.
Timothy N. Clauss ’94, Littleton, Colo.
Brian D. Howell, M.A. ’94, Monoma, Wisc.
Bette Jo Darby Garlow, J.D. ’95, M.P.A. ’01,
Fairfax, Va.
Kenneth Galen York, M.A. ’97, Austin, Texas
Jeremy Dale Hamma ’98, Seattle
John Patrick Fisher ’99, Missoula
Nathan Carl Dague ’04, Missoula
Katharine Mary Byrd ’07, Wolf Point
Kristopher Reuben Davis ’07, Missoula
Harold W. Bockemuehl, Missoula
Rosemary S. Coleman, Missoula
Naomi Owen Collins, Spokane, Wash.
Thomas J. Collins, Missoula
Earl F. Dennison, Kalispell
William “Biff” Hall, Sioux Falls, S.D.
June Haswell, Billings
Mary Belle Hileman, Victor
Dale Ross Kidder, Missoula
Metta “Betty” King, Kalispell
Harold “Bud” Lake, Missoula
Robert Walter Lange, Missoula
Pauline E. Rebich, Missoula
John N. Shephard, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Richard P. Sheridan, Missoula
Births
Taylinn Brianne Garrett to Brenette M. Garrett, M.B.A. ’95, February 28, 2003, Butte
Adam Lewis Race to Lewis W. Race ’90 and Amber Race, July 11, 2003, Seattle
Addison Glynn Partin to Anne K. Duffy ’97 and Derral Partin, October 13, 2003, Austin, Texas
Nikolas Burton Wastcoat to John B. Wastcoat ’93 and Valerie Wastcoat, October 24, 2003, Waltham, Mass.
Joshua Curtis Norman to Tracy Opsahl Norman ’97 and Gregory Norman, October 31, 2003, Olympia, Wash.
Jace Dey Bracelin to Georell Copps Bracelin ’85 and Gary Bracelin, November 15, 2003, Bend, Ore.
Aiden Wade Bennett to Peggy Pollem Bennett ’94 and Eric Bennett, November 22, 2003, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Elizabeth Hazelton Wells to Emily Hazelton Wells ’92 and Todd Wells, November 26, 2003, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Marshall Joseph Astle to Timothy Mark Astle
’93 and Angie Hanson Astle ’94, December 2, 2003, Anchorage, Alaska
Blake Robert Wilkinson to Bryce C. Wilkinson ’98 and Lora Lee Wilkinson, January 21, 2004, Spokane, Wash.
