The Magazine of The University of Montana

ABOUT ALUMNI

Keep Us Posted. Send your news to The University of Montana Alumni Association, Brantly Hall, Missoula, MT 59812. Go to www.grizalum.com and click on "Class Notes," fax your news to 406-243-4467, or call 1-877-UM-ALUMS (877-862-5867). Material in this issue reached our office by July 7, 2010.

Note: The year immediately following an alum's name indicates either an undergraduate degree year or attendance at UM. Graduate degrees from UM are indicated by initials.

Whenever you change your mailing address, please contact the alumni office. Let us know where you are and when. Thank you.

Caryl Woodbury Jones "Suds" Stortz '40, formerly of Escondido, Calif., posthumously received a Congressional Gold Medal this past March for her service as a pilot during World War II. Caryl was one of more than 1,000 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who secretly logged more than 60 million air miles transporting every size of war plane across the United States and serving in other noncombat roles. The WASP was launched in 1943 to free up male pilots for combat, but the female pilots were officially considered civilians until 1977, when their records were unsealed. They were granted veteran status in 1979. In July 2009, President Barack Obama signed a bill to award WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal, which ranks among the highest honors bestowed for courage, service, and dedication. Caryl, who learned to fly in Missoula while attending UM, died in February 2009 at the age of ninety-one. Her niece, Ann Jones, represented her at the Capitol Hill ceremony where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress honored the WASPs. Read more about the WASPs at www.wingsacrossamerica.us and www.twu.edu/library/wasp.asp. Follow Caryl's journey in her own words here.

'40s

Roy June '48, '51, J.D. '52, and his wife, Laura, Joshua Tree, Calif., received the President's Volunteer Lifetime Service Award in April for their work at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Roy and June have each accrued more than 5,000 volunteer hours at the museum.

'50s

John F. Cleland '51, M.A. '54, Regina, Saskatchewan, lived in the University's strip housing at No. 7 Carbon Street while a student at UM. John snapped this photo as his family prepared to return to Canada following his graduation. John's daughter, Sally Cleland (on left), remembers thinking her father was a carpenter rather than a grad student studying clinical psychology, because "he was always building shelving units for his books and fixing things in general." (Ed. Note: UM was one of 500 schools and colleges that received the plywood houses in 1946 in response to the campus housing shortage created by veterans coming home and attending college. The structures had housed workers in Richland, Wash., where parts of the atomic bomb were made.)

Keith D. Peterson '56 is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame and the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit. Keith and his wife, Marilyn Shope Peterson '57, invite Montanans to call or visit them in Cygnet Lake, near Seeley Lake.

Richard D. Woods '56, Chicago, has donated a copy of his self-published book, Good-bye, Malta -Hello, France: the Great War Comes to Phillips County, Montana, to UM's Mansfield Library. The book is based on clippings from the Phillips County News and tells of the impact of World War I on Malta and other neighboring towns. Richard writes, "Its index of males registered for the draft suggests the large population at the height of the homestead period in one Hi-Line community."

Helen Eloise Evans '57, Chillicothe, Mo., was honored for her many volunteer hours for the betterment of Livingston County in 2009. A former schoolteacher in Missouri, Idaho, and Ohio, Helen moved to Chillicothe to be near family following her retirement.

'60s

Lee Scifers '61 is pictured at the Casavant pipe organ in the First Presbyterian Church of Kalispell, where he has served as an organist for eighteen years. His sixty-four-year musical career began with the piano at age six, and he took up the organ at age sixteen. Following his UM graduation, he taught band, orchestra, classical piano, and guitar for thirty years in Seattle. In 1991 Lee and his wife, Betsy Winship Scifers '60 returned to Montana and settled in Kalispell. Lee keeps a picture of his grandmother over the organ to remind him to practice; she's who insisted on those piano lessons many years ago.

David B. Roll '62, Granbury, Texas, wrote, "In April I had the opportunity to take a boat from Paris down the Seine to Normandy, where I visited, among other things, the American cemetery at Colleville. By chance I came across the graves of two Montanans, James Huges and Edward Weinmeister. It is an awe-inspiring sight. I have no idea how many Montanans are buried there." Note David's "Montanan, wherever I am" hat in the accompanying photo.

Elton Adams '65, Great Falls, has joined Benefis Physician Associates as a rheumatologist. He had previously practiced at the Great Falls Clinic since 1995 and at Big Sky Health in Great Falls from 1981 to 1995. At Benefis, Elton sees patients for a variety of autoimmune and musculoskeletal disorders. An avid mountaineer, he has climbed some of the world's tallest peaks and has a special interest in high-altitude medicine.

Gerald R. Zachary '65, Olympia, Wash., was appointed chairman of Golf Savings Bank's board of directors, where he has served since 2000. Gerald was previously the director of banks for Washington and managed operations with banks in Washington and Montana. He retired in 1998 and currently works as a bank consultant.

Kalli Lister Deschamps '68, Missoula, wrote Always There Is The Mountain, a contemporary western novel placed on Lolo Creek, under Lolo Peak, in the '50s and '60s.

Martin V. Melosi '69, M.A. '71, director of the Center for Public History at the University of Houston, Texas, has been named the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor.

'70s

Michael J. Ober '70, M.A. '73, Kalispell, published a book, Glacier Album: Historic Photographs of Glacier National Park, timed to coincide with the park's centennial celebration. A longtime seasonal park ranger in Glacier, Michael is head librarian at Flathead Valley Community College, where he also has taught history for twenty years. For the book, he compiled old black-and-white photos from archives at UM and elsewhere to explore the first fifty years of the park, from its creation in 1910 to the postwar boom in automobile travel. Most of the images have never been published until now. "Part of the pleasure in producing such a title comes in the tangential discovery of hundreds of photographs taken by ordinary park visitors," Michael says. "I cling to the belief that humans still like to look at pictures of other humans doing human things." Published by Riverbend Press, Glacier Album is available at major booksellers and all park outlets.

Edward Pitcher '70, Malad City, Idaho, has written a new book, The Flying of Falcons, about his philosophy of natural falconry. Ed's passion for falcons began in 1969, when he was studying zoology at UM. He has since become renowned for his innovative falconry methods and keeps a dozen of the birds at the remote solar- and wind-powered home he shares with his wife, Barbara. Ed recently retired after a career as a registered nurse and continues to work as a steelhead guide for the outfitting business Clearwater River Co., which he co-owns with his son. Visit www.theflyingoffalcons.com.

Robert "Bob" Punches '71 writes that he has "retired from coaching sports and teaching high school English at Three Forks High School and at Missoula's Sentinel High School. I presently live in the beautiful mountain town of Florence."

Ralph B. Kirscher '74, J.D. '79, Butte, was elected to the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit. Ralph is chief bankruptcy judge of the District of Montana. BAP judges serve a term of seven years.

Peter Mejstrick, M.S. '75, Missoula, has been appointed chief geologist for Tara Minerals Corp. With more than thirty years of experience in precious metals exploration and mining, Peter will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, and managing mineral properties and development.

Rick Weaver '75 is the new publisher of the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, as well as the other Flathead Valley newspapers in the Hagadone Newspapers group-the Hungry Horse News, Whitefish Pilot, and Bigfork Eagle. Rick and his wife, Karen Clark-Weaver '86, both Kalispell natives, returned home in May after a national search by Hagadone. This is Rick's fourth stint at the Inter Lake, having worked there as a newspaper delivery boy in the mid-1960s, then holding various positions, including circulation director and ad director in the 1970s and '80s. He has worked at newspapers in Havre, Bozeman, Wyoming, and Idaho, most recently as publisher of the Idaho Press-Tribune in Nampa. During his time in Bozeman, Rick served a term as president of the Montana Newspaper Association.

Craig K. Anderson '76 and John F. Hedge '76, Billings, were recognized as Montana's top two financial advisers in Barron's "America's Top 1,000 Advisors: State by State." Both Craig (No. 1) and John (No. 2) work for Merrill Lynch.

Deborah Doyle McWhinney '77, New York City, was honored in May with a 2010 Aiming High Award presented by Legal Momentum, a women's legal defense fund. The award recognizes the accomplishments of women and the benefits of pro-diversity policies in the nation's most successful companies. Deborah became CEO of Citi Personal Wealth Management in April 2009. She previously was president of Schwab Institutional, a division of Charles Schwab & Co. A Missoula native, she chaired the UM Foundation's Invest in Discovery campaign, which concluded Dec. 31, 2007, after raising a record $131 million. Her achievements were recognized by UM with a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Elizabeth Ann Weber

M.F.A. '77, associate professor of English at the University of Indianapolis, is one of four poets whose work was chosen for display along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Elizabeth's poem City Generation was chosen from among 120 submissions and will be mounted at Poet's Place, a downtown site honoring one of the trail's early supporters. (Read it online at www.indyculturaltrail.org/CityGeneration.html.) She also received a $1,000 honorarium. Elizabeth teaches creative writing at UIndy and is co-director of UIndy's Kellogg Writers Series. Her poems and essays have been published in many magazines, anthologies, and literary journals.

Jim Lortz '78, M.F.A. '99, Bellingham, Wash., directed the play Once Upon the Mattress in May for the Bellingham Academy of the Arts, where he is artistic director. Jim has been an associate professor in Western Washington University's theater arts department for nearly twenty years. In an interview, Jim says, "I teach acting, which means I teach about life. My acting classes are referred to by the students as Intro to Crying, Intermediate Crying, and Advanced Crying." In 2007, while writing and filming My Name is Noemi, based on a book by a woman who survived the Holocaust, Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He went on to appear in a 2008 election commercial supporting stem cell research. "With my Parkinson's, I am reminded of what I do as an acting teacher. I have to make the private public. I know I have a responsibility to make myself visible."

Mary Van Buskirk, J.D. '78, and her husband, Roger A. Barber '69, M.B.A. '83, have moved to Whitefish, where Mary is the new city attorney. Mary had been an attorney in Havre since 1978, doing civil attorney and criminal defense work.

Frank R. "Randy" Harrison '75, J.D. '83, Missoula, organizes a ski trip to the Alps for family and friends every two years. UM alumni and friends in the group of forty-eight who traveled to Solden, Austria, this past February included, first row, left to right: Kara McCarthy '00, Missoula; Patrick McCarthy '71, Yakima, Wash.; Caroline Baur (future Grizzly); Courtney Johnson (Grizzly supporter); Raymond Howard '73, Missoula; Donald McDonald '74, San Diego, Calif.; and John L. Alke '73, J.D. '76, Helena. Second row: Beth Reuter Evenson '82, Great Falls; Molly Harrison Howard '72, Missoula; Randy Harrison; and Richard Crosby '69, Tustin, Calif. Third row: Kirk Evenson, J.D. '89, Great Falls; Kay Martin Duffield '70, Missoula; Michael Duffield '70, Missoula; and Nina Harrison '64, Helena. Fourth row: P. Mars Scott '75, J.D. '80, Missoula; Elaine Scott '89, Missoula; Chase Harrison '11, Missoula; and Aidan Myhre, M.B.A. '89, Helena.

'80s

Neal Freitas '81, Gardnerville, Nev., is the new human resources director for the Lyon County School District. Neal has a thirty-year career in education, beginning as a school counselor in Germany for the Department of Defense. He also has worked as a special education teacher, an assistant principal, and principal. Neal has three daughters: Allyson, nineteen; Natalie, seventeen; and Kassiday, fourteen.

Daniel J. O'Boyle '81 is the news media chief in the U. S. Army's Public and Congressional Affairs Office in Redstone Arsenal, Ala. A thirty-year career civil servant, Dan writes, "The work that we do here at Redstone Arsenal places us so close to the anti-terrorism war fighting front that our commanding general says we are only five miles from Bagram."

Lauren Dryselt Thomas '81, Bothell, Wash., is the new chief financial officer/chief operating officer of Hopelink, a nonprofit organization serving people in need in north and east King County. Lauren has twenty-five years of not-for-profit financial management. A certified public accountant, Lauren was named a CFO of the Year finalist by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2007. She and her husband, Lance, have two teenage sons.

Frank J. Morbillo, M.F.A. '84, Tesuque, N.M., was one of three artists featured at the Craighead Green Gallery in Dallas, Texas, this past spring. Frank's exhibit pieces employed stainless steel, cast glass, and bronze. View his sculpture, furniture, reliefs, and fountains at www.morbillosculpture.com.

Harley Ross Harris, J.D. '84, is vice president and general counsel for the Helena office of Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL), a subsidiary of Toronto-based Tonbridge Power Corporation. MATL is constructing a 300-megawatt electric transmission line between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta. Formerly a partner in Luxan & Murfitt, Harley is now responsible for U.S. and Montana legal, regulatory, and governmental affairs, right-of-way acquisition and management, project management, and strategic project development.

Melody Perkins-Martinsen '87 and her husband, Jeff Martinsen, were honored in June with the Montana Newspaper Association's 2010 Master Editor-Publisher Award for their twenty years of dedication as owners of the Choteau Acantha. Melody put her degree in print journalism to work as a reporter at the Great Falls Tribune before she and Jeff married in 1989 and bought their hometown weekly newspaper in 1990. They have since published more than 1,000 issues, won numerous awards and contributed many hours of volunteer service. Melody was president of the Montana Newspaper Association during 1996-97 and continues to serve on the MNA Foundation board and the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline board. In 1997 she said in a speech: "We in Montana journalism should never lose sight of the fact that we are all community journalists. We do have the power to right wrongs. We do have the power to enlighten our readers, to open their minds to new ideas, to bring the world to their breakfast tables. We have the power to stick up for the little guy, to expose the corruption, and to praise and highlight the good people in our towns. We are the living historians for our communities, taking the time to publish the births, the deaths, the weddings and divorces, the triumphs, and tragedies of the ordinary people. We create the written legacies of our friends, our neighbors, and our fellow man."

Lori Mattina '87, Boulder, Colo., illustrated a new hardcover children's book, A Bear in the Air, by Sue Baer. It is the story of a boy who finds whimsical creatures making themselves at home in his house. Lori, originally from Missoula, now runs a graphic design and illustration firm in Boulder. Visit her at www.morninglori.net.

Laurel Lindell Staples '88 was named the 2010 Television On-Air Broadcaster of the Year by the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation. Laurel is an anchor, reporter, and producer for KXLF-TV in Butte, where she also won a 2009 E.B. Craney Program of the Year award for coverage of the 2008 Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner that featured then-presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Laurel is married to Tom Staples '89.

Gerald Diettert '84, M.A. '90, Missoula, was presented in June with a Scouting Legacy Award, one of the first such awards given on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. In a June 12 Missoulian article, Jerry said he joined Missoula's first Cub Scout pack in 1937 and has been involved with local Boy Scout troops ever since. A retired cardiologist, he interrupted his pursuit of a bachelor's degree after three years at UM when he was accepted to medical school. Thirty years after getting his medical degree, he returned to UM to complete his bachelor's degree at the same time as his youngest child, Bruce. He told the Missoulian: "I had so much fun that I decided to get a master's degree in history." As a project for his Boy Scout "doctorate," he wrote the history of scouting in western Montana, learning that the first Missoula troop was formed by the Rev. John Maclean in 1916. Maclean's son Norman, author of A River Runs Through It, was among the first members.

'90s

Karen J. Coates '93, Brookfield, Wis., is one of five 2010-11 Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. A freelance journalist, author, and media trainer, Karen splits her time between Asia and the American Southwest after living in Thailand and Cambodia for several years. A correspondent for Archaeology, she was Gourmet's Asia correspondent before the magazine ceased publication. Karen writes a food culture column for The Faster Times and has written for GlobalPost, National Geographic Books, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Orion, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Boston Globe, and The Christian Science Monitor. Karen has published two books-Pacific Lady: The First Woman to Sail Solo Across the World's Largest Ocean and Cambodia Now: Life in the Wake of the War. She has two books due out in 2011. Karen has helped train international journalists from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Kiel Klaphake '94 and Cassandra Norville Klaphake '94 work and perform at the Arizona Broadway Theatre, a professional dinner theater company in Peoria, Ariz. Kiel, the founder and executive director, and Cassandra, the artistic producer, have two sons-Kieran and Tristan. Joe Martinez, marketing director and a former Missoulian, writes that ABT was created, built, and funded by alumni of UM. The company continues to employ UM alumni, including: Martha Clarke, M.F.A. '95; Mary Rooney '86; Ranae Nelson, M.F.A. '06; D.J. Selmeyer, M.F.A. '06; Sarah Nelson, M.F.A. '05; Stacey Gordon, M.F.A. '05; Monica Hart '94; Mike Monsos '84, M.F.A. '01; David Errigo '08; Jamie Parnell; Jonn Jorgensen; and Tim Luoma. ABT has produced twenty-five full-scale musicals since opening its doors in 2005. Find out more at www.azbroadwaytheatre.com.

Robert Levey '96 was appointed director of development and communications at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, N.H. Before joining the center in 2008, Rob worked as a freelance writer and marketing consultant.

Murray C. "Tripp" Greason, J.D. '97, Winston-Salem, N.C., has been elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. An attorney and pro bono director with Womble Carlyle, Tripp practices in the firm's Winston-Salem office.

Ben S. Graham '97, Chicago, is president of Bell Incorporated, one of the country's ten largest independently owned folding carton companies. Bill began working for Bell Incorporated nearly two decades ago and has led the acquisition of such customers as General Electric, the U.S. Postal Service, and UPS.

Beau Stange '98, Orting, Wash., writes, "I want to notify you of the arrival of one of the newest Grizzlies. Brady Micheal (yes, on spelling!) Stange was born December 21, 2009. I also want to note my running the Seattle half-marathon in November 2009. The photo shows me after the race wearing a Griz stocking cap. I spent about fourteen months prior to the race gaining my health back. On January 1, 2007, I weighed 287 pounds. Running that half-marathon was my reward for hitting my goal weight of 200 pounds. I ran in the Tacoma half-marathon in May and beat my personal best by over twelve minutes. I have now lost 94 pounds."

Terrel Jones, M.F.A. '99, opened a new art studio in Troy, where she has taught high school art and Spanish since 1983. Terrel's painting subjects include landscapes, trees, and flowers. Her work can be seen online at www.terreljones.com.

'00

Todd Oberg, Ph.D. '00, recently received two honors from Illinois College, where he is an associate professor of mathematics. Todd is the recipient of the 2010 Harry Joy Dunbaugh Award, which recognizes outstanding classroom teaching and is considered the highest honor bestowed upon an Illinois College faculty member. A student committee selects the recipient, with oversight from the dean of the college. Todd also received the 2010 Arthur Hallerberg Faculty Development in Mathematics Award. He has taught at the Jacksonville, Ill., college since 1999.

Margie Cook Strainer, M.Ed. '01, writes from Kalispell, "I love UM, and I love the fact that we have four generations of UM students and staff in our family. My daughter, Ann Piersall '80, is a Fulbright Scholar studying glaciers in Kyrgyzstan. You can read her blog at www.tienshanglaciers.blogspot.com. My father, Ed Cook, graduated from UM in 1936 and then went on to West Point. Ed's father, Irwin Cook, taught forestry at UM from 1923 until his death in 1936. Irwin and his wife, Mary Cook, have a bell in the bell tower-the Forestry Bell. Go Grizzlies!"

Annie M. Higgins '02 has garnered lots of Chicago-area press upon the release of her band Singing in the Abbey's debut album, Wake Up, Sardis! An article in the Chicago Sun-Times describes their sound as "classical and pop with a touch of gothic" and Annie's lead vocals as "seductive, comforting." Newcity calls the album "a soundtrack to shadows in an old castle." Annie says her UM social work major and music minor was "something sensible. Something I could use to deal with all the personalities you come across in the music business." Listen to Singing in the Abbey on MySpace, YouTube, and www.singingintheabbey.com.

Jayson Lawfer '02, Chicago, runs an art consulting business and online gallery he started called The Nevica Project (www.thenevicaproject.com). Jayson lived in Rome from 2006 to 2008 and says his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree has been instrumental in developing his career as an artist, dealer, and collector. "I really needed a BFA to ignite my sense of what is -important' art. My degree helped me make wiser decisions in making art, collecting art, and in the artwork and artists that I represent in my business."

Katie Dell Johnson '03, Great Falls, has joined Davidson Cos. as a project manager. Katie previously was an acquisition manager with APMC in San Diego.

Caleb Graham Putnam, M.S. '03, Sparta, Mich., is the Important Bird Areas Program coordinator for the Michigan Audubon Society and chairman of the Michigan Bird Records Committee. A lifelong birder, Caleb's most recent work involves research on shorebird molt and searching for ivory-billed woodpeckers for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. He is co-author of Montana Birds, recently published by Lone Pine Publishing.

Carl Christofferson '05, Missoula, was named Montana's first runner-up 2010 Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. He is the owner of Lawns of Montana, which began with a business plan on a cocktail napkin in 2005 and now is a successful company with 12 employees providing lawn care, sprinkler installation, landscaping, parking lot sweeping, and snow removal services.

Kaila Hope Strong '05, is an Internet marketing coordinator and social media architect at Vertical Measures, an SEO link-building and website marketing firm in Phoenix, Ariz. When asked what was the greatest thing about being a Grizzly, Kaila responded, "Knowing that I got a great education, one that I use every single day of my life. Even though I'm not using my bachelor's degree in political science, I know that the writing skills I utilize, the critical thinking, creativity, etc., were well-honed by the great teachers at UM."

Kacey Harsha Molloy '05 and Conor Patrick Molloy '08 are Peace Corps volunteers in Tetovo, Macedonia. Kacey writes, "I work as an English teacher and focus much of my time on introducing new teaching methodology to the teachers. Because they only have chalk and the textbook to work with, I focus on games and interactive teaching and learning that don't require many materials. I started Kids' Club, a program for children ages three to six to encourage creativity and basic English vocabulary. I also teach an English course for women twice a week, and I helped eight high school girls start a club, GLOW - Girls Leading Our World. Read more about GLOW and watch a video at sites.google.com/site/campglowmacedonia. Conor is a community development volunteer at the local municipality and with an NGO focused on youth development. He also serves on a Small-Project Assistance Committee, a joint USAID-Peace Corps committee that provides small USAID grants to Peace Corps volunteers and their communities through nonformal education."

Jeff Bermes, M.Ed. '06, Roberts, is the new superintendent of schools for the Joliet School District. He previously was superintendent of the Roberts School District, where he served for five years.

Justin James Maddison, MBA '06, Williston, N.D., is vice president for Business Services at Williston State College. Justin recently completed an eight-year enlistment in the Army National Guard. He and his wife, Patricia, moved to Williston four years ago. They have a one-year-old son, James.

Brianne Burrowes '07, Santa Monica, Calif., is a digital content associate at WONGDOODY, a marketing ideas agency. After three years at UM she left her position as editor-in-chief of the Montanan to pursue a life in the advertising industry and says, "I'm really excited about the work our team is doing for our clients to break ground in the digital market. I'm particularly excited about a venture WD launched called CareerSparx. It's an online course offered to recent college graduates that teaches them the skills necessary to market themselves and land their dream job." You can check out Brianne's website, I Want Her Job, at www.iwantherjob.com.

Ian Clark '07, La Grande, Ore., premiered his fifty-seven-minute film, Pool Room, at the Kansas City FilmFest in April. The fictional film is about a reclusive young man emerging from his shell. "I wanted to focus on beauty that exists in [the] quiet and ordinary," Ian told a reporter, "a story about someone who's practically invisible, while also searching for subtle humor in day-to-day situations." A trailer and more information are online at www.poolroommovie.com. Ian earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography at UM, while spending six years making snowboard films. He is at work on his next project, a feature-length film titled Country Story.

Allison Maier '10 was hired in June by the Helena Independent Record as a city and county government reporter. Allison previously was editor of the Montana Kaimin and completed an internship at the Missoulian.

Ben Hoffman '06, Durango, Colo., won an Ironman triathlon July 24 in Lake Placid, N.Y. Ben swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles in 8 hours, 39 minutes and 34 seconds. It was his fourth Ironman and first win. In June he finished second at Ironman 70.3 Boise, just 10 seconds behind the winner. The victory qualified Ben for the Ironman World Championships in October in Hawaii. Ben began competing in triathlons in 2004. On his website, Ben says: "I was first exposed to the sport at The University of Montana in Missoula and quickly rose to the top of the ranks at the collegiate level. Since then I have moved back to my home state to train in Durango, Colo., one of the fitness meccas of the United States. Here I have great swimmers, bikers, and runners to push me to the limits in each of the triathlon disciplines." Follow Ben at www.benhoffmanracing.com.

BIRTHS

Emily Nicole Fritch to Cynthia Brenden Fritch '91 and Mark Fritch '93, March 19, 2010, Missoula

Rex Mercer Gorman to Jane Makich '95 and Paul Gorman, May 18, 2010, San Francisco

Piper Joy McElwain to Patrick C. McElwain '96 and Annie Marie Rose, March 7, 2010, Milltown

Keira Lee Flaig to Matthew Flaig '01 and Mindy Flaig, March 1, 2010, Minneapolis

Kaysa Mae Fuller to Erin Egeland Fuller '97 and

Jeff Fuller '89, March 1, 2010, Missoula

Brady Micheal (yes on spelling!) Stange to Orville D. Stange III '98 and April Goffena, December 21, 2009, Orting, WA