Class Notes

1960s

Joyce W. Clark Sackett '63 published her third book, Keeping Blessing Hill: The Story of a Couple Who Converted a Barn, Created a Garden, and Celebrated Home. Through sharing her and her husband’s journey of restoration and remodeling, Sackett offers readers encouragement for their own faith journey.

Marcia Kaplan Blacker ’65, a finalist in the 2018 Silver Pen Writing Contest for her poem, “Our Blessed Celebration,” has published her poetry chapbook, The Knock that Opened Years.

Marcia K. Morrison ’67 was named Ms. Massachusetts Senior America 2018.

1970s 

Eddie Applefeld ’70 has been promotions director for WCBM and WQLL radio since May 2001. He hosted the cable TV show, Dining Out, and currently has his own You Tube channel, Eddie’s Corner, which focuses on travel and restaurants.

Michael Bucci ’73 plays in the roots band, Ragged Company, with fellow TU alumni George Pappas ’75 and Jay Handzo ’75. Bucci was also selected as the City of Gaithersburg’s 2018 Distinguished Citizen of the Year for his community involvement as a “professional” volunteer.

Joseph Clocker ’76 retired as director of parole and probation after 41 years of service with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Lawrence B. Weintraub ’78 retired from the U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Band in 2005 and currently teaches studio saxophone as an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University. He is also a professional writer for saxophone-related websites and plays gigs with his jazz group around the Greater Norfolk area.

Mark Gruber-Lebowitz ’79 published his second children’s book, Peace Pom: Ronan Makes a Difference, with his husband Sheldon. The book, written by Mark and illustrated by Sheldon, depicts their Pomeranian teaching young readers about peace.

“ The tenor sax, which is my primary instrument, is very close to the human voice. The saxophone has been my ticket out. Once I was accepted into the Navy Band the saxophone took me all over the Atlantic side of the world. The saxophone, and the tenor sax in particular, just has this sexy sound.  ”

1980s

Jay Hundt ’81 retired from teaching elementary, middle, and high school science and social studies after 37 years. He now works as a real estate agent with 20 years’ experience specializing in residential real estate and relocations.

Kathie Nee Scriven ’81 has worked as a freelance Christian book editor for 20 years. She has recently completed her 80th editing assignment.

Joel Albizo ’85 was selected by the board of directors of the American Planning Association (APA) as the chief executive officer of APA and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Richard L. Costella ’87 has joined Baltimore law firm, Tydings & Rosenberg LLP, as a partner in the bankruptcy and creditors’ rights department.

Seth Chanowitz ’89 has published his second novel, Return to Little Russia. The book is inspired by true events based on his work for the U.S. government’s Political Asylum/ Refugee Program at Radio Finland in Helsinki, as well as his work in the U.S intelligence community.

1990s

Frank Batavick ’90 was named executive producer of Natural History within Maryland Public Television’s Content Division. He is responsible for commissioning and overseeing all productions with environmental, natural history and history themes, including MPT’s popular original series Outdoors Maryland and Maryland Farm & Harvest, as well as the network’s annual Chesapeake Bay Week slate of programs.

Russell Farmarco ’91 was a part of the Academy Award-nominated sound editorial crew on Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. He also worked on the film adaptation of The Hate You Give. Farmarco is sound supervising Booksmart, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut.

Karen Campbell Kuebler ’91 is finishing her 28th year as a dance and French educator in Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS). She works at West Towson Elementary School as a dance integration teacher, a program she started in BCPS.

Michael Sauri ’92 is the co-founder and president of TriVistaUSA Design + Build, and a member of the 2019 NARI Metro D.C. board of directors. He also won the national 2018 Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award and appeared on the cover of Remodeling Magazine.

Michelle Visser ’93 is the author of Sweet Maple: Backyard Sugarmaking from Tap to Table. The book, her first, is about her family’s experience moving to New England, where she learned to tap trees and make maple syrup.

George Brown ’96 was named Best Lawyer in the area of construction litigation by the legal ranking guide, The Best Lawyers in America, signifying legal expertise, ethics, and professionalism in the highest standing. Brown is also a principal at the Maryland law firm Kramon & Graham.

Erik Mann ’96 was featured on CBS This Morning on March 15. The story centered around his work as executive director of the nonprofit Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, which teaches and mentors 250 students in the city of Cleveland. The piece reached an estimated more than 3 million viewers.

Michael Trainor ’96 works in Hollywood as a musician. He recently released the title track, “Flowers by the Roadside,” as the composer and guitarist alongside singer/ songwriter Whitney Tai and producer Tim Janssens.

Isabella Lopes Hawken ’97 was promoted to performance marketing director at Google. She earned her second master’s degree at Columbia University in organizational psychology.

Anthony Bess ’98, ’01 is the “proud principal” of Fallston Middle School, a Professional Development School partner with TU and a 2018 Maryland and National Blue-Ribbon School.

“ For well over a decade, we have partnered with Towson University as a Professional Development School. During that time, we have worked with dozens of interns in several disciplines. The TU interns challenge our teachers with their energy, enthusiasm, academic and pedagogical curiosity. ”

Megan Moore Riley ’99 has joined Mars, Inc., manufacturer of well-loved brands like M&M’s, as a freelance proofreader of internal communications for 115,000 associates worldwide.

Regina Wilder ’99 serves as deputy communications director for the New Jersey General Assembly Majority.

2000s 

 

Lori Blewett ’00 earned a master's degree in liberal arts from Harvard University in May 2018. She is director of communications for the oldest church and building in downtown Austin.

Chris Daley ’03 is a longtime public relations and marketing professional. He announced the launch of his new company, Whirlaway, which provides customized public relations and marketing services to companies and individuals.

David Gordon ’04 has been named assistant to the general manager of the Maryland State Fair & Agricultural Society, Inc. For the past 13 years, he has served as assistant superintendent for the Maryland State Fair’s 4-H Beef Cattle Division and superintendent of the 4-H Livestock Judging Contest.

Daniel Shaw ’06 joined Instore Products as a sales specialist in the Total Cart Management (TCM) and Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) divisions.

Vernell Edwards ’08 published Where Is It?, a children’s book written for a TU class project in 2007.

2010s

Cory M. Pfarr ’10 is a Department of Defense analyst and U.S. history author with published works like Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment and John Quincy Adams’s Republicanism: “A Thousand Obstacles Apparently Stand Before Us.”

Daniel Renz ’10 has been promoted from insider threat analyst with Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) to aviation insider threat analyst and investigator with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Investigations.

Chris F. Araj ’11 was named the American Academy of Audiology’s 2018 Jerger Future Leader of Audiology. Araj is also the owner and founder of Pearl Hearing Aids & Audiology, an independent audiology practice in Houston.

Allison (Shafer) Gross ’11 is a full-time potter, supplying local coffee shops, breweries, restaurants, and retail stores with handmade pottery. Her husband, Daniel Gross ’11, is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Greenville News and USA Today network in Greenville, South Carolina. They were expecting their second child in May 2019.

Christina Kramer ’11 is employed at the Social Security Administration as a program analyst, where she works on Social Security policy.

Mila Thomas Fuller ’13 serves as the president of the board of directors of the International Society for Technology on Education.

Joseph Zaccagnini ’13 teaches biology and forensic science at Catonsville High School. He is also the head coach of the JV soccer team that won the Baltimore County JV championships in 2017 and 2018.

“ Traveling to Europe has allowed me to explore customs and cultures in a way no textbook or documentary ever could. When I was in school, my travel helped me better understand historical and cultural material. Today, I use my experiences to help enrich my first grade classroom and my students’ experiences. ”

Kara Short ’15 helps her father, who’s also a teacher, run an American Council for International Studies (ACIS) educational tour group through different cities in Europe in the summer. The group visits Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris.

Justin Fisher ’15, ’18 recently started as a human resource engagement specialist at Global Dynamics.