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Sombrilla

The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Magazine

Class Notes


Class Notes is a compilation of alumni submissions and reports from newspapers and other media outlets.


1974

Richard Middleton, M.A. in education, is retiring this summer after 21 years as superintendent of the North East Independent School District. He will become vice president for the nonprofit College Board’s Southwestern Regional Office, based in Austin.

1975

Jose N. Uranga, M.A. in environmental science, has published his second book in the Buenavida series, The Death of the Brown Americano. The book is historical fiction focusing on the Hispanic assimilation experience in the territory of New Mexico in the late 1800s. Jose is a retired attorney living in Sarasota, Fla.

1976

Marilyn Lanfear, B.F.A. in art, is a San Antonio artist. Her recent exhibit at the Art League Museum, "Marilyn Lanfear: Storyteller," was a retrospective recognizing Marilyn as the San Antonio Art League Artist of the Year 2010.

1979

María Antonietta Berriozábal, B.A. in political science, expects to publish her book, María: Daughter of Immigrants, this year. María was the first Mexican American woman elected to the San Antonio City Council, where she served for 10 years. Under the Clinton administration, she served as a delegate to the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women. She also had a teaching fellowship at Harvard University.

In Memoriam

1976

Marie Collins Jacobson, M.A. in education, died Oct. 7, 2010, at age 60.

1977

John Charles Crowder, B.S. in math, M.B.A. '81, died Nov. 22, 2010, at age 57.

Terry Hausman, B.A. in early childhood education, died Jan. 12, 2011, at age 55.

1980

Elaine Cardenas, M.A. in bicultural-bilingual studies, died Oct. 19, 2010, at age 59.

Richard Perez, B.S. in math, died Sept. 14, 2010, at age 62.

Ignacio M. Vidal, M.A. in education, died Sept. 16, 2010, at age 60.

William Alan Waller, B.B.A. in accounting, died Oct. 7, 2010, at age 55.

1981

Marcia Gygli King, M.F.A., died Jan. 18, 2011, at age 79.

Virginia Ellis Hollifield Stegall, B.A. in history, died Dec. 25, 2010, at age 77.

1982

Louise C. Kron, B.A. in American studies, died Sept. 27, 2010, at age 89.

1983

William Blocker Matthews, B.B.A. in accounting, died Dec. 17, 2010, at age 50.

1985

Rosemarie Basaldua, M.A. in education, died Dec. 17, 2010, at age 64.

David F. Merrell, M.A. in history, died Sept. 13, 2010, at age 61.

Rita Billington Polen, M.A. in education, died Jan. 13, 2011, at age 64.

1986

Neomal Ratnayeke, B.B.A. in accounting, died Jan. 15, 2011, at age 53.

1987

Steven Daniel Sprague, B.S. in biology, died Jan. 19, 2011, at age 45.

1988

Norman Clayton Poage, B.B.A. in accounting, died Dec. 24, 2010, at the age of 65.

1989

Diana Maria Laguna, M.A. in bicultural-bilingual studies, died Jan. 24, 2011, at age 71.

1991

Susan Jane Barnett, B.B.A. in accounting, died Oct. 25, 2010, at age 58.

Viktor Darrell Danelius, B.B.A. in accounting, died Dec. 19, 2009, at age 46.

1996

Lawrence V. Belcher, B.A. in English, died Oct. 14, 2010, at age 38.

1998

Jennifer Wrinkle, B.S. in math, died Nov. 8, 2010, at age 36.

1999

James M. Ehrlich, B.B.A. in management, died Jan. 30, 2011, at age 35.

2000

Rochelle "Shelly" Neely, B.F.A. in art, died Nov. 2, 2010, at age 62.

2002

Jason Lee Archibald, B.B.A. in construction management, died Feb. 14, 2011, at age 34.

Gilbert C. Castillo, B.A. in political science, died Feb. 21, 2010, at age 53.

2003

Eugene T. O'Brien, M.A. in anthropology, died March 5, 2011, at age 78.

Taindee Lee Swords, B.F.A. in art, died April 27, 2011, at age 35.

2006

Tricia Ann Shepherd Barrow, B.A. in geography, died Oct. 25, 2010, at age 36.

Gilbert Lopez, M.A. in bicultural-bilingual studies, died Jan. 11, 2011, at age 58.

2009

Jon Lofton, B.A. in psychology, died Feb. 26, 2011, at age 34.

Shirlyn B. McKenzie, M.S. in biology, recently received the TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator Award and the Member of the Year Award from the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. Shirlyn is widely credited with building a nationally recognized clinical laboratory sciences program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She was named chair of the department in 1985 and was promoted to full professor in 1995. She retired in January 2009, but has since returned as chair emeritus and distinguished teaching professor emeritus.

1981

Lelia Lockett, B.S. in physical education, is coach of the girls basketball team at John F. Kennedy High School in San Antonio. Lelia has spent her entire 30-year career in the Edgewood Independent School District.

1987

Shirley Boteler Mock, M.A. in anthropology, is the author of Dreaming with the Ancestors: Black Seminole Women in Texas and Mexico, recently published by the University of Oklahoma Press. Shirley is a research fellow at the Mesoamerican Archaeological Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin.

1992

Charles Guy Stidham III, B.A. in political science, M.P.A. ’01, is president and owner of Mortgage of Texas & Financial, Ltd. Guy has been in the mortgage lending industry in San Antonio since 1995.

1995

Alice Cepeda, B.A. in sociology, M.S. in sociology ’99, is a sociology professor and associate director of the Center for Drug and Social Policy Research, Graduate College of Social Work, at the University of Houston. In September she was awarded the National Award of Excellence in Research by a New Investigator by the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse. Alice received a Ph.D. in sociology from City University of New York in 2004.

Beth Ann Rafferty, B.A. in business, is chief financial officer and vice president for finance at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. She was previously the institute’s treasurer. Beth joined the SwRI staff in 1991 as a specialist in the business operations department.

Brian Troesch, B.A. in political science, is senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development at Arbinet Corp.

1996

Yvonne Wheeler, B.A. in communication, is director of communications at Morningside Ministries in San Antonio. Yvonne previously worked at Christus Santa Rosa Health System, where she served as program manager of public relations.

1998

Albert Torres, B.S. in math, is the head football coach at his alma mater, Edison High School, in San Antonio. He is married to Maria Garcia, B.A. in psychology ’96.

1999

Ann C. Wood, M.F.A. in art, is an artist who has exhibited her paintings throughout the United States. She most recently had shows at the San Jacinto College South Campus in Houston and the Galveston Arts Center.

2002

Michelle Beadle, B.A. in communication, is cohost of SportsNation on ESPN.

2004

Eric Cortez, B.S. in electrical engineering, is a software engineer at L-3 Communications in Waco. He was recently featured in Hispanic Career World magazine.

2006

Jared N. Brown, B.S. in mechanical engineering, is co-founder and engineer at Avello Bioenergy in Boone, Iowa. He is married to Pari Ghaffari Brown, B.A. in psychology ’03, M.A. in education ’07. Jared also earned an M.S. in mechanical engineering and biorenewable resources and technology from Iowa State University in 2009. Pari teaches second grade in Ankeny, Iowa. Jared and Pari have one daughter, Vivian, born Feb. 10, 2010. They live in Ames, Iowa.

Abigail G. Moore, M.A. in counseling, is executive director of the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Abigail previously served as the agency’s education director. She holds a professional counselor license, chemical dependency counselor license and an advanced prevention specialist certification.

Cecilia Paz Mujica, B.A. in art, is a San Antonio artist and the winner of the Fiesta 2011 poster contest. Her work also won in 2008. This year’s winning poster design is a colorful Fiesta wreath with symbols Cecilia associates with the festivities, all set against a black background. Cecilia is also an instructor of children’s arts programs and has done art design projects for the City of Schertz.

Javier “Jay” Zambrano, M.P.A., is executive director of the ¡Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund. Jay most recently was director of development for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso.

2007

Kristin Kaye, B.A. in psychology, is an assistant district attorney in Palestine, Texas. She received her law degree in 2010 from St. Mary’s University.

Matthew N. Ramirez, B.A. in communication, is co-author of The Adventures of Paleta Man, a children’s book published in Spanish and English by Lobo Video Productions, LLC. Matthew has written, directed, edited and acted in numerous independent films, and is a musician.

Michael Van Steenburg, B.S. in mechanical engineering, is chief technology officer for EnergyOne Technologies Inc., a Lexington, Ky., company he co-founded. EnergyOne is a provider of renewable energy solutions and next-generation technologies.

2008

Terence “Terry” Alger, M.B.A. in business, received the Forest R. McFarland Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Terry is the manager of the Advanced Combustion and Emissions Section in the Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division at Southwest Research Institute. He specializes in combustion research and optical diagnostics.

2009

Geraldine “Geri” Berger, Ed.D. in educational leadership, is principal of Brandeis High School in San Antonio’s Northside Independent School District. She was named the 2011 Texas High School Principal of the Year by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

2010

Victoria De La Garza, B.A. in finance, is corporate events planner for 4WARD Financial Marketing Inc. in Houston.

Nicholas Flores, B.S. in mechanical engineering, and Daniel Mendez, B.S. in mechanical engineering ’10, are partners in a company called Invictus, which aims to eliminate cranial deformities in premature infants with a support device that fits on the head. The two won the Beta Summit at the San Antonio InnoTech conference in March.

Benjamin Mendoza, B.A. in history, is a world history and college readiness teacher at Edison High School in San Antonio. He’s also an amateur boxer.


Alums—Keep in Touch

We want to know what you’ve been up to lately. New jobs, relocations, accomplishments, marriages—whatever your news, share it with friends and classmates. Email: alumni@utsa.edu or write to Office of Alumni Programs, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249.

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