Class Notes
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1930s
Ella Ruth (Fletcher) Aufranc ’30 passed away in February at the age of 101. Ella Ruth was grand marshal of the 2005 Homecoming parade as a member of the 75th reunion class.
George Bidewell ‘33 wants to say hello to anyone who might still be around who knew him back then! George will be celebrating his 101st birthday on Sept. 3, 2011. He still has wonderful memories of college days at Cape!
Paul Vance ‘42 was recently honored with the dedication of the A. Paul Vance Regional Airport in Fredericktown, Mo. Paul was one of the founders of the Missouri Pilots Association.
Helen (Statler) Yount’s ‘43 is living in Lakeview Park, an independent living facility in Fenton, Mo.
Marvin Proffer ‘53 is working as a consultant for the Missouri Port Authority. He resides in South St. Louis County and has three children and six grandchildren. Marvin spent 30 years in the newspaper business, 26 years in the Missouri Legislature, and 17 years with Southeast Missouri State University as consultant for fund raisers and public relations. He and his wife, Donna, just celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary.
Thomas Cushman ‘56 and his wife, Lois, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 3, 2011. Tom is a freelance writer who earlier was a sportswriter, editor, and columnist for newspapers in Colorado Springs, Philadelphia and San Diego. His book, Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation, was published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in fall 2009.
Rich Eichhorst ‘56 and his wife Barb, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 11, 2011.
Eugene Munger’s ‘56 latest book, The Elegant Mentor, has just been released. Unlike his first book Momma, Don’t Ya Want Me To Learn Nothin?, a memoir capturing his early life growing up in Southeast Missouri during the 1940s and 50s, this one is pure fiction. Proceeds from both books are going toward a scholarship honoring Gene’s mother at Southeast Missouri State University.
James Frisella ’58, although retired professionally, has entered his eighth decade of coaching.
Marilyn (McGraw) Beiter ’62 was recently awarded the Steadfast Alumna Award from her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma at the annual Founder’s Day celebration in St. Louis, Mo. The award, given to only one alumna per year, honors an alumna whose exemplary loyalty and commitment to the sorority merits special recognition. Marilyn, a member for more than 50 years, has served in various positions for the sorority’s national organization, most recently as historian. She also served as 2010-2011 president of the St. Louis Alumnae Panhellenic.
William Diepenbrock ‘62 is still working in his business as a trustee and advisor. He enjoys boating, fishing and socializing with the Laferlas (that means drinking a few beers) at Tablerock Lake. He and his wife, Marcie, have four children and six grandchildren. William was recently appointed to the Southeast Missouri University Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves on the advisory board of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Heritage Account. He feels he is a very lucky person to have the life he has, and his goal is to go as hard as he can as long as he can!
E. Gene Greable ’62 was named Man of the Year in May 2011 by the Winnetka- Northfield Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his volunteer work in the community. Gene moved to Winnetka, Ill., in 1973, and his volunteer and civic experience includes: Village Trustee of Winnetka Village Council, Special Task Force for New Trier High School – “Education Beyond 2000,” Winnetka District 36 School Board, Winnetka Park District, Winnetka Plan Commission and the Winnetka Caucus.
Donald Miller ‘62 recently retired after more than 30 years as a teacher/counselor and now has a private counseling practice.
Charles Wright ‘62 retired to Williamsburg, Va., in 2003 after 25 years as a lawyer heading higher education human resources programs. After seven years in Williamsburg, he and his wife built a house in The Villages, Fla. The couple plans to live there full-time and sell their Williamsburg house. Travel has occupied most of his time since his retirement, and he has had the opportunity to visit with many Sigma Chi brothers!
Barbara (Rohne) Ardinger ’63, ’68 has published her eighth book, Secret Lives.
Janet Crites ‘63 retired as professor emerita from the Department of Human Environmental Sciences after 35 years of teaching at Fontbonne University. She also previously served as the program director of fashion merchandising, dietetics, family and consumer science (FACS) and as chair of the department for 13 years. She is looking forward to more traveling in her retirement.
Charles Luetje ‘63, MD, FACS, retired from active practice of otology/neurotology in May 2009, which he began in Kansas City, Mo., in 1976, after four years of medical school at the University of Missouri, nine years in the United States Air Force, and fellowship training in Los Angeles, Calif. In 1980, he established the Midwest Ear Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for helping develop cochlear implantation for deaf adults and children. His time there has always been voluntary, and he continues to do implant surgery in retirement. He performed the 1,000 implant on July 28, 2011.
Ronald Keeney ’64 has fully recovered from a brain hemorrhage he experienced in June 2007 and has returned to consulting in his areas of specialization, pediatric and antiviral pharmaceutical medicine. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have three daughters, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. They reside in Raleigh, N.C., but spend much of their time at their beachfront condo near Morehead City, N.C.
Betty (Mueller) Landre ‘64 taught four years in Jefferson County (Denver), Colo. She then taught 29 years in Cape Girardeau Public Schools. She is now enjoying her retirement!
Peggy (Grimwood) Tharpe ‘65 and her husband, Ken Tharpe ‘71, are traveling as much as they can. The couple just completed a month-long stay in Greece. They enjoyed visits with family and friends this summer and are still providing care for many abandoned pets.
James Vornberg ‘65 retired this summer as professor of educational leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce after a 37-year career. He began his career in the Pattonville School District, then joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a missile launch officer in the Titan II program at Tucson, Ariz. He completed his master’s degree in 1969 and Ph.D. in 1973. He served as an administrator in the American School of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1971-73 and returned to Arizona for one year before joining the faculty at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He served as department head and interim dean of the College of Education and Human Services during his tenure. He has multiple text books and numerous journal articles to his credit. He and his wife, Dr. Caroline Vornberg, reside in Garland, Texas. His avocation is as a scout leader, which began with Troop 4 in Cape Giradeau, Mo., and continues now with Sea Scout Ship 77 of Dallas, Texas.
Jerry Ward ‘65 was inducted into the Yakima Valley Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in November 2010. He was also inducted in 2005 as a member of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Athletic Hall of Fame. Jerry played football at Southeast Missouri State University under Coach Ken Knox.
Charles Depro ‘66 is teaching history courses for Southeast Missouri State University and was elected to the Sikeston City Council as a council member at-large in April 2011. He previously served four years as a member of the Sikeston Board of Education.
Frederick Eggers ‘67 serves as treasurer and assists with publicity for the East Perry Community Fair in Altenburg, Mo., which is “The Best Little Fair in the Land.”
Gary Hanneman ‘68 is currently working as a contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, La. He is looking forward to retirement in Denver, Colo., next year.
Sandra (Wilmesher) Hechst ‘68 is working at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis, Mo., April through October.
James Kirkwood ‘68 is professor of mathematics at Sweet Briar College. His seventh book to be published, Mathematical Physics and Partial Differential Equations, will be released in January.
John Miller ‘68 had the honor and privilege of representing Southeast Missouri State University President Kenneth W. Dobbins at the inauguration of the new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point this past spring. He is enjoying his retirement in central Wisconsin and is working on replanting a lot of trees. He would like to hear from any old friends from Myers Hall!
Randall Pierce ‘68 recently moved with his family to Franklin, Tenn., after living in Memphis since graduation from law school in 1974. While he is winding down from his law practice in Memphis, Randall commutes once a week between Memphis and Franklin with the intent of eventually retiring in middle Tennessee.
Carolyn (Herwig) Helderman ’69 is enjoying retirement. She and her husband James own a farm, raising beef cattle.
Blair Moran ‘69 received the distinguished Legionnaire of the Year Award at the Missouri State American Legion Convention in Jefferson City, Mo., on July 9, 2011. Blair became eligible for membership in the American Legion while serving as a combat infantryman with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He is active in the Sikeston American Legion Post 114, where he serves as chaplain. He also is a member of the American Legion Legislative Commission and serves as treasurer of the Sikeston Veterans Park committee. In 2001 Moran received the Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award along with the Jaycees Community Service Award. In 2007, he received the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2009 he spearheaded an effort to send supplies to a marine recon unit in Afghanistan, which resulted in 1,400 pounds of supplies being sent to that combat unit.
Linda (Ruebsam) Roth ‘69 is a retired speech-language pathologist from Plano Independent School District in Plano, Texas. She previously worked for the Fox C-6 School District in Arnold, Mo.
Sandra (Sifford) Denbow ‘70 retired after teaching speech therapy and high school English in several Missouri schools. Her leisure time has been spent with winter vacations to Florida and planning an autumn trip to China for sightseeing.
Donald Voelker ‘70 was recently honored in Las Vegas, Nev., at the annual meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT). Dr. Voelker is one of only 77 physicians in the world to receive the designation, Fellow of the Society of CardiovascularComputed Tomography (FSCCT). In order to meet the requirements of FSCCT, a physician must be a Level 3 Master of Cardiac Computed Tomography, Board Certified in Cardiology and Board Certified in Cardiac Computed Tomography. In addition, physicians must have publications in peer-reviewed journals on CCT, have participated as a faculty speaker at continuing medical education seminars and be recognized by their peers to have contributed to the advancement of the field. Additionally, two members of the SCCT board must endorse the fellow by writing a letter of support. The SCCT has more than 4,000 physician members. Cardiac Computed Tomography is a non-invasive technology that uses the latest and highest technical equipment in the world to view the heart and its vasculature. Dr. Voelker is an Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Laboratory at the Medical Center of South Arkansas. He is an adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Ark.
Diana (Bollinger) Harris ‘71 has been elected secretary for the Ocala Art Group, an educational organization that provides programs for art enthusiasts and creates opportunities for members to exhibit their works in the community through art shows and special exhibits. Diana and other members of the Florida group will be exhibiting art work in Artoberfest in October 2011.
Ladonna (Harmon) Suttle ‘72 retired after more than 30 years as a K-12 speech therapist in Albuquerque, N.M., and moved to California. Since competitive cross-country skiing isn’t an option on the beach, she is working on stand up paddle boarding.
Roger Batten ‘74 and his wife, Maria (Gerard) Batten ’78, both attended Southeast Missouri State University for undergraduate and graduate school. After 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Roger now works as an account manager for a regional hospital system reference laboratory. Maria is a psychotherapist in private practice. They have been happily married since Oct. 26, 1974, and have three sons: Benjamin, Alex and Elliot.
James “Jim” Berry ’74 has been reelected as chairman of the Houston Golf Association’s Board of Directors. Having held membership with the Houston Golf Association since 1997, he was first elected as chairman in 2010. He previously served as vice chairman from 2009-2010 and general counsel from 2000-2008. He also served as vice chairman of the Shell Houston Open Hospitality Committee for three years. Jim is a shareholder with the national law firm Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martin,where his practice focuses on general and commercial real estate.
Joanne (Bond) Dale ‘74 volunteered as an ESL teacher to Chinese high school students for three years beginning in 2002. She also taught all ages at a church in Bulgaria. In 2007, Joanne taught American children in India at a small private school one semester, then the next year taught music at the same school. She went with a group the next two years to test American children in Thailand to see if they were meeting American standards. She encourages all retired teachers to do volunteer work, either through Hands Across the Sea or here in the United States.
Frances (Thorne) McCoin ‘74 and her husband, R.H., are retired and spend their time traveling. In August 2009, one of their trips was cut short when they collided with a barge on the Mississippi River, but all is well now. In recent years, they have visited China, Australia, New Zealand and Alaska.
Ellen Meyer ‘74 is in her tenth year working with juniors and seniors enrolled in career-technical block classes at Perryville Area Career & Technology Center. She previously taught fourth grade for 28 years at the Perryville Elementary School.
John Poston ‘74 has been very busy with community service groups since he retired from the North St. Francois County R-I School District after 31 years as an elementary teacher. John currently serves as a school board member, county health center trustee, Southeast Missouri State University alumni board member, Sunday school teacher, board member of the Missouri Association of Rural Educators, and vice president of the Mineral Area Chapter of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA). He was recently honored as MRTA’s Region 11 Distinguished Retired Teacher. He and his wife, Elizabeth (Clark) Poston ‘75, have been married for 30 years and have three children.
Vonda (Hammack) Slinkard ‘74 is currently enjoying retirement with her husband. They became greatgrandparents of twins, one boy and one girl, in December 2010.
Bill Black ‘75 just finished his 20th consecutive season with the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, where he is the senior costume designer. He is also a professor and the associate head of theatre at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Janet (Perez) Eckles ‘75 had a new book released on Aug. 9, 2011, titled Simply Salsa: Dancing Without Fear at God’s Fiesta. The book has been honored with five-star reviews for its compelling message, passionate style and life changing insights to set one free from fear.
Raul Lauces, Jr. ’75 passed away June 27, 2011, in Panama City, Panama. His sister, Elba (Luaces) Martin ’68 and his nephew Ludo Saenz ’97 also graduated from Southeast.
Duane Arledge ‘76 is the leadership development pastor at Fellowship of the Rockies in Pueblo, Colo.
Gerard Eftink ‘76 was recently elected president of the Cass County Bar Association. He has been a lawyer in the south Kansas City, Mo., area since 1980.
Teresa (Bowers) Hill ’78 retired from the Fox C-6 School District after 31 years of teaching at the elementary level. Her current plans are to travel to Italy, spend time with her husband on their farm and enjoy her children and her first grandchild, which is due in January.
Robert Brown ‘79 received a Master of Arts in teaching in May 2011 from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. He continues to substitute teach, mostly middle school science and social studies.
David Jolliff ’79 retired from AT&T in 2007 and is enjoying golf and traveling. He and his wife Debe live in Hot Springs, Ark.
Daniel Bartnett ‘81 has been living in Florida for the past 12 years and works with The March Group as managing director for the state of Florida.
Beverly (Kay) Broughton ‘81 was recently promoted to associate vice president of human resources and organizational development with McLeod Health in Florence, S.C.
Patricia (Florich) O’Shea ’81 has been married for 23 years and has one son. She previously worked as an educational coordinator for Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, an agency within St. Louis Catholic Charities but began teaching this fall at a St. Louis Archdiocesan Catholic school.
Tarrell (Cato) Portman ’81, ‘88 works for the Office of Graduate Ethnic Inclusion (OGEI) at the University of Iowa.
Delores (Heisserer) Chambers ’82 was named Kansas State University’s International Educator. She is chief of the U.S. delegation to the International Organization for Standardization’s Committee on Sensory and Consumer Sciences.
Rita (Rankin) Lewis ‘84 has worked all over the United States and Saudi Arabia but finally gave up the travel/agency jobs in September 2010 when she accepted a position as a clinical safety manager (CSM). Rita is part of the leadership team on a very busy medical floor. She loves the challenges of leadership and still being able to be at the bedside.
Calvin Shaw ‘84 recently retired from the Gaston County Police Department and is now the criminal justice program coordinator with Gaston College.
Kenneth Stilson ‘84, interim chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University, recently published the 11th edition of Acting is Believing, one of the most popular textbooks on the subject in North America. Additionally, one of his plays was recently accepted and presented at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Alaska.
Cheryl (Jarrell) McAllister ’85, ’90 was granted tenure and promotion to associate professor at Southeast Missouri State University in June 2011.
Clare (Parks) Proskey ‘85 is the director of business development for IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo.
Roger Shuck ‘87 became garrison commander at Fort Polk on July 5, 2011. Roger entered the Army in January 1989 after receiving his commission as a second lieutenant through Army Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Linda (Rogers) Kennedy ‘91 is now in her fourth year of international teaching, after many years of teaching high school in Missouri. She has loved every minute of it. After two years in Cairo, Egypt, she is now currently teaching at a high school recognized as the leading one in Taiwan. She is teaching English in the bilingual department. Linda feels it has been an eye-opening experience, and she truly feels like a member of the larger global community with many friends now all over the world. She thanks Southeast for helping her get where she is. She sends blessings to all of her friends in Missouri.
Jay Noyes ‘91 and Michael Reber ‘91 and their families are alive and well in Tokyo, Japan. They experience earthquakes every day, and it is quite nerve-wracking dealing with the quakes, food shortages, three to four hour gasoline lines, and the threat of nuclear radiation from the Fukushima plant just 250 km north of their location. Michael is teaching economic courses at Japanese universities, coordinating the Frederick Bastiat Revival Blog and writing/publishing on free market economics.
Thomas Whyte ‘91 has spent his career in law enforcement and juvenile justice. Since April, he has been embedded with the 2nd Battalion/35th Infantry/3rd Brigade Combat Team/25th Infantry Division in Afghanistan. He advises the military on civilian law enforcement issues that may arise and assists them in training the Afghan police.
Dean Cowan ‘92 and his wife Linda relocated to Tokyo, Japan in January. Dean is responsible for the integration of American Life Insurance Company with MetLife.
Angela (Wiedefeld) Seabaugh ‘92 is a production planner at P&G, where she has worked for 13 years. Her husband, Mike Seabaugh ’86, is a real estate appraiser. They enjoy sports and spending time with their three daughters: Chelsea Dye, Taylor Seabaugh and Paige Seabaugh.
Jeff Boyet ‘93 has been acting professionally since 1998 and recently attended the world premier of his feature film “The Nothing” at the Nashville Film Festival.
Rebecca (McLain) Whiffen ‘93 has completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Tennessee-Memphis. She currently teaches full time at the Southeast Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences and is in part-time cardiology practice with Dr. W.K. LaFoe, Cape Cardiology Group, in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Kathy (Rigdon) Kufskie ‘94 and her husband, Michael Kufskie ‘94, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Ava Marie, on June 9, 2011.
Kendra Neely-Martin ’94, a pharmaceutical sales specialist, was recently one of five Astrazeneca employees given Jefferson Awards for Public Service recognizing significant contributions to their local communities through volunteerism. The Jefferson Awards is a national recognition program that honors individuals across the country who perform outstanding community and public service. Kendrawas recognized for her work with at-risk girls in St. Louis through Delta SigmaTheta Sorority. Serving as a mentor for at-risk African American girls, Kendra has worked tirelessly for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for two decades. As chair of the educational development for the St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of DST, she oversees the Delta Academy, a national program created to provide health and wellness training as well as instill the values necessary to build a solid community. The Jefferson Awards for Public Service were founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Delawarean Sam Beard to create a Nobel Prize for public service.
Rowe Arends ‘95 is working in anesthesia at SoutheastHealth and was recently accepted into the RN program. Rowe and his wife, Becki (Fowler) Arends ’95, live in Jackson, Mo., and have two sons, Kaleb and Noah.
Lisa Marie (Milton) Hanahan ‘95 has been promoted to director of equipment planning services for Partner Healthcare Group. She lives in the Nashville, Tenn., area with her husband Sean and their three children.
Darren Allcock ’96, his wife Nicole and their two sons, Luke and Matthew, moved back to Cape Girardeau in July 2011 after being away for 15 years. They feel very blessed to be back in the area near their families and so many wonderful people. Darren is starting his endocrinology practice with SoutheastHealth.
Christopher Lucas ‘96 is as an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership in Education, Human Services and Counseling at Bradley University. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership and human service administration. He is grateful for the knowledge, the skills and the friendships he received while at Southeast from 1994-1996.
Jeffrey Barker ‘97 is now the manager of quality engineering with Kilgore Flares Company in Toone, Tenn.
Michelle (Landewee) Dorman ’97 was promoted to director, supply chain integration for North America at Tetra Pak, Inc. in April 2011. She, her husband Drew and their two children will be relocating to Denton, Texas.
S
ebrina (Allen) Glenn ‘97 and her husband Joseph have welcomed three new additions to their family! The couple recently adopted a son, Devin Joseph Allen, and two daughters, Sa’Reena Elizabeth and Autumn Corine. Life has become an organized chaos, but they love every moment.
Mary-Katherine “Cassy” (Vinson) Landewee ‘97 has two twin girls, Brooke and Saylor, born on March 26, 2011.
Keri (Hodges) Tankersley ’97 welcomed the birth of her daughter, Charley Grace, on July 20, 2011.
Jeffrey Buckman ’98 became a Team Beachbody® Coach in October 2010.
Teresa (Mosley) Dirks ’98 is a mixed media artist living in the Kansas City, Mo., area. The Missouri Arts Council selected Teresa’s mixed media painting “Tides of Fate” as the focal point of the annual Missouri Arts Awards event invitation and poster. The council bestows this honor to one Missouri artist chosen from the Missouri State Fair MO 50 Competition.
Jessica (Fabian) Tanz ‘98 graduated from Saint Louis University in 2009 with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. In November 2010, the family welcomed daughter, Shaely, who joined brothers, Braden and Ryeland.
Christopher Carlton ’99 was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserves in January 2011. He received a Master in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota in May 2011
Vance Pawielski ‘99, communication coordinator for the Air force ROTC program at Southeast Missouri State University, has won Air Force ROTC Northwest Region’s Air Force’s ROTC Civilian of the Year Award. To win the top honor, Vance competed with civilians from other detachments at 36 universities. He manages one of the largest geographically separated units in the Headquarters ROTC Northwest Region. He travels to college fairs and visits high schools throughout the southeast Missouri area representing Air Force ROTC and Southeast. Vance was selected for this award for his accomplishments in the areas of exceptional management of the Air Force ROTC department at Southeast. Additionally, he played an instrumental role in Detachment 205 receiving an Excellent Rating during the unit’s compliance inspection conducted by Headquarters Air Force ROTC. Vance, a Parma, Mo., native, served 20 years in the Air Force and is a Vietnam era and Gulf War veteran.
Andrew Halter ‘00 has been promoted to vice president of development and membership of the Indiana Historical Society.
Matthew Yount ‘01 was awarded the College of Liberal Arts 2011 Honors Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Creative Activity at Southeast Missouri State University.
Ronald Heinz ‘02 and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed the birth of their first child, Natalie Elizabeth, on July 19, 2011.
Jennifer Janet ‘02 and her husband Nicholas welcomed the birth of their first son, Samuel John, on July 22, 2011.
Brian Kohlberg ‘02 and his wife Emily welcomed the birth of their first child, Aubriana Rose, on March 22, 2011.
Jennifer (Pritchett) Uding ’02 teaches gifted students in the Rockwood School District in the St. Louis area. She and husband Shane have three children.
Darcy (Rigdon) Uzoaru ‘02 and her husband Joseph Uzoaru ’10 welcomed their first child, Jadie Ann, on Dec. 2, 2010.
Jeremy Wells ‘02 recently accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor in Roger Williams University’s graduate program in historic preservation.
Emily (Schoemehl) Beck ‘03 and her husband have relocated from St. Louis, Mo., to Houston, Texas.
Lacey (Marshall) Bommarito ’03 and Thomas Tab Bommarito, Jr. were married on June 17, 2011, and are residing in Yuma, Ariz. Lacey is a contract worker for the law firm of Brown & Crouppen in St. Louis, Mo.
Bert Fulk ‘03 and his wife Sara (Shemeld) Fulk ‘03 reside in Chesterfield, Mo. Bert is an attorney with the Brockmeyer Law Office in St. Charles, Mo., specializing in criminal defense.
Nathan Pinter ‘03 was recently certified as a K9 handler for the Washington Police Department in Washington, Mo.
Nicholas Risch ’03 lives in Washington, Mo., with his wife Nicole and his two children. He is the CFO of DMR Events, Inc. and also serves as a lieutenant with the Washington Fire Department.
Brice Sechrest ‘03 is now a partner with the law firm of Williams and Sechrest, P.C. in Park Hills, Mo.
Lucy Thurston ‘03 and Douglas M. Towler welcomed the birth of their daughter, Lucy Austyn Scout Towler, on March 11, 2011. Lucy is a spectroscopy chemist for the research division of Marathon Petroleum.
Angela Underwood-Olson ‘03 is an instructor and program chair at Sanford- Brown College (SBC) in St. Peters, Mo. She was named Educator of the Year for Career Education Corporation in the Academic Leadership category. Angela was chosen from finalists in 95 schools based on her ability to demonstrate leadership beyond the classroom through significant contributions to committee work.
Julie Ahal ‘04 and Keith Loveless were married on July 29, 2011, and reside in St. Louis, Mo.
Sarah (Waggoner) Grisham ’04 graduated in May 2011 with a Master of Arts in secondary education – educational technology and married Thomas Grisham on Aug. 6, 2011.
Erin (Corkery) Risk ‘04 is currently working at Maritz in the loyalty and motivation department. She is enjoying being married to Jacob “Jake” Risk ‘05, and training for a half marathon in October.
Gavan Day ’05, with the help of his international experience in Germany gained through Southeast, was recently promoted to vice president of Talent Acquisition Europe. He is relocating in September 2011 to Amsterdam for one year and will be focused on growing the company’s Amsterdam, London and Frankfort offices as well as open a new office in Paris. Gavan thanks Dr. Peter Gordon, Colleen Burke Harmeling and Stephanie Robinson for convincing him to attend the classes in Schmalkalden, Germany!
Jeffrey Gross ‘05 and his wife Kristen (Hinkl) Gross ’05 became the proud parents of their first child, Adilyn Kristine, Feb. 25, 2011.
LeShae (Simmons) Hann ’05, ’10 and her husband Jamie announce the arrival of their first child, Jonah Daniel. LeShae is a preschool teacher at St. Denis Catholic School in Benton, Mo.
Lara (Reno) Knowlan ‘05 welcomed the birth of her son, Chase Allen, on May 6, 2011 in El Paso, Texas.
Mardy Leathers ‘05 was elected in November 2010 as clerk of Crawford County, Mo., and took office on Jan. 1, 2011. As county clerk, Mardy serves as chief operating officer, chief budget officer and local election authority for Crawford County, which is a third class county with a population of 24,696. Mardy is also chairman of the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board, which oversees economic development matters within the region. In 2009, Mardy founded Cuba Development Group, a 501(c)(3) economic development organization that serves Cuba, Mo., and Crawford County. He is also the founding principal of Innovative Client Services, a private business advisory firm. Mardy resides in Cuba with his wife Amanda and son, Preston.
Alissa Murphy ‘05 has been teaching English in South Korea for the past two years. She currently teaches at an allboys’ high school in the city of Pohang and loves it! Alissa feels this has been a remarkable experience and hopes to continue teaching English in other countries once she leaves Korea.
Kristin (House) Pender ‘05 is in the Master of Arts program at Southeast Missouri State University and will graduate with her school counseling degree in December 2011. She currently works for Cape Girardeau Public Schools as the school counselor for the Alternative Education Center.
Lindsay (Smith) Boggio ‘06 and John Boggio ‘06 were married on July 27, 2007, after meeting their freshman year at Southeast. John completed his MBA at Maryville University and works as a systems analyst at The Boeing Company. Lindsay completed her MSOT at Washington University School of Medicine and is an occupational therapist at Belleville Memorial Hospital. They reside in Columbia, Ill.
Tasha (Kelley) Gaddy ‘06 and her husband Daniel Gaddy ‘03 welcomed the birth of their first son, Connor Patrick, on July 27, 2011, in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Krystal (Martin) Hexamer ‘06 and her husband Doug welcomed the birth of their son, Karsen Scott, on June 7, 2011, in Southhaven, Miss.
Erin (Biggs) Laney ‘06 graduated from Goldfarb School of Nursing in October 2010 and is working at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.
Katherine Maher ‘06 has been working at RubinBrown LLP, certified public accountants and consultants based in Clayton, Mo., since graduation. She participated in the work-exchange program in 2009, spending several months living and working in Auckland, New Zealand. In September 2011, she is moving to the company’s newest office in Denver, Colo. Katherine enjoys international travel and spent more than a month backpacking through Europe in 2009 and two weeks backpacking through the Andes to Machu Picchu in 2010.
Amanda Pratt ‘06 has accepted a grant writing position with Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Mo. She completed her Master of Arts in nonprofit administration from Lindenwood University in August 2011.
Jennifer Weggenmann ‘06 began working as an internal auditor for Charter Communications in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 15, 2011.
Jacqueline (Cauthon) Chenault ’07 works for the University of Missouri, Columbia in the physical therapy department. She enjoys her job, her coworkers and life in general! She and her husband reside in Boonville, Mo.
Stacy (Schenk) Moore ‘07 and her husband, T.J. Moore ’06, welcomed thebirth of their second child, Hailey Bell, on May 20, 2011. She has one big brother, Shane Hunter.
Chad Pennington ‘07 graduated with his Master of Arts in linguistics from the University of Colorado – Boulder and with a graduate certificate in cognitive science through the Institute of Cognitive Science. He also received a scholarship to continue his studies in advanced Chinese language and will be moving to Taiwan to study for a year at National Chengchi University in Taipei.
Shandi (Greve) Penrod ‘07 founded Penrod Venture Marketing in 2010 and launched LuckyRatFengShui.com in early 2011, for which she acts as Internet marketing specialist and website manager. Shandi also writes for Squidoo.com.
Aaron Wright ‘07 received his master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He has purchased a home and relocated to Wentzville, Mo.
Edward Beckmann ’08 and Jennifer (Leise) Beckmann ’09 were married in June 2011. He is a teacher at Hazelwood Central Middle School and is pursuing his master’s degree in education administration at Lindenwood University.
Maria (Landram) Benson ‘08 works for a nonprofit agency, Next Step for Life, which helps adults with disabilities find employment in the competitive job market. She is also working on her master’s degree in counseling at theUniversity of Missouri – St. Louis. Maria and her husband, Brian Benson ’07, were married in December 2010.
Amy Forbeck ‘08 is teaching third grade at St. Mary School in Mt. Vernon, Ill. She also coaches volleyball and is the Student Council advisor.
Cynthia (Folks) Lester ‘08 is the new K-12 vocal music teacher for the Campbell R-II School District.
Jessica Long ‘08 welcomed the birth of her daughter, Caroline Elizabeth, on March 12, 2011. Jessica graduated from the Columbia School of Law in May 2011.
Ian MacKenzie ‘08 and his wife, Maria (Palacios) MacKenzie ‘09, were married on June 4, 2011. Ian is working as a police officer in the St. Louis, Mo., area, and Maria is working as a teacher.
Michael Painton ’08 graduated from Ball State University in spring 2011 with a master’s degree in landscape architecture. He is living in Indianapolis, Ind., and is pursuing a career in landscape architecture/historic preservation.
Kristen (Johnson) Pind ‘08 is working in the classified ads department at the Southeast Missourian newspaper. She also has a monthly column in the online version of the newspaper’s women’s magazine Flourish.
Jodi (Dillon) Rowland ‘08 and her husband Larry Rowland ’04 live in Doniphan, Mo., and recently welcomed the birth of their first child, Lauren. Jodi is teaching at the Southeast Missouri State University – Sikeston Regional Campus, and Larry is a manufacturing engineer at Nordyne.
Nathaniel Saverino ‘08 and Dana (Gordon) Saverino ‘10 were married July 2, 2011 in Belleville, Ill. Dana was recently promoted to director of sales and marketing at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Rachel (Padgett) Smith ‘08 and her husband, Jes, welcomed the birth of their first child, James Edward Smith III (“Jay”) on July 8, 2011. She is currently teaching economics and European history at Herron High School in Indianapolis, Ind. Rachel also recently completed the Key Teachers in Economics Education program through Indiana’s Center for Economic Education.
Elise (Wright) Allen ‘09 and JeroAllen ‘09 were married June 11, 2011 at Chaumette Winery in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The couple met working as resident assistants together during their junior year at Southeast.
Laura Buchheit ‘09 is an elementary special education teacher with Perry County School District No. 32 in Missouri.
Timothy Burkard ‘09 is a teacher at Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis County.
E.J. Foreman III ’09 is the director of membership growth for Pi Kappa Alpha.
Jessica Ladd ’09 loves her job as the catering and special events coordinator for Wild Flower, located in the Central West End in St. Louis, Mo. She plans wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and holiday and birthday parties. Every day offers new experiences and the chance to meet so many new people.
Hannah Lester ‘09 loves her job at Bernie R-XIII School District and has met some great students and wonderful teachers! She recently obtained her certification as a library/media specialist and is currently studying for the high school English Praxis test.
Leslie McNeely ‘09 married Clayton Schermann on Dec. 31, 2011, and is pursuing a Master of Nursing Degree in nurse anesthesia at LSU Heath Sciences Center in New Orleans, La.
Erica (Wolffer) Murphy ‘09 and Daniel Murphy II ’09 were married on May 28, 2011.
Derek Ward ‘09 teaches physical science at Sikeston High School and serves as the Student Council sponsor. Derek is also working on his Master of Science in school administration.
Jessica Aubuchon ’10 loves her job as the director of special events at Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier in St. Louis, Mo. She hosts events that range from chocolate and wine pairings to corporate meetings.
Rebecca (Hatlelid) Boester ’10 married Ralph Boester ‘06 in June 2011, and they now have a beautiful German Shepard named Luschka.
Elizabeth Dunbar ‘10 married Matthew Turner ‘09 on November 20, 2010. Matthew manages the graduate writing center at Saint Louis University while working on his Ph.D. in English literature. Elizabeth is a graduate assistant in the Lindenwood University Fashion Design Department and is working towards her MFA in fashion design.
Brett Maikowski ‘10 is now working in the NFL for the Houston Texans, after leaving his former position with the NBA San Antonio Spurs last season.
Amanda Marchegiani ‘10 is the communication specialist at The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce in Scranton, Pa.
Timothy Nowak ‘10 works as a relocation consultant in Denver, Colo., and he would love to network with other Southeast graduates in the area.
Tatianna (Cwick) Parham ‘10 married Josh Parham ‘07 (former Southeast baseball player) in October 2010. Tatianna is the head coach of the Southeast Missouri State University Sundancers and has recently opened a freelance graphic design business, Parwick Designs.
Jason Welker ‘10 is a sales engineer for Keyence America and sells factory automation technology to manufacturers throughout eastern Tennessee.
Joshua Pritchard ’11 coaches defense at Oblong High School in Oblong, Ill., and is one of the youngest varsity football coordinators in the state of Illinois.
After having attended Southeast 54 years ago, Liz Saalfeld ‘10 recently received a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry. Liz and her husband Fred Saalfeld ‘57 reside in Springfield, Va.
Cory Simonavice ‘11 is working on his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in Cincinnati, Ohio.
