From The Sites:

SHU—Battle Creek

1995
Tom Martin recently was credited in helping to save the life of an 11-year-old boy due to his autism safety training. Martin, the chief of the South Haven (Mich.) Police Department, received a call about an autistic boy who walked away from his home. Due to his training, he suggested that police check the shore line, since those with autism are drawn to water. Police found the boy on the end of a pier and safely returned him home to his parents. Martin is currently planning additional autism safety training for his entire force.

2003
Sara Morgan Clark is employed as a 911 dispatcher, group leader and CTO with the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Department of Public Safety. She resides in Portage, Mich.

SHU—Lansing

2005
Chad Tackett was named the chief of the Texas Township (Mich.) Fire Department in September 2014. He has 13 years of experience working for the Michigan State Police’s Emergency Management Homeland Security Training Center and was the former chief of the Otsego (Mich.) Fire Department.

2014
Nick Kogut recently accepted a position with the Ingham County Child Protective Services.

SHU—Monroe

1998
Margie Roggelin was named constituent relations director for Michigan State Sen. Ken Horn (R) of the 32nd District. The Monroe, Mich., native formerly worked for State Sen. Randy Richardville for eight years. In her new position, which started in January 2015, she will work directly with constituents and oversee district outreach.

SHU—Online

2011
Vellore Kumar is employed as a radiology supervisor in the MRI/nuclear medicine department for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. He resides in White River Junction, Vt.

SHU—Southfield

2005
Sean Huddleston was named the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Framingham St. University (Mass.) in January 2015. He previously was employed as the assistant vice president for strategic inclusion and equity at Grand Valley St. University.

2011
Holly Siemens is currently teaching a clinic lecture course for the dental hygiene program at Washtenaw Community College.

Main Campus:

1962
Sister Linda Slakey, OP, was named as a new member of the Westfield St. (Mass.) University Board of Trustees in October 2014. Dr. Slakey serves as senior advisor for the Association of American Universities’ STEM Initiative and as senior fellow for Project Kaleidoscope/Association of American Colleges & Universities. She was first appointed to the faculty of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1973. Her scientific work on lipid metabolism and vascular biology was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Slakey also served at the National Science Foundation from 2006-11.

1976
Jerry Edgar recently celebrated 25 years as co-owner of Café Degas, a restaurant featuring French cuisine in New Orleans, La. He also recently helped author the restaurant’s first cookbook.

John Warner is employed as a senior lab technician/model maker for DFM Functional Materials in Elgin, Ill. He said he is still working on the development of 3D printing as well as the advancement of additive manufacturing. “These processes will have an incredible impact on how we manufacture everything in our lives as well as a profound impact in medical applications that are now making a difference in dental, orthopedic and pediatric care,” he said. He and his wife, Barbara ’78, were recently blessed with their first grandson, Jake Allen.

1977
Kenneth Thompson and SHU art faculty member Natalie Lanese had art pieces featured (right) in the 95th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art in November 2014 (right). Thompson submitted a portfolio featuring two five-piece sculture series. He is the owner of Flatlanders Art Gallery and Studio in Blissfield, Mich. For her submission, Lanese painted a 14-by-10 foot wall featuring geometric figures in fluorescent colors. They were two of 28 artists in the show.

1980
Allan Rodewald was featured in The Woodlands Lifestyles and Homes Magazine in January 2015 for his distinguished career as an expressive abstract artist.

1985
Bruce Lee was named the president of Heartland Financial USA in January 2015. He has more than 30 years in the banking industry, including 12 years at Fifth Third Bank, where he served as executive vice president and chief credit officer. His new duties will include oversight of a number of customer-facing business units.

Gregg Milligan has had his first book, “A Beautiful World,” translated from English to Thai and will be made available in June 2015. In addition, due to his work in the field of abuse prevention/treatment and human trafficking, Milligan was the first American honored with the Southeast Asia’s Best of Piety Award. The award recognizes individuals who have shown respect for humanity in the face of adversity. He is currently employed as a chief strategy officer/IT director for PimWo Intertrade Partnership in Bangkok, Thailand.

1986
Dr. Henry Naddaf was inducted as the 157th president of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County in January 2015 at their annual meeting.

1988
Mohamed Darwish Al Khouri is currently the executive director for internal equities for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in the United Arab Emirates.

1992
Anthony Racka received the 2014 Keith A. Pretty Distinguished Online Faculty Member of the Year Award from the Alliance for Excellence in Online Education. This award was presented during the Alliance’s 12th annual Symposium Nov. 14 at Oakland University. Racka received this year’s award for his innovative use of technology to develop and facilitate online courses, serving as an online faculty role model and mentor for colleagues who teach in the virtual classroom. He teaches at SHU’s Southfield location and also instructs full-time at Oakland Community College. Racka also is an instructor of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

1993
Tina DiGiorgio Forsythe was named the principal of St. Paul on the Lake Catholic School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. in the fall 2014. She was formerly the fifth-grade teacher and assistant principal at St. Paul and was the former principal at St. Mary Catholic School in Mount Clemens, Mich.

Leslie Love was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2014. She represents the 10th District, which serves a portion of northwest Detroit and Redford Township. Previously, she was an adjunct professor for Wayne County Community College and Marygrove College, as well as a community activist. She also is a former SHU Alumni Association board member.

1996
Terri Hamad MA was named the corporate director of housing of The Cedars of Dexter and Rivertown Assisted Living in January 2015. She has more than 20 years of experience in working with senior programming, strategic planning and long-term care options. She previously served as the director of Monroe County Commission on Aging before becoming the Michigan director/patient advocate for Friends of the Family Home Health Care, LLC in Monroe.

Michael Lueck was named a new partner in the KPMG Detroit office. Lueck joined KPMG from a senior attorney position at the IRS chief counsel’s office, where he had national roles for income tax accounting for inventories. Upon joining KPMG, he led the Tax Controversy Services practice in the Mid-America business unit and then transferred to Washington to lead the firm’s inventory practice.

1999
Lloyd Eddy had his artwork featured at the Lake Superior St. University Arts Center gallery last winter. Eddy was hired full-time by LSSU as an assistant professor of arts and humanities in fall 2014. The practicing artist has been exhibiting nationally and teaching college art courses for almost 12 years.

2002
Amanda Gildea Kakoczki was recently promoted to accounting manager for the CSM Group, a construction management company. She is responsible for project cost accounting, payroll and high-level financial analysis. She will help CSM’s CFO with overhead and margin measurement, budgeting and profitability models and manage the firm’s accounting coordinators.

2006
Sarah Mellon Kowalski was named as the veteran resource representative for the Veterans Resource Center at Michigan State University in February 2015. According to the university, Mellon will assist service members, veterans, their spouses and dependents with information and resources necessary to meet their academic, professional and personal goals. She will also provide them with networking opportunities with local, state and federal agencies/activities. In addition, she’ll refer veterans to health services through VA medical centers and coordinate service provision with campus admissions, as well as activities with the Student Veterans of America.

2007
Laura Panozzo ’10/MA was promoted to assistant director of Admissions at the University of Baltimore (Md.) School of Law in October 2014.

2008
Sarah Beaubien joined the Gallagher Sharp law firm, as an associate in February 2015. She represents businesses, insurance companies and individuals in a wide variety of civil litigation in the Toledo office. Her experience includes general liability, insurance coverage issues, and bad faith litigation. She received her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2011.

2009
Jennifer Forrest Kavan completed training to become a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) through the Nutritional Therapy Association. She is employed as a project applications analyst with Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. She resides in Bismarck, N.D.

2010
Mary Szczepanski Balliet works as a human resources coordinator with Benchmark Hospitality in Orlando, Fla.

2011
Kimberly VanCamp Blaska is employed as an finance manager with the Lenawee United Way. She lives in Tecumseh, Mich.

Andrew Fork and his wife, Jennifer, announced the birth of a daughter, Ellianna Mai, Oct. 3, 2014 . She weighed 7 lbs., 13 oz. and was 21 inches in length. Andrew is currently teaching fifth grade math and science. They live in Cypress, Texas.

2012
Kara Prielipp works as a technology specialist/librarian with the Way Public Library in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Rashontae Wawrzyniak was crowned Miss Michigan USA during the pageant in October 2014 in Port Huron, Mich (right). She was runner-up at last year’s pageant, and will represent Michigan at the 2015 Miss USA pageant later this year. The psychology major also has a career in modeling and working as a spokesmodel for the Chrysler Corp.

2013
Raymond Carney was in the process of pursing his Olympic career through his upcoming powerlifting and hammer throw season before departing for the Army in May 2015. Throughout this time, he worked to compete with the Army as a thrower/powerlifter so that he may be ready for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

James Hughes graduated from the 127th Michigan State Police trooper recruit school on Oct. 31, 2014. He has been assigned to the Metro Post in Oak Park, Mich.

David Kallsen MA is employed as an assistant project leader at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio.

Tim Ruple and his wife, Stephanie, announced the birth of their son, Connor, on Jan. 27, 2015. Tim is employed as a social worker for the Lenawee County Mission in Adrian. The family resides in Adrian.

Deaths

Alumni

Sister Jean Agnes Klemm, OP ’44
Sister Jane Schutz, OP ’45
Sister Paul Therese Kraus, OP ’47
Sister Agnes Stechschulte, OP ’47
Evelyn Capoun ’48
Sister Lucian Dusseau, OP ’50
Sister Marilyn Foster, OP ’51
Sister Therese Groulx, OP ’51
Sister Joan Loeffler, OP ’51
Sister Kathleen Scanlon, OP ’51
Sister Mary Golden, OP ’52
Sister Geraldine McNamara, OP ’52
Sister Dolores Dolan, OP ’54
Sister Dolores LaVoy, OP ’54
Sister Eileen Souva, OP, ’54
Sister Margaret Dirkes, OP ’55
Sister Patricia Hurley, OP ’55
Sister Madeline Dervin, OP ’57
Sister Ann Benedict Williams, OP ’58
Sister Louise Borgacz, OP ’59
Sister Nancy Fischer, OP ’60
Helen Morrissey ’65
Sister Susan Ouwerkerk, OP ’67
Sister Jean Joseph Hughes, OP ’68
Sister Catherine Kenny, OP ’68
Sister Helen Faiver, OP ’69
Sister Anne Herringer, OP ’69
Christy Wilt ’99
Holly Migliazzo ’01
David Schlaak ’10

Friends

Dr. George Eppley—former Graduate College director.
Carleton Griffin—former Board of Trustee member.
Father Louie Komorowski, OSFS— former college chaplain.

Obituaries

Sister Jean Agnes Klemm, OP, ’44, who taught in Studio Angelico for 22 years starting in 1968, died Jan. 15, 2015. Sister Jean Agnes led the art program’s semester trip to Italy. As an artist, she was especially known for her photography and weaving. She received the St. Dominic Award in the spring of 1999 and had an exhibition of her fiber work and photography in Dominican Hall as part of the celebration.

Sister Jean Joseph Hughes, OP, ’68, who was the 2013 St. Dominic Award winner, died Jan. 15, 2015. Sister Jean was a powerful advocate for justice. She did work with the poor in the Dominican Republic, served as principal of Aquinas High School in Chicago, and spent many years working with formerly incarcerated men and women, helping them transition back into community life. She was a lively and outspoken woman with a great sense of humor.