1950s
Roland Jackal ’56 of Waterford Township, Mich., showed off his CPS baseball letter at his 95th birthday celebration.
1970s
Edward Horne Jr. ’70 was recognized on the Military Honor Wall at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on May 18. As a Logger, Horne was a founding member of the Black Student Union, played on the varsity basketball team and in the concert band, and enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program. After graduation, he spent six years on active duty in the Air Force and later joined the reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1993. His 44-year aviation career included time as a pilot with Japan Airlines, where he was the first Black pilot hired by the company and was the first non-Japanese first officer to be promoted to captain.
Karen S. Robbins MEd ’71 has published the second edition of her book Shoe Print Art, which was illustrated by Sally Raymond Marts ’67. The book teaches children 4 and older to draw 55 images from a shoe print shape. Robbins is an award-winning author and publisher of Hide and Seek Press and has devoted her life to educating and entertaining children. Her next children’s picture book, I Love You More Than Candy Pops, will be released soon. In addition to receiving her master’s degree in early childhood education at Puget Sound, Robbins also taught Storytelling/Puppetry and Creative Arts for the Young Child on campus.
Jerry Meyerhoff ’72 was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame in May, recognizing the 45 years he has spent as a football official. He says his love of football started at Puget Sound, where he was a member of Coach Bob Ryan’s football teams from 1967 to 1970. His officiating career started with the Western Washington Football Officials Association in Tacoma, where he officiated high school games as well as playoffs and state championship final games. He progressed to officiating NAIA Division III and II games and, in 1999, he joined the PAC-10 Conference. Meyerhoff worked many national games, including Ohio State vs. Georgia in the Peach Bowl and other bowl games. Since retiring from working on the field, he has been serving as a replay official. He and his wife, Donna K. Bogue Meyerhoff ’90, are enjoying their retirement in Arizona.
Mike Veseth ’72, professor emeritus of international political economy at Puget Sound and an authority on globalization and the global wine market, was quoted in an August New York Times article discussing factors that contribute to the price gap between European and Californian wines. Veseth is editor of a popular blog, “The Wine Economist,” and the author of many books, including Wine Wars; Extreme Wine; Money, Taste and Wine: It’s Complicated; and Around the World in 80 Wines.
Thomas Payn ’74, MBA’80 and his wife, Deborah Coats Payn ’75, are both retired and have moved to Boise, Idaho.
Alexandra Gressitt ’75 (at right in photo) won the George C. Marshall Award at the Leesburg (Va.) Business Awards in May. The award honors exemplary commitment to community above and beyond business contributions, to include leadership, vision, and community service. Gressitt was recognized for her 20 years of transformational leadership at the Thomas Balch Library. Gressitt, who earned a bachelor’s degree in European history and retired as library director June 30, said: “To have been nominated for the George C. Marshall Award was an honor in and of itself. To receive it is profoundly humbling. ...There could be no more meaningful capstone to a career in history.”
Tom McCarter ’75 tells us his property was the winner of the 2024 WaterSmart Landscape Contest organized by the Vista (Calif.) Irrigation District. By entering the WaterSmart Landscape Contest, he helped others with ideas and guidance on how to reduce their own outdoor water use by installing attractive and efficient water-wise landscaping. McCarter, who majored in urban studies at Puget Sound, is retired.
Mark S. Lyon ’77, JD’81 retired from the Washington Attorney General’s office in December 2021. In March 2024, he was appointed chair of the Washington Public Employment Relations Commission, which administers Washington’s public employee bargaining laws.
Jim Mallory ’77 retired in April 2024 after working 42 years, eight months, and 10 days at the same company, which was founded by his uncle. Six days after retiring, he went on a two-week cruise across the Atlantic and then spent two weeks traveling in Spain and Portugal. He says he is looking forward to visiting with some Sigma Nu brothers in Seattle and Palm Springs in the next few months.
Mark DiConti ’79 is the campus pastor at Eastern Washington University for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – University ministries. He enjoys talking with students at the Student Union Building and teaches a Christianity 101 class where he serves a free lunch to participants. He writes: “Faculty and staff have expressed gratitude for the ministry presence of LCMS-U on campus, as it endeavors to bolster traditional historic Christian values, morals, and ethics in an otherwise unstable, unpredictable environment.”
1980s
For the second time, Ronda Thoreson Henry ’81, P’08, P’09 qualified to compete at the CrossFit Games over the Labor Day weekend. She qualified 11th out of 20 in the worldwide competition and was scheduled to compete in the 65+ division. She tells us: “Because I am a breast cancer survivor, I feel honored to qualify and compete.”
Jennifer Cramer-Miller ’87 continues to rake in awards for her book, Incurable Optimist. The book, which was featured in the Autumn 2023 issue of Arches, received a gold IPPY Award for Best Adult Personal Non-Fiction, for the e-book. In addition, it received two 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards—one in the memoirs (personal struggle/health issues) category, and one in the best cover design category.
In June, Nathan Galbreath ’88 was named director for the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO). In this position, he is the department’s expert for prevention and response programs and their relationship to behavioral health, forensic science, criminal investigation, and sex offender assessment and treatment. Galbreath holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a Master of Forensic Science from George Washington University. He has testified on behalf of the Department of Defense before Congress, the Human Rights Commission, and several federal advisory committees supporting the department’s progress on countering sexual assault in the military.
1990s
In April 2024, after six years of working at JWC Environmental in Santa Ana, Calif., Scott Bennett ’01 took on the role of general manager at Endress+Hauser Liquid Analysis, overseeing its facility in Anaheim, Calif. The facility produces pH sensors and instruments, as well as optical photometers. The move marks a full circle in Bennett’s career, bringing him back to the industry where he first started in management with Rosemount Analytical. As he reunites with some former Rosemount colleagues at Endress+Hauser, Bennett says he is set to apply his leadership skills to guide the facility’s operations and contribute to its growth.
Paul Weigel ’91 has been making the rounds in the media, including an interview on ABC News, to discuss his new book, Iron Dad: A Cancer Survivor’s Story of Discovering Strength, Life, and Love Through Fatherhood. Weigel has been working to increase awareness in support of the fight against colorectal cancer since his diagnosis in 2013. He went through radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy while training for Ironman Whistler and is now a six-time Ironman triathlete. Weigel has also launched the podcast Gut Check, which focuses on the power of perseverance while clinging to the joy in life, whatever the odds.
Identified, a new podcast by Nabil Ayers ’93, went live June 13. The podcast lets listeners dive into the intricate world of family and identity as Nabil explores his mixed-race heritage, his distant relationship with his father, jazz legend Roy Ayers, and the universal quest for family connections. Each episode features heartfelt conversations on cultural histories, nontraditional childhoods, and the bonds that shape us. Ayers shares personal stories tackling loss, grief, and the ties that define family, and through these narratives, seeks to answer the question of what is family? Ayers draws from his 2022 memoir, My Life in the Sunshine (which was featured in the spring 2022 issue of Arches), as well as his experiences with distant relatives and newfound connections in this podcast.
Krista Messmore Johnson ’93 has been appointed to the board of directors for the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the nonprofit committed to accelerating Pennsylvania’s economy. Johnson is the U.S. president at Johnson Matthey, a British multinational specialty chemicals and sustainable technologies company headquartered in London.
Catherine Speraw Dorvil ’96 was selected as one of the Chattanooga Bar Foundation Fellows in May. She is a shareholder and member of the litigation and health care sections at Chambliss, Bahner, and Stophel in Chattanooga, Tenn. She prides herself on advocacy in health care and commercial law throughout the U.S. Outside of her legal practice, Dorvil serves on the board of directors for Skyuka Hall, the Chambliss Center for Children, and the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti. She also participates in various community organizations, such as the Chattanooga Community Kitchen and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
A new book by Alexander Hutchison ’96 hit the shelves in March. In Defense of Doping: Reassessing the Level Playing Field explores the relationship between doping and sports, outlines how the current model of doping control isn’t sustainable, and offers an alternative pathway forward. Hutchison is a fitness and wellness expert in Dallas who works for Wiley Publishing as the editor-in-chief of the journal Current Protocols. He and his family go on runs every Sunday and finished the Houston Half-Marathon together in 2020 in 2:55:54.
Jeremy Soine ’96, the CEO of Face Reality Skincare since 2020, was featured in a June 14 article in the San Francisco Business Times where he discussed people, growth, and culture. In the article, he says, “For me, maintaining a strong culture starts with regular conversations about people. Every week during our leadership team meeting, we probably spend half of our time together asking how our people are doing. How can we help and support them? How can we knock down barriers that are preventing them from succeeding? …I recognize that our people will follow my lead, so how I model our cultural norms and values really matters.” The culture-driven approach has driven business results: Face Reality has grown rapidly since 2020 and received a majority investment from private equity company Norwest Venture Partners in 2022. During his career, Soine has worked in sales, marketing, finance, and operations, and he attributes much of his success to the education he received at Puget Sound.
In July, Orlena Yeung ’98, the chief brand officer for Chewy, was listed as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Florida for 2024 by the organization Women We Admire. Yeung leads an organization of more than 200 pet lovers, marketers, creatives, and media planners at the largest pet retailer in the United States. She has more than 20 years of experience working in diverse industries, including Xbox, CBS Interactive, and Capital One.
2000s
Calla Ostrander ’05, a co-founder of Terra Regenerative Capital, spoke on a panel for The Economist at the fourth annual Sustainability Week US in June in New York. The panel was titled “Climate Change and Regenerative Agriculture: How carbon farming and carbon ranching can help stabilize the climate,” and the speakers discussed how carbon farming techniques, which support and enhance nature’s technologies of photosynthesis and soil building, can be more profitable than conventional agricultural practices that deplete soil and rely on synthetic and chemical additives. The panel focused on how carbon farming, with its ability to create healthy soil, may be crucial in stabilizing the climate and increasing profits in the agricultural sector. After nine years of working in climate action planning, Ostrander has spent the past 13 years working to support the advancement of climate-beneficial agriculture and compost production throughout the United States.
In June, Misty Schreppel ’05 started a new position as chief of protocol to the U.S. National Military Representative at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). SHAPE is the military headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Operations that commands all NATO operations worldwide, located in the village of Casteau, near Mons, Belgium.
Andrew Strobel ‘05, the director of planning and land use for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, led a team who won the Planning Ahead VISION 2050 Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for the development of the Puyallup Tribe’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan in June. The plan is a resource for understanding the Tribe’s history, existing conditions, and vision for the future. The actions in the plan will help to make that vision a reality and will further overall coordination between the Tribe and surrounding governments.
Esther Morgan-Ellis ’06 was promoted to professor of music history at the University of North Georgia, where she has worked since 2013. She recently edited two books, Navigating Stylistic Boundaries in the Music History Classroom: Crossover, Exchange, Appropriation, published by Routledge, and The Oxford Handbook of Community Singing, published by Oxford University Press and co-edited with Kay Norton. Both were published in the spring of 2024.
Jessica Bruce ’08 and her team at Ipsos, in partnership with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, recently conducted a global study using their Global Advisor platform, exploring public attitudes toward refugees for World Refugee Day 2024. The team has been conducting this research annually since 2017. The findings suggest strong global support for offering refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, with almost three out of four people surveyed expressing support. The study also highlights a desire among many to find solutions that support refugee integration and ensure their access to fundamental rights such as education, health care, and employment.
2010s
Michael Toymil ’10 and Jacquelyn Hughes ’13 were married at Cascade Head, Ore., on May 11, 2024. Both were in Adelphians as undergraduates.
Ali Hoover ’13 was one of the contributors to a new book published this year titled Change Is Possible: Reflections on the History of Global Health. In the book, epidemiologist William H. Foege and five coauthors chronicle the failures and successes of global health through the modern age, including the impacts of colonialism, religious groups, philanthropies, politics, and NGOs. The book explores additional topics such as the legacy of colonialism in global health, early philanthropy versus new philanthropy, and how to promote positive change. It also shares lessons from the campaign against smallpox—a disease that lead author Foege helped eradicate—and how these historical lessons can be applied in global health work today.
Allie Jones Wulff ’13, ’17 and Collin Wulff ’12 welcomed baby Felix this past fall. Coordinating this Logger gear pic before Felix sized out of this onesie was tricky in a sleep deprived state, they say, but “Hack hack chop chop—we did it.”
Ellie Freeman Strömmer ’14, who completed a Master of Public Health degree in 2018 at Oregon Health and Science University, is working on a Ph.D. at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. While at Puget Sound, Strömmer was involved in Passages, theater productions, and Ubiquitous They.
Bailey Brady ’15 earned her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene. She was recognized at the Architecture Department ceremony with a Housing Innovation Award and will be joining Wiss, Janney, Elstner, and Associates in the Bay Area.
Advit Raghavan ’17 is a new assistant coach for the Cal State Bakersfield women’s basketball team. He began his coaching career in 2017 as a graduate assistant at Northern Arizona University, where he worked with his former coach at Puget Sound, Loree Payne. In 2019, Raghavan got his first chance as an assistant coach for the Pacific University Boxers in Oregon, where he helped coach the team to a 17-9 record his first year. He went on to work as director of basketball operations at Southern Utah University, where the team went to the first NCAA tournament in program history, before moving to Cal State Northridge in 2023 to work as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator.
Hannah Nichols ’19 and Ilana Hertz ’19 graduated from the University of Denver on June 14, 2024. Nichols received a master’s degree in forensic psychology and Hertz earned a master’s degree in school counseling. They were first-year roommates at Puget Sound and have remained close friends.
2020s
Abby Blair ’21 is moving to Louisiana this fall to pursue a fully funded, fast-track master’s and doctoral program in francophone studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She tells Arches: “I am excited for this new chapter of my life, to continue research, and to see and connect with other Puget Sound professors in future academic conferences!”
Allie Highsmith ’22 graduated in June from National Chengchi University with a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies.
Hong Ta ’23 was one of 10 students and new grads selected in May as part of the 2024 CONNECT: Student Journalism Training Project cohort organized by NLGJA, The Association of LGBTQ Journalists. She and the cohort were slated to cover the association’s national convention in Los Angeles in September, producing journalism, networking with media professionals, receiving feedback on their resumes and career plans, and working with mentors to report, edit, photograph, design, and produce the news of the convention and the host city, while helping to ensure fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ issues at the event. Ta has been a producer-in-residence at KING 5, participated in the KUOW RadioActive program, and is currently a communications coordinator at the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition.