Class Notes

1960s 1990s

Tom Elliott ’60 and Pat (Wood) Elliott ’60, ’74

returned in July 2022 from a 3½-week European journey that included an ocean cruise from Stockholm to Copenhagen and a river cruise around the lagoons and islands of Venice. Over the years, the Elliotts’ commitment to global citizenship has taken them to 76 countries, where they have always sought out opportunities to lift up the Chapman banner. 1

1970s

Genie Bindi Lee ’72 wrote “My World Campus Afloat Adventure” about her Chapman experience studying during a semester at sea, which she says “literally changed my life.” Among many World Campus Afloat experiences, she recalls dining in the Eiffel Tower, having an audience with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican and participating in an archaeological dig at the Palace of Knossos on Crete.

George Sterne ’78 retired in June after more than 150 performances with LA Opera. The tenor performed more often than any other chorus member in the company’s history. “He’s taken the spotlight and taken pratfalls. Now, he’s taking his final bow,” Los Angeles Times reporter Jordan Riefe wrote before Sterne’s final performance in “Aida” on June 12. “I’ll miss the place, miss the people, miss the productions, and I’ll miss the music,” Sterne told Riefe. 2

Carolyn Waters Broe ’79 is the conductor of the Four Seasons Orchestra and principal violist of the Scottsdale Philharmonic, and she holds a doctorate of musical arts from Arizona State University. In addition, she published “Fifty Famous Composers for Kids of All Ages” in June 2021. The book won a Gold Award from the Mom’s Choice Awards. 3

Jason I. Hernandez ’98

defended his dissertation in July 2022 to become a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education. He works as the chief HR officer for Centerstone Healthcare and lives in Memphis with his wife, Nicole Hernandez ’98, and their three children. 4

2000s

Rebecca Kirsch ’05 celebrated the release of the Marvel Studios and Disney+ show “Moon Knight,” for which she is co-executive producer. She is currently working on a new Freeform series set to premiere in fall 2022. 5

(Rebecca Kirsch ’05 with her husband, Paul Sweeney ’05)

Janet Avelar-Cruz ’07

completed the Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce’s nine-month intensive Leadership Lake Havasu program, which includes organizing a community fundraiser. Avelar-Cruz and her class raised $23,000 with their Bands by the Beach event, far exceeding their goal of $6,000. 6

Lindsay Altamirano ’09

opened her own law practice named Alta Legacy Law, APLC in Torrance. It provides services in estate planning, special needs planning, trust administration and probate. 7 1

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2010s

Al Raitt ’10 started a new position in November 2021 as director of event presentation and production for Charlotte FC, an expansion franchise in Major League Soccer. For Raitt, it’s a third chance to join in the launch of an MLS experience, after previous roles with LAFC and Austin FC. He helped Charlotte FC set an MLS attendance record by attracting a crowd of 74,479 for its inaugural home match. 8

Jessica Rabalais ’14 and

Adam Kalawi ’14 celebrated their wedding at Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. They met at an event during Chapman orientation in 2010 and were office assistants for many years. Other Chapman alumni in the wedding party were Bobby Konoske ’14, Blake Levy ’13, Grace Lavery ’14 and Valerie Reid ’16. Rabelais and Kalawi celebrated their honeymoon in Europe. 9

Tansu Philip ‘16 had her comedy TV pilot “Paratha” accepted into the Pitch-A-Thon competition at SeriesFest Denver. The competition includes a Writers Room opportunity with Unreal Media to develop the pilot into a full-season series. 10

Ryan Richards ’16 is an Air Force officer flying C-17 missions. Recently, he was the flight leader of a team flying in support of a trip to Europe by President Biden.

Kerri Kramer (JD ’17) and Scott Kramer celebrated their marriage in La Jolla with many other Chapman family guests. The couple met just before Kerri started law school at Chapman and dated throughout her law school tenure. They enjoyed their honeymoon in French Polynesia. 11

Lily Yasuda ’18 has earned a new position as festival manager at Slamdance, a film festival in Los Angeles. 12

Dominic Milan ’18 has become one of the most successful show producers on Snapchatproducers, reaching 80 million to 100 million views per month. He is also a TikTok creator with more than seven million followers and has worked with Spotify, LG, Discovery and the online Netflix show he hosts. 13

Elaine Oldford ’18 earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine on May 12, 2022. She will be starting her residency training in Internal Medicine at USC this summer. 14

IN MEMORIAM

THE REV. ERNIE O’DONNELL ’52

THE REV. ERNIE O’DONNELL ’52 passed away on May 28, 2022. O’Donnell was born in Pennsylvania before moving to Arizona as a young child to help alleviate the symptoms of asthma. In high school, O’Donnell began attending a Disciples of Christ church, where the minister introduced him to Chapman. O’Donnell earned a full scholarship and ultimately found his calling as a pastor who served a number of church communities, predominately in Arkansas and Texas. In retirement, he and his wife, Judy, became members of University Christian Church as they also visited mission stations all over the world. The O’Donnells have established a legacy gift to support Disciples of Christ Scholarships at Chapman.