ALUMN I NOTES
50s 60s
Matt Landry ’62, of Colleyville, received the 2008 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Admiral Luis de Florez Flight Safety Award in August. The award is given annually for outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research and development. Landry is the principal engineer for modeling, simulation and labs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.
70s
Paul Borella ’72, of Norwalk, Conn., recently celebrated 25 years of teaching at Trinity Catholic High School. The graduating class of 2008 dedicated the yearbook to him. Borella also serves as board chair of the Fairfield County Federal Credit Union. Janice Swope ’73, of Pflugerville, is beginning her 34th year teaching health and physical education at Pflugerville Elementary School. She was recently elected Region 3 chair-elect for the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Joe Goldblatt ’75, of Edinburgh, Scotland, has been inducted into the hall of fame of the International Festivals and Events Association.
80s
Nick (Lewis) Dayton ’80, recently left the pharmaceutical industry and joined Turtle Wax Inc. as vice president of global value and business excellence. He and his wife, Marcia, and daughters Alexandra and Isabelle live in Lake Forest, Ill. Robert Lindemann ’82, of Thorndale, has been named interim superintendent of schools for Thorndale Independent School District. He is also the business manager for Thorndale ISD, a position he has held for 12 years.
Fast Boat to China Richard Lee Buangan ’97
— Stacia Hernstrom MLA ’05
Courtesy of Richard Lee Buangan ’97
Stephen T. Lee ’52, of South Bend, Ind., is in his sixth year teaching world history at Penn High School in Mishawaka. He’s taught since 1952 and just turned 86.
Richard Lee Buangan ’97, put his diplomatic skills to work at the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Richard Lee Buangan ’97 became deputy press spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in July. But he recently traded his diplomatic passport and suit for an apron and cutting board to intern at a Chinese culinary academy and local restaurant. The temporary career change was part of a full-time, two-year Mandarin Chinese language course Buangan completed so he could better communicate with Chinese officials and reporters. The knowledge boost came just in time — he spent 15-hour days briefing the media and hosting dignitaries at the Summer Olympics. Here, he talks with St. Edward’s University Magazine about life in Beijing. How did you get into public service? I’ve been in the U.S. Foreign Service already for 10 years. I joined right after graduating from St. Edward’s with a BA in Political Science. Being in Beijing is part of the job rotation that moves us to new countries every two to three years. It’s definitely an exciting opportunity to work in one of the world’s fastestgrowing economies. Describe your typical workday. I read a lot of newspapers and try to keep track of what’s being reported on TV. Throughout the day I respond to calls from Chinese and Western journalists on the U.S. government’s reaction to things that happen in China. I brief the ambassador daily on news coming out of the U.S. and Chinese media. How do you see U.S.-China relations? The U.S.-China relationship is probably one of the most important and multifaceted bilateral relationships we have in the world today. Any tales to share about cultural differences? I don’t have any funny stories, but I do have a lesson about trying to tell a funny story in a foreign language: Don’t!
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