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Paul Starner, ’73, runs his own business, Hooked on Success. He offers keynote talks and seminars at conferences and conventions as well as success coaching to individuals and groups. He and his wife, Linda, live with their daughters on Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City from May to December. They live on their boat in the Florida Keys from December to May. Jan Corey Arnett, ’74, has written two books, both published this fall. Common People Uncommon Lives is a collection of short stories about people the Battle Creek resident has met during the 30 years she has worked as a journalist, communications and program evaluation officer at W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and head of her own consulting firm, Coralan Communications. Former Albion College music faculty members Jacqueline Maag and the late David Strickler are among those included in her stories. Common People has been endorsed by authors and radio personalities Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Michael Medved. Her second book, From My Perspective, is a collection of readers’ favorite columns from a decade as a guest columnist for the Battle Creek Enquirer. Arnett’s communications work and photography have garnered awards, including her selection in 1998 as one of 15 from across the nation to attend the Guideposts writers’ workshop in New York. Copies of the books are available at www.jancoreyarnett.com and at the Albion College bookstore. David Baker, ’74, will spend a year at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, Germany, as a Senior Fulbright Scholar. Recipient of a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, he is a professor of sociology and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University. He can be reached at: dbp4@psu.edu.
75-79 Keith and Sue Drengler, both ’75, live in Lindenhurst, IL, and have a son and a daughter. Keith works in the chemical production plant at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, where Sue also works in diagnostic assay development. Leland Holly, ’75, has been named to the board for the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) Educational Foundation. He serves as a senior vice president of human resources for FedEx Ground, formerly RPS Inc. He and his wife, Charlotte, have three children. They live in Wexford, PA. Mike Kota, ’75, is now the general counsel for Cardinal Logistics Management Inc. He lives in Davidson, NC. Paul Walker, ’75, was promoted in May to associate professor of music, full-time status, at the University of Virginia. Since 1992, he had been serving parttime as director of the Early Music Ensemble. He lives in Charlottesville.
Paul Shrode, ’76, just completed 10 years as grand praetor for the WisconsinNorthern Illinois Province of Sigma Chi, responsible for all undergraduate and alumni chapters in the area. He also just completed a term as lieutenant governor for Division 18 of the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District of Kiwanis International. Paul serves as a cantor with his church, sings in the choir, and enjoys playing soccer and gardening. He lives in Appleton, WI.
Susan Lawrence, ’80, is the director of educational activities for The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, a position she has held since July 2001. She has three children and lives in Richland.
Dennis Dahl and Kathryn Hickey Dahl, both ’77, live in Kalamazoo. Dennis left his career as a chiropractor eight years ago to open his own furniture-making shop, Homestead Furniture. Kathy is a teacher at Winchell Elementary. They have two children.
Daniel Skupski, ’80, has accepted the position of director of the newly established Cornell Institute for Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy in New York City. An associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, he specializes in the treatment of fetal problems during pregnancy. He and his wife, Carol, have two sons. They live in Chappaqua, NY.
Philip Garrod, ’77, graduated in May with a master of medical management degree from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. He lives in Flagstaff, AZ. Paul Huth, ’77, practices law in Detroit. His son, Hunter Huth, ’07, is a firstyear student at Albion this year. Eleanor Israel, ’77, is a quality systems manager for Visteon Corp. She and her husband, Alan, recently traveled to Russia for two weeks, visiting St. Petersburg, Moscow and Protvino. They live in Ann Arbor. Craig Weis, ’77, directed the outdoor history/musical/dance production of “Viva El Paso,” an outdoor performance that celebrates the many cultures that have settled in El Paso, TX, over the past 400 years. He continues to work at the University of Texas at El Paso as director of advancement for the College of Liberal Arts. Craig and his partner, Gregory, live in El Paso. Edward Koehs, ’79, is the sales manager for a car dealership in Pahrump, NV. He previously worked in the optical business, training employees for various companies. His son, Kyle, ’04, is an Albion student majoring in music. Ed lives in Pahrump.
80-84 Susan Amos-Metzger, ’80, recently illustrated and booklets to help preschool children define colors and shapes and other necessary items for a start to a rewarding elementary school future. The project was supported by grants from the Binda Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation. She is also employed throughout Calhoun County as an elementary art instructor. Susan and her husband have a farm in Ceresco. They have two sons. Barbara Smith Jang, ’80, is a pastoral counselor at Taejon Christian International School, a K-12 school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. She completed a threeyear term with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Barb and her husband have three children. They live in Taejon, South Korea.
Mark Lewry, ’80, is now president/ CEO of Conwed Plastics, a worldwide manufacturer of netting for consumer and commercial applications. He has moved to Shorewood, MN, after 17 years in Chicago.
Camille Cleveland, ’81, is vice president and general counsel for Entertainment Publications Inc. She lives in Bloomfield Hills. Wayne Toteff and Babe Cath Toteff, both ’81, live in Elk Rapids. Wayne has a financial planning business that has been renamed Wayne A. Toteff & Associates. He recently changed his broker/dealer affiliation to Financial West Group, a subsidiary of UBS Paine Webber. The Toteffs have three children. Joan Vestrand, ’81, a partner in the law firm of Moore, Vestrand & Pozehl, P.C. in Southfield, has been named an associate professor of law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. A specialist in ethics in the practice of law, she now teaches full-time at the law school’s Oakland County campus and is chairperson of the Professional Responsibility Department. Joan is an officer and council member of the Law Practice Management Section of the State Bar of Michigan. She lives in Farmington Hills. Jim and Beth Muir Carlsen, both ’82, are building an indoor sports complex to provide basketball, soccer and baseball facilities for the youth and other residents of Folsom, CA. They live in Folsom. Steve Hartman, ’82, has served as director of bands for Albion Public Schools for 15 years. He and his wife, Tamara, live in Battle Creek with their three children. Byron Konschuh, ’82, received the 2003 Prosecutor of the Year Award from the Michigan Arson Prevention Committee. He received the award for his work on a 1999 Goodland Township murder and arson case. He is the prosecuting attorney for Lapeer County and lives in Lapeer. Melissa Bichl Sturgis, ’82, has relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with her husband, Doug, and their two children. She is an active volunteer with the Exxon Mobil women’s association
and the American Association of Malaysia. She is also a regular volunteer for the theatre department at the International School of Kuala Lumpur. Pamela Collins Woodroffe, ’83, recently moved to Bermuda, where she started CC Consulting Bermuda Ltd., a management consulting firm focusing on the Bermuda insurance industry. She is also president and founder of Michigan-based Collins Consulting, which provides management consulting services to insurance and health care organizations within the United States. Pamela and her husband, Michael, have two children. She can be reached at pwoodroffe@collinsconsult.com.
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Ray Blessman, ’84, received the “Angel Award” from My Friends Care, a nonprofit organization helping those in need of a bone marrow transplant, at its annual meeting. He was recognized for 10 years of service to the organization, including his contributions while serving as chair of the group. Also attending the meeting was Dave Durkee, ’84. Ray lives in Royal Oak. Ralph and Sheryl Voight Costanzo, both ’84, have moved to Billings, MT, where Ralph has accepted a position with an orthopaedic surgery group. He will continue to specialize in hand and upper extremity surgery. They can be reached by e-mail at: mdrmc@comcast.net.
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Timothy Docking, ’88, an African affairs specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace, has been named a 2003-04 White House Fellow. During his fellowship, which began Sept. 1, he is working in Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman’s office, focusing on international agricultural issues. He is one of 12 Americans chosen for the 2003-04 class of White House Fellows. “I really see this as a wonderful opportunity to bring together my educational and practical training—at Albion and in the Peace Corps, in my post-graduate work and the policyrelevant research I’ve been conducting here in Washington,” Tim said. “During the whole time I’ve been on the outside of government looking in, and this year will give me the opportunity to be on the inside of government examining the decisionmaking processes and seeing how policies are really formulated and implemented.” Tim’s career has focused on the study of political development, civil society formation, and conflict resolution in Africa. His recent research and writing have examined the nexus of AIDS and violent conflict in Africa, U.S. foreign policy toward the continent, and the West Africa regional war. After graduating from Albion, Tim served in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from Boston University, has held research fellowships at Boston University’s African Studies Center and the Centre d’Etude d’Afrique Noire at the University of Bordeaux, and spent a year at the University of Mali as a Fulbright Fellow. Before joining the U.S. Institute of Peace in 2000, Tim consulted with numerous non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Agency for International Development and various international development consulting firms. He provided expert testimony before Congress and appeared widely in print and broadcast media commenting on current events in Africa. Tim and his wife, Julia, live in Kensington, Md., with their two sons, ages 2 and 4. According to the White House, selection as a White House Fellow is “based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one’s career, evidence of leadership potential, a proven commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the federal government.” White House Fellows typically spend one year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House staff, the vice president, Cabinet secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. —Morris J.L. Arvoy A longer version of this story appears at: www.albion.edu/ac_news.
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