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70-74 Ward Kuhn, ’71, sang with the Albion Choir members, including his son, Peter Kuhn, ’02, and other alumni at Carnegie Hall last June in a performance of Faure’s Requiem. In addition, he and his wife, Carol, joined other northern Michigan singers for a choir tour of northern Italy and Austria led by Mel Larimer, ’53, in August. After heart surgery in September, Ward returned to his position as chief video filmer for Traverse City St. Francis football. Mike Alanson, ’72, a Traverse City lawyer and Civil Service commissioner, was named Coach of the Year for boys’ teams by TBAYS, the Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer organization. Mike coaches the U-12 boys select T.C. Rovers soccer team. He and his wife, Bonnie, live in Traverse City. Rolfe Hillman, ’72, has moved to a new job at Danna Corp., providing manpower, personnel and training support services to the U.S. Navy’s PMS440 program office at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC. He lives in Arlington, VA. Leslie Sutter Payne, ’73, was presented with the Stellar Performance Award from Indiana State University for her work in the field of distance education. She was also chosen as the Dearborn County (IN) Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year. She and her husband, Bob, live in West Chester, OH. Steve Bixler, ’74, is a senior systems engineer with BMH Associates, Inc. in Norfolk, VA. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1995 and earned his master of aeronautical science degree this past fall from Embry-Riddle University. He and his wife, Joy, were married in 1981, and have two children. Marsi Parker Darwin, ’74, and her husband, Bill, have expanded their stained glass shop to include Bill’s hobby-turned-business, restoring antique slot machines. Marsi designs Web sites in her spare time, so she created a new one at www.oldtimeslots.com, to showcase the machines. They have about 50 in stock at any given time. The couple lives in Chelsea. Rosa Gomez Dierks, ’74, released a textbook, Introduction to Globalization: Political and Economic Perspectives for the New Century. Rosa is assistant professor of government at Adams State College in Colorado. She earned her Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University in 1999. She previously served as an international trade specialist for the Arizona governor’s office, as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and as an investment consultant for Shearson Lehman Brothers and A.G. Edwards & Sons. She is working on a new book, Freedom in Peril, a comparative analysis of politics in the Western Hemisphere since the 1970s. She lives in Alamosa, CO.
Lisa Friedrichs Olson, ’74, published an article, “Electronic Record Challenges for Clinical Systems,” in the Drug Information Journal, a major pharmaceutical industry publication. In addition, she spoke at clinical research conferences in November and December on the FDA’s electronic records regulation. Lisa is a principal compliance consultant at SEC Associates. She and her husband, Kevin, live in Cary, NC.
75-79 Maggie LaNoue, ’76, is the owner of Albion Design, a home business designing custom note cards for local and national companies. She also designs and updates Web sites for several mid-Michigan cities, including Albion, Jackson, Battle Creek, and Marshall. Recently, Maggie was featured in the business section of the Jackson Citizen Patriot for her company and her talent. Maggie and her two children live in Albion. George Constance, ’79, is running for the Circuit Court bench in Macomb County. A graduate of the Detroit College of Law, he has also served as chairman for the Warren Municipal Federal Credit Union and has worked with the Warren Police Department’s DARE program. The longest serving city attorney in Warren, George has been involved in groups such as Knights of Columbus, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Catholic Lawyer’s Society. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two adopted children.
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in Beverly Hills and can be reached by e-mail at: bradcoulter@aol.com. Melissa Bichl Sturgis, ’82, is enjoying the breathtaking scenery and tropical
weather of Malaysia and the South China Sea, where she lives with her husband, Doug, an ESSO geologist. She is home schooling their two children.
Brian Fisk, ’83, was appointed as planning manager for the City of Irvine, CA. He was previously planning director for the City of Westminster. He was elected president of the Planning
Relishing the “Albion difference” First-year student Lisa Leverenz’s family tree has It was this atmosphere that attracted Lisa to the “Albion” written all over it. Besides Lisa’s parents, college as well. “I knew that I was looking for a John and Catherine Martin Leverenz, both ’78, four small school that was in-state. Eventually I narrowed aunts and two uncles all attended Albion. it down to Kalamazoo and Alma, but it was Albion “It just happened,” John says. “I was the oldest where all the people were friendly.” in my family, and my three sisters followed me. My It was also where President Mitchell remembered wife was the oldest, and her sister followed her.” her name. “On my second official visit to the college Two of John’s sisters also married Albion graduates. [as a prospective student], he came over during lunch Despite this family history, a college, says John, and talked to my mom. Later he remembered who I “is not something that you can choose for your was and introduced me to other people. I remember child.” But both Cathy and John were happy when thinking that he had only talked to us a half-hour. It Lisa finally decided to attend made me feel special. That is Albion. not something you would see Lisa was familiar with at a lot of schools.” Albion at an early age. “I used Much of Lisa’s extended to claim that I was brainwashed family now lives in the same as a child. I had the ‘Baby area of Grosse Pointe. A Briton’ bib set, and all sorts of number of them trekked back Albion stuff. We used to come to Albion for Homecoming back for Homecoming. I used to last fall and paid Lisa a visit at wear all my dad’s old Albion her room in Wesley Hall. “My sweatshirts and t-shirts. There is mom and dad were there,” this picture of my brother and Lisa recalls, “as well as my me wearing my dad’s Albion sister and brothers, two aunts, John and Cathy Martin Leverenz, both ’78, two uncles and my cousins. It sweatshirts. We were maybe with their children (left to right), Kimberly, was fun to have my parents, two and four at the time.” As Albion parents, John and Lisa, ’05, John and Matt. aunts and uncles all point out Cathy see many of the same their old rooms in Wesley.” qualities they remember from their student days. Lisa is the oldest child in her family and so is the “We were very active in campus life for the first only one of her generation at Albion—so far. “We 10 years [after graduation]. Now, of course, we are are thrilled to have a daughter at Albion,” says John, becoming more involved again,” John says. “The “and we would be happy to have any of our other liberal arts background you get at Albion is super. I children there.” could have gotten the training that I needed —Dana Lorien Fey, ’02 anywhere, but Albion’s atmosphere and family feeling are unsurpassed.”
Phillip Filbrandt, ’80, is a physiatrist at Enloe Rehabilitation Hospital in Chico, CA. He and his wife, Joanne, have three daughters and live in Chico, CA. Bill Hittler, ’80, was named Chevy Parent of the Year by the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA). He was the head coach for both his son’s and daughter’s soccer teams. He also served as president of his local Cross Country Skiing Club, and as troop leader for his son’s Boy Scout troop. Bill and his wife, Donna, have three children and live in Plymouth, MN. Anne Hittler Hunter, ’81, joined her friend, Joan Lee, and 14 other explorers on a three-week trip to the base camp of Mt. Everest, elevation 18,000 feet. Owner of a marketing consulting firm, she also began adjunct teaching for the University of St. Thomas’ Center for Nonprofit Management. Anne has two children and lives in Minneapolis, MN. Brad Coulter, ’82, has returned to Detroit to take a position with Amhert Capital Partners, a small investment banking firm in Birmingham. Brad had spent 15 years working with Guardian Industries in a variety of financial positions. Brad and his wife, Anna, live
Building the Albion legacy in your family If you are already part of a historic family involvement with Albion College, or if you’d like to start such a tradition in your family, here are two benefits that will be of interest: ■ Albion College will waive the $20 application fee for any legacy student who applies for admission. ■ A $1,500 Alumni Grant will be awarded to all incoming students whose family includes at least one Albion alumna/alumnus (sister, brother, father, mother, grandparents). This grant, offered without regard to financial need, is renewable for all four years. To qualify, the student simply needs to indicate his or her family’s alumni status when submitting the application. We welcome campus visits at any time. Please contact the Admissions Office at 800/858-6770, and we will make all arrangements. For more information online, visit: www.albion.edu/admissions/.