SPRING 2008
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EMERSON COLLEGE
GoingBusinessClass Emerson adds a business minor and a focus on entrepreneurship to the curriculum
Transforming the Emerson campus: A pictorial history Commencement rites 2008
Spiderman and other prizewinners About 50 prizes were distributed during the 2008 edition of The EVVYs, the annual student awards show, held at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.
Memory Lane
In This Issue
Always on the move, until now Since 1880, Emerson College has picked up and moved its campus numerous times. As the student body and curriculum grew, larger and better-appointed accommodations were needed. On page 10 of this issue of Expression we recount through historic photographs and vivid new images the story of Emerson’s trek through Boston. The following are some voices from important moments in Emerson’s nomadic history.
Looking back to 1900, the excitement about a move to new rented quarters at Chickering Hall on Huntington Avenue, near today’s Symphony Hall, was high. According to the December 1900 issue of Emerson College Magazine: “Mr. Southwick, on the occasion of his latest appearance among us, was the bearer of joyful tidings. The announcement that the management had been successful in securing one of the handsomest of Boston’s new buildings for our future home was received with unbounded applause. Though the old halls and class-rooms of our present home have long been held dear by hundreds of students, the desirability of a location in more congenial surroundings has become apparent to all. The change is but another step in that progress for which Emerson College has been remarkable throughout its career of twenty years.”
CORRECTION The Office of Institutional Advancement omitted the name of Susan Namm Spencer ’61 from the 2007 Donor Report. Her name should have appeared in the Boylston Society category.
2 Expression Spring 2008
For many decades, the College continued to rent space. It was not until 1933 that Emerson purchased its first building – 130 Beacon St. In the April 28, 1961, issue of the student paper, the Berkeley Beacon, the purchase of another building in the Back Bay – 150 Beacon St. – was reported. The Fuller Mansion, as the building had been known, was described like this: “It is a classic white building, adorned with iron balconies. An iron fence frames the front of the house, lending a stately quality to the old governor’s quarters.” The building would be used for “dormitory rooms for more than 30 students. It is undecided whether men or women will occupy these rooms….” According to the Beacon story, the mansion was built by Massachusetts Gov. Eben Draper (who served from 1909-1911) and was later occupied by Gov. Alvan T. Fuller (1925-1929). Following that, the Rabb Family (owners of Stop & Shop supermarkets) purchased the building. Then Emerson bought it. Today, through a series of purchases and sales, the College owns a portfolio of buildings in Boston’s Theatre District. It has also built two entirely new buildings (the Tufte Performing and Production Center and the Piano Row building) and is busy building another complex known as the Paramount Center. Not to mention a new campus, which is taking shape in Los Angeles.
Everyone knows that Emerson College tends to attract a creative student body. So it comes as no surprise that countless graduates have launched their own business enterprises. In this issue we speak to a selection of successful alumni entrepreneurs to learn what they’re up to and how their Emerson educations helped them flourish. In the same story, we take a look at an innovative Emerson program called Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship, in which undergraduates are immersed in the fine art of launching a business. Nearly 50 students have now participated in the one-year program, which has been lauded by Fortune Small Business. In addition, the College will offer a business minor beginning this fall, signaling an exciting, new direction for Emerson. Next, we offer readers a pictorial essay that reveals the changes in Emerson’s campus between its origin in 1880 and the present day. In case you didn’t know, the College has led a peripatetic existence, moving from building to building, neighborhood to neighborhood. Today, however, Emerson has settled in Boston’s burgeoning Theatre District. See the centerfold of this magazine for a full-color, aerial shot of today’s campus. If you haven’t been back to Boston in a while, this photo will bring you right up to date and perhaps surprise you, too! Don’t forget to read the Class Notes to find out what your classmates have been doing. Be in touch! Rhea Becker, editor
Expression welcomes short letters to the editor on topics covered in the magazine. The editor will select a representative sample of letters to publish and reserves the right to edit copy for style and length. Send letters to: Editor, Expression, Office of Public Affairs, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston MA 02116-4624; public_affairs@emerson.edu.
Campus Digest Emerson to build a permanent center in Los Angeles The College plans to build a permanent center for its 20-year-old Los Angeles Program. President Jacqueline Liebergott made the announcement at the College’s eighth annual Festival of Film and Video at the Harmony Gold
President Jacqueline Liebergott with Eric Garcetti of the L.A. City Council
Theatre in Los Angeles in April. The center will be built on a 37,244-sq.-ft. lot at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Street in Hollywood, which the College purchased on March 25. The purchase price was $12 million. Known as “Parking Lot B,” the property is part of the larger Tribune Studios
acquisition from the Tribune Company by Hudson Capital, LLC. Hudson Capital also owns the nearby Sunset Gower Studios, the former home of Columbia Pictures, where both modern day and classic films such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington were shot. The L.A. Program currently enrolls approximately 95 students per semester. In addition to taking regular courses, students participate in professional internship programs at television, film and other media outlets throughout Greater Los Angeles. Many of them find jobs and stay in Los Angeles after they graduate. The academic and administrative center for the program is currently housed in rented space in Burbank. The students reside in nearby leased apartments. The center to be built in Hollywood would provide academic and administrative space, student housing and facilities to support alumni and admissions activities. “While Emerson College is based in Boston, it has a special interest in Los Angeles, given our highly successful L.A. Program and our nearly 3,000 alumni who live in the L.A. area and work in all aspects of the entertainment and media
industries,” said Liebergott. “Several years ago, we began exploring options for creating a permanent Emerson presence in L.A.,” she added. “We quickly settled on Hollywood as the ideal location, given its historical role in the entertainment industry, the access it provides to studios and other facilities of interest to our students, and the impressive revitalization that is underway thanks to leaders like City Council President Eric Garcetti and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. With the purchase of Lot B and the construction of a permanent center, we will have a home at last.” Filmmaker and real estate developer Steve Samuels of Boston, who chairs the Facilities Committee of the Emerson Board of Trustees, and whose film, Michael Clayton, was nominated this year for seven Academy Awards, said plans for the new L.A. Center will be developed over the next two years in consultation with city officials and neighborhood groups as well as with Emerson faculty and staff in Boston and Los Angeles.
Former trustee Collier ’50 dies Alumnus and former College trustee Chester F. Collier ’50, a broadcasting executive who helped develop The Mike Douglas Show as well as the Fox News Channel, died of complications due to diabetes on Aug. 15, 2007, at his home in Wellington, Fla., where he had retired to in 2001. He was 80. Collier was also a longtime presence in the dog-show world as an official of the Westminster Kennel Club. Collier served on the College’s board of trustees from 1971 to 1976 and again from 1989 to 1995. Collier held senior executive posts with Westinghouse Broadcasting, Metromedia, CNBC and Fox Broadcasting. He developed shows for Regis Philbin, Steve Allen, David Frost and Merv Griffin. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and his sons, Richard, Greg, daughter Ruth Collier Davis, from his marriage to his first wife, Ann, which ended in divorce, sister Virginia O’Connell and three grandchildren.
3 Expression Spring 2008
Piano Row building receives ‘green’ certification
The Piano Row Residence Hall and Max Mutchnick Campus Center at 150 Boylston St.
“By combining the The U.S. Green Building student residence with a Council has designated campus center and athletic Emerson’s Piano Row complex, Emerson promoted Residence Hall and Max development density that Mutchnick Campus Center favors public transportation at 150 Boylston St. as a options,” the firm said. LEED-certified building. LEED (Leadership in Energy “Other sustainable features are found in the plumbing and Environmental Design) and mechanical systems.” designation represents Water conservation features national recognition that include a system used for the design of the building capturing rainwater for employs sustainable site irrigation and the use of development and that the reduced-flow plumbing facility uses state-of-thefixtures. The Piano Row art strategies for water building opened in 2006. It savings, energy efficiency, houses some 550 students material use and indoor and space for student environmental quality. activities and organizations. According to KlingStubbins of Cambridge, An NCAA regulation-sized basketball court is on the the architectural firm for lower level. Piano Row, the building is one of just two LEEDcertified residence halls in Massachusetts.
Alumnus endows new LGBT scholarship Entrepreneur Rob Sands ’68, founder of 365gay.com, an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) website which became a leading gay news site on the Internet, has endowed the Rob G. Sands Scholarship. Earnings from the endowment will be awarded to undergraduates with financial need who are in good academic standing. First preference will be given to students who have advocated or demonstrated an affinity for LGBT causes. Sands came to campus, where he spoke to students about journalism ethics and other topics. Sands also met with Chad Bates, Student Life associate specializing in LGBT student affairs, and had dinner with LGBT and Greek life student leaders.
4 Expression Spring 2008
Hilliard earns emeritus status
Robert Hilliard
Robert Hilliard, professor of visual and media arts who retired from Emerson in September of last year, has been named professor emeritus by the Board of Trustees. Hilliard served the College with distinction for 27 years, both in administrative and teaching roles. Hilliard taught a wide range of courses, including Mass Communication 101, Writing for Media, Media Programming, Media and
Boston premiere raises $50K for diversity scholarship fund Some 200 people attended the recent Boston premiere reading at Emerson College of an innovative play by former WCVB-TV personality Janet Langhart Cohen that addresses issues of race, ethnicity and religion. Titled Anne & Emmett, the play presents an imaginary dialogue between Anne Frank, a 15-year-old Jewish girl who died in a Nazi concentration camp, and Emmett Till, a 14-yearold African-American boy who was brutally murdered by a white mob in Mississippi. Prior to the play, a reception and dinner were held at the Taj Boston Hotel for individual and corporate sponsors who donated
$50,000 to establish a fund that will provide scholarships to enable diverse students from Boston to attend Emerson College. The sponsors included: Janet Langhart Cohen and her husband, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen; Michael Douvadjian of UBS; Emerson Trustee Steve Samuels; Raj Sharma of the Sharma Group, Merrill Lynch; June and Eliot Tatelman; Trustee Kevin Bright; Marc A. Douthit; Trustee Tony Goldman and his wife, Janet; Trustee Al Jaffe; John Hancock Financial Services; Citizens Bank; Daren Chentow; Steve and Barbara Grossman; Liberty Mutual; TJX Companies; and WCVB-TV.
The event was organized by Emerson’s Center for Diversity in the Communication Industries, with support from the departments of Performing Arts, Institutional Advancement and Public Affairs. The planning committee was chaired by Colette Phillips ’76. The cast of Anne & Emmett
Dance-film legend Marge Champion talks with students the Holocaust and Pictures of Protest. His course Hate.com was the subject of an Associated Press story that ran in over 200 newspapers, prompting several segments on broadcast television. He is the author of 20 books, including Writing for Television, Radio and New Media, Dirty Discourse: Sex and Indecency in Broadcasting and Waves of Rancor: Tuning in the Radical Right.
Hollywood dance-film legend Marge Champion visited campus as part of the Performing Arts Forum series, meeting with students and presenting a retrospective of her work in film with her late, longtime dance partner Gower Champion. She was accompanied to the College by her current dance partner Donald Saddler.
Marge Champion
5 Expression Spring 2008
The Rites of Spring
College graduates
O
By Christopher Hennessy
O
n a brisk, sunny day this spring, roughly 1,000 graduates received their Emerson College baccalaureate and graduate degrees during back-to-back ceremonies on May 19 at the Citi Performing Arts Center (formerly the Wang) in Boston. President Jacqueline Liebergott presided over both ceremonies. Emerson College alumnus and trustee Doug Herzog ’81, president of MTV Networks Entertainment, presented the undergraduate address. He also received an honorary degree, along with Andrew Sarris, noted film critic
6 Expression Spring 2008
and a professor at the School of the Arts at Columbia University. Sarris is best known as the primary U.S. advocate of “politique des auteurs”– or auteur theory. In his address, Herzog told some 750 graduating seniors at the College’s 128th annual Commencement exercises that when it comes to predicting the future, “nobody knows anything …including those of us who are ‘the authorities’.” He cited as an example, a project he had suggested to a professor when he was an
undergraduate. Herzog’s brainchild was to create “TV and music combined into something new!” The professor responded, “Doug, this is great. But you know… music doesn’t work on television.” Several years later, Herzog helped launch “a little start-up called MTV.” Then, as president of Comedy Central, he spearheaded several signature standouts, including the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park. At USA Network,
7 Expression Spring 2008
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, a philosophy scholar and author (The Mind-Body Problem), delivered the Graduate Commencement address.
he shared responsibility for creating the blockbuster hit The 4400, The Dead Zone and the award-winning Monk. President Liebergott also addressed the students, praising them as leaders on campus, singling out students like Jay MacFadgen, class president for four years in a row, president of Zeta Phi Eta and active in Alternative Spring Break, Family Weekend, Hand Me Down Night,
8 Expression Spring 2008
EAGLE and the EVVYs. She also noted the class boasted several award winners and high achievers in their fields, like Sarah Kneezle, managing editor for Scoop08.com, the first national student online newspaper. She collectively thanked the students for the community service and diversity initiatives many of them took part in during their years on campus. She noted the graduates would be called on to address the challenges of an “increasingly complex, interconnected and multicultural society.�
The valedictorian was Thomas Shull, a graduate in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders who graduated with a 3.96 G.P.A. In the morning ceremony, Robert Hilliard, who was a professor of visual and media arts, was honored with emeritus status. He received a standing ovation from the faculty for his 27 years of service.
Below, left: Charles V. Willie, professor emeritus at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, received an honorary doctorate, as did Andrew Sarris, noted film critic; Class of 2008 Valedictorian Thomas Shull; and Doug Herzog ’81, president of MTV Networks Entertainment, who gave the Undergraduate Commencement address.
Graduate student rites Emerson also conferred 350 graduate degrees at a separate ceremony. The Commencement address was delivered by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, a philosophy scholar who has authored short stories, essays, biographies and five novels, including the critically acclaimed novel, The Mind-Body Problem. She received an honorary degree along with Charles V. Willie, the Charles William Eliot Professor of Education Emeritus at
Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Goldstein praised the students for following their passions in choosing their pursuit of communication and the arts, praising those fields “as vital to our survival as any other.” She told the graduates “the greatest challenge of our moral lives…is to feel the reality of the other.” The afternoon ceremony’s student speaker was Kelly C. George, a graduate
student in health communication who had also worked with children and adults with disabilities. Both ceremonies were streamed live on the Web and the undergraduate ceremony was also broadcast live for an overflow crowd in the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Catered receptions were held on Boston Common after the respective ceremonies, giving students and their families a chance to take pictures, reminisce and chat with faculty mentors.
9 Expression Spring 2008
N
Emerson adds a business minor and a focus on entrepreneurship to the curriculum
o one would mistake Emerson College for a business school. Yet there is no denying that the College has turned out a number of giants in the entrepreneurial world: Bobbi Brown ’79, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics; Richard Levy ’68, creator of the toy sensation Furby; and Joseph Famolare ’58 of Famolare Shoes, to name a few. Success stories like these abound even though business training at Emerson has long been limited to the one or two courses tailored to particular departments’ specific focuses. The Department of Performing Arts, for instance, offers The Business of Acting and Topics in the Business of Theater, while the Department of Visual and Media Arts offers Business Concepts for Modern Media. “We have had a smattering of business courses throughout the majors, but they didn’t give students the depth they needed,” says Janis Andersen, dean of the School of Communication.
GoingBusiness C By Rhea Becker
Talking business at Emerson Today, all of that is changing. First, a program called Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship – a yearlong immersion program in building and launching a business venture – just completed its third successful year training student entrepreneurs. E3, as the program is known, has received recognition from Fortune Small Business magazine, naming the director of the E3 program, Karl Baehr, one of the top entrepreneurship professors in the country, and the program has helped almost 50 students create fledgling businesses. Second, the College is preparing to introduce its first-ever minor in business studies for communication and the arts, beginning in fall 2008.
The move to expand the business curriculum at the College began to percolate a few years ago, when several members of the College’s board of trustees commented that they felt such training was missing when they were students at Emerson. At around the same time, when Emerson Admission Office staff went on recruiting trips, they received a similar message from prospective students and their parents. Finally, Emerson department chairs attending strategic planning sessions brought up the topic of business training. “It was a ‘perfect storm’,” says Andersen, “an idea that had been gathering strength.” Emerson students and graduates have always opened their own businesses, thanks to their “creativity and independence,” says Andersen. But now the training will be formalized with a minor in business studies or participation in the yearlong E3 program, for those who choose these paths.
The logo for the one-year-long program in entrepreneurship, The Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship
Class 11 Expression Spring 2008
A map to success: An E3 graduate’s business grows Not every journey starts with a map. Morgan First ’05 created her own when she enrolled in the E3 program during her senior year. The product she created – the MAP (Motion Affair Planner) Boston planner, a weekly journal and city guide – was the result. The spiral-bound book is lavishly illustrated with full-color, high-quality photos of Boston hotspots and other locations, along with tips of what to do in the city. First graduated in 2005 and her planner is now in its third edition. First grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs. Her father owned his own Lasik surgery company, and her mother worked in retail, creating custom gifts. “I always had this idea in my head that I could do what I wanted,” says First. Concentrating in writing, literature and publishing, First had completed several “mini-entrepreneur” projects at Emerson, such as a high-quality book of postcards featuring student photography.
Then First enrolled in the E3 program, and MAP Boston was born. The book features “weekly handpicked destinations, quirky Boston facts, must-do Boston events, maps of city streets and public transportation, and a calendar.” First hires Emerson student and alumni writers, photographers and designers. First says the sales of MAP Boston “supplement my living now.” She expects the company to be profitable this year. She has an office in Boston that she shares with two other entrepreneurs. In the Boston area, MAP Boston is carried at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores. First has kept in touch with E3 director Karl Baehr and the E3 program, serving as a judge at the 2007 E3 Exposition, an annual end-of-the-year event in which students from the E3 program participate in an exhibition and competition for startup money. “The program has grown by leaps and bounds,” says First.
Alumni in business Emerson alumni have long proved that the College attracts a student body that is drawn to entrepreneurship. David Breen ’78, owner of VDA Productions, a multi-million-dollar Somerville, Mass.-based scenic fabrication company, recalls, “From the first day that I stepped onto the then-Beacon Street campus I was encouraged to explore, test, discover and strive for artistic expression.” Amanda Jacobellis ’04, owner of the Los Angeles-based Makeup Mandy, a popular new personal beauty salon, is convinced her Emerson education prepared her to become a business owner. “Certainly, my marketing communication skills have helped me to brand my business very quickly.” Back when Chapin Cutler ’70, owner of Boston Light & Sound, attended Emerson, he recalls, he “had no interest in business, business management or entrepreneurship. I never would have believed that I would start my own business, let alone only seven years after I graduated.” He found that his background in film production, technology, production techniques, knowledge of film history
Alumni Who Mean Business
Chapin Cutler ’70 Boston Light & Sound Inc. www.blsi.com Boston, Mass. Studied: mass communication
Emerson College has turned out countless entrepreneurs over the decades. Here, we highlight just a few of the alumni who have created businesses in fields ranging from digital production to legal consulting to chicken soup
Boston Light & Sound has designed and installed most of the state-of-the-art projection equipment and sound systems used at the Sundance Film Festival. When Chapin Cutler is not toiling away in Park City, Utah, his company rents, sells and installs theatrical and studio-quality motion picture
12 Expression Spring 2008
projection and sound systems for movie theaters, screening rooms, museums and other locations. Cutler worked as a film projectionist while a student at Emerson. After graduation he earned a degree in mechanical design engineering, deciding that he would rather design film equipment than make movies. He met Larry Shaw, who shared his interest in film equipment technology. “At that time, the exhibition industry was changing from single-screen grand movie palaces to the current multiplex model. Film projection quality, showmanship and presentation quality was deteriorating. My partner and I believed there was
and the industry as a whole served him well. Today, his company is a provider of high-end film-projection and other services to clients, including the renowned Sundance Film Festival. Rona Wexler ’71, founder of the New York City-based Wexler Consulting, which provides expert-witness services to attorneys and their clients, believes that “Emersonians have always had success as entrepreneurs.” In her line of work, “communication and voice training definitely contribute to my presence as a public speaker and presenter – in large groups or one-toone – and to sales and marketing.” Heather Dubuque ’05, owner of Lillian Nanny Agency in Nashville, Tenn., used the marketing planning she learned at Emerson to launch her company: “I’ve already had hits in the local paper as well as in Pregnancy magazine,” a national publication with an audience of more than 1.1 million readers. Chet Marcus ’77, owner of Tryon Park Records, says his experience working at Emerson radio station WERS and the training he received in voice articulation, film basics, mass communication and creative writing have been “invaluable.”
a market for making projected images and sound systems the highest quality possible.” The pair launched their business in 1977 with $3,000 in capital, “a lot of obsolete and used equipment, an idea and a lot of elbow grease.”
E3 is hot Today’s Emerson student is very lucky, say alumni. Upper-level undergraduates who want to explore their entrepreneurial side can enroll in the Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship. E3 requires two semesters of coursework, leading to a minor in entrepreneurial studies. The program includes training in business planning, marketing, selling and sales management, operations, strategic planning, diversity and entrepreneurship, design and more. The program was developed by Karl Baehr, a teacher and entrepreneur who has been involved in more than two dozen start-ups. Baehr realized the program needed to be tailored to the College’s communication and arts niches. “You’re going to have a really hard time getting the actor, the broadcaster, the journalist or the filmmaker to sit still for an accounting class,” says Baehr. So he created an immersive experience, “not just a giant class exercise,” he says. “The students have to be starting a real business.” continued on page 24
Amanda Jacobellis ’04 Makeup Mandy www.MakeupMandy.com West Hollywood, Calif. Studied: marketing communication You’ve heard of salad bars; now there are eyelash bars. Located in West Hollywood, Makeup Mandy was founded by Amanda Jacobellis and features services that get clients “red-carpet ready,” including eyelash extensions that last four to eight weeks, facials, waxing, airbrush tanning, eyebrow design, makeup and hair. After completing Emerson’s Los Angeles Program,
Logos (above) and on pages 22 and 24 represent E3 students’ entrepreneurial enterprises.
Jacobellis decided to stay in the city and work in public relations. She had put herself through college by working in the makeup field and missed that work. So she began doing makeup work on the side for her public relations clients. As her reputation spread, Jacobellis became so busy that she decided to take the leap and open up a shop. In its first year, Makeup Mandy earned kudos in Lucky magazine, In Touch, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and on E! and Extra. continued on page 22
13 Expression Spring 2008
Over its
128
-year history,
the College has led a nomadic life,
moving its campus from
neighborhood to
Boston neighborhood.
Today, however,
the campus has
come together in
one ‘singularly sensational’ location.
You could say…
Emerson Has Arrived
The building at 13 Pemberton Square (below) in the Beacon Hill section of Boston was the site of Charles Wesley Emerson’s Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory and Dramatic Art, which would eventually be known as Emerson
College. Engravings (bottom) depict the interior of the school when it was located at 36 Bromfield St. The College later rented quarters at Odd Fellows Hall (right), located at Berkeley and Tremont streets, South End.
1891
1880
1886
15 Expression Spring 2008
In 1901, the school moved to rented quarters at Chickering Hall (below) on Huntington Avenue. In 1911, the College rented a facility at 30 Huntington Ave. (bottom). In 1933, Emerson made its first purchase: 130 Beacon St. (right), marking the beginning of Emerson’s move to the Back Bay.
1901
1933
1911
16 Expression Spring 2008
1960
Purchased in 1960, 100 Beacon St. served as a residence hall for the College. At right, 303 Berkeley St. serrved as the College library for many years.
1961
1961
The building at 150 Beacon St. (left) was purchased in 1961 for use as a dining hall, residence hall and administrative offices.
17 Expression Spring 2008
The Student Union was housed at 96 Beacon St. (far left). The Ansin building (near left) was purchased in 1992, launching the College’s eventual move to Boston’s Theatre District.
1992 1964
1994
In 1994 the Little Building, at the corner of Boylston and Tremont streets, was purchased for use as a residence hall.
18 Expression Spring 2008
The Tufte Center for Performance and Production (above and left) was the first newly constructed building in the College’s history. It houses classrooms, faculty offices, state-of-the-art theaters and broadcast studios.
2006 2003
The Piano Row Residence Hall and Max Mutchnick Campus Center (right) at 150 Boylston St. houses the College’s gymnasium and student organization meeting spaces, among other facilities.
19 Expression Spring 2008
2008
A
B n t m o e T r
e t r e S t
Campus on the Common
A Paramount Center, 543-549 Washington St. (under construction) B Ansin Building, 180 Tremont St. C 216 Tremont St. D Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St. E Little Building, 80 Boylston St.
20 Expression Spring 2008
F G H I
Colonial Building, 100 Boylston St. Tufte Performance and Production Center, 10 Boylston Place Walker Building, 120 Boylston St. Piano Row Residence Hall and Max Mutchnick Campus Center, 150 Boylston St.
D
C
G
E B
o
y
l s
F t
o
n
S
t
r
H e
e
t
I
Photo by Rick Friedman
21 Expression Spring 2008
The Next Cool Thing New E3 grads plan a dog hotel, Honduran snack foods and much more Emerson students are often known for their creativity. So it comes as no surprise that the range of businesses created by this year’s class of Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship (E3) students includes several wildly original concepts. Here are just a few of the businesses developed by the 2008 class: HonduFoods, conceived by Ana Lucia Mass ’09, hopes to bring Honduran foods to the masses in packaged, ready-to-cook form. Mass aims to serve the growing Hispanic population in the United States as well as the demand for ready-made traditional Honduran food. Spirit Clothing, conceived by Rob Rykowski ’08, is a clothing label that takes a fresh approach to academic apparel, such as T-shirts. His graffitiinspired designs will be produced using fair labor (“no sweatshops or unethical business practices,” says Rykowski).
More logos representing recent E3 students’ fledgling businesses
continued from page 13 Stefan Beittel, MA ’96 Digital Media Kitchen www.digitalmediakitchen.com Raleigh, N.C. Studied: mass communication/ television Digital Media Kitchen is a brokerage firm specializing in nonlinear editing systems (like AVID), digital VTRs, highdefinition cameras and other broadcast and video postproduction-related tools. Stefan Beittel explains how his company fills a gap: “As nonlinear editing systems began to take hold in the early to mid-’90s, there were few
22 Expression Spring 2008
training sources available to teach existing or novice editors on the new technologies. Digital Media Kitchen filled that need.” He recalls that during his college years, he was in the perfect place “to witness the evolution of nonlinear editing companies. The most popular products in use, such as Media100, Scitex and AVID, were all headquartered in Massachusetts. I was already firmly committed to launching my own company prior to coming to Emerson, and my time there proved invaluable in molding Digital Media Kitchen into what it has become today.” Beittel says his company will change as the technology evolves.
Chet Marcus ’77 Tryon Park Records www.Tryonpark.com Bayside, N.Y. Studied: mass communication/ film Chet Marcus started Tryon Park Records in college and has been securing independent media work ever since. Today, he produces audio/video and music production for private clients. While at Emerson, he worked with Phil Adler ’77 to produce a record in 1978. The project proved to be a small commercial success and got Marcus into the record retail business in New York City. He worked in
production management for live music for five years after college, then later worked in TV broadcasting, writing and producing music. The road can be bumpy for small businesspeople: “I found it was very difficult for a minority owner to secure investors, so to keep the dream going I have consistently done spin-off work, like an ad agency, video production company, music production company, and most recently I incorporated the recording label in Texas and took on a partner.”
FUTURE MOGULS. Ana Lucia Mass ’09 with fabricated samples of her readymade traditional Honduran foods; James Wormser ’09, with his Root Boy sodas; Rob Rykowski ’08 with his graffiti-inspired academic apparel.
IES, Interactive Electronic Street Directories, conceived by Devika Deshmukh ’08, are electronic street carts that provide multi-lingual information to tourists and pedestrians in Boston. Lucky Dog Lounge, conceived by Allison Mandell ’08, is a luxury doggy hotel and daycare to be based in California. Mandell’s plans include special events, including Bark Mitzvahs, food prepared by an in-house chef, grooming and holistic rehabilitation services. She calls it a “one-stop” experience for canines and their owners. Kids with Guns Animation Studios, conceived by Ben Bjelejac ’09, provides clients with the chance to use 2D, 3D and custom graphic design to present their ideas and information.
development of innovative toys. Lamprecht has already solidified a deal with Richard Levy ’68, inventor of the Furby as well as many other toys and games. Bisou, conceived by Vasudha Verma ’09, is a dessert restaurant planned to open in Oman, Verma’s native country. She hopes to address the limited dessert offerings at current Omani eateries. Thokk Adventure Productions, conceived by Erik Osterholm ’08, is a production company geared toward documenting vacationers’ adventure and eco-tourism trips in high-definition video. “Capture Your Adventure” is the company’s motto. The Mods, conceived by Vanessa Ringel ’08, seeks to bring a ‘capsule’-style hotel to Boston’s Logan Airport, providing small, convenient rest spaces for travelers. She says this concept is
Red Lamp, conceived by Emil Lamprecht ’09, is an invention licensing company focused on the
Heather Dubuque ’05 The Lillian Nanny Agency www.lilliannannyagency.com Nashville, Tenn. Studied: integrated marketing communications The Lillian Nanny Agency matches nannies – full-time, part-time and temporary – with families. Heather Dubuque has worked with children since the age of 11, when she began babysitting for a pair of twins in her neighborhood. After graduating from Emerson, Dubuque moved to New York City, where she began her career in public relations/marketing, doing some babysitting on the
side. She quickly discovered that families had a difficult time finding quality caregivers for their children. She eventually moved back to Nashville and opened her agency in May 2007. The business “has far exceeded the initial goals and should be self-sustaining by the end of its second fiscal year.”
already available in a number of European airports, such as the United Kingdom’s Gatwick Airport. The Island on Wheels, conceived by Conrad Osipowicz ’09, brings a beach atmosphere to urban events and open spaces via a large truck filled with sand, lounging chairs, tanning booths, etc. Winners of the 2008 Business Plan Competition were: Allison Mandell, Lucky Dog Lounge, $5,000; Robert Rykowski, Spirit Clothing, $3,000; and Benjamin Bjelajac, Kids With Guns Animation Studios, $2,000. These prizes were made possible by the patronage of Richard and Luci Janssen. The 2008 E3 Legacy Award, whose winner is chosen by E3 alumni, was Devika Deshmukh, Interactive Electronic Street Directories (IES). She received $1,000 in consulting from Exemplar Entrepreneurs Group in Boston, and $1,000 in capital thanks to a contribution by Gerald Rosen.
Rona Wexler ’71 Wexler Consulting www.wexler-consulting New York City Studied: English; minor: education and communication Wexler Consulting provides expert-witness services to matrimonial and employment attorneys and their clients. Rona Wexler says her consulting service “combines all my past experience and training as a counseling psychologist and educator.” When she started out she was immediately busy with three cases in less than a month, she testified in a new case and had begun to write an article for
the New York Law Journal, which was published six months later. Wexler’s reports contribute to financial settlements in certain cases, for either the plaintiff or defendant. “I like being in control of my own destiny and leveraging my strengths in my own way.”
23 Expression Spring 2008
continued from page 13 The result? Since the program began, students have done the groundwork for nearly 50 startups. “It’s not just about producing a business plan and making a presentation,” he says. “It’s about learning and doing everything involved in the process of evolving a business venture.” Visiting instructors are a crucial part of the E3 curriculum. They lecture on topics including finance, law, branding, ethics, networking and even business etiquette. The roster of instructors includes Shelley Bakst, former communication director for the IBM Technology Group in Boston, who helps students understand internal and external audiences, crisis communication and other issues, and Al Carosi, a former product manager for Procter & Gamble who teaches students how to develop their concepts into brands. The College’s Alumni Relations Office matches alumni mentors to each student venture. The mentors support the students through the process of developing a budget, marketing plan and final presentation. This spring, a new crop of students completed the E3 program and capped the year with an on-campus exposition (see sidebar on page 22).
Janice (Becker) Poritzky ’61 GrandmasChickenSoup. com www.grandmaschickensoup.com Woburn, Mass. Studied: English GrandmasChickenSoup.com is an Internet-based retail business that offers homemade chicken soup by mail. Each shipment of soup arrives in an insulated, state-of-the-art container. Janice Poritzky, who is the chief soup maker, says, “My husband and children all have the entrepreneurial spirit. We wanted to work on a business together, and it all came from that.”
24 Expression Spring 2008
Before an audience of classmates, family members and friends at the Bordy Theater and Auditorium, each student ‘CEO’ took the podium to deliver a brief Powerpoint presentation on his or her business, which ranged from a natural soft drink company to a luxury pet hotel. In addition, each company’s business materials were on display, including mockups of products, business cards and websites. A keynote address was delivered by Perry Ellis CEO George Feldenkreis. What is entrepreneurship? “A thoughtful process driven by passion,” says Baehr, whose goal at Emerson was to create “a path to success” for students. “You have to be your own first, best self-promoter. If you are uncomfortable with self-promoting, you need to become comfortable with it.” Chapin Cutler of Boston Light & Sound encourages future Emerson entrepreneurs: “Take your passion and put it to work for you. Then, what you do will never be a chore. It will be fun, adventurous, challenging and rewarding.” E
Bernie Sweet ’60 Arby’s franchises Louisville, Ky. Studied: broadcasting A businessperson of a different sort, Bernie Sweet made his mark as one of the earliest fast-food franchisees in the country. He entered the world of Arby’s franchising when he and Leni Zucker married and were invited to join the family business. Sweet’s Arby’s restaurant was the first to open in Kentucky (1967). Recently, Sweet marked his 40th anniversary as an Arby’s franchisee. Today, after selling three of his four stores, his
flagship unit remains in Louisville, Ky., “on very busy Dixie Highway, 45 miles from Fort Knox and all that gold.” Sweet says, “My Emerson experience prepared me extremely well by letting me put my mouth where my brains were, and all the rest is history.”
In a Class of Their Own A look at three alumni who have scaled the business heights Bobbi Brown ’79 is credited with popularizing ‘naturallooking’ makeup. A makeup mogul known around the globe, Brown’s courtship with cosmetics began at Emerson, where she fashioned her own major in theatrical makeup. She moved to New York after graduating and began to work as a freelance makeup artist. When she discovered that she couldn’t find the makeup shades she needed, she invented her own. Professional models began borrowing the lipsticks Brown had created, and in 1991 she found herself introducing her own product line. She and a business partner set up a small display table in New York City’s Bergdorf Goodman store with a modest 100 tubes of Bobbi Brown lipstick. All 100 were sold by the end of the first day, and Bobbi Brown Essentials was born. The company was purchased by Estee Lauder in 1995 (the sale price wasn’t disclosed, but Lauder
David Breen ’78 VDA Productions www.vdaproductions.com Somerville, Mass. Studied: theater education/ technical theater & design VDA Productions is a state-ofthe-art scenic fabrication shop specializing in corporate meetings/events, themed retail environments, lighting and audio systems, trade show booths and other services. The company has a staff of 22 full-time employees and 20 part-timers.
reported that the $74.5 million it invested that year was based principally on the acquisition). Brown remains CEO of Bobbi Brown Professional Cosmetics.
Richard C. Levy ’68 has licensed more than 150 products over the past 20 years, including Furby, and the best-selling game Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Furby, the popular animatronic creature, sold 43 million units between 1998 and 2000. Levy’s products have generated over $1.5 billion in combined retail sales. The first game he invented, Adverteasin, sold over 1 million copies. Levy holds more than 30 patents and has published a dozen books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing In on Your Inventions.
Joe Famolare ’58 is president of Famolare Inc., a shoe company he started in 1969 that is known for its innovative designs. From 1969 to 1988 Famolare Inc. was a leading U.S. importer of fashion
From 1982 to 1985, David Breen became involved in what was called “Industrial Theater,” where corporations hired theatrical teams to energize meeting environments. Breen designed, built and installed scenery for a few fledgling firms. In 1985 Breen and fellow Emerson alumnus Len Schnabel ‘75 decided to “go out on our own” and build a company. “Starting in a one-car garage with a drafting table and a lot of dreams, we began with Prudential Insurance, a client we had done some freelance support for,” says Breen. The company succeeded, moving from the garage to various larger
footwear from Italy, with offices in the U.S., Switzerland and Italy. In the 1980s he was at the forefront of creative marketing when he teamed up with photography legend Richard Avedon for the “Footloose and Famolare” ad campaign. This time, instead of using models or diagrams, they featured Famolare himself. At its height, the company was importing 30,000 pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s shoes a day and selling $90 million worth of shoes a year. Famolare designs are on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and in the permanent collection of the Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Famolare was inducted into the Fashion Association Hall of Fame in 1995. Among celebrities who have worn Famolare shoes are Paul Newman, violinist Isaac Stern, Gregory Peck and Walter Matthau.
spaces until 1996, when they moved the company to its current location – a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Somerville. “We have an incredibly high returncustomer rate, starting with Prudential 23 years later.”
If you are an alumnus and an entrepreneur, we’d like to learn about you. Please write to public_affairs@emerson.edu and use the subject line: Emerson Entrepreneur.
25 Expression Spring 2008
Alumni Digest From the president of the Alumni Association
Robert Friend ’79
Dear fellow Emersonians, At the most recent Alumni Association board meeting, we had the pleasure of spending time with Karl Baehr, executive director of the Emerson Entrepreneurship Program (known on campus as E3), along with six of his students. The E3 program, just three years old, provides students the opportunity to identify and create entrepreneurial business ventures and teaches them, through a curriculum of best practices, how to develop their ideas through the creation of a business plan, the acquisition of venture capital, and finally to set up and launch their concepts in a real-time business environment (see the story on p. 10 of this issue). Interestingly, we asked the board how many either owned or managed a business operation. Almost all of our hands were raised! Their
comments confirmed how powerful this program is for our students and how beneficial it would have been if we had had this type of curriculum while at Emerson. Several of the current E3 students presented the board with an overview of their projects. As you can imagine, they were confident, well spoken and offered creative and compelling summaries of their initiatives. To date, about 50 students have participated in E3. Since its inception, E3 has been recognized as one of the top collegiate entrepreneurship programs in the country. Just this past April, the E3 program hosted its 3rd annual E3 Exposition, where students presented their business plans and competed for $12,000 in start-up capital. The Alumni Board has been so impressed with E3 that we are currently
working with Karl Baehr and the Alumni Relations office to create a traveling presentation that will bring this extraordinary program to Emerson alumni nationwide and internationally. I hope that you share my feelings that this remarkable program has a significant place in the Emerson College curriculum. Please do not hesitate to visit the Emerson College website for more information on the E3 program. Meanwhile, please keep us informed of both your personal and business activities. And, as always, I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming alumni event. With warm regards, Robert Friend ’79 President, Emerson College Alumni Association rfriend@alumni.emerson.edu
WASHINGTON, D.C. Iris Burnett ’68 (center) and her husband, renowned photojournalist David Burnett (not pictured), hosted a cross-section of Washington notables in March to meet and discuss current political topics with Emerson students who are members of the Communication, Politics and Law Association student group. Associate Professor Gregory Payne (far left) accompanied the students on the trip. Also, during the D.C. visit, Peter Loge ‘87 and his wife, Zoe, hosted a dinner for the Emersonians.
26 Expression Spring 2008
CONNECTICUT
TORONTO
Connecticut alumni celebrated the end of tax season with Emerson friends at the Capital Grille in Stamford, Conn., in April. The dinner was hosted by Heather Scott ’95 and the Connecticut chapter presidents, Dennis Blader ’75 and Camilla Ross ’85. From left are Peter Brenner ’67, Camilla Ross, Keith Ciociolla ’93, John Carlan ‘93, Renee Macisco Filloramo ‘95, Heather Scott and Dennis Blader.
Toronto-area alumni, parents and accepted students enjoyed a reception this spring at the Spoke Club. The party was arranged by Jonathan Gross, parent of a member of the Class of 2011. From left are: Peter O’Brian ’68, Judith Bricks ’69, Sonja Hood, MA ’00, and Rob Sands ’68.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Emerson alumni spanning 15 years came from as far away as Los Angeles and New York City to Attitash, N.H., for an Alumni Ski Resort Weekend this past winter.
27 Expression Spring 2008
BOSTON From left are Ellen Boss ’05, Tony Wyzzard ’95, Tommy Arria ’00, Gabe Lopes ’99, Anthony Attride ’00, Dan Rosenbloom ’00 and Stephanie Sherwood ’00.
More than 70 alumni and friends came to cheer on the men’s and women’s basketball teams at a double header in February. Athletics Director Kristin Parnell will be working with the College’s Alumni Relations Office to create an athletic alumni council to plan future events.
Emerson basketball coach Hank Smith is flanked by alumni athletes who returned to campus to celebrate the College’s new gymnasium.
HAWAII Christmastime in Hawaii had an Emerson flavor with the chair of the Emerson Board of Trustees Peter Meade ‘70 (left), his wife, Rosanne, Mary Jo Stonie ‘60, MA ’72, Professor Emeritus Henry Stonie and Henry Stonie Jr. ‘88 enjoying the sun and surf.
28 Expression Spring 2008
BOSTON The Alumni Association and Office of Career Services co-sponsored an event for the graduate students in Integrated Marketing and Communication (IMC) in April. The featured speaker, Alumni Association Board member Brie Williams, MA ’99, talked about the consulting business and other topics. Alumni in attendance also shared their experiences in the working world with current IMC students during a reception.
FLORIDA More than 100 Emerson alumni and friends heard Jay Bienstock ’87 and Vin Di Bona ’66 discuss the current trends and challenges in reality television at the annual Southern Florida Alumni brunch held in January. The event was hosted by Jan (’69) and Jeff Greenhawt ’68 at the Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton.
From left are Frank Ploener ’65, Marge Browner ’68, Jackelyn Schmerin Benjamin ’65 and Frank Bruno (parent of a Class of 2001 graduate).
Left: Emerson Board of Trustees Chair Peter Meade (left) and Richard Levy ’68 Far left: Jay Bienstock ’87 (left), Emerson Vice President for Institutional Advancement Robert Ashton and Vin Di Bona ’66
29 Expression Spring 2008
LOS ANGELES
Alumni from the classes of 1981 to 1995 attended a Los Angeles reception with Dean of Students Ronald Ludman in April at Ramsey’s in Toluca Lake. The theme was, “Ever Wonder What Emerson Students are Like These Days?”
From left are Holly Bario ‘89, Nicholas Caprio ‘88, Ron Ludman, Robyn Leuthe Norris ‘87 and Andrea Giannetti ‘89.
From left are Paul Norman ‘89, Ron Ludman, David Hudson ‘92
NEW YORK
Janet Scardino ’81, president of The Knot, a comprehensive resource for wedding planning, hosted current Emerson students at her New York offices. Martha Rhodes ’73, managing partner of
30 Expression Spring 2008
G2-Direct and Digital, with students participating in the New York Connection, in which students meet with alumni mentors in their chosen fields.
LOS ANGELES Holly Bario ’89, a DreamWorks executive, hosted the College’s 8th Annual Festival of Film and Video, which was held in April at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Los Angeles. Twelve films were screened during the event to an audience of almost 300 parents, alumni and industry guests.
Emerson President Jacqueline Liebergott (center) and L.A. Center Director Jim Lane (right) with the student filmmakers.
Steve Howard ‘81 (left) and Gary Grossman ‘70
From left are Bob and Linda Gersh (parents of a student in the Class of 2010) Linda Moore, Emerson vice president for academic affairs, and Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti
From left are Linden Wolbert ‘04, Ron Ludman, Alicyn Packard ‘03 and Kerri McManus, MA ‘97
Jacob Rosenberg ’98 (left), Director of Alumni Relations Barbara Rutberg and Alex Tse ’98 at the festival.
31 Expression Spring 2008
Class Notes 1952 George Fennell is turning 75 this year.
1956 Charles P. Arman worked in New York City’s off-Broadway in the mid-1950s and married Irene Forman of Boston in 1959. They had one daughter in 1985 and now have three grandchildren. As a family they have traveled extensively worldwide. Charles and his wife are now retired and in their 70s: “It’s been a privileged life.” Robert Cortese won the W.C. Handy award for his song “Workin’ on Me Baby” with Jen Magness.
1958 Marjorie Ahlin just directed South Pacific for Downriver Theatre Co.
Bernie Sweet ’60 discovered this photo from the 1960s in his collection of college memorabilia. From left are Dean Cronis, Bernie Sweet, Susan Lightbown Sack ’61 and Ed Darna.
Ken (Desmarais) Jackson, host of In the Mood on WYPR Radio in Baltimore, Md., told Style magazine the story of how he proposed to Anne (Campbell) during their Emerson days. The tale appears in the February 2008 issue.
1961 Roberta (Binder) Aungst has completed a term as vice president for professional practices in audiology (2004-06) for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is currently serving as a member of ASHA’s Council for Clinical Certification and as a member of the ASHA Committee on Honors. She continues to provide consulting services in audiology. Janice Becker Poritzky has a business with her family, www.grandmaschickensoup. com, which was featured on the Food Network show Unwrapped.
1964
1967
Jane Reger Madell has just published her third book, Pediatric Audiology: Diagnosis, Technology and Management (Thieme Medical Publishers). She is director of the Hearing and Learning Center and co-director of the Cochlear Implant Center at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. She lives in New York City with husband Rob and is enjoying her grandchildren.
Lance R. Tribe has a 1-year-old grandchild.
1965 Barbara Salzburg London is working as a realtor for Re/Max and is now a grandmother.
1966
Tracy Gochberg Wilkes ’74 (left), executive director of The Dreams Center, which offers free arts education to underserved students in Wilmington, N.C., traveled to Washington, D.C., with one of the students for a ceremony at the White House during which First Lady Laura Bush (right) presented her with a Coming Up Taller Award.
32 Expression Spring 2008
Carl Buck ’66, MS ’69, has accepted a position as vice president for JPMorgan Chase, Education Finance Division, focused on high school initiatives. His responsibilities include developing partnerships on a national level with high schools and other secondary school-related entities.
1968 Shelley S. Conture is proud to announce the arrival of her new granddaughter.
1969 Clint Brown writes: “I have now been retired from teaching TV production at Lynn English High School in Lynn, Mass., for five years. I have five grandchildren. My son Joshua is an actor in New York City, having appeared on soap operas. I am living the life of a cowboy here in Southwest L.A., raising quarterhorses on my 10-acre ranch and enjoying the warm weather. Enjoy reading Expression.”
1970 Michael Haydn has a new website at www. michaelhaydnmv.com.
I. Sharyn Lowe Pumphrey has a 3-year-old granddaughter named Lanie.
1971 Wynne Weinreb, owner of Jerzy Boyz Farm in Washington State, is featured in Broken Limbs, a longrunning film shown on the Documentary Channel. The film is about apples, agriculture and the New American Farmer. The farm was also highlighted on the nationally aired The Coastal Gardener. “My years at Emerson readied me for small farm advocacy,” writes Wynne.
1972 Lily Samuel Rothman has a 28-year-old daughter in Manhattan involved in music improv. Peter W. Smith published three books last fall. Friends may e-mail him at peterwsmith50@yahoo.com.
1974 Master Ho finished The End of Time radio show that he worked on with Denis Leary ’79.
1975 Diane J. Murphy-Martin is married and is now Mrs. Diane J. Gardner.
1977 Joy Silverman McGowan presented a seminar at the 2007 American Speech-
Carol Yelverton ’78 has been named vice president of O’Neill and Associates, New England’s leading full-service government and public relations firm.
Language-Hearing Association in Boston on “A Protocol for Successful Dysphagia Intervention in the School Setting.” She has presented nationally and written articles and book chapters on the topic of dysphagia and augmentative communication.
1978 Susan Dullea’s daughter was accepted to the Emerson Class of 2012. Lynne Novick is involved in city development (chair of downtown redevelopment in Boca Rotan), is chair of the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club and is on the board of governors at Boca Rotan Resort & Club. She also has a studio, where she teaches five art classes a week. Peter W. Nubile is the sound mixer for the upcoming film The Man Who Came Back.
1980 Anna Cruz is working at a new position at JCG Architecture as a marketing coordinator. She is also working on several script ideas. Margaret E. Malumphy was just named director of compensation benefits at HRIS. Frankie Spellman writes: “I opened up for guitar great George Benson and wrote the theme to the America’s Cup yachting race. I moved from Newburyport to Cape Cod in
the 1990s. Met my wife-to-be while performing in West Palm Beach, Fla., and now have two kids. In 2003 I started writing music for TV shows such as The Simple Life, Road Rules and Starting Over. Canobie Films asked me last year to write the score for their documentary Hats Off.”
1981 Bill Bois wrote the soundtrack for the video game “Catalyst.” John Houde is proud to announce the birth of Matthew Brandon, on Nov. 16, 2007, in Seattle.
1982 Anne Marie Accettullo is marketing director at Central Coating in West Boylston, Mass. Ann Dorman Baker has completed graduate work in education administration. Joseph A. Johnson is the owner of Triple J Communication. He creates video and audio productions via www.DJJamminJoe.com.
Linda Johnson is a personal insurance representative at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. in Boston. “Marketing and communications are still my love, my foundation and the driving force in my life.” Jim Larivee has relocated to Memphis, Tenn. He has taken a position as vice president of marketing for Merry Maids, a business unit owned by ServiceMaster. Jim has three children, Claudia, 22; Erica, 20; and Travis, 16. James Robinson has been named executive director of Youth Pride Inc., Rhode Island’s only organization dedicated to the social, emotional and educational needs of LGBTQ youth throughout the state.
1983 Bill Frers has been a project manager for the Graphic Group in Burlington, Mass., for 10 years and Laura Frers, MSSp ’82, works for the town of Sharon. She worked for WCRB for 14 years but left to stay home with the kids.
33 Expression Spring 2008
1986
In Memoriam 1933 Belle Sylvester Wilber 1934 Minerva Auerbach 1947 Elaine “Dukie” DuCharme Fowler ’47, MA ’50 1950 Shirley Yerxa Perkins 1950 Richard Sparling 1951 Marjorie Legum Sommer 1957 Emily (Faldetta) Sullivan, MA ’57 1958 John (Monaco) Pietro 1963 John Elwood Witmer Jr. 1966 Lucille Edwards 1974 Catherine Carre Tardiff 1974 Cynthia Youhouse 1983 Amanda Collins 1984 Donna (Fromme) Clemens 1994 Courtenay Lynn Martin 1996 Eric Algren 2006 Kate McCabe-Lackey 2006 Emma Berson Putnam
Frank Gorrell has been promoted to the position of compliance director for L-3 Services Global Security & Engineering Solutions (a division of L-3 Communications Services Inc.). He writes, “The headquarters is located in Chantilly, Va., which means frequent trips from Boston.” Robert Santurri and Lisa Santurri ’84 are married and have three sons. They may move to Mexico in the near future.
1984 Patty Peyton was married in July 2007 to John Martell in Philadelphia. They live in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Emersonians there to celebrate (at long last) were: Melanie (Paquin) Lima ’84, Judy (Mavon) Shattuck ’86, Gibby (Murphy) Ries ’86, Tom Custer ’86 and Michael Smith ’86.
34 Expression Spring 2008
Kristan Sturtevant revised a theater program in her hometown of Bridgewater, Mass. Joe Toto and his company, Grooveentertainment.com, are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Groove has just opened a new LED lighting division to go along with the finest in DJs, bands and more.
Marianne Gellert-Jones and Andy Jones are proud to announce the birth of Henry Cormac Jones on Aug. 14, 2007, in Philadelphia. Mari and Andy, along with siblings Xander and Sarah, all adore their newest arrival. Jennifer McCabe and Gerardo Esposito ’85 are happy to announce their recent marriage. Lisa Mendes is working at Wellesley College. Nancy Michaels is a relationship guru (www. matchgonewrong.com). She lives in Concord, Mass., and conducted an online radio broadcast on Valentine’s Day 2008 for 40+ single women.
1987 Martha Bridgers is celebrating her 10th anniversary with her partner, Julie, and they have twins turning 1 this year and a 3-year-old.
Judy (Mastronardi) Dumas and Craig Dumas had their first child, Harrison Craig Dumas, in July 2007 in Providence, R.I. Judy sends her regards to all who attended their 20th reunion and says it was great working with the Class Steering Committee. John K. Jones and Carolyn Freyer-Jones ’88 are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Lucinda Piper Freyer Jones, on Jan 11, 2008. John has been working on the first season of Merv Griffin’s Crosswords. He has also become a member of the Directors Guild of America (West) as a production associate, and Carolyn works at the University of Santa Monica as vice president of admissions and marketing. Thomas Segale owns Ivy Creative, an agency that creates corporate videos in Natick, Mass. James Siler is glad to announce that his 20-plusyear journey to Los Angeles was completed in January
1985 David Mazzaferro recently had a principal role on All My Children as the owner of the No Man’s Land Bar. Julie Mermelstein has started her own business as a life/ recovery coach. She is the cohost of an online radio show called Let’s Talk Recovery. Juanita Rodriguez has entered into her 8th year of teaching at Boston Arts Academy and has just been promoted to department chair.
Jon Boroshok ’84 lives in Groton, Mass., with wife Caren, daughter Stephanie (9), and son Tyler (7). He has been running his own public relations firm, TechMarcom, since 1999. Jon is also a journalist, with articles in The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, Diversity Careers and other outlets. He has been an adjunct instructor of marketing communication at Emerson since 2002.
2008. He moved his company, Green Flash Production Sound, from Florida and loves life on the “other” coast! “I am trying to get to many Emerson events here, and I look forward to seeing all my compadres soon!” Lisa Whitney lives in Keene, N.H. She is on the board of directors of Monadnock Family Services and works as administrative assistant at Wyman Way Cooperative in Keene. Lisa is also involved with a theater group that brings awareness to mental illness and other disabilities. She says: “It is very rewarding to me as it gives me a venue to use all I learned at Emerson College.”
1988 Robert Kirwan has been promoted to senior editor at Powderhouse, PBS, and is also working with Emerson students at Powderhouse PostProduction. Patty Lund has been performing a rock & roll, allrequest dueling piano show at venues throughout the U.S. and Europe for the last seven years, and she just started at a new venue, Sgt. Pepper’s Dueling Piano Cafe, in her hometown of Long Beach, Calif. She gets to “party, be a spaz and make music for a living. Not too shabby. I’d love to hear from my Emerson friends (especially Castle Well folks from ‘86). Please let me know if you’ll be at the reunion! (www.pattylund. com).”
Jesse Barnett ’91 and his company, Right Arm Resource, were featured in a January 2008 Billboard Magazine cover story on independent artist/ success story Ingrid Michaelson. Based at his home in North Easton, Mass., Barnett founded Right Arm Resource in 2005 after 11 years at various record labels and other independent promotion companies. Clients for 2008 already include Van Morrison, the B-52s, Jakob Dylan and others.
Zoe Ostergren has been a nurse for 15 years and has recently returned to get her master’s degree from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in Marriage and Family Therapy. Jerry Saslav is a sergeant in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He is currently in Baghdad, Iraq, and is a military journalist.
1989 Robert Lee Morris worked at the Boston Globe for 22 years and is now working at Vantage Travel in Boston as an email specialist. He played men’s basketball at Emerson from 1985-1989 and has been the assistant coach from 1989 to the present. Larry Potash, wife Lisa and daughter Kaylin (3.5 years old) are happy to announce the birth of Mallory Ann Potash on Dec. 27, 2007. Larry is coanchor of the WGN Morning News in Chicago. Tom Tuttle, MA ’89, is a granddad whose granddaughter Alea is going to be 3. He’s been playing ice hockey for 10 years and started surfing at 50 years old.
1990 Charlene (Coraccio) DeCesare works at College Coach/Bright Horizons in Watertown, Mass., as senior director, Tuition Advisory Services. Charlene was employed at Gartner as global director, Strategic Accounts. “After more than a decade in the IT world, I’ve made a move to the industry of my true passion – education.”
Katherine Murphy Buhler is living in Boston with husband Philipp and two sons, Alex and Christopher. She works for Four Seasons Hotel as the director of revenue management and travels extensively. “Life is great right now, and I would like to hear from alums through LinkedIn.” Suzy Prentiss is proud to announce the adoption of baby Rydel Jaden Prentiss, who joins brother Tyrel Jordan, age 15. “I encourage others to become foster parents!” Sherri Raftery is the lieutenant governor of marketing for Toastmasters District 31.
George Falkowski, MA ’87, won his fourth New York Emmy Award. He won in the category of “Sports Series” for work he did on the New Jersey Devils’ 25th anniversary.
1991 Darren Abraham has an album on iTunes and his music is being played on the radio. Heather Buswell married Jeff Rath ’91, MA ’97, after meeting at Emerson. They now have a baby boy. Rich DiPirro has completed his third season directing NBC’s Deal or No Deal. He also directed game show 1 vs. 100 and last summer’s The Singing Bee, also for NBC.
35 Expression Spring 2008
Jennifer Hill Robenalt has her own business, Hoopla Media and Communications. Brenda J. Lillie just started Doors & Windows Theatre Company & Coffeehouse, which is a community-based summer drama camp that will be producing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the end of the summer. Kara (Malkovich) Acerra recently married L.A.-based designer Richard Acerra in Las Vegas. She works in real estate development in both her hometown of Newport, R.I., and Los Angeles. The happy couple live in L.A. She sends her best to her Emerson class. J.R.A. Schaefer just finished producing a film.
1992 Liz Ahl was selected for a onemonth residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner, Wyo., as well as a twoweek residency at the Kimmel
Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska. In 2007, her poems appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Women’s Review of Books, Court Green and Alimentum. More recently, three of her poems were included in the debut issue of the online journal Einstein’s Tongue. Marj Kleinman is senior producer of a new educational children’s Web experience. It’s a virtual world site in which users have adventures through stories via role-playing games, exploration and voice recognition technology. Gail Barringer Lambie and Jansen Lambie have a baby daughter, Rowan Lambie, born Jan. 9, 2008. Gail and Jansen are both overjoyed! Anthony R. Smith Sr. started a business with his wife called Upper Level Sound. William C. Uher has made a great recovery from a stroke as well as numerous other medical complications.
1993 Ian Parsons welcomed his daughter into the world on May 30, 2007. Kira Salak is the author of three books and is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. She’s written many articles for National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, the New York Times Magazine and other publications. She has a debut novel, The White Mary, coming out in August (Henry Holt). It’s their big fiction book for the fall season, and CBS Sunday Morning will air an author profile. Steven S. Taylor, MA ’93, has been promoted to associate professor of management and awarded tenure at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Taylor earned a B.S. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982, an M.A. at Emerson in 1993, and a Ph.D. at Boston College in 2000, then held a faculty position at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom before joining the WPI faculty in 2002. He is an active researcher in the emerging field of organization aesthetics.
1994 Deidre Bullock is a lecturer in the History Department at Akron University.
James C. Ferguson ’93 wrote, directed and produced Happy Holidays, which screened at the Red River Theatres in Concord, N.H., last December. The production is replete with Emerson alumni, including Josh Blakeslsee ‘92, John Crye ‘93, Mike D’Alonzo ‘92, Bill Daly ‘93, Molly Beck Ferguson ‘94, Paul Hungerford ‘93, Thomas J. Misuraca ‘91, Tim Stepich ‘87 and Robyn Simms ‘91.
36 Expression Spring 2008
Lisa Rockwell married Stephen Ryan in August 2006. The couple is now residing in Mt. Sterling, Ky.
Al Emond is still doing photography and visual arts and hopes to be posting artwork online in the upcoming year. He lives in Attleboro, Mass., and continues to work at a residential group home for adolescents. He is finishing his work toward a master’s degree in mental health counseling at Bridgewater State College and plans on working as a clinician at his place of employment. Donna Lee Ubertalli is senior vice president, group account director, at Publicis in New York.
1995 Patricia (Gloster) Beall left Boston two days after graduation for her first job as a producer for the weekend 6 and 11 p.m. shows at WMAZ in Macon, Ga. One year later, she moved to Columbia, S.C., as the weekday 6 p.m. news producer for WIS. Two years after that she became executive news producer for WACH Fox News 10 p.m. newscast in Columbia. In 1998, she was hired but turned down the job as producer for Good Day, Atlanta on the Fox network. In 2000, she retired from the working world to be a stay-athome mom to her newborn son Logan and in 2001 had a second child, a daughter named Avery. Jon Alex Friedberg is a filmmaker and recently moved to Cambridge, Mass., to work on a film.
Thomas Kazmierczak III is executive director of Sandusky State Theater in Ohio. Kipp Cooper ’94 was recently honored in Las Vegas as one of the Top 40 under-40 business professionals in that city. Kipp was selected from more than 350 nominees for his work in politics as director of government affairs for the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. Kipp has been a real estate lobbyist, state legislator and city councilman since graduating from Emerson.
Louis Savlen has two sons, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old.
1996 Julia (Quigley) Bender was recently promoted to group account director at Carat in New York City. Julia will oversee Pfizer Pharmaceuticals’ media planning and buying strategy. Julia and her husband, Andrew, recently moved to Brooklyn Heights. Alan Leboff writes: “Since graduation I have moved to Israel to continue advanced Talmudic studies which I began during a junior year abroad. I have put my Emerson video production and creative writing training to use as a freelance video producer and as a translator. In 1999 I got married in Jerusalem to Pessie Greenstein (also from Boston), and we are now living in Kiryat Sefer with our growing family: Benyamin, 7; Adina Faiga, 5; Avi, 3; and Nechama, 9 months.”
1997 Patrick Morris, MA ’97, is president of 57th and Irving Productions. His film, American Teen, won a directing award at Sundance this past year. His film August was also shown. Misti Brooke Wills is directing an off-Broadway production. It’s part of a collaborative show, In Search of Euphoria.
1998 Scott O. Brown published a new graphic novel titled They Do Not Die with Ambrosia Publishing. Angela Easterling spent all last year touring in support of her CD Earning Her Wings, which was chosen as “Americana Pick of the Year” by Smart Choice Music. Her music has played on radio stations like Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, and several of her songs were used on the series Horsepower on Animal Planet. Joe Powers and wife Kate Fiore-Powers announce the birth of Margaret Rose, born Nov. 29, 2007. Angela Zachery, MA ’98, is proud to announce the birth of her baby.
1999
Caitlin McCarthy, MFA ‘94, made history at the 2008 Cinequest Screenplay Competition. Two of her scripts, Vera and Wonder Drug, made the Top Ten, with Vera ultimately taking 2nd place. Vera is currently being considered by top producers, while Wonder Drug is in development with independent director/ producer Tom Gilroy (Spring Forward).
Katriona MacNab was nominated for an Outstanding Editing Emmy for the 29th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. She was nominated for Sport Science on the Fox Sports Network. Miriam Rodriguez-Fusco is a first-time mom. She had a baby boy named Nicholas in February.
Christine Garabedian Gelinas had a baby girl in June 2006.
Benjamin Rolling was married in September 2007.
Damian Kolodiy made a video for Current TV on politics in Ukraine.
Cynthia Shotliff and Bhak Tanta-Nanta are proud to announce the birth of Alexander Shotliff TantaNanta on Feb. 28. Alexander is the newest addition to the family, which includes 3-yearold daughter AnnaSophia.
2000 Tom Arria has been with Harpo Productions for over a year producing promos for the Oprah Winfrey Show. Don Hammalian and wife Mindy are proud to announce the birth of EmmaLeigh on Nov. 27. Holly McManus (Withrow) and husband Keith announce the birth of their daughter Leah Irene in February 2008. Liza Monroy’s first novel, Mexican High, is being published in June by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House.
37 Expression Spring 2008
Kristin Maynard ’96 and Mark Simpson are proud to announce the birth of Willa Maynard Simpson. She was born Jan. 6, 2008, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
2001 Marieke F. Beeler is proud to announce the birth of Khayim Sandol “Kay” Beeler, born Feb. 5, 2007. Angela Kao Pierce and her husband Jeffery are proud to announce the birth of baby girl, Ava Louise Pierce, on Nov. 18, 2007. Steven Planck owns and operates Blue Sky Photography. Steve has joined the Professional Photographers Association of America and the American Society of Media Photographers. Carla D. Sosenko’s writing appears on the blog www. jewcy.com.
2002 Jared DiDomenico recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of planetofthegrapes, the company that serves as the forum for various creative projects he co-produces, including music, T-shirts, a comedy podcast, videos and more.
38 Expression Spring 2008
Laura D. DeGiacomo ’95 and Michael Moore welcomed their daughter, Isabella Breanna Moore, on Nov. 21, 2007.
Michael Dunican was an editor/contributor for the book That Rough Beast, Its Hour Come Round at Last: A history of Hurricane Katrina.
among 500 entries for the distinction. She is an associate editor with SmarterTravel, an online travel publication, based in Charlestown, Mass.
Tom Grey wrote a young adult fantasy adventure book called Invisible Audrey Appleton and the Nightmares of Everdream.
Eric Wasserman, MFA ’02, and Thea Ledendecker, MA ’03, were married in November 2007 in a private Akron, Ohio, courthouse ceremony with their parents in attendance, followed by a honeymoon in Scotland. Thea teaches composition at the University of Akron. Eric recently won the 2007 Cervená Barva Press Fiction Chapbook Prize for his short story “Brothers.” It will be published in June.
Jason Grossman directed a Piti Theatre Company production, Riding the Wave. com. Following its world premiere at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, the show has been written up in the New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune and other publications. Briana Lynch is group sales account executive at Delaware North Companies, operators of the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston. Allyson Morvant is a new mom. Sarah Pascarella was recently awarded “Best Tip and Advice” article for 2007 from the North American Travel Journalists Association. “Top 10 Safety Tips for Solo Travelers,” published by SmarterTravel.com and USA Today, was chosen from
2003 Eric Frishman ’03 and Brian Samuels ’06 are happy to announce their engagement. The wedding ceremony will take place in summer 2009 in Massachusetts. Aaron Gingrich works for Shapiro West Associates and just sold the “Monster Office” cartoon to Canada. Betsy Morgan is in The Little Mermaid on Broadway. She is a “swing,” covering five roles, including Ariel. Allison Wyper has been accepted into the elite Dance M.F.A. program at UCLA’s Department of World Arts
and Cultures, where she will continue her exploration of transdisciplinary political performance that she began at Emerson in 1999. In 2005, Allison founded the movement-based performance company Black Stone Ensemble. She has shared the stage with highly respected international artists, including Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Sara Shelton Mann, Violeta Luna, Guillermo Galindo, Paige Starling Sorvillo and Katsura Kan. “Second Shift: An Original Fantasy Podcast” (www. secondshiftpodcast.com), distributed by FarPoint Media, was written by John Tanzer ’03, Myssi Cerebi ’04 and Brandon Crose ’04.
2004 Tesfa Alexander is finishing a first year of doctoral study at the University of Memphis on cross-cultural communication. Johnathan Carr has joined the team at Zhura.com, a webbased application for collaborative screenwriting. Johnathan brings his filmmaking background to the Boston-based startup company in an effort to improve their script editing tool and overall design.
Mona Eva Fox is producer of the 10 o’clock news for KTVU Channel 2 in San Francisco, a Fox affiliate. Jayk Gallagher has begun a development process with Atomic Wedgie, the digital arm of Fremantle Media, the producers of American Idol. He’s producing and starring in a series of short comedic clips. His new-media comedic work has been commissioned by Current TV, Sun Microsystems, HaHaPlanet and other online ventures. Since arriving in L.A. in 2004 Gallagher has appeared on the E! Network, MTV and in numerous national commercials. Keith Gormley and Kimberly Mcintyre ’05 recently got engaged. Keith works in media and Kimberly is working as a broadcast producer for Publicis advertising agency in New York. James Lewis is working as a gaffer for ABC’s Super Nanny. Jessica (Swieca) McCarthy married Michael McCarthy on June 23, 2007, in Shirley, Mass. She is the manager of alumni communications for the University of Connecticut Alumni Association.
finished production on a groundbreaking, modern record ranging in influence from Mozart to Radiohead. The record also features guest appearances by alumni Ben Fowlie ’03 and Brad Caetano ’03. Ethan Towle was finally hired full time for testing Pro-Tools for DigiDesign after three years of contracting.
2005 Nathaniel Boda has been working for two years in New York City at Empire Entertainment, a full-service event and entertainment production company. Nathaniel has personally produced events in Scotland and the British Virgin Islands for blue chip clients. Jaclyn D. Campbell moved to Pennsylvania last July, had a baby in October and started her new job at Pittsburgh University in March. Dara P. Centonze is working at Martin Albert Interiors. Collin Del Cuore has been married for two years to Alison Holland, and they are expecting their first child.
Emersonians gathered July 21 at the State Room in Boston to celebrate the wedding of Marsha MacEachern ‘00, MA ‘02, and Benjamin Murphy. Front row (from left): Amber Haskins ‘04, Cori Mykoff ‘03, Danielle Reddy ‘00. Back row (from left): Patrick Rooney ‘04, Nicole Witkov-Rooney ‘03, Tim McDuffie ‘03, Michelle Ziomek ‘00, MA ’02, Marsha MacEachern-Murphy, Benjamin Murphy, Joanna Watson ‘03, Lisa (Bairos) Resendes ’02 and Sarah Lang ‘03.
David Gordon is starring in a new TBS.com web series called 10 Dates from Hell. David lives in Los Angeles and works as an actor and comedian. Molly Millbauer and Zack Pincherli are happy to announce their engagement. The wedding ceremony will take place Nov. 2, 2008, in Los Angeles. The couple became engaged while on vacation last October in Cancun. They live in San Diego, where Molly is associate news producer at KFMB News 8/Midwest Television.
Timothy Ryan recently Cara Kossman ’04 celebrated her birthday with fellow Emersonians who all live and work in New York City. From left are: Matt Cohen ’05, Melissa Ruopp ’05, Cara Kossman, Andy Jones ’04 and Tommy Marr ’05.
Emery Roth III just got back from Dallas and Chicago, where he was doing sound design for Ella, a theatrical production about Ella Fitzgerald. David Thomas Hobbes is a supervising producer for Ghost Hunters International.
Simon Ross wrote a book about a 17-month trip through Latin America.
2006 Vanessa Dawn Carlisle, MFA ’06, is writing program administrator at Wheelock College in Boston. Casey Kennett has been promoted to associate producer at MRN Radio/ Sprint Vision, traveling to all 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. Amanda Lazaro is getting married in September. Dion Lim was recently promoted to weekday morning anchor from weekend morning anchor at KMBC in Kansas City. Her duties include anchoring during KMBC’s 6 a.m. morning show. Dion continues to report for the station’s main 5, 6 and 10 p.m. shows.
39 Expression Spring 2008
Laurie Mingolelli has written a book called Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in your 20s & 30s, published by Walker/ Bloomsbury. Lee Noble moved to Los Angeles with his former roommates.
2007 Sarah Cadieux recently directed her first postgraduation production for Traveling Theatre Inc., a children’s theater company in the Rhode Island area. She has been teaching classes in readers’ theater and improvisation to students in grades 1-8 in the city of Cranston, and has stagemanaged two shows for the company.
Blake Hayes moved to the Big Apple, maintaining his freelance TV reporter job with the Comcast Network. He was recently hired as a weekend personality at 95.9 WPLJ, NY, one of the biggest stations in the country. On the TV side of life, he still works as a freelance TV reporter for the entertainment/news show Backstage w/ Barry Nolan on CN8/The Comcast Network. Jeffrey A. Houser is in a rock band, playing hockey and working on the Kia Motors ad campaign as an account manager. Jeremiah Cohick has accepted a position at GoTV Networks in Sherman Oaks, Calif., as
a Flash developer. Jeremiah was previously employed at Creative Acceleration as the senior interactive designer. After much creative agency experience, he is looking forward to an in-house design position. Nathan Hurst was recently hired as a business reporter at the Detroit News. He has finally been able to combine his passions for journalism and travel by taking on the aviation and travel industry beat, with a focus on carrier Northwest Airlines. He also writes entries for a blog at Detnews.com. Jennifer Troy completed her final semester in December 2007 at the L.A. Center. She writes: “I have accepted a job at Double Feature Films as an
executive assistant.” Jennifer was president of the Student Alumni Association for two years and was instrumental in re-igniting the group’s presence on campus and facilitating student/alumni interaction. She’s excited to keep the connection alive from the alumni side. Matt Vuolo is going to graduate school for industrial design in San Francisco. Melissa Flores is working in New York City for the executive department of the White House Project, a national not-for-profit organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors up to the U.S. presidency.
Where Are You And What are You Doing New job? Received an award? Recently engaged or married? New baby? Moving? Recently ran into a long-lost classmate? Let us know. Use this form to submit your news or send it to Barbara_Rutberg@emerson.edu; 1-800-255-4259; fax: 1-617-824-7807. You can also submit Class Notes online at www.emersonalumni.com. To register for the online community, use the ID number located above your name on the mailing label of this magazine. Include all of the zeroes. First Name
Last Name
Address City
State
Home Phone
Your News
Mail to: Class Notes, Emerson College, Office of Alumni Relations, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624
Zip
Class Year
Spiderman and other prizewinners About 50 prizes were distributed during the 2008 edition of The EVVYs, the annual student awards show, held at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.
Gifts that Matter
During her years at Emerson, Meg Larkin received three scholarships: the John C. Zacharis Memorial Scholarship; the Eckhardt & Barbara Beck Scholarship; and the Harry S. Ross Scholarship. She was also the recipient of the Cecil and Helen Rose Forensics Award. The College thanks these generous donors for making gifts that matter. Where did you grow up? I grew up a little bit of everywhere. My dad is an opera conductor and we moved 11 times before I came to Emerson. However, most of my relatives are in the Boston area, and it was great having them nearby while I was in college.
Meg Larkin
During your college years, where did you hang out in your free time? The Boston Public Library and the park by the river in the North End. Describe your most important moment at Emerson. It was when I decided to switch my major from theater design/technology to political communication. I realized that I really didn’t want to be in the family business. Emerson’s political communication program has been a joy to be a part of.
Major: political communication Graduated: B.S. summa cum laude, May 2008
Talk about your experiences on the debate team. For my first debate tournament ever, our team showed up at Suffolk University and I was supposed to debate a Suffolk graduate assistant, not a student! She had been a great debater for all four years of her collegiate debate career. Needless to say, I was terrified. But there’s something about the nature of debate that just lends itself to that sort of trial by fire. After winning that first debate, I went on to become a very competitive debater myself, and I traveled with Emerson’s team to a series of regional and national tournaments. What are your post-college plans? I’ll be attending law school at Indiana University in Bloomington on a full scholarship. I’m particularly excited about IU because both of my parents got their master’s degrees in music there. To learn how you can make a gift that matters, contact Robert R. Ashton, vice president for Institutional Advancement, at (617) 824-8548.
120 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116-4624
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Burlington, VT 05401 Permit Number 4