off campus Alumni News Briefs
’68 Steve Ayres has been named to the Washington Officials Association Hall of Fame. He officiated at basketball and football games for many years in Spokane and continues to schedule officials for Spokane basketball games and tournaments. ’71 George Nethercutt, Jr. (J.D.) continues to work with selected GU graduates through the George Nethercutt Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to helping college students receive a better civics education. Graduates Allison Roehling (’10) and Katie Love (’10) successfully completed the program in 2009 and 2010. ’74 Dr. Steven MacDonald has been elected to the board of directors of the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. He lives in Pacific Grove, Calif., where he has had a chiropractic practice since 1979. ’85 Fr. John C. Bentz, S.J., has been named director of vocations for the Oregon Province. He will continue as superior for the Capitol Hill Jesuit Community in Seattle. ’90 Bob Carriker is a spokesman for Louisiana’s Office of Tourism, who often escorts travel writers around the state and appears at cooking shows. In June, Bob met Paula Deen at the Great American Food Festival. In his day job, he is professor of history at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. He also directs the university’s Public History Program. 60
GONZAGA MAGAZINE | WINTER 2011
’93 Amy Miller…[6] married Daniel Salazar, Jr., in September 2009 at Bear Creek Lodge in Mead, Wash. Amra (High) Custer (’95) was matron of honor. Also attending were Dawn Gardunia, Paul Fruci, Lee Brand (’92), Christopher Custer (’92) and Marilyn (Zenner) Prince (’61). The couple honeymooned in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and now live in Ann Arbor, Mich. Amy works for the Michigan Air National Guard and Dan for the University of Michigan. Amy still treasures time with her GU friends. “Amra and I visited Mary (Hodge) Sanchez in Florida last November, and for my husband’s first trip to Alaska we spent this Fourth of July with Amra and Christopher.” ’96 Laura Stanfield…[8] and Dr. Roberto Calderon were married March 26 at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. The couple lives in Alexandria, Va. Laura is a physician’s assistant with Greater Metropolitan Orthopaedics in Washington, D.C.; Roberto is an orthopedic surgeon in the Air Force. ’97 John Honsky (M.Ns.Prac.) was featured in Catholic Health World for his work in mental health care at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center in Missoula, Mont. He is the chief nursing officer at St. Patrick and one of the founders of the new urgent care mental health clinic on the hospital’s campus. ’98 Lisa (Barsanti) Wade …[9] and her husband Garrett welcomed their daughter, Emily
Marie Wade, into the world on June 11. Since graduation, Lisa has worked aboard Holland America cruise ships as a youth director and at Marriott Hotels as a sales manager. She is now a full-time mom and lives with her family in Cupertino, Calif. ’99 Benjamin Cushman and Alexa Trussoni were married June 26 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Fellow Zag Cameron Svenson was best man. Benjamin works for KSTP-TV in St. Paul, Minn., and Alexa works for the Oracle Corporation. ’02 Erin Welch and Andrew Meuer (’03)…[4] celebrated their one-year anniversary July 18. They were married in 2009 at the bride’s home in Northern California. The couple now lives in Spokane, where Andrew helps manage the mobile food bank program at Second Harvest. Erin teaches English to immigrants and refugees at the Institute for Extended Learning, a branch of the Community Colleges of Spokane. Anne Loucks (J.D.) has been named an associate with the Williams Kastner law firm in Seattle. Missy and Dan Wessman…[3] of Spokane welcomed daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, on May 30. Missy works in the Foley Center Library; Dan works full time for the Washington State Army National Guard in Spokane and Yakima.
in June from the University of Washington School of Law. ’07 Cassie Echer and Nate Williams (’06)…[2] were married May 29 at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church in Denver. Nate is a field engineer for an industrial company based in Broomfield, Colo. Cassie spent 2007-08 in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in New Orleans and now teaches elementary school. Their wedding party included Zags Eric Everson (’04), Eric Dworkis (’04), Ryan Leong (’05), Brandon Harmon (’07), Josh Monroe (’07), and Adam Lovill (’04). The following Zags Christen Kennelly Lambert (’07), Dana Skoog Questad, Robert Janicki, Ryan Lambert, Elaine Markham (’06), Brendan Kolding (’05), Kelly Shaw D’Ambrosio, Patrick D’Ambrosio (both’04), Carly Cyr, Craig Schaefer, and Stephen Russell (’03)…[1] are all members of Amici. This service organization is for young professionals committed to supporting Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle through hands-on service, volunteering, fundraising and networking. ’08 Erica Byfield…[7] (M. Comm. L.) has taken a job at Atlanta news station WSB, as a general assignment reporter. In 2009, she won a Mid-America Emmy award for an investigative story on a burglar.
’05 Jill Strait was promoted to communications director for the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee. Previously, she directed communications for Dino Rossi’s 2008 campaign in Washington. Melanie Taff…[10] married Jon Brown, a Michigan Tech University graduate, on Aug. 22, 2009, in Orcas Island, Wash. They currently live in Seattle.
’09 Matthew Berry and Aurora Janke (‘07) have been named members of the 2010-11 University of Washington School of Law Journal of Environmental Law and Policy.
’06 Dr. Jlyn Pritchard…[5] graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with the degree of doctor of osteopathic medicine in May. She plans to enter the family medicine program at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. Katherine Herche earned her law degree
‘WHO’S THIS ZAG?’ WILL RETURN IN THE SPRING ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE. YOUR STORIES OF OUR CURRENT MYSTERY ZAG AND A NEW PHOTO TO SPARK MORE GU MEMORIES WILL APPEAR THEN.
’10 Katherine Brackmann has joined the staff of Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. Katherine will do promoting and marketing in the athletics department.