ZOOBITS

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Pictured at a Friday night gathering in Ann Arbor before their 55th reunion at K in 2024 are, from left, front row, Elaine Washington, George Washington ’69, Bob Belair ’69, Chuck Meyer ’69, Sandy Bedard Meyer ’67, Chris Rettich Wilcox ’69. Back row: Tim Lavalli ’69, Pat Bauer ’69, Tom Matzell ’69, and Holly Belair.

Joe ’68 and Nancy (Southard) ’67 Young participated in a trip to South Africa in April with the Rutgers Alumni Association. Throughout 11 days, they visited Johannesburg, went on a brief safari and ended up in Cape Town. The Youngs made lots of memories and new friends.

For Jeanne Sigler ’69, 31 years as president of Jeanne Sigler and Associates, a full-service Manhattan-based fundraising consulting firm, didn’t quite seem like enough, so after a now long-ago, one-year hiatus, together with a move with her husband to historic Philadelphia, she kept going. Happily, a multi-year assignment as capital campaign consultant to Gulfshore Playhouse, a regional theatre in Naples, Florida, resulted in the organization’s meeting a $70 million goal and opening its new 45,000-square-foot Baker Theatre and Education Center in fall 2024. This long and satisfying assignment, together with a number of shorter ones, kept Jeanne busy for a decade. Back home in Philadelphia, she continued to serve on nonprofit boards, including the Lantern Theater, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, and the Endowment for Biblical Research, together with active service on the Advancement Committee of the Philadelphia Ballet. She founded and helped launch Women in Development Philadelphia to support professional growth and support for women in the fundraising field. In her now more abundant nonwork hours, she enjoys the museums, concerts, botanical gardens and historic sites of her adopted city, and looks forward to its celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial in 2026, as well as to continued active travel. She is proud of the Endowed Fund for Foreign Study created by the Class of 1969 as part of its 50th reunion and is so pleased that K continues its commitment to study abroad, thus changing lives and leading to a world of greater understanding. She recommends active retirement to all!

David Mesenbring ’73 and Mindy Iris rented a 300-year-old renovated barn in France’s central Berry Province for April and invited friends and family to visit. Five other K alums were among 25 people who shared group meals, rural hiking, local markets, medieval wonders, and daily breakfast runs to the boulangerie. Wine was drunk, cheeses savored, and pastries indulged. Far from Welles Dining Hall, bien sûr, and closer to gracious living despite the consensus among visiting citizens of Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Morocco, Lebanon and France that concluded Americans remain far from the end of learning. Alums joining David included his daughter, Ana Maria ’19, Carolyn Berg ’72, David Hammond ’73, and, pictured with David Mesenbring (left), Gurudharm Singh Kalasa ’73 (center) and Mark McDonald ’73 (right).

For the Class of 1980, Jim Peterson and Steve Petzold completed a weekend road trip to visit dear friend and classmate David Op’t Holt in Daphne, Alabama. They had a great time and were looking forward to the reunion in October. They send best wishes to all, and Lux Esto! Pictured, from left, are Jim, Dave and Steve.

In April, the city of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, inducted Don Young ’80 into its Athletic Hall of Fame recognizing his athletic achievements at Lake Shore High School and Kalamazoo College. Championship football teammates were inducted. At K, Don was a repeat All-MIAA selection in football and track and field. In the 1978 season, the MIAA named him Offensive Player of the Week after a win against Alma when K was 5-0 and Michigan’s only undefeated college football team. In track and field, Don was the 1980 MIAA shot put and discus champion and participated in the 1979 and 1980 NCAA track and field championships. Coaches selected him for the 1980 NCAA All-America track and field team, and he set an NCAA Division III discus record at 56.42 meters (185 feet, 1 inch). Upon graduation, Don received K’s C.W. “Opie” Davis Award, and K inducted him into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. Among family and friends at the induction banquet were Valerie (Young) Woonton ’81 and Grant Garrett ’80.

Pictured at a lovely K mini-reunion are, from left: Judith (Que) Danaher ’81, Mark Dietrich ’79, Inge (Rebbe) Dietrich ’83, and Karen (Hock) Phelps ’81 The group gathered at the home of Karen and Gene Phelps in Grand Haven, Michigan. It was prompted by Mark and Inge’s trip to the States from their home in Munich, Germany. Judith is Mark’s cousin, and Karen has the exact same birthday as Judith.

Lori Ayre ’81 writes, “I accidentally became a children’s audiobook publisher and creator of the app Whole World Kids, available now from app stores.” It’s an app for kids to listen to multicultural stories. Thirty stories are included with the free app, and once it’s downloaded, listeners may subscribe to receive three more stories every month.

Henry Ford College appointed Kevin R. Howley ’81 its vice president and chief financial officer. Kevin will lead the college’s financial operations, institutional planning, facilities management and business strategy. Kevin has maintained close ties to higher education throughout his career. He served on Kalamazoo College’s Board of Trustees and as president of the College’s Alumni Association, taught as an adjunct professor, and supported student recruitment and advancement efforts. His academic credentials include an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Lux Row K ’83 was well represented at the June 28, 2025, Detroit Tigers game. After meeting their first day at K 46 years ago, Randy Forsch, George Seifert, Jim Boyd, Ed Hortelano and Mark Ebell still enjoy each other’s company!

Paul Harmelink ’84 writes that he has “finally” retired from his job as IT support specialist at Grand Valley State University after more than 20 years. He is now catching up on increasing his video game skills, working on perfecting a really good cup of coffee or tea and helping relatives with tech troubleshooting. “In other words, same old, same old.”

Eric Hsi ’85 writes, “I recently celebrated my first year in Rochester, Minnesota, having relocated from Wake Forest to take on the role of chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at Mayo Clinic. DLMP supports the laboratory testing and pathology needs of the Mayo Clinic practice, trains the next generation of physicians and laboratory scientists, and provides lab services for Mayo Clinic Laboratories, a national reference laboratory. I joined my sister (Linda Hsi ’90) who has been in Rochester working at Mayo for several years. With our two boys grown and out of the house, the move was less complicated, and we are settled in the area. My wife, Eileen, and I are enjoying the small town feel and our new puppy (Rafa).”

Lynn Staley ’86 received a Trailblazer Award from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), where she is a teaching professor in the Department of English and a faculty affiliate in gender studies. She coordinates the Business Writing Program and is an advocate for community engagement, service-learning and inclusive practices. She writes short fiction and poetry and is a first-generation college graduate. She completed her M.A. at UMSL and her Ph.D. at Saint Louis University. She is a jazz lover, proud stepmom of three and shares her home with her husband, Steve, and her herd of rescued dogs and cats.

Suzanne Kamata ’87 is happy to announce the publication of her book, River of Dolls and Other Stories (Penguin Random House SEA, 2025). These stories, many of which riff on traditional Japanese folk tales and lore, explore the lives of individuals caught between desire and duty, as well as the conflicting expectations of different cultures.

Kristine Altwies ’88 was recently named Hawaii’s “Remarkable Woman of the Year”—one of 125 women across the U.S. who were honored by Nexstar Media Group for the difference they have made in public policy, social progress and the quality of life in their communities. Executive director of Hawaii’s leading international adoption agency for the past 34 years, she is also a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in parenting, attachment and adoption. Kristine founded the nonprofit organization PonoRoots Counseling Center. Since 2022, she has served on the board of directors for Holt International.

Russell Cooper ’89 writes, “My eclipse journey to Russellville, Arkansas, in April 2024, was a 3,135-mile, six-day adventure that initially took me from West Michigan to Hill Country in Texas. I chose Texas with the assumption (and research) that the weather in April would most likely be better in the south. It was a reservation planned several months ahead, that changed about 14 hours prior to the eclipse due to weather conditions. I made a nine-hour, overnight drive (Texas to Arkansas), for a 2.5-hour event with four minutes, 10 seconds of unobstructed totality. It was my second total solar eclipse, an awe-inspiring experience, and ‘totally’ worth it. I was able to turn this into an ArtPrize piece in September 2024.”

Eric Hegg ’91, professor of biochemistry and dean of the Michigan State University College of Natural Science, was honored with the Research Corporation for Science Advancement 2025 IMPACT Award. This award recognizes Eric’s significant contributions to scientific understanding and practical applications in alternative energy research and bioenergetics. In addition to his research, Eric has held leadership roles in the Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and in the DOE Center for Catalysis in Biomimetic Confinement. He also advised the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and provided input on draft legislation. He has authored nearly 80 manuscripts and book chapters, and his lab has been supported by a variety of federal agencies. Eric has mentored nearly 100 students and postdoctoral researchers in his lab, including over 50 undergraduate students. In 2019, he was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The IMPACT Award includes a $5,000 cash prize and was presented at the 2025 Cottrell Scholar Conference, held in July in Tucson, Arizona.

Members of the Class of 1993 Keirya Langkamp, Jennifer (DeLeeuw) Lindquist, Carri Norton, Simona (Boata) King and Diana Danca expanded their learning horizons during their trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, in May 2025. In addition to visiting NASA, they also watched the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket. Their visit to NASA was one of many legs of their vacation in Florida as part of biannual trips they take to grow socially and globally.

The Chemours Company announced the appointment of Matthew Conti ’97 as chief human resources officer. Based at Chemours’ headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, Matthew will lead Chemours’ global human resources organization, overseeing talent strategy, organizational development, employee engagement and culture initiatives. He brings over two decades of HR leadership experience across global manufacturing, specialty chemicals and industrial sectors. He holds a B.A. in economics from K and an M.B.A. from the London Business School.

Jeff Grisenthwaite ’98 has his first board game, Positano, on shelves now. He has several more games that are signed with publishers and in various stages of development that will be released later this year and in 2026. Jeff writes, “I played lots of games with friends while at K, and it’s been a dream of mine for most of my life to be a board game designer. So it’s been wonderful to see that dream realized!”

Gretchen Mollers ’99 won the 2025 Cecily B. Bartlett Stonewall Memorial Award from the Rose City Pride Bands (RCPB) in Portland, Oregon. Cecily Bartlett was one of the early members of the RCPB and was present at the Stonewall Inn in New York City the night riots broke out in June 1969. The award is given to a member who has demonstrated active and sustained involvement in the LGBTQIA2S+ community, as well as musicianship and leadership in RCPB. Gretchen plays French horn and mellophone in the bands and is board vice chair.

In 2023, after years working in design and communications, Carl Roose ’00 founded an AI consultancy, Mindteam, which helps organizations in the Midwest and beyond understand and integrate AI tools in their operations. Around the same time, he and Julia Slocum ’02 moved from Washington, D.C., back to their hometown of Oberlin, Ohio.

Antin Infrastructure Partners recently appointed Ryan Shockley ’00 as senior partner. Ryan is a senior investment professional with more than 20 years of high-level experience in private equity and the energy and power infrastructure space. He holds a B.A. in economics from K and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Allison (Scheurer) Moir, Diana (Okuniewski) Schillaci and Jodi (Pung) Schafer, alumnae volleyball players from the Class of 2002, recently traveled to the Netherlands to reunite with Mary (Hofmeister) Carvalho—a fellow Hornet teammate and ’02 grad. While there, they scrimmaged with Mary’s son’s volleyball team and didn’t get injured! These four travel to see each other as often as possible and take a large girls’ trip every five years to stay connected. This year, they experienced the Netherlands, where Mary has been living for the past year, and visited London for the Chelsea Flower Show.

Attorney Ryan C. Plecha ’04 has joined Butzel Long, P.C., as a shareholder in its litigation department. He represents clients in a broad spectrum of legal disputes in a variety of industries. He earned a J.D. magna cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a B.A. cum laude from K.

Michael Morosi ’07 has been named the first chief investment officer of 3LS Inc., a rapidly growing, Tennessee-based, employee-owned company on a mission to do good and empower good in the world, investing in child welfare, behavioral healthcare, technology and professional services. A passionate advocate for employee ownership, Michael co-founded 40 Million Owners and Southeast Acquisition Capital to help expand ownership models and create value for employee-owned companies. At 3LS, he will lead future acquisitions and oversee the transition of businesses into employee-owned models—helping mission-driven organizations drive growth, impact and generational opportunity for all.

Claire Madill ’12 recently joined the Federal Public Defender Office for the District of Maryland as an assistant federal public defender. In this position, Claire represents individuals accused of federal crimes in Maryland. Claire graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2015. Before joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Claire worked as a public defender in Florida and Washington, D.C. She also worked for three federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Judge William A. Fletcher and Judge Alison J. Nathan.

Mara Livezey ’13 received tenure and promotion to associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Detroit Mercy in April 2025. As a Michigander, she is happy to officially put down roots in the Detroit area and stay at the university she now calls home. She credits much of her success to her amazing professors and training she received in the department of chemistry at K, especially to Dr. Laura Furge, with whom she did undergraduate research.

Warner Norcross + Judd LLP welcomed attorney Caryn Hannapel ’20 to its Kalamazoo office. She has been admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and is gaining experience in a variety of legal matters before selecting a practice group. She received her law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law. She graduated magna cum laude in economics and political science from K.

After completing her undergraduate degrees in biology and German, Grace Stier ’21 became a missionary for the Catholic Church as part of Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). She served for two years at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, before applying to be a FOCUS missionary in Germany. She is currently in her second year at the University of Passau, using her knowledge of German to work with the German University students, including leading Bible study in German. Grace was recently privileged to be the main stage emcee for the SEEK conference, which drew 500 participants from all over Europe to Cologne, Germany.

Wil Thomas ’21 proposed to Caroline Banaszak ’21 on May 3, 2025. The couple met the morning of March 18, 2018, in the Harmon Hall lounge while studying for finals. They have been together ever since. The pair lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and will be married in Michigan in 2026.

Shahriar Akhavan Tafti ’24 will receive the Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) Betty Jo Hudson Graduate Fellowship in the 2025—26 academic year while continuing studies toward a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Vermont. The national award recognizes members of the honor society who are pursuing graduate or professional degrees for their academic achievement and campus leadership. His research currently focuses on the neural correlates of mind-wandering and attention to understand how people can improve their focus and learning in real-world and educational settings. As an undergraduate at K, Shahriar majored in computer science, minored in German and psychology and was a member of the Environmental Conservation Organization Club. He served as a founder and president of Kalamazoo’s ALD chapter, reviving it after a decade-long hiatus. He also received a senior leadership award.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Readers,

We know how much LuxEsto means to our community. It’s where we share the stories, milestones and memories that keep us connected to Kalamazoo College and to each other.

As printing and postage costs continue to rise, we’ve made the mindful decision to publish LuxEsto twice a year instead of three times. This change allows us to be thoughtful stewards of the College’s resources while still bringing you the kinds of stories and campus updates you’ve told us matter most via your comment cards and feedback.

Beginning with this issue, you’ll also notice a change to our In Memory section. We’ll now share brief notices of alumni passings in print, with the fuller tributes still available online at elux.kzoo.edu—a practice common among many college publications. Full obituaries for faculty, staff and others whose contributions have deeply shaped the College will continue to appear in print.

These decisions were not made lightly. By adapting the magazine in these ways, we’re able to create space for the stories that celebrate our community while still paying tribute to the lives and legacies of alumni and friends who have made a difference in the world. We’re grateful for your understanding, and even more so for the stories, class notes and reflections you continue to share. They help us celebrate all that makes K special, and they inspire the chapters still to come.

Sincerely,

Sarah Frink
Editor