John C. Worley (’49) visited Scovel Hall during the Alumni
Reunion in June 2004. He felt “it is the same and much different.”
Allan Price Daw (’51) sent us some thoughts reflecting on “an education in geology – at least a partial education.” He summed it up by saying “An education in geology is never wasted. For we are as dependent on this earth as we are on its biota. It always helps to understand one’s Mother.”
Robert D. Sponseller (’58) wrote to let us know that he has never regretted his decision to attend The College of Wooster and major in geology. Robert has been retired for many years, but continues to work on his farm which has been in the family for 105 years.
Steve Emerson (‘69) and his wife, Julie, visited the Department on May 16, 2005. Their son Jake was graduated that day.
Phil Anson (’72) is still using all of his “minimally remaining” mineralogy-petrology-crystallography knowledge in his orthopedic practice as “osteoporosis and bone mineral issues become more important with us babyboomers getting older.”
Patricia Kelley (’75) is taking every opportunity she can to visit her daughter Katherine, who just completed her first year here at the College. On one of her visits to Wooster Patricia was the speaker for The Richard G. Osgood, Jr. Memorial Lectureship. This is her first sabbatical in 25 years of teaching. She is finishing her term as Past-President of the Paleontological Society, but now is President of the Board of Trustees of the Paleontological Research Institution. She was also recently elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Martha (Edick) DeLong (’78) and her husband, Mike Henderson, incorporated their company, doubleMM consulting, which provides Health, Safety and Environmental, and Training and Competence Management to the education sector and small and medium sized high risk companies. Martha also continues teaching Mathematics at the local co-ed high school. Martha and her family were able to travel to Nelson, the heart of New Zealand wine country, Sydney, Washington D.C., and Glen Lake, Michigan.
David Land (’81) and his wife, Kelcey, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary with a bike trip through Vermont during leaf season. Their daughters, Kaylin and Ainsley are 12 and 16, respectively. The 9.0 earthquake hitting near Sumatra, brought back memories of the buzz in Scovel in 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted.
Since the Exxon-Mobil merger Mike Kozar (’83) has spent most of time working the Middle East. He is currently coordinating a field studies project in Mobile Bay, a Norphlet gas field, and still doing some technical advising on carbonate reservoir issues worldwide. Occasionally, he runs into former COW students Brian Carl, John Van Wagoner, and Bill Drennen. His two girls are now 14 and 11.
Brad Leach (’83) is working for Newmont Mining Corp. as an in-house consulting geologist and ore deposit computer modeler. He enjoys being based in the U.S. again. He was married in 1995 to Cindy Williams who also works for Newmont. “When we are not traveling the world in search of new gold deposits, we are out enjoying all the great outdoor recreation options Colorado has to offer, usually accompanied by our Peruvian dingo.” He has recently taken up the new and exiting hobby of vintage racing.
Polly (Groth) Wheeler (’84) is Editor and CEO of Wheeler Publishing Company, a business she and her husband, Michael, have been in for 13 years. She and Michael have four children: Sean, Timothy, Brendan, and Rebecca.
Lisa Park (’88) and Carlton Boush were married November 27, 2004 in Peninsula, Ohio. Lisa enjoys serving on the Paleontological Society Council and is the outgoing Secretary of the GSA Limnogeology Division.
Robert Andrews (’89) completed his M.S. in Geology with a specialization in Hydrogeology at the University of Kentucky (2002). In January 2004, he returned to Ohio to be closer to family. He is enjoying being in the north again.
Colin Ozanne (’96) is Assistant District Counsel working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He writes “My practice with the Government is now almost limited entirely to environmental law. I spend much of my time enforcing the Clean Water Act and defending against, or prosecuting claims to clean up hazardous substances at former Department of Defense sites. The rest of my time is happily spent sea-kayaking the beautiful, but rockless, Georgia coast with my wife Lindsey and dog Newman.”
Brian Hitchens (’97) and his wife Helen (whom he met on a Keck research project) welcomed their first daughter, Emma Catherine, into their family in October 2004. They continue to enjoy life in San Diego (surfing and sunshine).
Megan Mandernach-Shober (’99) and her husband, Arnie, celebrate the birth of their daughter Clara, born on June 6, 2005.
Liz Myers (’99) has moved to Eugene, Oregon, and is working for West Eugene Wetlands, a non-profit organization that provides wetlands education for the surrounding community. She has also become involved with the local Celtic music scene, playing with the pipe band, and also playing the Irish flute and tinwhistle with two different bands. Liz will be marrying Jonathan Brown in July 2005.
Last we heard from Megan Hooker (’00) she had moved to Portland, Oregon, “just in time for the blowing up of Mt. St. Helen’s!” She was doing an internship with Oregon Water Trust in order to finish her degree in environmental law and also working with the River Network.
Laura Clor (’01) received her M.S. from the University of New Mexico in 2004. When we heard from her in January, she was working as a Physical Science Technician monitoring air quality for Yosemite National Park.
Kirk Lapham (’01) is pursuing his law degree and also working as an Assistant Project Geoscientist II for Weston Solution of Michigan, Inc.
Andrea Martin (’02) is working at AGI. When we heard from her in early May her position title was Outreach Programs Associate, but very soon she will be more on the development side of AGI, working on a television series on Earth Systems for the Discovery Science channel. She is also working on a poster/brochure series for the National Parks.
Jessica Conroy (’03) is enjoying life in sunny Tucson while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Arizona. When we heard from her in October she had just finished an exciting month of fieldwork in the Galapagos where she was able to snorkel with sea lions and take lots of lake sediment cores.
Leslie McCluskey (’03) has recently joined the Air Force. She has chosen to be a linguist. This position requires top-secret security clearance and over a year of intensive language training in Monterey, California.
Richard Poole (’03) is enrolled at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Even though his theological education is everything he had hoped and dreamed it would be, he still misses his geologic studies at Wooster. His wife, Becky, has transferred to Dominican University in San Rafael and was scheduled to graduate in May 2005 with a B.A. in History.
Jared Rhode (’03) let us know that he is teaching 9th grade science at Sandusky High School. He says “I really enjoyed my time as a Geology major at Wooster and feel as though it prepared me extremely well for what I am doing now.”
Abby (Bowers) Rubright (’03) writes that she is working at Pace Analytical Services as a Wet Chemistry Group Leader and Supervisor. Her husband, Matt, owns and operates Rubco Landscaping out of their home office. Very soon Abby will be taking over most of the office duties associated with the company. Abby and Matt are expecting a baby boy on August 5th. Congratulations.
Jessica (Hiznay) Pfeifer (’04) is working for an environmental consulting firm just south of Concord, New Hampshire. On June 4, 2005 she married Daniel Pfeifer (’03) and they live near Concord, Massachusetts.
Deanne Rider (’04) is now working as a Technical Analyst for Hydro GeoLogic in Herndon, Virginia.
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Although we as a department celebrate the accomplishments and news we have from our alumni, we are also saddened by the death of the following alumni:
Ann Hunter Lawhead (’48), Rocklin, California
June 14, 2004 (WOOSTER, Winter 2005)