Alumni
Continued from page 39 , Falk Student Alumni Reminisce
Pitt ’ s School of Education , where he worked with doctoral advisor Don Adams until accepting a job offer from Bechtel in 1980 . Preisser became a technical training officer for the largest civil engineering program in history , the Jubail Industrial City program , and spent three years working in Saudi Arabia . “ I never did finish my [ graduate ] program , regretfully ,” he says .
During his time in Riyadh , Preisser found inspiration for his 2014 novel , The Strength of Stones . “ That ’ s where I took the cover photo and learned a bit about the jobs my Saudi characters have ,” Preisser says , adding that “ the best thing about the book is a four-page glossary of useful Arabic terms .”
“ While I was certainly not a model student during my eight years at Falk , what I learned in those eight years got me through college at the University of Massachusetts , Amherst and grad school at Pitt .” Since retiring from adult education training in 2013 , Preisser spends his time reading and writing essays and being with his wife , two children , and granddaughter . Looking back on his childhood , he shares , “ I loved Falk .”
David Michael Slater , who attended Falk from 1975 through 1984 , is the author of nearly 40 books of fiction and nonfiction for children , teens , and adults . His most recent novel , “ The Vanishing ,” has been optioned by Chris Columbus ’ 26th Street Pictures . His next novel , “ Ugly ,” will be released in October 2025 .
Slater has only the fondest memories of both his friends and teachers at Falk . He and his wife , Heidi , and son , Max , live in Reno , Nevada , where he teaches gifted and talented English language arts in a middle school . You can learn more about Slater and his work at davidmichaelslater . com . ■
Class of 2020 Reunion
More than 25 Falk alumni and their families returned to the school for a Class of 2020 reunion on June 2 , 2024 . While every reunion is a special occasion , this one was particularly meaningful because the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Class of 2020 from meeting in person .
Falk Laboratory School Valedictorians
Congratulations to high school graduates from Barack Obama Academy and Taylor Allderdice High School .
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