Reflections Magazine Issue #87 - Fall 2018 | Page 29

Alumni News—Class Notes
2001
Ryan Robinson is currently the
plant controller at Inteva Products
in Adrian, Mich.
2003
Peter Ossmann
’08/MA received
the Don B. Daily
Achievement in
Safety Award
from the Steel
Manufacturers
Association in
October 2017. Ossmann was one of
three recipients of the award, which
is SFA’s highest safety recognition.
According to the SMA, he was se-
lected “for his engagement and
outreach with local first responders
in Northwest Ohio. His dedication to
safety extends beyond the job. His
work to ensure his community and
emergency response organizations
are knowledgeable and well-trained
is commendable.” Ossmann is em-
ployed as the coordinator of Security
and Emergency Response with North
Star BlueScope Steel in Delta, Ohio.
Photograph by Michael Riddell
College. At SHU he teaches social
studies methods, educational
technology for teachers and adap-
tive physical education for the
Division of Education. He and his
wife, Liz (Harrison) ’08, reside
in Lenawee County.
2009
Angela Edward is currently works
as a social worker for Henry Ford
Allegiance Health in Jackson, Mich.
She also serves as an adjunct pro-
fessor at Spring Arbor University.
2010
2004
Michael Caro was named the
strength and conditioning coach at
Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va.,
in August 2017. He previously was
the strength and conditioning coach
at Transylvania (Ky.) University.
2005
Robert Gearing is the head of
Enterprise Solutions at Socialbakers,
a global social media analytics com-
pany in Prague, Czech Republic. The
digital marketing executive resides
in New York City.
2008
Tyler George is currently a teacher
at Clinton (Mich.) High School. He
teaches AP history and geography
and is a track and field coach,
National Honor Society advisor and
chair of the School Improvement
Team. He is an adjunct professor
at both Siena Heights and Adrian
Dalton Elza is
playing the lead
role in the film
“The Heir,” an
upcoming film
about a young
man dealing with
generational fam-
ily drama who inherits a storage unit
at a yard that’s set to be demolished.
The 90-minute film is expected to
be released in summer 2018. Elza
resides in Mesquite, Texas.
Fetullah Evliyaoglu/MA is cur-
rently serving as an engineer with
the Turkish government. Alyssa Fausneaucht is currently
the assistant manager of the Sum-
mit Sports and Ice Complex and
Aim High Sports in Jackson, Mich.
Brittany (Hinkle) Irwin is currently
employed as a preschool intensive
needs paraprofessional with the
Lorain County (Ohio) Early Learning
Center. She and her husband, Brady,
have two boys, Brady and Blake. The
family resides in Wellington, Ohio. Stefanie Pellegrom/MA is cur-
rently employed as a high school
counselor/behavior specialist at
Blissfield (Mich.) Schools. She also
serves as varsity girls volleyball
coach at Britton-Deerfield Schools.
2011
Kelly Ruder received the 2018
Department-Level Graduate Re-
search and Creative Scholars Award
from Western Michigan University
in April 2018. She was nominated
for her research excellence.
2012
Megan Vigeant (above) was pro-
filed in the September/October 2017
issue of Maine Boats Magazine. The
article details her efforts in building
her own wood canoe by hand. To
view her article, visit maineboats.
com. She is an oral historian, writer
and owns Stories to Tell, which
creates custom books and audio
memoirs. She lives in Hope, Maine.
2017
Rashontae
Wawrzyniak
worked as a
Monster Energy
Girl for the
NASCAR racing
series during the
2017 season.
Her primary responsibility was
interacting with NASCAR fans and
talking about racing during series
events around the country. She
also has a modeling career.
2016
Jeff Hardman is a coach for the
High Tide Volleyball Club in Palm
Beach County, Fla. High Tide is a
competitive indoor volleyball training
club for high school players.
Travis Zajkowski
is an assistant
football coach at
Davenport Uni-
versity, a NCAA
Division II pro-
gram. He also
serves as a
backup quarterback for the West
Michigan Ironmen, a member of
the Midwest Professional Indoor
Football League.
2018
Chris Acton was named the head
coach of the Battle Creek Pennfield
boys lacrosse team in April 2018.
Jacob Jones is employed as a con-
tract fuel inside sales coordinator
for Avfuel Corp. Jones is responsible
for supporting Avfuel’s key accounts,
assisting sales executives in analysis
and customer support initiatives,
and coordinating resources. He is
based at Avfuel’s headquarters in
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Chris McKim/MA was recently
hired as the new men’s volleyball
coach at Graceland (Iowa) University.
He was a graduate assistant coach
for SHU’s volleyball programs the
past two seasons.
Stacia Serafin was accepted into
the University of Michigan’s Master
of Information Science program for
next fall.
NOTABLES
Two Siena Heights graduates cele-
brated their 100th birthdays over
the past year:
Sister Ann
Seraphim
Schenk, O.P.
’47, ’70/MA
celebrated her
100th birthday
on Oct. 25, 2017,
with a Mass in
St. Catherine Chapel on the campus
of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Sister Ann received tributes and
congratulations from around the
country, including Michigan Gov.
Rick Snyder and U.S. Sen. Debbie
Stabenow and a papal blessing
from Pope Francis. She was also
presented with the City of Adrian’s
Mayor’s Community Service Award.
She entered the Adrian Dominican
congregation in 1936 and was an
elementary school teacher in Mich-
igan, Illinois and Arizona. She re-
tired in 1991 and has lived at the
Dominican Life Center since 2004.
She passed away June 24, 2018.
Sister Cecelia
Vandeberg ’41
turned 100 years
old on June 26,
2018. According
to a recent article
in the Great Falls
(Mont.) Tribune,
Sister Cecelia is currently living in a
retirement home in Davenport, Iowa,
and is a member of the Congrega-
tion of the Humility of Mary. After
earning her degree in music from
Siena Heights, she taught music
and directed choirs in Illinois and
Montana and was a columnist
and a music and book reviewer
for “Modern Liturgy” and “Worship
Times.” She also volunteered at hos-
pitals, health care centers and liter-
acy centers, according to the article.
DEATHS
Alumni
Sister Mary Eiden, OP ’43
Sister Ann Seraphim Schenk, OP
’47, ’70/MA
Sister Susanne Hofweber, OP ’48
Estela Cintron Rivas ’48
Sister Marie Garcia, OP ’49
Sister Maureen Masuga, OP ’49
Sister Margaret Karam, OP ’50
Sister Dorothy Folliard, OP ’50
Sister Georgina Luznicky, OP ’52
Jane Korte Waldo ’53
Sister Betty Jenkins, OP ’55
Sister Barbara Hubbard, OP ’56
Sister Carol Koenig, OP ’57
Sister Joan Sopha, OP ’57
Sister Marion Coppe, OP ’58
Sister Nelda Klein, OP ’58
Sister Clara Ann Budenz, OP ’59
Sister Dorita Wotiska, OP ’60
Sister Mary Ann Zakrajsek, OP ’60
Sister Mary Hemmen, OP ’61
Sister Dolores Daehn, OP ’63
Sister Jude Van Baalen, OP ’63
Sister Mary Mackert, OP ’63
Patricia Ebbitt Lindeman ’64
Sister Marie McSweeney, OP ’64
Sister Molly Giller, OP ’68
Sister Patricia Janowicz, OP ’68
Sister Romona Nowak, OP ’68
Sister Kay Muzzy, OP ’69
Sister Christine Ostrowski, OP ’69
Sister Judith Seefeld, OP ’69
Gale Salazar ’75
Thomas Spiess ’75/MA
Lawrence “Larry” Richardson ’76
Wes Boyd ’77
Dr. Herman Hullum ’78
Eileen Couturier ’80, ’84/MA
Danielle Martanique Durrah ’00
Dennis Myers ’01 (Lansing)
Jo Ray ’06
Robert Hecksel ’18 (Lansing)
Friends
Sister Marie Hungerman, IHM—
former faculty member.
Javon McQueen—former student.
Joseph O’Conor—former faculty
member.
Robert Xeras—former faculty
member.
Longtime board
member and ben-
efactor Robert
“Bob” Price of
Adrian passed
away March 20,
2018, at the age
of 93.
Larry Richard-
son '76 of
Adrian passed
away May 30,
2018, at the age
of 72. He was
also a former
adjunct faculty
member and alumni board member
who was one of the earliest grad-
uates of SHU’s criminal justice pro-
gram. He went on to become the
first African American Sheriff of
Lenawee County.
Former faculty
member Bob
Xeras passed
away June 19,
2018, after an
extended battle
with cancer. He
taught in the
mathematics and computer infor-
mation systems programs for nearly
20 years, retiring in 1998.
Siena Heights
presented a
degree to Rob-
ert Hecksel, a
student at SHU’s
Lansing Commu-
nity College cen-
ter during a
special ceremony at Sparrow Hospi-
tal on Feb. 1, 2018. Hecksel, who
was battling terminal pancreatic
cancer while completing his classes,
was presented his bachelor’s degree
in community service by several SHU
faculty, staff and administration.
The retired Lansing fire battalion
chief was studying in the hope of
becoming a social worker one day.
He passed away Feb. 10.
Reflections Fall ’18 | 29