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class notes
at A Bar J Ranch in Portal,
Arizona. ... Ronald Rowland
’69 is semiretired and works for
Promotion Services, Inc., an
international company that
manages trade shows and
other special programs for
Chrysler’s Ram Truck Division
and Business Link dealer group.
... Michael Murphy ’69 lives in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and does
consulting for the movie
business with Microspace
Digital Cinema Corp and with
DOREMI cinema equipment
company. … Manfred Lo
Locher ’69 has retired after a
long career with many ups and
downs, including war and
hostage-taking in the Middle
East. He was widowed in 2007,
sold his vintage car collection in
2011, and sold his company
(CavitatorSystems GmbH) in
2012. Recently he found Ursula,
his new life partner. … Patrick
Sharpe ’69 has been married
to Sharon for 50 years. He
works for her business, www.
fencefi sh.com, which made the
“must have” list in the March
2012 issue of Coastal Living. …
Jan Jarne ’69 has worked for
many years in Brazil. He is a
partner of CDI Global, an
international company search
fi rm that specializes in
acquisitions, divestitures, joint
ventures, and other business
combinations. He is married to
Silvia, and they have one son.
1970s
Charles Shields ’71
has retired after 41 years of
international business on six
continents and more than 60
countries. He remains on the
boards of several domestic and
foreign companies. He sold his
companies in the 1990s and
has been an angel investor and
consultant to numerous global
startups. Recently he tried his
hand at screenwriting, winning
awards for “Sweetwater Blues”
and “The Goldberg Files.” …
Edward Auble ’72 represents
the Lafayette College alumni
association on the planning
committee for the new Center
for Global Education. … Susan
Stevens ’73 has been appointed
to the Board of Directors of
Umpqua Holdings Corporation.
… Lawrence Bradley ’75
continues to work for Tronox
Pigments in Singapore as Managing
Director Asia-Pacifi c. He
is married to Fileo Ng Bradley
with two children, William and
Julia. … Donald Loyd ’75
accepted a position at Hager’s
Journeys in Scottsdale, Arizona,
as a custom travel adviser
focusing on the luxury market.
He is also a certifi ed travel
specialist in Italy and Egypt and
is anxious to assist Thunderbird
alumni with their travel plans.
JAMES AARON MARTIN
Elyse Leeds Acanda ’03 leads a YogaThon to raise money for the
Global Seva Challenge on Dec. 9, 2012, in Washington, D.C.
Yoga activist raises $20,000
in fight against sex slavery
S
ales professional Elyse
Leeds Acanda ’03
used the power of
yoga to raise $20,000
in one year to help fight sex
trafficking in emerging markets.
But her campaign did not
end there.
Acanda also visited India in
February 2013 with other activists,
who each raised at least
$20,000 in 2012 on the Bare
Witness Humanitarian Tour.
“You don’t just raise money
and throw it at a problem,” she
said. “You actually go there and
work on the ground.”
Acanda, vice president of
business development with
Technomedia in Washington,
D.C., is part of a group called
Off the Mat, Into the World,
which uses yoga to promote
grassroots social change.
Each year the group sponsors
an international service
project called the Global Seva
Challenge.
Acanda decided to get
involved in 2012 to show
gratitude for the blessing of
her young daughter.
“Millions of girls are taken
from their families each year,
either through deception or
outright theft,” said Acanda,
a Spanish speaker who has
lived in Mexico, Spain and
Cuba. “I feel their mothers’
pain and anguish, the not
knowing, never to see or hear
from their daughters again.”
In addition to offering donation-only
yoga clinics, Acanda
sold T-shirts and wristbands to
reach her $20,000 goal.
She also raised $6,000
for the 2008 Global Seva
Challenge, which supported
the Cambodian Children’s
Fund. The organization
provides education, shelter,
food and services to more
than 450 children who live
and work in the Steung
Meanchey garbage dump.
thunderbird magazine 61