American Magazine, July 2015

-1980-
TIME
CAPSULES
TOP TUNE
“Call Me,” Blondie
TOP-GROSSING FLICK
The Empire Strikes Back
IN THE NEWS
The Beatles’ John Lennon is shot dead in
New York City; Ted Turner creates CNN,
the first all-news television network;
Voyager I reaches Saturn; six US embassy
aides escape from Iran
FROM THE AU ARCHIVES
Rev. R. Bruce Poynter, vice president of
Student Life, refuses to sign the general
assembly’s supplemental allocations
because of a clause giving the Student
Union Board cinema $1,000 to screen at
least one X-rated film.
AT THE HELM
Steve Greenberg was 1980–1981
Student Confederation president.
The Grammy award-winning
producer is the founder and CEO of
S-Curve Records in New York City.
Erik Falk, SPA/BA ’81, exhibited
his photography in the lobby
of the US District Courthouse
for the Western District of
Pennsylvania from December
2014 to February 2015.
James Daniel, CAS/BS ’82, wrote
the book Holy Roller Disco.
Colin Uckert, SPA/BA ’83, has
been promoted to managing
associate general counsel at
Freddie Mac in McLean, Virginia.
Deborah Norris, CAS/MA
’84, CAS/PhD ’88, founded the
Mindfulness Center, a nonprofit
wellness center in Bethesda,
Maryland.
Katherine Childs-Rogers, CAS/
BA ’85, joined Peerless Rockville
in November 2014 as a collections
manager.
Dave Reiss, SOC/MA ’86, earned
his stripes at Towson University.
Associate Professor Reiss is a
member of the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary, working locally as the
Codorus Valley Flotilla 19-06
public affairs officer. He was
promoted to the USCG Auxiliary
National Training Directorate as
a program assistant.
Gail Weiss-Chehab, Kogod/
BSBA ’87, published The Tunnel
in spring 2015. The Tunnel, a story
of politics, war, hope, love, and
sacrifice set in the Middle
East, won second place
in the Roanoke
Review’s annual
fiction contest
and was a finalist
for the Arthur
Edelstein Prize.
Cheryl Lombard,
SPA/BA ’88, was
named co-chair of
Arizona Governor-Elect
Doug Ducey’s Transition
Subcommittee on State Lands.
Joseph Nader, SIS/BA ’88,
Kogod/MBA ’90, has been
named chair of the investment
committee of the Miami
Children’s Hospital for 2015.
1990s
Craig Gruber, CAS/BA ’90, and
Jennifer Surwilo, SIS/BA ’91,
met at Guantanamo Bay Naval
Base when Gruber, who is a
lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve,
was activated to the base and
Surwilo, an NCIS special agent,
KNOW
ABOUT UPCOMING
EVENTS. VISIT
AMERICAN.EDU/
ALUMNI/EVENTS.
I still haven’t flown to the moon or
discovered prehistoric bones. But
I have evolved into a writer, a marvel
in itself.”
—Gail Weiss-Chehab, Kogod/BSBA ’87, on how her
childhood ambitions to be an archeologist or the first lady
on the moon gave way to a career as an author
floated in aboard the USS
America (LHA 6) for a port call.
Michael Lally, SIS/BA ’90,
is executive deputy assistant
secretary of commerce for
Europe, the Middle East, and
Africa and is responsible for
American business
development and
policy advocacy
to support US
competitiveness
abroad.
Adam Konowe,
SOC/MA ’91,
has been elected
as a fellow to the
United Kingdom’s
Royal Aeronautical
Society. He continues to serve as
vice president of client strategy
for TMP Government and as an
adjunct professor in the School of
Communication.
Victor Prince, SIS/BA ’91, has
written Lead Inside the Box: How
Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams
to Exceptional Results. The book
will be published in July.
Mimi Magyar, SPA/BA ’92, was
named development director
for the National Park Trust,
an organization that connects
children with nature and assists
the National Park Service with
acquisition and restoration
projects.
José Negrón-Fernández,
Kogod/BSBA ’92, returned to
private practice, where he will
be litigating civil cases, handling
appellate matters, and acting as
an arbitrator and mediator.
Charles Baldwin, WCL/JD
’93, WCL/MA ’95, was among
21 Brooks Pierce attorneys
recognized in the 2015 edition of
-1990-
TIME
CAPSULES
TOP TUNE
“Hold On,” Wilson Phillips
TOP-GROSSING FLICK
Ghost
IN THE NEWS
President George H. W. Bush signs the Clean
Air Act; Iraqi troops invade Kuwait; South
Africa frees Nelson Mandela after 27 years
in prison; The Simpsons debuts on Fox
FROM THE AU ARCHIVES
Nine students bake 170 dozen Christmas
cookies in the Tavern kitchen to send
to a Marine battalion in Saudi Arabia. “I
thought how much I’d hate it if I didn’t have
Christmas cookies at home,” said freshman
Siobhan Murphy. “I want them to know
everyone appreciates what they’re doing.”
AT THE HELM
Matt Ward was 1990–1991 Student
Confederation president. He’s now CEO of
Sustainable Strategies DC, a government
affairs and strategic consulting firm.
36 AMERICAN MAGAZINE JULY 2015