Read Class Notes

Read Class Notes

Thank you for sharing your 'happenings'! The Class Notes that have been submitted are sorted by graduation decade. Please click on the decade to access the happenings of your fellow alumni. Class Notes are updated quarterly.

2010s

 

Charlotte M. Applewhite, BAM 2010, plans to earn her master’s degree in organizational leadership at Colorado State University Global Campus by December 2013. Char and her husband celebrated 20 years of marriage, and she celebrated her 46th birthday on May 22.

Jontelle Leyson, BSBA 2010, recently relocated to Seattle, Wash., to work as a talent sourcer for Rhapsody International.

Margie Neely, BSCRJ 2010, recently obtained her own security company, M & M Security, in South Bend, Ind.

Wesley Stinson, BSME 2010, is a project engineer for Deister Machine Company in Fort Wayne, Ind., and is heading a horizontal vibrating screen project.

Cheri Bovee, ABA 2011, received her second associate’s degree in accounting in May. Her daughter, Clarissa, will attend Trine, and Cassandra will attend Manchester College.

Thomas Laderach, BSME 2011, is a naval officer at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, S.C. He obtained the job through the NUPOC program.

Kathleen Schelinski, BSBA 2011, established a successful consulting firm in South Bend, Ind., offering IT and marketing advice to local businesses. Kathleen and Matthew Spangler, BACOM ’10, were married March 3 at the Corry Naval Station in Pensacola, Fla. 

Alexander Simmons, BSCRJ 2011, is a patrolman with the Owensboro, Ky., Police Department.

Jarrod M. Wilson, MSL 2011, completed an interview that was published in the “Psychology and your Life” textbook. Jarrod served four years as a flying crew chief before earning his bachelor’s degree from Harrison College and his Master of Science in Leadership from Trine. He is a Right of Way Agent for American Electric Power.

2000s

 

Marco A. Moreno, BAPSY 2000, joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP in January as a counsel member of the corporate department in the Chicago, Ill., office.

Brandon Hoehn, BSCRJ 2002, and wife, Jessica, welcomed a baby girl, Amelia “Millie” Jean Hoehn, Dec. 30, 2011. 

Brian LeSage, BSBA 2002, was recently promoted to Maintenance Manager of the 467/468 division of the U.S. Postal Service. His wife, Laurie LeSage, BSBA 2002, is currently Acting Postmaster of Pleasant Lake, Ind.  The couple has three daughters and reside in Angola, Ind.

Kari Lockwood, BSCRJ 2003, and husband Matthew Clevengers, of Lizton, Ind., have a son, Carter, 2. She is a foreclosure paralegal for Aurora Bank FSB.

Kristen (Fadely) Lopshire, BSBA 2003, and husband Greg Lopshire, BSME 2004, have a son Evan, 2, and welcomed a second son, Grant, in December. Greg recently accepted a job at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis, Ind.

Michael Byron, BSME 2004, and wife Diana welcomed their first child, Clare Maureen Byron, on Jan. 1.

Connie Disbro, BSBA 2004, is a computer adjunct instructor at Ancilla College and was promoted to coordinator of testing, supplemental instruction, and ADA compliance in August 2011.

Keith B. Hammonds, BAM 2004, is the building commissioner for the City of Plymouth, Ind.

Justin Hole, BSBIO 2004, is a biologist in the neuroscience division as a member of the neurodegenerative disease drug hunting team at Eli Lilly. Justin and his wife have a daughter, 7. They reside in Noblesville, Ind.

Mark Mason, BSBA 2004, and wife Sabrina relocated to the Springfield, Mo., area two years ago to continue working for Jack Henry & Associates, the company he interned with while at Tri-State. Mark was promoted to network engineer in the corporate operations group. They have twin daughters, 6, a son, 3, and their youngest is six months old.

Mitch Myers, BAM 2004, owner of Beaufort Inn, in Beaufort, S.C., completed the addition of a day spa and now offers a full-service restaurant, Southern Graces. Recently they hosted guests Gary Sinise and Vanna White.

Jonathan Walmer, BSBA 2004, and Amy (Norris) Walmer, BSBA 2005, welcomed a baby boy, Jaxon Bryce, on Feb. 2.

Stacey Coonrod-Isenbarger, BSCRJ 2005, plans to earn a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from IPFW in June.

Nicole Muir-Kimmerly, BSCRJ 2005, earned her Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2007. She is an associate attorney at Hains Law Firm, LLP. She married John Kimmerly in 2009. Her brother, Nicholas Muir, is a current student at Trine.

Jarrod Phillips, BSBA 2005, and his wife, Elizabeth (Leckrone) Phillips, attended 2004-2005, are expecting their third child in October. Jarrod joined the Indiana Army National Guard in November 2011. He will attend Army Basic Combat Training this summer and will begin Army Officer Candidate School in 2013. He is the sales manager at Jimelle Flooring in Auburn, Ind.

Kristen (Rink) Stofleth, BSED 2005, and Jason Stofleth BSChE 2005, reside in Millersburg, Ind., with their two daughters, Jalyn and Kenzingten. Kristen is a second-grade teacher at Shipshewana-Scott Elementary School. Jason was recently promoted to a capital project manager at BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing in Woodburn.

Christy (Lidecker) Trojanowski, BSED 2005, and husband Rich reside in Sugar Land, Texas. The couple made a two-week trip to southern Ireland in June 2011. They are training to complete the National BP MS 150 Bike Ride from Houston to Austin (170 miles in two days) in April.

Kyle Squillace, BSME 2005, married Cassondra Hedges March 10 in Indianapolis, Ind., where the couple currently reside.

Paul Handke, BSChe 2006, earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in December 2011. He is a research scientist at Genomatica in San Diego, Calif.

Jim Hoffman, BSChE 2006, and his wife welcomed their first daughter, Delilah Rae, June 29, 2010, and their second daughter, Fiona Esther, on Dec. 9, 2011. Jim is an environmental engineer at Abbott Labs. They reside in Vicksburg, Mich.

Casey Pierce, BSDET 2007, moved to China in June of 2011 to serve as the manager of supplier development for his company. Casey has assisted in creating an American football team, the Shanghai Warriers. Casey also competes on the USA “Tri” team (full contact sport that incorporates American football, rugby, Aussie-rule football and soccer).

Melissa S. (Daeger) Ankney, BAM 2008, married Brent Ankney in Paulding, Ohio, Nov. 5, 2011.

Sabra Ann (VanAuken) Leighty, BAPSY 2008, earned her master’s degree in psychology, specializing in criminology and justice studies in 2011. She lives in Garrett, Ind., with her two daughters, Rhianna and Jazmin, and works at Bethesda Lutheran Communities.

Ryan Lineberry, BSBA 2008, was promoted into management with AT&T, a Fortune 15 company, in Tampa, Fla.

Ashley Williamson, BSCJ 2008, earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Louisville in May 2011.

David McDonald, BSBA 2008, received the Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Rookie of the Year Award, the highest honor a new agent can receive.

Amanda (Heller) Day, BSBA 2009, was promoted to manager of marketing and communications for Michigan International Speedway.

 

1990s

 

Cheryl Trout Weeple, BSChE 1990, earned her 225-hour yoga teacher certification from The Yogalife Institute in Devon, Pa.

Theresa (Bolish) Grossman, BSENGED 1992, earned a master’s degree in teaching and curriculum with an emphasis on literacy and language instruction from Michigan State University. She has been accepted into the Educational Psychology/Educational Technology Program doctorate program at MSU and will begin her studies in June.

Jonathan Scott, BSChE 1994, plans to marry Miriam Weber June 17, 2012. Alumnus Scott May, BSCE 1994, will attend the wedding. 

Karen Sobeske, BSELEM 1994, shares that her daughter Melanie Sobeske, BACOM 2011, is attending graduate school at Central Michigan University to become a speech pathologist.

Matthew Wayne Johnston D.O., BSPreMD 1999, is an orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute in Celebration, Fla.

 

1980s

 

Saleh A. Mubarak, Ph.D., BSCE 1981, is a professor and head of the civil engineering department at Qatar University. He finished the fourth edition of his book, “How to Estimate with Means Data and Cost Works.”

Michael Brill, BSMGT 1982, is the vice president/general manager for Indiana, Illinois and Michigan for CenturyLink and is accountable in these markets for total financial performance, 340 employees and 280,000 access lines.

Ron Commons, BSBA 1982, married Debbie Marchesi on Sept. 5, 2011, in Las Vegas. Since 2010, Ron has served as the quality manager at Hoosier Tank in South Bend, Ind. Ron is a licensed pilot and is a member of the Mishawaka Pilots Club.

Musa Mabrouk, BSCE 1983, is a project director for a 30 Billion SAR company in Saudi Arabia. He is married and has four children. Musa participated in the building of the largest water fountain in Dubai and was the project director for the tallest building in Qatar, at 438 meters.

John Piper, BSEE 1983, achieved an H-2 hang gliding pilot’s rating.

Sandra M. Kiesel, BSChE 1985, resides in Lake Orion, Mich. She is principal and founder of Go Lean Inc., which focuses on improving aspects of company performance through advanced lean and quality techniques. Sandy and her husband, Tom VanderLaan, are avid boaters and water skiers.

Mark H. Van Horn, PhD, BSEE 1986, is a research assistant professor in the Center for Biomedical Imaging at the Medical University of South Carolina. For the past nine years, Mark was a research assistant professor in the neurosurgery department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Matt Simko, BSME 1987, is a district manager for Industrial Motor & Controls, which sells power transmission products and electric motors and recently expanded to Indiana.

James Chesley, BSBA 1988, is owner/manager of WGLM-FM/AM M1063 in Greenville, Mich. Listen online at www.m1063.com.

Steven S. Seifert, BSEE 1988, became a Certified Information Systems Security Professional in 2009 and GIAC Certified Forensics Examiner in 2011. Steven has four children and is expecting his second grandchild this year.

Richard P. Franklin, BSENGED 1989, was recently elected vice president of the Community Foundation of Calhoun County, and is in his third year as superintendent of Athens Area Schools. Richard and his wife, Ayesha, reside in East Leroy, Mich., with their children Katherine, Zachary and Zara. Their oldest son, John, was accepted into the U.S. Army’s training program for Special Forces (Green Berets).

 

1970s

 

Robert W. Conklin, BSCE 1970, retired in 2003 from the New York State Department of Transportation after 32½ years, the last 20 years as a state railroad safety engineer. Bob is active in the Boy Scouts, serving 38 years as Scoutmaster.

George Smith, BSEE 1970, retired in 2009 from Western Electric Co. (Bell system) for almost 40 years. Then he contracted for Alcatel-Lucent (formerly Western Electric Co.) until February 2011. He served 36 years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, three on active duty. He and his wife, Jane, enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family.

Thomas G. Toth P.E., BSEE 1970, retired in 2011 after serving as an engineer for many years, most recently as head of electrical engineering for the Robert P. Madison International Company in Cleveland, Ohio.

Bill Boyer, BSCE ’71, ran the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Jan. 17 with his granddaughter, Jourdan Stanley, 16, and his daughter, Libby Boyer-Hysong, 39. Bill is an engineer for the city of Angola, Ind.

Andrew D’Aloisio, BSEE 1971, retired from Verizon in 2003, but continues consulting on a variety of interesting projects.

John Sessler, BAASG 1971, retired from J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. Jan. 1, 2010, after 23 years as a systems programmer on mainframe systems. John and his wife, Susan, reside in LaGrange, Ohio, and are enjoying retirement.

Daniel Marks, BSBA 1972, has worked as a residential/commercial Realtor for 16 years, after early retirement from a 23-year career as a city planner/GIS systems designer for Lakeland, Fla. Dan and his wife, Cindy, recently celebrated their 40th anniversary and have two sons, Jacob, 29, and Sam, 20.

Stephen D. Pruss, BSME 1972, retired as an engineering group manager responsible for Cylinder Block Design from General Motors Powertrain after almost 44 years. He serves on numerous boards, including Trine’s Mechanical Engineering Cast Metals Industrial Advisory Board. Stephen and his wife, Mary, enjoy traveling the country, planning international travel and improving their golf games.

Robert M. Smith, BSME 1973, formed Engineered Automation Systems Inc., a consulting engineering company, with a partner in 1982. It grew to 35 employees and was sold to TRC in 2001. He is still employed there, providing upper-level engineering management in the energy services field nationally. Robert has a sailboat and plays tennis at high levels (played at Tri-State for four years).

Hashem Anwari, BSEE 1974, has been teaching computer science and information systems for 25 years and is a professor at Northern Virginia Community College.

John D. Artz, BAASG 1974, is a project engineer at Advanced Manufacturing Technology, one of the largest plastic bottle conveyor companies in the world, in Colorado. He welcomed his first grandchild in December 2011.

Anthony L. Uremovich, BSCE 1974, will ride his bicycle from his Indianapolis home to Mackinac, Mich., this summer. Two weeks after returning, he will retire after 37½ years at INDOT.

Robert Trgovich, BSMGT 1976, was selected as clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. He is the seventh person to hold the position in the court’s history.

Scott Bond, BSBA 1977, has been a Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative for 32 years. His wife of 35 years, Cindy, works with him. They reside in the Angola area. 

Brian E. Hagerich, DBIA, BSCE 1977, is the associate/area manager for CDM Smith Inc. He and his family are relocating to the Washington D.C., area. 

Lorella Rouster, BSBA 1978, an anti-trafficking trainer, frequently speaks on child trafficking and modern-day slavery. She celebrated 45 years of marriage to her husband, John, in April.  They have four children and 15 grandchildren. 

Scott Crabtree, BSPESR 1979, works for Glacial Energy, selling wholesale natural gas and electricity to commercial and industrial customers in deregulated utility states. Scott and his wife, Susan, will be married 30 years this summer. They expect their first grandchild in June.

 

1960s

 

James Farlow, BSEE 1960, and his wife, Arlene (PhT 1960), have four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Jim is a retired electrical engineer.

Edward L. Stowe, BSEE 1960, has volunteered for Good News Garage (GNG) for 15 years. Recently, Ed picked up a donated yellow 1967 Mustang in Atlanta, Ga., and drove it to GNG in Burlington, Vt.

Ron Poggemoeller, BSME 1961, is the sales manager for Headworks, Inc., in Houston, Texas. Ron has been married for 36 years, has six children, 14 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

David Ransbury, BSCE 1961, returned to campus after 50 years to attend a Phi Kappa Theta reunion and homecoming in 2011. He is proud of the wonderful changes on campus. David enjoys retirement, wintering in Florida and living in Ohio.

James D. Detrick, BSEE 1962, retired in 2003 after 35 years at Hewlett-Packard Company and six years in the U.S. Air Force. Jim, and his wife, Kathy, have three children and seven grandchildren and reside in Santa Rosa, Calif.

John S. Hanes, BSME 1962, retired in 1998 from Firestone as a manager of engineering and maintenance. He and his wife, Beverly, enjoy traveling, playing golf, charity work, and spending time with their three grandchildren.

Herbert F. Rickert, BSBA 1962, has visited Trine three times since he retired in 1998. Herb shares: “I would absolutely encourage any alum, from any year, from any place, for any reason, to slip the traces and come on down to Angola.  The campus is in a world unto itself and needs to be visited every little while.  You can’t just think about it; you gotta do it.”

Gary Shear, BSBA 1963, since retirement from the Army and Ford Motor Company, enjoys traveling the United States and Canada in his fifth-wheel trailer, with his wife, Barbara. They have also traveled the Danube, Main, Rhine, and Mozel rivers.

Dennis Miner, BSChE 1964, retired in 2005 after years of engineering and sales work and serving in the U.S. Army. He works part-time on Smart Work Zone projects and runs a small business promoting alternative energy. Dennis enjoys spending time with his seven grandchildren and Corvette.

 

William ‘Bill’ H. Prior, BSME 1964, since retiring in 2003, has enjoyed traveling with his wife and being active in the community. His career included project engineering and maintenance/operations management (DuPont, Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical) and environmental, health and safety management/directorship/auditing (Kaiser Chemicals, GenCorp, and Ferro). 

 

James R. Smith, BSME 1964, and his wife, Jeannie, have formed a couple of companies, including Boot Hill Hikers and Time Travelers. Boot Hill Hikers will publish coffee table books about their exploits exploring cemeteries. Jim also provides contract product managerial services for manufacturers and distributors.

Ed Plander, BSChE 1965, retired from his manufacturing management position in February 2011. Ed and his wife reside in Lincoln, Neb.

Tom K. Stevens, BSCE 1965, retired as the director of the Hamilton County Highway Department after 13 years and 24 years with INDOT. Tom serves as a Hancock County, Ind., Commissioner. He and his wife of 46 years, Carole, have two children, six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

William L. Fish, BSBA 1966, recently sold his businesses, Turf Service Equipment Sales and Repair, Pro Lawn Landscaping and Accent Lawn Manicure Service, in Fort Wayne, Ind. William still maintains his tax practice. He visits campus and TKE fraternity brothers each year. 

Arthur L. Taylor, BSEE 1966, retired in 2004 from The Boeing Company as an electrical engineer after 32 years of credited service to the company, largely at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Art is happily retired, living in Orlando, Fla., and writing a book, “Access to Space – Past, Present, and Future,” about his Apollo experiences.

Jim Yeary, BSEE 1966, and his wife, Diane, welcomed their first great-granddaughter, Kira Hardy, in October 2011. Jim hopes his classmates are enjoying their families as much as he is.

Richard “Dick” L. Johnson, BSBA 1967, retired in 1998, after 31 years of service with Union Carbide Corporation. Dick has been married for 43 years, has two children and three grandchildren, and resides in Williamsburg, Va.

Laurence H. Keeler, BSME 1967, retired in 2002 and returned to Angola, Ind., after three years in special machines and 32 years working for tier-one suppliers to the automotive industry. Larry is now board president and construction manager for the local Habitat for Humanity. He served four years as a trustee of his church. He serves as lab technician in Trine’s chemical engineering department.

Richard A. Brooks, BSEE 1968, has had 40 stories published in the last 20 years, the most recent of which was “Planetary Stories.”

John Nigro, BSBA 1968, is the regional director of business development for PayServ Systems of Angola, Ind.

Al Murray, BSME 1969, retired in May 2011 from Johnson & Johnson. Al and his wife, Linda, enjoy traveling, including a visiting campus for Homecoming 2011.

 

1950s and Older

 

Raymond J. Wood, BSAE 1947, retired in 1984 from project management with Babcock & Wilcox Co. He and his wife, Marion, who were married in 1946, live in a retirement home and indicate that they’ve had a great life together.

Edwin Oxner, BSRE 1948, after 41 years, retired from Vishay-Siliconix at the age of 83. Edwin and his wife, Carol celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in January.

The Rev. Frederick W. Pyne, PhD., BSCE 1951, wrote “The Genealogical Register of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence” and “The War of the American Revolution: Day by Day.” He occasionally teaches at Frederick Community College. He and his wife, Ann, reside in Adamstown, MD.

Gerald “Jerry” Ryman, BSBA 1953, joined the U.S. Naval Flight School after graduation. He earned wings of gold in 1954, and then spent 25 years flying off aircraft carriers. He retired from the Navy in 1978 as a full Commander. Jerry then owned and operated a restaurant and a private bus system for a large retirement community. He retired in 1998 and resides in Laguna, Calif.

William G. Edwards, BSME 1956, is an active Rotarian in Marble Falls, Texas, serving as the international service chair. He helped build about 20 homes for Habitat for Humanity. Bill and his wife, Edra, have been married for over 53 years and have three married children and seven grandchildren.

George Galanek, BSRE 1956, recently celebrated his 80th birthday. He recently took trips to England, France and South Africa. He also re-connected with fellow alums, Walter Cunningham, BSBA 1956, and Jesus F. Sandoval, BSRE 1956.

Kenneth M. Jones, BSME 1956, retired in 1991 after working on the Polaris, Poseidon and Trident missiles for 30 years. Kenneth is married and enjoys playing golf, reading, doing housework and traveling.

Robert Hufford, BSEE 1957, after 15 years as a service engineer, followed by many years in plant management, retired in 1990 with Westinghouse International Corp. Bob and his wife, Mary, have been married for 50 years, have two sons and two grandsons, and reside in Florida.

William E. Rosst, BSEE 1957, donated the Mayan room exhibit (April 2011) at the Hernando Historical Association Museum in Brooksville, Fla. Bill spent over 30 years on global projects, including routing electricity to Khyber Pass, and implementing power and control systems at Kuwait Naval Base. Rosst retired in 1985 as electrical division vice president for AEGIS International in Washington, D.C., in 1985. He then consulted for S-Tech.

Harold “Jim” J. Buttery, BSEE 1958, was employed by Chrysler for 26 years and was part of programs in the space and missile arena. Jim and his wife, Mary, reside in Florida. Their granddaughter, Allie, is a sophomore and member of the women’s golf team.

Gordon Pugh, BSEE 1959, celebrated his 80th birthday. He and wife, Doreen, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past year. They retired to northern New England 22 years ago and enjoy winter sports and weather. Gordon remains active in amateur radio as W2NH and is a hypoallergenic Siberian cat breeder. Their cat show room is known as "The Best Little Cat House in New England."

 

 
 
 
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