Priscilla Rabethge Urner (CAS’39) of McLean, Va., recently spent a week on the West Coast visiting three longtime friends, including Betsy Merrow Withington (CAS’39, GRS’40) in Mercer Island, Wash., and Margaret Swanson, wife of the late Kenneth A. Swanson (CAS’40), in Poway, Calif. Priscilla’s daughter, Melody, accompanied her. Priscilla met BU President Robert Brown on October 17 at a Washington, D.C., Alumni Club reception. “I started that club in the ’50s with the former head of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, D.C., and kept it going until Boston University sent or appointed someone to do it,” she writes.

Diana Der-Hovanessian (CAS’43) of Cambridge, Mass., published The Other Voice: Armenian Women’s Poetry Through the Ages (Armenian International Women’s Association, 2005), a collection of poems composed by Armenian women from the 8th through the 20th century. Diana spent several years collecting and translating the poems from Armenian to English. She is the author of more than 22 books of poetry and translations and is president of the New England Poetry Club.

Allen Giles (CFA’46, GRS’49) has been publishing books for piano students since the 1970s. His first, Beginning Piano: An Adult Approach (Theodore Presser, 1978), was revised and made into a television series and later a video by the same name. Another of Allen’s books, Learning to Play the Piano by Television, was published by GME in 1982. Allen writes that his piano lesson programs “have appeared on television nationwide and in Australia and Canada since the mid-1980s.”

Anne G. Hargreaves (SON’51,’52) of Dedham, Mass., was one of five nurses honored as Amazing Nurse Exemplars by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research in October 2005. The recipients were recognized for their contributions to nursing research that examined how people can remain mentally alert and physically active as they age.

Wanda A. Rickerby (COM’51) of Coventry, R.I., has published her first novel, Family Fire (AuthorHouse, 2006), a story based on the Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003. The book tells the fictionalized stories of the victims’ families in the aftermath of the fire.

Glenn W. Martin (STH’54) of Duluth, Minn., published his sixth book, Things I Learned Along the Way (iUniverse, Inc., 2005) last September. Glenn served as a minister in the United Methodist Church throughout Minnesota for 35 years before retiring in 1987. Besides being an author, he teaches writing and other courses in the University for Seniors program at the University of Minnesota–Duluth.

Armand Arabian (SMG’56, LAW’61) of Tarzana, Calif., a former state Supreme Court justice, was honored in December when the reception hall at the Chatsworth branch of the Los Angeles Superior Court was dedicated in his name. The 75,000-square-foot Justice Armand Arabian Reception Hall features a lobby exhibition containing much of the memorabilia Armand collected during his 24 years as a judge, including his 2004 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for Making America a Better Place for All of Us and six bound volumes of judicial decisions and photographs commemorating his years on the California Supreme Court, from 1990 to 1996. Armand has been recognized as a protector of the rights of women, particularly victims of rape and sexual assault. In 2005 he received the Women of Los Angeles Highlight Award, which recognized his contributions to legislation furthering the interests of women. Armand, the first Armenian-American to sit on the California Supreme Court, practices law and teaches at Pepperdine University School of Law.

Carl Chiarenza (COM’59, GRS’64) of Rochester, N.Y., has published Solitudes (Lodima Press, 2005), which highlights previously unpublished work by many of today’s leading photographers.

Judith Shufro (CFA’61) of La Jolla, Calif., exhibited her paintings in a one-person show at the La Jolla Riford Library from September 16 to October 31, 2005. Judith was reelected to Who’s Who Amongst America’s Teachers for 2005. E-mail her at jushu@jushu.cts.com.

Lance Lee (DGE’62) of Pacific Palisades, Calif., a veteran screenwriter and screenwriting teacher, is the author of The Death and Life of Drama: Reflections on Writing and Human Nature (University of Texas Press, 2005), a study of the principles of successful dramatic screenwriting.

James Bobrick (CAS’64, GRS’68,’73) of Reading, Mass, has published Throwbacks: Selected Poems (Spinner Publications, 2005), a collection of poems that reference such things as Mrs. Havisham, Fresh Pond Plaza, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners. James has taught at the Swain School of Design and UMass Dartmouth.

Lloyd R. Applegate (STH’67) of Asbury Park, N.J., a retired United Methodist pastor, is chaplain of Asbury Tower, a 26-story Presbyterian Homes high rise near the Atlantic Ocean in Asbury Park. He recently published his fourth book, A Bare Bones Grammar (Trafford, 2005).

Blanche Podhajski (SED’67, DGE’65) of Waterbury Center, Vt., is the founder and president of the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Williston, Vt., a nonprofit organization that provides literacy services for children and adults, professional development opportunities for educators and medical professionals, and pedagogical research. She also is a clinical associate professor of neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. E-mail Blanche at bpodhajski@sterncenter.org.

Susan Snively (GRS’68,’76) of Amherst, Mass., published her fourth collection of poems, Skeptic Traveler (David Robert Books, 2005). She has taught at Smith College and Mount Holyoke College and is the director of the Writing Center at Amherst College.
Henry D. Steele (COM’68) of Indio, Calif., retired in December 2004 after 40-plus years in public relations and fundraising. He and his wife, Bonnie, live in Sun City Shadow Hills, a new golf course community near the Palm Desert line. Henry works as a part-time pro shop assistant and starter at Palm Valley Country Club in Palm Desert. “Life in the desert is good,” he writes. “Stop by for a visit when you’re in the area.”

Marc Widershien (CAS’68, UNI’79) of Brighton, Mass., published Poems of Survival (Popular Editions, 2006). His lyrical memoir The Life of All Worlds (Ibbetson Street Press, 2005), which celebrates his childhood communities of Boston and Dorchester, Mass., is in its fourth edition. Marc lives with his wife and two sons and teaches at colleges in the Boston area.

David Wluka (CAS’68, GRS’70, CGS’66) of Sharon, Mass., was installed as president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors in December 2005. A realtor and planning consultant for more than 30 years, David is also the 2006 chair of the National Association of Realtors Smart Growth Work Group. E-mail him at David@wlukarealestate.com.

John Branson (SED’69) of Port Alsworth, Alaska, is the editor of the book More Readings from One Man’s Wilderness: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke, 1974–1980 (Lake Clark National Park and Reserve, 2005), which documents the experiences of Dick Proenneke, who lived in the wilderness of Alaska throughout the 1970s Great Alaska Lands debate.

Brian Rogers Caputo (GSM’69) of Belmont, Mass., recently returned from Louisiana where he worked for FEMA in disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “The damage and destruction were catastrophic,” Brian writes.

Deborah O’Donnell (CAS’69) of Arlington, Mass., is the new director of research and development at Kayem Foods in Chelsea, Mass., the largest meat processor in New England. Deb has been working in senior positions at Kayem since 1993, with a focus on brand management and new product development.