Class Notes
From new jobs to first novels to retirements…
See what’s happening in the lives of CGS alums, and submit your class note here.
1950s
Leonard (Len) Short (’57, COM’59) lives on Cape Cod and has been on several town and regional regulatory boards. He lived in New Hampshire for 40 years, where he raised his family and started and sold five businesses. Two of his sons graduated from BU, and he traveled to Africa on safari with his 13-year-old granddaughter two years ago, which he called a wonderful experience for both of them.
Norman Muller (’58, CAS’61) is the coauthor, with Thomas F. Mathews, of The Dawn of Christian Art in Panel Painting and Icons (J. Paul Getty Art Museum, 2016).
1960s
John Macchi (’63) retired as director of education at TracFone Wireless in 2012. Since then, he and his wife Patti have celebrated by traveling the world, including a 40-day around-the-world cruise in 2018. “We are fortunate to have sailed the seven seas (really) and visited all seven continents,” Macchi says.
Sue William Silverman (’66, COM’68) published her fifth book of creative nonfiction, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences (University of Nebraska Press, 2020), which was listed as one of nine essay collections feminists should read in 2020 by Bitch Media. Her poetry collection, If the Girl Never Learns (Brick Mantel Books, 2019), won two gold awards from the Human Relations Indie Book Awards.
Jack King (’67) is enjoying retirement. He writes, “I may not have realized it at the time (to be sure, I did not) but my CGS education left me in amazingly good shape for a career, a family, and for life. Thank you CGS.” King now splits time between Naples, Fla., and Portsmouth, R.I.
Carol Platt (’67, Wheelock’69) retired after being a learning specialist for many years, but is still doing consulting work. With two grandchildren, she writes, she keeps busy.
John Barry (’68) has been wearing a mask, distancing, avoiding indoor spaces as much as possible, and hiking and biking his way through the COVID-19 pandemic. He recently added an anti-Trump-specific appendix, entitled “Drexicon,” to his book Maledictionary: Impolite and Impolitic Neologisms and Other Lexical Legerdemain for the Neo Dark Ages (Waterside Productions, 2019). Barry is also spending his time doing volunteer work via Zoom and writing song parodies. When it’s safe to travel, he plans to fly to Boston and visit the CGS building, to see the painting he created and donated to the school last year.
1970s
Alan Howarth (’70, Wheelock’72) is still working at age 70, as a cook for Tyson Chicken doing sampling and demonstrations at local supermarkets across the state of Massachusetts, which is temporarily on hold due to COVID-19.
Robin Mattern (’70) is president of a computer company and still loves to program. He would love to hear from any classmates, and can be reached at robin.mattern@gmail.com.
Allen Cavedo (’75) writes that after spending 38 years in industrial automation technology and sales, he switched to a second career in production sound mixing. He captures talent dialogue on movies, short films, TV shows, ads, web series, and corporate pieces. Cavedo has worked on the field at NFL games around the country, and also won an Emmy as the audio recordist for a 2018 ad for the company Fable. He says, “It’s a fascinating job that is ever changing and challenging. And totally fun.”
1980s
Kenneth Butensky (’84, CAS’86) is the chief deputy city solicitor in Philadelphia, Pa., where he supervises the Tort Litigation Unit and counsels city clients on risk avoidance. He is in his 29th year of service to the City of Philadelphia. He also teaches civil litigation as an adjunct professor of law at Temple University School of Law.
John Pawlick (’85, CAS’87) and his family continue to enjoy life in New Zealand, where he works at the Auckland Council. His two daughters study at the University of Auckland.
Alvin Daniels (’86, COM’88) writes that his production company, Halsted Studios in Chicago, Ill., has several shows on television and streaming platforms, including Preachers’ Kids: The Untold Stories on Amazon Prime and Revolt TV. A basketball documentary he produced, First Step: A Kid’s Family Away From Family, starring NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, is on Fubo TV. Daniels is a full-time lecturer at Chicago State University, where he has taught television and film courses for the last 15 years.
Penny Gabbe Greenseid Gillespie (’86, COM’88) currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She has two daughters, Samantha, a second-year surgical resident in Colorado, and Danielle, an advertising executive, and a stepson, Jake, who graduated in December 2020 from the University of Florida and is working for Texas Instruments. Gillespie is a partnership development manager for Vohra Wound Physicians, a national physician-led practice that treats wounds bedside in nursing homes. She writes that she recently reunited with some former classmates via Zoom and would love to connect with more of her classmates.
Donick Cary (’88) is a writer and director. His feature-length documentary Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics premiered on Netflix in spring 2020. It features interviews and stories from Sting, Ben Stiller, Carrie Fisher, and more. Cary is also a coexecutive producer on the new season of A.P. Bio, which released its third season on Peacock, NBC Universal’s new streaming service.
1990s
Jill Davison (’90, COM’92) writes that she “has warm memories of CGS and hopes her BU friends are staying safe during this sad chapter in world history.” She lives in New York City and works at Meredith Corporation, where she is vice president of corporate and brand communications.
Patricia Alonso (’91, CAS’94) writes, “I was a bit confused about what to major in when applying to BU, and CGS was the best thing that happened to me. My professors back then encouraged me to follow politics or law, which I didn’t. But it is the base of who I am.” She works in the film industry in Puerto Rico and has her own business, Estudio K.
Alan Huberman (’91, Questrom’93) was elected vice president of finance and treasurer of Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, Mass., in June 2020.
Wilfred Labiosa (’91, CAS’93) recently opened the second of four LGBT community centers for older adults in Puerto Rico, and developed and implemented the first and only educational campaign in Puerto Rico for the prevention of suicide among this marginalized segment of the population. The campaign is titled Exprésate Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.wavesahead.org.
Marcelo Marotta (’93, Questrom’95) has worked in several investment banking houses in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro since graduating. In 2019, he joined an Italian firm to become an independent private banker. Marotta’s next goal is to sail around the world with his family for the next few years.
Britt Hoglund (’98, CAS’00) recently accepted a position with Amazon in its worldwide real estate department as a lease administrator. She relocated to Tacoma, Wash., and is enjoying being back in the Pacific Northwest. She would love to connect with anyone in the region, and asks them to email her at bhoglund@hotmail.com.
2000s
David Silldorf (’01, UNI’03) is a private attorney in San Diego, Calif., where he runs his own federal and state criminal defense practice. He married his wife Hana in Tel Aviv in 2016. They have a 14-month-old daughter named Ellie, and another baby girl on the way.
Katie Hill (’02, CAS’04) began her career as a government civilian this year, working as a program analyst in the research and development office at the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the Interior.
Heather Barbod (’03, COM’05) launched her business, elemental mktg, to manage public relations, marketing, advertising, and social media for clients that have a strong sustainable message to share, primarily in the food and biomaterials sectors. She is always looking to build relationships and support more people and businesses that are making a positive impact on the world around us. She hopes to hear from fellow alumni if they would like to talk or potentially collaborate. They can reach her at heather@inspireelemental.com.
Marina Chaparro (’04, Sargent’07) published her first book, Diabetes & Pregnancy: A Real Guide for Women with Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2020). She is a registered dietitian and diabetes care specialist who also lives with type 1 diabetes and is a mom of two girls. The book, she says, “provides real advice and teaches women how to successfully manage diabetes during pregnancy without sacrificing the joy this experience brings.” She is also the founder of Nutrichicos, a bilingual pediatric and family nutrition practice, and just launched her second venture, Goodlifediabetes.com, a diabetes coaching service to help people thrive with diabetes.
Andrew Felper (’05, COM’07) spent his first few years after graduation in Chicago, Ill., where he performed stand-up comedy and wrote and directed two sketch comedy shows. After returning to Massachusetts, he received his master’s degree in nonprofit management from Northeastern University and is currently in his final year at Suffolk Law School. For the past decade, he has been working in development and communications for nonprofit organizations. These past six years, he has been the director of grants at Community Legal Aid, Inc. in Worcester, Mass. He has also been a contributing writer at ESPN.com, Vice Sports, SB Nation, and other sports sites. He and his wife Nicole spend most weekends at her family’s home on Cape Cod, where they surf and hike. He writes, “My time in CGS was so important and life-changing, and I remember it with such fondness. Professor Tilchin and Professor Wexelblatt made a lasting impact on my education and life.”
Elizabeth (Deuster) Dahl (’06, COM’08) recently bought her first house in the Claremont neighborhood in Berkeley, Calif.
Amanda Curtis (’07, COM’09) launched N.A.bld, a platform for on-demand, sustainable manufacturing of apparel in the United States. Through N.A.bld, her company was able to manufacture thousands of face masks for frontline workers and vulnerable populations. To get in touch, email amanda@nabld.com.
Adanta Ahanonu (’08, Questrom’10) currently lives in Oakland, Calif., and works as the senior director of program and recruiting for California at COOP Careers. COOP Careers is a national nonprofit focused on overcoming underemployment and unemployment for recent college graduates from underrepresented backgrounds through peer connections and digital skills.
Stephen Ohl (’09, COM’11) completed his feature directorial debut, the sci-fi comedy Useless Humans, which hit on-demand platforms including Amazon Prime and iTunes in July.
2010s
Avion Cummings (’14, Sargent’16) is going back to school for nursing at MGH Institute of Health Professions. She is thankful to BU for sparking her interest in allied health.
Kevyn Garcia (’14, Questrom’16) recently bought a house while relocating from San Francisco to Phoenix.
Kyle Mabry (’15, CAS’17, MET’22) is in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence and holds appointments at both the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University. His work uses computer vision to analyze whole slide images of Ebola virus pathology and olfactory bulb neuronal density. Mabry is interested in pairing his skills in software development and machine learning with robotics.
Rachel Bennetts (’17, CAS’19, GRS’19) graduated BU with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2019, and will begin attending law school in the fall of 2021.
Fiona Kerthi (’17, Sargent’19, SDM’24) writes, “CGS definitely gave me the foundations I needed to be a well-rounded student. I chose CGS because of my indecisiveness in which STEM field I wanted to go into. I was able to finish my humanities requirements while also taking general STEM courses required by all the majors that piqued my interest, until I made my final decision to pursue a degree in human physiology my sophomore year (after changing it three times before).” Kerthi is now working toward her doctorate at BU’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and is set to graduate in 2024.
Sabrina Knap (’17, CAS’19) moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to pursue her master’s degree in international relations with an emphasis in international law, security, and human rights after working as a paralegal in Washington, D.C. She writes that she is thankful for her time at CGS because it allowed her the chance to take a step back and find the right area of study. Both the professors and students she met at CGS helped shape who she is today and the direction she has taken in life.
Matthew Lee (’18, Questrom’20) is working in a customer success position at TechTarget, a marketing data tech company that looks at purchase intent.
Benjamin Levy (’18, CAS’20) has dedicated his time during the pandemic to helping his community. He is volunteering with a local food bank, where he is assisting with their food distribution activities. Levy also continued his passion for politics and public service by serving as the volunteer regional coordinator for South Jersey for Joe Biden, as well as interning for Swing Left Greater Boston. He plans to attend law school in the future.