Updates from Alumni and Friends

We post updates from alumni and friends as we receive them. Use our handy online form to send us your news!

Ann Smart Martin (Ph.D., '93) Ann is the Stanley and Polly Stone Professor and Director of the Material Culture Program in the Art History Dept. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her book, Buying into the World of Goods: Early Consumers in Backcountry Virginia (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 2008) is available this fall in paperback and Kindle. She is most proud that it won a best-book award for material culture (Fred Kniffen Award)and business history (Hagley Prize). (6/10)

Zoe Robinson (M.A., '02) I was in the master's cohort of 2000-01 as the St. Andrews Scholar. I have been living in London for the past six years and working in Parliament as a reporter and editor for the Official Report in the House of Lords. I am about to move to the Philadelphia area and marry the brother of my W&M roommate! I'm excited about this new phase in my life. (5/10)

J. Reid Williamson (A.B., '70) On May 22, the Laurel (Del.) Historical Society will present an exhibit of photographs I took in the Laurel area from 1966-1975, including fire, ice, snow, historic buildings, and wildlife. The venue will be one of LHS's historic buildings, The Studley House, on 6th Street. (4/10)

Thomas Thompson (B.A., '07) I'll be traveling to Cairo to study at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad's year-long Arabic program. Following that, I will be enrolling at the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department at UCLA to study for a Ph.D. in Arabic literature. (4/10)

Susan Peterson Fetter (A.B., '84) I've been working for the Defense Department since 1985, and have spent half that time overseas--in Chad, Somalia, Tunisia, Australia, and Canada--with my State Department husband (David Fetter '85) and, more recently our two children. Our eldest daughter was just accepted into the W&M class of 2014 but is choosing to go elsewhere. We move back to Washington this summer, so look forward to catching up with friends. (4/10)

Kay Driscoll (B.A., '69) I married W&M graduate Larry Driscoll in August, 1969. After living in Ohio and New Jersey, we moved to Oak Park, CA in 1988. I received a Masters Degree in Library Science from UCLA in 1992 and worked as a children's librarian in Oxnard, CA before recently retiring. We have two children, one a video and film editor who lives with his wife and our first grandson in Culver City, CA and the other a children's librarian who lives in South Pasadena, CA. (3/10)

J. Reid Williamson (A.B., '70)  Although I never formally used my history major in my employment - 34 years as a management analyst with the US Army - I always used it in my life.  I retired from civil service in 2008, but am now working on a guidebook to the Colonial Houses of Worship in the eastern US, as well as continuing to edit "The Extra-Miler" (the club's website is www.extramilerclub.org; I've been the editor for 10 yrs).  My love of history and geography continues unabated, joined in the past 18 years with my love of birding, a most portable hobby.  Volunteering at my local library has been rewarding - and is now nearly vital, as even Fairfax is hit hard by financial reverses. (3/10)

Lara Overy (B.A., '08) After graduating from W&M as a non-traditional student, I chose to give back to the school that gave me so much.  I am a development officer in the Reunion Giving Program.  I love raising money for this school and working with alumni to reconnect them to W&M! (3/10)

William "Zest" Whitley (B.A., '93) I received a M.A. in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, then a Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida. For four years I was an assistant editor for the Dictionary of Virginia Biography, at the Library of VA in Richmond. For the last year and a half, I have been an assistant editor with the Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Princeton U. I also help edit the online Journal of Southern Religion. (3/10)

Kristin Eliason (B.A., '06) I graduated from law school in May 2009, passed the Maryland Bar exam in December of 2009 and am currently a law clerk for two magistrate judges in the Juvenile and Neglect Branch of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. (3/10)

James Vizzard (B.A., '90) Since graduation I have served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Army as a field artillery officer.  I earned an MA in English in 2000 from Colorado State University and an MMAS in strategy in 2004 from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.  From 2000-2003 I was an instructor and later assistant professor of English at the U.S. Military Academy.  Today I command a field artillery battalion in the 1st Infantry Division. (3/10)

Jim Dillard (B.A., '59) Perhaps i should not even be considered in this group. The more history courses I took the worse grades I got! The final blow came when Dr Fowler's final asked what occurred between 9 and 11 in Budapest in 1848. I switched to Political Science and took courses under Dr. Charles Foster that changed my whole life and sent me off on a course of teaching government in Fairfax, serving in the GA for 32 years and now representing Alums on the Alumni Association's Board of Directors. (3/10)

James Cobb (B.A., '69) I am pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church, Baltimore and had a new book published in Jan. titled Lutheran DNA.  Wipf and Stock publishers. (3/10)

Emily Ferguson (B.A., '00) I've been in Denver, Colorado for nearly 10 years now, and while I absolutely love it, my nieces and nephews are all in VA, so I'll be heading back before too long. Although I've been in financial services ever since graduation, my research and paper-writing skills have served me well in my career! I have been the resident writer, editor and resourceful marketer for my firm for over six years, and couldn't be happier playing that role for a bunch of finance gurus. (3/10)

Doug Ackerson (M.A., '80) Currently living in Alexandria, VA, with wife Sharon, and 2 children - Jake 14 and Alice 6.  Received a Masters in Management from Boston Univ/Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1984.  Currently serve as a Vice President for Alion Science & Technology, a government services and technology firm. (3/10)

Johanna Miller Lewis (Ph.D., '09) I'm now a full time Associate Dean in the Graduate School at University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  This semester I'm teaching U.S. Women's history for the first time in 5 years.  In Spring 2009 Jim Williams (MA) and I presented a panel at the Society of Early Americanists Conference in Bermuda. (3/10)

Jaime Marconette (B.A., '03) After graduating, I moved home to California and took a job with Stanford University in 2004. I finished my time with Stanford 4 years later as a Financial Management Analyst working specifically with the Department Of Music. I packed my car in May 2008 and moved to Nashville to pursue a life in music. I am currently working on Music Row in music video marketing for AristoMedia. (3/10)

Eugene Charlton Black (A.B., '48) Found W&M historians (McCully, Adair, Fowler) inspiring and supportive as mentors and friends. Enjoyed theatre, intramural sports, and literature. Spent 5 years in USAF 48-53, including 51-2 in the Korean War (left as a Captain), AM and PhD at Harvard. Taught there two years, then fifty at Brandeis (Ottilie Springer Professor of Modern European History). Professional and personal record in 2010 Who's Who in America. (3/10)

Julie Carpenter (A.B., '83) I'm a lawyer at Jenner & Block in Washington, DC.  About half my practice is in constitutional litigation, so I still get to read the Federalist Papers from time to time.  I'm married to Paul Wolfteich (W&M '84, History and Religion double major).  Our oldest daughter, who has competed at the national level in the National History Day competition for 5 years, has just joined the Tribe, class of 2014. She says she's going to major in English.  We'll see. (3/10)

Susan Arnot Heaney (B.A., '97) I have been a resident of New York City since 1980 and, as proof that History majors can parlay their education in pretty much any direction; I spent 11 years in publishing immediately after graduation, including 2 years at USA Today at its launch, and then moved into communications for major corporations.  Since 1997 I have worked for Avon Products, Inc., but, no, I am not ringing doorbells.  Currently I am Director of Corporate Responsibility, and in 2010 will focus mainly on environmental issues (yes, History majors can understand carbon offsets and sustainable forestry!). 

During my tenure at Avon I have worked on communications and corporate programs for the business itself, as well as for women's empowerment (which is core to the company's mission), and spent 5 years focused on the Avon Foundation in the areas of breast cancer and domestic violence. For the past few years I have been serving on the Board of the W&M Alumni Association, so I keep close tabs on the College. If you graduated in 1979 you have probably seen my name on our class reunion outreach in 2004 and 2009. (3/10)

Martha Williams Jenkins (B.A., '78) I am currently serving as 3rd Vice President of the National Federation of Republican Women.  My husband Ed, and I live in Chapel Hill, N.C., and we have two daughters, Kim age 16 and Mary age 11.  Ed and I run our business, "Flags Over America."  I do bookkeeping and shipping, and Ed is the chief salesman! (3/10)

Jessica Otis (B.S., '03) I received a M.S. in Mathematics in '05 and a M.A. in History in '07.  I am currently working on my Ph.D. in History at the University of Virginia (hopefully to be completed by '11).  My dissertation is on the history of popular mathematics in early modern England. (3/10)

Matt Todd (B.A., '93) My long and storied career in History (MA University of Exeter, PhD (pending) Northwestern University) finally ended in a Library.  I am currently the Head of Collection Development at the Northern Virginia Community College Library in Alexandria Virginia.  I was recently elected Vice-President/ President-Elect of the Virginia Library Association.  VLA Annual conferences are frequently held in the 'Burg, so I get back there fairly often. (3/10)

Andrew Ryder (B.A., '93) I am currently a doctoral candidate in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University.  My research is on returns to workers who participate in employer-direct contract training programs offered at community colleges and I'm interested in the intersections of higher education and state and federal economic policy.  I lived in the Boston area for 10 years working in residence life at Northeastern University and MIT before beginning doctoral work.  I hope to graduate (fingers crossed!) in Spring or Summer 2011. (3/10)

Kerry Kalathas Revell (B.A., '04) Last May I completed my M.A. in Applied Linguistics with a concentration in teaching English as a Second Language (ESOL) from University of Massachusetts, Boston.  I just began work as adjunct ESOL faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland.  Although I do not directly use my history degree for work, I've been surprised and pleased to apply a lot of what I have learned at W&M in teaching Sunday school and other church work. (3/10)

Melinda Snow (B.A., '07) I am an itinerant English teacher in five elementary schools in rural Spain. (3/10)

Adam Reeves (B.A., '07) I will graduate from the William & Mary School of Law this Spring, and will spend the following year clerking at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Eugene Siler, who sits in London, Kentucky. (3/10)

Mike Hardy (B.A., '95) Happily teaching World History and Philosophy at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va.  I live in Centreville with wife Joann and son Nicholas. (3/10)

Diana McCord (B.A., '95) Nearly fifteen years (!!!) after graduating from W&M with a degree in history, I'm happy to say that the analytical and writing skills I gained through my many history classes continue to serve me well. I'm a federal employee, working as an analyst in the Terrorism & Financial Intelligence office at Treasury. Earlier, while working for the Department of Defense and then the Department of Homeland Security, I completed a master's degree in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs, graduating in 2006. (3/10)

James Heslep ( B.A., '01) I've been practicing law at Steptoe & Johnson in West Virginia for six years now in the Labor & Employment Department. I've also been teaching some business classes at a local university for the past three semesters. My history background from W&M is put to use every day. You guys are the best. (3/10)

Beverly Wilson Palmer (B.A., '58) Co-editor with Kathryn Kish Sklar, The Selected Letters of Florence Kelly, 1869-1931, U of Illinois Press, 2009. (3/10)  

Charles Bowery (B.A., '92) I earned my M.A. American History from North Carolina State in 2001 and spent two years teaching military history at the U.S. Military Academy.  In 2004 I published my first book, Lee and Grant: Profiles in Leadership From the Battlefields of Virginia (American Management Association), and am currently working on my second, co-authoring a battlefield guide to the 1864 Richmond-Petersburg Campaign for the University Press of Kansas. My wife Mary Ann (Miller '93, B.A. History) is a serving Army officer as well, in the JAG Corps. (3/10)

Lynn Doggett Anderson (M.A., '81) In November 2009, after 23 years of working in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, I moved back to my home state and took a position with the North Carolina Maritime Museums, based in Beaufort.  My husband, 2 teenaged sons and I are enjoying life at the coast. (3/10)

David Burns (B.A., '92) Earned an MBA from Georgia State University ('05) and currently working as a supply chain analyst for UPS in Alpharetta, GA. (3/10)

Michelle Grappo (B.A., '05) I am in my second year of a three-year Ed.M. program in School Psychology at Columbia University Teachers College. Prior to this adventure, I taught special education overseas for two years.  I love learning and my time at William and Mary was one of the richest periods (for my brain) of my life.  I now help children work to their strengths and (hopefully) fall in love with learning. My training in History gave me a unique, albeit unusual, approach to the world of education and especially cognitive psychology. I can't imagine myself having studied anything else. (3/10)

Bryan Godfrey (B.A., '96) I teach social studies and mathematics at Richmond, VA's Huguenot High School, where I enjoy trying to make a positive difference in the lives of urban youth. I am aspiring for graduate work in the near future once the budget crisis is over and I can obtain a "free ride." I am also able to apply what I learned as a W&M History major through my hobbies of genealogy and travel. I am grateful to W&M for teaching me the values of writing and research skills, of questioning or debunking previously held notions, and of acknowledging the wrongdoings of the past to make us better, open-minded citizens for the future. (3/10)

Elizabeth Ilene Gibbons (M.A., '71) I have retired after 39 years in law offices, and am moving to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, from California. I plan on planting lilacs, learning fly fishing, and auditing classes at North Idaho College, just for fun. My historical interests range from the Titanic (the late Walter Lord was kind enough to consider me a friend) to the famous western battles, such as the Little Bighorn (I belong to two Custer battlefield preservation groups). (3/10)    

Long Westerlund (B.A., '92) I went to work for a DC law firm in 1995 after law school.  Since the Internet was picking up steam, I went back to school at George Washington University at the time and picked up an engineering certification.  I started my career in technology and ended up coding software for UUNet and other Internet companies.  In 2000, I began working for the US Government as a systems engineer, and am now a Chief Engineer with S4 Inc (my client is the Joint Chiefs of Staff).  I am currently living in McLean, Va. I am also currently getting my MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and we just came back from two weeks in New Delhi, India and Dubai, UAE, where we met some great business leaders.  I am married to a wonderful wife, Stephanie, and we have 18 month old twins -- Charlie and Lucy. (3/10)

Leslie Bellais (M.A., '87) In a few months I will reach my 20th anniversary as Curator of Costume & Textiles at the Wisconsin Historical Society.  Last year I received my second M.A. in US History (minor in material culture) from the University of Wisconsin with the thesis "Bringing Up the Rear: The History and Significance of Late 19th-Century Bustles."  Right now I am studying for prelims, which I will take at the end of this year.  After that, it's on to the dissertation.  One day I'll get that Ph.D.  (3/10)

Mark Voigt (B.A., '93) I am an attorney with a solo practice in Blue Bell, PA.  I represent children with special needs throughout PA, MD, NJ & DE, trying to get them an appropriate public school education.  I'm married with two boys, ages 12 & 7.   Regards to all. (3/10)

Will Vehrs (A.B., '75) I am presently the Communications Manager for the Virginia Department of Business Assistance in Richmond.  In my spare time, I give the "Haunts of Richmond" ghost tour and volunteer with the Henley Street Theatre Company. I have four daughters; the youngest just turned 15. (3/10)

Adam Rosenthal (B.A., '01) After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2004, I spent a service year as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Philadelphia, PA. I returned to Baltimore in 2005 and I have worked as an Assistant State's Attorney for 4 years.  I am currently serving as a felony narcotics prosecutor. (3/10)    

Catherine Hance (B.A., '93) I am a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP in Denver, Colorado practicing commercial real estate.  (3/10)