��������

1970s

Jay Sprenger ’70 and Dan Clements ’71 led a group of photographers on a trip to Rwanda to photograph mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in the Virunga Mountains. Clements (in the middle in the photo) reports, “The group thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful country of Rwanda and the hospitality of the people. They were surprised by not seeing any trash or litter—plastic bags are banned. Main roads were paved and well maintained. The country has made remarkable progress since the 1994 civil war.” Clements has photographed wildlife all over the globe, including polar bears in the Arctic, jaguars in Brazil, tigers in India, and great white sharks off Mexico, among others.

Geoffrey Pagen ’73 recently had his first exhibition at the San Juan Island Museum of Art in Friday Harbor, Wash. The exhibition, including elements of clay, glass, steel, wood, and brick, was titled The Portland Years: 1977–2023. Pagen earned a bachelor’s in studio art at Puget Sound and an MFA in ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design, then was head of the ceramics program at Reed College for 35 years. He lives in Portland, Ore. Website: .

Alexandra Gressitt ’75, director of the Thomas Balch Library, a history and genealogy library in Leesburg, Va., plans to retire June 30, 2024. She’s been head of the library for 20 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in European history from Puget Sound and master’s degrees in archival administration from N.C. State and European history from the University of Washington.

Bill Hirshberg ’75 and Libby Ernst Hirshberg ’75 were part of the first PacRim program, led by Bob Albertson ’44 and his wife, Aileen. The Hirshbergs recently marked the 50th anniversary of that experience by returning to Australia National University to see friends they made back in 1973.

Margret Pauley Riddle Kingrey ’76 has written her first children’s book, How and Where Do You Read a Book? The book, which celebrates the joy of reading, is published by LT-Writing.

Britain’s King Charles has named Kevin Billings ’77 as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was honored for “services to the Royal Air Force in the United States of America and the U.K.” Billings is president and CEO of Legation Strategies in Washington, D.C., and was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force under President George W. Bush. He is Honorary Group Captain, 601 (County of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

Harvey D. Ferguson MPA ’77 has written his second biography: Defender of the Underdog: Pelham Glassford and the Bonus Army (University of New Mexico Press, 2023). The book centers on the events of 1932, during the Great Depression, when Glassford—police chief of Washington, D.C.—was instructed to deal with thousands of World War I veterans who had trekked to the nation’s capital to petition Congress for early payment of a bonus due to them in 1945.

Mark Hoffman ’78 retired Aug. 1, 2023, after 22.5 years in the Air Force and another 22 years as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. He and Sue Roberts Hoffman ’79 celebrated by traveling to Paris and the south of France, also marking their 45th wedding anniversary along the way. Mark’s Air Force service had taken them to Stuttgart, Germany; Virginia Beach, Va.; and ultimately Washington, D.C., where Mark taught at the Joint Military Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University). The couple have enjoyed several D.C.-area Puget Sound alumni gatherings over the years, including meeting presidents Ron Thomas and Isiaah Crawford and professors Jeff Matthews P’16 and Mike Veseth ’72. Mark and Sue both enjoyed Air Force ROTC, Arnold Air Society, and Angel Flight at Puget Sound, as well as Mark’s four years as a DJ at KUPS radio.

 

1980s

Ray Rydberg MS’80 and Jenny Waters Rydberg ’73, JD’77 observed their golden anniversary in August 2023 with a celebration at their Renton, Wash., home with their sons, daughter-in-law, grandsons, and about 100 friends and family. After meeting at a Puget Sound chemistry class, they married in Kilworth Chapel as Jenny graduated. Ray retired from Boeing in 2009; Jenny retired from her law practice in 2019. Their anniversary celebration continued with a trip to New Zealand and Australia in January, making seven continents, 27 countries, and 40 states visited.

Leo Kosenkranius ’82 stopped by Youngstown State in October and found that Loggers still hold pool records from 42 years ago. Here he’s pointing to two records held by former teammate Bob Jackson ’82 in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, as well as one held by the 400 medley relay team. In the national meet the next year, Kosenkranius won a national title in the 200 backstroke. Thanks to teammate Robert Moore ’82 for sending the photo.

Drew Wakefield ’84 is director of sales and marketing for the Ramada by Wyndham in Santa Barbara, Calif. He recently won the corporation’s first-ever global award for community service, called the Marian W. Isbell Change Maker Award for Community Service. It’s the second global honor for Wakefield (third from left in photo above); the first was being named Wyndham Global Sales Leader for Mid-Scale Hotels in 2014.

Dawn Budd Masko ’87 was named city manager for the City of Fircrest, Wash., in June 2023. She started her career in various finance positions for the Metropolitan Park District and the City of Tacoma, then served five years as finance director for University Place, next as city administrator for Dupont, and then nine years with the City of North Bend as deputy city administrator.

 

1990s

Kim Dougharty ’90 started a new job at Presbyterian Medical Services, working as a licensed professional art therapist in Presbyterian’s Santa Fe Family Health Center, Santa Fe, N.M. She works with children and adolescents in schools and in clinical settings.

Bill Potter ’91 was promoted to regional business executive for First Citizens Bank, overseeing the quality of business and commercial credit for the Northwest U.S. region. He works with area executives, local team managers, and their bankers in an eight-state area. After a career full of long commutes and temporary locations, he’s glad to have selected the Tacoma First Citizens office as his home base.

Megan Icenogle ’92 has a blog about teaching and leadership: teachingforthought.com. She has been a classroom teacher for 27 years—six years in private boarding high schools and 21 in public elementary schools—in Connecticut, California, and Maryland. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Puget Sound, she holds a master’s in the art of teaching and a certificate in school administration and supervision, both from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Odenton, Md.

Stephen Kuehn ’92 is an associate professor of geology at Concord University in West Virginia, where he recently earned a state grant to upgrade the university’s Electron Microprobe Laboratory—the only lab of its kind in the state. In addition to his Puget Sound degree, Kuehn has a master’s and doctorate from Washington State University; he’s been on the Concord faculty since 2010. He specializes in tephrochronology, which uses layers of volcanic ash (tephra) to establish a chronology of geological events.

Antonio M. (Tony) Gomez ’93 has an exhibition, LINEAJES, at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle through March 10, 2024. The exhibition includes musical instruments, recorded soundscapes, and performances based on Gomez’s research on world music. Gomez is director of community engagement and extended learning at Tacoma Arts Live, and president of the Western Arts Alliance.

Vera Divenyi ’95, a private wealth advisor and director for BMO Wealth Management, served as co-chair of the Colorado Women’s Foundation luncheon in September 2023. The luncheon is the largest nonprofit event in Colorado. Divenyi says, “I focus a lot of my time in the philanthropic space, giving my time, but also working with my clients to focus on the impact their wealth can have on their surroundings and passions.” She cites the motto of Sallie Krawcheck of Ellevest, the speaker at the 2023 luncheon: “Nothing bad happens when women have more money.”

John Lindquist ‘95, P’26 of Ogden, Utah, and daughter Chloe Lindquist ‘26 showed their Logger pride on a trip to Antarctica in December 2023. They cruised around the Antarctic Peninsula and used a zodiac to explore various sites. “We explored and learned about the natural habitat of humpback whales, seals, and three kinds of penguins,” John says. “We also studied the history of the continent’s discovery, claims, triumphs and tragedies, and current research facilities.”

Jennifer Takenaka Schielke ’95 is a mother of two and cofounder and CEO of Summit Group Solutions LLC, which has been a multi-year Inc. 5000 awardee and was a 2023 Inc. Power Partner Company. In 2023 she finished her first book with Forbes Books/Advantage Media, Leading for Impact: The CEO’s Guide to Influencing with Integrity.

Justin Hamacher ’97 left his role as a professor at the University of Washington six years ago and transitioned into training as a Jungian psychoanalyst in Boston and Zurich. In summer 2023 he opened an analysis practice, Cascade Jungian Services (cascadejungianservices.org), in Portland, Ore., as a diploma candidate under supervision of the C.G. Jung Institute Zurich. In 2024 he will begin seeing clients as an Oregon state licensed psilocybin facilitator.

Jay Tift ’99 completed a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision in September from Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. He is a counselor and managing partner at Brentwood Counseling Associates in Brentwood, Tenn., and an adjunct faculty member in the master’s program in mental health counseling at Vanderbilt University.

 

2000s

Rayna Flye ’03 has written her first novel: Secrets, Lies, and Sneaky Spies, published in October 2023 by Red Adept Publishing. Flye says, “It’s a fun mystery romp with a blend of humor, thrills, and sleuthwork, and was inspired by the real-life assassination of Swedish politician Anna Lindh. I had a blast writing it. It was fun to take some of my favorite topics— politics, spies, and travel—and put them in book form!”

Michael Elliott ’05 has been named principal legal counsel and senior manager at Apple, where he’s worked since 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international political economy and business administration from Puget Sound and a law degree from George Washington University.

Elizabeth Fly ’06, director of resilience and ocean conservation for The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina, is one of 21 leaders selected for Liberty Fellowship’s Class of 2025. The fellowship is an 18-month leadership program that includes multiday seminars in the U.S. and abroad and continues with a lifelong commitment to “confront the status quo in South Carolina,” according to its website. In addition to her Puget Sound degree, Fly has a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of South Carolina.

Grace Lerner ’06 was named a 2024 Woman of Influence by the business journal Albuquerque Business First. She is director of people operations at RS21, a data and technology firm. At Puget Sound she majored in international political economy and minored in comparative sociology.

 

2010s

Daniel Burge ’10 has joined the D.C. Policy Center in Washington, D.C., as director of the Alice M. Rivlin Initiative for Economic Policy & Competitiveness. Previously, he worked at the Center for Washington Area Studies at George Washington University. In addition to his Puget Sound degree, he has a Ph.D. in American history from Boston University, and recently finished a master’s in public policy at George Washington University.

Forest Beutel ’11 and Kevin Shintaku ’10, MEd’11 have a new album, More Ducks More Fun (Crawdad Holiday Records). The album contains “12 of Kevin and Forest’s favorite songs from their time together as a popular livestream duo during peak quarantine daze,” according to the Crawdad Holiday website. Beutel and Shintaku met at KUPS in 2009 and have been playing music together ever since, performing originals and covers from Janis Joplin to Doc Watson. They both live in Tacoma.

Congratulations to Kai Correa ’11, who in November 2023 was named major league field coordinator for baseball’s Cleveland Guardians. He had previously spent three seasons with the San Francisco Giants as bench coach, and served as the team’s interim manager for the team’s last three games in 2023. Correa played baseball at Puget Sound but never turned pro; instead, he has spent his career in coaching and player development.

 

2020s

Artist and arts educator Michael Fortenberry ’20 earned his MFA with an emphasis in sculpture from SUNY–New Paltz in 2023 and had a solo exhibition of his sculpture at the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center, Hastings College, Nebraska, in late 2023. The exhibition, Artist from Outside; Take a Breath, was the continuation of a showing at the Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, N.Y., and the summer sculpture series at the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park,Tivoli, N.Y. Fortenberry’s work explores the intersection of art with our sensory-somatic systems to alleviate collective anxiety through body movement and engagement.

Bailey Ulrich ’22 is a master’s degree student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She expects to graduate in May. At Puget Sound, she majored in exercise science and minored in music, and was active in Pi Beta Phi sorority, the flute and wind ensembles, the symphony and jazz orchestras, and Clearcut Ultimate frisbee. After getting her master’s, she plans to move to Seattle and work as an ICU nurse. Her brother, Bryce ’20, is also a Logger.