Have you recently celebrated a wedding, baby, new job, promotion, or honor? Been published, moved into a new home, or welcomed a grandchild? Share your news with the CSU alumni family by submitting a class note. Approved class notes will be published here and in CSU Magazine.

1970s

Jean Yeager (B.A., ’70), a playwright and award-winning writer, was named 3rd Place Winner in the 2022 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival National One-Act Competition for his play, “PRISONER #101067 PUBLIC SPEAKING REPORT – ‘THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TUPAC SHAKUR’ AND EXCERPTS FROM ‘THE PRINCE’ BY NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI.” The play is based on his more than 20 years of volunteer teaching in maximum security prisons. Yeager currently resides in Rutland, Vermont.

Barry Hansen (B.S., ’73), has published his first short novel, A Very Lethal Intervention, on Ingram. Dealing with climate change, this contemporary fiction piece deals with intrigue, computer tech, political and corporate power, murder and even romance. It leaves the reader asking, “What would I do, if faced with this decision?” This is the first in a planned series. Published under pen name T.S. Knight.

Bill Patterson (B.A., ’79) retired and is currently living in Sun City, Arizona. Patterson continues to coach girls’ basketball at Copper Canyon High School in Tolleson, Arizona.

1980s

Kathy Hagan (B.A., ’80) was honored at the 22nd Annual Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame dinner on March 9, 2022. The Tourism Hall of Fame serves as the highest award for Denver’s travel industry. Kathy Hagan & Pasquale “Pocky” Marranzino, co-CEOs of Karsh Hagan, have provided strategic leadership, brand development, and marketing experience in tourism marketing for Denver and Colorado for a combined eight-plus decades.

Martha Wackenhut (B.S., ’81), recently retired from a 25-year career with Idaho Department of Fish and Game, where she worked as a regional wildlife biologist, regional wildlife manager, statewide program coordinator, and finally as the department’s assistant wildlife bureau chief. Retirement plans include spending lots of time with two grown children’s families, including two grandchildren.

Jeff Hansen (B.S., ’84), was selected to be one of the officials for the 3A Boys State Championship basketball game played on March 12. Hansen has been officiating high school basketball in Colorado for 18 years, and this is his third championship game. During the day, Hansen is the finance director at the City of Golden, a position he has had for more than 19 years.

1990s

Diana May (B.A., ’91) was recently appointed as a 4th Judicial District Court (Colorado) Judge effective May 1, 2022.

Jane Schwarz (B.A., ’91) retired in June, 2021 after working in the human service industry for 29 years. Schwarz’s social work career involved working with the developmentally disabled, seniors in long term care settings, and seniors/disabled population in subsidized housing. Her husband, Bill, retired in May, 2021 after 34 years in the trucking industry. They spend their time enjoying trips and have a new “Bill and Jane’s excellent adventure” planned.

Jill Phipps (B.A. ’92) recently published, Rise up to Love: A Story of Redemption, a romance novel set high in the Colorado Rockies. Rise up to Love explores what happens when you meet the child you gave up years ago. Is it possible to make up for past mistakes and find love and a family?

John Radzienda (B.S. ’94) recently published Dementia: A Son’s Story (JFR Publishing, 2019). This touching memoir describes Radzienda’s experiences as his mother descends into the depths of dementia, becoming a shadow of her former self.

Kristin Stephens (B.A. ’95), was elected to the Fort Collins City Council in 2015, and was re-elected in 2019. In 2019 Stephens was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem, and in 2020, was elected as a Larimer County Commissioner for District 2. Stephens is currently serving her first term as a County Commissioner, and was just appointed by the Governor to the Nonattainment Area Air Pollution Mitigation Enterprise Governing Board, where she serves as chair.

Deborah Henriksen (B.S., ’96) is the founder of Equillibrium, a lifestyle street brand specializing in apparel, handbags, and accessories. Equillibrium and Talk Gallery will open a group art show, “H.O.W.L.” (“Help Our Wolves Live”), at Talk Gallery on April 22, 2022.

Carla (B.A., ’99) and Zeph Thorning (’01) have a project featured in the March/April issue of Mountain Living Magazine. The project featured a non-toxic, green building project by the couple’s design + build firm, ICON.

2000s

Jerimiah Rieman (B.S., ’01) details 97 routes covering over 650 miles of trails in his work, Wyoming Singletrack: A Mountain Bike Trail Guide. From easy-going singletrack coursing among wildlife and geysers to backcountry adventures through iconic mountain ranges, a mountain bike destination awaits you. Full-color action photographs celebrate the state as never before. This guidebook also includes information on nearby camping, shops and mountain bike organizations, and annual events and races.

Jeremy Burmeister (M.E.D., ’08), has been selected as the next superintendent for Platte Valley RE-7. Dr. Burmeister served the district for the past five years as business services director, and will continue to collaborate with the students, staff, and community in this new role.

2010s

Shari Due (B.A., ’10), and Mona Maser, are releasing a trilogy of feature films on all things water in Colorado. The series premieres at the Lyric in April and May, 2022 with an opening party that features Lois and the Lantern, who wrote The Prior Appropriation Song, animated for the film by Jesse Nyander, and panel discussions for each film with characters and water experts. They cover almost everything in this series and have been invited to the Colorado Water Congress to show clips from the series. The State of Colorado’s Water Education Colorado and their Water 22 campaign will be promoting and showing the films around the state.

Eugene Daniels (B.A., ’12), was named a senior contributor to the MSNBC show “Morning Joe.” Since 2018, he has been a White House correspondent for POLITICO and the co-author of the outlet’s daily newsletter, Playbook.

Jessica Norris (B.A., ’15) partnered to buy and run Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop in Old Town, Fort Collins. It was owned for more than 25 years by Ann Swanson (B.F.A., ’81) and her husband, Lee, who recently retired.

Harris Edgerton (M.B.A., ’16), was promoted to vice president of liquidity risk management at U.S. Bancorp, working in balance sheet risk management of $600 billion in assets. Edgerton manages the liquidity risk limits of the company as well as leading the liquidity stress testing committees. Edgerton is also currently working on the MUFG Union Bank merger that will bring over approximately $150 billion of loans and deposits to the balance sheet.

Anna Raiff (B.S., ’16), accepted a position as wildlife nutrition coordinator with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and works at both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Anna currently resides in San Diego.

Rebekah Romberg (B.A., ’16), currently works at Colorado Public Radio, making podcasts. “Music Blocks,” the music appreciation podcast from Colorado Public Radio, recently won Best Podcast for Kids at the Podcast Academy’s second annual Ambies, the Oscars of podcasting.

Charles Gregory (M.B.A., ’18) was accepted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health in the Fall of 2021. Gregory is pursuing a doctor of public health with a concentration in emergency preparedness. Additionally, he was named the FEMA Region 7 emergency manager of the year for 2021 for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Faculty and Staff

Steven Schwartz’s newest novel, The Tenderest of Strings, was published in January, 2022.  The Tenderest of Strings is a riveting, full-hearted story of what it takes to survive as a family in a small Western town that beckons from afar but will put its newcomers to the test of their lives.

Attended

Patrick Shaffer retired in early 2022 after 44 years as a general dentist in Tucson, Arizona. Shaffer has hiked 34 14ers with his son, David Shaffer (B.S., ’03). They intend to spend summers in their lake home in Minnesota, and the remainder of the year in the Phoenix area golfing. Shaffer believes his education at CSU was instrumental in achieving an early admission to professional school, for which he will always be grateful.

In Memoriam

1940s

Marks Morrison (B.S., ’49)

 

1950s

Bernard Pavlovich (B.S., ’51)

Marion Shinn (M.ed., ’54)

John Collamer (B.S., ’57)

Marvin Otto Maul (B.S., ’57)

Ralph Nash (B.S., ’59; M.S., ’62; Ph.D., ’63)

Hans Osterhoudt, Ph.D. (B.S., ’58)

 

1960s

Fred Pepper (B.S., ’61; M.S., ’64)

William Leonard (D.V.M., ’62)

Allen Lewis (B.S., ’64)

William Lorah (M.S., ’66)

Mike Powers (B.S., ’67)

 

1970s

Darrell Hagen (M.S., ’71)

Craig Dolezal (B.S., ’73)

Clark Douglas (B.S., ’74)

James Gibb (B.S., ’74)

Joan Bahr (B.S., ’75; CERT, ’75)

Debra Buehn (B.A., ’75)

Pat Harder (B.S., ’77)

Sarah Hall (B.S., ’78)

 

1980s

Jerry Soderberg, Jr. (M.S., ’82)

Jacob Gallik (B.E., ’84; M.Ed., ’88)

Sharon Hazlewood (B.S., ’85)

 

2000s

Patrick Denny (B.A., ’01)

Jason Keen (B.A., ’04)

 

Faculty and Staff

Vince Murphy, Ph.D.

 

Friends

Jane Dennison

Garth Merrick

Dr. William Tosch

 

Attended

Karen McCormick

Jonathan Rico

Scott Von Sprecken