Alumni News + Notes

Where in the World Is Blue? – Fall 2017

Photos from our alumni around the world.

Read time: < 1 minute

Robert C. Thurston, ’84, crosses the Atlantic City, N.J., finish line in June. He biked 55 miles from the Philadelphia area for the 2017 American Cancer Society “Bridge to the Beach” bike-a-thon.

Steven Bartholomew, ’70, at left, with his sons Wade and Todd (off-camera), visited the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Monument on Culp’s Hill in Pennsylvania. Their ancestor, Samuel Bartholomew, served with this Union regiment at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.

Several Michigan alumni turned out to celebrate the July 22 commissioning of the USS Gerald R. Ford in Norfolk, Va. Todd J. Anson, JD’80, took this group shot, which included U-M head football coach Jim Harbaugh, ’86, second from right, and the grandsons of President Gerald R. Ford, ’35, HLLD’74. (Aerial photo courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding.)

Max Bonnefil, ’69, and his daughter Christine, ’97, explored the historic village of Gordes in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Their U-M degrees in architecture and French, respectively, proved to be quite useful!

Dave Courtis, ’63, MS’65, signals his support for U-M football in front of Mount Fitz Roy (11,171 feet) in Patagonia, Argentina.

Ken, DDS’71, and Carol Hovey, ’68, made the climb to Bhutan’s Paro Taktsang (also known as the Tiger’s Nest) in September. The Buddhist monastery was built in 1692.

John Cho, ’89, left, and his family checked out the very cool ICEBAR in Stockholm.

Amy and Richard Schafrann, ’76, watch proudly as their daughter Sara, ’12, married Jeremy Diamond, ’11, at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club in Mamaroneck, New York.

At 560 feet in length, the Trift Bridge is the longest pedestrian-only bridge in the Swiss Alps and a perfect backdrop for the Ryan family, from left: Dayna, ’07, DPT’10, her father, David, ’84, and her sister, Jessica, ’12—now a University of Geneva doctoral student.

Norris Turner, PHARMD’90, with wife Denise Artaud-Turner, left, visited the Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain in March. The two were visiting their daughter, Victoria Turner, during her study-abroad semester in Madrid.

Chandra Luczak, ’00, conquers Mt. Kilimanjaro and shows her Michigan pride with Climb2Cure benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Scott M. Hyslop, AMusD’07, his wife, Dora, and their son (and future Wolverine), Nicholas, spent ten days in China. The family split their time between Shanghai and Beijing. The trio posed for a photo on the Great Wall of China while wearing their Mandarin-script Michigan shirts.

Abigail Meert, ’13, spent the 2016-2017 academic year in Uganda, traveling the country extensively to complete research on her doctorate dissertation in African history from Emory University. In this picture, Abby gets her boda boda driver, Geoffrey Kayiwa, in the Michigan spirit while in Kampala, Uganda. Boda boda are motorcycle taxis commonly found in East Africa.

(From left) Randall Torno and wife, Janet Torno, ’72, met Jonathan Christopher, ’10, a fantastic performer and graduate from the School of Music, Theatre & Dance aboard a cruise in Australia.

Lauren Caisman, ’10, poses with members of Wolverine men’s basketball coach John Beilein's family prior to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo.

Almost 70 miles (112.9 km) west of Key West lay a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life and its legends of pirates and sunken gold. Fort Jefferson, one of the largest coastal forts every built, is a central feature. Left to right: Bobbie, ’67, and Sam Chappell, ’69, with Carol Steuk, ’63

In March 2017, Jill Brunt Hauff, ’98, Chadwick Hauff, ’96, and daughter, Taylor, enjoyed a spring break trip to Hawaii.

In February 2016, Blake Bogart, ’13, and Brooke Szymanski, ’15, took a trip around Italy and San Marino, where they visited the three towers of San Marino, the second of which can be seen in the distance.

Emily Roschek, ’03 (left), and Trisha Rich, JD’05 (right), visiting Tower Bridge in London, England, during the Chicago Bar Association’s annual international bar trip in April 2017.

Grant Norstrom, ’17 (left), and Adam Levine, ’17—both recent Michigan 2017 graduates! Exactly two weeks after graduation, the two were excited to represent the University of Michigan as alumni at 17,600 feet in the Himalayas. Their trek lasted 14 days and went to the South Base Camp of Mount Everest. Along the way, they met two Michigan alumni and one current master’s student!

Doug Rapp, ’86, and his wife, Sandy, ’86, enjoyed visiting Vienna, Austria, among many other wonderful stops across five countries along the Danube.

Dr. Kelly Martin, ’91, her husband, Andre, and their children pose, with friends, inside the Quadirikiri Caves on an extreme island tour in Aruba.

Dan Jokisch, ’91, and his wife, Gayle, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in April 2017.

Ronald D. Vanden Brink, MD’63, MDRES’67 (right), and his wife, Jan, MSW’78 (behind the camera), had a wonderful reunion in December 2016 with Ronald’s junior resident, Rogelio Pardo, MDRES’68, in Limon, Costa Rica. This was their first meeting since parting ways in Ann Arbor almost 50 years ago!

Michigan Group DSCF0697 800px

On May 14, 2017, Jon Schmerling, ’77, and Veronica Schmerling, ’78, as part of their 39th wedding anniversary travels to various National Parks in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, visited Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River near Page, Arizona.

The Eiler family visited Wizard Island in Crater Lake, Oregon: Christian, ’98, Beth, ’98, and daughters Julia and Sydney.

Amy Shapiro, ’77, met and took this photo of William Eller, ’69, MA’74, at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Arnold Epstein sent in this photo of Irving Epstein, MSW’53, celebrating his 90th birthday with his grandchildren, Jeremy and Kayla, wearing his favorite team's apparel.

Debara Wilson-Gelen, ’06, MA’10, enjoyed a beautiful on-foot tour through the glaciers in Reykjavík, Iceland. She traveled with her husband, Anthony, while representing the “Big Blue” with each step they took.

Lauren Triana, ’04, and Tyra Saechao, ’04, climbing Mount Rainier in Washington in July 2016.

Roland Schneider, ’57, MBA’58, and Nancy Schneider, ’58, at the House of Waterford Crystal in Cork, Ireland, in April 2017.

Retired dentist Ron Huey, DDS’55, likes to rile up his mostly green-and-white breakfast club with his a-maize-ing outfits in Milford, Michigan.

Stan Heister, ’87, at the McMenamins Grand Lodge Hotel in Forest Grove, Ore.

Sushil Pramanick, MBA’17, at Mulholland Drive, Santa Monica, CA

Lindsay Riley, ’06, at Mount Batur in Bali, Indonesia.

Become a Member Today!

Your membership dollars allow us to tell stories that celebrate U-M alums’ achievements and their impact in the world. Support this work and get access to all Michigan Alum articles by joining today.

More stories from