Archived Alumni Notes (April 2001-October 2002)

November 25, 2002

James ‘71 and Jeanette Bartz ‘63, ‘68 Amell have recently moved to Hubbard Lake, MI.

Linda Johnson ‘75, preschool teacher consultant, and Jeffrey Bradley ‘90, Slauson Middle School teacher, were honored by the Ann Arbor school board at a recent meeting with the "Celebrating the Excellence" award.

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Gertrude Inez Campbell Francois Warren, age 91, died recently in Detroit. With two degrees from EMU, she taught for a total of 63 years in the Ypsilanti and Detroit schools. She was also active in many civic organizations.

Frances Bach Annett ‘40, a longtime teacher who took over her husband's real estate business after he died, died recently in Beverly Hills, MI.

Milton R. Lawson ‘50, of Brighton, died recently. He taught in Toledo, Ionia, and Clinton and served as a principal in Byron and Brighton schools. He retired from the Brighton schools in 1986 as a counselor.

November 18, 2002

Alumni Awards

Two alums received major awards during the recent convention of the Michigan Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, held in Battle Creek.

Kirk Pedersen ‘95, an elementary physical education teacher in the Walled Lake district, was honored by MAHPERD with the annual "Young Innovator of the Year" award. This award goes to the physical education teacher in the state with seven years or less of experience who has made significant contributions to the field and who has demonstrated outstanding potential.

Pedersen was EMU's 1995 "Physical Education Major of the Year." In 2000-2001, he was recognized as the "Teacher of the Year" by Glengary Elementary School in Walled Lake.

Kamala Laird Waryas ‘89, a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools, received the MAHPERD "Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year." She was recognized for the innovative programs in physical education for students with disabilities that she has brought to the Detroit Public Schools.

Alumni Notes

Dean Rockwell ‘35, highly decorated WWII hero, successful coach, and businessman, was cited in the annual report of the EMU Foundation for his generous gift to the Foundation to support track programs.

Richard G. Telfer ‘48 visited the Porter Building recently. He is the owner of Educational Directions of Las Vegas, NV, which is involved with nuclear waste issues. Telfer was in the area to lecture to the nuclear engineering faculty and students at the University of Michigan. He is the author of "A New Role for the Nevada Test Site" in the March/April 2002 issue of Radwaste Solutions and of "What's Next for Yucca Mountain" in the September/October 2002 issue of the same journal.

Tom Wall ‘71, ‘73, ‘76, a retired special education and driver education teacher in the Willow Run Community Schools, was featured recently in the Ann Arbor News. Wall is known for his enormous sense of humor and his community work with the disabled.

Charles A. "Chuck" White ‘88, ‘96 was featured recently in the Ann Arbor News. He is head football coach and mathematics teacher at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor.

Timothy Frusti ‘91 is an assistant professor of education at Concordia University, Ann Arbor.

November 11, 2002

Tim Dyer ‘61, ‘65 has announced his retirement from his professorial position at Arizona State University, as of January 1. Dyer, a member of the EMU Education Alumni Hall of Fame, is the former executive of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, a former EMU Regent and Ypsilanti mayor, and a former school administrator in Michigan and Arizona.

Kathy Poole ‘73, ‘76, a first grade teacher at Kettering Elementary School in Westland, was recently named "Teacher of the Week" by the Detroit News.

Patricia Nelson ‘74 is the associate dean of the College of Education at Pennsylvania State University.

Alene Collins, aged 94, died recently. She obtained her teaching certificate from "The Normal" c. 1930 and then taught in Milan.

Beatrice Ruth Wooley ‘33, ‘60, died recently at age 92. She taught at all grade levels in such communities as Charlotte and Olivet. In her retirement, she was a reading volunteer in the Ann Arbor schools.

November 4, 2002

Nila Carter ‘54, ‘66, a teacher of English at Lincoln High School, Van Dyke district, Warren, was named recently as "Teacher of the Week" by the Detroit News. Her classes' yearbooks have won national competitions and copy-writing awards.

Dennis McComb ‘72, ‘75, superintendent of the Milan schools, is serving as the current president of the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

Mary Ann Jaeger ‘84 is principal of Pittsfield Elementary School in Ann Arbor. Her school recently received a $10,000 "Golden Apple" award from Governor Engler for great improvement in scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests. The school may determine how the money is spent.

Mike Erspamer, a teacher of art at Lincoln Elementary School in Westland, was recently named by the Detroit News as "Teacher of the Week." His students have won the state "Tar Wars" poster contest for the past three years.

Ann Gordon Rosenkrantz, age 90, died recently after a long illness. She spent the bulk of her career as a psychiatric social worker.

Last Modified on December 2, 2002