Frank Vlastnik ’87 is co-author of a new showcase of the life and work of the renowned designer to the stars, The Art of Bob Mackie, which includes a foreword by Carol Burnett and an afterword by Cher. You can read the full write up about his book here.
Michael Mason ’80, retired FBI executive assistant director, is pitching in to combat a bus driver shortage in Chesterfield County Public Schools. He has enthusiastically started a “second career” as a school bus driver. You can read the article here.
Produced by Bill Damaschke ’85, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” dominated the pandemic-delayed Tony Awards with 10 awards, including Best Musical. View the full list of winners here.
Lynn Lupo ’81 is the lead vocalist for Heartless, a Heart tribute band, which played September shows at the Phoenix Band Shell in Delavan, Wisconsin, The Wharf in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Septemberfest in Schaumburg, Illinois. Lynn has over 30 years of experience in musical performance, including a 12-year run fronting the cover band, Phoenix. Here is the link to the Heartless website.
Paula Gentry ’81 officially retired from her teaching and her church work, and moved back to Oklahoma in August!
A catastrophic personal injury led Sam Porritt ’84 to start the Falling Forward Foundation, a nonprofit allowing individuals to continue rehab after insurance stops paying. You can read the full article here.
With the start of the new 2021-22 school year, it is official: Jody Munsterman has retired after 39 years of teaching. As a senior at Illinois Wesleyan University, she completed 18 weeks of student teaching at Bent School in the fall of 1981. She was originally assigned to student teach with Nancy Malcolm , a third-grade teacher, but two weeks before she reported back to campus, she was informed by Mrs. Malcolm she had been assigned a combination class of third and fourth graders. “Little did I know, I would begin my teaching experience and conclude my career with a combination classroom,” Mrs. M said, as her last class was a combination of fourth and fifth grade students. Read the full article on her retirement here.
Associate Professor of Nursing Brenda Lessen Knoll ’89 conducted a PIOMI Training Webinar for a group of Neonatal Physicians and Speech Pathologists at National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dr. Lessen Knoll has been conducting live training webinars for Neonatal Providers across the globe to implement her Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention as the standard of care for neonatal therapy. www.piomi.com
Nashville journalist and former longtime WSMV anchor Demetria Kalodimos ’81 has been appointed communication professional-in-residence in Lipscomb University’s School of Communication.
Patrick Cleary ’82 has been appointed Mid-Central Regional Sales Director at Purchasing Power, LLC, a voluntary benefit fintech company that offers the leading employment purchase program through the convenience of payroll deduction. Responsible for execution of Purchasing Power’s regional growth and business development strategies, Cleary will be based in Northbrook, IL.
You can find out more via this article made from information provided by Purchasing Power LLC.