Class Notes

In April, a documentary film about distinguished film and television composer Dave Grusin (Mus’56; HonDocMus’89) played at the Boedecker Theater in Boulder. The film, Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time, was created by Barbara Bentree (MusEdu’80) and has been screened at several film and music festivals. Dave — who has a filmography of nearly 100 titles — is co-founder of jazz record label GRP Records. He has won 10 Grammys out of 38 nominations and one Academy Award out of eight nominations. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Beginning in May, 78 collages of artist Jean Conner (MFA’57) were featured at the San José Museum of Art in her first solo show, “Jean Conner: Collage.” The exhibition opened one week before her 89th birthday. The collages date from 1967 to 2021 and will be on display through the end of September. Jean lives in San Francisco.

Former campus cartoonist Robert (Bob) Harvey (Edu’59) wrote that The Sink is his favorite place in Boulder. “The thing about The Sink that intrigued me as a cartoonist were the walls, which were decorated with cartoony drawings of people doing all sorts of cartoony things,” he said. “Some things, I’m happy to say, don’t change — and don’t deserve to.” Bob resides in Commerce City, Colorado.

On Feb. 5, 2022, Denver County Court senior judge Gary Jackson (PolSci’67) became the seventh African American judge to be inducted into the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame. For the eight years prior to his retirement in 2020, Gary served as a Denver County Court judge. He was a practicing lawyer for 43 years before working with the Denver County Court. “I’m humbled because I know that I walked on the path paved by those before me and grateful to those who supported me on my journey to forge greater opportunities within the legal field,” said Gary. After his retirement, he joined his wife, Regina, at Action Jackson Realty, becoming the company’s vice president of marketing. He lives in Denver.

When Frank Webb (PolSci’68) was drafted to the Vietnam War in 1968, he was unable to attend his commencement ceremony. More than 50 years later, he was recognized during the Spring 2022 commencement, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 25,000 in Folsom Field. During the war, Frank worked as editor of a military newspaper in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. Once he left the army, Frank worked in System Engineering at GTE and later AT&T Mobility. “Many brilliant people and great instructors at CU gave profound meaning to my experience of a college education,” said Webb. “And I was always deeply involved in the fine thinking — and debate — of my peers. I never missed a single CU football home game at Folsom Stadium,” he said. He lives near Snohomish, Washington.

Max Ernst Riedlsperger (PhDHist’69) participated in the Spring 2022 Commencement ceremony alongside his two grandchildren Ben Lemiere (Econ’21) and Emily Lemiere (Comm’22). After defending his dissertation in August 1969, he missed his official graduation ceremony in June 1970 as he was already working as an assistant professor at Cal Poly. His grandson Ben’s in-person CU ceremony was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, so the trio decided to attend together this spring. Max is retired and lives with his wife in San Luis Obispo, California.

The Eye of the Leopard, written by Brian Hayden (Anth’69), was published in February. The novel, written for young readers, draws upon Brian’s archeology and anthropology expertise to tell the story of Sev, a young boy living during the Upper Paleolithic Age. Throughout his career, Brian has researched on four continents, striving to understand hunting-and-gathering cultures. Brian is a professor emeritus of archaeology at Simon Fraser University and honorary research associate of the anthropology department at the University of British Columbia. He was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada in recognition of his articles, books and research. Brian resides on Cortes Island in British Columbia.

Kerry Feldman (MAnth’70; PhD’73) of Anchorage, Alaska, has been a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Alaska Anchorage since 2010. His book Alice’s Trading Post: A Novel of the West was published in January 2022. The novel took him 30 years to research and write. His Buff daughter, Brie Anderson-Feldman (Anth’01), is a successful therapist, mother and wife.

Artist Barbara Takenaga (Art’72; MFA’78) creates swirling, kaleidoscopic abstract paintings through use of acrylic paint. Barbara received a 2020 Guggenheim fellowship and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an honors society that promotes excellence in the arts. Both her independent and group work has been exhibited throughout the country, including in New York, Colorado, California and Maine. Her work was last exhibited at the Robischon Gallery in lower downtown Denver. She lives in New York City. 

Wounded Workers: Tales from a Working Man’s Shrink, the first book written by Bob Larsen (MCDBio’73), received the Nonfiction Authors Association’s gold award. Through stories, this book details the physical and mental effects many American workers experience as a result of doing their jobs. Bob is a clinician and forensic psychiatrist who specializes in assisting cops, bank tellers, firefighters, farm workers and executives deal with traumatic events. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Librettist Mark Campbell’s (Thtr’75) work continues to be exhibited across the country. Performed so far this year are the oratorio “Sanctuary Road” and operas “Approaching Ali,” “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” and “The Shining.” Mark has received numerous awards for his work including a Pulitzer Prize in music for “Silent Night” and a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” He has created 40 opera librettos and the lyrics for seven musicals. He lives in New York, New York.

The documentary Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time, created by Barbara Bentree (MusEdu’80), was screened April 5 at the Boedecker Theater in Boulder. The film honors Dave Grusin (Mus’56; HonDocMus’89), a distinguished film and television composer who co-founded GRP Records, a jazz record label. This film has been screened at various film and music festivals, and won the best documentary award at the Rome Independent Film Festival in Italy. Barbara lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In February, legal services firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati opened an office in downtown Boulder. Vern Norviel (ChemEngr’81) and Tony Jeffries (Fin’89), partners with the firm, are leading the team at the new location. Wilson Sonsini provides legal counsel regarding life sciences, technology and growth enterprises. Vern works in Wilson Sonsini’s patent and innovation group, and Tony works in the firm’s corporate practice group.

In October 2021, Seth A. Darst (ChemEngr’82) received the Gregori Aminoff Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy. He was recognized with Elena Conti and Patrick Cramer for their investigations into cellular systems for the production, transport and quality control of RNA. This award recognizes individuals within the field of crystallography, the study of atomic structures in solid materials. Seth is a professor at Rockefeller University and resides in New York City.

Intellectual property law firm Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds elected Mary Lou Wakimura (ApMath’83) as chair of its board of directors. Mary Lou plans to use her 35 years of experience at the firm and her patent prosecution and operational expertise in her new role. She lives in Atkinson, New Hampshire.

In December 2021, Jenny Glidden Guberman (Fren’84) published her first book, Chattahoochee Cats, which was edited by Sydney Chinowsky (Engl’16). Inspired by her grandchildren and her rescue cats, this chapter book for second graders teaches readers about other countries and self-reliance. Jenny hopes to inspire people to accomplish their goals regardless of their age. Her sister, Susannah Glidden Lusk (Psych’72), and brother Jocelyn Cheney Glidden (Phil’68) attended CU Boulder as well. Jenny lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 2022 Distinguished Landscape Practitioner Award was awarded to David Theobald (Geog’86; PhD’95) by the North American Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology. David works as a research scientist in Fort Collins at Conservation Planning Technologies, a company he founded in 2013 to address challenges in conservation planning through use of spatial analysis and earth systems data and design. He focuses on land-use trends in the U.S.

After serving as executive vice president at Colliers International, Steven Kohn (Fin’87) accepted a position as principal at Avison Young in Chicago. Steven focuses on lease negotiations, acquisitions and dispositions and landlord and tenant representation. He was also named to the USA Maccabi Masters Hockey team for the second time, where he will be one of 1,100 Jewish athletes representing the U.S. Maccabi USA connects the Jewish community and builds pride through sports. Steven resides in Glencoe, Illinois.

Fox Rothschild nationwide construction practice named Patrick Casey (PolSci’89) co-chair. Patrick is a trial attorney, the managing partner at the firm’s Denver office and is a member of the firm’s executive committee. He deals with cases involving construction, insurance, real estate and litigation. Patrick was recognized by Chambers USA for construction in 2021 and was named to the Colorado Super Lawyers list by Construction Litigation from 2019 to 2022.

In February, legal services firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati opened an office in downtown Boulder. Vern Norviel (ChemEngr’81) and Tony Jeffries (Fin’89), partners with the firm, are leading the team at the new location. Wilson Sonsini provides legal counsel regarding life sciences, technology and growth enterprises. Vern works in Wilson Sonsini’s patent and innovation group, and Tony works in the firm’s corporate practice group.