Class Notes

During her career, Josephine Rascoe Keenan (MSpchDra’64) worked several years in theater and film as a director and actress, including a feature role in The Pride of Jesse Hallum, a film starring Johnny Cash. Josephine is now a writer of novels and short stories for young adults, including her Days of Elvis three-book series, which is about a young girl who came of age in the days of Elvis Presley. Josephine lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and enjoys speaking at book clubs and other events. 

Stan Nicholas (Advert’66) published his first book, Never Summer: A Thousand Rainbows, a memoir sharing stories and reflections from childhood summers spent harvesting cherries with his family as migrant field workers in the Pacific Northwest. Novelist Kelly Sokol said, “His story stands in sharp contrast to the stories we live with our modern day families. An eye opener, a tear jerker, a breath of fresh air.” Nichols also founded his own publishing company, A Buff and Beyond Ink. He lives in Longmont, Colorado.

Hugh M. Heckman (PolSci’69) served as a writer, editor and producer on the CBS Evening News for 37 years, working alongside the legendary Walter Cronkite. After leaving CBS, Heckman worked as a writer and editor for the PBS NewsHour. He lives in Forest Hills, New York.

The Colorado Law alumni board and dean Lolita Buckner Inniss named Bill Callison (Law’82), Beth Crane (Law’79), Jennifer Evans (IntlAf, PolSci’91; Law’98), Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09), Betty Nordwind (Law’71) and Donald Quick (Econ’82; Law’86) as alumni award winners. The 42nd annual Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet is March 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

The University of Iowa Press published Connie Mutel’s (MBio’73) latest book, Tending Iowa’s Land: Pathways to a Sustainable Future. This book explores the benefits and challenges that have come from the transformation of Iowa’s prairies and other wildlands into vast agricultural fields. In a straightforward and friendly style, Iowa’s premier scientists and experts consider what has happened to their land and outline viable solutions that benefit agriculture and the state’s human and wild residents. Connie is the former senior science writer at IIHR — Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering. She lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

Writer Donald E. Hall (EdD’78) published a sequel to his acclaimed novel, A Good and Decent Man. More Than Rumor picks up where the first novel ends and follows the characters from 1933 to 1942 — through the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. Donald lives in Sebring, Florida. 

An in-depth profile of attorney Franklin D. Azar (PolSci’79) ran in the January 2023 issue of 5280 magazine. Frank is known to many in the state of Colorado as “The Strong Arm” because of billboards and TV commercials promoting his practice, Franklin D. Azar and Associates, Colorado’s largest personal injury law firm.

The Colorado Law alumni board and dean Lolita Buckner Inniss named Bill Callison (Law’82), Beth Crane (Law’79), Jennifer Evans (IntlAf, PolSci’91; Law’98), Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09), Betty Nordwind (Law’71) and Donald Quick (Econ’82; Law’86) as alumni award winners. The 42nd annual Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet is March 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

The Colorado Law alumni board and dean Lolita Buckner Inniss named Bill Callison (Law’82), Beth Crane (Law’79), Jennifer Evans (IntlAf, PolSci’91; Law’98), Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09), Betty Nordwind (Law’71) and Donald Quick (Econ’82; Law’86) as alumni award winners. The 42nd annual Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet is March 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Ever since his graduation, Geary Larrick (PhDMus’84) has built a career writing for publications. Geary’s work has appeared in Books in Print, Music Index, RILM Abstracts, WorldCat and Google Scholar. He and his wife, Lydia, live in Glenview, Illinois, close to their daughter, son-in-law and grandsons.

The Wyoming chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) honored Michael Tracy (Psych’87; MD’94) with the 2022 Laureate Award. The Laureate Award honors physicians who have demonstrated an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education or research in service to their community, chapter and the ACP. A former governor of the Wyoming ACP, Michael has practiced internal medicine and pediatrics in Powell, Wyoming, since 2002 and enjoys collaborating with colleagues and teaching medical students.

Naomi Horii (Advert’89) launched a spiritual internet talk show, HeartSpeak, with Bold Brave TV Network. The show airs Fridays at noon MT. The first season features a poet, angel channeler, animal intuitive, medium, astrologer and more. Naomi is a speaker, author, teacher, healer, intuitive and cancer survivor. Her written work is widely published, and she has spoken at Harvard, the University of Chicago and Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center. HeartSpeak can be enjoyed live at boldbravetv.com or on podcast channels.

In fall 2021, Christine Mahoney (Jour’91) took the role as public information officer and spokesperson for the CU Boulder Police Department (CUPD). In her position, she manages external communications, including emergency messaging, public relations, social media and media relations. A former journalist, Christine has also taught journalism and managed a media internship program in CU Boulder’s former School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has worked at CU since 2012.

Julie Crea Dunbar (Geog’93) is the editorial manager for ABC-CLIO, a publishing company specializing in academic reference works and periodicals. Her book, Exploring World History Through Geography: From the Cradle of Civilization to a Globalized World, was published in September. Her sons, Grant Dunbar (AeroEngr’19; MS’19) and Joseph Dunbar (ApMath, ElCompEngr’21; MS’23), are also Forever Buffs. Julie lives in Erie, Colorado.

International law firm Perkins Coie named intellectual property attorney Courtney Prochnow (EPOBio’98) partner. Trained as a molecular and structural biologist, Courtney focuses her practice on patent litigation, strategic patent portfolio management and patent prosecution in the life sciences industry. She has represented clients in federal courts and in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Courtney has drafted and prosecuted patents in a variety of technological areas including gene editing and antibody therapeutics. She lives in Beverly Hills, California.

The Colorado Law alumni board and dean Lolita Buckner Inniss named Bill Callison (Law’82), Beth Crane (Law’79), Jennifer Evans (IntlAf, PolSci’91; Law’98), Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09), Betty Nordwind (Law’71) and Donald Quick (Econ’82; Law’86) as alumni award winners. The 42nd annual Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet is March 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

The Colorado State University board of governors named Amy Parsons (Law’99) as president of Colorado State University. She has 16 years of experience in higher education leadership. She previously served as CEO of a global e-commerce company based in Denver.

Lara Salazar Day (Jour’99), chief culture and communications officer at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Denver office, joined the board of directors at the Denver Fire Department Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Denver Fire Department by providing public education, leading efforts to improve firefighter safety and quality of life, and providing direct resources to meet firefighters’ needs. Lara has worked for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a law firm, for more than 10 years.

NPR News correspondent Kirk Siegler (Jour’00) was selected for the inaugural United Nations Foundation Thomas Lovejoy Press Fellowship to report on deforestation in the Amazon. Selected out of more than 1,000 applicants, he was one of 10 international journalists selected to travel to Camp 41 and Manaus, Brazil, in the fall of 2022. Kirk lives in Boise, Idaho.

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) accepted Alison Zinn (IntlAf’01) as a fellow. Alison is a partner in the Denver office of law firm Lathrop GPM. ACTEC is a national nonprofit association of about 2,500 lawyers and law professors elected by their peers on the basis of professional reputation and experience in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration and related practice areas. To qualify as an ACTEC fellow, a lawyer must have at least 10 years of experience in trust and estate law.