Class Notes
1920s
Mary Ann McMurrough Klein '27 BA passed away Dec. 7 at
the age of 102. Born in 1905
on her family’s farm near Dobbin, Texas.
Klein attended grade school in Dobbin before attending Ursuline Academy
in Dallas, Texas, graduating in 1923. Upon graduation, she passed the Texas
teacher certification exam, and at the age of 17, taught at the Womack
School. In 1924, she began her studies at Incarnate Word College (now UIW),
and graduated in 1927 with a degree in philosophy. She captained IWC’s
basketball team in 1925 and was outstanding player in San Antonio when
her team won the city championship in 1926. Klein had been the oldest living
graduate of IWC.
Sr. Margaret Patrice Slattery, CCVI, '52 BA and UIW President Emerita was a member of the first inductee class of the Incarnate Word Academy Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Mo. She was inducted under the category of spiritual leadership.
Mary Agnes Ney Gilhooly '56 BSN is finishing her third book, this one for 8-10 year olds.
Patricia Masch '65 BSN and family attended the December 2007 graduation of her nephew Christopher Thomas Meeks, who received a BBA in accounting and graduated magna cum laude. His mother, Michelle Masch Meeks, was employed at St. Joseph’s Convent when it was the retired Sisters’ residence on Hildebrand.
Ludmilla Hamilton Oestreich '68 BA was elected in June to the Washington State Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a group that promotes educational opportunities for women. She is serving as a corresponding secretary during the first year of this seven-year commitment and travels the state to conduct workshops and chapter visits.
Maureen Halligan '71 MA (Hon.), '06 LHD (Hon.) is Professor Emerita of Theatre at age 93. She received an honorary MA from Incarnate Word College in 1971 and an honorary doctorate in 2006. Great nephew Danny Sheridan is a professional pianist and has been on tour as the accompanist for the Three Celtic Tenors from Ireland. She was inducted into the 2008 San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame.
Dr. Kathleen Light '70 BSN, dean of UIW's school of Nursing and Health Professions, was inducted into the 2008 San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame.
Patsy Pittman Light '72 has written a book entitled Capturing Nature, which will be available in April. The book documents the life and work of Doinicio Rodriguez, a unique folk artist whose creations paid homage to the natural world.
Brig. Gen. Sue Ellen Turner '74 BSN, USAF Ret. Military, was inducted into the 2008 San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame.
Maria Rocha '78 BSN celebrated her daughter's graduation from Holmes High School in 2007. Her son, Joel, was married in the fall. Her daughter, Antoinette, will be transferring to UIW to major in bilingual communication arts.
George Gaytan '81 BM recently played classical guitar
at a reception for Jim Lehrer of the 
PBS Newshour with Lehrer program.
He helped open the new studio at the KLRN Studios and took his daughter
Audrey to a reception for Gov. Rick Perry, pictured above.
Mardi Marah '83 BA graduated from the PGCE University of Huddersfield on
Nov. 27. The date of her PGCE certificate is Aug. 21.
Mardi Marah '83 BA graduated from the PGCE University
of Huddersfield on Nov. 27.
The date of her PGCE certificate is August
21.
Lt. Col. Tami A. Smolik Piemonte '86 BS retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve on Dec. 6 after more than 20 years of faithful military service. Prior to retiring, she served as an individual mobilization augmentee to the 6th Medical Support Squadron Commander, 6th Medical Group, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla. Her military awards include the four awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, two awards of the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal. She will live in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Judith Stluka-Fejfar '87 MA has been appointed the religion coordinator, which includes the role of school liturgist, for St. Catherine Laboure School in Harrisburg, Pa. This is a pre-K through 8th grade school with an enrollment of 400. She also teaches religion and implements the 2nd year confirmation preparation to students in grades 7 and 8, serves as the PR coordinator for the school news and as moderator for peer mediation.
Joseph V. Penn, MD, CCHP, '87 BS, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center and director of child and adolescent forensic psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital, was recently selected chair-elect of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s (NCCHC) Board of Directors. His one-year term as chair will begin in October.
Linda Calvert Jacobson '90 BA appeared on WOAI TV on
Oct. 16 to showcase her 
wildflower artwork. Linda paints wildflowers and
has an online store featuring her designs on mugs, bags, journals, mousepads,
etc. A small line of greeting cards with her wildflowers will be in stores
in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. This is her first licensing deal.
Stacey Johnson '90 MA is working as the interim vice president of academic affairs at Palo Alto College. The Institute for International Sport recently named her as one of The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America. Her accomplishments also include founding the Dreams for Youth program with the San Antonio Sports Foundation. She is a former national fencing champion and member of the 1980 Olympic team and later served as president of the U.S. Fencing Association.
Ing. Camilo Mexsen Flores '91 MBA is pictured with wife,
Naima, and the rest of the Mexsen-Murra family in Pinehurst, N.C. His children,
Naima Maria, 11, Camilo Jose, 10, Katia, 8, and Marcelo, 4, participated
in the U.S. Kids World Golf Championships in August.
George Fillingham '92 BA will be reading his poetry at the Kentucky Philological Association’s annual meeting this March in Louisville.
Graciela Lopez-Cox '92 MSN received the Ann Magnussen
Award from the American Red Cross at the San Antonio Area Chapter’s
annual volunteer recognition event in July 2007.
Desiree Kornrum-Byrne '94 BBA is assistant director of the Office of Financial
Assistance at the University of the Incarnate Word. She holds a master’s
in public administration from UTSA and a Ph.D. in educational administration-higher
education administration and leadership from UT Austin. She spent the 10
years prior to joining UIW working as a data analyst with the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board.
Patricia Potyka-Paredes '97 MA was added to the board of First Night Austin in August by FNA founder Anne Elizabeth. The board then promoted her to the position of interim executive director. She is now the new executive director of Texas Campus Compact, headquartered at the UT System. Her job is to promote service learning and civic engagement programs, etc., on university and community college campuses throughout Texas. Our congratulations to her on her first executive director position.
Dennis Bryan '98 BS, wife Carla A. Colette Bryan '01 BA and son, Caden, moved into their new home in Buda, Texas. He is coaching soccer, and she is an elementary school bilingual education teacher.
Paul Alexander '99 MA, former TV and KTSA sportscaster, will host a midday talk program as well as handle sports updates during morning drive for a new all-sports radio station signing on in early 2008. It will be an affiliate of ESPN radio that will incorporate both national and local programming.
Justin Moore '01 BAAS marked 16 years as an employee of USAA in San Antonio in February. As a usability specialist, his job is to work with website designers and programmers to ensure that what they build is usable. He also has been a published, professional photographer since 1999. He has done aviation photojournalism for a national publication, had work published in books and magazines and is thoroughly enjoying taking family, bridal and wedding portraits.
Diana Meneses '02 BA is working on her Ph.D. dissertation, a history of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, at Arizona State University. As an undergraduate, she was awarded a McNair Scholarship at Incarnate Word. She plans to assist in developing, in conjunction with the Graduate College, a network of support for graduate McNair Scholars at ASU.
Paul M. Camardo '03 BBA has accepted the position of Campus Center director for Park University at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. He is a VA Certifying Official for veteran’s educational benefits. Camardo is responsible for the quality of the academic programs, financial reporting, record disbursement and public relations. He will be advising students from initial recruiting and continuing on through graduation.
Juan R. Lopez '83 BS, '89 MA, '03 MA is a member of the Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) program with the Fairfax County Police Department in Fairfax County, Va. APOs are unpaid sworn law enforcement officers who work with paid police officers, civilians and other volunteers who share a common desire to serve their fellow citizens and the communities in which they live.
Mark Jesse Stringham '04 BA has recently graduated with his MFA from Ohio University. He signed with agent Kerin Goldberg Associates, booked his first equity job with the Actors Theatre of Louisville, was in the film Old Dogs with John Travolta, starred on a FOX TV show New Amsterdam, and has had a picture and video on the front cover of the New York Times Art & Leisure for a project with the Public Arts Fund in New York.
Gabriel Ekortarh '06 BS is working at the VA medical center in Houston as a nuclear medicine technologist. He will be starting graduate school in Philadelphia in August. Ekortarh will be earning his Master of Science in radiological sciences with a concentration in PET/CT at Thomas Jefferson College of Health Professions.
Sharna Terese Cox-Caceres '06 BA has been accepted to the University of Oklahoma College of Law with a scholarship. She will be moving with her husband, Jose, to Norman, Okla., in the summer to begin her studies and is planning to specialize in adoption law.
Abigail “Abby” Shaver '07 BA has been named
the executive assistant for Blue Clover, a
San
Antonio On and Off-line Branding™ firm. A cum laude graduate from the University of Incarnate
Word, Shaver has a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and minor in accounting.
She is pursuing her master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics
at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Mary Ann McMurrough Klein '27 BA
Katherine H Wiseman '36 RS, Santa Rosa Alumna
Sr. Mary Bonaventure Mangan, SHSp, '40 BA
Georgie Billings Murray '44 BA
Dr. Winifred Murray '47 BA, Professor Emerita of Sociology
Kathryn Irene Kenney Smith '48 RN, Santa Rosa Alumna
Joyce Arrington MacDonald '51 BSN
Margaret M. Fallon '53 BSN
Sr. Roberta Lev, IWBS '54 BA
Frances Roberta Pursley '54 BSN
The Reverend H. Paul Osborne '55 MA
Sr. Edith Louise Pastore, CCVI, '56 BS
Diannah Weaver Parker '56 BM
Frances Eileen Furzi '59 BS
Jo Ann Fecci Neal '59 BS
Betty Leland Sompayrac, class of '59
Aline M. Roberts '64 BA
Robert A. “Scotty” Sinclair '66 MA
Jo Ann Schmidt, OSB, '70 BA
Sr. Doreen Marie Skinner, CCVI, '70 MA
Marilyn J. Tontz '71 MA
Roberta Lee Smith '79 MA BL
Karen Lynn Franklin '01 BAAS ADCaP
Donald Milton Tyree '02 BBA ADCaP
Cosette Alejandra Reyes Varela '05 BA
Louis William Wicht '07 BBA ADCaP
Anne Gabrielle Lege Wilkerson '07 BSN ADCaP
Alfonso Aleman Jr., Former Trustee
Madelaine Drummond Bush, attended IWC
William E. Casselman, Benefactor
Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Culbertson, Former Faculty
Robert A. Schram, Benefactor
Family Section
Nora E. Mireles '99 BA and James L. Boehm Jr. are engaged to be married in Eagle Pass in June.
Lauren Michelle Dunn '03 BA is engaged to be married to Travis Carey Headley on April 21.
Rebekah Brown '06 BBA is engaged to be married to James Fa’asau on July 5. Fa’asau is a naval aviator currently serving in Kadena, Japan, on deployment. They were engaged on Dec. 20, 2006.
Veronica A. Rodriguez '06 BA is engaged to be married to Aarón A. Ruiz in October.
Joe M. Hernandez '99 BAAS ADCaP and Adriana Aguayo were married Jan. 12.
Shannon Jarrell-Ivey '00 BA and Stephen Ivey were married July 7.
Celeste Noel Rodriguez '01 BA and Jesus Garcia Jr. were married Oct. 20.
Wanda Rose Sparks '02 MSN and Joe Sidney Galjour were married Dec. 1.
Jenny Theiss Lagundino '03 BA and Flordelino Lagundino were married June 11.
Andrea Garza Hofstetter '04 BA and Dwayne Hofstetter were married Oct. 6.
Pamela Marie Garza '04 BA married current BBA student Ruben Velasquez on Jan. 19. Fr. Philip Lamberty, OP, officiated the wedding ceremony in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word.
Araceli Bustos '03 BS, '05 MA and Juan J. Lopez were married Dec. 15 at San Fernando Cathedral.
Vincent P. Campos '02 BBA, '05 MBA and Andrea C. Roche were married Nov. 17 on Marriage Island at the Riverwalk in San Antonio.
Sharna Terese Cox '06 BA and Jose Alberto Caceres '06 BA were married July 7.
Marcos Contreras '05 BA and Jorgie Gonzalez were married Jan. 19 in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word.
Jennifer Ann Gonzales '05 BA and Jason Anthony Gonzales were married at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church on Nov. 24. Jason is a UIW student in the ADCaP program.
Jennifer Ann Balleza '06 BA and ADCaP student Jason Antony Gonzalez were married Nov. 24.
Erin A. Martinez '06 BA formerly Erin A. Reed, and current '09 BA student Marcus R. Martinez were married Nov. 3.
David Meyer '98 BBA and Chanrina welcomed daughter Giselle Meyer on Dec. 20 at 12:46 p.m. Giselle weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long.
Melissa Romero Gomez '98 BS and Joseph Gomez welcomed a son, Seve Michael Gomez, on June 26.
Norma Hodge '00 MA and her husband adopted a baby boy in December. Shaun Phillip Hodge was born Sept. 20, weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. and was 19.5 inches long.
Joseph S. Ballesteros '02 BA , '04 MAA and Vanessa
C. Ballesteros '06 BBA welcomed a daughter, Arabella Belen Ballesteros,
on May 29.
Dorothy Ingle Gendron '04 and her husband welcomed twin boys, Aiden and Blaine, into the world on Dec. 14 at 11:06 p.m.
Paula Plofchan, Development Board member and UIW alumni parent, welcomed her 18th grandchild, Michael Vincent Plofchan, on Oct. 21. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20 inches long.