1960s
James G. Van Straten ’61 MEd has written and published a riveting and poignant memoir describing the author’s military service as the senior medical advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. It focuses on the ancient culture of the Vietnamese people as well as their traditions and values. The book is entitled “A Different Face of War: Memories of a Medical Service Corps Officer in Vietnam.” At the conclusion of his military career, Van Straten served as the first dean of the Division of Professional Studies at Incarnate Word College from 1987 through 1990 (www.tamupress.com/product/Different-Face-of-War,8269.aspx).
Teddy Jones ’66 BSN received the First Prize Gold Medal for Short Story from the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition sponsored by the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society of New Orleans. Jones received her award in a ceremony at the Society’s annual Words and Music Festival, Oct. 31, 2015. Her story, “Clean Getaway,” will appear in the next issue of the Society’s journal, “The Double Dealer.”
1970s
Maria Angelica Pena-Rocha ’78 BSN presented a webinar in Spanish in January. Pena-Rocha was honored to present the webinar on behalf of the Aetna Hispanic Employee Resource Group which has more than 300-plus members.
1980s
Andrea Atkins Boldt ’84 BS completed a Master of Arts in Counseling at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., in May of 2012, and was recently approved as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas. Boldt and her husband Gary recently moved to College Station where she has opened a private practice.
1990s
Rebecca Ford ’90 MS released her first publication, “How to Survive Your Hospital Stay,” written in memory of and dedication to her father. Ford shared that if he and her mother would have had the information contained within the book, they could have prevented the tragic consequences of his hospitalization. The book is a guide, a tool, and a workbook to help prevent the common complications of hospitalization that take the lives of thousands of patients every year. To learn more, visit www.redemption-press.com/shop/product/101810
Rose Martinez ’94 BS is coach to the McCollum High School Varsity Volleyball team who have won their second consecutive District Championship.
Pastor Keely H. Petty ’95 BA was appointed as commissioner on the Mayor’s Status of Women in San Antonio, Texas, and was sworn in on Oct. 7, 2015. The commission is comprised of members appointed by the mayor to three year terms and the commission serves as a catalyst for moving all women forward.
Amalia Ortiz ’96 BA had her book, “Rant. Chant. Chisme.,”published by Wings Press in September 2015. The book has received positive reviews from the San Antonio Express-News and The Texas Observer. Ortiz was also selected to speak at TEDxMcAllen in October 2015. Her talk, “Scaling Walls With Words,” is available for viewing on the TEDx YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCnJ0QZ-YnM
Asia Ciaravino ’98 BS (pictured right) recently left her role as president and CEO of San Pedro Playhouse to serve as chief operating officer for the city’s Tricentennial Commission. To learn more, visit www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/Playhouse-CEO-leaving-to-work-for-city-6665386.php
Allison T. Hybner ’99 BBA ’02 MEd is the editor of Today’s Catholic in San Antonio, Texas.
2000s
Jennifer Uriegas ’02 BA received her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio in the Fall 2015 semester. She currently serves as the collaborative learning leader at Southside ISD.
Ann Islas ’08 BA ’10 MA was promoted from academic coordinator in medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA) to manager of academic programs in pediatrics at UTHSCSA.
Rachel Cywinski ’09 MA contributed information from her doctoral research on mathematics anxiety among community college students during the Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 9, 2016. Cywinski completed her Master of Arts in Teaching degree at UIW in 2009 and began the doctoral program in mathematics education. She completed the mathematics anxiety research study in 2013 as part of the requirements of the doctoral program and presented findings from her dissertation research, completed in 2013, to the JMM. The JMM was attended by 6,300 mathematicians.
Celeste Paredez ’09 BA is working as a fine arts teacher for Southwest Independent School District.
2010s
Kristen Brockett ’13 BA has recently accepted the position of case manager for a grant-funded family violence prevention program in San Antonio. Brockett continues her work for non-profit organizations in the city, promoting healthy families and relationships.
Sr. M. Rita Prendergast, CCVI, a longtime English professor at Incarnate Word, has published a book of her poetry called “Gleanings.” She was born in Ireland and has worked there and in Peru and Africa. Prendergast was assisted in the production by alumnae Srs. Margaret Patrice Slattery ’52 BA and Louise Delisi ’67 BA ’85 MA, CCVI, and Ruth Fowler ’71 BA ’74 MA.
Weddings and Anniversaries
Karla J. Auresto ’14 BS married Fredrik Safstrom on June 18, 2015.
Amy Cassandra Zepeda ’14 BA and Miguel Angel Martinez ’14 BA were married Dec. 19, 2015 in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word.
Leslie Alan Psencik ’05 BA ’15 MAA (pictured left) married Belquis Cabrera.
Correction to class note listing: Frank Quintana ’06 BBA and Gilda Aldaco Quintana renewed their vows and blessed marriage at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico on June 5, 2015, with Fr. Francis McHugh, St. Pius X, San Antonio and witnesses, Andrea Quintana and Alonso Ortega. The renewal of vows did not take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flowers in San Antonio, Texas, as previously noted in The Word Fall 2015 issue.
Future Cardinals
Alana Walsh Trammell ’99 BS (pictured left) is proud to announce that she and her husband Cody gave birth to their second future Cardinal, Brady, on Sept. 10, 2015.
Sophia A. Briones ’04 BA (pictured right) and Justin Horn celebrated the birth of their child, Jaxson Francisco, born on Nov. 4, 2015 in Chicago, Ill.
Alumni Spotlight
Former and current students of the UIW Interior Design program came away with numerous awards for projects they submitted to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) – San Antonio for the Pinnacle of Design Awards Ceremony held Sept. 17, 2015.
The design team who won first in Commercial Health Care design and in Historic Preservation design: (L-R) Ashley Hinojosa, and alumnae Karbach-Morales and Lopez.
Commercial Design Category
• 1st Place: Jocelyn Lopez ’14 BA and Sophia
Karbach-Morales ’08 BA with Chessney Morales
& Associates, Inc.
Residential Remodel
• Honorable Mention: Margarita Gonzalez ’14 BA
and Kim Kramer with K. Rue Designs
Student Design Competition
• Honorable Mention: Arianna Hayward ’15 BA
In Memoriam
Thomas Drought, benefactor
Elaine Scharlack Davis ’51 IWHS, non-degreed 1955
Ruth Gurwitz ’54 BM
Sherron Laray Cook ’80 BA
Sr. Florence Zdeb CCVI ’65 BA
Darlene Rose (Schacherl) Brown ’64 BSN
Martha M. Salazar Lozano ’80 BS Med Tech
Vivian F. Condel ’65 BA
Mabel Specia Wolfe ’37 IWHS ’41 undeclared
Marynell Maloney, attorney and UIW friend
Dr. York Clamann ’66 MA
Elizabeth Simmons “Bettie” Patton, former student
Patricia Yarborough Reed ’74 BA
G. (Jim) Hasslocher, benefactor
Doris P. Gimmeson Sinclair ’68 BSN
Maria Mercado, RN ’41 ALSR
Joan D. Mileau Jacob ’52 BS
Vivian Eva Rundle Gaschen ’68 MA
Adell Ferguson Polk ’56 BA
Jean L. Winans Weigand ’65 BS
Robert N. Corrigan III, former student
Dr. Thomas Lee Baumgarten ’77 MA
Rebecca Lillian Wittliff ’74 BS
Dr. N. R. Pemmaraju, former faculty
Dr. Irene McCrystal ’51 BA
Opal Irene Jennings Walker ’71 BS
Sr. Bernice Knapek, SSND, Pastoral Studies Certificate, non-degree
Joseph Robert Devine ’83 MS
David R. Stark ’69 MA
Nena Bonilla Padilla ’71 BA, former faculty
Sr. Virginia Walsh, ASC ’71 BSN
Deacon Cesar M. Ponce ’96 MA
Joseph D. Jamail, benefactor
Patricia Heck Aschenbrenner ’43 IWHS
Kellie Byrd Fleming ’55 IWHS ’78 BSN, former faculty
Col. Gordon Abbott Spencer, USAF Ret., ’75 non-degreed art
Elvira Kahlig (Flores), donor
