Alumni

On July 9, 2007, D. GENE WILLE, 75, of The Villages, FL. Born October 20, 1931 in Baltimore, MD. He was a graduate of Penn State University, followed with his MBA at American University. Gene lived most of his life in Maryland. He retired from the National Security Agency as a cryptology group manager. He served his country and was a proud reservist retired Captain for the US Navy and continued as a Captain in the Reserve until his death. He is survived by his wife Joan, sons, Bob, Jim, daughter, Cindy, 4 grandchildren, and a brother Carroll.

DURHAM, N.C. --Duke men's lacrosse coach John Danowski sat at a desk recently inside a Cameron Indoor Stadium office flipping through the student newspaper. He pointed to one article, then another about the sexual assault case involving three former players. Then he shrugged. "It's all the time," he said quietly. "You open the school paper and two of the columns are lacrosse-related. Every day there are reminders of an event last spring." It has been almost a year since that event - the alleged sexual assault by three team members at an off-campus party - but the case seems hardly to have receded from Duke's collective consciousness.

As 1999 draws to a close, officials at the Naval Academy realize that their wish list for the next millennium - new athletic fields, upgraded classrooms, more parking spots, to name just a few - may never become reality If they continue to rely solely on funding from the Pentagon.So early next year, in a major shift in the school's strategy, officials plan to launch a large fund-raising campaign. Their goal is to pad the school's budget with private funding from alumni and the corporate world.

AS IN MANY neighborhoods, the people who volunteer their time year after year form the social fabric of our community. And while many of us are off at the beach, trying to squeeze one more week of summer pleasure out of August, a special few are busy planning activities for the coming months for the organizations they serve.Among the organizations:The Crofton Kiwanis Club, which will hold its annual charity golf tournament Sept. 13 at Walden Golf Club. The cost will be $95 -- but $5 less for players who register before September.

In 1855, residents of Millersville and Gambrills decided to create a school of higher learning for pupils graduating from elementary school. From these roots set down in western Anne Arundel County more than a century ago, Arundel High School has developed a tradition of commitment to academics and community responsibility. This year is particularly important in Arundel's history: the 50th anniversary of the high school's move to its current building.A group of Arundel alumni wanted to explore ways to celebrate this anniversary and to strengthen the network of Arundel's finest.

In a speech to an alumni group yesterday, state Sen. Delores G. Kelley challenged African-Americans to ensure the education of future generations, monitor elected officials and battle discrimination."

WHILE MANY students are dreading the start of a new school year, Glen Burnie High alumni are planning a celebration of their years at the school. The Glen Burnie High Booster Club is sponsoring an alumni bull roast and dinner dance, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Stoney Creek Democratic Club on Fort Smallwood Road.The dinner will be open to all Glen Burnie High alumni, from the first graduating class to members of the Class of 1998.The joint reunion was the idea of members of the school's athletic booster club, who were looking for a new fund-raising idea, said booster President Gary Falls.

Academic, activity and leadership awards were presented to members of the Class of 1996, faculty and alumni May 5 at the annual Senior Investiture and Honors Convocation at Western Maryland College.Local honorees included art history Professor Julie Oeming Badiee of Westminster, who received the first Ira G. Zepp Distinguished Teaching Award for her inspired classroom work and dedication to her students.Badiee, who joined the WMC faculty in 1978, teaches courses emphasizing Western and non-Western traditions.

The Manson house was easy to find yesterday: It was the one in Roland Park with the huge Northwestern flag out front and flashing purple Christmas lights in the shape of an "N."Nearly 20 people -- including almost a dozen Northwestern University alumni -- gathered there to watch the Rose Bowl and cheer on a team that hadn't played in a college bowl game since 1949."It's unbelievable," said Dr. Paul Manson, a 1964 graduate of Northwestern and a 1968 graduate of its medical school. "So many people around here are from Northwestern, and now we're all coming out of the closet."

WASHINGTON -- Short on legal options and unsure about its financial future, the Virginia Military Institute marched reluctantly away from 157 years of tradition as it agreed yesterday to open its cadet ranks to women next year.Facing a new court order to obey the Constitution's demand for equality and ending weeks of internal debate over its future, VMI's Board of Visitors split 9-8 in voting to remain a public college but to go coed.VMI Superintendent Josiah M. Bunting III said the college would make "absolutely minimal" changes to accommodate women, but would take steps to assure their personal privacy in the barracks.

The annual rankings released by U.S. News & World Report have become a virtual shorthand for how we discuss the quality of colleges and universities. It is a fact that vexes many educational administrators and analysts, even as they use the rankings for marketing purposes. Some colleges, such as Sarah Lawrence in New York, have refused to submit data for the rankings. Others, such as Clemson University, have received criticism for tailoring academic programs to boost rankings. U.S. News looks at a range of factors, including acceptance rates, class size, average SAT scores of entering students, alumni giving and academic reputation.

One captain in the Marine Corps had to sign the confining orders to send a lesbian to jail, but was so disturbed that the next day the officer, who was also gay, submitted his resignation papers. Another man, from the Naval Academy Class of 1958, was kicked out of the military because his name was found in the address book of a "known homosexual." Other gay men and lesbians left the service because like Steve Clark Hall, a nuclear submarine captain who retired after a 20-year Navy career, they could no longer bear the burden of harboring an enormous secret about their identity.

After John Schillinger graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1956, he developed several popular varieties of soybeans that are used today by a majority of farmers in the United States. Alfred Lipin, Class of 1939, became a state senator. Lori Ann Slezak, class of 1987, opened a colon and rectal surgery practice two weeks ago in Tampa, Fla. They and five others are the first alumni to be honored on the Wall of Honor at Glen Burnie High School. School officials awarded plaques to honorees or their family members at a ceremony Friday before the homecoming football game.

Loyola College in Maryland announced yesterday that it will become Loyola University Maryland to better reflect the breadth of its programs, but some alumni fear the new name does not reflect the intimate nature of the education that drew them to the college. The school has been known as Loyola College since it was founded by Jesuits in 1852, but now, with dozens of graduate programs and 2,400 graduate students, the board of trustees has decided it is time for a new name. "The college logo does not communicate the richness and distinctiveness of the institution," said Loyola's president, the Rev. Brian F. Linnane.

The Bowl Championship Series matchups are all about computer rankings and politics in the highest echelon of college football. The rest of the games are about alumni bases and the particular leanings of the individual bowl directors. Emerald Bowl Maryland vs. Oregon State, San Francisco, Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m., ESPN, 105.7 FM, 1300 AM

On July 9, 2007, D. GENE WILLE, 75, of The Villages, FL. Born October 20, 1931 in Baltimore, MD. He was a graduate of Penn State University, followed with his MBA at American University. Gene lived most of his life in Maryland. He retired from the National Security Agency as a cryptology group manager. He served his country and was a proud reservist retired Captain for the US Navy and continued as a Captain in the Reserve until his death. He is survived by his wife Joan, sons, Bob, Jim, daughter, Cindy, 4 grandchildren, and a brother Carroll.

Teacher orientation set Aug. 13-16 The county school system will welcome new teachers with a four-day orientation Aug. 13-16 at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia. The event is to begin at 8 a.m. with breakfast served by members of the Board of Education, Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and his staff and Ann DeLacy, president of the Howard County Education Association. The orientation, which includes information and workshops on cultural proficiency training, curricula, databases, the workings of the brain and preventing bullying and harassment, is designed to acquaint the new teachers with personnel and support services available to them.

Southwestern High School was completely dark yesterday. That wasn't supposed to happen. Yet. A week before the last day of its existence, graduates of the past, from 1974 through 2007, converged on the school for its "all classes" reunion. They found the power had been out for hours and staff and students had just been sent home. Undeterred, close to 40 alumni and faculty members gathered in the school's foyer, one of the only sunlit spaces in the sprawling, mostly windowless complex on a hill overlooking Mount Olivet Cemetery.

President Bush has nominated a career submarine commander with a reputation for valuing diversity to be the next Naval Academy superintendent. Rear Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, whose appointment must be confirmed by the Senate, would replace Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, who rankled alumni as he sought aggressively to make the school more accepting of women. Rempt is expected to complete his four-year term as superintendent in the coming months. Friends and classmates said Fowler, an avid hunter from North Dakota, would be well-suited to follow Rempt, praising his commitment to diversity in the Navy and his handling of difficult sexual assault problems while leading the Navy's recruiting command in Millington, Tenn.

DURHAM, N.C. --Duke men's lacrosse coach John Danowski sat at a desk recently inside a Cameron Indoor Stadium office flipping through the student newspaper. He pointed to one article, then another about the sexual assault case involving three former players. Then he shrugged. "It's all the time," he said quietly. "You open the school paper and two of the columns are lacrosse-related. Every day there are reminders of an event last spring." It has been almost a year since that event - the alleged sexual assault by three team members at an off-campus party - but the case seems hardly to have receded from Duke's collective consciousness.