Alumni Spotlights

Alumni Happenings

Fall/Winter 2017

SPOTLIGHT

Left to right: Mike ’07 and Stephani Lawrence ’08 Stachniak, Brad ’08 and Kristin Holz, Robby ’08 and Jill Lyons ’08 Pampel, and Jay ’08 and Erin Dalphini ’08 Strybis in Michigan City, Indiana, on their ninth annual Valpo reunion.

CLASSES OF 2007 AND 2008

Gathering people and making new memories is how one group of alumni stay connected. This year marked the ninth annual gathering for Stephani Lawrence ’08 Stachniak and Mike Stachniak ’07, Mike Holz ’07 and Kristin Holz, Jill Lyons ’08 Pampel and Robby Pampel ’08, Erin Dalphini ’08 Strybis and Jay Strybis ’08, and now, their children.

The trips started with just the Pampels and Stachniaks, who took a cruise to the Caribbean in 2009. Since then, the other two couples have joined in on the fun, and together they’ve been to places such as Branson, Missouri; Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; Folly Beach, South Carolina; and San Antonio, Texas, to name a few. While other Valpo alumni have tagged along throughout the years, the eight-some have always made the annual tradition a priority — a good way to meet and reminisce about their Valpo days since they live in different parts of the country.

Alan DeLaunay ’78 and Chris Kaufman ’98 MLE both graduated from Valparaiso University with bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and are now successful department managers at Beam, Longest, and Neff, one of the most respected civil engineering firms in the Midwest. Alan, the transportation department manager, has more than 37 years of experience and industry knowledge, specializing in urban designs. Chris, head of the water resources department, has 19 years of experience in all facets of water, wastewater, and stormwater engineering.

Phi Sig Alumni, classes ’70–’74, gathered in Flossmoor, Illinois in October 2016. Front Row: Jack Esala ’74; middle row, left to right: Dave Ullman ’71, Randy Hackbarth ’71, Dave Geisler ’74, ’78 J.D., Bob Sarley ’72, and Dave North ’71.

Jack Hagen ’73 was promoted to vice president of the education division at EW

Greg Evans ’85 was named president and CEO of Merchants Financial Group Inc.

Jon Steinbrecher ’83 and Anne Steinbrecher donated $50,000 to the Bahamas Red Cross for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas.

Jessica Pleuss ’03, assistant professor of psychology at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, was one of three faculty members honored with the 2016 Walker Faculty Excellence Award.

Marisa Gervasio ’88 Jenny and Steve Jenny ’88 hosted a Valpo event in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 4 to cheer on the Crusaders during the Horizon League Tournament.

To Heidi Nathan-Barry ’05 and Brian Barry: Sebastian Kai Nathan-Barry, born April 4, 2017. Sebastian joins brother Graham and sister Cordelia.

Kelle Lyn Scott ’04, ’06 M.Ed. was named by President Obama as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

To Kendra Baker ’05 McClure and Casey McClure: Callen Andrew McClure, born March 20, 2017. Callan joins brother Patrick (5) and sister Audrey (3).

Ashley Seale ’06 Grindlay, with the assistance of Allison Clark ’07 and Cassidy Kuhlmann ’05, organized a reunion for alumni of the men’s and women’s swim teams of 2003–2007 and their families.

Meredith Garofalo ’08 moved to Denver in 2017 to be an on-air meteorologist for the national weather network.

Damon McCormick ’11 joins the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Service Team of the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP in their Louisville, Kentucky, office.

Alex M. Petrik ’11 recently joined the Plunkett Cooney law firm’s insurance law practice group.

THANK YOU FOR A SPECTACULAR HOMECOMING

This year’s Homecoming celebration, Valpo Past & Present, exceeded expectations, reuniting the Valpo family and creating lifelong memories. From a football victory to class reunions and building dedications, it was a beautiful weekend full of meaningful events and enjoyable activities. Stay tuned as more details about this special weekend will appear in the next issue of VALPO Magazine.