HAIL PURDUE
Roman Jamrogiewicz (AE’74, MS AE’75) and fellow Triangle Fraternity members showed their Boilermaker spirit on a trip to Perrault Lake, Ontario.
AJ Booher (A’95) and his wife, Amy, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a family trip to Italy.
An intrepid group of Boilermakers displayed their Purdue pride on a trip to South Africa’s Victoria Falls.
CLASS NOTES
1960
Larry W. Gross (T’69) was inducted into the Indiana Aviation Hall of Fame. In his 50 years at Purdue, Gross taught classes and flight instruction for both single- and multi-engine planes. He served as director of flight training from 1997 to 2014 and retired as a professor emeritus in 2019. Gross continues to serve as an FAA designated pilot examiner (DPE) and, after 43 years in that role, is the longest-serving DPE in Indiana. He has also been honored with an FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
Susan Croce Kelly (HHS’69), an award-winning author, historian, and newspaper reporter, was named the winner of the 2024 Missouri Literary Award. The author of three books that chronicle the history of Route 66 and the Ozarks, Kelly is celebrated for her significant contributions to the understanding of American history and culture. She is dedicated to preserving the rich stories of the Ozarks and the broader American landscape, with a focus on underrepresented voices and histories.
1970
Doreen A. (Buranich) Simmons (LA’71) was selected for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. She is a partner in the environmental practice at Hancock Estabrook.
Louis Roy (MA LA’73) is celebrating more than 10 years as an independent marketing strategist, content contributor, and trainer for worker safety and health training at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Davie, Florida. His job is funded through a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences that supports NSU’s Institute for Disaster Emergency Preparedness. Roy is a retired military and federal staff contractor with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
1980
Mark Eutsler (MS EDU’84) was elected to the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir board of directors. He has served as director of bands and choirs at Frontier High School and as music department chair and director of bands at McCutcheon High School. As an adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, he taught elective music courses for the DeVoe School of Business. Eutsler, who has served three terms as a Sinfonia Educational Foundation trustee, was named a Phi Mu Alpha Signature Sinfonian in 2006.
2000
“Who doesn’t love a feel-good before-and-after story? Shortly after graduation, I founded TBH Creative as a solopreneur. Today, I’m proud to share that my agency—bigger and better—is celebrating its 20th anniversary. I lead a growing team that’s about 50% Purdue grads, and we help companies across the U.S. create complex websites and award-winning internet marketing campaigns. Boiler up!”
Tatum (Miller) Hindman (T’01, MS T’05)
tatum@tbhcreative.com
Nathan Ramsey (M’03) was appointed by FTI Consulting as a senior managing director in the food, agriculture, and beverage practice within the business-advisory firm’s corporate finance and restructuring segment.
Matthew Schmidt (S’04) was promoted to principal investigator at the North Carolina State University Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS). He joined LAS in 2014 and most recently served as director of programs, overseeing the lab’s technical projects with academic and industry collaborators.
Erik Koning (T’06) joined Hanson Professional Services, a national consulting firm specializing in engineering, architecture, planning, and environmental services. In his role as a technician at the company’s headquarters in Springfield, Illinois, Koning designs and drafts electrical systems for aviation-related projects. A former high school engineering instructor, Koning is also an adjunct professor in computer-aided design for Lincoln Land Community College.
2010
Ashley (Baugues) Hahn (HHS’10), a well-being and safety manager for the automotive manufacturer Stellantis, was recognized as a National Safety Council Rising Star of Safety. The program recognizes safety professionals under 40 who have a proven track record of safety leadership in their organizations.
BOOKS
My wife, Michele, inspired me to write this book. I informed her that I had never written a book before, but she said that the story needs to be told and that I needed to do it—adding that it would inspire the world after everything we all went through during the pandemic. This memoir chronicles our lives from 2006 to 2023 and follows the two of us and our beloved springer spaniels on our global travels, where we meet some pretty famous people along the way.
—Glenn Blekicki (LA’91)
Many of us have been there. Because of life changes—kids grown and gone, divorce, relocation, retirement, death, health issues—we ponder what’s next and try to determine a direction for our lives. We’re often stuck—wanting to do something but not knowing what that something is. How do you figure it out? When I was desperate for a purpose, friends, and a community, I devised a project for myself—a project anyone can undertake. I learned what’s possible when I stepped back, embraced uncertainty, and let go of control.
—Pamela Lamp (LA’81)
My debut novel American Ghoul takes a comedic stab at answering the question, ‘Why would anyone want to team up with a vampire?’ Set in post–Civil War Northwest Indiana, my characters find humor, terror, and more than they bargained for in the Indiana Dunes. This book blends my love of horror and history while showcasing the beauty of this little corner of the state.
—Michelle McGill-Vargas (MS PNW’12)
While researching another project, I came across news items about actor and film producer Josh Binney’s imprisonment in 1924 for movie investment fraud. Digging into his history revealed a man who was not always dodging creditors or lawmen. In the 1940s, he directed seven all-Black movies that preserve the work of many talented but largely forgotten performers. This led The Times of London to call him one of the spiritual forefathers of Spike Lee.
—T. Dennis Reece (LA’73)
suttereece@verizon.net
As a graduate of Purdue, where I officially majored in creative writing and unofficially majored in heavy-metal drumming, I’m thrilled to share my new novel Relic Meyers & the Rhythms of Ruin. Inspired by the band I played for during college, I wrote this book in a single month this past May. In June, I released my third novel—The Withered Roots: Book Two of the Malice of Light. You can read more at bradyjsadler.com.
—Brady J. Sadler (LA’09)
sadler.brady@gmail.com
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