HAIL PURDUE
Betsy (Webb) Castro (A’08, LA’08) and Richard Castro welcomed daughter Jazmine in August 2024. Proud grandparents are Ralph B. Webb (LA’20) and Pam (Barrett) Webb (HHS’84). Pictured with Jazmine is her great-grandfather Ralph Webb, who recently retired from Purdue’s Brian Lamb School of Communication after 59 years at the university.
The Special Boilermaker Awards were presented to Anthony Cawdron, Renee Thomas, and Frank Robert Sabol by the Purdue Alumni Association on the field at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Elizabeth (Krenek) Hill (ChE’19) married Bryce Hill (ChE’18) in September 2024.
Elizabeth Dunning (M’83), David “Rob” Akerhielm (M’79), Lynn (Bigler) Akerhielm (AAS T’80), and Mark Nelson (M’81) displayed their Purdue pride in London.
Future Boilermaker Ollie (Class of 2045) enjoyed his first game at Mackey Arena. He is the great-grandson of Joe Kack (M’63).
Sloan Schafer (M’18) and Rebecca (Zatkulak) Schafer (EDU’19) welcomed their first child, Cecilia, in November 2024.
CLASS NOTES
1960
Greg Humnicky (LA’68) was inducted into the 2025 class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and was awarded the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever Silver Medal in recognition of his contributions to Indiana high-school basketball. Additionally, he was inducted into the South Bend Community Hall of Fame by the South Bend Alumni Association.
greg.humnicky@gmail.com
1970
“I’m honored to have maintained my board certification in civil trial for 40 years. I’ve always believed that attorneys who pursue certification set themselves apart by demonstrating dedication, expertise, and a willingness to go above and beyond for their clients. I encourage every attorney to strive for this distinction, as it elevates their practice and strengthens the trust clients place in our legal system.”
Michael Corso (AAE’71)
Doreen (Buranich) Simmons (LA’71) was named a 2024 Upstate New York Super Lawyer. She is the leader of the environmental practice at Hancock Estabrook law firm.
1980
Troy Lewis (LA’88), an Anderson High School graduate, was inducted into the 2025 class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He was one of two players to be named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1984 and won a silver medal at the 1987 World University Games. At Purdue, he helped the Boilermakers to a 96-28 record, including two Big Ten championships and four NCAA Tournament berths.
1990
Lupita Acosta-Roberts (HHS’97) has been supporting students in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue for over 20 years. She greatly enjoys her role and vocation.
Melina Griffin (HHS’97), an Anderson High School graduate, was inducted into the 2025 class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. At Purdue, she helped the Boilermakers to an 89–35 record, two Big Ten regular-season championships, and three NCAA Tournament berths.
Brian Downey (HHS’99) was elected a partner with the Fort Wayne law firm Barrett McNagny. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and administration.
Detra Mills (IUPUI’99) was named a Fulbright specialist. Mills is in the final year of doctoral coursework at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, completing a PhD in global leadership.
2000
Kelly Komara (HHS’02), a Lake Central High School graduate, was inducted into the 2025 class of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. She was Indiana Miss Basketball and Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 1998. At Purdue, she helped the Boilermakers to a 112–22 record, including a national championship in 1999.
Brett Buscher (T’04), a Whiting High School graduate, was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 Silver Anniversary Team based on outstanding accomplishments as a senior 25 years ago. At Purdue, he helped the Boilermakers to a 66–58 record.
John Standeford (EDU’04), a Monrovia High School graduate, was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 Silver Anniversary Team based on outstanding accomplishments as a senior 25 years ago. He also excelled in football, earning all-state honors in the sport and attending Purdue on a football scholarship.
Brandon Almas (PFW’08) was elected a partner with the Fort Wayne law firm Barrett McNagny. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, economic development, and utility law.
2010
Patrick Williams (LA’10) was promoted to executive director of marketing strategy at Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. He leads the company’s agency owner program and assumes additional leadership responsibilities for the organization’s East Street Insurance brand initiatives in Ohio.
George Watson (CE’10) joined the Indianapolis office of Hanson Professional Services. He assists in leading Hanson’s expanding group of Indiana transportation engineers and project managers.
Jeff Martin (LA’11) received a national Milken Educator Award. Along with a financial prize, recipients join the national Milken Educator Network, a growing group of more than 3,000 pioneering professionals. The Milken Educator Awards represent the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program.
Jaclyn Flint (LA’12) was named a partner with the Indianapolis law firm Riley Bennett Egloff. She focuses her practice on intellectual property law and litigation, sports and entertainment law, commercial litigation, and business and corporate law.
Heidi Hoffer (HHS’13) was promoted to associate, business development officer at Interra Credit Union. She is responsible for acquiring new business memberships, offering treasury-management services to create operational efficiencies, and providing tailored business solutions to meet the diverse needs of the community.
Hannah Compton (LA’16) joined the Tampa office of Ogletree Deakins law firm as an associate. Her practice focuses on employment law, including the defense of employment-discrimination and wage cases, conducting workplace investigations and trainings, and drafting employee handbooks and employment agreements.
2020
Taylor (Thomas) Mikel (LA’21) is an associate attorney in the family law, transportation, construction, labor and employment, and litigation practice areas at Whitfield & Eddy Law in Des Moines, Iowa. She received her law degree from Drake University Law School in 2024.
mikel@whitfieldlaw.com
BOOKS
A politically moderate president who presided over eight years of peace and prosperity while maintaining bipartisan support and high approval ratings? In our troubled and intensely partisan times, this sounds too good to be true. It is also what motivated me to write my second book about Dwight Eisenhower. His presidency may have ended decades ago, but it still holds many valuable lessons for our time, including this admonition from his farewell address: “Good judgement seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.”
—Steven Wagner (LA’90, MA’93, PhD LA’99)
My time at Purdue inspired my love of technology and ultimately served as the catalyst for this novel, which I cowrote with my wife of 17 years. It was a labor of love to “hammer down” an unexplored premise: humanoids replacing human football players after collective bargaining agreement negotiations between NFL owners and their players go awry. Having played football at Purdue and later for the Detroit Lions, this book is an amalgamation of my two biggest passions: science and football. Fun fact: One of AI Turf’s most influential characters is a Purdue graduate. Boiler Up!
—Scott Conover (T’91)
I was honored to work with Matthew Nix to write about his family’s legacy business, Nix Industrial, which is based in tiny, quaint Poseyville, Indiana. At age 20, Matthew yearned to grow Nix Welding, even though his grandfather, father, and aunt were content with the way things were—small, status quo, good enough. Forging Ahead reveals how Matthew, now fifth-generation CEO, transformed Nix Welding—originally his great-great-grandfather’s blacksmith shop—into a revered custom manufacturing and industrial-repair powerhouse. Forging Ahead is a vivid business saga from America’s heartland, a family tale, a coming-of-age story, a business handbook, and a letter to future generations.
—Angie Klink (LA’81)
For years, my father and I joked about the absurdity of men and how we want the biggest driver, the fastest bass boat, the most powerful hunting rifle. We joked about how some of us will never admit a mistake and said this would make an interesting compilation of short stories. We coined the name The Macho Man Chronicles. Inspired by the Midwest, Hemingway, and Steinbeck, I self-published volume one last July and intend to publish a new volume each year. The bonus chapter is a true story dedicated to a deceased friend.
—Rob Whaley (T’93)
I have written two books in a series and am currently working on the third. I wanted to create stories for young people who, like me, don’t consider reading their favorite activity. While I loved teaching writing to my elementary students, I never pursued it for myself until now. I hope readers enjoy these books as much as I enjoyed writing them. The first book is titled Unexpected Detour and the second is Unexpected Return.
—Pamela (Whinery) Knowles (EDU’71)
pknowles1217@gmail.com
I recently published my first textbook with Cognella Publishing. As the title suggests, this is a comprehensive but very accessible text for students and instructors looking for a book that introduces refugee resettlement. The book covers the Holocaust, the United Nations, the Vietnam War, the 1980 Refugee Act, current politics and policies in the United States regarding immigrants and refugees, and much more.
—Shyam Sriram (LA’02)
shyamksriram@gmail.com
A politically moderate president who presided over eight years of peace and prosperity while maintaining bipartisan support and high approval ratings? In our troubled and intensely partisan times, this sounds too good to be true. It is also what motivated me to write my second book about Dwight Eisenhower. His presidency may have ended decades ago, but it still holds many valuable lessons for our time, including this admonition from his farewell address: “Good judgement seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.”
—Steven Wagner (LA’90, MA LA’93, PhD LA’99)
My time at Purdue inspired my love of technology and ultimately served as the catalyst for this novel, which I cowrote with my wife of 17 years. It was a labor of love to “hammer down” an unexplored premise: humanoids replacing human football players after collective bargaining agreement negotiations between NFL owners and their players go awry. Having played football at Purdue and later for the Detroit Lions, this book is an amalgamation of my two biggest passions: science and football. Fun fact: One of AI Turf’s most influential characters is a Purdue graduate. Boiler Up!
—Scott Conover (T’91)
I was honored to work with Matthew Nix to write about his family’s legacy business, Nix Industrial, which is based in tiny, quaint Poseyville, Indiana. At age 20, Matthew yearned to grow Nix Welding, even though his grandfather, father, and aunt were content with the way things were—small, status quo, good enough. Forging Ahead reveals how Matthew, now fifth-generation CEO, transformed Nix Welding—originally his great-great-grandfather’s blacksmith shop—into a revered custom manufacturing and industrial-repair powerhouse. Forging Ahead is a vivid business saga from America’s heartland, a family tale, a coming-of-age story, a business handbook, and a letter to future generations.
—Angie Klink (LA’81)
For years, my father and I joked about the absurdity of men and how we want the biggest driver, the fastest bass boat, the most powerful hunting rifle. We joked about how some of us will never admit a mistake and said this would make an interesting compilation of short stories. We coined the name The Macho Man Chronicles. Inspired by the Midwest, Hemingway, and Steinbeck, I self-published volume one last July and intend to publish a new volume each year. The bonus chapter is a true story dedicated to a deceased friend.
—Rob Whaley (T’93)
I have written two books in a series and am currently working on the third. I wanted to create stories for young people who, like me, don’t consider reading their favorite activity. While I loved teaching writing to my elementary students, I never pursued it for myself until now. I hope readers enjoy these books as much as I enjoyed writing them. The first book is titled Unexpected Detour and the second is Unexpected Return.
—Pamela (Whinery) Knowles (EDU’71)
pknowles1217@gmail.com
I recently published my first textbook with Cognella Publishing. As the title suggests, this is a comprehensive but very accessible text for students and instructors looking for a book that introduces refugee resettlement. The book covers the Holocaust, the United Nations, the Vietnam War, the 1980 Refugee Act, current politics and policies in the United States regarding immigrants and refugees, and much more.
—Shyam Sriram (LA’02)
shyamksriram@gmail.com
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