The Class of 1959 will be honored at undergraduate commencement on May 29, 2009, in recognition of their 50th reunion.
For more information or if you would like to organize a reunion for your class, please contact Alumni Relations at (203) 392-6500.

Joseph Ciaburri, ’56, recently retired as chairman and chief executive officer of the Bank of Southern Connecticut. Ciaburri’s 60 years in banking includes founding the Bank of Southern Connecticut and the Bank of New Haven.

John L. Carusone, ’57, M.S. ’62, received the Gold Bat Award from West Haven Twilight League Baseball. Carusone also was honored to have the former St. Ann’s Field renamed in his honor.

Charles Hayden, ’60, was posthumously honored by the Boys and Girls Village in Milford, Conn., when the school was rededicated in his name in recognition of the many years he contributed to the well being and success of students.

Judith Freedman, ’61, M.S. ’72, represents the 26th district in the Connecticut State Senate, which includes the towns of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton, Conn. Freedman will retire from public office after 22 years.

Jeanne Terrell Bludé, ’65, and husband, Zivko (Jeff), live in Stratford, Conn., and are sharing their home with their daughter and grandchildren while their son-in-law is on duty in the Persian Gulf.

Valerie (Spencer) Ahrens, ’68, M.S. ’74, lives in Annapolis, Md., after many years of “snowbirding” between Maine and Florida.

Eric Steinmetz, ’70, is a SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) volunteer and counselor. SCORE counselors are mentors, who share their time and career experience.

Patrick Vingo, ’72, has been appointed by Governor M. Jodi Rell to serve as a member of the Council on Developmental Services. Vingo resides in South Norwalk, Conn.

Kenneth Gabelman, ’73, retired from teaching and coaching at Hauppauge High School in Long Island, N.Y. and serves as the assistant men’s basketball coach at Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Pasquale Guido, ’73, M.S. ’76, 6th Yr. ’80, was appointed principal of St. Vincent de Paul School in East Haven, Conn. Guido taught in New Haven Public Schools for 35 years.

Paul Calaluce, ’74, is retiring after 35 years in education. Calaluce began his career as a special education teacher in Rocky Hill and was hired by Cheshire in 1992 as the director of pupil personnel services.

Patricia Costa, M.S. ’74, retired in 2002 after teaching special education for 25 years for Newburgh, N.Y., schools. Costa’s second career as a Reiki Master is based in her home office in Montgomery, N.Y.

Jo Ann McMaster, ’75, is the Democratic Registrar of Voters and Election Administrator in Fairfield, Conn.
Ruth Newquist, M.S. ’75, an art teacher at New Fairfield High School for 25 years, had her paintings exhibited at the Booth Library in Newtown, Conn.

Bruce Wuebber, ’76, has been promoted to environmental specialist for the U.S. Postal Service for the Hudson Valley region. Wuebber also serves as chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the town of North Castle, N.Y.

Karen Fecko, M.S. ’77, was named the 2008-2009 Glastonbury Teacher of the Year. Fecko is the library media specialist at Glastonbury High School in Conn.

Diane Gonclaves, ’77, M.S. ’84, 6th Yr. ’86, is the assistant superintendent for the Regional School District #1, which serves Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Salisbury, and Sharon, Conn.

Vickie Orsini Nardello, M.S. ’77, won reelection in the 89th House District. Nardello has served seven terms in the state of Connecticut House of Representatives.

Maureen Fox, ’78, has joined the Greenwich, Conn., sales team of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
Frank E. (Sid) Maietto, ’79, was promoted to employee involvement coach/facilita-tor manager for the Boeing Company commercial airplanes, manufacturing services core operations in Everett, Wash.

Judith Musco, M.S. ’81, is the newest member of the Mathematics Department at Sacred Heart Academy and was most recently the principal of Sacred Heart School in Bronx, N.Y.

Susan Spear, M.S. ’81, was posthumously memorialized by the Mary T. Murphy Elementary School in Branford, Conn., when the Susan H. Spear Rainbow Memorial Library Media Center was named in her honor. Spear was a third and fourth grade educator, a representative to the Branford Board of Education, and elected to the Branford Educational Hall of Fame in 2005.

Richard Watson, ’81, joined the Mobilization Team at Global Hope Network International, a nonprofit humanitarian aid and community development organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Watson lives in Stamford, Conn.

Thomas P. Gaffey, ’82, Connecticut State Senator, won reelection and is serving his eighth term.

Judith Schaefer Joslin, ’82, coach for Enfield High School, has been named Outstanding Coach of the Year for the 2007-2008 season for boys volleyball by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association.

Richard Grande, ’83, was the mayor of the City of Derby, Conn., from 1985 to 1991 and never lost an election.

Sandra L. Mendyk, ’83, M.S. ’91, retired from a 22-year teaching career at St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby, Conn. Mendyk is currently working as the editor-in-chief of the Valley Times.

Michael Sherril, ’83, has joined Southern’s Center for Career Services to help implement and support the new JOBSs online job searching tool for students and alumni.

John B. Zibluk, ’83, M.S. ’84, received the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association’s top educator honor, the Walter J. Lemke Award. This award is given annually to an educator in recognition of exemplary service to scholastic journalism in the state of Arkansas.

Todd Goodhue, ’85, is a golf pro at Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, Conn., and hosted the 26th Connecticut Senior Open.

Carl Gross, 6th Yr. ’86, is the new director of special education at the Hebron, Andover and Marlborough Regional School District #8, as reported in the Rivereast News Bulletin in New Britain, Conn.

Rodger Foley, ’87, and Geraldine (Cashman) Foley, ’88, M.S. ’96, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in September 2008. The Foleys met at Southern in 1986. They have two children, Megan (11) and Ann (8).

Karen Fontneau, ’87, M.S. ’04, was featured in a Huntington Herald article about mothers returning to college to further their education after their children have grown. Fontneau is a special education teacher for third and fourth graders in Monroe, Conn.

Amy Mangold, ’87, is the director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Newtown, Conn. Mangold is also a life skill coach for the State Department of Mental Retardation, a gymnastic instructor, and a show coordinator for Dance, Etc.

Jill Tallberg, ’87, a 16-year veteran of the teaching profession, has been selected Manchester Public School’s Teacher of the Year. Tallberg is a math and science instructor at Manchester Regional Academy in Conn.

Deborah Best, ’88, having completed her student teaching at the Sound School in New Haven, Conn., is now teaching science at Amity High School.

Thomas Gaisford, 6th Yr. ’88, former Region I assistant superintendent, is retiring and moving to Arizona, as reported in the Lakeville Journal in Falls Village, Conn.

James L. Forbes, ’89, was presented with an award from the South Florida Community Blood Bank in appreciation for community service and for making at least 80 donations of blood and platelets. Forbes lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Jennifer Norcross, ’90, traveled to China as part of a delegation from the town of Stonington, Conn., and visited the cities of Changchun, Xi’an, and Beijing. Norcross attended the annual Fulbright Conference there.

Donald Casey, Jr., M.S. ’91, is a professional educator and head coach of the Stepney Elementary School Wildcats Read Across America Team in Monroe, Conn.

Shari Valencic-Ursel, ’91, has earned her Ed.D. in educational leadership from Argosy University in Sarasota, Fla. Valencic-Ursel is a teacher, private professional development consultant, and teacher-trainer.

Beth Smith, M.S. ’92, 6th Yr. ’95, is the headmaster of Shelton High School. Smith previously was the house principal at Newington High School.

Susan Beth Gherlone Collins, M.S. ’93, an active member of the North Haven Congregational Church, was the featured soloist at their “A Candlelight Coffeehouse Contemporary Christian Music” event.

Bruce Sievers, 6th Yr. ’93, principal of Howell Cheney Technical High School, was named principal of the year by the Connecticut Technical High School System.

Craig Powers, M.S. ’94, 6th Yr. ’97, is the assistant superintendent of schools in Waterford, Conn.

Salvatore Urso, M.S. ’94, has been appointed principal of Emma Willard Elementary School in Berlin, Conn.

Gino Ang, ’95, was featured in New Haven Magazine for his efforts to bring surgical supplies and professionals to the Philippines to aid those needing cleft lip/palate and other surgeries. The article was entitled, “To Silay City, with Love.”

Bonnie Haupt, ’95, is a faculty member at the VA Nursing Academy, a new initiative and partnership between Fairfield University’s School of Nursing and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Theresa Conroy, ’96, was elected as state representative in the 105th District in Conn.

Justin Dion, ’96, M.A. ’97, has been recognized as a “rising star” in the November 2008 issue of Boston Magazine. Dion is an attorney who specializes in business and financial matters with the Bacon Wilson, P.C. law offices in Springfield, Mass. Dion also teaches law classes at Bay Path College and Western New England College School of Law.

Alice Kroll, M.S. ’96, a family and consumer science teacher, has retired from Seymour High School. Kroll is now the owner of Clinic for Women, a counseling service for women.

Janet Baldi, M.L.S. ’97, exhibited her paintings at the Gertrude White Gallery in Greenwich, Conn.

Michael Barile, ’98, M.S. ’00, 6th Yr. ’04, is the new principal of Chester Elementary School in Connecticut.

Jodi Hoss, ’98, is an attorney at the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal in Kansas City, Mo.

Jamie Lindwall-Belile, ’98, is the co-founder of the Dennis Lindwall Foundation, which raises money for pediatric cancer-related causes. Lindwall-Belile is a member of the Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors and is employed by Coldwell Banker.

Thomas R. Scarice, M.S. ’98, has been named assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Weston, Conn. Scarice spent the last three years as principal of Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, Conn., which was nominated in 2007 as a finalist for the Connecticut Association of Schools’ School of the Year.

Julie-Ann (Pescatello) Maheu, ’99, M.S. ’01, is an athletics trainer at The Williams School in New London, Conn.

Kristin Reichelt-Bernier, M.S. ’99, 6th Yr. ’02, a Region 16 Teacher of the Year, has been named assistant principal at Long River Middle School in Prospect, Conn.

Kari Lynch Swanson, M.L.S. ’99, has been appointed the director of Science Libraries and Information Services at the Kline Science Library at Yale University.

Jennifer McBride, ’01, has been appointed as an intern to the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut’s Social Work Internship Program.

Kenneth Craw, 6th Yr. ’02, is the new principal of Weston Middle School in Conn.

Thomas M. Kodz, ’02, has joined Quinnipiac University as an assistant professor and educational coordinator in the physician assistant program.

Shani Pugliese, ’03, has joined the staff of Redding Elementary School in Connecticut as its first full-time autism special education teacher. Previously, Pugliese spent four years in Wilton as a middle school special education assistant.

Julie Brander, M.B.A. ’04, runs the This Close for Cancer Research Institute at the New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y. She received the 2007 Rising Star Award from Business New Haven for her work with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).

Steven Fowler, M.L.S. ’04, is the new children’s librarian in Portland, Conn. Fowler was formerly the children’s librarian at the West Haven Public Library.

Matt LaPrino, ’04, has been named aquatic director at the Woodruff Family YMCA, as reported by the Milford Mirror.

Kristina Lawson, ’04, was appointed the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade program coordinator for ESL (English as a Second Language) and FLEX (Foreign Language in Elementary Schools). Lawson is the assistant principal at Silvermine Elementary School in Norwalk, Conn.

George Moore, ’04, is now covering the Meriden City Hall beat after two years of covering Wallingford news, as reported by the Record-Journal newsroom.

Robyn Brancato, ’05, received her degree in midwifery from Columbia University.

Crystal Heft, M.S. ’05, of Plainville, Conn., was named coordinator for the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington, Conn.

Kevin Kirk, ’05, was featured in a story in the New York City Daily News about his quest to become a United States Navy SEAL. Kirk will participate in the Great Illinois Triathlon to raise money for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation that supports families of Navy SEALs killed in action. Since that article was published, Kirk has become a Navy SEAL.

Karen Heiligman, 6th Yr. ’06, is the fulfillment manager of Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire, Conn. The company is a manufacturer and distributor of promotional products.

Colleen Mrowka, M.S. ’06, is the sole proprietor of Mrowka Physical Therapy in Cheshire, Conn., which she opened in 1993.

Leo Disorbo, ’07, taught his first clay sculpture class during the summer. Disorbo also teaches high school art classes at Westover School in Middlebury, Conn. Jessica Hovan, ’08, a four-year veteran of the Naugatuck Valley Community College nurse aide certification program, currently works as an R.N. at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Ryan Newton, M.A. ’08, was accepted as a volunteer in the competitive WorldTeach program. Having completed a one-month training program in Changsha, China, Newton is teaching English at a secondary school in China’s Hunan Province.

Mark Pires, ’08, has joined the Shelton accounting firm of Dwoken, Hillman, LaMorte and Sterczala as a member of its accounting and auditing department.

Emily K. Sopchak, ’08, graduated from the Milford Police Academy. Sopchak had her badge pinned on by her father, a retired Milford police officer, at a ceremony in December.

Kate Stephenson, M.A. ’08, is the Waterford Country School’s new director of development and community support.

Matthew Swanson, M.S. ’08, winner of the 2005 Fairfield University College of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Work in the Humanities, is an educator at Cheshire High School, as reported in the Cheshire Herald.