Spring 2023
Do you have news to share?
Maybe you recently got married or had a baby, celebrated a promotion or professional milestone, or had a gathering with some UHart friends. Whatever your news may be, share your UHart pride with your fellow alumni by submitting a class note or tagging us on social media. Select news and posts may be published in a future issue of H magazine. Notes are posted on a quarterly basis in March, June, September, and December and are archived after 2 years.
1959 | Lenzy Wallace, Jr.
The late Lenzy Wallace Jr.'s (Hartt, '59, M'67) name will be added to the Ellington, CT Wall of honor with a formal induction ceremony taking place Sept. 9. More information.
1965 | Marilyn M. Kraj Sanford
Marilyn Kraj Sanford (A&S) was honored by the Military Officers Association of America's Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) for her volunteer work as their media relations liaison.
1966 | Mary Zeigler Beagle
Mary Zeigler Beagle's (HAS) oil paintings are now represented by Jane Hamilton Fine Art in Tucson, Ariz.
1979 | Robert Black
Bass Virtuoso and former faculty member, Robert Black (Hartt), passed away in June 2023. Read his full NYT obituary.
1984 | Cheryl L. Harad Pilchik
After 40 years, Cheryl Pilchik (ENHP) and best friend Sara Granoff ('83, A&S) met in Mystic, Connecticut.
1985 | Edward Anthony Chesky
Edward Anthony Chesky (A&S) retired to Tampa, FL following 24 years of military service as a senior intelligence officer, ten years of law enforcement service and five years of service as an advanced biotech farm designer and operator.
He recently helped establish a multimillion-dollar faith-based refuge center for Ukrainian refugees in northern Vermont.
1985 | Anthony Susi
Five of Anthony Susi's (Hartt) eight newly published music releases in 2023 have earned the JW Pepper Editor's Choice designation. For Jazz Band, an original Motown style chart Go Big or Go Home, and his swing waltz arrangement of Coventry Carol. For Concert Band, his original programmatic piece, The Race and his arrangement of two European rounds for the beginning band "Round and Round." For String Orchestra, his clever contemporary pairing of "Carol of the Bells" and "We Three Kings" in Carol of the Kings.
1985 | Bob D. Gifford
Bob Gifford (CETA) decided to change his journey from all high technology to areas that help mankind. Gifford is now creating medical devices that combine the power of electrical and mechanical technology into life-saving products. As a prior member of the CETA Board of Visitors, Gifford has a special fondness of the University of Hartford and its commitment to continuous improvement and learning.
1985 | Michelle Guillet Helmin
Michelle (Guillet) Helmin (Barney, MBA '94) earned her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education Leadership from Johnson & Wales University. Michelle is the senior director of advancement communications and stewardship at Bryant University. Michelle and her husband, Dave '84, reside in Woodstock, Connecticut.
1989 | Ethan David Bickel
Ethan David Bickel had ten photos from their series, Open Water selected for this year's Pacific Northwest Drawers at Blue Sky Gallery: Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts. Work on this series began in the summer of 2021 as an attempt to capture what it feels like to swim open water in Lake Washington. The photos were taken with a small action camera with a waterproof case while swimming. The Drawers is a year-long exhibition that changes every April to coincide with Portland Photo Month and is seen by approximately 25,000 visitors annually.
1990 | Dave Christensen
Dave Christensen (CETA) joined the law firm of McCarter & English as a partner in their Hartford office.
1990 | David Sitver
Davis Sitver (Barney) was promoted to senior vice president of Enterprise Data Operations at Cedar Gate Technologies, a value-based healthcare company based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
1994 | Jaimee Roberts
Jaimee Roberts (Barney) joined Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, Connecticut as senior associate director, leading the strategy and execution of the U.S. region’s internal communications and employee engagement.
1995 | Cherry Duke
Cherry Duke (Hartt) recently commissioned, produced, and directed the world premiere of an opera for children entitled The Fox and the Cookie, by Maria Thompson Corley. Duke is the director of opera at the University of Texas at El Paso.
1999 | Stacy Simon Schechter
Stacy Simon Schechter (A&S) is now a case manager for a nonprofit organization in Hypoluxo, Florida.
2003 | Danielle Freni Beaton
Danielle (A&S) and her husband, Josh, co-founded a nonprofit organization that helps tweens and teens recapture their confidence and self-esteem through portrait photography. The Tween Esteem Project is currently operational in Chicago with plans to expand nationally. Danielle is also the senior director of organizational communication at the YMCA’s national office in Chicago.
2016 | Caitlin Izzo
Caitlin Izzo (Hillyer, A&S) has joined Fletcher Tilton as a commercial finance and real estate attorney in the firm’s Worcester office. She is a member of the firm’s Transactional Group, concentrating on commercial and residential real estate matters. She represents buyers, sellers, and lenders in the acquisition and disposition of real estate.
2019 | Max Kile
Max Kile (Hartt) is Tony/German Landlord Understudy in the World Premiere of An American Tail the Musical, a Children’s Theatre Company commissioned production in association with Universal Theatrical Group.
2016 | Wolfe Lanier
Hartt School Alum Wolfe Lanier and Reid Williams are in the production process for their independent film entitled, Goldfish.
Goldfish speaks to the inadvertent impact of social isolation and performative identity that can lead to addiction, dishonesty, and a loss of self. The film boldly addresses universal struggles faced by LGBTQ+ people who are captured by the illusions of life they see in media.