Class Notes

After two decades of success as a Hollywood screenwriter, 1985 graduate Zack Van Eyck has directed his first feature film, “The Hitchhiker Effect,” now available for rent or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, Google TV, YouTube Movies & TV and other streaming services.

The paranormal dramedy, inspired by Zack’s experience as the journalist who broke the “Skinwalker Ranch” story in 1996, was officially selected by 32 film festivals and garnered 19 awards with 10 nominations. Among those awards, Zack was honored with the 2025 Robert Rodriguez Indie Auteur of the Year award at the 26th annual Bare Bones International Film Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

“The Sound of the Game,” another of the 48 feature screenplays Zack has written, won the $2,500 Grand Prize of the 19th annual StoryPros Awards screenplay contest in June 2026.

Zack says his dream is to return to Eugene and shoot a feature film there. For more on his screenwriting career, see his IMDB.

Tracy Wood, BA ’83 (business), has launched KWDB FM 101.1 in Oak Harbor, Washington. The station covers Island County and plays a "classic hits" format. Tracy notes "the radio station fills a serious void in local broadcasting." He adds "I finally get to my UO business degree to good use helping folks here in the Northwest Washington." Expanded signal coverage and HD radio are planned in the upcoming months.

“Among the Stars,” a new original musical, will hold a two-week developmental workshop culminating in a staged reading on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, at Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre, 711 SW 14th Ave., Portland.

Among the Stars follows a group of seekers in a remote desert community as they prepare for a rescue from space. When three outsiders arrive asking questions, certainty begins to crack, skeptics start to believe, and believers discover the terrifying freedom of doubt. Funny, heartfelt, and unexpectedly tender, Among the Stars is a new musical about belonging, faith, and what happens when the thing you were waiting for is not what saves you.

The musical, formerly known as Planet Eden, has roots in a 2011 developmental reading at Broadway Rose Musical Theatre Company in Tigard, Ore., and has been in active development since Douglas and Cobbs joined forces in early 2025.

The staged reading will feature Portland actors Kelsea Ashenbrenner as Lucy, Travis Bilenski as Harvey, Zeb Bodine as Reese, Kat Voboril as Bonnie, Sara Wright as Cricket, Benjamin Ball as The Captain, and Jeremy Buxton as Leon. Barney Stein serves as music director, and Bruce Akpan Hostetler directs.

Among the Stars features book by Joel Cobbs, music by Joel Cobbs and Kurt Crowley, and lyrics by Aaron Kirk Douglas, Joel Cobbs, and Kurt Crowley. The show is based on an original concept by Aaron Kirk Douglas and Kurt Crowley.

Crowley is best known as music director of “Hamilton” on Broadway and for his ongoing collaborations with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Douglas is a member of the Dramatists Guild and a 1983 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication [1983]. Cobbs, also a Dramatists Guild member, is a graduate of the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a 2026 Stanley Drama Award semi-finalist.

Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre is the workshop presenter. Bridgetown is a premier non-profit performing arts school in Portland providing professional "triple-threat" training in acting, dance, and vocal performance. Founded by industry veteran Rick Lewis, the conservatory features rigorous, process-oriented programs led by former Broadway professionals to prepare teens and adults for professional theater careers and top-tier college admissions.

T. Mimi Luong, BS '02 (political science), JD '06, was promoted to Tax Principal with Deloitte Tax LLP. With 18+ years of federal tax experience, Mimi’s primary area of concentrations include Subchapter C advisory services, corporate tax planning inclusive of tax loss planning, corporate reorganizations, dispositions, and tax planning for troubled corporations or investments. Mimi is an avid world traveler and has visited all 7 continents.

Alumna Laura (Goss) Adams, class of 1998, is publishing her first book, “Luke: Notes from the Garden.” This nature-themed devotional debuted on June 21st, so readers can spend their summer exploring the life and teachings of Jesus from a grounded perspective. She taught Composition and Intercultural Studies at New Hope Christian College and Warner Pacific University. Currently, she lives with her husband and two children in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Michael Copperman, who earned an MFA in Fiction from the University of Oregon in 2006, has recently published a new book, Seeking Kenny: A Wrestler’s Journey, which tells the story of University of Oregon wrestler Kenny Cox. We would be grateful if you might consider sharing this news with your alumni community through your newsletter, social media channels, or other appropriate platforms.

Mark Bergeron, BS '95 (biology), MD, MPH, MBA, CPE, FAAP was promoted to System Vice President of the Women and Infants Service Line at CommonSpirit Health, the nation's largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. Dr. Bergeron oversees the operations and strategic growth for maternal and infant care across 73 birthing hospitals nationwide. He resides in Lincoln, NE with his wife Christine and their four daughters and is looking forward to a Duck football win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers this fall.

Emil Wilson, BA ’88 (journalism), an award-winning art director and artist, is delighted to share that his first graphic novel, The Nightingales, will be published by Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster this August. Set in a small Oregon town in 1985 and based on a true story, the book is about a life-changing friendship between a seventeen-year-old girl and the dying stranger who comes to live with her family. 
 

Stephen Maher, AIA, NCARB, BArc ’15 (architecture), was recently promoted to Senior Associate by Los Angeles firm CO Architects. He plays an integral role on several of CO’s large-scale healthcare projects, including UCI Health – Irvine, the country’s first all-electric healthcare complex. Stephen helps keep teams aligned while navigating complex project delivery methods. He joined CO Architects in 2020.

Virginia “Vicky” Ramirez, IIDA, NCIDQ, BIArch ’11 (interior architecture), was recently promoted to Senior Associate by Los Angeles firm CO Architects. She plays a key role in CO’s recent medical and health-sciences education projects, ensuring that design intent and quality are maintained. Vicky's recent projects include buildings for Texas Christian University, UCLA, and the University of Texas. She joined CO Architects in 2019.

In June 16, 2026, Arcadia/The History Press will release CJ Lake's, MS ’11 (special education), book Eugene Pioneers: Voices from the Oregon Frontier. The collection of 60 biographies of pioneers from various backgrounds broadens the view of who lived on the American frontier during the 1800s. It will be available at book stores throughout Eugene, Lane County and Oregon, and on Amazon.

Ron Starker, MS ’80 (counseling) just published his new book Singapore on Track, a travelogue and country analysis of one of the most successful cities on the planet.

In January, I started a new job as senior attorney for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in their Riverside, CA, office. My work focuses on climate change. I am, for example, analyzing the US EPA’s recent repeal of its 2009 endangerment finding, potential enhanced state action against climate change, state grants to environmentally friendly organizations and companies, and the California Climate Cap and Invest program (formerly cap and trade). I graduated as top of my class in 2008.

I am a proud Duck. UO Law changed my life and enabled me to have two dream jobs: first as a law professor and now, hopefully, working against climate change!

At the ripe young age of 90, I have just published my first book.

I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1965 with a PhD in Psychology. After a long career in the field, I’ve now turned to writing.

My book, Wartime Soul Sisters: Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn (available on Amazon), tells the intertwined stories of two remarkable young women. Both spent their formative years in Holland under German occupation—Anne Frank, whose diary gave voice to millions, and Audrey Hepburn, who endured hardship before becoming a beloved actress and humanitarian. The book weaves their childhood experiences into a narrative of resilience, loss, and hope.

Luis E. Cárcamo-Huechante, Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Austin, has published a new book, Acoustic Colonialism: Acts of Mapuche Interference, which examines the role of sound in Chilean and Mapuche cultural production over the last two centuries. It is published by Duke University Press.

Congratulations to Dr. Morgan A. Torris-Hedlund, BA ’06 (art), faculty member at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, who was recently awarded the 9A Proficiency Designator, the highest recognition for professional excellence in the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD).

Conferred only by the Army Surgeon General, the 9A signifies national prominence in military medicine and recognizes those whose scholarship, leadership, and service have advanced knowledge and elevated the AMEDD mission. The award is exceptionally rare; in 2025, Dr. Torris-Hedlund was the only Army Nurse Reservist to receive this distinction.

This honor affirms a career marked by nationally recognized scholarship, operational leadership, and professional excellence in nursing and military medicine.

Robert Raschio, JD '01, has been elected President of the Oregon Circuit Court Judges' Association for 2025-26. 

Jennie Bricker is pleased to announce the December 2025 publication of her debut novel, Thirsty Creek. The novel is a murder mystery and ecological mystery combined, a story about human arrogance, greed, and unintended consequences. Fifty percent of the proceeds from Thirsty Creek support the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, a place-based nonprofit in Wallowa, Oregon.

After many successful years teaching at universities and colleges in China, Turkey, and the U.S., Dan Tannacito, DA, ’70; PhD ’72, has recently turned his attention to writing novels. In 2025, he published Murder at Point Lookout Beach and Jing-Jing: Adventures in China.

Jake Glicker, attorney, Reicker, Pfau, Pyle & McCoy, Santa Barbara, BS ’14, chosen by Pacific Coast Business Times for Who’s Who in Professional Services.