Class Notes

John Essick completed a 29-year career at Reed College in Portland in May 2022 when he retired as the David W. Brauer Professor of Physics. After earning his PhD in physics from UO, John taught at Occidental College in Los Angeles for four years before joining Reed — fulfilling a promise to his wife that they would return to Oregon. In addition to conducting research with his students, he facilitated opportunities for several of them to study with UO physics faculty. John and his wife, Katie, have three children and a grandson. They live in Portland.

Chloe Spencer is an award winning queer filmmaker, writer, and game developer who holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Film and Television from SCAD Atlanta. She has published work with sites such as Kotaku, GameLuster, and TechRadar, and also written short stories for Ghost Orchids Press, Cloaked Press, and Queer Sci-Fi. She has won a variety of awards for screenwriting— most notably a Finalist Award in the 2020 Los Angeles International Screenplay Competition for her adult animated pilot VFXX, and two simultaneous Semi-Finalist awards for her pilots Fics and Meg and May in the 2021 Unique Voices Screenplay Competition. Her MFA thesis film, Serotonin, most recently won the Best Student Film award at the January 2022 Shiny Sparkle Independent Online Film Festival and will be screened at the Atlanta Horror Festival in October 2022. She is also the author of the upcoming YA sci-fi horror novel, Monstersona, which will release with Tiny Ghost Press in February 2023. 

In her work, Chloe seeks to combine her various passions, and tell stories with poignant themes, vivid worlds, and engaging diverse characters. 

You can follow her on www.chloespenceronline.com. 

DAVID ANTONUCCIO, MA '79, PhD '80 (psychology), retired after 40 years as a clinical psychologist and reconnected with musical partner and UO roommate Michael Pierce, PhD '82 (chemistry), reconstituting their college-era band, now called RainFall, which released the new album Deluge on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Sigma Nu fraternity brothers Mike Kimball (left), BA '63 (general science), and Chris McKenzie, BS '63 (general social science), at the Saturday Farmers Market in Waimea, Hawaii.

Sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi met for a tenth reunion in San Carlos, California, including NINA CORKINS CLINTON, BA ’66 (elementary education); PAT POWERS DICKS, BS ’66, MEd ’67 (elementary education); BARBARA EARL, BS ’66 (elementary education); SHELBY RISSER HOSFORD, BA ’66 (English); GAIL JOHNSON JERN, BS ’66 (general social science); SHARON DENSMORE POPP, BS ’66 (speech); and SUE WETMORE ROSADO, BS ’66 (sociology).

RENATA GERALDO, BA ’20 (journalism), formerly a data reporter at the Sacramento Business Journal, joined the Seattle Times as a business reporter.

DAYLE SPITZER, DEd ’21 (educational leadership), became superintendent of the Oregon City School District.

ANIKA GRAACK, BS ’21 (Clark Honors College, human physiology), a science teacher at Sunrise Mountain High School in Las Vegas, was named one of seven new educators of the year by the Clark County School District.

COOPER TEARE, BS ’21 (general social science), a professional track-and-field athlete, was inducted into the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame at St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California.

ISRAEL ANGELES, MBA ’18 (general business), launched FleetNurse, addressing health care labor shortages by providing a tech-enabled, gig model-based approach to staffing.

MATT DePAOLIS, JD ’21, MS ’21 (biology), joined the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation of Florida as environmental policy director.

HANNAH GARHOFER, BS ’19 (public relations), was crowned Miss Lane County and will mentor youth in the community and advocate for children’s rights.

EMILY DARCHUK, MBA '18 (general business), founder and CEO of Portland-based Wheyward Spirit, a maker of sustainable farm-to-flask spirits produced by repurposing excess whey, was featured by Thrive Global, an American company that provides behavior change technology and media to prevent stress and burnout.

ZARIA PARVEZ, BS ’20 (Clark Honors College, journalism: advertising), global social media manager for Pittsburgh-based Duolingo, an educational technology company, was recognized for a popular social-media account that earned the company the Social Marketer of the Year award from Ad Age.

BEN LONERGAN, BS ’19 (journalism), a multimedia journalist formerly with the East Oregonian, joined the Eugene Register-Guard.

HAILEY DECKER, BA ’17 (psychology), was appointed head coach of the Philippine Blu Girls, the national softball team.

KYLEE O’CONNOR, BS ’18 (journalism), MS ’22 (sports product management), was publicized as a running back, receiver, free safety, and placekicker for the Oregon Ravens, a female tackle football team in Portland.

M. Jackson, PhD '17 (geography), received an inaugural Grizzly of the Last Decade Award from the University of Montana for her work on climate change.

SHUANGTING XIONG, MA ’15 (English), MA ’17 (Asian studies), became an assistant professor of Chinese at Bard College in New York.

DEREK EDWARD SCHLOSS, JD ’14, MBA ’14 (general business), was featured in CoinDesk, a news and information service on cryptocurrency, digital assets, and the future of money, regarding the cryptocurrency art market.