Alumni News

Updates and Information about those who have left the fold.

If you're not on the list here and should be, or if you need to correct something that's here and shouldn't be, contact me!

Michael A. Lubarsky, who earned his master's degree in English Literature from the University, has published his first novel, Little Kingdoms, with Authorhouse. In the Winter 2004 Mouse & Nib, editor Lylanne Musselman reports: "Fiction has always been Lubarsky's favorite genre, although he has had his poetry published in Italy and he has had a few nonfiction magazine articles published in Indianapolis. The writers who have influenced him most are: Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope, Philip Roth, and Ian Fleming. Here at the Uinversity of Indianapolis his favorite memories are of the classes he had with Dr. Bill Dynes and Dr. Elizabeth Weber."

Chris Edwards, author of Angel on the Lost Highway, has published his second novel, Running on Shattered Glass, with SterlingHouse Publishers. Chris "is the recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellenc Award for General Column-Writing at the Collegiate Level in 2000. Mr. Edwards has a bachelor's degree in education from Indiana University, and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction for the University of Indianapolis." (publisher's description)

• Tara Johnson is working on her PhD at Ball State University and teaching here at U of I.  In her “spare time,” she’s been busy publishing and presenting.  Her recent work includes:   “Sweet Land Stories: Doctorow’s Revisions of His Novels” (essay review forthcoming in Modern Language Studies). “The Aunts as an Analysis of Feminine Power in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale” (Nebula 1.2).  “Feminine Power in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Cat’s Eye” (Marquette University Women and Creativity Conference March 2005). “American Dreams of Paradise, Progress, and Freedom in Philip Roth’s The Human Stain and American Pastoral” (University of Louisville 20th Century Century Literature and Culture Conference, February 2005). “Reading Blue’s Ledgers to Historicize Molly Riordan in E. L. Doctorow’sWelcome to Hard Times.” (Ball State University Practical Criticism Midwest February 2005).  “Jewish Dreams of American Success in Philip Roth’s I Married a Communist and The Ghost Writer.”  (Jewish American & Holocaust Literature Symposium October 2004)

• Jason Brumback was Teacher of the Year for 2003-04 at Ben Davis Jr. High.  He also won an IPL Golden Apple Award for Technology in Education in 2003.  As an innovator in the use of technology, he directed his class in the production of a DVD of Romeo and Juliet along with a sonnet video diary.  He webstreams his classes through his personal website.

• After two years as a research assistant, Jenni Clarkson is now moving into a position as editorial assistant of a medical journal which is edited at Regenstrief Institute.
• Jon Henson "graduated from U of I in 1993 with a degree in English and history. Upon graduation, I enrolled in an M.A. program in English at the University of Rhode Island and attended one full year before encountering postmodern theory and entering a period of profound uncertainty that led to a hiatus from school. I then worked for about five years in the library of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence while I completed my master's in English/Creative Writing at Rhode Island College. For the past three years, I've been working as a technical writer for the elevator industry's nationwide apprenticeship program, based in Attleboro Falls, MA, where I also serve as the resident language geek. In addition to my work with the elevator industry, I teach Critical Writing for the Professions a couple of nights a week at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, and I occasionally teach a course in the Humanities and Social Science department at the New England Institute of Technology. I always knew the reason I completed my master's was so that I could make my student loan payments! This past September I began work on a doctorate in education through the University of Phoenix, which is completed primarily online but also includes three residencies in Arizona over the course of the program. I also teach sexuality education to junior high students on Sunday mornings at the First Unitarian Church of Providence. Often I find these types of volunteer experiences to be the most rewarding."
• Jeanne Ludlow is a faculty member in Women's Studies at Bowling Green State University. An active scholar, she presented a paper at the National Women's Studies Convention in Milwaukee.
• Kent Mull stopped in to visit Professor Templin, and offered this comment: “I have one criticism of you and of the English Department in general. You should not use soft-cover books in your classes. After twenty years they fall apart and disintegrate, and it is hard to keep reading them.”
• Scott Riggle is women's tennis coach at DePauw University. He is instructor of kinesiology and Director of the Indoor Tennis Center. His team finished first in the region and sixth in the nation in 2003 (Div. 3). He and Jenny have a son, Jack.
• Jenna Silverman currently working in Global Relocation at Eli Lilly and Company.
• John Smith writes that "I graduated in 1996 with a BS in Marketing and Political Science. Soon thereafter, I went to work for the American Lung Association of Indiana and a few years (and several job changes later) I became the President and C.E.O. Overall, the U of I experience gave me a well-rounded education that translates very nicely into a generalist field like mine. As both a fundraiser and professional schmoozer, my English classes really helped prepare me for cocktail party conversations and helped broaden my interests into areas that, while not pertinent to most resumes or jobs strictly speaking, come in very handy in conversations at dinners and on the golf course which is really where business is conducted."