News & Updates from Brookers Around the Globe

1950s

Mike Winship ‘53 attended Lafayette College and then Columbia Theological Seminary following his time at SBS. He was ordained into the Presbyterian Church and had the opportunity to serve four churches, serve in the U.S. Army, and serve as chief probation officer in juvenile and domestic relations court in Anniston, AL, and a deputy sheriff with prisoners in Fairfax, VA. “The best news of all was my marriage to Shirley. She was my angel from God for over 60 years until she passed two weeks after our 60th Anniversary in 2018. I now live less than a mile from our daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchild, and a son about 20 miles away. I have never stopped learning from my Bible. Your former and first headmaster, Frank Gaebelein, taught me the book of Romans and later preached in my church in Burke, VA. My first prayer in a small group was in his living room with the fireplace aglow. He also gave me the permission and call to represent SBS as the first foreign summer exchange student to both Holland and Belgium.”

1960s

Lew Flagg ‘64 had dinner in early June with Dick and Sharon Treichler and Don and Mary Rost, with their son Dave ’86.

1970s

Don Lockerbie ‘75 is currently leading an international team planning a new Formula One Race in Johannesburg, South Africa scheduled for 2024.  Look for him on Netflix! He is also leading the stadium build for the 2024 Cricket World Cup. Construction begins in January.

Kimberley (Acker) De Angelis ‘78 is working at a drug and alcohol treatment center in Lake Worth, FL as a Group Facilitator. “In recovery personally and just celebrated 9 years and looking forward to earning my certified addiction counselor certification in Florida. Haven’t caught up with any alumni from the class of ’78, but would love to.”

1980s

Lisa Wanzer ‘84 authored and edited TRAUMA, TRESSES, & TRUTH: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narratives (Chicago Review Press, 2022). The book came out in November and has already been named a Library Journal Best Social Sciences Book of 2022, an IPG Top-Shelf Title, and an Edelweiss Lead Title. Her book was also a 2023 Black History Month Selection of the Black Women’s Studies Association. The book was dedicated to two people, including Mary L. Simmons, an English teacher Lisa had at The Brook. “I was in her Advanced English and Bible-English classes for two years. One of the exercises she loved to assign us–and that I royally detested–was spontaneous, in-class essay writing. We also wrote a voluminous amount for homework and had to memorize a lot of poetry, Shakespeare, and Bible passages, some of which I still know today, forty years later. She often wrote on my assignments, ‘Yes Lisa, You will be a writer someday!’ I had an opportunity to visit them in Vermont after I graduated from college. Her dedication is published in the book as: “To Mrs. Mary Simmons of SBS, who believed in me first and catalyzed the best in me.”

Richard Cenkus ‘85 celebrated 25 years at Cushman & Wakefield in March. Rick first started as Counsel in 1998 and is currently the President of Valuation & Advisory.

1990s

Gina (Bambola) White ‘90 runs an art ministry at her church, St. Thomas’ Episcopal in FL. She recently completed an installation called Peace Takes Flight, with a theme centered on hope, unity, and peace. The centerpiece of the show was 7,000+ origami doves that the church and school community folded over the course of months. Each person was encouraged to write a prayer or statement of gratitude on their paper before folding. The doves were suspended in the sanctuary following Easter, as a great symbol and celebration of Pentecost.

Steve Picken ‘98 has been attempting to transition into higher education and research within the maritime sector for the last four years. “The transition is a very difficult one to make as it is extremely competitive. But I kept the faith, and the Lord opened a door for me recently. I am now the Research Vessel Captain for Shoals Marine Laboratory in the University of New Hampshire Marine Sciences and Ocean Engineering department. In this role, I work directly for the UNH and Cornell University, aiding in research, education, and outreach programs. I am very thankful to The Stony Brook School for helping establish my faith early in my life, because without it, I may have given up on my dream of working as a captain for Higher Ed.”

Pete Grimm ’99, Anthony Passalacqua ’99, and Chris Atkinson ’00 met up for a Yankees game over the summer.

2000s

Kim Addison ‘08 & Priscilla Addison ‘05 and their company, ‘57 Chocolate, were featured on CBS News Sunday Morning in October. Their company seeks to change the economic chain of the $100 billion global chocolate industry that often begins with farmers and harvesters who are paid barely livable wages for their precious ingredient. Watch their segment here.

Olivia Roach ‘09 works for FABSCRAP which “endeavors to end commercial textile waste and maximize the value of unused fabric.” They are always looking for volunteers! You can reach Olivia at liv@fabscrap.org.

2010s

Rosa Jones ’16 was recently featured on ESPN for her work with the I Am A Golfer Foundation. Watch the segment here.

Chase Audige ’17 signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the NBA’s Washington Wizards in September, becoming the first Bear to sign on with an NBA team.

Kira Brown ‘18 graduated from Howard in 2022. She studied Media, Journalism, and Film with a minor in Business Administration. “I may go for my Master’s in Real Estate in the future, but I don’t think it’s necessary to get the degree because I have mentors in the field.”

Hannah Detwiler ‘18 was interviewed by VOGUE Business in April for her work with LOCKER on outfit ideas for attendees of Taylor Swift’s ERAS TOUR concerts.

Matthew Sparacio ’18 and Josephine Levy ’18 got engaged on June 28, 2023 in Normans Cay, Bahamas.

Pratik Harjani ‘19 graduated from university last summer, the first in his family! He accepted a job offer with Manulife Financial as an Operations Analyst in Global Wealth and Asset Management as part of their New Graduate Leadership Program. “MF is Canada’s biggest insurance company and it’s life changing because I can now start working towards getting my Canadian citizenship!”

Francine Leung ‘19 has accepted a Fulbright Scholarship! “I will be at Loughborough University in England for 3 years, starting this October, to pursue a PhD in Sports Biomechanics. I will investigate the effects of running shoe and surface properties on running performance using forward dynamics musculoskeletal simulation. I first found Loughborough because it was ranked first in the world for sports-related subjects for 6 years (now 7) in a row.

Outside of academics, I’m really excited to join Loughborough’s climbing team and volunteer as a track coach in the local community through the university’s Coach and Volunteer Academy. I would like to thank Mrs. Pavao for recommending me to apply for the Oxbridge Summer Program in 9th grade. I knew I wanted to return to study in England after I spent a month at Oxford in 2016. One of the Fulbright program’s core values is cultural exchange and Stony Brook gave me a great foundation for learning from others with different cultural backgrounds both inside and outside the classroom.”

2020s

Sam Painter ‘20 helped his Oklahoma University Design-Build team win 1st place at the TEXO Foundation Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 5 student competition in February. The teams were given 16 hours to submit a proposal for the adaptive reuse of a vacant retail mall space to a primary care center. The proposal included a conceptual design, cost estimate, design schedule, construction schedule, site logistics plan, and team qualifications. Sam’s role on the team was interior design.

Owen Sobel ’20 scored his first collegiate goal in Franklin & Marshall’s victory over Alvernia this month. Check out the Bears Blog for more info.

Stephen Cisz ’23 walked onto the Cornell University Football team despite not having played football since his youth sports days. He is currently a kicker, but the coaching staff is trying him out at runningback.

Carina Cristobal ’23 is having a strong start to her freshman tennis season with Colgate University, with several doubles tournament victories and singles wins under her belt.

Family

Beth Snyder ’85, Samuel P. Hanchett ’72, and Charlie Hanchett ’97 recently caught up at a mini-Hanchett reunion in Battle Ground, WA. They even found some SBS paraphernalia to adorn the picture!

Tonja Detwiler ’88 reconnected with Claire Cook ’10, Lisa (Cook) Bastian ’05, Megan (Cook) Tillotson ’06, and Grant Tillotson (former faculty) last spring.

Click here to add to the next Alumni Log!

---