Johns Hopkins Magazine
Johns Hopkins Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Search Get In Touch
   
N O V E M B E R    2 0 0 7
Alumni News
For more alumni info
visit alumni.jhu.edu

Follow this link to
November's Alumni Notes

Send email to
alumni@jhu.edu

Trent Johnson, Peab '89, '91 (GPD): A (Christmas) Spectacular Opportunity
Gretchen Cook-Anderson, SAIS: '94 Water, Baby
Shelf Life
John Kelly, A&S '69: The Good Books
Winjie Tang Miao, Engr '98: Young and In Charge
In the News...
A Lifetime of Service Starts Here
2007-2008 Johns Hopkins University Alumni Council


Trent Johnson, Peab '89, '91 (GPD): A (Christmas) Spectacular Opportunity

First things first: Yes, Trent Johnson has met the Rockettes. They're friendly, and in many ways they carry the show, the Peabody graduate says. "They seem to be very nice. They work as hard as anybody." Johnson's happy to talk about his brief backstage brushes with the famous dancers. But frankly, he would rather tell you about Radio City Music Hall's storied Mighty Wurlitzer organ and about the thrill of playing it several times a week during the holiday season for the Christmas Spectacular. What else would you expect from an organist/composer/pianist/conductor?

Trent Johnson says that playing Radio City Music Hall's Mighty Wurlitzer is a mighty responsibility: You have to use the instrument to "its full capabilities."

A musical multi-tasker, Johnson serves as music director and organist of the First United Methodist Church in Westfield, New Jersey, where he plays for services and leads several choirs. He is music director of the Oratorio Singers and Orchestra of Westfield. And he composes chamber and orchestral music-right now he's working on a viola concerto and a set of art songs.

So he keeps busy. Still, when a friend phoned Johnson in summer 2006 and told him Radio City was holding auditions for its Christmas show, he jumped at the opportunity. Johnson arranged for some practice time on Radio City's showpiece Wurlitzer, the largest theater organ ever built by that company and the only one of its kind still in use. It's a hulking four-keyboard instrument with dual identical, but independent consoles at which two organists can play at the same time.

Johnson auditioned for the job, was hired, and began rehearsals in October. Playing such an impressive organ was a bit daunting at first, Johnson says. "It's quite a responsibility — we have the task of using the Mighty Wurlitzer to its full capabilities."

From November through the holidays, Johnson played 11 shows a week. Throwing such a demanding schedule into his already busy mix was a challenge, but it was worth it. The show "truly is a spectacular," says Johnson, who is scheduled to perform this year's 75th anniversary show. "It spreads the Christmas spirit, from start to finish. I think that everyone who sees the show feels joy."

Another thrilling first on the Mighty Wurlitzer came when Johnson played the theme music for the television game show Jeopardy. The fall he auditioned for his first Spectacular, Jeopardy was being taped at Radio City, and Johnson was asked to perform the "think" music played as contestants mull over their answers for Final Jeopardy. "It was one of the coolest gigs I've ever had,"

Johnson says. "At the end, they told me to look into the camera, smile, and wave." Johnson says he came to music relatively late, taking his first piano lesson at age 13. "I took to it pretty seriously, and I began to make rapid progress," he remembers. "By the time I was 15, I knew I wanted to make music my career." In fact, Johnson took three years off after high school to concentrate on music, studying with a private teacher and practicing constantly. Johnson, who was then living in Clinton, Maryland, knew he wanted to study music at a major conservatory, and Peabody was a perfect fit — excellent reputation, and close to home so he could continue working part-time playing organ for a church and a synagogue. He began as a piano major, with an eye toward becoming a concert pianist. But after a year, he switched to the organ; he took to the instrument easily and figured his chances at building a career were better. Johnson graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1989, then earned a graduate performance diploma in organ from Peabody and an advanced certificate from the Juilliard School in 1991.

He says he realizes his rich experiences at Peabody helped put him on the path to a fulfilling life in music. "I received an excellent education, and I had great interactions with the student body. My experience with the faculty was excellent, too — from my music classes to my engineering classes."
—Kristen A. Graham


Gretchen Cook-Anderson, SAIS: '94 Water, Baby

Inspiration struck Gretchen Cook-Anderson at lunch. An expert in media relations, she was in a deli while visiting California to manage media for a NASA satellite launch when she spotted a group of pregnant women in conversation. These women, she noticed, shared a penchant for drinking bottled water. She recalled downing 14 bottles of water a day herself while carrying twins in 2001 — an attempt to compensate for dehydration, which had sent her to the hospital six times.

"What if there were a brand of water designed for pregnant mothers?" she wondered. A Web search indicated that no such drink existed. Thus, an entrepreneur was born.

Today, Anderson has brought her idea to fruition with Saphia Lifestyle Beverages, products she describes as "nutrients plus hydration all at once in a great tasting beverage." Cook-Anderson andher neonatologist partner, Angela Patterson, designed Saphia over the course of two painstaking years. There were consultations with physicians and lactation experts, taste tests, beverage chemistry, and marketing. Saphia Water — available in Lovingly Lemon, Pacifyingly Peach, and Bliss Berry — is now on shelves in Babies R Us and Motherhood Maternity stores, with plans to expand.

Her aspirations don't end with business success. "Because I graduated from SAIS, I have a huge passion for anything international," says Cook-Anderson, who earned her master's in international economics. There are "a lot of women out there who are expectant moms who do not have access to clean water." She hopes she can work with humanitarian aid organizations to provide her nutrient-enriched beverage to women across the globe. For now though, that goal lies in the future. Breaking into an industry as competitive as bottled water is, alone, enough to make anyone work up a sweat.
—Simon Waxman, A&S '07


Shelf Life

Barnstormers, Game 2: Three Kids, a Letter, and Lots of Horsing Around, by Loren Long and Phil Bildner, A&S '90, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2007)
The age range here is 7-10, and the baseball idiom is 1899 — strikers, cranks, and ant-crushers. Barnstorming youngsters wield magical powers that in this cynical age could be evocative of steroids. Judging by the first slim, artfully illustrated volumes ($11 each), the nine-book series will drive many a spheroid out of the garden before the last huzzah.


The Moon, by Michael Carlowicz, A&S '94 (MA), Abrams (2007)
At about six inches square and 240 pages, 185 of them with arresting photographs, this is a coffee-table album for a demitasse apartment. The spare text amazingly seems to exhaust most of what is popularly known about the orb that has launched a thousand songs.


How to Protect Your Children on the Internet, by Gregory S. Smith, Bus '94 (MA), Praeger (2007)
The perils of parenting in the computer age come down to this: Your prepubescent offspring probably know more about how to find pornography on the Web than you do about preventing access. Smith dedicates 169 pages to redressing that imbalance, and to fending off predators at the firewall. His defense: good counsel and eternal vigilance.
—Lew Diuguid, SAIS '63



John Kelly, A&S '69: The Good Books

Lacrosse goalies are, well, different. Special intensity and dedication are required to put yourself between a goal net and a small, hard rubber ball fired at nearly 100 miles an hour.

John Kelly amply displayed those qualities as goalie on Johns Hopkins' 1969 national championship team. He continued exhibiting what he cheerfully calls his "obsessive-compulsive nature" not only in his highly successful pediatric dental practice in State College, Pennsylvania, but in an extraordinary variety of extracurricular activities — competitively racing a 1961 Porsche; assembling $150,000 in rare ice hockey memorabilia; and compiling what may be one of the country's finest private collections of historic, museum-quality Bibles.

Dentist/collector John Kelly may sell his museum-quality bibles, using the proceeds to support his philanthropic pursuits in the Dominican Republic.

Since 1995, however, Kelly's obsession has been providing dental and medical care for destitute children in the Dominican Republic. Proceeds from the sale of his Porsches and hockey treasures already have funded that mission. The Bible collection eventually may go the same way. Filling floor-to-ceiling bookcases in a third-floor study of his home in Boalsburg, a State College suburb, the collection encompasses everything from 13th-century Torah fragments to a 15th-century handwritten masterpiece illuminated by Italian monks; a 16th-century Archbishop of Canterbury's Bible; a copy of the first English-language Bible, printed in 1536 (and once owned by Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science); and a pocket Testament carried by a soldier in the 17th-century English Civil War.

Kelly says his commitment to transform the dividends of his success into care for the less fortunate reflects the principles of his late father, Frank; lessons at Baltimore's Loyola High School; and what he learned from a legendary Hopkins lacrosse coach, Bob Scott.

"Bob Scott was unique in pushing you to the highest level of athletics, while at the same time, on a daily basis, emphasizing the importance of integrity and character and social responsibility, and paying back for all the gifts you've been given. I hold Scotty right up there with my father as an influence on my life," Kelly says.

In building a dental practice that serves more than 20,000 regular patients from all over Pennsylvania, he insisted on treating as many indigent families as possible. His practice nevertheless prospered, and he enjoyed engaging in what he now calls "conspicuous consumption." He raced the antique Porsche, owned a newer model for driving about town, and began buying historic hockey memorabilia around 1988, when his sons Sean and Brian started playing the sport.

In 1995, he experienced "a life-changing event" when he participated in a building mission in the Dominican Republic organized by his Baptist church. Stunned by the country's poverty, he returned home, sold his Porsches, and gave all the money to the church's mission work. "It hit me," he says. "These people don't have food to eat, and you're spending 25 grand a year to race sports cars on the weekend? Are you out of your mind?"

Occasionally accompanied by his wife, Carol, Kelly has made multiple trips to the Dominican Republic over the past 11 years — traveling from village to village, treating youngsters under extremely primitive conditions, and performing an estimated 40,000 extractions. In 1998, he sold off the hockey collection, including the only jersey of "hockey's Babe Ruth" Howie Morenz (1902-1937) not in the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, and Bobby Hull's blood-stained jersey from the Chicago Black Hawks' 1961 Stanley Cup championship game.

Now Kelly is developing a $90,000 dental clinic in the Dominican capital. It will have three suites to provide comprehensive care. He hopes it will be the first of a "franchise." "I'll have the Kentucky Fried Fillings of the Dominican Republic," he laughs.

Although he anticipates selling his Bible collection (and hopes it will be maintained intact), he says there is one item he may have to keep: a rare 1790 Catholic Bible once owned by George Washington's dentist.
—-Neil A. Grauer, A&S '69


Winjie Tang Miao, Engr '98: Young and In Charge

Winjie Tang Miao is a little tired of talking about her age. "Now everyone knows how old I am," she says. "I can't lie about my age anymore." Miao is the newly installed president of Harris Methodist Northwest Hospital (HMNW) in Azle, Texas, a western suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth. At 29, she's one of the youngest hospital directors in the country.

For years, Miao has been proving that gray hair is not a prerequisite for a position of serious responsibility. When she was 23, her background in engineering and health administration (she earned a bachelor's in the former at Johns Hopkins and a master's in the latter from the University of North Carolina) made her the choice candidate to oversee a $207 million, 500,000-square-foot expansion at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. There, she also was involved in developing a breast cancer center and served as administrative director of oncology services.

After several years navigating the sometimes perilous and often rewarding channels of a major city hospital, Miao took the helm at HMNW in September. Though HMNW is a much smaller, 36-bed facility, Miao's enthusiasm is only growing: "I'm one of those lucky people who really has a career in something they're passionate about."

In her new job, she will be challenged to keep up with a growing community that, like much of the nation, includes uninsured and underinsured residents. Given her record of accomplishment, there seems little doubt she is prepared to meet their needs.

"From a hospital administration standpoint, I think we can be patient advocates and serve as educators for government officials," she says.

Despite all her achievements, Miao, who keeps in touch with her alma mater by interviewing applicants, may still be known primarily for her wunderkind status for some time. But she doesn't fuss over it. "All it takes is interviewing one potentialHopkins student to see how young I am not," she says with a chuckle.
—SW


In the News...

Andrew Cappuccino, Engr '84, an orthopedic surgeon and spine specialist in Buffalo, New York, helped perform an emergency spinal decompression surgery on Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett after the player suffered a near-fatal helmet-to-helmet collision during the team's season opener loss to the Broncos.

Cornelius (Neil) M. Kerwin, A&S '78 (PhD), was elected by unanimous vote to become American University's 14th permanent president. Prior to his September 1 appointment, Kerwin served as acting and then interim president since August 2005, provost from 1997 to 2005, and dean of the School of Public Affairs from 1988 to 1997.

Stephen Yates, SAIS '96, has joined Rudy Giuliani's campaign as Asia adviser. Yates is a senior fellow in Asia Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council and president of D.C. Asia Advisory, a Washington, D.C., based businessconsultancy. He served in the White House as deputy assistant to the vice president for national security affairs from April 2001 to September 2005.

Tracie Luck, Peab '97, and Timothy Mix, Peab '01, made their New York City Opera debut in Margaret Garner, a new American opera composed by Richard Danielpour with a libretto by Toni Morrison. Based on Morrison's novel Beloved, the opera tells the story of a fugitive slave who murders her own children rather than see them return to slavery. Luck, in the title role, was hailed by Associated Press writer Martin Steinberg as a star who "rose to the occasion with a heartfelt depiction."


A Lifetime of Service Starts Here

Whether funding a literary magazine, a tae kwon do team, or a program that exposes Baltimore City youth to art, the Alumni Association has since 1993 invested directly in Johns Hopkins student projects through its Student Services Grant (SSG) and Community Service Grant (CSG) programs.

Grant applications come from students in all university divisions. A committee for each program selects the most worthy projects and assigns alumni liaisons who offer guidance and support. The SSG program funds activities that enhance the student experience culturally, educationally, and professionally, while the CSG program supports volunteer activities aimed at fostering positive relationships between the university and communities local and abroad.

David Yaffe, A&S '74, CSG chair, says the group looks for projects that can "truly benefit the community being served" and put students' skills to best use.

"We try to enhance student life," adds SSG committee chair Janice Webber, Peab '70. "We want [students] to become involved with Johns Hopkins and stay involved, and we feel these grants and the projects they support can make a real difference."
—Greg Rienzi

Putting health care on the table, locally and internationally
The Johns Hopkins chapter of the Physicians for Human Rights used its Student Services Grant this spring to help pay for an international health conference that featured a distinguished list of speakers, including Peter Beilenson, SPH '90, longtime health commissioner of Baltimore City and current health officer for Howard County; and Linda Heisner, deputy director of Advocates for Children and Youth. Topics included disaster preparedness, health care disparities, torture, and juvenile justice.

Vivek Kalia, a second-year medical student and co-president of the chapter, says the group wanted to offer an in-depth assessment of local and regional health issues. "It's mostly public awareness, to educate the community about the problems we face right here in Maryland," he says. "We want to empower future health professionals."

Designs on young minds
If you want to attract kids to engineering, says Sarah Webster, show them how much fun building things can be. With that simple premise, Webster, a faculty adviser, and three Whiting School students created the CSG-funded Ready Set Design! aimed at exposing girls ages 10 to 13 to the field of engineering. The program, founded in spring 2005, invites middle school students to attend one of four half-day sessions offered each semester.

During the program, the girls design and build projects that relate to a theme — and they get pretty creative, with ideas like a portable egg carrier bike attachment (for eco-friendly grocery shopping) or a recycling sorter.

"It's been shown that it's in middle school that girls fall off on math and science," Webster says. "We are trying to reach out through this program. It's all girls, non-competitive, and we do projects they can relate to."

Photo by Will Kirk Stew's on
The editors of the Bloomberg School of Public Health's literary and arts magazine, The Stew, have a simple acceptance formula. "If it's well written, it goes in," says Bamini Jayabalasingham, a magazine editor and a molecular microbiology and immunology doctoral student. The biannual magazine, formerly called The Biased Observer, provides a venue for students, staff, and faculty to express their creativity with short fiction, journal entries, opinion pieces, poetry, art, and photography. In other words, it's a stew.

"It reflects the diversity of the student body in its international content," says Jayabalasingham.

The Stew's editorial staff used Student Services Grants for two years to help cover printing costs. Copies go fast, so as the editors like to say, get The Stew while it's hot.

Down in Ecuador
In a small rural village in Ecuador, members of the Johns Hopkins chapter of Engineers Without Borders are using their Community Service Grant to help construct a much-needed community center and day-care facility. The village, Santa Rosa de Ayora, has plenty of masons but lacks the funds and expertise to build a suitable structure, says Linda Wan, former project leader and a junior civil engineering major. "Earthquakes are a major concern in this area," she says. "Most of the time following an earthquake the houses are destroyed and they have to rebuild."

Wan and others assessed the environment during a 2007 intersession trip and plan to return next intersession for the first of two implementation phases. Ultimately, CSG money will be used to buy toys, books, cleaning supplies, and other items for the day-care facility.

Photo by Will Kirk A bigger, better bash
In January 2006, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA) used a Student Services Grant to throw a Chinese New Year's bash. The sellout event, held at Shriver Hall, was so successful that this year they moved the party to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Roughly 2,000 Chinese students and scholars from 20 regional institutions enjoyed traditional and modern music and dance, including Chinese kung fu and Peking Opera. "An event like this not only benefits the Chinese community; it's part of the bigger effort of diversity at Johns Hopkins," says Jun Wang, co-organizer and a doctoral student in chemistry. "[Hopkins] attracts people from many backgrounds and cultures, and this sort of activity shows support for that."


2007-2008 Johns Hopkins University Alumni Council

The Alumni Council is the governing body of the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Its mission is to provide feedback to the university and strengthen the quality and quantity of alumni connections to Johns Hopkins. The Alumni Council serves to unify all Johns Hopkins alumni and foster a university-wide perspective among them. The council strives to provide professional and personal networking opportunities for alumni and students, prepare current students for their roles as Johns Hopkins alumni, and support lifelong learning through various activities such as the Alumni College and the alumni travel program.

The Alumni Council is open to all Johns Hopkins alumni, and nominations are accepted each year in January.

James A. Miller Jr., A&S '64, President
Geraldine Peterson, Nurs '64, First Vice President
Raymond Snow, A&S '70, Second Vice President
Terri Lynn McBride, SAIS '01, Second Vice President
Arno Drucker, Peab '70, Secretary
Lawrence Kenney, Engr '78, Treasurer

Ron Abrams, SAIS '91
Rizwan Ahmed, Bus '00, '02
Anna Alt-White, Nurs '67, '70
R. David Anderson, Med '90
James Armstrong IV, Engr '94
Deborah Baker, Nurs '92, '97
Susan Ballard, Bol '82, SAIS '83
Michelle Barrella, Nurs '97
Evan Bauman, Engr '82
Eric Biel, Bol '80, A&S '81
Ingrid Bortner, Nurs '60, Bus '66, '76
Christopher Brown, Engr '97
Timothy Butler, Bus '00, '02
Robert Buxbaum, Engr '51, '53
Peter Byeff, Med '74
David Byer, A&S '72
Carol Cannon, Peab '67
Brian Carcaterra, A&S '00
Chi-Chao Chan, A&S '72, Med '75
David Clapp, Ed '96
James Condon, Engr '78
Kristin Cummings, SPH '99, Med '00
Peter Davos, A&S '00
Jerry Dawson, Bus '01, '04
Effie Dolan, Bus '00, '02
A. Brian Doud, A&S '86
Robert Duncan, A&S '71
Clarence Edwards, Ed '96
Richard E. Edwards, Engr '53, '56
Felice Ekelman, A&S '82
Karen Estrin, A&S '90
Ira Fader Jr., A&S '52
Jeffrey Fadrowski, SPH '04
Warren Fink, A&S '78
Scott Fitzgerald, A&S '89
Wesley Fredericks Jr., A&S '70
Mary Garza, SPH '02
Patricia Gatling, A&S '79
Sanford Gips, Med '89
Kenneth Giuffre, Med '87
A. Mark Glickstein, Med '70
Peter Godston, A&S '83
Serena Gondek, Engr '99
Linda Goodwin, Peab '76, '89, '97
Jerome Granato, Med '79
Paul Harper, Engr '66
Kathleen Hayden, SPH '03
Carl Heath Jr., Engr '52
Ross Heisman, A&S '79
F. Stuart Hodgson, Engr '67
William Howard, A&S '59
Richard Howell, Engr '55, '60
Joseph Ilvento, A&S '76, Med '79
Jesse Jacoby, Bus '02
William Jarrett II, Med '58
George Jenkins Jr., Engr '43, '47
Suzanne F. Jenniches, Engr '79
Bernard Keenan, Nurs '86, '93
Leslie Kemp, Nur '95, '03
William Kerr Jr., Med '60
Eunice King, Nurs '68
William Klarner, Ed '67
Andrew Klein, Med '79, Bus '99, '02
Kate Knott, Nurs '02
Barry Kosofsky, A&S '78, Med '82, '85
Maya Kulycky, A&S '96
Toan Le, SPH '98
Cecilia Lenk, Engr '76
Jay Lenrow, A&S '73, SAIS '73
Carl Liggio Jr., Engr '96, '00, '01
Julie Mallinger, A&S '01
Mark Margolin, A&S '85
Maria Maroulis, Engr '96, '01
Paul Matlin, Peab '70, '72, Bus '81, Engr '81, '84
Nikolas Matthes, SPH '98
Audrey McCallum, Peab '60, '67
James McDonough III, Engr '59
Joseph McGowan, Ed '04
Anne McKenzie-Brown, Med '87
Bryan McMillan, Bus '00, '02
Lisa McMurtrie, A&S '95, Ed '99
Michelle Merlin, A&S '76, SAIS '78
Lewis Miller, Engr '57, '61
Linda Mistler, Bus '83
Shashi Murthy, Engr '99
G. Paul Neitzel, A&S '74, Engr '79
James Nelson, A&S '75
Judy O'Brien, A&S '95
Steven O'Day, Med '88
Danielle Ompad, SPH '98, '02
Herbert Paine, SAIS '70
Kathleen Patek, Bus '02, '04
James Phelps, A&S '72
Daniel S. Pratt, Med '89
Valerie Ratts, Med '87
John Rodowski, Engr '53
Cynthia Rogers, Bus '05
Michael Rossi, A&S '01
Vivian Rudow, Peab '57, '60, '79
Patrick Russell, A&S '89
James Schaefer, A&S '92
Catherine Schenck-Yglesias, SPH '95
Martha Schlenger, Nurs '93, '97
Mary Shaub, SPH '89
Dan Singer, SPH '02
Dana Sleicher, SPH '98
Andrew Solberg, SPH '77
George Soterakis, A&S '00
Arnold Spevack, A&S '71
Elam Sprenkle, Peab '70, '71, '79
John Steers, Engr '56
Joseph Striedl, Bus '03
George Sykes, Engr '91
Sylvia Sze, A&S '75
Terry Taylor, Med '60
Hasan Teoman, Bol '80
Tain Tompkins, SAIS '68, A&S '70
Daniel Touchette, Engr '06
Timothy Train, A&S '99
Janis Tuerk, A&S '62, Med '65
Edward Tuvin, Bus '93, '00
Linda Davies Versic, Nurs '65
Hilary Vrooman, Peab '90
Martin Weltz, SPH '02, '03
LeRoy Wilbur, A&S '53
Warren Wilhide Sr., Engr '58
Bertram Winchester Jr., Engr '52
Lawrence Wolfe, A&S '82, Engr '83
David Yaffe, A&S '74
Carol Yoder, Nurs '73
Ana Zampino, A&S '01
Caren Zelicof, A&S '86
Eugene Zeltmann, A&S '64, '67
Herbert Zinder, Nurs'71
Michael Zinner, Engr '67
William Zitzmann, A&S '75

Return to November 2007 Table of Contents

  The Johns Hopkins Magazine | 901 S. Bond St. | Suite 540 | Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone 443-287-9900 | Fax 443-287-9898 | E-mail jhmagazine@jhu.edu