Class News: October 2024

Welcome to the October 2024 edition of Class News, our snapshot of personal achievements and professional journeys in your alumni community.

Each month we’ll share a collection of the most recent submissions, so don’t forget to keep us up to date on your latest news.

Gatherings & Milestones

Ginny Guerrant ’73 and her husband, Jeff, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Members of the X-Club fraternity from the classes of 1978 to 1983 gathered in Pinehurst, North Carolina, for a golf outing. The group included Paul Schmitt ’78, Tom Mazzei ’79, Jess Johnson ’83, Randy Carson ’80, Rick White ’80, Jon Sahn ’81, and Pete Samaha ’82.

Bill Wood ’86 joined Sally Lairson ’79 and emeritus political science professor Tom Lairson as they hosted a reunion at their mountain home in Brevard, North Carolina. Attendees included retired Rollins professors Tom Cook, Charlie Edmondson, Laura Greyson, and Gary Williams. During the gathering, they reminisced about the Rollins departments of politics, history, and philosophy from the 1980s.

Monica Pettit ’12 was recently engaged to her fiancé, Mark Fruzia.

Wendy Schafer ’13 ’14MBA and John Schafer ’13 welcomed the newest addition to the Schafer family this summer—a baby girl named Elizabeth Anne Schafer, nicknamed Libby Anne.

Onward & Upward

C. M. Rip Cunningham ’67 released his book, Where the Acorn Falls, which discusses his experience growing up in a small suburban town in the 1950s and 1960s.

Leza Harrison ’73, who learned to ski at Rollins, won first place in the Women’s 8 slalom, trick, and overall categories at the 2024 U.S. National Water Ski Championships. She also secured the overall title at the Senior World Championships in Spain.

Christyne Morrell ’02 published her third children’s book, The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond, a ghost story for kids ages 10 and up.

Brian Hernandez ’06 marks the first anniversary of his role as founder and chief storyteller at Phalanx Outreach Solutions, a creative marketing agency in Texas. He is also the co-founder and managing partner at Radar Hill Media, where he leads content development. Previously, Hernandez served as chief storytelling officer at Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, earning over 25 communications awards.

Path of the Panther won Outstanding Nature Documentary at the 2024 News and Documentary Awards Emmy Awards. Tori Linder ’14, co-founder and managing director of the Path of the Panther project, was a producer on the National Geographic documentary, while Ashley Siana ’14 served as an assistant editor and associate producer on the film. The project contributed to the passing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act and has helped secure over $2 billion in state funding for land protection.

Honor Roll

Courtney Reynolds ’03 was recently elected vice president of the board of directors for the Association for Commuter Transportation. She will begin her term in January 2025.

Courtney Durbin ’16 was selected as an Education Pioneers fellow and participated in a national leadership development program that matches emerging leaders to high-impact projects. Upon completing the fellowship, Durbin transitioned into a permanent role at her placement organization, Good Reason Houston, where she serves as a research and data manager.

Niko Ellison ’21 was named a 2025 Legal Scholar at Google. This program pairs law students with mentor attorneys and includes a tech law summit at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Scholars also complete a 10-week summer associate position at a partner law firm and receive ongoing mentorship from Google’s legal department.