Class News: February 2024

Just in time for Valentine’s Day is our romance-packed edition of Class News, complete with submissions from alums who found their Tar-mates at Rollins.

Each month we share a snapshot of the personal and professional milestones and adventures of your fellow Tars, so don’t forget to keep us up to date on your latest news.

Home Run

Earlier this month, former Rollins baseball coach Bob “Rike” Rikeman worked with Associate Vice President of Athletics Pennie Parker and current baseball Coach Jon Sjogren to host a reunion 20 years in the making. The 2004 Rollins men’s baseball team achieved the honor of being the only team to win the Sunshine State Conference in Rollins history. These Tars also made it all the way to the 2004 College DII World Series. In celebration of their 20-year reunion, the team was welcomed back to campus with the presentation of a new banner now displayed at Harper-Shepherd Field showcasing their 2004 Sunshine State Conference Championship title. They also attended two days of events, including a special dinner and reception in the Hall of Fame room at Alfond Sports Center. To see the photos from this exciting reunion, click here.

Gatherings & Milestones

After living in Winter Park for 50 years, Barbara (McMinn) McKnight ’77 recently moved to Atlanta to be closer to two of her three children and is enjoying connecting with Rollins through local alumni events. This February, she attended an Atlanta event at the Cherokee Town and Country Club, where she was accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law, also Rollins graduates.

On March 7, 2023, Johnny Glenn Harding ’87 celebrated 30 years with Mark James Lopez in a destination wedding in Palm Springs, California, where they made their union official. In attendance were Frank Greene ’87, Barbara Ward Meyer ’87, Jennifer Sutton Greene ’87, Megan Thomas Hollister ’88, Amy Teets Triggs ’87, Candy Kellogg Darby ’88, Elle Payne Williams ’89, Georgia Sattele Bickel ’88, Beth Zanarini ’87, and Desiree Martin ’96.

This past December, Craig Campbell ’96 traveled to New York City in celebration of his birthday and was surprised by many Rollins alumni friends, including Jeff Dattilo ’96, John "Nick" Sanzo ’96, and Aaron Bean ’96. Together, they attended the Broadway production of Spamalot, to support fellow Tar Christopher Fitzgerald ’95 in his leading role as Patsy.

Onward & Upward

Eleanor “Nellie” Lackman ’00 graduated from UCLA's Anderson School of Management MBA program this past June with a specialization in entertainment, media, and sports. June 2023 also brought Lackman her second ranking of Band 1 in New York within her field by the most respected legal rankings service in the world, Chambers & Partners. She is currently a partner in the New York and Los Angeles offices of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, specializing in copyright and trademark matters.

Jessica (Camplese) Sullivan ’06 is excited for her new position as an educational puppeteer with the Champions for Children program, The Kids on the Block. The educational puppet troupe travels to elementary schools throughout Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay area teaching children how to safely recognize, report, and get help when they or someone they know is suffering from abuse, neglect, bullying, cyberbullying, or other unsafe situations.

Since joining Mercuria Energy Trading SA one month after graduating with a BA in psychology and sociology, Saffron Pollard ’23 has accepted a promotion from junior HR business partner to HR employee engagement officer.

Zachary Dunbar ’84 recently published an article, “Writing and Performance Training,” in the Oxford Handbook of the Global Stage Musical. His co-written book, Greek Tragedy and the Contemporary Actor, previously won the Australasian Drama Studies Association award for best book published in theatre studies from 2018 to 2020. Dunbar is currently an associate professor and principal fellow of the University of Melbourne in Australia.

This month, photographer Richard Savid ’76 released a collection of black-and-white photographs spanning more than 40 years of work. Published by Artron Printing America, Portraits from My Darkroom includes images from around the globe as well as Savid’s home state of Florida, capturing moments from Italy, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Spain, Japan, and the Philippines, where he served in the Peace Corps.

Honor Roll

Joni (Holzschuh) Hannah ’84 was recently inducted into the USTA Mid-Atlantic Hall of Fame, joining tennis legends like Pam Shriver and Arthur Ashe, among many others. The ceremony was held on December 1, 2023.

Founder and CEO of Frantz Marketing Solutions, Susan Frantz ’09 was selected as a 40 Under 40 honoree in Southwest Florida's Gulfshore Business Daily and was elected as president of the Southwest Florida Chapter of Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) for the upcoming 2023-24 term. Frantz also volunteers with several charities, including serving as chair and events committee member of American Cancer Society’s Cattle Baron’s Ball, Hope Hospice’s Shine for Hope, and the Canterbury Extravaganza.

Sweetheart Stories

“Scott and I met when I visited Rollins my senior year of high school, and sparks flew in a major way. We started dating nearly immediately my freshman year, but we were too young and broke up. I moved to NYC and he ended up in Chicago. We kept in touch, but the timing was never right. Years ago my brother, Ryan, fell ill. While I was home caring for him, Scott was there for me through it all. He told me I had always been the one that got away, so he moved to Florida to give us another shot. We both feel pretty darn lucky to have met at Rollins. The night we first met, he tried to woo me with a thin-crust Domino’s pizza. I said, ‘You’re going to have to do better than that!’ We shared it on the steps of ATO, his fraternity. Now every Valentine’s Day we get the same dinner: a thin-crust Domino’s pizza!” — Meghan Thibodeau-O’Grady ’98 & Scott Payne ’96

“Chris and I first met when I was a senior, and he was a freshman. I was a Chi Omega and lived in the TKE hallway in the basement of Elizabeth Hall. Ironically, I was dating one of Chris’ TKE brothers and Chris was dating a Chi O. We became reacquainted many years—and miles—later through mutual alumni friends in Washington, D.C. After a long-distance romance, I decided to relocate to D.C. and we were engaged at the National Cathedral. Happily married for 20 years, we renewed our vows on Valentine’s Day 2023. We have an 11-year-old son, Cooper, and a new puppy, Clementine, which keeps us very busy. When attending Rollins Alumni events, we enjoy visiting our former fraternity and sorority houses, and frequently reflect on the memories, friends, and laughs we share thanks to our Rollins love connection.” — Cynthia (Pascual) Allen ’95 & Charles “Chris” Allen ’98

“We met at Beans during lunch! My roommate introduced us during our freshman year. We didn’t start dating until 2.5 years later. Dieter walked me home from The Grille at 2 a.m. after I closed the building on Wednesday nights—definitely my favorite on-campus memory. We were married at Knowles Chapel by Dean Powers in 2008 and now have two wonderful children.” — Kristin (Dolson) Hinrichs ’06 & Dieter Hinrichs ’06 ’07MBA

“Nick and I first met at an article assignment meeting for The Sandspur when I was a freshman and Nick was a sophomore. Some of our best shared memories on campus are late nights in The Sandspur office in the old Mills Building, working (and goofing off) with the other editors. I was quickly smitten. We grew closer through the rest of our time at Rollins, but it wasn't until nearly four years later, after I graduated, that we officially started dating. We've now been together for 11 years and will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary this summer. We have hauled cats and dogs from Winter Park to Chicago to D.C. and welcomed our first children (twins!) to the family in 2022.” — Shannon (Lynch) Zazulia ’12 & Nick Zazulia ’11

“We met through a mutual friend, Sameer Chandnani ’12MBA, who was both a childhood friend of mine and attending the Crummer EAMBA program with Libby. We got married on November 9, 2019, in Vero Beach, Florida. Sameer was the best man! We recently went back to Rollins for brunch and a stroll, which was lovely.” — Libby (Anderson) Conte ’11 ’12 MBA & Chris Conte ’11

“Greg and I met in his Sutton apartment my freshman year at Rollins. We were there for a game night with lots of theatre friends and I noticed Greg right away. Over the next few years we had friendly encounters on Fox Day, at theatre parties, or when I offered to buy him food with my abundant meal-plan balance. After he graduated, I was ecstatic to learn he still lived in Winter Park, as I planned on staying in the area too. We started dating a few months after I graduated and then decided to return to Rollins together for our master's degrees. Greg was always so kind—passing him on campus and exchanging a quick wave and a smile would lways make my day. These are memories I will cherish forever. We got married in Knowles Chapel in May 2015 and now have two beautiful boys, Eli and Felix.” — Holly (Stallard) Golden ’12 ’17MA & Gregory Golden ’11 ’16MBA

“Ian and I met during freshman orientation—in a hurricane lockdown in Ward Hall—and instantly hit it off. Between AOII/X-Club events and mutual friends, we saw each other regularly. Then our senior year is when Ian finally professed his love (or so my side of the story goes). The rest is history! When we tied the knot in 2021, there was no other place for us to get married than our own Rollins College!” — Mary Claire (Danowitz) Wallace ’12 & Ian Wallace ’12

“It was June 2011, and the spark of true love was ignited at summer orientation. Jenell was one of many new students in attendance, and I was working for the school as a student coordinator, organizing events and welcoming the incoming class. In a West Side Story moment, our eyes met across the crowded entrance hall, and time stood still. We clicked immediately and a relationship bloomed over the next year at Rollins together. Whether it was attending Greek Life events, road-tripping to Siesta Key, celebrating Fox Day, visiting Disney, or just hanging with friends, Jenell and I treasured our time together. I graduated and went to the University of Miami Law School. We did several years of long-distance until settling down in Jenell’s hometown of Fort Myers. We got married on March 31, 2019, at the Addison in Boca Raton. And to this day, we live happily ever after with our giant black German Shepard named Nox and our gorgeous baby girl, Via.” — Steven Vitale ’12 & Jenell (Harvey) Vitale ’14

“Jacob and I met on move-in day freshman year at Ward Hall. We had similar class schedules as pre-med students in the Honors Program and became good friends. We bonded over shared fraternity and sorority experiences (he was in X-Club, and I was an AOII). We eventually started dating during our sophomore year and have been together ever since! He took me to the rose garden next to the chapel on our first date, and five years later we got engaged at the exact same place. This year we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary and love coming back to visit Rollins … where it all began.” — Hannah Lewis ’13 & Jacob Barish ’13

“Tyler and I met on fraternity bid night in 2012 and were married in Rhode Island on May 6, 2022. Some of our favorite on-campus memories are spending time on Mills Lawn with our friends and frequenting the bagel bar on Sunday mornings.” — Carleigh (DeLuca) Murphy ’14 & Tyler Murphy ’14

“We met in our RCC class and went out for coffee before classes had even started. It was Kyana’s birthday and she was going home alone. A year later we were dating, frequently visiting the Bach Festival performances for our dates. Kyana always says how she loved my personality and how I would answer questions in class when no one else would. On our fifth anniversary in September 2023. I proposed in our garden with a custom ring box made out of Legos. We are very happy with our golden retriever Woods and can’t wait till our big day!” — Kyana Julian ’22 & Nicholas Leonard ’21