Class Notes

Name: Joseph Brennan

Class Year(s): 1993

Note: Joseph Brennan ’93 (FAA) created this piece to once again show his gratefulness for his talents.

Submitted on: September 16, 2020

Name: Frederick Hall

Class Year(s): 1993

Note: "Instructor Spotlight: Frederick J Hall ’93 (FAA) is a part-time Instructor of American Sign Language at the Fairfax County Public Schools/Adult and Community Education. He has taught American Sign Language classes for 25 yrs plus."

Submitted on: September 16, 2020

Name: Michael Janssen

Class Year(s): 1994

Note: In February 2018, Michael Janssen ’94 (CAST) was ratified by the Las Vegas City Council as the new Director of Public Works. In this role, he manages a staff of 300 with an FY20 annual operating and CIP budget of about $400 Million. The department designs, constructs, and maintains infrastructure for the City of Las Vegas. Now in his 23rd year with the City of Las Vegas, it was an RIT Co-op internship that I had with a Las Vegas area consulting engineering firm from November 1992-January 1993 that helped him secure a career with the City of Las Vegas. Thank you RIT and the College of Applied Science, School of Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering Technology Program for preparing him for such a rewarding career!

Submitted on: September 16, 2020

Name: Gary Mastrodonato

Class Year(s): 1970

Note: Gary Mastrodonato ’70 (SCB) reflects that RIT was a major turning point in his life and a fantastic experience filled with an excellent array of practical, valuable course work, some superb professors and a student body that provided lifelong friendships. After serving in the U.S. Army, Gary had no plans to return to his studies at RIT however, a good friend, Eugene Lylak (a professor in NTID) was very convincing and Gary enrolled to complete his studies which included a co-op opportunity with Marine Midland Bank. Gary wanted a career with Marine Midland Ban, but he decided to go to grad school. He picked up grad degrees associated with business and education and worked in banking, taught in the City of Rochester High Schools and eventually settled into a career with the Federal Government, working for the Department of Defense for 32 years. Gary traveled the world and had experiences that he never dreamed would be part of his journey. Gary worked with military installation commanders, headquarters personnel, and at one point, for six years, was the DoD pointman for the 1996 Olympics.

Submitted on: September 16, 2020

Name: Kevin Hall

Class Year(s): 1977

Note: Kevin Hall ‘77 received an award in the 2020 GDUSA Health + Wellness Design Awards competition sponsored by Graphic Design USA in the category of COVID-19 Communications. Hall’s winning entry titled “Practice Makes Perfect” promotes the importance and awareness of social distancing. This annual Health + Wellness Design Awards competition honors the best of Communications in this vital segment of the economy. Hall is principal of Kevin Hall Design, an award-winning branding firm near New Haven, CT.

Submitted on: September 15, 2020

Name: George Felipe

Class Year(s): 2011

Note: George Felipe ’11 (KGCOE) and his wife, Abigail Crespo got married on March 13, 2020.

Submitted on: September 12, 2020

Name: Cory Funk

Class Year(s): 1985

Note: Welcomed grand child #2, a boy, Ezra James Funk, on July 7, 2020. Ezra joins 1 year old cousin Clara Elanora Carlin in expanding the Minnesota-Wisconsin Funk family tree.

Submitted on: September 11, 2020

Name: Ellen Landauer

Class Year(s): 1971

Note: Ellen Landauer’s ’71 (FAA) new book, ’Hunting for Heart: Rediscovering Our Primordial Bond with Dogs,’ is now in print. Its 552 pages include photos and art by Ellen. It is a true story of personal transformation and love (sometimes the tough kind), helping readers find true harmony with dogs, themselves and their fellow humans. Website: www.huntingforheart.com

Submitted on: September 11, 2020

Name: Holly Ostrout

Class Year(s): 2012, 2014, 2015

Note: Holly Rollins Ostrout MS ’14 (CIAS) and Nathan Ostrout MS ’15 (CIAS) met at RIT in the Print Media grad program. They were married in 2016 and had a daughter in 2018. They just bought their first house in August so that’s what they are celebrating here!

Submitted on: September 11, 2020

Name: Marc-Anthony Arena

Class Year(s): 2005

Note: Marc-Anthony Arena ’05 (SCB) began the Beta program for his latest device, OnlyYouCanCallMe.com. This device blocks ALL phone calls coming into a landline, except those from people you actually know. He thought of this when he realized the existing products are retroactive and block numbers that scammers won’t reuse anyway.

Submitted on: September 10, 2020