Retro Tech Is Must-Watch TV

AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire, the brainchild of Christopher C. Rogers ’05 and creative partner Christopher Cantwell, got great press leading up to its third season premiere in August. The New York Times headlined Halt in its “What You Should Watch” column. The Atlantic called it “one of TV’s most elegantly crafted shows.” And Variety gushed that the ’80s-era tech drama is “both a retro pleasure and a forward-looking gem.” The Emmy-nominated series follows a fictional startup as it tries to compete with the corporate behemoths of the computer boom. Halt and Catch Fire’s first season aired in 2014 and won the 2014 Critics’ Choice TV Award for Most Exciting New Series. Rogers, a Winchester native, has been writing for more than a decade. After graduating with a history degree from UMW, he worked as a researcher at The Atlantic in Washington, D.C. He headed to Los Angeles, worked as a research editor for Condé Nast’s Architectural Digest, and studied screenwriting at the Writers … [Read more...]

Creative Thinking Leads to Ad Age Honor

Joseph “Fitz” Maro ’11 is among 11 global “Creatives You Should Know” for 2016, chosen by Advertising Age magazine. As the senior innovation strategist for digital ad agency 360i New York, Maro was recognized along with the agency’s vice president for innovation and technology, Layne Harris. Maro and Harris are co-founders of their company’s Innovation Lab, developing the technology to execute 360i’s ideas. They enabled the Canon Photo Coach ad campaign, whose digital billboards gave real-time information to help passers-by take perfect pictures. They also executed a campaign for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation promoting Adaptoys, which allow those with paralysis to play familiar games with their families. It’s not the first major recognition for Maro, who majored in business administration at UMW. He was named a “Fearless Thinker” by the communications industry magazine Campaign U.S. and earned a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June … [Read more...]

Give It Your Best Shot!

For a 1990 Halloween party, three students went as something really terrifying: Interstate 95. Apparently, I-95 was as bad 26 years ago as it is now. If you think you know the identities of this highway crew, please tell us! And for good measure, try to ID the young woman in the background, who seems to be sporting cat whiskers. Go online to magazine.umw.edu and click “Get the Picture” or leave a comment. Or send us an email with “Get the Picture” in the subject line. You may also write to: UMW Magazine – Get the Picture 1301 College Ave. Fredericksburg, Va. 22401-5300. … [Read more...]

You Got It!

We’re happy to report the names of these 1960s members of the Matthew Fontaine Maury Science Club of Mary Washington College. Left to right, they are Carol Meese ’65; Joanne Hamilton Curtis ’67; Susan Spatig Schmidt ’64; and Carolyn Luce Sangston ’64. Carol and Carolyn recognized themselves and let us know. Carolyn noted that her interest in science translated to a career researching pediatric infectious diseases at the Emory University School of Medicine. Carolyn and Susan Orebaugh Nicholson ’64 identified Susan Schmidt. And Elizabeth “Betty” Adams Hansen ’67 identified Joanne, a math major who became her Mary Washington roommate. “Something about the way she stands made her identifiable, even before I got out the magnifying glass,” Betty wrote. Bronnie Jones Polk ’64 also helped with the IDs. Thanks to all! We use this column to supplement photo information for UMW’s digital collections. To see more images, go to the archives and choose Centennial Image Collection. … [Read more...]

Greetings!

A letter from Angela Mills '01, President, Alumni Association

On behalf of our network of nearly 40,000 Mary Washington alumni, I wish to welcome the newest member of the Mary Washington family – Dr. Troy D. Paino, our 10th president. He is an incredible addition and will do great things. Mary Washington continues to embody the values we held dear as students – interactive academics, involved faculty, engaged scholars, valued honor code, and a focus on impacting the world through service. The buildings, leadership, and technology have changed, but our core values still ring true. As president of the Alumni Association, I hope you will reach out to other Mary Washington alumni and connect back with campus. Get involved with a local network, attend a reunion (and it doesn’t even have to be your reunion year!), give to a cause on campus, or simply share with others your love of Mary Washington. Your Mary Washington alumni experience is yours to create. Get involved and make the most of it, just as you did with your years on campus! I look … [Read more...]

Alumni Seen

Reunion photos and more!

Reunion 2016 brought together alumni from class years ending in 1 or 6. Alumni also got together on their own or at other UMW-sponsored events.           … [Read more...]

The Mesmeric Medinas of Morocco

A peer adviser with the Center for International Education, Lydia Grossman ’17 studied in Rabat, Morocco, last spring. She wrote this essay about her neighborhood there. Back on campus this semester, the Louisville, Kentucky, native is studying international affairs and environmental sustainability. She has done service work and taken leadership roles with UMW Habitat for Humanity and alternative spring break. By Lydia Grossman There is no place in the world that can quite compare to the medinas of Morocco. The “medina qadima,” which literally means old city, is where I had the pleasure of living in the capital city of Rabat, Morocco. For four months, I walked through the crowded, noisy streets of the medina to go to and from my daily classes. Though my feelings on the medina were of the love/hate variety, I can say that living there was probably the most defining aspect of my study-abroad experience. When you go through one of the narrow arched entrances to the medina, … [Read more...]