Class Notes

Robert B. Keiter, AB ’68, penned Conserving Nature in Greater Yellowstone: Controversy and Change in an Iconic Ecosystem (University of Chicago Press, July 2025). The book traces the evolution and application of fundamental ecological conservation concepts tied to the Yellowstone country. Highlighting both conservation successes and controversies connected with this storied region, it explores the restoration of endangered species like the grizzly bear and wolf and the protection of elk, deer and park bison.

Deborah Hirschfelder, AB ’68, was recognized as a 2025 Jewish Light Unsung Hero. She is deeply involved in hands-on and organizational volunteer work. Since the May 16, 2025, St. Louis tornado, she has regularly delivered homemade and donated food — serving 300 to 500 people daily. She coordinates with 48 volunteers, collects and distributes meals from homes and her synagogue, Shaare Emeth, and meets with local leaders. She also helped residents apply for FEMA assistance.

Earl Hearst, AB ’66, MD ’69, won silver medals in the Maryland State Senior Olympic Games in July 2025 in men’s doubles and mixed doubles table tennis. He also won a Maryland pickleball silver medal in mixed doubles and a bronze medal in men’s doubles in May 2025. In the Florida senior table tennis Olympic games in April, he won a gold medal in men’s doubles and a silver medal in mixed doubles.

Don Joseph, BS ’64, moved to an independent living center in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and has met several residents with WashU ties.

James Demetri Kolokotronis, BFA ’53, received his 50-year pin from the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). He is a Level 3-Gold instructor, the highest level of certification PSIA offers, and is certified to teach all levels of skiers and riders. To maintain the certification, Kolokotronis is required to earn continuing education units each season.

Becky Moon, BFA ’24, had her exhibition Sticks and Stones on display at the Bruno David Gallery, April-June. The display was a series of paintings that explore the themes of belief, tangibility, mass and gravity.

Spencer Lampkin, BSBA ’24, is working for the private equity group JRL in New York. The firm is opening Casa Piada in Greenwich Village and starting the ASL Techno festival in Pesaro, Italy, and SKYX lighting in Miami.

Elaine Griffin, JD ’24, wrote Shadows in the Pleasure Gardens: Regarding Robberies and Race Horses (Black Rose Writing, June 2025). The book weaves together timeless themes, including the personal search for purpose and fulfillment, pressure to conform to societal expectations, corruption of the powerful and how horses help people escape it all, if only for a bit.

Ava Farrar, AB ’24, is a film editor and independent filmmaker. She is filming a feature, Sweet Young Thing, in St. Louis this summer. The short film explores the relationship between an older woman, Dorothy, and her 19-year-old granddaughter, Delaney. The film was inspired by Farrar’s relationship with her grandmother. Farrar’s other films are Thicker Than Blood, which won best student film at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase before being tapped for the St. Louis International Film Festival, Classroom 230, and Garbage Man.

Charlie Yeldham, AB ’23, was named one of Missouri’s Outstanding Beginning Teachers by the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. The award recognizes outstanding teachers in their first two years of service. Yeldham teaches world history and project-based learning U.S. history at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis.