Class Notes

Paul Obrock, DE83, was recently elected by the Pierre Fauchard Academy as trustee representing the southeastern U.S., Jamaica and Puerto Rico. An international honor society for dentists, the PFA promotes continuing education and leadership development. In addition to his duties with the board, Obrock will support the leaders of the 11 sections within the region.

William “Bill” Hunt, EN83, was named global president of VVF Ltd. (formerly Vitamins, Vegetables & Food Ltd.), with operations in Indonesia, Singapore, India, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the U.S. A contract manufacturer for respected personal care brands, VVF is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of bar soaps, deodorant sticks and other products. Hunt is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

James Whittaker, EN82, retired in September 2022 after 40 years as an electronics and software engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and its predecessor organization, the Naval Underwater Systems Center, in Newport, R.I. He is enjoying more time with family, traveling with his wife and pursuing hobbies including gardening, woodworking, photography and reading.

Jay Heller, LA78, an attorney for more than 40 years, published a second novel, The Man Who Could Fly(Xlibris US,February 2022), almost 11 years after he wrote The Last Man. Heller and his wife of almost 40 years enjoy their three married kids and five grandchildren in Chicagoland.

Ted Rich, LA77, happily retired, writes that his WashU experience changed his life, including by teaching him how to learn and how to be a critical thinker. With clear personal pride, he shares that he is the father of two children and the grandfather of four, has been married almost 40 years, enjoyed a good career and has been a loyal friend to many. He hopes his classmates’ lives have been successful as well, however they define success.

Elma Kanefield, SW76, wrote and self-published Hamlet’s Mirror: Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off(September 2022), designed to help empower performers and restore their mental health. In the book, Kanefield recounts fictionalized anecdotes of real performers and experiences of hundreds of performing artists to explain why some fail to reach their performance potential and others succeed.

Ellen Barker, LA76, published her first novel, East of Troost (She Writes Press, September 2022). The book tells the story of a fictional narrator who after personal tragedy moves back to her childhood home in the Kansas City, Mo., East of Troost neighborhood. The 50ish woman finds her old neighborhood, which she left to attend WashU in 1972, radically changed, and she must deal with crime, home repair, self-doubt and the skepticism of her neighbors and relatives. Barker writes that, unlike the protagonist, she and her husband, Tom Shoup, GR77, GR81, are “sort of retired and living in Northern California.”

Rick Welker, EN75, is leading an active retired life of traveling, dining, cycling, hiking and caring for and enjoying his pets.

Richard Smith, GB73, wrote and self-published Within the Ivory Tower(September 2022), a satirical look inside institutions of higher education.

Albert Ip, EN73, was appointed to the court of City University in Hong Kong in January 2022 and the court of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in September. His three other 2022 appointments were as senior adviser to the dean of the School of Business and Management, chairman of the business school’s Career Development Advisory Council, and adviser to the Finance and Strategic Planning Committee of Eagle Asset Management.