Giving Stories

Alums Establish Mental Health Endowment in Friend’s Honor

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Two years ago, Jake Kelly received a humorous text from his friend and former University of Mary Washington roommate, Phil Smith. But, just a week later, Jake and friends Jonathan Wigginton and Jeremy Wood, all 2010 alums, were shocked to learn that Phil had taken his own life.

From left: 2010 graduates Jake Kelly, Jonathan Wigginton, Jeremy Wood, and Phil Smith in their UMW college apartment. When Phil took his life in 2020, his friends worked with Mary Washington to establish the Phil Smith '10 Talley Center Endowment to provide more mental health and suicide prevention resources to UMW students.
From left: 2010 graduates Jake Kelly, Jonathan Wigginton, Jeremy Wood, and Phil Smith in their UMW college apartment. When Phil took his life in 2020, his friends worked with Mary Washington to establish the Phil Smith ’10 Talley Center Endowment to provide more mental health and suicide prevention resources to UMW students.

“It totally hit us out of the blue,” said Jake, who returned to UMW with Jonathan to speak to incoming freshmen during Orientation, right before September’s Suicide Prevention Month. “We asked ourselves questions we couldn’t answer. Why did he do it? What did we miss?”

What they did know is that they wanted to memorialize Phil at Mary Washington, where their friendship began during their first week of classes. And they wanted his death to help spark discussions about mental health and suicide prevention.

With the blessing of Phil’s family, they began working with UMW’s Office of Advancement to establish the Phil Smith ’10 Talley Center Endowment, which will provide more counseling services, education and training, and other resources for current and future Mary Washington students. The endowment is on the verge of being fully funded, thanks to many generous donors, including Betty Dobbins Talley ’68 – her significant gift gave the Talley Center for Counseling Services its name – who gave $5,000 on Giving Tuesday in 2021 as part of a dollar-for-dollar match.

UMW also announced this week the rollout of an after-hours and weekend service through ProtoCall. Students now can access critical counseling care through the Talley Center as well as outside licensed professionals, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We have already seen an unprecedented volume of students coming in to see us, certainly in response to Jake and Jonathan’s presentation to freshmen,” said Talley Center Director Tevya Zukor. “As a firm believer that proactive treatment and intervention are the best way to prevent crises, it has been gratifying to see so many Eagles attending to their mental health needs.”

From left: Jeremy, Jonathan, Phil, and Jake at Jonathan's wedding. Phil's friends emphasized to UMW freshmen during their presentation the importance of checking in on loved ones and being aware of one's own mental health.
From left: Jeremy, Jonathan, Phil, and Jake at Jonathan’s wedding. Phil’s friends emphasized to UMW freshmen during their presentation the importance of checking in on loved ones and being aware of one’s own mental health.

Phil’s friends emphasized to the UMW freshmen the importance of seeking counseling, especially when navigating challenges all college students face, coupled with the lingering effects of isolation and trauma from the pandemic.

But they also encouraged them to check in on each other and their friends and family. “I had no idea Phil was fighting those battles,” Jake said.

He and Jonathan recalled Phil’s wit, his penchant for quoting his favorite movies, and how he always remembered details about his friends that others might have found insignificant. They admired his love for his wife and two children, and how he used his business and accounting degree from Mary Washington to start his own tax consulting firm.

But they also reflected on how Phil often struggled with overwhelming feelings. “There’s definitely cues we missed,” Jonathan said.

That’s why they’re glad their story is resonating with UMW students. Several came up to thank them after the presentation, give their condolences, or share that they too had lost friends to suicide.

The alums have already made plans to speak at next year’s Orientation, Jonathan said, and they look forward to reaching their goal of funding the endowment so the Talley Center can ramp up its services. “It’s nice to see that our hard work on Phil’s behalf is already making a difference at UMW.”

Make a gift to the Phil Smith ’10 Talley Center Endowment here. For information on endowments at the University of Mary Washington, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Theatre Alum and Scholarship Recipient Creates Costumes For Hit Shows on Hulu, HBO

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Alicia Austin ’16 had never even attended a play before coming to the University of Mary Washington. But after her first costume design course, she realized theatre was the perfect fit.

Alicia Austin '16 earned a bachelor's degree in theatre at Mary Washington and an MFA at Yale University. She has recently worked on the costume design teams for remakes of HBO’s 'Sex and the City' and Steven Spielberg’s 'West Side Story,' as well as the Hulu hit 'Only Murders in the Building.'
Alicia Austin ’16 earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre at Mary Washington and an MFA at Yale University. She has recently worked on the costume design teams for remakes of HBO’s ‘Sex and the City’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story,’ as well as the Hulu hit ‘Only Murders in the Building.’

“It was so interesting to me that I changed my major,” said Alicia, who planned to study psychology but found elements of that in her new field. “I discovered that costuming could be a visual language to express each character’s personality.”

Now she’s putting those sartorial skills to work. After earning a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Mary Washington – and the UMW Performing Arts for the Community Scholarship and Rosemary Ingham Scholarship in Theatre – Alicia completed an MFA at Yale University. Graduating just before COVID shuttered Broadway, she made a leap from stage to screen, joining design teams for remakes of HBO’s Sex and the City and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, as well as the Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building, which just began its second season.

It’s a success story she’s been stitching together a little at a time.

“I grew up sewing out of utility, because it was cheaper to buy fabric and make clothes myself,” said Alicia, who began coursework at Mary Washington, but took a break from her studies to open an upscale consignment shop in downtown Fredericksburg. “I’m not someone who goes around saying ‘I love fashion,’ but clothing always held a deeper meaning for me.”

She sold funky jackets and floral frocks, designer jeans and buttery leather boots at Madeline Ruth and later Forage. With a prime location in a college town, her small secondhand business was booming. But she still wanted to earn a college degree, so she returned to Mary Washington.

At Mary Washington, Alicia designed costumes for Leslye Headland’s workplace satire, ‘Assistance.’ In the photo: Madeleine Dilley ’17. Photo by Geoff Greene.
Alicia also designed costumes for UMW Theatre’s production of Bryony Lavery’s chilling drama, ‘Frozen.’ In this photo: Jackie Filicko ’16 and Jake Crowley ’16. Photo by Geoff Greene.
Alex Newton ’17 and Lauren Frautschi ’18 in UMW Theatre’s production of Leslye Headland’s ‘Assistance,’ wearing costumes designed by Alicia Austin ’16. Photo by Geoff Greene.

Choosing from an ensemble of electives, Alicia discovered fabric modification, patterning and costume design. She had no idea what these courses entailed, she said, “but they sounded very cool.” So she reached out to Department of Theatre and Dance Chair Gregg Stull about switching majors and fast-tracking the next two years of her degree.

“Alicia brought both intention and passion to everything she did – every class, production and project,” Professor Stull said. “She’s a remarkable and gifted artist, and I’m eager to see the great work in her future.”

Though she continued to operate her shop, Alicia said the UMW Performing Arts for the Community Scholarship and Rosemary Ingham Scholarship in Theatre were the key to helping her flourish in college.

“The financial freedom they provided allowed me the time to focus on my classes and work on productions,” she said. “Receiving these scholarship awards gave value to my academic and artistic pursuits.”

Running her own business also helped Alicia set the stage for the pressures of doubling up on classes, while creating costumes for UMW Theatre productions like Frozen and Assistance.

“The caliber of education I had at Mary Washington prepared me to seek the same level of academic experience at Yale,” Alicia said.

After UMW, Alicia earned an MFA at Yale School of Drama, where she designed costumes for theatre productions like William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest.’
Alicia also designed costumes for regional theatre productions such as Baltimore Center Stage’s production of Noah Diaz’s ‘Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally.’ Photo by Teresa Castracane.
At Yale School of Drama, Alicia showcased the skills she developed at UMW, designing costumes for Em Weinstein & Michael Breslin’s ‘Arden,’ an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It.’ Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

She thrived in the notoriously rigorous three-year theatre program at the Ivy League school, earning the prestigious Princess Grace Award, for budding theatre, dance and film artists, in 2019.

Now based in Brooklyn, Alicia still loves the stage, but her work on Only Murders, a streaming show about three amateur podcasters who attempt to solve a homicide in their fancy New York apartment building, allows her talent to reach a wider audience.

“The caliber of education I had at Mary Washington prepared me to seek the same level of academic experience at Yale,” Alicia says.
“The caliber of education I had at Mary Washington prepared me to seek the same level of academic experience at Yale,” Alicia says.

Her team’s dapper designs – including Selena Gomez’s marigold faux-fur coat, Martin Short’s royal purple attire and Steve Martin’s dashing fedora – have landed in the likes of Elle, InStyle and Buzzfeed. But Alicia says the real stars are the leaders of the all-female costume crew.

“They’ve taught me so much about the kinds of clothes you put on characters to represent who they are,” said Alicia, who might not have captured her current role without the education and scholarships she received at Mary Washington.

“If you’re ambitious and can figure out what you want,” she said, “there will always be someone at UMW to guide you and help you reach those goals.”

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04. Betty Emrey of Mindpower Inc. contributed to the reporting and writing of this story, which originally ran on the UMW news site. 

For information on endowing scholarships at the University of Mary Washington, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

Summer Science Students Earn Perkins Research Awards

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As temperatures soared near triple digits last Wednesday, the weather formed a compelling case for Ava Spencer’s research on how extreme heat impacts Fredericksburg’s most marginalized communities.

“I wanted to look at these issues from a sociological perspective, in a way that could help people,” said Ava, a rising senior majoring in environmental science at the University of Mary Washington.

She was one of a pair of students who took home the top prizes at UMW’s Summer Science Institute (SSI), which engages undergraduates in an intense 10-week research experience with professors and peers. At a public symposium held in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium, she and physics major Kevin Leong were chosen by a panel of faculty judges to each receive a scholarship award through the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Endowment. The funds will help the students continue their projects through the upcoming school year.

Participants in Mary Washington’s 2022 Summer Science Institute pose for a picture with their professors and peers. “I have witnessed the power of SSI to transform lives and send students down career paths that they would have never considered before,” says Associate Professor of Chemistry Randall Reif (front row, center), who led this year’s cohort with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Jeb Collins. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.
Last Wednesday, UMW students, faculty, staff, family and friends came to the Hurley Convergence Center to listen to presentations delivered by participants in the 2022 Summer Science Institute. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute/Ava Spencer.
Students presented their posters to professors and peers in the Hurley Convergence Center. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute/Ava Spencer.

Second place winners were Curtis Kasiski for his research on determining the dietary diversity of bumblebees, and Orianne Mbuyi Mujinga Kazadi for her work identifying fungal strains that can destroy invasive spotted lanternflies.

“I hope this award inspires them to open their minds to possibilities in life,” said Dr. Jerri Barden Perkins, who watched the presentations via Zoom. She was amazed at the variety and relevance of topics, she says, from fighting antibiotic resistance with phage therapy to using sockets to create video games. “The liberal arts and sciences education students find at Mary Washington broadens their perspectives and prepares them for the real world.”

Dr. Perkins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Mary Washington and a M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia. She went on to conduct her own trailblazing research into rheumatoid arthritis and approved one of the first FDA drug therapies to combat AIDS. Her endowment, one of several she established at UMW, is in honor of her late husband, Cal, who practiced internal medicine.

“The Perkins scholarship award will allow us to recognize UMW students demonstrating exemplary performance,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger. “This elevates SSI to a professional level.”

Rising senior Kevin Leong, a physics major, presented his poster detailing how he created a solar-powered cell phone charging station for the homeless with Assistant Professor Desmond Villalba. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.
Rising senior Ava Spencer, an Earth and environmental science major, presents her research on how extreme heat impacts Fredericksburg’s most marginalized communities, which she conducted with Assistant Professor Pamela Grothe. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.

Kevin, a rising senior, received the “Best Poster” award for his creation of a solar-powered cell phone charging station for homeless people. Working with Assistant Professor of Physics Desmond Villalba, he used a 3-D printer, and created and programmed circuits, to assemble a functioning prototype he hopes can be replicated in Fredericksburg.

“I feel so honored to have won the Perkins award,” said Kevin, adding that SSI has inspired him to pursue a career or further education in research. “The entire experience has been fantastic.”

Ava, who won the “Best Presentation” award, collaborated with Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Pamela Grothe ’06 and a team of volunteers to map temperatures across Fredericksburg.

They discovered that some neighborhoods historically zoned for African Americans were up to five degrees warmer than others due to lack of tree canopy and green spaces. “Research like this has been performed in larger cities, but not smaller communities like ours,” Ava said.

Receiving the Perkins award, she said, will help her continue the research through the fall semester. She hopes her findings will eventually aid local officials with the city’s climate action plan. “It’s a great feeling to be recognized for a project you’ve poured your time, energy and love into.”

For information on endowing scholarships at the University of Mary Washington, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

 

UMW Education, Scholarships Help Alumna Whip Up Career as L.A. Times Food Writer

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Savory meatball subs smothered in mozzarella. Sizzling birria tacos with spicy salsa. Smoky barbecue brisket with all the fixings. And a rainbow of Italian cookies.

Hungry for small classes and more facetime with professors, Stephanie Breijo ’09 studied journalism at the University of Mary Washington. Now, she covers Los Angeles’ culinary culture as a food writer for the L.A. Times.
Hungry for small classes and more facetime with professors, Stephanie Breijo ’09 studied journalism at the University of Mary Washington. Now, she covers Los Angeles’ culinary culture as a food writer for the L.A. Times.

Just try looking at the Instagram account of Stephanie Breijo ’09 on an empty stomach.

“Food is universal,” says Stephanie, a Los Angeles Times food writer who graduated from the University of Mary Washington. “It’s a lens everyone sees the world through, whether they’re aware of it or not.”

Reporting takes her to every corner of L.A.’s restaurant community, from pop-ups in Koreatown to bistros in Santa Monica. But before she began highlighting epicurean happenings throughout the city and curating cuisine on social media – an art that didn’t even exist when she was a student – she acquired the recipe for great storytelling at Mary Washington.

A Los Angeles native, Stephanie learned to cook from her grandmother, before starting college in San Diego. Hungry for smaller classes and more facetime with professors, she transferred to UMW, where she majored in English and landed an internship at Fredericksburg’s Free Lance-Star newspaper.

She also earned the Class of 1943 Scholarship in Memory of Levin J. Houston III and the Thomas Howard and Elizabeth Merchent Tardy Endowment, which allowed her to continue feeding her knowledge.

“As a student responsible for paying for their education, every bit helped, every semester,” Stephanie says. “These scholarships made obtaining my degree possible — especially as I was balancing part-time jobs and internships to get a jump on my career before graduation.”

Stephanie also spent countless hours in former Mary Washington dining hall Seacobeck … but not for the smorgasbord. There, in the basement, she edited stories and helped design the student newspaper, then called The Bullet.

“Some students need help learning the craft and finding their voice,” says Steve Watkins, who taught journalism at UMW for over two decades. “Rare others, like Stephanie, show up fully formed. The best you can do is point them in the right direction and get out of the way.”

In the L.A. Times and on her Instagram account, @breij, Stephanie covers everything from fine dining establishments to street food. Before moving to Los Angeles, she was an editor at Richmond Magazine.

After graduation, she worked for a variety of media outlets before using her writing and photography skills to land a gig covering D.C. restaurants and bars. “It became a beat I loved more than any other,” says Stephanie, whose career took off.

As dining editor at Richmond Magazine, she managed a team of 20 writers and produced award-winning work spotlighting an up-and-coming food scene, before heading back to the West Coast to work for Time Out Los Angeles. Then came the pandemic, wreaking havoc on eating establishments everywhere. Finding herself furloughed, Stephanie began freelancing for the Los Angeles Times.

Now a full-fledged reporter and news columnist, she captures the city’s culinary culture, from making Michelin announcements to introducing new fare at Disneyland. And she explores everything L.A. has to offer: Báhn mì and burritos, kimchi and kabobs, pizza and sandwiches piled high with pastrami.

Stephanie Breijo pays homage to her Italian culinary roots by dressing up as one of her favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Dan Tana’s, for Halloween in 2020.
Stephanie Breijo pays homage to her Italian culinary roots by dressing up as one of her favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Dan Tana’s, for Halloween in 2020.

“There’s no denying I’ve had some incredible meals, but we’re also covering food policy, history and culture,” Stephanie says, citing a piece she wrote about an L.A. Natural History Museum digital series highlighting the local bread-maker community.

Through her Mary Washington education, supported by the scholarships she earned, Stephanie learned to craft these types of narratives with the same kind of care she gave the Italian wedding soup she made with her grandmother, who passed away early this year. After eating a bowl from that last batch they’d created together, Stephanie wrote recently on Instagram, “I marveled at each meatball, knowing one of our hands had formed it, indistinguishable as to whose.”

Her penchant for such palatable prose, Stephanie says, is perfect for tackling topical themes like food waste and insecurity.

“One of the things I hope I can do more, and do more effectively, is telling the stories of people whose stories deserve to be told.”

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04. Betty Emrey of Mindpower Inc. contributed to the reporting and writing of this story, which originally ran on the UMW news site. 

For information on endowing scholarships at the University of Mary Washington, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

Chemistry Alums Mourn Passing of Beloved Professor

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Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Bernard Mahoney was in his element teaching and advising students during his nearly four decades at Mary Washington.

Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Bernard Mahoney
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Bernard Mahoney

When alumni learned he had passed away on May 9 of this year, tributes began pouring in, reflecting on his many attributes: his “laughing” Irish eyes, his delightful Boston brogue, his knack for making even the most challenging of courses fun. Most of all, they spoke of how he made an impact on their lives and livelihoods, cheering them on for years, even after they graduated.

“He was my catalyst to succeed,” said Amanda Bruch McNeil ’80, crediting Dr. Mahoney for helping launch her career in the oil and gas industry at a time when it welcomed few women. “Without him, I never would have pursued that dream.”

Dr. Mahoney came to Mary Washington, then the women’s college of University of Virginia, in 1965. He held bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College and a doctorate in physical chemistry through University of New Hampshire. He also earned several prestigious fellowships, including from Harvard Medical School, the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

At Mary Washington, he served as department chair, was instrumental in creating the Bachelor of Liberal Studies program, and helped design the Jepson Science Center. He became a distinguished professor, earned UMW’s Grellet C. Simpson Award, and was granted emeritus status upon his retirement in 2002.

Dr. Mahoney in 1958, after earning his bachelor’s degree from Boston College. Photo courtesy of the Mahoney family.
The Mahoney family: son Brian Mahoney, wife Kathleen “Kathy” McCabe Mahoney, Dr. Bernard Mahoney, son Brendan Mahoney ’93 and daughter Karen Mahoney O’Donnell.
Dr. Mahoney with his longtime friend, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus William “Bill” Crawley. Photo courtesy of the Mahoney family.

Inspired by the impact her former professor had on her, Marilyn Shull Black ’69 made a significant gift in 2018 to establish the endowed Bernard L. Mahoney Student Research Fellowship, providing financial support to UMW students majoring in the sciences.

Dr. Mahoney “showed me how to make learning fun,” said Judy Farrell Bechtold ’69, who taught high school chemistry, making up electron dances and using mnemonic devices to teach the periodic table. “He was always great at explaining the material and helping you see the light.”

Amanda Bruch McNeil recalled how Dr. Mahoney conducted mock interviews for her when she was applying for her first job. Periodically, she’d reach out as she moved up through the ranks. “He’d always reply, telling me how proud he was.”

Amanda Bruch McNeil at her Mary Washington Commencement ceremony in 1980. Photo courtesy of Amanda Bruch McNeil.
Dr. Mahoney with Judy Farrell Bechtold at her Mary Washington Commencement ceremony in 1969. Photo courtesy of Judy Farrell Bechtold.
Dr. Mahoney with Marilyn Shull Black ’69, who made a significant gift in 2018 to establish the endowed Bernard L. Mahoney Student Research Fellowship, providing financial support to UMW students majoring in the sciences. Photo courtesy of the Mahoney family.
Kathy Diehl Hartman ’77 (left) and Kathye Baldwin Geary ’77 (right) with Dr. Mahoney at their 25th Mary Washington Reunion in 2002. “We always reconnected with Dr. Mahoney at every Reunion Weekend,” Kathye said. Photo courtesy of Kathye Baldwin Geary.
Dr. Mahoney fondly referred to Kathye Baldwin Geary ’77 (left) and Kathy Diehl Hartman ’77 (right) as “the two Kathys.” Here, he poses with them for a picture at their 40th Reunion Weekend. Photo courtesy of Kathye Baldwin Geary.

Kathye Baldwin Geary ’77 said he made the chemistry department a welcoming place and earned the respect of his students and colleagues.

“When I began my graduate program – which Dr. Mahoney helped me apply to – I felt like I already had such a strong foundation from Mary Washington,” said Kathye, who went on to teach elementary school and run a summer science academy for children.

Her friend, Kathy Diehl Hartman ’77, said he opened science majors up to the vast array of chemistry careers available to them. Throughout her 37 years studying cancer drugs at the National Institutes of Health, she always followed his advice.

“Dr. Mahoney encouraged us to take meticulous notes, to be able to prove our data and methodology,” she said. “His philosophy on turning in quality work and the reputation you gain from it carried me throughout my career.”

For more information about the Bernard L. Mahoney Student Research Fellowship in Science or other giving opportunities, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04