1970s
We hope you enjoy this special edition of class notes and the opportunity to see what your friends and colleagues are up to. Share your news or update your contact information.
| BS – Bachelor of Science | MITS – Medical Imaging & Therapeutic Science |
| CLS – Clinical Laboratory Science | MLS – Medical Laboratory Science |
| CP – Clinical Perfusion | MN – Medical Nutrition |
| Cyto – Cytotechnology | MT – Medical Technology |
| D – Dentistry | N – Nursing |
| DH – Dental Hygiene | P – Pharmacy |
| GC – Genetic Counseling | PA – Physician Assistant |
| GS – Graduate Studies | PH – Public Health |
| HPTT – Health Professions Teaching and Technology | PT – Physical Therapy |
| MS – Master of Science | RST – Radiation Science Technology |
| MHA – Master of Health Administration | RT – Radiologic Technology |
| M – Medicine |
Richard Elliott M’70
Sun City West, Ariz., is retired and keeping busy.
Jan Fuccillo N’71
Troutdale, Ore., retired in 2016, but retained her nursing license until 2021 to have bragging rights of being a nurse for 50. Her nursing skills have come in handy many times since retirement, including helping in the final stages of life for her mother and one brother, and helping her husband cope with the challenges of chronic kidney disease. She will always be thankful that she was a diabetes nurse for 38 years, since renal disease management skills were vital in patient care. The dietary management aspects are especially important now in guiding him. Once a nurse…. always a nurse! She also volunteers at the Portland Japanese Garden (known worldwide as the best outside of Japan) and sits on the justice and peace committee at their church. Fortunately, she and her husband still travel extensively and will, until they can’t! Having seven grandchildren from Tokyo to Dallas to Brooklyn also keeps them hopping. They’ve been in the Northwest for 50 years and have never regretted the decision to move to Oregon. It's such a beautiful state!
Larry B. Moeller BS’72, M’74
Omaha, Neb., retired in 2012 from primary care at Kansas State University. He and his wife moved back to her hometown of Omaha to enjoy family including grandkids.
Wichita, Kan., is now focusing his attention on research at the Kansas Nephrology Research Institute, conducting pharmaceutical trials in nephrology, general internal medicine, and cardiology. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he and his wife, Ann Ross N’71, are deeply committed to philanthropy. Together, they support charitable initiatives in their church, the arts, and the medical institutions where they received their training. He currently serves as the CEO of the Wichita Grand Opera. When not engaged in professional pursuits, they enjoy vacationing in Los Cabos and he pursues his hobbies of playing the saxophone and piano, and singing in the church choir.
Al Bird D’74
University Place, Wash., retired in 2022 and had the opportunity to practice with his son for 17 years. He has five children and a son-in-law who is also a dentist. He enjoys traveling the world, including trips with his RV, and boating on the Puget Sound.
Melvin Campbell M'74
Ainsworth, Neb., received the COPIC Nebraska Humanitarian Award in August 2024, from the Nebraska Medical Association. His medical career includes service with the U.S. Public Health Service, the Indian Health Service Branch, and the Ainsworth Family Clinic, where he practiced from August 1978 - June 2024. His career includes several notable milestones, including being one of the few internists in the state to deliver babies. He delivered over 500 babies until the late 2000s when the Brown County Hospital stopped doing obstetrics. For many years, he was the sole provider in the community, covering the emergency room at the hospital 24/7. In 2001, a plane crash in the area brought one patient in with severe burns and numerous injuries. He manually ventilated the patient during the entire 275-mile trip to St. Elizabeth's in Lincoln. He and his wife, Sharon, have been married for 50 years. He is also very active in his community.
Peggy Everitt N’74
Raleigh, N.C., and her husband recently moved to Raleigh to be closer to family. She is missing Nebraska, their lifelong home, but will adjust.
James Kehr D’74
Clancy, Mont., is retired from practice.
Camilla Kochenderfer M’74
San Diego, Calif., is happily retired after practicing in anesthesiology.
Marcia Regier N’74
Beatrice, Neb., is mostly retired and lives on a farm. She is blessed to have three children, two of which are married; and four grandchildren all living nearby.
Constance Ryan MT’74
Valley, Neb., was inducted into the 2024 Greater Omaha Chamber’s Business Hall of Fame. She is the CEO of Streck.
Andris Antoniskis M’75
Meridian, ID., retired in 2015, and he and his wife recently downsized and moved to Idaho to be closer to four of their seven grandchildren. They are enjoying living in Idaho after Oregon.
Christopher Crotty M’75
Highlands Ranch, Colo., retired after nearly 40 years of private dermatology practice and now lives in Denver.
Frederick Echternacht M’75
La Vista, Neb., has been fully retired for 10 years. He has become more involved with his church and Bible study. He tells people that his practice is now limited to “eternal medicine”. Woodworking and lawn care occupy a portion of his time, and they have been fortunate to travel.
Oracle, Ariz., joined a volunteer, medical relief mission to Warsaw, Poland in January and February 2024. Members of the team included three nurses, an EMT, and himself as the pharmacist. The medical mission provided remote clinics at five sites around Warsaw. The clinic served displaced Ukrainian refugees who had left their country for safety in Poland. The number of total patients for whom care was provided exceeded 800 in total. He prescribed the patients more than 1,500 prescriptions and counseled each on its proper usage. The patients served were individuals in their 70s and 80s, young mothers and their children (the fathers had either been killed in action or were fighting on the front lines), and young people who had escaped. The genuine expressions of gratitude by these individuals were overwhelming and gratifying. He is so very thankful for the education, training, and mentorship provided while he was so fortunate to be a student at the UNMC College of Pharmacy.
Bruce Holcomb P’75, ‘76, M’79, Ophthalmology ‘81
Omaha, Neb., was an emergency physician and medical director of emergency clinicians at Immanuel Hospital from 1989-2017, when he retired.
Stan Moore M’75
Georgetown, Colo., has enjoyed retiring to the mountains to be near his daughters and grandchildren.
James Campbell M’76
Cody, Wyo., retired from the UNMC Division of General Internal Medicine in January 2024, after a 47-year career at UNMC.
Calvin Schuler M’76
Dragoon, Ariz., retired in November 2022 after almost 44 years in emergency medicine. He still misses it at times, though he is enjoying filling his time with his small acreage and playing with his U.S. Stamp Collection. He is looking forward to his class reunion in 2026.
Jerry Weber PT’76
Lincoln, Neb., retired from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on July 1, 2024, after 47 years as an athletic trainer physical therapist for UNL athletics.
Carlsbad, Calif., retired from practice and teaching at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in 2017. He continues to manage a small commercial real estate company and is active with his four children and 10 grandchildren. He enjoys outdoor activities and splits his time between Kansas and California.
Anne Hubbard M’77
Omaha, Neb., received the 2024 Sower Award from Humanities Nebraska in September 2024. The award recognizes her significant contribution to public understanding of the humanities and for her philanthropic support of many Native American projects, the National Willa Cather Center, Omaha Public Library, KANEKO, Joslyn Art Museum, and other humanities-related entities that have made an impact on cultural and educational life in Nebraska.
Michael Sitorius M’77, Family Medicine ‘80 PHOTO
Omaha, Neb., was recognized with the J. G. Elliott Award during UNMC’s May 2024 commencement ceremony. The award recognizes significant contributions to medicine and health programs for the state of Nebraska. During his 42-year career at UNMC, he has had a role in training about 70% of Nebraska’s practicing family physicians. He has developed and overseen numerous initiatives to find potential medical students within Nebraska’s rural communities and see them return to the state’s rural areas as practicing physicians.
Leawood, Kan., retired in 2013 and lived aboard a sailboat for six months in Florida. In 2018, he got his U.S. Coast Guard captains license and started Stuart Sailing Charters and in 2022, moved back to Kansas.
Omaha, Neb., stepped down from his 22-year career as chair of the UNMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in April 2024. He will remain in the position until a successor is identified, and he will continue to practice clinically. He first came to UNMC as faculty in 1988, following a residency while in the Navy and a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at the University of Southern California. He left, briefly, in 1999 to become obstetrics chair at the University of Arkansas, but he was lured back to UNMC in 2002 by longtime department supporter Leland Olson, MD, and James Armitage, MD, then-dean of the college of medicine. During his tenure, he served 12 years in the dean’s office as the senior associate dean for clinical affairs and later four years as chief academic officer for Nebraska Medicine.
Tucson, Ariz., published four peer-reviewed articles in Psychiatric Times, 2019-2023 and has numerous articles on Substack.
Elkhorn, Neb., is proud to be a UNMC alumnus and feels that it is a distinct honor. It signifies a unique relationship and a shared bond with others who have been connected to UNMC. The College of Nursing holds a special place in her heart. It's where she forged lifelong friendships and bonds. Her experiences at the College and UNMC are unforgettable. Despite having lived across the globe, this place retains a profound significance for her. Nebraska will forever be a source of pride for her, her home, and she is gratified to have had an extensive career at UNMC.
Kent Lacey M’79, Family Medicine ‘82
Scottsbluff, Neb., was recognized with the J. G. Elliott Award during UNMC’s May 2024 commencement ceremony. The award recognizes significant contributions to medicine and health programs for the state of Nebraska. He practiced family medicine in Scottsbluff for 37 years and has been lauded for his mentorship of nursing and medical students and family medicine residents.
Wayne Nochi P’79
Gering, Neb., married his wife Sandi in 1982 and they have three wonderful daughters and two grandsons. He worked in retail pharmacy in Alliance for 9 years, then moved to Scottsbluff and was a manager at a grocery pharmacy for 15 years, then was with Walgreens for 3 years, and finished his career at the local hospital outpatient pharmacy for 17 years, before retiring in 2023. He is involved in various church activities, fishing, and gardening, and has taken up pickleball in retirement. He says hello to his classmates!
Susan Strate M’79
Wichita Falls, Texas, has served as president of the Texoma Independent Physicians since 1996, a 230-member multispecialty independent practice association in North Texas. She is a past speaker of the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates. She received the Texas Medical Foundation Health Quality Institute Philip R. Overton Award, the College of American Pathologists Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Texas Society of Pathologists Distinguished Service Award. Her private practice is in clinical and anatomic pathology.
Laurel Walton PA’79
Linton, Ind., practiced as a certified physician assistant in Iowa, before receiving her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Des Moines University. She attended OBGYN residency in Texas and has practiced in the specialty for the last 33 years in Illinois, Nebraska, and Indiana.
Robert Wergin M’79
Lincoln, Neb., was elected president-elect of the Nebraska Medical Association (NMA) during its fall 2024 meeting. He represents a portion of the NMA called the Greater Nebraska Caucus, which encompasses everything outside of Omaha and Lincoln.