Alumni News
UNC Alumnus Performs at Presidential Inauguration
Saxophonist and unc alumni Darren Rahn performed at A Time for Hope, the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Jazz Gala at the Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Va., on January 20. A master’s level jazz graduate from UNC, Canadian-born saxophonist Rahn has already achieved more than most musicians dream possible. At the age of 36, as a producer, the list of Billboard credits to his name are many and include the likes of Wayman Tisdale, Eric Darius, Tim Bowman and Dave Koz’s recent No. 1 smash hit “Life in the Fast Lane.” Rahn began working behind the scenes in the mid-’90s producing and programming tracks for other artists. It was his work with Wayman Tisdale in 2004 on the No. 1 single, “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” that would bring Rahn to the forefront of the music industry. Currently, Rahn has had three consecutive No. 1 hits on the monitored R&R Smooth Jazz Chart as a producer. Additionally, he will be releasing his new CD, “Talk of the Town,” in early spring of 2009.
Pictured: (front row L-R) Jack (MA-69)
and Shirley
Micetich, Coal City, Ill.;
Tom (MA-68) and Carmen
Henderson,
Stillwater, Minn.; Kathy Fox, widow of
Leon Fox (MA-68), Perry, Iowa; and
Joanne Loynachan,
Flagstaff, Ariz.;
(back row L-R) Bob Van Galder (EdD-70),
Fresno, Calif.; Gene Baum (MA-70),
Lake Carroll, Ill.;
Joyce and Neal (MA-69)
Johnson, Wahpeton, N.D.;
Jerry Loynachan
(MA-69), Flagstaff, Ariz.; and
Nancy Van Galder, Fresno, Calif.
Leaving Their Mark
Through photos, phone calls, round-robin letters, emails and summer reunions in the Midwest and in California, a group of alumni from the ’60s and ’70s have kept their friendships intact. In August, they gathered for a week in Lake Tahoe to reminisce, laugh, look at old photos, take new ones and reflect on that special time which began in 1966 at Colorado State College.
UNC Alumnus Returns for Spring Theatre Production
UNC theatre graduate Laurence Curry will be a guest artist in the university’s spring production of “Holes.” Curry has been working professionally as an actor, dancer, martial artist and choreographer over the past 15 years. Curry has a bachelor’s degree from UNC in theatre with a minor in dance. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity. Curry’s movie credits include Asteroid, Strange Land and Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead.
UNC Grad Brings Monfort Story to Life
Walt Barnhart recently published Kenny’s Shoes: A Walk Through the Storied Life of the Remarkable Kenneth W. Monfort. After suggesting to Dick Monfort, one of Kenny’s sons, that a book about his father should be written, he took to the idea. Ironically, Dick had been in discussion with the Monfort School of Business who said they needed something to let new students know who Kenny was and what he meant to the school. Barnhart, who worked for Monfort of Colorado from 1974–1980, now lives in Littleton, where he is a freelance writer and communications consultant with extensive experience in the meat and livestock industries.