Class Notes

Joseph Egler ’16 recently graduated as a Second Lieutenant from the United States Army Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, GA.

Joshua Brown Named Drone Keynote Speaker At 2023 World Police Summit

Joshua K. Brown, founder and president of Icarus UAS, has been named as the Drone Keynote Speaker at the 2023 World Police Summit in Dubai on Mar. 7, 2023.

Brown, who also serves on HAI’s UAS Working Group, is a recognized drone subject matter expert. His experience includes working as an in-field flight instructor, flight instructor, peer-reviewed scientist, and a police standard bearer. He is the first African American to be selected as the Drone Keynote Speaker at this event.

Bill and Jamieson got married on September 17, 2022 in Colorado Springs, CO! Jamieson is now a Labor and Delivery Nurse at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, CO. And Bill works as a consultant for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Please reach out and stop by when visiting Denver!

Jim Comey’s true story, “War Dog,” is included in the upcoming (January, 2023) book, CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY DOG. It’s based on his family’s Korean War dog, Buster, and his remarkable escapades.

Jim is an award-winning freelance writer and retired educator. His coming-of-age, Philly-area, Catholic novel, UNCOMMON GLORY, and post-apocalyptic, science-fantasy novel, THE WILD WORLD, are available from Amazon. Over 100,00 children have seen his plays. He received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and taught from middle school through graduate school levels. When not writing, he’s often found riding his motorcycle on winding country roads.

More info: https://bingebooks.com/author/james-hugh-comey

Hired as the new Division I Old Dominion University Head Rowing Coach

Michael E. Scullin has been decorated with the Médaille d’honneur des affaires étrangères (Medal of Honor for Foreign Affairs) at a ceremony at Philadelphia City Hall on December 13, 2022. The award was presented by François Penguilly, Consul General of France in Washington, D.C. Scullin, who served as Honorary Consul for over 17 years, stepped down from the position earlier this year. He has engaged in activities involving France for over 25 years, for which he has received numerous awards and recognitions. He obtained French nationality in 2018.

The award is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honor medal for work. It was originally created by a Royal decree of 28 July 1816 to reward acts of courage displayed by French nationals on foreign soil. Although still bestowed in wartime for courage, the modern award is now aimed at rewarding service by French diplomats and civil servants stationed outside of France.

In his remarks, Consul General Penguilly observed:

Ever since you took up your duties as honorary consul on August 1, 2005, you have fulfilled your tasks cheerfully and with great dedication. Your remarkable sense of public service, your consummate professionalism and your absolute loyalty put you in a class by yourself. You also spearheaded a partnership between the Lyon and Philadelphia Bar Associations, which helped further strengthen cooperation between the people and institutions of our two countries. The success of this program and your efforts to boost economic ties between the United States and France led to the signing of a protocol agreement between the cities of Lyon and Philadelphia, and between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Rhône-Alpes region (now the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), that bolstered trade, industrial ties and cultural and business relations between those two cities and regions.

Scullin is Counsel to McElroy, Deutsch, a law firm with 13 offices in nine states. He has broad experience in cross-border transactions, and corporate, commercial, and estate law. He has held teaching assignments at Temple University and Arcadia University. He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and a Diploma in Advanced International Legal Studies from the McGeorge School of Law in Salzburg, Austria.

Eugene G. Haas, DO ’99 is happy to announce the birth of his third child, Ignatius Maximilian Haas, born on August 12, 2022.

Eugene G. Haas, DO ’99 has been elected to the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) Board of Directors for the 2023 – 2025 term.

Patrick Regan (Class of ’04) and wife Meghan (nee Meyers) welcomed their first child, Alastair James.

ICARUS AEROSPACE BECOMES OFFICIAL DRONE SPONSOR OF THE WORLD POLICE SUMMIT

Philadelphia, PA, USA. On Thursday, December 7th 2022, the World Police Summit, hosted by the Dubai Police, selected Icarus Aerospace Inc. to be the Official Drone Sponsor for the 2023 World Police Summit, 7-9 March 2023, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE. The World Police Summit is the world’s leading conversation for police and security experts. The Summit hosts six distinct conferences covering strategic and technical disciplines. Each conference features keynote and breakout sessions covering nine vital themes in 21st century policing – from cybercrime to forensic science and beyond. The conference gives delegates from around the world the chance to learn from the frontline and meet the sector leaders shaping the next generation.

Major General Dr. Abdul Qudous Abdul Razzaq Al-Obaidli, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Excellence and Pioneering Affairs at Dubai Police, confirmed that the World Police Summit has become the leading specialized global platform for those involved in policing, safety, security and law enforcement as it enables and strengthens communication channels between all security agencies from around the world and highlights the latest security issues and showcases relevant best practices.

When sought for comment, Joshua Brown, President & CEO of Icarus Aerospace Inc., stated, “It is a special time for the entire Icarus family. We are honored and humbled to do our part to support the international policing community. The field of drone technology is reshaping human history every day. To play some small part in that is a privilege we do not take lightly. We deeply thank His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Dubai Police for providing this shining example of global excellence in public safety.” As the architect behind the solutions and standards produced by Icarus Aerospace, Mr. Brown, a Doctoral Candidate at American Military University, credits the passion, skill, and dedication of his team with the success Icarus Aerospace has achieved.

Since August of 2018, Icarus Aerospace Inc.’s UAS for Public Safety© training program has been approved as an accredited international best practice training course under the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). This was historic as no other organization had ever achieved the IADLEST Seal in the field of unmanned aviation before Icarus Aerospace stepped forward. In July of 2021, Icarus Aerospace again made history becoming the first non-military aerospace program to pass the prestigious ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), obtaining the ANSI/ASTM E2659-18, Standard Practice for Certificate Programs standard ushering in a new way for UAS/Drone flight operations integration into some of the most complex airspace systems on the planet.

Founded in 2015, Icarus Aerospace Inc., is a Minority Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, Small Business, subject matter expert in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“Drones”) integration, training, and program development. Recognized by NASA, the FAA, and the U.S. Congress, Icarus Aerospace has spearheaded the growth and development of advanced autonomous aerospace systems. Icarus Aerospace is one of the only nationally recognized UAS/Drone training teams in the U.S. led by experienced aviators, military veterans, scientist, and public safety operators and instructors.
###

A group of ’52ers continues to meet monthly for lunch and levity, plus an occasional quick quiz.
Anyone from our class who could find your way to the Great American Pub contact me right here for further info. God Bless.

Kayla Maeve Della Polla born on 11/14/22 to Bobby Della Polla ’09 and his wife, Christine

I hosted a colloquium at Boston College High School for Latin teachers from Jesuit high schools around the country. Prep Classics teacher Jon Pohlig ’02 was in attendance.
I am currently chair of Classics at BC High, where I am finishing my 25th year of teaching.

Keki R. Balsara, MD, MBA, has been appointed surgical director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute. Dr. Balsara, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, will lead the heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support programs based at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Dr. Balsara joins MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he served as associate professor of surgery and vice chair of Network Surgical Strategy and Development. Dr. Balsara is a nationally recognized leader in the field of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. He has been actively involved in several innovative strategies for extending the number of heart transplant organs available to patients suffering from end-stage heart disease. He and his colleagues have pioneered the adoption of donation after cardiac death (DCD) and the use of organ preservation techniques, such as ex-vivo organ perfusion and normothermic regional perfusion. With these “cutting edge” innovations, the number of available organs has dramatically increased for patients afflicted with end-stage heart failure on the transplant waitlist.

“With Dr. Balsara’s experience, leadership, talent, and passion for innovation, the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute will continue to grow as a nationally recognized leader in the care of patients with advanced heart failure,” said Stuart F. Seides, MD, physician executive director, MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute. “We are elated to have Dr. Balsara join our dedicated team of experts in this dynamic and rapidly evolving field.”

Dr. Balsara earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his internship and residency in surgery at Duke University Medical Center, he stayed at Duke to finish a surgical critical care fellowship. He completed another residency in cardiac and thoracic surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Balsara is widely published and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters, and has been an invited lecturer, discussant, and/or moderator for numerous national and international meetings.

I was in York, ME with family for long weekend. We went out to a local bar/restaurant for food, beer, and to watch Phillies playoff game. In walked a solo guy who sat down in back corner table who also had Phillies gear. Went over to say hello and dropped my teeth when found out he was– Brian Breslin, my classmate. He has been living in ME for years & I had not seen him for over 40 years!

The memoirs of my junior and senior years at The Prep have been published and are available on Amazon. Plug in your memories as you read of how I experienced these years. Together we could write quite a story.

My scientific paper: Hall, E. S., 2017, “Comparison of Five Modeling Approaches to Quantify and Estimate the Effect of Clouds on the Radiation Amplification Factor (RAF) for Solar Ultraviolet Radiation”, Atmosphere, Volume 8, Article Number 153, 18 August 2017; pp 33, www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/8/8/153/pdf; doi:10.3390/atmos8080153, Special Issue: Radiative Transfer in the Earth Atmosphere, won an honorable mention for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2021 Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards (STAA). About the award itself, it is the most prestigious award that can be earned by US EPA Scientists. I am the only 2021 STAA Award winner who won with a single-author publication. With respect to my research publication that was awarded, the science can be explained like this. There is a number called the Radiation Amplification Factor (RAF), and it lets us know for that every 1% decrease in stratospheric ozone (from the ‘ozone hole’) there is a 1.1% increase in biologically harmful solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the earth’s surface. Thus, the numerical value of RAF in general is given as (-1.1). The RAF is affected by clouds in the atmosphere, and the analysis in my publication was done to determine cloud effects on the RAF value. US EPA had a UV radiation monitoring network that measured UV at 21 locations (continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands [St. John]), but for this research analysis, I used 71,000 UV measurements from 10 monitoring stations that were varied in climate, altitude, location, UV intensity, etc. Since there is no single empirical ‘standard’ for determining the amount of cloudiness in the atmosphere at a location, I developed 5 different computer models for determining cloudiness using SAS Software. Since my research validates that the value of RAF, on average, does not change due to cloud effects, scientists can accurately calculate the effects of, and rates of, skin cancer and sunburn/skin damage, etc., in all-weather outdoor conditions. I am a Physical Scientist and Quality Assurance Manager at US EPA’s Research Triangle Park (Durham) North Carolina facility. I am in the process of completing a PhD in STEM Education (2023) at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina). I earned bachelors degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics from Syracuse University, a masters degree in Business from Webster University, and a masters degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University.

After being interrupted by the Covid 19 pandemic, the Prep Class of ’64 will be resuming their annual reunion luncheon at The Mulberry, 1835 Arch St, Philadelphia., PA 19103, on Saturday, November 5. Please contact Joe Horstmann (jpappyhorstmann@gmail.com) for details.

Michael Egan ’71, former Executive Vice President of the Prep, was tabbed by Atargis Energy Corporation to lead a team of Senior Advisors. A 40-year plus energy-industry veteran, Michael has previously served as CEO of Exelon Enterprises, Executive VP of Exelon Corporation, CFO of PECO Energy and Chairman of AmerGen. Mr. Egan will help lead and coordinate the activities of the Senior Advisors in addition to his board duties.

“We’re pleased to be gaining the support of industry leaders like Michael Egan and prominent energy professionals like Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn and Dr. Jeff Roberts,” said Atargis founder and CTO, Dr. Stefan Siegel. “Ocean wave energy has long held tremendous potential as a renewable resource and our disruptive cycloidal wave energy converter (CycWEC) design will enable affordable, grid-scale power from ocean waves in the very near future.”

Invitation to the Annual Commencement at the Academy of Music June 16, 1926 of my father’s class.