Margery Elfin (pictured above left with Carol Deck Montoya '94 at Hood's May 1994 Commencement ceremony) joined the Hood faculty in 1977, served as chair of the department of history and political science and retired in 1998 as the Virginia E. Lewis Professor Emerita of Politics. "My favorite memories of Hood are those of my students and colleagues," she said recently. So it should be no surprise that she maintains ties with many alums living near her Washington, D.C., home and corresponds via e-mail with those who live afar. She has continued her passion for learning and teaching by serving as a docent at several museums and exhibits throughout the Washington, D.C., area. She has also managed to remain active through her writing and is currently working on two books. "Images of America: Forest Hill" will be published in September and her book "A Nation on Trial: The Legacy of the Dreyfus Affair in France" is yet to be published. While at Hood she co-authored "The Cost of Being Female" with Sue Headlee. One of her greatest joys that she shares with her husband Mel, who is now retired from U.S. News and World Report, is her four grandchildren who live nearby. Retirement has not slowed Dr. Elfin down; for those of us who knew her at Hood, we are not surprised!

KUDOS: Congratulations to Linda Itell-Thomas ’79, owner of Dynamic Metals International, LLC, whose company was one of 60 small businesses honored with the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes companies that show excellence in business history and commitment to customers, employees and the community. Linda was part of the Fabulous Women’s panel at Hood in March 2004. Congratulations, Linda!

INCOMING FRESHMAN WINS PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD: Incoming freshman Emily Brownlee, a native of Prince Frederick, Md., was recently selected from a pool of more than 40 students across the country as the U.S. winner of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the most prestigious international competition for water-related research. Click here for the full story.

ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL NAMED: Provost and Dean of Faculty Robert Funk announced that Kathleen Bands, professor of education, will assume the duties of the associate dean of the Hood College Graduate School. Her primary responsibilities will be the recruitment of graduate students and the development of new student markets and graduate studies program.

INTERESTED IN RECONNECTING WITH YOUR CLASSMATES VIA E-MAIL? The Classes of 1956, 1957, 1968, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1982 have had the opportunity to join a closed Yahoo! e-mail loop exclusively for their class. This is an excellent way to find out what is going on with your classmates throughout the world. If you are interested in receiving an invitation to one of the groups above or in starting a loop for your class, all you need is an active e-mail account; you do not need to have an e-mail account through Yahoo! Contact Bonnie Lightcap at lightcap@hood.edu for more information.

WHO IS THAT IN MY REUNION CLASS PHOTO? Interested in knowing who is pictured in each class reunion photo? Click here for the photos and for the identification key to each 2006 Reunion class photo.

DO YOU WANT TO TRY AN ART CLASS? Starting this fall, non-credit community classes are being offered by Hood’s studio arts department. Click here for the list of classes, times and registration forms.

HOOD COLLEGE CAREER SERVICES: Take advantage of free lifetime services. We can help you with your résumé, give you advice on your job search, talk to you about career options and much more. Contact us at (301) 696-3583 or by e-mail at careers@hood.edu to schedule an appointment.

WE NEED YOUR HELP: Recently the Career Center and Office of Service Learning switched to a new service provider for its online mentor program.  The new provider, Hood Opportunities Network (OpNet), allows students and alums to interact with increased flexibility. With the implementation of this new program, please update your account soon. Click here to update your information or to register for a new account. Thank you!

CVC VIRTUAL JOB FAIR: June 15 to Aug. 12, 2006. The Cumberland Valley Consortium (CVC) Virtual Job Fair draws from 12 schools that grant more than 7,500 bachelor's and master's degrees annually. Search for jobs, post your résumé online and gain access to organizations that are actively searching for candidates. More than 70 employers are represented including: Aerotek, AXA Advisors, Biologic, FedEx, GEICO, MBNA/Bank of America, SAIC-Frederick, The Social Security Administration, The Institute for Genomic Research, Toyota Financial Services and Vanguard. Be among the 1,200 who have already registered and start your job search now. The job fair is open to students and alums. To register, click here.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE FAIR: Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Whitaker Campus Commons. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can become a volunteer in the community. Animal Welfare League, Head Start, Frederick Arts Council, Frederick Memorial Hospital and SERV International are some of the 30-plus organizations that will be represented at the volunteer service fair. For more information call (301) 696-3583. Alums are welcome! Click here for more information.

"CONTAIN YOURSELF!" EXHIBIT DISPLAYED IN HODSON: An exhibit by graduate student Keith Parsley, featuring ceramic sculpture and functional ware, will be held Saturday, Aug. 12 to Sunday, Aug. 27 in the Hodson Gallery of the Tatem Arts Center. Click here for more information.

CONVOCATION SCHEDULED: Aug. 28, 10 a.m., Hodson Outdoor Theatre. Please join students, faculty and staff as they officially kick off the 2006 – 2007 academic year with the traditional convocation ceremony.

Have you moved? Changed jobs? Gotten married? Had kids? We want to know! Click here to update your information!

Want to tell your classmates what's new with you? Click here to share your news in the next issue of Hood Magazine!

Inter(net)actions, August 15, 2006: This edition of Inter(net)actions is also available on the Hood College Web site. Click here to view Inter(net)actions on the Web.