Class Notes Spring 2025

1960s 

John G. Rocovich Jr. ’66 received the Distinguished Alumni of the Corps Award in April. The award recognizes those alumni who have continued to serve the university and the Corps of Cadets in the spirit of Ut Prosim.  

1970s 

Jim Bigwood ’78 was recently honored as the Baltimore Orioles Game Presentation Most Valuable Oriole for 2024. Jim was recognized before a recent Orioles game against the Cincinnati Reds. Jim mixes the audio for the fans attending games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.  

1980s

David Wilson ’84 served as the Distinguished Alumni Speaker for the College of Engineering’s commencement ceremony in May. David’s leadership transformed Toyota Racing Development over 35 years. With his guidance, Toyota achieved significant milestones in NASCAR, including multiple Cup Series championships and its first Daytona 500 victories.

J. Pearson ’87 was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. He was also recognized during the 2025 Celebration of Ut Prosim awards program in May. J. was among six alumni and friends of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who were honored for their outstanding achievements and impact.

1990s

Maj. Gen. Douglas Clark ’90 came back to the classroom in April to teach the Corps’ Global Scholar cadets about the role of NATO. Clark currently leads the Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate at U.S. Forces Korea.  

2000s 

Cmdr. Daniel Maine ’07 recently became the officer in charge of the Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ)-4 Detachment at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. As the only operational squadron aboard NAS Pax River, Cmdr. Maine has been charged with maintaining squadron readiness and security. 

Lt. Col. Joshua Carroll ’08 and Lt. Col. Justin Klawitter ’08 hosted members of the Virginia Tech Air Force ROTC Detachment for lunch and a Q&A session at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in March. Carroll is the commander of the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron, and Klawitter is the commander of the 83rd Network Operations Squadron.

 2010s

Maj. Catherine “Cat” Grizzle ’14 was selected as the Senior Military Officer for the United States Senate Youth Program, having served as a military mentor in that program in 2022 and 2024.

John Van Meter ’15 was the lead evaluator for the E-130J aircraft Program Source Selection and won the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Cost Department Junior Analyst of the Year Award. John was also part of the Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) Team of the Year.  

Michael Sherburne ’17 was the lead engineer on a team at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory that successfully 3D printed a shape-changing metal called nitinol and integrated novel electronics to make the metal work as a movable antenna. The team’s groundbreaking work was published in ACS Applied Engineering Materials, where it made the cover of the journal’s January 2025 issue.

2020s 

The Olmsted Foundation Board of Directors selected Lt.j.g. Kyrsten Dallanegra ’21 as an Olmsted Scholar. Her overseas tour of duty as a Scholar will afford her the opportunity to become fluent in a foreign language, receive a fully funded master’s degree at a foreign university, and gain invaluable perspectives that will shape her into a more effective leader and strategic asset to the Joint Force. 

 2nd Lt. Patrick Corrigan ’24 has been selected as Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties, a list denoting top university talent across the nation to watch in the field of aerospace engineering. This year, there were 90 nominees from 46 different colleges and universities representing 14 countries. 

Nicholas Dominique ’24 composed a paper entitled "The New Age Space Race: Why 'World' Peace Is Not Enough" which has been published in the Martello Papers, a monograph series of security studies published by the Centre for International and Defense Policy at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. The Martello Papers cover a wide range of topics and issues relevant to contemporary international strategic relations.

Kian Zandipour '24 was named the 143rd Virginia State Police Academy Honor Graduate and Top Shot for his class.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets recognized 248 graduates from its program on May 16. Of those, 201 entered service in the military as commissioned officers: 118 in the U.S. Army, 37 in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, 45 in the U.S Air Force, and one in the U.S. Coast Guard. In addition, 47 are Citizen-Leader Track graduates who will pursue graduate programs or serve in the public and private sector. Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon VT’87, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Installations and Logistics, administered the oath of office and was the guest speaker at the Corps and ROTC graduation and commissioning ceremony.