Congratulations to the graduating class of McDermott Scholars. Welcome to the McDermott Alumni Association! 
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Worsfold Memorial Details and Live Stream info
The memorial service for Dr. Victor Worsold will be held at 2 pm tomorrow May 14 Jonsson Perf. Hall, JO2.604. The event will also be available via live stream here.
Congrats to Molly Wurzer ’05 and Matthew Walt
Big congratulations to Molly Wurzer ’05 and Matthew Walt on their marriage last weekend in Houston, Texas. Molly is currently an assistant district attorney with the Harris County DA’s office, and Matthew works at International Distribution Corporation, his family’s chemical storage and distribution warehousing business.
Ramirez ’05 profiled in US Chess Champs
Grand Master Alejandro Ramirez ’05 was profiled recently for US Chess Champs. Ramirez was recently selected as one of two Samford Fellows last year. Congrats to Alejandro. His FIDE Chess rating is 2536, making him 24th top active national player in the USA, and the 586th in the world. Read the whole interview here:
http://www.uschesschamps.com/meet-players-gm-alejandro-ramirezc
Dr. Victor Worsfold
Dr. Worsfold at the Metropolitan Opera in New York with the inaugural class of McDermott Scholars in 2001.
The McDermott Alumni association mourns the loss of UTD Professor Emeritus, Dr. Victor Worsfold. Dr. Worsfold gave regular lectures on upcoming Dallas operas to McDermott Scholars which were insightful, thoughtful, funny, and genuine. His lectures, delivered in his unmistakable accent, made opera accessible and enjoyable to all. To many though, he was more than a lecturer. He was a confidant, a sounding board, and a friend, always ready with to meet for coffee to plot a study aboard, explicate philosophy, or rant about a new campus policy. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. Worsfold died in Dallas on Sunday. A memorial service is being held at UTD on May 14 at 2 pm. Feel free to leave your memories of Dr. Worsfold in the comments.
Alumni featured on UTD News page
The McDermott Alumni were featured today on the UT Dallas news page, in an article highlighting the Alumni’s $100k commitment to the university.
Read the full article here:
http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2013/4/17-23191_McDermott-Scholars-Alumni-Make-Gift-Repay-Generosi_article-wide.html
McDermott Alum Leads the Charge on a Medical Mission to the Galapagos
Lewis Chang ’07 is one of the founding members and leaders of Galapagos ICE (immerse, connect, evolve), an organization at UT Southwestern that sends a group of students to the Galapagos Islands annually on a one-week medical mission for the islands’ residents.
Through his student organization, Lewis works in collaboration with Galapagos ICE in an effort to improve medical care on the islands. This includes assisting hospitals and clinics by providing volunteer healthcare workers, disseminating medical supplies/equipment, improving the Galapagos healthcare workers’ skills by hosting medical workshops and seminars, and educating the general population through public health seminars and healthy living classes.
His group also initiated a research survey last year on their inaugural trip to assess patient awareness of their own nutrition and health as well as survey health data on the islands. They have created and maintained an electronic health record of the patients they’ve seen to facilitate patients who are seen annually, and have partnerships with both the local hospital and physicians in order to allow follow-up care for patients who need more treatment than their clinic can provide.
This year, they are returning to the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands with an internist, two pediatricians, a child psychiatrist, a registered nurse, as well as 18 medical students to set up a clinic for a second year. Safe travels Lewis!
McDermott Alumni name reflecting pond
On February 23, 2013, the McDermott Alumni met on campus at UT Dallas to officially name the north-most reflecting pool in the center of the mall. The pond is being named in honor of the Alumni’s $100,000 five-year pledge to the university. We look forward to returning to campus for years to come as it continues to grow, change, and improve.
Dina Shahrokhi ’07 writes Syria op-ed
McDermott Alumni Dina Shahrokhi ’07 wrote an op-ed piece at the website Syria Deeply, reminiscing of her memories of Syria.
Check it out here: http://www.syriadeeply.org/op-eds/2013/03/syria-knew/.
McDermott Finalists Weekend a success
Last weekend, approximately 40 McDermott Alumni came out to the UTD campus to assist with Finalists Weekend — the weekend where next year’s class of McDermott Scholars are interviewed. We all remember our Finalists’ weekend well. Hard to believe that for some of us (i.e., your humble blog editor), it was 13 years ago!
On Friday, the McDermott Alumni had a great happy hour at the Flying Saucer in Addison. Here are a few pics of the evening.
