5.25.2010

Geoff McKim (87-89) and Amy Cornell (89-90)


Geoff McKim and Amy Cornell adopted a baby from China. We met Tessa Xiaojian Cornell McKim on April 5, 2010. Her birthday was May 18, 2009. She is from Jiangxi Province, China.

Mira Gerard, 1986-87

Mira lived in Collins-Cravens for her freshman year. She graduated in 1991 with a BFA in Painting & Drawing and went on to receive her MFA from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. Mira is a painter and art professor at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee and is married with two stepsons.

Pete Tidemann

Pete Tidemann was in Zanzibar again producing the world music festival Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom), this time as an official cultural envoy to Zanzibar for the State Department. This cultural award was granted to him after ten years of volunteerism in East Africa, building capacities in technical stage arts which he began at IU Opera department many years ago. Pete also raised money to purchase equipment for the festival and shipped over a 40' container full of state of the art sound and lighting for the festival to own. He is returning in October 2010 to continue training and education of the staff and technicians in the area. Meanwhile back on the stateside home front, Pete is shooting a feature length documentary and working for a variety of shows and entertainment events with everyone from Elton John to Rascal Flatts.

John Maly, RA in 1985







I am living in California with my wife and 3 boys. I worked in the family business. We sold that in 2007 to L'oreal. Now I run Mirabella Beauty, a cosmetic company.

I stay in touch with 2 of the other Collins staff, John Barce and Mark Hayden. In fact, Mark and I brought our wives to the Kentucky Derby last month!

Jim McLean


Jim McLean invented the FlashHarp®:

Most flash drives are devoid of personality. Not so my 3¼-inch playable FlashHarp®, the harmonica USB flash drive that's preloaded with my homespun video harmonica lesson.

Even if you don't master the art of playing the harp, you'll never have to throw FlashHarp in the back of a drawer, 'cuz you can always use it as a plain flash drive. Made in the U.S.A. with a soul seated smack at the heart of American music, patented FlashHarp is haute to tote--even if you don't give a hoot to toot! Gizmodo calls it, "4GBs of musical goodness."

Buy FlashHarp at http://www.backyardbrand.com
Demo FlashHarp at: http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com
See me (as The Backyard Harmonica Teacher) perform a bit at: http://www.flashharpmusic.com

Patent No. D602,940