Chips Watch: New jobs
for CQ coach Fitzpatrick, alums

Special to chipsquinn.org

Posted: Jan. 14, 2005

Awards …Jason Hidalgo (Summer 1995) is one of three winners of the 2004 Boehringer Ingelheim COPD Communication Award Eloquium for his entry, With Every Breath, Hope. The international award recognizes journalism that extends public awareness and understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hidalgo is the first U.S. reporter to win the award. See this year’s winners.

Elvira Viveros (Summer 2003) placed 14th in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program in feature writing. She received a certificate of merit for placing among the top 20.

Colleen Fitzpatrick

New beginnings… Chips writing coach Colleen Fitzpatrick, who has been writing about mental health and addiction issues for magazines and newsletters published by Manisses Communications Group in Providence, R.I., reports that she has a new job. She becomes managing editor of a magazine devoted to her own addiction -- gardening. Fine Gardening magazine is one of six four-color magazines published by The Taunton Press of Newtown, Conn. Taunton is a family-owned company started 25 years ago by Paul and Jan Roman. The stories in all the magazines are written by practicing experts, and Fitzpatrick reports that their readers are people who are passionate about their craft or pursuit. The Fine Gardening staff of about 10 seeks out horticulture and garden-design experts and works with them to share their knowledge in their own voices. Fitzpatrick says, “We travel to visit them and their gardens and shoot photographs, and then work with the experts to craft their stories. We publish eight issues a year, which are available through subscriptions, or singly in bookstores and other outlets nationwide.” Fitzpatrick plans to continue her work as a Chips coach.

Richard Koonce was photographed with Loie and John Quinn at a Freedom Forum dinner at the UNITY convention in August.

Injured in accident … Richard Koonce (inaugural class of 1991) was seriously injured in car accident Jan. 9. Koonce was on his way home from work when his car was struck from behind at a toll booth on the Ohio Turnpike. A weekend reporter for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, Koonce is on leave from teaching journalism and advising the student newspaper at Norfolk State University. He is pursuing a doctorate degree at Bowling Green State University. Cards may be sent to him at 1703 Pierce St., Sandusky, OH 44870.

Anthony Reyes

Moving up…Anthony Reyes (Summer 2001) has been promoted to chief photographer at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark.

Moving on … Erica Pippins (Summer 1999) is education reporter at the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. Pippins was a senior reporter and ASNE/APME Fellow at The Herald in Rock Hill, S.C.

La Monica Everett-Haynes (Summer 2000) is a higher-education reporter at Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen. Previously, she was a higher-education reporter at the Houston Chronicle.

Lashonda Stinson

ASNE/APME Fellow Lashonda Stinson (Summer 2000) has moved to a features-reporting job from news reporter at the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner.

Another ASNE/APME Fellow, Sue Stock (Summer 2000), is a business reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. She was a business reporter at the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal.

Eddy Ramirez (Summer 2001) is a general-assignment reporter at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. Says Ramirez, “I cover Brandon and the other bedroom communities east and south of Tampa -- a vast chunk of land populated by retirees, military folks, farm workers and even traveling circus performers who make this their home during the winters!”

Marci Turner (Summer 2001) has been hired as a news clerk at The Vicksburg (Miss.) Post.

Elisa Almodovar

April Rushing (Fall 2001) was graduated from the University of Memphis in December. This month, she began a new job as education reporter for The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn. Says Rushing, “In addition to covering K-12 and the local universities, I will assist with the newspaper's high school journalism page.”

Elisa Almodovar (Summer 2002) is a copy editor at the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle.

Levi Long (Summer 2002) is a reporter at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.

Levi Long

Leezel Tanglao (Summer 2003) was graduated from Loyola Marymount University in December and starts the new year as a general-assignment reporter for The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif.

Rosalio Ahumada (Summer 2003) has joined the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star as an education reporter. Ahumada’s beat will include Merced College and the University of California-Merced, scheduled to open in Fall 2005.

Telecia Baez (Summer 2003) has been named a 2005 Pulliam Fellow. Through the program, she will be a metro reporter at the Indianapolis Star this Summer.

Tanya Caldwell (Summer 2003) will be a Summer intern at South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.

Stephanie Conduff (Summer 2003) will be a Summer intern at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

As a result of the regional Chips Quinn alum reunion in San Antonio, Texas, Josie Garcia (Summer 2003) found a Summer copy-editing internship at the San Antonio Express-News. She reports that it is a perfect arrangement, as she is in school at the University of Texas-San Antonio.

More from the 2004 Summer class … Melissa Chavez has been hired as a copy editor at The Salinas Californian.

Jillian Doria will be a Summer intern at the New York Daily News. Says Doria, “I'm excited to see what the environment is like and to experience the dynamics of the Big Apple.”

Patricia Ho

Patricia Ho is now a business reporter at the Merced Sun-Star, where she joins Rosalio Ahumada in the newsroom.

Nicole Pegues was graduated from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign in December and is off this month to Northwestern University's graduate program in magazine publishing.

More updates … Sherry Parfait (Summer 1994) was graduated in December from Middle Tennessee State University with a bachelor of science degree in recording-industry management.

Miraj Berry (Summer 2003) was graduated from the University of Rhode Island in May and offered a job as assignment editor at WJAR-TV in Providence.

Alex Medina (Summer 2003) was graduated from Kansas State University in December and will be an intern at Sen. Sam Brownback’s (R-Kan.) Washington, D.C., office starting this month.

Baby … Anthony Reyes (Summer 2001) is a proud dad to Cruz Anthony born Oct. 15. Says Reyes, “Mom Angie and baby are doing just fine.”

Congratulations to all, and to all a Happy 2005. Keep your news coming. Send updates to Program Coordinator Michelle Hedenskoog.

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