Notable and Quotable
Same job, different boss
When the time came for newly elected Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to choose his chief of staff, he looked no farther than his own office. Experienced government veteran Bill Leighty ’77 will once again serve as the governor’s right hand man, continuing a role he held under Gov. Mark Warner.
Leighty, 52, has served the Commonwealth under both Democratic and Republican administrations for 25 years. He has taken leadership roles in a variety of projects, from development of the Virginia Railway Express commuter train to director of the Virginia Retirement System.
Newspapers throughout the region, from The Roanoke Times to The Washington Post, documented Kaine’s November 2005 decision to retain Leighty. During his tenure as chief of staff to Warner, Governing Magazine named Virginia the “best managed” state in the nation.
Leighty, who has a degree in economics from Mary Washington, told The Roanoke Times, “For those that know me and what I’ve dedicated my life to, this is the pinnacle of service to the people of the Commonwealth, and you don’t pass up that opportunity.”
Leighty is married to Martha Kearns Leighty ’75, a member of the UMW Board of Visitors.
– Elise M. Tobin ’06
Elder Stateswoman
Seniority has its perks. Ruby Lee Norris ’36 was selected as an at-large delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. Norris turned 90 the day after the conference, which was held in Washington, D.C., in December. She participated in seminars, voted on resolutions and learned about new technology, such as how to “blog.” With a theme of “The Booming Dynamics of Aging: From Awareness to Action,” the conference explored a myriad of topics from Medicare to mobility.
The 2005 conference was the fifth. Delegates were selected because of their “experience, wisdom and energy.”
Norris, who lives in Topping, Va., and distinguished herself during a 37-year career as an educator, stays active in her retirement. She engages in her passion for poetry writing, and she serves as a columnist and feature writer for two gardening magazines. She also takes many of the photographs that accompany her articles. She is active in her community and remains loyal to her alma mater. A former member of the Board of Visitors, she now serves on the Mary Washington Alumni Board and the Mary Washington Foundation Board.
Degree of Fame
Phillip “Phil” DesRochers ’98 received an ovation as he picked up his master’s degree diploma at the University of Central Florida. No, it was not that he had overcome extraordinary odds or achieved an unparalleled academic record; it was simply that he happened to be the 40-year-old school’s 150,000th graduate. To mark the milestone, the university treated DesRochers like a VIP, giving him lifetime membership in the UCF alumni association and a glass frame for his diploma.
In addition, he got a big write-up in the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m very honored and flattered that they chose me,” DesRochers told the newspaper. The hospitality-and-tourism-management graduate pursued his degree while working full time at Walt Disney World. A Connecticut native, DesRochers earned his Mary Washington degree in Spanish history and culture.
He hopes that his latest degree will advance his career at Disney, where he was selected for the theme park’s management internship program.
– Marie N. Purkert ’07
Other alumni achievements:
- Judy B. Warme ’68, principal of Woodbridge (Va.) Middle School was nominated for the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award and Principal of the Year. In addition, under her leadership, Woodbridge Middle has received its third School of Excellence award.
- Rebecca Griffith ’03 of Alexandria, Va., will spend a year as a WorldTeach volunteer in Ecuador. She will teach English to adult students.