Richard H. Trainor, Ph.D. ’66, Principal and President of King’s College London, has been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire “for services to higher education.” Between 2007-09, alongside his duties at King's, Rick served as President of Universities UK, which represents the heads of all of the UK's universities.  He will be honored and presented with the insignia during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in February 2011.  Rick welcomes contact from Calvert Hall alumni at principal@kcl.ac.uk.

Andrew B. Synowiec ’98, a guitarist living in California, played on Psychedelic Blues, a 2011 Grammy nominated record by legendary percussionist Poncho Sanchez. Andrew has also recorded with pop artists Marc Anthony, Chayanne, Jackie Evancho and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He can also be heard playing flamenco guitar for the motion picture, Little Fockers!

Sebastian E. Kurian II ’01was named one of the recipients of the 2010 Miles & Stockbridge Pro Bono Advocate Award for his representation of the Greater Greenmount Community Association, a non-profit organization that serves one of the most depressed areas of Baltimore City. With Sebastian's help, the organization purchased and sold a critical piece of real estate which will be used as a rehabilitative home for women recovering from drug addiction and possibly an enrichment program for children. Sebastian grew up a few miles north of the neighborhood served by the non-profit organization and he was proud that his contributions have and will lead to a positive impact in the rehabilitation and strengthening of Baltimore City. As recognition of Sebastian's community service, the Miles & Stockbridge Foundation will make a substantial charitable contribution in Sebastian's name to Smile Train, an international charity that provides cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to children in need, and the World Wildlife Foundation.

Roshan P. Vani ’01, senior project controls specialist, Fluor Corporation, will be working in Saudi Arabia for the next three years helping Alcoa Inc, the largest U.S. aluminum producer, and Ma'aden, a Saudi Arabian Mining Company, with the construction of a $10.8 billion integrated smelter and rolling mill complex. Fluor, the largest publicly-traded U.S. engineer, will construct the mill, which will initially produce 380,000 metric tons of food-grade can sheet. The corporation will also work with Australia's WorleyParsons Ltd on the building of the bauxite mine and the refinery, where bauxite is refined into alumina to feed the smelter. Roshan has an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Maryland College Park and has previous experience with Bechtel and Fluor in North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Please submit alumni news to heidrickd@calverthall.com.