November 22, 2021

Newton J Burkett Jr:
On November 3, Newton J Burkett Jr passed away at the age of 83.  Raised in McKinney TX, he earned a BA in Philosophy from Rice in 1961.  He lived in Houston and Elizabeth NJ.  He enjoyed a career in consulting and finance.  Also, he was very active in supporting community empowerment and in taking a stand against injustice.  And, in retirement, he “taught courses in inquiry and research at Kean University” where he had earned a MA in 1992.  Finally, he was a distance runner, an avid bird-watcher and possessed a lifelong love of learning.  He is survived by, among others, his wife Barbara.  Click here for The Star-Journal Ledger obituary.

November 20, 2021

David Varner (1960-2021):
On November 13, Dave Varner unexpectedly passed away.  A native Houstonian, he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Rice in 1982.  He married Marjorie Foelker ’83 in 1986.  He enjoyed a career as an accomplished architect in Washington DC, before joining SmithGroup where he retired as Office Director in December 2020.  Also, he was an exceptional athlete and he and Marjorie loved to travel.  A year ago, they moved to Bellingham WA.

Today, there will be service in Washington State and there will be another service in the DC area on Saturday, December 11, with details to follow.  Click here for the obituary. 

Rice History Corner:
Click here for Melissa Kean’s latest blog entry entitled “Friday Follies: Mechanical Malfunction”.

November 19, 2021

Brian Armstrong '05/'06 (Thanks, Tammy Taura '84):
Coinbase: Brian Armstrong – How I Built This with Guy Raz (Apple Podcast)

Vivas Kumar '14:
This week, Mitra Future Technologies (“Mitra Chem”) completed a $20 million Series A funding round led by billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya’s Social Capital Holdings. The startup aims to boost the North American battery supply chain industry that is currently dominated by China, by producing an iron-based cathode for non-Chinese applications.  Read more.

The CEO and Co-Founder of Mitra Chem is Vivas Kumar ’14.  In 2020, he was featured in Rice Magazine as a “Twenty in their Twenties” young alumni here. 

Shepherd School:
A Day in the Life (YouTube)