At Reunion, Darden Alumni Honor Classmates Through Living Tributes
By David Buie-Moltz
During reunion this past weekend at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, several classes marked the occasion with acts of remembrance, honoring classmates whose lives and legacies continue to shape the community.
Stephen Whitman (MBA ’86) speaks during a tree dedication for classmate Todd Rancke. (Photo by J.B. Fitts.)
The Class of 1986 dedicated a tree in the Tahija Arboretum & LaCross Botanical Gardens in memory of A. Todd Rancke (MBA ’86), one of five UVA alumni killed in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. He was 42. The tree stands near a bench dedicated in honor of his classmate George Tahija (MBA ’86), for whom the arboretum is named.
Images of Todd Rancke from Darden’s 1985 and 1986 yearbooks. Clockwise from top left: in the classroom during his First Year in Section A; second from left on graduation day; portraits as a Second and First Year student; and, at bottom left, far left alongside fellow Finance Club officers.
The Class of 2011 gathered in the arboretum to dedicate a tree in memory of Mervyn W. Han (MBA ’11), who died in fall 2025 after a battle with cancer. Among those present was his husband, Richard W. Jones (MBA ’93), joining classmates in a quiet tribute.
Richard Jones listens as Steven D. Cunningham (MBA ’11) speaks during a memorial dedication for Mervyn Han. (Photo by J.B. Fitts.)
The Class of 1981 held a toast in memory of Patrick C. Graney III (MBA ’81), who died last summer at the age of 72. A learning team room was dedicated in 2016 in honor of Graney and his study group classmates — Bert Dollahite (MBA ’81), Cooper Mills (MBA ’81) and Stefanie Paulos (MBA ’81).
“The Study Group” on graduation day, 1981. From left: Cooper Mills, Pat Graney, Stefanie Paulos and Bert Dollahite. The photograph is displayed in the learning team room dedicated in their honor.
Honor a Legacy at Darden
Alumni and friends may dedicate a tree in the Tahija Arboretum & LaCross Botanical Gardens or explore opportunities to dedicate spaces across Darden’s Charlottesville and Rosslyn locations.
To learn more, contact Heather Meixler (MeixlerH@darden.virginia.edu, +1-434-982-0324) for trees or Samantha Hartog (HartogS@darden.virginia.edu, +1-434-981-4025) for space dedications.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, Executive MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 20,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Press Contact
Molly Mitchell
Senior Associate Director, Editorial and Media Relations
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu
