Features - University of Richmond Magazine

A photo of the African landscape as the sun sets with photos of Mark and Dave as college students and more recently as adults.

SPIDER FAMILY

A long walk together

A longtime friendship formed at Richmond led to a remarkable reunion far from Virginia.

An illustration depicting abstracted rivers, landscapes, and map textures from the Amazon, as well as Virginia. They surround an image of Boatwright tower, and cropped portraits of the university's partners in the Amazon and elsewhere.

Community Engagement

An exchange of ideas

Long-standing community connections built by faculty are often at the heart of amazing opportunities for students.

An illustration of a group of men playing golf. A seeing eye dog sits amongst the group.

Spider Community

Fore sight

Blind since the age of 23, avid golfer Dave Szumowski, R’67, has developed a winning approach to the game he loves.

Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski, left, cheers on George Springer, right, who rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in Game 7 of baseball's American League Championship Series in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.

Championship

The Spider in the World Series

Alumni Brian Jordan, Sean Casey, and Renie Martin — all World Series veterans — offered their advice to Mark Budzinski, ’95, as he made his debut on baseball’s biggest stage.

Dennis Kazmerowski, ’69, stands with three of his cars.

Lives Of Purpose

A good ride

Dennis “Kaz” Kazmerowski, R’69, lived his 60-year dream when he built out a 1958 MacMinn Le Mans Coupe — one of only three ever made.

Watson Mills learning a new dance in North Korea.

Perspective

Five days in ‘the Hermit Kingdom’

Watson Mills, R’61, has traveled to more than 175 countries. His journey to North Korea was unlike any other.

A photo of Jack Bricklemeyer and Dr. John Obeck in Obeck's dental office in Tampa, FL. Both are wearing blue scrubs and smiling at the camera.

Careers

Five reasons an alum-supervised internship is the ideal summer

Spiders help Spiders when alumni host current students as interns. Here's how it pays dividends for everyone involved.

Musicians Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, and Steve Postel in a recording studio

Lifelong Learning

Revisiting the unheralded hitmakers of the 1970s

Bill Pike, G’83, recalls the teamwork it took to pull off an Osher Institute class focused on session musicians behind some of the 1970’s biggest hits.

A photo of professor Joe Hoyle. He is smiling at the camera and standing in his office, which is plastered with posters, postcards, art, and other mementos.

Curriculum Vitae

The professor who merges Socrates and spreadsheets

Accounting professor Joe Hoyle has spent decades refining a teaching style that’s both demanding and deeply supportive.

Three photos; A UR basketball player shooting a ball, a student athlete graduating, and a student athlete lifting weights.

Athletics

Beyond the scoreboard

Spider student-athletes have an entire team behind them taking a holistic approach to nurturing their potential.

A collage featuring a house, trees, road, and people on bicycles.

Lives Of Purpose

Tailwind of Love

As Eli Beech-Brown cycled hundreds of miles in memory of his late father, his best friend and 2024 classmate Miles Goldman documented the journey.

Chemistry

What makes smoky, charred barbecue taste so good?

Professor Kristine Nolin reveals the mouth-watering chemistry of cooking over an open flame.