Alumni News April 2020

The screens of Roanoke’s historic Grandin Theatre are dark, but  Brenda Prieto Velazquez ’17 is doing everything she can to keep the lights on.

As the theater’s marketing director, she is making sure revenue is still coming in as the theater is closed due to the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. But the theater is offering online rentals, where people can rent current releases and watch them on their computers at home.

Velazquez was instrumental in making this a reality, and said the rental system is vital in preserving the theater’s life.

“It’s a very important landmark for Roanoke, and I think it’s really important for people to support the Grandin Theatre through these films,” Prieto Velazquez said.

Prieto Velazquez became marketing director of the Grandin Theatre after graduating in 2018 from Roanoke with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She’s currently getting her master’s degree in strategic communications from Radford University.

Prieto Velazquez, who is originally from Mexico City, Mexico, said she loves Southwest Virginia and is elated to help keep a piece of Roanoke’s history alive. The Grandin Theatre opened in 1932.

“Being able to work at the Grandin Theatre and see how important that landmark is for the community, really inspires me to bring everything good that I have into helping that organization grow,” Prieto Velazquez said.

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The Honorable Sarah A. Rice ’79 retired on April 1, 15 years to the day after she was sworn in to an open judgeship in the Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Rice is the first female judge to serve in Franklin County, and only the second in Virginia’s 22nd Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Franklin County, Pittsylvania County and City of Danville. 

Rice has been referred to as an “unsung hero,” credited with having founded Franklin County’s juvenile drug court, one of fewer than 10 in Virginia. The four-stage treatment program spans a minimum of 12 months and allows teens who complete the program to have their criminal charges reduced or dismissed. 

Since its inception in 2009, the drug court has served 40 young people and their parents or guardians. The program has a 70 percent graduation rate. 

“I saw all these tragedies and thought, ‘We have got to start somewhere and at least make a small dent in it, plant some seeds’,” Rice said of the juvenile drug court in an interview with The Roanoke Times. “And I think we’ve done that.”

Rice, who earned a J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, entered law practice in 1989, working in the Davis law firm, based in Rocky Mount, Virginia, for years before opening her own office in 2002. She began representing the Franklin County Department of Social Services in court in 1990, and served as a substitute judge in the county Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for six years.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Franklin County,” Rice said on the day of her retirement. “I hope I’ve made a positive impact and a difference. I hope I have.”

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Congratulations to Sade Younger ’08, who received her Doctorate of Social Work from Howard University on April 13. Dr. Younger is the first Ph.D. candidate in the history of the School of Social Work at Howard University to successfully defend a dissertation via Zoom. 

In a Facebook post, Younger thanked several people who supported her throughout her dissertation process, including Dr. Deneen Evans ’86. Younger is a financial therapist at The Financial Spa, LLC in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Younger holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Roanoke College and a Master of Social Work degree from Radford University.

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David M. Forbes ’82, a top 5 member of the Maroons men’s cross country team that dominated the ODAC through most of the 1980s, died March 22 in Roanoke. He was 60. 

Forbes “was engaging and outgoing,” said Richard Browder, former head coach of the Roanoke College cross country program. “For all who met him, it seemed his goal was to make you feel better and significant.” 

Forbes had a long career in education, employed since 2002 with Bedford County Public Schools as an English teacher, special education teacher and most recently as an assistant principal at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia. He coached basketball for both the girls and boys programs. Forbes — who graduated from Roanoke with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and held master’s degrees from Old Dominion University and Radford University — also had years of success in the business world.

“He was the perfect person to be a teacher and coach of young people,” Browder said. “As a student athlete at Roanoke College, he provided outstanding leadership for the cross country and track teams. His passing is tragic."

Due to COVID-19, Forbes’ family plans to schedule a celebration of life service at a date to be determined. The family asks that those who knew Forbes consider sponsoring a student to attend a Staunton River Basketball Camp at a cost of $40. Donations may be mailed to: Staunton River High School, Memo: Basketball Booster Club, 1095 Golden Eagle Drive, Moneta, VA 24121.

Have news to share? Send it to rcmagazine@roanoke.edu.