Looking back on the standout TU Magazine stories of 2020

The pandemic led to online issues of Towson University's magazine and unforgettable journalism

January 10, 2021

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Aquarist Emily Anderson Kelly ’10, ’17 and Calypso, the beloved 500-pound green sea turtle who charmed visitors at her National Aquarium home for nearly 20 years, were featured in an award-winning photograph.

Like the entire Towson University community, the staff of TU Magazine had an unconventional 2020. When the campus community went largely to remote work and classes, that meant the beloved print magazine for alumni moved to online for all editions.

But the stories, photography and multimedia only got better. Director of Photographic Services Lauren Castellana ’13 received a  University Photographers’ Association of America third place award for February’s General Features and Illustrations category. The award-winning shot is shown above.

“Although COVID-19 forced TU Magazine online only in 2020, we continued sharing stories of our alums, our university and the world around it with our readers. These were a few of our favorites. We look forward to re-appearing in your mailboxes with three print issues in 2021. As always, thanks for reading,” says Mike Unger, director of publications at TU.

The Stories That Stood Out

  • Come As You Are - Writer Adrienne Frank, whose son has autism, explores the Hussman Center for Adults with Autism.
  • My Town: Route 66 - With so many of us quarantined at home, we decided to take a digital road trip along “America’s Main Street.”
  • The Last Responder - Forensic anthropologist and TU professor Dana Kollmann deployed to New York City at the height of the pandemic.
  • Cleveland Doesn’t Only Rock - We went to Ohio to see how Erik Mann ’96 is teaching the beauty of classical guitar to kids in a city known for rock ‘n roll.
  • The Shows Must Go On -  On the second floor of his small club in downtown Baltimore, Henry Wong is helping keep live music alive during the pandemic.