Alum Notes
We want to share what's been happening in your life since your
time on campus. Please send your updates to
Wildcats on the Move Coordinator
Public Affairs and Publications
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA 95929-0040
E-mail wotm@csuchico.edu
Phone 530-898-4263
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Marriages
1950s
JOHN SEVERSON (BA, Art, ’55) founded Surfer magazine and
pioneered the surf art genre. He sold the magazine in 1970 to paint
full time. Severson showed his boldly colored abstract paintings
of longboards and the California coast in two shows at the Surf
Gallery in Laguna Beach early this year.
1960s GUY ANDERSON (AB, Business Education, ’61; Credential, ’61)
is the second most winning high school coach in California. On
April 29, he reached his 800th career coaching victory at Cordova
High School in Rancho Cordova.
 JOHN DAVID FISCHER (BA, Language Arts, ’64; Credential, ’65)
retired in 2000 from teaching and coaching after 31 years at Redwood
High School in Visalia. He recently wrote two books: The Cowhide:
A High School Football Tradition traces the history of one of the
biggest high school football rivalries in the state. The End
of the Trail: A 100 Mile Running Odyssey looks back at 20 years of
the author’s quest to run the Western States 100 Mile Endurance
Run. He can be reached at jdfrun@aol.com.
CAROL ANN HATHAWAY (BA, Art, ’66; Credential, ’67)
retired this summer after 40 years of teaching. She taught at Biggs
Union High School and then in Jeffco. She is married to Kenneth
Funk and expecting her second grandchild in November.
KENNETH B. WHITE (BA, Social Science, ’67) was selected as
dean of Business, Behavioral, and Social Sciences at Modesto Junior
College. He previously taught history and political science at
the college and was president of Columbia College.
WILLIAM J. THOMAS (BS, Agriculture, ’68) is a partner in
the Sacramento office of Best Best & Krieger, practicing in
their Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group. He serves
on the legal defense fund of the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association. Thomas also serves on the board of directors and legal
defense fund board of the California Cattlemen’s Association
and is chair of its Water and Environmental Quality Committee.
1970s
DON LIVERMORE (BS, Business, ’70) was named principal of
the new Marina High School in Marina, which opened Aug. 7. Livermore
has taught various grades and held various administrative positions
in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District since 1971. He
lives in Pacific Grove.
PHILIP M. BROWN II (BS, Business Administration, ’71) served
four years in the U.S. Air Force after graduation from CSU, Chico.
He now lives with his wife in Newcastle. They have three sons and
one daughter. Brown worked in the insurance claims field for nearly
30 years and is now involved in real estate in the Placer County
area. He looks forward to spending time in the Grand Tetons, Wyoming,
remembering his summer jobs there during his Chico years.
DONNA LONG (BA, English, ’71) was one of three Biggs teachers
to be recognized as a “teacher who makes a difference” by
the Association of School Administrators in 2006. She taught fourth
grade at Biggs Elementary School and retired this year. She lives
in Yuba City with her husband. They have two children.
RONALD RIEHL (BA, Sociology, ’71) is a retired agricultural
production manager and member of the King City Joint Union High
School Board. He and his wife Virginia live in King City and have
an adult daughter and two grandchildren.
CHERYL BABLER (BA, Home Economics, ’72; Credential, ’72;
MA, Home Economics/Education, ’83) has accepted the position
of vice president of instruction at Coastline Community College
in Orange County, California. She left Butte College after 25 years
of service, first as an instructor and later as the dean of Career
and Technical Education/Economic Development.
GIETY EPTING (BA, Art, ’72; MA, Art, ’74) had her 15-minute
documentary, Conversation in Veil, shown at the New York International
Film and Video Festival in May. Appearing in the film are images
of and interviews with women and men from Northern California who
reflect on the experience of wearing “the veil,” similar
to veils worn by many Muslim women.
SALLY POSNER (BA, Art, ’72) showed her artwork at the Lassen
County Arts Council gallery in January. She has illustrated two
books on the Lake Almanor area, Plumas Sketches, written by Jane
Braxton Little, and A Is for Almanor, a children’s ABC book.
JOY (STEFFEN) SIKORSKI (BA, Music, ’72) owns SingBabySing,
a company that creates audio products to enhance language and music
development. An award-winning film composer, she also co-founded
Caring for the Kenai, an environmental awareness contest that received
the President’s Environmental Youth Award and was featured
on ABC’s Good Morning America. She built a log cabin in Alaska
and is writing a book about her life there. Sikorski lives in Los
Angeles and can be reached at joy@singbabysing.com.
AL MANARD (BA, Industrial Arts, ’73) recently retired after
serving 31 years with the San Juan Unified School District, where
he taught students with developmental disabilities, served as special
needs coordinator for the Sacramento County Office of Education
ROP program, and supervised the WorkAbility program. He and his
wife Bonnie have been married 21 years and live in Greenwood.
CARMELA NEGRO (BA, Child Development, ’73; Credential, ’74)
worked 29 years at College of the Siskiyous as an early childhood
education adjunct instructor. She retired last December and was
awarded a certificate of appreciation for her continued services
to the college. She lives in Lake Shastina.
E. DAN O’CONNELL (BS, Agriculture, ’73) will retire
as Colusa County assessor in December. He has worked in the Colusa
County Assessor’s Office for 32 years, 24 of those as county
assessor. He is currently serving as vice president of the Glenn-Colusa
Cattlemen’s Association and is active in the Blackgold Bull
Sale, which he founded. He and his wife Barbara have two children,
Daniel and Shayleen.
 HELGA RUGE (BA, German, ’73) published Whither
the Promised Land, a novel about a young immigrant’s quest for a new life
and enduring love, set in Washington, D.C., and Moscow during the
historic Cold War era. She taught German at CSU, Chico for nine
years and currently lives in Chico.
 CAP PORTERFIELD (BA, Public Administration, ’74) was awarded
the Chairman’s Award by Ladonna Joyner, chairwoman of the
2005 Chico Chamber of Commerce, for exemplary service to the Chico
community and the Chamber of Commerce. He owns and operates North
Valley Financial Services and has been serving the North State
since 1977.
PAUL HAUDER (BA, Political Science, ’76) is the first principal
of Carroll Elementary School in East Franklin. Previously he was
principal of David Reese Elementary School in south Sacramento,
and he has worked in the Elk Grove Unified School District for
20 years.
WILLIAM J. “JOE” LIEBHAUSER (BA, Political Science, ’76)
was selected as the director of the Office of Resources Management
for the Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower
Colorado Region, headquartered in Boulder City, Nevada. Originally
from Forbestown, Liebhauser has been with the Interior since 1979
and has worked in California, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and Washington,
D.C.
GLENN L. WEST (BA, Political Science, ’76) is human resources
consultant with the State of Oregon’s Department of Administrative
Services. His previous positions include board member and president
of the River Falls School Board in Wisconsin and executive director
of the Minnesota state employee union.
JOSE LUIS FERNANDEZ (BA, Industrial Arts/Spanish, ’79) is
the dean of instruction for Occupational Education at Hartnell
College in Salinas. He received his MBA at the Monterey Institute
of International Studies.
BOB LERUDE (BS, Recreation Administration, ’79) was appointed
Kern County Parks and Recreation director early this year. He is
completing a master’s degree in public administration at
CSU, Bakersfield.
JASON PELTIER (BS, Agriculture Business, ’79) has been named
the principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science
for the U.S. Department of the Interior. As principal deputy, Peltier’s
new duties will include assisting the DOI in management oversight
and policy direction for both the Bureau of Reclamation and the
U.S. Geological Survey.
BOB WILLIAMS (BA, Recreation Administration, ’79) is a senior
partner in Williams Ranch, a family-owned cattle and farming operation
near Corning. He has also been director of the Tehama County Farm
Bureau for many years. He and wife Candy have been married 27 years
and have two children and two grandchildren.
 CLAUDINE (CAMPBELL) ZENDER (BA, Child Development, ’79) is
international programs coordinator with the Idaho 4-H office at
the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. She received an MS in
educational technology from Boise State University last December.
She and her husband own Whipple’s Feed Store in Orofino,
Idaho, where they live with the youngest of their three sons. Zender
also teaches driver education to high school students.
1980s
KEVIN OLSEN (MS, Agriculture, ’80) is vice president of S&J
Ranch, a division of Paramount Citrus, headquartered in Delano.
TONY AEILTS (BS, Business Administration, ’81; Master of
Public Administration, ’83) was named Arroyo Grande police
chief in January. He had been chief of police at California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo since 1999 and, prior to that,
worked 19 years in the Chico Police Department. He lives in Pismo
Beach with his wife Lisa.
MICH RICCIONI (BS, Business Administration, ’81) was promoted
to chief financial officer for St. Joseph Health System, Sonoma
County. He has a master’s degree in health services administration
from St. Mary’s College.
TOM AGAR (BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’84)
is senior cardiology consultant for the western region of the United
States and Canada for AGFA Heartlab Cardiovascular. He and his
wife live in Grass Valley with their two children.
ZAN MEYER GONÇALVES (BA, Biology, ’84; MA, English, ’93)
had Sexuality and the Politics of Ethos in the Writing Classroom published by Southern Illinois University Press. She is an assistant
professor at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire.
KAREN MARLATT (BA, Social Work, ’84) was appointed executive
director of Valley Oak Children’s Services. Most recently,
she was children’s services coordinator of Head Start. Marlatt
and husband Dave have three children: Michael, 20; Brittany, 14;
and Rachelle, 8.
DALE SHADDOX (Master of Public Administration, ’85) is the
city manager of Brookings, Oregon. He was city manager in Hollister,
Cotati, and Yreka, and served in various other positions in city
government, including 16 years in Chico.
STACY ROSS (BA, Theatre Arts, ’86) acted this spring in the
American Conservatory Theater’s The Rivals, a Restoration
comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. She played Julia, the leading
lady’s best friend. Ross is a veteran of shows at Berkeley
Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and the California
Shakespeare Theater. She lives in North Berkeley.
STEVE YOUEL (BA, Recreation Administration, ’86) is Placerville’s
Recreation and Parks director. He has worked for the city’s
Recreation and Parks Department for 20 years. He and his wife Patty
Lynn are the parents of twins, Alison and Kelsey, 13. They live
in Camino.
 RHONDA HOWARD O'BRIEN (BS, Dietetics, ’87) completed her
MS degree in adult and organizational learning in 2005 through
the University of Idaho, Boise. In 2004, she opened a nutrition
consultation private practice in downtown Boise, specializing in
helping people with eating disorders, weight concerns, and diabetes.
Her Web site is www.dietfreeidaho.com.
1990s
SORCHA MEEK (BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’90)
opened a studio-gallery, Solo, in Hood River, Oregon, last winter.
Her favorite mediums are painting and printmaking. Meek and her
husband, Barry Paul, have two young daughters, Lilly and Leia.
MICHELLE SPENCER (BA, Liberal Studies, ’90; Credential, ’91)
is the instructor at Westwood School District’s alternative
high school, Horizon High. She and her husband Ron live in Westwood.
JULIANA STONIS (BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’90)
does voice-overs for television and radio commercials in Dallas,
Texas, where she lives with her husband and son. Previously, she
worked in public relations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Stonis
is on the board of directors of an overseas adoption agency and
travels frequently to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia to
do humanitarian work for the children there.
PATRICIO F. GAJARDO (BA, International Relations/Latin American
Studies, ’91) worked in Washington, D.C., for the International
Foundation for Election Systems for nearly 13 years. He is now
an international consultant in election assistance, observation
monitoring, campaign finance, election technology, and citizen
participation. Gajardo is currently under contract with the Organization
of American States and has been assigned as chief of mission for
the Nicaragua election observation process that will take place
Nov. 5, 2006.
DAN (BS, Business Administration, ’91) and STACEY (BA, Information
and Communication Studies, ’87; MA, Information and Communication
Studies, ’90) JONES own RClub Interactive Fitness, Inc.,
an interactive, virtual gym for teens in Pleasanton.
DAN SCHLUETER (BS, Business Administration, ’91) left on
March 13 for active duty in Afghanistan as an intelligence specialist
first class for the U.S. Navy. He will return in April 2007. Schlueter
lives with his wife, Christine, and two sons, Justin and Jason,
in Chester. He has served as the Lassen County chief appraiser
for the past 10 years.
KEITH SANDBLOOM (BA, Business Administration, ’92) is a vice
president of SunTrust Banks in Washington, D.C. He has an MBA from
Georgetown University and spent four years with Citibank as an
emerging markets banker. He and his wife Celia have three children:
Walter, Charles, and Florence.
 SIOBHAN JOAN HOUSTON (BA, Religious Studies, ’93) had her
book, Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the
Divine,
published by Sounds True Publishing. She is a graduate of Harvard
Divinity School and a doctoral candidate in the study of religion
at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She lives in
Boulder, Colorado, where she teaches at Naropa University.
KEVIN A. MURPHY (BS, Recreation Administration, ’93) was
promoted to general manager of Sports Leisure Vacations, a group
tour operator in Sacramento. He and his wife Susan recently celebrated
their 10th wedding anniversary and have two children, Kendall and
Andrew.
 MARK D’ANTONIO (BA, Music, ’94) is a professional musician
who moved to Maui in 1997 and toured the island with his musical
group, Sunset Red, before starting Maui Time, the island’s
largest independent newspaper. He still performs and records nationwide.
CLIFF WAGNER (BA, Political Science, ’93; MA, Political Science, ’00)
addressed the Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee on March
15. He discussed his experiences as a member of the U.S. Army while
in Iraq last year. Wagner is chief of staff for Assemblyman Rick
Keene (R-Chico).
MATT OCHS (BS, Business Administration, ’94) is director
of golf at Hiddenbrooke Golf Course in Vallejo. Before joining
Hiddenbrooke, Ochs was assistant to the director of golf at Incline
Village and head professional at Sierra Nevada Golf Ranch. He lives
in Dixon.
STEVE OLMOS (BA, Liberal Studies, ’94; Credential, ’95)
is a superintendent on the Willows Unified School Board. He and
his wife Charissa have two daughters and live in Willows.
BRIAN RICHART (BA, Political Science, ’95) was appointed
chief probation officer for Shasta County by the Superior Court.
He has worked for the probation department since 1997. Richart
is married and has two children.
KEITH HAWKINS (BA, Communication Studies, ’97) is a motivational
speaker who talks to middle and high school students about being
responsible for their lives. He has addressed the UN Global Summit
and written two books, Teen Power and Beyond and Go
M.A.D.
2000s
BARBARA “BOBBI” POZNIK-COOVER (BA, Social Science, ’02)
retired in April as Grass Valley’s city clerk after 25 years.
JACKSON SHEDD (BA, Art, ’03) published Amphibians
and Reptiles of Bidwell Park, which details the 29 existing and historical species
in the park. Shedd is a visitor service assistant at the Sacramento
Wildlife Refuge and president of Chico Altacal Audubon Society.
NICK GALLAGHER (BS, Agriculture, ’04) is a rangeland management
specialist with the Woodland Field Office of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
AMBER HAYSLETT (BA, Psychology, ’04) was accepted into the
CSU, East Bay Marriage and Family Therapy program.
JENNIFER WHITE (BA, English, ’04; Credential, ’05)
teaches afternoon kindergarten at Burchfield Primary School in
the Colusa Unified School District.
ERIN GOLDFARB (BA, Religious Studies, ’06) has been hired
as the executive secretary to the director of Membership Services
at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Marriages/Anniversaries
CAP PORTERFIELD (BA, Public Administration, ’74) married
Brenda Silver April 28. He owns and operates North Valley Financial
Services. They live in Chico.
JEFF DEMELLO (BS, Computer Science, ’78) married Francesca
Colombini on Aug. 10 on Wailae Beach on the island of Oahu. He
is the owner of a video production company. They live in Stockton.
STEPHANIE KARLA BLACKMAN (BS, Biological Sciences, ’92) and
ERIC ROBERT NORLIE (BA, Music, ’90) were married March 17.
She works as a clinical laboratory scientist at Feather River Hospital;
he is self-employed as a writer and publisher. They live in Chico.
SIMONE RAQUEL STALEY (BA, Liberal Studies, ’92) married Eric
McKensie Smith Feb. 11. She is a first-grade teacher. They live
in Yuba City.
MAUREEN (HIGHFIELD) WARFIELD (BS, Health Science, ’92) and
her husband James celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this
year. She works for Planned Parenthood. The couple has four boys
and lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.
GLEN P. FOLEY (BA, English, ’93) married Amanda Rodgers on
Dec. 18, 2005. He works at Star 94.1/KUBA, and they live in Grass
Valley.
MICHELLE THOMAS (BS, Biological Sciences, ’97) married Michael
Page March 12. She is a mental health worker for Child Protective
Services in Napa. They live in Cotati.
BECKY LYNNE REED (BA, Liberal Studies, ’98) married Jeffrey
Laurence Snell on Dec. 16, 2005. She is employed at Old Firehouse
School in Lafayette, where they live.
MELANIE ROGERS (BA, Liberal Studies, ’98; Credential, ’99)
married Matthew Gray on April 16, 2005. She works at Sylvan Learning
Center, and they live in Plymouth, Michigan.
GREGORY SCOTT RONNOW (BS, Manufacturing Technology, ’99)
married Karey Christyna Roda Sept. 16, 2005. He is a general contractor
and owner of Gold Coast Construction. They live in Castro Valley.
KRISTA HARRELL (attended spring ’02 to spring ’04)
married Dylan Lapp on Oct. 29, 2005. She is a financial assistant
at Selig Construction in Chico.
KATIE LYNN PERKINS (BS, Business Administration, ’02) married
Zachary Zwissig on Nov. 12, 2005. She works for Smart Marketing
in Yuba City.
BRITTANY EARL (BA, Liberal Studies, ’03) and ROCKY
BENEDETTO (BS, Business Administration, ’04) were married on July 23,
2005. She is a fourth-grade teacher at Sleepy Hollow Elementary
School in Orinda, and he is a partner in MultiSource mortgage in
Sonoma. They live in Walnut Creek.
MATT PEYRET (BS, Business Administration, ’03) married Melanie
Page on Aug. 6. He is a bank manager for Bank of America. They
live in Live Oak.
LISA JANE SHAW (BA, Communication Design, ’03) and KYLE
SETH AHLGREN (BA, Communication Design, ’03) were married on Feb.
19. They live in Santa Maria.
KASEY EDDY (BS, Business Administration, ’04) and DEVIN
CROSBY (BS, Business Administration, ’02) were married March 25.
She works for Cinemark, and he works for Yuba College.
SAM LAPP (BS, Business Administration, ’04) married Stephanie
Marshall on Aug. 13, 2005. He is in outside sales with Slakey Brothers
in Chico, where they reside.
KERRISA ANN READER (BA, Art, ’05) and KEVIN
LOUIS SCALISE (BA, Art, ’04) were married March 26.
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