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Alumni board has new president, exciting travel plans

1999 Homecoming

Wildcats on the Move

	19thirties
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	Wildcat Highlight: John Lane Wildcat Highlight: Karen Seccombe In Memoriam Ella C. Sapp 1898 - 1999

Chapters & Clubs

Theresa Doherty (B.A., Liberal Studies, '80) has earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy. She is the assistant principal at Glasgow Middle School.

James Plath (B.A., English, '80) was recently promoted to professor of English at Illinois Wesleyan University, and his book, Remembering Ernest Hemingway, a collection of interviews with family and friends of the Nobel laureate, co-authored with Frank Simons, was published in 1999 by The Ketch & Yawl Press, Key West.

Peter Rei (B.A., Geography, '80) has taken over the position of Madera County road commissioner. He is a licensed land surveyor and registered civil engineer. He is leaving his job in Humboldt County as the assistant public works director. He and his wife, Deborah, a special education teacher, have a son, Kevin, 9, and a daughter, Heather, 6.

Alred J. Tschopp (B.A., History & Religious Studies, '80), at age seventy, is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Point, Neb. He is presently the editor of One Accord, a monthly house organ; secretary of African Missions; a member of Missionary-at-Large; and chair of the Commission on Publications for the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation. Tschopp says, "One regret I have is that I was not able to complete my M.A. at Chico State."

Steve Nicholson (B.A., Information and Communication Studies, '81) has rejoined Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco as vice president and senior product manager in treasury product management. He currently lives in Pleasant Hill with his wife and twelve-year-old daughter, Katy. He tries to spend as much time as possible horseback riding with his family.

Charlie Schaupp (B.S., Agriculture, '81) has been appointed to the California Republican Party Agriculture Committee by state party chairman John McGraw. He will become a part of the ten-member committee responsible for the direction and future of agriculture and ag-related issues within the Republican Party. Schaupp currently serves as a public school trustee of the Esparto Unified School District, director with the Yolo County Taxpayers Association, and chairman of the Yolo County Republican Party.

John Lavezzoli (B.S., Business Administration, '82) has been promoted to vice president, credit manager, consumer credit at Bank of the West. Lavezzoli has been with the bank for two years. His previous jobs include Prudential Overall Supply and Wells Fargo.

Michelle McKinny (B.A., Physical Education, '82) has taken over as principal at San Lorenzo Valley Junior High School after spending sixteen years first as a teacher, then as an administrator.

Barbara Michael (B.A., French, '82) currently teaches French at Paradise High School and beginning French to G.A.T.E. students in grades four through eight.

Craig Underhill (B.S., Business Administration, '82) has been promoted to partner for Brotemarkle, Davis & Co., LLP Accountants located in St. Helena.

Neal Bordenave (B.S., Business Administration, '83) started his own company, Riskpro Insurance Services, which specializes in providing commercial insurance services to the Information Technology Industry. His insurance career has spanned eleven years, during which he has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter and the Associate in Risk Management designations. He resides in Concord with his wife, Linda, and their golden retriever, Teddi.

Darcian Hubbard (B.A., Public Relations, '83) is the coordinator of "Kids Cab," which carries children to and from school and to extracurricular activities when their parents are working. A former San Francisco stockbroker, she now lives in Salinas with her husband, Kelly; her son, Chandler; and her daughter, Amelia.

Dean McGill (B.S., Business Administration, '83) got married in November 1998 in Lafayette. McGill is a field vice president with American Express Financial Advisors.

Michael Polenske (B.S., Business Administration, '83) is heading the San Francisco Private Client Group at J.P. Morgan & Co., Incorporated. Polenske has been appointed to the board of directors of J.P. Morgan California and will serve on J.P. Morgan's Western United States Management Committee. He will manage the team responsible for new business development and client service in the Northwestern United States. Polenske and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in San Francisco.

Tamara Thomsen (B.A., Liberal Studies, '83), who also earned her teaching credential in 1985, was honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in elementary education. Thomsen teaches third grade for the Department of Defense at Kaiserslautern Elementary School in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Michael Touchstone (B.S., Agriculture, '83) is the founding principal for the future St. Fancis Central Coast Catholic High School in Watsonville. He is a former vice principal at Sacred Heart School, Newark, New Jersey, and principal and teacher at St. Augustine Agricultural Secondary School, Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Greer Coursey II ( B.A., Drama and Recreation Administration, cum laude, '84) moved, after graduation, to Hollywood and began his professional acting career. In June 1998, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he opened his own studio for music and acting.

Kim Foss-Erickson (B.A., Business Administration, '84) was presented CSU, Chico's 1999 College of Business Distinguished Alumna Award. The award is in honor of her seventeen years of experience in the financial advising profession along with her volunteerism. Erickson founded E&A Investment Advisory Inc. in 1989 and manages in excess of $35 million for seventy clients.

Kevin Hartwick (B.A., Business Administration, '84) has been re-elected to the board of directors at Six Rivers National Bank. He is a certified public accountant at Cholwee, Benz and Hartwick.

Lynne L. Landis (B.A., Liberal Studies, '84) has been unanimously voted in as the new principal for Colfax Elementary School. Before this appointment, Landis was principal at Dent Elementary since 1997 and assistant principal from 1994 to 1997. Landis earned a master's in educational administration in 1994, and in 1996 she obtained her administrative credential, both from St. Mary's College in Moraga.

Ginny (Grange) Craven (B.A., Recreation Administration, '85) is employed with the Lake County Probation Department as senior deputy probation officer. Formerly she worked as a correctional officer at Lake County Sheriff's Department. Craven is also a volunteer firefighter/EMT at the Lucerne Fire Department and was named firefighter of the year in 1993. She serves as president of the Lucerne Volunteer Firefighters' Association.

Mike Owens (B.A., Public Administration, '85) is the deputy probation officer at the Lake County Probation Department. He was been a welfare fraud investigator for Lake County Social Services and was the past president and past zone chairman of the Lions Club.

Doug Garcia (B.A., Journalism, '86) is the coach for the Washington State University Masters Swim Club at Pullman's Reaney Park pool. Garcia, along with Keith Gravel and Jody Howard, started the club in March 1993. He lives in Albion with his wife, Mary, and their children, Gabrielle and Joel.

Tom Guilford (B.S., Computer Science, '86), former director of information systems for Walnut Creek-based Round Table Franchise Corporation, has been appointed vice president and chief information officer of the company.

David Lundgren (B.S., Business Administration, '86) has been recognized for his efforts to preserve the nearly hundred-year-old Waterville Hotel. One of fifteen individuals and organizations to be honored for their work in protecting historic properties, Lundgren was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Stewardship.

Becky Robinson (B.A., Recreation Therapy, '86) is the director of Millie's Place Adult Day Center in Paradise, California, which provides a day program for persons with Alzheimer's disease.

Jim Hanlon (B.A., Psychology, '87; M.A., Psychology, '90) is assistant principal at Orland High School. He worked for the Glenn County Office of Education as the coordinator of the Alternative Education program.

Chris Lynch (B.S., Business Administration, '87) has also earned his B.S. in economics from CSU, Sacramento. The Resort at Squaw Creek named Lynch as head golf professional.

Mark Silacci (B.S., Business Administration, '87) married Lisa Lanini in June 1999. Silacci earned his master's of business administration from Santa Clara University and works for Swenson & Silacci Flowers.

Dede Crayne (B.A., Physical Education, '88) is the coach of Nick Lee, All-Junior Olympian, and one of thirty divers to be named to the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American team. A former diver at Chico State, Crayne has started the Capital Divers Club, which consists of thirty to forty boys and girls of all ages. Crayne also coaches diving teams at Kennedy and Christian Brothers high schools and assists the programs at Jesuit, St. Francis, and Loretto.

Daniel Graf (B.A., Information and Communication Studies, '88) is an international coordinator for The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia, where he has been employed for over two years. Graf's work has been critical to The Weather Channel's new media department, which is expanding its on-line content. Previously, he occasionally appeared on television as a severe weather expert. He spent several years at the National Weather Service in Washington, D.C., and produced the New York Times Weather page. He also spent a year teaching English in Japan. He says he "frequently talks about Chico and loves visiting the West." Graf is interested in forming an alumni chapter in the southeast. Interested CSU, Chico graduates and friends can reach him at dgraf@mindspring.com.

Jeff Hotchkiss (B.S., Business Administration, '88) is busy recycling castoff raw materials, better known as junk, from landfills and scrap yards for his business, Miraculous Manufacturing in Sacramento. Some of his products include wind chimes with CD wind catchers, light switch covers, and Christmas tree ornaments. He considers himself a "primary recycler," a recycler who reuses discards without the cost and pollution of recycling.

Lisa King (B.S., Business Administration, '88) is a certified internal auditor and is the US/Canada Audit Supervisor for The Walt Disney Company in Burbank. Her e-mail address is lisa.king@disney.com.

Dean Price (B.S., Business Administration, '88) is the finance director for the City of Gridley and a reserve sergeant for the Gridley Police Department.

Clay Stanger (B.S., Business Administration, '88) joined the Diplomatic Corps as a member of the Foreign Service. He was accepted into the Department of State as a political officer in October 1998. Stanger's first post is a two-year tour as the vice consul/economic officer in Nassau, The Bahamas. Current duties include visa adjudication, overseas American Citizen ser-vices, promotion of American business abroad, reporting on the general economic environment of The Bahamas to the State Department, attending diplomatic functions as a representative of the United States, and whatever else the ambassador can dream up!

Steven G. Brown (B.A., Physical Education, '89) opened a physician referral outpatient physical therapy office in Chester at Seneca Hospital. He has over seven years' experience as a physical therapist in orthopedic, neurological, industrial injuries, and sports rehabilitation. He also has his master's degree from the University of the Pacific in Physical Therapy. He and wife, Desiree, have three children.

Ed Christiansen, Jr.(B.A., Business Administration, '89) has been appointed as vice president investment officer in Walnut Creek for Prudential Services.

Bruce Duncan (B.A., Anthropology, '89) is serving his second four-year term on the Butteville School Board. He operates a model train business, which sells preprinted custom train cars to gift shops and ships mail order all over the United States and the United Kingdom.

Merril M. Grant (B.A., English, '89) is the principal of Shasta High School in Redding. Previously, he taught English for six years in Woodland. He is married to Katie (Foley) Grant (B.A., English, '88; Credential, '89), and they reside in Redding.

Heidi Lydon (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, '89) has been a member of CSU, Chico MESA Industrial Advisory Board for a year and a half. Lydon says, "I received an excellent engineering education from Chico that prepared me for the outside engineering world, as well as how to work with people, and am thankful for that." Since graduation she has worked for PG&E in the Bay Area, at their corporate office in San Francisco, and then moved back to Chico in 1997. She is currently the senior gas distribution engineer. She and her husband, Michael, a road designer for Tehama County, have three children.