Alums In Memoriam
1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
1920s
NEAL D. BUTLER (A.B., Education, ’29; Credential,
’30) died June 29 in Capay, California. He was 98. Butler
was the principal of McIntosh School before serving six years on
the Capay School Board. He was also a farmer and member of the Sunsweet
Growers, Inc. Board of Directors. He is survived by his wife, Grace;
daughter, Nelia; son, Ree; step-son, Steve; step-daughters, Mary
and Barbara; 16 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
1930s
MILDRED JANETTE WOODS BURTON (A.B., Education,
’30) died Sept. 21 at the age of 93. Burton taught at Vacaville
Grammar School for seven years before raising her family. She was
preceded in death by her husband, Howard, and is survived by her
niece, Cynthia Healing; and three nephews, John Lynch, Jerry and
John Woods.
JOHN UBOLDI (A.B., Education, ’37; Credential,
’37) died July 3 in Santa Rosa, California. He was 89. Uboldi
was named to the CSU, Chico Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987 for basketball,
track, and football. He taught industrial arts and mechanical drawing
at Healdsburg High School for 35 years, retiring in 1972. He is
survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary; daughters, Carol and Ruth;
and two grandchildren.
FRANCES FAY (WOOD) ROBERTS (A.B., Art, ’38)
died Sept. 28 in Chico. She was 86. Roberts was a partner in Roberts
Men’s Wear clothing store in Woodland, where she belonged
to many community groups. Preceded in death by her husband of 60
years, Leonard, she is survived by her son, Craig; daughter, Marne;
sister, Cornelia; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
FRANK VANOUS (A.B., Education, ’39) died
Oct. 2 in Chico. He was 85. A native of Chico, he served in the
U.S. Army during World War II before farming almonds and walnuts
for 47 years. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy; daughters,
Francine and Meredith; sons, Robert and Michael; and two grandchildren.
1940s
| 
Tony Novak (top left)
and classmate John Fredotovich used to babysit Ted Meriam's
children in the 1940s. |
TONY NOVAK (B.A., Liberal Studies, ’48)
died Oct. 13 at the age of 79. After serving in the Marine Corps
during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and retiring with the rank
of lieutenant colonel, he taught in the Hillsborough City School
District in California. Following his retirement from teaching,
he continued his public service in numerous capacities. He is survived
by his wife, Nadine; son, Michael; daughter-in-law, Ellen; and grandson,
Jack Anthony.
TOMMIE EDMAN TIPTON (A.B., Education, ’48;
Credential, ’48) died Sept. 22 at the age of 82. Tipton taught
for 35 years in Red Bluff schools, and was inducted into the CSU,
Chico Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball in 1984. He is survived
by his wife of 56 years, Marion; daughter, Taryn; son, Bob; and
two grandchildren.
1950s
RICHARD SEYMOUR (B.A., Education, ’52;
Credential, ’52) died Aug. 9 in Chico. He was 75. Seymour
served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later opened a permanent
showroom in the Dallas Trade Mart–Richard C. Seymour Associates.
He spent 14 years working for the California State Automobile Association
in San Francisco, retiring in 1998. He is survived by his sons,
Mark, Clark, and Richard J; daughter, Julie; and sister, Jane.
BETTY ANN CHRISTIAN KEYAWA (B.A., Education,
Credential, ’56) died Dec. 12 in Sacramento, California. Keyawa
was an active member of the PTA, Girl Scouts, and St. John the Evangelist
Church Parish and School. She is survived by Jerry Keyawa, her husband
of 35 years; Robert Senjo, her husband of seven years; six children;
and five grandchildren.
1960s
EDWARD WELSH (A.B., Industrial Arts; ’60;
Credential, ’60; M.A., Teaching of Industrial Art, ’61;
Secondary Credential, ’61) died Sept. 21 in Plumas County,
California. He was 66. Welsh taught industrial arts and served as
assistant principal and principal of Armijo and Fairfield High Schools.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Dale; daughter, Shari;
and six grandchildren.
DON BERTON MILLER (B.A., Industrial Arts, ’68)
died May 28 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was 84. A veteran of World
War II, he taught for 24 years at the Oregon Institute of Technology,
where he also served as an announcer at sporting events. His wife,
Louise; sons, Mark and John; daughter, Angie; and five grandchildren
survive him.
1970s
 SEAN
MCKEOWN (M.A., Social Science, ’73) died July 11
at the age of 58. McKeown spent 20 years as a curator of reptiles
at the Honolulu Zoo and the Chafee Zoological Gardens in Fresno.
He wrote several books (including the one pictured right) and more
than 100 articles on the care and maintenance of reptiles and amphibians.
He is survived by his wife, Wendy, and two daughters.
BARBARA SPANGLER (B.A., Social Work, ’73)
died May 22 at the age of 49. Spangler taught at Lassen View School
in Tehama County for six years and at Durham Elementary School for
14 years. She was involved with the American Cancer Society as a
speaker on breast cancer, and was awarded the Teacher of the Year
for Durham Unified School District in 1995. She is survived by her
husband, Bill; and twin sons, Nicholas and Peter.
LARRY F. JACOBSON (B.A., Liberal Studies, ’77)
died July 19, 2001. Jacobson worked for Sacramento County Parks
and Recreation for 10 years. He is survived by his wife, Linda;
five children; and five great-grandchildren.
TERRY ARTHUR GUMMERE (B.S., Business Administration,
’79) died June 24 in Chico. He was 69. Gummere served 23 years
in the U.S. Marine Corps as a musician and bandleader, and was an
accountant for Starkist Foods. He is survived by his wife of 37
years, Margaret; sons, Steven and Christopher; and grandson, Ethan.
1980s
SCOTT ZILLMER (B.S., Civil Engineering, ’80)
died April 12 at the age of 45. Zillmer was an engineer for Rockwell
and Boeing, and was instrumental in the Active Aeroelastic Wing
Program. His brother, Mark, preceded him in death. He is survived
by his mother, Arliss; father, David; and sisters, Desiree and Leslee.
KATHLEEN “KATY” (TIERNAN) TOMES (B.A,
International Relations, ’84) died June 8 in San Francisco.
After graduation, she married Mark Tomes, a 1982 graduate of CSU,
Chico. She developed the Cuesta College Learning Skills Lab, where
she taught reading and computer literacy after receiving her master’s
degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
in 2000. Her husband, Mark, and son, Chris, survive her.
JILL JARVIS (MINK) BELL (attended fall ’84–spring
’86) died May 4, 2000, at the age of 34. Bell and her husband,
Craig, owned and operated First Awakenings Restaurant and Tender
Shoots Photography. She is survived by her husband, Craig; daughter,
Mackenzie; mother, Lyde Slayton; father, Lee Mink; sisters, Jennifer
Field and Jody Elliott; brother, Jeff W. Mink; and mother-in-law,
Marilyn.
1990s
SIDNEY S. DAMRON (B.A., Spanish, ’99) died
Jan. 1 in Chico. Damron had been employed by KGO-TV in San Francisco,
California, Ampex Corporation in Redwood City, California, and DataTape
in Pasadena, California. Gloria, his wife of 45 years, preceded
him in death. Survivors include his daughters, Nancy, Kathryn, and
Patty; brothers, Leonard and Archie; sister, Betty; and companion,
Mary MacRae.
|
