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
1930s 1940s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Marriages
1930s
LAVERNE GRELL (AB, Music, ’36) has spent her life traveling,
teaching, and playing music. Grell taught music at Yuba College
for 17 years and was the organist at First Presbyterian Church
of Marysville for 20 years, until 2000.
1940s
JAMES LARKIN (AB, Education, ’47) recently celebrated his
85th birthday. Larkin served General MacArthur as an aide during
World War II. After the war, he was principal of Manzanita Elementary
School in Redding for almost 30 years. Larkin and his wife Polly
enjoy traveling.
1960s
GERSH ROSEN (Credential, ’65) retired from his position
as counselor at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton in 1991 to
pursue a passion for repairing antique farm tractors with the Monday
Mechanics, a group affiliated with the San Joaquin County Historical
Museum. He has served on the board of directors for several community
groups. For his civic dedication, Rosen was inducted into the Lodi
Community Hall of Fame in 2005.
LAWRENCE CRABTREE (BS, Agriculture, ‘66) dedicated his professional
life to the agriculture department at Sutter Union High School.
During his 36 years as an ag teacher, Crabtree worked to bring
educational and financial benefits to the ag department. In 2005,
he was inducted into the Agricultural Education Hall of Fame by
the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association.
JAMES MESHWERT (BA, Social Science, ’68) retired in June
2005 after a career as teacher and principal, and 30 years as superintendent
of Pleasant Ridge Union School District in Grass Valley. Meshwert’s
colleagues named the district’s administration building after
him.
 DON WARKENTIN (BA, Biological Sciences, ’68; Credential ’73)
is president of West Hills College Lemoore. He has been with WHCL
since 1986, most recently as dean of students. Warkentin also serves
on the board of trustees of Lemoore Union Elementary School District.
He is a past president of that board and the Lemoore Kiwanis Club.
1970s
GIACHINO “GINO” AIELLO (BA, Social Science, ’70)
has coached boys’ sports at Las Plumas High School in Oroville
for 31 years. Last year, he was joined by a new assistant coach,
his son Ryan. The younger Aiello attends CSU, Chico.
JOY (GOODWIN) KIMMEL (BA, Biological Sciences, ’71; MA, Botany, ’73)
retired from the U.S. Forest Service in November 2005 to return
part time to her business, Kimmel Consulting Services, which provides
business, management, and environmental consulting.
NANCY HARTWIG (BA, Physical Education and Credential, ’72)
retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel after
26 years combined active and reserve service. She has also worked
as a Department of Army civilian for 21 years. Hartwig’s
military duties involved worldwide travel, and she is a Gulf War
veteran.
JANE STAUS (BA, Physical Education, ’72) is food services
manager at Hamilton City High School. She lives in Biggs.
STUART BOOTH (BA, Economics, ’73) is a member of the board
of directors of Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc., a convenience
retail industry distributor. Booth is executive vice president
and CFO of Central Garden & Pet Company.
 NANCY (NOVAK) CLINE (BS, Home Economics, ’75) was reelected
to her second four-year term as president of the Modesto City Schools
Board of Education. She is also involved with the Civic Missions
of Schools, a statewide effort to return civics to the classroom.
She and her husband Rex teach premarital classes and have three
grown children, Chad, Paige, and Tim.
MARY FRANKIE (MCFARLAND) FORTE (MS, Computer Science, ’75)
is the owner and president of It’s A Grind Coffee House in
the Oakland City Center. She had been a project manager in information
technology with ChevronTexaco, where she had worked for 30 years.
KENNETH STOPPENBRINK (BA, Business Administration, ’76) was
appointed vice-chancellor for business services at West Hills College
Lemoore.
 STEVEN GOLD (BS, Agriculture, ’77) received a master’s
degree in information and telecommunications systems from Johns
Hopkins University in May 2005. He is founder, manager, and director
of a consulting firm that provides no-cost services to nonprofit
organizations and no-cost career training and career development/mentoring
to inner-city youth (see www.StrategicITSecurity.com). Gold and
his wife Diane have two children, Lindsey and Jared, and celebrated
their 25th wedding anniversary in July 2005. They live in Vienna,
Virginia.
FRANCISCO ZARATE (BA, Political Science, ’77) was recognized
by the Oroville Optimist Club for his commitment to public service.
Zarate came to Oroville in 1984 as a public defender. He was promoted
to chief deputy district attorney in 1995.
SANDRA KRIEZEL (BA, Physical Education, ’78) is in her eighth
year coaching Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s and women’s
tennis teams. She is the senior women’s administrator at
Cal Poly Pomona.
 JOE SCHMIDT (BA, Physical Education, ’78) has been the headmaster
at Seabury Hall on Maui for the past five years. Previously, he
was athletic director at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee,
and upper school head at Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina.
At Seabury, he completed a $14.2 million capital campaign to rebuild
the academic structures. Schmidt was recently married to Cynthia.
LORINDA “LORI” STRIEBY (BA, Spanish, ’78) is
principal of Oakdale Heights School in Oroville. Previously, she
served as both vice principal and teacher at Shasta Elementary
School in Chico.
CARYL MALLORY (BA, Recreation Administration, ’79) is an
employee of JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Service), an international
Bible translation company. She manages information technology personnel
who provide support for Wycliffe Bible translators around the world.
Mallory lives in Waxhaw, North Carolina.
CHARLES “TUCK” YOUNIS (BA, Community Service, ’79)
is the new assistant chief of the San Jose Police Department.
1980s
MARK DALE (BS, Nursing, ’80) owns Cedar Creek Publishing
in Paradise. In 2004, he managed a successful campaign to pass
a measure to keep the property on which a new shopping center will
be built under the Town of Paradise’s control.
 DAVE KILBOURNE (MA, Community Development, ’80) is president
of Downtown Revitalization Consultants for economic development,
planning, and commercial marketing. He has been a downtown Chico
retailer for the past 30 years and enjoys being a home brewer.
Kilbourne has an 8-year-old daughter, Savannah.
 DAVID SMALLHOUSE (BA, History ’80) and HANNAH
(FOSTER) SMALLHOUSE (BA, Art ’84) own and operate Smallhouse Art Glass in Chico.
Their glass is on display in galleries and museums across the United
States. They also operate the Tae Kwon Do program at North Valley
Athletic Club. They married in 1982 and have four children.
CHRIS GRAHAM (BA, Political Science, ’81) is leading an independent
investigation of San Jose’s mayor. Graham is a partner in
the Palo Alto office of Dechert, an international law firm that
specializes in corporate litigation. He has two daughters and coaches
girls’ basketball.
ROBERT ALEJO (BA, Physical Education, ’82) is head strength
and conditioning coach at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Alejo’s career has included positions with the UCLA athletic
department, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, and the
Oakland Athletics baseball team. He was a Wildcat baseball team
member and is a member of the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame.
JULIA ORRI (BA, Physical Education and Credential, ’82) teaches
clinical exercise physiology at the University of San Francisco.
For the past four years, she taught at Coastal Carolina University.
Orri continues running.
MARK CANEPA (BA, Art, ’83) is an artist and sculptor with
a studio in El Cerrito. Canepa volunteers at his alma mater, El
Cerrito High School, helping students create realistic “movie
set” themes for graduation night parties and parade floats.
Canepa worked for several years as a set and prop designer in Hollywood
and as a float designer in Pasadena.
DERIC ROTHE (BS, Information and Communication Studies, ’83)
is senior editor of Gold Country Media, which comprises nine community
newspapers in the gold country foothills. He is also editor of
Auburn Journal. Rothe and his wife Carmen have three daughters,
Achsa, Paige, and Lanae.
MIKE WELLINS (attended fall ’83 to fall ’89) published
Storytelling Through Animation, a textbook designed to guide readers
through the entire process of creating an animated or live-action
production. He is an indie filmmaker and commercial director of
animation.
BARBARA GRIGG (MA, Nursing, ’84) retired from the Adult Protective
Services Department of Yolo County after 20 years dedicated to
creating assistance programs for the elderly. Grigg lives in Davis
and has two children.
BIMLA RHINEHART (BS, Business Administration, ’84) was appointed
chief of the Division of Right of Way and Land Surveys with the
California Department of Transportation. Rhinehart has worked for
the state for 22 years, beginning as a Caltrans employee. She lives
in Jackson.
KAREN CALHOUN (Special Major, Printing Management, ’85) is
executive director of the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce. For
the last 16 years, Calhoun has worked at the Napa Chamber of Commerce,
most recently as marketing director.
 BRIAN ROLAND (BS, Business Administration, ’85) is the chief
financial officer of the California Self Insurers’ Security
Fund in Walnut Creek. Previously, he was the controller of IBA
West for five years, after a 15-year career with Chevron Corporation.
He and his wife JOAN (GASKINS) (attended fall ’81 to spring ’85)
have been married for 17 years and live in Danville with their
two children.
MENDY MOSS DROKE (BA, Information and Communication Studies; Psychology, ’87)
works in the public affairs department of Planned Parenthood of
Western Washington. She and her husband Mike live outside Seattle
and have two children.
SUSAN (SCHREIBMAN) FORD (BS, Mathematics, ’87) is one of
two California finalists for a Presidential Award for Excellence
in mathematics teaching. The award is the highest recognition in
the nation for math and science teachers of kindergarten through
12th grade. Ford has taught at Delhi High School since 1999.
SCOTT RUBRIGHT (BA, Art, ’87) has been a career firefighter
since 2004. Prior to that, he managed multiple retail establishments
throughout the West Coast and volunteered for the local fire department.
Rubright is married with two children and lives near Seattle.
LESLIE STEVENS (BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’87)
is director of Portland, Oregon’s Independent Police Review
Division. The group addresses complaints made by citizens against
police officers of Portland. For the past eight years, she was
an assistant city attorney in Salem, Oregon. Stevens is married
and has two children.
JOHN PUGH (BA, Art, ’88) and his trompe l’oeil murals
(like the one on Taylor Hall at CSU, Chico) are the subject of
a book by Kevin Bruce, The Monumental Murals of John Pugh (Ten
Speed Press, 2006). Pugh lives in Los Gatos.
[ top ]
1990s
ANDREW TAGG (BA, Social Science, ’90; Political Science, ’96)
is sales manager at Bank of the West, Menlo Park branch. Tagg and
his wife Deidre have a 2-year-old daughter, Laura.
GREG SOUTH (BA, Sociology, ’91; MA, Physical Education, ’92)
is the director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Academic
Services at the New Mexico Military Institute, a college preparatory
high school and junior college in Roswell, New Mexico. South is
a former tennis professional, coach, and teacher. He is an expert
on the psychological and social implications of sport on society
and athletes.
TUESDAY MAHLBERG (BA, Child Development, ‘92), principal
of Gridley Alternative Education for the last two years, received
the Butte County Administrators Association Alternative Education
Administrator of the Year award. Mahlberg is also vice principal
at Sycamore Middle School in Gridley.
SHARYL MARSHALL (BA, History, ’92) received a master of divinity
from Princeton Theological Seminary. The three-year degree is the
professional foundation for ministry.
JENNIFER MCCALLUM (BS, Biological Sciences, ’92) is a biotechnology
patent attorney in Erie, Colorado. She has a doctorate in reproductive
physiology from Colorado State University. McCallum helped successfully
argue a case in Superior Court of Orange County, California, that
makes private storage of stem cells available to all expectant
parents.
JOE COBERY (BS, Recreation Administration, ’93) is executive
director of PASSAGES Adult Resources Center, which administers
social service programs for seniors, caregivers, and adults with
disabilities under the sponsorship of the CSU, Chico Research Foundation.
He has been married for 10 years and has two children.
TAMI KNAPPMAN (BA, Journalism, ’93) is a sales representative
for Billabong Surf Apparel. She recently moved to Honolulu from
San Clemente.
MELISSA (D’ANTONIO) HARDY (BS, Recreation Administration, ’94)
is a certified intellectual property paralegal with Syngenta Biotechnology,
Inc. She and her husband ED (BA, Art, ’93), who is an art
instructor and professional artist, have two children, Courtney
and Cal, and live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
SHANNON HUNT (BA, Physical Education, ’94; MA, Physical Education, ’02)
is the head basketball coach at El Paso Community College in El
Paso, Texas.
MEREDITH CRAMER (BA, Child Development, ’95) is coordinator
of the Indian Education Program in Oroville. The program, available
to both Native American and native Alaskan students, emphasizes
learning skills, improving academic standing, tutoring, and passing
state proficiency tests. Cramer lives in Oroville with her two
children, 9-year-old Weston and 7-year-old Haley.
SKIP GLEASON (BA, Liberal Studies, ’95) is the men’s
basketball coach at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka.
CRAIG HOFFMAN (BA, History, ’95; MA, Geography, ’98)
is project manager for Dunmore Communities, a residential development
firm based in Roseville.
AARON OFORLEA (BA, English, ’95) recently completed his doctorate
in English at The Ohio State University. He is associate director
of the California Legacy Project at Santa Clara University.
DAVID PASLAY (attended fall ’95 to spring ’98) is a
freelance graphic designer (davidpaslay.com). He married Daniela
in January 2003.
JASON SPANGLER (BA, English, ’95) received a PhD in English
from UC Riverside in 2005 and is an assistant professor of English
at Riverside Community College. He and his wife STEPHANIE (LAUB)
(BA, Journalism, ’95) have been married seven years. They
live in Capistrano Beach and have one son.
MELINDA (DESCHRYVER) FATTIG (Credential ’96, ’97, ’98, ’01),
a resource specialist teacher at McKinleyville Middle School, was
recognized as the Humboldt County Teacher of the Year for 2005.
Fattig introduced a team-teaching approach for integrating special
education students in regular classrooms. Her strategy earned Model
School Site recognition from the California Department of Education.
JASON LARRABEE (BA, Geography, ’97) was promoted to legislative
director for Republican Representative John T. Doolittle. Larrabee
lives in Washington, D.C.
JOY MARRIOT (Credential, ’97) teaches first grade at Roosevelt
Elementary School in Redwood City. She has been a teacher for seven
years.
SHANE GODDARD (BS, Recreation, ’99) is a recreation supervisor
for Woodland Parks Recreation and Community Services Department.
He lives in Woodland.
MELISSA HERINGER (BS, Agriculture, ’99) purchased Christian
and Johnson, the historic Chico gift and flower shop, in June 2005.
The company was founded in 1906 by Annie Bidwell’s gardener.
[ top ] 2000s
YVETTE DUVERNAY (BA, Psychology, ‘00) underwent surgery
to remove a brain tumor in August 2005. She returned to the clinical
psychology master’s program at Vanguard Christian University
in Costa Mesa in the fall.
 ROBYN GALLOWAY (BA, Liberal Studies, ’00) has raised $4,000
for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by running in marathons and
organizing fund-raising events. Donations to the foundation can
be made at www.aidsmarathon.com using her participant number, 1020.
Galloway teaches first grade in Palo Alto.
ROBIN HUFFMAN (MA, Social Science, ’00) is a member of the
Paradise Town Council and teaches at CSU, Chico and Butte Community
College. Huffman lives in Paradise with her husband Maurice, a
blues musician known as Big Mo’, and their son Miles.
 DREW JOHNSON (BS, Biology, ’00) is a seed technologist for
Seminis Inc. in Oxnard. He is engaged to Joanne Licausi (see photo
at left); they live in Ventura.
RUPINDERJIT PAMMA (attended ’01) is a graduate student at
UC Santa Barbara in the Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology
Department. She was part of a team that recently discovered a new
phenomenon in which one bacterial cell can stop the growth of another
on contact. The findings have possible implications for management
of chronic diseases.
MONICA TOBIA (BA, Psychology, ’01) lives in San Francisco
and teaches second grade.
SONYA FOGEL (BA, Journalism, ’02) is regional sales director
for Meritage Hotel in Napa. Fogel previously worked for San Francisco’s
Fairmont Hotel as executive meeting planner.
SARAH HALLAS (BA, Agricultural Business, ’02) earned the
women’s crown at the 28th San Francisco Marathon last July
with a time of 2:56:55. Hallas lives in Petaluma.
ERIC SIMMONS (BS, Nursing, ’02) is stationed at the naval
hospital in Lemoore. He has a daughter, Caroline Rose.
JEFFREY BOIAN (BS, Recreation Administration, ’03) is an
assistant residence community coordinator for University Housing
and Food Service at CSU, Chico. He is married to KATHLEEN (BS,
Nursing, '05).
ALLISON RHODES (BA, Journalism, ’03) is an account executive
for a high-tech public relations firm in San Mateo. She recently
won an Alaska State Press Club award for an article about a Kodiak,
Alaska-based Vietnamese refugee titled “Tran Grateful for
His Life in Kodiak” that was syndicated nationwide by the
Associated Press. Rhodes lives in San Francisco.
MIKKI WESTBIE (BS, Biology, ’03) is finishing a credential
in biology and life sciences and pursuing a master’s degree
in science teaching at CSU, Chico.
PATRICK BURNS (BA, Communication Studies, ’04) works at the
headquarters of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished
Americans in Alexandria, Virginia. He supervises the dispersal
of college scholarships to financially disadvantaged veterans of
the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
TIM MISNER (BS, Agricultural Business, ’04) is the special
projects coordinator at Ag Seeds Unlimited. He and his wife Rebecca
live in Woodland and have a 6-month-old daughter.
BRENNAN PURTZER (BA, Journalism, ’04) founded the Moloka’i
Island Times in December 2004. The newspaper is located in Kaunkakai,
Hawaii.
MASON WHITE (BS, Business Administration, ’04) is an academic
and financial aid counselor at Simpson University in Redding.
Marriages/Anniversaries
WAYNE MARTIN (BS, Accounting, ’69) and his wife Marlene
celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in May 2004. Wayne is
a certified public accountant and owner of a business in Red Bluff
for the past 30 years. The Martins live in Red Bluff and have three
sons, Shannon, Jason (see ’99 update below), and Cory.
FRANK OWENS (BA, Psychology, ’74) and his wife Patricia celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary in July. They have a cattle ranch
in Browns Valley.
SUSAN SEARLE (BS, Nursing, ’92) married Brian Salvato on
Sept. 9. She works at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon.
MICHAEL RUCKER (BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’95)
married Anna Lisa Manalastas on Aug. 13. They live in Manhattan
Beach.
STEVE HERNANDEZ (BA, Social Science, ’96) married Valerie
Amesquita on Aug. 22. He is a high school teacher in Oxnard; the
couple lives in Ventura.
SOMMER AMATOR (BS, Agriculture Science, ’98) married Eric
Horn on Aug. 13. She owns Amator Horn Insurance Agency; they live
in Durham.
SUZANNE HINKLE (BA, Liberal Studies, ’98) married Kenny Price
on Aug. 6. She teaches kindergarten for the Yuba City Unified School
District. They live in Chico.
ANNE ABRAMSON (BA, Sociology, ’99) married Samuel Madden
on July 16. She is a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. They live
in Boston, Massachusetts.
 JASON MARTIN (BA, Geography, ’99) married Alisha Clements
on Oct. 1 in Redding (see photo at left). They live in Red Bluff.
ALLISON JASPER (BA, Liberal Studies, ’01) married Reece Borges
on July 16. She teaches fourth grade in Orland. They live in Chico.
LISA SERRA (BA, Liberal Studies, ’01) married Stan Willis
on June 25. She is a first-grade teacher in Pleasanton.
MELISSA PICKFORD (BS, Agriculture, ’02) married CASEY
LADNER ( BS, Agricultural Business, ’01) on July 9. She is a high
school teacher, and he is a manager at Jeld-Wen. They live in Klamath
Falls, Oregon.
KARA CANNON (BA, Psychology, ’03) married MICHAEL
HART (attended
fall ’81 to spring ’88) on Aug. 20. She is a pharmaceutical
sales representative, and he is a real estate developer. They live
in Chico.
FELICIA BUSHARD (BS, Business Administration, ’04) married
Craig Roberts on July 3. She works at Enterprise Rental Car Agency
in Chico.
JAMES CONERY (BS, Microbiology, ’05) married Jeanette Heath
on Sept. 17. He is studying for his master’s degree in brewing
and distilling, and she is a social worker in the Midlothian Council
Criminal Justice department. They live in Edinburgh, Scotland.
NATE HORTON (BA, History, ’05) married Tacie Vaughn on July
16. He is a teacher at Champion Christian School in Chico.
JESSALYN RAMIREZ (BA, Liberal Studies, ’05) married Joel
Magana on Aug. 13. She is a teacher in Red Bluff.
|
