Class Notes Fall 2015

Class Notes

Class Notes reflect submissions received between January 23, 2015, and August 6, 2015.

The College

1940

Eppie Provost ’40 had the opportunity to play the Memorial Chapel Casavant organ for the very first time during Alumni Founder’s Weekend 2015. She treated listeners to three favorites she played by ear: “Climb Every Mountain,” “Amazing Grace” and our alma mater.

1953

Bassist Nancy Page Griffin ’53 will be retiring from the Seattle Symphony at the end of the 2014-2015 season. She has played with the symphony since 1961 and has performed with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra and at many festivals including the Cabrillo Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and as a part of the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra.

1956

Sally Rider Cummings ’56 says: “Our 60th reunion is next May 20-22. Please attend and be part of the party preparations (that means serving on the planning committee!).”

Patti Lewis Garrison ’56 recently led a trip to Norway with daughter, Suzanne, and others. Tour Director Patti has traveled Scandinavia several times with her late husband, Bill. Living on the East Coast she can more easily “hop the pond” to Europe.

Mary Helen Kelson Hamilton ’54, ’56 was an active traveler. Her last adventure was a hike along the Sicilian east coast and up the flanks of Mt. Etna, all just one month prior to her death June 30.

Jayne Harasty ’56 toured Machu Picchu and the Galapagos with daughter, Sharon, marveling at the beautiful, hardworking people and the glorious, rugged farmland. From the top of the Andes to the clear blue waters of the islands, this adventure surpassed all their others.

Robert M. (Bob) Kurtz Jr. ’56 received an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Lock Haven University in Clearfield, Pa. Bob helped found that campus, and he and wife, Marilyn, have given significantly to the community. The family’s business, Kurtz Brothers, has printed schoolbooks for the region for more than a century.

Sue (Mauser) Nason ’56 says, “Best Birthday(s) Ever”: Thirty at the penthouse party, including son, Andrew, and girlfriend, Natascia; her students’ year-end recital in her apartment; a Yankees game with a friend; dinner with UR’s Ralph and Nancy Kuncl and Char ’69, ‘70 and Larry ‘67 Burgess; and finally a lifelong-anticipated tour of the Steinway factory in Queens.

Mary Nuffer ’56 attended a wedding hosted by Larry and Kris Nugent for a young couple, who have been under their wing for many years, on a beautiful bluff overlooking the ocean in Encinitas. The best part was seeing Larry healthy again!

Janet (Ugrob) Peterson ’56 writes: “We greatly appreciate our wonderful family: 18 grandchildren, ranging in age from 4 to 30, and now almost three great grandchildren as our older grandchildren are starting families of their own. So much fun!”

Bill Stayton ’56 is retired with apartments on his son’s Sonoma County farm and daughter’s Pennsylvania property. Bill teaches courses on human sexuality each year at Bucknell. Kathy plays with a violin quartet from high school, reunited and playing concerts annually in each member’s community.

1957

Pat Fobair ’57 lectured at the 10th International Breast Cancer Conference in Tehran, Iran, February 25-27, 2015. Responding to an invitation from a colleague, she gave a four-hour intensive workshop on facilitating group therapy with breast cancer patients. There was a sense that the psychologist audience soaked up the material, adding the slides to their repertoire. Although frequently reminded to “put her scarf back on,” Pat found the Iranians warm and friendly.

George Savage ’57 writes that he is still trying to break into theater. He has 25 full-length plays that have all had some kind of production, “Usually the kind where the actors aren’t paid.” On May 12, 2015, the Northwest Playwright’s Alliance at the Seattle Repertory Theater, 155 Mercer Street, at Seattle Center presented a reading of “Xerxes Reward, a Savage Tale” by George Savage Jr. Good work, George.

1958

Rev. John R. Knox ’58 is the author of a self-published book of poetry, Through Rain and Sunny Weather and all the Days In Between: Poetry from Life’s Journey, about theology, celebrations of life, family, the challenges of life, memorial reflections and Christmas poetry.

1959

Jim Hoopes ’59 is still living in Australia, the lovely Phillip Island in Victoria. He recently visited with his children and grandchildren in the U.K., Minnesota, Alaska and Hawaii.

Pat Morris ’59 was invited to hold a Trustee for Life Board membership position on the U of R Board of Trustees. Well deserved after serving on the Board for 40 years!

Marilyn Kerr Solter ’59 reports Lorraine Wiens Culton ’59 and husband, Joe, visited Mickey Warkentin Devore ’59 and Barbie Powers Allen ’59 while on a trip to Washington state. Lorraine and Joe have made a move after many years in the same house but are still living in Hemet.

1960

Col. Tom Niquette USAF, Ret., ’60 and his wife of 57 years, Judy, recently traveled to California where their granddaughter, Megan, graduated from USC. They also attended the class of ’60 55th reunion during the same week. They currently live on St. Simons Island, Ga., and welcome any classmates who come to the South!

1962

Jeanne Walker Runner Blumer ’62 writes: “We live in Prescott, Ariz., in the forest area and love it here. I am a member of the Prescott Art Docents, which has been a half-time volunteer job. I’ve been president, training coordinator, membership coordinator and now in charge of presentation preview. I give art presentations to community groups, schools and art training classes.”

Judy Smith Gilmer ’62 reports: Maggie Boren Bell ’62 writes she and husband Ray will be enjoying the Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisc., in July as well as a Dominican Republic trip in October.

Fred and Donna Griffin Niedermeyer ’62 went bird watching in Maine recently. Fred added four more birds to his North American (ABA) list; he needs 13 more to reach his goal of 700. Donna, he says, just enjoys looking at the birds and doesn’t need to keep a list!

Bill Smith ’62 won two gold medals in the 2015 National Pickleball Senior Games in Minneapolis for men’s 70s doubles and men’s 75s singles. Bill now has six men’s singles national titles, five of which he earned in the 70-74 age division and now one in the 75-79 division.

Ann Stewart West ’62, itinerant classmate, tells of attending the May Georgetown University graduation events for Jinha Yoon ’13, awarded a master’s degree from the Frank McCourt School of Public Policy. A July trip to Germany, London and Iceland will find Ann at High Clere of “Downton Abbey” fame and Reykjavik. A river cruise in Myanmar will follow in 2016.

1965

Jim Allen ’65 is still volunteering with community health centers and other nonprofit organizations. His current passions include his marriage, family and activities.

David ’65 and Marilyn Martin Caminiti ’65 actively volunteer at the Redlands Community Hospital and for the Redlands United Methodist Church. They are retired from education and love playing with their grandchildren.

Lee Davis Caskey ’65 spent his working years on the corporate audit staff of GTE. He retired to Washington state to be near grandchildren but is working part time as the office manager of a small water company on Camano Island, Wash.

David De Lange ’65 has a career in family counseling, stress and addictions.

Betsy Watson Desimone ’65 recently retired from a long career in health care management and consulting where she worked primarily in the area of physical medicine and rehabilitation for children and adults.

Phil Estermann ’65 spent the last 20-plus years at the East-West Center in Honolulu developing and managing collaborative research and training projects with partners in Asia in the areas of human rights, population, environment and health; retired in 2014 and along with classmate Gary Larsen ’65, he is trying to facilitate the shipment of recycled U.S. hospital equipment to Myanmar.

Galen Fox ’65 and Marty Lyons ’65 have been to all seven continents.

Jean Chadsey Fuller ’65 taught in Cupertino, had financial responsibility for older family members and is spending lots of time with their 2-year-old twin granddaughters.

Julie Grimm Gregg ’65 loves exploring her state of West Virginia; she was only at UR for two years, but the time there was a major experience in her life. She worked for the CIA in New York and Washington, D.C., and is now involved in local community service, square-dancing and playing the violin.

Carol Provost Gruber ’65 retired from a career in the aerospace engineer industry as a director of environmental health and safety; she is now on the Alumni Board.

Linda Rae (Maas) Hardwick ’65 of Walnut Creek, Calif., and husband, Paul, went on the University of Redlands Magnificence of China alumni tour in June 2014 visiting the Great Wall. Linda Rae continues as a part-time psychotherapist. Paul is a retired minister.

Wolfgang Heppner ’65 started his own company in Munich, which coordinates 5,000 employees in a variety of temporary job placements.

John Herrell ’65 retired from his “integrated information systems for construction industry” career. He now travels the country on his big Harley touring bike with his wife, Connie Cooper ’67. They’ve toured half a million miles in 20 years! They also took one magical tour of The Alps … 31 passes in 11 days.

Jack Iverson ’65 enjoys travel with wife, Suzy Wohlers ’68. He retired from teaching and coaching volleyball at the high school championship level.

Toby Larson ’65 has been hosting jazz concerts at his house in Newport Beach for 11 years for a number of fundraisers for several charities, including medical care for musicians unable to afford insurance and several nonprofit start-ups in Orange County. He is a member of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and vice president of Inside Edge, a nonprofit UCI breakfast group featuring speakers and musicians focusing on political and social topics of current interest.

Rich McDowell ’65 and his wife, Barbara Winslow McDowell ’66, had a great time catching up with classmates at Rich’s recent reunion. He has been semi-retired for about 10 years from their family-owned commercial real estate development business. They have enjoyed traveling to six continents.

Bruce Parker ’65 was a professional geologist for 38 years employed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission for their raw materials program. He was a field geologist for a few years and worked/lived in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

Charlene Clark Robbins ’65 has appeared on the PBS television programs “Antiques Roadshow” and “History Detectives” with a 1917 music manuscript passed down to her from her father. The manuscript is the only surviving music manuscript from the standardization committee of five nationally known musicians who decided on the official musical score prior to its adoption in 1935 as the National Anthem of the United States. Charlene and her sister, Carmelle Clark Knudsen ’62, donated the manuscript to the Fort McHenry National Park and Historic Site, where Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the anthem during the War of 1812.

Carol Giberson Rodgers ’65 retired and lives in Berkeley, spending time in Watsonville at a family home and at the cabin in Big Sur located 14 miles in on an unpaved road at an elevation of 4,000 feet.

Jim Schroeder ’65 retired from a career in oil and gas in Colorado. He is on the UR Board of Trustees and sponsors many “Schroeder Scholar” travel-study grants to U of R students. He also enjoys collecting vintage sports cars.

Larry Schulz ’65 taught politics for 44 years at St. Andrews University in North Carolina except for an eight-year period as vice president for academic affairs. He especially enjoyed leading several student groups for semesters of study in China and Italy over the years.

Don Slawson ’65 recently retired from a 43-year career in the food service equipment business. He taught and coached for quite a few years after graduation.

Dave Strack ’65 taught German and history at Yucaipa High School and coached tennis, soccer, basketball and football. He also taught German as an adjunct at the U of R off and on from ’01 until last November. He also taught English in Germany on a Fulbright Exchange (1974-75) and led many tours over the years to Germany and Austria. He enjoys being retired now and is still traveling. Dave has the distinction of having a grandchild attending Redlands!

Gail Billions Thompson ’65 is working two days a week as financial advisor for a small company. She lives in Virginia and volunteers as an AARP tax aide and at a local food bank.

David Wilson ’65 presented a named endowed scholarship in honor of math professor Dr. Judson Sanderson at his recent reunion. Dr. Sanderson was very important to David’s education and life. Mrs. Sanderson was there to accept the surprise announcement. It was reported there was not a dry eye in the place.

Don Zell ’65 still practices law at his firm but at a slower pace while loving life in San Clemente.

1966

Douglas Ades ’66 was recently awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland by the president of Poland. He had always helped the less fortunate, no matter where he was working. In 1991 he visited Poland for the first time, seeing a country with drive for change. In 1999, he raised 5 million Polish zlotys, enabling the financial support of nongovernmental organizations which have now disbursed more than 2,000 loans to organizations of various sizes. He lives in New York but visits Poland five times a year.

Tom Bandy ’66 and his wife traveled with some Redlands alumni, faculty and administrators to Europe for three weeks, including a week in Salzburg. His wife is trying to learn the “Och Tamale,” but keeps wanting to know what it means! Linda Beck Brubaker ’66 and her husband Dave Brubaker ’66 retired from college teaching positions in 2006, sold their Woodinville home of 34 years, then bought a home on Camano Island, just north of Seattle which is their primary residence. They spend winters in Prescott, Ariz. At both places, they do environmental volunteer work. Babysitting in California and Washington keeps them busy.

Carolyn Martin Scheib Buhlmann ’66 lives in Auburn, Calif., and retired as risk manager for the city of Roseville in 2005. For 13 years, she traveled all over the world judging cat shows for the Cat Fanciers Association. Long-time hobbies brought about her own quilt shop and woodworking studio. After being a widow for many years, she married in March 2015 and enjoyed a lengthy honeymoon in Switzerland, her husband’s country of origin.

Fred Carper ’66 is now fully retired after 42 years doing engineering and managing programs for TRW/Northrop Grumman. He and his wife are enjoying life in Fullerton when they’re not trying to visit all seven continents.

Conroy Chow ’66 just retired from 42 years working for the state of Hawaii in Corrections and Welfare for the Department of Human Services.

Janet Hageman Chrispeels ’66 and her husband are enjoying trips abroad with each grandchild to a country of their choosing. She serves as director of TIDES, a small nonprofit that provides professional development for schools in inquiry learning and high-impact instructional strategies.

Robert Colvin ’66 flew in from Germany last May to meet with other former editors, staff and faculty advisor Howard Hurlbut ’59 for a Bulldog student newspaper reunion during Redlands’ alumni weekend.

Jerilynn Smith Crivello ’66 is a retired educator busy with volunteering and grandmothering. She just finished a two-year term as president of the Monterey Civic Club. Contact her for Monterey Aquarium passes!

Anne Wickett Cross ’66 has just had a new fiction book published, Familiar Stranger. It is available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. She credits some of her success to her UR creative writing major. She and her husband have 10 grandchildren and enjoy living in the Bay Area, volunteering, traveling and their place in Bear Valley in the Sierras.

Thomas Davis ’66 began dual careers in real estate and college teaching after retiring from Verizon. The last five years, he chaired the online history and political science departments of the University of Phoenix. With his family, he now divides time between homes in Southwest Florida and New Hampshire.

Marilyn Searles Eckels ’66 enjoys being a grandparent of two who live only a few minutes away in northern Virginia. She and her husband travel extensively and will be back in Salzburg to visit her “family” from UR days. They volunteer on a variety of community projects.

Carol Munnecke Fox ’66 is still working for the East-West Center, where her main project is bringing together philanthropists from China, the U.S. and elsewhere to encourage collaboration and improve the impact of philanthropy. She is also the happy grandmother of five.

Richard Goyette ’66 is living in Folsom and married for 41 years, is retired but still owns an online concert classical guitar sales business. He has written a book, Christian Universalism, Maybe God Isn’t Such a Bad Guy After All.

Norm Gruber ’66 and his wife have lived in Salem, Ore., for the past 11 years having moved from San Diego to take the position of CEO of Salem Health. Two of their four sons are living in the Portland area. Norm plans to retire in the northwest.

Scott Harvey ’66 retired in 2011 to a home on Lake Guntersville, Ala. Scott and his wife travel between Alabama and California to visit kids and grandkids. Community theater productions have featured Scott in leading roles this last year.

Lou Hays ’66 is still working full time as the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon, Pa. It’s a large church with many young families, children and teens. He’s contemplating retirement but still waiting to take the plunge.

Tammy Stahl Hernandez ’66 is living in Corona del Mar with her husband of 10 years. They are both retired principals, and they have many shared experiences. They have a blended family of four, plus three grandchildren.

Craig Higgs ’66 is still practicing law as a mediator. His youngest child just completed his first year at Pomona.

Rich Holloway ’66, living in Australia since 1971, is retired but still owns a number of car washes. He and his wife enjoy time with grandchildren and renovating a second home in Brisbane.

Joe Hull ’66 went to medical school in Salt Lake City and did his residency at Boston City Hospital. He still works full time as an emergency doctor north of Boston. He has four children and two grandchildren and enjoys golf, basketball, travel and building canoes.

Joyce Collins Landsverk ’66 served in the Peace Corps in Brazil and taught both secondary and elementary school, retiring in 2008. She is currently president of the Assistance League of Santa Monica, enjoys watercolor painting, paddle tennis, anti-bullying puppeteering and has four daughters and nine grandkids.

Don Marshall ’66 has two children, one a 2001 UR grad, and three grandchildren. After a 27-year teaching career in instrumental music in San Diego, he retired and continued with a sound recording replication graphic design and mastering business he started in 1976 and sold in 2008. He now lives in Healdsburg, Calif.

Bob Millen ’66 retired in 2010 and then got involved in the renovation of his home, restoration of a 1914 Model T Ford and volunteering at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, Calif. He and his wife hope to continue their travels and have one grandson so far.

Kathy Gammon Mohs ’66 leads a weekly community Bible study group of women. She is active in the Lake Forest Yacht Club and Lake Forest Garden Club where her lakeside home was recently on the garden tour.

Rich Olson ’66 reports that after 30 years in academia, he and his wife retired and moved to the country where they live in the woods by a lake with their chocolate lab. “It’s wonderful even if it is in Mississippi and we got hit hard by Katrina … life is good.”

Jackson Parham ’66 is flying, sailing and biking. A knee was replaced 50 years after Redlands football took the cartilage and the ACL. Now he has an “of counsel” relationship with a California law firm.

Pete Pedersen ’66 and his wife, Addie Lim ’68, have two daughters and have lived in many California college towns as Pete taught biology. He retired in 2006 after 35 years at Cuesta College, the last eight as chair of his department. After selling the real estate company Addie founded, they have been traveling, and Pete continues gardening.

Susie Schutz Robar ’66 has been a speaker/educator for RapeSpeaksOut! instituted to lessen the incidence of child sex predator and trafficking activity. In 2013, she received the Cottey College Alumnae Hall of Leadership and Social Responsibility Award. After 45 years in the same home, Susie and her husband are in the midst of upsizing.

Elaine Irick Stabler ’66 has lived in south central Pennsylvania since 1972. She has been a piano teacher, church administrator, choir director and volunteer with hospice and the juvenile court system, assisting with foster care. Elaine and her husband of 47 years are now retired, enjoying their 55-plus community with many activities and friends.

Parke Terry ’66 recently retired and is traveling internationally. He continues to manage a family business that farms 1,000 acres in Nebraska.

Gail Durley Johnson Vaughan ’66 has a blended family of six children, nine grandkids and one great-grandchild. She and her husband live in the Sierra foothills of Grass Valley. Gail was executive director of Sierra Forever Families for 22 years and now is executive director of Families NOW, a group that assures that no child leaves foster care without a permanent family.

John Yeomans ’66 just retired from full-time teaching and research in brain science dealing with brain circuits for opiate reward and schizophrenia at the University of Toronto.

1967

Myron E. Reed ’67 writes: “I attended California Baptist Seminary in Covina, Calif. I graduated with a Master of Divinity and was ordained by the American Baptist Churches USA in 1970. For the next 33 years, I served ABC churches in California, North Dakota and Wyoming retiring in 2003. Following retirement my wife, Rodonna, and I moved to Cheyenne, Wyo. Since retiring, I have served as interim pastor for a church in Colorado and one in Cheyenne. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2008 with a cruise to Alaska.”

Arlan Van Leeuwen ’67 and Tedd Tritt ’67 visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City during their tour with their wives to Vietnam and Cambodia in April. Things looked a lot different in 1968 when both served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. The 2015 tour was both enlightening and educational, not to mention a lot more comfortable!

1968

Chris DeWees ’68 retired after 35 years on the UC Davis faculty, specializing in the study of ocean fisheries. He is using his academic focus in his second career as an artist, doing Japanese fish printing (gyotaku). You can view his prints on his Facebook page. He was also the featured artist at Gallery 1855 in September 2015 in Davis, where he and his wife, Christy, live. Since retiring, Chris and Christy have enjoyed spending time with their four grandchildren and traveling to Mexico, Belize, the Swiss Alps and Palau, where they toured with the U of R group, a trip they highly recommend. Chris is the step-grandson of the longtime registrar, Esther Mertins. Because Esther enjoyed mentoring foreign students, her family established an endowed scholarship in her name to support foreign students attending Redlands. What a great way to remember this wonderful woman.

Rev. Don Ford ’68 and his wife, Barbara, moved to Twisp, Wash., as pastor of a small Methodist church after 15 years of ministry in Pagosa Springs, Colo. Washington state’s largest fire hit the area soon after they arrived, devastating the community. Don hosted a U of R “One Day of Service” event in September, helping someone who lost everything in the fire to rebuild.

Pat Frame Rugola ’68 is a licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. The license is for preaching only and carries no other pastoral privileges or responsibilities. She preaches several times a year in her home church in downtown Columbus and occasionally in other venues. She and her husband, Jeff White, live in a 100-year-old house close enough to Ohio State that they can hear the roar of the crowd on game days. They tend to 4,000 square feet of perennial borders—which they never water.

1972

Pam Hasbrouck ’72 and Debbie Baxter Morales ’71 met a group of UR Deltas in Salzburg by chance while on holiday. All are Delta sisters.

1973

Jim Hustace ’73 reports that he and his wife, Mollie, attended the Stanford Law School graduation of son, Kip Hustace ’11, in early June 2015. The proud parents were thrilled to have a Doctor of Jurisprudence in the family. Kip will be working as a civil rights attorney in Los Angeles. In addition, Jim and his son James have just co-authored a new book, Hawai’i–Visions on Paper: Artists of the Hawaiian Islands. Both Jim and James are certified fine art appraisers.

1975

John Nimmo ’75 is the 2015 Soil Science Society of America award recipient for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education and national and international service and research. Nimmo works for the United States Geologic Survey in the Menlo Park, Calif., office. He is a physicist and lead scientist for unsaturated flow processes with the USGS.

1981

Charles J. Umeda ’81 was recently appointed to a judgeship in the San Bernardino County Superior Court by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.

1983

Nathan Truman ’83 and Susan Martini Truman ’83 celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and continue with their 11th year with the Friends of Angels family autism camp that they helped start. Nate was also a guest speaker and built a Marty McFly truck for the 30th anniversary “Back to the Future” cast reunion event in Las Vegas, helping to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

1987

Brig Barker ’87 recently published an article, “ISIS: Nothing New Under the Sun” in the winter edition of Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International.

Jim Stubblefield ’87, Latin-style guitar player, tours with the group, Incendio, and released a solo recording, “Encantado.”

1990

Matthew Rouse’09, ’10 is associate professor and chair, communication disorders at Biola University, in La Mirada, Calif. He has a new textbook out: Neuroanatomy for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.

1993

Jennifer Nordstrom ’93 is the recipient of the Edith Green Distinguished Professorship Award at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., recognizing a senior faculty member who demonstrates sustained excellence in the classroom and has worked creatively to enhance Linfield’s commitment to academic excellence. At Linfield since 2000, Nordstrom embodies the liberal arts. Under her guidance, student participation in undergraduate research, mathematics modeling competitions and attendance at regional and local mathematics conferences has increased. She serves as governor of the Pacific Northwest section of the Mathematical Association of America and was recently awarded a Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment grant for a project that will include Linfield students mentoring local middle school students.

1994

Pete McCall ’94 is a professional fitness consultant, speaker and educator. He is the director of the Institute of Motion.

1995

The Class of ’95 celebrated their 20-year reunion this May with a small but fun group that attended the lunch and dinner. Thank you to Jamey Heiss ’95, who helped to plan our reunion.

Gina Maspero Welles ’95 recently joined the HK Lane Real Estate team in the Coachella Valley, focusing her efforts on assisting clients with properties in Rancho Mirage and the surrounding area.

1996

Debbie Shively ’96 has lived in Sydney, Australia, for 12 years and just welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Kai, in July 2014.

Caen Thomason-Redus ’96 was recently appointed community catalyst/director of community programs for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). He is a veteran musician, educator and nonprofit administrator. He performed with the orchestra in the flute section for two years as the African-American orchestra fellow and worked extensively with the Civic Youth Ensembles as a coach.

Leticia Llamas Wells ’96 and her husband, Richard, recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary. In December of 2014, Leticia completed her master’s degree at UNLV. She is working on developing the Las Vegas alumni chapter. If you are interested in participating in the organizing committee or learning about chapter events, you can contact her at bulldogsinlasvegas@gmail.com.

1997

David Avila Jr. ’97 is now working as key account sales manager-U.S.A. for Trespass Outdoor Clothing Company and sales rep for AyAyAy Apparel. He will be moving back to Long Beach, where he will be starting a new chapter in his life personally and professionally. David’s daughter is now 13 years old and lives with her mom in Northern California.

Amanda Hunter ’97 along with her husband, Tony, and son, Mason (3), have moved to New Zealand to spend a couple years with her husband’s family and friends. She is working remotely as a business analyst for DB Schenker while in New Zealand.

Hien Huynh ’97 is preparing to take the exam for his life insurance license in order to start a new career as a financial advisor helping families and businesses with investments and retirement funds. Hien had worked for the First Baptist Church of Redlands for 15 years and is looking forward to this new direction for himself and his family.

Georgette (Manio) Pickering ’97 was married on April 11, 2015. She works as a special agent for the FBI out of Los Angeles.

1999

Class of 1999! Amanda Cooper Lebrecht ’99 has been a great class reporter for the last 16 years and has handed over the reins to me. Thank you, Amanda, for all the time you’ve put in. My husband, Dave, our two children, Finlay (5) and Declan (3), and I recently moved to Raleigh, N.C., where I work in marketing for Bayer CropScience, and I am finding the business of agriculture incredibly fascinating. I look forward to connecting with all of you and helping to share your milestones and news.—Stacie McRae Marshall ’99

Gregg Cummings ’99 and his wife, Beth, welcomed an adorable baby girl, Cora Anne, on April 6, 2015, in St. Paul, Minn. Gregg continues to serve on the University of Redlands Alumni Board and is an active volunteer in their community. He and Beth are already sharing the joys of travel with Cora. Gregg is a senior vice president and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and was recently voted one of Morgan Stanley’s “40 Under 40” in recognition of his being a top performer in the field by both Morgan Stanley and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Nicole Coscarelli DeWitt ’99 is now vice principal of Valhalla High School in El Cajon, Calif. Nicole and her husband, Randy DeWitt ’98, and their children, Drake and Emma, enjoyed cruising Northern California in their RV this summer with stops that included visits with Teal Sewards Conroy ’00 and Jeff Funk ’98.

Heather Lassak ’99 and her fiancé, Gary Smith, welcomed a son, Olson Lejen Smith, on June 3, 2015. They live in the San Diego area, where Heather works in the medical sales field.

2005

Adrien Litton ’05, a geographic information system (GIS) expert, has been hired by ARCADIS, a global environmental engineering company with more than 6,000 employees in the U.S. He will work with state departments of transportation and is based out of their Irvine, Calif., office.

Schools of Business and Education

Charles Almiron ’12 has the distinction of being recognized by the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce as one of 40 individuals under age 40 who made an impact on business in the local community this year.

Veda Ward ’12 celebrated 25 years with California State University, Northridge in May of 2015 at a reception for honored faculty. Ward is a professor of recreation and tourism management at the university.

Jonny Westom ’13 was appointed executive director of the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau as of August 1, 2015. He and his wife, Jamie, and their dog, Lucy, will be moving to Sonoma to become part of the community.

Tiffany Dillard ’14 has been accepted to Whittier Law School.

Jessica Rosale ’15 presented at the Fifth Annual Geospatial Summit.

Brian J. Martin ’16, the Military Veterans in Production Foundation’s CEO, is a U.S. Army Iraq War veteran. He started the organization and the film competition the foundation sponsors in honor of his father, a veteran and an aspiring writer who committed suicide in 2006. This spring, the organization was honored to have Jason Hall among the judges for this year’s competition. Hall is the screenwriter whose recent adaptation of “American Sniper” earned him a 2015 Oscar nomination.

Johnston

René Díaz-Lefebvre ’74 recently earned an Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Latina/o Psychological Association (NLPA). René Díaz-Lefebvre is a professor of psychology at Glendale Community College, North Campus (Maricopa Community College District), in Glendale, Ariz. During the course of his tenure, which spans more than four decades at six community colleges, Díaz-Lefebvre has won numerous national and international teaching excellence awards. Among the honors, he was named master teacher by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin and participated in an International Study of Exceptional Community College Teachers (UT, Austin). He was also awarded a Kellogg Scholarship to study at the Institute for the Management of Lifelong Learning (MLE) at Harvard University.