Warrior Class Notes
60’s
Melissa Aronson, ’67 BA Psychology & ’72 MS Education, is Chair of the Haines Energy and Sustainability Commission in Haines, Alaska. A Professor Emerita at CSU Stanislaus where she still teaches online Teacher Education classes. Aronson is working to bring renewable energy projects to the rural Southeast Alaska community.
70’s
Ramon Bawanan, ’77 BA Business Administration, became Hughson Mayor in November 2008. He is a former Hughson City Council member and is Human Resources Manager for the Office of the Stanislaus County District Attorney. Bawanan is on the Board of Directors for Samaritan Village in Hughson, and volunteers with the Knights of Columbus and Community Hospice.
Donald Alfred Hall, ’76 BA Fine Art, has exhibitions at Turlock City Hall Gallery, Heartline Gallery in Manteca, and at the Mistlin Gallery in Modesto. He has taught at Merced College, Modesto Junior College, and San Joaquin Delta College over the past 20 years.
Bonnie Jones-Lee, ’78 MA Education, is the director of Special Education and Health Services for the Stanislaus County Office of Education, and advocates for disabled children. She is also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Association of California School Administrators.
Stephen G. Kalar, ’74 BA Art, of San Miguel, attended the Academia delle Belle Arti in Italy, and is the first American to be inducted into the House of Dante in Florence, Italy. He was accepted into La Societa delle Belle Arti Circoloa delgi Artisti, and was recently commissioned to work on a mural for the Paso Robles Inn. He currently serves as president of the San Miguel Resource Connection, and remains active in community youth art programs.
Louise King-Bassett, ’77 BA Psychology & ’80 MS Psychology, has a psychology practice in Lodi. She uses a pair of poodles during sessions to help teenagers and children open up and work through grief, anxiety, and depression. Prior to starting her own practice, King-Bassett spent more than 25 years in Stockton’s Lincoln School District as a school psychologist, principal, and district administrator.
Hank E. Klor, ’77 BA Business Administration, of Stockton is a member of the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Enrolled Agents. Klor is a tax and financial advisor offering securities through Royal Alliance Association Inc.
Mark Garrett Knize, ’75 Biological Sciences, now residing in Illinois, worked as a research scientist for 30 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab before deciding to pursue a full-time career in art. He recently took best-of-show at Valley Art Association’s Fall Carriage Exhibit & Art Show in Riverbank. Knize was president of the Tracy Art League in 2002, 2005, and 2006.
Scott Ray Lankford, ’78 BA Physical Education, is now a Special Education teacher at Downey High School in Modesto. He also taught for the Opportunity Program at Lincoln Elementary School in Manteca and coached football for 17 years at Downey.
Robert “Bob” L. Shaver, ’72 BA Biological Sciences, earned his law degree from the University of Idaho. Now a patent attorney in Boise, Idaho, he received the Cliff L. Dochterman Award for Rotarians in Scouting and was president of Boise’s Rotary International in 1992-1993
Christine F. Sousa, ’72 BA Social Science, is a third grade teacher at Julien Elementary School in Turlock. She has been teaching for 37 years.
Christopher Weed, ’74 BA Business Administration, is President of Christopher H. Weed CPA Inc. in Stockton and a registered investment adviser. He is past president of the Stockton Estate Planning Council and vice chair of the MidCal Better Business Bureau.
Diane Louise Wold, ’75 BA Art, is a featured artist in the Turlock City Hall Gallery. An award-winning artist, she has worked as a substitute teacher for Turlock Schools, art teacher at Ripon High School from 1981-2001, and owned Dee’s Green Gallery in Denair.
80’s
Ben Clay Bunn, ’84 BA Business Administration, is a personal injury attorney in San Diego. He was involved in the Trial Lawyers’ Care Program, an organization which did pro bono claims processing after Sept. 11, 2001.
Christopher Steven Crifasi, ’85 BA Business Administration, of Modesto, served as a manager for Grimbleby Coleman CPAs and was Mayor of Riverbank from 2004-2008. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the California Society of CPAs.
John Eisenhut, ’83 MA Business Administration, of Turlock, ran for a State Assembly seat in 2008. He has owned Eisenhut Farms for 20 years and served three terms on the Turlock Unified School District Board of Directors. Eisenhut has also been Chairman of the Board of Directors for U.S. AgBank. He earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam where he served as a staff sergeant.
Brent Howard Ericksen, ’89 BA Physical Education, is the Head Cross Country Track and Field Coach at Southern Oregon University. He previously served as Associate Head Cross Country Track and Field Coach at Texas A&M in Corpus Christi. Erickson was named National, Regional and Conference Coach of the Year for 2006-2007 and has coached five National Champions and 77 All-Americans.
Rick Dean Haire, ’84 Education Teaching Credential, originally of Rock Hill, S.C., has been teaching for 36 years. He has been the Chorus Director at La Loma Junior High School in Modesto for 16 years.
Gary “Dee” Hernandez, ‘81 BA Business and Physical Education, currently owns Hernandez State Farm Insurance. He previously taught at Turlock High School before joining the business.
Jamie Gwyn Hoover, ’81 BA History, is general manager for the student radio station at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. She has a master’s degree in museum studies and worked as a museum curator from 1982-84
Hubert “Hub” Walsh Jr., ’82 MBA Business Administration, was elected Merced County Supervisor in January 2009 after serving on the Merced City Council and as Mayor from 1995-2005. He recently served as Director of Madera County’s Department of Social Services.
Timothy “Troy” H. Lower, ’85 BS Business Administration, is Contracting Officer for the U.S. Army Information Technology and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) in Alexandria, Virginia. He purchases IT products and services ranging from $1 Million to $1 Billion at major Fortune 500 companies and small businesses covered under small business legislation regulations.
Marsha Memmott, ’82 Teaching Credential, an eighth grade Language Arts teacher for 30 years, retired from Turlock Junior High School in June. She was President of the Turlock Teacher’s Association and was named Turlock’s Educator of the Year for 2009.
Dave Eugene Menshew, ’80 BA History, was selected by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) as the recipient of its highest honor, the 2009 Literacy for Life Award. The Enochs High School (Modesto) science teacher was also named the winner of the Genzyme-Life Technologies Biotech Educator Award in May 2009. The award recognizes high school educators who are bringing biotechnology to their classrooms.
Baljit “Bal” Pattar, ’85 Business Administration, is controller for Culinary Farms in Woodland. He was Chief Operating Officer for the Legend Corporation and has over 20 years experience in the consumer and industrial product industry.
Ramin Piro, ’88 BS Business Administration, is the inventor of the Ear Caddy, a hands free storage unit for Bluetooth devices and iPod earphones.
Sue Ellen Reneger, ’87 BA Liberal Studies, is an Intervention Specialist and Reading Recovery Teacher for Modesto City Schools at Kirschen Elementary. She has worked in public education for 30 years, serving as a classroom teacher, site administrator, and mentor teacher.
Richard David Rios, ’88 MA English, of Modesto, won the Stockton Arts Commission’s 31st annual Stockton’s Top Arts Recognition (STAR) award at the Bob Hope Theatre. He teaches grammar, literature, and poetry at San Joaquin Delta College. Rios is a member of Stockton’s Mexican Heritage Center and Artistas Valle.
Judith Ann Slack, ’85 BA Art, of Turlock, is the author of Crunching Carrots Not Candy, voted as one of the top 100 books by the National Education Association in 2007.
Barbara Jeanne Willis, ’84 BA Business Administration, is the author of Escalon, a pictorial history of the San Joaquin County community. In addition to her work as a financial planning assistant, Willis is a member of the Escalon Chamber of Commerce, the Escalon Historical Society, and the Friends of Escalon Library. She also served on the Escalon Planning Commission.
Sean Thomas Young, ’83, BA Political Science, of Los Gatos, is the North America Regional Manager for TalkingTech, an interactive voice messaging company.
Jeff David Zehner, ’89 BA Liberal Studies, has been teaching in the Modesto City School District for 19 years, most recently as a fifth-grade teacher.
90’s
Susan Moselle Alaya, ’91 BA Art, is a graduate student at Academy of Art in San Francisco. She works at the Chartreuse Muse Gallery and exhibits work at Modesto’s State Theatre in the Third Thursday Art Walk.
Fernando J. Beltran, ’93 BA English, was named President of Academic Professionals of California in May 2009 as a statewide representative of Unit 4 employees in the California State University system. He previously served as an academic advisor and coordinator of the CSU Stanislaus Summer Bridge program and was interim director of the Economic Opportunity Program (EOP) before being named to his new duties.
Stacy J. Blevins, ’94 BA English, has taught drama for 13 years at Riverbank High School. Blevins had the unique opportunity this summer to participate in live stage performances with her students at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Cynthia Leigh Churches, ‘92 Education Teaching Credential, originally of St. Louis, has taught mathematics for over 15 years and teaches in the Calaveras Unified School District. She previously lived in Mexico as part of a language-study program.
Frank B. DeMattos, ’93 MA Business Administration, of Modesto was hired as Auditor for the City of Modesto in 2008. He is a certified public accountant, and his previous deputy auditor duties were in Stockton and with Merced County.
Susan Colette Eggman, ’90 BA Psychology and ‘97 MA Social Work, was recognized in the 2008 report Making a Difference: A Selection of Graduate Degree Holders and their Contributions to the Public Good for her outstanding service as a member of the Stockton City Council. She is a Professor of Social Work at CSU Sacramento.
Jesse P. Godinez, ’96 BA Art, is a paralegal with the District Attorney’s office in San Diego.
Angelica Cervant Grishaw, ’92 Teaching Credential, was awarded the Teacher of the Year Award in November 2008 from Wal-Mart Stores along with $1,000 for her school. She taught at Wakefield Elementary in Turlock for 18 years and now teaches at Turlock’s new Walnut Elementary magnet school.
Mike Scott Henderson, ’94 BA English, is the new Principal at Downey High School in Modesto. He previously served as Principal at Modesto’s La Loma Junior High School for three years.
Jane Patricia Holmes, ’95 Teaching Credential, has taught for over 14 years, including nine years at Fair Oaks Elementary in Oakdale. She previously was a Success for All reading teacher at Garrison Elementary school in Modesto.
Christine Hollister, ’91 BS Business Administration & ’02 MS Public Administration, received recertification in March 2009 as a Certified Fund Raising Executive. She is the Director of the CSU Stanislaus Career Center.
Juan Lopez, ’98 BA Mathematics, is Assistant Principal at South/West Park Elementary School in Tracy. Selected Certified Employee of the Year for 2007-2008, he has been with the Tracy Unified School District for over 10 years.
Eric Casey Nath, ’97 BA Psychology, is a Psychology Professor at Columbia College. He also holds an MS degree in Counseling with a concentration in Behavior Analysis.
Gabriel A. Ontiveros Jr., ’96 MA Multilingual Education Curriculum Instruction, is the Dean of Students at Turlock High School. He previously served as a teacher in the Turlock Unified School District for 11 years.
Craig A. Redman, ’94 BA History, is Vice Principal at Oakdale Junior High School. He previously taught at Riverbank High School and has served on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) committee for the Riverbank High School’s accreditation.
Traci Lee Sumner, ’99 MA History, was named Los Baños Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year in 2008. She also teaches part-time at Merced College and is president of the California Continuing Education Association.
00’s
Alexandria Barron, ’01 BA Sociology, is the owner of Barron Insurance Agency serving over 300 bilingual clients. She has been a business owner for four years and previously worked for Farmers Insurance Company.
Alexis E. Morse Bruehler, ’06 BA Biology, is an environmental assistant for Toho Water Authority in Kissimmee, Fla.
Suzanne Jacqueline Burrola, ’07 BA Physical Education, is the softball coach at Merced College. Her team won the Central Valley Conference championship in 2008 and was 15th in the state in 2009 pre-season rankings.
David M. Costa, ’05 BA Criminal Justice, is a probation officer for the Riverbank School District. He works with juvenile cases at Riverbank High School, Cardoza Middle School, and Rio Altura Elementary School.
Natalie Cron, ’04 Business Administration, is a human resource department representative at Old Castle Glass in Modesto. She and James Tiffany were married on November 22, 2008.
Eric Joseph Dambrosio, ’01 BA Liberal Studies, of Modesto, currently teaches at Weston Elementary School in Ripon.
Sean Deise, ’06 BA Sociology, is a California Highway Patrol officer at the Oakland area office. He previously was general manager at California Pizza Kitchen.
Justin Ross Garner, ’03 BS Business Administration, is the Chief Financial Officer of Pacific State Bancorp in Stockton. He has seven years of banking experience in the accounting and finance section of financial institutions.
Sandi Inez Hamilton, ’08 MA Education, of Chowchilla, teaches in the Merced City School District. She is trained as a Reading Recovery teacher and served as the resource teacher at Charles Wright School from 1999-2003.
Daniel Jimenez, ’07 BA History, of Stockton, served as a Military Police officer training Iraqi police in the Army 519th MP Battalion Unit.
Diana Jiménez, ’02 BA English, is an English teacher at Delhi High School where she also mentors beginning teachers, is a senior class advisor, and involved in the creation of a new freshman academy project.
Rapunzel Amador Lewis, ’06 MA Business Administration, is the co-owner, along with her husband, Alvin Lewis Jr., of Amador Lewis Inc. Consulting Engineers in Modesto. She previously earned a degree in Architectural Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 1994. Amador Lewis was the president of the Modesto Engineering Club in 2006.
Natalie Lynn McDowell, ’01 BS Business Administration and ’02 Teaching Credential, of Ripon, is a Kindergarten teacher at Mary Ann Sanders Elementary School in Modesto.
Alfredo Nava, ’04 BA Political Science, recently completed an enlistment with the US Navy while stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Nava plans to pursue a graduate degree in Public Administration.
Jorge Pérez, ’00 BA Liberal Studies, is the outreach and intervention coordinator for Modesto City Schools. He began his career teaching at Bret Harte Elementary School.
Ana Rocha, ’00 BA Political Science, of Salida, is a housing case manager for Community Housing and Shelter Services in Modesto. She provides free counseling to help families fighting to save their homes from foreclosure and has been involved in housing issues for 12 years.
Kelly R. Viverios, ’07 BS Business Administration, of Gustine, teaches at Trinity Dance Center. She taught for five years at Cornerstone Dance Academy in Gustine.
Leola N. Washington, ’08 BA English, of Modesto, is in the CSU Stanislaus Master’s degree in English Literature program. She aspires to be a fiction writer.
Deborah Lynne Scott-Wingo, ’03 BA Liberal Studies, of Tracy, is the assistant principal at Wickland Elementary School in Tracy’s Lammersville Elementary School District. She also serves on the Jefferson School District Board.
Robb Spencer, ’02 BA Child Development, has been Modesto Christian High School girls basketball coach for eight seasons and guided the Crusaders to the Division IV state title game in March 2009. His teams have compiled a 216-53 record and made the playoffs every year. Spencer also teaches physical education and is Dean of Students at MC.
Houakia Moua Xiong, ’03 BA Communication Studies, is the traffic manager for CBS Radio-LIVE105 in San Francisco. She was previously a production coordinator for the Oakland Tribune and a writer for the San Mateo Daily News.