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’50s

Henry Gallegos, ’51 Music, who conducted the South Bay Orchestra for 14 years, currently plays in the Swing Solution Big Band.

Mauro Valcazar, ’58 Music, of San José, retired after 40 years of public school teaching, volunteers at the Holy Family Parish and teaches piano lessons to adults in his home.

Dick Vermeil, ’58 BS, ’59 MS, Physical Education, received the 25th Francis “Reds” Bagnell Award for contributions to football from Maxwell Football Club (MFC), the oldest football club in America. He is one of five coaches to lead three different franchises to the NFL playoffs. His retirement in 2006 concluded one of the most distinguished coaching careers in NFL history.

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’60s

Thomas Frank, ’65 Psychology, retired after a 42-year career in research and teaching at the University of Southern Maine, the University of Alaska and Providence (R.I.) College, his base for the last 18 years.

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’70s

Edward Cordia, ’71 BS, ’76 MS, Chemistry, celebrated his 43rd year at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. For the last 17 years, he has been senior manager of the parts, materials and processes laboratories.

John Dybvig, ’72 Kinesiology, who currently lives in New Zealand, sends news of the publication of his latest e-book, The Crazy Lives of John Dybvig (Hurricane Press, 2013).

George Henderson (“Krazy George”), ’70 Industrial Arts, long time full-time professional cheerleader and inventor of the “wave cheer” (at a 1981 Oakland A’s playoff game) has published his cheerleading autobiography, Still Krazy After All These Cheers (Create Space, 2014). His longest SJSU cheer? Two words, he reveals: “San José” and/or “Spar-tans.”

Kent Kavasch, ’79 Graphic Design, is a graphic designer in CSU East Bay’s Office of University Advancement.

Jeff Lamb, ’77 Physical Education, Milpitas High School P.E. teacher and athletic director, received the California State Athletic Directors Association’s Athletic Director of the Year award for 2013-2014. He accepted the award at the California State Athletic Directors Conference in April in San Diego.

Dennis Martin, ’78 Theater Arts, former chair of the San José Arts Commission, is the new president of San José Stage Company’s Board of Directors. “With the unfortunate loss of San José Repertory Theatre, The Stage is now the sole equity professional theatre company in the South Bay,” he said. “We believe that Rep audiences will find our season entertaining, thought provoking and well worth the effort to check us out.”

James Rhodes, ’77 Criminal Justice Administration, and Nina Alvarado Avina, ’76 Business, both former Fulbright educators in Vietnam, have worked extensively with Vietnamese victims of herbicidal poisons. Rhodes’s book on his Agent Orange and war experiences was published recently in Hanoi with proceeds benefitting the country’s Agent Orange victims. This year, on his 14th trip to Vietnam, he plans to film a documentary on Vietnamese-American relations.

Terrie Rust, ’77 Home Economics, is co-author of Einstein Fellows: Best Practices in STEM Education (Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2014). Her focus: engaging girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers and integrating informal STEM learning in the classroom. She has received a Distinguished Technology Education (DTE) citation from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association and recently worked in India, introducing STEM skills to educators and students in that country.

John Shannon, ’70 History, is the new president of the Campbell Rotary Club. He spent 33 years of his career in education in the San José Unified School District.

Richard Steckel, ’77 Aeronautical Operations, recently received his doctorate in aviation from Saint Louis University, where he is currently a senior research assistant at the Center for Aviation Safety Research. He retired from Boeing in 2009 after a 24-year career as a quality engineer.

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’80s

Timothy Brashear, ’84 Accounting, is the assistant director of finance for residential and dining enterprises at Stanford University.

Jane Carter, ’89 Kinesiology, received the 2014 Dance Teacher of the Year award, private studio category, from Dance Teacher Magazine. She accepted the award in New York in August at the Dance Teacher Summit.

Jim Corcoran, ’88 Public Relations, and Lori Corcoran, ’89 Administration of Justice, co-own Corcoran Winery and Corcoran Brewery, located in a restored log cabin in Waterford, Va. For more information: corcoranvineyards.com.

Phil Done, ’89 Education, published The Charms of Miss O’Hara: Tales of Gone with the Wind & the Golden Age of Hollywood from Scarlett’s Little Sister (Gateway Publishing, 2014). Done was invited to interview actress Ann Rutherford, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s youngest sister in the film, the year before Rutherford died in Beverly Hills.

Laura Durr, ’89 Accounting, was appointed interim CFO of Polycom, Inc. in San José. She joined the company in 2004.

Consuelo Jimenez-Underwood, ’87 MFA Art, received a 2014 Silicon Valley Artist Laureate Award for her work with fibers and textiles. Her work has been collected by the Oakland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institute. A descendant of Huichol, a Mexican indigenous tribe known for its threading expertise and embroidery, she credits her heritage for both her threading skills and respect for spirituality.

Suzanne Kanatsiz, ’88 MFA Art, a sculptor and installation artist, has exhibited her work at the Allan Stone Gallery in New York and the Capp Street Project in San Francisco. She teaches at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. (See her work on the next page.)

Peter Oxner, ’89 Advertising, is new director of advertising at Business Insurance in Chicago. He was previously sales director of Velti and sales manager of the U.S. edition of London’s Financial Times.

Debby Boucher Rogers, ’85 Nursing, rejoined the California Hospital Association (CHA) in the newly created position of vice president of clinical performance and transformation. During her long career in public policy, she has held leadership appointments in the administrations of Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown and for 10 years worked for the California Legislature. She was inducted into the Academy of Emergency Nursing as a fellow in 2010.

Peter Schifrin, ’82 Sculpture, recently exhibited his work in a show titled “Affirmations” at the Palmetto Center for the Arts at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas.

Michaele Sharlene Serasio, ’86 Nursing, is a registered nurse who has worked for 28 years at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, 15 years in critical care and 13 years in case management.

Ursula Anna Fischer Smith, ’86 Economics, is the author of Picking Tomatoes When the Sky Was in Flames (Robertson Publishing), set in Germany during World War II.

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’90s

Yuki Ascue, ’96 Social Work, a licensed clinical social worker employed by Santa Clara County, also teaches yoga classes.

Miguel Avila, ’92 Biological Sciences, ’02 MPA, is worldwide senior director and head of quality and regulatory compliance at Mentor Worldwide, a Johnson & Johnson company that supplies medical products. He is based in Santa Barbara.

Richard Bookwalter, ’95 MS Occupational Therapy, was appointed to the California Board of Occupational Therapy by Gov. Jerry Brown in March. Since 2008, he has been an occupational therapist for durable medical equipment and rehabilitation outcomes at Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc.

Theresa Cetani, ’96 Nursing, retired from O’Connor Hospital in San José after a 41-year career in nursing.

Gregory Finch, ’91 Administration of Justice, retired as Campbell’s chief of police. He worked in the Campbell Police Department for his entire career, starting as a police officer in 1987. He was promoted to sergeant in 1996, to captain in 2007 and to chief of police in 2009. Finch is also an accomplished magician. “I spent my life solving mysteries,” he said, “so now I get pleasure out of creating a mystery.”

Tim Karas, ’95 MLIS, former interim dean of instruction at Mission College in San José, is the new vice president of instruction at the College of Alameda.

James Lindsay, ’91 Environmental Science, formerly Saratoga’s community development director, was appointed city manager in July. Prior to being hired in 2011 by the city of Saratoga, he served as planning and neighborhood services director for the city of Milpitas.

Alida Loinaz, ’93 Occupational Therapy, previously a dementia care specialist and special programs coordinator for the Colorado chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, recently relocated to Maryland to pursue a doctorate in gerontology.

Cyndi Maijala, ’91 Social Science, former principal at Bret Harte Middle School in the San José Unified School District, is new principal at Corte Madera School, a fourth- through eighth-grade school in Portola Valley. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Santa Clara University.

Greg Mayhew, ’97 Business, is vice president of business development at Open Source Storage (OSS) in San José. Over the past 22 years, he has held senior sales positions at Pannaway Technologies, Loudloud, EMC Corporation and Cabletron Systems.

Alfred Pérez, ’98 Social Work, joined the faculty of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Social Work, as an assistant professor this fall. He received his doctorate in social welfare from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

Robert Sapien Jr., ’95 Political Science, who started as a firefighter with the San José Fire Department in 1989, was promoted to deputy chief in February. Previously he was a battalion chief.

David Slothower, ’94 Kinesiology, is regional sales manager of the Silicon Valley office of Business Wire, a distributor of press releases. He joined Business Wire in 2011 as an account executive. “I’ve seen firsthand the change in this Valley from strip malls and orchards to being the center of the universe for technological entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said. “Silicon Valley is such an exciting place to be. You never know if that small five-person office you are walking into is going to be the next Apple.”

Lucia Soares, ’96 Spanish, is CIO and vice president of information technology/ cardiovascular franchises at Johnson & Johnson. Previously she was CIO and vice president at LifeScan, the diabetes division of the company.

Francine Survilo, ’98 BFA Pictorial Arts, who works out of her studio in Portola Valley, exhibited her figurative sculptures at San Mateo City Hall in June.

Joe Thomas, ’90 Aviation Maintenance Management, celebrated his 17th year at Palo Alto’s SSL, a manufacturer of commercial satellites. A space-environment test engineer for the past five years, he recently created a scholarship endowment for students in SJSU’s aviation program.

Ben Tripousis, ’98 MPA, is northern regional director of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority, overseeing the development of the rail project from the Bay Area to the Central Valley. He previously served as the city of San José’s transportation manager.

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’00s

Peggy Booth, ’02 MA Education, athletic director at Willow Glen High School for the past 12 years and a teacher in the San José Unified School District for 38 years, retired in June. She played field hockey at SJSU.

Ryan Brady, ’06 Music, composer, songwriter, pianist and semi-finalist in Turner Classic Movies’ Young Film Composers competition, also writes music for multiple television shows, including A&E’s “Duck Dynasty.”

Paul Ellison, ’03 MA Music, organist and music director at Church of the Advent of Christ the King in San Francisco, is participating in a year-long recital series celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Royal College of Organists. A native of Liverpool, England, he also teaches at San Francisco State University.

Daniel Hughes, ’02 MA Music, composer and founder/director of The Choral Project in San José, was named interim artistic director of the Stockton Chorale. He oversees the Youth Chorale, the Valley Youth Chamber Choir and the Stockton Singers. “There’s something so incredibly mighty about choral music,” he said. “The result is potent and transformative for singer and listener. Choral music is a perfect example of peace in action.”

Casey McMurray, ’03 MA Education, is the new principal of Rancho Milpitas Middle School. He has been assistant principal at Milpitas High School since 2005.

Pelema Morrice, ’02 Psychology, is chief enrollment officer at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Most recently, he was associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He has also served as an assistant dean at the University of San Diego.

Jennifer Powers, ’00 Early Childhood Development, is volunteer and special events manager of the Orange County region of Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC). Previously she oversaw the library volunteer program for the city of San José.

Laila Rodriguez, ’05 Advertising, based in New York City, is advertising operations manager for Wenner Media, managing digital campaigns for Us Weekly, Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal.

Christopher Rudy, ’05 Speech Communication, a partner in San José’s Stenberg Sunseri Roe Pickard and Rudy law firm, is one of three new Santa Clara County Superior Court judges, appointed to the position by Gov. Jerry Brown in July.

Jonathan Stoll, ’05 Humanities, who previously worked at CSU East Bay’s Diversity Center, is Oregon State University’s new community relations director, charged with improving the relationship between the university and the Corvallis community.

Jonathan Trawinski, ’01 Industrial Technology, is co-owner of Peninsula Design Engineering in Pacifica.

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’10s

Leeta-Rose Ballester, ’13 Journalism, joined the staff of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers in May. Previously she interned at Save Our Shores, where she wrote about environmental issues.

Jeff Bowe, ’12 Speech Communication, is the new director of broadcasting and media for the Sanford Mainers, a collegiate summer baseball team based in Sanford, Maine. He previously worked for the California Winter League as a baseball broadcaster, stat keeper and announcer in Palm Springs.

Katie Buzzetta, ’12 Communication Studies, who played on SJSU’s water polo team for four seasons, was promoted from junior varsity head coach of the girls’ water polo team at Los Altos High School to varsity head coach. The advantage of having previously coached her current players? “I’ve been able to get to know each player and assess her individual skills and game brain,” Buzzetta said.

Yan Yin K. Choy, ’12 Environmental Studies, is a current executive fellow in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in Sacramento. The California Capital Fellowship Program prepares participants for careers in public service, public policy and civic leadership.

Alyssa Garcia, ’13 Political Science, based in San José, is volunteer coordinator for the Catholic Charities CORAL Program.

Dexter Hart, ’11 Communication Studies, is manager of marketing technology at AdRoll, Inc. in San Francisco.

Jessica Hudson, ’10 MLIS, is Contra Costa County’s head librarian.

Amy Long, ’11 History, is curator of the History Museum of Los Gatos. She holds a master’s degree in public history from Sacramento State.

Diane McDonnell, ’12 MLIS, previously senior community library manager for Contra Costa County, accepted the post of head librarian for Stanislaus County in June. She will oversee the county’s 13 branch libraries.

Danielle Nichols, ’12 Speech Pathology, based in Saratoga, works as a speech-language pathologist in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

Michelle Nguyen, ’11 Psychology, is attending optometry school at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona.

Natasha Pennix, ’13 MUP, based in Campbell, is a transportation intern for the San Benito County Transportation Authority.

Jonathan Roisman, ’13 Journalism, is calendar editor at J. – The Jewish News Weekly in San Francisco.

Erik Solfvin, ’12 Art, based in Union City, is a support specialist at ADP National Accounts.

Sahiba Taneja, ’13 Hospitality Management, based in Pleasanton, is director of events for JJM Group Hotels.

Samuel Torres, ’13 Psychology, based in Victorville, is a case manager for Goodwill Industries International.

Rosa Sosa Vargas, ’13 Marketing, who attends Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix, was elected American Bar Association (ABA) Governor for the 15th circuit (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Michael Wise, ’13 MA Education, a native of San Fernando Valley, is the new assistant principal at Monte Vista Middle School in Camarillo. He was previously dean of students at Leigh High School in San José.

Matthew Zuniga, ’11 Business Management, celebrated his one-year anniversary as alumni director at Bellarmine College Preperatory in San José. He is also head coach of the junior varsity football team, “crowned league champions last season,” he reported.