Encina High School Alumni
Class of 1972 Bios
This is where you can learn about your friends from Encina's class of 1972.
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| Adrienne Affleck Bio: Went to college in Los Angeles. Graduated and married a law student. Reconnected with Sharon Anderson. Worked in commercial collections in the garment industry. Divorced. Married the operations manager for a bus company. We had three kids. Moved around the Los Angeles area and Orange County a lot. Also lived in Phoenix for awhile. Converted to Judiasm. Moved to Georgia in '93; divorced in '94. Went into business for myself doing bookkeeping and administrative stuff for entrepreneurs running businesses out of their basements. Got a teaching credential, and teach English as a Second Language on a part-time basis. Also tutor. Have been published once (wrote a healing ritual for domestic violence survivors for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot). Friends: Have stayed in contact with Debi Connel ('71), Jolie Ostrow ('73), and Sharon Anderson ('72). Hobbies: I read constantly. Kids: Rhianna is a junior at the University of Georgia at Athens, where she is working on a business degree. She will be doing an internship with a realtor this summer. Makes the Dean's List and voted Most Outstanding Junior in her sorority. Greg is a junior in high school. He works part-time installing satellite dishes. He enjoys "mudding" with his truck. Aurora is in the 7th grade. She is active in soccer, and plays the clarinet. She is studying for her Bat Mitzvah. Grade school: Sierra Oaks Grade school friends: Cathy Cook, Sue Goff. Junior high: Sacramento Country Day. Favorite memory: Chemistry class....(those of you in it know why!) 4/02 |
| Michael Babayco Bio: Went directly to Chico State out of HS and learned how to party. (No one taught me at Encina!) Got BA. in Therapeutic Recreation. After HS, have gone by "Michael" ever since I left HS, Ronnie Starnes. Worked in private and public institutions with the developmentally disabled for years in Compton, CA, Issaquah, WA, Stoors, CT, and Stockton, CA. Moved around a lot....Married since 1980 to my wife Diane. Adopted two kids - Tracy, now 28 and Megan, now 18. Got teaching credentials (multiple subject and learning disabilities) and a Masters from University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. Worked in Manteca, Stockton, River Delta, and Lodi school districts. Touched my first personal computer in 1977 and haven't looked back. I'm "bi" - I do both Macintosh and Windows-based computers. Left teaching to become a state-wide coordinator for distance learning in adult schools throughout CA. Trying to get technology into the hands of teachers and students alike. Trivia: Spent 5 (lean!) years from '75 - '80 as a professional pantomime. Biggest crowd? Performed in front of 8,000 people at the Anaheim Convention Center (across from Disneyland) Friends: I hung around with the track crowd - Ed Spolarich, Bob Seibenthal. Or from the choir, Jon Veis. And then there were my other sports buddies.... Hobbies: Computers, games, sports, puzzles, piano playing, guitar playing, pantomime, playing Santa Claus, cooking, vegetable gardening Kids: Tracy is currently living and working in South Sacramento. Megan is getting her driver's license and will graduate from Argonaut HS (Jackson, CA) this year and head off to culinary arts school in the fall. Grade school: Greer Elementary Panthers Grade school friends: Mike Wilson, Ronnie Starnes, Mark Elmer, Jack Lutchanski Junior high: Jonas Salk Thunderbirds Junior high friends: They all went to Rio Americano! (Aaahhh, Gail Pigrim.....sigh!) Favorite teachers: Mr. Carey, Mr. Wise, Ms. Kojima, Ms. Hunt, Ms. Cook |
| Peggy Barrett Occupation: Occupational Therapist Bio: Hiding out in the Northwest for the past 25 years was rocky, trying to find a career to support myself and my creativity took me to University of Puget Sound and another bachelor degree in Occupational Therapy. Northwest living can be wonderful experiencing the great outdoors. I also dabbled in community theatre there keeping my appetite wet for acting. Southern CA beckoned me to pursue my dream to become a professional actor, in 1997 I ate my words that I would never move to LA and planted myself and cats in an apt. in Santa Monica 4 blocks from the beach. I cannot hide from myself any longer and I am taking a comedy improv class at CBS Studios in Studio City. I am a woman on the verge of finding myself and the saga continues. Trivia: I lived in a convent in Cottonwood, Idaho for a year almost becoming a nun but running away in the nick of time. I couldn't follow the rules. Friends: Patti French, Carol Hollowell, I've lost touch with just about everyone from the class of '72 unfortunately. Hobbies: Hiking, quilting, photography Kids: I have 3 furry kids in the form of Cats, Charlie, Abigail, and Theodora. Grade school: Sierra Oaks K-4, Winterstein 5-6, Junior high: Jonas Salk Memorable teachers: Christine Kojima - she understood me, I could talk to her about my problems. Tom Wilde - He challenged me to be out there and deal with being shy. Favorite memory: Student Directing "Hello Dolly" 5/01 |
| Wanda Beierle Gelsebach Occupation: Psychotherapist and social worker/child abuse investigator Bio: Looong story. Went away to Reed College in Portland Oregon at age 16; studied chemistry and physics; passed the Physics Junior Qual; dropped out, after my father died; moved to Berkeley and pursued Tibetan studies and figure [ice] skating; moved to LA in pursuit of better ice; drifted into job as real estate appraiser, did that until my mid 30's, at which point I returned to school, got a master's in clinical psychology, and now am a child abuse investigator for LA County as well as having a private therapy practice. One of my specialties is running Grief Recovery workshops. And I'm still skating!! Friends: Still in touch with Margie Russell, Marianne Yusavage; would love to find Piri Stafford, Sally Mellberg Hobbies: Ice skating! Earned my gold test medal in ice dance [an over ten year project]. Have returned to freestyle and plan to compete this year in Adult Nationals. Kids: Furry! Feline! 4 legged! Clawdette and Veronica, sisters, will be 17 this spring. -- Am a stepgrandmother of a boy, 11 and girl, 7. Grade_school: Woodlake Elementary Grade_school_friends: They all went elsewhere as we were bussed to Woodlake - also I moved. Junior_high: Valle Vista [Hail to thee. . . ] Junior_high_friends: Margie Russell 2/03 |
| Nancy Downs Occupation: office manager/medical assistant Bio: I started work at Kaiser Hospital January 3, 1973. I have been there almost 27 years and probably another 10-15!! It's been a great job!! Friends: Lorna Gragg (Cline), Eileen Rudolph (Ferrell), Marie Ahola (Davies) Hobbies: My animals and grandkids!!! Kids: My daughter, Emma, will be a senior at El Camino (Class of 2000) She currently goes to summer school, works at Target and is a GREAT kid! My son, Frank, is interning at an architectural firm in town this summer. He and his wife, Barbara, are students at Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo. I am very proud of both Frank and Barb. My step-daughter, Heather, is a stay at home mom which is a full time job with a 2 and 3 year olds! My grandson, Spencer, is three and Adriana will be two on July 12. I love them more than life itself!!! (corny, huh!??) My other kids include my 3yr old lab, Phoebe, my 15yr old beagle, Margie, cats Nico, Zeke, Oliver and Boots, cocatiel, Loverboy and my goldfish! :) Grade school friends: Kirk and Chris Smith, Carolyn Teel, Debbie Petersen, John Ward, Carol Mills, Judy Kline, Estraila Allen, John Rittenhouse, David and Patty Michaels, Joanne Floyd, Kim Benedetti, Eileen Ferrell, Marie Davies, Lorna Cline, Lee Elliott, Brenda Ralph, Scott Matthews, Brad Brereton, Ollie Bell, Bill Boli, Susan LaCornu, Kathy Eldridge, etc. etc.!! Junior high: Jonas Salk Junior high friends: Alot of the above... Favorite teachers: Mrs. Kojima, Mr. Kierrene, Ms. Takeuchi, Mr VanVliet, Mr Dererian, Ms. Esparcia Sibling info: Jackie Martin (Downs) '65 Gerry Ware (Downs) '67 (deceased) Henry Downs ' 75 7/6/99 |
| Larry Fahn (Based on article published in the S.F. Chronicle 5/22/2003) The Sierra Club, the country's oldest environmental group, elected as its president a local activist best known for filing lawsuits under the state's anti-toxics law and organizing shareholders to make corporations more environmentally accountable. Larry Fahn, 49, a member of the club's San Francisco Bay Chapter for more than 30 years, vowed on Wednesday to battle against what he called "the Bush administration's efforts to weaken four decades of environmental progress." "We face the most environmentally hostile federal government in our nation's 227-year history -- a Cabinet salted with representatives of corporate interests, the attorneys and lobbyists for mining, timber, auto and oil companies," he said. Fahn wants to export the Sierra Club's success in California at getting politicians elected. "We want to retake the Congress with a pro-environmental majority," Fahn said. "Not just the Democrats, but the handful of environmental Republicans who we count on." The 700,000-member club based in San Francisco was founded in 1892 by naturalist John Muir, who served as its first president. Fahn is the 50th president, chosen by the board of directors, which is elected by the nationwide membership. The Sierra Club is one of the few environmental groups (along with the League of Conservation Voters and WildPAC) that can lobby and endorse candidates. The Internal Revenue Service removed its tax-exempt status as a charitable institution in the 1960s when then-executive director David Brower led lobbying against a series of dams on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Fahn started his Sierra Club career in the 1970s on the UC Davis campus debating a PG&E engineer on the wisdom of nuclear power. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Mill Valley resident, a graduate of UC's Hastings College of the Law, spent 18 years on the executive committee of the Sierra Club's Marin group and as chairman of the bay chapter's political committee for 15 years. He was elected to the national board of directors in May 1999, and was re- elected in 2002 and served as national vice president for conservation. Fahn was a private attorney in San Francisco until 1998, when he joined As You Sow, an Oakland nonprofit that tries to use the power of shareholders to influence corporations on the issues of social justice and the environment. On Wednesday, the group is organizing shareholders at an Exxon Mobil annual meeting in Dallas to get approval of a human-rights and environmental- impact statement on the company's oil and gas exploration. In citizens' suits under Proposition 65, the state's anti-toxins law, the group gathered data that showed swordfish and tuna contain significant levels of mercury. The attorney general took over the case and filed suits against several grocery chains, which have posted warnings. Other Prop. 65 suits filed by As You Sow led to the improved construction of portable classrooms to eliminate the use of formaldehyde and benzene and removed toluene from nail care products and lead from herbal medicines. Outgoing Sierra Club President Jennifer Ferenstein said, "Larry passionately believes that everyone has a role to play" in protecting the environment. He "has a great track record of helping people work together to get the job done. We need his vision and leadership now more than ever." Previously as a Sierra Club Board member, Larry's environmental priorities included reauthorizing and strengthening the Endangered Species Act, ending commercial logging on our public lands, stopping sprawl, and protecting open space, wilderness areas and farm land. He even has the crazy idea that grizzly bears, our state logo and icon, could be reintroduced into one or more wilderness areas within the Golden State. Larry lives in Mill Valley, California with his girlfriend and three dogs, and still enjoys mountain biking on nearby Mount Tamalpais, skiing and backpacking. He can be reached by fellow Encina grads at (415) 391-3246. Updated 5/03 |
| Diana Fine Beim Occupation: Pedi ICU RN Bio: Living... being an ICU RN reminds me to keep things relative. Have done mgmt in same for major medical center. Raised a son and foster daughter. Have lived in the SF Bay Area for 25 yrs. Spending my "off time" on the Coast with my horse. Trivia: I grew into someone I never would have known in "72. With age comes wisdom and then some!! Friends: close circle, have lost contact for years Hobbies: animals, reading Kids: 24 yr old son, chef Heard_about_website_from: Looking for a different site!!! Isn't life weird? 10/01 |
| Merri Susan Goff
Brown nickname: Merri Sue Occupation: Teacher, Music and GATE Bio: First, I'm not sure who will be interested enough to read this, but here goes. I graduated from CSU, Sacramento with a multiple subject K-12 credential and a single subject music credential. I was "set-up" at a party in Davis by fellow classmate Joanne Brown and her brother Ken (class of 1966) with their brother Dave (class of 1968). Our families knew each other so well that our folks often took trips together, but Dave and I had never really met before. As a matter of fact, when we decided to get married, our folks were out of the country in Mexico together and we had to wait until they checked in to tell them the good news. I worked for Sacramento City Unified School District until the birth of our first child. I've been a stay at home mom until fairly recently, when I returned to work. I've got my dream job: my neighborhood public school is actually paying me money to teach music and piano! I also work with the GATE after school program. Of course, with the recent budget woes of the state, this d Kids: My oldest daughter, Valerie, is 20 years old and a sophmore at UC Santa Barbara. She is a political science major and loves the school, the beach, the weather, etc. We've told her to enjoy living there while she can; she'll probably never be able to afford it again! My youngest daughter is Lisa, age 17. She is a junior at CK McClatchy High School. Both daughters are beautiful, intelligent, responsible people -- can you tell how proud I am? Grade_school: Dyer-Kelly Junior_high: Howe Avenue Memorable_teachers: Mr. Lawrence and his Volkswagen theme got me through many an essay test. I'll always remember Mr. Stallings for his love of both music and math. Mr. Carey taught me about musical expression and interpretation through singing and accompanying with him. I also learned about team work, caring for others, and personal responsibility. We've kept in touch through music over the years. It's been interesting to make the transition from calling him Mr. Carey, to calling him Jack. Favorite_memory: Dressed as novices for a dress rehearsal of "Sound of Music" our freshman year, we went to Taco Bell with senior Eenie Hamlin. Eenie had the part of one of the nuns in the musical and was dressed in a complete habit, on loan from St. Philomene's. When she got to the window to pay for her order, she was told very respectfully, "There'll be no charge, Sister." The only thing Eenie could think of doing was to raise her habit up,show her tennis shoes underneath and say, "but I'm not a nun-- look!" Needless to say, we didn't get any free meals that day. Story: I remember being given the chance to be excused from a geometry test because it was the day after the Sacramento Chorus premiere in which Mr. Stallings had a solo. Along with some of my more musical friends, I also remember a few other class mates showed up, too. Always suspected it might have been their first classical concert! 2/03 |
| Scott Hadley wrote: Occupation: Catholic Priest MaritalStatus: Single Spouse: Never Married Children/grandchildren: No Children SinceGraduation: In 1985, consecrated as a Catholic Lay Contemplative; at the Abbey of New Clairvaux monastery in Vina, CA. From 1985 - 2011, have been traveling around the Western United States as a contemplative; (the life of a monk)I lived at the monastery in Molakai, Hawaii for two years and worked and learned the life of a monk in the order of St. Benedict. After leaving Hawaii, I was sent to Albuquerque, where I was assigned to the Arch Diocese of Santa Fe; to work in assisting the homeless, helping in "soup kitchens", helping out at homeless shelters; while being a part of the Immaculate Conception Parish family in Albuquerque. On May 29, 2012, I was ordained a Priest and am now a Parish Priest at Sacred Heart Parish in Albuquerque. Trivia: I am now 57, and have never had sex with a woman (or a man). Only one of my gifts to God. BestFriends: Ed Spolarich, Bob Siebenthal, Shelly Reynolds, Mike Catuzzo. Hobbies: Making rosary beads and singing with the Parish choir. Kids: No kids GradeSchool: Coloma School at 46th & T Streets in Sacramento MiddleSchool: Kit Carson MemorableTeachers: Mr. Hubor; Math Teacher and Mr. Wise; English Teacher at Encina. Both taught me a lot not only about math & English but also about life FavoriteMemory: Being Elected Student Body President Stories: Can't really remember. Comments: Rumors of my death over the years have been greatly exagerated. At 57 I am in great health, still swim during the summer and as a priest am kept very busy. 7/29/12 |
| Former swim star now just tries to stay afloat in life -
In 1970, Scott Hadley made news by swimming 19 miles across Clear Lake
Sacramento Bee, The (CA) - July 31, 2008 Author: Blair Anthony Robertson [email protected] According to the yellowed press clippings from the summer of 1970, Scott Hadley was on his way to something big -- a successful life, standing in the community, or so it seemed. Back then, nearly four decades ago, the newspapers and TV stations covered his exploits as a swimmer, especially when the lanky and lean 15-year-old swam 19 miles across Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake in California, in 11 hours and 53 minutes. Fifteen boats followed Hadley in the water. A representative from the Amateur Athletic Union was there to certify the record. Sports Illustrated put him in its "Faces In the Crowd" section 19 days later. It was a simple time for Hadley. He got into the water. He stroked and kicked and breathed. The rest took care of itself. Hadley knew important people in politics and business and was on a first-name basis with Debbie Meyer and Mark Spitz, Olympic swimming superstars. While still a teenager, the 6-foot-1 Hadley was ranked ninth in the world among marathon swimmers. At Encina High School, he was elected student body president only weeks after transferring from Sacramento High. These days, it's a different story, a different Hadley. People look right past him. He's 53, has fought off his demons with cocaine, and has been in and out of homelessness. He often sleeps alone along the American River with a few possessions and the cell phone his sister gave him. "I'm just relaxing under a tree. It's probably 15 degrees cooler under here," he said by phone the other day. "I'm watching the river go by. It's very serene." Practically everyone in the family has cut him off except sister Dana Hadley, who says she feels bad when she helps him and worse when she doesn't. "It's just heartbreaking. He burned many, many bridges," she said. "It was a bane to my mom until she died. I cannot tell you the emotions she went through until she finally said, 'You have to stay away.' " Politically conservative and a devout Catholic, Scott Hadley eschews government handouts and says he chooses to live a pared down life. He doesn't own a car. He stretches his money by eating the $2.99 special at Del Taco: two burritos, a taco and a small drink. Maybe it was a curse that the high point in his life came 38 years ago, and that he could never seem to top it or, at least, build on it. "To him, it's his big accomplishment. It picks him up and makes him feel like somebody," said sister Dana, who witnessed the swim. "He got praise from my dad. Afterwards, dad was so happy, he bought (Scott) a car." He swam Lake Berryessa two years later. In 1973, sponsors flew him to Naples, Italy, where he placed ninth against the 125 best distance swimmers in the world. He used each swim to raise thousands for charities for the mentally ill. But it didn't take long before people forgot him. In the spring of 1974, he tried to run clear across the country, attracting media attention once more, only to drop out in pain after a few days. "Sometimes I had like delusions of grandeur," he said. "I wanted to run across the country and meet President Nixon. But I dropped out. I just couldn't do it." These days, with a spotty employment history that includes a career as a funeral home embalmer and, more recently, a caregiver for the elderly, Hadley is struggling to get on track. Often, he will think back to that swim in 1970 in Clear Lake, how the whole world seemed to be watching, how it began in the dark at 5:22 a.m. and how, halfway into it, it was too hard, too much, and he wanted to quit. "I told myself, 'Wow, this is harder than I thought.' At the halfway point, I told my dad I wanted to get out of the water," Hadley recalled. "My dad was in the boat and he said, 'We didn't train this hard for you to quit.' " After high school, he enrolled at American River College, but he didn't know what he wanted to do. He knew there was no money in swimming. His part-time job at a funeral home turned into a 15-year career as an embalmer. "Then I was introduced to this white stuff called cocaine," Hadley said. "I was losing money. I lost my job. That whole beautiful life I had was gone." By his early 40s, a disillusioned Hadley landed at a mission in Santa Barbara, the same town where he had run for City Council. He wanted to kill himself. "For me, it felt like being in a barrel. You try to climb out and then you slip back down," he said. "It was a whole downward spiral. I was angry at God. I said, 'Why have you done this to me?' But I had really done it to myself. I blamed everybody else." Hadley's life is not a comeback story, at least not yet. In swimming terms, he's struggling to stay afloat. He can recall that 1970 swim as if it were yesterday, how his mother put together a blend of liver and honey he could eat in the water for energy, how the only thing he wanted after 12 hours in the lake was a plain old hot dog. After that, things get hazy. The choices he made are hard to explain or even recall. He has filled out applications for caregiver jobs. He shaves every day in a public restroom. He dresses neatly. And he waits for answers under that shade tree, watching the river go by. Once in a while, he'll jump in. The strokes and kicks are stiffer now, the breaths more labored, but he's still that swimmer who made history, the one whose story remains alive in those yellowed press clippings. "I'm never really alone," he said. "I have what I believe to be God with me. I have memories of good people, and memory is a form of companionship." |
| Patricia Henley Occupation: journalist Bio: Spent five quarters at UC Santa Cruz straight out of Encina, then spent six months working in England and traveling. Back home, to work for the state for awhile then get into graphics and design for several years. After years of classes at community colleges, ended up earning a bachelor's in philosophy from Sac State, then worked as an administrative assistant at Sacramento City College, producing a newsletter. Realized I never lost my passion for writing, and earned a master's in journalism from Stanford (just before our 25th HS reunion). Got an internship at the twice-weekly Sonoma Index Tribune and never left. Am now assistant news editor and love small-town journalism. As of Aug. 2001, my 80-year-old mother sold her (huge, rambling) Sacramento home (after 46 years) and we've bought a condo together in Sonoma. Although she's facing hip-replacement surgery soon, things are working out well. Friends: stayed in contact with Roselen Kae (Heintz) -- lost contact with almost everyone else Kids: none Grade school: Cottage Elementary Junior high: Jonas Salk Junior high friends: Debbie Katzakian 1/02 Former Sacramento resident Patricia Lynn Henley, co-author of “The Sugar’s at the Bottom of the Cup,” will be returning to her native town to discuss both the immigrant experience and the process of writing down a life in a presentation at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24, at the Sacramento Italian Cultural Society (Sierra II Community Center, 2791 - 24th St., Room 13, 482-5900). After earning a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University, Patricia spent 10 years as a reporter and news editor at the twice-weekly Sonoma Index-Tribune before moving on to become a freelance writer and editor. While working for the newspaper, Patricia interviewed Elda Del Bino Willitts, a Sonoma resident who immigrated to America from Italy in 1916, when she was 7 years old. Patricia and Elda spent seven years collaborating on “The Sugar’s at the Bottom of the Cup,” which captures Elda’s spirit and wisdom in a first-person account of her life story. Elda grew up in San Francisco when there were still gas street lights and cattle in Cow Hollow. Her experiences span most of the 20th century, set against the backdrop of Northern California--San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma. The book was published in October 2004; Elda passed away peacefully in her Sonoma home in January 2005. She was a 45-year cancer survivor who died of old age. “Elda was one of those people who when you meet them, they go right to your heart,” Patricia explains. “Despite a life of adversity and challenge, she was one of the most genuinely happy people I have ever known. This book is Elda’s legacy, a way to share her hard-won insights as well as her highly descriptive personal memories which make a past era come alive.” Contact info: Patricia Lynn Henley [email protected] (707) 227-8203 (cell) www.patricialynnhenley.com www.SugarAtTheBottom.com 8/31/06 |
| Teenager's loving message to stepmom to
get national airplay By Robinson Duffy Published May 12, 2007 Jake Hovenden, a junior at West Valley High School, has written a special Mother’s Day message for his stepmother, Janey. It’s a personal, heartfelt message that will be heard by hundreds of thousands of National Public Radio listeners across the country on Sunday. The message, an essay Jake, 17, wrote about his stepmother’s years of effort caring for his terminally ill father, is scheduled to be broadcast Sunday morning on NPR’s Weekend Edition as part of the “This I Believe” series. “I was going to have it be a Mother’s Day present,” Jake Hovenden said of the essay, which he wrote for a class assignment. In 2002, Jake’s father, John Hovenden, died after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative muscle disease commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease. Jake was in middle school at the time and had watched over the years as his father slowly lost control of his muscles, and eventually his ability to breathe on his own. The experience changed his life. So when his English teacher this year assigned him to write an essay about something he strongly believed in, he decided he wanted to write about his dad. He had written about his father’s death before and found it was therapeutic. The task this time, however, was difficult, more difficult than he thought it would be. “I missed the first two due dates for rough drafts because I didn’t know what to write about,” he said. “I didn’t know a strong belief I had pulled out of that situation. Then I started to think about the other people around me and that’s when Janey came to mind.” Janey and John Hovenden were married when John was in the early stages of the incurable disease. She cared for her husband day and night as the disease progressed, Jake said, and was a pillar of strength for the family. The support and love she showed during those hard years became the inspiration for Jake’s essay about his belief in inner strength. Jake submitted the essay to the “This I Believe” series only because it was an assignment; he never thought for a moment it would be chosen to be played on the air. But the 500-word essay caught the attention of the producers of the weekly NPR segment. “I think there’s something really simple and honest in his writing,” Jay Allison, the series’ host and co-producer, said in a telephone interview from Cape Cod, Mass. “He’s not attempting to convince you of anything, he’s not trying to preach to you. You really get the sense he’s thinking. It’s a person wrestling with their own convictions, and when you hear that, you listen.” The radio series, an homage to the 1950s Edward R. Murrow radio program of the same name, asks people, both famous and everyday, to submit essays about their beliefs and convictions. The current version of the program has received well more than 28,000 submissions so far, Allison said, the best of which are read on the radio by the authors. The producers felt that Jake’s essay was perfect for Mother’s Day because of the strong relationship he and his stepmother have, Allison said. “Stepmotherhood is an enormously difficult role in so many ways, and possibly an unsung one,” Allison said. “The most common modifier for ’stepmother’ is ‘wicked.’” The wicked stepmothers of fairy tale fame have nothing to do with the Hovendens, Jake said. “To me it’s just a normal mother/son relationship,” he said. “I guess it’s just normal to me.” Janey also scoffs at the notion that her relationship with her stepson is anything less than motherly. “We hit it off from the very beginning when he was a 4-year-old little towhead bouncing around,” Janey said. “It was a strong relationship before (John’s death). That strengthened it.” Today, Jake and Janey spend every other weekend together as well as three weeks in the summer. They spend time at the family’s cabin and enjoy snowmachining and riding four-wheelers. Mostly though, Jake said, the two just spend time talking. “We reminisce a lot about dad,” he said. “She shares with me a lot of stories about dad.” Janey didn’t know anything about the essay until a few days ago. Jake kept everything about it a secret, even as he was working out the details with NPR staffers on the East Coast and when he recorded the essay at the studios of the local public radio station, KUAC-FM 89.9. The first time she’ll hear Jake’s message will be when it is broadcast Sunday morning on national radio. Jake is looking forward to hearing his essay. Getting to hear it himself Sunday morning, he said, will help him continue his own healing process. “I guess I’m still trying to think what I can gain from the experience myself,” he said. Jake doesn’t mind that his personal message will be so public. He’s hoping that other listeners across the country who have gone through similar experiences will gain strength from his message at the same time he and his stepmother do. 7/19/08 |
| Caroline Johnson nickname: Care Occupation: Desktop Publisher and Caregiver Bio: Living life to its fullest and learning, learning, learning. Had severe back injury in 1990 that changed my lifestyle and way of doing things. Just last year (2002) had a heart attack (ugh!) and major (totalled P/U truck) accident that may require neck surgery (ugh!). Resolved and revived my spirituality in 1996 to help with my recuperation from the back surgeries and all that changed because of them (both failed surgeries by the doctors' diagnoses). Attended UC Irvine for 3 years in Bio Sci and Ecology; attended Lassen College and rec'd AA degree in Engineering; attended Sierra College to take more computer classes. Began with 20+ year career in Engineering field, but after back injury, put my energies into writing (technical and some fiction) and desktop publishing. I now primarily work on extra-curricular type classes manuals (i.e. Alternative Therapy manuals; self-improvement manuals) where I write, develop, photograph, and draw all graphics, and then layout manuals for publication. I also do occasional brochures, technical writing, graphics presentations. Also in 2002, my mother suffered a severe and debilitating stroke (right side paralysis). After 3 weeks in a Nursing Home, I decided to bring her to my home so I could care for her. She has shown signs of improvement, although slow-going. This is a job not recommended for the non-caregiver type person as it takes much energy, time, loss of sleep, etc., to keep up--but I wouldn't trade off and send her back to a nursing home either! Trivia: Enjoyed 15 years living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and being a mountain goat for the USFS for 6 years. Now I am so glad I spent the time doing this as I could not do this anymore with my physical limitations. Have watched and learned that we (as a country) suffer from a class war and not race, religion, etc., differences nearly as much. Still political! Have served on some local community boards and supported worthy causes by volunteering time or talents. Friends: Linda Trathen, Merrie Sue Goff, Vicki Durham (lost contact), Mollie Harris (lost contact), Leah Friedlander, Anderson sisters (lost contact), Peggy Barrett, all the girls in softball, volleyball teams--too many to mention! Hobbies: I still enjoy photography, playing piano, drawing (mostly on the computer now, tho), writing (fiction and poems), joining different groups online. Also still enjoy going camping (altho RV'ing is soooo much more comfortable than those old sleeping bags-on-ground!) and fishing! Kids: Unfortunate news this year about my stepdaughter, Mary, age 32--she was diagnosed with MS this month (March, 2003). Stepson, Brad, still doing well with his family (now 3 children), and he works as a manager for an auto dismantling firm. Additional grandkids: Breann Broughton, age 12 and Bradlee M. Broughton, age 3 Grade_school: Sierra Oaks...We, class of 72, were the first class to have gone all the way thru K-6 at the "then-new" Sierra Oaks School. Grade_school_friends: Mollie Harris, Leah Friedlander, Peggy Barrett, Tammy Lee Junior_high: Jonas Salk Junior_high_friends: Linda Trathen, Merrie Sue Goff, Vicki Durham Memorable_teachers: Mr. Coke--for all those chemistry experiments; Mr. Figenshoe for the biology classes and that natural area we developed with the ducks, etc.; Frau Kojima for taking the extra time with me to help me graduate a year early; Mr. Derderian for the love of history, writing, learning; Mr. Stallings for the love of math and continuing desire to learn more; Ms. Esparcia for coaching all the teams I loved being part of. Favorite_memory: A time in our lives when we didn't fear for our lives as we do today. I think about how free we were back then--first class where the girls were allowed to wear pants, too; how there weren't drive-by shootings or massive drug use going on; how there was a type of camaraderie among all students no matter which class they came from; how proud we were to be "Apaches"!!! Story: None that wouldn't get me in trouble with some old friends! LOL! 3/03 |
| Jeff Jope Bio: Abnormal stuff like working, eating and being a dad and doing fun stuff. Hobbies: I do it all. Kids: They are a handful and fun. |
| Janice Lawman Occupation: Retired from Pacific Telephone Co. after too many years Children: Melissa age 31 and Ryan age 28, grandaughter Aveena age 8 Grade_school: Cottage School Junior_high: Jonas Salk Memorable_teachers: Eric Dahlin and all the Art Teachers that taught me how to be creative and to "think outside the box" along with the idea that social differences mean nothing (we are all of one group- human beings) Favorite_memory: My favorite memory was actually a feeling of being free without unnecessary responsibilities or worries. We all grew up at a wonderful time in history. Story: I love being retired... it is like being off on summer vacation forever!! I make quilts for my family and friends. I can go anywhere, anytime. My father taught me to not put off anything I ever wanted to do (or say) so as not to risk being too old to enjoy it (I try to live up to his wishes now since I never did what he wanted when I was growing up- my bad). I have time to listen to the birds and smell the roses. I highly recommend it! 9/18/08 |
| Craig Moseley homepage: http://people.txucom.net/dmose/index.html Occupation: Geologist - Oil & Gas Exploration Bio: Attended UC Riverside and earned BS & MS degrees in Geology. Married Debbie while in graduate school. My first real job was with Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, OK. What a culture shock moving to the mid-west! It was like going back in a time machine. Learned that people from Bartlesville call themselves "Bartians". Thankfully, we only stayed in Bartlesville for 3 months. After this, they shipped us to Houston for a "permanent" assignment. I resigned from Phillips in 1980 and went to work for ARCO. I spent 20 years working for ARCO and its spin-off Vastar Resources. During that time, we had the chance to live in Dallas TX, Denver CO, Anchorage AK then back to Houston. I made the move to BP (formerly known as British Petroleum) when they assimilated ARCO & Vastar. As someone who enjoys hiking and other outdoor activities, I've had a great time traveling on business to distant and remote places just to look at rocks - ranging from above the Arctic Circle in Alaska to the tip of Africa. Trivia: For 6 weeks in the summer of 1976, I camped in an 8' x 10' tent as part of a required geology field course. We were in a remote part of central Nevada and the only running water was a nearby stream. Friends: Gary & Rick Slater, Mike Cattuzzo, Mike Greene, Bob Helling, Dennis Kelley, Rod Moore, & David Teng. I've stayed in close contact with all but Dave Teng - we generally meet in Las Vegas each year. Would love to hear from Dave, but don't know how to contact him. Hobbies: Collecting rocks & fossils, computing, hiking, & golf. My latest interest is genealogy & digital restoration of old family photos. I've identified nearly 1000 ancestors as far back as the 1500s. Kids: Somehow, my kids turned out very athletic - they obviously didn't get my genes! My daughter is very close to earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. My son plays tournament baseball 9 mos of the year (pitcher & 1st base) and basketball the rest of the time. Grade_school: Creekside Junior_high: Howe Avenue Memorable_teachers: Mrs. Whitaker for helping me get some great scholarships, Mrs. Hunt for being a caring counselor during those awkward Senior years, Mr. Gonzales for giving me the name "Photos by Mose", Mr. Stallings for kindling my interest in Science, Mr. Lawrence for being different and Mrs. McClelland for not giving me any credit for the photographic work I did on the 1972 yearbook. Favorite_memory: Too many to pick from, but maybe the time Gary Slater set John Zentner's pants on fire in Mr. Coke's chemistry class or was it vice-versa? 3/03 |
| Annabel Oversby
Rondeau Occupation: Elementary Teacher and Librarian Bio: I moved to Seattle junior year. I had moved to Sacramento from Seattle in the 5th grade so I was going back to a familiar place. I attended Lincoln High School and joined the gymnastic team there. I used many of the skills I had learned in coach Goldbar's summer intensive gymnastic camps I had attended at Encina. I graduated in 1977 from Lincoln and went on to the university of Wa. and Western Washington University at Bellingham. I majored in special education and English Lit. There were few jobs in education in 1977 so I went for an interview with Northwest Arctic School District located 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It was March 4,1977, a day that changed my life for ever.At the end of the interview...after I had said yes I can live in isolation in 100 below zero temperatures...They said, "so how soon can you come?" I stayed two years in the land of the midnight sun, living with the Inupiat people and teaching special ed. and kindergarten and first grade. On the weekends I was a radio announcer for NPR...THE QUALIFICATION...I could read. It had been a dream of mine to live a year in Europe. I took my Alaskan dollars and lived in Italy for a year and studied Montessori Education....I was able to travel and see many of the sights as well. Montessori brought me to Milwaukee. I was recruited to work in Milwaukee Public Schools Montessori Specialty Program. My principal picked me up at the airport and I remember her saying to me "this is a great place to marry and have a family" ...I remember thinking me? It seemed like a remote idea...but here I am twenty years later...married with a child...and still in Milwaukee...She must of been right. Trivia: I took flying lessons and have 35 hours of flight time. Friends: Diane Tyrell and Leslie Claiborne Hobbies: I x-country ski, study yoga and I'm learning to play the piano Kids: I have one son, Luc. He loves to travel and plays soccer. Grade School: Greer Elementary Grade School Friends: Cindy Sheets, Susan Smith, Jack Lachanski Junior High: Jonas Salk Junior High Friends: Dianne Tyrell and Cecily Knepprath Memorable Teachers: MR.FIGENSHU....FROG DISSECTION Favorite Memory: WATCHING THE GUIENA HENS RUN BACK IN FORTH IN THE NATURE AREA DURING FRENCH LAB 7/02 |
| Elaine Salyer Occupation: Project Manager - voice and data communications Bio: Some of you may recall my getting married before I finished high school (and I wasn't even pregnant!) That marraige lasted 8 years, no kids. I was single for 8 years before marrying my current husband of 15 years. All my kids have 4 legs and fur. We live in Grass Valley, phone 530 268-2783, work 530 268-6931. My career choices have included work as a surgical nurse, legal assistant, health care administration postions with Blue Shield of CA and Vision Service Plan, and now as a project manger for Avaya, formerly the Enterprise Networks division of Lucent Technologies. Lucent spun us off in Oct 2000. Trivia: I decided to leave the rat race in the mid 80's. My husband and I sold our home, quite our jobs, and bought an 18 wheeler. We became long haul truckers traveling all over the US and Canada. Considering I'd never driven a car with a manual transmission, this was quite an undertaking. But, I did learn to drive it. It's a very intersting business and can be quite profitable if you treat it like a business. It came to an abrupt end when we were hit head on by a pick-up that crossed the center line on Highway 54 in New Mexico. It completely destroyed our truck and 2 of the 3 people in the pick-up died at the scene. By the time we got through the insurance mess, we had to go back to the rat race and take normal jobs again. I don't regret the experience, but I wouldn't do it again. Friends: My best friend was and still is Diane Albert, now living in Truckee with her husband and two kids. I've lost touch with everyone else. Hobbies: Music, reading, travel, cooking Grade school: Grade school was in Kingsport, Tennessee Junior high: Valle Vista Junior high friends: Sherry Burns, Bill Souza Memorable teachers: Mr. Pattucci - he always thought I had potential even though I was lousy at Art. Mr. Wilde - he made Drama class so much fun, and he taught me a lot about self confidence. Mr. Psiahas - I loved hearing him speak french, even though I didn't have a clue what he was saying. We used to have pot luck lunches after our 4th period class. Mrs. Sandy Hunt - she had a way of provoking you to think about important, real-life issues. Favorite memory: Getting busted down at the river with Jim Otterson, Eric Foth, Sheila McComb and another guy that had just transferred to Encina. Eric got away, the rest of us went to juvenile hall! My mom threatened to send me back to my dad in Tennessee, but settled on grounding me for the rest of the year. She didn't let me off early either! Story: I have a great story about Brad Foulk in my closet with his girlfriend, Joy (can't remember her last name). I'll save the details for the reunion 2/01 |
| Kerry Shearer Occupation: Corporate communications; education and outreach; marketing; broadcasting. Bio: A few months after graduation, I began a part-time job monitoring police scanners in the newsroom at KFBK-1530 (Sacramento). I worked there part-time while studying Communications at Cosumnes River College and California State University, Sacramento. It worked into a full time position, and I remained there for nearly a dozen years in various positions that included newswriting, traffic reporting, news reporting, producing, weekend anchoring and newsroom supervision. Christi Worrall (El Camino High School class of '72) and I were married in 1978. In 1984, I accepted a position as spokesperson for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). In 1989, I joined what has now become the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (AQMD) as head of the Community Education Office. Among other things, our office runs the region's Spare The Air air quality education/action program (www.SpareTheAir.com); AirAlert real-time air quality electronic notification system; (myAirAlert.net) and produces fun ed Friends: Allen Skoonberg is one friend I haven't been able to find since the mid-to-late 1980's. Hobbies: I enjoy snow skiing at Sugarbowl with my skiing/snowboarding sons, boating, computers, video production and photography. Kids: Our oldest son, Christopher, graduated from El Camino High School and will graduate from Azusa Pacific University (in southern California) in May, 2003, majoring in Computer Information Systems. Steven will graduate from El Camino High School in June, 2003. Grade_school: I attended Wyda Way Elementary School in Sacramento. Grade_school_friends: Grade school friends who attended Encina included Stan Sedilko, Pam Tillson, Cynthia Hubbard, Michelle Roberts and many others! Junior_high: I attended Howe Avenue School for 7th and 8th grades. Junior_high_friends: Wyda Way School friends, plus new friends such as Bill Earle, Bill Miller and David Teng. Memorable_teachers: Mr. Psiahas, who taught useful French phrases like, "Pierre threw up in the punch bowl"; John Knurr, who had to put up with way too much guff from some of us know-it-all teenage band members; and Mr. Dutton, who had a positive, helpful attitude and great bow ties. Favorite_memory: A cherished memory has got to be watching how fellow Encina bandmembers cleverly removed their trombone slides at football games and used the straight tube like a blowgun to shoot uncooked lima beans from the stands over great distances in an effort to bean El Camino's Homecoming queens as they rounded the track in convertibles! Ouch. And I suppose a close second had to be the day someone got the bright idea to use lengths of hefty surgical tubing and a big patch of jeans material to create a water balloon launcher that required three people to operate. Two more people would throw open the back doors to the band room while the water-filled projectiles were launched from the band room's inside hallway. By the time the balloons landed on their targets on the Senior lawn a great distance away, the back doors were closed and the perpetrators inaccessible. Alumni_in_contact: Robb Mainer, Pam Tillson Lanser, Harlan Lau, Steve Palmer, and others. 2/03 |
| Deborah Jacqueline Sprague
Mitchell Occupation: Retired from AAA, now working as instructional aide at Roseville City School Dist Bio: Married Darrell right out of high school, we spent 4 years in San Diego, moved back to Sac, then to Redding for l0 years, now back to Roseville. Worked at AAA for 21 years as an underwriter, now I am doing what I should have done years ago!!!! Friends: Best friends were Candi Cochrane, Anne Jones, Cathy Cook, Van Rodgers, I am still in contact with all but Anne. Candi and I are still very close, we live about 3 miles from each other. Hobbies: Love to Garden, getting a little harder to bend those knees lol. I also like to do crafts. Kids: Jason will graduate from high school this year and plans to go to Simpson College in the fall, great kid, 6ft 2in, 265lbs. Ashlee will be l4 in April and starts high school in Aug. she is our 4.0 kid, totally opposite her brother, she weighs in at l00lbs soaking wet.lol Grade_school: Too many to list Memorable_teachers: Jack Carey, what an inspiration that man is!! Jack Dutton, so much patience with me. Judy Wilson, because of aquacades I just kinda bonded with her. Favorite_memory: The football games and senior lawn. 3/03 |
| Cathy Steinkoenig Occupation: Payroll Manager for Gensler, Architecture, Design and Planning Worldwide Bio: Got my Bachelor's in German from CSUS (thank you, Mrs Kojima!)and spent my Junior year at the University of Heidelberg. Had a VAGUE notion of working in Europe -- Ha! How I ended up in accounting, I'll never understand. At least the languages have stood me in good stead with various of my obsessions, like opera. I moved to the Bay Area in 1979. Thought for a time that I would try to have a career in opera, but decided that I preferred a steady paycheck. Until a few years ago (when my current job fully consumed my life) I performed in community theater in the San Francisco Bay Area and gave classical recitals. Hoping to get some of those aspects back in my life soon. Trivia: 1989 was a very interesting year for me -- I won a bunch of money in a radio contest, quit my job and went to Europe for several months. Came back and interviewed for my current job the day before the Loma Prieta earthquake, and less than a month after starting my job, a crane fell off the top of a building at Kearny and California Streets and missed me by THIS much (I was injured, but it could have been worse). Eerily enough, I now work in the building the crane fell off. Friends: I've lost touch with everyone from Encina but Charlene Devere -- we grew up together. I remember "The Trilogy" fondly and was very sad to learn of Lynne Vasquez' passing. Hobbies: Music, reading, travel, cooking Kids: None, but I have two gorgeous nephews. Grade school: St. Ignatius Junior high: St. Ignatius Memorable teachers: Mrs. Kojima and Miss Volz, for giving me a lifelong love of languages. Mr. Lawrence -- the coolest English teacher that ever was. |
| Pam Stewart wrote: I attended Sac State and then Ricks College, where I met and married Mark Stoltenberg. We have six children - five girls, one boy. We have lived in Lodi for the last 21 years. We have 8 grandchildren, with #9 on the way. 5/9/07 |
| Pam Tillson Lanser Occupation: Admin Aide Bio: After attending ARC for a year, I embarked on a 23 year stint at Pacific Bell in a variety of jobs. Also sold Mary Kay cosmetics and had a gift basket business on the side, trying to break free of the corporate rut. Didn't succeed. Was a part-time adult literacy tutor, work I hope to do again here in Tucson. During this time, I also attended AR, changing my majors so many times I had 59 credit hours but couldn't put enough together for an AA in anything. Got married in 1981. Clark is an aircraft mechanic (military aircraft but he's civilian. Had two kids. Melinda, now 18, and Wade, 16. In 1998, with the closing of McClellan, we were transferred to Tucson, Arizona. Clark decided he was too close to retirement to give up his job and it would be easier for me to find a job than him. So here we are. I work for Pima Community College-equivalent to AR but is a multicampus college (5 campuses, 3 learning centers and many satellite locations. Melinda and Wade attended Creekside & Whitney elementary schools, Churchill jr high and El Camino HS. I was amazed how many classmates had kids in the same schools. Guess for the most part, we stay pretty close to the nest. Melinda is now a senior at Santa Rita HS (Eagles, again) and works as an office aide to a Mary Kay Cosmetics director and is an assistant chef at Tucson Country Club. She is working on becoming a pastry chef. Wade is a junior and works as a carry out at the neighborhood grocery store. He's still working out long term career plans. Tucson is wonderful and we'll probably stay here after retirement. It's very different from Sacramento but has its own unique charm in addition to great weather. We're surrounded on all four sides by mountains. Yes, Tucson is desert but still "green" in its own way. Now that the kids are getting lives of their own, I'll be going back to school in the fall to complete my degree-just haven't decided in what. Feel free to e-mail or write (fast becoming a lost art but I still do most of my letter writing by hand!). Grade school friends: There were so many at Wyda Way that went all the way from kindergarten to graduation together. Some of us are still in contact. They know who they are and bless them all. Those with whom I'm not in contact, you now know where to find me. Favorite teachers: Mr. Figenshu, Mr. Gonzales, Mr. Dutton, Mr. Sanders & Mr. Psiahas-all unique personalities who made learning interesting and fun. 3/00 |
| Jon Veis Occupation: Sales in Telecommunications Bio: So now approaching the 35th year since graduation would require almost a book if all of my experiences were to be listed. At this point just moved back after spending short of 25 years in Seattle, WA area. Have been working high tech & telecommunications mainly in sales. After getting a 4-yr degree from CSU-Sacto, worked in the ag-biz both as an employee and personally. My first wife was into horses and we ran a 20 acre place outside Davis. Now that covers both ends of my life at this point. Other than raising and watching my son grow up, many trips to California over the years and to Europe, losing a parent to cancer, divorcing, meeting a wonderful woman and re-marrying, owning a bistro-style cafe while having a full time job (believe that adds up to two and half full-time jobs), and now moving back to California, that covers an immense amount of activity in a short space that at this point in all of our lives we have come to appreciate. Especially if we have kids - watching my son go through starting a business reminds me how old I am. Now it is time for aiming at the retirement goal and what that entails. Trivia: Ran a horse operation for about 20 years running the gamut from conception to birth to raising to death. Never did learn to ride dressage, but went view World Championships twice (as a old Texas friend said - "like watching paint dry"). Hauled horses cross country plus up and down the coast. And taking care of a sick horse knows no clock. Felt like a character from a Dick Francis novel crossed with "Creatures Great and Small". Interesting past, glad to be out of it. Friends: Bob Siebenthal, Mike Babayco, Ed Spolarich, David Teng Hobbies: Photography (when there is time), traveling to Europe, wine-tasting (hmm...believe I moved to Napa for some reason) Kids: Karl Johan, 27 My only son - Karl Johan, has been working on getting his import business off the ground (thank goodness that four year degree is being put to use). Seems success is just around the corner. With my second marriage I have now gained three more children although all are grown and out of the house working their various career paths. Good kids and immense enjoyment to watch them grow up. Grade_school: Wyda Way Wildcats Grade_school_friends: David Teng, Kerry Shearer, Marcy Kaye, Simon Szlak, Shane Tiller, Stanley Sedelko Junior_high_friends: All those noted previously. Memorable_teachers: Ms. Kojima, Mr. Carey, Ms. Hunt, Mr. Lawrence, Ms. Cook Favorite_memory: Homecoming of 71-72 - Senior float building at Cindy Cook's house (hmm..and that party?). Thereafter the parade that where the Senior float won. So being a chairman for that effort made what happen? Can't forget the dances where the '72 class generated enough funds for covering the cost of the Grad party. Story: There are so many....probably too many to document here. The choir events and musicals every year where Michael Babayco and I jointly suffered. Now I can sing along with a number of songs when I take my wife to suffer through any of those given musicals. 1/27/07 |
| Renee Welch
Wojnowski Occupation: Jr. High teacher at Little Cypress Junior High School, teaching Reading and Social Studies to grade 6 & 7 Bio: Attended Ricks College for one year and then transferred to Brigham Young University. Graduated in December of 1975 with a BA in English and a triple minor: History, theology and German. Married 8-15-75 to Gary. Have 3 sons and now 4 grandchildren as well as two daughters-in-law. Moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma after Gary's graduation (1978 BS Chemical Engineering) Worked on raising our sons, as a theatrical costumer, participated in a pre-school co-op, taught ESL to Polish immigrants. Attended Oklahoma State University and received an MS in Curriculum and Instructional Education. Taught at a country school, Kildare, Oklahoma. Moved to Singapore, Republic of Singapore, where I had my own business and taught mah jongg. We returned to the US in December 1997 and currently reside in Orange, Texas. I taught at a Catholic school for 4 years, where I taught Reading to grade 6,7, & 8. Was contacted by another school district and now teach at a public school. Trivia: I've travelled around the world. Still married. I won tickets to Kansas City's Worlds of Fun by singing La Bamba on the radio. While living overseas I was catapulted twice (that's a reverse bungee jump). My last job change was done in high tech fashion, I recieved and sent my application by fax, had my administrative interviews by phone and received notification that I would be hired all while on vacation in Baltimore. I've been to almost every class reunion (I missed the 25) My husband "wrestles" alligators as part of his environmental duties at DuPont. We went to Israel and Germany for our 25th anniversary. We saw the Passion Play at Oberammergau ( a dream I've had since Frau Kojima's German class) I've been swimming in the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. This past summer drove the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Donner Party Trail, Lewis & Clark Trail, Mormon Trail (that's I-80), as well as the Natchez Trace. Visited Vickburg, and I am a moderator at a chatboard Friends: My best friends while at Encina were: Connie Larson, Peggy Flint, Katie Astle, Charlene Rhodes and many others. I've lost contact with quite a few of my old Encina buddies Hobbies: I read, sew, do genealogy, play mah jongg, travel, theater, computer, read some more, plan road trips Kids: Matthew 31, wife Rebecca Allende, of Mendoza, Argentina. They are the proud parents of Jacob 3 and Caroline Sue 1. Matt is an assistant city manager in Missouri. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Spanish and from Kansas State with a Masters in Public Administration. He & Rebeca were married at the same place Gary & I were. Micah 29, currently single is the proud father of Christhoph 7. He's learning the fine art of silk screening Nathan 27, wife Katherine Ivory 24 Nathan graduated from Utah Valley State College in Automotive Technology. They are the proud parents of Elliot James, 9-10-07, 8 lbs. 10 oz. 21 inches Grade_school: Dyer-Kelly Grade_school_friends: Steve Cook, Lynn Douglas, Chuck Watts, Bill Wedge, Merri Sue Goff, Patsy Hankin, Denise Ingram, Evelyn Reynolds Junior_high: Howe Ave Junior_high_friends: Connie Larson, Candy Cochrane, Joanne Brown, Debbie Byerley, Bill Bullock, Jeff Rizzo, Craig Mosley, Sue Lewis, Angie Guerle, Memorable_teachers: Mrs. Kojima, by far, for everything. I'm delighted that she is also a friend. Mr. Carey, for all things musical Mr. Wilde, who gave me courage Mr. Marelich,who humored when I took, Russian, German and Spanish in the same year. I'd get half credit if the answer was right, but in a language he knew! Miss Coklas, her class in Oral Communications was one I shall never forget. Favorite_memory: How can I narrow it down to just one? Story: Not if I want them to continue to speak to me Sibling_info: Brent Welch, brother Class of 74 9/16/07 |
| Debby Jean West Misitano Occupation: Medical Transcriptionist Bio: I moved to Honolulu in 1973 and worked at Queen's Medical Center where I met my ex-husband and still best friend, Ralph Misitano. We moved to the Big Island in 1981 and lived in Hilo, where we had our two sons, Nolan and Andrew. In 1987, we moved to the other side of the Island, Kailua-Kona, where we now still live. I've worked at home doing medical transcription for various clinics, as well as hospitals in the Bay Area, since moving to Kona. It's a great profession to do out of your home and worked well for me while raising two sons whom have turned out to be great human beings. I do make it back to the mainland to visit my family every 2 to 3 years. Even though I've lived in one of the most beautiful places on earth for 30 years, I still miss the mountains, and enjoy Tahoe very much, as well as old friends. I'm considering working half year in Sacramento and the other half here in Kona. Trivia: I can't drive on a freeway! I've lived on an Island too long! Friends: I have memories of many people throughout those years such as Kathy Pelligrini, Debbie Cauley, Julie Mishler, Patty Green, Mike Green, Jerry Azavedo (still has the same smile I see from the reunion photos), Angel; who could forget Kathy Kadzakian; and, of course, Sue Kehoe and I have a few stories to share. Hobbies: Tennis and the beach. Kids: Nolan (almost 20!) is in his 2nd year of college here in Kailua. He works for a sea horse farm while not in school, and is interested in marine science and a business degree. Andrew (almost 16!) is a sophomore in high school who is interested in astronomy, and what better place to be than this island where we have world reknowned telescopes. Grade_school: Cottage School Favorite_memory: I couldn't wait to finally be able to sit on the senior lawn! Story: I used to beat up Simon Slak when he played at Jay's house on Kincaid Way! I introduced Sue Kehoe to her first love in high school. 2/03 |
| Douglas Wood Occupation: Tv Specialist, photographer, producer Bio: Married twice, raised two great kids and working in TV and photography for the last 23 years Trivia: I did not know Shane Tiller, in 72, but his wife (Mary) has been best friends with my wife (Mary) for the last 40 years. Friends: Chuck Dunning, Pam Toole, Steve Vance, Cecily Knepprath, Todd and Claire Andrews, and Veronica Proserpi. Only Chuck and I still write each other. Hobbies: Traveling, photography, lifting weights, cycling, camping, rebuilding older motorcycles, working on home projects and reading ALL THE TIME. I am trying to finish my BA in Journalism. Kids: Rachel is 25, married, a Music graduate from UCD, going after her MA, while working at the State Treasurer's office. Miles is 21, works part time at our optomitrist and goes to Sac City college. He lives at home, but is looking to leave again. Grade_school: Bakersfield Junior_high: Bakersfield Memorable_teachers: Mrs Hunt and Miss Cook taught us to think on our feet. Mr. Chambers renewed my love of art. Mr. Ash reminded me how much I liked working on engines and Mr. Figenshu was the funniest teacher I ever had, in four high schools. Favorite_memory: I only went there for three semesters, so probably my best friends, Pam, Cecily and Chuck. The class of 72 was a pretty cool group. Alumni_in_contact: Chuck Dunning in Ottis Orchard, WA and Shane Tiller in Sacramento 8/11/06 |
| Gary Yoder Occupation: Real Estate Sales Real Estate Sales- RE/MAX Town & Country Realty Sisters,OR I also work part time at Black Butte Ranch Golf Club as a Golf Professional Bio: I joined the Air Force in 1975, retired (from the reserves) in 1995. Flew the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (big airplane with a big telescope in it) for NASA '88-90. Activated for Desert Storm all of '91. Got married in '91. Moved to Bend, OR in '93 to work (as a golf professional) at Black Butte Ranch. I've had my real estate license for three years. Friends: Greg Evans was my best friend. Haven't seen him in over 25 years. Hobbies: Golf, Taekwondo (black belt), road and mountain biking. Kids: Alysa is a third grader in the tiny Sisters school district. She loves riding her horse, art and dance. Grade School: I went to Linda Vista Elementary in San Lorenzo, Ca Junior High: We moved to Sac when I was an eighth grader. I went to Jonas Salk. 5/02 |
| John Jacob Zentner Occupation: Consulting ecologist Bio: 1972-1976: UCSB, graduated with double in bioogy and env. studies. 1876-1977: worked for the US Forest Service outside of Ojai and the National Park Service in Death Valley, could read books by starlight 1977-78: worked for US Economc Development Admin in D.C.; first real job, will never forget wearing my platform soles and baggies (recently purchased on market Street in SF)to work. 1978 (last half): traveled in Europe and Mid East: ate fried goat brains, lived on a beach in Greece, made friends 1978-79: grad school at the U of O, got credit for grad school in Norway (great mountains and fish; continued bad habit of arguing with those in authority over me and consequently did not actually receive my degree for 7 years (new U of O record!). 1980-1981: moved back to CA with Norwegian girlfriend, went to work for CA coastal Commission, girlfriend left. 1982-1983: CA Coastal Conservancy: very cool, got to give out State money to neat projects, met wife (Meg) on plane to LA (she was working for New West mag). 1983-1985: LSA, consulting firm but ended as I still hadn't learned not to argue with authority. 1986 to semi-present: started and continue to be employed by Zentner and Zentner where I can't argue with authority (unless you count that little incident involving the red-legged frogs but whose counting). Present: trying to keep up with my kids, tho the oldest is going far away to college next year (probably Johnson & Wales in Providence to be a chef). Fishing trips: great trip to far eastern Russie 2.5 yrs ago and just got back from 3 wks in So America. Short and long trips with Meg: bicycling in France and Italy (those hill towns are tough!), going to the desert for our 20th in a couple of weeks. Occasional reunion trips with the cellar dwellers who have turned out to be a great bunch of guys, I wish I could see them more often. Trivia: red-legged frogs Friends: Cellar dwellers, still alive!!! Hobbies: sports (still play tennis), running, swimming, etc. Great fishing trips to strange places, and, or course, reading. Kids: This could go on forever. Jake is 18 and tall 6'3" and working as a cook, going to chef school next year. Thoughtfull, hard worked, can put in 14-hr days as a line cook, small group of firends, very ready to get out into the world. Sam is 15, Mr. Popular and definitly not like I was in high school. Very good athlete, only studies when he absolutely has to. Will probably be a sports announcer or similar. Memorable_teachers: Ms. Kojima, the legs. Favorite_memory: Honestly, maybe its the 60's or middle age but I don't have that many memories or look back on it with any particular longing. I had a lot more fun later. 3/03 |
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