Class Notes Archive 1931-2014
Class Notes are searchable back to our spring 2000 issue. You can browse the notes by decade (click on a decade to view its class notes):
Class notes from the 1930s
| 1931Alyce Williams Lowrey Jewett died in March 2005 at the age of 96. Ms. Jewett was one of the first female students to earn a bachelor of science degree at UC Davis, was the first Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of Agriculture and also taught agricultural economics. Ms. Jewett and her late husband, Lindsay “Red” Jewett ’32, were charter members of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association, and she served on the alumni board in 1959–1960. The couple also established a scholarship fund in the 1960s and received the CAAA Distinguished Achievement Award in 1987. Survivors include daughter Margaret Fish and grandson Russell Fish ’95. (appeared in the Summer 2005 issue) |
| 1932Bob Fletcher, a Sacramento farmer who saved the farms of interned Japanese Americans during World War II, died in May at age 101. His story is recounted in history books, and his death was reported in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. (appeared in the Fall 2013 issue) |
| 1933Rae Wright recently turned 91 and enjoys working in his garden in Hydesville where he grows squash and corn. (appeared in the Summer 2003 issue) • Rae Wright, who turned 92 in April, lives in Hydesville near his daughters. He enjoys gardening, planting corn and winter squash each year. (appeared in the Summer 2004 issue) • Marino Drakos died in March 2005 at the age of 93. Mr. Drakos served in the Army during World War II, then returned to Mitchell, Ind., where he worked processing fruit for the Blue Bird Baking Co. He went on to become president, then chair of the board of directors of the company before his 1976 retirement. He and his wife, Annie, moved to San Marcos in 1978, where he settled into playing golf, joining dance groups and cruising the lake with his grandchildren on his boat. Survivors include his wife; his children, Nick, Harriet and Eleni, and their spouses; and five grandchildren. (appeared in the Summer 2005 issue) • Martin Luther Williams Jr. died a few months shy of 100 in November 2007. Mr. Williams began his career in the dairy industry in Los Angeles at Edgemar Farms/Santa Monica Dairy and was manager of the creamery for Ralphs Grocery Co. from 1941 to 1968. He completed his career with Ralphs in 1971 as the director of manufacturing. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Elvira, his sister, Lenora Rupe, his daughter, Sharon Wurth, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. (appeared in the Summer 2008 issue) |
| 1934Charles Graham Nissen died in April 2005 at the age of 93. A lifelong resident of Livermore, Mr. Nissen was a rancher in the area for more than 40 years. He was a philanthropist, donating to education and health care, and an avid traveler, visiting China, Egypt, Europe, Australia, Africa, Tibet and Russia. Survivors include his two daughters. (appeared in the Summer 2005 issue) • Alfred Steger died in May 2005 at the age of 93 in San Jose where he had been a longtime resident. Mr. Steger’s passion was agricultural engineering, which he studied at UC Davis. During his undergraduate years, he also played football and participated in the Philo Delphis fraternity. He loved visiting his granddaughter, Jennifer Hunt ’95, when she went to UC Davis and was surprised by how much the school had grown. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; children, Nancy Hunt and Eileen Hendrix; grandchildren, Jennifer Hunt and Scott Hendrix; and great-grandchildren, Jacob and Eli Hendrix. (appeared in the Fall 2005 issue) |
| 1935Henry "Ivan" Dorsett is living in Lancaster, retired after 30 years of government service as criminal investigator-in-charge at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Last year he was named Senior of the Year during the Senior Expo at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, nominated by several people for his love of and dedication to the Antelope Valley. His wife of 53 years, Iris Allen, has passed away. (appeared in the Fall 2002 issue) • Ronald Clarence Lapp died in January 2002 at the age of 87. A member of the Cal Aggie Athletic Hall of Fame, Mr. Lapp operated a ranch for many years, first raising fruit and then cattle. He later also became a real-estate broker, specializing in land and ranches. Survivors include his two daughters, Diane Cox and Gaytrell Lapp, and five grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (appeared in the Spring 2003 issue) • Lawrence “Brick” Schneider observed his 100th birthday in February. He and his wife, Ruth, live on their Clarksburg-area farm. He fondly recalls his student days living in old West Hall. After farming some three decades in the north Delta, he directed a UC Davis chemistry stockroom in “the Basement” during 1967–77. He often wonders whatever happened to his colleagues and “all those kids.” He can be reached through daughter, Mary McTaggart ’67, MA ’68, at lrbs3ld7@yahoo.com. (appeared in the Spring 2012 issue) |
| 1936Joseph Ruiz Garcia Jr. died in May 2006 at age 90. Having served in public office for 28 years, Mr. Garcia was a well-known lawmaker and sugar industry executive in Hakalau, Hawaii. He was a member of the territorial and state Legislature for 24 years and was then elected to the Hawaii County Council. Always noted for his effervescent personality, he wrote a humor column for the Hawaii Tribune Herald. He was honored in 1990 by UC Davis as a distinguished alumnus. Mr. Garcia is survived by his wife, Ivy, three children and seven grandchildren. (appeared in the Winter 2007 issue) |
| 1937Phoebe (Ehrhardt) Mc-Allister lives with her daughter, Medora Anderson, in California City. They are planning to move to Vancouver, Wash., to be closer to McAllister’s grandchildren. (appeared in the Summer 2005 issue) • John Hadley Pryor Jr. died in January 2007 at age 90 in his Salinas Valley home. Mr. Pryor served four years in the U.S. National Guard before founding the John Pryor Co. in 1946, a company specializing in the application of liquid fertilizers, a process that he pioneered. Mr. Pryor also operated Pryor Farms from 1964 to 2002. He was very active within his community, serving on school boards and as a member of the Rotary Club and the Salinas Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Pryor was also a longtime supporter of UC Davis who was generous with his volunteer time and financial contributions. He served as a director of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and was a recipient of an Award of Distinction from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1997. In 2004, Mr. Pryor received the Grower-Shipper Association’s first E.E. “Gene” Harden Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the Central Coast agriculture industry. Survivors include his high school sweetheart and wife of 69 years, Jeanne; daughters, Joan and Janet; and three grandchildren. (appeared in the Spring 2007 issue) • David Holmberg’37 died in December in Woodland. He was 93. While at UC Davis, Mr. Holmberg played for the Cal Aggie football and basketball teams. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics when UC Davis was known as UC Berkeley’s College of Agriculture, and went on to become a farm advisor for the UC Agricultural Extension Service for 43 years. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne; his daughter, Janet Meserve ’69 of DeKalb, Ill.; his son-in-law, Peter Meserve ’67; his son, Craig Holmberg of Woodland; his sister, Alma Smith of Modesto; and four grandchildren. His previous wife of 54 years, Marguerite, died in 1999. (appeared in the Spring 2009 issue) |
| 1938Jean Brown Iskra recently celebrated her 88th birthday with a round of golf, brunch in Palm Springs, a movie and a surprise birthday party. (appeared in the Winter 2004 issue) • Jean Brown Iskra celebrated her 90th birthday by playing 18 holes of golf, attending a surprise birthday luncheon for over 80 relatives and friends, and concluding the day with a swim. She also made her first hole-in-one just two weeks earlier. (appeared in the Winter 2006 issue) • Ivar Anderson of Santa Barbara writes, “I wonder how many of my class are still alive?” (appeared in the Fall 2006 issue) • Harold Solomon of Fresno recently shared his recollections of UC Davis—a time when $300 paid for registration fees, room and books, and he washed dishes for his meals. He went on to pursue a successful career in the seed-and-grain business, and he and his wife, Betty, now have five children, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. (appeared in the Fall 2006 issue) • Ivar “Andy” Anderson, a former president of the California Fertilizer Association and an avid photographer, died in April in Santa Barbara after a bout of poor health. He was 94. He had been a partner for Associated Farm Supplies, which was bought by Occidental Chemical in 1965. He retired from OxyChem in 1980. During World War II, he served as an Army Air Corps photographer; a lifelong shutterbug, he earned awards at local photo competitions. Survivors include his children, Barry, Robin, Corey and Kristi; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. (appeared in the Fall 2011 issue) |