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 1970s
| 1973After 25 years of federal service, Joel Cleary recently retired from the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M., where he was an assistant professor and chief of orthopedic surgery. He has returned to Havre, Mont., where his general orthopedic surgery patients include Montana State University. (appeared in the Summer 2010 issue) • Clifton “Randy” Weyeneth is looking for former members of interdenominational UC Davis Navigators. He can be reached at [Randy.Weyeneth@navigators.org] or (719) 594-2733. (appeared in the Summer 2010 issue) • Patricia Cowings By Elizabeth Stitt Occupation: Research psychologist and principle investigator for the NASA/Ames Research Center. Beam me up, Aggie: Since the age of 9, Patricia Cowings, M.S. ’73, Ph.D. ’73, has been fascinated with space travel. A self-proclaimed science geek, she grew up reading science fiction novels and visiting space museums. “I was a member of the Star Trek generation after all,” she said. “In the psychology department I was known as the space cadet because I always watched the launches and talked about space travel.” At UC Davis, Cowings took a class on designing features for a space shuttle, which was dominated by male engineering majors. “No on talked about the life science aspect of space travel,” she said. The teacher frequently stopped the class to make sure Cowings was keeping up with the physics. “But for some reason, I understood everything he was saying,” she said. She received an A in the course. Trained for space: When Cowings first visited the Ames Research Center in the Silicon Valley, she said it was like arriving at Disneyland. At Ames, she began a postdoctorate fellowship in 1973, and in 1977 she entered an international competition for the best experiments to be conducted in space. Out of 4000 entries, Cowing’s experiment about space motion sickness came in second, giving it a ticket to leave the planet. Because there was a possibility she needed to perform her experiment, she became the first female trained to exit Earth’s atmosphere. Though she didn’t end up going, her experiment did, paving the way for psychophysiological research in space. Survival of the species: For the past 30 years, Cowings has been working full time at NASA, performing experiments on the biological and psychological effects of space, as well as preparing people for space travel. “I really am concerned with the health of astronauts,” she said. “It’s what I live for.” NASA has received less funding over the years, which has worried Cowings about the future of the space program. “I’ll go so far as to say it’s important for the survival of our species,” she said. “We have to cut off the apron strings. I love Mama Earth, but come on, I’m a grown-up now—it’s time to explore and see what’s out there." Cowings lives in Saratoga with her husband of 29 years, William Toscano, and their son Christopher Michael Cowings Toscano, who is a certified personal trainer. “I had to train astronauts how to put on underwear in space. If you’ve never done that, you’ve never lived.” (appeared in the Fall 2009 issue) • Mark Safarik was featured in the 2009 winter edition. Mark Safarik by Rachael Bogert and Elizabeth Stitt Occupation: Executive director of Forensic Behavioral Services International, a consulting company that specializes in the analysis of violent crime and criminal behavior through crime scene analysis, and a retired profiler for he FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Real-life crime drama: Former Supervisory Special Agent Mark Safarik ’76, whose specialty is the subject of elder homicide and sexual assault, is one of the few experts contacted by law enforcement agencies around the globe when they encounter any atypical violent crime committed by someone exhibiting “the extreme end of human behavior.” After working for the FBI for 23 years, Safarik formed his own consulting firms with former FBI agent Robert Ressler, and he shares his expertise with prosecutors and other attorneys in cases involving homicide, sexual assault and other violent crimes—sometimes appearing as an expert witness, explaining to a jury what happened and why. He also lectures around the country on profiling and behavioral analysis. Having what it takes: Safarik teaches and writes on his area of expertise and was awarded the Jefferson Medal from the University of Virginia for his research efforts. With the FBI, Safarik dealt with the worst in human behavior on a daily basis while assessing and interpreting the nuances of killers’ actions. “It takes a certain type of out-of-the-box thinking to put yourself into the victim’s and offender’s shoes,” he said. “Remaining emotionally distant is paramount for success when analyzing such violent human behavior through the lens of gruesome injury and death.” He currently lives with his wife and two sons in Fredericksburg, Va. “I have put people in prison, and I have assisted countless agencies and police officers…. It has been rewarding to be part of so many investigations.” (appeared in the Winter 2009 issue) • Bill Bennett, M.S. ’75, was selected in June to be a vice president of GEI Consultants, a group of geotechnical, environmental, water resources and ecological science and engineering firms. Bennett is the planning division manager in the Sacramento office. (appeared in the Fall 2010 issue) • Brian Harvick, D.V.M. ’75, died at his home in the town of Shasta Lake in March after battling leukemia for a year. He was 60. He was born in Illinois, and raised in San Mateo. In 1978, he opened the Shasta Lake Veterinary Clinic, which he ran for over 30 years. He enjoyed music, astronomy, the outdoors and animals. He was preceded in death by his father, David, and his brother, William. He is survived by his wife, Jeanette; mother, Ruth; children, Benjamin and Megan; stepchildren, Timothy and Jennifer Slattengren; and his previous wife, Nancy. (appeared in the Fall 2010 issue) • JAN (BRIDGES) BARDSLEY co-edited Manners and Mischief (University of California Press, 2011), a collection of essays about Japanese society, etiquette, literature and behavior. She is an associate professor of Japanese humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (appeared in the Summer 2011 issue) • MARSHA PODD wrote Secrets of a Baby Nurse, How to Have a Happy, Healthy, and Sleeping Baby from Birth (iUniverse.com, 2010). She is a registered nurse and lactation specialist with more than 20 years of experience working with parents and young children. (appeared in the Summer 2011 issue) • Matthew Olson was named the 2011 Professor of the Year by the Minnesota Psychological Association in April. He teaches and conducts research at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn., where he has chaired the psychology department since 1992. He is the co-author of two textbooks, Introduction to Theories of Learning (Pearson Prentice Hall) and Introduction to Theories of Personality (Pearson Prentice Hall), both in their eighth editions. (appeared in the Fall 2011 issue) • Longtime friends Crandall Mark, Steve McAdams and Ron Pauer organized a Homecoming reunion with former Tercero B Building and 1111 J Street Apartment roommates and neighbors in October. Ardi (Pedersen) Lane, Jim “Ruddy” Lane ’74, Don Foster ’74, April Lovvorn ’75, Barbara (Ham) Mockler ’76, Ken Mockler ’77, and Marilyn (Fratzke) Treusdell ’77 attended the game and dinner party—their first gathering in more than 35 years. (appeared in the Winter 2012 issue) • Clifton “Randy” Weyeneth’s wife, Sandy, has written a book about their love story, Love Worth the Wait: Trusting God for Real Romance and Real Relationship (Plum Tree Ministries, 2009). They met through their work with the Navigators interdenominational mission. (appeared in the Spring 2012 issue) • A new CD by clarinetist Bill Barner, Ten Tunes, peaked at No. 10 on the jazz radio charts. To hear the tunes, go to www.billbarner.com. He retired in 2010 after 26 years with the Library of Congress, where he was a cataloguer specializing in medicine and the biomedical sciences. (appeared in the Summer 2012 issue) • Angie (Galarce) Wiskocil, is president of AT&T Wi-Fi. During her three years in this position, she has led the growth of the AT&T subsidiary—the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 30,000 hotspots. She has held a number of executive positions since joining AT&T more than 30 years ago. Among other business and leadership awards, she was named one of Hispanic Business magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in 2009. She and her husband of 39 years, John Wiskocil, live in Austin, Texas. They had a daughter, Erika, a special needs child who was an inspiration to them and is now deceased. (appeared in the Summer 2012 issue) • Stephen Holl, a Folsom wildlife biologist who led efforts to expand bighorn sheep populations in the San Gabriel Mountains, died in January after a battle with brain cancer. He was 62. His work for the federal government and as a private consultant also included forest fire ecology studies. Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Mary ’74; twin daughters Amy and Eryn; mother, Claire Holl; brothers Dennis, Brian, Jeffrey, Kevin, Tim and Greg; and four grandchildren. (appeared in the Summer 2012 issue) • William “Bill” Rickers, a teacher at the Dan Jacobs School in the Yolo County Detention Center in Woodland, died unexpectedly last November in his classroom as he prepared for his teaching day. He was 60. In addition to his bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, he earned a master’s degree in history and a teaching community college credential from San José State University. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Hanne Carstens Rickers; children Hans, of Sacramento, Sarah, of Woodland, and Lea, of Santa Cruz; and sisters Lili Rickers Fisher, of Woodland, Erika Rickers Freimarck, of San José, and Gretchen Rickers Crowley, of San José. (appeared in the Summer 2012 issue) • After 12 years as executive vice chancellor and provost of UC Irvine, Michael Gottfredson began a new job in August as president of the University of Oregon. A criminologist, he also joins the faculty in the sociology department and the law school. During his tenure at UC Irvine, he earned wide praise for seeing the campus through unparalleled growth, even as the university faced significant budget challenges. Last spring, he received the campus alumni association’s 2012 Extraordinarius award for contributions to the university. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Philip Asakawa, Cred., a retired teacher and resident of Davis, died in February at age 62. He had been ill for several years with cancer. Most of his 32 years in teaching were at Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville, where he headed the Opportunity Program for students struggling with the transition to high school. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Peter Brown, M.A., died at his home in Davis in May at age 65. He worked for more than 37 years at Shields Library. Before coming to UC Davis, he served in the Peace Corps in Nepal. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Leslie Bowman Marcus, of Woodland, died of pancreatic cancer in May at age 60. She worked the last seven years as a paralegal and director of the Fair Housing Hotline Project at Legal Services of Northern California. A political activist from her days as a student opposing the Vietnam War, she worked to pass affordable housing ordinances in Yolo County communities in the 1990s and ran the local Democratic Party headquarters in 2008. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Reed Maxson published Arboretum Suite, Lineal Dances V, a music suite in nine sections inspired by the names of trees in the UC Davis Arboretum. (appeared in the Winter 2013 issue) |