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 1990s
| 1993Michael Lorilla, regional investment management and trust manager for The Mechanics Bank in Roseville, writes that he loves teaching college and being a father and is looking forward to a second child with Jennifer Sexton Lorilla. He also notes that he recently beat cancer with the help of surgery and radiation. Recipient of a J.D./M.B.A. degree from McGeorge University and California State University, Sacramento, in 1996, Lorilla now enjoys playing rugby with the McGeorge Ducks, despite breaking his ankle in spring of 2001. (appeared in the Spring 2002 issue) • Joseph Unger and his wife, Shannon, have had a third daughter, Hallie Roselle. The family lives in Corona, where Unger works as the design engineering manager for Sport Carriers Inc., a company that manufactures automotive accessories. (appeared in the Spring 2002 issue) • John Leonard, M.F.A., assistant professor of musical theater and the acting musical theater coordinator at the University of Northern Colorado, conducted a two-day conference at UC Davis on auditioning for musical theater. After graduating, Leonard directed and choreographed a number of productions in the Bay Area. (appeared in the Summer 2002 issue) • Jim van Loben Sels, Kristina Mielke-van Loben Sels '92, John Mielke'92 and Elisa Mielke-Wiel '89 all play a role in their family's winery, Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, in Spokane, Wash., which recently released wines in Yolo County. Jim, who worked for six years as a water resources specialist in Vacaville, oversees the day-to-day operations of the business. Kristina, who was associate wine-maker at Ferrari-Carano Winery in Healdsburg, is now the youngest female wine-maker in Washington. John, who developed the winery's Web site, worked as an internal auditor for Hilton Hotels for four years and is currently working for Oracle Corp. in Rocklin. And Elisa, who lives in San Francisco, brought her graphic design expertise to bear by redesigning the winery's label. (appeared in the Summer 2002 issue) • Paula Friedman, Ph.D., has been writing book reviews and essays for national newspapers and journals, including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. She is also leading book discussion groups. (appeared in the Fall 2002 issue) • Lori Kendall, M.A., Ph.D. '98, assistant professor of sociology at Purchase College-State University of New York, has written Hanging Out in the Virtual Pub: Masculinities and Relationships Online (University of California Press). The book explores the new world of social relations on the Internet. (appeared in the Fall 2002 issue) • Cynthia Reeves Tuttle, Ph.D., was named director of the Bread for the World Institute, a faith-based organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and education on domestic and international hunger issues. Before that, Tuttle was a faculty member at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and then at the University of Maryland. She and her husband, Robert, live in Maryland with their three children. (appeared in the Fall 2002 issue) • Mitchell Wong worked in Hong Kong in 1993-96 in technology sales, then moved to Beijing, China, to start a microbrewery. In 1998, he launched an application service provider company in Beijing, then in 2001 moved back to Silicon Valley. He is now working as a consultant, helping U.S. companies set up operations in Asia. He writes that he's still unmarried without children and is living in San Francisco. He can be reached at mitchkwong@yahoo.com. (appeared in the Fall 2002 issue) • Lisa Clausen got married in July in Ryde to Patrick Fitzgerald. Clausen recently obtained her real-estate license and is a commercial property manager handling a high-rise office tower and mall in downtown Los Angeles. The couple lives in Pasadena, where Fitzgerald manages warehouse and shipping operations for Lather. (appeared in the Winter 2003 issue) • Erik Stratford Orup and Mollie Schettler Orup '92 had a daughter in August, Natalie Erika. Mollie is a senior territory business manager for Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Erik is the chief executive officer of RepCal Research Labs. They live in Monte Sereno. (appeared in the Winter 2003 issue) • Matthew Portillo received his Ph.D. in agricultural education in May from Oklahoma State University and has accepted a position as assistant professor of agricultural education at Murray State University in Kentucky. (appeared in the Winter 2003 issue) • Tamara (Biermann) Thornell, Cred. '94, a second-grade teacher at Norman Brekke School in Oxnard, was named Ventura County Teacher of the Year. She was praised for being an innovator in her bi-lingual classroom, an inspiration to students and mentor to other teachers. (appeared in the Winter 2003 issue) • Erik Liu was appointed vice president of operations of Lem Construction Inc. in Oakland. Liu has worked extensively in the construction industry and has expertise in construction contracting, working most recently as an associate attorney with the San Francisco office of Severson & Werson. (appeared in the Spring 2003 issue) • Tamara and Timothy Thornell '94 had a baby in November, Jacqueline Amber. Timothy is on the Cal Aggie Alumni Association board of directors, and Tamara was recently named a California Teacher of the Year. (appeared in the Spring 2003 issue) • Amy Olson was killed in an auto accident in October. Ms. Olson had started her first year of studies at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento after traveling in Latin America, the Caribbean and Mexico. (appeared in the Spring 2003 issue) • Mike Lorilla and his wife, Jennifer, are expecting a second son, due in August, who will be joining older brother, Jordan, 2. Lorilla is the regional investment management and trust manager for the Mechanics Bank in Roseville. He says he enjoys teaching and playing rugby with the McGeorge Ducks. (appeared in the Summer 2003 issue) • Tara McHugh, Ph.D., received the Herbert L. Rothbart Outstanding Early Career Research Scientist of 2002 award from the USDA Agriculture Research Service. She was honored for her work producing healthy snacks as head of ARS's Processed Foods Research unit in Albany. Since joining ARS in 1993, McHugh has been awarded three patents, authored or co-authored more than 20 scientific publications and won a Popular Science magazine "Best of What's New" award. (appeared in the Summer 2003 issue) • Sarah Lomax Williams and Ron Williams '94 had their first child, Richard Davis Williams, in January--choosing the middle name to honor the town where the couple met. Sarah is a bilingual educator, and Ron works in biotech and recently finished his M.B.A. (appeared in the Summer 2003 issue) • Steve Woo has graduated from business school at the University of Southern California. After living in Washington, D.C., Korea and China, he has now settled down in San Francisco. (appeared in the Summer 2003 issue) • Oscar Benavidez Jr. is a fellow in pediatric cardiology at Children's Hospital Boston. He recently married Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician at the Center for Child Health Care Studies in Boston. (appeared in the Fall 2003 issue) |