| 1977Matthew Yeo, of Roseville, died at age 58 on November 26. He was a retired finance director. Survivors include his wife Carol ’77. |
| 1978Dan Curran has had his first novel published, The Golden Gift (The Adventures of Baxter Heavytread). The epic fantasy fiction work is available as an e-book through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Curran is a senior airline captain based in Miami. • Steven Koike, M.S. ’80, received the 2013 Excellence in Extension Award from the American Phytopathological Society for his applied research and education in plant pathology. His work focuses on diseases and other problems that affect cool season vegetables, strawberries, ornamental plants and other coastal crops, as well as food safety. Koike has been the plant pathology farm advisor for the UC Cooperative Extension Monterey County since 1989. |
| 1979Martha (Pultz) Amlin retired from the U.S. State Department in October. A Foreign Service officer since 2000, she served in the Philippines, Mexico, Afghanistan and Washington, D.C., working in management, consular and refugee assistance positions. She previously worked as a meeting and event coordinator for Stanford University, UC Davis School of Medicine and California’s Administrative Office of the Courts. She lives in Arlington, Va., but misses California. • Marilyn (Oliver Burlando) Lagier, Cred., MA ’81, retired in May after 39 years of teaching—34 years as a high school English teacher and the last five years as a home economics teacher. She lives in Stockton with her husband, four cats and two dogs. • David Pefley is CFO for Adaptive Planning, a cloud corporate performance management service with more than 1,800 customers in 85 countries. • Dane Steele, of Sacramento, died at age 63 on June 9. He was a middle school teacher. |
| 1980Jon Sommer, M.S., M.S. ’83, celebrated his 20th year as a top real estate professional in Denver, where he is a managing broker at Your Castle Real Estate. He is also a seminar leader for Landmark Worldwide. • Jeremy Sommer, of San Francisco, died at age 45 on August 19. He was founder of Zocalo furniture company. Survivors include his brother Jon, M.S. ’80, M.S. ’83. • Karen Steinmetz ’80, of Pacifica, died at age 55 on August 19. He was toxicology director for SRI International. • Lynn (Clopper) Losch, of Rescue, died at age 55 on September 6. She was a former Aggie softball player and clinical lab scientist. |
| 1982Michelle (Dencer) Scully is the inaugural executive director of Marymount California University’s new extension Lakeside Campus in Lake County. She previously taught biology at Mendocino College. She and her husband, Patrick ’89, have lived in Lake County since 1995, when he joined his family’s pear packing business. • Mark Raine ’82, of El Sobrante, died at age 54 on September 30. He was a paving contractor. |
| 1983John Jelesko, an associate professor of plant pathology, physiology and weed science at Virginia Tech, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his contributions to the understanding of plant metabolism. |
| 1985Ann (Holman) Grimaldi has opened Grimaldi Law Offices in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on chemical and product law. • Susan (Anderson) Rockwood and her husband, Frank, have launched Rockwood Pacific, a Berkeley-based consulting firm that helps mission-based nonprofits and entities develop senior healthcare and housing projects. The Rockwoods have two teen daughters. |
| 1986James Meuer wrote Damaged: A First Responder’s Experiences Handling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (WestBowPress, 2013). He was a paramedic and firefighter for 26 years in California, Texas and Saudi Arabia before retiring with a physical disability and post-traumatic stress disorder. He lives in Vacaville. • Sandra Brown Yakel, of New Berlin, Ill., died at age 49 on January 1. She was a former Aggie basketball team captain and school teacher. Survivors include her husband Donald Yakel Jr. ’86. • Doug Weismann, of Monterey, died at age 50 in July at Lake Tahoe. He was a network engineer for UC Santa Cruz. |
| 1987Anne McMillin received a Nevada Press Association 2013 award for explanatory journalism for her article about curriculum changes at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. “Training Physicians in the 21st Century” appeared in the fall 2012 issue of the medical school’s Synapse magazine. The school’s public relations manager, she is the 2014 president of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. |
