Volume 28 · Number 4 · Summer 2011
Alumni profiles
- Stephen Wampler '92
- Christopher Markus, M.A. '96, and Stephen McFeely, M.A. '96
- John "Tico" McNutt, Ph.D. '95
- Vintage Aggies: Stuart Spoto '82
Alumni: Traveling the world with Aggies
Some Aggie Adventures participants, like the Kanekos, enjoy the alumni travel program so much they keep coming back for more.
Jerry and Teresa Kaneko
Jerry Kaneko '52, D.V.M. '56, Ph.D. '59, and his wife, Teresa, have led busy lives since retiring from UC Davis. Jerry, a veterinary medicine professor emeritus, still has a small office on campus, served on the Davis City Council during 1996–98, owns an 80-acre farm in south Yolo County and has other business ventures.
Teresa, who worked for almost 30 years for UC Davis' arts presenting program, still volunteers at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. As season ticket holders, she and Jerry often attend shows there.
But the couple still had places in the world they wanted to see.
China was at the top of Jerry's list. In 2007, the couple visited five Chinese provinces and Tibet through Aggie Adventures, run by the Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
"We heard about Aggie Adventures from other people who had taken trips and gave great reviews," Teresa said.
The Kanekos enjoyed their China/Tibet trip so much that they decided to travel with Aggie Adventures again in 2011, this time to Vietnam.
Aggie Adventures offers 20 to 30 trips each year to countries around the world. The tours are open to the public, but one person in each traveling party must belong to the Cal Aggie Alumni Association. CAAA membership is open to everyone, not just to alumni.
"We offer tours appropriate for people of all ages. We have family-friendly tours and educational tours, and we also offer an 11-country European adventure for recent graduates," said Nichole Silva, Aggie Adventures administrator and CAAA director of business development. "Sharing their adventures with fellow Aggies often creates some of [our travelers'] fondest memories."
The Kanekos, who are in their 80s, are already considering another trip. "We saw Egypt on the 2012 calendar — and that is on the list of places I'd like to go," Teresa said. "It involves a boat, and I think a little less walking would be nice next time."
For more information, visit Aggie Adventures.