Alumni in the News - November, 2008
Newsmakers
Alum's Company Featured at Green Conference
- Backing Al Gore, Literally
Scott Hutcheon's Green Roots company had a key role at the West Coast Green Show in San Francisco. Hutcheon (B.S., Landscape Architecture, 1998) and his company create "living walls" and green roofs -- green as in grass. They shared the stage at the conference with former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore. Hutcheon's green walls and roofing have also been featured on Martha Stewart's TV show.
Photo courtesy www.greenrootsinc.com
See photos from the West Coast Green Conference & Read the Story
Grad Named One of California's Top 100 Lawyers -- Again
Joseph W. Cotchett (B.S., Engineering, 1960) has been named to the Daily Journal's list of "The Top 100" lawyers in California. This is the ninth straight year that Cotchett has made the list, originally begun as a feature of the Daily Journal (a legal publication based in Los Angeles and San Francisco.) The list was announced in the Journal's Sept. 17 edition.
Read more in the Daily Journal online
Olympic Silver Medalist Miles Meets Friends, Fans
Cal Poly graduate and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Gina Miles (B.S., Crop Science, 1997), along with her horse McKinlaigh, were in Atascadero to meet with fans and show off that silver medal. Since returning home she's meet with President Bush, Gov. Schwarzenegger and even made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. Miles plans on returning to the Olympics in 2012 in London. She says she is currently looking for a new horse as she reaches for gold in her second Olympic games four years from now.
See the KCOY Story on Miles
Alums' Company Reaching into Guatemalan Jungles to Promote Women Farmers, Sustainability
Herbal-drink-maker Guayaki Yerba Mate has begun importing directly from a small women-owned supplier in Guatemala as it pursues its goals of producing natural foods and preventing further rainforest deforestation. Popularity soaring for its flavored, mate-based herbal drinks -- sales jumped from $5 million in 2006 to $10 million last year. The sustainability-minded company is owned by two Cal Poly alumni: Alex Pryor (B.S., Food Science and Nutrition, 1998) and David Karr (B.S., Business, 1996).
Read the North Bay Business Journal Story
Weird Al's Early Movies Being Discovered by Today's College Students
Weird Al Yankovic (B.S., Architecture, 1980) stars in the 1989 film, "UHF" as a man who can't hold down a job until he becomes a television station manager. The Grammy-winning Yankovic is famous for his song parodies including "Amish Paradise," spoofing Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," and more recently released "White and Nerdy," a take-off of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'." In "UHF," "he does the same thing, but more visually than musically," according to a new student press review of the movie on 'The Equinox.'
Read the Keene State University Equinox Web Review
Alumna Wins Three Press Club Awards
Nathalie Taylor (English, 1979), the features editor for the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News, recently won three San Diego Press Club awards. She placed first in the Travel category with “Red Cottages, Sailing Ships and Vikings: A Journey to Sweden’s Past.” The story highlights a province in Sweden, the land of her heritage. Taylor won a second place award in the Review category and a third place in the Architecture and Design category.
Read all about it in the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News
Profiles
Two Alumni Chocolatiers Profiled in LA Times
Alumna Claudi Gilman (B.S., Food Science, 1978) and her husband, alumnus Fred Yasukochi (B.S., 1977, Ag Business), are sweetening things up on Main Street in downtown Ventura. The proud owners of Trufflehound's Fine Chocolates, the couple claim to be passionate chocolate lovers who carefully craft their chocolates and truffles by hand. The rich truffles come in nine flavors.
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times
Home, Home on the Range
Robert Milotz (Biological Science, 1986) is the supervising ranger for Monterey County’s Toro Regional Park in Monterey County. He oversees a vast network of trails, Salinas Valley overlooks, wildlife corridors, grasslands and oak woodlands. A 30-year veteran of service with the Monterey County Parks Department, Milotz began at Lake San Antonio as a seasonal park aide and worked up through the ranks.
Read about Milotz’ climb to the top in the Salinas Californian
J-Alum Writing, Blogging on SLO's Photo Past
Dave Middlecamp (B.S., Journalism, 1985) is a staff photographer at the San Luis Obispo Tribune. He now has his own column in the newspaper, "Photos from the Vault," documenting the Central Coast's past and looking for answers to questions posed by 'mystery' photos. Cal Poly is a regular feature in Middlecamp's Tribune column and blog. Find it at http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/
Alum Takes Music to Fall Festival
Kids of all ages jived to the music of guitarist Jeff Kepple (B.S., Physical Science, 1986) at the Plumas National Forest’s Fall Festival in early October. Kepple first learned to play a ukulele, which had been passed down in his family, then migrated to the banjo. But during his studies at Cal Poly, he began to learn the guitar on an old Gibson.
Read the story in the Plumas County News
Alumna Jumps Aboard Jeopardy!' Brain Bus
Samantha Yale (B.S., Journalism, 2004) was not about to let this opportunity of a lifetime pass her by. When the Jeopardy! Brain Bus came to town looking for contestants, she headed to the Santa Maria Town Center to take the pre-test required to try out for the game show Jeopardy! Abusing her media credentials to cut to the front of the line, this local reporter retells the story in detail.
Read all about it in the Santa Maria Times story
Alumna Takes The Long Road to Become an Artist
Kate Scott (B.A., Applied Art and Design, 1984) is known for colorful, tongue-in-cheek pencil and pastel drawings, but her path to a successful art career was a circuitous one. She has been painting and drawing her whole life, but because she’s had “a gazillion jobs,” she couldn’t devote much time to her art. Until now.
Read her life story in Island’s Weekly
Alum Art Teacher Carries a Torch for Tiki Time
Tony Murphy (B.A., Applied Art and Design, 2003), 29, teaches traditional art at Las Colinas Middle School, but during his down time, he likes to create South Pacific-influenced art, marketing it under the name “Tiki Tony.” Using driftwood he finds on the beach, he creates necklaces and tikis. He estimates that he has made more than 3,000 tiki necklaces, and his biggest tiki carving is 10 feet tall by 3 feet wide. He also creates mugs, paintings and hanging creatures. His work is showcased in tiki bars and businesses across California, and he even designed a logo for a tiki bar in Berlin.
Read all about Tony Tiki in the Camarillo Acorn
Cal Poly Grad Gets Warm Reception in Chile
Alumnus Paul Goldberg (B.A., Modern Language & Literatures, 2006, Cert, English as a Second Language, 2006) launched a nonprofit drive to give books to schoolchildren in Chile. The humanitarian is spending a year in Chile on an ambassadorial scholarship sponsored by the Rotary Club of Arroyo Grande. During an earlier teaching assignment in Chili, Goldberg learned that books are often an unaffordable luxury. So he founded Scholars for Schools, a nonprofit organization that gather books and distributes them to school libraries in low-income neighborhoods.
Read the Tribune story on Goldberg
The Bell of the Atwater Pumpkin Patch
Alumnus Steve Bell (B.S., Crop Science, 1996, M.S. Agriculture, 2007) is popular this time of year. The Modesto College soil and plant sciences teacher tends to the campus’s six-acre pumpkin field, where visitors have the opportunity to get their hands dirty and pick their own pumpkins. The farm grows at least eight different varieties of pumpkins and ornamental gourds, including Little Pokemon, Crown of Thorns, Birdhouse gourds, and Fairy Tale pumpkins.
Read all about Bell and his work in the Atwater Signal
Cal Poly Alum Coaching Young Olympic Gymnastics Hopeful
Cal Poly alum Danielle Vargas (B.S., Biological Science, 2007) spends most of her time coaching Olympic hopeful gymnast Shelbee Avelino. Vargas said the youngster is doing well enough with her gymnastics that her progress is being “tracked,” at the tender age of 9. Vargas has been working at Central Coast Gymnastics for four years.
Read the Santa Maria Times story on Vargas
Alum Applies Marketing Know-how to Presidential Campaign
For almost 40 years, San Luis Obispo entrepreneur Cliff Branch (English, 1971) has had an uncanny ability to look over the business horizon and zero in on developing trends. He’s continuing his prescient ways, albeit in a political vein this time, but I’ll get to that in a moment. The Cliff Branch story begins while he was a student at Cal Poly in the late 1960s, when he realized that students wanted great sound systems but not the bulky consoles of their parents’ generation. Just a little over three months ago, Branch teamed up with an old friend from his Cal Poly days, David Riordan, to focus on the recent presidential election.
Read the Tribune profile of Cliff Branch
Alumna Guides World of Wonders Science Museum in Lodi
Sally Snyde (B.S., Biology, 1973) is the president of the World of Wonders Science Museum in Lodi. Snyde is a firm believer in "edutainment," or that learning should be fun. As schools have dropped shop and lab classes, Snyde said children are watching too much television. She said children need a tactile, entertaining experience in which to learn, a place like the World of Wonders Science Museum in Lodi.
More on Snyde and the museum in the Lodi News
Moving Up
Got TiVo? Alumna is now CFO
Anna Brunelle (B.S., Business Administration, 1996) is now the Chief Financial Officer at TiVo Inc., the creator of television services for digital video recorders. Brunelle was appointed CFO in mid-September. In addition to her Cal Poly Degree, Brunelle is also Certified Public Accountant.
Read more on TechWeb
Tom Lebens joins Cal Poly Alumni Board
Former Cal Poly student body president Tom Lebens (B.S., Electronic Engineering 1989) has been appointed to the board of directors of the Cal Poly Alumni Association. A partner in the San Luis Obispo law firm Sinsheimer Juhnke Lebens & McIvor, Lebens graduated from the university in 1989 with a degree in electrical engineering.
For more, read the Tribune article
Blake Harlan Named Yolo AgriBusiness Person of the Year
The Yolo Chamber of Commerce named local row crop farmer Blake Harlan (B.S., Agricultural Management, 1989) as the 2008 AgriBusiness Person of the Year at Thursday's Farm-City Luncheon. The annual award is presented to influential locals in agriculture business. Harlan, raised on a farm in Woodland, is a past president of the Yolo County Farm Bureau and continues to serve with the organization. He graduated with degrees in agriculture business management and psychology from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.
Read the article at the Daily Democrat
NRM Alum Joins Colliers International in Oakland
The Colliers International office in Oakland recently added Brennan Carpenter (B.S. Natural Resource Management, 1997) to its Industrial Market Team. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, Carpenter also has a Certificate in Financial Accounting from the UC Berkeley.
Live from Washington: It’s Austin Hill
Austin Hill (B.A., 1987, English) turned his English degree into the perfect career, hosting and guest hosting several radio shows, including the syndicated "Brian and the Judge" program and "The Tom Sullivan Show" on the Fox NewsTalk Radio Network. He also hosts "The Austin Hill Show" for Arizona Web TV and is a periodic columnist for Human Events, and a weekly column for Arizona's East Valley Tribune newspaper.
See what else Hill’s up to in a Free Republic article
Alum in Master's Study at Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey
Major Bill Edmonds (B.A., Political Science, 1995) is enrolled in a course of study at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterrey, with plans to graduate in December with a master’s degree in military tactics and strategy. His thesis is on profiling terrorists. Major Edmonds is in Special Forces. He recently returned from a tour in Iraq and plans to return to Washington, D.C., with his wife, Cheryl, for more intensive study at the Pentagon.
Read the whole article in the Fillmore Gazette
Alum Says Goodbye SLO; Hello Tulare
Steven Knudsen (B.S., 2005, Food Science and Nutrition, M.S., 2007, Agriculture), former outreach coordinator for the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, has been hired as the communications director for the International Agri-Center in Tulare. In his new position, he will manage the communications of the World Ag Expo, California Antique Farm Show and the Heritage Complex, as well as communicate the importance of agriculture to consumers worldwide.
Read more about Knudsen in the Times Press Recorder story
Green Thumb Alum Pegged to Write Gardening Column in Washington
Mary Fran McClure (B.S., Journalism, 1962) is one of four Washington State University Master Gardeners selected to write a new column about gardening that will appear in the Home, Garden section of The Wenatchee World. A writer and editor for many years, she completed the Master Gardener training in Benton County, Ore. She then became the editor of their newsletter and began writing a gardening column for the local paper. In 2000, Mary Fran moved to Lewis County in Washington, where she became involved with the Master Gardeners and writing for the local paper.
Read The Wenatchee World story on McClure
Alum Among Who's Who in Business in Bakersfield
Patrick Johns (B.S., Business Administration, 2006) was awarded the Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist designation. He is an agent with Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency. He is among those named recently to the Who's Who in Business in Bakersfield list.
Read more in the Bakersfield Californian
Passings
Joe Camsuzou
Alumnus Joe Pete Camsuzou, 88, (Mechanized Agriculture, 1957) passed away Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008, at his home in San Miguel. He was born on the family ranch outside of San Miguel in October 1920. He attended Vineyard School, graduated from Paso Robles High School in 1937, and then entered Cal Poly's Aeronautics Program. Memorial gifts may be made to the Pioneer Museum in Paso Robles.
Read the obituary in the Tribune
Alexander Kelley
Alexander Dorsey Kelley (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1963) died peacefully Monday, Sept. 29, 2008, from complications of brain cancer. His wife, Lynn, was with him at their home in San Luis Obispo. Al was born in San Luis Obispo and attended Mission School. He graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 1958 and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Cal Poly in 1963.
Read his entire obituary in the Tribune.
Cal Poly Booster Harry Henderson
One of San Luis Obispo’s longtime civic leaders and Cal Poly supporter Harry E. Henderson died Oct. 29, a month shy of his 90th birthday. Henderson served as a Mustang Booster for 15 years, two years as president, and named honorary Mustang of the Year and Booster of the Year.
Read the Tribune story on Henderson's passing