Alumni in the News - November 2009
Headliners
Ag Alum and Family Farm in the Rocky Mountains Filmed for Tom Brokaw Documentary
Television anchor Tom Brokaw interviewed Cal Poly alum Jeff Downs (B.S., Animal Science, 2005) and his wife Jenika at their Kinikin Heights Natural Foods Farm in Colorado in October. Brokaw was there filming for his documentary show, "Tom Brokaw Presents American Character Along Highway 50." The episode should air in January. Downs, 27, grew up outside of Montrose, Colo. After graduating from Cal Poly, he decided to search for more sustainable practices for raising animals. Downs and his wife raise chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep and cattle for their natural foods company on their ranch outside Telluride.
(Photo courtesy Kinikin Heights Natural Foods)
More on Downs and the Brokaw interview in the Telluride Watch
Newsflash: 'Weird Al' Yankovic is Still Weird, But Now a Classic, Says CNN
'Weird Al' Yankovic (B.S., Architecture, 1980) was recently profiled by CNN. Their take: In the 1980s, it was easy to dismiss the accordion-toting Yankovic as a one-joke wonder. But now he's a legend and a Grammy winner. "The joke's on us. And it's still funny," according to CNN. Yankovic told the major news network that he never intended to be a musician, much less one with a Grammy, albums and successful tours. He say's he's the accidental pop star. And yes, it really did all start in the men's bathroom in the graphics building on campus.
See the full interview with Yankovic on CNN Showbiz
Iceman Chuck Liddell Boot-Scooted from Dancing With the Stars -- Now Heading for a Movie
Chuck Liddell's two-step to "Boot Scoot Boogie" on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Oct. 13 was his last -- the judges voted him off the show in its fourth week. But the crowd loved his two-step, and professional dancer and partner Anna Trebunskaya told Liddell (B.S., Business Administration, 1995)) he was her "bear" and she loved dancing with him. (Check out the performance video on Hulu.com and you'll see that like many Mustangs, Liddell does a decent two-step and looks plenty comfortable in Wranglers). The day after getting eliminated from DWTS, Liddell told the San Luis Obispo Tribune he wasn’t pleased with the professional dance judges who gave him the boot. They don't two-step in real life, and "they don’t know what they’re talking about half the time, anyway,” he said. The former Ultimate Fighting Champ will stay on screen; he has a role in an upcoming Mickey Rourke film.
Read the SLO Tribune interview with Liddell about his DWTS experience | See his Two-Step on video on Hulu
Cal Poly Graphics Grad Greens the National Record
Under the direction of Public Printer and Cal Poly alum Bob Tapella (B.S., Graphic Communication, 1991), the U.S. Government Printing Office has produced the Congressional Record using 100 percent recycled paper for the first time. The Congressional Record is the complete proceedings of Congress. This is the latest in Tapella's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the Federal Government.
Read more about the Congressional Record on Recycled Paper
Alum's Landscape Art Photos On Display in Sioux City
The black and white landscape photographs of Clyde Butcher (B.S., Architecture Engineering, 1964) are breathtaking, as are his puns, according to a profile on Butcher in the Sioux City Journal. Butcher is in the city in October for an exhibit of his work titled "America the Beautiful, the Monumental Landscape." Born in Kansas City, Mo., in 1942, he was always a fan of Ansel Adams. But he didn't leave architecture for landscape photography until 1970. He arrived in Florida in 1986 and began photographing birds and alligators.
Read the Sioux City Journal story on Butcher
Cal Poly Grad's Rocketing Career
George Matthews (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1996) left his native country, Guyana, to attend Cal Poly. He said he didn't expect to work on rockets, but 13 years later, he is part of a team launching rockets from both Vandenberg Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral. It was his voice CNN viewers heard during the launch countdown in 1998 for the Atlas 2.
Read the Lompoc Record for more on Matthews
See more in the Santa Maria Times
Food & Wine
Vintners Host Event at Newly Re-Opened Corbett Canyon Winery
Husband and wife winemakers Mike Sinor (Industrial Technology, 1994) and Cheri LaVallee (B.S., Ag Business, 1994) are among the winemakers featured during November's SLO Vintners Harvest Celebration at Corbett Canyon Winery. Closed to the public for 12 years, the winery was recently purchased and is now a custom crush facility where Sinor and LaVallee are among several small production vintners producing boutique wines.
Read about the Edna Valley winery and the Sinor-LaVallee label
Art-Gallery Style Tasting Room Showcases Alum's Wines
Periscope Cellars is set among canyons of light industrial buildings near the Amtrak station in Emeryville. The San Francisco Chronicle says it's got a funky art gallery vibe and great wines by Cal Poly viticulture grad Brendan Eliason (B.S., Fruit Science, 2003). He's now in his 14th commercial harvest. Eliason gets his wine grapes mostly from family-run vineyards in Sonoma. While only a few of his suppliers are certified organic, he says all his growers' practices effectively make their operations organic.
Read the story in the San Francisco Chronicle online
Career Moves
Alums Develop Photo iPhone App
Two Cal Poly alumni, Justin Wilcox (B.S., Computer Science, 2003) and Aaron Jensen (B.S., Computer Science, 2003), were part of a team to launch the first free iPhone photo translator application, PicTranslator. The application turns the iPhone camera into a point-and-shoot translator of all things visual, including foreign road signs, menus and maps, 
helping travelers overcome language barriers.
Read about the iPhone Photo App Developers
Music Alumna Introduces New Album
Mixing jazz, folk standards and original songs, Inga Swearingen (B.S., Music, 2002) carries listeners to her roots in her latest album, "First Rain." The new album comes on the heels of two previous albums — 2003’s “Learning How to Fly” with Trio 14 and 2005’s “Reverie” with The Bill Peterson Trio.
Read about Swearingen in the San Luis Obispo Tribune
Alumna Named Vice President of Product Development at Tech Firm
Lavante, a tech firm that does on-demand profit recovery and vendor information solutions for Fortune 1000 companies, announced that Leigh Anne Glasson (B.S., Computer Science, 1987) has been named vice president of product development.
Read the story on Glasson
Orfalea Business Alum is a Finalist in 'Newpreneur of the Year' Competition
Alum Ryan Dover (B.S., Business '93) is one of the national semi-finalist in the 2009 Newpreneur of the Year contest sponsored by Alibaba.com and Inc. Magazine. Dover is the president of Costumeworks, a costume company based in Chicago. Dover is one of 13 semi-finalists competing for up to $100,000 in business grant money. The five finalists picked to go on to the final round of competition were set to be announced Nov. 11 at Inc.com. Online voting on closed Nov. 6, but stay tuned to see how Dover and his company do at the Nov. 18 finals in San Francisco.
Read details on Dover and his company on Inc.com
Alum Named to Head Mattress Industry's Green Initiative
The Specialty Sleep Association announced that it has appointed David Farley (B.S., Engineering, 1989), CEO of Anatomic Global, as the chairman of the mattress/bedding industry “Green Initiative.” The Green Initiative is a process designed to identify, define and standardize how mattress manufacturers and retailers label “green” and natural sleep products. Farley has more than 25 years of experience in the foam industry and holds 27 patents on the anatomic uses of foam. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, he holds a MBA from Pepperdine University.
Read the story on Farley in Furniture World
Alum Named To Lead Los Osos Community Services District
W. Dan Gilmore (B.S., Civil Engineering, 1987, MBA, 1989) is the new general manager of the Los Osos Community Services District on the Central Coast. Gilmore
has a mix of local project and budget management experience. Before taking the Los Osos job, Gilmore had served as a utilities engineer for the city of San Luis Obispo since 1992.
Read the story on Gilmore in the SLO Tribune
Awards
Two Alumni Nominated to be 'Rising Stars Under 40' in Visalia
The Visalia Times-Delta is publishing profiles of nominees this year's Rising Stars "5 under 40" — young professionals in Tulare County making a difference in their industry or community.
B.J. Perch Jr. (B.S., Construction Management, 2000) worked in the Bay Area for several years before joining his family's company six years go. Perch is responsible for all aspects of the company's commercial and industrial construction, including estimating, bidding, negotiating contracts and overseeing construction jobs.
Read more in the Visalia Times Delta
Josh Pitigliano (B.S., Ag Business, 2001) is the farm manager for his family's custom farming and harvesting services. Active in the Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ranchers program, he served a two-year post as chairman of the local committee. He is a member of World Ag Expo Leadership and was named Outstanding Young Farmer by the California Farm Bureau in 2007.
Read more about Pitigliano
Passings
Timothy and Nicole Bomicino
Nicole (Eyler, B.S., Business Administration, 2001) and Timothy (B.S., Agriculture Systems Management, 2001) Bomicino died Oct. 13, in an automobile accident north of Bakersfield. Married in July 2002, the couple lived in Paso Robles, where she owned and managed Divine Styles and Soles. Tim Bomicino was a pilot with Skywest Airlines and flew regional jets based in Fresno.
For more information on the Bomicinos
Erik S. Forsman
Erik Segurd Forsman (B.S., Animal Husbandry, 1953) passed away Oct. 9 peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. He was born one of five children in January 1917 in Palisade, Colo. After attending Cal Poly, he went on to work for the California Department of Corrections as a counselor for 20 years.
Read the obituary in the Paso Robles Press
Joseph Webster
Joseph Robert Webster (B.S., Sociology, 1973), 71, passed away peacefully Oct. 14 in his Atascadero home surrounded by loved ones. Nicknamed Ronky, Webster was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked at PG&E while raising a family and earning his degree.
Read about Webster in the Atascadero News
Virginia Keyes Schleinz
Virginia Keyes Schleinz (B.S., English, 1981) passed away in October. She moved to Morro Bayat age 51 in 1976 with her husband. In 1981, she graduated summa cum laude from Cal Poly. She went on to work for a decade as a tour guide at Hearst Castle.
Read the SLO Tribune Obituary