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| 1950s | Kara Kelley, ‘03 | |
| 1960s | Charles Bell, ’71, ’73 | |
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| 1990s | Alumni Member News | |
| 2000s |
Most people slap away mosquitoes. Kara Kelley collects them.
As a microbiologist with the Sacramento- Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, Kelley (’03, Micro and Molecular Biology) traps and tests mosquitoes for diseases such as the West Nile virus. During the sweltering summer months when mosquitoes are at their peak, she may begin work at 5 or 6 a.m. and not leave until late in the evening.
But her work doesn’t end in the laboratory. Kelley travels to classrooms, county fairs and other community events to talk to people about how they can protect themselves from mosquito- born diseases. Her message: don’t have standing water at your house, use screens on your doors and windows, and always wear mosquito repellant.
“I love what I do,” she says. “It is cool and insects are amazing. It is a different way to look at public health.”
Mosquitoes are attracted to human breath, so the district sets up carbon dioxide-baited traps that imitate a person exhaling. The insects are then sucked into a mesh basket. Other collections are done using traps that mimic standing pools of water, or in areas where dead birds are found—a potential sign of West Nile virus. Those mosquitoes are brought back to the lab, where Kelley tests for three different viruses and is constantly on the lookout for new diseases.
Kelley has worked at the district for 20 years, but says it was her education at Sac State that gave her the necessary skills for her current position. She started out at the district as a field control technician where she located and treated mosquito breeding sites, collected samples, and promoted public education. After 12 years, she became a lab technician, assisting in field trials and collecting mosquito samples for testing, identifying and counting.
When Kelley decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Sac State, she was admittedly a little bit nervous about returning to the school at the age of 39. But the students and teachers welcomed her into class and before long she was “having a blast.”
“I loved my teachers. It was nice to come back as an older student because I had a better balance in my life,” she says. “They gave me great training.”
After graduating from Sac State in 2003, Kelley was promoted to a microbiologist position with the district. She now does a little bit of everything, from collecting to testing to education. “It is never too late to go back to school to get your dream job,” she says.
—Christina Salerno
Rosa Parks, author Alex Haley, Muhammad Ali, Jane Fonda, Coretta Scott King, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan, and the Queen of England. That list of who’s who in history includes just a few of the people Charles Bell (‘71, Police Science, ’73, Criminal Justice) provided security for as the Sergeant-at-Arms for the California legislature from 1974-96. Sworn in to his position in 1983 by then-Speaker of the House Willie Brown, Bell credits Brown and Rep. Maxine Waters as key mentors who helped him rise to his position at the Capitol. “Willie Brown was the first African American speaker of the house, and it was an honor to have his support,” Bell says.
And how exactly did the Dayton, Ohio native decide on Sac State as his destination? “My friend had a cousin who lived in Sacramento, and the idea of living in the ‘sunshine state’ had enormous appeal,” Bell says. “We arrived in December of 1967, and it rained almost the entire month.”
The sun did eventually shine, just as Bell did on the Sac State campus. He excelled as a student-athlete, making the Dean’s List and leading the Far West football conference in kickoff returns as a running back for the Hornets.
“I came to the campus before football scholarships were available, so I paid for school by working security for the University’s field house,” he says.
And Bell can’t say enough about the role athletics plays for college students. “Athletics has been an avenue for a lot of young people to improve as both citizens and individuals,” he says.
Lured by the appeal of athletics, Bell dreamed of becoming a football coach one day and toyed with the idea of majoring in physical education. After some hard thinking, however, Bell decided to major in police science, which he felt had the potential for more opportunities in California’s capital city.
“It was a hard decision at the time, but I’m glad I made it now, because I wouldn’t have discovered or achieved my full potential,” he says.
—Kim Nava
Richard “Dick” Vinci, ’55, B.A., Physical Education, has retired after 50 years of being a coach and a math and computer science teacher in the Pueblo (Colo.) Public Schools. During that time, Vinci was a basketball official for high school, junior college and college games. He retired the first time in 1994, but became bored and decided to teach math at Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University-Pueblo part-time for 13 years. Vinci has been married for 50 years to Mae, and they have three sons and two grandsons.
Cordia Chambers Wade, ’55, B.A., Social Work, ’76, M.A., Sociology, is currently serving on the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission. She was recently selected as the “Outstanding Woman of Color” as an educator and advocate for senior and women’s health. The award included recognition from Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Assemblymember Dave Jones. In March, Wade was recognized for leadership and advocacy, and as a “Woman of Inspiration” at The Sacramento Observer’s Black Expo. She was also selected by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health for its Senior Leaders Project. She and her husband, John, celebrated 54 years of marriage in June.
Jack Plasterer, ’59, B.S., Physical Education, ’71, M.A., Education, is a certified fitness trainer and is a member of the International Sports Sciences Association. Plasterer is a personal trainer, ski instructor and the general manager of a semi-pro football team. He also runs an adult education fitness program. He is a resident of Davis.
Rona Commins, ’68, B.A. and ’83, M.A., Music, recently celebrated her 20th year teaching music in a summer travel study program in Florence, Italy. To mark the occasion, Commins gave a recital accompanied by a reception at the Chies Evangelica in Florence last summer. She has taught classes and given concerts and master classes for Sac State, San Francisco State, American River College and Brigham Young University. For contributing 355 hours of service for the year 2006-07, Commins was given an award by the Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity. She lives in Sacramento with her husband, Richard.
Bill Yurong, ’68, B.S., Physical Education, ’74, M.S., Criminal Justice, spent 35 years as a Sacramento County probation officer working primarily as an armed officer supervising high-risk probationers. He also spent the past 20 years working as a substance abuse counselor with the Bureau of Prisons. He is currently a social worker for St. Francis Home for Children. Yurong is a member of the Sac State Football Hall of Fame. He and his wife live in Sacramento and have four children and five grandchildren.
Peter Graham, ’69, B.A., Government, after a career in industrial sales, mostly in the Midwest, has retired to the tip of Cape Cod with his wife, Maureen Cronin. He built a house there four years ago and is now living on the Cape year-round. Graham is painting and hopes to keep up with and learn from the many Cape Cod artists who are neighbors. He has reconnected with his most important art teacher, Ralph Goings, who is now back living in California. Graham sends best wishes to all classmates who are moving into their retirement years, saying “Life is an adventure, isn’t it?”
Robert Denham, Jr., ’73, B.S., Criminal Justice, has retired after 33 years of service from the Sacramento Sheriff’s office where he attained the rank of chief deputy sheriff. He was elected president of the Northern California Peace Officers Association, an organization of active and retired public safety personnel that provides scholarships to criminal justice majors. Denham now serves as the association’s webmaster at www.NCPOA. net. Sacramento is home for Denham and his wife, Sharen Sue.
Cathryn Chase-Mason, ’75, B.A., Criminal Justice, has been self-employed as a certified public accountant since 1999. Chase-Mason is married to Bert Mason, a professor at CSU Fresno, who will be retiring this year. They have one daughter and one grandson and live in Fresno.
Bruce Hohenhaus, ’76, B.A., Business Administration (Marketing), is the senior vice president of Colliers International, an integrated real estate company. The company performs services to clients on behalf of landlords, tenants and investors through every stage of the real estate process. Hohenhaus and his wife, Cyndi, live in Sacramento.
Dick Russell, ’76, B.A., Criminal Justice, is an assistant professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in its Aviation Sciences Institute. Before joining the university in Oklahoma City, Russell was with the Federal Aviation Administration. He and his wife, Shelia, live in Midwest City, Okla.
Walter B. Schaub, ’76, B.A., Communication Studies, and his wife Terry celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in April. They were married at San Gabriel Mission in 1958 and have three daughters and five grandsons. Schaub has enjoyed a long career as a Sacramento radio personality, known to most by his on-air names “Uncle Walty” and “Walt Shaw.” He recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the Alumni Association and the University. He and his wife have lived in Sacramento for 47 years.
Michael Jared Gorman, ’78, B.A., Government, is the building inspector and plans examiner for the city of Belmont, Calif. He and his wife, Frances, live in Foster City.
Bishop Lou A. Bordisso, ’77, B.A., Social Welfare, is the former presiding bishop and current auxiliary bishop for the (Old Catholic) Diocese of California. He has a part-time psychotherapy practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist. Prior to his ordination to the priesthood, Bordisso was the civilian employee assistance program administrator and counseling psychologist for the Department of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Pacific. He has served as the president and executive director for San Francisco’s Father Francis Homeless Project, serving youth and young adults in the Tenderloin and Polk-Gulch area. Bordisso holds a doctorate in education and a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from the University of San Francisco, and a master’s of divinity degree from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. He resides on Mare Island, near San Francisco.
Evelyn Luscher, ’80, B.A., Psychology, is a published writer and novelist. In 1999 her book Oh, What a Lovely War! A Soldier’s Memoir, written in collaboration with Stanley Swift, was published by Hellgate Press. Since that time, four more novels have been published, with The Lostcreek Legacy being the latest. This fall Wyla the Witch hits the bookstores. It’s a “fantasy for children who still believe in the unbelievable.” Luscher and her family reside in El Dorado Hills.
Ronald Grove, ’81, B.A., Physical Education, is a teacher and the activities director at Roseville High School. But a new chapter in his life is just beginning. After 50 years of bachelorhood, Grove is getting married. He and his wife will live in Sacramento.
David Trimingham, ’81, B.S., Recreation Administration, has recently retired from the United States Air Force after 21 years. He is now with ALZA, a division of Johnson & Johnson, as a pharmaceutical technician. He and his family live in Vacaville.
Jim Rost, ’82, B.A., Criminal Justice, is an ROTC teacher at Hiram Johnson High School in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Rost is a master sergeant (ret.) in the United States Air Force 75th Airlift Squadron. He and his wife, Nari, live in Carmichael.
Madeline Kellner, ’83, M.B.A., has been elected to the Novato City Council. By day, she runs a management consulting practice, Kellner and Associates, helping non-profit, public-sector and healthcare organizations improve their operations. It’s based in Novato, where Kellner and her husband, Clint, make their home.
Russell “Dave” Hays, ‘85, B.A. English, ‘88, M.A., English, ‘89, Teaching Credential (English), recently completed a master of science degree in rangeland ecosystem science through a distance learning program at Colorado State University. After leaving Sac State, Hays spent a year teaching junior high in the Grant Union School District. He then pursued a career change, taking him back to school at the University of Montana, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in resource conservation. For the past 15 years, Hays has worked for the federal government as a park ranger and manager. He is currently employed by the Bureau of Land Management in Winnemucca, Nev.
William (Mitch) Darnell, ’86, B.A., Communication Studies, has started what he says is the first and only website for grooms to be: www.SacGroom.com. The name of Darnell’s business is Forever Inspired and he is also an “inspiration wedding officiant.”
Annette Laing, ’88, B.A., Journalism and History, published her first novel last summer, Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When. Written for ages 9 and up, it’s the story of three modern American kids—two of them from northern California—who time travel to England in 1940. Since 1996, Laing has been a member of the department of history at Georgia Southern University, where she teaches early American and public history. She is also the creator of TimeShop, a nationallyrecognized history simulation for kids.
Galer Barnes, ’89, M.A., Anthropology, has published her first collection of poetry, Too Deep for Tears, under the pen name of Jane Galer. Barnes signed with a literary agent in 2007 and is working on non-fiction and historical fiction projects. She and her husband, Gene, live in Elk, Calif.
Robyn (Rutger) Rominger, ’89, B.A., Government/Journalism, established herself as an agricultural journalist after graduation, accepting a position with an agricultural magazine publishing company in North Carolina. She also pursued her writing career in Mississippi and Arkansas before returning to California in 1995. She then served as managing editor of the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento. Today, she works from home as a freelance writer while raising her children, baby Rachel and sons John and Julian. She also does marketing communications for Rominger West Winery in Davis. She and her husband recently poured their wines at the Stinger Wine & Food Classic at the Alumni Center. They live on their family farm near Winters.
Donald H. Gillott, ’94, Honorary Alumnus, is “dean emeritus” after serving Sac State for 26 years. He was chair of the Electrical Engineering Department for nine years and was dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science for 17 years. Gillott also serves on the Industrial Advising Board for the College. He and his wife, Betty, live in Cameron Park.
Richard L. Williams, ’95, B.S., Business Administration, is the e-commerce director for Lexus of Sacramento. He lives in Sacramento.
Surinder Gill-Saeltzer, ’98, B.A. Child Development, ’02, M.A., Multicultural Education, is a clinical supervisor/ team leader at the Sacramento Children’s Home. Her doctorate is pending with a dissertation titled “My Sikh Mother and I: The Way We Are in America.” She presented it at the Multicultural Oral History Conference held at Sac State in April.
Luis Rios, Jr., ’98, M.A., Multicultural Education, is employed by the California Department of Education as a bilingual/ migrant education consultant, administering family literacy programs statewide. After receiving his master’s degree at Sac State, Rios earned a doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College. He lives in Sacramento.
Lonnie J. Rush, ’98, B.A., Economics, has left his position as director of operations development with California ISO to start Rush Capital Management. The company is an investment partnership modeled after the 1950s Warren Buffett partnerships. His new role is managing partner of RCM Partners Fund. Rush makes his home in Folsom.
2000s Lora Lopez Stelzer, ’00, B.S., Kinesiology, has received the National Athletic Trainer’s Association’s (NATA) award for Division III Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year. She accepted the award at the NATA convention in St. Louis during the college and university education session. She works at a small Division III school, Westminster College in Missouri, and makes her home in Ashland, Mo.
Roy Westfall, ’01, B.A., Psychology, is an attorney with Dependency Associates. He makes Sacramento his home.
Ben Thielen, ’02, M.A., Government, lives in Washington, D.C. and is a policy analyst for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Timothy D. Cochrane, ’03, B.A., Communication Studies, is the General Manager of the Hillstone Restaurant Group. A former Associated Students officer, Cochrane now resides in Corona del Mar.
Marni Culy, ’03, B.S., Biological Sciences, ’04 Credential Education (Biological Sciences), is a science teacher at Will C. Wood in the Sacramento City Unified School District. In addition she is the basketball coach, an advisor for the Science Club and the administrator for the science fair at the school. Culy lives in Rancho Cordova.
Melinda K. McClain, ’03, B.A., Government, after serving several years in the California State Legislature, is now a lobbyist for Platinum Advisors and assists with advocacy services for several local government clients while managing the legislative unit. During her tenure in the State Senate, she served Sen. Kevin Murray of Los Angeles County. McClain has several notable accomplishments in the State Legislature and a recent personal achievement: she received a “30 Under 30” award from The Sacramento Observer. The recipients are honored for being among the top young professionals who have the potential for career success. McClain also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. She lives in Sacramento.
Joyce E. Crawford, ’04, B. A., Communication Studies, is a management services technician for the State of California. She is also a notary public. Stained glass projects keep Crawford very busy as does her new Australian Shepherd pup. Since moving to Auburn, she has become an I-80 commuter to her job in downtown Sacramento.
Lisa C. Young, ’04, B.A., Psychology, recently graduated from the patient administration course while assigned to the Naval School of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. During the four-week course, Navy Lt. Young received instruction on policy, eligibility and administrative procedures relative to patient management. She was also instructed on coordinating inpatient and outpatient admissions, patient tracking, and custody and processing of medical records. She lives in Germantown, Md.
Jacquelyn S. Ramsey, ’05, B.A., Communication Studies, is an environmental planner for the California Department of Conservation. Ramsey works in the Williamson Act Program which enables local governments to enter into a contract with private landowners that restricts parcels of land to agricultural and open space use. The land remains in the natural environment supporting agricultural production which provides food and fiber to the citizens of the state and critical habitat for wildlife. Ramsey lives in Sacramento.
Alejandro Andrade, Jr., ’06, B.S., Psychology, has spent the last year working as a mental health professional and has recently been accepted into the Clinical Psychology doctorate program at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Ellie Constantine, ’06, B.S., Biological Sciences, sends news that she is a navigator in the United States Air Force. She lives in Marina, Calif.
Shonquinta Jones, ’06, B.S., Liberal Studies, returned to school to complete the credential program in May 2008. Jones lives in Sacramento.
Suzette Halterman, ’07, B.A., Finance and International Business, is a financial analyst with California American Water. She has bought her first home and is living in Sacramento.
Matthew Plummer, ’07, B.A., Government, is the project manager for Butte County and Lake Tahoe CCD. He has been accepted at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for its master’s program in city and regional planning.
June Sugar, ’07, B.S., Gerontology, is a registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente. With her new degree in gerontology, she is looking for a career opportunity in the public policy arena.
Allison Leigh Williams, ’07, B.S., Accountancy and Finance, works for Pacific Ethanol as a cost accountant and will marry on Sept. 25. She is in the middle of leading an initiative with Mothers without Borders to get medical supplies to a neonatal center in Zambia and next year will be traveling to Zambia to assist with the distribution of supplies. Williams resides in Folsom.