1960s
Wildlife photographer Tupper Ansel Blake ’66, has received the A. Storker Leopold Award for Outstanding Wetlands Conservation. A resident of Dorris, California, Blake is a widely published photographer who is considered one of the leading experts on the Klamath River watershed. His work has appeared in a number of national and international publications, including “Balancing Water: Restoring the Klamath Basin.”
Gregory L. Trout ’69, retired after 47 years as a nationally recognized consultant in risk management. He formed and managed self-insured risk pools for public entities throughout the U.S. He was president and CEO of Bickmore located in Sacramento California and has resided in the greater Sacramento area since 1970 with his wife, Melanie.
1970s
Shelly Davis-King ’71, received the 2017 David Fredrickson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of California Archaeology. The award was in recognition of her 45 year of service and dedication to a range of state, regional and national organizations dedicated to cultural heritage preservation
1980s
Gregg Weitzman ’83, is retiring after nearly 35 years with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. He began his law enforcement career while still a UCSB student, serving in reserve duty and as a reserve deputy. Over the years, he held different roles including detective, scuba diver, SWAT team member and air unit pilot. Weitzman brought the idea of an air unit to the Sheriff’s Office and served as its first helicopter pilot logging nearly 6,000 hours of patrol time assisting with hundreds of incidents and rescues in the areas backcountry. His most recent role was as a sergeant. Weitzman is a flight instructor for both helicopters and airplanes and has spent the past 16 years as an Airborne Law Enforcement Association board member. He co- founded Project: Rescue Flight, which has raised more than $3 million to help rebuild rescue aircraft for the county and related equipment costs.
Joseph Tomlinson ’88, has published his first novel, “Triangle of Fire,” which features a UCSB student character who is a firefighter on an elite crew in Santa Barbara. The book is based on Tomlinson’s years working in the Los Padres National Forest and on the Napa Country Dry Creek-Lakota Volunteer Fire Department. A portion of the book sales will be donated to help the family of the longtime superintendent of Los Padres Hotshots who recently passed away.
1990s
Richard Frey ’91, has joined the law firm of Epstein Becker Green as a Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice in the Los Angeles office. A sought- after counselor for employers dealing with an array of labor and employment challenges, Frey handles both general and complex commercial litigation and business matters. He has achieved successes that range from class action dismissals to litigation outcomes. His clients include hospitals and health care groups, Fortune 500 companies, sports and entertainment agents, movie studios and independent film producers, communications companies, government contractors, and nonprofit organizations, among others.
Karin Waldman ’91, was named Executive Vice President, Managing Director at Patients & Purpose, an Omnicom Health Group agency based in Manhattan. As a member of the executive leadership team she will help to craft he agency’s vision, oversee the San Francisco Office, and manage key pieces of business.
Jana Zimmer M.A. ’69, has published “Navigating the California Coastal Act,” a comprehensive guide to the standards and procedures of the California Coastal Act. Geared toward planners, local, state and federal agency officials, property owners, real estate developers, attorneys and judges, citizen activists and students, the book includes tips for how to effectively present cases and work with Coastal Commission staff. Zimmer is a Santa Barbara attorney, arbitrator and former Coastal Commissioner with over 35 years of experience on the California Coastal Act. She currently works as an expert witness, facilitator and governmental relations consultant specializing in Coastal Act matters.
Dan Carrico ’97, Eric O’Connor ‘96 and Dennis O’Connor owners of Thorn Brewing, recently opened a production, brewing and tasting room facility in the Barrio Logan area of San Diego. As of this summer, their product is now also sold in cans, and can be found in Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, Jensen’s, and many smaller stores throughout San Diego. Their first location is in North Park where they produce and have a tasting room/ bar space. Carrico started the business out of his home before teaming up with fellow Gauchos Eric O’Connor and Dennis O’Connor to expand the craft brewery business.
2000's
Gelare Macon, has been named 2018 co-chair, along with UC Santa Cruz alumna Olivia Marr, of the 5th Annual Santa Barbara Housing Conference to be held in May. Macon is a principal planner and project manager at Flowers & Associates, Inc., and a certified planner with the American Planning Association. She is an advocate for affordable and workforce housing and participates in the local policy decision process. The housing conference will feature networking, keynote speaker, morning and afternoon educational workshops, and a panel on timely housing topics and issues.
Laurie (Cantrell ’00) Grant and Shannon (Butler ’92) Mokoro, recently published “Feminist Perspectives on Social Work Practice,” an academic textbook for use in social work, women’s studies, and sociology courses. The book helps practitioners address the “isms” women face in seeking care across the human services spectrum and features case studies in each chapter.
Larry D. Terry ’00, has been appointed executive director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia on July 1, 2018. He also will hold a courtesy appointment in UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy.
Joy (Nevin M.A. ’01) Axelson, is one of 10 Illinois realtors selected to represent the state at an international real estate conference in Cannes, France in March. As CEO and Managing Broker of Axelson Realty LLC in Northbrook, Illinois, Axelson was awarded a stipend through the Illinois Realtors®’ Global Business Council to attend the conference, billed as the largest real estate gathering in the world and attracts more than 24,000 participants from 100 countries. In addition to being a realtor, Axelson is also an ATA certified French translator who has lived in France.
Laura (Bielinski ’03) Langberg, was promoted to Counsel at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, in Denver, Colorado. Based in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Langberg litigates complex commercial matters, including disputes over high-value contractual and real property issues. She also represents commercial and gaming clients in a variety of disputes, including intellectual property and defamation matters. She has represented clients in state and federal courts in Nevada and California, and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Katy Tur ’05, was featured Feb. 1 in Los Angeles Magazine in an article entitled “How Women Have Helped MSNBC Tip the Cable News Rating Scales.” The article cited Tur as one of three journalists on MSNBC who have helped attract more viewers. They called her the “Christine Amanpour” of “campaign coverage” during the 2016 Presidential campaign. Tur, who has published a book about her experience, often “stared down howling minions at events when the candidate enlisted the mob against the girl kicking his butt every night.”
Alyssa Somavia ’10, was recently named to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) highly-selective Young Professional Advisory Council. Somavia was one of 15 young professionals chosen from 400 applicants. In her role on the council, she will help advocate for SHRM’s young professional members, age 30 and younger, and provide guidance to SHRM for attracting and retaining nonmember young professionals. SHRM is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. The role of the council is to Selection is competitive. SHRM received over 400 applications for only 15 spots on the council. Somavia is a human resources specialist for the accounting firm of Damitz Brooks Nightingale Turner and Morrisset.
Hye Jean Chung Ph.D. ’11, has published “Media Heterotopias,” which challenges the tendency among audiences and critics to disregard the globally dispersed labor that goes into digital film production. Chung draws on interviews with directors, producers, special effects supervisors and other film industry workers, to trace how the emphasis on seamlessness masks the social, political and economic realities of global filmmaking and digital labor. Chung is an assistant professor in the School of Global Communication at Kyung Hee University, in South Korea.
Alex Stern ’12, has launched a legal AI startup called Attorney IO. They provide an artificially intelligent legal researcher that digests submitted legal documents and suggests relevant additional cases.
Alice Chung ’14, was chosen to participate in the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco during summer 2017. A mezzo-soprano, Chung sang excerpts from “The Ballad of Baby Doe,” and “Cavalleria rusticana” in the Schwabacher Summer Concert. This past fall, Chung performed the role of Madame Larina in the new production of “Eugene Onegin” with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. This spring, Ms. Chung will sing the role of Giovanna in “Rigoletto,” and this summer, she will return to Central City to cover Azucena in “Il Trovatore.”
Alan Williams ’15, is recovering from surgery in September to repair torn cartilage in his right knee, and hopes to get back into full swing with the Phoenix Suns. The 6’8” rebounder averaged 11.4 points and 9.1 rebounds last season and holds a three-year, $17 million contract with the Suns.
Yumiko Glover MFA ’17, opens an exhibit of her work “For Your Eyes Only” at the Silo 18 gallery in Santa Barbara. Her work was previously on display in the Letendre gallery in Mosher Alumni House.
Samantha Bean ’18 and Christina Lavingia ‘13, produced a Santa Barbara Independent cover article and news story Feb. 15 on the issue of sexual assault in Isla Vista. Bean has worked as an intern on the staff of the Independent while Lavingia is a content marketing manager in Santa Barbara. The story generated widespread community discussion about the safety of women in Isla Vista.
In Memoriam 1940's
Jeanne Marie (Smith ’48) Sanchez, died on November 16, 2017 in Edmonds, Washington. As a student at Santa Barbara State College, she met her future husband, Lawrence Sanchez, and they married in 1950. After living in Mexico for several years while Lawrence Sanchez attended medical school, the couple returned with their two children to Santa Barbara. Jeanne Sanchez balanced family and a career as a medical technologist in hematology at Cottage Hospital.
1960s
John R. Calaprice ’60, died Jan. 14, 2018 in Santa Cruz, California. Calaprice received his bachelors, masters and doctorate from UCSB. He was an ecologist, geneticist and marine biologist. He was a senior scientist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography where he developed new scientific methods for investigating the ecologies and life histories of Atlantic and Pacific tuna. He later was a consultant for the California Coastal Commission where he worked on nuclear power issues. Later he helped in the formation of the Russian River Watershed Association and advocated for the protection of the Eel River.
John Wheeler Simms, ’63,,died Feb. 22 in Santa Barbara. He majored in biology and worked for General Electric. He later worked as a manager of loan collections at UCSB.
Julie (Grover ’65) Klassen, died on January 13, 2018 in Northfield, Canada. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in German from UCSB, Klassen earned a master’s and Ph.D. in German literature from Stanford University. For two years, she was an assistant professor of German at St. Olaf College, and then joined Carleton College as a tenured professor of German Studies, retiring in 2009. She loved literature, natural history, environmental preservation, travel and cooking.
Dorothy (Huff ’61) Pearce, died on November 17, 2017 in Santa Barbara. A single mother of four, Pearce decided to obtain a college degree. In 1962, at the age of 32, she enrolled at UCSB. It was there that she met poetry professor Donald Pearce. The two married in Paris in 1964. At age 50, Dorothy Pearce took up the cello and joined a local string quartet, hosted many concerts in her home and was active at the Music Academy of the West.
1970s
Donna Darrow ’71, died on January 19, 2018 in Santa Barbara. A Santa Barbara native, Darrow worked for American Airlines as a flight attendant based out of New York before moving to Chicago several years later to continue to work for the airline. She retired in 2004 as American’s manager of Premium Customer Service. After retirement, Darrow and her husband, Sidney Kaplan, moved to Carpinteria.
Charles Eischen, died on November 25, 2017 in San Francisco. Eischen worked in corporate marketing for many years, leading major communications and branding initiatives for Bay Area high-tech firms. He earned a degree in political science from UCSB and in his youth, was a competitive swimmer who qualified for several national championships and the 1980 Olympic trials.
The Rev. Elizabeth (Bets) Wienecke ’75,died on December 28, 2017 in Carpinteria. The daughter of a major general, Wienecke attended 19 schools by the time she graduated from high school. In 1954, she moved to Okinawa with her family before returning to California to raise her own three children. She returned to college in the 1960s, earning a bachelor’s in Law and Society from UCSB, a master’s in counseling and guidance from California State University, Northridge, and a Masters of Divinity from the School of Theology at Claremont. She was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1986 and helped to found the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Goleta in 1986.
Kimberly Flory ’77, died Jan. 27, 2018 in Santa Barbara. She received her BA in Studio Art and worked as a waitress at Sambo’s to put herself through school. She became a construction parts estimator using drafting skills she had acquired at SBCC and later worked in the county Assessor’s office making appraisal drawings. She continued her work in ceramics and worked on the Christos Umbrella Project in 1981.
1980s
Virginia Marie Hayes, ’87, died Feb.21, 2018 in Modesto. She had served as Curator of Ganna Walska Lotusland for many years and during her time as curator obtained a masters degree from UCSB in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. She was a prolific writer who authored two books on Lotus- land as well as hundreds of gardening columns in the Santa Barbara Independent. She received the Jacarena Award from Santa Barbara Beautiful for outstanding community service
1990s
Scott Fricker M.A. ’94, died on December 22, 2017 in Reston, Virginia. Born in Heidelburg, Germany while his father was serving in the military. He spent his formative years and professional life in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Fricker worked as a senior research psychologist for the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In Remembrance:
UC Santa Barbara Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Friends
Isabelle Mina Longley Burleigh, died in December 2017 in Santa Barbara. She worked for many years at UCSB in the Housing and Student Services office.
Joseph Polchinski, an influential physicist, professor emeritus and permanent member of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara, died on February 2, 2018 in Santa Barbara. Polchinski’s influential work in the field of physics brought him recognition including multiple honors and fellowships. His most recent honor came in 2017 when he was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, a $2 million prize shared with two other physicists for transformative advances in quantum field theory, string theory and quantum gravity. His findings on string theory and his idea about the universe being one of many, also known as multiverse, created new fields of study. He mentored generations of physicists and leaves a remarkable imprint on all of theoretical physics.
Legendary English professor Homer “Murph” Swander, died Feb. 15, 2018 in Santa Barbara. He taught Shakespeare courses for more than 30 years and took thousands of his students to Ashland, Oregon and England to watch Shakespeare on stage.
Professor Emeritus Waldo Tobler , died Feb. 20, 2018 in Santa Barbara. He taught at UCSB from 1977 until 1994 and was one of the world’s leading cartographers. He was a principal investigator at the UCSB-based National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.
James Lu, a first year biology student, died in a traffic accident in Isla Vista March 2, 2018.
Jung Sook Chang, a third year psychology student, died in Goleta on March 6, 2018.